Isa thought about all the crime TV she’d seen in her life, all the procedural dramas, the quirky detective dramedies, the squad ensembles, not to mention the mystery, true crime, and historical reenactment shows that she’d watched. And many of them had this moment: the moment when the detectives confront the criminal.

The young man was where they’d left him, and Isa had a pang of sorrow. Not that she wanted to fail the quest but she didn’t know how an interrogation might end here in this strange land, and she wasn’t sure that she wanted to see him die.

“Now then lad...” Mery said as she walked in the door, and the bound young man jumped. Isa thought that perhaps he’d dozed off. Criminals - at least ones in the movies - never ate or slept enough.

“Now then,” Mery said again as she stopped in front of him. “There’s a few things we’d like to know, and we think, my friends and I, that you’re just the lad to tell us. Are you? Are you a helpful lad?”

“I don’t know anything. I just earn a few coins bringing messages.”

“How old are you?” Isa stepped into his peripheral vision.

Mery frowned. “That’s not something that we really--”

“Where are your parents? Who takes care of you?” Isa asked.

The young man shook his head and shrugged, but he didn’t answer.

“I’m getting him some food,” Isa declared. She felt badly that it hadn’t been her first thought.

Lund had left a small lamp burning downstairs so even though it was now full dark outside, Isa had enough light to grab a mug and some bread. When she returned to the room Mery was reading the message aloud. “‘The new warehouse,’” she repeated. “I know just where the old one is. Where’s this new one in relation, lad? Is it 3 streets over?” Mery looked down. “Is it a long way, dark and lonely? How often do they send ya there? Often enough that your boot’s got a hole?”

As Isa went to offer him the bread she realized his hands were bound behind him. “If you tell….” Her voice caught - when had she ever interrogated someone? When would she ever have needed to get cooperation and information from someone scared, maybe even terrified of--- She almost dropped the mug of water. He wasn’t so different than a dental patient, was he? Many people have dental anxiety - Isa had taken several classes that dealt with that very problem. She’d practiced speaking in even, measured tones, learned all about the benefits of lighting and sound to help keep anxious patients calm.

Of course that was for modern Americans. Would this Varanese care about muted lighting and the sound of running water?

“Isa?” Lund was looking at her. “Are you alright? You stopped talking, and now you’re just staring at the piano.”

“If he’s scared, maybe some music will help.”

“He’s not scared,” said Mery. “You’re not scared, are you? And no reason to be. This is a transaction, like any transaction - give and taken. And I don’t mind if you take your time, and Isa over there, she doesn’t mind. But the half-orc, he minds. I don’t know how much he minds, but he does. He’s got a bar to run, right? There’s ale downstairs right now just crying out to be loaded up and taken home by him. And you’re slowing that process down, lad. Slowing it way, way down.” Mery sounded disappointed, as disappointed as a mother looking at a failing grade.

The young man didn’t respond, so Mery sighed. “I wanted to save you from this. I did, I truly did, but…. Have you heard of the spell feeblemind? It’s a nasty one. Just as the name says, it’s a spell that cracks your mind, cracks it like an egg.”

Isa started toward Mery - this was not the plan! She would not let Mery destroy--

Lund caught her arm and held her in place. “Don’t worry,” he muttered in her ear. “Part of the act.”

“You might resist it - people have. Enough studying, enough book learning, late night reading by the stub of a candle and you might resist. But even wizards can fall prey.” Mery squatted down to look into the young man’s eyes. “So just tell me where the new warehouse is, and I won’t make you into a drooling idiot.”

“Alright! OK, I will,” the young man burst out. “The new warehouse is in Deney. It’s in Deney, near the docks.”

Lund leaned forward. “You’re not lying, are you?”

“No!”

“And you, what ran all the way from Deney?” Mery sounded incredulous. “How far is that?”

“There’s a pass, a gap in the mountains.”

Mery crossed her arms. “Deney’s grown quite a bit these last few years. Dwarves, is that right?”

The young man shrugged.

“Aw, look at that! Lund, will you look at that? Just when we were getting so friendly he has to go shruggy again.” Mery picked up the piano bench and placed it carefully in front of the young man. “Do you have a name? What do they call you?”

“Wat, Watmund.”

“Wat. Good name. Solid name.” Mery held up a copper coin and then walked it across the tops of her fingers. “Tell me, Wat. Tell me about the warehouse.”

“What do you want to know? It’s a warehouse.”

“Is it?” Mery’s voice was soft. Her eyes seemed to search the young man’s face. Was this her spell? Was she detecting his thoughts?

“You don’t like the smell. Is that a fish house you pass on the way?”

Wat whipped his head back, almost knocking over his chair. “Get out of my head!”

“I don’t care to spy on your life, Wat.” Mery stood up and turned to look out the window. The darkness reflected back, and Isa could see Mery’s thoughtful face in the dark glass.

Isa slipped onto the piano bench and tore off a piece of bread. She held it up questioningly. Wat nodded once, so Isa put the bread near his face. It seemed too intimate to feed this strange young man, but holding a piece of bread near his mouth? That was better somehow.

“We just want to help the children, you know?” Isa clasped her hands together and leaned toward Wat. “You know about the children? But you’re just…. You’re trying to survive yourself.” It wasn’t a question; Isa suddenly felt like she knew what he was feeling. “You were one, too.”

“No.” Wat shook his head. “Might have been better if someone had snatched me away from the old bastard.”

“I think I’ve got it now, Wat.” Mery walked back to join them. “Confirm it for me and then we’ll let you go. Give you 100 silver and the chance to go where you will, yeah?”

She then recited directions to Wat, and to Isa they seemed idiosyncratic, but of course if Mery had detected his thoughts, Wat’s directions would be highly personal, highly localized.

Mery was saying, “And then when you get the shop with the broken sign and the scary dog, you turn down that alley on the right. And there it is, the warehouse.”

“Yeah,” Wat said hoarsely. “That’s right.” He looked at Lund. “Heavily guarded. You need 5 of him, and maybe you’ll come through. Can’t say.” He flexed his shoulders. “Untie me now?”

“Let me get the coin for you.” Mery walked to the door and stopped. “Any password, high sign, code word to get in? How does Thorn know friend from foe?”

“Dunno, but she does.”

Isa stopped mid-way through untying his hands. “Thorn is a she?”

Spoiler: Isa's Character Sheet

Name: Isa Chamberlin

Race: Human

Height & Weight: 5ft 6inches / 120 lbs

Class: Fighter Level: 3

Alignment: Good

Background: Stranger in a Strange Land

Hit Points: 20 AC: 13

Current Hit Points: 20

Combat: +4 to Hit

Weapons: Rapier (left hand) 1d8 +2 (piercing) / Quarterstaff (right hand) 1d6 +2 (bludgeoning)

Coin: 21gp, 10sp, 22cp

STR

11

0

DEX

14

+2

CON

11

0

INT

13

+1

WIS

13

+1

CHA

12

+1

Saving Throws: Str and Con +2

4

Acrobatics* (Dex)

1

Medicine (Wis)

1

Animal Handling (Wis)

1

Nature (Int)

1

Arcana (Int)

3

Perception* (Wis)

0

Athletics (Str)

1

Performance (Cha)

1

Deception (Cha)

1

Persuasion (Cha)

3

History* (Int)

1

Religion (Int)

3

Insight* (Wis)

2

Sleight of Hand (Dex)

1

Intimidation (Cha)

2

Stealth (Dex)

1

Investigation (Int)

1

Survival (Wis)

Special Attack: Two weapon fighting. When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

Class Features:

USED Second Wind - On your turn, you can use a Bonus Action to regain hit points equal to 5 + your fighter level. Short or Long Rest before you can use it again.

USED Action Surge - On your turn, you can take one additional action on top of your regular action and a possible Bonus Action. You must finish a short or Long Rest before using it again.

Martial Archetype: Surgical Fighter

3rd level - Clinical Eye: Spend 1 combat turn studying your enemy and learn one of the following: if the enemy is equal to or stronger than you in strength, dexterity, or constitution. Can spend up to 3 turns to discern all 3. Can be used outside of combat as a free action - spend 1 minute to learn all three.