"and a nice red wine if you have any"
She asks the staff
Almost not even recognizing the voice beside him, he glances over to Mordren.
Well then, I try to make allies and end up with an admirer. I guess I'll play along; Just can't let it go too far, I'm afraid of what her perversions may be.
"Uh, yeah I guess my studying can wait a bit; I'll take some dwarven ale if they've got it." He pleasures her with a half-smile and returns his attention to Joran, awaiting his answer.
Froth crosses the space nonchalantly, taking a seat at one of the tall stools at the bar. Though the stools are equipped with a footrest a foot or so off the ground, Froth's feet easily reach all the way to the floor.
He waves a hand to catch the bar tender's attention (as if it was necessary), and asks, "Something salty. Been eatin' something a bit short on seasoning. One of those red drinks maybe, the kind made from Nightshade fruits. Salt the rim, don't spare the spirits, and give it to me in a pitcher." He waves one of his massive hands by way of explanation; a regular cup or mug would vanish in the dinner-plate sized mitt.
To be clear he is not only looking in general for details about the people around him but also if he knows anything of them. I will make the knowledge local checks once I get a number. Unless they are all underworld shadow people with no reputation of any kind outside the syndicate. ;)
Alexi looked on his new comrades in the room. He was not known for his social skills, and from what he's seen of these people they don't seem to be lacking in that department. His goals were to become a part of TSS, to build his abilities and to hone his skills in death. But something in these people brought back memories. Memories of a time long past, when he had some sort of humanity. It reminded him of his childhood, his old master, and what he could remember of his father.
Then the rage hit. Every bad memory of his mother, his lost village, and his shattered life. But all of that had lead him here. So this is what he would do with his life.
He joined the others at the bar, asking for the darkest wine available. "So our plan is to wait for our next orders then?" he said to the others having their drink. "And where do you all hope TSS will take you?" he asked with earnest intrigue.
Joran sits on a barstool with his back to the bar so he can face all of you. He looks to Mordren and remarks, "Oh, I suppose that would be the clinic. It's a public hospital north of the Bazaar. Make your allegiance known. They supply us with whatever, patch us up after a tough mission, provide our guys with drugs should they need it to function and other things of that nature. They should be able to accommodate you."
Joran sips a dark drink the barman handed him, "Your first mission is incoming master Torav, no need to be hasty." he chuckles.
Several members approach and take drink orders, they aren't garbed as common staff and they look with slight disdain at Lady Zamean as she orders. They bring the drinks for Zanra, Mordren and Pain. You get the feeling that it is their turn to do this, not that they are specifically staffed as waiters.
Joran scoffs at Pain's remark. "The Maleficum of Shadows dear boy. One must be a member and they invite their own. Sell some valuable research or recovered lore to the Quartermasters and you may get an invitation."
The bartender looks away from Froth but prepares him his requested drink even chuckling at the irony of Froth requesting salt, given where they were.
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"for one, this gives me an opportunity to try to learn new things, knowledge that would be denied me elsewhere, most people are so restrictive in their thought patterns, if I hadn't cut those people open we wouldn't have nearly as good an understanding of the effects of radiation or other diseases have on the body, I preform a civic good and the get all huffy, I even made sure that most of the ones who started off alive stayed that way, not all of them of course, but that's the price that must be paid sometimes, secondly the Syndicate has resources, power I wouldn't have acces to otherwise, I had not saught out The Syndicate, but I'm pleased that I was selected"
He turns to the leader of the group "port district, near the piers, I believe interesting choice I suppose the water would provide a useful escape route"
As there is a large booth next to the bar, Her Ldayship points at that for the drinks to be placed. She takes her drinks and smiles at the thugs that bring her drinks over to her.
"Thank you so much that is very kind of you"
She then places them at the table.
"Well that is good news Darkheart and hope its not something to taxing. "
She then takes a seat around a over booth table, facing out into the room and indicates to Sulfach, Pain, Mordren, Torov, Hass and the others to join her if they wish.
"Master Sulfach dear Mr shopkeeper, will you not take a seat, you know your starting to stare at the locals. Master mage, will you not join us, I think the books can wait a little longer."
With a slight hesitation, Mordren joins the rest at the table. Taking a seat next to Lady Zanra, she lifts her wine to her lips and seems deep in thought as she takes her first sip. Gazing into her glass, still appearing rather distracted by whatever may be on her mind she answers Alexi's question, though when she does so it is in a whisper.
"Home."
Surprise momentarily suffuses her expression, as if she didn't intend to say that out loud. Lifting her gaze from her glass of wine she was now swirling about, she looks to Alexi and the others with a smile now on her face. "My name is Mordren."
Rileng takes his mental notes. When the fiend blooded woman addresses him yet again he brings his gaze on her.
"I prefer to stand miss. If I was seated, I would not be learning so very much."
He leaves it at that, letting the meaning up to others to decide. His gaze goes back to studying everything. His senses staying open and alert. Information after all was an endless flow to him, little details often overlooked or ignored. Paying attention was often the greatest of secrets to such things. If this was not his skill he would be as ignorant as so many others. Blind to the opportunities and dangers that ever moved around them. The world itself had a flow to it and he was ever mindful of it's endless dance to his gain.
"the Lady Zanra Zamean nice to meet you Morddren"
She finks her drink with hers and takes a sip.
Then looking at the shop keeper.
"Yes master Sulfach, I think we can do that with a little more subtly don't you. Your starting to looking like some kind of hark spying out rats in the gloom."
She had been doing this for far to long, seeing a shop keeper play amateur sleuth, was just one of the things she would have to work on. Every one in the place with half a wit could see he was doing. If they ever expected to get any real work done with out being seen they would have to learn better skill than the ones the shop keep was showing. She has also been observing in more ways than he could understand. And with far less fuss than standing there searing.
Froth takes his pitcher of spirits and juice, pausing for a moment to lean over the bar and grab an extra shake of salt, sprinkling it into his drink. He hooks the tall barstool with one hand and pulls it over to the booth occupied by the self-possessed (or obsessed) Lady and his fellow new initiates. He parks it next to the table, and sits as before, his feet easily touching the ground.
Hearing a few others introduce themselves, he adds his own voice to the mix, "Froth."
Alexander grabs a seat and his drink and downs it a little quickly while the others are talking. "Alexander here. I have a few things I want and I guess I have a better chance at getting them now than I did yesterday. I won't be staying here often as I am an academy student. I am not a wizard though, I need not learn my magic or study endless scrolls... it is natural to me, in the blood as they say." He says the last sentence with some contempt, those wizards and their better-than-thou attitude towards sorcerers was always creating tensions. "If you wonder what I can do beyond a little lightning, well I quite prefer illusions and disguises. I don't to go on a bloody rampage to get what want. While one of you are beating down the door, I'll already be inside giving false orders and causing mayhem."
To answer Alexi's question, Pain gets a cold look on his face and his eyes narrow as he focuses on his mug of ale, "To Dohgrathval*" he continues staring at his mug. His knuckles turn white at the thought as he tightens his grip.
After a minute passes, Pain releases his tension and lets out a sigh; He turns his attention to Virgil, "You have somebody on the outside. How do I know this? I'm usually that somebody..."
She gives dos not seem to pay much heed to the room at all once sat.
She seems to be concentrating on the group.
"Nice to meet you Froth the defiler I have seldom seen such raw power in a being. You look like you could bend the bars of a jail with little difficulty. Well meet"
She then looks at Alexander.
"A pleasure to meet you Master Alexander, and a magic weaver who manifests his power by will alone will always gain my respect."
She smiles at him and passes over tea she has ordered for him.
Then as Pain talks
"Do you think he has lad? he's a clever one then as you must be to have skills to be such for others."
The name Zamean rings a bell, it was one a name of prominence some 50 years ago. A Lord Zamean was involved with a power struggle with in the merchant guild. He was one of the lords on the losing side of that struggle. After that the name was heard of less and less and of late little talked of at all.
Pain let's out a slight chuckle, "I'll be honest; I'm only making an educated guess. There is still a lot to be factored in to understand his methods of investigation,"
He re-positions himself to a more comfortable sitting, "I don't know how he would've obtain such a client, nor do I know how they communicate. I could make an inference that it involves magic."
He directs his next question to Virgil, "Am I close at least?"
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Virgil grins as he puts on a face of false shock and apalment, and how prey tell would I do that, I was taken here without permission just as you presumably were, when would I have had the opportunity to communicate with anyone outside this place, do you figure that I'm a plant, placed here by the syndicate to keep an eye on you? Or maybe you figure I'm a powerful diviner and psion, capable of not only foreseeing this occurring and setti up a network of people in likely locations, then useing them to determine where I am, or that the shadow syndicate wouldn't notice that I had a partner who would immiedietly notice I was missing with no notice and that he or I could communicate telepathically, wouldn't it make more sense that I'm simply perceptive,the smell of salt and brine, the humidity, the wear on the interior, but really, the other question to ask is which option makes me the most dangerous"
He gives a dramatic pause "the name is Virgil Hass, and you had better remember it"
Pain mirrors Virgil's expression as he stands up from his seat.
"Ah, but the simplest answer most usually is the wrong one. You can call me Pain."
He proceeds to unstrap his sword and lean it against the booth, For as many years as I've been hopping taverns with this sword, I can never seem to remember to take it off before sitting down." He then retakes his seat.
"I can't quite put my finger on it," he states as he returns to his lax position, though leaned slightly more towards Zanra, "but I feel as though I've heard the name before."
He gives her a moderately quizzical look as his eyes slowly glide towards the top-right of her forehead, "What the hell, must'v had something to do politics or economy, never had much interest in that." He finishes as he distances himself back to his original position, taking another swig of his ale.
A deep rumbling sound eminates from Froth, and it takes a second for most to place the sound as laughter. He mumbles to himself through a smile, "Pain! That reminds me of a joke..."
Almost completely ignoring Virgil's request for a guessing game, Pain turns to Froth, "Oh really? Do tell... and be sure it's a bloody good one." He grins in such a way that some may believe him to be slightly aroused.
"you may have come across my Family name, the family was in politics once, but not so much now. To be honest it was a long time ago."
With little feeling of interest.
"I do so try to keep away from politicians, the'er are all crooks so they say."
"The Syndicate probably has dozens of politicians in their pockets. Perhaps your name could rise again?" Alex says with an offhand remark.
"That may be true"
She says back in the same off hand way.
"But as yet have to complete a single mission, I think we should think on that at the moment."
She take anther drink.
"My thinking is that our 1st mission will be the one we find out if we can work as a competent group or a muddle of indivisibles all seeking to do things their own way. An amount of compromise will be needed by all of us if we are to do well. That and some trust I would say, we may have to place our lives in the hands of others for the 1st time. Trust will be key to that, we have been placed in a team and as such we will be judged as such before anything. What's your thinking on the matter?"
She says this at Alex but at the end to the whole group close to her.
Mordren is quiet throughout the various interactions, merely listening to each speak in turn. A subtle smirk breaks her focused expression at Froth's teasing comment concerning Pain's name, and amusement continues to build from there out.
They care about how they are perceived by others but the method of their conveyance makes them look weak. She gazes up at Rileng from beneath her raven black bangs that had fallen over her eyes. He watches and listens, learns and cares little for idle prattle. She then shifts her gaze to Alexander as he comments on Zanra's family name. A know it all and overconfident. His example is a blatant attempt at superiority. I can hardly wait to see his face as reality finally sinks in.
Finally her eyes rest on her drink mate, and one of the few that has earned her respect. Lady Zanra's constant voice of reason and civility was both amusing and comforting, and a threat. She would keep her closest of all of her new allies.
She settles back down to looking into her wine glass. Which was coming dangerously close to being empty. Her thoughts wandered back to the young girl she killed, and her mood soured instantly.
"With this group, trust is not so important as humility, I think."
Apparently the woman did not understand that when someone made a decision their was nothing that could be done. They were being watched, did it matter that he was doing the same. Purposely in less then secretive manner. Not in the least, it marked them each in turn. He made his purpose clear to them while they failed to escape his notice. Granted he apparently knew some and upon their next visit to his shop he would gauge their standing and his own in relation. They also had one person in the room he would not leave unnoticed, his survival instinct was to strong and ego to small for that. When some of the others introduce themselves.
"Mr. Sulfach, as I am known. Owner and Operator of Bubbles and Tonics. Reasonable prices and a wide selection of alchemical wares and reagents."
He looked over each as he spoke before returning to his vigil. His first name was a privilege rarely used by himself or others. He placed value in his name, not simply because it was his newest one but ideally it would be his last as well. He had grown used to it after thirty years. He listens as the others speak of themselves and such. The mission talk drew his attention a little more but he felt no need to contribute at the moment. The irony of their words so far were not lost on him.
Bubbles and Tonics is a oddity in that it is a shop based on a ship. It moves from port to port on the island. Despite this business is good and she is considered a high end shop with average prices that has been operating for over thirty years. The sole and original owner is well liked by her regulars and seems willing and able to find or create most orders.
Mr. Sulfach is a discreet minor alchemist. He has been known to help in more delicate manners pertaining to his trade. As well as a surprisingly well informed source of information.
"I have always found that a good dose of reality works wonders in restoring ones humility, something one would find hard to purchase in the Bubbles and Tonics shop. Mind you they do say that Master Sulfach here has a wonderful treatment for the genital pox, the one that afflicts men who frequent the bordy-houses of the lower docks, or so I over hoard one. Something about scrubbing with a cold tar soup and gem grit, Sounded if true most painful.
Without looking over.
"Your misinformed."
His shop did not deal in such common and easily obtainable items. There was simply no profit in it without catering to that sort of business in bulk. Something that was already taken care of by the very same flesh houses she referred to. Believing such false information. He supposed it was expected of a fallen noble family, in this land nobility had a price tag. Keeping that title once bought was more difficult then attaining it. Countless fallen and their offspring littered the island. Only the king remained static, by holding the islands greatest wealth after all. But then again he had to continually fight off those below that clawed to bring him down. He would not desire such a position.
"Misinformed?."
She smiled at the shop keep and held a look a him for moment.
She had been scanning his emotions, along with the others around her from the moment she has been able to. Her words to him from the start had been crafted to solicit responses and so they had lots of them. Earlier he has felt caution some interest, them a mild hint of recondition, something, someone or something said had triggered recognised, her scan was to light picking up surface emotions. She really did not wish to push deeper into the man. There had been some frustration at her request for him to sit. Now as the lest response came she could see it. Pride strong and constant. Here was a man who felt a shored in who he was with an overly of pride. His internal thinking was such that emotions pored out of this man, and so he was as open to her as a book.
"O what a shame I so wanted to hear the details. Never mind then."
She then looked over at Pain to see what it was doing.
"Tell me Pain, where did you get such an Fine Greatsword"
Having given up on the chance to hear Froth's so-called joke. He replies to the lady's question with an arrogant half-grin, much like the one he usually paints his face with, "A Dragon's hoard"
"Wait a minute, Dohgrathval, you mean that old Red... Didn't somebody up and piss him off royal a few years back? Bah, anyways..."
"There are these three mates who were lost in a jungle, a human, an elf and a halfling. They were captured by a local tribe of hungry catfolk. The catfolk queen told the prisoners that they could live if they passed a trial, but if they failed, they'd be eaten. The first step of the trial was to go into the forest and get ten pieces of the same kind of fruit. So the halfling, the human and the elf all went separate ways to gather fruit.
The elf got back first and told the queen, 'I brought ten apples.'
The queen then explained the trial to him - 'You have to insert all the fruits up your ass without any expression on your face or you'll be eaten.'
The first apple went in with some effort... but on the second one, the elf winced in pain, so he was pulled apart and stuffed into their pots.
The human arrived next with ten cherries. When the queen explained the trial to him, he thought to himself that this should be easy.
1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8... but on the ninth cherry, the human burst out in laughter, so they dun him in as well.
The elf and the human met in the Boneyard. While they were waiting to see the Lady of Graves, the elf asked, 'Why did you laugh, you almost had it?'
The human replied, 'I couldn't help it. I saw the halfling coming with pineapples.'"
Froth looks at the human quizzically for a minute, as if wondering why he's ignoring the punchline, or perhaps why he wasn't listening to the set up...
"They were lost, remember? Run where? Besides, think they're gonna outrun natives that know the place when they was runnin' in circles to start with? They don't know the trial yet; at least that way they think they got a shot. I thought you were supposed to be a quick one? Besides, you're thinking too much. Pineapples!"
"You're a real killjoy, you know that?"
Pain chuckles a bit, "Ah, I've heard that one."
"it was an amusing joke, but it has it's flaws the ten pianapples would be bigger than the halfling, how would he fit them inside of himself, hell how would he carry them"
"Maybe you could sell him your ass of holding..."
Froth just stares at the humourless Hass for a second, then glances to either side at the others present. He gestures at Hass with one massive finger with an expression just that says, 'Am I the only one hearing this? Is this guy for real?'
Pain nearly chokes on his ale as he lets out a roar of laughter.
"Ass of holding, now THAT'S a good one!" He lifts his mug in an effort to initiate a "congratulations" mug clink.
Froth just shakes his head at Hass, still a little uncertain that the man was not affecting his lack of social awareness for some reason. Nonetheless, he accepted the gesture from Pain, clinking his pitcher against the man's mug without turning to look.
Chuckles at the joke polity
"I like the, "two Knights walk into a Bar" jokes, best"[
She adds
Joran walks up to the table. "All Right initiates, night is almost upon us. Your first mission. Not to much mystery here, I wrote this one myself, sometimes these letters are ominous and hard to interpret."
He tosses an unsealed letter onto the table. Inside is a short report and a small map detailing what appears to be several block area up against the sea.
The report reads.
An associate of TSS is having his ships raided at sea by a small band of brigands. Recovered intel proves that the raiders come in under cover of darkness and spend their nights in several of the taverns in this small pier district.
Task: Find and eliminate the crew.
Joran smiles, "I know I've been blessed with an above average group of individuals, but we need to start with peon work, it's my neck if I give initiates overly important things to do out of the gate."
Takes and opens the letter and map, reads it and looks at the map. Then she takes out a small note book and pen and makes some notes in what seems to be some from of short hand.
"If anyone can't read, I would be happy to do so for them"
Knowledge Local DC20
She then flicks throw some pages of her notebook, Writes a note pulls it out the book and adds it to the map and letter, she is careful not to speak out any of the contents of the letter or map.
+Pier 6, 3 taverns, The Bait Bucket, Old Salt, and Krog's Grog. Suggest: Split teams of 2,3,3 to scout each inn, then group action once targets found."+
She then hands all three documents to the others.
I read the letter and glance at the map, I've had a couple contracts take place in the area."
I study the map a little more, "Ah, yes that is Pier...6 I believe. Which means that is the Bait Bucket, Old Salt, aaannd, oh, Krog's Grog." He points to the corresponding locations of the taverns. He does this so that everyone can see.
He continues to stare at the map he displayed on the table after passing down the letter.