Malvoisin's War of the Burning Sky - IC Thread

"That," Aridha notes, "is what I was getting at, yes. Since there was no shout or sound of combat, I think we can assume it's safe."

She stands up with an air of slightly wounded dignity...perhaps a bit embarrassed to have been wasting time and effort on a goose chase...and crosses the bridge again, to descend the rope and go to the alley door. She does wait there though for Xander, just in case.

As soon as Aridha descends the rope, Xander unties it, coils it neatly, and replaces it into his pack. Then, he takes a deep breath and again calls his powers into play, running back down the side of the building to join his companion near the alley door.

Adjusting his point of view to see for just a moment what is happening in the alley, Taren sees Torrent opening the door. Recognizing her, he leaves his hiding hole and moves swiftly but stealthily across the road to the alley joining Aridha and the others.

Ari descends the rope without difficulty, and Xander joins her in the alley moments later, his run down the side of the building just as amazing as his ascent.

The pair look at each other, pondering the door...

...when Taren joins them, emerging from the shadows.

edit: Added in Taren's appearance.

Coldan takes his glass and rises it slightly in a toast before downing it. "I'm sure the others will appear shortly."

At the sight of the newcomer, Aridha jumps, one hand going to the carved horn hilt of her dagger. "Who are you?" she hisses. "Why are you here?"

Xander stands calmly by, as if used to sudden and unexpected surprises. He simply eyes the newcomer with his cold, grey eyes.

Taren gives Aridha and Xander a cold stare, "I said hi a minute ago. Seeing that sign I continued walking on by not wanting to get caught in the open. Having spotted our contact though, shall we..." He says grabbing the door knob and opening the door. "Before someone sees us perhaps." he quips as he enters.

"Ah, Torrent--it is not that I expect an ambush from you, but the meeting conditions seem...well...less than ideal, given the circumstances of the pub. One must be prepared for any eventuality--in the worst case, we will need to defend you in the event of an attack before you can release the details of our mission, and that could jeopardise the safety of Gate Pass and the cause of the Resistance."

*Cassandra checks all those rooms that are on the map, noting their size, layout, and potential for hiding. She pays careful attention to all the doors with locks (like presumably the top floor door leading out.*

Inside the Poison Apple Pub

Since Torrent wants to wait before announcing the reason for the meeting, Cassandra takes the opportunity to look around the pub. On the main floor, she notes that the door behind the bar (presumably leading to the kitchen) is locked, while another door is currently inaccessible, due to the fact that many tables and chairs are piled in front of it. Cassandra pokes her head into the closet under the stairs, but finds nothing of interest there.

Heading upstairs, Cassandra takes note of four similar guest rooms, and one master bedroom. None seem remarkable, but she does observe that there is a trap door, with a fold-down wooden ladder, leading to the roof in the master bedroom. A quick test reveals that, yes, the trapdoor is locked.

The inn does seem to be empty, just as Torrent indicated.

In the common room, Torrent and Coldan hear the clatter of someone trying to open the locked alley door. "Ah, perhaps the others are here. Don't they teach recruits how to knock these days?" she mutters as she moves to open the door.

In the Alley

Taren, after allaying Ari's sudden start, grabs ahold of the alley door, and, attempting to open it, finds it to be locked. Before anyone can react to this frustrating development, the sound of the door being unlocked from within reaches the group's ears. A white-haired woman pokes her head out, then opens the door wide enough for everyone to come inside. "The name's Torrent. Get in here before you're seen." Ari, Xander, and Taren all follow Torrent into the Poison Apple's common room. Just as Torrent is about to close the alley door once more, a gruff voice whispers, "Wait!" A massive half-orc bearing the trappings of a priest of Telchur barges in after the others. "Not without me..." The half-orc grabs a mug of beer, then stands glowering in a corner.

The Common Room

As Cassandra comes back down the stairs, Torrent gives a smirk, sizing up the six adventurers before her. "A mission of such importance, entrusted into the hands of a half dozen scallywags and misfits. Troubled times, indeed." Torrent tosses back another swallow of beer, as the sound of bells ringing in the new year begins to faintly carry in from the streets outside.

I'll pause here before getting into the discussion of the mission, just for some role-playing opportunities, introductions, etc. I threw Markus into the mix, just so Torrent won't have to answer the door a third time. Hopefully, Verbatim joins us this weekend.

edit: added a pic of Torrent