Ivy and Chrome PbP Forums

> The globe seems to shimmer slightly in the early morning light.

OCC: Um ... are we assuming it's no longer in the backpack now? Doesn't fit well with my 'don't name the item' strategy if we're now parading it in front of other travellers.

That said, I can certainly work with it, if the orb is the globe you were referring to.

> "Do you have any proof of what you say? John and Harvey have given me no cause to distrust them. You, on the other hand, have shown yourself to be a thief, whether justified or not."

Darl looks down at the orb, having fished it out out of the backpack. "A gift for your niece, you say? Salome is out torturing and murdering to get her hands on this, and you'd hand it over to a child ... you must not care very much for that neice of yours."

Turning to Dan, he adds, "The church at Newhome will back up my story, as will the ladies these two abandoned the night before last. In addition, the rest of the party I left Newhome with should arriving at some point today ... Gerard, a wilderness man on horseback, a male Apok who goes by 'Jordan', a strange but alluring female mystic of some sort named Anastasia, and a somewhat rude and ignorant supernat who calls himself 'Reaper'."

"As for proof ... well ..."

Darl holds the orb out in front of him in the palm of one hand, and places his other on top as he begins to murmur a spell; acting as if his actions were intended to provide Dan with the proof he is requesting. As he casts, a bright white light begins to appear; starting at his hands and growing to engulf both the orb and himself. Assuming the spell completes without any interruption, the white light then disappears with a flash, leaving Darl still standing there holding the orb. (OOC: Attune object to owner)

"As for proof," he continues, "... I'm afraid it's simply my word against theirs." Tossing the backpack to Belle, he adds, "Though if my hunch is correct, you might also find a few books which went missing from the church as well. The Tales of Jan Farstrider, for one, along with some other notebooks belonging to Father Malaki. That, and two bloodstones. And that, I believe," he states, gesturing towards the staff the man is carrying, "... that is likely what Father Malaki referred to as 'Teslas Staff'." (OOC: Assuming, of course, that the staff the man is carrying is something more than just a regular walking stick!)

As he talks, and presuming it's small enough to fit, Darl brings the orb in under his cloak and places it in a large pocket sewn into the heavy fabric. The bulk of the orb seems to disappear under the material as he does so.

Belle wraps her arms around her chest below her breasts, "You lied to me before. Why should I believe what you are telling me now?" Obviously she is not happy about the whole thing.

"You lied to me before. Why should I believe what you are telling me now?"

Darl smiles.

"Because if you choose not to, and are wrong, the consequences become much more serious than if I was a simple thief, attempting to relieve a stranger of their neice's trinket. Check the backpack, I'm curious whether they have the other missing items as well."

"Besides ..." he continues, "More than anyone else here, you can appreciate that a person's character can not be fully defined by the little white lies in their past ... it is their present motivations and future actions which serve as the better test." Turning to John and Harvey, he adds, "Which is why I'm offering a chance to explain *why* you stole these items, and where you were taking them ... before I allow myself to pass judgment on your own moral character."

"What did you do!?" Dan asks Darl as Darl's body and the orb glow brightly for a moment. "I know that was magic. You cast a spell on the orb, I know you did. What did you do?"

"Perhaps we should take this discussion somewhere else." Dan says as he eyes the orb disappearing into Darl's robes.

There are some buildings nearby that would offer some protection from prying eyes, or they could continue down the road to the nearest stand of pillars a few hundreds yards away.

> "I know that was magic. You cast a spell on the orb, I know you did. What did you do?"

"Nothing special ... just an extra layer of protection in case this were to happen to fall into the wrong hands. Nothing that the Unholy's minions won't be able to work around, eventually ... but hopefully enough to slow them down an extra day or so."

> "Perhaps we should take this discussion somewhere else."

"Yes, I think that would be wise," Darl responds. Turning to John and Harvey, he adds, "So where did you say your aunt lived? Shall we continue this over some fresh grubs around her kitchen table?" He eyes them warily, trying to judge their reactions; hoping to deflect some attention on the true theives, who have been strangely silent during his own interrogation.

Having been lied to at least once, the Apok watches both sides intently. She will take a few additional steps, looking against at the two who did not welcome her company earlier. Otherwise, she will not say anything, preferring her silence to speak volumes.

"My Aunt lives far from here and we need to be on our way." John says indignantly. "The items you spoke of are not in my pack, you're welcome to look." In fact, most of the items that were in Johns pack appear to have fallen out through the bottom of the pack where Darl cut a slit in his taking of the orb. None of the items Darl mentioned, except the staff John is carrying, appear in the items that can be seen.

It's hard to tell for sure, but Dan's metallic like face appears to be frowning at Darl impatiently. "Why don't we move off the road. We seem to be attracting too much attention here." Looking around, they notice the few travelers on the road give them a wide berth and hurry on their way.

> "My Aunt lives far from here and we need to be on our way." John says indignantly. "The items you spoke of are not in my pack, you're welcome to look."

"Oh? And here I thought you said you were off to visit your sick mother, not your aunt." Darl responds, mocking the same indignance.

Back to Dan, he adds, "Sure ... those buildings over there work for you?" gesturing towards the buildings off the road. "While the pillars do provide more privacy, I'd be concerned about a possible ambush ... and I'd like to stay within sight of the road, so I can watch for the others who can corraborate what I've told you."

OOC: I had intended on slitting the straps and taking the backpack, *or* slitting the bottom to empty it. Since I was holding it, I assumed the first ... given that I wouldn't likely have enough time to do both during the time slip.

OOC: Sorry that I didn't make it clear earlier. I rolled on the straps vs. bottom (since you mentioned both) and it proved too difficult to slit the straps without it being considered an attack since you would have had to forcefully remove John's hands from the straps. I suppose you could have cut the straps from both ends, but I just went with the dice. You are not and have never been holding the entire backpack. Sorry for the confusion. Besides, it makes it more interesting this way.