Ascension - Thieve's Guild (Inactive)

Game Master bbangerter

Yes, I am quite the author am I not? :P Truth be told im quite surprised myself.

"Two thousand?" Jumai splutters. "I..." with a trembling hand he wipes his brow which has broken out into a sweat despite the cool air. He swallows again. "First of the month... okay, okay."

Maeltheron returns to his original position quietly and continues his diligent watch of the front door.

In the interest of skipping the couple of posts with Vaek reminding me of the up front payment, ill just have Anthony remember it now, if its all the same to you.

Please Master Jumai, dont act so surprised. 2000 gold is pennies compared to your monthly income. And dont try to tell me otherwise, its my job to know these things. But if you must know, our line of work isnt a cheap one. Theres informants and bribes to be paid, and lets not forget the simple cost of living.

Oh and since we are now in your employ, we will be needing the first months pay emideatly, before we leave.

If you should ever have any questions or need of our assistance in some other manner, simply place a note in the payment bag and I shall make a visit...without all this fuss ofcourse.

At this last commment he smiled, a broad grin, eyes closed. His nerves had slowly settled as the conversation had proceeded, and he now felt in control again.

He motioned towards the door again.

Shall we?

No problem with that. I think Sic and Leandric are falling asleep.

Jumai fishes in his pockets and gets out a key. He opens one of the drawers his desk and pulls out a small box. Inside are a couple of gems, he selects out a diamond and an emerald, dejectedly handing them over with trembling hands.

He sits back down in his chair, hands to his face, as Anthony exits the room.

Splendid Master Jumai. I and my companions will leave you to finish whatever work we may have interupted. A good night to you.

With that he bows as deep as his knee will allow, exiting the room. As he leaves, asking the guard to unlock the front door, he tosses the gems to Sorad.

An agreement has been made gentlemen. Let us depart and start our work, the night is young!

As he passes Sorad he leans in and whispers.

I dont doubt Jumais abilities as an appraiser of gems but I do doubt his honesty...what are they worth?

Anthonys gait has an uncharacteristic swagger to it. A smug smile adorns his face.

Vaek moves to leave with Sorad and Anthony. Before leaving, he puts the figurine back in its place on the counter. He also leaves a black feather on the counter. With a somewhat jolly but even tone to his voice speaks the the guard at the door, "All is well James. You are now under the protection of the Black Feather."

He leaves and as he passes Sorad he says in a whispered tone, "So, his name is Tony? hmm."

The dark night has taken full force, and Vaek embraces its warmth. He nods to his comrades in appreciation for their success. He knew the mistress would be pleased.

Walking away from the glass shop, Vaek hides long enough to know that no one is watching, in which his disquise is returned to his natural look. He then heads back to the headquarters.

Upn seeing the others exit, Maeltheron climbs down from the rear of the structure and joins them further along the route to the headquarters.

So, Vaek, how did we do?

In response to Mael, with a slight smirk, "It wasn't one of my best performances. While I don't like working with people I don't know; the new guy... Tony, he came up real big. real cool in a situation that wasn't not going smooth."

Vaek, looks up at the moon for a moment, relishing in the fact that the job was done.

"To be honest, I don't know what to think of him just yet. But he got the job done, so the mistress will be pleased. I am sure Vicus' isn't happy that his blade was not wet with blood, but he will have his time. Between you and me ol' friend, I think we have our crew. We are going to make a lot of money with this group."

Being winter darkness came early. It is still fairly early in the evening - ~7:30 at night. By what means does the group intend to enter into the headquarters?

Vaek finally comes upon the house of pleasure. Though he would not be a patron this night. His pleasure was the success of the job. He continued to review it in his mind. We have your family... heh, probably need to make sure the mark cares about his family first. Regardless, it was clumsy, mistakes were made. But the crew adapted and the job was completed. That is all that matters. We will need to be more cautious, more exact in our preparation next time.

He slips into the 2nd room on the north when it is clear. Keeping close eye on any view able patrons, taking special note of any non-members. Perhaps to use their visit to the brothel against them at a later time.

Knowledge-Local: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12

Wondering if any of his crew had already arrived. Vaek slips through the secret door with the intent to inform the mistress of the successful portion of their mission.

Maeltheron walks beside Vaek in route to the headquarters.

That is good to hear. We actually had an unrelated visitor scaling an adjacent building while you fellas were inside, but I scared him off. I will have to chat with this Tony to get a feel as well, but it is good to know that we have a bit of a crew. Should certainly help with lining our coffers.

He follows Vaek into the 2nd room on the north.

Sic sat huddled against the wall of the building next to the glass shop. He watched his partners leave and coughed into his hand. He waited long enough to see if there were any followers before heading around behind the shop. He'd use his god granted trick of appearing to split into two to throw off any pursuit. He'd wait until morning to return to the guild and use the more 'official' entrance.

Anthony rounded the corner once more, every stone in the wall familier to him after so many visits. Crouching in the shade of the larger surrounding buildings it stood, the tiny chapel, looking as humble as ever. Walking to the door, he knocked a few times and then waited for a few minutes. It usually took the old man a while to reach the door. A muffled cough from the other side heralded his arrival before the door slowly creeped open.

Yees?

The old man squinted in the light before he realized who it was.

Oh, its you Anthony. I suppose you will be needing your old bed again?

It would appear so Yorick, yes. But dont worry noone was hurt this time, I promise.

The old man frowned before sighing and letting Anthony inside.

Havnt I told you I dont want to hear about what you do? Im far to old to be hearing of such things. But all the same it is good to hear you havnt stained yourself further this time. Now come along, theres still some stew in the pot if you want some.

Anthony followed Yorick inside and closed the door. Even if their relationship was not as warm as it had once been, he looked forward to spending another night in his old home.

Anthony spends the night at the old chapel. He rises early the next morning (christian monk early) and goes to wait for the store above the guild to open.

Sorad should have done an appraise check on the gemstones to make sure they were worth the correct amount.

The dwarf was probably the last of the crew to return to the guild headquarters, having gone off to collect other information (I basically want to set up some informants on Beggar's Street, but will PM you to avoid mucking up the gameplay thread). On returning, he immediately hands the gems (assuming they are worth the right amount) to Ilvaria, then proceeds to give the Mistress her statue and the leftover coin.

Vaek finally comes upon the house of pleasure. Though he would not be a patron this night. His pleasure was the success of the job. He continued to review it in his mind. We have your family... heh, probably need to make sure the mark cares about his family first. Regardless, it was clumsy, mistakes were made. But the crew adapted and the job was completed. That is all that matters. We will need to be more cautious, more exact in our preparation next time.

He slips into the 2nd room on the north when it is clear. Keeping close eye on any view able patrons, taking special note of any non-members. Perhaps to use their visit to the brothel against them at a later time.

Rolling this back a bit.

assuming Mael is near me

Seeing the commotion, Vaek grows very cautious. catching Kleonna's eye, I nod in agreement. He then signals to Mael, as he isn't sure if he noticed the intentions of Kleonna.

Vaek will use as much stealth as possible to go unseen and meat the owner around the corner of the desired building

in case the stealth roll should be mine instead of the GM rolling it

Stealth: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (19) + 12 = 31

He is

Mael follows Vaek stealthily.

Stealth: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (7) + 18 = 25

Anthony yawned, eyes clenched, mouth a gaping chasm. He had been more agitated at Jumais shop than he had thought. It had taken alot of energy to keep calm. That or Yoricks stew was made of more potent ingredients than usual. Must have had turkey in it or something he muttered.

He was just about to step into his room when something caught his eye. A glimmer of light? Puzzled he snuffed out his Light spell and squinted, trying to catch a glimpse of whatever it had been.

Anyone there? Yorick? he said in a low voice.

Edging down the hall he neared the door.

Vaek's brow tightens up at the news. Looking at his companions, "Dammit! Deaths in our own backyard. That isn't going to help business. Why here? Why not at a tavern or church where things are dangerous. We don't need the Mageocracy in part of town. Kleonna, if you can give us any other details that will be most helpful."

He looks up as if thinking. Why would someone kill at a house of pleasure. Do they know its a cover for the guild? Is somebody trying to make a statement? If someone knows who we are then their life is forfeit when we find them.

Returning his gaze to Maeltheron with a deadly tone, "We need to find out if these men were all killed by the same person or group. And they must pay in blood. Perhaps the key will be with the third patron. We need to find out what they have in common. We need clues and we need them now!"

The frustration began to grow within Vaek. "We need the crew. Where the hell is Leandric? And the new guy... ugh what's his name ... Tony, either of you know where he went? Or Vicus... oh wait.... he's got to be at the tavern."

His eyes shifting to Kleonna, "Can you try to send some of your girls to seek out the others? There is going to be no sleeping tonight."

The winter's breeze doing nothing to calm the fire within him. First things first he thought.

"Friends, we need to get those guards away from here. Any suggestions?

Once the deal had been done Leandric nodded to the others. He had actually stopped the bloodshed, good. The fact that they got the deal was even better, now if just those goons would be able to keep their blades sheathed next time. He wouldn't always be there to calm things down. "I'll be heading home then, nothing here I can do and me and my short legs would only slow you down on the way back. I'll see you guys later."

With that he went off on his own, back to his little home right down the street from the pawnshop run by his parents.

Initiative: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (2) + 0 = 2

Well doh, your move.

Filios looks to Vaek.

Can we get inside without the guards seeing us, Kleeona? Maybe another entrance? We need to warn the Mistress without bringing the guards attention to our door.

"We can enter through the main business area. Though, I think the trick is getting the guards directly away from the bodies so we can look at them."

Vaek thinks for a moment."What if we gave them a reason to chase the murderer. Give them bait so we can investigate the bodies while they chase the bait."

His eyes shift between Maeltheron and Sorad as if asking which one of them feels like being bait.

After a moment he continues,"No, it should be me, I can bait them away. All we need is for Kleeona to have one of the girls get scream for attention, claiming to have seen me as the murderer. I will then lead them on a chase giving you both a chance to look for clues. I will double back later. And should I be caught, I will be expecting a rescue."

Vaek slides his finger on his forhead. His appearance changes to that of a mid 20's man who is barely 5 feet tall, with long greasy hair and several scars that block his natural good looks.

"Kleonna, hopefully one of your girls hasn't been questioned, and she can describe my current appearance. I will be visible enough that she can then react in terror. Hopefully, all the guards will follow me."

He pulls out a dagger and moves across the street in the darkness waiting for Kleonna to get in positon. He finds a location so he can run north, with a good head start.

Good stuff.

Vaek sighs in disgust. She was right, and he knew it. Perhaps we could dress up Sorad as one of the women. Heh, not a lot of bald women in this part of town. A slight smirk grew on his face for just a moment.

He stroked his hair as hi continued in thought. The plan would work, but who is to say that the guards are not wizards. That would be a problem.

Finally Vaek speaks to his companions, "Perhaps, i'm over thinking it. Since we can't be sure that all the guards would chase, whose to say they would notice one more guard among them." He began to slide his hand in the black ribbon tied through his hair and in a instant, his appearance changed to have the look of a guard with leather armor.

Stretching his arms, He prepares to make his way back to the brothel."How do I look. They call me James. I'm going in.

I try to join the guards as non-charlatanry as possible. With emphasis on getting close enough to the bodies if possible and trying to determine what kind of weapon was used as well as clues to their identity and such.

knowledge - Local: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20 Once I see who appears to be in command, I try to know if I would know who his direct superior is, incase I am questioned.

Looks like your plan didn't work, Vaek. Maybe we should try something else.

Reverting back to the form of a halfling, Sorad makes his way boldly to the nearest guard. Excuse me, Sir. I am one of the enforcers of this establishment, and it is part of my duty to investigate what has happened. Would you be so kind as to point me to where the bodies were found?
Not sure if I need to make a bluff check, as Sorad probably has spent a fair amount of time protecting various Guild covers. A general diplomacy wouldn't hurt, however.

With a low yelp, Anthony bolted for his room, shut the door behind him and turned the lock. Breathing heavily for a moment he calmed himself and started calling the suit.

Jumai had been faster to turn on him that he would have thought. It had to be him...didnt it?

Who were the idiots that attacked his parent's shop? Everyone knew it were Guild dealings there. It had to be some misguided fools. Leandric walked over to the door and tried it.

The part where lamp light glinted off something "down the hall" had led me to believe otherwise, because I thought I was right in front of my room when I saw it.

His assailant was blocking the way to his room, and there was nowhere else he could go with a locked door. He comtemplated simply running away, but realized that might leave Yorick at the mercy of this thug. There was only one thing to do. He had to summon the available spells from the suit, make himself as much of a combatant as he could muster, and face this man.

Move action to F6, Standard Action, cast Mage Armor (AC = 20)

Once again Sic was comforted by the knowledge that Maeltheron was about and watching over things. He walked right over to Kleonna ignoring the guard for the time being.

Kleonna! Are you alright?

Blending in as a guard, Vaek looks over the crime scene searching for any kind of blood trail as well as looking for any clues in the back rooms. Taking special note of the room with the secret door.

Anthony held his cane up, readying himself to attempt to parry any incoming blows.

5 foot step to F5.

Standard Action, Cast Bulls Strength.

Move Action, Retrieve Wand of Cure Light Wounds (Handy Haversack)

Maeltheron nods when Vaek heads inside, and he quietly moves across the street to lend rangesd aid if necessary. He also scans the building for a possible second story access.

Stealth: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (10) + 18 = 28
Perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (18) + 11 = 29

"Mistress!?" Anthony thought, his eyes widening at the mentioning of that title. There were others in this world who would be called such by their minions, but to have it so blatantly said to him. It was either to let him know who killed him before he died...or a ruse by someone wishing to sow doubt. But if that was the case, this assailant would have to either flee or die, to leave him alive.

Almost forgetting his surroundings in that moment as his mind raced, he snapped back to his senses just in time to avoid another swing.

If Anthony can more over the benches, counting it as difficult terrain, he will perform a Withdraw action to move to H7. If not, he will stay where he is and cast Enlarge Person.

Concentration: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (19) + 10 = 29

Difficult terrain to move over the benches. With a withdraw action "The square you start out in is not considered threatened by any opponent you can see." and "If, during the process of withdrawing, you move out of a threatened square (other than the one you started in), enemies get attacks of opportunity as normal."

So im enlarged now then...what squares do I take up? Do I move the enemy? The bench?

Enlarge person has a 1 round casting time, so it could still be interrupted by a successful attack. But if it goes off I would push the bench and your attacker out of the way (not quite RAW, but it makes more sense to me that way) - leaving you to fill F-G/5-6.

Trying to interrupt Anthony the attacker tries to corner him, blade swinging out again and missing clumsily.

Think I've rolled a 1, a 2, and a 7 now for attacks against you...

Anthony's size begins to increase, filling the corner of the room and pushing aside the bench and forcing the assailant to take a step backwards.

Your move