"Earthquake!"  someone responded, a woman's voice shrill and she said something else, [Language unknown: Om He t Nepaon Ntrom ec nceoutwhe!]

Other voices raised clamored, some admonishing the woman, others offering their own account.  but one man's voice cried out with bitterness.  "This is not the life we were promised!"
This message was last edited by the player at 13:09, Sat 11 July 2020.

Pushing deeper into the warehouse, the light came from the side-door... it's boards had been carfully removed by someone, and though there wa a magical circle aglow around it, it streamed with light, a glaring contrast to the darkness within.

There was a man on the floor just to the side of the circle,  a stout man with a light tunic and a shaved head.  He was alive, but contorted in a position of pain, and terror, eyes rolled back in his skull.

Just outside the doors, there were a dozen people, all of them cloaked in brown hoods and capes, like monks or penitents.   There were a couple of men, a handful of women and five children.  All of them had rough hemp rope around each wrist--but the rope were not linked... they weren't manacles and they weren't actually tied to anything... so.. they were thick bracelets?  Some of them had severe chafing on the wrists, scratched and worn by long-exposure to the hemp.

"Please, Sir."  One of the men said, his voice low and controlled, with a thick accent.  "We were waitign to load onto the Blackthorn.  Then,
This message was last edited by the player at 00:07, Sun 12 July 2020.

"Damn it!" Arui cursed as the caster ran off.  She was ready to give chase, but the clamoring voices got her attention, and she remembered there were children in peril.  She hesitated for a moment before deciding that the needs of the people were more important than her personal issue with the spell caster.  She followed the voices to where the people were.  "What happened here?!"  She knelt down by the man and looked for signs of his ailment.  "What happened to this man?!"

Action: overcome using knowledge to gain medical information on the fallen man

Roll: 13:51, Today: Arui rolled -2 using 4 Fudge dice.  knowledge +3.

Bonuses: none.  I have nothing that will help with this.

Total: 1

DELETED BY MISTAKE.   -- GM
Thought I quoted it, apparently, I hit "edit" instead.

Cara emerged, warned everyone not to speak of the three (the Gods of Knune), then asked them what had happened.     She then asked Arui who she was to draw blood in this conflict...
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:57, Mon 13 July 2020.

Etzagith continued deeper into the warehouse, looking for Barden, the boys, or whatever is going on in the back.  As always when feeling confused and out of place, the rogue kept to the shadows and moved as silently as a cat.

19:41, Today: Etzagith rolled 0 using 4 Fudge dice.  Stealth (+4) to create an advantage  There's nobody here, after all.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:33, Mon 13 July 2020.

Battered aside by the stone spikes that emerged, Nathan gasped in pain and ignored the question thrown at him by the Oathsworn women - he recognised her garb of black and red enough for that. As she in turn ignored him to cast her fury at the evoker, he shook his head to clear some of the dazedness from it and watched blinking as the mage slipped past him into the corridor. He clambered to his feet though, drawn to the childish voices and pushed deeper into the warehouse behind the Tarenti who had proven herself

Whilst Arui saw to the wounded man, he stepped forward to confront the woman who had declared herself to House Yisil. He spoke softly, but with authority, "I am Nathan Serule, an bound investigator of the City Watch and the Sigiled Fist. This woman acts under my authority in this raid. It is I, in turn, who would know why this fight even occurred?"

Arui was examining the man on the ground when Cara approached and asked, "And who are you to lend aid to this fight?"

She looked up and replied with a shrug the Tarenti idiom, "when the wildcat strikes."
Which was an abbreviated form that people acquainted with the Tarenti would understand

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
"When the wildcat strikes your herd, it doesn't matter what other herd it attacked."  Which roughly translates to "in an emergency, personal claims are less important."

---

She stood, brushed off her skirt, and acknowledged Nathan when he entered.  She offered a salute to Cara, showing her open palm, and said, "I meant no offense, I am Arui, daughter of Tagama, Sentinel of the Tarenti."

@Arui

The crumpled man at the door wore an orderly set of light armor.  He was likely employed as another of the guardsmen in the warehouse.  Possibly, this was the man the fat man had called to?   Bardan?

the wounds on the side of his face weren't terrible, they'd probably end up more like a bad sunburn after a day or two.   A quick once-over of his body also found a sizable goose-egg on the back of his head.   And that's enough to give her the insight that, whoever he was, he'd been hit on the back of the head--hard.  and he was unconscious probably because of that.

One of the cloaked figures took a step forward,.  He was about to answer when Cara stepped into the open doorway.   He didn't answer, but it looked like he'd had something to say to Arui.

He had a dark face, tanned and weathered, and wore a delicate silver chain along hi forehead.  a diadem, though not on the level of ornate or intricacy of the types monarchs wore.


OOC:  Knowledge(+3) is more than sufficient.   It looks like the magical circle was set-off, and then he got hit in the back of the head.   

As Cara stood on the lip of the Blue Sails Warehouse, right in the middle of the spent circle still sputtering the last glow of it's burst of energy, one of the cloaked figures looked up, startled to hear Taal spoken by someone not among them.

A ripple of fear and shock went through the crowd--almost visible and palpable.

"I spoke not of such!  someone called out.  "But of Demeris, he who--"  But she was cut off.  The cloaked figures --there were perhaps a dozen of them--clustered, some evincing obvious and abject fear.  Then, thankfully, The Oathsworn turned her attention to one of her own associates.

[three men, four women, five children]

"We are free men and women."  One of them, the one who'd approached Arui, said, and there was a hardness to his voice. "We fled a structure that was falling down about us.  Would you have had us stay inside and die, Sarkani?"

Side note: Sarkano is actually real-world Latvian for "of the red"...  I thought it seemed appropriate and sounded nicely exotic.  But it's your call whether it' an honorific, an insult or simply a recognition.

"Forgive me, Ser."  A child, dark-skinned and curly-haired, with bright emerald eyes that would have been prized in Khune for their rarity, pushed through and stood just a little ahead of the crowd, hands together, as if she were pleading with Arui.

"Is Master Bardan all right?   I know he didn't mean to set off the circle...  he... he was trying to hurry for us..."

"Bound Investigator Nathan Serule..."

Cara called out.

"... will you and your agent see that no one leaves, and perhaps gain some insight into what was occurring here?  I swear that myself and my companions...."

She looked about, and saw only then that neither Etzagith nor Manaolana was anywhere to be seen.

"... have an explanation for what we are doing here, but it is not one that can just be shouted out to a crowd, and I do not wish to lose these potential witnesses."

Her already furrowed brow deepened as she stared hard at the shattered remnants of the Ritual Circle.

"Are you skilled in such things, Sentinel?"

She asked, gesturing vaguely towards the circle.  She had a strong grasp of some of the magic of this land, but much of it was still foreign to her.

"Does anyone know what this circle was intended to do?"

Describe the Action:  Try and gain some insight into what this Ritual Circle was for.

Roll the Dice:  15:28, Today: Cara rolled -3 using 4 Fudge dice ((-1, -1, 0, -1)).  Ouch

Determine Approach:  Lore (+4), so total of +1

Choose an Action:  Overcome?
This message was last edited by the player at 22:34, Mon 13 July 2020.

Etzagith made his way around the shelving unit to where he could see the gathering crowd.  He looked out on the mass of people from the best hiding place he could find that had a full vantage.  He desperately searched for the twins among them.  I didn't expect to find the twins here, just something that might lead me to them, but maybe it was just that simple.

There are twelve cloaked figures gathered just outside the Blue Sails Warehouse, in a small clearing between building on the north side of the warehouse.  This is the same door through which Etzagith had removed several boards and entered, earlier.

There are five small ones among the cloaked figures.   One of them has approached Arui to ask after Bardan, the body at the doorway (which explains why he didn't respond to Etzagith's faked Hollis call).

There are still four more children-sized people among the cloaked figures.

The little girl who'd approached Arui looked back at the cloaked group and one of them, a female, nodded.

"It was Bardan, Ser." She said, with the deference only a young child could manage, trepidation touching her voice, "He was trying to disable the circle before opening the doors."

Not actually an answer to Cara's question, but at least it identified the body Arui was tending to.

The magical circle... The sigils look like the kind associated with making noise, a distant location, and some sort of mark or curse, probably associated with lightning.

So, a motion-alarm with a zapper on it.

Watching the Tarenthi with the wounded man for a moment, Nathan studied the Oathsworn woman. It was a question of trust and courtesy, which was already strained by the fight and the remarks about her companions. His eyes met the woman's, "It would be easier to accede to your request if your companions made themselves known..."

His fingers twitched, and he called out to the huddle of cloaked men and woman ... and children, "You are under my protection whilst I conduct this investigation, mine and the nomad Arui who tends to your man"

He turned back to Cara, "Once I have my explanation, and if I am comfortable with your intent, you may question them"

Cara had the decency to shrug with a somewhat sheepish look on her normally hawkish features.  It was a strange interplay of emotions.  She looked back the way she had come and shouted out.

"Manaolana?  You missed all the action, you there?"

And waited for a response.  Regardless of if it were forthcoming or not, she withdrew a piece of chalk and began inscribing a small Ritual Circle upon the floor.

"Do you mind if I ensure that what I say is not spied upon?  I will be sharing words that in truth would be better left unspoken, but I don't have much choice in the matter."

If he agreed, then she finished her working and answered his questions as best she could while standing within it.  Her voice was muffled as she spoke, carrying to just his and Arui's ears as if she were simultaneously a great distance away and whispering directly in his ear.

"I can't speak the whole truth, which will do little to appease your suspicions, but I will do what I can.   Someone has taken action against the Queen's inner circle, in a manner both subtle and extremely dangerous.  A pair of her closest advisors have gone missing, and any attempts to trace them with Magic has been for nought, despite the wealth of sympathetic connections available to some of the most skilled Diviners in the kingdom.  A simple warding would not be enough to block such effort.  I do not know if you are aware of the implications of that, but it means that someone has altered the pattern of their essence, breaking the bonds of sympathy.  Fate Magic, extremely dangerous Fate Magic.   A ritual intended to empower that kind of Fate magic could only take place in a concentrated locus of power, a nexus, of which there are currently three in this city.  The first is currently within the Merchant's Quarter, and under the jurisdiction of the College.  The second is here."

She gestured to the broken Ritual Circle, but did not speak of the third.

"As you are likely already aware, this warehouse in controlled by the Ember Blades, one of the many crime families that operates under the Blue Cloak's noses.   I'm guessing that's why you are here?  It seemed a likely place to begin our investigations, and so we started here.  I had thought my companion..."

Again she looked around for Etz, and seeing nothing shook her head dismissively.

"... was to to employ his supposedly great talent for stealthcraft to sneak into the warehouse while I provided a distraction.  Instead he barged in like a bull, and started a brawl.  Now I know not where he is, evidently his knack has finally kicked in."

She sounded irritated, but it was hard to tell if that was just her normal voice or not.

"Not that I have yet displayed any badge of authority to deserve such, just words, but I would hear what you were doing here as well.  You mentioned a raid. Perhaps our purposes are connected?  Then I would tend to the man I cut down before he bleeds out, or the venom I put in his veins takes him."

Describe the Action: Create a Ritual Circle of Shrouds to block any magical or mundane scrying or eavesdropping attempts.

Roll the Dice:
10:03, Today: Cara rolled 2 using 4 Fudge dice ((0, 1, 1, 0)).

Determine Approach: Lore, so total of +6

Choose an Action: Create an advantage.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:07, Tue 14 July 2020.

Etz slipped up closer, as Cara was talking to this new stranger.  The stranger carried an air of authority, which Cara seemed to be acknowledging.  At the very least, he was holding the cultists there, so if the boys were among them, they were at least safe for now.

Cara withdrew a piece of chalk and began inscribing a small Ritual Circle upon the floor.

"Do you mind if I ensure that what I say is not spied upon?  I will be sharing words that in truth would be better left unspoken, but I don't have much choice in the matter."

Hearing that Cara was looking to block any eavesdropping, Etzagith knew he had to be inside the region around which she was protecting if he wanted to be involved in the discussion.  He dropped the illusion ritual that made his cloak appear to be that of Churthen's ducal guard and noted, pleased, that his reversible cloak had its fine side out.  He settled in only a few steps behind Cara, on top of a set of sturdy-looking wooden crates the contents of he did not bother to guess.

He listened to Cara's explanation of the Fate magic and the loci of power.  When she continued on to chiding Etz for barging in like a bull, he nearly spoke out, but decided to let her finish.  Finally she wrapped up with a challenge to the stranger, and then a softer request to tend to the man she had stabbed.

Not waiting for the stranger's response, Etzagith dropped down from his hiding place, just far enough out of reach of either Cara or the stranger that they would not immediately stab him in an alarm reaction.  He held his hands out, to show that he is not a threat.  "Cara, when you thought you were providing a distraction, I had already been inside the warehouse and out again."  He shrugged to indicate that he never needed a distraction.  "When I was in here the first time, I found proof of Duke Churthen's involvement in this action against the Queen's inner circle, and I heard further evidence that THAT man ..." He indicated Hollis.  "... is acting as the Duke's agent.  In his drunken haze, he implicated THAT man, Bardan, though I'm less sure of his role."  With the second accusation, Etz pointed to the unconscious man near the door.

Using the Lurking stunt to have been inside the range of Cara's Cone of Silence Circle of Shrouds and hear her whole speech.  I'll mark off a Seek Shadow point.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:23, Tue 14 July 2020.

A single eyebrow raised when Etzagith materialized from nowhere, and she made a gesture of introduction towards him with her right hand.  She bared her teeth when he chastised her, though it wasn't clear if it was a smile or a threat.

"Ah, see, and here I was so sure I was the one following the plan, and just watching it go to shit.  I stand corrected, and doubly refuted on your skill at stealth besides.  Well done."

She dusted herself off, reaching into her boot and withdrawing a small knife.

"If you're back, then I am going to attend to the man I felled, the one who was trying to murder you.  Call to me if you wish for assistance interrogating the Duke's Agent or Barden.  Unless..."

She paused, her gaze falling on Barden, and then the little girl by Arui.

"... is he still alive?"
This message was last edited by the player at 21:48, Tue 14 July 2020.

Arui took a knee by the child and offered a reassuring smile. "Barden took quite a knock, and he needs to rest, but he'll be alright.  You said he was hurrying you, where were you going?  Do you know if there were any more people going with you?"

The little girl looked up at Arui, innocence and trust blatantly obvious in her expression.   One of the the other cloaked figures--the man who'd spoken back to Cara's admonishment--looked on warily, but neither he nor the woman clutching his side, made any move to interrupt.

"I heard shouting."  the little girl said. "Bardan let us out of the lower chambers.  He wasn't supposed to, but the earthquake!" the girl's eyes went wide. "He was trying to get us outside.  It was really scary.  I like him.  He was nice to me."

"Jacinda."  the woman--possibly the little girl's mother?-- called out. "Come here, honey."

Cara stepped out of the small Ritual Circle she had fashioned, smudging it with a foot as she did. Her eyes scanned the crowd, looking for her people among them.

Describe the Action: Looking for any who might be Khundari in the assembled group.  Specifically looking for "Color and Clan."  Black (but no red) for Great Houses, Midnight blue for Merchant Clans, grey and silver for soldiers, scouts, caravan guards, and warriors, orange for Clanbound, colorless for Clanless.  Any attached to a Clan would have their Clan Sigil displayed somewhere.

Roll the Dice:  22:16, Today: Cara rolled 3 using 4 Fudge dice.

Determine Approach:  Notice, for a total of +5

Choose an Action: Seems like a simple Overcome in case any are trying to hide themselves from me.

Listening to what the Oathsworn woman said - Cara, her unnamed companion had called her, when he appeared as if born from the shadows - Nathan's shoulders twitched from something else, and his eyes were for the huddle of cloaked figures

"You spin a pretty tale, an indigo-flavoured one", he observed softly to both of them, watching their easy banter and speaking as Cara stepped towards the edge of the circle, "Perhaps that flavour comes from the same hidden source; the same veiled source"

He smiled, thin-lipped, as she broached the pattern scrawled upon the dirt, "We breached a similar nexus this morning, but nothing came of it"
This message was last edited by the player at 06:18, Wed 15 July 2020.

As Cara scanned over the group from her vantage point, she'd notice that virtually all of them, male and female alike, old and young, were clothed in simple brown linen robes and cloaks.  There were scant ornaments among them:  the man who'd spoken back to her, called her Sarkani wore a very light silver diadem.  He had a dark face, tanned and weathered.  Hi features could <I.very easily</I> be placed among the commoners of Khune.

However, none of them wore colors or displayed any sigils of any houses.

Also, there is no response from Manaolama.

That might simply be because he's over 100 feet away and beyond a corridor & wall...