Feytower - Laerdya's Laboratory

After she left Thimb surveyed the others, before awkwardly saying, "I don't know about any of you but I've already died once this year and Grams would be pissed if I did again," as she rubbed the back of her head. "I'm not sure ambush is a bad idea, but they have to know she hasn't raised the funds if there hasn't been any public outcry, they're going to know it's a trap, right?"

Ka'Ri looks around nervously. Even with her new employer gone, there's a tension that doesn't quite leave her. Nonetheless she gathers her courage and speaks.

"Um... I know none but Sunrise and Thimb know me, but I am a pirate as well and if there's one thing I understand, it's the lay of the land on the other side of the law. This plan... it's the first thing a ransomer would expect. In fact, it's what they'd expect more often than not. Plus... if I'm honest, this whole thing stinks to the twelve gods and I doubt the direct path will get us the best answers."

"So, yeah, my two copper, take it or leave it. So, that all said, um... Thimb, did you want to ask them the thing?"

"The thing?" she cocked her head to the side, curls bouncing, "Oh! The thing! Right, yes!" she said with a decisive nod, setting the basket of muffins down and opening them so all might take one, "Muffins anyone? Oh, that wasn't the thing, just, I was setting the basket down and it seemed right to ask- but, um, speaking of dying recently!" she said cheerfully, "has anyone else lately? Because my twin- the other chimera rancher, he'll be along once he's done wrangling the acid spitting ducklings I'm sure. Anyways! He and I both," she drew a thumb across her neck and made a 'gurk' sound, letting her tongue loll out dramatically. "And was wondering if anyone else had, too? But I started wondering that thinking this might be a plague thing not a kidnapping thing, so, I dunno if it's relevant or just a real weird ice breaker, but, there it is!"

Glen watches carefully as Laerdya pulls up a map of the city, seeing the forest he knows like the back of his hand at the edge of the map. The Silverwood. Bandits. An ambush. It was a lot to take in. He breaks into a bit of a cold sweat.

“Thimb.” He chokes out, trying to speak normally but finds himself seeing his friends who died. He clears his throat. “I, uh, was murdered recently. Brought back a couple of weeks ago. I'm a military contractor; I guide caravans of merchants and politicians northward up the road and through the forest towards the capital.” He takes a deep breath. “My whole unit was killed by bandits. They posed as merchants needing an escort to infiltrate our unit because we had been so successful at stopping them lately. They killed every last one of us, waiting until the weakest was on watch, overpowering him, and then knifing us all in our sleep. I alone was revived.” He falls silent, stepping back to lean against the wall for support at the unexpected flood of emotion.

Ka'Ri awkwardly shuffles over and gives Glen a hug. "It's ok. It's going to be ok."

"Not to make it all about my thoughts, but re-traumatizing the ranger also seems like a bad idea," she says, leading him away from the map and closer to Thimb and her muffin basket. "But I've said too much, please someone else speak up with their thoughts."

Sunrise seems to slump in relief when Laerdya exits the room. "Gods, yes, I want a muffin," she mutters, taking a blueberry crumble from the basket. "Thank you for thinking of them. Plague," she adds in a flat tone, nodding to Thimb. "My patron had me raised, though I didn't know it was her at the time. And no, I have no more symptoms, and no, I'm not contagious."

Taking a bite of muffin she sighs and leans against the wall, giving Glen a sympathetic look. "Yeah, I'd rather not put you back in that situation again if we don't have to," she says, her tone a little gentler. "Ka'Ri - did I say it right? She's not wrong, a doublecross at the ransom point is such a classic move that it's generally considered cliche in stories these days. They can't not be expecting it." She shakes her head, then tilts it as a thought occurs. "She... didn't say what the ransom is," she says slowly. "Or how much time she has to provide it. If it's just money, even if it's a lot of money, why would he think it would cause a panic...?" As she talks she casts her eyes around the desk, looking for, perhaps, a well-worn piece of paper that a grieving mother may have kept in easy reach and read over and over searching for a clue.

(OOC: Sunrise made the Insight check but still wants to find the paper; she also has questions about that line of reasoning but I can bring it up privately!)

Glen freezes a little at the unfamiliar touch, but Ka'Ri's warm embrace is surprisingly comforting. He doesn't have much cause to feel the gentle touch of another person, but it's welcome. He embraces her back, and when she pulls back after letting go, he smiles, grateful even if not his usual wide smile.

He turns his head to the tiefling woman. “I appreciate that, Sunrise, but I'll be alright. Just wasn't expected to be reliving that particular night so acutely right at the moment.”

He picks up a teacup and takes a sip. It's calming. “Thanks for this, Ellowyn.” He smiles at the gnome, raising his cup slightly. “This is great. Just what I needed.”

He falls quiet, needing a moment to think and listen to the others. They're starting to toss around other ideas, but he is conflicted. Laedrya is obviously not meditating and therefore must be exhausted. She is obviously at the end of her rope. How logical can her plan be? Sunrise and Ka’Ri have already poked it full of holes. And yet: obey without question.

For the moment, he continues listening. He rubs the back of the ring bearing the symbol Pelor with his thumb. There are smarter and wiser heads then his in the room.

"I am Rik Templeborn, he of the temple of Yondalla, for those who do not know me, many just call me Father. I have known the Mother since before the child was born. We take family quite seriously at the temple. A child's safety is critical. This child especially seems to be critical to us all. We must devise a plan that will NOT fail. As with most if not all of you I was recently murdered as well, though mine we know to be perpetrated by none other than Treygis Redfangs and his minions. "

Ellowyn looks for the source of the muffin that they had said not so long ago they wanted and came face to face instead with the delightful creature being handed to them by the glorious muffin benefactor their brain provided the names thimblewick and hammish but they really weren't sure which was which.

Taking the owlcat creature Ellowyn sags to the floor and begins slowly picking at the muffin. It tastes tangy and fresh. The word lemon swims to the surface.

They offer the creature who is laid in their lap like a baby some muffin, unsure if they'd be interested.

They put the muffing next to them and start absently playing with the creatures tail swish it like a toy at the creatures face.

Quietly to the creature they whisper " are you thimblewick or hammish? You look like a hammish"

Their mind is filtering through the info they'd subconsciously been taking in during their breif disattachment of themselves. Again another behaviour devolped through years of compensating for these periods of absence of self.

A pirate a chimera rancher a magic user of some kind a soldier a cleric and paladin walk into a lab... It sounded like the beginning of a bad joke.

An odd thought occured, having been in the room with Rik and Laerdya alone they could tell there was more between them than Rik had mentioned.

Why would he be so mad before hearing that family name. Red something. Redfear Redgrave redfang? Redfang felt more right.

He said he had to stop himself from coming as soon as he got her summons. So this daughter of hers is important to him. Not lover, he had a mate and he didn't strike Ellowyn as a multi person kinda orc.

A relation of some kind but he and Laerdya don't look related. Maybe a family friend but that didn't sit right with them. It felt off

Then the words Yondalla came to them. Ohhhh maybe he helped Laerdya birth the child. Feels a kind of responsibility.

They spend a few more moments deciding how to word their next words as they are painfully aware that they have made a fool of themselves enough already.

Waiting for a lull in the conversation and still playing with hammish(?) They delicately cough.

"I apologize for my earlier outburst I was overwhelmed.

I am unsure exactly how I can help but will endeavour to do so. However in order to think out a puzzle we need to make known as many of the variables as possible like for instance father templeborn. It occurs to me that you have been agitated since before arriving as I was the one who arrived around the same time as you. You mentioned struggling to not come immediately to Laerdya when you received her summons.

You said you know each other and you are obviously very agitated about this girls disappearance more so than simple religious devotion would suggest. I'm familiar with Yondalla I do work for a cleric and this agitation goes beyond the typical zeal for family or at least that's what my gut is saying I feel like knowing what exactly you are to each other would help especially if you already have a vendetta against this Redfang family. If I were to make a guess I'd say you helped birth the child perhaps there wasn't a cleric available to help and you had to step in, Or maybe the child was brought to you for healing and you saved her but probably not since you said before she was born You definitely have a sense of responsibility towards her and Laerdya whatever it is."

There is no judgement or accusation in their tone just statements

Then turning to sunrise they raise their eyebrows.

"Looks like we have some catching up to do friend haven't seen you in a few months you died? Well that makes two of us. Although t'wasn't the plague for me.

Murdered."

They look grim and mildly annoyed at that last comment

Sunrise turns serious as Ellowyn speaks, her expression grim. "Yeah. I... didn't tell many people," she says, her eyes dropping slightly before looking back. "But. You...? You're right; we have to talk."

At Rik's statement her eyebrows go up. "A Redfang murders you, and not long after your friend's daughter is kidnapped by another Redfang? That's... interesting." She glances at the others, then back to Rik. "So who's this Treygis Redfang? What should we know about him? How is he related to our guy?"

Sithani takes one of the offered muffins and eats it thoughtfully. "I died taking too many drugs; there doesn't seem to be a pattern there."

At Sunrise's question to Rik, Sithani adds, "Could Treygis really hate you so much that he'd sabotage the efforts to cure the plague?"

"She came to the temple desperate to have a child, as many do. Yondalla allowed me to assist in granting her blessing to this Mother as I have been blessed to do with many other hopeful mothers to be. She was kind enough to keep me updated about how her daughter was doing as she grew up. I was, aggitated as you say because for reasons undisclosed until this meeting, the mother requested my precence here with a letter sent TWO WEEKS ago! I had to wait two weeks to even start to find out what has happened to her daughter. "

He takes a breath before continuing.

"Treygis? I do not know what such an evil man would stoop to at this point. I assisted in getting his abused wife to safety. As Yondalla would have it I also assisted in granting her wish for a child, though in a more traditional method. After having helped so many women... to have children of my own..." his eyes shine and he coughs to regain his tone. " Treygis seems to think I have stollen his child somehow or some such. I think killing me would have settled that. I think this new kidnapping is a part of something bigger. Do we know where the plague came from? Maybe the redfangs have a profittable reason for it not to get cured. "

Glen's face is grave. "Father, is it possible that these Redfangs see this as retribution towards you, personally? As you say, Treygis believes you stole his child, so maybe he sees this as stealing another child who is directly tied to you." He pauses.

"Wait a moment. You said the mother of your children is Treygis' former wife? Do you think she might have any insights into this that could help us? Would you be... comfortable talking to her about this?" Glen recognizes this is an extremely delicate situation. His tone is gentle and not pushy; it is very clear that Glen does not at all believe that the mother had anything to do with the kidnapping. He knows how much he is asking, but if there is anyone who can give them any information to help Laerdya, they should at least consider talking to them.

Sunrise sinks into a chair and lifts the homunculus down into her lap, breaking off a piece of her muffin to feed it. "Okay, but who is he? Treygis Redfang... the name doesn't ring a bell."

"I don't think this kidnapping would be personal to me. I mean if that were the case they would have hundreds of other targets. As far as who he is... well he is currently still married to the mother of my children who is the daughter of a councilman. On top of that he is a leading cleric in the temple of Olidammara. He is also a leader in the Redfang family as a whole. They used to live on the Southside but now have taken their crime up Northside. While some might be actual businessmen most are theives or fronts for theives and have half the city in their pocket it seems."

She shakes her head, stroking the little critter in her lap like a cat. "No, the kidnapping may not be directed at you, but if the family dislikes you anyway it may have been a way to kill two birds with one stone. Or..." Her eyes widen. "Possibly the other way around? The fact that they had a problem with you personally may have been a happy coincidence. What if they wanted you out of the way anyway, so that Laerdya couldn't turn to you when they kidnapped her daughter?"

Hamish did in fact want muffins. "Snacks" was high on his list of favorite things, and Elloywn gained a great deal of favor with the pseudo-griffin for sharing. They chirped when she asked which they were at "Hamish" since they had already gotten caught for pretending to be someone they weren't once today and Thimb had asked them to behave...

Thimb had pulled out a notebook and seemed to be trying to make sense of what was going on. "So we've all died recently. That's... can that even be a coincidence?" she muttered to her notes, occasionally flipping back to the page on Father Rik to add another detail.

She furrowed her brows, and glanced up at him, "Has your life always sounded like a romantic spy thriller? Because I am equal parts envious and concerned."

"How is being killed and serving my goddess, romantic? I am not a spy!"

The little creature on Sunrise's lap eats happily from the muffin pieces she feeds it, still quite hungry in spite of the chicken leg it devoured earlier. When it would seem all available food has been consumed, at least for the moment, it springs off her lap and creeps around the room on its hind legs, nose snuffling at the air.

Then, excitedly, it attacks a nearby closed chest of drawers which is about as tall as Father Rik and almost as wide, with a hundred little drawers for alchemy tools and bobs and bits. The creature seems fixated on a drawer near the top, but its little paws aren't well suited for the ornate elvish knob on the drawer.

Ellowyn blanches visibly.

"A cleric.. this individual is a cleric?" The disgust is palpable in the voice.

They may not be the most fastidious or adept cleric but they knew that no matter the deity a clerics role was to heal to minimise the world's suffering in whatever way is applicable to the order. Not to cause more.

"this sickness Im mostly unfamiliar with it. of course ive seen it main stages and as far as I can tell everyone either dies, finds a way to survive with constant heling magic keeping them in that comatose state or they become zombies. I wonder how suceptible they are to magical control..."

They trail off as the inevitable conclusion of their line of thinking occurs to them. They are clearly talk to themselves

The colour pales as it hits them.

"What if someone's creating an army? Invade from the inside?" Its barely a whisper at this point

"Whoa!" Sunrise rises and steps quickly towards the creature, shooting apologetic looks at anyone it scrambled over. "Hey baby," she says gently, retrieving it. "Whatcha trying to do?" Experimentally, she tries the knob.

The drawer is locked, though Sunrise can tell just from the feel that the lock would be easy to pick or force. The creature snuffles wildly at the lock, and through her telepathic link she can smell cheap ink, cheaper paper, old dried blood, and the acrid scent of tears.