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[D&D 4e Game] The Guild - "Ben Darkmagic? Of the New Hampshire Darkmagics?"
SAW776
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
The Guild
The Party
Our Story So Far...
Important NPCs & Groups
Map
The Party
Zir Dulin (Marshmallow)
Jules Damakos (Helix09)
Bugg (nefffffffff)
Mia (bladecruiser)
Wil Errand (streever)
Lyre Legein (incas)
Jules Damakos (Helix09)
Bugg (nefffffffff)
Mia (bladecruiser)
Wil Errand (streever)
Lyre Legein (incas)
Our Story So Far...
Coming Soon...
Important NPCs & Groups
Cistern - A grey-haired human male. He is one of your contacts with the guild.
Sea - A blonde-haired half-elf woman. Very beautiful, and one of your contacts with the guild.
Brutis Bronzebottom - Male dwarf. A former member of the Guild who has been apprehended and is currently being interrogated. His capture or assassination is one of your missions.
Ben Darkmagic - Male human. A former member of the Guild who has been apprehended and is currently being interrogated. His capture or assassination is one of your missions.
Bran Soore - Deva male. Captain of the 15th Street Precinct, and your group's main antagonist.
The Guild - A massive thieves guild that has infiltrated all aspects of the city and the surrounding country. They are your employers, and the reason you are all here.
The Patrol - The city police force. Most of them are paid off by the Guild, however, recent developments have made particular precincts more dangerous than others.
Sea - A blonde-haired half-elf woman. Very beautiful, and one of your contacts with the guild.
Brutis Bronzebottom - Male dwarf. A former member of the Guild who has been apprehended and is currently being interrogated. His capture or assassination is one of your missions.
Ben Darkmagic - Male human. A former member of the Guild who has been apprehended and is currently being interrogated. His capture or assassination is one of your missions.
Bran Soore - Deva male. Captain of the 15th Street Precinct, and your group's main antagonist.
The Guild - A massive thieves guild that has infiltrated all aspects of the city and the surrounding country. They are your employers, and the reason you are all here.
The Patrol - The city police force. Most of them are paid off by the Guild, however, recent developments have made particular precincts more dangerous than others.
Map
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
PSN: SAW776
PSN: SAW776
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"You can call me Cistern," he adds, then indicates a very pretty young woman sitting next to him, "and this is Sea. We'll be your contacts for the time being."
"I'm sure," speaks the woman, "that you're all wondering exactly what you're doing here. The facts are that there have recently been two openings in the local ranks of the organization, and you are here to potentially fill them."
Standing up, Sea places folders in front of each of you, each one containing the same information.
"Two of our associates were aphrehended recently," she says, indicating the magical images of a human and a dwarf. "Usually we're able to take care of these things before they become a problem, however--" another picture, of a tall deva adorns the next page--"the patrol has a new Captain who is, as you can see, a bit more difficult to handle."
"Your targets, Brutis Bronzebottom and Ben Darkmagic, are currently being held at an undisclosed location and brought in daily to the 15th street Patrol Headquarters for interrogation." Cistern rejoins the conversation. "While getting them out alive is preferable, as then we can determine what they've told this Captain Soore, killing them would also be acceptable if need be."
"Any questions?" Sea inquires.
PSN: SAW776
But as his eyes were occupied with pleasure, his mouth was all business. Jules sat up and adjusted the silk ruff around his neck, “My understanding is that your organization has some intelligence on the ground in the city police force Mr. Cistern? Are there any that would be useful to us or assets you would rather not see subject to collateral damage?.” Polishing off the wine, Jules lit a roll of tobacco, letting the flame dance on his fingers before blowing it out, “As professionals we will first need blueprints of the location, numbers of the opposing police, and information about the timing and strength of their patrols. Do you have these things or is this ground work for us to cover? Also this Mr. Bran Soore, what do you know about him and how popular is he in the force? I imagine more than one of our uniformed friends is going home to his wife less than happy if Mr. Soore is curtailing graft of all sorts.”
"As for his popularity," Cistern interjects, "he is popular among many of the lower men, but he's a thorn in the side of the higher-ups--largely because most of them are on our payroll."
"Numbers are an issue that you will have to do some scouting to determine. Soore has made sure to keep the rounds to himself and his trusted men since he managed to gather enough evidence to arrest our colleagues." Sea brushes a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she takes a moment to examine all of you.
"And where it comes to inside men, we might be able to connect you with one or two, but not until we see how you handle yourselves. You understand, I'm sure," Cistern adds without missing a beat. The pair seem very in sync with one another--they are quite obviously the very definition of professionals.
PSN: SAW776
"Well, I reckon we've got here two choices. Seems we can try and get to our two captured associates while they're being most cru-elly held and tor-tured at the Headquarters. A plan I don't personally agree with due to the risks of getting in and out of a hella guarded for-tress, not to mention the pains necessary to escort the certainly injured targets out without bringing a righteous shitstorm about our heads should we try to rescue them rather than," he takes a sip from his cup, "eliminate them."
"Nossirs, I do believe our best bet might very well be to strike while the patrol transports them, despite the Captain's efforts to obfuscate their movements. We do a bit o' legwork, see if they got a pattern going, or any dummy runs to fool us. See if we can't find out their movements a wee bit ahead of time and stage an ambush. It'd make a rescue or assassination easy as sundee mornin', with heaps of escape routes to aid us in whatever method we prescribe to."
Zir idly scratches at the back of his neck, and presents a sheepish grin. "O' course this is just my opinion, I'm more of an improviser, myself. I'll find a way to make myself useful in whatever scheme my compatriots here see fit to cook up, I'm sure."
The tiefling poured himself another glass of red, the deep color a contrast against the faded crimson of his scales. He raised a black nailed finger, "Or, if say a noble's jewels go missing, or perhaps even the fetching daughter of an aristocrat disappears for a while for a bit of reeducation in our fine company, we may spread the police's resources thin and that may make it easier to spring Mr. Bronzebottom and Mr. Darkmagic."
Jules cocked an ear at Wil and then responded, "Of course. I agree necromancy is a perfectly 'viable' option. But lets put that at the back of the file shall we?" Jule's eyes burned brightly for a moment,"After all, where is the challenge in that?", he remarked as he tossed back his head, downing the wine in one full swallow.
Behind the crystal glass, Jules eyes traveled up and down Sea's curves...but this time his eyes were searching for inconsistencies in her lines. An organization willing to hire outsiders to murder there own was delicate situation to deal with at best, regardless of how logical applying the final solution may be.
After all, it payed to know the secrets of one's employer for promotion...or otherwise.
Perception or Streetwise as appropriate (1d20+6=21, 1d20+5=12)
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2025322/
Roll for diplomacy asking for help (22)
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2025327/
First, the half-elf was clad in skin-tight black leather pants that had been worn by use to be unrestrictive of her movements. All along their length, however, seemed to be patches that were newer than the others, and that seemed a little thicker--places where a shurriken or other such item could easily be tucked. On top of that, there was a fleeting sight of a vial poking up from amidst her decently proportioned cleavage. Further still, the silver pins that did up her hair were, he thought, quite sharp, and maybe even tinted slightly red at the tips? On top of all that she wears four double-wrapped "bracelets" around her right wrist and two on her left, which Jules might recognize as the perfect size to be used as garrotes. And lastly came the obvious weapons--three long, expensive daggers hanging from her left hip, two from her right, and two more tucked away inside her open vest, one situated on either side.
Cistern, on the other hand, seemed free of any sort of weapon that could be seen.
"Just realize that Soore is going to be expecting someone to come for these two," the man says, "so even your search for information needs to be done with a certain...finesse."
"Help," Sea picks up and continues, "will come in many forms. We can supply you with poisons, explosives, whatever you think you might need. But we need to know that you're capable of not blowing yourselves up first." She smirks. "Obviously we called you here for a reason, but we need to see results in person beyond the recommendations you have all received."
PSN: SAW776
Wil also remembers what he knows of The Guild itself.
"Yes, let's get started. I believe the tiefling's idea of a distraction is the best way to get things out in the open once we know exactly what we're dealing with. As for the information we need, perhaps two groups gathering information would be best, as we would be able to cover a wider area and not be as suspicious as a single, larger group poking around."
She looks from one person to another, seeing what their reactions are to her suggestions.
Sea, however, turns to Jules, offering him a soft, sensual smile. She moves closer, sitting herself gently on the table in front of him, her legs hanging between his.
"Have another question, Love?" she asks, "or have you determined my bust-size already?" Her expression turns to one that is a bit more mocking.
"Focus," Sea explains, as Jules feels a unforgiving point at his crotch. A blade is visible sticking from the toe of the woman's boot. "That's what is going to get you through this."
As Cistern laughs, his companions hops gracefully away from Jules and glides back across the room.
"Just to make two things clear," the man says, "First, you are all disposable. And second, there are only two open positions."
PSN: SAW776
t. U. G. is "The Upstanding Gentleman" and it is the tavern you guys are currently in and based at.
PSN: SAW776
PSN: SAW776
At Jules suggestion of a distraction, he turns thoughtful, "A direct distraction like that would do right well, no mistake." He crosses his hands in front of him, "A problem at the HQ would pull away guards from the apartments, making getting in and out much easier. Course, I'm thinking one, maybe two, of us should explore the apartments first under guise of looking for lodging. Might be we can pick up some clues 'afore we make any big moves."
He stopped chewing and slowly looked around the room, hoping nobody had noticed that he hadn't been paying as much attention as he should have. He took another bite out of his onion, then began to speak with his mouth full.
"Sewers! *crnch crnch* We can use sewers." He swallowed loudly. "Whole city connected by sewers. City people need way for bad things to go out. Maybe sometimes bad things use sewers to get in as well? No such thing as a one-way door!" He cackled at the little joke he had made, proud of how clever he was. He took another bite of onion and chuckled some more, and his little legs -- which couldn't reach the ground in the human sized chair he was sitting in -- kicked back and forth.
PSN: SAW776
PSN: SAW776
PSN: SAW776
“Focus,” his deep bass voice intones, “indeed my lady.” Jules risks a further wink at Sea and turns to both the Guilders with his most diplomatic smile, palms outstretched, emphasizing his lack of weapons, as he speaks, “That is a lovely eau de bloodpoison you are wearing Sea, and it complements you so very well. I’m sure you have had much practice easing your hands around a young man’s neck and ensuring every breath they took was a delightful effort.”
Jules yellow eyes flicked to his fellow scum and villains as he continued to address Sea “Thanks again for revealing all of your assets. I happened to miss that one.”
“And my respect for those of us who appear to be unarmed,” Jules said inclining his head to Cistern and raising his glass in salute to both of them, “I’m certain the Guild is full of surprises.”
Abruptly shifting gears, the tiefling steepled his fingers and addressed the room. “I appreciate there are two positions and the guild seeks to cut costs by allowing us to decide that problem among our selves.” His eyes turned directly to the guilders, “I also hope the Guild sees value in a breathing thief who suspects daggers from all sides. We are professionals; esteemed Cistern and Sea, and I am sure all of our interests are to complete the mission.”
“My final question, I think, is any more information you can give us about Mr. Soore. Where does he live, or any more detail about his past lives that would tell us how he thinks would go very far.”
“As to planning,” Jules rose, and addressed the room, “We first need a list of questions.
We want to know manpower and layout of both locations. Also the timing of the transfer is necessary. I volunteer my aerial expertise for rooftop reconnaissance. If the Guild could supply a spy glass that would be most useful.”
“And my good ma-uh chil- er associate Bugg if you would be inclined to join me I would be very pleased,” the tiefling said as he gestured respectfully to the goblin, “Your reputation precedes you.”
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-
Jules nodded slowly as the others spoke. “The sewers aren’t a bad idea either. Perhaps we could smuggle Bugg into the tenements in a box or something too,” he said shrugging, “we will need an inside man in the place at some point."
“Also, horses,” Jules mused, “Would it be possible to lock the police escort of our targets in place on the street with a well timed stampede of cows and horses from the market district? At any rate, I vote for exploring. I volunteer to scout out the roof with a partner then I can settle down for some surveillance solo. Scouting the neighboring businesses or the sewer would work as well. We need information first.” Jules punctuated the statement with a drag on the cigar.
Er what are these trams? The city has a subway?
Another thing. How the hell do they get them from the apartment to the precinct? There isn't a direct route by the map so we should really scout that out.
Sea turned and offers Jules an amused little smirk.
"Oh, if you only knew." She allows herself to drift off momentarily, her smile spreading as she reminisces about the past.
Cistern, however, isn't quite so full of pleased expressions.
"We can supply a spy-glass, yes. As for a test--"
"--to earn the full support of the Guild," Sea begins to finish, "and its contacts, you need to simply remain free of both shackles and suspicion. We can't afford letting you meet with contacts if you are being watched."
"And Soore is one that you can expect to be watched by. I am sure there will be undercover patrols in both the vicinity of the apartments, as well as the Precinct Headquarters," Cistern informs you.
"As the goblin has mentioned, there is sewer access all over the city--much of it is very highly trafficked already. And, for that very reason, it is likely also being watched," adds the half-elf.
"Along with the sewers, there is a major station for the trams in the square, here" a ghostly white hand appears before each of you, indicating where on the map of the district. "It runs directly under the Precinct and very close to the apartments as well."
PSN: SAW776
Zir takes a moment to stretch out muscles cramped from sitting attentive so long, "Even a cursory look around the landmarks might be a good start, won't draw any more attention than any other passerby and we might get lucky and find a real weakness to focus on rather than splitting our manpower with unnecessary contingencies."
Streetwise (22), History (26)
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2026494/
"So...shall we say here again, in three days? The Guild can watch us in that time to see if The Patrol are watching us." Lyre smiles blandly. "That should be all the results you need..."
If we run out of questions Jules is ready! to go once I get my spyglass.
I vote for exploring the sewers, tram or roof first.
BTW saw if there are subways what is the tech level here?
"I'll be nearby, however," interjects Sea, "though don't expect me to save your necks if you get in too deep. I understand you're mostly new to Krittica, but too many false steps and our understanding and good will won't go far."
"Good day, Gentlemen--Ladies," Cistern concludes, and he then seems to rise vertically. It becomes clear that he is being supported in his ascent by some form of Tensor's Disk that has shaped itself much like the chair he had previously been sitting on.
"Have fun," Sea adds, as both Guild members make their way out the back, leaving you all alone.
As for the tech level, the subway is magical, built similarly to warforged--they are sentient to a degree.
PSN: SAW776
As for the way they operate, all you know at the moment is this particular precinct has changed drastically lately. The usual methodology for the Patrols was fairly basic--keep the people safe and let the Guild operate. The Guild isn't a group of thugs, and since they largely police the criminal element themselves, the Patrol really never had too much of a job, except near the docks or in areas with a large amount of foreigners.
The spies are a completely new development, as the Krittica government has been corrupt for so long that the Guild is nearly an official part of it. It is said at one time that the ruling council was once made up entirely of Guild members.
PSN: SAW776
"My most humble apologies. I feel MUCH better."
Sitting down,
"Gentlefolk, I think something needs to be said. There are two positions open, but there aren't 6 of us in contention: there are 5. One of us already works for the Guild. I know one of you was assigned to keep track of us. I'm keeping track of you, too." He grins like a little boy, wide mouthed. "What's our next step? I can see what the word is on the streets."
"Still, good man, I think we can leave the backstabbing to after we've done the deal, hmm? Still, the potential for internal sabotage is something we have to consider.
"Down to business, then? Shall we share our unique skills and...specialties? I'm not one for stealth and skulking, I'm afraid. I tend to attract a fair bit of attention - which is useful, as well."
SAW776 - would there be information gained in insight/perceptioning my own party members?
I know it's more complicated, but I'm really trying to use our different skill sets heavily. Lyre is a master of bluffing, Zir has amazing eyes, and I am the only one with a really good streetwise. I guess we could get the same effect if two people "aided" me in using Streetwise, but it seemed more fun to use each person's relevant skills, and I think it'll add more depth?
Yeah, if you're trying to be blend in, that'd be a bluff check. Disguise would give you a +2. If you're trying to be unseen, that'd be stealth.
PSN: SAW776
A couple disguise kits, a few smoke bombs, a small vial of alchemist's fire, a spyglass, and a glass-cutter.
"Just a few things to get you started," he says, and then quickly departs.
PSN: SAW776
Returning Wil's steady gaze with disarming grin, Zir taps his temple with two fingers, "There ain't much these eyes miss, for sure. I'd be more than happy to watch your back while you work. Might even learn a thing or two from ya."
Regardless, I'm working a rather long shift at work this afternoon, (1.30pm - 11.00pm PST) so I won't be around to reply or make rolls during that time. SAW, if you want me to do any skill checks ahead of time I can do that. Otherwise, I guess we can assume Zir is following Wil's lead, making perception, insight, and Aid Another checks as needed, and he'll make use of his Crucial Advice power if Wil botches a skill check he's trained in.
Or you can just have me roll them if/when the time comes. But a super ton shouldn't happen today, so you won't miss much either way.
Also, as far as the disguise stuff goes, if you're just wandering around a non-essential area, you won't have too much to worry about. At least for now. As the game progresses the attention your activities draw will increase a bit. But for now, things are still fairly low-key.
Just give me your team members, the location of where you want to head, and then a !ready when you're set to go.
PSN: SAW776