[IC] Death & Taxes (Session 4)

"Who'd be going around tonight? Weren't all the villagers supposed to be sleeping and be blessed? Fortuna bless us!" Nekurr crosses his fingers for luck and looks at Nera. "Why are you looking out the window that way?" he asks afraid of the answer, quickly suggesting a more sensible option "Shouldn't we just tell the mayor someone is not sleeping?"

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"We shouldn't tell the mayor because he's supposed to be sleeping, never mind him wondering why we're still up on this holiday." Nera looks at the bed, her ears perking up. She advances upon it. "Maybe you should check if the mayor is even in his room." Nera pulls the bed sheet free, getting it ready to act as an improvised rope. "I'm going to follow, come with or don't scaredy cat, too much weird stuff is happening for sleep."

Nera yanks the sheets off the bed and starts tying them together as Nekurr prays to Fortuna. The two Catfolk feel a surge of confidence and purpose as they plot what to do about getting out of this manor house.

Hildar notices some movement outside the window, though. Looking closely, he sees three figures like the one Nera noticed. They are staring directly at him.

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"Damned beast!" Galbernost swears as the razorwing flitters off out of sight. He then starts talking to the boy in a lowered voice that is difficult to overhear from this distance. The boy cries out in again in pain.

"I can do that" Nekurr is quick to tell Nera, as he notices she's preparing a dangerous looking improvised rope. "I'm sure he will be in his room". Nekurr prepares to leave the room and sneak downstairs, but doesn't really, because Hildar will interrupt with shocking revelations.

Tronus motions for Bruv to move on and that he'll follow afterwards still curious about what's going on with Galbernost and the boy.

Bruv mutters, not really seeking an answer, as they make their way to their allies, "Dat wasnt moi intent, Oi'd never wish 'arm on da boy... bot wot was Malfoy Melchic doin' out at dis 'our while all da village is s'posed ta be honoring deir Lady by sleepin' an 'avin' good dreams?"

Tronus taps his nose and points at Bruv knowingly and motions for him to find the others since things may not be as simple as they appear.

Hildar stands at the window staring out and rubs his eyes for a moment thinking he is still dreaming or something but then quickly begins to look quite concerned "Who, or what, are they?" he says to the others as he pulls his wand.

Not being directly stoped, Nekurr quickly checks on the mayor and comes back.

Aside from a few more moans of pain from Grimbly, the voices are just too low for Bruv to pick much of anything up from Galbernost's conversation with the lad. Tronus notices the sleeping guard start to stir a bit, so the Dwarf urges his companion to make haste. The pair quickly sneak off from the Galbernost farm and reach the rendezvous point, some high corn at the edge of the mayor's property.

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Nekurr bounds down the wooden staircase and to the mayor's door, perhaps convinced that the mayor would want to know about strange things afoot outside his manor. The Half-Catfolk pads across the house to the mayor's chambers and pauses outside the door to listen for signs that Mayor Wayland is inside. Nekurr hears nothing but silence.

Then a door creaks from somewhere toward the front of the house, and a guard's voice calls out, "Everything al right in here? I heard some noise."

Nekurr freezes because, as far as he can tell, the mayor is not in his room, and the guards voice caught him off guard. Though this may be Fortuna's way of helping. Bless be the Lady indeed. If Nekurr distracts the guards, then Nera and Hildar should have an easier time seneaking out of the manor!

"Everything is fine." The cleric replies loud enough to disturb the mayor, just to be sure he is not inside the room. "I was looking for some milk, but I can't seem to find where it is. Could you good people help me out here?"

"What? Milk?"

"A glass of warm milk helps me digest before sleep"
x_x

Hildar keeps watching the figures outside....

"Right then," the guard says from the doorway. "Make it quick, then. And quiet! Don't want you waking anyone. Tonight's a night for sleeping and dreaming." The door creaks on its hinges and closes with a slow click—the guard is obviously trying not to make much noise.

Upstairs, the strange figures continue to stare at Nera and Hildar through the window. But all of the sudden they seem to startle and take off through the high corn toward the back of the house. Scanning the night for what may have spooked them, Nera and Hildar can make out the figures of Tronus and Bruv arriving at the rendezvous point a few hundred yards away, coming from the direction opposite the one the figures are fleeing to.

Hildar casts a curious look at Nera as the figure begin to flee "Do we follow them? The seem quite unsettling but I'm not sure whether this is part of the, erm, festivities???"