Searching through pockets and pouches the party finds the following:
- x6 suits of Chain Shirt marked as the property of the Black Star Mercenary Company (50gp/per)
- x6 Shields painted with the Black Star insignia (10gp/per)
- x6 Longswords marked with the Black Star stamp (15gp/per)
- x7 Daggers (2gp/per)
- x1 Quarterstaff (2sp/per)
- Various bits of gems and silver that ends up worth about 6gp
- Some kind of signet ring worn by Lady Cass that looks like it could be valuable. It is just a simple silver ring but has an incredible amount of detail carved into it making it look similar to her tattoos
- A small diary found in the pocket of Lady Cass
- Two rolled up scrolls in the pocket of Lady Cass
- A rolled up scroll found in the pocket of one of the dead guards

Checking for magic the monk's ring is the only thing that has a faint glow about it.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:14, Sat 21 Nov 2020.

"Maybe..." Angel replied, looking up from her work of looting the corpses as she set a couple more daggers on the table. She met Talia's gaze with golden eyes and a most definite mischievous gleam. "Depends on much you need someone versed in the grand art of deception." She quipped.

Alyssa caught her breath. Out of long habit she started collecting her arrows without consciously thinking to do so.


Without looking up from retrieving the last couple arrows the halfling spoke out loud, "There's the Dragon-Cult caves..."

The Dragon Cult caves are about three days walk from the Sweetwater inn. If the party could fly it would be a lot closer but going on foot means winding around the woods and traveling through the swamps.

"So our plan is to hide these bodies at these caves which are three days walk from here? If they came on horse, then we can take them there faster. But we'll have to ditch the horses too. And everything else that they have with their emblem on them." Orila looked around the common room. "There's blood everywhere."

Talia blinked and then stared. "Or... we could just burn them. My mother tells me my people use funeral pyres all the time as do other peoples. These..." She wrinkles her nose and makes to spit. Glancing at Yry's mother, she thinks twice and swallows hard then shakes her head, "They barely deserve such consideration, but it solves the problem, yeah? Then, all we have to do is agree to a story? Simple enough a babe could manage. I'd rather make it look like they got ambushed somewhere though. Would their comrades believe bandits could take them out or monsters?" She felt a bit cool discussing the problem like this, but she knew it needed to be done. She felt the sickness held at bay for now, but she knew a reckoning was coming.

Angel pursed her lips in displeasure and sighed disappointedly when Talia spoke. Gods Above she hated being ignored! Almost as badly as she hated the change she'd noticed in Jack. Seriously though, what did you expect? She chided herself. No good deed goes unpunished.

Dropping her gaze to the items on the tables, Angel started taking some of the daggers. She slipped one into the top of each of her boots, and slipped another two into her belt to go along with the pair she'd already 'borrowed'. (6 daggers total on person now) The others could have the rest of the gear -- it was all marked with the mercs' symbol anyway. Her eyes fell on Lady Cass' ring and she reached out for it, but paused with her hand hovering over it for a few moments. Dammit! She cursed to herself. Why should I care? They obviously don't want me around! Let'em go off and carry out their plan. What does it matter to me if it sounds doomed to fail! Its. Not. My. Fight... Then why did you help them? Her conscious answered back.

You're a fool. She told herself, finally making up her mind and snatching the ring off the table. She turned to face the others and held up the ring. "Or..." she began, slipping on the ring and suddenly Angel's form seemed to shift and she 'became' Lady Cass... or at least her flawless duplicate... right down to the tattoos on her arms and the clothes she wore. "You can let Cass and her thugs complete her mission. 'Collect' Ashford's taxes and send word to Sir Bors that she's located an unguarded dragon hoard and is setting off to investigate it. They disappear in the tunnels and no one knows what became of them."

OOC: Note: Change in portrait is supposed to reflect the change in Angel's appearance to reflect Lady Cass. Sorry that I couldn't find the exact picture in the portrait gallery.

Also, Pink Italics are inner thoughts.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:14, Sun 22 Nov 2020.

In reply to Talia Alden (msg # 71):

"Burning them is an option. But we shouldn't leave signs of a pyre near the Inn. That would cause more questions to the Sweetwaters." Orila began to straighten a few chairs in the common room. She saw Angel sudden change her appearance in front of her. "That's an interesting idea. Will you be able to mimic the voice as well? What about the guards. Who's going to disguise themselves as the guards. I don't think that I'll be able to manage that with my size. And I don't like the idea of taxing the people of Ashford. They've been good to us..."

Talia was waiting for others to comment on her idea when Angel shifted her appearance. Her eyes narrowed even as her suspicions burned bright through them. Looking to the ring, her mouth pulled tight and pale then she sighed heavily, "I do believe the idea would to be to fake collecting the taxes, as in Lady Cass took them into the dungeon with her. Either way, it has merits as an idea. Ultimately, we will need to deal with the fallout of this event... at some point." She sighed and looked out the door to the open night. "I had wanted to get this shopping trip done as well. We could combine it with a bit of reconnaissance on the knights as well. Still, I expect that we all need to agree on the path to choose. That should include the Sweetwaters." She looked around at those who had been in this with her. Again, the circle of her acquaintances had grown through adversity. She was , as yet, unsure whether it was a good thing or bad thing.

Pressing her lips together hard, "My vote is to burn them. Take them in a wagon with us along the track to the city and dispose of them along the way. Then do the shopping we need to and seek out information on the knights there. Perhaps we can even head off some trouble there?"

The Sweetwaters are appreciative of any plan that gets the bodies far away from the inn as possible. Father Sweetwater, after ushering the rest of the family out of the common room, has a a few thoughts.

"The Knights of the Black Star, if you can really call them knights, have been causing problems for everyone. Lord Saxton's been squeezing the surrounding area dry. Rumor has it he's building up an army but nobody knows what for. There ain't no love for them around these parts, you can trust that. If anyone asks they stayed the night and left early in the morning heading East. If your friend there wants to put on a show, make a big point of riding off that works too.

If she don't want to talk none just going to the city and looking like that in a couple of places would probably confuse the others considerably. If most of them abandoned their duty, why wouldn't all of them? That way you can keep going on your way and not worry about drawing any attention to Ashford at all."

"Well seems that me, Talia and the others are intent on heading to the city." Orila glanced around the room at her companions. "Angel. What will you do? You found yourself in Ashford but a week ago. This men and this monk were bad people... intending on taxing folks in an evil manner. And this one." Orila checked the face of the monk. "Even kills her own men to fuel herself. Dark magicks from my experience."

Orila stood up and faced Angel and Morren. "But both of you. You're quick in a fight. Thanks for your help. Will you stick with us? We're going to a place that is unknown in order to protect Ashford. We could use your help."

Talia had her arms crossed beneath her chest and eyed the group as the tension over what to do built. Grumbling a bit as Orila spoke, she nodded at Angel then smiled at the firbolg. "Aye, that scrape would have been a sore sight worse without the aid. You were in your right to spectate. My thanks that you did not." Most of what Talia said was directed at Morren but she let her eyes settle on the transformed Angel and there was thanks in her eyes if not on her lips exactly.

She then looked to the corpse and grunted, "Whatever we decide, we'll need to borrow a wagon, Ma'am. I'll get the corpses loaded up. We can sort what direction to move after that." She looked to Yry with a raised eyebrow then glanced at the door. Talia would need help.

Angel shifted back to her previous form -- that of a copper-haired elf with a very nice tan -- and smirked at the goliath. "Is there a way to tax people that ISN'T evil?" She quipped and then she shrugged at Orila's follow-up question of what she was going to do now. "I've got nowhere special to be. If nothing else, staying with you lovely folks promises to be anything but boring," she replied cheekily, indicating the dead bodies currently strewn about the tavern floor.

When Talia spoke, Angel's expression grew more serious though she never quite lost that mischievous gleam in her bright golden eyes. She nodded slightly in response to the woman's words; meager acknowledgement for meager thanks... but still Angel seemed to appreciate the gesture nonetheless. "I still think you're making a mistake, but if you're intent on heading on into Spire Keep then I suppose I could help like he suggested," she said, gesturing to the Sweetwater patron who'd spoken earlier. "Hells, it might even be fun seeing how twisted I can make the trail for those who try to follow our dear Lady Cass."

"And this might help too," she added, picking up the the small diary found in Cass' pocket. She opened it briefly to see if it was in a language she knew, before slipping the little book into her own pocket.

After collecting her arrows Alyssa had gone to check on the Sweetwaters and to see if there was anything that she could do to help calm them. Not to mention helping others helped to keep the halfling's mind off of what just happened.

"I can see if my parents need their wagon for a while. I feel the need to see them again anyway."

The Sweetwaters not only lend a wagon for the bodies but also come out to help dispose of them. It is still the middle of the night so Yry's father directs them to a little glen a ways off of the main road. Together the group digs a mass grave and dumps the bodies in. Digging a grave deep enough for this many people takes most of the night but with eight people helping the work is manageable and the deed is done by the time the sun starts cresting.

"You lot had best be off. Better to not be seen around these parts for awhile, I figure. If anyone asks the soldiers stayed the night and left at dawn. May the gods favor you."

Yry's father wrapped her in a big hug, letting go only for Yry to be swept up in her mother's embrace. Their meeting was painfully short but they understood the gravity of the situation and with a final wave the the departed back towards the inn while the party made their way towards Spire Keep.

Spire Keep was orders of magnitude grander than Ashford. A city on the rise it had already become the third most populous city in Tehtyr and its star only seemed to be rising further. Even the relatively recent turmoil with the Baron's tragic demise had done little to halt the rapid expansion.

As they approached a veritable stream of merchants and farmers were pouring their way in and out of the city. The city itself showed signs of its rapid growth as the original walls and fortification couldn't contain the growth and the city spilled out across three river banks with bridges and ferries transporting people across the forked river.

Right at the fork was the mighty bastion that gave the city its name. It too showed signs of growth as it originally had been just a simple wooden pallisade but now was a towering stone fortress with 20' high curtain walls and siege engines in the turrets guarding the river fork.

The late Lord Spire had made it his city's mission to secure trade along the river and despite being hundreds of miles inland the city boasted a sizeable navy of shallow bottomed naval vessels designed to root out pirates along the riverbanks and to do customs inspections on incoming and outgoing goods.

One item of note is the heavy presence of the timber trade being so close to the great woods. Alongside the boats and vessels was a near continuous line of fallen trees being floated down the river to the sawmills as Spire Keep. The hum of water or steam powered blades filled the air with a soft but constant background hum as logs were debarked and cut into planks

Newcomers in the city would like first wind up in the Stacks, the neighborhood on the outskirts of town where limited space and rapid growth had caused buildings to develop vertically. Three or four story buildings were quite common along these streets and a series of ladders and stairs allowed storefronts to exist on every single layer as taverns, general goods and other suppliers for travelers all tried to be as close to the town gates as possible. It wasn't uncommon to see three taverns and inns stacked one on top of the other, each trying to compete with the other for a piece of the traffic crossing in front of it.

In consultation with her new-found companions, Angel had taken one of the horses left behind by Cass and crew, hoping to use it to boost her deception that the death monk made it back to Spire Keep. She held back as the others went on ahead and entered Spire Keep, waiting down the road and out of sight for about another hour. Then using her inborn magic to take Lady Cass' form, she mounted the horse and road purposely toward the gates of Spire Keep.

Nobody paid any particular attention besides making way for the horse. While there were plenty that recognized "Lady Cass" as a member of Lord Saxton's mercenaries-turned-knights, traffic in and out of the city gates was thick and the guards waved her through just like everyone else.

Though she detested the act, it was smart. Talia rode atop another stolen horse and wondered at the notion that Lady Cass had just arrived with a mob of peasants rather than her soldiers. She expected that Angel had a story in place for that or would think of one off the cuff. She seemed nimble on her toes both physically and metaphorically. Talia, for her part, gaped like a country bumpkin at the city. She had never spent much time in such environs. Sure, she was aware that she had been born in this city and she knew she had traveled her a time or two with her mother, but it was different seeing things through the eyes of an adult. An adult that was wary and suspicious rather than a child simply following a lead and wondering at things. She touched the mace that rested at her hip and traced the fangs of the small, delicate maw.

She leaned down to one of the guards and asked after a good, "but cheap" inn nears the gate.

The guard snorts at Talia's request but points her towards the first inn on the road through the stacks. There she can see four inns stacked on top of one another. The stores and taverns don't use words but instead have large and colorful signs. While the general exteriors are shabby and ill constructed each sign is brightly painted and looks fresh too as it seems the proprietors are competing with one another to attract attention.

The "ground floor" sign is of an obese chicken, the 2nd floor sign is a golden spiderweb, the 3rd floor sign is of an orc's head with X's over the eyes and the top floor's sign is painted black with silver moon and stars stylized on it.

Just looking down the main road Talia can see nearly two dozen signs and while they all have bright and fresh sign pictures it is hard to tell what they are advertising for. It seems this part is namely inns, taverns, and "quiet" industries like general stores and shops.

In the distance she can hear the telltale sound of forges fuming and iron being hammered. There isn't any whiff of foul chemicals in the air so the tanneries must be located in a different section of the city.

Disguised as Lady Cass, Angel rode by the gate guards and then decided to make herself more noticed. She kept her horse at a walk, but refused to pause or turn aside for anyone in her path, instead making others dodge out of her way. She passed by a few taverns before picking one at random, and when she tied up her horse, she intentionally smacked the horse next to hers with the reins — causing it to make a commotion, and thus making herself, or rather Lady Cass, more seen. Entering the tavern, she held up a single finger when she came to the bar, indicating that she wanted a drink. However, on tasting it, she spat it back out across the bar, and promptly poured the drink out on the floor. Then without saying a word — in fact Angel had purposely not spoken the entire time she pretended to be the death monk — she got up and left without paying. Once outside, she promptly ducked down a nearby alley...

(continued from above post)

In the alley, after looking around to make sure no one was watching, Angel shifted back to her red-headed elven self, and then left the alley. Strolling casually down the lane, whistling an upbeat elven tune from her childhood... which more than likely hadn’t been heard in a thousand years or more.

Peering closely at the shop signs, Angel began looking for someone that sold leather armor. She certainly could do with a new suit of studded...

Seeing the road of inns and taverns, Talia blanched. This seemed an odd way to arrange an inn. Was there only one floor for guests to eat, drink, and sleep? It seemed inconvenient. Perhaps, if she looked, she could find a more traditional inn. Still, she was not here by herself. While Angel, disguised as the monk, moved off by herself. Talia looked to Yry and Alyssa, as well as the others of their company, for a moment. She then sighed heavily. There were a few errands she wanted to run. She looked up the road and pointed to the black and silver sign the guard had motioned to, "I am going to have a look around, I can meet you all at the inn later on?"

Talia was going to shop for a shield, so she needed to find a smith or a weapons shop.

Orila walked towards the Inn, "I'll be in one of these. I hope I find something suitable." She walked into the first inn.

Alyssa's head swam at the sights and never ending sounds of Spire Keep, or at least from the Stacks. Trailing the others, and momentarily loosing sight of them in the short distance from the gate to the first proper Stack, Alyssa made a point of staying with the taller women.

Nodding to Talia's plan the halfling decided to stay with Orila and hopefully avoid getting lost, "If its all the same to you, Orila, I'll stay with you. You're more of a landmark in this sea of a town than I could ever be!"
This message was last edited by the player at 20:12, Tue 22 Dec 2020.