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Message: <blockquote data-quote="GladiusNP" data-source="post: 811870" data-attributes="member: 10574">2 of 700Almsman is a beggar who lives down in the Squats.  Like most of the riff-raff found in the city’s slums, he makes his living in a variety of ways, including scavenging, petty crime, begging (though he covers this with his performance to prevent the Watch moving him on), and selling rumours.  He protects a small group of urchins, known by the underworld as the Almsmen.  Almsman is somewhat affiliated to Whistling Tom – but the two are by no means friends.  Almsman is always looking for an angle.  He’s constantly wheeling, dealing, cajoling, threatening, and cowering as appropriate.  His small gang of urchins are brow beaten into giving him most of their take, and Almsman does do his best to keep them alive – not out of any particular sense of charity, but for the coin they bring him.  He spends nearly all of his time working to survive – dodging the strongmen of the gangs, and picking up what food, coin and drink he can.  Almsman’s sense of morality is long gone – he’s just hustling what he can from the street.      Almsman is an emaciated, tall figure.  He wears wrappings of dirty brown cloth around his hands, a brown coat which hangs loosely from his gawky frame, torn grey pants, and a ragged red scarf.  He has lank, greasy brown hair, which usually hangs down into his face.  He has a scraggly beard, of the same dull brown, which he often tugs at when he’s talking to people.  There is a large, angry red sore at the corner of his mouth, and he has a hoarse, hacking cough – he came down with the flu last winter, and has yet to recover.  He usually carries a small set of panpipes, which he plays for coins with.  Almsman usually is found playing his pipes, or performing small magic tricks, in the poor-market.  He usually keeps up a running banter with the crowd, telling stories that everyone has heard before and cracking feeble jokes.  His young protégé, a boy named Arnon, pick pockets Jack’s customers – at least the ones with any coin.  The other Almsmen usually keep an eye out for both the Watch and for the Busters – both have it in for Almsman.  Jack has a semi-regular relationship (when he can afford it) with a prostitute – Ariana Osend, who lives down very close to the docks.  While most would hesitate to call it love, the two of them are fond of each other in their own way.   Jack Almsman: Male Human, Brd1; HD 1d6-1; hp 3; Init +1; Spd 30; AC 11; Atk +0 base melee, +1 base ranged; +0 (1d6, Cudgel [club]); SQ:  Inspire Courage, Fascinate, Countersong; AL N; SV Fort -1, Ref +3, Will +1; STR 10, DEX 13, CON 8, INT 11, WIS 9, CHA 12.Skills:  Perform +5, Pick Pocket +5, Bluff +5, Hide +5, Move Silently +5. Feats:  Run, Dodge.  Possessions:  Pan pipes, cudgel hidden under cloak.Spells known – Prestidigitation, Light, Ghost Sound, Daze.Plothooks - 1.  Almsman has learned of some nefarious plan from his urchins in the Almsmen.  He must be persuaded by the PCs to reveal what he knows, and then guide them to the perpetrators.  Is he leading them into a trap?!?2.  One of the Almsmen has stolen a powerful magical ring from someone's pocket.  Unfortunately, Jack has no idea of its' power, and has unleashed mysterious forces beyond his power to reign in.  What are they?  Can the PC's stop them?  What is to be done with Jack?3.  Jack also can serve as an information source to the PC's.  Will they try and get him to mend his waus? Arnon:  Male Human (Boy), Rog1; HD 1d6; hp 4; Init +6; Spd 30; AC 12; Atk +0 base melee, +2 base ranged; +0 (1d4-2, Rusty dagger); SQ:  Sneak attack +1d6; AL N; SV Fort +0, Ref +4, Will +0; STR 6, DEX 14, CON 10, INT 12, WIS 10, CHA 10.Skills:  Pick Pocket +6, Hide +6, Move Silently +6, Spot +4, Listen +4, Escape Artist +6, Jump +2, Swim +2, Tumble +6, Gather Information +4. Feats:  Run, Improved initiative.  Possessions:  Rusting dagger under coat.Arnon is a very skinny youngster, probably about twelve, though he doesn’t know how old he is.  He usually is found with Jack, pickpocketing the crowd who’ve gathered to watch Almsman.  He has a long coat, which hangs loosely from his small frame.  He has raggedly cut black hair, white skin, and brown eyes, which have a rather mercenary glint in them for someone so young.  Jack provides Arnon with a place to sleep in the basement of an old warehouse – where all the Almsmen live.  Robbie, Arnon’s little brother, serves as the lookout for Jack and Arnon's performance/pickpocketing.  Robbie is ten.</blockquote>

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