Garen's Fate (IC thread)

[Sir_Chivalry]

Recruitment

I am led to believe you are a man or woman of grit and purpose. This is good. You will find it gainful to attend a minor function tonight at the Hematite Cross in Golanbrook. Enter by way of the delivery dock, the man has left it unlocked for a hefty sum and assures me he will not leave it left unlocked for long after seven bells.

Golanbrook, as anybody knows, is in the ward of Starsfield. It smells of sawdust and sweat, the capenters' guild nearby keeping a watchful eye on all the nearby woodwrights.

Tonight, the setting sun actually is reaching through the haze, a faded orange glow twinkling in the streets. You be moved, if you couldn't hear what is most likely a man pleading to his god through a gag in an empty warehouse that you're walking by. The carpenters may know how to build a warehouse, but their sound-proofing of glass windows leaves much to be desired.

As you continue (don't get involved, it never goes well), the Hematite Cross lurches into view, named for its heavy sign, a dull metalic cross with a hammer and tongs above it.

Around the side, there a slight dip in the alleyway, and a loading dock for ale barrels and crates is there. An impatient half-orc stands by the gate, and jerks his thumb towards the entrance, clearing wanting you to go inside.

[Silver Night]

Feather approaches the dock, keeping alert. She nods to the half-orc as she passes by and slips inside.

[wuwuwu]

"You calm right down, there. I retired yesterday and I will abide by my own damn schedule!" Sam grunts at the half-orc as he shuffles past. "I'm still early yet, ain't I?"
He pauses for a moment before opening the door, looking at the door-man with suspicious eyes "A dump like this'll let me smoke inside, right? If so, got a light? No, no, I'm sure they'll have matches inside."
He digs around in his pockets for a moment, a curse escapes his lips "Damnit". He continues digging, a bit more desperately. Louder this time, he curses again "Damnit! Damn it all! I need more smokes."
He shakes his head, and with eyes full of sorrow takes one last look at the half-orc, muttering "World's a sad place to live these days, ain't it?" as he opens the door, takes a step in, and assesses the situation inside.

[Sir_Chivalry]

"You calm right down, there. I retired yesterday and I will abide by my own damn schedule!" Sam grunts at the half-orc as he shuffles past. "I'm still early yet, ain't I?"
He pauses for a moment before opening the door, looking at the door-man with suspicious eyes "A dump like this'll let me smoke inside, right? If so, got a light? No, no, I'm sure they'll have matches inside."
He digs around in his pockets for a moment, a curse escapes his lips "Damnit". He continues digging, a bit more desperately. Louder this time, he curses again "Damnit! Damn it all! I need more smokes."
He shakes his head, and with eyes full of sorrow takes one last look at the half-orc, muttering "World's a sad place to live these days, ain't it?" as he opens the door, takes a step in, and assesses the situation inside.

As Sam shuffles past, the half-orc rolls his eyes and snaps his fingers, a small flame appearing floating over his thumb. He eyes you very sternly, and pulls two gold leaf trimmed cigarettes out of his coat pocket, handing one to you.

"Sad place indeed old-timer."

Inside there is a long hallway, and down it you can hear loud music and laughter. The half-orc points you and Feather towards a small room to your right, where a few glasses of wine are set, along with a plate of cheeses.

[wuwuwu]

Sam looks at the half-orc with complete adoration. "But sometimes we can scrape some happiness out of it.".

He puffs on his cigarette as he looks over the brown haired girl in the hallway with him.. "Little young to be out this late, eh, girly?" He says with a scoff.

He walks over to the table, takes a seat and grabs a piece of cheese, sniffing it and grimacing before eating it.

"Wine? Why you shouldn't have!" He says to nobody in particular as he grabs himself a glass.

In between gulps, he asks the girl "Hey, you know what time it is? It ain't seven bells yet, is it?" And as he reaches for another glass. He hesitates for a moment, and leans back in his chair still eying the remaining glasses.

"Name's Sam Elanus, by the way. Town guard, retired yesterday, if anybody asks. Know what this 'minor function' is about?". He introduces himself without offering his hand, and his eyes keep flitting back to the wine as he talks.

[Silver Night]

"Oh, aye, I'm out past my bedtime. Aren't you a bit elderly ta be out this late, though, old man?" She smiles, "I'm called Feather."

[The_Admiral]

Walking in after work Nick mumbles to himself about how tired is he his hand on his hip touching his gun. Not noticing the half orc at the door, Nick wanders towards a warehouse. As he approaches the warehouse he raises his his sidearm and open's the door. Having opened the door he shouts
Anybody There?

[Sir_Chivalry]

Walking in after work Nick mumbles to himself about how tired is he his hand on his hip touching his gun. And as he approaches the warehouse he raises his his sidearm and open's the door. Having opened the door he shouts
Anybody There?

A man sits tied up in a chair, an array of bloody saws, gouges and screws littering the floor. What state the man is in, you can imagine, but he's alive still.

You hear a window break, and know that the people who did this are long gone, running through alleyways they know like the back of their hands.

"Thnk yhh, uh gwd thnk yhh"

The man passes into unconsciousness

[Sir_Chivalry]

A dwarf comes in rubbing his spectacles with a cloth from the fog. He is well dressed and despite the fleeing hairline, looks otherwise quite the picture of youth, if one can find a man with bright white hair youthful. Behind him through the door walks a girl with straight dark-hair that falls down past her hips and obscures much of the features of her body. She is none the less well dressed and wears a bandolier bristling with daggers.

He sits down at the table and tents his fingers, staring at a candle in the middle of the table. His companion sits by the door, quietly, her steel-coloured eyes staring uncomfortably at you all.

If anyone tries to talk to the dwarf, he holds up a finger, and words seem to fail you for a moment, as if you cannot make the sounds.

[The_Admiral]

Holstering his gun, Nick runs up to the man, unties him and carries him to the nearest hospital. Ariving at the hospital Nick flashes his badge and says This man was tortured near the Haematite Cross he needs immediate medical attention!

[Sir_Chivalry]

Holstering his gun, Nick runs up to the man, unties him and carries him to the nearest hospital. Ariving at the hospital Nick flashes his badge and says This man was tortured near the Haematite Cross he needs immediate medical attention!

It takes some time to reach the hospital, by the time you get there it's half six (6:30).

This hospital, run by the physics' guild, is a clean and sterile affair. White walls, white ceiling, and white floors, now tarnished with the dripping blood of the man you saved.

The guild assistant looks at the man, then you, and crosses her arms.

"Who's paying for his treatment officer?"

[Feather Sigil]

Three Days Earlier...

"Three hundred gold and it is truly mine?"

"That's right."

A large pouch appeared from beneath the folds of the black cloak. The dainty hands that opened it were covered with silver scales that glittered in the nearby candlelight, sliding and shifting with each movement. The owner of the apartment complex watched the hands produce 30 coins of a similar colour. Platinum, but the insignia on the coins was foreign.

"What coin be these?"

"Platinum of the Havnor mint. 10 gold apiece."

The pouch, considerably smaller than it had been before, closed up and swiftly withdrew, back into the shadows that hid the silver hands. As before, the hooded and cloaked figure stood motionless, a tall black statue.

"Fear not, they are genuine. Now, the key to the apartment, please?"

Even as the owner scooped up the platinum into his pockets, he was visibly wary of his newest guest. He had heard of Havnor and could believe what he was hearing, and this stranger's accent was certainly foreign, but each new revelation only made him more curious and more concerned.

"Missy, I--"

"What is it?"

"Your name. For me records, you unn'erstand."

There was silence. The owner half expected a dagger or some kind of magic spell to appear from the cloak--most tenants who showed up all in black with hidden faces meant nothing but harm to all around them, especially those who got in their way.

"Dawn. Please surrender the key."

The right hand returned, bearing neither weapon or spell. Slowly, the owner turned to the large rack behind him and removed a bronze key, the numbers 243 engraved into it. In a flash, the hand seized the key and disappeared beneath the cloak.

"Well, welcome, Miss Dawn."

"My thanks."

The cloak walked swiftly towards the nearest staircase, boots thudding against the stone floor.

---

Veyna hardly looked at her new home as she entered it. The moment she was certain the door was locked, she trudged over to the bed and fell face-first onto it. It was nothing more than a propped-up mattress, and not a very good one at that. No blanket or pillows either. She had no idea how long she slept, but the fact that she awoke exactly the same was good. The moment she was conscious her lips mumbled a few Draconic words and she felt the magic surround her once again. Her eyes were wet; she wiped them dry and sat up on her bed, looking around. The entire apartment was one room. The light pouring through her window was murky, making the dust floating in the room look like clouds of mud. There was a sink in the corner, the one window and the bed; the room was otherwise barren.

Veyna fell back on the bed, staring into the darkness of her right palm. So this was what it had come to. After a week of running from train to train, sleepless nights staring at compartment doors, spending and spending and spending, she reached the end of the road: Garen's Fate, as far south as one could go. Inside a small, dusty room in a smog-choked undercity, that probably had mice and lacked even a bathroom. The apartment was hardly worth even half what she paid, but she had been too tired, too swept up in her just-keep-going-and-never-stop mindset to haggle with the owner. She needed a place to stay and purchased the first one she could find that was feasible for her meager remaining funds.

But I am here. I am alive. They didn't catch me. That is enough, for now. She sighed. "I need a bath."

Present Time...

Keeping her hood up and her cloak tightly drawn around her, Veyna looked around for what was described to her as the Hematite Cross. With every breath she wrinkled her nose and tried not to wish for perfume. Sooner or later she would get used to the smells of this city, but she could not say for sure whether or not that was a good thing. She found the symbol soon enough and took the path around to the side, finding a gate and a half-orc guarding it. More enticing than the prospect of what she might find at this place was the possibility of learning just how whoever was hosting this knew to contact her, unless the process was random. It did not seem likely--she had power, after all.

The half-orc nodded her past the gate, directing her to a room off to the side. Alcohol, tobacco and body odour mixed with the sweat and sawdust that permeated the area outside. It was probably stifling in this place, but Veyna felt just fine.

She entered the room to find a girl with hair even longer than hers staring at her with an obscured expression. A dwarf sat across from a young human woman and an older human man. Veyna sat near the woman and looked around at each of them.

"Have I missed an--"

Her eyes wandered over to the dwarf and all of a sudden her voice caught in her throat. She kept her gaze on him for a moment, attempting to resist, but soon she relented and turned back to the other two?

"--nything thus far? Have you been here long?"

Spoiler

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Knowledge Local check on the Hematite Cross: (d20+8)[25]

What species is the girl sitting next to the door?

[Steward]

An extremely short, spindly little man totters up to the guild assistant. "Honorable lady, I saw the whole thing." He squeaks. "Horrible, horrible mess. I will humbly pay for whatever is needed to save this poor man's life."

[wuwuwu]

A dwarf comes in rubbing his spectacles with a cloth from the fog. He is well dressed and despite the fleeing hairline, looks otherwise quite the picture of youth, if one can find a man with bright white hair youthful. Behind him through the door walks a girl with straight dark-hair that falls down past her hips and obscures much of the features of her body. She is none the less well dressed and wears a bandolier bristling with daggers.

He sits down at the table and tents his fingers, staring at a candle in the middle of the table. He companion sits by the door, quietly, her steel-coloured eyes staring uncomfortably at you all.

If anyone tries to talk to the dwarf, he holds up a finger, and words seem to fail you for a moment, as if you cannot make the sounds.

Sam is about to give Feather a brilliant (in his mind) retort when they walk in. Eying the girl with suspicion, and the dwarf with a mix of respect and confusion, he leans forward in his chair.

"S-", he barely vocalizes the first sound before the dwarf interrupts him.
"N-". Interrupted again. He furrows his brow before giving it one last shot. "Y-". He sighs in exasperation and leans back in his chair, deciding it would probably be best to just follow the dwarf's lead and stare at the candle.

[Sir_Chivalry]

An extremely short, spindly little man totters up to the guild assistant. "Honorable lady, I saw the whole thing." He squeaks. "Horrible, horrible mess. I will humbly pay for whatever is needed to save this poor man's life."

"He needs looking after, and we have a specialist on call tonight. It will be nine gold sir."

You get the feeling that she is cheating you, charging triple the normal price, probably planning to pocket the other six gold.

Spoiler

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Successful Sense Motive on your part.

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Knowledge Local check on the Hematite Cross: [roll0]

What species is the girl sitting next to the door?

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The Hematite Cross is old, a rum-running establishment with several tunnels leading to chutes lower into the city, allowing for the transfering of illegal goods. No one has used these tunnels recently, but a few locals still make jokes about the "good old days" down at the Cross.

The girl is a human, though a closer inspection of her yields a note of some hard to distinguish scent, like what you'd imagine screaming or pain smelled like. You recognize this, along with other things, as signs of a tiefling.

Sam is about to give Feather a brilliant (in his mind) retort when they walk in. Eying the girl with suspicion, and the dwarf with a mix of respect and confusion, he leans forward in his chair.

"S-", he barely vocalizes the first sound before the dwarf interrupts him.
"N-". Interrupted again. He furrows his brow before giving it one last shot. "Y-". He sighs in exasperation and leans back in his chair, deciding it would probably be best to just follow the dwarf's lead and stare at the candle.

The dwarf pulls out a pocket watch and winds it, tapping it afterward with a small stick he had concealed in his sleeve. Small sparks shoot from the stick and the watch seems to chitter like an insect.

[Bayar]

Casually strolling down the alleywan, Devlan notices the half-orc motioning to enter the Hematite Cross.

"Thank you, my good man."

With a nod towards the would-be doorman, Devlan enters the establishment and makes his way, as instructed, towards the small room on the right.

"Greetings gentl- ... -men, ladies, Don't mind me, I'll just take a seat.

Spoiler

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Knowledge arcana on the dwarf's strange silence effect: (1d20+8)[16]

[Sir_Chivalry]

Casually strolling down the alleywan, Devlan notices the half-orc motioning to enter the Hematite Cross.

"Thank you, my good man."

With a nod towards the would-be doorman, Devlan enters the establishment and makes his way, as instructed, towards the small room on the right.

"Greetings gentl- ... -men, ladies, Don't mind me, I'll just take a seat.

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Knowledge arcana on the dwarf's strange silence effect: [roll0]

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It's not anything you can figure out.

[Steward]

"That's quite all right," Elias says softly. He places ten gold coins in the attendant's hand. Was she skimming off the top? Probably -- but it was of no consequence to him. His agile mind is now turned towards something much more pressing. What happened to that man? He realizes that the person most likely to be able to answer that question is the person who barged into the hospital carrying him.

He turns to the man with the badge. "What happened to that poor fellow?"

[Sir_Chivalry]

"That's quite all right," Elias says softly. He places ten gold coins in the attendant's hand. Was she skimming off the top? Probably -- but it was of no consequence to him. His agile mind is now turned towards something much more pressing. What happened to that man? He realizes that the person most likely to be able to answer that question is the person who barged into the hospital carrying him.

He turns to the man with the badge. "What happened to that poor fellow?"

It is now quarter to seven.

[Silver Night]

Feather idly works at prying loose a random splinter from the edge of the table and waits.

[chrisrawr]

John follows the rumors to a rundown shed. Warehouse. Tool storage place thing. These details weren't important. He walks through the off-kilter door, looking around. Notices the blood on the floor, the lack of body, the broken glass. He'll check for fabric, and other remnants later. "Right then, to the Medica!" He proclaims. Hospital. Healing rest area whatsit.

These details weren't important.

[Sir_Chivalry]

John follows the rumors to a scrubby old Inn. Tavern. Housing food place thing. The details weren't important. He walks through the front doors, looking around. Notices the blood on the floor, the lack of body. "Right then, to the Medica!" He proclaims. Hospital. Healing rest area whatsit.

The details weren't important.

He walked into an abandoned warehouse?

[Feather Sigil]

Veyna watched as another besides herself was silenced by the dwarf. It was clearly some kind of magic power given that it only happened when he raised a finger. She waited silently, nodding at the elf--or was he a half-elf?--as he joined them. Then nothing happened. The dwarf continued to look at who-knew-what, while everyone else looked at him. Veyna was just about to speak when she picked up a strange scent in the room. It drew her gaze over to the girl by the door; it was hard to tell who or what that one was looking at since her features were as obscured by her hair as Veyna's were by her hood. As Veyna continued to look at her, the smell changed and became more prominent, blocking out all others in the room. A raw iron-like smell and what could only be the scent of ashes filled her nose; it was like burning blood. Her nostrils stung as she inhaled it and

screams filled her ears as he rolled on the ground, charred hands with cracked, warped fingernails clutching a head completely engulfed in flame. His hair was like a burning bush. His eyes distorted before audibly bursting into puddles of red and white pouring out of empty sockets, joining rivers of red sliding out of his ears and down the sides of his face. His blackened lips curled and split apart in several places

as the room came back into focus. There was only the candle on the table and those still in the room. The girl had not moved, but now Veyna's mouth and throat felt dry. The smell was still there; it clearly came from the girl. What manner of creature was she? Perhaps she, like the dwarf, had magical powers.

On that note, the dwarf suddenly decided to show more of his gifts, removing a watch and having it make noises with what was obviously a wand.

"Y-" She turned to the girl by the door. "He, at least, obviously has arcane talents. What, then, is he doing? Why are we here?" Then she turned to the three near her. "Are you aware of the meaning of this?"

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Nevermind my earlier message, Chivalry.

Spellcraft on the watch. (d20+3)[10]

[The_Admiral]

It takes some time to reach the hospital, by the time you get there it's half six (6:30).

This hospital, run by the physics' guild, is a clean and sterile affair. White walls, white ceiling, and white floors, now tarnished with the dripping blood of the man you saved.

The guild assistant looks at the man, then you, and crosses her arms.

"Who's paying for his treatment officer?"

Staring in disgust at the assistant, Nick spits out 2 words How much?

[Sir_Chivalry]

Veyna watched as another besides herself was silenced by the dwarf. It was clearly some kind of magic power given that it only happened when he raised a finger. She waited silently, nodding at the elf--or was he a half-elf?--as he joined them. Then nothing happened. The dwarf continued to look at who-knew-what, while everyone else looked at him. Veyna was just about to speak when she picked up a strange scent in the room. It drew her gaze over to the girl by the door; it was hard to tell who or what that one was looking at since her features were as obscured by her hair as Veyna's were by her hood. As Veyna continued to look at her, the smell changed and became more prominent, blocking out all others in the room. A raw iron-like smell and what could only be the scent of ashes filled her nose; it was like burning blood. Her nostrils stung as she inhaled it and

screams filled her ears as he rolled on the ground, charred hands with cracked, warped fingernails clutching a head completely engulfed in flame. His hair was like a burning bush. His eyes distorted before audibly bursting into puddles of red and white pouring out of empty sockets, joining rivers of red sliding out of his ears and down the sides of his face. His blackened lips curled and split apart in several places

as the room came back into focus. There was only the candle on the table and those still in the room. The girl had not moved, but now Veyna's mouth and throat felt dry. The smell was still there; it clearly came from the girl. What manner of creature was she? Perhaps she, like the dwarf, had magical powers.

On that note, the dwarf suddenly decided to show more of his gifts, removing a watch and having it make noises with what was obviously a wand.

"Y-" She turned to the girl by the door. "He, at least, obviously has arcane talents. What, then, is he doing? Why are we here?" Then she turned to the three near her. "Are you aware of the meaning of this?"

Spoiler

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Nevermind my earlier message, Chivalry.

Spellcraft on the watch. [roll0]

The dwarf clears his throat as it comes to ten to seven.

"You're here because I was led to believe you are people of determination and grit. The people who have hired me have an interest in the lower districts that needs looking after"

Spoiler

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The watch is magical.

Staring in disgust at the assistant, Nick spits out 2 words How much?

As Elias hands over the money, the assistant rolls her eyes at Nick's question. She places the injured man on a rolling platform and two metallic men step forward to push him down the hall.

[Feather Sigil]

The way the dwarf said it, it was undoubtedly nobles who were in charge of this operation, whatever it was. Perhaps they had spies combing the lower districts for people of capable talent? How, then, would they have identified her? Aside from her trips to the bathhouse, she had kept herself concealed--even if they saw her there, a mere glance would not have told them anything about her determination.

"Are we to speak to you now? Ah, it appears so."

He only began to speak when the watch hit 6:50. She remembered that those who were invited to this had until "a little after seven bells" to arrive. Perhaps it had been his plan to begin speaking at 6:50 from the very beginning.

"Then who are your employers, how did they single us out for their operations, what is their interest and what do they want us to do with it?" Chances were he would not answer the first of her four questions but it was worth a try.

[Sir_Chivalry]

The way the dwarf said it, it was undoubtedly nobles who were in charge of this operation, whatever it was. Perhaps they had spies combing the lower districts for people of capable talent? How, then, would they have identified her? Aside from her trips to the bathhouse, she had kept herself concealed--even if they saw her there, a mere glance would not have told them anything about her determination.

"Are we to speak to you now? Ah, it appears so."

He only began to speak when the watch hit 6:50. She remembered that those who were invited to this had until "a little after seven bells" to arrive. Perhaps it had been his plan to begin speaking at 6:50 from the very beginning.

"Then who are your employers, how did they single us out for their operations, what is their interest and what do they want us to do with it?" Chances were he would not answer the first of her four questions but it was worth a try.

"There is a man, by the name of Dunstan. He lives near the tannery district, the White Village, in a slum called Wevelim. He's possessed of unusual sorcerous powers, and upsets the careful balance with talk of revolt and assassination. He holds many in his sway through his force of personality. Put him down, and ensure he does not rise. For this you will be put on retainer to my employers, and will have first choice of suitable jobs should they occur, as well as a handsome payment of three hundred and fifty gold coins each, with a bonus of one hundred gold coins for the one who kills him."

[wuwuwu]

Sam snaps out of his trance-like state, finally looking away from the candle. He looks slightly confused for a moment, as if he's forgotten where he is. His expression of confusion quickly turns to frustration as he realizes what's happening.
"Hey! So the lady gets to talk, but old Sammy can't speak!?", he says with his voice raised slightly. In shock he excitedly shouts (but not too loud) "Old Sammy CAN talk!" before settling down and listening to what the dwarf has to say.

"Whoever told you I was full of grit and determination was underselling me. I spit sawdust and gravel, how's that for grit? I'll do whatever it takes to keep the law and order in this city, I'll take this guy down." He thinks for a moment, shifts in his seat, and then nervously smiles at the dwarf "Uh, now, I know that you're already providin' a doozy of a reward an' all... but, and how do I put this without soundin' greedy - It's not greed, I promise! - but, do we get an extra reward if we bring him back alive? That's how this sort've thing is generally done."

[Silver Night]

"From the sound of it, grabbing him alive isn't really the point."

[wuwuwu]

"From the sound of it, grabbing him alive isn't really the point."

"Well, due process of law and all that..."

Spoiler

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Knowledge(local), do I recognize the name Dunstan? (1d20+9)[25]