Soldaes shouldn’t it be quite an easy thing to locate if there is remains hidden near the bridge. I am thinking that a first magnitude spontaneous spell should reveal if there is remains within the reach of our voice. Perhaps if we explain our errand to the son of the slain man we can acquire an arcane connection. After all a son must be interested in giving his father a proper burial. I suggest that we find this Ebert and talk to him. Talking can’t hurt anyone.
"But we should pursue that line of inquiry very cautiously. First determine their relationship, and history, and that of the father, and see if there is something obvious that would cause the father to not rest peacefully, for one reason or another. This could be something that followed him to his grave, or that sought him out after. Something that he did, something his son has done since, anything is possible with nobles," and that last word is almost spat out as if they were a caste untouchable.
Iohannes looks to Vispilius, at first surprised, and then a smile spills across his face. "I'd be most pleased to buy you a round of drinks when we get back home.
"But first, the flower of chivalry. I'd like to wring their brains for everything they know. I would not be surprised if all of them are dirty. Though I have some sympathy for a man who dies to keep a bridge from being destroyed."
He looks to the other magi. "A first magnitude spell, huh? Or maybe a spell to see through the dirt to whatever else is there; it might not be a person after all. We can return to the bridge and try it, but maybe we should learn more first."
"Unless the son betrayed the father. These things happen. And where there's an Infernal influence... I think we should still be careful. I'm not sure I want to explain our errand to these people. The less they know about us, the better."
"I think we would be wise to gather information on the families with some subtlety before either speaking with them or returning to the Bridge. The exact events of the feud and the battle at the bridge may be of critical importance to resolving the matter."
Vispilius had long since reformed his features back to more perfectly resemble his own, but still retained the garb of the priest he had portrayed.
"Well, we're agreed - who do we have who can discover this information on the families' backgrounds, or does that fall to me again?"
"My skill lies in getting the dead to answer rather than the living. I think your skills would be more suitable in this area"
"It is getting late, let us retire from this battlefield to the covenant, and from there we can muster what resources we have for our next exertions. Namely, to find out more about these families, and the better prepare both for that effort, and against demons in general, for I fear that may well be the colour of our near future."
Titius scratches his chin, I think that you are right. We retreat to our covenant and brace for trouble with the infernal in the future. I must say however that it is probably a good idea to keep an eye upon our resident noblemen in the future. Perhaps employ a few agents in their households or at least monitor them from a distance.
I think that we need to deal with the matter of the Bridge urgently or there will be larger consequences. I have no problem retreating to the covenant for now, but I feel we must investigate the nobles and see what we can do about moving the body before the seasons turn and the faerie knight spreads his plague.
OCC I would like to check for a body at the Bridge but without an arcane connection I can't think of any way to do it without LOS, which is a bit risky
"The presence of a body is an assumption, and a tenuous one at that. The dark patch of grass could as easily simply be the taint of the demonic manifesting itself on the good green sward. There may be, there may not be.
"If I am to go forth to these two noble houses, I wish to be armed with more than what I have at hand. No one is, I trust, suggesting that we abandon this effort, nor much delay it, only to see it done right the first time. Less haste, more speed, as is sometimes said."
"I could peer through the ground from a distance and see what's there.
"Or, we could kill the knight and the squire, and have a priest spray holy water or something on the place, though that makes me uncomfortable, and we still don't know what the crows are up to.
"Or maybe kill the knight and the squire, and then see if we can solve the problem without their interference.
"I'd really like to get one of these nobles alone, Intellego him until we know more about what happened than he does, and then arrange for him to forget about the whole thing. Depending on what we discover, perhaps permanently."
Iohannes pauses. "Even better, incapacitate the knight and the squire, and then investigate the entire site. And Intellego them.
Vispilius blinked in some confusion -
"I'm sure I remember us agreeing, specifically, not to kill the knight, that killing the knight would be undesirable, for the now, at least."
Yes I can remember that to, says Titius. I’ll suggest that we start with the nobleman whose father got slain here. Perhaps he can be easily persuaded aid our effort in some way, that is if he didn’t have anything to earn from the slaying of his father. With the use of some simple spells we can sure get him to talk, we should start with some discrete Mentem and from there determine our action. Shall we travel there, that is if someone knows the way?
I agree we should investigate the noble family 1st before risking another encounter with the knight
The characters swiftly learn that the family they are talking about owns a small fortified manor within easy distance of here. They are poor for their class, although this was not always so, and the house reflects this, being grand and yet a little delapidated.
What approach are you taking, here?
Soldaes I think that the wisest of choices in this situation is to scout the household of this nobleman that we are encountering. Titius pauses for a moment and scratches his chin. But I am a bit reluctant to this sneaking and hiding in the shadows. If we all enter his household and speak to him, identify us as magi and demand straight answer to our questions. If needed with a bit of magical aid we don’t need to skulk around in the shadows and hide. We go in and demand the respect and information that we need, after all either he want’s his father death avenged or he has contributed towards unleashing a greater horror on this land. I know that this might be unwise but I loath the fact we might need to hide ourselves from the world and sneak.
"Well, if the manor is a stone's throw, then returning home might seem over-cautious. And if their fortunes have fallen, they are not so powerful that they engender all the need for caution they otherwise might.
"However, we do not know if they are aware of the situation, or the cause of it, or in mortal fear of meddling in it, or what. So openly declaring ourselves may not be the most prudent approach. If we were to try the disguised and indirect approach in the morning, and stand by with the forceful, open approach immediately upon its heels if that should not succeed, that might be the best of both."
Vispsilius I Agree with you , a cautious approach to be followed by an open approch it such seems warranted looks wise to me.
"Then that direction should be our next road. Perhaps first a stop at whatever passes there for a church, that we might get a more objective story from their alderman before naively listening to the tale told in the greater halls"