Adventurers' Guild 2: operation Mongoose

[DavidByron]

It seems that Bruce Wrightson, the new Doge, has decided that it would be very useful to reinstate the old Marshal under Doge Aloysious III. Marshal Picket was fired by Argos during his brief stint as Doge and replaced by Felix Oster (who was defeated along with his half-ogres in the Battle for Bridgeport).

It seems that Picket decided to return to his hometown of Woodsey after he was relieved of his duties. A messenger sent by Owl was unable to locate Picket so the Guild have been asked to do it. Sounds simple enough and team Mongoose were going to be scouting for goblins in that direction anyway. Woodsey is to the North East of Bridgeport about a couple of days away.

Before setting off Fin and Shiela have asked Eodrick to see if he can throw any light on the disappearance of Shiela' dad, and before that Eodrick and Otto need to get separated. At Father Eldon's suggestion the rest of team Mongoose and Vlax accompany them to try and find the Dwarves' guild; the informal organisation that handles the High Kings business within Bridgeport. The adventurers are directed to the bar at Muddy Boots, and once there they are redirected to the lumber mill because, "the bar's been taken over by that Khorinis lot".

The lumber mill itself is a warehouse sized building right on the river bank. It's most notable feature on the outside is large water wheel device shaped a little like an enormous corkscrew half-submerged and extending from the mill out into the river.

Upon entering the mill there is a sense of the whole building being frozen in time. Large mechanical devices featuring vicious looking buzzsaws hang from the ceiling like some hovering battle construct. They are silent and inactive. What would normally be a hive of activity has been reduced to nothing by the war it seems. No timber, no work to do. The machines gleam spotlessly though and a few are being worked on by a handful of dwarves. A larger group of dwarves are sat around a trestle table drinking from a keg.

Ulfreid:
If I make no mistake it is my raftmate Vlax and some friends I see. What brings you to the 'mill?

Vlax:
Guild business.

Ulfreid:
Then you'll want to talk to Adalric probably. He indicates one of the dwarf engineers working on the nearest buzzsaw machine.

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We should have Sandra, Victor, Sheila, Eodrick, Zan and Amethyst here.

Using the same OOC as before.

[Akyana]

Walking in she looks around and notes how many dwarves there were in the place. She looks back to Zan Well, what do you think we should do?

[MK Kilmarnock]

Zan had been following the group quietly up until this point, not feeling particularly useful. Of course, once they neared a large number of dwarven company, he began to feel a little bit better. He glanced at Sandra briefly when she asked him what they could do, but he still had some unsureness.... he was only raised by one dwarf, not multiple ones. As such, he wasn't versed in all of the culture. At least he could speak the language without stuttering...

Whilst he wondered about why Sandra and he were on the same team anyway, Zan made his way over to the drinking table of dwarfs. From this point on, he was speaking entirely in Dwarven.

"How are we doing? You've got a seat for one more?"

[Thanatos 51-50]

Shiela

Upon entering the dwarve's guild, Shiela moved to the side to let Balthazar and Eodrick just do their business, here.

[DavidByron]

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Balthazar! Does Balthazar sound like a dwarvish name??

The dwarves around the keg make room for Zan and Vlax who sit down. The dwarf engineer indicated by Ulfreid says something to the other dwarf (in Dwarvish) working on the machine "... and you might as well go ahead and switch out that crank..."

He comes across to where Eodrick and Otto are still standing chained together with Eodrick's cuffs.

Adalric:
Guild business you say? What's this about? A bounty hunter!

[Akyana]

Sandra stands in the back of the group now. She keeps looking around. She kept an eye out for anything that didn't look right.

[Trulhammaren]

Amethyst

After retiring for the night and the little speech in the morning Amethyst was well and truly awed by how well this seemingly ragtag group of people still managed to work fairly well even with what seemed to her a sudden change in leadership. Nothing near what she was used to with her old troupe, but non-the-less.

Still dressed in the shabby make-shift cloak that she had been wearing when she first met the group Amethyst stayed more or less in the center of the group. Mainly to be a little harder to spot should her stalker happen to be within distance, but also because she could get a better ear on what happens within the group itself.

When they reached the Dwarf's Guild she made sure to look as if she couldn't understand what was being said by the dwarfs or anyone that would be speaking in dwarven. Lesson one, never let your talents be know to all. she thought to herself remembering what her mentor had taught her.

[MK Kilmarnock]

Zan smiled slightly with the flask right up to his lips. If they were going to be stopping for a while, he'd be more than glad to take the opportunity to make up for the relative lack of ale that he had this morning. Of course, he expected THIS 'juice' to be a bit stronger.

Though he listened to what one of the other dwarves said, mechanical talk was really not Zan's bag. He would continue talking in Dwarven, noticably (relatively noticably to those who knew him and could speak Dwarven, I mean) omitting his stuttering and ad-libbing.

"Aye, so what exactly would you be fixing or building? This isn't exactly my forte, but if you want to talk about anything, I'll certainly listen."

[DavidByron]

Zan finds that the ale is suitably strong. He doesn't recognise it by name but it is certainly dwarvish made. Not that the stuff served at the Jasmine and Clove was weak by any means. Several pubs in Bridgeport seem to cater to the darker side.

Ulfreid:
Since the river was cut at Midford there've been few logs arriving so the mill has been quiet. Adalric and the smiths are fiddling with their contraptions while there's nothing else to do. Cleaning them and such. That one is a tree-trunk-slicing-saw-construct*

* one long word in dwarvish

[Karaswanton]

Eodrick
In dwarvish:
Yes, well, as to business. This is Otto, wanted for killing his wife some months back. I am Eodrick, the Hound, come to collect my fee for bringing in this fugitive. The agreed price was nine thousand gold.

[DavidByron]

Ulfreid,speaking in dwarvish spilling his ale:
Nine THOUSAND gold???
I'm in the wrong line of business lads.

Many of the dwarves grunt their agreement with these sentiments and mutter. "Who did 'e kill? The 'igh king 'imself then?" Those with a good ear can tell that most of the dwarves drinking here are river dwarves. Adalric takes the papers that Eodrick has and examines them.

When Adalric speaks it is in common and with an aristocratic accent. He gives the impression of a man used to having his orders obeyed without fuss.

Adalric:
"Nine thousand gold is a lot.... Perhaps the deceased had some wealthy relatives.... These papers seem in order." He looks at Eodrick. "Your prisoner looks calm enough. Is he dangerous? For such a large sum I usually charge 5% of the outstanding amount. More if there are complications."

Otto:
....! Of course I am dangerous. I am a wizard in the Adventurers' Guild!

Vlax:
That ain't your biggest problem though. The guildmaster says he has to go out on a mission so you can't hold him here.

Adalric:
"That hardly seems fair. You get the cash but I don't get the prisoner?"

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So Vlax, Otto, Eodrick, Zan and Amethyst understand dwarvish and Shiela, Victor and Sandra do not? Unless they learned it for level 3. Those who do not just hear Eodrick talking and see it causes quite a reaction among the dwarves, not a positive one either. Then as above from Adalric's calm and assertive speech.

[MK Kilmarnock]

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Did you say River dwarfs? So... that means that, since Zan speaks Dwarven with a River Dwarf accent as pointed out earlier by Eodrick (sort of), then he fits right in?

Booya, much!

Zan managed to hold his tongue for much of the manner concerning Otto, not wanting to seem too hot-headed. However, his frustration was somewhat obvious as he finished the whole contents of his flask and re-filled, just in case.

"At least it's hopeful that business will pick up again. Until then, I suppose that fixing the machinery is the best anybody could ever manage. I'm no logger, so I can't help you out by cutting down trees, but I do wish the best. With that settled..."

Zan thought for a moment about why they were even HERE in the first place. Was it really just to collect the money for Otto's capture?
"Perhaps... one of you knows a Thaghor? Thaghor Lauden, maybe?"

[DavidByron]

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Zan's conversation continues in dwarvish

River Dwarf:
Lauden is not a Dwarvish name. I take it this fella.... Zan's flask needs refilling. Oh here let me get that for you... This guy Thaghor is like us? An exile? A river dwarf?

Vlax is talking to Adalric so Zan is left by himself at the table. Despite what outsiders might have seen as an angry outburst earlier, Zan can tell the river dwarves are cooling their heels and having a good time drinking and talking. Even so left with nothing to do for too long a dwarf can get pretty jittery.

Ulfreid:
Hm. Thought I knew every dwarf in Lauden...

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Dwarvish I tell ya!
Lauden is a big place. Ulfreid makes quite a claim.

[MK Kilmarnock]

".... Outsider?" Zan scratched his forehead. Like always, he was still talking in Dwarvish.

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There, I fixed it. If it was buggin' yeh, you just had to be more clear about it.

"Alright.... so, let's get something straight.... Lauden is the name of a city, I've been there before. And Lauden isn't a dwarven name, so... ... could Thaghor have... adopted it? In either case, what would he have to do to get exiled?" Zan wasn't sure he wanted to hear this answer, but he was willing to find out anything he could.

[Karaswanton]

Eodrick
The dwarf snorts.

Five percent? Usury, but I'll pay it.
Complications? The only complication is that he says he's innocent, but then they all say that. I haven't brought in an innocent man once...nor a dead one.

[Thanatos 51-50]

Shiela

[Battlecant]"No need to get upset, everyone. Deal with the situation rationally, please."[/battlecant]

[DavidByron]

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Nothing was bugging me, I just wanted to make sure people didn't miss it.
Zan's conversation continues in dwarvish:

River Dwarf:
Ah well, some get kicked out, like that guy (indicates Otto), others choose to leave for their own reasons. Some are trying to find something, others are running away...

Another Dwarf:
Taking the name of the place you live in, that's a human custom isn't it?

Ulfreid:
So why are you looking for this Thaghor guy... hmm that name does seem familiar....

Third Dwarf:
"Exiles" is just what we call ourselves. It don't make us criminals. Don't believe what they say.

And another:
Does this guy owe you money?
[hr]

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Adalric speaks common again:

Adalric:
I'm not an official ambassador to the Molten Throne if that's what you're thinking. I'm a businessman. I look after the Dwarvish community here in Bridgeport. I buy out creditors of the throne and take a small percentage for my trouble. But to get my money back I'd have to have the prisoner taken all the way up North, at least as far as Falls.

Now if the Adventurers' Guild wants this wizard --- that's Doge's business I take it? Should the prisoner not return-- will the Doge or the Guildmaster stand me for my nine thousand?

[MK Kilmarnock]

Zan smiled and waved his arms, mouthing the words "no, no" whilst shaking his head. As he continued to talk with Dwarvish as his medium, he noticed that he hadn't stuttered once... who knew why.

"Ah, a mild misunderstanding and misconveying. I am not looking for him... I believe, if things have not changed, that he is back home. You see, Thaghor is something like my father; more like my caretaker."

Zan's mood got a bit more somber.
"Yet... he never did introduce me to any other dwarves, or... tell me anything about his past, nor his exploits with my father. So I thought perhaps one of you might know him."

[Karaswanton]

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Adalric speaks common again:

Adalric:
I'm not an official ambassador to the Molten Throne if that's what you're thinking. I'm a businessman. I look after the Dwarvish community here in Bridgeport. I buy out creditors of the throne and take a small percentage for my trouble. But to get my money back I'd have to have the prisoner taken all the way up North, at least as far as Falls.

Now if the Adventurers' Guild wants this wizard --- that's Doge's business I take it? Should the prisoner not return-- will the Doge or the Guildmaster stand me for my nine thousand?[/QUOTE]

Eodrick
Hm. I'd forgotten that the Guildmaster would want to keep him.
Otto has surrendered to me of his own volition...more or less. He seems to be a dwarf of his word thus far.

Send a letter to the Molten Throne, make His Majesty aware that the Hound has his prisoner, but he can not currently be sent due to the war.

I'll take my payment once Otto is surrendered for good, not before.

[DavidByron]

Adalric:
Wait here and I can contact the Royal Archivist immediately. It will just be a few minutes.

Adalric walks up some steps to a split level within the mill and through a door. The dwarf engineer who was working with Adalric has finished whatever he was doing and comes across to greet the adventurers.

Dwarf Engineer, addressing the taller folk:
How about a game while you wait? Do any of you fancy yourselves good with a sword? One of you ladies perhaps?

Another Dwarf:
Yes! Bring out Steve!

[Akyana]

Sandra was getting pretty bored while standing there. She looks over at them and then smirks I might be a little good she takes the great sword off her back, it was the only weapon she carried yet she had a very large shield as well. She holds it pretty steady and looks at the dwarf Who is Steve?

[DavidByron]

The dwarf engineer runs off to a corner of the room to fetch "Steve".

"Steve" turns out to be a human sized construct looking thing. More or less looking like an animated suit of armor but the pieces are mismatched and cobbled together from different sources and mixed in with other bits of wood and metal rather than being all part of the same well fitting suit. "Steve" is armed with a longsword and a net. Underneath the large helmet it "wears" there is only darkness that you can see.

Ulfreid, to Zan:
Thaghor... Maybe it will come to me latter. But listen lad, if your guardian has not seen fit to tell you about his past there may be a reason for it.

Most of the other dwarves are distracted by the prospect of a fight, albeit a friendly one. And some are even laying bets on "Steve" or "the girl", although it is not clear that Sandra or anyone else has agreed to such a contest.

Dwarf Engineer:
Who wants to go one minute with my metal friend here?

[Thanatos 51-50]

Shiela

"I think I can go a few rounds with tin head," Shiela volunteers, striding forth and drawing her scimitar and reflexivly making twitching her left ar just so.
Unfortunatly, she then relises she has no shield to snap into place.
"Well, bother. Unless someone has a shield I can borrow - I'm going to have to go with somthing I'm not so used to." she says, and puts one hand on her stiletto hilt.

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Shiela is also currently lacking her armor. She wasn't expecting swordplay within the ciit limits

[MK Kilmarnock]

Zan shrugged at the dwarf's words.

"I understand that he may want to hide some things from me, but at this point, I've learned my things that cause me disturbance. I.... I just have to know. I'll wait for when and if it comes back. Until then..." He refreshed himself with the flask a bit more, and watched with interest as Sandra seeminly volunteered. He knew that Shiela could fight, he had watched it... but he wanted to know how Sandra handled herself.

[Akyana]

Sandra looks and nods All yours then. So what happens if we happen to destroy Steve? she puts her great sword back and sits and waits, being in a chain shirt she doesn't find her armor all that uncomfortable, and knows all to well that combat can happen anywhere.

[DavidByron]

Dwarf Engineer:
We have some human sized armor and other spare parts back there....

He indicates back towards the corner where "Steve" came from. There are various pieces of armor, shields and even some weapons stored in the corner.

Dwarf Engineer:
Grab what you want and when you're ready..... "Steve, defend"

The automaton comes to attention where it stands but makes no threatening move towards anyone.

[Akyana]

Sandra looks and sees that the other woman was looking at the equipment pointed out and walks over to the construct. Then she quickly pulls her great sword out and in a wide arc takes the first swing while she readies her shield for a counter attack

[DavidByron]

"Steve" suddenly lurches into life with surprising speed and hits Sandra with "his" longsword (6 hp damage) before dodging to the side and then stepping back.

More money is placed on the table in front of the dwarves as the betting gets lively.

[MK Kilmarnock]

Zan sighed, watching the odd jumble of a construct dodge and return Sandra's strike. For the first time in a few minutes, he spoke common to himself, fumbling a few fingers with his holy symbol.

"B-better prepare to heal somebody... and of all p-places, I never expected this one." Speaking louder, he began to enourage Sandra. He was no bard, but every little word helped...

"J-just a scratch, I bet you've t-taken worse."

[Akyana]

Sandra lets out a grunt as she is hit. Narrowing her eyes half thinking this was going to be easy as she almost starts dancing it seems. She uses her body to keep the momentum going on the sword as she does a series of attacks, a overhead swing, followed by another arched swing, then bringing the sword up behind her she places her shield horizontal and thrusts with the huge sword after it lands on the shield. She didn't mean to, but she was making cuts into the floor mostly on the surface.