"Aooo...a real tengu...that's good I'll just um I'll just sit down a bit while you talk..." Galen stumbles forward and reaches a hand to steady himself as he lowers to the passage floor near where the old pier starts. After a moment his eyes widen as he looks at the water where the albino cave drake was at with the floating lights, then scoots himself back away from the pier to put his back against the passage wall, breathing heavily and trying hard not to look at the dead corby nearby.
Phineas lowers his arm, the hand holding his still glowing dagger shaking as he lets out a deep breath. "Yes, yes, I think that might be best. These men, they just jumped out and attacked us, and everything happened so quickly...Galen!" Phineas moves over as Galen slumps down to the ground. "Are you alright?!" Phineas' voice takes on a note of slight panic as he looks at the claw marks on Galen's body, crippling fear of not being prepared for this sinking deep into his gut. "Darian, I think...you purchased scrolls yesterday, didn't you? Do you still have them?"
"Uhhh...it hurts butIthinksoifIjustsitand..." Galen's speech starts to slur and soften in intensity, even as he puts a hand to the ragged bloody gashes across his chest. He lets the dagger limply fall to the ground from his hand, and it's clear to Phineas that the young man is trying his best not to swoon from the sight of his own wounds, now that the fighting has paused.
"Yes, yes. True, you were ambushed by Chough and Twill; but from my view it appears you ambushed the alligator. Very thoroughly. Excellent coordination."
It cocks its head. "Why am I here? I am waiting. I do not know for what. There have been several mistakes made. Too many." It gestures to the water where the waterlogged corpse floats.
The tengu moves forward hands up. Its eyes regard the dying dire corby closest to it.
"Chough...foolish tengulet..." Its voice is soft and sad.
The corby's eyes weakly try to focus on the sound.
The tengu slows its advance as it reaches the party waiting to see if they will allow it to pass.
Avrora hesitates a moment, her grip loosening on her weapon, and swallows thickly. The corby is a pathetic sight, it's true. If the tengu speaks the truth, well...
"Alright," she says, trying to sound authoritative. She takes a step backward toward Galen. "Show mercy on your ally. We must tend to our own as well. The price of this small victory hasn't been cheap for us, either. Galen..."
She turns then and hurries over to Galen's side, stowing her shield (but not her weapon). "Oh, Galen--" she looks over the deep gashes on his torso. "--oh, there's so much blood."
The prayer... The prayer... She fumbles for a moment, her brain rattled in more than one direction, as she tries to recall what she knows, what she'd learned from her friends in the commune about the power of prayers. There was something to do with friendship, and love for one's fellows, and a necessary ingredient. Oh, what is it?
Sacri--
"Sacrifice." she whispers the word the moment it dawns on her, and in that moment she knows she has found it. A pain gathers around her heart and a tightness grips her throat. A bittersweet feeling of both sadness and joy, for what reason she cannot readily say. But the power of it is real, for a mote of light appears in her palm, and as her hand draws near to Galen it nearly leaps toward him, flowing into his wounds and cleanly knitting them closed.
"Now," she says, standing and turning back to the corby, "we can see to your friend."
Darian slowly lowers his blade and steps aside, never turning his back on the newcomer.
Phineas doesn't move to block the Tengu, although he relaxes as Avrora's healing magic repairs Galen's torn torso. "Nicely done.", he murmurs quietly.
Galen pats his chest with a wide-eyed look, first down to the bloody shreds of his tunic and then back up to Avrora. "Goodness! That was...that's remarkable!" Galen moves to stand up nimbly, seemingly safe and whole once again by virtue of Avrora's devotion. "Thanks Avrora," says Galen earnestly, patting himself a couple times more and looking at his arm before retrieving his dagger and sheathing it.
It is only then that Galen seems to take full stock of the situation with the tengu stranger, a frown forming across his face as he looks at the murderous corbies that nearly laid him low. So he stands next to Phineas and watches quietly, but prepares himself to follow the older man's lead immediately if need be.
After a moment, Galen mentally wills new globes of light into existence next to him, the four globes of pale light bobbing and swaying as they illuminate the rather large room next to him in case something hides or lurks there.
The tengu moves to the side of the corby it called Chough and kneels.
It trills some kind of bird-like language softly to the corby and places one hand on Chough's head. Then in one decisive motion, it brings its other hand around to grasp Chough's beak and twists sharply. The sound of the birdfolk's neck breaking echoes in the wake of everyone's heavy post combat breathing.
The tengu sighs heavily and strokes the feathers of the now dead corby's head.
Darian looks around at his allies,trying to figure out what is going on. "Soooo, who exactly are you, and what is going on down here?"
The tengu looks up slowly to regard Darian, it's eyes alert and beady just like a crow's.
"My name is Korva Fushi of the Fushi sisters." She briefly gestures towards the other fallen corby and then at the one whose head rests in her lap.
"That was Twill and this was Chough. It may be hard for you to know the difference, but they are not tengu. My sisters and I...we have cared for them since egg. We did not know they would become so dangerous and difficult once matured. Bloodlust was much too strong a calling for them."
Korva stands and gestures to the shadows.
"Come out, sisters. The blood is spilled, and it is done."
At her beckoning, three more birdfolk garbed similarly to Korva appear from the dark of the room to the south, stepping into the light. Their movements are slow and alert; their eyes and heads moving birdlike as they watch the party for signs of hostility.
"I--oh!" Avrora visibly jumps when Korva snaps the corby's neck. She holds her breath until she hears the explanation, her expression exceptionally grim. Still, she makes no move against them, for in truth it sounds as though the corbies were an enemy against all of them.
When the "sisters" appear, she glances around at her friends, then stows her weapon, nodding stiffly in recognition of the new arrivals. "H-hello. I'm Avrora. These are my friends, Varian, Isabel, Phineas, Galen, and the overdressed one there, that's Darian.
"Korva..." she continues, "You said you've been waiting, but for what you don't know, and that there have been many mistakes. What do you mean? Do you care to explain what is going on down here? We're looking for Nan. Is--is that him?" She points to the body in the water.
The other tengu introduce themselves quickly as Jay, Maggie, and Treep Fushi. Korva waits for the brief introductions before turning to face Avrora and bobbing her beak at the woman.
"I-I believe that it is Nan's body. He was our guide and handler to reach a new life. Chough...Chough was most unhappy when he announced the city had been sealed unexpectedly, and we would have to wait. She choked him to death before we could stop her." She looks down at the floor.
"We are most ashamed we could do nothing as it was Chough and Twill's irrational anger causing the deaths of some unfortunates in our former home which led us on this path of flight we now trod. Once again we failed our sisters...be they adopted or not."
She raises one taloned hand weakly before letting it drop.
The one called Maggie pipes up. "Chough and Twill were afraid of what would happen if those above discovered Nan's murder. They have insisted on preventing us from seeking help..." She trails off, but Korva begins speaking again.
"We had only recently decided among ourselves that Chough and Twill would need to be stopped..."
There is little doubt to what the subtle emphasis refers.
"We thank you for assisting us with this choice. Please take these as thanks," the Fushi called Jay tweets softly while holding out three copper bracelets and a silver necklace with a single Elven rune engraved on it.
"The white alligator...that was a complication we only recently discovered. We had hoped to simply flee leaving Chough and Twill to face their fate for their crimes by using the storm drainage system, but the reptile proved to be quite the foe," Korva says. "Sister Gervy was lost to its wide teeth."
"Overdressed?" Darian says as he looks over his still dripping outfit and armor. "I mean, it is well made and all...but I'd hardly call it overdressed."
Darian listens to the tale of the bird-men, slowly accepting that these two off-breed' she had caused this group a lot of trouble. He slowly sheaths his sword as it becomes clear that these creatures do not seek further violence, and says "Thanks," to the offered items.
"Well, what do you plan to do now? The city above is still on a thorough lock-down. And, seeing as you've been down here seemingly for some time...would you care to give us a tour?"
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"In fact..." Isabel joins the conversation with a rush, seeing an opportunity. "Instead of leaving the city we would like to offer you a job." She glances quickly around the group before continuing. "We are planning a... civic resistance group. If you were willing to work with us then we could continue to provide you with lodging and food? You would be supporting a good cause, a cause of freedom against those who would enslave people and treat them as beasts. Against those who drive those who are different to them underground in fear!"
She takes a deep breath and pauses to see how the tengu respond.
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In the long silence that follows Isabel's mind kicks back in, working over-drive as the implications of what she has just said actually sink in.
I just gave everything away... If they're not who they say they are then I've just got us all killed...
Turning around to Darian, trying her best to keep her face composed she whispers. "I've just ruined everything haven't I?"
Avrora follows Darian's lead and expresses interest in a tour, oohing and aahing at the chambers.
"I'm sorry you've had such troubles. We will do what we can to help you. The fact that you're here at all suggests you understand discretion. Obviously, smuggling people could get everyone in a lot of trouble if the wrong person found out. Can we trust each other? Do you know where you were headed?"
Darian had winced at Isabel's brazen confession to these strangers. When she turns to him, he whispers in reply, "Not just yet, but our hand is on the table. Now we gotta play it out."
"There was a...a group once called 'The Silver Ravens' you see," says Galen abruptly as he steps forward hesitantly towards Korva and her tengu sisters with a brief glance to Isabel, "and this group cared about freedom and for all kinds of folk to live as they should, and not judged by devil-lovers and the like that only care about what they think people should be and act like."
Galen looks around nervously but continues, thinking in his mind about what his heroine Shenshen would say to her audience on the stage, if pressed with the need to speak the truth about what Kintargans needed to know at this dark hour. "Silver Ravens...it sounds nice doesn't it? Like a...like a sign and here you all are and...not that I mean just that you're tengu and have feathers and all that, but...well it just sounds right that we met like this, when we need to live as we ought, and help each other."
Darian can feel his stomach tie itself in knots as his allies show the subtlety of a hammer on a nail.
Is this how it is going to be? Tell anyone and everyone the moment we meet them that we are organizing a rebellion? If this keeps up, we are gonna get ourselves, and everyone we love, killed!
Darian rests his left hand on the pommel of his sheathed Tanessen-made blade, trying to maintain a relaxed posture as he anxiously drums his fingers on the jeweled pommel.
"So. Where do you intend to go from here?" Phineas adds quietly. "We will help you, if we can. This situation has been stressful for all of us, but we'll get through it together." Phineas nods, taking a sympathetic tone and trying to keep his voice as soothing as possible.
Korva seems slightly taken aback by Isabel's abrupt offer, and physically leans back from her. But she doesn't seem offended, just surprised. Once the others chime in, Korva's expression becomes more of a poker face...or what one might imagine if a bird had a poker face.
"Hmm, hmmm," she mutters non committedly. "I see. Allow me some time to confer with my sisters. In the meantime, feel free to look around. You have seen the most of this place. Some old offices to the east from where Chough and Twill attacked, and to the south mostly storage and warehouse space. We are nesting—er, camping out there."
The four tengu circle up and begin to confer in a language very much in expectation of their crow-like appearance full of caws, clicks, and clacks in a fairly low tone.
"Er, right. Of course.." As the Tengu turn in amongst themselves, Avrora looks to the others with a bewildered shrug. As she does, a sharp pain runs down her shield arm where the Tengu's claws raked her. She runs her hand over the wound, uttering another prayer.
There is an intense prickling as the wound knits itself close, though the crusted blood remains. She raises her shield and steps south toward the large warehouse chamber beyond.
Galen looks with some interest at Korva and her sisters conversing in their native language, though he doesn't pretend to understand it. He swings his dancing globes of illumination back over to the water with the corpses of drake and man. The murdered body of Nan gives him a shudder, thinking about his own near-demise by the corbies, though Galen feels mostly a sad sense of waste at the violent misunderstanding.
"Whatever else we do, we should...we should remove this Nan from the pool and bring the body to some sort of rest. Maybe not up to the shop...I guess what Mistress Laria wants done with him, but something more than this dark pool." With that he approaches the body cautiously, continually peering around for any signs of movement from the pool, with his lights hovering just over the water nearby.
"Be careful, Galen. Dead bodies bring questions, questions that I doubt Laria would appreciate anyone asking. We can get his body out of the water, but it might be best to leave it down here unless we can get it somewhere safely." Phineas will furtively glance over his shoulder at the group of tengu discussing in their own language, before turning back to hold his glowing dagger out over the water to help keep watch for any possible ambushes.
Negotiations seem to be favorable with the tengus, and they remain curious about what will be offered to them regarding jobs and pay. It is clear the sisters are not strangers to working on the grayer side of the law and perhaps well into the shadows. What will the new rebels request of them?
Laria is thrilled to hear that her warehouse has been made safe again, but she shakes her sad regretfully to discover her associate Nan has been slain. She appears quite curious about the tengus and the fact they are considering sticking around instead of trying to flee the city. Hearing the tale of the deep cavern drake gives her a start and she shows great concern.
However, the white "deep-cavern drake" appears to have vanished as no sign of it or its corpse is located, and Shelly assures everyone his search of the overflow pool was thorough. He announces that the drake must have slipped back out into the sewer system which is accessible through a water filled passage on the far end of the pool.
There's not really too much more to say about the Wasp's Nest that hasn't already been explored. Laria seems less than pleased at the damage the dire corbies did to her safehouse bunk area but shrugs it off quickly.
Once he has looked over the basement area thoroughly, Darian has a seat at one of the tables. He is clearly troubled. He allows the others a chance to look the rooms over as well, before saying, "Guys, we need to talk. Korva, could you and your sisters give us a moment to speak privately? I appreciate it."
Once alone, Darian says, "We seem to have been fortunate here, finding ourselves some more allies. But, we will need to be more careful and subtle in the future. Not everyone we come across is likely to be willing, or even persuaded, into joining the cause. Some might rather try and turn us in for a bounty. I'm not saying we shouldn't be looking for more allies. On the contrary, we need more. But we have to be careful, moving ahead, in our vetting of potential allies." He gives Isabel and Galen a pleading look.
"Also," he adds, "we need to take measures to protect our identities. So as to protect the ones we love who are innocent in all of this. To that end, I'd like you all to help me come up with an alias and disguise for me for my own future participation in the team. For all intents and purposes, it must seem to the public eye that I am not directly connected to our efforts. I will use this...persona, I suppose is the right word, whenever I need to to protect my identity from Thrune's thugs. If you guys need help coming up with your own identities, I'll gladly try and provide ideas as well, if you wish. Any thoughts?"
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Isabel nods as Darian speaks, much of what he has said fits with what they discussed that morning. "I think Darian has the right of it. While we can agree to disagree on how this enterprise should be run," She shoots him a mock glare. "He is entirely right to be concerned with the lives of innocents. I'm sorry about the Fushi sisters. I'm used to just going with my instinct but I know there's a lot more at stake now - I'll be more careful."
She pauses and looks around the room before continuing. "Without Varian we've lost our most experienced member in this sort of thing so please correct me if I go wrong here. I imagine that, to play to our various strengths we'd best divide the job. Avrora, Darian - you two are our most capable warriors, can you oversee the security aspects? Galen, Phineas - you two have the contacts and the know-how to get messages out and information, I suggest you handle information gathering. I was going to defer to Varian but without him here I suggest I handle the more public side of our work. I've been told I can be very persuasive." She ends with a smile.
"As to aliases, I think many of us have loved ones or positions to consider. We should all at least consider an alternate personality - I'd like to be the Silver Dove." She trails off, aware just after saying it how juvenile the name might sound.
Darian nods at Isabel's suggestion for him to oversee security of their little escapade. It may be a serious task, but at least I can possibly insure things stay under wraps...
He smirks at Isabel's own request of an alias. He chances her a wink and a smile before he stands and says, "I can use my own talents with magic to hide my appearance, as I did at the riot. But only for a short time. So I will try to keep a portion of my magic available at all times to quickly shift into a disguise if the need arises. As for what that will be...I am thinking something striking and heroic, so as to make it difficult for any propaganda to be generated based purely on appearances. Maybe...something like this?" Darian says as he stands and prepares his word and shield, then mutters some magic and makes a small gesture with his fingers. His armor shifts slightly in style and design, changing from a darker leather with blue trimmings, to a suit of gleaming silvered leather with ivory detail work. The shape changes enough to appear significantly different, yet not enough to make any contact made with it seem out of place. His head appears to become enclosed in a full helmet matching his armor. His sword shifts from one of Tanessen stylings to one of gleaming white steel, and his shield coloration and markings change from the House of Aulamaxa to a Silver Raven flying across a pale blue sky.
"So, what do you guys think?" he asks.
"...woah..." Avrora mutters under her breath as Darian's magic takes hold. She smiles, leaning over toward Isabel to whisper softly in her ear. "...I said he was overdressed, didn't I?"
"Splendid!" she says, louder. "You look splendid, Darian."
She stands. "We're really doing it, then? We're going to resurrect the Silver Ravens? We're going to be freedom fighters? We'll take up arms against Barzillai and his stupid thugs and hell hounds? Well, count me in!" She pounds the table with her gauntlet.
"It's well past time that someone showed the authoritarians, the liars, and the bullies of Kintargo that not everyone will sit by nursing their wounds and cradling their woes against the government! And if the Silver Ravens are the vehicle that can make that happen, I'll ride that carriage all the way to Cape Erebus and back!"
And if there were a chance at using this against Boros and Edargo, against Mother and Father, or even finding...
"And I completely agree that our identities should be confidential. My name might draw far too much negative attention in the wrong circles. Circles, I fear, which include certain factions within the government and Dottari. You've all been incredibly kind after I disclosed my story to you, but most in this city did not feel that way. And there are those--"
Rose.
"--who might be held accountable for my actions as well. We must be so, so careful."
She paces behind Isabel as she talks, nodding your head. "Yes, you're certainly right. I'm not bad with a mace or a sword, it's true. I have no experience commanding a force, rebel or otherwise. To hear my brother speak of such things, it's the hardest and most manly thing possible. But why not. If he could do it, I certainly could!"
Darian sheathes his sword and sits, his illusion still in effect, "Well, easy. I'm not talking about open combat in the streets. If at all possible, I'd like to avoid that, though I'm sure at times that will be unavoidable. We need to pick our shots, work carefully and quietly, until we can win the hearts and minds of the people. Remember, there are plenty of people in this city who feel that the House of Thrune is right, good people. Friends, even relatives. They aren't criminals. But they may fight to defend that to which they are loyal, unless we can show them the error in their ways."
He clasps his hands in front of him on the table, "Our number one priority needs to be the people. Keeping as many as we can safe, while trying to show them the true nature of Barzillai and his House. Even when we must fight, we should keep casualties to a minimum. But if we can get enough support from the people, Barzillai will get backed into a corner. He will slip up, and we will depose him. We just have to be smarter than him."
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"Then we need to start small, try and make a difference to the lives of ordinary people in ways that they will appreciate." Isabel agrees, after her bout of sniggering at Avrora's comment is bought under control. "Galen, do you think Lowercleft would be a place to start? I've lived here my whole life and I had no idea that there were so many people, so much life, there. If we could show a Ravens presence there then I imagine word would spread quickly - it would be a start."
She sits down next to Darian, perhaps a little closer than entirely necessary, although not so much that it couldn't simply be accidental. "The support of the people is well and good - but eventually we will need to bring a sizable amount of the aristocracy too. There are many towns and cities in Cheliax where a few nobles can prevent the will of the people. A popular groundswell of support will give us legitimacy, but in the end we will need support at the highest levels to secure real change."
”I’m no one…” says Galen quietly, seemingly to himself as his eyes are downcast to the stone floor of the Wasp Nest’s main room that they now find themselves in. He’s been quiet the entire time of their discussion, and regarded both Darian’s delicate admonishment concerning the Fushi Sisters and the illusionary transformation to the silver warrior with nothing more than a shrug of his shoulders.
Galen’s mood has progressed towards morose since leaving his boarding house room and the hasty farewell to his beloved Dany three days ago, and even more so since coming across the Bleakbridge to the Long Roads the night before last. That Varian Tanessen left them so abruptly this day with naught but a mumbled statement that “he could not go through it all over again so soon” was a shock to all of them of course, though the hasty departure seems to have sent young Galen Mistbringer into a downright demeanor of darkened brooding, with his only activity before their table meeting to set his belongings in the far corner of the room hidden behind some stacked crates.
Even Galen, however, sees that his dour remark has caused the others to look at him, so he carefully clears his throat and gives them a proper reply. ”I’m sorry to say it like that, and you deserve more than that…if nothing else than for saving my life this morning.” He tries to give a small smile and nods to them in more engagement, though the smile never touches his hazel eyes. ”What I mean to say is, is that to Kintargo now the name of Galen Mistbringer is nothing, with no family to protect, no family property or honor to uphold, and no real connections to anyone…not anymore.” He absently touches his kapenia scarf around his neck with its weave of dark green and violet with the sky blue thread running all through it. ”Even the name Mistbringer is a fabrication – my Varisian true surname abandoned and hidden even to me until my own Nan’s deathbed, never to be spoken of. A Varisian transplant who loves Kintargo as deeply as Varian claimed or any of the rest of you do, yet still apart, homeless and kinless. I guess this dank place is my home now, so I'll just have to get used to it.”
He gives his scarf a slight tug and a silver performer’s token appears between his fingers, a true smile returning to his lips as he regards it, before he sets it down on the table for the rest to see that it is a silver performer’s coin of the famed diva Shensen. ”I understand why the rest of you must protect your families and your house names, but I will remain Galen Mistbringer…and Zephyrus too for our daring ‘enterprise’ as you call it, for there are many in Old Kintargo and elsewhere that know the two are linked. For going out and about in normal affairs I will adopt several other personas, such as Hopwise the Mouse and Master Ashby and others for various quarters and roles, including whenever I go up topside to the Long Roads.”
Retrieving Shensen’s silver coin and deftly returning it back to his scarf, he looks then to Isabel and answers her question with a slight correction of her words, though he seems truly apologetic to have to do so. ”Ah, Little Lowcleft you mean…well yes they’ll support and aid gambits that go against Thrune after what happened at the Aria, but my people won’t stick their necks out for the axe in open revolt of course. Now if we’re talking about smuggling, thieving, passing news and the like though, I’m sure we can count on the families and the elders to help us, provided we’re not stupid and brazen in how we manage it.”
Darian shakes his head, "I know things have been hard for you, Galen, since this has all went down, harder for you and Rexus than anyone. But do not let it break you. It is always darkest before the dawn. Let us hope that sunrise is coming sooner than later," he says.
Trying to resist becoming intoxicated by the scent of Isabel's hair, he continues, "Hopefully, though, our actions can put others at as little risk as possible while still making serious hindrances to Barzillai's efforts. One of our primary efforts, for now, should be trying to hunt down and capture or kill that creature in the water. Either that, or make it so it cannot re-enter here. If this is to be a safe haven, we need to make it truly safe."
"Right. We'd be hard pressed to convince anyone to join us if they knew they might be breakfast for some giant lizard. But beyond that, where do we even begin? I'm sure we all understand discretion--we've made it this far--but how should we start searching for allies?"
She casts a sorrowed glance toward Galen. "Don't worry, Darian's right about that, too. Even this place could be a refuge."
Darian smiles, "I trust that Isabel, and maybe even Laria, could help in that regard. Laura's already closed up shop, and we've spent a fair amount of time down here. Curfew will be here soon, and we shouldn't draw too much unwanted attention to the Longroads," he adds before standing. "Perhaps those of you who live on the other side of Bleakbridge should bunk here tonight? Perhaps get to know the sisters a bit more, make sure we can trust them? I need to get back my home. Otherwise people may start asking questions."
Phineas nods along as the conversation progresses, and plans begin to be laid in earnest. "Good, good...I think this is the right approach. I will be..." He considers for a moment, rubbing his chin. "Silver Serpent, within these walls or when another disguise would not be more appropriate. I believe Darian and I have had similar training; I too can disguise myself magically." With a wave of his hand and a few quickly chanted words, Phineas changes, visibly aging while his hair turns silver and grows longer. A goatee appearing on his face while his facial features shift slightly, totally changing his appearance.
"It is tremendously helpful for quickly impersonating someone or changing your appearance to escape a situation where there is insufficient time to prepare a proper disguise. It has its limits, however. I have practiced extensively with various mundane techniques for disguising my appearance, and would be pleased to assist anyone who may want to learn the basics. Sometimes, simplest works the best."
Phineas hesitates, then sighs, glancing around to ensure noone else is in earshot. "I have plans. I won't pretend I know more about running a rebellion or an opposition than anyone here, but I've been trying...well, I've been giving it some thought. But before I lay anything out, I wanted to tell you all something. I don't think it will be relevant, and maybe I should have mentioned it earlier, but...I've never talked about it with anyone. If we're embarking on this...you should know, just in case. However, I would appreciate it greatly if you told noone about this, including Laria."
Phineas pauses, a long moment of silence passing before he draws and deep breath and continues. "When I said Thrune and Asmodeus destroyed my family, that was essentially true. My ex-wife and son, however, are currently very much alive. Erica is a high ranking priestess of Asmodeus at the great temple in Egorian." Phineas' voice drops to a whisper. "We were happy, once. But four years ago, she was offered the chance to participate in a ritual sacrifice of her firstborn in exchange for elevation in the priesthood and some unspecified magical power. She took it. When I confronted her about what happened to our daughter...it did not end well. I left, and came to Kintargo. She's stayed in Egorian with my son, and as far as I know doesn't know where I am. She has no reason to come here, and I pray she stays out of my life forever, but if we do this wrong and she ends up coming here because of something I've done, I don't want it to be a surprise, at least not to you."
"But let's not have that happen. Many of us will fare poorly if our identities are exposed. And to that end, I hope that we will be able to work quietly, from the shadows. Darian is right that we need to be cautious, but also persisent in recruiting people to our cause. It will be a fine line to walk, but if we do it well, we should be as safe as we can hope while continuting to grow our support amongst the populace."
"I think Isabel is right, that Galen and I should be able to begin laying the groundwork for information gathering. Isabel, if you can begin putting out feelers into the general populace to begin planting the idea of resistance and begin identifying people who might be sympathetic to our cause, Galen and I can begin the work of setting up a network of informants. " Phineas turns to Galen, looking at him thoughtfully for a moment before continuing. "When I was originally planning this, I expected to try and recruit informants from among the wait staff and bartenders in the city, but I believe we have an even better place to start. Galen, the street performers in this city must hear a tremendous amount of news, given their activities and movement. Do you think you would be able to convince any of them to agree to pass along rumors and information they come across to you? They could be the best way to gather general information we could hope for."
"Once we have a basic information gathering network in place, I will want to work on cultivating a more specialized team to infiltrate Thrune's organization to gather the types of information you can't hear on the street. Eventually, I hope to place some of those individuals in places of power inside Thrune's organization itself. That will be longer to achieve, however, as they will need to know much more about us and will need certain skills. We will need to proceed carefully to ensure we get the right people without endangering ourselves."
Phineas' face hardens into a cruel, vicious smile. "I'm going to savour watching Thrune's organization collapse from the inside out, crippled with misinformation and undermined from within, flailing wildly at the ghost of the Silver Ravens, never knowing truly what and who we are until the accumulated failures of Barzillai's government set the stage for a coup or direct action to remove his threat to Kintargo once and for all." As he speaks, Phineas raises a clenched fist, heat suffusing his voice. He turns to the group, looking at each in turn.
"What do you all think? A good plan to start, at least?"
Darian nods, "Sounds like a fine place to start. So, are we all in agreement in what roles we are to fill? Isabel begins trying to carefully gather aid, while Phineas and Galen begin establishing lines of information gathering. Avrora will try and keep things secure, while I help out wherever I am needed." He pauses a moment, considering something. "The Sentinel. I think I'll go by that for now, at least with this disguise."
"That...that's a good name Darian," says Galen hesitantly, but nodding his head with more feeling and involvement at what they are looking to do. The true story of Phineas and his reasons for rebelling against Thrune has taken him aback, and so he owes them more than morose shame and self-pity. "And it's a good place to start for us I think. In answer to your question Phineas, the other performers and entertainers would be a perfect source of getting and seeding both gossip and information, though only some can be trusted to a cause over coin - I can sort them out though I think. That the new Mayor has taken the Opera House for his own has caused quite a stir to even the most lowly Kintargan minstrels...that and Shensen's sudden leavetaking were the strongest reasons as to why I went to the Aria that day...well besides Dany of course."
Taking Phineas up on an offer of aid, the young man says, "Perhaps you can add a new scribe to your public retinue as one of your assistants, fresh from the Alabaster? I know my way well around this quarter from my time there, but something where I'm not Galen would give me a reason for being on this side of the 'bridge. On the other side, I can use Hop and Zephyrus and other personas to ferret about."
"Oh Phineas, I'm so so sorry! I--that's terrible.". She has more to say to him, much more, but she hesitates. Now isn't the time. Now is the time to plan a resistance.
"Security. Right." She scans the ceilings as best she can in the dim light. "This place looks about as secure as a public library. I've seen Calistrian kissing booths with more precautions. Still, it's kept our Tengu friends here safe. But if we're going to base our efforts here, we'll need to be much better defended, with lookouts, and defenses, and supplies to last us for periods of time during which one or more of us may need to disappear. We'll also need guards, trained fighters. Force shouldn't be our modus operandi, of course, but if we're asking people to put their necks on the line, we'll need muscle to protect them."
"And a name, a persona? Something to preserve anonymity...". She considers a moment, then smiles. "It should be something with a bite. Call me the Silvern Thorn."
Phineas gives Avrora a nod of thanks at her kind words.
"That is as best as can be hoped, Galen. Even the ones that would favor coin over cause can be useful, with greater care. I would be happy to add you as a scribe to my law offices, as I have on occasion contracted work from students before. I may, in fact, actually need some scribing help as more than a cover. We're going to be quite busy, I suspect, but I will still need to maintain some minimum case load as a cover. There's a damnable amount of paperwork involved in lawyering sometimes."
"It should be something with a bite. Call me the Silvern Thorn."
Phineas gives Avrora an appraising look, and slow nod. "I like it, I think it suits you. The Silvern Thorn it will be."
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Isabel's face runs through a whole range of emotions, starting with approval, dropping into disbelief and horror as Phineas tells his story, and ending with a much more grim form of conviction.
"We're settled then. As always, if any of you wish to stay at my house you are welcome" Her hand, under the table, gives Darian's leg a squeeze. "I'll talk to Laria and get started on things in the morning. On a more practical note, how often do we intend to meet? We can create various pretexts to meet each other individually, but to keep turning up here every day would surely begin to look strange. Perhaps we need to say every three days? Enough to keep in touch but not so often as to be suspicious."
With that she stands up, brushing herself down as she heads to the door. "I'll speak to the sisters on my way out. Is anyone going to stay here tonight?"
Darian's leg reflexively tenses at Isabel's surprise touch. He tries to maintain a good "poker face" though, despite his mind wandering somewhat involuntarily to other distracting thoughts.
"Every three days seems reasonable. This isn't going to be an overnight thing, anyway," Darian agrees. "We should probably stagger our departures some, for those of us leaving. Will help lessen attention on the coffeehouse. I will leave first. I am the most likely to be noticed, and so should draw away most of the attention from the rest of you."
He then uses his magic to clean his clothes before following Isabel. As they distance themselves from the others a bit, he whispers "I should head back home. But how about dinner tomorrow evening at your place? Perhaps with a red haired, bearded fellow?"
Phineas gestures to dismiss his illusion as Darian moves to leave, features morphing back to his usual self. "Well, I come here almost every day for lunch. It is usually a working lunch; I bring my paperwork, legal texts and such and review what I need to do in the afternoon over a scone and a cup of coffee. If Galen will be joining me as an assistant in my law office, he would naturally come along on some of these excursions to carry books and help takes notes and so on. That would provide a plausible reason for us to be here in the middle of the day, at least."
"Disappearing down into a secret basement, however, is something I most definitely did not do every day. I'll have to think about how to handle that aspect of meeting. Perhaps Laria could engage my services for a vague, protracted legal matter that would give us reason to consult alone. In fact, I think I'll stop and inquire about such a pretext before leaving, which should give Darian enough of a head start to avoid our being associated together."
As Phineas moves to leave, he lingers in the doorway for a moment and looks over his shoulder. "Galen, if you would stop by my offices in the morning, we'll go over how we want to proceed from there. I have a small storefront on the night road, about half way to the docks. The sign reads 'Aceron Contract Law', and should not be too difficult to find."
"I will see you then in the morning...and my thanks too Phineas," says Galen earnestly with a nod. It wasn't lost upon him that prior to the Aria he was doing off-contract scribing work for various scholars and sages, and would have jumped at the chance to work in a more steady fashion for those with reputation like Phineas Aceron. Now in their deadly gambit to take back Kintargo, he finds it the source of a much-needed ruse.
"Well, I will work to clean the place and make it as presentable as possible for those of you that aren't here at nights regularly. Coffee and pastries above, but tea and some much-needed incense below? It will be interesting...I cannot help but think that Shelly will find all of this both alarming and tedious."
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He then uses his magic to clean his clothes before following Isabel. As they distance themselves from the others a bit, he whispers "I should head back home. But how about dinner tomorrow evening at your place? Perhaps with a red haired, bearded fellow?"
Isabel grins conspiratorially back. "Sounds lovely. Although make it brown hair. The man who works on my pianoforte is a fairly tall man with brown hair and a large beard. He's usually working for two to three hours at a time so his coming in shouldn't attract too much attention." With a final squeeze Isabel slips away to find Laria and explain the situation.
Darian makes his way out, purchasing a dozen bear claws from Laria to add to his excuse for being here after hours. "Thank you, Miss Longroads, for the special order," he says as he steps out of the door, "I am sure they will enjoy them!"
He then makes his way home to the Greens, his mind still in disarray from the enterprise he was getting into, as well as the excitement of tomorrow evening. He ponders both rightup to the moment he makes it back to his estate. He enters and removes his boots, cloak, and pack before handing them all off to Walter, the family butler, with a thanks. He heads upstairs to his room, having to shoo away Harcule repeatedly on the way, before removing his armor and shield. He changes clothes to something more relaxed before re-strapping his sword belt on and returning downstairs to the sitting area.