** Part I: Fire and Ash **

[Chris1234]

"Thanks and only barely reacquainted," says Karlane, bending to but off her two fallen bandits' pouches.
"And you give us the 150GP each when exactly?" she adds whilst cleaing the gore off her mace on a fallen foe's clothing. "And where's d'we meet up. We'll want the cubs back."
Karlane tries her Healing skill on her cub, henceforth called 'Fury'.

"Hey Sybil! Nice spells! I do need more. Talk to you about that later, please," Karlane utters as she looks out of the tent to leave.
When it looks clear, or as clear as it's going to be, she come ,"Idrys, time to go," and they head off to try and get a forger.

[spike]

"Thanks and only barely reacquainted," says Karlane, bending to but off her two fallen bandits' pouches.
"And you give us the 150GP each when exactly?" she adds whilst cleaing the gore off her mace on a fallen foe's clothing. "And where's d'we meet up. We'll want the cubs back."
Karlane tries her Healing skill on her cub, henceforth called 'Fury'.

"Hey Sybil! Nice spells! I do need more. Talk to you about that later, please," Karlane utters as she looks out of the tent to leave.
When it looks clear, or as clear as it's going to be, she come ,"Idrys, time to go," and they head off to try and get a forger.

Spider: hands both of you a leather pouch, 'some sweet coin, try not to spend it all too fast. Guard it carefully in these parts men will bend over backwards to slay any with so much as five silver in their purses. I will meet with you after you have met with the farseer, for by that time the two of you will have become far more instrumental to the Watchers, as well as to yourselves"

Sybil smiled, and Bane returned the wolves.

Karlene mends the dire wolf (+4 hp) fully healing the wounded beast who begins licking her face affectionately. Sybil approaches and places a gentle hand on your shoulder and then on Fury, she intones words of arcane power "xiombarg nyurrag lustro noquar" when the dire wolfseyes briefly flashed with an eldritch azure blue light, so did Karlenes own eyes. The white dressed witch smiled and said 'I have made it your boon companion, it is your familiar now, you can see through its eyes and it through yours. It is your spirit companion now, and as such shalt obey your commands more than it might have beforehand. She does the same for Idrys as well, provided he has no protests.

Outside the black guard are heavily engaged with roaming gangs of skirmisher brigands. The bandits seem to fight farr dirtier and thus actually repelling the black guardsmen. In the commotion you both stealthfully gain the Harby jailhouse and find the master forge in his own cell. When you both look into the cell you hear his jailer say "looks like they gonna hang you good, you stupid old fool. Got anything good I can have before you go to the noose?""

The jailer is suddenly overcome by two bandits who have some sport of him, then the first one said "free the"m all, they might prove useful"

Then, two black clad soldiers appeared around a corner and approach. They have their hands raised in front of them in a gesture of peace and say "please, we mean you no harm. We have a proposition for you if you would hear us out, one which would benefit youraelves and us."

REACTION

[Chris1234]

{OOC: Edit 31/10 @ 22:00}

Holding her mace at the ready, Karlane half turns to the Black Guards, letting Idrys focus primarily of them, while she is prepared to watch for anything the might threaten him from behind.
Her instinct is to listen to the Black Guards but if they come too close then do them over.

[TristenC]

Idrys has no objection to the 'bonding' with his wolf pup.

As they near the cells he switches to his swords rather than bow. When the guards approach he says. Speak quickly then.

[spike]

The first guard stepped forward and says "you are Idrys, yes? This is my brother Yarack, you can call me Tranth. The wizard Karnak dispatched us to personally kill you and your sister, as if he were terrified of you both. We never seen him scared of anyone til now. We do not wish to kill you, instead we want to defect and join in whatever fun you two are up to. We are sick to death of warring. If you have us, we will show you where our commanding officer is hiding, who recently went awol. He has stolen a great deal of treasure we can all share if you help us defeat him, he is a great swordsman"

[Chris1234]

"What the Officer's name? Who's Idrys? And why do you that's him?" Karlane questions, paranoia to the fore, thinking ~How did this pair find us here? Are they a layered trap?~

======
{OOC1: Has Karlane heard of Yarack or Tranth? (Obscure Knowledge? Or maybe Photog.Memory?)}
{OOC2: Does Karlane think they're on the level? Is Intel Gathering relevant here? Or even a Wis check to detect lies or ulterior motive? Alertness give any bonus? }

[spike]

Yarack: "first lieutenant Kron Durauk Armour, you do not know him he hails from the Stormlands. And hes a blasted Dwarf to boot, the empire rescued him he used to be a drow slave, now he was just a lickspittle to Dezloz until recently he staged his own death. Together all four of us can take him, you two can have his treasure we simply want a certain item of no significance to either of you two."

Knowledge of black guard officers does not typically fall under purview of obscure knowledge, but you have heard of this Dwarf that the Watchers were seeking to recruit and steal away from the black imperium. He is strong and cunning, skilled in use of the claymore and a master craftsman.

sense motive: yes, they seem to be on the level.

Tranth says "so you must be the protector, thats what they refer to you as being, dhampir. And they call him the assassin (indicates Idrys).

[Chris1234]

"Well, Tranth, asking me to trust you it seems. So, who's 'they'? And what's the significance of those labels, 'protector' and 'assassin'? More how exactly did you find me? Is there a bid reg target on my pretty little butt?" interrogates Karlane.

[spike]

Tranth laughed at Karlene, 'Harby is a little place, and some rumors spread of a brother and sister pair of dhampirs romping about underground beneath town poking their noses where they did not belong. Hell girl I have little street orphans watching all the going ons in town for mere coppers worth of bread and cheese, and you think it so terribly hard?'

Suddenly Karlene can see through Fury's eyes and directly behind herself. Idrys can also see through his dire wolfs eyes and heightened sense of smell (tracking by scent 90%)

The two bandits inside the jailhouse relase all the prisoners when two prisoners quickly enter the forgers cell with crudely made shanks in hand, 'now we are gonna gut you like the filthy swine that you are for ratting on us, you old fart!"

second prisoner grabbed the old forger and held a shank at his neck and the second said 'lets cut off your fingers, eh? first tell us where you hid our gold!"

Nearby, a pair of black guardsmen set a stable ablaze with the horses still trapped inside. Their neighing shatters the serenity of the countryside.

[TristenC]

Why did the Dwarf defect? idrys asks the black guards calmly as he walks over and points the tip of his swords at the eyes of each of the shank-wielding bandits. I need him for something. he says to the bandits, regarding the forger.

[Ooc: if the bandits insist on attacking the forger he will kill them. If anyone attacks Karlene, he will kill them. Otherwise he is content to keep things civil...]

[spike]

The prisoners at first laughed when they thought Idrys was pointing an imaginary sword at them, til they felt the actual sword they were instantly cowed and dropped their shanks, "okay mister, no reason to get angry.' they fled, preferring the newly had freedom instead of death.

The brigands stopped and eyed you over for a second, "hells bells boy we aint after ya, boss wants other things. Have your fun, what use is a old forger to us?:"

Yarick answers Idrys: "Kron is a arcane smith, he isnt cheap. He was tired of crafting master level brands for the imperials for less than his hands are worth. The empire cut off his hands, but the priests of Wrath restored them for him if he vowed never to serve the empire again. He agreed. Its said that his hands are not only restored but they regenerate, like a troll might, even from fire! or acid'

[TristenC]

[ooc: I misread part of that, he would only threaten those preparing to attack the forger. I read too quickly, he would not have threatened the bandits if they weren't going for the old man]

[spike]

In that case the pair of outlaws grinned at you and strode up saying "hey, we admire your style, real steely sonofabitch! If you looking for decent coin, boss needs good shadow men. His last one got caught by bountyhunters and got the chopping block, but he was too stupid, and sick in the noggin"

Tranth says to Karlene: "You would know more than I, we are simple soldiers not a learned erudite such as yourself, priestess. Yet we defer to your power, is not Lor your patron deity? You ask queries of us as though we were higher ups in your own order, madam! Ah, a Lorian trick of the mind eh? Heh heh would I had a penchant for puzzles and trickery!"

[Chris1234]

{OOC: Edited 1 Nov; 23:20}

Karlane thinks, ~Too much going on too quickly.~
She says, "Tranth, OK interested..Give me a minute and keep the corridor clear, if you please."
Pointing with her mace at the forger, the half-breed continues in a louder voice, "Just saved your hands and your arse. If you want to keep them, you're with me, now. Move it!"
She glances and the Black Guards and then the outlaws.
Mace-pointing at the outlaws, she says loudly, "Give him," indicating Idrys, "Your name, a contact name and place your boss and we may indeed take you up on that. Then get out!"

Karlane smiles grimly at the forger, "Do as I tell you and we'll get out of here. Understand?"
She turns her attention back to the Black Guards, "Right, 30 seconds and we're on the move. You will help us get clear and you will then disappear. When we're on the move, Tranth, you quietly give him..," with a flick at Idrys, "..a contact place to find you. It's not this fellow's business."

"Out of here, you and Tranth leading, on a 10 count," she primes Idrys, adding slightly more kindly to the forger, "Stay close to me."
"Yarick with me. Ready in 5."

On slow count of 5, she says simply, "Moving!" And expects it all to work.

.

[spike]

{OOC: Guys, I've been at work and can't post there. (Its got military controls although I'm in Civil.) 5 posts in that time. As dialogue, just containable. But any more and it starts being unworkable. Player just loses contact with the story and becomes dissociated. Default rule requested was 3 days or until all players have posted if less. My posting is 7/day overall on this site, Trsiten's is higher; so we're not tardy. Not complaining, just saying. Off to see Dr Strange. Will post in about 2.3-3h, please dont move this on til I'm back.}

Note that the going ons within the jailhouse transpiress simutaneously as Karlene is dialoguing with the two black guards, just an fyi. I will pause it here and move forward to you both have time to react properly.