In reply to Titus Blackwell (msg # 751):

"I just saved your life," Brennan responds to the man's furious question. He sidesteps to get closer to the axe thrown in his direction, but makes no move toward it. "Look, your leader tore off. He was always going to leave you behind, except now instead of feeding you to a demonspawn pitbeast, he's feeding you to us. You owe him nothing. Stand down."

Brennan gives the man a sympathetic look, but his voice remains firm.

"Your boss recognized us, and he fled. He had good reason to. Get ahold of yourself, and you'll walk out of this alive. No harm, no foul. But if you lunge at me again, I swear to the Dream I'll feed you slowly, feet-first to my bear. And he can be dainty when he wants to be."

"Trust me on this. Sheath your weapon," he says with a wild gesture to the air.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:39, Thu 09 July 2015.

As the Archer surrenders, Enrei turns to the former axeman and deftly arranges his hurt arm, neck, and a section of his torso between Enrei's own arms as uncomfortably as possible for the unsuspecting brawler.  "Uldaf!" he whispers as low as he can, smothering his victim slightly in an attempt not to be drowned out by his grunts and curses of exertion, "We have two alive.  This is better than one, yes?" Enrei is clearly quite pleased with this result, and his joy makes it very hard to maintain his volume.

((5,9,10,5,6,9,10,8,5,7 martial double action and called shot.  3x5 to grapple, called shot to grab him by his hurt arm (1 shock damage) then second action 2x10 to start a choke from grapple (shouldn't need to hit his head from a grapple, right?)))
This message was last edited by the player at 16:27, Thu 09 July 2015.

In reply to Enrei Omal'i (msg # 753):

Appreciating Enrei's work to incapacitate the soon to be involuntarily interrogated through extraordinary rendition techniques mooks, Ulbear takes a more practical approach in ensuring the submission of his remaining foes

He can count to two. Good to know..

ROARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

[Beartimidation, 2x2]

In reply to Uldaf Asbjorn (msg # 754):


Through a combination of intimidation, woojie illusion powers, raw physical prowess, and beartimidation:

End Combat

Beside the no-longer glowing circle, the wounded man raises his hands painfully.

"Aye."  He drops the knife into the dirt.  The only light now besides the moon and stars comes from the campfire some two dozen paces off, so it's hard to get a good look at anything.

Nearer the campfire, the two remaining horses continue to scream and fight against their reins.  Likely it's the huge bear that spooks them.

Enrei easily holds his prisoner in a painful and restrictive but not overly damaging lock.


The archer sets his bow down carefully and raises his hands.

Titus glides slyly into camp.

/OOC for those tracking their own stats, remove half the Shock damage taken this combat

In reply to GM (msg # 755):

"Good choice," Brennan nods, letting out a pent-up breath before collecting the dagger and the axe.

"Disregard what I said earlier," he says to his allies, gesturing toward the circle. "The danger's come and gone, and I want to get a better look at this thing."

He switches to Enrei's native tongue and says something.

When Titus appears, he smiles slightly and beckons him over and whispers something.


After speaking with Titus, he spends a few minutes looking over the circle and the runes with a puzzled expression.


Apparently satisfied that no more blobs are likely to appear, he heads over to see how the interrogation is going.

"You are a bad hero.  I won this fight.  Killing is not part of fighting!" Enrei counters the voice in his head before realizing Brennan is speaking to him.  He looks at his ally dumbly for a moment then, with a grunt, hefts his current victim into the air over his head.  He looks at the former archer cowering in front of Uldaf with at bit of consternation, wondering how he is going to keep both men balanced one-handed.

((then I have one echo.  jumping down his rabbit hole feet first.))

In reply to Brennan Otthild (msg # 756):

Titus makes quite an entrance into the encampment... glides slyly is a horrific understatement.


All of the sounds drop out as Titus enters the light with a long shadow behind him.  He pulls off his cowl dramatically and fixes a steel eyed glare at the two combatants.  Brennan comes up to him and whispers in his ear, he nods solemnly and moves forward to address the captives.

/ooc I'll get on this in a minute. /ooc
This message was last edited by the player at 20:21, Thu 09 July 2015.

In reply to Titus Blackwell (msg # 758):

Brennan (presumably) leads his captive to the fire with the others so that Beardaf and Enrei can keep tabs on them while he wanders back to the hill with a burning stick taken from the campfire.  He returns a moment later.


"Gah!  Put me down you fool!" the poor man shouts from over Enrei's head once hefted.

As Titus approaches, and before Enrei can respond, there is a sudden shimmering in the aura about the Chal'i.

Then his aura winks out entirely.

The captives do not seem to notice this.

In reply to GM (msg # 759):

Brennan blinks.

That's... troubling.

"Are you ok?" he asks the large man.

Enrei wobbles for a moment under the weight of the man when his aura fades, but he remains a slab of physical power.  He looks at Brennan serenely, "The other one shot me with arrow.  Is not too deep though," he continues whispering.

In reply to Enrei Omal'i (msg # 761):

Titus glides over to Enrei and says in a voice that is calm and all the more chilling for being so serene his face is completely expressionless.

You may put him down.  I have faith he will not be any problem.

In reply to Enrei Omal'i (msg # 761):

"We'll get you patched up shortly," Brennan nods. "And our valiant bear, as well."

He turns to the captured men, then glances at Titus. Guessing his intention, he gestures to the performer.

"Lord Fastbender is going to put you to the question, and you'd do well to answer him completely and pleasantly. I will begin with a simple one, just to get things started: What did you offer that thing in exchange for its service?"

Brennan smiles slightly.

"Don't be bashful about it. My lord won't punish you for your answer... so long as you provide one."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:51, Thu 09 July 2015.

Enrei looks at Titus, then at Brennan, and with a shrug returns his captive to his feet, releasing him once his balance is fully restored.  He walks toward Uldaf and the former archer, pulling the offending arrow out of his shoulder.  He stifles a yelp of pain as it hurts much more coming out than it did going in.

In reply to Enrei Omal'i (msg # 764):



Titus inclines his head regally towards Brennan indicating his acquiescence to the question.

Thank you Orim... You may answer answer him.

Titus waits with the impatient heir of an extremely powerful lord owed an explanation but moved to leniency by whatever force it is that leans nobles towards leniency.

In reply to Titus Blackwell (msg # 765):

Your prisoners are thus:

A dirty bearded man (man from the glowing circle) with an arrow in one shoulder and a wicked gleam in his sunken eyes,

A young man in a hooded shirt (the archer) that looks like he washes it every chance he gets.  This man is wearing a belt with a polished brass ring and a quiver for his arrows across his back.  His shoes have brass tips that gleam in the firelight.

The final man (broken-armed axeman) looks to be somewhere between the other two in age.  He has a thin mustache above a mouth with dirty yellow teeth.

The three prisoners kneel before you, hands on their head except for the man with the broken arm.  He holds one hand to his head and the other tucked into his shirt to keep it still.

The man with the arrow in his arm is no more comfortable, though he grits his teeth and does his best not to show it.

Finally, he answers.

"Simple, I offered him some of my life."  He smiles with half of his mouth.  "You're no paladin, unless what I've heard about them were lies."

"You're a lord?"  The archer asks hopefully of Titus.  "One of Gent's?"

The man with the broken arm stays silent.

They all eye the bear, who seems to be acting far too calm for their taste.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:33, Tue 14 July 2015.

"No.  He does not work for Lord Gent," Enrei states seriously, conscious of who in the party is and is not a mercenary.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 19:44, Tue 14 July 2015.

In reply to Enrei Omal'i (msg # 767):

Titus shakes his head grimly confirming Enrei's statements.



You are correct I am no Paladin, just someone trying to hold the world together.

He says with the hurt heir of a nobleman who wears the weight of the world on his shoulders despite never having gotten his hands dirty a day in his life.

What did you get out of the bargain with the demon?  Who was the man who flew away and left you to our tender ministrations?

And where did you learn to do such things?

He walks over to Enrei and whispers briefly in his ear

Please go check their encampment, see if they left anything of value or interest.  if you seen anything like this... *holding up his bone charm* bring it to me right away.

In reply to Titus Blackwell (msg # 768):

Brennan nods at the man's answer, but neither smiles nor answers.

A piece of their soul or their self? So that's... what, blood? Or did they offer some service? That could be construed as part of their life. Interesting.

Titus's follow-up questions jar him from his thoughts, and he awaits any further answers that may come of them.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:14, Tue 14 July 2015.

Enrei stands from his position watching the interrogation and wanders into the dark to investigate the surroundings of the camp and rune circle for valuables.  It is dark, he may be eaten by a grue.

In reply to Enrei Omal'i (msg # 770):

Enrei wanders at the border of the campfire's wavering yellow light.  The 'encampment' is not much.  A fire, 2 horses tied up by some grass and a feedbag, a few pots and pans set to one side, a hastily dug hole full of nightsoil and a few bags containing blankets, jerkey and some personal effects.

Alone and in the dark, Enrei is eaten by a Grue.

But he gets better.

Back near the fire, the ugly demonspeaker spits in the dirt.

"Kraik, that fucker, left us here to die.  Probably halfway home by now.  If I had my druthers, I'd summon a demon right up his arse."

The archer nods.  "Aye, he always thought he was so clever.  Coward."

The man with the broken arm shakes his head but says nothing.

The demonspeaker stares down Titus and chews his beard for a moment before answering the next question, but directs the response to Brennan.

"Learned from a pair of old bitches in the mountains many years ago."  He smiles broadly.  "Witches no doubt.  I can tell you where they live if that suits you to let me go."

He watches Enrei move in the shadows.

"Quite a host you've got, a Chal'i monster and all.  Kraik figured we should bring some extra muscle to... negotiate with you."  He shrugs.  "And I'm happy to oblige.  Demons love a good negotiation."

"What will you do with us?"  The Archer wonders, directing most of his attention to the large blood-stained bear.  "Not Lord Gent's... you don't bend the knee to Lady Ursula do you?"  He seems concerned.

Ulbear continues to pace around the prisoners on all fours, nudging or growling them at occasionally to maintain their terrified dispositions.

Trading blood for magic; did we do this too?

In reply to Uldaf Asbjorn (msg # 772):

"Negotiations can be a tricky thing. You never know what will be brought to the table... or what it might take to close the deal."

Brennan's eyes fall upon each man in turn, and he folds his arms across his chest.

"Your fate is, as yet, undecided," Brennan says, nodding toward Titus to indicate that the ultimate decision had not yet been spoken. Still, being no actor himself, he's having a hard time staying in character, and intellectual authority creeps back into his voice as he speaks. "But pointing the location of these witches out on a map for us would go a long way toward securing good will."

He smiles mirthlessly.

"Truth be told, your runic circle holds less interest to me than this Kraik fellow. How long has he been able to fly, and where does he call 'home'? Tell us that, along with the location of the witches in the mountains, and I feel confident that my lord will find more than a measure of mercy in his heart.""

In reply to Brennan Otthild (msg # 773):

"It just happened," the archer blurts out quickly.  "A couple days ago he just... learned."

"He's a witch, no doubt," shrugs the demonspeaker.  "Not sure how, but there's no other explanation."

He continues to glare at Brennan.

"Sure I'll point you to the witch's coven, after you've called off your bear and released us.  Not before.  As to where Kraik is going, most likely back to the mountains where our lord camps."

He lowers his voice and glares at the archer.

"As to where THAT is, you'll not get a word.  Our boss doesn't like snitches.  If you want to meet him though, we'd be glad to lead you."

In reply to GM (msg # 774):

Brennan glances at Titus, then at Beardalf, then back at the most defiant of the speakers. Sizing each of the prisoners up, he then turns to Titus.

"My lord, I suggest these men be separated and put to the question individually. That way, they can enjoy your mercy according to how much each deserves."
This message was last edited by the player at 14:35, Wed 15 July 2015.

In reply to Brennan Otthild (msg # 775):

The demonspeaker narrows his eyes and looks from Brennan to Titus.

"Who ARE you lads anyway?  What's a lord doing walking about at night with... whatever the rest of you are?"