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Cairns on the Wine River [FIN]; [ST05][Signups Closed]
Topic Started: Sat Sep 17, 2016 1:22 pm (8,271 Views)
Carmen
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Carmen's exit from the saloon was a cheerless affair; she was burdened with the knowledge of being in an unfamiliar city, with barely any money and even fewer friends. There wasn't a soul among the other pariahs that she trusted, and if the soreness in her neck was any indication, at least one of them had assaulted her during the ordeal in the cage. Everything about Nine Angels stunk of decay and corruption and, from what she's seen, its populace were a cutthroat bunch that she couldn't afford to turn her back on.

Still, there were some glimmers of hope, however faint, as Nine Angels was not completely without charity. Thin stew was at hand, and out of hunger after having vomited up the Dalcas' soup, Carmen partook with the vegetable-based alternative. It tasted foul, lacked any seasoning or garnish, and was altogether miles from the opulent dishes to which she'd become accustomed. Carmen put on a brave face as she returned the bowl and spoon. Then she watched in horror as they were dunked into a cask of dark water before being immediately used for the next person in line. She clapped a hand over her mouth, her skin went pale, and she scurried off to find the Ivory League Social Workers (-1 time).

The seemingly altruistic group was able to provide her with some of the bare essentials to keep herself clean and groomed. One of them was even kind enough to tighten her clothing: using a broad thread and needle, she hemmed and altered the tunic, pants and jacket to better fit Carmen's small frame and feminine curves. It was not the work of a master tailor to be sure, but the garb was much more flattering now, and more importantly (or maybe equally importantly to Carmen), it was much better at keeping her warm.

With that done, Carmen thumbed through the few notes she been given for the delivery job. As she stuffed them into an interior pocked of her coat, the old seamstress who'd sewn her clothes touched Carmen's arm.

"You be careful, dearie," she said. "Nine Angels isn't kind to humans."

Carmen narrowed her eyes in apprehension and brushed back her long locks of hair to reveal her ears and their subtly pointed tips. "I'm only half human," she replied cautiously.

"All the same," the old lady said. "I couldn't tell, and I was sewing your clothes. Be careful."

Carmen gulped, thanked the Ivory League, and went to find work. Thirty notes would only stretch as far as two nights in the dingiest of inns, she'd learned. She needed more money and fast. A walk though the busiest areas of the city revealed several options; many businesses and individuals were looking to hire, but each job prospect made her nose wrinkle more than the last. The least offensive opportunity came from the Lucky Cleric Gambling Hall, where waitress jobs were available.

A job as a servant? If my father me reduced to this he'd have Nine Angels burnt to the ground.

She had left her father, and her life on the Castile estate, behind a long time ago. The expectations and habits she'd formed there still followed her like a haunting ghost. She had learned new and deep appreciation of the lower classes during her travels, but that didn't make it easy to live and act as one of them.

Her meeting with the misogynistic manager was as repellent as she could have expected, even for this abhorrent city. Though he hired her on the spot, upon learning she was only half human, he commanded that her hair had to be left down and covering her ears at all times. He also provided what he called a 'uniform', which was form-fitting, low cut in the blouse, and with a skirt that left altogether too little to the imagination. Carmen almost turned the job down, but another glance at her slim collection of notes forced her hand; she did not dare to spend a single night sleeping on the streets, not only because of her affluent tastes, but her gradual realization that, in this place, she was altogether too human for her own good.

Carmen swallowed her pride and worked that first night at the Lucky Cleric (-3 time), alternating between serving the patrons and joining the band on stage. When the shift was over, she put some of her notes to use loosening tongues of the customers, and dug up faction dirt on The Gentlemen (-2 time), who had accosted Czajka. Then she used some of her pay to get herself a room at the cheapest available rate, checked the bare straw mattress for insect infestation, and cried herself to sleep.

The following days, being able to pay for a more comfortable room, and eating something other than meager vegetable broth in an unwashed bowl became Carmen's chief priorities. She spent her waking hours working at the Lucky Cleric (-12 time), putting her charm, grace, beauty, and musical talent to use garnering tips from her customers. Each night she stayed in a slightly better room, and as she spent more notes, her meals began to turn her stomach less and less. Still, she was not so foolish as to spend every penny; her father taught her better than that. She always saved as much as she could from her earnings, using only what she had to so she was not living in squalor or eating pig eyes and the like.

OOC



Edited by Carmen, Fri Oct 14, 2016 6:32 pm.
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Glug Photall
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Glug kept the brim of his hat low and his cloak pulled tight around him as the gang burst into the saloon, his bow out of sight within the latter’s confines. There wasn’t much of anywhere that he could go right now to avoid being noticed, but he could at least make himself as unrecognizable as possible. He discreetly tucked his left ear into his hat and tilted it just enough so that his face was shaded and it looked like he had no ears at all, depending on which way he turned. He didn’t say a word as Czajka interjected on the group’s behalf. He also said nothing as they discussed the group’s chances of survival. The man seemingly in charge of the gang before him probably wasn’t too far off, given that Keter would not be so easily forgiven by his temporary companions. Of course, death was too good for the man; he couldn’t care less whether he lived or died, it seemed. So it’d be better just to maim him a bit, make him more recognizable, maybe sever an arm or a leg or something. But that was for later. Right now, there was the gang to focus on.

It seemed that Czajka was having quite the problem with money. Fortunately, Glug didn’t always take money as payment. If he could do a bit of work for Czajka, he’d gladly take a favour in return. Favours could sometimes be far more valuable. As soon as they were gone, though, Czajka said she wanted some time to herself. That was fine. Glug would have to speak with her in private later. Once he got some arrows, it wouldn’t be too hard to start helping her with her little “problem” in return for a favour or three. And if he could get into the good graces of someone as obviously influential (here, at least) as Czajka, he’d have a better chance than most at not only surviving as a zakona, but thriving.

As soon as he was able, he headed to a dark corner of the saloon and pulled out what he had been given earlier: the sheet of parchment and the communiquill. He started writing immediately. His message was short and to the point.

Tanya…hope this thing of yours works. I usually work alone but considering our situation, I suppose I should make an exception…for now, at least. Let me know if you find anything important, like a good place to hide. I’ll check this thing periodically to see what’s what.

He almost put the things back in his pocket. But, as an afterthought, he decided to add one more word.

Thanks.

Might as well be somewhat polite. He was asking for information, after all, even if he wasn’t particularly practiced in making requests of other people. With that done, he put the things away and slipped out of the tavern. There were multiple possibilities open to him, but if word hadn’t reached Nine Angels about the so-called “Wine River Pariahs” already, it would soon enough. His time was limited; while he was used to that for the purpose of completing a job, he was less used to it as a fugitive. He’d had to endure it before, of course, but it wasn’t something he was extensively skilled at and he didn’t like it. Nevertheless, it gave him some things to think about immediately.

The first thing he really needed to think about was shelter for the evening. He kept his bow hidden beneath the cloak that was wrapped around him and the brim of his hat low. Staying in the shadows was easy enough, as was staying out of sight in general. In fact, whereas before he’d been stared at constantly because he’d had no real opportunity to disappear, now he found that it was all too easy to move about unseen and unheard. He learned quickly where the local church was - some kind of religious place devoted to the Infinity Flame, whatever that was; they gave out a bowl of soup each night to those in need. That would give him supper, but could he sleep there? If not, he’d find a way around it. There was always the roof. He just hoped nobody else had the same idea. He had half a mind to abandon his “group” entirely; he certainly didn’t trust Keter, and how many of the others could be trusted? But no…until he knew the city better, he had to stick with the evil he knew. Right now, that was Keter and the rest of the zakona.

As for a job, though…gambling had never been his strong suit and he wasn’t well-suited to protection, either. On the other hand, while he wasn’t the best fighter, he knew enough to keep himself alive. And while making some wagers might earn him some money, that would be more a side thing for him than anything else. But he’d need to know that someone could win…maybe someone in the group…no, there were too many people in the group who would likely go for that. That would create quite a stir, having that many people suddenly showing up on a barge and all going for the same job. While a story could easily be created for it, one that might even be bought by the majority of the riff-raff here, it wasn’t the general rabble that concerned Glug; it was the ones with the discerning eyes and ears…like that gang Czajka owed money to. He had a feeling that they would be far more dangerous a foe than any bloody jackrabbit on the street.

The whole thing boiled down to a lack of information. Arrows would be all well and good, but without information, he would literally be shooting in a darkness through which not even his yellow eyes could see. Those middlemen might be useful, but they were probably pricey…unless…of course. He’d already delivered something to Czajka; why not continue that little venture? It would let him get to know the city much better, build a small report with the locals, and put some more notes in his pocket. And when he wasn’t running a package or some such, he’d be figuring out the lay of the land.

Yes, that would do nicely. He could pass information - albeit as little as was actually necessary to coexist - with Tanya and (by likely extension) the rest of the group using that communiquill and parchment she’d handed him. Yes, that was the way to go…but he didn’t want to go to Czajka herself. No, better not use someone associated with someone else that was in turn associated with him; better to use someone that wasn’t connected to him at all - yet. So Glug’s first stop was on that road he’d come into town along. He stayed in the shadows, watching everything that was going on, and finally figuring out which middleman was doing the most delivery work. He conveniently passed by him at one point and “accidentally” sliced the man’s pockets with the jagged bone fragment he was carrying; the man panicked, frantically trying to gather up the notes and other spilled contents, and he was thus late to report for his next job. That would mean that he no longer had a job. It would probably piss him off when he found out that Glug had stolen his position, whether he realized that it was Glug who’d set it up or not, but Glug could deal with that later.

When Glug showed up instead of the middleman, he told the man who’d been using the middleman that he’d been watching what was going on. He was looking for work, he said, and he noticed that his middleman hadn’t shown up. So Glug offered to deliver things for him instead. The guy gave him a chance but told him not to screw up. So he did the job, and when he was done, he got paid. Then he did another job, and another, picking up what notes he could. He ended up going all over the city to make the deliveries, which helped him learn his way around the place quickly. The city was quite large, though perhaps no larger than any other, and there were a lot of places in which to hide. He found a weapons dealer the first night and managed to talk him down a little on the price of a quiver. Once his bow was stowed among a fresh quiver of arrows, he continued his hunt for something more than just the lay of the land - something specific: a hide-out of sorts. The pariahs needed something that could be used to conceal themselves while they slept and plotted, someplace safe from discovery and possibly defensible as well, with plenty of escape routes (both obvious ones and not-so-obvious ones, thus allowing them diversions for easier escape in a hurry if need be).

Glug coordinated his efforts via the communiquill with Tanya, and eventually, a place was found. Glug wormed his way into the soup line at the church and had him some supper before retreating to the place that the group had found to sleep - away from the others but not completely separate from them. Somehow, he managed to survive the first night. The second day was just as prosperous for him - more so, since he didn’t end up buying anything after his jobs as a runner were concluded for the day. Afterward, he continued on his own personal tour of the city, getting a feel for the ins and outs of it, familiarizing himself with all of its nooks and crannies. Before heading to the church for supper, however, he visited one of the middlemen to pick up some information; it cost him a few notes but his brief conversation with the middleman gave Glug a basic idea of who really ran Nine Angels - the Gentlemen and other gangs, brokers and dealers, et cetera. He also got a feel for the trouble-makers and who had who in whose pocket.[/b]

The second night, too, passed mostly without incident.

Finally, he resumed his jobs as a runner on the third day. Once more, he familiarized himself with the city thereafter. And again, he visited the middleman - but this time, what he wanted to know was even more important than who was who and what was what in the city. He asked specifically for news from Gloomwood; he listened for specific information, of course, but he took everything in that he heard. On his way to the church for the third night in a row, he stopped into a small shop to haggle for some cigars; once one was burning satisfyingly between his lips, he hurried on to supper. And after he’d gotten his nightly bowl of soup, he returned to the hide-out of the Wine River Pariahs with the intention of forming some kind of plan for what needed to happen next.

Just as he had on the first day, Glug continued passing information along to Tanya on the second and third days as well.
But after that third night, he hoped that the time had come for the group as a whole to move beyond simple scouting and note-earning. He firmly believed that the time had come for plotting. He knew he couldn’t trust Keter…but Keter was a small fish regardless. It was Krupin that everyone wanted, and Keter would likely serve his purpose in the end - and then he would meet his own end…

OOC
Edited by Glug Photall, Sat Oct 15, 2016 2:13 am.
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Keter
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The Gentlemen, they appeared to be called. It must have just been the ironic name of their group, because they presented as anything other than gentlemanly. Even their clothing seemed to be a mockery at the concept of civility. Following their rapid departure entered the apparent sheriff of Nine Angels. Keter merely watched the way she moved, watched her interact with the locals, and ultimately watched her leave. Cause no trouble, earn no trouble, it seemed to be. A fair way to go about business for as suspicious as the large group of newcomers must have seemed.


Daily Rituals


Five hundred push-ups. Five hundred sit-ups. Five hundred jumping jacks. Four hundred meter sprint with as many obstacles as he could plan a route past. One hour of shadow boxing.

And that was just the warmup for each day, not just since escaping the prison barge on the Wine River, but every day since escaping that carefully crafted cell meant to hold only the Black Monkey. By the standards of most beings his workout regimen was practically the stuff of nightmares, but for him it was the only way to maintain peak physical condition. He may not have been able to master strict unarmed combat without a realistically challenging baseline to compare his muddled memory of history to, but working out was as simple as a thousand reps lifting the heaviest object he could find to lift. Every day he worked out without anything other than his stolen pants on, doubling the workout with climate endurance training, using the motions of his body to keep himself warm when not kept toasty by the barge guard clothing he had scavenged.

After binging on soup on the barge, Keter did not need to eat for a while. If there was anything good that could be said to have followed him from that first prison, it was how his jailers starved him to keep him too weak to escape, though that clearly failed in the end. Compared to the disgusting gruel that they would force feed him in pitiably small amounts, the soup was godsend. Perhaps not as good as other things that Keter had eaten, but not bad to his tastes.

As for something to drink, Keter would spend a bit of his earned currency on alcohol at the Lucky Cleric's bar. It would help to numb any irritable pain accrued from fighting.


Job
Bareknuckle Boxing at the Lucky Cleric's Gambling Hall




Boxing just seemed to be the best choice of job for Keter to engage in, from his abilities honed in Bayangan Tinju to his hope to find a worthy challenger that could spark within his mind that old inventiveness that had made Surya unmatched despite not needing a weapon to fight.

While he would not consider himself a master until he could find a truly worthy opponent, his expertise in unarmed combat would be a good baseline to fight from. He would not need or even use the shadows or the shadowy power of the Shade he was bound to in order to fight, it would be him against his enemies in a test of who was prepared in case their abilities ever failed them. With the thrill of battle facing him each day, he would shrug off the stress in his life for the duration of his fights, prepared to face his enemies on equal footing.

With his masterfully honed skills and feats with pugilism, he would dodge and weave around any opponent with acrobatic displays to aid his defense, looking to strike at any opening they presented him with assassin-like precision, vanishing out of their sights stealthily before announcing his location with another savage strike like from a white fang. He would stand alert, he would cleave through his enemies with the strength of his will, he would use brawn and brains to strike them down after delivering a stunning fist to the right locations.

Try as they might to retreat, his rapid assaults and lightning reflexes would not allow them to escape, his endurance and fast recovery would keep him fighting, even through a second wind required, until a victor was decided, and his abilities to stay focused even when fighting blind would keep him fighting through any dizziness. His artistry in escaping coupled with his alertness would help keep him from getting locked down by them, and if need be then he would exercise the forbearing to spare their lives. Only if somebody were crazy enough to bring blades into the battle would Keter's own hands cut like knives. If the fight would drag on too long, if his savage blows were about to wane, he would lash out with a strike faster and more powerful than sound to end the bout.

The Black Monkey since the days of Surya believed that the only way to ever truly understand a person was through fighting them, to witness firsthand the way they threw their bodies into battle, to have natural weapons coming straight for you. Maybe he would not trust anybody more with the conclusion of the battle, but he would feel he had a better understanding of who they were. After all, what was fighting but communication through action and diplomacy through impact?


Day 1



Somewhere to sleep would be something handled by pitching in with the scouting efforts the Zakona group was acting out. His stealth and subtlety would aid them in finding a suitable location without much concern.

While searching for an appropriate place to reliably rest after a properly productive day, Keter would be sure to inquire about something that the Dalca brothers had mentioned on the barge. A mining operation within the area. Between the plans for the scorchliner path, Nine Angel's dead appearance, and the message from the Dalca, it seemed prudent to learn about the mine. Keter would haggle a bribe to learn as much as he could about what was going on with the mine, its placement near the river should have kept Nine Angels alive, so to him it seemed that if something was going wrong with Nine Angels, then something must have been going wrong there.


Day 2



The second day for Keter was mostly uneventful save for work. With his free time, he saw fit to explore Nine Angels, to learn its shadows and the way they sat against the world, and most importantly to leave his mark somewhere innocuous in case he ever sought to return here through the darkness.


Day 3



The Gentlemen, that rude little group that had made a ruckus that first night in Nine Angels. It seemed that they were the most immediate threat that Nine Angels and the Zakona group's ally, Cjerka, faced. To learn about them, true information or mere rumors, seemed like it would be due diligence. It was doubtful that they would have enough clout or sway to be a grand threat, but even a minor nuisance could prove fatal if left unchecked.

With his urge to fight and his curiosity mostly sated, thoughts were free to flow around the Black Monkey's mind, recounting the recent events with something resembling a bit of objectivity on the situation. For all the mistakes that the group had made from the very being, it was not the thought of that ragtag band of misfit mercenaries that came to his mind, but the woman with the shadowy eyes and the Dalca brothers on the Wine River. With a bit of extra time, Keter would seek out the one called Czajka, who he believed would be well knowledgeable about the goings on of this strange place, with more pertinent information that the Shade could provide.

"I didn't introduce myself that first night, I'm. . . Keter Laluan." Damn, that name still felt so alien on his lips, even moreso with recent events, but he still managed to spit it out, "I've got some questions if you'll spare the time. I'll trade with you, if you'd prefer."

Czajka held up her palm toward the chair. "Nah. Don't need nothing from you. Take a seat, Keter."

Keter let himself fall into the seat after the bounty hunter's invitation. At least this bit of information seemed like it would be free. "How long have you been here in Nine Angels?"

"My whole life. I was born here, grew up here, work from here, will probably die somewhere round here. Never been far past Marble County and the big city. You sure have, if the whispers are telling the truth." She paused to think. "If you were just talking about how long I've been hanging out here since my last job... a few weeks, I reckon."

"What whispers are going around?"

"Stories. Information. Things you can't see or touch or even feel."

It started spreading faster than I expected! Keter thought in a bit of surprise, assuming Cjerka was referring to the story he had told. It seemed doubtful that even a frantic scrambling for information on Keter Laluan would have spread fast and far enough to end up in a place like Nine Angels, but the price of his still incomplete deal, information he had given an entity that anybody could access, made sense to start cropping up.

Welcome to the watchful gaze of the Ethereal. You were smart to tell the story, rather than to let it into your mind. The Shade complimented the Black Monkey.

"How many people can actually be trusted in Gloomwood?"

"That's-- ah, what's the word. The one where it's different for different people? You build your connections, and those are like your people, you know? But other people's people are different. I'm not making a lick of sense, am I?"

Trust here is earned, or at least bought. Most of the group seems unused to the concept that betrayal is likely around here, at least until loyalty can be ensured, but that's rarely ever quick or painless.

Information was definitely a commodity, and one that could start spreading like fire in a drought if not careful. Keter had suspected that before, but with whispers being spread by an intangible force, it seemed a likely assumption that once information was shared within Gloomwood, it would become accessible for the right price.

"Things seem rough around here. How're you holding up?"

She laughed at first, but then realized Keter was serious. "Bleeding hearts from the big city, you people! Just pulling your leg. Yeah, I'm fine. Got in a bit of a dust-up recently but I'm almost back in action. Already told Lorica about the details, you could ask her."

"I can't really see that one sharing information with me, but based on that first day I think I can guess the general idea." Keter said, and Cjerka merely shrugged in response

"The letter from the Dalca, what was that he mentioned about the future?"

The half-demon's eyes looked concerned. "He wasn't very specific, but it sounds like the Wine River Transport Company won the big bid for the scorchway going to Striberg and they're gonna build the first leg of it straight through Nine Angels. And according to his visions, that's the starting point for when all the shit starts flowing downhill around here."

"I didn't mean the specific future mentioned, I meant him talking about it. The way you reacted, it seemed almost like an illness, unfortunate but something that just happens around here. Is it something tied to the Ethereal?"

"Oh, yeah. It's an illness." She told Keter, "Some people are born way too close to Shadow but they aren't senka or even shadow-oriented. This one Academy person studied me when I was a kid, he said the Ethereal like... tried to mesh with my physical body or something, which is impossible, so strange things happen. It's different for different people. I'm not an expert or anything, I just know how to make it work for me and not get too bogged down by it."

It isn't the same as our contract or the Black Monkey's nature, it's more. . . The Shade trailed off without finishing its thought. Clearly it was hiding something from its host, but Keter let it lie for now, there was too much else going on to get bogged down by extra information like that.

"Looks like a storm's just getting started. We must be mad to want to charge towards its center. Any idea on how to weather it?"

"Keep your head low," Czajka said. "Don't piss people off and don't get ripped off. Take care of your material body. It's all easier said than done, but you'll manage -- you have to."

Well, two out of three isn't bad, I suppose.

"As I suspected. . . Well then, that's all that's coming to mind for now." Keter sighed, never having intended to stick around the group of gathered mercenaries longer than he absolutely had to, now it looked like working with them to get back at Krupin was the only option he had left. With his more important inquiries done with, a new question eked its way into the forefront of his mind, "Want a drink?

"Only if you're paying." Czajka made a sly smile.

"Aright." Keter shrugged, considering it fair payment for what information he got. After bribing local strangers for information, paying an acquaintance seemed far more favorable.
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Mobster Man
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The crew that walked in... yeah, Yurim already didn't like them. He almost decided to stand up and show them how to handle a knife... but they left. People were already trying to figure out what to do with what time they had left in the day, but Yurim already had an idea, "I'll help look for a good place to relax and then do some scavenging. See you guys tomorrow."

With that Yurim went on his search, sticking to the outskirts of the town to try and locate a decent building to hole up in, and sure there were a few that could fit the bill, the problem was finding one that was empty and didn't have a leaky roof, hell, bonus points for a big fire place. What little light kept the streets lit barely let Yurim walk through the shadows, he needed to move fast through the shifting shadows, his eyes pierced the gloom with ease, there would be little Yurim wouldn't see and using his connection to the shadows he could try and make out the insides of buildings, even sending his own shadow in if necessary. A little over two hours passed before Yurim encountered Zuraw. Yurim shared his findings and the buildings that would make decent hiding spots even if they might need a bit of work.

The next hour Yurim spent looking around for any news of the Ivory League, any supplies he could get his hands on would be great. He followed the rumors and eventually located their general area, he would comb the streets and get those supplies, he was a poor sad sack looking guy, he would make sure to eat after finding them, he didn't want to look well-fed or else they might short him some supplies.

After that ordeal it was time for a break, he remembered the talk of free soup and decided to pay the temple a visit, a visit he knew he would make every day. The soup was fair, it would fill him up, but time for the day was running out and he still needed to go scavenging. He had little choice... and opened his mind to the Ethereal and what he asked for was just to share some memory of one of his greatest failure... no, Yurim wanted good information, he would tell the Ethereal about his worst day.

Yurim finished his soup as he brought the story to mind, "It was your average day in Balefire, dark, damp, full of opportunity. I had spent a lot of my time making alliances, making sure our back was covered so we could take more territory. I rushed through things, gathering Bashers, using Footpads as informants, I was ready to start some half-assed war that I had the illusion of believing I could win. I had received several reports about suspicious activity from a warehouse, but I ignored it, there was always something or someone moving shit in or out of the place, why bother right? Well that was my biggest screw up."

Yurim looked up, his rage plain on his face, "The Dons of Balefire were my enemies, I didn't know that the gangs were just god damn playthings for the Lords and Ladies that supplied the Dons with their goods, but that's what we all were, play things. They sent their toy soldiers after me and my boys, gods damned golems. They tore through my crew, I had thirty bashers, twenty footpads, and a dozen more thugs, all dead in minutes. Worst part, the bastard that did all of it had planned this to happen weeks in advance. He had put in reports of his 'stolen' security golems and then had them tampered with and sent out to kill us. Ever since then the murder of my crew was called an 'unfortunate accident'. Bullshit. I swore I'd kill the bastard that did this, that forced me to hide in the darkness while my crew died in the light. Well I plan on killing him from my darkness and dragging everything and everyone he loved into the darkness with him."

With that tale he was rewarded, not just with the location, but of a way to locate it! Yurim smirked, "Ethereal you're so good to me. I almost want to make another deal... but that can wait for now, don't want to press my luck to much."

His prize was in a marble tower, but the telescope he needed was in a basement of an old tavern. Yurim did not hesitate for a moment, setting off into the shadows, appearing farther and farther away, he could not run, he could not bring attention to himself, not yet. He managed to get the telescope and immediately went for his prize. He used his shadow and natural agility to scale the tower, even if the occasional blast of wind forced him to hang on for dear life, but hey, it would all be worth it. When he made it to the top it was indeed worth his time. He immediately set about strapping the bedroll to his back and pocketing the lockbox on the inside pocket of the lower part of his jacket. The book and food could be stored with the bedroll, and the map was carefully rolled up and stashed in another pocket.

Yurim made his way back down and found Zuraw, "Hope you don't mind me sleeping nearby, don't want to get my shit stolen on the first day."

___________________________________________________________________

The Second Day... dear gods the second day. Yurim had to force himself up and roll up his bedroll. He decided to share his food with Zuraw and anyone else in their gang that stayed nearby. Yurim smirked, "Welp, back to the old grind I'll see you guys later."

Yurim spent this day wandering the city, if he managed to find a general store he could pick up a pen so he could start making his new map a bit more accurate. He had to slake his thirst with the common folk, he was very unwilling to part with his money so early, best to keep spending to a minimum... unless candy was involved, god Yurim missed eating peppermint candies. He tried his best to make the map easier to understand and skipped lunch, as an orphan he knew the feeling of true hunger, he could hold out for dinner, which would be some pretty good soup.

When night began to fall Yurim stopped a fairly shifty looking fellow and took out twenty notes, "Give me all the information you've got on the gangs around here. I don't care if it's all general information, I just want information on all of them."

Once that situation was resolved he made his way back to his new favorite female bounty hunter. Yurim grinned as he sat down across from Czajka, "Evenin' Czajka. I was just wondering... are you into romance novels? I recently found some stuff, figured you liked books more than I do, so here ya go." With that he Yurim placed his copy of Mortal Charms I on the table.

Czajka took one look at the cover and cracked up laughing. She took the book and held it back up to him, just to draw more attention to the likeness of a shirtless human with chiseled features. "You know what? Why the hell not. I'll take it. Thanks, hasenka."

Yurim studied his hands as he spoke, "I know the Ethereal can't be trusted, but I've made two deals with him now. First one was my blood, second time some memory, and I know other people have lost an arm or other things to the Ethereal and it got me thinking. What if the Ethereal is trying to do something with all of it. I mean... why make all of these deals? Why take things? Amusement? No, amusement would make things 'funny' this isn't 'funny' just weird. I am not a fan of the idea of it having some Grand Plan, so humor me, what do you think the Ethereal could do with all of this stuff?"

Putting away the Mortal Charms book, Czajka shot Yurim a cautious look. "Me and Viktor argue about this all the time. Forget whatever crap you've been told about the Shadow Plane, it's probably not true. Personally, I think that everything it does and all the ways it behaves are impossible for us to understand. It's not a person, it has no personality, it's just a force. A force we'll never be able to figure out no matter how long we live. But I guess if you want a second opinion, ask Viktor."

"Also just call this more curiosity as someone that's also been heavily in debt. How deep are you? I know money is tight for everyone, but I figure I might be able to help, not with your jobs, but with making 'Investments'. Back in Balefire I used to Invest in people with special jobs, the way I see it having you around would make things a bit easier for all of us."

"I owe 1,500 to the Gentlemen." She cracked a grin. "With all you people keep offering to adopt me like a lost puppy, I'm gonna get worn down. Or maybe get drunk off my gourd and accept on a whim." Czajka chuckled. "My mother would be all, 'Oh Czajka, you finally joined a crew! I get so worried about you all alone in the backswamps! I'm so glad you finally grew out of your lone-wolf phase!' Yeah, right."

"I don't have to much time left, but I got one last question. Have you ever thought of harnessing the Shadows? I mean... not in the way of making deals with the Ethereal, but being a Shadowdancer."

"Mm, I try to keep away from the shadows in general. No offense. We just don't get along. And besides," she snapped her fingers, creating a momentary spiral of crackling purple and green light above her thumb, "the Abyss gives me plenty of power." Yurim left and waved goodbye, it was time to rest.

_______________________________________________________________________

Yurim woke up, it was now the third day. He handed out any food he had left and bought himself some fresh bread on his way to his next target... that informant from before. Yurim found him and showed him ten notes, "Dalca brothers. I want to know more about them, especially Victor. Give me accurate information and we can probably have more chats in the future... fairly profitable chats."

Once done Yurim went about the town again, checking his map when he was alone and even using his daggers to scratch his Shadowdancer's mark into some wood, he made it small, a tiny drawing of a smiling mask. He would memorize this city and place enough marks around the place to make travel easier, and if it turned out he was one of only a handful of Shadowdancers in this place... then he might very well have almost complete free reign.

It was getting late when he managed to get his soup, another person in the line seemed a bit ornery and Yurim decided to make him a deal, if he could lead Yurim to a place that sold peppermint candies he would give the man five notes.

After everything that happened Yurim went back to where Zuraw was and laid down, it had been a long few days... but now he could rest.
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Alexandra
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Night One

Alex stopped before heading out to claim a job with Zuraw.

She went to her job.

Alex was sure to catch one of the League's social workers after work. She collected her necessities into a bag and left, catching a little bit of extra food on her way to their hideout. She used her own mana to warm the place against the odds of Balefire's cold, and quietly planned a means to instill permanent, magical warmth into the structure.


The Job
Alexandra stepped into the night, dressed in her trenchcoat. She knew she needed money and she had a good grasp of where her talents could land her. In the back of her head, the idea that she was an object of desire tumbled about. She arrived at the casino without a bushy tail or bright eyes. She needed money, and from her few nights out with coworkers, she knew how to get it. Without much thought to the matter, Alex picked out a silver, sparkly strip of cloth held on by what she assumed was an enchantment. She spent a few moments on her hair, controlling it with a bone comb and heat until it cascaded down her shoulders in waves, light and inviting. A fetching burgundy half-cloak made its way onto her shoulder to conceal her missing arm, and she dabbled what makeup that was near her own skin tone until it hid the marks under her eyes. She couldn't break the fantasy and she knew it.

Alex whipped through the tables as best she could, carrying drinks with a warm smile, curious, bright eyes and unnecessary motion. She served drinks as fast as she could, and thanks to her solid stamina she didn't lose pace even as the nights dragged on. Warmth chased her where she went. At night, she chased down some leftovers that she could scavenge from the kitchens for herself and Zuraw.

Night Two

Alex went out to find news about the Gloomwood area after work, hoping to find a newspaper or something similar to show her allies. She kept primarily to the 'safe' streets, the main streets where she knew she could be picked out by some vile force.

After that, she popped off to find another bit of news. A better job, something more suited to her talents as a trained arcanist. She knew someone in Nine Angels would have equipment that needed a mechanik to fix, or possibly even something built or enchanted. She'd find them.

Night Three

Alex pursued Ithuen Bearkiller after work for information.

Alex plodded out onto the streets to find information on the local social culture. As a Cascadian, she knew it was critical. And what little coin she had stashed for non-necessities she decided to use.

Interviews
Edited by Alexandra, Sat Oct 15, 2016 1:12 am.
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Arthur
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The others with him introduced themselves, some even talked with Czajka. Arthur though Arthur took in the Saloon. Mostly in case anything went wrong. Always plan for the worst that was how you did things. He got a response from Czajka about him offering his services. he suspected she would not use him after all he was a little like her. He was a Sword for Hire as well as a bounty hunter sometimes. He doubted she would like the competition.

Then conversation turned to her debt and the letter. Arthur paid full attention to it feeling it was important. He listened to Carmens deciphering of it. Yehven could see the future it seemed or at least part of it it seemed. Arthur held no liking for that preffering to make his own destiny. Still this might be information for later. Then the woman stood up and was saying her goodbyes when a commotion began outside.

Arthurs hand went to his blade ready to draw in a moment. Czajka said it was the Gentlemen whoever that was. A local gang perhaps maybe the power here. Eight men burst through the door like they owned the place. Arthur growled he did not like this. The postured and threatened Czajka as well as himself and the others. Arthur only smiled at them daring them to try anything.

Then the Sheriff showed up. Possibly not a moment to soon as these men would have died otherwise. Then it was over and the Gentlemen left. Then Czajka told them they could go. Arthur took her word but did not take his hand from his sword when he left.



First Day
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Arthur knew the notes he got from the job from the Dalcas brothers were not enough to sustain him totally. He did not know what the others would do but he had seen signs advertising bareknuckle boxing. Knowing his skills in combat he would be quite able to hold his own there. But he needed to find it first perhaps he would tour the city first and get a grasp of where he was. He wandered the city for hours and got a few stares for blatanly walking in human form. Yet one look in his eyes was enough to send most people walking the other way.

Dragon like eyes stared down any would be challenger. As such he had little trouble making his way through the city and identifying its landmarks. -3 Points

When he got to the Luck Cleric Gambling Halls he got a few stares when he entered. Humans were not very welcome but one look in his eyes and they could see he might not be entirely human. Dragon like eyes dared anybody to say anything. He found the Fighting Master near the ring. He went up to him and said," I would like to participate in the Bareknuckle Boxing. I can hold my own and I am a good entertainer". The Fightmaster looked at him sizing him up.

Arthur could tell the man was having doubts about him. However when the man looked in his eyes he nodded. So with that Arthur became a boxer. He went under the name The Iron Dragon. His fights went well as few could match him in speed and strength. He was almost untouchable though there were a few lucky enough to land hits but when they did it was like their hand hit a steel bar. He made the fights last as long as they could but always ended up knocking his opponents out. -3 Points

He watched the others that fought as well. Keter especially so he could see what he would do if he ever fought him. After it was over and he got paid he went and found a cheap but well taken care of inn. He received adequate food and rest thus ending his first Day

Second Day

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Much like the first day he explored the town getting the layout. A few people even noticed him from his fighting at the Lucky Cleric. But he paid little attention. He was getting a better layout so he would know what to report to the others when the time came. -3 Points

Then he fought again and he got tougher matches. They were nothing he could not handle though. He won his fights and collected his money. He did not go back to the hotel but found the hideout the group had chosen. He heard about from Tanya who he had sent information to via communiquill. Arthur ate and slept ending his second day. -3 Points

Third Day
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Knowing his way around the town now he went instead to fight again. His matches were even tougher now. It was like they wanted him to lose. But lose he did not. After the fight and he got paid he decided to go seek out information. -3 Points

Arthur decided he would find information on Gloomwood. Using his fame he had gained in the ring he found information easy when he signed autgraphs for his fans. He used what information he got and passed it onto Tanya via the Quill. - 2 Points

Then he wen with Tanya's friend Cadis to shop for Blood. Which was a bit of mystery to him. Yet he owed her for the Quill. -1 Point After that he returned to the hideout again and waited on the others.

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Anci
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The close encounter with the Gentlemen and the exchange with Czajka was something Anci worried would happen more often than not in the upcoming days. Brushes with the established presences here while being dangerously on the outside of the know. They were going to have to stop being outsiders if they were going to take down Krupin, just how much of themselves they would lose in the process was a haunting concern. They hadn’t even arrived and Alex was short a limb, and Lorica was showing the same symptoms around the eyes. Who knows what exactly she was missing now.

There wasn’t time to mope or agonize about the cost on one’s soul, that didn’t feed the body.

Day 1

From looking for any kind of work she could get back in the City of Lanterns, one of the few phrases she could recognize in bridgetongue was “Help wanted”. Spying a particularly colorful if not worn out poster she took it with her. She’d never admit it, but Anci had based her choice on the renditions on the paper of colorful people and animals. If something was even half that cheerful, it’d be a beacon in this city.

She didn’t go directly there, instead she made her way around Nine Angels with Arthur, figuring it was a lot safer to go around this place with someone else than by herself. He was looking for landmarks, but Anci’s interest was more on how to get around quickly. If she had to run from something in this city, she wanted a better idea on where to go and where not to go.

One of the landmarks was the circus thankfully. Anci recognized it from the poster, sort of. She recognized the elaborate markings used on a sign. A name, a brand, she wasn’t certain but it matched. That’s what counted.

Inside she offered her services, she tried to not sound desperate but with her gaunt figure, human nature and just being present in Nine Angels would have done more than she could have said. The crushing discovery that she was working as a shit shoveler was a heavy blow. She could have worked as a server with Alex and Carmen. Demeaning, but at least you didn’t smell like shit afterwards. Although booze and smoke might be a close second for unwanted fragrance from working conditions. The only bright point is that Anci considered herself to be somewhat Adept at handling animals.

Day 2

Zuraw was off to find the social worker from an Ivory League. Alex had been talking about them, it seemed like a good idea to visit them. Especially if she was getting sick with something. Going there with someone else was a pragmatic choice, even if it was with a fairly silent traveling partner. The fact that onlookers might not even see Zuraw and would take Anci as a solitary target was something that only came to mind when they had already left. Prophets are always the most accurate when foretelling the mistakes of the past and all that.

Still, she felt a little more at ease knowing the half-were was nearby than going off on her own.

Later when they’d come back with what scant medical supplies they could pry out of the beleaguered Social Worker, it was time for her shift at the circus. After galavanting across the city and dealing with its troubles, the last thing she wanted to do was to go work a job for notes. They needed them though, and Lore’s offer as an escort helped.

There wasn’t much time to spend together, there was a lot to do in these early days so it was nice to catch a few moments together. “Your work is starting soon, you should not be running around escorting people! Unless...you just want to see me before I smell of shit, do you not? Maybe trying to catch Alex changing into her outfit?” She was trying to make a jest, though her job wasn’t the most thrilling Lore’s sounded back breaking.

After her shift Anci felt restless. Her body was tired and sore, but her mind was not at ease. She swung by the Howling Dogs looking for Czajka to share a drink and some words with her.

[Czajka Interview]

Just a touch inebriated now she made her way back to the makeshift home the pariahs had set up. Back there she’d found Ansgar back from his own job. There were a few others around, but she hadn’t spoken to them before. Not directly, not at any length over things. Ansgar had shared words and thoughts with her before. He’d be a good candidate for her tired, slightly drunk ramblings.

Angsar Interview

Day 3

She put in more time with at the Circus, she was getting more familiar with the city, a smaller section of it at least. Some faces were familiar, a few people even knew her by name. The growing sense of comfortability gave her some misplaced confidence. Yurim had made a solid find picking through some of the abandoned neighborhoods. Nobody else had chosen to do so, this was going to be a solo venture. It’d be fine, nothing would go wrong. Viktor’s warnings on going alone had to be for people who were new to the city. Here they had made it a full two days. Nothing new about that! [:^)]

OOC n’ stuff
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Lorica
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Night One

Well that was that. They were here in Nine Angels, for better or for worse. They’d just have to deal with that. Some quick plans were made. Zuraw and a few others would scout the town out for a good place to hole up, some manner of refuge from the cold and elements. Most of the rest left to look for work or fortune. Lorica held back, musing on what they’d just seen. The interaction between Czajka and the Gentlemen had been tense, to say the least. It felt like they’d stumbled across a pot that was about to boil over. There was no telling who would get burnt. Well let’s see if the Bookworm over here is more willing to shed some light on the situation.

Interview with Czajka (from OOC Discussion)


Lorica left the tavern, shivering against the cold… and something more. The Ethereal curled in her mind, familiar as an old friend, an icy ache between her eyes. An illness, is it? She shrugged. Maybe if she’d be more forthcoming, I wouldn’t need this. She opened her mind to the plane, allowing it to sift through her memories for something satisfactory in return for information. Knowledge flooded her mind. She suddenly felt a pang of guilt for her choice of nickname involving the bounty hunter.

This time there were consequences. It felt like an animal was trying to claw her eyes out. She hissed and clutched at her face. The pain faded within moments. Lorica stumbled over to a glass window and buffed it with her sleeve, peering at her blurry reflection. Ebony scratches traced over her eyelids, barbed and hooked like thorns. Fetching She hunched her shoulders against the cold and went to find work in the cesspit that was Nine Angels, hurrying to catch up with Anci and the rest.



At least there was no shortage of work to be found. I wonder what happened to the people who used to have these jobs. It was a little bit worrying, but was fairly confident in her ability to keep herself alive. It was what she was good at, after all. The rest of these schmucks, on the other hand… She shook her head in exasperation. Except for Anci, she didn’t know how any of them planned on surviving.

With that thought in mind, Lorica offered to escort the other Pariahs to their job when possible. She gave preference to anyone that looked wholly human, given how the citizens of Marble Country felt about the species.

Although she considered taking a job as a bouncer at the local brothel (for obvious reasons), Lorica decided against it. She knew who their true enemy was: Kir Lantos, a werewolf. More importantly, she remembered what the Dalca brothers had said when werewolfs were brought up. They were lean, mean, unkillable machines… unless you had silver. Coincidentally, there was a silver mine nearby that had plastered up posters for common laborers. It wasn’t an illustrious job, but it would pay out notes… and she could suffer some indignity in order to get revenge. She thought of shoving a silver knife in Lantos’ throat and smiled. (Job: Miner)

By later that night, her good mood had soured somewhat. Mining wasn’t necessarily hard work, but it sure was boring, which gave her mind far too much time to wander. This inevitably led to quips and jokes. The Keeper managed to keep her mouth shut on the bouncing wagon ride to the mine, but within an hour of working in the shaft she slipped up and made a sour comment about a foreseer while his back was turned.

This turned out to be a small blessing in disguise; it turned out none of the workers had a good opinion of their boss. She did her best to chat with the rough men and make friends, although not understanding Bridgetongue set her back. Luckily they were close enough to Norwood that some of them spoke wood elvish, if not Common, and over their shift they managed to make themselves understood, even if they had to turn to pantomiming from time to time. She did her best to put together a picture of Nine Angels from the dialogue, borrowing their understanding of the town’s complex hierarchy (Information: Social Standings in Nine Angels)

Buoyed by conversation, she found the labor far less tedious. Her strength and endurance allowed her to keep pace with even the burliest nonhumans, which earned her the grudging respect of some of her fellows. Lorica returned to town feeling sore and tired, but pleased with the day’s progress. She’d been keeping an eye on the mine’s operations and trying to figure out if there was any weak spot to exploit between mining ore, extracting and purifying it from the base metals, and then packaging it for transport.

She came back to find that Zuraw and her crew had located a home base. Lorica was glad for that. She didn’t want to squander her earnings on a third-rate hotel. She stopped by the Church of the Infinity Flame on the way back to get her bowl of vegetable stew. The thick slop left a bitter aftertaste in the back of her throat, but at least it was food. We’ll need to do something about this. When she went to bed she found Alex to curl up beside. The woman radiated heat like a mieysce herself and was as good as a bonfire against the Gloomwood chill.



Night Two

The next night was much of the same, although she took some time to draw water out of the well for a drink. It smelled odd, but she was fairly certain the corruption ate other diseases for breakfast, so she wasn’t too worried about getting sick. The outfit she’d stolen off the barge was lined with fur and fairly warm, although it was starting to look worse for wear. She’d take the time to wash it if she had literally anything else to wear, but for now the black outfit would have to do.

She made sure to stop by a supply store and picked up some food that would keep with her wages, dried meat and hard loaves of black bread. Lorica swung by their hideout and stashed the food there, making sure that Zuraw overhead the delivery. She hadn’t seen the half-werewolf eat anything since gorging herself on the barge and was worried she’d starve herself out of some undeserved feeling of guilt.

After that she dropped by the Lucky Cleric Gambling Hall, pretending that her choice of establishment wasn’t due to guilt about spying on Czajka. There was a palpable difference between this establishment and the Howling Dogs Saloon. The latter had been upbeat, but relatively tame. The same could not be said of the Hall. There was a frenzied intensity in the air, reflected by the choice of entertainment.

Some of the miners had mentioned they spent their off-time at the place, throwing their money away on booze and gambling. It sounded like a good time to Lorica, but she didn’t plan on partaking. Instead she found a group of workers who looked semi-familiar and insinuated herself into their conversation. Many of them had worked the shift after hers and were deep in their cups, but some others were just here for a drink and some friendly conversation before going to work. There were other residents of Nine Angels at the table, friends and companions of the miners who worked in town.

Lorica asked as many questions as she dared, focusing once again on the silver. There was basic information that she didn’t know: who owned the mine, where did it all go, what was it used for? She was curious how much of Nine Angel’s existence revolved around the Bokor Silver Pit. The town couldn’t just exist on debauchery, corruption, and prostitution alone; it would have collapsed long before now with nothing to stimulate the economy. (Information: Wants and Needs in Nine Angels)

She tried to use her initial questions to single out which of her companions were decent source of information. At that point she pulled them aside to speak in low voices about a more sinister topic: silver weaponry. It had to exist somewhere, and if it was in Nine Angels Lorica wanted to know about it. She passed them some crumpled notes in her palm to help encourage them to tell her as much as they knew.(Information: Wants and Needs in Nine Angels)

It was nearly time for her shift before Lorica felt her eyes drawn towards the boxing ring. She’d considered bareknuckle boxing, but had decided she didn’t want to get the stuffing knocked out of her night after night. There were two fighters in the ring right now, artlessly beating the crap out of each other.

Lorica’s eyes went past the bloody combatants, focusing on something near the back: a small door with the sigil of the Balefire Sheriffs carved into the wood. Ithuen Bearkiller… She didn’t know much about the local head of the Sheriffs beyond what the Dalca brothers had told them on the barge. She felt a sudden urge to make her own evaluation and said goodbye to her companions.

Interview with Ithuen (from OOC Discussion)


After that little conversation Lorica had to run to catch the wagon over to the Pit, where she took part in another long shift of backbreaking labor. She wasted no time in striking up conversation now, trusting her earthy jokes and jibes to get them talking. It was easier this time. The shift went by relatively quickly, and she even felt less tired at the end of the repetitive labor than the day before. She still kept an eye on the proceedings at the Pit as she dug out ore and carried heavy boxes around the mine.

At the end of her shift Lorica caught a ride back to town and got another bowl of stew, scraping the container empty. She still felt hungry, but it wasn’t the bone-weary, all-consuming hunger she still remembered from her childhood. Just eating one the one serving of soup a day wasn’t enough to satisfy her, but she could keep it up for a while. Hopefully between all of the Pariah’s they’d find a more stable source of food. Maybe some of the servers at the gambling hall can sneak away some scraps… She did manage to get some of the last of the foodstuff she’d bought earlier when she returned to their hideout. She also shared the information she had learned from her earlier prying with the others, hoping they could help with the acquisition of silver weapons.

That night she snuggled close to Anci, sharing the information she’d gleaned from the Ethereal with the Sulerian before settling down to sleep. Alex’s supernatural warmth might make for a more comfortable slumber, but she could cuddle closer to her friend without worrying about getting burned or too sweaty. Plus there were other benefits too.



Night Three

Lorica awoke the next night and sought out Zuraw. She settled down near the half-werewolf, keeping a respectful distance between them. Hopefully the woman would have cooled down some since their interaction on the barge. That was why she'd waited this long to speak with her, hoping time would help smooth things over.

Interview with Zuraw (from OOC Discussion)


Lorica left the shelter of their abode and guided the half-werewolf to the Church of the Infinity Flame. She’d never had much use for religion, but she would bow her head and receive a blessing if it meant they shelled out some food. Lorica watched Zuraw eat her bowl, failing to completely hide a smile. She had only finished around half of hers before the half-werewolf was finished. She offered the woman the rest of her serving. “Please, eat this too. I’m actually starting to lose my taste for this stuff, believe it or not”

Lorica kept up a steady stream of chatter as Zuraw ate the rest, not really expecting any answers with the knight’s hands occupied. She did her best to fill her companion in on everything she’d learned in Nine Angels, although she’d refrain if the half-werewolf started to look uncomfortable. Once she’d finished eating the Keeper strolled over to the large mieysce in town, eying the gathered crowd curiously. It seemed like the law was survival of the fittest: the biggest, toughest individuals had pushed the closest to the source of warmth. Lorica was curious to see how far she could make it herself, but there was no sense in starting a brawl here and now.

Instead she stuck to the outskirts of the crowd and talking to strangers, mostly about Ithuen Bearkiller. Her conversation with the woman had left her suspicious about the Sheriff. It sounded like she knew they were zakona... which meant shit was about to get real. Underfunded as she was, the Sheriff was still competent enough to stay alive and in a position of relative power in this hellhole. That meant she could easily become a threat to the Pariahs, no matter how useless she claimed to be. Most of the people around the mieysce weren’t interested in talking, but she gleaned as much information from them as she could. (Information: Faction Dirt)

After that it was time for another shift at the Pit. This time she kept an eye out for any opportunities to waylay silver. It didn’t seem very likely that she could do it by herself, but she made a note of any weaknesses that a larger group could exploit, or perhaps a sneaky knight who seemed to slip out of the minds of everyone she met. The Keeper was less inclined to try any thievery herself given how Bearkiller had reacted yesterday when she brought up the mines. Apparently the Dalca brothers weren't people to cross lightly, and she didn't want to waste any of the regard she'd earned by delivering that letter by trying to steal from them within the week.

At the end of the day Lorica was carted back to Nine Angels. We can’t just keep existing here… We need to make a move, sooner rather than later. She’d need to bring that up to the rest of them when she had the chance.

OOC Recap and Stuff
Edited by Lorica, Sat Oct 15, 2016 3:56 pm.
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Tanya
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Several members of the group headed out to find a hideout the first night. Caedis elbowed Tanya. "I'd better go give them a hand." He giggled for several seconds before settling down. "Make sure they pick a good place to stay. Out of the out. In the in."

Madame Tanya nodded. "Yes. Check in with me when you can, but otherwise stick to helping our scouting parties. Caelum and I will go find work."

The vampire skipped down the street towards the others. "Wait up! I've got eyes. They even work!"

Caelum and Tanya turned away and headed down the street toward Alkaev's home. Caelum looked at the sign. The gales that formed his forehead wrinkled. "Why are they advertising humans? I don't understand."

Tanya shook her head and gave him a half-smile. "No, Caelum, you don't. Let's keep it that way as long as possible. See if you can find Alkaev."

When they did find the owner, Tanya offered the services of herself and Caelum in protecting the employees. She expected her appearance would deter most of the patrons from making trouble. Even in Balefire, she stood out. And it didn't hurt to have a vampire holding a severed arm pop in every few hours to speak with her. As for anyone who didn't get the message, she was confident in her ability to handle them without causing a disturbance. She'd spent a long time honing her hand-to-hand skills.

At the end of her first shift, she made her way to the Lucky Cleric Gambling Halls to sign up as a boxer. Caelum fussed the whole trip. "You'll run yourself ragged, Madame Tanya! You should be taking it easy, not working two jobs. And tough ones! I bet the boxers here don't mess around."

Tanya shrugged. "All the better if they don't. If any are tough enough to pose a challenge, it might be worth looking into recruiting them."

"But between the three of us we only have ninety notes!"

"Well, that's why I'm working two jobs." She offered her services as a boxer and prepared herself to head into the ring. Unlike at Alkaev's, where it was best to deal with disturbances as quietly as possible, she intended to make a real show at the matches.

She finished her shift several hours later, but even then she hung around to help treat the other boxers. She started by healing herself and the other Wine River Pariahs before moving on to the most interesting fighters and finally helping the weaker combatants with the last of her power and supplies.

By the time she was done and able to head back to the hideout, Caelum had to practically carry her to the hideout the other Pariahs had found. She lay down and fell asleep instantly.

The next morning, she woke up sore and cursed the arrogance that had led to her taking on two jobs at once. Nonetheless, she dragged herself down the street to Alkaev's and began the routine again. There were a few notes scrawled on the paper she'd enchanted with her communiquill. She read them, but didn't have time to reflect on them any further. Still, she was grateful to the Pariahs who'd shared. Information was always valuable.

Caedis spent the second day tagging along with Zuraw. He kept his distance most of the time to avoid scaring the people she was trying to get dirt from, but whenever she was unable to catch the attention of the residents or when she needed someone to speak on her behalf, he intervened to help out.

When Caelum carried Tanya home that night, Caedis was waiting by her bed. He smiled at her. "Tanya, darling -"

"Madame Tanya."

"Gosh, Madame Tanya, there sure are a lot of neat blood samples on the streets here, aren't there? I bet they'd be really interesting to you, huh?"

Tanya closed her eyes. "Caedis, I'm exhausted. What do you want?"

"Well, Madame Tanya, you've worked so hard the past couple of days I think you deserve a reward. What do you say I take some of that hard-earned money and go buy a few samples for you?"

Tanya sighed. "All right, fine. Here." She passed a thick sheaf of notes over to Caedis. "Get someone to take you. Don't get ripped off. Buy the smallest amount of each they're willing to sell you; I can make more from that. And, most importantly: go away and let me sleep."

Caedis slunk away to his own bed. After Tanya headed off to work the next morning, Caedis went to speak with one of the less busy-looking Pariahs. "Good morning, Arthur! Want to come buy some blood with me? Tanya doesn't want me to go on my own. I get a little loopy on my own. Anytime would be fine. I'll just tag along in the meantime, shall I?" The vampire spent most of the day assisting Arthur in any way he could. When the half-dragon was free to go check out the street venders, Caedis took the wad of notes Tanya had given him and peeled a fee off for Arthur. He kept the rest of them for getting as wide an array of blood samples as he could.

He was a very happy vampire when he returned home that night. Tanya was fast asleep. He approached her and placed the vials of blood beside her bed. They'd make a wonderful surprise for her when she woke up the next morning. And they all looked delicious.
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Tian
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The First Day in a New Hell

This place would have been her cuppa tea.

It was an idle thought. He had been ghosting through the town throughout what passed for day, making sure he was noticed by no one and getting a feel for the layout of the city. That worthy task involved observing where certain unsavories might be found, even if he did not know anything more than his impression of them, and any bolt holes he could find. Be they of the personal kind or somewhere many of his so-called colleagues could run off to.

Mostly, though, it was just getting a feel for the lay of the land. So far, he had discovered that it was cold, dreary, and about as forbidding a place as he had been in for a long while. It would have been her cup all right. This was the kind of life that Claire had lived, and this was the place she had always felt at home in. It had never ceased to amaze the former assassin that a woman as lovely and delicate could be so vicious. And more than capable of dealing with a place like this. It hurt, a little, to think on it and as such he pushed the thought away.

He was making his way back to the place he had seen earlier, advertising for help. He drew his hood tighter about his face, casting it into deep shadows. If nothing else, he would be out of the cold for a minute or three, which was a fine trade off for walking into a whorehouse. It wasn't that he was uncomfortable with such a place...it was just that he could never understand why someone would sell themselves so for any amount of money.

Oh, and you didn't do the same? A grunt at that mental voice. So he had, but his weapon was the knives in his hands, not a specific bit of his body.

Inside is exactly what he expects - the air smelling faintly of flowers and other desirable scents, and beautiful people moving through. Its cozy, as he would expect in a finer establishment - and truthfully, this probably was one such as far as it was considered in Nine Angels. He asked around, and was eventually directed to a gentleman named Vaduva. Throwing back his hood long before this, Tian approaches the man without smiling. I see you have a bill posted outside. Looking for help? Could be I am just the man you need for the job. He paused for a moment, and then he grinned. Don't let the fact that I am human throw you, off, sir...

Day Two in Dodge City Nine Angels

Another day spent on the town. This time, though he was looking for information, and brought the notes he had made with him to this end. He already roughly knew the layout of the city, and even if people never really saw him walking the streets (unless he wanted to be seen), nevertheless he made his way into several different gathering places - the local warming hole, the bars and dives. Casual conversation over a beer or with a slipped note here and there would yield what he wanted to know - the way things worked between people in Nine Angels, and careful questions to dig up the names and natures of the varied factions that undoubtedly existed. By the end of his daily activities, he was down a third of his money, but a quick visit to the League workers yielded some small profit.

And then, it was time to go back to Alkaev's. There, at least, he knew he was in good company.

Day Three in Why Did They Call This Place 'Nine Angels'

"I thought I told you to go and collect what he owes. You are supposed to be ensuring that, and the safety of our employees! Should have known a human was no good for this kind of work."

Tian shrugged as he stepped through the door, closing it behind him. Without a word, he tossed a satchel on the table in front of Vaduva. The half-senka picked it up with a scowl and unlaced the top, glancing inside, and then looked at Tian with a frown. "This is more money than he owed."

He shrugged. Well, he owed for the service rendered and for roughing her up. Vaduva opened his mouth, but just before he could speak, Tian interrupted him. And then he tried to rough me up when I politely requested that he return and pay what was owed and apologize for what he had done. "Excuse me, but I am going to need to to turn around and march right back where you came from. I believe you owe someone some money." The knife held at the bastards throat was a poignant reminder that Tian meant business. No one was going to skip out on the brothel without paying, and absolutely not going to get rough or abusive with the patrons or the employees, either one, while he was around.

Vaduva stared for a moment, then shrugged. "I hope you dealt with that discreetly, at least. I would hate for anything to be found on my property. We don't need any trouble."

Oh, don't you worry about that, sir. Any more discreet and it wouldn't have happened at all, he replied cheerfully. He was rather certain someone would find the body - eventually - but for a while, at least, no one would be the wiser. He only hoped it wasn't someone important from one of the many factions but, then, if it had been he would probably already be dead.

Once his days work was done, it was time to go and dig up some dirt on the factions he had discovered the day before. With so many to choose from, he just wanted to get a general idea of things so he could pass the word on to his fellows, and they could perhaps decide which was worthy of attention. Perhpas one of them would catch his personal interest. He would have to think of it before returning to their 'lair'.
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OOC
 
A copy of this post's information results will be published in Cairns Supplemental Information for future reference. Information results were pooled for the sake of the ST's sanity. The more times an info activity was performed, the more information was gleaned. Sorry, but you can't hoard the info you specifically got in this case, it'd just be too infeasible for me to suss it out like that.


Information: Nine Angels

Tour the City

  • The locals divide Nine Angels into three distinct sections: the Traveler's District, the Light District, and the Dark District.

  • The Traveler's District handles river freight. It provides many services tailored for travelers and traders. It is the most economically stable area of town, but contains fewer locals than the other districts.
  • People who work in the Traveler's District tend to avoid associating with people more invested in the Light and Dark Districts, unless they're specifically affiliated with one of the local factions in Nine Angels.

  • The Light District is the well-lit part of the main town. It contains the main drag and its offshoot neighborhoods: local businesses and residences.
  • The majority of Nine Angels' local population is found in this relatively small space.

  • The Dark District is a completely unlit sprawl surrounding the Light District and the rest of the Nine Angels Valley. Despite taking up most of the city's area, it has the lowest population density. Several neighborhoods are abandoned and a few look like old battlefields (leveled rubble). The only lighting is the occasional bonfire.
  • Despite its lack of lighting services, some parts of the Dark District are still economically viable and contain successful businesses and residences.

  • Watch out for all the mines and quarries; the Dark District seems to have engulfed most of them. Several mines are abandoned and pose a huge danger to the people living around them. There's a marble quarry on the far east end of town that's still pretty active, as are the silver mines like the Bokor Silver Pit.


Social Standings


  • In Nine Angels, the strongest social groups don't form around ideologies -- they form around specific people. If you're anybody in this place, you're either someone with a name or someone who follows a person (or people) with a name.
  • Czajka would be considered "someone with a name," but she has no followers nor any political influence in town. People just stay out of her way. She's respected by the locals.

  • Most of the biggest, most visible local gangs in Nine Angels are led by former members of Torsten's Operators.
  • "Scribe" Bacek's forces are small but feared. Nobody messes with them, not even the biggest gangs in town. Only the Cascadian mafia seems willing to step on their toes.

  • The Cascadian mafia is powerful but widely hated in Nine Angels. They have seized a variety of enterprises including silver mines, inns, roads, river freighters, brothels, and smuggling routes. They have made threats against Alkaev's Home and Howling Dogs Saloon in the past.
  • The local Church of the Infinity Flame operates on its own, but there are rumors floating around that it's linked to Scribe Bacek's Quiet Road.

  • The closest thing to neutral ground in town is Howling Dogs Saloon, which is considered an essential part of local culture.
  • Howling Dogs' bartender and owner is the fallen angel Prentum (known affectionately as Prentum the Prick). He is an old, surly man who only cares about keeping the saloon neutral and independent.

  • The Dalca Brothers Gang is decreasing in influence as the Gentlemen increase in influence. Their niches are a bit different but they seem to be connected.
  • An ex-lawman from Wojda, Two-Claws Stanimir, runs an arms-dealing business along the Wine River Corridor and has a large stake in Nine Angels. He'll sell to anyone.

  • At the moment, Nine Angels has no constable. The previous constable's body is currently frozen on the side of Pureblood Point. Ithuen Bearkiller is the only law enforcement presence, unless you count the Hangman Spider (the executioner senka-golem who lives on Pureblood Point).
  • On the lower end of the ladder of influence, younger people tend to form loose social groups to keep each other safe and commit relatively petty crimes.

  • During the cattle and sheep drives, the owners of local stock stations move their livestock herds closer to Nine Angels for slaughter, sale and auctioning.
  • The livestock drives introduce the politics of the remote backswamps into town directly, which temporarily alters the social dynamics of Nine Angels by adding even more factions and interests. Theft of livestock (rustling) becomes much more prevalent.



Faction Dirt

Carmen and Keter, you ask about the Gentlemen using your own channels.

  • "Gentlemen" is a slightly tongue-in-cheek nickname that was originally an insult for them but was embraced by the gang in question. Their eclectic, off-formal sense of fashion coupled with their ungentlemanly devil-may-care attitude was the original cause of the name.
  • The Gentlemen gang has two bosses: Kristof and Eva Halmi, a married couple.
  • The gang is not great in number, but each member is a formidable fighter.
  • Their membership largely consists of disgruntled arcane engineers.

  • The Gentlemen use arcane gadgetry to get an edge over the competition.
  • They gain considerable income from theft. This includes robbing stagecoaches and extorting from road and river tolls, even roads and waters that do not belong to them.
  • They also gain money from attacking low-flying airships, looting their cargo and salvaging or reforging their parts. The Gentlemen run a "chop shop" in Nine Angels for this purpose.
  • Kristof and Eva Halmi once rode with the Operators before Pureblood Torsten's death.


Yurim, you ask about the Dalca Brothers Gang.

  • For some reason, everyone keeps describing Viktor Dalca as brimming with rage. A "wraith of anger," a man "so pissed off that he refuses to die." This seems to go against his calm, level-headed attitude on the barge.
  • The Dalca brothers almost killed Ithuen Bearkiller in a two-on-one fight. They tend to keep their distance nowadays.
  • In recent years the Dalca Brothers Gang has functioned like a jack-of-all-trades gang for hire to supplement their flagging silver income. Their membership is full of specialists, including a few veterans from Torsten's Operators.
  • Yevhen Dalca was imprisoned in the Caphriel Asylum outside of Nine Angels. After rescuing his little brother and as many asylum patients as he could, Viktor Dalca paid a specialist to rig the whole building with explosive alchemicals and bring it to the ground.


Lorica, you ask about Ithuen Bearkiller.

  • Ithuen Bearkiller is mostly a punchline. Beyond her casino, she has no real power in Nine Angels. She is not respected. She is known first and foremost as an alcoholic and gambler (found often at the horse-racing tracks).
  • Despite her bad reputation, locals will do everything they can to avoid fighting Ithuen Bearkiller. One person described her as "literally ax-crazy." Despite this, she is careful about picking her battles.
  • "Bearkiller" is a title, not a surname.
  • According to rumor, she is extremely violent when sober. She is never sober.


Tian, you ask for a general rundown of the factions. Here's a vague ranking of the ones the Pariahs know about:

  • Not To Be [removed]ed With: Scribe Bacek's Quiet Road, the Cascadian mafia
  • Powerful: Dalca Brothers Gang, Gentlemen, Two-Claws Stanimir
  • Respected: Czajka, Prentum the Prick (Howling Dogs), local graziers, Ivory League social workers
  • Modest: Bartosz & Broz Circus, Alkaev's Home, Church of the Infinity Flame
  • Disrespected: Ithuen Bearkiller, Aufdein Korso, werewolf packs, youth street gangs
  • Unknown: Wine River Pariahs



Wants and Needs

  • Nine Angels is in desperate need of medicine, medical professionals, skilled craftsmen such as blacksmiths, and sanitation services.
  • Nine Angels has a shortage of textiles, fruit, shoes, and clean water.

  • Nine Angels was founded a long time ago in the wake of a huge silver rush.
  • At the outset of the rush, the area was full of silver nuggets, which are rare. Almost all of the pure nuggets have been harvested by now and the remaining metal is mixed with other things like sulphur.
  • The output of silver from the mines has declined in recent years, causing many miners to emigrate in search of work.
  • The city practices a variety of techniques to mine and then isolate silver ore, including open-pit mining. This is dangerous, destructive work for everyone involved. In mines that utilize mine shafts, it is not uncommon for workers to be trapped or killed.

  • Nine Angels primarily exports its silver to Balefire along the Wine River Corridor, where it is used to create objects that restrain, weaken or destroy werecreatures.
  • Against the Darkest Gloomwood subspecies of werewolves, silver weapons stop their instant regeneration and are therefore essential. The abundance of silver in the economy earlier in Nine Angels history prevented any major packs from establishing themselves in the area, which is unusual considering the ironically high demand for silver among werewolves.
  • A werewolf alfha, the Clerk of Balefire Kir Lantos, attempted to establish his pack in Nine Angels but faced a relentless blowback from the local powerhouses such as Pureblood Torsten's Operators and Scribe Bacek's Quiet Road.

  • Yurim, a few people you ask think you mean "candy" as an innuendo for mind-altering substances. Trafficking of sugarplum dust, Bunny, and widzac is managed by a variety of factions, most notably Ithuen Bearkiller, the Cascadian mafia, and Scribe Bacek respectively, along with many small-time dealers.
  • The closest seller of actual candy is the Bartosz & Broz Circus.



Information: Miscellaneous

News in Gloomwood

  • The surrounding stock stations are gearing up for the cattle drive. Because land and road rights are so complicated in Marble County, much bureaucratic preparation must be done.
  • Aufdein Korso recently left the Starek penal colony and is heading along the Wine River Corridor back toward Balefire.
  • The hunt for Kroiceu Usaga, the man who blew up the Cascadian Academy of Magic metadynamics department, is moving ever south.
  • Several dozen human bodies were found in the bog at Red Sulphur, a settlement located south of Nine Angels in Marble County. They appeared to be killed and partially eaten by werewolves. Scribe Bacek released a statement from prison claiming they were Istani refugees murdered in cold blood by the pack of Kir Lantos.
  • Halasz, a settlement along the Wine River, is suffering from an epidemic of disease and is under quarantine to contain it. Nine Angels is worried the plague will spread to them.
  • Rumors of silver veins near Starek are making the beleaguered miners in Nine Angels consider striking out on their own.
  • Almost a dozen guards were killed and more were injured in a recent prisoner riot in the Starek penal colony. According to rumor, the riot was sparked either knowingly or unknowingly by the famous doktor-inventor Aufdein Korso, who is now under investigation by the Balefire Dispatch.


Interview an Ally

  • Czajka appreciates that you talked to her extensively. She seemed to like having a variety of people to keep her company. She was especially friendly to Yurim.
  • Ithuen was glad that you popped into her office a couple times. It sounds like she might have been pissed if you all blew her off. She has a particular "interest" in Alexandra.
  • Zuraw seems to be coming to terms with the reality of her situation: she was thrown away. She's warming up, especially to Lorica.
  • Ansgar was largely avoided, but he figured you all were just busy and didn't take it personally. He respects Anci as a fellow intellectual.





The Hideout

You, the Wine River Pariahs, band together with all of your best stealthy surveyors to prioritize locating a hideout as quickly as possible. That way, no one has to sleep on the streets or pay money for an inn room. Everyone involved does their part to gather enough information about the city, who owns what, and how to get places. For a while, the pursuit of a place to put down roots seems futile; someone already owns every place that seems useful or advantageous. After a while, you rule out the Light District -- the part of town where most citizens live and where lanterns are actually lit. That means you'll need to find a hideout somewhere in the Dark District: the vast area of Nine Angels that is as its name describes.

You're looking for a place that isn't already claimed, isn't too close to enemy territory, has protection from the elements and is in a location that can be easily defended. A tall order.

The structures found at the base of Nine Angels' natural marble towers seem promising. They're built against the rock formation, so it's harder to get attacked from behind. You check around a formation on the southwest part of town. It's not ungodly far from the lit-up parts of the city, but it's far enough that you might be considering getting a mount in the future. The structures around it are decayed for the most part, except a building actually made from stone bricks. Well, it's a husk -- the wood of the doors and shutters has rotted clean off and there are holes in the roof -- but it's got a decent foundation and sturdy walls.

And, with additional investigation, it becomes clear that there's a decent-sized buffer zone around this stone building. As in, unclaimed territory. You're not going to be butting up against anyone anytime soon. This is really and truly a hideout: a place to hide. It'll need work, but it's a damn good start.

First of all, do you want to give this place a name? Or even change the name you want the group to be known by before all the shit starts flowing downstream?

During and after your first few nights in Nine Angels, you team up to start making this place more your own. Installing a new front door and shutters is an easy task if you all pitch in a little bit of money and time. Same for fixing the roof. That's the bare minimum -- now the interior of this building is pretty sparse. It looks like it was once a barrack of some sort a long time ago. It's been stripped clean, not a single item of furniture, but it does have a lot of rooms. Besides the common rooms, you claim a room just for yourself (or you can share one of the larger rooms with others). This will be your area. You can put anything you buy in here, and you can turn it into any kind of space you want. Get comfortable.

Zuraw and Ansgar have each picked rooms for themselves. This is where you'll most often find them if they're not already in the process of doing something you asked. This is also where they'll hang out if you decide not to bring them with you on a job or trip.



Information - Units of Money
 
Information - Units of Money

From this point on, wealth will be important. However, the ST is neither an accountant nor an economist. To mitigate that issue, we will be using abstract "units of money" from this point on from an OOC perspective. This is just to make our lives easier OOC, similar to how we made abstract "pieces of time" during Fish Out of Water. In an IC perspective, write what feels natural and justified.

Small transactions aren't likely to change how many units of money you have. However, larger purchases will reduce your available money by a specific amount. To make even larger-scale purchases, pool your available units of money between multiple people.

Keep track of your money units in the same place you're keeping track of what your character has. More on this in future rounds. I'm hoping that this system will not be very obtrusive -- something in the background that we can pull out when we need it. Who knows.


Job Results

Each job taken earned you 1 unit of money. Carmen and Tanya doubled up on jobs, so they have 2 units of money total; everyone else has 1 unit, and Zuraw has 0 units. Yurim, your 250-note stash has been converted to 1 unit of money.

Current money totals for clarification (please keep track of this yourself from now on)


Tanya, Caelum, Ansgar and Tian all work together at Alkaev's Home to protect employees. If the feedback from Vaduva and the prostitutes is anything to go by, you're doing a good job. "Wasn't it Czajka who recommended you lot here?" Tamrixa, her mother, says. "I'm glad she's found some nice people. I worry about her sometimes, going off into the backswamps alone. I'll let her know you did well."

Carmen, you work doubletime at the Lucky Cleric Gambling Hall as a server and bard. Alexandra, you work as a server. Both of you catch the eye of Ithuen Bearkiller, the owner but not the manager of the casino. Keter, Arthur, Tanya and Caelum box. Your affiliation with each other and the sheer number of interested boxers ensures you're never set to fight each other -- although at some points in those three nights you do team up for some two-on-two battles with strange house rules. Unfortunately, while each of you who went boxing is very strong, the marathon of fighting and the alarming abilities of your enemies means that none of you were able to play a perfect invincible match. You're all covered in minor wounds, and each of you has two moderate wounds (bad cuts, sprains, or something similar). On the bright side, your successes in the arena catch Ithuen Bearkiller's attention. You notice her sitting in on more of your matches as time goes on.

Anci, you help clean at the Bartosz & Broz Circus. Your experience handling animals nets you a lucrative spot caring for the local exotic critters. Despite warnings about the "man-eater enkaida," you are tasked to feed and care for it. Whatever an enkaida is, it's a monster of some sort: a creature the size of a draft horse with a streamlined build like a river fish. Its head is wedge-shaped with a knife-point crest at the top, and black skin like sandpaper covers it. Gills are located on its neck and waist. The enkaida's paws are reminiscent of a bear, but webbed. The first two nights it just sits coiled up in the corner of its cage, staring at you with all six faintly glowing eyes. It doesn't touch its food very much, but it laps up all the water you can possibly give it.

On the third night, just before you leave its cage, it stirs. The creature uncoils and rears up on its hind legs, facing you, Anci. The valves on its neck open and close to make vaguely human noises. Each word is labored. "Leave. Door. Lock. Leave it," it says. "Please. Friend."

Lorica, you take up mining at the Bokor Silver Pit. You try to steal some silver, but only manage to pocket a small nugget -- just enough to make a single, diluted silver trinket of some sort. Upon your return to the hideout, Zuraw smells the silver on your person and hides in her room for a little while.

Glug, you become a freelance runner. Most of your initial jobs are minor and have paltry pay, but you eventually work your way up to the better-paying runs. One of your more interesting jobs is a distribution you received from a human man who looked much cleaner than the average Nine Angels local, who spoke with a Cascadian accent and was constantly surrounded by smartly dressed bodyguards. He makes you run messages to all kinds of people in town, from mine managers to merchants, each one more intimidated than the last. The human seems pleased by your alacrity and puts a sizable tip in your hand -- one large enough to make up for your paltry earnings when you started this job. Looks like you made first contact with the Cascadian mafia.

Glug, Yurim, Alexandra, Anci, Zuraw and Tian all find the Ivory League social workers at different times, bringing back a decent amount of hygiene supplies.

Lorica, you take efforts to escort people who look human or otherwise vulnerable that would have been walking around the city alone. You do the best you can, and it seems to help -- simply having more than one person moving together is enough to deter most common crooks. At one point you do end up getting in a brief knife fight with a gang of youths, but they're no match for your skills. Two fall before the rest scatter into the streets.

Yurim and Anci take up looting abandoned neighborhoods. Yurim, you use the Ethereal to quickly narrow in your search. Anci, you head out alone. During a long and grueling search, all you manage to find is a portable heating lantern, a makeshift shiv, three arrows, and a tiny bat figurine made of solid silver -- and you almost lose them to an attack from a minor street gang roving the neighborhood on horseback. While you're a good fighter with some powerful magic at your disposal, you're badly outnumbered and are forced to run even if you managed to dispatch a few of them. On the bright side, you didn't lose or drop anything you collected.



Everyone

Because you were careful and thoughtful, you survived your first few nights without too much loss, mistake or injury. It was business as usual in Nine Angels around that time. Not now. The docks along the Wine River are growing more and more packed with each passing night. Even the private roads are filling with travelers on horseback entering the city. Every hour of the day, the streets are alive with at least one person who stands out, roaming and poking around. Czajka has since disappeared from the Howling Dogs Saloon to hunt.

Ansgar, returning from his work at Alkaev's Home, enters the hideout with a shake of his head. "This is getting tense. I look too distinct. I can't just walk around freely anymore," he explains. "I told Vaduva I can't work anymore. I'm sorry."

It's not just him. Keeping up with your own work is getting harder. Soon enough, all of you are forced to abandon your temporary jobs for your own safety.

Zuraw has mostly kept to herself, either holing up in her room or spying around town. She occasionally leaves notes in the hideout for everyone to read. Things like...

Tonight, Czajka dragged three people into town. Their hands were tied to a rope connected to her horse. She made them all walk. That makes five zakona bounties so far for her. No one else has been nearly as successful in the hunt, to my knowledge.

***

Ithuen Bearkiller looks tired. There are people lined up at her office all the time. She and Czajka meet a lot.

***

There was another brawl at the saloon. The visitors and the locals do not get along.

***

I do not like seeing all the Wine River Transport Company wagons entering town. Do you think Yevhen's vision is coming true?


All of these events seem to be happening at the same time. Coupled with the information you all gathered in your first three nights, something is becoming clear: there is simply too much happening in town for you to have a hand in it all. If you try, you'll just spread yourself thin and weak. It's time to decide among yourselves what kind of angle you're going to take as a group. How are you going to stay undetected -- if staying undetected is indeed your goal? How are you going to earn more money, and how will you use that money or even the money you have already? Who will you trust, if anyone?

And who will you go after first? In order to get ahead in a place like this, someone has to fall.

OOC
 
The next ST post cutoff will be Tuesday, October 18 at 4:00pm Mountain.



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Lorica looked around the small shelter that Zuraw and the others had discovered. It had potential. It was in the Dark District, which meant all they had to see it by was Anci's lantern, but that could be changed quickly. After replacing the roof, shutters, and doors they could have plenty of fires indoors without revealing to anyone that they were inside. “Every knight needs a Castle,” she whispered to the half-werewolf with a grin. “This can be ours.”

She asked for the Pariahs to gather. “Ladies, gents, and otherwise, I have something to share.” She tapped the black scratches around her eyes. “So long as we're stuck in this shithole together, you may as well know: Antonio Krupin isn't real. Or at least, it's now who we met with. Remember that alfha Kir Lantos that got the Dalcas all riled up? That's who we're dealing with.” She grinned wolfishly, her eyes dark with the promise of violence. “We chose this path. We're gonna need silver if we want to put that [removed]er's head on a pike.”

“Now I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’d like a warm night’s rest. Let’s make this place livable.”




Lorica chose a room next to Zuraw’s, splitting it with Anci. It was bare for now, but she’d lived in worse. They put up a roof, and a door for some privacy, but most importantly to keep in warmth. It was also far enough back in the Castle that someone would have to pass the rooms of multiple others. “Home sweet home,” she told the Sulerian. “Let’s break it in, eh?”

Later she took some time to hunt down Alex and speak to the engineer in private. First she shared the vision the Ethereal had given her in regards to the half-werewolf. “I’m trying to convince her she’s worth a shit, because she is. She’ll make a better knight than I ever did. She’s the only reason I want to go back for Lantos instead of hightailing it out of Marble Country. I’m not going to let a [removed]er like that keep breathing.”

She also took shifts keeping an eye on the Castle. Putting lights up outside the structure would simply draw attention to the Pariahs, which they didn’t want. She kept the palm of one hand pressed into the earth, sensing vibrations passing through the ground if anyone walked nearby. Not only that, but she could tell if anyone disturbed the vegetation nearby. Tapping that ability brought her dangerously close to using the Wellspring, but so long as she didn’t actively try to manipulate the plant life she should be safe.

Still, by the edge of her shift she was on-edge and anxious. I need a drink. She let Anci know that she was going into town in case she wanted to come along. Her first stop was the Gambling Hall.

OOC Conversation with Ithuen Bearkiller



Finding a representative of Two-Claws Stanimir wasn’t quite as easy as waiting in a line. It’s not like the arms dealer had an office with his sigil on the door. She asked Zuraw to come along as she scouted for the man, hoping that the half-werewolf’s experience with skulking around town would help her out.

Still, ask enough questions in the right places and you can find just about anything. She was eventually pulled aside on the street by a pair of toughs who insisted on frisking her. “Boys, I’m armed, and I plan on staying that way. I don’t want to start trouble. I just want weapons.”

They didn’t like that, but thugs would be thugs. They didn’t try to take her knives, and she wasn’t forced to cut them into bloody pieces. They took her to the Traveler’s District, which wasn’t surprising. Having his stronghold on the docks meant his merchandise had less distance to travel, which meant there was less of a chance of someone trying to waylay the weapons. Lorica bowed her head respectfully when she was ushered into Stanimir’s office.

“Nice to meet you, Two-Claws. I’m Lorica.” She smiled warmly. “I hear you’re the man to come to for weapons just about anywhere on the Corridor. I’m quite the connoisseur of weaponry myself. Specifically, those laced with silver. Can you help a girl out?” She paused and then gestured at Zuraw. “Also, how much would it cost to deck this fine lady out in a full suit of armor?”



The group of young toughs laughed and chatted in Bridgetongue, walking with a swagger through the Dark District. They were one of the innumerable groups that had banded together for protection. There were enough of them to discourage any singular muggers or robbers in the lightless portions of town.

Too bad that can’t save them from me. Lorica stepped out from behind the ruins of a house when they were only a dozen feet away, touching the brim of her hat in greeting. “Hello there.” Her teeth flashed white, a wide smile. “Nice and dark in these parts, isn’t it? Great for dramatic entrances.”

She’d asked both Ansgar and Zuraw to accompany her, along with anyone else in their group who was willing to take part. “Have you not heard? This area isn’t free territory anymore. It’s mine. Well, ours, to be more specific.” The Pariahs that had accompanied her stepped out of their own hiding spots, loosely surrounding the youths. The message was pretty clear: ‘if we have this many people out in the open, how many more could be hidden, waiting, watching’?

“You see, we’re new around here. We’re looking for muscle.” Her smile didn’t shrink an inch, but it never reached her eyes. She had a knife in one hand, absentmindedly fanning and flipping it. “The way I see it, you have two choices: you can join up with us the easy way or the hard way.” Her smile vanished. “I won’t lie, the hard way is more fun for me, but it’ll be decidedly less-so for you. Whattaya say?”
Edited by Lorica, Tue Oct 18, 2016 1:31 am.
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Alexandra
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Alex wandered around the little hovel before selecting a ground floor room. She wheeled her recovered runner in, then set the little machine to the side. She put the central stand down, raising the little machine so it sat only on its back wheel. It wouldn't be much use until she could add storage to the little thing. Alex spent a few minutes rubbing dirt and grime off the little white arcane device before going about the business of furnishing her room. Furnishing was a strong word, she hung up a pair of tattered sheets to make an almost-door, then used an even larger pile of cloths to make a bed-like mound. These were significantly cleaner. She settled in to make sure it was comfortable before rising to investigate everyone else's progress. She ran into Lorica. The strange woman chattered at her.

"A more delicate approach would be good with Zuraw, although you might want to not be so sudden about it. Last I heard, you scared her to death." It still bothered her. "If you do plan to meet Bacek, do not bring Zuraw. She's quite afraid of her, and she's probably not incorrect." Alex, unlike the rest, did not work on setting shifts in the castle. Instead, she took some old, awful paper and began to craft a crude sketch for a permanent heating solution other than the impressive heat Alex could produce just through her own latent mana. She would need lithicite and the proper metals. Things that weren't too uncommon. The trick would be sourcing the non-sentient elemental, she only had the rune-location of Mira.

Alex drifted out of the town on her runner to the location of the natural spring, and she considered the flow rate. Would it be possible to build a pump there? She already had the some of the parts - her runner's drive could form the core of a pump's engine - she would just need a charging method. She supposed the quickest way would be to use the runner's mana-leeching ability and an unwilling prisoner, but the idea made her skin crawl. She would certainly need to get info on summoning non-sentient elemental. Even a bottom-class elemental could operate a pump. On her way back, she purchased a few things: a flatbrim cap, a plane white mask that she quickly marked with decorative scorches, and a second big, comfy coat. She gathered a few nicer articles of clothing as well, including a black scarf and some thin black gloves.

Later, Lor summoned a few of them to take on a local gang. Alex stayed well back with her new mask on, but her presence was only to guide another's. Mira stepped forward in front of her, joining Lor on the front line, her massive sword across her shoulders. "Pays gunna be better too. We've got fancy folk who know a thing or two about numbers on our side. The sort who can make an organization tick and hold its notes, not letting em' drip through their fingers. I'd say these sort are a few steps ahead, a few steps towards financial solvency, real pay, a nice place..." The elemental distracted herself looking at the awful environment. There was a small snort from her.

"We've got a real special way of making money in mind. A consistent paycheck with opportunities for performance bonuses." Alex called out. She had attempted to make her voice a little lower and a little gruffer, but her pitch was still miserably high.
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Mobster Man
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Everything was getting a bit to hot for Yurim's liking, sure he could sneak around and be unseen, but getting money was harder than ever, if only someone was holding an art gala or showing off some diamonds... god he missed Balefire already. He knew he would need to set his sights lower, and when the gang huddled up in the hideout it was time to talk.

Lorica dropped a pretty useful detail and Yurim nodded, "Then we really need some silver weapons and a way to constantly bring in money."

Yurim shared his map a bit and looked at the bits Zuraw added and Yurim smirked, "Thanks Zuraw, we'll probably need a clean paper to re-draw the map without all of the extra useless shit from the last owner, but for now this'll do."

The talk eventually came to a few ideas... and those ideas were safety and money, both things Yurim agreed would be necessary to survive this early in the game. Yurim readied himself to leave and looked to everyone, "I'm going to get some new duds and maybe a few gang members, I always had a good eye for useful gang members, I'll put my experience to good use."

With that he stepped through the shadows, appearing in Nine Angels a ways away from Castle. Yurim spent his time perusing a tailor's shop and purchasing two new sets of clothes. The first one was just a set of black clothes with some fur lining similar to his old clothes he had worn in Balefire, plus a heavy black cloak, it was the second set of clothes that would turn heads, a black suit with a white vest, a top hat with a red band, black pants, boots, and a bone white mask with a wide red smile painted on it. He used his shadow dancing to return his fancier clothes to his room which held little more than his loot, bed roll, and a lit torch placed firmly in it's sconce.

After that it was a trip to a public bath, a good scrub, and then into his new street clothes. With that done he walked the streets, using the darkness as cover to hide his presence. He came across a group of ne'er-do-wells, they waited patiently in the shadows of an alley, hidden to those that didn't have Yurim's perfect vision. He grinned as he tightened his scarf around his neck and entered their ambush. The first one jumped out only for Yurim to slam his fist into his cheek. The others had short cudgels and readied themselves to attack.

That was when Yurim spoke, "This little trick would work against most... not bad. Gang up and mug drunks right? A scum bag move, but a safe one. Yeah... you guys wanna work for me? I've been in the business for a long time, basically born a thief. If you join up with me I'll forgive your little attack on me and show you how to really set up an ambush. If you decide not to... well... I'll just beat you until you agree." He drew his twin daggers from his belt, the two knives were curved and their backs serrated, "Any takers on becoming my footpad?"
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