Session 70

### Prominent NPCs:

* Bitter Sanguine, a.k.a. Andril, Vampiric-themed assassin, low-ranking agent of the Dark Brotherhood.

## And Now...

Having arrived in time to prevent the death of their ally, Bentil, the agents interrogate his would-be assassin...

### Interview with the 'Vampire'.

The agents drag their captive to an abandoned hovel within the Lempkin Slums and proceed to interrogate him. Initially, Hugh and Leopold try sense and reason, but eventually, the last falls to Rast, his tools of inquisition, and a magical aura of truthfulness.

*(This was the major part of the adventure, but I was flickering in and out of consciousness and missed a lot of it. What I* do *recall is that Bug prepared a draught of gullibility for our prisoner, which he refused to drink. The assassin, identifying himself as 'Bitter Sanguine', is a low-ranking operative of a group called The Dark Brotherhood, which may be the true name of 'The Guild' we've previously identified, or may be just an arm of it. His immediate superior is a figure called 'The Penitent Man' and we get a physical description. Sanguine attempts suicide by swallowing a rare type of scarab beetle, originally found in al-Karim, but his attempt is foiled. Bretta is present for this, but I'm not certain when she appeared.. maybe she can have showed up at the start, warned us that guards would be coming and guided us to the hovel).*

### The Fix Is In.

The interrogation is suddenly ended when heavily-gauntleted hands hammer on the hovel's door. When presented with his options, Sanguine agrees to come with us. Bretta flees by transforming into a crow, while Leo, Rast, Bug and Sanguine head upstairs to escape across the rooftops. Hugh attempts to stall the guards by conversing with them through the door., requesting warrents or the like. This doesnt work, and they commence breaking down the door. As the party start to flee up the stairs for rooftop escapes, he drops back and makes a show of being clumsy and inept in order to allow the rest time to escape. He reasons that he might be able to talk himself out of an arrest, or, at least be treated far better than any of the rest.

The main body of the party are successfully able to escape, thanks to the sudden intervention of Bretta and a murder of crows, who discourage pursuit. Unfortunately, in the turmoil, Rast's interrogation tools are left behind. The agents make their way to The Forge to recover their breath and await news of their companion.

### But Officer, I Can Explain.

Hugh surrenders himself to the guard after assuring them that this is all a terrible mix-up, and that the solution can be resolved momentarily.

Initially, the questioning, conducted by a high-ranking member of the City Watch, is quite convivial, with Hugh being offered food and drink. His social rank, apparently, carries a degree of weight in the city.He spins them an unlikely yarn about seeking some negotiable companionship in the city's lower quarters, when the negotiations turned nasty. He explains that he feared he was going to be robbed, or worse, but it turned out his 'companion' was the target of intruders, not him. Then Rast's Tools of torture were placed on the table, and he was asked to name them. He tries to act (?) the idiot and name the tools.."..The pointy one..the Really pointy one, the screw..oh..you mean the other person..oh Bitter blood or something.." The guard is probably not buying it, and inwardly Hugh starts cursing Rast's name..

### Out of the Frying Pan, into the Fire.

Alas, Hugh's social station only counts so far and the guard is forced to withdraw when a number of newcomers arrive. The guard does so, leaving Hugh in the company of three alarming figures. All three are dressed in body-covering cloaks and hoods of thick material and wearing odd, elephantine masks. Two of the newcomers are large, heavily built types who stand behind the third, a female dwarf whose outfit is covered by an array of pockets and pouches containing various vials of mysterious liquids and chemical concoctions.

Hugh immediately launches into his story again, but the newcomers are having none of it, and less than ten seconds into it, the dwarf throws a vial which shatters, producing a thick cloud of soporific chemicals which renders Hugh unconscious.

### Out of the Fire, into the Furnace.

Hugh awakens in an extremely richly-appointed room. No windows are visible but the furniture is all well-made and of the finest materials, the carpet is thick, soft and luxurious. Dotted about the various fittings and furnishings, and taking up a prominent role on one wall are a series of paintings, all identifiable as members of the Pryor Family...

### Continued in Session 71...

*10xp*

*(300xp Total)*