Sam and Moonlight get into a fight
Donald Qualls
find a fencing master to teach him to fast-draw his saber and
swordbreaker simultaneously until other business was taken care of: the
meeting with Lady Alice to see the scroll. Sam commented that his
spidey-sense was tingling as they were led through the immense ballroom
at the Weisskopf mansion -- with orchestra benches in one end and
banquet seating for a hundred in the other, the center dance floor was
still fifty yards square with a ceiling more than forty feet high. In
the relatively small garden behind the ballroom, Lady Alice waited with
the scroll -- and had brought along a very similar appearing blank
scroll, a modern reproduction that she described as "of little worth",
in support of Sam's plan to blackmail Erica.
After leaving the Weisskopf's, Sam and Moonlight went to Erica's place,
but was told she was out, and to come back at ten the following morning.
Moonlight then asked if Sam knew anyone who spoke Varagostic; Sam took
him to a tavern where the innkeeper spoke that tongue, and found that,
though he did indeed speak Varagostic like a native, even talking with
someone from there wouldn't raise any memories of the place. He did,
however, learn (by overhearing an Orc order) that he also apparently
understood Montagnard; the barkeep suggested that Moonlight must be a
traveler, to speak three language.
Not to waste the remainder of the evening, the pair went to the Sisters
of the Healing Light, where they spoke (after waiting a bit) with the
sisters on the night shift who, it seemed, had been present when
Moonlight arrived at their charity ward for those unlikely to wake.
Sister Angela didn't recall who'd brought Moonlight in, but that it had
been during the Moonlight Procession ten weeks before, and that his
wounds had been freshly stitched up at that time. Examination of his
scalp scars noted one that was practically a straight line, with a soft
spot at the end where apparently a small piece of bone had been removed
from the skull. That was clearly the work of a surgeon.
The following morning, armed with a list of a dozen surgeons who did
charity work and brought patients to the Sisters for convalescence or
final care, the boys went out canvassing, and were pointed, by their
first subject, to another name on their list who regularly did the kind
of surgery that had apparently been performed on Moonlight. They made
that worthy their next stop, and were rewarded by his slow recognition
of Moonlight (delayed by Moonlight's emaciated condition). He recalled
the surgery, had the names of the city guards who had brought Moonlight
in (the day before the Procession -- the surgeon had taken Moonlight to
the Sisters when, after failing to awaken within twenty-four hours, it
seemed likely he'd remain sleeping until he starved to death), and was
gratified to see Moonlight awake and walking.
As they were concluding their interview, Sam remembered suddenly that
they were supposed to be meeting Erica Richardson; he flagged a cab and
they were at her door in twenty minutes, late, but not terribly so. The
two were shown into a sitting room and shortly joined by Lady Erica.
Sam spun a tale about how the book she'd sent them to retrieve had
exploded when opened (to verify it was the correct volume), how Saeldor
had been injured (but would most likely regain full use of all seven
fingers), and how even Lady Alice had been injured in the process of
retrieving the book -- and then brought out for her the ashes and
charred remnants of the fake book (which had a similar appearing case
and domes). She countered by saying that, of course, she wouldn't be
able to pay them with the book destroyed. Sam expanded on the tale; she
stood firm. Sam threatened; she defied him, and then pulled the bell
pull in the sitting room, twice. Sam continued trying to coerce payment
-- now in the form of the jewelry she was wearing (earrings, a pendant
on a chain, and two rings), even as running feet could be heard outside
the room.
Finally, the door opened (though Sam had shoved a chair under the latch,
it wasn't a good fit to jam the door), and as Moonlight tried to smash
out enough panes and frames in the bullseye glass window that faced the
street to use that opening as an exit, Sam exchanged blows with two
servants armed with clubs -- trying, at first, to avoid hurting them
(they were under no such compunction). After one of the servants landed
a blow to Sam's neck that rattled his teeth and forced him onto the
defensive for a moment, the gloves were off, and shortly after, Sam had
dropped both servants and, in a moment's rage, finished one off.
Sam made one more try to extract payment from Lady Erica; when she
fainted, he relieved her of her jewelry, a highly decorated but keenly
sharp dagger, and the coins in her purse (Sam, that came to one sun, 8
Guilders, 11 bits, and five points) before the two left via the front
door where they'd entered; finding the street empty of onlookers
(despite Lady Erica's screams during the fight), they made good their
escape -- which is where we stopped for the evening.
--
If, through hard work and perseverance, you finally get what you want,
it's probably a sign you weren't dreaming big enough.
Donald Qualls, aka The Silent Observer http://silent1.home.netcom.com
Opinions expressed are my own -- take them for what they're worth
and don't expect them to be perfect.
Harry and Glorie
possible. The total is 29 guilders and 5 points... so taking the smallest
portion of the coinage, that gives Seldor and Moonlight 10 guilders each,
and Sam 9 guilders and 5 points. Money is essencially (particularly coinage)
is virtually untracable (Unless the coin is so unusual as to be an oddity or
rare as to be of more value than it's content value indicates)
As for the jewelry, I'm debating on that one. If the biddy had simply paid
the remainder due... she had not, afterall, specified the condition of the
book, only that it be returned... then nothing had to happen.
But, I suppose that Sam will remove any gemstones and probably see if he can
melt down the precious metals for ingot. A one ounce bar of gold or silver
looks much like another and is essencially untraceable. The gem stones on
the other hand, may, or may not be traceable by cut and size,but may be hard
to track if sold to departing merchant men at a substancially reduced
price... the point is not how much he can get for the jewels, just how
thoroughly he can seperate them and get them out of the area.
Once that is done, again split the moneytary value equally between the
three.
Sam is not a thief (Witness the change of purpose and direction when he
discovered that he had been hired to STEAL a book rather than RECLAIM it for
it's rightful owner and the removal of the coinage and jewelry was in
compensation of promised payment for services rendered... and payback.), but
he should know enough and be able to get the job done quickly enough that
there will be little evidence by the end of the day.
As a note to Nick, Sam may look bad, and he isn't a nice guy, but he has a
code of conduct that he is following, and actually, I made a roll to not
dispatch the person who had insulted, offended or cheated him or his
companions. (And why he's so keen on finding out where Moonlight was found
by the watch... Moonlight is a companion, and he has been assaulted. That
can only be repaid with blood. It's a slightly modified version of the
Pirates Code, which is listed below:
Code of Honor (Pirate's): Always avenge
an insult, regardless of the danger; your
buddy's foe is your own; never attack a fellow
crewman or buddy except in a fair, open
duel. Anything else goes. This is also suitable
for brigands, bikers, etc. -5 points. The modified version, in which Sam is
bound to is:
Code of Honor (Brigand's): Always avenge ann insult, offense or injury
regardless of the danger; your
companion's foe is your own; never attack a fellow companion except in a
fair, open
fight. Beyond this, there are no rules... win at any cost.
Harry
Nick Phillips
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