Dark allyways in a city of blood IC

[drack]

Dark clouds hand overhead blocking out the sun, but you've yet to see a drop of rain. All in all the whole of it is a bit unsettling, more so still in that every so often you notice a red eyed noble being drawn through the town, basking in the utter lack of sunlight. Some people in the streets seem to be gesturing to the darkened sky in awe, but not in the side streets, not in that shady darkness that perhaps by instinct you've come to seek out. Almost subconsciously you notice the soft swoosh of cloth swiping across cobblestones, the muffled cry of a victim, the almost tangy excitement of knowing that someone nearby was dying and that nobody else knew. Still, something was off, it didn't sound like the clanging of swords and shields, the twang of crossbow fire, instead there was only the muffled cries of the drying and curses that could me mistaken for any drunken brawl. It just wasn't right. Your instincts told you whatever it was, it would be down the next left, but did you really care?

[Morbis Meh]

The oppressing gloom was comforting to Jynx, like a dark womb it surrounded her which allowed her to blend into it, becoming one with it thus allowing her to pass anyone on the street without even having to try. The alleyway gave off the cries of anguish but to the halfling assassin it was just business and as long as people fostered jealousy and fear within their hearts business would always be good for people like her. Turning left down the alleyway, Jynx sings a jaunty tune inside of her head, knowing that she would be finding a prospective client in the very near future and as long as the had the gold to back up the request she could care less who she had to kick off of the mortal coil. Subconsciously she pulls out her swords, expecting their involvement in the next moment or two, if she could somehow get away with it she would charge the families of the departed who forced her to draw her blades. Nonetheless she quietly strolled down the minor roadway looking and listening for signs of life whether it be hostile or in the market for one of her kind.

[drack]

Following the next right, and looking to your left you catch sight of a man dressed in common dark colored cloths with a cape hung from his neck by a cord, a simple thin-bladed dagger in his right. Before him is an armored soldier of some foreign land, and beside the soldier lay two soldiers in similar armor, bleeding out on the ground below. With one swift movement the man with a dagger draws the cloak over his left arm, sideways-facing his opponent, minimizing his exposure to attack whilst shrouding his exact position from his opponent in order to better avoid an incoming strike. The soldier charges, his silvery sword cutting a clean path through the air, but the man with the dagger flips up his cape to intercept, wrapping itself upon the blade, diverting the strike and silencing it as the softened strike rebounded off a nearby wall all in one move. Whipping his cloak free the man with a dagger begins striking for the joint below the foreigner's breastplate, but as his cloak, still recoiling from the blade, passes before the foreigner's face he changes the angle of the strike, instead slashing the foreigner's throat. Having moved to block the feint the foreigner begins to collapse with a gurgling gasp as blood flows into his lungs. Quickly the survivor catches him, placing him gently upon the ground, calmly stalking out of sight.

It was a strange way to fight, that much was sure, but effective none the less. Dimly you wondered, considering the possibilities, and ruled that the man was an assassin, but where might the man have learned such a skill? Silently the assassin within you yearned to learn more, but assassins were a notoriously secretive breed, would it be worth the time and effort to sate such a yearning?

Spoiler

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Origins of the term "Cloak and Dagger" by the way since the cloak is a nice way to conceal a dagger allowing you to be fully armed yet seem to have a hand free wherever you go. In Spain around that time period those who didn't remove their cloak indoors were considered to be dangerous characters. Mind you, they didn't much care to silence your weapons as above, but all the same.

But hey, it's not a mechanic in D&D so why not brew it and introduce it with a quest?

[Morbis Meh]

Jynx remains stoic, quietly waiting for the gentleman assassin to finish his work, she didn't intend on talking to this person since that wasn't very strong suit and would likely result in a scuffle of sorts. SO she thought it best to silently tail this person and follow them until they either noticed her or she could no longer track them in the city sprawl, either way it would give her something to do while keeping her skills honed and may even have the added bonus of making a new contact. She switched her stance slightly, allowing for her animal instincts to manifest themselves slightly, and took in a deep but silent breath ensuring that she got the scent of this assassin. Satisfied that she could follow the man no whatever where he went, unless he could fly or burrow, she patiently waited for him to begin moving.

Spoiler: OoC

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So to clarify is this a fun rp thread or is it going to lead to employment? Just wondering since I have a prospective employer on the line as we speak... Anyway Jynx is entering her Hunter's Sense stance granting her the scent ability and tailing the man in the cape silently.

Hide (1d20+31)[36] drat bad rolls guess she isn't trying too hard today
Move Silently this was a 29 (rolled a 3 ) but due to a whole bunch of screw ups I am just reposting this

I assume that it is dim light due to the description of the city so her Hide in Plain Sight should be in effect.

[drack]

Jnyx
Slipping stealthily through the alleyway you come to the small open area where the assassin fought, to the left where the assassin shifted out of view there's a corner in the wall in which a young merchant slouches, his robes bearing a quickly spreading red stain roughly around his heart. The assassin seems to have taken his coin purse, probably to make the deaths look like the work of bandits, but through the only alleyway through which he might have escaped you see a child run into the open area, a bloodthirsty grin upon his face as he surveys the littered corpses.

Dein
The alleyway opens up around where you saw the caped assassin fight, to the right where you saw him vanish you see a merchant bleeding out, slumped against a building. Beside the merchant you spot an empty alleyway to the right that the assassin might have escaped through. The coppery taste of blood fills your mouth and a cool brush of excitement rises up your spine.


OOC

Spoiler

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Red, Jnyx is hidden, you don't notice him

Morb, yup, dimly lit.

I did mention that the potential for building contacts was one of the rewards right?

[Morbis Meh]

Jynx ignores the child and goes after the assassin, doing what she can to follow his scent, it was rumor that the city was full of vampires so it would only be logical for their to be child vampires going towards fresh blood. If she has to wander blindly for a spell she will, her nose should be able to detect him for a time unless he was able to use teleporation magic. Side stepping quietly around the child, Jynx goes forth hoping to catch up with her quarry.

Spoiler: OoC

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I apologize if the purpose of this is to run into 'Dein' but you gave me one hook already so gosh darn it I am going to bite the first one!

[drack]

As you run past the child, you loose the scent, backtracking you find it once more, and again you loose it. With agonizing slowness you retrace the scent, exploring it through the area. He came through a third of the four alleyways, he engaged the guards, he stabbed the merchant, and then... there It vanished at the merchant, or more precisely it vanished into the blood pooling at his feat, where his scent blended then became the overwhelming smell of iron in the blood.

OOC

Spoiler

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By no means, that's just a side bonus, the initial hook is indeed the true hook.

Surely I couldn't have expected someone who only had the spiffy fighting style to be an adequate obstacle to make this challenging for a trained assassin now, do you?

OOCly, note that to each of you the assassin looked like he went through the alleyway that each other came from. Surely that doesn't mean the assassin actually did.

[redzimmer]

Dein the Compassionate

The tiny, pale Jerren strolls along the dark alley, fixated upon the craft of this silent killer.

Seeing the path ahead, he pauses to enable his Dark Gifts.

Spoiler: Invocations And a portrait for our hidden friend

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Beguiling Influence, See the Unseen, Spiderwalk, Fell Flight - (angel wing version).

Like a tiny cannibalistic Draco Malfoy.

Thus empowered, Dein presses on after the cloaked assassin.

Spoiler: ooc

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Goodness. I almost feel I am being led somewhere...

[drack]

Charging through the empty allyway you come to another four way junction from which you cannot discern the assassin in any direction.

OOC

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Yup, that was the alleyway Jynx just emerged from. You're not being led, you've been lead. In a sense this is one of those "stopping points" I mentioned in the master thread, since the trail gets cold meaning you get to investigate any way you possibly care to. Magical examination of the corpses, tracking to analyze how it all went down again, going to taverns and asking about assassins with capes. Whatever means you feel like, and indeed it can be put down and picked up later.

[Morbis Meh]

Sighing at the sudden cold trail, Jynx shrugs and continues about her day which involved going to the local chapter of the assassin's guild either to pick up work or to ask/listen about the caped man. She wasn't in any real rush to find the man, if he was an assassin then the guild would know who he is though it is doubtful he would care about associating with a colleague from a different chapter of the same guild.

Spoiler: OoC

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Welp time to get some work then and I imagine a city of vampires has an assassins guild

[redzimmer]

Dein

I am not made for skulking, Dein thinks with a disdainful sniff. He backtracks to the merchant's corpse. Focusing with his eldritch power, he looks at the body with his Second Sight, hoping for some clue.

Spoiler: Detect Magic

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And search spot in case some magical trail a la Fable 3 is beckoning me.

(1d20+1)[4] Search
(1d20)[15] Spot

[drack]

Sighing at the sudden cold trail, Jynx shrugs and continues about her day which involved going to the local chapter of the assassin's guild either to pick up work or to ask/listen about the caped man. She wasn't in any real rush to find the man, if he was an assassin then the guild would know who he is though it is doubtful he would care about associating with a colleague from a different chapter of the same guild.

Spoiler: OoC

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Welp time to get some work then and I imagine a city of vampires has an assassins guild

OOC

Spoiler

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Yup, good luck killing all the other players.

Oh, but I'm afraid they haven't even a thieves guild that you know of. Perhaps later when you return you might be able to sniff out a certain guild...

Dein

I am not made for skulking, Dein thinks with a disdainful sniff. He backtracks to the merchant's corpse. Focusing with his eldritch power, he looks at the body with his Second Sight, hoping for some clue.

Spoiler: Detect Magic

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And search spot in case some magical trail a la Fable 3 is beckoning me.

[roll0] Search
[roll1] Spot

Alas, it seems the culprit didn't resort to magic to flee from the scene, but how did he did it? Looking up along the wall you notice several window ledges that an acrobat might have been able to use to escape, still, the possibility seemed unlikely.

[redzimmer]

Dein

"Bah!"

Dein briefly ponders clamoring up the walls, but if he wanted to work for something, he would have become a mason.

Instead, he decides better to be a good, law-abiding neighbour and go to a local tavern.

Spoiler: Gather Information

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(1d20+4)[8] GI
Have cloaked killer been about? And is there gnome brothel hereabouts?

And that proved fruitful!

"Bah!"

[BelGareth]

Spoiler: ooc

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I have been on contact with Morbis Meh, regarding a possible contract. I'm empowering Dein to forge a contract with Jynx in Gaheris' stead.

gonna PM you, redzimmer.

This was the most appropriate, and fluffy way I could think of to hire Jynx.

[redzimmer]

Dein

After a few hours of fruitlessly asking around, Dein casts off his friendly mien and decides to return to the scene of the first killings. Knowing full full well a foreign diplomat would be among the prime suspects, he approaches via the rooftops with the help of his spiderwalk invocation.

Then he looks around for anything magical or invisible.

Spoiler: Look again

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(1d20+1)[21] Search with Detect magic and See the Unseen active.

Perhaps I see a sign of a keen hunter who passed me by earlier???

[Morbis Meh]

Spoiler: OoC

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If Gaheris knows about Jynx then he would know how to make contact with her, assassins just don't hang around scenes of murder you know Anyway she would have a calling card at an Inn or something to that effect where a potential client would leave a sign indicating their interest in her professional talents which she would find and respond with a meeting place and a time in a sealed note. She would also watch for said client to pick up the note then stalk them for the day to get a feel for them because one can never be too careful in her line of work and call it a professional hazard but she does make enemies due to her line of work.

[redzimmer]

Spoiler: ooc

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Yes, but Dein is nosy. Poking around here he might see signs that another killer is in town, and might well match the calling card of a certain Murder for Hire.

Then he can go looking for you. Fluff is fun.

[drack]

Dein

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Not sure if I should wait until you've concluded whatever, but it'll be here when you're up for it.

The law-abiding neighbor-man gives you an incredulous look. "No, no way in the name of the Dread Emperor's slopping drool am I going to go into a tavern and ask after gnomes with flapping skirts, for you or any man!" Thankfully the man hadn't told you to wait until you had grown up. "Go ask for yourself, pig."