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Demons in the Mist (October 9th update)
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<blockquote data-quote="Desdichado" data-source="post: 4889077" data-attributes="member: 2205"><p style="text-align: center"><img src="http://www.ventsombre.net/inc/images/portraits/hu/po_hu_f_NWN_02_l.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p>Mademoiselle Castellana di Vicenta welcomed the crew of misfit smugglers and thieves into her boudoir. She smiled as they were shown in by a burly young lady, although not an unlovely one, who looked to have a fair bit of orc ancestry in her veins.</p><p></p><p>"My lady di Vicenta, I present to you the contractors you asked to see." The half-orc introduced them each by name, and the Lady inclined her head slightly as they are introduced, smiling politely. When her orcish seneschal was done presenting all of them, the lady smiled at her, too, and dismissed her, leaving them alone together. Her boudoir was ornate and covered with filligreed mahogany and gilt and marble. Heavy velvet curtains hung from the high ceiling every ten feet or so, and one of them was open to reveal the setting sun, shining like a blazing lighthouse beacon through the thick glass. The Lady seated herself on a finely made leather daybed in the center of the room, her legs tucked up comfortably under her, and her silk skirts spread out around them like a fan. In her hands she had a number of parchments and scrolls which she set aside to beckon the contractors to sit in smaller chairs in front of her.</p><p></p><p>"I'm so glad that you've come. I've heard a bit about the exploits of each of you, you know. Making a bit of a name for yourselves across the tablelands." She laughed softly. "And I do so love to employ an up and coming <em>cause célèbre</em>. But I don't know if each of you knows the other. I'm sure you'll become great friends over the next few weeks. I sincerely hope that you do."</p><p></p><p>As a matter of fact, most of the group did know each other, at least by reputation. Lash and Ricardo had worked together many times before, and were friends from---well, maybe not exactly childhood, but certainly since they were both impressionable youths. Lash was the hobgoblin con artist. Some people said that underneath it all he had a heart of gold. Those who knew him better knew that he had no heart at all, merely a vacant spot in his chest that <em>lusted</em> after gold. Ricardo was a handsome young human. Too handsome, really. He was a magnet for trouble. He didn't care much about gold, but ladies fell to his charms much too often for his own good. Although he and Lash had known each other for years, and stuck together through thick and thin, they often caused each other a great deal of grief; Lash's elaborate plans for a get-rich scheme falling through when Ricardo tumbled the <em>wrong</em> noble's daughter. It wasn't clear if their relationship was a friendship; they were more like and old, shrewish married couple who argued with each other constantly, and yet were almost always seen together.</p><p></p><p>They both also knew Scritch, the secretive rat-clan shifter. He had been imprisoned with Ricardo and Shautha by the unscrupulous Baron von Herzograf, and the three of them managed to effect a daring escape together. He also came across Ricardo while trying to steal the Boyarinka of Vladistok's birthday present... to find the Boyarinka occupied in the bed with Ricardo. Awkward. And on that terrible night, just a week ago, when Lash's latest scheme to cheat the elder Kirov brother out of an airship through a loaded dice game went very badly; Kirov ended up dead, and the three of them in hiding for several nights in the crawlspace under Kirov's Razine mansion.</p><p></p><p>Shautha was a burly half-orc lass. She wasn't the brightest knife in the drawer and she had an unfortunate tendency to think that she was sexy and attractive. She was not. At all. Men quailled in fear from her advances, but she didn't notice, and came on to them all the time anyway. At least she was persistent in her lack of success. As well as being locked in the (dark; he never got a good look at her) dungeons with Ricardo, she also knew Vuukran, the hobgoblin ex-soldier, having seen him fight on numerous occasions, including when he lost his youthful idealism and deserted from Xoth-Sarnath's Red Legion. For Vuukran's part, he seemed uncomfortable around Shautha and tried to avoid looking into her eyes.</p><p></p><p>"I have need of you all," Mme. de Vincenta continued. "A matter of some discretion. I have in my possession a cargo. Of lace, as it turns out, but very fine lace, made with Mistwool, from sheep growing under the Mistline, and harvested by our allies in Samyassa's court. Extremely fine material, and enchanting designs too, if I don't say so myself. And… very profitable at the moment. It has become extremely faddish for the nobility of many kingdoms to wear them, and I need to get them into the market as soon as possible to maximize my profits in the matter."</p><p></p><p>"Normally, I wouldn't approach such doughty travelers as yourselves to safeguard a ship full of <em>lace</em>, but I'm afraid that I have made some enemies in my mercantile pursuits over the years, and I believe that some of my rivals may well try to hijack this shipment, knowing that enough of my fortune is wrapped up in this venture to set me back considerably and reduce my influence for some time. Therefore, my interest in approaching your fine and upstanding company. I need this shipload delivered to Zin, where my brokers can send it to all the various markets where it will be sold. Upon safe delivery, you will be well-paid by my brother Gaspar who handles that end of the business. Can I, then, count on you for this? I do believe there may be more work of an equally profitable nature awaiting you in Zin should you find this assignment to your liking." </p><p></p><p>Lash stood, sketched a rough bow and said, "I am honored the Lady would consider me for this task. I will gladly accept and offer whatever service I can, provided your definition of well paid meets mine."</p><p></p><p>Shautha's eyes lit up at the mention of what kind of cargo it is. "And what would the payment be, Lady?" she asked roughly. </p><p></p><p>"I see that you cut straight to the chase," the lady answered. "I admire that. I truly do. As I said, this shipment represents a significant expenditure of my capital for this season, so it is imperative that I get it to Zin as quickly and as safely as possible. For that kind of service, I expect to pay very well indeed; six thousand gold crowns to do the job, payable on delivery. </p><p></p><p>A greedy light flashed in Lash's eyes. The rest of the group merely boggled at the stupendous amount of gold being offered.</p><p></p><p>"With any luck, you'll be in Zin in no more than a week's time. You can hardly get a better wage than that anywhere else in the Tablelands." The mademoiselle poured herself a small glass of wine and offered the bottle to the contractors. </p><p></p><p>Ricardo took the bottle with a smile and a charming grin. "My lady, I assure you that I, at least, will value a cargo of fashionable lace no less than I would gold ingots. I am pleased to accept your offer and flattered to have come to your... attention." He set about pouring drinks for his friends, while glancing suggestively at their new patron. </p><p></p><p>Scritch stood silent amidst the group, nervously trying not to touch anything too terribly valuable. <em>So many glittering things, she has!</em> The shifter gladly took a glass of wine from Ricardo and gulped it down almost too quickly. </p><p></p><p>"Have no fear, milady; should your rivals intercept us, they will certainly sense lace violence." Vuukran looked around the room a few times, before adding a dejected "...What?"</p><p></p><p>Shautha smiled at Ricardo in what she hoped was a charming manner and then accepted the glass gingerly, terrified she might break it or spill some of the wine. She smirked at Vuukran's comment, making her fears almost come to fruition as she bobbled the glass slightly. </p><p></p><p>Mme. de Vicenta smiled up at Ricardo, a small flush covering her cheeks. "Oh, Ricardo! You are such a gentleman." She tapped her chin thoughtfully with a rolled parchment, looking at him with narrowed eyes. "Perhaps I can arrange to meet you in Zin even. Gaspar is a clever fellow, but I hear he's too besotted with certain ladies of the... er... oldest profession to give this shipment the attention it needs when it arrives."</p><p></p><p>As she watched the exchange, Shautha's expression shifted rapidly between envy, admiration, and awe. This is how the professionals did it.</p><p></p><p>While everyone else seems focused on the lady and her conversation, Scritch purposefully removed himself from it to a certain extent. Talking with people of class always made him nervous. Perhaps that is enough to explain why he was apparently the only one who heard a muffled bump and whispered curse from behind a velvet curtain. His eyes narrowed as he tilted his head slightly, looking at the curtains. Without pausing, the rodentish shifter slipped towards the sound, drawing the curtains aside as he also drew his kukri. As he moved he captured everyone's attention, and the chatting came to an abrupt stop.</p><p></p><p>Behind the curtain, looking up suddenly with a very guilty expression on his face, was Vladimir Kirov, the younger of the Kirov brothers, a rather unsavory character to say the least. In his hand a very expensive gold, jade and porcelain vase, and next to him was a narrow podium which was rocking slightly... it's clear that he accidentally just knocked the vase off of and only just caught it in time. His good eye registered a brief moment of shock and panic; his face still bearing the nasty scar that blinded his other eye from the night in the tavern when the gambling scheme went bad. The alcove he stood in appeared to connect to a corridor that turned to the left and headed away from the mademoiselle's boudoir.</p><p></p><p>"Ahhh... see... I can explain this. You see... Ah, <em>screw it</em>!" Kirov threw the vase directly at Scritch's head and turned around and ran.</p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="http://www.ventsombre.net/inc/images/portraits/hu/po_hu_m_Keith_l.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Desdichado, post: 4889077, member: 2205"] [CENTER][img]http://www.ventsombre.net/inc/images/portraits/hu/po_hu_f_NWN_02_l.jpg[/img][/CENTER] Mademoiselle Castellana di Vicenta welcomed the crew of misfit smugglers and thieves into her boudoir. She smiled as they were shown in by a burly young lady, although not an unlovely one, who looked to have a fair bit of orc ancestry in her veins. "My lady di Vicenta, I present to you the contractors you asked to see." The half-orc introduced them each by name, and the Lady inclined her head slightly as they are introduced, smiling politely. When her orcish seneschal was done presenting all of them, the lady smiled at her, too, and dismissed her, leaving them alone together. Her boudoir was ornate and covered with filligreed mahogany and gilt and marble. Heavy velvet curtains hung from the high ceiling every ten feet or so, and one of them was open to reveal the setting sun, shining like a blazing lighthouse beacon through the thick glass. The Lady seated herself on a finely made leather daybed in the center of the room, her legs tucked up comfortably under her, and her silk skirts spread out around them like a fan. In her hands she had a number of parchments and scrolls which she set aside to beckon the contractors to sit in smaller chairs in front of her. "I'm so glad that you've come. I've heard a bit about the exploits of each of you, you know. Making a bit of a name for yourselves across the tablelands." She laughed softly. "And I do so love to employ an up and coming [I]cause célèbre[/I]. But I don't know if each of you knows the other. I'm sure you'll become great friends over the next few weeks. I sincerely hope that you do." As a matter of fact, most of the group did know each other, at least by reputation. Lash and Ricardo had worked together many times before, and were friends from---well, maybe not exactly childhood, but certainly since they were both impressionable youths. Lash was the hobgoblin con artist. Some people said that underneath it all he had a heart of gold. Those who knew him better knew that he had no heart at all, merely a vacant spot in his chest that [I]lusted[/I] after gold. Ricardo was a handsome young human. Too handsome, really. He was a magnet for trouble. He didn't care much about gold, but ladies fell to his charms much too often for his own good. Although he and Lash had known each other for years, and stuck together through thick and thin, they often caused each other a great deal of grief; Lash's elaborate plans for a get-rich scheme falling through when Ricardo tumbled the [I]wrong[/I] noble's daughter. It wasn't clear if their relationship was a friendship; they were more like and old, shrewish married couple who argued with each other constantly, and yet were almost always seen together. They both also knew Scritch, the secretive rat-clan shifter. He had been imprisoned with Ricardo and Shautha by the unscrupulous Baron von Herzograf, and the three of them managed to effect a daring escape together. He also came across Ricardo while trying to steal the Boyarinka of Vladistok's birthday present... to find the Boyarinka occupied in the bed with Ricardo. Awkward. And on that terrible night, just a week ago, when Lash's latest scheme to cheat the elder Kirov brother out of an airship through a loaded dice game went very badly; Kirov ended up dead, and the three of them in hiding for several nights in the crawlspace under Kirov's Razine mansion. Shautha was a burly half-orc lass. She wasn't the brightest knife in the drawer and she had an unfortunate tendency to think that she was sexy and attractive. She was not. At all. Men quailled in fear from her advances, but she didn't notice, and came on to them all the time anyway. At least she was persistent in her lack of success. As well as being locked in the (dark; he never got a good look at her) dungeons with Ricardo, she also knew Vuukran, the hobgoblin ex-soldier, having seen him fight on numerous occasions, including when he lost his youthful idealism and deserted from Xoth-Sarnath's Red Legion. For Vuukran's part, he seemed uncomfortable around Shautha and tried to avoid looking into her eyes. "I have need of you all," Mme. de Vincenta continued. "A matter of some discretion. I have in my possession a cargo. Of lace, as it turns out, but very fine lace, made with Mistwool, from sheep growing under the Mistline, and harvested by our allies in Samyassa's court. Extremely fine material, and enchanting designs too, if I don't say so myself. And… very profitable at the moment. It has become extremely faddish for the nobility of many kingdoms to wear them, and I need to get them into the market as soon as possible to maximize my profits in the matter." "Normally, I wouldn't approach such doughty travelers as yourselves to safeguard a ship full of [I]lace[/I], but I'm afraid that I have made some enemies in my mercantile pursuits over the years, and I believe that some of my rivals may well try to hijack this shipment, knowing that enough of my fortune is wrapped up in this venture to set me back considerably and reduce my influence for some time. Therefore, my interest in approaching your fine and upstanding company. I need this shipload delivered to Zin, where my brokers can send it to all the various markets where it will be sold. Upon safe delivery, you will be well-paid by my brother Gaspar who handles that end of the business. Can I, then, count on you for this? I do believe there may be more work of an equally profitable nature awaiting you in Zin should you find this assignment to your liking." Lash stood, sketched a rough bow and said, "I am honored the Lady would consider me for this task. I will gladly accept and offer whatever service I can, provided your definition of well paid meets mine." Shautha's eyes lit up at the mention of what kind of cargo it is. "And what would the payment be, Lady?" she asked roughly. "I see that you cut straight to the chase," the lady answered. "I admire that. I truly do. As I said, this shipment represents a significant expenditure of my capital for this season, so it is imperative that I get it to Zin as quickly and as safely as possible. For that kind of service, I expect to pay very well indeed; six thousand gold crowns to do the job, payable on delivery. A greedy light flashed in Lash's eyes. The rest of the group merely boggled at the stupendous amount of gold being offered. "With any luck, you'll be in Zin in no more than a week's time. You can hardly get a better wage than that anywhere else in the Tablelands." The mademoiselle poured herself a small glass of wine and offered the bottle to the contractors. Ricardo took the bottle with a smile and a charming grin. "My lady, I assure you that I, at least, will value a cargo of fashionable lace no less than I would gold ingots. I am pleased to accept your offer and flattered to have come to your... attention." He set about pouring drinks for his friends, while glancing suggestively at their new patron. Scritch stood silent amidst the group, nervously trying not to touch anything too terribly valuable. [I]So many glittering things, she has![/I] The shifter gladly took a glass of wine from Ricardo and gulped it down almost too quickly. "Have no fear, milady; should your rivals intercept us, they will certainly sense lace violence." Vuukran looked around the room a few times, before adding a dejected "...What?" Shautha smiled at Ricardo in what she hoped was a charming manner and then accepted the glass gingerly, terrified she might break it or spill some of the wine. She smirked at Vuukran's comment, making her fears almost come to fruition as she bobbled the glass slightly. Mme. de Vicenta smiled up at Ricardo, a small flush covering her cheeks. "Oh, Ricardo! You are such a gentleman." She tapped her chin thoughtfully with a rolled parchment, looking at him with narrowed eyes. "Perhaps I can arrange to meet you in Zin even. Gaspar is a clever fellow, but I hear he's too besotted with certain ladies of the... er... oldest profession to give this shipment the attention it needs when it arrives." As she watched the exchange, Shautha's expression shifted rapidly between envy, admiration, and awe. This is how the professionals did it. While everyone else seems focused on the lady and her conversation, Scritch purposefully removed himself from it to a certain extent. Talking with people of class always made him nervous. Perhaps that is enough to explain why he was apparently the only one who heard a muffled bump and whispered curse from behind a velvet curtain. His eyes narrowed as he tilted his head slightly, looking at the curtains. Without pausing, the rodentish shifter slipped towards the sound, drawing the curtains aside as he also drew his kukri. As he moved he captured everyone's attention, and the chatting came to an abrupt stop. Behind the curtain, looking up suddenly with a very guilty expression on his face, was Vladimir Kirov, the younger of the Kirov brothers, a rather unsavory character to say the least. In his hand a very expensive gold, jade and porcelain vase, and next to him was a narrow podium which was rocking slightly... it's clear that he accidentally just knocked the vase off of and only just caught it in time. His good eye registered a brief moment of shock and panic; his face still bearing the nasty scar that blinded his other eye from the night in the tavern when the gambling scheme went bad. The alcove he stood in appeared to connect to a corridor that turned to the left and headed away from the mademoiselle's boudoir. "Ahhh... see... I can explain this. You see... Ah, [I]screw it[/I]!" Kirov threw the vase directly at Scritch's head and turned around and ran. [CENTER][img]http://www.ventsombre.net/inc/images/portraits/hu/po_hu_m_Keith_l.jpg[/img][/CENTER] [/QUOTE]
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