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Tinsy "Well, like I said, I've never been to Draunt, and I need a clear picture of the place to teleport there." Oh, wait! "Actually, do you have a picture of this mansion?"
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Jan 25, 2014 07:41
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Vanessa "Personal businesssss? Hmmm?" Nessa clings over, peering at Tinsy. "I think if it's just a verbal description like that you could end up anywhere. Would fit a lot of different fancy places. Right?"
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Jan 25, 2014 08:51
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Tinsy "Yeah, that's why I need a really, really good description so I can picture it. A photograph or something would definitely be safer, otherwise we could end up in a palace in Ostorn or something." "And uh, don't worry about the 'accident' thing. It's not lethal, but it's not exactly comfortable either." She shrugs with a sheepish look on her face.
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Jan 25, 2014 09:02
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Hecate "A-a picture?" Hecate sheepishly shakes her head. "I... I have this." She takes out a small charcoal relief of her house. It's slightly torn and burnt as it was carried for almost ten years by her.
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Jan 25, 2014 16:49
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Tinsy Tinsy takes the picture and examines it for a few minutes. "Yeah, this will probably be good enough. Alright, well, when you're ready, take my hand. See you later, Vanessa and That Guy!" Tinsy holds her hand out to Hecate and pictures their destination in her mind... Teleport: 1d100 78 Okay so depending on how familiar I can be just from that picture, we're either gonna pop out near the manor or d100% of some large amount of miles away from Draunt in a random direction. 
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Jan 26, 2014 05:02
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Vanessa Nessa stumbles as Hecate gets swept away, and takes a moment to regain her balance. Then she glances over at Hector. "...want to go see a play?"
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Jan 26, 2014 05:09
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Marisa: Returning to the door and out 25 gold for good stuff, you give another firm and assertive knock. No sense tip-toeing, Margo can smell fear. Apex predators and all. The eye slot is pulled open again... but with the bottle label facing forward, you expertly counter the opening rudeness blow! After several tense moments, the slot shuts again and you can hear a set of three tumblers being undone. The door is thrown open and your older sister snatches the bottle out of your hand! With her thumb alone she uncorks it and starts chugging it as fast as she can, pressing down on your forehead with her other hand. With two heads height over you, it's pretty easy. Once she's finished the bottle she flips it over in her hand for proper clubbing form.  : "You got guts, sprout, but why the Hell shouldn't I finish mugging you?" Margo tends to dress like somebody threw a poo poo-headed and angry mechanic into a princess' closet and locked the door until she went insane. She doesn't act much better. In contrast to the usual desert tan most Naga of Underrock develop, she's albino.Tinsy, Hecate: You appear in the middle of a small fishing village. Your sudden manifestation causes a young couple engaged in kissing and the approach of second base to scream and run off, fleeing from the small private dock you're on. Hecate can recognize the general environment as Old Draunt in the North, but not the town specifically. Vanessa: Hector looks at you with his eyebrows bouncing up and down, then takes a final chomp of his parsnip to finish it off and grins. "Sure thing, Miss! Name's Hector, by the by. Father Hector, a right proper man of Pelor." He uses his wrist to shine his little sun-tassel lapels around his collar. <I guess Thad picked up his lothario charms from me after all. A shame he didn't pick up my good sense... or taste!> Offering his arm to Vanessa's good side, Hector will head with her to the theater. Presumably Vanessa, you will cover the 30 silver cost of two tickets. Thorgeisl: You find yourself dropping 2 gold into the length and involved victory road of culinary delights. Exotic treats from a newly established Ostorn vendor, reliable treats from the deserts of Burdoon, even a surviving Shifter cat-folk offering pickled toads and the like from the mysterious Feserevine coast! Near the end of your great trip people are whispering and pointing as you approach... happily. You find your service faster, your lines shorter and your food fresher and hotter. As you get ready to head into the theater once the play is about to begin, you're confronted by a trio of Dwarfs in very fine suits. "Aye sir, we understand yer a great fan of th' arts. We'd appreciate it if you would make use of this here ticket." You're given a 2nd Floor Private Box Ticket! "Please, enjoy the show!" Thad: That will be 15 Silver for a ticket, please! As far as your stealthy acrobatics go, you're pretty sure not even a cat could match your movements. The Play The Lady and The Salesman is a charming little comedy about a Dwarven family recovering from the ravages of the Great War, whereupon an honest Dwarven Hatchet Salesman(the race's oldest and most trusted merchant profession) named David Oakshaft tries to win the heart of Delores Kettlehips. The entire thing is very Dwarven and as was rumored of Dwarven productions, the first two hours are dedicated to side by side real-time play by plays of the two main character's mornings. Delores doing house work and occasionally engaging in soliloquy and David making his morning rounds about town to chat up his regulars, each bit of conversation dutifully exposing in an almost robotic fashion. There's the occasional play on words, but nothing laugh out loud funny. Finally David comes to Delores' home and he knocks once, knocks twice, then finds himself feeling self-conscious and begins checking his beard braid. When he goes to knock the third time, Delores has opened the door and he rap-rap-raps upon her forehead. After several apologies and a return bap to the nose, David is allowed in! David speaks eloquently of his desire to court Delores, but she seems... reluctant! Delores: "Oh David, how can you look forward so boldly when we're still cleaning up after the long dark?" David: "Well.. I.. well, I have faith, Delores!" Delores: "Faith?" David: "Well.. I believe... let me put it like this." A piano rings through the dead silent theater. Lighting comes up to center on David, small lanterns lit and set into metal cones that let them point up to the stage in warm shafts. There's a small murmur of surprise in the crowd that is quickly stifled by the intense heat of the glares generated upon those talking. Dwarven Society has quite a way about social politeness. "There are Elves in the world. There are Halflings. There are Humans and Gnomish, and then There are those that follow Bahamut, but I've never been one of them." David makes his way around Delores' living room, speaking casually in a stunning soft singing voice. For the next verses he picks up with a bit more jauntiness. "I'm a Dwarven Kordish, And have been since my clan was sworn, And the one thing they say about Kordish is: They'll take you as soon as you're born. You don't have to be a six-shielder! You don't have to have a great mane!" David gives his underwhelmingly neat beard a tug and the audience is busting up in fits of spread out chuckles. "You don't have to have any scars on! You're a Kordish the moment Dad came! Becauseeeee... " A few ladies in the crowd gaps, but the chuckles are getting more frequent. David drops to one knee before Delores and takes her hand as he solemnly sings: "Every term is bless-ed. Every term is swell. If a term is wasted, Kord gets mad as hell!" Delores' front door swings open and twelve Dwarven children march in, young girls and boys singing with angelic choir voices! "Every term is bless-ed. Every term is swell. If a term is wasted, Kord gets mad as hell!" One of the girls steps forward, clearly the prettiest little Dwarven pre-teen with dazzling blonde hair in buns, and sings with the most serene voice: "Let the Humans seed theirs Just when she comes around. Kord shall make them pay for Each term that is left out!" She steps back and sings with the others again! The crowd is laughing out loud and a few excited cheers are rising. The band has begun to play in with more jaunty tunes as the piano finishes off. "Every term is bless-ed. Every term is swell. If a term is wasted, Kord gets mad as hell!" Delores takes David's hands in her own and helps him stand up as she sings: "Human, Orcish, Gnome men, Call girls just anywhere, But Kord loves those who treat their Women with more care." The entire set of Delores' House is pulled apart and the kids run off to the sides as the entire Dwarven town cast from David's walk steps in and begins singing and dancing! Dwarven Men: "Every term is bless-ed! Every term is swell!" They pair off with the Women and dance! Dwarven Women: "If a term is was-TED!" The men dip the girls and motorboat their beards down the women's blouses, eliciting some surprised squeals at the end of that line! Dwarven Children: "Kord gets Mad As Hell!" A prop piece is rushed in, a tall and narrow chapel! The "door" at the front swings open and inside is a Priest of Muradin and a trio of nuns! The Priest sings in a deep voice and the nuns have a bit of that elderly tone and matronly figure. David and Delores have run up to the chapel holding hands. Priest: "Every term is bless-ed." David and Delores: "Every term is good!" Nuns: "Every term is needed...: Teamsters That Pushed The Chapel up: "...In your neighbourhood!" In a cockney voice that reminds you of Lefty. Dwarven Children: "Every term is useful. Every term is fine." The back of the chapel pops open and a corpse wagon rides out with two men under a costume pretending to be the horse. The "corpses" are a bunch of comically fashioned dolls of illithid and ratlings. Carriage Driver: "Kord needs everybody's!" Horse Man #1: "Mine!" Straight from the Horse's Mouth! Laughter! Horse Man #2: "And Mine!" From the Horse's rear end! Riotous laughter! The carriage passes by a bar where a blasted out of his mind drunk Dwarven man with a scraggly beard has his arm around a formidable and heavy bear of a Dwarven woman a head taller than him. Big Gal: *in a deep Bass* "And Mine!" The laughter is infectious! David and Delores finish their vows and skip together through the streets as everybody goes overboard for maximum singing and dancing. A set of curvacious and muscle-toned Dwarven Women in fighting leathers in Kord's distinctive white and red colors step up, carrying a man dressed up as a marble statue of Kord. The girls sing solemnly! Warrior Nuns: "Let the Pagan waste theirs, forgoing mountain for the plain." Statue of Kord: "Kord shall strike them down for, each term that's spent in vain." They join the wildly dancing crowd of actors! Everyone: "Every term is bless-ed! Every term is good! Every term is needed! In your neighbourhood!" "Every term is bless-ed. Every term is swell. If a term is wasted, Kord gets mad as heeeeeell!" Between fits of laughter, applause breaks out across the whole theater. And with that, an unusually short(for Dwarves) Act 1 is finished! An Intermission lasting 1 Hour begins. (I regret nothing.)
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Jan 26, 2014 22:41
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Vanessa Nessa's face goes a little rigid at Hector's response. She manages a polite chuckle, taking his arm and heading off to the playhouse. At the play... Nessa sits, feeling rather... unclean. Very unclean, in fact. Disgusting, even. She glances over to the presumably raunchy Hector, crinkling into an awkward "eh-heh," then turns away, desperately trying to come up with a good excuse to get out.
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Jan 26, 2014 23:07
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Hecate "...Not the exact place. Probably close, but no cigar, Miss Tinsy. But we might be close, let me try to take a look..." Hecate does a few arcane gestures and she starts to float in air. The necromancer then quickly darts up, as high as she can be to examine where exactly in Draunt they are. Plutonis fucked around with this message at 23:16 on Jan 26, 2014 |
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Jan 26, 2014 23:12
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Thadius Having narrowly avoided a blow to the groin and made his way over and under the city, Thadius pauses. Taking advantage of the dark shadows of the alley he stopped in he puts the hat on. The magic takes hold, working from an image in his mind. Into the street before the theater, bustling with the normal city crowd and theater goers, steps out from an alley a very nondescript man. The kind of man you don't look twice at, easy to lose in a crowd like this. Average height, average build and an average build. The most dangerous man Thadius had ever known, Benny, an assassin within the order, long since fallen during the war. Thadius can't remember what he sounded like, but he remembers what the man taught him. How to hide in a crowd, walk invisible in a city. He walks calmly into the theater, paying the ticket price and finding a seat in the back. He waits until the play has been going on for half an hour, then gets up. Like a shadow, he makes his way to the private booths. If Goldenbrew is going to be here, he's likely in one of these. Thadius starts searching. Stealth: 1d20+24 42 Looking for Goldenbrew: 1d20+13 18
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Jan 26, 2014 23:18
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 Thorgeisl Whose Laughter Stinks of Killing HP 106/133, AC 15, Fort +9, Ref +4, Will +6 DR 4/All (Overcome only by Cold, Electricity, and Fire) Fire Resist 10 Speaks: Common, Giant, Undercommon, Orc, Sylvan, Draconic, Aquan, Auran, Ignan, Terran, Dwarven, Elven. Drow Sign. Celestial, Infernal, Abyssal, Goblin. Thorgeisl is of course pleased to accept the ticket and take his place in the nicer private box. He watches the show, going through whatever he managed to save of the food and drink for the play. He watches. And well some of it is perhaps a bit funny, but not really laugh out loud. Still it is a spectacle, and the first dwarven comedy. So it is a monumental event in its own right, and he is glad he witnessed it.
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Jan 26, 2014 23:41
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Tinsy This...doesn't look like the relief of the manor at all! How aggravating! "Oh...oh...crud! I'm sorry! I wish it were a more reliable spell, but oh well, at least we're close. Do you see the manor?" Knowing how annoyed Hecate got when Vanessa asked her the same question, Tinsy hesitates before asking, "So what did you want to come out her for anyway? A family reunion or something?"
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Jan 27, 2014 02:45
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Marisa Marisa tries to puff herself up, all intimidating like! But it just ends up looking ridiculous. Dropping the hostile posture, she laughs. "poo poo, I haven't been able to bully you since we were kids and you were still the runty one. I can't say I was expectin' you to be here, but I'm glad ya are, since it saves me a trip. Let me in before I drop all this booze and you have to go the night sober. You can angst about me abandoning you and puff your cheeks when I'm not coiled on the stoop lookin' like an idiot." Marisa flicks her tail impatiently. Mirthless fucked around with this message at 06:16 on Jan 27, 2014 |
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Jan 27, 2014 06:00
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Thad: You're utterly undetected and utterly overwhelmed by the sheer size of your task. You have not found any hint of Goldbrew yet, but that is because of how many boxes there are to check. To continue Searching, you may opt to Take 20. This will take up almost all of the Intermission time. Vanessa: Hector is completely absorbed in the play. Once Intermission hits he looks over to you and smiles. "M'dear, I have to see a man about a lizard." He gets up and files out with the rest of the crowd heading for the concession halls. Hecate, Tinsy: With Hecate's flight skywards, she can pick our more of the area... Fishing Village is on the edge of the great river that runs between Draunt's border with the Northern Wilds, Geareg in the center of the continent and Burdoon in the South. The nature of Tinsy's mishap seems to be large considering the scale of travel involved: there's no immediately obvious point of reference towards Duskborn Manor or the city it was a part of. Your only bet now is to start discerning the Geography of the place(Knowledge/Intellect check or other Skills) or to ask around in town(Social Skills.) You may also have other talents that could assist you(Spells, etc) but at this rate you could easily be more than a day's ride or fly from Duskborn Manor. You could always immediately return to Geareg if Tinsy has another Teleport available. If not you definitely will be spending a day waiting for Tinsy to study and reprep her spells. Marisa: Hurk. Margo picks you up by the neck and drags you in like a cat carrying a kitten, setting you down in such a way as to save the booze. "I'm not one of your dumbass Dwarf bosses who likes extra words, sprout." She throws her empty bottle at an empty oil drum in the corner and lands a shattering dunk, then takes another bottle from you and starts in on it. From the other room somebody calls in with an incredibly underwhelming and quiet voice.  "Do we have company, Margo?"Kitty is a really weird and rustic naga with a better desert tan and odd robes and clearly paganistic symbols painted across her face with what might be dried blood, but her posture and demeanor suggests she never really got over being a timid child. "Oh! H... Hi, Marisa." The inside of the workshop is about what you'd expect: a solid 50/50 split between chaotic workbenches with half-finished ideas put together between empty bottles of booze and some work-stations for more arcane matters, including a crystal orb for scrying, set on clean tables kept in pristine condition. On the wall is a small cork-board of bounty posters and a small newspaper clipping of an angry looking punk Halfling girl with a mohawk. There are arrows made nails half-knocked into the cork-board pointing from the Halfling to other Bounty posters, most of which are crossed out with painted red Xs. Margo crosses her arms and settles in to an opening buzz. "What'd make you dumb enough to come Below?" Kitty waves from behind Margo, completely overshadowed. She's petite compared to Marisa, so compared to Margo... "Hi."
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Jan 27, 2014 15:08
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Hecate Hecate flies down and just gives Tinsy a really annoyed look as she asks that question, but... "Yes. Family business. Or rather, trying to save what is left of them." She says before quickly going from place to place, asking around the nearby inhabitants for clues regarding where they are and what is the shortest path (assuming even flypaths) to where the Mansion is. Bluff check (we gotta find a place!): 1d20+15 34
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Jan 27, 2014 16:54
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Tinsy "Oh, um, okay." Mental note to never ask about Hecate's family again. "Well, let's try this again!" She grabs Hecate's hand while she's busy asking for directions, and boop!, off they go! Teleport: 1d100 17  pre:Spells Prepared Metamagic Mastery 2/2 Spell-Like: Prestidigitation x3 Wand of Admonishing Ray 50/50 0|15: Read Magic, Ghost Sound, Detect Magic, Message 1|16: Mage Armor 3/3, Protection From Evil 2/2, Floating Disk 2|17: Knock 2/2, Grease 2/2, Make Whole 3|18: Dispel Magic 2/2, Fly 2/2, Fireball (Merciful) 4|19: Remove Curse, Phantasmal Killer (Merciful), Shadow Step 2/2 5|20: Fabricate,
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Jan 27, 2014 17:01
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Vanessa Nessa grumbles under her breath and gets up, tailing Hector. Which might normally be a challenge if the crowd wasn't all dwarfs. If he's (presumably) talking about using the "facilities," she stands outside, awkwardly staring at the crowd and the concession stand. Wh... "puffed corn"? What in heavens... She watches, silently, eyes occasionally catching on some patron or another, pondering the meaning of "puffed corn." Mysterious.
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Jan 27, 2014 19:34
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Thadius After the 25th booth Thadius realizes he has gravely underestimated the power of dwarven architect and their ability to cram private booths into a theater. With an inward sigh he prepares himself to be at this for awhile. Yeah I'll take 20 on the search, for 33 total.
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Jan 27, 2014 19:55
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Marisa Marisa rubs the bridge of her nose for a second. "gently caress's sake, I was hopin' I'd have some time to get drunk and mentally prepare before listenin' to you posture. Shoulda figured you'd be here, but I'd really hoped you'd learned how to not couch surf in a year!" With a frown, she forces a hug on Margo. "Stop actin' like such a hardass. I'm sorry for leavin' you behind. You can make me regret it for the rest of my life if ya want, but shut up for a minute, alright?" She waves sheepishly to Kitten when she enters. "Hey. I, uh, woulda wired ahead, but I'm tryin' to be incognito down here. Figured you wouldn't mind if I dropped by, seein' as ya left a return address. And responded at all." She glares at Margo. "How're you doin', Kit-kat? It's been a while."
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Jan 27, 2014 22:09
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Marisa: Margo clutches you around the shoulders and lifts you clear off the ground. You've only seen her look this mad(and scared) when the Snakes made enough of a racket to actually face down the Dwarven Defenders. Life in prison is a lot scarier and closer to home when you suddenly run into guys who have the stone balls to do it. Kitty tries to talk to Marisa, but is immediately drowned out by Margo talking. "Look sprout, whatever you're trying to do, if it ain't gonna help us WE DON'T CARE! We're up to our loving hoods in debt!" Lifted from this height, you have an even better view of the cork-board. That crazy punk girl reminds you of an old friendly machinesmith rival, Ziti Quickhand. A bit obsessed with electric engines(haha, what?) and hiding a tendency to sniff electronium, but a nice girl. Reminds you of Tinsy. Thad: You catch up to sight of a man matching Hecate's description talking to another man you recognize from underworld rumors and the occasional off-hand picture in the newspapers... Goldbrew is speaking with Barnabus Thistleweave, a tall and vicious-looking Elven businessman. The two adjourn into one of the private second floor boxes together, closing the door behind them. There's nobody else around. Vanessa: Sure enough, Hector is using the privy. On your way past the popped corn vendor you feel something rub up against your boot, walking in tandem with you. It is a little orange cat! Meow! Hecate, Tinsy: Success!  Duskborn Manor is a secluded place in a wonderful valley in the oldest lands of Draunt. It's said that before the royal family moved the capital further south, this was the Heart of Humanity. Now it is the old country, and tends to house little more than farming communities and some displaced nobility that haven't made the jump to modern times. The house is largely abandoned. You two teleport in and appear in a closet of the second floor, displacing a shelf holding several linens and burying yourselves in the sheets. Stepping out of the closet places you in Hecate's Bedroom(Plutonis, your description.) Despite the years since Hecate has been here, the entire room has been kept clean of dust and decay by some unknown person. Stepping outside of Hecate's room sets you on the second floor walkways, with rails letting you peek over to halls and rooms below. You can hear voices talking in the distance... the noise carries easily in these halls, but by the time it reaches you it's just mumbles. There's also a few candles lit, giving the barest minimum of light. The place really is quite spooky with all of the long shadows. "... Yipes... warn me next time, please!" W-w-w-w-w-who was that?! ... Oh! Clutching the tip of Tinsy's collar is Randall, who has definitely been with you the entire time and for both teleports! "A... are we on a mission?" Ostarian pipes up: "Please do not distress Mistress with your buffoonery, sir! Oh, Mistress! I've kept quiet until now, but I really must ask: are you doing what is right?! You've endured terrible things, but I'm worried for you!" Doomykins fucked around with this message at 03:12 on Jan 28, 2014 |
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Jan 28, 2014 03:04
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Marisa Marisa clenches her fists and tries really, really hard to not raise her voice, but the anger is palpable at this point and it is clear she is wavering in her resolve. "Margo, we came into this world eighty-nine years ago, and at any point, ANY point have I not helped my family? I kept Mom afloat for the last ten years with my royalty checks. I got Mariela into music school. When Martin died in the war, who loving put his family up? You KNEW I was back in town! I know Kitten's too timid to ask, but if you needed help you should have TOLD ME! I would have been on the first train down here with a fist full of coin and a pocket full of ammo. Now put me fuckin' down and tell me what kind of trouble you two are in, or so help me, I am gonna tear the snakes out of your hair and beat the white out of your scales like you weren't twice my size, because I have had ENOUGH." Intimidate: 1d20+17 37 It's clear Marisa's not loving around!
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Jan 28, 2014 03:51
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Thadius Hmmm now this is a dilemma. Killing Barnabus here would solve this entire mess and get him back to the surface. But from what Hecate said the man is a skilled fighter, and no doubt wears items of powerful enchantment. The duo enter one of the private rooms before he can act however. Hmm now what. They're sure to see the door open, as Thadius doubts they'll sit themselves to watch the play. He does remember seeing from below that the balcony sections have half open curtains. If he can make his way there, he could eavesdrop on the conversation, then take a course of action there. But first...a quick look around shows there is no one around. Given what he knows about dwarven custom, he feels no one will be out here until the play end. Ok some situational stuff. If the door to Goldenbrews booth opened outward, Thadius will place Starstruck almost against it and activate its magic, holding it in place to bar the door. Next, Thadius will enter the room to the left. If its empty, he will go to the balcony and look into Goldenbrews balcony to see if its empty as well. If so, he'll silently swing Lamentation across so it graps the ledging, letting him move across and eavesdrop. If it turns out that room is occupied, he'll try the opposite one. Stealth: 1d20+24 38
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Jan 28, 2014 05:27
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Hecate "Awk!" Hecate winces as she leaves the linen closet and find herself back in her bedroom. It... It looks exactly like it was when she left home. It is a typical young girl room, with various stuffed animals like owlbears, displacer beasts and even a large cute stuffed Tarrasque. Other toys lying around include a miniature of the mansion with various tiny dolls and a skull-shaped ball. The sorceress approaches the medium-sized bed inside the room, draped with immaculate purple silk. "Oh gods, it's still as bouncy as ever." She mumbles before leaving the room. "W-wait, how did you came here without us finding you?" She says when Randall suddenly appears. "It's... It's a personal matter. And I-I just want to keep this place safe, Osty!"
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Jan 28, 2014 05:32
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Vanessa Nessa grins, crouching to scratch the cat behind its ears. If it's feeling amicable, she pets it a bit more, then gently picks it up to set on her good shoulder. She continues to give it scratchies. And pets. Ahh... much better.
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Jan 28, 2014 05:35
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Tinsy "What? He offered to come with us, remember? Now, please, Randall, would you kindly let go of me?" After shaking off the terrified youth, Tinsy walks out into the hallway and peers through the bars of the rail. "Hecate, do you hear that? Someone is here besides us..." She closes her eyes for a moment, trying to detect lingering enchantments. Detecting Magic! Also throwing up Mage Armor if I have time, it'll last for 11 hours and give me a +4 armor bonus to AC.
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Jan 28, 2014 09:06
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Tinsy, Detect Magic: You can feel the presence of powerful magic, like it's breathing through the walls of the mansion. Ostarian sighs. "I would take up a sword and stand with you Mistress, but I don't have any arms! Ohohohohoho!" Randall: "... Does it have to do that?" Thad: Goldbrew's booth door swings inward, unfortunately. The first booth you check is occupied, but fortunately you're moving with the grace of a cat as you soundlessly close that door after checking. The next booth is unoccupied and you're able to sneak in and eavesdrop from the right side. Goldbrew: "Shattershield, Steelforge and Axebeard still stand firm behind the Society. Latirson and a few minors are wavering. That debacle on the train was considered an act of random aggression by a clanner down on his luck... what else are you going to do?" Barnabus: "Ah ah, my dear golden investor. There need to be some surprises left. But at the end of the day, confidence in their pet project will be shaken. How are your preparations going?" Goldbrew: "They're complete. It can be set in motion next week, once deliveries begin." Barnabus chuckles. "Every diplomat in the world rooming in the City Below until the end of the month, eh? Finest bunch of targets I've ever seen." Vanessa: The Intermission will end shortly. Hector returns to you with a bit of parchment stuck to the bottom of his boot. "Is that... puffed corn, m'dear?" He offers an arm. Your little cat friend meows, content to lounge on your shoulder and receive attention. Marisa: Margo sets you down. She gestures to the cork-board. "We're just being muscled out. We can't stay on top of any bounties these days... " Kitty comes around Margo and slithers up to Marisa, giving her a hug. Margo crosses her arms and puffs out her cheeks a bit. "I.. it's not like we need your help or anything, jackass." Kitty sighs and speaks up with a bit of authority, which seems to follow her wielding the bludgeon of the truth. "Margo and I can't compete with Ziti Quickhand's new inventions." Margo looks thunderstuck and clenches her teeth. Kitty continues. "We think she's receiving outside funding." Lefty, Later In The Week: At the end of the week you receive the call to fight again, this time in a smaller arena in the City Below. It's actually a fairly uneventful battle and you outclass your opponent so much(a lean hob-goblin) that the match is yours to win. The cheering of the crowd washes over you again on entry and exit of the ring. Afterwards in the locker room, you're talking with Ellen and Keenan when everything goes a bit quiet. Somehow every other boxer has left the locker room at the exact same time. Stepping into the room comes three men, two Dwarven toughs in fine suits and one tough-looking Dwarven dandy with blonde braided hair and an ivory-white suit gilded with gold trimming. Goldbrew stands before you all confidently, leaving his men at the door. "Reece Fairfax? I hear you're making a bit of a name for yourself in the Geareg circuit."
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Jan 28, 2014 15:08
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Marisa Marisa thinks hard for a moment about Ziti. "Really? She was always sharp, but never really struck me as the aggress-" she stops. Closing her eyes, she winces, as if reliving a terrible moment. "gently caress, gently caress, gently caress! Why didn't I make the connection? How many Zitis can there possibly be in Geareg? Boombeard, the weird magic, the tech that was way too advanced for some bloodsmith douchebag..." Looking at their puzzled looks, Marisa shakes her head. "I'll get there in a second." Marisa gives Kitty a big hug. "Look, I left in a hurry and there's a whole lot I didn't get to say to you, so I wanna have a long talk with you when we got some time, okay?" She turns to Margo. "You too, Sis. You and I are probably gonna need to make a trip home anyway. I ain't seen mom or the rest of the family in a couple of years, and while you're free to surprise me, I'm willin' to bet you ain't seen them since the last time I did." "Now, have a seat, both of youse." She waits until she has their attention, and then begins. "So, you guys know I left in a hurry when the war ended. Well, what you should know is that I never intended to be gone that long. I wanted to go to Ostorn, slum with the elves for a couple of months, figure out how their machines work and come home. Instead, I got stuck behind a big wall of brambles, fixin' ploughs and tryin' not to be too much of a drain on the family decent enough to put me up. A lot of poo poo went down back there, and..." Marisa then goes into the Ostorn story in extensive detail. About arriving in the country, meeting the Ashdowns, making friends with the locals... "I coulda' retired there, if I was about a hundred years older" she says, almost wistful! And then everything going to hell. The wall becoming impassible, everybody dying, making a desperate attempt to escape, meeting the Society, fighting their way through the wall, the corruption of the Saths. "So, if you guys were wonderin' where the hell I was for the last year, there you go. I got back about a month ago, but I wasn't ready to come back down here. Guilt, I guess. I kinda buried myself in work for the last month so I wouldn't have to think about it. But then we got a job, and part of that job necessitated a trip to the undercity. And that's really why I'm here. I wish this was a social call, girls, I really do." "I didn't want to come down here and start ringin' the bells and tryin' to get everybody back together. Feels lovely to come by for the first time in a year and ask you for help, but I'm gettin' the feelin' more and more that this is gonna turn out to be a mutual bit more than anything else. The guy who's fundin' your competition is Barnabus Thistleweave, I'd bet my scales on it. Slimy piece of poo poo's been in everybody's craw for years, but he's making big plays now that the war's just far enough behind us that the nobility can go back to stabbin' each other in the back again. I think Ziti got messed up in something big. I only caught fragments of it over a psychic link, but I'm pretty sure she murdered one of my friends, straight up, cold-blooded. She was rollin' with a dwarf with more bloodsmithed gear than I've ever seen in my life and some other rough customers, and it was pretty obvious all of them were on Thistleweave's take." "I've got a plan to take Thistleweave out, but it's half baked and I don't have the tools I need to pull it off. I'm tryin' to get the Snakes back together, as many as we can, for one last job. I want to make him screw up publicly, put himself in the poo poo so bad the nobility can't back him anymore without losing face with everybody else. Then, once he's been disavowed, we run him out of town or we put him in the ground. In the process, we get rich, topple an empire, put our tag on every corner and build a youth center on top of every shithole den of inequity he runs in this town. You guys wanna get your competitive edge back, here's your ticket to it." "I've got the Krunty boys, an amazing accountant, and the template from which interns are forged as my reliable recruits so far. Then there's a bunch of other unreliable guys who are amazingly competent, but I couldn't nail 'em down to my plan. I need the both of you to help me with this, and it's gonna be dangerous as hell. At some point there might be a heist. Vault doors might need to be blown. We may need a distraction team to rough a place up. It's gonna be demanding work, and that's why I need my old gang back. Are you in?" Mirthless fucked around with this message at 19:13 on Jan 28, 2014 |
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Jan 28, 2014 19:06
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Vanessa Nessa gives Hector a glance, confused, then mentally shrugs it off. She gives Hector her good arm, careful not to dislodge the cat, returning to their seat. On the way, "So... a faithful of Pelor? How's that... er... so, did you take part in the war?"
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Jan 28, 2014 20:18
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Hecate Hecate bites her lip and tries to locate any undead presence inside the mansion, looking around with Tinsy as well. Strange, it's not just Ost who is highlighted with an aura... Tinsy and Randall are too? "Ugh... Is this a trap from Sahlen?" Using Hecate's lifesight to look for living and/or undead presences around~
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Jan 28, 2014 23:52
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 : "Am I? I won one hundred percent o' my fights, but that don't sound so impressive when ya call it 2 fer 2, which it is. Ya know me, sir, but I don't think we been introduced. What can I do for ya, Mister...?"
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Jan 29, 2014 01:29
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Tinsy "Sahlen? The General? What are you talking about, what's this about a trap?" Tinsy jumps up and smushes Hecate's cheeks, giving her a stern look. "I think...you need to get more sleep! Look at these dark circles!"
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Jan 29, 2014 01:35
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Thadius Interesting tidbit. Sounds like two plans in motion, one to attack the diplomats at the end Of the week and another to make the Dwarvem Council to lose faith in the Society. Thadius keeps listening. He'll decide on how to act when they stop talking or one starts to leave.
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Jan 29, 2014 05:08
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Thad: You feel an unpleasant chill give you goosebumps. Like a wave of pure malevolence. Nothing seems to come of it and the two speak some more. Goldbrew: "How are you keeping tabs of our... friends?" Barnabus chuckles. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. It's really quite ingenious, a lad of mine came up with it after returning from Ostorn." Vanessa, Thor: The play continues with more lampooning of Dwarven culture, Kordish beliefs and the Great War Baby Boom of the last year. Hector takes his seat and begins rummaging through a small packet of popped corn, which seems to be a set of fluffy white starchy bits wrought entirely from magic. You're not sure if he washed his hands. "Mmm, yes. Even if you didn't fight, you were affected. Saw a lot of good boys die." Somebody gets pied in the face on stage and Hector laughs out loud. Marisa: Margo and Kitty take either one of your arms and pat you on the shoulder. "Yeah." "Y-yes." "We're in." ... "..." ... "So what the hell do we do?" Margo looks down at you eagerly. Kitty wrings her hands together. "D-did you really just recruit the first f-few people you met again...?" Hecate, Tinsy: With a range of 10 feet, Hecate's life-vision will be strained to detect anything outside of her room. Following the voices may yield better intelligence! Ostarian tries to puff out his cheeks but just ends up blowing air through his jaw. Ostarian: "It?! I am a dashing gentleman, the finest of Mistress' many minions!" Randall: "... Right." Sounds like there is a meeting in the front hall. Standing near a roaring fire in a cozy stone hearth are two figures... and one skeletal giant. Hecate can immediately recognize the hunched over form of Warden Bonotos, as well as his thick-set jaw and his set of four arms, all four holding various chain-bound tomes close to his body in almost reverent stance. He leers down at the two before him... one a dashing gentleman in butler's attire, almost too wide to be Human but with a Human face all the same. The other a dark-looking Gnomish girl in a silly outfit.    Gentleman: "I'm afraid the Master of the House is long removed, Sir. However, my Master would be pleased to speak with you on the morrow." Gnome: "She has a great interest in that meeting too, I'm sure she'll ally with you! Bonotos rumbles, his voice echoing out in a somber, serious tone. "It has long been the will of my King to meet the Duskborn master. There are no records of the Duskborn dead..." The Gentleman steps over to the fireplace and takes a poker, adjusting the burning logs within. "As there shouldn't be." Lefty, Later In The Week: "Jebediah Goldbrew, young man. We should talk..." His goons bring over some cheapo wooden chairs and oblige their boss with a light when he gets a cigar out. He offers one to you before continuing. "A small record, but a crowd sensation all the same. I've got a proposition for you... although your wins are a bit lacking, you have something a bit unusual that fits the situation I am in." He produces a clean photograph of Tommy the Gonne! "You're just barely of the right height to entertain a great match in the following week. This talented young upstart wishes to gain entry to proper league fighting with the very tall... it could never really work, but I do think a tentative bout between two rising stars could be highly entertaining." He puffs away, grinning maliciously after chomping down a bit on the cigar. "I trust it would be simple enough for you to put him down and end this debate for the season. There may even be a little something special in it for you if you can... shall we say... destroy the dream." Keenan and Ellen are quiet, though Keenan is frowning.
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Jan 30, 2014 01:08
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Hecate "Shhh, I think I saw someone." Hecate says to Ostarian and Randall as she heads to the front hall, and meets a familiar face... And two unfamiliar ones. "W-w-what the hey?! You attacked us on Hillside, how did you arrived here?" She says while pointing to Bonotos and then turning to the other two. "And what are you two doing in my house? ...Wait, I get it, you are those two that are on the deed. Stronk and Wittiger!"
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Jan 30, 2014 01:39
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Vanessa A thousand conflicting thoughts in her head (well, two), Nessa glances to the side, decides not to risk it, and shifts her attention to the cat, an island of at least mild contentedness in a sea of irritation and obnoxious psuedocountercultural "humor." When the play returns to more of a lull, "So, where you in Draunt? With the... er, 'vampire hunter,' Thadius?"
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Jan 30, 2014 01:46
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Tinsy Tinsy peeks around the doorframe to the front hall behind Hecate, offering the intruders a friendly wave and a sheepish smile. "The deed?"
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Jan 30, 2014 02:01
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Thadius Thadius ignores the eerie chill, intent on the conversation. If they have a means to track Society members, he must know.
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Jan 30, 2014 09:40
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 : "Goldbrew, eh? Pleasedtameetcha, I've drunk plenty of yer product over the last coupla weeks, an' I got no complaints!" Lefty sits with Goldbrew, takes the proffered cigar, and looks at the photo."I met Tommy, he's a good guy all right, but I reckon he'd have a hard time fightin' folks five times his size in the ring." He takes a contemplative puff on the cigar. "That big orc I won against in my first match topside, he'd smear the poor guy across the canvas with a fist as big as Tommy himself is. It'd be doin' him a favor, really."
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Jan 30, 2014 14:45
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Lefty, Later In The Week: "I'm glad you understand the situation. He is talented... but you're a Man. Bury his ambitions quickly. I'll handle the promotions. Until then, good bye, Mister Fairfax." Goldbrew and his boys file out. The second Lefty turns to look back to Ellen or something, Keenan is in his path, arms crossed and nostrils flaring past scruffy beard as he looks mad enough to pitch a boulder. "Oi lad, I won't tell ya ta do somethin' daft like take a fall, but are ya really sidin' with tha' man? Any small man tha' has tha' guts ta wreck Dwarfs and ta call out Humans is th' hero in my eyes." Vanessa: "Mmyes, m'nephew you know. Good lad, a bit stubborn in the wrong way. Cut his teeth in the North border." Hector calmly stuffs more popped corn into his cheeks, gradually achieving the desired effect of looking like a chipmunk. Thad: The eerie chill pulses over you again. This time it feels like something has wrested into you and makes your blood stop for a second, forcing an involuntary catching of the breath. Barnabus and Goldbrew have stopped talking entirely. A third voice speaks out softly, but with... intense malice.  ... A few seconds later, something floats over to Thad at a steady clip and stops directly before him and his precarious perch hanging from the adjacent 2nd floor viewing box. It is a quivering orb of blood 2 feet tall and 2 feet wide! It constantly leaks extra viscera that falls to the floor below, splattering along some empty seating. The creature extends a tendril and simply touches Thad's arm... causing the blood within to boil, writhe and erupt for 13 damage.  Chairs/floor below are the 1st floor, 30 feet below. The booth is the tangible 2nd floor. Thad, you are currently hanging on to the side of the empty booth. You can let go and drop 30 feet(Acrobatics DC 15 to ignore first ten feet of fall damage for 2d6 Fall Damage. 3d6 on Failed Check), make a Climb Check to get into the booth(DC 10, provoke AoO) or continue holding on and fight with one hand while staying in the same spot.  Blood Orb HP: 30/30 AC: 20 Attack: Blood Boil +10 vs Touch AC, 2d6+3 Damage Flight: 60 ft(Good) Hecate, Tinsy: All three turn to look up to you, at your vantage point on the second floor where Hecate has dramatically called out and pointed down at the meeting. Ostarian lets out a startled "Hurk!" and Randall seems to be trying to become as small and hidden in a nearby tapestry as he possibly can. The grand gentleman finishes adjusting the fire and is the last to look to Hecate. "Sir Stronk, if you will. And Miss Wittiger. The distinguished guest's title is Warden, madam. Warden Bonotos." Bonotos stares up at Hecate for awhile, then one of his arms stretches out and begins furiously cycling through the pages of it's tome, the chains shimmering and glimpsing through the solid material as though they weren't there. "Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. Yes... I recall this encounter. Meaningless. Your offense against my King is noted." He retracts the arm and raises a pair of larger arms for a total of six, his two naturally sized arms rattling as he draws darkness around himself like a shroud. "I can see nothing worthwhile will be done here today! Tell your Master I will return!" Warden Bonotos' large form dissolves into dirt, sand and ash which are drawn into the fireplace. Hecate may not that like before, Bonotos seems to do business with conjured avatars. Stronk gestures to the stairs of the main hall. "Please, come down and speak with a bit of civility. We shall not shout at one another from hearth to rafter." Where Stronk is calm and composed, Wittiger has been quiet the entire time and is bouncing from one foot to another and cradling an onyx-topped rod in both hands, the top wrapped with crystalline honeycombing of "spider" webs.
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Jan 30, 2014 16:08
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Marisa A few beers and a series of half-hearted objections to the implication that Marisa recruits just anybody she meets to the gang later, Marisa wires ahead to the others to get them to meet back at the clock shop and makes the requisite introductions to Johnny and Lil'lii. Once everybody is settled in Kitten's shop (which Marisa has now declared the official Tunnel Snakes hideout), Marisa goes about laying out a game plan. "Alright, Silas, Ben - I didn't let you guys onto the big plan yet, so I'm gonna give it to you straight. We're goin' after Barnabus Thistleweave. In the past we tangled with small time gangs like the Brewhouse Boys or the Forty-Niners, but Thistleweave runs a big organization, and a lot of it is, on the face, legit. What's gonna make this task something we can actually hope to accomplish is that Barnabus has to detach himself from his organization for plausible deniability. That means he leaves things up to his under-bosses that, frankly, no self respectin' gang leader ever would if they could get away with it. So right now, we're not tangling with the whole of his operation, we're just messing with the little gangs that comprise it." "Phase one of the plan is staging. We're gonna accomplish this in three ways. Number one, I want the city to know the Snakes are back. But mostly, I want both the old Snakes to know we're around, and the local gangs to know they've got competition, which will come in handy later on. Number two, we need to know what local dens of thuggery Barnabus has his slimy hands in. Number three, we need some black market connections. Preferably more than one, because I wanna choose where the next phase of our plan is gonna go down." "So here's how this is gonna break down. Margo, you remember when you embarassed the Brewhouse Boys a few years back with that big tag you did down the three-story B&B they were operating out of? Yeah, let's remix history, and let's go bigger. As big as you think you can pull off without endin' up in jail. Put one up in a part of town that's just seedy enough that the cops aren't crawlin' all over it, but not so seedy that you're likely to get shot by a rival gang the second they see a paint can. I'm sending Johnny with you for backup." Before he can even show a sign of protest, Marisa pulls Johnny aside, very quietly addressing him: "Look, kid, my sister's a pain and I need somebody to keep her outta trouble. Mainly, I need to keep her from gettin' into fistfights with the cops. If you guys pick the right spot you'll probably just find some old beat cops lookin' for drunks sleepin' in gutters if you find anybody at all. Exactly the kinda people that don't need to be fightin' with Margo. Distract em'. Do that hapless thing you do. Worse comes to worse, don't get yourself arrested. I can petition the embassy to get Margo outta jail if I have to, but I'm runnin' low on favors with them after the last time she broke the arm of a dwarf three days away from retirement" "Silas, Ben - I want you guys to find any businesses even vicariously connected to Barnabus and his holdings in the immediate area. Cast as wide a net as you can, the more range we have to move in the better, and find out whatever you can about the business interests he's got around here. Who's runnin' em, how many people each little sub-organization's got, and if you can get em', rap sheets. I'd like to know how ambitious and how dangerous Barnabus' local lords and fiefdoms are. It's gonna take just the right combination of ambition, stupidity, and harmlessness to make this plan work." "Kitten, I need to know all the names you've sold explosives and alchemical mixes to on the side in the last few years. I'm mostly lookin' for vendors or people who might have connections to vendors. Even if you ain't on good terms with 'em anymore. If they aren't interested in talkin' to you, I'll make em' interested in talkin' to me. Once we've found some likely prospects, I'm gonna let Lil'lii look over which of em's gonna have the finances and audience to fund the kind of big ticket items we're lookin' to hock." "If anybody's got any questions, speak up now. Otherwise, let's get to work! Tunnel Snakes Rule!" Mirthless fucked around with this message at 18:03 on Jan 30, 2014 |
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Jan 30, 2014 17:40
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