Dragoknighte

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Marita Bärbel Human, Cleric, Level 3 HP: 18/18 Armor Class: 16 Conditions: N/A Location: Brindleton's Woodworking Action: Cast a spell: Guidance Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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It didn't take too long into Marita's trip after Victoria to get to the point of where she wasn't exactly sure where to go. She reached an intersection where she was fairly sure she should go right, but there was a good degree of doubt making her second guess herself. So she went to the nearest market stall to ask about Victoria. Behind it was a portly halfling man selling smoked and cured meats.

"Have you seen an elf and lady pass by here?"

"Ah you mean the mistress and her patron?"

"Excuse me?"

"There's no reason for a woman to dress like that if she isn't one of those sorts. Must have been pretty high class too based on how she carried herself. Madame Marcie must have have some connections in order to bring in an exotic beauty like that. Haha." He stops for a moment and checks behind his shoulder. "Don't tell my wife I said that."

"I won't." Marita replied, voice dry of humor.

"Ah right, she went that way," he directed pointing in the direction of Brindleton's Woodworking. The rest of Marita's trip played out in similar fashion. Each villager she asked would have a new story about Victoria's origin with no evidence to back it up, yet was uttered with absolute confidence.

"Bastard of an elf noble, why else carry a fancy sword like that?"

"I saw her perform last night, she's one of the fey in disguise."

"I heard from Rupert that last night she transformed into a demon and tried to eat the souls of passersby in front of the Public House."

By the time she had actually reached the store the quality of her day had taken a significant hit merely out of annoyance and overexposure to the imaginations of people with too much time on their hands. To her surprise, Victoria came out alone right as she walked up to the building.

"It was much easier to find you than to find this place. You make quite the impression on these people it seems." Marita looked at the bit of hair Victoria found and frowned. Even if this was evidence that there had been somebody here performing untoward acts, there wasn't much she could do with this. Perhaps if it were of unusual color or obviously belonging to some particular beast, but such was not the case. As for the sudden disappearance of Sir High Elf, well it wouldn't be the first time in the past 3 days someone she'd just met suddenly left without much explanation. She hoped that it would be the last. Perhaps he, unlike the others could return. At least he wasn't one of the people officially hired onto the job.

"It wouldn't hurt for me to look over this place. The dressmaker should still be there." Marita stepped into the building proper and made a few gestures that the party members possibly found familiar now.

"Blinding Light guide me."

If she was going to search this place, especially after Victoria and Rickard had failed to find anything, she was going to give it her all.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Marita Bärbel Human, Cleric, Level 3 HP: 18/18 Armor Class: 16 Conditions: N/A Location: Bob's Public House->Brindleton's Woodworking (hopefully) Action: N/A Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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"Ah, I see," Marita said in response to Lea's answer about Dufour. She didn't bother asking the obvious follow-up of where else sold liquor. She knew the answer would likely be the Honey Barn. If she didn't hear it she wouldn't need to acknowledge it. The ever-strengthening hunch that they would need to investigate that location only served to vex the cleric further.

Regardless, she didn't have many more questions that immediately sprang to mind, and business was picking up. With one last wave to the staff, she decided to do everyone a favor and take her leave. Lea and Robert could get to work, the customers wouldn't have their service impeded and she would be able to meet back up with Victoria, provided everything went well. Putting aside the very real chance of some outside factor going horrifically wrong as she traveled alone against her own advice, there was still the issue with navigation.

She knew where they had gone, and yesterday they had traveled all throughout town, but a single pass through did not make one intricately familiar with all the routes and locations about town. She would simply need to have faith in her natural born sense of direction. If all else failed she could ask for the half elf in brilliant purple and there was a pretty good chance that somebody would have seen the bard.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Marita Bärbel Human, Cleric, Level 3 HP: 18/18 Armor Class: 16 Conditions: N/A Location: Bob's Public House Action: N/A Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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In the middle of her conversation with Lea, Marita briefly pondered as to what it was she was going to do after this conversation was over. She did not want to sit in the Public House or return to the Hayloft and wait until the rendezvous had come, that would be practically half the day wasted. At the same time, she was the one who had insisted that nobody travel alone. Granted, all the disappearances had taken place near or during the night, these early hours were likely the safest time to take that chance if she was going to.

Still, it was rather vexing that Victoria and Rickard left so abruptly without even trying to wait for her to finish her conversation here. It wasn't like she was planning on flapping her gums for half of an hour. At the very least, couldn't have Victoria have left behind Morty, that Hickory Smoked Affront to the Natural Order? She used him as a watchdog last night, wouldn't it also be possible for the meat product to be a mobile alarm for if something happened to her? For better or worse it seemed like the best option open to her would be to roll the dice and simply try to catch up with her associates when she had a chance.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Marita Bärbel Human, Cleric, Level 3 HP: 18/18 Armor Class: 16 Conditions: N/A Location: Bob's Public House Action: N/A Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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Lea's response was a little dismissive. "Haunted? No... I mean, I haven't heard anything like that, and it's a pretty small town. You know, or so I hear. No, I remember when she first started to complain about it, she felt like she was being watched or followed or something on her way home from here. If she went by the graveyard, she didn't say."

Marita pursed her lips. She knew that was the likely answer, but it was still rather vexing to not have anything that would immediately be of use to her.

"By any chance, are you going to come back tonight? I wouldn't mind splitting tips again if you were." Marita's gut answer was pulled apart to three different directions at once. The good Samaritan and work ethic in her wanted to say yes; chances were that it would be swamped again and she'd probably need the help. On the other hand, the selfish part of her wanted to throw that offer into the infinite Layers of the Abyss. The stress and feeling of ale-soaked arse was still fresh in her mind and there was no desire to repeat that process over again. Lastly, there was the fact that she might not even have the time to put in a shift and it would be in poor form to make a promise she wasn't sure she'd be able to keep.

"I might be busy with other affairs tonight, but if the opportunity presents itself I'll give this establishment another visit. However, if I'd be able to help you and Daisy out with your duties is not entirely up to me." Marita looked over at Robert. He didn't seem to outright dislike the group, but last night he only appeared to accept her help because they were backed into a corner, she honestly wasn't sure which way he would go when it came to her continuing to act as an unofficial part time employee.

This brief moment thinking about something entirely unrelated gave her brain a key to start connecting some dots. Victoria returning from the graveyard. Audrey returning home from work. Was it the fact of returning from somewhere that instigated the paranoia? There was not enough information there for her to say, but if she saw it crop up a third time it would become a pattern, a lead. Which also reminded her of another question she had been meaning to ask.

"By the way," Marita spoke again, her voice lowering back to a whisper, "do you know about Andre Dufour? I heard that he was the town drunk but he also disappeared as well. Would you happen to know anything about that?" The list did say that he was last seen leaving the tavern. She hoped that meant here. It would make the safety of the public house questionable at best; however, the only other tavern-esque establishment she knew of in this town was The Honey Barn and she would prefer to avoid that shed of decadence entirely.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Marita Bärbel Human, Cleric, Level 3 HP: 18/18 Armor Class: 16 Conditions: N/A Location: Bob's Public House Action: N/A Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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Marita entered the Public House to find it mostly empty, as to be expected from a night of heavy drinking and partying. As distasteful as such behavior was, it did make things much easier for her, both insofar as having a measure of privacy as well as simply getting to the people she needed to talk to. She followed behind Victoria to Rickard's table and followed along with their conversation, but did not seat herself along with the others.

"I think I heard about that too," she said in response to the elf, "Youelle Brightcobble I believe her name was. I'm not sure if a dressmaker would be awake at this hour. At least not where we'd be able to access them. So if we talk to them, it might be best to do that a bit later in the day. Excuse me for a moment."

The Cleric took the moment to separate herself from the table. She waved over at Lea and tried to smile to the server personably. What came out ended up looking more like a snarl than anything. Ignorant of this, Marita made her way over to the barmaid and pulled her off to the side.

"There's a few things I need to ask you about," she spoke in a hushed tone, using her hand to block her words from any would-be eavesdroppers that may still be around. "You remember that conversation about Audrey last night? Well my compatriot said she started feeling the same way after she left the graveyard yesterday. Do you remember if Audrey had any business around there, or if she did something out of the ordinary before her paranoia kicked in? I'm starting to worried that place might be haunted." That last sentence was entirely fictional, but she wanted to at least give Lea the plausible deniability that everything they had talked about as far as the disappearing cases went was simply gossip between acquaintances. If the Constable truly wanted to crack down on outsiders and anyone looking into this mystery, the last thing she wanted was to get anyone in trouble when they didn't know what they were getting into.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Marita Bärbel Human, Cleric, Level 3 HP: 18/18 Armor Class: 16 Conditions: N/A Location: Hayloft -> Bob's Public House Action: N/A Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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With everyone awake (and Hugh still absent), Marita had the chance to share what she had peeped upon during her watch.

"During my watch almost nothing happened. However I did happen to overhear a conversation between Robert and the constable. He was very interested in the commotion that happened last night and the whereabouts of the outsiders who had caused it. Robert told him he didn't know where we or the L'Roses were and that he didn't report it because it wasn't more trouble than would be ordinary. When pressed about how much he knew about 'what was happening' Robert insisted he didn't know a thing." With the proper information reported, they could now focus on their plans for the day. Or rather that's what she would have wanted had not people immediately began to make decisions themselves. Sigh.

"I'll go with Victoria to Bob's. I already ate, but I can ask Lea and Rickard about some more things while we're there. You two should probably check on the L'Roses. After that conversation I'm worried about them." On top of her stated intentions, Marita wasn't keen on sticking around for the conversation Kosara and Kathryn were having. Leaving let her escape the whole awkwardness of the situation while allowing her to get to work. Furthermore, if Gregory's cousin was so keen on weeding out outsiders, Rickard might also be a target; even if he was a potential security risk she would rather avoid another name added to the list on her person. The other two girls could work out... whatever it was while she wasn't there.

Before heading out, Marita looked at her shield and contemplated for a moment before she chose to leave it behind. No weapon either. She wasn't going to go around looking like she was going to pick a fight. If the situation changed dramatically, or she needed to leave town she could always come back and grab them, but for the forseeable future she'd just need to rely on her spellcasting to handle things out in town.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Marita Bärbel Human, Cleric, Level 3 HP: 18/18 Armor Class: 18 Conditions: N/A Location: Hayloft 2f->1f Action: Eavesdropping Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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If a source of the feeling of paranoia was not the cemetery itself, perhaps it was still in the area. Or tied to the route that Victoria took from it. It would have been useful right then to have a map that she could cross-reference, but such a fortune was not bequeathed upon them. Regardless, the night was getting on and Marita felt that the end of any productive conversation had come.

"I'll be taking the last watch then. Chances are I'll wake before I need to, but in case I'm not, feel free to wake me up." With that said, the cleric made her way back to her stuff and properly set out trying to sleep. Much to her surprise, despite the circumstances and the environment in which she found herself, the lady of light found herself quickly and effortlessly falling asleep, and when she awoke naturally, she was brimming with energy, ready to take on the days. Even though she was accustomed to waking up early, it was rare to feel so good. Perhaps she had just worn herself out more than she had thought traveling, fighting and working.

Marita signaled to Kathryn that she could go to bed and performed her morning routine, with one notable change: while it was still dark, she performed some light exercises to warm her body and battle against the cold and to make sure she was still in top form. In fact it would be a waste not to take advantage of the excess energy she had. It was just after this impromptu training that Marita noticed some voices coming from outside: the Constable and Robert having a friendly discussion about present company.

Her immediate reaction was that the Constable was absolutely guilty and that he should be thoroughly interrogated as their next course of action. However, her judicial training told her not to come to a verdict before all the evidence had been gathered. He would definitely need to be investigated, but there was a question of how. Also, Robert notably did not sell them out even though he had a chance to. Leah did mention him having a soft spot for adventurers, inaccurate as that descriptor was. It was possible that despite his gruff attitude that he had taken a shine to the party. But that didn't exactly mean that they could trust him, nor that they should press their luck and attempt to rely on him. Something in the back of her head noted Robert explicitly pointing out the L'Roses. That feeling of dread omen returned. After everyone was awake, they should probably check on the family to make sure they're alright.

With that matter finished, Marita went back to her belongings to finish getting ready for the day and her dedicated Watch. She spent the rest of her watch reading and eating breakfast: leftover sausage from the morning before. Idly, she looked up at Morty as she munched and wondered that if that thing had thoughts, would it mind her eating one of its brothers right in front of it? Probably not. Pigs were not the type to be discerning eaters. Other than the one conversation, nothing happened as far as she could tell.

When the time had come, Marita went and woke up everyone who had not already come to. Time to get ready for business.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Marita Bärbel Human, Cleric, Level 3 HP: 18/18 Armor Class: 16 Conditions: N/A Location: Hayloft 2f Action: N/A Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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Marita contemplated Victoria's words for a moment. Now she was in the position Robert was a fortnight prior and damned if she was going to end up failing like him, but the question came is how significant should the anti-abduction countermeasures go? Too little and they lose a third party member since forming up just a day prior, too much and it's time and energy wasted that could be better spent elsewhere. Having made a decision the cleric spoke up once again.

"In light of this news, I think for tonight it might be good to set up watches, as if we were camping out in the wilderness. Given the situation we're in it's not much different in terms of danger. Perhaps in the future we'll be able to make this hayloft more secure at night so we don't have to worry about this every day."

"Kosara, Kathryn, if there's a watch you would rather not have, I'll take it. Fair's fair. Victoria, if you're so inclined you can take the extra sleep or stay up one of the watches for an extra set of eyes. Ideally if you are indeed a target we'd be able to kill two stirges with one stone by intercepting the would-be kidnapping and learning about the identity of the culprit. Even if nothing happens and Victoria simply has had a brief stint of paranoia, I'd much rather be safe than sorry." Marita was the one to bring up additional responsibilities so it was only right that she accept the additional burden of the least favorable job.

"As far as commonalities between the victims go, I haven't been able to find any. Although, the cemetery does pique my interest now. Maybe it's the hidden link between everyone. I'm thinking tomorrow morning I could ask Leah about it, or if she could remember if Audrey had any business there recently before her disappearance." The other peoples and locations brought up by the others were at least worthy of poking around briefly, not to mention the obvious leads provided by The List. This was the only unique point of interest she could think of at that very moment.

"And for nocturnal inquisitions, perhaps if we can get this hayloft more secure on future nights we could, but definitely not tonight and I would rather avoid it if there's no obvious reason to do so. The last thing this mission needs are a bunch of sleep deprived investigators who can't properly think through their plan of action." Not mentioned was how Marita followed a god of Light so she was naturally biased against skulking around in the dark of night.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Marita Bärbel Human, Cleric, Level 3 HP: 18/18 Armor Class: 16 Conditions: N/A Location: Hayloft 1f->2f Action: N/A Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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A proper bath would be very much welcome for Marita. It was a shame that she hadn't been able to go to a bathhouse within the past few weeks or so, even with the impropriety that such establishments invited. Especially given the impending winter freeze, a hot bath would do much to rejuvenate the body and relax the spirit. A flash of bitterness, regret and anger muddled together in the back of her mind as often happened when she thought too much about a comfort she used to take for granted before her excommunication. She shook such thoughts out of her head as she made her way up to the top level of the Hayloft. Sure she could have continued speaking up, but even if they couldn't necessarily be heard from outside, she'd rather not take the chance. Besides, it would be quite bothersome and she could see much better up here.

"I don't think any of us have seen Hugh since this evening, although he may yet return. I hope he didn't do anything stupid that would endanger us or the mission." Loathe as she would to mention it, but having him around would be quite useful if their immediate future involved having to infiltrate a place such as the Municipal building unnoticed. If he didn't show up by morning then they would simply need to adjust and assume he's captured, fled or dead. Marita sat on a bale of hay and got herself as comfortable as she could manage.

"On my end, first I'd like to share the evidence that in hindsight I should have before we entered the township." Marita presented the paper she hand been handed that morning and opened it up, angling it towards the brazier so she could read it aloud as best as she could in the poorly lit Hayloft. How useful it would have been to learn the Light cantrip. "As far as our employer goes, this is everyone who has been confirmed missing along with their last known location:

• Falry Glenfellow - Halfling farmer, male - disappeared after evening meal
• Youelle Brightcobble - Halfling dressmaker's daughter, female - running errands after hours
• Andre Dufour - Human farmhand, male - last seen leaving tavern drunk
• Gerard Porter - Human orphan child, male - didn't show for breakfast at group home
• Audrey Blanc - Human barmaid, female - disappeared walking home after work

Notably, the Audrey we heard about earlier is on the list. I asked the staff of the Public House about her, and she's been missing for about a week. She had been feeling paranoid, like someone was always watching her, and this was disruptive enough for Robert and her to argue about it. He told her she was acting silly and to get over it. Right after she did she vanished. Between Hugh's disappearance, and the fact that every disappearance seems to be happening at night, I'm making it a mandate. Before we have dealt with this issue, no one is to travel alone, especially at night." Perhaps it was a bit overly dramatic to nearly utilize her Voice of Law on that sentence, but she felt it justified. Marita folded the paper back and crossed her legs.

"Furthermore, if any one of us gets a similar feeling of being watched, she should let the others know so we can try to protect her. The rest of the information I accrued may or may not actually factor into the case, but apparently Robert didn't used to be as gruff as he is now. In fact he had taken a shine to a halfling boy, Samthe Rentman who one day learned how to use Hedge Magic before running off to adventure with a Svirfneblin named Carl. He even provided equipment to them. I think he might have been a former adventurer, but that's wandering into the territory of pure conjecture. Aside from that I don't think I have anything else to add." Based on Kathryn's comment earlier she hadn't had any luck, and Victoria was likely busy with the funeral so she wasn't expecting much more to be added, but maybe they'd surprise her. Or the information she gave would present a new revelation.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Marita Bärbel Human, Cleric, Level 3 HP: 18/18 Armor Class: 16 Conditions: N/A Location: Bob's Public House->Hayloft 1f Action: N/A Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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Marita rubbed her temples. There were so many things going wrong here and she did not have the patience for any of it. Luckily, Robert was there to tell everyone to get out so at least she did not have to stick around in the Public House for any longer. When she stepped out of the building she was hit by the cold proper and shivered. It was fortunate that the ale stain had dried out by now, lest her rear end have quickly frozen into a block of ice. There wasn't much time to talk on the way back to the Hayloft so Marita had to choose her topics wisely. Of the issues to deal with on the way to the Hayloft, Marita decided to go for the one most likely to get them in more trouble while they were in town.

"Kosara, I know you think what you did was right, and drunken solicitation isn't good, but you have to understand that you are not home. The same rules don't apply. If I were to act in an official manner overseeing the situation you caused back there I would have found you Guilty and had to give you a proper punishment. What you did back there was commit assault unprovoked on someone who couldn't defend himself. There was no risk to you at all. You had all the power in that situation. It wasn't difficult for you to attack him, it was easy. And all that makes you is a bully. A pretty face won't protect you forever if you keep acting in such a naïve manner." Marita had to stop herself there. She felt herself shifting into preaching mode, she'd be at this for quite awhile if she let herself.

Once in the loft she noted Hugh's continued absence. She prayed he was still out in town doing... whatever it is he did or had fucked off to go act better than everyone he saw in private. She had a bad feeling that he was going to be yet another disappearance, but even he wouldn't be so stupid as to get himself caught on the first day of the job after she directly advised everyone not to travel alone, lest they end up at risk of this exact occurrence coming to pass, would he?

"Victoria," she called up to the second floor, "are you still awake? I'd like if we had a brief group meeting before bed. It would do us good to go over any evidence we might have gathered while it's fresh on the mind." The cleric quickly made her way over to her things and began to dig around. A change of clothes first of all, for hygiene and warmth's sake both; secondly the paper that she had requested from the Sheriff last night. Looking through her belongings she noted a distinct lack of parchment or anything to write on/with. She made a mental note to rectify that tomorrow if possible. A quick change of clothes (her mail and everything beneath stayed put) later she made her way back to the center of the hayloft to wait for everyone else.