Blood of Heroes.
Game Master Mrdarknlight

You all gather around the map before Peadair points at a port city at the northern point of Spesi. The map shows that the city is called Shade Ridge. He than begins to speak "This is where we all shall start our plan. Spesi has four major port cities. Animus has some pull in Shade Ridge. We thought it would be easiest for us if you started there so we could send supplies when needed." He rubs his hands together before saying "Now to get down, we want you all to become a force there. Your cover will be as merchants and their guards. Most merchants from other countries can do what they wish for in the port cities. We are hoping to gain a major foot hold. We do not really care how you gain a foot hold in the city but it is very important that you do."

He pauses for a moment before tapping the Shade Ridge drawing on the map which than grows in size to cover most of the map. The city looks like a normal large port city. He than points to the South Eastern area of the map "This is where most of the rich of the city live. We have made arrangements for you all to live in a house in this area." Next he points to the South Western part of the map "This is where most of the official buildings are and is also where City Hall is." After speaking he points to the North Eastern area of the map "This is where most of the workers live, it is also where the main market place is found. You all should visit that market place often." Finally he ports to the North Western part of the map where all the ports seem to be found "This is where all the factories can be found. It is also where all ships come in."

He looks at the group to make sure they are listening before he goes on "Now that you got all that, and the basic layout of the city any questions?"

On closer inspection of the map details Chuluun mutters softly, "I wonder where I can get one of these special maps. Would make my travels around the world far easier.".

Speaks out aloud, "Merchant? Definitely not me. Adviser perhaps. Well we definitely have a guard.", pointing his thumb towards Fafhrd.

Hearing of living in the rich area of the port city, "Hope the house comes with a nice garden for me to relax in.".

"So we setting up a base for our operations against the Church of Light?"

Taking 10 on all knowledge skills = 29

I'm sure I could put up a front as a simple potion maker or apothecary.

Guard it is, for me. I don't have any mercantile skills, and although I'm not quite as strong as our large friend here, gesturing to Fafhrd, I can make a fairly convincing bodyguard.

"Beer." Caine says simply. "We want to gather information and get people to like and trust us? We set up a bar."

"You two have a knack for mixing things, right? You'd probably make great brewmasters. I bet you both could pick it up in a week. You say you've employed Chuluun and Viktor to scout the wilds and magically craft 'secret ingredients.' You've all got the the look and attitude beer companies want to portray anyway. It's not even much of a stretch. We call it a mix of Fafhrd's ancient tribal family recipe and Asreil's modern formula."

Nodding to himself he continues, thinking out loud. "With Animus bankrolling us we have the luxury of not actually needing to make money. We can offer high quality goods for really low cost and cater to the disenfranchised, but we only sell in house. That gives us our group to lean on and gather information from. Our target customer is the kind to buy gut-rot and drink at home because it's cheaper. If we give them a place to drink good stuff for cheep we'll barely need to sew discord. It'll happen on it's own. Give the people with the most problems a few drinks and others who'll listen? All we'll have to do at that point is spread rumors of the truth and offer hypothetical solutions."

"We foster violence, and train people for it, by holding brawling competitions. Once things become self-sustaining we leave a couple Animus agents behind to keep an eye on things and move on to the next place. Then we do it all again. We won't even have to lie about why. We can say we left because of civil unrest."

It's fight club with the Wallmart business model. :)

That is a good idea.

I wonder if they will miss this map, he looks up from the map to face the rest, speaking, "Before I became a druid of Lady Liluri. I was trained in the art of crafting beautiful weapons. But I no good at selling."

Hearing Greyson idea, "Very interesting idea you have, creating discord amongst the people. This will definitely allow us to gain access to needed information too.".

"How 'bout not-so-beautiful weapons? Serviceable weapons that look like they got pulled off the side of a building or out of a ditch? We want to train an army, but we don't want them to look like an army. We want weapons with the balance of a war axe with the look of a wood chopping axe. Think you could do that?"

That is a damn good idea. I just don't know how viable Viktor is as a person to go get "secret ingredients". He's got some Kn:Nature, but not much else, let alone crafting of any sort.

Well then, I think we've got our business model planned out, now. Good idea, Greyson. The lower-tier is what supports the masses. If we can get them shaky, the entire city will fall. Once we've gotten the port cities out of the way, it's an internal war of attrition. Without outside sources to draw upon, they'll have to gather all materials from in-house, something I don't think is feasible.

I may be able to help in the weapons-making department. I may not be fantastic, but I'm sure I can work things out. And over time, who knows. I may just get better.

"Well, sure I can make plan looking weapons.", thinking to himself, Never thought I ever end up doing that horrible work again. Though it is for a good cause after all, and with the will of Lady Liluri's and her blessing..

"Of course I will need someone to get me the raw materials, and of course helpers in making the weapons quickly.".

"Greyson's the name the church gave me. I'm not too fond of it. Caine will do."

It's a cover. Viktor doesn't actually have to know how to do anything. He just has to be magically skilled and terribly mysterious. It's not like there's a real secret ingredient.

Terribly mysterious? I can do that. I can even talk to my sword, if you'd like. :P

Caine turned to the representatives of Animus. "We're going to need two decent sized buildings, preferably next to each other. One for brewing and storage, where we can stockpile just about anything under the guise of manufacturing, and the other for a bar. It's going to need to be big. Check the edges of any warehouse districts for people willing to sell. I don't even know what to look for on this map. Is it a port? If so, we'll want to be as close to that as possible. If not, we want to be near the manufacturing district."

Fafhrd had remained quiet up to his point as he mulled over the map and his companions' ideas.

"[B]I would have to agree. It should not be hard for me to pick up on the honorable profession of brewing thanks to my alchemical knowledge and fondness for the courage giving drink. Not only that, but have a knack for channeling it into a rather destructive force. If we set up near the docks we could pull from the wise sailors and keep an escape route open. As for talents, I am also adept at tattooed, having done a large number of my own.[b]"

As he spoke of tattooed, he pulled his cowl down to reveal his intricate tattooed. While at first glance they could appear rather unsettling, a closer look would reveal the artistic hand behind them.

Peadair nod to Caine after he speaks about the two buildings. He than says "We will see about finding building as you have asked about."He than turns to look at Chuluun and Viktor "We own a smithy in the city. We will have them work with you."

Peadair than puts his hand on his chin and starts to tap his finger "This plan of yours does make sense. We can test out different blends here before you leave if you all wish. I will order all brewers to come for advice if that is alright with you all?" He than looks at the group to wait for an answer.

Now I have to go look up how making beer works. Now do you guys just want to make beer or other types of drinks as well? Other types would be for the richer folks.

"Good to hear. Could you show me where the smithy is? Just want to see how close it is to both our accommodation and bar/brewery.", pointing his claw down at the map.

I think our plan isn't to go for the rich ones, but the poor. The lifeblood, if you will, of the community. The rich are much more likely to condone or at least tolerate the corruption, while the poor are more often affected by it, and will have more of an overall affect. I'm not saying having the odd rich person is a bad thing, I'm just saying that, as far as I know, they aren't the demographic we're going for.

That would be nice to know, referring to Chuluun's request.

"I would love to learn how to make any and all drinks. I might even develop a few concoctions of my own." Asriel begins pacing about the room, deep in thought. After a span of a few minutes, he turns to the group as a whole. "What would you say to a small portion of the bar sectioned off as a 'premier club' of sorts. I excel in such an atmosphere, and can use the arrogance and pretension to our advantage, for gathering information, at the very least. The wealthy are likely to know things that the commoners do not. Additionally, recruiting even a small handful of wealthy individuals would allow us the use of some resources that sheer numbers cannot."

"You ever seen a revolution of rich folks? Some might be sympathetic, but I think the idea of a Premier area would just foster resentment. Wait. No, that's perfect. As long as it doesn't drive people away, it'll be something they can point to as an example of the problem."

Speaking with concern, "We must make sure the working people don't turn against us, due to having a premier section. That they are kept happy with our drinking hole, when the riots and anarchy begins.".

"Perhaps, we can add some substance to make the patrons more easily subjective to our suggestions."

Turning to Greyson, Asriel narrows his eyes. "Traditionally speaking, it is the rich and powerful that finance and lead revolutions. As leadership and finance are already taken care of, this is not as pertinent as would ordinarily be the case. However, my expertise, as I said, lies in interaction with the upper-class. I am very well versed in the complexities of each culture's etiquette, and I feel very confident in my ability to gather information and make allies that would otherwise be unavailable. Are you suggesting that we cannot effectively utilize the rich?"

"No. I'm saying we need to be careful about it. We're talking about building a slum dive to pull in hordes of the downtrodden, and then pushing them towards violent revolution. If we become known for catering to wealthy clientele and giving them preferential treatment with things like special rooms and elite services we'll lose the trust of the people we need most. If we can find wealthy people who already stand against the church, then we can pull them in as allies and investors, but they shouldn't ever seem like they're more important than anyone else. You say you can do it, great, just do it in a way that brings them down to mingle and listen to the common folk."

It is as Caine says. If we show preferential treatment to the rich, then we're no better than the church in the eyes of the people. The proposed revolution will come to mean a change of dictators to them, and that is all.

Fafhrd went quiet as he studied the map and mulled over his companions' words. He had not much to say in terms of the patrons. He wished them honorable, but this mission might require some unsavory sorts.

The leaders of Animus listen as the group speaks before Peadair says as if repeating a sermon "The church treats all equally." He than goes to one of the shelves with the gems and picks up a small green gem. Once back he looks to Chuluun and Viktor before pointing to a area near the water on the North Eastern side of the city "Here is the smithy." Once done speaking he says something that causes the gem to glow before he places its down on top of area he pointed. The gem stops glowing when he picks it up and gives it to Viktor "This will allow you use of the smithy, give it to the Head Blacksmith."

Very well.

"I concede the point and bow to your wisdom. While I still feel that we should not rule out the potential utility of a few wealthy supporters, I see the value in keeping such an operation separate from the primary mission." Asriel gives an apologetic nod to Greyson and Viktor.

This isn't to say that the wealthy shouldn't be 'bought in" as well, just that that's not how we should go about doing it. It may be possible to get a side project going, but it's not as important to the cause, and may, if we are found to be the runners of both, hinder it. The main issue is getting the cornerstones of society, the working class.

Chuluun gives a nod when Viktor receives the gem, "Thank you, that will make bringing in raw materials easier."

"It may be that the wealth will come to us so I would not be opposed to learning some of the supposedly finer brews. If given the chance, I would appreciate a more detailed run down of important locations in the city."

"Oh, you're definitely going to learn finer brews. That's the key to the whole thing. We're going to brew drink that would normally only be marketed to wealthy clientele. Instead, we sell a ton of it, cheep. Animus is paying the rent and the materials cost, so we can churn out the good stuff and price it at swill. That's how we're going to bring them in."

"I see. I will learn what I can before we depart, but I must still see about a spar with one of these clockwork mechanisms. While some of you may find it futile, I still see wisdom in learning our opponents' capabilities."

Peadair turns to Ena after hearing about the locations she than says "I will have to check the reports on all the important places of Shade Ridge. Many are for the local criminal groups. I will have those reports bought in." All the group of Animus than look at Fafhrd very strangely after he speaks about sparing with a clockwork solider.Ena than says "If you really wish to spar with one of our clockwork soldiers so be it but I must warn you they do not hold back."

"I realize this and accept blame if I were to die, but unless if you have a better way of showing us the capabilities of our enemies, I see little choice if I wish to gain even a sliver of understanding their capabilities. And if these enemies or capable of killing not only one, but multiples of your guards, in mere moments, how would we fare against such if we're incapable of even facing off against one?"

Chuluun lets out small chuckle with a huge grin forming, "Until we depart for Shade Ridge, at least the rest of us can get some entertainment kindly provided by Fafhrd. Though it would mean I will need to patch him up afterwards, or perhaps also during his sparring with the clockwork soldier.".

"if these enemies ar capable of killing not only one, but multiples of your guards, in mere moments, how would we fare against such if we're incapable of even facing off against one?"

"Their capabilities are that they can kill us all. What more do you need to know? Why do you think we're going to fight them? The church's soldiers we can handle, within reason. If a Hunter squad or a Juggernaut comes after us, we run. "

Ena looks at the group before saying "Very well if you really wish to fight one of our soldiers we can go now."

Meeting basically over until, all the brewers show so you guys can talk over what you want to bring or what blends to start with. Anything else anyone wish to say or ask before I move on?

I don't have anything in particular.

Nope

Chuluun raises his hand before speaking, "I will skip the brewery discussions. If there any discussion about the manufacturing of weapons, please inform so I am kept up to date with the latest happenings.".

"Please lead the way," Fafhrd stated as he turned to follow the woman.

Good to go.

Ena nods before saying "Very well than this way please." She than leads everyone to a large room. Once in the room she says "Give me a moment to see if the training room is empty." After a few minutes she comes back "It is now empty."
She than leads you into a massive room with mats, dummies and areas that seem to be rings. At the largest center ring stand three of clockwork soldiers. The first soldier is larger than the other two and has thick looking armor it is also holding a large hammer in both lands. The next one appears as a knight holding an axe and shield. Last is a thin looking solider that reminds you all of an assassin that appears to not be holding any weapons.

Ena points "The juggernaut defeated a type of one of these models." She points to the large solider "This model is known as the Conqueror." Next she points at the knight looking solider "This model is known as the Crusader."Lastly she points at the thin solider "This one is known as the slayer. Please chose which you wish to test."

Chuluun speaks to Fafhrd, "Just remember I can only heal you once today."

Fafhrd began to study the constructs as Ena named them.

"I would wish to face off whichever you consider to be the strongest in combat. My guess with a name like juggernaut, it depends quite a bit on its strength."

After finishing, he turned his gaze to Chuluun.

"I appreciate the help. I think facing one today will give me the information I seek and I understand many of you might find this entertaining, but knowing your enemy is a strength of its own."

Once done, he would turn his gaze back to Ena.

"I would request a few moments to prepare myself. I would like to be able to face this warrior at my full strength."

Caine says nothing, simply leaning against a wall with a wry smile and a shake of his head.

Ena nods before saying "Slayer-90 and Crusader-68 report back to your posts. Conqueror-01 practice match center ring. Your opponent is that man. " She points at Fafhrd before going "Start match once he enters the ring." All three soldiers nod before starting to move, The Slayer and Crusader walk out of the room while the Conqueror goes into a battle stance waiting for Fafhrd to step forward.

She says each number out. So it would be Slayer- Nine Zero.

Chuluun moves to the outside of the ring to provide emergency healing. Before Fafhrd enters the ring Chuluun quickly speaks, "Lady Ena, sure the soldier won't attack me if I go to heal Fafhrd in order to save his life."

Ena turns to Chuluun "Practice match is a code, it will only attack Fafhrd until I tell it the match is over."

Viktor leans against the wall, watching the fight that is about to happen.

"You a betting man, Vik? Caine asks quietly, keeping his eyes on the upcoming fight.