RolePlay onLine RPoL Logo

, welcome to GURPS 4E: The Road to Perdition

12:46, 29th March 2024 (GMT+0)

Chapter 7: Unscrupulous Acts.

Posted by RaddekFor group 0
Raddek
GM, 155 posts
Sun 19 Feb 2017
at 04:05
  • msg #1

Chapter 7: Unscrupulous Acts

December 15th
2004 A.D.
Three Mutes Pub
Azer


Finn hustles up the narrow staircase, the clomp of each footstep only partially masking out the noise from the patrons below.  He was late, in short, due to a complete misestimation of how much time it would take him to cross the market, hike a few blocks, and then enter a pub, one which he had never even heard of, at dusk.  Who the hell shopped for wares at dusk anyway?.  The whole fucking town it seemed.  The bazaar had been packed with locals as well as what seemed a heap of foreigners.  Sure, it was coming on the Christmas Festival and all, but who had seen that coming?  What would normally take Finn just a few moments ended up being a brutal battle of wills between him and each individual that would get in his way - he nudged and sidestepped, shouldered in and shoved as much as he was able to finally make his way across only to find that finding his quarry here in the pub had been more difficult than he imagined.  Firstly, the space had been nearly as packed as the streets a block over with each table filled and many standing at the bar between the barstools.  When he asked the bar wench where he could find 'Dirk' the woman shrugged him off with a look of hatred as she balanced a tray of fourteen beers atop a single hand.  Even when he finally managed to hail the barkeep, it took the man a few moments before Finn offered "I'm here for a job." which seemed to jog his memory.  He pointed to the thin staircase behind the bar and rumbled "Room five." before he went off to pour another pint.

A Job.  Indeed that was the reason why Finn was here, though it didn't really speak much to the near dire situation that had come to pass.  Surely, he was clothed and fed and he made his way well enough to avoid starvation but his funds had become decidedly lacking in the past few months and a friend had put him in touch here to try and alleviate the situation.  "They're looking for good help and they pay well.  Don't doubt you'll get more offers if you do well on your first.  Finn can still feel the words rattling around in his head, though he is still not entirely sure what he was getting himself into.  Felix had been evasive, dodging Finn's questions with subtlety before he was entirely outright.  In the end Finn had come out with little more than with what he had started, they paid well and they were looking for help.

Finn reaches the top step and rounded the corner into another narrow hallway, this one lined with shaded windows on the left hand side and a set of doorways on the right, counting up from one.  At the end of the hallway, the number five is nailed in and Finn knocks gently and waits a moment before he pushes the doorway open.

Half expecting a bedroom atop the pub, Finn is not entirely surprised with the small twin nestled in the corner of the room.  The rest of the room, however seems to be dedicated to more office like aspects.  There are a few chairs lining the middle and a large desk towards the back left corner.  Of more interest however, is the company that is sitting here with him.  To his right in one of the chairs is a striking young woman, strawberry blonde and blue eyed, fair skinned though her face seems permanently creased in a serious manner.  Behind the desk is an older man, waspishly thin with the traces of pepper now ubiquitous through what would have once been entirely black hair and beard.

"Well."  Starts the Gentleman.  "Speak of the Devil and he shall appear."  Though Finn knows his tardiness is somewhat more than slight, it seems that the grin on the old man's face is genuine.  "Finn, I presume?  And I think you would know me as Dirk?"

OOC:  This is the exclusive thread for Finn Razzel.  There are several chairs about that you can take to sit in.  Feel free to write as much or as little as you want here, I'm just trying to give you a voice before I start talking for you too much.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:25, Sun 26 May 2019.
Finn Razzel
player, 34 posts
Mon 20 Feb 2017
at 05:57
  • msg #2

Unscrupulous Acts

Finn rushes through the crowded market cursing under his breath at his bad luck.  He never cared much for being precisely on time, he'd never had a job cancelled from being late which seemed to happen to him often despite his efforts to avoid it, and this time he felt no different.  Though truth be told this kind of job was different.  In his younger days he took odd jobs washing dishes, delivering notes as a message courier, hocking wares as a street vendor and one time he even dressed up in costume as a stage actor in some abysmal play.  One thing they all had in common was that not one paid more than a few days of room and board.

In his mid twenties, after years of study and rigorous practice the young man finally has what he considers to be an impressive resume of talents.  While denied entrance to the prestigious school of magic because of his common birth status he has done well for himself, learning a cantrip here and a simple spell there from whatever teacher he could afford at the time.  And while he's no gladiatorial celebrity with a knife he can hold his own.  It's time he reckons to put his skills out and let someone bid on them.  It took weeks but Felix finally found him a job with the promise of more if he does well, and the lean yet nimble young hedge wizard couldn't be happier.

He saunters into the room with a cocky grin on his face.  ”Ya.  Finn.  That's me, a'right.”  His smile fades as he has to admit his tardiness.  ”Heya there Dirk.  Sorry about bein' late but the market was hell.”

He sits down next to the woman as he wonders what role she plays in this little caper.


OOC:
Take a seat next to the fetching woman.

Shake hands in greeting or the appropriate equivalent.

Raddek
GM, 158 posts
Wed 22 Feb 2017
at 02:03
  • msg #3

Unscrupulous Acts

"Good."  Dirk says without delay, ushering Finn to take a seat as he is already half way into his chair.  The door still ajar, Dirk stands and moves behind the other two, pushing it closed.  "Prying ears and all." the man says with a grin before he moves to retake his seat.

The moment gives Finn a chance to look over at the woman sitting beside him.  She returns the glance with a half smile though she returns her attention to Dirk near immediately.

"Finn, Mary.  Mary, Finn."  Dirk offers as he sits back down.  "Assuming you accept, the two of you will be working together on a little job for me.  It is sensitive in nature and as such I have taken steps to keep it from blowing back on us: Finn here does not know enough of us yet to be a risk, Mary, at the moment, is simply a ghost."  Dirk smiles at the woman pleasantly before he continues.  "That is why the two of you were chosen if you are curious.  It provides the most protection for us...  Needless to say, it is never a good idea to get caught but I would especially discourage it for this particular piece of work."

Dirk stands up again.  And Finn can't help but notice how the older man's movements seem sprightly for his age.  Though he has only been in the room for a moment, Dirk does not seem comfortable to remain in any singular place, like he is channeling a restless energy.  Finn rests his chin on a hand while he follows the older man's pace behind the desk.

"There is a ship that will reach harbor today, the expectation is that it will come in with the afternoon tide, sometime around five twenty.  It is a merchant vessel named Ivory Winds from Myrgan carrying mostly Sahudeese trade goods, spices, livestock and whatnot.  However, more importantly, my sources tell me there is an alchemist of some infamy on this ship as well and that he is to head from the harbor to the fortified spaces of the Templar's College before he is to meet officials there from Megalos.  I want you to kidnap this man, unharmed preferably though I would not complain over a few scrapes.  I have been assured that this man will be traveling under guard and I do not think it wise to try and tackle them head on.  Therefore, I have chosen mages," Dirk spreads out his hands, palm up in a gesture to each of Finn and Mary, "To accomplish the task.  Deceive, delay, reroute, and in the end deliver our friend to one of the operational safehouses.  Mary, you know the usual ones, Tuesday is in use though.  Complete this task and I will pay twenty gold marks to split between the two of you or the equivalent in any equipment that you can take from the guild."

Dirk pauses for a moment, his hands now resting on the top of the desk as he leans over towards Finn and Mary.  "I think I have made myself clear, but allowing yourselves to be captured is unwise.  I do not think I have liabilities in this, but the two of you most certainly will.  If you find yourself in a situation where your choices are to run or to press your luck with a physical brawl, I assure you that you should run."

OOC:  A gold mark is the equivalent of $200, so twenty of them would be $4000 to split between the two of you.
Finn Razzel
player, 35 posts
Thu 23 Feb 2017
at 06:42
  • msg #4

Unscrupulous Acts

Finn Razzel enters the room with a certain swagger.  True, he's had some set backs.  Like the time he was hired to act as courier for a family heirloom and he dropped it, and then there was the time he got a job as a bodyguard and he accidentally stabbed his client.  But he was younger then, inexperienced.  That was then, this is now.  This are looking up, he can feel it in his bones.

Immediately his gaze goes to the woman.  Beautiful she is.  Blonde hair, blue eyes and very pretty.  He smiles and inwardly hopes that he'll be working with her.  Under her...on top of her, its all good.

Razzel seats himself close to the woman but not so near to be creepy and listens to the old man as he watches the geezer move around.  Part of his brain is absorbing the details of the job and the rest of his mind is noting the man's flexibility.  He's rather spry.  Wonder what his secret is.  Magic?  Good sex?  Big bag of shrooms?

The briefing for the job is short and sweet.  Kidnap a man.  Don't let him get hurt too much.  Steal him away to a safehouse.  Don't get caught and above all don't fight with his guards.  Easy.

Finn has spent a small fortune on teachers and trainers of the magical arts.  His grimiore isn't what he'd call stupendous but its a damned good start for someone his age and for having been born without a silver spoon in his mouth.  But as he thinks over the particulars he is woefully reminded of the mediocrity of his spell gamut.  Cantrips is how most would be described.  What this job needs he reckons is a wizard capable of real power.  Teleportation.  Mind control.  The power to put multiple targets to sleep.  All of these things are in his list of wishes to be learned someday, but sadly, that day is not here.  So he'll have to do with cantrips, quick wit and a fast tongue.  Perhaps Mary has some talent for these things he thinks hopefully.

As he goes down his list in his mind looking for helpful magics he begins to sort his spells into two piles;  helpful, and shit.  Unfortunately the shit pile is much bigger.  And as he engages in this minor exercise his mouth begins to salivate over the reward.  Did he say twenty gold marks?  Why yes Finn, I believe he did! Razzel is already greedily spending the coin in his mind as a deep rooted hunger draws him to this job and these partners.  Nothing could turn him away now.
Raddek
GM, 162 posts
Sun 26 Feb 2017
at 05:46
  • msg #5

Unscrupulous Acts

"Good."  Dirks smiles as he sees he has two eager hands for the work.  "I will not dictate the how or when, but I think that you will be on a fairly tight window.  Like I said, the ship is scheduled to arrive at high tide.  Our informants are fairly certain that they will take the most direct route, which would mean passing from the port just west of the markets through the merchant district, past the cathedral and then up the road to the mage's college.  I will leave it up to you where you wish to spring the trap.  If you wish more assets, I can work to get them for you between now and then, but we are on a fairly tight timeline so nothing extravagant...  Well."  He pauses for a moment, stopping the his pacing behind the desk as he turns his head to look at the two new recruits.  "If you have nothing for me I will leave you to it."

OOC:  I realize that I've left quite an open window here so I'll try and summarize points that I think might be pertinent.

1.  If you want resources, equipment, things to set traps or anything else, now is the time to ask.  When I fast forward, it may likely be too late to try and get even the easiest equipment you may find you need.

2.  Probably the next step of your mission will be scouting.  For the sake of simplicity there are four general locations that you could lay your ambush, the port, the merchant district, the Cathedral, or the road to the Mage's College.  General information is posted below that you would know.

a. Port:  It is a fairly busy location in general, port police and city officials work there all times of day to impose taxes and protect against smugglers.  There are multiple roads leading in all directions (towards the east or away from the water).  It would be easy to find a safehouse near here.
b. Merchant District:  It is a very busy section of the city which would dictate multiple witnesses but also an easier time blending back into the crowd.  There are multiple roads leading in all directions.  It would be easy to find a safehouse near here.
c. Cathedral:  It is a lightly trafficked area of the city that includes some inns and businesses and the cathedral.  There are a few roads leading back to the southwest (towards the city) and one road leading towards the northeast (to the college).  It would be possible to find a safehouse near here.
d. Road to the college:  It is a lightly trafficked region between the city and college.  There is only the one road, but there are sparse woods and other features along the way.  It would be difficult to find a safehouse nearby.

If you want to know more, or have a GM opinion as to the best place for it, roll vs. Observation (defaults to Per-5) and/or vs. Survival Urban (defaults to IQ-5).  The one big thing that may hamstring you will be that you probably won't be sure who the person is unless you watch the disembarking of the ship.  Let me know where you want to go next and I'll fast forward.

Finn Razzel
player, 36 posts
Mon 27 Feb 2017
at 03:08
  • msg #6

Unscrupulous Acts

Finn sits in his chair one leg over the other, his hands resting comfortably in his lap, and the young man of twenty five summers is not aware of the 'old man' pose he's struck.  He is lost in thought over the job particulars, the source and the woman.

If he didn't know better Razzel would guess that this comes from the shadowy collective of thief's known as Murderers Row, to his delight.  Being that he isn't of high social standing there are little grand opportunities for someone like him and for a year or two he's had his mind on this organization but until now contact has eluded him.  He smiles brightly, hoping that his hunch is correct.

And Finn chances another glance at the pretty woman.  She is striking, that she is.  Having one around who knows how to use it, and magic?  Finn giggles inwardly at the thought of a long, lucrative cooperation.

Now his mind begins to organize what he knows and what he needs to know, when the buyer tries to excuse himself.  ”Ahhhhh...”, Finn says politely as he raises a single finger into the air.  ”A moment if you don't mind Dirk.  So let me understand what you want.  A ship called the Ivory Winds is docking around five and twenty?  And among other things aboard is an alchemist that you'd like us to kidnap?  You said he, I assume this is a man?  And I assume you have a sketching of him?
This message was last edited by the player at 03:08, Mon 27 Feb 2017.
Raddek
GM, 166 posts
Mon 27 Feb 2017
at 12:20
  • msg #7

Unscrupulous Acts

"Of course."  Dirk says pleasantly to Finn's request, plopping himself back down upon his chair, hands folded over his knee.  He listens to Finn's statements and nods along appreciatively.  "Yes that pretty well sums it up.  And yes it is a man you are after, but I'm afraid the sketch isn't possible.  You see, our information about the alchemist is rather incomplete, I honestly couldn't even tell you what his name is.  However, you can be assured that he, and his protection, are the only people on that vessel apart from the crew.  If that means you must be there when the ship docks to determine who you are after, so be it.  However, the road to the college is not well traveled except by students and faculty on liberty, it is my guess that it is unlikely that you will mistake your mark for someone else when he is traveling under guard."
Mary Brighton
player, 19 posts
Mon 27 Feb 2017
at 12:20
  • msg #8

Unscrupulous Acts

Mary guffaws at the statement, her laugh unexpectedly open and vigorous.  "Dirk, I think I can save us the time.  I saw a rather dashing man walking outside, or I'm sure that Finn is quite impressive with Hellshark blood and rattlesnake eggs.  Who are you to know the difference for your twenty marks if you know nothing of him?"
Raddek
GM, 167 posts
Mon 27 Feb 2017
at 12:21
  • msg #9

Unscrupulous Acts

Dirk's eyes narrow, though his smile widens playfully on his mouth.  "I'll know Mary, as I always do, based on the reaction.  If the Templars explode when this man is removed from their charge I shall know we have succeeded beyond our wildest hope.  If they carry on as if nothing happened, then my coin was wasted.  As with any good merchant who is haggling for an item he has never bought, I'm waiting to see how interested my competition is to know the value of what I have.  But based on what I have heard, I think my money will be well spent."  He turns his head back to Finn, the moment of seriousness over.  "Any other questions?"
Finn Razzel
player, 37 posts
Tue 28 Feb 2017
at 07:34
  • msg #10

Unscrupulous Acts

Finn almost forgets who's offering the job and that for going on two years he's wanted to work with them.  Can this old man be serious?  They want a man kidnapped and they know not his name or appearance?  But then Dirk relays that aside from the crew the alchemist and his bodyguards should be the only people aboard.  This helps Razzel relax enough to keep from shooting off his mouth.

Then the young man's curiosity is piqued.  ”Eh.  Competition.  Can we expect any?  You think others will take a special interest in this man's work and want him in the same way?”


OOC:
Other than Mary casting doubt her comment went way over my head.   Would Finn understand what the hell she's talking about with blood and eggs?

We don't need to RP this but Finn would ask about safehouses – he'd want to know what's available to be able to plan around them.  If we snatch the mark and his guards give chase Finn feels that dragging this guy miles through a busy market is asking for trouble.  Better to only port him a few blocks.

Raddek
GM, 173 posts
Wed 1 Mar 2017
at 01:01
  • msg #11

Unscrupulous Acts

Dirk scratches his chin as Finn asks about competition.  "No, I don't think so, Graves has most of this town paid for but what we are slowly chipping away at.  Besides, I'd say there are very few people that know he was coming at all so that helps out.  I think your only worries are the guards he's coming with, along with whatever bystanders might do if things get too rough."

OOC:  Alchemy generally uses exotic ingredients such as monster blood and snake eggs.  Mary is suggesting that you could fiddle your way around Alchemy well enough for Dirk to not know the difference.

As for safe houses, they are around.  One of the most important aspects in the Row is making a clean get away and they are well invested.  There's no need to bog down your planning around them.

Finn Razzel
player, 39 posts
Wed 1 Mar 2017
at 08:24
  • msg #12

Unscrupulous Acts

Finn fires off another question, as fast as they come he's popping them out.  ”What can you tell us about his guard other than to run like hell?  Do we need to worry about magic?”
Raddek
GM, 175 posts
Thu 2 Mar 2017
at 02:26
  • msg #13

Unscrupulous Acts

Dirk shakes his head, but doesn't seem entirely committal with his answer.  "I don't think so, It's possible the Templars will be there, and of course they would have magic.  However, if he has his own guards, I don't think they would make the trip.  I suppose it's possible his guards are magical and if he's an alchemist it's entirely possible he has his own skills but none of my reports mention anything about magical capabilities...  I guess I expect no, but I don't know for sure."
Finn Razzel
player, 40 posts
Fri 3 Mar 2017
at 22:03
  • msg #14

Unscrupulous Acts

Finn's face is steeped in seriousness as he nods and wrinkles his lips, a classic sign of a man deep in thought.  He talks slowly as if he's working out his question as the words come tumbling out.  "Is this alchemist known to carry his tools on him?  Can we expect to be the targets of, oh I dont know, a love potion or a sickness cloud?"

Finn waits patiently for the mans answer and then asks another query.  "Does he...uh this alchemist have anything we can exploit?  A scorned lover?  A vice?  Some almost forgotten adversary?"

OOC:
I think thats about all i need from Dirk, unless my last series of questions turned up something major.  Otherwise we can move to a montage of me and Mary planning our assult while some cool song plays.  We need a hero from Footloose?  I will survive?

Raddek
GM, 183 posts
Wed 8 Mar 2017
at 18:47
  • msg #15

Unscrupulous Acts

Dirk reaches up to his chin, rubbing the end of his jaw between two of his fingers as he thinks.  "No, I don't think so.  His guard is there to prevent against attack, I would put my efforts into distracting or disabling them.  I do not think the alchemist will give you as much trouble, but by all means subdue if you have concerns.  As for weaknesses, we do not know of any, although I can attempt to get more information to you by the time you make your attack.  We've been trying to find as much as we can and so far have come up very much short.  It is one of the reasons that I think this job is so important.  If he were simply some minor genius or even a local huckster, finding information would not be this hard."



Perhaps thirty minutes later, Mary has shown Razzel to one of the safehouses, Saturday as she calls it, which ends up being a small room in the corner of a building atop a spice merchant's shop.  Mary removes the false wall, ushering him in before she beings to place the boards back into their fitting.

Razzel can't help but marvel at the construction and thought put into the safe house, though it is small, the floors and walls are lined with a paste of sorts that deadens all the sounds of the outside world.  The only window showing the outside world is somewhat crusted over and heavily curtained, though Razzel can make out the details of the outside world surprisingly well when he presses his face closely to the glass.  In the corner is a stand-up cabinet with two opening doors.  The top contains a pantry of sorts that has enough food and water for the two of them for over a week along with a few bottles that are marked as various anxiety and restorative draughts.  Below that is filled with all sorts of equipment from climbing gear, to lock picks, facemasks and small, handheld weapons.  A veritable thieves' treasure trove.

The furniture in the room is meager, with a single cot and another thin-legged chair that backs up against one of the walls.

"Well,"  Mary starts.  "What's the plan?"

OOC:  Dirk basically agrees to send you whatever information he is able to find over the next few hours.  He doesn't make it sound likely.  What do you want to do for your planning sessions.  I realize there are a lot of geographic details that would be important for planning but that I'm glossing over for simplicity of not creating an entire city from scratch.  We can do as much or as little as you want.  The one thing I will definitely need is where you plan on setting the trap in one of the following:

Port
Merchant's District
by the Cathedral
Road to the College

Finn Razzel
player, 41 posts
Thu 9 Mar 2017
at 21:06
  • msg #16

Unscrupulous Acts

Finn nods his head to the old man as the woman and young man exit the meeting.  There is a certain smug smile worn on the young mans features.  If his hunch is correct he is now employed by the infamous Murderers Row, and, if this job goes well there will be more.  Alot more.  And that means more money for more arcane teachers.  He can quite literally buy his way to power.  Within a few short years Finn will be one of those people who walks down the street and people get out of his way.  They may not know his name but they know that he is to be feared and respected.

Mary introduces the lad to the safehouse, this one is called Saturday.  Interesting..., he thinks.  Days of the week, he heard Dirk mention something about Tuesday being off limits.  I wonder if all the other days exist.  And what if they ever get more than seven?  What then?  Colors?  The names of months?

But he does not ask.  He is busy taking in the sights, hungrily observing the trappings of this hidden place.  Food, weapons, tools of the trade.  These people are smart and have reasonably deep pockets.  More than ever he wants to be a part of them, so badly.

And then Mary gets straight to it.  Finn wrinkles his face as if he's sucked on a lemon.  ”Don't know 'bout you but I never 'tempted some'in like this.  But I don't 'spect that should make no matter.  I like the idea that we don't have to carry this potion man far.  And I like the idea of a big crowd to get lost in.  The open road sounds sweet as pie, but, its the fucking open road.  I aint keen on running with some fattie over my shoulder and nowhere to hide for a mile.  So what you say darlin', can we agree on the market?”


OOC:
I forgot that during character creation I wanted to have a particular accent and forgot to write it during Finn's first few posts.  So this isn't him faking an accent for Mary's benefit, this is the way I meant him to sound all along.

My plan as the player is to play out the planning phase of the job, one issue at a time.  First, where do we set our trap(s).  Finn votes for the merchant district.  He likes that the 'hit' would be near the safehouse which means you aren't exposed (toting around a kidnap victim) for a long amount of time.  Its also nice to have lots of stuff to use.  The crowds make it easier to hide.  Lots of things we could do for illusions that fit the market scene.

Mary Brighton
player, 20 posts
Sat 11 Mar 2017
at 14:36
  • msg #17

Unscrupulous Acts

Mary giggles slightly at Finn's accent, but forces a straight face as best she can, the corners of her mouth fighting a loosing battle at feigning seriousness.  "No, I don't think it should make no matter."

She sits down on the spindle-legged chair, throwing one leg over the other one as she lazes slightly backward in the chair.

"Yeah, I like the merchant district.  I think we need to have someone watching the ship come in though.  Dirk said we might know him regardless, but I'm not interested in kidnapping some poor sop that looks like he might have a potion or two on him.  Especially if we do this in the merchant district, there's going to be plenty of people of there and we need to know who to grab.  So that would leave us with a few options I guess.  We could both watch the ship, wait to see our mark, and then go to set up the trap, or either one of us could be in each place, one setting things up while the other figures out who we are going after.  What kind of magic you got that you think will help?"

OOC:  One issue at a time is fine.  I'll keep working Mary with the things that she'd likely think of.
Finn Razzel
player, 42 posts
Thu 16 Mar 2017
at 04:56
  • msg #18

Unscrupulous Acts

Finn smiles at the woman as she giggles, he returns her smile naturally not really knowing its source.  She is pretty and who doesn't appreciate when an attractive person smiles at you.

He listens to Mary as she speaks openly of their conundrum and some of the more obvious difficulties.  His face is thoughtful until she asks about his experience.  He face sours slightly.  ”I ain't exactly what you'd call a Bermguatner but I know a few good tricks.  Ehhhh, pro'lly the best I got is I can turn into a sweet little birdie.  Brown and white flecked falcon.  I could perch up high and pop our fattie potion man the minute he sets foot on dry ground, then wing it way ahead of 'im.”

Razzel pauses to think for a minute. ”Got a taste of most of the different flavors of magic.  I know my way around Healing, and I can whip up a ghost 'a your maw or a copy 'a your pet dog.”

Then Finn turns his attention to where she began.  ”You think we should split up?  One of us at the pier and one where we're gonna peel him off?”


OOC:
Bermguatner is a very well known painter who lived 100 or so years ago.  He excelled at art that appears to be three dimensional and kicked off a revolution in that art form.  Finn is saying he is more of an apprentice and not a master (of magic).  GM, I made this up for sake of RP.  If its not ok lemme know and I'll edit it out.

In terms of mechanics what Finn is saying is that he is a jack of all trades and master of none when it comes to spells.  He knows a few good healing spells, a basic illusion and shape shift - falcon.  He'll also say he knows Apportation.  Those of are the ones he thinks will be most useful.

Finn doesn't yet have a solid plan but since we don't know what the alchemist looks like he thinks its not unwise for both of us to scout the pier from different angles.  This way we have two eyes on the people leaving the boat and the biggest advantage is that if he is obvious, both of us knows what he looks like from the start.

Its kind of obvious that we need some kind of diversion to distract the guards so we can kidnap the alchemist.  But what?

Mary Brighton
player, 21 posts
Thu 16 Mar 2017
at 18:48
  • msg #19

Unscrupulous Acts

Mary taps her chin thoughtfully, "A shapeshifter eh?"  She thinks out loud.  "I think at least you are our ready made scout.  I'd say it's an easy answer to put you at the docks to see the ship pull in.  Then no matter how fast our alchemist is traveling you'll be able to outpace them to get back to wherever we are setting our trap.  I'd offer to go too, but I don't have any means of traveling that fast and I'd worry that I wouldn't have enough time to set up."

Mary sits and thinks for a moment, he face twitching as if she is wrestling with internal thoughts.  "Well."  She starts again finally.  "I've been thinking about how to pull this off, and it's pretty clear we are going to need some sort of distraction, while the other person does the grabbing.  I think my skillset is pretty ready made for distraction."  She winces at the thought.  "I won't say I'm the best, but I'm a damn fine illusionist and can conjure up things that seem so real they trick people's minds into feeling pain and seeing blood.  It's pretty neat actually."  She smiles at the thought of imaginary carnage.  "I've got a few other spells that might help, mostly earth flavored, but I could make you run faster too if needed to help move the alchemist along.  I'd say the best general plan is for you to scout until they are ready to move out, then fly off to meet me and give me the details, you rest up while I drum up a distraction, and you make the move to grab him..."  She sighs outwardly.  "I suppose that still leaves out a lot of specifics and some pretty glaring holes of things we don't know, but fuck, it's ten gold marks a piece!  I feel like making up some of this on the fly is worth the risk...  What else can you think of?

OOC:  No worries about making stuff up on the fly like that so long as it doesn't have any relevance to the mechanics or specific history that may have relevance to the timeline.  For your information, the game world Yrth actually does have some connections to our Earth.  Humans were transported through an enormous magical storm, called the Banestorm, mostly between the periods of 1050 to 1200.  That essentially means that everyone in this game world is familiar with gothic architecture, and pre-renaissance painting and sculpture.  Several smaller iterations of the Banestorm (similar to aftershocks to an earthquake) have taken place since them that have transported singular people or houses to Yrth as opposed to entire villages.  Short story long, it wouldn't have been out of the question to say M.C. Escher as opposed to Bermguatner.  For there probably was someone who some schmuck who had his house world-jumped into Yrth and who could have sold printings of Escher's works as if they were originals (and then done forgeries of them himself, passed off under a false name!).  Just trying to say you don't need to create things on your own if you don't want to have to remember what you said earlier.

As far as the mission, Mary is basically saying that she has some moderately powerful illusion magic as well as the spell Haste to make you move faster if needed.  She's also suggesting that she has a moderate understanding of the earth college.  She's offering to be the distraction but that would necessitate you making the grab.  Don't feel like you are required to accept this arrangement and the two of you can rework the plan however it make the most sense to you.

This message was last edited by the player at 16:27, Mon 20 Mar 2017.
Finn Razzel
player, 43 posts
Sun 19 Mar 2017
at 05:44
  • msg #20

Unscrupulous Acts

Finn stands and walks around the space taking in the accoutrements.  Weapons, armor, food,  basic gear and medical supplies. Again he appreciates the forethought and deep pockets that this organization brings.  He searches the stash for booze and finds none.  He is about to ask when it occurs to him, they people stock these places for functionality.  Survival, not entertainment.

He turns to look at Mary as she wraps up her speech on his aerial reconnaissance.  ”Sure thing Miss Mary.  I'll be the eye in the sky.  Wing it back and report before they've made it half way to the market.”

Now Finn selects a nice hunk of yellow, dry cheese.  The flavor is bland yet has a faint bite to it.  He listens to his partner and then sighs.  ”Like I said I aint no Bermguatner.  I done a few jobs but nothin' fancy.  But that's about the way they all go.  Plan all ya want but shit don't always go as planned.  Life is like a big fuckin' rock rollin' down hill.  If you don't move you're gonna be tomorrow's buzzard shit.”

He nibbles on the last bits of cheese while he thinks over what she said.  ”Illusion.  Great stuff.  I don't mind grabbin' while you distract...but...I was hopin' we'd come up with somethin' that'd make 'em leave the potion man alone, and we could both grab 'im.  'Cause I keep thinkin' like, if I had to escort a job what would make me leave 'im alone, even for a minute.”

Razzel eyes the woman and clearly she isn't thinking what he is.  He flashes a smile.  ”Take a big 'ol stinky dump is what.  Then what if my job comes out but it aint 'im...it just looks like 'im.  And I follow 'im, but it aint the real 'im.  Follow me?”


OOC:
How common are magic users in this world?  Just wondering the odds of us running into someone else who can wield magic, whether its one of the alchemists guards, passersby, etc.

What Finn is proposing is some kind of distraction where the guards go left and the alchemist goes right.  We both grab the alchemist and get him to the safehouse.  Hopefully a decent lead is all we need to go away.  So, in this world I assume there are public bathrooms?  If not multi-stall rooms what about single person outhouses like modern port-o-potties?  A wooden stall about the size of an older era telephone booth?  What if we could make him need to go to the bathroom?  Then an illusionary version of him comes out and the guards follow the illusion?  Then we grab the alchemist?  Or even better, Mary makes us look like the guards and the alchemist follows us straight to the safe house?

Edited my post to reflect that the safehouse is not stocked with alcohol.

This message was last edited by the player at 05:53, Tue 21 Mar 2017.
Sign In