"I do see your point, Urien, but if we are to get involved further, someone else has to take him."

He turns to a guard. "Can a woman be brought forth to care for this child in the apartment yonder?", he asks, indicating Olwens apartment, and making overtures to hand over the baby.

OOC: If the guard accepts the child, Tarhall will join Owain searching, using Search, Observation and Tracking as applicable. His aim is mostly to get a sense of what has happened and in what order.

“Bring my wife,” the watchman told the other watchman as he took the baby Tarhall handed him. “She’s closest. The other watchman nodded and left.

“The seekers will be upset of you mess things up in there,” he added as Tarhall joined Owain in the apartment to look around.

Olven stays out of the apartment and lets the others search through it.  In response to Owain's question, Olven says, "I'm sorry to say I didn't spend much time with the family.  I know that there's one other child, a teenager, but I'm not sure if there are any other children."

The child's loss deeply troubles Olven.  He can't explain why, but the whole affair strikes him as wrong.  Shaking his head, Olven awaits the arrival of the guard's wife and what clues the others uncover from the apartment.

"If there is another child it may stand to reason that he too may be in danger. We should try to find him. Olven you didnt say, but is the teenager a boy or a girl?"

Owain makes another scan of the room as he speaks.

"This place is a bit of a mystery. I can't seem to make out who came and went in and out of where. With all this blood ..."

He looks at the terror in the face of the woman, then at the area around her.

"I don't think she put up much of a fight when it happened - scared to death as much as mutilated ... I wonder what those eyes saw before it happened ...", Tarhall muses to no one in particular.

A teenager. Parents killed and sibling spared. The youth may indeed be raging.

Tarhall makes a point of trying to make out where the younster slept or had any belongings stored.

Olven frowns.  "You know, you'd think I'd remember who my own neighbors are, but I can't remember precisely.  A girl, I think?  I'm not sure, though."  The uncertainty nags at Olven, but he shrugs and casts it aside as being unimportant.  That the other child was out in the night somewhere and perhaps in mortal danger is much more important right now.

Turning to the boy, Olven says, "What of your other sibling?  Where might he or she be?  And what did you see tonight?"

Tarhall continued his investigation.

With address and names . . . thinking, i remember the name . . . will i recognize the man . . . in mind, Kar leaves the knight behind and enters the tenement seeking those the King and Majere have laid upon his Path.

The tenement, not unlike so many others he's found within Kalaman, is still this evening.  Making his way, the monk stops abruptly . . . is that blood?!? . . . despite the import of the King's request, he had to investigate and render aide if able.  Following the trail, haltingly, he comes upon several watchman, one holding a child, and another man standing just outside an apartment . . . is that the address?!? . . . this does not bode well . . .

ooc: italics and epsilons denote thought

"We have more people missing.", Tarhall states. "Look, beds here, here and here for adults, here and here for young adults - boy and girl it seems from the items present - and the baby here ... I think we need to cast about some outside and to the back of the building ..."

He strides out to the guardsmen as Kar arrives.

"Guard ...", he starts, then halts, eyeing the new arrival quizzically.

"May it please you," Kar answered the man's look, "I can offer assistance if one is injured here."

"Alas, someone has indeed been harmed, but unfortunately the time for healing is long passed. Foul and most gruesome murder is the business here, as is the work to apprehend the responsible party. I am Tarhall uth Weyranth!", Tarhall says as puts forth a lightly bloodstined hand in greeting.

The monk moves forward, taking the man's hand, and in common, "Kar Reuel of Kharolis, on Mission to Kalaman.  May Majere's counsel solace you!"  Allowing the stave to fall within the crook of his arm, Kar grasps Tarhall's hand with both of his, "Murder say you, did you know the victim?"

ooc: I'm up to speed on the thread, just RPing

Seeing the other man approach, Olven strides forward.  "My neighbors," he says.  "We came across the man earlier this evening, being savaged by some kind of giant wolf creature.  When we returned to my home later, we found that the wife had been killed as well, leaving one young son here."

Olven takes a moment to look more closely at the man who has identified himself.  "Olven Wolf is my name, and these poor victims were my neighbors."

The monk's dress and possessions are minimal and without flair.  Darkened supple leathers form his outer garments while beneath can be seen loose white cloth.  The top pair, leather and cloth, are simple, without buttons or obvious ties, merely one side laid over the other and secured at the waist with a sturdy cloth belt tied in a knot.  Two pouches are tied to the belt.  ooc: think of a 'gi'

Whereas his upper garments mirror each other, the lower set does not.  White cloth pants are visible beneath a stiffer leather skirt, split fore and aft, that flairs from his waist, widening towards his feet, and one would assume granting his legs ease of movement.  Simple leather sandals adorn his feet.

A rolled blanket loops over his right shoulder and is tied, by cord, at his left hip.  A water skin on his right hip, hangs on a long lanyard that loops over his left shoulder.  His dress and possessions are dusty from what could be several days of travel.

The only other object of note is the stave Kar has crooked in his left arm.

"Greetings, Olven. My sympathy on your loss."

Pausing, then asking, "Giant wolf creature?  Or, wolf-like?  Could you describe it?"

Owain greets the monk with a friendly smile and a nod. There would be time enough for proper intoroductions soon, but for now the knight was absorbed with the killings and found it difficult to be distracted.

Owain awaits the detailed description of the beast with interest.

The monk looks upon the Knight . . . thinking, his possessions are who he is . . .

Kar, baffled by their lack of urgency, seeks another, addressing the Watchman, "Is this the only attack this night?"

"There has been another just like," the watchman said. "Though your friends can probably tell you more about it, they were eyewitnesses to the attack."
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:25, Mon 05 Apr 2010.

 . . . thinking, not my friends . . . i miss my friends 'n my brothers . . .
This message was last edited by the GM at 09:08, Tue 23 Mar 2010.

Olven nods.  "Sure, I'll do my best.  The thing was at least eight feet tall.  It was covered in gray-black fur, had blood dripping from its fangs, and yellow eyes.  Oh, and it howled, too."

Rubbing his chin, he says, "It could have been a gnoll, I guess."  He shrugs his shoulders.  "Whatever it is, it's dangerous.  The thing ripped out two adults' throats."
This message was last edited by the player at 19:51, Wed 24 Mar 2010.

This message was deleted by the player at 12:27, Thu 25 Mar 2010.

The monk contemplated on the description given by Olven, but nothing came to mind.  "Aye, a gnoll, perhaps."

To both men, "What of the King's bidding?  Is it abandoned for the moment?"


Edit: Took out references to That-Which-Will-Not-Be-Named in Dragonlance.  FWIW, I'm a total noob to DL myself.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:49, Thu 25 Mar 2010.

Olven shakes his head.  "No, I think the king's charge has the highest priority, but we encountered these slayings for a reason.  I'll do anything I can for the boy's family, though."  Crossing his arms, he frowns, deep in thought.  "I hate to run back to the king and ask him what he'd have us do.  We should let our consciences be our guide in this."

The monk sympathizes with the man, and quietly states, "You have but one choice . . . are you the Father to this child?"
This message was last edited by the player at 21:59, Thu 25 Mar 2010.

As if conjured by the question, the guard who left earlier returned with the other guard's wife and the guard handed the child to her and quickly explained the orphan's situation.

"Am I?" Olven looks puzzled.  "No, he belongs to the murdered man.  My line of work doesn't bode well for families."  If the circumstances were better, Olven would smile at the thought of his having children.  Gods, but he'd love to have a family.  One day.  Just not this day.

Turning to the Watchers, Olven says, "Is there anything else you need from us, or are we free to talk while we wait for the Seekers?"  Looking at the knight, Olven says, "Do you bring us further tidings from the king, Sir Knight?"