Capture Jamie Mais-Quand

It was all over the Freelancers Tavern that Jamie had been located, and baby owl gryphons with their eyes still shut could only hold adventurers' attention for so long.  First thing in the morning, Dryali, Tahu, Kalleth, Meurig, and Terrance descended upon Arnari's office, ostensibly to look for a mission.

Arnari looked like she could stand to drink some tea from the cup steaming by her left hand.  Wearily, she told them, "House Aldous would still like to get hippogryph eggs, and Lakeview has a spider problem."  She sipped the tea.  "I suspect you won't take those," she added.  "Martin from Pembroke needs bouncers for his Untz club about to open," and then she smiled, "the five of you … might be able to capture Jamie.

"Dryali and Tuala staked him out to find out his routine," she continued, and started ticking off her fingers.  "Morning, gryphon exercise; Lunch, from local places; he did send out his pseudodragon… the Skyguard building was vandalized the night before last."

Kalleth could not believe it.  "Why not the authorities doing something!"

Dryali, having learned about Fine Branch's ruse, suggested "We could just… give him the Reward For Artistic Expression."

Arnari looked at them all.  "Is that what you are doing?" she asked.  She sipped more of the tea.

Everyone said "Yes" at once.

Terrance made a sad face.  "The club will hopefully be available later," she mourned.

Dryali's smile grew sly. "Entice Jamie to the club and nab him!"

Arnari said, "No, Martin would not like that, and what it would do for his reputation."

Kalleth scoffed.  "Invite him to the VIP lounge and nab him there.  Nobody will know."

Dryali's tone became petulant.  "See?  Kalleth knows!"

Tahu issued stern looks to all.  "He can bampf away."

"I have his detect magic signature," Dryali replied confidently.

"I have champion challenge," Kalleth announced.  "Keeps him within 30 feet!"

Not to be outdone, Terrance declared, "I have a rapier that ignores magic shielding!"

Arnari sat back, still drinking her tea, and went over Jamie's routine again.  "His name is Jamie Mais-Quand, Tuala and Dryali pulled it from the Hall of Records."  Meurig had heard of this name; it was not native to Duquesne.

Dryali proposed:  Meurig and Tahu go to the door, between his gryphon exercise and luncheon, and say "You've won a prize!"  The other three wait near by.  His thought was, with Meurig looking so earnest, that would work.

Terrance said, "I'll wait in the backyard in case he goes there."  She frowned.  "What is the back up plan?"   Dryali shrugged and sat back.

Arnari, no doubt wondering when these Freelancers would be seasoned enough to take care of themselves, pulled out a map of the area.  Everyone crowded around to look at it, arguing over what time to take him.

Meurig declared he should be in the back with JollyHopper in case Jamie ran and tried to fly off on his gryphon.  Then the argument expanded over the entire affair.  Arnari finished her tea as they argued, only occasionally interjecting advice.

Finally, there was a plan:  Dryali would use guidance on Tahu, and stay out of sight in the front.  Meurig would wait in the back on JollyHopper, and Terrance would also be in the back and remembering how to hide behind the tree.  Kalleth would be 30' behind Tahu as the latter goes to the door, after Jamie is back in the house.

Nothing could go wrong with this plan.

"Good luck," Arnari called after them, as they trooped out of her office to go capture this fellow for all his dick graffiti.

Not long later, after Dryali and Terrance had confidently shown the others the street and alley layout on Horsefeather Street, everyone took their appointed places, and Dryali gave Tahu some guidance on how to persuade Jamie.  Dryali even managed to put himself out of sight properly as Tahu went up to the door and knocked.

Jamie opened the door.  Tahu found himself facing a half-elf in his late teens, with longish streaky red hair and bronze skin.  He was 5'5" and a slight build.

"Hello, I'm from the Foundation for Artistic Activism," Tahu informed him pleasantly.  "We have a reward for you."

Jamie was entirely surprised and curious, perhaps a bit flattered.  <narrator voice:  the GM rolled a 1.>  "Award?  What award?"

Tahu replied so sincerely Dryali and Kalleth almost believed him.  "You are being recognized for Art for a Cause."

Jamie's eyes narrowed.   "Where is this… foundation?"

Tahu hesitated; he hadn't anticipated that question.  "Just… a tiny office near the Mayor's office."  Jamie's expression went flat as Tahu continued, "The reward is 150gp."

Jamie declared, "I don't do a lot of 'Art'!"  About 25' behind Tahu, Kalleth made a face, issuing his champion challenge.  Jamie slammed the door in Tahu's face, and Tahu heard footsteps running out back.

Dryali came up to the door, and opened it.  Beyond was the pseudodragon; he immediately summoned his heritage and cast faerie fire on the creature, which shrugged it off.  Tahu ran past it and got stung, caught up to Jamie, then tried using his short sword to subdue him.  A solid hit, and Jamie bampf'd away.

The pseudodragon tried to fly out the front door, but Dryali was there, and skewered it with his rapier.  It fell, mortally wounded, and faded out in a shower of sparkles.  Kalleth walked up to the door, and after verifying there was nothing else to see or hear, dashed into the house after Tahu.

Meurig, having heard the commotion in the house, hopped over the wall to see if Jamie was in the stable, but only saw the gryphon.  Knowing Jamie could bampf, he tried to determine if Jamie was there and invisible, but was stumped.  He lingered in the doorway, figuring Jamie would come here sooner or later.

Meurig was right, and Jamie reappeared in the stable.  He pulled the saddle off the wall and started saddling the gryphon.  Terrance stepped up, and drew herself to full height, and declared, "We're going to have to murder the gryphon, if you don't stop trying to escape."  Jamie's eyes widened.  Here was the intruder from a few nights ago, at full height in the light of day, again threatening to murder his gryphon!  "We're just trying to give you an award," Terrance added.

The gryphon, sensing its person's unhappiness with Terrance, took Terrance in dislike, and bit her on the shoulder.

Dryali, remembering the last time he and Kalleth had tussled with Jamie, quickly assembled a protector eldritch cannon, pulsing out its energy to himself, Kalleth, and Tahu.  He put it on his shoulder, and followed where Tahu went.

Tahu looked over towards the stable and saw Jamie, so ran over there.  The stable "window" facing the house was just an opening in the side, not glass, and Tahu used his short swords in another attempt to subdue Jamie, and despite bonking the half-elf thoroughly <narrator voice: because Casey rolled a nat 20> Jamie continued his effort to saddle the gryphon.

Kalleth moved into the yard, and he too remembered the last time he and Dryali had tussled with Jamie.  He called down Toka's blessings upon Meurig, Terrance, and Tahu.

Meurig tried to grapple Jamie, but underestimated how lithe the latter was, and also how the height difference would factor in; Jamie easily ducked out of it.  Meurig moved back to block the door.

Jamie, assessing the situation, stood up straight, and declared, "You should really defend me!"  The geas took hold of Tahu and Meurig, but not Terrance <narrator voice: Sarah rolled a nat 20 on the wisdom save>.   Terrance, wondering what Jamie was talking about, bonked Jamie with the pommel of her rapier, trying to knock him out, and was rewarded by the gryphon attacking her again.  She dodged his beak, but was unable to avoid a vicious swipe from his claws.

Dryali ran out past Kalleth; he was now at a good angle to see both Jamie and the gryphon through the stable door.  The protector still on his shoulder pulsed out a protective buffer on Meurig and Terrance.  Tahu came up and attacked both Dryali and Kalleth, to their surprise, but missed.  Kalleth, figuring Jamie was the source of this behaviour, moved to the window Tahu had vacated and used command, "Halt!"  But Jamie ignored Kalleth again.

Meurig grabbed Terrance, and pulled her out of the stable.  Then he pulled out a piece of paper, and… ate it?  "Jamie is a good boy!" he told her.  "If you come any further, you will be frozen to a crisp!"

Jamie, satisfied at the havoc he'd wrought, resumed saddling the gryphon.  Terrance went back in the stable and bonked him with her rapier pommel again.  The gryphon, not liking Kalleth in the window, tried to claw him, but the angle was bad.  So he bit Terrance, clearing the protector's buffer and injuring her further <narrator note: the GM rolled a nat 20>.

From his position between the stable door and the tree, Dryali used mage hand to undo the chest strap on the gryphon's saddle.  Jamie swore at him and Dryali just smiled and drew his rapier.  The protector on his shoulder pulsed out another protective buffer on Terrance, but it didn't matter at all as Tahu cut her down then turned on Dryali.  His blow was absorbed by the protector's buffer, but Dryali's smile disappeared.

Meurig moved into the yard to where he could see Kalleth.  Dryali, not sure about his declaration of "frozen to a crisp", tried to smack him with his rapier, but Meurig just popped shield, rebuffing his strike.  Then Meurig exhaled at Kalleth, and dragon's frost breath struck.  Toka's blessing withstood the onslaught, but perhaps Kalleth was wishing he had a beard, after all.

Jamie and the gryphon, no longer being bothered by any of the Freelancers, kept preparing to leave.  Tahu and Meurig shook off their geas, shaking their heads a little.  But Dryali, pissed off and having concluded the only standing ally he had was Kalleth (seeing that Terrance was already cut down), dropped a thunderwave on everyone but Kalleth.

Booom.  So much for discreet.  Terrance and the gryphon were pushed away from Dryali, and everyone was hurt; even (to Dryali's horror) Terrance.  Tahu gave him a reproachful look, and pulled out his healer's kit, quickly stabilizing Terrance, who lay on the ground, blinking.  Then he moved up to Jamie.

Kalleth, deciding the window was not useful, walked to the stable door and attacked Jamie with his flail, but missed.  Meurig, the dragon's breath till active, was appalled.  "What have I done?"  He walked up behind Kalleth and Tahu in the door of the stable.  "I'm sorry," he apologized to Kalleth, then turned to Jamie with the wrath of a Black dragonborn.  "Look what you've made me done!"  He exhaled again, hitting Tahu, the gryphon, and Jamie with a cone of frost breath.

Jamie, starting to look a little beset, bits of frost on the tips of his long red hair, mounted the gryphon.  Kalleth hit him with his flail.  Terrance stood up, a bit shaky, took in the scene, then pulled out her short bow and shot the gryphon.  Dryali sheathed his rapier and tried to use mage hand to undo another strap on the saddle again.  Unsuccessful, he pulled out his hand crossbow.  The protector on his shoulder pulsed out a protective buffer on Meurig, Tahu, and Kalleth.

Tahu stepped into the barn, attacking the mounted Jamie with his short swords.  His first swing missed, but he hit Jamie with the flat of the blade with his second swing.  His face was intense; he did not want to hurt the gryphon.  "If you take off on that gryphon, we'll be forced to shoot it down!"  If he was trying to be persuasive, he failed; his words reinforced Terrance's earlier threats.  A look of desperation came into Jamie's face.  Kalleth came into the barn too, swinging at Jamie with the flail, but missed.

Meurig closed the stable doors, and then used mold earth to block them, barricading Jamie, the gryphon, Tahu, and Kalleth inside.  Then he moved to the window, blocking that path too.

Thus he saw Jamie pull out a fan and wave it at the doors, evoking the gust of wind spell, blowing the doors open.  Terrance, still just reacting, shot the gryphon that had injured her so badly.  But the gryphon, urged by Jamie, ran out the doors past Kalleth and flew up past Tahu; both attacked as he passed by.  Dryali brought his hand crossbow to bear, but missed the gryphon.  The protector on his shoulder pulsed out another protective buffer on Meurig, and Kalleth.

Tahu pulled out his light crossbow and shot the gryphon out of the sky.  The gryphon dropped in the alley, with Jamie prone on top of him.  Tahu hopped the 5' wall into the alley.  "I tried to warn you," he said sadly, reaching for his manacles.  Kalleth took the manacles and tried to manacle Jamie, but the latter wiggled away, still somewhat in shock that his gryphon had been shot.

Meurig came up to the wall, which reached about to his upper chest, and exhaled again.  The frost breath was too much, and Jamie dropped like a stone, or perhaps a block of ice.

Perhaps Dryali had baby gryphons on his mind, or perhaps he had noticed how much Jamie cares about his gryphon; but he hopped over the wall and started binding the gryphon.  "Jamie is going to be a lot more cooperative with Bryseis, if he knows his gryphon wasn't killed," he said to the others.

Tahu retrieved his healer's kit and stabilized Jamie.  He left the half-elf knocked out.  Kalleth somewhat agreed with Dryali, and stabilized the gryphon.

Meurig manacled the unconscious Jamie.  "You have been detained by Freelancers for your artistic degradations!" he announced.

Dryali, finally remembering the open front door, ran back through the house and shut it.  Then he returned, and they considered the problem of the very large gryphon resting in the alleyway.

Finally they had JollyHopper help, and settled the unconscious gryphon in his stall in the stable.  They set up enough food and water for him, and then unbound him.  Dryali pulled out a piece of parchment, and used magical tinkering to record the image of the living gryphon in the stable to give to Bryseis for use when interrogating Jamie.

Then the Freelancers brought Jamie into his house, and did a full investigation into the place.   It was a fair sized house.  The downstairs had a sitting room, a nice kitchen space, dining area… and nothing of interest to the Freelancers.

Upstairs, though, was an office.  Here, Terrance and Dryali found all sorts of interesting information <narrator voice: not only did the GM roll high on behalf of Sarah, Shari rolled a nat 20 on investigation>.  In particular, there was correspondence from Captain Niastacia of the Osprey, directing disruption of the Skyguard in particular and Cliffshadow in general.  A scan of the documents revealed allusions to two other people working with Jamie, but no names.

When they shared this info with the others, Meurig remembered his knight talking about a pirate ship Osprey, which is very much to be avoided. The Captain was Miavara Niastacia, a cloud elf.

They took this correspondence with them to hand over to Bryseis along with Jamie.

The unconscious Jamie was relieved of his keys and magic items: a wand of web, a wind fan, eyes of charming, and rod of the Pact Keeper; then loaded onto JollyHopper with Meurig.  Then they locked Jamie's front door, and headed over to the Skyguard outpost.

The Freelancers were immediately admitted to Bryseis upon showing up at the Skyguard outpost with the captive, unconscious miscreant.  Bryseis, who did not miss their injuries, was very impressed at the capture!  They handed over to her the correspondence, keys, and magic items.

Upon scanning through the correspondence, Bryseis' eyes narrowed considerably, but she told the Freelancers she was glad of the information, and increased their reward by 50gp.  Two garuda Skyguard took charge of Jamie, and brought them the coin of 20 platinum, their expressions... aggressively neutral at having to pay for this work.

Dryali handed the parchment to Bryseis.  "Here is a picture of Jamie's gryphon.  He will recover.  I suspect having this in hand will help with his cooperation."

After the garuda left the room, Meurig advised her, "Make sure the guards cannot be persuaded Jamie is their friend!"  At that, Dryali became sad and apologized to Meurig and Tahu for recognizing a beat too late that they had shaken it off.  Meurig dismissed it, and instead apologized to Kalleth for breathing frost at him.  But they were done with Skyguard and headed back to Freelancers Tavern.

Back at Freelancers, they reported back to Arnari.  She was not in her office, so they had to wait a few minutes, but they gave her the 20 gp-each Freelancers' Cut and informed her of their discovery about the Osprey.  Arnari was unhappy to discover the Pirate Ship Osprey was involved, but didn't know enough about it to say much beyond that.  The impression people had was she considered this lack temporary, however.

• Kalleth → lvl 4!
• Terrance → lvl 3!