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Ann shrugs. She has no idea where Moonlight is, and kind of hopes he stays hidden while she and the others walk openly. If the Leshy only notices three of them, perhaps that will help the group avoid unpleasant complications. She adjusts her Mask of the Mantis (its straps were too tight), and follows after Sien.
Ann has to hide her snicker. I told her not to have beans for breakfast.
She manages, but not with ease.
Life's poo hits the oscillating fan in bursts, it seems. :/
Congrats! I hope everything goes well. And that the drive to the hospital is uneventful.
Ooof! That's a lot. I hope life starts taking it easier on you and your family soon.
"Works for me." I'll try not to mess things up again.
Hi everyone. How is RL treating you? It's been mostly good for me, though one of my kids had a rough week.
I'd rather stick together. My lonesome foray last time wasn't particularly fruitful.
Rather ashamed that she wasn't able to uncover anything particularly useful--just more questions that need answering--Ann takes a back seat after she's given her report. "I think my disguises were thorough enough that they won't recognize me if I return there, but eventually they'll figure out that all my disguises have the same height and build. There's only so much I can do to affect that. So whatever you decide to do, I'll play back-up."
And then she returns to the theater, seeming for all the world like an honest employee of the theater manager. Once she's certain the tail has abandoned her, she walks out the front door again to return to the rendezvous point.
Hmm. Sloppy tail work. Thanks! Ann muses, making her circuitous way to the surprisingly populated alley behind a theater that she scoped out earlier. She slips inside the back door into the darkened backstage area. As she makes her way through the building (hopefully) undetected, she swaps out some key items of her disguise for others that she finds in various dressing rooms, then casually walks out the front door. She now looks like an entirely different person: a rather plump woman on her way to the market. Once in the market, she makes a show of shopping for the types of things a theater would need: cloth for the costume department, makeup, a wig. And then she returns to the theater, seeming for all the world like an honest employee of the theater manager. Once she's certain the tail has abandoned her, she walks out the front door again to return to the rendezvous point.
"Uh, okay. To-tomorrow, then." Ann tries to look sheepish and scurries off. It seems her ruse wasn't good enough to get any useful information, and it's entirely possible the woman is suspicious. Cursing herself for bungling this so badly, Ann takes extra pains to make sure no one is tailing her for the rest of the day.
And now she has to decide whether or not to come back tomorrow. Maybe the others will have some insight on how best to approach her failure.
Ann plays the gullible, nervous simpleton, whose frenemies informed her that the man she fancies is laid up with a bad fever at the Hospice, and is just now realizing that she may have been tricked. She forces a blush onto her face and stammers up at the woman: "Uh, no, I... Um... I, uh... H-how long have they been gone? I mean, at the other place? I was told, uh, that...an acquaintance was just...just admitted a couple of days ago. A-a man named I C Weiner?" Add in a furrowed brow...and then a dawning realization...
She really hopes her fake nose looks right.
Oh...my. Bring earplugs and have fun!
Dressed as a commoner and bearing a care package for a fictional patient named I C Weiner, Morga dithers on the street for a bit to observe the building and the people coming and going from it. Her head follows the flight of some pigeons over the rooftop, though her eyes are focused on the spot where there was some movement a moment ago. Overall, she tries to look like a yokel who's trying to work up the courage to visit someone in the Hospice of Serenity, but is too nervous to enter.
Oof. I hope life stops dumping on you soon. Take care!
Oh riiiiiight. ... Right. Hard to Treat Wounds on yourself if you're dead. So, shall we go in pairs or as a group of four? Ann's lead seems the least promising, so I'm fine with going somewhere else first. I'm leery of all four of us going to the docks together, so if we decide to, should we split up enough that no one would think we're together? Her disguise will be tweaked to blend in with the intended location.
We can mix it up, and change our decision with each activity. 1 by 1 for the afternoon; 2 by 2 for the evening; 1, 1, & 2 the next morning, etc. Always switching up who goes with who when we're not solo. The less we're seen together the harder it'll be to pin us down.
Intending to follow up on the lead she discovered, Ann changes her disguise entirely before making her way to the Hospice of Serenity. She wishes she could get word to the others first, but the less they're seen together the better, and she doesn't trust any of the urchins or runners in the city.
Having always presented herself as decidedly butch, Ann forces down a grimace as she dons a dress. She's had to dress like a lady for more than one job, and it never feels right. Pants are so much more practical. And wigs are itchy. And the bodice makes it hard to move, she grouses to herself. Recalling a particularly irritating incident from a couple of years ago, she grumbles: "If anyone flirts with me I'll split this dress and punch his face so hard it'll turn inside out!" Once she's all gussied up to look like a typical member of the wealthy merchant class (with padding to disguise her muscles as "plump"), she bustles out (she hates bustling) to gather gossip. Of particular interest is information about which Vernai are searching for her and her party.
When Ketsu-kiba shares the ruse she told their "landlord", Ann gives a single puff of a dry chuckle. "Good. No one will be suspicious of any odd noises. But we'd better not have to act the part." Ann spends her spare time training; she has no time or respect for hedonistic idle pursuits. It occurs to her that she ought to pick up a disguise kit so she can move about the city more easily.
30 gp per week is 7.5 gp per week from each of us. Ann is good with that.
"They'll be looking for four of us, so it's best not to travel or be seen together. We need to find out if they have a password to verify who's on which side. I can eavesdrop in plainclothes so no one expects me to know it. Anyone else?"
"Hmm. Fair point. Moonlight?" Ann turns to the enigmatic man, awaiting his input.
Ann suggests: "I think we should sleep in separate locations, and not necessarily at the same time. The less our schedules align, the harder it will be to pin us down." She takes a few moments to ponder how to infiltrate a place where their faces are well known by most of the people.
Per the previous agreement, Ann is waiting within sight of the rendezvous point. What's taking them so long? She itches to go find out, but feels that the chances of passing each other like ships in the night are not in her favor. And so she waits.
After observing the people entering for a bit, Ann hides behind a bush to change into regular-looking clothes and attempts to hide in the crowd as it meanders into the city.
Before leaving the castle, Ann dumps out Ordwulf's head and holy symbol from her bag. No sense in giving themselves away after all that work defiling corpses to make themselves seem dead. If anyone asks Ann's opinion about how best to infiltrate Ilizmagorti, she'll suggest splitting up and slipping in with the crowd. "We'll have to keep people from seeing our faces the whole time anyway, if the ruse up north is gonna work."
Ann's talents are simple. She finds a female guard's corpse with about the right build and skin color, and bashes her face into a pulp. Then she sets the corpse on fire from head to toe to remove all the bright fiery red hair.
She also takes the time to ensure that she's fully healed from the day's work.
I went ahead and paid full price for all the things I obtained. (+2 weapon potency rune, wounding rune, and some others that weren't among the loot we found.) Are we limited to what we found? If not, I'm pretty much ready, except for reducing the cost of items that were found.
"Good idea." Ann agrees. After a moment's pause, she adds: "I don't like leaving valuables for the investigators to use against us. Should we clear the rest of the castle, or do we not have time for that?"
I'm still trying to get Ann fully ready to play at level 15. My husband and I share a HeroLab account, so we have to take turns. I *hope* I can finish today while he's at work, provided none of my kids need something at the last minute that sucks away my whole afternoon. Fingers crossed!
Unless there are objections, I will add the greater resilient rune to her Explorer's clothing, plus purchase a couple of lower level weapon property runes (wounding and corrosive). She may also buy a Spacious Pouch for all our hauling needs. How much do we think we'll need?
+2 greater resilient armor: I think we should keep this and it should go to Ann, since she's going to be up front most of the time. Sien is supposed to be hopping around, although I haven't done a great job of that so far. Being a monk, Ann will skip the armor. Thanks for the thought, though. Ann has Doubling Rings and a +2 Greater Striking Sawtooth Saber already, so she doesn't need another. I think the greater mantis mask should go to the person with the highest Perception modifier who's willing to use it.
May I please retrain the following?: Current 1st level Ancestry Feat: Natural Ambition (Wolf Stance)
Current 4th level Class Feat: Stunning Blows
Ann's eyes glitter dangerously. "Trust no one but the core." Words on which she was raised. She glances around at the dragon and her three allies: her core. There are always so few at the core, but the righteous work must be done. She isn't powerful enough yet to achieve her original mission (if indeed she's still going to do it), so any force that threatens her access to the elite training of the Red Mantis Assassins must be expunged--to keep her options open. Resolved on her course of action, if not her motivations and goals, she solemnly nods her acceptance of Vatumledor's assignment. "You say Jakalyn will have none among the Red Mantis to rely upon as allies. Do you have a list of primary suspects among the traitors? ... I wonder if we should take that false contract and claim we were the ones who executed it. Switch roles with those dead fools to infiltrate the conspiracy," she muses. Once it wouldn't be disrespectful to do so, Ann salvages items from the bodies of the dead.
What a pity our characters aren't the types to search the whole castle for loot before leaving!
I hope your week gets better!
Seeing the tide of battle turning quickly, Ann steps up to the black-cloaked assassin and carves up its backside.
"Still think this was a good idea?" Ann taunts, raking her sawtooth sabers along her target's ribcage, then activating her Ironblood Surge just for the heck of it.
↺ Opportune Backstab:
With a wicked grin, Ann thrills in the revelation of Vernai's current form. Whether it is his true form or a temporary transformation matters not. Achaekek will be honored by their foes' spilled blood this day. She swaps the flying potion for her other sawtooth saber, then whirls the twin blades in a dizzying pattern as she cuts into the red-cloaked idiot before her.
Ann is ready to charge these fools, but not stupid enough to do so alone. Noting that Moonlight and Ketsu-kiba chose to stand their ground for a moment, she hangs back, awaiting an opportune moment to dash out and strike.
If Sien moves forward:
If Sien moves forward, Ann will keep pace with him by Striding, aiming to get into melee with the same one Sien is approaching if possible. She has a 45 foot walking speed. She will Strike with any remaining action(s).
If Sien doesn't move forward: Ann will enter Ironblood Stance and Ready a Strike if a foe comes within melee range.
Clutching the last flying potion, Ann uses her last focus point to Harmonize her energies. Most of her wounds close within the space of a breath. "That's what you care about? Pathetic. Achaekek spurns those who become fixated on petty matters. Like rank." Ann I. Hilate sneers.
Sien prepares to cast fly and fly off the roof.
"We did what we came to do. Let's go report in." Ann wipes the blood and gore off her blades in preparation for departure.
Her Prayer Attacks haven't been working, so fine! Back to basics! She enters her Ironblood Stance, then attacks twice.
Opportune Backstab:
I am traveling through August 9th. While I should be able to post most days, feel free to bot me as needed.
Ow! Mother--! That hurt! Realizing that this foe needs to be defeated quickly, before it obliterates her less-hardy team, Ann darts around to provide a flank for her allies and slashes at Gorum (yes, Gorum!) with renewed urgency.
Opportune Backstab, if applicable:
Herald hits Ann as she moves around. Correct. I moved, so I left the stance. Header is corrected now. Apologies for missing that.
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