'It's magical alright, though how I do not know! We can look at it more carefully in a safer setting,' he smiles and pushes it back to Talic.
What about the initials? Do they mean anything to anyone? We should try and find out where they took the girl.
Carefully tucking the ring away, making sure its secure, Talic looks again at the message. "I think it's time we pay a visit to the Calypsia." after a slight pause "If we're lucky we might just find out whats going on, or where they took that girl" Although you have only been companions for a short time, it's no surprise that Talic
would suggest heading to the closest gaming hall.
The party hears a low chuckle, and at the bar nearby, a thick, weathered man with heavy grey whiskers suddenly turns from the flagon of ale he was nursing.
"Well now I know you lot must be out o' towners," he says slowly, "Cause the last man stupid enough to call Carmella a 'girl' got this for his trouble."
With one fat finger he traces a large purple scar that runs from above his right eye down to the corner of his mouth.
"Allow me to give you a piece of advice. I'm not sure what you're up to or why you would want to get involved with that woman, but I'll tell you one thing, you--"
The man stops mid-sentence as his eyes come to rest on the ring Talic is tucking away. Suddenly he leaps up from the bar, draws a loaded flintlock pistol from his belt, and points it at the rogue.
"Okay, change of plans," he says heatedly, "You've got about three seconds to tell me who you are and how you came about that little piece there, or else I put a bloody hole in your head."
Perception
Emmentian's back straightens as the scarred man draws the weapon, and the gnome's tongue flicks uneasily between his lips in an uncannily similar movement to that of the snake around his neck as he appraises the situation.
"Easy now," the gnome says, holding up his hands soothingly, "given the amount of attention you seem to have been paying to our conversation, I'm surprised that you didn't already hear his explanation of how this Carmella lass gave him the ring."
"Now, why don't we all calm down and introduce ourselves?" he says, slowly rising from his seat to offer a handshake, "I'm Emmentian, new around here, as you noted."
Lynnara spreads out up her empty hands. angling them down towards the table.
"Now I realise that you and this ring may have some history, but we've just acquired it and in the process managed to see that it did not fall into some Orcish hands.
Considering that we are several perhaps we can ebb this rogue tide and dock ourselves peacefully and perhaps compare some notes."
Bow ties may be cool but bbcodes leave much to be desired.
Talic gauges the distance between himself and the nearest exit, weighing his chances. "figures the one time I get a nice trinket without stealing it and I'm still gonna get shot at" Not wanting to draw any more attention and not yet ready to make his escape, Talic addresses the stranger "If your thinking I stole this ring, your wrong. Why don't you grab a round of drink and join us before the entire tavern takes notice."
At Lynnara's soothing words, the big, weathered man knits his eye brows together, apparently considering his options. At last, with a shrug and a sigh of resignation, he holsters the pistol and claps Emmentian's tiny, proffered hand, shaking it vigorously. He then follows suit with the rest of the party, introducing himself.
"Name's Orren, retired sailor, at least for now. I was bosun and third mate of Carmella's crew, that is until we were ambushed. And you were right about that ring and I having a history together. I lost damned near forty men trying to recover that cursed thing. Last time I saw it, it was on Carmella's finger as she went down with the ship. That was more than a year ago. Now, I hear word that she's alive and those ORCA bastards have taken her captive. And then suddenly you turn up, waving that ring about like it's a damned festival flag. So forgive me if I was a bit short with you." he says gruffly.
Orren, what will ORCA do with Carmella now that they have her?
Orren turns to regard the tall elf. "Execute her, most likely. That's if that is indeed Carmella that they've captured, which, from your description, sounds as if that's the case. But they won't do it soon, and they won't do it here in Gold-Bottom. She's the peoples hero, bless their hearts. ORCA might have the people scared for now, but if they put on a public execution of Oceania's favorite daughter, they'd have a riot on their hands so violent it would make the events earlier today look like a schoolyard fight. No, they'll move her before too long, my guess would be they'll take her down south to Passwall Island. It's ORCA territory, they've got some sort of fort or prison built down there. But I doubt they will move her until after the Festival, when the population settles back down and folks go back to work. That means that they will be holding her somewhere inside the city.
"Orren, Carmella, or whoever that was in the cage, seemed to know where I was, as if she expected to see me on top of the crane getting a grand view of the events today. How did she know?" Talic is still unnerved by the way she looked at him.
He continues, You see, our crew was looking for something... something that ORCA and their benefactors didn't want us to find. A year and a half ago we found it, and it nearly cost us our lives. Now, I don't know what Carmella's been up to in the mean-time, but whatever it is I'm sure that ORCA wants to know about it. That's why they haven't killed her yet."
He turns to the young halfling. "I'm not surprised. Carmella's got this 'gift' with people. She calls it 'soul searching', I call it a load of bull. But nevertheless, she's always known certain things about people, even those she's never met. She sometimes knows them better than even they know themselves. She has a way of speaking that can convince even the most cowardly man to face down a lion with his bare hands. She can look inside a person and know immediately if he is lying to her. She can't explain it, it just comes naturally to her. So if she singled you out, it was because she looked inside of you and saw something that she liked, or that she thought could help her. Just be careful now, son, because to make an ally of Carmella is to make an enemy of a great many people. Powerful people."
With a grin, Samisel looks at Talic, Can I assume, 'son', that you will want to rescue Carmella from durance vile? It seems like a worthy quest. I'll need to offload my mount and arrange stabling. I'll also need to check in with my superiors but that can be delayed.
"The more I hear, the more I think we might want to pay a visit to Garrett Rutledge first. He might be able to tell us something significant and I hear he is of some importance now." Deston tells everyone,"I just hope he has calmed down since I last saw him."
"If the rumours on board were true," the gnome begins with a speculative wave of his hand, "then Mister Rutledge could indeed be a useful source of reliable information regarding the Oceania Revenue and Commerce Association... though he may well temper his usefulness with his own motivations."
"Not that this ORCA's reputation has garnered any love from me, but we probably shouldn't rush into any confrontation with them."
At hearing Deston say this, Orren looks at him in surprise.
You know Garrett? How do you... wait a minute... no, it couldn't be..." the large man gave the young masked swordsman a queer, sideways look, then suddenly broke into an incredulous, toothy smile. "Deston Praevelle?!? Well I'll be a sea witch's titty! The last time I saw you, you were still learning to walk! I knew your father, Jivad! He practically taught me everything I know about running a crew, and got me my first job as a bosun's mate.. Great man, he was. I wish I could have at least seen him one more time before the fire. That was a terrible tragedy, what happened to them, and to you. I didn't know that anyone had survived, and yet here you are! You'd be the spitting image of him, without the mask and scars. So what are you doing here?
"I have seemingly wasted the last three years of my life hunting the bastards that set that fire. Now I have come home to see if my old friend has continued to nurture his grudge against me or if time may have mollified him enough so that I can hopefully enlist his aid in acquireing the information I need." Deston shakes his head."But, I thank you for the kind words about my father. Hopefully I can still do justice to his memory."
Hmm, chosed by a woman, first day in town, not a bad start. Not sure i like this soul searching though. Talic looks the old man over one more time, trying to get a good read on him.
"Orren, since you seem to have some knowlegde of mis carmilla perhaps you could enlighten us on this" Talic hands orren the message.
Orren takes the smeared swatch of cloth and puzzles over it for a bit before a sly smile spreads across his face.
"Well I'll be," he muttered quietly. "That damn clever girl... leave it to Carmella to stage her own escape before she's even incarcerated.
Seeing the puzzled looks at the table, he chuckles and spreads the cloth message out on the table, gesturing with his large hands.
"This," he says, gesturing to the letter 'F' symbol in the bottom left of the note, "is the symbol for the Freemen, of which I am a member." He points to the pinkish brand on his forearm. He turns to Deston, "Your friend Garrett Rutledge is also a member, as is this man." he points to the line that says "find dad". "Armad Calavar, proprietor of the Lucky Harlot. Very few people know that Carmella is his own flesh and blood, and old Armad will deny it to the day he dies. There's some pretty bad blood between the two, and I'm not sure why she would send you to her father for help; he would probably rather her stay locked up, truth be told. But that's another story."
He then gestures to the symbol in the bottom right corner. "This is a tactical flag symbol for underwater sabotage, one of Carmella's favorite strategies. It puzzled me a bit until I saw the 'Calypsia => V' which I think means Calypsia vault. It's the most secure place in the entire city, and it's owned by the Penderghasts, which means that it's guarded by ORCA's goons. Calypsia's sealed up tighter than a fort when the doors are closed, except for one weakness--the atrium floor is nothing but glass. Now, while the reef below is artificial, it must be fed somewhere by a natural spring or river. If you could find that river, chances are you could follow it and eventually come up underneath the casino itself. You'd have to be one hell of a swimmer, though."
With the air settled down, Lynnara speaks again this time with a voice more like a quiet stream.
"It would seem that Carmella might have had some plans regarding that vault before she was pinched. I've a good pair of swimming legs but I don't think we're ready yet to take on such a plan ourselves without a clearer idea of what we're getting into, and what we would be trying to get. And not without a lot more preparation than what we have hands on right now."
"It would seem that are logical first moves would be to make contact with Mr. Ruttledge and Master Calavar. While there may be bad blood between him and his daughter, it appears that they still have some common goals, and estranged parents and children have been bridged back together with less."
Lynnara pauses and then asks again even more quietly. You've said that you've spent a lot of effort trying to recover the ring our companion found. What is it's significance, and can it be of any use in our upcoming endeavours?"
Orren regarded the beautiful woman. "That is probably a question better left for Armad to answer, but I will tell you what little I know. Now, as a bosun, it wasn't my job to ask questions of my captain, and Carmella was a woman of many secrets. She was a treasure hunter first and foremost, and for the first few years in her service that is precisely what we did. With her help, and instincts, we became rich men. But one day Carmella made a find unlike any other, a couple of pages from a journal supposedly belonging to a man named Bastion Cane. Bastion was a religious philosopher and cleric who travelled the world during the ten years of the Reclamation, searching for a truth that might save mankind."
"I've no idea what those pages contain, having never read them, but I do know that what Carmella saw in them shook her to the core. She took the documents to her father, asking for his help, but instead he locked them away and forbade her to never speak of them again, and to give up her foolish quest. Carmella pleaded with him, but it was to no avail. Her father became outraged at her insistence, and finally ordered her ship burned to the waterline."
"That was the last straw for Carmella, and one night she broke into her father's safe, retrieved the documents, and then stole his prize ship. She gathered those loyal to her, meself included, and for the next three years we spent every waking moment trying to pick up the lost trail of this Bastion Cane. Then, about a year and a half ago, we found one other page and that there ring out west at a place called Vermillion Cove."
"Now, we had our share of skirmishes along the way. ORCA patrols, Caimarian river pirates, hell, we even fought off some of those sea devils down by the Straits of Sangasa. But I ain't seen nothing ever hit us as hard as we were hit that night. Sorcerers, black magic, you name it, and they brought it to bear. They even had some sort of machine with them, walked upright like a man but big as a house. And it had armament like nothing I'd ever seen before. It's guns chewed through our vessel as if it was paper. We were outnumbered and out gunned, but Carmella fought like a demon anyway. And so did the rest of us. Three of us survived. One died of his wounds later on. The other is now sitting in the Calypsia vault. Calypso bless us all."
Emmentian's eyes fix on the table at Lynnara's words, and he answers her with a shallow nod, "true, no matter what differences they may have, they are family... I am sure that Armand would do whatever it takes to see his daughter safe."
When Orren speaks, the gnome lifts his gaze to listen intently to the story. "I would be quite interested to learn more of this Bastion Cane," he comments before frowning, "but this colossal construct that you faced troubles me, do you think that the sorcerers leading the thing worked for ORCA?"
Orren shakes his head at Emmentian. "No, definitely not ORCA. I've tussled with those goons enough to know that while they may be strong of arm, they're lacking when it comes to proper training and discipline, and their courage only lasts as long as the money's good."
"But these other men, they were something different altogether. They were organized, well trained. And they never broke or turned-tail, not even after sustaining grievous losses. During the battle, I brained a man with my hammer, a terrible blow, and his companion standing right next to him never even flinched, not even when the gore from his companion's head spattered across his face. It was unlike anything I have ever seen before."
"So no, not ORCA, but that doesn't mean that they don't share the same benefactors. House Penderghast's pockets run as deep as sin itself. It wouldn't surprise me if they were somehow involved."
He leaned back in his chair with a tired sigh. "As far as Bastion Cane is concerned, the best person to ask would be Carmella herself. It wasn't my job to ask questions, just to do what I was told. I wish I could be more help to you."
"We'll it seems somehting big is going on around here and I'm being dragged in quickly. I suspect that breaking into a secured vault guarded by Orca and Penderghast goons Aand breaking out a famous pirate captain has its rewards but It's definetly not a one man job. So are we all in this together or do some of us part ways here?" Looking at each of the companions, I know we promised to all stick together while in town for a short time, but this could a long term job so I'm not holding anyone to that previous arrangement."
"The tides flow here in strange ways. The currents flowing through these events intrique me. But only a fool throws herself into a riptide without foreknowledge, so we should be more prepared than we are at present to think of such an undertaking. As long as we are not guided by foolishness, I will continue along the path that fate has cast us."
The gnome hums thoughtfully at Orren's reply, "What do you know of House Penderghast? I have heard that they vie for political control of northern Oceania, but beyond simple lust for power what are their motivations... do you know what thy intend to use that influence for?"
Looking to Talic, Emmentian nods in agreement to Lynnara's statement, "I intend to find out about this priest of the pre-reclamation faith, and what he believed would prove to be mankind's salvation. The best place to start seems to be with Carmella, so you'll have my support in freeing her." He pauses to run a finger under the neck of the viper, who had raised his head in interest at the group, "Lynnara is right though, we shouldn't stir up the hornet's nest until we have seen the situation from all angles, what exactly do ORCA and house Penderghast have against her that they're so willing to incite the people's anger?"
"Alas, of house Penderghast, I do not know much, save for that their matron, Emilia, is a silver-tongued temptress who's just as likely to shove a dagger in your back as bed you. She's a viper, that one." He glances at Emmentian and Cirrus, "No offense, sir."
Qarxan listens intently for the entire conversation, recording snippets of information in his internal file.
'So,' he says conspiratorialy, 'the plan is, in general terms, to contact Ruttledge, perhaps through our new friend Orren here, and see about saving Carmella, and maybe find out what it was about Bastion Cane that had her so obsessed? I have to say, as a scholar myself the mystery already has me a tingle. Are we all agreed and interested?'
'If so should we move to a more intimate setting?'
A cavalier of the Order of the Dragon never abandons his companions. How do we approach Ruttledge?
Talic stands to stretch and winces. Grabbing his left side he says "Damn mob, myside is killing me"
With one last great swallow, Orren finishes his ale and stands up from the table. "Tell you what, after you get settled, and put your affairs in order, come by the Freemen Hall tonight. There's a council meeting scheduled, and both Garrett and old Armad will be in attendance. If it's information you seek, that would be your best place to find it. I'll let them know you'll be stopping by."
He shakes each hand at the table once again, bowing his head. "Best of luck to you." he says, as he exits the tavern.
The party, their heads spinning from the whirlwind of information they just heard, decides to return to the Resolution to oversee the offloading of their gear, as well as to find stabling in the city for Ornerokh, Samisel's chameleon. They finish their drinks, pay the bill, and head outside.
'We'd best also find an inn to call home, in case we need to rendezvous anywhere, now that we're plotting intrigue,' Qarxen says, walking fast to keep up.
"Indeed," Emmentian nods to his fellow gnome, "though perhaps we can get a recommendation as to a good establishment from one of the Freemen tonight. Until then, if we do happen to become separated, their Hall tonight seems like a suitable place to reunite."
"It occurs to me though," he adds, a moment later, "that we should try to keep our attendance there discreet. If we are not publicly associated with the Freemen then it may be possible for us to enter into the trust of the Penderghast family."
As the group heads towards the ship Talic says"I agree, some of us should not be in attendance, but perhaps lurking nearby to see if anyone is watching the hall. It would be even better if we could....perhaps.....sneak in without being seen." Talic stares off into space for a moment then says. "Maybe I should wander by the hall ocne we are done at the ship and get the lay of the land"
Sun has set on Gold-Bottom as you near the Resolution, transforming its turquoise waters into a sea of liquid gold. The line of patrons waiting to sign for their cargo is dwindling as the boat hands work through the midday rush. On a separate, larger dock, mounts and livestock are being led down a wide ramp to a temporary stable.
As the party reaches the aft of the ship, they see several short men dressed in an outlandish, foreign style struggling to pull a large chameleon off the ramp and into a large cage. Someone is trying to kidnap Ornerokh!!!
The big lizard kicks and pulls at his restraints, thumping his tail loudly on the deck in displeasure and sending several crates crashing into the water. The men yell excitedly at one another in a language you can't understand, but don't yet notice the party's approach.
"Isn't that Ornerokh?" Emmentian asks of the elven cavalier, pointing to the commotion on the dock.
Initiative
Yes, that is my mount! says Samisel as he draws his blade and rushes to rescue Ornerokh.