[Watson Spellsear][Session 1 - Level 1][Part 2]

Watson Spellsear walked around the Atrium. Music filled the air, conversations were being held across the room, but Watson was interested in the glass cases. He circled around the perimeter finding glass cases with scrolls, armor, jewelry, weapons, but not what he was looking for.

He walked across the room, grabbing a glass of wine from a server as he walked. He passed by the lord of the estate conversing with a gathering of guests. Watson looked the other way as he passed by, not wanting to be noticed. But he quickly reached the center of the Atrium.

There was a glass case with a pedestal inside holding aloft a dragon horn encrusted with obsidian and ruby’s. Guarding the case was a knight, full plate armor, save for the helm, and his eyes flicked about taking in all possible dangers.

His gaze rested on Watson who had stopped before him with a glass of wine in hand.

“What is it?” The knight said gruffly.

“You looked thirsty.” Watson quickly improvised.

“Oh, thank you.” The knight took the glass of wine and began drinking it.

Watson noticed a simple lock on the side of the glass case. He’d be able to crack it in thirty seconds. But to get thirty uninterrupted seconds in this building would be a painful task.

“You're most welcome.” Watson said as he slipped away.

He headed out to the gardens through a side door. There were far less people outside, the cold winters were enough to drive nobles inside, but Watson was used to the cold here.

A servant walked by Watson and handed him another glass of wine. As she did so the servant leaned in and whispered to Watson.

“We are running out of time. Sorbien is on his way with his royal entourage.” She backed off as she handed the wine glass to him.

“You should see if the guard by the case needs another drink.” Watson said with a smile.

The servant left. Watson, not wanting to look like he was up to no good, took a walk through the garden. It was only when he rounded some large shrubbery that he encountered a woman sitting far from the others.

She looked up at Watson. She was older, fair skin with a few wrinkles of age, and had straight light brown hair.

“Sorry to disturb your peace.” Watson did a slight bow.

“No, it's not peace.” She said somberly.

“Oh, then may I ask what is wrong?” Watson’s curiosity peaked.

“I was invited here, I thought to make amends, but in fact it was to be the tail end of a sick joke.” She said with some wrath behind her somber tone. “The dragon horn was mine until the Spellsear family took it. Stating they needed to secure all artifacts for the state.”

Watson Spellsear gulped. He was only tangentially related but still felt as if this woman could turn her wrath towards him.

“So you’re just going to mope out here?” Watson asked.

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“I’m not moping.” The woman turned away angrily.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to offend.” Watson followed her gaze, noticing she was staring at a patch of hemlock growing among the garden. “I actually know some of the servants. We could get Lord Barrinst Spellsear to loosen up with a drink.”

Watson held the glass of wine up as she turned back to look at him. He had a devilish grin that caused her to shudder. She nodded, silently, and grabbed the hemlock from the garden.

“Let’s go find a servant to pass that drink along for us.” Watson said as she ripped up tiny pieces of hemlock to put in the drink.

The two walked back towards the atrium, Watson flagged down one of the servants he recognized, and handed them the glass of wine. They gave him a strange look seeing that he had changed plans and roped in a random woman.

“Give this to the Lord of the Estate.I’ll take another drink.” Watson switched wine glasses. “I have this under control.”

Watson walked with the woman into the atrium.

“You can call me Watson, what was your name?” Watson asked her as they crossed the room.

“Maria Loyal.” She replied.

“Alright Maria, take this glass, and give it to the guard in the center of the room.” Watson said as he handed it over.

“Okay.” She took a breath, mustering her confidence, as she took the glass.

Watson watched as she walked to the knight and handed him the glass. They smiled, talked, and he laughed a little. They chatted longer than Watson was comfortable with, but he handed the empty wine glass to a servant and stepped away from the case with her.

The plan was going far better than expected.

A scream echoed through the atrium. All eyes turned towards the front of the atrium where the Lord was holding a woman who had fallen unconscious after vomiting. Watson already knew the poisoned wine had found its way to her instead of his half-brother.

He quickly moved towards the glass case, as guards at the entrance yelled for people to fan out. Watson slipped a twisted piece of metal out of his pocket and shoved it into the lock. Hiding his actions with his sleeve and body. Plus the crowd of panicked revelers were between him and the guards.

He opened the case, grabbed the horn, sliding it up his sleeve, and began hustling in the opposite direction to the servants quarters.

There were two servants in the room, waiting for Watson, one had a hand crossbow and the other held a dagger. Armed and ready to escape if the heat was on them. Instead, Watson had made it out with the horn and no one was the wiser.

“Our benefactor is in the basement. Put the horn in the dumbwaiter.” The female servant with the dagger pointed.

“Alright, and what's our escape plan?” Watson asked as he put the horn in and closed the little door to it.

The female servant then cut the rope that was used to hoist the dumbwaiter up or lower it down. It crashed into the basement.

“This way.” The male servant opened up the window before stepping through it. He hung onto the windowsill before kicking off the wall and landing in the garden.

“What? That's the best we got?” Watson whined.

“Unless you want to be patted down by guards on your way out.” The woman leapt out the window.

“Why is this the plan?” Watson complained to himself.

He walked to the window and threw one leg over the window sill. He struggled with it but got his other leg up. He ducked his head down through the window, grabbing the sill, he leaned out over the garden. It wasn’t too far. Just a mere twenty feet. He could do this.

He let go of the sill, felt himself fall forward, before he started to get pulled back inside the servant’s quarters. A half dozen hands of guards were pulling him back through the window. He tried to kick off the wall, flail, anything to get away. It was all useless.

Watson was dragged out of the servant’s quarters, dragging his feet, with his head hung low. He had been caught. Someone cleared their throat, he looked up and saw his father’s cruel gaze. Sorbien Spellsear stared him down, in all his ancient glory, the immortal magister of Dweomerstar.

“We should execute him.” Barrinst Spellsear said angrily from behind their father.

“He will be judged by the courts. For the theft of an artifact and the murder of an innocent woman.

Watson’s eyes went wide. There was no way he was getting blamed for that murder. He didn’t even touch the poison. But he couldn’t give any names. If it ever came to light that he operated with others, then he would be killed to cover their tracks, and he might get killed anyway.

“Do you have anything to say?” Sorbien asked.

“No sir.” Watson said without wavering.