[Private to Jan Harlow; Miriam; Catessa Fallowfield: The letter seems to be a 'Dear John' letter, or not.

Dear Tanrov;
The Headmaster says you can read so I hope this
letter will help you.  I'm sorry for confusing you the other day,
but I was in love with Garth for so long that I didn't want to think
that he didn't wanted to return.  But you are not Garth, you are
Tanrov and I shouldn't have expected you to return my feelings.
Garth never did, why should you?  I hope you have a good life in
Garth's body.  I do hope the Clerics of the Lady of Graves can help
you and the others.  If you want to talk, I will be staying at the
Briarpatch Inn for a few days.
Sincerly Maras

ooc: I am assuming either Jan reads the letter outloud or gives it to Miriam and she reads it as well.]

[Private to Talis Revain; Tanrov: One of the guards says, "We know, you will need to talk with the Captain.  Please come with me."  1 will stay behind at the door while the other escorts Talis outside.  What does Tanrov do?  Talis, do you try to Bluff your way out (it's a plausible story) or sneak away when his back is turned?  ]

PM

[Private to DM; Talis Revain: Garth will walk up to where the guards are all the while whistle until he get up to them  then ask ,"What are they doing can, I come along."]
[Private to DM; Talis Revain: trying to do the mindy thing from Animaniacs routine.   It's the kid thing to do]
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:14, Sun 14 Aug 2011.

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[Private to Catessa Fallowfield; Jan Harlow: Miriam spends quite a while examining the bodies, feeling that if they were to do this, they might as well do it right.  The method of death isn't an unknown quantity, but with further examination, she's able to determine a bit more about it, and rule out a normal Bleeding Touch style attack, though she's somewhat puzzled by the 3-jawed mouth pattern.  Once Cat and Jan recognize the pollen, she wracks her brain for a few minutes to come up with the likely source and says, "That would seem to be another place worth investigating, either before or after our journey to Underbridge.  Our opposition seems to be getting sloppy.  Either that, or they're planting another trap for us.", she mused.  Assuming she gains access to the note, she'll read through it or listen to Jan's reading with a look of surprise, turning to mild disapproval, but say nothing. ]

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[Private to Jan Harlow; Miriam: Cat touches the edge of the letter as Jan holds it, "He deserves to read this. He may not understand it all but hiding any truth from him would be wrong." Plus, she is responsible for the situation of Tanrov.]

[Private to Tanrov: With a supreme effort of will Talis will resist the urge to rub the bridge of his nose while he thinks, If there was ever a time I needed you to NOT act like an 11year old, now is it!  Talis will go with the guard, acting like a country bumpkin until there is a chance to slip away, then he just fades into the crowd.]pm

[Private to Talis Revain; Tanrov: The guards look at Garth, "Sir, go on about your business, this is an official watch investigation."   As he is escorted out Talis finds a good opportunity and slips away with Garth following.  As far as they can tell, they get away clean.]

The group meets back at Jan's room after a couple of hours.  Talis and Garth report that they couldn't get a look at the murder scene, but they did discover that they know of another young lady missing.  Maras came to town with a friend Rynshinn Povalli, a beautiful young lady half-elf tailor who didn't know who her father was and who's mother had died a few years ago.  Behind a desk he found a crumpled piece of paper with writing in Elven.  Several lines, all a variation on "Hello Father...".  It looks like she was practicing various introductions to meet her father.

Jan, Miriam and Cat report they think they know where Maras and John had been held captive.  They found some pollen from a magical tree that blooms in fall/winter, and is not native to this area.  It comes from Tian.  There is a Tian merchant who owns a house just a couple of blocks from Aldern's townhouse who has a greenhouse full of plants from his homeland.  There was a big problem with local druids over it, something about "Invasive non-native species".  Both must have been in that greenhouse.  It is on the way to Underbridge.

They also found this letter in a concealed pocket.  They have already read it.
Dear Tanrov;
The Headmaster says you can read so I hope this
letter will help you.  I'm sorry for confusing you the other day,
but I was in love with Garth for so long that I didn't want to think
that he didn't wanted to return.  But you are not Garth, you are
Tanrov and I shouldn't have expected you to return my feelings.
Garth never did, why should you?  I hope you have a good life in
Garth's body.  I do hope the Clerics of the Lady of Graves can help
you and the others.  If you want to talk, I will be staying at the
Briarpatch Inn for a few days.
Sincerly Maras

Miriam holds any comments on the note she read for later and instead reports their findings regarding the bodies.  When she hears of the additional abduction, she says, "If our adversaries took her as well, they may be holding her in the same place as they held Maras and John.  If there's a chance we might be able to rescue her from this greenhouse, then I believe that should be where our steps next lead us.  Its on the way in any case."

"I get the feeling that one of these invasive non-native species is the cause of the tri-mouth wound...what do you think?" Jan asked Cat as he sat down in a chair and crossed his legs. He had a contemplative expression on his face.

"So, should we bring fire? I can make some Alchemist Fire if needed...I just need money for materials." Jan offered with a smirk on his face.

Talis watches "Garth" read his letter.  But seeing the broken seal, he looks over at Miriam and then back to Tanrov, and then shrugs his shoulders.  If she's not going to mention it, Talis won't either.  "Yes, I think we should stop by that location.  But I dont know about the fire.  How many houses do you want to burn down in less than 1 day?  As long as we don't dally too long, we want to be out of Underbridge before nightfall."

Tanrov/Garth will read the letter through teary eyes because it's both from home and because it brings Maras death more in focus then ever before for him.   "I swear by Sarenrae that I will make this right, Maras, or die trying." Garth will say rather silently to himself but if the others heard it that's just fine too.

He will have noticed the broken seal on the letter when they gave it to him but will read the letter before comment is given.   "Couldn't you folks keep any thing private maybe you want to go through my belongings, huh," Garth will say rather testily because of his invasion of privacy.  "If a letter was address to any of you, my eleven year old side would want to look but the adult side would over rule the kid, so that it would remain private for you.   So I'm asking, WHY, did you open it?"

"So Miriam do you understand where I come from, yet" Tanrov will ask after his tie raid is over.   For the whole story ask Cat.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:14, Tue 16 Aug 2011.

OK, what we are going to do is advance 2 scenes at once.  One in "Jan's Room" and one at "The Merchants House".  Include in Jans Room what are you going to do with the bodies, ie: what are you going to do with the Bag of Holding?

Jan's Room
The room falls into an uncomfortable silence after Tanrov?/Garth?'s outburst...

---

The Merchants House
After clearing up the "Tanrov" issue and restashing the bodies the group heads to the Tian merchants house to investigate.  The house in question is much like Aldern's though the yard is an enclosed Conservatory/Green House.

Are you in disguise?
How are you going to approach this?

Jan's Room
Talis will comfort Tanrov, "There there, they didn't mean to.  They didn't know you were Tanrov."  With a glance at Cat he "says",Here Cat you take over.  Then he invites Miriam and Jan aside to explain the situation in private.  How an 11year old Tanrov was killed while in the thrall of an Attic Whisperer (Undead that preys on lonely children) and became a spirit.  How Garth was killed, but when Garth didn't want to return, Tanrov took his place and body.  So now you have an 11 year old soul in an adult body.  Finally he turns to Miriam, "So Lady of Death, what are you going to do about this?  But don't think too long, we have a halfelf maiden to rescue."

---

The Merchants House
Talis suggests, "Let's go straight to the Greenhouse."

Jan's Room

"I am generally opposed to arson as a method of problem solving, particularly inside the limits of major cities.", Miriam said mildly, in response to Jan's apparent enthusiasm for fire.  She watched Garth read the note, not entirely without sympathy, though she didn't even come close to backing down in the face of his tirade.  "I didn't discover the letter, nor open it, but I would have, if someone else hadn't already done so.", she said calmly.  "The full outline of your situation had not been made clear to me previously, nor am I entirely clear on it now, though it is coming into sharper focus.  But we are engaged in trying to thwart a band of vicious murderers, and anything we find might be a clue that could save someone's life.  So I apologize for the invasion of privacy, and if you'd been here, we'd certainly have let you read the note first, but under the circumstances as they were, I would do the exact same thing again.  Should you find another body with a note on it addressed to me and I'm not around, I would expect the rest of you to pursue that possible lead as well.", Miriam explained.

She withdrew with Talis when he offered to explain the situation in more detail and listened closely to what he had to say.  "'Lady of Death' is not really a title I would favor.", she said, offhandedly, as she finished thinking about what he'd said.  "I suppose I can understand why you didn't rush to inform me on this matter, and I can't say I am completely comfortable with it.  But if the circumstances are as you say, then I don't believe I'm obliged to do anything.  It's not really a situation I've heard of before, where one spirit is lodged in the body of another, but it's far from unheard of for a spirit to refuse to return to life, and given all that seems to have happened to Garth, I can perhaps understand his desire to leave all that behind and journey on to the Spire and his final judgement.  Resurrection and reincarnation magics are hardly unknown or even unpracticed by my Church, even if they're not as highly favored among the faith of Pharasma as among some other faiths, and this seems but an odd variant of that."

"Some among my faith might argue that Tanrov was meant to die at that time, and his continuing on in another's body is a rejection of his rightful destiny.  I tend to think fate and destiny are vastly overrated concepts, which, taken to their logical extreme, render all of us little more than puppets.  So my concern is merely the means used in his return, and whether he might have usurped the place of the body's rightful owner.  Given what you've told me and given that I've seen no evidence that he is any sort of abberation or possessing spirit, I'm inclined to believe you, it doesn't seem to pose a major problem, and any attempt to cure the situation would likely be worse than simply leaving things lie.  In summary...", she said, raising her voice a touch to wake up anyone who was less interested in Pharasman doctrine than she, which was likely pretty much everyone else in the room, "...Tanrov has nothing to fear from me.  Though I wouldn't necessarily recommend you share this tale with others of my order, as we sometime tend not to see eye-to-eye on all matters.  Now, I believe we have someone to save?", she asked.

The Merchant's House

Miriam nodded at Talis' thought and said, "Yes, based on what we found on the other bodies, if they are still holding her, she'll likely be in there.  We can search the remainder of the house after, should it seem warranted.  Is there a side door we can attempt to enter through?", she asked, quietly.

Jan's room

Tanrov/Garth will ignore everyone since his tirade but his ears will pick up what Miriam said about his situation and will mouth a thank you to Talis.

The Merchant House

Tanrov/Garth will suggest that the group hit this suspected evil place hard.

The Merchants House
As the group is talking about what to do, a group of guards round a corner at the far end of the street and split into teams of 2.  Each pair heads to a different house and starts knocking on the doors and talking to the inhabitants.  A quick head count shows a pair will reach the merchants house before you.  Since it is daylight, and the group looks respectable, the guards don't give you a second glance.
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:20, Thu 18 Aug 2011.

Talis says quietly, "Just walk on by like we belong here.  We will circle around and try again once they have moved on by."  And he will just continue walking.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:46, Thu 18 Aug 2011.

Walking quietly by works.  All the guards are busy talking to people or moving to other doors.  Glancing back you see the guards knocking on the merchants house and then you hear a dull >Boom< coming from the 2nd floor of the same house.  Fire!

As smoke begins to pour from the second floor, the guards react quickly, sending someone to get the firemen while they alert the houses around the fire.  Some try to open the door, but fail.  So they start looking in the windows.

It looks like you might have a villian who likes fire.  [Private to Miriam: This would be something new for this DeathCult.  Fire is way too high profile, draws way too much attention.  On the other hand, they have become much more aggressive with this latest, "kill Greedy People and Harvest their souls with evil stars carved into their flesh" campaign.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:39, Thu 18 Aug 2011.

Jan's Room
Talis will give Lady Miriam a slight bow, "Thank you for the lesson, I was listening to every word.  I am glad you understand our reluctance to share this information."

---

The Merchants House
As the house catches fire Talis states in an even voice, "I can't stand by and let someone else die, or even let the chance of someone else burning alive, and do nothing.  No one should die like that.  Does anyone have any Resist Fire ready to cast?  Tanrov, your help would be appreciated.  Cat, can you turn into something to look in the 3rd floor windows?  If you don't have fire protection, can you at least dump some water on me?"  He covers his face with his scarf before going into the Greenhouse through a backdoor.

Tanrov will follow Talis into the greenhouse through the backdoor in order to assist Talis in whatever he is going to do.

Jan's Room

"Yes, I'm certain you were.", Miriam replies, with just a trace of humor in her formerly serious voice.  She looks over and notices Tanrov looking their way and gives him a reassuring smile.  "So, then we're decided upon a course - what shall we do with the bag in the meantime?  Take it with us?  Leave it here and hope no one connects Jan to anything untoward such that they might decide to search his room?"

The Merchant's House

Miriam was alarmed by the explosion in the house they'd come to surveil.  And by Talis's response.  "This is dangerous, bordering on foolhardy.", she warned, concerned less with what might be in the house than how'd they'd explain their presence here to the watch.  "But I agree that if an innocent is inside, we cannot fail to act.", she said as she followed Talis, at a slightly slower pace, summoning several gallons of water above his head as he made ready to go inside and dousing him rather thoroughly with them.

Jan's room

Cat goes over to pat Tanrov's hip, "The letter was being read before I realized what was happening. I am sorry."

---

The Merchant's House

Cat nods to Talis, "I should be able to come up with something."

[Private to GM: I'm thinking something like gorilla. Fast climber.]

Jan's Room
Talis thinks for a moment, "Good question.  Jan, it's your room, what do you say about the body bag?"

---

The Merchants House
Talis gives a quirky smile, "I agree Miriam, it is foolish, bordering on stupid...and you just described a hero.  Let's go, Tanrov, open the door while Miriam gets you wet, then stick close to me.  First we check the greenhouse, then we move inside."
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:12, Fri 19 Aug 2011.

The Merchants House
Talis and Tanrov head to the backdoor while Cat transforms into an ape and goes swinging up the side of the building, looking in the windows as she goes.  What are Miriam and Jan doing?

I will post more friday

The Merchant's House

After dousing Talis and Tanrov, Miriam will put her hood up and call down a sudden shower on her own head, then follow the two men inside.

The Merchants House
[Private to Catessa Fallowfield; Jan Harlow: While climbing up to the third floor on the backside of the house Cat looks in the 2nd floor window into a room that's on fire.  She sees a human man standing in the middle of the room on fire holding a wooden box that is also on fire.  He is just standing there quietly burning up.]

[Private to Miriam; Talis Revain; Tanrov: As Tanrov tries to open the door, but his 1st try fails.  The door is locked and a fairly good door.  Before he tries again he stops and carefully traces the outline of the door..."Magical Trap."  Meanwhile, Talis and Miriam looks in the nearby glass and see that there are several casks near the door marked "oil".  Near the center of the garden is a strange white tree with a person behind it on the floor.  Leaning back against it by the position of the legs.  By all acounts, the white tree is not the tree with the pollen, but Miriam sees that tree off to the right.]

[Private to Jan Harlow: sees Cat pause by a 2nd floor window and look in while Tanrov stops trying to open the door and looks at it carefully.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:52, Sat 20 Aug 2011.