Katya tells Momo that the Silk Scabbard does not serve food! Of course there are salted peanuts at the bar. The madam excuses herself and goes to the bar to speak with Iskra. After a moment the girl is letting down her customer easy, the dejected man slinking away with an irritated look on his face. Iskra comes over to the table and shows the group the way to the comfort rooms. "Hello Irwen. Katya has gone upstairs to see if Filipa wants to join us. Now what is it that you really want to see me about? You didn't really bring all these friends here for sex did you?"
"Maybe" Írwen smiles coyly. "Maybe not. Though there are many things that benefit from privacy and discretion... sex only being one of then" she adds as she enters the room.
Momo sits dejected and puts away her ten silver. No food? Why are we even here? Momo pouts. It had taken Momo quite a bit of courage to ask about food and it had all been for naught. Momo eyes the peanuts at the bar. Maybe she would grab a few later. What a terrible place to ambush. There isn't even any good food to loot. Food ranks fairly high on Momo's list.
Iskra comes over to the table and shows the group the way to the comfort rooms. "Hello Irwen. Katya has gone upstairs to see if Filipa wants to join us. Now what is it that you really want to see me about? You didn't really bring all these friends here for sex did you?"
Momo's ears bend backwards and she turns to her friend Allegra. This place has many things to offer but none of the things I'm interested in. Momo thinks the idea of paying for sex is ridiculous and has never heard of the practice before today. When creatures wanted to mate, they mated. Simple as that. All this money business just complicated things.
Momo leans on Morrigan's shoulder and she looks at at Morrigan with unblinking eyes. I'm bored and hungry. As far as destinations go, I'm discontented with being here.
Momo looks over at Alfen. Is he going to play for a mate? I wonder if kitsune work here. Or does he have a thing for humans? Momo's ears twitch as she thinks, her gaze lingering on Alfen. Then, she bluntly asks Alfen: "Have you been here before? Which one is your favorite?" Momo thinks the notion of money in exchange for mating is strange, but she wants to fit in and therefore tries to go along with it.
The comfort room is a 15'x20' room with cushions and silk drapes everywhere in shades of pink and red. Iskra lounges on a pillow and smokes from a hookah. "Well, here we are. All the privacy you could wish for. Now tell me, what brings you back here? And who are your friends? They seem quite remarkable!"
Nik'olo offers: "Shouldn't we wait for her friend?"
Momo looks over at Alfen. Is he going to play for a mate? I wonder if kitsune work here. Or does he have a thing for humans? Momo's ears twitch as she thinks, her gaze lingering on Alfen. Then, she bluntly asks Alfen: "Have you been here before? Which one is your favorite?" Momo thinks the notion of money in exchange for mating is strange, but she wants to fit in and therefore tries to go along with it.
Alfen can't help but laugh at Momo's question. "No, I can't say that I have," he says. "Not to say I've never thought about coming here, I just, ah..." He trails off. "Well, I certainly never imagined my first time here I'd be crowding into one of their rooms with five other people," he says, shrugging.
Nik'olo offers: "Shouldn't we wait for her friend?"
Alfen nods in agreement. Both of the women should know they might be in danger. Or were they putting them in danger by seeking them out? The kitsune grimaces at the thought, but says nothing. It was too late for that now.
Momo leans on Morrigan's shoulder and she looks at at Morrigan with unblinking eyes. I'm bored and hungry. As far as destinations go, I'm discontented with being here.
Morrigan simply shrugs in response. Momo can probably tell from her body language that Morri wasn't exactly thrilled about her surroundings or situation either.
As she walks into the private room, Morrigan glances briefly about the room, taking in the cushions and the silk draperies and frowning with what might easily be distaste. It might not be easily discernible from her expression alone, but her displeasure was more for the gaudiness and brightness of the decor than for any real or prudish disapproval at what went on here. What men and women chose to do together and why was their own business, and Morrigan normally couldn't care less...
"We will wait, if she can come soon." She says, looking at her companions as she pronounces the word 'soon', implying to them that the longer they dallied the longer their new enemies would have to set whatever trap they planned.
When Filipa arrives she is all nervous smiles. "Irwen, what are you doing here? Are you in trouble? I never thought you'd come back here. It's good to see you though!"
Alfen can't help but laugh at Momo's question. "No, I can't say that I have," he says. "Not to say I've never thought about coming here, I just, ah..." He trails off. "Well, I certainly never imagined my first time here I'd be crowding into one of their rooms with five other people," he says, shrugging.
Momo looks relieved at Alfen's first statement, then disappointed at the next, then understanding at the third. Momo couldn't imaging mating with more than one creature at a time. Momo imagined it could get rather messy with three of more. Momo is glad Morrigan seems to feel the same as Momo about being at a place like the Silk Scabbard.
"We will wait, if she can come soon." She says, looking at her companions as she pronounces the word 'soon', implying to them that the longer they dallied the longer their new enemies would have to set whatever trap they planned.
Momo nods. She didn't want to be ambushed, questioned, then killed. It didn't seem like a pleasant experience - especially on an empty stomach and in a place that smelled certain bodily fluids. Momo decides to let the humans continue the conversation. She still feels out of her element with all the humans about.
The room is 15' x 20', so it should fit all of the companions and the two girls with no crowding, but somehow because of the awkwardness of the situation things feel a little cramped. Iskra and Philipa eagerly await some news, Iskra shuffling cushions about while Filipa draws back silk curtains to open up the room. "There are places you can leave your weapons, and robes you can change into if you like. But I don't know how long you'll be staying...." She looks about to anyone for an indication of the reason for your visit. Both of these girls seem certain you haven't come here for the usual reasons.
"There are places you can leave your weapons, and robes you can change into if you like. But I don't know how long you'll be staying...."
Momo is hungry and her hunger is turning into tiredness.
With all of the pillows and blankets laying around in the pleasure room, Momo begins to gather anything soft into a circle in one of the corners. Nest. Nest. Nest. Momo pushes and pulls the soft materials into a circle, piling the pillows on top of one another into a glorious fort. Nothing is spared from Momo's structure. Momo attempts to remove the cushions from below her seated companions butts (and presumably succeeds if nobody says anything.) She even attempts to pull the fitted sheet from the bed in order to add it to her "nest." To complete the fortress of blankets and pillows, Momo pulls a larger blanket over the stacks of pillows as a makeshift roof. Pleased with herself, Momo steps back to admire her work.
Once Momo has completed her pillow and blanket nest (although perhaps highly inappropriate for the current situation) Momo tugs at Alfen's hand. Momo purposefully picks the hairiest looking creature to prospect cuddling. Momo will generally always pick the furriest or largest creature because she assumes they will be the warmest. "Do you need a rest?" Momo tilts her head in question to Alfen. Then, she points to the nest of pillows and blankets. "While we wait," Momo adds.
Momo becomes more insistent - regardless of Alfen's answer - pulling harder on Alfen's hand and arm. "Come, come" Momo crawls into the "nest" and pats a hand next to her on a blanket. "Comfy and warm," Momo encourages. Sometime during her crawl inside, the hood of her cloak fell back, exposing two perky ears. Momo peers up at her companions from the safely of her fort.
"Not long, surely." Morrigan states after looking at the others with her - and does a double-take at Momo's pillow nest-fort! Morrigan shakes her head and then when she sees that no one says anything, she turns back to the two women, terse, blunt, and to the point, as was often her way.
"We actually need to find a woman named Ilyana. It seems that a certain gentleman friend of hers may have gotten her into trouble, or perhaps it is vice versa. I'm not really sure which, and don't care frankly, but now they've somehow dragged me into it, and it seems I must get to the bottom of whatever is going on with them, and to that end Írwen needs to speak with Ilyana. I understand one or both of you know her?"
Alfen gapes in disbelief as Momo begins her fort building and quickly shuffles out of her way as she begins dismantling the furniture.
"We actually need to find a woman named Ilyana. It seems that a certain gentleman friend of hers may have gotten her into trouble, or perhaps it is vice versa. I'm not really sure which, and don't care frankly, but now they've somehow dragged me into it, and it seems I must get to the bottom of whatever is going on with them, and to that end Írwen needs to speak with Ilyana. I understand one or both of you know her?"
Alfen nods along with Morrigan's explanation. "Yes, and there are dangerous groups after us as well!" he adds, more enthusiastically than what may have been appropriate. Alfen finds himself terrified of being killed by the tiefling, of course, but he is also overwhelmed by the sheer excitement of the night. It's become a little hard for him to process.
Once Momo has completed her pillow and blanket nest (although perhaps highly inappropriate for the current situation) Momo tugs at Alfen's hand. Momo purposefully picks the hairiest looking creature to prospect cuddling. Momo will generally always pick the furriest or largest creature because she assumes they will be the warmest. "Do you need a rest?" Momo tilts her head in question to Alfen. Then, she points to the nest of pillows and blankets. "While we wait," Momo adds.
And that didn't make it easier. Alfen shakes his head, wanting to wait and hear what Iskra and Philipa had to say.
Momo becomes more insistent - regardless of Alfen's answer - pulling harder on Alfen's hand and arm. "Come, come" Momo crawls into the "nest" and pats a hand next to her on a blanket. "Comfy and warm," Momo encourages. Sometime during her crawl inside, the hood of her cloak fell back, exposing two perky ears. Momo peers up at her companions from the safely of her fort.
His attention is drawn back as Momo begins tugging on his arm. "Okay, okay," he says, shrugging sheepishly at anyone whose attention is pulled to the two animal people. He carefully sets himself down on one of the cushions and sits there awkwardly.
His attention is drawn back as Momo begins tugging on his arm. "Okay, okay," he says, shrugging sheepishly at anyone whose attention is pulled to the two animal people. He carefully sets himself down on one of the cushions and sits there awkwardly.
Momo looks thoroughly pleased at the events that have recently transpired. She rests her head against Alfen's shoulder while sniffing his neck. Kitune. So interesting. Part of Momo's satisfaction comes from the fact she'd stolen all the plush comfort items in the room and horded them into one corner. How... chaotic neutral of her...
With Alfen as backup, Momo grows brave. Momo calls from inside her pillow and blanket nest, "The horned ones visited you - perhaps in disguise. They want to restore the Cloven Nine to its former notoriety. And I overheard them saying in the Broken Seal that they'd spoken to the girls here. About the Black Book, the Spyglass Guild, Grigori, and Grigori's horned girlfriend."
Momo shuffles around in the nest, adjusting the pillow wall. From outside Momo's fortress you can hear Momo saying: "Grigori said to come here. To find where she is. And the horned ones are on their way here too... to ambush us for information and then kill us."
Momo pokes her head out of the fort again: "Also, Grigori said you'd feed us."
Momo sits back down next to Alfen. "What is the Black Book anyway? It doesn't sound edible." Momo folds her arms over her chest.
Nik'olo's ears warm to a deep red. He doesn't like what he hears, but can't do much about it. He keeps his eyes on the girls, trying to get a sense of how they react to what they're hearing...
But then he blurts out, genuinely worried things will go south fast: "We're trying to help her. Do you know where we can find her?"
Both brunette humans, Iskra is slender and sardonic, while Filipa is jovial and warm. Filipa speaks first while Iskra remains reticent. Filipa giggles at the construction of the pillow fort, while Iskra yawns and sighs, languishing as the number of comfortable places to recline in the room diminishes.
"Ilyana. Yes, we know she's in trouble. The Cloven Nine haven't been here asking about her yet but we were expecting them or the authorities would be looking for her. Look, Ilyana didn't tell us where she's hiding, but we know what she was up to. She has always wanted the same thing... for her father Lord Greymark to recognize her, publicly. Everything she does is for that goal. These last six months she was so happy. She had a new lover in a very high place, none other than Lord Commander Lady Marack. Ilyana believed Lady Marack would use her influence to sway Lord Greymark. Unfortunately, it seems Ilyana was just a plaything to Lady Marack. When Ilyana reallized she wouldn't get any help willingly, she decided to blackmail the Lord Commander. That's when she started hanging around with Grigori. He's a jewel thief who runs with the Cloven. The poor sap really likes Ilyana. But I think she just wanted to use him for his talents. And there must have been something she was after apart from just jewels. Is this making sense?"
Momo shuffles around in the nest, adjusting the pillow wall. From outside Momo's fortress you can hear Momo saying: "Grigori said to come here. To find where she is. And the horned ones are on their way here too... to ambush us for information and then kill us."
Momo pokes her head out of the fort again: "Also, Grigori said you'd feed us."
[dice=Bluff]1d20 +7
Momo sits back down next to Alfen. "What is the Black Book anyway? It doesn't sound edible." Momo folds her arms over her chest.
Filipa turns to Iskra. "Iskra, stop pouting and think! Where can we get this poor girl something to eat? She's starving!"
Iskra scowls. "And how do you know these aren't Cloven Nine in disguise, Filipa? Just because they have Irwen with them? Well they could have fooled her and now they've fooled you! Ilyana wouldn't like you telling all of her business."
But then he blurts out, genuinely worried things will go south fast: "We're trying to help her. Do you know where we can find her?"
[dice=Diplomacy]1d20+11+1d6
Iskra seems to be soothed by Nik'olo's assurances. "Fine, well if we're going to trust you, I have something to say. I don't know where Ilyana is hiding but I know who is hiding her. Radu Underhill. You can find him in the Cartways black market."
Momo sits back down next to Alfen. "What is the Black Book anyway? It doesn't sound edible." Momo folds her arms over her chest.
Alfen shakes his head in response. "I'm not sure what exactly the book is," he says, "But it seems very important to Lady Marack. Probably don't want the Cloven Nine getting ahold of it. I'm no fan of the Blue House, but at least they're not out to kill us." Yet, he reminds himself silently.
He listens to Filipa as she starts talking about Ilyana, trying to take in and remember as much as possible. Alfen glances at Iskra and realizes how lucky they are that Filipa decided to come down and join them, he doesn't think Iskra would have been nearly as talkative.
Iskra scowls. "And how do you know these aren't Cloven Nine in disguise, Filipa? Just because they have Irwen with them? Well they could have fooled her and now they've fooled you! Ilyana wouldn't like you telling all of her business."
But then he blurts out, genuinely worried things will go south fast: "We're trying to help her. Do you know where we can find her?"Iskra seems to be soothed by Nik'olo's assurances. "Fine, well if we're going to trust you, I have something to say. I don't know where Ilyana is hiding but I know who is hiding her. Radu Underhill. You can find him in the Cartways black market."
Alfen almost jumps out of his seat at the accusation, but breathes a sigh of relief as Iskra is calmed by Nik'olo's words. He stands up and asks, "Is there anything we can say to Underhill to get him to trust us? I doubt he'll just take us at our word that you sent us to him."
You have heard of Radhu Underhill. He is known as a "fixer". He is a denizen of the Black Market, a hub of the dark and sinister, the taboo and the forbidden, located in a system of tunnels called the Cartways. Radu is a merchant of the Black Market, but a middleman. He connects those who want with those who want to sell and asks no questions.
Sometimes you need things you don’t want people to know you need; a body to disappear, a person to stay quiet, an item of questionable use. “When you need those things,” people whisper, “you need to find Radu.” Radu works to collect favors and contacts.
It is also said that Radu is undead. Although he can pass for human in the right light, he is a Dharakul, an undead race arisen from those who fall to ghoul fever.
Most townsfolk consider the Cartways a minor set of disused tunnels, when they think of them at all. Their surprising extent and limited accessibility make them very valuable to certain kinds of people, however, and exploration reveals new sections all the time. Whether the work of the Stross in their heyday, the kobolds in their prime, or even sporadic dwarven efforts, the Cartways reach to more places than anyone imagines.
Originally kobold mining and drainage tunnels, Zobeck’s vintners and greengrocers later expanded and used these underground passageways for storing wine and perishables. Noble revelers used them to travel back and forth to the Stross-sponsored Winter Festival in the underground cavern called Winter Hall. Eventually, the city’s nobles claimed the Cartways as their private highways, using them for everything from business to sexual rendezvous. After the Great Revolt, the victors saw the tunnels as symbols of the rich and sealed them for good.
After the Great Revolt, the festival celebration changed. Much wine remains an important part of it, but the chilly festival now consists of a parade and feasts throughout the city.
Many blame the kobolds for the Cartways. As the first settlers at the confluence of the Derry and the Argent, the charge seems valid. In those days, kobold stories say, nuggets of silver were everywhere, and mining revealed rich seams of metal. So mine they did. Once below the surface layers of sand and clay, they soon found they could contain the problems of water seepage, and the mines soon ran in all directions.
The seams eventually ran out, but the wide passages carved for wooden-wheeled ore carts made it possible for humans to store foodstuffs and the wines of the Smolten Hill vineyards in cool temperatures. So the vintners and greengrocers expanded the passageways. That might have been enough for most people but not for Zobeck’s aristocrats.
Roughly 200 years ago, House Stross invited all the noble houses of the city to a Winter Festival in the deep cavern now called the Winter Hall. Small donkey-drawn carts brought revelers down to what seemed like the gates of the underworld, where they found exquisite food, wonderful music, and wine casks large enough to dance on. Passageways connected the Winter Hall directly with the Stross Manor on Crown Square and the Citadel.
The festival ended, but all the guests wanted their own grottos and their own passageways, and the golden age of the Cartways began, with many brightly-painted wagons and chariots going from house to house underground, carrying visitors, lovers, messages, and gifts. The Cartways stayed busy by night as well, as servants carried goods below ground to not trouble their betters in the streets near Crown Square.
In a few years, the mania for subterranean drinking halls and young lovers meeting secretly in the depths subsided. The carousers and courting scions moved to the theatre and the park in the newly built Gear District, and over time, the passages became more and more the province of human servants, clockworker kobolds, and delivery carts. Members of the Arcane Collegium moved their necromantic studies here. The Sisterhood and the Alchemists and others began to dump wastewaters here. The first sewage pipes ran through Cartways tunnels from the wealthier districts to the river. The place began to smell.
The general use of the Cartways ended with the Revolt. The victorious rebels sealed the passageways as decadent toys of the idle rich, and humans largely abandoned them. This began a great era for kobold rediscovery of their ancient passages. The first connection to the deepest tunnels made it clear that other creatures lived far below Zobeck. Kobolds joyously took the opportunity to found the underground city of Lillefor (or, at least, to loudly claim that they did) a few days march from Zobeck. Most kobolds stuck closer to the surface and used the tunnels to smuggle goods in and out of town or across the river without paying tolls.
Entrances to the Cartways still exist, and Zobeck’s smugglers, gangs, and undesirable residents frequently conduct business or lair therein. Travelers in the Cartways have encountered barghests, ghouls, devils, demons, otyughs, and various cults, including a cult of Marena. The Free City’s Watch officially prohibits exploration in the Cartways. Anyone entering them does so at their own risk.
Recently, both ghouls and barghests have harassed kobolds in the Cartways, and death haunts the dark tunnels. Stories tell of connections to shadowy realms filled with demons or devils, and many who venture into the depths fail to return. The Watch continues to enforce the prohibition against exploration in the Cartways, for clearly there are creatures resting in the depths that Man was Not Meant to Wake.
The underbelly of Zobeck is a strange and wondrous mix of wet and cavernous chambers, smooth passages clearly carved by magic, alchemical runoff, river channels, and the cart tracks that give the tunnels their name. Its kobold market serves as the hub of a great deal of shady dealing in poison, blood, stolen property, magical items, hexes, and arcane lore. The Cartways Black Market caters to still darker customers.
Many visitors refer to these as the “sewers of Zobeck,” but that’s only true in the sense that filth runs freely through them. They are nothing like a planned system; most people of Zobeck still empty their chamberpots in the street in the traditional manner.
The upper levels of Zobeck’s undercity are simple tunnels for alchemical waste and tannery slop. Its depths conceal deadly things, from gangs and other criminals, to devils and undead, to still more twisted powers. Wise explorers tread carefully. The everyday comforts and expectations of the Free City vanish when one steps into the Cartways, and help from the Watch is never available below ground level.
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The first thing that Írwen does is to throw herself on the nearest bed, where she placidly lies spread-eagled for a while, contemplating the roof. To her, it feels like a home, and she savours this small moment of peace amid the storm which has risen around them. Maybe the last.
It's only after waging a losing war against Momo for the ownership of her cushions and blankets that her mind snaps back to the current situation. She arches one eyebrow at Iskra's suggestion of them being members of the Cloven in disguise, a sardonic expression on her face.
"Nah. They don't smell like sulphur, I checked. Plus, an elf, a catfolk and a fox-man? Not your average camouflage when you want to avoid unwanted attention, if you ask me" she states, flatly. "You know, I have many fond memories of you, Iskra, rampant paranoia not being among them. Still, I would even be tempted to indulge you, if it weren't my ass on the line."
She looks uneasy when the Cartways are mentioned. "The Cartways huh? We should thread carefully. The laws of man don't extend down there... and sometimes neither do those of nature."
Alfen almost jumps out of his seat at the accusation, but breathes a sigh of relief as Iskra is calmed by Nik'olo's words. He stands up and asks, "Is there anything we can say to Underhill to get him to trust us? I doubt he'll just take us at our word that you sent us to him."
Iskra yawns. "I'm sorry, no. I really don't know anything about Radu Underhill. I just know that Ilyana was a little scared of him, but she felt he would be able to hide her."
Filipa looks downcast, her cheerful good nature turned sour. She pinches Iskra on the upper arm, furrowing her brow and gritting her teeth.
"Ow! What was that for!?" Iskra exclaims, recoiling with a dramatic flair.
"That was for spilling the beans," Filipa retorts. "And here you said I was being too trusting. These people may want to help Ilyana but like anyone else you can bet they'll look after their own skin first and hand her over as soon as they find her."
"Hand her over to whom, Filipa?" Iskra replies icily. "I have to tell you, I don't really see a happy ending in any of this, especially for Irwen and her friends. The Spyglass Guild and the Cloven Nine. Both are dangerous, and both want Ilyana. To comply with one is to earn the wrath of the other, a death sentence however you slice it."
Iskra turns to all of you now, eyes pleading for some agreement, or better still some yet unthought of plan.
Momo, not having Knowledge (History) or Knowledge (Local), entertains herself by rolling herself in a blanket like a burrito or a sushi roll.
She looks uneasy when the Cartways are mentioned. "The Cartways huh? We should thread carefully. The laws of man don't extend down there... and sometimes neither do those of nature."
Momo's ears twitch upon hearing Írwen's voice. "I've never heard of the place!" Then, on her stomach, Momo bunches and flattens, bunches and flattens (like an inch worm) making her way towards Filipa, who had giggled at the construction of the pillow fort. Momo bunches closer as Filipa and Iskra argue about what Momo and her companions may or may not do.
”Purr?” Momo tries her cat-like swagger on Filipa. She rubs a cheek on Filipa's shin.
Momo, still bundled like a burrito, twists on her side so she isn’t talking into the ground. She peers up at Filipa: ”Ilyana is a horned one right? She isn’t human …and I’m not human… I understand how hard it is… to be accepted in a city like Zobeck. I’ll bring her back safely. I promise. I just turned five and ten. This will prove that I’m an adult.”
”Do you have something of Ilyana’s that I can sniff?” Momo doesn’t explain further.
Filipa coos when Momo rubs her cheek on her shin. "Oooh! You're soft? Can I pet you? Yes, Ilyana has small horns. She is a Tiefling after all. You're really not from around here are you? Tieflings are the demonmarked. They have the blood of demons or devils running in their veins. That doesnt make them all bad though. Ilyana is a sweetheart, she just wants her father to recognize her. Five and ten, well aren't you all grown up? Oh that's right, something for you to sniff. Will that help you find her? I think I know just the thing."
Filipa leaves for a moment, and comes back quite quickly. She must have just had to run upstairs. When she returns she is wearing a red hooded travelling cloak with white fur trim, which must have belonged to Ilyana, but she has forgotten all about it, instead focused on what is in her two cupped hands which she extends to Momo. "Here! A wedge of fine goatsmilk cheese and a crust of bread. For your hungry belly!"
Iskra yawns. "I'm sorry, no. I really don't know anything about Radu Underhill. I just know that Ilyana was a little scared of him, but she felt he would be able to hide her."
Alfen grimaces at this but says nothing. He had never been down into the Cartways himself, but he was more than familiar with their reputation. And he knew Radu Underhill as well. Some kind of Dharakul, he had heard. But he would wait to tell the others once they were out of the Silk Scabbard.
"Yes, the Cartways are extremely dangerous," he agrees with Irwen, nodding. "Maybe we can find a kobold to guide us through," he adds, half-jokingly.
"Hand her over to whom, Filipa?" Iskra replies icily. "I have to tell you, I don't really see a happy ending in any of this, especially for Irwen and her friends. The Spyglass Guild and the Cloven Nine. Both are dangerous, and both want Ilyana. To comply with one is to earn the wrath of the other, a death sentence however you slice it."
Alfen's face falls as he stares at Iskra and processes what she's saying. He hadn't even realized, but being in trouble with the secret police and the Cloven Nine? He might have to leave Zobeck if they didn't cooperate with one of them.
"Of course we wouldn't turn her over to anyone," he says defiantly, though he is uncertain if this will be true. Maybe there would be a third option that did have a happy ending, despite what Iskra says.
Bluff: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27
"Of course we wouldn't turn her over to anyone," he says defiantly, though he is uncertain if this will be true. Maybe there would be a third option that did have a happy ending, despite what Iskra says.
Momo, being young and naive, wholehearted believes Alfen's promise and nods enthusiastically. Why would Alfen lie?
Momo blushes, not expecting Filipa's request. Petting after all, was quite intimate. "Y-you can pet me if you like, but be gentle please." Momo tenses a little if her ears are touched. Ahh... so the horned ones are called tieflings and they are demonmarked. Momo has to roll on the ground in order to unwind herself from the blanket.
"Is Ilyana's father a tiefling too or was Ilyana adopted?" Momo asks as she gets into a sitting position to accept the fine goatsmilk cheese and a crust of bread. She munches content, bread in one hand and cheese in the other. Filipa is Momo's new favorite person in the room - and she was human. More humans here are nice than I could have expected. Maybe Zobeck isn't that bad of a city. After eating and licking her fingers clean, Momo sniffs the cloak intently as multiple pressure points: the wrists, neck, hood, and underarms.
Momo unnecessarily buries her face in the white fur trim, unable to help herself. After a few minutes and the impulse is settled, Momo sniffs the traveling cloak again.
"Mmh, I can't seem to get a good grasp on her scent." Momo lowers her ears in disappointment. "How long has Ilyana been gone with Radu Underhill? ...Is he... tiefling too?" Momo tilts her head and her ears twitch. "You don't think Radu Underhill would betray Ilyana and hand her over do you?"
Filipa perks up at the questions from her new friend. "Ilyana's father is not a tiefling. But neither is Ilyana adopted. Lord Greymark, he is ashamed of her because she's demonmarked. I think. Either Ilyana's mother is a tiefling too, or her demonmarked nature is proof of demonic blood in Greymarks family tree. In any event, she was conceived... out of wedlock? And Greymark, he doesn't take her as his own."
Filipa shrugs. "I don't know anything about Radu Underhill. Just the name. But it seems your foxy friend has heard of him. According to what he just said... she points at Alfen, "...this Radu is a Dharakul. That is a cursed race. They arise from ghouls fever." Filipa nods away, waiting for understanding to register on Momo's face. When it doesn't she patiently goes on. "Ghouls. They are cannibals, risen from the dead. They haunt graveyards. Ghouls are savage, like animals, but the Darakhul are a ghoulish race with intelligence. They even have an empire. They are a whole people infected with cannibalism and undeath."
As Filipa explains the difference between ghouls and Darakhul, Momo remembers the warnings about the Black Hills north of her village, and the stories of the lands where the living peasants are ruled over by undead nobles. Momo knows some of those undead lords were called vampires, but from what she remembers she thinks the others were these Darakhul she is learning about now.
Iskra stares at Filipa, jaw agape. Filipa chuckles nervously. "What? I had a nanny who liked to tell frightening tales before bedtime. Anyway, Ilyana has been gone for a few days. If it is a Darakhul who helped her hide, I'm more afraid for her than ever. He could have eaten her by now!"
Iskra groans. "Filipa are you trying to make them walk away from this whole mess?"
As Iskra suggests walking away you all remember the words of the Spyglass Guild outside the Wheatsheaf. Find the girl and give her to us or you'll all see the bottom of Blue House. And don't try running... you aren't hard to find.
Alfen nods grimly at Filipa's statement. "Yes, from what I understand he's a Dharakul. I can't imagine what it must be like to be a monster and be fully aware of your nature. I think I'd rather just be a ghoul. Not that I want to be either, of course," he adds hastily.
As Iskra suggests walking away you all remember the words of the Spyglass Guild outside the Wheatsheaf. Find the girl and give her to us or you'll all see the bottom of Blue House. And don't try running... you aren't hard to find.
Alfen grimaces as these words echo through his mind. He really doesn't want to cooperate with the Spyglass Guild or the Cloven Nine. He wasn't lying when he said he had no intention of turning in Ilyana to anyone, but it was getting hard to see a way out. Speaking of the Cloven Nine...
"We should probably get out of here soon, before that tiefling from Wheatsheaf shows up. How do we get out of this room without being seen?" he asks, looking around for the secret exits to the tunnels Irwen and Katya had mentioned earlier.
Morrigan frowns deeply as she listens closely to all that is said, that expression likely seeming the woman's natural state to those who only just met her, for it had rarely left her since this whole thing began.
Demonmarked, ghouls and Dharakul! Power plays and hidden politics... and the people here think my forest is dangerous!
"Agreed, musician. We do need to move. And you two,", looking at Filipa and Iskra. "As he said, show us the most discreet way to leave here - and if there is anything else you can tell us that might help your friend - anything at all - now is the time to speak."
Her father doesn’t love her enough to accept her the way she is? Momo is saddened by this knowledge.
Filipa shrugs. "I don't know anything about Radu Underhill. Just the name. But it seems your foxy friend has heard of him. According to what he just said... “ she points at Alfen, "...this Radu is a Dharakul. That is a cursed race. They arise from ghouls fever." Filipa nods away, waiting for understanding to register on Momo's face. When it doesn't she patiently goes on. "Ghouls. They are cannibals, risen from the dead. They haunt graveyards. Ghouls are savage, like animals, but the Darakhul are a ghoulish race with intelligence. They even have an empire. They are a whole people infected with cannibalism and undeath."
Momo’s ear bend backwards in fear and her eyes go wide. Risen from the dead? Cannibalism and undead? Sounds like the Black Kills North of my village…. I wonder if Radu Underhill is one of the nobles residing from there.
"What? I had a nanny who liked to tell frightening tales before bedtime. Anyway, Ilyana has been gone for a few days. If it is a Darakhul who helped her hide, I'm more afraid for her than ever. He could have eaten her by now!"
”E-eaten?!” Momo’s tail wags in irritation. But she went to him for help!” Momo frowns, some of her courage returning. It wasn’t nice to eat your friends.
"We should probably get out of here soon, before that tiefling from Wheatsheaf shows up. How do we get out of this room without being seen?" he asks, looking around for the secret exits to the tunnels Irwen and Katya had mentioned earlier.
Momo gives Ilyana’s red cloak one more good sniff before standing near the door by her allies.
Momo sneezes. There was something hot or cinnamon about the tiefling scent, with a hint of sulfur. Hmm so this is what Ilyana smells like. A female tiefling...
"Agreed, musician. We do need to move. And you two," looking at Filipa and Iskra. "As he said, show us the most discreet way to leave here - and if there is anything else you can tell us that might help your friend - anything at all - now is the time to speak."
Momo nods in agreement to Morrigan’s suggestion. We should get a move on – to find Radu Underhill. Although, if he is surrounded by death I probably won’t be able to smell much, Momo considers. "Please," Momo adds to Morrigan's request.
Nik'olo can't tell the future, but it sure looks grim to him, now, in this room.
First it was the Cartways. Never. Ever. Would one want to go there. Death, or worse, awaited, and those who dwelled in its depth we're just walking corpses waiting for death to cross their paths, corpses, laid in death's wake, or death's recruiting agents...
And then it was a Dharakul. This almost made him forget about the Cloven Nine and the Spyglass Guild. the former wanted them dead, the latter at the bottom of a jail.
And finally, this strange rumour about the girl Ilyana's heritage. Was was that about? And that black book...
His head spinning, Nik'olo makes for the door: "We should be on our way sooner than later... There are people on our tail. I assume you ladies can fend them off? If not, best to have tale ready to tell..."
At Morrigans stern request, Filipa thinks long and hard. When Momo adds her plea, Filipa perks up. "I can think of one thing that might help a little... why don't you take the cloak? When she sees it she will know we sent you at least."
Alfen does not spot the secret tunnel, but when Nik'olo starts to leave Iskra stops him. "There is a back hall behind this curtain. It will take you to a tunnel across the street. That way maybe you won't be seen leaving by the people on your tail. The secret exit is probably known to the Cloven though. They are no strangers to this place. Still your chances of avoiding them are better than strolling back out the front door."
As she speaks, Morrigan receives an empathic signal from Fiachra, who is perched above the front entrance. Danger.
Momo eagerly takes the red cloak and promptly sticks her face in the luxurious fur trim. So soft and warm! "Purr." Momo wishes her cloak had a fur trim.
Momo pounces towards Filipa to give her a one-armed hug. (Momo holds the red cloak with the other hand.) "I won't forget about you," she muffles into Filipa's clothes. Momo separates as quickly as she had approached.
Momo looks expectantly at Morrigan and Írwen, waiting for someone to take the lead. If anyone offers to hold Ilyana's cloak, Momo shakes her head and grasps the cloak tighter to her chest.
Alfen's ears twitch as Iskra redirects their attention to the curtain. He begins to make his way to the curtain in an effort to get out before the Cloven Nine show up, but he stops before moving the curtain and turns around to face Filipa and Iskra.
"Will you ladies be alright?" he asks anxiously. "I couldn't stand myself if any harm were to come to you just because we were here."
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As the girls mention the Cloven Nine might know of the escape tunnel, Nik'olo frowns even more than before. "Then if the Nine know of the tunnel, may I suggest some of us leave disguised and meet the rest at the end of the tunnel? That way, we could grab would-be ambusher in a greater ambush. My father once told me General Albrog used something similar in the siege at Amaral Fort, long ago."
He keeps to himself the second part of the story, namely that Albrog's tactic had failed, leaving him on the wrong end of the noose...
As Momo reaches for the cloak, Morrigan's eyes seem to glaze over for the briefest of moments as Fiachra's warning hits her. She quickly sends a feeling of gratitude back to him. Thank you.
Coming once more to the present, she shakes her head. "I am not sure we have time for disguises, unless you mean of the arcane sort. They are here now."
"Besides, we don't know where the tunnel's other entrance is. Or is it visible from here?" she asks, looking at the two women.
"In the game of "I know that you know that I know"... they might know about it, but they have no reason to suspect we know. Nor do they know that we know we're being followed" Írwen says with a sense of urgency in her voice. She had hoped they would have the chance to enjoy at least a modicum of the Silk Scabbard's hospitality, but with their lives on the line, there is no time to waste. She casts one last, longing gaze upon the soft bed and Momo's pillow fort as she tenderly hugs first Iskra and then Filipa. "Take care, you two. They might try and come after you, but as long as you stay in the Scabbard, you should be comparatively safe. They wouldn't have needed us otherwise."
She looks at Morrigan, whose arcane bond seems to enhance her perception beyond her mere sight. Is the way clear? her lips silently spell.
Morrigan simply shrugs in response. Uncertain. She was relying entirely on the oft vague emotions and signals from her familiar, but she had come to trust them as she would her own instincts. If Fiachra said there was danger, then it would be wise to take heed, particularly given what they knew of the situation. They needed to move.
She begins leading the way to the tunnel.
Momo scuttles closely behind Morrigan but doesn’t grab the back of Morrigan’s cloak. While Momo follows, she absentmindedly rubs her cheek against the fur trim of Ilyana’s cloak. The gesture is calming to Momo in the high-stress situation. I’m glad Morrigan seems to know where we need to go.
Coming once more to the present, she shakes her head. "I am not sure we have time for disguises, unless you mean of the arcane sort. They are here now."
"I can easily transform myself to appear human," Alfen quickly reminds them. "But it sounds like we don't have time for that." He stays close behind Morrigan and Momo as they begin to move toward the tunnel.
"I can easily transform myself to appear human," Alfen quickly reminds them.
"That's neat," Iskra marvels. "You could walk right past them and they would never now, if they've only seen you as a fox."
"The tunnel leads under the street behind the scabbard to a back alley. The purpose is for prominent people not to be seen coming and going from here... For privacy sake." Filipa offers.
Iskra nods. "We will be fine. The underworld has a delicate balance in Zobeck. The Cloven won't harm employees of the Silk Scabbard without direct provocation. They are probably waiting right outside the front door for you to find out what we told you. I just hope for your sake they didn't cover the back as well, although I see Irwen's point."
Through the curtain and down the back hall the group is led to the entrance to the secret tunnel. It is well kept and maintained, with packed dirt walls and a boarded ceiling, everburning torches lining the way for the short trip across one city street to a hatch leading up to a back alley.
Momo clutches Ilyana’s cloak tightly to her chest and rubs the fur trim against her cheek the entire way through the tunnel. Momo dislikes the darkness (despite the Everburning Torches) and is eager to exit once the group reaches the hatch leading up to a back alley. Before the hatch is opened, Momo sniffs the air (as is her habit) for predators. Her nose wiggles cutely and her ears twitch with keen interest. Zobeck is a really big place.
Too many fragrances are present in the tunnel, hindering Momo's ability to pick up on anything. Smells like cologne, sweat, and regret down here. Momo tilts her head at Alfen, wondering if he can smell anything. I wonder how strong a kitsune's nose is. Maybe he's immune to the city smells from living here. Momo arranges the fabric of her hood so that it's completely covering her ears (although there are still two betraying bumps where her ears are hidden.)
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Nik'olo moves near the head of the group. He wants to draw his sword, feel safer, but the last thing they need is to stand out.
Look at us, we stand out no matter what! he thinks to himself, then offers with a voice like a rasp: "Whoever has a cloak, draw it on. Don't need to look like a secretive cultist, just someone discreet. Try to look nervous too, like you don't want to be caught here, bad for your reputation, that sort of thing..."
As they near the exit, he offers, drawing his cloak over his head: "I'll go first, with Irwen, arms locked like a couple. We'll signal the rest of you. If you see we get approached, wait. They might just question us. If they believe us, we'll get the drop on them right after, as you come out. If they don't believe us, then come running." He ends with a wink.
He comes out of the tunnel, head bowed slightly, but eyes darting in every direction.
After a moment of indecision, Alfen shakes his head and follows the group into the tunnel. The transformation trick was handy, but the problem was it only worked once. And if it was just him going out the front, well... One person does not make an ambush. Better to save it for a more desperate situation. And Alfen can't help but feel that such a time would come soon.
As they near the exit, he offers, drawing his cloak over his head: "I'll go first, with Irwen, arms locked like a couple. We'll signal the rest of you. If you see we get approached, wait. They might just question us. If they believe us, we'll get the drop on them right after, as you come out. If they don't believe us, then come running." He ends with a wink.
Alfen nods quietly and slows his pace to drop to the back of the group as Nik'olo and Irwen take the lead. Following the stern man's advice, Alfen assumes an anxious expression: eyes wide, head jerking to look behind him and to the sides, nervously wringing his hands. Hopefully they could avoid an outright fight.
Momo carries up the rear with Morrigan. Momo stuffs the red cloak inside her own, making Momo appear pregnant. She holds the bundled cloak in place with one supporting hand over her normal forest green cloak. With the other hand, she holds onto Morrigan for support - perhaps Morrigan's hand or the black on her cloak. Momo looks downward at her feet but her nose is busily sniffing. Her nostrils flare.
Morrigan nods to Nik'olo and lets him walk past her to take the lead. She feels Momo's grasping hand and, wanting to keep her fingers free to cast if need be, she surreptitiously moves her own just out of reach. Morrigan allows the young catfolk woman to grasp her cloak however.
When they near the tunnel's exit, she waits just inside and waits for Nik'olo's signal.
A ladder leads up to a hatch. Momo picks up a scent when the hatch opens. There are two humans in the alley above, 30' from the hatch.
Up Nik'olo goes, out the hatch into the alley. It is a dead end alley, the hatch coming up to street level on the dead end side. He sees them, two men, standing at the opening of the alley where it joins the street. They are watching the hatch. They tense as he appears, one raising his hands to his lips to whistle... but the other puts out a hand signaling to wait. They stand and observe for now, from 30'.
Under the security of the hatch, Momo's grip on Morrigan tightens for a second then loosens again. "Two humans. Above in the alley..."
Momo lets loose a small gust of wind from between her lower cheeks. Phht! The noise is sharp and quick. Momo's eyes narrow. Darn, I thought that was going to be a silent one. Luckily, it doesn't smell too bad but it's obvious to Momo that it's the result of eating goat cheese. Momo pretends like she didn't just pass wind in close vicinity of Morrigan and Alfen. The tunnel doesn't offer much room to pass gas discreetly.
I'm glad Írwen and Nik'olo aren't here to hear or smell it. I wonder what they're doing with those two humans in the alley.
"Shall we then, darling?" Írwen says gently grabbing Nik'olo's muscular arm as the duo takes the lead.
She emerges from the hatch right after her "patron", reaching with her hand for the tall man's aid in fully making it out into the street. Feigning tipsiness, she pretends to slip and giggles as one strong arm is ready to catch and sustain her.
A nine pointed star on their cloaks... Does that ring any bells? she whispers as she lets her own inertia carry her, allowing herself to plunge straight into Nik'olo's embrace.
"Hey" she shouts at the cloaked figures, staggering as she separates herself from Nik'olo and walks towards them. "Can someone have a right to his privacy? Do you want to drive us out of business? Shoo... Shoo!"
"Sorry about that. We're after a fox and a cat. Did you see them?"
The two men part to allow Irwen and Nik'olo to pass out of the alley.