switzerland ♔ the words tightening around my throat

[silverguardian]

WHO || Nyna, Cara, Felicity, Stiles
WHAT || The Knights are sent to hear about a prospective job from an art collector
WHERE || Bern, Switzerland
WHEN || April 13th, 2015
HOW || Actionspam

The streets of Bern swell with the myriad sights and scents of its industry: the wood and polish of carpenters' shops, tantalizing aromas wafting from dozens of bakeries, and the heavy oil scent of artists.  Meanwhile, hundreds of rich colors give the district an appearance of a holiday festival.  The townhouse of Asheron Coyl comes into view, perched on a small rise that overlooks the street.  A low fence covered in vines abuts the street.  A gate opens onto a flagstone path that wends past frozen flower beds, fountains, and sculpted shrubs to the front doors.  A bell hangs next to the gate, reading "Please ring bell" in several languages.  With an 11 disguise check, Nyna didn't really bother to dress all fancy, opting instead for her paladin armor, sorry guys.   She can be the sexy bodyguard.  

Comments

[allmydreams]

[Felicity lowers her gun and makes her way over, resting her hands against Nyna's shoulders for a moment.]

You okay?

[killingtodeath]

[Stiles practically folds in half with relief.]

Wait- did you say it was... paint? [He goes to examine the puddle. That's really weird.]

[mordsith]

They are definitely not anything I am familiar with.

[allmydreams]

Yeah, oil paint. I noticed it when it started melting.

[She glances around the rest of the room, trying to see if she can find anything else out of the ordinary (spot 23).]

I've never seen anything like it, but I'm not exactly monster girl.

[killingtodeath]

[Stiles is just trying to see if he remembers reading about anything like this during his magic studies or just general hang outs in the library. Buuuut apparently his 20 total is not enough so no. He's just squinting at the paint puddle.]

[silverguardian]

[ nyna winches, but light flares up in her palm as she squeezes it closed, healing herself further ] I'm fine. [ she looks towards one corner of the room, where a body lies, broken and battered ] I don't think our host is.

[allmydreams]

[Felicity frowns at the body because this bodes well for their easy mission stealing things. She gets up from Nyna's side and crouches down next to the body to check for a pulse just to be on the safe side (treat injury 10).]

Check the rest of the house to see if there's anyone else around or anything weird - stick together just in case there are more paint creatures lurking around.

[killingtodeath]

[Stiles looks to Cara and shrugs. Guess they are partners now he starts to poke around the house for weird stuff (search 13)]

[silverguardian]

[ he's dead, jim. nyna leans over him as well, and with an 18 treat injury she adds: ] I think they squeezed him to death. He was probably poisoned. What were those things?

[ in the meantime, stiles and care move into what looks like a kitchen, and immediately someone lets out a little shriek, and a mustached butler cowering in the corner puts his hands up and says something in a language neither of them speaks - but he definitely looks frightened ]

[allmydreams]

Aside from "paint octopus"? I have no idea.

[Probably (arcane lore 9)? She studies the body carefully for a moment before gently patting him down to see if there's anything there that might indicate some kind of clue - including why they may have called the Knights in the first place (search 10).]

[killingtodeath]

[As the butler appears, rattling off things in a language Stiles doesn't know, he also puts his hands up to show that the aren't dangerous.]

Whoa, hey! No habla. Uh... Mr. Coyl? We're here to see him?

[He's trying to just... look nonthreatening. Not sure if there's a roll for that... Diplomacy maybe? If so, 33]

[mordsith]

[Cara just stands there watching as Stiles seems to be trying the "noble" approach. She studies the man, trying to sort out if he's lying to them or not. (Sense motive 10 will not really help, though.)]

[silverguardian]

[ felicity comes up empty, unfortunately.

meanwhile, the servant lowers his hands, switching to accented english. he seems genuinely unsettled as far as cara can tell.

"He's-- oh God. Our poor Master Coyl." he wrings his hands. "Those things - are they gone?" ]

[allmydreams]

[Alas. But with that she'll get to her feet and glance around, before hearing the ruckus coming from the kitchen area (listen 20 total).]

Sounds like they found something.

[And she will head to catch up with the rest of the party.]

[mordsith]

They seem to have been eliminated. [Cara doesn't sound like she's trying to comfort the guy, just relay the facts.]

Where is your master?

[silverguardian]

[ he wrings his hands together uncertainly.

"He... he received an unexpected gift about an hour ago from a fellow art enthusiast. He was too well dressed and well spoken to be a courier. In fact, he had a shabbily dressed laborer with him carrying other wrapped paintings. I-- I asked him about the others, but he remarked that they were to be delivered to other individuals in the neighborhood. The moment Master Coyl removed the covering, those... those monsters appeared."

nyna and felicity walk in just in time to hear this, and she glances at the other woman with a frown. ]

[allmydreams]

[Well shit.

Felicity takes a deep breath, because she's willing to bet that those were loaded paintings as well. She wants to know more about the courier, but first things first, they need to find out where those other paintings went.]

Do you know which people those paintings were going to? Did he tell you their names?

[killingtodeath]

[Stiles snaps is fingers at Felicity like yes thank you good question.]

Is he, uh- still around?

[Did he die???]

[allmydreams]

[Felicity's hand finds Stiles's arm and glances to him before shaking his head. If Mr. Coyl was the guy they found in the paint monsters wake, then he's very, very dead.]

[silverguardian]

[ the man looks down, saddened by the confirmation.

"No, I wasn't told any more than that. But they seemed to be traveling on foot through the city... I can give you a description of what he was wearing." ] Maybe if we hurry, we can find someone who noticed which way he was going.

[allmydreams]

[Felicity nods, before turning back to the man with a small smile.]

Thank you. That would be very helpful.

[If anything, it's at least a place to start.]

Mr. Coyl asked us to have dinner with him tonight to discuss artwork from ruins that he had acquired. Are those the same pieces he received today?

[silverguardian]

[ "I'm afraid I do not know, Miss. I did not think he expected any shipments today." ]

[killingtodeath]

[Stiles squints at the guy (sense motive 14).]

We should probably try to hurry up and catch up with that guy if we can. How long ago do you think he left?

[silverguardian]

[ "It could not have been more than ... an hour?" ]

[allmydreams]

Good. That means there's probably still a trail for us to follow. You said you got a good look at him?