Apologies, I appreciate the invitation but I'm not going to be able to play in this game after all. A lot has happened in the past couple weeks and I think adding another game would be too much for me right now.
I hope you all have lots of fun!
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Shikki turns to look at the newest arrival, lip curling in disgust. She had been under the impression this was meant to be a wake, not a circus. But of course Zebula Meravanchi would have no sense of propriety. Even she had heard of him. She takes a sip of her wine with a nod of thanks to Professor Urol for bringing it to her. "No need to apologize; Ratfolk tend to form tight-knit communities and many of us do know each other. I'll ask around. Surely someone will know where Churtle has gone. If I learn anything should I inform Kora, or would you prefer I contact you directly?" Her ears prick forward as she hears what sounds like an argument from the food table. Or if not an argument at least a few harsh words being exchanged before the singer suddenly leaves the group. What happened there? She looks around. Neither Lavinia nor Vanthus have arrived, Kora still seems to be busy...perhaps she should go back and find out? "Professor Urol, would you like to join me at the buffet? The mushroom dip is quite good."
I'm doing a fair amount of embellishing both here and in Shikki's backstory, but I figure if anything contradicts what the GM has planned lorewise we can always change it. Or Shikki could just be wrong; maybe she grew up in Shadowshore and had a lot of negative interactions with other races but that's not true of most ratfolk. (She also has the paranoid drawback which means she's more likely to assume the worst of people.)
"I'm afraid I don't know who that is, but I could ask around, see if any of my friends know what's happened to her. Where did she live?" There were a lot of reasons why a ratfolk might go missing in Telderist. Maybe she wanted to find someplace new after her husband's death. Maybe she'd run afoul of thugs herself. Maybe she was tied to a table with ice being injected into her veins. Shuddering, Shikki tries to focus on something else. The weird plant creature is a good distraction. "It's nice to meet you Nari. It must be very different for you down here." She tries to imagine being up on the surface. What would it be like, living with a giant ball of fire over your head all the time? Hot. Definitely too hot. "So how long have you known the Vanderborens? Do you think you'll continue advising Vanthus and Lavinia?" Shikki still hopes to tease out some information from the guests; see if anyone else is as suspicious as she is about the sudden deaths. "They must need trustworthy advisers now more than ever."
"Thank you Kora. Perhaps we can talk more later, if you have the time?" Shikki's mind is racing. Did Kora mean anything when she said Professor Urol was an expert in poisons or was it just a random fact? If Urol had been asking to meet a ratfolk 'for some time' why hadn't Larissa ever introduced them? Was she being overly paranoid or was everyone really out to get her? Doing her best to keep the nervous tail-twitching to a minimum Shikki smiles at Professor Urol. "It's not easy. There's a social hierarchy among the Darklands races and ratfolk are near the bottom. We'd probably be at the very bottom if goblins didn't exist." (She's never met a goblin personally but she's heard the jokes.) "Most races don't like rats and so our appearance unnerves them. They assume we're dirty, diseased, thieves, beggars...the usual stereotypes. Which makes it difficult to find honest work, which means most ratfolk in Telderist end up in Shadowshore doing dishonest work, which adds to the stereotypes, and so the cycle continues. It took me a long time to find a ship captain willing to give me a chance and I wouldn't have my current position if the Vanderborens hadn't vouched for me." "Kora said you were an expert on the surface world. Have you spent time up there?" She eyes the tiny creature hiding behind Urol. Not being sure how intelligent it actually is she addresses her next sentence somewhere between the two. "Cloaks do wonders to hide unusual features, if you want to walk around without being stared at. Get one sized for a gnome child and people would draw their own conclusions."
The young guildsman recognizes Shikki's unease, addressing the ratfolk next. "You are a professional, are you not, Mistress Shikki? As you are not of my own guild, I address you as I would a senior guildsman. This is customary, yes?" "Not when addressing a ratfolk, no." Shikki casts another glance at the four guards sharing the table. "It's appreciated, just...rare." More like nonexistent, although she was rapidly understanding that Thanaton was a very unusual drow. Tiefling. Whatever. When Kora comes over she starts mentally preparing an excuse to talk to the gnome alone. Not that it's vitally important, but if anyone has an idea of who might have wanted the Vanderborens dead it would be her. She's not expecting to be asked to meet someone else and has to shift gears. "Of course, please lead the way. It was very nice talking with you all. Perhaps we can talk more later?" To her surprise she actually means it. As Shikki follows Kora she murmurs, "Anything I should know?"
Shikki stares at Thanaton in shock, tail twitching. She's not sure what startles her more: being called "Mistress" or the idea that a drow noble might not have personal enemies. Wasn't backstabbing each other a primary form of entertainment for drow? Although there was probably significant overlap between "personal enemies" and "people with a grudge against the whole Vanderboren family." Where are Lavinia and Vanthus anyway? I thought they'd be here. She shrinks back a little when he starts talking to the other group. She hasn't forgotten the way they looked at her when she arrived. Best not to draw any more attention to herself than she already has.
Nathrae looks over at Shikki, her expression puzzled. "Oh, is that how they died?" "You didn't know?" Shikki thought everyone knew that. Although it sounded like Nathrae had just arrived in Telderist, so she might have been on the road for the past month. "Yes, their ship burned in the harbor of Delvingulf. While it's true not all sailors can swim, I'd have expected someone to make it to shore. Even when such an accident happens out at sea there's often a lone survivor or two who manage to cling to debris until they're rescued." She's intrigued by Pertinax's mention of Dagon. She's rarely known anyone outside Azure District who worshipped him. "Were you also a sailor before you were a guard?" She decides to follow Nathrae's example and picks out a nice juicy maggot to slurp down. The food really is quite good. She should take advantage of it while she can.
Well they didn't attack her and the newest arrival even talked directly to her. A promising start. "I'm Shikki. I met Lord Vanderboren by chance when I was in a position to do him a favor. He paid me very well for it." Technically true if lacking in the more gruesome details. "Afterwards he continued speaking with me from time to time. I'm a sailor by trade and he was interested in learning about the plesiosaurus industry from someone who actually gets their hands dirty aboard a ship." Also technically true, although that wasn't the only set of skills Verik had been interested in. "It's a rare thing in this city for a drow noble to talk to a ratfolk. It meant more to me than I suspect he ever knew." She takes a sip of her wine, carefully curling her too-long claws around the stem. "I doubt the younger Vanderborens will have any interest in sailing, particularly after how their parents died. Strange, that the ship caught fire in the harbor yet no one made it to shore." Was that too obvious? Her tail wants to lash from side to side in anxiety and she has to concentrate on keeping it still. She needs to bait people into talking about the Vanderborens' mysterious deaths if she's ever going to learn anything, but saying the wrong thing to the wrong person could get her killed. Dagon help her, she'd rather face a dozen sea monsters than try to navigate a social situation with drow!
Never played or gm'd it. I know absolutely nothing about this AP beyond what you shared in the recruitment.
Shikki freezes as the group of four start to move towards her. She's not wearing her armor, she's not obviously armed...were they suspicious of her approach just because she was a ratfolk? Probably. Fortunately Kora intervenes and the group leaves. So much for overhearing that conversation. Although other conversations are coming to her. Initially she worries that these new arrivals are also planning to throw her out, (or worse), but it seems they're here for the food and to mingle. Should she leave or stay? Say something or be quiet? What's least likely to cause offense? Maybe attending this party hadn't been a good idea after all. But damnit, she'll never learn anything if she doesn't take a few risks. "An unfortunate time indeed. I didn't know the Vanderborens for long and yet they left quite the impression. Their loss must be felt even more keenly by those who knew them better." She pours herself a glass of wine, trying to act casual even as her muscles tense. Time to see how these particular drow react upon being spoken to by a ratfolk.
In an alleyway across the street from the park lurks a small figure covered by a tattered hooded cloak. Shikki waits for a while, carefully observing the people going inside, then fiddles with her sleeves to change her own clothing to better fit in. The Sleeves of Many Garments had been a gift from Larissa. "Better than having to carry an entire wardrobe around," she'd said with a wink. From her extremely brief glimpse into how the nobility lived Shikki was pretty sure carrying entire wardrobes around was part of how they showed off, but the Sleeves were useful for someone like her. She folds up the less-appropriate cloak and stashes it, hoping it will still be there when she returns, then heads for the gates. Anyone watching as she arrives would see a young female ratfolk dressed in a high-necked, long-sleeved black mourning dress. A black hat is perched on her head. At a little under four feet tall and approximately 65 pounds she's significantly smaller than most of the guests. Her fur is an unremarkable dark grey, her eyes as black as her clothes. Her only distinguishing feature is a scar running down her face and across the bridge of her nose. That and the fact that she's a ratfolk; the only one currently in attendance. She nods at Kora but doesn't stop to talk to the gnome. Kora's busy greeting guests so now is not the time to attempt a conversation. Instead she eyes the crowd for a moment before heading straight towards the food. Drow expect ratfolk to be greedy bastards. The more they believe she's just here for free food and a party the less likely they are to pay attention to her. Plus it helps her get close to the small group chatting nearby and covertly listen in. She'd liked Verik and Larissa Vanderboren. They'd both treated her like a person, not a rat. She also doesn't believe for a second that their deaths were accidental. Were their killers the same people that had captured her and Verik before? Or someone completely different? It didn't matter. Whoever they were Shikki was going to find them and make them pay. |