"Some food would be good. Then I'll go talk to the sisters about what we need so they can get started."
Setrona nods briefly and calls her employee in. Together they get to work as other patrons begin slowly filtering in. Tobacco smoke begins to drift through the air as several patrons light up pipes. A few seem most interested in the Ravens still present, looking curiously at them as their food arrives, but no one approaches them yet.
In one corner, a group of patrons is playing a game of darts with a wall- mounted target painted with an infernal face—one with blue skin, ivory horns, a flat yellow nose, and a forked red tongue extended downward so that its bifurcated tip dangles off the board. In another, a woman with an eyepatch and a bald man pair off to toss dice.
Setrona is busy, barely paying the Ravens any mind, but makes sure that they have the food and drink they need with businesslike precision as she jokes and laughs with the crowd.
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"As I elucidated before, if we do this right, it will be days before Thrune is any the wiser to our actions. I would expect the prisoner names and ID's will be publicly available somewhere, or not burried too deeply. Prisoner transfer forms should also not be classified. If there is one thing this county is not in short supply of, it is paperwork. That is all your purview, I expect." He inclines his head towards Aisling. "I also imagine the name and rank of whomever is running the prison will not be hard to gather, so we can be sure to outrank them."
"As a lover of theater, I can come up with some suitable uniforms with which we can imposterize as officers from Egorian. Looking the part with the proper forms, if we outrank everyone at the prison and claim to be on queen's business, the goons likely will not put up much resistance. We can find a covered 'prisoner' carriage on which to transport our prisoners so they are out of sight once in our custody. Watching the dottari and city guard patrols for a few days, we can work out a path through and out the city that will take us by the fewest dottari once we have our delicate treasures. Once outside the city walls, it is on to the weird church with all the dead sailors. Nothing could be easier!"
Nyxra blinks as she listens to the Raven's plan.
"...that sounds like a good plan." She says, her tone one of surprise.
"And if anyone stops us to question us, I can just look scary to drive them off."
Aisling nods in agreement with Nyxra - she is also surprised by the Raven coming up with a bworkable plan. "I should be able to find out soe of that information."
Lemma makes her way to the Wasp's Nest and briefs the Fushi Sisters on what's needed, telling them to start with the transport of the dog housed prisoner back, and continuing through the evening and night so they gain an idea of the prison's routine.
The next few days pass quickly as the Ravens get to doing what they need to do. The Fushi sisters work together to hunt out information on the prisoners being held at the Holding House, and swiftly are able to discover their names. Their numbers are a bit harder to find, but with Aisling's help and knowledge of the legal system the numbers come out.
Lemma is able to track the movements down with a fair amount of ease - they travel south from the end of Veritas Plaza towards the gates, before turning east towards the Holding House. Unfortunately, they stick to the main roads when they do so - and go under heavy enough guard that it would be difficult to handle them without causing a fuss. She also notes Holding House itself stands only a few blocks over from the Tooth and Nail - possibly useful information.
Jessibel discovers the names of a handful of dottari captains in the northernmost districts - enough, hopefully, to hand over their names to any forger.
One afternoon, when all of the Ravens are gathered in the Wasp's Nest, Laria and Rexus put forth a suggestion.
"You've been working on this breakout plan for a time, but do you have a forger's name?" Rexus asks. "While I can write and mimic things passably well, I wouldn't want to trust the operation to my penmanship."
"Setrona mentioned a woman named Ruba Fenquay, a scrivener based out of Old Kintargo," Jessibel chimes in. "I planned on doing some poking around to see if she's trustworthy before we actually approach her about forging the prisoner transfer documents."
"Hm." Laria runs a hand through her hair. "'fraid I've never heard of her. It's probably best that you check in on that before going over, yeah. I've heard some things about Setrona, but not a whole lot. I've never met her in person, so I don't know how much I'd trust her judgment when it comes to this sort of thing."
Rexus looks surprised. "I've met Ruba before. She's a scrivener down in Old Kintargo. I didn't realize she was involved in forging papers... Good to know, I guess. I'd trust her with scribing things, but I don't have a good sense of where she'd stand on outright betraying the government."
"We could try Ruba Fenquay with a bogus job first, something minor that we don't need, to see if she'll do the work. If she does and the quality is good, we go back to her afterward for the real job. If she rats us out or refuses, we haven't given away anything about what we really want. If her quality doesn't cut it, we know before it matters."
"Good idea," Jessi comments to Lemma. "Maybe I could have her forge some sort of identification document for one of my aliases--Amanda Juliac, most likely."
"I'm going to visit my family while we're in the neighborhood: Say 'Hello,' see if they've heard any rumors that may be of interest to us--that sort of thing. Then I'll come back here briefly before crossing the Bleakbridge again to start gathering information about our shady scrivener, Ms. Fenquay."
Jessibel checks in with her mother, her brother, the archbaroness...anyone who'll grant her some of their time.
Jessibel returns to the Wasp Nest to report anything she might've learned from her family. The young bard seems flushed with excitement.
"I'm ready to head to Old Kintargo now to investigate Ruba Fenquay," she announces. "Who wants to come with?"
"I said: Who wants to come with??!!" The teen bard seems giddy with excitement and doesn't seem ready to take 'Not interested' as a legitimate answer.
A shiny new black-lacquered carriage waits at the side of the road; a well-dressed driver holds the door open and bows his head to the young noblewoman. "Where to next, Lady Jessibel?" he inquires.
"I told you: No names! A simple 'milady' will suffice!" Jessi replies in a terse whisper before moving to fawn over the two sturdy draft horses that power the carriage. Turning back to her fellow Silver Ravens, Jessi grins and pronounces, "Mine! My grandmother--the archbaroness--gifted me with it! She finally sees that I'm a valuable, productive member of the family! Or at least she cares enough about me to make sure I'm safe as I go gallivanting throughout the city!"
"...why not." Nyxra gets up to join Jessibel.
"You look like you just won a lottery, Jessibel. What's up?" The ranger starts before getting outside and seeing the beautiful-looking carriage.
"...ah."
As the Ravens make their journey out into the city to investigate Ruba Fenquay, they find that most people who are aware of her speak with some praise of her skill. Nobody mentions any special connections to House Thrune, and a handful of the underworld-y types that the Ravens interview indicate that she's willing to forge papers of various sorts.
The same trip also reveals that the poorer folk are upset that the First Proclamation - a (small) bounty on rats, mice, doves, and ravens - has been rescinded.
"but I don't have a good sense of where she'd stand on outright betraying the government."
"Who says we are forging anything? We merely need duplicates for research purposes."
~~~~~~
"Half the animals on the bounty list are our codenames, so I for one am not terribly upset by this development." The Raven says of the recinded bounties.
Once arrived at the shop, the Raven casually leans against the counter and announces "I am looking to fabricate authentic-appearing documents for a play of sorts that I am directing. Whom might I speak to about such a job?"
Lemma takes a place in the carriage that keeps her away from any windows. Better for Jessi since such a vehicle tends to attract attention, and the young woman is probably better off not being known for mingling with tieflings.
Jessibel enters the shop with the Raven, posing as the masked playwright's assistant...taking notes and trying to keep her sometimes impetuous mentor out of trouble.
Aisling is curious enough to fllow Jessi outside where she is faced with mexed feelings. On teh one hand, Jessi is cleaerly thrilled to have such a new toy. On the other hand, it's not exactly stealthy. But then, nor is her own armour. "Very nice." is about all she can manage. She hopes she isn't daming with faint praise.
She waits with the others to see how the RAven's deception works.
Ruba Fenquay's shop is marked by a sign outside that reads "Ruba Fenquay: Notarius, Copyist, Reader, Translator." Inside the building the scent of ink and paper hangs strong over the area, and a greying Varisian woman emerges from the back of the area. "Good day to you all, welcome, welcome, what can I do for you?"
When the Raven speaks, she arches a brow. "You certainly look like a thespian..." Somehow, that doesn't sound like a complement. "What sort of documents are you looking for?"
"We're all thespians" Lemma interjects. "I play villains."
Lemma smiles broadly at Ruba Fenquay.
Nyxra leans back and keeps her mouth shut.
Jessibel's not entirely sure where the Raven is going with the whole 'we need realistic prisoner transfer forms for our play' scam, but she's fairly resourceful and tries to chirp out the occasional helpful suggestion and/or piece of misdirection.
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"To call it a play would be disingenuous, to be honest. It is more of a living artwork! I will not enthrall you with the details as I am sure you have other things to do today, but the short of it is we are assembling a series of plays based on significant Chelaxian trials of historical import." The Raven says in a droll tone. "Audiences will walk through the different sets in series, following a particular individual from arrest to the end of their journey through the legal system. Since the audience - including many officials, I might add - will be close enough to many of the props to interact with them, the props must be accurate! To the finest detail!"
Aisling tries not to roll her eyes too hard as teh Raven waxes lyriacal about the nonexistent play. Still, at least he sounds convincing.
"We'd be very grateful for your help. And we can ceratinly pay for your time."
Ruba scratches her chin, looking from one Raven to the next. "Alright. I can help you, but I'm gonna need more information on what sort of documents you're looking for... and how detailed you need them to be. Props can be cheap. Accurate documents aren't."
The Raven waves a dismissive hand. "I would not dream of using any inferior craftsmanship in my production. After all, is the carpenter not as much of an artist as a director? A painter not as much an entertainer as an actor? I shall pay for the best! I was hoping you could fabricate us up a stack of prisoner transfer forms, to start with. As there will be countless subjects in my plays - for I plan to create a long running series, you see - you could leave the names of the subjects blank to be filled in as appropriate."
"So...that translates to 'accurate,'" Jessibel chimes in, still playing the part of assistant. After a girlish giggle, she adds, "Glad I'm not also the budget director!"
Asiling nods at Ruba. "As teh legal consultant to this team, I can let you know what we need." Well, it's true, she thingks to hersefl. I do let them know what is and isn't legal.
Ruba blinks again, but smiles anyways. "Prisoner transfer forms, eh? What sort of prisoners are you transferring, from where, and to where? I need names and numbers for each prisoner, and a transferral location."
She pauses, before sighing. "Well, I like you well enough, and might be I can take the chance to see your play... though not at the Opera House, naturally." Her tone turns bitter at the mention of the stolen building. "But you'll need to show some sincerity here. It's a bit of a risk, you know, and I don't know you well enough to trust you. Might be you'll use these for purposes that could risk my neck."
Lemma tilts her head slightly, as if she's considering what Ruba has said. When she speaks afterward, her tone is gentle and conciliatory.
"Of course, we understand. Things now aren't like they used to be. Everyone needs to be a little more careful now. In my experience payment up front is one of the best assurances of sincerity. We are asking for an ongoing arrangement after all, not a simple one and done job."
"A retainer is in order, to show we do indeed mean to return with further work for you as our theatrical series continues."
Lemma takes a small bag form her belt pouch and counts out 20 gold coins, which she stacks in front of Ruba.
"Will this do to reassure you?"
Jessibel digs out the list of prisoner names, prisoner numbers, dottari captains, etc. that the Silver Ravens meticulously compiled over the past few days. Getting Ruba's implication, she doesn't hand the list over just yet, however.
I've provided the sweet ride here, but dearest Grandmother didn't slip me any additional gold for bribes! Someone must have deeper pockets than me....
Ruba arches a brow at the sum of gold. "You do know that if this gets out, I'll be the one in the doghouse, right?" She sighs. "But fine, I'll take the job. It'll be a thousand gold to get all the right inks, papers, seals, and whatnot, plus my own labor costs."
The Raven waves yet another dismissive hand. "The price of art can hardly be measured in coin!" He announces. "Although I do not carry that much gold about with me. I assume we can pay when you have finished the props?"
"Hrm. Half now, half then." Ruba says firmly. "I'm not going to start a project until I know I'll at least be able to defray some of the costs."
Aisling nods. "I think taht's fair. We have a deal."
"Most excellent!" Jessibel chimes in perkily. "When might we expect the documents to be ready?"
Ruba considers for a few moments. Give me until the end of the week. You can come pick it up on Fireday." She takes the money offered and, once the Ravens have confirmed they have no other business with her, waves them out of her shop.
This leaves the Ravens with some time on their hands. The name and rank of the leader in the Holding House remains unknown to them, but the Fushi sisters might already be on the trail of that. There's little to do but wait - and perhaps to check in on Setrona or their other contacts. Costumes also remain on the agenda, for their masquerade.
The Ravens split off for now, readying themselves for the forthcoming rescue operation.
In the Greens, Jessi hears some mutterings about the Order of the Torrent from some of the servants. Supposedly, the real reason Barzillai outlawed them is because they were actually minions of Norgorber, operating as a thieves' guild. They had broken the previous thieves' guild in Kintargo some years before - the Grey Spiders - and then took their place! Or so the rumor goes.
After meeting with her family, Jessibel hops back into her new carriage and returns to the Argo Isle half of the city. Once across the Bleakbridge, Jessi stops by the Solstine compound to show off her grandmother's gift. She asks Carlissa if she or her siblings have ever heard of the Grey Spiders...or asks if her friend would be up for a bit of investigation into the subject of the old gang.
When that part of her investigation doesn't take very long, the plucky bard decides to push her luck and ask around about Norgorberites stalking the city streets. After pondering where she might gain such knowledge without getting kidnapped or killed, Jessi gets a sudden inspiration and travels to the domicile of Aisling's superior, Second Sword Knight Darisca Dola in Temple Hill. After re-introducing herself* (and introducing Carlissa, if she's tagged along), Jessibel asks the woman if she can spare an hour or two to discuss a possible threat to the city.
After the chat, Jessi orders her carriage back to Telgar's Stables (located a block or two south of the Solstine compound) and calls it a day. (Probably stays either at her apartment in Jarvis End or with Carli at the Solstine compound.)
Lemma tries Redroof for information since she can move freely among her own there.
In the lead up to the operation, Nyxra starts making discreet inquiries on where she can obtain a silvered blade of masterwork make.
Nyxra makes the payment for a proper masterwork silvered longsword.
When she rejoins her fellow Silver Ravens, Jessibel recounts the different tales she heard about the Grey Spiders and the Order of the Torrent. In her opinion, the latter tale seems more likely to be true, as the Order of the Torrent made its name by rescuing kidnapped or imprisoned folk.
Lemma arches an eyebrow, her curiosity peaked but also a little alarmed. She places her hands on either side of Alys's head to cup it and kisses her on the forehead.
"This is a good thing to know. It might save lives. I will check in again soon. If a name or description for this person should be discovered, I need to know of it. May your midnights be inspired"
Asiling frowns when Jessi tells her story. "That god is tricyk." She delibretly doesn't name him. "It would be just like his folowers to make us believe they were destroyed when they're still around to cause troulbe."
Rexus nods grimly. "Yes, it would be his way, wouldn't it?"
When she's back, Lemma reports what she's learned.
"Word is Barzillai Thrune has taken some interest in us. He's started an investigation into the Silver Ravens on the down low. The person given the job was described as 'hired' so it's not one of his agents. They're a freelancer."
"We should be extra careful to watch our flanks and backs. I'm trying to get a name or description, but until we have more information, we have to assume it could be just about anyone, especially anyone we keep noticing in the vicinity."
"As for the Grey Spiders, I'm surprised they even named themselves in the first place. It seems attention seeking by No-Face's standards. But yeah, I'd imagine they'd want to be thought of as long extinct almost as a point of pride."
Jessibel listens as other folks make their reports. "I have an idea for my disguise when we enter the Holding House," she announces before hustling off for some final props. When the bard returns, she's prestidigitationed her hair auburn, wields a light mace, and wears the silver Asmodean holy symbol claimed off the spider-killed priest found in Hocum's. "An Asmodean priestess wouldn't be out-of-place in a team that's transferring prisoners, correct?" she asks in an arrogant tone while trying to sneer at the same time. "Oh--and their favored weapon's a mace of some kind, right?"
"Maybe we could set up a trap to flush out Thrune's agent," she suggests to Lemma. "After we get everyone else's disguises ready for the great break-out, of course," she adds with a glance to the Raven. "Need me to help out with those? I'm no seamstress, but I've some experience in the theater."
"Will you need me in the shadows? Or would you rather have me along as part of the entourage?"
"Hmmm...not sure how the Raven would like to use you in the prisoner break-out," Jessi says speculatively, peering over at her mentor, "but if we try to flush out Thrune's agent, you'd make good bait--not a lot of elves in Kintargo, especially with your striking appearance and bearing."