Gently placing the thief in front of the bemused Kyrot, Joanna makes the suggestion that he deliver the miscreant to the City Guard himself. The tiefling nods sagely, ”I will take him to the Arvensoar myself – I shall accuse him only of attempting to steal from the Fairfaxes, the murder, sorry – attempted murder, must remain a secret until I know what path Lady Fairfax wishes for us”. Kneeling down next to the prone figure of Sh’lekki, he looks back at Joanna with a look of alarm, ”Wh… Wh… What did you do to him?”
Sticky red blood is oozing from the unconscious thief’s ears and from his nostrils whilst his previously grey eyes are coloured a bloodshot red…and then the convulsions start – hard and violent…
After the hug, Arsith will keep Briana's hand in hers, smiling, for a few more seconds, pressing it slightly to silently say
*I'm here*
When the unconscious thief begins to convulse, Arsith releases Briana's hand and dashes to its' side
What's happening?
"Only cast a spell, one that shouldn't do this!" Joanna says in alarm. She kneels next to the man, trying to determine what's wrong and how to help him.
Kyrot shouts at Arsith and Joanna as he realises the severity of the situation, ”DO SOMETHING!!!” But it is far too late, the man is clearly haemorrhaging heavily within his skull – and, as the sticky blood starts to thicken with other solid matter, the convulsions slow. The man is dead in seconds.
She stands as if paralyzed, clutching the shard at her chest so hard the edges start to cut into her hand. She'd seen death before, had even caused it a few times, but this... This is different. Zee's magic didn't do that. Given how torn up the woman had been at the Tower Girl's death not so very long ago, Nalathi doubts Ziomarra is capable of killing someone so directly again. He was fine, and then... and then... It isn't the gruesomeness of the death that hits Nalathi to the core-- it's the suddenness and finality.
Joanna chokes down a surge of vomit at the man's grisly death.
"N-no one deserves that," she gets out through clenched teeth. The young paladin shivers as she settles against the wall, her eyes fixed on the dead man's.
"It appears that his master does possess some real power... to invade Alika's mind and to cause so violent a death at a great distance is an impressive display..." Teldon reflects, "although, I suppose he could have poisoned himself... some fanatics do carry poison tablets hidden in the mouth to avoid being forced to reveal too much... but that seemed much more like sinister magic than a poison... at a cursory observance..."
I agree. Some deaths are worse than others. As a servant of Pharasma, I've seen some horrors, believe me.
Zee covers her mouth with her hand. By the gods—not again!
"By the gods... I did not do that! My spell only loosened his tongue, like drinking too much wine. He said he was a member of an organization called the 'Sleeping Snake.' Has anyone heard of that? Could they provide a poison pill to its agents in the event of capture?"
"I hope that whatever you discovered was helpful - any secrets he had have gone to the grave now.". Kyrot, the consummate professional, has already starts cleaning the blood from the carpet, "We should dispose of him tonight...I dare say another body floating in the harbour won't cause too much suspicion around these parts"
As he cleans, he asks for some assistance - in a short while - with moving Devlin's artefacts through to the Bronze House, "It'll keep suspicion to a minimum and pass the time before we receive a reply from the Fairfaxes"
At the mention of dumping the now dead thief into the harbor, Joanna stands up to her full height and glares at Kyrot. Disguise be damned, her morals would not let her just let this slide by. When she speaks, her voice is hard as iron.
"Listen, and listen well, Servant of Fairfax, if you mention dumping this man into the harbor again, I'll be the one hauling you to Avensoar in irons, is that clear?"
The paladin glares at him a moment longer before letting out a long slow breath and becoming more like herself.
"In the meantime, yes, I will help you move those items."
Zee thinks about what she knows about funeral parlors in Magnimar that offer cremation.
Nalathi looks at Joanna quizzically. "Why? You know there's a lot of fish in the harbor, right? Why not feed them? They have to eat too, and someday they might be feeding people here in the city. That's what we do back home. Well, we don't have harbors obviously, but we give bodies to creatures that'll eat them."
"I'll explain it later, but I'm sure that feeding the fish is less of a concern than convenience. Besides, this man died while in our care. I'll not see him tossed into the harbor like so much trash."
I agree with Joanna. The Lady of the Graves would be displeased if no inhumation is provided. We respect the dead, not the deeds. He might have been a thief and a killer, but now he's no more alive, and his soul will be judged by Pharasma. If one of us was dead, right here, right now, we surely don't talk about throwing her or his corpse into he nearset river. And that's not judgmental on you or your people, Nalathi. Every society has its rules about what to do with the dead.Even the simplest ceremony and burial will do, and I can do it, and by my faith I must to it, so I will do it.
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damnit... things were going so well, too...
"Joanna?!? Nalathi?!? What is this?!?" Teldon nearly shouts, stepping past Kyrot to confront the three women . "I hire you on at a generous rate, I put you up in far better circumstances than those of your station can expect, and you repay me with deception?!? I don't know what end you were working toward but you've blown it now! You're fired, all 3 of you, gather your things and get out now!"
Turning his back to them, he speaks more gently to Zee, "Alika, I should have taken your hunch about them more seriously... I apologize."
well, let's see how this goes...
Walking up very close to Briana he calmly, almost patronizingly, says "and you, my dear Eudomia, know that I do not like you to call me that in public, please." before softly kissing her lips.
Directing his attention toward Kyrot he adds, "I'm sorry you had to witness that... I suppose that's what I get for hiring a group women in a town like this. At any rate, I appear to be temporarily in need of security while you are temporarily in need of a patron... Perhaps we can come to some short term arrangement? My two remaining girls and I will, of course, still help with the auction."
Zee watches Teldon kiss "Eudomia" with an open-mouthed expression of complete bewilderment.
Arsith prefers to keep silent, as she totally forgot the name she was supposed to use. She takes a step back when Teldon kisses Brianna (or whatever their names was!), just in case he would try the same trick with her...
A foreign name, Ulfen..what was it? Ingrid?Ingirt. That's it. Well, at least I had the decency to kiss Briana on her forehead, not on her lips...
Also, Teldon was more affected by his own tactic than he anticipated...
keep it together... deep breath... the warmth and the tingling will pass... you must succeed at this lie, now is not the time to be distracted by a beautiful woman... she is beautiful though, isn't she, I hadn't noticed before... stop it- convince Kyrot... Why is it still so hot in here?
Joanna stands there, eyes glazed over and mouth hanging open as the entire world spins on its head.
I... Uh, I... whuh?
The paladin turns and heads to her room, gathering her gear and leaving, the same, blank, shocked expression on her face.
Guh-- I-- He-- Kiss-- Bri-- Gkk-- Smeep-- Kiss-- Lips--
Nalathi giggles. Oh, right. We had code names. What was mine again? She can't quite tell whether Teldon had kissed Briana to maintain their cover, or for some other reason. Briana certainly seems flustered. "Come on, Tel... tel, tell me you aren't firing us just because of that! So maybe I didn't want to use my real name, so what?"
Kyrot stands amazed at the degrading situation; watching Joanna leave he muses aloud to 'Pellius', "You had deception in your group? What were they doing here do you think? Should we let them go? Maybe it's best they just leave - there has been enough bloodshed..." With his sword partially drawn, the tiefling escorts Arsith and Nalathi to the door - as he pushes the women from the room, he informs them, "You are both fortunate that Pellius is a forgiving man - if it was down to me on another day, I'd have you both strung up as thieves, fraudsters or worse..."
Turning back to Teldon, "It would appear that things are very rarely what they seem - I suggest we secure both of the collections; yours and Lord Fairfaxes...take lunch and then make arrangements with the Consortium"
"Let them take the corpse they were so concerned about." Teldon calls out as they are escorted to the door.
"The small one seemed to be speaking honestly about only wishing to avoid their real names... Perhaps they were small time criminals trying to go straight... but I can't take that chance. Of course, I can't afford to develop a reputation as a harsh or cruel employer either, or stringing them up may have been a satisfying solution." he concurs. "And your plan sounds wise. I only have a few pieces with me, we can secure those quickly and then move on to Lord Fairfax's collection."
"Alika, Eudomia, if you would..." he asks.
He steps away from Briana toward the chests before realizing that he had never let go of her soft warm hand. Releasing it, he quickly turns away to hide his embarrassment from her and the others.
After everything is secured, he has lunch brought up to them so they can keep an eye on things while eating, then asks, "do you know how Lord Fairfax was communicating with the Consortium or should we simply go to the Bronze House and ask after Sylvain?"
She smiles a wry grin at her flustered friend.
Zee gives Joanna, Nalathi, and Arsith a stern gaze as they march off.
At "Pellius'" command, she attends her "employer." "Yes, Mr. Pellius." As she assists with packing up the artifacts, she stage-whispers to Teldon, loud enough to be heard by Kyrot but quiet enough to seem to be trying to whisper: "Sir, I wish you had put more trust in my readings. I warned you that those three might not be completely trustworthy. I wonder what their game had been."
After Arsith and Nalathi have been escorted out of the room, the white haired woman ask the other one
What a strange situation... Is it always like that? A Pathfinder's life is full of surprises...
It's not until Joanna accidentally bumps into a large man that she realizes she's been walking aimlessly for the past half-hour. It only takes her a second to start scolding herself silently as she realizes with dismay that she's now in the Shadows.
Over a hearty lunch that Kyrot insists be paid for from Devlin’s purse, the bodyguard reassures the remaining members of Pellius’ entourage that he expects a message by raven sometime in the evening – and reiterates that the Consortium must not be allowed to know of anything untoward having happened to Devlin.
”All of Lord Fairfax’s dealings were with Sylvain however there is no need for us to meet him today – all that was expected was for the Fairfax’s artefacts to be taken to the Bronze House for storage awaiting the auction in two days’ time. I assume that you will be delivering your items for sale as well? It would seem efficient for us to transfer them to the Consortium at the same time?”
When your meal is finished, Kyrot busies himself with securing the crates ready for movement, ”It is a side entrance to the Bronze House that we shall be using today – not too far for us to carry the artefacts but maybe we should hire some assistance? Some of these items are quite heavy”
Joanna is suddenly jolted from her thoughts when she collides with another person – taking one look at the man’s ragged attire, his demeanour and the barrel of rotting fish the man has nearly dropped leads Joanna to think she is still somewhere near Dockway… a look upwards at the Irespan towering above her confirms she has strayed into Underbridge. A toothless scowl forms across the man’s face, ”You nearly made me drop that…”; the voice is full of accusation and menace…
I would be interested in learning more about you and your people, Nalathi. I guess NOW we can use our real names... Want to drink something somewhere?
She sighs. "I guess so. Yeah, let's do that. I can't believe he didn't try to keep us around, he could've said something about what a great job we were doing..."
As they find a bar and sit down, Nalathi orders a glass of wine. She takes a drink and licks her lips. "Mmm, I'll say this, you surface-dwellers know how to make a drink. Much better than the krishput we make back home."
"krishput"? Never heard that term... Where are you from, Nalathi, if that's not too rude to ask? You seem quite different from anyone, no offense meant.
Arsith takes a sip from her own glass, enjoying the wine
"Well that's our word for it, I don't know what you would call it. It's a drink made from fermented cave potatoes. Very strong, but not a lot of flavor. My tribe lives in an underground complex a few dozen miles from here, which is where I grew up. I'm a wayang, you see."
"I-I'm terribly sorry about that, sir. I didn't mean any harm. Do you need any help?"
Joanna speaks quickly and nervously. Memories from her last visit to the Underbridge coming to the surface and making her nervous.
Wayang? Is that an underground race? Sorry, but outside of religion, I'm not much an academic. Most of my training is about battle, how to lead men, how to behave in war and how to perform the ineluctable last rites for those who fall.I'm a decent weapons and armor maker too, or so I've been told. Not really the kind of life I was supposed to get by birth, I guess.
Debating it a little further, Kyrot finally decides that it may be better not to involve a third party in the transfer of the items – with some derision, he spits, ”It seems that you should not trust anyone in this city – okay, let’s get to it”. Directing ‘Eudomia’ and ‘Alika’ to assist him, several small crates are transported down the stairs, along the quayside for a short distance and then, turning up an alley next to a building lavishly embellished with verdigris shutters, deposited outside a discretely placed door.
Kyrot raps at the door and, moments later, a shutter slides open…
”Yes?”
Kyrot, his accent turning impeccably Isgeri, responds, ”I have the auction items from Lord Fairfax”
The shutter slams shut and the door, after several bolts are heard to be unlocked, swings open. The room behind is a warehouse of sorts – crate after crate stacked in neat rows, each demarcated with numbers and various names. The man who opened the door, a suave looking man in Taldane clothing, gestures towards an empty space, ”The Fairfax items are to go there…there should be more than this?”
”Quite a bit more…it’ll take us an hour or so to bring everything”
…and it does take that long, a little over in fact. When everything has been moved into the warehouse, the Aspis Agent opens each of the crates…inspecting the contents and then signing a manuscript that he hands to Kyrot, ”It’s all there and accounted for - pass on our regards to Lord Fairfax and tell him we look forward to a fruitful auction”
Kyrot takes the manuscript and thanks the agent for his time…
Back in the Fairfax’s Suite at the Mariner’s Rest, you have a visitor – a raven perched upon the railings of the balcony cawing at the seagulls wheeling overhead. Kyrot grins, ”That was quick”…removing the manuscript holder from the bird’s leg, he looks at it and passes it directly to Teldon, ”It is addressed to you…”
Unravelling the rolled parchment, Teldon reads, Pellius, by now you will have realised that I am far from dead - and merely 'elsewhere' – in fact, I ‘awoke’ not very far from Magnimar…although you will perhaps excuse me if I do not tell you exactly where.
I did not plan for things to turn out the way they did however, in our business, you should always anticipate things being taken by violence – the artefact that was stolen was priceless and I have started to put things into motion to ensure it’s safe return. In the meantime, it is advantageous for the thieves to believe me dead… I have already sent word to the Consortium indicating that I cannot attend the auction and that I have appointed someone to act on my behalf.
I would like you to be that person… Your knowledge of antiquities is an attribute that you can use to seek the best items at the auction for me… you would, of course, be compensated for your time.
Anticipating your positive response by return,
Lord Fairfax
The raven caws at you expectantly…
"I guess we are. I mean, I've never met any on the surface, if that's what you mean. We spent our entire lives underground-- didn't really need to come out here." She waves a hand to indicate the world around her. "The tribe all thought I was crazy for coming here. Thought I was going to get myself killed. But so far, it's no more dangerous up here than it is down there." She chuckles.
We all have to find our own paths in life. And some risks are worth taking. You took some while chasing the thief, didn't you? I'm not made for such activity, I'm afraid. Not really quick and agile.
She looks at the empty glass, and pours some more wine in it.
And how did you become an... adventurer? How did you meet the others, if you don't mind me asking?
Zee reads the letter, nodding. Looking up, she remarks, "Interesting. Mr. Pellius, shall I assume you intend to accept Lord Fairfax' offer?"
Nalathi shrugs and takes another drink. "Well, I'd pretty much found all there was to find in our cave complex-- it was a big place, but most spots looked pretty much like most other spots. We didn't make many interesting things, either." She holds up what appears to have once been a signet ring, though who it belonged to is anyone's guess-- the stone has fallen out or been removed, and its warped shape suggests not a few times of being stepped on. "Like this thing. I found it over by the door. I don't know why someone would wear it, but I know we don't have anything like it back home."
Teldon reads the missive aloud.
In response to Zee's question, he answers "It seems a mutually beneficial arrangement, Alika, but it is also a large responsibility... can you foresee any weal or woe should I accept?"
In response to Teldon's question, Zee sits at the desk and takes out her spell deck.
She performs a Harrow reading.
The man looks Joanna up and down, weighing things up in his mind, after an agonising pause - with the threat of violence very real in the air - he laughs, "Help me? Of course you can... Look, I've got ten barrels of this stuff to get over to Lowcleft...my wagon's just over there. You think you got the stomach for a hard afternoon's graft? There's bread and ale in it..."
"I think I can handle that," Joanna says a little more calmly, "Do you have a safe place for me to stow my things, or should I just carry them too?"
Surprised, Arsith touches her fingers, trying to locate her own signet ring, hoping desperatly it's not the ring Nalathi picked up on the floor.
Her face is even paler than usual, and her breath is short.
there is even such beauty in her concern... such... compassion...
"Eudomia," he says softly locking eyes with her "are you alright? You seem troubled... do you have misgivings about this course of action?"