"Tch. Who knows? I don't ask whose bed they sleep in." The dwarf glances at Selvin but says nothing in reply. He turns back to the rest of you.

"You got tha run a' his quarters if ya want 'em. Otherwise you'd be better talkin' ta Sweeney. He has command a' one a' tha other squads. He's about tha only one I saw Verik talk to with any regularity."

---

---

Tarrov nodded at the officer.  "Thank you so much for talking to us, sir.  You say two of them were worth something.  Is there anything distinctive about them that would allow them to be identified on sight?  Did they have a particular approach to combat?  And any idea WHY these four were susceptible to the siren call of Verik's treason?"

Tarrov glanced around the barracks.  "We'll definitely take a look at his quarters.  And where can we find this Sweeney?"

---

---

Vaddis nodded as Tarrov took over the conversation. Vaddis was a little blunt sometimes.

The dwarf scowls even harder. "Baldrago. Parns. Malder. And...er...whatizname. Sweeney'll be able ta give ya more." The dwarf wheels around and shouts at the seargent manning the desk. "Where's Sweeney?"

"Patrol. Should be back soon."

The dwarf looks back at you and shrugs. "Probably be back by tha time you finish nosin' around Verik's room." He points at a stairwell. "Second floor. Second door at tha end of tha hall after ya turn left."

Verik's quarters are suprisingly clean. The man tidied up before he left. The only oddity that's apparent are some carvings on a post. Catcha tiger by the tail reads one in common. Below it is an odd symbol. A circle with a K drawn in it. Eight triangles radiate out from the sides of the circle, like the legs on a bug. A big X is carved over the symbol.

I rolled perception for wveryone.

Skirk pulls up a loose floorboard. The space underneath is empty but the rat man makes a face. "Something was kept under there that smells like perfume. Lots a' perfume. Not a cheap brand either."

Vaddis notes some holes in the wall. They seem to mostly be from arrows being launched into them. But some of the holes are larger. A spearhead more than likely.

A guard comes and raps on the door. "Boss wanted me ta tell ya Sweeney's back."

Sweeney is seated in a room down the hall, pulling off mud caked boots. He glances up at you and drags a bottle towards him from across the top of the table he's sitting at. "So you're Kroft's agents huh?" He studies you as he takes a swig from the bottle. "V might actually be in some trouble then. Whatcha need ta know?"

---

---

Tarrov looked around Verik's room for any sign of his motivation.  "Look at that crossed-out 'K'," he said, to no one in particular.  "Could that mean the queen?  And if so, what did she do that inspired Verik to open rebellion?  And what in the world are those triangles about?  Has anyone seen a symbol like this before?"

Sweeney's arrival distracted the bard from his inspection of the rebel's room.  As he walked down the hallway, he wondered if Verik's actions were for love of a woman.  The perfume seemed to indicate one was involved.  But if Verik was doing this for a woman, why was the WOMAN doing it?  So many questions.

Tarrov smiled at Sweeney.  "Thank you for talking to us.  We're looking for anything you might know about why Verik went rogue in this way.  Did he start talking about politics more than usual lately?  Has he started doing or saying anything out of the ordinary?  Do you know anything about this woman he is reputed to have started seeing?  And why did he carve that strange symbol into the wall of his quarters?"

OOC:  Knowledge checks re: the symbol.

16:38, Today: Tarrov Garrick rolled 17 using 1d20+3. Knowledge (Religion).
16:37, Today: Tarrov Garrick rolled 27 using 1d20+7. Knowledge (History).
16:37, Today: Tarrov Garrick rolled 15 using 1d20+7. Knowledge (Local).
16:37, Today: Tarrov Garrick rolled 12 using 1d20+7. Knowledge (Arcana).

---

---

Vaddis happily allows Tarrov to take the lead here, knowing he is not the most tactful person around.

Sweeney sighs. "Veik never was tha bed 'em an' brag type. I'll give him that much. But whoever she was she was loaded. He started wearin' new shirts. Like super fancy kind. And silk...whaddyacall 'em...hankerchiefs." He shrugs. "I figured it was some merchant's bored wife and never asked. Best not ta know. Ya know what I'm sayin'. As ta that symbol..." He reaches over and picks up a piece of chalk. He draws the symbol out. A circle with a K in the middle and a set of triangular shapes on each side. But he doesn't draw the slash through. "This symbol? 's tha mark for Mr. Kindness. Verik kinda hadda grudge against tha guy." Sweeney blows away chalk dust and lifts up the bottle. "Verik got all weird. He had a fairly level head up until about a month ago. And then...started talkin' all kinds of crazy. How tha Queen was evil. And how tha King was kinda loose in tha head. It wasn' anything real bad. Nothin' ya don't hear on the streets. But it was weird comin' from him. I would never have valled him a loyalist or such. But he used ta keep his mouth shut. It just kinda came outta nowhere. I dunno. It's usually better not ta ask. Ya know? I was jsut glad he took tha Hammer Boys wid 'im when he left."

"Oh? Why is that? Also, what do you know about Mr. Kindness? Any idea of who he is?"

"He's a ghost ta most..." Sweeney smiles sardonicaly and finishes his swallow from the bottle. "Really not much. I tend ta focus on guard detail for the merchant quarter. Verik may know somethin'. He investigated some rumors about Mister K. Don' know what came a' it."

---

---

Tarrov's brow creased.  Mysteries upon mysteries.  "Do you know why Verik had a grudge against Mister Kindness?  Did he say why he thought the Queen was evil?"  The bard thought back to the prophecy.  An untrustworthy woman.  Something that is not what it seems.  "Maybe Verik knows something we don't."  He thought about something else the guard had said.   "Who are these Hammer boys, and why are you glad to be rid of them?"

---

---

That Mr. Kindness again. Who was that guy? People kept bringing his name up but no one seemed to know who he really was. Very mysterious and annoying. Selving stayed silent and let the others question while he pondered.

Sweeney yawns. "Verik's tha moody type. Spmeone sticks an idea n his head an' he kinda picks at it like a scab. When he's not thinkn'...when he's doin'...he's great. When he's thinkin', he's kinda dumb." He narrows his eyes when you ask about the Hammer Boys. "Bad lot that one. Sometimes we take on mercs. Ya know. Survivors of a band come ta town. Decide they want a steady pay check instead a' sleepin' out in tha mud. Anyway, we'll sometimes recruit 'em. Those guys were a mistake. They came from tha same defunct band. An' they never quite got lootin' an' pillage outta their systems. They were always runnin' some kinda con. If their volunteer for guardin' a warehouse, it's cos they're runnin' a dice game out back where they think you can't see it. May come as a surprise but I take some pride in doin' my job. And I don't like a bunch a' bllody dogs ta wear the same unform. 'specially if they act like bloody dogs. Pay attention to them boys. They're up ta somethin' nasty. They always will be." Sweeney nods again. "'k fellas. I been up two days and get a chance ta get a couple hours a' shut eye 'fore I gotta go back out. I wish ya luck."

(Anything else ya'll want to do before scouting out World's Meat?)

OOC:  I have nothing else. 

Having stayed unusually quiet the last few hours, Skirk ponders and postulates the recent discoveries, keeping mostly to himself.

How on earth had he ended up in this situation!

Untrustworthy Men and Women, People that vanished!

What had started off as a simple quest for vengeance seemed to have ballooned into a full blown adventure.

Ah well, it would make ends meet.
Perhaps he could do a bit of good for the city in the process...


OOC:
Sorry for any delays I caused in my absence!

Toke used the time waiting to prepare his "consumables" for the day, having already prepared his cognatogen earlier. He whistled softly to himself as he pondered the identity of this Mr. Kindness. While Toke himself wasn't exactly famous, he liked to think he had every dealer's handle in the city. The thought of replacing the mysterious figure was quickly squashed, as Toke remembered his recent political aspirations. Best to focus on one thing at a time.

OOC: I'm good.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:14, Thu 21 Nov 2013.

OOC: No I'm good.

ooc -forward ho!!

Stirge Street seems to have come through the past two nights fairly intact. No signs of fire. No indication of looting. Though with all the boarded up windows and the general level of filth you imagine there was little worth looting here in the first place.

22 Stirge Street is your target. You study it from the corner of a nearby intersection. It looks like it was only condemnded yesterday. A two story structure of uneven boards and moss. A high stockade type wall forms a large animal pen against it's western wall with an alley running down besides it. There are fresh wagon tracks heading down the alley and you would guess deliveries are made in the rear.

A big man in leathers leans against the wall next to the only front entrance of the shop. You have no doubt he's a Hammer Boy. His arms are bulging against his jerkin and his hands look two sizes lareger then they are due to the callouses. A well used mace hangs on his belt.

He hasn't seen you yet, intent on digging out whatever the thing is that's been tickling the inside of his nose,

"What do you think? The direct approach may not be the best approach here, but then again, maybe it is." He looks at the others in question.

---

---

"How appealing."  Tarrov looks at the Hammerer with distaste, then glances back at Vaddis and the others.  "We have options.  We can do the direct approach; he," Tarrov jerked his head toward the preoccupied sentry, "doesn't seem to be too alert, so we should be able to get the drop on him."

"That said," the bard continued, "I would very much like to be able to talk to Verik before we commence hostilities and find out exactly why he has done what he's done.  Again, we have several options there.  We could say we've come to parley with him, we could pose as fellow rebels, or we could come up with some other story."  He shrugged.  "The only limits are our creativity and his credulity."

---

---

"He doesn't look like much of a thinker, cunning bugger though no doubt. What's your opinion Toke? Selvin? Skirk?"

Selvin gave a thoughtful look and then shrugged. "I could summon something to distract him. Or..." He chuckled. "We could try and sneak around back where the deliveries go."

Toke rubbed his chin with one of his filthy hands as he thought of Vaddis' question. "I suppose it depends on how much we care about finding out who this mysterious "Kindness" is." He mused. "However, I'd much rather we take out the guard, seal the exits, and burn the building to the ground; it's much safer. We've already risked our lives once in the last twenty four hours, why risk it again needlessly?"

He shook his head, as if disagreeing with himself. "Unfortunately I don't think we have the means to do that..." He paused, then continued sounding less and less sure of himself. "Perhaps if we lured them outside using the commotion caused by attacking the guard over there? Then ambush them as they came to check out the situation?" His trailed into a quiet mumble, a final helpless shrug signaled the end of his chatter for now.

So what's the verdict? What do you want to do?

The diplomatic approach has worked for us before Skirk shrugs.
I don't see why we can't just attempt it again... Tarrov's plan to pose as rebels should probably work... although don't count on me to do the spinning of the tale, I'm rubbish when it comes to lying.