My goodness! Tengus? Ho there! We will not just cut you down, we merely defended ourselves when your...nest kin assulted us. Let us speak.
There's hushed whispers as they confer with one another. After a pause one of them, presumably the leader, speaks up, "Chough has attacked you?"
If you mean the very large tengu, then yes.
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"Quite badly, actually," Litsy abruptly strides over to Beorn, dramatically exposing his freshly made scars. "Look at this poor man! You can still see where the talons dug and tore into his flesh! If only you could have seen him bleeding all over the floor! His clothes are still stained red with it! "
It's very obvious she's trying to make them feel bad. Mostly because she overdoes it.
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Beorn swoons. Yes! Alas, my form has been battered most unkindly! Oh, where is a fainting couch, I need some water.
There's a further pause befofe rhe voice return shaking slightly, "and what of Choughs fate?"
"All of you, recruits! Stop yet yammering and stand at attention!" Malgar commands the birds! "You call yourself resistance? Enemies of house Thrune, well how are you going to do that if you can't even gather your own wits! Discipline I say, DISCIPLINE! Like Chough! Oh, he was worth a thousand of you, heading off to fight the devil woshippers all by himself! And for his sacrifice, we will have DISCIPLINE and will! Now stand up, beaks straight! Chestfeathers forward! And share with us what you're doing here!"
After his speech, he throws a quick glance at Tiny to his side. "This would be a good time for someone to sneak away and dispose of the body."
Four sets of eyes peer just over the top of the crates in naked confusion. None seem inclined to react further to Malgar's outburst.
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Malgar, have some ale here. Just sit down at the crat..planning table and think of how our grand resistance will do. Yes..there you go.
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Litsy stares at Malgar in utter disbelief. "They already know he attacked us, and you want them to believe he just went to the happy farm where all tengu friends go right now?! And I can't sneak away when everyone's watching-"
She shakes her head. What is she even doing, trying to argue with Malgar the Mad. It was in his name.
"Yeah, don't listen to him, he's, uh... A bit of a zealot. Got bonked on the head a long time ago,[/smaller]" she whispers conspiratorially to the tengus as soon as Malgar's got his back turned. "Anyway, Chough..."
She hesitates, just for a brief second. Deaths, ugh, those were hard to report. Definitely not her job.
"He died. We're sorry. He jumped out of nowhere to attack us, and, well, he didn't say a word and by the time we could gather ourselves he was already elbow-deep in our friend's guts, so yeah, we, uh, dealt with the crazy maniac. I mean, if he had tried to say something or if we had known you guys were down there it could have gone differently, but, uh, that's just... Life. Or death, in this case.
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As litzy tells the story the heads slowly lower themselves back below the crates and there's a long pause after she finishes while the group collectively absorbs the words. After a moment too long for comfort one of them speaks shakily.
"Then," she stops, taking a second to regain her conviction and say what are clearly painful words, "then it is done. Chough is slain. You've done a service that we had not the heart to complete. Maybe in the roiling storm of Hei Feng she'll find an outlet for her violent heart."
As her words enter into the monds of the others there's an almost palpable release in the air as if everyone was dismissed from a long church ceremony. Calmly the eldest of the sisters recites a long tale of their flight from riddleport. How they found Choughs egg and tried to raise it as one of their own, how she turned out to be not like them at all and was far more violent and prone reckless tantrums, how she killed the wrong guild member and forced them to pay a smuggler to get them to varisia where they hoped to take a caravan to tian xia. They landed here hidden among the textiles when the smuggler told them there would be a delay because sudden crackdown and disappearances of many of the smugglers contacts. Chough took offense to the plaintive excuses of the man and killed him trapping them in a city they don't know in a place where they've been told has fallen into martial law. They separated her to the other room while they determined their fate, and figured out what to do next.
Borgan listened to the tale of the group of tengus with solemn attention, his eyes betraying the hurt he felt for them and a hint of shared story in his eyes.
After their story is done, he walks up slowly towards them, hands in the air. If they let him approach, he lays a hand on the speaker's shoulder and kneels down to their height.
"You were burdened with an almost impossible choice, my feathered friends. None would like to be in your situation. One's heart tears at itself if forced to kill one of your own group. I am glad we could help you ease this burden, albeit unknowingly. May Chough's soul find peace at last in the afterlife and may it help you to discover your own path again."
With that said, Borgan stands up again and looks back at the rest, then back at the tengus. "Is there any way in which we can help you further?"
Litsy stares at Malgar in utter disbelief. "They already know he attacked us, and you want them to believe he just went to the happy farm where all tengu friends go right now?! And I can't sneak away when everyone's watching-"
She shakes her head. What is she even doing, trying to argue with Malgar the Mad. It was in his name.
"Tiny. They were all so dumbstruck you could have fired a gun in their face and they wouldn't have noticed, no? Though it seems it doesn't matter as they didn't like the bird anyway. Ah, the disrespect of today's youth, I tell you!"
Muttering, Malgar sulks to the back of the room as his in his mind brilliant diversion went to waste (or more accurately, hadn't been needed) and sides up to Beorn. "So what was that about ale?"
It seemed Borgan has asked the most important question, and he felt he could drink this one out for now.
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Exactly how it happened Variel didn’t know as somehow by killing Chough the group endeared themselves to the tengues. Yet even as he didn’t understand the why or how he understood the relief felt by them. Following Tiny and Borgan’s lead Variel waits unarmed and patiently listening for any way to help. He does hold out his waterskin to them if they are thirsty…Nuh…nee…need a drink? It wasn’t much but that was about as much as Variel could offer without more information.
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Over here Malgar, let us ponder the mysteries of the hop while our friends speak to the Tengu.
At first, Litsy listens to the tengu's explanations with genuine interest, but as their tale of woe goes on and on she starts struggling to focus. After a while, she leans against Variel's arm in what could be construed as a gesture of affection or sympathy.
She's mostly bored. And tired. And it's only because she's not indifferent to the tengus's plight that she's doing some effort to hide it.
She starts daydreaming about going to bed rather than listening to someone monologuing in a dark and cold basement. It reminds her too much of school.
"So Chough was a her?" she whispers to Variel. "I'd never have guessed. Shit, I hope they don't take it badly."
There's some whispering behind the crates as they discuss what to do next, but for now it seems any stabbings are put on hold. At last the eldest spekas again, "Leave us be for the night and by morning we will be gone. Maybe we find a way out of the city and find a new roost away from tyrants and enemies. Maybe we stay and pluck the fruit and meat left by the citys tyrant and grow fat. We won't know until we leave."
Would you be interested in staying? It seems that you were left in a bind when Chough killed your contact. We could at least get you some food and supplies if you wish to leave.
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Variel looks back to Tiny and shrugs, I am probably the worst when it comes to judging gender. Likewise, I have no idea what traditions or norms they would have and if they have a matriarchal society. At this point since they are not attacking us, I will count that as a positive.
When Beorn offers aid Variel tries to give his support as well. You are strangers here in a difficult city. We can help as best we can or if you wish to stay we may be able to help each other once we learn to trust each other.
diplomacy aid
Borgan nods to Variel's suggestion and motions to the surrounding building and room.
"This all here, the group of us could make use of as a hideout. I would reckon it is big enough for all of us. If you could help us out, you would have at least a roof over your head and food to eat. Would you like to help us?"
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Litsy shoots Variel a look that just screams I know exactly what you're up to and I don't like it. Inciting those poor people to stay in a foreign city in the midst of a suicidal rebellion they had all somehow agreed to be a part of, that was downright cruelty.
He'd call it charity, surely. Oh, but they can refuse, it's not like I'd stop giving them supplies if they turn us down, and he'd mean it because he was good like that, and not always aware that turning something down when you're desperate can never be easy, never painless. Hells, being faced with making a choice when you're at rock bottom can be frightful enough.
Thing was, she supposed, that whether they chose to leave or stay they were f%!~ed anyway. Lots of maybes in that old tengu's brave statement- maybe we live, maybe we die, at this point it's basically say a prayer and roll the die.
She glances at Malgar, expecting him to join in and start another bombastic speech about the enemies of House Thrune anytime soon. Might at well give the tengus a fair warning.
"If there's a way out of the city, I haven't found it yet. Not that I didn't look. And it seems pretty locked up as it is, so unless you have a very clear idea of where you want to look for a way out. Is that the case? Do you know anyone in the city, have any plans? Because I'm not going to lie to you, getting out while the city's a mess is gonna be much, much harder otherwise- and it's already pretty f@$+ing hard."
She pauses briefly. "Not that staying here's gonna be any less dangerous, mind. You're somewhat safe here, but if you try and go out, you may get caught, which is also bad news."
"Like, I'm not trying to demoralize you guys, but whether you try to leave or try to stay, I'd say you've got about as much chance of getting arrested if you're going in blind. Right now, you're at least somewhat in luck, with a roof over your head and supplies in a safe place where no one's gonna bother you. Because we're not going to denounce you."
"My suggestion is, unless you have a very specific plan to get the hell outta this ratthole (in which case, good for you), maybe just..." she shrugs. "Well, do like us rats, I suppose. Put our heads together, and try to find a way to make it out alive together."
As tiny finishes her particular view upon their reality and what they can do it finally seems to have an impact on their overall sense of fear. Voluntarily they put their weapons atop the crates and stand up to address you face to face. In the light it's hard to distinguish the sisters from one another save the difference in clothing and kit. With the tenseness gone you notice the curious way they move, not in a smooth motion but small quick bursts followed by stillness. For those used to the grace of elves or the bold gesturing of orcish blood the effect is a little off putting.
Things relax and conversation turns from the bloody business of murder to the needs of survival.
"We know not this Kintargo," the eldest of them says again though seeing her this reference doesnt seem to indicate that shes elderly but perhaps the most mature, experienced, or only slightly older, "but we know the shadows and roosts of Riddleport. The devils and their mad followers frighten us, but only because we do not know them, not because we are weak. We spy, we steal, we cut throats to make our way and fill our bellies. If this is what you need, we will repay you for your hospitality and forgiveness in what you require. Otherwise, she shrugs, "we leave and ply our trades elsewhere."
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During Tiny’s soliloquy Variel raises a single eyebrow at her. It seemed like she was making the case for them to leave but be careful how they go about it. By the end though she did a complete 180 degree reversal and got the tengues to consider staying. As she was the one that got them to consider the possibility of joining them and plying their skills here he figured she should be the one to decide if she would oversee them or someone else. He does give his verbal approval of the situation though. I think that we would be able to put your skill to use. On what exact capacity we may use you that will have to be decided down the road. What do the rest of you think?
I am agreeable to this. We should get them a place to stay of course so they have a home while they decide what to do.
"Sure. Er, stealing and spying will probably be good enough- we like to do our own throat-cutting. Wow, that sounded sinister. As for a place to stay... I'll have to think about it. We should probably let Laria know what's going on, anyway. She's an ally," she adds, helpfully, for the tengus.
"Sounds to me we can make things work together.", Borgan mentions as Variel tossed up the subject, "Spying and stealing would seem necessary to get information and the upper hand on Thrune. No objections to that, as long as we are careful we don't fall too far, I would be even good with slicing the throats of people in key positions that we are unable to sway."
If any of his allies would know Borgan is a paladin, this would sound very strange indeed.
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Its ok Tiny, I think we all know what you meant...at least I hope I do. Anyways it may be possible for them to stay here for a bit after we talk to Laria.
Variel turns to Borgan at his comments and shrugs his shoulders noncommittally, There are times that require stealth and espionage and other times that require a sharp blade. The trick is in knowing which one is needed at which time. At this point I am thinking that information is the currency we need most and a trail of dead bodies will just cause more problems than solutions. Then again if the body is the Lord Mayor then all is well.
Malgar remains silent for now, as things seemed to be going well enough. His diversion hadn't been beened and with their attention on his allies, perhaps it was best not to draw it back onto him after his failed ploy...
As time starts to pass there's some modest back and forth as to who needs to go where before the issue of bodies is dealt with. Chough and the smuggler are wrapped up and put by the door. The crocodile is too large, cumbersome and mutilated, but the sisters see an opportunity for easy sustenance and get to work with their knives to carefully clean and process the carcass. If nothing else, Laria will have some interesting meat items on her menu for the next few days.
Laria herself is crestfallen to hear of the smugglers death, but after hearing your story and the repeat from the tengu sisters she understands the circumstances and quietly complements you on recruiting their aid. Rexus doesn't appear to notoce much of the goings on of the group and is only liftes from his reverie when Laria kicks him out of her office to move all the code breaking and bookwork downstairs to the makeshift office. The rest of the day is spent cleaning the mess, mopping the blood, helping Beorn bandage and hide his grievous wounds (a task Laria delights in) and working out sleeping and meal arrangements. Rexus plans to stay in the Wasps Nest along with the sisters and Malgar. Malgar likely being the most wanted man in the city and the other four being very much homeless.
Body disposal becomes something of a hot topic especially as the smuggler starts to smell. Eventually its decided to discard the crocodile remains along with the coffeehouses normal trash to hide the bodies. The sisters would load it all into a cart early in the morning just as curfew lifts and dispose of the whole lot somewbere outside the city walls. It served a few good purposes and the sisters proved quite resourceful as they disposed of all of it with little issue.
While the sisters are gone, your conversation turns towards what to do next. In the Nest's office midmorning the next day Laria provides the first biscuits of the morning and fresh coffee.
"If you ask me," Laria says as she pours a fresh cup for herself, "you need to find a lot more people. Those tengu seem to know their business but the only thing keeping them here is an obligation to you. Who knows what they'll do when it comes to open fighting."
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Variel prepares prestidigitation when available so that he can aid magically in the cleaning of the hideout. As the group convenes to discuss their options he hears Laria's suggestion. The more people we have to support us the better chance we have to moving about the city without alerting the wrong people. I agree that we need to work on recruiting supporters and possibly another group besides the tengues to aid in tasks we may have to do in the city. 1 of us may need to really work hard on recruiting supporters.
"I'd ask my kids, but they'd be taking a huge risk," Litsy takes a sip of her obscenely sweet coffee. Black, with four sugar lumps and a pastry on the side is apparently how she likes it. "Besides, they can't hold their weight in a fight, and they could easily snitch us out to the dottari if they're caught. Not that I'd blame them if they did- they've got too much to lose."
"The easy solution would be to look for mercenaries, even if we'd need to buy them and there's always the chance someone might offer them a better price. Or I could use all my tiny eyes and ears to check on local gangs. Not the big-ass organisations, mind you, they've more to gain by finding an arrangement with the new mayor. But the small-sized, little teams that survive off petty crimes and don't make enough to bribe officers to look the other way?"
She giggles, and nearly clicks her brand new, freshly washed boots together. She really needs to be careful with those, they're sensitive to touch and she tends to get a little overexciting when testing their powers. She nearly knocked a few of Variel's apartments after spending nearly an hour doing cartwheels and somersaults all around his place.
"That's some deep shit they're in. Maybe enough to strike a deal. You guys have any ideas?" She looks between Beorn, Borgan and Malgar.
Beorn feels much better now that the shock of his first serious fight has faded.He has clean clothes and a groomed beard and a stomach full of coffee and bacon.
Perhaps I can nose about my bard school and my patroness Lady Declour. She adores good causes and might be able to offer discreet help.
Borgan sits broad-shouldered at the table, relaxed at this moment with a cup of tea and a sweet roll. He chews on a part of the sweet roll as he ruminates about any possibilities he has.
"I have a few contacts among the poor people in town. I've contacts with beggars, that nobody bats an eye towards, but hear alot on what goes on about the street. Also I know members of Shelyn's order and a few members of Milani as well. It will take some convincing them to act as spies though. Beggars are more easily recruited I would say."
He looks to Litsy and Beorn.
"Though I would defer to your expertise more, some people can get into establishments that beggars can't go to."
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I think all of us have our own little niches where we know people that are unhappy with the way Kintargo is being run. If we start pooling all the people we know I M sure we will have a lot more discontent me than we truly realize. Let’s start there as we look to grow out support. At the same time perhaps Borgan and Litsy can reach out to some of there more reliable people to form a group that can gather information for us in and around Kintargo.
We also need to sell those items that we no longer want to get some money to fund our endeavor. Those pearls should provide a nice boost that we can split amongst ourselves and the rebellion.
"Reliable's going to be hard to find," Litsy wolfs down one more biscuit before the group has to leave the bakery. "But I can do it. I'll be glad to have the big guy by my side though. Also I need to sell stuff before we go," her eyes gleam with the prospect of profits.
Litsy accompanies the group to buy little bolts for her crossbow, as well as to sell her shortbow along with the team's findings. She still attempts to affabulate some half-arsed story about the sentimental value of some of the jewelry (who knew you could have some many relatives dying so tragically? And at such short intervals, too!) in the hopes that a few more coins will be tossed in, if only to make her shut up.
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Beorn noses around his school and sees who there harbors fiery spirits and chaf at harsh laws. It does mean wearing these ridiculous hats and sipping at frothy caffeinated beverages, but one must suffer for art.
Litsy accompanies the group to buy little bolts for her crossbow, as well as to sell her shortbow along with the team's findings. She still attempts to affabulate some half-arsed story about the sentimental value of some of the jewelry (who knew you could have some many relatives dying so tragically? And at such short intervals, too!) in the hopes that a few more coins will be tossed in, if only to make her shut up.
Litsy's sob story proves surprisingly effective even if it's an utter lie. For her devious efforts she manages to sell the jewelry at 70% of their stated value.
Beorn's efforts bear easy fruit as many of the young and fiery actors and theater workers freshly underemployed by the new lord mayors residency are bored and prone to feats of high passion. Unfortunately frothy drinks cost money and he's forced to make more than a few alliances based on his own generosity for those not lucky enough to have a wealthy patron for support. After all who can evangelize on an empty stomach?
Beorn Loses 10gp
Event?
As the city settles back into a state of normalcy Beorn begins to introduce the concepts of the social contract of citizen and government to his peers. Life seems to go on while tengu and dwarf bicker over things like clean bedding and basic hygiene. Rexus gets to work decoding the documents in the Wasp's Nest while CCG groups start increasing in numbers above ground. Murders continue in the Nursery unabated, the salt mills being to mine up human suffering by degrees, and the dockworkers are starting to get unruly to a point where blood might be spilled and the dottari will only get more aggressive if things continue. Before long it seems that whatever shadowy hands kept the city from falling to chaos in the past it certainly didn't belong to the current administration. Which brings opportunity for those willing to seize the day and make friends along with the risk of injury.
Beorn feels elated although it is tempered by the thinness of his purse. The would be recruits were a thirsty bunch and Beorn was now worried that he might have to actually open up that package of trail rations. He knew that it was something that would be good when the situation called for it. But much like the torches(darkvision was spoiled by them) and the fabled 10-Foot Pole, such times seemed purely hypothetical.
Returning to the hideout, Beorn ponders today's news. My friends, perhaps we should do some public service to gain support? There is much troubling news about murders and harsh labor we should investigate.
Yes you still jave an action to make a team, just tell me which one and make the org check.
Litsy comes back from the merchant's shop looking extremely pleased with herself. Like a cat who got the canary, dipped it in the milk bowl, ate it, licked its lips and paws clean, and still had enough time to get rid of the evidence.
"It's in the bag," she grins, triumphally showing the team a small (but apparently quite full) purse. She sobers up almost immediately, however, when Beorn explains what rumours he heard on the grapevine, and looks frankly alarmed when the salt mills are mentioned.
"Guess we better go see what the f$@~ is going on," she says. "But not without some kind of small army. Looks like the dockworkers are ripe for recruitment."
Teams have to be upgraded with a separate action and gold.
Currently you have no teams.
Everyone gets an extra skill point from the uprank of your organization.
You still have your bonus action for the week left to spend.
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Variel hears the commotion at the docks and the mine and the deaths at the Nursery and agrees with Tiny that something has to be done. Suffering is horrible at the mines but they still live. The deaths at the Nursery is something that we should look into first I propose. The sooner we can save those people the more people we can recruit to our cause to help us. While we are doing that hopefully a new team can be formed and have them either protect the docks or investigate the mines.
I agree, since there has been actual murder this is something we should get to post haste.
"Getting to know where to strike or intervene would seem the most logical conclusion. we shouldn't go into any situation blind. Granted intervening at the Nursery seems like something that we cannot wait with."
Talking to the locals seems to be a good move, plus checking the places where the attacks happened.
"Yeah. Gather intel first, confront nasty f$!~ers after- that's the way to go."