Still cracking her whip to keep the guard at bay, Bess hollers "Mantises, that big statue is blinded now but I suspect that may not last. If we need to fight it, know that it's resistant to bludgeoning attacks but vulnerable to fire, and immune to all the things you'd expect of animated wood. I believe its weapon will pour salt into the wounds it causes in order to weaken you.
"If we can finish our mission and get away without engaging it, I suspect that's best all around."
Kiddrik doesn't hesitate, flipping his strange black blade into a reverse grip and driving it cleanly home into Gaspar's chest.
"Accept this blood gift," he utters reverently as the man's ice-thickened blood leeches out into the courtyard sands.
Then the young Mantis steps back, blood and a cold mist falling slowly from the serrated edge as he considers the unexpected pack of assassins.
"Gaspar was the mark," he says in a young baritone voice with the sounds of Taldan, "We're not staying to play with his oversized windup toy."
After another pause, he strides across the courtyard, mindful of the construct's reach, and stops by another Mantis.
"Thanks for watching my back," he mutters, eyeing the guards. "Ready when you are." His tone is far warmer than it had been moments before.
He seems poised to leave when the other man does.
The guards die or flee as the Mantises choose. The sentinel's blindness wears off in a few seconds, and casts about, guarding the corpse of its creator silently.
The "servant" who had first warned Gaspar steps out of the shadows. Plucking a small comb from her hair, a glamer fades and she reveals a blood-red suit of leather armor and a familiar mantis mask. You all recognize the armor -- patterned with black stripes in a unique manner that helps identify Red Mantises -- which tells you that this is the same Mantis that gave you this mission.
She addresses all of you. Nicely done, she looks around at the body of Gaspar, though I'm sure you'll agree this was no challenge. But I wanted to observe your talents all at once, and give you all a chance to meet one another. You'll be seeing a lot of each other.
With only a scant pause to let that sink in, she continues. Leave as you came -- you should have little problem with that -- and go to Ostenso. Meet me aboard the Bantu Wind, moored off the Novistok Pier. I will explain further.
She fades from sight and disappears, leaving you alone in the courtyard.
The guard Kage was toying with, heard his master expire and dropped his halberd in his haste to escape. Kage chuckled, of course he could hunt the man down, but why bother? The guild wanted the world to know what happened here. Still it was time to be going, but before that there was one thing left to do...
Like a cat, Kage positively prowls over to the center where most of his brethren still stand and calls out to them, "Brothers and Sisters, today the guild has unleashed us upon an unsuspecting world. If they have done so once, they will do so again. We must learn to fight together, for not every foe will be as weak as this poor fool."
Kage waits a moment to see if anyone responds.
Kiddrik takes the time during the mission-giver’s speech to meticulously clean his black stone blade on his cloak. At the mention of this group seeing more of each other, his mask turns to regard each other Mantis in turn ... except for the shorter Mantis at his side . He remains silent as the mission-giver finishes, disappears, and is replaced by the one among them who steps to the center.
Through the mask, it’s impossible to tell the young Mantis’s demeanor, and his tone remains coldly neutral. ”Where the bow points, the arrow flies, no?”
Yamyra pushes her mantis mask back to reveal her scarred face. She smiles at the others. "You always talk so formally, Pajama-pants?" she teases Sa'Kage. "You lot can call me Myra," the pint-sized killer announces proudly. She leans down to clean the blood from her saber on the guard whose throat she'd opened a few moments before. "I'm not really used to working with others, but it might actually be nice to have someone to talk to. Stakeouts can get soooo boring sometimes." She concentrates for a moment and her visual form shifts to that of an older halfling man. Several of the other Mantises recognize him as one DuRayne's household servants. "He" points toward the city below. "Shall we?"
Eris listens silently to her superior weighing up the words. Its true that she herself prefered the ability to infiltrate solo, although Eris couldn't deny the value of having a team that had developed the advanced tactic of hitting people with sharp objects.
After listening to various members of the group introduce themselves, Eris steps forward slightly "I'm Eris", she says simply, an amused smile flitting across her features as Myra form shifts, before nodding in agreement at her question.
Kage raises an eyebrow, 'A flippant tone is not what I expected from one initiated in the holy mystery. Yet the approval of the Mantis is without question.' Not knowing what to make of the halfling woman, Kage replies carefully, "Master Brinn beat levity out of me, he says emotion makes us weak."
Kage nods at Eris and says, "I am known as Kage. I have heard it said that a team may become greater than the sum of its parts. I would know if this is true."
The one in the priest's robe doesn't remove his mantis mask but glances toward the cooling corpse then cocks his head curiously in the direction of the other mantises. What aroused his curiosity is unclear. A cautious male voice sounds from the helm. "At the appointed place then." He signals Blackstone in clipped Red Hand Let's go and immediately heads quietly toward their second escape route.
The young Mantis shakes his head at the exchange between Myra and Kage, his mask hiding his smile. He pauses for a few heartbeats before nodding, then he jogs to catch up in their shared withdrawal.
Yamyra shrugs. "Alright, see you guys at the Wind."
She turns and paints a panicked expression across her face. "Aaaaahhhh, assassins!" she cries dramatically, waving her hands above her head and running for the gate. She goes out the same way she came in, through the front. Conveniently everyone else still in the house is also rushing out the gate in a panic. She blends in with them, and then slips away at the right time, making her way back to Ostenso. She makes contact with her "chaperone" letting him know that the job is done, and that he should report back to base. After checking out of her inn, she adds a foot to the height of her disguise and shifts her features from that of a noble Chelish child, to those of a female sailor from Tian Xia. Yamyra then makes her way to the Novistock Pier and starts looking around.
Eris nods in agreement, following Yamyra and heading into the bathroom. Shapeshifting into a female guard, Eris opens the door and kindly lets out the now conscious maid, assisting her with her bonds, while listening attentively as the maid tells her rescuer the entire situation. Nodding attentively Eris promises the maid that she will take care of everything else, while casually picking up personal details of the maid. Snapping her notebook shut, and with a very official looking smile, Eris guides the maid home, promising that if they make an arrest, or if she needs anything further, she will make contact. Job done, Eris walks away, and immediately shapeshifts into an attractive human female with conservative clothing. Eris was fully aware that form shifting into a rather ugly form was far better to avoid attention, but Eris personally couldn't shake of the feeling that her chosen form was in some way her...always clinging to surfaces.
Eris walks quickly towards the pier, reflecting on a job perfected. She hated transforming into symbols of authority, since it draws unwanted attention, but the subterfuge had been necessary to learn whether the maid had managed to catch a good look, or had hidden suspicions. Anyone who investigated would have only managed to track it back to her previous disguise, and it was unlikely to be traced back to her, but Eris prefered to take no chances, and besides, as a symbol of authority to a grateful victim, she had the perfect excuse to ask for personal details, little things she could use in future if she ever took that disguise ever again to aid in authenticity. Plus, with a successful address, she had an opportunity to create a pressure point if she ever needed anything in the future...and she had achieved this with no risk whatsoever. It wasn't as if the maid was going to make a statement...she already had, or rather she thought she had. No loose ends Eris thinks to herself as she enters the Novistock Pier.
The assassins make their way through the night along the rugged coastline, the orange glow of the burning villa behind them. By the time they reach the sprawling docks and shipyards of Ostenso, the sky is reddish-orange in the east, and a grayish smudge has replaced the ruddy glow.
Gulls keen as Ostenso wakes in the early morning chill, a low fog hanging around the waters as they lap against the countless piers and docks. Workers and deckhands begin their daily routine, and soon the wooden docks hear the clomp of bootheels and grunt and strain of cargo being loaded and unloaded.
Novistock Pier is no different from the countless other piers mooring freighters from all across the Inner Sea. Masts jut skyward from the fog, looking like a forest of leafless trees. It is in this throng of ships that the assassins find the nondescript freighter, the Bantu Wind, flying a Sargavan flag and sporting a crew of similarly unremarkable-looking sailors.
As you each make your way up the gangplank and onto the deck, either singly or possibly in pairs, the swarthy crew eye you with a shrug and go about their seemingly mundane business of loading and stowing cargo. The ship appears to be preparing to set sail.
The assassins are given curt nods toward the hatch to go belowdecks. The hold is just as dank and crowded as one would expect. However, one of the sailors slides a crate to the side which reveals a large concealed compartment easily the size of a modest dining room. Indeed, the compartment has a table and seven chairs surrounding it, with light but nourishing fare set out.
The Red Mantis who addressed you back at the villa is seated at the far end of the table, her mask off, revealing an attractive human woman with yellow-blond hair streaked with black. She waits for you all to enter and be seated. She avoids conversation until everyone arrives.
When all are present, she nods and the room is sealed. She lights a candle, which seems to have the effect of deadening the sound coming in from the outside.
I am Vespid. I obey the instructions of Vernai Eremia, so you shall obey mine. She actually puts on a smile that does not seem hard or threatening, and her tone is conversational, not imperious.
You have been selected to form a team. Occasionally our work requires more than one or two individuals to be successful. Sometimes a larger group is necessary to carry out our most sacred calling.
She looks at each of you, her light smile still playing upon her face. As the mantis has six limbs, you will be six in number: extensions of Achaekek's will. You each bring different skills and abilities to the service of the Red Mantis. You all have proven yourselves capable. But together, you can do so much more. The Order has need of that.
She takes up a goblet and sips lightly, watching you over the rim.
Mama Bess lifts her mask to greet her fellow mantises. Her ruddy brown face shows a slight smile as she appraises her new partners. Her straight hair, tied up in a red ribbon, is an even mix of black to grey. She's dressed in the traditional red and black of the Mantises. In one hand she has a whip and in the other a mithral shield.
"Bess. Most folks call me Mama Bess. I look forward to learning more about you all on the Bantu Wind...but now it's time to make an exit, eh?"
With that she pulls out an extract from her belt, swallows it...and seconds later looks like one of the halfling cooks. With the slightest of waves she turns and follows Myra out the front entrance.
She arrives later at the Bantu Wind with her traveling pack and remains quiet until they are all in the secret compartment. Then Mama watches her new partners as Vernai Eremia speaks. Shaking her head a bit she thinks, Some are still so young. And it's clear some of them aren't terribly comfortable with the notion of working together as a team. Baby steps then.
With a slight bow Mama says, "Vespid, you can count on my service, as always."
She picks up a dried traveling cake from a platter and takes a bite. Turning to her fellows, she says, "As I said back at our mark's estate, people call me Mama Bess. I'm not as good with a sawtooth saber as you or you," she nods to Myra and the young human with the black sabre, "but I'm skilled at stealth, infiltration, and disguise...and at helping others to stay safe and to fulfill their potential. I've almost always operated as part of a pair or a team, and that suits me fine.
"The Mantises have been my family for nearly 30 years now, since I was young, so you're my family too...and I'll do my best to see that you're safe from harm while we do our work."
Taking another bite, she asks, "And what about you? Tell me a bit about yourselves, would you? How long have you been a Mantis?"
Slipping out of the DuRayne estate had been easy. Kage even had time to retrieve the ropes for all the guards had fled. He crept back down the hill, an unobserved shadow.
Nobody saw him enter the safe house. It was another one of Master Brinn's although he hasn't been there for some time. Nobody remarked the heavily cloaked figure who left and walked with a purpose to the Bantu Wind. Kage had long learned that people ignored others who acted like they belonged.
Kage listened with polite interest to Vespid hoping to learn who the new mark was. 'Must be something big, they want us to work together.' Kage was first to reply, "When the guild asks it is done." His voice was deep and sure, and had the quality of a religious fanatic.
Again he listened quietly to all the one called Momma Bess had to say, and he lifted up his hood so that all could see his albino features. His hair was shockingly white and his irises the color of blood. His voice when he spoke was assured and devoid of bravado, "I was born into our little family and taught by Master Brinn to kill. I have been touched with the talent and may pass unseen. Yet despite all I've learned it is clear others at this table possess skills I do not. Skills that are complimentary. Together we shall be formidable."
Eris glances at the blonde haired women, idling wondering if she actually looked like this or if it was a disguise. It was always nice to meet someone in authority in person...it allowed Eris to better understand personal mannerisms. Of course, it was highly unlikely Eris could successfully masquerade as Vernai, but the thought was an amusing one at any rate.
"Stealth isn't really my strong suit, but disguise, infiltration and misdirection certainly are, so I'm reasonably confident I have the skills to add to our little group. That said, I'm reasonably certain many of you are far more skilled in the art of physical combat, and area I'm less than confident in...I'm certain we all have complimentary skills for each other".
When Vespid introduces herself, Blackstone whispers to you, >So that is Vespid. Former priestess of Calistria, who left their church and converted to Achaekek. With their blessing, so it's said. She supposedly still has contacts within the church of Calistria.<
"You all already know my name. I like to think I'm pretty sneaky, and I'm good at wrestling. I specialize in immobilizing and silencing a target as quickly as possible. Haven't perfected it quite yet, but well...you all saw me fight." Yamyra smiles, "I'm happy to work with a team. Like I said back at DuRayne's, the stakeouts can get lonely sometimes."
Myra turns to answer Mama. "I've been with the Mantis for...a few years? I honestly haven't kept track all that closely. There was just my life before, and my life now...." she trails off. "I've never met another halfling Mantis before. It's really great to meet you, Momma."
Kiddrik sits quietly at the table, trying to figure out what to make of this mixed group as he unthinkingly taps his black blade’s pommel with a thumb. From his build and movements—not to mention the unique blade in his hands—it’s easy for everyone to connect him with swordsman who was given the honor of the killing blow the evening before. His Mantis gear removed (likely stowed in the large travel pack currently pushed into the room’s corner), he wears unremarkable traveler’s clothes, though the long crimson scarf—in the Varisian style—remains wrapped around his neck. Pale blue eyes, the color of frozen water, peer thoughtfully out of the clean-shaven face of a man with only twenty or so winters to his name.
During Vespid’s introductions and briefing, the young man sits observantly, though at one point his head cocks to the side thoughtfully, a slight frown forming on his lips as if someone were whispering something curious in his ear.
”I’m Kiddrik Blackstone, and it’s been nearly a year since my acceptance with our brotherhood.” He pauses, and a challenging look crosses his features … as if he expects an objection to his presence.
”I can handle my blade, I know a handful of spells, and I can usually avoid notice when I need to. I usually leave the talking to Red.” He gestures to the slightly-older-looking man sitting next to him, then his face brightens a bit. ”Oh, and I’m a fair hand at carpentry. Other side of the family business, I guess.”
He looks around the table, nodding to each person as he mentions their skillset, ”So we have combat, infiltration, support, social, disguise, and…” He looks over at Vespid. ”… our handler. Why does an accomplished assassin and ex-priestess of Calistria need such a robust team? Is this for one of your jobs? Or does this come down from the top?”
Something venomous creeps into Vespid's eyes as she looks at Kiddrik. I have no mere 'jobs.' The holy tasks appointed always come from the top, from He Who Walks in Blood and his divine mandate.
She sets her goblet down and leans back in her chair, crossing her legs and winding a lock of hair around her finger. It would occur to me that the Blackstone would leap at an opportunity such as this. Are you satisfied eliminating minor nobles, trade rivals, and petty do-gooders who threaten the status quo? Or would you like to try the true challenges of our calling? Finding those who cannot be found? Infiltrating the impregnable? Killing the immortal?
Mama's puts a hand onto the young human's arm reflexively, hoping to keep Kiddrick from escalating this into a confrontation with their sponsor.
When Vespid speaks of great challenges, Mama Bess gulps once but she reminds herself: Our family has work to. All of us do...and mine is to keep our children safe from harm.
The unblinking gaze of Kage's bloodred eyes is something many find unnerving. At the mention of killing the immortal, Kage looks sharply at Mistress Vespid and back to the Blackstone waiting to see what he will say...
Vespid’s dangerous tone catches Kiddrik off-guard, but the young man doesn’t back down. In fact, his resolve only seems to harden, his curiosity deepening. And he responds immediately.
”I’ll ask forgiveness for my tone, but nothing else. I’ve gladly accepted every task given me, low or high.” He pauses, nodding in response to Mama Bess's touch as he considers Vespid's words. ”But true challenges? Killing the immortal?” His eyes flash defensively around at the other members; the young man clearly doesn’t like being caught off guard. ”The difficulty of such a task aside … is this not above our calling and mandates? I don’t mean to challenge. I just…” he struggles with these final words, as if they’re painful to admit. ” … don’t understand.”
Kage looks back at Mistress Vespid and in a respectful tone tells her, "Master Brin says that nowhere is truly impregnable, but some places are deemed to be so hard that nobody really expects anyone to try. That complacency is often all the edge we need. Similar reasoning applies to those who cannot be found or killed. Anything can die, even gods although they cannot truly be killed. Anyway we must be realistic about our talents, we have promise but we are nowhere near that good. I assume you have a more immediate task in mind?"
Vespid's smile warms considerably. She looks directly at Kiddrik. I was being poetic. Of course Achaekek's mandate is to destroy those who would threaten the gods' divinity. Some of those entities are immortal. Similarly, some of our targets are very hard to kill. Keeping them dead can be very difficult as well.
She sighs and looks at each of you. There are many forces in this world, some beyond our comprehension. Yet when we are tasked with killing a target, we do it without question, unless it violates our one prohibition. Thankfully, that is a very small exception. She smiles wickedly.
At Kage's question, she leans forward excitedly. Oh, yes. Her eyes dance with a cold fire.
"I'll try anything once," Myra quips in response to Vespid. "Do you have anyone specific in mind?" she asks. "I think we've all proven our loyalty and willingness already, or we wouldn't be here." She'll spit it out eventually. She does have me curious with all this talking up the target though.
The assassin pulls out a few scrolls and unfurls them, laying them out on the table.
Sa'kage Tith'kali is correct, of course. You show promise, but you have not reached the pinnacle. The first task is a jail break. You are to infiltrate a particularly notorious prison and set a specific individual imprisoned within free.
"Interesting! Which prison?" Yamyra asks immediately. She clambers up and leans over the tables to get a view of the maps. She studies them while she waits for Vespid's reply. Never done this kind of thing before. We'll have to coordinate a plan somehow.
"It shall be done. How much free reign do we have? For example if I was to pay the prison governer a visit and explain that a member of his family will die every hour the prisoner is not released. Would that be too, uh, overt?"
Kiddrik also leans in, seemingly just as curious as the ebullient halfling. ”And which person?”
Vespid raises an eyebrow and considers. Sa'kage, I do not believe you will have any success with that tactic. The Hellknights do not give in to such demands, nor would they release a prisoner for any reason. Besides, I did not say release. I said free.
She indulges in a wry smile, then continues. The prison is Citadel Remain, here in Cheliax. The prisoner is Valdis Portuni, someone our employer wants silenced before he reveals too much beneath the Order of the Scourge's attentions.
Kiddrik pops a grape in his mouth as he listens. ”If our employer wants Valdis silenced, why free him? Why not just … well, silence him.”
Vespid laughs. I'm going to have some fun with you. 'Free,' as in, 'free from this mortal shell,' she grins.
Sa'Kage noded. At Mistress Vespid's word ,the man Vladis Portuni was a walking corpse, his body just didn't know it yet...
Eris frowned slightly at the task. Breaking into a prison wasn't particularly difficult, but breaking into one guarded by Hellknights was a slightly different matter. Closing her eyes, Eris quickly rattled off possible solutions through her mind, attempting to view possible outcomes to each one.
Option #1: Attempt to infiltrate the prison from the inside, for instance, send one of their own into it, make contact with the prison, and then either break him out to be killed later, or kill him within the prison and make an escape. The only issues Eris could see with this was a lack of resources by whoever was inside the prison, as well as a reliance on the rest of them to organise a prison break regardless.
Option #2: Attack or infiltrate the prison from the outside. Unfortunately, Eris knew she lacked Hellknight dress, as well as intimate knowledge of the order itself, so it was highly unlikely she could pass through undetected, while attacking the prison head on was a very...clumsy maneuver, and it was difficult to see how successful that would be.
Eris narrows her eyes slightly, there had to be a better way...
Bess remembers hearing of the name Valdis Portuni when her former family skirted the borders of Cheliax and Andoran all those years ago. He had been a contact for safe, discrete, travels from Cheliax to Andoran through the well-guarded border. If someone needed to escape Cheliax, he was one who knew hidden routes and safehouses to get them out.
The prematurely grey-haired man bearing a weathered complexion - who seems profoundly comfortable with silence - glances at the scrolls from his seat. "So, case the prison and determine our strategy. Do we know how hard they are pressing him? It affects our timeline."
The Hellknights are nothing if not methodical. They will break him eventually, Vespid says. Time is not your friend, but neither can you afford to be reckless.
The scrolls provide you with several bits of information. Citadel Demain has three moats, two walls -- an inner and outer curtain -- and a rising fortress in the center. It is outfitted with large meeting halls to host impressive gatherings.
A sketch of Valdis shows him to be a middle-aged or older human male with a bald pate and a large mole under his right eye.
Another sketch shows a severe-looking woman in Hellknight plate armor, named Pontia Runario. Notes indicate that she was Valdis' captor, and had started some of the interrogation before turning him over to Citadel Demain for "processing." The notes say she works in Egorian with a team of other Order of the Scourge knights, rooting out criminals, thieves and murderers.
Bess says, "I'm sorry to hear that Valdis' time has come. From what I've heard he was always fair and a good check on the power of Cheliax. At any rate, he deserves a clean death and that at least we can offer him."
Looking over the map, she notes, "I remember reading a bit about the Citadel, years back. If I recall, it served as the home of the original order of the Hellknights. Its reconstruction in 4639 AR added huge meeting halls to host the leaders of the Hellknight orders during the knighthood’s rare conclaves. Much of the innermost curtain was built using the ruins of the fortress that burned in the same location over 50 years ago. Its dark stones are still bearing the scars of the fire and are said to hold a strange warmth and traces of Hellknights—rent armor, blade scratches, or fused bone. The three moats are each connected by cascades and ascents. Unknown terrors live in Citadel Demain's moats and great submerged moat gates exist."
Pausing to consider, she adds, "Casing this prison will be a good deal harder than casing DuRayne's manor. Entering in disguise sounds perhaps marginally less risky than attempting to sneak through it. Kage you mention you have the gift of invisibility. How long can you maintain it for?"
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