Is'Merith - Campaign Thread

[Macv12]

Letting Alejandro take care of their charge, Shen dumps her baggage clattering to the floor and stretches her shoulders. This was a bit further than she expected to walk, but she would have looked silly if she'd gathered all her junk and then asked someone else to carry it.

At the greeting, Shen takes Daedarai's hand and shakes firmly. "No idea! Nice to meet you! My name's Shenemnenmone Tanner, that's s-h-e-n-e-m-n-e-n-m-o-n-e," - she rattles off, an obviously-practiced jumble of syllables that's never helped anyone unpack her name - "...it's an elf name, not Tanner I mean, you know. And call me Shen, though."

For a moment, her attention slips away, and she gazes with fascination across the room, trying to figure out how much of all this stuff reflects the culture of the city, and how much reflects the fact that its owner is a murderous gnome living in a hole and talking to rodents. She doesn't get invited to people's homes much, so it's always interesting to see what people use theirs for. It's been a few months since she's stayed in town, maybe five years since she sneaked into that smuggler's house, and...oh, fifty years since she visited a gnome client? That place looked nothing like this, except maybe the size. Crank-box thing was the same, too. Must be a gnome thing. But as her eyes fall on the poor man out cold in the corner, she snaps back to business.

"Oh, I never said thank you! Had a funny feeling about that guy. Seemed like having a stranger poking around kinda set'em off." Her eyes widened a bit. "Wait, is he in some secret group or something?" She couldn't help a tiny smirk creeping onto her face. "Are we in trouble?"

 

[Sezarious]

Not long after Shen spoke did the old man stir... Groaning, he looked around him until the three companions came into his view. "Heheh... You peasants have all really done it now! You've upset a member of FAS. They'll have member's combing the city now looking for me! When they find you all, they'll execute you! And you girl! Why didn't you just mind your own damn business?"

Daedarai knows for a FACT that the thieves guild pay very well, anybody who can discover and recover a FAS agent to the guild headquarters. Whilst what the old man says is true, you know that guild members who have caught FAS agents before would start off in hiding, then eventually go on with their daily lives as if things never happened. The guild protects those loyal to it. It is in the company's best interest after all. To persuade his companions, he is also certain the guild would clear their good names too and likely make Shen an honorary "friend to the Guild", giving her access to their service and a chance to enter into their good graces eventually as a member. Alejandro of course already has an offer of membership coming up...

Daedarai ALSO knows that bringing a FAS agent in, will likely result in his promotion to senior rank within the guild, giving him free access to an on-site fence as well as the coveted "Senior's job board". After everything that went wrong recently, everything is coming up Daedarai! This was probably part of the reason Temak was pissed off; he would be fuming with jealousy now.

"What are you looking at, you pointy eared fool?" spat the old man, who obviously noticed he was momentarily distracted. Daedarai shook his head back into focus as he just remembered something. He had yet to present the invitation to Alejandro from the guild. In his pocket was a sealed envelop from the guild addressed to the Gnome.

Daedarai also knew that any HEAVY interrogation aside from simple intimidation or persuasion should be left to the guild. Additionally, it would be best if the old man didn't know he was going to be taken to the thieves guild, or he might try some sort of dangerous escape plan in desperation.

What does everybody do now?

 

[The Grassy Gnoll]

Alejandro sighs, and rises. Swinging his morning star casually by his side, with pieces of the old man still clinging to some of the spikes, he saunters over to the captive, never breaking eye contact or dropping his smile.

He tucks the handkerchief more firmly into his mouth.

"Uh-uh, no you don't. Shh, now. Try not to think about where your balls are."

 

[The Grassy Gnoll]

[sblock=OOC] I will defer to Daederai as despite appearances, Alejandro is still an illegal citizen and for all his bravado doesn't really know what to do next or what his temper has got him into this time[/sblock]

 

[Matthan]

Daedarai smiles at Shen and holds a finger to his lips for silence as he stoops down and grabs a sack from the scattered trinkets. Still smiling as he approaches the loud-mouthed vermin, he swiftly drops the sack over his head. Leaning in to the now obviously furious man, he whispers, “Hush now, little man. Your safe as long as the ransom comes.” [SBLOCK=OOC]That's probably a bluff check since it's a complete lie.[/SBLOCK]

Waving his two new comrades over a short distance away from the captive, he begins to whisper his plan so that the man cannot hear. “That man belongs to a group of the vilest bottom feeders that you can imagine. They believe they have a right to the secrets that make our civilization possible. I belong to an organization that vehemently opposes the chaos that they would bring to this city.” At this point, Daedarai looks pointedly at Alejandro hoping that his associate would understand the wisdom of easing Shen into this decision. “My colleagues and I work tirelessly to bring order to the most chaotic elements of this city. This requires a great degree of discretion that this piece of filth,” he pauses to spit at the man, “and his ilk seek to drag into the light and plunge the city into a chaos that would cost countless lives.”

“I know that you are new to this city, but life is the same everywhere. A very few people have vastly more than they need, a handful are able to meet their needs, and a great majority suffer in poverty and desperation. If left unchecked, those desperate masses would descend into an anarchical force that would plunge this city into a never-ending blood shed as those without slaughtered those with. My group stands in this gap and taps into this ever building pressure and releases it in controlled and measured ways to redistribute wealth from those with much towards creating economic opportunities for the disenfranchised of the city. The obscenely wealthy call us the Thieves' Guild, and from their perspective, perhaps that is all we are. However, I tell you that we are more. A child born in the pits of the under city who may never see the light of day has an opportunity with us to make something of himself and provide for his family. We ensure that the operations against the wealthy are carefully managed to prevent a retaliation that would slaughter the poor of this city. We keep this city and its people alive. Today has provided you an opportunity to better your station and join us.”

“My organization will pay handsomely for this man. They have resources to get information from him in moments that we may never get him to share if we had a year. They can tell us what he wanted with you, Shen, and provide all of us shelter from any reprisals his foul group may seek to attempt. I believe that we have found the rarest of opportunities. This is a situation where we all can win. My guild will reward us and get whatever information we need from him. We just have to be willing to turn him over to them. However, we should be swift in this decision. This man has magic so I do not doubt that his compatriots do as well. If so, they may be able to track him.”

“What do you say? Are you ready to take the first step to a better life?”

 

[The Grassy Gnoll]

Alejandro nods at Daederai when he glances his way - he understands. The FAS are known to him, and he is suddenly afraid for his secret bolthole to be found. He has more but this one is his favourite.

While Shen listens to what the forger has to say, he sighs and grabs a cloth.

"Do you mind? This is my home", he mutters, half to himself.

And he mops up the elf's spit from the floor.

 

[Matthan]

"My apologies, my friend." With a few movements and soft sounds, the rag is clean is Alejandro's hand. "My emotions overwhelmed me. Your home is wonderful and deserved better. Forgive me."

[SBLOCK=OOC]Prestidigitation on the rag[/SBLOCK]

 

[The Grassy Gnoll]

"Neat trick".

The handkerchief billows and transforms into a tiny cloth rabbit in Alejandro's hand, whiskers twitching. He passes his other hand over it and it disappears.

[sblock=OOC] Minor Illusion on the cloth combined with Sleight of Hand to return it to his pocket unseen[/sblock]

 

[Macv12]

Shen can only blink at the sudden display. She stealthily mimics the hand motions to no effect, as always. At this point, she's pretty sure the "waving your hands around" kind of magic is just tricks, and instantly feels dumb for trying to do it again.

"So, thief's guild means...stealing? Cuz I get the whole 'help the little guy' thing, but I don't know...all I know about thief's guilds is if I walk up to some pickpocket, and four other guys are already there to help him, that's thief's guild." She pauses. "...kinda like today."

She puzzles for a moment, staring at the hedgehog. (She finds it hard to look at anything else with a hedgehog named "snurfle" mere feet from her.) "Guess that means I'm already a member." Her face quickly brightens. "I've never been a thief before! So what next, we ransom this guy off? Then are we in a gang war?! Would you be like our boss? Cuz I'm probably not a great thief, but I could be a bodyguard or something. Us elves gotta stick together, right, give the place some culture." She punches Daedarai's arm in good nature, probably harder than he'd like.

Shen bounces on the balls of her feet, anxious to get moving and struggling to keep her voice around the same volume Daedarai was using. "Just give the word, I can take him anywhere."

"Oh," she turns to Alejandro. "Before we go, can I hold that hedgehog?"

 

[Sezarious]

Lord Admiral Snurfleback looks up at Shen momentarily, blinking, then growls in Alejandro's direction. (To Alejandro only) "Good sir! I do believe this peasant girl is giving me the evil eye! I command you to remove her from my presence at once". He goes back to eating, eyeing Shen with suspicion.

"Mmmhff Mmmm mm" The old man mutters in the corner.

Daedarai knows that in order to get to the thieves guild, the best route would be through the roughest district of the undercity (Peer'at), where all sorts of crime is constantly being committed. If the party can get through there, there is a surface tower that's completely infiltrated by guild officials for the smuggling of all sorts of goods. You'll need to knock out the old man again and package him in a crate, meet with a guild guard and he will get your paperwork signed, no questions asked. Above there is the wealthiest suburb of the outer ring interestingly enough and only 3 blocks from where you will surface is the guild.

Daedarai knows to be careful of Peer'at though. There are no guards there and murder and assaults run rife throughout the districts. He wouldn't be surprised if the party had to get into another fight there...

Shen has an afterthought about picking up a hedgehog.... The spikes.... But, she can't help but giggle at all the hedgehog related.... shenanigans she might be able to get up to with it.