From where he was standing, Torbin tried not to look surprised at the sizeable reward. Ten-thousand gold pieces was a lot of money to offer up as a bounty. Even for such a skilled combatant. But it was the sheer size of the reward that began to perk his interest. Not necessarily in the catching of the mark, but in finding out why somone was willing to offer ten-thousand gold, per person taking part, for the capture of single individual. The drive within him to overcome great obstacles, to raise to any challenge, finally won out. when the conversation lulled for a moment, he straightened up the wall and made his intentions known.

   "Alright, I'm in. And I'm ready to go whenever this little posse you've gathered is. Just don't expect me to do any fancy research or tracking. I'm a grappler, not a librarian. Though I do have one question. Is there a time limit on this bounty?"

---

"Apparently getting your ass kicked is now part of a complete breakfast." - Roy Greenhilt, Order Of The Stick


- An Answerer of questions, and Questioner of answers.

Ten thousand gold each huh? Well that more than exceeds my standard rate. Rutgar thought to himself and then nodded in agreement, “Live capture is my specialty; I accept the job, the first thing I would like to do is search her quarters.”

Shaala nodded. "I agree. Her quarters would be the place to start."

---

I swear, now you're just doing it to piss me off.

 Everyone

 The High Mornlord looks at the gnome and says there is no time limit althoungh he would like Searle brought in as soon as possible.

 Elchanan also gives his assent to searching her rooms and Rhys steps forward to lead you all to Searle's quarters.Celdric Fellaxe and his men follow you out but,instead of following the paladin,they walk back towards the main entrence.

 The Lathanderite leds you down a flight of stairs and through a series of corriders,occasionally encountering clerics and paladins of the Morning Lord.Once you even pass by a group of children being ushered down the hall by a cleric.Many of them look frightened of Rutgar and Algernon.

 Finally you enter the modest living area of the lower ranking paladins.Rhys goes to open one of the doors and you enter the rooms of Cassia Searle.

---

Ever so slowly I slip into the depths of madness...

Shaala thoroughly scanned the room, memorizing every inch of it, looking for anything interesting, important, or unusual.

---

I swear, now you're just doing it to piss me off.

Torbin paused, and watched as Fellaxe and his cronies strode confidently for the main building and presumably the exit. Awfully confident for a bunch of guys who didn't ask a single question. Looking back at the others as they continued after the paladin, he knew that investigation skills weren't his strong point. And though shadowing people wasn't a strong point either, his small size gave him some advantages at not being seen. The prime objective when undertaking such a clandestine venture.

"Hey, uh, Shaala was it? Um, I'm just going to follow up on a gut feeling, but I'll meet back up with you guys later. Fill me in on what the three of you, or four if you count the rock, find later." and with a quick nod to at least signify he meant to be back, Torbin quickly hurried after Fellaxe and his gang. Quickly because the same small size that benefited him in avoiding detection, also hindered him with a lack of speed comparable to the bigger peoples.

---

"Apparently getting your ass kicked is now part of a complete breakfast." - Roy Greenhilt, Order Of The Stick


- An Answerer of questions, and Questioner of answers.

Guessing what the gnome intended, Shaala nodded. As the gnome ran off, Shaala's silver eyes tracked himuntil her turned a corner left her sight.

---

I swear, now you're just doing it to piss me off.

Rutgar didn’t even watch Fellaxe and his men leave, he knew they did and figured what they intended to do; his bet would be they planned on letting him do all the work, why track someone you don’t know where to find when you can track someone you do? Of course Fellaxe would try to get the girl himself even though he would get paid the same regardless; it was a matter of reputation and showing up the other guy.

 

He listened with amusement at the exchange between the gnome and the drow, sure why not? They could work as a team, it’s not like he was adverse to working with a team; he just usually worked alone for the sake of maximizing profit but since that wasn’t an issue with this job he’d work with the amateur bounty hunters.

 

As they descended into the lower levels Rutgar looked to the Lathanderite. “She was of low rank?”

Algernon's lack of interest in the entire affair was because he didn't feel like there was much he could ascertain using the information they had, or they probably would have already figured out how to solve the case in the first place.  Aside from that, he wasn't much of a talker anyway, and his own keen intellect would probably keep him entertained in any case, and since he has other people here, he could use his abilities in any way he saw fit, and at this point in time he figured it best to leave most of the work to him, while Esk merely fretted on his shoulder, his own ideas of interest differing a great deal from Algernon's.

"Why aren't you doing anything?"

"Don't feel like it."

"Why?"

"I'll let them get some work done before I display my hand."

"Oh, ok."

"The boss doesn't want to talk much, so I'll probably talk every once and awhile."

Pipped up the somewhat irritating voice of the Psicrystal as it addressed the hobgoblin, looking at him from the top of the shoulders of Algernon, showing a crystaline smile as he did, piping up again in order to gain some level of information.

"So, Hobgoblin tracker, I figure you'd be the best one to stick around, and since you seem... willing... you'd be willing to enjoy our company for awhile longer, right?"

---

"... if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for Destruction Ice is also great
And would suffice."
- Robert Frost

I liiiiivvveeee!!!!!

 

Everyone except Torbin

 The rooms of the rogue paladin have a certain lived-in feeling.An old armchair sit in front of a fireplace.Books are scattered here and there and some scrolls and trinkets are piled on the little desk by a window.Outside the window,you can see the Morning Waters sparkling in the recently returned sunshine.

 A bit to left of the small hearth you also see another door.

 

 Torbin

 As you continue your pursuit of Fellaxe and his men,you notice they are leading you closer and closer to the docks.Now that the rains have stopped,vendors are now hawking their wares and people are out and about,eager to stretch their legs after being confined indoors for days.It becomes more and more difficult to keep Fellaxe in sight as the crowds get bigger,once you even lose sight of him.

 Finally he stops and,looking around (thankfully not spotting you in the crowd),enters a small dockside tavern called the Conjurer's Cup.

 

---

The penguins...They steal my sanity

<Shaala>

"What's through that door?" Shaala asked in her whisper of a voice.

</Shaala>

---

I swear, now you're just doing it to piss me off.

Torbin watched as the last of Fellaxe's cronies entered the Conjurer's Cup. He didn't want to lose sight of them for too long, but just walking into the same tavern as Fellaxe after having been in the same room was asking to be spotted. He needed to change his appearance, and quickly. Ducking into an ally, Torbin made sure no one was watching, before slipping further back into the shadows. Quickly, he pulled his chain shirt from his pack, and slid it over his head, only making a  half-hearted attempt at cinching it tight. All the better for the look, Torbin thought as he pulled his cloak about him. Taking one of his arm wraps out, he quickly wrapped it around his head and one eye, to give the appearance of having been injured. Placing his leather helm on his head, he decided on one last addition. Finding some mud at the bottom of a shallow pool of water, Torbin smeared a little on his hands, and then rubbed some across his arms, face, and forehead. There we go, just a one-eyed traveling gnome.

Pulling his hood up over his head, Torbin strolled cautiously across the street, both to appear as someone who was little out of place, as well in an earnest attempt to keep from being run over. Striding over to the door of the Conjurer's Cup, Torbin was glad to find a lever in the door just below his chest level, conveniently placed for the smaller folk. Entering the tavern like one who was ready to take a load off, Torbin walked across the tavern room, looking for somewhere to observe Fellaxe and his men, but still remain inconspicuous.

---

"Apparently getting your ass kicked is now part of a complete breakfast." - Roy Greenhilt, Order Of The Stick


- An Answerer of questions, and Questioner of answers.

Rutgar went about his business thoroughly and professionally, he started with the scrolls and trinkets on the desk he inspected them each and the moved on to search somewhere else for clues; he even scoured the inside of the hearth for anything out of the ordinary.

Since Blood Sorcerer hasn't posted...

 

Shaala,Rutgar,Algernon

 Rhys answers Shaala's quiet question,telling her the door leds to Cassia's bedroom.

 As Rutgar inspects the trinkets on the former paladin's desk,he picks up a small hand  mirror that has a leaf-embossed border around it.While he studies it,it suddenly emits a soft golden glow and everyone hears a man's voice coming from it.

 "What the hell?...Cassia?"

 

 Torbin

 The common room of the Conjurer's Cup is full of rowdy patrons,mostly sailors on shore leave.A grumpy-looking old man tending bar seems to get annoyed with two brawling men and sends them flying into the wall with but a word and a gesture,where they slump to the ground,out cold.

 After that incident,it gets noticablely quieter and during the lull,you see Fellaxe and his men make their way to the back of the room where a massive half-orc sits.He is obviously waiting for them.

 

Keris

 It has been a hard day of travel for you.Not only the actual travel itself but having to deal with the people of Tiber,who are on pins and needles and frankly not appreciating anyone who looks even remotely different.So all you want to do is sit at the bar of the Conjurer's Cup and have a drink.

 But you can't help but notice the small group of swaggering men who make their way to the back of the room and the gnome who enters right after them.

 

 

---

The penguins...They steal my sanity

Upon hearing the voice, Shaala peers over Rutgar's shoulder at the mirror he's holding.

(Well, not over his shoulder, he's too tall. Sort of to the side of him.)

---

I swear, now you're just doing it to piss me off.