Re: 2nd adventure: Proxy War

by Zeiss Wed Sep 14, 2016 7:39 pm

Breeze happily flies in the room with Steve, and greets every other person that enters. Strangely enough, Zelk doesn't sneer at Steve, or even ignore him; instead, she gives him a small nod, then goes to sit down with her squad.

The evening proves to be quite pleasing, although Fedler seems to have something on her mind, as she seems preoccupied about something. If asked, she will reply that she's only a little tired after all the work she did on the ship, and everything is fine.

A few games of Joker Poker in, and it becomes obvious that Fredrick (Drei) is the one member of the squad who knows how to keep a poker face, and him and Steve end up playing against each other quite a few times. Even if Steve did end up winning more often than not when faced against him, he knows that he found an equal in Fredrick when it comes to the subtle art of deception.

Adam (Eins), and Naomi (Zwei) do not mind sharing part of their background when prompted to; Adam was a member of the Red Blades for ten years (one of the Big Three, and competitors to the Coins), until he was dissatisfied with this life, and joined the Free Feathers military in the hope of working for something more than just a paycheck. As for Naomi, she was born in Freehold, a little village up in the mountains of the Free Feathers, and signed up with the military when she was sixteen years old; she doesn't regret it.

OOC:

by Zeiss Wed Sep 14, 2016 7:42 pm

For Mihai only:

by Zeiss Wed Sep 14, 2016 10:21 pm

For Mihai only:

by Zeiss Wed Sep 14, 2016 11:24 pm

2:42 PM, 7th of August
Zest's Gate, the Enclave

Zest's Gate is now in sight, and the ship is in the process of mooring with the wharf. This city is the economic entryway to the Enclave, and the gray clouds now covering the sky cannot hide the fact that despite its reputation as a den of villainy and scum, it actually looks like any other Free Feathers city. Zelk and her squad are on the deck, as well as the party members, except Fedler and Mihai who are currently speaking at the bow of the ship. Adam looks up at the sky.

"It's going to rain soon..."

"Wow!" exclaims Breeze. "Look at that!"

She points to Mihai and Fedler, who are kissing. A few sailors look at them, but quickly return to their attention to their current task.

"Uh," comments Fredrick. "I heard he was her brother. So I guess I was mislead? Because I'm really hoping I was."

"They're totally not brother and sister," confirms the fairy, who has stars in her eyes. She then flies away to speak to them.

The rest of the squad members are curious, but are quick to ignore the matter. A short moment later, you all see Breeze flying towards you, shouting, "Staaaaaaaan! D just kissed Red! We gotta tell Black Feather!" Every sailor can hear her, and many of them laugh at the fairy's obliviousness.

The fairy then proceeds to relate everything she saw to Steve, and how they should tell "Black Feather", by which she probably means Yen. She then describes the kiss. "And it was a big SMACK! I'm telling you, the sound resonated into my body!"

A few minutes after Stan high-fived Blue for her idea, with a happy "Yeah!", the ship finally docks, and Mihai and Fedler rejoins the party. The plank is laid down, and the quartermaster walks up to you.

"I will take care of the registration papers while you're away from the ship; don't worry, the Barracuda is in good hands."

The sailors start the real work; getting the merchandise off the ship. Ice turns towards the party.

"You all know the mission. Shall we go?"

by Kolson Wed Sep 14, 2016 11:46 pm

"Yeah," says Stan nodding, "Ready."

by K Thu Sep 15, 2016 6:39 am

D finishes adjusting the harness on his greatsword, gives one final tug to the straps on his right arm's leather armor, then quickly jerks his shoulders to make sure his gear isn't making any unwanted noise.

He shuts his eyes for a second, and when he opens them again, his game face is back on.

by Rory Thu Sep 15, 2016 8:53 am

[Wait, a greatsword? Did you take a level in Fighter?]

The captain is on deck around an hour or so ahead of their arrival. At all times he takes care not to imbibe or smoke in front of the men, who are limited to off-hours to do so and sparingly (there's a specific limit, but I don't recall).

After the spotter points out Enclave, and later Zest's Gate, Konrad asks Edward, "Edward, refresh my memory for me, why is Zest's Gate named so?"

On their approach, he descends from the bow. to Artamo, he comments, "Sorry mate, it looks like I was wrong. Chin up, we're nearing port."

He'll leave it to Edward to give the order to moor the Barracuda. To Ice, he responds, "Always ready. It's your show; you want us all with you to meet your friend, or shall we spread out a little?"

OOC
I still have some cupcakes in my bag, I assume they're all gone by now? I'm keeping the food though, it can be assumed that I ate it and spent money on more food as we went, so let's assume that what I have right now is from the town or city where we could purchase food.

by Zeiss Thu Sep 15, 2016 3:47 pm

OOC:

The Barracuda's crew put a little more effort into their work when in Konrad's presence, but the quartermaster is keeping a tight ship, and every task is done swiftly and meticulously.

Konrad wrote:After the spotter points out Enclave, and later Zest's Gate, Konrad asks Edward, "Edward, refresh my memory for me, why is Zest's Gate named so?"

"The people from the Enclave are said to be zestful, and this city is the economic hub for the whole Enclave. I suppose some people just thought it was a clever name."

Konrad wrote:On their approach, he descends from the bow. to Artamo, he comments, "Sorry mate, it looks like I was wrong. Chin up, we're nearing port."

"Of course, captain!" It's quite clear he doesn't believe Konrad, but that doesn't bother him too much, as he can only deplore that Fedler is already taken. "After witnessing that, I can say that she's an amazing woman, even more than I thought."

Konrad wrote:He'll leave it to Edward to give the order to moor the Barracuda. To Ice, he responds, "Always ready. It's your show; you want us all with you to meet your friend, or shall we spread out a little?"

The lieutenant motions to the party and her squad to follow her on the pier, so they can talk more discreetly. The dock is full of workers loading and unloading many ships' worth of merchandises, and it's a little difficult to find a spot where to discuss the mission, but they manage to.

"We will meet the agent together, but we need to find the tavern first," specifies Ice. "I only know that it's somewhere near the docks, but we'll have to ask for directions. So let's spread out, and meet again in thirty minutes in front of that warehouse, right there. Use that time to also investigate any recent news worth our attention."

She points to a large building with a red roof, which is two minutes away from the Barracuda's pier if you walk.

"Let's go, and be discreet," concludes the Lieutenant.

She and her squad members spread out, leaving the party members alone.

"Well, I'm going with Fedler!" declares the cloaked fairy. "The girls gotta talk."

"We're on a mission, Blue," responds Red in an effort to admonish her. "We have work to do."

Blue then whispers super loudly. "It's a good way to be conspicuous. Time to blend into the crowd."

The little creature flies away, with Fedler in tow, leaving the three of you alone on the pier. The north side of the city is a large residential area, the west side appears to be the downtown area, while the south is quite industrial; the docks, where you are right now, are on the east side of Zest's Gate.

OOC:

by Kolson Thu Sep 15, 2016 5:07 pm

"Welp, I'll take that area over there then. Toodle-oo gents." The black mage will walk off whistling tunelessly, the very picture of innocent tourist. He'll spend the next fifteen minutes browsing and getting to know any people who are open to it and asking questions about the town's name, spots of interest, news, interesting tidbits of gossip, and the location of the tavern since "I'm meeting friends there later for drinks."

Gather Information roll = 17

by Rory Thu Sep 15, 2016 5:16 pm

["Some people thought it was a clever name." Wink

It's not a bad name.]

"Keep a weather eye on, you lot. Walk with me, D."

"Akim" will head in another direction with D and roll Gather Info while the other's player assists him with that.

[My Gather Info is 5. You may beat a DC of 10, presuming favorable conditions, to give me a +2 to Gather Info. Or roll for yourself.]

by K Thu Sep 15, 2016 5:21 pm

D goes off in whatever direction the others haven't gone that isn't the water. He'll ask around where he can get the latest news sheet, and the Tavern's location.

To Akim - "What?"

Gather Info Roll: 17 + 7

by Rory Thu Sep 15, 2016 7:29 pm

"Just want to get a sense of where we're at, you know, the group, as it were. Let me ask you about, uh, Red. She seem alright to you?"

[Gather Info is +5]

by K Thu Sep 15, 2016 7:36 pm

"What do you mean?"

by Rory Thu Sep 15, 2016 7:49 pm

"Well, I suppose I mean to ask how she's taking to this new profession. When we talked in my quarters, she seemed to be...reflecting on the task ahead of us, and it occurred to me that she might have some personal issues related to our current mission. Did she confide with you on anything that might be related?"

by K Thu Sep 15, 2016 7:56 pm

"Have you seen us so much as look at each other in the last two days? Apart from just now."

by Rory Thu Sep 15, 2016 8:02 pm

"Hardly, but the two of you have spent plenty of time behind closed doors, as have I. There's a great deal you don't see me doing where others can see." The captain grins with devilish delight at his own remark.

by K Thu Sep 15, 2016 8:05 pm

"Nor care to. Anyway, she doesn't want to talk about it."

by Rory Thu Sep 15, 2016 8:19 pm

"I see. Then we should hope those personal issues stay personal for the time being, yes? And if she is ever finally ready to talk about it, keep me apprised if you would be so kind."

[That is all. Results, please. We at least know the name of the tavern, right?]

by K Thu Sep 15, 2016 8:30 pm

D just gives him a weird look.

"I'm gonna go look for the news sheet. I'll ask about the tavern on the way."

Unless Akim has something else to say, D will go his own way now.

by Zeiss Thu Sep 15, 2016 9:50 pm

Half an hour later, the party regroups in front of the designated rendezvous point. Ice and her squad members, alongside Red and Blue, are hanging out in front of the warehouse's doors. They're mostly taking in the sights; a multitude of dock workers are moving crates and barrels of merchandises under the watchful eye of an horde of seagulls, who are ready to strike at a moment's notice at any comestible goods that might drop on the ground. Once Blue notices the rest of the party approaching, she gleefully waves at them.

"Here you are," remarks Zwei (Naomi). "We've got the location of the tavern; 140 on Frivolity Street."

"Except we have no idea where Frivolity Street is," adds Drei (Fredrick) with a derisive smile.

"We were counting on you to figure it out."

"That fellow seemed to know this city quite well!" he retorts. "Not my fault he mistook one street for the other."

They look expectantly at the three of you.

"Do you have any more details?" asks Ice, sounding almost convincingly detached.

Meanwhile, Eins (Adam) is leaning on the wall, while keeping an eye on every path visible from this location. To trained eyes such as Akim and D, it is apparent that he is standing guard.

Akim only learned that the tavern, the Fervent Mermaid, is somewhere between the downtown and docks area, but coupled with the squad's info, it becomes obvious where they need to go. D and Stan do learn the exact location of the tavern, and that it opens at 5:00 PM (almost one hour and a half from now).

D has learned from the weekly News sheet that the Management Council of Zest’s Gate is still arguing over the distribution of the funds that are periodically handed over by the Big Three, and how to administer it best. Should they prioritize the repair of the street pavements, or expand the docks? Very important decision.

As for Akim, he learned two things of note; the Golden Legion has closed down another one of their base, this time in Emerald. People whisper that a string of failed missions is the cause for this, and that the other two most important mercenary companies in the Archipelago (the Coins and the Red Blades) are planning to take over their competitor’s assets, while others claim it would be more profitable for all of them to preserve the status quo. He also learns that a man named Alverdark has successfully usurped the position of local crime boss, and has now been building up his power base for the last month.

As for Stan, he learns that people here prefer to refer to their city as Zest, since "adding 'Gate' to that is just a mouthful," explained a local. He also heard some sailors swear that they’ve seen the shadow of an imposing sea creature swimming right under their ship only five days ago.

But all of you, including the squad members, have heard about this city sponsored homestead where strange creatures have taken up residence. Because of how people talked about it, most of you thought they were talking about some sort of circus, but it appears that a park has been converted into a home that was fitted to the unique needs of fairies; and the Coins are the ones who've been pushing for it. This has been made known to the general population only five days ago.

"Most people we talked to believed that Blue was living in that homestead," explains Red. "And... well, I've heard strange rumors about statues around the town who decide to take a walk in the middle of the night. Some think that fairies are responsible and should be expelled, but... a lot of people say it's the Empire."

She stops talking, a look of disbelief and worry on her face. Meanwhile, Blue is floating above Konrad's head, euphoric at the prospect of meeting new fairies.

"Can you imagine!? Fairies that aren't my brothers and sisters! I wonder if we could become friends..."

She keeps dreaming of the possibilities, while a few people passe by and giver her a curious look, but keep on walking, like if they weren't that surprised to see such a creature flying in the air. One of them even say, "Domes, fairies, moving statues... next thing you know, we'll have unicorns."

by Kolson Thu Sep 15, 2016 10:12 pm

"I wonder what a walking statue eats? Maybe seagulls? Or seagull feces?" he asks rhetorically, clearly making a mental note to write that down later. "Anyway, if what they are saying is true it might be the work of a powerful artifact. Perhaps that creature in the sea as well. It wouldn't be the first time a Cursed beast was attracted by self-sustaining magic. What do you think Ice?"

by K Thu Sep 15, 2016 10:18 pm

Fedler wrote:"Most people we talked to believed that Blue was living in that homestead," explains Red. "And... well, I've heard strange rumors about statues around the town who decide to take a walk in the middle of the night. Some think that fairies are responsible and should be expelled, but... a lot of people say it's the Empire.

"Anything's possible." - muses the guy that charged a self-sustaining fire aspect just a few months ago - "But the rumor mill will turn up anything. Still, i'll go out on a limb and guess the thing will probably happen at night. Could be worth our while to learn a bit more on statues that move."

by Zeiss Thu Sep 15, 2016 10:31 pm

The lieutenant considers Stan's theory for a short moment, then speculates herself. "I do not believe this to be the work of one artifact only; if we count the rumors outside Zest's Gate, the locations of all these phenomenons are just too spread out from each other. It would require an insane amount of power to do this. I guess we cannot exclude the effects of the Dome on its environment, but if I had to put forward a theory, I would say that magic itself is the root of all this."

She thinks about this for a little while longer. To Mihai's suggestion, Eins will now speak up.

"Don't forget; we're here for the artifact, not these statues. We should go to the tavern soon."

He goes back to guard duty, and wait for the rest of the group to move on to the mission. Zwei and Drei, however, cannot resist to talk about it.

"If these statues can really move," she starts, "I doubt they are hostile. Someone would have reported it."

"Maybe we could talk to them, once this mission is over," suggests Blue, a big smile on her face.

"Why not invite them on a picnic?" jests Drei.

by K Thu Sep 15, 2016 10:40 pm

D just glances at Eins, with the feeling something obvious got lost in translation.

by Rory Fri Sep 16, 2016 8:10 am

"I'll admit I'm curious about the statues, and this fairy village, but I agree with Eins. Let's get our intel first. We may have time to check out the statues tonight if we feel like solving a mystery, if intel says we have the time. If not, perhaps after the mission, and a visit to the fairies can definitely wait until after. Now, shall we get going?"

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