In reply to GM (msg # 41):

Conrad, scowling about the scroll, orders Uthor to order Jeeves to fetch the book and bring it to him. In doing so, he ponders for a brief moment how inefficient the chain of command can sometimes be, then dismisses such concerns as lunacy.

In reply to Conrad Deepsavior (msg # 42):

*sigh*

In reply to James (msg # 43):

James says to the autognomes back as he goes to fetch the book

You're super creepy you know that?

In reply to James (msg # 44):

The AutoGnome fetches the book, which is forcefully pries from cold dead fingers, and returns to the group with it.

It is a heavy leather volume, but not particularly old.

(OOC:  Contents of the book are now added to the "documents".  A new version of the island map, from the book, is also added as a new map for you all).

Uthor holds out a hand.

Hold on.

He looks to the AutoGnome.

It's alright, Jeeves.  Go ahead and get the book.

In reply to Uthor son of Magnusson (msg # 46):

Conrad reads through the passages with the others, looking disturbed.

"At least we know exactly where to go to complete our mission," he says at last. "Perhaps they were punished for taking things, and our returning them will end the curse. Though I don't trust those sheep. Changelings can't become sheep, can they?"

He frowns more severely when he reaches the last "real" page of the book.

"What does this mean?" he says, turning to James and Alveris in turn. "What's a redcap, and what are these winged demons he speaks of. Are they feyic, as he claims?"

This message was deleted by the player at 16:12, Mon 31 Mar 2014.

In reply to Conrad Deepsavior (msg # 47):

James reads the initial pages with a smirk

These guys can't spell for shit.

As he gets further into the document he gets more serious, until you get the the series of pages reading Redcap, at which point he goes white as a sheet.

I'm leaving.  We are done here.

He turns on a heel and begins to stride away.  When he realizes the others aren't following he looks around nervously and runs back.

OK here is the deal.  The redcap are fey species, closely related to brownies... the more feral type of fey.  They are disturbingly wane in complection and fortitude... don't let that fool you.  They have long beards sharp teeth, and wear white caps.  They are called redcaps because the blood of their victims stains their hats.

These are so primal, so dangerous and unpredictable they fey court doesn't even really like dealing with them.

He takes a break and runs fingers through his long hair.  He takes a fortifying breath and continues.  Conrad looks unimpressed.

Let me put it to you in a way you can understand...  These things seek out war zones.  When they get to one they set up shop and kidnap soldiers where they torture them for no more reason then they like to see them in pain... and they like to play with their blood.

Conrad looks appropriately disturbed.

Thats not even the worst of it... He picks up two sticks and walks behind Modi.

I knew a traveling group once who encountered these.  While going up a mountain path a redcap attached itself to the leads chest.  The swordsman behind him... as skilled with his swords as Alveris is with his knives...

Alveris flourishes prettily for emphasis.

Skewered the little beastie with both his swords

He drives the sticks down in an x pattern infront of Modi's chest.

The lead cut off the redcaps arm and they threw him off a cliff.

He walks around back into the circle of the group.

When they reached the top of the mountain... they found the Redcap.  He had crawled up the mountain; swords still in him; seething venom and seeking revenge.

I will have nothing to do with redcaps.  There are no curses there is no punishment, there is only death.

To answer your other questions; yes changelings can look like sheep, maybe a large sheep but yes they can.  If you want to kill the sheep I'm all for it but lets do it on the way back to the sub.





I want nothing to do with redcaps.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:42, Mon 31 Mar 2014.

In reply to James (msg # 49):

Conrad furrows his brow as this information is relayed to him.

"The journey to the keep was, what, a day and a half? But they were dragging carts with them, which must have slowed them down."

"We must return the hand to its cold iron prison. The Templar's ship was not safe from it, and neither will our sub be safe until that's done."

He shakes his head, then turns to point at Jeeves.

"How long will he last without being rewound? He has no blood, and thus may be safe from those things."

In reply to Conrad Deepsavior (msg # 50):

Its possible they are working with something else... though alliances with redcaps are... transient at best. 

In reply to James (msg # 51):

Conrad sighs. Nothing is ever easy.

"Well, I think the book says we push past the wall of corpses and then follow the road east at the next fork. Is that what the rest of you gathered?"

He turns to James.

"I know you want to leave -- so do we. But I promise, you'll be safer here than before the Captain once you explain to him that our medic abandoned us over the course of the mission."

In reply to Conrad Deepsavior (msg # 52):

I'd rather take my chances with the captain.  That being said I have grown... fond of you and would hate it if you were flayed alive and your insides became your outsides.  Also we would need to retreat as a group or the redcaps will make easy pickings of us.

So how about this.

We throw the hand as far as we can into the forest and let the redcaps and the horrible flesh golem take it back to whatever dark end they are serving that I will bet you more money than you will ever see in your lifetime lives in the keep.

Then we go our merry way back to the ship and we go vacation... with the empires permission of course.

James smiles his most charming smile.  Its completely ineffective as it is far too panicked and desperate (persuasion 2)

Conrad Scowls

Come on Alveris back me up on this!

Alveris says something about wanting a redcap skin loincloth.

You know their skin is remarkably thin and won't keep you warm.
A sudden wind burst obliterates whatever Alveris' response to this is as he gestures to his crotch; and the world is a better place for it.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:49, Mon 31 Mar 2014.

C'mmander's orders.  We're not leavin'.

Uthor scratches his head, looking the AutoGnome over.

Well I'd say he'll keep runnin' about...

In reply to Uthor son of Magnusson (msg # 54):

James folds his arms defiantly infront of his chest.

Then lead the way, comadore over... around, or through the dead bodies?

In reply to James (msg # 55):

"They didn't go the other way, did they?"

Conrad looks at the book again.

"We might take a look that way first. I don't want to be surprised."

In reply to Conrad Deepsavior (msg # 56):

James goes firmly in the middle of the group, gnomish shields all around him.  He keeps an eye out for any movement or evidence of redcaps (notice 16).

Come out come out wherever you are... I'll see you.

... Well, depends what he's doing.  If Jeeves is marching or fighting, he won't stay round more than a couple of minutes.

In reply to Uthor son of Magnusson (msg # 58):

The dense woods remain firm around you, defining the three options:

-Turn back and head back to the tower and the shore.
-Go West over the pile of bodies into the part of the map covered in blood (on the newer version)
-Go East into the cold breeze toward the 'traps' on the map (older version).

In reply to GM (msg # 59):

Conrad sighs, then shakes his head.

"If we want to do this quickly, we'll do it the way they did it."

Armed and wary, he leads the group along whatever route the people in the journal took, aiming to reach the Keep and the Cold Iron and, eventually, his bunk back on the sub after the job's done.
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:34, Wed 02 Apr 2014.

In reply to Conrad Deepsavior (msg # 60):

Conrad leads the way around (and partly over) the pile of corpses down the path leading to the West.

There's room enough on each side to squeeze past, so you're able to avoid actually touching the rotting humans.

The Gnomes follow, armed and ready, leaving the Fey to follow from the rear (in future walking, if you want different marching order let me know).

The path ambles more or less straight West for some while, but in the distance you can see it curve to the right.

As soon as you move around the pile, you notice an object lying in the center of the path some meters from the pile.

It's a severed human hand, loped off mid forearm, holding a dark metal dagger in whitened fingers.

There is a dried pool of blood beneath the stump.  A circle has been gouged into the dirt around the hand/dagger with a radius of a couple feet.

From the look and smell, it appears that someone(s) have defecated all around the circle and likely urinated on the hand as well.

The dagger appears to be a single piece of metal with an unwrapped handle and wide triangular blade that tapers quickly to a point.

In reply to GM (msg # 61):

Conrad blinks at the hand, then turns to James.

"What do you think? Barbaric act, or feyic magic? Either way, I've a mind to burn it."

In reply to Conrad Deepsavior (msg # 62):

What about Barbaric magic?  I agree.
James will travel in the middle of the company.

In reply to James (msg # 63):

"Enough riddles," Conrad growls, growing impatient. "Give me an enemy I can smash."

Conrad draws his power axe and sunders the earthen ring around the hand with a savage chop that plows up a wedge of earth and sand, then uses his long-handled power axe to flick the hand itself out of the circle. If nothing untoward happens, he'll approach the hand, kick the blade out of its grip, douse the hand with brandywine, and ignite it. The blade he'll carefully observe, never touching it without gloves.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:14, Thu 03 Apr 2014.

In reply to Conrad Deepsavior (msg # 64):

The circle does not react to being sundered.  The hand/dagger react very unsurprisingly to being kicked, they fly through the air a bit then land with a thump.

Conrad kicks at it again, but the hand seems to have gone stiff around it.

He pours the stinking liquor on it and sets it aflame.

The hand withers and blackens, opening enough that he can finally kick the blade free.

Conrad bends down and carefully looks at the weapon without touching it.

The blade, handle and pommel are all one solid piece.  There are no markings of any kind (it's shaped roughly like a Kunai if you want a reference).

The metal is dull and dark but you cannot immediately identify what it is.


(OOC: the blade is still on the ground, un-picked up at this point)
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:18, Thu 03 Apr 2014.

In reply to GM (msg # 65):

Conrad looks at the size of the knife, the size of the (burning) hand, and his own hand.

"A human hand," he says quietly. "And a dark, bloodless blade..."

He checks to see if the blade is serrated, and if the hand looks to have been sliced off cleanly or sawed off.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:24, Thu 03 Apr 2014.