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Part 1a: The city...
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Part 1a - The city... by Dworkin (GM)
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OOC - for Duncan and Derek as they wander about.
The market is extremely crowded, but the two men have little trouble
making their way through the mass of people. It seems that these
folk don't like the idea of getting in their way...
All around them vendors are hawking their wares; "Fresh bread, ginger cakes, scones..." "Mackerel, caught this morning, get them here..." "Oven-cooked spiced fowl, buy them while their hot...", a thousand different delicacies, and a thousand more staples of life.
Then there are the clothes, the shoes, the jewellery, the pots, the
ironwork... a seemingly endless variety of them. Clearly
Cadiniagart is a major trading centre, with goods coming in from far
and wide.
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Re: Part 1a - The city... by Duncan
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Duncan wanders the market with Derek, cutting through the crowd as
easily as a fish through water. He dislikes such tightly packed
masses of people, preferring the wode spaces and relative solitude of
his homeland.
Perhaps people can sense his tension, they move out of his path as he
approaches and then close in to fill the void left by his passing.
No matter, it makes things easier for himself and Derek.
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Looking around by Derek
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Was it his own bedraggled way? Was it the people sensed something? Or
was it that big lug of a warrior in his wake? It seemed nobody really
wanted to talk to them, no one approached them and even the undercover
elements of the city were conspicious in their absence. Derek sighed.
He might have to polish up his attire to more or less fit into the
crowd. Again. He hated that. What was wrong with comfortable, old, ok
maybe patched, clothing? Ah, well...
"
Seems I am in need of some better clothes, my
friend. I think I will browse there for a minute. You coming or has
something else caught yer fancy?"
He turns to head for the nearest clothing stall, still keeping a
lookout for any disturbance caused by thieving business and for good
places to overlook the place. Also he watches for guards and undercover
watchmen, resigned to first talk to the clothes merchant than someone
else.
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Re: Looking around by Dworkin (GM)
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People are not avoiding the two men as such, they just know better than
to jostle them the way they jostle each other. There seems to
almost be a barrier a few inches from Derek and Duncan, which pushes
people aside as they move through the crowd. Somehow nobody bumps
into them, nobody treads on their toes, nobody tries to pick their pockets, nobody accidentally blocks their view of the goods on a stall...
The traders are happy to sell clothes to Derek, crying out the quality of their wares.
Suddenly a drum starts nearby, and people rush towards it as a man on
stilts starts juggling flaming brands. Still nobody knocks
against the two visitors. All eyes are turned towards the
entertainer, but Derek turns to make some small remark to Duncan about
the act, and from the corner of his eye he sees something odd.
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And off we go... by Derek
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Turning to Duncan as the juggling show starts in earnest, Derek smiles at the big man.
"Seems I found what I was looking for after
all. That shop over there looks promising. I might be a few minutes, so
enjoy the show or follow if ya wish."
Patting the larger man on the shoulder, Derek heads off on a course,
thet brings him close to the shop he had noticed, but not directly and
takes a bit of navigating some stalls. His purchases, all bundled up
and slung over his left shoulder, and his clothes denote him more like
a visiting commoner on an errand than anything else.
Walking along the building facade towards the shop door he keeps his
surroundings in focus, trying to find out if anybody notices his
'desertion' of the show and if anybody is taking any actions in his
direction.
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Re: And off we go... by Duncan
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Realising that Derek is up to something, Duncan's curiosity gets the
better of him, so he decides to tag along and see what's
happening. He makes sure his knife is loose in its sheath in case
of trouble.
"What iss it? What iss happenink?"
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Moves by Derek
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Derek waits until Duncan is again with him, then whispers a few words
to him. Still checking out the vicinity of the shop and his general
surroundings he resumes walking closer, stopping right in front of the
closed shop door.
After resettling the bundle on his left shoulder he tries to open the
door, as if he was a customer or delivery man trying to enter his
destination shop.
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The shop by Dworkin (GM)
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Glancing into the shop window, the two men see that it appears to be a
cobblers. The window display consists of various boots and shoes,
backed by a heavy red velvet curtain. It is impossible to see
inside through the window because of the curtain.
A quiet check proves the entrance to be locked, and there is a Closed sign there, in the glass upper panel of the door.
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Re: The shop by Duncan
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Duncan smiles to hiself as he tries the door, then says to Derek, "Luckily I'm not widhout some skills in this sort of dhing."
He pulls something from his pocket, inserts it in the lock and jiggles and twists it for a moment or two.
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Re: The shop by Dworkin (GM)
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Duncan picks the lock with surprising ease for a man who looks too big
to be nimble-fingered. The door opens to reveal that the drama
has not moved far. Four men and a woman are in the room.
One of the men, the shopkeeper by his looks, is dead already, his
throat opened up from ear to ear. The woman too is down, blood
pumping from her stomach and spreading in a crimson pool on the floor.
Two of the men stand over her, looking like typical hired muscle, one
holds a wicked-looking knife, while the other is struggling to get the
satchel from her dying grasp. From the way she is hanging onto it
even as she bleeds to death it is apparent that she feels the contents
to be important.
The final man stands back, keeping well away from the pooling
blood. He is dressed well, if somewhat oddly. He doesn't
seem to be dressed in local fashion.
All of the living stop what they're doing as the door opens. The
well-dressed man glares at the intruders, his eyes flaring yellow for a
moment before he speaks, "Leave her for now, she'll let go when she's dead. Deal with these two fools!"
As the thugs move forward, there is a commotion from the city outside
the shop. Bells start ringing, tolling somewhere, and people are
screaming and yelling in the distance, a wave of anger and dismay which
spreads rapidly through the crowd...
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Re: The shop by Derek
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As the big warrior deftly opens the lock with tools of the trade, Derek
smiles, a bit surprised at this turn of events. He whispers "Not bad,
my friend" to Duncan, then steps inside taking in the tableau. Looking
at the toughs he smiles darkly at their deployment and hefts his dirk
in his right hand, in astandard knife-fighter's stance. His left hand,
spread out to counterbalance his moves, still clutches the bundle of
clothing.
Stepping further into the shop, carefully avoiding the puddle of blood,
Derek waits for the first, or even both, toughs to do their first
moves. Not going completely on the defensive, he tries to figure out
how good they are without giving away his own expertise, maybe scoring
a small hit or two if the occasion arrises, but essentially binding one
if not both of them, freeing Duncan to do as he pleases.
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Low blows are best by Duncan
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Duncan moves to one side, drawing his knife as he does so, to allow
Derek a clear view of the room. The two men are advancing, but
Duncan chooses not to wait, prefering to deal with the matter quickly
in the hopes of aiding the woman before she bleeds to death.
He moves towards the nearest thug, remarking to the man who seems to be their leader, "Don't you worry. It will be your turn soon ass I finissh widh your dog here!"
He smiles as he flips his knife from one hand to the other and back
again, then feints with his left hand, even though the knife is in his
right, before shifting his weight and driving his boot towards the
man's groin.
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Re: Low blows are best by Ares
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Ares leaves the inn, and heads out into the streets, one hand resting
lightly on the pommel of Heartsong. He stops often, looking around.
After some time wandering, he stops at a vendors stall, purchasing some
sausage pasties. As he munches on the hot pasties, he leans against the
wall, watching the ebb and flow of the crowd. Intersting place, this.
But it needs a coleseum. With that realization, the pieces fall into
place. That is what he was missing. The sight of the noble structure,
the cheers of the fans, the sounds of combat. Ares smiles a bit at the
rememberance of the events. Finishing the last of the pasties, he wips
his hands clean and proceeds.
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Re: Low blows are best by Dworkin (GM)
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Duncan's juggling of his blade, and then the feint with his empty hand
reveals much about his opponent, the man is watching the hands rather
than the knife! He sidesteps the harmless "attack", and then
drops to the floor hissing through his teeth following the particularly
nasty kick. He is curled in a ball, blinking back tears.
His companion also makes a mistake as he faces Derek; he allows himself
to be distracted by his fallen comrade. Derek cuts at him once,
twice, and draws blood both times. Neither blow is particularly
lethal, but death is one thing and pain is another... the thug turns to flee and trips over the outstretched
legs of the dead vendor. Panicking he starts to scramble away
across the floor, heading for the rear of the shop.
Their leader meanwhile steps forward and tries to grab the satchel from
the woman, but still she will not let go. Seeing that his minions
are not putting up much of a fight he releases the bag and passes a
hand in front of his face. There is a momentary flare of rainbow
light, and he is gone, leaving the two inept thugs to their own
resources!
Ares is enjoying the sights of the city, speculating on the market for
gladiatorial events and such like in this place. Suddenly he
notes the ringing of bells and the yells of people in the crowds which
fill the streets. It takes him only a few moments to piece
together what is happening; Prince Bleys has apparently slain the
king!
From the direction of the docks comes a noise like thunder, and turning, Ares sees a column of smoke rising into the air.
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Re: Low blows are best by Duncan
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Duncan stamps hard on the downed man's shin, listening for the sound of a bone
breaking. Even without a break, it should keep the thug off that
leg for a while.
"Iss shame dhe leader have to leave so soon." he growls to Derek as he goes to see if anything can be done for the
woman. He doubts it can, she seems to be losing plenty of blood.
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Re: Low blows are best by Ares
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Ares thinks for a few moemnts. Why would Prince Bleys kill the king?
Damn, it didn't make much sense.. just then, his thoughts are
interupted by what sounds like the rumble of a leviathan. Jerking his
head towards the sound, he sees the colum of smoke. Impossible for a
leviathan to be here...
Griping Heartsong tightly, Ares pushes his way through the crowd, towards the docks.
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Leader's timely retreat by Derek
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"Alas, my friend, 't was the coward's way out. At keast he did not get what he was here to get..."
Derek follows the scrambling thug, moving swiftly to intercept him at
the back door and trying to pin him to it or the wall with his
dagger... literally, since he tries to ram his weapon straight through
his right shoulder into the material behind.
"You are not going anywhere yet, neighbor..."
Having done so and seeing the thug secured he moves back to Duncan's
and the wounded woman's side, trying to help the big warrior in saving
the victim's fast ebbing life.
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Re: Leader's timely retreat by Dworkin (GM)
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The two thugs scream in pain, one pinned to the door frame by his
shoulder, the other with a broken leg. The woman's breath is
rapid and shallow, and her face is very pale and filmed with
sweat. She is clearly dying, her wounds are just too severe for
any other outcome to be possible. Still she clutches the satchel
that she gave her life to protect.
Then, as if realising her only chance lies with these two men, she shoves the bag towards Derek. "Take it to... the king... must do it... vital." she gasps, before slumping down again, "Vital to... stop the war..."
Outside a voice cuts across the yelling of the mob, ordering them to calm down and go home...
Out in the street Ares has reached a point where he has a clear
view. From the steps of a scriptorium he can see all the way down
to the harbour. His sharp eyesight reveals a large ship burning
at the dock.
A group of armed and armoured men hurry past, led by a mounted officer
who calls for people to remain calm and return to their homes
immediately.
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Re: Leader's timely retreat by Duncan
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"Rest eassy lass, don't be worryink about dhat old pouch now, let me have a look at you."
Duncan examines the deep wound, which is pumping her life blood out
onto the floor of the shop. He glances at Derek, and gives a
slight shake of his head. "What iss your name girl? I am Duncan, dhis is my friend Derek."
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Promises by Derek
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"Yes... Do not worry, lady... I promise I will get it where it is needed..."
Holding on to the satchel Derek smiles down at the dying woman, vowing
to himself to try to get whatever is inside the satchel to the king.
Throwing a sideways glance at Duncan, Derek stands and glares at the screaming thugs, having no compassion for them.
Walking over to the one pinned to the doorframe, he flicks his finger
once against the base of the dagger, setting it to vibrate slightly
inside the wound. He cups the thugs chin in his left hand, lifting up
his head and looking him straight in the face.
"Excuse me, neighbor... Would you care to tell
me who hired you to do this? Who was that guy that commanded you? And
why did you attack those people? If I were you, I'd answer... I can be
much nastier than I have been yet... And I promise you you will not
like what I have in store for you."
His voice always stays calm, never more than normal conversational
tone, friendly, not agressive, like an adult to a child. A smile graces
his lips. A smile that does not touch his eyes.
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Re: Promises by Dworkin (GM)
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"Name... Cylla... work for... Prince... Julian of Amber. Bag must go... to him or... King Random... " For a moment the woman's eyes close, then they flicker open, and she grasps Duncan's arm in a surprisingly strong grip, "I'm dying... I know it... help me to stop... war... Please help... me... "
Meanwhile Derek is questioning the man he left pinned to the doorway, using some not so gentle persuasion; "Aaaieeee!!
Stop, please stop! I'll talk! I'll tell you!
Beldrin! His name is... aaaaagh... Beldrin! He came to us
in a tavern! Ungh! Looking for some blades for hire for
a... single job! Don't know any more!" Sweat his
pouring down his face, and a dark stain is spreading across his
trousers as Derek toys with the blade imbedded in his flesh.
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Re: Promises by Ares
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Ares looks up at the guards, as they trie to keep order and prevent
panic. "YOU!" his voice booms out over the din, his hand pointed to one
of the soldier. "What is happening?" he says, his voice full of
authority, his eyes locked on the man.
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Re: Promises by Derek
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"Hmmm...
good answers, all, neighbor. Now would you mind telling me any reason
not to do to you what you did to the woman and the man on the floor? I
am very interested in your answer there..."
Derek carefully takes hold of the weapon and pulls it out in one swift motion, resetting its tip against the thug's throat.
"And please be quick about it... I can be very impatient when crossed..."
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Re: Promises by Dworkin (GM)
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"Please, we didn't kill the man... Beldrin did
that, and it was him who stabbed the woman... We were just to
grab her for him and back him up in case of trouble..." He
might be lying through his rotten teeth, but it would be hard to tell
because he's so nervous it's impossible to read any clues from his
manner.
The woman, Cylla, is getting weaker. She is barely conscious now,
and if she manages to speak at all she makes little sense, rambling and
only saying partial words, in a voice which is barely audible.
Suddenly she takes a deep shuddering, ragged breath, and manages to
gasp, "The satchel... take... to him!" before slumping back into her delerium.
Ares demands information from the Watch officer, who (as much to his
own surprise as that of his men) gives a straight answer instead of
simply telling him to move along and mind his own business. "Prince
Bleys has murdered the King, and escaped from the royal court.
Word leaked out, and it seems that somebody has fired Bleys' ship to
prevent his escape. Now we are trying..." He trails off and shakes his head as if to clear it, then carries on in his educated, high-born manner "Enough, go inside, we will have this under control soon. There is nothing you can do out here."
He turns to give orders to his troops who start to push through the
mob, doing their best to scatter them and break up the trouble before
it flares into a full-blown riot.
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Re: Promises by Derek
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Derek nods thoughtfully, not caring if the last was the truth or not.
In Naeril, the shadow he had been raised in, the guilds had full
control over unexpected deaths. And freelancers like those thugs were
marked for early retirement if they worked unlicensed or unsanctioned.
But that was long ago and far away. Much water had run through shadow
in the meantime.
Drawing back his weapon from the thug's throat, Derek steps back, still
ready for an attack, but lowering his weapon arm to point down.
"Awright, neighbor. Take yer comrade there and
get going. If I see any of yer face ever again, you will be dead
shortly thereafter."
He turns to Duncan.
"Do you need them still, friend?"
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Re: Promises by Duncan
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"No, let dhem go. Dhey know nodhink more. Dhis Beldrin is dhe real cause of dhis."
His voice is oddly emotionless, as if he is holding himself under tight
control while tending to the dying woman. His eyes though, seem
to burn with rage.
He strokes a wayward strand of hair away from her face and frowns as
she starts to ramble again, apparently talking to somebody named
Aronsal.
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Re: Promises by Dworkin (GM)
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The two thugs leave the shop, one supporting the other, although the
knife wound in his shoulder makes it difficult in the extreme.
Cylla's rambling words gradually cease, and with one last brief burst
of clarity, she whispers, "Stop them... ", and then she dies...
On the street the crowds are thinning as troops join the Watch to prevent the riots from getting any worse.
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Re: Promises by Duncan
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Duncan gently closes the woman's eyes before standing and eying the satchel"We
should go back to dhe inn, My belonginks are dhere, and maybe
some of dhe odhers can help. If nodhink else dhe inn will give
uss some shelter."
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Re: Promises by Ares
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Ares looks back in the direction of the inn, then at the colun of
smoke, still drifting in the air. With a final look behind him, Ares
ignores the soldiers, and pushes his way through the mob, making his
way towards the docks. Perhaps there is something more to learn there.
This doesn't seem quite right.
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Re: Promises by Derek
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"That
might be a good idea, my friend. Though we should not tarry. It seems
whatever is in here should be brought to the king as soon as possible.
We should leave here, now..."
Flicking his blade clean of blood he uses the fead shop owner's
clothing to wipe away the rest of the liquid. Derek tugs the satchel
into his belt under his tunic and hefts his purchased clothes, checking
them out for blood stains that might alert lookers on. He also checks
his clothing and boots for any telltale spots, masking them or removing
them as much as possible.
Closing and locking the front door Derek motions Duncan to follow him
out back, then closes and locks the backdoor. He checks out their
surroundings and, hefting his bundle of clothing openly and
unsuspiciously walks back to the inn.
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