[PbP] The Heroes of Silleria

[Uriel]

OoC:Norynth STILL has no money, isn't all that excited about cities (being an Outdoorsy, country sort of fellow) and has no experience at subterfuge of the nature described regarding the Card Game, so...

IC: Norynth will stay in whatever room invited, so long as his dogs are allowed to join him, otherwise, he is happy to stay outside of the city or in a more 'poor' area where the dogs won't be an issue.

 

[Jemal]

Michelle has no money, so she'll try to get in on the gambling scene somehow, though Planning stuff like this isn't her strong suit.

 

[Guilt Puppy]

(OOC -- Merak, got it exactly. Keep in mind that Kerith won't be out to lose big -- just to lose more than he's winning.)

To Kerith: "20 gold should be plenty for a silver-ante spot... Maybe even a gold per ante, if you think you can stay afloat while still looking like you're losing. I still have eighty-some, so I can loan you some. Plus, if anyone wants to invest..."

"As far as being worthy of the Crown's representatives, well... Just look at it as an impromptu tax, in service of the greater good or some other thing. Besides, I think healing's our big concern, so it's more like an impromptu donation to the church."

At which point he pauses to think to himself: And hopefully we can get a nice deal from the church, although I've never heard of that happening...

"Anyway, some problems with this: First, somebody may have seen us coming into town together. Now, we can bite that before it gets off the ground, just call over to me as I pass, we play it off like we met on the way into town. That might put me under suspicion, but if I say something like 'ah, I pegged you for a hustler,' then it might seem like less of a plan. This is a risky proposition, so it would be good if you tried to find out if anyone had seen us on our way in, then your signal will just be calling out to me, 'hey, ah, Voorhas?' and make it look like you're really trying to remember."

Seeing Michelle's interest, he appends his plans.

"Michelle, would you feel horribly misappreciated sitting back behind Kerith and looking pretty? Go off to get drinks -- nothing hard, of course -- every now and then at real crucial points in the hand, they'll think you're reading cards for him, but again, it's just another layer of misdirection. Better, while you're up, be on the lookout for anyone at our table giving or picking up signs to anyone outside the table. If you do, come back, stare hard at them and give Kerith a kiss on the cheek: That way we weed out anyone who is cheating."

"Now, if anyone gives a signal to anyone who looks tough and mean, and that person stands up, then we need to bail. Hopefully while we're ahead. If we're caught unaware and surrounded, we try to talk our way out of it. Don't give up any earnings: That's an admission of guilt. There's really not much anyone can do to prove we're not on the up-and-up, so we at least have that... If it looks really nasty, like we're-all-gonna-die nasty, I'll stick a dagger in someone and run for it... Chance is they'll chase me and forget all about you, especially since you've all been winning next to nothing. Probably suicide on my part, so don't expect me to do that on a whim. If one of you strikes the first blow, among us I mean, it doesn't work: All three of you have to run while I stay behind, with the money, which does nobody any good."

"But hopefully it doesn't get that far. Anyway, Foran, if you get taken off your pipes for some reason, don't worry. Just keep an eye out for us and be prepared to improvise if things go astray. We can play the game straight if we need to, especially with Michelle watching for less honorable players..."

"Everything good and clear? Anything I'm missing? Oh, where to stop... I say double our money. Right now, 100 gold in earnings... Though we might work out a signal to continue or stop if things are looking good when we get through. 100 gold won't go too far between the six of us, but it's something."

Oren looks around, awaiting agreement or disagreement.

"Oh, and Kerith, if you need a nice suit of clothes I have one you can borrow, if you think you can fake a little nobility, or fake like you're faking a little nobility. How tall would you say you are?"

 

[Imerak]

Foran listens to the plan with interest. Sounds good. "Sound good. I think I know a good piece that I could disguise the signals within. Reasonably obscure too. If something goes wrong, I don't reckon I'll be suspect. Good thing too, because a bard fleeing in the middle of a performance is extremely suspicious."

 

[Jemal]

"As for a signal to leave, I can handle that quite easily, if we'll not be in there longer than about an hour. A simple spell of Prestidigitation will allow me to alert you in some obscure way if I notice anything amiss from my spot. I should also be able to spot anyone trying to cheat, either magically or not. (Spellcraft/Bluff)" Michelle glances at the Bard. "And I'ld suggest you go in some time before us, maybe a half hour or so, and not leave till after us... Does that sound right?"

 

[dpdx]

[Jeez, folks! You're putting an awful lot on a poor git with avg. INT and low WIS. ]

Kerith listens uneasily, but intently to Oren. "I'll be watching people as much as I can, and I've never been very good at cards anyway, so I don't think it'll be much of a problem for me to lose some. And I think I can defend myself, if need be, unless they pull their faces back behind their heads and start howling..." At this, Kerith half laughs, half shudders.

At the suggestion that his clothes aren't nice enough to play cards in, Kerith frowns. "I'm a lousy bluffer, so I'd just look like a jester if I tried to wear such finery as you have on, Oren. It'll be enough for me to remember that we don't all know each other, I think, and I'd rather stick with that."

 

[Guilt Puppy]

Once signals have been worked out specifically, Oren smiles, and begins shuffling through his backpack.

"Sounds good. Shall we get to it then? Foran, I'd suggest you be the one to pick the place... Somewhere crowded, so we'll be harder to chase if it comes to that. Somewhere people are playing cards not too far from the door, and so on. You sit near the door, and play your pipes: Hopefully it'll be easy to hear from the outside. Kerith, Michelle, you go after him, look like you're just strolling the town. Arm-in-arm like, if you're comfy with that: Fewer people will stare. Keep within sight of him if you can. I'll shadow you until I'm sure you've found a place, then give you about a quarter of an hour before coming in myself. Then, we'll see what happens."

As he says this, he continues getting dressed: Which is to say, he distributes his daggers across his body. One on his right hip, obvious, one in his left boot, somewhat concealed but still visible upon inspection, and one tied to his left wrist under billowing sleeves, barely visible at all.

"If there are no last-minute second-thoughts, let's move."

Oren will follow Kerith and Michelle upon their exit, staying back as far as possible. If he loses track of them, he will attempt to guess their path, listening at the doors of bars and inns for Foran's pipes.

(OOC -- Oh, and I've already marked off 6 gp to cover the remainder of our stay in town... That puts me down to 80gp exactly. Plan is to leave the table after 100gp in profit, or 40gp in losses if that ends up happening, on my end.)

 

[MerakSpielman]

The plan works beautifully - up to a point.

You locate a suitible common-room easily and set up your gambit. Foran plays his pipes, but (perhaps caused by the distraction of working in the tell-tunes) manages only a sub-average performance. Most of the clientelle are too busy with their own business too care too much, but he only collects a pair of measly coppers for his personal efforts.

The game starts up quickly, and Kerith's initial fear is that the table will fill up faster than Oren can join in, but luckly, there is still a space for the foppish young man to pull up a seat when he arrives. By that time, Kerith has been losing steadily against the experienced locals.

Even with his skill as a gambler, Oren has trouble holding his own against this crowd. The local gamblers quickly dismiss Michelle as a possible source of illicit information for Kerith, since he hasn't won a hand since he started. If not for the occasional tips from Foran's pipes, Oren would have barely been able to hold his own. It is nothing like the gambling scene in Fifechester.

After a fair amount of time, Oren racks up a neat profit of around 50 gold. A couple of the other gamblers have made a small profit as well, but the others lost money, including Kerith (who lost all but 2 gold). The game starts to break up with the normal have-to-leave excuses, and you're just starting to enjoy the glow of a modest success when, as the last local leaves the table, a darkly cloaked figure sits down next to Oren. You do not remember seeing him in the common room before this moment.

"A pretty scheme, boy," he speaks in a low rasp, audible to Kerith and Michelle, but nobody beyond the table, "You were allowed to continue it for your creativity, nothing more. But be aware that the Guild keeps sorcerers in its employ, and your mind is like an open book before our power. You are not a member of the Guild, and have been caught dabbling in its bailiwick."

He pauses, to make sure you understand the seriousness of the situation.

"You will be forgiven this offense, little one, this time. This once. But your efforts will be taxed. Please hand over half your profits, as a tribute to our patron, Olidammara."

He waits motionless to see how you will react.

 

[Guilt Puppy]

"You will be forgiven this offense, little one, this time. This once. But your efforts will be taxed. Please hand over half your profits, as a tribute to our patron, Olidammara."

He waits motionless to see how you will react.

Oren grins -- genuinely amused.

"Well met, stranger -- and well played."

He looks to Kerith.

"How much are you down? 18 if my count is correct? That puts us up" -- he shuffles through -- "thirty-two."

He carefully divides up his stack, sliding sixteen gold to the hooded stranger, and eighteen back to Kerith.

"May Olidammara see this put to appropriate use."

Assuming there is no protest, he continues:

"Now, we won't be staying in town long, but should we or I ever return here, how might I get in touch with the Guild, to be sure that earnings are properly ordained?"

Any mind-reading will pick up that he's being pretty honest in his intentions. To which he adds: Just in case this is a clever bluff, would you mind scratching the table?

Also, for the mental record, he does consider putting a knife in this fellow's gut if he doesn't scratch the table, but only for a moment -- sixteen gold isn't worth a life, even before considering the trouble it would cause.

(OOC -- if the profit of 50 was taking Kerith's losses into consideration already, change the sixteens above to 25s, and remove some of the thinly-veiled tension. )

 

[dpdx]

[Visibly relieved that by his count, there's another 47 gold, 8 silver, and 5 copper waiting for him back at the inn (just checked my sheet), Kerith is still fearless, maybe a little too much for a guy with 9 WIS.]

Kerith nods his assent at Oren's accurate count.

Standing, he smiles at the cowled man. "NO WONDER I didn't win a hand the entire game! You HAD to be reading my mind, too!"

At this point, Kerith will pocket 16 of the gold pieces that Oren slides across the table to him, and slide the remaining two across the table at the hooded man. "Your Guild runs a beautiful scam. Consider that a tithe."*

He turns to find Michelle, then glances back across the table. "Your Temple wouldn't sell potions, would they?"

[*Credit to Guilt Puppy for the line, taken from the great PbP game, A Game of Trust.]