"By all means, tell us your story." Richter says, slowly lowering himself into one of the chairs.
Lavinia leans back and places her hands in her lap as she tells her story.
"As you may have heard, I recently inherited my parents' estate. Aloing with this fine house, unfortunately, came a fine amount of debt owed the Dawn Council, the harbormaster, and quite a few guildhalls. It seems my parents, for all their success as adventurers, were not as skilled as finance as one might expect. If I'm to get these taxes paid, I'll need to access my family's vault under Castle Teraknian.
"And that's the problem, you see. The vaults are magically locked-keyed to special signet rings. Both of my parents had these rings, at least, until recently. My mother lost hers a few months ago. She arranged for a replacement, but it won't be done for another month ago, too late for me. Which leaves my father's ring. He never wore it-he had a thing about men wearing jewelry. He kept it hidden somewhere on his ship, the Blue Nixie.
"The problem is that the harbormaster has seized the ship until someone pays for the last four months of mooring. I've paid the fines to the main the harbormaster put in charge of my ship, a brute named Sollar Vark. Yet when I went to claim my ship, Vark's men wouldn't let me board, claiming that I hadn't yet paid the fines. I spoke to Vark and he denied ever receiving my payment. My complaints to the harbormaster have fallen of deaf ears.
"Vark and his men are up to something on my ship, I know it. What I need to find out is exactly what they are up to. Unfortunately, Vark's not the type to react well to diplomacy or logic. I need someone who speaks his language...which is were you come in. If you can find out what he's using my ship for, or even better, recover the money I paid him, I'll play each of you 200 gold in return once I've access to my vault. Do you have any questions on dealing with Vark and his men?"
Iorskan’s head popped up at the mention of gold. It made his cold little heart beat faster. For the first time he deigned to speak in common.
”Eat Vark, yes?” The last word came out in a hiss. ”Eat Vark men? Or no eat-murder?”
"Whoa--that's not how I took Lady Vanderboren's words," Lila replies to the smallish yet still majestic dragon. "It sounds like this Vark fellow is a legitimate underling to the harbormaster, so we don't want to kill--and/or eat--him, right? Just knock some sense into him..show him that nobility is not to be trifled with?"
Her one good eye turns to Lavina for confirmation or a more detailed explanation of exactly what she expects from her potential hirelings.
Still.... Knowing that it might one day prove invaluable, Lila quirks an eyebrow and asks Iorskan, "Could you consume a whole person in one sitting if you were hungry enough?"
Iorskan went from looking disappointed to interested in record time. ”Eat-murder small human yes! Halfling or little woman eat-all. Big human, no. Maybe just legs. People come in many sizes.”
"Whoa--that's not how I took Lady Vanderboren's words," Lila replies to the smallish yet still majestic dragon. "It sounds like this Vark fellow is a legitimate underling to the harbormaster, so we don't want to kill--and/or eat--him, right? Just knock some sense into him..show him that nobility is not to be trifled with?"
"Seems more like teaching a man that you're meant to deal honestly with people. Or at least not be so blatant about cheating them."
Lila flashed Iorskan an impish grin before returning her attention to their host. Still, her good eye passes over the nearest Kora for an instant.
I hope she's smart enough to catch the implicit threat in our dragon's words and doesn't mess with our minds more than she and her other selves already have!
She then nods in agreement at Richter's words.
"So we go to your family's boat, scare off these would-be pirates, and fetch a fancy signet-ring? I think that is a job I'm down for. And if a few pirates end up going overboard or into the dragon's belly, I doubt Sasserine will miss them too much."
Lavinia turns to Lila, her jaw somewhat firmly set, and says: "Deal with Vark's men as you see fit. I would wish little violence if possible, but these are not people who respond well to diplomacy or persuasion of the material kind. Skullduggery, violence, or magic may be needed to win the day.".
She then looks at Richter and Nayala, and then states: "Honesty doesn't get much shrift these days in Sasserine. Money and influence speak more then deeds. Miss Nayala is correct in her summary of the tasks. The only person of note that I know of who might miss Vark's men are the harbormaster, but he is corrupt, slowly dying, and the last scion of his house. Most of his days are spent in poppy filled dreams of corpulent decadence and debauchery."
Violence will likely be necessary, but i can try to bring them in alive to meet justice if that's required ma'am. Malek States firmly, shifting his guard badge a little
Lila looks at Mokhai and silent words seem to pass between the unlikely friends. "Count us in," the young woman announces to Lady Vanderboren.
With meat back on the menu and gold to be had, Iorskan happily swished his tale back and forth.
Lavinia looks at you all and says "If you have no other questions, I wish you luck. The Blue Nixie is docked at Pier Five between the Merchant's and the Smith's Guildhalls. Thanks for your help with this problem. Kora will escort you out if you require it."
"Sounds good to me. Let's go wrangle up some pirates!"
Nayala drifts out through the front door, bubbly and happy to be on a mission.
Iorskan happily followed suit. He loved it when he was allowed to eat humans. Even better when he got paid to do so.
Though she felt the lack of one eye made her conspicuous in a crowd, looking at the other members of the raiding party was all it took to change that feeling. An ifrit, a sylph, a dragon...and Richter's ghostly pegleg made the otherwise average-looking man stand out as well.
"Why don't Mokhai and I stroll past first and try to scope out what we'll be up against--numbers, defenses, and the like. Then we'll report back and all make a plan. Sound good?"
Mokhai may be otherwise occupied for the next few days, so I'll roll his Perception check after Lila's Aid Another.
"Sure, why not? I mean, I was thinking we just wait til nightfall, climb on board, and do the deed, but scouting seems smart. Good call."
Let's be off then gang, if someone goes to scout, we should figure out a signals of some sort, one for follow or danger.
Though she felt the lack of one eye made her conspicuous in a crowd, looking at the other members of the raiding party was all it took to change that feeling. An ifrit, a sylph, a dragon...and Richter's ghostly pegleg made the otherwise average-looking man stand out as well.
"Why don't Mokhai and I stroll past first and try to scope out what we'll be up against--numbers, defenses, and the like. Then we'll report back and all make a plan. Sound good?"
** spoiler omitted **
Richter shrugs.
"Seems like as sound a starting point as any."
The group begins to head to Pier 5.
Nayala remains out of sight, idly playing with the handles of her knives.
Lila and Mokhai start walking down towards Pier 5. There are a number of ships docked or moored to the pier, ranging from three masted galleons to a single masted brig. At the end of the pier, moored out to a float about 100 ft away from the pier, lies the three masted carrack the Blue Nixie. Lila and Mokhai, along with the keener eyed members of the group, notice that you'll need to either climb the lines connected to the ship, get a boat to go out to it, fly, or swim and climb up one of the sides to get on deck. Four humans of varying heights, sexes, and ages stand on the quarter deck and the main deck. They wear weathered but well maintained sailors garb, covered by leather armor, and carry rapiers as well as light crossbows as they slowly scan for approaching danger, or riches. In Sasserine, either might be around the corner.
Lila leads Mokhai back to the others and then reports all the bad news. "Four guards, and they're all actually paying attention! Plus they're armed with crossbows. We're gonna need a distraction or swim all the way out to the Blue Nixie underwater...or both. How's everyone at swimming?"
"On my own, I'm not so well these day. Hard to get a good move on with a peg, you know? But I could make a Construct to tow me along no problem, and bring along anybody else that needs it. Could also maybe use one for a distraction, but with four guys on it they'd be able to pop it like an overripe melon once they caught up to it."
Like a fish Says the man with clear lava like veins across his body, completely seriously
"I'm good at jumping and climbing, but swimming not so much. Can we maybe borrow or rent a launch and climb up the anchor chain at night?"
Iorskan sat and waited for the soft skins to make up their mind. Swimming was fine. A boat would work, but where would they find one? He didn’t want to empty his hoard in buying one, and on a boat they could get shot. Much better to just walk up under the pretense of saying hello and then eat-murder them all.
Lila lightly bites her bottom lip as she thinks, looking around at her new companions. "Can everyone here--except me and maybe Richter--see in the dark? The folks on the Blue Nixie seem to be all human, so that's another advantage we might exploit...if we so choose."
"Yeah, I see just fine in the dark."
Iorskan nodded eagerly, excited at the line of thinking.
After listening to the others' input, Lila suggests a nighttime raid where Richter and Nayala (and possibly herself) approach the Blue Nixie in a rented rowboat from the southeast while the rest of the party swims in from the southwest. She also suggests that Richter wear long pants for the mission to cover the glow of his unusual pegleg so the guards don't notice the rowboat's approach.
The pretty teen then pauses, sizing up Nayala, wondering if the sylph will go along with the next distasteful part of her plan. "Even if the boat's spotted, we might be able to get in close with the right bluff...if, for example, Richter were to claim that it's a slow night at a local brothel and he rowed a couple of working girls out to see if the crew was interested in a little 'companionship.' Sounds ridiculous, I know, but a lot of men think not with their brains but with what's hidden in their pants."
"Hey, I don't much care what these goons think. If I can get close enough and they don't see the point of my blade, all the better. You think my outfit is dock-walker enough to pull off the con?"
Yes, I can see in the dark. I could go up, cause a distraction with someone Doing my duty as a guard, while some sneak around and flank.
Iorskan saw boats, but how was he supposed to know if there were people inside? He wished that he could fly, but he knew that in time it would happen. He just needed more practice, and to grow stronger. And the best way to get stronger was to eat strong people so that he could eat their strength.
The little dragon slapped his tail on the ground impatiently. If the others didn’t want a boat, then they had best swim with him.
Nayala looks for a suitable boat, both large enough for the group and relatively unattended.
"Let's grab that one and sneak on board."
Nayala and Lorskan spot a gondola attached to the pier with no markings and no one in attendance.
Lila catches the larcenous gleam in the eyes of Nayala and Iorskan as they check out the gondola. She's no saint herself, but she moves to intervene before they can act on their impulse to commandeer the small vessel.
"We don't want to make a big scene before we've even gotten off the dock and lose the element of surprise," she warns them. "Plus...I'm not sure the poles needed to propel those things are long enough to take it out into the bay. I...I have enough money to buy a rowboat. I guess I could put it toward the cause. You have to spend money to make money, right? Besides...it might pay dividends in the long run: This IS a city of canals, after all, and they seem less crowded than some of the streets."
The young woman seems to be trying as much to convince herself to part with the gold as she is trying to urge the others not to steal the gondola. Her eyes turn to Mokhai, and the stern half-orc glowers at her briefly before curtly nodding his head. When Lila gives a pleased smile, you get the sense the burly fellow just agreed to do most of the future rowing.
"Sure, sure. If you think it's worth it, I'm fine with that. In any case, let's go kick some pirate butts!"
Lila looks at Nayala--even smaller and lighter than she is--and flashes an amused smile. "You sure you're capable of that?" she teases the small woman. "Then again, I bet there's more to you than meets the eye...and that lots of folks underestimate you." Lila gives her another smile and nod that says, I'm with you!
Turning to Richter, she adds, "I don't have much to offer if we're spotted and have to engage them at range. Do either of you have any spells or ranged weapons to use if we're discovered? If so, I'll offer to do the rowing...though it might look more believable if Richter were rowing if we need to use the 'party girls' ruse."
That having been said, Lila loosens some of the straps and ties near the top front of her armor to show a bit more cleavage.
Malek just follows jumping in the water swimming to the opposite side to climb aboard and flank
"Yeah, I've got a few tricks up my sleeve at range, don't you worry."
If Iorskan could have shrugged he would have. So long as it wasn’t his hoard that was getting smaller. He felt a growl in his stomach, and was happy. He fought best when hungry. He really hoped the pirates picked a fight.
Understanding the need for stealth, Iorskan plopped into the water and began to paddle over like a dog.
"Do I look the part of a dock-walker? I mean, I've seen the girls around before, but I hardly looked to them for fashion advice, you know?"
Nayala stashes her kukri around the small of her back and makes sure her backup knives are stowed well in her boots.
"They can't be that ready for trouble, right?"
"I'd say we've got enough good looks for the part...though we're not exactly dressed for the role," Lila replies to Nayala. "But then again, that's our last-ditch ploy, and it only needs to work for a few seconds 'til we can attack. Hopefully, our rower will be quiet and they won't hear us coming."