The first blow in the war for Talengarde would happen over the next three days.
The Nessian Knot continued their information gathering routine. Brother Summit having endeared himself with the dwarfs & with much socializing managed to finally gain access to go with the dwarfs and work on the Watch Wall. He quickly made note of many of the defensive measures on the bulwark defense of the Gates.
The others in the knot continued their ruse as well. Yvainne played the role of kitchen servant & found out that a local woman provides a beef stew every week or so to the tower men.
With thoughts of possible mass-poisoning, Galen determined the local alchemists shop has a large quantity of arsenic used to keep local rat populations down. Reluctant to outright buy it, Quell & Galen used magical invisibility & stealth-ed in & robbed it of all it's stores of arsenic. And in the hopes of hiding their motives, they also robbed it of various other items, including both magical potions & mundane reagents. Unable to break into the cash box, they left it before being seen.
Quell also used his time to further investigate Captain & Lady Katelyn Mott, as well as Captain Zack. He tracked Katelyn in town. And also broke into the Mott house. He found one thing odd while there, a woman's necklace, clasp broken, behind a couch in the sitting room. As if it fell off in some kind of tussle... Quell left with his souvenir Unsure if it was a sign of a secretive romantic entanglement, Quell took on the appearance of a woman and approached Lady Katelyn the next time she was in the market. Upon getting and staying within her line of sight, he noticed her look of scared recognition as seeing the necklace. His information gathered, he spend the next couple days toying with poor Katelyn, continually happening to be around the market when she arrived each day. Always in the same woman's disguise, necklace prominently displayed. Sometimes being evil can be so fun...
Mardus, under the disguise of a local town boy, spent most of his time gathering information about the recently arrived acting troupe. He even watched the troupe perform in town. Along the way, he & Emmerick consulted & determined an odd, most likely unintended coincidence. The lead female character's name was Browyne, which happened to be the same name as the dead wife of Lord Havelyn. Wondering if there was anything to it, they asked Quell to take a break from his "fun" with Katelyn & investigate if the good Lord's wife was buried in town. Quell reported nothing much of note.
Then came time to land the first blow. Knowing Captain Varning's scout patrol would be out & likely resting at Freeman's rock, the Knot left Aldencross & used the secreted row boat from the Frosthammer, traveled back into the wild-lands and approached on foot at evening to find the patrol, right on schedule, camping for the night at Freeman's Rock. They waited until night & launched their assault. With the use of magic to form pits under sleeping man & horse alike, negative energy channeling in the form of blood mist as well as many savage blows, including a killing blow to Captain Varning by Emmerick's mace, Cardinal Thorn's Ninth Knot lay low the patrol from Balentyne Tower and man nor beast were left alive. Though only a minor & quick skirmish, and likely not affecting the impending assault on Balentyne Tower, other than providing Fire-Axe some much needed secrecy to move into position, the Ambush of Freeman's Rock would mark something very important. The first tactical military engagement between the forces of Mitra & Asomdeus in the War for the Throne of Talengarde.
Cry havoc! And let slip the dogs of war.
Excellent
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