Birthright 3: The Worm's Supper

[ewancummins]

SIR ROALD AND SIR BOARHORT

Some distance off, downhill, SIR BOARHORT converses with ROALD

‘’Shall we ride up the hill to the Tower and join the others? It looks as if they have been welcomed. "

Roald leans back in his saddle, starring up at the top of the tower.

"Indeed, we shall, Sir Boarhort. This is likely the last friendly welcome we're going to see for awhile." Road spurs his horse to a slow trot up the hill. "I assume you mean to join us on our adventure into the elf lands?"

''I have a debt of honor to pay to you, sir."
The huge knight grins.
"And as I'm with you-- and you aren't going after that fox-witch who ensnared us both, I have decided her erstwhile allies will just have to pay the debt she owes me. I feel the urge to splatter more elf brains."

He hefts his war-hammer over his right shoulder, laughs, and starts his horse uphill.

The others in the party follow.

[ewancummins]

CROWLEY

WITH FILBERT

FILBERT AND HIS ACCOMPLICE
THE WHITE HART, LATER THAT NIGHT

‘’No luck with the lock, heh? I’ll try, you watch. But I’m not much of a box-man…”

The red haired man inspects the lock himself, and tries unsuccessfully to pry it open. He fails.

"As you can see, my forté is not opening locks. What next, sir?" Crowley is serious. no emotion on his face. His eyes dart around carefully,
looking for trouble at every corner, ears alert to any sign of danger. His hands hover inches from his weapons.

Crowley

VIEW CONTENT:

doesn't notice anyone watching them. They seem to be alone in the street. But it's dark out and his little lamp doesn't shed much light. He could be missing something.

[steveflam]

CROWLEY

WITH FILBERT

FILBERT AND HIS ACCOMPLICE
THE WHITE HART, LATER THAT NIGHT

‘’No luck with the lock, heh? I’ll try, you watch. But I’m not much of a box-man…”

The red haired man inspects the lock himself, and tries unsuccessfully to pry it open. He fails.

"As you can see, my forté is not opening locks. What next, sir?" Crowley is serious. no emotion on his face. His eyes dart around carefully,
looking for trouble at every corner, ears alert to any sign of danger. His hands hover inches from his weapons.

Crowley

VIEW CONTENT:

doesn't notice anyone watching them. They seem to be alone in the street. But it's dark out and his little lamp doesn't shed much light. He could be missing something.

"I don't see anyone watching us, but that doesn't mean we aren't being watched as you well know, sir." He puts his finger to his lips signalling to be quiet and tries to have a listen
in the surrounding area, hands never far from his pins.

[VAN]

"This lock seems to be a good quality, maybe they have changed it recently. No big deal, if you can climb we can try enter from a window. We just have to make sure there isn't anyone in the room before we break in. Leave that to me, I will climb and check inside and make you a signal to come up as well. Obviously if you see anyone approaching you will tell me, make the voice of a owl or something."

Filbert looks around whick is the best window to climb.

[steveflam]

Mungus nods and removes a rope and grappling hook from his gear, looking to see where would be the best to use it whilst Filbert looks as welll for the best place to enter.
"No worries, sir," he says to Filbert in a whisper, keeping his voice low.

[Adam]

"We're lookin' for Foerde," Cormac answers, "That fox witch an' her elf companions magicked him off from his home. That elf there says he can take us to the tower where they took him." The priest sighs. "It's likely he's dead, but he's my friend, an' we have to try."

[VAN]

Filbert smiles as sees the grappling hook, this should make the climbing easier.

"Nice, this will help for sure. I will totally mention to your boss that you came prepared my friend. Do you want to go first and then help me climb? I'm lighter than you. Once up I will show you from which window we should enter acording if its empty of course."

[steveflam]

Filbert smiles as sees the grappling hook, this should make the climbing easier.

"Nice, this will help for sure. I will totally mention to your boss that you came prepared my friend. Do you want to go first and then help me climb? I'm lighter than you. Once up I will show you from which window we should enter according if its empty of course."

The red haired man keeps a straight face, to the compliment from Filbert. Merely nodding at the Halfling, he twirls the grappling hook with a little loose on the rope, tossing it up
with precision. The hook catches properly, rope taught now. Pulling on it to be sure, he looks at Filbert.

Still speaking in low tones so as not to alert anyone to their presence "Let me go first, to make sure it is safe, sir. We shouldn't rush this. patience will be of help to you sir. We have all night to accomplish your goal. I will pass the window as your vision allows you to see better than I in the dark. I will pull on the rope three times to let you know it is safe to climb." He nods and without waiting for an answer, grips the rope tightly, wrapping around one arm, and begins climbing up to the window slowly. He does not wish to alert anyone to their presence. Once he is passed the window, above it, he pulls the rope up and down three times. Then waits.

[ewancummins]

FILBERT AND HIS HELPER



Filbert slips down the rope twice, burning his hands a little even through his mittens, before making it up to the window under the roof ledge, where Crowley hangs pressed against the building.

Peering at the closed shutters, Filbert detects faint traces of warmth within. It's warmer in there than out here in the cold air above the street, but it isn't hot. Not like a room packed with sweating bodies and a fire burning in the hearth.
With Crowly's steadying arm across his shoulder blades and the rope fastened firmly round his middle, Filbert can use both hands as he jimmies the latch on the shutters.

Pop.

The latch open, Filbert eases the shutters open and then sets to work on the thick green glas swindow. Star-glazing takes patience and care to avoid just shattering a pane, but Filbert has the touch.
He chips out a portion of the glass without breaking the wooden frame around it of dropping the pane out fo place. Slowly, carefully, he eases the glass loose.
Now the window opening is wide enough for Filbert to stick a tool inside and undo the inner latches.
Pop.

The thieves have access!

Inside, Filbert sees traces of heat on a raised platform, maybe a pallet of bed of some sort. Rectangular glow around what might be a door across the narrow floor from the window to a wall, possibly a door to another room or to a hallway.
To catch more details, he needs light and normal sight.

[ewancummins]

THE SEARCHERS

CORMAC

"We're lookin' for Foerde," Cormac answers, "That fox witch an' her elf companions magicked him off from his home. That elf there says he can take us to the tower where they took him." The priest sighs. "It's likely he's dead, but he's my friend, an' we have to try."

The Knight-Captain says,
"Elf witches? And Foerde's been ensorcelled somehow? That's dire news, indeed. I will help. I can give you some maps, provisions, and a place to rest and recover. "
He drops his voice a little.
"Hmmm, and if you need more men, I can provide one or two. You'll want level-headed fellows with some experience, so I will make a private selection. I've enough young hot-spurs, second and third sons and by-blows, with me here that they'd likely fall to brawling over who got the honor of going with you, if we made an open call for volunteers. "
He smiles.

OOC

VIEW CONTENT:

If Rennault is hanging around, he's privy to all this.


The Bard only hears if she makes a Hear Noise roll or if she actually walks up and joins the newcomers with the Knight-Captain.


Roald arrives and his player may post at any time after this, joining the scene just outside the tower.

[Varrus the Ethical]

SEARCHERS

Roald dismounts and leads his horse by the reins, approaching Cormac and the Knight of the Hunt.

"Well, this looks promising," he says.

[Adam]

SEARCHERS

"Some experienced hands would be great," Cormac nods in agreement, "I'm worried this elf'll lead us on a wild chase if we don' keep him honest."

Cormac will see to any other conversation he needs and then go to set up for rest and a last dinner with Ned and Hob before they depart.

[VAN]

Filbert and his helper

Filbert waves at Crowley and pointing at the direction of the hit makes the sign of 1 with his finger. When Crowley comes closer to the opened window the halfling whispers:

"In case he wakes up, try to incapacicate him as fast as you can, not kill of course! We should just stop him from screaming."

Then he starts crawling towards the rectangular glow sticking his hands in front of him in order to check if there are any furniture and avoid them.

[ewancummins]

Filbert and his helper

Filbert waves at Crowley and pointing at the direction of the hit makes the sign of 1 with his finger. When Crowley comes closer to the opened window the halfling whispers:

"In case he wakes up, try to incapacicate him as fast as you can, not kill of course! We should just stop him from screaming."

Then he starts crawling towards the rectangular glow sticking his hands in front of him in order to check if there are any furniture and avoid them.

Filbert creeps across the floor, feels his way around a chair (it's the same temperature as the room air and so a little hard to see by heat-sight) and reaches the rectangular glow on the wall.
As he suspected, the glow outlines a door.
He sees a little warm air leaking through a small hole in the door panel; the keyhole of a lock.
Filbert tests the door; it's unlocked.

A quick glance back at Crowley reveals the red-haired thief leaning over the raised platform, back half-turned on Filbert. The glow from the man's hand-lamp looks like a will o wisp caught in his fist.
Filbert still sees traces of warmth on the bedclothes, but those have faded quite a bit since he opened the window.
But open a closer second look, he sees no actual sleeper.
Nor does he see anyone else in the room besides himself and his accomplice.


Footsteps sound in the hall beyond the door, coming closer...

[ewancummins]

WHAT CROWLEY SEES, HEARS, ETC


Moving into the room to the corner where Filbert indicated someone might be sleeping. Crowley feels about.
He finds the edge of a bed, sheets, a bed post.
Listening, he hears breathing that's not his own, but it's coming from behind him-- where Filbert should be.
He can't see well at all in the dark room, so he doesn't know if the lumpy shape in the bed is a sleeping man or just a heap of bedclothes.

If he opens his hand-warmer lamp, he'll have a little light.