Commoner Maya

[Sliver]

It is near afternoon in Mohora. Maya breathed in the salty sea air as she approached the shipyard, hoping she could find another message needing legs to carry it, or perhaps overhear something...

The sun almost reached today's peak and the birds screeched high above, floating along the morning breeze. As Maya reached the docks, she noticed a familiar fishing boat docking, but this time it was different.

Instead of unpacking today's catch as usual, two fisherman dragged out a man, while the third looked around, distressed. Noticing you, he calls out. "Hey there, girl! Can you run? Fetch a healer, this man is hardly alive!"

Suddenly you notice something odd about the man. Specifically, his clothes. Dried after some time on the boat, the clothes are colorful and likely made of high quality fabric.

[Athedia]

"Yessir."Maya started running in the direction of the nearest healer. She made a mental note to follow the man when he was healed. His clothes suggested money and with money usually came secrets. And someone who almost drowned in the ocean must have plenty of those, she thought with a smile.

Upon reaching the nearest healer she knocked upon the door, "There's a man on the docks needs you. Hurry." She waited to lead the healer to the man. The men would have to pay the healer, they wouldn't have asked if they didn't have money.

[Sliver]

You find a stand owned by a halfling cleric living nearby, Aber Aryálemo. He hears the urgency in your voice and as soon as he grabs his bag and locks the display, Aber tries to follow as quickly as he can, considering his size and obvious limp.

As you reach the docks, he crouches by the man, removing his cloak. You notice a large area of his neck is covered with some sort of sores, but he pays you no attention as he sets the pack on the cloak and examines the drowned man.

"Thank you, girl." Says one of the sailors and throws you a copper coin. "Now, be on your way." He turns away from you, not bothering to look if you are leaving or not.

"Where did you find him?" Aber asks as he removes the cloak and shirt of the man.

"A few miles off shore, floating there. We didn't think he was alive, but Orm insisted we pull him out." Says one of the fishermen.

The cleric continues to examine the man quickly. "Odd, doesn't appear to have swallowed any water. He is almost freezing though, but it's a good thing you dried him up..."

"We did not do such a thing." Says another fisherman, Orm Basa.

Aber quickly glances up, puzzled, but returns to examine some of the bruises visible on the man's muscled chest. "Then how lo-"

"He was dry when we pulled him up." Orm answers the question.

The cleric pulls out his holy symbol and speaks a few words you can't understand. A glow covers his hands as he places them over the man and the bruises vanish.

"Odd. He should have woken up." Aber notes. "But he shouldn't be in immediate danger. Please, carry him to my house so I can examine him." Orm nods and picks up the man, throwing him over the shoulder and beginning to follow Aber.

[Athedia]

Maya grabbed the coin, pocketing it and listened to the conversation. It seemed as though the man might have to stay at the healers for a time, at least she knew where to find him now. He would not go far if he was unconscious. And dry, now that was a curiosity. She had heard tales of magic that could defy nature, maybe this man possessed some.

She decided to follow the men, trying to stay unobserved as best she could.
Hide [roll0]

[Sliver]

It takes little effort for Maya to go unnoticed as the men walk towards the cleric's house. Aber opens the door and lets Orm enter before going inside himself. He pushes the door to close, but doesn't seem to notice that it didn't fully close.

If Maya is careful enough, she could slip inside. Or just listen through the slit, hoping nobody outside notices.

[Athedia]

Maya didn't want to risk getting caught inside the house, so she knelt by the door trying to hear what she could. To hide her intent she pulled a few coppers out of her pouch and dropped them on the ground. Hopefully people would think she was just looking for more of the coins.

Listen [roll0]

[Sliver]

Maya listens intently while slowly picking up the dropped coins, but it doesn't seem like the men are talking about anything noteworthy. The cleric doesn't ask for pay, or any questions about the man the fishermen brought. You hear footsteps getting closer to the door and quickly finish collecting the coins and jump away.

As Orm walks back to the docks, Maya notices she lacks two of the dropped copper coins. Looking around, she only notices a few kids running down the street.

[Athedia]

Little thieves think they can outrun me. Well lets see what their game is Maya smiled and set off after them. She didn't need the coppers but children are always good informants.

As she ran after the kids, she wondered again about the man. Who ends up in the middle of the ocean? She hadn't found out more but she knew she would have to tell someone fast before the news spread.

[Sliver]

It doesn't take long for Maya to catch the kids, just before they tried to scramble up to one of the low roofs. They seem winded from the chase. "What do you want, lady?" One of the two kids asks in a screechy voice.

[Athedia]

"Your names, and information, those ears pick up more than dirt." These kids reminded her of when she was little. But the thick-heads had made themselves obvious when they ran, she had quickly learned not to make that mistake.

[Sliver]

The kids exchange glances, "Uhh... I'm Gob, and that's Nick. Ummm..." He thinks a bit "Well, there is an impressive merchant in the stands, selling some jewelry... Seems like a great mark if you know a fence."

[Athedia]

Maya smiled, she didn't know what she could do with the information now, but it could prove useful. "Keep your ears open and tell me more of what you hear, and I may just drop a few more coppers near you." She waited until the kids had left before setting out toward the marketplace.

[Linguz]

In the marketplace, a man stands away from any stand, a performing in front of a small crowd. It wasn't that complex of magic, and any man with a pair of sharp eyes or simply the ability to detect magic would be able to see the truth. He was drawing cards, having others draw and then saying which card it is, and just in general doing performances with cards or copper coins.

Perform (Mundane Magic): [roll0]
Sleight of Hand: Take 10: 22
(High dex, max skills, deft hands, and skill focus (SoH). 12 mod. :3)

[Athedia]

Walking slowly into the marketplace, Maya looked around. She had lost money today, that was not good. She looked around the marketplace for any newcomer's, they were usually good for a couple coins. She could show them to a nice inn, and get the money for telling someone.

She spotted the man doing magic, fascinated she walked closer to watch. Even the cutpurse's she knew were not as deft as this man. She watched closer trying to figure out his tricks.

Spot: [roll0]

[Linguz]

I'ma say that my 22 beats that 10. :smalltongue::smallwink:

Zack's performance and how his hands are workings remains a mystery to Maya.

[Athedia]

Frustrated at her lack of understanding Maya decided to watch the performance to the end, then follow the man to try and learn who he was. Someone of his talents could be useful in her line of work. He shouldn't notice me, I bought this outfit to blend in.

Yeah, I was hoping for a really good roll there, but 22 beat mine.
Hide (As in hide in a crowd) [roll0]

[Linguz]

After some time, keeping his performance going, he (might have) amassed a decent amount of coins in a bowl near his feet. He bid good bye to others, "Alas, I must go now. I'll be here again soon, or somewhere nearby, at latest tomorrow." With that done, he put the coins in a bag if there were any, and began to walk away from the area. As he walked through the market, he checked the pockets of a few people that he passed. Depending on how far you follow him, he takes you through a few other areas, some of which would have less than a crowd and some might have none at all.

He eventually arrived at an inn, which he entered and got a table. It wasn't all that far from the market, but it wasn't in the same area. There, he began to count the money he earned off others and by performing. This was a place that he usually came to after working, to eat something and tally his coins without worrying much about others.

@Sliver: I hope you don't mind that I'm drawing out the city a little more. If you're not fine with it, just say so and I'll edit.

Sleight of Hand: Take 10, 22. Allows me to 'lift a small object from a person', with a DC22 to notice. Unless they have a total mod of 2 or higher for spot, he shouldn't be able to be seen doing it.
Spot: Since he's distracted, the highest he can get is a 15, so he doesn't notice Maya.

If you approach and stop him before he reaches the inn, then he stops and the rest of this post is nulled.

[Athedia]

Maya watched the man enter the inn. Seeing that it was getting dark, she decided to go in as well. Usually she would find the late messages that so often needed delivering at this time, but she had had enough for the day.

Entering the inn she looked around for the man, sliding in across the table from him as soon as she spotted him. For a little she watched him count before speaking "So how did you do it? I didn't see the usual tricks."


Entire post assumes he is not caught

[Athedia]

Forgot to include this in last post
Spot check to see if Maya notices him picking pockets [roll0]
Getting better still not there yet

[Linguz]

Zack looked up from his table, to see a girl across from him. He racked his brain for a few seconds but wasn't able to recognize her. "I take it you saw my performance, then? Sorry, but a magician never reveals his secrets." He gave her a charming smile and stored the coins back in the pouch. "Very few, and by that I mean none, have followed me so far and asked me that like this. Sure, I've been asked after a performance or during one, but I don't normally get stalked all the way here. So, my question to you: Why did you follow me so far? Are you really that interested in my tricks?"

[Sliver]

Zack
Zack's performance went smoothly, earning him a total of 5 sp and 3 cp. His purse fishing on the way to the inn, on the other hand, went better than expected when Zack discovers 4 gp, 1sp and 3cp.

The Black Wine tavern was quite empty at this time of day. The owner, Amidee Redinger sat with a halfling druid named Lila. They talk about different types of plants, herbs and spices as he reads through a book, making notes every now and then.

A single barkeep and barmaid are still around at this time of day, serving late comers.

As Zack asks Maya his question, a man in his twenties enters the tavern, grumbling and upset.

"Hey, Amidee, I know you don't like this sort of request, but could you open a tab for me just this once? It seems my purse has been lifted and I really need a drink."

"Don't worry about that, Galen." Replies the owner, hardly looking up from the books. "Drinks on me for tonight."

[Athedia]

Maya smirked at the question. "Why I followed you? I don't expect curiosity would satisfy you. I deal in information, and we might be useful to each-other. I am interested in your tricks, but I am interested in everyone's. " Watching the man she spoke again "I have already proved I have my own tricks as well, and I will eventually figure out yours."

[Linguz]

Zack smirked when the man walked in and mentioned his purse. "So, you're really trying that hard to see my tricks?" He rose an eyebrow. "If I told you I was interested in your proposition, what would you say?"

[Athedia]

"If you were to say you were interested, I would ask your conditions and your name." If this was going to be evasive, two could play at that game.

[Linguz]

"Then I'd have to say Zack and I'll need more information before I know the conditions I'd like." Zack leans back on the table and calls out to the innkeeper to bring a drink and food. "So what is the job exactly? And what's the risk and profit factor?"

[Athedia]

"I heard of a wealthy gem merchant, seems like a nice profit for you. I have more opportunities if I can trust you. Risk for the merchant is relatively low if we know the right people." She thought back to the the two children, they would make good distractions if she could find them again and they might know a fence.

[Linguz]

Zack thinks about it for a second and then replies in a low voice, "So you find the targets, I do the job? How will we split the profit? 50/50? And what can I call you?"

[Athedia]

"That's the idea. 50/50 keeps us both trustworthy." She held her hand out "You can call me Maya."

[Linguz]

Zack grasps the outstretched hand and shakes it. "Well, Maya, it's going to be good working with you. We'll need some way to keep in touch. Do you want to know where I live, so you can find me there, or should we just meet up at a place on a schedule?"

[Athedia]

Maya forgot herself in surprise, "You have a place?" Regaining composure she said "I'll meet you where you live. I can pretend not to know you that way, safer for both of us."

[Linguz]

"It's more like my brother's place, works for the guard. He's often out though, so I'm home alone most of the time I'm there... and when I'm not, he's usually asleep." Zack smiles a bit, thinking about what his brother's reaction would be if he met Maya at his door. "And if you're coming to my home, how can you pretend not to know me? If anything, we can pretend to be closer friends."

[Athedia]

"I am a messenger, it is my job to go to people's homes. But if closer friends is how you want to play it so be it. As long as we can get the mark."

[Linguz]

"Well, that might work in that case. But I just don't see you staying at my house or visiting it often under those conditions normally. I'm guessing you'll drop by when you've got more information, or do you already know all we need to?"

[Athedia]

"I need to find a little more information. No use going in with half-knowledge. You are probably right about pretending to be friends though, I have never worked with a partner before. I pass the info on and others usually take care of the dirty work.

[Linguz]

"Sounds a lot like what this will be. You give me the info, I do the work. At least, that's what I've gotten so far." He pauses for a moment, thinking. "But... we don't have to pretend to be friends. If you ever want to simply hang out, find me. All work and no play makes me sad." He pulled out a sheet of parchment and his inkpen. He scribbled down his address or, if there were no addresses, how to get to his home from this inn. He passed it on to Maya. In the mornings or at night, I'll usually be there. Through out the day, I might be working, so I might not be there." H

[Athedia]

Maya nodded and took the scrap of paper, slipping it into her pouch."I will find you. Don't try looking for me, I don't have a set address or hangout, I go where I find news. Gods send us fortune." She stood up and left the inn the way she had come, working her way back to the market.

[Linguz]

Since you said it was night, if I recall.

Zack stands and leaves the inn. He quickly heads over to his nearby house and drops off one of the gold coin and five silver ones into a small pot in the kitchen, where he drops off his part of the payment for the house.

He checks into his brother's room but does not see him there. "Staying up late, huh... hope you're safe..." He goes over to his own bed in his own room and heads to sleep, after doing his tricks one more time over to practice.

[Athedia]

Looking around the marketplace Maya tried to find a vendor packing up, stale goods usually went for cheaper if there were any.

[Sliver]

Zack falls into slumber, nothing unusual keeps him from the cozy bed.

Maya scouts the stalls, finding most to be empty. A few still have merchandise on display, although it's locked within clear cases. A single merchant is still standing without intent to leave, offering various liquids and odd materials, quite a few Maya is unfamiliar with. A single merchant, an apprentice of a nearby general goods shop, seems to be ready to call it a day, looking for a last minute sale.

He seems to have a selection of breads, some dairy leftovers, fruit and vegetables.

Breads:
Emmer-Wheat is the cheapest in selection, the food of the poor. A loaf costs a single copper and is known for it's poor quality due to it's baking process. It often contains pieces of sand or tiny fragments of bone and it's quite hard to chew.

The Horse bread is a poor quality bread made from beans, grains and peas and is the most common bread eaten by the farmers and lower class. At this time, a loaf would cost 2 coppers each.

The Strongbread is a heavily peppered bread that normally goes for 5 coppers, but at this time the merchant is willing to go down to 3 coppers a loaf.

Only a couple loafs of the tasty Darukan Seed bread are left, each costing 5 silver coins even though it's the end of the day. This bread is exported and is worth preserving, thus it's price is rarely lowered.

A single loaf of Manchet bread is left, which the merchant is willing to sell for 17 silver pieces, no cheaper. That's 3 sp discount! Manchet bread is one of the best types of bread and is highly valued by nobility.

Dairy:
Butter would cost 5cp (per lb), Cheese goes for 18 coppers, a dozen eggs for 5cp, and a gallon of milk 3cp. The cheese and butter is slightly discounted.

There are also fruit, vegetable and herbs that you could buy.

[Athedia]

Maya looked over the breads deciding to settle on the Horse Bread, picking out three loaves and passing over the coppers. It should last her a while, at least until money started coming in again. She tucked the loaves into her backpack and set off to look for a place to sleep.

[Sliver]

As Maya turns around, the merchant calls out. "Hey girl, wait a moment. Could you do me a favor? I know it's late, but if you could get this-" He pulls out an envelope from his cloak pocket, "to Magh McCleod at the Famed Cloak by tomorrow, I will be very grateful and it will be worth your while. Here, have this too..." He hands Maya a small parcel. "It's full of Muntries, my treat." He says with a smile.

Muntries are berries that taste like spicy apples, often used in jams or eaten raw.

[Athedia]

"Yessir, I will head there now." Maya couldn't believe her luck, a job and such a reward. Today had certainly been fruitful. She put the Muntries in her backpack and grasped the envelope tightly in her hand. Heading toward the Famed Cloak she kept an eye out for any spot that looked comfortable and well hidden for the night.

Spot [roll0]

[Sliver]

As Maya runs through the streets of Mohora late at night, she doesn't quite manage to spot an area good enough to rest at. She'll have to look harder...

The crowd gets thicker and thicker as Maya moves towards the Famed Cloak, but she manages to break free as she enters the final street. The sun warms her chilly bones from it's resting point in the middle of the sky as she enters into the Famed Cloak, Maya leaves her own thread and enters Cheshire's thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=13630185#post13630185).

1

Zack wakes up as the sun intrudes into his pillow through the cracks in the wall. He gets up and sees his brother sitting down. On the table there is some Strongbread and some spicy cheese, along with a bit of butter and a couple of pears.

"You're up." He states the obvious, "hope I didn't wake you up."

[Linguz]

Zack got out of bed, stretching a bit the moment his feet hit the ground. He opened the deck up, looking at all the cards, before shuffling them up quickly. "Ace of clubs." He pulled the top card out and grinned, not having lost his card abilities over the night. He put on one his clothing, depositing the cards and money pouch into different pockets, and went to the kitchen where he met his brother.

"I didn't even know you were awake. The sun woke me." He took one of the strongbreada and bit into it. "How's working with the guards going?"

[Sliver]

"Not too good." He replies. "A shop burned down yesterday, nobody around willing to talk, a man died... Not from the fire, a stab."

[Linguz]

"Oh, wow. That really isn't that good. Any leads on either the fire or the murder?" He sat down at a chair and took another bite. Nobody talking too... that's strange. You'd think at least a few would say something about it.

[Sliver]

"Nope. Even the shop owner, some half elven woman, didn't talk. I think she doesn't trust the guard, saying that nobody was around when it happened..." He replies, then goes quiet, thinking about what happened.

[Linguz]

Zack mulls over his thoughts, eating at the same time, before replying, "If that's true, maybe I can help? I'm not part of the guard... so I might be able to convince her. I could say it's to satisfy my curiosity and see if I can help, which is not a lie. Any idea of where she might be? Oh, and what did her store sell?"

[Sliver]

"She ran a scroll and potion shop called Sorani's Parchment... Her name is Mosely Sorani, probably still hangs at the place of the shop. But brother, watch out, don't get into anything too dangerous..."

[Linguz]

"Of course. Safety first, then everything else." It wasn't something he completely followed, but it was something he said to keep his brother calm. "Though, I won't be able to do anything unless I know where to go."

After his brother tells him where her store is, if he does, Zack takes a pear and tells him, "Good luck today." Then he leaves the house, where he begins to head to the burnt store.

[Athedia]

Maya runs off and finds herself an inn. There are free spots on the raised floor by the fire and they would only cost 3 copper pieces. Maya is asked if she would like breakfast, 2cp for a basic meal, 5cp for a mediocre and a single sp for a good one. Back to your own thread with you.

Maya payed over the 3cp for the spot near the fire, and decided to splurge on breakfast handing over 1sp for a good meal. Before curling up in her bedroll she ate half of a loaf of her horsebread, enough to keep her stomach from complaining as she slept.

[Sliver]

Maya wakes up after a good night sleep. As she asks for her breakfast, the table is quickly set with tasty brown bread, some hard cheese, apple cider and a handpie filled with meat.

The inn seems a bit empty at this time of day, with few people sleeping in today.

[Athedia]

Maya ate as much as she could, relishing in, what was to her, a luxurious feast. She kept an eye on the people around her and listened to what she could. She asked the innkeeper if there had been any news in the city while she slept. Knowing what was happening was important for her business.

Listen [roll0]
Spot [roll1]
Gather Information [roll2]

[Sliver]

Zack reaches what was supposed to be a scroll and potion shop, but now there is nothing there but piles of broken and burnt up pieces of wood. A half elven woman seems to be searching through the pieces, alone.

Maya noticed one table with a few gladiators sitting around, laughing and sharing a drink. Another table had a female druidic elf sitting along a gnome brewer, discussing something. They don't seem secretive, but you don't overhear them from your place.

"Well," The barkeeper starts "I heard a store had been destroyed yesterday. Rumors spread almost as quickly as the fire in that shop, people claim it is some group that extorts local businesses in that district. Besides that, nothing much going on around. Heard about the festival that's gonna take place in two weeks? They say there will be a horse race!"

[Athedia]

"Horse race? Where are they holding it?" The horse races where Maya's secret love, the pure speed of the animals outdid anything she could ever muster. How she would love to own one, and be faster than the wind.

[Linguz]

Zack approaches the woman and speaks softly, "Sorry for your lost. Is there anything I could do to help?" He genuinely wanted to help, even if there were other reasons stacked on it.

[Sliver]

The bartender looked amused by Maya's excitement. "Well, probably just outside the city gates. Haven't heard much about the festival though, even it's purpose isn't really clear. I doubt it's purely to celebrate spring..."



The woman hung her head low as she answered Zack. "Ah, thank you for offering but... I have nothing to offer in return... I'll manage, thank you though..."

[Athedia]

Seeing them set up the horse races could wait, Maya needed to find out more on the gem merchant, and more importantly a trustworthy fence. She headed to the marketplace, deciding to take a detour to where the destroyed shop was. There may be some goods throw onto the street, and those always sold for a little.

[Sliver]

Maya comes across Zack talking to a woman among the wrecks. From a quick look around, Maya notes that whatever goods were in the shop couldn't survive the fire or hitting the floor after being blown off the shop. She does notice a few slightly burnt chests besides the shop which would likely have been rescued by the shop's owner.

[Athedia]

When the innkeeper said destroyed I didn't think it was this bad. Maya gestured to Zack to come talk to her and then went to wait in a nearby alley.

[Linguz]

"Settling my curiosity would do just fine." He looked around, spotting a familiar girl, and continued, "But I've gotta do something quickly, I'll be back." He left the ruined remains of the building and headed towards where he saw Maya enter. "You wanted to see me?"

[Athedia]

"Are you sure you want to associate with that woman? I heard she wouldn't pay protection, and that means some powerful people did this. It may be safer to stay on their good side, and not anger them." Maya didn't know why she was warning Zack, usually if someone she knew did something like this she just distanced herself.

[Linguz]

Zack nodded. "I'm just talking to her, if they'll attack anyone who does that, they'll be found pretty quickly by the guards. Do you have any knowledge of who did the burning? Or of which groups it could've been?"

[Athedia]

"Tch, I couldn't say. Some groups pass through before you learn their identifiers, others move around, I could ask around if you really want me too. An' before you ask, I haven't gotten any more info on the merchant yet, I was headed to scope the place when I made this detour." Maya fidgeted, anxious to move on. She needed to get an eye of the merchant before trying to find some errands, and didn't want to miss out on the heaviest traffic of the day.

[Linguz]

"See if you can, please, whenever you've got spare time. I'm trying to do a favor for my brother, who has no leads on who did it. You know where to find me once you do have that info, though." Having gotten several gold the previous day, he wasn't worried all that much about not working today. A gold piece lasted a few days, at least.

[Athedia]

Maya nodded, and ran off to the marketplace. Upon arriving she looked for the gem merchant that the children had told her off. She also kept an eye out for any new-comer's who may need directions.

She listened to the gossip as she looked, rumors about the fire last night could lead her to who had caused the destruction.

Spot [roll0]
Listen [roll1]

[Linguz]

Zack returned to the half-elf and crouched by her position. "Sorry 'bout that, had to take care of something. So, as I was saying, I'll help you out, free of charge. How 'bout it?"

[Sliver]

Maya notices a man in colorful, quality thick clothes standing by a stand full of different types of jewels, made from precious metals and gemstones. The place is filled with people but while the chatter is numerous, it is quite dull and mundane.

Sonari looks at Zack, unsure if she should accept, but finally she nods. "Alright, thank you. If you can find anything still whole within this mess, I'll be very grateful." She says. I'll need a strength, constitution and search checks from Zack.

[Linguz]

Zack goes around, trying to find anything that might be left. In the middle of the work, he asked her a question, "Do you have any idea who caused this?"

Strength: [roll0]
Constitution: 14 [Next post contains the roll]
Search: [roll1]

[Linguz]

[Messed up a roll, sorry.]

Constitution: [roll0]

[Sliver]

Sonari doesn't reply immediately and you search through the rubble for a while in silence. Zack able to find a few stashes of potions and unharmed scrolls within protective glass casings, mostly by lifting the heavier pieces of wood. He notices that Sonari doesn't use much force, instead she moves small parts of wood and stone with magic, while larger parts are melted down with magical acid she conjures magically. Zack doesn't tire from the physical labor, and Sonari offers him a mug of mead after a while of work to cool off. She found a nearby kid and paid him to get the two mugs from a nearby tavern.

"Thank you for your help. It wouldn't have gone so well without it..." She takes a sip from her mug and thinks for a moment. "I do know who is responsible, although I can't provide the name of a faceless group of thugs. They mostly act in the shadows, with their goons walking around collecting "protection fee". It's not like one could turn to the guards, since very time there is trouble, none of the guards can be found around. The guards are corrupt, can't be trusted..."

[Athedia]

Maya watched the merchant, trying to observe when he left the stall. She tried to stay unobserved as she did so. As the sun rose in the sky she pulled the second half of the loaf of horsebread she had bought and started to eat it. Stale as it was it would have to do.

Spot [roll0]
I think this one too, Hide [roll1]
As in blend into crowd hiding

Add: I am not sure how leveling skill ranks goes. I was just wondering because you said it increases with practice.

[Linguz]

"Now, is that any way to speak about my brother?" He took a sip of the mug, a slight grin on his face. "And of course they can't be everywhere at once. They've only got a small portion of this city as their work force, one for every hundred I believe, or close enough to that, and they take three shifts. That means every second of the day, there is about one guard for every three hundred citizens. So... the chances of them being right here to help is very low. On the other hand, helping to stop an organization would be easier... if they knew who they were, or at least some small idea of where to find them. Take it from a guy that lives with one of them, they are not corrupted." He takes another sip and looks back over the rubble. "If you want my help still, I'm still offering."

Diplomacy [roll0]

I went through and saw that this is what he's done so far. I counted the Search as a Success and this diplomacy is undetermined so far.

Current Skill Level * 5 - Chararcter Level * Attribute Mod ^ 2

Perform (Mundane Magic) - 4 ranks
> 1 success
Successes Required: 11
Failures Required: 10

Sleight of Hand - 4 ranks
> 2 successes (both taking 10)
Successes Required: 11
Failures Required: 10

Spot - 0 ranks
> 1 failure (when he failed to spot Maya)
Successes Required: 0 (0 ranks)
Failures Required: 0

Search - 0 ranks
> 1 success
Successes Required: 0 (0 ranks)
Failures Required: 0

Diplomacy - 4 ranks
> 1 unknown
Successes Required: 16
Failures Required: 15

That's a lot of failures required. :/ And he doesn't fail his sleight of hand easily. Nor his performance.

Finally, how will XP be given and all that?

[Sliver]

Maya

Maya observes the jewelry trader as he proceeds to do business. After a few minutes though, she notices a man wearing a metal chain links shirt over his form and a longsword strapped to his belt approaching her.

"You seem to take interest in the master's wares." He says with a grin and you can feel the stench of his breath even from a distance. "Why, take a closer look, won't you?" It is clear he doesn't think you are there to make a purchase.

1
Zack

"Perhaps you are not as informed as you think." Sonari replies, folding her arms under her chest. "This area is reported as troublesome and has constant guard patrol unless there is a shift change. Yet this group not just acts as they wish, they also make a point of threatening and attacking when the guards are supposed to be on duty. Not once had they took more time than it would have taken the guards to finish their route and circle around, not to mention that the ruckus before my shop got destroyed and the explosion should have alerted all the guards in the district. Do you know something else I heard? It was reported that I'm hostile and uncooperative towards the guards. I wasn't even approached by a single guard since the incident yesterday. So congratulations to you if your brother isn't corrupt, but that just means he's losing out on most of the income the rest of them are enjoying."

[Linguz]

"Maybe I'm not, and I must apologize if I'd rather not believe my brother a crook. But, alas, the world isn't black and white. He either is corrupted and taking money, is corrupted and knows guards are doing it, or is not corrupted and possibly stupid for not seeing it. Or you're a good liar, but I see nothing you gain from lieing to me." He pulls his deck out of his pack and shuffles it quickly. "But my brother was right on at least one thing: You don't trust the guards. But I do and will do what I can to keep their reputation above water. Do you mind if I ask the full story?"

[Athedia]

'Sorry sir, they are just so pretty. I was thinking about if I were rich an could wear such pretty jewels. I am just a messenger, sir, an I'll leave if you want." Maya curtsied as she speaks, trying to look the part of a simple girl.

If you want a bluff check [roll0] I would think this lie is a believable one, and since she offered to leave it doesn't affect the man much, he scared her off, thus doing his job.

[Sliver]

Maya

"I know you're lying, girl." The armed man says and leans in close to Maya's face. "I better not see you again, if you know what's good for you." He stands back up, towering over Maya and waits for her to leave.

You can count that as a failed bluff. Even though the lie is believable, Maya didn't manage to pull it off.

1
Zack

"Why do you want to know?" Sonari asks simply. "You'll just be getting yourself and your brother into a huge unnecessary risk. These people are dangerous, they killed a man right in the middle of the street just for voicing an objection. They will find out you are asking the wrong questions before you find out the right answers. If you really want, I'll tell you what I know. But it won't be on my conscious if you and your brother end up dead."

Zack will earn up +1 search next time he sleeps. That's how I decide to do this, at least for now...

[Athedia]

"Yes, sir." Maya disappears into the crowd, trying to get to the main gate to see if she can pick up a few jobs before people stop arriving.

[Linguz]

"Well, I need to know how dangerous these men are so that my heroic tendencies don't make me try and bring them to the law, or find guards who would rather see them in prison. Of course, you're free to conceal names, identities, features, whatever. I'm honestly just curious as to how it all happened. So far, the story for me has been as follows: A half-elven woman's potion and scroll shop burnt to the ground. Suspects are suspected to be a gang of unknown thugs, but nothing is clear."

[Sliver]

Maya stands by the gates for a moment. After a short while she notices the guards pointing at the distance and a small group of them walk away from the gate. Following into the horizon, Maya notices a large caravan approaching.

It doesn't take Maya long to overhear enough to understand what is going on. That caravan is the reason for the approaching festival! Soon there will be busy preparations for it just beyond these gates.

One of the guards notices Maya and shoves a roll of parchment into her hands. "Get it to commander Yulana." He commands. Yulana, that's the guard captain, a famous warrior that has seen a lot during her younger days and known to only get stronger and wiser with the years. Now she's in charge of the entire military force of Mohora and the areas around.

That's not an order to be taken lightly. At least Yulana's office location is well known.

1

Sonari sighs. "A couple of weeks ago a group of adventurers came to my shop to stock up on some potions. Healing, protection, that sort of stuff. Then, yesterday, they showed up again, claiming the potions weren't effective at all and that I have scammed them, demanding refund. I asked if they could give me the potions so I'll examine them, but they got mad, claiming I call them liars. I saw the confrontation was starting to get heated up and decided to take it outside, not wanting my merchandise to suffer from the ordeal."

"Well, outside they suddenly started shouting at me in Draconic, with only their gnomish ally not speaking the language. I decided to reply in the same way, not wanting the crowd that started to gather to get in the way of the argument. Well, one of them decided to join anyway, and asked the gnome what it was about. As the man questioned the adventurers' claims, the gnome threw something at me which hit my shop window instead."

'I was beginning to realize it wasn't about the potions, but about paying the thugs, but then this figure, the groups' representative that always walks around, collecting money, showed up. From inside my shop. I think she stole the money while I was distracted, and then the shop blew up... The gnome stabbed and killed the man that dared to stand up against them and the entire group vanished into the street. The members of the militia quickly gathered to extinguish the flames, but it was too late for me and the shop."

[Athedia]

Maya set off running to Yulana's office. A message to the Guard captain must be important, and it never hurt for the guards to see Maya as useful.

[Linguz]

Zack didn't comment on her story and simply nodded. He looked upon the remains of the rubble and thinks about what to see... before finishing the mug and going to work again, unless the half-elf stops him.

Strength: [roll0]
Constitution: [roll1]
Search: [roll2]

Skill Progression:Perform (Mundane Magic) - 4 ranks
> 1 success
Successes Required: 11
Failures Required: 10

Sleight of Hand - 4 ranks
> 2 successes (both taking 10)
Successes Required: 11
Failures Required: 10

Spot - 0 ranks
> 1 failure (when he failed to spot Maya)
Successes Required: 0 (0 ranks)
Failures Required: 0

Search - 0 ranks
> 1 success (Possibly 2)
Successes Required: 0 (0 ranks)
Failures Required: 0

Diplomacy - 4 ranks
> 1 unknown
Successes Required: 16
Failures Required: 15

[Sliver]

Maya reached Yulana's office in a minute and knocked on the wooden door. A man in his twenties opened the door and noticed parchment right away, taking it from Maya's hands and letting her inside. He motioned Maya to sit on an empty bench as he entered through an unmarked door.

The room was plain, with a few candle holders hanging from the walls, two empty benches and a reception table with a woman sitting behind it, sorting through some papers. She looks up at Maya, nods with a smile and goes back to her work.

1

Zack's muscles start to feel a little sore so he avoids losing too much energy by focusing on the lighter pieces of rubble. He does manage to find a few items. A few potion cases, a couple of magical oil stashes and a small ring. As he picks up the ring, Zack notices Sonari is in the middle of concentrating on a spell and is distracted.

[Athedia]

Maya shifted nervously in her seat. Staying still made her nervous, even more so when there were guards around.

[Linguz]

Zack looked at the ring for a bit, looking it over. The inside and outside, looking for anything that could give him an idea of what it was doing here.