Distracted from Sammark, the Captain looks over at Selvan. "Well, you'd certainly be one to know, wouldn't you, Mr. Selvan Kilvani 'tel Mintakia." She then laughs and takes another drink out of her mug, apparently ignoring Sammark for now. "Well, now that we're all here and seated, I should probably get on with why I called you here. I suppose I could say that one of you is a murderer, but I think you all already know that."[b] She gives Sammark an extra cold grin, before continuing. She reaches down next to her table and pulls up the Ship's Log Book, and drops with a loud thump on the table. [b]"This here's the log..." She flips it open about half-way through. "And according to tomorrow morning's log, you lot went AWOL. Was supposed to be seven, but apparently someone had a bad case of puking all over my ship and couldn't leave with you." The hand reaches down again, and this time pulls up a leather pouch, which lands on the table with a clink of metal. "Apparently you also stole 80 platinum pieces from ship's stores, and various gems ranging in value from 5 to 100 gold pieces, for a grand total of 2000 gold pieces. What absolute rogues you are." She pours herself another mug of mead. "Not sure why I let such ungrateful snots on my ship in the first place." Another swig of mead. "Oh yeah, now I remember, some graying old goat of a government spit-licker insisted on it as payment for clearing The Blade as escort." She shrugs. "Anyway, you lot are supposed to go awol, and gather information on the tabbies and the surrounding areas, especially anything scaly and foul tempered if you can find out without getting your heads removed from the rest of your body. We'll be in port for about 2 months for repairs, so you got that long. We'll pick you up 10 miles south on the river in 60 days. We won't wait longer than 10 days, so you got that long to get back."
"Please, if every murderer was an assassin, the Guild would be pretty bloated," Sam said, and gave the Captain his most winning smile in return, seemingly unperturbed by the fact that he had likely warranted her less-than-lovely attentions at a later date. She had apparently not yet learned that Sam had turned disrespect and a lack of concern for consequences upon his person into a Zen art form.
"So we head out, reconnoiter the local scene, and meet back up with you lot in ten days? Sounds easy enough. I take it that discretion is the better part of valor in this arena?"
"Discretion?" Connor snorted. He stepped forward to casually take the leather pouch on the desk, letting his white wings flex just a hand's breath in the cramped quarters. "With these?" he asked. "Except for Sammark, we'll all stick out like summer flowers in a plowed field in the winter."
Connor sighed, stepping back, with the pouch of coin and gems. Platinum pieces were rare, and might be hard to turn to local coin. Gems were easier, but Connor felt possessive about high-quality gemstones. "So we get a cloak-and-dagger job. Do we have a name you're interested in? Or someone to get us acclimated to the pri-, uh, natives?" he asked, glancing at Sammark again. Clan Reville was pirates, Connor reminded himself. Not on the up-and-up like McIntyres. Plots within plots.
Flick shakes his head "No, no Sammark. We have 60 days to learn what we can about this land and it's peoples, then we have ten days to meet up at the spot with the ships to be picked up." He says this plainly without arrogance or contempt in his voice.
"Well, since I'm stealing all this gold, might as well steal some of this" Reaghar says, filling up his flask precariously from a bottle.
Selena waves a hand at Reaghar, not really caring if he tops off his flask. "I have no idea if you're supposed to research someone specific. I was told you'd be gathering information on the locals. If you've got orders from his smugness about someone specific, or wet work, I don't know about it, and I don't want to know about it. I imagine your lack of ability to fit in may be why I was told to make sure the crew believed you were deserters. I'm sure Kiana will b$&&+ good and loud the next two months about you lot leaving." Selena grins. "I imagine she's going to work your butts off when you get back and she finds out she was lied to."
"So, once we meet back up with a ship full of sailors thinking we are deserters and thieves, what is going to happen? Are we going to cling to the keel and hope no one spots us?", Alys takes another sip, with similar results as the previous one. "This stuff- is not very good."
"Exactly." Connor agreed. "Just why are we AWOL on this? Why not announce that you're sending us to look for gems, or furs, or medicinal herbs? At least I've got the craftsman's school training for gemstones. Then we don't have to worry about being looked at like griffin scat when we get back."
Selena grimaces. "I'd tell people before you got back. But, I do understand your hesitation. I was told you'd be ok with this, and used to it. We don't exactly have permission to put people ashore other than the docks." She shrugs. "If we had, I'd just have sent you off with some shooing motions. The tabbies are kind of sticklers for protocol it seems, you know the types, papers, laws, got rods up their fuzzy butts. So they haven't given us permission to let anyone leave the docks area. Going to be hard to find out about the local situations if we get all our info from a handful of tabbies. But hey, if you lot don't want to do it, no skin off my nose. Stay on the ship for all I care. You explain to his smugness you didn't go." She shrugs, and takes another swig. "I get my bonus whether you go or not, so stay on the ship for all the frack I care."
"Ah. Restricted trading. Our boss wants the real culture behind the walls. That I can understand." Connor summarized. He finished his ale, adding "Assuming we avoid any jungle diseases and make it back to the Ashen twins, are we doing this subterfuge at each port stop? Because, you know, the other spies onboard ship are going to notice after the second or third 'missing muster'." Connor put his cup back on the Captain's table.
"Ah, I can see it already.", Alys changes her voice to a slightly lower tone "Remember the seven crewmen that we pretended went AWOL last stop, but were actually on a secret assignment? Yeah, they deserted again. Yes all seven of them. And no one else. For reals this time.", she tries to down the rest of her drink in one swig and fails miserably.
"You... you don't really -ngh... think they would plan to pull this thing more than once.", she coughs "Why do I keep trying to drink this?"
Flick grins big at being allowed off the ship. Those on his ship knew he hated how enclosed it was, and while he enjoyed his time on duty, he wasn't allowed to fly as he wanted.
"This sounds fun. I mean, possibly dangerous, but fun. I can't wait to get off the ship, no offense to either captain, I just long to really spread my wings." Once again, due to his excitement, his words fall all over each other.
The captain laughs at Alys's comments. "You tell him girl, make 'im think through the testosterone haze, and if that doesn't work, blow something off." She laughs, then stands. "Ok, well, you got your marching orders, so I'm off to make sure the watch is not when shift change occurs. You can use my office for an hour or so if you want, but don't forget to grab your stuff before you go, or it won't be here when you get back."
She heads out the door, taking the good jug with her.
With the potential liability at least in a plausible denial range Selvan finally speaks in earnest. "The AWOL group does sound like a compelling cover but we're still foreigners in a foreign land. I do not relish the idea of explaining to a local authority that we're harmless military deserters."
"So we're being thrown to the lions." Connor said after the Captain left. "I'm at least going packed. Except for the cold weather stuff. I'll hide that somewhere." Connor turned to the group. "Meet you on the docks at two bells on the morning watch?" he asked them, moving to the door as if to leave.
Once back to the ship, Reaghar grabs the nice lock off of his locker and packs his crap.
"Sounds good.", Alys leaves the unfinished glass on the table as she goes to pack up her equipment.
"Best to split up, once we're off the ship. You lot and sneak over the wall at night and I'll make my way past any guards as needed," Sam said after some deliberation. It was obvious he was not going to accept much in the way of help for over coming his 'disability' without considerable convincing.
After the groups split up, Sammark makes his way toward a gate. The streets are deserted, and only the street lights provide enough light for the half-elf to see by. He continues on toward one of the smaller gates from the dock area into the main city.
The guards are two big burly lion clan felines. They are dressed in chain, and have polearms and bows on their backs. When Sammark tries to go through the gate, they ask for his 'chit'. Being clever, he first tries to talk his way through, and tries to slip them a bribe.
Neither of which gets him much farther than the end of an arm that grabs him roughly by the shoulder. As the two guards begin to lay into him verbally, and with hulking postures using their height advantage, someone suddenly starts laughing.
"Hahaha! See, I told you outlander, our guards would never take a bribe! I win our bet!" A tall rangy female gnoll in leather armor suddenly steps out of the shadows. "Come now friend, admit it, you lost our bet fair and square, now apologize to the guards for taking the joke further than it was intended." The gnoll gives a lopsided grin to the two felines. "Sorry guys, I told this yobbo you guys were way too honest to be bribed, but no, he said every port he'd ever been in early morning guards were scum. I guess we taught him." The gnoll holds out her hand. "Come on Trashk, 50 gold and we'll go get some ale, on your gold." She stares Sammark in the eyes, leaving her hand held out toward him, paw up.
After Sammark makes his way off into the darkness, the other 5 slip down a back alley and then take off. Laboring for an hour or so, they finally gain sufficient height that the city is merely a speck below them. Then letting themselves slowly float down on extended wings, they aim for the center of one half of the city. Picking out a building big enough to see from a height, and with a roof a light enough color to make it easy to distinguish, the 5 slowly wend their way down, gliding in small circles letting their wings bring them in as soundlessly as possible.
Finally the land on the building, having bypassed the wall and guards by the use of extreme height.
Connor hands everyone their own belt pouch, with part of the platinum pieces and jewels from Captain Selena of the Ashen Edge. "It's a good thing I bought so many spares for the trip. Remember, platinum counts as ten times a gold piece, and we don't know how rare those might be here." he tells them.
---------------
After arriving on the rooftop in the city, the dock-wall visible in the morning light, Connor wondered if he should have sent Hero with the half-elf, to track him. Shrugging off his heavy backpack, Connor retrieved part of the hot weather outfit he had purchased back in his homeland. Putting the cloth over his folded wings, Connor tried to hide his avian heritage.
;-P
stealth
The gnoll takes the 5 coins with a big smile on her muzzle, and puts an arm around Sammark, gently disentangling him from the guards. The guards for their part seem to relax, and the two get a grumpy lecture about interference with guards being illegal, and next time the two will spend the night in a cell for disorderly conduct.
Once the gnoll has Sammark a block or so away, she laughs, her laugh loud and high pitched, like a hyena's. "Fel's black boobs, outlander! You're horrible at this!" She slaps Sammark on the back hard enough to send the half-elf stumbling forward several steps. "What were you thinking trying to get past the lions? Might as well stick your man bits into a landshark's mouth." She gives another peal of hyena like laughter. "Still, at least you're smart enough to let someone else do the talking when you've gotten yourself in the dragon's mouth. So, you want into the city?" She looks Sammark up and down, then fishes out a coin and examines it closely under the light from a streetlamp. "Hmm, how many of these do you have outlander? I might no a way to get you into the city..."
Flick lands softly on the roof, ever alert
For her own standards Alys's landing was unusually clumsy, but all in all still acceptible.
Connor lands with a very light touch, his wings closing and folding silently. He puffs up, proud of such a quiet and stealthy landing.
And then the night quiet is cut by a loud grunt as Reaghar lands, his wings slapping into a chimney on the top of the building, the tin rain-cover rattles to the top of the roof.
Selvan and Flick both use the noise as cover to land nearly silently as well, both wincing at the noise.
Alys is distracted by Reaghar's landing, and makes a rougher landing than she was planning, but after Reaghar's landing, at least she doesn't add to the noise.
The building is about 5 stories tall, and one of the larger buildings in the area. It takes up half a block. Things are quiet, once the rain shield stops rattling.
Connor made shushing motions towards Reaghar, pointing first at the rising sun, then the street level.
Yep, you were good. Just needed everyone else, sorry Flick.
"That depends on you, sweetheart," Sam said when the subject of his personal wealth came up. "I ain't exactly desperate to get in there, but there's a bunch of chuckleheads that'd be lost without me expecting my presence. I've certainly got enough to show a girl a good time though."
The hyena gnoll laughs again. "Oh, I don't think you're quite my type, no offense sugar. Not sure what you are, but you look kind of mangy. No offense." She laughs again, but leads Sammark toward a bar that edges the open area in front of the wall. The walls all have 50 ft of open space between the dock buildings and the walls. This tavern looks out upon the open area. "You got 5 more of these, and I can get you on the other side. Ten more, I can even get you a permit chit so you don't get arrested when you're there." Her voice drops as she whispers out the side of her muzzle. Walking Sammark into the tavern, it's almost empty given the early hour. The Gnoll just nods at the bartender, and takes a table in the corner. "Now, which is it? 5, 10, or I buy myself an ale on your money and head out?"
Looking around, the large group finds themselves in what looks like a section of businesses. None of the buildings around look like housing, as there are no things hanging out windows, no colorful curtains, or anything else. It has a clean look to it the group is used to seeing in a government or business area of a city.
As they are about to work their way down to the street, they are interrupted by a voice. "Wow, что I не мог сделать с wings. I имею I виду, I подумал, что мне good на это возможность jump пять раз my высоты, but чудаками, в прошлом awesome." The common is thickly accented, and everyone has trouble understanding it. The voice is eminating from a tall lanky feline that looks like a cheetah. He's perched on the edge of the roof, tail hanging off the edge.
"Get me in and get me the chit and you'll see another seven plat as well as this puppy right here. She cost me 'bout three fifty in gold and hasn't seen serious use yet but I've done some target shooting with her and been impressed. I'll even throw in my bolts for her as a bonus."
The gnoll takes the crossbow, and checks it out. "Good workmanship, don't recognize the design, but it's solid." She nods. "Deal." She rises from the table, and walks behind the counter, carrying the crossbow still, nodding at the bartender who nods back with a bored air.
Down a back set of stairs, into the basement of the tavern, and then she makes Sammark turn around while she does something that makes the wall groan, and when Sammark turns back around, a section of the wall has ground out and to the side, revealing a wood beam lined dirt floored passageway.
Once inside, she hits a lever on the wall, and the stone wall behind closes. The next 30 minutes are a blur as the gnoll leads him up one passage and down another. Sammark is fairly certain they traverse the same stretch more than once, and even suspects that several walls move after they go through.
Finally she stops in a large room (large for these passages, at 20 by 20. "Ok man, last stop. I need you to put any weapons in the basket over there. Then you can go through that door." She drops the crossbow into the basket. "Nice to meetcha, don't know how you got such powerful friends in the guild, but it sure must be nice." She also drops the original 5 platinum in the basket. "Gotta admit, you're one ace actor smoothy, even I had trouble telling you were faking. If you need someone to help with a scam another day, let me know. Tharva, anyone in the guild can get a message to me." The gnoll then ducks her head and steps out through a second door. There is the sound of bolts being thrown on the other side of the door.
As they are about to work their way down to the street, they are interrupted by a voice. "Wow, что I не мог сделать с wings. I имею I виду, I подумал, что мне good на это возможность jump пять раз my высоты, but чудаками, в прошлом awesome." The common is thickly accented, and everyone has trouble understanding it. The voice is emanating from a tall lanky feline that looks like a cheetah. He's perched on the edge of the roof, tail hanging off the edge.
"The difference between fly and jump, my feline friend." Connor said casually, turning towards the cheetah-like person. Still keeping the stranger in his sights, Connor used one hand to sweep along the alleyway, indicating the city. "I don't suppose you know the location of a good tavern for breakfast, do you? One meant for newcomers like us?" he asked, carefully enunciating his words. Connor shrugged his backpack inbetween his wings again, one hand holding the swath of cloth meant as a cloak.
"Oh, I'm not actor, people just tend to assume I'm playing at something when I'm not. Which guild is this, by the way? I'm losing track at this point. Seems like every town I'm in has two or three guilds with an unhealthy interest in me." Slavers, assassins, and thieves, oh my.
The gnoll, as she's about the leave, looks over her shoulder at Sammark with the most confused look on her face when he asks about what guild this is. Then she suddenly bursts out into the loudest laughter he's heard yet. She literally has to grab the door frame, and it's a minute before she can continue, and even then she's out of breath. "Oh.. oh.. by... by... by Fel's black tits... outlander... that was.. funny.. what guild.. he asks..." She finally has to bite her own forearm guard to avoid going back into a set of giggles. "You had.. had me.. had me going.. 'what.. what guild'..." She turns and stumbles away, the door closing behind her, and Sammark can hear her howling with laughter for quite some time, the laughter slowly getting dimmer and dimmer as she get's farther away.
Through the door is another corridor. This one is lined with doors, but there are two guards here. Sammark has never seen their like before, both nearly 8 ft tall, with green skin and snakelike fangs in their mouths. They resemble humanoid snakes more than anything else, including the long pink forked tongues that flick out to taste the air as he enters the hallway. "The Archivist is waiting for your appointment." The one on the left says in a hissing, sibbalent version of elven.
The other one looks at Sammark with dead eyes. "If you harm her in any way, you will wish you were dead. You will wish you were dead for a very long time."