Shoe Thief

Call of Cthulhu - Talbott's Investigators of Mysteries Enlightened

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Margarete O'Bryon

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Location: Dodge Brothers' office, Gamwell Massachusetts.
Hit Points: 13 Sanity Points: 46 Luck: 75
Mental State: Sane
Skill:

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The heavy footfalls that could be heard as Margarete stepped into the office could be mistaken for heavy combat boots to an untrained ear. In actuality, they were a nice, well built, durable, and very solid dress flats. Her determined stepped and her shear size had put a lot of force into each and every step. Each step more sure of itself than the last. Stepping into the office, it was much what one could expect from Lawyers. It was organized. Enough so at least. There were things that could have been done better, but nothing her eyes had locked onto. But she was on guard. When she had stepped out of her vehicle she had taken note of who she presumed were the Dodge brothers looking down on her. Three of them. She couldn't read their facial expressions from this distance. But she also knew that they were here to get the same job done. Though, she feared ulterior motives. Though without any reasonable suspicion she would not need to go at this like they were at ends. But she needed to keep enough control of the situation so that way anyone thinking of trying anything would think twice about it. She did debate taking her grandfather's service revolver with her. But she also worried that would send the wrong message. She wanted to be imposing, not intimidating. She was here as an intellectual, not a hired gun. So she'd leave the .45 in the glovebox. She supposed if worse came to worse, there was always the brass knuckles that sat in her purse.

Stepping up the stairs made a comparable sound. The heavy footfalls approaching closer and closer to the office as she stepped forward. Stepping into the office, she realized that trying to be imposing without intimidating would be a challenge. Not because there were three of them making it harder, but because they came across as rather timid. She'd need to be careful. But much like herself, they were apart of the intellectual community. Even if Lawyers were... well Lawyers. As Margarete stepped forward to the desk, the brother in the middle had offered his hand to shake. This was already going poorly. She had no idea where this man's hand had been, but there was no one else to shake it. She could reject the gesture. Ignoring how rude such a reply would be it came with other complications. These men came across as men who would buckle the moment she gave a stern tone towards them. She needed to keep things as professional and as civil as possible. That would mean sucking up her pride and touching whatever this man had touched since he last washed his hands. She hoped to god this town had running water.

Margarete reached out with her own hands, hiding her reservations and giving a firm handshake before speaking. "Gentlemen.". She spoke in a deep and professional tone. Then she quickly withdrew her hand to straiten her blouse. As well as to subtly rub her hand against her it. She really hoped this town had running water, she would need to do laundry while she was here. She sat in her chair and listened closely as the brothers explained their situation. Making sure to not interrupt, or to miss too many notes. She was far from the best listener though. She had near crippling focusing problems growing up, problems her parents had aggressively hammered out of her with the help of various education systems. But remnants still stayed.

As she listened, she took note of Walter seeming to imply she was little more than a tool to be guided. Her smile grew at the comments. She wouldn't mention it though. Maybe he didn't mean it that way? Maybe he actually thought of her that way. It didn't matter. Margarete showing her disdain wouldn't help anyone. Her forced smile would hide that well enough. The job seemed pretty strait forward, but as a whole there was so much still unknown. But that is where the big dollars came in. And if she was lucky, answers. And though she was by far not the smartest lass of the bunch, she had a decent skill for asking questions and collecting information. Even if she couldn't always utilize it. Margarete leaned in on her seat as Walter finished talking. Her emotionless scared face locking onto his almost as if she was a haunting dream. When he did finish speaking she eventually leaned back, seemed to mentally pause a moment as she pondered the situation, the questions asked and the offers given.

The imposing force of a woman stood, walked to a bookshelf along the side of the room, and swiped her finger across it, pulling off the dust with a hint of annoyance. "I'll make this work. But you will need to meet all of my requests. Any that fall short will hinder the investigation." She turned back to the brothers, standing tall and proud with her arms behind her back as she spoke. "The very first thing I will need are two lists of Mr. Cornthwaite's financial dealings for the last six weeks. One list for anything $50 or more, and the other for everything else." She figured the big ticket items would draw be the biggest hints, but she didn't want to leave anything to chance. "I will want to know what the transaction was for, when it happened, who was getting paid, the more details the better. If you don't know, mark it so. Unknown is still important information." Margarete began pacing across the office, as if walking helped her focus on her thought process, and helped keep her thinker working up to par. As she walked and talked, one of her hands would break free from her grasp behind her back, and seem to go about in front of her and move as she spoke. As if guiding her words as she spoke. "As well gentlemen. I will need a record of all known locations for the last month. Days and dates would be best, but if you are unsure, mark it so."

Margarete paused mid stride, her train of thought stumped. She began to look frustrated as she attempted to regain some semblance of a thought process, soon taking a deep breath, and began a mental recap of the points she covered. She took another breath and continued pacing. "We will need keys, and a list of all known valuables in the house. If something is missing, or is present we were unaware of, it could be a clue to his location or his thought process before he went missing. As well, any locked doors we should have access too. If we have unobstructed access, I would like to know if we should be concerned finding a room we don't have access towards." She paused, remembering the firearms she kept in the car, and remembered how jumpy she would get after she came home from the war. "Does Mr. Cornthwaite keep any firearms in his home? I'd like to know if there is a risk of getting shot by a man who thought he was hiding if he gets found in some sort of half hidden room." She had gotten better. She still slept with a loaded gun by her side, but she was nowhere near as jumpy as she was when she got home. If this whole thing turned out to be some rich asshole who got spooked into hiding in his basement, Margarete would be thoroughly pissed. She'd still get paid, but she wouldn't get any answers. And crazy loons with guns were very low on her priority list to meet.

Margarete took another look around the room before looking at the brothers again. "And if I were in your shoes, I would hire a maid. This place needs to be touched up. These are no conditions for a professional environment." Her tone was serious, but apart of it almost seemed like a desperate plea. "How soon can you get everything I requested? I shall be meeting with the others soon enough." She could have let them think she was the only one, but alas, apart of her enjoyed keeping and air of mystery about her person.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Kathryn Pyke Human, Battle Master, Level 03 HP: 27 / 31 Armor Class: 22 Conditions: N/A Location: F11 -->E13 Action: Attack action against Right most Cage Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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"KOSARA!" Kathryn would call out seeing her friend getting blasted. The blow looked bad, very bad. One that would outright kill many. The quick glance that Kathryn got, the blow looked near lethal on its own. To Kathryn's relieved surprise, Kosara began healing up rather fast. Magic? Must have been. How else would one recover from such grievous woulds so rapidly?! She took note to see what she could learn of magic. But even as Kosara healed, Kathryn saw a rage within the small tiefling that spooked her as well. She hoped Cavendish knew just how much trouble he was in. Though thinking of it, maybe better he didn't. Kathryn really didn't want to give chase if she didn't have too. Once her thoughts cleared of the danger present, Kathryn took a split second to look about. Marita and Blackberry were working on dismantling one cage with those trapped inside. She pondered if she should help there, but the two of them likely had that in hand. Looking behind her she noticed the second cage. They had made some progress with the short sword they had been given, but they still had a ways to go. Kathryn hoped that getting the hostages out would maybe make it harder for Cavendish to cause as much damage as he could. If Cavendish wanted to land blows, he would need to do so in self defense.

Kathryn made a beeline for the right most cage. Through her battered and beaten helm Kathryn's voice was muffled by steel as she spoke. "Nice ta see ya again Daisy. Now, stand back." She gave a glance to everyone else in the cage as well. "The rest of you lot as well! Step back!" Kathryn tried to put her step behind her blow as she whacked the hammer into the bars. There was an audible crack, and she she could see the bar visibly splinter as she withdrew the blunt weapon. "Fuck." Kathryn mumbled. Albeit, sharply. It was rare anything not made of metal didn't just bend or break to her will, and when she really needed it to for once it failed to do so. She turned to keep an eye on Cavendish, only to see him fighting his own rats?! Then upon a closer look, saw that they weren't his own. They were the ones that had been squashed, burned, and otherwise had faced rather gruesome deaths. Her first thought was Victoria, and taking a glance back to her, she saw that was very much true.

It took Kathryn a moment to completely process that the necromancer she had met who had a walking undead pig with her could reanimate the dead. In that moment, she felt like a fool for not putting that together sooner. "Oi! Victoria, can ya please clear a path to the Bastard? Or just keep him pinned?" Kathryn said in her most polite tone. As least as polite as one could muster in the heat of the moment while their head was encased in steel. She also had no idea what the extent of the abilities their lovely bard had. Seeing how Cavendish was reacting though? She hoped that the former constable wouldn't be able to do to much more damage before Kathryn got a go at him.

@Sigil OKAY! Got some Kathryn stuff's in, time for our lovely Constable to return the favor!

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Kathryn Pyke Human, Battle Master, Level 03 HP: 27 / 31 Armor Class: 22 Conditions: N/A Location: G11 --{Swapped with Victoria}--> F11 Action: Bait and Switch/Attack Action X2 Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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The moment the beast lashed out at Victoria Kathryn was reminded of the battle with the goblins. This thing however, would hit considerably harder. She saw Marita already taking place to block the path as Cavendish had ordered the beast to take revenge against the princess. Kathryn once again, found herself sidelined while several other party members found themselves in the line of fire. This would not do, this would not do at all. Though she appreciated the thought from Marita, Kathryn needed to make sure that they didn't take too much more of a beating. And she hoped that the beast would have a considerably harder time dishing out punishment to her than the others. Kathryn was already in action by the time the beast had finished its second strike against Victoria, and was determined to give the beast as much of a punishment as she could muster.

Kosara being the amazing tiefling she was made sure to remind Cavendish that this was not a fight he would be able to sit out until he was ready. Making sure to continuously pound him with magical blasts. She knew there were other things going on in the battle, such as Cavendish killing his own beast, and Blackberry backing off a bit to give a helping hand to those trapped within the cage still. Though she couldn't afford to pass more than a glance to him, she was glad to see him getting a moment to not be beaten into a pulp. She wondered how he had taking such a beating, and wondered if monks were able to take punishment far better than she thought? But again, these were background thoughts as Kathryn slid into place in front of Victoria.

Kathryn's hammer had been placed in front of Victoria as Kathryn's shield took the lead, the hammer gently nudging Victoria into safety behind the half giant fighter as if a concerned parent was directing their child away from the stranger who may have had ill intention. As the shield was brought close to the beast Kathryn's stance in a smooth transition that would take less than a second in real time would switch from a run into a stance that would plant her boots firmly into the stonework as the once gentle hammer that had guided Victoria to safety behind her had begun to speed up in the other direction, giving a wide arc off to Kathryn's side as Marita finished dishing out her share of punishment. And with a fleshy crunch sound Kathryn's hammer made contact with the beast's head causing a violent jerk, and causing the beast to finally stumble. One step, two steps, and a third to correct itself. Then as it fell to its knees, otherwise just as motionless as it had been after every other blow it had taken. The party would have been able to have a great look at the back of the beast's head now that it's orientation had changed, and Cavendish would be able to should he have chosen so be able to look once final time into the beast's eyes as it's massive form fell over between the party, and this town's villain.

Kathryn was speechless. The last of the beasts were dead, and the goons were nowhere to be see. Kathryn felt like forever had passed since she stopped looking at the now dead monster, and her head had quickly turned. The visor of the dented, scratched, and blood stained helm locking with Cavendish in a flash of a moment. In reality, between the killing blow, the beast falling, and Kathryn locking eyes with the former constable, barely a few seconds have passed. Kathryn had no offer of surrender this time. She had given the man three chances now. And the third, he had elected to target the locals. He made his views clear on how much he valued his life, and if he wanted to live to see a trial, that would have to be his choice. Kathryn had given him plenty of chances to back down before things escalated. And she hoped the rest of the party felt the same way. Kathryn returned to her fighting stance, shield up, hammer ready to swing.

@Sigil Ready for our next challenger!! Unless Cavendish is out of cards.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Kathryn Pyke Human, Battle Master, Level 03 HP: 27 / 31 Armor Class: 19 Conditions: N/A Location: F8 --> G11 Action: A little Push Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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As Cavendish continued to speak his strange tongue Kathryn thought of all the ways she would plant him into the ground for his attempt at cursing her. What gave the half giant comfort, he seemed to be having a pretty rough day himself. And they hadn't even gotten into melee range of him yet. She was hopeful for how the battle could turn out. When the order came to have Kosara killed and her horns removed, Kathryn prepared to put herself between the beast and the tiefling. Thankfully, the beast had other ideas and had decided to strike out against it's former master. At least temporarily. That meant that the party only had one monster to worry about instead of three. It seemed with that strike against Cavendish, she felt a feeling of weightlessness come over. She took a moment to adjust, but quickly realized that her strength had returned to her! She was ready again to dish out some punishment against Cavendish and what remained of his band of criminals. As the party dog piled against the last beast, Kosara with her sword set aflame, Marita positioning the beast that she was unable to move, and Blackberry opening up with... Kathryn paused trying to process this. In the last few days alone she had seen more magic take place than every day since she left home. Kathryn watched in shock and awe as Blackberry opened up with a lightning blast hitting both creatures AND Cavendish. She wanted to cheer out, and almost did.

Kathryn booked her way over way over as fast as she could once she saw things were not playing out as well as they needed too. Under better circumstances, she would have chuckled along to the monk's quips, but the beasts began to heal. The tanky monsters were recovering. "It was worth a shot Baronfjørd. You did well, and now we know. We'll learn and move on from there." She paused a moment before getting into position to assist with the beast. "I'm sure Cavendish felt it." Kathryn said in a reassuring tone. Soon Victoria rejoined, taking her own shot at the beast. Kathryn thought it was comical in a way how the beasts had begun beating down on the party and how the party was on the back foot to start things off. Forcing themselves to react to whatever the beasts did. Now? The five of them had the thing surrounded and backed up against a wall of fire. A wall of fire Kathryn was hoping to exploit. And maybe, even get the beasts to pound on each other like Marita had originally planned. Kathryn did a vertical swing of her newly acquired hammer, bringing it a little closer than she wanted to towards Marita, but letting it still strike true as it made contact with the beast's chest and sending it back into the cracked barrel full of fire.

The force and mass Kathryn felt as the beast attempted to resist her blow was intense. Had she not applied as much force, or if the creature had gotten a better foothold, she wouldn't be sure the blow would have struck as well as it did. Though close, the force she applied herself came true. She sent the beast back with enough force to begin rupturing the barrel, and the beast clambering over it only destroyed it more as it the creature. The barrel shattered to pieces, the creature burned as if it were the source of the fire itself, and Kathryn had regained some of her lost pride after failing to manhandle the beast not too long ago. She made sure not to follow the beast to it's doomed fate as it burned. She hoped the beasts would follow into Marita's original plan and battle it out between themselves. Leaving whatever was left of Cavendish to themselves. He had crimes he needed to answer too, and she felt that even though the beasts could dish out punishment, that they were not qualified to serve justice to a goon such as Cavendish.

@Sigil Let the punishments ensue!!

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Kathryn Pyke Human, Battle Master, Level 03 HP: 27 / 31 Armor Class: 19 Conditions: N/A Location: F8 Action: Attempted Grapple Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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Kathryn's visor locked with Cavendish's eyes as she spotted him past the fire barrels. She took note that the guards were not present. She hoped they backed off, but she couldn't bet on that. She had to assume they were still a threat until proven otherwise. Between herself and the constable, was a rather large swarm of rats. Many had burned to bits from the exploding barrel, though most seemed to remain. Had the rats and the fire not been in the way, Kathryn was pretty sure she could close the distance to Cavendish and send him into the floor. But not only were those obstacles in the way, one of the beasts was between them as well. On fire and in a frenzy, and lashing out at everything around it. There was the second beast too, which Kathryn turned just in time to see it give another heavy blow into Baronfjørd. The hit looked brutal. Kathryn couldn't risk going after Cavendish just yet. Deal with the beasts, keep her team alive, keep the hostages safe, then they could go after Cavendish. Thankfully, Kosara was on the case, sending a blast into Cavendish now that he was exposed. It looked like it hit true. "Great work Kosara." Kathryn gave her approval to the tiefling as she hopped back into her very dramatic pose. Kathryn thought it was silly, but a hit like that how could she place any judgement? Plus, it was a good hit. And a cathartic hit at that.

Baronfjørd worked on trying to get the hostages out, or at least gave them tools to do so. Kathryn also liked Marita's plan to get the beasts to fight each other. Sure, the party could dish out a fair amount of punishment. But it didn't seem to be going fast enough. If they were busy on each other they would have more time to reorganize, replan, and maybe even get another shot at Cavendish. At the very least, approach the next stage of this fight how they wanted too, instead of just reacting to the beasts ahead. The complication that now faced Kathryn personally, was Cavendish. Though she couldn't strike him, he had his own abilities to strike out at her. She briefly saw him beginning to whisper, and his eyes go dark. Kathryn struggled to process what was going on. Stunned at first at what could be happening. Then she felt it. Her limbs felt like they were made of stone. And for a moment she wondered if she could stand much longer. She corrected her posturing in an attempt to counter the magical effects. But this wasn't something she could just tough through. She could still stand, she could still walk, she could still fight. But it was going to be a lot harder for the time being.

Kathryn would still do her best to assist in Marita's plan. And she did her damnedest to make sure that the weakness she was feeling wasn't showing. "Just get that creature to me, I'll do the rest." Kathryn said with confidence in her tone. She wouldn't let the weakness she felt show. She wouldn't let her party down. She wouldn't allow such a cruel and inhuman person like Cavendish win. She looked over in time to see Victoria by her side reassuring her that she wouldn't be doing this alone. As the creature approached, Kathryn gripped her shield to use like a lever. Just like with the last one, the beast would be heavy. Kathryn dropped to one knee and lifted her shield into the creature's gut to begin the lifting process. Her free hand had gripped the beast around the neck, but she struggles to get her grip. She could feel the leverage but still she couldn't get it to budge. She felt the push from Victoria, and for a split second, Kathryn thought she could still pull the maneuver off. The moment her foot shifted to attempt to lift the beast, she could tell it was already too late. Her strength had been tapped and her leverage was lost. If she didn't disengage she could be crushed. In a split second she pushed the beast off herself. Not moving it at all, not even sure if she got it off the ground. "I- I can't..." Kathryn said weakly while catching her breath. But she wasn't crushed, and it still would have to go through her to attack the cage.

When her strength failed Kathryn had remind herself to stay focused. The failure to pull off her duty hit her hard. But she was still standing, and still had a job to do. And if that job just consisted of keeping herself between this creature and those that it would want to hurt that would be enough for now. She drew the hammer and raised her shield to prepare for another blow.

@Sigil Ready for all the retaliation as we prep Plan B!

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Kathryn Pyke Human, Battle Master, Level 03 HP: 27 / 31 Armor Class: 19 Conditions: N/A Location: H10 --> F8 Action: Grapple [Action Surge]: Attack Bonus Action: Second Wind (9hp) Reaction: Opportunity of Attack

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Kathryn felt the wind forced out of her like a melon squished to the point of exploding to bits. Despite her attempt to block the force that hit her she found the wind knocked out of her. What she could surmise from this brute force? The creature was damn strong. Damn strong. And worse? It was damn fast to boot. Once the party established itself into defensive positions against the creatures, they pushed passed the party without a care in the world. Though not without taking punishment for it. But the creatures seemed either ignorant, or uncaring to the punishment they were taking. Despite blow after blow, it seemed until the creatures were flattened into mush they would keep crawling on to follow their orders. The goons have bought themselves more time then Kathryn thought they would. Cavendish's remark pissed Kathryn off more. Giving her a second wind of sorts as her motive to absolutely flatten the bastard increase. "You're running out of time Cavendish!" Kathryn replied to the taunt. Sure, she would deal with these beasts first. But then Cavendish. She was unsure how they could deal with such monsters. Especially before they got to the hostages.

Kathryn began to book it to face off against the creatures. She had a brief moment of consideration as she debated which to take on first. Watching Kosara blast one of them with her Celestial blast was something both terrifying and amazing to watch. But as she approached the creature, Kathryn realized the arguably most likely to get eaten member of the party was attempting to face off against the beasts head on. "Oh shite..." Kathryn mumbled under her breath. Kathryn thought it brave the tiefling would attempt to use herself as bait, but it still worried Kathryn. Kathryn approached the creature looking for a good opportunity to dish out some punishment to it. Supporting words from Blackberry were reassuring. She wouldn't feel like she was leaving members of her party out to dry. But they needed something fast if they were to even the odds. Maybe they had some sort of weakness? Some sort of gimmick to make them tic? Or... untick? Kathryn didn't know those terms too well either, she was a warrior, not a scholar. "On It!" Hearing Marita do another one of her abilities was also reassuring. Until it seemed not to work... How could they not be undead? "If they're not undead then what in the fourteen hell's are they!?" Kathryn said disappointed that Marita's ability didn't give them their needed leverage, and worried. Then she said it. Fire...

Kathryn knew she was far from the smartest, the wisest, the most socially adept person of the party. And her ability to physically punish things though useful, was limited to solely those situations. Kathryn saw an opportunity to carry her own weight and then some. And maybe even deal with Cavendish and his goons. Kathryn paused a moment, getting ready to redirect her strike when seeing Cavendish appear near Kosara and the beast she so graciously wanted to dance with. The pause was long enough to notice Victoria, and Kathryn hoped that this was some sort of magic trick she was doing. Putting herself between the beast and where she last saw the Constable, Kathryn prepared to try and protect herself and the people trapped inside. But this also gave her an opportunity to strike, and strike hard.

Putting the hammer back in her belt Kathryn freed up her hand and pulled herself alongside Kosara. Kathryn bent her knees down, pressing the top of her shield into the creatures gut and pressed it inwards. With her free hand she grabbed the creature by its arm. Extending her knees in a split second motion after her shield made contact she grunted as the large heavy beast left this planet to briefly join the heavens. Passing over Kosara, away from the cage, and soon over Kathryn. Held in the sky by The Noble Lady of the VanEmbar family Kathryn attempted to not only move the beast as far away as she could from the cage, but from Kosara, and to bring it down as hard as she could towards the Constable. Maybe she'd even hit him in the process? One could hope. She felt her strength waiver for a moment. The creature was heavy, and had the full means to not only fight back, but cause her serious harm. A single slip of the boot and she'd be crushed, and likely killed afterwards. "AAAAHHHHHHH" Kathryn let out the violent cry as the weight of the creature was released from her shoulders, and sent plummeting against the barrel with her full strength behind it. Sending it and the barrel toppling as she regained her footing, preparing to dish out whatever punishment she could to it should it still want to face her.

@Sigil OKAY! Ready for the next round of retaliations!

Call of Cthulhu - Talbott's Investigators of Mysteries Enlightened

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Margarete O'Bryon

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Location: Car Ride --> Streets of Gamwell, Massachuttets
Hit Points: 13 Sanity Points: 46 Luck: 75
Mental State: Sane
Skill:

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Coffee. There was little that could compete for Margarete's love than Coffee. Sprinkles being the only exception. But anyone who couldn't love a creature such as Sprinkle's had something wrong with them. So excepting the obvious, Coffee was her biggest love in this moment. She had to take extra caution as she sped along the roadway not to spill the coffee Elly had so graciously made for her. Pulling into Gamwell Margarete had to slow her vehicle enough so she wouldn't hit any Jays and have to deal with all of that mess. Not that she was driving slow by any means. The vehicle stopped at a near violent jerking stop on what could have been the town's main street for all she knew. "Talkin' to the law seems like a good starting place. It'll be good to know sooner rather then later if they are on our side or not. Or if we should expect pushback in our work." The whole down gave her anxiety. Nothing to do with the town itself, but the thought that this could have anything to do with that manor in France made her want to find what had caused all her pain and put a bullet between it's eyes. Her own eyes however, drifted to her handbag between the seats. The hilt of the old Calvary revolver barely visible. Large for a hand gun, but it was available when she needed one. Not that she was particularly good with it. She had fired it a couple times. Enough to be familiar with how to operate it. Most of its use nowadays was taking it out of the drawer at night and putting it away in the morning when she woke.

Eleonora's idea of sorting out housing for the night before getting anything else done had some logic to it, but she worried about not having a starting point by the time dark settled. "I would prefer to at least talk to the client tonight if nothing else. I would like at least our key bits of information before we get too far. If you want to sort out lodging first we can. But I would need us to make it snappy. We can unload bags after we talk with the lawyer. I would also like to talk with the sheriff as well, but at least the lawyer before we call it a night." She wanted information to ponder through the night. She knew she wasn't the fasted when it came to mental gymnastics, and wanted as much time to think something over as possible. But she did like the idea of securing a room for herself. Not that she didn't trust her current company, but she had trouble trusting a lot of people. She was a bit cautious like that.

Margarete started the car back up, sped down the roadway as if she was back on the back roads and stopped suddenly in front of the guest house looking place. Getting out of the car Margarete stretched, realized she had been sitting far too long, and heard a cracking noise as she finished up. Feeling better though, she grabbed her hand bag and looked at the guest house. "May be worth splitting up. But I would like more information up front either way so we have an idea of what we are looking for. I think it would be best to talk tot he lawyer first before we decide to split up. That way we're all on the same page before we go putting out noses into places." The idea of securing a room first was more an more appealing as she walked up to the guest house. She hoped that they would have enough rooms for all of them. She didn't fancy the idea of sharing a room.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Kathryn Pyke Human, Battle Master, Level 03 HP: 31 / 31 Armor Class: 19 Conditions: N/A Location: H12 --> H10 Action: Attack Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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Kathryn chuckled at Kosara's comment about Cavendish. She had seen people try to use size to intimidate others her whole life, and she had met few who tried on those smaller than themselves. And generally all Kathryn had to do was walk into the room to humble the ego of someone making a scene. Offer something nice to drink to the parties involved, and remind everyone who needed reminding, that violence wasn't in their favor. Kosara also stated Kathryn's thoughts on the matter well. The constable had a job to do, and not only had he failed it, he was going out of his way to be the thing his people needed protection from. Such a crime could never go unpunished. Though Kathryn did jump a little bit hearing the tiefling's voice boom. She didn't think so much sound could come out of such a small woman. "Don't worry Kosara, he'll take his punishment like the coward he is once we're done with him." Though Kathryn was one for justice done by governing bodies, if justice had to be dealt out with blunt force trauma, so be it. She had put down others like him before, and though she wasn't a fan of torture, she held little reservations for body counts. Thinking about it though, Cavendish wasn't like the others she had confronted in the past. She had battled kobolds, goblins, human bandits, but she had never faced on a town guard formally equipped with magic weapons.

When Baronfjord made a comment about his guards, Kathryn noticed the numbers too. "Another got away no? Be prepared, they may be waiting in the treeline for a chance to ambush. Or pull off some other trick." When Cavendish replied to her attempts to limit the damage, he had seemed to snack. Kathryn gave a small chuckle at the being children comment. Coming from the one shirking his responsibilities for personal power? She knew children with better honor then that. His followup comments had more to be concerned about. Kathryn heard the drops of water before she saw the beasts. The droplets splashing onto her helm as she turned to see the two giant beasts. They were... Nothing she had ever expected. Targeted for the people between her and Cavendish. As soon as things kicked off, an urge crossed Kathryn's mind. Charge Cavendish now, send him into the dirt, and maybe the beasts would stop being responsive. But if she was wrong, there would be less in their path to attack the prisoners. If she failed not only would her party be down a person, Cavendish would have his hammer back. No, the beasts would have to be dealt with first.

Marita and Blackberry had struck first. Hammering into the creature who seemed to care not what damage it took. She took note the guard's did nothing. Were they waiting for something to happen? A chance for their backs to turn? In Kathryn's thought she almost missed Marita's comment about how the creatures may be able to take more punishment from blunt force, Kathryn was in a pickle. Her family sword may have done the trick, but it wasn't silvered. She held off trying to keep old traditions. She had no idea if these creatures were immune to regular weapons as well, and she wasn't sure she was in a position to check that. If the hammer seemed ineffective, she'd still have the silvered axe. That would be something, and she was still good with it. And, she could politely give that to Cavendish as well. She hoped he wasn't picky on what Kathryn gifted him.

Though blunt force seemed to not be as effective, Kathryn figured she had to try for something here. She hoped the magic powers embedded into this weapon would be enough, or that her skill in combat could do enough damage that even being resistant wouldn't be enough. As she prepared her attack, she heard a tune she hadn't listened to in many a year. "Daughter of Arcanaple" wasn't something she had heard since she still lived in a keep, the emotional surge that came hearing music of her homeland inspired Kathryn. She felt just enough of a boost to establish her confidence in the fight. When they won, she would have to ask Victoria where she heard the tune.

She was not in a position to stop both creatures. She simply wasn't fast enough. But one creature had already been beaten down a bit, maybe if they were able to dish out enough punishment, they could all focus down on the last one before turning their attention. She returned a knowing look to Cavendish and his goons through the slits of her helmet. Reminded them of her words before she maneuvered around Blackberry with elegance not normally shown by the half giant, nearly oaf. As she moved she swung the hammer hard with all her might into the torso of the undead looking beast. Though it does not react to pain, and the attack didn't emotionally phase the creature in any noticeable way, she felt the crushing force as the hammer made contact. A force that any smaller or weaker creature would walk away with bones broken, flesh bruised beyond repair, and enough force to send it back to the cobblestone. She doubted the creature held any resistance to the punishing force she dished out. She ended her attack by sliding her feet into position on the other side of Blackberry shield raised, and hammer posed to strike. Her body now in the path that this creature would have to take should it want to advance any further, and hopefully holding it in place. Also allowing her to strike either beast should they be able to keep it still.

@Sigil The X2 may retaliate now.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Kathryn Pyke Human, Battle Master, Level 03 HP: 31 / 31 Armor Class: 19 Conditions: N/A Location: Streets of Avonshire --> Town Square Action: N/A Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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Off to war they went. Though she wasn't the most experienced in combat, she had faced off against goblins and bandits a few times prior to joining the party. None of those situations compared to the caution she needed to exercise against the constable and his goons. Though a direct assault had some more risks, she was a bit relieved to be going this route. It was what she was most familiar with, and the type of environment she thrived in. Assuming she didn't get knocked flat on her ass again, or get caught out of position. Marita's comments on the constable seemed accurate enough. He played his battles with tricks and fear. Showing Cavendish that they would not bend to his will may help the party deal with him. She hoped at least. "So we hit him head on. We've already showed him we can go toe to toe with him and his goons, and I'm sure he'll remember that when we arrive." She also hoped that maybe she could talk down some of his goons, get them to back off until the fighting was over and deal with them afterwards. Kosara's point about being in the center of town was also valid, anywhere they decided to go afterwards they would be close, and be able to get there in short time. She had offered a chance for them to back down, and they declined. Kathryn was ready to end the life of any who had gotten in her way of saving those who were taken, and take those that survive into whatever form of custody was left within town when they were done.

"Shame we don't have marching drums. I always thought those were pretty cool. Cavendish shall know we're coming in with confidence none the less." As they moved on, Kosara began her light show, and Victoria played her music. It pumped her up, and it did help regain her confidence in the situation. Not that it had faltered, but she had her concerns. She had to remind herself, they had already defeated him once. They could do so again. Before arriving to the town center, Kathryn walked up beside Marita and offered her the silvered dagger. "I think I got enough weapons. And a few backups. Take it, just in case." Kathryn offered softly to the Cleric. She wouldn't push if she didn't want the dagger, but after she gave hers to Lizbeth Kathryn figured a new dagger could be helpful. She wouldn't miss a dagger. She had the hammer, her silvered axe, and a short sword still. Plus a non silvered axe, and her family's clan sword. And a short bow with the arrows it came with. And her pack. She was definitely well equipped.

Kathryn turned to give a friendly wave to those who dared to look outside. In her rusted, dented, and worn armor, she hoped the gesture wouldn't come across as hostile. But she had no way to be sure. And at this moment, she needed to focus on the mission at hand. Her helm would stay on for now, and her shield equipped. Kathryn noticed the flames first. As they grew brighter, and brighter. The cleared town square reminded her of arena grounds Ser Lucas had attempted to make money in after they had fled Arcanaple. Instead of an audience wanting to see blood of the fighter spilled, it was an audience of tall trees, looking down on the party as they stepped in. In the VIP seats, the hostages. Cecily included. Then Constable Cavendish and what remained of his goons. The eye slits on Kathryn's helmet locked with the constable as she walked in, almost golem like as she found her place to make her stand. "Your niece is safe. And she'll be even safer when we are done here." Kathryn said, a dark undertone in her voice as her polite demeanor was replaced with her professional warrior posture. She watched the constable, and took note of his guards around him. There were less of them, she hoped that meant their friend had not been discovered. She would still have to deal with him later, but she would take a crack at it when she had the chance. Added with that, he didn't seem to have anyone to replace the lost goon.

Kathryn took a few steps forward, away from the fountain, and making sure to put her person in the front of the party. Whenever Cavendish unleashed whatever trick he had for them, it would have to path it's way through Kathryn to do harm to the party. When Cavendish finished his proposal, Kathryn eyed the group of former town guards as if debating something really stupid. But she couldn't help it, she wasn't a fan of the idea of caving in someone's skull without giving them a chance to back down. "Option B." Kathryn spoke coldly. "Those of you with any moral compass left to your name, who care for what is right and wrong, or those of you with any sense of self preservation, now is your chance to back down, and prepare yourselves for surrender when we're done here." Kathryn took a deep breath, deciding how she wanted to phrase her statement. She wasn't the best at this, and she worried she would regret not running this by someone who was when she was done. "Keep in mind, the battlefield is bloody. And last time you lot had a lot of advantages. Last time we had doubts about your allegiances, last time you got the first strike in. Last time you had a chance at a second surprise, and failed to utilize it effectively. Last time we were poorly equipped, and split up. Last time initiative was yours. And last time, you had another in your ranks, who is no longer with you." Kathryn said matter of factly. "This time, you have whatever trick you have up your sleeve, and when we get past it we'll deal with you lot, our patience spent." She made sure to turn her head to lock her eye slits with the guards other than Cavendish. "I've seen how you react when Cavendish wields this hammer. You were concerned for what would happen to you once it was used. And that was in this goon's hands." She said pulling the hammer, and pointing it at Cavendish. "A man who is supposedly on your side. If I bring it down on you, it'll be with intent to kill. This time, I'm not going to be flat on the ground for you to stab away at. But you will be if you last longer than a couple hits." She paused when she lowered the hammer. "So option B: Back down while you lot still have the chance. Whatever advantage you think you have has much less a leg to stand on then last time. And you're running out of room to run away." Kathryn emphasized the municipal building behind their foes with the hammer in hand.

She hoped she got her point across. She wasn't sure if she could really get through to them, but she had to hope. Bring the odds a little more in their favor. Maybe they could collect information from one of them sooner rather than later. It was clear Cavendish had a big part in this, if not leading it himself. But she wanted answers for all the pieces of this puzzle. Each and every one. She had doubts Cavendish would share anything with them once they defeated him, but maybe one of his goons would be more cooperative?

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

@Sigil

Brief recap on what’s going on in discord, and anyone feel free to correct or add to what I am saying.

Most of the plans mentioned IC are the same ones we’ve brought up in discord so far, though I don’t think we’ve committed to any specific one yet. So I think we’re still spitballing a little bit.

As well!! In my last post I mentioned kosaras short tail, Riv has pointed out that kosara has no visible tail. So!!! Can I have permission to edit that in my post?