Finished [Isekai Hell] Corruption in This Village?!

[Femboy]

Tachanka
6

Character Sheet
(Tachanka Titles: Otherworlder, Beast, Canine, Ryke Adventurer's Guild (E), Delver)
(Milky Titles: Otherworlder, Beast, Furpent, Ryke Merchant's Guild (E) )
saxon NimbusWing Gaius Danius Griinia Scarletti

Tachanka glanced and hummed in agreement to Diane as the other beastkin eventually turned their attention to what seemed like verbally sparring with Izuru over taking things seriously, wondering if she was going to be one of those snooty fancypants people who haven't had a little giggle since before they were able to walk. But if someone of that caliber was more interested in the potential of bickering with a random poet they first met a minute ago, then that was their own weird interest to take in. Noticing Levia's little mini-herself that she created within her hand, she crossed her arms as she silently mused at the little gag.
"Probably got the makings of an ice sculptor if you keep that up... " Tachanka quietly mumbled in jest as the following conversation between Diane and Izuru appeared to reel him back into the main situation at hand, even if he didn't have full reason to help with the entire effort it would probably still be appreciated. Although, his suggestion joke or not wasn't taken lightly as Tachanka disapprovingly looked in his direction to meet his gaze.
"Get your own loan, I'll share a common goal but nobody's sharing your debt. Poetry mustn't be paying too well if that's your first ask. Maybe you can ask the barkeep about a job scrubbing potties or somethin'or u'vver. Any better ideas than consentual bankruptcy?" she answered before looking to see if anyone had a better idea, supposing that since Aurae had the biggest reasoning and ambition of all she should probably have the best one.

Letting Aurae finished as she suggested they find the evidence they needed, Tachanka gave one last glance to make sure Milky would be okay and believing she should be able to take care of herself for the time as she followed along. Since the letter from the furpent would give them help with talking with the merchants, Tachanka wondered for a moment how they were going to get someone to fess up the potential of the Mayor was being paid off. While following behind, Tachanka raised a question.

"The last time I were doin' something here with the rat stuff, the Mayor saw and spoke with us about it. Maybe he'll talk again since I've already been in'a room with 'im once" she questioned curiously.​

 

[Gaius Danius Griinia]

Izuru
Mentions: saxon Femboy NimbusWing Scarletti

Izuru could see many of his plans being rejected as impractical and dumb. A far more reasonable plan had been suggested of simply talking to the merchants to find out the situation with the mercenaries. Naturally Izuru knew better than to vocalize his issues with this plan. He could tell Aurae and Diane both thought very little of his intelligence. Levia and Tachanka had no real opinions on him from what he could see. Downing a drink provided by the bartender that he knew he'd have to pay off later. Izuru chose to act like he was agreeing with Aurae's plans wholeheartedly. His expectation was that all their snooping will inevitably draw out the mercenaries. Mercenaries who would draw their weapons on them once they proved to be a problem. Scooping up his cane and tapping the head a few times to make sure the thing was working. Izuru had spent the last of the money given by his last performance to get this.

"We need to get the merchants to think we can actually defend them once the mercenaries start acting up. Making empty promises is normal in politics but they rely on the party being promised has trust in the fact said promise could in any way be delivered"

He stopped himself from making any more comments on the matter as he felt nothing he said would be considered. All he was here to do was talk a big game so Aurae could deal with the matter. Tomorrow was the big debate between Aurae and the former Mayor. Which meant he had to do some work. He didn't care exactly what the elf was promising for possible tenure as Mayor. The current Mayor was in no way suited to making any sort of long term difference. A system only works if the leader is reliable with practical long term planning. Izuru saw a fault in the system with the corrupt mercenaries, scared merchants and lack of militia. Playing Mayormaker hadn't been on Izuru's agenda today. Unfortunately that was what Izuru had found himself doing.

"Levia, I'm going to need to know how many ice cubes you can make in a single sitting"

 

[saxon]

Aurae Faren

E Grade Character

Titles: Elf, Nomad, Native, Mundane

mentions: Femboy Gaius Danius Griinia NimbusWing

Abilities/cooldown/Actions


1.
2.
3.
Notes: When not in combat, abilities that do not deal damage do not have a cooldown.

Aurae looked around at the group as, at least for the moment, the heat was slowly starting to cool off in the group. Letting out a small sigh of relief, as at least a bomb had been avoided or at least postponed until later. She was about to Speak up when Levia quickly excused herself from the group and left the tavern. Looks like the group was going to be one person short now. "Let's all agree to calm down, as I said, there isn't a whole lot of time, a loan isn't in the possibility nor would I accept others taking a risk on my behalf even if I would still be involved in such a matter. One getting sold into slavery because one cannot pay their own debts would be foolish," She pointed out, looking back over her shoulder as Diane at least seemed to be apologizing for comments that were made before.

Moving out the door, she shielded her eyes from the sunlight for a moment as her eyes adjusted to the change in lighting. Once her eyes had adjusted, she spun on her heel to face the group. "With that being said, talking to the Mayor might work, or it might bring more attention to us. We don't exactly know how the mayor is contributing to this if at all. But, I suppose it couldn't hurt. But we should talk to the merchants first," Aurae concluded with a nod of her head as she looked at the rest of the group. At least for the moment, they were unknown to the mercenaries.

Listening to Izuru as he spoke his mind on the matter, Aurae brought a hand to her chin. She didn't particularly want to give empty promises, though she had to admit he seemed to know a lot about politics. But she wasn't sure to what extent. "Say Izuru, you seem to know a bit about politics, what do you know about it?" She inquired for a moment before glancing around the area looking for a merchant.


The village square was fairly lively, as the smell of food filled the air. Many of the poeple were going about their normal days. Off in the far corner of the square two mercenaries were talking to a merchant if talking was the right words as they tipped over the mans table. From what the group could see the merchant sold various trinkets. As a few of them reflected off the sunlight. After a brief response from them before walking off.

The man looked annoyed as he righted the table and started to pick up his wares that were all over the ground. Aurae glared at the two mercenaries as they chuckled leaving the square. A few on lookers stared as the two men walked out. She then started to walk over toward the merchant. "Sorry about the mercenaries, Aurae Faren I'm hoping to become the next mayor and remove the mercenaries. But, admittedly no one has really talked about them. I do have this letter from a local merchant guild representative, I can't help unless someone says something," She concluded making sure to leave out the name of the individual who had wrote it.

Upon further inspection the merchant was a half-elf, the mans ears were not as pointy as an elf. Somewhere in the middle between a human and an elf. "Those mercnearies have only cused trouble since they were hired to patrol the area because of the ratmancer. They were over here asking about my wares and when I told them the price they said it was trash and knocked over my stall. Said they would be back if I didn't get in line with the rest of the merchants in town," The half-elf sighed. "Tytas Rulmstan," He introduced himself.

 

[Femboy]

Tachanka
7

Character Sheet
(Tachanka Titles: Otherworlder, Beast, Canine, Ryke Adventurer's Guild (E), Delver)
(Milky Titles: Otherworlder, Beast, Furpent, Ryke Merchant's Guild (E) )
saxon Gaius Danius Griinia NimbusWing

Tachanka wasn't entirely sure what Izuru was getting at with his multiple hasty plans when he has continued to ask about ice cube production from Levia, in which the plan he must've been concocting fell off when the girl had departed from their company. Not surprised since such an undertaking of a little quest was a commitment that didn't have reason to sit on most's shoulders as a weighty expectation, Tachanka listened to Aurae's calls and comments on ideas as she herself glanced to Izuru when asked about his political knowledge to see if the silly little poet boy could show his stuff when it came to important planning on a serious level. Hopefully there was a lot more than little poems and rushed ideas in that head of his.

Coming across the scene of an innocent merchant being harassed by two mercenaries, Tachanka had to hesitate and hold herself back from attempting to mouth-off or get aggressive with them in order to not cause a commotion or further trouble to them. It also didn't help the thought that Milky could be treated as badly as any other of these merchants, so she had plentiful reason to try to put a stop to it rather than just petty revenge or frustration.

Looking to his attempts to clean up as Aurae introduced herself, Tachanka would silently assist in picking up a trinket or two if they hadn't all been picked up by the half-elf by that time. Looking amongst his wares, she supposed trying to get along as best as possible with these people was the best decision.
"I'm Tachanka. Tachanka Gabbs, a bodyguard, adventurer, would consider being a merc but with these lot going around the job title doesn't seem so attractive... " Tachanka introduced herself to Tytas, a thought coming to her mind as she looked at his wares. She was curious if the mercenaries were just taking all the free stuff they could get, or if they were actually being picky about what they wanted. In order to show interest and to hopefully lighten up the merchant about their company, she inquired about his wares.

"So, are these pretty little things or do they have some magical qualities to them? What kinda little things you selling that'd attract their interest?" she asked curiously as she inspected what he had for offer. At least to her, it felt like raising the morale and relationships amongst the merchants and townmembers to boost the group's reputation a little more would help when trying to get them together to work on their common problem. At least trying to make herself look better than the horrible rabble that was plaguing the place was something she also wanted to do, maybe it would get her more respect in that line of work.

 Actions
1. Appraisal (F) on one of the trinkets.​

 

[NimbusWing]

Diane Duste
Mentions: saxon Femboy Gaius Danius Griinia

With the primary group now down to four as a result of a sudden departure of the strange winter witch Levia who had once peeked in to see how things were going, and a once-heated Diane wishing to steer things back on topic, morale wasn't necessarily the best among the group, or at least so what Diane thought. Perhaps it was at the perfect time she found herself accompanying the group out and about among the village, taking in both the fresh air and the sights as the square quickly came into view. If she wasn't already hungry thanks to the tavern...

Of course, it was at that moment that Diane and her fellow company would uncover the commotion that had arisen between the merchant and the two mercenaries who made a complete mockery of his stall. Not wanting to make a complete joke out of herself for what was the second time that very day, she merely stayed back and witnessed things come to pass, not even trying to eye the mercenaries who had clearly gotten away with ruining what this unfortunate half-elf had worked hard for.

Thankfully, things cooled off as soon as Aurae and Tachanka began to throw their questions, leading into Diane showing a curious eye and a smile towards the stock Tytas had available. It was one of which that Diane's attention was drawn to under the glint of the sunlight, causing her to gently grab it before moving over to Tytas as soon as she was available.

"Say, what exactly is this, and how much are these?" Diane questioned with a raise of an eyebrow, wondering if she could grab a potential price from the object she held in her hands. At the very worst, she could make the merchant feel better for himself with the prospect of a transaction, and the best, she could find something of actual value, historical or otherwise. Her keen eyes scanned the artefact with much intrigue, delicate fingers gently feeling across it. For once, it felt like a moment where the archaeology professor was quite in her element.

"Judging from what you've explained, it sounds like those two brutes were trying to convince you to sell these at a price that is far from what is recommended... and that it's in line with the prices of the other merchants. Quite frankly, that is unfair, especially depending on the business, but I digress. Now, I am no merchant myself, but it's clear that even something such as this could not simply be parted with as easily as the price that you've explained... and I have a hunch there's more to these than meets the common eye, good sir."

Actions:

• Activate Ability: 'That Belongs in a Museum!' on one of the trinkets.
  Academia F, Appraisal F, History D
  As a result of her keen studies towards the field of archeology, Diane's able to judge the quality or create an estimated value of weapons, armor, tools and crafted items that she may find based on its materials, age, and quality.
  Grade D - 2 Post Cooldown​

 

[Gaius Danius Griinia]

Izuru
Mentions: saxon Femboy NimbusWing

Izuru was a little taken aback when Aurae asked him for his advice on politics. He was under the impression his opinions weren't considered much at all. Scratching his chin for a bit, he wondered how to answer in a way that she would agree with. Aurae was a straightforward person who didn't look like she would perform the occasional backstabbing that always came up in politics. So Izuru would have to make sure that she would come off as genuine with whatever plan he recommended. Once the party left the tavern to go around the merchant stalls. Izuru made sure to observe the goings on with a far more discerning eye than before. Small town merchants with nary a bodyguard in sight. Easy pickings for the simple minded but armed mercenaries that were currently causing trouble for one particular merchant. While Tytas the Merchant was busy speaking to Tachanka and Diane, Izuru spoke with the concerned looking Aurae.

"You need to be able to reassure him that you can actually remove the mercenaries. People tend not to talk if they think the consequences are too steep. Also try thinking of a replacement for the mercenaries in the meantime. You can hire more from the Mercenary Guild but the town doesn't seem to have the funds to make that a long-term plan"

Naturally Izuru left her with that so she could come to her own conclusions. Any further prodding would just be HIS opinion rather than hers. Instead he began looking over the wares offered by the half elf named Tytas. Choosing to look not at the best looking or shiniest trinkets. Izuru kept his eye on what looked to be the roughest and rustiest thing there. He knew that looking for treasure among trash was always bound to result in interesting things showing up. Utilizing his still meagre appraisal skill on the the piece. His hope was to get a good bargain for when he ACTUALLY had gold on him. Scratching his cheek for a bit. Izuru was equally curious about Aurae's choice as well as his own search for trash treasure.

---

Actions:
1: Appraisal E

 

[saxon]

Aurae Faren

E Grade Character

Titles: Elf, Nomad, Native, Mundane

mentions: Femboy Gaius Danius Griinia NimbusWing

Abilities/cooldown/Actions
Butter up - Persuasion F, Energized F, Culture F, Etiquette F, Insight F, - Aurae uses her knowledge of Ryke Culture and Etiquette to try and get on someone's good side. - Grade F - 0 Post Cooldown.
Pass Judgement - Academia E, Law E E, Persuasion F, Investigation F, Insight F - Aurae recalls the laws and what she learned at the academy to help make a decision or convince someone of a decision - Grade E - 1 Post Cooldown.


1. Used Butter up
2. Used Pass Judgement
3.
Notes: When not in combat, abilities that do not deal damage do not have a cooldown.

The trio picked up the trinkets spilled all over the ground. Tytas looked at Tachanka for a moment as she mentioned the mercenaries. "I feel like no matter what job those people took, they would give it a bad name. I heard a few rumors that this isn't the first village they have done this sort of thing. If they are true, once the village is sucked dry of coin or people coming here, then they will move on. Though as to how they haven't been thrown into jail yet for this, I have no idea," He sighed as he righted the table before placing the trinkets back on it. At Tachanka's appraisal, there didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary; they were just various wares from necklaces to rings to a couple of old books. This however made it evident that the man was a peddler by trade selling odds and ends.

Tytas turned to Diane as she spoke her question, "Well there are a few rings, though some of them look old. a few adventurers parted with these books over here saying they had come out of a dungeon they were exploring. Though the topics are a little fuzzy but they seem to be records of some kind. Though I'm no scholar so I wouldn't be able to tell you what they were connected to truthfully. I would say 10 rykes and the books are yours, the amulet on the other hand is 8." Shaking his head as he moved the books closer to Diane so she could look into it further. Though once again her appraisal wouldn't really see anything of note. There were a couple of artifacts such as cups, a couple of charcoal copies of rubbings from tombs, as well as a strange amulet that had markings that linked it to the Eastern Empire. Though based on how it looked, it belonged to someone important but it age was definitely showing.

Tytas simply shrugged his shoulders as Diane continued, "That is how thing work sometimes, I'm used to haggling for a price but there was no negotiation there. They said give us this at this price and that was it. When I refused them cause it was too low then that's when they knocked over the stall." Continuing to rearrange the stall to what it had been beforehand. After a few more moments before he looked satisfied. Izuru, at a glance, would notice the small ceremonial-looking dagger; it was rusty as hell and, if used, would probably break. Though there didnt' see to be anything special about it that he could see.


"Though I see what the other merchants meant when I first got here. They told me it was better to pay my due to the extra guards, they would leave me alone if I did that. Though I'm not entirely sure how true that statement is. They seem like they would bother you regardless if you paid them or not," Tytas sighed as he leaned on the table.

Aurae was deep in her thoughts as she pondered what had been said earlier. She cleared her throat before using Butter up, "Well, regardless, it seems like your business is going well. As you might know, there is an election coming up tomorrow. I'm currently looking into the mercenaries, and if I win the election, I plan on firing them on the spot. But I don't have the evidence or backing to support it in the debate before the vote fully. If you would lend me your aid I can also lend my aid in this matter."

Tytas looked down at the table for a long moment. "I would love to help Miss, but my word alone isn't enough to help you in this, I don't think. Not to mention, if you do lose, then they will surely come after those that stood against them and pointed out their crimes," He pointed out.

Aurae nodded her head as she used Pass Judgement. "Yes this is true, however mercenaries by law are not allowed to pressure merchants to give them protection money. On top of that, they did damage some of your property which means they should pay for the damages," She pointed out the damage to the table and some of the dents that were now on some of the items at the stall.

"Well that is.....also true. However, they have the merchants here in a tight spot. If you could get the local guild representative to agree to help, I believe the other merchants would follow," Tytas stated as he looked around, speaking in a more hushed tone. At least for the moment, it seemed like the next place they would have to visit would be the local merchant's guild, which was also in the village square. Though it was a rather small building that had a shop, and the back half of the building was where the local merchants held their meetings.

 

[Femboy]

Tachanka
8

Character Sheet
(Tachanka Titles: Otherworlder, Beast, Canine, Ryke Adventurer's Guild (E), Delver)
(Milky Titles: Otherworlder, Beast, Furpent, Ryke Merchant's Guild (E) )
saxon Gaius Danius Griinia NimbusWing

Finishing up taking a look amongst his wares, there probably wasn't a reason to be too interested in being convinced to buy something atleast for her. There was something else that needed to be done, thinking about how they'd best move on as she placed the trinket she was inspecting gently back on the table. Tachanka could only the assume the accompanying artsy and loot-appreciative types of Izuru and Diane among them might appraise more value out of the offers in front of them, but they might as well have been children's imitation playthings to her own evaluation. Diane had said something about them holding more value than was visible to the common eye, but that could pretty much be said about anything.

"I'm sure one of these two would probably buy from you, if they actually have the coin that is... " Tachanka mumbled as she slowly glanced her gaze to Izuru, not having high expectations at all for whatever wealth he could possibly have in his pockets to be taking a gander at his wares. Diane probably made money with her job considering she had enough to walk around in said clothes and keep them completely clean on a regular day in some small village town, Tachanka was a little surprised that she hadn't been taken as a merchant by accident yet.

"I'm sure business'll get better. Just gotta royally stick it to the mercs soon enough and the world'll be ringing in cheer" Tachanka answered to Tytas' clear issues with the mercenaries as it became apparent that there was even a Merchant's Guild in the town in the first place. It seemed so obvious that the town should have had one, but a question why they haven't used it to come together in cooperation about the issue in the first place. At least with Milky's letter they might have a good chance of conversation and cooperation with the guild representative.

Thinking a little about what Izuru suggested about a Mercenary Guild, she wondered if there was such one in the local area since she didn't recall hearing of one, yet her time spent travelling with and helping Milky left her quite busy at times.
"Is there a Merc Guild handling this kind of stuff around? I came here with the Adventurer's Guild's instruction on a job. D'you think that they'd have any involvement with the Ryke Adventurer's Guild? Surely people for hire who do dangerous jobs in the region would probably be known about by or related to the Guild" Tachanka asked to Aurae and Izuru, since she assumed Diane probably has spent way more time in a museum, library or some named stranger's resting place more rather than an Adventurer's Guild. Assumptions could be deceiving though.

"Otherwise, guess it's just off to the Merchant's Guild hoping luck fairs better there. Hopefully shouldn't be too hard to get people facing the same problem on the same page".​

 

[NimbusWing]

Diane Duste
Mentions: saxon Femboy Gaius Danius Griinia

At that point of time, Diane was undoubtedly focused more within the prospect of new knowledge and the offer Tytas had for her - and in spite of her comments towards Aurae saying that she wished to assist with her work - it was mainly just so she could get closer to her own goals. She'd look over at the small stack of books Tytas moved her way, before grabbing one gently, a hand waving over the hard cover to quickly wipe some lingering dust away. She dared not open it yet, but her quick and keen observations didn't really reveal anything to her. if she wanted to find out anything else behind these tomes, it was clear that she needed to purchase them to find out.

"... So be it. I would be more than happy to purchase the books as they are for 10 Rykes; much like you've mentioned. At the very least it'll give you some funding in case of any potential damages, but it's clear that after that predicament, you're not in a haggling mood, are you? It may not be anything of what I'm truly looking for, I will be honest. But at the very least if there is something of informational value, it could be a worthy donation towards the Ethereal Luminary. This does require some study first, but that is not a problem."

It was at that moment that Diane smiled, adjusting her red-rimmed glasses before she procured some of her money from a coinpurse, handing ten Ryke's worth over to Tytas as a matter of fair exchange. "I appreciate it, Mr. Rulmstan." She replied, politely addressing Tytas by his surname. "I sincerely hope that you and the rest of the merchantfolk find yourself in a better predicament following this strange debacle with the mercenaries. As for myself... I was running low on reading material for my spare time. Perhaps this would be entertaining."

By the time that another exchange of goods made itself known through the market thanks to Diane's acceptance of the offer, she'd grab hold of one of her newly acquired books, slowly flipping it open with the utmost care before she started to read a little from the first pages or so. It wasn't just some simple read though, as even though the rest of the group clearly had their own matters to go through, Diane was doing what she did best. Even if it was just the first few pages as not to hold anybody back, she wanted to make not of anything unusual within the scribblings of the adventurers who had left the book behind. Any strange patterns, out of place errors, flaws in the writing that would open up to Diane and reveal something beyond what was actually scrawled on the parchment.

Actions:

• Activate Ability: 'Decryption' on the newly acquired books.​
  Academia F, Languages F, Investigation F
  Some secrets are often known to be hidden away with normally unrecognizable puzzles, hidden chambers and locked boxes. Using a mix of her intuition and varied knowledge, Diane can use this ability in order to decipher and unlock these hidden secrets with greater efficiency.
  Grade F - 0 Post Cooldown

 

[Gaius Danius Griinia]

Izuru
Mentions: saxon Femboy NimbusWing

Izuru scratched his chin for a moment whilst looking at the old antique dagger covered in layers of rust. Digging around inside of his robe for a few minutes and pulling out a wide assortment of random objects. He finally found a few coins to cover the cost of the worn down looking knife. Although appearance wise it looked like it would give him some sort of infection if he cut himself with it. There was some merit in purchasing the odd trinket now and then. One may never know when it could come in handy. Looking at the dents and scrapes covering the merchants stall. Izuru wondered if Tytas REALLY believed in what Aurae was telling him. Lack of faith could lead to decrease in votes. However his worries proved unfounded given that the half-elf had seemingly agreed with what the aspiring mayor was telling him. Nodding to himself for a while like a proud parent. Izuru's attention was grabbed by Tachanka asking about the Mercenary Guild.

"The Mercenary Guild isn't as popular as the Adventurers Guild because their jobs tend to be more... morally gray. I only know about them due to a run in with a low ranked member..."

The memory was a bitter one. Cyan Hair and two swords strapped to his belt. Izuru grit his teeth in a seemingly uncharacteristic display of anger just thinking of that man. A mercenary who he had disagreed with on a variety of topics. The pair had acknowledged each other as enemies and parted ways with an unspoken promise to kill the other someday. Izuru regained his composure and was able to see that Diane had gone on one of her nerd tirades while purchasing a book. Seeing the group consensus was that they all head on over to the Merchants Guilds representative. He chose to keep quiet so that Aurae could more calmly slip into the role of leader. Although he was by no means a mentor to anyone in anything. Izuru wondered if this was how the Druids felt sometimes.

 

[saxon]

Aurae Faren

E Grade Character

Titles: Elf, Nomad, Native, Mundane

mentions: Femboy Gaius Danius Griinia NimbusWing

Abilities/cooldown/Actions


1.
2.
3.
Notes: When not in combat, abilities that do not deal damage do not have a cooldown.

"Though there is a mercenary guild, as your friend has said, they are not very common, much more of an underground movement for the most part," Tytas replied to Tachanka's question with a shake of his head. The whole matter with the mercenaries seemed to only have made things worse in the town. The merchants were seemingly being taken advantage of because they wouldn't fight back right away. However, there seemed to be far more going on than what was being seen. He then turned his attention to their kitsune friend who was going through the book as Tytas pocketed the rykes.

"Thank you for your kind words but until those thugs are gone I'm afraid the merchants will be continually harrassed about one thing or another. Though I myself haven't been in this town long enough to know what it was like prior to this," He admitted with a simple shrug of his shoulders. Aurae brought her hand to her chin for a few moments. Diane going though the book would see no marking made by the adventurers and it seemed to be a collection of memoirs about a past Emperor in the Eastern Empire. Though nothing really stood out, it just detailed the accounts of his reigns and some personal stories that were shared.

Aurae slamed her fist into the palm of her hand as she looked around at the group. "With that being said, I suppose we should head to the guild representative and hope that they will be able to give us more information on the matter at hand. If we are lucky then we might just get the support we need," She concluded before motioning for the rest of the group to follow. They walked toward the shop that had been pointed out and upon entering it there was a dwarf and two elves talking at a counter. The dwarves looked rather advanced in age, while the elf himself looked fairly young. They glanced up for a moment and then went back to discussing their business.

Upon looking around the place looked like it was a general store, random wares were set upon the shelves. There was even the smell of some spices coming from near the counter. Along the back wall was a sign that said guild representative and the door was open. The group could see a human man around his forty sitting at the desk and writing something down on some paper.

Aurae motioned for the retainers to wait by the door as she paused at the entry to the office. "You must be the guild representative, Aurae Faren aspiring mayor. I was hoping that I could talk to you about the mercenary problem that seems to be plaguing the village," She stated as she showed the letter of introduction that Milky had written. The man looked at it for a moment as he nodded his head and motioned for her to sit. There was several chairs in the office enough for everyone to sit down if they wanted to.

"Lynch Humbrand, Merchant Guild representative in this village. Miss Faren I'm surprised you got someone to write a letter of introduction. From this here it says you are looking to help the merchants. However, as I'm sure you noticed the merchants are in a tough spot. Business for us is hurting while the mercenaries are doing well for themselves. I have talked to the mayor about this several times but he doesn't seem to want to do anything about the matter or at least is reluctant to. To what end I'm not entirely sure. So what exactly are you hoping to get from this meeting?" Lynch inquired as he leaned back in his chair resting his hands on the desk.

"I'm running in the election that will be held tomorrow, I was hoping to get support from the merchants in exchange if elected I would get rid of the mercenaries. But, I have no proof they are actually extorting the merchants but if you have something well that might help us both out," Aurae smiled as she placed her hands in her lap. Lynch remained still as he looked her in the eye.

Meanwhile else where,

"Don't worry boss, we will ensure the matter is put to rest. If we hear anything we will give those visitors a nice little surprise," A man chuckled as he walked out of an office and walked down the hall. "Boys, the boss wants us to keep an eye on our little guests keep an eye out and report everything they do back here." With that several men that were in the room stood up and walked outside slamming the door as they left.

 

[Femboy]

Tachanka
9

Character Sheet
(Tachanka Titles: Otherworlder, Beast, Canine, Ryke Adventurer's Guild (E), Delver)
(Milky Titles: Otherworlder, Beast, Furpent, Ryke Merchant's Guild (E) )
saxon NimbusWing Gaius Danius Griinia

Tachanka listened to what Tytas spoke of the Mercenary Guilds that were around, intrigued by the sound of the new information and wondering if it was something of particular interest that was worth seeking out at some point. Nevertheless, working with them for the current task probably wouldn't prove much benefit at all and might just be home to more terrible types that would stand up for them. Izuru's depiction of what the Mercenary's Guild would be like wasn't so pleasantly painted either and would probably end up landing her in a lot more difficulty if she were to be around them. Not much interested for the feel of being in an Adventurer's Guild, she still stuck around within it anyway for training and a place to be that would help her progress in getting her name as a warrior greater and to be able to take on bigger issues in arms. Once she had conquered the ranks of a simple Adventurer's Guild would she probably consider looking for something big. "Probably not a worthwhile idea then, here or after. I'll still keep it in mind though... " she muttered quietly about the Merc Guild.
"Thanks for your time" Tachanka answered briefly before looking to Aurae, noticing Diane who was seemingly convinced into buying from the wares of the merchant. If it was that simple, then it felt like they'd best be glad they weren't going to talk to another merchant for the sake of the kitsune's budget. Going along with Aurae's leadership to the Merchant's Guild, she awaited and watched her saying her introduction once again as she mumbled about how many times she was gonna use the title 'Aspiring Mayor' today. Wouldn't it be such a humiliation if she still had that title after the election, Tachanka silently jested to herself in her mind.

When they were invited into the representative's office, Tachanka had noticed enough seats for everyone but still refused to sit down since a bodyguard wasn't supposed to take a seat especially at times like this. It would be inconvenient to restrain ones' own movement and keep them sat in a single place, so she held her arms crossed behind her back as she stood and listened. More than anything, she had already gotten the letter from Milky to even get a conversation like this to happen in the first place, so she silently held that said discussion was better suited for the more politically aware for the current moment. Aurae should be able to handle it considering it's the entire reason she's here, but Tachanka still wasn't convinced of the assistance Diane and Izuru could talk out of people despite the time she has spent around them so far.

Actions
1. Insight (F) on Lynch Humbrand​

 

[NimbusWing]

Diane Duste
Mentions: saxon Femboy Gaius Danius Griinia

Diane's face contorted itself into a clear look of disappointment as she quickly scanned through the first few pages of the initial book of which she had purchased. Word by word, page by page, in spite of her efforts and her ability to decipher knowledge, it was clear that she wasn't really getting anywhere even with an opportunity taken to delve deeper into the scriptures. It was a case of false advertising at that, with absolutely no mentioning of the adventurers that were mentioned previously and instead placing its focus on that of the Eastern Empire and of an Emperor who had resided there. It wasn't what she was looking for any bit, but at the very least it was a half-decent first look. Lowering what she had read after Faren beckoned the party to regroup and continue on with their quest of sorts, Diane responded with a tired sigh before she fitted what she had purchased straight into her bags.

"That transaction was much appreciated. It may not exactly be what I desired, but I knew what informatory lottery I was getting into when I wanted to purchase it. Either way, I do sincerely wish of you a swift recovery on your repairs and a happy day. Do take care."

With a simple polite wave, she saw Tytas off as she rejoined the other three members of their otherwise unlikely group. On one hand, her face was a little disappointed, but there was a touch of curiosity on her face, which was almost always a given considering what type of person she was. She gave a gentle tap on the hard cover of her newly acquired book, before shaking her head.

"Well. I'm afraid that none of my findings have the capacity to be too relevant on our journey at the current moment. Information regarding the Eastern Empire, its past rulers and whatnot. None of it containing any known connections to what we're looking for today, and I sincerely doubt that any of it will be too important for today. Nevertheless, it's about time we press on, shall we, Miss Faren?"

Her answers were immediately resolved as they yet again set off to their next destination, that being of the representative of the Merchant's Guild in Lanstrich. The human male writing in his office dutifully, the smell of paper and ink in the air, things felt more at home for Diane and her sheltered preferences. She would step inside, keeping fairly close to Aurae, but not as far as to violate personal space, before she'd gently bow towards Lynch and took a seat of her own as was requested. She didn't speak though - it was already clear that this wasn't her business and she already had gotten herself in enough trouble by opening her mouth. Besides, talking to a merchant in need of assistance was a deal that was not comparable to the representative of the Merchant's Guild. Diane merely kept to herself, listening in to the conversation quietly as she too matched Aurae's motion of placing her hands on her lap, trying to understand the nature of the problems at hand like a student comparable to a teacher's pet.

Actions: Culture (F), to at least see if Diane can get a further grasp on the understanding of the commercial culture of Lanstrich.

 

[Gaius Danius Griinia]

Izuru
Mentions: saxon Femboy NimbusWing

Izuru quietly watched as Aurae did her best to seem confident in the face of the half-elf merchants expectant gaze. The bard was less than sure of her success but he had chosen to back this horse so he was just going to have to wing it. His rusty dagger was quickly pocketed once the transaction had been made. Once the groups business with Tytas had been concluded. Izuru followed behind Aurae, placing himself at the back of the group. Currently their chances of getting through to the merchants of this town were slim. His hope was that meeting with the representative of the Merchants Guild using Milky's letter would get them somewhere. The general store looking place they hit up next was certainly a step up from Tytas and his miscellaneous stuff stand. Two employees were currently doing their damndest to appear busy, which Izuru had heard was very important for regular jobs. He was self-employed so in exchange for less rykes he had less chance of a supervisor dumping stuff onto his lap.

Although it seemed a bit paranoid of him to do so. Izuru made sure to use [Appraisal E] on both of the employees. Given the nature of their little quest to make Aurae a Mayor. He had to make sure to check out EVERYONE who could possibly be in on the whole conspiracy. It helped that he happened to look like a dandy loser. His father had always stressed the importance of doubt. Anyone and everyone could betray you at a moments notice if they had something to gain. The majority of people were selfish after all, not completely selfish but selfish all the same. Leaning against the wall with his hands atop his cane. Izuru looked over at the incredibly conspicuous retainers who were diligently guarding the entrance. Anyone with half a brain could tell something was going on here. Not wanting to worry too much about things he didn't have control over for the moment. Izuru turned his attention to the Guild Representative Lynch Humbug. Utilizing [Appraisal E] once more to see where this dude was at. He asked Tachanka if Milky was with people she trusted right now.

---

Actions
.Appraisal E on Dwarf, Elf and Humbug

 

[saxon]

Aurae Faren

E Grade Character

Titles: Elf, Nomad, Native, Mundane

mentions: Femboy Gaius Danius Griinia NimbusWing

Abilities/cooldown/Actions


1.
2.
3.
Notes: When not in combat, abilities that do not deal damage do not have a cooldown. about 3 more rounds and that should do it.

Izuru's appraisal of the employees outside, though there wasn't anything particularly special or concerning about them. Their titles were pretty average and didn't seem to be a snitch or anything of the sort, at least based on the titles. Lynch's office was decorated rather plainly, as the others could tell the longer they were sitting in the office. When Appraisal was used again, he would notice there was a loyal title, a merchant title, and a title called brutally honest.

Lynch looked at the group that was assembled in the office as he intertwined his hands as he leaned back in his chair. "Miss Faren I'm going to be blunt with you, as I stated earlier the merchants are in a tough spot. The mercenaries that were hired have harrassed and asked for extra money. As I also said the current mayor is in league with them to some extent. Though there has been some griping about them from the local residents as well. However, you will only get a single chance at this. You do realize if you do this and you fail the mercenaries will run you and anyone helping you out of the town," Lynch stated as he paused for a moment to see what was about to said.

Aurae nodded her head at the last statement. "That I know, but its better than just letting them run a much and make things more difficult than they already are. At this point they are just feeding off the fear of the ratmancer, I think more citizens from the village should fill the ranks of the guard which I would like to see expanded to a normal level for this town," She replied to which it seemed to be a satisfactory answer as Lynch reached down into his desk and retrieved a stack of letters before placing them on the top of the desk.

"I was going to send these off to the guild in the capital but, if you are serious about doing this then I will tell my merchants to vote with you, though some might not listen. You will have to win them over during the debate tomorrow," Lynch concluded as Aurae retrieved the stack of letters which she had planned to use as evidence against the mercenaries.

"I will do all that I can, the risks are high and the chances of something bad happening if I lose is certain. But, there are more townspeople than the mercenaries. I thank you for your time Mr. Humbrand, you have given me some matters to think on and more information to prepare for tomorrow," Aurae concluded as she stood up and then walked out of the room as her retainers followed as soon as she passed the threshold of the door.

The group made their way back to the Inn as Aurae discussed their plans for the following day. Eventually the group would settle in for the night and as the sun rose the following day a stage had been set up in the town square. Aurae and the current Mayor were standing off to the sides, as there was still a few moments before the debate was about to begin and following that would be the voting.

 

[Femboy]

Tachanka
10

saxon Gaius Danius Griinia NimbusWing
Character Sheet
(Tachanka Titles: Otherworlder, Beast, Canine, Ryke Adventurer's Guild (E), Delver)
(Milky Titles: Otherworlder, Beast, Furpent, Ryke Merchant's Guild (E) )

Tachanka stood and listened to the conversation that took place over the current matter involving the mercenaries and merchants within the village, hoping that it would go well only to hear that not a whole lot of assistance was garnered from the meeting. At the least, it would seem like potentially some of the merchants would be willing to vote for Aurae when the election came around, so getting said meeting with the Merchant Guild to happen wasn't overall a loss. Leaving in peaceful silence since trying to voice for any support more might result in backfiring, Tachanka returned to the inn with Aurae, Izuru and Diana in order to hear over the plans of what was to happen.

The next morning, Tachanka (hopefully) reconvened with Milky if she could find her just to check up on where she had been and what she had been up to, otherwise heading to the election as she watched.
"Hopefully she knows what she's doing up there, not much else anyone can do now... " Tachanka muttered quietly as she waited for the election to begin taking place, keeping an eye out among the crowd for merchants who may or may not be swayed to vote for Aurae. She was a little concerned that there might be mercenaries among the crowd who will 'kindly convince' bystanders to vote against her.​

 

[saxon]

Aurae Faren

E Grade Character

Titles: Elf, Nomad, Native, Mundane

mentions: Femboy Gaius Danius Griinia NimbusWing

Abilities/cooldown/Actions


1.
2.
3.
Notes: RP has concluded! Izuru Skip: 1 Nimbus Skip: 1

Aurae shielded her eyes as she stepped out from the local inn that rested in the square. The night before, the stage had been erected for the debate that would start this morning. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she yawned and stretched her free arm up toward the sky. However, it seemed like this was going to be the main event of the day as people were already starting to gather and wait for the start of the debate. She noticed a few of the merchants she saw yesterday, she reached toward one of her retainers who handed her the stack of documents they had received from the guild.

Looking around she noticed the others a few other familiar faces as a bell was rung that signaled the start of the debate. Aurae walked up to the stage, the mercenaries were scrambled about the square not really doing much just sitting there watching. On the stage were two podiums, once occupied by the current Mayor, who was leaning against the wood. When she took her spot the leader of the local merchant guild stepped on the stage. "Welcome to the mayor debate, today is the day of the election once both candidates had spoken you will be able asked to split across the white line that is at your feet. if you are on the side of Miss Faren your vote will be cast from her and if you are on the side of the mayor then your vote will go to him. We will give a few moments to allow you to move when the time comes to vote. Miss Faren will speak first being the challenger," Lynch concluded as he turned toward her and motioned for her to start.

"Good morning, Lanstrich. My name, as some of you know, is Aurae Faren. I have spoken to some of you about the issues in the village. Many of you have mentioned the ratmancer and there was mentions of the mercenaries that have been hired. From what I can see they are no longer needed and the current Mayor is still having them on his payroll or well more specifically your payroll. Your taxes will go to pay for them the longer they are here. I am here to attempt to be elected as your mayor, and my first goal is to restore order and remove these mercenaries from the Lanstrich if I am elected," Aurae paused as a few of the people were nodding or shaking their heads.

"The merchants have felt this more than most, I have seen how the mercenaries treat you all as members of this town. To them you are purely bags of money, I have these documents that the merchants have given me showing proof of the corruption that is happening. Many of you have wondered why the mayor hadn't done anything so now I will conclude my time and let the mayor speak," Aurae concluded.

The mayor glared at Aurae, and as the letters were mentioned, his face turned white a little. "Good people of Lanstrich, I have served you for several years now, I would like to think my record speaks for itself. The mercenaries have been brought in to protect you from the Ratmancer. While they are rough around the edges they are here for your protection-" He was interrupted by some fruit getting thrown at him and some heckling from the crowd. "Hey! Which one of you did that, I will have you-" He tried to speak again as he was cut off as more were thrown at him.

Lynch walked back out on the stage again as the fruit slowed and the mayor was covered. "Well it looks like both candidates have spoke now as I said earlier, please look toward the ground center of the stage. You see that white line, now I please ask you to move to the side of the candidate you support and in a few moments we will count the votes," Lynch concluded as people started to shift around.

After fifteen minutes, both sides had been counted, with a large majority going to Aurae's side as the letters and information the merchants had given her were passed around. With that the election was concluded and Aurae would inform the mercenaries that they had until tomorrow to pack their things and leave the village. There was going to be a long road ahead but at least for the moment the recovery was beginning.

The End

Narrator rewards: For me to know and you to find out :p