You head over to the doorman and give him the code as you had been instructed. He leads you to a room on the third floor and lets you in, locking the door behind you with a click.
The clicks continue and you find yourself sitting on a dirty bench in a colosseum lit by everlit torches and surrounded by cheering goblins, bugbears, and ogres. There is what looks like a ring in the center, but the walls extend far above what would allow you to view inside.
A familiar voice from behind you says "You picked a good night to come, the Daask payed good money for that portal. Welcome to the six stones", He pauses, "What have you brought me?"
Vane looks a bit on edge, both anxious and oddly excited. He looks around before remarking silently to his comrades
"Ah so the rumors do indeed do this justice."
He bends down and whispers in the ear of Nordain in the way an adviser might to a king. He speaks quickly in hopes of not raising suspicion and to make sure he is heard amongst the noisy crowd
"Don't waste your coin here and don't trust who's in charge."
Vane's posture returns back to normal and his expression suggests that he was only speaking casually
ooc; You're in the stands, i'm sorry if i didnt make that abundantly clear. Also the voice you recognized is shade[if that wasnt clear enough]
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El SkidThe frozen white northRegistered Userregular
edited March 2008
Ariel looks around in astonishment while she tries to work out where they have stumbled into. Once she realizes the gist, her face contorts into a look of distaste.
"Ugh, what a horrible place. Let's get this over with quickly."
Setting her shoulders she turns to face Shade, though the look of disgust doesn't change. "Firstly, we've lost two of our number- they walked off once we'd seen your deceased friend in the morgue. These two are with us for various reasons- did you want the three of us to go aside while we speak of sensitive matters?"
He looks the two newcomers in the eyes and says in a cool deadpan voice "No, its fine. I'm sure there won't be any problems", he pauses "The locals don't give a damn what we're talking about"
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El SkidThe frozen white northRegistered Userregular
edited March 2008
Ariel shrugs.
"Okay, you're the boss."
"So we found the guy's body and bribed our way in. He had had this ring shoved down his throat... "Ariel tosses the ring to Shade, "We're pretty sure it was his. Someone thought it was a 'You betrayed your house and now you will choke on it' sort of gesture."
"Also, Vane here was the one who found the body- I can let him tell the story himself, but it basically looks like some woman of the same house hired Vane, and he just happened to stumble on the body".
Looking over at Nordain, she'll ask: "That sound about right? Did I leave anything important out?".
Vane seems a little taken aback by the fact the two were working for this shade
"He claimed to be a student at Morgrave. They know nothing about him- but he is young enough to pretend he is one. And...."
Vane debates whether he should divulge all information pertaining the elf girl or not and decides to say
"He asked me to help escort an elven woman-friend of his out of Sharn... During that attempt I ran into your friend. Already deceased, of course." (referring to the dead body)
"But since my employer hasn't been entirely honest with me, it wouldn't surprise me if he or his lady-friend were involved in some way. "
Still addressing the Shade
"Were you aware of any younger men , with any financial influence, scouting for mercs to hire a little before your friend died?"
The warforged looks at vane "If you want mercs, you go to the guilds. But if you're doing a job through them, its gonna be registered, were you working with them?"
For El Skid/Ariel
There is a note in your pocket, it read "Did you tell them who i am with?"
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El SkidThe frozen white northRegistered Userregular
There is a note in your pocket, it read "Did you tell them who i am with?"
Ariel feels in her pocket, and for a moment her look of distaste is mingled with something like surprise. She immediately resumes her look and pauses a moment while Vane is speaking. Taking something partially out of her pocket, she glances at it covertly, and puts her hand back in quickly.
She looks directly at Shade and gives the tiniest shake of her head No.
"No, meet me in the same place in a week, ill see what i can find on the ring" He says, looking as concerned as a warforged can, or maybe its contemplative....
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El SkidThe frozen white northRegistered Userregular
edited March 2008
"Very well. We'll follow the leads we have, and enjoy some tiny sandwiches with a side of snobbery, and get back to you in a week." Still looking disgusted, Ariel adds: "And if we could arrange for a slightly nicer meeting place after next time, I'd appreciate it."
"You don't like the sports? No matter, this is a one time thing, unless you happen to land on another betting day"
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El SkidThe frozen white northRegistered Userregular
edited April 2008
"Let's hope that doesn't happen." looking around at the others and pointedly avoiding looking in the direction of the rings, Ariel tries to refocus on the task at hand.
"So, I gather we have Vane's employer to look for, and some clothes shopping to do. At least I do- I imagine that I'll be sticking out like a sore thumb regardless, but I should make an effort to blend in amongst the snobs, even if I'm doomed fail miserably."
Without waiting for a reply, she'll start heading for the portal back, looking determinedly away from the ring, orcs and Shade.
It must have been quite a bit of effort to create such a portal- I don't even know where I am now, but I think we're all in over our head here. she thinks as she walks.
"Oh, and you might want to check up on that ring with someone in Phairlan, ive no clue why my contact would have had it, click your heels three times to get back to the inn"
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El SkidThe frozen white northRegistered Userregular
edited April 2008
Okay, now he's just showing off.
"Right, shall we leave then, lady and gentlemen?" Ariel exclaims sweetly, as she starts tapping her heels together, not even looking back towards the warforged.
Vane doesn't seem very content in the vicinity of the arena (and its various happenings) and quickly follows Ariel.
"...I suppose we should head to the Clifftop Adventurer's Guild...I'm somewhat surprised they keep tabs as much as your friend says...But I guess I should have figured.."
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Quoththe RavenMiami, FL FOR REALRegistered Userregular
edited April 2008
Viola shrugs.
"As long as we have time to get ready for the party, whenever it is. And don't think for a minute that I'm going to let you out of my sight until then."
"Same deal goes for the newcomers, you'll find payment when you get back to the inn, and Ariel..." The warforged produces another manila envelope similar to the one you first received "Open this if i can't make it to the next meeting"
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El SkidThe frozen white northRegistered Userregular
edited April 2008
Ariel finishes clicking her heels the second time and stops.
Raising her eyebrows, she turns and walks over to the warforged, grabbing the envelope.
"You got it. I'll not allow it to be opened unless you miss our next meeting."
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El SkidThe frozen white northRegistered Userregular
edited April 2008
Ariel clicks her heels together again, and vanishes from sight.
......
Finding herself back on the third floor of the inn, Ariel looks around. Seeing noone she shakes her head ruefully.
Werewolves, magical fighting rings, intrigue between houses and sandwiches with a side of snobbery. Meditation and prayer have never sounded so good.
Vane looks in astonishment at the space Ariel once occupied and had now vanished.
"You have got to be bloody kidding me"
He turns around to look back in the direction of Shade, a look of disbelief on his face. He turns and looks back at his feet- the expression on his face seems to tell that he feels silly doing what is about to do- but of course he does it anyway:
Vane surveys his surroundings and notices Ariel sitting on one of the chairs in the row.
He walks up to chairs and looks about unsure if there is any sort of trickery at hand. He seems like he is about to sit next to Ariel but then suddenly choses the chair one seat away from her.
"I guess we should be accurate in terms of our time joining this little group..."
Vane picks up the bag and sits down.. He weighs the bag with one hand casually before opening it.
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Quoththe RavenMiami, FL FOR REALRegistered Userregular
edited April 2008
"Hey, what the..." Viola mutters under her breath. She looks at the dwarf and shrugs. "Here we go."
Last of the four, Nordain appears back in the tavern room in a surly temper.
"Right." He says, glancing down into the bag and then strapping it to his belt. "I do not like the smell of this, and after the Werewolf I feel ill prepared. There is some shopping I would like to do, and after that we should get prepared for the ball."
He looks around at the others. "Or does anyone else have a better idea?"
I am not sure how much gold we have recieved yet, is it something like 1500? Nordain started out with 494 gold, and would like to buy a silver and a cold iron dwarven battleaxe. Could be a chance for someone to buy a dress for Ariel, as well.
"I may be able to procure some information from Clifftop, while you go shopping. If you would like...."
Vane looks down for a moment "I'm not sure what the odds are of just running into my employer by chance... Unless you know something I don't".
In a more confused tone he asks
"What is this about a werewolf?"
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El SkidThe frozen white northRegistered Userregular
edited April 2008
"The werewolf? Shade (the guy in the ring) tested the 4 original members of this group by hiring... ", her mouth wrinkles in distaste, "a werewolf to attack us."
As always when she thought of the event, rage sent Ariel's muscles aquiver.
"We beat it without it getting a hit in, but our employer does seem to have some rather annoying habits. He works for the government, but he spies, gambles and generally seems to use methods that some of us feel are deplorable. I don't like him much myself, but if this is for the greater good of the city, I'm willing to investigate this crime for him."
"As for shopping... that depends. When is this ball, anyway? We need to figure out if we have time to shop and visit Clifftop"
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El SkidThe frozen white northRegistered Userregular
edited May 2008
"The ball is in 6 days' time" replies Nordain, not bothering to glance at the invitations.
"We should have plenty of time, then." says Ariel, thoughtfully, as though speaking to herself. Her continuing anger at Shade for the werewolf incident is again thrown aside. "As much as I hate to wear anything other than my monk's robes, I'm afraid there's just no helping it."
Why am I excited? I shouldn't be excited by some boring snobby party... Lords and ladies not even bothering to look at me because I don't have a title... But I'll make them see me.
An involuntary shiver passes through Ariel, and she slides into a stone-faced look of calm. The beginnings of a plan starting to ferment in her mind.
Vane stands up, picking up the sack of gold with him....
"Now that it seems like I'm under employment..it seems I should have a more vested interest..."
"I'm prepared to follow any orders should you have any..."
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El SkidThe frozen white northRegistered Userregular
edited May 2008
"I think those of us without the proper attire should do a little shopping, in case anything needs to be made or altered." replies Ariel, still seeming somewhat distracted. "Then, we can go to cliffport and see what we can't find out".
I wonder if a green dress would make my butt look too big? Can I even walk in high heels? I don't even own any jewelery? I wonder if I have enough money to pull this off properly...
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Quoththe RavenMiami, FL FOR REALRegistered Userregular
edited May 2008
Viola grins at the tiny female.
"I brought a few things with me, but..." She gestures at the bag of money, "I think I can afford to splurge on something nicer. Do you know the marketplace well? We could go together...?"
Posts
The clicks continue and you find yourself sitting on a dirty bench in a colosseum lit by everlit torches and surrounded by cheering goblins, bugbears, and ogres. There is what looks like a ring in the center, but the walls extend far above what would allow you to view inside.
A familiar voice from behind you says "You picked a good night to come, the Daask payed good money for that portal. Welcome to the six stones", He pauses, "What have you brought me?"
"Ah so the rumors do indeed do this justice."
He bends down and whispers in the ear of Nordain in the way an adviser might to a king. He speaks quickly in hopes of not raising suspicion and to make sure he is heard amongst the noisy crowd
"Don't waste your coin here and don't trust who's in charge."
Vane's posture returns back to normal and his expression suggests that he was only speaking casually
Local Knowledge 5+2 int mod.
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1537568/
"Ugh, what a horrible place. Let's get this over with quickly."
Setting her shoulders she turns to face Shade, though the look of disgust doesn't change. "Firstly, we've lost two of our number- they walked off once we'd seen your deceased friend in the morgue. These two are with us for various reasons- did you want the three of us to go aside while we speak of sensitive matters?"
"Okay, you're the boss."
"So we found the guy's body and bribed our way in. He had had this ring shoved down his throat... "Ariel tosses the ring to Shade, "We're pretty sure it was his. Someone thought it was a 'You betrayed your house and now you will choke on it' sort of gesture."
"Also, Vane here was the one who found the body- I can let him tell the story himself, but it basically looks like some woman of the same house hired Vane, and he just happened to stumble on the body".
Looking over at Nordain, she'll ask: "That sound about right? Did I leave anything important out?".
"He claimed to be a student at Morgrave. They know nothing about him- but he is young enough to pretend he is one. And...."
Vane debates whether he should divulge all information pertaining the elf girl or not and decides to say
"He asked me to help escort an elven woman-friend of his out of Sharn... During that attempt I ran into your friend. Already deceased, of course." (referring to the dead body)
"But since my employer hasn't been entirely honest with me, it wouldn't surprise me if he or his lady-friend were involved in some way. "
Still addressing the Shade
"Were you aware of any younger men , with any financial influence, scouting for mercs to hire a little before your friend died?"
For El Skid/Ariel
Ariel feels in her pocket, and for a moment her look of distaste is mingled with something like surprise. She immediately resumes her look and pauses a moment while Vane is speaking. Taking something partially out of her pocket, she glances at it covertly, and puts her hand back in quickly.
She looks directly at Shade and gives the tiniest shake of her head No.
Vane turns to those he accompanies.
"As he said we should probably go there immediately, unless you still have things to attend to."
While Vane waits for an answer he turns his gaze to the center stage of the arena, temporarily
"So, I gather we have Vane's employer to look for, and some clothes shopping to do. At least I do- I imagine that I'll be sticking out like a sore thumb regardless, but I should make an effort to blend in amongst the snobs, even if I'm doomed fail miserably."
Without waiting for a reply, she'll start heading for the portal back, looking determinedly away from the ring, orcs and Shade.
It must have been quite a bit of effort to create such a portal- I don't even know where I am now, but I think we're all in over our head here. she thinks as she walks.
"Right, shall we leave then, lady and gentlemen?" Ariel exclaims sweetly, as she starts tapping her heels together, not even looking back towards the warforged.
"...I suppose we should head to the Clifftop Adventurer's Guild...I'm somewhat surprised they keep tabs as much as your friend says...But I guess I should have figured.."
"As long as we have time to get ready for the party, whenever it is. And don't think for a minute that I'm going to let you out of my sight until then."
Raising her eyebrows, she turns and walks over to the warforged, grabbing the envelope.
"You got it. I'll not allow it to be opened unless you miss our next meeting."
......
Finding herself back on the third floor of the inn, Ariel looks around. Seeing noone she shakes her head ruefully.
Werewolves, magical fighting rings, intrigue between houses and sandwiches with a side of snobbery. Meditation and prayer have never sounded so good.
"You have got to be bloody kidding me"
He turns around to look back in the direction of Shade, a look of disbelief on his face. He turns and looks back at his feet- the expression on his face seems to tell that he feels silly doing what is about to do- but of course he does it anyway:
He clicks heels together three times.
Vane surveys his surroundings and notices Ariel sitting on one of the chairs in the row.
He walks up to chairs and looks about unsure if there is any sort of trickery at hand. He seems like he is about to sit next to Ariel but then suddenly choses the chair one seat away from her.
"I guess we should be accurate in terms of our time joining this little group..."
Vane picks up the bag and sits down.. He weighs the bag with one hand casually before opening it.
Clickclickclick--
"Right." He says, glancing down into the bag and then strapping it to his belt. "I do not like the smell of this, and after the Werewolf I feel ill prepared. There is some shopping I would like to do, and after that we should get prepared for the ball."
He looks around at the others. "Or does anyone else have a better idea?"
Vane looks down for a moment "I'm not sure what the odds are of just running into my employer by chance... Unless you know something I don't".
In a more confused tone he asks
"What is this about a werewolf?"
As always when she thought of the event, rage sent Ariel's muscles aquiver.
"We beat it without it getting a hit in, but our employer does seem to have some rather annoying habits. He works for the government, but he spies, gambles and generally seems to use methods that some of us feel are deplorable. I don't like him much myself, but if this is for the greater good of the city, I'm willing to investigate this crime for him."
"As for shopping... that depends. When is this ball, anyway? We need to figure out if we have time to shop and visit Clifftop"
"We should have plenty of time, then." says Ariel, thoughtfully, as though speaking to herself. Her continuing anger at Shade for the werewolf incident is again thrown aside. "As much as I hate to wear anything other than my monk's robes, I'm afraid there's just no helping it."
Why am I excited? I shouldn't be excited by some boring snobby party... Lords and ladies not even bothering to look at me because I don't have a title... But I'll make them see me.
An involuntary shiver passes through Ariel, and she slides into a stone-faced look of calm. The beginnings of a plan starting to ferment in her mind.
"Now that it seems like I'm under employment..it seems I should have a more vested interest..."
"I'm prepared to follow any orders should you have any..."
I wonder if a green dress would make my butt look too big? Can I even walk in high heels? I don't even own any jewelery? I wonder if I have enough money to pull this off properly...
"I brought a few things with me, but..." She gestures at the bag of money, "I think I can afford to splurge on something nicer. Do you know the marketplace well? We could go together...?"
"I....yes. I think I could use a bit of hel...err... advice."
I am not blushing. I cannot be blushing
"Umm...would you mind if I tag along ? I'm not exactly good at finding these kind of places.."
He looks around a bit unsure if he infringed on some female bonding
"I mean ..once we find a suitable tailor we can split up and meet up later.."
"...or something of that sort..."
He trails off