Roses Have Thorns IC

[NeoSeraphi]

Blake nods. "Yep. That's a key to a special building near the docks."

[Diachronos]

"And that's where I'll find out if I'm in?"

[NeoSeraphi]

"You wouldn't have gotten the key if you weren't in," Blake comments.

[Diachronos]

"Fair point. Is there anything I should know before I go?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Blake nods. "The person in charge is a bit...uh...impressive. You might want to mentally prepare yourself before you go in."

[Diachronos]

Rose gives her a curious look. "'Impressive' how, exactly?"

[NeoSeraphi]

"In the same way you might have found me 'impressive',"

[Diachronos]

"O-oh." This is definitely going to be an interesting meeting...

She heads for the building that the key is meant to unlock.

[NeoSeraphi]

Rose heads to the small building, which looks like an old office building. She opens the door and heads up a flight of stairs before coming to a small room. When she knocks, a voice tells her to enter.

Spoiler

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"Well, well, well. What have we here?" the woman asks with a mischievous grin.

[Diachronos]

Rose swallows as she looks at the woman. "I was told that I should come here?"

[NeoSeraphi]

"Indeed, you were. Welcome to the Red Mantis Guild, young noblewoman. Here, your talents are the only thing that matter. Succeed, and you will be recognized and celebrated. Fail, and you will be ignored and forgotten."

[Diachronos]

Rose nods. "I'm eager to prove myself, ma'am. Anything to serve the Mantis God."

[NeoSeraphi]

"Relax, my dear." The woman smiles to herself. "You have proven yourself twice now. You do not need to go about thinking that your previous efforts will not be recognized. I did not invite you here with the desire to test you further. Rather, I called you here to congratulate you, and to give you you first assignment."

[Diachronos]

Rose lets herself relax, feeling a weight off her shoulders. "What's the assignment, ma'am?"

[NeoSeraphi]

The woman nods. "One of the Lord-Mayor's sons is pushing for stronger religious purity in the city. He wants to make Asmodean doctrine part of official law. This would obviously make our work much harder, especially since we would need to give up hours on Sunday to attend sermons we don't even care about. You don't need to kill him, but if you can blackmail him into shutting up, that would work wonders. Just...infiltrate a space his wife wouldn't appreciate you in, and get some proof of your activities."

[Diachronos]

"Understood. Is there anything I should know about the son?"

[NeoSeraphi]

"Yes. He is a rather reputable priest of some skill and faith. His talents with magic are admirable, so you should not engage in a direct confrontation with him unless absolutely necessary."

[Diachronos]

"Do you know of any potential leads on how to persuade him into keeping quiet?"

[NeoSeraphi]

"That, my dear, is up to you. As I said, the only thing that matters is your skill. I cannot offer any assistance in that regard."

[Diachronos]

"Right. One last thing... how hard is he pushing? Is there an immediate risk of his plans succeeding?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Lusamine shakes her head. "No. I will give you five days to complete the assignment. It's okay if you don't get anything done on one or two of those days, you deserve some free time. Just make sure you have his silence by the end of the fifth day."

[Diachronos]

"Thank you. I'll do what I can to silence him by then." She heads out into the city to gather some information on the man.

Spoiler: Skill check

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Diplomacy to gather information: (1d20+12)[14], (1d4)[4] hours

[NeoSeraphi]

After she asks around a bit, Rose gets some feedback that this man, Lord Dominic Einswald, is a pious man who prefers the company of texts to people. He gives sermons at the same time each week, and he is always available to speak to someone in private at the temple. He enjoys fox hunting and theater.

[Diachronos]

Rose decides to stake out the man's dwelling. If he has anything incriminating, that would likely be the place.

[NeoSeraphi]

The estate is quite large, and it would be difficult to sneak in without being directly invited in. It is four stories high, with ten rooms on each floor, and armed guards stationed around the perimeter. Of course, the Lord Mayor also lives here, so that isn't surprising. If she gets caught trying to bust in here, she's probably dead. It might be better for her to try and get an invitation inside.

[Diachronos]

It looks like her best course of action right now is to figure out how best to get on Dominic's good side. She sets out to find him, starting at the temple.

[NeoSeraphi]

At the temple, she finds the priest praying quietly to himself in front of a statue of the Prince of Lies.

He stands up and turns around when she approaches. "Ah. Good morning, my child. And what can I do for you today?"

[Diachronos]

"Lord Dominic Eisenwald, I presume? It's a pleasure to meet you, sir. I'm told that you are the one to speak with on personal matters?"

[NeoSeraphi]

The man turns to Rose. His gaze immediately falls to her neck, and Rose realizes that he's searching for an unholy symbol.

He looks back up at her with a polite bow. "Of course. Please join me in my office."

[Diachronos]

Rose follows him into his office. "Thank you. I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"