<blockquote class="uncited"><div>"I ain't answering questions for a healer," he snaps. "I'm doing legitimate business out here, same as everyone else. You want a thief, go look for a cat. And quit scratchin' up my new leather!" He takes a poorly aimed kick at Dagnyr's shins, and misses handily. Underneath his coat, several large masses of coins jingle </div></blockquote><br/><br/>"Quite the attitude there," Dagnyr muses, trying to hide his slight anger at being dismissed as a mere healer. "But despite being a healer, I am law enforcement all the same, sir. As such, I have every right to search you after you fled from me so very suspiciously, and equal right to ask questions that you are obligated to answer."<br/><br/><div style="padding: 3px; background-color: #FFFFFF; border: 1px solid #d8d8d8; font-size: 1em;"><div style="text-transform: uppercase; border-bottom: 1px solid #CCCCCC; margin-bottom: 3px; font-size: 0.8em; font-weight: bold; display: block;"><span onclick="if (this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display != '') {  this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = ''; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;hide&lt;/a&gt;'; } else { this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = 'none'; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;show&lt;/a&gt;'; }"><b>Spoiler: </b><a href="#" onclick="return false;">show</a></span></div><div class="quotecontent"><div style="display: none;">Perception Check (1d20 + 5): 6 + 5 = 11, fail no other items found</div></div></div><br/><br/>Dagnyr rifles through Botch's coat, pulling out the coin purses one by one, Botch proving at least skilled enough as a thief to keep anything more valuable hidden from his search. "Speaking of your 'new leather', there's an<span style="font-style: italic">awful lot</span>of other people's coin purses in here. And the symbol of Mandagot, the feline god of deceit and manipulation. Funny that you'd blame a cat for being a thief, then..."<br/><br/><blockquote class="uncited"><div>"Botch? Is that you?" </div></blockquote><br/><br/>Dagnyr looks up at he hears Alyssa's voice, raising an eyebrow. "You know this man, watchman Niberos?" he asks, before returning his attention to Botch.<br/><br/>""Well now, I have someone to fact-check every one of your claims against, don't I? It'd be in your best interests to start telling us the truth. Every little lie and avoidance is only going to end up working against you."<br/><br/><div style="padding: 3px; background-color: #FFFFFF; border: 1px solid #d8d8d8; font-size: 1em;"><div style="text-transform: uppercase; border-bottom: 1px solid #CCCCCC; margin-bottom: 3px; font-size: 0.8em; font-weight: bold; display: block;"><span onclick="if (this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display != '') {  this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = ''; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;hide&lt;/a&gt;'; } else { this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = 'none'; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;show&lt;/a&gt;'; }"><b>Spoiler: </b><a href="#" onclick="return false;">show</a></span></div><div class="quotecontent"><div style="display: none;">Diplomacy Check (1d20 + 16): 5 + 16 = 21, success</div></div></div><br/><br/><blockquote class="uncited"><div>As the Academy Bells fall silent, so too does the crowd....</div></blockquote><br/><br/>The silence that falls over the entirety of the square is enough to silence the inquisitive paladin as well as his eyes turn towards the stage, tightening his grip a few degrees on Botch just  in case. He smiles to himself with a strong sense of satisfaction in having helped quiet an entire bustling square of people in preparation for this moment. He listens to the speech dutifully, even if it isn't anything special, but his eyes are drawn from the Lord Governer before too long to settle on the gateway as it slowly hums to life, flickering here and rippling there, then flashing and emitting motes of light as the glowing letters from on the ring of stone. He stares intensely now, keen not to miss a detail in this momentous opportunity, ears twitching as the thrumming of the ring rises and blinks as the symbols start to warp...<br/><br/>"That's not right..." Dagnyr mumbles, he wasn't a scholar but he<span style="font-style: italic">knew</span>in his gut that that wasn't how it was supposed to go. He could<span style="font-style: italic">feel</span>the evil radiation from the opening portal as if were a real and tangible thing. Like the nauseating sulfur stink of brimstone.<br/><br/>"No, it's<span style="font-weight: bold">wrong</span>, very very wrong," he continued, louder, looking down at Botch. "Okay. I'm going to let go of you. If you run, I will hit you with the flat of my blade<span style="font-style: italic">until you stop moving</span>, cuff you and they will not come off no matter what happens. If you don't run, you will remain free until this situation is resolved and assistance might earn you the chance to escape this with nothing more than a stern warning..."<br/><br/>He released the thief, quickly reaching up and pulling<span style="font-style: italic">Iron Tooth</span>from his back, the dark grey blade of the cold-forged great-sword didn't gleam in the light like his mail, but it was wickedly sharp and excellently balanced. Nothing to be taken lightly.<br/><br/>"Watchman Niberos, stand ready. Unless I am gravely mistaken, something has gone terribly wrong. And a paladin's senses do not lie."<br/><br/><div style="padding: 3px; background-color: #FFFFFF; border: 1px solid #d8d8d8; font-size: 1em;"><div style="text-transform: uppercase; border-bottom: 1px solid #CCCCCC; margin-bottom: 3px; font-size: 0.8em; font-weight: bold; display: block;"><span onclick="if (this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display != '') {  this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = ''; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;hide&lt;/a&gt;'; } else { this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = 'none'; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;show&lt;/a&gt;'; }"><b>Spoiler: </b><a href="#" onclick="return false;">show</a></span></div><div class="quotecontent"><div style="display: none;">Sense Motive (1d20 + 9): 16 + 9 = 25, success.<br/><br/>And...<br/><br/>Initiative (1d20 + 1): 14 + 1 = 15</div></div></div>