CAMPAIGN: Queen Arkwyn's Crown (D&D5e)

[Newbie Newtype]

The very moment the strange woman's hand moves to her sword, Hyne starts watching and listening very closely. He unravels his rope and throws part of it over the railing, loosely ready to pull a knot if he is forced to return back to help the Kobold women.

[Bob the Hamster]

The woman snorts angrily, and stares at the Kobolds for a moment.

Then she looks all around, at both buildings, and down both alleys again.

As she turns about, Hyne can see that she has a large pale tattoo of a scorpion on her neck, with its tail vanishing into her decolletage.

She takes her and off her sword, and pulls something from a pocket hidden between some of her belts. it is a gem tied to the end of a shiny golden string.

She twists the string around her fingers, forming a dowser, and sets it spinning.

The grandmothers ignore her. Another card played, another card drawn. The baby kobold cranes its neck, trying to see the spinning gem.

After a moment of watching the gem, her head snaps back towards the temple, braid whipping, and she stomps back inside. Just a moment later, Hyne can hear the click of her boots on the tile directly beneath him.

[Newbie Newtype]

Once the woman turns away, Hyne takes back his rope and re-hinges it back on his satchel, then resumes sneaking carefully, keeping his body lowered to use the catwalk to obscure him as much as possible. When footsteps are heard right below him, he freezes. Does she know he's there?

[Bob the Hamster]

"Did you see him?" she asks.

There is no reply from the enormous empty room.

After a moment of silence, she says, "No, it pointed back this way."

Another silence.

"Here, you try it." she says.

There is a faint unidentifiable sound

"No, you are doing it wrong, give it back." she says.

Again a silence.

The woman speaks again, like she is carrying on half a conversation. "Now it's not pointing at all.... I don't know.... Maybe... She didn't say the magic was supposed to run out."

[Newbie Newtype]

Hyne slowly lowers himself, flattening himself to the ground to go prone and limit their visibility of him. He mutters a prayer of thanks to the druidic gods and goddesses so faint, that it's hardly a breath of air; their magic must be stopping their tracking stone from finding him at this very moment.

He doesn't move yet as long as he is in their blind spot. It seems more likely they'll move away from him faster than he can move away from them.

[Bob the Hamster]

"Right then." she says. "You keep searching around here in case he is hiding. I'll go back to Tancred and get her to fix it."

The sound of her boots crosses the big room, but then stop.

"Drown and damn, you are right..." she exclaims. "Okay, you come too. You can tell her."

Another silence, and then her footsteps start again, heading out the temple's front door.

[Newbie Newtype]

He mutters faintly, "Tancred.." That was the name heard when he was talking to Arkwyn. He knew that Tancred was going to send scouts or spies after him, but he didn't think he'd manage to intercept his attempt to go under her nose. He grimaces his teeth. That paladin's advice to try to blend in was busted, either that or he ratted him out.

He returns to focusing on his escape. Who is the second person with the one he's seen? Can they at least be heard?

Perception: 1D20+3+3 => (15 + 3 + 3) = 21

If he can't get a proper bearing on what both individuals are doing, it's going to be big trouble for him. He starts to crawl, pulling himself on his elbows and knees to get a bit of distance while listening for better personal intel.

Stealth: 1D20+7+3 => (11 + 7 + 3) = 21

[Bob the Hamster]

Moving without a trace, Hyne positions himself to better perceive who else is in the room.

There is no other sound, but peeking carefully he can see the woman walking out of the temple past the statue of Ayailla. Floating after her is a strange yellowish creature. Its body is about the size and shape of a buckler, flat side up. On its flat surface rests a jaunty blue pirate hat with a plume of black feathers out the back. Two long eye-stalks stretch up into the air, and a bunch of tentacles of various lengths hang below the disc of the body. The longest ones hover just inches above the floor.

Both the woman and the creature vanish out the door and into the crowd watching the funeral.

[Newbie Newtype]

Int roll: 1D20 => (3) = 3

Hyne pulls the bandanna from his forehead and uses it to wipe his face. "What the hell was that thing?" he asks himself, not knowing what a flumph is.

He doesn't want to go back out where he has to be among the parade. He returns to the poor people's homes to see if there is a back way he can go to leave.

[Bob the Hamster]

The Kobold grandmothers just smile at Hyne when he climbs down, and they keep playing their cards.

Either way down the alley should take Hyne parallel to Temple row.

Looking into the Alms House, there is no sign of a back door, but it might be possible to climb out a back window from one of the apartments.

[Newbie Newtype]

Hyne decides the window would be the best option if it keeps him away from the parade. At worst he's spotted by a beggar, and he can look out for more of Tancred's scouts.

But before he leaves he stops. He looks back to the kobold and her hatchling child and asks her, "Do you know of any sailors that will sail people to places and not just ship materials? You know, like those.." He snaps his fingers trying to think, "'Captain Ron' types."

[Bob the Hamster]

One of the grandmothers chuckles, perhaps recognizing Hyne's reference to the popular comedic stage-play.

"Only almost all of them, dearie!" she cackles. "Half the captains in Srappa care more about adventure than about wealth, so as long as you stay clear of the dull and stupid fishermen like my dear and departed husband, you can find a ship to take you anywhere!"

"Like you ever set scale or tail one stone's throw past the shore, Granath!" snickers the other grandmother.

"You're right!" replies the first! "Maybe I should get this handsome stranger to take me with him!"

The other things this is far funnier than she should, and drops some of her cards laughing.

"Or maybe not." she amends. "If he's who Miss LaBlue was after, best you keep your distance from that one."

As one grandmother picks up her fallen cards, the other cheats by peeking under the top card of the draw deck.

[Newbie Newtype]

Hyne places a finger to stop the top card from being unfairly seen as he leans closer to ask, " 'Miss LaBlue'? You mean you know that pirate woman?"

[Bob the Hamster]

"Know her? Never had her by for tea," cackles Granath, smiling ear-to-ear that her partner has not noticed her cheating. "But I know who she is. She's captain of 'The Sanguine Revenge'. I believe she's more of a Privateer than a Pirate"

"You know there's no difference!" laughs the other grandmother.

[Newbie Newtype]

Hyne pauses in stark realization for a moment, "A privateer.. that would make her military." He lets his finger slide off the deck as he pulls back.

"A pirate is just a well armed and well diseased, decaying thief. Privateers are hired merc's." This explanation takes his mind back to the fateful attack. It becomes a growing reality that his men weren't just killed by opportunist pirates. It dawns on him that it could have been a military act without a slightest warning or hailing that military presence was around.

He thinks for a second, then snaps a question that makes it seem like he's exploring ideas, "How well liked is she among her captain peers?"