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It is spring of the year 500 A.O.V. (After Our Victory). Seven years after the end of the Fourth Yerasol War, the shipyards in Flint have completed the first Risuri warship powered solely by steam engine, not sail. It is rumored that Your monarch, King Aodhan,will be coming to Flint to witness the official launch of this mighty vessel.
Being from Flint and keeping yourselves well-informed through your own string of contacts, it is said that the new vessel is Wooden-hulled but with a heart and skin of iron, the Royal Naval Ship Coaltongue should act
as a deterrent against future aggression from Risur’s enemy across the sea, the nation of Danor.
It is early evening and you all would rather be going home but you know that King's visit has put everyone on edge and the group of you feel left out of the action without an ear to upper workings of RHC. You have worked with each other on and off over the past few weeks and are waiting outside of your direct superior's office, Assistant Chief Inspector Stover
Delft. You have also assisted in the canvassing of a list of people unbeknownst to you why exactly but you assume it has to do with the King's visit.
Man. I'm getting too old for these double shifts. Merle walks up to the door of the office and pauses for a minute, turning to view the area around the office for any suspicious activity...Old habits die hard.
He sees a couple of other guards he has had some contact with in the past, and nods and makes eye contact with them as they assemble.
Perception (General Area Awareness)
There seems to be a breeze that keeps her pale blue hair from ever quite being still, though you can't see any other sign of air moving. She raises her staff in greeting to Merle and walks over to him, her step light even after a long shift patrolling the street.
"You got called in, too?" she says, looking at hte door to the ACI's office. "I hope it's nothing serious."
From the corner of the room, seated on one of the old, battered chairs lining the slightly grimy wall of ACI Stover's office antechamber, Agfritha snorts quietly in a failed attempt to hide her chuckle at Sagosmer's comment.
"I doubt that he-who-must-be-obeyed has summoned us here just for laughs, miss. Not when there's obviously going to be a number of us at this meeting. My guess is that we're all about to get our first real assignment."
Aggie has the grace to look a little embarrassed by her comment, perhaps realizing that she has little idea of just how experienced the others in the room are compared to herself, "Well, I'm hoping it'll be my first assignment with some meat and bones to it, at any rate."
A grim looking half-orc stands at ease, his RHC uniform still neat and spotless, even at this late hour.
"They don't call in this many agents on a lark. I'm sure whatever assignment Assistant Chief Inspector Stover has called us in for is of the utmost import."
Merle
Cretien walks in, and seeing those he is familiar with, gives a courteous greeting. Seeing the grime on the chairs, he takes off his cloak and lays it over a chair before sitting down. He pulls out a little notebook and looks at it for a bit, looking up only when people enter the room or to engage in conversation.
Elnore, Stover's secretary, comes out of Stover's office with a large note pad and quill in her hand and moves toward her desk in front of Stover's office. She then stuffs her paperwork into one of the drawers, smooths her skirt, sits down on a chair, and crosses her legs and says, "You can go see go in and see the AC."
And she points to the wooden door.
"Ah, perfect timing," says Cretien. He stands up, stuffs his notebook in a pouch at his waist, grabs the cloak and moves toward the door while folding it over his arm.
Aggie gets up and follows the blue-furred tiefling through the doorway. Upon entering she pauses out of long habit and throws a salute at ACI Stover, a half-smile creasing her lips when she realizes that she is doing so, before moving over to one side of his office, positioning herself so that she has a good view of both the doorway and any windows looking out of the office.
Mithas follows the other two into the Assistant Chief Inspector's office.
Merle lets the eager pups enter first, then follows the group in last in line.
As you walk into the ACI's office you see your Supervisor staring out the window off into the dusk overlooking the train tracks. Without turning he says, Be seated!
Using his cane as an anchor he turns around fairly crisply clicking his heels together with a loud tock as the wooden heels of his riding boots make contact and echo throughout the room, without missing a beat a large wad of tobacco stained spit exits his mouth tinging a very audible bell sound as it rims the bronze spittoon to the left of his desk. He then uses the cane to pull his chair from behind his desk and then leans it to the side where it is noticeable maps of the North Shore and a folder with big letter stating CoalTongue.
He sits down sucks a little juice from his teeth and then starts, "Well it's great to see you all here, however we need some extra help with the launch tomorrow, there is a rumor of a potential riot so I need you guys to do a little digging and see if you can gather me a threat profile of potential hazards to our King..."
"This rumored riot, any indications of foreign involvement in orchestrating it, sir?" Aggie remains standing while speaking, "Or do you suspect radical Dockers? If you're sending us out to make further inquiries you must already have some information, however tenuous, that you could share with us?"
Delft looks at Aggi and says lowering his voice a little while closing the window, At about fourish today I wanted to grab a quick danish, anyhow, casually saw an active mark on an old marking spot of mine, but well, I can't remember for the life of me who wrote it because well I haven't run any agents in years, my position is rather overt anywho, I checked the tree where the dead drop would be and got a message about tomorrow's launch. Shoot could be any number of things or people.
He then hocks a nasty lugey into the same spittoon from before making another loud ting.
So, hit up your standard haunts, shake the tree a little and put together a profile or profiles for the fellas on duty tommorrow.
"Interesting. I suppose I will have to see what the intellectuals over at Pardwight have to say about it. When do you want this report on your desk?"
Stover scratches his head in frustration and says, " Look, son, you are in the RHC now, the elite, the creme de la creme, once given admitted we trust you, until you throw a monkeywrench in the works..."
He then coughs and then gathers his composure and says softly, "Obviously, I want a copy of the profile er or s for your AAR, but most importantly is for our field officers for tommorrow... Any other questions?"
Confused, Cretien replies, "err, Okay."
I'm not sure I will ever really understand what these type A folks say.
Biting her lip, amused by Cretien's apparent confusion, Sagosmer leans over and whispers, "He wants it it time to brief the guards for tomorrow."
"I'll see what the scuttlebutt around the barracks is, Sir," she says, speaking to the AC. "See where there's been an unusual amount of trouble, or an unusual lack of it."
"I can make inquiries around the Dockyards and the Bosum Strand. This is urgent, but how much of a ruckus do we risk making at the moment, sir?" Gesturing towards the windows, and by implication at the sprawling city beyond, Aggie frowned. "If we start kicking over too many anthills this close to the King's visit, and haul in all and sundry for interrogation, we could precipitate a riot ourselves. So we have to work fast, but also quietly. Am I wrong?"
Cretien stands back up after leaning in to hear Sagosmer. "Ah, I see. That makes sense."
Stover says,"We don't want to unduly stress out our populace, talk to your network of informants, former colleagues, childhood friends and the like, have a drink, and plug yourself into the grapevine, obviously if you stumble upon an act in progress bring someone in but, at this point, it is all rumor so don't do anything foolish.
Delft continues, Gather this information for me and then meet up at the bridge about an hour before the launching kicks off. Any further questions if not, Good Luck!!!
Cretien leaves the office when the others leave. With that, he takes his spare time tonight to ask around the library and cafeteria at the Pardwight University.
Heading back into the Bosum Strand, the area of the city she knows best due to years serving on the local police force, Aggie will spend the rest of the day asking old informants and police contacts what they may have heard about a possible riot being organized for tomorrow. She will be at the bridge tomorrow an hour before the Coaltounge is launched as directed by ACI Stover.
Merle heads down to some of the taverns and boarding houses that retired, or decommissioned soldiers tend to hang out. He asks about opinions not only about the launch of the Coaltongue, but general opinions about the King, and his involvement.
Profession Soldier
Diplomacy
Taking his leave, Mithas heads down to the slums of Cauldron Hill. Inquiring politely with those inhabitants he knows to be on the up and up, and twisting the arms or those less savory elements of society, he taps his information network, looking for rumours of trouble regarding the Coaltongue's launch.
Sagosmer makes conversation around the barracks, looking for anything the other guards might have encountered that they wouldn't have immediately noticed was suspicious.
Cretien did not have any luck at the university and assumes that nothing is amiss amongst the students
Sagosmer concentrated primarily on her contacts with veterans still in the military and she is unable to come
Aggie, Merle, and Mithras
new industry.
Fey saboteurs are typically elves or half-elves
with impeccable grooming from their rituals, though they often try to
hide this by dressing in soot-stained clothes can be agents of the fey terrorist known as “Gale,” who might try to
sabotage the ship.
War veterans will usually
be either in the mid- to late-twenties, or late-fifties/early-sixties, usually in better fighting shape than common citizens. who might target the ship’s tiefling designer
You awake after your research and arrive an hour before the event. The Royal Homeland Constabulary has been called upon to provide security,
and has spent the past several weeks working to make sure this event goes off without a hitch—canvassing the docks, performing background checks on the guest list, coordinating with the local police to set up a perimeter around the royal docks, and following various directives of your superiors.
Now, as a warm breeze off the sea mingles the scents of elaborate floral
decorations with the pervasive coal soot that always hovers over Flint, you’re at
the first of two checkpoints, working with Flint police to let in a crowd of local
citizens who just want to line the streets and cheer their king.
Cretien will stand in the back quadrant on the left as one faces the ship. He will look around through the crowd members looking for hostiles, based on what he hears from the morning brief made by one of the other characters. His mechanus will be still nearby, with a tarp over it and tucked under the corners so that people cant lift the tarp.
Being more scholarly than observant, Sagosmer has the police keep an eye out for elves in the crowd, particularly those wearing sooty clothes, and alert her to any groups of such elves, so that she can look them over for any signs of suspicious magical tom-foolery. She appears somewhat distracted throughout the morning, occasionally muttering to herself and then staring into space for long periods of time.
Merle picks the quadrant closest to where the King will be appearing, and gets as close to the ship as he can, looking back and surveying the crowd. If possible he will find a stack of crates or barrels to stand on to give him the advantage of height.
Once he has procured his location, he uses his professional soldiering skill to determine where he would lead an attack, if he was planning one...pinch points, ambush spots, advantageous terrain, and pays particular attention to those.
Scannning the crowd he spots one of his old drinking buddies, High Ball Pete, and motions him over.
"Hey Pete". "Exciting day huh"? "Say can you do me a favor and stand over there". Merle says pointing to an area of obscured vision for him. "If you see any troublemakers, you could give me a shout, or throw this scarf up in the air so I can see it". "I'll treat you to a few pints if you can help me out".
He also directs some local police to some of the areas he feels might make good attack grounds, just to be on the safe side. Then he settles back to watch.
Profession Soldier
Perception
Since she's more comfortable with the local police, Aggie will step up to do the briefing. "Shut up, settle down and listen in. RHC brass has gotten a tip-off that provocateurs may try to instigate a riot at the launch of the Coaltongue today. Although we haven't been able to confirm the rumor, the RHC is taking this possible threat seriously, and with the King present today, that means you're going to take it seriously as well."
"Pay close attention to the crowd out there this morning. You're looking for anyone acting out of the ordinary, trying to conceal weapons or other objects like alchemist's gimmicks, potions or whatever. Focus on the usual suspects, radical Dockers, fey-sympathizers, or disgruntled veterans. If you see anything suspicious, let one of the RHC agents here..." Aggie points out her follow constables to the police being briefed, "... know about it as soon as possible."
"That being said, try not to go overboard if you have to confront a suspect yourself. With the King present, a riot is the last thing we want, so don't start one yourselves by being too heavy-handed or clumsy with the public, at least not until it's obvious that some sort of crap is about to go down. We want to prevent any incident before it starts."
Pausing to catch her breath, Aggie spares a tight smile for the small audience of police officers at the briefing. "Apart from that, you're all experienced officers, or you wouldn't have been assigned for this detail. Get out there, do your best, and if you spot potential trouble, let us monkeys in the RHC know about it immediately so we can do the heavy lifting. Thanks for your attention. Dismissed!"
Seeing that Cretien has positioned himself to watch the left-hand, rear quadrant, and that Merle is handling the quadrant closest to where the King will be appearing, Aggie will concentrate her own efforts on the right-hand rear quadrant.
Mithas covers whatever quadrant is left.
He co-ordinates with the other officers in the area and circulates through the crowd. He keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary and glares fiercely at anyone who makes eye contact, hoping to flush out anyone with a guilty conscience. He pays special attention to anyone that might fit the description of the troublemaker groups their evening canvassing uncovered.
You’ve picked out about twenty people of interest, but you need to separate the innocent parade-goers from actual threats. So how do sift through the 20 to find the right ones?
At this point, there are about twenty minutes left until the checkpoint is scheduled to be opened, and the crowd allowed onto the bridge. Messengers bedecked in the heraldry of the king have begun distributing lyric sheets for the royal anthem, and anticipation of the citizens continues to build.
having little else in the way of useful skills when it came to this sort of situation, Cretien relied on his keen eyes to pick out any possible threats.
Aggie continues to examine the people in her area for any sign od potential trouble:
Calling over a nearby police officer, she asks "Do you know if the bridge itself has been thoroughly searched?" If she doesn't get a satisfactory answer, she will call over another two officers and start a quick search of the bridge herself, just in case.
Merle surveys the suspicious groups, and tries to determine which might be the most dangerous. He then moves towards that group, in an attempt to circumvent any trouble.
Sense Motive
Cretien
Aggie
The others are able to pull of to the side a varied group of individuals but it becomes apparent that "The Gale" and the non-docker groups have nothing planned or at least their leadership is not present in the crowd.
The Government sends out half a dozen messengers to hand out lyric
sheets of the royal anthem, to make sure people get the later verses correct. The excitement begins to build in anticipation.
Merle confiscates one of the lyric sheets and reviews it for anything unusual.
Perception
Again calling over a police officer to accompany her, and to act as a possible backup and witness, Aggie approaches the two men in the crowd. Smiling as she walks over towards Mercliffe and Iscalio, but with one hand resting on the top of the warhammer tucked in her belt, her first action is to assess their behaviour for herself.
Waving to the police officer with her to remain just behind the pair, Aggie steps around in front of them, her fixed smile still in place. "Good morning gents. Royal Homeland Constabulary. Please come with me for a moment, we're conducting random spot checks in the crowd. Part of the security measures today, as with the King making an appearance, we can't be too careful. Your co-operation will ensure that this will only take a minute, then we can have you back here so that you don't miss out on hearing his majesty's speech. This way, please."
Cretien will get a few police to accompany him to get Coulton.
Cretien will approach the suspect. "Good Morning, Miss. RHC Constable Dufrene. We've got some information that places you in harm's way for some shady goings-down this morning. If you would like to accompany me to the checkpoint for a few questions, that would be great."
Aggie is able to discern that there is two people to be concerned with before she steps forward to speak with Mercliffe and Iscalio, they notice her and upon ineffectual diplomacy they wink at each other and run off.
Cretien walks over to Coulton and pulls out his pencil and paper to write down things for the interview and drops his pencil on the ground and Coulton shrugs, gives a hearty laugh and runs.
Aggie and Cretien chase their suspects through the crowd where the impatient crowd is starting to go through the checkpoint. The crowd notices the police chasing suspects and then opens wide on the bridge becoming an immoveable force that stops the three suspects and Aggie and Chretien on the bridge. Mercliffe and Iscalio get further along the bridge and realize that they cannot move further and shrug with despair and the fists come out. Coulton sees her compatriots and stops short to face Chretien fists also out. The crowd seems even more excited by the new entertainment.
GM rolls
Round 1
Aggie, Chretien, Longshoremen
free action "Mechanus, defensive protocol, activate!"
here is an image of the closest thing i can find to my mechanus
