Marcus waits for several minutes before approaching the men huddled before the building, and as a third companion joins them, he recalls the card from his room and its mention of 'others like him.' Well, they're certainly no Signifiers, but they're not the common street-toughs he'd expect to find in Lamm's employ. Puffing himself up, he begins walking down the street.
Marcus announces his presence with a crack of his staff on the slick cobblestone, and continues to approach the small gathering at a brisk pace, stopping a few meters from the others. "Salutation." comes his simple greeting. He jerks his head towards the house before them. "Number Three Lancet? You men wouldn't know anything about cryptic messages or Harrow cards, would you?"
Dhan removes the card from his belt pouch and holds it up for the oter two men to see.
"Looks like I am a Cricket, whatever the heck that means!"
He watches the two mens reaction to the card carefully
"Cricket, huh? I take it you've all received one of these? And a note?"
"Yes, it seems we are the 'others' mentioned on your Harrow card." Titus sticks his cloak pin through the harrow card so that it is displayed upon his chest.
"I hope none of you have any bounties on your heads." Looking the men over carefully he waits for a reaction.
Pereception + 2 more vs Humans
Profession: Bounty Hunter
[ooc]If nothing strikes him as out of place:
Seeing none, he responds "Titus Darunde, Bounty Hunter." Titus extends his hand to each of the men in turn.
"I have something for Lamm, so if this turns out to be a ruse someone will have hells to pay." Scowling as he says this, Titus' hand brushes his scarred face and then reaches back fingering the worn leather pommel of his greatsword almost absentmindedly.
The Dance? I am not exactly a performer? Alatáriël stares at the name on the card, her eyes boring holes on the name Gaedren Lamm. She calmly sets the card down and lights the scented candles before the little altar. She prays.
"Blessed be the righteous, for they do the work of the gods. Blessed be the hunters, for the Deadeye shall guide their hand."
Alatáriël stands slowly and with purpose. She pulls out her a pinch as she walks a beeline for the center of the grand temple. Drawing her dagger, she pokes the tip of her thumb just enough to draw blood. She looks down at the crimson stain now covering the copper coin. As she drops it by Calistria's altar, she turns to walk out the door. She had work to do.
Rather than go to work, she turns the other way down the street and goes strait back to her flat. Once home, she picks up her bow, almost reverently. She refits the string to both ends and launches an arrow into the makeshift straw target in her corner, reveling in the soft "thud" of her arrow striking home. She spends the remainder of the day in quiet reflection broken by bouts of combat training.
As night begins to fall, she gathers her things and makes her way towards the Docks. Just in case of a setup, she avoids asking too many questions about the address, preferring instead just to take the time to find the place herself.
:
Dhan looks up at the new comer and drawls, "What an interesting way to introduce yourself. Bet you don’t get invited to many parties, do you!" he quips.
He turns his back on the bounty hunter and continues his conversation with the other two men.
"My name is Dhan. I work here in the city as a finder. Somehow this card was in a pouch with my last payment for a job. Not sure what to think of that, but with Lamm's name on it, I had to come."
Looking askance at the half elven finder, Titus says "Excuse me sir, YOU just approached us. I've been sitting here for the last eight hours scouting. Perhaps you are using some of Mr. Lamm's finest products now?"
Looking back at the bounty hunter Dhan remarks, "Leave it to a bounty hunter to wait 8 hours in front of a place he was invited to go to. And to insult people who are probably there for the same reason he is. I, myself, do not like to be asked if I have a bounty on my head, do you?", he asks turning to the other men.
Dhan? Didn't you do some work for Gellius at the Bank a few months back? He mentioned someone had been able to find the merchant who defaulted on the cannon loans. That was good work. Oh, the Cricket often denotes travel and reward at it's end, a good omen.
Turning to Titus with a hint of exasperationIf either of them did they probably wouldn't tell us. And, even if this is a ruse, it still gives us plenty of information.
Addressing the other three generally. Peace! Whoever sent the cards knows things about us that we probably haven't been too vocal about. This person also had the means to get these cards to us without our noticing. And I'm going to guess that they did it at the same time, this morning. That being said, this person has magical ability, skills, and is well informed. If they wanted to do us harm, they probably would have. As for each other, we probably share a common purpose. Why all the trouble to get us together otherwise? However, if that isn't enough, I am perfectly willing to use Abadar's blessing to ensure the truth.
Diplomacy check on everyone
"There's nothing wrong with a bit of caution. We've all been summoned here with some vague pretext by someone who seems to know far more about us than we do about them, and that places us as a disadvantage. We've got nothing to go on except a name, a few magic cards, and the word of whoever placed them - a man who wasn't a little paranoid under such circumstances would be the last person I'd trust." Marcus begins to pace back and forth as he speaks, growing anxious for the coming meeting.
"Still, perky one has a point. If we're all looking for Lamm, it would behoove us to cooperate for now, even if we are watching one-another." He stops his prowling as he turns to Titus. "I haven't been in this city long, but I understand this Lamm fellow has made some enemies. Whatever your business with him is, I would ask that you at least leave him alive and capable of speech until after I've had a chance to interrogate him."
Studying the chelaxian man with the staff for a moment, Titus nods "I can abide that. I would enjoy seeing him swing from Arbiter Zenobia's gibbet after due process.
Looking around their conspicious group now standing across the street from 3 Lancet Street, the bounty hunter notes "We are ill concealed here and drawing attention, we may have the guard upon us soon."
Survival
Dhan looks over to Alexei and say, "Yeah, that was me. I was led to believe it was a delicate problem, but thanks for the compliment."
Looking around at the growing group, Dhan nods agreement with the bounty hunter. "I hate to say it, but he is right. Maybe we should invite ourselves in. Even if we are a little early."
@Henric: Sorry for being a little vague. Your intimidate worked. It just seemed like the perfect end to that little scene. In true noir fashion, if it was a movie, there would've been a cut to black right there. You'll arrive just as Dhan suggests going inside at about the same time as Alatáriël.
@Titus: It's right at time, or close enough to it that it makes little difference.
@Dhan: The door is unlocked, and through the window you see that a fire burns in a hearth.
Glancing at the darkening sky, Titus says "It is time."
As he moves across the street towards the house, he stops in mid stride looking off into the gloomy distance.
"A guardsmen approaches, let me do the talking, I have worked with them at times."
As the guardsmen striding down the street nears, Titus raises his hand in greeting. "Henric. I did not expect to see you here, has someone reported us as a crowd of 'ruffians'? This is off of your usual beat."
"Titus!"Henric grins as he sees you, clasping you by the hand and pulling you into a one-armed hug. "It's been too long... I should've known you'd be behind this." He presents a Harrow Card. The Paladin. "A little cryptic, isn't it?" he chuckles heartily, before bowing his head. "Next time you need my sword arm, just ask."
He flashes the others a warm smile. "You can relax, folks. I'm off duty. Friends of yours, Titus?"
"Associates of circumstance, it would appear. As Titus notes, it's time for this meeting. I'm eager to find out who's orchestrated this gathering. I've been watching this place for the better part of the day, and I've seen no one enter or leave. Barring secret tunnels or teleportation magic, that means our host is inside." He moves from one end of the house to the other, looking carefully at each of the windows. "Still, they're the ones holding all the cards here, and I'm not one for meeting an anonymous patron on their own terms. Perhaps a few of us should wait out here, cover different sides of the building, and wait for a signal to enter?"
"So it really is Zellara." You see him shudder somewhat. "Sweet woman... though she had a few choice things to call me last time I saw her." he adds, sadly.
"Didn't expect her to come to the guard again."
"Do you have a name, friend? Guardsman Henric, at your service." he says proudly. "I'm... something of a street-sweeper."
"You can relax though, stranger. The criminals down this way don't tend to be very bright." he says, cocking a thumb toward Citadel Hill behind him. "The gallows are just a short hop and a skip away, after all."
"Besides, no need to scare a poor widow like that." he says, peering over his shoulder. "Better we get off the streets before word reaches Gaedrenn... wait, I think I see somebody."
Knowledge Local to identify Alatariel
Dhan opens the door and sticks his head inside. "Hello? We were invited to this address. Anyone here?
To Henric What can you tell us about our hostess?
"She came to the citadel weeks ago. They..." he pauses, shaking slightly. "Lamm took her son. I oversaw the investigation, but... with no leads..." he sighs heavily.
"Anyway, it's out of my hands now. Officially speaking, I'm off the case." he turns over the card in his hands, frowning and glancing back toward the citadel again. Something is bothering him. He glances at you, shrugging it off and making for the door."Haven't I seen you somewhere? The temple?"
Alatáriël walks calmly and gracefully up to the gathered men, performing a curt bow at the waist. Her eery elf eyes scan the crowd, betraying no emotion.
"Greetings, Gentlemen, I am Alatáriël Del'athana Erithrahd, paladin of Erathis. I take it you were the "others" that the card spoke of?"
Nodding to the paladin, Titus says "Yes we are. I welcome a chosen of Erastil among us."
Looking upon each member of the group, the ranger speaks "If someone wishes to stand watch outside so be it. I will enter and confront this mystery head on." Titus moves to the doorway and enters the room.
Perception upon entering the room +2 more vs Humans
Henric seems momentarily stunned by Alatariel's approach. "Yes. That'd be us. I'm, er. Henric.". He clears his throat. "Are you... with the Mierani?"
It is good that someone among us knows her, and holds the Paladin, it seems that we are leadless no longer. After some consideration Yes, perhaps we have met. I'm an under-priest at the Bank of Abadar. Most of my accounts involve cannon and personal firearms. If any where involved in your cases, I probably prepared reports for you. There aren't many of us involved in that work.
As Alatariel bows, and Henric speaks, Alexei's face breaks into a wide smile. Riël?! Riël's not with anybody.*dramatic sigh* Abadar knows we tried, but she's been hunting evil with Old Deadeye even longer than I've been chasing coins for the Judge. More seriously How are you Alatáriël? Father Wintrish has been worried about you lately. If you get the chance, you should visit. This winter was hard on him, he might not see the next. with a mischievous grin That Aaron boy's been looking around for you as well. Says he'll claim your dance at the Riverwind festival for certain this time.
Marcus stops short of the door as the Alatariel arrives, arching a brow towards an elf. "A paladin? And devoted to Erastil no less? Well this should certainly be interesting. I don't suppose you'd be willing to share what's brought one of your ilk to the spires of and slums of Korvosa?"
He shakes his head in a resigned sigh as he observes Alexi's reaction to the new arrival. "Does everyone in this city know one another? It's no Egorian, but it's not that small."
"I am doing well. I apologize for not going to see him last I was around the Bank. I had... er, business to attend. Did you receive one of these cards as well, Alexei?" Alatáriël walks through the proffered doorway and lowers her hood, shaking out her silver hair. She turns to Marcus. "It is not a story I like to tell. Suffice it to say that it is why I am here this evening."
As you all begin to make your way indoors (if for no other reason than to carry on the conversation in drier quarters), you begin to get a feel for the nature of your host. The cozy chamber withing this mall home is filled with a fragrant haze of flowers and strong spice. The haze comes from several sticks of incense smouldering in wall-mounted burners that look like butterfly-winged elves. The smoke itself seems to soften edges and gives the room a dream-like feel. The walls are draped with brocaded tapestries, one showing a black-skulled beast juggling men's hearts, another showing a pair of angels dancing atop a snow blasted mountain. A third tapestry on the far wall depicts a tall hooded figure shrouded in mist, a flaming sword held in a skeletal hand. Several brightly colored rugs cover the floor, but the room's only furnishings are a wooden table covered by a bright red throwcloth, several elegant tall-backed chairs, and the pleasantly burning hearth. A basket covered by blue cloth sits under the table.
Having been outside all day, Titus moves over to the fire and puts his back to it, watching and waiting quietly.
Perception +2 more vs Humans
"Leadless?" Henric stares at the card a while longer. "It's been a while since I attended a service, I think. When I swore my oath, I think... and it's been a while since I've had any gold for the bank." he says, distractedly. "Such is life on the night watch. I just try to do my bit for fair Korvosa."
Henric seems to regard Alatariel with an aura of fearful curiosity. "A paladin? Of Ol' Deadeye?" he mutters to himself "Well I'll be...' .
Henric chuckles at Marcus. "By the Judge, no. Not everybody." he pauses, turning to Marcus "But we're a nosy bunch. Tell me, stranger. What's your name?" Henric ducks his head through the doorway and glances around the room. "Nobody home?" he says, loitering by the doorway. "Can't help the feeling we shouldn't be in here. Shouldn't she be inviting us in?" He mutters something sheepish about not wanting to intrude into a lady's house.
"I'm Marcus, formerly Armiger Marcus, from Egorian. I don't believe I caught you're name." His tone is cool but cordial, though he doesn't bother turning to Henric as he starts back towards the door. "As far as an invitation in, I believe that's what the cards were for. It's the appointed time, the door is unlocked, and the places are set - where this "Lamm" is involved, I believe I can allow myself this slip in decorum. Besides, didn't you just say you were nosy?"
He steps into the room and simply stands for a moment just over the threshold, taking in the surroundings. Interesting furnishings, to say the least. He gestures to the tapestries. "Either I am woefully ignorant of slum decor, or our patron's means far exceeds the outward appearance of their abode. Quite a show for such a sparsely furnished room."
Marcus begins inspecting the floors for dust, or any scratches that might indicate the furniture was brought in recently.
After making a cursory sweep, his eyes move to the table. With a shrug of his shoulder, he mutters a simple spell and with a flick of his wrist, the blue cloth floats away from the bowl, revealing its contents.
Henric sets his jaw. "Hellknight, huh? You with the Order of the Nail?" He stops himself and smiles apolegetically. "The name's Henric. Nightwatchman and proud Korvosan. Pleased to meet you, Marcus."
He extends his hand.
Marcus accepts Henric's hand with a firm grip. "No, I was training to become a Signifier with the Order of the Scourge, back in Cheliax, but I had to depart the order - after going through all the proper motions, of course - after my thick-skulled cousin got himself into some kind of trouble here. Been looking for him this last week. He was a student at the Academae, but I've not seen head or heel of him so far. Lamm is the only lead I've got." He pauses for a moment as he allows the blue cloth to fall to the table. "A nightwatchmen? If what I've heard is any indicator, you probably know something of this character. Exactly what kind of pies does he have his fingers into?"
Dhan moves in with the rest, and positions himself at the enterance of the room, listening to all the conversations going on. Perhaps it is his poor clothes, or maybe because he is not a member of some group, but the majority of the party ignore him, which is fine. It allows him to watch them without being noticed. A paladin, hellkight, guardsman, cleric of Abadar and a bounty hunter. What a group. If it were not for his hatred of Lamm, he would leave.
There is indeed no sign of anybody present but yourselves. Marcus, in the basket is some bread and a bottle of wine. Also, upon the table is a slip of parchment with a small stone on top of it, weighing it down. And Marcus, you notice that beneath that dreamy feel you get from all the incense in the room that there is actually quite a bit of dust on the floor, but no indicators that the furnishings were placed there recently. In fact, the only disturbances in the dust are those made my you all.
From just outside the doorway, you hear a small voice. "Um, is this the right place? I really don't know where I'm at." The voice belongs to a gnome woman. Her blue hair is in an exotic and flamboyant style. Her large eyes betray her confusion. She holds up a Harrow card: The Unicorn.
"He trades in narcotics, mostly. He's a small fry, that's why the Cerulean Society let him operate. Beyond that, he has a small army of pickpockets..." he sighs. "Kidnapped children... His 'Little Lamms', they fund the entire operation with petty crimes while he hides in the shadows..."
He makes a fist. "And somehow the bastard manages to stay off the radar." He strides towards the fire and begins to warm his hands, sullenly staring into the flames.
As the gnome enters,Henric flashes her his card. "Welcome, little one. We've quite the crowd, but our host is nowhere to be seen." He walks beside her, bowing slightly and towering overhead. "I am Henric. My good friend Titus is the fellow by the fire. That is Marcus, from Egorian. Alexei from the temple of Abadar and Alatariel, the elf. As for the quiet fellow by the door, I believe the name was Dhan?" he miles at him, exhaustedly.
"We have quite the crowd."
That we do Henric. That we are.
to the gnome Greetings little one, come help me with this wine? Unicorns are welcome companions, and I think friend Marcus is a bit suspicious of it. Care to join us Dhan?
Alexei heads over to Marcus for the bottle. Henric is right Marcus. Not everyone knows each other, but there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for our acquaintances. The work of guards and bounty hunters often crosses paths. There aren't that many pointy-ears in the city, and we tend to stick together. Merchants, especially bankers, meet with everyone. And besides, you should know merchants gossip like old women, and I am a priest of merchants.With a amused chuckle, and look at TitusOh, yes skeptical ones. A perfectly reasonable chance. Absolutely no fate involved whatsoever. Thinking to himself. I wonder if our hostess is a true harrower. I love the bank, but sometimes it's nice to reconnect with mother's people, and a reading would ease my soul about this venture. Chance may not be something to build a city on, but in a person it makes for wonderful stories.
Dhan nods his head, "I sure would."
As you all begin to file inside, you find the haze easing your tension. You all feel more at ease and relaxed as you all settle into the chairs around the large table in the center of the room. Upon the table, the note being weighed down by the stone states:
Thank you for coming. I had to step out for a bit, but shall return shortly. Please have a seat while you wait. The basket under the table contains food and drink for you.
Almost just as soon as you all begin to get comfortable in the plush chairs, the doors open again and a woman enters the house with a smile. She is an attractive middle-aged varisian with long dark hair. She sets her cloak aside and shakes the rain from her hair.
"Thank you for coming," she says as she seats herself at the table. As she does so she produces a Harrow deck from her pocket and begins idly shuffling the cards. Her skill with the deck is obvious as you watch how the cards seem to float and dance over her hands and the table. "And thank you for putting up with my unconventional method of contacting you. I have reason to remain hidden, you see - a terrible man would see great harm done to me if he knew I was reaching out for help. But this is a man you know, for he has done something terrible to each of you as well. I speak, of course, of Gaedren Lamm, a man whose cruelty and capacity to destroy the lives of those he touches are matched only by his gift for avoiding reprisal. You see, a year ago, his thieves stole this, my Harrow deck, from me. It is important to me, an heirloom passed down through a dozen generations, and also my sole means of support. When pickpockets stole it, my son, Eran, tracked them down. The thieves were in the employ of Gaedren Lamm. I got my Harrow deck back, but in retaliation Gaedren murdered my son."
"I sought help from the Guard," she says giving Henric a look, "but they could do nothing. So I asked around. I paid bribes. I consulted my Harrow deck for advice. And recently, I was rewarded - I found out where Gaedren dwells. He can be found in an old fishery north of here at Westpier 17, where he trains his abducted children to be pickpockets and counts his stolen treasures."
"And now, I need your help. I cannot hope to face the man on my own, and Henric, you know that were I to leave this up to the Guard, they would take so long that Gaedren would know of their coming well in advance. And even if they did arrest him - what guarantee would we have that he would be punished? This criminal has evaded the law for decades. But you know of these frustrations as well, for word on the street has it that Gaedren has wronged each of you, too. So here we are. It is time for him to pay," she exclaims as she slams the Harrow deck on the table in front of her.
Abadar sanctions this; our vengeance will just.
looking at the others. What say you?
Henric shuffles in his seat. "It... saddens me to see that you have so little faith left in us. Know that the Field Marshall is a good woman, and that each of us is proud to serve Korvosa's people." he sighs. "I'm... sorry about your son, ma'am."
"I've wanted nothing but to get at Lamm for months. I'll see him tried on Citadel Hill if I have to carry him there myself. I know that justice will be done." He stands.
"We needn't waste any time. Every minute those kids suffer a minute too long." Henric says, grabbing a small coil of rope from his belt and pulls it taut. He turns to Alexei. "We apprehend him tonight, the Judge wills it."
Marcus's brow furrows as he hears this information, though he raises his hand as Henric begins to ready himself, bidding him to sit. "I'm with you, but let's not be rash. We'll be meeting Lamm in his own den, and like I said, I don't like meeting my enemies on their own terms. We should come up with a plan of attack, or at least learn a little about what we're getting ourselves into." He gets quite for a moment as he begins grinding his teeth. "It sounds as if we've all be searching for him for a while... It won't hurt us to wait an hour or two more."
He forces himself to lean back in his chair as he turns back to his host. "How did you find this information? Nothing I've heard has ever mentioned Harrow readings being so specific. Is there any other information your source was able to offer?"
Alatáriël looked up from the table where the woman had slammed the Harrow deck. The expression upon her face was one of mixed emotion, however her eyes gave more of the impression of a promise “I plan to see that wretched man brought to justice in the name of Erastil and all that is right in this world. He deserves to pay for the crimes he has done to so many people. Also I am terribly sorry about what they did to your son.” The look upon Alatáriël face slowly changed to sadness with the last words coming out of her mouth.
"Give me time and I can bring all of Citadel Volsheynek down on him." he says, scratching his beard. "But I don't think time is a luxury we have. Best we strike now. I'm sure we can handle the forces he has at his disposal."
"How are you in a fight, Armiger?"
Pushing his chair back and rising slowly to his feet, Titus scans the faces of everyone around the table, coming to rest on the varisian woman.
Checks to know the location and anything about this old fishery (layout, possible hazards, best approaches, etc)
Knowledge Local
Knowledge: Geography
"I know of this place.
Turning to Henric, "Henric, who patrols that area? Perhaps they know something that will aid us."
Cracking his knuckles and flexing his hands, the bounty hunter looks extremely intent. "We must take him soon, for you lady, for all of you, for my father."
"This is Sergeant Vancaskerkin's beat. I'd rather not involve him unless I absolutely have to." he says, shaking his head. "As for this warehouse, I would think that making our way inside shouldn't be too difficult."
"We could create a distraction of some kind, perhaps acting under the pretense of a police raid while some of us sneak inside." he says, nodding at Marcus. "But he's eluded us for years. Best we strike hard and fast. With such trickery runs the risk of spooking him, and then that bastard will be walking the streets again within a week, with none of us any closer to catching him."
Henric saunters towards the door. "Thank you for your help, Zellara. Come. Let's not tarry.'
Smiling to himself, Dhan listens to all this high talk about apprenhending and taking to justice. He shakes his head and waits until everyone has filed out of the house.
Walking slowly to where this mysterious woman site, Dhan say,"I like to know the name of the person who seeks my employment. As well as the terms of our contract. Believe me Lamm has plenty to answer for, but this seems a little too pat for my taste. I need to know more."
To Henric Agreed. Marcus has a point though. What do we know about the building, and any ideas on what we might be facing? Titus. Dhan. What can you fellows tell us? To the lady. [b]Before we leave, would you mind doing a harrow for me?
@Marcus:
@Titus & Henric: You both know pretty much where she's talking about. It's an old fishery that sells less-than-desirable fish for cheap, as well as chum to local fishermen and slurry for 'dock dumplings', a local favorite among poorer fishermen who can't afford real fish fillets.
She turns to Alexei. "I was just about to suggest the same thing. My divinations may not be perfect, but I like to think that my cards tell me more than they tell most. If you would accept, I would like to give you all a Harrowing before you leave. It will only take a few minutes," she says with a sly look.
To Dhan she says, "No contract. I know that you want Lamm as much as I do, but fighting is not my forte by any stretch of the imagination. Therefor I simply propose an alliance of convenience. 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend,' they say. As for me, I am Zellara, a simple woman in over her head. What else would you like to know."