(1) Atalantia - Scourge of Magic

Game Master mdt

Elara blinks, turning to Connor "...who the hell did you kill to get quarters like these?" She walks over to the shelves, running an experienced eye and hand over the canteens and blankets before turning to the wall and *THUNK*ing it hard with her fist experimentally. She turns back to him and Alsatia. "Seriously, some history, please, boss? Probably 'cluding whatever you mean by Depot number godsdamned FORTY-TWO?"

Is that 10k even for the newbies who came with their full WBL?

Connor left with the others, calling his astral constructs to him. They could help him carry his stuff. (Or others...)

Which was a good thing, since Alsatia apparently wanted to outpace Gashon's marathon! Not everybody has whisper wings, or takes after the hummingbirds. When do we get to glide? Connor grumbled internally.

Seeing the old ship, with the old dock, moored to the old house, Connor muttered "I'm a-seein' a theme here..." to himself. Inside, he replied to Elara, "The 'tel Mintakias aren't known for military efficiency. Cloak-and-dagger, remember?" He watched Rory and Alys step through the shimmering portal before he joined them, mentally calling his two constructs to do the same.

-----------------------

Before responding to Alsatia, Connor told the talkative Elara, "Did you really think we were the first spies the Clans would use? Against the Surface? Against each other?" He shook his head. "We won't be the last, either. You'd better start packing. This job doesn't believe in 'hurry up and wait', just 'hurry up'."

Connor looked around. I need that mindpower that tells you were you are, and where north is. he thought. Crooking a finger, he had one of the constructs come and show the female Halvavian the folded-up palanquin. "This one won't be in your records, I had to make it myself. It'll be useful if anyone else has a Wingless or unconscious partner." Connor said. He took off his masterwork backpack and unceremoniously dumped the contents on the floor. Taking the garnet off his silver necklace, he told Hero, "You tell 'em where to put the stuff, I'm going to look for a psicrystal staff and a new haversack." The psicrystal grew spiderlike legs and started tugging on a rolled-up winter blanket while the astral constructs moved to the bin. (Hero can telepathically talk now, let the innuendo from mdt begin.)

Connor moved to the door marked "Magic", thought better of it, going instead through the "Miscellaneous". "And don't call me boss. Alsatia's one of the bosses. I'm just the senior partner in our new group." he called back. "Aha! Backpack of Holding!" A haversack flew out of the open doorway, which a white-colored astral construct deftly caught, bending down and putting the items on the floor back into. "Now where's me a psicrystal stave that doubles as a quarterstaff...". The man's voice trailed off.

(I think we're roleplaying this is where you get your WBL. Thus, no legacy stuff.)

Adran lays awake in his cage one leg proped across the other with his foot boucing to his quiet whistel when the two come down the stairs.

So, that's how I got here huh. napped up before they kil'd me. A new crew. Wonder if I'm getting paid. I don't care what I do really long as they pay me. Best let the other blowhard talk. Keep a low profile, oh man I just cracked a short joke on myself. He snickers.

Adran gets up and walks out as they unlock his cage.

oh cool a portal. Let's see where this takes us. Nice supply house. So many trinkets. Oh man that sword looks perfect.

Adran walks over to a large blade meant for a man of normal size to wield in two hands. He picks it up with ease and displays a glimmer of prowess. He shoulders the blade and walks over to Connor. He gives his pants leg a tug and looks up.

So all this gear is nice and all, but if I'm to sign on here I will be paid for my efforts right?

He looks up with the inocent look of a child.

More barely restrained horror. "...that explains too much." Shaking off the worst of it, she heads into the room marked 'Magic', and looks around. Then she looks around the armory. She comes out of it with a plain brown cloak, a belt with the sigil of a charging pull, and a sword with its filigree sanded off by years of use. Donning them, she grabs a backpack and fills it up with goods for a hefty trip away. She musters a small grin for Adraniel. "This wouldn't be the first service to try the 'if we do our job right, you'll never even know you were paid' gambit."

Sooo... through which door do you find magic weaponry? Magic? Armory?

Magic is in the magic room. Psionic weapons are in the Armoury. You probably don't want magic items :) They tend to explode dramatically and fatally on the islands. And yes, Connor has it right, your intros had you without equipment. This is just RP for how you went from pennyless prisoners to appropriate WBL. It does give you a chance to make some changes if you want. EDIT : Fauchard would be in the Armoury. Belt and Cloak in Clothing.

Alsatia looks at Adran. "But.. for the greater good! You should be proud to have been rescued from obscurity and certain doom to shoulder the burden of protecting your homeland from villains, idiots, and threats both internal and external!" She looks scandalized. "How can you ask about such inanity as 'pay'?"

He shoulders the blade and walks over to Connor. He gives his pants leg a tug and looks up.

So all this gear is nice and all, but if I'm to sign on here I will be paid for my efforts right?

He looks up with the innocent look of a child.

Walking out of the Miscellaneous room with a new belt pouch in one hand, Connor looked from the blade to the Halvavian. "If you don't get killed first." he responded, nonplussed. "There's usually no paymaster where we're sent. We had to take caravan guard jobs on the Surface. I've picked up a few crafts to get by on my own." Connor looked over at the 'tel Mintakia woman. "What's our pay again, Alsatia?" The white-feathered man turned and entered the door marked "Crystals".

(Ninja'ed!)

As Elara walks up to the door marked 'Magic' the face on it becomes mobile, opening crystalline eyelids. Emerald eyes stare out of the sapphire face. "THOU ART NOT AUTHORIZED." It intones heavily, and the large steel door doesn't bulge.

The halvavian turns to Connor, and again looks scandalized. "You too?"

Elara starts making a rude gesture before pausing and asking, experimentally, "What are you and what's your name?"

"I AM GUARDIAN FORTY TWO, CALLED SAPH. THOU ART NOT AUTHORIZED!"

"I heard ya the first time. What's your role, just saying stuff about authorized? How long've you been doing it?"

"MY PURPOSE IS TO DESTROY THOSE WHO ATTEMPT UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS. I HAVE BEEN DOING SO SINCE I WAS CREATED."

Greater good? Insanity? Look sister do you know who you recruited here? Standard negotiations for my services are half up front and the other half when done. So yeah. Whats the job? Whats the pay? Must be important for you to throw this type of gear our way. Trust me I'm worth it, can't say anything for the rest of this group, but I don't care what you pay them either.

He stands looking at Alsstia tapping his foot waiting a reply.

Connor came out of the "Crystals" room, his arms loaded with various bags of powder, and a six-foot staff made of a grey metallic material, pockmarked in various places and capped with steel at both ends. He had a beautific smile on his face. "They had mundane crystal." he said, indicating the color of his new stave. "Now I'm happy."

Connor moved to where his astral constructs were standing, and started stuffing the items he had taken out of the rooms into his new haversack. Hero the psicrystal crawled up the psicrystal staff, trying out each indentation until he found one that fit him above the five-foot-line.

Connor moved on to the "Tools" room, coming out with his arms full of things in boxes, before leaving and entering "Enchanting".

"M-hrm. I'm Elara. Who created you? Who tells you who's authorized and unauthorized?"

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (2) + 12 = 14

Roderick eyes the room hungrily as he exits the portal. Frowning at back and forth over pay, Roderick adds in, "As much as protecting the holier-than-thous who got me sent here sounds like motivation, my notes and formulae that were confiscated might do the job too. Not that I claim to know as much about how to motivate your agents as you, 'boss'" The room marked Miscellaneous immediately catches his interest and, after stopping to collect a few bags' he makes a beeline there to collect alchemical supplies.

I'm ok with my equipment as it is.

Alsatia opens her mouth to remonstrate with Adran, and then pauses as Roderick comments. "OH! That reminds me, Kalvant said you'd need this." She digs into a belt pouch and pulls out a book that's twice the size of the belt pouch. "I think this is yours, yes?"

She hands it to Roderick, then turns around and looks to Adran again. "Hmm, ok, I can live with that. One half of your payment up front. Well, I think you'd have lived maybe 5 years in the crystal mines, that's about the average lifespan. So, we'll give you half that up front, and worry about the other half in two and a half years." She smiles sweetly.

"I DO NOT HAVE THAT INFORMATION. THOSE WHO ARE AUTHORIZED TO AUTHORIZE MAY AUTHORIZE."

Woah, more new people, and another girl! Awesome, maybe Connor will get laid now, he's way too uptight. He hasn't gotten laid in months, not since that cute pirate girl with the dark skin and the big bongas. A voice reverberates through the minds of those in the room as Connor walks into the room holding his staff alight with a smile.

"What."

Sense Motive: 1d20 ⇒ 9

Look lady I don't know what game your playing at... Maybe you haven't a clue to what I can do... All I'm asking is fair pay for services given. I haven't found a lock I can't pick. I leave behind no trail and can't be tracked. I kill quickly and silently if the job calls for it. I didn't think this was job interview. You picked me for a reason. So give me a stack of shiny reasons to care and the job will get done.

He stands stoicly now putting his foot down with as much authority as the little man can muster. Staring back at Alsatia.

"Elara, if you get hurt, I can't heal you. Not much. We lost our healer." Connor said, leaving "Enchanting" and dumping an armload of stuff into the waiting construct's haversack. "And don't be afraid to tell Hero to shut up. He'll ignore you, of course." He rummaged around inside the pack, coming up with a compact box with a leather top. "Alsatia, I'm 'refreshing' the healer's kit, scrivener's kit, and other supplies. Not sure how that is marked on your sheet." Connor put the box back inside, then walked over to the "Clothing" doorway. Counting on his fingers, Connor shouted back "She said a hot, sweaty environment! I hope you pack for jungle, cause I sure am!" before entering.

Alsatia eyes Aldan. "You are saying your life was worth nothing?" She asks, raising one eyebrow. Then she giggles. "God you're too easy, you need to be less gullible in this job. On a more serious note, you get paid when you produce results. Connor and Alys produced results, their pay they're spending now." She nods at the duo. "By the way, you two did a good job, even if Kalvant didn't tell you. Special Operations Branch doesn't pay field agents, they are expected to get their own pay. I doubt you'll have trouble finding things worth selling or bringing back to me to trade in for other items in the depot. Yes, we figured you were worth a risk. You're also convicted of murder, and we aren't sure if you're guilty or not. If your life wasn't worth a few months of work, then I don't know that you're what we're looking for. Off hand, as nasty as this job can get, it beats all hell out of working the Crystal Mines. Just ask Roderick over there if you don't believe me, he was down there for a month."

You talking to me, or big blue and crystal over there? Oh, by the way, Hi Saph. How's it hanging? Haha, hanging, hahaha!

"THOU ART NOT AUTHORIZED!" The crystal face says, apparently in response to the disembodied voice.

"Oh good, I'm not crazy. The door heard it too."

Elara ponders her words. "Hrmm."

Connor stepped out of "Clothing", a hot-weather outfit folded up in his hands. Walking over to his astral constructs, he began stuffing the outfit into his haversack. "Alsatia," he began, "I've got a favor to ask. Yes, a favor, 'cause I sure as sunset can't pay you or the 'tel Mintakias back." Connor turned around to look at the female Wilder. "I need you to find some Halflings for me. Wingless Halflings. Preferably ones willing to re-colonize Nierva on the Surface. I made a promise to someone, it's in my journal, I can't go into it, but it's a 'you can't retire until this' kind of promise."

Connor looked at his psicrystal staff. "Don't tease the psionically-explosive trap, Hero." he commanded, twirling the staff and hitting the floor with it, hard, twice. He considered the new quarterstaff. "I need to find a way of making this light up like a torch." he said to himself. Looking again at their undercover boss, Connor asked "Any nice thick tomes from the Shapers' Guilds available, Alsatia? Otherwise, I think I'm done here. It was really great having a couple of power stones of Reconstruction in the Enchanting Room, by the way."

Rory hums a jaunty sailor's tune as he gathers things. Lifting a large crystal blade from the pile and hefting over hsi shoulder with a satisfied smile he laughs.

"You bloody lot remind me why my family is so rich! All the whining about pay! All my father ever whined about was how he couldn't fit it all on his ship! Ha! Also, the bloody disembodied voice better not be coming from me!"

** spoiler omitted **

"It isn't. I have a psicrystal." Connor said in response to Rory's comment. "Now that you can 'hear' him, wait until we're singing songs by the campfire. We're the same baritone."

(Psicrystals are uncommon but not rare on Atalantia.)

I'm Hero, the better half of Connor. I like girls, and I like fun. Connor prefers to spend his time making pretty jewelry in a small room with no sunlight. The voice responds to Rory. This job is the best thing that ever happened to him! Although I'm not sure I trust him not to get me killed, considering how badly he broke me last time.

"Connor, I don't deal in slave trade... what did you promise and to whom?" Alsatia says, her eyes narrowing, then she sighs as he mentions it's in his journal. "Kalvant has that... I'll read it when I get back to the office."

Alright lady calm down. If it's results you want, I guess I'm up to proving myself. As long as this lot give me my cut. So this time I will do as asked with no pay up front, but next time I expect half.
He gives her a wink and a smile before grabbing the rest of his gear.

"It's not slavery." Connor protested. "Somebody...wants the Halflings back on the Surface. Alive and thriving. Recolonizing. Like I said, a long-term assignment." He went back to changing items from his new belt pouch to his haversack, and the different pockets of the haversack.

Alsatia nods. "Much better then." She gives Connor a long look. "I'll look into it after I read your journal, hon."

Then she clears her throat as people are mostly getting their gear assembled in the main room. "Now then, despite their rather spectacular ending, Connor and Alys's last group got us some good intel on the magic smugglers. We took that, and another operative managed to get us a further lead. They were getting their magic items out of Anrive. Exactly where, we don't know yet, that's your job. That fine vessel tied up at the dock is yours. You lot get to be smugglers now. I've got a small chest of magic items you can take with you as merchandise, along with some other things that are worth money, as cargo. They're already on the ship. Be very very very careful with the magic items, they could detonate if used, or even if not if you get into a mana storm. Beware, there's a lot of wild magic in the heart of Anrive." She clucks her tongue. "Now, any questions?"

Holding his head like he just had a sudden headache, Connor said "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Alys and I never got past 'Ordinary Seaman' and most of my time was spent polishing brass down in the armaments' holds. Just who-" Connor looked at the beaming former ship's captain called Rory. "Aw, pinfeathers!" Connor sputtered. Turning back to Alsatia, he argued "All right, I can make enough astral constructs to open and close the sails on his command. Maybe turn the rudder. That still leaves navigation, mess, weapons..."

Hmph." Rory rumbles as he digs for a suitable sheathe for his new sword. "Sing bass myself."

"Well, we had thought we'd have at least 6 trained sailors upon your return hon. Not my fault you only brought back two." She smiles. "I suggest using whips and clubs on the rest until they learn to be good sailors. Good thing for you the ship isnt' all that big, regular crew requirement of 8, can be run by 4 in an emergency. You might need to recruit some thugs to fill out your numbers, if you can do so without spilling the beans." She looks at Rory. "Not that anyone will hire on with him if they recognize him." She flutters over to the magic room and pushes on the door handle.

"THOU ART AUTHORIZED!"

Alsatia vanishes into the magic chamber. The door closes behind her with a forbidding BOOM.

"Shows how much she knows. There are men who'd follow demons to hell and back for the promise of fortune. How in the hell does she think the Revilles even exist?" Rory laughed.

Adran wonders over to Connor again and tugs on his pant leg.

Aaaa... Boss was it? See these hands there so small. I'm not suited for the pulling of ropes and all the work stuff. Now my eyes keen as a hawk. So how bout I be the look out. Sound good?

Alys sifts through the storeroom, clambering over shelves now that there is no Sam and no Selvan to put me back together when I screw up I should look for better proteaction perhaps.

As she hears the disembodied voice she looks over to Connor. "Is that Hero I'm hearing in my head?"

It's me sugar wings! Thanks for the ride on the necklace! It was a lot of fun! Especially when you had me tucked in nice and warm!

Ah sorry, I deleted the question when i realized that i was a couple posts behind and hadn't seen that hero has already introduced himself. Edit: put it back in

"Nice talking to you then. If your hideous spider legs weren't so adorable, I'd be offended.", Alys flutters down from a shelf with various pieces of psionic jewelry and armor.

I have a staff now!

"Is that supposed to be innuendo, or are you just saying you don't need to sit in my clothes anymore?", Alys says as she pulls out a hot weather robe and veil from a shelf, "Griffon mane, just what I need."

Take it which ever way makes you like me more... Hero responds merrily. But you should know I can detach when necessary and still have my cute little spider legs...

Kyzin followed along the procession, enjoying the chance to stretch his wings after the time cooped up in the cell (despite being unconscious for a good chunk of it.) After the several hour flight Kyzin found himself faced with a rather unimpressive islet with only a dozen homes. As he follows the group to the portal he lets out a soft whistle. "Thats some mighty impressive portal work you've got there." He remarks to their guide before she passes through. As an after thought he quietly mutters to himself "How did you do it?"

Knowledge Psionics: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (9) + 14 = 23 on the portal.

After a moments study Kyzin leaps through the portal, only to let out another low whistle at the sight before him. After a moments hesitation, and another glance at the portal he came through, he sets off towards the sign marked clothing to pick up some equipment.

From there he wandered over and grabbed a few weapons. A light crossbow in case of combat, a quarterstaff incase someone came close, and a few daggers just to be sure. He concealed a couple of the daggers, since whoever kidnapped him had done a very thorough search and removed his previously concealed weapons. He also made a stop by general supplies before searching for what he most wanted. Ink. Eventually he was able to find ink and styluses with the proper qualities to be of use in his psionic tattoo work. As an after thought, he grabbed a few more vials of ink for mundane tattoos. "Never hurts to be prepared"

By the time he had geared up it seemed as though just about everyone else was ready too. Seemed like the most entertaining thing to do at this point might be to join the psicrystal in taunting the team. Too bad he didn't know the team well enough to come up with any wisecracks. Yet. "Might as well be a team player then," he sighed.

"So, boss-man Connor. If we are signing up for berths on the ship, I can tell you now, I'm good with maps and machines, but I won't be able to help with much beyond those."