A Midnight Masquerade [IC]

[Neftren]

A Midnight Masquerade

In two hours, you are about to pull off what will either be the biggest combination assassination-heist in history, or the worst decision of your life. It started a little bit like this with a letter suddenly in your hands, passed to you by a mysterious and wholly unknown bystander...

"Dear Sir or Madame,
You have come to our attention through various deeds and misfortunes through no fault of your own as an enterprising adventurer. Given your... unique skills, we are hereby expressing our interest in hiring you. Your payment will be worth approximately 15,000 gold pieces. Ten hours from now, the King will be hosting a Masked Ball in honor of his thirtieth year of crushing rule. You have until midnight to successfully kill the king, retrieve his key to the Majestic Vault, break into said vault, and steal the Sceptre of Ages. You have no choice but to accept. We regret to inform you that any failure will result in your extremely unpleasant death. On completion of your task, we shall be waiting at the Eaglesdale Inn with payment.
Best of Luck!"
-M.N.R.
You look up to find yourself standing outside the Royal Palace and think to yourself, "What have I gotten myself into...?" The answer lies two hours from hence, as you flash back through the past ten...

Character Sheets:{table=head]#|Character|Class(es)|Player
1|Leaf (http://www.thetangledweb.net/forums/profiler/view_char.php?cid=45378)|Pseudodragon|MandibleBone s (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/member.php?u=6020)
2|Carmine (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=273537)|Rogue|RaggedAngel (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/member.php?u=55736)
3|Alexander (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=285246)|Psionic Warrior|Noblesse (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/member.php?u=56301)
[/table]

[Neftren]

The sun cuts a brilliant swath across the square, illuminating the great bronze monument like a torch defiantly declaring its place in the world. The market is already bustling with merchants and travellers and foreigners alike, all going about their daily business. Watchmen flit back and forth, ensuring no evil is committed... but who watches the watchmen? And so in the hustle and bustle of the square, a petty theft, a rape in a dark alleyway, murder, treason, all happen, unheard, unseen, unknown by all but a few.

High above all the pretty mosaic-like tent covers of merchant stalls and pack animals and officials and thieves and criminals, a figure watches from the shadows. Smoke from a pipe rises, and a brief glint of amber flares up for a moment, and then the pipe falls, unnoticed by all but a few. A dozen men detach themselves from the wall like ghosts and go about their ways. Each, carrying a letter...

Leaf:You're perched upon a small statue just north of the square, when you spot a man moving towards you. For a moment, the man gravitates towards the orc hunched in the shadow of the statue, just off the street. "I seek the individual named 'Leaf', though that's an interesting name for an orc. The master is always right though... I have a job offer for you." The orc jerks a thumb upwards, towards you. Without missing a beat, the man hands you the letter, along with a small bag of coinage. "Clean, of course. Good day." With that, he was gone. Carmine:First theft of the day. Should be easy pickings in this square. You head towards the first unsuspecting target. A petty nobleman with his purse hanging out. This must be too easy... the nobleman stops at every other shop or so and 'looks around' for a bit. As you approach for the theft, a figure in a dark cloak slams into you and you lose sight of the nobleman for a moment. More importantly, there's now a scroll in your hand... you look around. Nobody who might have bumped you to to be seen... nobleman is gone too. Huh...


[OOC: Both of you know the contents of your respective letters (if you forgot, see the first post). I'll just point you in the right direction for now, and say that you need to find a way to either attend the party, or break in, or whatnot. Each of you should decide something on your own --no peeking!-- and I'll work in a way to bring the two of you together.]

[RaggedAngel]

Carmine's Stats:
Carmine, the Fox (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=273537)
Female Chaotic Neutral Half-Elf Rogue, Level 5, Init +9, HP 17/17, Speed 30ft.
AC 18, Touch 14, Flat-footed 13, Fort +1, Ref +9, Will -1, Base Attack Bonus 3, Action Points N/A
Crystal of Return, Least +1 Dagger +9 (1d4, 19-20/x2)
+1 Dagger and Dagger (Two-Weapon Fighting) +7/+6 (1d4/1d4-1, 19-20/x2)
+1 Studded Leather Armor (+4 Armor, +5 Dex, -1 Misc)
Abilities Str 8, Dex 20, Con 11, Int 12, Wis 7, Cha 16
Condition None

Carmine looks at the message with deep suspicion, but the promise of gold is very substantial. She has an easy time robbing from the rich and giving to herself, but with a lump sum like that she could take a long, well deserved vacation.

She laughs a bit as she ambles through the crowd, drawing perhaps a bit of attention. If she got that much money she would just buy a fancy magic ring and then keep on robbing and burgling. She had too much fun with her place in the world, and it would be crazy to give that up just because she fell into some money.

As for obtaining the money, the task seemed like it would be fairly simple. She would talk her way inside, an easy task if the guards were men, and then 'talk' her way into the king's company. She had some fancy garments, and there was rarely a nobleman who could resist a forward noblewoman.

She decided to ask around and see if there was any guard known for accepting bribes. She headed to the rougher side of town, and enters a pub known for dirty deals. She takes her time, working the bar, and spending a few gold to get some drinks for anyone who opens up a bit.

Gather Information: [roll0]
Diplomacy: [roll1]

[Neftren]

Carmine:As you move into the seedier districts of the Citadel, you begin to notice a distinct lack of civil protection. Colors turn slowly from the bright blues, yellows, greens, and purples, to more reddish browns and mottled grey. Various denizens run about, hunched in step and moving about their business in that sort of "don't touch me" sort of way. Large rats crawl about on the streets, darting in and out of sewer grates. As you pass a darkened alley, you hear a muffled cry "Help me! Anybody! Please! Help!" A bruiser stands in the way, arms across his chest.

You hurry past, into the 'Sunset Lily' tavern, a squat, two-storey affair with a relatively new thatched roof. A drunkard rambles on in the corner about the latest petty scandal, and how he somehow deserved gold from that settlement. You move towards the bar. The bartender plunks down a filthy looking glass, and pours an equally unappealingly-disgusting, yellow liquid of indeterminate qualities into it. Several individuals near the back of the tavern flick their eyes over you, before returning to their business. A squat man walks in and sits down next to you. "What's pretty girl like you doin' sittin' in 'dis pub? Mr. Hunk won't be havin' violence in 'deese parts! Nosirree! Just one rule here. No crime, got it?" He downs the rest of his mug, and gets up to leave. "Oh, and one more thing. If you wanna make it out of here alive... go out the third floor window." He tips his hat, hovers near the door for a moment, then steps out into the shadow of the statue.

Gold Expenditure: [roll0] (Drink + Various Bribes)

[RaggedAngel]

Carmine narrows her eyes at the man's words; she had a hard time trusting people when they were being straightforward, and he was anything but that. She tried to determine how he was really feeling, but that sort of thing was not her forte.

She winks at the bartender and then heads up to the third floor, keeping her left hand in her pocket, clutching her off-hand dagger. Her right hand was kept out, ensuring that she seemed nonthreatening. She makes sure to smile at anyone she passes while she watches for a possible ambush.

Sense Motive: [roll0]
Spot: [roll1]
Diplomacy: [roll2]

[Neftren]

Carmine:He seemed trustworthy enough. Certainly his accent change was peculiar, but the switch from casual to serious was obvious enough. All in all, he didn't seem like he was lying. Carmine also sees nothing out of the ordinary. Just a classic, if somewhat seedy looking bar on the verges of disrepair. Carmine can't really see anything through the grubby windows. They look liked they haven't been cleaned in years, no, decades.

Carmine draws a peculiar look from the bartender as she ascends the first flight of stairs. At the top of the stairs, the corridor doubles back, with a small window at the end of the hall, just as grimy as the rest. Doors open onto the corridor every few feet (there are five doors, if you're curious). Unfortunately, her feeble attempt to ascend to the third floor is halted, as the third floor seems to be nonexistent.

[OOC: Read Carefully! The 'Sunset Lily' only has two floors. :smalltongue:]

[RaggedAngel]

Carmine, suspicious and now rather concerned, hurries downstairs. She remains vigilant for any attackers.

[Neftren]

Carmine:[OOC: [roll0] - If you get over 50, bad things happen. If you get under 50, nice things happen. Let's see what happens, and I'll edit in the results?]

As you hurry down the stairs, all seems as normal. You do notice that nobody seems to be coming into the bar though. Other than that, it's business as usual.

[RaggedAngel]

Carmine glances around the bar, but decides that this paticular local is not going to be a safe or effective place to gain information. She decides to slip out the door as quickly and quietly as possible, on the lookout for trouble.

[Neftren]

Carmine:Stepping out into the shadows of the seedy districts, Carmine immediately begins to notice a distinct lack of "innocent bystanders" and an increasing number of "people-who-look-as-if-they-mean-business business" surrounding the inn. In fact, they happen to be the only people left in the street. A massive shadow dwarfs your figure, and as you glance up, you see a loincloth at eye level. You travel up the figure, past scraggy lichen and pitted rock. Just your luck. "Troll. Why does it always have to be a troll?!"

"Mr. Hunk not pleased with you. Mr. Hunk no want you poking round. Me smash you into little bits!" The troll waved his club around, as if trying to make an already obvious point even clearer than it already was. "Me give you one minute. Den me and friends chase you!" Talk? Fight? It is a pretty big troll... and there are four more regular street thugs accompanying it.

[RaggedAngel]

Carmine flashes a winning smile. "If a minute is all that you'll give me, Mr. Hunk, then I must say that I gladly accept your offer. However, I don't believe that a silly, wild-goose chase throughout the town is going to be beneficial to either you and your men or myself.

In fact, I can safely say that nothing good would come of it; I have enough contacts in the city guard that my death will be investigated, if simply because a few of the men in charge will miss me. And, I'm not worthless in a fight, you know; in fact, I put it on quite safe odds that I take at least a few of your men with me. So, as it stands, we should all just pack up and head our seperate ways at the very least.

If you don't want to simply wander off, however, I have a futher proposition. You could let me know who hired you and why, and I can just mosey on over to their current location and give them a little something to think about. That way you're free from any obligations and I'm free from any harassment. Does that sound good to you?"

I like to roleplay my diplomacy. :smallsmile:

Diplomacy: [roll0]

[MandibleBones]

Neatly opening the letter with his claws, Leaf whistles a surprised trill that quickly becomes dirge. Quickly checking to make sure everything is secure, the little psuedodragon takes off, winging his way across the sky toward the inn mentioned in the note, and the night is quiet again.

[Neftren]

Carmine:"Me not Mr. Hunk. Mr. Hunk bigwig in palace district. Me no need silly wild chase goose! Me strong! Me big! Me smash you good! City guard in Mr. Hunk pocket! Me no care about jury! Me regrow arm fast! See?" The troll rips off a finger, dripping with blood, and sticks it back on, as if to prove his point. Small ragged fleshy bits hang off the jagged rip. It's enough to make just about anyone puke, but, back to the story at hand..."Me paid lots of shiny coins. Me follow orders. Me work for Mr. Hunk. Me do good job. Mr. Hunk good to me. You no sound good to me. You sound like lying coward! You have half minute run left! Make quick and maybe I not rip off so many arms!" The troll moves to rip off another finger to prove his point.Leaf:Leaf flutters through the narrow and twisted alleys of the areas behind the main square. While crossing the square, you notice a few members of the city guard observing you; strange looks are in their eyes. He finally arrives at a quaint little establishment with a proud looking sign proclaiming, "Eaglesdale Inn, South Market Branch, Serving You Since a Year Before You Were Born!" You hear the sound of laughter and general entertainment inside, and the gentle sound of lutes and lyres drift out through the open windows. Across the street, you notice two men in dark robes conversing softly, coming down the street. Opposite them, you notice a small squad of city guardsmen marching up the street in formation, crying "Make Way for the Guard! Make Way for the Guard!"

[OOC: Two things. 1) You're supposed to head to the Eaglesdale Inn on completion of your mission, and 2) it's high noon. :smalltongue:]

[MandibleBones]

Leaf sighs, watching the guard and the inn. He knows he's supposed to meet back here once the deed is done, but he's no clue how he'll kill the man in the two hours tonight. He supposes he could try the old scheme of being the pretty accoutrement on some lady's neck, if it comes down to that.

The Most Resplendent Leaf of the Autumn wings back toward the palace, hoping he can, perhaps, get a glimpse of the king during his afternoon stroll. It's a shame the man has to die, he thinks. If he could steal the treasure without killing him, he'd be better at that.

[Neftren]

Leaf:As you start moving towards the palace, the Sergeant-at-Arms calls out, "HALT! You, flying... thing! Halt! What business have you in this citadel? Where is your license to operate?! Show me your papers, now, you twit! What? You have no papers? Men, arrest this creature!" Two guards step up, brandishing shackles. Behind you, the two figures in dark robes detach themselves from the wall, trotting towards you on an intercept course for the guards.

[MandibleBones]

"Eep!" he trills, rising straight up into the air at full speed and sneaking off to some dark corner to hide. Clearly, this is just some panicked animal, of no real worries for the palace guard.

Hide: [roll0]. Move 60 with good maneuverability (moves at half speed straight up, otherwise perfect); I'm reasonably certain he can find somewhere to hide before the guards catch him.

[RaggedAngel]

Carmine has, at several times in her life, faced situations in which her natural charm and guile fail her and leave her on her own.

It is times like these that she resorts to the traditional half-elf standby; running as fast as she can away from anyone and everyone with a weapon.

Tumble DC 15 to avoid AoO's, if any: [roll0]

She takes Run actions to the nicer side of town for as long as she can until she gets there or someone tries to stop her.

[Neftren]

Alexander:
The sun cuts a brilliant swath across the square, illuminating the great bronze monument like a torch defiantly declaring its place in the world. The market is already bustling with merchants and travellers and foreigners alike, all going about their daily business. Watchmen flit back and forth, ensuring no evil is committed... but who watches the watchmen? And so in the hustle and bustle of the square, a petty theft, a rape in a dark alleyway, murder, treason, all happen, unheard, unseen, unknown by all but a few.

High above all the pretty mosaic-like tent covers of merchant stalls and pack animals and officials and thieves and criminals, a figure watches from the shadows. Smoke from a pipe rises, and a brief glint of amber flares up for a moment, and then the pipe falls, unnoticed by all but a few. A dozen men detach themselves from the wall like ghosts and go about their ways. Each, carrying a letter...A shadow crosses over you, and lingers for a while. Eventually, you look up. A figure in a dark robe wordlessly passes you a scroll. Before you have a chance to respond, he's gone. Vanished, just like that. You're left in the main square, and while it seems to be crowded during the noon hour, you feel as if you're left in a void. An island in the middle of an ocean, and now you've got a job you probably don't even want. Well, better get moving...Carmine:It's times like these, when pure speed isn't enough. Panicked and not quite thinking straight, Carmine rounds the corner and slams into an innocent bystander... or not so innocent bystander. Hard to say. She quickly recovers though, running down the street. Throwing a quick glance behind her, Carmine sees two of the thugs, but the other two are nowhere to be seen. "Stop that woman! Reward for her head, paid by Mr. Hunk!" A few people turn their heads towards you, clearly contemplating whether a year's salary worth of gold was worth incurring the wrath of the watch. As for that troll however...


BOOM!

A large mass explodes out of the building directly in front of you, debris flying everywhere. Out of the settling dust, the troll emerges, club raised. "Me found you! You no get way pointy-ears!" Fortunately, his vision is impaired, rendering it difficult for him to see you clearly. Still, the troll decides to chance it, and takes a swing at you ([roll0]), dealing ([roll1]) damage if it hits. If it misses, you're in the clear. In either case, he ends up overshooting you by about 20 feet, facing the direction you came from.

You're at a T-Shaped intersection. Directly in front of you is the wreckage of a furniture shop. You can faintly start to see another street in the distance, but that would involve going over the rough terrain of a ruined shop. To the left is an open street, back towards the main square. The central statue is within sight, but it's at least half a mile away, and the streets only get more and more packed (which may or may not be an advantage to you). To the right leads towards the artificers district and the docks. You might be able to lose your pursuers in the forges and warehouses.Leaf:"Guards! Guards! After him!" Two guards crouch and raise crossbows. They start firing, but the bolts whiz harmlessly past you, clattering on the cobblestones below. The captain screams at them, "No you dolts! We need him alive for questioning!" Meanwhile, the two figures in robes have reached the guards. They cast off their cloaks, one of them a lizardfolk, the other, a goblin, drawing swords in the process. "Run Pseudodragon! Seek out Mr. Hunk, in the palace district! He'll be able to help you!" cries the goblin. "'Tricks', less talk, more fight." grunts the lizardfolk. "What are you waiting for? Are you trying to get killed here Pseudodragon?" He barks at you and gestures at you frantically to vacate the premises.

[Noblesse]

Alexander & Elayana

Alexander quickly read the message. This was the sort of thing he had hoped they would be able to avoid. However Elayana's rather flamboyant ways seemed to have dashed that hope. After insistently asking for the letter, Elayana simply took it from him and read it quietly to herself. "What?! How... why... kill?? We don't do that! It's just.... wrong!" Elayana sputtered. "Yes... Indeed it is." Suddenly a great fear passed over Alexander, was this message meant for the Alexander of his past life, or this one? Now there was another reason to seek out this "M.N.R.". "What do we do?It says they'll kill us if we don't do it! Do we go to the city guards? Warn the King?" It was really only in times like this that Alexander's opinion seemed to matter, but as always he was more than happy to help her out. Suspicious that someone may overhear, Alexander leaned down and in to speak softly into her ear. "For now... I say we make our way into the party, you like dressing up and parties anyway. We must at least put up the facade that we are going along with their plans until we can determine more about what is going on." "Right... But we need invitations... OOO! We can do it like we did that one time with that evil fancy shmancy noble-guy." Her words started slow, obviously speaking without fully contemplating what she was going to say until the second she said it, but as she finally decided the words came out rapid-fire. Alexander completely used to this simply listened and nodded. He would go along with her idea as it didn't pose much of a threat to her. "So we'll attempt to get hired as servants for the night. So for now let's split up for but a moment to gather some information on how to go about that.-- come here for a moment." Alexander casts Mindlink on himself and Elayana. "Ok, meet back up here in forty-five minutes---"" Cutting Alexander mid-thought Elayana quickly interrupts. "-I know, I know! I'll let you know if I'm in trouble or if there is anyone following me or I get a weird feeling."

Alexander smiles and the two part ways, Elayana heading over towards a group of chatting ladies and Alexander heading towards a tavern. There they attempt to inquire about the party, the king, and any possible way to be hired to help out.

E: Gather Information: [roll0]
A: Gather Information: [roll1]

note: Italic speak is thoughts Colored Italic speech is thought via mindlink.

[MandibleBones]

Leaf flees at the top of his tiny little airspeed, heading a round-about way to the palace district.

[Neftren]

Alexander:As Alexander wanders the twisting streets of the Citadel, his various attempts to gather information are rebuffed, often rudely. Clearly he "wasn't from around here". In any case, he finally arrives at a quaint little establishment with a proud looking sign proclaiming, "Eaglesdale Inn, South Market Branch, Serving You Since a Year Before You Were Born!" Alexander hears the sound of laughter and general entertainment inside, and the gentle sound of lutes and lyres drift out through the open windows.

Instead of seeing a neat and orderly scene though, pure chaos has evidently erupted just outside the inn. Alexander sees a small pseudodragon rocketing straight up into the air, wailing "Eeeep! the whole way, with city watchmen firing crossbow bolts at it. The missiles clatter harmlessly on the cobblestones below, where a frenzied battle is taking place between the watch and a goblin and lizardfolk. The guards warn you away, crying "Move along citizen. Move along. This is official watch business! Do not interfere!" Swords clash in the brilliant sunshine, blinding you for a moment, before you recover. "Official watch business my loincloth!" taunts the goblin. "Everybody knows Mr. Hunk controls this district! You picked the wrong day to fight gents! Hey, what are you staring at, elan? Yeah, I know what you are. Go seek out Mr. Hunk, he'll probably be able to help you." Just then, a guard manages to land a lucky blow, slicing through his shoulders. He cries out in pain, and promptly runs the guard through with his sword, whispering to him "It's just a flesh wound, my pretty boy!" The goblin cackles to himself ... Elayana:Elayana moves towards the group of chatting ladies. "Oh, why hello their little girl! Is there something you want?" A very pretty lady addresses you with a big smile. "M'lady, cease such idle chat at once! You should know better to converse with a street urchin like that! She's below your station. What would your father say?! Another lady, no doubt a lady-in-waiting or a courtier of sorts, admonishes the pretty lady. "What's the harm? Here little girl, are you hungry?" The nice lady hands you a small coin, for you to buy bread. "Your father will not approve of this, Lady Phinzie! Come now, we have to get ready for the--oh stuff it you!" Lady Phinzie notices that Elayana is still standing there, with her mouth agape. "Oh, hmm? Was there something else that you wanted?" Obviously your original intent was lost on the two courtly ladies. Leaf:Leaf's frenzied panic left him somewhat disoriented, but he quickly regains his bearings and flutters towards the palace district. All around him are couriers and courtiers, with tailors, and jewelers, and alchemists, and all manners of shops that the rich might frequent. Looming above you is the palace wall. The streets are packed, the jingle of coins fills the air, and all seems well, at least, for the humans at least.

Guards stand on every street, wearing shiny steel breastplates and stylized helmets. Leaf figures the guards are mostly for show, but it never hurt to be careful... He then notices a distinct lack of non-humans, both among the merchants and the pedestrians. Leaf can hide in the crowd for a while, but eventually, he is going to be discovered. For now though, he's "safe," whatever that means...

[RaggedAngel]

Carmine chooses to run toward people. Even cold-blooded killers had to restrain themselves in a crowded market square. She also had a distinct advantage when it came to maneuvering through people.

She begins run actions towards the center of town as fast as she can. She switches to double move actions just before she has to start making constitution checks.

When she is obstructed by people, she tumbles past them instead of asking them to move. If they're hostile, she'll avoid them. If they're just surprised, she plows past them.

Tumble checks: [roll0] [roll1] [roll2]

[Noblesse]

Elayana

Seen but not heard indeed! Why must I be taken so lightly! I'm already thirteen years old! Trying her best to maintain a pleasant exterior, Elayana manages to put forth a smile and curtsies, says her thanks and walks away. "Those old bats wouldn't give me the time of day! They thought I was a beggar or something! How are things on your end?" She thought to Alexander as she made her way towards what she assumed would be the noble/royal district.


Alexander

The scene before him was more akin to the traveling circus that he accompanied Elayana to a few months prior than the interior of a great city; or maybe even a play, the goblin seemingly caring more for the themactics for the of the event than anything else. Yet another person who may know just who I really am... I'm not liking this, but I have to get the bottom of this. ----"Nothing yet.... wait. Something about a Mr. Hunk controlling this district and how I should head there... I don't know, it seems potentially dangerous... No, no no. I'll check it out first and then I'll let you know if it's safe. Now don't wander off too far ok?" Crisis averted. Elayana was the type to waltz into a den of wolves without taking a second to think of the danger. Now to find this "Mr Hunk". Maybe the patrons of the tavern will know. So Alexander walks in to find out where to find this person.
gather information[roll0]

[MandibleBones]

What is a Mister Hunk, and how can I find it? Leaf thinks. More importantly, does it have food and shelter for this poor Leaf? He listens around, staying as out of sight as possible, hoping to hear the name. Part of him wants to ask the nice people here about the name, but most of him is wise enough to know that'd be a bad idea. For now, anyway.

[Neftren]

Alexander:As Alexander enters the tavern, he notices the inside is mostly dark and smoky. Approaching the bar, he casually orders a drink (for [roll0] gold pieces), Alexander asks around for some more information on Mr. Hunk. The bartender slides him a drink with a cheery smile, taps the napkin twice, and winks. Alexander lifts up the napkin, and notices a small letter written on the back. "You aren't safe here; not while the guards are still outside. Mr. Hunk may control this district, but even his operatives are not immune to the law. They can only stall the guards for so long. The palace district is some ways across the city, but there's a shortcut through the sewers, if you're willing to take the risk. There's a drain grate in the backroom. Good luck." Behind the bartender, Alexander sees an open door into the backroom. Just next to it, there are a set of stairs, and there's the entrance to the tavern behind you. Elayana:Elayana reaches the palace district, finally. It was a tiring walk. It's packed. All around are couriers and courtiers, with tailors, and jewelers, and alchemists, and all manners of shops that the rich might frequent. Looming above Elayana is the palace wall. The streets are packed, the jingle of coins fills the air, and all seems well.

Guards stand on every street, wearing shiny steel breastplates and stylized helmets. Elayana figures the guards are mostly for show, but it never hurts to be careful... As she moves through the crowded street, she sees the two ladies from the square again, this time surrounded by even more courtiers and ladies-in-waiting. A small pseudodragon bumps into the first lady (Lady Phinzie), and she gives a frightful shriek.Carmine:Carmine dashes through the crowd, knocking down one person, then another, and jumping over various barrels and implements. Throwing a quick glance behind her, she is rewarded by the sight of the troll stopped at the intersection, scratching his head. However, Carmine's momentary look back distracted her for long enough that she suddenly slammed into a portly dwarf, and was knocked off her feet. When she stood up, she hears a loud roar, and screams coming behind her. Don't. Look. Back. Don't. Look. Back. Despite her best efforts to not look back ... she looked back.

The troll roared again, and charged through the crowd, knocking people left and right, as if they were bowling pins. A cart turned into a mere pile of splinters, while a horse went flying. Literally, flying ... aaaand, WHUMP! It lands in front of Carmine, just a few meters to the right. There's only one word for this kind of situation. Stampede.

Up ahead, Carmine sees an even more densely packed crowd. A small cluster of courtiers is clustered outside a jeweler's store. Across the street, you see a small girl. You hear a frightful shriek come from the cluster of courtiers, and a small pseudodragon comes flying out of the pack. Leaf:Leaf's questions leaves him momentarily distracted, and he runs into a young lady, dressed in all sorts of courtly finery. She gives a frightful shriek, and whacks him with her handbag, and he goes flying out of the courtier pack, right into an oncoming stampede. Leaf hears a loud roar, and looks down the street.

A young woman sticks out like a sore thumb, and behind her, a large troll is barreling through the crowd, knocking people flying as if they were bowling pins. Looking up the street (the other way), Leaf notices a huge legion of guards rushing down the street, crying "Out of the way! Out of the way!"

[MandibleBones]

"Oh, Bugger," anyone within Leaf's telepathy range can hear as he dodges the lady's handbag. He flits low through the crowd toward the troll. "You wouldn't be Mister Hunk, would you?" he queries telepathically.

[RaggedAngel]

Carmine continues to rush as quickly as she can through the crowd, insinuating herself through them just as her words normally worked her into a conversation. She had put significant time and practice into rolling and tumbling through crowds for this very purpose, though she had never been quite this endangered while doing so.

She notices the psuedodragon, which is quite out of place in the otherwise normal street. She marks it for later, and then continues her headlong dash. She has regained her stride a bit, and even manages to roll past and under a few people in ways that she wouldn't have thought possible, had she been tumbling under less stressful situations.

Another round of Tumble Checks:

[roll0] [roll1] [roll2]

[Noblesse]

Elayana

Not THEM again. The mere sight of those pompous women made her cringe. Then of all things, a tiny dragon flew straight into one of them! Trying her best to keep from being caught laughing, she turned to the side and quietly chuckled to herself. "What was that?" For some reason anytime Elayana laughed she couldn't help but also channel it through mindlink. "Some tiny dragon just smashed right into miss fancy pants. It was soo funny. On another note though, I'm in the palace district now. The castle seems to be guarded fairly well." Now that she re-composed herself she tried to spot to see if there were any gaps in the defenses of the castle should they have to sneak in without a cover. Elayana was one to like to have at least two plans, to keep Alexander and his overprotectiveness in check. "You're in the palace district? Excellent. Stay there, I'll be right over." "Fine, fine, I don't fancy his place much anyway". Well, in the mean time, I might as well try to find something out. I can't keep letting him do all the work. With that she walked up to the oldest guard she could see and tried to inquire how one would go about becoming a servant at the castle.

spot check: [roll0]
gather information: [roll1]


Alexander

Right as he was about to leave the drink, quite untouched, at the table Alexander suddenly hears laughing within his head. What was that? he queried to the girl. After receiving her response Alexander signed. She truly is a free spirit, even with that quite threatening letter she only seems to have a care as to how a couple of nobles treat her. Pausing a moment longer Alexander thought over to Elayana. "You're in the palace district? Excellent. Stay there, I'll be right over." "Thank you barkeep for the drink and advice. Stay well." With that Alexander quietly made his way for the back room, attempted to find the sewer hatch and headed for the district based on the relative location of the castle to the tavern. Normally Alexander would have inquired a bit more and attempted to ascertain the legitimacy of the contents of the note, but it had already been too long of a separation, especially with the recent events and people who seem to know too much.

[Neftren]

Alexander:Alexander locates the entrance easily enough, though he is immediately blocked by a number of obstacles. On attempting to lift the grate off, he discovers that not only is the grate padlocked, it is also bolted to the floor, though on closer inspection, unlocking the padlock will grant access to the bolt mechanism. He then realizes that the sewers are pitch black, and are probably a veritable maze of winding passageways. Looking around, Alexander sees a small pile of scrolls, and a small catapult-like contraption. A very long metal pole stands off to the side. Lining the room on all sides are various supplies and barrels on shelves, and heavy boxes appear to be at the top of each shelf. There are small service ladders standing about to enable easy access to each shelf.

[OOC: There are multiple ways to get into the sewers from here, and whatever method you choose here will affect the course of the future. The other way in is to search for a key, but I can't tell you how effective that may or may not be.]Elayana:Elayana hears a loud roar behind her. She turns around, only to see a gigantic troll charging down the street, sending pedestrians flying like bowling pins. Suddenly, the area is swarming with royal guards, crying "Protect the princess! Hold your ground men! Pikemen to the front!" Elayana is swept along into the massive cluster of courtiers, now shielded by a cohort of imperial legionnaires. Unfortunately, the crowd has become as much of an asset as it is a liability, as the entire street has turned into a full scale stampede. Anywhere, everywhere, it doesn't matter. In a crowd, all sense of order is lost. Chaos reigns, though for the moment, Elayana is safe in an island of sharpened steel.Carmine:Thankfully Carmine manages to avoid almost everyone by this time, despite the chaos of the stampeding crowd. Unfortunately, a huge legion of imperial legionnaires lies dead ahead, crying "Protect the princess! Stand your ground!" Off to the side, she notices a small man beckoning to her. "Pssst. Over here! If you want to make it through today, come over here!" Glancing back towards the pseudodragon, she notices it fluttering directly towards the troll. No no, it was clearly flying towards the troll... Oh dear...Leaf:The troll roars again, crying "Graaaargh! Puny pseudodragon! Out of my way! Me not Mr. Hunk! Mr. Hunk want me find elf! You in way of me! Graaaagh! Get out of my mind!" He takes a poorly aimed swipe at you and misses. Behind you, you hear the loud clanking of soldiers in heavy armor. You hear the captain of the guard giving orders. "Ready!" A loud chorusing of safeties flicking off is warning enough. Off to the side, you notice a small man beckoning at you. "Pssst. Over here! If you want to make it through today, come over here!" The captain of the guard has steadied his men enough to declare, "Aaaaaaiiim!" Probably best not to let him get to "Fire!"...

[RaggedAngel]

Carmine blanks for a moment, then darts over to the man. She doesn't let him get too close, and moves with him until they're out of sight of the street. Once they are, she turns to him. "Who are you, what do you know, and did you get a letter this morning?"

[MandibleBones]

Leaf doesn't let them get to "fire." The little dragon takes a swing at the troll with his tail before making a wingover and makes a roundabout line for the beckoning man, staying low and under the cover of the crowd the whole time.

Tail Sting: [roll0], (Critthreat on 30; confirm [roll1] for double damage, damage [roll2] plus DC17 sleep poison. AC is 22 versus the inevitable attack of opportunity as he flees for his move action; and Hide [roll3] and Move Silently [roll4] from the guards, using people's legs as cover.

[Neftren]

Carmine and Leaf:Carmine sees the pseudodragon rush over after taking a small swipe at the troll. It finally saw reason. Typical. Leaf's rushed trajectory brings him hurtling towards Carmine and the small man. The man says quietly, "I'm sorry to have to do this. Leaf? Carmine? Are we ready? No? Good." Suddenly, strong arms grab hold of Carmine, and a hood is rushed over her face. Just as the hood drops over her eyes, Carmine sees two men in dark hoods stuffing Leaf into a rough sack.

Both of you are roughly dragged to an unspecified location. Carmine feels her feet leave the cobblestones as both of you are dumped into what you think is a small wagon. After a stomach-wobbling ride, the blindfolds are removed. A few small barrels are off to the side, and you're both in an alleyway of sorts, far back and not a soul to be seen, other than the men holding the two of you. The same squat man steps out of the wagon, his boots clinking on the rough brick. He paces back and forth a bit, before finally saying, "Hello, hello. Welcome, to the Citadel. No doubt you have a number of questions, but oh! How rude of me! Allow me to introduce myself. I, am Mr. Hunk. To answer the elf's question, well, of course, I answered the first part. What do I know? Why, there's quite a lot of things I know. As for a letter, I received a number of letters this morning. One had to do with my brother's dying cow, another had to do with the seventeen murders perpetrated by various thugs across the city, and the list goes on and on. Oh, forgive me; I'm rambling again. Oh, don't let me do all the talking now! Perhaps we should play twenty questions...? I'll start. You received a letter this morning, asking you to assassinate the King. I'd like to know who gave you that letter, or perhaps more specifically, who is employing you."

[RaggedAngel]

Carmine closed her eyes, took a breath, and began the speech that would save her life. Her sister had once said that she could convince a dwarf to swear off ale; it was time to find out if she was right.

"Well, Mr. Hunk, I would first of all like to compliment you on captureing me in such an impressive and spectacular manner. Granted, I am a bit miffed at the abrupt and rough treatment with which I was handled, but the simple act of unrestraining me would fix all of our problems." She gestures towards herself with a shrug. "I have nothing but a single dagger on my person, and I am hardly a threat to you or your men. Furthermore, as you have me dead to rights, I see no problem with simply allowing me the freedom to speak and interact with you as a person instead of a captive. I might also point out that should any upright citizen or guard see us in this unfortunate position, they may feel compelled to act out against you."

She barely takes a breath as she continues, not giving anyone room to brake through her wall of convincing words. "I would like to also state that I have not the faintest clue as to who sent me a letter, and I feel that by working together we can profit far more than we could by fighting each other. I hold no loyalty to the lettersender and no real personal responsibility to the quest that they have sent me on; however, I take threats of death seriously, and I felt that I was able to accomplish the task at hand. If you would like to join with me and aid me in this task, or simply help me determine who sent me the letter, I am sure that we will have no ill regards in the future."

She leans back and smiles, as if she hadn't said anything at all.

Diplomacy: [roll0]

EDIT- The DC to turn him from Hostile to Friendly is 35. Want to give me a roleplaying bonus for that last point? :smallwink:

[Noblesse]

Elayana

The sudden appearance of the troll only let her do one thing. SCREAM. The near immediate surrounding with protection helped calm her some, but she immediately defaulted to her #1 method of avoiding dangerous situations. HELP!!! A TROLL IS IN THE PALACE DISTRICT! HURRY HURRY! She thought very highly of her guardian's abilities, he had saved her countless times. Although she had a tendency of sometimes thinking that only he could solve things when others (the legionnaires) clearly had the situation under control. After all, they hadn't run into anything yet that he couldn't. This was one of those situations. "Stay out of it's way, and hide. I'm coming for you." His voice calmed her down. Then she was able to think rationally again. She was grouped with all of the people that would most likely be going into the castle for the party. If she sticks with them she might be able to get in and maybe even secure an entrance for Alexander.


Alexander

After seeing what he had to work with--- he heard it. Elayana was in trouble, and she was some distance away. The only way he could get to her in time would be through these sewers, but he'd have to act fast. The difficulties of the sewers would prove to delay him far too much should he act too hastily though. "Stay out of it's way, and hide. I'm coming for you." Hurriedly he rummaged through the scrolls hoping to find a map of the sewers or the like, tossing the non-related ones to the side, much unlike his normal nature, which would be careful and delicate with such things, leaving everything as he found it. But when Elayana is in distress, Alexander sees no need for those practices. Regardless of the fruits of that search he then searches through the supplies for any source of light, be it torches or sunrods or anything else. Throughout the whole time he keeps an eye out for any keys. He had other methods of getting through the grate, but would prefer more conventional ways if it didn't slow him down too much.

Search Check: [roll0]
Search Check: [roll1]
(in case I need 2)


OOC: in the interest of keeping speed with the rest of the group---
ideal
find map : use map to navigate the sewers correctly
find key : unlock the pad lock
find light : use light to see in sewers

don't find key: use pole to pry open the grate

no key and pole doesn't work: activate bite of the wolf (1 PP) and rip the grate off (2d8+1 damage) -- lasts 5 minutes

no map: guess best way based on direction of the castle and as he gets closer the shouting of the people (he would assume people would be if there was a troll in the district)

no light: --i'll have to think on that one.

^^of course if keeping pace isn't an issue feel free to ignore this spoiler all together :-)

[MandibleBones]

Actions for Leaf, also visible to Carmine:
Leaf trembles a bit, not at all happy with the bag, but manages to curl up around Carmine's shoulders. "What she said!" he emotes to both Carmine and Mister Hunk. "The guy who gave me the letter was just some clueless thug, and I have no idea who he works for. He's, um, tall. With hair. And possibly a nose. I'm not sure. I wish I could help, I do, I do!" If he needed to talk to use his telepathy, he'd be panting with lack of breath by now. As it is, he's merely making mewling sounds and attempting to look harmless.

Rolls and Such:
Aid Another check, untrained, for Diplomacy: [roll0] with DC10 to give Carmine a +2 bonus to her check. Edit: Ow. It's a good thing there's no critical failures in skill checks. Apparently, Leaf looks too pathetic to sway anyone's mood.

Also, wow, I missed the troll with a 24? Nice AC on that guy!

[Neftren]

Alexander:Alexander rummages around the room, but is unable to find a map. However, he does locate a number of sunrods and torches under a small table (approximately three of each). Alexander finds no key. He turns to grab the pole and attempts to pry open the grate, and succeeds in breaking the deadbolts, but still has the problem of the padlock. In a rush now, Alexander stoops forward and grows a set of fangs, rushing at the grate, attempting to bite it off. It takes him a few tries to wrap his teeth around it, but finally the grate pops off!

It's about a ten foot vertical drop, with no ladder, to enter the sewers. There's a bit of reflected light from the storeroom--obviously there's some kind of liquid down there... ugh, probably best not to think about what that liquid is :smalltongue:. You guess that the passage below goes to the left and the right of you (approximately East and West), while you know that the palace is north. Whatever direction you decide, just remember, there's no going back...Elayana:You suddenly feel the entire group begin to move, as if you were being herded towards some objective. Unfortunately, you're not quite tall enough to see where you're going exactly. Looking up though, Elayana notices the streets becoming more and more grand, and then she notices a massive, forty foot tall gate bearing down over her. The palace... "Oh! It's you again little girl!" Elayana suddenly bumps again into Lady Phinzie. "I didn't realize you were with us at the palace too! Who are you with?" Obviously Lady Phinzie is not the most observant of courtly individuals.Carmine and Leaf:"Ahahaha! Aha! Ahahahaha! Aha... aha.. aaah, forgive me. Excuse me. You're free to go whenever you want. Of course, "free to go" can have a lot of meanings. At any time, please feel free to walk through that door over there, oh, but do watch your step. I'd hate for you to ... take a fall so to speak. Now, as for the guard, I shall answer the unstated question. No 'upright' citizen would speak out against me, just as any true guardsman would speak out against me. In a way, I am the guard, I am the city, I am, well, let's just say, I have my fingers in just about everything here."

He stops to take a breath, inhaling and exhaling slowly. It was clear Mr. Hunk was not in good health before. Now after his fit of laughter, he looked like a sack of bones with some meat hanging off, not to mention... even shorter than you initially judged him. "Now, now, I think both of you got the wrong impression. I am here to ... save your lives. You! Pseudodragon! Calm down! You know, you look pathetic like that, mewling like some sort of kitten. Oh, please excuse my gnoll. See that guy behind you? He's tall, he has hair, and he most certainly has a nose. I rest my case."

"Now, it just so happens that I also need a certain individual eliminated, and said individual is also the same individual as noted on your letter. Yes, I need you to assassinate the king. There's a bit more behind it. In anycase, if someone is attempting to assassinate the king, I generally tend to find out about it. I also need you to steal something for me, but that's dependent on whether or not you actually survive the first part. So, since you've clearly blown an hour running around, what have you uncovered?"

[OOC: Well, you're lucky he wasn't actually hostile. :smalltongue: Oh, and MandibleBones, you came within 1 point of hitting him. Troll in essentially full plate, and then add on a buckler and possibly some magic items that I won't reveal to you at this time. :smallbiggrin:]

[MandibleBones]

Leaf (and visible to Carmine)
Leaf is still twitching, but the vague threat of a fall actually calms him down. Open air doesn't scare me, he thinks, careful not to broadcast those thoughts. Instead, his tiny mental voice asks, "Why does everyone want the king dead?" It comes out as more of a squeak than he wants, even mentally, but he presses on. "Why not just lift the MacGuffin and be done with it?"

[RaggedAngel]

Carmine took a moment to glance at the psuedodragon. It... looked like an animal, but she had heard it speak, sort of. If it was, it would be a valuable ally. She made a note to be friendly to it, and possibly find out what psuedodragon's liked to eat. The quickest way to a sentient monster's heart was through it's stomach, after all.

She then turned back to Mr. Hunk, giving him a light curtsey. "I would be happy to kill the king for both of you, but there's a problem. They also want me to steal something, and I would bet my right hand that it's the same something. I have not managed to uncover much of anything, despite my tongue; I was a bit distracted by a giant troll who was trying to kill me." She gestures to her wounds, lifting up her shirt a bit to show him the bruising and abrasions.

"By the way, I would take it as a great favor if you could get a potion or a cleric; this really hurts, and I would bet my left hand that I'm going to have to fight my way out of the castle tonight. I would also like to point out the fact that a man in your hire caused the damage."

[Noblesse]

Alexander


Drat. I knew I shouldn't of thrown out that walkthrough!

No time. Must get there fast. Grabbing a sunrod he smashes it against the ground setting it aglow. Taking a deep breath, he then lowered himself into the sewer, swinging over towards the side, hoping to avoid as much of the foul liquid below as possible. Holding the sunrod out in front of him, Alexander dashed off to the east.

If he quickly finds that it turns/bends south, he'll reverse direction and try the other way.

If he hears what he assumes will be the palace district (a bunch of sound above), he'll find the closest exit.


Elayana

Her luck it seemed had taken a turn for the better. She was inside. Now all she had to do was to stow away somewhere. Not HER again... Quickly realizing that it would do no good to show any amount of rudeness to someone who was rightfully in the palace, Elayana put on a smiling face and did as much of a curtsy and a bow as she could while moving with the group,"Madame, my apologies for bumping into you just now. I'm going to be here as a servant for the festivities tonight, but for the life of me I can't recall who I was supposed to report to."/

[Neftren]

Alexander:Alexander dashes through the murky sewers, heading east. Sounds echo from all over parts of the city, making any sort of sound-based navigation useless. Eventually, Alexander reaches a four-way intersection, where four "canals" intersect. If he wants to avoid swimming through the muck, his option is to either return the way he came, or turn right and keep running. All along the walls though, are different colored arrows. A green one points back in the direction from whence you came, while two red ones point the way you're headed. A yellow one and a blue one point to the left, while a purple one points to the right, directly opposite and contrasting the blue and yellow arrows.

[OOC: There's no rush to get you in the same timeframe. Anyway, I'll stop giving Cardinal Directions now, so you'll have to keep track of what direction you're running now. :smallbiggrin: If you haven't guessed by now, the arrows do represent some information for you to figure out.]Elayana:"Oh! I'm afraid I don't know anything about that. Whatever. It's not like I know any of the other servants. You can't wear that for the party tonight though. Go find Madame Darnier to get some appropriate clothing." Lady Phinzie looks upon your garb with apparent distaste.

You soon enter the palace, passing under the massive gate. The crowd of courtiers immediately disperses in the large courtyard. Tables and chairs are already being setup in precise rows and columns around a central stage. At the center of it all is a dumpy, squat looking man wildly waving his arms about. To the left are the palace gardens. Behind the stage is the palace proper, and to the right are various servants buildings and support facilities.

[OOC: I suppose this concludes Elayana's first hour. It's now 1pm for her. The party starts at 10p. Now that you're into the palace, you'll have to find some way to stick around inconspicuously for nine more hours. Explore, find a disguise, etc. Whatever you want to do. :smallbiggrin:]Carmine and Leaf:"I think we seem to be on different pages. You're here to kill the king of this Citadel. I, need you to kill the king of Dollifraum, or rather, Crown Prince of Dollifraum, who is here visiting the Citadel seeking the hand of marriage of the king's daughter, Lady Phinzie. He (the prince) is returning the Signet of Exalted Declarations. Any royal decree issued bearing the seal of said signet will be irrevocable." Mr. Hunk crosses his arms across his chest and gives a hacking cough.

"The king that you're supposed to be assassinating has been oppressing the non-human masses for most of the past three decades. It had to be coming. Unfortunately, regicide is not the easiest of tasks. In the past seven months, there have been thirty-seven assassination attempts, of which thirty-six failed. The one successful one only killed the food-tester. The assassin? His body was displayed outside the city gates for a week for the vultures to pick at."

Mr. Hunk reaches behind him and pulls out a potion of cure light wounds. He passes it to Carmine before continuing. "Here, a potion. As for a man in my employ, I don't recall any thing of the sort. The troll works for me yes, and gets out of hand every so often... if he isn't dead yet, he'll be dead by tonight for his mistakes. You mentioned men though. I don't employ humans in recovery operations. You must be mistaken."

[OOC: Random background information. Dollifraum is a sort of feudal vassal kingdom under the control of the main kingdom. The royal signet was passed to them for one reason or another, in order to issue a decree, and is now being returned. Quick reminder from the letter if you forgot: you need to kill the king of the citadel, and steal the key from his neck, that opens the safe holding the Sceptre of Ages.]

[RaggedAngel]

Leaf and DM:
Carmine holds up the potion to Mr. Hunk as one might a fine wine before drinking. "I thank you kindly, sir, for recognising and fixing the mistakes of your hirelings. I may even consider being a hireling of yours myself, if you prove to be a good employer. Allow me to get this straight, then; you wish for me to kill another king in addition to the king that I already had to kill, and get this seal in addition to a key that I have to use to get a scepter to return to a man who may kill me when I meet him, and then get the seal to you, who may kill me once my use is finished?" She pauses for a moment.

"Sounds good. One question: can I take the dragon-ette with me?" She gestures to the dragon with here empty right hand. She then walks over to Mr. Hunk, and holds out the same arm to him, after carefully pulling up her sleave to reveal an unarmed arm. She places her hand on his shoulder carefully, and looks him directly in the eyes. "I promise you, sir, that I'm far more trouble than I look. I think I can manage to kill two old men." She removes her hand from his shoulder; it is now holding a gleaming dagger.

[MandibleBones]

Carmine and DM
Leaf wraps himself around Carmine's shoulders like a cat, still somewhat afraid of this Mister Hunk fellow. "Dragonling," he mutters telepathically. "Ette is the feminine diminutive..." and then he scratches his head, adjusting the headband pulled down across his tiny dragon ears. "Um, what was I saying?"

[Noblesse]

Alexander and Elayana

Arriving at the four way intersection Alexander spots the arrows and stops. Dang it! It might of been faster to just run. "Shortcut my...." at that point his thoughts were interrupted.

"I'm in! I'm in!" All sign of fear was absent from her words. She was safe. Once again she made him worry for nothing. "Where is 'here'?" "The castle. And I did it ALL on my own! I'll try to find a way to get you in as well." "Understood. Try not to stand out, stay low and if you find yourself in trouble... you know what to do." "Yeah yeah run away and hide and you'll come find me."

Now Alexander wasn't as pressed for time. Given the overwhelming nature of the letter, knowing how to navigate these sewers would be great, most likely as an escape route. With that Alexander heads towards the right. The clean route takes me south.... but purple is a royal color after all, might as well stay clean for as long as I can. While going through Alexander keeps an eye out for exits.


OOC: After finding the first exit (assuming there isn't another intersection) Alexander will attempt to exit said exit and note to himself where he is in the city, and in particular in relation to the palace. If there is an intersection he'll follow the purple arrows.

If he is not in the palace/palace district he'll go back in, go back to the intersection and try the double red. Repeat. Blue. Repeat. Yellow.

[Neftren]

Alexander:Alexander progresses slowly through the sewers, finally coming to a ladder leading high above. Light seeps through a few cracks, and water drips down from who knows where. A few steps in front of him is a welded iron grate, blocking his way forward. Purple arrows point directly through the grate. The area beyond though, looks to be very well lit. A few rats scrabble across the damp stones, and the moans and screams of things can faintly be heard echoing from around the corner ahead.

[OOC: Elayana may have made it inside, but Alexander still needs a way into the palace somehow.]Elayana:[OOC: Plan? Need more Guidance or...?]Carmine and Leaf:"It's not toxic," gesturing towards the potion. "At least, I don't think it's toxic to elves. As for working for me, I'm afraid I do not hire elves nor humans for my dangerous and/or potentially violent jobs. Furthermore, it would be unwise for you to attempt to point any sort of weapon at me. It could very well be your last moment." Looking down, Carmine sees a small crossbow pointed directly at her guts.

"Now, onto business then. I'm not forcing you to kill this king, or that king. I'm merely suggesting that you kill two birds with one stone here. In exchange, I can help you with various cursory matters. I believe your description is, oh, what's the term? 'Close enough'? Well, it'll have to do for now."

"Did you have any sort of plan? Oh, oh let me guess, no plan."

[MandibleBones]

"A plan would imply that we knew about this before an hour ago," Leaf thinks audibly. "So, no. Leaf doesn't kill people normally."

[RaggedAngel]

Leaf and DM
Carmine stares at the man for a moment with a smirk. The dagger disappears into the folds of her clothes. "I must say, sir, that you impress me. And, I would like to note that I am neither an elf nor a human; I've got all the grace of a human, you see, and all the skill of an elf." She smiles at her own joke. "Forgive me for the levity, though. And, yes, the adorable dragonling is correct; I simply haven't had enough time to make a plan. I was attempting to get information from a few resources, but they kept pointing me to you. So, here I am." She absentmindedly scratches Leaf behind the ears, then abruptly stops, and looks at him. "Oh, sorry about that. You're like a little person, aren't you. I don't mean to offend."

[Noblesse]

Alexander

The sewers smelled horrid and were taking far too long. Had Elayana been in real danger... Alexander futilely tried to push it out of his mind. Next time... he'll do better. *Click* The mindlink wore off. He needed to hurry. The sounds ahead bothered him, but he had no time for that. He climbed the ladder as quietly as he could and tried to get out of the sewers, but before trying to open the top, he stopped and listened, to try to hear if anyone was above.
Listen: [roll0]

Elayana

Now that she was in, she had to try to find a way to stay in. It would do no good to be kicked out before the festivities. With that she made her way towards the the man in the center. "Please excuse sir, but where could I find Madame Darnier? I'm afraid I still need to obtain the proper attire for this evening." With that she did a slight curtsy and put on her charming smile. Before the man could answer she heard a click in her head. The mindlink power's effect had worn off and Alexander was nowhere to be found. As much as she tried to be free from his overprotectiveness, it truly was a comfort to her knowing he was around to save her if and when she needed it.

[MandibleBones]

Leaf looks at Carmine with wide, sad eyes. "Yes. Yes I am. But keep doing that. Please."

[Neftren]

Alexander:Opening the sewer grate, Alexander finds himself just outside a massive wall. To the left and right, shopkeepers, merchants, courtiers, and the like, bustle about their daily business. Various noblemen and noblewomen flit about the streets shopping or eating at the various cafes. There are also a number of servants in various uniforms and finery, though a number of men are also dressed pretty casually: probably workers. Alexander wouldn't have any problem blending in with them, except for the smell of course.

Down the street, you see a large group of soldiers clearing away the wreckage of what looks like a riot. Off to the side, you see a number of soldiers interviewing pedestrians, and farther down the street, the corpse of a troll is being dragged away. Well, you know you're mostly in the right place... now to find a way in.Elayana:"Hmm? You one of those scamp serving girls? Heh, I guess they're so desperate they'll take anyone these days. Back in the glorious--ah, what am I saying?" He shakes his head. "Over there, on the right. Second tent on the left, go through the back, up the stairs, then back along the terrace and through the arch. Got that? No? Figure it out yourself. I'm busy." He turns away and starts shouting at a few other servants. "Hey, you nitwits! Fork, on the left! Knife! On the RIGHT!" He marches off into the distance.Carmine and Leaf:"Amusing. Well, you see, if I had the resources to infiltrate the palace, I'd have done so already. My problem is that I only have non-human staffers... that is, non-humans with any combat ability. I considered a stealth approach, going through the sewers. Unfortunately, that's also where the prisons are, and no doubt, a horde of guards. I've got a lot of good men and women trapped in there." He sighs, before continuing, "I've tried infiltrating people into the servant corps, but they too are strictly human. At least, the ones with any important access. Perhaps an elf, err, human, err, half-elf can fare better that way, but you'll be on your own after that. There's also a more... militant approach. I can create a distraction on one side of the palace while you climb over the other during the chaos. Beyond that, I'm stumped. You got any suggestions on that end? It's a pretty standard palace. Tough as a nut, but not invincible. I just don't have the resources to have a real go at it..."

[Noblesse]

Elayana

Gritting her teeth Elayana managed to maintain a faux smile throughout the bombardment of derogatory remarks pointed at her. Keeping a similar appearance she said "Thank you sirrrr" through her teeth. Luckily he wasn't paying too much attention to her or surely he would have said something about the foul glare she wasn't able to hold back. Stay out of trouble Elayana. Stay out of trouble, Alexander isn't here yet. With that she headed out to Madame Darnier. Following the directions she found herself passing under the arch.

Alexander

Ah, the welded shut gate below prevents sewer access to inside the palace. It was only after that thought that he became all too aware of his stench. It was highly unlikely he could pass as a servant or the like until he fixed this, much less would Elayana allow him within ten feet of him. But first thing was first. He had to find a way inside, and with that many guards outside, the sewer seemed to be the most reliable. It sure didn't seem like he could smell any worse at any rate. He then re-decended into the sewer activating bite of the wolf once more and proceeded to try to rip open a hole in the grate large enough for him to pass through.

PP Remaining: 13/16 (1 mindlink, 1 bite, 1 bite)
Bite Damage Note: 2d8+1 (magic) duration 5 minutes.
if for some reason he still has any duration left from the previous use he won't cast it again before trying.

[RaggedAngel]

Leaf and DM:
Carmine laughs. "You know, you could be a really powerful person if it weren't for all of your money and resources. They limit you. There's a ball tonight, Mr. Hunk. I don't need to sneak in through the sewers, or attack the place with a legion. I just need to walk in the front door, dressed up like a noblewoman. I have the proper clothes at my home. It would even be justified for a noblewoman to have an, ahem, 'pet' such as a psuedodragon, as long as I emphasised my exotic nature. I can put on an accent, smile and talk my way in, possibly by bribeing a few men, and then ingratiate myself with one of the kings. If I'm lucky I'll get myself invited to, er, have a business discussion in his private quarters." She winks. "From there it's a simple task to stab him to death before he can call for help."

[MandibleBones]

Carmine and DM
"The guards who yelled at me earlier said something about papers. Will that be a problem?"

[Neftren]

Elayana:Elayana finds herself in a small stone courtyard. Off to the side, she sees a dumpy woman barking out orders. Said woman suddenly notices you, and shouts at you, "You there! What are you doing, standing around? We don't pay you to look pretty here! Oh, wait, yes we do..." Behind her, Elayana sees large wagons full of clothes and other supplies, no doubt brought in specially for the event. Alexander:Alexander's attempt to knock down the gate fails. He'll have to find another way to break down the grate. Perhaps some of the shopkeepers might have something...Carmine and Leaf:"And now you see my problem. At least, the Pseudodragon does anyway. Nothing gets done in this city without the appropriate papers. That's bureaucracy for you! Anyway, there's no way into the palace without the right papers. In tonight's case, either you have an invitation, or you're on the guest list. We have neither, and they can't be faked. I'm not sure if bribing a noble to escort you in will work, but I suppose it's worth a try. We can still create a distraction behind the palace, or if you think that'll tip them off, we'll hold off. What do you need from us?"

[RaggedAngel]

Leaf and DM:
Carmine thinks for a moment. "Well, the real problem is the fact that we have to get to two different kings quickly enough that one of their bodies isn't found before we get the other one. Honestly? We need help. I don't know about this little guy-" She scratches his ears absentmindedly again- "but I don't like my odd alone against the kings guards. I'm killer, I mean really, really deadly in the first few moments of a fight, but once my opponents are ready for me I lose the ability to really inflict any damage. Without a distraction like, um... Leaf! That's what it was. Anyway, without a distraction like Leaf here I'd go down, and the king would be revived. More than anything, we need help. I feel confident in my ability to convince a noble to bring me in the front door, but a team coming in from the backside or the sewers would be wonderful."

[Neftren]

Carmine and Leaf:"I can arrange for two strike teams to assault the palace simultaneously, if you think you can get into the palace on your own. We'll attack at quarter to eleven. That should give you enough time to infiltrate the palace and locate your targets. Does that work for you?"

[RaggedAngel]

Leaf and DM
Carmine looks to the little dragon on her shoulder. "That sounds good. If this works out correctly, I have just one other request." She leans forward a bit, and whispers. "I want you to help me murder the person who sent me this letter. I don't want anyone to think that they can manipulate me." She straightens back up, cheerful-seeming again. "Other than that minor detail, I'm fine with the plan."

[Noblesse]

Elayana

Absolutely nobody seems to have any manners in this town. Still, must remain calm and nice, can't be kicked out just yet. "Madame, I was told to come up and don my attire for the night. As I can imagine you must be incredibly busy preparing for the night's festivities, would you mind if I took the liberty of picking out my own clothes?"
**With the assumed unspoken permission Elayana gracefully started rummaging through the cloths, being careful to not disturb the order or appearance of any of them; searching for something suitable for the night. Ideally something attractive, yet not entirely eye-catching, at the same time nothing too restrictive. She had a feeling she might have to be able to run later that night.

**If the madame doesn't directly point her towards a particular outfit. or otherwise


Alexander

The welded gate wasn't going to budge with anything he had with him. Before leaving the sewer, he lays down the sunrod on a dry place on the ground, he didn't want any questions as to why he needed a source of light at this time of day, granted, one might just figure it out after getting a good whiff of him.

After exiting the manhole he recovered it. He still needed a way in, but at the moment that grate seemed to be the most promising method. He could certainly just fly inside, grab the girl and get out, but that would ruin any chances of accomplishing anything--making the two of them a target for both the guards and the allies of the letter sender. He started looking for some shops, preferably those that may need some manual labor. If he could help them with a task, maybe they could lend him something to remove the grate. How he would convince them to do that-- he hadn't thought of yet. He certainly couldn't say he needed it to break into the palace.

[Neftren]

Elayana:"Yes, yes, no, no that one. That'll do." She hands you a dark blue tunic and matching skirt. "Be sure to return it after tonight." She turns away, and pauses, then turns back. "Ah, what did you say your name was?" She raises an eyebrow. "Who sent you this way?"Alexander:Looking around the street, Alexander notices a jeweler's shop, an alchemist's shop, a stonemason (sculpture) shop, and a tailor. Dozens of wealthy young men crowd the stonemason's workplace. Women flock in and out of the jewelers and alchemists. A few men and women furtively dart in and out of the tailor's door. Speaking of which, the tailor's door is rather... conspicuously exposed to the street corner. Anyone could see Alexander walking in and out.

[OOC: There are a number of different ways you could approach this. All are perfectly viable means of getting the grate down, or infiltrating the palace, with the right finesse.]Carmine and Leaf:"Ahh, my dear lady. You're getting ahead of yourself here. Are you so confident you'll pull this off? You see, I'm not worried about you getting in, so much as you getting out. Of course, I would be perfectly happy to assist in whatever murders that may please you. Err, human deaths only, of course."

"Now, since you plan to walk in through the front door, we'll need to find a way to get you either an invitation, or find a way to put your name on the guest list. My men can try to do one, but to ensure success, you'll have to do the other, in case one method fails. I'm sure Leaf here can find a way to help either way."

[RaggedAngel]

Leaf and DM:Carmine smiles a bit, and it looks natural on her. "Getting out is the easy part, as far as I'm concerned. I simply hide the daggers, get a bit weepy, and describe the 'killer' with great precision when help arrives. Heck, I've been comforted by the wife of a magistrate that I assassinated. I'll admit, I felt a bit bad about that one; she was rather nice to me." She blinks, and jumps off of her train of thought. "Er. Right. I'm better with people than bueocracy, so I'm going to attempt to get an invitation. I'm sure I can find a nice noble who can be sweet-talked into letting me go with him. Leaf, what would you like to do?"

[Noblesse]

Elayana

She hadn't thought of a cover story, much less a fake name. But she didn't see the harm in using her real name, she'd just leave out her surname. "My thanks. My name is Elayana, and I was sent to you by Lady Phinzie... She seemed to hold you in high esteem." Silently Elayana prayed that the compliment would keep her from prodding for more information.

Alexander

The tailor is out of the question, besides I can't imagine them having anything useful; besides, as Elayana has pointed out I apparently don't have any fashion sense. His eyes then turned to other shops. The jeweler was out of the question for the same reason as the former. While he would like to go to the stonemasons, as he was confident in his ability to work with his hands-- the alchemist shop seemed the best choice as it was less crowded. He calmly started to make his way towards the alchemist's shop.

[Neftren]

Elayana:"Lady Phinzie you said? You mean, the Princess? That daft little girl. Who knows where she found you." Giving a big sigh, she continues, "Well, since you're here, I might as well put you to work. What sort of... skills do you have? Can you wait a noble? Hmm, no, that's probably a bad idea. They'd get the wrong impression. Can you--, actually, why am I guessing at what you can do? I don't have the time for that. Back to the original question then. What can you do?"Alexander:Approaching the alchemist's shop, Alexander draws a number of awkward glances. A few women whisper to their spouses or other girlfriends nearby. On entering the shop, Alexander finds himself in a brightly lit emporium. The front window is cleverly constructed to restrict as much view from the outside as possible, while letting in an astounding quantity of light. A long counter runs down the wall and into the shop on the left. A matching counter runs parallel along the right. Shorter desks stand in the center of the room in perpendicular rows, coming to a stop at an elevated main counter at the back of the shop. Various sales associates are helping women (and a few men) with assorted perfumes and "magical" recipes for beauty and smooth skin and what not. Advertisements and signs plaster the walls with slogans such as, "Channel No. 5: The Foxy Beauty!" and "Loriel, First Among Elves!" A small man can be seen sitting behind the main counter at the back of the shop, working furiously over what looks to be a ledger of sorts. Behind him is a doorway opening into a storeroom or backroom.Carmine and Leaf:"One step at a time. You'll have to avoid the City Guard for now. My associates inform me that you're now wanted for questioning with regards to today's... incident. I would suggest either disguising yourself now. Large quantities of nobles of various stature--political, and *ahem*, physical-- may be found in the palace district. It's not uncommon for women to frequent the alchemists and tailors. The two best shops are right outside the palace gates."

Mr. Hunk shuffles some papers around, before handing Carmine and Leaf each a small sheet with a symbol on it. "Here, these might come in handy later. You'll know when to use them. Do you have any final questions?"

[RaggedAngel]

Leaf and DM:
Carmine takes the papers with a smile. "I'll hold this for you, Leaf, unless you have some way to carry things."

She nods to her new patron. "Thank you for all of the help. I look forward to working with you in the future, Mr. Hunk, and I hope that I prove myself to be an investment worth protecting. I promise that my tongue will prove a more powerful tool than my admittedly less than stellar combat prowess."

She looks to Leaf. "Shall we continue, my new little friend? I'm looking forward to crafting up lies to explain your presence. It will prove to be a delightful challenge."

[Noblesse]

Elayana

Princess... PRINCESS?! Oh god oh god oh god this isn't good. Alexander said to lay low.. Luckily for Elayana the madame repeated her question, as Elayana was simply unable to comprehend the words coming out of her mouth after 'princess' for a short while. Probably for the best, as she had had her fair share of backhanded insults thrown at her today already. "I'm quite capable of doing a good many things madame, I can be a server or personal attendant just to name a couple. But what I guess truly matters, is what you would like or need me to do." Putting on her business smile, she quietly and patiently awaits her response.

Alexander

Ignoring the silent (and the not-so-silent) judgements, Alexander proceeds to walk up to the man behind the counter. "Excuse me sir, it's quite apparent you are quite busy today, especially given the festivities tonight, and I was wondering if you would require some assistance for the day?"

ooc:
Man, it's almost comedic how a small little girl made it into the palace so easy yet this guy who is so much more powerful and intelligent and well... everything but CHA is having so much more of a difficult time :-)

[Neftren]

Elayana:"It's irrelevant what you can do. What's relevant is what you can do well. What do you think this place is? A brothel? No! This is the Royal Palace!" The petite woman nearly falls over in the process of her declaration, slamming her fist into the opposite palm. "Fancy clothes, pretty words, and brainless princesses only get you so far. In here? All that matters are your skills. Since you thusfar have failed to demonstrate any of your skills beyond talking politely, perhaps it's best for you to learn some skills tonight, in a place where you won't egregiously insult some foreign dignitary. Report to the kitchen. What are you waiting for?! Get out of my sight!"Alexander:Turning to you, the clerk raises an eyebrow, while wrinkling his nose. "Erm. Sir, if you're seeking the public baths, they may be found in the temple district. Oh, you want a job. I'm afraid I'm not the right person to ask." He jerks his thumb towards the backroom. "In the back. Ask for Treeg. Oh, and uh, those guardsmen coming through the door wouldn't happen to be looking for you, uh, right? Um. Right, we never had this conversation. Cheerio!" The clerk gets up and walks towards the front, no doubt to delay the guards for a moment.Carmine and Leaf:"Right then, no questions? I'm very terribly sorry to have to do this. Good day!" Suddenly, strong hands grab hold of Carmine and Leaf. A hood is whisked over Carmine's head, while Leaf is stuffed into a bag with a squeak. Just before the hood drops over Carmine's eyes though, she hears a raspy, muffled gurgle-scream coming from Mr. Hunk's general direction, and then a heavy thump. A rattly whisper comes from the floor, "Aaargh... help... me... please!," before Carmine and Leaf are whisked away.

An indeterminate time later, Carmine and Leaf are rudely dumped out of the back of a cart, and the hood whisked away. Leaf is still stuffed in his bag. Carts and wagons roll past in both directions. Evidently, Mr. Hunk saw fit to dump you in the middle of main street. Shops line both ends of the boulevard. Behind you lies the main square from which you started the day in. Directly in front of you, about two miles down the street, are the palace gates.

[OOC: I totally thought I had hit post last night. Evidently I just shut my computer lid. :smallsigh: Well, here it is. Some minor intrigue on both plotlines. Anyone have any idea where MandibleBones is?]

[RaggedAngel]

Leaf and DM:
Carmine blows her hair out of her face, and hefts the bag with Leaf in it. She begins walking down the street as if nothing is out of the ordinary. After a moment she pauses, thinks, and then opens the bag, letting the little psuedodragon out. "Sorry about that. Anyway, I need to get my fancy noblewoman clothes from my apartment. You're welcome to come with me, or you could go do... whatever it is adorable and possibly deadly sentient minature dragons do when they're preparing to convince a nobleman to take them to a ball to assassinate not one but two kings and steal a priceless treasure or two before escaping unscathed."

Carmine smiles charmingly. "So. Ready to start the day?"

I love Carmine. Roleplaying a -2 penalty to Wisdom is awesome.

[MandibleBones]

Carmine and DM
The Most Auspicious Leaf of the Autumn stumbles his way out of the rucksack, headband askew and walking like he'd got into the catnip.

"Let's not do that again," he thinks woozily at Carmine. He chirps. "I am ready to go, though," he adds. "Not a lot to get ready and all that." He smooths down his headband to something resembling order.

[Noblesse]

Elayana

Kitchen duty? I've... never cooked before... I sure hope it's just washing potatoes or something... Not wanting to annoy the madame any further, she thanks her and walks off, asking a random passerby the proper direction to the kitchen and proceeds to it.

Alexander

"Yes, yes not for me, thank you." Alexander hadn't done anything illegal, but given the letter on his person he certainly didn't want to be detained and questioned. He then promptly went to the man in the back. "Mr. Treeg?"

[Neftren]

Elayana:[OOC: Okay, I'm kinda at a loss with Elayana. In what direction would you be interested in moving towards?]Alexander:"Yes?" A small wiry man peers down at you from above. He starts to float down, and then Alexander realizes he's actually sliding down a ladder. The dim light makes everything hard to see, but Alexander can make out rows of shelves in the back. "I trust that you are in good legal standing with the law? I would hate to have to ... remove you from the premises. Oh, perhaps you might better know me as Mr. Hunk." His glasses begin to slip, and he reflexively pushes them back up his nose before rubbing his hands together.Carmine and Leaf:Setting out from the middle of the street, Carmine steps out directly into oncoming traffic. "Oy! Watch where yer goin'!" Smoothly sidestepping the horse-drawn cart, Carmine heads off towards her humble abode, Leaf hovering close behind.

Stepping up to her doorstep, Carmine pauses for a moment, noticing the strange shadow cast on the doorway. Examining the door, Carmine will notice a small sheet tucked into the crack. A voice suddenly begins to read from the notice itself: "Attention Resident known by the name 'Carmine'. You are wanted for questioning by the city guard. Failure to show in person to the Docket Street Constabulary within fifteen minutes of receiving said notice will alert all government officers within a one mile radius. This message will now terminate." With a brilliant flash, the notice vanishes. A searing pain crosses Carmine's hand for a moment. It appears as if the notice has burnt itself into Carmine's hand, no doubt removable only by relevant authorities.

Edit: [OOC: Sorry this took so long. I've been really behind on a number of other things as well.]

[RaggedAngel]

Leaf and DM:

Sorry about the lagtime; I thought I had already posted. :smallfrown:

Carmine freezes in place as she hears the announcement, and she watches the brand form on her with horror. She looks over to Leaf, biting her lip with worry. In any other circumstance, it would look cute. Now, she just looks afraid. "I, um..." She trails off, but after a moment she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "I am a con artist. I am an actor. I am a skilled sneak and trapfinder and rogue. I can and will talk my way out of this, and if that doesn't work then I'll stab my way out of this. Ready to go, Leaf? I'll pick up my clothes later." Carmine heads to the Constabulary.

[MandibleBones]

Carmine and DM

Secretly thrilled that he doesn't have a mark on him, Leaf nods, and repeats her mantra into her head for the journey to the constable. "You can and will talk your way out of this. You can and will talk your way out of this. You can and will talk your way out of this..." and he occasionally sneaks in a bit of reassurance: "And if you can't, I'll help you stab your way out."

[Noblesse]

Elayana

--I was just hoping to get her to the kitchen--

Alexander

Of course Alexander's current legal standing was impeccable, however the note on his possession would certainly lead any authorities to send him promptly to the gallows. After an inaudible swallow;"Of course it is, Mr.... Hunk. I was told to inquire if you would need any laboring assistance today by the kind man at the counter in the front."

[Neftren]

Elayana:After winding her way around the palace grounds for a few minutes, Elayana suddenly finds herself in the kitchens. It's a steamy cacaphony, and probably always is, only magnified by the importance of tonight's affairs. Kitchen staff hustle and bustle about. A short, balding chef with a handlebar moustache waddles past Elayana, carrying a huge vat of soup. Along her left, rows and rows of maids are peeling potatoes or chopping carrots and the like. The vast kitchens extend off to the right, as far as Elayana can see, given her shorter stature, in addition to the rows and rows of stoves and ovens obstructing her view. There is evidently no one person in charge here...Alexander:"Ah, one of those types. I see. Well, given your current standing with officers of the law, perhaps I do have a job for you. It's not strictly legal, at least, not in the official sense, but I can assure you it isn't exactly illegal either. The interesting quandaries of morality when crudely pasted into books and newspapers." Mr. Hunk steps down off the ladder, passing you a handkerchief in the process. "Oh, uh, do clean yourself up please. This is a fine, upstanding and respectable business. I'd hate to have to arrange for the carpets to be cleaned again so soon. Now, where where we...? Oh, oh yes, the job. I believe I can start by offering you a clean set of clothes, but seeing as this job, again, lies in a fuzzy, grey area, I'm afraid I cannot compensate you with mere metals. Oh, but then again, you'd be required to decline such worldly sins, would you not? So, to business then."Carmine and Leaf:"Not so fast miss." A dark figure detaches itself from the wall. "I am an agent of the King's Watch. Perhaps the word you may be interested in is 'detective' in the loosest sense of the word. If you go to that constabulary, you're as good as dead. You have also admitted verbally your crimes against the city, in order: fraud, impersonation of individuals outside of legalized entertainment venues, stealthy movement with suspicious intent, destruction of security measures, and general thievery and disorderly conduct. The last of which has clearly been proven today through the testimony of seventeen separate suspects."

Turning towards Leaf, the hooded figure raises a finger, "Oh, and don't think you're out of the docket either. You'll be up on charges of assaulting a royal individual, disorderly conduct, failure to display proper identification on request, and subsequent resisting of arrest by an officer under the King's Watch, all among other things."

"Oh, by the way, all these charges can be made to ... disappear." The figure, while masked in shadows, seems to radiate a sort of satisfaction for being able to recite all the charges from memory, neatly tying everything up into a simple bundle.

[MandibleBones]

Carmine and DM
"I haven't assaulted anyone!" Leaf squeaks in Carmine and the shadowy figure's heads. "Those people asking for papers never said anything about being part of the watch, before or after I ran away. And is 'disorderly conduct' the same thing as 'getting attacked by a crazy lady with a handbag'? Or is it 'being chased by a rampaging ogre'? I always get those two confused." He doesn't respond to the charges against Carmine, but she can feel the little thing is indignant on her behalf.

[RaggedAngel]

Leaf and DM:
Carmine thinks very loudly in Leaf's direction, hoping the psuedodragon can hear her. "I am going to kill him if I do not recieve a very, very good reason not to. When this is all over tonight, I'm getting the heck out of this city. I'd love it if you came with me."

Carmine puts up a dashing smile, and she holds up her hands in polite submission, her loose sleaves falling down to reveal that she has no hidden weapon on her arms. "You seem to have done your research, detective, and I'm rather impressed by your skill. I thank you for the warning about the constabulary, and I am quite interested in having the various charges against me and my little friend here be dropped. I'm sure you can understand that I am not, in fact, a bad person, and to this day I have never harmed a soul that did not first harm or threaten me. We don't need to be enemies; in fact, I think we could make good friends. You're clearly skilled, but you must admit that to draw such attention without actually being caught I have just as much skill. We can work best by working together; so tell me, how can I make the charges disappear?"

Diplomacy: [roll0]

[Noblesse]

Alexander

It would seem he thinks I'm a criminal or something... *sniff* Well he does have one thing right, I do need to clean up pretty badly Accepting the handkerchief with a slight bow "Thank you sir" and begins to clean himself up as he finishes hearing Mr Hunk out. When he spoke of the legality of the job, Alexander was taken slightly aback, only to reconsile himself with that at least it wasn't as bad as the task that was apparently apointed to him just a short time before. That was DEFINITELY not 'in the gray area'. "Of course, of course, I simply was requesting a bartering of services if you will." After a short pause he begins again. "So, what is it that you would have me do?"

Elayana

Well this certainly makes things a bit easier... but I wanted something with more flair!... oh well. This will just have to do until Alexander gets here... It's been a while... I hope he's ok... Elayana takes a quick look around to find an open spot at the rows and mimics those around her with their duties.

[Neftren]

Elayana:[OOC: I'm just going to put her on hold for the moment. Too much stuff to manage as it is.]Alexander:"It is a ... strange affair. A number of individuals across the city have been delivered letters with instructions--or should I say, forcibly coerced--to assassinate, kill, maim, or otherwise end the life of the king of this fair, or not so fair, judging by your clothes, city." He turns and looks directly into Alexander's eyes. "I know for a fact, that you have one such letter, or perhaps you left it in the care of your ... how do you refer to that little child travelling with you? Elayana is it? Well, the name is not so important. So, I am quite simply proposing that you deliver this package for me, into the palace. Divulging its contents would be a rather distasteful action, but suffice to say, it's not exactly the friendliest of packages either. In addition to this package delivery, I'm going to need you to make an addition to the guest list for the celebrations tonight. The package should come in handy, as should this seal and letter. This may end up requiring lethal force... though the exact method is up to you." Mr. Hunk hands you a small signet ring and sealed letter. Pausing a bit to let Alexander process the information, he then continues, asking,"Any questions so far?"Carmine and Leaf:"Haven't assaulted anyone hmmm?" Both of you notice his sleeve moving up and down his face. If you could see his face, you'd probably figure he'd be stroking his beard or something. "That wasn't the way I heard it. I have sixteen, nay, seventeen separate witnesses testifying that a small, green, misshapen lizard flew directly into the Princess' band of courtiers, indeed striking her Majesty multiple times in its great haste to escape the troll."

Turning towards Carmine, he crosses his arms. "... and speaking of trolls ... well, let's just say I believe you ... for now. On to business then. A shadowy criminal mastermind known across the city as "Mr. Hunk" is becoming an increasing thorn in the King's side. While each of you could easily be sentenced to decades of hard labor for your crimes, the State is prepared to drop all charges in the interests of apprehending Mr. Hunk. You have just met with Mr. Hunk, have you not? By now you've probably realized, I am not exactly your run of the mill policeman, given my near omniscience with regards to your movements. Now, before we continue any further, I'll offer you the choice. Walk away (and to the constabulary where you are sure to meet certain death...) and never hear from me again, or help us apprehend this criminal. The choice is yours... As my projection spell is about to end, should you wish to assist us, then visit the Sausage Cart Vendor one block south of the constabulary. Ask for ... you may refer to me as Inigo. Your codenames shall be respectively, Fezzik, and Buttercup. I hope you know the code word..." The image abruptly fades from view.

[OOC: Okay, okay, I couldn't resist the reference. :smallbiggrin:]

[RaggedAngel]

Leaf and DM:
Carmine raises a brow, and then speaks to the empty air. "Inconceivable, really, that you think that I should just do As You Wish. However, I doubt my Bonetti's Defense shall cancel your Capa Ferro; though I have surely studied my Thibault, I have just as much surety that you have indeed studied your Agrippa. Well, Mr. Inigo, I have only this to say, should you still be listening in; don't rush me. If you rush a miracle man, you get rotten miracles."

Carmine lets her words hang for a moment before turning to her companion. "Well then, Leaf, shall we be off? I believe that Mr. Inigo believes that he has gotten us quite out maneuvered." She starts off in the direction of the Sausage Cart. "That said, I do hope I get to meet him in person. If I do..." She flicks her right hand, and a dagger appears in it silently and suddenly. "He will find that I am not left handed."

[Neftren]

Carmine and Leaf:As Carmine moves through the crowd, she suddenly has the uncanny feeling of being followed, or at the very least, watched from afar. She shrugs it off though, attributing it to the strange events of the day, to say the least. Directly ahead of her is the sausage cart. Glancing up the street, Carmine sees the constabulary in the distance. It can't be too late to change your mind... can it? Mr. Hunk seemed a very powerful man...

[RaggedAngel]

Carmine sighs, and thinks to Leaf. "I don't like being used, Leaf. When this is over, whatever happens, they're all going to die. Hunk, this new guy, and whoever the hell else is involved. I'm already looking forward to it." She then puts on her best smile and approaches the sausage cart.

[Neftren]

Carmine and Leaf:"Sausage, sausage, sausages inna bun! Step right up and get yours today! You there, missy! How about a nice sausage? Whaddya say? It just might be your lucky day!" The man points to a sign to his right, proudly declaring him as an "authorized lottery opperattor" in crudely misspelled text. "Today's grand prize? A ticket to the royal ball! Yessirree! You heard me! A ticket, to the royal ball!"


[OOC: Sorry, took me a few days to get online. I'm in Canada right now, with limited internet access.]

[Noblesse]

Alexander

This man is in the know. He may even be the mastermind behind this task... and he knows about Elayana. I have no choice but to do as he wishes till I can get her out of here safely. I should wring his throat... no. no. Alexander shakes his head quickly. He must expel such thoughts. Putting a smile on his face, albeit a fake one, Alexander replies. "So I just need to deliver this and add a name on the list? How hard can that be? What's the name?"

[Neftren]

Alexander:"Excellent! The name is Carmine. The list may be found in the Guardhouse adjoining the palace gates. If you have no further questions..."