@Overlooked - I can only answer for me; the things Alexis did instead of tagging along happened in a few pms. But that is mostly finished. Mostly.
Search Posts
Yes indeed. I seems to have managed to acquire some high tier druid inciting substance. But more on that once I actually have it in my greedy clutches (or more preferably, somewhere where I *won't* have to touch it ... :P) and you are back again.
I would argue that it does actually take some guts to summon the fiends of hell just for profit. But each to their own ... :P
Alexis returned to his room, satisfied with tonight's endeavours. And upon Nixx persistent insistence he quickly started brewing something capable of killing off bed-bugs.
Complementary dice:
After the second meeting Alexis retires back to his room. Hmm - let's see if we can get the ball rolling, shall we? With great joy he unpacked his alchemical tools and set up a makeshift lab on the room's drawer, table and uhh pretty much everywhere. Ahh, even a few days have been too long! After one last check that the door and windows where reasonably intrusion proof he started to enhance his tools for tonight. Rolls:
Then, later in the evening, he exited the inn in his dark cloths and lugging his heavy coffer. After wandering sufficiently far from the inn, he simply entered a poorly lit alley and disappeared, as if the had turned Invisible.
"Will you require aid on your druidic prodding? Or shall I continue looking into more ... volatile approaches?"
Hello guys! Sorry for my slowness/silence, moving into a new apartment tomorrow and the process was a bit messier then planed. The result being that my mental resources required to plot evil plots are greatly diminished. Theoretically, things should be back to normal pace after tomorrow : )
Basically my thought is as following; if the Nails are truly corrupted and being bought and wielded as the elite of the city sees fit, doesn't it seem unlikely that they are messing with the Terrapin Order's operations simply out of duty? More likely, I feel, is that someone wants a competitor removed and simply bribed the Nails into the right direction. Thus - to really *fix* the problem, we might have to go a bit deeper then simple extermination of the local Nails. We might have to find who's pulling the strings and make sure they simply don't find new pawns to fling at us. (Or, you know, we could of course *just* do what we are told and deal with the Nails. But extra credit and all that :P) All this is merely a theory at the moment of course, but it makes sense in my head. Thoughts : )?
"I might be able to machinate something a bit more biting then a simple forest fire, should that prove insufficient for our purposes... But it is imperative that we strike at the druids first? Simply removing a few more loggers *should* force the knights into action if Nekare's information is correct. And searching for druids is an exhausting task, a perfect to take the knights mind off other matters ..." Alexis cracked his long spiderly fingers. "...but, that may not solve our underlying problem. The order may simply be a tool wielded by a competitor, once again should the information about their corruption be correct. And then if we take away one tool, the antagonist will surely find another. And I *dislike* redoing a task one finished."
"Hmph. There are no druid side to our goals. Only pawns and ... obstacles."
"Hmph. Very well, I shall retire to my rooms." Alexis replied, about as convincingly as a brick may pretend to fly. Nevertheless he intended to honour the agreement - himself at least. But his own friends thrived best in the shadows of the night. And if someone saw them? Unlikely, but unpleasant. For the beholder, that was.
Alexis starts the day the way he likes it - having a servant bring him a tray of food (maybe he should petition the council back home to implement this? Would also give his students some extra credit homework assignments ...) and reading some parts of his favourite books. All that was missing was a full sized lab. But alas, all good things come to an end, and he had to drag himself outside to meet the other people. "Good morning." he sighed. "I have looked into alternate means to secure our aim, but for now a display of 'druidic' magic may be the safest option. Do we have anything more on that?"
"Hmph. I doubt we need to sow any rumours of the druids dislike of this grand city. It would be easier to work the other way around, sow rumours about some new exploitation of nature to simply drive the druids over the edge." Alexis injected. "Perhaps arrange for a 'minor' spill of industrial waste into the forest. The druids would no doubt strike down the pawns we use - and as 'protectors of the realm' the nails should respond in kind."
When the innkeep greets him with quiet professionalism (and no hugs. No hugs was important!) Alexis felt a bit pleasantly surprised. He even afforded himself to not frown at the man. Feeling good today, aren't we? Once he was at the room and the proper precautions taken he allowed himself to admit that, despite the lively crowd downstairs, the inn was quite likable. And after a hearty meal was delivered he he opened his large coffer and let it's contents roam free. Then it was time to enjoy their food. "...come to 217..." Alexis grunted in response to the message. Stressful, are we? Carefully he wiped away some sauce from his chin (that handkerchief was really turning out to be a nice investment!) he took one last look at the food he had left. It seemed doubtful that he would see it again. Sighing he grabbed some bread and headed out, looking for room 217.
Switched to another portrait. But this one almost feels too vampiric... Hmm I have to think some more.
Ahh. Alexis stepped out of his wagon and took a deep breath. The breath quickly turned into a ragged cough, but after the fit his small thin smile still remained. A lovable beautiful idea - progress at any cost. Just a pity my body can't appreciate it. But there were also advantages to the ever-present smog. For example, he was pretty sure no-one would think it weird when he tied his handkerchief over his mouth obstructing both his features and filtering the air. The piece of cloth was dull grey now, but he had no doubt in his mind that it would soon be darkened by sooth and match the rest of his black outfit; a black longcoat, a black hat and a truly black heart. The thought was, he had figured, that if he dressed like a banker people would avoid him out of instinct. And he did his best to project an aura of 'letting little orphans freeze outside in the winter' to reinforce the ideal. He entered the inn with one small bag slung over his shoulder and a larger coffer gripped in both hands. The scene inside almost made him turn around. So many people. Darn it. His quiet office felt like bliss compared to this. But, they had agreed to meet here. And perhaps the chaos would afford some anonymity, here he would just be one plotter among no doubt many others. With a souring demeanour he quickly put down his coffer for a brief moment and removed his hat and handkerchief then headed towards the innkeep. "A room please. Quiet if possible." His gaze swept around in the hall, trying to note and index all the patrons. "And send up some food - the road has invigorated my appetite." he added in a tone that suggested that his emotions, in fact, may all be dead by now.
After long deliberation, Alexis also decides to join Nekare's caravan. The annoyance of people on the travel was outweighed by the benefit of not having to bother with people to plan it all. He would however also spring for his own wagon. Easier to transport his ... equipment that way. And avoiding having people mess with it (or it messing with people!). "A turtle. Hmm. I wonder who truly pulls the strings, what that hides behind it, if one were to look inside ..." Alexis chews his rough stew thoughtfully. "But really; why a turtle?"
"The druids are an interesting angle." Alexis murmured. And they have a trick or two I'd like to know a bit more about... "But yes, plotting does little when our information is so sparse. All we really need then is a place and time to meet again?"
Hmm. Just a random thought - Palin's Cove is a fairly industrious city. Mayhaps we could arrange some little calamity and then make sure most of the Hell Knights unfortunately perish somehow? Maybe a fire at their clubhouse or perhaps a gas leak? Some poisonous fluid that accidentally made it the way to their morning tea :P?
The prospect of some time off invigorated Alexis. Rather, the prospect of not being around to hear the administrators nagging about safety standards or whine about hospital bills truly gave him back the spark he had lacked. Come the end of the term, at least half of his class had visited the clerics at least twice. That hairy carpenter kid ten times even! He was quite proud of that one. And if he dared to say it himself, Alexis surely produced the most proficient class in a long while. Or the most respectful, mayhaps. On the 'cultist' front, he was glad to let Nixx do the majority of the reading. He had peeked inside the book once or twice, but it really never caught his interest. Probably more intended for people of a different ... lets say character. Or lack of thereof.
In a bit of mockery of the turtle cult, Alexis had agreed to carry to carry Nixx on a small silk pillow. Mostly because Nixx grew insufferable if he didn't get his way at least *some* time, and he was technically the Terrapin Order member. Technically. But once they reached the table, Alexis quickly put the pillow down next to the map and leant over it, eagerly studying their target. "Palin's Cove?" he rasped. "It's a nice place. A shame things aren't working out there ..."
The large magical feat of dancing in front of an closing door. Clearly this has done much to improve Alexis reputation as an upstanding and powerful magician :P Also, sorry for being a bit slow again. My progress was hampered by the fact that it was very hard to combine smug, a bit unlikable and not twisted abomination from the nether planes in one alias picture. This one was somewhat ok, but I'm still not in love with it. |