Search Posts
Alamara bucks up her courage and approaches the half-elf debutante. "Excuse me, miss. I couldn't help noticing the book you are reading..." Alamara says hopefully, trying to start a conversation. "And then I wondered what that wonderful drink you ordered is? I am new on the coffeehouse scene and am always looking for new things to try." The poor girl is quite nervous and stutters and stammers her way through the intro line. That's as close as Alamara can get to a Bluff.
I tried to speak to her, but she just blew me off...Guess she's too cool for the Dawnflower...
At the point of contact with the subject, Alamara gets a case of cold feet. "I don't know what to say to her. She's not like me. What could I possibly have to approach her about?" She looks at Saul with such a worried look, fearing that she doesn't have what it takes to be a master detective after all.
"Make it two," says Alamara, not knowing what else to get. She just copies what Saul does... As the coffee bar hostess makes some comment about Saul's soul, Alamara stares at her. "What is that supposed to mean? What do you know about his soul?" Her tone is inquisitive, not irritated.
Alamara looks herself up and down, and shrugs. Appearance has never really mattered much to her, even in her role as defender of the faith, the steel suit is not adorned, but practical. "I haven't much experience with fancy things, Mr Gibson, but I will do my best to make the right impression." They stop at a moderately priced shop and after a few minutes trying things on, she picks out a well-made tunic and long skirt. Tying her hair up in a ponytail and wiping the sweat and dirt from her face, she actually looks a bit more presentable. Not exquisitely rich, but perhaps at least middle class in work clothes kind of look. She smiles at Saul and takes a half-curtsy, trying on her best manners. "I suppose this is as ready as I get. We'll have to solve a case or two more before I can get the really fancy clothes."
Alamara is surprised to see Saul at the laundry, but even more surprised when he offers her a partnership. Two gold per week! That's more than her mother and her make combined. The offer was just too good to turn down. Alamara springs on Saul with surprising exuberance, hugging him and accepting his proposal. "I'd love to take that job, Mr Gibson! Partners! Gosh, I didn't know I had what it took to be a master sleuth, but I guess I underestimated myself." She looks about the laundry, at the unfinished work and blows a loose strand of hair out of her face. "Can you front me the first week, sir? If I leave now, they will fire me. And I need to make sure my family is fed. If so, I will leave now to find this girl. How hard could that work be? Maybe we'll be best friends? Like sisters?"
"Yes, mother." says Alamara, rolling her eyes at the nagging, but understanding the reason behind it. "I will work double tonight to make up for the lost time." She sighed, knowing that if she missed again tomorrow, she would be in for it even more. Maybe she need to charge for her services like Mr Gibson did. He did seem like he could use a partner... Letting her mother return to their flat, Alamara takes on double work trying to make up the loads that she missed, dreaming of a fancy coffee shop order.
Alamara starts when the guards mention that Shensen is possibly in Kintargo Castle. It is all she can do to not set off for that place at a run now, but Saul Gibson has gotten them this far, so she decides to trust him a little more. "Saul Gibson, I will return tomorrow and see how we get into Castle Kintargo. Or at least confirm the presence of our friends inside." She turns to go, but remembers something and calls back to the sleuth. "No armor tomorrow either?" She is hopefully he will disagree, but predicts there is much more sleuthing to do before force will be of much help. She returns to the laundry, keeping her hands busy with the work, while her mind wanders over all that has transpired over the last few days. The intrusion of the new Grand Mayor, this Thrune, has upset her life greatly, along with the lives of, it seems, many others. How to make it all go back to the way it was before? That question burns in her mind, inspiring all kinds of deeds of derring-do in her imagination, but none of them seem quite practical so far. "I'll just keep watching and learning, and look for the right opportunity to set these despot back." she thinks, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
Alamara understand patience and decides to wait out the "stakeout" with the master sleuth. When Peeko returns and says Shensen is probably not in the Holding House, Alamara doesn't know whether to be glad or sad. If not here, she may not be custody at all. Or she may be in a worse place... When Saul suggests confronting a pair of the guards, the paladin nods along. "I agree with your methods Saul Gibson. Lying is not the way. But, if the men will not tell us what they know of Shensen and the others, they may require some "education" that all who do not follow the path of Sarenrae need from time to time. These friends of Asmodeus may not tell us true, but I can be quite persuasive..." She cracks her knuckles to stress the point which is not so subtlely made. "Come Peeko, you are a brave bird, and I would be honored for you to ride on my shoulder should your wings tire of carrying you." If the bird allows it, Alamara will stroke his feathers under his chin as a reward for his bravery.
Sorry for a brief absence. Have been under the weather. Not sure i can keep up in the best of circumstances, so now I am quite far behind.
"To find facts, we have to get inside, don't we Saul?" says Alamara looking at the imposing structure with some chagrin. This certainly wouldn't be easy to fight your way into, so maybe Saul was onto something here. "Want me to knock and see what happens?" Being a novice investigator, Alamara doesn't want to ruin things, but is eager to get answers. The girl, dressed in her peasant's gear, still has a martial bearing that is apparent to those who pay attention to them as they stroll through the city. Her long blond hair and bright blue eyes turn heads as well, but she is oblivious to the attraction that she may hold for others, her purpose single-minded as it has always been.
"Right, fact finding only." Alamara nods her understanding and tramps off after Saul and the thrush to see what there is to see at the holding prison. In the back of her mind is the idea that this might just be more than a fact-finding mission. She ached to get her hands on one of the devil-worshipping guards and show the righteousness of her cause to them. But, Saul didn't need to hear all that...yet.
When Alamara hears that Saul thinks Shensen is in detention, her first reaction is: "If they have her, then let's go get her out. By force if necessary! The devil-loving Asmodeans cross the line this time. Hang up their pictures all you like, but taking an innocent woman, a fine upstanding citizen, is too much, even for them!" You see her anger blaring hotly. As Saul mentions he is going to the holding house and that Alamara can come along, but she must be more discreet, her temperature cools. "How do we free them, Mr Gibson? Finding them imprisoned is one thing, but i need her free. How do we accomplish such? Not with feats fo arms it appears. Do you know a way?" Then as the little thrush speaks, it appears they have the same goal i mind. Alamara has her change of clothes in her bag, so she excuses her self to change while Saul and Peeko work out the details. When she returns, her clothes are not grand. Stained from lye and soap, and worn from use, but they stand otu less than the sunburst on her shield. Alamara stands firm, her chin set, ready to go with Saul to this prison.
Rolling the day forward in the middle of our interaction threw me off a bit. I guess that means the real conversation got delayed to the next day?
The Night Before Alamara just begins to explain about Shensen and the Sarenrites, when the guard busts into Saul's offices threatening to arrest him. The young paladin's first reaction is to go for her blade, but as Saul seems to accept the intrusion, she slowly relaxes, gritting her teeth instead. When the guard has departed, Saul seems shaken, so Alamara quickly updates him on the reason for her call. "I want you to help me find Shensen or any of my lost congregation." she says barely holding herself together. When Saul tells her to come back in the morning, she nods sagely, but is elated inside. Finally, someone to help, and a master sleuth at that! Next Morning Not knowing where to practice her forms, Alamara does them inside her flat though without the joyful sunshine and connection with her goddess. The flat is small and cramped and not the ideal place for that physical exercise. Finishing up, before she is due to work at the laundry, she scrapes together the few coins she has remaining, that aren't for food or rent, and rushes over to Gibson Investigations to get the search started in earnest. She is surprised to see a thrush continually circling the porch, as if it belongs inside. Saul appears to be out again, so she takes her accustomed place on the stoop, watching the small bird's antics.
Posted before I saw this, but I think mine is just a start. You can imagine what Alamara will ask, about Shensen and just run with it from there.
As a man approaches, Alamara looks him over and decides that's not Saul Gibson, master detective. Must be an informant or some other denizen of the underworld. As he nearly stumbles over Alamara, she moves back with grace avoiding his step. "Excuse me, but would you know when Mr Gibson will arrive? I am waiting to meet him on an urgent matter." -------- Earlier in the park, as a group of hooligans begins pestering Alamara over her religious symbol, she tries first to ignore them, and then when that becomes impossible, she grits her teeth, determined not to react in a negative way. One of the tenets of her faith is peace until peace isn't an option. Deciding instead of making a scene to just move on, she leaves the park, even as the ruffians chuck rocks at her, plunking them off her armor. "The Chelish Citizens Group I wonder what that means? Maybe this detective will have heard of it."
Without the Silver Star around for Alamara to do her morning rituals, the young woman is at a loss. She gathers her sword and shield and heads to Aria Park, to do her early morning practice. Along the way she notices an advertisement for a detective specializing in missing persons. She puts it out of her head, but as she does her meditative forms the idea that someone, a professional even, could help her find Shensen, won't leave her head. It keeps her from concentrating on her stance and form, like a klaxxon bell it keeps ringing in her head. Finally, leaving the part behind, Alamara grabs one of the handbills and heads for the address indicated in Old Kintargo. "Fees negotiable," Alamara said to herself as she walked. "Yes, I certainly hope so..." Eventually the girl arrived at the indicated address. The run-down building surely couldn't be the place where this masterful detective worked. She double-checked the numbers. "Perhaps it's just a matter of professional camouflage", she thought, "I mean, a detective has to be discreet doesn't he?". Eventually, she found the right door and knocked. Disappointingly, no one seemed to be in, so Alamara took a seat on the step, waiting for Mr Saul Gibson to arrive.
This! That's what I saw as soon as read about the posters, a broken-hearted Alamara going to Saul to find her missing Shensen. Tehn perhaps joining in a few investigations as the new odd couple... Sorry my posting frequency is limited during the workday (US Central time), so I think I am out of phase with most of you. Will try to keep up.
Frustrated at the lack of response from the neighboring shopkeeper, Alamara can only gather back her arms and armor and move along with her day. She goes to work at the laundry, but its clear that her mind is elsewhere, remembering the joy of the community during the dawn rooftop sessions and the fulfillment she felt when she heard the good word of the Dawnflower during basement services. Now that part of her life was over, and there were no answers as to what happened to her friends or the leader, Shensen. When she hears of a memorial service for those who died in the oddly random fires of the night before, she attends, dressed in her finest black dress. Seeing the names of many of her friends in the simple wooden coffins, she cries despairingly. When she can, she makes the simple sign of Sarenrae on the coffins, sending them to the afterlife in the warm embrace of their goddess as best she can. "If Shensen is not among the dead, and not at the Star, then where is she?" the paladin mutters to herself as the sham of a service continues. She endures the Asmodean rituals but not without grinding her teeth in anger and loathing. While at the service, she looks about to see if there is anyone familiar in the room, or anyone who stands out to her. How three such random places were all burned in the same night, leads her to believe they all might have had something in common, but what? Maybe someone here has a clue.
Alamara continues to stare wide-eyed at the ruin. All that's left of her beloved spot is giant hole in the ground. She was here, just yesterday. Slowly, she thinks to go to the neighboring shop and ask what happened. There the full horror that someone did this on purpose, and not just someone but the new Lord-Mayor, or at least that's the gossip, is responsible for the destruction. Alamara continues pestering the shopkeeper with questions, even though the man is clearly uncomfortable talking much about what he might or might not have seen. "What about Shensen? Did she escape? Where is she?" The full import that her religious leader might be dead in that rubble starts to take hold of Alamara, and unbidden tears start to run down her face. "What about the others? Did anyone survive?"
Alamara stares at the smoking ruin, dropping her sword and shield which clatter to he ground loudly. Her first thought was the safety of Shensen or any of the other sect members. She looked quickly around to see if there any of structure still standing or anyone in danger. For that matter, where were the rest of the faithful?
The posts with Saul's situation reference the Badger burning down but there's no way to tie that action with the Silver Star from what I, as a player, know. If they burned down at the same time or for the same reason, I don't know that or what the Night of Ashes is. They seem like separate events from what I can tell (until now). Sorry if its the same mistake, but had no way of knowing that. Anyway, ready to move on... Hope the next post is more in line with the point in the story where we start. Normal day, no issues. Not sure how to characterize Shensen, but assume they have more of a role to play somewhere along the line. Will get crunch on Alamara done and posted by tomorrow evening.
It was Alamara's favorite time of day. The first light of the new day was just breaking in the eastern sky, the golden orb of the Dawnflower spreading its loving rays of warmth and light over the earth once again. The daily renewal of that message of hope and reclamation from the darkness couldn't help but bring goosebumps to the flesh of the young warrior. Atop the roof of the Silver Star, a music shop in the Jarvis End district of Kintargo, Alamara and the rest of the devout followers of the sun goddess spent their dawns in prayer, mediation, or like the girl, training with her blade and shield. All the while, Shensen, the leader of the Sarenrite sect in Kintargo read aloud from The Book of LIght and Truth inspiring reverence and awe in those who listened. Alamara spent the hours around dawn practicing her forms, and honing her body and spirit in the faith. It wasn't an easy practice, her arms aching and body covered with sweat even in the early hours of the late summer morning. She worked hard but her skill with arms benefited from the work. And she would use that martial prowess to defend her faith and to bring quick justice to those who practiced evil, including the followers of the diabolical Asmodeus, who reigned over the land -- at least for now. She had no question that the time fo the devils was on the wane, and the time for justice and peace was on the rise, with her mentor, Shensen at its fore. After the dawn ablations were complete, Alamara packed up her gear, wishing a good day to all the friends she had made in the faith, and made ready to set out for the laundry where she and her mother worked, barely making enough wages to eke out an existence in their small flat. With her shield and blade in hand, she said her farewells to Shensen and the others.
Sorry, no way to delete the post at this point. How would a player no this? The Player's Guide is pretty explicit saying that the Silver Star was burned and Shensen is missing, all in the past tense. There is no mention of the Night of Ashes you refer to and nothing in the PG that ties the burning of the inn mentioned to this Silver Star fire or the end of Sarenrite priests. The PG also explicitly states the survivors of the Sarenrae faith are being sheltered in the temple of Shelyn. Even the notes you make to Saul above don't tell me that those items haven't happened yet. I read through the whole thing again, and couldn't find anything contradicting what is stated above. Not sure how we are supposed to know that hasn't happened yet. Or when we are in the timeline then. Has none of the history described in the PG happened? I am personally quite confused, but will do the best I can to limp along until it becomes clear, making a retcon post as you suggest above.
There was no two ways about it, something was going to have to change and soon. Frustrated, Alamara wiped the sweat from her forehead and exhaled deeply. Working her forms in the morning was just not the same here in Songbird Hall. Sure the priests of Shelyn had welcomed the fledgling flock of Sarenrae into their midst. And sure the place was beautiful, the finest art and architecture filled with music night and day, but there was no good exposure to the sun. And that’s what she craved. The soul warming light and heat from the celestial representation of her Goddess. For years it had been part of Alamara’s daily ritual to rise before dawn and do her forms in the rays of the morning sun — a way of communing with the Dawnflower in the silent stillness of the new day. Not long ago, the young woman had grown accustomed to her morning work atop the roof of the Silver Star, the music shop where the leader of the local Sarenrites held sway. But since the taking of Shensen and the ruining of the Star, the flock had moved here — to the Shelyn’s temple called Songbird Hall. Doing her meditations indoors did not hold the same air of reverence and when she went outside all she could see was the monstrous cathedral of Asmodeus on the hill overlooking her. That place of the diabolical loomed over the entire city of Kintargo even if just figuratively. Alamara sighed again brushing a loose strand of her blond hair, which was working its way loose of the ponytail she wore for workouts, from her face. She picked up the scimitar and shield again, and though her arms were aching with the work she started another set of the rigorous poses and stances she practiced for hours each day. She tuned her body to be a fighting machine for the redemption and goodness that Sarenrae stood for. But with Shensen taken, her confidence in peace as a solution was starting to wane. She gritted her teeth and made an arcing cut through the air while she pondered how to change things. |
