Malvoisin's War of the Burning Sky - IC Thread

stonegod said:

Coldan raises and eyebrow at Cassandra. "And you are, ma'am?" He directs at the insistent woman, hopefully long enough for his 'partner' to determine if she is good or ill.

OOC: I'll throw in a Sense Motive, not that he's any good at it.

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"Drakus Coaltongue, who do you think?" says the woman in an exaggerated, sarcastic tone. "I'm Torrent, obviously, the reason you're skulking around a closed pub in the middle of the night? Now if you don't want to end up like poor Finner, I suggest you get off the street!"

(Sense Motive: She seems genuine. Also, don't forget that your higher ups in the Resistance did say you were to meet a contact named Torrent here.)

(OOC: Cassandra throws in another Sense Motive)

*Cassandra throws a quick quiet but hearty laugh.*

"Good thing I didn't take you up on that bet, friend..."

'Or is it? It is conceivable that they would know the name of the contact, and the way she appeared after touching the door seems like my Alarm theory could be correct. Even if she actually is genuine, my danger sense tells me that something here is off. We'll have a fight on our hands eventually, and the two on the roof will be the aces up our sleeves.'

"Torrent, ma'am. Cassandra Priades and partner reporting for duty. I thought maybe I saw a third skulking in the shadows, but if I wasn't just imagining it, maybe he or she will present themself eventually. But it is dangerous to tarry--shall we speak inside?"

*Cassandra hopes the others on the roof are able to get in discreetly--if they can't get past the lock, that would be highly troublesome, but otherwise, any ambush by their enemies could be met by an ambush of their own. She wished fervently that she hadn't just been conscripted to play the bait, but too late now.*

Xander nudges Ari gently, anxious to get inside the building. "So, how 'bout it? Can you open that thing?"

(OOC...do we hear or see what's happening below? )

Aridha gently tugs free a small leather sack from her belt pouch...one of the very few things in her possession she'd had to buy from the city, albeit not from a 'legitimate merchant.' A couple of tiny brass hooks, and something that looked like a zigzagged bit of wire came out of the pouch.

Even as she started working, she said to her rooftop companion in a low voice, "We were invited. Do you think it likely we would have to break in if we were invited?"

(OL check +9...not taking 10 or 20 for now)

Marsh shrugs at Ari's question. He had just met these folk, most of them anyway. And he had no reason to trust them. Or trust that this wasn't some sort of set-up, with an ambush waiting for them below.

"I couldn't say. But the locked door and odd proclamation strike me as a bit out of the ordinary. Better safe than sorry. Plus, when a legion of troops comes marching down the street to surround us, we'll be thankful of having an escape route."

"There was another door that wasn't boarded over," Ari points out. "I never checked to see if it was locked."

Seeing no objection from Cassandra, Coldan makes his way in, his eyes ever alert. He would not say anything about the others... yet. But it did not sit right with him, not at all.

*Cassandra follows Coldan inside, wary for an ambush, from either Torrent or an outside agent, assuming Torrent was legit. As she moves inside, she analyses every possible spot in the building that could be used for a tactical advantage by an ambusher...or an ambushee.*

On The Roof

Xander and Ari continue to hear voices drift up from the alley below, but are unable to tell exactly who they belong to.

Ari turns her attention to the padlock on the trap door, using her assortment of tools to try and pick it. (Open Lock Check: 15+9=24). She fiddles with the tumblers within for a few moments, but sighs in frustration when the lock doesn't spring open; it seems to be a fairly high quality lock.

From below, the voices from the alley fade to inaudibility as the speakers seem to have gone inside the pub.

~~~
In The Alley

Rystil Arden said:

(OOC: Cassandra throws in another Sense Motive)

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(Sense Motive Check) Like Coldan, Cassandra cannot find any reason to doubt that Torrent is who she says she is.

Rystil Arden said:

"Torrent, ma'am. Cassandra Priades and partner reporting for duty. I thought maybe I saw a third skulking in the shadows, but if I wasn't just imagining it, maybe he or she will present themself eventually. But it is dangerous to tarry--shall we speak inside?"

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"Shall we speak inside?! Yes, of course! that's what I've been trying to tell you!" Torrent whispers forcefully. "Follow me."

Torrent leads the wary Coldan and Cassandra into the common room of The Poison Apple. The darkened pub is mostly empty now, its many tables and chairs pushed to one wall and covered with sheets. Torrent gestures casually toward a single table which sits in the center of the room, with several chairs around it. A small oil lamp and beer keg sit on top of it, along with several mugs. Once the three are inside, Torrent closes and locks the alley door once again.

At the back corner of the common room beside the bar, a staircase leads upstairs. The windows and door facing onto the street are closed, boarded up from the outside. On the wall behind the bar hangs a bronze bust of the former emperor of Ragesia, Drakus Coaltongue...a regal, aged half-orc with a scar cutting diagonally across his face.

In the faint lantern glow, Coldan and Cassandra get a better view of Torrent. She is tall and strong, with the confident air of a warrior. She is quite distinctive looking, with tanned skin, and short white hair. Under a dark winter coat she wears a breastplate decorated with blue wave-like etchings, and a holy symbol to an obscure sea god is tied to her wrist with a leather cord. Her demeanor is smooth but forceful, like an ocean wave.

"Well, have a drink," Torrent offers invitingly as she pours herself a mug of beer. "Why should iminent war, death, and destruction dampen the celebration of the New Year, right?" She offers a grim smile. "I want to wait a few minutes before we get down to brass tacks, anyway. I was told they were sending a 'team' and the last time I checked, a 'team' meant more than 'two'." Seeing the cautious expressions on the faces of Coldan and Cassandra, Torrent offers, "Have a look around if it will make you feel better. There's no one else here."

Xander frowns again as he hears Ari's sigh. Figuring that the lock is beyond her skill, he briefly considers what options to take. "Well, it seems as though our companions have gone inside. If we can't get in this way quietly, perhaps we should follow their lead?"