Main RP: Evenkeel

[AlphabetFish]

Mr. Henderson

As Henderson struggles to maintain his lead, Rhaun is watching him closely. He catches an almost imperceptible turn of Henderson's head and realizes he's about to duck between two houses. With his greater stamina and maneuverability, Rhaun is able to jump over a bush near the alley and land in front of the man, cutting him off.

Henderson has no time to turn and stops short, feet skidding in the gravel. He falls and the handcart tips, the wrapped up chest tumbling to the ground. The chase is over.

((Insight success. You caught him!))  

[SCN_ Grey_fox]

"Mr. Henderson, run again and I will use you as target practice." Ron threatened with a 14 to his Intimidation, as he placed a knee into the would-be thief's back(Grab attack 21 vs Reflex).

"Whenever you catch your breath, we are going to pick up that chest, put it into the cart and take a trip to the Justicar. Where you will tell him everything you were about to do. Do you understand?"  

[Kowsauni]

Cymbre the Black

With and exaggerated gesture Cymbre would respond Olin "Lead the way." then follow after him.  

[AlphabetFish]

Mr. Henderson

Pinned to the ground, Henderson stops struggling, but the look in his eye as he twists to look at Rhaun shows that he is not totally cowed. Nonetheless, when he speaks, it's clear he doesn't intend to fight.

"Rustbeard already knows exactly what I was going to do. The question is--what are YOU doing, chasing me down?"

Guard Olin Emsworth

As Olin leads Cymbre and Guards through the village, they quickly pick up the sounds of Rhaun shouting at someone. Following this outburst, they would come upon him with his knee in Henderson's back, holding him to the ground, the wrapped chest spilled out of the cart nearby.

Olin sighs. "Now what?" He steps forward, hand on the hilt of his sword, then looks wearily at Cymbre and Guards. "Hey, that's your guy, so... You guys wanna take this one?"

((The party is now all together again.))  

[SCN_ Grey_fox]

"I was after my gear at Rustbeard's office. Then you started acting like the child with the stolen apple. But, fine we will start over... Mr. Henderson, why were you actively trying to evade me With a class 3 UMD(unidentified magic device), I will add?" Ron asked, keeping his position firmly set.  

[PupSage]

Guards steps over the two, casting his shadow onto them. His foot falls beside Mr Henderson's head. "Companion Rhaun, are you protecting or serving right now?" His eye lights brighten, casting down on his teammate.  

[Kowsauni]

Cymbre the Black

Seeing Rhaun pinning Mr. Henderson to the ground with his knee while the chest laid spilled to the ground nearby left Cymbre a little lost lost. "Uhh...Sure." Flapping her wings, Cymbre would sail through the air and to come land beside Guard's the Door. There was a look of confusion on her face. "Hey, What the hell's going on here? Did we miss something earlier? Did the chest posses him or something?"  

[Southern Cross Nemesis]

"Protect," Rhaun would answer Guard's question, before proceeding to answer Cymbre's answer. "If more combat was in our future, I didn't want to continue sans my armor. So, I started back to grab my gear. That is when I noticed Henderson taking notice I was following him. Instead of continuing as normal, he quickly ducked behind a farmhouse to evade my sight. When that failed he tried to outrun me. which led to this point in time."

"Wait, possession could explain his strange actions. And is a possibility, I didn't think of." Looking up to his companions, "Could one of you check the chest, please?"  

[AlphabetFish]

Mr. Henderson

"Possession?" Henderson seems entirely surprised. "I already tested the thing--its no danger until next sunrise--and even so, these gems don't do anything of the sort! They--um--"

He would pause to struggle to break Rhaun's hold on him, but he would fail.

"Would you let me up? You say you're protecting, but this is a funny of way doing it, running down and tackling the town's clerk! I--I ran from you because this matter is very delicate and I didn't want it interfered with. But--well--I can explain everything. But in the office, please. People are beginning to stare." Indeed, villagers are starting to approach to see what the commotion was.

To anyone who is regarding the chest, it lays in the dirt of the lane, so heavily wrapped in its tarp that it's hard to even tell which end is up. Nothing of it can be seen, and there is no indication that anything magical is happening right now.  

[Southern Cross Nemesis]

"Let them," Rhaun said, not really caring how he nor Henderson was currently perceived in the town. "At the moment you aren't making much sense. And that you know more about that thing that time warranted."

At the moment Mr. Henderson was sounding like he wasn't going to hand it over to Archmage Rocky Shore. Not to mention, when would he have tested it? A poke from a stick and then wrapping it with a tarp hardly sounded like a test. And, Rhaun followed after, so there wasn't much time to do any hocus pocus voodoo between the wrapping and their run.

"I want to trust you, but... knowing what thing can do, what you just did and what it seems like you tried to do." Turning back to his allies. "You think we can trust him?"

Insight 5(Nat1): Does he seem like he is possessed or lying?... Ah, I understand now. He is an ant...  

[Kowsauni]

Cymbre the Black

Cymbre would shrug her shoulders. "I don't see the harm in it. If he coudln't run away from you then he ain't getting away from all three of us. Lets go back to the office and see what he has to say. He obviously knows more about this than we do. We can even push the cart back with the chest ourselves so we have control over it."

Cymbre moves to put the chest back in the cart but then stops and looks at Guards the Door. "Maybe you should do it since you are all metal and wood and stuff."  

[PupSage]

Guards steps to Henderson, "Replaying audio ..." His mouth remains open as Mr Henderson's voice repeats, "I already tested the thing--its no danger until next sunrise--and even so, these gems don't do anything of the sort! They ..."

Intimidate 11

"Please continue telling us of the knowledge you have of these gems that so conveniently appeared where we were asked to go and similarly conveniently put Rustbeard into power."

Unfortunately grumpy turtle face doesn't lend towards intimidation.  

[AlphabetFish]

Mr. Henderson

As curious farmers begin to gather, the party can hear mutterings from the smattering of people surrounding them.

"It's that clerk guy... what's he doing on the ground?"

"Hey, what's that wrapped up thing?"

"Is he getting mugged? Maybe we should help?"

"Did you see that dragon girl? And the machine man? No way am I getting involved."

"But aren't those the Sapphire people? Is he in trouble with the King's guard?"

"Well, who cares, if it's Henderson he probably deserves it."

Cymbre would notice this last remark coming from a familiar face set further back from the action--the tiefling from Rustbeard's office was passing by, sneering at his colleague who lay in the dirt with Rhaun's knee in his back. He would stalk off towards the office, a smug grin on his face.

Underneath Rhaun, Henderson squirmed, trying in vain to escape. "Just please let me up! It'll all make sense once you know the details." ((Rhaun cannot read this guy at all.))

"Black--" Henderson was evidently talking to Cymbre--"you can pick it up since it's wrapped. Nothing will happen, trust me."

And to Guards, Henderson would sigh. "I'll tell you. Just let's do things out of the public eye." ((Guards does not get the impression that Henderson is intimidated.))  

[AlphabetFish]

PupSage

Guards steps to Henderson, "Replaying audio ..." His mouth remains open as Mr Henderson's voice repeats, "I already tested the thing--its no danger until next sunrise--and even so, these gems don't do anything of the sort! They ..."

Intimidate 11

"Please continue telling us of the knowledge you have of these gems that so conveniently appeared where we were asked to go and similarly conveniently put Rustbeard into power."

Unfortunately grumpy turtle face doesn't lend towards intimidation.

((Side note: you can repeat what you've heard, but not as a perfect recording. That technology just isn't part of your race.

So, just to be clear, if you RP Guards as playing back audio, no NPC will interpret it as coming from anyone but Guards. As in, you can't mimic or replicate another creature's words in such a way that someone would find it indistinguishable from the real source. If you want, you can RP this as his audio playback has static or a metallic sound or what have you so it's clearly coming from him, not anyone else.))  

[SCN_ Grey_fox]

This wasn't going anywhere, but taking him to Rustbeard's office seemed like a not so great idea... seeing as Mr. Henderson wanted it too much. "Did I hear something about the inn being owned by the same lady who is in communications with the mayor's caretakers?" Rhaun spoke to his allies as he placed a hand on the back of Mr. Henderson's shirt as he stood up. "Maybe it is time for me to rent a room."

(Rant: Why is using a rope Theivery? But, everyone instantly knows how to ride a horse? : End Rant:
Athletics 13 to 'help' Mr. Henderson to his feet

Grab: 7 to maintain grapple