God is dead, but the Revolution Lives

[PatriasLover]

One by one, the four adventurers filed into the back room of a small tavern, into a room clearly meant for storage. The cold stone walls, roughly hewn, were covered in a row of floor-to-ceiling racks, filled with balls of mead, wine, as well as other spirits, most labeled in common. the setting was lit by a small lantern that flickered, dangling from the ceiling. a small table, with four chairs around it, sat in the center of this small room. each of you hold a sheet of paper in your hands.

​

Dear adventurers.

We are in need of at least three people who are willing to help us in our task, of retrieving an item that must not fall into the wrong hands. Please come to meet us at Lev's Tavern, on the seventh of the month.
High Reward
​

Despite the cryptic nature off the advertisement, the lack of specifics or of a name, the four of you decided to follow, each arriving in the back room a few minutes before seven. the sound of faint chatter wafts through the crack in the door, but the four of you are silent, waiting.... until one of you speaks up.

 

[GunMan2]

Alastor Entropes entered the room, to anyone who looks he would look unremarkable but his slightly lighter skin contrasted by his darker beard. He was equipped with an old worn out leather vest covered in what seems to be a ratted cloak. On his right side was an old hammer that had seen better days but was well maintained and a tome with chained to his left. However, his eyes were slightly different story as they were a color of deep blue as deep as the ocean, an unnatural trait for a dwarf. He placed his backpack on next to him as he looked at the 3 other interested parties.

The first words that came out of his mouth were "So you laddies also trying to strike it rich." He spoke in tone that was very business like "I am Alastor. And who are you?"

He asked not quite yet trusting the people at this table and their agendas and motives unknown to him.

 

[myrkwise]

Quinntyn had pondered for quite some time over whether he really had to take this job. After all, it was highly unusual for someone of his status and position to go galavanting around for the sake of some bounty. He had almost considered using an alternative identity, though he decided against it in the end. His disguises were best suited for temporary incursions - and he had no idea where this job would take him. In any case, perhaps “unusual” was for the best - it certainly couldn’t hurt to build up his reputation among the aristocracy as a capable adventurer and leader (he was certain that none of his siblings had or would ever dare to do something like this). Such an effort could also help build up his image among the common folk as a more down to earth fellow, a reputation that would certainly come in handy when the time came.

And he would most certainly lead this strange assortment of adventurers - there was of course an elf among them, which concerned Quinn mildly. If it came to it that her rank and status caused her to clash with him, he would simply have to make due with bribing her, whether through gold or blood, to avoid publicizing this escapade like he planned to.

With luck, he could use the reward, whatever it was, to help close off some loose ends he had left unsorted in his last mission. In truth, though they liked to pretend otherwise, the noble House of Weiss was rather tight on its treasury, ever since the death of the previous head led to rival houses circling the waters like sharks, ready to take advantage of a new head with tricks, threats, and more. His father had hoped that bringing someone more magically capable to the heirship would help gather House Weiss a modicum more prestige and allies it could afford to use, and to some extent it had worked out. Quinntyn hadn’t been idle the past few years, and he’d fought like hell to deal with the most annoying of the rival nobility. Still, with whatever reward lied with this endeavor, Quinn expected he could finally wrap up that mess of politics and focus on what mattered.

And yet still, Quinn’s subconscious continued to gnaw at him like a hound to a bone. It whispered vicious truths lies into his mind, telling him that the real reason he’d taken on this quest wasn’t for gold, prestige, or power. It wasn’t for House Weiss, and it wasn’t for the Revolution. No.... The voice slandered him, chittering eagerly that he was just a boy - a foolish little boy who wanted only to defy the cold, judging gaze of his father by turning to an under-the-board (quite possibly illegal) quest instead of something that might make the devil smile and say he was proud -and make him question why exactly he was trying to destroy his own

Quinn crushed the thoughts like beetles under his boot. He turned to the dwarf - what were those eyes?

“My name is Quinntyn, Heir to the Weiss Estate,” he gazed with an imperial flare at Alastor, “I look forward to this partnership, though I am unclear on what it is for. Depending on the conditions, I may be forced to relent.”

He turned to the others.

“We’ve got an elf, half elf, human, and dwarf. Rather an odd assortment of fellows, don’t you think?”

 

[Sherwood]

Before Sasha enters the bar, she stands inside the doors for a moment before moving further into the place, looking around at the size of the crowd (or lack thereof), where everyone is seated, and where any exits are besides the one she just came in. Once she is familiar with the layout of the room, she moves in towards the bar, her bare feet making little to no noise as she walks. Sasha orders a drink, and as she slides a coin across the counter, she shows the bartender the note that has brought her here this day and inquires about where to meet this mystery person.

With her drink in one hand and her quarterstaff in the other, Sasha heads for the back room that the bartender has indicated, and once more she takes in the scene in front of her, looking at the others that have arrived before her. With a polite nod to the others, she glides across the room to gently sit down in one of the empty seats. "I've seen stranger assortments of people, so this bunch is not really a big deal. I am Sasha, and I greet you. Well met, neighbors." She leans her staff against the wall nearby and takes another sip of her drink. "Anyone know who our host is?"

Spoiler

Hit Points: 21
Hit Dice: 3d8

Armor Class: 16 (18 with Agile Parry)
Ki Points: 3 / 3

Proficiency Bonus: +2
Walking Speed: 40ft
Passive Perception: 13

Armor and Weapons
Quarterstaff - +5 to hit, 1d6+3/1d8+3 Bludgeoning, Simple, Versitile
Shortsword - +5 to hit, 1d6+3 Slashing, Martial, Finesse, Light
Dart - +5 to hit, 1d4+3 Piercing, Simple, Finesse, Thrown, Range 20ft/60ft
Unarmed Strike - +5 to hit, 1d4+3 Bludgeoning

Deflect Missile Counterattack - 1d4+3

 

[Psychie]

Athaclenna is quiet through the introductions, spending more time listening than speaking has served her well in the past. But when the attention of the others turn to her, she finally blurts out, "I am Athaclenna Gollana, daughter of Dendarian Gollana, and I greet you." She looks around at the others, wondering just what might be the motivation to bring so many assorted beings together. Besides gold, that is. Gold always seems to be a good way to get the attention of adventurers.

 

[PatriasLover]

gold, gold... always gold. after all, gold was the core of this society. all that the dragons cared for was gold.
the door opened a final time as the bells of the city's churches rung out seven. a dwarf entered the room, a short man with a goatie and a neatly trimmed mustash. he eyed the four, extra suspicion landing on the elf, taking note of each of the flyers in their hands "so... you all came to answer the add?" he asked, less of a question, more of a stating the obvious, shutting the door of the small room, locking it behind him "my name is Lev, c-om-patriots." he seemed to falter, though he caught what seemed to be the slightest of slips.

 

[GunMan2]

Alastor, watched the other dwarf with suspicion. When he heard of the request he thought it would be a noble like an elf or a dragonborn. But seeing one of his own this shined some doubt on the request.

"Hardly, can expect more than this with a request as vague as this" He points to the ad paper. Looking a bit...angry? It was heard to tell as he spoke in a calm manner with ice in his voice. "But now, i am intrigued as to where this will lead and what reward awaits us at the end of this Journey." He said a bit more curious as he leaned forward to give the other dwarf his full attention.

 

[myrkwise]

Quinn raised an eye at the minor slip of the tongue, but he chose to ignore it for the moment. He instead chose to confront Lev directly, as he was already somewhat agitated with the mystery of the whole affair.

"I must agree with Alastor. I mean no offense, but this seems highly irregular. I'm sure you aren't engaging in any.... illicit activities, of course."

 

[Sherwood]

Sasha chuckles. "I'm sure that there is nothing illegal in what our new friend has in store for us, just something that is probably lethal enough to want to foist it off on someone other than himself." She smiles, showing that she's fully expecting something along those lines, but doesn't seem to be to put out at the thought of knocking a few skulls around for a good payday.

 

[Psychie]

Athaclenna looks around, thinking that if things do require knocking of heads, the girl with the quarterstaff can do the wizard's share of knocking for her. "I, too, would like to know more of this offer you have placed out before us. What does it entail?"

 

[PatriasLover]

Lev, mouth curved into a serious line, glanced at each of them in turn. arching a brow, addressing the half-elf first, he spoke "I assuer you, it is not illisit." before turning to the human "it will be dangerous, and yes, I must warn that this quest may seem slightly illegal, but no law that deserves to remain, that is just, will be broken. however, if this offends /you/" his eyes landed on the elf "then I recommend you leave now." he gestured towards the door with caloused hands, covered with the scars of labor, burns, and frostbite that never fully healed.

 

[Psychie]

Athaclenna looks at the dwarf with a haughty expression. "And tell me just how am I supposed to know if I am going to be offended by whatever this offer is without knowing the details of what it is? Use your head for something besides a hat rack. Now, are you going to tell us just what it is you have in mind for us to do, along with whatever kind of compensation you have in store for us, or should we simply guess?"

 

[GunMan2]

“Hmm..Lets hear what you got for us. Then we decide” Said Alastor as his eyes glow slightly in the dark of his hood. He knows that hid kin is considered to be less than dirt in this society. He does not appreciate the tone that elf took. He does not like nobles at all, not since that day in his smithy. But there is a question that burns in his mind. Why would these nobles even answer the ad. Do their families have financial trouble.

 

[myrkwise]

"I must say, I would also be quite interested in the financial compensation that this quest will entail," Quinn continued, "though I am perhaps even more interested in knowing what exactly it is you wish for us to do." He tapped his shoe on the floor in a bit of an impatient flourish.

 

[Sherwood]

Sasha nods in agreement. "Yes, please. What is this job, exactly?"

 

[PatriasLover]

lev turned back to the door, double checking it was locked, before facing the group, unrolling a map ith four items sketched in the corners, and a fifth in the center of what appeared to be a maze. "The Vest of the Comunards." lev pointed to a red vest with gold embellishments in the top-right corner, almost in a mockery of the military uniform of a general of kievan, but crimpson rather than purple. "the Helm of Class Conciousness" he traced his finger to the top-left corner,the object hardly a helmet, more a beret a la Che Guevara, black, with runes and strange symbols stitched into the sides. "the triple blades of Freedom, Equality, and Brotherhood" he slid his finger down, pointing at a set of three dagers, each with a rune carved into the hilt "they function better together" Lev added as an almost-afterthought, then tapping the last obgect. in the bottom right, a pair of gloves, like one would wear to the forge, lay. "the gauntlets of the phoenix." lev stated, glancing up from the map, addressing the four of them directly "these four objects were created by master philosopher-smiths. however, after the commune, one of them betrayed the other two. the traitor scattered these relics, and without them, we are left powerless against.... our enemy. it is up to you, of course, to retrieve these objects one by one." Lev stared the four of them down.



((alright backstory time the commune was an uprising that happened in a nearby, smaller kingdom. the francian states were once a unified monarchy.... then this uprising happened. almost succeeded in the full comunism department, then the backstabbing ocured.... now its capitalistic)))

 

[Sherwood]

Sasha looks at this map with interest, trying to spot any clues as to the location that the map shows; is it nearby, or far off? In the city, or out in the country somewhere? If she does recognize any of the landmarks, or even if she doesn't, she says, "We now know what the job is that you've requested us to do, but we don't know the other important answer of how much? What will our compensation be for our efforts?"

 

[Psychie]

Athaclenna asks, "Who is this enemy you speak of? Are they aware that you are trying to assemble these items, and if so can we expect to run into them trying to stop us from getting the items on this list?"

 

[GunMan2]

Alastor being a blacksmith himself never heard of these items, but if they were hidden then it means that they are powerful. “Also, the reward might not actually be gold. But something worth more than that” he said cryptically.

“I don’t care for compensation. The items might just cover such a cost”

 

[myrkwise]

“The enemy?” Quinn echoed Athaclenna in her words, suddenly more intrigued by the prospects of this mission. He smiled.

“Do tell me…” he drawled out, “You’re some sort of dissident? Do you really think it’s for the best that you select a group of strangers with this quest of yours?”

 

[PatriasLover]

lev glanced at each of them, adressing the room "not only do they know we want these items, they want them too. these tractors will stop at nothing to destroy us. " he rolled up the map, slipping it into his pocket. "we believe that a small faction of the Traitors meets in this city. as such, your first task is to infiltrate them, then bring them down from the inside. now, in terms of cash... once we receive all the items, for the rest of your days, you will all have plenty and will be forever provided for. you will be Heros." Lev smiled, a thin quirk of the lips. however, at quinn's remarks, his face drooped into a serious frown "yes. we are slight disedents.... but our political faction is one supporting a... constitutional monarchy. however, this other group is a deep danger to society, we only want to shift the world order, they want to destroy it."


((feel free to role insight or anything also like ten years ago there was a peachfull protest in kieven, in petrosgov, wanting a constitutional monarchy.it turned to a massacre, as dragon paladans brought in the cannons. role history fore more info, but this is the basics everyone would know))

 

[GunMan2]

Vague answer again. Comrade, what are you planning Thought Alastor, this composition of people of different social standings. "In other word one wants to change the ruling body while the others want to get rid of the ruling body? A waste." He said as his eyes look deep into the fellow dwarf. He taps his hammer twice. "So when which item do you recommend we acquire first."

 

[myrkwise]

"I see. So you'd have us eliminate your competition?" Quinn's eyes narrowed on the dwarf, "And I assume there's a reason you haven't contacted the authorities directly?"

 

[Sherwood]

Sasha leans forward in her seat and eyes the dwarf, saying, "Don't be shy now. If we are supposed to be able to help you out, we need some answers."

 

[PatriasLover]

lev tapped on the vest "this is the one we are closest to finding. and yes, we do need a mixed group of non-members... they know who we are." glancing at quinn, "and while this group is dangerous, the king is more so. and yes, while eliminating the other group is important, finding the objects it key."