Past Tales: "How's your mother doing?"

Our story began in a large city, we had been summoned together to work as mercenaries for the king's "not so nice errands" that he didn't want his direct guard to be involved in. There was six in our group, each of us an expert in our own field. I was the cleric. Up until that day, none of us had formerly met. The city guard had captured two of the thieves they suspected of being errand boys for a certain mage the king was interested in getting his hands on.                            

It was ordered for both of them to be separated from their jail cells. I requested the big dumb one to be put in the integration room. I had planned to go in first but one of the party members a female psion wanted to try to speak with him first. I agreed and watched from be hide the two way mirror. Maybe he wasn't into females in blue dresses but after almost an hour he wasn't talking. She gave it a good try, but now it was my turn. I walked in carrying a large leather bound book. The door eerily creaked open and caused dumb and ugly to jump. One of the guards closed the door and I stood there in silence. I motioned for my new friend to exit that I would take over from here. She looked at me and back at him. With the performance any seasoned bard would be proud of she begged the man to speak with her before it was too late that she could somehow spare him. When he didn't respond she moved and stood between myself and the prisoner and tried to beg for more time. Sounding overly polite I said I would take care of him and she shouldn't worry. Finally, seeing that I wasn't going to back down she left. 

I sat down in front of him dropping my book on the table. I asked him, with grin on my face, "How's your mother doing, my son?" He didn't say anything. I continued on "I hope she is well." I opened the book and turned to a page close to the middle. I had carried in with me a blood red leather bag on my hip. Placing it on the table next to the book I opened it and starting taking out various metal instruments. I paused at a large needle. Admiring its length I said "I know what you're thinking but let me put your mind at ease. You are going to die. " All the color drained from his face as he stared in horror at me. "How you're going to die depends on what you tell me. Now lets get to the point of all this, who hired you?" I asked pointing the tip of the needle at him. He started shaking a little and tiny drops of sweat appeared on his forehead. His eyes fixed on the needle I held in my hand. Never did a man unburden himself as this man did in that moment. Of course, he told us who his employer had been and a rough location of where he was hiding out at as well as all his other past sins that we weren't holding him on. (I ended up rolling some insane intimidation check and my DM at the time, being impressed with my approach, gave me a bonus to my roll and extra xp after the session was over) 


After he had given us all the information we needed my party members looked at me as if I had lost my mind and asked where that leather bag came from. I merely shrugged and said "It was my leather working kit I am a clobber, you know a "mender of soles." " Grinning from ear to ear.