Chapter 13: A Ghostly Glow

[Darren]

Kal nods at Condign. "I agree. Whatever the Merrow Down's fate, our getting there an hour sooner or later won't change it. We must, as they say, strike while the iron is hot." Kalarian casts a glance at the remaining Claw soldiers, shrugging his new cloak tighter over his shoulders. "Besides, it may be that that half of the group remained behind to ambush us...."

Unless there is further disagreement, Kal motions for Shorak to lead them north, following the path of the discarded sword and cloak.

[Brian]

Condign frowns at Belarin. "Who are 'they'?" he whispers. "And why to they say silly things about irons and fire?"

[Dave W.]

"I do understand about the urgency to find these specific Claws."

Adamant squats down near the cloak and does a quick examination. "When the two Emerald Claw soldiers entered the shop, they had angry words with some mercenaries coming out. This could be one of the mercenaries cloak."

"I suppose 'follow the sword' is as good a direction as any other."

---

Not sure it matters enough to roll, we don't know the mercenaries so it's not like it would provide a clue. But it does seem like the natural thing to do.

Go North!

[Jeff]

Gotta let Shorak decide, since most of these observations were his (and if he shares them with the group, that's fine).

[Dave B.]

Shorak, nods in agreement. "Strategically, north would make more sense. They wouldn't want to bring the artifact closer to the Claws. We'll have to move quickly. It's going to be hard to track them in this weather. This way." Shorak moves past the sword and heads north, staying alert for any sign of the mercenaries or the Emerald Claws.

[Ken]

May 20, 2016 10:32:59 GMT -4 Brian said:

Condign frowns at Belarin. "Who are 'they'?" he whispers. "And why to they say silly things about irons and fire?"

"Pixies," says Belarin with utter seriousness. "I've learned that most of the ridiculous idioms we hear were created as fey pranks. Every time a person on Eberron says something inane like 'pay through the nose,' a pixie earns her wings."


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Sorry for the delay in posting this week. VERY busy at the day job.

[Joe]

"North it is then," Streko says. "Not too quickly though. It's hard enough to keep up with you giants while you run about."

He will follow behind Kal.

[Brian]

"Pixies," Condign mutters as he follows behind Shorak. "Why am I not surprised."

[Jeff]

Leading the party north, Shorak follows instincts more than physical signs because the rain continues to hamper traditional tracking methods. After winding around a couple of corners in the Marketplace district, he spots a man on the ground near one side of thew street and some blood being washed away in the puddle-filled street. From the colors of cloak andarmor, it looks like one of the mercenaries. Already two rag-covered figures crouch over the body, looting it.

But on the edge of Shorak's vision, you can see figures rushing away around a bend in the street, and all of you can hear some distant shouts and ringing weapons. Just beyond that bend, Shorak knows, is the vast open plaza where Lorsmarch Palace sits. At the calmest of times, the Stormreach Guard are very present in that plaze. This is not the calmest of times. There could be even more.

For a moment, everything is brightly lit as a tremendous bolt of lightning snakes across the sky, and it is immediately followed by a deafeaning boom.

[Dave B.]

Shorak slows as he approaches the last bend that will take them into the plaza. "Okay, we need to act casual here. Stormreach guards will most likely be involved now. Which means we let them deal with any altercations." He says, pointedly looking towards Rinti and Kal. "If the Emerald Claw gets hold of the artifact, we can follow."

Shorak turns his attention back to the plaza as they enter it. He slows again to look around, looking like someone trying to get his bearings in a storm. But, he is quickly assessing the area and noting anything of importance.

[Darren]

Kal looks innocent. "I agree. A run in with the law is not what we need now."

[Dave W.]

May 21, 2016 17:11:07 GMT -4 Darren said:

Kal looks innocent. "I agree. A run in with the law is not what we need now."

"The Law? Oh, you mean the Watch. My experiences with Watches in general would not lead me to that word. I'm hard pressed to imagine needing a run in with them."

[Jeff]

The rain is falling lighter than previously, but has hardly stopped. As you step into the plaze, you can see various groups gathered apart from one another. Around the heavy stone base of the palace itself is a steady line of the Stormreach Watch, each of them looking angry and annoyed. Shorak has rarely seen so many in one place. A more staggered line of the Iron Watch—the elite warforged force the Coin Lords call on when needed—surrounds them. Right now you see, closer to the center of the plaza (which is a couple hundred feet wide), one of the Iron Watch commanders speaking with a single Emerald Claw knight and what appears to be one from that mercenary group. A second mercenary lies on the ground, clearly wounded but alive. The Emerald Claw knight is holding a blood-slicked sword out, but it's lowered and he stands deferentially.

There is argument going on among them, but no sign of the rest of the mercenaries or the other knights. Nor that giant stone gear. A great deal of the Watch's scrutiny lies upon them.

There are more lamppost and magelights in this plaza than anywhere else, making visibility surprisingly good. But only because the rain is light right now.

[Darren]

Kal steps up behind Shorak and lightly places a hand on his arm. "Let's go. We don't want to get involved in this. If the Claw got that wheel, so be it. Either way, we need to go back the way we came and attend to our own business."

[Ken]

"Go ahead," says Belarin to Kal, Shorak, and the others. "I'd like to see if I can hear what's going on. It'll just take a minute. I'll catch up with you."

[Brian]

"I am coming with you," Condign tells Belarin. "Or at the least, I will wait here for you, if you believe that will draw less attention." He turns to the others. "Make for the temple. We will follow shortly. I believe I have my bearings back and can find it."

[Dave W.]

"Or perhaps Lord Streko could offer healing services to the injured? He would be in the middle of things and bound to hear something. Streko, my friend? I would go with you if you wish... your assistant as it were."

[Jeff]

Going to wait for Dave B. to post before I do anything else, since Shorak is the one who led you here. Just to be clear, though: Are you guys suggesting splitting the party? Not going to deter you, just making sure that's the intent here.

[Darren]

Kal shakes his head. "I don't like this. At all." Kal frowns. "Go ahead, Belarin. Condign, stay here where you can see him. The rest of us will go a block back the way we came and wait for you." Kal holds up a finger to Belarin. "You have 10 minutes, Belarin. Do NOT engage anyone out there. Do not create a scene. Call NO attention to yourself. Do you understand me?" Kal waits a moment to make sure the other man has heard him. "Okay, go. If you're not with us in 10 minutes, we're coming back."

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That's the plan, unless anyone objects.

[Ken]

"Don't draw attention to myself -- understood," says Belarin. "Salient advice from the man who shows off his dragonmark at every opportunity. Ten minutes, no more. All right, Condign, let's take an innocent stroll and stare at the shocking events."

[Brian]

Condign cocks an eyebrow at Belarin, then turns and shrugs at Kal. "Ten minutes."

After raising the hood on his cloak, hoping to hide his devilishly handsome (though easily recognizable) features, Condign strolls casually after Belarin.

[Ken]

With Condign a couple of steps behind, Belarin casually strolls up to one of the scattered groups of spectators. He picks out someone he deems might be a merchant and says quietly, "What happened here, friend? Any wagers on the Iron Watch taking his head off?"

[Jeff]

The group Belarin has chosen seem to be the ones with the least stock in what's going—and therefore the looser-lipped ones. It's not clear if any of them are really merchants, but they do seem to be at least a disparate group of Marketplace shoppers willing to brave the weather for a good deal. They're not all together, but gossip has made them seem like it as they've drawn up together to watch what's going on. Every one of them has a hood, some doing a poor a job at keeping them dry.

Belarin sees the most talkative of the bunch is a middle-aged shifter woman. With a thick cloak and a fur-lined hood drawn up, she looks like she's been a fixture in Stormreach for a long time and has lots of opinions about it. She looks as middle class as a decent merchant might be.

May 23, 2016 15:06:04 GMT -4 Ken said:

"What happened here, friend? Any wagers on the Iron Watch taking his head off?"

The shifter chuckles, a snaggly canine tooth poking through her lips. "No wagers, but I'm thinking they might. They're an angry lot, for a bunch of 'forged."

"Not the Claw, though," one of the the group pipes up.

"Aye, maybe not. The Watch don't like to rile up the Claws. 'Course, they'e easily riled to begin with. Especially now." She pokes a finger at the palace that looms high overhead at the center of the plaza. "Whatever happened the other night in there really stuck something up their arses. Everyone's running 'round asking questions. Them's that know nothing are left along. Them's that do know something are getting attacked."

The shifter then notices Condign for the first time, standing behind Belarin. Her looks turns a little suspicious. "You two look like you know something. What've you heard?!?"

"Yeah, let's hear it," someone in the back of the group calls out.

Meanwhile, back where the rest of the party waits, Tangat's tail starts to swish. There is a twinge of something sharp in the air, something vaguely delicious. Tangat's nose is pointed straight at a curious metal cart being pushed by a very overweight goblin along the perimeter of the plaza like he's making his way across it but doesn't dare pass through the middle where all the commotion is. A group of six goblins, smaller and none of them as portly, trail in his wake. Only one of them actually appears to be helping the big one. Whatever he sells is fragrant—and Tangat's telepathic request to Kal go "investigate" is becoming intense.

[Darren]

Kal taps Rinti on the shoulder, then points to the goblins. "What is it that they're selling?" he asks.

[Jeff]

"Not sure," the girl answers, sniffing the air herself now. "Something...hot?"

[Ken]

May 23, 2016 15:41:02 GMT -4 Jeff said:

The shifter then notices Condign for the first time, standing behind Belarin. Her looks turns a little suspicious. "You two look like you know something. What've you heard?!?"

"Yeah, let's hear it," someone in the back of the group calls out.

"The way I hear it," says Belarin conspiratorially, without missing a beat, "is that Claw soldiers attacked a ship yesterday, killed a few folk. But the Watch can't prove it, see? So they're just waiting for some Claw idiot to slip up and do something stupid. Maybe THIS one will..." He indicates the Claw soldier with a jerk of his chin, hoping to draw the group's attention back to the confrontation.

____________________________

Belarin's Charisma (Deception) check: 1d20 (20) + 8 = 28.

[Darren]

May 23, 2016 16:01:39 GMT -4 Jeff said:

"Not sure," the girl answers, sniffing the air herself now. "Something...hot?"

Kal sighs. "Alright, you two, let's go see what they've got."

With Tangat and Rinti in tow, Kal approaches the goblins. "What is it you've got here, my fine fellows?"

[Jeff]

"Aye, I heard something like that," the shifter says, nodding at Belarin's words even as she turns to look back at the Emerald Claw knight. "Sunk two ships, and a lot more than a few dead, s'what I'm hearing. Came down on 'em last night from above."

"I saw it, from my own window," says one of the others, a human male. "From an airship, black as a hag's heart. Spells and bolts raining down! Wasn't no Lyrandar craft, that's for damned sure."

The shifter shrugs. "Guess the Coin Lords didn't care, wasn't their boats. What'ya expect, right?"

Looking on, you can see the Emerald Claw knight turn away from the Iron Watch commander indignantly. The warforged steps forward, draws back a bare fist, and slams it into the knight's back. The knight crashes to the ground, and two more warforged come forward and haul him off his feet. They start to drag him back towards the palace. The two mercenaries are then engaged with a group of the Stormreach Guard.

The group Belarin and Condign are standing with let out sighs of disappointment. "Keeps his head, I guess. A shame. One less Karrn would've been nice."

A man steps out from the group. "Bitch," he swears and starts to storm away. "At least Karrns aren't bore-grunting beasts."

"Ooops," the shifter woman says with a laugh.

[Ken]

Belarin shares a dark look of concern with Condign. He whispers, "I think that's enough, yes?"

[Brian]

Condign nods grimly. "And I was so looking forward to a beheading." He turns and makes room. "After you, my lord."