Ch. 1, Scene 1: The Order of the Silver Rose

Sensing a bit of discomfort from Hal as he responded to him, Kyle straightens up and stops leaning on his chair. If not courage found in the cup, then the foolhardiness sometimes provides a reasonable alternative, my good man. Regardless, I will be happy to protect you from any false courage by bravely interposing my gullet 'twixt you and all wineskins, he says with a smile. Sincere or sardonic, though, it's hard to say. But lucky for us all I am as sober as a devotee of Essendra before a priest Rilar.

Yawning, Kyle takes in the Sahaugin's ambience as he waits for the Baron. Swinging his arms as if to shake off pins-and-needles, he strolls around the tavern, passing the lutist. Thankfully, said performer is nearing the end of the ballad. There are only so many times one can hear "The Courage of Fair Gertrüde" without it being every so slightly jaded. Wandering over to the poker game, he watches silently as the hands are drawn and dealt, and the coins change hands—with merriment or remorse as may be. I wish I had the stake to play a round or three. It's a crying shame my coin pouch is so lean. I hope this adventure for the Baron will address that need as well. Rubbing his right eye as if something is caught in it, Kyle backs away from the table and returns to his newly-met acquaintances just in time to catch Nyx's flame play.

Kyle smiles at as she causes the candles to glow in obviously unnatural colors. M'lady Nyx, how magnificent! The radiance of the candles is only outshone by that of your lustrous locks!.

At this moment, a handsomely dressed man enters the tavern and, after some pleasantries, introduces himself as Baron Tremayne and invites the assemblage into the back room. Kyle follows the others, and listens intently to their stories. Holy oath? Well, that may explain Hal's over-ceremoniousness. I'll need to keep that in mind, and out of reach of that polearm. So, Sylvanos is young for an elf and just leaving home? It's so hard to tell with them. They could be 20 or 200 and they look just the same. The lady Nyx enjoys merry chaos; good to know what pleases her fancy. Miss Eirika may be the single most logical—and least expressive—person I have ever seen. Except for that one philosopher bishop of Biveshin in Camborra. No one was as emotionally expressionless as he was.

Sensing a lull in the conversation, Kyle rubs his hands together nervously for a moment and begins to provide his tale:
Upon conclusion, Kyle steps to the sideboard and pours himself a glass of red wine. Swirling it around, he inhales the bouquet and takes a larger-than-would-be-delicate sip. Ahhh. Better than that ale would have been, he thinks. Pairing it with a wedge of soft, rich, deep-yellow cheese, Kyle leans against the sideboard to hear the remaining stories.

Baron Treymane sips his wine as he looks from face to face, taking each story in turn:

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Some time during Erikia's tale, the barkeep comes in with two pitchers of ale and a bunch of steins. An attendant behind him brings a tray with two loaves of hot, fresh bread, and an assortment of jams and jellies."...and I'll speak of my own association with Provos at dinner as well, should you remind me. But for now, to business. You're here," the man explains, "to catch a thief. A thief and a traitor to my house, as it were." He gestures towards the door. "Four times in the last six weeks, items of value have disappeared from my estate. All occurred when there were guests in the manor, but sadly, no two guests were present for all four of them. Given that these thefts all seemed very opportunistic and the guests were somewhat disconnected from one another, that means that only a member of my family or my household staff could possibly be responsible."

The Baron takes a long swig from the wine bottle, the glass forgotten for the moment. "I have sequestered them all on the manor grounds; aside from myself, none of them has been on or off the grounds since last kri-Fiquy, the day after the last theft. I've given no public reason for this, and thus far, they've simply given their apologies when people come calling and declared themselves otherwise engaged, but that won't hold forever. People will eventually notice. And I'd prefer not to have my private affairs spread throughout the city if I can help it." He leans back in the chair. "You'll come by to dinner tonight and be put up in the manor for a few days. You'll be given ample opportunity to interview everyone, including me, during that time. You'll be free to explore the grounds, although any search of someone's room must be conducted with that person present. You'll find the guilty party and report it to us, privately, and we'll handle the discipline of the guilty party privately as well. Thus will the thief be caught, and none of the citizenry need be any the wiser."

"Is that assignment acceptable to you?"