Czlaplon Quest

[arcomniflash]

Since Gudrun is meditating, I'll take a look around and see if I can find Alston. I'll be furtively keeping an eye out for that woman on the way. If I do spot her, I won't do anything particularly special, I'll simply make a note of it. How hard can one windling be to find on a ship? Needle in a haystack probably, but I do need to talk to him, so it can't be helped. My method of searching will be rather quiet, I won't call out his name or anything like that, and it will mostly look like I'm just taking a walk.

[TarlimanJoppos]

Isaac: Finding Alston turns out to be not that difficult, really. There he is, being harangued by a windling woman who's obviously unhappy with whatever he's saying. The windling man hanging back behind her slightly just looks sad and tired.

Alston: “You don't even associate with your own kind? What sort of windling are you?” the woman demands. “There's no way I'm letting you put my daughter on display! Why, the very idea is improper!” And she storms off. Her husband shakes his head. “Sorry about that,” he says. “When it comes to Audelia, nothing meets her standards. If you served Audelia's favorite dish, splendidly prepared, she'd check it for poison and then hunt the hair in it. My apologies.” He sighs. “Maybe Audelia will find her path on her own. She's not going to get any help with it, with her mother chasing off every possible guide.” Then his wife calls his name sharply from across the room, and he flinches. “Coming, dear,” he calls back, and flits off after giving you one more sorrowful look.

[arcomniflash]

After the altercation between the windlings has ended, I'll step in behind Alston. "Problems?" I'll murmur quietly, attracting the windling's attention, alerting him to my presence and asking him the question at the same time. I'll cast a glance in the direction of the windling couple that just left, the woman looks to be upset, and the male rather harangued. Never having been in a relationship, there's really nothing I can compare it to, so I'll simply observed and try to ascertain the situation. I'm sure Alston can fill me in if it's important.

[Kasbak]

The comment on racial association is a bit below the belt, as will probably show on my face, but she doesn't know the story, so I will let it slide. She can't help that her perspective is necessarily jaded. "It's a mother's job to want the best for her child. I know that all too well." I'll assure her husband. "Like I said, just talk it over with Audelia. She has to decide what path she wants to take first. Let me know either way what decision you come to. Even if I can't guide her myself, I'll do what I can to help. If your daughter or you have any questions, my door is open to you." I do intend that 'you' to include his wife, but he is free to interpret as he sees fit.

With a heavy sigh, I'll fly up to Isaac's level at his greeting. "Just parents doing their job, I suppose." I made the plans regarding my meeting with Audelia open to the group previpusly, so that should hopefully be understood. "Let's wander a bit. I've been sitting in one place for too long." While true, it's mostly a thinly veiled excuse to put some distance away from the whole affair. Picking randomly, I'll head aft when we step out of the lounge, unless Isaac has another direction he would prefer to go. "I'm guessing you came by for more than giving me a convenient excuse to leave." I'll remark once we're well out of earshot, gratitude in my tone. "So what's up?"

Just to note, I do find some ironic humor in asking that of someone that can't fly.

[arcomniflash]

Again, I'll look around and make sure the woman isn't present, you never know when the walls might have ears. "Ah, yes, there is something I want to talk with you about, come with me." Walking along is fine enough, but I won't be satisfied until we're out of sight of any of the other passengers - if Garsevan is right and this woman is just bait that we're supposed to react to, the real threat could be any of them. I'll head back in the direction of that door from before that's marked 'crew only', it seemed safe enough to talk in there.

Once inside, I'll give Alston the full story. First I'll let him know about the woman and what I've seen of her, that she is innocuous, but does make enough mistakes that she might be perceived as bait for us. Then I'll let him know that Kolbeinn is planning to try unweaving the spell that is currently holding her disguise, but that it will take time.

"In any case, just be careful not to talk about what our goals are or where we're going in her presence - she might already know, but there's no need to give up any further information until we work out her intentions."

[Kasbak]

I'll listen intently and take in the details. "I haven't spotted anything that has struck me as suspicious, but then maybe I'm not the one they're trying to lure." I haven't been with the group very long, after all, and don't have the heavy connections associated.

"Have you tried casually returning to the places you have seen her and looking for good vantage points? If she truly is just bait, then the angler would most likely be near by." And the sniping positions would be easier to spot from the targeted area. "If you'd like, I can go around to the spots with you and lend my eyes - I've kind of got an advantage looking for sniper positions. Perhaps if we can find where the watchers have been, we'll find a clue to who they are. And I think it's unlikely they will be at the same place twice." That's standard protocol.

[arcomniflash]

"Good idea." I'll describe some of the areas I've seen here. "It might look suspicious if I were to walk around those areas, regardless of how subtle I'm trying to be. Since you haven't been there though, you'd be well serve to take a look yourself. If you see anything, please let me know. In the meantime, I'll look around other areas of the ship - I need to see Gudrun and let her know about this, of course, but while she's meditating I can see if she's set up anywhere else." With a casual nod to Alston, I'll head off to explore a portion of the ship I haven't been to yet, unless he has anything further to add.

[Kasbak]

"Very well then." I'll take notes as Isaac gives me the locations for his sightings, making sure to get as much detail as I can for his and the woman's exact location and position. "I'll scout out one of the areas and slip you a note on what I find at dinner. Burn it after you read it, and then you can distribute the information to the others. If I only do one at a time and do them randomly, it won't give away which ones we know about if they are watching me." He might need a magnifying glass to read my handwriting, though keeping it my size will make it harder for someone to spot.

I won't get started on it right away, since that would look suspicious. When we part, I'll first find another spot, probably near a railing, to finish up the wood carving I was doing earlier. I'll spend a candlemark, maybe two on it, again keeping myself open to any passers by. After I clean up, I'll head to the area of the last sighting, which if I have it right was the railing by the area above deck where Isaac and Garsevan were doing their choreography.

I'll go to where they were working first, take note of the positions that they can see and that can see them. Then I'll go to where the woman was seated, and note the same thing. The most likely place is a position that can see both, but could only be seen from where the woman is, and at a right angle so that their own personnel wouldn't be in the line of fire (even if they don't value the life of their bait, they wouldn't want to leave a body behind if they can help it). For what it's worth, I'll also astral sight where the woman was at, though I doubt there's anything useful left there.

In the interest of trying to save time, I'm going to try and anticipate what rolls are needed. I'm hoping that looking for sniper positions will be perception based half magic. In case they are not, or in case I have something else to look for, I'm going to roll a half magic and a perception for both locations, and an astral sight for the last, using karma for each. Let me know what rolls I actually use (or if there are any additional needed), and I'll adjust in my notes accordingly.

Location 1
Half Magic: d10+d8+d10(k) = 2+4+6(k) = 12
Perception: 2d6+d10(k) = 6(r)+4+4+1(k) = 15

Location 2
Half Magic: d10+d8+d10(k) = 5+10(r)+8+8(k) = 31
Perception: 2d6+d10(k) = 6(r)+5+3+10(kr)+2 = 26
Astral Sight: 2d6+d10(k) = 5+5+1(k) = 11

*(k) = Karma
*(r) = Roll Up

[arcomniflash]

I'll nod to the windling, watching him for a moment before going my own way. Now that everyone else is aware of what's going on, it's time to try alerting Gudrun. I wonder idly if she's still meditating, but there's no real way to find out without going to her quarters and checking. Moving through the ship to her room, I'll remain aware of my surroundings - now that the thought has been planted in my head that the woman might not be our only pursuer, I'll be silently checking for anyone else watching too closely. Most people would brush this off as paranoia natural to a Horror Stalker, so perhaps it won't be too obvious. Upon reaching Gudrun's room, I'll pause at the door for a moment, check the corridor to either side of me, and then knock politely.

[TarlimanJoppos]

Isaac: When you knock on Gudrun's door, the sound is muffled, and the door feels like it's wrapped in something. Before you can do more than wonder about it, though, a transparent form steps out of the door, a rather severe-looking young human woman in clothing that was out of fashion before the Scourge. "The Nethermancer is meditating. Is there a shipboard emergency?" she asks, in that tone reserved for librarians informing you that you're being too loud and bouncers giving you one warning before they chuck you out of the pub.

Alston: The forward railing on the lounge deck can be clearly seen from the next deck up, which is the first class passenger area. From the forward railing of the first class bow promenade, you'd have a clear shot at anybody down on the lounge deck promenade. The seat where she was embroidering earlier today is by the forward windows of the lounge. You could get a shot at it from behind the buffet table, or from the exit hatch that leads out onto the promenade, without having to worry too much about someone walking into the line of fire. You've got the lounge nearly to yourself when you go in, as most of the passengers are down on the cargo deck, watching Kolbeinn conjure a water elemental from the river for the noon entertainment. Most of the people in the lounge are the ship's stewards, carrying in food and setting up the buffet for mado'yeh. Your Astral Sight check doesn't turn up anything residual at the seat where the woman was embroidering, but it does spot that one of the stewards is carrying a fairly subtle charm of some kind. You don't get a good look at it, as he passes by and walks away quickly, hurrying like all the rest of the stewards, but whatever it is, there's a brief sense of a lot of energy carefully held in abeyance, something that's maybe not doing much right now but could be very active if given the right circumstances. Then the steward is out of your range, and ducks through the hatch to the galley.