Metropolis - The Weight of the World (and Found Wanting)

[Phoenix]

Wary, Ymris makes her way through the crowd toward the guarded road and the shops. The armed men give her pause but then, after three days of searching unsuccessfully for the Apartments she hardly cares whether they are local law or something else entirely. As long as they take little interest in her, that is.

A hiss from Thom catches her attention and as the cat darts between her feet she turns to see a boy withdrawing a scratched hand oozing blood from Thom's direction. She locks eyes with the boy until he turns away.

Continuing on Ymris heads for the jewelry shop.

The guards stared at Ymris as she approached, but obviously decided she was a viable customer at some point as she walked past them into the small shop. Iron cases set into the walls like vaults displayed dozens of pieces of jewelry to the small clintelle that wandered the store in their clean, unripped clothes.

An elven woman sauntered across to Ymris, looking a little in distain at the moggy that had trampled mud into the shop, before giving a forced smile. "Good day good lady, and how may I assist you today?"

 

[Phoenix]

Fixing his hard green eyes upon him, Azot studied him for a minute before glancing down at his wares.

"Has the sewer given you the wares easily of late, or do they seek to keep you away? Answer me true and I shall take something from your stand, tell me false and you gain nothing."

[sblock=OOC] You guessed it, due to his paranoid nature among the Upper Worlders another Sense Motive. Maybe one day he will learn to trust more, but until then...[/sblock]

[sblock]Sense Motive check (DC hidden) +10 - Success?[/sblock]

The old man stared at Azot strangely for a moment before straightening his wares quickly and clearing his throat. "My mistriss gives me tha' wha' I need ta survive good sur, she is as much below us as around and abuv us, such is tha' City." With a cheeky grin he added, "But she coul' always drop me a silva or two y'know..."

 

[Phoenix]

"Indeed we do" replies Alexi, his eyes scanning for any kind of suitable craft to ferry them across.

"Where's the nearest bridge? Or is there one?"

Alexi looks about for a shop providing ferrying services or a longshoreman to speak with.

Dragon pointed downstream, "You two head down there, we'll check upstream. If you get into any trouble, get out into the open and call for us, we'll skewer or trample them, got it?" Without waiting for a reply he urged his steed upstream, Boar following moments after him.

Whale chuckled a little, "C'mon, les' see what we got down 'ere then."

There were hundreds of people packed by the river, it seemed that most of the water purifiers worked along the riverside, creating a massive glut of residences that desperately needed the fresh water for their businesses, but not a single boat could be seen capable of carrying both knights and their horses.

In the crowd a hooded woman dressed in rags approached the two knights, she had been the only peasant for weeks that hadn't immediately shied away from the great beasts and their steel masters. Her face was lovely, and yet hauntingly familiar. Mid-thirties, tired, but she held herself with a measure of respect, like she possessed a determination and presence even the Old Kings would pay a ransom to possess. With strong blue eyes she stared up at Alexi from beside his steel boot, her honied voice sunk deep into his heart.

"Good knight, may I be of assistance? My name is Stephanie..."

 

[GlassEye]

The guards stared at Ymris as she approached, but obviously decided she was a viable customer at some point as she walked past them into the small shop. Iron cases set into the walls like vaults displayed dozens of pieces of jewelry to the small clintelle that wandered the store in their clean, unripped clothes.

An elven woman sauntered across to Ymris, looking a little in distain at the moggy that had trampled mud into the shop, before giving a forced smile. "Good day good lady, and how may I assist you today?"

Ymris smoothes back stray wisps of hair before focusing her attention on the elven woman and reflecting the woman's false smile. "I need this repaired," she says as she, with a bit of effort, tugs her cloakpin free and hands the bent piece to the woman. Draping her now unpinned cloak over one arm Ymris glances at the wares displayed nearest her. "I have been travelling for some time now and this is the first place I have come to that even approaches being a civilized suburb. Who rules in this place?"

 

[Bront]

[sblock]Sense Motive (DC hidden) +22 - Success?[/sblock]

There was a cunning to Riki, there always was, he knew something alright, but how much was impossible to know, perhaps he just knew the right questions to ask the right people. Either way, Riki obviously wasn't going to give this one up without some, negotiation.

"I have a business proposal for you Jasmine, and your payment will include everything that I can find out about our old friends, as well as any assitance you might need against them. You see, I have a contact that has discovered an item of some value just sitting around in an old building, and he wants it."

Riki stood, straitened himself, and walked slowly around the table, and Jasmine, like a tiger circling his prey. "I asked a few questions about this item, and it seems that it's an old church relic, the Obsidean Sceptre of Thrall, I don't expect you to have heard of it though."

"Now, if you can get this for me, perhaps you will be in the commanding position of bending me to your will, something that I always enjoy..."

Jasmine smiles demurly at the last comment, "You always were one for such... enjoyment."

She had always enjoyed it when they toyed with eachother, particularly because it threw onlookers off. Let them guess at what realy went on between the two. And besides, there was always a small thrill in getting men worked up.

"Just laying in a building you say? Sounds rather suspicous I must say, but it seems you have some information I require, though it seems me knowing it can only be of an advantage to you. I expect some coin to be there as well." She paused, to let that last part sink in, lest Riki try to forget.

"So, what do you know of this relic and it's location?"

 

[Komodo]

"Yeah, we're supposed to meet up with a group of Leaguers called the Ancients. They called us in to act as guards for some dig site or somthin'. Ever since we got in this god-forsaken suburb we've had nothing but trouble from the creatures around here, we've lost two men to enourmous spiders and now another to this strange fish."

"The camp isn't far from here, but it'll take us longer to get there now, and with Gren down we'll be out in the open for longer." He shook his head slowly, rubbing his eyes with finger and thumb. "It a large tower we're looking for, used to be owned by some wizard or another, I don't suppose you know the way?"

Corbin frowned upon hearing about the soldiers' poor experiences in the Outskirts. He had never seen anything dangerous in the weeks that he'd been here, and was not pleased by the thought of more similar appearances. "A tower?" Corbin replied. "Hmm...I may know the way."

[sblock=OOC]Knowledge (Local) check at +6[/sblock]

 

[Fenris]

In the crowd a hooded woman dressed in rags approached the two knights, she had been the only peasant for weeks that hadn't immediately shied away from the great beasts and their steel masters. Her face was lovely, and yet hauntingly familiar. Mid-thirties, tired, but she held herself with a measure of respect, like she possessed a determination and presence even the Old Kings would pay a ransom to possess. With strong blue eyes she stared up at Alexi from beside his steel boot, her honied voice sunk deep into his heart.

"Good knight, may I be of assistance? My name is Stephanie..."

Alexi was taken aback at this woman, partly becasue so few would dare address themselves to him from this crowd, but also the woman herself. Aside from her class, something resonated with her, perhaps it was the striking blue eyes, so like the ones back home, or it was the silent strength that lay behind them. Alexi found himself staring at the woman, passed the point of politeness, less than a stare and more than a gaze.

Alexi shooks his head, clearing it of the power of the woman's piercing gaze.

"Yes, Yes Stephanie, we are in need of a manner in which to cross this river. Do you know of a bridge nearby or better yet, a barge of ferry by which to cross?" replies Alexi.

 

[Phoenix]

Ymris smoothes back stray wisps of hair before focusing her attention on the elven woman and reflecting the woman's false smile. "I need this repaired," she says as she, with a bit of effort, tugs her cloakpin free and hands the bent piece to the woman. Draping her now unpinned cloak over one arm Ymris glances at the wares displayed nearest her. "I have been travelling for some time now and this is the first place I have come to that even approaches being a civilized suburb. Who rules in this place?"

The woman smiled a little more generously at the sight of a paying customer and carefully allowed Ymris to place her pin within a piece of silk that she delicately drew from her dress. Stepping behind a counter the elf drew forth delicate tools and began the operation with caring hands.

"It's hardly ruling ma'am, simply a place of business like any other. Senor Draconis owns these three shops, as well as several dozen families that live in the square outside. He has a small trade network that stretches through neighbouring suburbs, a man of wealth and style you may say."

After a few more moments the elf had corrected the pin and carefully replaced it upon Ymris' cloak, even fittinig the garment for her so it draped correctly over her form. "Now that comes to eight copper commons today ma'am, is there anything else I can intrest you with during your visit?"

 

[Phoenix]

"Just laying in a building you say? Sounds rather suspicous I must say, but it seems you have some information I require, though it seems me knowing it can only be of an advantage to you. I expect some coin to be there as well." She paused, to let that last part sink in, lest Riki try to forget.

"So, what do you know of this relic and it's location?"

Riki smiled with a mix of innocent joy and criminal evil that only he could pull off, "It's located in the old Spyre of Zsath, the old cathedral a couple of suburbs over. After all the priests left few had the nerve to move in, though admittadly some people whisper that their undead servants still walk the halls, but that's a minor point."

"If you can get this Sceptre out, it'll be worth it's weight in silver no doubt, and I'm sure that we could negotiate it's real price then..."

 

[Phoenix]

Corbin frowned upon hearing about the soldiers' poor experiences in the Outskirts. He had never seen anything dangerous in the weeks that he'd been here, and was not pleased by the thought of more similar appearances. "A tower?" Corbin replied. "Hmm...I may know the way."

[sblock=OOC]Knowledge (Local) check at +6[/sblock]

[sblock]Knowledge (local - DC 12) +36 - Critical Success[/sblock]

The wizard's tower wasn't far from here, Corbin knew that, he'd passed it several times in the last few weeks but hadn't seen any signs of habitation there, perhaps the League had only just got there themselves. Either way, it was a short and easy trip, he could even think of a way to bypass lower ground and that damn landshark.

Following Corbin, the soldiers slowly picked their way through the ruins and rubble that constituted this suburb. The sun blazed down upon them, but each of them shivered like it was a cold, wet, winter's day, and carrying their companion did not improve their moods either.

Occassionally one of the soldiers would shout, asking directions as if something louder would prevent Corbin from hearing them, but the clear, still day just made them sound...strange.

After the better part of five hours, Corbin opened an old barn door to reveal a large common. Rising into the beautiful blue sky a great tower, some ten floors tall, tentatively held its construction against the wear of time.