Ongoing Games (In-Character)Play-by-post games are going on in this forum as we speak (well, read). All threads on this board are actual games, so please, only post on a thread if you are a player of that game.
Ishmael turns his head towards the Duchess and pauses. He then looks towards an empty corner of the room and speaks in Undercommon, hoping the cleric knows this language.
"The Dominari says he works for a Vampire. One that is still in need of assistance and willing to work even for a Church. Perhaps... perhaps the Shadow Spider would care for an alliance with that being? It might be worth not offering the life of this foul to the Devourer." he stops for a moment, pretending that someone responds back to him.
"That is true... we could sacrifice him and go straight to the vampire but I doubt this fool would cooperate. He is not that smart but he is powerful enough... he would certainly want to be included in any deal to ensure he survives..."
A further stop later he speaks in common again.
"Very well. The Shadow Spider will consider what you have said. Tell me though, would you be willing to bring us in contact with your vampire ally? Where can we find him and how can he know that we come to him in peace?" he asks knowing that the man will demand he is part of any agreements as well and hence he can afford to once again bring him to the Duchess.
__________________ In a new job... limited posting in the afternoonds for some time
"Of course! But he's a very careful being, especially since those kobolds raided his place. I'll have to introduce you personally. If you approach him on your own, he'll attack first and question your corpse later."
"I shall convey your wish to be included dominari. Be aware that treachery though will not be tolerated. You fell once, you can fall again and this time you want wake up for a chit-chat..." he tells the hooded man.
"In any case. I shall return shortly. Make no attempts to loosen your binds or to communicate with your friends cause we need you to take us to your master and show him we mean business and not harm... but you do not need fingers, ears and a nose to do all that..." he threatens.
He then turns to the Duchess and indicates that they should move outside the room to discuss.
__________________ In a new job... limited posting in the afternoonds for some time
Apologies for the absence, I was on the Warhammer 40k ETC (European Team Championship) representing Greece so I had little access on the internet for 3 days.
It was a pretty big event (the biggest since ETC started 5 years ago, and its going global! We had Team USA, Team Canada, Team Australia and a handful of other non-european countries joining!
28 teams x 10 people = 280 people playing 40k!
Ishmael smiles to the woman and nods. He does check to make sure the man is out and not listening though to be on the safe side and speaks in a very soft voice to the woman, unless if she is okay with actually going out of this room.
"So we have the background of how to reach the end of this story from 'The Master' side at least. I can contact also the kobolds he mentioned and get information on what they faced when they stole from this vampire and what defences we might expect..." he says and pauses again.
"What I fear though is the Church side part of it. A vampire is a formidable opponent but he is also the one person that can incriminate the rest of the top leadership... the Bishop said from time to time they were employing him for the dirty work after all... The Bishop too is useful for this and more reliable a 'witness' to a vampire that noone will believe... but I realise that you might have other plans for him..." he says and pauses.
He is unsure how to approach the political aspect of this case given the current situation so he waits for her feedback.
"I believe even intelligent undead are not allowed in the city so maybe we can involve the Guard somehow... or perhaps a Church or two that have something to prove?" he asks.
__________________ In a new job... limited posting in the afternoonds for some time
"If you think you can use the bishop to humiliate the Church as a whole, go ahead. But in the end, you WILL bring him to me for my personal justice. Whatever happens to him, in the end he is mine. I can wait a while longer for the final vengeance. After all, I've spent years drooling onto my shirt. Using him to harm the very organization he's devoted to sounds... poetic. However, until you actually need him for something, I'll keep him near so I can... start justice."
"If you can prove to the Guard that the Church of Pelor is associating with the undead, you can get the full support of the city in destroying them. The other local temples can likely be persuaded too if you can prove it. The trick here isn't getting people willing to rally against even Pelor if its allying with undead. The trick is proving it."
So and so but it was my first time in such a competitive environment!
Ishmael considers her words for a moment. Did he really care about the whole temple? It was of little matter to him what happened to that organisation and though he had taken to dislike them as a whole he failed to see how his role was that of a detective running around the lay the blame on proper feet.
The Bishop was at the hands of his employer and measures could be taken to capture or destroy the vampire at the end of the line but did he really care to go further and risk further?
Uncertain of how to proceed he bows his head to the Duchess.
"Very well Your Grace. I shall pursue what leads we have to ensure that at least we capture or destroy the vampire since it was directly involved in the case..." and with this he departs unless if the woman wishes something further from him or to give him the reward for the capture of her nemesis.
__________________ In a new job... limited posting in the afternoonds for some time
"Aye, start with that. IF we want to try to tackle the Church as a whole is not very certain. Besides which, I know how that sort of thing goes and we'd have a hard time pressing for evidence. Destroying the Bishop here and the vampire will satisfy vengeance. My time and yours are probably better spent in other ventures after this."
Due to the recent upheavals in the underworld that you helped cause by taking out the Jacks, they now rule the undergound in North and South Markets but have given up their traditional warrens to the skulks.
At one of the entrances to their network, you are stopped by a pair of kobolds in mismatched leather armor. "Stop! What are you doing?"
"You in particular should listen to me because I can kill you with a flick of my wrist." says Ishmael with ease
Spoiler
Intimidate (1d20+17)[23] just remember I am not trying to scare him into fleeing or attacking... just the 'intimidate someone so that they become "friendly" '
He then breaks a wide predatory smile.
"Now that said some of your leaders will know me as the guy who killed the man the Big Boss wanted killed. In a Kordite temple without leaving traces...
Oh and taking down the Nightman and the Jacks...
So yea, regardless of the ongoing alliance between Skulks and Kobolds I believe your bosses wont mind talking to me..."
__________________ In a new job... limited posting in the afternoonds for some time
The kobold leads you through a network of tunnels. As you take note, you notice that they don't try to mislead you, but the path is complex enough you aren't 100% sure you could retrace it. Not to mention any of the traps that are hidden along the path which you might trigger.
In due time, you find yourself in front of Big Boss, who is still the fattest kobold you have ever seen. However, at the moment, he's doing something you'd not think possible: he was standing up and screaming at his attendants in a shrill voice. The squeaking rant seems a parody of the draconic tongue.
He does not immediately notice your entrance and your escort is far more intimidated by BB than he is by you. "Say hi yourself. I'm gone."
With that, the kobold is gone down a hidden side-passage before you realize it.
If indeed Ishmael feels he has not been spotted by anyone, or at least noticed by anyone not yelled at, he will stay at a really dark patch of shadow and just observe, listening in the orders.
__________________ In a new job... limited posting in the afternoonds for some time
Mostly, it is a long string of profanities, but there are snippets here and there of interest
"Damned spider won't help me stop those ****...
**** those rainbow freaks, ignoring my authority. Should it matter they think they're from another world?
If this keeps up, I'll talk to that ****ing Khan about about ****ing a ****ing alliance with him and his ******..."
As best you can tell, his attendants are required to stand there and listen to the whole rant silently while they alternate who is struck by their enormous boss's fleshy appendage.
Ishmael will slowly and carefully walk to the corridor leading here. He will then wait until the big kobold calms down and only then walk inside, this time obviously.
He considers that to appear suddenly it would be strange and cause the Big Boss to focus his anger at him.
__________________ In a new job... limited posting in the afternoonds for some time
After a few more minutes of such rants, he seems to, if not calm down exactly, at least lose the energy to stay so angry. He waddles back to his throne, slumps down, and quietly demands someone bring him gnome heart.
When one poor unfortunate adviser reminds him that he ate the last gnome heart yesterday, he is ordered executed and dragged off. Plates of small humanoid hearts you shouldn't think too much about where they came from are quickly produced.
As he eats, he seems to genuinely calm down at last.
Then you enter all dramatically and he looks up at you, continues to eat, and doesn't say a word to you. Apparently, he wants you to speak first.
Going for as little drama as possible Ishmael bows his head.
"My respects to the Big Boss..." he begins.
"I come to once again provide help and receive help in return to the Kobolds. I have become privy to information regarding a great strike your clan has performed against a common enemy and wish to ask information so that I may advance the strike against him..."
__________________ In a new job... limited posting in the afternoonds for some time
After chewing for a few seconds in silence, the jovial persona you are used to seeing returns. "Of course! Always glad to hear from my allies the Shadow Spiders. Which raid did you really like?" He says, mouth still full of food.
He takes another bite from a heart in the process.
"I am actually here indipendently oh Great Big Boss. Though I am part of the clan and have offered my services to you in the past this time I have not been sent nor by the Shadow Spider nor by anyone else... it is a bit more personal and at the same time important..." he explains.
"I refer off course to your timely blow against the one that calls himself 'The Master'" he says and waits to see if the Kobold is aware of the name or title...
__________________ In a new job... limited posting in the afternoonds for some time
"Well, I do not profess to know the details... only that you and your clan managed to raid his lair and take a number of coffins he uses for his spawn. I also know he has promised vengeance and within a few days he will have replaced the coffins and begin anew with greater determination" says Ishmael and drops the coffin he took as proof that he knows what he is talking about.
"May I ask what exactly took place? I have reasons of my own to want the Master ended and as such we might work together to remove a thorn from both our sides?"
__________________ In a new job... limited posting in the afternoonds for some time
He sighs, takes a mouthful, chews it, and swallows before answering. "That wasn't us. To be honest, we didn't have anything to do with it. It was those zealots of Solaron, those fruity rainbow-hued ****ers who did that. I don't care what they say, they are not truly dragonborn if they refuse to submit to the will of the seniormost dragonborn in the clan."
The "dragonborn" of a "gluttony dragon" fixes his empty mouth problem with another bite.
Ishmael considers this. He had come to the wrong Kobold... he had planned to try and get those Solaron followers on his side as well but he had not realised it was them that had done the initial deed.
"Interesting. Well in that case you might also be interested to know that some Pelorites flaunt your dominion... I met a few of them actually conspiring in what they called 'a sanctum' or something to that effect.
Ah and I would like to ask if it is true what the Khan also says... that you have standing agreements granting him passage down here as well... I realise that you and the Skulks had a relative alliance given the assistance each provided to the other but I was not aware that the Blue Hand believed you could not keep them out of their territory either!" he says.
__________________ In a new job... limited posting in the afternoonds for some time
"The Church pays us a monthly stipend to use our sewers. As long as they're not late, I don't care. Their gold is good. They think their sanctum is secure. We could spy on it if we wanted to."
"The Skulks are our allies, yes. Against the City Watch and other gangs in the city itself. I have no quarrel with the Khan. Old Shadow's feud with him is not my concern. In fact, when you next see your chief, tell him that if he doesn't treat with me as an equal soon, I'm going to get a lot more cozy with the Slum King."
Ishmael really considers striking the kobold down. Certainly the Big Boss had power and size and many lackeys but he was growing tired of all those mouthing off idiots.
Shaking his head he pushes the murderous thought aside. Perhaps in time... after the Spider heard the slur of the Kobold leader perhaps he would assign him to end this impudent foul.
Instead he smiles and bows his head.
"I shall relay your message. I thank you also for the information you have provided great Big Boss. May I ask what is your feud with them idiotic sparkling kobolds of the surface? Perhaps I can be of assistance there and we could exchange favours..." he asks at the end considering that more options were always useful to have.
__________________ In a new job... limited posting in the afternoonds for some time
"Those morons say they're not part of the clan, that their only duty is to 'Sola-something'. I get that they're new in town, but every clan knows that if you enter another's territory to live, you join the local clan. You don't set up a rival clan in the Temple District."
RSS Feeds: 
Re: Ishmael Mk III
