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Collin "Hmm. And it's JUST a warehouse? They don't do any business out of it that would give an alchemist like Jed a believable excuse to get us in? Looking for a rare weed or whatever?"
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Jan 20, 2013 21:52
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Jed Westman "Yeah, I'd like to know more about this warehouse," Jed leans forward in his seat. "If they do offer reagents, you'd figure a licensed alchemist could get in to check the wares, or perhaps have a permit for an inspection. Getting in, we could look around and find the chest. Preemptive observation." Inside, Jed felt a little sad that a Crucible member was involved in shady dealings. Granted, he was kinda sorta a merc, and probably shady himself, but dammit, the Crucible stands for something! "At the least, can pick up some reagents for later. Wait, hey, if this guy Stonks is a crook, could we get evidence to present to the Crucible? I mean, perhaps the Crucible could give some backup or something, get the crook out of their hair."
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Jan 21, 2013 00:13
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Jeff Tazdaf "I'm assuming they just don't have enough evidence or they would have already taken care of him themselves," Jeff says. He begins to roll up the map and puts it away. "A quick and forceful approach may be our best chance. We wait until night, and when there's a shift change we snag a couple of workers on their way out. Get them to give us the location of the trunk if they know it, or if not anything useful they might know. Then wait until a couple hours before dawn, when security is lightest. We bust through the door, leaving someone to watch for trouble. The rest of us blaze through, find the trunk, and retrieve it. If we can't find the trunk, make a big enough disturbance to give the guard an excuse to come running."
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Jan 22, 2013 08:08
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Annalise Ardenne When Jeff returns, she leans forward to examine the map, trying to work out the warehouse's location and what the surrounding buildings are. She is quiet while studying it, contemplating the mission and its payout. Without a charter it's the kind of grey-market work that you'd expect, but if the militia itself wasn't involved it would be perilously close to theft. And who knows how the Crucible will feel. "I'm not keen to go in heavy without at least some more intelligence. Jed, it might just be a warehouse, but you're an aspiring young alchemist looking for work, eh? It seems like you could at least drop by without raising any eyebrows, just to make sure what's on the ground matches what we've been given." She pauses for a moment to scan her other colleagues, trying to judge their sentiments on the mission. She had been most worried about Jed, but he seems on board. "However we do it, I'd like to avoid any serious damage or injury - even if this guy is running a front, the guards and workers might have no idea and offing Crucible men just sits wrong." Her attention flicks back to Jeff, then, with a slight frown. "I suppose our friend wasn't willing to put this in writing for us? Do we at least have a name we're working for?" Just in case this all comes crashing down on them and they get arrested for smashing into a Crucible warehouse, it would be nice to have some evidence to the contrary.
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Jan 22, 2013 16:33
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Jeff Tazdaf Jeff shakes his head in response to Annalise's question. "No name or writing I'm afraid. What we're going to do is still against the law, even though we have its consent." He looks around the table. "Any one else have a plan?"
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Jan 23, 2013 03:01
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Jed Westman "I figure what we got so far will work," Jed says. "I go in, asking for wares, look around, and hey, if anyone else wants to come in, I figure that might work. Two eyes, and all that. Could say you're a trainee, or assistant, or bodyguard, or whatever'll work, I guess. Anyways, I get in, try to locate the trunk, then later at night, sneak in, get the trunk, sneak back out." "Or at least sneak as best as we can," he shrugged.
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Jan 23, 2013 04:14
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Annalise Ardenne She grimaces at Jeff's confirmation, not well pleased with that. Even if they make it a clean grab this is the sort of thing that could unravel badly on them. All the more reason to try and do it right. She takes a moment to glance around, wary of anyone snooping - although the loud common room provides its own sort of privacy. "Julian, do you want to go in with Jed? The story can be that you're his backer, providing the outlay, so on, and want to be sure your money is well spent." She glances over to Jed to see how that sits with him "Probably an easier sell than a bodyguard or the like - I imagine they prefer to keep us bumbling axemen away from the volatiles." "I expect we'll have to be loud about it anyway, but at least this way we can have some idea of where we are headed and what's inside - fewer surprises the better, and means we'll be in and out quicker with hopefully less mess than otherwise. And if they've parked it under a skylight for us..." She shrugs. That leaves the rest of them, and she glances over the other three "I suppose the rest of us can case the general area, and work out where we are going to go once we get out with the box. Pretty sure we're not hauling it back here, and we might need to duck under until we can pass it on to our employer. Look for an empty warehouse or the like where someone won't notice a couple guys and a box for the night."
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Jan 23, 2013 19:25
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Jed Westman Jed nods as Annalise suggests Julian. "That'll work, I guess. Him the moneyman and me the potion-peddler, sounds good."
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Jan 24, 2013 05:58
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Julian di Lioni "I agree, it's a sound plan." Annalise had proposed the same thing Julian had in mind. "Unless anyone objects, I think we should go take a look at the warehouse. We can work on the details on the way."
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Jan 24, 2013 09:35
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Lilina Pent Lilina makes her way downstairs, dressed in black and grey. She slept later than usual, today, the result of a late night working on Aestrom. The 'jack had been moving a bit funny of late. Her first act is to gather food, rather a large plateful at that. She hooks a chair with her foot, pulling it out and sliding in. "I miss too much?"
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Jan 24, 2013 17:46
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Collin "Not much. We got a job. We can fill you in on the way. We're gonna scout the neighborhood, Jed and Julian are gonna try and act all business like to get a peek inside." Collin stacks his remaining eggs and bacon onto a piece of toast to form a makeshift sandwich. "I'm ready."
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Jan 24, 2013 18:45
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Okay, looks like everyone is ready. I need to know who is going and who isn't. If you're not going with the group post your plans for the morning-mid-afternoon.
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Jan 24, 2013 20:54
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 The Dragon's Tongue is lazy today, moving only a frog's hair faster than walking. Too bad, since that means the docks, which ain't exactly rosy on a good day, smell like a latrine. Stonks' warehouse is right where you were told it would be. A horseshoe shaped jetty sticks out from the back end, giving a small patch of calm water to load and unload the more explosive wares. The only only thing setting Stonks' warehouse aside from the others around it is the big Golden Crucible emblem above the door... and the armed guards out front.
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Jan 25, 2013 20:03
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Jed Westman "And here we are," Jed says as they gather. "Ready to go inspect a warehouse?" He asks Julian. I figure once Jed and Julian get any last-minute words and such, they'll head out to the warehouse. EDIT: Thanks to Julian, I am reminded to give my weaponry to the others for safe-keeping. No need for respectable business representatives to have weaponry, right? Dedman Walkin fucked around with this message at 20:34 on Jan 26, 2013 |
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Jan 25, 2013 23:45
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Julian di Lioni "Certainly." Julian unslings his rifle and ammunition belt and hands them to Annalise. "Please look after these. I would rather not come across as overly prepared for violence." He turns to Jed. "Shall we?"
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Jan 26, 2013 13:53
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Jeff Tazdaf I'm going to try and gauge how large the place is and where they store the steamjack. After that, I'll talk to some of the local fishermen as to how much it might cost for a midnight passage
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Jan 28, 2013 03:24
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Annalise Ardenne It might not have been such a good idea to head down into the stench right after breakfast, and Annalise is regretting the second helping of what was probably eggs but potentially just sufficiently congealed and charred fat. The river must get lethal during a hot, sluggish summer day, but hopefully they won't still be crawling the docks by then. She takes the rifle and belt from Julian, with appropriate care for the expensive weapon. "I'll look after it. No reason there should be a fight in there, worst is that they'll tell you to shove off." She'll also take anything Jed needs to offload. The result is a particularly heavily-armed appearance for a casual dock walker, although perhaps not too much for an overly eager mercenary. "Good luck in there. The rest of us can take a look about, check the area, meet back here in an hour or so when you might be done. Nothing else, lets meet back at the Quill this afternoon and run down what we know." Annalise will walk the area for a while to get a sense of the layout. I assume it's just rows of warhouses down here, but if one of the neighbouring buildings is abandoned or similar it could be useful. I'd also like to evaluate whether we could fit a cart or similar vehicle down the street without too much trouble.
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Jan 28, 2013 17:59
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Collin Burke "Sounds like a plan. Good luck!" Collin is staying with the external group, trying to get a sense of the streets and alleys in case the group needs a good getaway route.
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Jan 28, 2013 23:21
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Inside Group "Mornin'" rumbles an Ogrun guard. "What can I do for you gents?" The other two guards, both human, give you a quick once over before going back to eyeballin' the rest of the docks. Outside Group Annalise: 16 for PER. There is plenty of room to get a cart to or from Stonks'. While none of buildings nearby are abandoned, you do notice something about a neighboring building that could come in handy. What is it? Colin: 15 for PER. Walking the area around the warehouse you notice something that could be an issue if you tried to make a fast getaway... but might also help you out if you play your cards right. What is it? Gr3y fucked around with this message at 08:07 on Jan 29, 2013 |
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Jan 29, 2013 07:27
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Jed Westman Well, here goes, Jed thinks as he starts talking to the guard. "Hello there, sir," he politely nods to the guard. "Jim Eastman, this is Mr. DeLancie, we're here for the meeting? I'm sure your boss got the letter about the details, our names should be on the list." * So I figure the best way we're getting in is to pretend we mailed a letter explaining our position, how we're looking to set up shop in town and would like to check out the warehouse and see if it's adequate for our needs. Since we obviously didn't mail a letter, I was going to go "Oh drat, guess Khador must have blown up the mail train again. Could you tell your boss about us, so we can try to get in anyways? Potential customers here!" The missing letter could be our alibi to help get us in.
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Jan 30, 2013 01:57
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Collin Burke Collin spends his time strolling about the surrounding neighborhood, trying to look nonchalant as he wanders through a few of the possible routes. As he tries to plot the blind alleys and dead-ends in his head, he comes across an interesting junction. At the end of a particularly long and narrow alley, a warehouse is undergoing extensive renovations. A massive scaffolding chokes the opening into the main street. "Slagg and Aestrom 'll probably have to slide through here sideways," he mumbles to himself. "Cart might get jammed up. Hell, the box might get jammed up if it's big enough." Then he begins to test the construction of the scaffolding. Shoddy work, he thinks. A little well-placed encouragement an' a good shove, this whole thing'll come right down. He grins to himself as he estimates how long it would take a pursuing group to double back around or pick through the debris that would fill the alley. He notes the location of the alley and continues his tour.
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Jan 30, 2013 05:05
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Inside Group The Ogrun slams a fist bigger than a man's head into the door behind him without turning around, "'ey Mare! There a DeLancie supposed to talk to the boss today?" "I don't think so Mr. Thrakas," comes a nasal voice from behind the door. "Gimme a minute to see what's going on." A brief and lively conversation ensues on both sides of the door. "Khador, the Protectorate, pissed of Kriels, it's a wonder anything gets anywhere now a days," Thrakas grumbles as he waves you through. A middle aged man waves at you from across warehouse floor. "Good morning sirs! What brings you to my establishment today?" he asks from behind a tight smile.
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Jan 30, 2013 06:53
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Annalise Ardenne Walking the area doesn't yield the perfect solution, but she does find something interesting. The warehouse next to their target has an additional loading area on the side of the structure, apparently so that a cart could pull in for stocking without blocking any of the street to traffic. The arrangement includes a hoist jutting out from the building's roof, and a second-floor loading door and balcony to lower items from the higher levels. It would be relatively easy to get up onto the balcony, putting someone level with the second floor windows of the Crucible's warehouse and only a cart-width away. And the hoist extends far enough that you could use it to lower something from those windows down to the ground, with some wrangling and luck. If the box is on the higher levels, it could help them bring it out somewhere other than the front door. She spends a few minutes eyeing the setup, trying to work out how much rope might be needed for the hoist and how long it would take to rig - assuming the workmen take down the tackle at night, and they may not be so diligent. She doesn't want to idle overlong staring, and so soon moves on, chatting idly with sailors and dockers as she works her way back to the meeting point.
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Jan 30, 2013 18:49
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"Jim Eastman" "Mister Stonks, is it?" Jed smiles and holds his hand out for a shake. "Jim Eastman, pleased to meet you." "There was a letter sent to explain the situation, so we'd all be on common ground," Jed shrugs, "but apparently things went pear-shaped there. Probably the mail train got blowed up somewhere. So, the quick version. We're representatives of a new company looking to set up, amongst other things, an alchemists shop here in town. Since we did our research and learned you're a Crucible-licensed business, we'd be interested in a observation of your warehouse, to see if it meets our needs. If so, I'll mail back our highers-up, we can start an account, and we all make money and be happy."
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Jan 31, 2013 01:24
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Inside Group "A, uh, observation?" he asks, licking his lips. "Well, I would be more than happy to have my assistant show you about. Is your shop looking to specialize in anything in particular? And are you looking for distribution, storage, or just bulk purchases?" Julian: 10 PER: He seems nervous, his left hand almost looks like it's glued into his pocket. Jed: 8 PER: He seems excited, very eager to deal with you.
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Jan 31, 2013 04:05
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Julian di Lioni What has he got in his pocket? Julian smiles and bows to Stonks. "DeLancie, how do you do." "Right now, our company is only looking to establish a hub of operations here in Corvis. Therefore, right now we only require storage, but I've understood that our wares will require certain specific conditions. I must admit I'm terribly uninformed on the practical details," Julian says and looks at "Jim". A gun? I certainly hope not. A watch? He wouldn't hang on to one like that. A letter? What could it be about? Stonks has managed to incite up both Julian's suspicion and curiousity. Plots and scenarios start forming in his head.
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Jan 31, 2013 16:41
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"Jim Eastman" Well at least he's interested to deal, Jed thought. Might make it easier to look around. "Storage for reagents and bulk ingredients, needs to be stored in ventilated areas to prevent fume buildup, some will be stored in insulated containers, the Crucible standard for alchemical storing," he continues. "I figure if we come in with a crate of mineral crystals, say about this big-" Jed stretched out his hands to simulate the size of the crate, using the dimensions Jeff gave for the trunk, "along with a barrel of liquid A.W., figure as long as they're properly stored so any hazardous fumes will be properly ventilated, there'll be no risk of explosions due to spark-off, and if we'll be able to quickly get access if we get an order, that'll work fine for us."
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Jan 31, 2013 23:01
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Inside Group Apparently Stonks is a bit of an alchemist himself. Him and "Jim" get into a bit of a technical back and forth. There's a bit that "Mr. DeLancie" gets, like 'humidity' and 'temperature' and a lot that he doesn't, like 'off-gas reclamation' and 'pressure regulated decomposition products'. Jed:Stonks seems to be the real deal. He has more than a passing knowledge of the art and seems like he doesn't often get the chance to talk shop. More, this warehouse is used for more than just simple storage. It is set up as a giant alchemical laboratory specializing in synthesizing common reagents in bulk. Julian:You can't really follow the conversation but you can follow body language. Stonks is visibly more relaxed during this conversation. After a few minutes of technical jargon Stonks waves over a young woman, "Mary, these two gentleman are interested in, possibly, making use of our facilities. Please show them about and answer any questions they may have." He leans in and reels off a brief list of what sounds like various rooms and, from what is sounds like, selling points. "Gentlemen, I have something I simply must get back to, however my assistant would be more than happy to show you about and answer any questions you may have." Julian:He's fidgeting again. Outside Group What are you doing while they're touring the warehouse?
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Feb 1, 2013 21:57
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 Slagg Stonefist Slagg remains outside, staying nearby in case the others need his strength. He walks about here and there, trying to look like a dock worker taking a break, or slacking on his work. Largely trying to avoid any serious notice.
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Feb 1, 2013 22:03
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Jed Westman "Take care, Mister Stonks," Jed nods in passing. Sometimes, even if you were pretending to be someone else trying to get a probably crook to let you look at his ill-gotten gains, it was nice to talk shop. "Okay then, Miss Mary, lead on. Let's start with dry storage first." And with that, the exploration is underway... Just a FYI, I have drill this weekend, so my posting may be slowed down. Back to normal on Sunday afternoon.
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Feb 1, 2013 23:45
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Jeff Tazdaf The warehouse's sea based entrance seems to be a good place to smuggle goods. So it stands to reason some of it's less legal goods may be kept back there. Jeff considers this, and heads to the local dock to chat up some of the fishermen there and ask if they've noticed any suspicious ships around the warehouse or late at night.
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Feb 3, 2013 03:43
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Inside Group Mary, the assistant, is a pretty young thing about half of Stonks' age, shame about the voice. She walks you past rack after rack of crates, tubs, satchels of... stuff. All ear marked for who they belong to, how long they're being held for, and how much it's costing the owner. She also guides you through areas for cold storage, humidity controlled storage, monitored storage, and even more specialized vaults set up just the way the customer asks. You spot what looks to be your trunk in a cage with a few dozen other crates caged away from everything else in a quiet corner. Outside Group "'ey! What are you doin'?" an old dockhand yells at Slagg. "I ain't payin' you to lie around with your paws in yer' pants!" He's confused you for one of his employees. What does he want you to get back to? "Suspicious? The other night, I was checkin' my lines and saw a pallet get unloaded to that place by a couple o'jacks," the man leans in towards Jeff and whispers conspiratorially, "Warjacks. A couple a Lancers did the heavy lifting."
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Feb 3, 2013 05:51
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Slagg Stonefist Slagg looks around, it seems his bluff has gone a bit too far. Well he can't let it all fall apart now. So he looks for some other dock workers and goes to help them. Hoping this is what the man was getting at. He will however keep an eye out for a chance to get out of there quietly.
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Feb 3, 2013 06:00
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Jeff Tazdaf Lancers? That could be trouble. Seems like the place can call on some heavy protection if needed. It only serves to emphasize the need to get in and out quickly. But that does still leave the problem of pursuit. Jeff starts to head to the seedier sections and makes some quiet inquiries as to the price of some "late night boating" with "no questions asked". If he can secure some sea transport, that would take any heavy pursuit out of the problem. And at sea, it would be hard to beat a Wind Sorcerer. Maybe I Should of been a pirate he muses.
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Feb 3, 2013 17:00
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Annalise Ardenne She loops back around to the rendezvous, and finds that Jed and Julian haven't emerged yet. That seems promising - for them to still be inside things must be going well with their ruse. If they can come out with comprehensive information to match with their external legwork, they might really be able to pull this off without it turning into a total mess. With some more time to kill and the group making some good progress on their surveying, Annalise decides to spend a little more time doing information gathering. Perhaps some of the neighbors have something to say about their criminal friend. It's just a matter of finding the sort of people who might know; rough enough to bump shoulders with smugglers and dumb enough to chat about it. Annalise is going to see if she can find any word about Tigh Stonks from the local riff-raff. We're at the docks, so there has to be some drinking or gambling going on where people will spread rumors. If Tigh is a known criminal maybe she can learn something about his operation.
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Feb 3, 2013 19:12
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Jed Westman Jed tries to keep a straight face when he sees the box. Well, at least we know where it is, he thinks. Now to get it. "Thanks for the tour Mary, most appreciated. Mr. DeLancie and I need a few minutes to confer to to ourselves, but please tell Mr. Stonks' we're impressed by what we've seen. Afterwards, we'll send a letter of recommendation to our parent company, and hopefully we'll return to start an account!" Jed waits for Mary to take her leave (or Jed and Julian go behind a corner) and talks. "Well, we saw it. Now to let the others know of our observations, then figure a way of 'purchase'". Hopefully Jed is doing the sneaky-talk properly.
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Feb 4, 2013 05:25
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Inside Group While Mary is more than happy to answer any questions you may have, she doesn't seem like she's about to leave two strange men, potential customers they may be, unsupervised. Outside Group Slagg: You're handed a face mask and some googles and herded into a nearby warehouse. Make's sense as this place is filled near to bursting with coal. All the shovels inside are in the hands of Trollkin. Looks like they load up wheelbarrows, push 'em to the back near the big double doors, and then they get hauled around the docks for local delivery. Jeff: Corvis is a few hundred miles inland, on a huge river called the Dragon's Tongue. Asking around you get a tip about a couple of guys who charter their boat for the odd... "fishing trip" at all sorts of hours. For a price of course. Annalise: You find a few likely candidates dicing in the corner of a grog house called The Fixed Scale. "We only got seats for friends girl," says a weathered looking gent as two dice tumble over a crude pass line carved into the table. "Are you a friend of ours?" If you're willing to place a bet they'll talk to you as long as the dice are rolling. The point is currently 9.
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Feb 5, 2013 04:19
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Slagg Stonefist Well this wasn't really what he was expecting to do today, but at the moment Slagg gets to shoveling. He does keep an eye out for a chance to slip out without notice, though it is beginning to look like he might be in for the long haul.
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Feb 5, 2013 05:52
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Julian di Lioni "We've seen it all right, this trip certainly wasn't in vain. We should go back and send word to the company that we've found the perfect place." He smiles and bows to Mary. "I'm sure our generous hosts have much to do today, we shouldn't outstay our welcome." As they walk out, Julian drafts a mental map of the warehouse, so that they might plan a proper attack once they get out.
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Feb 5, 2013 11:02
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 11:38 |
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Annalise Ardenne With how their luck has been her purse is pretty light, but it's hard to get something for free. Besides, if they can cinch this mission and get their charter signed it'll be worth the investment. At least, that's the justification she gives herself - the truth is that Annalise has a soft spot for dice and cards, no matter how many times she's ended up with nothing more than a hangover and a bad debt. Counting that they'll be happy for a chance at her money, she kicks out a chair to sit down. "Sure can be. Pretty sure we have a good friends in common here to help with the introductions." She reaches into her coat and brings out some coins, settling a small stack in front of her. Are they playing craps? I only understand the basics of it. Annalise has experience gambling from her time in the company, but she has never gotten the knack of it and tends to lose (hence no skills in it). She'll try to stay on task this time and play only what is needed to get some information. She doesn't have a lot of cash to work with, so hopefully the game isn't too rich.
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Feb 5, 2013 18:53
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