Unraveling

SUMMARY: Rona and Ga'Elian help an Oruch process some bad news, and Rona vents about a confusing tangle of investigative leads. They are joined by Hetzakoatl, who shares a story about a secret smith and a sinister sword.

Yelrona is sitting at an outside table in front of the wayfarer with an unusually large, very unhappy looking Oruch. A large, apparently well-trained pig is leashed up nearby.

Whatever it is Yelrona just said, it has apparently angered the Oruch, who slams his fist against the table hard enough to spill half its contents.

Erithamiel comes along down the road that passes the pub. Ga'Elian is upon him and starts at the sudden crash of fist on table. He guides the griffon toward Rona & Company (TM), and says, "Good day, Rona. Your friend looks like he needs a drink to sooth his mood." He hops off and walks up. Erithamiel glances at the pig, then shrugs and looks at Yelrona.

Before Rona can respond, the Oruch turns around to glare angrily at the interruption... then subsides a bit, at the sight of Erithamiel. "I'm not her friend," he spits out. "I will never be friends with my son's killer."

Yelrona sighs. "Well. Ertoch here may not want a drink, but I could sure use one."

Ga'Elian says, "Ertoch?" He looks at the yrch. He asks Rona, "Well, that's awkward. How is it that you two come to be sitting across a table from each other then?"

"Well," Rona replies carefully, "it seemed the sort of news best delivered sitting down." Ertoch glares at her.

Ga'Elian rqises his eyebrow and says, "I guess that's fair. I assume the young oruch fought bravely and died honorably?" He looks at Ertoch.

Yelrona nods. "Very much so. He served an unworthy mistress, but not by choice, and he acquitted that service with honor and with valor." The oruch seems about to say something, then doesn't.

Rona reaches into a pocket and pulls out a steel bracer with a stylized mountain engraved on it. "He was wearing this... that's the mark of Stoneclimber Clan, yes? It seemed like the sort of thing that ought to be returned."

The Oruch takes the bracer hesitantly, with the air of someone forced to acknowledge a truth they've been avoiding.

Ga'Elian simply nods. He watches Ertoch's expression as he handles the bracer.

GAME: Ga'Elian rolls SenseMot/Ioun: aliased to Sense Motive+2: (14)+5+2: 21

There's a long silence as Ertoch looks at the bracer, then at Rona. "This... mistress," he says darkly. "I would know her name."

"As would I," Rona responds, her expression grim. "And I will... hers, and her compatriots. If any. But I don't know them today."

Ga'Elian says, "Well, I suppose that means that she was someone with whom you're not personally acquainted. Still, if you found yourself in combat with the youth, it sounds like you may have the start of a trail to lead you back to her."

Yelrona regards the Oruch carefully before replying, but he seems lost in contemplation of the bracer and his own thoughts. "Several starts," she agrees with Elian. "A wizard from the time of Kulthos, his ill lover, an ice-covered Wizard's Tower, magic-eating slime, oruch fighters charmed into destroying the Mythwood, corrupted treants, vampires, golems, teleporting rune circles, time travel... to be honest, I feel like I have nothing _but_ the starts of trails."

Ga'Elian looks confused. Says, "Okay... So, what leads you to believe that all these diverse things are related, to finding this mistress at least. That is, I was just thinking about tracing the son of this Ertoch. I mean from where the fight happened back to where her guards or soldiers are quartered. Unless she commands a large organization, I would expect her to quarter her guards near her own residence."

Hetzakoatl has arrived.

Yelrona shakes her head. "She doesn't have a residence that I know of, or guards in the ordinary sense. She relies on magic to charm people into doing her bidding... including her victims, I think, whom she... or maybe an accomplice, I'm not sure... turns into golems. As for why I think they're connected... well, _that_, my friend, is a VERY complicated story."

The Oruch snorts and stands up at this point, knocking his chair over. "Well. I'll let the two of you discuss the 'complicated story'... I've got family to inform. And to grieve." He walks away.

Then he comes back and unties the pig, which he leads away. It definitely ruins the dramatic exit.

The Sith labours along, leaning upon their staff, and breathing heavily. They painfully make their way towards the town, and stops to stare at Erithamiel. "Ah, birdycat.", they say, a rumble in their throat followed by a wet gurgling sound, and the white-scale coughs into the sleeve of their robes. Spotting Ga'Elian, the Sith begins working their way over.

Yelrona waves to the approaching Sith, inviting them to join her.

Ga'Elian sits where the orc had been and waves to Hetzakoatl. He says, "Well, I don't like to puzzle out things that are overly complicated. I prefer to fly or sing or swim, and I know that many people prefer to drink. Seeing as how we are at a public house, drinking seems the easiest." He beckons a server.

Yelrona nods. "A place for everything," she agrees, "and everything in its place."

The white-scaled Sith-makar eventually makes it to where they are seated, and they lean heavily upon their staff, their breathing laboured. "Hah. I have found you again.", they say, gesturing with a claw to Ga'Elian. "Did you catch the knight on horsseback? Haah. Solve the crime?"

Yelrona tilts her head to one side, intrigued. "Solve the crime?" she echoes. "This I have to hear."

The server arrives just after the sith'makar. He orders, "Hot tea, please. House blend... and whatever they're having, charge it to me." Once the others name their requests, he says, "Oh yes. Erakirak and I caught up to him in the Felwood. He became hostile, but didn't live to regret his crimes. I took his sword to the Daeusites."

Yelrona nods her thanks to Elian. "The same, then," she tells the server. "Erakirak... that's the ranger from Hayatiento Aerir, right? I keep hearing about him, but I've yet to meet him." She seems puzzled by the sword reference, but lets it go.

Hetzakoatl starts fumbling about, trying to reach the pack on their back. Eventually, they get it to drop to the ground, where they rifle through it. Out of the pack is pulled a book, with a small piece of paper acting as a bookmark. "Thiss is a log book. And a bill of matieralss for that blade. And a few otherss besides. That hovel? Secretly a high end smithy. Who knowss what else was made there?" The Sith offers the book to Ga'Elian.

Ga'Elian takes the book, and the bill of materials. Says, "Was it? I never took the chance to go down the passageway under that hearth that slid open." He looks over the documents and whistles. Says, "I knew it had a dreadful feeling, especially when I held it in my hand, but wow. Now I understand why." He reads, "Adamantine Greatsword bearing enchantments to make it Unholy, Keen, Wounding, and Celestial-Bane." He shudders. (The unholy enchantment would have imposed a negative level on any good-aligned wielder.)

This gets more and more interesting as the conversation continues, and Rona leans back, intrigued. "A secret smith and a sinister sword... this could be the next Crimson Pen adventure!"

The Sith eyes Yelrona for a moment. "Crimsson Pen adventure?", they wonder. "A... novel? Penny dreadful?" They show off way too much teeth in 'grinning', probably something they need to practice a bit more. A faint gurgling sound can be heard, and they turn to cough into their sleeve. "It doess sound like that, yess. But, all too real, I am afraid. As he can atest to." Hetzakoatl indicates Ga'Elian with the gesture of a claw. "You might find more cluess if you were to investigate the place."

Ga'Elian shrugs. "Quite possibly. As for the Crimson Pen, I thought the subject matter was more salacious, or at least innuendo and gossip. This Erakirak is a warden of mountain and sky."

Yelrona nods. "No, 'salacious' is quite right. Or perhaps outright pornographic. Though, from what Murder tells me... well. Anyway. I'll leave this particular investigation to the two of you... my dance card is rather full at the moment."

Hetzakoatl lets out a huff of breath, and rolls their shoulders. "I do not know how useful I could be in such an investigation at thiss point. It was pure happensstance that I was in the path of that creature. And had the presence of mind to invesstigate the hovel.", they say to Yelrona. To Ga'Elian, they nod. "You are not invesstigating any further?"

Ga'Elian shrugs and says, "Well, I don't think so. I'll turn these over to the Daeusite and let them investigate further if they want, but with the murder of the smith and the defeat of the knight, I rather conside the trail to have reached a dead end. I'm not that skilled at sifting through documents and interviewing witnesses."

Yelrona nods. "It's not unlike tracking, really," she observes to Eli as she finishes her tea. "Except completely different. Anyway," she adds, getting to her feet, "I should be getting going if I'm going to make evening services. A pleasure, and thanks for the tea!"

The white-scaled Sith offers a wave to the departing Yelrona, and then nods to Ga'Elian. "Ah, well, there may be more erm excitement, yess? Perhapss? Down the road?" They shrug and move to settle into the seat vacated by Yelrona.

Ga'Elian smiles, "Oh, just pay attention to rumors around Alexandria, notices at the Adventurers Guild, and generally keep alert, and I'm sure you'll have at least as much excitement as you'd want, or at least opportunities to employ your abilities."

Hetzakoatl hmms and leans across the table towards Ga'Elian. "I meant, there will be opportunitiess, possibly, that don't involve ssifting through documentss. But I supposse you are not interessted in following it further."

Ga'Elian looks confused. "Well, possibly. What are you thinking these opportunity could be? Actions by others relates to the knight?"

The White-scaled Sith shrugs their shoulders. "I do not know. But that blade can't have been the only one made under... questionable motivess. You seem quite capable, I thought maybe you would be continuing to look into the murder and the blade'ss creation. No matter though, I was ssimply curious."

Ga'Elian says, "Oh, as to that, I gather that the bloody corpse that the knight carried off /was/ the smith. Before Erakirak and I ended him, he boasted something to the effect that he's bleed us with the blade just like he did the poor idiot. It seems he never had any intention to honor any agreement to pay for the blade, and proved its 'wounding' ability upon the blade's creator instead. Newr as I can tell, he hauled the carcase off with him in order to get him raised to undeath so as to keep producing weapons without need for sleep or sustenance. However, to make that even plausible, the smith would have to be made into the sort of undead that would still benefit from the skills and abilities he had in life, and controlling so powerful an undead would require a most powerful necromancer. I am not acquainted with any such necromancer, but I would certainly oppose them if I were to encounter them."