March 4th

(this is take THREE now.  By the way I apologize for forgetting to update the date earlier)

Higaide managed to find the rapier right about the time when the skies are starting to get lighter but the sun has yet to rise.  Returning, a quick recon confirms that the odd convoy of vehicles remains where it previously was.  However, Advoc is quickly degenerating to the point of mental retardation given his lack of contact with his master, as only in-person contact will suffice.  Regardless, Kolson is already up and ready for the early morning appointment with Kinzh'Lizakh, along with anyone whom he wishes to join him. 

Meanwhile, Javan and Zeiss have been without food, drink, or any other contact whatsoever aside from Zeiss' brief mental link with Advoc.  Both are fairly certain a decent period of time has passed, but have nothing elsewise to base this off of.

Kolson and Rory head towards their early meeting while Higaide stays behind watching over poor Advoc, who at this point is little better than a simple automaton in terms of comprehension.

There is a bit of a ceremony involved in getting into Kinzh'Lizakh's manor, though nothing Kolson can't Diplomacy his way through without trouble, and after some customary tea and chit chat with the local staff, the two are admitted to his guest hall, where they find the rather large (even for a Burun) food magnate reclining on a very comfortable looking sofa, clearly custom tailored for himself. The entire room is laid out in extensive etchings burnt into mahogany and oak, several of which Kolson actually recognizes as they are emulations of famous paintings from across the continent, from all Four Nations. There are few staff members present, only two steel-clad Sclavi who stand motionless on either side of the Burun's couch.

Kinzh'Lizakh is polite, of course, and has a bit of an accent to his Serpent or Common (depending on which you prefer to converse in) that was likely intentionally affected to add to the aura of his persona. While talking with him and through initial pleasantries you get the impression that he sees this venture as little more than one more of the pieces he is moving in his particular game of money and politics, but upon confirmation of having the item in question he does seem genuinely pleased and is willing to discuss more detailed terms, dismissing all but one of his Moarsman staff members and, of course, his two guards for greater privacy.

Meanwhile...

At the same time, though neither is aware of it, Javan and Zeiss are each simultaneously visited by a dire looking Sclavi, clearly someone who holds themselves well and wears a uniform that befits aristocracy more than military. They begin asking their respective prisoners many questions, starting with the basics (name, age, affiliation) and quickly begin framing their questions in such a way to intimate that they were (clearly) sent here at the official auspices of the Lord of Holtburg's office and that their assassination of the Aluvian official came from Holtburg's governmental channels.

Zeiss answers to his interrogator's question in Serpent.

When the Sclavi starts to intimate that Zeiss killed the Aluvian official on the orders of Lady Lightmane, he will deny this accusation. He will then explain that he doesn't know much about this man he supposedly killed other than he saw him once in Holtburg. Zeiss didn't come here on the orders of any politician and his main mission in Sho was to find the Desolates who attempted to assassinate some high-ranked members of the Exchange as well as their families. Unfortunately, one of them seem to have captured this Aluvian official and killed him with Zeiss' rapier (which was stolen from him not long ago) in his own room to frame him, thus aggravating the political relation between the Sho and Aluvia and taking out at the same time one of the people they failed to kill previously. Zeiss theorizes that this is what they had planned from the start.

If the Sclavi asks who exactly these assassins are, Zeiss will respond that while this is only speculation, he thinks they are from an organization called the Vyeotians which took out the Middlers of the Undermarket. He will also specify that if he had really intended to kill this man, he wouldn't have done it in a room rented to his name.

OOC:

Javan answers the Sclavi with respect and honesty in common tongue, although his face and the tone of his voice shows unmasked worry as he hears how the questions were being made. He also points out that these facts:
1. His name was Javan Asher, no clan name, a little over 2 years old. He has no real affiliations besides his friend Zeiss being the leader of the Exchange.
2. Zeiss told him he was missing his rapier earlier that day (or today, Javan isn't sure if it isn't tomorrow already). The missing blade was also the main reason for his flight, as the fairy was fully expecting it to be used in other to create scapegoats out of Zeiss and whoever was with him.
3. He personally tried to flee the scene because of the sound of a large group of armored men, whom he believed to be bribed city guards approaching, pointing out that a certain organization had tried "shady" things like that before to a town before, and with members of the Exchange recently, and why simply being innocent wasn't enough to face the approaching "unknown armored horde of doom". Javan had no reason to believe they were Sho soldiers whatsoever, so he jumped down from his room with his belongings, hurting his back in the process, and his memory is considerably muddled for a moment.
4. He remember sounds of metal being dropped into the ground, and voices in rushed tones, him being tugged along for a brief period.
5. By the time his pain subsided enough for him to understand what was going on around him, he was already surrounded by the Sho soldiers, to whom he complied.

OOC:

Kolson will make polite introductions in Serpent but will keep to Common so that Rory isn't left out of the conversation. He introduces Rory as his associate.

With apologies for the absence of their leader Zeiss, who was looking forward to doing business with the Buran directly, Kolson will begin hammering out the details of the food contract for the Exchange. He will be sure to make the first offer so that he can anchor the pricing of the food stuffs. He'll leave a healthy 30% wiggle room for the price he is willing to accept, as discussed with Zeiss on the trip over to Sho. He'll stop and think about every counteroffer, trying to keep control of the pace of the negotiation.

Once the negotiation is concluded Kolson will make small talk with Kinzh'Lizakh, turning the conversation back to Zeiss and his absence. He will mention what a terrible thing it is to have your boss snatched away by the Sho military for what is ultimately an erroneous misunderstanding. A misunderstanding with potentially dire consequences for both Aluvia and Sho.

He will then say that the Exchange could use a friend in this matter to help clear it up and that the Exchange would be very grateful to that friend in the future.

ooc:

Zeiss:
The Sclavi nods somberly after you've finished your spiel and informs you, regretfully, that if you are unwilling to divulge the true nature of your mission and orders... which he both understands and respects professionally... then his superiors will have no choice but to sentence you to death by public execution for your most heinous crimes.

Javan:
The Sclavi is very diplomatic and considerate, showing himself as very sympathetic to your plight as one of the mere soldiers involved in a scheme that is (clearly) beyond your grasp, and promises as much leeway and amnesty politically and legally that he can arrange as long as you inform him of the entirety of your knowledge of the orders your direct superior, Zeiss, gave you as well as any information on HIS orders that came from the office of Lady Lightmane.

Kolson & Rory:
Overall Kolson manages to secure a fairly good trade agreement with Kinzh'Lizakh, such that he's even willing to send you back to Holtburg with the initial shipment as a good will effort. When informed that your boss was snatched away by the Sho military, he finds this puzzling since from his (admittedly vague) understanding the vast majority of the Sho military were in Stonehold fighting the good fight, conquering the conniving savage races of that area in retaliation for their efforts against the Sho Empire. Nevertheless he confesses that, given the situation, it would not be out of bounds to expect bad things to follow. You get the impression that he believes you are implying that the nature of your business relationship is about to go from official to smuggling, and he quickly segways into discussions about people he knows who might be able to help in dodging tariffs and inspectors.

Javan nods once, stops to think for a brief moment, now properly understanding the situation, saying that he'll give all the little information he has on his friend, and just ask a little bit of patience so he can get something out of his chest.
He then starts to explain how full of holes this whole idea of Zeiss killing someone in an inn in his OWN room AND not having accounted for an escort AND not having a cleaner solution for fleeing the place, since Zeiss had easy access to an Exit Materia. Not to mention how awfully quickly the said escort reached the inn, considering they had just arrived at the inn themselves when all hell broke lose.
Javan concludes that the whole scene was constructed in such a way those present and aware of the missing rapier would freak out and do stupid things like trying to flee from Sho soldiers, independent of innocence. This not only ensured the creation of a scapegoat, and pointing out that the Sclavi just told him that the person killed was a Alluvian official on Sho soil, this spacegoat would also be used to create a conflict between Sho and Alluvia. This would be bad for both nations, and worse for Lady Lightmane.
Finally, Javan nods again and starts to tell him about what orders Zeiss were under: One, to get the Undermarket back and working through the Exchange, as it seems it was much more important to the well-being of all nations than most people gave it credit. Two, to stop a certain purple mage that has been recently messing with the elemental leylines and causing all sorts of problems to everybody. The fairy goes the extra mile to explain the second order is the one he's more interested in seeing being done himself, seeing the kind of wreckage that purple mage is capable of leaving on his wake, and that Zeiss is heavily invested in the first order, making no sense he would take a order from Lady Lightmane for killing in foreign soil and risking death when he was THIS close of making a huge deal that would put the Exchange in such great advantage.
There is no third order.

Zeiss stares at the interrogator and ask calmly :

"Let's say that I really committed this murder and confessed to it, what would happen to me? And more importantly, what would happen to my companions, if you captured any of them?"

OOC:

Javan:
The Sclavi nods somberly and informs you, in a tone making it clear that he is disappointed in your answer, that guilt has already been determined and that the poor young, impressionable Fairy would likely be sentenced alongside his fellow conspirators if nothing could be found to assist in exonerating him.

Zeiss:
The Sclavi expresses surprise that Zeiss shows interest in his companions, but admits that any co-conspirators to the crime are completely irrelevant to him and his superiors. If, however, Zeiss were to cooperate, it is far more likely that he could be lenient with him with regard to his horrible crimes, as (and your K:P roll confirms this) per Sho law, the one giving the orders is the one culpable in a crime, not the one committing it.

Zeiss sits back in his chair, his eyes fixed on the interrogator. After a few seconds of consideration, he finally says with a confident tone :

"I confess. I killed that man in my own room at the inn."

He slightly leans towards the Sclavi.

"And I did it under the orders of Lady Lightmane, Lord of Holtburg. She's not someone you can refuse. And because I have experience as an assassin, being an ex-member of the Bloodied Flock, she felt that I was the right man for this mission. My companions weren't informed about this. After all, being who and what they are, it wasn't their place to know."

Zeiss smiles.

"I'm sure you understand."

OOC:

Zeiss:
The Sclavi nods somberly, taking a few notes on his slate. "It's entirely understandable... if not for our informant, the Lady's scheme might have succeeded, too. Bit of a pity, isn't it?" He gives a faint smile before moving for the wall, which slides away smoothly to allow him to exit. "I will be back with your Fairy friend as soon as my superiors decide how best to move forward." Without waiting or acknowledging reply, he leaves.

Javan:
The Sclavi has all but given up on you, and is about to leave, obviously somewhat irritated, when the wall slides open again and another Sclavi in similar dress enters and whispers something into the first's ear. The first nods, then turns to you and adds, quietly, "One should be careful where one places loyalty, young one." The two then both leave you alone in the room.

Javan bows apologetically to the first Sclavi, although not all that sure about how exactly take that last comment, a honest warning or a reminder of his impending doom.

At least he would be given some extra time to think about it now in this empty cube, it seemed. It was better than to ponder how much screwed Javan was based on the interrogator's irritation.

Zeiss stays silent and waits.

Javan:
A decent period of time passes, though with no sunlight or clock or even food to help keep the time you have no idea how long. Finally the wall slides open once more, revealing eight armored Sclavi and one Moarsman who beckons you to follow him. Leaving, cautiously, you find yourself staring into the sun blistering down--not quite at noon. A quick reconnoiter leads you to believe you're in the more run down residential area of town, and are surrounded by a large number of crudely-shaped, square-like vehicles of some sort. They don't appear to be Airskiffs, at least not with the level of armor and weapons they're sporting. As the soldiers escort you towards another of the odd devices, you successfully roll Awareness and overhear tidbits of conversation between the Moarsman and one of the following soldiers, the gist of which is that you and the 'assassin' will be paraded through the city streets under ceremonial guard before being shipped with the convoy towards the HQ (wherever that is). You also roll well enough to overhear that they soldiers have claimed a local tavern, the Tipsy Princess, as a temporary outpost and officer's quarters which also happens to be where your and Zeiss' gear is currently stored.

Zeiss:
After a fairly long wait in the hot and uncomfortable metal room, the wall slides open once more to reveal eight armored Sclavi, a uniformed Moarsman, and a Javan wearing rags. They beckon to you, and quickly shove you beside Javan and inform both of you to wait patiently.

Javan, while quite relieved to see Zeiss in one piece and properly telling him that, decided it wasn't quite over yet, and quickly and quietly info-dumped Zeiss on what happened up until now, plus what he had seen and listened on his way here.

OOC:

Kolson will nod and compliment Kinzh'Lizakh on his idea of coming up with a contingency plan but will then suggest that in addition to that he would also like to help his boss before such plans become necessary. To do that he will need help and he's willing to trade favors and muscle, such as doing more things like the recent mission, for that help.

When he gets the chance to talk to Javan, Zeiss asks :

"Are you okay?"

Following this, he listens to what the young fairy has to say, assuming their escort don't force him to stay silent. He then whispers to Javan :

"Let's hope nobody attacks us."

OOC:

Zeiss is well aware that such a parade is completely out of the ordinary.

Zeiss looks worried.

OOC:

Kolson & Rory:
After a few Diplomacy rolls, the Burun nods appreciatively and informs Kolson that he might know someone who may be able to help him in his particular endeavors... free of charge, in thanks for all of the Exchange's help in these matters. He then dismisses the group, a bit abruptly, but the servant who comes leads the two of you outside and gives you directions to a warehouse cluster near the west side of the city.

On approach to said warehouse, either or both of you start to realize the people are being somewhat quiet in general; no buzz, no gossiping, the streets seem much quieter than they should be. On arrival you find an elderly Moarsman gentleman, who upon being given a small slip of paper the earlier servant handed you nods in anticipation. After a bit of clarification with the older man, you have apparently been given leave to procure more or less whatever you need from his supply stores and stocks within reason in order to help save your comrades.

Plan Part 1: The Parade

Equipment: We divide the smoke bombs between us three. If I'm counting right, that should be 2 a piece.

Higaide also gets Zeiss' sword as well our replacement spear for Javan.

You both get two iron daggers in case you need to cut any rope. Give the extras to Zeiss and Javan if it looks like they'll be able to help.

You both get a lock picking set in case we need Zeiss to do so.

I'll take one of the communication stones and one of you gets the other.

The Plan:

1. We run ahead of the parade where you two mingle with the crowd, taking up position in the front of the crowd.

Meanwhile, I'll find a high point within range of your stone and see if I can act as your eyes in the sky and reinforcements if things go wrong.

2. When they pass by, I'll give the signal and you guys throw the smoke bombs. The trick will be using them to cut yourselves, the prisoners, and their handlers off from everyone else. I'll hit the handlers with a fire spell to soften them up and you guys finish them off however way you are comfortable with.

3a. If Zeiss and Javan are chained up, you'll need to find a key on the guards. If they are tied up instead, use the daggers to quickly cut them free. If you can't do either of those then pick them up and run away.

3b. IF this is a trap to draw us out, we'll need to concentrate as soon as possible so I can Exit us out of there. I'll set off another smoke bomb to show our rally point and we can all meet there. Then zoom.

4. We'll regroup back at base camp.

Kolson will look for a perch overlooking our ambush zone.

There is a decent crowd that has gathered around the paraded foreigners, mostly the curious and the concerned, with quiet mutterings throughout all asking the same type of question in Serpent. Naturally finding a true high-point amongst Sho architecture is not the easiest thing to do but Kolson manages to successfully Diplomacy his way to the second floor of a nearby clothing store to perch at a window which overlooks the ambush zone.

There is a tense moment for the party as the small parade presses its way by the designated spot as Rory accidentally stumbles into someone, drawing a small bit of attention. As the eyes of the soldiers turn to spot the out-of-place Human, everyone realizes their intended ambush is about to fail and quickly the smoke bombs are hurled. Zeiss and Javan both find their vision suddenly blurred as the soldiers around them start shouting, and one of them yells in Serpent;

Serpent:

Zeiss, who just understood what the soldier said, knows he needs to hurry.

He grabs Javan by the arm, then contacts Advoc telepathically to tell him to cast Holy Radiance on the surrounding area. If Advoc is still under the side effects of his prolonged absence from his summoner, Zeiss will take direct control to force him to cast the spell and use his vision to guide them out of the smoke.

He also yells in Serpent : "The prisoners! They're going towards [opposite direction of where Advoc and the rest of the party are]!"

OOC:

Higaide dashes for the position where Zeiss and Javan were before the smoke went up. If they're mobile, i'll prioritize getting them out of harm's way first (using the crowd to my advantage, if possible), and deal with whatever bindings they may have once they're not in imminent danger. If not, and their restraints are anything that can be cut by an iron dagger in under the time it would take for a nearby armored Sclavi to skewer me (unlikely), i'll deal with that first.

If that's not an option either, there'll be no choice but to fight the Guards. I'll target the Moarsman first, and throw him at the nearest Sclavi (Improved Grapple). As for the Sclavi themselves, i'll prioritize disarming them (Improved Disarm), since the Armor might make them harder to toss around at each other, though it might be worth trying a Stun-Fist + Throw combo. If their armor gives them Damage Reduction, i'll use Ki Strike to switch to magic damage as needed.

If any of the attackers gets dangerously close to Zeiss or Javan while they're vulnerable (i.e., bound), i'll prioritize them, and burn Charges as necessary to get them off their backs, preferably by tossing the guards at each other (might as well make the most of it), same for AP.

Lastly, i'm just here to free my associates, so i'll be happy as always to disable any threats without having to kill anyone. But if i see that's not an option, i'll do whatever i have to, even if i won't like it.