fight is the last resort
Aye! When I'm in a fight, there ain't no other resorts!
Tunnel vision is his problem. Gotta fix that somehow. Nodding, "I get that which is why we want to avoid the fight if we can. Collect information and avoid standing out." This will never work. It will be a blood bath. Something is going to go t#+@ up, that's all that is happening nowadays.
avoid standing out.
Searok laughs a hearty belly-laugh. Have ye seen us? We can't help but standout!
"Given where we are about to head standing out is in our favour. We just need those sizing us up to see what we want them to see. What that is we should determine now."
”I think I’d make a fine little she-pirate strumpet!”
"That is a fair point I suppose. I am an entertainer by nature so I suppose I will go that route."
Searok, totally lost and confused in the conversation says, Are we to wear costumes like some hotty-totty party? Bah! I be goin' as meself and punch anyone in the nose who don't like it!
"Costumes? Like you could be anything but what you are?" Makall smirks at the dwarf. "No we just should have our story set in case questions are raised about why we are in the Eel's nest. I doubt new faces are welcomed with open arms. And our inquiries will cause undesired attention."
Cressida: "I doubt disguises will be necessary. The fact that you look like a ruffia-like an ordinary citizen is exactly why you'll be able to gain entry. Try to look like something else and the slightest slip up might alert the clientele that you are associated with the guard. The'd be bound to assume the worst."
"Like I said, a she-pirate strumpet!"
Aye! I be goin' as some one who be punchin' those in the nose that don't like where I'm goin'!
Searok says with a satisfied nod.
Vencarlo knows the area, and offers to accompany you. You take a somewhat circuitous route through the city, as many business are still closed and it takes a while to find a magic supply shop with the light on. The door is locked, but you manage to negotiate a purchase with the proprietor through the mail slot.
Vencarlo himself surprisingly purchases a wand with a few charges of Erase on it, and passes the trip chatting amiably and eliminating graffiti, including one that reads "Blackjack Lives" ("Bloody nuisance", he observes), another that says "The Queen is a " followed by a Dwarfish word that nearly makes Searok blush and Vencarlo remark "I'm all for heeding the word on the street, but not when it's that", and one saying "The city is damned anyway, why not" but isn't finished because Vencarlo kicks a rock at the imp painting it.
At last you reach your destination. A sprawl of light and sound marks the first pier of Old Korvosa. Glowing lanterns in the shape of dream spiders and coiled eels hang from pilings and lampposts. The pier is 70 feet long, the last 30 feet widening to a large square platform on the water. Moored to it is a large warship that looks like it has been there for ages, with four smaller ships surrounding it. Lights glow from within them, and the sound of a wild crowd can be heard. The pursuit of a good time is clearly one industry that is still thriving in Korvosa.
"This is where I must leave you, I'm afraid" says Vencarlo. "I'm a known figure, and being seen with me could blow your cover. Do you have any questions before I depart?"
Makall does his best to not show his dislike at being forced to purchase the wand like a common thief. He thinks it over and calls through the slot. "The amber wand. Yes that one. Yes I know all purchases are final." he passes the coins through the slot and takes the enchanter's wand. He looks at the others "In a time of uncertainty with chaos abound it will be helpful to have something that might friends of enemies." He slips the wand of charm person into his pack and leaves with the others.
He looks at the haboured ships noting the distance "So we head into the nest of eels. What does this Devargo look like? I am sure one of your agents must have caught a good look of him. I would rather enter knowing his appearance than having to guess at it. That would seem less than professional if we are there to seek him out. Do you know who Devargo surrounds himself with. Does he have a close associate that we need to be mindful of?
Also what does the ambassador, Darvayne Gios Amprei, look like? I'd rather make certain that our dwarf does not pummel him to death in case he is in there."
"Devargo is a tall, muscular man with black hair. I've only seen him from a distance, so cannot give you many specifics, but I understand he has an affinity for spiders as a motif. Darvayne I have had the displeasure of meeting, we move in similar circles. A small man in his thirties, with a long waxed mustache that doesn't suit him, often wears clothing that's a bit too large to hide the fact that his penchant for fine dining has given him a gut."
"Am I forgetting anything? Ah, yes, your funds. Should you need to bribe Devargo, or throw around some money to fit in, Cressida saw fit to provide this". He hands over a purse.
dwarf does not pummel him to death in case he is in there."
Searok smiles a huge, toothy grin at this.
So I don't punch the spider-man and the mustache man with the big clothing - yet. Got it!
Staring down a road that would lead her to a pawn shop that holds what is left of her heart. When this is done I will get it.
Nodding and taking the bag of coins, "Thank you." I think. Cause if I die I am haunting you.
Waiting for him to leave, "Think we should each take a hundred to 'wave around' if we need it. The rest could go for a bribe."
"I admit, that I be a bit starstruck. Ne'er in me life did I thinks to hold so much coin at one time. You'd not want to know the things a girl in my line o' work would do for so much. Anyways, sure, give me a hunnerd in 'walking around moneys' and let's be off. Who is talking our way in at the establishment? You Emma?"
"I have never tried to go to a place like this Shaeda."
Vencarlo wishes you luck on your mission, and departs before he can be recognized.
”Mayhap your freshness is exactly what we need to talk our way in? You’ve done well so far.”
"Let's move time is delaying and us standing here will only cause eyes to start talking. Lead on Searok. You are the brawn here make sure that it appears we are all business."
Smiling at Shaeda, "Thank you."
Moving to link her arm with Makall, "You are gonna need to relax your stance a bit dear."
Walking along the deck, you pass four muscular men, covered in scars and tattoos. Although they are dressed as regular sailors, their demeanor tells you they are guards. As you approach, they fix you with suspicious gazes. After giving you a good long stare, they relax slightly and one of them waves you through.
The large ship tied off to the pier bears the name Eel’s End; its figurehead is a coiling eel with a woman’s head. Several drunkards, sailors, and revelers dance and drink on the large open main deck here, while the aft deck is relatively clear. A pair of large, open double doors bearing a complex painting of a spider allows entrance into the stern section of the main deck.
This section appears to have been set up as no more than a regular tavern, rowdy, but showing little sign of anything that would earn this place its rough reputation. Patrons carouse and carry on, and a few sing along with four man band playing a bawdy tune in the corner. The relative good behavior of the clientele may be because four more large enforcers are standing about, with an additional two guarding a double door on the aft section of the ship, which is closed.
Besides drink, the main diversions seem to be the four satellite ships moored to the dock, with simple plank bridges connecting the ships to the dock and to each other. Partiers wander across these freely, entering and leaving the ships.
The other four ships each have their names clearly painted, along with some simple artwork that suggests the entertainments they provide.
The Goldenhawk seems quietest, showing a man sleeping in a hammock. He has a black eye though, so it's not clear if he's unconscious by choice.
The Twin Tigers shows a grinning imp holding a pair of dice in one hand and a knife in the other.
The house of clouds shows an attractive man and woman posing seductively, clothed only in the pink clouds that spell out the ship's name.
Finally, the Dragon's Breath Corridor depicts a djinn breathing a cloud of rainbow colored smoke.
”Ahh, ships! I feel at home already. And that House of Clouds seems right up my alley.”
Shaeda takes a moment to assess these dens of iniquity as the ships they once were. She wants to know if they could actually be seaworthy, how many decks they have, are any of the occupants actually capable of sailing?
Searok spies the man with the black eye. Ah! Someone got punched in tha face already fore I get here! I might have ta go to that ship an' see whose doin' tha punchin'!
Taking Emma's arm he walks with the others. "Let us keep within eyesight of one another. No doubt we will attract attention and keep it with us once we enter any of these ships." Makall puts the wand in a discrete position under his vest and feigns a smile of complete confidence for any stranger to see.
Shaeda can tell that the ships are semi-permanently in place, and by now have as much in common with buildings as ships. If they were cut loose they might still be "seaworthy" in the sense that they wouldn't immediately sink, but likely wouldn't sail very far without bits falling off. New additions have been made, with extra rooms attached rather haphazardly, and this additional weight makes them wallow low in the water. It's hard to tell what a deck is anymore, as many have been subdivided. With a good week and a crew armed with axes, one could maybe convert these back into proper vessels. As for the occupants, there are certainly plenty of real sailors about, but they seem mostly to be among the clientele. Those you can tell are staff may have been sailors once, but they seem to be dressing that way more as an affectation, and have clearly been on land long enough to have lost their sea legs.
”Disappointing”
"Not completely separate but we should look around."
Searok shrugs. Sounds good ta me an' it sounds like Shaeda wants to go in that one so let's get it over with! You can actually see the gruff dwarf blush.
You walk across the makeshift bridge and enter the House of Clouds.
A single long structure sits atop the main deck of this barge — the double doors always hang open to reveal a large room decorated with throw rugs, large pillows, and air thick with incense and lit by red paper lanterns. The scent of anise, rosewater, and cinnamon pours forth from smoking bronze braziers set on silver stands, which are carved in the likenesses of slit-eyed serpents and proud hunting birds. Several scantily clad men and women loiter about the barge’s deck.
At all the semi-nudity, Searok blushes even more. Well, Shaeda this is yer area what do we do? The Dwarf asks making it clear he does not want to be left alone in this den of lust. He scowls as attractive females smile and wink at him.
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Shaeda grabs Searok's arm and whispers, "just follow my lead." She ushers him over to a particularly stout redhead that she decides Searok might fancy. "Hello there sweet thing, I wonder if you might have some time to wish my friend here the best birthday he has ever had. Oh, and he has had quite a few." She jingles her purse a bit, "I pay for performance and satisfaction."
Looking around and a small grin forms on Emma's lips. Yep things just keep changing. Turning to glance down at Sheada and sighing. She just can't help herself.
The redhead puts on her most winning smile and giggles. She ruffles Searok's hair and says "Pleasure to meet you birthday boy. Is it true what they say about dwarfs? You know. That they make up for the lack of height in other areas?"
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Shaeda grabs Searok’s left hand and gestures to the redhead to take the right. ”Lead on dearie, and let’s see just what this old dwarf can do!”
As the dwarf and the two ladies head off, Shaeda winks back at Emma.
When the three get to whatever alcove the redhead uses for plying her trade, Shaeda begins to disrobe and during the process she lets it be known that she is a priestess of Calistria, and practiced in the arts at hand. She also uses her wiles to try and worm whatever information she can from the redhead about Amprei and Devargo. In short, no pun intended, Shaeda is fully prepared to carry this charade all the way through in order to get the information the group is after. Searok is welcome to “assist,” or to at least be complicit and just play along.
Gather information
Makall watches as Shaeda and Searok leave from view into a more discrete place. He eyes the other patrons in the establishment and keeps relatively close to Emma. Whispering he says, "[small]I am out of my element here. Shall we wait for them to return?[/small]"
The lady-of-the-evening chats amiably while disrobing, despite the seeming intimacy of the situation, as if this is just another day at the office. She doesn't see Devargo often, he is wealthy enough that he sees no need to patronize the House of Clouds, though the ship's madam, Helvara, often visits him and is rumored to be his sometimes lover.
At the mention of Amprei's name, she wrinkles her nose. He she is familiar with, at least by reputation. Helvara has complained about him on a few occasions. Apparently he requested a private room on a few occasions, with the intention of bringing his own "date". Helvara complained that that's what the Goldenhawk was for, and she is no innkeeper. Devargo had a talk with her and she assented, but found the money she was paid inadequate.
Note to everyone, Helvara may be a potential ally. Does she run the bordello?
Searok watches in silence, his back against the wall, as the two girls chat casually despite not wearing a stitch of clothing. His gaze darts back and forth, uncertain of where to look; with his dwarven height, trying to stare at the ceiling just means he's looking at the redhead, and looking down means he's eyeing Shaeda. Finally he opens his mouth to say something...and immediately faints.
The woman sighs. "Pity. Seems the birthday boy is all partied out. Might want to drag him over to the Goldenhawk to sleep it off. Oh, and if you're ever looking for work, I can put in a good word for you with Helvara."
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Searok slightly opens his eyes. Are they gone or at least clothed? Hearing Shaeda still talking he decides to play dead. Knowing his luck, Shaeda is probably nekkid now and that would just be too awkward! He would rather face a red wyrm alone then face this! Gods! He wanted to punch something right now!
Waving goodbye to Shaeda Poor Searok. before tugging on Makall's arm while mumbling, [smaller]"Just standing would gather more attention. Unless are getting to know each other a little better." Arching an eyebrow and grinning at him.
Makall looks at Emma unsure how to respond or rather where this might go. Taking in a slow breath he tried to smile back and feigning a laugh in case others were watching.
"Umm..yes let us walk." is the only thing he could think of at this time. 'Under different circumstances' is all he repeated in his head to keep him focused.
So, did Searok enjoy his birthday? Need help getting his pants back on?
Searok continues to play dead and hopes that his blushing does not give him away! He barely remembers the dwarven forge of his youth, but this place seemed a lot hotter. He remembered they were on a boat and he was sure that the vessel was being kept afloat through steam and bubbles!
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