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Story Hour
Way of the Wicked Playthrough - Updated 2023/03/28
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<blockquote data-quote="rchodges" data-source="post: 8461252" data-attributes="member: 7031385"><p><strong>Part 1:</strong> Knot of Thorns</p><p><strong>Act 4: </strong>Burning Balentyne!</p><p><strong>Session 9:</strong> Opening Bids</p><p></p><p>“Good morning, boss!” The voice of Kiliketz snapped Donovan awake from his slumber. </p><p>Donovan’s eyes focused in on the Mephit, and he sat up in the bed. </p><p>“And good morning to you as well, Kiliketz.” Donovan rubbed the sleep from his eyes, then he continued, “Did your notice anything important on the watch wall last night?” </p><p>Kiliketz nodded, “Yes, I noticed it’s too damn hot!” </p><p>Donovan chuckled, then he stood up and walked over to his bandolier, taking a vial from the belt. “Besides that, Kiliketz?” </p><p>Kiliketz began to give details on buildings and structures of note around the compound, taking care to point out how many guards he saw at each of the locations. </p><p>Kiliketz also mentioned a structure that he called “a large birdcage”, to which Donovan said, “Ah, the rookery. I’ve heard mention of that as well.” Donovan handed the vial over to Kiliketz, thanking him for his efforts over the evening. </p><p>Kiliketz moved to a chest in the corner of the room, then emptied the contents of the vial into the bottom of the chest. Instantly, ice crystals began to form around the inside of the chest, cooling it down substantially. Kiliketz got into the chest, and his, demeanor brightened right away. “Ah, now that’s much better.” </p><p>Donovan smiled, walking over to the chest and setting his hand on the lid. “I’ll see you tonight, Kiliketz. Good night!” </p><p>“Sure thing, boss.”, Kiliketz replied as he laid down inside the ice coated chest.</p><p></p><p>Donovan closed the lid of the chest, then walked back over to the bed, sitting gently on the side of the bed where Tamsen was still asleep. Donovan gently placed his hand onto her exposed thigh, then leaned down and softly kissed her on the cheek. “Good morning, my love.” Tamsen stirred, moaning softly. “Why are you up already?” </p><p>“Kiliketz got back from his scouting mission, and he wanted to fill me in on the details of what he discovered. He found some very interesting information.”, Donovan responded while pondering the information given to him. </p><p>Tamsen nodded, still half asleep. “That’s nice. Get back in bed, I want to play with you for a while.” </p><p>Donovan hesitated, “That sounds wonderful, but we have a busy day ahead of us.” </p><p>Tamsen sat up, letting the bed sheets fall off her unclothed body. “Are you really too busy to spend time with me, Donovan?” </p><p>Donovan knew that look all too well, Tamsen wouldn’t be told no. </p><p>He leaned close to Tamsen’s face, then said “As if I could ever resist you” before pushing her back onto the bed in a shared kiss.</p><p></p><p>Lucius had already woken up for the morning. He was a creature of habit, and was given to wake at a specific time, even when he would stay up late the night before. Last night was no exception, as he watched Bebop and Barnabus continue to drink each other down, mug after mug, until Barnabus was finally brought low for the night. Donovan had cheated, of course, but it was truly Barnabus’ ego and hubris that caused him to lose for the evening. Lucius was not a man given to drink, so he never had to worry about getting himself into such issues. Lucius came down from his room, went into the kitchen, put on an apron, and began assisting the chef in preparing breakfast for the guests of the Inn. Lucius found these events comforting. There was simplicity in attending to such tasks, moments when he could simply just enjoy his current state, while Donovan continued to scheme and plot for the destruction of Balantyne. Lucius saw the Dwarven company come down from their rooms, sitting at their usual seats and taking their meal plates. Surprisingly, Barnabus looked as though he was in good shape for a man who had literally drunk himself into unconsciousness. Still, when Barnabus’ eyes caught sight of Lucius, it was apparent that he was none to pleased about the current situation he found himself in. Lucius had known Donovan for a while now, and though he certainly saw Donovan as remarkably intelligent, Lucius was keenly aware how much Donovan’s pride impacted his actions. Throughout the drinking contest, Donovan used his advantage in wealth to continue to exploit Barnabus’ arrogance and confidence, and all of it because the Dwarves had taken 150 gold from Bebop in a card game. Lucius wasn’t mad at Barnabus and the other Dwarves so much as he just pitied them for landing on the wrong side of Donovan’s ego. Still, Lucius understood the advantage of leverage, and knew that Donovan would continue to attempt to exploit them until he had put them in an impossible situation.</p><p></p><p>The Dwarves took their leave, and Lucius watched as Donovan and Tamsen came down the stairs, arms wrapped around each other. Lucius always found it amusing to watch how Donovan’s mood was impacted by how much attention Tamsen was paying to him. Back at the manor, he watched as Donovan would go from almost puppy dog affection to Tamsen when she spent all of her time with him, to complete bookworm when she spent time with others. Donovan and Tamsen sat down at their usual spot, and Lucius brought plates of food out to the two of them. </p><p>“Good morning Lucius, and thank you for the food!”, Donovan smiled and greeted Lucius. </p><p>Tamsen simply kissed Lucius on the check and said, “Thanks!” </p><p>Donovan looked over at the tables where the Dwarves would be sitting, “Did they ever get up?” </p><p>Lucius nodded, “They got up at their usual time, and all of them appeared perfectly fine.” </p><p>Donovan’s eyes widened, “Amazing! That man is truly something else.”</p><p>As Tamsen was enjoying her breakfast, she suddenly showed an annoyed look on her face, “Apparently, Timeon has information for me, and needs to see me alone.” </p><p>Donovan laughed slightly, then looked at Tamsen, “Oh my, well I guess if Timeon needs to see you, you had best go and attend to him.” Tamsen’s eyes showed concern as she looked back at Donovan. “What did you want me to ask him about?” </p><p>Donovan pondered her question briefly, then replied, “Troop sizes. Guard shifts. Locations of importance.” Donovan smiled and looked warmly at Tamsen, “I trust you, my love. I know you’ll get the information we need.” </p><p>Tamsen quickly wolfed down a couple more bites of her food, then she stood up, gave Donovan one last kiss, and left the Inn.</p><p></p><p>Shortly after Tamsen left and Lucius finished providing breakfast to everyone, Bebop sleepily departed from his room. It was apparent even at a distance that the man looked like he had been through quite the ordeal the night before, having not only consumed far too much alcohol for any reasonable person; but then engaging in sexual activities with one of the Dwarves after that. Bebop saw where Donovan and Lucius were sitting, and plopped down in a seat next to them. Lucius pulled out a plate of food that he had kept warm from breakfast, and set a glass of water next to it. </p><p>Donovan poured in a compound into the glass of water, then slid it closer to Bebop. “Drink, idiot.” </p><p>Bebop’s eyes squinted as he began to drink the familiar fizzy compound. “How am I an idiot? I did what you told me to.” </p><p>Donovan’s eyes narrowed, “I didn’t tell you to stay up half the night having sex with one of the Dwarves after that. You were supposed to be sleeping or drinking water or something to help yourself get over the hangover.” </p><p>Bebop tilted his head, “I had sex with one of the Dwarves? Which one?” </p><p>Donovan put his head in his hands. “Perfect! So glad this was how you spent your night!” </p><p>Lucius just began to laugh at the way Bebop could so easily get under Donovan’s skin.</p><p></p><p>Donovan looked over at Lucius. “Speaking of Dwarves, you and Lucinda should go and check out the Dwarves’ rooms. I suspect there could be something of use there that might aid us in dealing with the Watch Wall.” </p><p>Lucius turned his head over to Bellum, “Sure, but I think we might be noticed.” </p><p>Donovan nodded, “I’ll keep him busy. You just get in there and find out what information they might have that we can use.” </p><p>With that, Donovan walked over to the bar, sat down on the nearest stool in front of Bellum, and began talking to him about different alcohols, and where Bellum had obtained these products over the years. Seizing the opportunity, Lucius worked his way upstairs, and had Lucinda pick the lock for the door to Barnabus’ room.</p><p></p><p>Tamsen and Timeon were lying naked next to each other in the bed. Timeon was clearly very anxious to have Tamsen sexually, but she was much more interested in getting the information that Timeon supposedly had gained over his time spent in the Watch Wall. </p><p>Timeon touched and poked at her, plying her with urgency and need, “Please, Tamsen, you’re so beautiful. I just want to be with you.” </p><p>Tamsen smiled knowingly, holding her annoyance at bay, “I understand that sweetness, but I want you to tell me about the things you have learned.” Timeon groped her, grabbing her bare breast with his hand. </p><p>Tamsen pushed away, more insistent now. “Stop Timeon, listen to me.” </p><p>But Timeon wasn’t listening. The urgency and hormones running through him, especially with a naked woman this close to him, made him lose his sense of perspective. “All you ever do is pester me for information, Tamsen! Maybe you should spend more time thinking about what I want!” </p><p>With that, the rage seethed up inside of Tamsen, and she acted in a flash. She pinned Timeon to the bed with her arms and torso, and then pushed the sharp part of her tail against Timeon’s left eye. </p><p>Her fangs exposed, Tamsen leaned down onto Timeon’s naked body and whispered in his ear. “Do you know why you are alive, Timeon? You are alive because Donovan willed it so. Adrastus Thorn wanted us to torture information out of you, and then kill you. But Donovan believed you were worth more, and then gave you the greatest kindness by allowing me to be the one to bring your worth out of you. How many times have I attended to your desires Timeon? When have I ever left you unfulfilled? You were even allowed to have your way with me on the Frosthamar, as all the desperate pirates could do nothing but watch and envy your position.” </p><p>Timeon was shaking now, somewhere between terror and desire, “Please Mistress, forgive me.” </p><p>Tamsen straightened herself up on top of Timeon, as her tail slowly pulled away from his eye. “You’re a healthy young man, Timeon. I understand you have needs.” Tamsen’s tail began to work down, between Timeon’s legs. “And I can do that for you Timeon. I can mold you into the type of lover that will make your future wife ecstatic.” </p><p>Tamsen’s tail twitched, and Timeon grimaced in pain. “But, you will do what I say and when I say it. If Donovan allows me to come to you for information, you will give me everything without hesitation or questioning.” Tamsen paused momentarily, as the look of pain continued across Timeon’s face. “Do you understand me, Timeon?” </p><p>Timeon nodded rapidly, “Yes mistress. I understand.” </p><p>Tamsen relaxed her tail, and Timeon’s breathing began to slow. Tamsen smiled and touched Timeon’s face softly. “Good, such a sweet young boy. Now, let’s pick up where we left off.”</p><p></p><p>Lucius casually strolled around the outside of Barnabus’ room, acting as lookout in the hallway in case anyone of import came looking around. Meanwhile, Lucinda began to investigate the paperwork that Barnabus was working on, for the sake of Balentyne. While the majority of the documents were naturally written in the Dwarven tongue, Lucinda was able to find a complete map of the Watch Wall that she traced to create a copy for their use. Lucius explained to Tamsen what Lucinda was seeing, and she in turn relayed that information to Donovan. While there was no way for her to impart to engineering specifics of the documents that she had seen in his room, she was able to express to Lucius the number of structures in the Watch Wall that were being worked on, which ultimately gave Donovan some clue of how many devices would need to be disabled once they were inside. Lucinda also came across a lockbox, which Lucius instructed her to open. Inside of the lockbox, 400 gold was found. </p><p>Lucius chuckled to himself, “What Donovan doesn’t know…”, and then instructed Lucinda to remove the coins, relock the lockbox, exit the room and relock the door. Donovan was very excited to hear that Lucinda had acquired a map of the complex.</p><p></p><p>Time passed, and Captain Eddarly finally appeared at Lord’s Dalliance Inn. Paying attention to the whispers of the crowd, Donovan discovered that Eddarly had apparently been a childhood sweetheart of Kaitlyn Mott, and the love affair that grew between them was based in something that they had known for some time. Donovan was torn now. Was Eddarly a man that had discovered true love, or was he simply a cad who was enjoying the company of another man’s wife? </p><p>Donovan reached out to Tamsen’s mind. “Come back to the Inn, my love. I need your help.” </p><p>Tamsen let Donovan know she was returning, and Donovan silently watched as women approached the dashing young Captain and his retinue of soldiers. Tamsen returned, wearing nothing more than the sheer silk gown she had left with this morning, which left nothing to the imagination. Eyes began to draw to Tamsen’s arrival, as she walked over to where Donovan was sitting, and placed herself on his lap. </p><p>Connecting to Donovan’s mind, she asked “What can I do to you?” </p><p>Donovan tilted his head ever so slightly and smirked. “Very cute. Do you see the man I am looking at?” </p><p>Tamsen turned her head to face in the same direction as Donovan. Her eyes caught sight of Eddarly. “I see him, Donovan. What of him?” Donovan turned back to face Tamsen, as they continued to wordlessly address each other, “I need to know what sort of man he is. I want you to use your charms and seduce this man. Make him take you to bed.” </p><p>Tamsen’s face took on a wicked grin, “Is that all you need, lover?” </p><p>“But no magic, Tamsen. I want this to be his decision. If he’s loyal or not, it needs to be who he actually is, not simply the product of what your spells can make him.”, Donovan gave an oddly specific challenge to Tamsen. </p><p>Tamsen’s finger drew around Donovan’s lips as she considered his request. “Of course, my love. I will do anything for you.”</p><p></p><p>Tamsen stood up, and walked over to the table where Eddarly and the others were sitting. You could see the room part as she moved closer to Eddarly. Her eyes connected to his, and her smile was warm and inviting. </p><p>“May I sit here, Captain?”, Tamsen pointed to an area near Eddarly. </p><p>The chair closest to the Captain was currently occupied by one of the soldiers. The soldier, a young man who barely appeared to be out of his teenage years, stood up and slid the chair out for Tamsen to sit in. Tamsen smiled at the young man, then sat directly in Eddarly’s lap, her arms around his shoulders. Tamsen said nothing at first, her hands slowly drawing across Eddarly’s shoulder and neck, as her fingertips gently rested on his face. A hush came over the people sitting around the table, wondering just how far this woman would go with Eddarly in front of all of them. </p><p>Tamsen leaned in to Eddarly, and spoke almost breathlessly, “I want you right now. Do you want me?” </p><p>Eddarly placed his hands around Tamsen’s waist, holding her close as he stood up. “Can we go to your room, please?” </p><p>Tamsen smiled, taking Eddarly by the hand, and leading him upstairs to her room.</p><p></p><p>Donovan scoffed as he watched the ease with which Tamsen led Eddarly upstairs. “Pathetic.” </p><p>Lucius leaned over to Donovan, “I think we should reveal the affair between Eddarly and Mott’s wife to Mott.” </p><p>Donovan nodded, “I agree. What a transparent individual. I don’t know why I was thinking there was more there.”</p><p></p><p>When Tamsen and Eddarly arrived in her room, Tamsen sat herself down on the bed and smiled. She touched a spot on the bed next to her, in a clearly inviting way. </p><p>Eddarly looked at her briefly, then his eyes drifted to the floor. “Forgive me lady, but I am merely here to keep up appearances. While you are perhaps the most alluring creature I have ever met, my heart belongs to another, and I cannot do anything inappropriate with you.” </p><p>Tamsen leaned forward, an intrigued look on her face. “Oh my, Captain. What an unexpected turn of events.” </p><p>Tamsen then immediately reached out to Donovan, “He said no to me, my love. He told me that his heart belongs to another.” </p><p>Donovan began to laugh in the Inn, even though no one was speaking to him. </p><p>Donovan stood up, and walked towards the part of the cellar where the secret passageway was. “Lucius, Bebop, come with me. I need you two to find out what he has of hers.” </p><p>As the three of them were walking towards the cellar, Donovan began pulling several vials out of different pouches and pockets. </p><p>Lucius asked, “How are we going to get in there without being seen?” Donovan pushed Lucius a vial, “Drink this.” </p><p>Lucius looked at the vial skeptically, and Bebop gave a knowing smile. The mixture tasted something like liquid wax, briefly hardening around his gums and tongue. Lucius was clearly less than thrilled, but had become used to accepting random tonics from Donovan. </p><p>Donovan then handed Lucius another potion. “Put this in your mouth, but don’t swallow it.” </p><p>Once more, Lucius complied. Soon enough, Lucius had turned Invisible. “Now spit the liquid back into the flask.” </p><p>After Lucius had completed his series, Donovan repeated the same actions with Bebop. After finishing the Elixir, Bebop made a face about putting the same potion in his mouth that Lucius had just spit out. </p><p>“Yes, yes, you two are sharing cooties. Get over it.”, Donovan admonished Bebop. </p><p>Bebop complied, and the two of them were invisible, proceeding into the tunnel without further incident.</p><p></p><p>“Tell the two of them to disguise themselves as guards when they come up. That way, they can be carrying supplies out of the storeroom.”, Donovan contacted Tamsen, who relayed those thoughts to Bebop and Lucius while she listened to Captain Eddarly go on about his love for the fair Kaitlyn Mott. She smiled and encouraged him on, giving the two time to get into Balantyne before he left the Inn. Bebop grabbed one of the potable water barrels, and drug it up into the Armory of the Watch Wall. </p><p>“Captain Eddarly’s making us take this barrel and replace it, all because I said he was making Captain Mott a cuckold.”, Lucius said to the guard as he passed their station. </p><p>The guard looked at him in disbelief. “You’re lucky that’s all you got out of that. You want some advice? Keep your mouth shut about that, and you’ll get less of this.” </p><p>Lucius, continuing to appear as one of the guards, smiled and nodded his head. “I’ve learned my lesson.” </p><p>Working their way over to Eddarly’s quarters, Lucius and Bebop set the barrel down next to the door. Lucius hid himself behind the barrel, and summoned Lucinda, who then unlocked the door for them. As the three of them searched the room, Lucinda discovered a hidden storage area in Eddarly’s clothing store, in which he had placed a collection of romantic letters from Kaitlyn Mott. The letters, clearly explicit in nature, were even perfumed to garner more arousal from Eddarly towards her. Having completed the task that Donovan assigned to them, Lucius unsummoned Lucinda, and the two of them took the barrel out through the rear exiting gate which led to Aldencross. Once more, Lucius repeated the story about why him and his compatriot were being asked to carry this barrel, and once more, the soldiers mocked and chastised him for such a poor choice of actions. Still, the lie was easy enough, and no one they encountered even found it shocking that Captain Eddarly was in an affair with Kaitlyn Mott.</p><p></p><p>Tamsen, having given Bebop and Lucius enough time to complete their task, gently kissed Eddarly on the cheek and wished him well with his relationship, complimenting him on the fidelity and commitment he showed to this woman. Eddarly bowed politely, then stepped out of the room, to the cheers of several of the soldiers downstairs. Soon after his departure, Bebop and Lucius returned, handing the set of letters over to Donovan. </p><p>Donovan scanned the letters briefly, then smiled at the three people sitting around the table with him. “Excellent work, all of you. Now this is leverage!”</p><p></p><p>Evening came, and with it the return of the Dwarven Engineers. Lucius had already returned to the kitchen in order to help out, but Bebop was expecting trouble, and imbibed one of his Mutagens. The effect on his physique was dramatic, and certainly gave him an intimidating persona. </p><p>“Good evening Barnabus, I’m glad to see you are doing well after that rousing game you and Bebop took part in last night.”, Donovan smiled, betraying the obvious advantage he was holding over Bernabus. “I suppose it’s time we settle our wager.” </p><p>Barnabus looked at Donovan, a broken and defeated man, “How am I supposed to settle up with you, when hard times continue to come my way?” </p><p>“Hard times, you say?”, Donovan queried. </p><p>Barnabus soured further, “It would appear that someone entered my room while I was at work, and stole 400 gold from me.” </p><p>Donovan thought to himself, “Lucius, did you….”, and then quickly responded to Barnabus, “I know nothing about that, Barnabus.” </p><p>Barnabus studied Donovan’s face to see if he could read dishonesty, but as Donovan actually did not know, there was none to be found. “Be that as it may, how am I supposed to pay back our wager? A wager that, if I may say, should never have been won by your man anyway. This whole thing seems designed to put me and mine in a precarious position.” </p><p>Donovan reached to Tamsen’s mind, “Does Barnabus or his team have any magic items on them?” </p><p>Tamsen’s eyes opened to the potential of magic, and looked across the group of engineers. “He has something on his back, Donovan.” Donovan’s eyes focused on Barnabus’ cloak, and immediately knew what he was looking at. “I see you are wearing a Cloak of Resistance. I would consider that a settlement of our debt.” </p><p>Barnabus’ rage was creeping to the surface, but he was clearly without any other option. “Because I am a man of honor, I will give you my cloak. And then, you will darken my doorway no longer.” </p><p>Donovan spread his hands wide, “You wound me, friend. And here I wanted to give you a way to help you out of your hard times.” </p><p>Barnabus fixed his eyes to Donovan, as the smile came across Donovan’s face, “How exactly would you help me out of my hard times, Donovan?” </p><p>“I could employ you and your team, you know. A short-term contract that would allow you to recoup your lost monies.”, Donovan offered. </p><p>One of the female Dwarves leaned in and spoke up, “It sounds like you are asking us to walk away from our current jobs on the Watch Wall.” Donovan looked around the room. “Perhaps we could go upstairs and discuss this in a more private setting. There are too many ears here that speak your tongue.” </p><p>Barnabus looked over at the female, a Dwarf by the name of Grenneth. “I want her to accompany us for this discussion.” </p><p>"Of course, Barnabus, whatever makes you more comfortable.” Donovan locked eyes with Bebop, and nodded. </p><p>Bebop knew exactly the message that was being sent, and followed Donovan upstairs. The four of them walked into Donovan’s room, and closed the door.</p><p></p><p>Tamsen was nervous when the four of them went upstairs. For all his abilities, Donovan was not particularly skilled in combat. She wanted to be there to protect him in case things went wrong, but she had to believe that Bebop would be the better choice for that anyway. Looking around the room, her eyes caught a familiar face. </p><p>She approached the table and smiled, “Hello there, do you remember me?” </p><p>The man, a portly fellow with glasses, looked up at her and smiled. “Well hello, pretty young lady. You’re Donovan’s… girlfriend, right?” Tamsen nodded, “Sure.” </p><p>The man nodded eagerly, having remembered the previous transactions with Donovan, “He’s a wonderful man, he’s brought so much business into this community lately. Does he need to purchase something else from me?” </p><p>Tamsen swallowed, “Um, no. I was hoping to surprise him. It’s a special day for us, and I wanted to buy him something to remember it.” </p><p>The man clapped, almost giddy with excitement, “Oh, how exciting! You’re buying jewelry for your special man! What a wonderful young lady you are!” </p><p>Tamsen took the shop owner by the hand. “So, would it be possible for you to open up the store to me after your normal hours? I don’t want Donovan to know I’m buying this, so I wanted to wait until tonight.” </p><p>“Oh, precious girl! Of course we can do that for the girlfriend of Donovan!” Tamsen smiled and thanked the man, still trying to figure out how she was going to separate Donovan from his money without him knowing about it.</p><p></p><p>The discussion between Donovan and Barnabus was not going well. Donovan first tried to appeal to his sense of honor, showing how the people of Aldencross mistreated the Dwarves. But Barnabus was too cynical to be phased by such things. He then showed how the military had taken advantage of the engineers, claiming to have no room to house them even though the Watch Wall could easily have accommodated them. Finally, Donovan turned to the lack of religious support that was available for individuals who did not support Mitra. The Dwarves understood what Donovan said, and while they didn’t agree that the racism in Talingarde was as bad as Donovan had presented it, that their people were clearly not being treated as well as other races. Through all of this though, Barnabus was still unmoved. He believed that he and his team had an obligation to continue work on the Watch Wall, regardless of their financial state. He also continued to suggest that Donovan was solely responsible for their current financial woes. </p><p>Donovan had reached his limit with this circular discussion and decided to put an end to it once and for all. “Let’s put all the cards on the table, Barnabus. This whole thing started because you decided to take advantage of Bebop by making him play a card game where you poorly explained the rules and made him continue to drink. And that’s fine, all’s fair in gambling and games of chance. But I don’t take lightly to my family being taken advantage of, so I decided to put you in a game of chance where I could control the outcome. And even then, I only set the stakes at 500 gold. Once I saw that you were losing steam, I raised the bet thinking you would take the loss and just let it go; but no, you kept implying that Bebop wasn’t confident enough to keep participating. Finally, I raised the wager to 1000 gold, just so you would have to walk away and take the loss. Not only did you not walk away, but you also insulted my honor by asking me to show coin, implying that I would make a wager that I couldn’t back up. All of that despite the fact I told you that I trusted you to have the coin, and you didn’t need to show it to me. So, you lost, and got yourself into this position. Now, I’m offering you a fair way out of it, and you are sitting there bemoaning how you deserved to win the challenge. But here we are, all’s fair in gambling and games of chance.” </p><p>Hearing that, the rage on Barnabus boiled over, and it seemed certain that it would come to blows. Grenneth would have none of it though, and after trying to talk sense into him, she ended up pushing him out of the room, shouting “Stay there!”, and slamming the door in his face.</p><p></p><p>When Grenneth got back to Donovan and Bebop, she took a breath, and then began to speak, “I understand how you see that we insulted you and your family’s honor. That was not our intention, and we don’t see it that way; but I do understand where you are coming from now. With that said, I feel like I don’t want to know why you would ask us to go on an expedition to nowhere for thirty days just to earn 1000 gold, and I suspect I wouldn’t like it if I knew.” </p><p>Donovan nodded, “You are clearly a very intelligent woman.” </p><p>Grenneth continued, “If you have the coin, then we will leave on this expedition the day after tomorrow.” </p><p>Without hesitation, Donovan dug into his money pouched, snapped out the requested amount of coin, and placed it in Grenneth’s hand. “We are at an accord.” Grenneth stared at the money momentarily. </p><p>Despite what was being said, she had a fairly good idea of why Donovan wanted her to leave for thirty days, and imagined there would be no work to return to when the job had completed. But the coin was needed, she had employees who had to be paid, and Donovan clearly had the funds to make it happen. Grenneth walked out of the room, and grabbed Barnabus by the arm on the way down the stairs.</p><p></p><p>Following that conversation, Donovan had little desire to go back downstairs to deal with the public, so instead chose to go over the documents that had been retrieved throughout the day. At some point in the night, the rest of the group came into the room. </p><p>Donovan handed Lucius the Cloak and smiled, “For you, good sir.” </p><p>Lucius smiled and handed Donovan a small bag of money, “And for you.” </p><p>Donovan felt the weight of the pouch in his hand and the sound it made. “Lucius, is this…” </p><p>Lucius smiled, “I think that’s about 400 gold I made in tips today.” </p><p>Donovan started to laugh out loud. “You’re a genius, Lucius. For 600 gold, we just bought a Cloak of Resistance, and the Dwarves threw in a map of the Watch Wall with blueprints of all the projects they are currently working on. What a deal!” The group laughed and talked for a while longer, before each of them headed off to their respective rooms.</p><p></p><p>Tamsen couldn’t sleep, of course. She knew that she needed to be at the jeweler’s store before too late. Trying to make sure Donovan would fall asleep quickly, Tamsen focused her attention into his pleasure for the evening. Donovan sighed and smiled at her after they finished, “How did I ever find someone like you?” Tamsen simply kissed Donovan on the lips, “You asked me to stay.” Donovan contentedly fell asleep shortly after that, and Tamsen saw her opportunity. Tamsen gently eased herself out of the bed, and over to the money bag Donovan had set on the table. Sadly, for all of Tamsen’s skills, being quiet was not one of them. Donovan’s mind caught things that were not in rhythm with the room, and his attention brought him back to a state of wakefulness. He opened his eyes in time to watch Tamsen clumsily sneak out of the room. Donovan gently moved closer to the still open door, attempting to see where Tamsen was going. He saw her open Bebop’s door, and go inside. </p><p>“Ah, of course.”, Donovan said, with a tinge of defeat in his voice. </p><p>He assumed the two of them were heading out for a night of sex and debauchery. Donovan went back to bed, and laid there for a while waiting for sleep to reclaim him.</p><p></p><p>“Bebop, wake up”, Tamsen said, shaking Bebop from his sleep. </p><p>Bebop opened his eyes, and as he gained his focus, a smile crawled over his face. “Mmm, it’s been a while Tamsen. I’m glad to see you are still in the mood.” </p><p>Tamsen sighed, “I didn’t come here for that Bebop, I want you to walk with me over to the store. I’m buying a present for Donovan.” </p><p>Bebop groaned, “Why do I have to go with you to buy a present for Donovan?” </p><p>Tamsen showed an irritated look on her face, “You’re seriously going to make me walk around this town alone and after hours with a sack of money in my hands?” </p><p>Bebop sighed, “Fine, I’ll come with you to the store. But first…” Bebop’s hands slid across Tamsen’s thighs. </p><p>“Bebop, I said I didn’t come here for that tonight.”, Tamsen's irritation with Bebop was rising. </p><p>Bebop whined to Tamsen, “Come on Tamsen, don’t leave me like this. You know you’re the best I’ve had.” </p><p>Tamsen saw Bebop’s naked form in the bed, and bit her lower lip slightly, “Fine. But we’ve got to be quick. I told the man we would be there at a specific time.” </p><p>Bebop grabbed Tamsen by the back of her head, and rolled himself on top of her.</p><p></p><p>“Good morning, Donovan my love!”, Tamsen was on top of Donovan in their bedroom, smiling as she looked down at him. </p><p>Donovan’s eyes snapped open, as he looked up at Tamsen. “Well good morning to you beautiful! I didn’t expect you to be up already.” </p><p>“Give me your hand, Donovan.”, Tamsen spoke with barely contained glee. </p><p>Donovan got a curious look on his face, then opened his hand palm up to her. She turned his hand over, then slid a ring across his ring finger. “Happy anniversary, my love!”, Tamsen said excitedly. </p><p>Donovan, still looking confused, responded. “Anniversary? What do you mean?” </p><p>Tamsen smiled, “Today marks the day that I found you in the market.” </p><p>Donovan thought back to the day she referred to, a warm sensation spreading over his entire body. “The market… the happiest day in my entire life.”, Donovan replied, his eyes watering. </p><p>He looked down at the ring she put on his finger, then kissed it and kissed her. “This is so thoughtful, you’re so wonderful. I never…” </p><p>Tamsen kissed Donovan fully on the lips, their embrace held for several minutes as he pulled her against him.</p><p></p><p>Time passed, and Donovan opened the chest that Kiliketz was in. “Sorry to wake you early today, but I need you to scout out a house for me.” Kiliketz grumbled briefly, but he complied, “Where do you need me, boss?” </p><p>Donovan gave the address of a house that Kiliketz was to begin watching at 4PM. “Let us know when you see a man, most likely cloaked, enter the house. I’m sure that will be the individual we are looking for.” </p><p>Donovan and Tamsen went downstairs, and had breakfast as normal, then explained to the group what they would be doing. “It’s time to invite Captain Eddarly to find the relationship he has with Kaitlyn Mott.”</p><p></p><p>After finding a relatively shaded area that gave him visibility to the house in question, Kiliketz waited. He did not have to wait long, as only a few minutes after 4PM, a cloaked man did indeed appear in front of the Mott residence, and went inside the home without knocking. After Kiliketz notified Tamsen of the discovery, Donovan and the others quickly arrived at the home in question. Lucinda skillfully picked the front door lock and moved quietly to the bedroom. Once she had their attention, the rest of the team moved into the house to find Zack Eddarly and Kaitlyn Mott naked and recently enjoying each other’s company. </p><p>“Relax, Captain Eddarly. My friends and I are not here to hurt you or the lovely lady.”, Donovan spoke to the couple with a gentle ease in his tone. </p><p>Upon seeing Tamsen in the same form that she had been using previously, Zack came to an understanding of what was taking place. </p><p>“What do you want?”, Zack insisted as forcefully as a naked man in another man’s bed could. </p><p>Donovan smiled, “I’m here to talk to you two about true love, and the relationship you two have.” </p><p>With that, Donovan pulled out one of the letters that Kaitlyn had written to Zack, perusing the contents briefly. “Missus Mott, may I just say that you are a talented writer. I think you could have an amazing career in erotica, if you so choose.” </p><p>Kaitlyn gasped, “Zack! How could you show that to them?” </p><p>Donovan shook his head, “Oh no, Missus Mott! We stole these, Zack did not simply give them to us. And let me just say, he is the most loyal and dedicated man I have ever seen. Most men would do terrible things to have an opportunity to be with Tamsen. He was freely offered, and refused her for you!” </p><p>Zack and Kaitlyn looked each other in the eyes, their mutual love apparent even in the face of what was happening to them. Donovan steepled his fingers together, “But this brings us to our problem. If I were to take these letters and provide them to Captain Mott, what do you think would be the outcome? Do you think he would come home and ask for a threesome with you two?” </p><p>Kaitlyn snarked, “That would be terrible.” </p><p>“I’m so sorry to hear that Missus Mott.”, Donovan said, somewhat concerned at her response. </p><p>“You might as well call me Kaitlyn now”, Kaitlyn said to Donovan, looking at her naked form being covered with only a bed sheet. </p><p>Donovan continued, “So what I want for the two of you, Zack and Kaitlyn, is to explore what your relationship actually is. I want you to find the love that you have for each other in a different place. And I think you understand what’s at stake here, Zack.” </p><p>Zack placed his head in his hands, thinking on the impossible choice Donovan had presented him. Sure, he could go and notify his Commander that there was someone asking him to abandon his post, but what would happen to Kaitlyn at the hands of Captain Mott was almost unthinkable. </p><p>After a while, he looked back up at Donovan, “Can I have four hours to pack and get us ready?” </p><p>Donovan smiled, “Of course Zack, that sounds fine.” </p><p>Zack pressed, “I need to head back to the Watch Wall to grab a few things.” </p><p>Donovan looked intensely at Eddarly, then returned to his previous smile, “Sounds fine, we’ll help Kaitlyn get packed up here while you are doing this.” Zack understood clearly the implication that Donovan was making in that sentence. Donovan continued, “And while I’m at it, let me give the two of you a present to make things easier for you as you travel for the next month.” Donovan fished out 250 gold from his purse, and handed it to Kaitlyn. Her eyes grew at the sight of so much money shown all at once.</p><p></p><p>Before they left, Donovan had Bebop claim Eddarly’s magic armor, and gave him a mundane version in exchange. “I truly hope you two last. True love is a very rare thing, and I was blessed enough to find it in my life.” Zack and Kaitlyn looked back one last time at the house they were in together. Zack realized there was a good chance something ill would happen to this house before they returned in a month.</p><p></p><p>After the couple had departed, Lucius looked at Donovan, who was still evaluating the work that would be needed on Eddarly's gear. "What's the long term plan here, Donovan? Are you going to try and save every single soldier in Balantyne?" </p><p>Bebop's face hardened, "These are the very people who would torture and hurt me!" Bebop pointed at Tamsen, "They would torture and hurt her! Are you really ok with them simply walking away from all of this?" </p><p>Donovan looked at Tamsen, whose face showed her disappointment. "It's not like that Lucius", Donovan attempted to explain, "I know that we can't save all of these people. And I know we shouldn't try to, some of them are truly terrible to the core. But, not all of them see you as less than themselves. Not all of them are tied to their simplistic monotheistic absolutism. Look at Timeon, he's..." </p><p>Tamsen interrupted Donovan, "Timeon is a tool! He isn't righteous, he serves a purpose for the time being." </p><p>Donovan turned to Tamsen, almost in disbelief, "But you have helped him see the world with greater eyes. He was only that way because he had been raised to think like that." </p><p>Lucius chimed up, "As have they all, Donovan. They were all raised that way, to see all of us as lessers and to do with us as they pleased." Donovan countered, "So, every soldier is guilty? Every soldier is irredeemable?" </p><p>Bebop replied without hesitation, "Yes." </p><p>Donovan tested further, "Is that so? Then is every merchant equally guilty for providing the funds to the kingdom? Am I guilty for being the child of merchants, and profiting from their wealth?" </p><p>Lucius looked at Donovan and smiled, "You're one of the good ones." </p><p>Donovan said nothing in that moment, just stared at his family in sudden realization. In his mind, he thought to himself, "These are the people who are going to kill me one day." He looked over to Tamsen as that realization took hold, and a sadness washed over him. </p><p>Donovan focused his thoughts, and answered them aloud, "Perhaps you are all disappointed you didn't get to kill anyone tonight. But keep this in mind. Until the rookery falls, anything we do that draws attention to the absence of the staff of the Watch Wall will be met with further reinforcements. Everything must land exactly in place, or all our plans will be made manifest, and our work will have been for naught." Without further words, Donovan left the room, holding back the grief that was beginning to overtake him.</p><p></p><p>Bebop clapped his hands together. "Well, I'm going to go find myself a woman to entertain me tonight! These reviews aren't going to write themselves." Bebop went out into the streets of Balantyne, allowing himself a brief opportunity to come out of his shifted form. It took time and patience, considering the training that had been imparted to him by Tamsen, but he was able to find a lovely Halfling lady who was feeling daring and randy. The two of them retreated to his room, where his thoughts of the day melted away into the enjoyment of this feisty creature in his bed.</p><p></p><p>Session 9 Ends.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="rchodges, post: 8461252, member: 7031385"] [B]Part 1:[/B] Knot of Thorns [B]Act 4: [/B]Burning Balentyne! [B]Session 9:[/B] Opening Bids “Good morning, boss!” The voice of Kiliketz snapped Donovan awake from his slumber. Donovan’s eyes focused in on the Mephit, and he sat up in the bed. “And good morning to you as well, Kiliketz.” Donovan rubbed the sleep from his eyes, then he continued, “Did your notice anything important on the watch wall last night?” Kiliketz nodded, “Yes, I noticed it’s too damn hot!” Donovan chuckled, then he stood up and walked over to his bandolier, taking a vial from the belt. “Besides that, Kiliketz?” Kiliketz began to give details on buildings and structures of note around the compound, taking care to point out how many guards he saw at each of the locations. Kiliketz also mentioned a structure that he called “a large birdcage”, to which Donovan said, “Ah, the rookery. I’ve heard mention of that as well.” Donovan handed the vial over to Kiliketz, thanking him for his efforts over the evening. Kiliketz moved to a chest in the corner of the room, then emptied the contents of the vial into the bottom of the chest. Instantly, ice crystals began to form around the inside of the chest, cooling it down substantially. Kiliketz got into the chest, and his, demeanor brightened right away. “Ah, now that’s much better.” Donovan smiled, walking over to the chest and setting his hand on the lid. “I’ll see you tonight, Kiliketz. Good night!” “Sure thing, boss.”, Kiliketz replied as he laid down inside the ice coated chest. Donovan closed the lid of the chest, then walked back over to the bed, sitting gently on the side of the bed where Tamsen was still asleep. Donovan gently placed his hand onto her exposed thigh, then leaned down and softly kissed her on the cheek. “Good morning, my love.” Tamsen stirred, moaning softly. “Why are you up already?” “Kiliketz got back from his scouting mission, and he wanted to fill me in on the details of what he discovered. He found some very interesting information.”, Donovan responded while pondering the information given to him. Tamsen nodded, still half asleep. “That’s nice. Get back in bed, I want to play with you for a while.” Donovan hesitated, “That sounds wonderful, but we have a busy day ahead of us.” Tamsen sat up, letting the bed sheets fall off her unclothed body. “Are you really too busy to spend time with me, Donovan?” Donovan knew that look all too well, Tamsen wouldn’t be told no. He leaned close to Tamsen’s face, then said “As if I could ever resist you” before pushing her back onto the bed in a shared kiss. Lucius had already woken up for the morning. He was a creature of habit, and was given to wake at a specific time, even when he would stay up late the night before. Last night was no exception, as he watched Bebop and Barnabus continue to drink each other down, mug after mug, until Barnabus was finally brought low for the night. Donovan had cheated, of course, but it was truly Barnabus’ ego and hubris that caused him to lose for the evening. Lucius was not a man given to drink, so he never had to worry about getting himself into such issues. Lucius came down from his room, went into the kitchen, put on an apron, and began assisting the chef in preparing breakfast for the guests of the Inn. Lucius found these events comforting. There was simplicity in attending to such tasks, moments when he could simply just enjoy his current state, while Donovan continued to scheme and plot for the destruction of Balantyne. Lucius saw the Dwarven company come down from their rooms, sitting at their usual seats and taking their meal plates. Surprisingly, Barnabus looked as though he was in good shape for a man who had literally drunk himself into unconsciousness. Still, when Barnabus’ eyes caught sight of Lucius, it was apparent that he was none to pleased about the current situation he found himself in. Lucius had known Donovan for a while now, and though he certainly saw Donovan as remarkably intelligent, Lucius was keenly aware how much Donovan’s pride impacted his actions. Throughout the drinking contest, Donovan used his advantage in wealth to continue to exploit Barnabus’ arrogance and confidence, and all of it because the Dwarves had taken 150 gold from Bebop in a card game. Lucius wasn’t mad at Barnabus and the other Dwarves so much as he just pitied them for landing on the wrong side of Donovan’s ego. Still, Lucius understood the advantage of leverage, and knew that Donovan would continue to attempt to exploit them until he had put them in an impossible situation. The Dwarves took their leave, and Lucius watched as Donovan and Tamsen came down the stairs, arms wrapped around each other. Lucius always found it amusing to watch how Donovan’s mood was impacted by how much attention Tamsen was paying to him. Back at the manor, he watched as Donovan would go from almost puppy dog affection to Tamsen when she spent all of her time with him, to complete bookworm when she spent time with others. Donovan and Tamsen sat down at their usual spot, and Lucius brought plates of food out to the two of them. “Good morning Lucius, and thank you for the food!”, Donovan smiled and greeted Lucius. Tamsen simply kissed Lucius on the check and said, “Thanks!” Donovan looked over at the tables where the Dwarves would be sitting, “Did they ever get up?” Lucius nodded, “They got up at their usual time, and all of them appeared perfectly fine.” Donovan’s eyes widened, “Amazing! That man is truly something else.” As Tamsen was enjoying her breakfast, she suddenly showed an annoyed look on her face, “Apparently, Timeon has information for me, and needs to see me alone.” Donovan laughed slightly, then looked at Tamsen, “Oh my, well I guess if Timeon needs to see you, you had best go and attend to him.” Tamsen’s eyes showed concern as she looked back at Donovan. “What did you want me to ask him about?” Donovan pondered her question briefly, then replied, “Troop sizes. Guard shifts. Locations of importance.” Donovan smiled and looked warmly at Tamsen, “I trust you, my love. I know you’ll get the information we need.” Tamsen quickly wolfed down a couple more bites of her food, then she stood up, gave Donovan one last kiss, and left the Inn. Shortly after Tamsen left and Lucius finished providing breakfast to everyone, Bebop sleepily departed from his room. It was apparent even at a distance that the man looked like he had been through quite the ordeal the night before, having not only consumed far too much alcohol for any reasonable person; but then engaging in sexual activities with one of the Dwarves after that. Bebop saw where Donovan and Lucius were sitting, and plopped down in a seat next to them. Lucius pulled out a plate of food that he had kept warm from breakfast, and set a glass of water next to it. Donovan poured in a compound into the glass of water, then slid it closer to Bebop. “Drink, idiot.” Bebop’s eyes squinted as he began to drink the familiar fizzy compound. “How am I an idiot? I did what you told me to.” Donovan’s eyes narrowed, “I didn’t tell you to stay up half the night having sex with one of the Dwarves after that. You were supposed to be sleeping or drinking water or something to help yourself get over the hangover.” Bebop tilted his head, “I had sex with one of the Dwarves? Which one?” Donovan put his head in his hands. “Perfect! So glad this was how you spent your night!” Lucius just began to laugh at the way Bebop could so easily get under Donovan’s skin. Donovan looked over at Lucius. “Speaking of Dwarves, you and Lucinda should go and check out the Dwarves’ rooms. I suspect there could be something of use there that might aid us in dealing with the Watch Wall.” Lucius turned his head over to Bellum, “Sure, but I think we might be noticed.” Donovan nodded, “I’ll keep him busy. You just get in there and find out what information they might have that we can use.” With that, Donovan walked over to the bar, sat down on the nearest stool in front of Bellum, and began talking to him about different alcohols, and where Bellum had obtained these products over the years. Seizing the opportunity, Lucius worked his way upstairs, and had Lucinda pick the lock for the door to Barnabus’ room. Tamsen and Timeon were lying naked next to each other in the bed. Timeon was clearly very anxious to have Tamsen sexually, but she was much more interested in getting the information that Timeon supposedly had gained over his time spent in the Watch Wall. Timeon touched and poked at her, plying her with urgency and need, “Please, Tamsen, you’re so beautiful. I just want to be with you.” Tamsen smiled knowingly, holding her annoyance at bay, “I understand that sweetness, but I want you to tell me about the things you have learned.” Timeon groped her, grabbing her bare breast with his hand. Tamsen pushed away, more insistent now. “Stop Timeon, listen to me.” But Timeon wasn’t listening. The urgency and hormones running through him, especially with a naked woman this close to him, made him lose his sense of perspective. “All you ever do is pester me for information, Tamsen! Maybe you should spend more time thinking about what I want!” With that, the rage seethed up inside of Tamsen, and she acted in a flash. She pinned Timeon to the bed with her arms and torso, and then pushed the sharp part of her tail against Timeon’s left eye. Her fangs exposed, Tamsen leaned down onto Timeon’s naked body and whispered in his ear. “Do you know why you are alive, Timeon? You are alive because Donovan willed it so. Adrastus Thorn wanted us to torture information out of you, and then kill you. But Donovan believed you were worth more, and then gave you the greatest kindness by allowing me to be the one to bring your worth out of you. How many times have I attended to your desires Timeon? When have I ever left you unfulfilled? You were even allowed to have your way with me on the Frosthamar, as all the desperate pirates could do nothing but watch and envy your position.” Timeon was shaking now, somewhere between terror and desire, “Please Mistress, forgive me.” Tamsen straightened herself up on top of Timeon, as her tail slowly pulled away from his eye. “You’re a healthy young man, Timeon. I understand you have needs.” Tamsen’s tail began to work down, between Timeon’s legs. “And I can do that for you Timeon. I can mold you into the type of lover that will make your future wife ecstatic.” Tamsen’s tail twitched, and Timeon grimaced in pain. “But, you will do what I say and when I say it. If Donovan allows me to come to you for information, you will give me everything without hesitation or questioning.” Tamsen paused momentarily, as the look of pain continued across Timeon’s face. “Do you understand me, Timeon?” Timeon nodded rapidly, “Yes mistress. I understand.” Tamsen relaxed her tail, and Timeon’s breathing began to slow. Tamsen smiled and touched Timeon’s face softly. “Good, such a sweet young boy. Now, let’s pick up where we left off.” Lucius casually strolled around the outside of Barnabus’ room, acting as lookout in the hallway in case anyone of import came looking around. Meanwhile, Lucinda began to investigate the paperwork that Barnabus was working on, for the sake of Balentyne. While the majority of the documents were naturally written in the Dwarven tongue, Lucinda was able to find a complete map of the Watch Wall that she traced to create a copy for their use. Lucius explained to Tamsen what Lucinda was seeing, and she in turn relayed that information to Donovan. While there was no way for her to impart to engineering specifics of the documents that she had seen in his room, she was able to express to Lucius the number of structures in the Watch Wall that were being worked on, which ultimately gave Donovan some clue of how many devices would need to be disabled once they were inside. Lucinda also came across a lockbox, which Lucius instructed her to open. Inside of the lockbox, 400 gold was found. Lucius chuckled to himself, “What Donovan doesn’t know…”, and then instructed Lucinda to remove the coins, relock the lockbox, exit the room and relock the door. Donovan was very excited to hear that Lucinda had acquired a map of the complex. Time passed, and Captain Eddarly finally appeared at Lord’s Dalliance Inn. Paying attention to the whispers of the crowd, Donovan discovered that Eddarly had apparently been a childhood sweetheart of Kaitlyn Mott, and the love affair that grew between them was based in something that they had known for some time. Donovan was torn now. Was Eddarly a man that had discovered true love, or was he simply a cad who was enjoying the company of another man’s wife? Donovan reached out to Tamsen’s mind. “Come back to the Inn, my love. I need your help.” Tamsen let Donovan know she was returning, and Donovan silently watched as women approached the dashing young Captain and his retinue of soldiers. Tamsen returned, wearing nothing more than the sheer silk gown she had left with this morning, which left nothing to the imagination. Eyes began to draw to Tamsen’s arrival, as she walked over to where Donovan was sitting, and placed herself on his lap. Connecting to Donovan’s mind, she asked “What can I do to you?” Donovan tilted his head ever so slightly and smirked. “Very cute. Do you see the man I am looking at?” Tamsen turned her head to face in the same direction as Donovan. Her eyes caught sight of Eddarly. “I see him, Donovan. What of him?” Donovan turned back to face Tamsen, as they continued to wordlessly address each other, “I need to know what sort of man he is. I want you to use your charms and seduce this man. Make him take you to bed.” Tamsen’s face took on a wicked grin, “Is that all you need, lover?” “But no magic, Tamsen. I want this to be his decision. If he’s loyal or not, it needs to be who he actually is, not simply the product of what your spells can make him.”, Donovan gave an oddly specific challenge to Tamsen. Tamsen’s finger drew around Donovan’s lips as she considered his request. “Of course, my love. I will do anything for you.” Tamsen stood up, and walked over to the table where Eddarly and the others were sitting. You could see the room part as she moved closer to Eddarly. Her eyes connected to his, and her smile was warm and inviting. “May I sit here, Captain?”, Tamsen pointed to an area near Eddarly. The chair closest to the Captain was currently occupied by one of the soldiers. The soldier, a young man who barely appeared to be out of his teenage years, stood up and slid the chair out for Tamsen to sit in. Tamsen smiled at the young man, then sat directly in Eddarly’s lap, her arms around his shoulders. Tamsen said nothing at first, her hands slowly drawing across Eddarly’s shoulder and neck, as her fingertips gently rested on his face. A hush came over the people sitting around the table, wondering just how far this woman would go with Eddarly in front of all of them. Tamsen leaned in to Eddarly, and spoke almost breathlessly, “I want you right now. Do you want me?” Eddarly placed his hands around Tamsen’s waist, holding her close as he stood up. “Can we go to your room, please?” Tamsen smiled, taking Eddarly by the hand, and leading him upstairs to her room. Donovan scoffed as he watched the ease with which Tamsen led Eddarly upstairs. “Pathetic.” Lucius leaned over to Donovan, “I think we should reveal the affair between Eddarly and Mott’s wife to Mott.” Donovan nodded, “I agree. What a transparent individual. I don’t know why I was thinking there was more there.” When Tamsen and Eddarly arrived in her room, Tamsen sat herself down on the bed and smiled. She touched a spot on the bed next to her, in a clearly inviting way. Eddarly looked at her briefly, then his eyes drifted to the floor. “Forgive me lady, but I am merely here to keep up appearances. While you are perhaps the most alluring creature I have ever met, my heart belongs to another, and I cannot do anything inappropriate with you.” Tamsen leaned forward, an intrigued look on her face. “Oh my, Captain. What an unexpected turn of events.” Tamsen then immediately reached out to Donovan, “He said no to me, my love. He told me that his heart belongs to another.” Donovan began to laugh in the Inn, even though no one was speaking to him. Donovan stood up, and walked towards the part of the cellar where the secret passageway was. “Lucius, Bebop, come with me. I need you two to find out what he has of hers.” As the three of them were walking towards the cellar, Donovan began pulling several vials out of different pouches and pockets. Lucius asked, “How are we going to get in there without being seen?” Donovan pushed Lucius a vial, “Drink this.” Lucius looked at the vial skeptically, and Bebop gave a knowing smile. The mixture tasted something like liquid wax, briefly hardening around his gums and tongue. Lucius was clearly less than thrilled, but had become used to accepting random tonics from Donovan. Donovan then handed Lucius another potion. “Put this in your mouth, but don’t swallow it.” Once more, Lucius complied. Soon enough, Lucius had turned Invisible. “Now spit the liquid back into the flask.” After Lucius had completed his series, Donovan repeated the same actions with Bebop. After finishing the Elixir, Bebop made a face about putting the same potion in his mouth that Lucius had just spit out. “Yes, yes, you two are sharing cooties. Get over it.”, Donovan admonished Bebop. Bebop complied, and the two of them were invisible, proceeding into the tunnel without further incident. “Tell the two of them to disguise themselves as guards when they come up. That way, they can be carrying supplies out of the storeroom.”, Donovan contacted Tamsen, who relayed those thoughts to Bebop and Lucius while she listened to Captain Eddarly go on about his love for the fair Kaitlyn Mott. She smiled and encouraged him on, giving the two time to get into Balantyne before he left the Inn. Bebop grabbed one of the potable water barrels, and drug it up into the Armory of the Watch Wall. “Captain Eddarly’s making us take this barrel and replace it, all because I said he was making Captain Mott a cuckold.”, Lucius said to the guard as he passed their station. The guard looked at him in disbelief. “You’re lucky that’s all you got out of that. You want some advice? Keep your mouth shut about that, and you’ll get less of this.” Lucius, continuing to appear as one of the guards, smiled and nodded his head. “I’ve learned my lesson.” Working their way over to Eddarly’s quarters, Lucius and Bebop set the barrel down next to the door. Lucius hid himself behind the barrel, and summoned Lucinda, who then unlocked the door for them. As the three of them searched the room, Lucinda discovered a hidden storage area in Eddarly’s clothing store, in which he had placed a collection of romantic letters from Kaitlyn Mott. The letters, clearly explicit in nature, were even perfumed to garner more arousal from Eddarly towards her. Having completed the task that Donovan assigned to them, Lucius unsummoned Lucinda, and the two of them took the barrel out through the rear exiting gate which led to Aldencross. Once more, Lucius repeated the story about why him and his compatriot were being asked to carry this barrel, and once more, the soldiers mocked and chastised him for such a poor choice of actions. Still, the lie was easy enough, and no one they encountered even found it shocking that Captain Eddarly was in an affair with Kaitlyn Mott. Tamsen, having given Bebop and Lucius enough time to complete their task, gently kissed Eddarly on the cheek and wished him well with his relationship, complimenting him on the fidelity and commitment he showed to this woman. Eddarly bowed politely, then stepped out of the room, to the cheers of several of the soldiers downstairs. Soon after his departure, Bebop and Lucius returned, handing the set of letters over to Donovan. Donovan scanned the letters briefly, then smiled at the three people sitting around the table with him. “Excellent work, all of you. Now this is leverage!” Evening came, and with it the return of the Dwarven Engineers. Lucius had already returned to the kitchen in order to help out, but Bebop was expecting trouble, and imbibed one of his Mutagens. The effect on his physique was dramatic, and certainly gave him an intimidating persona. “Good evening Barnabus, I’m glad to see you are doing well after that rousing game you and Bebop took part in last night.”, Donovan smiled, betraying the obvious advantage he was holding over Bernabus. “I suppose it’s time we settle our wager.” Barnabus looked at Donovan, a broken and defeated man, “How am I supposed to settle up with you, when hard times continue to come my way?” “Hard times, you say?”, Donovan queried. Barnabus soured further, “It would appear that someone entered my room while I was at work, and stole 400 gold from me.” Donovan thought to himself, “Lucius, did you….”, and then quickly responded to Barnabus, “I know nothing about that, Barnabus.” Barnabus studied Donovan’s face to see if he could read dishonesty, but as Donovan actually did not know, there was none to be found. “Be that as it may, how am I supposed to pay back our wager? A wager that, if I may say, should never have been won by your man anyway. This whole thing seems designed to put me and mine in a precarious position.” Donovan reached to Tamsen’s mind, “Does Barnabus or his team have any magic items on them?” Tamsen’s eyes opened to the potential of magic, and looked across the group of engineers. “He has something on his back, Donovan.” Donovan’s eyes focused on Barnabus’ cloak, and immediately knew what he was looking at. “I see you are wearing a Cloak of Resistance. I would consider that a settlement of our debt.” Barnabus’ rage was creeping to the surface, but he was clearly without any other option. “Because I am a man of honor, I will give you my cloak. And then, you will darken my doorway no longer.” Donovan spread his hands wide, “You wound me, friend. And here I wanted to give you a way to help you out of your hard times.” Barnabus fixed his eyes to Donovan, as the smile came across Donovan’s face, “How exactly would you help me out of my hard times, Donovan?” “I could employ you and your team, you know. A short-term contract that would allow you to recoup your lost monies.”, Donovan offered. One of the female Dwarves leaned in and spoke up, “It sounds like you are asking us to walk away from our current jobs on the Watch Wall.” Donovan looked around the room. “Perhaps we could go upstairs and discuss this in a more private setting. There are too many ears here that speak your tongue.” Barnabus looked over at the female, a Dwarf by the name of Grenneth. “I want her to accompany us for this discussion.” "Of course, Barnabus, whatever makes you more comfortable.” Donovan locked eyes with Bebop, and nodded. Bebop knew exactly the message that was being sent, and followed Donovan upstairs. The four of them walked into Donovan’s room, and closed the door. Tamsen was nervous when the four of them went upstairs. For all his abilities, Donovan was not particularly skilled in combat. She wanted to be there to protect him in case things went wrong, but she had to believe that Bebop would be the better choice for that anyway. Looking around the room, her eyes caught a familiar face. She approached the table and smiled, “Hello there, do you remember me?” The man, a portly fellow with glasses, looked up at her and smiled. “Well hello, pretty young lady. You’re Donovan’s… girlfriend, right?” Tamsen nodded, “Sure.” The man nodded eagerly, having remembered the previous transactions with Donovan, “He’s a wonderful man, he’s brought so much business into this community lately. Does he need to purchase something else from me?” Tamsen swallowed, “Um, no. I was hoping to surprise him. It’s a special day for us, and I wanted to buy him something to remember it.” The man clapped, almost giddy with excitement, “Oh, how exciting! You’re buying jewelry for your special man! What a wonderful young lady you are!” Tamsen took the shop owner by the hand. “So, would it be possible for you to open up the store to me after your normal hours? I don’t want Donovan to know I’m buying this, so I wanted to wait until tonight.” “Oh, precious girl! Of course we can do that for the girlfriend of Donovan!” Tamsen smiled and thanked the man, still trying to figure out how she was going to separate Donovan from his money without him knowing about it. The discussion between Donovan and Barnabus was not going well. Donovan first tried to appeal to his sense of honor, showing how the people of Aldencross mistreated the Dwarves. But Barnabus was too cynical to be phased by such things. He then showed how the military had taken advantage of the engineers, claiming to have no room to house them even though the Watch Wall could easily have accommodated them. Finally, Donovan turned to the lack of religious support that was available for individuals who did not support Mitra. The Dwarves understood what Donovan said, and while they didn’t agree that the racism in Talingarde was as bad as Donovan had presented it, that their people were clearly not being treated as well as other races. Through all of this though, Barnabus was still unmoved. He believed that he and his team had an obligation to continue work on the Watch Wall, regardless of their financial state. He also continued to suggest that Donovan was solely responsible for their current financial woes. Donovan had reached his limit with this circular discussion and decided to put an end to it once and for all. “Let’s put all the cards on the table, Barnabus. This whole thing started because you decided to take advantage of Bebop by making him play a card game where you poorly explained the rules and made him continue to drink. And that’s fine, all’s fair in gambling and games of chance. But I don’t take lightly to my family being taken advantage of, so I decided to put you in a game of chance where I could control the outcome. And even then, I only set the stakes at 500 gold. Once I saw that you were losing steam, I raised the bet thinking you would take the loss and just let it go; but no, you kept implying that Bebop wasn’t confident enough to keep participating. Finally, I raised the wager to 1000 gold, just so you would have to walk away and take the loss. Not only did you not walk away, but you also insulted my honor by asking me to show coin, implying that I would make a wager that I couldn’t back up. All of that despite the fact I told you that I trusted you to have the coin, and you didn’t need to show it to me. So, you lost, and got yourself into this position. Now, I’m offering you a fair way out of it, and you are sitting there bemoaning how you deserved to win the challenge. But here we are, all’s fair in gambling and games of chance.” Hearing that, the rage on Barnabus boiled over, and it seemed certain that it would come to blows. Grenneth would have none of it though, and after trying to talk sense into him, she ended up pushing him out of the room, shouting “Stay there!”, and slamming the door in his face. When Grenneth got back to Donovan and Bebop, she took a breath, and then began to speak, “I understand how you see that we insulted you and your family’s honor. That was not our intention, and we don’t see it that way; but I do understand where you are coming from now. With that said, I feel like I don’t want to know why you would ask us to go on an expedition to nowhere for thirty days just to earn 1000 gold, and I suspect I wouldn’t like it if I knew.” Donovan nodded, “You are clearly a very intelligent woman.” Grenneth continued, “If you have the coin, then we will leave on this expedition the day after tomorrow.” Without hesitation, Donovan dug into his money pouched, snapped out the requested amount of coin, and placed it in Grenneth’s hand. “We are at an accord.” Grenneth stared at the money momentarily. Despite what was being said, she had a fairly good idea of why Donovan wanted her to leave for thirty days, and imagined there would be no work to return to when the job had completed. But the coin was needed, she had employees who had to be paid, and Donovan clearly had the funds to make it happen. Grenneth walked out of the room, and grabbed Barnabus by the arm on the way down the stairs. Following that conversation, Donovan had little desire to go back downstairs to deal with the public, so instead chose to go over the documents that had been retrieved throughout the day. At some point in the night, the rest of the group came into the room. Donovan handed Lucius the Cloak and smiled, “For you, good sir.” Lucius smiled and handed Donovan a small bag of money, “And for you.” Donovan felt the weight of the pouch in his hand and the sound it made. “Lucius, is this…” Lucius smiled, “I think that’s about 400 gold I made in tips today.” Donovan started to laugh out loud. “You’re a genius, Lucius. For 600 gold, we just bought a Cloak of Resistance, and the Dwarves threw in a map of the Watch Wall with blueprints of all the projects they are currently working on. What a deal!” The group laughed and talked for a while longer, before each of them headed off to their respective rooms. Tamsen couldn’t sleep, of course. She knew that she needed to be at the jeweler’s store before too late. Trying to make sure Donovan would fall asleep quickly, Tamsen focused her attention into his pleasure for the evening. Donovan sighed and smiled at her after they finished, “How did I ever find someone like you?” Tamsen simply kissed Donovan on the lips, “You asked me to stay.” Donovan contentedly fell asleep shortly after that, and Tamsen saw her opportunity. Tamsen gently eased herself out of the bed, and over to the money bag Donovan had set on the table. Sadly, for all of Tamsen’s skills, being quiet was not one of them. Donovan’s mind caught things that were not in rhythm with the room, and his attention brought him back to a state of wakefulness. He opened his eyes in time to watch Tamsen clumsily sneak out of the room. Donovan gently moved closer to the still open door, attempting to see where Tamsen was going. He saw her open Bebop’s door, and go inside. “Ah, of course.”, Donovan said, with a tinge of defeat in his voice. He assumed the two of them were heading out for a night of sex and debauchery. Donovan went back to bed, and laid there for a while waiting for sleep to reclaim him. “Bebop, wake up”, Tamsen said, shaking Bebop from his sleep. Bebop opened his eyes, and as he gained his focus, a smile crawled over his face. “Mmm, it’s been a while Tamsen. I’m glad to see you are still in the mood.” Tamsen sighed, “I didn’t come here for that Bebop, I want you to walk with me over to the store. I’m buying a present for Donovan.” Bebop groaned, “Why do I have to go with you to buy a present for Donovan?” Tamsen showed an irritated look on her face, “You’re seriously going to make me walk around this town alone and after hours with a sack of money in my hands?” Bebop sighed, “Fine, I’ll come with you to the store. But first…” Bebop’s hands slid across Tamsen’s thighs. “Bebop, I said I didn’t come here for that tonight.”, Tamsen's irritation with Bebop was rising. Bebop whined to Tamsen, “Come on Tamsen, don’t leave me like this. You know you’re the best I’ve had.” Tamsen saw Bebop’s naked form in the bed, and bit her lower lip slightly, “Fine. But we’ve got to be quick. I told the man we would be there at a specific time.” Bebop grabbed Tamsen by the back of her head, and rolled himself on top of her. “Good morning, Donovan my love!”, Tamsen was on top of Donovan in their bedroom, smiling as she looked down at him. Donovan’s eyes snapped open, as he looked up at Tamsen. “Well good morning to you beautiful! I didn’t expect you to be up already.” “Give me your hand, Donovan.”, Tamsen spoke with barely contained glee. Donovan got a curious look on his face, then opened his hand palm up to her. She turned his hand over, then slid a ring across his ring finger. “Happy anniversary, my love!”, Tamsen said excitedly. Donovan, still looking confused, responded. “Anniversary? What do you mean?” Tamsen smiled, “Today marks the day that I found you in the market.” Donovan thought back to the day she referred to, a warm sensation spreading over his entire body. “The market… the happiest day in my entire life.”, Donovan replied, his eyes watering. He looked down at the ring she put on his finger, then kissed it and kissed her. “This is so thoughtful, you’re so wonderful. I never…” Tamsen kissed Donovan fully on the lips, their embrace held for several minutes as he pulled her against him. Time passed, and Donovan opened the chest that Kiliketz was in. “Sorry to wake you early today, but I need you to scout out a house for me.” Kiliketz grumbled briefly, but he complied, “Where do you need me, boss?” Donovan gave the address of a house that Kiliketz was to begin watching at 4PM. “Let us know when you see a man, most likely cloaked, enter the house. I’m sure that will be the individual we are looking for.” Donovan and Tamsen went downstairs, and had breakfast as normal, then explained to the group what they would be doing. “It’s time to invite Captain Eddarly to find the relationship he has with Kaitlyn Mott.” After finding a relatively shaded area that gave him visibility to the house in question, Kiliketz waited. He did not have to wait long, as only a few minutes after 4PM, a cloaked man did indeed appear in front of the Mott residence, and went inside the home without knocking. After Kiliketz notified Tamsen of the discovery, Donovan and the others quickly arrived at the home in question. Lucinda skillfully picked the front door lock and moved quietly to the bedroom. Once she had their attention, the rest of the team moved into the house to find Zack Eddarly and Kaitlyn Mott naked and recently enjoying each other’s company. “Relax, Captain Eddarly. My friends and I are not here to hurt you or the lovely lady.”, Donovan spoke to the couple with a gentle ease in his tone. Upon seeing Tamsen in the same form that she had been using previously, Zack came to an understanding of what was taking place. “What do you want?”, Zack insisted as forcefully as a naked man in another man’s bed could. Donovan smiled, “I’m here to talk to you two about true love, and the relationship you two have.” With that, Donovan pulled out one of the letters that Kaitlyn had written to Zack, perusing the contents briefly. “Missus Mott, may I just say that you are a talented writer. I think you could have an amazing career in erotica, if you so choose.” Kaitlyn gasped, “Zack! How could you show that to them?” Donovan shook his head, “Oh no, Missus Mott! We stole these, Zack did not simply give them to us. And let me just say, he is the most loyal and dedicated man I have ever seen. Most men would do terrible things to have an opportunity to be with Tamsen. He was freely offered, and refused her for you!” Zack and Kaitlyn looked each other in the eyes, their mutual love apparent even in the face of what was happening to them. Donovan steepled his fingers together, “But this brings us to our problem. If I were to take these letters and provide them to Captain Mott, what do you think would be the outcome? Do you think he would come home and ask for a threesome with you two?” Kaitlyn snarked, “That would be terrible.” “I’m so sorry to hear that Missus Mott.”, Donovan said, somewhat concerned at her response. “You might as well call me Kaitlyn now”, Kaitlyn said to Donovan, looking at her naked form being covered with only a bed sheet. Donovan continued, “So what I want for the two of you, Zack and Kaitlyn, is to explore what your relationship actually is. I want you to find the love that you have for each other in a different place. And I think you understand what’s at stake here, Zack.” Zack placed his head in his hands, thinking on the impossible choice Donovan had presented him. Sure, he could go and notify his Commander that there was someone asking him to abandon his post, but what would happen to Kaitlyn at the hands of Captain Mott was almost unthinkable. After a while, he looked back up at Donovan, “Can I have four hours to pack and get us ready?” Donovan smiled, “Of course Zack, that sounds fine.” Zack pressed, “I need to head back to the Watch Wall to grab a few things.” Donovan looked intensely at Eddarly, then returned to his previous smile, “Sounds fine, we’ll help Kaitlyn get packed up here while you are doing this.” Zack understood clearly the implication that Donovan was making in that sentence. Donovan continued, “And while I’m at it, let me give the two of you a present to make things easier for you as you travel for the next month.” Donovan fished out 250 gold from his purse, and handed it to Kaitlyn. Her eyes grew at the sight of so much money shown all at once. Before they left, Donovan had Bebop claim Eddarly’s magic armor, and gave him a mundane version in exchange. “I truly hope you two last. True love is a very rare thing, and I was blessed enough to find it in my life.” Zack and Kaitlyn looked back one last time at the house they were in together. Zack realized there was a good chance something ill would happen to this house before they returned in a month. After the couple had departed, Lucius looked at Donovan, who was still evaluating the work that would be needed on Eddarly's gear. "What's the long term plan here, Donovan? Are you going to try and save every single soldier in Balantyne?" Bebop's face hardened, "These are the very people who would torture and hurt me!" Bebop pointed at Tamsen, "They would torture and hurt her! Are you really ok with them simply walking away from all of this?" Donovan looked at Tamsen, whose face showed her disappointment. "It's not like that Lucius", Donovan attempted to explain, "I know that we can't save all of these people. And I know we shouldn't try to, some of them are truly terrible to the core. But, not all of them see you as less than themselves. Not all of them are tied to their simplistic monotheistic absolutism. Look at Timeon, he's..." Tamsen interrupted Donovan, "Timeon is a tool! He isn't righteous, he serves a purpose for the time being." Donovan turned to Tamsen, almost in disbelief, "But you have helped him see the world with greater eyes. He was only that way because he had been raised to think like that." Lucius chimed up, "As have they all, Donovan. They were all raised that way, to see all of us as lessers and to do with us as they pleased." Donovan countered, "So, every soldier is guilty? Every soldier is irredeemable?" Bebop replied without hesitation, "Yes." Donovan tested further, "Is that so? Then is every merchant equally guilty for providing the funds to the kingdom? Am I guilty for being the child of merchants, and profiting from their wealth?" Lucius looked at Donovan and smiled, "You're one of the good ones." Donovan said nothing in that moment, just stared at his family in sudden realization. In his mind, he thought to himself, "These are the people who are going to kill me one day." He looked over to Tamsen as that realization took hold, and a sadness washed over him. Donovan focused his thoughts, and answered them aloud, "Perhaps you are all disappointed you didn't get to kill anyone tonight. But keep this in mind. Until the rookery falls, anything we do that draws attention to the absence of the staff of the Watch Wall will be met with further reinforcements. Everything must land exactly in place, or all our plans will be made manifest, and our work will have been for naught." Without further words, Donovan left the room, holding back the grief that was beginning to overtake him. Bebop clapped his hands together. "Well, I'm going to go find myself a woman to entertain me tonight! These reviews aren't going to write themselves." Bebop went out into the streets of Balantyne, allowing himself a brief opportunity to come out of his shifted form. It took time and patience, considering the training that had been imparted to him by Tamsen, but he was able to find a lovely Halfling lady who was feeling daring and randy. The two of them retreated to his room, where his thoughts of the day melted away into the enjoyment of this feisty creature in his bed. Session 9 Ends. [/QUOTE]
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Way of the Wicked Playthrough - Updated 2023/03/28
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