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This place looks just the same as always Lorelai thinks, having traveled through here on occasion, the first time when she first moved to the Eastwatch Keep from Narsk. She watches as the prince and the older knight speak with the guards, not really sure what to do with herself. I guess I will just leave it to the important people. Hopefully there is some action soon so I don't seem so useless.

She strokes the mane of the borrowed horse she is riding, before looking back at Jessie trailing behind. "Rest up girl, not much longer and I can be with you again. You are doing great today."

"A few of the townsfolk have said they saw some suspicious looking men wearing blue hoods, light armour and black masks over their mouths. I'd imagine they were the assassin's. They didn't make it across the bridge though, we're fairly certain we got men there before they got there," the guardsman says, speaking to Edward, before turning to Ser Bresda. "Your Scouts decided not to stay here too long, instead continuing to give chase," he adds. "Are you planning on staying the night? We can have a couple of the inns ready their rooms," he asks craning his neck around the front of the column trying to see how large the party is.

"Blue hoods? That's oddly specific" Mazera muses, stroking his beard. "Did anyone perhaps manage to see any symbols or other identifying marks on them?" His demeanor changes when he hears that some guards reached the bridge before these supposed assassins. "Alas, I hope they are safe. These assassins were more inclined to stab things in the way than go around them."

Seeing the guard's movement in an attempt to count the party, he chuckles slightly. "No need to knock yourself over. Our party is eight strong. Rooms at an inn would be wonderfully generous, but I'm afraid to say that's not my choice to make." Looking towards Edward, he continues. "Though, if our leader decides to press on, perhaps you could help with provisioning?"

"We're not stopping now, are we?" Lorelai inquires, eager to hunt down the men mentioned by the guard. "Not with a lead already, right? If we know what they look like we can scour the city! I'm ready to go right now," she says as she dismounts her horse in a flash and begins to pace. We should go before they can escape any further.

"Black masks, blue hoods... Hm. Perhaps my network has some clues about what type of ruffians we've got on our hands. Thank you," Ser Bresda says to the guardsman for answering his question. He turns to the prince to see his response. "If we continue on, we should keep it in mind to pace our horses. They've been ridden long and we need to ensure they keep in good health. That being said, I'm of the mind to spend no time dawdling -- our quarry must know we are on their trail and will not give us any slack."

Edward nods to the man as he takes in the information. To be honest, they match the description of most thieves. He wonders if that was intentional, to waste their time chasing lowlives and crooks rather than the actual murderers.
"Thank you. They likely mean to blend in with the rest of the thieves they can find, perhaps throw us off course. A hood, mask, and the light armor would make them look like any thief we came across, color or not. It is likely they've moved on then, hoping we will search the underbelly of this town or others for them. Are there any more details? What did the armor look like in particular, did anyone catch the type of armor?"

"Nobody in town has mentioned seeing any symbols or anything," the guardsman replies to Mazera's questioning.

"Yes, we can't stop now," Evaline says, dismounting to follow after Lorelai.

"Sorry Your Grace, but the folks who reported the sightings were rather common, all armour is the same to them. I doubt I could tell you much more if I'd seen it myself. Leather and metal is probably the best description you'll find here," the Guardsman says, answering Edward.

"Right, then." Ser Bresda turns again to Edward. "Do you think it wise to continue our chase? I feel as if we're very close to our quarry. However, I would understand if you deem it necessary to stop and rest. A rested mind is one full of wit," he says to his leader.

Edward turns to look at the party, thinking it over. Despite the sightings, it's not much to go on. A suspicious looking person isn't exactly hard to find across the country, and he wouldn't be surprised if there are more sightings elsewhere.
"We should let our scouts get some ground on us. If they find something important, they will wait for us, or send word. And we don't know what direction they went exactly. We should spend a day, get our rest and decide on what the best course of action is. If we rush, we will only end up with tired horses and sore bodies. Not much use in capturing our prey. I know that we want to bring them to justice, but we must consider our own bodies first, or at least that of our horses before we destroy ourselves trying to end their plans."

Although the description of the potential assassins is vague, Basil attempts to recall if it matches any organizations of the underworld he's learned of throughout his life. Even without a symbol, not every group would choose the same colors.

"So we're stopping, then? Probably for the best. My Clover is worn out. She needs a nap." The fairy pats his pup's head and scratches her ear.

Mechanics

[SHOW]

History check to find info on bad people uniforms: 12(1d20) +6 = 18

"Well we should at least search the town," Evaline says turning to Edward. I was hoping for something a little more exciting than riding and sleeping, riding and sleeping...

Basil

[SHOW]

You recall blue as being a common colour used by several various Thief Guilds. It featured heavily in the uniforms of Kirnstone, Valais and Varanos officials you have previously met.

Edward nods to Evaline, agreeing with her.
"Of course. If there are men posted on the other side of the town, then we should see if we have trapped at least some of their number here. Perhaps we can find and capture one for interrogation later."

He turns to the guards.
"Is there a stable that can accommodate our horses close by? I would rather explore the town on foot than horseback in the hopes we can catch our targets off guard."

Lorelai is pleased that the prince has agreed to search the town, but not entirely sure how to begin. She's been through here before, but never spent any amount of time and doesn't know the layout. Her childhood instincts kick in and she begins glancing around for anyone who appears to live on the streets, the kind of person who would have information to give about the less obvious goings-on of a city.

Mechanics

[SHOW]

Streetwise, to find someone to get info from: 17

"We can have your horses taken to the stables at the South gate on this side of the river. If they avoided capture here, it's likely that's the way they went," the guard says before shouting some orders in the direction of a small wooden building, from which a few more guards emerge to take the party's horses.

Lorelai

[SHOW]

You notice a rough looking man hanging around the outside of a tavern who you guess might have seen something, despite his rather apparent drunkenness.

Not waiting for the others - she is not used to working in a group - Lorelai marches with purpose towards a dirty, drunken man outside of a tavern. Just the sort of man who would have his eye on passersby.

"Hello," she says cheerfully as she approaches the man, not wanting to alarm him. "Lovely evening, isn't it?"

Edward smiles to the man and hops down from his horse.
"That will do just fine, I'm sure. Can you send a man ahead and let the Inn know how many rooms we need? I would like it if we could all stay in the same Inn. If not, perhaps we can bunk up a few of us to save space if need be."

He looks back at the rest of the party, seeing that Lorelei has the right idea at this point.
"A larger group will just scare off the assassins. We should split up and find our own information before meeting at the Inn to decide our next action. More eyes and ears over a larger spread of ground will do us better than one pack here after all."

Basil, armed with new information that could potentially help bring the assassins to justice, flutters to the scout-commander. Addressing the man, the fairy says, "From my experiences, I've seen that blue is a common color in Thief Guilds, not to mention on the uniforms of Kirnstone, Valais, and Varanos officials. Maybe that will help your scouts find these men."

"Thank you, Ambassador. I'll keep that in mind while we hunt for these rogues," he says to Basil. Ser Bresda takes a moment to look around after he dismisses himself from the group. "I'll work better on my own. I'll find you later," he says as he steps into the city streets.

With a keen eye, he looks for the faces of any sentries or scouts but they look unfamiliar to him. He continues on down the street, looking to find somebody that would have a lead for him to go on.

Mechanics

[SHOW]

Streetwise to see if there are any leads he can follow:1(1d20) +10 = 11

"Of course Your Grace, I'll see to it myself," the guardsman replies to Edward before performing a small bow and taking his leave.

"I'll go with Ser Lorelai," Evaline says to Edward, already heading straight towards the Knight of the Rose.

* * *

"Not too bad I suppose," the man says to Lorelai, swaying somewhat as he looks up at the sky. He glances at Lorelai's armour and appears to be a bit taken aback. "Are you here to lock me up for the night again?"

* * *

Bresda

[SHOW]

You search for a while struggling to find anyone who both knows something useful and is willing to talk to you. Eventually a young roguish looking man overheads some of your questioning, "I might knows something to do with that," he says. You notice he is wearing a cloak with a hood and while the hood is down it appears to be blueish in colour, although with the sun rapidly disappearing beneath the horizon it is hard to tell given the light.

Ser Bresda squints through the shining light to make out the detail of the man's clothing to little avail. Looks like it could be blue, unless my mind's playing tricks on me. Best approach this sod carefully, I suppose.

"Yes, man, what can you tell me?" he asks him hastily, stepping closer with his hands freely at his sides, showing no danger.

"Oh no, nothing like that," responds the knight, waving the thought away with her hands playfully. "I was just looking for some friends, and thought you might have seen them. They came through here earlier today actually, left me behind on the road and now I am just catching up. They should have been wearing some armor and blue hoods, perhaps masks. Somewhat menacing looking actually, but they are real sweethearts underneath. Any ideas where they might have gone?"

She looks the man over better as he talks and pays close attention to his mannerisms. You never know with drunks, they could be brutally honest or lying to your face, it all sounds the same.

Mechanics

[SHOW]

Diplomacy, to keep the man happy and certain he isn't being arrested: 22
Perception, just in case he may have a weapon or something hidden: 11
Insight, to gauge his mood and to see if any of his responses are untruthful: 20

Edward watches the group disperse and, with an adjustment to his clothes and blade, begins his own search. Checking the areas with the most people, although obvious, won't yield anything. If the assassin's wanted to be undetected, they would use the back alleys and the poorer areas, and they may have left clues in their haste.

As he walks he thinks back through his lessons on the intrigue of the various kingdoms. A kingdom with something like the Rose has had to deal with other attacks in the past, and perhaps this group is no different. The color blue could represent a specific kingdom, or group in the area.

Mechanics

[SHOW]

Streetwise Check to maneuver through back alleys safely: 18(1d20) +5 = 23
Perception Check to spot anything that may be related to the Assassins: 20(1d20) +1 = 21
History Check of kingdoms and mercenary/thief guilds that may use blue as a representative color: 16(1d20) +14 = 30

"Well I'm awful forgetful, I might need something to jog my memory," the man replies to Bresda before rubbing two fingers and his thumb together.

* * *

"Oh I know the men you mean," the man says to Lorelai quickly forgetting about his fear of being arrested. "They rode through a few hours ago. They'll run their horses into the ground if they keep up the speed there were going,"

Lorelai

[SHOW]

You cannot discern if the man is hiding any weapons, however he does appear to be telling you the truth

* * *

Edward

[SHOW]

You maneuver safely through the alleyways, however you fail to find anything that might be related to the assassins.

You do recall that the blue could possibly be a link to The Province of Kirnstone, of the Samarauch Empire, The vassal Kingdom of Varanos, part of the Valaisian Empire, as well as the Empire of Valais itself. You can't think of any mercenary companies it could relate to, although you recall it being a colour often used by the small thief guilds often found in the large cities of the region.

"Thanks so much," the knight says with a smile. "I'll have to hurry up if I plan to catch them then! See ya!" She waves to the man and turns back, noticing Evaline's approach.

"Oh, hey there. This guy just told me the men were going real fast, fast enough that their horses wouldn't be able to take it for much longer. That might mean we have a chance to catch them if we move fast."

Following after the guardsman, Mazera calls out to him. "Excuse me, guard. I have one last question before you take your leave. Do you know about where the hooded men passed? If so, could you direct me towards the location?"

With the other members of the party off doing their own investigations, Basil takes the opportunity to get information from some of the most observant beings of all: animals. Whispering to Clover, he says, "Try to go find other dogs and see if they've seen anything on these suspicious men. Any symbols or defining features." Tail wagging, the dog dashes off while the fairy scans the area for any bird who may have seen anything, armed with their keen eyesight and higher vantage point.

Mechanics

[SHOW]

Perception to find a bird. Preferably a bird of prey: 2(1d20) +11 = 13

"Well they passed through this side of town as far as we can tell. We leave the gates open during the day, we get too many travellers coming through to bother closing them," the guard says to Mazera before continuing to walk off.

* * *

"That's good," Evaline says, joining Lorelai. "Hopefully they'll be forced to travel on foot fairly soon."

* * *

Basil

[SHOW]

After looking around for a while, you notice a large pigeon perched on the roof of a blacksmith's.

Namelessjake wrote:"Well I'm awful forgetful, I might need something to jog my memory," the man replies to Bresda before rubbing two fingers and his thumb together.

"You're going to try and extort a Commander of the King for information that could lead to the arrest of his murderers? You're quite the petty bastard, aren't ye," Ser Bresda says, his posture tall and his hand rested on his belt near his craghammer. "Can't tell if you're stupid or insane. I'm only going to ask you once more. What did you see?"

Mechanics

[SHOW]

Intimidation check: 7(1d20) +3 = 10

"Mhm," Lorelai responds, looking around for a moment. "We should check out the other gate and ask if they ever passed outside the city. If they didn't we can start to scour it for their hiding spot." She begins to walk swiftly down the road towards the opposite end of town, hoping her princess can keep up.

Spotting the pigeon on the blacksmith's roof, Basil buzzes up to it, hoping the bird has some information. "Excuse me," he says to the pigeon. "Did you by any chance see a few men run through the city earlier with armor and blue hoods?"

"Hmm..."

Mazera moves back to the town's gate, casting around for traces of the assassins' gear. I suppose this would be an easy way to find where those murderers go to. May even be able to track them out in the field.

MECHANICS

[SHOW]

Arcana check to search for traces of the assassins' gear: 23

The man laughs at Bresda. "That's not doing it I'm afraid," he says raising an eyebrow. "You know, perhaps I am just stupid..." He adds before starting to turn away.

* * *

Evaline takes off after Lorelai and the two soon reach the town's Southern Gate. It appears to be the same as the other gate however the gate is wide open and there are no guardsmen are in sight.

* * *

"They were on horses, they didn't run," the pigeon says to Basil with a disinterested tone to its voice.

* * *

Mazera

[SHOW]

You easily sense the magics of the assassins' gear. It's more faint than it had been in Castle Amgard but in seems to lead in the direction of the South Gate.

"I understand that the same routine everyday must get old, but this is an urgent matter. Can you describe the men a little more, perhaps? The townspeople gave a poor description, although their eyesight can't compare to yours, I'm sure. Did you happen to see any symbols that would define who these people are working for?"

Mechanics

[SHOW]

Diplo check to make pigeon cooperate more easily and be less uninterested: 5(1d20) +12 = 17

The open gate comes as a surprise to Lorelai, and the lack of guards even more so. She removes her sword from her back out of habit, expecting something sinister given the events of the previous night. "Stay on your guard," she whispers to the princess, as she inches forward and out the gate, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious.

Mechanics

[SHOW]

Perception, both to be on guard and to spot clues/etc. as to why there are no guardsmen around: 27

"Alright, I will give you what you want," Ser Bresda says with a coarse tone at the man. "Gold for your words," he offers, slapping the coinpurse in his pocket, making a muffled jingle, before placing his hands on his waist. "Spit it out, then."

Edward sighs and shakes his head. He knows that, out of everyone else, he may not be best suited to trying to find information on the assassins. Even what he does know about their uniform might not help. He decides that it's best if he heads towards the other side of town to check in with the guards there and attempt to figure out other routes the assassins may have taken.

The Pigeon turns to Basil seeming a bit more engaged in the conversation. "They were wearing some armour, blue hoods, I wasn't really paying much attention if I'm honest, I had a broken feather I was busy removing. As for symbols, I'm a bird, I'm not exactly an expert when it comes to the politics of man. Not everyone can talk to us you know, in fact this is only the second time it's happened. Really you're lucky I'm not so surprised at this whole situation that I don't help you. Having said that there wasn't anything on them I'd call a symbol, although our definitions might be different. Clearly you're after them so I don't really blame them for not displaying who they are for all the world to see."

* * *

Evaline nods to Lorelai and also draws her sword. "Where could everyone have gone?" she asks, although in the back of her mind she feels like she knows they're probably dead, given the events the night before.

Lorelai

[SHOW]

You notice a small patch of blood by the door to a small wooden building right by the gate.

* * *

The man smiles at Bresda. "Now you're talking," he says turning back to face Bresda. "We heard rumours of some foreigners in the area. Apparently they got a lot of help from some of my... associates in Calstone," he says before pausing and holding out his hand for money. "I can keep going."

Lorelai frowns at the sight of the blood, and creeps forward towards the door, hoping that here suspicions prove false. "In here, I think," she whispers in reply to the princess. "They must be hurt... " or worse. She presses her ear to the door to listen for any movement or speech.

Mechanics

[SHOW]

Perception: 15

"You'll keep going, alright," Ser Bresda says, with an abruptly serious tone. "To the dungeons, where you'll tell us the rest!" He makes a quick grab at the man, but the distance between them gives him time to react.

Mechanics

[SHOW]

Grab attack: 2(1d20) +7 = 9 Fuck...

"Well, that was less informative than I expected, but I can't blame you, I suppose." Basil smiles and begins to turn away. Pausing for a moment, he faces the pigeon again, saying, "Ya know, you seem pretty bored here. Would you be interested in tagging along as we look for the king's assassins? An eye in the sky would be useful."

Basil

[SHOW]

"What's in it for me?" The pigeon asks rhetorically. "You'll be bestowed with glory and riches if you bring your king's killers to justice, emphasis on your, he's not my king, I didn't vote for him. I'll probably be put into a pie and eaten in the ensuing celebrations for all my help. So if it's okay I'll think I'll stay here. Besides I've got my eye on a beautiful pigeon across the river, I'm not going to throw away all the work I've done there, she's incredibly high maintenance."

Lorelai

[SHOW]

You can't hear anything through the door, only silence.

Bresda

[SHOW]

The man easily dodges your attempt to grab him. "I don't think so," he laughs before sprinting off down the road.[/b][/color]

Hearing no sound from the other side, Lorelai throws open the door with her sword at the ready.

Lorelai and Evaline are confronted with a grisly sight. Two guards lay dead, slumped in their chairs. Two more lay dead in a heap on the floor with blood stains leading to them from the door. Evaline retches slightly, not used to such sights, the only combat she ever had seen was during training or the occasional tournament. "Well I think we know where the Assassins went," she says to Lorelai, putting away her sword.

The knight returns her own sword to her back as well, her manner sullen as she spots the corpses. "So much senseless violence..." she says to herself, feeling both anger and sadness at the thought of these guardsmen - protector's of other men - slain simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"I guess searching the city is pointless," she responds to the princess. "They clearly made it through here without any issues, and are probably even further ahead of us now. We should tell the others."

Ser Bresda feels the pull of earth at his mind. Stupid man. I could lash him to the ground with the ancient roots below until he cries for his mother, he thinks as the man dodges his efforts and begins to run. No, not here. I must not lose my patience. Besides, these assassins are too smart to stick around and approach the investigation like a madman. He watches grumpily as his quarry pads off into the streets. Well, let's see if the others have found anything more. The Scout-Commander walks through the streets, keeping an eye out for the rest of his companions.

Perhaps I should follow the trail, just in case someone split off from the rest of the group... Mazera thinks, absentmindedly floating a few inches off of the ground. He glides along the general path that the faint magic traces, keeping an eye out for strands that might branch off.

Edward arrives at the gate out the other side of town after a time of walking, seeing no one around. He brings a hand to his chin and thinks for a moment, wondering where everyone has gone... He calls out, hoping someone will answer.
"Hello? Is anyone here?... Where are all the guards..."

Hearing a familiar voice, Lorelai steps out of the room to see the prince looking around. "They're dead," she says bluntly, a hint of sadness in her voice. "Looks like the assassins made it past this town after all."

Edward looks at Lorelei and sighs, shutting his eyes and bringing his hand to his mouth, thinking on how to proceed.
"... Damned... We should have expected this after they killed the castle's guards. There's nothing we can do for them now, and we need our rest. I'm sorry, but we can't continue the chase just yet. The best we can do is attempt to send word forward to the other guard posts not to attempt to engage them. Clearly we are not dealing with ordinary assassins if they are so bold."

Bresda and Mazera soon find themselves at the South Gate, joining the others. "So we're going to stay the night here?" Evaline asks Edward, slightly annoyed the party is stopping already.

Basil

[SHOW]

]"Your friends are by the South Gate by the way," The pigeon says before flying off.