Nautkia, and the South

As we play, occasionally we'll close a thread and open a new one to keep the size of threads (and relative complexity) down to a dull roar. Here's where we store the closed posts from the history of Errant Road.
Locked
User avatar
Drannin
Prince of Space
Posts: 1350
Joined: August 15th, 2008, 2:46 pm

Re: Nautkia, and the South

Post by Drannin »

Argus watched dismally as the man stepped outside. "Forgive me if I'm misreading things, but is that truly necessary?"

The proprietress gave him an arch look. "Business is business, professor. I thought you would understand such things."

Ugh. Come to think of it, Argus hadn't exactly been sweet and kind while back in the big floating city. To get ahead, you stepped on people. He just didn't think he was ever doing any literal harm. Reflection was starting to disabuse him of such notions.

Weave. It takes being in a cesspool to make you realize what a bastard you really are.


Argus stepped out the backdoor, still not sure if the knife was meant for a watcher... or for Vito himself. It didn't really matter, either way. Smugglers could be such charming people, really...
User avatar
Sareth
RPG All-Star
Posts: 2604
Joined: August 23rd, 2007, 8:54 pm

Re: Nautkia, and the South

Post by Sareth »

Lillith blanched. An elf. That's all she needed. That's all anyone needed, really. If only they had stayed inside that little hole they'd pulled in over themselves for all that time...

"I understand. Even an organization as well run as the local smugglers seem to be would have trouble dealing with the sudden intrusion. An elf..." She sighed. "Goddess bless... What do you need from me?"
Image
Image
User avatar
Graybeard
The Heretical Admin
Posts: 7180
Joined: August 20th, 2007, 8:26 am
Location: Nuevo Mexico y Colorado, Estados Unidos

Re: Nautkia, and the South

Post by Graybeard »

"Goddess bless... What do you need from me?"

Leofric looked uncomfortable for a moment, then let out a long breath. "I'm honestly not sure," he said. "Our initial thought in contacting you was to see if we could join the party you're traveling with. There's safety in numbers, you see. On reflection, though, I don't think that's a good idea. Too many opportunities for betrayal, and the elf could still pick us off one by one."

Another customer entered the greenhouse, and Leofric paused for long enough to make sure that she was being tended by the woman who had first hailed Lillith; a human woman, as far as Lillith could see. At least her ears were visible and clearly rounded at the top. When the coast was clear, Leofric continued, "So we have a few other possibilities. All of ... our kind ... could leave together overland, without the humans. Your skill in moving through Veracia would be an asset to us. I still don't like that, too many things could go wrong, but it's a last resort, I suppose. The second possibility would be to see if one of the smuggling outfits could take us. I'm afraid to contact them directly, because their security isn't as tight as they think it is, and I'm almost certain the elf would get word of what was going on. But neither the smugglers, nor the elf, know you and your fellow travelers. So perhaps you could be a go-between to negotiate travel for unnamed fugitives.

"And ... there is a third possibility." He was looking even more uncomfortable now than at the beginning of the conversation. "The Goddess would not look favorably upon any attempt that we ourselves made to ... remove ... this elf. For that matter, I don't think that our combined forces could succeed. Our kinsfolk here are not magically powerful, do not fight well. And their love of the Goddess and of living things would stay them from what must be done.

"The group you're traveling with, however ... There are powerful mages among them, and their attitude toward life is not so ... enlightened." He let his voice trail off.
Image

Because old is wise, does good, and above all, kicks ass.
User avatar
Sareth
RPG All-Star
Posts: 2604
Joined: August 23rd, 2007, 8:54 pm

Re: Nautkia, and the South

Post by Sareth »

They can't be serious. Lillith blanched. Certainly the people she was traveling with had given her the impression they could be rather cavalier towards death, and she had the impression that the Veracians at least had killed. But were they seriously suggesting that she try to convince them to kill an elf? Even as terrible as they were, she couldn't do that!

Then why did you come out here? a small voice asked in her head. You didn't trespass onto an old military site from the war trying to find flowers to give the elves, now did you?

But I wasn't planning to actually kill anyone! I just wanted to have weapons for my people, just in case? That's different! She answered herself.

And now 'just in case' is staring these people in the face.

This is different!

The voice remained silent, but she could hear the doubt.

"I.. couldn't..." She shook her head. "What about those smugglers? Which one did you have in mind?"
Image
Image
User avatar
Graybeard
The Heretical Admin
Posts: 7180
Joined: August 20th, 2007, 8:26 am
Location: Nuevo Mexico y Colorado, Estados Unidos

Re: Nautkia, and the South

Post by Graybeard »

Was that disappointment in Leofric's face? It passed quickly enough as he said, "Let's go back into my office for this conversation."

Once inside the rather conventional-looking work space, he said, "Excuse me for a minute. I'm not very good at magic, but there is one thing that I learned that I had better apply here." He mumbled a few syllables, and a wssshhh of white noise filled the room that was very much like what Lillith had heard briefly in Argus' chambers back at the temple; an anti-scrying spell, apparently.

"There," he breathed. "We can speak candidly now -- but I beg you, in the name of the Goddess, never to breathe a word of this conversation to your unbelieving friends, or to anyone else." He reached for a glass of water, as though to prepare for a long monologue.

-----------

A few blocks away, Brother Miguel and Sister Rose were starting on a very similar conversation.

"This is all classified Law Enforcement Sensitive," Sergeant Rogeriel said. "I think that's roughly equivalent to you snake eaters' Secret, but I'm not sure. Anyway, don't say a word of it to anyone, or my ass is grass, followed by your own, probably."

Miguel and Rose looked at each other, each having the same thought: I guess we'd better agree to this -- but I'd still like to know why Bernie said we'd be hearing from a "young man." This guy is male, but not young. His "daughter" is young, but not male. So what's going on? Anyway: "Go ahead," they said in chorus as the large man reached for his wine.

-----------

And another few blocks away, Argus heard a hansom start down the street -- and a muffled sound of horse's hooves following it a block behind.

[OOC: Big long exposition on the smuggling bands coming, but it's going to take me a little while to write it; go ahead and do/say/think something if you want to.]
Image

Because old is wise, does good, and above all, kicks ass.
User avatar
Graybeard
The Heretical Admin
Posts: 7180
Joined: August 20th, 2007, 8:26 am
Location: Nuevo Mexico y Colorado, Estados Unidos

Re: Nautkia, and the South

Post by Graybeard »

[OOC: OK, here comes the promised exposition, for better or for worse. Hope you don't mind me putting just a couple of words in Lillith's mouth...}]

"There are five main smuggling outfits in town," Leofric said, sipping at his water. (Lillith noticed that he'd placed a bit of an herb that grew in the Northern Confederacy in the two glasses.) "We have to deal with almost all of them to get what we sell here. They all have their own geographic specializations, and in the main, they stay out of each other's way. However, they clash when they try to smuggle the same kinds of goods originating in different places. The main problems are with liquor and narcotics, but there are other points of friction as well. They don't always resolve those very peacefully."

Lillith nodded as he continued, "The Kankaniel gang specializes in bringing things in from the Southern Continent. Oh, I should have said, the gangs are known by the names of their leaders; the town is brazen enough about the smuggling that they can get away with that. The Kankaniels are led by some woman who works out of Fort Lorenzel, up the river from here. We don't see her here in town. The Gilsoniels are the ones we know best. They mainly operate in the Anuban Colonies, but the sea lanes work well for connecting back to our homeland -- better to bring our more ... exotic ... goods in by water than overland through Veracia, wouldn't you agree?" Another nod.

Leofric looked uncomfortable as he continued. "Those are the two that are easiest for us to work with, but I worry that they have both been infiltrated by agents of other gangs. They're always trying to do that, so that they can get a leg up on sniffing out operations that they might find threatening. And if they have trouble with spies from the other gangs, who's to say they wouldn't have people who are getting paid by the elf to look for -- ones like us? Anyway, the other groups are the Agrawals, who do business with Farrel, and the Chouzhu, who do it with Tsuiraku. Hmph," he snorted. "The Chouzhu's name means 'long life' or something like that in the Tsuirakuan language. 'Long life' as long as you don't try to infiltrate them; they're notoriously bloodthirsty when they've discovered a possible infiltrator. I don't know much about the Agrawals. They are reputedly in bed with one of those mercenary guilds they have in Farrel. I can't remember their name -- it means 'sea eagles' in some extinct language. We don't do much business with them."

He took a drink of water and assumed a posture of expectancy, as though awaiting a question. Lillith obliged. "Wait a minute. You said there were five gangs -- but you only named four."

"Ah, yes," Leofric said softly. "The others are the Rogeriels, the 'special' smugglers ... and the less said about them, the better." There was just a hint of something -- fear? -- in the man's eyes as he took another drink.
Image

Because old is wise, does good, and above all, kicks ass.
User avatar
Sareth
RPG All-Star
Posts: 2604
Joined: August 23rd, 2007, 8:54 pm

Re: Nautkia, and the South

Post by Sareth »

"You said the Chouzhou are notoriously hard to infiltrate," Lillith replied. She wasn't at all sure she knew what she was doing. These were things she'd never really had to deal with or even think about, really, so she felt horribly out of her depth. Still, she had been asked for help, and with an elf on the loose, everyone had to hang together. "Would it be possible they wouldn't have informants in their ranks that would sell you to the elf? I could go talk to them if you pointed me the right direction."
Image
Image
User avatar
Graybeard
The Heretical Admin
Posts: 7180
Joined: August 20th, 2007, 8:26 am
Location: Nuevo Mexico y Colorado, Estados Unidos

Re: Nautkia, and the South

Post by Graybeard »

Leofric thought for a minute, glad to get off the subject of the Rogeriels. "That might work," he said. "I'm not supposed to know this, but I think they are based out of a Tsuirakuan restaurant in the middle of town, called the Magic Kettle. Our ... contact ... with them is via a produce delivery wagon that brings us special deliveries from time to time." (That was delicately put, Lillith had to concede.) "And speak of the devil, here she comes now." A horse-drawn cart was pulling up to the rear, delivery entrance to the business. "Want me to make introductions? You're still not committed to anything."

---------

As it happened, Sister Rose and Brother Miguel were just concluding a very similar conversation with the sergeant at the jail ... but without any mention of the Rogeriel gang, of course.
Image

Because old is wise, does good, and above all, kicks ass.
User avatar
Sareth
RPG All-Star
Posts: 2604
Joined: August 23rd, 2007, 8:54 pm

Re: Nautkia, and the South

Post by Sareth »

"Yes, please," Lillith nodded nervously. Introduction to a criminal underworld, even in a town where the "under" part was almost none existant, was something she had no idea how to go about. Still, she would do what she could to help. These were her people.
Image
Image
User avatar
Drannin
Prince of Space
Posts: 1350
Joined: August 15th, 2008, 2:46 pm

Re: Nautkia, and the South

Post by Drannin »

(OOC: Still here, but sleepy and suffering from writer's block. Will write something more substantive when my brain recovers)

Slowly, Argus walked around to the main street, wondering what he would see. The answer, of course, was nothing; 'Vito' and his pursuer were long gone. Argus sighed and went to look for a bar by instinct, before restraining himself. Alcohol was the last thing he needed.

Distantly, Argus remembered that he has left Harker all alone. Again. It really WAS a bad day, wasn't it?

*****************************************************************************************************************************

Back at the castle, a woman's bloodcurdling scream of outrage could be heard proclaiming her status as a maid. A certain familiar just wasn't getting it.
Locked