Demonborn d100 Playtest: The Clever Fox

[GodEye Galatea]

The guard's expression nearly faltered at Nomis's response, but she managed to maintain her stoic facade. Vinc had been unwaveringly pragmatic during their three-day journey, emphasizing his motivation purely for financial gain rather than commitment to the mission. Now, Nomis was exhibiting a similar lack of enthusiasm.

She had hoped for a more in-depth discussion about the mission's details and plans, but the Sharen seemed disinterested.

"Very well," she acknowledged, slightly bowing at him, concealing the disappointment she felt.

[Gnomes2169]

Nomis makes his way downstairs, all of his equipment still on his back, and he gets a glance from Kari. While she raised an eyebrow at the rogue, she still gave him a knowing smile a second later and pointed at the meeting room stage. The cats have not moved yet, though the last bits of sunlight are just starting to slip from the podium they were napping upon. One cat is a tuxido kitty, black furred with white spots, while the other is a patchwork tabby of varying shades of brown, with ripples of black making waves through their fluff.

Sin, on the other hand, is left to make herself at home in the diplomat's chambers. While the bedroom wasn't lavish, it was still reasonably large for a single person, and somewhat 'cozy' looking. A single down bed large enough for two people was pressed against the back wall, just under a curtain-shrouded window, and a fur-lined quilted blanket covered it. There was a chest, a wash-basin and a mirror on the left wall, a closet and dresser across from that, and in a corner near the door was a small desk and stool for writing.

[GodEye Galatea]

The guard quickly assessed the room. Sin was not particularly picky, yet she preferred spacious areas with minimalist aesthetics. Despite its condition, she paid it no mind. After all, she knew her place, now and as always.

She admired the room. It was a step up from the guards' barracks, which were typically cramped and utilitarian. More importantly, she wanted to be alone above all else.

Closing the door behind her, she made her way to the bed and tested its comfort. The invitingly soft mattress tempted her to sit and relax, which she did. Soon enough, the bed enticed her to lay down.

Why not?

The long journey with her supposed ‘companions’ had been tedious and feeling the weight of exhaustion in her body, she longed to rest. Amidst the temptation, Sin couldn't allow herself to do so just yet. The thought of unfinished tasks weighed on her mind, urging her to keep moving rather than succumb to the comfort of rest.

Swiftly, she set aside items she deemed unnecessary and packed her bag lightly. With haste, she left the room before changing her mind. Descending the stairs, she spotted Nomis with the cats. After acknowledging the mayor's wife with a bow, she let her gaze linger on him as she headed for the exit.

[GoggleDog]

Nomis gives a knowing glance at Kari, as naturally dramatic as he ever was. There was no time to put his staff away, there was a cat to pat. Entering the hall he kept his silence as he approached them.

Nomis analysed the cats, and in his confusing decides to head pat the tuxido kitty.

Spoiler

Show

Nomis rolls 44 to pet a *****

[Gnomes2169]

((Nomis))
The tuxedo cat was an absolute angel and not only allowed the sharen to pet them, but leaned that black and white face into his hand to ensure that he really gave this kitty proper cheek and chin rubs. The tabby cat answered the mystery of which one was Claws, however, when they reached over, grabbed Nomis's petting hand with sharp little talons and ushered his hand to their fluffy self instead. Perhaps both of them were actually social critters, and Claws was just a bit aggressively handsy. No real damage was being done, fortunately, but Nomis wasn't going anywhere until he either satisfied the kittens or paid the price for his insolence via murder mitts.

((Sin))
The center of town is finally starting to cool down, and a few of the townsfolk have started coming out. Being at the apparent heart of the industrial district of Sheeredwood, the main buildings around are home to carpenters, smiths and trade offices, all arranged around the park she'd passed through to reach the mayor. The one non-business related building (other than town hall) seems to be a guard house, given a patrol had just entered it. A few people notice her, and nod politely while passing by on the street, but no one pays her any special attention that she can see.

[GodEye Galatea]

Sin reciprocated the salutations to those who greeted her. Years of working as a guard had ingrained this act into her routine. Perhaps it was due to constant interactions with people in her line of work, or maybe it stemmed from past experiences.

Observing the patrols of guards, she decided to head in that direction. Guards often had valuable information. Although the mayor had mentioned that his guards were handling the situation, Sin was aware that approaching them might not be the best idea. Nevertheless, she saw it as an opportunity that could potentially lead to valuable leads or insights.

[GoggleDog]

He- oh. Oh. I see what is going on."
He spoke to the cats, as he continued to obediently pet his new masters.
How long would he have to stay? How many years? Well, he cannot stay for that long, not until his business is over.

"Excellent. I will need that hand back, sooner or later. Claws, Paws."
He spoke with the same voice he always has, even to the cats, as if they by themselves were people.

"She liked cats. Are you a couple? Well, if you're siblings that'd be unfortunate now." He made a shy attempt of letting go.

[Gnomes2169]

((Nomis))
"They aren't siblings." The mayor's wife told him, walking over to stand beside him. "Paws was my cat when I moved to this town, and a year after he brought a wet, grumpy kitten home with him out of the rain." Closing a small ledger that she handed to an aid, and waving a few others off with a, "Don't you have somewhere else to be?" she said to the sharen investigator, "So, you met with Erick. Good. I trust he was able to give you the big picture and I've been sending runners to convene the town council tomorrow, which I'm sure he'll want. You'll also be staying with us tonight, I presume?"

Stepping up behind the podium, Kari set her hands on the sides of the wooden surface and said, "My husband is good at keeping a story in mind, but leaves the finer details and gathering of resources to me. If you or your partner have any questions or requests while you stay here, please, feel free to ask."

The cats seem content with the offerings given to them and allow Nomis to reclaim his hand with only light scratching... for now. Having been woken up at this point, Claws stands with a stretch and hops from the podium, and Paws follows the tabby a second later.

((Sin))
Her wandering brought her to the guard post, a compact three-level building that had all of its windows opened at that moment. From her experience in the city, the top two levels would be for lodging, so that guards who were on duty but not out on patrol had a place to bunk could sleep and practice whatever hobbies they wanted, while the first floor would be home to the Captain's office, a small holding cell, the mess hall and racks to store equipment. It wasn't really a place where the guards would live, unless they were particularly hard on cash at the moment, and it wouldn't have space for all of the guards in this district, but it would comfortably house each shift until their replacements reported for duty.

Normally, the central guard station (like this one) would also hold the offices for local investigators, but from what Governor Longview had told her this town didn't have any dedicated inspectors, relying on their guards and freelance detectives (as she was acting at the moment) instead. Apparently, large criminal operations just weren't common enough to justify the expense of that department.

The patrol that she had seen walk into the guard post was taking off their equipment for the day when she came in. A group of three had split off to begin playing a game of cards in the corner, another one (still wearing his breastplate) stirred a large pot inside of a wood-fire stove, and the other three were polishing their boots and armor. It was the members of the last group that faced Sin when she entered the room. A hard-faced woman with streaks of white in her auburn hair and a few lines around her mouth spoke up, "What's your business here, stranger?" Her tone carried with it a measure of authority, and from the knots on her shirt sleeve she was the sergeant of this patrol.

[GodEye Galatea]

Sin entered the guard post with a confident stride. She posed professionally yet approachable. She greeted the guards with a respectful nod before turning her gaze to the hard-faced woman.

"Greetings," Sin began, her tone polite yet determined. "I'm Sin Graylight, a freelance detective currently investigating the activities of the Red Fox. I was hoping to speak with you to gather any information or leads your patrol may have encountered regarding the Red Fox."

[GoggleDog]

Nomis observed the cat couple as she spoke, before finally looking at her, now that the deities were satisfied and the retrieval of his hand certain.
"Yes, your husband has offered us some of the rooms to stay for the time being."
And after a pause
"I will admit, it's the finer details that I would like to know. The fox purposely makes chaos, there must be something else in his mind." He said
"What type of merchandise they've targeted more, where they were meant to go, who was to take them and pass them on to the final destination, what they'd be used for.."
Nomis rubbed his temple with his tattooed hand, he hated thinking, he was never good at it.
"Do you have records of the fox's attacks? Sightings?"
He asked, before letting a smile escape him
"I imagine there's whole stacks of ledgers." While it was meant as a joke, with his attitude it'd take a sense of humour to notice.

[Gnomes2169]

((Nomis))
"If it isn't worth filing in a ledger, than is it truly a report?" The mayor's wife asked, giving the sharen investigator a wry smile in return. Oh gods, she had an administrator's sense of humor. "Most of them are in my short-hand, though, and almost completely illegible to normal folk, so I'll make copies translating them for you and have them delivered to wherever you make your home for the duration of this case. I should have them to you within three days." She nodded, tapping her pointer finger and pinky of her left hand on the podium, and sighed. "Is there any other information you think you might need?"

((Sin))
The woman frowned at your statement, looking over Sin a bit, and then shrugged. "Huh, you're the one the captain talked about? Well about time the governor actually sent someone." Folding her arms, she leaned back on the bench and noted, "Been waiting almost a month for the blue bloods to take us seriously. You'll want to talk to Captain Kindly, most likely. He won't be in his office, though. Late enough in the day he's either still on his last round, or he's gone home, like he usually does at day's end."

[GodEye Galatea]

Sin took a moment to assess the sergeant's attitude, and it didn't appear to align with her intentions. With a subtle yet intentional exhale, she prepared herself for another round of diplomacy. While she didn't particularly enjoy these formalities, she understood their importance in her line of work, often compensating for the aspects that she lacked. It was a skill ingrained in her.

With a rare, albeit somewhat forced, smile, Sin addressed the sergeant. "It would be nice to speak with the captain, but I truly believe that conversing with someone as experienced and knowledgeable as you would be invaluable. I highly regard your firsthand insights and expertise about this matter." She glanced around discreetly before continuing, Perhaps after your duty, we could find a more private setting to discuss matters further. How about we grab a drink together? I'll be happy to cover the expenses.”

Spoiler: Negotiation Roll

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Sin [Negotiation] Roll Result : 111

[GoggleDog]

The Fae be damned. She had an administrator's humour.
"Three days? That is enough time for another attack and two. Maybe I *would* like to give my chances on it after all. I've had experience with that gibberish."
He seemed.. odd, in a sense. Not many actions out of him as he spoke, just standing there, with all his equipment intact, as if there was a separate brain for actions. Finally, he placed his hand on his chin.
"Information on the families. How have their relationships been? Any recent drama.. I have heard royal families are more stubborn than corpses." He eyed the administrator,