Planescape 3.5e - Cold Black Mask

[Nac Mac Feegle]

Heinrich considers. "Unless our opponent has more manpower than we believed. The Djinn that brought us here - or any denizen of this city that tracked our flight - could have narrowed down our possible destinations based on location, and if they deduced that we wished to be inconspicuous, well then we might have unwittingly made better targets of ourselves."

 

[Ambrus]

István shakes his cowled head. "No. The djinn left us several blocks away and didn't know where we would go. We could have gone to any of countless places within a mile or two of this boarding house. And the city is far too large for anyone to have watched our flight by eye; the other side of the ring is at least five miles away if it is a foot!

And no matter how many eyes and ears they might have throughout the city; there simply wasn't enough time to inform them all to watch for us, for one of them to cross our path, for news of our whereabouts to return and for the thugs to be sent. I might be able to imagine such a story in a large town, but this is a very big city; it must be fifty square miles if it is a foot! And we left their side only four or five hours ago...

Besides, there was no imp here when we arrived, but I found one on the eave outside shortly after our guide left us. I'm sorry, but no poppa. Either they found us with their magic or someone who knew we were here and knew they'd want to know ran off to tell them."

 

[Scurry]

Vervain relaxes considerably when the Hardheads clear out, but keeps to his silence for a fair spell after that. The plume on his hat bobs and swishes as he swivels his head to follow the thread of the banter between the little gnome and the young damsel.

When talk turns to how they were followed, and a suspicious tout, he chimes in, "As the ascetic -- I don't believe I have your name, good fellow -- correctly recalls, I do have a fair bit of information at my disposal, some of which is almost certainly useful to you. But it seems wise to tie up any overly talkative loose ends before going about your further business, and I'd like to offer my assistance in that as well."

He holds up a hand. "To forestall the inevitable question about my designs in this, I assure you they are slightly unorthodox but entirely benign."

 

[Ambrus]

The cowled gnome studies the man who just spoke with some curiosity before turning back to his companions and jerking a thumb towards the stranger. "Who's he?"

 

[Cage-Rattler]

"As the ascetic -- I don't believe I have your name, good fellow -- "

"I am Cang Lao," the Shou warrior introduced himself. "I'll not speak for the others here, as that would presume too much, but I would remind you that we don't have your name, as yet."

"Who's he?"

"Someone else who apparently knows more about what we're doing here than we do," Hagen murmured in a low aside to the gnome. In a louder voice the archivist turned to address both Sonata and Vervain as best he could.

"As I'm sure the two of you would understand, things have been rather hectic for us over the past day, and I think it would be best if my friends and I had some time to sort things out amongst ourselves. If it's aggreeable to you , perhaps we could discuss things in the morning -- perhaps over a hot meal somewhere."

 

[Zurai]

The mention of a hot meal breaks Sindr out of his reverie. "Food? Where?" He looks around, blinking as if he doesn't know where he is for a moment before his stomach growls quietly. With a sheepish grin, he shrugs and continues on, "If I'm no' gettin' fed, I shoul' get s'm sleep. Gotta get th' beauty rest, y'know." Assuming no one objects, he heads upstairs to bed.

 

[Ambrus]

"Someone else who apparently knows more about what we're doing here than we do," Hagen murmured in a low aside to the gnome.

The whisper gnome murmurs a discreet reply to the venerable human archivist. "I suspect these locals don't know nearly as much as they pretend. So what happened with this second imp?"

 

[Shayuri]

Sonata rubs the bridge of her nose. Clueless sods...always with the resting. Must be a Prime thing.

Still. Imps. It could be nothing...spellcasters used imps for various sundry tasks all the time.

But it COULD suggest the Dogs were angling for, or getting, infernal aid. And THAT was worth some digging. Even if it meant spending more time with these sods.

"I'm Sonata," she says with a little curtsy normally reserved for performances. "I won't pretend to know everything about what's going on...and I'll be clear and say that finding out's why I'm here. But I know about the Dogs, who they are and what they are...and that I think may be of help to you."

"So go ahead and sleep, and I'll be here in the morning. You can tell me what you know...I'll tell you what I know...and we'll all be better off for it. How does that sound?"

 

[Cage-Rattler]

ooc: Sorry, had it rough last night; apparently, I'm still allergic to shrimp. :b

"So what happened with this second imp?"

"While you were battling those cutthroats down stairs, another imp blasted open the shutters with magic and made for the mask. I was able to hold it off long enough for our friends to drive it away, but there's no doubting that whoever sent it knows at least the basics of what's transpired here."
OOC:[sblock]If no one has any objections, I'll go ahead and fast forward things to the next morning this evening, as well.[/sblock]

 

[Ambrus]

István looks somewhat crestfallen at Hagen's news. "I'd hoped the silver and iron I'd left on the windowsill would have been enough to ward away the evil spirits. It even knew which window to breach... So it wasn't slain? Betwixt and Between! I'd hoped that we'd stopped all our enemies from fleeing with news of having found us..." The diminutive gnome seems at a lost to express his frustration adequately and so falls into a glum silence.[sblock=Cage-Rattler]OOC: Having already slept, István intends to go hide up on the roof of the boarding house to keep watch over the neighborhood until the others are done resting down below. Hopefully from there, he'll also be able to observe the suspicious warehouse up the street.[/sblock]