RESERVED FOR RESPONSE

RESERVED FOR COMPLETION

POSSIBLY A FOLLOWUP

---

Urvan heads out on the road west, clumsily riding the horse Ippéas saddled for him, Boreas trotting along beside.  The sun is already well above the horizon before he leaves the palace because Ippéas insisted on walking him through how to care for the horse on the journey, how to unsaddle and saddle him correctly, etc.  Urvan realizes that there is a lot in common with taking care of a dog, primarily being aware of the animal's needs and seeing that they are met before the animal is in distress.  Urvan is a little concerned about leaving so late, because Iwo said that he should leave before sunup, but there was so much more to get ready than he calculated.

The first couple of hours are quiet.  The only traffic on the road are farmers and tradespeople bringing their goods to Olympia, most of them headed for the palace.  However, in the late morning, Urvan sees a larger, wealthier group headed towards him.  Are these people from Temecia?  I can't just ask them -- word of a boy asking everyone whether they are from Temecia is likely to get back to Erastoo.  He lands on the solution of asking a guard if he has SEEN the group from Temecia on their way to Olympia, to which he receives a negative answer.  As the day progresses to noon, Urvan realizes that it will be slow-going; his hopes of traveling light and fast is ruined by his need not to pass his quarry by.  He passes three other groups using the same technique, and arrives in Osmeisley in mid-afternoon.

---

Scarlet returns to the cat tent to find that Erikus has moved the four cages into a U shape and he is sitting in the middle of them, hugging his knees.  The three cats are bedded down for the night and Tigis's cage is properly prepared, as is her dish of food next to the cage.

If you want to say or do anything else that night, you're welcome to, but I'm going to move forward.

The following morning the caravan heads out, as usual.  Late that afternoon, however, their operational standard changes.  Until now, the group has been avoiding the towns along the way, camping just outside them, usually in a farmer's field.  (Scarlet imagines that these farmers are paid for the inconvenience, or maybe not.)  However, this evening they enter the town -- a small city, really -- that Scarlet learns is called Osmeisley.  It is the crossroads of the main north-south road and the east-west road that span Elláda.  Warnings are passed through the caravan to stay well clear of the sketchy bars, the gambling dens, and the brothels, at least, if you don't want to find yourself waking up in an alley stripped clean of all valuables.

Scouts who were sent ahead lead the group to a warehouse and stables that can accommodate their train.  The nobles are led to a publick house where rooms have already been reserved.  Scarlet wonders if she is expected to stay with the cats in the warehouse or if there are quarters for her, but no one seems to have considered her in the planning.

Scarlet returns to the cats and the catboy with an eery calm pace, as if nothing had happened, or killing a lad was the most relaxing thing in the world.

"You are safe, they won't be back," she tells him softly, and goes to bed.

And wakes up thrice, from dreams she can't quite remember except that they feature Tigris feasting on Erikus' severed head, as if by some bizarre mistake she had beheaded the wrong boy.

So the next morning Scarlet is grumpy and uncommunicative, and by the time they arrive in town she is more than eager to do something different instead of bedding down as usual: partially because it's the first time she spends a night outside Castle Moresby, partially because she fears having the same nightmares.

So she heads to the inn, planning on asking for a room and perhaps mingling with the nobles for as long as possible before she has to retire for the night.

10:13, Today: Zag, on behalf of Scarlet d'Ardelle, rolled 23 using 1d20+8.  Diplomacy - Information Gathering

Scarlet walks to the center of the town, where the two main roads intersect.  She can see two publick houses right at the intersection, The Vulgar Unicorn and McAnally's; and she sees another, The Prancing Pony, just beyond the intersection.  Unsure where to go, she spots a guard shack at the intersection, squeezed in between The Prancing Pony and a temple to Hermes.  After giving the guard a few silvers, she learns the names of the inns and pubs in the town.  He drawls, "Ahh don't reckon you'll find any rooms, though, missie.  There's a big group in town that bought up all the rooms."

• Vulgar Unicorn:  Bar and Brothel, a real dive.  This has rooms that are generally rented by the hour, many of which are reserved for the girls who work there.
• Prancing Pony:  Inn and publick house.  The nicest available, but still not that nice.
• McAnally's:  Pub only.  Nicer than most
• The Hog's Head:  Rough bar.  Has a few dozen rooms, plus a couple of large sleeping halls where you can get a bed but no privacy.
• Ten Forward:  The largest inn, has an attached bar that is generally quiet

This message was last edited by the GM at 16:24, Sat 03 Sept 2022.

Scarlet absorbs the information, excited by the idea of being on her own in a bit city for the first time. She'd like to sneak into the seediest dives just to see what they are like, but she stops herself and heads for the Prancing Pony - reasoning that, as the fanciest of the bunch, it must attract the most distinguished clientele... The one Scarlet would like to spy or eavesdrop on.

Sorry, I should have thought to ask, since it affects how you'll be greeted.  Do you have Tigris with you?  If so, we'll have to assume that she is leashed or you would have gotten grief from the guard.  You probably would have gotten at least comment and warning, but I wasn't thinking about it.  I'll describe the scene, at least, but how much attention you draw will depend on whether she is there.

Scarlet enters through a door in the middle of the building.  The room opens out to her left, but a wall extends a dozen feet forward on her right, blocking her view from that half of the room.  Long tables with benches extend to the right beyond where she can see, and smaller tables with chairs are squeezed into any nook.  Every seat is taken and more people are standing, some are even sitting on the tables.  A fire burns in the fireplace on the left wall; with so many folks crowded on the hearth that Scarlet wonders if anyone has been accidentally pushed in.  The bar along the far wall has every stool occupied and at least as many people standing.  In the chaos, she spots two of the knights who are part of the castle entourage seated at the far end of the nearest long table and she feels a slight relief at spotting a familiar face.

The noise is just a din, a wall of sound, with no one voice climbing above any others.  Suddenly there is a loud THUMP just to Scarlet's right that makes her duck instinctively.  She is touching the doorframe on her right, and can feel the vibrations of something heavy slamming into the wall just beyond it.  Surprisingly, no one in the room seems to react to it.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:03, Sat 03 Sept 2022.

Having left Tigris with the other cats (she is a bit worried the kitty might get disoriented or even lost in the din and confusion of a new environment), Scarlet enters the inn with a mixture of excitement and curiosity, touched with a note of revulsion: this is how the lower classes live?

The place is bursting with people, and she instantly knows she'll have to carve some soace for herself if she wants any: nobody is going to step aside and nod deferentially. Wild places.

Carefully, she walks a few paces ahead, enough to clear the right-hand wall and look to her right, to check what causes that massive impact she has felt as well as geard...

Scarlet squeezes along the wall, the wooden planks of the floor are sticky and pull at her shoes.  The odor in the room, a mix of stale beer and body odor, is overwhelming.  Rounding the corner of the wall, she sees the only open space in this large room.  A few men stand in front of the space and there is a target at the far end, near the front of the building.

She recognizes Sir Heger Ledath discussing something with a shorter man as a huge, brute of a man standing next to Sir Heger draws back an axe and sinks it into the target.  It sticks deeply into the target at the circle nearest the bullseye, and Scarlet can see another axe stuck in the wall behind the target.  No doubt this was the source of the sound.

"Any others?" calls out the short man Sir Heger was just talking to.  "Anyone else?  The valiant and powerful Sir Angus Karllsen is now a 3-to-1 favorite over Sir Heger Ledath.  Accepting bets on both sides."  Several men milling about hand the man coins, for which they each receive a wooden token.

Unthinkingly, Scarlet's hands move to her hair (how do her locks look today), face (gods, does she look tired?) and decolletage (that's what all men want to see right?), compulsively arranging and smoothing and fussing over. She takes a deep breath, bidding herself not blush and she takes a step forward, trying to keep her movements gracious in spite of the sticky floors and crowded spaces.

"Why, sir Heger! Fancy bumping into you in such a place, what a coincidence!" she coos sweetly, hating herself for the way she's probably making it sound like not a coincidence at all...

"I, uhm, just came... I'm coming, I mean, from the..." she jerks a thumb over her shoulder, now actually blushing. "The cats. Acheron. I wanted to commend the way you took care of that puss. Looks so happy."

I should have said that you've run into him two or three times by now, when he came to visit Archon or take him for a walk, which he's done every day after the first.  We can assume that you never really had a chance to talk beyond a hello and discussing feeding and exercise schedules.  You've also been summoned to bring Darling's two cats to her twice in the 8 days you've been travelling, but didn't particularly interact with her; he is a more involved owner than the duchess.  I sort of had this in my head when I introduced him, but never actually said it.

"Scarlet!" Heger exclaims.  He looks around quickly, as if scanning for a threat.  "You shouldn't ...  Is everything OK?"  The din in the room is such that he is shouting but Scarlet can barely understand him.  She repeats her message, shouting, and he nods and smiles.  "He's a good kitty -- strong, healthy.  But you shouldn't be here -- this is a rough place."  He puts an arm on her shoulder in a brotherly, protective way.

The short man, whom Scarlet now realizes has some freakish ability to project his voice, tugs at Heger's arm.  "You're up, but you're already locked out."  He gestures to the target, where one axe is in the bullseye and two more are in the next ring.

"No I'm not," shouts Heger. "White line."

"Too crowded," replies the man, "and you'd still need three for three."

"White line," Heger repeats in a flat tone that brooks no argument.  The man shrugs, then starts to shout at the crowd, moving them back in order to extend the throwing lane.  Scarlet can see a white line painted on the floor about half way between where she stands and the far wall.  Once the crowd is involved in clearing the lane (which includes moving two tables), the man returns to collecting bets, though he seems to have few takers.  The odds have gone up to seven-to-one on Sir Heger, and only 11-to-10 for Sir Angus.

Heger grins and winks at Scarlet.  Bending over, he says directly into her ear, "Go buy a chip."
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:18, Wed 07 Sept 2022.

Scarlet was already slightly trembling, but his touch makes her shiver. She wants to run away and bury herself in a hole and die. She also wants to stay right where she is forever, basking in the warmth of his hand.

She doesn't know anything about lines of any color, but when he speaks in her ear it's like lightning, as if all the energy that had suddenly drained from her was poured again into her body, pumped in high pressure.

"Yes, yesyesyes, of course," she stammers, and goes 'buy a chip', whatever that means, walking mechanically like a windup doll Heger has set in motion.

It's about betting, she hazily gathers, so equally mechanically she pulls out all her money and hands it over to the bookie.

"All on Sir Heger, please," seh asks, almost begs. The mere idea of *not* betting for him, not going all in, is unthinkable right now.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:08, Fri 16 Sept 2022.

Scarlet pulls a total of 33 gold pieces worth from a couple of different pockets, including two platinum pieces from her shoes.  The man looks at it and says, "I can't give you seven-to-one on this much.  Five-to-one."  Scarlet nods agreement and he takes the money, handing her 4 chips.  There are 3 chips that say 10 @ 5/ and one that says 3 @ 5/.

The commotion of clearing the longer throwing lane has drawn the attention of the entire crowd.  The short man is calling out "Final bets now!  Five-to-one on Sir Heger, 11-to-10 for Sir Angus."  It doesn't seem that five-to-one is enough incentive to get people lining up for a white line gambit.

Heger accepts the three axes and steps to the line.  He looks around the crowd and is obviously reveling in the attention.  He flips one axe high in the air, allowing it to make three full revolutions before catching it deftly.  In only a split second from catching it, he flings the large axe in a long, flat arc towards the target, where it thunks solidly on the left third of the bullseye.

After a gasp by the crowd, there are shouts of "Not in!  Not in!" along with a few competing shouts of "three-fourths."  The short man walks over to the target and inspects the axe.  He holds up his hand with thumb and finger indicating the tiniest measurement, and he declares in his booming voice "IN!"  As the bookie steps out of the throwing lane, a few desperate men approach him, holding out their last coins, but he waves them off.  "No more bets.  The final turn is underway."

Sir Heger Ledath stands stock still at the white line while the attention is on the short man, but he seems to glow when all eyes focus back on him.  He reaches back with the axe, as if preparing a massive throw, but then reaches even further to scratch his back with the weapon.  As the laughter dies down, he launches the second axe as perfectly as the first, leaving it solidly in the right third of the bullseye.  While there are a few shouts of "Not in!" they quickly die down -- the second axe is clearly aligned with the first.

Scarlet watches the knight line up for his last shot.  He wipes his brow, then carefully dries his hand and the handle of the axe with a rag.  She realizes that he is doing it for effect rather than necessity, and she recognizes with her own acting talent that he is stretching out the scene to create the perfect level of suspense.  He peers at the target as the crowd noises die down.  Just as they hit a nadir, he lets the axe fly, making one full revolution in the air and landing perfectly between the other two.  The room erupts with noise.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:12, Fri 16 Sept 2022.

Scarlet can't help but to fangirl every second of it; not that she's actually making any effort to help it. She gasps at the adequate moments, then cheers, and when it's finally over, she discovers her knuckles a che and she has been fishing her nails into her palms. She's elated but I'm some way, it was no surprise. Maybe it was instinct, maybe it was the telltale signs of a consummate actor playing his audience because he knows beyond a doubt he's going to make it. Or maybe it's just the heady effects of teenage infatuation, but when she finds herself hugging Sir Heger, she knows it was always coming to this.

"Gods of the Olympus, you are incredible, Sir Heger!", she stammers excitedly, blushing head to toe when she realizes she's, well, in full contact with the man, and more than a bit flustered.

Sir Heger holds Scarlet by the shoulders at arms' length and looks her over.  He is smiling broadly, but he sucks in his lips in a bemused grin and shakes his head very slightly.  "Such a pretty little thing you are.  But I don't think I'm ready to face Annie's wrath."  He pauses a moment, and his tone changes from wistful to paternal, "you should go collect your winnings."

Scarlet gets in line to see the short man and his very large companion, a man even taller and broader than Sir Angus.  Most of the chips, those with orange print, are returned for just a copper piece; many of the people just wave off the pennies.  Those with green print are paid handsomely.  When Scarlet hands over her chips, the short man drops ten platinum pieces in her hand, then counts out another 65 gold pieces in stacks of 5 on the table beside him.  She drops them all into her pouch, which now holds more coin than it was really made for.

Scarlet turns back towards Sir Heger, but the mob of congratulators around him is impenetrable.

A spectrum of emotions pass through Scarlet's gace like an accelerated parade: bliss (at the compliment), then disappointment (at the rejection), then pleasure (at him having noticed her in THAT way), then anger (at the way Mother has managed to thwart her once again, without even being present or willing).

Scarlet's ears and cheeks are burning red while she queues, and she almost doesn't notice the small fortune (for her standards) she is being handed. A hundred and sixty-five, more money than she has ever had. She has no idea of its actual value or what she could afford with it, since she has lived all her life in Castle Moresby, where no disbursement is actually necessary, beyond tipping servants or as betting chips. So she shrugs and makes to leave, not wanting to go through the humiliation of waiting on the sidelines for Sir Heger to condescend to her again.

Once outside, she randomly walks into the McAnal, hoping for a quiet dinner...

Scarlet steps out of the overwhelming din that fills the barroom.  The outside is hardly quiet, but seems like such a relief from the wall of sound inside.  She remembers belatedly that her purpose in coming in to town was to find a room for the night.  She forgot to ask, but it is quite clear from the crowd that there are no rooms available in the Prancing Pony.  Spotting McAnally's down the street, she decides to go see what is happening there.

Suddenly, she is reminded of the game she has been playing with Tigris over the past year.  Her cat will hide in her room, or will run ahead in a hallway, then try to pounce on her from the shadows.  Scarlet has gotten to where she can sense Tigris preparing the attack without even being able to see her; and Scarlet will duck at the last minute.  Often she can even twist to make a counter attack, grabbing the kitten by the scruff and starting a wrestling match.  She has always figured that it was some special ability that anyone makes with an animal they bond with.

She is reminded because she feels the same sense right now, but sharper and less playful.  If she passes the next corner, two more steps away, she is going to be attacked.

(What did you think would happen if you win a bunch of money?)
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:23, Wed 21 Sept 2022.

The possibility, nay, probability of an ambush has been in the back of Scarlet's mind since she left the caravan, for this is uncharted waters for her. Considering how even one of the caravan lads dared hit her, how much more dangerous won't the outer world be?

But the memory of the offender gurgling his own lifeblood brings a dark frisson to her mind, and her heart beats faster. Silently she unsheathes her fine rapier, relishing the lightness of the blade in her hand. Moonlight makes it a fine, silvery needle.

Yes, to dye it dark red might attenuate the earlier frustration.

With her off hand she takes off her cloak, and throws it in front of her, beyond the corner. As soon as the would-be ambusher rushes the empty piece of clothing, Scarlet will step forward and run him through, giving him a taste of his own medicine...

Adrenaline Rush!

Not either of the things that I thought you might do.  I like it!  You did say you were trying to draw the rapier silently, so I'll give you a straight Sleight of hand against his Perception, and I guess the other action is a bluff, so I'll use the feint rules.
15:56, Today: Zag, on behalf of Scarlet d'Ardelle, rolled 21 using 1d20+8.  Draw the rapier silently.
15:56, Today: Zag, on behalf of Scarlet d'Ardelle, rolled 25 using 1d20+10.  Bluff the ambusher with cloak.
16:07, Today: Secret Roll: Zag, on behalf of Scarlet d'Ardelle, rolled 24 using 1d20+9.  Perception
That last was to hear the guy above, which you only needed to beat a 13.  It was a secret roll because I wouldn't have told you about it if you had failed.

After slipping the rapier from its sheath with hardly a whisper, Scarlet pulls off her cloak and tosses it forward.  Just as a tall figure steps out of the alley to put a broad arm around the empty cloak, she hears from above, "Vasanízo!  Wait!"  There must be an accomplice on the roof.

Her assailant, grabbing an empty cloak when he was expecting a struggling girl, is thrown off balance, leaning back awkwardly back into the alley.

You have a surprise round with him flat-footed (i.e. you get a sneak attack).  You can take an attack and then roll initiative for the first full round.

I would like to point out that you're on questionable legal grounds, here.  "Why did you attack him?"  "Well, he grabbed my cloak, which I threw ahead of me because I knew he was going to jump me."  "How did you know that?"  "I had a feeling."  "hmmm.  OK, come with us, now."
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:30, Thu 22 Sept 2022.

"I'm the daughter of a Duke, he's some street ruffian," sounds like an argument-ending proposition.

Scarlet d'Ardelle rolled 18,7 using d20+3,d6+2.  Rapier.

Smilingly tightly as the brigand falls into her trap, Scarlet turns the tables on him, rapier flashing towards his chest...

Remind me how intiiative worked? And is he still alive?

07:56, Today: Zag, on behalf of Scarlet d'Ardelle, rolled 5 using 1d6.  Additional sneak attack damage.
and +1 for Adrenaline Rush, so total damage is 13
07:58, Today: Zag rolled 12,20 using d20+5,d20+2.  Initiative Scarlet, Ruffian.
08:49, Today: Zag, for the NPC Ruffian, rolled 7,9 using d20-1,d6+3.  Attempting lethal strike with sap.

Scarlet's precise attack slides through a gap in the studs that cover the ruffian's leather armor, plunging deeply into his chest.  He gasps out, "You BITCH!" but the words seem to lack the appropriate force.  In his fury, he swings his blackjack wildly, attempting to take the girl's head off with the normally nonlethal weapon.  Fortunately for Scarlet, the undisciplined attack is not even close.

He shakes his head to restore his sanity, then steps back into the alley in a tactical retreat.  As he steps backwards, he drops his sap and draws a long sword.

He took a 5-foot-step backwards.  You can close with him and attack, or run away, as you like.  Since you're no longer in his area of influence, he will not get an Attack of Opportunity if you run.

This message was last edited by the GM at 16:41, Fri 23 Sept 2022.

Scarlet d'Ardelle rolled 21,4 using d20+3,d6+2.  Rapier

Damage 5

... Scarlet's tight smile of deadly concentration becomes a full grin as she feels her slender blade sink deep into flesh, and she almost guffaws at his imprecation. There's a dark elation in putting the fear of her steel into the heart of a grown-up man, and a professional brigand at that, not just some drunk stable hand.

She goes in for the kill, seeking to close the distance before he can use the scary looking sword effectively, rapier-point digging for his chest again like an angry hornet...

12:36, Today: Zag, for the NPC Ruffian 2, rolled 16 using 1d20+6.  Acrobatics.
12:39, Today: Zag, for the NPC Ruffian 2, rolled 3,5 using d20+2,d6+1.  sap.
12:39, Today: Zag, for the NPC Ruffian 1, rolled 21,4 using d20+4,d8+3.  long sword.

As Scarlet steps forward to stab the large man a second time, she hears the man who had been acting as lookout on the roof drop into place behind her.  The man tried to hit Scarlet on the back of the neck with a blackjack, but he must not have caught his balance after his jump and the blow is not even close.  The man in front of her seems to be in rough shape, even gasping out some flecks of blood, but that doesn't seem to have slowed him down.  His fury remains unabated, but it seems more controlled, now.  He deftly moves his longsword around her guard and slashes her on the upper arm.

Scarlet:  4 points lethal damage

Scarlet d'Ardelle rolled 22,7 using d20+3,d6+2.  Rapier (used the wrong roll before).

That would be Damage 8

If it wasn't for the adrenaline rush, Scarlet would have felt the pain, and more importantly, would have felt the fear. Not two years, not twenty years of fencing practice compare to actually fighting for your life against a foe determine to end it. Scarlet would have turned and fled, if the pain didn't do it then the sight of her own blood, and if not that, then the knowledge that she was surrounded.

But she was lost in a blur of speed and bloodlust, and her only escape route had just been cut off, so she thrusted forward again, hitting the first ruffian for the third time, knowing at some level of intuition that her only way out was forward.

"Guards! Help! Murder! To me the guard!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, too.