As Finn walks along, dressed in disguise as a dock worker and in tow is his new found friend the barely intelligible foreigner his mind wanders to the riches about to fall in his lap.  He has earned a small fortune for an easy job.  However, what is the old saying, 'give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day but teach a man to fish and he'll eat for life'.  This is similar, he's done well for the Row so a steady stream of these kinds of jobs is his guaranteed future.  And as he walks he plays the role according to his costume but is able to do so almost without thinking.  After all, play acting is a key ingredient for any successful rogue.

Finn is animated but not overly so.  He takes on the air of a laborer, someone who works with his hands and his back daily.  A man who has contempt for beggars and the upper class who can't be bothered to get their hands dirty.  ”...and so Robar says to me 'I aint going in the hole.  Old lady had me breaking up firewood all night and my back's killin' me'.  So I look him dead in the eye and says, 'Look fuck stick I don't care what your dumpy fat sack had you doin', it's your turn.  Now get your damned ass down there and start bringing those bags up...or else.'  Well you should'a seen the look on ol' Robars face.”  Finn laughs arrogantly to sell his toughness.  ”Can you believe that shit?”  Seeing that his mark barely understands the meaning of the event Finn has described and no idea how to react Razzel helps him.  He whispers to Behar.  ”Tilt your head back and laugh.”

Not long after the pair make their way to the main road cutting through the city and Finn stops them at the sight of some guards ahead.  He peeks around the corner at the curious sight hoping to discover their mission.  He strains his ears and squints in the dark but alas the sounds and traffic of the city prove to much a distraction.


OOC:
In reading over your narrative it seems that no amount of training or prep is going to make Behar seem like a local who is just having a rough day.  Instead, could we say that I attempted to teach him a set phrase or two but between then and now I realized its going to beg more questions than it answers and I gave up.  I would like to change tactics and instruct him to fake Laryngitis.  If someone stops and asks something he is to attempt to talk but sound hoarse and unintelligible.

Failed both rolls.  I see Finn stopping to peek at the guards in an attempt to hear and see what they're up to.  He believes that between his own excellent skills and street smarts plus Mary's illusion there is no way the guards could be on to him this early, but still Finn is curious.  As long as they don't see us or don't seem to already know we're here look and listen to the point that I fail the attempt.  At that point give up, turn around and double back.  The plan is not to cross in view of 4 guards.  The intent is to double back and find another (safer) way south.

Pausing for a moment to try and figure out any more information on the guards, Finn cranes his head around the corner again, trying to keep to the shadows as much as he is able.  Unfortunately, it would seem that the guards have done the same, and Finn is unable to make out any further details or hear any of their conversation that might help him make a decision one way or the other.  Unwilling to risk being seen so early in their flight, Finn waves two fingers towards Behar to follow, and retraces their steps back to the west.

Following the side streets and alleyways, Finn retraces west one block, and then starts his route south.  He knows that the port district is not far, and with it will be oil lamps all across the streets and businesses, for there are some of the merchants on the ports that do business and tariffs of the shipping near all day and night.  And it is quite a racket to be in too.  Finn has one friend, Alonso, who works the night shift and is paid bribes hand over fist to falsify customs documents so the merchants can avoid tariffs (or recrimination) on some of their most expensive or illegal goods.  Why just the other day he was saying...

"The fucking ministry can kiss my sweet ass."  Finn nearly jumps out of his skin the voice sounds so close.  He presses an arm against Behar, who was still walking and hadn't seemed to have heard anything.

"It's fucking balls in the morning and me with the early shift, but do you think they give two shits?  No.  They'll not even a please or thank you but a get your ass out to your station and be on the lookout for three men.  Can you believe that?  Three men!  Look I've found 'em."

Finn's eyes bulge as he stands completely still, for the voice is coming from directly ahead of him and close.  If it hadn't been for his uncommonly keen ears, he would likely have walked out right on top of them.  Though he worries he might have been spotted anyway based on the man's comments, relief comes in a moment when he realizes that he has not been discovered.

"It's you, you, and you."  The man continues without missing a beat.  And Finn can still see nothing of them either ahead or behind him.  "Case solved, let's all go to bed."

"Shut up Nolar."  A second voice grunts.  "If you wanted a cush job you could have hired off as security to one of the shipping companies.  You take the good with the bad, tonight's just a shit sandwich.  And the best way to eat it is in big bites, not by spouting off your damn mouth every chance you get."

"Relax gents."  A third voice pipes in, "All we have to do is wait until they catch these guys.  And it isn't just three men, they said one of them will have a real bad accent.  How many foreigners you think are going to be making their rounds this time of night?  They'll find them soon enough and then we can all get back to sleep."

"Not soon enough."  The first voice emphasizes, though for the next few moments, there is relative quiet.

OOC:  You can't see the men that are talking, but the port district is very close, and you can see the lights of the oil lanterns starting to illuminate the ground ahead.  You are about 10 yards from the intersection of the alleyway you are taking with the next road, and you would guess the men are just beyond that.

Yes, Behar is probably not going to get a perfect sentence, even with coaching.  He just doesn't have enough exposure to the language.  In game terms, it's going to take him a couple points to get rid of it entirely.  We can definitely work the laryngitis angle, and we'll assume that you demonstrated how you wanted him to talk.  You are about one block west and three blocks south from where we were on the last post.

Finn halts just shy of an intersection where he hears what sounds like three guards complaining about their task.  And lucky for the youth that they were bitching up a storm for if not Razzel would have blundered straight into their midst.  Still weary of being questioned Finn pauses for a moment to ponder his options, then decides that avoidance is likely the best path.


OOC:
Interesting predicament.  If I had any faith in Behar's skills like stealth or climbing or jumping I would pop out and let the guards find me and question me, while I had Behar sneak around.  But since I don't know how good or bad he is I don't want to risk it.  And I'm speaking of Finn, not me.

Sounds good.  That's the way I'd like to handle the speaking thing, practice with him enough for him to sound like a convincing case of laryngitis and maybe I can Fast Talk my way out of trouble if we are stopped.

My plan right now is to steer clear of guards.  They are looking for three but I'm guessing they'll want to talk to almost everyone and anyone who can't speak clearly might be detained for 'questioning'.  So not getting trapped is my plan so far.  Finns thinking is to just backtrack these kinds of scenarios and go around, unless things seem to be getting worse.  For instance, if I get pinched between two of these.  Or they seem to be getting more frequent I might consider talking my way through one.  But if you want to fast forward these by having me go around I'm good with that.

Finn taps his chin with a finger as he stands against the wall listening to the guards argue and whine.  These it would seem are city guards, a good thing for him as they aren't fully invested in catching him, but more so they do not understand how magic works.  Razzel's first instinct is to back track once again however a constant series of backing up will leave his boat in the opposite corner of the city by morning.

So in no time quickly he devises a plan.  He utters a few words, wiggles his fingers and flicks his wrists.  Before him an apparition appears, the solid form of a man.  Not just any man, the image of the foreigner he and Mary rescued just hours ago, before his costuming and make up changes.


OOC:
Ok, the plan is keep as hidden in the alley as possible.  If there is anything here, trash cans or similar, hide behind those.  I am assuming that Behars general orders are to keep quiet and just follow whatever I do 'in the field' so no special instructions here.  I will cast an illusion of him – the version of him as we found him in the carriage.  Same clothes, hair, beard, the whole shebang.  If the casting isn't spot on take a few seconds to adjust it in the alley.  I will stealth to the corner of the alley while leaving Behar in the hidden spot.  Have the fake Behar walk out into the alley as if he is trying to sneak west.  I assume pretty immediately the guards will see the fake and tell him to halt.  At this point I want to peek around the corner because it is imperative that they do not touch him.  Have the fake utter some phrase in barely intelligible Behar-speak and he will burst into a fast run to the west.   He will move about 20% faster than the guards.

This message was lightly edited by the player at 05:48, Tue 20 June 2017.

Finding a pile of rubbish and broken masonry that gives him and Behar enough cover to hide behind, Finn works through the rituals of magic, weaving his hands and whispering "ideāls ilūzija!.  Though he frowns slightly at his initial failure, a repeated attempt achieves what he is looking for, a mirror image of Behar appears in front of him, bearded and uncomely, dressed entirely in black as he had been only a few hours ago.

Smiling his success in a million farthing grin towards his real traveling companion, Finn is shocked as he finds the man's countenance, his eyes bulging and his mouth open in an utterly silent scream.  Somehow the man manages to keep his calm, though Finn can feel as much as hear the man's heavy breathing beside him.  Perhaps taking the cue to get the ruse out of here while he can, Finn makes his machination of magical light and noise walk to the end of the street and into the road before turning gently to the right in a slinking fashion.

"Hey!"  A voice calls not but a second later.  "Pal, there's been a curfew put in tonight, we've got to check everyone before sending them back to their homes..."  There is a pause for a moment and Finn quickly whisks his way up the alley, approaching the corner slowly as he crouches down and keeps to the shadows as much as he is able.

"Over here now!  You can be thrown in the stockades for disobeying the guard!"

Leaning his head ever so slightly around the corner, Finn counts not three, but five guards, all in assorted armors of leather and chain, one with a spear and Finn thinks he can see a sword on his quick glimpse though the others seem to have their weapons sheathed and out of sight.

"Heat may sit ewe digs!"  Finn giggles as the illusion insults the men with a look over its shoulder before it breaks out in a full sprint.

"After him!"  One of the men shouts.

"Grebia, Denickson and Nolar go!"  Another man says, "Robbins, stay with me!"

Three of the more lightly armed men sprint off, and Finn gauges their pace before setting his illusion at a speed that he deems just slightly faster.

OOC:  Ok, for now three of the five guards have run off after your illusion.  I need you to pick a modifier.  For each point you put into it you get a +1 to the realism of your illusion (avoiding obstacles as opposed to running through solid objects) but you also give a +1 to the perception rolls of anyone trying to see you.  You may pick a negative modifier if you wish.  If you want to do something other than simply keep the illusion moving please post that too.

The agent of the Row ponders his particular problem.  A two man boat waits for them to the southeast.  Guards watch the main roads.  Roughly one hundred yards to the north four men watch and are likely to see him and his cargo if they cross to the east.  Here, three guards watch the east-west road and will undoubtedly want to question them if they attempt to travel south.  So, a diversion seems like his best option to draw these men away from their post.

Finn rounds the corner with his eyes only and beholds not three but five guards.  Damned the luck, but when he has time to dwell on it he will say to himself that he should have known.  This is a major hunt and the Ministry isn't going to leave the capture of Behar to one or two men.  Still, hopeless isn't in Finn's vocabulary.

As the young talented mage watches the false Behar run down the street to the west Finn finds that manipulating the image of the running man requires all of his mental might.  Positioning and re-positioning a man second by second, having the fake react to his environment to sell the illusion, its as complicated as a master crafting a work of art.  But what to do about these two stragglers?  Now that Finn has committed to the ruse he can't very well abandon it, he must draw these three men away and send them on a wild goose chase that will hopefully last minutes.

And then he notices that the two remaining guards have their backs to Finn, they seem completely absorbed in watching the foot race down the road and for a moment Razzel is about to send Behar across the street.  But something stays his hand.


OOC:
Changed my mind.  If Behar is discovered and I loose concentration it could prove disastrous.

Continue to focus concentration on the fake image.  I choose a modifier of 0.  I want him to get about 100 yards west and then turn a corner to the north.  The second he is out of sight he will disappear, ideally well before the guards reach him.  So that when the 3 guards turn the corner they will see nothing and think he ducked into a side alley, alley door, climbed a wall, whatever.  But the goal is that he had enough head start that the guards wont think his escape was impossible.  During this time just hide, watch and concentrate.

"Get your ass back here!"  One of the men shouts as he bounds after Finn's illusion.  Two of the other men follow in bounding steps, though they are no match for the speed of the imaginary man who is only limited by Finn's imagination.

Though he is want to have his creation be the distraction as the two of them cross the road to the south, Finn decides at the last moment to stay, hoping that he can increase his odds with another distraction once he is free of his constant concentration.  The decision perhaps saves his life, and certainly Behar's.  For even as his illusion is darting towards the safety of the first available turn off, Finn hears a shouting voice coming not from his right, but from his left...

"What goes on here!"  Finn pulls his head out from the street as fast as he is able, ducking for cover.  Just in time it turns out, for just as he manages some semblance of a hiding spot, another man dashes across his vision from the east.  "What is this?"  The same man says again, his running footsteps slowing down to a stop as he reaches the group of other soldiers.

"I think we found one of them!"  Another voice says from just around the corner.

"No!  They've already been spotted in the Freeman district!  I've been sent to collect every able man, we are attempting to block off all avenues of escape while the crews flush out each of the buildings.  We need more men!"

"I'm telling you we just saw one of them!  All dressed in black and speaking gibberish just like the description!  He's here!"

"You are being a fool!"  The first man shouts now, ire clear in his voice.

"Where the fuck did he go!"  A voice calls out from the distance.  "He was just here!  Spread out to the other alleys!"

OOC:  I took some liberties, so let me know if I'm going too far.  You maintained your illusion until he turned a corner around another alleyway until it was out of sight, and then ended the spell, burning 1 FP.  Once you heard the voice to your left (as you were currently covered from the people on the right) you fled back to your hiding spot in the alley.

Finn is not the kind of person to even give a second thought to the fact that he very nearly sent Behar across the street just now, which would have bumbled the foreigner straight into the incoming guards.

Now as the young man listens from his hiding spot instead of crying over split milk his mind works to deduce the best course of action to use the tools in front of him.  And what he decides...is to do nothing!


OOC:
I don't think there is any action that I can take to make things better.  So, for now, I will try to find the best hiding spot in the alley for me and Behar and stay put.  Hopefully they will leave sooner or later.

Realizing that one way or another, things will have to settle before he makes a move, Finn simply waits in his hiding spot in the alley, listening in on as much of the conversation as he can.

"Look."  The first voice says, managing to get his anger in check.  "This order is from the governor.  I am to gather everyone available to assist in the search of the Freeman district.  If you wish to be put down as the only watch that didn't send anyone, than by all means...  I'll just report as required."

"Damnit!"  The second voice seems to have lost, rather than mastered his frustration.  "Grebia!  You find that asshole and repot when you do!  Haul his ass in!  I'm going with Robbins to the Freeman's district to assist there in the search.  You're in charge here now!"

It takes little longer than a few more moments before Finn watches three forms walk by the exit of the alleyway from right to left...  Several moments pass and everything becomes quiet...

OOC:  Seems like everyone has moved from this area on to somewhere else.  You can no longer hear anyone else.  Again, your goal is to head southeast, let me know in general which direction you want to go and how you want to proceed, including how you are traveling, whether side by side or one of you out in front and if so how far.

Finn counts his lucky stars as this new arrival argues to round up all available hands and take them to where Mary made it look like they were escaping to.  Bless Mary and bless himself for having the presence of mind to ask her for help.  Then again, between Finn's staggering talent and his good luck there was little that could stand in his way.

It doesn't take the young man long to realize that this situation is best resolved by ducking low and keeping quiet.  Usually a man who believes that action is required to move his life forward he knows that this time waiting is the more prudent course.  And so he waits.  And moments later the three men who were bickering around the corner, are gone.

Thanks to good fortune and good smarts he can't believe that the road ahead is wide open.  Its almost too good to be true, which makes him feel a bit uneasy.  In the world he lives in when something is too good to be true, it usually is.  Caught in a trap with a broken neck like some common sewer rat is where one usually ends up when they jump into golden opportunities.  Then again, Finn has magic, a silver tongue, amazing knife skills and a big bag of coin waiting for him.


OOC:
So the 3 forms I saw pass by the alley I assume were the two guards who stayed behind plus the guy who came to get them?  And they headed east?

Stealth my way back to the corner of the building careful to stay hidden.  Peek around the side to see if the coast is clear.  If I don't see anyone I will walk across like a dock worker on his way to work or home, whichever is more appropriate.  If I am stopped, Fast Talk.  If I make it and the coast looks clear once I get to the opposite side wave Behar over to me.  Briefly go over this plan with him before I walk across so its not a total surprise.

Going forward I want to head straight south.  My guess is that the fuzz is spread out all over the city but concentrating more towards the center and major intersections.  I want to go due south till I hit the cities edge, then due east till I hit our canoe/boat.  In the alleys we move together.  When crossing alleys/roads we move as described above.  He hides.  I go across like I am a dock worker.  If I am stopped I try to talk my way out of it.  If I make it unmolested wave him across.  'Leap frog' our way south then east.

Having known in his heart that he was making all the correct decisions all along, Finn is not surprised when simply waiting leaves him with an entirely clear path to safety.  Not one to look a gift horse in its teeth, he quickly pops up to check around the corner, and seeing nothing, walks slowly and methodically, like a sailor he thinks, across the street.  Upon reaching the other side, he quickly finds a spot of cover and once again looking to make sure the coast is clear, he ushers on Behar to make the same trip.

This process they repeat, street after street in the Port district, only once having to move over a block to the east as their alleyway ended, until they make the docks.  Though he wished to be out of harms way, Finn realizes that the docks are as dangerous a place for him right now than anywhere else in the city.  To his left are the greatest trading companies of Azer and though they are closed for the night, certainly their men are still working to unload the ships and vessels of their cargo, taxing them appropriately or otherwise taking bribe money to ignore their wares.  To his right, Finn sees row after row of piers with the largest merchant ships the city has to offer as well as private yachts and schooners for personal use.

The farther the two make their way towards the south, the more lit their environment is and the closer that Finn keeps Behar to his side as the two make their way through the city streets.  As the two hit the major port road and turn their way east, Finn is near side by side with his charge, hoping that they have simply outmaneuvered the guards who are now assuredly all on their way towards the Freeman district.

"Oh, once a jol-ly swagman camped by a billabong"

Finn's breath catches in his teeth as a form passes out from a side street in front of him...  However, he keeps his way constantly forward, moving ever so slightly in front of Behar as if shielding him from the unknown.

"Under the shade of a Coolibah tree
Oh and he sang as he watched and he waited for his billy to boil
Oh you'll come a waltzing Matilda with me!"

Though the recognition that the speaker is doing some sort of singing, rather than just shouting a mash of jumbled words comes slowly, Finn does realize at length that the man is simply walking his own, meandering through the streets.  However, in a moment, the man turns and sees Finn and Behar and makes a bee line straight to them, waving an arm as if conducting them in song.

"Oh waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda!
Oh you'll come a waltzing Matilda with me!"

Drawing ever closer, the man hiccups and looks Finn dead in the eye before changing his tone entirely, looking through two droopy eyelids and saying with little emotion and an entirely straight face "You're a fraud."

OOC:  You lucky, lucky bastard.  Somehow you not only evaded all the guards that were there originally, but also the three that were out in the streets, expressly looking for the illusion that you conjured up.  Roll a few things for me.  1.  A reaction (or social skills) roll for the man in front of you.  2.  An IQ roll.  If you succeed, you realize that the man in front of you has been drinking heavily.

Sorry if this is a surprise, but you can't really go South to the edge of the city.  The south side of the city is the port, so I had you go as far south as you could before turning east, but this is no less populous than the merchant district or the market.  At this point, due east is your best bet simply due to the amount of distance you would have to cover to go around, but you'll have a few more wandering encounter rolls to make.

As for your questions, yes that is a good assumption, though you are only hearing the people at this point so it is hard to tell.  You didn't see anyone when you went to the street, so that seems to confirm your suspicion.

If Finn walked in to any of the taverns around the city and asked, ever heard of Rimtold the Magnificent?  The room would of course say yes mostly because it's legend that he slew a dragon.  And the Morgrimm Sisters?  Their skills are not as legendary to be sure but their magical trinkets and baubles are well known.  Then what if he asked about the great and powerful mage Finn Razzel?  The room would undoubtedly go silent for Finn is not a great and powerful mage... yet.  He is young and still learning his craft which is why he is not surprised nor disheartened that his travels across this vast city of Azer is wrought with obstacles.  If he were a great mage after all he would have turned the pair of them into wind, or small birds to simply fly to the boat.  Or he would have created a magical gate to instantly move them to the other side of the city.  But, Finn being a beginner, must draw from his deep catalogue of skills and talents to see them across.

It is his wits that invents the plan to leap frog them alley by alley and it is not long before they have traveled as far south as they can go, so they turn east and move through the dock area.  All is going well and the young mage is thinking idly about how he is going to spend his second fat bag of gold when a lilting sing song voice interrupt his day dream.

A drunkard approaches and accuses him of being a fraud.  Finn smiles widely and cocks his head to one side.  "A fraud?  My good man I'll have you know that I am in earnest.  What makes you say such a thing?  Why we just met and I like you, don't you like me?"
This message was last edited by the player at 05:39, Thu 29 June 2017.

The man smiles as Finn speaks, a overbroad and toothy expression that releases the trace of sodden alcohol, strong as ammonia from the man's breath.  However, his increased mood seems to diminish little his enthusiastic and accusatory manner.

"A fraud!"  He repeats, louder and more emphatically.  He places an arm on Finn's shoulder leaning entirely too much weight on him for comfort.  "Why, you aren't even singing, what sort of a man are you to be drunk with such a serious expression?  Come on,"  He releases Finn in a moment, lurching a half step as he waves a hand over his shoulder.  "I know just the place for us!  Gornuk keeps a bar open under his house all hours of the night to sell to the sailors and dockworkers who have naught left to do but drink till the sun comes up!"

Finn's head cocks to the side as he squints at this drunkard.  The man seems a bit odd.  No, that's not it he thinks, the timing is odd.  On any other night Finn might follow this gay man down to the basement tavern and drink until sunrise.  But tonight this strange encounter, highlighted by this strange dialogue, puts Razzel on guard.

There is a part of Finn that sees this man for what he is, an inebriated good fellow who doesn't want the party to end and seeks company for his planned festivities.  But then, recessed in the darker parts of his mind Finn suspects that this man is an agent of the Ministry of Serendipity.  'Come with me to this underground place where we'll have lots of fun' sounds too much like 'Want some free money?  Then just follow me to this run down poverty stricken neighborhood into this abandoned house where I have bags of gold to give away'.  Something smells funny to Finn, and even if this isn't a trap he can't spend that kind of time in the city.  The goon patrol is sure to find him if he lingers in one spot for hours.

The plucky young jack of all trades smiles playfully.  ”Drink till the sun comes up??!!  Damn, that sounds like just what I need!  But alas, I'm pullin' an early shift.  My cousin Altar's sister Jeane, well that's my cousin by marriage on my mama Bernadette's side.  Anyways Jeane's best friend Yvonne, her boyfriend Rascal's twin brother Monrow got the swamp flu and came down with the shits.  So he switched with me and I'm on my way in.  But we'll do it tomorrow!”


OOC:
Try to sell this guy on the idea that I am totally down with drinking but not today.

"Jeane's a bitch!"  The drunk man interrupts Finn midsentence his eyes bulging as he turns his body entirely back towards Finn again.  His speech now is nearly shouting at full breath in the otherwise completely quiet streets.  Behind him, Finn can feel Behar fidget uncomfortably at the outburst.  However, the man's face loses it's anger after a few moments, returning to a tired and lazy confusion.

"Tomorrow?"  The man says, several moments after Finn has finished speaking, rubbing an eye with his left hand.  "No Jaspar, it's now.  Gornuk's open now.  You're fucking missing it.  Come on, the bitches will be there."

OOC:  It seems like your ploy for the moment failed, mostly due to the man's inattention.  You can try again, or try another ploy with a fast talk roll to try and slick yourself of him (I realize you just did that, but I used your last one for a reaction roll).  If you succeed, let me know if you want to continue east along the docks or some other direction in OOC.

When this man blurts out, "Jeane's a bitch!", Finn nods and mumbles lowly so as not to interrupt, “Ya, she is.”

But this man is persistent and Razzel still is not sure if this man is just too drunk to have any wits about him or he's a mole trying to lure Behar to more of his guards.  Either way there is no way that the young jack of all trades is following him.

Finn digs into a pocket and produces two coins.  ”Name's not Jaspar, bub.  But here.”  Finn places the pair of metal disks in the palm of this drunkard.  ”Have some fun on me.  Meet me here tomorrow and I'll buy half the drinks with what I'm earnin' tonight.  I'd love to join ya but the foreman'll fire me if I miss again.”



OOC:
Don't think we said but being on the darker side of the law Finn would hide his money.  His good stuff anyway.  He'd keep a 'in view' coin purse for would be thieves to steal, so that if they got it they'd get pocket change.  His real money, such as the stuff he earned earlier tonight, he keeps well hidden under his armor to make pick pocketing very difficult.

The coins that I gave the drunk are ballpark enough to buy two beers.  I'm not going to count exact change.  Just fish out some coins and if it looks enough hand them over.

Impatient to be done with this hooligan, and quick, Finn reaches into his outer coin purse thinking to pay the man off with money, but even as he reaches down towards his hip, looking for a handful of coin to lay on this drunken simpleton, Finn feels more than sees a rough hand grab him on the wrist which surprises him to such an extent that the contents of his entire purse bursts out on the streets below!

"Markus then..."  The drunk adds, his pupils wide, dilated disks that stare into Finn's.  "You look like a Markus.  Come on then!  Off we go to Gornuks!"

Behind him, Finn can feel the tension in Behar's breathing...

OOC:  Your failed fast talk attempt has left you grappled by the right wrist.  The action surprised you so badly that while your hand was in your purse, the contents vomited on the street and you were unable to fully get the bribe out.  Luckily, because you posted your method last post, it was only filled with $15 and your recent payment is safely stowed away under a layer of clothes.  You may attempt to reengage with fast talk, although note that a repeated attempt will be penalized.  I would also advise choosing a different tactic than just not tonight if you want to succeed (seeing as it has failed twice, though once admittedly without rolling for it).  You may also attempt anything else you think of to extricate yourself from the situation.

Markus..., he thinks as his face crinkles.  'Finn!  The name's Finn you moron!', he almost blurts out in frustration.  Razzel can hear his charge behind him growing agitated more and more by the second and the last thing he needs is to be chasing Behar wildly through the city.

Finn looks down at his hand, stunned.  His wrist is caught by this drunk and still he has no evidence to support nor deny his paranoid ideations.  Is this drunk a random over zealous obtuse partier or a highly trained rogue under the employ of the Ministry of Serendipity?

The young scamp holds up his free hand showing the flat of his palm, giving the universal signal for 'I surrender'.  ”Okay.  Okay.  You convinced me.  Lets go.  And I'm not Markus.”


OOC:
Assuming he lets go I will follow him.  If he is going the way I want follow him a few blocks and then make a break for it.  If he is going the opposite way I want, follow him about a block and make a break for it.

The plan is try to maneuver him towards some pile of something.  Trash.  Children's toys.  A sleeping dog.  Anything he could trip over.  When he gets close, push him to make him fall down and then run like hell.

Deciding that at this point moving any direction was better than simply standing still here, Finn follows his newfound, drunken annoyance back to the west, the opposite direction from that he wanted to go.

"That's the spirit!"  the drunk man exclaims, releasing Finn's wrist as he plods off in lead with Finn and Behar following behind, the latter man's eyes darting around this way and that in extreme apprehension.  "Gornuk's got rum like you've never tasted."  The drunk continues, waving his hands with wild exaggerations.  "Made from cane sugar harvested from the Ring Islands!  And the bitches!"  The man holds his head up and puts his palms to the sky as if soaking in the moonlight.

Finn decides that this is as good of a time as any.  He had intended to find some obstacle to push him over but the man seems to be keeping fairly steadily towards the middle of the street, as much as his wobbling steps threatened to send him staggering to one side.  Apart from following him a few more blocks in the wrong direction in search of a better opportunity, Finn takes the chance he is afforded and shoves the drunk in the back hard!

The man staggers forward, his arms wind milling as he struggles to regain his balance.  Finn does not wait to see the resolution but instead darts northward through an alleyway as he hears the running footfalls of Behar behind him.

"Hey!  What are you doing down there?" A voice calls out from somewhere behind him.  A voice that is deep and commanding and sounds nothing like the drunk man he had just left.

"Markus?"  The drunk man responds, "How'd you get down there?"

OOC:  It is hard to tell where the new voice is coming from other than behind you.  Obviously you didn't see anyone on your trip up the road in either direction.  As a reminder, the boat is to the southeast of you along the coastline.  You are now traveling north (inland) to get away from the drunk (and other person) so a right turn at the next intersection would put in on the right direction, one street inland from the docks.

Finn runs.  This isnt a place he wants to be.  His plan, his desire all along has been to walk casually through the city to the boat and then sail away to more coin and a greater reputation.  But he shouldn't be so surprised if these men are the very agents sent to bring him in, life has a way of rarely working out as planned.

He doesn't want to but temptation takes over.  Razzell glances over his shoulder to see what's following him.


OOC:
Sorry for my long lag.  2 vacations, OT at work and a new relationship that includes a 2 hour round trip drive for work are factors over the last 6 weeks.  I am committed to a more regular posting schedule but I realize you're busy too so I don't plan on going crazy.

Part of my lag is my utter confusion.  I have approached this scene with 50% of my brain saying this guy is part of the Serendipity group, that he's trying to lure me into a trap.  And part of me thinks its just some random drunk acting weird as fuck.  Either way I the player am not sure how to proceed other than run, which is the last thing I wanted to do.

Continue to run.  If the right turn seems viable make the right turn.

Though every sense Finn has tells him this man was a boisterous drunk, there is a nagging paranoia in the back of his mind that warns him consistently of the unknown dangers of this unknown man.  Certainly the Ministry has their forces out in bulk this evening and who knows what tactics they would employ to catch their prey?  So when Finn hears other voices behind him, the sound only confirms the suspicions in the back of his mind that this 'drunk' needs to be as far away from him as possible.  So Finn runs.  He turns right to keep his track to the east but he does not slow so much as a step, rather he runs with little regard for Behar who never the less managed to keep almost step for step with Finn.

"Markus?"  The voice of the drunk perpetuates even over the sound of Finn's own footsteps and labored breathing.  "you know Gornuk don't...".  Though the drunk man is undoubtedly almost shouting, his voice fades into nothing as the steady pulse beats in Finn's ears and his lungs draw in deeper and deeper breaths.  Still Finn keeps on his pace, passing a few alleyways and even another minor intersection.  His vision darts in both directions as they cross but thankfully there in no one to be seen on either side.  Just beyond, Finn ducks down another alleyway to the left, stopping for a moment to listen.  Only a few moments behind him, Behar darts into the alleyway, putting his back against a wall as he gulps in his breaths.  Listening for a moment, Finn hears nothing and pushes eastward, choosing to take a different street eastward for another several blocks before he zags south again, pausing for a moment for the pair to catch their breath before continuing to press east at a walk.

Somehow, impossibly... or perhaps just due to Finn's incredible skills, the pair find themselves watching as the piers fade into rocky coast, the large buildings of the port slowly shrink in size to the smaller hovels of the slums and become further and further interspaced as the roads and alleyways become less maintained and more filled with rock and refuse.

Stopping to listen one last time, Finn convinces himself that there is indeed no one about and makes his way towards the edge of the water to keep an eye out for his transportation.

OOC:  No worries about the lag.  I've been just as guilty as anyone else and will continue to be so for a while in the long term.

Noted about the confusion.  The internal assessment as to whether the man was actually a drunk or a skillful agent is entirely over to you and something that I would not be below testing you one.  However I'm not sure that all the information I have in my head always translates to my posts, nor that the important decisions that people can/should make are always clear.  Rather than drag out a chase with unclear requirements I decided to just make a few rolls for you and Behar, which luckily managed to evade any one who may have been following you.

In short, running worked out well enough to get far away enough to evade.  You have seen neither hide nor hair of the drunk or the other people who were talking in my last post.

Now, your main goal is to find the small boat for you and Behar.  Roll vs. Perception (vision) at -5 for the lighting.  Success or failure will add or subtract to the time it will take you to find the small boat hidden at the outskirts of town.  If you wish to take another avenue to find the craft you are welcome to do so, just let me know what your plans are.

Finn Razzell is not a go-to guy.  He's not a local hero.  He's not the man they call upon when they need something done which requires a degree of finesse, skill and flair.  Why he isn't still perplexes him though there are a few around town who are starting to give him his due.  His lack of recruiters however must be in part to his youth, which brings up the following point.  Finn is young, true, but no child. He is a very mature twenty five after all.  He's no seasoned veteran or war hero but neither is he green.  This aint his first harvest.  And so Finn brings all of his baggage with him through this complicated endeavor.  As someone who's been around the young jack-of-all-trades views the drunk skeptically, perhaps because he knows nothing about this Ministry of Serendipity and the warning he received sounded rather dire. He has half wondered all along if this drunk were in truth an agent working to lure Finn and his 'package' to some secluded spot where the townsfolk would neither hear his screams nor care.  But because Finn is an intelligent, talented, nay, gifted young man, he took the drunk at face value, to be just a drunk in search of friends with whom to have a good time.  Either way Razzel did the right thing, he didn't deviate from the script and he didn't do anything to bring unwanted investigation.

Satisfied with himself Finn leads Behar to the edge of the water in the general vicinity of where the boat should be hidden.  While they have made good time and the young man isn't too worried, still there is nothing good that can come from delaying.  So he sets about searching the waterfront for a small water craft.


OOC:
I get that, that part of my confusion is being in the middle of a chaotic/suspense filled story line.  Sometimes keeping the players in the dark enhances the drama and fun.  I think you and I do well at filling in what knowledge I can have when appropriate (offline).  That said, thanks for fast forwarding with some dice rolls.

Finn makes his way down to the waterfront, noting that the rocky coast has become much more unforgiving than the shallow slope of the port.  Though part of him thinks he should simply groom the entire stretch of the shoreline, prudence takes hold and he keeps his pace quick, looking for a protected inlet, something with enough cover to make the boat difficult to see and calm enough that a small craft wouldn't tear itself to pieces on the rocks.  Behar follows along behind, peering all along the water as if the craft will simply pop up from the depths when they walk near.

It takes perhaps a half an hour at this pace, stopping on occasion to scout out a probable spot, before Finn finally finds the craft, a three man, wide bodied canoe with oar holds.  Finn is happy to find that the boat comes with some supplies of it's own, a camping bag with a flint fire starter, blankets, hatchet and rope as well as some fishing line and copper hooks.

"Is note bad.  Your man take cur off you."  Behar offers from behind Finn, looking down approvingly at the small boat.

OOC:  I assume your next course of action is going to be to take the boat out on the water to get a little more distance between you and the city.  If that is the case, make three boating rolls, each at -2 for darkness (thanks for reminding me of your night vision) and let me know how far you plan on going.  Alternatively, you could carry the boat to get a little further away if you want splitting the weight between you and Behar, walking until you are entirely out of the city, or you could simply set up camp somewhere here until the morning.  Or you could do anything else you can think of, note you have not recovered any of your lost fatigue during your walk, though you haven't suffered any additional either.

Finn smiles at his temporary partner.  I understood that!, he thinks to himself gleely and then adds, ”Yes.  Yes he did.  And he took care of us.  You're in this too.”  Finn speaks slowly but not slow enough to be made clear, time is slipping away.

Razzel peers over the edge of the canoe and smiles again, this time at the supplies they've been provided.  This trip should go smoothly thanks in part to Finn's talents and so he sets about to further their mission.


OOC:
Yes, so long as I have the supplies I need for the journey and I don't see any immediate dangers afoot I will launch us asap.  As far as when to go and how far, a small canoe containing just two men looks like what we are – two men trying to evade the law.  With that in mind I'd like to put as much distance between us and the city under the cover of darkness.  Get in the small boat and make our best efforts to put some major distance between us and the city.

Disclaimer – if walking the boat out on land keeps us more discreet than boating out, then do that.  Long story short, the major goal is to not get caught.  Loosing a little time is ok to increase stealth but not at the expense of being within the city limits (or close) when dawn breaks.

Behar smiles back at Finn's comment though the rough and tumble youth is already planning out his next amazing feats of the evening.  The craft should be easy enough to launch at night, Finn thinks to himself and he holds one of the crossbars stretching across the hull and beckons Behar to get in.  Though the man is by no means light on his feet, he manages to take a few holds on the sides of the slope to balance himself, and eventually gets himself situated in the craft.  Finn barely has to balance as he follows right behind, quickly picking up a paddle and shoving off swiftly from the dirt behind them.

The canoe rushes out of the alcove with single motion, gliding easily across the glass surface.  Finn can't help but smirk to himself at how even though it has been some time since he has been out on the water, the knowledge and skills came right back so quickly.  Pushing the oar down to his right to keep the craft close to the edge of the water and as out of sight as possible, it takes Finn a moment to realize that the scraping sound from below is actually not part of the plan...

The craft lurches to a stop just as it reaches the edge of the alcove, by the sound of it beached on a rock that lies somewhere between Finn and Behar.  To make matters worse, the nose of the canoe has hit the currents of the shore and the nose pitches slightly right as the aft end of the boat swings to the left like a spinning top.  The combined motion begins to dip the boat dangerously, making Finn lean hard to the right to try and keep his balance!

OOC:  it is 0200 on the 16th of December.  You are almost out of the small alcove and into open water, but you just hit one of the rocks that are near impossible to see underwater on the dark night.  The combination of the rock stopping your forward progress and the current hitting the bow has started a slow spin (only 30 degrees or so over a few seconds) which has put you in danger of tipping.  The easiest way to save yourself is to make a boating roll (no modifiers) to push yourself off with the paddle and dislodge yourself from the rock.  Alternatively, you have a number of spells at your disposal which may help - realize however that you are gripping the paddle with both hands and will have to let go with at least one of them to cast.  There are several other actions which could probably affect your situation too if you wan to get creative.  Note that the temperature outside is cold.  You are dressed appropriately for it, but falling into the water, whatever its temperature is not going to be doing you any favors.