Post by TheUdjat on Jul 10, 2009 11:48:04 GMT -5
Amalric, Jakob-
Neither man being terribly good with words—Amalric, due largely to the Gift—they can only look on helplessly was the noble on horseback with his small contingent heads in their direction. The wagon is loaded and ready to go, but there’s no time to avoid the nobleman, if it would even be prudent to do so. James and Helmut give each other apprehensive looks, knowing what they must do if the situation turns to violence, though they are clearly outmatched.
The noble looks down at the quartet haughtily for a moment or two, clearly finding both the shabby woodsman and the studious magus offensive in some way. “I am the Lord Mayor of Freiburg, Manfred of the esteemed Adler family, second of that name.” He pauses, as if this is supposed to impress them. He continues on, chin still lifted arrogantly and condescendingly. “It has come to my attention that you are responsible for the apprehension of a most notorious criminal. Is this so?” His tone seems to doubt that this is in any way possible.
(Conditions)
Joseph, Tawno, Arnaud-
Joseph again refuses the old man, urging him to move away. The man scowls as if frustrated, ready to say more, until Arnaud appears to suggest that the magus offer this queer old man a few coins to sate him. At first the old man smiles at Arnaud’s interruption—an unnerving sight for Tawno and Arnaud, who both sense something malevolent and untrustworthy about him—but then frowns again when he is identified as a beggar. “Leave it to a Fool to act the fool. You should precede the Magician, not follow him.” He waggles a damning finger at the troubadour.
By the strange conversation so far—and no doubt by this last remark in particular which reminds the gypsy of her own fortune-telling cards—Tawno attempts more… convincing means of getting to the root of this stranger’s business with them, for she fears brushing him off would lead to later trouble. She shows a little shoulder and neck, a pleasant sight for all the men there, and attempts to appease the old man with the sound of her voice and the urging of her feminine wiles.
[Will Save vs. DC 15 for Suggestion. Pass.]
Though the man smiles lasciviously, he does not seem inordinately distracted by the foreign beauty. “Oho, yes, no doubt one like you is invited for a walk, too!” He looks at Arnaud. “And you, my Foolish Fop, hyahah.” He looks at Tawno again. “But forgive an old man’s tongue, I have to wonder how much of a maid you truly are. Your tongue betrays practice.” He cackles.
Before he can be punished for leveling such a remark, the creepy old man continues, sweeping just out of arm’s reach—and sword’s reach, for Thomas is already reacting, perhaps out of some misguided attempt to defend the gypsy’s ‘honor’. “But enough, enough! We have a full hand here, and a full hand is enough for me!” His beady eyes fix on each face in turn, suddenly deathly serious. “You come seeking Old Grigori, and Old Grigori you have found. No manner of sense, grace, or intelligence in the whole lot, but I takes what I can gets.” Cackle. “I know ye come to do me service, so now you’ll do it.”
His eyes flash. “Follow the bred crumbs before the birds eat them, my dears. Follow them for your lives. Figure out the riddle, or die when the sun sets!” And with a wave of his hands, the world spins out of control.
When next the four are able to speak, blink, or even think, they find that the old man, the market, indeed the entire town of Freiburg is gone—or they are. Instead they are in a forest—a forest of lovely, enchanting, and utterly feral beauty, with the sounds of nature around them and not a civilized soul in sight.
They are in a grove, a pleasant little brook trickling by, adding a tinkling music to the charms of mother nature. With a careful look around, there is sure enough a small line of bread crumbs leading deeper into the woods.
“Hellfire and damnation,” Thomas mutters sourly.
(Conditions)
Rupert-
Rupert attempts to hide the apple from sight, slipping it out of their field of vision, hoping he’s fast enough—and subtle enough—to fool them. [Sleight of Hand check vs. Spots.] But either he is too slow or the guards too keen of eye, for they do not seem fooled as they tromp over—worse, when Rupert opens his mouth to speak, his words are slurred from the mouthful of apple he still has in his mouth, forgotten in the heat of the moment.
Truly, there is no salvaging this moment.
So young Rupert dashes off without warning, and the two men shout and plunge into the crowd after him. Rupert weaves and glides through the many people like an eel, while the much larger, much bulkier guards are reduced to shoving people out of the way, slower and clumsier in their armor, with their swords. Alas, Rupert knows that he can only flee for so long, and that more guards will certainly be coming to answer the call. [Hide check. Spots checks.] Slipping aside into the crowd and bolting sharply out of the way, Rupert pretends to be an idle bystander, a person inconspicuous and nondescript. He holds his breath, but the guards look around frantically for him without recognition, and continue on, assuming he is still up ahead.
For the moment, he has eluded capture, though how long can this remain so? There are many guards in the market today, and if they choose to comb the area for him, it will be difficult to escape. Getting scarce would be wise—but he has not yet found Joseph for Amalric, if such a thing even matters to the boy anymore.
(Condition)
Elric, Amalric (through Isabeau)-
[Alright, Yakumo – last chance. There will be a repost and some new stuff. First, the repost.]
Deciding to ward off his boredom by giving into the serving girl and striking up conversation, Elric invites her to sit for a spell, with a drink in hand. She complies with a brilliant smile—though she attempts to conceal it behind a certain air of professionalism, giving a little curtsy and hurrying off to fetch the desired drink.
Soon enough she returns, sliding into a seat across from him. In her brief disappearance, it appears she’s tried to straight her slightly-mussed hair and straighten her clothes a bit, without a great deal of success. There’s only so much one can do. Asked her name, she responds, “Lisbet, m’lord. And… what do I want to do with my life?” she repeats his question curiously. Glancing to either side briefly, she leans forward to speak in confidence. “My folks say I should hope for a good, hard-working husband and healthy children, but to be honest, sir, the thought interests me not at all! I think, more than anything, I’d like to see the world. I hear so many travelers talk of it, and it sounds so exciting and interesting—much better than the life of a serving girl, no doubt.” She frowns prettily. “But I’m afraid that’s likely a silly dream, or so say the other girls.”
“What about you, sir? Are you doing what you dream of? I have to wonder at what has a young man sitting alone with nothing to do on such a day. Most would call you a layabout, but you don’t have the look of one.”
Elric contemplates his answer while Lisbet watches him carefully, her attention pleasant and unassuming. But as the captain finishes his response—or continues to think—the doors to the tavern abruptly slam open to reveal a small cadre of guardsmen with stern looks and weapons at the ready. One of them has a slip of parchment in his hand, and casts about until his attention falls on Elric.
He realizes immediately what is happening.
“There!” the lead guardsman shouts. “You right there, cur, you’re to come quietly. Don’t be foolish, now, we’ll use force if we have to.” The guardsmen fan out, roughly five of them in all.
No doubt searching for alternate exits, there is the kitchen off to one side, which might lead to another exit—and might not—and the window nearby, which is small, though perhaps he can slip through before the guards catch him. Isabeau, looking in, can clearly see the scene, though even the perceptive hawk had no idea the men were so near. They must have come from the other direction.
Lisbet gasps and draws back, looking back and forth between the guards and Elric. She is roughly in between them, though of course much closer to the captain.
(Conditions)
Elric – Normal
Isabeau – Normal
Neither man being terribly good with words—Amalric, due largely to the Gift—they can only look on helplessly was the noble on horseback with his small contingent heads in their direction. The wagon is loaded and ready to go, but there’s no time to avoid the nobleman, if it would even be prudent to do so. James and Helmut give each other apprehensive looks, knowing what they must do if the situation turns to violence, though they are clearly outmatched.
The noble looks down at the quartet haughtily for a moment or two, clearly finding both the shabby woodsman and the studious magus offensive in some way. “I am the Lord Mayor of Freiburg, Manfred of the esteemed Adler family, second of that name.” He pauses, as if this is supposed to impress them. He continues on, chin still lifted arrogantly and condescendingly. “It has come to my attention that you are responsible for the apprehension of a most notorious criminal. Is this so?” His tone seems to doubt that this is in any way possible.
(Conditions)
Amalric – Normal
Jakob – Normal
James – Normal
Helmut – Normal
Jakob – Normal
James – Normal
Helmut – Normal
Joseph, Tawno, Arnaud-
Joseph again refuses the old man, urging him to move away. The man scowls as if frustrated, ready to say more, until Arnaud appears to suggest that the magus offer this queer old man a few coins to sate him. At first the old man smiles at Arnaud’s interruption—an unnerving sight for Tawno and Arnaud, who both sense something malevolent and untrustworthy about him—but then frowns again when he is identified as a beggar. “Leave it to a Fool to act the fool. You should precede the Magician, not follow him.” He waggles a damning finger at the troubadour.
By the strange conversation so far—and no doubt by this last remark in particular which reminds the gypsy of her own fortune-telling cards—Tawno attempts more… convincing means of getting to the root of this stranger’s business with them, for she fears brushing him off would lead to later trouble. She shows a little shoulder and neck, a pleasant sight for all the men there, and attempts to appease the old man with the sound of her voice and the urging of her feminine wiles.
[Will Save vs. DC 15 for Suggestion. Pass.]
Though the man smiles lasciviously, he does not seem inordinately distracted by the foreign beauty. “Oho, yes, no doubt one like you is invited for a walk, too!” He looks at Arnaud. “And you, my Foolish Fop, hyahah.” He looks at Tawno again. “But forgive an old man’s tongue, I have to wonder how much of a maid you truly are. Your tongue betrays practice.” He cackles.
Before he can be punished for leveling such a remark, the creepy old man continues, sweeping just out of arm’s reach—and sword’s reach, for Thomas is already reacting, perhaps out of some misguided attempt to defend the gypsy’s ‘honor’. “But enough, enough! We have a full hand here, and a full hand is enough for me!” His beady eyes fix on each face in turn, suddenly deathly serious. “You come seeking Old Grigori, and Old Grigori you have found. No manner of sense, grace, or intelligence in the whole lot, but I takes what I can gets.” Cackle. “I know ye come to do me service, so now you’ll do it.”
His eyes flash. “Follow the bred crumbs before the birds eat them, my dears. Follow them for your lives. Figure out the riddle, or die when the sun sets!” And with a wave of his hands, the world spins out of control.
When next the four are able to speak, blink, or even think, they find that the old man, the market, indeed the entire town of Freiburg is gone—or they are. Instead they are in a forest—a forest of lovely, enchanting, and utterly feral beauty, with the sounds of nature around them and not a civilized soul in sight.
They are in a grove, a pleasant little brook trickling by, adding a tinkling music to the charms of mother nature. With a careful look around, there is sure enough a small line of bread crumbs leading deeper into the woods.
“Hellfire and damnation,” Thomas mutters sourly.
(Conditions)
Arnaud – Normal
Joseph – Normal
Tawno – Normal
Thomas – Normal
Joseph – Normal
Tawno – Normal
Thomas – Normal
Rupert-
Rupert attempts to hide the apple from sight, slipping it out of their field of vision, hoping he’s fast enough—and subtle enough—to fool them. [Sleight of Hand check vs. Spots.] But either he is too slow or the guards too keen of eye, for they do not seem fooled as they tromp over—worse, when Rupert opens his mouth to speak, his words are slurred from the mouthful of apple he still has in his mouth, forgotten in the heat of the moment.
Truly, there is no salvaging this moment.
So young Rupert dashes off without warning, and the two men shout and plunge into the crowd after him. Rupert weaves and glides through the many people like an eel, while the much larger, much bulkier guards are reduced to shoving people out of the way, slower and clumsier in their armor, with their swords. Alas, Rupert knows that he can only flee for so long, and that more guards will certainly be coming to answer the call. [Hide check. Spots checks.] Slipping aside into the crowd and bolting sharply out of the way, Rupert pretends to be an idle bystander, a person inconspicuous and nondescript. He holds his breath, but the guards look around frantically for him without recognition, and continue on, assuming he is still up ahead.
For the moment, he has eluded capture, though how long can this remain so? There are many guards in the market today, and if they choose to comb the area for him, it will be difficult to escape. Getting scarce would be wise—but he has not yet found Joseph for Amalric, if such a thing even matters to the boy anymore.
(Condition)
Rupert – Normal
Elric, Amalric (through Isabeau)-
[Alright, Yakumo – last chance. There will be a repost and some new stuff. First, the repost.]
Deciding to ward off his boredom by giving into the serving girl and striking up conversation, Elric invites her to sit for a spell, with a drink in hand. She complies with a brilliant smile—though she attempts to conceal it behind a certain air of professionalism, giving a little curtsy and hurrying off to fetch the desired drink.
Soon enough she returns, sliding into a seat across from him. In her brief disappearance, it appears she’s tried to straight her slightly-mussed hair and straighten her clothes a bit, without a great deal of success. There’s only so much one can do. Asked her name, she responds, “Lisbet, m’lord. And… what do I want to do with my life?” she repeats his question curiously. Glancing to either side briefly, she leans forward to speak in confidence. “My folks say I should hope for a good, hard-working husband and healthy children, but to be honest, sir, the thought interests me not at all! I think, more than anything, I’d like to see the world. I hear so many travelers talk of it, and it sounds so exciting and interesting—much better than the life of a serving girl, no doubt.” She frowns prettily. “But I’m afraid that’s likely a silly dream, or so say the other girls.”
“What about you, sir? Are you doing what you dream of? I have to wonder at what has a young man sitting alone with nothing to do on such a day. Most would call you a layabout, but you don’t have the look of one.”
Elric contemplates his answer while Lisbet watches him carefully, her attention pleasant and unassuming. But as the captain finishes his response—or continues to think—the doors to the tavern abruptly slam open to reveal a small cadre of guardsmen with stern looks and weapons at the ready. One of them has a slip of parchment in his hand, and casts about until his attention falls on Elric.
He realizes immediately what is happening.
“There!” the lead guardsman shouts. “You right there, cur, you’re to come quietly. Don’t be foolish, now, we’ll use force if we have to.” The guardsmen fan out, roughly five of them in all.
No doubt searching for alternate exits, there is the kitchen off to one side, which might lead to another exit—and might not—and the window nearby, which is small, though perhaps he can slip through before the guards catch him. Isabeau, looking in, can clearly see the scene, though even the perceptive hawk had no idea the men were so near. They must have come from the other direction.
Lisbet gasps and draws back, looking back and forth between the guards and Elric. She is roughly in between them, though of course much closer to the captain.
(Conditions)
Elric – Normal
Isabeau – Normal
