"Only steps on the way. The mageocracy is fortified, but far from undefeatable. It's hardly suicide- I've been doing work for a few months, now."
Jake listens to conversation, but feels far too much on the captain's side of thinking to put up a convincing argument. After all the captain's sister isn't being experimented on so there is no real need for him to throw away his life. He gives the captain a knowing smile and then continues to look around.
Gerran, put off by the captain's response to his earlier comment, rides along in silence, leaving the persuasion to those better suited. He keeps his eyes peeled, however, for any sign of someone following them, as well as for a good place to turn east to make their rendezvous.
Captain Nerin's thoughts can almost visibly be seen to click together. "The rumors... of course. You ride along a dangerous path. The entire city seems to be on edge these days."
He glances back over his shoulder looking at the wagons following behind. "What of my caravan then?"
Drewan calls out to the teamsters to leave the road, and scouts ahead a bit for hazardous conditions.
"Your caravan is safe," Dev interrupts, scratchy voice an ugly rupture in the conversation. The summoner is abrupt and seems to hold little interest in the proceedings. "That is all you should know."
"We'll see it safely to it's destination." She gets back upon the horse. "Let's be sure everyone is moving along- we're taking a different route now. Trust me, Mister Nerin, the caravan could use your help seeing it to our destination." Rocosmia guides her horse back around the caravan, making sure no funny business is afoot with the drivers.
"We never wanted to kill any of you. And we didn't. Careful planning helps."
"Besides, the physical part of the rebellion is not for everyone. It's barely for me. Our existence relies upon all the people that think the mages don't know better than us. You could continue your job, especially that part that actually helps the citizens ...and be part of a greater progress."
Drewan doubles back after the wagons are all off the road and does what he can to erase the tracks the wagons left as they left the road, and for several hundred feet more.
Captain Nerin raises an eyebrow at Dev's promise of the caravan being safe.
Several of the wagon drivers give some minor protest at turning off the road, but it is short lived when no one takes their protests into consideration.
The captain is quiet for a time as the wagons cut across country. After a few minutes he speaks up again, "With me being on the road much of the time I'm not sure how I could contribute to this cause of yours."
Ahead a lone figure can be seen standing atop a rise. Most likely your contact for delivering the cargo.
"Your quiet support would be the least we could ask. If you give more vocal support, perhaps more will be asked."
Upon sighting the figure, Rocosmia pulls on the reigns and guides her mount to move faster. Riding ahead of the group to get a closer look to the figure, Rocosmia waves on approach. Her hand goes to her bow, however, taking it out across her front-side without arrow. Her red hair unfurled, it flows freely as the horse canters no further than 300 feet ahead of the caravan, no closer than 80 feet of the stranger.
"Hello! The road's been a dangerous place lately, hasn't it?"
Drewan speaks softly. "Captain Nerin. I sense that you are frustrated by our actions; to have us waylay your caravan, with you charged to see it safely to its destination, does not rest easy with you. You are a man of honor, and I cannot fault you for that."
"As a military man, you realize that things could have gone very differently back in the forest. We did our best to avoid needless bloodshed. I hope you can see that we have some honor, as well."
"Rest assured, Captain, that our cause is just. It is not our aim to hurt those whom the mageocracy has forced to live off their scraps. It is our aim to liberate those who are unknowingly enslaved, to free them from their bondage."
"Didn't expect to meet anyone here."
Captain Nerin gives Drewan a long and appraising look, considering his words. At last he says, "Where and how can I get a hold of you?"
With Rocosmia having moved to the top of the hill the captain looks about, then to no one in particular, "So am I to be held a prisoner then?"
At the top of the hill is Lieutenant Banmor. He greets Rocosmia with a half smile. "Looks like you've collected the goods. I trust everything went smoothly?"
The lieutenant looks at the wagons and their drivers, and glances over Captain Nerin in his breastplate, "I've got a dozen men down the ravine that can take the wagons from here. What do you intend to do with the caravan teams and the man-at-arms there?"
Rocosmia looks over to the caravan as he inspects it from afar. "Took a sword to the arm, but nobody died and no search for us is afoot yet. Could have been a little more smooth, all things considered. About the men, we can drop them off on the road, in a day from now."
Turning back halfway to the lieutenant, Rocosmia points to Nerin briefly. "But, you should know- that man, Captain Nerin, has quite the distaste for the Mageocracy. If not for his sense of duty to his house as a caravan guard, he'd surely join the rebellion. But for now, he's our unofficial prisoner. He may be worth talking to. Otherwise, any advice to convince him further would do well, before we see him off."
"their safety was guarantied, so we'll need to leave them with their equipment to protect themselves and enough food to get back home." Jake says matter of factly.
"Well I'm not one for changing a man's mind once he has made it up, but I will relay that information to the captain, I'm sure he will be able to turn it to some use. I can keep him under guard here for a day so that you can get to your next tasks though."
The lieutenant smiles at Jake, nodding in appreciation of his concern for the men of the caravan, "That we can certainly do." He holds up one of his hands in the air and make a brief motion with two extended fingers. A dozen men come out of hiding in the underbrush 50 yards away and make their way to the top of the hill. "Take our... guests and keep an eye on them for now. Tomorrow we will take them back to the main road with sufficient food and water to return to Coran. And send Jacob up to collect the wagons."
As the prisoners are led away the lieutenant gets back to business, "The captain would like you to return to Coran to accomplish a couple different tasks."
"First, there is going to be a public council meeting in three days time at the library. This is not an uncommon event, usually the meetings consist of the merchant's guild complaining to the mages, though sometimes other citizens of Coran being up issues - though such issues generally get relegated to the magistrates and city guard to handle as appropriate. There is often a large crowd at such meetings though, and there may be an opportunity to strike at one of the council themselves before, during, or after the meeting. If such opportunity presents itself and you judge the risk to be worth it, we'd like you to strike fast and hard then disappear into the crowds."
"Second, the captain would like to acquire a dozen city guard uniforms. How you come about obtaining them is up to you. They may even prove useful in your first task if you are so inclined."
"Third, does the name Radgar the Butcher mean anything to you?"
Jake stays impassive while getting the new orders.
So they would have us be assassins, I guess that is what I get for signing a pact with the devil
"We encountered Radgar's handy work on the way here, or at least he left one survivor and told her his name was Radgar. We followed his tracks to a small hamlet where we lost them, he didn't slaughter every there." Jake says
"Are any of the council that you would particularly like targeted?" He asks.
Drewan listens intently to their upcoming tasks, nodding after each. When Radgar's name is spoken, a low growl comes from his throat.
"Why do you ask us about the Butcher? As Jake says, a small hamlet was slaughtered, with only a young girl left alive to bear witness. I would play butcher to him, given the opportunity."
Dismounting to listen to Lieutenant Banmor, Rocosmia becomes stern-lipped. With Jake and Drewan asking plenty, she waits for the lieutenant's response. As the caravan is led on now by the men, she watches them, holding onto the horse's reigns.
"Fine." Dev nods, listening to the lieutenant give the orders. He says nothing else, the others already answering the question.
The lieutenant looks surprised, "So you saw what he did to that settlement? Horrible business that is. The news is all over Gumlat. It will be all over Coran soon as well no doubt."
"It shows further though that mages are either inept or simply don't care. That one should have been taken 10 years ago and executed. Their failure however may turn to our gain. The captain would like you to consider options on how this might be used to show the failure of the current bureaucracy."
The lieutenant frowns, "As to which of the mages to target? Hard to say really. We can't even be certain which of the council will be there. Just be careful if you do decide to strike, all of the council members are powerful mages or sorcerers. If you can't hit them by surprise you'll have a very tough go of it."
"I've started planting a seed, Ell-Tee. Soon enough everyone will know that the Butcher was the responsibility of the mages, if not the device thereof."
"Won't they just bring him back from the dead? I understand that is expensive but I doubt they are short of money. Wouldn't there be a better way of taking away their money?" Jake asks.
"They have to have something to raise. And if we ...make it seem this was the guy behind releasing the Butcher, even if they have the body that would be ...more complicated."
Drewan asks, "Is there some location where guard uniforms are stored? A barracks, perhaps, or washing facility?"
"Of course there is. That should be the easy part. May as well try both those."
"Digger has the right of it. Leave the body and it can be raised. Remove the body and that becomes a lot more difficult."
"Any of the guard stations are likely to have a couple of spare uniforms. The washing area might be a better place to get a large number of them at once, but your unlikely to find any garments to be taken after the close of the day."
He smiles grimly regarding spreading more rumors, this time about Radgar, "I have no doubt you can stir up a nest of hornets with that. Just be careful on this one, with the butcher himself somewhere in the area we need to make sure what ever tales you spread don't backfire."
"Do you have any further questions about your assignment?"
"Get rid of the body? That I can do." Dev looks thoughtful for a moment before looking back at the lieutenant. "I'm guessing the uniforms need to be delivered clean? It might be worth it to get more than needed, if we plan on using them ourselves."
Jake nods to Dev "I suspect that powerful mage would have ways to escape an attack, we'll need way of preventing it. I know of a couple of scrolls that would do the job so we might need to steal them first as well. It would be nice to take any magical items he or she is carrying, I suspect they would be quite valuable to our work."
After a moment, Rocosmia pulls her arm around in a twist, getting a little stretch after the ride. Looking past the lieutenant and to the sky, she remarks casually. "That won't be a problem, Dev. A little magic will fix it, as long as it isn't all burned up. If you want, you can leave that to me?"
Steal some uniforms and kill a random mage. How nonchalant. I'm perfect for the job.
She smiles to herself. Then pulling her arms back to lightly pop her back, she swings her head to similarly stretch it out. She speaks with mild impatience- or interest, looking to Jake. "Which ones do you have in mind? I think we can get going, no more questions, lieutenant. Besides, you don't need to hear our plan from this point, right? Leave it to us."
"Once you have the uniforms deliver them to a man named Hezek at the east end of the merchant's road. Make the delivery the day following the public meeting. Hezek is a bald man who is missing his right arm. He should have further instructions for you on a written missive from the captain. Hezek is unlikely to be able to answer any questions for you. While he has proven himself no friend of the mages we are not sure he isn't without ulterior motivations - be wary of him."
The sounds, sights, and smells of the city are familiar ones. Turning in at a tavern for a quick drink one cannot help but overhear the current buzz. Two nights ago a large number of murders took place across the city. Merchant's, dock workers, whores, beggars, and others.
"Well, as I understand it the ways to stop a mage from casting is to either stop him from moving his hands or to stop him from speaking. There are spells that stop him moving but they aren't full proof but there is a simple spell that prevent any noise and hence stop casting that I know of. If we got a scroll of it I'm sure I could cast it. Being a powerful mage he may have other ways of escaping and there is a powerful piece of magic that prevents some one or something teleporting away. A scroll of that spell may be harder to find and might be pointless or very important. I suspect there will be several other spells that people can think of that would be useful as well."
Drewan gives some thought to the best time and way to retrieve the uniforms. "If we take the uniforms much before the meeting, then if our theft is discovered, the guards will be suspicious. We may be better off stealing the uniforms just before, or just after, the meeting."
"So, then - do we steal them from multiple guard stations, or from a single washing area? I would imagine that the washing area would be easiest - it's a single location, first, and is not likely to be well-guarded."
Responding to Drewan, Rocosmia turns to him upon her mount.
"Do you know how the army handles such things? If they're sure to have uniforms there in the morning, I think that's a good plan. You find it, and I'll go in to get the uniforms in plain sight. Jake, can you get and use that scroll you're talking about, preferably on the same day we do this? Tock, can you pick our target beforehand? If we get him as he's on the way to the meeting, there probably won't be as many mages nearby. And that'll scare 'em a bit more."
She looks to Dev a few moments, biting her tongue. "What do you think, Dev?"
Jake look a little embarrassed and admits "That depends, I should be able get a copy, but I've never cast it, if I'm lucky and find an arcane scroll I think I can pull it off but the divine one will be harder."
"I also have a scroll that can get myself and 3 others out of trouble but those three have to be touching and two will be left behind."
"That sounds like a good plan," Dev says to Rocosmia. He turns his head to look at her. "But it may be difficult to implement. We can't be certain which of the council will be attending the meeting and even knowing who a few hours beforehand will give us limited time to work. It may give us an advantage, however, depending on where we get the target.
"I would suggest disguising ourselves as guards, or as part of the crowd. Perhaps even as a visiting mage. We're only here to make an attack of opportunity and I would recommend leaving much flexibility to any plan we make."
"For those of you not native to the city the meetings occur in the library which is about 200 yards south of the mage tower grounds. The meetings usually have 3 or 4 of the council members in attendance. In my experience there are likely to be numerous guards will be at the meeting itself to keep the peace, watch for pick pockets, and maintain order. The mages usually have one or two guards with them coming from or going to the tower. They do not always return directly to the tower after the meeting - either staying late to converse with others or going about other business."
Listening in on conversations in taverns and making small talk to learn more about the murders unearths several bits of information.
The number of individuals reportedly killed varies between 25 and 30 individuals. Some were killed in their homes while sleeping and others were attacked in the streets.
A few claim to have witnessed some of the attacks in the streets first hand - claiming the assailants to have been duergar, strix, or drow - depending on the teller.
"Kelmon got exactly what he deserved. He's been stealing from someone, no way he earned that kind of living working at the stables, specially him bein' as lazy as he is."
"I heard someone dressed in a dark cloak broke into the Fizzwinkles shop. And not one of the small folk either, but either a full grown man or a woman braving the dark of night in tiny town - it's unheard of."
"The Duresu family, murdered in their sleep they was. No one even knew till late morning the next day."
"They found ole Drail yesterday morning washed up on the shore, knife wound in his back."
"That drow the guards caught, me friend Tom said he saw the darkie run straight into the arms of the waiting guards, yelling like a pack o' demons was on his tail."
[ooc]"So the butcher doesn't get executed, but captured by the mages. Now, years later, he's out, but his murders aren't as random as they used to be. These are people that spoke out against the mages in some way. He's their personal assassin now."[/b]
Near to the western gate on a side street is a shop selling magical trinkets and baubles, Ivora's Wonders. While many things in the shop are oddities of no real value or magical power Ivora is known for selling various magical powders, potions, and scrolls. And if she doesn't have something available she is known for being able to get it for the paying customer.
Two guards stand watch at the door during business hours. A heavy wooden door and iron bars over the windows protect the place at night.
Several patrons meander about the shop looking at old relics or asking for a potion to cure their ailments.
Wash areas are common around the city, and if you've seen one you've seen them all. A low wall no more than one foot in height surrounds a large area with a layer of dirty water in it that slowly drains out somewhere into the sewers beneath the streets - if the drain is not plugged. Nearby is a well to provide clean water to add to the pool and rinse the clothing with.
Both men and women come and go throughout all hours of daylight. Most are poor folk with plain clothing carrying a basket with rags, worn out trousers, shirts, and dresses.
Several scoff at the idea he works for the mages, but many mutter dark curses regarding the council of mages.
Remaining near the Wash Area, Rocosmia remains hidden on standby. There was limited information for her to go on, and would let Digger make the call on when to move. Once a while using a Message, they remain able to whisper to each other.
"Some sort of distraction would be best, when the uniforms are ready to be plucked. So long as it isn't too risky."