Flare Brent |
murgle.
Cynthia, Shaman of Hope |
"Yes, although what people see and what they actually get are rarely the same thing." Cynthia said after greeting the man. "The apprentice appears to have learned something important about the symbols... or has at least convinced a number of pirates that he has. I'm sure you're already familiar with the situation brewing down by the docks, but we realized this might be more problematic for your interests than is currently believed."
Flare Brent |
"No. Whether the betrayal was on Malcolm's end or Sloanne's is anyone's guess at this point. From my understanding, Malcolm didn't want to give up his destiny for Sloanne's desires." Flare said from her position to the left of the group, she seemed to be examining the room itself more than the man this time. "Malcolm killed Sloanne and fled to the Bloodhands." Flare informed him. "I know information is a commodity, but it's more important to me that we're as up front as we can be in these delicate situations. Do you have any idea why the Bloodhand would have sent people after us... or have even knew we were here?"
Diplomacy: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (14) + 14 = 28
DireMerc |
"Why do pirates do anything? You will find the answer is usually money. I did some digging and found that someone with a lot of money and influence is very determine to find anyone bearing a certain glowing mark. The bounty is for alive or dead with a much greater reward for alive but despite my best efforts the person or persons behind this bounty remain anonymous. I have determined however that they are based in or at least are from Qadira."
Flare Brent |
K(Geography): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18
"So... we have Red Mantis assassins from here...ish, pirates sent by desert-folk, and old men with dreams of cleansing curses after us for our marks. Do you know of anyone else that might be after us? Anyone from Tian Xia?" she says with no small amount of humor in her voice. "I don't really even know what's so special about us." she sighs, shaking her head.
"So we know the Bloodhands want us for Qadiran gold, I guess? Do you think Malcolm knew he was likely to be sold when he signed on with the Bloodhands?"
DireMerc |
"It does seem odd he would go to them willingly. All I discovered about the marks is that it was a gift by some goddess to her most faithful followers at the time of her death some three centuries ago. A gift that is passed down from one generation to the next. People with the mark have turned up here and there with stories about them accomplishing miracles but they are few and far in between. The bounty however only started popping up around two weeks ago. At first it was discreet only known to few and then more and more public. Personally I have no interest in collecting the bounty. Knowledge is of more value to me than gold and I am curious to know more about these marks and what they can do." says tammerhawk.
Flare Brent |
"Well... in the interest of being open. I know that they warn us of danger. I also know from a conversation that the mark, in combination with a ring, can make big things happen. Malcolm has both right now... if sources are correct. Unfortunately, I'm not sure what form it takes." Flare shrugs a little. "But if you're going to look into it, that may help. From my understanding, Sloanne had the ring. You may have seen it. That should prove to be another significant avenue to follow." Flare offered.
Riven White |
K(Arcana): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (20) + 11 = 31
Spellcraft: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (2) + 11 = 13 Does Riven know anything more about their marks?
DireMerc |
You recall that many of the villagers from your home town talked about about a long gone goddess named Elpis that is likely the goddess from tammerhawks story. Many of the villagers still worshipped her despite knowing she is dead. It dawns on you that most if not all of the people in your home town must have been descendants of those who received the gift from Elpis yet of everyone in the town only your small group bore the mark.
Riven White |
Riven doesn't have any of those sorry
"I don't know much about our marks but maybe we could study them together to find out why these paint a target on us."
Victor Krishna |
"At a guess they stand as symbols of Elpis, one of long dead but worshiped deities. Perhaps the mark is a sign of her favour, perhaps it has alternative special abilities, or some other yet to be determined reason. Its relevant, thats all I know for sure. I'm not entirely sure if however removing the mark is a good idea, no matter how practical it might seem to be at the time. "
DireMerc |
"I see well for now securing the ring Malcolm took should be a priority. I only sent a handful of mages to join the assault on the bloodhands. Until now they were of little concern to me. I will inform then to detain Malcolm if they can and too retrieve the ring if he is killed but I cannot guaranty anything, the battle will be hectic. I will continue to research this matter however."
Cynthia, Shaman of Hope |
"And we shall continue to keep you informed of what we learn." Cynthia said, curtsying politely. After all, there was no point in being rude to others - and establishing good relationships was vital for forming a support network that could help you later on.
Riven White |
"Maybe if we remove them we won't be hunted anymore." Riven was more thinking aloud than to anyone in general.
Flare Brent |
"That really depends on what they mean. If we can do big things with the marks, with the help of the ring, I think we probably should. But it really depends. There's a lot of stuff we just... don't know." Flare said, as she nodded to Tammerhawk. "Any suggestions on what we should do in the meantime, or have a way for us to get involved without signing on with the pirates?"
DireMerc |
"The bloodhands are fortified in a position that is only accessible by sea and they possess strange weapons that lunch balls of steel incredible distances with great power. Those being hired at the docks are being sent on a suicide mission meant as a distraction. While the bloodhands focus on the dozens of rowboats coming at them from the sea the real attack is going to come from an underground tunnel that comes out near their position and from another group that climbed over the cliff to attack them from above. If you leave now and head for the tunnel you might be able to get there in time to see the beginning of the battle."
Riven White |
"Do you know it's exact location? Maybe if we wait until the fight starts we can use it as a distraction to sneak in, grab Malcolm, and get out."
-Tormod Hopson |
"So I was kind of right about joining the bloodhands, just in a "we'll all be killed" kind of way... Sorry."
Flare Brent |
"Don't be. There's no such thing as a bad idea. Follow-through is what's bad. You probably inspired something else." Flare offered, giving him a small smile.
Flare Brent |
"Hm. Any idea exactly what the two groups have against each other that would have them throwing so many people into the brink just to soak up their attention? I get that this new group is in town taking the pirate's stuff, but is there anything deeper than that that you know of?"
Riven White |
"From what we've heard they don't seem to need a reason, if their willing to send that many people to their death i doubt they value reason."
Cynthia, Shaman of Hope |
"Being uncaring about the lives of others is not the same as being without reason." Cynthia noted. "Sometimes it just means people are even more dangerous than usual. We would do well to avoid underestimating their intelligence."
Flare Brent |
"Alright, I suppose nothing to do but to go." Flare says with a shrug. "Any other hangups we should know about before we head into the breach?" she looks to Tammerhawk, leaning on her Fauchard.
Flare Brent |
"Actually, before I forget... Sloanne was working to end that curse on the keep out in the wilds. There's a good chance he had a lot of research on that. I'd like to look into it if you know where to find it. There are a lot of bound spirits out there."
Flare Brent |
"Thanks much." Flare said as she slipped towards the door, looking to the others to ensure that they were ready. She slid it open and then held it in place for the others.
Riven White |
Riven would follow after Flare, thought she wouldn't admit it didn't like the idea of joining the D-day group even as a backline but knew they didn't have many choices. "If we figure anything about first hand we'll let you know."
-Tormod Hopson |
Tormod nods to Tammerhawk in appreciation before turning to leave. He pauses briefly in front of the door and flare gesturing dramatically with an outstretched hand. "Ladies first." He then promptly continues out the door with out giving her a chance to react.
Cynthia, Shaman of Hope |
"Thank you, Tormod." Cynthia said, nodding to him and exiting the chamber once Flare had. They'd gained quite a lot of information, and she hummed happily as she considered it all and ran through what they'd learned, comparing it against their current plans and looking for the best solution.
Flare Brent |
Finding themselves out in the streets... Flare heads for the tunnel; while its location never came up, it likely was purveyed to them by the folks that Tammerhawk would use to inform those at the tunnel that the group was safe. If not... Flare goes back inside, finds out, then heads to the tunnel.
Cynthia, Shaman of Hope |
Cynthia followed along with Flare, nodding slightly as she finished organizing her thoughts. Honestly... everything going on here was fascinating, and she was looking forward to seeing how it all played out. Perhaps this was the value of seeing the world?
Riven White |
Since they already had the location and plan Riven didn't have anything to do besides heading to the tunnel.
Janus Alistair Eden |
Apologies for the long delay...there was quite a lot to read up to now-
As you walk out of the guild, back to the streets, heading towards your tunnel location, a young man blocks your way. He is impeccably dressed in a seemingly custom-tailored suit, his face is clean-shaven and his shoulder-long blonde hair tied together at neckheight. Definitely not a locale, judging by your past experiences in Riddleport-
At his waist, there's a rapier, but it does not seem he has hostile intentions. He seems to look you over, then addresses you as a group, shifting his gaze from person to person, not focusing on a single face too long:"Well met, travellers. You are a busy lot, it would seem. Despite that, I would request a few minutes of your time, as I think my request will coincide with your own interests."
He glances around quickly during a short pause in his speech, looking for passerbys who seem too interested in the conversation, before continuing:"My name is Janus Alistair Eden, and my job is to find things. People, Information, Objects, whatever needs to be found. The request I speak of is related to my current job and entails both sharing information, and, if applicable, acting together. As I understand it, it has not come to your attention yet that the other members of your posse you left at the "Green Table" have been taken into custody against their will. The person of interest to me is the...Girl, likes wearing red, plays the lute and sings, a friend named Lucien? The short story is that her parents have sent me to find her. For the long story, I would assume a more private locale than the street would be in order?"
Having said that, the young man raises his arm, pointing in the direction of your Inn with his whole hand in a universal gesture of invitation:"Shall we go?"
Flare Brent |
Flare just stands and listens to him for a moment, her hair damp and frizzy from the nearby sea. She's dressed in a suit of Hermean parade armor and leaning on a twisted polearm as he speaks.
Once he's done she pays more careful attention to him with her piercing green eyes, whereas she had been more focused on his words before. Knowing that there were kidnappers about adjusted her normally friendly demeanor into a less trusting one. With recent betrayals in mind, it would be no surprise that she would question the motives of a stranger who knew much more about them than they did of him.
Sense Motive: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (11) + 14 = 25
Flare Brent |
"Well... while we get to somewhere safe, perhaps you can inform us of how you managed to find us, and what we should be doing to better conceal ourselves?" She says, as she motions for him to lead the way.
Janus Alistair Eden |
"Ah, surely I could inform you about that, IF we come to an agreement. But it's my trade, and I would be a fool to give away it's secrets to strangers, would I not? I will tell you this much: You are a bunch of quite extraordinary individuals, travelling as a group, and I doubt it's hard to guess, but a group is always easier to track than single individuals. Easier taken note of by bystanders. More easily remembered by sailors or tavern wenches. Or people watching a dice game, especially ones where both players get a full set of 6's with neither side accusing the other of cheating. If you are worried about concealing yourselves, we will have a lot of work ahead of us."
Janus heads towards the Inn, waiting for Flare(or anybody else) to fall in beside him, seemingly not caring about turning his back towards the others in the group.