The Forgotten Hostage
Log Info
- Title: The Forgotten Hostage
- Emitter: Solar Flare
- Characters: Delilah, Donna, Ashes, Elyanna, Merek
- Place: A16: Nobility District - Court Buildings
- Time: Monday, November 15, 2021, 9:16 PM
- Summary: Norrington leads the Valethor Gang and Merek into the Courthouse breakroom, where he finds two guards taking a break. He berates them for their laziness, assigns them to the wall, and throws a few insults about, then pretends to get down to business. Donna starts by telling him he needs to believe them. Ashes isn't about to let it go however, in very direct words she tells the man he's not in charge. He's incompetent and they're saving his rear and doing his job for him. The proof is plain, they wouldn't have been deputized otherwise. Norrington throws a few more insults, attempting to establish dominance as Elyanna acts as peacemaker. Ashes throws Norrington's insults back at him, criticizing his lack of professionalism and stating they don't need him but he needs them. He proves his worth, however, by adding a complication they missed. Alvin hasn't been rescued, despite Madame Vallia's assertion he would be taken care of. It's no excuse, but it is a book filled with twenty years worth of trivial details and finding the needles in that haystack is not an easy task. Especially with time constraints. Ash's observation that they have all the power and information they need, but not enough time, stands.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Appearing -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Donna 5'4" 106 Lb Human Female A black-haired human girl in black robes. Delilah 5'4" 106 Lb Human Female A golden haired human girl in white robes. Merek 5'10" 215 Lb Human Male A black-haired, dusky male with golden eyes. Ashes 5'11" 177 Lb Hobgoblin Female A somber arvec in grey clothes with a skull face Elyanna 5'11" 153 Lb Half-Orc Female A grim, Arvek-blooded woman in raven feathers. -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--= -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= NPCs of Note =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Knight Captain Norrington Human Male One of Alexandria's finest, and not very fine. -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--= -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= As the GM =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Delilah 5'4" 106 Lb Human Female A golden haired human girl in white robes. -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=
Once the hubbub outside the courthouse has died down, Magistrate Ironshield has departed with Poppy, and Delilah is on her way back to the high security part of the jail under significant guard.
Very significant guard.
Norrington, meanwhile, stalks his way back into the courthouse, with his naked greatsword still resting on his shoulder, and looking like a manticore that's gotten wise to the zookeepers being stingy with mealtimes. He doesn't talk as he walks, taking a turn here and there in the corridors, until he pushes through a doorway in the back areas.
Inside is a comfortably furnished room, with a central table and chairs, a wood-burning stove that's keeping everything nice and cozy, and a couple of guards who are talking about something up until about two seconds after Norrington walks in, at which point they both snap to attention and look furtively around the room for something useful to be doing.
"Get out," Norrington snaps at them. "And don't let me catch you jabbering in here when you're supposed to be on patrol again." The two guards rush for the door, but stop when Norrington blocks their path with his sword. "Also, you can forget your shifts for the rest of the week, sitting on your asses at the jailhouse and making sure nobody throws up in a cell. Delilah Valethor is headed back there now and I'll not have the city's highest profile prisoner in two years guarded by a couple of lackadaisical bumpkins like you two, so you'll be pulling the nightshifts on the wall. I'll let you two tell Swain and Jaklan that they've lucked out and get your shifts. On your way."
As the two guards scurry off, Norrington deposits his sword on the table and sits in the head seat. "Right," he declares, leaning back and gesturing towards the empty seats. "Let's have a talk."
In silence, Donna follows. There are a *lot* of words she could use for the Knight-Captain, but the reason for her silence is pretty clear by the determined look on her face; whatever recriminations she needs to hand out can wait until *after* the important task of capturing the true murderess and clearing her sister's name for good.
"Yeah," she says, in a voice that grinds like granite, plopping herself into a chair. "Let's talk. Startin' with, you gonna be able to accept we ain't lyin' for a few? Kinda necessary, that."
The ashen Arvec follows, contemplating these changes. As usual, she's a silent, looming shadow and keeps to the back when given the opportunity. She stares at the two guards who were caught out, relaxing.
Oddly Norrington's behaviour doesn't startle her too much. She's been in the Blar military, hobs like hierarchies, establishing dominance happens often. It's good, keeps people in their place.
Norrington, needs to know his.
"You conduct yourself like you're incompetent." Ashlee states bluntly, "We wouldn't have been deputized if you could do your job properly. You're here to help us capture Veren, alive, providing advice and resources."
"You're not in charge."
Elyanna carries herself much as she had in Court, upright and proud, keeping an ear out for any warning signs from the other vectors while her eyes hold with some intent upon the Captain.
The two guards are barely regarded during their dressing down, though she briefly revisits one such occasion she got an unjustifiable one of those...
And her ultimate coup in response, one that ultimately steered her on this new course in her life.
Somehow, such an enlightening, life altering moment may not arrive for Norrington before he encourages someone else's life altering turn to steamroll over him.
Ashes decides to establish their respective place in the matter, and she offers nothing in the way of chastisement. Ashlee has been carrying this for a long time, and it's probably best if she sets in in the right person's lap for a spell.
For her part, she approaches the door and moves to close it so they may, should circumstances permit, discuss things without overreaching ears.
That's what the intricate little chord she whistles is for, one she'd last used in Donna's room, the night she and Ashes tried and failed to be reassuring to the dark twin about then current events, and little suppurating whispers, chattering and garbled babble sounds from the door, enough perhaps to muddy the water if anyone deigns to listen at it's threshold to what's going on.
Norrington lifts an eyebrow at Ashes, but turns his gaze towards Donna first. "Let's proceed as though we all accept that everyone here is telling the truth," he states. "So. I will assume that Delilah is in fact innocent, if still a harlot, a lousy gambler, and an idiot as far as I am concerned. I trust you will be able to live with this change of opinion."
With that said, he turns his gaze to Ashes, and actually manages to bark out a laugh. "You've got stones on you, girl. I might actually like you. But don't get confused; Ironshield deputized you. A rank of deputy means *any* guard can tell you what to do. You are not in charge. I am." He steeples his fingers in front of him.
"Now. We can argue all night about who is in charge, or we can see about stopping this Veren before she kills anyone else. Sit down and tell me what you know, and then we can decide how to go about capturing her, so Donna's lovely sister can retain the use of her head."
"Big of you," Donna says, with as much scorn as is metaphysically possible to pack into three words, then looks over her shoulder. "Elyanna, can y'hand me that book?"
Turning back to Norrington, Donna leans back in her chair, crossing her arms. "In case your ears were stopped up by how right you were before, that book is a running diary of everything Veren's ever did an' doing. Unless she's remembered it now after *years* of forgettin' where it was, it'll probably show you exactly where she is, right now. Just flip to the last page."
"No."
Ashlee stares at Norrington. He might not appreciate this. She stared in silence through her childhood, at Nan Mochtrath, until the old witch's life ended when she scuttled her plans. She stared at her military commanders, in their pointless battles, and remembered their behaviour when it was time for healing in the thick of things. She has stared a vampire to death, other beings, including an Illithid on the verge of becoming a Lich. Her monotone words have been the last thing many living have heard, before the grey lady embraced them.
Overall, she is nicer to the dead than the living.
"Your attitude is unproductive. You insult me, and Donna. You are a load-stone. You missed an obvious detail, the self-writing book, right in front of you." All of this is stated without emotion, or even inflection. She hammers the sentences out like facts.
She remains at military attention, eyes straight ahead and on Norrington, like the barrels of a gun. Her skull-face, all of her, is a living memento mori: Remember - you too are mortal. The man should feel this, unless he is as thick as the aforementioned stone. "You're distracting. Shut up and listen. If we want information several months out of date, we'll ask."
"Unless, you'd like to hear how the book documented your blunders and aid to Veren?" She gestures at the tome.
That sounds like the sort of conversation piece that ends with Donna trying to get to Norrington's right ear by way of the left temple, and the red woman turns on her heel at that....
If only to keep the free Valenthor from ending up with loose teeth stuck in her fist.
She glides toward the loose knot of people and begins to speak, "I doubt any guard in this city can give an order that outweighs the standing order of a Magistrate. You are correct, in that circling each other over the matter merely burns daylight." as she looks to Norrington, then, Donna, as, unexpectedly, she let the slight pass without rebuke.
A nod, then, and she replies with a cordial, "Of course, here." and produces the ensorcelled tome.
Steely eyes swing again to the man and she explains, "This book proved to us you were a dupe rather than a partner. The green ribbon marks a page from when you met the assassin in her true guise, as an additional point of interest."
Norrington sighs, and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Donna, I take it back. Your sister is a phenomenal gambler. The fact that she has this one," he points towards Ashes, "As one of her principle allies and is somehow still alive, proves that she is far luckier than than I had given her credit for."
The Knight Captain turns his gaze back to Ashes, "I did not miss the book," he explains patiently, "However, I haven't had time to read it, either. I'd hoped you, since you *have* read it, might be willing to summarize the important parts for me. If you'd care to grow up and sit down, perhaps you could do that. Or I could just listen to Donna and Elyanna, who seem to understand the urgency of the matter. You don't have to like me, Cariadh, but even Donna here is doing a better job of working with me than you are, and I tried very hard to chop her sister's head off not too long ago. What's your excuse?" He sighs weightily, "If you think your insults matter to me, I'm a guard. Everyone insults me. Most of them with greater imagination."
As the book is provided, Norrington puts his hand on it to pull it across the table, until he can pick it up and thumb it open to the page with the green ribbon. He reads, perks an eyebrow, and then flips to a different page, with a different bookmark. Then to another, and then to a random page, which he spends several minutes reading from that point.
"We are preparing to go and not only fight an experienced illusionist, trained by a lich with aspirations to lichdom, but to also take her *alive*. So, perhaps you'd like to enlighten me as to what you can do to contribute to that." He snaps the book shut, "Being as how I have absolutely no idea what any of you are good for besides causing trouble."
"When we was fightin' the shade of the bitch who trainer her," Donna notes, "Ashes was near the only reason we didn't *die.* She got magic tricks for days, an' Elyanna's great for support. Me... well, I'm best at gettin' into a caster's face an' makin' em think twice about throwin' spells, which is a great job *when you can get it.* You want her alive, we ain't gonna need to worry about bein' in your way on that with us."
Tipping her head back, she reaches back to pat Ashes' shoulder. "Hey. It's gonna be okay. We just gotta job to do first."
"You're a guard. Your professional conduct should matter to you." She's told him off twice and he still continues with the insults. "Child. Sit. Grow up." She points at him. A single finger with skeletal bones. Figure out where the insults are coming from, man. It's not that hard.
Hoewver, It's clear he's not going to get a clue until a khopesh or a spell hammers it into him.
"I'm a witch." Ashlee says, as if that explains it. Which it does. "I have curses. Spells that damage, affect the mind, control an area, disrupt casting, prevent escape."
"Some work better than others." Her shoulder is very tense under Donna's touch, Norrington is getting the full weight of her disgust at the Alexandrian 'law & order'. "Order of casting can matter. Donna and Elyanna being in front was vital."
Which, raises an interesting question, "What are your skills? Can you trip, disarm, grapple someone? That's useful."
"Not now." Elyanna interjects, maybe as a peacekeeping gesture, "I have minor magic to bolster allies or briefly disable enemies, am a competant warrior, and know how to sway people to doing things my way, to some extent."
Her fingertip traces along the edge of the page, then, "I speak several languages more comfortably than this one, and few of the dark indulgences shock me, anymore."
Norrington takes it in, and settles back, steepling his fingers once more. "A witch, and a warrior who knows a few magics," he replies, before glancing at Donna, "And an effective brawler, as well. Yes, I'm sure you were waiting for me to insult you," he adds, "But you have proven your worth in a fight more than once, from what I have heard, even before this... series of events. Credit where it is due."
The Knight Captain gestures towards his sword, "I don't carry that for show. I have made it my business to be very skilled in its use, and I fight with a strong offense and heavy armor. Believe me, when people know you by the reputation of how well you fight, it helps people decide to come peacefully." he shrugs, "This, I think, will not be one of those times. If you," he nods towards Ashes and Elyanna, "need peace and quiet to cast your spells, stand behind Donna or I and we will create it for you as best we are able."
Norrington picks up the book once more, and flips it open, thumbing first to the back, and then to a page a few chapters previous. "I've been wondering," he murmurs, "When you were going to mention the child hostage. I would've thought that was important."
Merek stands around, he doesn't add a lot for a while, seeming to be in his thoughts. The conversation seems to be ever-changing while he takes the time to consider his words. "I don't think we have a luxury to debate it all, we should get right to why we are here, in any case. I think with the book I would be able to scry though I will admit that it's probably a defense she has considered. All the same. We should do what we can to protect the people from that woman."
"Depends what you mean," Donna says, tilting her head. "Did th' Lady have her kid? Or you're talkin about Poppy, which case she ain't a hostage. She got given a second chance at havin' a childhood, an' we aim to give it to her when this is done. Right now, she's a witness. She saw damn near *everything* those two monsters did."
"Alvin? From the trial?" Ashlee says, looking at the book. "How? Wasn't he returned?" The relevance of testimony and coercion, months ago, is faint for her. Unless, "Did she take a new one? In response to what?"
There's a lot of book. The Mourner has been concentrating on Veren's typical daily spell load-out and pondering spells to counter that. Not that she wishes to share this detail with Norrington, he'd consider it an excuse.
"Last time, Merek scryed the hostage. He can teleport. Twice." The ashen Arvec says, "It might work this time."
The Keeper remarks steadily, "Other invested parties assured us they would deal with that angle." as she straightens, "To let us focus on saving our friend."
As her arms fold across her midriff beneath her cloak, she affords a shrug, then, "I was not given the impression it would have swayed anyone with a... direct hand in prosecuting the case, even if we had."
She looks toward Donna, speculating, "Alvin." to clarify the point as she understands it.
"Lady Eveyln has not given birth to her child yet, so far as I am aware," Norrington replies, "Not that I am privy to the childbearing endeavours of nobles anyway. But, yes, I am referring to Alvin." The Knight Captain flips through a few pages, "Apparently the 'deal' made with Ella was that Veren would return the boy after Delilah was laid to rest, and not before. As Delilah remains un-beheaded, the boy remains Veren's prisoner."
The Knight Captain shifts in his seat, and taps his lips. "I will have someone sent to the... Black Diamond, was it? To check on Ella. She cannot be withstanding this well. However, this complicates matters considerably, we cannot just... teleport and attack. It is too dangerous for him. We need a more subtle, less... violent approach, at least initially.
Merek thinks about it for a moment, then he nods to everyone, "I can probably try that, though we'll wait, we need to really finish the planning. The Black Diamond, that looks to be handled. Alright, what next would be important for all of us to do?" he asks, "We need to keep everything in mind."
"Sssshit," Donna breathes, rubbing her hands over her face. "We barely had much chance to rest, I can't believe I forgot the *kid!*"
"So okay, okay," she sighs, looking down at her hands. Kid's a hostage. Priority's to get him *out* of danger before the hammer drops." Pausing, she looks up and back at Ash. "...Hey any chance Chippen could put who's-ever got their knife to his throat to sleep? Veren gets drawn away, she's gonna want someone else to be there to carry through..."
"It's not handled Merek." Ashlee says, a tired note contaminating her usual monotone. "Vallia, Madame of the Black Diamond, said she'd rescue Alvin." She pauses.
"Before. We rescued Delilah. It was likely he would be killed when we did." She shrugs a little, "So I thought that happened."
The rescue or the death.
The Mourner nods at Donna, "He can. I can. He can cast for me. That limits my casting when he is."
It was a tense meeting. Vallia advised the Mourner and the Keeper that they didn't have time to deal with Alvin, to stay out of her way and she would stay out of theirs. Also, that scrying likely wouldn't work, and she had no personal objects of Alvin, although the Seer demonstrated later he could locate the child without them.
Although, that location wasn't helpful. Still, when they left it was with the impression Vallia was handling it.
It was something that ought to have come up. Everyone was going through the book looking for dirty little secrets and the like. Elyanna and Donna should have caught it. Relevant details, like Alvin still being leverage, would have been something.
The Mourner is resentful that Alvin wasn't relevant to Norrington until he could use him as criticism, especially when the guards weren't interested in him at all, and their best efforts to save him were derailed due to their time constraints.
Priorities.
It wouldn't be the first time a Madame led someone astray with promises and lies.
Ashes was searching through the book for other victims, looking at how Veren planned other assassinations, to determine if there were any commonalities in her method, a pattern to her plots. Also, her typical daily spell preparation.
It twenty years worth of details of a life. A book they were reading while riding, that was passed around.
A lot of stuff got missed, buried in daily details of how she hand-washed her socks.
They had to pick a focus. Norrington has rightly pointed out something they missed. He's also doubled their mission scope in less than ten minutes.
The distraction accusation stands.
