A'streth whispers, "Let us see this mad eye, once our business is concluded we can leave and alert a Dragon army officer as to the presence of these spies. Good eyes Thomas ".
Very good, shall we make our introduction then
nods in agreement
Shivam gets up and makes his way over towards mad eyes table
A'streth in his human disguise follows along, he motions to a server on the way to bring drinks to the table.
mad eye looks up at the three of you. FOr a moment, the two eyes converge and look each of you in the eye, before one of them spins off and looks elsewhere.
Hmmm...well, i did as the Maid to bring some friends. wasnt expecting the likes of you. he says, bringing his tankard up to his lips for a long pull.
Good Evening.. Shivam says leaning in close to Mad Eye Would you mind if we join you?, we have a business proposition Shivam follows up as quietly as possible amongst the background din
"We seek to book passage and have been told your ship is the finest in the Bay. Who needs friends when they have steel in their pockets?"
watches the conversation quietly letting others think he is pointless
whao! steel did you say? a glint appears in his eye as he looks at each of you again.
i'm listening. You there, tall and angry, come sit with me. The captain motions Thomas to sit with him.
sits by the captain slowly.
"It has become hard to come by work here in Sanction. My apprentices and I seek greener pastures in..."
A'streth looks around to observe if anyone is watching and whispers, "Kalaman or Solamnia".
While the conversation between A'streth and Mad eye is going on, Shivam keeps his yellowy eyes on the crowd looking for anyone who seems a liitle to interested in this conversation.
whoa friend. tis a tall order to sail to that area. but tell me, if not kalaman, what port did you have in mind in solamnia? there are plenty of small fishing villages that i could drop you off in.
how about Portsmith?
scratching his chin, his eyes take on a far off look.
aye, portsmith. tis a fair distance. i perchance know some likeable folk there.likeable to the cause, if you catch my meaning he nods at A'streth.
aye, portsmith. the winds do be favorable this time of year. would take us about two weeks to get there. baring any pirates that plague the shipping lanes.
Shivam turns his attention back to the captain Since we are all friends then Shivam smiles revealing his rotten teeth and blackened gums. What is this voyage going to cost
3 steel for all of you together. the captain says simply.
Very good, captain...When do we sail Shivam says hunching over as if trying to hide his face from onlookers
two days. moody says with a far off look. my hull is being retarred and replated. plus i have some merchantile items to ship up to hylo. They will be arriving tomorrow. so, the next day, we'll ship off. Now if you want, youre more than welcome to come down to the docks and stow your gear on the ship, or you can come back in 2 days. Just ask around for the leaking skiff. tis a name that belies its namesake. the skiff has never leaked. not since i took ownership of her 10 years past. moody says with a stern nod and hits back an ale.
A'streth smiles and nods, "Two days it is, come my friends, let's visit some of our favorite drinking holes before we leave this place".
"Now then, who wants to stay and watch the door while the others find a Dragonarmy officer to report these filthy spies to?"
Spies you say...? Interesting. I will watch the door and enjoy seeing these spies dealt with
looks at the others then shakes his head.
I am staying one of you will go
Shrugs Shoulders
Very well then, let's go report this to the dragonarmy A'streth
Looking around for divine inspiration, and not seeing any, the pair begin to walk up the street and are soon swallowed up from Thomas' view from his vantage at the door of the Tavern.
The crowd swirls around A'streth and shivam as they walk away from the docks. the street turns for low end dock and shanty's to more sturdy merchant houses and mid scale taverns. Up ahead, you spot several officers of the DragonArmy step into one of these taverns.
even before thomas can find a spot to get comfortable, he hears the door shut behind him and one of the men that has been identified as a spy steps away from the door and in the opposite direction of the two companions. His dark clothing and dark hair start to blend in with the cityscape, and thomas quickly realizes that he may soon loose he quarry if he takes his eyes of the man.
Thomas follows the men at a safe distance
A'streth steps into an alley quickly to let his illusion melt away. He then nods to Shivam and heads towards the Tavern looking for the Officers.
stepping into the tavern, you immediately feel out of place. Everywhere you look, you see DragonArmy officers. Various ranks, from lowly lieutenants, to Colonels with attache's, all stop speaking and look at each of you.
walking from a safe distance back, you mimic the man's path for several blocks and see him step into an alley.
A'streth turns to the closest one, "Greetingsss, in the course of pursssuing a mission entrusted to usss by Lord Ariakusss himssself, our companion hasss identified what he believesss to be Sssolamnic ssspiesss, can I trouble one of you to come and invessstigate our friendsss' contention?"
Follows the man into the alley knowing full well it could be an ambush
Oh look guys, a talking Lizard the officer calls out. he starts to pat his pockets and says in a condescending tone I think i have a mouse here, or perhaps a rabbit for it to eat. We have been told that we should always reward the Dragonarmy pets for hard work
the room fills with laughter.
stepping into the alley, you see your quarry running down to the far end and ducking out into the opposite side of the block, out of sight.
A'Streth chuckles, "Talking monkeysss, are you too ssstupid to hear what I have to tell you? Do you believe that Sssolamnic ssspies are a laughing matter?
I ssshall trouble you no further Officerss, I am sssure that Lord Ariakusss will find your jokesss amusssing once he dissscoversss what I have to report..."
With that, A'streth turns on his heel walks out and looks to Shivam, "If we fail in our endeavorsss their incompetence will be why".
he chases after the man drawing his sword as he goes
"If we fail in our endeavorsss their incompetence will be why
Shivam says loudly
the man patting his hips stops and stares at Shivam. You dare question me, leper? his hand slowly inches towards the short sword on his belt. Several others in the room tense up.
HOLD a voice from the back bellows loudly. immediately everyone else in the room stops what they are doing and stands at attention.
The clang of spurs sounds lightly in the air as a short man, black hair, blue eyes, red goatee on his face, steps from the crowd and moves up to shivam and A'streth.
you name dropped Lord Ariakus a few times now. Come with me. You two, go find these Solamnic spies and bring them to me. At least able to talk, they dont need to walk or hold a sword.
The man before you is dressed in the finest silk of the land. his sash upon his chest is festoned with medals. and the sword at his hip is unique for a man his size. Where you would expect a short sword or saber, he weilds a bastard sword.
Turning around, he leads you both to the back of the tap room.
Now, tell me why you keep name dropping the Lords name like that?
Running along, arms pumping, a shutter from one of the buildings opens up suddenly in front of Thomas. Instinct takes over and he drops to his back. his momentum is enough to allow him to slide on his back and with a quick kick, rights himself and keeps running to the end of the alley.
At the end of the alley, his movement slowed to not slam into the crowd beyond, Thomas is glad, because if would have been going a bit faster, the blade that snakes around the corner and slashes only air misses him.
The man he has been chasing steps quickly into the alley, and does something odd. He runs one of his hands further up his long sword, grasping it just beyond the mid point. his other hand maintains its grip on the pommel.
turns to the man and speaks.
why don't we talk about this. i have no issue killing a spy to bee honest i need the workout but i don't want to get blood on my clothes
Shivam who has zero interest in religion yet can at least recognize this man is one of great power follows whilst giving the soldier whom attempted to draw the sword on him a withering look.
I am a leper friend...and much worse
Now, tell me why you keep name dropping the Lords name like that?
Pardon me...I am ignorant of the proper way to address you, we are on a mission assigned to us by the great Lord Ariakus himself[/b]
"We mention him becaussse thessse monkeysss would not lisssten without it, though it sssemsss even with hisss name they are too foolisssh to underssstand what we are trying to relay. We mussst move back to the place where we were and quickly. I would prefer not to confront thesse Ssssolamnicsss directly asss that isss not our directive.
Will you come with usss? We've no time for s drink". A'streth states not sitting down and with body language that even from a giant dragon man clearly shows he is ready to leave.
You may address me as Lord and that'll suffice for now. Tell me, what tavern were you at? I shall send some of my personal staff there to investigate the threat of spies in our midst. As for time, A higher ranking officer is asking questions. you have all the time in the world for that, or shall I be forced to send you the Fingers as punishment?
the man snorts at your parley attempt. A spy? me? oh this? he puts a hand up to his upper lip. bah, had a prank done on me by some friends a while ago. Gave me a cigar that ended up blowing up in my face. caused a big burn here, making it seem like I'm one of those sissy Solamnic types
charges the man flail swinging with extra effort
The inn of Damocles
Shivam sits down at the mention of the fingers The inn of damocles is where they are my lord
A'streth nods his head, "No my Lord, in my haste I failed to recognize you, what is it you wish to know?"
the impact from the flail causes the man to step back momentarily, his hand grasping at the wound upon his shoulder. blood pours from the tear, his fingers clenching into a blood stained fist.
Spinning his sword in an intricate maneuver, he brings it up high for a downward slash. Thomas, seeing the move, moves instinctively to guard, and is surprised to see the spy in front of him suddenly turn and run off through the crowd, attempting to hide from Thomas' sight
the man waves his hand. No matter. It's this face, people tend to forget who I am. I think I take after my father, if only I could remember what he looks like He chuckles to himself at his own joke.
what i would like to know is where you are going? he says in a serious tone, the humor having left his body.
Shivam is quiet for a moment letting the question sink in. We are to infiltrate Solamnia my lord
curses as he loses him bilut decides to walk around looking for him somemore
A'streth nods, "Yes, we shall be searching for the main agitators amongst the Knights and eliminating them".
the man nods. who are they? those heroes of the lance as the locals call them?
looking about, he tries in vain to find the lost solamnic knight.
the man nods. who are they? those heroes of the lance as the locals call them?
That is what we intend to find out my lord and rectify the situation
"Heroes who WILL be lances I say", A'streth laughs at his own stupid joke.