Port Lorrel- Prison Break

[Jack Rothwell]

Eli made his way to the tavern directly after receiving the news. Tim's arrival was fortuitous given Gabriel's absense, and Jack's true nature being revealed. At least in that regard Aleron's belief in Eli's abilities had increased, and he'd raised no objection to the younger half-elf meeting the priest with haste. The need for more recruits who weren't on a tightly monitored leash was a pressing issue.

He entered the Jilted Heart, leaving the three men he'd appointed as watchdogs at the rear entrance of the building and proceeded inside alone. There was no need for his friend to feel as if he were being press-ganged after all. He spotted the Priest sitting at table near the edge of the room, and for a moment just stood there with a wry smile on his face.

"No ice in your drink?" He quipped, as he approached Brother Tim. "I guess Goriel had enough for both of us."

[Alberich]

At long last, here was Eli. Genuine gratitude showed in Tim's face. Yes, you've come to meet a devil-worshipper and you're so lonely and isolated you're glad to see him. Well, he must stay the course. Mortal and immortal peril dogged this mission - and it began now!

"Welcome!" said Tim, meaning it. "Yes, too much ice in Goriel. Too many elves. Too little justice!" - that was the angle Eli had promised and the angle he'd play.

Everything he'd said was true, and he meant to stay in that habit of partial truth. He'd begun with the board in Saus, just to protect a boy named Ronnie, but with all the magic floating here it could be a central survival skill. (And was that a sign that he was meant to be here doing this? He didn't dare think so.) Who knew when he was being scanned for lies? Oh, he was resigned to tell them if he must, but better be chary of it.

"Join me?" He gestured to a chair at his table. It hadn't been so long ago that they'd shared a friendly pint here in Port Lorrel, when Eli was the one who was on edge. It wasn't time for drinks just yet, closer to time for food, and for talk.

[Jack Rothwell]

Eli slumped into the chair, his body still stiff from the battle earlier in the day. He held out a hand for the Brother to shake.

"I'm glad you decided to join us." He said. "Did you finally get tired of keeping company with Sister Rose and the haughty elf? How did you leave it with them?"

[Alberich]

Tim took Eli's hand firmly. Still he shivered at the question. "Happily, the elf left us. Went off with some low-life adventurers we ran into outside of town. For the rest, well, we finished the mission we were on. The man we were looking for died. So did his friends. So when I got your message, I wasn't exactly assigned to anything - and I took advantage, and came here. Didn't even tell her I was leaving. You can't charge a man with deserting his post when he doesn't have a post to desert! She doesn't need me and I don't need her."

He had a better opinion of Rose than he was going to admit to Eli, and felt more than a twinge of guilt at the way he'd left her. But to sell himself as a convert to the cause of "justice" he had to mislead, showing only part of the truth to create a convincing scenario - and it had to be convincing to Eli, who actually knew something about him and the other characters in the drama. And in truth he really didn't think Rose needed him on her current mission, or respected him at any time. His actual criticisms and resentments of Rose, the Reformists, and the way he'd been treated on his prior mission were the pigments from which he could paint his picture of partial truth to pass for the whole.

"How've things been with you?" he asked simply. Whether Eli talked about himself or the Cause or both was up to him.

[Jack Rothwell]

Eli laughed and raised a hand to a serving girl at the Priest's question.

"That's a story that needs a drink for the telling." The half-elf accepted a foaming mug gratefully moments later, and took a large swig before launching into the tale.

"The avalanche... the one I assume Argus set off? With that rock magic of his?" A nod from Tim confirmed his suspicions. "The avalanche nearly killed me... would've, if Aleron's amulet hadn't helped me to protect myself. I woke up half-buried in snow, with broken bones and an infection festering in my chest. It was all I could do to get back to him. I was... indisposed for a few days." He took another sip before continuing. "I arrived in the port less than a week ago, when the revolution began, I've barely stopped running tasks for the old man since then."

He leaned in and lowered his voice for the next part.

"We've gained control of some serious resources, Tim. One of the most corrupted, murderous, greedy bastards in this town is neutered and now playing by our rules, and funneling his ill-gotten gains to helping the Ralkin, helping my people. So I guess I'm a businessman now..." He smiled. "...with a businessman's wallet."

He pulled out a hefty pouch of coin he'd liberated from his last visit to Logan's and placed it on the table.

"Lunch is on me." He said. "I hear the lobster is pretty nice."

[Alberich]

Tim thanked his companion for that. Lobster was not his usual fare - he was an inlander and went for freshwater fish or farm products. But he'd take it. He wouldn't show too much appreciation for the material side -- if he was going to be or even seem to be corrupted, it would not be that way.

"How goes the revolution?" he asked. "I suppose it's something to do with the column of smoke I saw coming in." He didn't raise the rumors he'd heard; why bother with those when there was a real source here? "I hope it'll soon be to where the slavers can be shut down completely." How well he remembered their rearward assault on a group of slavers in this very town -- something he wanted Eli to remember, too, an example of that "justice" he claimed to stand for. The suppression of that awful flesh trade - that was something he could really get behind.

[Jack Rothwell]

"The slavers? Well, let's just say that a few of those vile tradesmen have decided to leave the town, the decision was made for them in some cases." Eli replied. "We're taking baby steps Brother, but we're making progress." Eli tactfully avoided mentioning the imminent destruction and/or slavery of the kobolds on the northern coast of the southern continent. After all, they were animals and enemies, they hardly counted. His face darkened as he addressed the other issue.

"As for the smoke... a man infiltrated our group who was not what he appeared." He said. "He was an elf in disguise, one of the peregins no doubt, here to enforce the elves 'divine punishment' on people they consider a threat. He escaped, unfortunately, but it was gratifying to see one of those tyrants running for the hills with his tail between his legs, and if he comes back, he'll have an army of men to face before he can try for an assassination, and I doubt there's an elf alive with the stomach for that fight."

[Alberich]

"Good," said Tim, nodding. "I think that's how elves are by nature - disloyal, bullies, and slavemasters. Like the one I met in Goriel - always ready to pull weapons and shove, to put their boots on our necks. Our liberation from the Elven Captivity was a great gift indeed. It's central to our faith.

"How do things stand with the city? I mean, I know here in Farrel they've got armed groups that take over different parts of the country, that the Church has to deal with when we bring our missions here. Are the Ralkin now in control of Port Lorrel or is there still much more to be done?"

[Jack Rothwell]

"We're a ways from being in control, but we're getting the muscle to back it up." The half-elf said. "What we really need is public support for the people who represent us."

Eli took the opportunity to tell Tim about a plan he'd come up with up in one of the quieter moments he'd had since arriving in the Port; one his master his given the thumbs up about implementing.

"The Ralkin really need representation in the religious-inclined parts of the Port." He began. "And I can't think of anyone better qualified for that job than you, Brother. Mr Logan, our benefactor, would be prepared to to help your admission to the higher echelon's by having you ride in on the proverbial white horse. His businesses have gathered what would make a community-saving donation. Food, clothing... plain old money. If you were riding at the head of that supply chain, you could see that that aid gets to the people who need it, and get word out about the justice Logan's company stands for." He explained the last part. "We can't walk around openly yet, too many Peregin's are looking for us, which is why we're going through him."

[Alberich]

Tim wasn't clear on just what a "peregin" was, so he asked and got the low-down. This was one area where Eli couldn't make the elves look much worse than they really were.

After thinking Eli's proposal over a little, he said, "I'd be delighted to help your people distribute the kind of goods you're talking about.

"Sometime soon I should talk to the local temple, and try to get myself appointed as a semi-official ambassador to your group. Which I think I can manage. Especially if I could bring them assurances about your intentions, and warnings - like, say, if you learn there's an impending Eisenfaust attack, I could tell them when it's a good time to stay indoors and cancel school outings. That way I could also do everything aboveboard and be the most useful. And my dual status would make sense." And not be sabotaged.