Those who've been invited can dot.
|
A human man walks in, he has a pale complexion, which is enhanced by his raven black hair. His clothes are well-chosen and expensive. He chooses a chair and sits down, awaiting for others to join.
|
A young Taldan man walks in. His brown hair is disheveled, his brown eyes are sincere. He gives Karayan a welcoming nod as he leans a well-made longspear in the corner and sets a backpack on the ground.
He steps over to the man and sticks out a hand for a shake. "I'm Kiddrik. Kiddrik Brown." He looks around the office, "You know anything about the assignment?"
|
|
The pale man takes a small bow, as one would give to a favored servant or someone of slightly lower status and ignores the hand
"I am Karayan Ionacu. I know nothing of the assignment at hand" he walks towards a decanter and pours himself a glass of water "Tell me Kiddrik, what is your speciality as a pathfinder?"
A burly woman covered in seasoned hide and war paint saunters in with a massive sword on her back, the point of the over-large blade occasionally marking the planks of the floor with a fine tattoo. Eyeing the group before her, she dismisses the plain-looking Taldan, and appears to do the same with the black-haired man, when her eyes slightly widen, and she unleashes her gargantuan bastard sword in one smooth motion. “You LIE…” Face hard, she levels both massive blade and accusation at dark-hair. “Reveal yourself!”
|
|
The black-hair man puts his index finger on the tip of the gargantuan sword while looking the burly woman in the eyes. "You are drawing a sword on a fellow pathfinder? I am Karayan Ionacu, there is no lie there. I am certain the Venture Captain will vouch for me".
He tries to move the tip of the sword to the side and notices that it won't move. Stepping back he inclines his head as a noble would do to greet an equal. "Forgive me for not showing me for what I truly am. People tend not to like my kind, although the Venture Captains know me for who I am."
“Then why use these... tricks to hide from other Pathfinders? Perhaps what you say has some truth; but maybe if you cannot trust, you cannot be trusted?” After a long moment, the woman relieves the blade from its threatening purchase. Her eyes still throw daggers at the dark-haired imposter. “We shall see what the VC says. I am Amiri,” she adds, turning her attention to Kiddrick.
|
|
Kiddrik frowns slightly at the man's uppity response, but he weathers it without comment. Taldan farmboys aren't exactly strangers to people who think too highly of themselves. His response to the man, however, is cut off by Amiri's big entrance.
With a nearly comical level of shock on his face, the young man tries to watch both the big kellid and the haughty man at the same time. "I'm sure there's no reason for blades," he mutters, but he edges a step towards the warrior woman (or maybe away from the disguised man).
"Anyway," he continues, trying to keep things civil. "I reckon I'm useful 'cause I know stuff. I'm no warrior, but I do my best to help them when things go sideways. And I can patch folks up when they're hurt." He pauses, muttering to himself in a way you get the distinct impression he's muttering only half of a conversation. Then he finishes, "Right, then. I'm sure we've all go plenty of uses, or the VC wouldn't have invited us."
|
Kiddrik's conciliatory words are interrupted from outside by the gradually rising sound of metal shrieking against stone in a somewhat dystonic rhythm. The shrieking sound ends abruptly right outside the door, and is followed by exactly six knocks, then a brief moment of deafening silence before the door opens, and in walks a profoundly disquieting individual: Sinuous muscles can be seen beneath marble-white skin, its movements are rigid, odd, and punctuated by the occasional small spasm, and its sex is impossible to determine for sure, for in addition to its fine, flowing, but functional Tien robes, it wears a stunning metal-and-cloth full mask that reveals only the wearer's eyes: two stark white almonds, as cold and bright as distant stars. Its right arm hangs rather limply over a small hexagonal spellbook and a small assortment of wands, and its left arm rests on the hilt of a massive sword that has clearly enjoyed a fresh sharpening courtesy of the cobblestones outside. It jams its right arm into its left sleeve, then yanks out its Open Road token, holding it stiffly at arm's full length.
"A thousand pardons for being late," It says in a soft but permeating voice like an etheric wind. "I am Xukong. What did I miss?"
Amiri’s eyes widen slightly at the appearance of the strange frail-looking creature and his many wands, then thin again at the presentation of the odd token - What, exactly is that all about? but her watchful gaze returns to the disguised Karayan. If, indeed, that is his name. “I am Amiri, and that is Kiddrick; This other calls himself Karayan, but he is not what he seems. We await the instructions of the Venture Captain.”
|
|
"Have it your way then, I will show myself" Karayan replies, as if Xukong did not enter. He moves his hand over his face and his pale face pales even more, the white of his eyes is now red and you think that his canines have pointy edge.
"Yes, I am a Dhampir, a vampirespawn as some say"
He looks at Amiri "Do you take also offense that our fellow pathfinder here has hidden his face?"
He then finally looks at Xukong, nodding slightly I am Karayan Ionacy"
|
|
Xukong's eyes widen.
"A rare peer! Such fortune to meet you, Karayan Ionacy."
Xukong salutes Karayan with its sword, but makes no motion to touch Karayan or anyone else, nor remove its exquisite mask, a strange, fearful, sharp-edged metal-and-cloth thing with a hinged metal jaw covered in fang-like metal needles, and a lacquered Tian ofuda, bearing a strange numerological formula rather than some more typical prayer, dangling from its forehead.
“His mask is plain for all to see – you deceive with your magic, to make us think you are someone you are not. You could be an ally, as you say, or just as easily an enemy agent sent to infiltrate our ranks. As I said, we shall see if the VC backs your claim.”
Just so it's said, those of you who react adversely to positive energy should tell Kiddrik. :)
|
|
"Sure, and who tells me you are not an enemy agent? Or that that sword is not an intelligent item directing your actions? Let's just agree to disagree, after all we should be able to cooperate just fine, whatever our differences are."
Karayan draws a wand "Having said that, we Dhampir react negatively on the more common magical healing methods. If I would need healing please refrain from using anything but this wand. I can operate it myself, although it might take some tries"
"Sure, and who tells me you are not an enemy agent? Or that that sword is not an intelligent item…”
“If my blade acted of it’s own accord, you‘d have no head to spew this nonsense from.” Amiri stares at the halfman disdainfully, but does not engage him further.
|
|
Kiddrik continues to watch the exchange uncomfortably. While being talked down to was nothing new for the young Taldan, being in the presence of two ... half-dead? ... was certainly not. He business himself with inspecting the masked one's wands.
"Infernal Healing and Inflict Light Wounds ... heh ... yah, I can use those on you if necessary. Want me to carry them? Or just grab them should you need it?" He shrugs, shying from the strange creature when he makes eye contact, "I'm fine either way."
When is the VC getting here?! he thinks frantically.
All of you have been summoned to meet Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin at Absalom's harbor. Subtle clues in the summons indicate that the Venture-Captain would like the meeting to take place sooner rather than later (i.e., the message read "...meet me IMMEDIATELY aboard the Sixwing Drake!" with "IMMEDIATELY" underlined three times), so you've all gotten there in short order.
Water laps steadily at the pier as sailors, laborers, and merchants rush busily around you. The Drake is a sleek sailing vessel currently moored at the quay with a gangplank joining ship to shore. Her captain, a Varisian woman (and fellow Pathfinder) names Zarah Zendrani, motions you aboard from her station at the helm. "It's not like Valsin to be late," she mutters, furrowing her brow. As if on cue, a tall and meticulously groomed man pushes his way through the crowd and up the gangplank, cursing audibly. "Whoever supervises this mess of a port needs to be dumped in the sea!" he grumbles.
|
|
A completely out of breath Tian-Shu woman appears in brightly beaded clothing, her hair in huge plaits forming something like a butterfly or pretzel out from her head. Her face has stronger cheekbones than the average Tian seen in Avistan, with a perpetually wind-burnt look to her cheeks. She pauses, then bows to everyone, asking somewhat meekly, "This is the Six Wings Drake?" A weasel scurries about her shoulders, glowing with a crackling light, adjusting its perch as she bows. As she raises back to full height (not much), her eyes widen wordlessly at the sight of several Dhampir.
The tall man looks around at those gathered before him. "Just the group I requested. Perfect. I’m Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin, and I took great care in selecting just the right Pathfinders for this assignment." Valsin reaches into his belt pouch and withdraws a small, folded paper before continuing. "A few days ago, I received a curious note from a rather unexpected source. It’s not every day that I get a request from an agent of the Aspis Consortium." Captain Zendrani’s eyes widen, and Valsin smiles knowingly. "But Magali Delroya does not appear to be your typical Aspis agent. As you surely know, the Aspis Consortium pursues a variety of activities across the Inner Sea that the Pathfinder Society finds abhorrent. It seems that Delroya has been working with them for some time, but can no longer stomach the snakes herself. She wants to stop a shipment of an experimental drug from leaving Diobel later this week. It’s bound for a number of locations across the Inner Sea region. According to Delroya, she can’t ask the local authorities for help, because the Aspis Consortium has already struck a deal with a faction of the Kortos Consortium, a powerful merchant collective. Her hands are tied, so she’s come to us for help. In this note, she outlines three different tasks that would help to disrupt the Aspis long enough for her to move the shipment to a secure location, out of the clutches of the consortium. Once you accomplish two of these tasks, she’s willing to meet with you, but not before.
"Normally, I wouldn’t trust an Aspis agent at any hour of the day. But our sources in Diobel have confirmed the Aspis and Kortos consortia’s activities. Everything checks out, so we are presented with a unique opportunity. If we help Delroya, we might not only strike a financial blow against the Aspis Consortium, but we could also reveal their dealings with the Kortos Consortium—and possibly prevent their arrangement from turning into a more formal alliance. Furthermore, we hope to stop this drug from spreading across the Inner Sea region, and if we—if all of you—do a good enough job, we might even convince Delroya to join the Society. A turncoat agent would be a valuable asset in our ongoing run-ins with the Aspis Consortium.
"Take some time to look over Delroya’s note and the tasks she has set for you. If you have any questions, now is the time to ask. Remember, the Aspis Consortium is a long-time enemy of the society, but the Kortos Consortium, while certainly suspicious, is not our enemy. It is a complex organization with many factions, and we should avoid antagonizing any of them, except when necessary to oppose the Aspis Consortium."
Valsin hands you a pair of notes: Handout #1: Delroya's Note, and Handout #2: Delroya's Tasks.
“After we’ve completed her tasks, should we bring the shipment back with us, attempt to destroy it ourselves, or merely return with its whereabouts?”
“I agree. What sort of distraction did you have in mind for the meeting?”
|
|
"Those choices sound acceptable - I look forward to #3 in particular."
"As for #1..." Xukong pauses, considering. "Steel is not my only weapon. I have some minor nobility within the realms of the abstract; words, numbers, symbols, and their kin fear and obey me. Business deals - whether a contract between Aspis and Kortos or just their dinner bill with the Oyster - are hard to honor or trust when they don't stay written down. Just an idea."
|
|
"Sounds good to me," Kiddrik says, nodding along, though he frowns at Xukong. "I'm not sure I follow your meaning, though. But all we have to do is disrupt the meeting. Can we use the information provided to shut the Oyster down that day?"
He looks at Karayan, giving the uppity man a grin, "I'll help ya. People don't mind when I'm around, either."
“I was just going to slip them some Icecap Ale… it would be easier if we could just kill them.”
|
|
Kiddrik looks around the strange group. "Sounds like we have a rough game plan, then, right? Check out the town, locate the alchemist's den as well as this tavern. Find out any information we can, then hit whichever makes the better early target."
He leans on his longspear, "Any chance to put a bur under the Aspis's saddle, am I right?"
|
|
While waiting for the mission to start in full, Kiddrik continues to think aloud. "So all we need is for the meeting not to happen. What if we just got it shut down for the day? Or made the owner want stay scarce enough that it'd shut down, anyway. The owner of the place is involved in fake pearls sales to the black market. Could we spread rumors that a kellid hit-woman is coming to town today to 'take care of' anyone related to these fake pearls? Seed those rumors all over town, then a few of us go in there early and have a conversation about this information we just heard, which will hopefully corroborate the information she's already heard. Then have Amiri here just do her thing ... walk around looking threatening and asking after the fake pearl market in town."
He shrugs, looking eager, "If it were me, that'd be enough for me to close shop and lie low for a while. What do you think?"
|
|
"They would move the meeting, then. Or postpone it. I would prefer to get evidence that they are meeting," says Muunokhoi. "Ideally, by kidnapping one of the two people who are scheduled to meet." The woman from the steppes of Hongal never looks to be dangerous, but she does have a small smile on her face.
|
|
"I am sure the innkeeper can be befriended by asking him 'nicely' about these black pearls" Karayan smiles a thin smile that is not friendly in any way.
"With a bit of luck he knows who the two representatives are and he can be persuaded to point them out to us. We can then knock one of them unconsious and I could go in disguised as that person. Just a thought..."
|
|
"Either we take them out before, or during," says Muunokhoi in agreement. "We will have to be flexible. Often times a meeting is supposed to happen at a certain time according to rumor, but both parties know that is code for earlier or later. Very important when deciding to saddle up a thousand horses," she says, still grinning. "Karayan, perhaps you and I can lead the way into the meeting place, and our friends with the large weapons can be ready inside."
|
|
Kiddrik smiles at the man with whom Karayan chats, "I reckon we could all use a round or two. I'd consider any information you have a right kindness."
He turns to Muusa. "Oh, I don't know. I can think of worse smells. My da spent two years mucking stalls. I've never smelled anything worse than that."
Captain Zendrani ably steers the ship up to the massive barrier of broken war-barges, crumbling walls, and jetties of iron and wood that protect the port of Diobel. "Well, here we are," says the Captain, as her crew sets to moor the sleek craft to a jetty. [b]"I'll make sure everything is in order with Diobel's inspectors and charter you a barge to the port. You aren't carrying anything particularly valuable in the way of trade goods, so you shouldn't draw much attention from the inspectors or pilots, so long as you don't run your mouths. My crew and I will wait here with the ship. You can return here to rest, if you need to, but remember--you don't have much time! Ah, there's Markus now."
A barge pulls alongside, steered by a stocky middle-aged man who looks like he's been doing this sort of thing his whole life. Zendrani has a few words with him, and gold changes hands. He nods, smiling. Zendrani looks over at you. "This is Captain Markus Karbie. He's agreed to take you ashore and wait for you, should you need to come back in a hurry."
Karbie is a man of few words, addressing himself to the task of getting you from ship to shore with a minimum of time and fuss.
Kiddrik, you know that Diobel has lower tariffs than Absalom proper, which is why a lot of trade goes through Diobel and over land to Absalom. For that reason, it's nicknamed the "Doorway to Absalom." Trade between the cities is a major chunk of Absalom's economy, which is why the Venture-Captain has cautioned you about interfering openly with the Kortos Consortium--they have a lot of influence in Diobel.
The sailor Karayan talks to grins, as if at a private joke. "Sounds like the Overflowing Oyster!" He gives you directions; it's not far from the docks.
|
|
As they walk away from Karbie, Kiddrik nods along with nothing any of you can see. ”Apparently Diobel is a main source of trade for Absolom’s economy, which is why we need to avoid interfering with the Kortos.”
As they continue, Kiddrik looks for regular folks along the way … shopkeepers, children, and beggars. He stops and engages many of them, just being his usual charming self. He claims to be a businessman looking for some work, and asks them about their jobs, their daily lives, and the local economy, but always finding discrete ways to steer the conversation towards providers of illicit goods … “wanna make sure to kjnwo who I’m dealing with, ya know”.