Meanwhile, at the Hall of Mob Justice....

The ring grows warm upon Yatigan's finger, pleasantly so. It tickles a little as it melts and drips to the floor, causing the boards to sizzle and smoke.

The box remains shut. It jerks towards Yatigan again, and then subsides into motionlessness.

Once it's been drawn from its resting place, the metal item in the dead man's chest proves to be a surprisingly heavy metal shard, about 6 inches long. It looks as though it was broken off from something larger -- one side, and the base of the shard, are squared off at perfect 90 degree angles -- which is exceedingly odd, considering that it appears to be composed of adamant.

Rolzup wrote:

The ring grows warm upon Yatigan's finger, pleasantly so. It tickles a little as it melts and drips to the floor, causing the boards to sizzle and smoke.

"An omen" says Yatagan gravely, seemingly unconcerned by the ring turning to molten metal.

Quote :

The box remains shut. It jerks towards Yatigan again, and then subsides into motionlessness.

Yatagan's horned brow furrows for a moment, then he addresses the currently less-than-animate box. "Omen box, can you... understand me? If so, thump twice".

The box jumps on the table, as though something struck its underside. Only once, though.

Rolzup wrote:

Once it's been drawn from its resting place, the metal item in the dead man's chest proves to be a surprisingly heavy metal shard, about 6 inches long. It looks as though it was broken off from something larger -- one side, and the base of the shard, are squared off at perfect 90 degree angles -- which is exceedingly odd, considering that it appears to be composed of adamant.

OOC: Do we know of many things (or anything in particular) in the Port which can neatly slice adamant?

Mallus wrote:

The box jumps on the table, as though something struck its underside. Only once, though.

IC: Artichoke looks up from his study of the shard and asks, "The box is communicating with you now?"

Quote :

OOC: Do we know of many things (or anything in particular) in the Port which can neatly slice adamant?

Nothing that leaps to mind -- and looking at it, it's impossible to say if it was actually cut off, or if it was somehow shattered.

OOC: John, the only commonly known source of adamant would be the hammers used by the laborers in the Breakers, right? And that *is* common knowledge?

Sir Fracas, well-versed in the art of failing to communicate with his audience, is heartened that the metal box isn't trying to flee. Like members of the audience at his poetry recitals sometimes do.

Yatagan picks up the box, bringing it close to his face so as to examine the lock. "So who or what is in there?" he coos to it, as if he's decided that it might contain a pet. "Can you hear me now? Do you want out?"

He lifts the box to his face again and utters another, more respectful prayer to Yugg.

(if that doesn't produce a response, he'll gently shake the box)

Mallus wrote:

OOC: John, the only commonly known source of adamant would be the hammers used by the laborers in the Breakers, right? And that *is* common knowledge?

Yes, and yes.

As he croons to it, Yatigan becomes aware of two facts, as though he has always known them:

The Thing in the box is content to remain there, for now.

And that it would be most...unwise to continuing trying to open the box. It will open when it is the proper time to do so, and not before.

In a commanding-yet-stagy voice Yatagan intones "The Thing in the box is content to remain there, for now". He looks mildly surprised that he is speaking.

He pauses. It looks as if he's mulling over the truthfulness of his own words. He then blurts out "It would be most...unwise to continuing trying to open the box. It will open when it is the proper time to do so, and not before".

Yatagan shuts his mouth and then clenches his jaw hard. The Dragonborn seems to be trying to make up his mind. After a few moments go by he says, "It is as I say. We must guard the box until the appointed time. We have clearly been chosen."

"At least, I, Sir Yatagan Fracas, honorable servant of Justice, Mercy, and Myself, swear to do so."

"But a little help from my friends would nice".

Artichoke stares at Yatagan for a long moment and then says decisively, "All right. You can keep an eye on the box."

He lifts the metal fragment and says, "I'm betting this comes from one of the hammers used at the Breakers, and," nodding at the darkly-clad archer, "Penelope's deductions indicate that he was probably a worker there." Artichoke smiles for a moment at Penelope in an approving manner. The not-so-scrutable archer sometimes worries him a bit, and it doesn't hurt to make the 'employees' feel appreciated. At least that's what the latest chapter he's been working on says.

Looking back at the group, Captain continues, "We should probably do a little checking tomorrow morning about this guy. Asarlai, maybe you could check...." He pauses and sighs gently. "He's fallen asleep. Again. Someone poke him." When Asarlai is awoken and stops grumbling, Artichoke explains that they could use a little information-gathering on the street tomorrow.

sorry, i've been quiet up until now because he literally did go to bed when we returned as i said he did. even if the death was discovered while he was going up the stairs he probably would have said something like, "well, there's nothing we can do for him now. goodnight." so the next morning unless someone briefs him, he'll have no idea of what is going on.

maalvi wrote:

sorry, i've been quiet up until now because he literally did go to bed when we returned as i said he did. even if the death was discovered while he was going up the stairs he probably would have said something like, "well, there's nothing we can do for him now. goodnight." so the next morning unless someone briefs him, he'll have no idea of what is going on.

I figured I'd give him a chance to have been there, in case you wanted. And he'll definitely be filled in on details the next day.

Just in case putting Dr. Phil's picture in killed the thread...

Should we move forward to the next day? Or is this where we'll pick up next session, John?

The next session shall begin early the next morning, with all of you bleary-eyed from sleep, as someone pounds on Artichoke's door to announce that he has some visitors.

However, there will likely be some down-time later that day; to make my own preparations more useful, is there anything that you folks will want to be looking into or doing on the morrow?

Rolzup wrote:

However, there will likely be some down-time later that day; to make my own preparations more useful, is there anything that you folks will want to be looking into or doing on the morrow?

What did whatzisnehm the goblin ask us to do? Did he want us to contact him/them again?

Henry Distaff was going to contact you.

I don't think that he wanted you people scaring his neighbors.

once informed about the dead guy and all that they found out he'll ask to examine the box (arcana and/or hist 7) examine the lethal object that was found piercing his heart (arcana/hist 7 streetwise 9).

once that is done along with breakfast and the morning constitutional he'll head out to see what he can find out who would kill with adamintine, why he may have been there and anything else the others may want him to find out (streetwise 9)

Before retiring for the evening to polish his weapons with a whetstone and pornography, respectively, Yatagan will suggest hiring a Shar Kadai, or some other spirit medium, to ask the dead man about the circumstances surrounding his death. Then he'll ask Heyoka to help him carry the drunks outside to the --relative-- safety of the benches under Lord Bum's protection in the park down the street.

At breakfast the following morning, Yatagan will offer this theory regarding the dead man: he died by his own hand. He was a Break-man from down in the Breakers, whose job it was to smash up up the huge pieces of Infernal obsidian that frequently wash up in the harbor. The Break-men are famous for their adamantine hammers. For whatever reason, perhaps even accidentally, the man tried to break open the metal box with one of these hammers. This resulted in the small dent in the top of the box, and a piece of the hammer chipping off and burying itself in his chest. As to why, or even how, the man then proceeded to seek out Artichoke while fatally pierced with amamant, even going so far as to toss back a couple of lukewarm-and-likely-skunked ones, Yatagan can't say.

Yatagan says this with the utmost confidence, though those who know him realize he's probably talking, as the Dragonborn say, out his cloaca.

OOC: Yatagan wants to make a sketch of dead man to take down to the Breakers when we start snooping around. Can he make one? Does he know a sketch artist (that won't ask too many questions?)

Mallus wrote:

OOC: Yatagan wants to make a sketch of dead man to take down to the Breakers when we start snooping around. Can he make one? Does he know a sketch artist (that won't ask too many questions?)

One of you surely must be an artist -- I would suspect that Master Dare would have some skills, having undoubtably made many questionable sketches of his sister over the years.

Oh, and by the way Shil: May I suggest this as an avatar?



It's still Dr. Phil, after all....

Rolzup wrote:

I would suspect that Master Dare would have some skills, having undoubtably made many questionable sketches of his sister over the years.

And he sells them in a gallery in the Quadrille called DeviantArt!

Quote :

It's still Dr. Phil, after all....

It hurts my eyes!

Rolzup wrote:

I would suspect that Master Dare would have some skills, having undoubtably made many questionable sketches of his sister over the years.

Thousands of frantic sketches, hundreds of vibrant, dreamlike watercolors, a handful of provocatively-posed bronze sculptures cast in the lost wax technique, and yet he still has never quite captured her likeness to his satisfaction.

Mallus wrote:

And he sells them in a gallery in the Quadrille called DeviantArt!

They are sometimes admired there, but never purchased. Perhaps there is something too intimate in them, odd details that make close observers uncomfortable, or perhaps it's just that Odanais prices them beyond what any sane man or woman would pay for the picture of a girl that they themselves had never loved.


After a morning chat with Sir Yatagan, Odanais sets down his morning brandy and retreives from his room several shards of charcoal, a bit of chalk, and a sheet of fine Elven hemp paper. He quickly sketches the dead man to his own joyless satisfaction. It is only after he's handed the page to Sir Yatagan that he realizes it was most likely unnecessary to render the adamantine fragment lodged in the man's bleeding chest with such gory detail.