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Message: <blockquote data-quote="spyscribe" data-source="post: 940259" data-attributes="member: 5808">Part the Very SeventhIn which: someone fails a whole lot of Bluff checks(as recorded by Fajitas)    A few quick questions asked in the right places reveals the location of Amos’s paramour, the woman Kashan.  “She is the daughter of a wealthy Thanean Captain, Kuros Hemlek,” Anvil informs the others as they make their way to the Hemlek residence.  Reyu glances up at the sun.  It is mid-day.  Just under 18 hours left to prove their innocence before she and Thatch are enslaved.  Somehow, she thinks that this is not what her grandmother had in mind when she sent her off to learn about human culture.    The Hemlek estate is nowhere near as opulent as the Missola estate, but it is virtually the same size.  The guards initially balk at granting the PCs entrance, but Anvil’s brief yet vivid description of the fate that awaits those who obstruct Kettenek’s Justice changes their minds.  The PCs are ushered into a waiting room.  They ask to see Kashan, and are told to wait a moment.    A short time later, a stern, swarthy, well-muscled man with dark hair and a full beard descends the staircase.  He is Captain Kuros Hemlek. “Well?” he demands. “What is your business here?”    Anvil, Thatch, and Reyu look at each other.  “Um.  Actually, our business is with your daughter, Kashan,” Thatch offers.  Then, belatedly he adds, “Sir.”    “She is indisposed.  We are leaving for Dar Thane the day after tomorrow, and she is making necessary preparations.  I will speak for her.”    “Um.  It’s really kind of, um, private business,” Thatch tries again.    “Her business is my business.  I will speak for her.” Hemlek seems calm, but his eyes flash dangerously.    Again, the heroes look at each other.  How much should they reveal?    “It is a… delicate matter.  Perhaps we could--” Reyu begins, but is interrupted.    “Then speak of it to me delicately,” Hemlek responds.  The only delicate thing about him appears to be his patience.    Against his better judgement, Anvil relents.  “It relates to a matter of your daughter Kashan and a young man named Amos--"    But another voice interrupts Anvil.  A young woman’s voice.  “Father?  What is it?  Did I hear my name?”  And down the stairs comes Kashan.  She is in her late teens, swarthy as her father but far more attractive, her hair cropped close in military style.  And, oh yes, she is six months pregnant.    Tumblers suddenly begin to click for Thatch and Anvil.  Pregnant daughter.  Overbearing father.  Suddenly they have both a motive and a suspect for Amos’s disappearance, which means they may have a direct connection to the mysterious scarred man (Reyu, of course, does not make this same leap of reasoning.  Biological paternity is unimportant to elves).    Meanwhile, Captain Hemlek attempts to dismiss his daughter.  “Return to your room, Kashan.  I will handle this.”    But Anvil leaps in.  “Captain, as your daughter is surely more familiar with the man Amos than you are, she will be more valuable in helping us investigate his disappearance.  Unless,” he adds, carefully watching Hemlek’s reaction, “you believe you know more about Amos’s disappearance than she does.”  There is a hint of warning in Anvil’s voice.    And Hemlek’s manner suddenly changes.  His eyes dart around quickly, looking at all three of his visitors.  His feet shuffle on the floor as he says, “Amos?  I don’t know anything about a man named Amos.”  (GM’s Note: This is why it’s important not to roll a 3 on your Bluff check when nose to nose with a Justicar.)    “Really?” Anvil asks.  “We were under the impression that he was the man who had impregnated your daughter.”  Anvil turns his attention to Kashan.  “Is that not true?”    Kashan shifts guiltily and looks at her father.  She opens her mouth but Hemlek cuts her off.  “I will speak for her!” he snaps, but there is a shrill edge to his voice that wasn’t there before.  “I-I did not realize you spoke of that man.  I was simply…unaware of his name, you see.”    “Of course you were,” Anvil replies as condescendingly as he can (GM’s Note: This is why it’s important not to roll a 1 on your Bluff check to recover from the 3 you rolled on your Bluff check when nose to nose with a Justicar).  He addresses Kashan again.  “When was the last time you saw Amos?”    Kashan looks to her father before answering.  “Several weeks ago.  I tried to see him to ask him again to marry me, given…” she gestures vaguely at her condition.  “I’m sorry, did you say Amos is missing?”    “He is,” Anvil responds.  Hemlek shifts nervously again. “Did he agree to marry you?”    Kashan wipes at her eyes.  “No.  He still wouldn’t.”        “The dog,” Hemlek spits, with real venom.  “No Thanean would behave so disgracefully.  In Dar Thane, such a man would be executed for cowardice and dereliction of duty.”    Thatch blanches at that.  Reyu looks at him, puzzled.  “Why does he place such… importance on who conceives the child?  Is it not the mother’s choice who will be the father?”  “Um.  I’ll explain later,” Thatch responds.  The young man is still reeling at this new, previously unconsidered consequence of sex.  Reyu, meanwhile, mentally notes that there are human cities with stranger laws than Dar Aego and returns her attention to the conversation at hand.    “You are not in Dar Thane,” Anvil is saying, and Hemlek agrees.  “No, we are not,” he snarls.    “And did you take it upon yourself to enforce the laws of Dar Thane while here in Dar Pykos?  Perhaps you hired a man of poor character to knife him in the back in a tavern?” Anvil demands.        Hemlek face goes pink.  “Absolutely not!” he insists.  “I find this questioning an insult to my honor.  This interview is over!  You will leave my estates now!”  He motions for his guards.    Anvil resists.  “Kettenek’s Justice has not yet been fulfilled.”  But Hemlek doesn’t care.  “You are merely a First Order Justicar.  I will not tolerate such insults from a subordinate.  Out!  Out, I say!”  Hemlek’s voice nearly squeaks as he screams at them.  Not wishing a fight, Anvil, Thatch, and Reyu allow the guards to lead them out of the house and back to the street.    Once there, they look at each other.  “Um,” Thatch begins, “maybe it was just me, but I don’t think he was telling the truth.”    The others agree.  “I believe we should return with a writ and search this estate.  Especially if they are planning soon to leave,” Anvil says.    “What good will that do?” Thatch asks.  “If he hired someone to kill Amos, he probably wouldn’t leave evidence of it here.”    “I am not certain he had Amos killed,” Reyu adds.  “His indignation when Anvil suggested he had done so seemed quite… genuine.”    “Regardless, I believe we must press on him harder.  Your time is short, and we have no leads left to us beyond those we can find inside that estate.”    And at that, the side gate of the estate bursts open and a wagon charges out, careening wildly as it turns a sharp corner.  Captain Hemlek has the reins.  And the wagon races down the street…Next time: Answers! Wagons! And we finally enter combat time!</blockquote>

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