May 8th

By the time the trio has gotten their full rest, it is well into the early hours of the morning on the next day. They have been left unmolested during the night, though occasionally a small furred creature on four legs would roam over and sniff at them before leaving.

With sun's light not yet creeping up, and no nearby disturbances to speak of, they have the opportunity to do what they will.

I ate some rations the other night. I get up, I eat a little rations, and then I ditch my rations. Whatever remains, it's now been thrown and scattered.

With our disguises on (and fireworks), we should now go over there and try to blend in with other humans, and then try to put you guys inside the freezers. I'll leave it to you two to figure out how food-stasis works. Remember the code phrases.

With some effort Javan is able to wake up and dons his 'disguise' considering how tired he was the day before, although still unsure it'll do much against people looking for elemental aberrants and such.

Yet he still made a point to, on the day before, make a crude backpack out of an empty sack and rope he had laying around so he could hide everything that wasn't part of the disguise in his good backpack of holding and keep some junk that would made sense to be kept by a deformed human without a place to go on top of it. For now, he's wearing his chainmail and wielding the new silver spear until they have a need to hide it all.

For now tho, they should find a way to meet Sethos and see if he can help them to get to the crates and use them to skip scanners of all kinds.

Higaide is ready to go.

So the party heads to the plantation.

There are, naturally, a few hundred people there. Primarily Humans, though a few 'disguised' people similar to Javan are present. Several interact with Javan, clearly recognizing that he's not Human as well and presuming he has a similar agenda as they do; handouts. At the very least they're hoping to grab a job.

The party can, with little effort, slip into the food storage area separate from where the Humans are gathered to try out one of the stasis containers if they so choose. The person whom goes in steps in, the door is closed, then instantly opened again. Those outside waited five minutes before re-opening the crate.

Chances are Javan went through it, just so he could be 100% sure of the effects of it on elemental aberrations, since he'd be the first to feel it and would also be able to literally see the effect on the elemental energy of his body.

Other than that, I'm guessing the more stealthy individuals of the party are going to meet with Sethos in order to see if they can have some of these crates moved to the ship if that wasn't already a thing.

Bingo, that's where I come in.

I will ask the humans how they've fared on their journey, if they've wanted for food etc. Myself will be complaining that I am hungry without putting on airs that I've had it as bad as they have, closing conversations with something along the lines of "I'm not worried, though. Soon we'll get where we're going, and our misfortunes will turn around."

I will ask Sethos if they'll be taking some of the food crates with this late group of humans, and I will ask to help.

Deception - Advantage, Human Inexperience
I think Sethos is aware of what we're up to, but the way I ask and what I'm saying is to be discreet if we're near any people who are not Sethos.


Equipment hidden by disguise
Granite Sword, bag of holding
Blackened Helm, bag of holding
Gauntlets of Wrasslin'
Brawler Amulet
Chittick Hide armor

Most of the Humans come across as tired, consisting of those who initially refused the offer but then changed their mind when hard times came, or those who had difficulty getting here at all. They seem pretty optimistic about their chances, and agree with Rory that things will be better soon.

Sethos admits that if the party wants to steal some of the crates for the Humans they'll have to sell whomever is on the Airship that's coming on the idea, but he'll lie for them if he's questioned about the crates disappearing, stating some Humans probably stole them.

Higaide will only talk if talked to. He gets the gist of it already; people are tired and downtrodden and eager to be herded. He's more worried about getting into the crates and out, mostly the latter, as he'll have no control over it, and doesn't like being that vulnerable for any amount of time.

Overall tone: out of my element and uncomfortable interacting with the people in charge (any person "in charge", manager, guard, worker, etc), but serious.

Before the airship arrives, talk to workers/guards here about people they know on the airship who can get things to their friends "under the table."
Explanation if pressed, w/Diplomacy: Maybe I have a friend who has certain needs, I mean you know how it is, right?
If they seem worried about information being traced back to them: I'm not gonna remember faces, and if there's punishment, I can take it.

I'm going to try and talk to the person in charge about getting some food for these people transported from the plantation.

He'll probably tell me to get lost. I will then ask someone in charge of shipping on the airship - if I'm refused again, then on to workers part of shipping/cargo transport. I'll sort of eye each person and talk to individuals to gauge them first by asking if that person wouldn't mind taking on some extra cargo. The person who gets to hear more beyond this point will be one who seems to understand what I mean, and is agreeable.

To me "hard times" sounds like various issues all around, including hunger(possibly due to one of the other issues being financial need), so that will be my pretend motive - half selfish, half altruistic.

Proper explanation to low-management/worker: "Hi, so, I'm not tired, but I am hungry, and a lot of these people are one or the other, or both. Uh, I think that if we can all get food sooner, we won't have to worry about anxious or impatient people causing a stir. I've...nosed around on this farm a bit, and I saw some weird food storage crates. An', the only thing that really concerns me is that it's safe for everyone to eat, ya know? As in soon."

If this person, whose been listening up to this point, needs some material motivation, I'll offer my fancy enchanted boots, seeing as how he wouldn't presume that I have much in the way of cold hard money. I have other boots anyway, but to keep up the disguise I'm going to put on my old footwraps. If he's still not convinced, I'll add 57GP to pretend I have been holding out on him, alluding that it's all I've got.

The crates themselves: I'll participate in handling these crates, and make sure our stowaways get on the airship. I'm asking for as many as I can, starting at trying to get as many as I can for everyone in the crowd to get a snack-bar equivalent to tide them over, and lower than 3 crates(in which case I'll tell them that I can go get the crates myself).

Skills
Gather Info
Finding out the name of the guy(s) who discreetly smuggle stuff.

Deception
vs the top-tier guy in charge, the transport/cargo manager, and finally the worker I wanna work with (non-combat AP w/ lowest tier). I want to be talking to people who were named by the people I asked in my GA check.

Diplomacy
Convincing someone to help me smuggle crates.

OOC: Actually, if I can sell the idea of taking food with us to someone in charge, I won't really have to try to convince someone to smuggle food for me, so my plea to workers actually works for everyone. The implication that we're sneaking food crates on without permission is only required when speaking to low-level management or workers.

Deception #2
Per individual, selling low-managment/workers on helping me sneak crates onboard: do they sense my motive, and if so, are they baiting me?

OOC: I'm adding in a Sense Motive skill check to try and learn whether each individual he meets has seen through him and try to bait and switch on him, before he actually opens up and tells him what he wants.

If Rory realizes someone he's trying to convince(smuggling/sneaking crates onto the airship) sees through him, he'll say "I'll come to you when I'm ready" and shove off and never speak to that person again.

After a few false starts, Rory finally manages to find a couple of Humans who aren't dressed in rags and otherwise who decide to accept the food crates. Naturally Rory is expected to help drag the thing into the airship when it arrives.

The Airship in question is the largest Airship the group has ever seen. A fairly plain, boring looking flat, wide, box looking affair which does not land but comes in to hover just above the plain near the plantation proper. A large chunk of the lower hull slowly lowers straight down, revealing several other Humans in actual outfits and uniforms of nondescript make, helping to track who's on board, taking names, and otherwise keeping things organized.

As it happens, this group will insist on scanning the crate. However, after a moment they conclude that it must be fine since the scanners didn't pick up anything, and move on, allowing it on board.

There are a few thousand people boarding with this particular venture, and it takes several hours for the entire procession to board. Each person or family unit is assigned a room, which is a somewhat small but comfortable affair, with a bed, toilet, and other basic amenities. Rory (and Higaide?) are assigned to a quarter (or quarters near each other), with the crate being left in cargo storage towards the back of the airship.

When and if everyone is boarded without incident, a voice comes across the hallways, stating that they will be taking off shortly, and mentioning a few basic safety precautions as well as the fact that they will have officers checking each room to make sure people are fed and taken care of, as well as asking a few routine questions.

While they wait, Rory will start searching the room for anything out of place. Vent access, tracking coins, anything, whatever someone meaning ill toward him or his people would not want them to find. Especially anything in the shape of the "mines" that split his soul in half. Mines = something bad. No mines!

Mattresses will be overturned, and amenities will appear disorganized or carelessly scattered. The room will not look ship-shape by the time someone arrives to talk to them. Higaide may excuse me as a friend who has trust issues.

Rory searches the room thoroughly over the course of the next hour or so, during which nothing of note happens, as they are still slowly getting Humans on board. He does not find any of the dreaded mines, but he does find a ventilation shaft where air can flow in and out (entirely too small to enter), an odd device in the corner that it takes him a moment to realize is a place to relieve himself, a sink with a mirror and fresh cold and warm water flowing from it, and a surprisingly comfy bed grafted into the wall. Underneath the bed is just empty space.

He quickly puts everything back the way it was, albeit small objects are not arranged as neatly as they were before. He starts talking to Higaide.

"I understand you're concerned about making a mistake with these people - who they are, what they're really after. Making a big fuss won't work like it did before, so I'm gonna let you do the talking. You're in charge. Try to turn it around on them, see if you can find out what they know."

Higaide blinks a few times, then shrugs with a "Sure." and walks off.

He'll mingle with the general population and try to strike up any kind of conversation that'll turn up any interesting detail about the circumstances that drove them here. He can talk about his past as an islander - the time he lived on Vaseyan, and the time he was enslaved on Vaseyan, and leave out all the fantastical stuff (no mentioning the Exchange or Nightmares or the amazing airship that totally wasn't found by the party before it wasn't stolen by the Olthoi). The idea is to create a common background that'll get these people to open up.

Besides that, keep my eyes open for the people handling and directing this migration, and get a feel for them. Also, make note of the ship's structure, especially entry and exit points. Also, the pathways to the ship's sensitive areas, like the bridge, engine room, weapons, etc (you never know). I won't snoop so much that might attract unwanted attention, but will gather what info i can.

[I did not realize we weren't confined to our rooms.]

Rory will use the rest of his time to speak to staff and officers about their ship, quite amazed at the vessel's layout and design on the inside, compared to the outside. He'll ask about what materials were used in its construction, how long it took to build, and ask about it's maiden voyage - when, where, and what the "mission" was.

Diplomacy
Deception (Sense Motive)

The airships the party's seen before were more marvelous to behold, but this looks like it was hastily constructed, all things considered. He doesn't actually say any of this.

[I didn't realize we might be confined to our rooms. I assumed not.]

Higaide is, in fact, encouraged to stay in his room for the duration, but if he tries to convince the steward to let him roam free she won't deny him it. If asked she'll state, quite honestly, that it's easy to get lost on such a large ship and that they don't want people roaming into sensitive areas like the bridge to disrupt ship operations, especially during such a massive endeavor as this one.

As a result, Higaide finds almost no one who is not staff in his journeys. Most of them make a point of asking if he's lost, and directing him if asked for directions to anywhere common or non-security. The layout of the ship is incredibly honeycomb, with total patterning to its design. There are multiple entrances and exits on all sides of the ship at the bottom level, as appropriate for a transport ship, as well as the main entrance bay Higaide and Rory both came in on.

Rory, as he's doing much the same thing, will determine that this ship was built in a severe hurry, specifically for this purpose it's being used for right now. Yet for some reason, even though it's neither awe inspiring nor particularly impressive, there are no flaws he can note in its construction. The halls, floors, ceilings, are all the same cold metal with no paint or decor whatsoever, a dull grey in all directions, but it is seamless and sturdy. He does manage to get a flight staff to talk about the ship's maiden voyage, which happened just about a week ago when they picked up the first bunch of Humans from the area to take them to their new settlement.

OOC: They constructed it hastily in response to the news when that food magnate in the Sho Empire, Kinzh-Lizakh, spoke to his contacts. We could still be both ways at this point.

Rory will find Higaide and look for a secluded area to talk, where they will get their story straight, before heading back to their room.

We have no ties to anyone in Dereth, only people we miss back home. We met in the Veil and became friends there, and now we're partners-in-crime (figure of speech). We adapted much better than other humans to our new lives, which sort of set us apart. But we didn't like living in Holtburg, and we just want to settle someplace where we won't feel oppressed.

[I got no problem moving the story forward now]