Birthright 3: The Worm's Supper

[ewancummins]

SEARCHERS

"Some experienced hands would be great," Cormac nods in agreement, "I'm worried this elf'll lead us on a wild chase if we don' keep him honest."

Cormac will see to any other conversation he needs and then go to set up for rest and a last dinner with Ned and Hob before they depart.

THE SEARCHERS


The Knight-Captain provides quarters for the party that night.
The leaders may stay inside the tower, if they like, sleeping in the barracks with the soldiers.
The squires and followers are directed to a resting place in the stables attached to the tower, in a loft over the horse stalls. The Knight -Captain directs his quartermaster to send the men who will sleep there a heap of winter blankets.

The Knight-Captain also introduces the Bard to Roald, Cormac, and Rennault.
He tells that that this woman from the Sielwode was also looking for Foerde, or at least someone who fit his description.

[steveflam]

WHAT CROWLEY SEES, HEARS, ETC


Moving into the room to the corner where Filbert indicated someone might be sleeping. Crowley feels about.
He finds the edge of a bed, sheets, a bed post.
Listening, he hears breathing that's not his own, but it's coming from behind him-- where Filbert should be.
He can't see well at all in the dark room, so he doesn't know if the lumpy shape in the bed is a sleeping man or just a heap of bedclothes.

If he opens his hand-warmer lamp, he'll have a little light.

Taking no chance, he opens the light slightly, just to see who is where in the room. His other hand grips a belaying pin, ready to defend himself. He figures if Filbert hasn't sounded any
alarm thus far, keen night vision and all, that they are thus far safe in the room. Whatever is transpiring outside the room in the potential hallway is yet another tale to be revealed eventually.
With the quick light fix, he will look around, especially at the bed, making sure there is no sleeping person and then at Filbert to see what the halfling is doing. Thirdly he will take in the room itself, and what is in it.

Once this is all done (It takes merely a few seconds in real time,, ) he will follow Filberts lead, keeping on red alert. He does expect some kind of signal from the halfling to decide their next move.

[ewancummins]

WHAT CROWLEY SEES, HEARS, ETC


Moving into the room to the corner where Filbert indicated someone might be sleeping. Crowley feels about.
He finds the edge of a bed, sheets, a bed post.
Listening, he hears breathing that's not his own, but it's coming from behind him-- where Filbert should be.
He can't see well at all in the dark room, so he doesn't know if the lumpy shape in the bed is a sleeping man or just a heap of bedclothes.

If he opens his hand-warmer lamp, he'll have a little light.

Taking no chance, he opens the light slightly, just to see who is where in the room. His other hand grips a belaying pin, ready to defend himself. He figures if Filbert hasn't sounded any
alarm thus far, keen night vision and all, that they are thus far safe in the room. Whatever is transpiring outside the room in the potential hallway is yet another tale to be revealed eventually.
With the quick light fix, he will look around, especially at the bed, making sure there is no sleeping person and then at Filbert to see what the halfling is doing. Thirdly he will take in the room itself, and what is in it.

Once this is all done (It takes merely a few seconds in real time,, ) he will follow Filberts lead, keeping on red alert. He does expect some kind of signal from the Halfling to decide their next move.

Crowley sees no one in the bed, just a tangled heap of bedclothes.

His quick look around with the weak light reveals else in the room, besides Filbert, who now stands near the door.

[VAN]

Filbert is a little surprised that the door is unlocked and there isn't actually somebody sleeping there. From the approaching footsteps he deduced that the man most probably left his room for a bit and he is coming back. Looking to Crowley he whispers:

"If you can close the window and hide, someone is coming this way. Wait till he sleeps and then we will go out of the room, but in case of trouble we will abort mission, it doesn't worth it."

Following his own lead he tries to hide as better as he can.

[steveflam]

Filbert is a little surprised that the door is unlocked and there isn't actually somebody sleeping there. From the approaching footsteps he deduced that the man most probably left his room for a bit and he is coming back. Looking to Crowley he whispers:

"If you can close the window and hide, someone is coming this way. Wait till he sleeps and then we will go out of the room, but in case of trouble we will abort mission, it doesn't worth it."

Following his own lead he tries to hide as better as he can.

Mungus disappears in the shadows himself, hands now on each pin. He notices Filbert is not hiding and frowns. "Sir, you aren't hiding?", he whispers to the halfling... voice coming out of the darkness. Lamp not shining now.

[ewancummins]

Filbert is a little surprised that the door is unlocked and there isn't actually somebody sleeping there. From the approaching footsteps he deduced that the man most probably left his room for a bit and he is coming back. Looking to Crowley he whispers:

"If you can close the window and hide, someone is coming this way. Wait till he sleeps and then we will go out of the room, but in case of trouble we will abort mission, it doesn't worth it."

Following his own lead he tries to hide as better as he can.

Mungus disappears in the shadows himself, hands now on each pin. He notices Filbert is not hiding and frowns. "Sir, you aren't hiding?", he whispers to the halfling... voice coming out of the darkness. Lamp not shining now.

The door swings open and light spills into the room.

Filbert steps back just in time to avoid being caught in the moving wedge of light from the hall. The Halfling melts into the shifting shadows.

But Mungus isn't so quick or so small-- he is caught half-in, half-out of the light, standing near the head of the bed.

The short man in the doorway holds a lantern up in his right hand, the other hand out of sight behind the door jamb. He wears a gray nightshirt. He's looking straight at Mungus, and he does not look pleased to see an uninvited guest in his bedroom!
He shouts,
''A burglar!"

[ewancummins]

THE THIEVES

CONTINUED




Crowley menaces the man with his belaying pins raised as if to strike.

Filbert steps from the shadows, pressing his sword's point into the man's side, and whispers ''don't shout."

The man sucks in a breath, holds it, exhales through his nostrils.
The lantern rattles in his hand.
He nods, making eye contact with Crowley.

[steveflam]

Mungus ties the man up with his own bed sheets, gagging him in the process. Once done he will unsheath a pin and prod the man for good measure, trying to intimidate the man.

"If you're thinking of moving, or yelling, I do not suggest it," he prods the man with a pin, poking a hand and fingers.

"I will tie you up and not hurt you. I presume you work with your hands and fingers. Let's keep them safe and unbroken. I am not
averse to breaking them, sir."

Crowley's face is serious the whole time, eyes boring into the man's.

[ewancummins]

FILBERT


Filbert listens near the doorway.
He hears nothing but a faint creaking noise from the hall. It might only be boards settling as the temperature changes.

The man's lantern, set on the floor just inside the bedroom, sheds too much heat and light for Filbert to use his heat-vision.
He does not see any shadows in the hall that suggest movement out there, or a person nearby.

[Adam]

SEARCHERS

"Ye knew Foerde?" Cormac asks the bard, "Or had ye jus' heard o' the huntsman, his alter ego? He was...is a good friend o' mine. We've been through many troubles together."

As the night progresses, Cormac will regale the bard with the story of how he and Foerde met and fought the Battle of the Bell.

At the end of the night, he will decline to stay with the officers and sleep in the barn with his men.

[VAN]

The Thieves

Filbert waits Crowkey to tie and gag the man and then points himself and then the door and cautiouxly exits the room.

[steveflam]

Crowley nods and points to himself and the man. Then to the room.

"Perhaps it best if I stay here, sir? No need to let this man get free. What say you?'

[VAN]

"I might need assistance to find it or if more trouble come up. I think it's better if you come with me. So tie, gag him, lock the door and follow me."

[ewancummins]

THE THIEVES, CONTINUED



Creeping out of the upstairs bedroom, along the hall past three closed doors, and down a darkened staircase, the thieves reach the ground floor.

So far, neither Filbert nor Crowley sees or hears any sign that they have been found out. Indeed, darkness and silence fill this part of the alehouse like cobwebs hanging in an unused dungeon cell. Even the creaking boards Filbert heard a little while ago have fallen silent.
No sounds but the rasp of the pair's breath, the scrape of their soles on the floor.

Moving with stealth through service corridors and the kitchens, the pair of burglars finds no wine bottles from Avanil. Indeed, the kitchen holds no casks or bottles of wine at all except cooking wine and some empties. The pantry does hold some wine (as well as hams, two casks of ale, dry goods, and all sorts of other stuffs and stores) but a check by lantern light reveals nothing Avanese.

Leaving the kitchen area, the pair find the entrance to the cellars in another corridor near the rear of the building.
A short staircase drops down before them, and at the bottom a closed door blocks their way.
The thieves see a massive, brass-plated iron lock set into the door panel.

[VAN]

The thieves

Filbert looks at the closed door with the iron lock then whispers:

"The wine should be kept in here. I will try the lock first but I'm afraid will be a tough one."