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D&D Campaigns => Eberron => In Character Discussions => Topic started by: Dray on June 26, 2008, 07:16:37 PM

Title: 12.27.2132 - Awakening to a Nightmare
Post by: Dray on June 26, 2008, 07:16:37 PM
While Temmit's dormitory roommate Filch slept, he laid awake thinking into the early hours of Healday (Thursday). The many events of the past weekend still hindered him with their jumbled chaos. Looking back on it, he realized that he would always mark it as the time that everything started into motion. For how could it all not change now? Something big was coming, and he wanted to be prepared for it, and sleep was the least of his concerns.

But he then fell asleep.

He awoke hands later to the gentle mental nudge of Smokey.
'It's just Renee, don't be alarmed.' he warned.

Temmit opened his eyes, his heart suddenly racing despite the warning. He quickly realized that he must have dozed off, his exhausted mind sneaking past the enigma of his often stalking nightmare without it spying him.

It was pitch dark in the room, he guessed it was still very early in the morning, perhaps 5 dawnhand.

'I don't see her.' he pathed back to Smokey, wondering what she was doing in his dorm room.

'Yet she is there. She is invisible, but I think she touched me to let me know of her presence and so I would wake,' Smokey said.

Just then Renee, whispered in his ear. It was so dark, he had no idea if she had come out of her invisibility or not, but he could smell and sense her body warmth, as she was really close to him.

"Temmit," her voice barely overcame the noise of the wind outside, and Filch slept ignorant of her presence.
Title: 12.27.2132 - Awakening to a Nightmare
Post by: Johan on June 26, 2008, 07:25:13 PM
Temmit lay still on his cot, his heart still beating too fast.

"Yes? I'm awake." He whispered. His suspicious mind didn't let him believe that it was truly Renee...there were too many dynamics going on.
Title: 12.27.2132 - Awakening to a Nightmare
Post by: Dray on June 26, 2008, 07:28:21 PM
"Do not be alarmed, but I have bad news and we have to move quickly. We will need to work together today," Renee replied in a whisper.

Temmit's heart dropped, within the minutia of the tones in her voice he heard deep concern...something really bad was afoot.

And although Renee had never been in his room before, as he achieved full consciousness, he knew it was her.
Title: 12.27.2132 - Awakening to a Nightmare
Post by: Johan on June 26, 2008, 07:29:32 PM
"I'm listening."
Title: 12.27.2132 - Awakening to a Nightmare
Post by: Dray on June 26, 2008, 07:30:18 PM
She put a hand on his shoulder to steady him as she said, "Leslie has gone missing."
Title: 12.27.2132 - Awakening to a Nightmare
Post by: Johan on June 26, 2008, 07:32:21 PM
That explains the end of the last Thread.

"I understand." He said, surpressing his emotions. He was sure that Renee picked up the difficulty with which he did so, knowing him as she did. "Where do we start?"
Title: 12.27.2132 - Awakening to a Nightmare
Post by: Dray on June 26, 2008, 07:38:56 PM
"Allow me a moment to catch you up," Renee whispered quickly. "Leslie had been expected at her parents Inn last night (Warday - Wednesday) for a late family dinner to celebrate her younger sister's 10th birthday, she never arrived."

"Mr. Marks, of course, knows full well of his daughter's involvement in Whisper and sent a runner immediately to me. Not wanting to get the Capital City Guard involved since she may be on Whisper duty."

"I rushed to their family tavern (Can't Get There From Here) and immediately informed Mr. Marks that she wasn't on any special mission. After conferring with him, I asked him to hold off on alerting the Guard, and set out to find her."

"I have found no trace of Leslie and now I need your help, for it will be dawn soon, and the Truancy Office will become aware of her absence. A fact that will make finding her all that more difficult and bring her unwanted attention should she be okay." Renee swallowed hard at the alternative to her last statement.

"I went to Leslie's dorm and rummaged through her things, I came across her diary and of course read it for clues. Luckily she is as chatty with her confidence in the page as she is in person. It gave every indication that she would be at the party as soon as classes ended on Warday, and then walk to the Theater District for a show that she wanted to see there. She didn't tell her parents she was going there and felt very guilty about lying to them. But that is where she wrote in her diary that she said she was going to go, some acrobatic performance named "Cirque'Du'Solei"."

"I went to that theater first obviously and found no trace of her. So I moved on and spent the entire night checking out the myriad of places Leslie could be, to no avail. When curfew ended, I spent some capital in my local contacts to be able to stay on the streets so I could look for clues. I am very daft, as I am afraid I didn't find a single thing."
Title: 12.27.2132 - Awakening to a Nightmare
Post by: Johan on June 26, 2008, 07:43:56 PM
"All right. I think the best place to start might be with Mia." He whispered, rising from his bed as quietly as possible.

"Unless you have any other thoughts?"
Title: 12.27.2132 - Awakening to a Nightmare
Post by: Dray on June 26, 2008, 07:45:27 PM
"First things first", she said as she pushed a hand on his chest to make him lie back down.

"In less than two hands the clock tower chimes for roll call. I want you to take this potion I am putting in your right hand." Temmit subsequently felt her hand fumble for his, apparently she was as blind as he was, and then she deposited a small vial into it.

"Take it now please," she said.
Title: 12.27.2132 - Awakening to a Nightmare
Post by: Johan on June 26, 2008, 07:48:35 PM
"You better be sure that this is Renee." Smokey cautioned.

Temmit concentrated hard on Renee for a moment, his suspicious mind not letting go of the notion that this was not Renee.

Empathy, please.
Title: 12.27.2132 - Awakening to a Nightmare
Post by: Dray on June 26, 2008, 07:54:18 PM
Temmit felt the familiar warmth of Renee's mind, within it he found compassionate worry and concern mixed with anxiety and fear.
Title: 12.27.2132 - Awakening to a Nightmare
Post by: Johan on June 26, 2008, 07:55:29 PM
"Ok." he whispered. "And sorry." He opened the vial and drank it's contents.
Title: 12.27.2132 - Awakening to a Nightmare
Post by: Dray on June 26, 2008, 07:56:10 PM
It tasted absolutely vile.

"This potion is going to make you sick and spike your body temperature up, you may even vomit."
Title: 12.27.2132 - Awakening to a Nightmare
Post by: Johan on June 26, 2008, 07:56:48 PM
"Why, then, do I want to take it? To get out of role call?"
Title: 12.27.2132 - Awakening to a Nightmare
Post by: Dray on June 26, 2008, 07:57:37 PM
"Yup."

"In all the months I have had needed to use this potion, I have never had a student resident (OOC: in Temmit's his name is Gerald Baxter) declare a student fit for duty[/i]. This draught makes you very ill, and will allow you to get excused."

Your stomach felt like it was getting heavy, this was not a preferred way to start the day.

"This next potion," and with that whisper another slipped into his hand, "is the anti-dote. Please do not take it until the S.R. declares you unfit?"
Title: 12.27.2132 - Awakening to a Nightmare
Post by: Johan on June 26, 2008, 08:04:00 PM
"Agreed."
Title: 12.27.2132 - Awakening to a Nightmare
Post by: Dray on June 26, 2008, 08:05:04 PM
Renee was all business. "I am going to leave a more powerful Sneaky draught under your bed. It should give you about 8 turns to sneak out of the dormitory safely afterwards. Luckily it's snowing and hopefully it will continue to do so. No one will be specifically looking for you, so if you keep your hood up, you shouldn't have any problems leaving the district. Meet me in the alley behind the Marks Taverns. Any questions?"
Title: 12.27.2132 - Awakening to a Nightmare
Post by: Johan on June 26, 2008, 08:05:52 PM
"No." Temmit answered. "I understand."
Title: 12.27.2132 - Awakening to a Nightmare
Post by: Dray on June 26, 2008, 08:08:10 PM
(OOC: Scene change, the camera zooms in on Temmit, briskly walking to the Marks Tavern at about 8 dawnhand).

A small warehouse behind the tavern had a guard post of two soldiers. Temmit quickly remembered that one of them may be Private Meeks, the customer of Mia's last weekend, and he didn't want to be identified outside of school. He quickly turned so as to circumvent the building the other way.

As expected, Mr. Marks and Renee were both waiting for him in the alley between the tavern and the warehouse. Mr. Marks was quietly talking to Renee as he approached them.

"So what is your next course of action? I will not wait the day out Renee, I want my daughter found," he said.

Although the man was almost whispering, Temmit had never seen the normally stoic man so animated.

"Hello Temmit," Renee greeted as he approached. She turned back to him, "we are doing everything we can Mr. Marks. But it just a matter of time now before the Capital Guard knows anyway."

She brushed some gathered snow on her hood and the continued. "Once she is found missing in her dorm, they will send a truancy officer to you for questioning. Tell him the truth, tell him she went missing after school yesterday and that you searched for her the whole night in hopes of finding her before she got in trouble at school. The officer will send out a warning to the Guard, but it will be hands before the entire force is put on notice to look for her. This will give me and Temmit time to find her on our own terms."

"On your own terms Renee?"[/i] Mr. Marks remarked. "No offense, but my daughter is more important to me right now than any business she is tending to of your...."

Renee interrupted. "Understandable Mr. Marks," she said as she held up a gentle but firm hand to stow his rising frustration. "But as I said before, she wasn't working on my orders last night. She could have been doing something risky on her own, and I would rather find her before the Truancy Office does. If she was doing anything questionable, she will need help hiding her tracks. And since she has gone missing, I am betting those tracks may be deep as they must involve matters we don't want the government knowing about."

"My apologies Renee, I know you have only the best intentions in regards to Leslie. It's just that I am understandably at wits end. She has never gone missing for more than a hand before, and I was always able to track her down," he said worried.

"I know Mr. Marks, we will find her. But remember, whatever happened may not be that dire. It is early yet, she could be awakening right now in some upper loft of a theater, cursing herself for falling asleep in it." she said, placing a comforting gloved hand on his shoulder.

"I hope your right Miss, I hope that's all it is."

He then looked at Temmit for the first time. "Thanks for taking the chance and coming out to help this morning Temmit," he said to him and shook his hand.
Title: 12.27.2132 - Awakening to a Nightmare
Post by: Johan on June 26, 2008, 08:12:51 PM
Temmit noded, accepting Mr. Marks' thanks. "For what it's worth, sir," he said. "I specifically told Leslie to not do any Clan work for a while. She was grateful for a little time off."

"We'll find her."
Title: 12.27.2132 - Awakening to a Nightmare
Post by: Dray on June 26, 2008, 08:15:16 PM
He looked at Temmit with more emotion than Temmit had ever seen from the man. "She looks up to you son like you are her older brother. If anyone is going to find her, it's you."

He then turned back to Renee.

"You can of course use my place as headquarters all day Renee. I will keep the stock room," he nodded at the back door of the tavern, "clear of my workers today for you."

"Thanks Mr. Marks," and as he retreated back into the tavern she added, "we will find her Mr. Marks, I promise."

He nodded and went inside.
Title: 12.27.2132 - Awakening to a Nightmare
Post by: Johan on June 26, 2008, 08:16:47 PM
After the door closed, Temmit turned to Renee and asked, "Do you have any more information than you did earlier?"
Title: 12.27.2132 - Awakening to a Nightmare
Post by: Dray on June 26, 2008, 08:19:57 PM
"No," she said and Temmit heard her swallow hard against the sorrow building in her.

As Temmit watched, his leader visibly shook it off and got back into her stance of strength.

"We will next go back to the Theater District, my Warden Council contact owns the doll shop there. I will tell you what we need to do here though, so we don't have to converse in the storm on our way."
Title: 12.27.2132 - Awakening to a Nightmare
Post by: Johan on June 26, 2008, 08:22:08 PM
"Doll shop?" Temmit perked up. "She was giving her sister a doll for her birthday. I saw the box. It *looked* like a doll box, at any rate."
Title: 12.27.2132 - Awakening to a Nightmare
Post by: Dray on June 26, 2008, 08:23:35 PM
Renee smiled and almost dismissed the remark, but then had a double take.

"Was it a long copper tin? With a picture of a doll on the front?" she asked.
Title: 12.27.2132 - Awakening to a Nightmare
Post by: Johan on June 26, 2008, 08:25:51 PM
"Aye." Temmit confirmed, holding his hands out to guage the size of the box.
Title: 12.27.2132 - Awakening to a Nightmare
Post by: Dray on June 26, 2008, 08:28:47 PM
"When we get there," Renee continued, "I will need you to do everything in your power to ascertain my contact's...her name is Martha...my contact's true intentions. She has been a pain in my ass ever since she was assigned the post a year ago, and I am tired of getting half answers from her and those she represents. And this strange coincidence of Leslie being at her shop days before her disappearance is just too bizarre." Frustration was written all over the lovely red-heads face.

"So when we get there, I am going to push her into answering me, and I will need you to collect as much information as you can from her body language and whatever else. Leslie is far too important and more so...a little girl, we will not settle for half answers today." Renee almost looked pleased with the idea with confronting an obvious adversary.
Title: 12.27.2132 - Awakening to a Nightmare
Post by: Johan on June 26, 2008, 08:30:35 PM
"Understood."