[RoS] Soldiers of Fortune (IC)

[Anyr]

Damn it! Kate ducked around a corner. Had the men seen her? They'd been pretending to look elsewhere when she appeared. But even a glance in her direction might have been enough. Just her luck, running into agents who she'd actually met before! Okay okay, calm down. Nazir was in no real danger. The question was, had they already identified him as her ally? That'd explain the shadowing and the smiles. Well, she couldn't exactly walk up and pull him away. She'd just have to wait for him to return. Then they could plan their next move together. The mere act of leaving this building was fast becoming a trial...

[Cavir]

Nazir caught himself leaning in to listen. He turned his head back to facing them, wanting to keep them all in his periphery while so close. "An official? No. But I do have influence." He considered an option briefly. "I did just learn of some openings coming up. They will need a variety of skills so I'm sure they can find something worthy of your skills. Please, follow me. What are your names so I can properly introduce you? What skills do you have? Craftsmen? Skill at arms? Administration?"

Nazir leads them away from the Unaric's office, over towards Dreiana's new office.

[Dienekes]

"Ha!" Gerric's laugh was almost a bark. "You ain't wrong on that one. Euric was the one who could get folk to follow with words and visions of greatness. People followed me 'cause I was leadin' where they wanted t' go. And because they knew if they pissed me off, I'd kill them." He looked to the sky thinking back for a second. "I miss my old armor," he admitted. "Life was so much easier when you knew that anyone tryin' to stab you in the back won't do ****."

Windsteel finished his rundown of the situation, and Gerric listened intently. "It's a hard question. I know what I would do if I had the power to do what needed to be done: vary up guard positions so no one knows where they'll be posted and can't plan with the outside. Start hording food. Find a wealthy family no one likes, arrest them for some charge, all wealthy families are guilty o' somethin'. Use their wealth to fund new earthworks, dock defenses. Find the points o' tension I mentioned and make it your goal to either smooth things over or side so completely with one group that the other is crushed and have no power to do anythin' when Euric gets here. Start givin' orcs and elves and all them outsiders positions o' power. Most o' them are as good or better than us regular folk at somethin' valuable in a fight. Find the most stable mercenaries and give their leader a title, so you align his material wealth with your own success. That's the trick really. The big one that Euric and I used throughout our mountains. Find what people want and make sure they know you're the one that gave it to them. When you have to crush someone to do it, do it in a way that makes you look more powerful and the target can't do a thing once it's done." He shrugged, and looked at the old guard. What he was suggesting was sound, but bloody, and almost certainly against some of the laws he valued. He needed to see how the man reacted, if he had the stomach for the work ahead, or if he was just a good man.


"There's more, but none o' this will come to anything just between the two o' us. What you can do, is find your glorious leader to make it through this mess, and people you trust. Not mostly trust, not think they have the best intentions or any o' that. People you would trust to sacrifice their lives to save your children in front o' an avalanche. Because that's what's happenin'."

As they made it to the door Gerric wiped the sticky residue from the snail on his shirt before he held out his hand to Windsteel.

"There is another thing I wanted t' know. Unaric and Dreiana, and the rest o' the Council. I don't trust 'em.

I can't see how their games and politics won't mess things up. I'd ask Nazir and Kate 'bout this sort o' thing but they're biased. They believe in this civilized way o' doin' things, even when it gets in their way. But you, you've seen first hand how all o' it can just make things worse. I want to hear it from you, which o' them can I trust to actually have the best interest o' this city? Who won't fall to pieces when the stress gets to 'em?"

Spoiler: Roll from OOC thread

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(2d10)[8][4](12) TN 6

[XIII]

"Put that away," Urukubarr spoke, pointing at his sword, "Come learn truth with me. First, tell who is sending you here?" Uruk let up on trying to be intimidating for now, satisfied that the young guardsman understood his situation.

[Lacco]

Kate

She couldn't tell if the men saw her - but Nazir started walking towards Nazir to Dreiana's office, which meant that if they would follow him, it would bring them closer to her as the office was in her general direction.

Outside, drummers and trumpeters started to herald the announcement - and most of people inside, except for the servants, started to leave the building. Soon it would seem that the town hall was almost empty...

---

Nazir

"Oh, thank you. You are most helpful, however we don't want to keep you from your companion - at least I think I saw you with a ... well, lady. Or was I mistaken?"

They followed him, not very closely - only the one who spoke to him went immediately next to him, the others walked behind - looking around in awe, admiring the statues, tapestries...

"We are just simple scribes, coming from a unremarkable monastery. So administration would be the closest one."

---

Gerric

Windsteel listened closely to what Gerric had to say - he nodded several times, and even if he winced at Gerric's more bloody ideas, it was obvious he was not too squeamish. After all, it was war and the old man was a soldier.

When Gerric held out his hand, the old soldier hesitated, but accepted it. "If the question is, which one you can trust to have best interests of this city, then it's Unaric. I personally don't like him, but he's got a strange code of honor and I have yet to see his word broken once he gives it. He always does what he considers the best for the city - even if there were easier ways or more...profitable ones. There was a time - not long ago - when there was a guild war - every guild duked it out with the others, secretly and openly, for the best position in the council. Unaric was the one who stopped it - and when he was given the opportunity to get a title, estate and power... he turned it down, to remain a councilman."

Windsteel shrugged. "I'm not telling you to trust him - he wants what is best for the city, not for you or me. He does not care about you or me more than he cares about that barrel or that cobblestone. If he had a charisma and title, he would make a good king - not a memorable one, but life under him would be safe and good. As for Dreiana, I assumed she would supersede me, but I did not assume it happening so fast. I think she's not very happy about it either - being thrusted in this position can be daunting - but she's a good kid. Just too naïve maybe."

"And the rest of the council? Let me tell it to you this way... I lost a kid during the guild war and these ***** just sat in their guild houses, ate their dinners and got even richer. I can respect Unaric, but hold little respect for the others. They like their power little too much. And now, get in and be as pleasant as you can be - that lady can bend a horseshoe, and has mean right hook if you're not polite. I'll wait here and enjoy the pleasant fresh air."

The air outside was not as fresh as mountain air Gerric was used to. The lady - Sahala - watched them through the window, sweaty muscular arms folded on her breast. When Gerric looked at her, she tossed her head and gestured for him to get in.

When he entered the hot smithy, he understood why Windsteel talked about fresh air.

"Ba-wo, srranger. Wa kan ai du fo ya'?" her voice was thick as honey, nasal, and due to the way she rolled the "r" in "stranger" off her tongue he could barely understand - but still, it was not unpleasant or antagonistic voice.

---

Urukubarr and Ruark

The boy seemed rather shaken and lowered the sword, pointing it to the ground. "My sargeant, Corso Lavoi of the city guard, sent me here, to sort through the mess. They told me there was a fight...and sent me to look for clues and..." for a moment he hesitated but then continued. "...and to see if I can find something in here of interest. But the warehouse was already looted yesterday night, when the sentries posted by the guard left... so there's not much inside now. So I just cleaned the mess a bit and removed the bodies. You... you really are the owners?"

[XIII]

Urukubarr let out slow deep chuckle, the boy gave himself away. "Tell me, boy, what is you seeking?" Uruk put a finger up at the boy before letting him answer, "Please, no lies."
Uruk's patience for the cloak-and-dagger games was running very thin, he'd hate to make an example of the boy. Ruark paced back and forth with his 'devil-may-care' swagger, keeping his eyes on the boy. "Ahhh, watch it, boy. Uruk doesn't seem in the mood for games today. Tearing apart those demons put him in a mood. If you fancy your arms attached, I'd watch my tongue."

[Anyr]

Kate anxiously awaited Nazir's return. Soon, his footsteps headed back towards her: Along with several other sets. The men were following him! Was this part of Nazir's plan? Not knowing what else to do, Kate retreated further into the building. This place was getting more dangerous by the second. The announcement had drawn most of its inhabitants outside. Kate still didn't think that the men would risk trying anything; But that belief was far from a certainty. As she moved, she kept an eye out for any other unexpected guests. Ever corner might conceal a new enemy, waiting for their chance.

[Dienekes]

"Losin' a child is never easy," Gerric said, though it can also color your view, I can vouch for that. With that sage piece of insight, he nodded. "Thanks, Windsteel, if you're still here when I finish dealin' with this woman that scares ya so, I'd wish to discuss more." He nodded to the woman looking at him through the window as he entered.

And immediately smiled when she started talking. "Finally! Someone in this ****in' city who don't sound like they're tryin' to recite bad poetry when they talk." He walked to her counter and placed the box down. "I heard from that one out there that Lady Sahala does good work. And I got me a box o' weapons, they ain't quite done. But I was hopin' that you could do the finishin' touches on a few, and I'd sell ya the rest. Assumin' you'd want them. If not, I'm goin' to try and sell the rest as scrap somewhere else."

[Lacco]

Warehouse

"Nothing! Really!... well, they said the owner was a devil worshipper... and that I should bring evidence." he almost looked ashamed.

"Look... if you are the owners, then you can go in and claim anything that's left. Can't say it's much, but if yes, it's yours. If you're not, I'm not a fool - I won't try to stop you. But I'll go now - and if you try to stop me, be aware that I am servant of this city - and detaining me is a crime."

He sheathed the sword and stepped to the side, trying to avoid getting into reach of both the half-orc and the northerner.

---

Town Hall

The hall was now almost empty. Backtracking, Kate stepped behind a corner, to be able to watch Nazir but not to be observed. And suddenly, she heard a familiar voice - she couldn't put her finger exactly on where she heard it, but was sure she heard the man speak already. He attempted to whisper, and that changed his voice, but he sure sounded threatening and serious...

"I don't care about them - I only care that next time you and your people stay out of it. Understood? Otherwise... you know what happens, don't you?"

The other party had to nod, because Kate couldn't hear anything. She was standing behind a wide column, and the people who spoke were on the other side. Peeking was dangerous - she could easily be seen, but if she stood perfectly still, she could maybe catch something else... but then there was the risk that she could not withdraw without being seen...

...she only had split second to decide.

---

The Fiery Vixen (Armorer's Shop)

The heat was terrible, and Gerric could feel himself starting to sweat immediately. The woman smiled at his first sentence, showing two missing front teeth, but when he continued, she frowned.

"Me? No - no lady. I wookk!" and she motioned with her arm towards the unfinished goods. "Lemme see d'wepnz!"

She looked them over, flexed the blades, tried the steel - overall, she looked like she knew how to handle a blade, and she knew her business. Gerric sweated even more now, drops of sweat trickling down his bear, but Sahala seemed to enjoy herself. After few more minutes she stood up.

"Nice. Wych unz y' wanna d'd fishin' t'ches? I by d'thers, b'rdman."

[Anyr]

Kate froze. What an inconvenient time to stumble upon a conspiracy! Behind her, the men still approached. And ahead lay a wall of wagging tongues. There were no good choices here. Even if Kate could find a way to withdraw safely, doing so would feel like a missed opportunity. Chances like this were all too rare. Despite the danger, she felt compelled to stay and listen. She'd just have to trust that Nazir would divert the men away from her before it was too late.

And so, the young noble opted to stand like a statue. Only her eyes moved. They were searching for something that would bring the right light into them. Peeking out from the pillar would be far too risky. But perhaps there was an alternative. Were there any mirrors around here? Polished metal decorations? Any reflective surface would do. Meanwhile, she searched the recesses of her brain for a memory. Where had she heard that man's voice before?

[Dienekes]

"Ah, but workin' gals are the only ones worth bein' called 'ladies,' where I'm from anyway.'"

Gerric rummaged through the box pulling out a few pieces, and wiping the sweat from his brow. So bloody hot, even worse than outside. Why was everywhere else so much hotter than his mountains? Questions to ask some philosopher, sometime. If he ever gets the opportunity. "The ones we want finished are the axe, this weird lookin' shortsword, an' all the arrows, if you're a fletcher as well. And I'm willin' to sell you all the rest. How much does that work out to?"

[Cavir]

Nazir thought bringing them to Dreiana's office would draw them furtheraway from Kate but the offices were closer than he thought. Still, his original plan could still work. Keeping his head facing the office he was headed to, his eyes glanced towards Kate to see what was going on over there. In front of them, the halfling used his body to cover the finger signal to her to go out the front. "No problem at all. Someone more educated and not reacting poorly to a halfling is worth doing a favor for. This will take no time at all."

Nazir headed for the servant at the entrance to Dreiana's office. "Hello. These fine men are interested in work and I'm sure the new captain will have plenty of work for them to do very shortly. Tell her complements of the halfling, she'll know who you mean. Would you begin processing them please? You should hurry before it gets busy in here." He signals to the other men in fancy blue tunics to gather round, hands them off to the servant, then without a fuss heads to the front entrance hoping the servant's distraction is enough. If the servant delayed them long enough, he and Kate could disappear in the crowd outside and catch the announcement. His eyes darted over to see what Kate was doing.

Spoiler: OOC

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If Kate isn't on her way out, Nazir will go just outside and to the side enough to be out of sight of the tunics but be able to see/watch Kate.

[XIII]

Both Ruark and Uruk chuckled at the notion of any of them being devil worshippers. "I've worshipped many a goddess, but never a devil, boy. Where are these accusations coming from? Surely we haven't been painting evil symbols across town, so why the suspicion?" Urukubarr remains silent with his arms crossed, observing the youth.

Spoiler: OOC

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Roll for detecting deception?? Can Ruark and Uruk pull that off?

[Lacco]

Gerric

In the dim light, Gerric could not estimate if the compliment hit or missed - her complexion, sweat and heat made it impossible to determine if she blushed.

"I do no arro'ses b't ken 'range fo' fletch' to maek’em. If ye wann' t' sell all deze... lesse... y'll leve wiff' d'ax, d'swo'd, arro'ses an' 35 gros'hs at leest. Tu days wo’k G'd fo'ya?"

She looked more closely at the sword.

“Whe’d’d y’got’em? Deze’r’ quo’l’ty steel. No Zh’ngar shait.”

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Sorry, can't maintain consistent accent.

---

Kate
Not moving she could hear also the other voice. Feminine, very quiet, but quite stern.

“Look, I know you have some plans -” and the voice whispered again, making it amost impossible to make out the whole sentence, as the woman spoke too fast. The woman spoke for long time - maybe a minute or even two, with Kate only being able to catch parts of her speech. “...council…they are VERY resourceful. You should be very… coming after Alaric… they will ruin your plans... I don’t think… I won’t stand in your way… listen… and he knows. So if you do… you’ll lose. Remember my words then.”
The other voice was silent for a moment and then answered coldly. “We’ll see about that.” She now remembered where she heard it. It was this morning...

Kate could hear footsteps and realized the meeting was over. When she peeked around the column, she saw two cloaks disappear around the corner – one blue and one scarlet red.

Spoiler: OOC

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Kate's memory: MA/8 (3d10)[9][7][3](19) TN8 (remembering a voice she heard only once)
PER: (3d10)[4][8][8](20)
Also: no mirrors or shiny objects. But the blue cloak definitely beongs to officer of the guard. Army officers wore brown or black ones.

---

Nazir
As Nazir stepped to the door, he was surprised to see that the men were close to him – almost surrounded him.

His ruse with the servant worked. While there was some distrust, the man immediately started talking to Nazir's companion, giving him few seconds to leave - but as he was leaving the building, he looked back and saw that the men were already leaving the servant...

Fresh air touched his face and he enjoyed it for a split second, but then moved aside. The announcement was already in progress, with people listening to Lord Kastor, his face pale, his voice booming.

"...we are on brink of war, with two distinct enemies. About one we already know - Euric, the Overlord, the Blood Hand, wants to take our city. The second one is unknown. We only know it comes from the north, from behind the lands of the orcs and Savaxen, and its intents are completely inhuman. We have to prepare - to prepare for war."

So there it was. It has started.

He noticed one of the three men leaving the building, the other two nowhere to be seen.

Spoiler: OOC

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Since he's lying and improvising, SOC/Sincerity (bad reputation/prejudice against halflings strikes in - the distrust is there):
(1d10)[6](6) TN10
Servant gets no resist roll, if the roll succeeds, he will try to be helpful and work as distraction for both Kate and Nazir.
Failure means that he will provide enough cover for Nazir to get away, but the men will get away easily.
If fumbles, he'll insist on Nazir staying, to the point of calling guards.

---

Urukubarr and Ruark
Urukubarr watched the boy closely as he spoke.

“It’s not about you personally… all right, it’s a bit about you. I apologize for being blunt, but you are an orc and savaxen – and people say a lot of stuff about orcs…and savaxen… “ seeing Uruk’s stern face he went pale and quickly changed subject. ”…b-but I don’t trust what people say – you are not so bad I think… a-a-and the guards who went here yesterday had seen lots of strange stuff. The bodies, the smell…” the boy shivered a bit, but regained his composure quickly. “Also, the merchant who lived there – my friend knew him, worked for him on the sly and he was rather strange. My friend said he moved lots of stuff during nights, and that he saw strange things happen.”

He lowered his voice. “His neighbors said they had a suspicion of him making some kinds of rituals inside, because he always had lights inside during night, when good people sleep.”

Spoiler: Ruark

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The boy was telling truth - his only one weak moment came when he started on the topic of orc and savaxen - it was obvious that he did not want to talk about what people say about them...

Spoiler: OOC

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Detecting deception, lies and such:
PER/Sincerity
Uruk: (6d10)[2][6][2][1][8][9](28) TN 10
Ruark: (4d10)[6][8][10][4](28) TN 10

[Anyr]

Kate was beginning to feel right at home. Between the old acquaintances and swirl of conspiracy, this place had gained a nostalgic air. She'd really hoped that other nations would function differently. But here too, the corridors of power were lined with daggers. So be it. She made a mental note of everything she'd seen and overheard. This new information might well help to fight off later threats: Once Kate was done escaping the current threat. Moving cautiously, she set about locating Nazir again. Even though it meant moving towards a possible ambush, she couldn't just abandon him. She needed to evade the enemy; While also being ready to help a friend.

[Cavir]

Nazir quickly uses the crowd as cover, puts up the hood of the cloak, and waits for the man to go past. Once the coast is clear he peers inside the hall looking for Kate and the blue tunics.

Spoiler: OOC

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Agil/Sneak TN 8 (8d10)[6][1][4][10][2][4][7][4](38)
Perception TN ? (7d10)[5][9][10][7][2][4][3](40)

[Dienekes]

"Two days work is fine!" Gerric smiled, far better than he expected to come out of this. "Don't rightly know where they're from. Given by an old employer instead o' normal payment." Well...none of that was technically false.

Spoiler

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Don't worry about it. I still have no idea what I'm actually doing with Gerric's accent, and I've been writing for him for over a year now.

[Lacco]

Kate

The men were nowhere to be seen - she passed few scribes, a pair of guards and few servants, but she couldn't see Nazir or the men.

She ventured outside, just in time to hear the final words of the announcement. The whole scene was remarkable even from this side - the guard was standing at the front, their weapons shining, their blue cloaks billowing in the wind, the crowd was silent, listening to the words coming from lord Kastor, who - surprisingly - was quite able orator when he chose to. The council was surrounded by a throng of knights of Vigilant Guardian in full armour, standing tall and unmoving - even their colorful cloaks were not moving in the wind - a perfect choice to show the people that there exists a stable guard against any evil. Even remaining councilmen looked quite representative when forced to, and even Unaric looked like a wise councilman, instead of insidious, manipulating fat...

...oh well, personal prejudices aside, she could appreciate a display such as this, even coming from the city council.

As she looked through the crowd to spot Nazir, she only caught last words of the announcement.

"...crushed against our walls. If we stand together, united, we shall prevail against this tide of darkness. We shall prevail!"

The applause and shouting was deafening. The people were moving, waving, clapping their hands and that made it especially difficult to notice Nazir.

Almost impossible. She couldn't see him at all.

Spoiler: OOC

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One question: is she in her plate armour?
Per (3d10)[2][4][1](7)

---

Nazir

The man passed him, disappearing into the crowd. Nazir couldn't follow him without losing sight of the door, and that would mean leaving Kate to fend for herself. Blending with the crowd as well as he could, Nazir observed the building, trying to catch the sight of the other two men.

On the stairs, Lord Kastor spoke about their common enemy, about the battles ahead, and tried to get the crowd to understand the gravity of the situation without panicking. He appealed to their courage, to their sense of responsibility, to their love for the city and their families, whose lives and freedom would be forfeit.

For a moment he thought he saw something suspicious... but it was only one of the knights leaving the town hall, to stand next to the door.

...and then he saw Kate walk outside, standing aside, trying to find him in the crowd...

Spoiler: OOC

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Just a small reminder: sneak is used to get around undetected by hearing.
Camouflage or Streetwise would be used to hide in crowd, with WIT used in this case.

Your opponent gets +2 to his TN of 4 (day) due to the heavy cover (dense crowd).

The PER roll was correct.

Nazir's PER/TN7 = 3 successes
Nazir's WIT (7d10)[2][1][3][10][4][10][6](36) TN 8

Opponent's PER to find Nazir in the crowd (5d10)[7][8][6][2][7](30) TN 6
Opponent's WIT/disguise (5d10)[7][10][9][2][9](37) TN 6

---

Gerric

She nodded, not asking further. Taking out a pouch, she counted 35 silver groshes on the table. "Nao, gimme dat ax' ov yorz, it lukz laek it cudd uz som' wo'k done. On d'shopp."

She motioned for his axe and sat down to the whetstone.

When she handed it to him, the blade felt a bit sharper.

"It wont last, d'blaedd is shaet."

She rummaged through the box again, finding the black piece of metal. For a moment she looked really surprised, excited even. She picked one of the finer tools and tried to scratch the surface.

"Waett. Dis... d'ya now whassit?"

[Anyr]

Kate couldn't help but feel impressed by the spectacle. She was a sucker for military displays. Her eyes approvingly scanned the rows of disciplined soldiers, in gleaming armour. When done right, sights like this were a symbol of inspiration and hope. The armies of her homeland had once had this effect on her: Until she'd discovered that the commoners viewed them very differently. But the misuse of a single army hadn't soured Kate on armies in general. The knights of Vigilant Guardian were to be commended for their bravery, in standing against the horrors to come.

But it wasn't them that Kate had come here to see. She was looking for one particular soldier. Where was Nazir? Staying put (lest she get swallowed by the crowd), she continued to search for him. Those men (and that woman) from home were also on her list. Even Dreiana would be a welcome sight right now. Was she amidst the soldiers?

[XIII]

"Uruk and I have thick skin, we've heard it all, fishwives gossip won't bother us," Ruark said confidently. "We can ignores them. Some pick fights, always lose, try not to kill sometimes," Urukubarr awkwardly added. "But, ahhh.. Your friend, he's got some information on what went on here? We'd love to speak with him, maybe make some sense of it all. Some truth in the gossip, you know. Bad things did happen here and the bodies weren't no human bodies either. I wasn't lying when I said Uruk split the skull of a demon earlier today. He was going on about that mist too, how it was dark sorcery. Uruk has a nose for these things." Putting on his friendliest face and most charming demeanor, Ruark put his arm around the boy's shoulder, "We've been tasked with investigating and dealing with this stuff, talked to the council and everything, ask Dreiana if you want." "Yes, bring friend, I cook. Apologies for scaring you." Uruk made his best attempt at friendly smile, "Don't be scared, Uruk is a master in the kitchen, believe it or not."

[Cavir]

With his hood up and lots of people around, Nazir headed to Kate. He stopped by her without making it obvious they were together. He peered inside the hall as he spoke.

"They are determined and too spread out for us to sneak away especially in your armor. They can't start a fight here without drawing lots of attention. Take them by surprise and speak to them directly here? That way you can find out who they are and what they want?"

Spoiler: OOC

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Perception (7d10)[3][3][2][6][9][8][2](33)

[Anyr]

Kate was relieved to see Nazir safe and sound; For the moment, at least. Time to bring him up to speed.

"No need. I already know all that. They're agents of my mother; And they want me. Even so, I'm not the one with most cause to worry. Those men almost certainly have orders to recover me alive and (mostly) unharmed...

...But only me. Anyone else is fair game. That's why it's so important that we find the others. If they get caught by surprise, they're in danger of becoming hostages. It's a classic and effective way to force my surrender."

Despite her businesslike tones, the concern in Kate's voice was obvious. She was seriously worried about dragging innocent people into this mess. Hopefully the agents didn't know how much her comrades meant to her.

[Cavir]

"Gerric a hostage?" Nazir had to catch himself from laughing loudly. "I see three options. Dealing with them head on and convince them to leave us alone. Getting the city guard involved which creates its own headaches. Finding the others and eventually having a showdown, which will also get the city guard involved. Fleeing the city isn't an option because we still have to find the others first. We know two went to our new place, but the other two could be anywhere. We'll be followed if we go back to the new place. The lawful thing would be to report them but they haven't done anything yet besides follow us."

"You could stay here in the hall while I sneak out of here to find the others and bring them all here. Could take a while but I'm much faster on my own."

Spoiler: OOC

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Changing text color. The green was thematic but hard to read.

[Dienekes]

Gerric smiled as he took back his axe. "Thank you, kindly. I know it's a piece o' **** on a stick, but it's saved my life more times than I can count."

He tucked the axe back into his belt as the smith rummaged through the box and pulled out the black ingot.

"No idea. What is it?"

[Anyr]

The thought of Gerric getting captured wasn't amusing to Kate. Sacrificing her freedom to save his loathsome life would be a horrible deal. But like it or not, he was her teammate. They'd sworn an oath together. Honour demanded that she protect him; At least for now.

"Diplomacy almost certainly won't work here. The best we can hope for in that regard is a temporary retreat. As for getting the locals involved, some of them are already. Unaric knows that I'm being hunted. He's offered his 'help', in exchange for our services. That's why I was in such a hurry to contact everyone. We need to give him an answer soon. But I can't make the decision alone.

I'd much prefer that the two of us stick together. Those men know your face now. Separating from me won't necessarily protect you. However, I suppose you're right. I might be more of a liability than a boon to your escape."

Kate glanced down at her polished armour. She'd never blend into the crowd like this. Unlike certain other individuals (*Cough*Gerric*Cough*), Nazir was a friend as well as a teammate. She wanted to be there for him. But what if staying by his side was what got him hurt? She needed to make the best tactical decision.

"...All right. I'll stay here. It shouldn't be hard to find Dreiana, or some trustworthy guards. They can keep me company until you return. Just...stay safe, all right?"

[Lacco]

Ruark and Uruk

The boy seemed both relieved and terrified when Ruark put his arm around his shoulder. “D-demon? Real demon?” he gulped, and looked at Urukubarr, with newfound respect in his eyes. “I will ask him to visit you, though I do not know if he will. Very well… good bye.”

He left, and from the way he walked up the streets, it was obvious they did not make the best impression. They watched him, and when it started to drizzle, they entered the warehouse.

It was a mess.

Whoever was there, they cleaned out the bodies, and removed all stains, along with any valuables that were there. All that was left were empty boxes, few sacks of cabbage, set of tools, writing utensils and the bed upstairs. And maybe few packages and trinkets on the shelves.

They were now proud owners of a large, mostly empty warehouse and a wagon full of goods. And it was raining outside.

---

Gerric

She looked at him, looking really excited. "S'm caell it blakrok. B't iz met'l. Ha'd to wo'k wif, but rilly s'rong! Sa’ a bleyd laek wif dis in k’t ‘nod’ un in ha’f." Suddenly her mood changed into - surprisingly - humble. "Cannae halp y'witit. Y'll need t'see Thalwas Parre. E's d guy for dese kindz of wo'k. Shud be in d'monstry. Ask Windsteel if'y wann. And nao, go. I gotz me lotta wo'k."

She took the axe head he gave her, looked at him, as if to take a measure of his stature and then turned to the work table.

---

Nazir and Kate

Kate easily found Dreiana now that she did not search for Nazir - she was standing at the honorable spot for guard commander, right after the guard, but in front of the councilmen and the knights.

It looked like the post of guard commander was a lonely one.

The speeches were over, the crowd started to disperse. The council moved towards the city hall, followed by Dreiana and few of their men. Unaric walked first, deeply in thought, followed by Kastor, who talked at length to another fellow councilmember. In few moments they would have to pass them.

The men who followed them were nowhere to be seen. And it was starting to drizzle.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

No-no-no-no-no!
Please, no additional splitting of the party!

[XIII]

Urukubarr closed his eyes and looked towards the sky, letting the drizzle fall on him; he loved the rain. Ruark playfully slapped the half-orc's back and beckoned him to come inside. After a moment, he did so and got to work on unpacking the wagon, organizing their luggage, tending to the animals, starting dinner (caramelized cabbage sounds great), and cleaning the warehouse up.

He wanted to have pride in their new base of operations and so worked hard to make it presentable. Ruark would help, of course, but only until he tired of menial work and found a corner to nap in. Uruk would then roar in his ear, just for fun. He thought of asking Nazir to case the warehouse and identify all entry/exit points and vulnerabilities. Urukubarr took special care to prepare the one bed which Kate would presumably take, leaving personal bedrolls for everyone else. Hell, there was even time to do laundry as far as Uruk was concerned. If there was a bathtub or something that could be used as a bathtub, he would make preparations to run a hot bath. The warehouse echoed with the half-orc's work songs.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Specific inventory of knick knacks and random things in the warehouse that weren't ours but are now
Problem - A place to prepare food?

[Anyr]

Kate stepped aside to let the procession pass. Such a sight really emphasised the dilemma she faced. It'd be so convenient to ask these powerful people for help in gathering her comrades. By just signing on the dotted line, a lot of her problems would disappear. At the moment, even leaving this building had become a difficult task. If any more obstacles appeared, then she might have no choice but to ask for help. Kate's gaze lingered on Dreiana in particular. She wondered whether the new Watch Commander had similar thoughts. Was she too walking the tightrope of conscience and obligation? Kate remembered the tavern incident. Dreiana had really given the impression of wanting to help. But Unaric had stopped her. How tight was the leash around Dreiana's neck? The young mercenary gave the young commander a respectful bow of the head as she passed; Along with a much more personal look of sympathy, carefully sent to Dreiana's eyes only. She really wanted to trust that woman. When the opportunity presented itself, perhaps they could get to know one another better.

[Lacco]

Ruark and Uruk

The warehouse was starting to look better. Without the bodies and smell, the place was almost pleasant with the smell of sea and large space.

On the other hand, they soon found that it provided almost no place to cook food - there was just small stove in the office, used to warm the sparse living quarters, that could be used.

But the work went well, and soon they were finished even searching the barrels and boxes, their "loot" collected in the middle part of the warehouse.

---

Kate and Nazir

Dreiana responded with weak smile, and approached Kate. The bad part was, Unaric followed her.

"Greetings, lady Katherine. How are you today? Did you come to hear the speeches...?"

Unaric moved in. "Lady Katherine, pleasure to see you again so soon. May I hope that you already made up your mind?" for the first time it seemed she saw a real emotion - fear, maybe? Or concern? "Please, follow lady Dreiana and me inside - I have some news that may or may not please you. Concerning our previous discussion.

Her mind raced. What news in such short time? And then it hit her. He must have seen the men...

[Anyr]

"As I've said, Councilman, this isn't a decision I can make alone. But by all means, lead the way."

Kate fell into step behind Dreiana and Unaric. It was starting to feel as if she'd never escape this building. Every attempt to construct a solution got buried under a new wave of bad news. What would it be this time? Unaric seemed nervous. Kate wondered whether that was a good thing or not. Dreiana, for her part, showed no sign of knowing about Kate's troubles. So why had she been invited to the meeting? Well, she was the Watch Commander. Maybe it was time for her to brought into the loop. Too many questions, with too few answers; As usual...