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Quasit returns to the group. Now that Greta has wandered off, she's trembling a little with adrenaline.
"I can't imagine what we would have done if we didn't have this wolf pelt." she says as she wipes away some nervous perspiration from her brow. "Is everyone here? We need to keep moving. And please heaven, no more problems." She takes a quick drink of her own sippy flask to steady her nerves.
"I'm glad we didn't have to jump Greta. She's an evil winter wolf in service to the witches and would turn us in in a second, but she seems to have really bonded with me for some reason. I sorta like her. In a different world, I have this weird feeling we could have been friends. Heck, in this world I've had seedier friends. Ask me about Alabaster Jack and his coven sometime."
Just as the group is beginning to take in the recent turn of events a man storms around the cart sitting in the alley to the south and turns the corner and nearly runs into the Tezuzu.
He drops to his knees, looking confusedly at Tezuzu before looking for a more familiar face - his eyes fix on Bulvi. He speaks through ragged breaths, clearly at the edge of his endurance. "My master's.. in a rage.
Tezuzu will interject after Salkitu speaks ”It’s not just our dear leaders lovely personality, or her fancy coat either, let’s also not forget my immaculate paperwork.”
—————-
Upon nearly being run into by the man Tezuzu shuffles back and squawks ”How rude!” before he begins lecturing while raising a claw from under his robes that is still faintly glowing with pale ghostly magic from earlier ”Sir, do you know how close you just came to having your soul drenched in necromantic energy? You should really watch where you are going.”
Upon hearing the mans words he will turn to the rest of the party and ask ”Supposing this master is another mongrel; I have 3 silver coins in my pocket and am willing to wager three to one odds that it makes a pass at our charming Alexia here. Any takers?”
"I can't imagine what we would have done if we didn't have this wolf pelt." she says as she wipes away some nervous perspiration from her brow. "Is everyone here? We need to keep moving. And please heaven, no more problems." She takes a quick drink of her own sippy flask to steady her nerves.
"I'm glad we didn't have to jump Greta. She's an evil winter wolf in service to the witches and would turn us in in a second, but she seems to have really bonded with me for some reason. I sorta like her. In a different world, I have this weird feeling we could have been friends. Heck, in this world I've had seedier friends. Ask me about Alabaster Jack and his coven sometime."
"Sakitu is right Quasit, I don't know if I've ever seen someone use words as good as you have today. You'll probably make friends with Greta in this world. Narak, I bet you'll talk us right up to the hut!" Maka exclaimed while giving Quasit's shoulder a fierce yet congratulatory shake.
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He drops to his knees, looking confusedly at Tezuzu before looking for a more familiar face - his eyes fix on Bulvi. He speaks through ragged breaths, clearly at the edge of his endurance. "My master's.. in a rage.
"What's wrong? We can help!"
The man glances at Maka, then at Bulvi. "He.. he's going to.. to kill me. I.. I just know it.
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The man glances at Maka, then at Bulvi. "He.. he's going to.. to kill me. I.. I just know it.
Quasit steps to stand before the man. "Your master ... you're a slave then?" she says curtly in a pretty unfriendly voice. "It's not my place to interfere with another person's property, especially if you're just a runaway. But if you're being treated unfairly somehow, speak up now about what he thinks you've done and I'll try and convince your master to spare your life."
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"It's not just the wolf pelt, Quasit. You also have a great way with words and people. And I don't think your friends are as bad as you think. I mean, I'm one of your friends, right?"
"Well no, I'm not talking about you guys, you guys are all great. And I had a lot of great friends in all the places I lived who were really wonderful people. I'm just saying that because of the line of work my family was in, we also had to associate with a lot of ... shall we call them socially undesirable types? And more than a few that I wouldn't trust further than I can throw them. I mean, sometimes you can know someone who is just plain bad and untrustworthy, but you still hang out with them and like them, you know? I knew a lot of people like that back in Cassomir and Absalom especially. It's not always a person's fault if they're a screw up."
The man looks at Quasit, his eye's widening as he notices the pelt. Then looks back at Bulvi. "Is she a fair master? Maybe she can convince my master not to.. What he is saying goes unfinished as a wolf rounds the corner, snarling. Upon noticing Quasit it transforms into human form and addresses her.
"I am Korgin. This man is part of my household, or was, until he decided to question how I manage my affairs. I'm sure you understand. Sometimes you just can't break that defiant streak, and they're good for nothing but a bit of sport."
"She is fair." Bulvi responds to the paniced man, he leans in an whispers some advice but Quasit's ears will doubtless here and perhaps also the wolf so he selects his words wisely. "I'd advise you to list your skills to the Mistress. Coin might pass hands to save your hide- perhaps."
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"I am Korgin. This man is part of my household, or was, until he decided to question how I manage my affairs. I'm sure you understand. Sometimes you just can't break that defiant streak, and they're good for nothing but a bit of sport."
"Of course I understand, though this one doesn't seem like much sport. He was here groveling for his life a moment ago."
She chuckles cruelly and runs a fingernail along his cheek, drawing the faintest trickle of blood. Then she addresses Korgin.
"On the other hand, I like a bit of a challenge. I fancy this one for some reason. It might be amusing to break his spirit. I'll give you... say, 50 gold for him?"
Then she looks down at the slave again. "Pray he says no." she chirps in a singsong voice.
Korgin smiles, a more predatory grin you can only imagine if he was in his true form. "You are a shrewd one. He eyes the man cruelly, Jorhan, I believe you will very much regret not seeing things my way. Turning to Quasit, If I may have the pleasure of your name, you'll have your self a deal.
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"Alexia." says Quasit. She looks at Bulvi. "Ragnar, bind his hands and make sure he doesn't run again."
Then she starts fishing gold coins out of pouch.
"By the way, if you're still in the mood for sport, a friend of mine watching the Howlings Gate is a bit bored and looking for some friendly companionship. Her name is Greta. You can tell her I sent you, and she'll treat you nice."
She hands over 50 gold coins.
"It could be the start of a lovely relationship."
As Quasit deals with Korgin, Maka moved herself in front of Jorhan. Taking some effort not to assume a defensive pose.
Korgin takes the coin with a smile, his thanks for Quasit's suggestion is followed with a much larger smile. "A pleasure, I'm sure. I will do just that. Need a bit more fresh air I think." With that the man returns to his wolf form and heads at a quick pace toward the Howling's entrance.
Ringerr speaks up as soon as Korgin is out of sight, "Jorhan, go home. Gather any of Korgin's other slaves. Don't linger. Gather whoever is there. Grab any valuables you and those you find can carry. You know where to go. He turns to the party explaining. Some of the wolf's wealth must go to help the slaves escape, but I'll make sure that you all receive a fair portion."
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Knowing that Jorhan is likely to be very confused, Quasit looks down at him and nods.
"It's ok Jorhan. I'm not really a Winter Wolf. I was just playing up to that villain. Sorry about the scratch."
She leans in and wipes the cut on his cheek with a thumb. "I got a little carried away. But to be fair, you did just cost me 50 gold." She smiles.
Then she turns back to Ringeirr. "I hope it's not too much farther. We have a lot of people wandering around this neighborhood who've gotten a really good look at us and might start asking questions any time now. We need to disappear."
Ringerr nods in agreement, "It usually isn't quite this active. Just around corner now.
Tezuzu will wait till the wolf is well out of earshot before commenting ”You know if it was justice you were seeking that beast is just as likely to hunt tomorrow as he is today. I know we are trying to keep a low profile, but a single dead wolf in a back alley would hardly raise much suspicion......”
”We had the numbers and the advantage of surprise. Killing him would have been more sensible if his hunting troubled you morally speaking.” he sighs weary of the cold before finishing his thought ”I just hate to see good coin wasted on that vile creature”
He will cock an eyebrow at Ringerr promising reward ”My fair portion is nothing as I did not do anything. Give my split to ‘Alexia’ or the slaves whichever she prefers.”
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Sakitu maintains as quiet a posture as possible when Korgin appears. Once Quasit has sent him on his way Sakitu sighs a breath of relief. "Once again, Quasit, you've saved us. But I really do hope we're close to the end of this. The anxiety is really getting to me."
At Tezuzu's comment she scowls. "What? You wanted us to fight that wolf? But it might have hurt us." Sakitu tries to shrink into her own skin. "Ringerr, you said he knows where to go. Where's that?"
Killing him would have been more sensible if his hunting troubled you morally speaking.”
"Jeevan dene kee kshamata ke bina ise laaparavaahee se nahin lena chaahie." Maka said with a tsk to Tezuzu. "Kill someone just to save 50 gold? That sounds like something the witches would do."
"Kill someone just to save 50 gold? That sounds like something the witches would do."
Tezuzu looks confused ”I think you may have misunderstood I find the idea of that mutt drinking wine tonight paid for by selling a person mildly distasteful. I don’t care much for the actual gold. It is her money.” he raises his hands to shrug.
He points to the man ”You see this one was lucky enough to run into us, but next time that wolf gets bored and looking for a little.... how did he put it again?.....sport?... they will not be lucky enough to run across a good samaritan. Nor the time after that.....I honestly doubt this was his first hunt.” he sighs looking weary at the falling snow before quietly adding ”And thanks to us I doubt it will be his last”
After a quiet pause he snaps out of a deep thought ”Apologies, I should not spend time and energy scrutinizing past events. I should focus on the task at hand.” He will then turn to Ringerr and expect him to lead the way.
Ringerr turns to Sakitu, "We'll get there soon enough. First we need to get to my contact. She'll need proper paperwork soon. He gesture's at Quasit. At some point someone is going to call her bluff and it would be good to strengthen her hand.
"Shaayad, shaayad, shaayad, shaayad, shaayad. Maybe." Maka waved her hand in the air as someone annoyed by a fly. "There are a lot of maybes, more than there are ripples from a patthar...er rock throwing contest. Maybe letting him live kills more, maybe it saves more? Maybe he has a child that grows up to be a great hero or villain? Hace told me about a saying of Taldor that has a lot of wisdom: 'There are only 2 rules: Never kill someone without a reason, and you can always find a reason to kill someone'. If you focus on reasons why you should kill, your hands will always be covered in blood."
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He points to the man ”You see this one was lucky enough to run into us, but next time that wolf gets bored and looking for a little.... how did he put it again?.....sport?... they will not be lucky enough to run across a good samaritan. Nor the time after that.....I honestly doubt this was his first hunt.” he sighs looking weary at the falling snow before quietly adding ”And thanks to us I doubt it will be his last”
"I don't disagree with any of that. All things being equal I would have been happy to take him down. But we're in the enemy camp and it seems like there's a surprise around every corner. Best to play it safe." She looks around as if looking for the next surprise.
"Hey, anyone seen Fin lately?"
Tezuzu beams happily having been prodded by Maka into a ethical and philosophical discussion before he contains himself. ”That’s an interesting set of ideas, but I am afraid this may not be the proper place to examine them. I would like to engage with these thoughts of yours more vigorously, perhaps somewhere safer over tea? And I’m not sure if the rest of our companions would appreciate us prattling on. Maybe you could teach me a little of that Vudrani you spoke earlier. It’s quite pretty and I am past due for picking up another language.”
He will nod to Quasit solemnly. ”Right, you are the boss.”
”Oh he is right over there” he says causally as though it should be obvious pointing out their elf companion in the bushes.
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Fin sees the ice trolls arguing with winter wolves, thinking, Erastil's antlers! Is everyone in Whitethrone out and about at the moment?
Picking up a pebble, he tosses it toward's Quasit's feet...
Once he has her attention, he motions towards the ice trolls and winter wolves...he'll remain in the bushes to observe and provide cover as needed...
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”Oh he is right over there” he says causally as though it should be obvious pointing out their elf companion in the bushes.
"Huh? Where?"
"Oh. Yeah, I see him."
*plink*
*point point point*
Quasit takes a few steps to get a look for herself, then comes back to Ringeirr.
"Please don't tell me we have to go through them?"
Ringeirr shakes his head, "No we don't, but we'd better hurry. That's just the type of attention to ask for paperwork. My contact is just around the corner..
"You know I grew up hearing tales of how bad this place was... I don't think they did it justice."
Tezuzu will turn to Bulvi and say ”Welcome to Whitethrone!”
“This is actually the most pleasant trip I’ve ever made to the howlings. We have done significantly less running for our lives, hiding in trash, and fighting for our own lives than I am used to. It is actually quite nice in an awful sort of way.”
Ringeirr motions toward the alleyway near Tezuzu, "We can take a short cut through there."
Non combat round 1: Party up.
The group moves quickly through the alley and to the building in question. Ringeirr knocks on the door, but no one answers. "This is the place. We need to get in quickly. Any of you handy at picking a lock? I imagine breaking it down might attract a bit of attention.
Non-combat round 2: Party up.
Maka continued to follow behind Quasit, but by this point has forgotten to pretend to be cold and sad.
I imagine breaking it down might attract a bit of attention.
"Also your friend probably won't like us knocking their door down."
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"Any of you handy at picking a lock? I imagine breaking it down might attract a bit of attention."
Quasit can't help but smirk to herself at this question. "Yeah... I can give it a shot." She then pulls out a roll of leather from her pack that once unspooled shows about a dozen picks and tools of various sizes and shapes, clearly a very professional and specialized set. "For getting into cookie jars." she explains facetiously.
She begins with a rather quick and cursory look for any traps on the door or lock, then sets to work...
After Maka brings up how it is rude to break in a friends door Tezuzu will squawk “I can fix a door with magic later if need be. There are a number of things trolls can do to a body that I can not fix yet.”
Turning his head to Quasit he mutters as he sees her setting up her tools ”If this takes too long I will break this open if need be.” And he readies himself in a combat stance, should Quasits cookie-jar security bypass tools come up lacking, to face off against his most sturdy of physical opponents of the day, A door.
As the lock pops open the group can hear the heavy foot falls of the ice trolls approaching. Ringeirr motions for the group to enter. Foot steps can be heard from another room as the party enters. Ringeirr quickly shuts the door and begins speaking angrily. "Is that you Mortin. I sent word. Why was your door locked. We nearly ended up with two ice trolls on our backs. A completely bald man wearing eye glasses walks in from the next room.
The two start arguing, but before it gets too loud Mortin pauses. Look, I'm sorry Ringeirr. I got your message. I was absorbed in some work. I must have lost track of time. To make it up to you I'll provide the documents for no charge. Ringeirr looks satisfied and calms visibly.
He introduces the party to Mortin before the man explains the options for documents. Mortin explains that the papers can either identify them as slaves, much like the documentation they already posses but with the added benefit of arcane marks that associate them with a particular family within Whitethrone. Such paperwork would not permit them to wear armor or openly carry a weapon without risking arrest. These are the easiest to make and thus easier to pass off as authentic. The other options is to identify them as a member of a Jadwiga clan or foreign guest of a Jadwiga clan. This paperwork is a bit more involved, but would let the bearer openly wear armor and carry weapons. It won't be as easy to pass off as authentic, however.
Mortin begins to prepare his work area while he awaits for the party to share their preferences.
"I don't need weapons or armor but would the Jadwiga let me throw this around without getting in to trouble?" Flames burst from Maka's hand as she inquired with Mortin.
Mortin glances with curiosity at Ringeirr before responding to Maka. "Slaves aren't typically able to do such things. However, as it isn't immediately obvious that you can do such things the paperwork would serve unless your abilities were witnessed by someone interested in seeing said paperwork."
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Once through the door, Quasit instinctively goes through the entryway and hides herself in the next room on, fingering the hilt of her blade. Once the front door is closed though and everyone is safe inside, she begins to laugh quietly to herself, more out of relief than mirth. She slumps to a sitting position on the floor.
"Hey, did that slave I rescued even say thank you? The jerk." she says loudly, then goes back to laughing even more uproariously in relief. It takes her a few minutes to get these giggles out of her system.
By this time she's just looking aimlessly about the room, humming to herself, and listening vaguely to Mortin and Ringeirr bicker. Presented with a choice about papers, she quickly answers.
"Well, if those are the choices, I'll take Jadwiga clan." says Quasit. "But if any of you want to stay on as my slaves, I promise to be a good kind mistress and only beat you a little."
"Why not a set of both for each of us?" Tezuzu asks curiously.
He turns to Quasit and retorts "As long as you promise to use a gentle touch with the beatings and don't ugly up my beak too badly."
He will then mull over the proposition while scratching his beak before speaking "While Mortin here is competent and possesses the required resources to forge Stilyagi papers his technique is substandard on some of the base fundamentals; I shall stick to my slave permit...." he then pauses for a moment realizing he just said something that could come off as insulting "....urhmm...not that I am not appreciative. It would be certainly more dangerous for all of us to be unarmed and unprotected by armor."
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"Sure sure. Gentle as a kitten!" Quasit answers Tezuzu, holding up a hand in pledge and grinning broadly.
When the discussion turns to the tengu's papers, she sticks her nose in again. "We came here because he has some sort of magical seal that makes his forgeries look more authentic, right? Maybe he can just look over your work and put that seal on it if he thinks it's otherwise good enough?" Realizing perhaps that she might be offending Tezuzu's pride here, she quickly adds more. "I mean, we're on the same side here, right? You two should collaborate and work as a team on this. Two heads are better than one, eh?"
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"I can go either way," Sakitu adds into the conversation. "But I kind of like the idea of us all being armed. Or at least Fin and Bulvi. I mean, Maka, Tezuzu and I can do fine without weapons. And Quasit seems to be fine too. But, well, if we get caught. Either way it is bad." She seems to loose track of her own argument and slowly stops talking.
Mortin eyes Tezuzu with a discerningly, "I can of course look over papers you have prepared. And I could be convinced to prepare additional documents for but a small fee."
Quasit, Jadwiga clan
Findurel, Jadwiga clan
Tezuzu, slave?
Maka, slave?
Sakitu, slave?
Bulvi, Jadwiga clan?
"Sure sure. Gentle as a kitten!"
Tezuzu’s eyes slightly narrow ”Cats are often vicious sadistic creatures....”
He will mull over the proposition before speaking ”While there is something to be said about having too many chefs in one kitchen....I suppose I could lend some artistry to the work. That is, if Mortin here is fine with a collaborative project.”
"I am not going to be too much help in a fight without some kind of gear, it's just not the kind of fight my training focused on. The Jadwiga clan ones as my primary identifications. How much for the double sets cost?"