"My thoughts exactly. Thank you."
They did. But they still have their racist feelings.
"My thoughts exactly. Thank you."
"Just doing our job, ma'am," one responds.
"Just doing our job, ma'am," one responds."My thoughts exactly. Thank you."
"Oddly enough, those were exactly MY thoughts. Just barely doing your jobs ... true enough. Possibly you have no orders regarding how to be professional or courteous to a scion of another House, stranger things have happened. Could you not at least direct yourselves to the attention of the Scion of Lyrandar? Could you not at least make a good example for a future leader of your own House? Well met, and you do have my thanks; let me introduce Sean d'Lyrandar."
Jacen tilts his head towards the young man, eyeing the guards reaction.
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They just blink at Jacen, then they see Sean's dragonmark on his neck. You all feel the word "Mistake" on their faces, even if their pride don't allow them to say it.
Karsh'e watches the scene with interest. It's true that any lost youth would garner more attention in the marshes than Sean has here, but it seemed the party was welcomed into the building largely because of Sean's presence. That was a few steps above the reception one might receive in Droaam.
Jacen seems to think that the dragon mark entitles Sean to better treatment. That might be true in Sharn, but in the marshes the Tharashk mark often frightened or riled the villagers. And in Karsh'e's experience other Marks didn't guarantee one welcome. The half orc tugs downward on his sleeve cuffs.
Sean says, "I can go with them, but I'll need a letter of credit."
"Aren't they your family? I thought every dragonmarked house shared blood."
"For how much?"
"About three thousand gold pieces," he explains. "I have to go to House Kundrak to get a letter of credit. Fortunately, I still have my Sivis Identification."
"Ah. How far is it to a house Kundrak post?"
"About three thousand gold pieces," he explains. "I have to go to House Kundrak to get a letter of credit. Fortunately, I still have my Sivis Identification."
"It seems ill advised for you to wander around the city seeking this letter; would you like us to stick around while you do that? The people here seem to be a little lost on how to handle you ..."
"I don't know, I've never been here before," the boy truthfully said.
"It seems ill advised for you to wander around the city seeking this letter; would you like us to stick around while you do that? The people here seem to be a little lost on how to handle you ..."
"Yes, I won't mind your company," said Sean. "I've never been here before, and I don't know my way around."
Karsh'e gapes at the Lyrandar scion. That's an incredible amount of money. Why wouldn't his family take him home for free?
The half-orc nudges Jacen's elbow and draws him aside to quietly ask just that.
Karsh'e gapes at the Lyrandar scion. That's an incredible amount of money. Why wouldn't his family take him home for free?
The half-orc nudges Jacen's elbow and draws him aside to quietly ask just that.
"You ask a telling and serious question friend, one well worth a serious answer."
Jacen looks just a touch askance and purses his lips, like a cleric faced with brothel.
"I have a dragonmark. My older brother has a dragonmark. Sean has a dragonmark. It may surprise you to hear, that does NOT make us equal. Not in any way, except maybe in the magic of our marks."
The Scion takes a breath to continue.
"To all appearences, my brother might seem to supercede me in my family and in my House. He does not. He has no Favour, he has curried no Favour, he isn't otherwise valuable, he isn't otherwise magical, so truth be told, it is tough going for him sometimes in the House. Most likely, he will make his way being handsome; he is handsome, he likes women, so at least there are good odds for him in one regard. None of us can explicitly craft a Mark, but if the odds are with anyone, they are with my brother."
"So imagine, Sean has none of this and none of that. He has hardly had time to study magic as I have, he has hardly had time to study his Mark, as I have, he has hardly had time to establish himself in Favour of his House. That is not a lot going for a young man with a Dragonmark. Truthfully, he is a lucky man that his parents saw to him with such grace and saavy. His House would eventually do something with him, but with his Sivis ID, we will be able to help him secure the credit he needs to get to Stormreach."
"Understand friend Karsh'e ... not looking like an orc rarely precludes the Houses from acting like orcs."
People use people as consumables. Always and everywhere. Beren lights another cigarette. It seems to him that they have been discussing this for months, for ages, although in reality life is just a rapid leap from oblivion into oblivion. It's a good thing I didn't have time to have children. He doesn't say anything out loud, just waits for his companions to finish their business with this kid and remember why they're here.
Were it a human, Lambda might sigh. It is not a human, a fact for which it is profoundly grateful. It watches the noble drama impassively, happy to have nothing to do with such.
Escher notes this for future reference. Of course, he was intimately familiar with houses treating people as property.
Lia mutters something like "Humans are strange..."
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"You ask a telling and serious question friend, one well worth a serious answer."Jacen looks just a touch askance and purses his lips, like a cleric faced with a brothel.
"I have a dragonmark. My older brother has a dragonmark. Sean has a dragonmark. It may surprise you to hear, that does NOT make us equal. Not in any way, except maybe in the magic of our marks."
...
"Understand friend Karsh'e ... not looking like an orc rarely precludes the Houses from acting like orcs."
Karsh'e considers Jacen's explanation and shakes his head. "It is funny that you say that. In the marshes, more orc villages follow the green way. They are good places where a stranger can find some rice cakes and fish. If the sun is setting they can bed on fresh cut rushes.
The villages with more humans are risky to visit. Most are just unwelcoming if you are not known there. Some follow the dragon below. They are very dangerous.
I will think on what you say about your Houses."
Indeed, I'd rather visit an orc village than most of the Dragomark Houses. It's nothing personal, guys.
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"Well, lets go to the bank," Sean says confidently.
"Yes, let's be on our way."
Lambda nods and takes up a position guarding the rear of the group.
Sean then says, "I'm not sure where the bank is here. Anyone have a clue?"
Lia sighs, looks around and when she spots the same set of guards she's already harassed she strides up to them. She leans forward so that her words won't carry and says,
"My apologies, but the young scion there needs to go to the bank. Could you give us directions please?"
Lia sighs, looks around and when she spots the same set of guards she's already harassed she strides up to them. She leans forward so that her words won't carry and says,
"My apologies, but the young scion there needs to go to the bank. Could you give us directions please?"
"The bank is North of here, across two streets and out of the market," the guard explains.
Escher stands ready as they begin to move out through the hostile city.
Karsh'e follows the others out of the station. He looks skyward to orient himself to north, and nods to himself when he sees the party moving in that direction.
Everyone perceptions:
It's to check see if you notice any pickpockets!
Lia thanks the guards one more time and heads out with the group.
Everyone perceptions:
Escher's Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10
Karsh'e's perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11
Lia's perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19
Lambda's perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25
Beren's perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23
Jacen's perception: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7It's to check see if you notice any pickpockets!
Oh, yeah, the DC was 15. Escher didn't notice, also Karsh'e and Jacen. But the others have noticed pickpockets trying to take your money!
Lia slams her shield into one, hard enough to push them back and say ouch, not hard enough to do serious damage.
Thieves! Watch your pouches!"
Escher will tuck his pouch inside his ectoplasmic shell.
As a pickpocket approaches, Lambda's stinging tail, apparently of its own accord, moves directly in front of his face. "Please reconsider." Lambda says, with little more than a glance his direction.
Fortunately, Karsh'e carries little coin.
A pickpocket is probably very surprised when suddenly a bolt of a loaded crossbow rests directly on his liver. Not worth it.
The pickpockets all reconsider picking your pockets or taking your purses.
Karsh'e finally clues in. "Thank you, friends. You would think, given my neighborhood in Sharn, that I'd have seen them coming."
He pats his pockets, belt pouch, etc to make sure everything's still there.
"I'm starting to not like this city.."
"I'm not liking this city either," Sean says.
"I'm not liking this city either," Sean says.
"Then we should make haste to get all of us out of it."
"Cities are not good," Karsh'e agrees.
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The bank of Kundarak is a branch of the main office in the Mror Holds. It's smaller than the branch in Sharn, but caters to anyone who has an account with the Kundarak bankers' guild. The building is made of granite blocks and the doorways are imposingly made of teak and gold. Two guards stand at the top of the shallow staircase.
Karsh'e looks around. The granite provides a reassuring image of stability. The teak and gold doors bespeak wealth.
The halforc glances down the street behind him and ascends the stairs. "A young scion of Lyrandar wishes to speak with a bank official regarding a loan. Who should he talk to?"
"He can talk to on of our loan officers inside," says the dwarf guard.
Karsh'e waves the others up the stairs. "We need to speak with a loan officer, sir," he tells Sean.
"Yes, let's get this done. Sean here and I are both ready to leave this place."
"I don't have too. I can have a letter of credit produced from my family's account," Sean explains.
"Well let's do that then, and get you on an airship."