** Part I: Fire and Ash **

[TristenC]

I guess I got a little carried away when he kidnapped and threatened my sister. The dhampir said flatly. How are you, Karlene? Any success with this lot?

[Chris1234]

Your prisoner grinned, 'Ah, a tough girl eh? heh he I like em with a bit o' fight in em heh heh' he said with a perverse laugh, then said 'we 'work' for he who must be freed'. It matters not that you do not know my true master, you will eventually. All will, when this world fades entirely and all existence is blotted out for eternity.' he chuckled in smug amusement. 'Go to every city, every hamlet and insignificant village in middle of nowhere, like this one. You'll find us in the shadows, and in the open markets. As long as there's sweet pussy and tits to be sold, there's a buyer. Beautiful girl like you easily fetch a few thousand gold by a nice rich house lord. You might say we're doing you a favor, actually. Your twat will be the pleasure place for a man of nobility, when typically a worthless bitch like yourself would be passed around by thieves and knife men in some dodgy nameless seaside tavern, hahahah'

Karlane shrugs, "But not by you," and cuts off his man-parts.

"Got nothing from that one, Kessa. You?" Karlane says, leaving the first slaver to bleed out. "Ahh hello Idrys. I have been missing you. Interestingly, when I seemed to be in trouble it was you that my tiny girl-brain called out to. So what have you been up to?"

[TristenC]

Killing assassins that have contracts out on the pair of us and meeting the man we were sent here to find. The would-be assassin didn't live long enough to tell me anything useful, not even where they had taken you. Good thing I was watching the stage at the time the switch was made, else I never would have known where to look. We have to come up with a code to prevent future impersonations.


Turning back to the subject of their quest, I can try to infiltrate the "Watchers" in Disguise and Spy on them in order to get to the documents. Given enough time I could get a good idea of their complex and hopefully get what we need undetected...

[Chris1234]

"Agreed. And interesting idea. I have some skill in Infiltration too," Karlene responds. Switching subjects so they could work out the code when alone, "Watchers, huh? What do you know about them?" She looks at Kessa too, in case she has relevant knowledge, meanwhile dredging her own mind for related scraps of information.

{OOC: Intelligence Gathering (18), Obscure Knowledge (16), Photographic Memory (18) may be helpful?}


Belatedly she adds, "Oh! And pardon my preoccupation - I do that, you know - are either of you damaged?"
If yes, the state-assassin tries to assess the extend of any injuries.

[TristenC]

Idrys nods in response to speaking about a code later. I don't know anything about them really. The assassin I killed didn't even touch me once, though he was far above my skill. I got lucky I guess. he shrugs uncomfortably, knowing how easily it could have gone the other way. There were a pair that attacked the crowd above, a dwarf and elf team that roughed me up pretty badly, but Narn hauled me out of the swamp. I owe him one, charmed or not. This is Ash, Narn's cousin and the man we were sent to find. Idrys gestures to the cleric beside him. They wiped his memory, though, so he doesn't have much info aside from where the watchers are hiding... He healed me up a few minutes ago.

[Chris1234]

Karane nods to Ash, "Thanks. Sorry about Charming your cousin. I'd been told that we might be walking into hostile territory. I've tried to make it up to him a bit, but this lot interrupted." She indicates the slaver. "Idrys, think we're going to get any more from these slavers? If not, zzt." She draws a finger across her throat.

[TristenC]

Idrys pulls out his new longsword with the invisible blade. Let's see if one wants to live more than the other. Idrys 'finds' the tip of his new sword by sliding it up to the first slaver and digging it into his leg. The first one to give us useful information gets to die without being tortured all night first. His tone is cold and emotionless as if he were asking for the time.

[Ooc: anything special he can tell about the new 'invisible' blade? Does it have unique stats or is it just a longsword aside from the blade being invisible?]

[spike]

Idrys pulls out his new longsword with the invisible blade. Let's see if one wants to live more than the other. Idrys 'finds' the tip of his new sword by sliding it up to the first slaver and digging it into his leg. The first one to give us useful information gets to die without being tortured all night first. His tone is cold and emotionless as if he were asking for the time.

[Ooc: anything special he can tell about the new 'invisible' blade? Does it have unique stats or is it just a longsword aside from the blade being invisible?]

Right when you arrive you see Karlene cut off her prisoners member, he slumps over dying slowly, laughing, then he turned to peer over to Karlene and said 'thank you, you honor me by destroying me, doing my masters dark will pleases me!'

The second prisoner, reeling in pain suddenly foamed at the mouth and died with a stupid grin.

Longsword: : you can see it when you grasp it. The handle has grooves for superior grip, the design is very aesthetically sophisticated and intricate, many small details such as the crossguards are a dragon and a lion squaring off with their tongues extended, a hilt with a protruding spike for skull bashing, some fanciful gems engraved into the blade. You note that it weighs less than your own longswords, about half the weight. He had a scabbard that seemed to be quite luxurious.

The assassin also wore a suit of black chimerae hide eclipse armor, inky black and non reflective, molded and fashioned to resemble the anatomy of the human body. The rib cage portion has a row of 4 dagger sheathes on left + right sides.The boots have dagger sheathes on the outer and inner portion, and the tips of the boots have hidden spring- blades in the toes that extend when you depress the toes (bladed boots). There is also a garrotte woven into the wrist bracers for easy strangulation.

The killer had a letter on his person:

'Enock, we have a simple task for one of your supreme skills. A pair of young whelps, Idrys Stormcrow and Karlene Blackcloud. Destroy them both for me, and receive a bonus of an additional ten percent on top of your usual fee. Divide and conquer. Make their deaths swift, none of your usual perverse methods of torment. Once the task is complete, ensure their remains are consumed by flame and the ashes scattered to the four winds. Ensure this is done precisely, some dhampir have been known to return even from what was thought to be total destruction..

-The Boss

[TristenC]

[Idrys would definitely go for the new armor as long as it still qualifies as 'leather' which I presume it does since the man wearing it was an assassin. What is the AC for Chimera hide leather?]

[spike]

4, the fit isn't snug you would have to have it worked upon by a leather worker to tailor it to your body. Until you do so it is AC 6 and loose on you.

Ash walks up to Karlene and takes her hand, kissing it gently, 'By Minerva's blessed bussom, such a rare beauty' he said with a wry devilish grin, plucking a rose out of nowhere and handing it to you. He answered before Karlene could wrack her pretty brain for answers: 'The 'Watchers' are a secretive organization, consisting entirely of seasoned adventurer's who fight to maintain the common weal, usually deposing and debunking evil kings, eliminating various rulers and installing their own, and other such works. They've approached me with offers before, but alas I'm a lover, a poet, an artiste. No more killings and murders for me, I've grown weary of being gentleman death for so long. He turned back to Karlene, grinning 'ah, I see now your reason, I had thought it was because you wished to seduce my cousin, he is a looker for a bog man, is he not? heh heh. I would have thought that young fool would have run of this place by now, the elder's apparently immortal, the ancient fart. Apparently he has knowledge the Lorians want to preserve before the rot takes him.'

Karlene: obscure knowledge: failed you can't recollect anything regarding the Watchers from written sources. However you do remember something along the lines of what Ash said (photographic memory, but little more).

Kessa says to Karlene: "Nothing that made much sense, just some useless babble'

[TristenC]

[Still better than what he's wearing . Would the dwarf be able to tailor it for him?]

[spike]

John says to you 'Go kill me a chimera, heh heh. You might be able to find some in city markets, expensive and rare. You'll need it to make future repairs. I'll make adjustments to it, should take me at least three hours. I'm not much for leather work, lad.'

Ash said 'Idrys, ware the Dwarf and Elf, they're both extremely dangerous individuals! You're fortunate to have even survived such an encounter and lived to tell the tail. I've had run in's with those two in the past, and the murderous mountain dwarf is a true killer. His demented elven companion is treacherous as well.'

[TristenC]

I would have avoided them if I could but when they start attacking other members of my party in the middle of panic they created there's little else I can do.

[spike]

Note: Delilah is still in the village square talking with the druid.

Ash nodded, 'best thing is avoiding unnecessary entanglements that yield no fruit' he said, then 'let's away from here, I can use a drink. I was asleep for two days and am famished. Your plan to infiltrate the Watcher's base is bold and audacious, but I wouldn't go at it without a considerable amount of detailed planning. They had traps designed to capture and detain intruders in the lower level, filled with guardians and runes of warding. There was a thief named Dagger who managed to escape from their prison once before, he dwells in Harby. Let us move ourselves from this place, come along'

The party exits the under-stage area and returns to the guest-hut. After a long day of activities, action, adventure and what have you:

Karlene: (vs. CON at 1/2: 19) you're exhausted
Idrys isn't sleepy
Delilah: completely up and energetic
John: working on Idrys's new armor

[Chris1234]

Karlene greets the others, "Hi guys! Weird day. Anyone damaged?"
(If yes, Karlene tries to fix them.

If not, she makes an effort to look for Narn to say, "Naran, I was kidnapped. I was honestly going to do the Beauty Context and the knife throwing thing and both for the reasons I mentioned before. However, is anyone hurt? I can probably help there a little bit, but it'll have to be fairly quick before I fall over."

(Karlene will freely use up to CLW x2 & Healer's Touch as Narn requested to try and help the townsfolk and also as unspoken compensation for having Charmed Narn.)
- {OOC: Yes, it's a 'Lawful' thing.}
After all of which, she gets ready for bed and hugs her friend Narn and also gives a hug to Idris, whispering to the latter, "Primary password is 'Black', reply is 'Sheep'. Backup password is 'Grey', reply is 'Seal'." In a louder voice Karlane adds, "Off to bed, I'm exhausted. Probably the chloroform. Might want to set watch in catch they try again. Night." She goes to bed.