Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Rocket your D&D 5E and Level Up: Advanced 5E games into space! Alpha Star Magazine Is Launching... Right Now!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="barsoomcore" data-source="post: 4024108" data-attributes="member: 812">Frying Pan, Fire: 11"Sorry, ma'am. Only those on del Maraviez business. Move along."Elena growled."But we ARE on del Maraviez business. We were here just earlier, with Isabella del Maraviez. We need to see somebody.""I'm sorry. I can take your name and see if anyone will meet with you.""Marques knows us. Ask him.""I'll be happy to send him a message with our next courier to Pavairelle, ma'am."Etienne scoffed."Yeah, that'll take weeks. The Nevakada are after us right now.""I'm sorry to hear that, sir. Please, move along."Defeated by the guard's unflappable demeanour, the uneasy group moved along. Since Isabella's murder at the Furnace Club (and the deaths of the Kishak assassins responsible), they'd come straight back to the del Maraviez offices to see what their next steps should be.Only nobody seemed to know who they were. Or care. Obviously Isabella hadn't told anyone to look out for a crew of weather-beaten mercenary-looking trouble-makers. Nevid spoke up."Well, let's head back to our hotel and make some plans there."*****"Sorry, ma'am. Your group has been checked out. We no longer have any rooms for you.""But. What? We didn't check out. We're. We haven't even stayed one night yet.""I'm very sorry ma'am. The reservation has been cancelled. Perhaps I can recommend another establishment?"Elena turned back to her friends in disbelief."They've cut us off. They've cut us off."She grabbed Nevid and slammed him against a pillar. Hotel guests passing through the lobby pretended not to notice."What is going on, Nevid? What's happening?"For once the Saijadani youth seemed shaken and uncertain."I don't know. It doesn't make any sense."Isaac took Elena's arm and the woman calmed down. She checked her purse."Unless somebody here's been holding out, I think our lifestyle just got a little less fancy.""What are we going to do? If the Nevakada are after us, and the del Maraviez aren't going to protect us, then..."Etienne shrugged at Arrafin's question. He spoke as they all moved outside into the evening darkness. The street rumbled around them, full of activity."They didn't do such a great job of protecting Isabella, now did they? I say we turn this game around and track down the Nevakada sources ourselves. Somebody brought those assassins into town and pointed them at Isabella. Let's find that somebody and get some answers."Isaac nodded."That sounds like a good plan. There's a much cheaper hotel down at the bottom of this hill, the Bayview. We can stay there at least tonight. Tomorrow let's start asking around and see who might have been able to bring those Kishaks into town. What is it, Arrafin?""I want to talk to the Blood Council. I've got some questions for them.""Great idea. Great."*****"Terrible idea. Terrible."Isaac shook his head as Arrafin pounded on the door of the Blood Council Sanctuary. The others stayed behind at the hotel, where they nearly disappeared in the crush of drunken soldiers. Evidently the Bayview was housing an entire mercenary company, all of whom seemed determined to consume the establishment's entire supply of liquor.Both Elena and Zuleika had seemed happy enough to join the celebration. For a second Isaac wondered if something had happened between Zuleika and Etienne, but he looked up as the door finally opened.A dark-eyed girl in a crimson robe stared out dispassionately at them. Arrafin drew herself up."I am Arrafin al-""Yes. High Blood Sister Torokan will see you. Come in.""Oh."Inside, the Sanctuary looked exactly like the one in Pavairelle; wide gravel yards separating low buildings half-hidden behind hedges and groves. The sounds of the city seemed to recede, and only the quiet drip and burble of water disturbed the tranquility of the setting.The girl led them across the courtyard to the largest of the buildings. Inside a bare room, kneeling on the floor, they found Kimiko Torokan, looking as severe and formal as ever. She nodded.Excited, Arrafin scrambled forward, rummaging in her notes."Blood Sister. I need you to explain something. Look. Our friend, Nevid? He's got, in his head, a part of, of a soul."One eyebrow rose."The soul of the Blood Mother. It was destroyed, right? Bits of it all over the world. Shang destroyed it, we know. She told us. Madame Yuek. But what does it mean? What's the purpose of the Blood Mother and why would Shang be trying to get her soul back?"Torokan looked over at Isaac, studied him briefly, then returned her gaze to Arrafin."Shang didn't destroy the Blood Mother, Arrafin. That was the Demon Goddess.""What? But she said--""Arrafin. She is a monster. She is evil. She destroyed the Blood Mother in a cataclysm so horrifying that a million people died in a heartbeat, in such agonizing pain that their souls were torn from their bodies and still now, even today, hover over the site of their torture and blight the landscape for leagues around. A million people, Arrafin. Extinguished. Like nothing.""But--""She exists to kill and to terrify. If she is acting kindly towards you now, it is only so that her betrayal of you will be all the more savage when it happens."Tsing Kwan was not the first Blood Mother she killed, you know. She hates us. She always has."To Isaac's astonishment, the Blood Sister was breathing heavily, her teeth gritted. She struggled with intense emotion."I have warned you. Do not trust her."Isaac watched as the two women stared at each other. Arrafin, normally so diffident and reserved, returned Torokan's angry gaze steadily and with the same intensity as the Blood Sister. The Naridic girl spoke quietly."Would it be good to restore the Blood Mother's soul, if it is possible?""It is not.""If it is, should we do it?"They stared some more. Arrafin reached into her bag, without looking down, and heaved the mammoth volume she'd been studying from onto the floor between them."You gave this to me. You started this."Her voice rose, angry and tense."You didn't tell me what it would do to me. You didn't care. So tell me this: should we try to restore the soul of the Blood Mother?"The Blood Sister relented."Yes. If you can. Barsoom needs her. Now, more than ever."Isaac leaned forward. When Torokan turned to him, he narrowed his eyes."What do you do? What's the point of you ladies?""We slay gods. That is the purpose of the Blood Council. We identify and destroy those who attain godhood. There must be no gods on Barsoom. Religion consumes and enslaves.""Always?"Her composure back, Torokan drove Isaac back with a glare."Always. No being that desires worship can be allowed to exist. No being that seeks dominion over the will of others can be tolerated."Barsoom is a more fragile place than you know. A power like the Demon Goddess threatens the existence of all mankind.""You're wrong about her. You'll see. She isn't evil.""It doesn't matter, Arrafin. She possesses power no mortal may possess. We will destroy her, eventually. There can be no truce, no stalemate. Only survival or destruction."Isaac shrugged."You ladies must be lots of fun to party with."*****Elena howled with laughter as Zuleika made her unsteady way up the stairs, leaning drunkenly against the Saijadani soldier who'd first caught her eye earlier in the evening. The laughing woman nearly fell off her bench, and only the steadying hand of the burly, mustachioed fellow beside her prevented a sudden disaster."Whoa, there, senorita. Your friend seems to have left you alone."Elena grinned full-bore into the man's eyes. She noticed he was pretty handsome. She recalled that she was very drunk, and that maybe her judgement as to handsomeness wasn't to be trusted.As she was recalling that, she found herself kissing the man with abandon, still laughing as their lips pressed together.Etienne sat with Nevid and Kaley, avoiding the crush of revelry elsewhere in the tavern. He watched Zuleika leaving, moodily scowling into his drink. Nevid looked back and forth between his surly drinking companion and the Naridic woman making her unsteady way up the stairs, but said nothing. Kaley just stared at Nevid.All three looked up as a serious young woman sat down at their table. Her blonde hair pulled back tight gave an angry cast to her broad features, and her rough-tanned leather cloak told of a lower-class background. Or at least, mused Etienne, the appearance of one."Where is your companion, Dominic?"Nevid recalled that Isaac was supposed to be using that name these days."He's not around. Why?""Tell him the del Maraviez may have had ulterior motives in keeping him under cover. Tell him to look this over and see what he thinks."She pulled an envelope, straining with a thick sheaf of paper, from her purse and dropped it on the table."Don't follow me."They watched her leave. Nevid pulled the papers free and squinted at the careful writing within.[CODE][center]IN THEGRAND COUNCIL COURT OF APPEALSFOR THE CUSTOMS HOUSECourt of Appeals Nos. 57-35220; 57- 35221____________________________________________[/center]RODRIG & ISABELLA DEL MARAVIEZ, in their official capacities asOFFICERS OF THE DEL MARAVIEZ FAMILIAAppellees,v.THE GRAND DUCHY OF PETRAHEGNA,THE COURT OF PETRAHEGNA, andAUGUSTIN DEL OROFIN, in his official capacity asSURINTENDANT OF THE CUSTOMS HOUSE Appellants._________________________________________________On Appeal from the The Court of Petrahegna[/CODE]Nevid read further. He looked over at Etienne, confused."I think somebody's trying to swindle Isaac. Only, I don't know if it's the del Maraviez or the del Orofin.""Or whoever brought us that document.""Yeah."</blockquote>

Verification