HLoM: The Firebird, Chapter 1

[NeoTiamat]

Oh Mists. Lena though, feeling suddenly exhausted at the sound of the hellhounds baying. She moved swiftly then, up to Yarek, keeping her voice low and soft, gentle. "My lord, I am sorry for all that has happened, but we need you now. You can help us. Can you tell us how to get out of these tunnels?"

Unobtrusively, Lena wiggled her fingers behind her back. In a manner of moments, the blood stains on the floor of the cavern were vanishing. The pool beneath Feray was the largest, though Soren and Richard had left quite a lot of blood as well. No more though.

[Kaitou Kage]

Altan sighed inwardly. Cults and executions were so messy. Why couldn't they just have a nice party with plenty of liquor and a chance to just sit back and enjoy oneself? Why did it have to be a matter for the damned Inquisition.

It was a shame Yarek had been so consumed by Feray's machinations that he moved himself to suicide. Altan was just getting to like the younger Mulani.

He looked dubiously at Feray's body and nodded to Richard.

"Let's go," he agreed. "And get out of these infernal tunnels."

[The Whistler]

Avram had simply made the sign of the spear and coils, eyes downcast, at the execution — and started instantly towards Yarek at the beginning of his suicide attempt — and then Richard had gotten there, and he had stopped, silent and abashed.

When the others had made to go, the hetman just offered a shoulder and arm to support Yarek as they went, on Richard’s other side. If anyone could use it…

[Nathan of the FoS]

Vasili nods enthusiastically, but waits expectantly; he's already suggested that Rastem's haste should be to his mouth before his feet, and he looks to the other inquisitors imploringly as Rastem ignores his requests.

"And go where, exactly?" Helja asks coolly. "I am sorry I cannot make greater speed, Jernspogmaler Abtor, but I am somewhat indisposed. May I have your arm?"

"Indeed, I must insist we get at least a few directions," Vasili agrees. He moves with the group, but slowly.

"I am at your service, Landsyf," the Abtor inquisitor replies, taking her arm in a gesture both courtly and vaguely menacing. "Lead on, Dommer Varreg."

"Of course, Dommer Abtor," Rastem says. It's obvious he is not pleased by the pace being set by Helja, nor by Renhalt's skeptical queries and requests for explanations and justifications, which continue as they make their way toward the baths, but he seems to have resigned himself to slow-but-steady progress toward his goal.

Vasili watches his friend make use of the potion he drank a few moments ago. He catches Renhalt's eye for a moment, and nods. Keep it up. "Well, I at least know the location of my heretics--they're upstairs. I suppose I'll go keep an eye on them while all of you see to the more grievous matters."

"Do you wish for assistance, Freiherr Boritsi?" Marcellus asks. "Dommer Greyan, Dommer Hjelskald?"

A hard-faced young Mulani with the mastiff totem and a broad-shouldered Rashemani detach themselves from the larger group to approach Vasili.

Vasili can make excuses to get them not to come with him (Bluff DC 20), take them with him and direct their attention elsewhere while he casts the spell (Bluff DC 22), or take them with him and explain that he's going to cast a spell and fudge what it does (Bluff DC 15). Or, heck, just say he's going to cast the spell and cast it, which may make them suspicious but won't necessitate a check. Whichever you like, DS.

[Nathan of the FoS]

In no more than thirty seconds the hallway is filled with fiery hounds, surging and snapping at each other as they run. They seem to number roughly two dozen, though it is hard to make a count--there are so many and they are so active. Rousing himself, Yarek raises his voice and shouts "Atsha! Atsha!"

Immediately they still and give him their full attention. He barks a series of commands, in which only the word "Søren" is readily understood, and the hounds split into three groups, the largest heading down the tunnel Søren took, another going down a side tunnels, and the third and smallest remaining with him.

Running his hands over his face, Yarek says, "I think we should all...take a little walk...while they...dispose of her. Then I'll take this group and go out to the deep tunnels. I expect searching down there could take several hours. Some of you should go make my excuses to my guests. Maybe one of you should...come with me."

[NeoTiamat]

"I'll go upstairs." Lena said quietly, glancing at the others. "Though I'll make a small detour to meet a mutual friend first. Ushka?"

Going after Horst. Let me know if rolls are required.

[Isabella]

Running his hands over his face, Yarek says, "I think we should all...take a little walk...while they...dispose of her. Then I'll take this group and go out to the deep tunnels. I expect searching down there could take several hours. Some of you should go make my excuses to my guests. Maybe one of you should...come with me."

"I-I'll come," Richard quietly volunteered. He gave the hounds something of an apologetic look, given they all seemed to hate him for indiscernible reasons. "I-I-I think it would be best for me to avoid the-the Inquisition, even in-in better times."

"I-I-I... I-I'll carry her, Landsherr," he interrupted, taking off his cloak to wrap the body, looking haunted by the suggestion. "If-if-if they find us... she-she attacked me, I-I-I responded. I-I will take the responsibility. You-you-you must not desecrate the-the dead."

"I'll go upstairs." Lena said quietly, glancing at the others. "Though I'll make a small detour to meet a mutual friend first. Ushka?"

"Be-be safe, Baroness," Richard said, as he pulled the shrouded Feray up. He fell into step behind Yarek, so the young man couldn't see his dreadful burden.

[Nathan of the FoS]

"I-I-I... I-I'll carry her, Landsherr," he interrupted, taking off his cloak to wrap the body, looking haunted by the suggestion. "If-if-if they find us... she-she attacked me, I-I-I responded. I-I will take the responsibility. You-you-you must not desecrate the-the dead."

"You what?" Yarek says, slightly alarmed. "Leave her to them, Freiherr. It's traditional, anyway. Her spirit won't wander, if that's what you're worried about."

[DeepShadow of FoS]

Running his hands over his face, Yarek says, "I think we should all...take a little walk...while they...dispose of her. Then I'll take this group and go out to the deep tunnels. I expect searching down there could take several hours. Some of you should go make my excuses to my guests. Maybe one of you should...come with me."

"Wait a moment!" Leila snarls as she arrives on the heels of the pack. Following was easy enough, but she had avoided overtaking them until Yarek split the pack.

"Vasili is spinning yarns for your sake upstairs," she says breathlessly. "We need to coordinate his work there with what you are doing here."

She pauses to take in the situation. Her eyes flit from Feray's corpse to each of the inhabitants in turn.

"Well, his story is about the Petitioners, and it covers self-inflicted wounds and certain narcotics. The death will have to be hidden...unless..."

Leila freezes still as she converses rapidly with her master. Several moments pass in silence; if anyone tries to talk or move, she hisses harshly for them to wait.

Finally she let's out a long breath. "We have a plan," she says bleakly, "but we'll have to act fast."

She turns to Yarek. "Landsherr, you mustn't destroy the corpse: Feray has one last service to perform--a kind of atonement. If this works, we may be able to do better than an exile in Barovia."

To everyone else: "We'll need to repair the fatal wound--a mending spell, perhaps? And strip the corpse. Leave as much of the blood on the ground as you can without leaving evidence of your own presence here."

[NeoTiamat]

Lena cast a sidelong glance at Richard and Yarek, but she said nothing. Morninglord knew Feray wasn't going to be haunting her (probably). Then Leila arrived, and the Barovian listened carefully.

"And what is this plan?"

[Isabella]

"You what?" Yarek says, slightly alarmed. "Leave her to them, Freiherr. It's traditional, anyway. Her spirit won't wander, if that's what you're worried about."

"Tra-traditional?" Richard echoed, in an incredulous voice. He frowned at Yarek, not disapprovingly, and rubbed idly at his left hand, before saying, "It-it is what concerns me, Landsherr, but if-if-if it is... custom..."

Finally she let's out a long breath. "We have a plan," she says bleakly, "but we'll have to act fast."

"Leila!" Richard exclaimed. "And Va-Vasili upstairs? But-but you must be... injured?" He said as much, but she didn't seem to look ragged like she had earlier in the day.

He paused for a moment, and then said quietly, "We had cleaned a-a great deal of the blood, I-I-I am afraid. I-I-I must agree with the Baroness, tell-tell us this plan. I-I think a great deal of this pain might have been avoided if we had all been clearer in our-our intentions to one another to begin with - we-we cannot afford mistakes now."

[DeepShadow of FoS]

"The best lie is one that strikes closest to the truth: we're going to make it look like Feray was a religious fanatic, but to Yutow rather than Iblis. The story will be that she was participating in a supplication to Yutow that involved self-injury. When the inquisition arrives, the cultists will panic and flee, but Feray--caught up in religious fervor--will inflict a mortal wound upon herself, and die in front of the inquisitors."

She surveys the intersection carefully.

"The inquisition will be coming down this tunnel when they spot her." She indicates the passage to the south. "She will be here...and will stagger over here to where the body is, after mortally wounding herself. The body will be just out of sight, so that when the false Feray leaves their field of vision, they will run ahead and see the real one."

Leila paces out the locations in the tunnel as she speaks. "She'll be naked, and covered in self-inflicted wounds. We need to make the body consistent with that story. It would also be good if we could establish for them that she was alive even before the arrive in the tunnel."

She looks around at the group. "Vasili has the means of creating a false Feray, once he gets down here. Getting him down here to create the impostor, and out safely, are going to be the hardest part. Anything that people might do to support that story would be helpful. Tell the other cultists about the cover story. Hide any drugs that are not painkillers. If you have the means of delaying the inquisitors, to buy the others time to arrange the body, please do so."

[Isabella]

Richard paused, and seemed to retreat, somehow. "I-I'll stay with you, Landsherr. I-I've no means to-to aid such an endeavor, and we-we still ought to find our missing persons... lest they give away the game." He gave Leila a silent look. "If-if it fails, it would be-be best if we had a head start."

[Nathan of the FoS]

"Condemned criminals are traditionally given to the hounds after the execution," Yarek tells Richard. "As for ghosts, we have none here. We never have. There are a number of superstitions about it."

He looks a bit skeptical of Leila's plot, but calls the hounds away and gestures to Richard that he can replace the body. "I guess it's worth a try, if that's what you've told them. We will have to go…back to where the…ceremony took place, I suppose, and do our best to make it look like…whatever the Penitents' rites look like." He looks slightly baffled.

[Nathan of the FoS]

Lena catches up with Horst just as he is leaving the baths. He looks remarkably calm and sober for somebody who's been spending the night as he has, but perhaps one becomes accustomed to these things with enough practice. He gives Lena a practiced smile. "Baroness," he says politely. "I take it you found who you were looking for?"