Sigil

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Guard 1

Location: I12 -> J12

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He was ordered to "pincushion" the woman on the ground in front of him, and damnit, he was going to. There was a momentary distraction as Constable Cavendish came practically tumbling back out of the building in obvious distress, but he'd be plucked like a supper chicken if the man's last order was ignored. The Guard raised his spear in a two-handed grip and prepared to bring it down. He didn't foresee being blindsided by magic.

The searing pain of that accursed devil-spawn's attack very near put Mr. Guard to a knee. He certainly wasn't expecting to be physically hurt by these outsiders. But if one was going to, it was going to be with magic. Unlike the storybooks, spellcasting types didn't walk around wearing robes and scholarly hats all the time, he was finding out. No matter, he had orders from a man that he did not want to cross, and a fresh sear of pain to vent. He glared at Kosara, letting his mask slip a little, but brought the weapon to bear on Kathryn. Some of it was out of spite.

The spearhead slams down upon the prone form of Kathryn, unable to penetrate the thick armor at first. Again it comes down, this time widening a gap and finding the softer flesh beneath. The Guard sneers maliciously, but not at his target. His eyes found the Tiefling who hurt him instead.

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Guard 2

Location: J11 -> K12

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The other Guard in Cavendish's entourage heard the order given as well, and readied himself to move on it with expedient precision. He too had noticed the effect upon the Constable and now something more blatantly painful happen to his fellow Guard, and stuck to his orders like a professional. But in this instance, they had overriding orders in the event of certain circumstances coming into the skirmish. He glanced up in the same direction that Cavendish had twice or three times earlier, to the upper windows of the building across the street, placed a hand to the side of his mouth, and yelled, "MAGIC!" as if to signal something to come.

The Guard promptly set to likewise "pincushion" the downed Kathryn. He advanced menacingly, slamming his spearhead down in something close to frenzy, multiple times to find an opening in the armor and inflict as much damage as possible, like a message needing to be punctuated in hot, arterial red. Unfortunately for his side, he couldn't find a solitary point of penetration, leaving a series of spots that would yield nothing but roundish bruises if left to their own devices.

@Remipa Awesome Kathryn has taken 9 points of piercing damage.

@Arty Fox TAG - you're it.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Victoria Belmont Half-Elf, Bard, Level 3 HP: 23 / 23 Armor Class: 15 Conditions: N/A Location: Silversmith's Shop, P17 Action: Casting Dissonant Whispers Bonus Action: Morty Reaction: N/A

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This was not a fight that they needed right now. They weren't ready. Ill-equipped, if what they suspected was correct, if even the Constable was involved. but none of that mattered in the face of what had become a direct attack. Victoria didn't have a lot on information on what was going on at first, but just as soon as the door came open, things became obvious. The Bard had just earlier opted to slide her violin off of her back, with the idea being to use it as a casting focus if the worst was coming to pass as her dagger, however utilitarian and useful it might be, was simply not the tool for this job.

Even braced for an inevitable fight, Victoria was startled when Cavendish readily got through the door. He hadn't quite entered yet when Victoria drew her bow over the strings of her preferred instrument. It was a single note held solidly for half of its span, growing ragged around its apex and fading into quiet discord. As the sound of the violin abated, it was replaced with a whispered chant from Victoria's lips, her melodic voice both beautiful and eerily unsettling. Simultaneously, Cavendish began to look around himself fearfully, trying desperately to cover his ears without dropping his hammer, regardless of the fact that stifling his hearing did nothing to help the whispers echoing inside of his head, bouncing about and doing harm to his psyche. He stumbled back down the short few steps in front of the door, grunting and hunched over in reaction to the unwelcome presence of what sounded like lost souls hissed promises of death and madness eternal within the confines of his mind.

More keenly aware of what was going on outside now, Victoria issued a mental command to Morty, still outside, altering his standing orders. To the observer on the street, nothing changed with the preternaturally still, burlap wrapped beast. The poor, dead bastard was merely waiting for its trigger before it would leap into action.

NOTE: Cavendish is now at L16.

@rivaan - Kosara is up next. Huzzah!

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Battle Map

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Cavendish

Location: J12 -> M15

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One might swear that a glint of red swelled in the edges of the Constable's eyes as his lips curled into a satisfied smile. He had to look up to lock eyes with Kathryn, the tall and powerful warrior who stood before him, though if her stature was a concern for him he showed nothing of it. No words, nor posturing were wasted at this time. She stood in his way. If he had his druthers on the matter, soon she would not.

With blinding speed that one wouldn't imagine from a man of his stature, Cavendish suddenly reversed his grip on his hammer and darted forward. The shaft of his hammer lay across his forearm, its well-crafted head providing just a little extra oomph when connection was made. Cavendish had only a couple of feet; nevertheless enough room to build up sufficient momentum to knock the woman prone. He casually stepped over Kathryn's fallen form and nonchalantly ordered to his guards behind him, "Pincushion that bitch and anyone else who tries to stop us."

The Constable strode to the front door of the Mr. Mallard's shop and gave the door a stout kick. The door, presently latched but not barred, shuddered and swung open. A look of surprised amusement came over his face. The women he had earlier referred to as "The Barmaid" and "The Pretty One" stood between him and the silversmith.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

@Dragoknighte@rivaan@Remipa Awesome@Sigil@Arty Fox

And we have our "Initiative Order:"

Cavendish (because of course the dice like him)
Victoria
Kosara
Guard 1
Guard 2
Baronfjord
Marita
Kathryn

This means that I will be taking the first two passes at this and will tag Rivaan at the end of my post(s). Please make sure you tag the next person in the rotation.

UPDATE: There will be a bit of a delay as I have called for an opposed roll. If you haven't gotten a DM in Discord about this, it's not about your character. Once the roll is resolved, I will begin the post.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Weather: Raining, though some lighter. The occasional roll of mild thunder still sounded without any particular malice, and the sky was still overcast to the point of obscuring the sun. It was still cool but not overly cold, though the damp air might have made one give a dissenting opinion. Overall, no change from a half hour prior.

Time: Still mid-afternoon.

Ambience: Inside of the building, a man who presented as crazy worked diligently over his small pot forge. Outside, a different man who presented as an antagonist approached Jacques's front door, and he brought allies. The rain remains and water continues to run down the streets and into drainage, making the cobblestone street navigable but somewhat slippery to the unwary. There's mischief afoot.

*****

Jacques Mallard, Silversmith

Jacques picked up his pace as best he could without sacrificing quality, though he maintained conversation as best he could. Marita seemed to have the questions, so she was the one that the silversmith addressed first. "Figured that magic was involved. I know a little more than the next man in this town about magic, least enough to recognize 'geas'. Can't say who or what's responsible - like I said, I'm aiming to wait out the worst and leave town when daybreak comes. Details can sort itself out when my family's safe." Another unrolling of braided silver wire, another application of heat, and another tapping of swirling patterns to the interior of the metal cuffs. "Near to done..." he murmured. Speaking a little louder, he continued the discussion. "Don't know what they want, except to turn people. They've been getting aggressive with it, if the disappearances indicate anything. But... the Harvest Moon? You haven't sussed that one out yet?"

He set down his work and stared directly at Marita, giving only a glance or two toward Victoria. "The Harvest Moon. One begins with autumn and marks the start of the main crops coming in, but in Avonshire we recognize another. It marks the end. Grain harvests are in, pork gets cured away for the cold months. Things are pickled and preserved. But none of that's important. Harvestide marks the last full moon of Autumn. That's tonight and it lasts for three nights. There are infected wererats in Avonshire (whether they know it or not) that are going get very active as soon as the moon rises, and I don't know how many there are. The festival is incidental."

With Victoria, he was a little more terse. The general feel of this less loquacious attitude was easily explained by his desire to finish up work which he had almost completed. "Five gold. That will do. Yes." Jacques spared a glance over to her sword on the counter, stating, "You got that sword north of here. Someplace with money. Nice blade. Um... I can do five weapons about this size before nightfall. Four hours, maybe five, I can give you all something decent. But my door doesn't open after dark tonight, and it won't until daybreak."

Finally, Jacques rose from his workstation and handed the wrist/ankle manacles over to Marita, as well as the accompanying chain which connected them. His demeanor looked better composed now, if still ragged around the edges. He then too up Victoria's sword and inspected it more closely. "Slender, but it will take a fine inlay. Yes. Bring whatever else you want silvered, soon as you can. Hmm... filigree? No... swirls maybe. Nevermind. Function over form, but I will make them look presentable, hmm." His stability appeared to slip momentarily.

Outside Silversmith

Cavendish continued undisturbed by the imposing manner and speech of Kathryn. With the exception of a quick glance up in either direction, his gaze remained focused in front of himself, to the door he wished to enter and the people putting themselves in his way. He shifted his hammer off to one side, preparing to swing as soon as he got within the appropriate of his target which might have been the door or its fleshier guardian, either way would have sufficed.

The Constable ignored Kosara completely, not giving more than a silent glance in her direction. He seemed to study Baronfjord but again, did not address the unfamiliar Dragonborn. To Kathryn, he scoffed, saying, "Well then, m'Lady... aren't you just extra fancy?" A sneer followed, which seemed to be the answer given by the two guards at his rear flanks. One of them went so far as to hiss out a scathing bit of laughter. Cavendish went on, unperturbed at this display, "Anyone who stands in front of me, or tries to stop me, isn't getting a trial. Hells, it won't matter what happens to you in a few hours anyway. So you do whatever feels right." An unsettling smile formed on the man's features. He strode forward, the guards now moving to flank him on either side. They hefted spears as if to receive a charge and moved forward with their leader.

Inside of the shop, Jacques's head turned toward the boarded up windows. He raced toward one and peered out through a tiny slit between the wooden slats. Fear rose in his voice as he stated aloud, "No, don't... don't let them take me! I'm as good as dead if.. Hurry!"

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

@Dragoknighte@rivaan@Remipa Awesome@Sigil@Arty Fox

This is a copy/paste with some alterations from our previous combat encounter. The same rules apply:

To be clear, we are NOT in Initiative order yet, and will not be until I post it here in the OOC. Continue to do your thing and speak among yourselves in the OOC Lounge in Discord. I will be doing checks behind the DM Screen (a restricted room in the Discord server) to determine various behind-the-scenes stuff that your characters are just not privy to as of yet. Please keep this in mind. When combat ensues, in the Location part of your header, fill in with the square you are currently occupying, an arrow ( -> ) and the square you are going to.

Example: P14 -> K18

When combat is entered into officially, the posting rules change. Roll your initiatives in the Discord OOC and tag me. I will roll for the baddies and we'll get ourselves an initiative order. The first person in that list has TWO DAYS to handle requests and post their actions. Actions are to be noted in the spaces provided in your header. When you are done with your actions, TAG THE NEXT PERSON IN THE INITIATIVE ORDER in your post. If it's an NPC, that means it's me.

I must admit that there is a flaw in my system here, as it relates to Reactions. All I can say is that we'll cross that bridge when it comes to it. If you can get in a Reaction and choose to, let me know. Until a better system is in place, we will work something out.

As posted in Discord, the initial locations of the Constable and his people are: J-11, J-12, and I-12, with Cavendish at the lead. All are facing toward the smith's door.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Victoria Belmont Half-Elf, Bard, Level 3 HP: 23 / 23 Armor Class: 15 Conditions: N/A Location: Silversmith's Shop Action: N/A Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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Though Victoria's mouth remained in a sociable, warm smile, her eyes widened with some combination of emotions a little less genteel. Her head turned to her companion in their endeavor, Marita, with this look of repressed emotion squarely fixed. Proper control over her features (an effort refined by years of showmanship and performance) asserted itself, but her eyes still entertained some sort of more-or-less good natured retribution brewing. Finally, a quiet head shake and hint of smile revealed itself which seemed to relate, "Well played."

Fine. Victoria had been "gotten". She was gracious enough to roll with it for the sake of their mission. "Fortuitous indeed, Lady of the Faith," started Victoria, the flourish common to her gestures somehow finding a spiritual sister in her voice, as if she was giving a tiny sample of her more public oratory works. "Robert's generosity and forethought to our needs bears remarkable fruit, of course." She smiled and reached into a pocket on the inside of her coat, producing the five gold coins she had taken from the table back at the Public House. Victoria stacked them neatly on the counter toward the center of the room, along with her sword belt which still contained her slim cut & thrust sword.

The idea of keeping it on her was the initial instinct being as they were confirmed to be in the middle of a hostile situation. This thought was shattered by the realization that, if the enemy was indeed a were-creature, her favorite pointy implement would be useless against them anyway. She had her magic, a long, reliable dagger, and she had her Morty. Morty couldn't do much against them either, though it would be amusing to the extreme to command the animated foodstuff to chomp down on a wererat leg and run for it. Or bar a door. Or act as a smoked, salt-cured tripping log. Merely buying time for the group's survival made this poor, dead beast a worthwhile investment. For a half-second, Victoria wondered what other accomplishments could be had when her abilities blossomed more fully. A grim smile followed and she put it out of her mind. There were more pressing matters at hand - namely keeping herself and her present party alive. And reasonably intact. "We've three more outside, Monsieur Mallard," she informed, hoping that the additional numbers wouldn't throw off the timing of his work.

Outside, regardless of whatever else was or was not occurring, Morty just stood there dumbly underneath the building's overhang, unmoving, like a sack of flour that lost its will to continue.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

@Sigil
Permission to edit header to reflect skills used?

@Sigil
Sure, go ahead.

@Sigil
Thanks! Done.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Victoria Belmont Half-Elf, Bard, Level 3 HP: 23 / 23 Armor Class: 15 Conditions: N/A Location: Silversmith's Shop Action: Arcana, Persuasion Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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Ever interested in learning new things and pieces of lore, crafty or otherwise, Victoria listened as she could and gave detailed attention to the technique presented by the silversmith as he made silver inlays into baser metal. She was not a metalworker in the slightest, though he did recall the time it took to put finishing touches on the slim cut & thrust sword generally wore when out and about in an adventuring sense. It was more utilitarian than most of her possessions, minimal of decoration and direct in its construction, its beauty came from decent craftsmanship of Ashhaven city smiths and a solid, swept guard. A practical weapon. Yet the minor embellishing of this item took significantly longer to achieve than the relatively lightning pace with which Mr. Mallard scored the metal of the cuffs and inserted braided silver wire. This had to be magic. And that piqued her interest even more.

Victoria glanced around the shop again, paying attention to the detail better presented in the brighter lamplight. This was a little odd in comparison to other jewelers' establishments, and not just for the lack of merchandise. There were sundries of ritual magic and some reagents that she recognized, and a suspicion that the book had some significance to an observer of arcane practices. Was this man acquainted with magic on a more formal level?

A clue to the answer of this question came in the form of Jacques himself admitting that his metal inscribing tool was a gift from his uncle. Maybe he wasn't a mage of some order or another, but simply close to someone who was. Whichever idea was accurate, both, neither, or some other eventuality, the fact was that this man was inlaying silver at a rate she had never even heard was possible. A spark of covetous pragmatism swept Victoria's face as she spoke with sweet, inquisitive notes, "Mr. Mallard, sir? I must admit that I am jealous of your ability to bend and craft precious metal. It is truly an art, and you appear masterful at your craft. Considering our suspicions, and what we have already learned from Robert, well... How long might it take you to grace, say for instance, a sword with your craftsmanship?" Her face remained positive even as her voice altered to the serious, following it up with, "And because of the emergency, what might I do to convince you? We are at a pivotal moment in time, Jacques. I saw with my own eyes a transformation happen right in the middle of the main thoroughfare. Giving us fighting chance would only help you. And others." Not to mention that, on a selfish level, a silver inlaid blade would be a beautiful and useful addition to her arsenal (and a great conversation opener for the telling of tales or influencing people of note). She smiled. It was flattering but noncommittal, in only the way a person of society might when they wanted something.

The silversmith paused his work very briefly to look to Victoria. He said nothing, sitting still at his workstation, though his eyes darted toward Marita, then to the door, then back to the Bard. Nodding, Mr. Mallard sighed a little and got back to his work, muttering, "I'm charging you all for raw materials."

Victoria's face beamed.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

@Dragoknighte@rivaan@Remipa Awesome@Sigil@Arty Fox

And things become extra thingy. But wait! There's more!

For the meantime, assume that there is a moderate amount of time to have conversation or perform an action prior to the appearance of our favorite NPC lawman. Also be mindful of where your characters are in relation to the silversmith's. It'll probably come up soon. Either way, stuff is happening so best of luck and may the dice-bot in be merciful. Per usual, any questions or roll requests can be sent to me in our Discord, and have yourselves a spiffy day.