TOTD Turn Three- Dark Missives
The day has come too soon for most and not quick enough for others. Chessintra was forced to rise early and be at Melee-Mingolith to receive orders for the days patrol. There she found that her group would be in charge of finding the murderer of the Archel noble, having departed she found her group waiting for her. A young female ran up to the group as they were departing, panting she called out, "Commander, I have a message for you." Handing over a glass scroll case, she vanished into the large building. Popping it open and sliding out the message, the commander unrolled it. Instantly a mouth appears and begins to speak in a flat voice that lends itself to neither sex well.
"Hail great commander! It is an honor to speak with you finally. I must admit I was disappointed in you at the Bazaar the other day. I went to so much trouble for you and you dont even bother to pay me any heed. Well this time you will, for the game is afoot my friend. How are you at riddles? Solve this one and you may just find where I will strike next."
"Has a mouth but does not speak, has a bed but never sleeps."
"Solve that and you may just have me. Fail and we add another body to the list." The message ends and the mouth vanishes.
As the message ends, Volgath ponders for but a moment on the riddle, the bladed fingers of her left Deathclaw twitching slightly as she rubs the fingers together in thought. The scarlet light of her left eye appears to glare for a moment as she considers the effrontery that the killer has showed, although she also has to admit to some admiration as the boldness of her actions. Concerned about the identity of the killer, especially as it seems she/he views this as some kind of game, Volgaths considerable determination hardens to bring the killers still beating heart to the Dark Shrine for retribution. Bringing her to justice would indeed be a fitting first action within her capacity as Deathmistress.
Her thoughts pause briefly as to the girl who delivered the message. Who knows, she may have been the killer herself, although in all probability she was paid for delivering the message.
Addressing the Patrol Commander, aware that Chessintra herself and many other of the Patrol may have reached similar conclusions, Volgath speaks to her. "Patrol Commander, with respect to yourself and the Yathrinshee, both yourself and others within the patrol may have already guessed at the nature of this riddle; my suggestions is that the location of the next murder is the mouth of the river which feeds into the Praag in Norsca. If this is your conclusion as well, we must request permission to investigate the area from the Ruling Council as none apart from those entrusted with the safety of Norsca are allowed to enter."
"It also concerns me that the killer feels he may attack at will despite the fact that the forest is patrolled by several elite troops and that the single path is guarded. If the killer plans another attack here, then this mystery seems to have evolved from a simple fracas at the Bazaar to something which may threaten the security of the entire City. For if the killer feels that it is a simple task to kill here, then it would also be a simple task for her to contaminate both the water and food supplies derived from Praag or the mushroom forests themselves." Finishing speaking, Volgath bows firstly to the priestess and then the Patrol Commander.
Chessintra smiles, quickly solving the riddle. "Okay, that gives us three targets, the River Praag, the Three Rivers Intersection and the Red River Plaza. We may need to divide this group up. I have a feeling that our killer will want to make this killing public and bloody, like the last one so Im more inclined to believe that it is one of the latter two. Does anyone have any spell ability for long distance communication?"
Once again Chessintra slips into orders mode. "Well ask the task-mistress for permission to enter the Praag and well see if we can get a few soldiers assigned too so that we can catch this threat. Carafnir, see if you can find out anything about that woman that bumped into us at the Illiyithii last night, I have a strange feeling about her. Assuming we need to split this group into three, the leaders will be myself, Olerathiel and Solomoriah. Do you two have any preference for which areas to take?"
Solomoriah nods as the riddle is solved by many in the patrol. He looks to the patrol leader, "While we know where this murderer plans to strike, we still need to determine his identity. Three houses have been in the Brach asking questions about our first victim...House Netmar, Mxell and Nashezbaernon. I think knowledge of the nobles of these Houses would be useful. If any found their way into the three target areas wed have a suspect."
The Yathrinshee bows respectfully to Chessintra, then looks scornfully at Solomoriah. "Did you not hear her? She thinks that someone she met last night may have done it." She turns back to Chessintra. "If you could give me a description of this woman, I can have someone find out more about her while we are protecting the areas." Then her eyebrows arch and she smiles wickedly. "Netmar, eh? They must be concerned. I would like to investigate the Praag if we should get information, commander. Netmar controls it, and perhaps they are fearing something. We could use this fear to our advantage, especially if Volgaths beliefs are correct and the killer plans to taint the water and food supplies of the city. Everyone knows that Fey Netmar would hate losing control of Norsca, and we could play on her fear of that, giving her the thought that perhaps one of her own patrolling there has changed loyalties. If we approach her in this manner, it should not be too difficult to gain her approval for our plan. What say you, commander?" the priestess asks, bowing respectfully. She then turns to Sethoroth. "By the way," she says, waving her hand back at the two cloaked figures behind her, "youll be interested in what I learned about my pets last night, when the two of us have a chance to speak." Thiel gives Volgath a sly smile. "You too."
Solomoriahs eyes narrow and his hands flex nervously. The fighter imagines Thiel and all of the depredations he would like to perform on her small but sensual form.
When the Yathrinshee finishes her rantings, Solomoriah stirs from his fantasy and replies, "I heard her. She ran into someone and has a strange feeling. Three Houses have made inquiries in the Brach...thats not a feeling...that is a fact."
Olerathiel smiles cruelly. "And if you had listened to her further, you would have heard her say that she does not know what House this strange woman belongs to. Ive found that intuition is often something to be trusted. It is my thinking that possibly this woman belongs to one of the Houses that you mentioned, that are doing these private investigations. How better to cover ones tracks than by throwing suspicion on someone else through a false investigation? I merely believe that our esteemed commander is correct that this bears looking into." She turns to Chessintra. "So, what do you say about my thoughts on investigating the Praag and Norsca?"
Volgath smiled at the drow priestess, the upturned lips of her scarred left face revealing sharp pointed fangs. Truly the woman was possessed of both a cunning and steely determination that would eventually serve her well as a future Matron Mother of her House. Although the station of Deathmistress precluded any political involvement, Vol nevertheless appreciated the cunning of the Yathrinshee. Going by the formal channels to request permission to investigate the area of Norsca could take time, and playing on the fears and trepidations of Matron Mother Fey of House Netmar would certainly speed-up the application process.
Why the Matron Mothers Shedra and Ollipec were concerned with the situation, Volgath did not know, but it suddenly seemed to her that there were more Houses concerned with the killing of the male from House Archel than there should have been. House Archel itself was strangely silent on the matter. As all three Houses were from SudAltor, Volgath suspected the possibility of a House attack of some sort- Matrons Ollipec and Fey were fierce rivals and the fact that Netmar was entrusted with the keep of Norsca was obviously a thorn in the side of House Mxell. Still, Volgath doubted that the priestesses of the 30th house would risk to wrath of the City to gain any slight advantage. Perhaps merely IMPLICATING that Netmar was incompetent to guard Norsca was a possibility. The 39th House, although growing in power, was only for a moment of a peripheral interest.
Turning to Thiel, Volgath bowed to the woman, "As is your wish Yathrinshee of Kiaransalee. Whenever it is convenient for you to speak, I will listen." Then turning to the Patrol Leader, "Whatever you decide to plan Commander, I am sure that we must acknowledge that our quarry will know we have guessed her riddle. As such, she will be prepared for us for I think she has chosen his target already; and it may be someone who WE would not be expecting to be within the vicinity. At present, there appears to be no motive apart from the fact she enjoys toying with us, so we cannot guess who that target will be. Suffice to say, it may well serve us well to see who else has made an application to enter Norsca in the near future. That may determine who her next victim may be. Of course, there is always the possibility that she has chosen one of US as her next victim. She knows we will be there trying to catch her and she has already taken a good look at all of us yesterday if indeed that robbed figure was she. Still, if this is the case, it will make this investigation more& interesting."
Chessintra half listens to what everyone is saying and half thinks to herself intently. After a moment she speaks, "Ive changed my mind, well concentrate on the Praag and ask the task-mistress to get todays bazaar patrol group to keep an eye on the other two areas."
She turns to Volgath smiling, "An excellent idea about finding out who else has gained access to the Praag. I suggest we check the list not only for possible suspects but also victims."
She addresses the whole group again. "I do not believe our quarry seeks to poison the water supply, she has already said she will kill but one person should we fail. It is also for this reason that I do not believe that one of us is the target, for if we were to fail her riddle and be in the wrong place, no one would die as she would not be near her target."
"Last night Carafnir and I attended an Illiyithii at House Netmar, there we literally bumped into a young woman who seemed to have some sort of interest in me, claiming that we would meet again. It seems our killer has chosen this patrol group as her hunters, so I have a feeling these two may be one in the same. Her presence at the Netmar party suggests to me that her target is at the Praag, she may have even gained access through favors at the party."
She then turns to Olerathiel. "Olerathiel, I believe you are right, in order to gain access to the Praag we should play on the concern of tainting the food and water supply even though the case may be otherwise."
She turns back to the group again. "Okay, I want to move on this quickly, this killer is already starting to annoy me. Carafnir, see if you can get any information on that woman, Solomoriah, chase any channels you may have about your concerns about the various nobles. Olerathiel, now is a good time to tell Volgath and I about your undead. Well then head up and get permission to enter the Praag then head down there... I want to be there no later then... an hour and a halfs time."
Chesir listens to the exchange between Solomoriah and Thiel, and the return of Evilyn does not escape his attention either. To Chesir, it looks as if the Yathrinshee and the Deathmistress are determined to force the soldiers of the group down to a position below that of equals. He finds the notion not only insulting, but foolishly wasteful of his and the other warriors talents. He consoles himself with the fact that Chessintra is in command, and she seems unlikely to make such a mistake. Chesir decides to wait for her orders before he tries to contribute any suggestions.
Olerathiel nods, satisfied for the moment. She waves her creations up before the group starts moving. She pulls back the hood of one, revealing its horns before covering it up. She then shows the hooks instead of hands that look as if they came from hook horrors, and then the clawed feet. She looks at her creations proudly, then to Chessintra. "They are very fast. They can attack three times while the normal person can only attack once. Their horns do a considerable amount of damage, which is doubled when they charge. Their hooks also do a considerable amount of damage each, and the damage from their feet is nothing to scoff at. As near as I can tell, the remains of a minotaur and a hook horror contributed, but I cannot tell what else. I ask permission to return to the Rothe caverns when the patrol is not busy so that we might create some more," she offers generously. "After all, these would be a great boon to the attack power of this patrol. Think of the notoriety we would get from it!" The priestess looks to see how everyone reacts to her words.
Listening to Thiels description of her creations, Sethoroth gives a bow of respect to the priestess. "Impressive mistress, most impressive."
Volgath appraises the work of the Yathrinshee, admiring the manufacture of the undead creatures. The work shows true talent and a degree of expertise superior to the other houses save that of KarthDron. Bowing to the Yathrinshee she speak to the woman, "These are indeed fine constructions Yathrinshee Thiel and show great creativity and art. As you know, the House of KarthDron has for many eons excellent in the creation of such chimeric undead. It is surprising but not unexpected that a Yathrinshee of Kiaransalee from another house shows this high standard of ability. And perhaps with this in mind, we could discuss a certain matter privately at a later time..."
"Of course," nods the priestess. "I would like to hear any thoughts you have on the matter. Someday I will create the most glorious of undead for Kiaransalee," mutters Thiel, her eyes gleaming in horrible pleasure as she imagines the carnage it would require.
Volgath listens to the Commanders words echoing through her mind, choosing her time to speak. "Commander, as you and the priestess have managed to solve this riddle rapidly, may I suggest that we possibly use this to our advantage. You are right to say that the killer cannot be CERTAIN that we have guessed the next location of her kill, nor WHEN we have guessed. The message said she was disappointed in our previous attempts to discover her identity. She may have mentally allocated greater time for us to guess, which is to our advantage. However, the fewer who know that the riddle has been solved, the less chance the killer has of being informed about our intentions. Also, there is the possibility that the killer can alter her image to appear as anything she wishes, including one of us - perhaps the female you met last night, the girl who gave you the message and the robed figure at the Bazzar are the same person?"
"Matron Fey of Netmar must be informed, for she must give permission for us to enter Norsca. However, perhaps we could also get her permission to disguise ourselves by wearing the garb of the patrol group that controls Norsca and the Praag. Although the wearing of another Houses insignia is illegal by the Laws of the City, wearing House or Patrol COLOURS is to my knowledge not. Disguised as the patrol, and taking the usual patrol routes, may give the killer a false sense of confidence; it would indicate that nothing is amiss and as yet we have informed none of our suspicions. Also, there would be 10 less who would know about the potential assassination as the usual guards would be told to be extra vigilant- the last thing wed want to do is to make the killer extra cautious by having jumpy guards around the area."
"The one unfortunate setback to this is that the Yathrinshee may have to divest herself from her undead- the patrol groups usually consist of only warriors; the following undead would be indeed be incongruous. This is a matter for the Yathrinshee to consider for herself."
Then turning to the rest of the patrol, her scarred face suddenly hardens. "Finally, a word to the warriors amongst you both female and male. I have heard your mutterings and murmurings regarding the Yathrinshee and myself. This must end. It should be ingrained within your very souls from birth both the edicts of Unholy Kiaransalee and the Laws of the Ruling Council. Remember them well. The station of warrior of the drow is indeed highly regarded by all including myself; our warriors serve Velddrinnsshar well and are integral to the security of the City. The warriors of the Noble Houses are the elite forces of the City. We are the strongest; we are the most courageous; we are the most deadly. Remember, I am one of YOU. We have yet to be truly tested in battle and only at that time will respect for our respective stations be earned."
"However, NEVER suffer the delusion that you are equal to ANY of the priestess of Unholy Kiaransalee. As a warrior or even necromancer, neither I nor you are. The priestesses of Kiaransalee and especially the Yathrinshee are the lifeblood of our people. Without them, our devotion to Kiaransalee would be impossible and our people would be NOTHING. The accusation of blasphemy carries the death penalty at the Dark Shrine, an action I will have no hesitation in carrying out as is my duty and the duty of you all. Any accusation of blasphemy brings shame on your Houses. Evilyn is lucky to be gracing the patrol group and not the Halls of Kiaransalee for retribution. That should serve as a lesson to us all." Finishing, Vol bows to both the Yathrinshee and the Patrol Commander.
As Vol finishes speaking to the rest of the patrol she waits for her moment to approach the Yathrinshee privately. Looking at the diminutive but deadly drow priestess, Vol speaks to her. "Yathrinshee, I have also pondered the possibility that the Secret Guild may be involved in this. Have you any information in this respect, for it is rumored that Netmar, Mxell and the 39th House may contribute to this illegal and blasphemous cabal."
Before answering, Olerathiel pulls aside Chessintra and briefly speaks with her. She looks at Chessintra. "Commander, I have a request to ask of you. I have noticed that you are not, shall we say, quick on your feet when speaking with those who are of a controlling position in the city." Before Chessintra can say anything, she hurriedly moves on. "I mean no disrespect, for you have far too much to worry yourself about with the murders and such. I was hoping that perhaps you would choose to appoint me as the patrol diplomat- I occasionally fill this duty for my House when the usual diplomat is busy, and as such, I have some skills in dealing with sometimes... opinionated people. Matron Mother Fey will be difficult to deal with, but I believe that I can handle the task if you so choose. I have some ideas as to how we might accomplish our goal, if you find this acceptable." The priestess bows respectfully and awaits Chessintras answer. Chessintra, after a few minutes of contemplation, agrees to her words. "But if anything goes wrong, Olerathiel, it will be your fault." The older drow nods. "But of course.
As soon as the two are done speaking they return, the Yathrinshee looking at Chessintra with a thoughtful look in her eye. After a quick and quiet talk with Olerathiel, Chessintra turns back to the rest of the group. "We are just going to go and petition Matron Mother Fey for entry to Norsca, Carafnir and Solomoriah, you both have tasks to complete. The rest of you stay in this area until we return." That said Chessintra turns and follow Olerathiel.
Gareett waits as the basic riddle is solved and then contemplates the new evidence provided. "A killer of the intelligent variety no doubt and one confident that this message provided will not provide a route back to him or her, interesting." He then waits for orders as the debate for a plan of action continues.
Chessintra stops before leaving, remembering something Thiel had pointed out to her. "Actually, the rest of you come with us... Carafnir and Solomoriah, when you are done, catch up with us, once we get permission from Matron Mother Fey, we will be heading straight to the Praag."
As the patrol sets off for House Netmar, they crisscross the busy streets and pass by several of the Houses in Sud-Altor before approaching the massive compound. House Netmar consists of five huge stalagmites. However, most of these are empty at present day, for House Netmar has not ever fully recovered from a failed attack launched 200 years ago that wiped out over half their population. Approaching the steel gates, a pair of guards greet the patrol, and when Chessintra explains their presence there, they are led up to the main stalagmite that houses the main compound. Led inside to an opulent waiting room, an extremely handsome drow male strides into the room and drops into a formal bow. "I am Jerith, Steward of House Netmar. How may I be of aid to you this day?" Chessintra motions to Olerathiel to speak.
Olerathiel nods her head to the Steward. "I am afraid we must speak to Matron Mother Netmar. Our patrol has come up with some dire news that concerns her and the fate of Norsca," she tells him, looking at him with an appreciative eye.
The man waves his hand as if dismissing a servant. "The Matron is not to be disturbed under any circumstances. You can tell me your information and I will decide if it is important or not." Olerathiel quickly explains the situation to the man. He snatches up a kobold slave who is busily washing the floor. "Go and fetch Vinna and be quick about it." He drops the tiny dog-faced humaniod, which quickly scampers down the hall. A few moments later a drow woman clad in a chain mail dress slit up to the hip on both sides and a pair of finely crafted longswords hanging from the same delicate hips walks sensuously down the hall. The top of her outfit has purposely been made very tight, pressing her ample breasts together. Her long white hair is pulled back into a ponytail. She looks to the steward, who explains the situation to her. He ends his tale with, "And with that half-witted fool brother of ours..." The woman hisses and holds up a hand. "Stay your tongue, brother, lest your words bring shame to our family in front of others." His face darkens slightly. "There is no shame unless that fool lets this come to pass. Now take your guards and go." He spins on his heel and walks away. The woman looks to the Yathrinshee. "This way please." Leading the patrol back out into the courtyard, she lifts a slender silver whistle from between her breasts and blows upon it. No sound issues forth, but in a moment, eleven female guards mounted on giant lizards appear from around the corner of the House. They lead a twelfth lizard in tow. The woman moves over and slides into its saddle, strapping the special harness on. She gestures to the other lizards. "If you wish to travel to Norsca, I suggest you slide on behind and hang on. I promise well go slow." At that moment Carafnir and Solomoriah are led in by the gate guards.
Chessintra signals to the rest of the group to climb on to the beasts. She turns to Carafnir and Solomoriah, beckoning for Olerathiel to join her for their report. "What did you two turn up?" Olerathiel moves over and listens to the two report. After done listening, she moves over to the lizard riders and climbs on behind one, holding on very tightly.
Solomoriah moves to catch one of the lizards. As he moves he hand signals to Chessintra, *Nothing useful.* Caraf'nir nods his head and flashes his hands through the silent tongue. *I also have found nothing, finding a single women in a city this large is near impossible.*
Chesir waits for an okay signal from Chessintra, then carefully climbs onto a lizard, placing himself comfortably behind the most attractive of the female lizard riders. "Pleased to meet you," he says. "Im Chesir." He then gets a good hold on her waist for the trip to Norsca. As he talks idly, he makes note of how well-armed the lizard patrol is, and whether they maneuver in good formation or not.
Listening intently at the conversation between the drow female of the House and the male, Vol wonders at the implications of the snippets of the conversation she hears. ~Obviously,~ she ponders to herself, ~from the reactions of the female, there was the possibility of some male of the House foolish enough to actually carry out the poisoning of the Praag either directly or via an agent!~ Running through her limited knowledge of House Netmar, Vol tries to think of who they could be referring to.
Turning her attention to the lizard riders, Vol nods appreciatively at the quality of the fine animals being lead into the courtyard. The lizards were obviously well kept and evidence by the distinct glint of their scales and excellent colorations. Awaiting to the Patrol Leader to give the order to mount and choosing one of the larger lizards, Volgath eases her frame behind the lizard rider, waiting for the column to move forward.
Musing on the interchange between the leader of the riders and Jerrit of Netmar, Volgath ponders on the fact that the Yathrinshee may have exposed to possibility that one of the 30th Houses males may have indeed plotted to contaminate the Praag either directly or indirectly through some agent. Either way, if that were the case, it would definitely bring Netmar in shame and possibly retributions by the Ruling Council. Whatever the situation the Patrol would discover at the Praag, it was obvious that the situation was rapidly becoming one of grave concern, possibly with repercussions for the rest of the City. Volgath considered both the actions of the 9th Column and the Silent Guild behind this, both groups representing her mortal enemies as Deathmistress. Moving easily to her right hand side on board the swiftly moving lizard, Volgath slowing eased the right Deathclaw on...
As Carafnir and Sol give their the findings Chessintra orders everyone to climb on the giant lizards. As the patrol does so, the female riders instruct them to hang on, even the one that Vol slides up behind shows no reaction to the womans disfigured appearance. As the last person slides into place, Vinna gives the order to move out. Spurring the giant lizards, they spring off at a full run causing more than one persons stomach to drop. The creatures bear straight for the wall and show no signs of slowing, instead they veer off course slightly and run right up the side of one of the great mounds. As they reach the top of the fence they zip down the other side and speed across the great cavern to Norsca. The trip is fast and furious but before long the path that leads down to the great farming area is seen and the riders move down it and show no sign of slowing even when the great gate looms ahead. The guards that are always on duty raise their weapons prepared to defend the gates to the last one, however Vinna raises up a lantern which she flips open the shutter on, a heat stone is inside the small cradle. The women opens and closes the lantern in rapid movements. The gate guards scramble to open the gates before the riders slam into them. A loud creaking rings out. The left gate opens up slowly and is only inches above peoples heads as they plow under it and speed on down the path to Norsca. As the patrol members look out over the great depression the sheer number of giant mushrooms that cover the floor send all in awe. The river Praag churns and gurgles on its path to the great lake. As the group hits the bottom of the ramp they spread out and keep moving but much slower now. The woman whose steed carries Thiel holds up her hand and waves. Immediately the whole band converges on the area. Everyone dismounts and moves over, the women calls out to Vinna. "Captain you better look at this." Moving over, the woman steps aside to reveal three bodies of male drow all wearing the house symbols of Netmar. Eeach has had a bloody circle painted on their foreheads. "The Dark Circle," hisses Vinna.
Since her return, throughout the journey to House Netmar, and even over the hasty lizard ride, Evilyn has been increasingly quiet. Even her body language seems a bit muted and her eyes show a distant expression as if her mind was far elsewhere.
More than confused, Evilyn seems more interested in holding her lizard friend and soaking in the greatness of the mushroom grove. As the giant versions of her pet come to an abrupt halt, Evilyn leaves her little friend to hold on to her pack as she awaits the Commanders orders.
Apparently, whatever it was that occurred over the last evening has more then humbled the sharp-tongued woman.
Gareett dismounts from the Lizard as dignified as he is able he turns to the Patrol Leader. "With your permission exalted one?" He also casts a half gaze towards Yathrinshee making sure her eyes approve whatever decision is forthcoming.
Chesir immediately readies his spear for combat and scans the surrounding area for movement. "Dark Circle?" he mutters very quietly. "Sounds unfriendly."
Olerathiel dismounts and looks to Chessintra for permission before continuing. After receiving it, she moves over to Vinna. "Captain, might I and my fellow necromancers have the permission to examine these bodies? Perhaps we may find signs of what killed them, and for what reason." She carefully says nothing about the Dark Circle, but muses to herself about it.
~If this woman is a part of the Dark Circle, perhaps Kaigo knows something about it. I must ask her as soon as we return to the main area. I must find out why Netmar is being targeted in such a manner. Damn. The others must not know that I have connections to the Dark Circle.~
Interrupted from her thoughts, the Yathrinshee looks up sharply. "Where is the rest of the patrol? They must be dead also, else the bodies would have been found sooner. Id advise that the other patrols are sent out to find the rest of this patrol immediately." If she is given permission to examine the bodies, she looks over them carefully, making sure to hand any items that radiate as enchanted to Vinna immediately after examining it.
Chessintra nods, "Yes, get to work, the rest of you search the immediate area, well see if we can turn up any clues."
Chessintra thinks to herself for a moment, ~I dont think this is the work of the Bazaar killer... not her style... I dont think shes in this for any secret society... shes showing off.~ She makes a quick come with me gesture to Carafnir and leads him round on a close search before speaking to him quietly. "I think this is not the work of the person we are looking for... I want to do a bit more snooping." That said she casts invisibility on the two of them and sneaks off to try and find the real target.
Solomoriah notes the patrol leader moving off with her pet. He backs away from the bodies allowing the necromancers and priestesses to do their work. The fighter looks at the bodies and tries to determine if they had been moved to this location or if they died in these positions. He also moves around the boundaries of the bodies to determine if any tracks exist. As the man works he says casually, "How do the wounds of these victims match those of the body from yesterday?"
As the patrol leader moves away to one side with Carafnir, Vol approaches with the Yathrinshee and the necromancer to examine the bodies. Asking the group to be wary not to disturb any signs around the bodies, Vol tries to look for the telltale signs of scuffling, trying to asses whether the attack was a single woman/man or multiple attackers.
If the marks placed on the bodies forehead were indeed those of the Dark Circle, then the attacks would add additional complexity to the situation. The Dark Circle, although a powerful and secretive organization, were nevertheless strongly in favor of Kiaransalee; in contrast the Silent Guild were worshippers of Lloth and must be exterminated from the City. Two options came to Vols mind. Either these murders were setup to look like a killing by the Dark Circle by another agent (such as the Silent Guild)- unlikely; or the work was indeed that of the Dark Circle which implied that this was a retribution attack and that House Netmar had something to hide. Either way, Vol mused to herself, she agreed with some others of the patrol that this may not have been the work of the killer...
After finishing her examination of the area, Vol turns to view Evilyn of House Brakx. Since her return, the warrior had been quiet, almost subdued. ~Obviously,~ Vol thought to herself, ~she has been chastised by the accusation of blasphemy, and, though lucky to be alive, that fact that she was still standing here meant that Kiaransalee had obviously punished her suitably.~ Turning to the woman, Volgath approached her. "Evilyn of Brakx, are you able to ride these lizard mounts? We may need to use them to get to the cavern roof to see if there are any clues up there." Vol looks up to point at the vast, deeply creviced cavern roof.
Moving off the lizards back, Evilyn heeds the commanders request and begins to scrutinize the surroundings only to be interrupted by Vols question. Looking somewhat distracted, she refocuses her attention and answers, "No." The brief answer is completely bare of any emotion as her eyes are panning elsewhere.
Vol then turns Yathrinshee, awaiting the appropriate moment to speak. "Yathrinshee, if I may be so bold as to speak. There are two possibilities regarding the rest of the patrol. Normally the patrol group numbers ten. As the mushroom grove of Nosca is vast, I would think that they usually split up in order to cover the area. I would think that Vinna of Netmar would know the other members of this patrol and also their normal patrolling habits, and she should be able to confirm this. So, either the patrol has split-up (and the rest are in the forest) or they were killed here as well and the bodies removed. If the first is true, then this may be a very recent killing (this will be affirmed by whether the blood has congealed or not) as the attack has not been discovered by the rest of the patrol as yet. If however the whole patrol group has been butchered, then 7 of the bodies have been removed. I am still in the process of trying to find marks suggesting this scenario - if there are none, then the only way the bodies could have been removed would be through the main gates (doubtful) or via the roof of the cavern."
"As to the additional patrols to be sent in. I would humbly suggest that the additional warriors should maintain the perimeter of Norsca and slowly move in, similar to a garrote tightening around a neck and let us work from within toward the perimeter. To many here will frighten off both the attacker of this group and our own killer, as I think these attacks may not be related. Also, I would ask for your help in obtaining a group of lizard riders to search the roof of the cavern for clues. That is one way any attackers would prevent the leaving of tracks on the ground." Bowing to the Yathrinshee, Vol respectfully awaits her reply.
Gareett slides into the darkness, blending with the shadows and moving away from the general search pattern to look for anything unusual or extraordinary.
Vinna gives her okay for the group to look at the bodies as both Chessintra and Carafnir slip off followed by others in the group. Those that look over the bodies quickly find that they were killed by large sharp weapons, most likely swords. A quick search turns up all the other bodies of the Netmar patrol but that of the noble boy who would have been with them. As Vol compares the tracks it is clear that a large group came this way, but she also finds the boot marks of the killer. They move in and stop next to each body as if they bent down to look over them then moved off towards the great lake following the other prints. Vinna orders her soldiers to spread out and check the area including the cavern roof, she then sets off towards the lake at a full run. The others all follower her and their commander is no longer present, as the near the great lake she slows down and then moves quietly through the mushrooms and fungus to get a look at the area.
Meanwhile as Chessintra and Carafnir move around invisible and Gareett hides in the shadows of the tall mushrooms, they hear voices and follow them. Every now and then they are forced to step over the bodies of dead kobold slaves, but they reach the lake and stand in awe. The huge lake gurgles and bubbles as the water from the river rushes in. The great water wheels designed by House Hunzrin to pump water from it to all of the ditches that line Norsca cause a constant splashing noise in the background.
Both groups quickly see something they were not expecting to see. Around 20 troops, all wearing the symbols of House Quixatle and the Netmar boy dressed in the flowing purple robes of a wizard stand near by. They are speaking but the sounds of the water wheels drowns out their words, however one of the soldiers produces a small glass jar with black liquid inside. He gestures to the lake Pragg and then to the area behind him. As the group sits and watches they spot something or someone the Quixatle band has not yet seen. Standing under the stairs that lead up to one of the water wheel buildings where the great gears that turn it are held is the black robed figure from the Bazaar.
Solomoriah begins to signal his patrol companion. *Preventing that substance from being introduced into the lake is our priority. The Quixatle are weak merchant cowards, we can take them easily.* The fighter hopes his confidence is not misplaced because the patrol is outnumbered and hasnt fought together often enough. *Someone needs to keep that jar from making it to the lake.* Solomoriah signals further instructions, *Crossbows first. The Netmar boy and the soldier next to him. Ill move in from a flank.* Solomoriah doesnt wait for debate, he begins moving into position. He thinks to himself, ~Let the wizards and the priestess support our actions.~
Chessintra acts, quickly casting Magic Mouth, creating a large, very loud magic mouth above the soldiers firmly announcing, "EXCUSE ME! THESE MEN ARE TRYING TO POISON THE PRAAG!" over and over again.
She then shouts to Carafnir, hoping he can hear her over the rushing water, "Quickly! Get the boy out of danger, and see if you can do something about that vial!" She then bolts towards the robed figure, hoping to catch her off guard.
Chesir follows Solomoriah to the unfolding scene. He responds instantly now that a battle is looming. Seeing there is no time to lose now that Solomoriah is already in motion, Chesir fires his light crossbow at the drow holding the vial, hoping the sleep poison does what he knows a non-fatal hit wont. Not even waiting to see if his bolt struck its target, Chesir drops the crossbow and begins to close on the enemy. As he starts to move, he pulls a smaller hand crossbow from the folds of his cloak. His next target will be the next nearest Quixatle to the vial, unless the first fellow is still standing. He leaves the wizard boy to the discretion of the rest of the patrol, and Sethoroth intones the words of a spell.
Vols mind races as she takes in the information from the scene. Obviously the male from House Netmar looked to be conspiring with the traitors from the minor House Quixatle. Matron Derrin would indeed be in serious trouble if the news of these events were related back to the Ruling Council as would House Netmar, judging from the actions of the male in House Netmars colors. Suddenly, the conversation between Jerrit and Vinna of Netmar made more sense. Obviously, the female from Netmar suspected something about her brother which would now being confirmed. The presence of the black robbed figure behind the group appears like an added complexity, but Vol felt an inkling that her presence would be connected to the fact that the traitorous male from Netmar may indeed have been the killers next target. For the first time, Vol felt that the Patrol had been perhaps guided by the robbed figure into investigating this serious plot against the City...
As the group moves into action, Vol pauses to intone a magical chant as her claws click together, the long adamantine blades flicking a complicated pattern. Then using the coverage of the mushroom forest, Vol fans out wider, waiting for the reactions of the main body of troops and the wizard from Netmar as she hears the faint twangs of crossbow string from the Patrol.
Taking a position of cover by a large mushroom patch, Evilyn peers carefully through at the number of enemies. Placing either palm level with the ground, the drows voice flows with a soft lull. As it builds in tempo, muted by the rage of the waters, but evident on her face, her hands clench sharply into fists and then relax as though the great strain about her has passed.
Hoping that Kiaransalee sees fit to protect her patrol and the future of Velddrinnsshar, Olerathiel leaves the main body of the patrol to deal with the band, and like Chessintra, focuses her attentions on the cloaked figure, trying to catch up with her before more trouble can be done. Once there, she begins to cast a spell. "Kiaransalee, mir nindol jaluk nindel uk XAL TLU zhaluzhaunuz. Mir ukta!" Completing her ritual, she throws the small piece of iron towards the figure, hoping to keep her held still while she casts other spells to aid the patrol.
As the group takes in the sight a large mouth appears on the ground at their feet and yells out "EXCUSE ME! THESE MEN ARE TRYING TO POISON THE PRAAG!" over and over again. The men begin to scramble in all directions when without warning Carafnir appears out of thin air standing next the mage. He grabs the mans arm and starts to charge for the mushroom grove. However the mages hands flash through several gestures and his lips move in a hurried pattern of speech, his free hands crackles with energy and he slams it into the drows back. There is a brief flash of light as Carafnirs mouth opens in a silent yell of pain then the whole area is plunged into complete and utter darkness. Chessintra still cloaked by her spell and unable to halt her charge enters the impenetrable darkness, Sol who is also charging forward thinks better of rushing into the inky darkness and skids to a halt. Taking a chance of catching at least some of her foes Sethoroth intones the words of her spell, casting a bit of spider web into the air. Strands of thick spiders silk begins to spread outward, anchoring to some of the larger fungi and extends into the darkness. Chesir along with Vinna fire off bolts into the darkness but are rewarded with only silence. Meanwhile Vol utters the words to her dark spell and her from starts to waver and blur. Thiel halfway through a spell quickly stops with a curse and begins to intone a second. As she ends, the shrieking of the magic mouth ends as dose all sound from within the darkness. Dropping to her knees, dark words tumble from Evilyns lips and the ground near the front of the darkness shimmers and the topmost layer turns into a greasy substance.
The Yathrinshee sighs in dismay as she watches the rather uncoordinated attacks by her party. ~At least my spell worked, so that none of the mages in their party may cast spells other than using their innate abilities. I think Ill call for reinforcements. This indeed will be dismal to the patrol. But at least I can most likely manage to keep most of them alive for a while,~ she muses to herself. She lifts the signal whistle and puts it between her lips, blowing. The shrill sound pierces the darkness, being heard in the entire cavern by all in the area but those who are in the globes of darkness and within fifteen feet of the darknesss center.
Solomoriah curses as the darkness falls upon the enemy. The fighter also notes that no sound emanates from within the darkness. Whatever skill he might possess to fight under such conditions would be lost without sound. He waits for orders of how to proceed. He then begins to signal with his hands, *If anyone has flash globes throw them in! We need an advantage here.*
Chesir quickly reloads his crossbow. Taking stock of the situation, he sees that the area around the enemy has been silenced, darkened, webbed, and greased. He thinks to himself, ~Apparently some members of the patrol are unwilling to get near the enemy~. As he circles partially around the globe of darkness so he can see the other side, he continues to think silently. ~Having the ability to cast a great many spells does not necessarily mean one should.~
Chesir refocuses on the situation. He is now situated off on one flank of the area of darkness. He can see if anyone exits the globe from that side or the back, and he is at a great enough distance that he can still see members of the patrol. Favorable position gained, Chesir crouches down beside a large mushroom for cover, pulls the hood of his piwafwi up to hide himself further, and waits to shoot something.
Chessintra curses at her weakness and turns away from her objective, instead searching for Caraf'nir in the darkness to make sure he is alright.
Vol looks with disdain at the patrol groups lack of coordinated effort. She surmised that any chance of surprise was ruined as soon as that magic mouth spell went off, but any use of it was now lost with the magical spell of silence that had been cast into the melee. On the other hand, the warning had been given, and the traitors must realize that pretty soon this area around the Praag would be swarming with guards. The traitors would be trying to plan their escape. Although the warriors within the sphere of darkness would have to fight their way out, Vol was sure that the main culprits, the male from Netmar and the killer at the Bazaar, would have other means of escape.
Turning to the Yathrinshee, second in command now that the patrol Leader has disappeared into the globe, Vol speaks quickly. "Yathrinshee, I suggest that the patrol chases down the traitors as they scatter - they know that reinforcements will be coming soon and that they will have to make a break for it. I feel that the main traitors- the male wizard from Netmar and the killer from the Bazaar- have probably escaped, but we wont know for sure until that globe of darkness has been dispelled. They will probably fire a round of bolts before they make a run for it so I suggest we back off from the globe and try to surround it as quickly as possible." So saying, Vol moves out to try and cut of the exits of escape.
Pleased at the multitude of effects that spread over the offending drow, Evilyn takes a ready kneeling position among the surrounding mushrooms with her silvered hand crossbow lined to the darkened globe. Carefully, she steadies her breathing into a steady rhythm.
As the enemy drow begin to filter out of the inky darkness, she lets the air slip from her lungs with a soft whisper no louder then the hum of her bow string and the poisoned quarrel leaping forward.
Gareett slides amongst the dark fungi, blending in with the shadows almost perfectly. He casts a spell to detect invisibility quietly under his breath, knowing that it is not only his comrades who can hide themselves.
As the patrol moves into position, Chesir takes off his cloak and attempts to light it on fire but finds that he cant even get the flame to take. Moments later the drow warriors come spilling out of the globes screaming in stark terror, as their feet ht the magically altered ground some of them slip and fall to the ground. These few are quickly put down by the groups hand crossbows while those that make it pass are quickly run down by the incoming lizard rider patrols. A few moments later Chessintra, bleeding badly from a great many wounds, stumbles out dragging Carafnir behind her. Both have been soaked to the bone, it is obvious that the man is dying. Following them and answering the question of what happened to him is Zaltar. He sports a bleeding gash along his head and limps on a broken leg, leaning heavily on his weapon. As Vinna arrives on the scene she orders her warriors to do away with the globes, using flash globes and tend to the wounded. As the magical darkness vanishes to the painfully bright light, the bodies of three dead drow are on the ground, which is littered with muck crusted items. The body of the Netmar boy is dead looking just like the body of the Archel boy, and five more drow are caught up in the web spell.
Thiel moves over to Chessintra and Carafnir and kneels down next to them, letting the clerics of Vinnas patrol deal with healing, motioning for one to come over and aid the two critically injured. She says something to Chessintra, then asks, "Who cast that magic mouth spell?" to every spellcaster in the area, looking around to see if the vial has been broken or safely retrieved. "Solomoriah, see if you can find the vial," she orders. As soon as she speaks with Chessintra and her question is answered, she moves over to check over the Netmar boys body, carefully examining it. The Yathrinshee motions for Volgath and Sethoroth to check out the other bodies and for the rest of the warriors of the group to keep an eye out on the area and aid Vinnas patrol in detaining the traitors. "They are to be left alive," she reminds those in the patrol, "that they might be questioned as to whom else is involved in this plot of treachery."
Solomoriah glances at the priestess as she gives him the order. His eyes narrow reflecting his anger. His dark mind begins to turn to how he would like to teach the priestess some lessons that would perhaps make her reflect on the unnatural order which had fallen upon the drow. Still, she was right. Solomoriah began to search around the area of the Netmar mage for the vial, and then begin a circular search out from his body. He paid little attention to the bloody mess that had once been the Netmar mage. "A fitting end for a traitor."
Spotting the vial, Sol bends down to retrieve it and finds it to be heavier than it looks. Lifting it up takes both hands, and when he does the black liquid inside seems to move of its own accord.
As the wounded are attended to, Volgath moves quickly to check the dead s ordered by the Yathrinshee. Moving towards Zaltar, she speaks with him for a few moments while applying some salves to his bleeding gash to avoid infection. "Zaltar, it is obvious the killer at the Bazaar chose the male from Netmar as her next target. You have done well to get out of there alive and these salves will help to prevent infection. Your leg would best be left to the other healers, but tell me what happened in that inky blackness of the globe. Did you manage to wound the killer at all?" Vol waits briefly for an answer before moving towards the area where the three main bodies still lie. Bending down to the pools of blood lying around the bodies, she slowly puts the tip of the left claw into each pool, licking the viscous fluid from each of the bodies, then frowning in concentration.
Zaltar regards Vol and shakes his head. "Nay I couldnt lay a hand on her, however I would like to say she is dead but I cant prove it. Baltor, a servant of my family, tried to grab her."
The scarred woman then slowly looks around from the telltale bootprints she has been following for sometime now, her nostrils quivering as she strangely sniffs the air. Running one of the long adamantine blades against a particularly vivid scar along the left side of her face, she turns and pauses in consideration, taking time to glare at the drow trapped in the glistening strands of the web spell. Choosing the male who looks most perturbed, she slowly moves over to him, starring deeply into his startled eyes.
Waiting again for a few moments before she speaks, Vol addresses the male in soothing tones. "Male of Netmar, you know what a serious situation you are in. Your actions beget the death penalty but you have a choice- either you face the excruciating torment that will be inflicted upon you by Vessa Archel, the High Inquisitor, or I can kill you here, quick, no fuss, painless. But first I want you to tell me exactly what happened here. How this male from Netmar became involved in the plot to poison the Praag and who else is involved, and finally tell me who killed the wizard. And be quick, Id suggest that youd want me to kill you before either Vinna or Vessa get hold of you." Vol waits for the mans answer, her left eye gleaming with a hellfire gaze from deep within its socket. The man says nothing but simply stares straight ahead.
With no orders of her own, Evilyn moves from her position tucking her crossbow at her side. Those enemy drow still alive she sets to disarming, leaving their weapons in a pile near a mushroom patch.
Almost intentionally, she pauses near Thiel as she picks the blades from a disemboweled drow. "Olerathiel, I was wrong and foolish with my display last cycle. Please forgive me." This time her voice and body language are completely humble and bear not the slightest trace of malice. "By your leave, Mistress." With a bow of respect, Evilyn backs away and continues to gather the gear from the dead, sleeping, and captured drow. As Evilyn attempts to strip the bodies she is pushed away from them by Vinna's guards.
Chessintra quickly talks quietly to Olerathiel then starts barking orders to the rest of the group, "Im taking Carafnir to the clerics at the temple... not only is he injured, hes poisoned or diseased or something... I need a hand to get him there. The rest of you ask the questions and make sure you gather up all the items that landed beside the Praag, especially the killers dagger... Ill explain everything later."
One of Vinnas patrol members moves over and utters a string of dark words while pressing one hand to the worst of Chessintras wounds. Another looks to Carafnir she casts several spells then looks to Vinna. "What ever afflicts this man Captain, I cant cure it." Vinna gestures to the downed warrior. "Get him to the Dark Shrine," is all she says to one of her guards. The woman looks at her. "Captain, the Dark Shrine even by lizard is.."
"I didnt ask how far it was I told you to get him there now do it," snaps Vinna. The woman quickly obeys and lays Carafnir lengthwise across her mount in front of her and spurs the beast off.
Chessintra stands weakly, trying to hide the worry in her face, she calls together the patrol. "Okay, heres what happened inside the globe. Carafnir, although injured, was attempting to keep the vial from being thrown into the water, I snuck in from behind and took out the guard holding the vial... Thanks goes to whoever cast the silence spell- it saved all our lives. I then entered the combat from behind and was able to injure a few. The cloaked figure from the Bazaar entered the darkness and used the dust blown from some sort of bone pipe," she points to a bloodied blow pipe lying on the ground, "to scare all the remaining guards away."
Chessintra finds her legs starting to fail her and eases herself down. "She then made for the Netmar boy. I chased her and dived on her but it was too late, her blade found him and... well... youve seen the results. She attacked Carafnir but I was able to kick her into the Praag, thats when all these items just "exploded" out of the water. It seems her name is "Black Widow of the Web", and I believe that Volgath was right when she referred to her as a shapeshifter of sorts. The face that I saw was featureless, even though her body was obviously female. I was able to wound her leg with my sword but other then that I believe she was unhurt and will choose a new target tomorrow."
Solomoriah smiles as Chessintra explains what happened in the globe of darkness. "Here is the vial. Its heavy and the dark liquid seems to move."
Chesir continues to watch the perimeter and the surface of the lake for any signs of intruders. He also keeps an eye on the Netmar party. With his own patrol group weakened, this could be an opportune time for the House Netmar to be rid of several witnesses to a very embarrassing episode. The lizard riders could be thinking to wipe out the patrol, kill the Quixatle prisoners, and blame the whole thing on the mysterious stranger.
Volgath listens to the Patrol Leaders account of the events within the globe with great interest, knowing know that many of her own suspecions have been confirmed. Waiting for the Patrol Commander to finish, Vol addresses Chessintra in the silent tongue, making sure her actions are hidden from the view of Vinna and her troops. *Patrol Leader, I fear we are going to be under threat from the Netmar contingent here. It will be fatal to House Netmar if this is brought in an enquiry at the Dark Shrine. The whole House could potentially be dragged down with the actions of the Netmar male. Vinna will want to cover this up; other within the patrol feel the same. She has already sent Carafnir to the Dark Shrine knowing that hell never make it. Surely it would have been quicker to send for a healer from the House. Also, Evilyn has already been prevented from taking certain items into custody. Vinna wants us dead and quickly. At present we are outnumbered. I suggest that the Yathrinshee summon her undead to help us as soon as possible, otherwise we will be hard pressed to defeat the Netmar guards.*
*Also, the assassin must be an agent of the Lloth worshipers. No self-respecting Kiaransalee female would call herself The Blackwidow of the Web. This suggest to me the actions of the Silent Guild but we may discuss this further after we have dealt with Netmar. To test Vinna I suggest that you use your authority to fence this area off as being under investigation. Tell her that she cannot interfere with the evidence and that the 5 guards are to be taken into custody by us for examination. If she does not comply then we know for certain she means the Patrol Group ill. I suggest that the warriors ready their weapons, as I guarantee you she will resist.* Vol awaits the patrol Leaders answer, casting a descreet glance at the actions of Vinna Netmar.
The priestess quietly asks the patrol commander, "Commander, what happened? Did you see anything?" She looks over the wounds of Chessintra and Carafnir, but does nothing to them other than telling one of Vinnas patrol what the nature of the injuries are so that the woman might deal with them.
Speaking to the Yathrinshee, Chessintra spits out some blood. "I cast the Magic Mouth spell Olerathiel... as for what transpired within the dark globe, the cloaked figure from the bazaar yesterday turned up and used some kind of dust to scare the other guards out of the darkness. She then made for the Netmar mage and we attempted to stop her... but it was too late, we fought... she won... but I managed to wound her leg and then kick her into the Praag. Who cast the Silence spell?"
Olerathiel smiles grimly, then grabs Chessintra, forcing her to her knees with a dagger to her throat. "I did, to make up for your foolish blunder." She calls the Netmar patrol leader over. "I demand this woman be brought up on charges of endangering her patrol by deserting it and leaving one such as I, with no skills of leadership in charge of an untried patrol. Furthermore, she endangered the fate of the entire city by her foolish spell, causing us to lose any chance of surprise. Had not people in this patrol moved as fast as they did, the vial would have been emptied into the lake due to her foolishness. Do something about her," the priestess hisses, a violent gleam in her eye. She turns to Chessintra. "One as weak as you should never have been placed in a command position. Far better one of the males in this patrol than you!" She awaits Vinnas reactions, not caring if the patrol leader struggles or not.
Chessintra does not struggle, she merely answers Thiels accusations in a calm voice, "You are as foolish as you are manipulative, Olerathiel. First of all I did not know if your group had seen the guards, and I did not want to take the chance to return to the group and formulate a plan when they could have dumped the vial into the river in that time. I needed something that would alert as many people as possible as quickly as possible... And as for surprise? Well, they looked surprised to me. In regards to my blunder of leaving you in charge, I accept that. From now on it will be Solomoriah that I leave charge to."
The priestess smiles grimly. "Nay, for you will not have control of this patrol for long. I have plans for you." She wraps a lean leg around the woman that she might not escape while one hand is removed and digs out some cloth and some rope. She stuffs the cloth in the womans mouth and binds her hands behind her, forcing her to stand. "We will see what those who rule this city have to say about this, especially after your string of blunders." She leans over and hisses, "Never seek to make fools of the Yathrinshee, for it shows that you are the biggest fool of all." She calls out to everyone, "We are heading back. I will meet you all back in the city two hours after we have returned. If she is fortunate, the commander will be returned with me." She smiles, again licking her lips hungrily. "But first, everyone help to clean this mess up." Thiel forces Chessintra to move with her, heading over to Vinna. "Are we still permitted the use of your lizards at least back to your House?" she asks respectfully.
Meanwhile, noting Vinnas guards pushing Evilyn away, Sol turns on Vinnas guard, hand on the hilt of his sword. "Show the proper respect for the patrol which saved your house from embarrassment. This area is under our jurisdiction now. Were conducting an investigation into a very serious matter with import for all the houses."
The woman glances to Vinna and says something in a unknown tongue, and Vinnas voice cuts through the air laden with acid. "Your jurisdiction ended at the gates to Norsca, your being here is only a formality." She gestures with her hands and her guards back up and remount their lizards each one raises a lance. She pulls a whistle to her lips and blows a shrill note, in respond Kobold slaves amble from the mushroom forest. She barks at them in their own tongue. In response they move over begin to cut the men free of the web. The slaves outnumber all of the drow in the area by 7 to 1 and are armed with farming implements. Vinna locks eyes with Sol. "You can take the items that washed from the Praag in payment for your aid but that is all you will leave with. For remember that only members of House Nemtar know you are here and accidents happen in Norsca, you see. The careless guard is pulled under by That Which Sleeps, or slave revolts do occur." She barks more words in kobold and the slaves range out to various tasks, they strip the fallen soldiers bodies and proceed to hurl them into the Praag where their bodies float for a moment then sink below the dark surface. The woman slides her swords free of their scabbards as she stares at Sol. "I wondered who was the better warrior between us..." she leaves the words hanging as her swords burn with a inner heat all their own.
Chesir watches the Netmar lancers and kobolds with unease. Although hoping that the patrol will be able to leave and then return with some nasty surprises for the ungrateful Netmar fools, Chesir doesnt just wait to see what happens. He readies his crossbow and moves nearer to Volgath, ready to shoot at Vinna if she orders an attack, thinking that by the time the lizard riders can react to the order and charge, he should be able to draw his swords.
Heeding the potential for another battle Evilyn relents to the guards and does not push against them as they strip the drow of weapons, instead she tends to the items referred to by Chessintra and Vinna. Gathering them in a manner easily seen by all.
As Thiel verbally attacks and moves to bind Chessintra, Evilyn gives a passing look of interest but remembers the grace at which the patrol leader passed her into the hands of the Matron Mother. She stands, with the recovered items awaiting a means to leave with the patrol.
Silently she does wonder about the dissention of the patrol and this talk of a blundering attack. Oddly enough, the patrol won with only a single casualty against twice as many. Still, the events could turn in the beat of a heart and so she waits near the Praags banks for the next course of action.