"Define 'soon,' lord inquisitor.  You rode your horse to death to get here.  You came alone, not even a  paladin to accompany you, how long did it take you to get here?  How much longer will the inquisition leave a demon unanswered?" Ciryl's voice rises as he speaks to ensure the crowd can hear him as he puts the inquisitor to his own questions, "These fugitives have sought you out, and we offer our assistance willingly in the removal of the infernal influence over this town.  How do you justify dragging away willing men over helping innocent ones?"
This message was last edited by the player at 17:12, Mon 25 Mar 2019.

In reply to Ciryl Fontaine (msg # 446):

"The daemon will be dealt with, but it is not my task, nor is it my task to educate you on the operations or timetables of the Inquisition.  All things must be done properly to be done at all."

The crowd become slightly louder at this, but the Inquisitor pays them no mind, staring unmoving at Ciryl.

"There is nothing proper in abandoning people to the whims of demons!  Not for the Inquisition, and not for a man.  If your task is to take any of us from this place then I assure you it will not be done at all as long as this demon remains.  On your own terms, lord inquisitor, will you do things properly tonight or not at all?"

In reply to Inquisitor (msg # 447):

That is the crux of our disagreement, isn't it? Whether the ends justify the means? Every night that passes puts the life of another innocent daughter at risk. We have seen the horrible consequences of inaction. And these people have suffered for long enough.

In reply to Brennan Otthild (msg # 449):

The rabble continue their chatter.

The Master of Arms shrugs slowly.

"We are a grieving people.  How long should we wait to expect help, Inquisitor?"

In reply to GM (msg # 450):

The Inquisitor turns toward the Master of Arms slowly, and remains silent for some time.

Something about the stillness of the white-clad figure, and the way his cloak seem to disregard breezes and torchlight alike is eerie and hard to watch.

"I have analyzed and identified the entity that plagues you.  I do not have the resources to dispatch it myself.  Such resources will arrive in several days time."

"You can't do it yourself but refuse an offer of aid.  You would leave it unanswered for days?!  I won't stand for it!" Ciryl flusters at the Inquisitor before gripping his cane in both hands raising it up and striking it onto the ground in front of him.  The clack of wood on packed earth might as well have been thunder for how easily it carries over the crowd. "Tell us how it is to be done and we will do it ourselves, lord inquisitor," Ciryl's voice is stern and even, not raised louder than necessary to cross the distance between himself and the figure in white, but just like his cane it reaches every ear in the crowd.  The words carry authority, not of position or an irrefutable command, but like a parent lecturing a young child, an innate thing understood as soon as it's heard.  As the title he had used in deference for their exchanges so far escapes Ciryl's lips it sounds to all the crowd like the vilest insult, except the inquisitor himself who hears it like a crime laid bare.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 19:11, Mon 15 July 2019.

In reply to Ciryl Fontaine (msg # 452):

The Inquisitor's body snaps around, fully facing Ciryl whom before he had ignored totally.

It seems as if, for a moment, there is a distant reverberation in the wind from Ciryl's voice, more a feeling of lingering energy than a sound.

The entire crowd is hushed, as silent and nearly as still as the inquisitor.  But for the flickering torches and men's cloaks tossed lightly by winter breeze, there would be no motion at all.

After a few moments, men in the crowd begin to get twitchy, shuffling their feet and coughing uncomfortably.

Just when you begin to worry that time may have stopped, the Inquisitor speaks.

"The plan shall be altered.  I shall remove tonight the daemon that plagues this town and remove its taint.  Brennan, Ciryl, and Titus shall assist me."

He pauses, still not moving, eyeslit in white visor still locked on Ciryl.

"I shall require total adherence to my plan to guarantee success.  The fault of failure shall be placed squarely on them.  In such an event, they will be found guilty of treason and executed."

"That's better," Ciryl says with a sharp nod.  He looks over his shoulder first to Brennan, then to Titus, before returning his gaze to the inquisitor, "Then we are at your command."

In reply to Ciryl Fontaine (msg # 454):

Looking over his shoulder, Ciryl is able to lock eyes with Brennan, but not Titus, who appears to have vanished into the dark.

The Inquisitor nods and gestures for you to follow him.

In reply to Inquisitor (msg # 455):

As the team follows the inquisitor, Titus suddenly merges back into lock step with them.

In reply to Titus Blackwell (msg # 456):

Brennan follows the Inquisitor to what will certainly be their doom.

In reply to Brennan Otthild (msg # 457):

"Master of Arms, we will require use of your Armory.  Please send two guards.  I will not endanger them."

The Master of Arms purses his lips and gestures for two stout men to follow.

The Inquisitor marches you back to the Armory, allowing Brennan, Titus, and Ciryl to enter first before taking a torch in behind you.

He closes the door slowly, then turns to face you.

"This is not the optimal approach, but we will dispatch the beast tonight."

The Inquisitor now faces Brennan.

"This creature is an old daemon, one of the original daemons from before the First Men, perhaps.  It is known to us as the Cinderjumper, Smokeclaw, or Springheel Jack.  It is not tethered by any deal as you would know it.  Over time, it has instead become bound to an oath.  We know of several daemons who have done this.  Once the terms of the oath are deduced, it can be dealt with."

The Inquisitor pauses, though you can never be sure if it is waiting for a response or just standing still again.

In reply to Inquisitor (msg # 458):

"He deals in hard currency. Coins for services," Brennan says. "But those are the oaths he extracts from the populace, not the oath that binds it to this place..."

In reply to Brennan Otthild (msg # 459):

The Inquisitor remains silent, but when Brennan does not show signs of elaborating, he continues:

"Correct.  The daemon is able to make deals in the tongue of the Kingdom, but no matter what words are said, there is only one set of terms to the deal.

Without a deal, the daemon cannot harm any mortal directly.  Accept the gold, and you can be harmed.  Conversely, a mortal who has not accepted cannot harm the daemon." 

In reply to Inquisitor (msg # 460):

Brennan nods.

"That is aligned with our observations. And it settles the matter of which of us must land the final blow."

He arches an eyebrow toward Titus at this.

"The scrawl on the arm, would that be the whole oath?" Ciryl looks at Brennan, not entirely sure what the inquisitor's revelations mean for their task, "All for one, young and old?  That doesn't sound like terms."

In reply to Ciryl Fontaine (msg # 462):

The Inquisitor does not turn from Brennan.

"It is more complicated than the words, years of study are required to understand."

The Inquisitor pauses, torchlight playing on his white hood.

"The sword you carry, may be old enough to work as well.  This leaves us two who may interact directly."

In reply to Inquisitor (msg # 463):

Titus chimes in

It's not like this thing has a body that you can just stab at.  He seems to change shape at will, rarely appears infront of people.

Is the only thing he has to offer gold?

In reply to Titus Blackwell (msg # 464):

"The daemon wields fear as a weapon, it is true, but it can be defeated."

The Inquisitor slowly extends one hand toward Brennan, palm open and up.

"First, however, I shall require the return of your contraband.  The Inquisitorial robes."

In reply to Inquisitor (msg # 465):

Titus looks to Brennan for approval.

Can any of you wield a sword?

If I ever see Garrin in the afterlife remind me to thank him making learn how to actually sword fight instead of just making it look good for the stage.

"Maybe if I didn't need to do so much convincing..." Ciryl mumbles under his breath, "I'm not really a swordsman, no." Ciryl flips his cane around in his hand and points it like a sword at Titus, "I don't suppose faking it would help us?" he jabs the air playfully to demonstrate.

In reply to Ciryl Fontaine (msg # 467):

The Inquisitor neither turns nor lowers his open hand.

"Titus can combat the daemon with any weapon.  The sword should go to another.  I would be the best choice to wield it.

As for playing with sticks, Ciryl would provide more tactical aid if he were to also make a deal with the daemon.  This would put us at 3 to 1."

Ciryl stops waving his cane and lowers his brow, before taking a stern tone, "And were I to make a pact with the demon on your command, would that be grounds to charge me with witchcraft at the night's conclusion?"

In reply to Ciryl Fontaine (msg # 469):


"That would depend upon your actions afterward, whether you survive, and whether the daemon survives.  Consorting with a daemon for your own gain is not permitted."