Chapter 16

"Eh?" Toshiro stops in mid motion, the mace coming to a perfect pause in the air. "Brother, I don't suppose you have anything fragile in the cart?"

Brygund pauses for a moment and thinks of his supplies. "The only thing I could thing of that is fragile is the ink flasks."

Kyrial wakes up, disturbed by something. The two humans have stopped their fight practice and seem to be looking in the direction of the cart. She rises and heads for the cart. As she does, there are a few more frantic thumps.

Toshiro hands the mace to Brygund as he heads for the cart, scooping a short staff off the ground. Approaching the cart's rear, he pulls the staff up and makes to lift the cover, trusting Kyrial to be ready to do something if needed.

With a worried look, Brygund takes the mace and heads to the wagon.

With a worried look Brygund takes the mace and heads to the wagon. As Toshiro rounds the back of the cart, he sees three figures struggling with... the side of the cart? One sees Toshiro coming, the other sees Kyrial, and the third is thumping on the cart one more time with a hammer.

Short old guy with a stick. No problem, thinks the first.

"Gah..." the second gibbers. "Du..." He turns to sprint. "Run! Drow!"

The third jumps, smacks his head, drops the hammer, and also prepares to run.

As Toshiro confronted the thief, the brigand drew his shortsword. "Back off, old man, and no one gets hurt."

Toshiro smiled. "Funny. I was thinking along similar lines..." and vaulted over him. Landing on the other side of the scum, he used the staff as a support and double-planted his feet in the guy's back. This sent him sprawling while Toshiro landed on his feet. "However, you are messing with a friend's possessions, and I will not tolerate it." Brandishing the staff, Toshiro whipped it forward and slammed the man upside his head as he made to get up.

As Toshiro deals with the first intruder, Brygund quickly casts a spell that causes a vine to rise up and causes the other two intruders to fall upon themselves.

Chuckling to herself at the stupidity of the brigands, Kyrial casts a spell setting the brigands' armor afire, sparing the one Toshiro has on the ground. Leave one to talk if necessary. "Oh look, STUPID thieves. Go ahead and try to run..." Please DO run.

On the ground and flaming, the two men roll around, trying to smother the flames. The one at Toshiro's feet is limp.

Everyone else is awake at this point, after all the hootin' and hollerin' and screams and the smell of burnt flesh.

Moving to a point near the burning thieves, Toshiro watched for a moment. "I do believe they have suffered enough for now, Kyrial" He said as he reached out with the staff and struck each one with a measured slam on the head, causing them to go limp. "Dead thieves give no information...."

The men continue to smolder. The fire is burning their leathers and clothing - it is a real fire, no longer magical.

But now they are unconscious and burning...

Brygund casts a water spell just above the two men. It would be nice to have a little knowledge from those that have tried to steal from a priest of Oghma. Thirst for information of why they were doing it drives Brygund to keep them alive for questioning.

Gwenh sits bolt upright at the noise she heard when she was asleep. She looks around, her eyes wide. Da? Are they fighting you, have they come for me?

She realises where she is, and calms a bit, taking a moment to catch her breath. No need to run over there shakey, I'm sure the others have it under control, if not... She stands and walks over as Brygund casts the water spell. She wondered why there were burning men.

Sloosh, sloosh, go Gwenh's footsteps. Nearly half a barrel of water was dumped on the thieves, drenching them and pooling about them. Kyrial and Toshiro, standing near the thieves, were caught in the splash zone.

Kyrial stands like an ebony statue, slightly muddy water dripping from the lower half of her cloak. She shrugs, then cleans herself off, satisfied to remain silent for a moment. Toshiro, engaged in clocking people upside the head with a stick, was amid them when the water hit. He is soaked, head to foot.

The men are no longer burning, although between being lit afire and smacked upside the head, they don't look too good.

Falling Leaf has observed most of the proceedings and quietly melted into the trees to see if any more humans were concealed therein.

Brygund smiles sheepishly. "Ummmm, sorry Toshiro!" he called, blushing with complete embarassment.

Toshiro sputters a bit but is unfazed by the water. A lot better of a splash than some I've had... Stepping back from the corpses, Toshiro watched Brother Byrgund tend to the downed thieves. "No harm.... water dries. I would suggest tying them up. They won't be moving for a while......"

The past few days, Cael's had trouble sleeping, worrying about returning to Ehosia. Subsequently, he awakes slowly, and only becomes fully awake when he smells the (too familiar) smells of burnt flesh and hair. He scrambled out of his blanket just in time to see Brygund drench the limp burning forms on the ground. Good thinking. But who are those people, and how'd they get set on fire?

Cael takes time to pull on his robe and boots before squeltching over to the others. "Eho above! It smells like a Cleansing Day around here. What in the thirteen hells is going on?"

Toshiro smiles at Cael's words. "Short version- three attempted to steal from us during a teaching session. One tried to inflict damage upon me as two attempted to run. I stopped one and Kyrial slowed two for me to incapacitate.... Byrgund washed them up. Now we either wait for them to wake or we rouse them from their induced naps."

Kyrial kicks one of the brigands awake, with a cold hard glint in her eye, and a face that sends dire wolves running. "Care to explain what you were doing?"

The bandit emerges from darkness into blinding pain. His back hurts, his head hurts, and now his stomach hurts. They had been at the wagon, then there was a drow, then fire, then a guy with a stick...

And he was lying in water. Gaol cell?

Painfully, he raises his head and cranes his neck around until he sees the slightly blurred forms of some humans standing nearby. Oh, and there was a boot right there, near his side... and the boot was attached to a dark elf. Who looked really, really pissed off.

He did the only sensible thing he could think to do. He fainted.

Falling Leaf emerges from the shadows, convinced that there are no more humans lurking about.

One of the other two bandits (not the one that fainted) starts groaning slightly.

Kyrial reaches into her pouch to crumble something over her hair, changing its coloring to brown. A few words change her skin to an light brown, and she now resembles a human female, still carrying an impressive staff. Weak humans. She kicks the other bandit in the stomach.

Cael frowns as Kyrial 'puts her boot in.' "I think they may be better suited to talking when they have air in their lungs, drow. Or would you rather carry your sadism further and rip out one of their tongues? I'm sure that will entice them to talk."

"We only need one to talk!" But Kyrial backs off a little, sighing inwardly. Why show mercy to thieves?

Kicked man and groaning man are both coming around. Groaning man shakes his head, props himself up on his arms and quickly remembers what just happened. He flips around quickly, splashing a bit, to face Gwenh, Brygund, Toshiro and Kyrial. He's still seated on the ground. His eyes settle on Gwenh as looking like the least angry of the group. "Evenin', guv'ness." He tries a weak smile.

The kicked man looks over at the sound of his companion's voice and slowly tries to sit up and get his head out of the mud.

Giving Kyrial a warning glance, Cael steps over to where the two prisoners can see him. He pulls out his Ehosian holy symbol and smiles coldly at the two. "I'm sure you know what this symbol represents, and therefore know what I am. Do you wish to tell us what you were doing, or will I have to... coerce you?" Saying this, Cael's hand starts to glow with the energies of a spell half realised. It's just the beginning of the sunglobe spell, but they don't know that.

"Oh yes, please do tell us what you were doing in my wagon?" Brygund says as he pulls out a writing board, ink, quill and paper to take down the confessions of these bandits. Perhaps one of these men have something new and exciting to talk about, Brygund thinks as he hums a tuneless song, waiting for the bandits to give up information. "Or I could recommend some rather gruesome methods of getting information," Brygund smiles innocently as he taps his bald pate with his index finger. "I do have a lot of useful information in those senses... and they say reading is for fools!" He goes back to his tuneless hum.

Toshiro smiles at Cael's threat. Not like he would actually torture them. However that may change by the end of this entire endevour....

"Easy, guv'nor!" the man hastily says. "No need for nasty spells an' such. We was just lookin' for, you know, stuff. Wagons's got nice stuff, usually, all good pots and sometimes trade goods and whatnot. Dried hams, sometimes. To eat, y'know. Man's hungry, gotta eat... Looked like a real easy mark, with Grandpa and Chubby awake and everyone else asleep. Thought we'd, y'know, spread the wealth a little."

The man who fainted is coming around. "Eh? What... Drow! Drow! Run for it!" He lurches to his feet.

"Siddown, Edgar. Lookit, no drow... siddown before the guv'nor wit the glowing hand gets mad..."

Noticing the symbol, Kyrial gasps at Cael. Ehosian Priest? But why isn't he in his garb? None of them seemed to mind my objective... what is going on here!

"Chubby??? I'm not chubby I am undernourished!" Brygund responds indignantly. He mutters under his breath "Razzen frazzen... I am not chubby, just undertall... not all of us can be heroic gallants..."

Cael's eyes narrowed even more. "Insult my friends again and will not hesitate to send your flame to Eho." He looks at Brygund. "Well, they were caught looting your wagon. What would you like to do with them?"

While Cael has their undivided attention, attention, Toshiro goes to his bedroll and picks up his katana. Stowing it in his sash, he comes back over and continues to listen, paying special attention to the apparent leader.

"Hmmm...Ah! I have it..." Brygund turns to the wagon, climbing in. Rustling around can be heard and loud muttering "Where is the human ear I had...and hmmm... I need a human liver...oh well, I have three bandits... one less won't hurt..." Hope these bandits fall for this and that the others don't think I am some raving madman...

Appearing with his robe undone to his waist, Brygund brings out a pot and a few things include a 'human ear'(the inner part of cured piece of ham). He takes some of the ink that he had purchased earlier and writes fake runes and glyphs on his chest. He goes through a long ritual that he makes up as he goes along.

"Spirits of the doomed! Heed me! I need the use of a human liver! One of these has happily volunteered his life and liver that I may complete this spell. He points at the one that appears to be the leader of the trio and spouts random gibberish. "They will be damned for all time. Unless they tell us why they are stealing from us!"

He dances around, near to Gwynh. "I have need of your services milady. I will throw this flour onto you. Pretend to shiver and go still. I want you to chew up this piece of ham and spit it up in your 'death throes,'" he whispers to Gwynh as he dances a crazy jig and subtly slips her a piece of ham.

Jaws hang slack at Brygund's performance.

One of the men blurts out, "Does your abbot know you do this?"

Gwenh took the ham and looked at the preist like he was a madman. Covering her mouth as though she was coughing, she slipped the ham into it and continued to look at the very very strange priest.

Turning in Cael's and Toshiro's direction, Brygund raises an eyebrow at the one that blurted out the question. Hope they can understand what I am trying to do. Please Oghma, forgive me this foolishness but sometimes the unknowing can provide much needed information

He continues to jump and chant gibberish, moving closest to the one that spoke outloud. In a loud thundering voice, Brygund proclaims, "You lie! you are not poor beggar turn bandits...tell me the truth or you shall see my true power!!!"

Cael watches with something akin to amazment as Brygund goes through his act. By Eho! Does he think he's gonna bluff these guys like that? Eyeing the prisoners he muses some. Maybe he will. Let's just hope none of these fools are mageborn or trained as priests. Otherwise, they'll definately know somehting's up when they can't sense any powerflows from this foolery.

The bandits look rather confused, like they're not sure if they should be scared or not. (Except for Edgar, who's still convinced there's a drow lurking about here somewhere...) Rotund priests of Oghma just aren't supposed to do these things. Ogmites are known for neat penmanship, after all, not ritual human sacrifice.

Falling Leaf sidles over to Gwenh and taps her bag of spell components. "Know any mental magics? That might end this circus so we can all return to our rest."

"Tell us what you are doing destroying my wagon! If not, your fate will be the same as that one's!" He points to Gwenh and spouts more gibberish. "DIE!!!!" A white cloud bursts forth from Brygund's hand dusting the elf. Blessed Oghma...please grant us the ability to make them believe this foolishness and tell us the truth...

Of all the degrading things to do a dragon, geeze, couldn't she scare them if she changed...

Gwenh looked at the cleric like he was crazy, but fell to the ground and spit out the meat anyway, if all else failed, she could be the undead dragon or something...turning her head away from everyone she laid their and played dead.

The speaker looks shocked still, but Edgar's just plain lost it. "Drow! Cannibal priests of Oghma! We're doomed! Doomed for a stupid piece of parchment!"

Raising an eyebrow, Toshiro moved a bit closer to the thieves. Hmmm.... after parchment of the brothers'. Why would common highwaymen be after papers? Most peculiar....

Brygund addresses Edgar in a booming voice. "What parchment are you talking about? And how did you know I was a priest of Oghma? Tell me or you will bare the same fate as that one!" Brygunds says as he points dramatically to the still form of Gwenh.

All three men quickly point at Brygund's holy symbol, the Eye of Oghma.

"And what parchment are you babbling about? speak quickly!" as menacing as a fat bald guy can muster.

All three men speak at once.

"A map!"
"A prophecy!"
"You morons!" (That would be the spokesman)

Falling Leaf, meanwhile, has wandered over to the wagon, running her hands along the wood inside. It's not hard to find the scars in the wood where the bandits were pounding with their hammer. Gently, she knocks along the sideboard until she hears a hollow sound, then starts to feel for the mechanism that will open the compartment.

The bandits don't notice, watching the mad priest.

Leaf strolls back moments later, carrying a leather scroll tube. The spokesman's eyes dart to it... and a moment later he's screaming and clutching his thigh. A throwing spike sticks out of it.

"Don't even think about it," she tells him cooly. "And I mean that. This parchment, Brygund."

Impressive. Falling Leaf has learned some things, Kyrial thought. Not failing to note the fear on the bandits, she smiles gently (hiding her fangs). "So who told you about this parchment?"

The two men (hereby designated "flunkies") point to the one with the throwing spike in his leg. "He did," they answer Kyrial in chorus. "All his idea."

The spokesman is rocking back and forth, gripping his leg. He's managed to bite off his screams, but tears are rolling down his face from the pain. Falling Leaf's spikes are a little bigger around than a pencil and are maybe an inch longer, so the guy has a fairly serious chunk of metal running through his thigh muscle.

He manages to shoot a black look at the flunkies which promises revenge for this betrayal if he and they get out of this alive. Which he's seriously beginning to doubt, and largely blames them.

Cael thinks for a moment, then whispers to Toshiro, "Do you think the other two would be more co-operative if we pulled aside their leader? Perhaps if we questioned them seperate we'd get a tale closer to the truth." At least, that's what the Quisitors do when they 'question' people.

"Possibly," Toshiro replies. "I think for now all in one spot works. If not, I have an idea..."

Cael starts to wonder what exactly is on that scroll, but he can't very well grab it from Brygund. However....

He kneels down next to the bandit leader. Eho forgive me for this, but we do need to know. He smacks the man's hands out of the way and grips the spike still imbedded in the man's leg. He smiles at the man. "Now, would you like to tell us the whole story, or do I start making this spike heat up. Really heat up. I can take the heat, but I don't think you'll like it too much. Start talking, and I make the pain stop. Keep your mouth shut, and I make it hurt much more."

The spokesman looks like an animal caught in a trap. Not seeing any clear way out of it yet, he makes a gargling sound of agreement. Cael casts his anesthetizing spell, and the man breathes a sigh of relief as the pain recedes.

"The whole story? Er, yes, the whole story. Not that it was much of a lie, before, I really wouldn't mind pinching a ham..."

He hastily continues as his stalling tactics get only glares. "Well, the scroll is valuable. Something Ogmitic. I don't have any details, truly, I don't! My contact... er, 'The Bookworm,' he's not stupid enough to give me his real name, 'The Bookworm' sometimes sneaks me rare manuscripts and whatnot, from the temple, to sell. I'm not a fence, I don't appraise the things, I can't even read them half the time, they're in some foreign language or other. He snuck that one out in the wagon, told us to get it, but the wagon didn't come back to the temple, so we had to go chase the stupid thing down, and because two morons can't keep watch well enough to see Gra... those two coming, well, here we are."

Well, hells. As if we didn't have enough to worry about. Cael's eyes narrow. "And where do you take the writings?" His hand on the spike clenched, ready to drive it in further.

"It, um, it depends. Usually to a fence, or else there's a buyer lined up. Or we try to find a buyer. Bookworm was gonna tell us the buyer for this, once we had it all safe."

"And where were you going to take this particular item....Hmmm?" Toshiro asked as he fixed a glare at the spokesman, gradually shifting to the other two then back. Something tells me this will be a bit revealing....

The guy shrugs. "Dunno. My left shoe. I don't know the buyer yet. Was just gonna wait for word from the 'Worm. Hey Edgar, wasn't he supposed to tell you, before we left?"

"Nah, no he wasn't. He didn't tell me nothin'. Nobody said nothin' to me!" Edgar's voice took on increasing notes of panic as attention began to focus on him.

Cael looks over at Edgar. "Now, don't lie, Edgar. I can make your leg burn just as easily as spike-boy here."

Edgar pulls frantically at his own hair. "I don't know! He didn't say anything to me! I've never met him, even! Honest, honest..." he starts rocking back and forth a little, mumbling incoherently about the drow going to come and kill him.

"So who is this Bookworm? What does he look like? I have more power than you realize!" Brygund walks over to the still form of Gwenh and pours some water in her mouth to wash out the cured ham and whispers for her to follow his lead once more. "Arise, Fair One! I give back that which I have taken! Your life is returned to you!" He waves his hands and pronounces some gibberish as he dances around the still form of dragon in disguise.

Standing slowly, Gwenh brushes herself off and pretends to be confused. This is degrading. What would the others say if they saw this? Well they already hate me so...and what is this crap about a bookworm?

The spokesman gives a description of a priest of Oghma, dark hair, brown eyes, oh, so tall...

It unfortunately could describe any one of ten or so brothers in the monastery.

Whatever is done, Edgar will persist in knowing nothing and has an annoying habit of fainting every time someone threatens him seriously with pain or death.

The third man isn't much help, either.

The spokesman will continue to assert that the scroll was placed in the cart by "the Bookworm," and that, since Edgar doesn't remember what the 'Worm told him about they buyer, they'd have to go back to their headquarters and await word. Their headquarters is in some smallish city a bit south and west of Midway. It's the town Brygund's temple is in, and it's due east of the present location.

Well, it looks like I'll be delaying my homecoming for awhile. Suprisingly, Cael felt better with that thought. He'd been wracking his brain, trying to figure some way of getting his fellow companions past the priests guarding each Ley Gate. At least if they took a detour past Brother Brygund's monastery, there'd be more time to work out a plan. Heck, maybe the Ogmans could come up with something.

The hoods are thrown in the wagon until the group can find someone to turn them over to. A few more days of travel, and they reach the city from which Brygund hails. He's not too terribly familiar with it, having very rarely been outside of his monastery.

A shopkeep will readily give directions to the Watch headquarters, where you can turn the three men in. While no one can give you directions to a fence, you can easily find a few pawnshops and a curio shop that deals in weird stuff sold off by adventurers.