The four of you sit around the table, you got your beverage of choice, and you are waiting for the meals to come. You just finished your job, in the tavern you got a silent space that allows you to speak clearly, you checked it for any eavesdroppers.
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orders a drink but does not touch it.
Perhaps he is some sort of ascetic. Perhaps he is wary that someone else is trying to poison him. Perhaps it is because he doesn't want to reveal his face in public - be it beautiful and elven smooth, or unrecognizably scarred and disfigured. But the truth, gleaned or divined, as it were, lies somewhere between all three. After all, practicing the most ancient profession requires a rigorous training of body, a healthy sense of paranoia, and a distinct manner of being infinitely discreet.
He imagines, too, that those seated around the table with him share at least one or all of these qualities, or rather, qualifications for entry into The Guild (as he calls it). The same where he feigns allegiance to a cruel and mysterious god, all the while paying true spiritual fealty to a less cruel and but more mysterious one. Not that it makes much of a difference. For Hammid - as his name will not be known - mimics the qualities of both. With cold dispassion, he lusts for power by any means, to satisfy some ambitious curiosity, and to reconcile the enigma that surrounds his people. A ghost in a world of men, aged well past what many would consider a reasonable lifespan.
These pawns surrounding them - his coworkers - he becomes acutely aware that the chances of all four of them surviving their tenure together approach impossible odds, for invariably, an instrument, finely tuned for one purpose, sharpens it's destiny as well as it's edge, turning one end upon the other to make a clean, inevitable break.
He solemnly swears, with some foolishness, like all those that came before him, that it will not be he that not the last standing, wallowing secretly in conspiracy and megalomania behind a well-postured composure broad and tall as an ivory tower!
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"The truth is irrelevant," the voice scoffs. "Perhaps he did try to slay the king, the rightful monarch, the divine heir to the throne. Or perhaps he is a maligned innocent. Either way, you have all seen the sign - the mantis perched on his shoulder."
Sien looks at his companions - his fellow Tien, the Just Hand recruit, and the masked one. Surely he was not the only one wondering. "If he did try to slay the king, our vengeance is for the divine order," Sien ventures, treading carefully, knowing the punishment for overquestioning was at the discretion of the overquestioned. "But if he did not, then appropriate compensation is deserved."
An extended silence ensues, and Sien waits with baited breath to see whether he would be struck down on the spot.
"It is not within your purview to determine the sanctity of your mission. However, to appease your mewling, consider this: etched onto his blade is a marking of Sandpoint origin, a nightmare rune; he also wears a pair of bracers marked with our God's symbols; and carries in his pocket a healing stone. These items are not commonly found in the markets, and you can keep them as payment. Furthermore, escaping from the castle will not be trivial - you can use the-"
The voice lapses into Elven, for the benefit of Moonlight, who is in charge escape portion. Perhaps they did not remember Sien's aiuvarin heritage, or perhaps, they intended to provide the team with redundancy in case Moonlight were not to survive. Murdering a prince is never easy, even if the court is split on the rumors he tried to murder his own father.
"Any other questions?" the voice asks.
Everyone is too afraid to bring anything else up - if something went wrong, they would just have to improvise.
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Why the team delegated this mission's planning to the dumbest rock in the group is beyond Ann, but she plows through it with dogged tenacity and years of experience. An ordered mind can compensate for greatness, or so she'd been told many times in her youth.
Phase 1: The team petitions an audience with the prince for Hammid and Ketsu-kiba (plus attendant Sien and personal guard Ann), ostensibly so they can offer their services in uncovering intelligence about one of the prince's rivals. Schedule it for an evening when he typically has fewer people hovering around him.
Phase 2a: Ann discovers the captain of the guard's weakness. (It's gambling. Found out by getting his second-in-command drunk. Too easy. How did these liabilities get their jobs? ...Oh, nepotism. There's a joke about breeding stupid in there somewhere.)
Phase 2b: It doesn't take much to convince the captain of the guard to play a (rigged) game of chance against Sien, a card-counting shark. Sien will offer to gamble for a favor once the captain's coin runs out. The favor: borrowing a significant number of the palace guards for a private gambling event across town, of course. [b]"It's so hard to find sufficient help these days... All hush-hush, of course."[b] The captain is assured with all sincerity that this arrangement will be kept in the strictest confidence so he doesn't renege on the deal.
Phase 3: Ann fills a "convenient" vacancy for the major domo of a rather senile baron nearby. In that capacity, she plans said private gambling event to coincide with Hammid and Ketsu-kiba's audience. (Actually, she hires an event planner to do this stupid part. That's peon work.)
Phase 4: The event planner issues invitations to the previously mentioned private gambling event across town, making sure the captain gets one. May he enjoy one last night of fun before his ruin.
Addendum: Disguises: Sien does not disguise himself when engaging with the captain of the guard, as he will be closely inspected for tells. However, during the audience with the Prince, he presents as a mild-mannered older attendant with a slight stoop. Ketsu-kiba plays the part of a no-nonsense business-like mole who uses all the tools at her disposal to achieve her ends (despite having her favorites), and Hammid portrays himself as the mastermind of a truly intricate plan to undermine the prince's rival in a deliciously subtle way. (Shouldn't take much acting. He'll have to wear a different mask, but it's not his first time.) Ann has to dress up in a dress (ugh!) to play the roll of major domo, but it's only for a short while. She resigns the morning of the event and is back in her comfortable trousers with plenty of time before the job itself.
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The private gambling event event goes off as planned.
Local card sharks, lucky hopefulls and plenty of nobles, some with more sense, and some with more cash. The plentiful guards, especially those associated with the Prince leave many of the nobles at ease, and keep the worst cheaters from ending the event too quickly.
The Guard Captain's night gambling is cut short. With a nagging feeling they can't concentrate on their game and are eliminated first and return early with a novelty puzzle box as a consolation prize for the early outing.
With the Prince's guards so depleted, once the Red Mantis Assassins are deep into the meeting the time comes when the guards are at their lowest for Sawtooth Sabers to be drawn. Paralyzed with Debilitating Terror the Prince can't even manage to get his blade drawn before his own life ends shortly after that of his final guards.
What should be an easy escape though is not so easy, as the Guard Captain returns...
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As lost children, those races cursed with short lifespans, careless with respect to their own histories, their own dynasties, incapable of conceiving of plans that last more than a few measly decades. What kind of prince forgets that the construction tunnels beneath his own castle exist long after they are supposedly caved in? This inattention to detail will cost him his life, or so The Mysterious Benefactor believes. No matter. This simple lead cuts out Moonlight's work for him.
Every rebellion is, in many ways, one and the same, regardless of culture. An acute combination of powerlessness and overzealousness has the distinct tendency to hasten any recruitment process such that a few choice phrases and a flexible day schedule is sufficient to earn trust to an entire haphazard company as a new comrade in arms. In another life, perhaps, this quaint, singularly defined *raison d'être* could please our shady hero, if not, for it were, that his own ambition, exceeding that of even the two gods he serves in fealty, stoked a spiritual flame that over hundreds of years has grown into an all-encompassing inferno!
*purpose for existence*
Make no mistake: Hammid Salah - a name even his closest of allies will never know him by - cares only about accumulation of knowledge and power!
Is that why Blood Mistress Jakalyn had found him to be an Impressive Student? Had she known that her successor would have to be not only cunning enough to outwit her, but ambitious enough to replace her? Running the Red Mantis Assassin would be a lot of work, and Moonlight had always preferred to operate alone, and to travel for extended periods. By all rights, she had made the wrong choice. Not that he would ever let her know it. And if it came to it, he would take her life, and leave the credit to the next in line, content to make his severance complete. Perhaps in a few decades, for he still had much to learn about the most secretive cult on the face of Golarian!
And so he sets to work, working with the two Tiens - the naive backwoods country knack eager to prove herself, and the spoiled noble brat no doubt raised by an army of ineffectual tutors - as well as the brutishly dull orphan of unknown origin towards getting the Favor Performed for the client behind the scenes enacting the game of thrones likely for their own personal gain, which, fortunate for them, wasn't in direct violation of the tenants set out by The Guild. And to test them - his new Guildmates - he decided to allow them the opportunity to show their talents, vowing that whatever mess they made of it, he would clean it up.
Chi Sien proved to be more superstitious than those of studied tradition typically are, but his flashy magic coupled with his potent poisoncraft proved useful - he imagined taking a liking to the lad if only he were he a "full" elf. When he winces at the thought of being arbitrarily smote, Moonlight fans the flames of divine mystery "The Divine Order has sorted itself proportionally. Know, young one, that by your blade, you are Retained in Service to a Destiny that He hath Ordained!" That should placate the fear motive that undergirds his belonging within the group. Proselytizing always stirred different thoughts and emotions in different people, but always towards a single reliable end, so long as one chose their words wisely.
Ann Hilate proved to be surprising; Moonlight checked himself to be careful for underestimating her twice! Or rather, the flattery of situating him precisely as he likes to be situated still had the expectant impact over his nigh-immortal ego despite him being able to fully recognize the psychological dynamic at work around him. Advisor, she had chosen him to be! He slips easily into the role, facile, and ruminates "The Duke's eyes and ears are everywhere. It could be any day that he makes his ill-conceived bid for what is rightfully yours to take!" leaning in, Hammid whispers to the doomed prince, enjoying with no shortage of malice, the irony of explaining to him the double entendre "His agents may even be yet in this very room!" and casting a conspiratorial eye towards each other in his company "All can be arranged. My estimation is that his plan is to strike at the next Seasonal Celebration, which gives us a fortnight to prepare. See to it that your men are prepared to work double-time starting with the next moon. And that they be outfitted accordingly..." Setting the stage for relaxation in the next week to hitch off the gambling plan, Moonlight smiles at his own bait-and-switch of timing, shortening the duration of their contract greatly.
Ketsu-kiba proved a deadly and cruel blade - marinating her mark in fear that they can only be a spectator in their own death! Moonlight watches as she executes her victim, who falls without even the sense to know that he had been betrayed. Or so they had been lead to believe...
...the "prince's" body falls, but in so doing, polymorph's back into the phenotype and bearing of one of his trusted guards! He had duped them!! If only they had used their divinations to confirm the identity of the now-fallen "prince"!!! And yet: The Plan had its pieces falling right where Moonlight had arranged them to fall! "Take the would-be assassin away!" Moonlight commands the remaining guard - the leader among under his magical control! - who bring the Tien youth into custody immediately, stripping her of her sabres, and escorting her to the dungeon. "Come, Prince [redacted], to the Fallback Room" and there, now fully convinced of his loyalty to the prince's petty schemes, and through the very rebel tunnels that had been part of this very briefing! - the remaining party sits alone with the prince and only a few of his most trusted guardsmen, off the street, and utterly unmatched, possessed now of the full privacy afforded them of a private quarters within the castle that only those within the room are aware of it's whereabouts...
...the bloodbath that ensues is brutal, quick and clean. No witnesses. The afterscene painted as such to look as though the Guard Captain had been bribed with a puzzlebox of indeterminate value to betray the confidence of the charge he had been entrusted to protect, the entire plot neatly pinned on the next of kin. The key to the Fallback Room surreptitiously discarded out of the lone window to the tower, recoverable with precisely the concerted effort that a regal search party would find capable of full muster. And three more corpses matching the descriptions of the advisory council hired by the prince not less than a week preceding...
...and it was done.
And Moonlight, temporarily on "sabbatical" from his "rebellion", sleeps the uneasy sleep of a man who yet craves... more...
After assassinating the price you sit in an inn sufficiently away from the hit place to be safe. You go through emotional roller-coaster, as maybe you always do, being proud of job well done, thinking about next task, anxious that maybe you could have done something better.
After holding to some meaningless chit-chat, you see a figure approaching. A slender aiuvarin man with golden brown skin and long white hair who wears a red hooded cloak over leather armor. His dark red eyes glitter, but he approaches calmly and in a non-threatening manner. His name is Vatum, and you recognize him as a highranking courier who serves the Vernai and is known as a favored contact of Blood Mistress Jakalyn. Red Mantis assassins in the field are assigned new missions through couriers like Vatum, but you have not been approached by him before. His presence here indicates a great honor and trust from their leadership
"Well, well, well, I want to congratulate you, I heard only rumors but the gamble did pay off. Taking away the defenders to strike from the unexpected angle was a chess move worth of a master." he says in a pleasant voice that sounds honest. He takes a sit next to you and removes his gloves.
"But before you vanish like darkness at dawn, there is a new person selected for a visit from He Who Walks. " Vernai uses one of the common euphemism for assassination
"The target in this case is a powerful, notorious priest of Gorum: General Ordulf Bladecaller."
Vernai turns silent seeing a waitress approaching, he orders an ale giving you time for placing your order and thinking about questions that you may want to ask, or recall from your memory what you may know about Ordulf.
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Locking eyes with Vatum, Moonlight scans his bearing - a man whose reputation precedes him, he makes his own assessment - and searches his long memory for recognition of the name General Ordulf Bladecaller - it had been at least a human lifetime since he had visited the Land of Linnorm…
Scholarly Recollection
[Focus, Fortune]
Trigger: You attempt a Perception check to Seek, or you attempt a skill check to Recall Knowledge with a skill you’re trained in
Speaking a short prayer as you gather your thoughts, you're blessed to find yourself pointed in the right direction. The GM rolls the triggering check twice and uses the better result.
Sien scoffs at the idea that he might vanish. After all, he doesn't have anything to hide. He is not a criminal. He enforces the divine order, and if people have a problem with that, they can take it up with Him.
"Thank you," Sien accepts the acknowledgement of a job well done.
He doesn't always.
Ann grunts and nods in acknowlegment, raising her tankard to Vatum as a gruff sign of respect. (It's still nearly full; she always nurses her drinks to avoid dulling her senses.) Frankly, she's rather stunned to receive a visit from one so high-ranking as him, and her demeanor becomes more reserved and distantly professional to avoid embarrassing herself.
Upon hearing the name of their next target, she scowls thoughtfully as she tries to remember if she knows anything about them.
Vatum takes a sip and begins speaking
"General Ordulf Bladecaller is an Ulfen man, born in a now destroyed fishing village along the shores of Glacier Lake in Irrisen. Ordulf escaped from the winter witches of Irrisen as a young man and fled west, eventually seeking shelter in the neighboring Lands of the Linnorm Kings; rumors that he personally wrestled one of the chicken-legged animated huts that guards the borders of Irrisen to the ground swiftly won him acclaim and respect in the eastern regions of the Linnorm Kingdoms."
• Ordulf earned the byname “Bladecaller” for his intimidating nature: he had a noteworthy tendency to win conflicts through insults alone even before drawing a blade—his words, many say, cut as deep as any sword or axe.
• Today, Ordulf’s standing in the church of Gorum is obscure. Some rumors say that he is one of the god’s favorites and been blessed so that he cannot be killed, while others insist that he’s turned to other sinister powers to ensure his longevity and that his faith in Gorum is a sham. Of note, all those who confronted Ordulf on matters of his faith were swiftly slain by the warlord.
• Ordulf wields a frost greatsword and a wounding battleaxe capable of fighting on its own at his side in battle.
• Ordulf single-handedly slaughtered a clan of adlets who had taken residence in an ancient dwarven fortress in the foothills of the Stormspear Mountains. Now renamed Crownhold, this fortress is his seat of power. The closest settlement to Crownhold is a remote trading post called Glacier’s Rest.
• Recent rumors say that Ordulf is preparing his forces to wage war against Trollheim, the capital of the kingdom of Hagreach in the Lands of the Linnorm Kings, rather than following local tradition and killing a linnorm to become a king. Many in Hagreach and kingdoms beyond see this as an affront to tradition, but Ordulf’s reputation is such that none dare oppose him—least of all King Freyr Darkwine, who arrogantly considers Ordulf to be a “mountain-squatting troll” and not worth his time to even consider a threat.
Literally nothing, either you are to tired, or to distracted.
Ketsu-kiba listens and smiles while sipping some almost embarrassingly expensive wine.
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Hammid makes a mental note to prepare spells that would stave off against Fear, Frost, and Animation.
He shares what he recalls:
"I have heard of this "Bladecaller" as he is renown for using tactics similar to us - by getting under he enemies' skins"
"It is rumored that he is immortal, or some say he cavorts with perverse powers while propping up his false faith: He is no true Gorumite"
"And he keeps himself well equipped - I have heard that his axe dances to it's own tune while his sword burns with ice"
He turns to Vatum, sizing him up as he speaks...
~) Biographical Eye vs Vatum
In even a brief conversation or social interaction, you pick up on subtle social and visual cues to learn a great deal about a person's origin and history. You might notice bits of green under the person's fingernails and determine they're an herbalist, spy a pin indicating their membership in a secret society, or something similar. You pick up on only details that have to do with their societal role, so you might learn the city district where a vampire lives, but wouldn't learn any of their weaknesses, nor necessarily even that they are a vampire.
Spend 1 minute in the presence of someone you haven't met before, or haven't met since you first gained Biographical Eye, then attempt a DC 30 Society check. You gain a +1 circumstance bonus to the check if you engaged the person in conversation during this time. If the person is deliberately trying to conceal their nature or present a false identity, you learn about their false biography rather than their true one unless the result of your Society check exceeds their Will DC.
Critical Success: You learn the creature's profession, their specialty within that profession, and a major accomplishment or controversy from their career. You also learn the nation and settlement where they live, as well as the district in a city large enough to have districts. In addition, you learn the nation or settlement where they spent their formative years.
Success: You learn the creature's profession and specialty within that profession. You learn the nation or settlement where they normally live.
Failure: You learn the creature's profession and the region of the world they hail from, but no more.
Critical Failure: You learn a piece of erroneous information about the creature.
..."If the Mantis commands it, it is done" he assures his quest-giver, wondering casually, as assassins do, what background experience he would bring to The Guild, should push ever come to shove...
"Hm." Ann grunts. So grab the axe and smash it. Should be annoying. She pictures herself engaged in a comical-yet-deadly tug-of-war with an axe that jerks around on its own. Yeah, that'll be my job, while the others do the real stuff. Inwardly, she chuckles grimly before agreeing to the job. "I'm in. It'll get done." Enough said.
She's not the least concerned about his taunts; she's heard it all before and tends to be more entertained than offended by the "good insults". She also doesn't give a rat's hairless tail what his real religion is. They'll find out and be prepared one way or another. Plus, she knows the Red Mantis has ways of undermining their targets' supposed immortality, and that's good enough for her.
You recall a song about someone names Ordulf, in it that indyvidual single-handedly slaughtered a clan of adlets who had taken residence in an ancient dwarven fortress in the foothills of the Stormspear Mountains. Now renamed Crownhold, this fortress is his seat of power. The closest settlement to Crownhold is a remote trading post called Glacier’s Rest.
You look at Vatum and some of his manners shows that he may be working as a solicitor, something about the words that he used and manners that he had. By his accent you can hear that he did spend some time in Absalom, but also did some fare share of traveling, definitely did not stay very long in any of the places. He is used to dealing with important indyviduals, you suspect both within Red Mantis and outside.
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"Do you have any intel, Vatum, on those closest to him? A lieutenant perhaps, or a squire, or fellow clergyman? Or a retinue of loyal soldiers?"
He eyes the sharp-tongued, well-traveled man accustomed to speaking with people of importance, and untouching of his own drink before him, keeps the conversation strictly business.
Also "What is the timeline of the contract?"
Sien also shares what he recalls.
"Bladecaller has taken over a dwarven fortress in the Stormspear Mountains, called Crownhold, near Glacier's Rest."
"People say that he's moving against Trollheim, eschewing the ritual of the linnorm, and short-cutting his way to legitimate authority."
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Moonlight raises an eyebrow at Sien's mention of Glacier's Rest...
...he makes a mental note to meditate upon what he recalls about Ulfen people...
...and a mental note to advance scout for rumors in Glacier's Rest itself...
Prerequisites: Streetwise; expert in Society
You're connected to groups that know what's going on in the streets, and you can get information out of them quickly. When you use Society to Gather Information in an area where you have a network (typically a settlement where you've spent at least a week or spent a day of downtime to build a network faster), you can contact a member of these groups to get information directly from them. This usually takes about an hour, and it doesn't draw as much attention as Gathering Information in public might. The check and information gained otherwise follow the normal rules for Gather Information.
In addition, if you have successfully consulted the underground network, you get a +1 circumstance bonus to the next check to Recall Knowledge you attempt about the subject you were Gathering Information on, or a +2 circumstance bonus if you're using Underworld Lore for the check. The GM might change the Lore skill related to the network depending on your location or the specifics of the network you're tapping into.
"Off hand, I am unsure a 'Linnorm-less King' has much of a future in a part of the world where Merit holds a Highest Authority meting out Rulership" he speculates aloud, then second-guesses himself, allowing another to weigh in "Is Military Conquest of a Legitimate Substitute of the Usual Custom?"
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"Hmph. Seems pretty clear to me. There's a legit way to do it, and he ain't taking it. Don't get all philosophical on us, Moonlight." She punches him playfully on the shoulder, just hard enough to warn him not to dance that close to questioning orders *right to Vatum's face*. Don't *try* to earn a visit from He Who Walks, man, she muses sardonically before switching her brain back to the mission. Glacier's Rest, huh?
"Is working through the legitimate authority of Hagreach a viable option? I'd be convenient if we could maneuver the king of Trollheim into providing some support, even if it is just setting up a distraction so we can work."
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Ketsu-kiba nods and agrees with Chi Sien. "I've heard some songs about his exploits in Glacier's Rest. Figuring out which ones are true could help us out quite a bit."
"Do you have any intel, Vatum, on those closest to him? A lieutenant perhaps, or a squire, or fellow clergyman? Or a retinue of loyal soldiers?"
Also "What is the timeline of the contract?"
Vatum takes a sip "I am afraid that I don't know anyone who is in his service, I once crossed through the city and I recall that there was a 'peace keeper' Jarlin Innveig Stonefist a foul mouthed and short-tempered indyvidual. When it comes to timeline, sooner rather than later, the town is farely remote, so there will be not a lot of travelers. Very quickly you will stick out and start raising question on why are you spending weeks there."
"Is working through the legitimate authority of Hagreach a viable option? I'd be convenient if we could maneuver the king of Trollheim into providing some support, even if it is just setting up a distraction so we can work."
"Maybe, but then king of Trollheim would have to gather some forces to come towards Glacier's rest, it may take time, but creativity in this field is appreciated."
Concerning Glacier's rest
Ann recalls that the people of Glacier’s Rest fear the Red Mantis, but then who doesn't, and wearing their armor or wielding sawtooth sabers in public will help to intimidate the locals, that sounds off as in no other place it is a good idea... Ann does not recall anything specific about the king.
Moonlight recalls that Glacie'r Rest is a relatively large but remote town, and should make an excellent place to begin the work of planning an infiltration of the fortress of Crownhold. As with all Red Mantis missions, it’s important not to reveal your affiliation with the assassins publicly—you know, that you should not wear armor or carry weapons that would betray their purpose, as always with your missions
Shien recalls speaking to a merchant who visited the place, the merchant said that the majority of locals revere Gorum. Anyone who wears heavy armor or carries a greatsword is more revered by the locals. . Conversely, anyone who is revealed to be an enemy of the faith or who publicly mocks the Gorum-worshipping lifestyle is swiftly seen as a coward
The merchant also told him about the inn, Frosty Stein. The friendliest innkeeper in town, Gundar Icebreaker caters to the merchants who arrive about once a week. He earned his surname after a demonstration where he punched through a solid block of ice, a demonstration he still performs on request. Prices for meals and lodging here are standard, although no extravagant suites or fine dining options are available.
Sien will let Ann and Moonlight argue about whether to openly wear marks of the Red Mantis, although if pressed, he will point out that they will likely have no problem intimidating the locals without affiliations being known, whereas openly wearing symbols has the potential to wreck the whole mission. The safe bet would be to hide affiliations, as per default.
Sien will purchase a mundane greatsword and openly wield that.
Sien wonders if Ann could punch through a block of ice.
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Moonlight has no interest in feigning worship to a third god. He keeps his gauntlet proudly displayed, and his sabre hidden, and sees no reason for that to change. Why carry around a heavy, crude, useless implement?
"I will need a day to poke around" he asks the group "Because asking in the open draws too many ears. Instead, I need to locate the right person. There is always a snitch, you just have to suss them out" casually wandering his eye over the group, he wonders who in this group would fit that description, coming to settle his gaze upon "Sien - your intelligence is useful. We should be able to fully prepare. I, for one, am curious about the construction of Crownhold. From what I know about dwarves, they tend to have an affinity for elaborate boobytrappings"
"Chi Sien, I much prefer the mask of an entrepreneur than a massive sword , but I'm skilled enough to not look like an idiot or cut myself if you think carrying such a monstrosity would help our cover, I'll get one as well."
"Eh, sure. Might as well." Ann agrees to purchase a greatsword. Why not? Such an easy way to be accepted by the locals. She's well accustomed to hiding her sawtooth sabers in cunningly made scabbards to disguise their true form; it will take no extra effort to do so in Glacier's Rest. No need to warn their mark that the Red Mantis is in town.
She wonders idly if she, too, could punch through a solid block of ice. Eh, I'd try it. But only if failing wouldn't impede our mission.
She leans back, pondering covers to justify their presence in town. "He's probably used to people wanting to join his ranks. Power attracts followers. It's also the most obvious infiltration tactic, so he'll be expecting it." She shoots a smirk at Moonlight. "Sounds like the perfect situation for one of your complicated schemes-within-schemes-within-schemes."
You bid farewell to Vatum, who wishes you successes in your mission. After buying greatswords which you hope will let you sway the locals, you begin to look for transport towards Glacier's Rest.
You find a ship departing in two days, the journey is uneventful, no luggage is lost, no sea monster or pirate ship bothers you.
On the ship you speak to a group of merchants traveling to that town before it 'closes for the winter'.
A dwarf with long mustache seeing you and your swords asks what is your business in Glacier's Rest ...
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Ketsu-kiba smiles "Oh, you know the usual, we hear the fried chicken legs are delicious."
Lowering her voice and looking over the Dwarf for any infernal signs of other connections and assuming she doesn't find in, leans in and almost whispers "It's also about as far away from Cheliax we could get on short notice. Don't tell anyone though." Ketsu-kiba smiles and lets out the tiniest polite chuckle.
"What about you, surely that impressive mustache must keep you out of trouble." she follows up.
Sien stands politely to the side, letting Ketsu-kiba do all the talking.
If anyone attempts Diplomacy, Sien will jump in and Aid.
Beefy arms folded across her chest, Ann gives a half nod and a huffing half-chuckle as Ketsu-kiba leans back after whispering to the dwarf. It's an odd way to communicate that she's fine with letting him in on their secret, but she's found this approach usually works better for her than using words.
She half-turns, leaning against the side rail, and surveys the people on the ship to note if anyone might be eavesdropping. Old habits die hard, and a good assassin never lets down her guard.
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Moonlight allows the more glib of tongue to situate the lie that allows their strange band to reside in the good community of Glacier's Rest. Meanwhile, he sets about establishing a small group (perhaps a single point of contact chosen from among the ne'er-do'wells of the quaint ice town) of informants, hoping to get a pulse of the underground societies present, in order to exploit them for discrete information on their mark. And really: His fortress "Crownhold"!
Concealing his allegiances, he keeps his mark of the mantis low - sabre tucked neatly into hos robes - allowing his secondary, and equally or more obscure, affiliation as a devout cleric of the Mysterious Ng to be unobtrusively ostentacious: The Gauntlet of Knowledge! Eschewing the farce of carrying prominent a greatsword, he attempts to thread the needle of passive non-allegiance to the god whose employer has sent him as an emissary of death against a man cloaked, at least in theory, in the upright fealty of worship. He does, however, hold in reserve his own thoughts on what folly worship of Gorum entails...
"What about you, surely that impressive mustache must keep you out of trouble." she follows up.
The dwarf have no illusions or marks of hells on any visible part of his body, he listens to Ketsu-Kiba with interest
"I see, sometimes it is not about where are you going but what are you running from." the dwarf curls his mustache
"Oh yes, mustache is a serious business, and when ones see it they know I am a serious person. Dran is my name, and with my collegues we go to Glacier's Rest to buy salted char." the dwarf says
From all of the signs dwarf seems to believe your story, and no one on the ship was particularly interested in your story.
The ship is comming towards it's destination
An icy wind blows across the open tundra south of the town of Glacier’s Rest, which crouches atop an upthrust escarpment of stone that looms a hundred feet above the surrounding plains. To the north stand the formidable Stormspear Mountains, while a treacherous-looking trail consisting of three switchbacks ascends the ridge to the town from the trade road that winds into the distance to the east and west.
The town itself is bordered by further defenses—palisades of pine that block the frigid winds and deny townsfolk a view of the southern tundra, further accenting the dominance of the mountains to the north. Clusters of log cabins, alehouses, trading posts, and storehouses huddle together around a massive longhouse, ribbons of smoke reaching to the sky through holes on either end of the town’s largest building. A single track winds north from town into the mountains—the only indication that this remote settlement is not the last bastion against the frozen wilderness to the north.
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Ann grunts at the mention of the Hatchet and Barrel. "I don't fancy sleeping in a common room. There's always some drunkard who thinks he wants a large woman, and the public thrashings I have to deal out to those overconfident morons tend to draw all kinds of attention." She pauses for a beat. "Then again, that might work in our favor out here, depending on how we wanna do things."
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"We could go into the common room, and make it a private room by telling everyone else to get lost."
Sien would rather not antagonize the town any more than necessary, but if antagonizing people is necessary, Sien's full of ideas.
"No need to make extra noise, Fristy Stein sounds like more fun anyway." somments Ketsu-kiba.
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Hammid frowns beneath his mask at the magus’s suggestion. Brute force was always best served as a last resort. Then again, men like Sien had their uses, and best let them express themself as towards feeling in their element, sharp and ready for deployment of their own unmitigated volition ”No need to make sleeping under the same roof a priority, so long as we have a rendezvous” he pauses, to gauge the response to his suggestion ”I can look to see how far apart these two establishments are. If they are down the street, a meetup would be a trivial matter”
After some arguing you go towards Frosty Stein, after opening the door and entering you see a rather spacious common room, in it at the bar sits some locals and at one of the tables you can see the merchants that came on the same ship with Dran. Soon a tall and smiling figure approaches
"You look like new in town, you have some nice blades there" he points at the greatswords
"They call me Gundar Icebreaker, are you looking for rooms and meals? We still have 2 rooms for 4 person each, we have some beds in common room if needed. When it comes to meals we can offer you a stew of the day or proper meals more suitable to respected ones like yourself (Square meals)[/ooc]"
Gundar leads you to a table
"I am guessing you are staying for 3 days only right? All merchants are leaving in 3 days and only locals will stay here through the winter."
Ketsu-kiba nods and misses the timing question. "We'll take one of those rooms, and the nicer cubed meals please."
Sien acknowledges the compliment about his greatsword the same way that a celebrity might acknowledge an autograph-seeker: with a small smile that invites no follow-up questions.
"My name is Chi Sien. You can call me Sien. We will take a square meal."
When asked about the length of their stay, Sien reverts to his poker face.
"The duration of our stay is yet to be decided. We feel no need to be bound by the whims of others. If we choose to stay, we will find a way to stay. If we choose to leave, we will find a way to leave."
Ann just nods her agreement. While she could live with the stew of the day, it sounds like that would leave her rather hungry. A grumbling tummy is a liability when you're trying to be stealthy, so proper meals are generally a better choice when on a mission.
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Ketsu-kiba responds "Merchants... well I guess there are worse things you could call us. After our tour in Varisia didn't go as well as planned we flipped a coin and decided to go for a colder climate. Lets say we're not sure how long we're staying. Happy to pay for the 3 days now, and we can discuss later if this place turns out to have that something special and we decide to stay the winter."
Ann grunts and jerks her chin up in a sort of half-nod of confirmation, folding her beefy arms across her chest as she leans her chair back to balance precariously on two legs.
Sien takes out a handful of silver and copper coins and puts it on the table, counting out the proper amount.
"Mmgh. Right." Ann grunts, dropping her chair back onto four legs and fishing out her small change pouch to count out her share. (The pouch in which she keeps her gold pieces is stashed somewhere a cutpurse or a pickpocket wouldn't dare attempt.)
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"Merchants huh? That was my guess" says Gundar,
"Since this is your fist time, let me order preparing of your room and order the meals for you, and I will tell you about the town." shares the innkeeper
He goes and speak to someone from staff who first goes to the kitchen later on upstairs to prepare the room.
Soon Gundar comes back "So first and foremost in here we have Crownhold Warehouse, run by Kranold Buergon a prospector who is temporarily broke" he chuckles a bit "This is a place where you should put your goods, they will be delivered to the Crownhold by the end of the week, usually after the caravans are gone"
"There is a small market Gunilla's Goods they sell everything that you may need, Gunilla loves merchants, usually they buy plenty of things from her to fix the carts, feed the horses and all that. Gunilla is a bit mysterious if you ask me, most people believe that she is a witch. We have a hunting lodge which also serves as an inn, Hatchet and Barrel, run by Vid the Wise. Vid wanted to become a king by hunting linnorms but he did not get to it yet. " at that time the food comes, and it is an acceptable food, a bit fatty and portions are large to compensate for the cold weather outside.
"Massive Arms: Tholl the Thrice-Burned is the smith if you want to buy some weapons, or sharpen the ones that you have. And finally we have sensible science, it is apothecary run by Einn Snowspeaker, if you need healing."
After that he answers any questions that you may have and leave you to it. The room is ready soon after.
Ketsu-kiba makes some small talk, asking about local foods and the like to be polite.
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Day 1:
Ketsu-kiba spends the morning trying to get close to Crownhold with a combonation of looking inconspicious and good ole fashion sneaking around invisible.
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Hammid gets to work.
"I would be a powerful ally, or a dangerous enemy. You decide my role in your life"
He locates the crooks and thieves of the town - anyone who nobody respectable would notice if they turned up missing - and offers underhanded assistance to them - a consulting criminal of sorts - on pain of them delivering discreet information on "Crownholds secrets". If he has to, he uses force to brutalize anyone who gives him guff or if he expects a double-cross, before immediately healing them back to full health.
First Infiltration
Underground Network
Prerequisites: Streetwise; expert in Society
You're connected to groups that know what's going on in the streets, and you can get information out of them quickly. When you use Society to Gather Information in an area where you have a network (typically a settlement where you've spent at least a week or spent a day of downtime to build a network faster), you can contact a member of these groups to get information directly from them. This usually takes about an hour, and it doesn't draw as much attention as Gathering Information in public might. The check and information gained otherwise follow the normal rules for Gather Information.
In addition, if you have successfully consulted the underground network, you get a +1 circumstance bonus to the next check to Recall Knowledge you attempt about the subject you were Gathering Information on, or a +2 circumstance bonus if you're using Underworld Lore for the check. The GM might change the Lore skill related to the network depending on your location or the specifics of the network you're tapping into.
Meanwhile, Ann does her own digging into Ordulf himself. After spending an hour or so determining who would be the most useful targets, she offers to spar with some locals. And afterwards, of course, she gets them passably drunk and asks all kinds of questions about her target.
As Ketsu-kiba heads off to the Crownhold and Moonlight and Ann work on cracking secrets, Sien will begin making physical preparations. The first order of business, of course, is 500 feet of unbroken rope. One can never have too much rope.