Pendar - Session 21, part 2

52 Merrysest, Windsday -
That night, Maximilian is drawn out of sleep by the sound of a great deal of noise, seemingly downstairs.

"Spider": "You realize it's bad for business if you storm in at night to bother my guests like this, right? Can't you lot ever do your work in a more civilized manner?"
Maximilian: "Oy, what's going on?"
Lord Kemrec Lorreal: "Enough of your whining, innkeeper. We'll do our job and get out, and you should be grateful for that."
Maximilian grabs his lance, and opens the door.
Maximilian: "Hey, it's Lorreal!"
Sana sits up, going onto the side of the bed.
Sana: "Why is Max shouting?"
Maximilian moves to the next room, and bangs on the door.
Sana nudges Atremis to wake up
Sana: "Max seems riled up, Atremis."
Atremis: "Mmm... pastri--ah? Sana?"
Efta sits up abruptly, before stretching.
Sana calls out.
Sana: "What is it, Max?"
Atremis yawns groggily, not yet aware of the situation.
Maximilian: "It sounds like Lorreal and others are causing a commotion."
Sana: "Ah, Atremis. Sir Jerkington is doing some bad things... again, it seems."
Atremis: "Can he come back in a few minutes?"
Atremis starts to curl back up.
Sana: "It's okay if you want to sleep, but it sounds important..."
Maximilian: "I don't think he wants to chat over tea. Grab a weapon. Don't waste time armouring up."
Sana: "...or rather I think there's a fight going on, Atremis, from what he says."
Lady Knight: "Hold there! All of you are under arrest!"
Atremis sighs, stretching his limbs and climbing out of the bedsheets.
Sana: "We'd better... yawn suit up, then...."
Maximilian: "Under arrest?!"
Sana gets up, lazily grabbing her sword and backpack.
Nimue groans and gets up.
Efta hops out of bed, continuing downstairs.
Sana decides there's not enough time to grab her armour, so suffices for only her sword.
Nimue casts Mage Armor, looking around in irritation.
Sana: "Hey, Atremis."
"I learned some magic to help you fight better."
Lady Knight: "I've been ordered to bring you all in for questioning. Cooperate, and it'll be no trouble more than a day in prison if you've done nothing wrong."
Efta: "On what grounds, if I may ask?"
Nimue tries to get a read from Max about how to handle this.
Maximilian frowns, afright with the concept of being arrested.
Lady Knight: "There was discovered to be an intrusion into the keep. Within less than an hour of your visit. There are no other suspects."
Maximilian: "I... see."
Efta: "I can assure you that we were under supervision all the while, miss."
Lady Knight: "Regardless, we have our orders."
Sana: "Um... I did not really enter the keep."
Maximilian: "Well, I think we should go with them."
Sana: "I just stood outside and watched my companions go in..."
"...I'll go if Max agrees, anyway."
Atremis shies underneath the bed, keeping an eye on how it goes with the knights. [Stealth: 36]
Curt Knight: "You've got a fine case for your innocence. So I'm sure there's nothing you need to worry about."
Nimue is waiting for someone to make a move.
Lady Knight: "...What of all Milena's creations is that... rock thing? Keep it further back!"
Hastur manages to give the impression to be hurt.
Maximilian: "I think she called it... Hasturr? It's pretty harmless from what I've seen."
"Anyway, I trust in your honour."
Nimue: "Lady, that is Hastur, my familiar."
Nimue twitches, having some problems with having to trust someone.
Sana: "...can I have a moment to change into something that isn't my nightie, before I go for questioning?"
Lady Knight: "...You may. Don't try slipping out a window, we have the place surrounded."
Sana: "I'm nowhere near agile enough for that, anyway..."
Maximilian: "Surrounded. Wow..."
Nimue: "I will change."
Sana closes the door to her room to change.
Nimue closes the door to change.
Maximilian waits by the stairs, trying to suppress his anxiety best he can.
Sana dons her armour, feeling a lot more comfortable in it, before emerging.
Sana: "Ah... that's better."
Nimue emerges from her room, looking rather grumpy.
Sana goes downstairs.
Sana: "So many knights for just four people?"
Maximilian: "I believe we can trust them. Though I would like to be a distance from Sir Lorreal, given our bad blood."
Efta: "(Trust them to lock us up, you mean!)"
Maximilian: "(A day is far less than the penalty for resisting arrest.)"
"(So even if they force us in jail, it's better than the alternative.)"
Nimue: "(I find your trust in them not killing or incarcerating us endearing, if naive.)"
Hastur whacks Nimue on the head and flies around, agitated.
Nimue: "Ouch."
Curt Knight looks up, startled, and draws her sword.
Nimue: "Alright, alright."
Sana: "Miss, there is no need to draw your sword. We are coming quietly."
Curt Knight: "...Good."
Maximilian steps down slowly, his gaze lingering on Lorreal and Spider.
Nimue follows grumpily.
At the entrance of the inn, Lorreal looks very smug, sword pointed at a rather grumpy-looking Spider.
Efta glances briefly back at Sana's room with a mischievous smile, before following the others.
Atremis waits in his hiding place underneath the bed, listening for when the knights have left.
Sana: "(Oh, it is the horrible knight, isn't it?)"
Hastur has calmed down with the law being followed and hovers behind Nimue.
Lord Kemrec Lorreal: "Well, well, it's the little boy and his friends again. Having a pleasant night?"
Nimue: "(Must be having a nightmare, such an ugly face can't exist in reality.)"
Intimidating Knight: "Lorreal, quiet. All four of you are under arrest for suspicion of trespassing and theft. I appreciate your cooperation."
Sana: "...yes, we are cooperating. (But we do not need your subordinate's poor attempts at mocking on top of being woken up at this hour...)"
Maximilian keeps silent.
"Spider": "I don't know what you lot did, but it started quite a ruckus."
Maximilian: "(D-did they want the circus t-that much, you think, E-Efta?)"
Nimue: "Went for a walk, someone broke into something and those... knights think we did it."
Efta: "(Heh, wouldn't that be a pleasant surprise, Max?)"
Hastur hovers closer to Loreal, trying to figure out if he is lawful or not.
Lord Kemrec Lorreal appears to be considering swatting away the ioun wyrd.

The rest of the party is escorted to the prison, with relatively few quips from Lorreal, before the knights leave them behind. Meanwhile, Atremis notices the increased quiet in the inn from his hiding place.
Nimue: "I love what you have done with this place."
Bored Guard gives Nimue a confused look.
Maximilian slumps in the bench glumly.
Maximilian: "Maybe I can take this opportunity to write a poem."
Maximilian: "Or, well, plan one."
Nimue lays down on one of the "beds" and tries to sleep.
Hastur hovers in place, unsure where he went wrong.
Sana hums optimistically to pass the time. [Perform: Singing: 12]
Nimue glares at Sana.
Bored Guard: "...Did you actually sneak into the castle?"
Maximilian: "I don't know about Sana, but Efta and I were under supervision from the butler."
Efta: "We did no such thing, sir."
Sana: "I watched my friends, who are performers, go into the castle. I stood outside and watched them."
Bored Guard: "Performers, eh? Awful lot of those been ending up here. Makes the city a dull place."
Maximilian: "I actually challenged Sir Lorreal to a duel on that very fact."
"Unfortunately, it was a tie."
Dancer Girl: "You're telling me."
Nimue: "Seems to have gotten his goat enough to put us here."
Maximilian quietly mulls the experience over in his mind.
Sana: "I really should try to put him in his place..."
"Miss? Why are you in here?"
Maximilian: "What a sad, sorry people we are... caging away our own joys because we can."
Dancer Girl: "Seems the holy knights here find my performances 'indecent and immoral'."
Sana: "That is... not right."
Nimue: "Those are the best performances."
Maximilian: "I'm not really sure what Ivanda would think of that. But expression and beauty are expression and beauty. Art takes many forms, I suppose."
Sana: "It's wrong to be imprisoned for expressing yourself..."
Sana sits on the bench.
Maximilian: "I think it's a matter of where you do it, Sana."
Nimue starts to snore.
Diligent Guard: "Not our decision. What I can't figure is why you people are so important. They sent out near the whole order after you."
Maximilian: "The lady did seem to suggest as such... that's..."
Sana: "Does that mean they respect us... or fear us?"
Efta: "I would be most interested in watching one of your performances, miss!"
Maximilian: "That, or they're missing something important."
Sana: "Maybe Sir Jerkington told them about us... and they got scared of us?"
Maximilian: "I can't imagine Lorreal having that kind of sway."
Dancer Girl smirks and stands up, beginning a twirling dance after a wink at the guards.
Efta grins, nodding at the lady in approval.
Sana watches the dance innocently.
Diligent Guard: "Tomfoolery..."
Sana: "It's only a dance, mister guard."
Maximilian lies back in his seat.
Maximilian: "(Is this it, now? The life of a scoundrel ahead of me?)"
"(Bawdy dancers, ale, no coin and moth-eaten beds at the best of times?)"
Sana: "(We will be okay, Max. Have optimism.)"
Efta: "Oh cheer up, Max. Don't let that knight's words get to you."
Nimue still snores.
Maximilian: "I suppose you're right."
Dancer Girl: "They're a bunch of bores. Just pretend they're not real."
Efta restrains a smirk at Nimue.
Sana: "I will teach Sir Jerkington a lesson, Max, show him who is boss... he does not seem the sort to refuse single combat."
Bored Guard: "Who's Sir Jerkington?"
Efta: "I doubt he would accept a duel with a lass as fine as you, miss Sana."
Sana: "Um... I think his name is Lorreal, mister. I want to show him we're better than him, so he'll stop being so mean to everyone we seem to know."
Maximilian: "It's her name for Sir Lorreal, the knight with the attitude of an overconfident rookie."
Bored Guard: "Oh, him? Nice name, heh. He's always mocking the newer knights."
Diligent Guard: "And the real clergy. I'd enjoy you teaching him some humility."
Maximilian: "Yes. I'm not satisfied with the tie we had last time."
Sana: "Yay, thank you. I shall try to do so once Max had explained our things."
Maximilian: "Honestly, someone who gets such a kick out of oppressing people... how do they get such a rank in the first place?"
As the first light of dawn starts to show through the windows, the prison door opens to admit three armored figures.
Nimue still snores.
Diligent Guard: "Yes, commander?"
Intimidating Knight looks over at the party, his demeanor calm but speaking with an booming voice.
Intimidating Knight: "You four. Maximilian, and I don't have the rest of your names. His Grace of Iranri commands your presence."
Nimue wakes with a start.
Nimue: "Frigg."
Maximilian: "I understand."
Efta: "About tim-- Ah, it's the young miss from before!"
Maximilian rises to his full height of just over five feet.
Novice Knight: "You were lying about the circus, weren't you...?"
Maximilian: "I would liked to have met the duke under different circumstances, I confess."
Efta: "My troupe is already on their way too Alta, I'm afraid, due to unexpected circumstances. Perhaps we can organise another performance here in the near future, eh?"
Curt Knight: "(Jessa, you're too naive...)"
Novice Knight: "That would be nice, mister. I had so wanted to see the circus."
Intimidating Knight: "It looks as if he plans to offer you a chance to explain yourselves. Will you come with me and cause no trouble?"
Efta: "It would be our pleasure~"
Nimue: "If I get some coffee I promise everything."
Maximilian: "I really have no reason to cause trouble. I would gladly follow you."
Sana: "...same."

Atremis quietly makes his way to Maximilian's room, searching for the box.
Securing the box, Atremis looks for an open window, climbing up onto the roof. [Climb: 17]
On the roof, Atremis curls up against the chimney, looking around over the city for Sana and the others.
While keeping watch with his box, Atremis can distantly see the party being led away by heavily armored guards, toward the northeast.

The knights lead the party back to the keep, the apparent commander proceeding to head to the second floor with them following.
Intimidating Knight bows to the man sitting at the table, backing away to let the party pass.
Intimidating Knight: "Your Grace Duke Alvourne of Iranri, I present the accused, Sir Maximilian Magnus, Sana, Efta, and Nimue."
Maximilian: "(Lord... Alvourne...)"
Duke Alvourne of Iranri: "Very good. Watch the door, Eagrous, but I expect to have little need for it."
Maximilian commits the name to memory.
Efta waits expectantly for an invitation to sit down at the table with the duke.
Nimue follows the example of the knight and bows.
Intimidating Knight bows again and exits the room, closing the door behind him.
Efta tilts his head discretely at the ornate designs on the table, in thought. [Detect Magic]
The table itself is nonmagical and only ornamented, but the man himself radiates magic.
Duke Alvourne of Iranri glances sternly at Efta, before gesturing to the empty seats.
Nimue sits down.
Sana takes a seat to the side of the duke.
Duke Alvourne of Iranri: "I have heard a great many very fascinating stories of all of you. And after such a short time in the city."
Efta: "Seems there aren't enough seats for all of us, Max, after you~"
Maximilian slides onto a chair.
Maximilian tilts his head at Efta briefly, before turning back to the Duke.
Nimue keeps standing.
Maximilian: "It seems we've encountered a strange number of... fascinating situations in the last week or so."
Sana: "Yes indeed, a great many fascinating things."
Duke Alvourne of Iranri: "My young son is currently enamored of your storytelling. Is the tale he passed along quite true?"
Maximilian: "Of Brightshire? Sadly so."
Sana: "Your son, sir?"
Maximilian: "Young Skyler, Sana."
Sana: "Oh."
Duke Alvourne of Iranri: "His interests, sadly, are often inappropriate for his birth, but I cannot help but indulge him on occasion."
Maximilian: "He is a very sweet child, despite his peculiar habits, yes."
Efta: "Mmm, his curiosity is certainly admirable."
Duke Alvourne of Iranri: "Brightshire. Quite a tragedy. I've heard myself something of what transpired there."
Maximilian: "We managed to lay her soul to rest, but that alone won't cause the villagers to return."
Duke Alvourne of Iranri: "It does no good for the reputation of magecraft in this land."
Maximilian: "Yes, you can see the distrust on so many faces..."
Duke Alvourne of Iranri: "Pemmat. Have you any idea who the man is?"
Efta: "I've been trying to uncover leads on that matter, your grace."
Maximilian: "We know a couple people were searching for him."
Efta: "We have in our possession a diary that belonged to one of his victims, although some of it is currently illegible."
Duke Alvourne of Iranri: "A diary? Fascinating. I am glad to hear there are folk still investigating."
Maximilian: "...still investigating?"
"This Pemmat fellow, has he a history of these kinds of incidents?"
Duke Alvourne of Iranri: "Poor Orielle's story was known to a few. I had thought it passed from common memory."
"A history? No, not so far as I've learned. I have heard rumors that he fled to Fostrema afterward, but nothing more."
Nimue starts to wonder what the dukes game is
Sana: "Um... we never told you who the diary belonged to, Sir."
Duke Alvourne of Iranri: "As I said. I have heard something of the matter already."
"It is my duty to keep aware of news from the nearby regions."
Efta: "I dislike diverting the topic, your grace, but may I ask a few questions about master Skyler?"
Duke Alvourne of Iranri: "Certainly."
Efta: "A boy of so young an age wondering about with common folk, do you know already about his escapades?"
Duke Alvourne of Iranri: "There is little that can be done to prevent children from mischief. If he must disobey his elders, I can scarcely complain that he cares for those who will someday be his own subjects."
Efta: "Indeed, I merely hope he does not become prey to the foul sort that linger around these days. Perhaps he should make you or your wife aware?"
Duke Alvourne of Iranri: "He has made Dania and I well aware of his escapades. Suffice it to say, I have gone to some effort to ensure he is watched over and safe. Following a young boy is a much easier task than containing him."
Maximilian smiles.
Duke Alvourne of Iranri: "...he is a willful boy, yet I cannot help but be proud of him. I am glad of your concern for him."
Maximilian rubs his head.
Maximilian: "I do have concerns, though. It is not healthy to have a leader with such a... morbid taste. Especially as many performers and entertainers are being taken to prison."
"Well, I suppose he's still young."
Duke Alvourne of Iranri: "All children have their eccentricities. Many pass."
"Now, I must ask you. There was an intrusion into my keep, just before noontime yesterday. I am told you were visiting at the time. Is it possible you could offer any explanation?"
Maximilian loosens up, having wondered why he didn't cover the topic.
Efta: "I can assure that we were all accounted for at the time of the supposed intrusion, your grace."
Sana: "I myself never entered the keep, sir."
Nimue: "Neither did I."
Efta: "Sir Max and I were escorted by your butler inside, while our colleagues miss Sana and Nimue waited outside the keep."
Sana: "As far as they have told me, they were kept under a very watchful eye, while I... sat in the grass and drew pictures of trees."
Duke Alvourne of Iranri: "Did Miss Sana and Nimue observe anything unusual?"
Efta: "I'm sure they would have made us aware if that was the case." [Bluff: 28]
Sana: "I saw nothing out of the ordinary for me." [Bluff: 2]
Nimue: "I saw nothing surprising."
Duke Alvourne of Iranri: "Very well. That leaves you as the only suspects..."
Maximilian: "So, in lack of any other evidence or suspect, you'd have to detain us?"
Duke Alvourne of Iranri: "Do you have a reasonable alternative to propose?"
Maximilian sighs, trying to muster up the courage to say something.
Maximilian: "You know... there was something."
"I'm frightened to hear what you would make of it, though."
Duke Alvourne of Iranri: "Do continue regardless."
Maximilian: "We saw a bright red fox."
Duke Alvourne of Iranri: "A... bright red fox."
Maximilian: "It is as I said. A vivid, unnatural red. Not like the ginger."
"I swear it on my love of the arts."
Duke Alvourne of Iranri: "Where was this vivid red fox?"
Maximilian raises his hand to his chin, subconsciously.
Maximilian: "It was outside the castle, as we were leaving."
Duke Alvourne of Iranri: "...Very well. Commander Eagrous!"
Intimidating Knight opens the door, bowing again.
Duke Alvourne of Iranri: "You will escort our guests to a cell here. Have the order continue to investigate further."
"Look for any practitioners of arcane magic... particularly if that companion of young Elvarel's remained in the city."
Intimidating Knight: "Yes, Your Grace. You four, follow me. I'm sure we'll find the real trespasser soon, but your imprisonment will have to continue for today."
Maximilian: "(Elvarel...?)"
"(Oh, does he mean...)"
Sana: "Very well..."
Nimue: "Would you release us if one of us would be ready to test his mettle in a duel about the matter?"
Duke Alvourne of Iranri: "...A trial by combat could possibly be arranged. But not today. You will be spoken to about such things, if you cooperate in the meantime."
Maximilian: "I see! Thank you, my lord."
Nimue returns to her grumpy self.
Sana: "I could do said combat, but... it feels like this could be sorted out from talking."
In that predicament, the party is led back to captivity again, to await the discoveries of the knights...