Augury Part I: New Beginnings

[skydragonknight]

Kara

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"Agreed." she said. It was really the only thing of interest that came up.

[Shiki]

Snowy

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The fluffy cat nods as she seemingly cannot talk the humanoid's tongue.

[Flay Crimsonwind]

Isaac

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At first, Isaac wants to protest, if only to see the knights and guardsmen surrounding the Lord. But he stopped himself; they had something important to do, and he couldn't chase after knights right now. "Alright; just try not to cow the Lord, Boon!" He smiles a joking smile at boon, and then makes his way with Willow towards the town's library.

[sirpercival]

Group 1 --

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When you find Widdle's shop, it's pretty much exactly as you expected.  The building is rough, but of good make -- perfect for someone who cares for utility and quality over form.  The sign is scribed in a passable hand, and reads, "Widdle's Furs and Trades".

You enter, and a bell jangles, causing the ancient woman seated in a battered, fur-covered chair to look up.  She smiles toothlessly at Legion's disguised face and calls out, "Thim!  Ith Khatyan, and friendth!"  She nods toward the back of the shop, where you can see a doorway hung with more fur.  In fact, the entire room is covered in fur, mostly white or speckled grey, hung on sturdy wooden displays.  As you walk past, the woman pets Snowy with a wrinkled hand, murmuring "Kithy..."

In the rear you find a man you presume to be Zim Widdle, the trapper.  He's tall and spare, with no wasted flesh on him; his face is rather stern and bears several scars, but there's a twinkle of kindness in his eye, and you can't help but take a liking to him.  He's skinning a white raccoon with a large, wickedly sharp knife, but looks up when you enter, a smile creaking over his tanned face.

"Why, Sarkha, I didn't expect you back!  Did you find the place?"

Group 2a (Kyle, Boon) --

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The keep looks large and forbidding, designed to withstand a barbarian siege from the North.  You approach through the public gate -- luckily Lord Fontaine is holding court today, otherwise you might have had trouble gaining entrance.

There are a number of supplicants milling around in the courtyard; some of them shooting evil glares at each other from opposite sides, others pacing nervously with soft cotton caps wrung between clammy hands.

A bored-looking secretary waits behind a rickety wooden table laid with quills and a long parchment.  "Yeeeeess?" he drawls as you approach.

Group 2b (Willow, Isaac) --

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The sign outside Hedlun Oaenskor's residence is not promising.  You're pretty sure it must have read "Hedlun Oaenskor, Wizard" at one point, but it's been painted over more recently with the words "GO AWAY" in several languages.  The building looks in poor repair, and the windows are extremely dirty.

At your insistent knocking, you hear angry shouts in Gnomish, followed by the loud click of several locks.  The door opens a crack, and there's nothing but darkness inside.

[phaedrusxy]

Legion (group 1)

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Legion thinks for a brief second how to proceed, then says "No in fact, I didn't. Horse threw me off, and I spent the better part of the time I was gone trying to chase the damned thing down. It must have been spooked by something. Then my supplies were running a bit low, so I decided to head back.

Could you go over what you told me about it again, just so I can be sure when I head back out?"

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disguise (1d20+14=31)

take 10 on bluff for 14.

[sirpercival]

Group 1 --

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Widdle looks at you carefully, frowning slightly.  He puts down the raccoon very slowly, but is still holding the knife.

After a long moment, he says quietly, "What are you?  You look just like Khatyan... but you don't talk like him, and you don't know what he knows."

[dna1]

Boon group 2

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Boon will stand behind Kyle and try to look intimidating. His eyes constantly darting back and forth. Like he is sizing up the guards, or possibly tracking escape exits.
He leans down towards Kyle and whispers " K brother, Im going to let you handle this guy.... I better take Isaac's advice and keep in line here. But if you want me to scare the shit out of him just gimme a sign, k?... Stomp my foot or something "
(im going to tower over kyle menacingly)

[phaedrusxy]

Legion (group 1)

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Legion's demeanor changes from pleasant to menacing. He says "I'm not someone you should trifle with. Other than that, that's all you need to know of me.

The man you call Khatyan was involved in some trouble, and is dead. I've been sent here to find out what he was up to. It seemed that he'd been taken over by a hostile spirit or something like that, and we believe it may have been related to his travels."

"So... if you don't mind" Legion waggles his spear tip menacingly at Widdle "We'd like to know everything you know of him. What he sought, where he went, and if he found it."

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Take 10 on intimidate for 18, as a standard action. Move action to loose his shield and grip the spear with two hands instead of one.

[skydragonknight]

Kara (group 1)

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Kara casually pulls out a dagger. "Don't worry, we aren't here to gut you. Though now that you've seen me, I probably should cut out your tongue...unless it has useful information for my associate here."

[Shiki]

Snowy (group 1)

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Ohh, cutsy granny aaw! thinks the girl as she purrs for the few seconds the elderly woman did pet her. When the atmosphere changed abruptly, she backed off the hands of the old woman (she still keeps an eye on her though), hissing towards Widdle.

[Flay Crimsonwind]

Isaac [Group 2B]

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Isaac stands straight, trying to look respectful and proper as he can with a large sword on his back. "Sir! My name is Isaac Robin, and this here is Willow Ufgood. We have been looking around town for a proper library, in order to conduct some research, and a number of sources claimed that you had a collection of tomes that might be of interest. I've come to beg some time with your books, sir."

[DrHorrible]

Kyle[Group 2A]

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"We'd like to speak with Lord Fontaine if possible, or at least consult his library for a research."

[sirpercival]

Group 1 --

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Widdle's eyes grow hard.  "I don't take kindly to being threatened.  If you've come to kill me, then be about it; otherwise, why don't you get out of my shop?

Unless, of course, you'd like to start over, maybe approach things a little differently?  I didn't know Sarkha very well, but if what you say is true, then perhaps I can help."

Group 2a --

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The secretary yawns.  "Lord Fontaine is extremely busy today, there are so many of you who want to speak with him." He gestures dismissively at the people around the courtyard.  "But if you'd like to give your name, I can put you on the register, and he should be able to address your problem..." he makes a show of checking the parchment, "next week."

As an afterthought, he adds, "Oh yes, and the library is private, and closed to all except for very important visitors."  He looks down his nose at you -- clearly in his eyes you do not count as "very important visitors".

Suddenly, the giant double doors into the great hall burst open, and a heavily armored dwarf marches out, his face red with anger.  He shouts back towards the hall in a booming voice, "Rust and Woe! I had heard ye were a fair man, Fontaine, yet I see no evidence for it.  It be your problem as much as ours, and ye are too much of a coward to see it!"

He turns on his heel and stalks out of the courtyard, leaving everyone stunned.

Group 2b --

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"My books?  You can't take 'em!  I pay my taxes, you can't take 'em!" The voice is low, rough, and grouchy.   A long, carved stick about as thick as your index finger shoves out of the door at waist height.  "Go away before I zap you!"

[DrHorrible]

Kyle

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A little disappointed hearing those words, Kyle keeps smiling trying to hide his discomfort and speaks again:"I understand, but you see... This is a matter of great importance, lives are at stake. I undestand that Lord Fontaine is an important man and he's very busy, so I ask you If you could let us check his personal library. You can send someone to keep an eye on us, if you wish... Just, please. "

[dna1]

Boon 2-A

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" I'm going to go see what that was about... be right back " Boon whispers to Kyle before he runs out after the dwarf. After catching up to the dwarf Boon stops in front of him. " Hey sir. I couldn't help but hear your shouting... Mind if I ask what that oaf Fontaine is ignoring this time? "

[sirpercival]

Kyle --

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The secretary looks back at you in surprise, as if he'd forgotten you were there.  "Young man, lives are always at stake, and it's always a matter of great importance... to you.  But Lord Fontaine must deal with everyone, and so you will wait your turn like everyone else. 

And, the library is closed..." he looks around surreptitiously, and leans forward, his voice dropping to a whisper, "...unless you can make it worth my while."

Boon --

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The dwarf looks up at you in surprise and consternation.  "Why, the refugees and the plague, lad!  Haven't ye heard?  There are human towns closing their doors to refugees from the south, and so all these people come knocking on our gates.  We hae neither food nor room for them, yet your Lord Fontaine will do nothing."

[phaedrusxy]

Legion (Group 1)

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Legion sighs and says "Very well. You didn't seem like one who would cower easily, but often times creatures will speak more truthfully when they fear death is at hand. I estimate that you will also be one to either answer truthfully or not at all as well, so we likely have little to fear in trusting any answers you give us. I also cannot foresee that revealing what we know about this matter will further damage our chances of learning anything of value from you, or endanger us further than our previous actions already have. So I will tell you what I know.

I was not among those who found Master Khatyan's remains, so I cannot provide details about the circumstances he was found under. I can however tell you about what happened to him after he was dead, and what we've learned about him so far since then.

Not long after he was found, his corpse rose from its resting place and attacked one of my friends in a town not far from here. Myself and some others managed to destroy it, but during the battle, which also involved an evil shaman of some kind, several people were wounded and one killed.

An odd stone was found on Khatyan's remains when they were originally discovered, and this stone has a dire prophecy written on it in an obscure language. We think there are likely other stones like it that Khatyan has been seeking, and wonder if they aren't somehow related to his death and reanimation. My friends and I have set out to uncover the mysteries of this stone, hopefully to understand and eliminate any threats that they might pose. Having masqueraded about town with his visage, we came to understand that he'd frequented your establishment regularly, and so thought you might be a good source of information."

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diplomacy (1d20+4=21)

[skydragonknight]

Kara

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Relaxing her stance, she still keeps her weapon in her hand. She remains quiet during most of Legion's speech, adding in the occassional detail. "And there was no wounds on him either. Nor a pulse."

"Yep. The whole thing's a mystery."

[sirpercival]

Group 1 --

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Widdle relaxes, and his eyes soften.  "I see... well, perhaps you'd better come with me."

He leads you out the back door of the shop into a small yard, and then into a shed.  The rank smell of curing pelts makes your eyes water, but in the light filtering through the dirty windows you can see a bookshelf filled with rolled and tied strips of vellum.

Widdle grabs one of them, slaps it down on the rickety table, and unrolls it -- and you can see that it's a hand-drawn map.  "I'll tell you Khatyan's story, what I know of it... but would you mind wearing your own face?"

[Shiki]

Snowy (group 1)

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After hearing Legion's speech about our short story and Widdle's reply to it, Snowy silently follows the others. Once inside, she jumps on a nearby chair, watching both the man and the map very carefully. Deciding to not make a fool of Widdle any longer, Snowy transform back to her humanoid form, sitting on said chair.

"Both are my own faces, but at least in this one I can communicate more clearly."