Episode 2

I was literally laughing my ass off at your autopilot. Well played and fucking hilarious to boot.

Kray seizes the opportunity the moment it presents itself, rolling up on his target like a fog in the dark, Serpent's Judgement coiling to strike once in range, it's black Otessite metal almost invisible in the darkness.

Whoever this is, Kray's going to lay him out. Non-lethal damage. Action surge. Advantage for stealth. Follow through with the falcata. Not sure if advantage applies to all attacks. One roll at a time to see if I might use Precision attack maneuver on later attacks.

My mistake. The 1d8+7's below should just be 1d8's to add to attack rolls. And the attacks should all be +9 to hit. They all look like hits to me J lmao, except falcata. Sloppy on my part.

Kray

Kray rushes in on the trailer, bashing him with the hilt and the flat of his blade. After the third hit in the barrage, the man is knocked to the ground, senseless and quietly moaning.

He is a thin man with a scraggly beard. He wears a robe, sandals, and cloak. He has a small knife and a short cudgel hanging on his belt.

Crit hit damage

Early evening, at the upper floor of the Hall of the Nasi...

Thorn takes some caution, but avoids going to full stealth mode for concern of looking suspicious. He leaves the locked gate door behind and continues on down the hall towards the sunlight junction to the next perpendicular hall.

When he rounds the corner to the left, he does see balconies. The last moment of the sunset is shining in. A beautiful woman stands there, looking out the open airway.



When she sees Thorn, she cuts eyes at him only quickly, then immediately turns her eyes back to the balcony view.

She gives a bit of a huff as she rolls her eyes, shifts her hips, and crosses her thin arms. "So are you here to escort me back to my parlor chair, or do you need to dive in front of me right away to thwart the assassin's arrow?", she asks...in Yuoric!

Her voice is beautiful. She is beautiful, the way she moves. Now she glares at Thorn directly, her eyebrows drawn tight in the middle, red lips pressed together sternly.

"What do your orders say that you must do, steel-nerved Korvaran? Hmm?" The question is with all cynicism and condescension.

Late night after the social, at the stables at Imin Bash's house...

Thorn finishes the knots. There's no way this guy is getting off this bench.

Kray stares at the man's eyes. The thin Heshbaan man is trying to remain calm, but Kray can see that his body is quaking and twitching. Fear is already thick running through him. He remains silent as he was directed, though Kray can see that he wants to talk. This should be pretty easy.

Gibon stands nearby, over by a donkey stall a few paces away. He is ready to translate, but Kray can tell the simple Heshbaan field worker is shaky. Once again he has found himself in an intimidating situation, following around his new employers.

Busy day for me here fellas. I most definitely want to 'get to work', but may have to cool my jets for the weekend so I can do it right. Looking forward to a friendly exchange of Q & A.

Ivor goes through some drills with Mamdouh. The big Sekeri is powerful, but extremely undisciplined. He also seems to have a chip on his shoulder. He's just not getting it on the net finesse. He always wants to power-fling the net and then double-grip stab with the trident, always over extending himself and opening himself up to balance problems and a center mass too far forward.

The woman looks confused, but only briefly. She quickly parleys, "A Jeresian? Here? How can I tell you big fair-skinned fellows apart anyway?"

She smiles and shifts her stance, leaning against the railing now and watching Thorn carefully.

"Who is your sponsor, City Guest? Are you sure that you should be up here? And are you of proper rank and station to talk to me?"

Her words and expressions are deft. She is riding the line between playfulness and accusation, Thorn thinks, keeping options open to shift to either at any moment.

Required Action: With next response, send Charisma Persuasion check.

The lady looks squarely at Thorn's eyes, as if reading through him. Her look is maybe inviting, enticing. But maybe dangerous, all at the same instant. She is uncanny.

Just then, a door is heard unlatching and creaking open down he hall. Though the person coming through it is not yet seen, the heavy voice of a Heshbaan man sounds out, calling for someone. Thorn cannot understand the meaning of the Heshbaan words.

The woman only makes a small shift to look down the hallway and listen. Then her eyes go back to Thorn. He can see her make a quick decision.

"Take me this way," she says. She points down the hall in the other direction, towards a side archway. She looks down at Thorn's arm and gives a quick pointing hand motion. As if he is compelled just by the certainty of her unsaid request, Thorn's arm instinctively offers out, hooked at the elbow to take her hand in the proper way of masculine escort for a protected lady. Thorn feels her delicate arm touch his. Her silk sleeves against his skin.

She directs into another room, through another hallway, through a small side door, up a circular staircase, which opens up into a plush parlor. Padded seating and fine cabinetry is all around. There is a small balcony nearby with shutters closed.

The lady slows now. She lets go of Thorn's arm and takes a step back from him. Looking at him in the eyes again, but still saying nothing. She walks over to a cabinet and opens it. The cabinet doors fold back both ways.

"Open those shutters, Sir Jeres. I wish to see the sun, as I was watching it before you intercepted me from my perch downstairs," she gives a fleeting smile, but then it is gone. She turns to go to another closet and opens it.

Thorn opens the shutters. The view of the orange sunset melting across the massive rooftops of the shrines and palaces is quite stunning. The trees of Jara Hili frame the backdrop behind the city.

The lady has now taken a thick purple silk wrap out of the closet and drapes it around her shoulders loosely. She sits down at one parlor chair, which is at a small round marble-topped table for two.

She smiles at Thorn. And then looks over at the wine cabinet. Without hearing a word, Thorn knows he needs to pour wine. He does so, bringing a glass.

"And one for you?," she says quietly, smiling. She gives a small gesture with her hand, offering him the other seat across from her.

He pours another and then sits down. He looks at her blue eyes. Mesmerizing.

When she speaks, her words are music.

"Now tell me, Sir Jeres, what is your real name, and what do you seek here at the City at the Center of the World?"

Gibon gulps heavily before translating. His voice is shaky at first and he has to clear his throat. He's visibly nervous.

The captive listens intently, looking back and forth between Gibon, Kray, and the knife on the table.

He shakes his head and pleads. Gibon translates, but it is hardly needed. "No. No. No. Please! I will tell you anything you want to know!"He says, by translation:

He works for a guy named Manshesh. Manshesh is a cabinet maker in Canals.
He (the trailer) is supposed to follow you guys, verify where you are staying, make sure all of you are there, see what you are doing in town. Try to see if you are spending a lot of money and hear what you are doing, who you are meeting with.
Also he is supposed to see if you are working with the Korvarans.
He doesn't know who Manshesh works for, if anyone, or why he wants to know.