Trial by Fire - IC Thread

[jaydude]

As convenient as he had come to find the Stormwind Rider spell, Kuaidao was always grateful when it ended, and he could put his feet down on firm ground and not have to see the world passing by him at a speed so unnatural for humans. He figured he could get used to it in time, but that day was still a long while off.

Seeing Maja point towards the town of Wangler's Knob, Kuaidao looked at the other Celestials of the group. "It wouldn't hurt to go and have a look, and see what's going on." he said.

 

[D. Rex]

"I suppose it can't hurt to see what is going on. Get an idea of what sort of people await us and the situation of the manor." Bard agreed, tapping on his lute to signal to Spider to get out.

 

[Sherwood]

As you get closer to the town, you can see that there are many tens of thousands of people in a makeshift tent city that has sprouted up around the outer wall of Wangler's Knob, perhaps as many as twenty five thousand people, and maybe upwards of thirty thousand. There is no rhyme or reason to the layout; it is as if people simply said, "This is a good spot to pitch my tent," and they did so. Pathways through the tents are a crooked mess, but at least they are there.

While you are making your way through the tents, please give me three Perception + Awareness rolls.

 

[Random Word]

As soon as Kuaidao starts walking, Maja alights from the branch and soars over the camp, drinking in the sights and sounds of this new place from above. She circles lazily overhead as the others progress on foot beneath, savouring the warm sunlight on her wings one last time before she would have to return to her true form.

Spoiler: Mechanics

Keen Hearing from Tell and Keen Sight from Snowy Owl form.
Awareness 3 + Perception 5 + Keen Sense 3 + Stunt 2 = 13

Stunt dice turned out not to matter, since none were hits.

Roll 1: 6 hits
Roll 2: 2 hits
Roll 3: 8 hits

 

[Psychie]

Before heading into the town, Spider would jump down from the lute that she was napping in and resumes her human form with a long stretch. With a low groan and the loud popping of joints, she finally looks out at the town in front of them. "Tally-ho! I see that we've reached this Wangler's Knob place, and we are far from alone. Everyone, keep your wits about you when we get into town. Luna only knows what kind of trouble we might be walking into down there."

With a steady stride, Spider crosses the distance down to the tent city around the walls, looking around her to see what might be of interest.

Successes: 3, 3, and 2

 

[D. Rex]

It was time to butterfly the crap put of a social situation like this. And if there one thing Bard knew, it was people, and there were plenty of those.

The plucky Bard strutted into town like he owned the place. The spring in his step as jubilant as a prospector who struck orichalcum.

Upon entering the town liberally used the double finger-gun technique. Blasting people left and right with good vibes and a wink. "Great day, ain't it!", "Hey! Long time no see!", "Say hello to the wife and kids for me!", "Sup beautiful, I think I just struck gold.", "Yo fam, wut is on the hizzity hap?", "Looking great today, Jerry!", "Any good finds lately?", "How's luck treating you?" "Where can I get a good drink around here?", "Realm ain't holding out on us, are they?" "Hows it hanging. prince?" "Let's go out for drinks later, eh?" Among a string of other minor inquiries and comments designed for nothing more than to gauge a general feel of moral and mood and to procure simple answers in current events.

Bard no target in particular, simply whomever he happened to walk by, and he would do his best to really put off a good attitude, letting people know he was an easy guy to be open around. A good way to leave through town, and even though he kept his eyes open, his focus really was more in the people themselves.

Roll 1: (cha+soc) 9
Roll 2: (cha+soc) 7
Roll 3: (per+awr. Stunted) 5

 

[jaydude]

Grinning a little at Bard's swagger, Kuaidao would keep an eye out as he entered the tent city.

Spoiler: OOC

Using Sensory Acuity Prana for 5m Personal Essence. 4 successes on first roll, 2 on second roll, and 1 on third roll.

 

[HumanPlus]

As Melinda prepares her spell and Maja chooses to take wing instead Rivers looks to her and considers doing the same, but while she is capable of continuing the hard work of migrating through the sky for days without rest, she doubts she has the sheer speed of her more physically adept companion. Instead she chooses to remain in human form during the travel so she can keep some conversation going over long days of cold physical inactivity, in an attempt to get to know Bard, Kuaidao and Thallus just a little better.

When they arrive at the city she looks decidedly displeased at the situation. "A small army of treasure hunters surrounds this place. It will be hard to keep out of sight of people, even in the nearby wilderness. Whomever spread this rumor must have skill at manipulating word of mouth to draw so many".

She knew that with so many any information one might gain in there would be distorted by countless retellings, but she would still need to try. This place they seek will not be easy to find. Seeing Maja taking to the sky and the others walking in to talk to people as charming strangers, rivers decides to take a slightly different approach. She takes a moment to look inside herself, among the skins of beasts and men that had imprinted themselves upon her spirit during her hunts and her training in the ways of the Pact. In her time in the North, she had eaten an ivory poacher who had left an areas mammoth population wounded and dwindling, and she now drew his skin over her own.

Now in the guise of a tall scarred bald man with piercing dark blue eyes and an ashen blonde moustache, Rivers walks into the inner town past the tent city. Silently she listens to people's speech patterns and mannerisms for a while, and buys a set of local clothing in order to make herself seem as native as she is capable of. Only then does she really begin to observe, for when not in the presence of apparent strangers people tend to be more candid. She observes peoples faces, makes certain to walk close enough to casual conversation to listen in, as well as making small remarks to idle people about the strangers outside and the trouble they cause to lead conversation in the direction of our goal.

 

[Sherwood]

The sunlight, while bright, is hardly warming you as you shiver in your cloaks and heavy coats next to the large drifts of snow. As you work your way through the crowds towards the town proper, you can pick up snippets of conversations.

"My wife made come up here. 'Get out of the city,' she said, 'Get out of your father's tanning shop and be a real man for once. Take a chance.' Dumb cow. I've been up here for three weeks and have gone out there every day, and you know what I've found? Nothing. I haven't even seen any wildlife, and I'm starting to think that this place is cursed or something. Anyways, I'm going home soon, with or without the wife."

"To tell you the truth, I haven't seen any treasures yet. Sure, every few days, someone'll come out of the wilderness with some knickknack, but more often than not, it's just a bit of tack or armor someone else has dropped. But I'm not discouraged. I hear that we haven't heard of any new items because the real ones that've been found get auctioned off in secret. The Dynasts are hoping we'll all decide that there's nothing up here and go away, leaving them to take whatever they want for free."

"Did you hear about the Lady V'neef Mahina? Ever since she's arrived, she's been feeding hundreds of people every day out of her tent pavilion for free! She even has her tents pitched outside the walls with the rest of us, instead of taking over a bunch of people's houses like that ass Sesus Lahor did with his men."

"I heard that House Sesus has over a thousand men here in Wangler's Knob, and that they are planning on taking over the town!"

"Can you feel the wind changing? If my nose is right, the snow is due to come down heavy, and that means the pass south will be closed for months."

"Have you noticed that there are no old people living in Wangler's Knob? I'm sayin' that I've not seen anyone over the age of fifty that calls the Knob home. Strange."


During his time schmoozing in the tent city, Bard is approached by a pair of hard-looking men wearing the distinct symbol of House V'neef of the Realm. They are both older men, and from their military bearing and the way that they wear their gear, you would guess that they are both soldiers. Each one is armed with a sword and are wearing armor, but neither one is making any hostile moves. One of the two offers up a polite bow, and he says, "Good day to you, sir. I am Kal Verbena, in the service of the Lady V'neef Mahina. I could not help but to notice that you appear to be new to the Knob, and M'Lady does like to be kept aware and informed of what is going on in the city. What brings you and your friends here? Are you all treasure hunters?"

He stands with a curious look on his face, waiting for your response.

 

[D. Rex]

Bard held his arms out wide,"A welcome party! From the fabled Lady herself! Please do send her my regards and appreciations."

"And your eyes are that of an owl. We are indeed new here. Just got here today! As for what we do... well... I like to call us 'opportunists'. And what better place of opportunity right now than Wanglers Knob?"

"You see, my dear lad, if you want treasure hunters, then you have just found yourself a the luckiest bunch. But finding odds and end isn't all that we do. Bringing good cheer. Guard duty. Mercenary work. Serving drinks. Trade. Scribing and translation, even! We even have the balls to volunteer for the good hunt."

With great laugh Bard put his hands on his hips."My momma said I could be anything I wanted. But I couldn't choose so I decided to see if I could do it all! And lo and behold I have found others of a like mind to help me in my endeavors."

"Haha, so to answer your question, what DOESNT bring me here!?" His laugh rang out boisterous and true. "And if the esteemed Lady V'neef needs anything at all, I bear the goodwill and respect to make that a priority."

 

[Sherwood]

The fellow named Kal smiles at Bard's comments. He glances back at the other soldier, then turns to face you once more. "I am sure that with your wide range of talents, the Lady V'neef would like to welcome you at her pavilion to hear more of your travels, news from the South, and where you plan on going from here. Come to her pavilion in two hours, and I will let the Lady know you are on your way. "

He kneels down on the dirt and pulls out a dagger from his belt, and draws a rough circle in the earth. "If this is Wangler's Knob, then we are about here, and my Lady's tents are about here." He stabs at a point a short distance away around the curve of the city wall.

Standing back up, he brushes off the bits of loose snow and dirt off of his clothes. Then, the two soldiers offer up a polite bow to the lot of you and turn away to continue on the path through the tents.


Melinda looks at Bard and muses, "Meeting a Dynast here, one that is interested in helping to ease the plight of the hungry masses. Interesting. I wonder what kinds of information we may be able to learn from her, and what she wishes to learn from us?"

 

[D. Rex]

Bard bid the two a farewell and didn't even regard Melinda's presence until the two were well out of sight.

With hands clasped behind his back, Bard remains staring in the direction they left. "Don't you find it odd?" He asked her, musing to himself for a few moments more. "This Dynast takes particular interest in vetting those who come in... and that amount must be staggering given the treasure rush. An awful lot of resources to devote to a task you can assume will almost always get the same answer."

"Not to mention... word seems to be abound that the Dynasts dont want the treasure hunters digging things up. Yet they have no problem inviting more in. And have taken no action in stopping the trickle of minor artifacts out to keep hype high. Almost as if they want the word to spread."

"On top of that... Wangler's Knob is a no place out in bumfuck nowhere. The presence of the entire city alone suggests it isnt capable of sustaining this many people. Doubled by that the Dynast needs to feed them. Trade routes, I imagine, cant be all that prosperous here, and I would not believe hunting parties would have the success needed to feed all these folk every day, especially in this climate. If they really wanted the looters gone she wouldnt feed them."

"On top of all that, there is a distinct lack of elders around. It's understandable that the young and spry would venture here. But the town itself should have some of their own."

Bard paused to let the oddities sink in. "An easy answer for us is to assume this is just a ploy to attract Anathema. But that doesnt quite hold enough water to be the only reason things are the way they are. And I would wager, that the greeting party is on the lookout for scoundrels and opportunists to make use of."

"There is only one answer that fits the bill." He said, his face darkening."Mass sacrifice, so out of the eyes of the Realm citizens that nobody would notice. And can be easily blamed on anathema."

Bard snorted, showing he wasnt serious, "I jest, of course. But, I will be sure to take full advantage of my meeting with this V'neef lady. Let us see how far I can wheedle my way into her good graces. And I think I shall start by warning her of a possible group of Anathema heading her way. Some assholes that caused trouble in Sijan. Messengers birds would be a good excuse. We got here fast, ahead of the time they might predict."

"That said, it might not be wise to bring the full circle to this audience. The more tongues, the more chance of slipups. So if I'm investigating V'neef. I can bring Spider with me, and Rivers perhaps. Maybe you (Melinda) and the others can find some information on this Sesus presence. Cause I have a feeling they are a larger player in this game than their silent presence may suggest."

 

[Psychie]

Spider nods. "I can keep my mouth shut and my eyes and ears open no problem. You just need to make sure to keep on this woman's good side; I don't know if I'm going to be able to face off against all her security forces without being overwhelmed, not to mention this Dynast herself."

 

[D. Rex]

Bard scoffed,"Please, I'll lay on the charm so thick she will be wetter than a drowned nymph." He bragged.

"But actually, my dear mate, as much as i believe you would excel at sitting there looking pretty... I am thinking that you should try to look like you left your scruples where you left your wallet. Tough, unplussed, a bit curious, and the feel that nothing is off the table so long as there is gold on there with it." He explained. "If we want the good information... we want more than just a tea party. To worm our way into her service, we may just find our way to the manor without worry of Dynast interference."

 

[jaydude]

"Whatever's hidden in this place must be valuable if it's got the Dynasts interested." Kuaidao would say quietly to the others after he'd overheard the snippets of conversation concerning V'neef Mahina and Sesus Lahor.

He would hang back and keep quiet during the conversation between Bard and the two V'neef men, trusting the Zenith to be able to handle things. That said, he did raise an eyebrow about it, wondering why the pair would seek out his group specifically.

When the two men had gone, and the conversation turned to what the group should do next, Kuaidao said to Bard "You and I both know High Realm, so I'd be redundant on that front around you. I'd probably be better suited to investigating Lahor, or at least protecting those of us who do so."

He would then rack his brains, trying to recall if there was anything he knew about Mahina and Lahor from his time on the Blessed Isle that could better help the group handle them.

[Rolling Int + Lore (Scarlet Empire). Three successes.]

 

[Sherwood]

He would then rack his brains, trying to recall if there was anything he knew about Mahina and Lahor from his time on the Blessed Isle that could better help the group handle them.

You would recognize the names, and know that Sesus Lahor is a Fire Aspect womanizing ass, being as much an embarrassment to his House and family as he is a benefit as a Dragon Blood. He is known as a cruel man, one that seems to enjoy causing pain to those that cross him.

On the other hand, V'neef Mahina is a kind soul, Wood Aspect, and has done much on the Blessed Isle to help the lower classes, and is generally regarded as a genuinely helpful woman.

To the best of your knowledge, neither one has ever participated in a Wyld Hunt, but that doesn't mean that they wouldn't immediately go to arms if they knew of the presence of any Solars or Lunars in the area.

 

[Psychie]

Spider grins. "If you want me to be blunt and nosy, I can do that. I will still do my best to keep this Dynast from going crazy on us and call for her soldiers."

 

[jaydude]

You would recognize the names, and know that Sesus Lahor is a Fire Aspect womanizing ass, being as much an embarrassment to his House and family as he is a benefit as a Dragon Blood. He is known as a cruel man, one that seems to enjoy causing pain to those that cross him.

On the other hand, V'neef Mahina is a kind soul, Wood Aspect, and has done much on the Blessed Isle to help the lower classes, and is generally regarded as a genuinely helpful woman.

To the best of your knowledge, neither one has ever participated in a Wyld Hunt, but that doesn't mean that they wouldn't immediately go to arms if they knew of the presence of any Solars or Lunars in the area.

Having recalled this information, Kuaidao would happily share it with the rest of the group.

"I have to say, I wouldn't object to just grabbing Lahor and beating whatever information we can out of him." he said in a quiet voice.

 

[D. Rex]

As bard listened, he stroked the hair on his chin thoughtfully. "Blunt and nosy, yes... but in light of this new information, we will at least need to operate in a way that we don't ruin the lady's reputation just by us being present. So very clearly we will need to play this more tactfully than I thought."

With a clap, he rubbed his hands together,"Though I will most certainly be relying on you to keep my spine in one piece. As I'm afraid my methods of dispatching our foes may reveal too much about my nature. This will go for you as well, however. Let not your true abilities show. If attacked, you are but a mighty mortal. Showing our colors may doom us, wherein if we are just accused... then I may be able to convince them they are wrong."

Bard turned to Kuidao. "The value of your knowledge makes me wish I was more in tune with the realms going on when it mattered. But i do think you may find your chance to cut him down soon enough. As rumors are about that he may look to start trouble."

"Given the opposite of their reputation, we do not know how in league they are with one another. We will find that out soon enough. But just in case, let us not hide from them who we are visiting. If they ask, we will tell them. We are opportunists after all... so it would only make since we are looking for work where we can."

"And... if the rumors are to be believed... Lahor may very well be interested in a soldier type like yourself. Could easily use that as an in. Though... yall would need to play along with the offensive nature of his personality. We do not want to stir the pot until we are sure we are ready for the consequences."

 

[Syvvaris]

"I'd rather you not have promised our presence at Mahina's lair, from what you two have said... She may not be on our side and may be part of the cause of some of the plights here in Wrangler's Knob." Thallus whispered to the group after days of being silent. "One promise we are not willing to keep, a job that goes against our own goals or just one wrong step with this woman might put us all in peril."

The young man worried about the path these men are willing to take, interacting with a potential slum lord outside of a hub of treasure hunters. It was the rumors that they overheard on their way here that worried him. These Dynasts could be using these people who are willing to risk their lives for treasure as pawns to keep them from losing people in a potential false rumor of First Age artefact. Wrangler's knob very well could be a way to expose Solar exalted and they might have a way for them to know who was who. Afterall, those soldiers found them fairly quickly.

"Anyway, since we're splitting up. How are we with supplies and such? Anything we may need before we set out? Maybe I can find a place with books around here."

 

[D. Rex]

"Of course they aren't on our side. Even on the best of days, I dont imagine them taking kindly to us. This is what many of those proficient in duplicity call a 'ruse'." Bard explained.

"I do not trust them an inkling. And I doubt either of them are up to anything but ill will. Too many things here do not add up. And given the dragon blooded presence, I am thinking it is wisest to figure out what is going on so we do not stumble into a trap or other such... bad things."

"We are going in as mortals, not exalted. Pretending. With the service being nothing more than a way for us to get past the undoubted dragon blooded patrols that are keeping the looters from the good stuff."

"Trust my tongue, Thallus. Maybe you'd like to come with me and Spider, as it would be a bit more peaceful. And Rivers could go with Kuidao since she is a tough looker."

"And... an easy way we might get to our goal... is if you can apply some of your smarts to the artifacts. An archiepologist. But if youd rather do business in town, I can think if a few things we might need. Maybe you and Melinda prepare for our expedition further in?"

 

[Syvvaris]

"You only hope that you're going in as mortals, and I am not good with social etiquette and I can always run away if anything bad happens to me."

Thallus looked to Melinda and back to Bard. "Preparing for our journey is something that I can do. What would you like for me to get for you?"

 

[D. Rex]

"I hope so indeed. But you'd be surprised what some people will believe if you spon something just the right way."

"Well, tools. Standard digging stuff. Bags. Some camping equipment. Just the minimum. Just enough that we can look like we are just going up there to see what we can find. See if you can spot what others got. It will help us blend in."

"A more detailed map could be very helpful. Knowing about the region and its layout could help us get to where we need to go even better. Maybe there are some trails the locals know about. As long as the manor has been there, I'm sure there is something documented somewhere about it. Anything like that. And gives you a good excuse to rummage through books, eh?"

"And there is one more thing... see if you catch any rumors about disappearances."

 

[Sherwood]

Just so I'm clear on this:
We have Bard and Spider going to meet with V'neef Mahina
Thallus, Kuaidao, and Melinda going to get supplies.

Where will Rivers and Maja be?

 

[Random Word]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Kuaidao was going to seek an audience with Sesus Lahor. Regardless of what he does, Maja intends to follow him, and return to her true form somewhere along the way.