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"This is worst than I had imagined..." comments Arthur when Olandil shares his knowledge with the Pathfinder. "I thought it was just a horrendous creature...Instead, they're two horrendous creatures..." Arthur shrugs, with his usual, confident grin ever present on his lips. "You stay here, or I will kill you", says the man to the enemy that has surrended, without even looking into his eyes. His voice his raucous and threatening, although Arthur's gaze is fixed on the incutilis. And now...let's get into action. Arthur does not even have to think about a good plan. His bravado naturally compels him to act; fortunately, he's quite smart as well, and manages to put some sense in his reckless actions. Without losing time, Arthur bypasses the surrended foe and takes position. He then takes out a dagger from beneath his coat and throws it at the parasite at the top of the puppet body.
Arthur switch his focus to the enemy in front of him. He furrows his brows in concentration and then, after a quick feint, he tries to stab at the foe with his rapier. "Take this!"
Arthur raises his eyes and sees the monster emerging from the water. "Well, how do we handle that one now?" he asks to one in particular, clearly frustrated by the bad outcome of his attack.
Arthur manages to stay on his feet despite the sudden change of inertia inside the whale. "Hey, what's happ..." As the whale's blowhole open and the small group of Chelish soldiers comes in, Arthur grits his teeth and immediately puts his hand to his rapier. Dammit, I knew it was going to end like this... The Pathfinder's eyes dart from the woman to her scimitar-wielding soldiers as the woman speaks. Under arrest? Tsk, and who told you we're going to respect your arbitrary rules? Arthur grins, and levels a gaze at each of his friends and colleagues. Then, he grins and starts to laugh...Before moving it to attack! With a quick move, while trying not to lose his balance, the Taldan Pathfinder draws his rapier as he takes two steps toward one of the scimitar-wielding soldiers. "En Garde!"
Arthur gets inside the whale with a mix of awe and disgust. He's too shaken to add anything, and he mostly keep to himself, looking forward to the moment in which he's will be breathing fresh air again. "This is the craziest thing I've ever done, and I can be quite crazy at times", replies Arthur to Aggie with a nervous smile.
Arthur spends his spare time reading some books (if Poppo has some to borrow) and casually flirting with the women of the group, including Aggie. He's not serious in his attempts, and it is clear that he's acting almost from force of habit, but he does his best in order to flatter the ego of each woman in the group. This is usually good for their morale, although not very effective for me...
Arthur is pleased that his missions has been a success, and listens intently to Lorrin Meese's suggestions. "Mmm", he begins, scratching his chin, "I suppose that's the most reasonable thing to do, Mr. Meese. Go out in the streets and talk to the people. That could put us in danger, and in any case blow our cover, but it's the only good idea that I have got in my mind. Perhaps, I could ask someone to disguise myself. Anyone is able to do so?" he asks, looking at his companions. If no one answers, Arthur turns to Meese. "Any of yours would be able to disguise me? I'm willing to pay, if needed." *** After he made sure to have a good disguise, Arthur decides to go out in the streets and give several public speeches in key points of Pezzack (squares, taverns, gathering places) about the virtues of the Society. He insists for someone to accompany him and blend into the crowd, for security; if no one of his allies is willing to do so, he asks the help of a few White Thistles.
"People of Pezzack!" his speech always starts with this. "Have you heard about the smear campaign against the Pathfinder Society that, in recent days, the Loyalist have inaugurated? Well, to be honest, I believe they're doing what they always do. Pull the wool over the eyes of the people! They accuse the Society for problems that their government created! They are blocking our city with their ships, they're taking our freedom away from us! And what do they do in the meanwhile? They attack the Pathfinder Society! A Society whose presence has always coincided with Cheliax's most prosperous years! When House Thrune rose to power, the first thing they did was to ban the Pathfinder Society from Cheliax! And why, why? Just because they were the symbol of freedom, a freedom Pezzack embodies in these days of suffering. Don't let them tell us what to do! Don't let us tell us what to think! Destroy those flyers! Down with the loyalists!"
Listening to Niome's mixed feelings brings Arthur back, at the time when he stared in shock at the first vaguely humanoid creature he killed with his own hands: a lizardfolk, at the Fallen Fortress. The young lord takes a long breath and moves closer to Niome, gently putting a gloved hand on her shoulder. "I feel you. All of us have already experienced what you're feeling now, and those who have not are either too cruel to become Pathfinders or are going to experience it in the future." Arthur stares at the void. "But as Pathfinders, we must be prepared for this. Our mission comes first. Those being attacked us. Perhaps, if we spoke their language we could parlay...or perhaps not. We don't get to know that. But when they attacked us, they left us no choice. And giving them a coup de grace is an act of mercy, not a murder, because these creatures already had threatened us, thus signaling them as too dangerous for us to leave alone." "As for the evidence...," adds Arthur, taking the opportunity to change subject, "we should leave it."
"Well, now, that was close." Arthur grins confidently, but inside he's well aware of the risk he has faced. Only Noam prevented him from falling victim of the strix's spear. "I'm alright, but I guess it's just because of you," says Arthur with a genuine smile as he approaches Noam and offers his hand to help her get back on her feet. "You're one of the bravest person I've ever met."
⁞⁞⁞⁞ ⁞⁞⁞⁞ ‖‖‖‖‖‖‖‖ • • ‖‖‖‖‖‖‖‖ Feeling particularly bold, and prone by nature to show his bravado, Arthur decides to set his tactical vantage aside and choose courage instead of patience. As a result, he tightens the grip on his rapier and moves forward. As soon as the attack arrives, and if Noam didn’t precede him in taking the hit, Arthur tries to parry the lounge. If still alive and on his feet, Arthur will then move close enough to the strix in front of him and attack! _________________________
Well, actually this is pretty strange. Me, as a player, know that if I step forward, I will get hit by a critical hit which will kill my character. On the other hand, my character's tactics are not so well defined that I could know in advance how he would behave in such a situation: would he wait patiently for the strix to attack him, in order not to lose his tactical advantage, or would he charges forward to make another public show of his bravado? Well, since I don't really know of to solve this dilemma, I'm going with a roll. On a 1, Arthur stays back; on a 2, he charges forward.
⁞⁞⁞⁞ ⁞⁞⁞⁞ ‖‖‖‖‖‖‖‖ • • ‖‖‖‖‖‖‖‖ “OK, stand ready!” Anticipating the danger, Arthur stays in the front line, but quickly draws his rapier. He takes on a defensive stance, with the rapier’s handle held at his face’s height. C’mon, show me what you’ve got strixes… The young lord of Westex grits his teeth, ready for the attack…and to strike back! _________________________
Arthur listens intently to the discussion, but in a quite unusual way for him, he decides to ponder his options carefully before opening his mouth to speak. "Considering what Till said, I think the White Thistles would be our best bet as well. They are far more suited for defending the Society's name than the Galtans, and they could even provide us with the distraction we need. I propose we to speak with them."
⁞⁞⁞⁞ ⁞⁞⁞⁞ ‖‖‖‖‖‖‖‖ • • ‖‖‖‖‖‖‖‖ As soon as he spots the thugs blocking their way, Arthur’s first thought is to find a quick way to talk his way out of that dangerous situation. Anticipating the possibly bad outcomes of the situation at hand, Arthur drinks Olandil’s barkskin extract. When the thugs start throwing daggers from the rocks on which they stand, Arthur grins mischievously and prepares for the fight, his mind already focused on finding a way to impress Olandil rather than analyzing the risks of the battle. With his usual bravado, the Pathfinder climbs the rocky outcropping in front of him and pops up in front of an enemy, his rapier ready to strike. “Prepareth to square! I shall heave the gorge on thy livings, naughty mushrump!” _________________________
Lord Arthur raises an indignant eyebrow at Olandil's comments. "You should talk with more respect, Mr. Olandil. I, for one, I'm a confirmed Pathfinder field agent. I have a long and successful career inside the Society. You must have heard about the Master of the Fallen Fortress, the one Pathfinder who saved his colleagues from certain death and explored one of the most impenetrable siege castle outside of Absalom! Well, you have the honor to speak with him in person. On the contrary, I believe I never heard your name in the Grand Lodge..." Arthur's game is something in between a serious joke and a joking seriousness. "But yes...these people...They're rookies," comments the lordling with a faked disgust. "But they're the most talented rookies I've ever met, so you have nothing to worry. We will get you out of here! Now, to the boat my friends!" As soon as they start moving, Arthur comes up beside Olandil. "Mr. Olandil, I could use one of your extracts, if we run in some trouble on our way to the boat. Are you willing to share the products of your work with a fellow agent?"
Lord Arthur grins slightly, knowing that Olandil is going to face a big delusion soon. Very soon. "We eliminated the scorpion of your path, sir. But as far as I can tell, no one of us is able to cast any teleportation spell. I'm sorry." Arthur shrugs with an indifferent air. "As a result, we need to find another way out of this city, possibly not involving fighting our way through a hundred strixes...Our Noam is strong, but I fear not enough for that kind of feat. We depend on your insights, Mr. Olandil."
"I see no alternatives, we have to follow him", simply states Lord Arthur. The whole poetry reading was a huge disappointment for him. He had hoped to get a taste of fine living even in this Gods' forsaken land, but when it all turned out to be a mere expedient, Arthur almost joined the folk throwing rotting fruit. He only desisted because right when he was preparing for the throw, the man started making hand gestures. Although he didn't grasped anything about a desperate request of help, Arthur knows perfectly that, as a Pathfinder, his duty is to complete the mission, and hence to protect the man. "Let's go..." he says, rather unconvinced... ______________________________
⁞⁞⁞⁞ ⁞⁞⁞⁞ ‖‖‖‖‖‖‖‖ • • ‖‖‖‖‖‖‖‖ Arthur never liked bugs of all kinds, but unlike many people in the world of Golarion, his first reaction in front of fear is not to freeze on place, but instead to attack the source of fear. And this scorpion is no exception. The Taldan Pathfinder bravely moves forward, drawing his rapier as he advances. “Fear not, my fellow Pathfinders, ‘cause we’ll prevail!” Taking advantage of Aggie’s position, Lord Arthur quickly places himself in an good position and tries to pierce the scorpion with his rapier. “Take this, vile and disgusting being!” _________________________
"Okay is not I will describe my situation, my friend", answers Lord Arthur, his eyes already trying to find a way out of the pit. "Good, let's see if this works...." The Taldan Pathfinder pulls up his sleeves. "OK Niome, hang on to me. We will climb our way out of here, I promise". Arthur looks confident and grins boldly, although inside he hopes not to fail and cause another fall. When Niome is on his back, Arthur starts climbing the pit.
Arthur prefers not to ask about Olandril's other alter egos, in order not to suggest dangerous associations of ideas to Cessia's mind. Instead, the Taldan lord grins at the woman with a mischievous smile. "Well, now...Seems like we've come to an agreement. Tell us more about him milady. His recent activities, you said? I'm listening".
"Well thank you, milady. As my friends here says, we were expecting a little more, especially on Jax. We need to find him out if we want to buy his item. But if that's all you know..." Arthur turns and makes a gesture, suggesting he's about to leave. If the woman does not add anything, Lord Arthur will excuse himself out of the building. "Well, as for the others, they are personal interests of my friend, here. He's one of her fans, although he will never admit it. Perhaps you can give him a few tips on how to date the girl properly, milady. What she likes, what she doesn't like, her favoured color or something along that line. In the meantime, I think I will wait on the outside."
Once inside the building, Arthur can't help but shake his head when Arisha and Niome immediately declare the group's priority. Now if this woman is half as though as she seems, we might be in trouble... "This Jacks...", adds Arthur, his eyes apparently busy in lingering on details of the room, "he has come into possession of a particular item we would like to buy."
"Very well. I will act as a proper gentleman and have you ladies have the last word about it. But know that all of this is going to weigh on your conscience, not mine. I consider myself innocent". With that said, Lord Arthur loosens his grip on the rope and tries to get if off the bars. He then turns to the burglar. "Do what you must" he confirms with a nod. "But no thievery inside, otherwise I'm going to suddenly lose all of my unusual compliance, got it?"
"Dammit!" Arthur still cannot live with the awareness that someone is spying on them, and he has to make a huge effort in order to prevent himself from running at the spy without caring about being spotted, creating confusion or committing a crime. Fortunately, Arthur's will is strong enough at the moment, and he manages to accept the idea that someone else will chase after the spy. In the meantime, Arthur gives an indecipherable look at the windows, then at Agdamakha. "A climber you say, eh...?" He scratches his chin, deep in his own thoughts. Then, quite abruptly, he claps his hands. "Very well, I will do it. But give me some rope please. A grappling hook would come in handy,
And with that said, Lord Arthur begins his climb. His intention is to reach a window, open it if possible or destroy it if needed (tying up a rope around it and then applying weight, or with some other means), then enter the building and use the rope to allow his companions to follow him on the inside.
"Ok, we didn't come here just to take a look of what the building looks like...from the outside. Let's get in", says Lord Arthur. The Taldan then watches Arisha searching the warehouse's exterior stealthily, before to his companions. "Don't tell me that we don't have a picklock?" Arthur's tone is clearly scared.
Arthur listens to everything Auntie says with attention, although his eyes are fixed on the warehouse for all the time. He adds some comments and laughs when needed, but in truth he's registering information into his mind rather than asking for more. When the drunkard comes to the table, Arthur reacts with instinctive disdain, and thanks the tattooed woman for driving him away. "That smell was disgusting...", he comments. When the woman goes away, however, Arthur immediately turns his expression of disdain into one of interest. "I believe we should check the warehouse now. Or at least this evening. In any case, before attending to the poetry reading", he explains to his companions. "In the worst case, we're going to get a distinct idea of our surroundings for when we'll be attending to the reading. believe we should check the warehouse now. Or at least this evening. In the best case,
“Would you be interested in it?”, ironically asks Lord Arthur to Auntie. “No, with your permission milady, the academy can wait. We’re here to have a good night together…and to ask some questions”. Arthur smiles brightly and lets his companions do most of the talk, not wanting to continually steal the spotlight from them. Anyway, in order to support their attempts, he chimes in the conversation twice: the first time, he adds emphasis to Arisha’s question, in the hope of making it more credible (“Oh yes, that was…resounding!”); the second time, he nods to Till’s question about Doctown and adds: “Well yes, we’re quite separated from the world in the academy…but we still care for this city.”
Lord Arthur is used to be at the center of the stage, to be observed and often criticized by whispering voices in the halls of the most exclusive parties of the Bearded class, in Taldor. With time, he learned to tolerate the constant sound of chatting nobles at his passage. But this, this is something completely different. The uneasy feeling the Taldan Pathfinder gets while walking through the streets of Pezzack on his way to the theater can be explained with the difference between being observed and being spied. Arthur definitely loves to be observed, but he hates being spied. “Did you notice them, don’t you?”, he whispers through gritted teeth to his companions. “Although they may seem innocuous now, their presence here is a bad sign in itself. And I want to see right through it. If you don’t want to help me, at least try not to stop me.” With that said, Arthur sets his plan in motion. First of all, he asks if one of his fellow Pathfinder is willing to aid him. If he gets an ally, he slowly puts some distance between him and his ally and the rest of the group, pretending to act naturally. Then, he turns into a narrow alley, leaving the main road. There, he tries to hide as well as he can, and then starts to follow his companions at a distance, paying attention to avoid being detected by the spies. As soon as he spots one of them, he tries to sneak to him/her, asking his ally to do the same but with the end of cutting out the spy’s most obvious escape route. His final aim is to get his hands on one of the spies, and make him/her talk. He’s especially interested in who hired the particular spy he finds, and for what purpose he/her was spying his group. If he gets what he wants, Arthur then knocks out the spy without killing it, just leaving it unconscious. He will also pay attention to hide his/her body, so that no one can steal from him/her while he/she’s asleep.
***
Once the Pathfinders reach the Glass on the Hill theater, Lord Arthur insists to make a thorough research of the place. “I know, it is only a ruin and several thousands of scavengers have probably already searched this place, especially considering the situation of this town, but…come on, we’re better than any Pezzacki scavenger!” The research, however, turns out nothing but ash. Arthur wipes the dust off his clothes with a resigned expression, sighs and gets moving again, heading to Auntie’s, in Docktown. ***
Lord Arthur whistles his approbation for Auntie’s sign, adding a mischievous grin to it. “I like this place. And I swear, it’s not only for the masthead, which I appreciate…I had heard about this tavern from a friend of mine in Oppara, and he told me several stories about it”. Arthur laughs to himself. “Now, I’m going to find out where precisely he lied. He has always been a liar, it’s just a matter of seeing how many lies he told to me…” Realizing that none of his fellow Pathfinders would be able to understand his mumblings, Lord Arthur shrugs and enters Auntie’s tavern. “Yes, milady, we’d like to have a table”, Arthur says with his best smile and an elaborated bow, “and I don’t ask for too much, we’d also like to get a place with a good sight. What about that?”, Arthur suggests, indicating a table from which the Manukirt Trading Co. warehouse can be seen clearly. If the table is already occupied, Arthur will use any means for ensuring the place he wants, paying up to the equivalent of 5 gp in bribe, that of course he will refer to as a tip. Everything for the purpose of naturally taking the conversation to the point he’s interested in without arousing too many suspicions. “What about that warehouse?”, he will ask while sitting down, if he manages to get the table he wants, “I’ve heard someone is going to read some poetry there in a few days, isn’t it?”
Lord Ockham politely but coldly stops Till's hand before it can touch his shoulder. "No big deal, Chelaxian". He insists a litte more than necessary on the ethnic adjective, remarking it with a smirk of reproach. The young lordling makes a mental note for later, but for the moment he decides to put aside his personal business. "I think we should discuss our next move in a more private place", he dryly remarks. When the group reaches such a place, Arthur speaks first. "How does the Galtan fortress sounds? I believe we should be starting from there."
Arthur has always been proud of recognizing the spark of greatness in others. Since he was a child, he always loved to personally choose his servants and mentors, amusing himself in acting like a talent scout. And now, he has seen a glimpse of greatness in Till. Knowing that his fellow Pathfinder is about to attempt something risky, Arthur tries to avoid others to interphere with its exhibition. Every now and then, he shouts some confirmations in order to corroborate Till's speech. "Right! Bravo!" When Till explicitly criticizes the Taldans, though, the Pathfinder abruptly widens his eyes and stops helping his colleague. This is a delusion...You'd better have some good explanation for this, you cheliaxan devilsucker, otherwise...
Arthur thanks Lorrin Meese with a quick bow. “I see, thanks Mr. Meese. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I would like to get myself a drink or two. It was a pleasure meeting you.” Arthur nods to Till, silently confirming his agreement to his colleague’s idea. The young lordling then makes his way to a table, and invites his fellow Pathfinders to join him. He sits down and starts looking around, trying to catch some interesting or potentially useful rumor.
If he doesn’t get any information with this method, Lord Arthur will try to discreetly ask around about Jaks Arunai. He will try not to arouse any suspicion, taking advantage of the fact that Jaks seems to be the man of the day. The Pathfinder will also offer a few rounds of drink to those he asks information to, if needed to make them more talkative. He will definitely avoid asking information to Galtans and Loyalists, tying to stick to those who are clearly members of the White Thistles.
Arthur observes with curiosity the small pile of weaponry in the basket at the entrance of the Inkwell, and his doubts are multiplied when the party isn't asked to surrender their weapons. The Taldan lord immediately waves back at Meese. "Well met, sir" Arthur listens to Meese with attention, then takes the flyer and reads it. Ahah! Here's the explanation for the weapons in that basket... With an expression of triumph, Arthur raises his eyes to look to his companions and immediately realizes his lack of seriousness. OK, I should focus on the mission... The Pathinder takes some time to carefully consider the information the group has acquired so far. "Mr. Meese, would you mind to tell me more about this Author, Poet, Writer, Orator and Performer?" The young lordling grins. "You know, milord, I'm quite fond for poetry and this flyer of yours has piqued my interest. Unfortunately, I already had plans for Wealday...I'm trying to decide whether to give it up and come at the Manukirt Warehouse instead."
"It seems like the folk here does know something more about him, isn't it?" adds Arthur, blinking at Agdamakha.
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