A halfling walks to church (3)

[Coan]

"My name is Roger a bandit and I suppose 'tax collector' from the hills not far from here. As I've said Artemis hired me to kill this scum, said he'd pay me nicely if I got it done. He told me about Ixevim -and I don't think the high Lady would like you brining a mortal enemy of the kingdom into her lair. Not that I'd tell her though, wouldn't betray my new friends now would I?" Roger looked around the room and continued "We were employed before to attack and kill all those who rode on a carriage -a blue one I think, real fancy like, that was set to come down to the manor a day ago save for one man who would give us a signal. I was surprised to find that Artemis was driving the carriage and most of my men were stopped... lucky the officials came and stopped you. Now is there anything more or will you let me go?"

[VAN]

"When and how do you met Artemis? When he hired you? Are you the only one, bandit, assassin etc who is hired to kill any of us?"

Asked Kimuriel hiding a tone of surprise at his voice.

[Coan]

Roger seemed to become anxious as he made his hasty answers. To Ixevim's mind he was telling the truth though fear was starting to get to him.

"He contacted me at a bar in Levkarest a couple of days ago, I don't know about any others save my old gang -now let me go please! He'll come after my family if I don't get them to saftey!"

[VAN]

Kimuriel passed his fingers through his long hair while thinking for a moment the man's words, he seems telling the truth and very anxious to go, he seems also really care about his family.

Kimuriel looks directly at Roger's eyes and says:

"Maybe I can do something for you my friend and help you reach earlier your family, but I want 2 favors. First I need a personal item of you, anything doesn't matter what. Second, I want you to let me enter in your mind. I want to see what really happened between you and Artemis. It doesn't hurt, it doesn't leave any damage and it doesn't get much time. What do you say?"

While waiting an answer, Kimuriel lowers his head, so the spark which appears at his eyes isn't shown from the bandit. A missive reaches Ixevim's mind:

"I want to help this man Ixevim, I think he is saying the truth. I'm planning to use my teleportation power and trasport him more closer to his family, so he will not use much time to reach them. Do you want to come with me? It seems he is telling the truth, but many details are obscure here with Artemis and I don't want to end in a well made trap. What do you think?

Waiting for both answers, Kimuriel tries to think if Artemis has left them alone a couple of days ago and if he had the time to find and hire the bandit. The psion is sure that something wrong happenes to his allies. First one of his powers dimonstrate that Ixevim has betrayed them and now seems that the diplomat had hired a bandit to kill the illithid. Many strange coincidences have happened and the detective should to clear them.

OOC> Kimuriel wants to probe Roger in order to see if itr was really Artemis the one who hired him, where did it happen and any other possible detail.

[Coan]

Kimuriel's mind locates a few such circumstances when Artemis was alone enough to meet the attacker not the least being when they were searching for a bodyguard (he realized that instead of asking questions he could have been hiring Roger) or when he found the carriage the arrived in.

After waiting for an answer Roger shakes himself and begins yelling.

"No way am I letting you psion freaks move around in my head! Your probably in league with the mindflayer to take over Borca like you did with the West."

Not long after the sounds of feet are heard outside and a maid's voice at the door.

"Is everythig alright sirs? Master Recki? I have a message for the Doctor." seizing the chance Roger yells out for help to which the maid replies "Sirs?"

[VAN]

As Roger start yelling, Ixevim unleashed a powerful mindblast at which cone is only Roger. The bandit though, a bit experienced with this kind of psionic attacks, resists. But he cannot resist the hit of Kimuriel's gun at the back of his head. The man fell unconcious.

Kimuriel gets up and wraps a piece of the man's cloth. He wants to have something from the bandit. Then, turns to the surprised maid and tries to calm her, using all his diplomacy.

"Don't afraid and especially don't yell. This man has attacked us and as you can see, we have the situation under control. You know that we are the good guys because you have a message for the doctor and you don't know of course this man." Says Kimuriel pointing Roger. "Now, do you mind follow us to the next room? This room will be full of guards in some minutes and I don't want to be obligated to explain them all the situation."

While talking Kimuriel moves a bit closer to the maid, his hands are open, as sign of piece, but the half elf is ready to jump and close her mouth if she tries to yell, or to stop her is she tries to run.

[VAN]

OOC1> I post instead of alhoon

IC> Meanwhile, Ixevim using his bluff tells:

"As you can see, this man attacks us and hits Mr Recki, for this reason we have disabled him. Kimuriel I don't think that is necessary leave the room, the situation is very simple and I don't think that any guard will come here."

Then telepathically the illithid contacts the half elf:

"From what I heard from Roger, I'm almost sure that Artemis isn't really involved to this attack against me. He had time to hire the assassin in Levkarest, but then he had't had any problem with me. If you remember well, the first time that appeared some evidences against me, were later, at his house."

Kimuriel nods, he has the same feeling with the mind flyer, that a kind of conspiracy is made against all of them. Always mentally, the psion replies:

"I think it in the same way. But we still have to talk with our friend."

Then, Ixevim addresed the maid once more:

"May I have my message please?"

OOC2> Alhoon asks what happened with the detect magic that Ixevim has casted to Roger. Is he enchanted? Or there is any other magic on him?

[Coan]

OOC= He has no detectable magical resonance on himself. Save for a faint scent surronding his mind, though whether it was a spell long since cast or perhaps some kind of leftover feeling from the multiple psionic attacks on Roger's mind that were intereferring. One more skilled in enchantments and arcane mind spells might be able to tell the difference.

The maid nods and lowers her eyes obviously not wanting to interfere in cladestine activities, the two friends realize that in the house of Miescordia things like this no doubt happen often.

"The Lady Borca and Mr Ardent wish to see you sirs. I was given instructions to escort you all to the central chambers."

At this moment another maid has entered Heinrich's room and informed Nostalia and himself of the same request.

[VAN]

Kimuriel looks once the unconcious bandit and then Ixevim. Kimuriel wanted to help the man before, but now he feels betrayed from him. He hasn't forgiven to him the deny of his help and the phrase"psionsc freaks", the half elf is very proud of being a psion and doesn't permit to anyone, especially to an insignificant human, to speak to him like this. At the same time though, Kimuriel knows very well that the illithid wants to eat Roger's brain, an action that he consider a murder. The detective hopes only that his words has touched Ixevim a bit and have changed his mind. The psion wants to leave the bandit there, of course if Artemis is innocent and he will not hunt Roger's family, but he doesn't want to see him killed by a mind flyer.

So, he moves closer to Roger and with a piece of cloth he closes his mouth so he cannot yell again for help.

"May we go now Dr Xevim? The bandit will not bother us, at least for a while. We can go to our appointment with Lady Ivana and then decide what to do with him. As about Mr Recki, I think this kind lady can take care of him when she returns." Says Kimuriel, while he moves again towards the door.

[VAN]

OOC> I post instead of alhoon

IC> "Yes, we can go now." Says Ixevim while gives a last look to the banded man and to the unconcious gnome.

[Coan]

The maid nods and leaves the room as three guards in the scarlet clothes of Boritsi enter the study and lift up Roger and Recki.

"What are you doing?!" Kimuriel asks, not wanting the man to come to harm until he had further investigated

"Did you not understand sir?" the maid lowers her head in apology "The lady Borca and Mr Ardent wished to see you all, they said there would be four men here they would like to meet. Do not worry though you may accompany this man if you wish in order to guarantee his safety."

[VAN]

Kimuriel shrugs and follows the maid, but at the same time a missive reaches Ixevim mind:

"Have you noticed that the maid said that they wait four people! Our friend Artemis or spied us all this time, or he probably supposed that you wouldn't have any problem with Roger and you could immobilize him. However, we have to pay attention. I don't want to reveal everything to Lady Boritsi, but at the same time I don't know for how long I can resist to her."

[Wiccy of the Fraternity]

"It does my lady, but I still insist that you should not trouble yourself so over me. It would please me to see some of my countrymen and to take a walk with you would please my greatly."

Heinrich feels uncertainty creep into him, he knows that he feels something for the beautiful woman before him, yet the memories of his dead family haunt and torture his new found happiness.

"However, my family were not heroes, they were a woman and young children, the youngest only just beginning to walk. They were butchered and were not martyrs to a cause. They did spur the resistance into some action though and the tyrant's soldiers found it harder to control the townsfolk for a time."

"I have committed acts in my past that would shock you my lady and I shall spare you of them, but each day since I have sought redemption, if not for my actions then for my inability to protect those I had loved."

The old war horse smiled at Nostalia[/b]

"Though perhaps it is possible I had been seeking in the wrong placem that revenge was not the answer but to welcome love from others... something I have neglected f myself for many years now and I believe you may have shown me that error."

[alhoon]

Ixevim recalls the memories that has gotten from the people in Borca at the past and replies mentally to Kimuriel:

"I think that there is Lady Borca behind all this. She liked do such things and I don't believe that she has changed now. We have to pay attention."

With that, the illithid follows the half-elf and the guards out of the room and alltogether start heading down the corridor.

[Coan]

Nostalia smiles quietly as the two leave to follow the maid who had asked them to accompany her to meet with Lady Ivana.

At the same time Roger and Recki and carried with the two companions down a long corridor. It seemed strange but the building was so very large that even Ixevim was having a hard time mapping out all the different entrances and hallways in his mind.

Entering through some double doors they see a long table infront of a somewhat subtle throne. There the Lady Borca sat alone save for Artemis who rested on a chair with his feet propped up on the table. Candles lit the otherwise darkened room as the storm outside darkened the dying sunlight outside.

The two at the end of the room were talking and a chess set sat between them. As Kimuriel entered Heinrich walked by to join them with Nostalia closeby her expression showing guarded curiousity as to why they had been summoned.

"Ah my good friends! How are you all?" Artemis says moving a piece on the chess board, casually remarking "Check."