Metropolis - The Weight of the World (and Found Wanting)

[Phoenix]

"Corbin Deeppouch," replies Corbin, extending a small hand. "I'm an archeologist. I've been researching some tablets that I unearthed a few weeks ago. Did you say you were with the League?" he asks. "I was supposed to be meeting some members out here to discuss my research."

Essaine made sure that his men could handle their fallen friend before giving Corbin a direct answer, though his eyes continued to scan the streets for any more dangers. Now that Corbin could obverse the man up close, he could see that his face was drawn and tired, his body covered in filth and dry blood, probably not his though, probably.

"Yeah, we're supposed to meet up with a group of Leaguers called the Ancients. They called us in to act as guards for some dig site or somthin'. Ever since we got in this god-forsaken suburb we've had nothing but trouble from the creatures around here, we've lost two men to enourmous spiders and now another to this strange fish."

Essaine looked tired, almost ready to throw down his shield and walk away. It was strange, Corbin had had nothing but warm days, relaxing walks through the ruins, and peaceful relaxation in the Outskirts, the way this man was talking this place was like a land of constant danger.

"The camp isn't far from here, but it'll take us longer to get there now, and with Gren down we'll be out in the open for longer." He shook his head slowly, rubbing his eyes with finger and thumb. "It a large tower we're looking for, used to be owned by some wizard or another, I don't suppose you know the way?"

 

[Phoenix]

Alexi laughs. "Whale, you're a good man." he says clasping Whale's shoulder. "So if it makes you feel better, tell me what my cut shall be. "

"Now my friend I can arrange for more of those fine bottles you are drinking, assuming that of course we all survive this little excursion. So how many wizards have you killed Whale?" asks Alexi with a smile.

Alexi turns and fishes out another bottle of Burgi and passes it over to Whale. "So Tell me Whale, how did Ham find you, and how did he know you would be suited for this mission?"

Over the course of walking the streets Alexi plys Whale with numerous questions indirectly finding out the specifics of the mission and the backgrounds of the three knights, to Whale's knowledge, using the skills honed through years of courtroom and ballroom conbersations to extract the information he wants in small tidbits so that the other converser doesn't quite realize what he has said.

OOC: [sblock] Phoenix I am sorry I forgot about gold in Metropolis However if anyone had gold it would be families like Alexi's. Not that the result wasn't great, but I'll be more discreet from here out. [/sblock]

[sblock]Hey, I played it as if your character didn't know any better, rich noble bastards...[/sblock]

Whale smiled and began rambling, telling Alexi of many of his exploits in the city, as well as the dozens of suburbs that he'd travelled in the last few years, and if Whale had even only half been lying it would've made him a force to be reckoned with.

It seemed that a man they new as Ham, a bartender from a suburb called the Apartments, had contacted each of them for a hidden employer. They were contracted for 5,000 silver pieces (with a 100 silver retainer) to travel out into a dangerous suburb called the Outskirts. It was said that the Outskirts was the last suburb one could travel before reaching the outer wall of the city, but as it was populated by the savage beasts that could not survive in the populated areas, few people survived the journey.

The cut for the mission had not been decided, as it was not unusual for one or more to fall in battle and change the portions, though it seemed that there was an unspoken thought of 'forceful negotiation' in Whale's words.

In the five days that the group travelled for Alexi learnt many things of the city from the talkative Whale, about suburbs, people, legends, gods, magic, and mostly food. The man seemed more and more excited to talk about Burgi and questioned Alexi more and more about his home and how to get there.

Dragon and Boar were different. Dragon rarely spoke to Alexi unless he was telling them of possible danger ahead, pointing out the way to go, safe places to eat or sleep the night, or simply telling them to shut up.

Boar was quiet and spoke little on the trail. Over cups at night or during dinner Boar would offer quiet reflection on the days events, correct a misunderstood fact about the city, or simply point out something that had to be looked into in the next few days. There was nothing meek about him though, more, deliberate.

Alexi discovered on the fourth day that Whale's real name was Diminyk and that he was the last of an order of knights from a far-off suburb called the Darklight, a place where eternal darkness swallowed the streets so bright lights continuously burned to allow people to walk the streets. Apparently one night all the lights went off at the same time, he shuddered at that point in his story, and nothing more was said of it.

Dragon and Boar's horses stood on an old dock at the end of the street, waiting for the other two to catch up with them. Both seemed to be in quiet discussion with each other, and as Alexi and Diminyk approached it could be seen that a fast flowing river some several hundred meters wide streched as far as the eyes to see to their left and right.

"Seems like we've got a problem friend."

 

[Phoenix]

Keeping his eyes on the signs ahead of him, Azot wondered if he was making true progress towards finding the Ivory Markets or simply walking in elaborate circles. However when he saw the sign of the forge underneath the white tent, he knew he was making progress but was unaware that to enter the Ivory Markets through this street would take him through one of the dwarven neighborhoods.

'I am no longer one of them. Sebek has shown me my true self, the birthing skin was merely the first stage.'

Even as he voiced the truth to himself, Azot still could not stop himself from pulling the leather cowl over his head, hiding his features in its depth.

The Ivory Markets were seen at the end of a long streets, several tents spilling out into a small square that was less than impressive to Azot. On closer inspection though, a dip in the street opened into a massive bowl-like depression that rested beside a massive channel that sported a busy dock and several barges. The bowl was filled with hundreds of tents, from massive pavillions where businessmen sold their wares by the wagonload, to homeless men selling scavenged sewer-goods on a cloth by the road.

Hundreds of armed men stood by stalls, wandered the paths and guarded the boats in the area, though few of them gave Azot a second glance. It seemed strange to the dwarf that even though he was caked with the filth of the city, few people were concerned with his appearance or smell. There were more important things in this world obviously, and if you had a few coins to spend on their product, then you could have six heads and eat children and would be treated like gold.

 

[Bront]

[Sblock]Displomacy check (DC 17) +28 - Esceptional Success
Bah, who am I to make digs about spelling [/sblock]

Smoke clouded the inside of the Darkroom, shrouding the many affluent customers from the identities of each other at a casual glance. Many of the men stared at Jasmine swaggered across to Riki, past his men, and literally threw herself at him. They obviously didn't know Riki like she did.

"Jasmine my girl, always a pleasure." One hand hovered down the length of Jasmine's leg, though never touching, and finally grasping the belt and raising it to his eyes. Studying it for a moment, his short scruffy beard quivered a little as he calmly placed it back on the table.

"Snake skin, typical for the Black Guild's more important operatives. The workmanship is high, but obviously not crafted by the same hand as in the old days. I won't say that it's old either, we both know that this was crafted recently."

"Since Devries has been dead for a while now, I think it's safe to say that he's not behind this, and that The Organiztion, if back, is still in it's early days if you got this with ease. My ears tell me little of this kind of activity, but then again the boys that work for me are no Black Guild."

"My professional eye tells me that this is little more than a copy-cat group, probably some of the old guard trying to get it all back together. I wouldn't worry about it dear, if Devries was back you'd be the first one he'd be after."

One of Riki's hands drifted to the toes of Jasmine's boot, rubbing it softly as his eyes drifted along her leg. "Course, I could be wrong. Apparently this isn't the only area of disrepute in Metropolis, if they knew what was good for them they would've relocated. I can look into it if you like, but you'd have to help me of course..."

"Curious that I never did mention Devries by name," Jasmine said, "but then, you always did know how to pique my ... interest." Jasmine angled her foot to allow her boot to slowly slide off.

"Still, that is not a name that one would just throw around, even if this new copy cat guild is dumb enough to try to recaim the same turf. Seems like it'd be near suicidal."

"But you know me," she says, sliding her bare foot down the man's chest with the lightest of touches, "and I certaintly don't come cheap." her foot comes to rest below the desk, and she looks Riki square in the eyes, with a playfully confident smile.

[sblock=OOC]Sense Motive, pondering if he's lying, or hiding that he was expecting this. Or perhaps hiding his worry about the situation.

And give me a break, I was typing from my laptop in the hotel loby the night before Gen Con after being in a car for 5 hours and later a rather warm restaraunt for another 3.[/sblock]

 

[Scotley]

Jazick

"It's a fair distance from here, though I've heard that a few families in the area used to trade in that area of the city. If you want to head out that way, try talking to a few of the older families around here, they may know the way."

"Thank you father, you've given me much to think about. I must rest and sleep on it before I make a decision." Jazick makes his way back to the tower. He climbs to his perch and sleeps fitfully for a few hours. Rising early and still unsure, he goes to find some of the older families. He takes a moment to clean himself up and comb his hair. First he would stop by the bakery and see what Rory might know and pick up one of Judith's favorite pastries before making a call on the Tulley residence. Despite the evenings events, Jazick walks with a spring in his step at the prospect of visiting Judith.

 

[GlassEye]

Over thirty armed men wearing chain vests scanned the crowd for trouble makers, crossbows ready and spears prepared for danger. With several crude carriages awaiting outside of the stores, Ymris could see several dozen customers milling through the wares through the windows. One of the stores seemed to be a tailors, another was a potter, while a third looked like a jeweler of some kind, a strange collection of stores to see in such a poor area of the city.

Wary, Ymris makes her way through the crowd toward the guarded road and the shops. The armed men give her pause but then, after three days of searching unsuccessfully for the Apartments she hardly cares whether they are local law or something else entirely. As long as they take little interest in her, that is.

A hiss from Thom catches her attention and as the cat darts between her feet she turns to see a boy withdrawing a scratched hand oozing blood from Thom's direction. She locks eyes with the boy until he turns away.

Continuing on Ymris heads for the jewelry shop.

 

[Tonks]

Azot, Dwarven Sewer Druid

Navigating through the dwarven district quickly, Azot entered the Ivory Markets and shook his head in disbelief at the amount of traders posted in the area. Before Sebek had called him to the Under World, Azot had often listened to the tales of the marketplace, and had even helped his birth father load a small cart once for the older dwarf to try his hand there. His father had returned after a minor success, but if he ever ventured into the Ivory Markets afterwards Azot knew not.

Pulling his hood back, Azot began the journey into the heart of the Markets but paused as he passed by one of the sewer merchants. Although the man's clothes clothes were ragged, he did not carry the scent of the Under World on him.

Fixing his hard green eyes upon him, Azot studied him for a minute before glancing down at his wares.

"Has the sewer given you the wares easily of late, or do they seek to keep you away? Answer me true and I shall take something from your stand, tell me false and you gain nothing."

[sblock=OOC] You guessed it, due to his paranoid nature among the Upper Worlders another Sense Motive. Maybe one day he will learn to trust more, but until then...[/sblock]

 

[Fenris]

"Seems like we've got a problem friend."

"Indeed we do" replies Alexi, his eyes scanning for any kind of suitable craft to ferry them across.

"Where's the nearest bridge? Or is there one?"

Alexi looks about for a shop providing ferrying services or a longshoreman to speak with.

 

[Phoenix]

"But you know me," she says, sliding her bare foot down the man's chest with the lightest of touches, "and I certaintly don't come cheap." her foot comes to rest below the desk, and she looks Riki square in the eyes, with a playfully confident smile.

[sblock=OOC]Sense Motive, pondering if he's lying, or hiding that he was expecting this. Or perhaps hiding his worry about the situation.[/sblock]

[sblock]Sense Motive (DC hidden) +22 - Success?[/sblock]

There was a cunning to Riki, there always was, he knew something alright, but how much was impossible to know, perhaps he just knew the right questions to ask the right people. Either way, Riki obviously wasn't going to give this one up without some, negotiation.

"I have a business proposal for you Jasmine, and your payment will include everything that I can find out about our old friends, as well as any assitance you might need against them. You see, I have a contact that has discovered an item of some value just sitting around in an old building, and he wants it."

Riki stood, straitened himself, and walked slowly around the table, and Jasmine, like a tiger circling his prey. "I asked a few questions about this item, and it seems that it's an old church relic, the Obsidean Sceptre of Thrall, I don't expect you to have heard of it though."

"Now, if you can get this for me, perhaps you will be in the commanding position of bending me to your will, something that I always enjoy..."

 

[Phoenix]

"Thank you father, you've given me much to think about. I must rest and sleep on it before I make a decision." Jazick makes his way back to the tower. He climbs to his perch and sleeps fitfully for a few hours. Rising early and still unsure, he goes to find some of the older families. He takes a moment to clean himself up and comb his hair. First he would stop by the bakery and see what Rory might know and pick up one of Judith's favorite pastries before making a call on the Tulley residence. Despite the evenings events, Jazick walks with a spring in his step at the prospect of visiting Judith.

The night was hot, hot as hell, Jazick remembered that much of his dreams. There were screamings, someone was calling to him, warning him, but little was left in the morning past the heavy sweat that soaked his blankets.

His hand shook as he slowly tidied himself before a polished old shield on the wall, he couldn't remember the last time he was so badly shaken. What had happened in his dreams could stay there...

Rory was in fine spirits, mopping up the filthy yellow water that had soaked into the back of his bakery. His bread was reliant on the stale water, but occassionally he could afford a barrel of purified water to make the apricot danish that had made his famous in the neighbourhood years ago. Where he got those damn apricots from though, no-one ever could find out.

With a smile and a quick chat, Jazick exhausted the opportunity, learning little from the portly baker but filling up on his dinner rolls and off tasting butter (which he continually apologized for, damn rain spoiled everything).

The Tully Residence was next. With a danish in one hand and a calmer demeaner, Jazick moved through the crowds towards the old inn that the extended Tully family had holed up in. Thirty-six Tullys under one roof made it hard to get any time alone with Judith, but it was nice to see a relatively happy family in these times.

With a solid pound on the door so that the noise would carry through the large building, as well as over the screaming playful children, Jazick waited until the latch was unlocked with baited breath. Pale fingers wrapped around the edge of the door as Judith's long hair dangled into view, peering through the crack with one eye she threw the door open at the sight of Jazick.

"Jazick!"