AvB - Ishmael

[Monodominant]

Ishmael's blood almost freezes in his veins. He looks around suspiciously trying to see if there is a form of eye or something to that effect on the door from where the owner of the voice would see him.

He considers his next move carefully and stands up away from his hiding spot.

"Er... sorry about that... got kind of carried away" he says carefully.

[planswalker]

"Herco? When did you get so sneaky and start fiddling with locks?"

[Monodominant]

"I got those fine tools and wanted to give them a try actually" said Ishmael focusing on the door opening part and avoiding the sneakyness since the guy he had knocked out did have a very good pair of thieves tools indicating he knew enough to get them.

"Open up now. My back hurts like hell from a very productive night up at the rafters!"

[planswalker]

"Trying to get bumped from a lurker to a full-fledged thief? good luck." The door's lock slides open and the door opens.

[Monodominant]

Ishmael carefully walks inside expecting that the man behind it may have understood that he is not truly who he says he is and trying to trap him...

He looks to see if inside they have torches lit or not and then steps in and nods to the other Jack ready to spring into action depending on the situation.

[planswalker]

Ishmael carefully walks inside expecting that the man may have understood that he is not truly who he says he is.

He looks to see if inside they have torches lit or not and then steps in and nods to the other Jack ready to spring into action.

Spoiler

Show

got the above in an email notification, but I don't see it here.

THey have torches lit every ten feet in a room about 40' to a side.

"They gave you an assignment last night, huh? Well, the Dayman is in his usual spot."

[Monodominant]

Spoiler

Show

Sorry, I was considering changing the action since you had not posted but its okay.

Ishmael looks at the man and at the area ahead of him trying to discern any specific details that might help him advance his ploy.

(OOC: could I have a brief description fo what is around me and what the guy looks like etc?)

[planswalker]

You are in a square room with several doors on each wall. About a half-dozen men in dirty clothing are lounging about. Only one of them has the brown hair, brown eyes, and plain features of the Dayman as the lurker described him.

That one is sitting down, and seems to be meditating right in front of a door along the far wall.

[Monodominant]

Spoiler

Show

I admit I had not exactly thought this through... I mean half a dozen gang members plus the Dayman who seems to be a big head seems like a lot to take... must play this very carefully.

Ishmael nods and hoping at least this part of the info was correct approaches the individual that is supposedly the Dayman.

His heart is beating like crazy as he realises there are few if any avenues of escape should he be discovered. His only play would be to come clean while taking the man hostage or something to that effect and claim he is here as a warning.

He puts such thoughts aside and looks at the man as he finally ends up ahead of him.

[planswalker]

The Dayman does not acknowledge your approach.

[Monodominant]

Ishmael waits for a few moments being hesitant to simulate how a lower level individual would react to one of the major players of the organisation and looks behind him to see if the door man or anyone else are curious of why he has come to the meditating man.

Finally after a little more time passes and Ishamel also notices details in the room including corners where the shadows cast by the torches would welcome him he clears his throat loudly but politely.

"Er...."

[planswalker]

He breathes in slowly, and exhales. "Yes?"

You do not notice any part of the room which is concealed and not being observed. And you cannot hide while being observed without hide in plain sight.

[Monodominant]

"Sorry to be a bother. Just came to report that there is nothing really to report..." he said carefully and timidly.

[planswalker]

"Then none tried to follow the Toe?"

[Monodominant]

For a moment Ishmael wondered if somehow the traps behind the bookcase could possibly have another mechanism that alerted the Jacks here that something was amiss but he had been unable to find anything to that effect.

He shook his head confidently "No. It was quiet" he said emphatically.

[planswalker]

"Hm. Could have sworn from the Toe's report that someone was being rather nosey and was gonna follow him. Still, I guess if we check your post, everything will be exactly as we left it?"

[Monodominant]

Ishmael nods once more and then pauses.

"There was a guy that looked through the window at some point but he left. Wouldn't the Toe have seen him if he had been followed?" he said calmly in an attempt to avoid directly lieing to the man.

[planswalker]

"The toe's good at his job, be he's not the most observant git. That's why we have lurkers like you to watch his back for him."

[Monodominant]

"Well what can I say... guy peered through the window and then left. Guess he was expecting a crime family working from a small shop in scale street or somethin" he said and shrugged.

[planswalker]

"That was likely a spy looking to find an entrance to the Jacks. And you blithely let him walk up and see the place. You're likely as stupid as you look, but you did do exactly as you were told. A good trait in lurkers. So, good job Herco. By the way, how's your sister doing?"

[Monodominant]

Ishmael doesnt panic. His cold minded paranoia leads him to the following thought process.

The man before him is asking either out of courtesy, which is likely not the case since he did not seem that polite or caring or even sympathetic towards "Herco".

The man before him is asking about a sister in order to confirm the identity. Now this seems to be the most reasonable options out of the two which in turn leads to three further options. That there is a sister, that there was a sister once or that there is no sister or possibly there is a brother.

Ishmael cannot possible put more weight on any of these options and hence momentarily wishes for Kelemvor to guide his tongue

Spoiler

Show

(1d3)[1]

"She is doing fine, thanks... but thats none of your business" he says timidly fiddling with his clothes out of anxiety to cover his rising tention as he expects all the Nine Hells to break loose.

"There was also the issue of moving further ahead the chain..." he says in quick succession.

[planswalker]

He looks at you for a long moment and sighs, "Look, Herco, you're already at the highest position you can without real talent, and despite your knack for knives in the back, you just don't have a thief's instinct. You'd be caught within the month, and someone like yourself working the mine is a death sentence."

[Monodominant]

"Oh come on... perhaps I can do a try out or something? I could work with the Toe's group perhaps? If I aint no good or if he disses me feel free to bump me back down" he says putting a hint of desperation in his voice.

[planswalker]

The Dayman chuckles. "You know well enough that it doesn't work that way. You are a good lurker. We need good lurkers. We don't need mediocre thieves who'll get caught." He sighs.

"Tell you what, I'll give you one shot. Get me the necklace that Baroness Lienda's husband is gonna give her for their anniversary next week. If you can get it back to us without anyone finding out about you or us, and we'll give you a thief's cut and consider you for further tasks. However, you're still a good lurker and unless you can prove you're a better thief, you're still gonna be a lurker."

[Monodominant]

Ishmael nods once considering what the man just said.

Spoiler

Show

Knowledge local (1d20+14)[26] who is the Baroness Lienda?

"Okay. I will give it a try" he said not terribly confident as he considered the possibility to succeed.

Then he slowly realised that all this useful as it might be to create an identity with the Jacks it did not exactly fit the mission parameters. He somehow had to use the fact that he had gotten this info to his advantage in order to complete the other mission first.

"So, whats next boss..." he said looking at the Dayman and at the others momentarily as if waiting for orders from any of them.

[planswalker]

Baroness Lienda is the wife of Baron Michael Hert. They are one of the minor landed nobles who live in the city.

Looking mildly annoyed at you, he says, "Go and do, Herco." He dismisses you with a wave.

[Monodominant]

Ishmael nods one last time and takes off.

He tries to return back to the house from where he entered as he now has some unfinished business there.

Spoiler

Show

Does the Baroness live in the Nobles Quarter?

[planswalker]

Spoiler

Show

She has an estate there, but like most nobles, she also has a dwelling in the city at large.

You arrive in the room right as a city watchman arrives.

"Hm... a case of lookalikes where one of them is unconscious and the other just walked out of a carpet... I'm going to have to take you in for questioning."

[Monodominant]

Spoiler

Show

For the record the unconsious guy is in the passage by the spiked pit trap.

I did not say I close the secret library door though so if the watchman has been looking around for some time he would indeed have found all this.

Is there only the one watchman?

[planswalker]

Spoiler

Show

indeed so.