(G163 26/03/2013 Tue via Roll20 - JF(GM) , AP)

DAY 190 cont ...

Veddic got back to the Hiilgauntlet Villa before noon and asked Deverreck if he
could help him out with any charm magic. As it happened he could and he gave him
three pebbles that he assured him would do the job. When held in the hand the next
person talked to would have the spell cast on them. The pebbles only worked once
though.

After noon he went to the OJB and talked to Corum, mainly about Fenrir and Corum
told him the following things:

- A pact blade was found by a Dungsweeper in a bin outside the Crawling Spider. Two
men had been killed by a cold based magic spell there just a few days ago.
- Fenrir may still be alive. This being based on the fact that Elsdon could not get
a resurrect spell to work on the corpse and their being no actual evidence he fell
in battle, only here say.

They talked a bit more then Veddic walked down to the Refugee Camp where he helped
out for a while before retiring to his room in Warm Beds.

DAY 191

Veddic had breakfast then arranged with Crispy to trail him to the OJB. He then hired
Raya the princely sum of 1 gold a day to accompany him on his trips up and down the
city and to keep her eyes open for people following them.

He then went to Horizon's Sails and talked to Ellis again. He invited him to a 'party'
to be held at the Hiilgauntlet Villa but Ellis politely declined.

Slightly out of idea's Veddic walked over to the Crawling Spider since it was not far
away and talked to the barman. He had known Strenk well, one of the men that was killed
but had not known the other one. Raya cheekily got Veddic to buy her lunch here.

By noon Veddic was making his way back to the HGV but was stopped by three paladins
of the Holy Order of the Knights of Samular who were acting as agents of the inquisition.
One of them introduced himself as Sir Kenneth Qintale and asked Veddic to come with
him to the Halls of Justice to explain exactly who he was.

In the end he was charged 50 gold as a 'Foreign Cleric Tax' and kicked out. Raya picked
him up in the street just outside.

It was ten o'clock or so, grumbling, Veddic went back to his lodgings.

DAY 192

Veddic had his breakfast at Warm Beds. The crew of the Sea Wyvern had rented out a whole
section of the top floor and a large buffet of food was taken up each morning from which
Veddic helped himself. He didn't ask who was paying for it.

He went to the OJB and talked to Corum once more and among other things they talked of
the conscription going on in the city. Corum advised him if he wanted to get it sorted
out then to report to the Castle Ward Watch Tower.

Veddic did exactly that, but rather than accepting service he paid the 100 gold exemption
fee and was given a certificate. While he was there he watched as a lowly peasant worker
was handed a spear, a crude green tabard and assigned to gate duty (which was considered
the easiest assignment since the walls were attacked every night and patrol duty outside
the city was considered suicidal).

Next Veddic went to the refugee camp to help out in the Hospital once more. The gate guards
were starting to give him funny looks though as hardly anyone was going into our out of the
city these days.

At three o'clock he turned up again at the OJB, waiting for Raya who was watching the
Horizon's Sails. He also went up to the HGV to let Deverreck know 'tonight is the night'.

By seven o'clock Raya turned up at the OJB and told Veddic that Ellis was on his way
north to his family villa. There was a problem though, he was being followed by a 'figure
in a black cloak'.

He paid Raya 20 gold to 'distract' the follower if need be and waited for Ellis to go
past (this took place just south of the Market). He then whispered to him 'Psst!'.

Ellis was confused, but Veddic said, 'You are being followed!' and pointed out the
cloaked figure. Things didn't go quite according to plan for Veddic now since he'd
miscalculated how close Ellis was from the Adarbrent Villa into which he bolted like
a frightened rabbit.

Villa guards went out but only saw someone ducking into the market. The watch were
summoned and a squad of four men turned up quickly.

By eight o'clock Veddic was getting tired of telling his rather made up story again
and again to the civilar so he was even more tired when the Senior Civilar of North
Ward turned up, none other than Lestat Main, the man that had helped Fenrir on more
than one occasion.

'Why are you so interested in Mr Adarbrent?' asked Main.
'Ellis is a good lad', tried Veddic , 'We only have his best interests at heart.'
'Is that why you were following him then?'

In the end Main didn't believe much of what Veddic was saying but since he'd committed
no crime he sent him on his way saying, 'Stay away from Ellis Aderbrent'.

By ten o'clock Veddic went to the HGV and admitted that he'd failed. Deverreck replied
that, 'Well, at least he'll be indoors for a while and safe.'

Veddic next went to the Singing Sword looking for Gharlie as he'd heard of her abilities
and found her in the company of Corum, Nes and Dwerry. She was in her guise of 'Atla'
the beautiful blonde half-elf maid that was 'Corum's girlfriend'.

He managed to speak with her privately and asked her to go to Horizon's Sails and be
the 'women of Ellis' dreams'. She said she could certainly do that, but for a fee of
1000 gold and it would help if she knew what his 'type' was.

Veddic grumbled about the staggering amount of gold she wanted but said he would meet
her tomorrow at three in the OJB.

He then went back to the Warm Beds in the company of Raya. She informed him that they
had not been followed.

DAY 192

In the morning Veddic went to New Olamn and talked to a half-elf bard called Innes Torkarrow
and gave him five gold to find out what sort of women Ellis Aderbrent liked. Innes told him
to come back the next day.

He then headed over to the HGV. On the way an old lady handed him a white feather and told
him to 'Get into uniform'. He told her to go do something unspeakable.

He asked Deverreck if the church could fund the 1000 gold to pay for Gharlie. The reply was
'Hahaha! No.' They then had an argument and eventually Veddic wrote a letter of apology to
Ellis and proposing a meeting at Warm Beds.

The urchin he sent came back at noon but said there was no reply given.

(At three o'clock Veddic stood up Gharlie, something that made her angry.)

He then went to the Refugee Camp to help out and returned at nine in the evening. The senior guard
on the gate said,
'Listen yer holiness. Make up your mind of you are in or out! You can't just keep coming and
going!'
'But I am healing the sick at the camp.'
'Well stay there then! We're under siege incase you hadn't noticed!' came the curt reply, but
the guard let him in.

Veddic gave thanks to Kossuth when he got back to Warm Beds as there was a message there for him
which read 'Come alone to Villa tonight.'

He then dressed as normal and went up to the ABV. Unfortunately though he had not realised that
although someone in the villa wanted him to come up, the watch were still under instructions to
prevent him and he was immediately lifted by the watch as soon as he approached the place.

He was taken to the North Ward watch house and thrown in a cell.

DAY 194 (22 Eleint)(September)

In the morning Senior Watch Civilar Lestat Main came to his cell and Veddic showed him his
note crying, 'But I was invited!'

Main was not impressed and said, 'I don't care if the Open Lord himself wants to see you,
I gave you an order to stay away from Ellis and you ignored it.'
'I thought the word of a nobleman was more important than that of a watchman.' said Veddic putting
his foot in it.
Main went red with anger and replied, 'Well let me correct you on this point then. That is certainly
not the case. I am the law in North Ward.'

Even so, Main sent the letter to the Aderbrent Villa to get the story checked, but they denied all
knowledge of it, understandably since it was supposed to have been a clandestine meeting.

Main decided enough was enough and summoned a magistrate.

At six o'clock Veddic was taken to a small room in the tower and presented to the court. He was told
that for being a trouble maker (and an obvious foreigner to boot!) he was to be forever more banished
from Waterdeep.

Veddic asked if there was any other options and he was told he could pay a fine of 500 gold. Grudgingly
he handed over the money.

By eight he was kicked out, Main telling him, 'If you are concerned about Ellis Aderbrent then don't be,
the watch have him under guard.'

As he went back to his quarters Raya came up beside him, having waited not far away,
'Out of jail again I see! This is getting to be a habit with you. You remind me of someone I used to know!'

Back at Warm Beds he sent a letter to the Adarbrent Villa and by eleven he got a reply which read,
'Come tonight, come alone, come discreetly, EA'

So, in the disguise of a manky peasant Veddic returned to the villa. There he met Ellis and Royus
Adarbrent. Royus was the head of the family and not a man to be trifled with, but was getting a
sense of something nasty going on.

After much debate they decided that if it kept Kossuth happy and the demons and/or devils away
from them then Ellis would be sent tomorrow to the HGV under heavy guard and be accepted into
the faithful. After that he will be kept under heavy guard at the ABV.

DAY 195 (23 Eleint)(September)

Midnight came and went, then Veddic reported in at the HGV and finally walked wearily back down
to Dock Wards and went to bed.

In the morning he helped himself to breakfast and once more walked all the way up to the HGV.
It was a long walk, along almost the entire length of the city but he was getting used to it
and perhaps he preferred it this way.

At the HGV they waited until the afternoon and eventually Ellis arrived accompanied by Royus
and Syllia to act as witnesses and thirty heavily armed guards.

The ceremony was carried out, it lasted about an hour, and Ellis was accepted into the
church of Kossuth.

After they'd left, Deverreck gave Veddic the next part of the mission.
'We now need a woman called Anya. We don't know anything more than that.'
Veddic rolled his eyes and Deverreck continued,
'We only have a few pieces of this puzzle, but we know she is important because we have
heard that a man called Vinet the Bloody is looking for her, may indeed already have her.'
Deverreck steepled his fingers and leaned back in his chair,
'Vinet took over from Fenrir Thunderstaff after his death as the chief of the demon
cultists in Waterdeep. You should seek him out first. Another thing, there will, undoubtedly,
be blood, and I'd rather not have a trail of it leading back here. While I am always
delighted to see you, it would be better if you stayed away from here for a while.
Perhaps don't report back until after you have Anya?'

There was much of what was going on that didn't make any sense to Veddic, but he
was duty bound to obey the orders of any Eternal Flame.