Questioning the Notion

[Dracos]

"Alright.  Though our time to dally here is simply limited.  Waste it at your own peril."

[Brian]

"Ehe ... of course," the man manages, his smile slipping slightly.  He leads the troop down the hill, and across a field, then through a thinly wooded area before something very familiar to Tom comes into sight.  Another of the 'farms' where the thralls are trained.  Currently, it's clear of the red-skinned men; those all seem to be following the man who brought them initially.  An estate house looking similar to the one Phil saw destroyed stands to one side, partially hidden behind a screen of trees.

"The governer is here," the man begins cautiously, peering towards the house, even though no one is immediately visible.

[Rezantis]

"You seem worried," Nathan remarks, giving the man a careful look, "Is something out of place?"

[Brian]

"N-no, of course not!  I'm sure the governor won't be busy at all."  He quickly troops to towards the house, shaking his head.  "I see no signs of trouble."  With that, he leads the way towards the estate's front door, where he hesitates.  "I won't ask you to separate from your men, so if you can wait just a moment, I'll fetch him for you."  he ducks his head and raps on the door.

[Rezantis]

"That's quite acceptable," Nathan says, nodding.

Much as I'd like to keep him off balance, we need to compare notes.

[Dracos]

Dracos waited as well, letting him head inside, a glance at Bjorn and hopefully their mindboard was well situated.

~Pretty sure the governor isn't here.  He could do for a smack if he offers any demonstrations or training exercises.~

[Rezantis]

~Yeah, I'll keep that in mind, a good Bavarian Fire Drill doesn't let them stall.  Did you read him?~

[Dracos]

~Yeah, he's panicky, doesn't know much, and they're pretty much utterly screwed if this deal doesn't go through.~

[Brian]

The toady slips into the house after the door opens; it remains a tiny crack ajar for a longer moment afterwards, before swinging back open.  The interior of the household is dark, but it looks like the front room has a set of stairs leading up.  The view is mostly blocked by a very large, not terribly attractive woman (blocky would be a good word to describe her, she looks like a slightly feminized brick) who steps out, carrying a tray covered with stacked cups, and a pair of empty pitchers.

"Right, then, sirs," she says, setting the tray down on the bannister surrounding the porch leading up to the manor.  "I'll just draw some fresh water from the well for you all."  She begins trudging across the yard towards the covered well near the tree line.

The soldiers eye her dubiously for a moment, but otherwise hold formation, waiting for instructions.  The red-skinned men simply stare forward, blinking only occasionally and not reacting to anything at all.

[Rezantis]

~They really need that land, then . . . that's interesting.  So he's not so much worried about the loss of profit?~

[Dracos]

~They're doing heresy against the church effectively.  The profit is nice, probably but if they stay here eventually it won't matter how many thralls they have to back them up.~

[Rezantis]

~Any idea why they need it so badly?~

"Let the men get a drink," Nathan says to Seven quietly, "They don't think we're anything untoward, and I suspect we're going to have to do more walking."

[Dracos]

~Dunno yet.  We'll see what will happen when I get to glance at the governor.~

[Brian]

Seven nods, and he and Millhouse help the ... woman? ... hand cups of water to all the soldiers and thralls.  After everyone has had a cup, the door opens again, and the toady returns.  "So sorry about the delay!" he says cheerfully, holding the door open, as a middle-aged man of average build steps out.  "This is Governer Fawkes!"

Fawkes is a bit shorter than the toady, and his balding spot leaves a crown of gray hair circling his head.  His nose is sharply angled, and a bit oversized for his face; he squints at everyone, making his eyes seem smaller, which gives him an uncomfortably weasel-like appearance.  "Yes," he says, eyes finally settling on Nathan.  "I am Governer Fawkes.  I'm afraid the sun isn't kind to my eyes, Master Massif.  Would you and a small handful of your business partners care to come inside?  I don't know that I have a room large enough to entertain everyone."

[Dracos]

Dracos catches his squinting eyes and focuses on connecting with his thoughts.  "Well, yes, let's go in."  The smaller group followed Fawkes inside.


OOC: Mind scan.
* Dracos rolls 6d6
<freya> Dracos rolls {6d6}[1,2,5,5,5,6] = 24