[Vile] Puppy Kicking PCs at Work

[Fangor the Fierce]

Aligor Thunderaxe Male Dwarf Fighter/Barbarian

As Aligor studies the Inn for a few minutes, watching for activity, he notices Sunedilar and his new friend (Alev) coming up the road, seemingly oblivious to the dwarf's presence [Aligor rolled default Hide 19+2=21. Default Spot checks of 6 and 13 fail]. The two notice the same run-down appearance of the Hearthgate Inn, and the same whittling old man, that Aligor saw.

Well, it seems as though the gods want Sunedilar and myself to be reunited. No use in changin' that now. If Sunedilar and his companion walk up the road to where Aligor can make his presence known without alerting the man sitting near the Hearthgate Inn, he will. He will motion them over to his shadows, and whisper to Bane to keep him quiet.

Once Sunedilar acknowledges Aligor, Aligor will keep an eye on the man near the Inn, to see if he has noticed the others as well.

"Looks like ya took care of yer light work earlier, huh Sunny? Haven't lost yer touch, I see. And who's yer 'friend' here? Seems as though you got sumthin to talk to Hex about. Need any help?" Aligor will make a motion towards his axe, showing that he is ready for assistance if need be. Keeping an eye on Sunedilar's friend, he tries to get a feel for this guy, with his spectacles, dark clothing, and mannerisms.

 

[Telsar]

Gwyn approaches the front double doors, listening carefully but the sounds coming from within the building are very faint. He hears something moving around, very light footfalls perhaps, but nothing more. It might be nothing more than a rodent or two that made it’s way inside, but it’s impossible to tell if its something small near the door, or larger and farther inside. T’aria sneaks up behind him, very quietly, and sees nothing outside that looks threatening, besides themselves, of course. She hears the same movement inside, once she comes close, but the lightness of the noise and the possible echos the building can produce make her just as unsure where it’s coming from or what it is. [Two badly rolled Listen checks]


[Should have mentioned in the previous post: yes, Accalon just barely made his Listen check on the last whispered conversation.]

In the dark closet, Loni nods her head, her hand gently squeezing Accalon’s arm as she kisses his neck, showing her faith in the warrior. Accalon sees Aeweth go to the whore Heliah, and whisper some sort of comforting words but can’t hear them. The girl seems to calm down a bit [Diplomacy rolled 6+12 = 18], although she tenses a little as Ezuvial once again casts a spell. Magic energy forms at his finger tips, then gently flows from the man to the whore. She starts to smile, and say “Oh, you’re so…” but then her eyes grow wide with fright. “What did you do?!?” she yells. “What did you try to do to me? I felt… oh god, that wasn’t me!” She grabs Aeweth by her arm and says to her emphatically “He’s the one! He’s the one who took the others!” She then leaps from the bed, rushes to the door and opens it, trying to get away.

[BTW, darn NPC rolled 20 on her saving throw I’m assuming Aeweth doesn’t make any Attack of Opportunity against her. Otherwise, I’ll change my descriptions here a bit.]

Ezuvial wastes no time, rushing to the door and slamming it shut before she can leave. He says “You are going nowhere! Not yet." His anger at her resistance feels like a palpable force in the room. Even Accalon and Loni can feel it, the anger sending shivers throughout their bodies. Aeweth feels the anger too, but resists the unnatural fear it seems to cause, perhaps because this man, if he is that, has always had that genuinely kind smile. Ezuvial calms a bit, and continues talking to the whore. "I believe I paid for our time together, and that should be enough for you. At least until I teach you otherwise.” The girl looks terrified and backs away from him. He says, “Now. This “he’s the one” stuff. I take that to mean Brie is on to me. I suspected as much with one of her new girls so obviously armed, and so hideously evil.” He turns to Aeweth and says “Faleri, I need some answers now. I won’t hurt you or the girls. But I need to know. How many am I dealing with? And what are your allies planning?” He draws a long sword, waiting for an answer.

[Everyone got Will saves against the effect described above. The NPCs and Accalon (Rolled 11+3=14, DC 15 needed) failed it, Aeweth succeeded (rolled 12+6=18). Those who failed are at -2 to attacks, AC, and saves]

 

[Telsar]

If Sunedilar and his companion walk up the road to where Aligor can make his presence known without alerting the man sitting near the Hearthgate Inn, he will. He will motion them over to his shadows, and whisper to Bane to keep him quiet.

Aligor is well hidden in the shadows of building, and with a bit of effort, circles around to a building farther down the street, to motion to Sunedilar. Although Aligor is sure the old man can't see him, he's not sure if he's noticed the other two yet, so intent he is on whittling. Bane looks very much like he wants to growl at the two new arrivals, or something worse, but Aligor keeps him in check, for now. [Rolled Handle Animal 15+2=17]

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

Meanwhile, in another room, Lydia and Algernon are on a bed, Algernon’s hands roaming freely over the cleric’s body. “Most invigorating thing? Now what would make you ask that? Ah… little Miri must have seemed all upset after our last encounter. And you,” kissing Lydia on the neck, “being entirely evil (chuckling), want to know what I did to her. It was nothing too heinous, at least I didn’t think so. I didn’t even touch the girl. I just had her pose for me. You see, I’m an artist, a bit famous in some circles. Perhaps too famous. Do you know someone trashed my studio, just the other night? That’s why I need the bodyguard.”

“Oh, but I’m digressing from what you wanted to know. I just painted her picture, numerous paintings where I captured her likeness perfectly. But I added a few things that weren’t really there. Such as various creatures, both intelligent and not, all extremely male, if you catch my meaning. The look of horror when she saw them I thought was priceless. But worth more than that was her look when I said I knew a gallery that would happily display them for me. I bet she didn’t tell you or the other girls or Brie a single detail of that, did she? Alas, I only found a private collector willing to buy them, not a gallery, but it was still very worth the few gold I spent here.”

“But of course, nothing I could do would frighten you like that. Nor would I want to. I’d love to see how you might be able to frighten me, though. One’s heart pumping from, well, a little fear, nothing too drastic of course, is an incredible aphrodesiac. Have you frightened very many men?”

"I would love to see your painting some time, they sound perfectly delicious," Lydia says, arcing her back. "As for men, yes I have frightened some, nearly to death, and others beyond. I will show you, just relax and close your eyes."

*If Algernon will allow, Lydia will tie him down, blind, and gag him to closely simulate as possible, one who is dead.*

"Now, don't move my love. I like mine as quiet as the grave," she whispers in his ear.

 

[Thomas Hobbes]

Rhesa would grin broadly, and a little smiles creeps on to Aeweth's face. Not so in control now are we? Don't like that, mmm? The man, once so confident and calm, now stands with his sword drawn in the presence of two young ladies, his anger at their resistance filling the room like smoke. He had her on the defensive, before, backpedaling, off balance and just plain off. Now their stations were quite reversed. Rhesa decides that whatever Heliah sees doesn't matter, and although she still keeps some of Aeweth (Ezuvial seemed to like her) present, it's Rhesa's come-hither look that she fixes him with and Rhesa's subtly seductive hip-swaying walk that brings her over to him. Now that it's quite clear that whatever goes on, prostitution won't be a part of it, Rhesa's quite comfortable using sexuality to discomfit her... opponent? Not enemy, at least not yet. It was more like a game just now.

She gently pushes the longsword aside, assuming he'll let her, and comes in close to him. She puts her arms on his shoulders, elbows slightly crooked around his neck and wrists crossed behind his head, and leans in close so she's speaking directly in his ear.

"You're in way over your head, crusader," she says in a breathy whisper. "And you may not even be killing me a little*, but my erstwile allies won't hesitate to do that, or worse." She pauses for a moment, then just to startle him, nibbles his earlobe. "Bigger sharks in these hunting grounds, now. Wouldn't want to see you get hurt." She honestly means that last part- he may be a self-righteous paladin type in disguise, but that doesn't mean she wants to see him cut, tortured and zombified.

*"little death"- Elizibethan slang for climax. See John Donne's The Flea and consider this an "innuendo" check use of bluff. In case her message was too cryptic, the "secret" message she's sending is along the lines of Powerful, evil, ruthless people are here now, and if you stick around Brie's you're likely to become Alev's masterpiece, Gwyn's chewtoy or Lydia's new bestest rotting friend. Won't be terribly kind to me if I tell you much, either. Keeping in mind of course the specific references are non-applicable to those unfamiliar with the group, but that's the gist.

 

[Telsar]

It takes Algernon a little while to realize Lydia’s deadly serious about not moving. He says, before being gagged, “I’ve been tied before, and done the tying, and usually it’s the resisting that’s so entertaining. But we’ll try it your way, my dear.” And try he does, at one point breathing not at all and lying so still that, for a moment at least, Lydia can ignore the fact that he has blood pumping through his veins. [He rolled a Bluff near his maximum, total value 25].


In a nearby room, Ezuvial, at least at first, doesn’t resist Aeweth’s embrace. His hands hold her, although never venturing beyond her side, her back, or her shoulders. But when she nibbles his earlobe, he seems to almost panic, and pushes her away from him. “Your… your evil friends have taught you a trick or two, haven’t they. The other girls, after being free of this horrid place, tried to ‘thank’ me in ways that were… similar. But didn’t get anywhere near as close.”

He steps back a bit, steadying himself on his feet. “I can smell the goodness in you. It so desperately wants out. You can’t continue to associate with these monsters. I have freed girls from this place, and I will free you of them. The danger to you, and these girls, far outweigh any danger to myself. Now, if your friends are in Madame Brie’s employ, there is a simple enough way to draw them out. This is an evil I should have dealt with long ago, instead of tip-toeing around it. I suggest, strongly, that you wait here, comfort Heliah. And when I’m done with the unpleasantness that lies before me, I’ll come back for you both.” With that, he turns, opens the door and heads purposefully into the hallway.

 

[Paxus Asclepius]

Frustrated, Gwyn kicks the door in, waiting a single second (to see if it collapses) before rushing in.

 

[Brother Shatterstone]

Accalon Darcanda: Human/Male (Unholy Warrior)

OOC: I'm hoping this happens between the Teslar's two updates.

Accalon lightly but firmly over Loni’s mouth as he grasps the situation at hand quicker than her. Taking his calm eyes from the peephole he looks upon the frightened and near panicked Loni as his skin starts to crawl around his spin.

He pulls close to her ear his voice a calm but forceful whisper, “My dearest, I think we’ve found are man, I need you to go downstairs and have Brie send for the local constables. After that stay low and out of the way, okay?” His look apologetic, “I’m sorry I don’t mean to sound harsh Loni but this is most important… Can you do this for me? Can you be strong?”

 

[Thomas Hobbes]

Rhesa slams the door shut. "Oh, don't leave just yet!" She calls out into the hallway in a playful voice to cover the door's opening and closing.

"You listen to me," she hisses quietly in anger. She leans in close to him, all pretense of sexuality gone. "I do not need to be freed. I am here, with them, of my own free will, and I can leave whenever I choose. I'm not a damsel in distress, and you can do whatever you want to get these girls out of this hellhole, but do not act like you're doing me a favor when you go and get yourself killed!" Her anger is almost as palpable as his, and she leans back again. "This is the same old chivalrous, lineage obsessed bullsh-t I get everywhere I go." She keeps glaring at him, standing in front of the door- not because she wants to keep him here so he can be captured, which doesn't even enter her mind (not knowing of the secret watchers), but so she can give him a piece of her mind. "The world isn't all black and white, Ezuvial. It has grays, too." And rainbow patterns.

 

[Guilt Puppy]

Alev raises his eyebrows in greeting to the dwarf, seeming not to care much whether the whittler had seen him walk around the corner.

"Good friends, I take it? From the fact that you still have a face after than Sunny comment... I've been dying to use the nickname myself, but I still have too much use for this," he says, running a hand across his cheekbones, softly, careful not to wipe away any powder.

"But anyway," he says, passing a serious tone for a moment, "we're here looking for this fellow Hectares, a magician or something, who may or may not know anything about some missing whores. If you know anything about him, or about whores, or about anything, well, our take's spread so thin as it is, it can't possibly hurt to split it another way."