After seeing the patrol off, Nahia turns to the others and says "Well, that was an impressive display. Seven brave men riding off to face who knows what..." Nahia smiles as she watches the men, sunlight gleaming off their armor and weapons.
This is going to be interesting. We might actually need the element of surprise on our hands for this one. These men don't look as lackluster as the soldiers of the ashes of Brandescar. Hmm... we'll talk tonight when we gather. I'll have to think until then...
Nahia, turns to her companions and says "Ok, I'm off to buy some supplies at the market, then I'll head back and do some work. We'll meet up in the rooms after dinner?"
Nahia nods and walks off towards the market, humming something upbeat.
After seeing the patrol off, Nahia turns to the others and says "Well, that was an impressive display. Seven brave men riding off to face who knows what..." Nahia smiles as she watches the men, sunlight gleaming off their armor and weapons.
This is going to be interesting. We might actually need the element of surprise on our hands for this one. These men don't look as lackluster as the soldiers of the ashes of Brandescar. Hmm... we'll talk tonight when we gather. I'll have to think until then...
Nahia, turns to her companions and says "Ok, I'm off to buy some supplies at the market, then I'll head back and do some work. We'll meet up in the rooms after dinner?"
Fausto nods, "Yes, it won't be easy but it won't be hard either. We'll just have to catch them while they sleep or at least are resting. That will nullify the odds with regards to horses and armor, hopefully. I certainly don't want to joust with them but we can take them."
He waves as they go by and adds, "We'll talk more tonight because we will need to know where they camp or trail them..."
Rose waves he kerchief and smiles as the riders leave the gates. Maybe they'd run into a bugbear scouting patrol and end up as dinner. Probably wishful thinking.
She looked around for anyone who might fit the description of Captain Mott's wife. her whole plan would fall apart if she couldn't get a good look at the woman.
She grinned.
Yes, that would do it.
"Nahia, do you know where I might be able to find Captain Eddarly? I hear he's a bachelor." She said with wide eyes.
Nahia turns to Rose and gives her an apologetic expression, saying "I'm sorry, but I am not sure. He has shown up at the inn before. Otherwise, I am unsure. I'll be sure to let you know if I find out though!"
After spending the day walking about in the town, at night, you all gather in Nahia's room to surmise what you have discovered and learned about the place, and all the rumors.
”Have you ever been to the choir hall of Balentyne? Amazing! The priests are such beautiful singers and sometimes the stone saints that adorn the place join in the chorus. Such a miracle! "
”Mad Martin is a strange one! He tends the rookery in the Watchtower. They say he never leaves except for necessities. He talks to the birds like people and has named every one! “
”Lord Havelyn is a good soul but so grim and gloomy. For so great a lord to be unhappy, he must be guilty about something! “
”That Captain Zack Eddarly is a handsome one, isn’t he? Such a gallant! And still unmarried at his age. He’ll make some lady of proper breeding quite a catch won’t he? “
”Balentyne’s magister, that creepy Tacitus, has been spending a lot of time working on something in his tower! I don’t know what it is, but it’s said that something unnatural was recovered from the north. “
”Ye Merrie Men are coming to town and the handsome William Marcus Marlow is coming with them! Can you believe it? The Bard of Barrington! Here! They are doing the “Fall of Amberlyn”! Oh, I can’t wait! “
”They say the bugbears are massing up north. I wonder what their up to? Well, it doesn’t matter! We’ll be ready for ‘em! You’d think those shaggy walking carpets would have learned by now that the Watch Wall is unbreakable.“
”Soldiers today! A worthless, shiftless lot! Balentyne is in total disarray. Soldiers today are too lazy – not like in my day. “
”There’s a pack of dwarves in town led by a grumpy short fellow named Barnabus Eisenbauch. They’re here to fix up the watchtower or so I’ve heard. A hard working fellow -- just don’t challenge him to a drinking contest. He’ll drink you under the table every time! “
”I’ve heard that Father Donnagin was sent here after the church demoted him from bishop. He got into some sort of trouble – serious trouble I’d wager to be banished to the Watch Wall. “
”Bellam Barhold is such a lush. He does enjoy his wine. He’s always complaining about how he can’t get any of the good stuff here in the borderlands. “
”Have you seen Kaitlyn Mott? She’s the most beautiful woman in town! How did an ugly lump of a man like Captain Franz Mott bag a looker like her? And how does he keep her, that’s what I want to know! “
”Have you had any of Mama Guisseppe’s beef stew? Delicious! I hear she goes up to the Watchtower and cooks a big batch of it for the men every Monday! What a nice old lady. “
”Those dwarves are a thieving lot! I heard one of them was caught picking a man’s pocket. “
”Lord Thomas Havelyn is the most honorable and capable commander that Balentyne has ever had. If he can’t keep the Watch Wall working, then no one can! “
”Did you hear about prisoners escaping from Branderscar? Were they ever caught? “
”Here’s to the soldiers of Balentyne! One hundred of the finest fighting men it’s ever been my privilege to serve with“
”I hear a raven arrived at the rookery last night! I bet it carried important news though I know not about what. “
”Do you know how the Lord’s Dalliance got its name? It was once a brothel! I hear there used to be a secret passage to the basement that allowed the Lord of the Watchtower to sneak in here and have a good time. Of course it must have been sealed up years ago.“
More than that, you know that the chain of command is: Lord Thomas Havelyn, Father Donnagin, Magister Tacitus, Captain Samual Barhold, Captain Franz Mott, Captain Zacharias “Zack” Eddarly, Captain Ryan Varning.
Others person of interest in town, can be said to be:
Barnabus Eisenbauch, the dwarf chief engineer.
Bellam Barhold, owner of the Lord’s Dalliance
Kaitlyn Mott, Franz Wife.
Of the rumors, you were able to confirm that the secret passage does really exist in the Inn, and it leads to the basement in the tower, just below the forge.
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Mysty spends some time in her room thinking of all they had discovered and learned to this point. After an hour or two she finds the others and arranges a group meeting, in private in one of their rooms.
I have been thinking as to our options in this venture. Our objective is to open the gates to the bugbear army, while at the same time disrupting or destroyer as much of the defenses as possible. What we now need is a plan of action.
At this point Mysty hops up on the table, sitting there, with eye contact with the rest of the party. And we need this plan sooner rather than later.
As she talks Mysty's hand starts playing with that little flame again, dancing it over her fingers. Here is my idea. Firstly we must weaken the garrison, preferably by killing or disabling its leadership. We should move on revealing Captain Mott's wife's infidelity. I don't think we need evidence for this really. Captain Eddarly is a handsome, known womaniser, and Mrs Mott is a beautiful woman. We could approach this in two ways. First spread the rumor of her betrayal in the town. This will take time to spread. Second why not send a letter directly to the good captain. Simply say it is from a concerned person, who cannot keep their silence any more. Captain Mott, if he is concerned about his wife any way, will confront her and Eddarly. I think he might be the jealous type.
Mysty's eyes light up as she describes her ideas, as if a banked fire is fed. According to rumor one Mama Guisseppe cooks a big batch of stew for the garrison every Monday. This could be an opportunity to disable much of the garrison. We poison the stew. For this we need a good amount of poison of some type. Or perhaps if bad meat was added. We do not need to kill, just harm. Poison would be better. We should locate an alchemist and see whats available. This is farming territory, so poison to kill pests should be available, and if not we could work something out I am certain. I have some skill in alchemy so I could help there. If we follow this path, that means we attack Monday night.
Mysty jumps to her feet on the table, her mind on fire with the plan she was devising even as she speaks.
Assuming the Alchemist has enough poison, we raid his shop the day before the attack, after the town sleeps. That would be Sunday. Then the next day we spike the stew, and let it be eaten. Then that night we set the In alight, and retreat into the basement tunnel. This will draw attention to the Inn as people fight the fire, and may even draw help from the tower, reducing its garrison. We enter the armory, and move up the tower, killing in as much silence as we can. We know that the rookery is in the tower to we continue up and destroy it, preventing messages out of the tower. As she talks Mysty pulls out a piece of charcoal and some paper and sketches their path up the tower.
At that point we need to kill any other officers, and destroy stocks of stored weapons that cold aid the defense. But our primary goal is to set off the rocket, and capture the gatehouse. Then we hold it until the bugbears arrive. Oh and we should spike any siege engines we find. And kill any we encounter. At some point we will be discovered, but the longer we stall this happening, the easier it will be.
Mysty looks at each of the group, making eye contact again. {b]This will be difficult, but not impossible. I know you may want to think about the plan, or change or add parts. This is good. But we need a plan to start with.[/b]
With that Mysty sits down on the table again.
So what do you think?
”Have you seen Kaitlyn Mott? She’s the most beautiful woman in town! How did an ugly lump of a man like Captain Franz Mott bag a looker like her? And how does he keep her, that’s what I want to know! “
"Ugly? The man I saw her getting close with with yesterday was quite handsome." Rose had said, surprised, "I assumed he was her husband because of how sweet they were being. I wonder who he was? He was definitely a soldier, and looked like he was in charge. I think he was a captain, but definitely not ugly at all."
Its a start, I suppose.
"Good ideas." Rose nodded. "I'd love to get things moving on the Mrs. Mott front, but in two days of looking, I still can't find the silly b@++!. Don't socialites usually like being seen by people? I know I do." she said with a roll of her eyes and an execrated toss of her hair.
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Mysty thinks for a second. Rose this is a garrison town, not the capital. They don't have socialites (present company excepted) they have gossips. Small town gossips at that. She probably doesn't go out much. Could be why she is having an affair, she's bored. Your idea is a good one, but we don't have time for a long...courtship so to speak.
Nahia nods along as she listens to Mysty's plan, smiling and grinning at the various ideas. Once Mysty's description is completed, Nahia replies "I like the plan, but a couple of concerns. Firstly, while I understand the point of burning down the Inn, if we do that, then we would most likely block off any means of escape, should things go awry in the fortress. How about we burn down the church instead? Seems a bit more fitting and would draw a lot more attention."
Letting the concept sink in for a moment, Nahia then continues, "Also, I think it would be a good idea to take out the dwarves before going into the fortress. Being hardy creatures, and resistant to magic, we may have troubles with them should they be present during our excursion. Maybe we take them out in their sleep the day before, or even immediately before, we enter the tower?"
Finally, with a tinge of upbeat happiness Nahia says "On the good news front, related to the stew, I am also an alchemist of no small skill and could be of use making poisons. I can also convince the spirits to spoil as much food as you would like, given some time."
- - - - -
Nahia turns to Rose as asks "Why not just go to Captain Mott's house? We don't know where it is but everyone in town must know. And a new, pretty faced noble going to ask the other pretty faced noble about the current fashions in this area, and to gossip about the local population, would not be anything unusual. Take a bottle of wine, ask about clothes, the natives, her husband, and potential suitors for yourself. Then watch her get jealous when you talk fondly of Captain Eddarly."
"Plus it's an Inn. Everyone exits the Inn, it burns to the ground and a new one pops up just as quick...I like the church idea, but just to throw out another suggestion, Why don't we go light up the housing district. Set some of the citizen's houses on fire instead? People tend to do stupid things when they are about to lose everything. And if some of these Mitran loving citizens perish in the night, well no big loss." Seren replies off-hand.
"I'm going to leave the dealing of Eddard, and Mott to you ladies. Other then that the rest of the plan sounds solid, though I wouldn't mind killing off ALL of the leadership before the bugbears arrive, we've only got one shot at them actually breaching this place and I don't want to screw it up."
Seren looks over at Nahia as she mentions her skills "Of that she is. I've seen her do some incredible things. Speaking of which, can you make some soothe syrup and smelling salts? Plus anything else that will let me drink a dwarf under the table? " Seren contemplates.
"The dwarves were fixing something on the watchtower eh? Would be nice to know what is in need of fixing. I think it's time one of us met with Barnabus Eisenbauch, and I hear that he does love his drinking contests."
Nahia will nod at Seren and say "I could agree to that as well, as long as the fire can spread easily. And I need the ingredients for the syrup, but making some shouldn't be a problem. And here, I already have smelling salts." Nahia reaches into a pouch on her waist and hands a vial to Seren.
Nahia will ask, "Though what are your plans about out-drinking him? I might be able to align the spirits against him, but if he figures out what is going on then I doubt he will be too happy."
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Nahia, we burn the inn because there is no retreat for us anyway. If we fail at the tower, the cardinal will hunt us down and destroy us at which point our problems are just starting. Our ultimate superior does not brook failure. Burning the church would be fun, but this is where the tunnel is. It would be simpler here. Also remember, this town will be annihilated once the bugbears are finished. mysty explains quietly
Nahia nods at Mysty and says "I understand that, overall, failure isn't an option. But why do we only get one single attempt to throw ourselves at the fortress? I don't see any reason that, if things go right, such as taking out the rookery, that we couldn't retreat to make a second assault, rather than throwing ourselves on their swords."
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We must succed on the first attack, because there won't be a second. This isn't something we can whittle down.
Mysty's hands wave in the air as she speaks, emphasizing her words as the little flame dances to and fro.
Our foes are contemptible, but let us not fall into the trap that they are stupid. If we attack then withdraw, it will not take a lot of thinking to reason out how we entered the tower, and then who we are. Some of us are very obvious mysty said, glancing at Rose and Seren.
Even poisoning is a short term event. We will probably kill some, but most will recover. And it will be obvious it was poison. An alchemist would know that (note to self, kill local alchemist if opportunity arrises). Exiting the trapdoor in the tower, while it is being guarded would not be fun.
No, when we attack we are committed to win or lose. Having said that, I have no intention in fighting toe to toe if I can help it. And we should do everything to avoid that. Taking out the captains first would be good, The dwarves would better gone as well. By the way they are staying at the lords dalliance. Killing them one by one on the night of the attack while they sleep would be simplest.
"Don't confuse failure and setback. Daddy won't be upset as long as we get the job done in the end."
"That being said, torching as much of the town as possible when we make our final raid on the tower and the gatehouse would be a great way of drawing attention away from ourselves. Its hard to fight off an incursion and a spreading blaze at the same time."
"When we light the fire, we should use something that water can't put out, like some of the lard or oil in the larder. Also I hear loose flower actually explodes."
"If we can summon up a fire elemental and an air elemental in the kitchen, this place will go up like a powder keg. If we prep the other buildings on the street, it will spread fast."
As they talked, Rose was getting changed into an evening dress, stripping down to her corset and petticoat, apparently not caring much that there were men in the room. The odd pattern on her back actually glittered in the firelight.
Fausto listens as the others made plans. This was difficult, probably the hardest job he'd ever done. This wasn't taking out a single target; it was taking out several targets at the same time.
"Listen, we need to this once and do it correctly so do assume that we won't get a second chance. But this is... difficult. We must take out several targets in a short amount of time."
He scratches his beard, "There are some targets that can be accomplished before all hell breaks loose." He smiles at his own pun, "But others must be done roughly at the same time."
He looks around, "I say we concentrate on the things that can be done before hand. I count the following: spread rumors about the captains and the wife. How is that going?"
He continues, "The other captain that went into the wilderness. We have a good five days to take him out so that can also be done ahead of the main assault. How about we get some horses and track them down?"
Fausto has another idea, "I hear the dwarves are fixing something or other in the tower. What is there was something else that needed their expertise so they wouldn't be in the tower during the final assault? is there anything 'important' that we could break and ask the dwarves to fix?"
He continues, "What about Father Donnagin? I heard he was demoted so maybe we can arrange for a message to reach him and present himself in the capital because he will be pardoned. Someone like him would probably jump at that opportunity. We need to do whatever we can to weaken this damn tower before our full assault."
"That is a fantastic idea, Fausto." Rose says as she pulls her dress over her head. "We would just need to forge a church document from the college of bishops. I could deliver it tomorrow dressed as a courier. A simple summons to discuss new information regarding the allegations against him would probably be enough to get him out of the way."
"Can someone help me with these little buttons in the back? All these new styles from the capitol assume extra hands, or a flexibility that I don't posses. At least not while wearing a corset." She says with a wry look over her own shoulder.
Rose thought for a moment. "The only thing I'm not sure of is what the College of Bishops seal looks like."
"I don't think that's necessary. I doubt it would even be mentioned in a letter, just in case someone else saw it. The church plays its internal matters pretty close to the chest."
"A simple summons to address new information regarding the allegations in his case would probably be enough. In fact, the more vague it is, the more his own mind will fill in the blanks. It doesn't matter if he goes out of worry or hope, either way he gets out of our way. The important thing is that it looks official."
Fausto is smiling now, "How about this letter requests the 'good father's immediate presence in the capital with a promise of an 'inspection' in two weeks time of how things are going here. Maybe something dear to the Father Donnagin, which will be inspected, just happens to break down and he needs the dwarves to fix."
He nods, "If this works then we have the father out of town and the dwarves out of the tower for a week or two. Think! What can 'break' that is dearest to the Donnagin and would warrant him asking the dwarves to fix 'right away'?"
hmm. A problem. Messages from the capital are delivered by raven. How are we to arrange that.
"Maybe not. As mentioned before, the issue at hand is delicate enough to warrant the message to be delivered by a personal courier. You know, to avoid further embarrassment to those involved. I'm sure the 'good father' will buy into that."
Looking over at Nahia, Seren explains her plan for drinking with the dwarves.
"for the smelling salts i figured it's a dwarven drinking contest. A little bout of unconsciousness shouldn't stop the event. The smelling salts are for the second round of drinking. They would be sat at the table with me, Surely a burly dwarf would let a lady have a small advantage."
"the soothing syrup, however, well that's for cheating. With soothing syrup and some yelling to Cayden Cailean I should be able to hold my own."
"We have no idea what they are fixing... Dwarves are great at stonework, but also at weapon-making. They could be repairing ballista or something. Figure its worthwhile to know whether we should re-task them or kill them." Seren adds.
She fiddles with her bags for a moment. "I don't agree that this has to be a one shot deal, did anything you see during your nightly escape give the hint that this is a well travelled tunnel we are using to enter the watchtower?" Seren asks Mysty and Fauso.
"If we play this right we should be able to clear out large portions of the fort all the while shifting blame to the servants, or even better the Merrie Men. Why not start the more obvious attacks when they are in town, lets the coincidence of them arriving and the murders beginning also shift accusations from us." Seren reasons.
" But if it is our plan to try and do it in one shot, I would oh so like to take out that patrol before it happens."
Seren pulls a captivating black stone from her bag. "Reinforcements may be welcome for the assault if we are not worried about being discovered."
Nahia looks around and nods at the discussion. When things have settled a bit she says "I can give a hand in the forging of a letter, if you want it. And I can agree that sending a personal messenger might not be so uncommon, for a delicate matter. Though I think the more general and vague we are the better. My only concern is if he sends some kind of confirmation message back by Raven, then we may have an issue."
Turning to Seren, Nahia adds "That's a great idea. When the Merrie Men arrive we could even use our disguises to make them seem conspicuous and to start rumors amongst the general populace. Hell, we might even be able to just buy the ingredients for poison and some of these questionable things, and maybe plant some holy symbols to heathen gods amongst the actors. That might let us take this in a couple of steps."
Sighing a bit and looking around, Nahia asks "Ok, let's take a vote. Who votes that we try and take out the fortress in one sweep?"
First, see what happens with the whole cheating wife and Captains Mott and Eddarly.
Second, take out the patrol with captain Varning.
Third, send away or kill Father Donnagin.
Fourth, send away or kill the dwarves.
Fifth, taint the stew.
Sixth, set fire as a distraction.
Seventh, take out the rookery.
And finally, cause as much bloodshed and damage as possible in a short amount of time, set off the signal, and find a place to hold out until the army arrives. Sound right to everyone?"
First, see what happens with the whole cheating wife and Captains Mott and Eddarly.
Second, plant evidence to create rumors about the Merrie Men.
Third, take out the patrol with captain Varning.
Fourth, send away or kill Father Donnagin.
Fifth, send away or kill the dwarves.
Sixth, taint the stew.
Seventh, start a fire as a distractions during a performance.
Eighth, take out the rookery during a performance.
Ninth, take out the rest of the captains in small, contained strikes, retreating to our hiding place each time.
And finally, once we are found out or they shut up the fortress, cause as much bloodshed and damage as possible in a short amount of time, set off the signal, and find a place to hold out until the army arrives. Sound right to everyone?"
"Well, all of the stuff that doesn't involve violence can be done in the days prior. Once we set those fires though, there's really no going back. Ideally, we want the town to start burning at the same time we're killing the birds in the tower. Then, as the fire spreads and really starts getting people's attention, we seize the gatehouse and let in the bugbears."
Rose finished getting dressed, settling a lightweight cloak around her shoulders.
"I heard that the soldiers will be out on the town tonight. Someone's birthday I think. There's a few people it would be useful to run into. Anyone who wants to join me is welcome to. If you have your own projects, be aware that there's going to be a lot of drunken soldiers wandering around town tonight."
Should I go down and have some fun with the soldiers? Or should I get some work done instead?...
...
...
...
A night of fun can't hurt. I have plenty of time to get that work done.
Nahia grins and excitedly says "Oh! I'm up for a party!"
Nahia looks at Mysty, smiles, and says "Well, if you'd like, I can make you big enough to pass as a woman for one dance..."
"And I'm not so sure on that one Mysty, and your inclusion may be valuable. At the church the children we're always adept at going unnoticed around important conversations and learning things they shouldn't. Children don't draw as much attention as attractive ladies for men conspiring. Plus with this as the only Inn, I can't imagine a child could sleep with all the festivities downstairs anyways, so you reason for being there is easy enough to cover. Nor do I suspect you'll be the only "child" who uses this party as an attempt to escape into or around town." Seren suggests.
Seren sits down in one of the chairs, and stares up at the ceiling.
"Perhaps I will have to meet those dwarves tonight. I'm sure they will be taking part of the festivities. hmm, I'll have to stop by the alchemist quickly. See if he has any of that soothing syrup to go with my new smelling salts." Seren ponders to herself.
"She has a good point Mysty. The best part about looking like a child is that most people will ignore you, and if they catch you, you have a built in reason for being places you aren't supposed to. This party should be great cover. Can you think of anywhere that could use exploring?"
"If there's a magic shop in town, find it and case it. Before this is all done, we're probably going to need to break in for some equipment."
"Wish me luck, I'm going to carouse with the enemy." She said with a perfect smile and headed out the door.
Nahia nods at Seren and Rose and says "Both are good options for you Mysty. And if you are going to case something, well... there is a scroll vendor with a nice selection. That said, my offer still stands."
Turning to Seren, Nahia says [b]"If you want that syrup before you go down there, it is going to take me a couple of hours to brew it. If you can wait that long I'm perfectly willing to make it for you."
"If it's not to much trouble, and your confident you can get it done before the festivities start in earnest. I may have a pretty good stomach, but I'm still going to being drinking with dwarves...Any help I can get for this would be worthwhile." Seren replies with a shrug.
Rose breezed down the stairs gracefully, her eyes wide and innocent, laughing in wonder at the party she stumbled into. She stopped on the landing in the perfect place to look the room over, and be perfectly lit by the dancing firelight. She played with a lock of her hair, pretending she wasn't aware of the eyes on her as she smiled at the carousing she saw. The soldiers certainly did seem like they were having a good time.
A minstrel was playing and ale was flowing. Games were being played and laughter filled the room.
She looked for faces she recognized from the other night when she'd been asked to dance and looked for anyone that might be one of their marks.
She was thinking she might just have to settle for another night of casual entertainment when through the door came a stern faced man with a hatchet face and an air of authority. On his arm was an attractive woman who was clearly faking her own enjoyment.
Rose very nearly smiled a genuine, more sinister smile in spite of herself, but years of practice held her act firmly in place.
Well hello there Missus Mott. Where have you been hiding? she thought to herself, stepping down off the landing and into the din of the room.
Nahia smiles at Seren and says [b"]Of course it is no trouble. And, considering dwarves love of drink, I don't see any reason why he would quit early."[/b] Giggling to herself for a moment, Nahia starts towards the door and says "I'll head to my room and get started, just to be sure."
Nahia sets out her small cauldron and places a handful of coals into the brazier under it. With a snap of her fingers the coals begin to dance with flame, and then begin to smoulder, the heat rising from them rippling the air. In her final workspace preparations, she also sets out a silk cloth, a spoon, some sort of small metal grater, and a mortar and pestle.
Going over to her chest of reagents, Nahia pulls out a vial of a brown, bubbling liquid, a piece of ginger root, some green leaves, and some honey. She places these upon the silk cloth, bows her head, and closes her eyes in silence.
Spirits of nature, guide me in the preparation of this tonic, show me your skill and wisdom.
The moment having passed, Nahia turns to Andros and asks "Would you mind grating the ginger for me?" The tiny serpent shakes his head, uses his tail to pull the ginger over to the metal grater, and begins to push and pull the root with practiced ease over the sharp metal surface. Nahia takes the handful of green leaves, places them in the mortar, and begins to lightly grind them with the pestle.
With the ingredients prepared, Nahia pours the bubbling brown liquid into the cauldron and tosses in some of the ginger and leaves. Over the next several hours, Nahia carefully examines, and even tastes the liquid, adding pinches of the various ingredients in small amounts, adjusting the balance. When she is finally convinced that she has it right, and once the liquid has condensed down to a rather sticky concentration, she adds the tonic into a vial half full of honey. Swirling the mixture until the, previously light colored, honey takes on a brownish color with specks of leaf and ginger suspended within.
Giving the mixture time to cool, Nahia proceeds to do one more thing before going to to join the party. After taking a quick gulp of wine Nahia kneels, her sickle in hand, and begins to pray, "Most glorious Dark Prince, please, grant me a honeyed tongue, that I may sow discord amongst your enemies, that they might be led from their light, that your darkness might spread." Then, very carefully, Nahia proceeds to use the tip of the sickle to scratch lightly at her throat, creating five lines that form the design of the Star of Asmodeus.
The wound seeps blood and black ichor, the rent flesh throbbing and pulsing, sending jutting pain through Nahia. But quickly that pain changes into a warmth that spreads through her neck, face, and chest. Nahia gasps at the sudden pain before blushing and closing her eyes with the warmth. After several minutes have passed, the wound has stopped leaking and the warmth has settled into a nothing more than a bit of a flush.
Recovering from the feelings, Nahia takes a silk scarf and wraps it around her neck to cover the wound. Her tasks done, she dons her disguise, applies a dab of her rose oil, and goes to give her offering to Seren.
Moving towards Seren, Nahia smiles and says "I have a delivery for you, still warm from the pot." Nahia pulls out the vial of thick syrup and hands it to Seren, adding "Now, I hope this works out for you. It is no easy task you have given yourself, but if you overdo it, feel free to bunk down in my room and I will make sure you have water and an empty bucket nearby."
Nahia looks around the Inn, seeing all of the new faces, though quite happy that Captain Eddarly is not here. She stands near the bar, doing her best to look inviting and happy, as she orders a glass of wine and takes some time to blend into the crowd.
After she has mingled a bit, Nahia will approach the Motts, saying "You must the Captain Mott I had heard about, and you, the Lady Mott. It is so nice to see the two of you in person." Nahia curtseys deeply to them and continues "My clients tend to simply refer to me as healer, but please, call me Adanna. Missus Mott, let me say, I'm not the most fashionable person, as you can see, but that dress is exquisite. If you don't mind me asking, where do you get your clothes? If the spring herbs come in nicely I might be able to afford something from last season."
...
Ok, now that the missus has been satisfied and that Captain Mott is bored to tears, time to bring him back in with some flattery and pity for me.
Nahia spends some time conversing with Lady Mott, attempting to let Missus Mott talk about the one thing that she probably doesn't get to do enough: Missus Mott and how great she is. But after a time, noticing Captain Mott's eyes have glazed over, Nahia will say "Oh, I am so sorry Sir Mott, but I must be boring you with all of this girl talk. Please don't take offense at my rudeness, that was no way to treat the premier captain of Ballyntine. Nahia meekly averts her eyes down from Captain Mott's when he snaps back into the conversation.
Nahia nods at Captain Mott saying "But, from what I have heard it is true Sir. Captain Varning goes on his hunts, yes, to keep the roads safe, but that means he is away from his men for long periods of time. Admittedly, I don't know much of Captain Barhold, but it is refreshing to see an officer such as yourself come out to celebrate a birthday with his men. You don't see that very often. And taking time away from what I am sure is a busy schedule to spend a lovely evening with your wife, that, Sir, speaks wonders of your character to me." Nahia does her best to seem energetic, using her hands a lot of she speaks, keeping her eyes open wide, and talking swiftly. But she is careful not to get too close to Captain Mott, lest his wife get jealous.
Continuing with her rapid tirade, Nahia says "I've wandered through many cities in my search for rare herbs and, unfortunately, it seems more and more common that Officers, especially young or single ones, would rather spend their time chasing skirts, looking pretty, and gallivanting with the ladies, single or not, than doing their jobs and training their men. And I have seen enough preventable battle wounds to say that activities like that get men maimed, or worse yet killed. Not that the married ones are always better. They spend all their time training their men but seem to have forgotten how important morale is. They don't take the time, like you do, to both remind their men that life is more than battle. And they so often ignore their wives, so their men never see that one can be a soldier and a have a family. Not to mention what that does to their wife's morale. See, that is why I think so highly of you, because you manage to strike that rare balance between being there for your men and being there for your wife. If the other two captains are as good of men as you are, then the people of these parts shall never have anything to fear.
Alright, hopefully this will bring up any bad feelings Captain Mott may have about his marriage, especially if he blames himself. And hopefully Kaitlyn Mott is feeling angry about my describing Eddarly's actions so despicably. If I get really lucky, she will step in to remind me that I left Eddarly out and that there are three other Captains, not two. And then that will make Captain Mott even more upset, maybe even jealous, that his wife brought up another man while I am talking so well of him. And hopefully this will sow the seeds of distrust that Rose can use to push him over the edge.
Her work here having gone as far as it is going to, and not wanting to push her luck, Nahia takes this opportunity to leave the conversation, saying "I am so sorry that I have taken up so much of your time. Thank you both for speaking with me. It was lovely meeting you. Thank you again, Missus Mott, for the fashion advice. And thank you again, Sir Mott, for letting me take you away from your men to express my appreciation." Nahia curtseys deeply once again and backs away, gaining some distance before turning her back and heading back to the bar to finish her wine.
And a big party it is!
Apart from the locals, the inn is crowded with soldiers and family of soldiers.
You barely have space to walk between the place. You can hear a faint music, but the sound of laughers and chatting.
Bellan and his barmaids are more than overworked trying to serve everyone and in the end, it’s a bit hard to get anything from then.
There are ‘groups’ of soldiers in the place, now that you can see then together it’s easy to tell that they have different training.
You are able to distinguish three groups and with each group what you judge to be their captain.
Eddarly group seems to be more agile and not that strong as the others.
Mott’s men are the one with more physical strength of all.
Barhold’s men are in can be said to be between both groups.
You also see, chatting happily with everyone a middle aged man, using a Mitran holy symbol. And by the way he is received; you can guess that he is Father Donnagin.
==//==
As you descend into the place, you get your fair share of lewd looks.
You see some familiar faces, but the one that danced with you cannot be seem.
==//==
Despite of your not so attractive clothes, you are already ‘quite’ famous in town. Some stares, and jokes when you pass.
As you approach Kaitlyn Mott seems uninterested and bored, but as soon you began to flatter her, you can see her mood getting better.
”Oh dear!” she says clearing pitying you ”There’s not a change to get good dresses here, all of mine I had it bought in Daveryn, and I’m sure you’ll be able to get some fine clothes!” says Kaitlyn.
As the conversation continues, more you get to dislike Kaitlyn, after all, all she appears to want is social status, jewels and prestige, not to mention people to do her bidding.
Franz Mott was taken by surprise by our flattery, and you saw he is quite happy with what you said about him.
”You’re not rude at all miss Adanna, It’s good to see Kaitlyn having fun chatting happily with you.”
As you began your tirade, you see he get a bit upset about some things, specially having balance between work and family, and about the chasing skirt part.
Cleary uncomfortable he replays ”It’s really a rough business this, sometimes and finding balance is really hard.”
Kaitlyn got unquiet at your words, she opened her mouth to interrupt several times, but in the end, she stayed quiet, while Franz was oblivious to it all.
Then when you wave good bye he says ”Don’t worry about keeping me from my men’s. They see me every day, some hours less will not kill then.” he says with a poor attempt of a joke.
Seren centers herself before heading downstairs, mentally preparing herself for the drinking she is about to partake in. What do dwarves like? Have I even met a dwarf before?
She hears a knock on the door and looks on gratefully as Nahia displays the bubbling syrup. Seren looks worriedly at the red streaks slightly noticeable under the scarf. "I trust this wasn't too much trouble to create?"
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Seren heads downstairs, the amount of people in the inn slightly unnerving. She sees some familiar faces, and more then a couple that she doesn't recognize, Seren chuckles to herself as she notices one particular face... Hey Eddarly is here. Come on Mysty, screw the original plan. Light this place up.
Seren approaches Bellan through the crowd. "I've seen some dwarves around town. Have you seen them tonight? I feel like drinking rather heavily tonight, and frankly, I never had the chance to drink with a dwarf before."
Nahia smiles at Seren and says "No, it wasn't any trouble at all. Quite easily, really. Especially with the help of Andros." Nahia reaches up behind her neck and strokes the muzzle of the tiny serpent.
"What about you, ready to out drink a dwarf? Because I'm looking forward to seeing this. Especially how you are afterwards, assuming you don't just puke and pass out... and not necessarily in that order... Nahia says with amusement.
Rose flitted from group to group like the born and raised social butterfly she was, but never stayed long and always stayed near enough to Kaitlyn Mott to be able to catch most of what she said and watch her from all angles, drinking in her behaviors and demeanor. She was caught watching a few times but expertly brushed it off to those near her as being "Just distracted by how regal and pretty she was. Really, how are you not taken in as well?"
She asked questions of every soldier who seemed interested in her, which was most of them.
"What do you soldiers do when you aren't fighting monsters beyond the wall? Do you have to spend a lot of time marching and standing at attention on the walls and stuff?"
"Where do the ones who rode out yesterday go? What's out there?"
"What's it like on top of the tower?"
"Is the madman with the birds as crazy as they say? What's he like?"
"Which one of you is the strongest? Who's the best with a sword? How many of you are there?"
"Howcome there aren't more girls here? You're all so fit and handsome!"
She was absolutely shameless in her naivete and soaked in information like a sponge. By the end of the night she knew their numbers and training, what the different uniforms meant and how their watch duties worked. She knew quite a few of their names and their plans for the future. She knew Kaitlyn Mott's bored affluent airs like a dress she could put on and take of at her whim.
The birthday boy needed a very special thank you for his part in the destruction of Ballentyne. She let them believe she was having her first taste of alcohol with them that night and ended up slightly drunkenly crawling into his lap and toying with his curls before giving him a toe-curling kiss right in front of everyone and giggling before passing out on his chest for a few minutes. She played it all to the hilt. The other women in the room were aghast at her flagrance (well, the barmaids less so, but quite amused).
It was her "baby sister" who gave her the out she needed to keep things from progressing further. She managed to extract herself from the pawing hands of the drunken soldiers and pick up little Mysty on her hip, berating her for sneaking downstairs so late. She turned to give the soldiers a last wave before heading upstairs to bed.
Fausto smiles through it all and wonders how much of an act Rose is really putting on. The woman was a natural and the information she was gathering was impressive. Still he stayed close to the conversation and tried to find out more about the 'rangers'.