Crash and Burn

[3SecondCultist]

"There she is... Hadren's Court."
In the far distance, but closing quickly, are the slender marble spires of the Brelani capital, and the unmistakable dome of the Senate Chamber. All of a sudden, your ship crests over a wave, and the outline of the metropolis is blotted out by the strangely turbulent waters of Lake Elidor. Gusts of wind buffet the sails of the vessel, and jets of clear lake water ascend into the air. Beside you, the captain stands at the helm, ignoring you for the time being, and barking at his crew. It appears that you will arrive at the docks soon.

[ben-zayb]

"Awe-inspiring as usual... those spires. They make for a good facade against the rottenness that lurks inside."

The burly man can be mistaken for a servant at the ship or a low-class merchant with the way he is groomed. Physically, there was not much to speak of. He looks like a family man, in his mid-thirties, with an average build and a poor posture, which are in no way imposing---quite the contrary, actually. The only unusual feature is the slight dark red hue in his eyes, only to be seen if somebody looks close and hard enough.

That man however, who was referred to as "Windborne", is a master of disguise---one day he looks like an innkeeper, and the next day he looks like a troubadour. Usually, he goes on missions alone, but this mission is anything but that. After all, this is the Brelani capital.

He looks at his new companions for the mission, and greeted them uncomfortably politely.
"Good day, M'sieurs and Ma'ams! Let's not get ourselves killed, alright?"

[Andre]

Myrfell is leaning over a side of the vessel, at starboard, the breeze ondulating his cloak as he gazes into the sea.

The sudden crest causing him to retch, he closes his eyes, and concentrates. Via sheer will, the momentary feeling of nausea and the noises of the nearby port are defeated and replaced by the soothing sounds of clanging swords, screams and barked orders echoing in his head.

[3SecondCultist]

As the schooner draws closer to the docks, more characteristics of the city can be seen. Hadren's Court is built around a large center island, which is dominated by the Senate and administrative buildings, along with a couple of parks. The majority of the city, however, has been constructed into a rather intricate set of canals and marble islands. The outer edges off the city are marked by formidable spires, which serve as both guide and defense for the capital.

[ben-zayb]

Windborne watched the captain as the ship inched closer to the dock. After a while he sighed and muttered, "Everything here seems gloomy, huh? This ship could use a little enthusiasm."
He then began whistling some old songs, with the captain's occasional steering setting its rhythm and pace.

[3SecondCultist]

The captain, whhose name (Joshua) you now remember, laughs.
"It might seem gloomy now, but that's only because we haven't landed yet. As far as ports go, Hadren's Court is one of the finest. The Brelani, for the most part, are clean and virtuous folk, who keep clean and virtuous alehouses right near the docks. Everything here is all wrapped up, nice and tight. The only problems I got with the place are the hefty price tags that come along with staying too long."

[ben-zayb]

Windborne stopped whistling for a moment--out of respect--when he heard the captain speaking.

"Aye! And the only problem I got is that I may not be virtuous enough for them. Ah...I'll just save my worries for later."

He then continued playing his song.

[3SecondCultist]

The captain yells out an order, and the gangplank is lowered onto the waiting dock. The outer wharves of the city are bustling with other travelers and merchants. The crowd thrums, the red-black aroma of roasting meat wafts throughout the air, and the great marble spires rise all around you.
"Berth 17, Wharf D. Arrival time is 15:52, Jaerdin the 30th of Low Tide, 2296. The slot is registered to one Captain Reynolds?" The speaker, a rather plain looking woman in an immaculate grey and green uniform, adopts a bored tone.
"I'm afraid you'll need to begin to unload immediately, Captain. The docks are overloaded for the moment. We are very sorry for the inconvenience. If you'd like, you may drop anchor. Anywhere within four kilometers of the docks should be shallow enough. Thank you, and have a nice day." The official then continues to walk along the wharf toward another approaching ship, while the Captain begins to yell at you to finish packing your things and 'get off my ship'.

[RaggedAngel]

As the ship docks for its rushed unloading, a pale young elf hurries up from below deck, strapping on a many-pocketed pack and straightening her many small tools and spell components, carefully strapped and stored various places on her body. Her partially-translucent chain shirt is mostly concealed by a loose, light overshirt, which is itself nearly hidden by leather straps and bandoliers. She whistles, and a metallic dog the size of a halfling bounds up after her, its elegant filigree catching the sunlight with a shimmer.

She smiles to her traveling companions, and she brushes a long strand of dark hair that had slipped free from her braid out of her face. "Sorry about that; Dirk needed a minor bit of maintenance and cleaning after the ride, due to all the salt in the air, and I got carried away. That said, the backlayer of quasimetaline bracing I added should make him much harder to kill, which I think is quite worth the wait."

Her eyes are bright with equal parts mischief and excitement, and she looks out to the city with a grin. "I'm looking forward to this, friends. I think our task at hand should prove relatively simple. The first step will be to procure a base of operations, yes? Having a place to build and tinker will be a real boon."

As the intrepid trio leave the ship, Lilliana watches the inspector carefully as he walks away, a twinkle in her eye. "I think a nice Disguise Self into that man may be quite helpful, if we have no other means to find our contact. Do either of you have any knowledge of the local area?"

[ben-zayb]

As the company contemplate on their options, a raspy screechy voice answered from behind the elf.
"Oy! Now that you mention it... some merchants may know of him, I bet. He's pretty much established himself from what I hear. Let's see what this old man can do..."

Ah, I hate this body... a few minutes of whistling and now my throat's all dried up. Now where can I find the right person?

OOC:

Spoiler

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Would it work if I try to find someone who looks like a merchant? Or probably try to overhear conversations that might mention our contact's name. Not sure which check to use though. If allowed I'll just take 10 for Search(30), Spot(33) and Listen(24). Otherwise:
Search: (1d20+20)[39]
Spot: (1d20+23)[39]
Listen: (1d20+14)[17]

If above stuff works:
Windborne will approach him/her and will ask for directions.
"Oy monsieur/madam! G'day ain't it? I was looking for my childhood friend 'ere. He goes by the name...uhh...Darius...no...Damien! Damien Greenleaf I think. He told me to come 'ere but that rat didn't gave me directions! Might you have something that could help me?"

[3SecondCultist]

ben-zayb: After wandering around the docks and asking a few passers by, you learn that Damien Greenleaf lives on Flight's Way (a canal near the Bazaar), on the third floor. He is somewhat known in the circles of middle and lower class craftsmen and merchants, mostly as an arms manufacturer and supplier.

[ben-zayb]

After finding out bits of information from among the various people at the streets, Windborne casually walked back towards his companions.

"Oy! From what those people told me, my 'friend' Damien...", he momentarily winked and then continued, "lives in Flight's Way at the Eagle Bazaar, which is in the northern area. We could try getting there as fast as possible. Alternatively, if you prefer... we could 'enjoy' the scenery as we leisurely make our way."

[RaggedAngel]

Lilliana gives Windborne polite applause as they walk towards Flight's Way, her crossbow bouncing on her hip with a light clinking sound, and Birk gracefully traipsing along behind her. "That was a marvelous job, Windborne; I really did not expect to be headed off towards Greenleaf this quickly. I do hope he's home, so that we can begin getting set up immediately." She is in a bright mood, but her cheer does not keep her from making careful observations about the city around her. Lilliana is about as intelligent as it is possible to be, and she is able to memorize most of the area they pass through.

[3SecondCultist]

The four of you stroll along the sidewalk, into the heart of the city. Below you, the clear blue green of the water in the canal reflects the light of the setting sun into your eyes, but ultimately does little to your vision. As you pass from the outer docks into the city, the pitched tents and wooden planks of the city's edge are replaced by soaring marble structures and colonnades. At one point, you pass a fountain, decorated lovingly with three silver sea eagles. As beautiful as Hadren's Court is, however, the signs of tension are everywhere. Small bands of people scurry through the streets, whispering to each other. Many of the upper story windows of residences are closed. You pass many guards, arrayed in squadrons of green and grey.

Brelan is readying itself for war.

[RaggedAngel]

As the group meanders through the city towards their contact, Lilliana casts a small spell of detections, her eyes gaining small sparks of cobalt blue light as she carefully inspects the city around her. Her pace slows a bit, but she carefully gathers and catalogs the number, type, and power of magical auras found throughout the town. She takes special interest in any auras of the Abjuration or Evocation schools, as they have the most relevance in war; she is also sure to inspect the squadrons they pass by, to see if their weapons or armor is magical. She keeps this up for six minutes or until they reach Greenleaf's house.

[ben-zayb]

During the journey, Windborne stayed a bit ahead from the group, whistling catchy tunes whilst walking, in an effort to brighten up the otherwise serious mood.

But as with any of his past missions, being in a relaxed state of mind doesn't necessarily constitute being inattentive. On the contrary, his alertness, and thus his skills in reconnaissance, were finely honed over the long time he spent as a ghost--a life, for lack of a better word, spent on constantly observing and hiding from people.

And besides, the primary reason he took the lead in the formation is for him to scout ahead of the group.

OOC:

Spoiler

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I can not find any more appropriate description for the Quick Reconnoiter feat.
Although at this point, I don't really know how a free Spot and Listen check every round would work in this campaign.

[3SecondCultist]

Eventually, you reach Flight's Way. As far as canals go, this one is relatively narrow, a proverbial back alley to the grand avenues of the Docks. On either side, the buildings rise four stories high, covered in elegant facades. At the end of this canal, you can see the open expanse of Lake Elidor. It appears you have reached the eastern edge of Hadren's Court. The entire area is deserted, save for a halfling in evening attire, standing on a balcony above you to your left. He waves curtly, and disappears, only to open the front door of his house.
"Damien Greenleaf, at your service. I've been expecting you. Won't you come in?" He smiles warmly, and extends his hand.

[RaggedAngel]

Lilliana takes his hand lightly, her grip anything but imposing. The graceful elven woman gives him a sweet smile and gestures to her Iron Guardian. "It's good to meet you, Damien, and I look forward to working with you. This is Dirk, my running project. I was wondering if you had a place where I could set up a bit of gear for the night. Dirk aquired a bit of rust on the ship, and I want to get him new and clean before we start, er, 'inspecting' the city." If he allows her, she will go inside. If it's been six minutes or less, she inspects the magical enchantments on him.

[Andre]

Myrfell follows the rest of the group towards Greenleaf's residence.
Throughout the trip, he focuses on assessing whatever he can make out of the behaviour of civilians and soldiers alike - anytime a guard looks in his general direction, he does not avert eyes, almost as if seeking a confrontatin of will. Several Brelani seem to be troubled indeed. The 'strike force' that has been assigned to Project: Wraith, on the other hand, has him perplexed... the seasoned, sober soldier regards with obvious irritation the boasterous man garbed in colorful clothes, and shakes his head slightly whenever his gaze lingers longer on the two women.

Following Lilliana's example, he briefly nods at the halfling and shakes his hand. "Good to see you, Greenleaf. By all means, let us in."

[3SecondCultist]

Damien shows you into the dining room. The decor seems consistent with the rest of the city - mostly bright, yet somewhat muted hues of blue and green, with some light greys here and there. The floors are polished balsa, and the furniture, while suitable, is clearly not up to par with that of a true nobleman. He gestures for you to have a seat around a glass table, and glances at the clock hanging from the far wall.
"Judging by your tardy arrival and your apparent lack of haste, I'm guessing central command hasn't told you much about our actual objectives here in Brelan? From what I know of Project: Wraith and Lord Bradley, this is hardly surprising. I was sent here almost a year ago, and I've been undercover ever since. Posing as a merchant has allowed me access to some of the Simik's most sophisticated toys, and let me tell you, we could be in for some real fun here." He pauses and gestures with one hand, and all of a sudden, a pitcher full of dark liquor appears on the table. Sitting down, he pours himself a glass.

RaggedAngel: From what you can see, the only magical auras around Damien are those of magic items. He has two magical rings, and an enchanted belt, and he is unarmed.

[3SecondCultist]

"Brelan is by far one of the most powerful nations the Legion has tried to mess with. The nobility, with the aid of the Church of the Three and some other... independent benefactors, have all but complete control over everything that happens here. The Simik is one of the most advanced military forces I've ever seen, and with every boat that arrives, come more soldiers of fortune. Finally, through the legitimacy of the Senate, no citizen would dare question the motives of its ruling caste." He stops to take long draught of his beverage.
"However, no system is perfect, and Brelan is definitely no exception. The nobility, while powerful, is hardly a single body. Each noble house is in constant competition for more power, and sometimes things escalate. House wars here are short, but brutal. Right now, the strongest contenders for power are House Corvayne and House Indarin. These two groups, each led by a patriarchal figure with a Senate seat, have been at each others throats for nearly half a century. Under the orders of the current High Chancellor, one Nailo Shoden, they reluctantly agreed to a truce by arranging a marriage between the younger Corvayne son and the eldest Indarin daughter. Unfortunately for them, the daughter, whose name was Lenora, died giving birth, and the child didn't survive long either. So now, the two houses are right back where they started, and now other houses are beginning to circle, like vultures. This can definitely be exploited to our advantage. If we introduce a little anarchy and set the houses against each other, then maybe the citizens of Hadren's Court will realize how petty and short-sighted their leaders can be."
"The next avenue of attack is the Chapel of the Three. Here in Brelan, most of the people worship a triumvirate of nature gods, the clergy of whom have apparently thrown in with the Senate. Indeed, many of the nobles are high ranking clergy members. The clerics themselves are powerful, but what is more concerning is their hold over the people. These agents of the cloth must be bought, discredited, or destroyed."
"Finally, we come to the most troubling matter. It appears that the Senate, or at least some of its more prominent members, have begun to negotiate with envoys of a separate legal entity: a bank, known as Carnes and Wright. All that my sources have been able to dig up on these guys is that they specialize in long term investments, and that they have access to a nigh infinite network of resources and mercenary manpower. It is likely that they are the ones behind most of the new arrivals in the capital recently, and as long as they continue to fund the Simik, then the Legion's job will be infinitely harder when the day comes that we actually set foot here."

[ben-zayb]

At Damien's gesture, Windborne found himself comfortably slouching at the furniture. Of course he made sure, with the way he was positioned, that the others still have plenty of space to sit on. He then rested his hands upon his rotund belly, took a deep breath and listened to Damien.

Shortly after Damien explained the situation, Windborne spoke.
"I see. So the Legion is planning on attacking the Church and hopes to kill as many nobleman-cleric as possible, correct? But then the main obstruction is the bank, which supplies them with resources and hired-arms."

He then pauses for a bit to think, and after a few seconds resumed talking.
"Well... causing discord and distrust between the bank and the senate seems like a good idea right now. Not to mention that it requires only some specifically-chosen casualties, if one is even ever needed at all. Might you have... uhmm... any information about the bank or their mediators? Security?"

[RaggedAngel]

After listening politely to the man's long and detailed explanation of Brelani politics and the task at hand, Lilliana makes a comment on one of the man's first remarks. "Just to clarify, Damien, we came to your house at a leisurely pace because to do otherwise would have drawn attention, and attention is the last thing we want. Coming to your house in the first place is already risky, and there was no need to expound on that. Further, I was able to gather some minor information about the magics in Brelan, and information is power."

She smiles to show that she is not overly hostile, and her unusual (for a wizard) charm shines through for a moment. After that moment, however, she is back to business.

"Given the proper time and resources, the four of us could certainly bring down a system as complicated as Brelan. Systems work like machines, you see, and the more moving parts and pieces there are the more places things can go awry. By nudging certain gears out of place, and prevent proper maintenance, one can ruin a machine beyond repair with only a few small expenditures of energy.

In this case I believe the best plan is to assault Brelan from all the available fronts; the divisions in the Senate, the Church, and the Bank. The only real limit on what we can accomplish is the amount of pieces that we can keep track of; our chessboard is as big as we want it to be, and I personally can keep track of a rather large number of pieces." She stands and begins to pace, her voice quickening.

"The steps we need to follow are simple, if not easy. We need manpower, for starters, and not thugs. We need people inside of the system, and we need power over them. Threats of violence are possible tools, but the best helpers are the willing ones. Step on, in this case, is to find and coerce individuals to help us; they needn't know our goals, and indeed no one should, but they should be people we can give tasks and be fairly assured that they will carry them out.

The next step will be to insert ourselves, in some fashion, into the various factions we need to infiltrate. Working up from the bottom could take years, but this can be accomplished with magic; Disguise Self, Alter Self, and the like can allow us to take the forms of various individuals of note, such as high-ranking clerics. This will be risky, of course, but even a few days in the chair of a Senate member or clergyman would enable us to wreak havoc on the system, and to learn about it in ways only an insider can.

The final step, of course, will be to make the minor prods and pushes needed to start the conflicts we have laid the groundwork for; these will work best if we managed to set everything all off in sequence. They should come closely together, but if everything happens at once it will increase the chance of us slipping up, and more canny people will note the unlikelyhood and look for potential outside influences. One of our primary goals is to remain unseen and undetected, up until the day the Legion rules this place."

She smiles, and gracefully sits back down. "Now then, I have a simple request; how can I obtain money and materials for the creation of magical items? I can make next to anything, given the funds, but I was able to bring little with me. There are a few homonculi, in particular, that I feel it would be quite helpful to have."

[Andre]

Sitting comfortably on one of the chairs, Myrfell listens attentively to Greenleaf first, and Lilliana afterwards. Although he occasionally drifts in and out during her speech, lost in his own thoughts, he starts considering her with some more respect - after all, she seems competent enough, although she is yet to show that she can back up her words with actions.

He, too, slouches over an handrail of the chair, waving his right hand in the halfling's direction. "Pour one over here, Greenleaf. It seems like we have much to discuss."

"I am Myrfell, Dread Commando and Knight-Tribune of the Legion. The Simik is potent, but does not scare us. What concerns us the most, however... this is an awfully terrible place to wage a full scale war. Especially without a strong fleet. Can we muster enough Psychic Blades and Spellswords to overcome this? Probably not, considering the endless supply of resources and mercenaries from the Bank you hinted at."

He pauses for a moment, carefully weighing words. "Even if we disrupt their... relations, it should be our outmost care luring their armies where they can actually be defeated easily by ours."

[3SecondCultist]

Damien waits, and listens to all of your contributions. Pouring Myrfell a glass of the drink, he reclines back in his chair.
"Well, in terms of the bank, the regular rules about undercover operations probably won't apply here. Apparently, they're sticklers for papers and documents, and even my network can't forge a legitimate paper trail. As for security, I don't know very much. My sources may be useful, but they're not omnipotent. I do have a solution for some of our problems, however. While my house might be suitable as a safe haven, it's not much as a base of operations. I do bring clients along through here occasionally, so I can't even guarantee privacy. However, I do know someone who will definitely know of someplace where you guys can set up. There's a bar, known as Barriston's Silver, just south of here, from which one of my best agents operates. They'll find you a place."

[RaggedAngel]

Lilliana nods at the suggestion, and she takes out one of her wands, inspecting it casually for any signs of wear or damage. "That sounds excellent, Damien; a real place to set up shop sounds lovely. I do have to inquire, however, as to their ability to fine me a source of income. I can make us a very large variety of tools and magical items, but I need money to do it."

[ben-zayb]

Windborne listened to his two companions keenly, particularly to Lilliana's general plan of action and Myrfell's cause and concerns. He was bothered and a little confused with Myrfell's perspective with respect to their mission. Surely, they are currently working in the same mission, but their motives for doing so couldn't be any more alike than the sun is to the moon. He then took the initiative of asserting his paradigm to Myrfell and the other.

"Sorry to interrupt your conversation monsieurs, but I believe I have something in here..." He paused briefly, quickly reached for his pocket, fingers started prodding inside, "Aha! Here we go." He then began unrolled the small piece of brown scroll that he took from his pocket, and then recited a line from the written notes.

"And I quote, 'Any sabotage or intelligence work should be executed with this principle in mind.' And by that principle, they mean minimizing casualties. What I'm saying is that we do not need extreme war efforts, and unnecessary sacrifice of lives, in order to successfully topple a nation."

He then rolled back the scroll, put it back inside his pocket, and then spoke to Lilliana.
"I am inclined to agree with Lilliana's general plan. We insert ourselves in these various groups--hopefully with recommendation from someone of influence--and then cause chaos among them. Let them fear each other, let them fight amongst themselves, let them weaken themselves. Better yet, we can infiltrate deeper into their group, and then try to control their leader. The possibilities are endless--nobles against nobles, military against church, bank against senate!"

"As for your contact at the bar, should we already go meet him right now?"

[3SecondCultist]

Getting up to stretch his rather short legs, Damien smiles at all of you again.
"My contact remains a staple of the establishment, and, true to function, will contact you once you've arrived. It shouldn't take too long - all of you standing together seem kind of suspicious, if you don't mind me saying so." He turns to look at Lilliana, and then examines Dirk closely, before turning back to her.
"... and you said this was your handiwork? If you want a good, paying job, I could definitely use you here, as a consulting technician. I consider myself a bit of an inventor as well, and some of my merchandise seems to fit your tastes well. You could do quite well here."

[RaggedAngel]

Lilliana smiles brightly, and the elven woman is clearly pleased about the offer. "That sounds quite lovely, Damien, and I'd love to get started as soon as I can. There is much work to do, and the more tools we have at our disposal the better." She looks to the others, and then back to their host. "If there is nothing else, I believe we should be off so that we can get settled in for the night. I am assuming that you will contact us through the man at the bar, yes?"

Spoiler

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I'm trying to figure out how to used the item creation rules in the DMG and MIC to make cell phones. Any ideas?

[Andre]

"Theories, theories. Clearly he hasn't been seen many assignments like this. Lovely." Myrfell voices his disapproval at Windborne underbreath, before turning to the halfling again.

"How vigilant the Brelani are for possible inflitrators, by the way? All the new faces coming in town as mercenaries should give us a bit of a leeway."