Mancini nodded to the kobold. "Thank you."

In reply to Mancini (msg # 9):

"If you are going in with armed guards, some of us will accompany you."

In reply to kobold (msg # 10):

"What happened exactly last time to make you leave?"

In reply to Aoife (msg # 11):

The slightly built bluish goblekin shrugs.
"I was not there myself, but the others say that the ogres came through a gate that leads outside one of the lower levels, one that Master Voorland never had keys to. Voorland is the dwarf that installed
the gates securing the main room."

In reply to kobold (msg # 12):

"And they ordered you to leave, or attacked you?"

In reply to Aoife (msg # 13):

"They yelled at my brother and cousins to get out, and threw things
 at them. My brother's arm was damaged when they threw a troll skull at him."
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:20, Mon 27 Mar 2017.

In reply to kobold (msg # 14):

"Any idea of who sent them? Did they mention any names or have any symbols?"

"Could you perhaps go and get one of the kobolds who was actually present to answer questions for us?" Mancini asked the kobold. "And if any can act as guides to this gate the Ogres entered through, they will be fairly compensated for their time. Just have them wait in the hall until our meeting has concluded, thank you."

He turned to Oly and Aoife. "I'll wait until all of the interested have assembled before continuing the briefing, but rest assured that there will be time to reach out to your contacts and perform any other preparatory work you'd like before we embark."

ooc: Since its the weekend I'd like to wait until Monday for any interested players (Hilerno? Ardenas?) to locate themselves here before filling out the roster with NPCs.

"I'm listening."  He addresses the kobold for a moment.

"Do we know for certain whether the ones who yelled and threw things were full blood ogres, or ogrekin?"

"My sources indicate full ogres, but we'll know more once we speak to a witness." Mancini looked meaningfully at the kobold. "Listen. The lot of you. You have all expressed interest in this venture, but I would not ask you to accept the terms until I've laid them out. And I would not expect you to do any preliminary investigation until you've accepted."

"The purpose of the expedition is simple: Remove these ogres from the winecellars and discover their point of entry. Non-violently if possible - ogres are worth more as allies than corpses. Compensation: Shares of whatever goods or treasure are recovered. If the standard guild pay-rate is not met by these shares, additional coin shall be given to make up the difference, providing a guaranteed minimum income for this expedition. That's all fairly standard."

"Other terms. This is not an independent expedition. You are working on my behalf, as an officer of the guild. Don't worry, I'm no autocrat, and have no taste for micromanagement... you are all experts, and I expect you all to know how best to put your talents to use."

ooc: In other words, I'm not your boss, and won't be ordering you around, so don't worry. Just my way of getting around the Rank difference.

"Impress me, and there will be more work and more pay forthcoming. All I ask is that you do not discuss the matter and what we discover with those who were not present, unless of course asked directly by a guildmaster of higher rank than myself."

"There are a few other matters to discuss once those of us who are committed have some privacy. Things you will need to know. But for now, Oly, Aredenas, Aoife... are the terms agreeable?"

ooc: Diplomacy roll made by 6. Not to tell you guys how to respond, but just to note that the character is more compelling than the player.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:58, Mon 27 Mar 2017.

Oly Shrugs again  Zure

In reply to Oly (msg # 19):

"Well, so far, yes. But if the ogres object, do we find out who is behind them of just force them out by brute force?"

"I intend us to investigate the matter thoroughly," Mancini said. "Whether the ogres wandered in on their own, or if there's some other hand guiding their actions. I'll explain further."
This message was last edited by the player at 23:54, Mon 27 Mar 2017.

"I'm in."

Once Norman had escorted the kobold into the hall so that the adventurers were alone in the meeting room, Mancini continued.

"As I mentioned earlier, there are strong divisions growing within the guild. Control of the DuClair's wine cellars as an access into the undercity is a project of Rigo's. DuClair provides us access in exchange for a Madiera contract. We helped him with his troll issues before the treaty with the Eastern Depths treaty was signed. This is, generally, good for the guild."

"The ogre business... most of the city's ogres are from mercenary companies or members of our own guild. The most likely scenario is that these ogres below wandered into the undercity through some undiscovered exit, and then into DuClair's cellar. However, Aoife hit on exactly the possibility we should keep in mind... that these ogres are agents at someone else's behest.

"Rigo is the majority power within the guild, but his control is far from complete. Some want this power for themselves, others may oppose him out of a simple desire that no one man control the power of the guild. Some of the higher ranking members have strong ties to the remnants of the thieves' guild and the various assassin groups, and virtually every other power in Northport has a hand in trying to influence us.

"Olegson, in particular, has cooled towards Rigo with his handling of the orcish matter, and the dwarfs overseeing the kobolds are firmly in his camp. The kobolds themselves have been growing loyal to Zeelzeel Shadowspear on a personal level, but as yet, he is not active in guild politics. Vilgar is another obvious possibility, particularly if these ogres hail from the arena."

Mancini folded his hands. "So. I would advise that we remain open-minded regarding these ogres. Let us hope that they are simple wanderers exploring the undercity rather than a further escalation of guild conflict. All the same, these are dangerous waters we swim in. Be careful whom you speak to. The ogres might even work for Rigo himself, in an effort to wrest control of the warehouse from DuClair outright.

"Any questions before I continue?"

In reply to Mancini (msg # 23):

"No questions here..."

In reply to Mancini (msg # 23):

"okay, so we need to investigate, make friends with ugly ogres and make a profit. Piece of cake. Count me in."
This message was last edited by the player at 22:46, Tue 28 Mar 2017.

"Seems clear enough, at least in terms of our immediate goals.  Politics isn't my favorite thing, but I'm capable of playing either side of fight or talk, at need."

"Some of you have worked together in the past, but some of us haven't. Before we break to take care of preliminary business, let's quickly go around and introduce ourselves and what we're bringing to the table." He nodded his head. "I go by Mancini, and I've been working in guild logistics for almost a decade now. I know it, and the city of Northport, very well, and am well trained in the arts of diplomacy. In addition to being well educated in a number of fields, I am a trained fencer and have connections within the civic government."

In reply to Mancini (msg # 27):



using my best stage booming voice

"I am called Dellas and it is a great pleasure to meet such a fine group of gentlemen..."

looking directly into Aoife eyes and giving me best charming smile

"... and a fair lady"

stepping in the center of room

"Looking at each one of you I'm now certain that I made the right choice joining the Guild. I could not be more lucky to find myself working side by side with such fantastic group."
"I can see that honor, glory and treasures await our future..."

"And what is it you do, Dellas?" Mancini asked.

In reply to Mancini (msg # 29):


"Oh me? Im a hunter of opportunities. My bow and my quiver are always ready... for the ones with enough coins."
"Ah, and Im an amazing dancer too."

Dellas is grinning while raising his left hand over his head and crossing his right arm over his chest

"I am Ardenas, called Barehand.  I'm a native of Northport, but until recently I've paid little attention to politics and such; I was much more interested in my martial arts training.  The recent troubles between the orcs and goblins got my attention, however, and I've had a glimpse of the inner workings of power.

"Honestly, I'm not at all certain I like it, but it seems unavoidable; there are problems that can't be solved by kicking them in the head."

"My notes indicate you have some magical training?"

Hilerno Orison listened attentively, his dark eyes cast downward and weathered brow furrowed. "If welcome, I shall accompany the group," he says. "I'm new to the city -- recently arriving from the mountains across Valdassya."

He pauses. "I'm not sure I understand everything you said in terms of who's working with whom, but it seems that we are not to just kill these ogre or ogrekin, but assess who they work for, what their goals are -- and then perhaps kill them." His hand rests on the pommel of his sword. "That I understand."