back!
The square bustles with activity, much of it created by the movement of the priests themselves as they circulate through the crowd.
Like soldiers in livery they are imposing, the standard of dress and the masks making them at once impersonal and frightening.
But even as you quietly discuss your plan to waylay a couple of the priests, you see an old woman beating one of the priests for... pickpocketing? and another is so promptly there to assist him and assure the woman that her contribution to the glorious Living God had already been made and his (her? the robes are concealing enough for it to be difficult to tell) compatriot had clearly been in error.
A guard stands in full view, laughing and doing nothing.
But clearly they are watching each other. To help? To police? You cannot tell.
The squeak of the mice and whistling of the birds cut through even the vicious din of the square, helping you avoid the careless brushing through of the priests. One thing you can tell... they've discounted you. Perhaps they've foolishly dismissed you as a child. Perhaps your natural tendency to avoid notice has simply helped you do just that. But it leaves you in a place that you can observe. It's clear that the priests circulating the crowd are tasked with watching each other, and that more than one priest watches each one. But the masks make it hard to tell who is watching whom.
You're close to one of the priests. Close enough to waylay him (or her?) in fact, when a large priest takes hold of your arm.
"Good stock, fair one. You deserve the life of plenty that Razmir has to offer."
He releases you—it takes him only a moment to say the words—but you have a sense of being watched as soon as he turns, and it does not diminish.
You are watched from the moment the priest steps on the crate, masked eyes boring into you. Is it because you have servants? Is it because Vargidan blood sings so? You cannot be sure.
That filthy priest tried to pick your pocket. Your pocket! He smelled of the same soap that Arnama wears, and you feel a hot anger in your gut.
The Taldane suit that you've worn for your work with your father has always made you feel invisible. Sometimes you think it was meant to do that.
But here the suit is noticed. Your stance and confidence and familiarity are noticed.
A young man, blond and with a face that suggests the care of an old aristocratic family that somehow survived the transition to the meritocracy approaches.
He smiles. "Amazing aren't they. Plenty and power. We could have that. They take recruits you know."
He nudges you, overly familiarly with his shoulder. "My dad will have a fit. Bet yours would too. But I'm going. Word is they want new voices to spread the greatness of the Living God. Tonight. Ranger's Lament. It's just there."
He points to a public house visible from the square. He winks at you. "Maybe I'll see you there."
Lodric flashed a smile, full of confidence and belonging. ”Exactly so! The blood runs thin without power. And what father doesn’t know won’t hurt him, eh? You have any idea of how they choose? It would be good to know before we show. I’m Lodric, by the way. House Uldan.*”
* Uldan is a noble house that migrated instead of transitioning.
Continuing to be unobtrusive, Venssa continues to observe the strange behaviour of these 'priests'. To her eye, they seem no better than common thieves, but her understanding of civilization might not be complete and this might be normal actions for these people. Fascinating!!
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Rankev is simply unable to hold to his composure. Keeping to a simple life in this two-horse town to only learn that the tyranny wears a mask is too much, and he feels himself drawn to the plight of poorly-used peons. (Peons should be used, of course, but one must needs be careful to not do so bluntly. 'Tis not gentlemanly to openly remind them of there place if they have not been too uppity.)
"Hold there," he states, advancing on the seen. "What goes here? Madam, has this priest indeed picked thy pocket?" he asks, not pausing for an answer and turning on the first priest. "Well? What do you have to say for yourself? Thy brethren," he says, pointing to the second, "says this woman is ALREADY a contributor to thine faith, and you would practice THIEVERY upon her like some common thug?
I had thought your kind to be above such roguishness, but see now that I was wrong.
Hrmmuph. I had thought your club to be worth joining but now I see you are no more than a common thieves guild, picking the pockets of a serf like some bully boy.
Good DAY gentlemen!"
Rankev turns to go, walking toward, hm, that ally over there
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Seeing his brother’s chin, but more pointedly, his nose up as he strode toward the scene, Hansyn recognized a brow beating about to commence. He’d been on the receiving end of what was about to commence more than once. The boy decides to watch the show from a safe distance and possibly get himself into trouble while he does.
Appearing next to the guard who had been watching and laughing at the scene, Hansyn begins chuckling with the laughing guard as if almost commiserating with him. Upon the guard noticing him, Hansyn looks up to the man and asks ”So that’s legal here?” still chuckling at the obvious hilarity of masked men/women stealing from citizens in plain site.
The young man is halfway to the alley, but he turns to smile again.
"Evlar" He looks down, as though uncertain, and then looks back up, his eyes burning with... something. What you're not sure, but whatever it is makes your angelic voices a bit spooked. "Maybe my family doesn't matter anymore." It's a fervent voice, the beginnings of the sort of blind true faith that can raise empires and create miracles. No wonder your patron is whispering so in your ear, but just now with the noise of the world so loud, you can't make out the words.
"Maybe I'll see you there," he says again, and slips down the alley.
"And the voice of the Living God speaks, and says unto the people that only when they show their faith to the God will he reveal the truths that are masked. Show your faith good people. Let the light of Razmir burn bright! Give to the faith, whatever you can." The priest on the crate speaks loudly, and you have to wonder if he (or she) was chosen for the ability to bellow.
The other priests make a show of "collecting" - some of the crowd seems genuinely taken in. How much is hard to tell, because everyone seems to be giving, even those who clearly can't afford it.
The guard reaches for you with a clumsy grab.
but the guard can't seem to get hold of you. He sneers. "Revitalizing the square they are. Woman disparaged the faith. Besides, you see the arm on her? I mighta intervened 'an it been needful." He swipes again, but still can't get hold.
"I'm watchin' you kid." He moves to interrupt the scene between Rankev and the priests.
A guard moves to where Rankev is berating the priests. "That's enough of that now. The good word of the Living God is being spoken in the square. I won't have no yokel disrupting a yegit'mate religious exercise, hear?"
Ignored as you are by everyone, you see the disturbances. An exchange between young Hansyn and a guard, after he laughingly slaps away the hand of a priest. The booming spectacle that Rankev makes of himself. A young man that, unless you miss your guess, slept under the open sky last night, talking to Lodric. Their clothes are similar... more like the city than those of the rest of your friends, but his have suffered from being shared by mice (and maybe a rat). You've slept close to your friends of the woods enough to recognize that. You can't help wondering what they're talking about.
Finlogan looks at the priest and replies, "How do I get a mask and livery like you?" He actually wants a mask and livery, so he's careful not to lie.
It's clear the guard is spoiling your thunder, though he makes no moves to prevent your dramatic alley exit.
The priest smiles at Finlogan.
"Ask around young warrior. You will quickly find where we seek recruits. Should you not discover even that, then maybe I have misjudged your worthiness for our Living God's plenty."
Venssa, completely ignored by most of the people in the crowd, moves closer to the "priests" and attempts to overhear anything they might be saying.
Hansyn intends to be mischievous if possible by using his invisible Mage Hand to demask the priest that was pickpocketing the town folk.
Marking the priest’s features for further identification one day.
If that isn’t possible, or would d it was after things die down, Hansyn gets bored and find the others. Seeing Rankev, he joins him in the alley.
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"Well, we know that they are tight with the guards, and they stick together for the now, so assault by day won't work.
I say we re-group, wait for nightfall, tail a pair, and when they adequately isolate themselves, jump them. We can confiscate their outfits and try infiltration that way.
Hell, we could do that a couple of times if we wanted to get everyone a mask.
Depends how many they have out and when."
The priest that pick-pocketed the old lady realizes his mask is slipping (though not why) and fumbles to try to stop it.
And the mask falls! The young man revealed falls quickly to the ground, yanking his hood over his face to cover it as he fumbles for his mask. The reaction of the other priests is immediate, surrounding him to obscure the view.
But Hansyn saw.
And the sharp-eyed Venssa, possibly by virtue of being so close to the ground, notices that while they're very careful to wear identical robes, their boots do vary somewhat. Not all of them, but some, particularly the more senior priests. You're not sure how useful this may be, but you keep it carefully stored away as you avoid their careless footsteps.
Fin stays with the crew. They need to find a better plan to collect masks.
”AND we know they don’t like showing thier faces.” Hansyn adds to Rankev’s statement. He also nods in favor of his brother’s plan.
Lodric stayed discreetly away from the group. The last thing he wanted was for the priests to notice a large group of strangers gathering together and then investigating them.
He leaned against a wall and nonchalantly took out a small book to ‘read.’ In reality he was using his amulet to cast message.
Lodric quickly explains what happened with him and the noble. He advises waiting for nightfall to regroup and suggests an inn to meet at
With that done he walked away to get a bite to eat. Hoping that Hansyn wouldn’t get in too much trouble.
On his way to meet up with his brother, Hansyn notices a young girl by an alley corner. Casually loitering on the corner, Hansyn picks up small signals that she seems to be on some type of look out. Someone like that could have the answer to his question.
Venssa waits as the commotion gets to a climax and then attempts to slip into the compound without being seen.
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Rankev sees no way to take the upper hand from the thief-priests, and so gives in to his growing desire to take them apart piecemeal and see what falls out.
He rounds up the rest of his friends and suggests they all take some nourishment at Gar's Last Meal.
When there, he lays out a plan which has a first stage no more complicated then they all stalk the night and jump any small group of priests they can isolate and/or corner.
The girl is shy, and blushes a little as the handsome young Vargidan approaches. But Hansyn has a good eye for such things. She's watching the scene, clearly a young beggar/thief. And Hansyn notes, being here is both important for her, and terrifying.
Venssa slips closer and closer to the compound. With all eyes on the priests, and the gate open, surely a tiny gnome can slip though the door?
Rankev is able to gather most of the party, though Hansyn seems to be trying to have a conversation with a young beggar girl that he clearly doesn't want Rankev anywhere near, and Venssa is strangely absent.
"STOP!"
There, at the gates, is Venssa. She must have taken a moment of quiet to try to slip past the gate and not realized how well watched they were.
Now your friend is surrounded by threatening priests who have caught her in the act!
What do you do.
"Venssa! Venssa! We're not going that way! Our inn is this way." Finlogan calls out and joins the gnome as close as he can.
The armored half-elf addresses the one who yelled STOP. "I'm sorry, sir. We're new to the city. Arrived yesterday. Don't mind my gnome friend. She's no sense of direction outside the forest."
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Rankev spins on his heel and heads toward Venssa. As he does so he makes a motion with his hand, and from somewhere Aterro, Rick, and the young Hanse all converge on their masters' position. A powerful man, leading a large group. "Ha ha! Apologies, apologies all. Yes, yes, our poor, dear, deluded gnome is late for her doctor appointment and has been without her medicine for two days now. We have only just now arrived, though we must be off anon.
We shall just take her and go."
Rick cracks his neck.
"Unless you care to press the matter."
"Umm..yes. I was quite turned around. All these streets look the same to me. I beg your pardon."
She turns to leave with the others.
Using his own impressive abilities of observation, Hansyn starts by pointing out a distant threat that the girl may missed but still far enough away to keep her from having to bolt. ”You’ll want to keep an eye on the guard down there. His patrol seems like it will take him right by here in the next ten minutes or so.” Looking around to confirm no one else is listening, ”Now that I’ve done you a favor, how bout you answer a couple of questions for me in return. What do you know about the masked priests walking around? Do they interfere with “business” around here much? Do they walk the streets at night too?”
[ooc]The priests, because there's many of them providing support to the one confronting Venssa, will have advantage on their Insight check.
The priests remain quiet but not-so-subtly shift to block the entrance.
"The temple is for those who enlighten their spirits to the Living God. Not for lost forest children."
The tone conveys that the priest, whose voice is ambiguous enough to disguise gender, does not completely believe Fin's story. The looks at Rankev and his retainers are enough to show that they're unwilling to engage in a brawl, however, though that, you suspect, would change if you move any closer to the gate.
Venssa does not need help to look lost in the city, and disappears quickly behind the larger bodies of Rankev's retainers. The priests do not move. Their weapons are ready and they wait for you to withdraw.
She giggles, though you can see she takes note of the guard.
"They make trouble for those who don't pay. Merchants who do, they get left alone, though they complain enough that they seem to pay more and more for such 'service'." She blushes and twists the toe of her foot in the dirt.
"As for walking the streets at night," her voice is low, conspiratorial, "Seems as if they're not supposed to. Oh, they recruit, at the Ranger's Lament across the way. Close. So close their superiors can practically watch them from the wall. But after dark, you won't seem them except for that. Leastwise not in robes. I wager the men find cause to sneak out." Her cheeks get very red. "But then, they'd be sneaking. Hard to say who is who when they all wear those masks."
Even while talking to you, through blushes and all, she keeps watching, ducking, turning.
One of the priests pulls robes enough aside to reveal the hilt of a rapier, and he (or she) is not alone. Several others do likewise, most grasping shortswords.
"Go back to your forests. The voice of the Living God does not sing within your soul."
"We're going. We're going. Let's go." Finlogan tries to herd his troops away from the masked priests. Tactical withdraw while surrounded.
Venssa goes up to Rankev and takes his hand.
"Lets go...for now. We seem surrounded and even a great forest bear can be brought down by a pack of wolves if she is not careful! Besides, I might have a plan!"
She begins to lead the wizard away from the 'temple' and back to the inn they were staying at.
Hearing your words, the priests stand, an imposing wall of robes and masks between you and the temple.
They say nothing, though you all suspect that the hint of victorious chuckle that you hear comes from behind one of the masks, or perhaps several.
Still, the main priest has resumed a vigorous speech on the virtues of the Living God, and the priests among the crowd resume their not-so-subtle working of the crowd for coin.
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Biting his tongue and nursing a growing grudge, Rankev heeds Venssa's words and retreat with the others.
Later, at the inn, he drains a glass of warm brandy before Aterro re-fills it, and this he nurses more slowly.
"Well, what is the plan now? It rankles on me that such parasites are allowed so open a reign on an innocent people."
"We need to isolate and ambush a small group of these priests. Considering how they treat the locals, we might be able to find a location where there would be no witnesses and maybe allies. There's no rush, so let's take our time to find the right location and group." Finlogan says quietly between sips of his magically cool and flavored, small beer.
"This might not seem like much to you, but I was able to get a good look at their boots. I would probably be able to pick them out by their footwear if we met any of them unmasked. Perhaps we should visit some of the other inns and I can see if I recognize any of them."
The rustic gnome settles back down into her seat after making the offer to track these "priests". She hopes she is up to the task!
”While it doesn’t sit right with me to choose to harm someone, these priests are preying on the people when they should be praying. I will do my part in this.”
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"I did not know our blood had gotten so thin that one of us would shirk at the sight of it. Go bang a drum and raise flowers. Pacifist." Rankev spits back at Lodric before thinking better of it.
"Apologies, brother. This whole ordeal has rankled my last nerve. I know you shall toe the battle line when it matters.
Yes, Venssa, that did not occur to me, but I have traveled with you long enough to take you at your word.
Yes, if you are so keen a mind when it comes to footwear, I can absolutely see these bastards as so egotistical that they would not think to change their clothes completely."
He drains he drink and makes ready to stand. "Yes, I am ready to follow you anywhere. Just say the word and let's all look at shoes!"
If this was anyone else at any other time, it sounds like something he would say to insult them. But now he's sincere.
With the girl
Hansyn smiles, raking his fingers through his hair. He then asks the girl’s name and thanks her for her help.
Overhearing the conversation as he comes to the table, ”I also caught the face of one of the priest’s and could surely pick him out if I were to see him without his mask.” he waves his hand for service and orders himself some food and drink. ”We won’t find them out in the streets at night. They can sometimes be found recruiting at the Ranger’s Lament though. Maybe they sneak in there from time to time unmasked as well. I’d say that’s a good place to start.”
Lodric stayed quiet. He had never even been in a fight before, let alone killed someone. The thought made him feel queasy. And yet Rankev was talking about it as if though even having a doubt was shameful. He looked around at his family and companions and realized that all of them had killed. This wasn't new to any of them. He felt very alone.
The Ranger's Lament sits in the shadow of the Temple of Razmir—a simple establishment made from wooden timbers and consisting of little more than a large common room with a bar and a kitchen off to one side.
While most of the public houses in the city have seemed busy and well frequented, this one is different. While open, few patrons are inside and the barkeep, a human male whose foul disposition might contribute to the lack of business, is busy sampling his own wares.
As the group enters, Venssa keeps a low profile and begins to circulate around the room looking at the various footwear people are wearing.
Hansyn follows the others as they enter looking around the room to see if he recognizes anything or anyone.
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Rankev had considered going to the bartender and asking for information, but he didn't want to wander too far from Venssa, should action be needed.
Instead he signs for Lodric to go talk to the bartender. Seems a good use of his skills.
He motions for Hanse to keep an eye on Lodric, but for Aterro and Rick to stay close.
Finlogan order drinks for his companions from the bartender. "what's up?"
It's not the most welcoming of public houses. Perhaps gnomes and teenage boys are not the usual customers, as both Venssa and Hansyn get odd looks.
Rankev's retainers maintain their usual distance from Rankev, which is not that far. That doesn't stop Rick from ordering a drink, though that might just be disappointment at not getting to fight earlier.
Unlike the others, Finlogan looks like the rangers of Nirmathas that keep the forests safe from the Molthuni threat to the south.
The bartender nods at him. "Word is change afoot. But as long as folk buy ale, I'm content. Not seen you here before. You come up from the south?"