Aleta got a bottle of wine and then strolled over to the man in the corner. "Greetings sir. Would you might if we talked a little bit?" she bowed slightly, as she opens her cloak, showing off her full figure. "I am curious if you could help me with something?" she says with a smile.

Itylus took a moment to observe the four curious individuals that he found in that tavern. He quickly dismissed the centaur, of the four he seemed to Itylus the less likely to know something useful to him, and most likely he would be too drunk to be a reliable, or even a safe, source of information anyway (centaurs were already hot-headed enough when sober). The argosean lyrist would have been Itylus' first choice if he weren't surrounded for so many people at the moment. Itylus decided to wait until he could speak more privately with the lyrist.

So, for now, that left him with only two options, the argosean gambler and the heracklian noblewoman. The gambler, being from Argos, would probably know more about what he looked for, however, there was something about the noblewoman that caught Itylus attention, and in the end the hunter decided to go talk to  her first, while keeping an eye on the other three.

Itylus approched the heracklian woman's table and said: "Good evening, my lady, do you mind if I take a sit?",
This message was last edited by the player at 11:25, Fri 24 Jan 2014.

Aleta



The master thief glances at Aleta first skeptically, then appreciatively. "Oh, you come bearing gifts then? he says, a low rumble in his voice. "And what could a poor old man like myself do for such a lovely lady as you?" he inquires. The thief's one good eye is fixed firmly on Aleta, though as she looks at him in return she notices that his hands are hidden within his cloak.

---

Eurenomes



"Look mister, I'm not interested in..." she says instinctively before actually noticing Eurenomes. "Oh. A priest are you?" she says, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Doubtful you could help. Men of the Gods know little of love. That is my experience anyway." she says. "Tell me, priest. What do you know of love? Love's bitterness? The pain?" she asks, pausing only to take another drink.

---

Itylus



"Not at all." she almost purrs. "I was rather hoping you would." she says, giving a quick toss of her fiery mane. "You don't look like most of the men from Thena." she then says. "You look a bit... more wild. What brings you to this city, good sir?"

As she gazed upward at the statue of her patron goddess, Dysis cleared her thoughts for the moment.

This wasn't quite what she'd been seeking...she'd been hoping for the sort of temple that might also serve as a repository of lore.   But for the sort that she was seeking, she would more likely need one that emphasized the Lady's role in the underworld.  As the bride of Hades.

Still, this was one of her sacred shrines.  And it was never a bad time for prayer.  Particularly with what might well lie ahead.   And so she went down on her knees, drew a deep breath:

"O blessed queen, Persephone divine
To these rites please incline
Hades’s honored wife, great Goddess, source of life
‘Tis thine in earth’s profundities to dwell
Fast by the wide and dismal gates of hell
Zeus’ holy offspring, of beauteous mien
Praxidike, avenging Goddess, subterranean queen
Hear me Goddess, what should not escape the earth
Threatens to come forth in unholy birth
Help to keep it locked below
Where mortal hearts may never know
The bane of such a deadly, dire foe
Restrain it to realms underneath
Where Hades rules, enforces peace
Cast it from your palace on blissful plains
Kept forever in hell's dark flames"

She stayed still for a time, and then arose.  Perhaps she would try to speaks with the priestesses here, though she held doubts about how it might be received, in a temple primarily devoted to Demeter...
This message was last edited by the player at 16:53, Fri 24 Jan 2014.

In reply to Maze Master (msg # 29):

"Aphrodite makes fools of us all warrioress, priests included." Eurenomes said, voice sympathetic as he took a seat by the Amazon.

"I too have loved, if perhaps not well and not wisely as is appropriate for one of Hermes. And even a man of the gods can have regrets. I remember once seeing Princess Hespia at a festival not long before I left Argos. She was the daughter of white beared old Argon and she played the lyre like she was more muse than princess.  I can still see her now if I close my eyes, sitting there in white with a diadem of wildflowers in her chestnut hair.  Our gazes met once across the tables and we shared a smile... but I was a mere initiate of the gods and she was a princess and that smile was all we shared.  Why I have not even seen her in four years and for all I know she is the wife of some great noble... or a handmaiden in Hades halls."

His voice had taken on a distant quality as if he was drawing into a world of his own memories.

The noblewoman's answer raises some doubts on Itylus' mind about the nature of her interest on him, nonetheless he still takes his sit (in a way he is still able to watch the other three individuals) and answers: "I am simple hunter passing through Thena on my way to Argos, my lady. What about you? What brings a lady of your stature to a place like this, all by herself?"

Matthias looks hesitant briefly before saying boldly, "we will pay you a gold coin to get us to Argos and back here.  However, in Argos we may have need to sail elsewhere before returning here, and if so we may want to retain your services further.  We can discuss payment if that need arises in Argos.  Does this sound acceptable to you?"

Artaxes, Arthanos & Matthias



The old captain seems to mull this over for a moment. "A'yup. 'Suppose it would." he says slowly as he looks over the three men. "Got yourselves a crew for your ship?" he asks.  Upon being informed that they had not, the captain says "I've got a good first mate. Can round up some steady seaworthy men too. You'd need to pay their wages as well." he adds "But, another gold piece will take care of wages for both voyages." he stands, and stretches out a hand for whoever makes the final agreement. "Deal? I'll meet you tomorrow morning if so." he concludes by introducing himself "I'm Spiros."

OOC: Assuming the deal is acceptable, Artaxes, Arthanos and Matthias are free to go do something else. If they want to just hire the captain and retain their own crew, they can make that deal as well, but you'd need to set out to look for suitable sailors to join up.

---

Dysis



The icon of Persephone's jeweled eyes flash brightly in the dim lighting as she looks passively at Dysis. There is no evidence that her Goddess had heard her prayer. She would have to take it on faith.

As Dysis prepares to leave the small shrine to Persephone, she nearly runs into a priestess of the temple who was on her way in. This woman, however, was not one of the greeters that Dysis had met before on her way in to Demeter's temple. This one wears darker robes and carries in her hands a pomegranate. "Pardon me, sister..." she says as she and Dysis step back from one another after nearly colliding. The woman pauses for a second though and looks intently at Dysis as if trying to gauge her countenance. "You seem... troubled. Does something weigh upon your shoulders, my sister?" she asks, her eyes flashing for a moment in the darkness.

---

Eurenomes



The Amazon seems to take Eurenomes' story well. "If what you say is true, then perhaps you something of what I suffer." she says. "Aphrodite is cruel indeed, to send the torment of my heart to my homeland. It was love from the moment I saw him, but he never saw me. Paid me no mind as he talked to my people." she sighs heavily and gazes into her cups. "I prayed to the Gods that I would be chosen to accompany him to Thena on behalf of my people to undertake a great mission, but the Gods are cruel and another was picked instead."

She continues "I couldn't stay. I had to follow them, had to find him and tell him of my love and force him to come back with me. But it is impossible. His family is of noble blood here and I have not the means to take him for my own." she says.

"That is my woe, Priest. And it is why I drink tonight."

---

Itylus



"To Argos, you say?" she says, her ears perking up at mention of the city. "How unusual. It happens that my business may take me to Argos as well soon enough." she says, shifting her position in her seat slightly to face Itylus more directly. "I am not quite by myself though, there are others from my Heraklia in Thena with me, but I am... a kind of diplomat, in a sense, of representing my family here. In Heraklia my family is poor, at least as far as a noble house can ever be poor." she flashes a bright smile.

"When do you travel to Argos, fair hunter?" she asks, she moves her hand towards Itylus', brushing slightly against his for the moment.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:37, Fri 24 Jan 2014.

Aleta sits down and pours wine for both of them. "I sense you are not just an old man and I hope you might have certain wisdom I seek." she sips her wine "I have recently done some work around here and I am trying to find out if there are any opportunities around here"

In reply to Maze Master (msg # 34):

Eurenomes was silent a moment, digesting the Amazon's story.  "What is your name warrioress?  I admit that I, Eurenomes of Argos am not of great noble name but I have often heard of the Amazons of Themiscyra and what great athletes and archers they are. It may be that you have little enough coin but I have a feeling you have other resources to call on - your strength, skill and courage.  Look to those warrioress. Use your abilities to impress your love through exploits of bow and spear so that when he next meets you his family will have to recognise you as a heroine worthy of him."

He chuckled ruefully. "Believe me no one ever became great staring into a bowl of wine."

Snapped from her reverie, Dysis swiftly appraised the woman she'd nearly collided with. Most significantly of all, she noted the fruit.  And knew well what that symbolized.  Inwardly she smiled, though her features did not reflect it.   Perhaps she had been answered.   In any case, she deemed no harm would come from being honest with this servant of the Lady.

"Yes, sister.  Thank you for asking.  It is so that something weights upon me. Something of very, very grave concern. Something I have committed to oppose, in what ways I can.  If you are willing to listen, I will tell you of it.  And if my prayers have been heard, perhaps you may be able to offer direction..."   

Aleta



The old thief takes his glass and takes a sip of the wine. "Oh, there are always opportunities for an enterprising young lady such as yourself." he says. "But the opportunities depend on the kind of person you are. Whether you consider yourself to be more of a stealthy woman, or perhaps a seducer of men and women, or even an assassin..."He gives her a steady look with his one good eye, gauging what her response.

---

Eurenomes



"I am Telepyleia." she says. "Perhaps there is some truth in what you suggest, and perhaps there is not. May the Gods look kindly upon you, Eurenomes of Argos. Perhaps someday one of my sisters will steal you as a husband, and we'll meet again then."

---

Dysis



As Dysis starts to tell the woman some of what troubles her, the woman's eyes widen and she gestures for the two to enter into the Goddess' shrine where they can talk privately. The woman listens intently to Dysis as she tells her what she is trying to learn.

"The arch-fiend you describe is Thanator. It is a horror that has not been seen on Mythika in more then an age. Thanator and other arch-fiends live in the lower depths of the infernal realms, kept in check and controlled by Hades and Persephone. A dark cult could break this arch-fiend from its bonds and allow it to feed and grow strong on the world, letting it break other arch-fiends free from the bonds of Hades."

She shakes her head. "Such an act would draw the attention of all of Olympus, and perhaps that is the intent of those who seek to bring the horrors that are chained in Hades to the world above. But to what end? I do not know."

"I do not know anything about the dark cult you describe. The only thing I would suggest is to try and infiltrate it in some way, if that is even possible. Perhaps wherever you travel to you can discover the kind of people who are attracted to this cult. Who do they recruit from the Great Cities and why? Are the rich and powerful involved, or do they draw from the disaffected and powerless? It is a mystery, dear sister."

---

Zuri





From the shambles of the bed in the quarters she had stepped in, Zuri looks up at the ceiling. Her eyes start to close for just a minute when she hears the a loud *THUMP* as something (or someone) hits the deck directly above her.

Eyes open, she waits for a minute and listens. She hears footsteps, at first a few, and then several as people board the ship.

Zuri rolls over quietly and grabs her weapons. Tiptoeing to the door, she opens it a crack to peer out on the deck to see if she can make out who has boarded and whether or not they should be on the ship. She'll stay inside the cabin, to be able to use the door as a way of funneling their attacks, if they are of hostile intent.

When she sees them, she'll call out a challenge, "Halt! State your business!"

Zuri



As Zuri peers out the crack, she sees three hooded figures standing over the body of the sleepy guard that she had startled when she first came on board the ship. One of them yanks an arrow from the guard's body, and all three turn towards her, one armed with a bow, the other two with long knifes as she called out her challenge.

"There's another on board? There was just supposed to be this one!" says one of the men with a knife.
"Doesn't matter. Kill her and dump her!" says the man with a bow.

Zuri steps back from the door as an arrow *thumps* into it. The arrowhead pieces the wood door but doesn't go all the way through, fortunately.

There isn't much room for her in the bowels of the ship. She could make her way back to the captain's cabin, or perhaps look for a porthole to scramble out of if she wanted to get back to the deck (or to jump into the bay). Whatever she does, she'd need to do it fast as the men fast approach her position...
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:56, Sun 26 Jan 2014.

Given the easy defensibility of her position, Zuri will stay in the room and use the door to channel the men into a single chokepoint. As the first one reaches the door, she'll stab out with her spear at him.

Aleta looks at the old man as she sips her wine as she speaks quietly"I can be a seducer and stealthy but I am not into murder. Oh, I guess spying is fine too." she says with a grin.

"Well, depending on what interesting things I find out what going on here, I was thinking of heading to Argos.  I have never been there before but the priest I hang out with is from there and what to head back"

Zuri



The hooded men moved faster then Zuri expected.

With great ferocity, the men with knives threw open the door leading into the ship, and immediately the man with the bow shot an arrow out towards the Amazon. Fortunately, it is blocked by Zuri's shield. As that man begins to reload, the other two make their move to head in. As the first one approaches, Zuri attempts to skewer him with her spear, however he is swifter then she thought and neatly parries her attack with his knife. He then draws in it and slices at Zuri's forearm, doing some damage to her.

Zuri assesses her situation.  From where she is now, she is in close combat with the man who just injured her, and doesn't have the maneuverability to effectively thrust her spear. On the other hand, the second man with a knife cannot enter in, and the one with the bow cannot shoot without risking hitting his allies.  The Amazon could switch to her own dagger to ward off the enemy, or even her bow if she can get enough room to fire it.


Zuri - you take 2 damage this round.

OOC: 20:02, Today: Maze Master, on behalf of Zuri, rolled 11 using 1d20+3. Attack.
20:03, Today: Maze Master rolled 20 using 1d20+4. Enemy Attack Zuri (Knife).
20:03, Today: Maze Master rolled 17 using 1d20+4. Enemy Attack Zuri (Bow).
20:04, Today: Maze Master rolled 2 using 1d3. Damage to Zuri (Knife).

---

Aleta



"Not everybody has quite the stomach for murder." says the old thief in a low voice. "A woman of your professed talents might have some luck in Argos, if you like to play politics that is." he coughs a moment and wipes his mouth with his sleeve "But before we talk about that, let's get a sense of your talent locally, hmm?"

"There is a certain... item of interest to some friends of mine. A ornate vase... Right now it belongs to a certain Noble family here in Thena. If you can get that for me this evening and bring it back here, well... then perhaps I'll tell you a bit more about Argos. How does that sound to you, hm?"

Defending the ship is a matter of honor to Zuri. While she may be outnumbered, she will not retreat. Drawing her dagger, she thrusts at the attacker, hoping to wound him and possibly drive them off.

"Well, I have to say, I am up for that as long as its not Lord Joris.  I did some work for him and he has been very kind to me. I am loyal to those who have done me right" she says as she sips her wine, waiting to see what the old thief says.

Eurenomes looked a mixture of intrigued and alarmed by this prospect and settled on a wry smile. "Perhaps indeed, though I had not thought any of your sisters would be interested in the likes of me my honourable friend. Still I would find it a pleasure to meet you again someday and learn of what heroic actions you have accomplished."

He looked thoughtful a moment.  "I can tell you are a fine warrioress Telepyleia but what other talents do you possess? Can you play the lyre, dance or sing?"

Zuri



Forced into a situation where she has to trade knife blow with knife blow, Zuri momentarily drops her spear and with a quick flick draws her dagger from its sheathe and cuts the enemy's arm with it. She then quickly parries his return attack.

"Back off! Back off! This woman's got some teeth!" exclaims the man who she had just injured.


OOC:

22:39, Today: Maze Master rolled 14 using 1d20+4. Attack Zuri (Knife).
22:38, Today: Maze Master, on behalf of Zuri, rolled 1 using 1d3. Damage.
22:38, Today: Maze Master, on behalf of Zuri, rolled 22 using 1d20+3. Attack (Dagger).

---

Aleta



The old thief nods. "Good to remember your friends. Just make sure they aren't thieves as well." he says, giving her a rakish grin. "The target is  House Theodori. They are an old noble family. Very traditional, and their compound is easy to find. Get the vase tonight and bring it back to me. It has certain... religious significance, so I'd suggest you look in the family's private shrine once you get inside their compound."

"Oh. And do try not to attract attention." he gives Aleta a wink with his good eye.

---

Eurenomes



Only now does Eurenomes see the Amazon smile for the first time, and then watches her break out into laughter. She slaps Eurenomes' arm and he can feel the great strength she possesses as she does so. "Why yes, of course!" she says "I sing many battle songs as I fire my arrows into battle! And I dance the dance of death when I face down a Minotaur armed with only my bow and spear!" she grins "But the lyre? No, I do not play it." she laughs again as she drains her glass.

OOC: I'm OK with Spiros hiring a crew for us.  I just didn't want hog up this scene and make all the decisions as was waiting for Arthanos and Artaxes to chime in if they wanted.

Zuri strikes with her dagger at the retreating combatant. While the temptation is strong to continue attacking him, she knows that she is in a good defensive position, so after her strike she moves to the side of the door so she's not exposed to the other men. If either of them attempt to enter the cabin, she'll strike with her dagger again.

Itylus' doesn't react outwardly  at the noblewoman's touch, however he  decides that probably is wisest not to delay himself much longer with the woman, so he smiles and goes straight to the point:

"I'll go soon, my lady, that's why I came here in hope to hear the latest news from Argos before I depart there. I also am trying to verify some rumors that say some shady figures have been sighted lately in these roads, and that they aren't as safe as they used to be." Itylus says this with a casual demeanor, but his eyes are intent on the noblewoman. With a smile he asks casually: "Don't you happen to know anything about any of this matters, my lady?"

Shrouded within the folds of her cowl and cloak, Dysis wound her way back to the streets, after departing the Ladies' temple.

Some of the pieces of the puzzle had been fit together, by the grace of the Lady, and the knowledge of her priestess.  But more remained to be assembled.  She as yet knew nothing of the cult.  Naturally, being what they were, information on them was going to be very hard to come by.  But that didn't mean she was done for the night.

There was still the temple of Hades to try, if she could manage to find one.