[3.5 E6] La Resistance! IC

[whiskytangofoxt]

In Sartha, they said, it never rained - it poured. Some say the place was blessed (or cursed) by some God of Storms to never go dry, and very rarely did a week go past without at least a drizzle.

As the sun begins to rise over the West Wall, the drizzle is abating somewhat.

The common people are starting their working day - groups of labourers rush to get to their forges and shops, talking about the upcoming day; the scnts of fresh baked bread and cinnamon start to fill the morning air; the guards begin their change-over, and prepare for a well-earned rest.

Each of you has one job today, and one job only - Clint, the owner of the Rose and Rye tavern, has been putting out some feelers regarding the Noble Family of Vizzini.

Perhaps you heard from a friend - a concerned family member, an old drinking buddy with a grudge, or just as whispers and half-truths amongst the washer-women.

He has mainly been asking for those affected by the family's obvious corruption, hose who are concerned for the future of Sartha.

He said to meet him at the back of the Rose and Rye and sun-up this morning. Knock three times, quickly, and give Clint's name for entry.

[ForzaFiori]

Ante finds the tavern just as the sun appears over the wall. He had never been there before, preferring to drink alone if at all, but had good directions from the man who was giving him a place to sleep. He knocked thrice, paused, and said "Clint." The door opens and Ante enters.

[Bad Situation]

Victus stalks through the streets silently, watching carefully for any potential watchers. The streets had eyes and it would not do to be caught unaware, not with the momentous undertaking that lay before him.

He finds the tavern and is not surprised when he sees someone enter before him. Striding quickly to the door, he knocks the requisite three times, and says, "Clint," before entering the building.

[Dr.Robotnik]

Gragg walks up slowly to the tavern door, wondering if this is is even the right place. after hovering outside the door for several long seconds, he knocks on the door three times, pauses and says "Clint" before walking in.

[OracleofSilence]

Aeacus slips out of the early morning bustle, pulling his cloak around him for warmth. He quitely walks to the door, and knocking, mutters "Clint". As he slips in, he carefully adjusts his gauntlet, slipping the handle to some weapon or other into his palm, just in case.

[WyvernLord]

A tall man in an overcoat and carrying an umbrella walks down the street he stops at the tavern and raps on the door three times with his umbrella before saying "Clint".
As the door opens he strides in and takes off his overcoat. Revealing a belt with several odd containers and a small gun.

[whiskytangofoxt]

The backroom of the Rose and Rye isn't known for its class.

Straw adorns the floor, and only just edges out the overwhelming smell of goat from the ancient, rotting wooden beams. The rain had clearly been wearing away at the structure over the past few years.

Along with a few tables and seats, there sits a rag-tag collection of men and women - some you recognise, like merchants and guardsmen, and some are new to you. Standing at the head of the room is a very well-kept man, wearing a fine set of clothing and a rapier at his side.

"Ah, come - sit down, please." He greets each of you and a few others as they enter.

"Now, we are here to discuss a certain... problem that has been plagueing our city for some time. I will refrain from speaking it aloud to frequently - the walls can have ears, in a place such as this.

I speak, of course, of the Vizzini - they are killing our humble city from the inside out. We have been losing trade routes due to poor relations with other cities, our markets are leaning towards more and more sordid pursuits to meet the expectations of the Nobles, and our taxes has increased steadily over the past few years - to the point we struggle to feed ourselves with each passing month.

I, for one, have had enough. We must begin to destabilize their operations - force them to relent their stranglehold upon our fair city, one street at a time if we have to."

He opens the floor to any who wish to speak.

[OracleofSilence]

Aeacus, still wrapped firmly in his cloak, looks around, trying to gauge the other would be revolutionaries. "So what do you suggest? We are neither equipped or prepared for the type of action you suggest. At least not that I can see."

He looks around, something like . "So far as I can tell, this looks like a waste of time. We have our private wars. Why not let us fight them? Unless you have something else going on, in which case, why did you lead with the sh*t we already know?"

[WyvernLord]

Giustino who was standing a bit away speaks up at this.
"The basics are never a bad thing to start with, when introducing many people who support the same cause to each other.

He walks towards the middle of the room talking as he goes. Circling you as he makes his speech.
On the subject of resources how many resources can you call upon. How many can some of these merchants call. You were brought here to meet some of the fine people who can support our cause with resources even if they can't directly assault the regime for reasons there own.

Giustino walks up near you.
And if I may ask a question. What are your skills? I sincerely doubt you have all the skills necessary to change our situation. I know I do not.

[Bad Situation]

Victus glares at Aeacus from his seat, standing up only to address the man's squabbles. "One man cannot hope to change the world, though I think you already know this, otherwise you would not have accepted the summons." He eyes Aeacus suspiciously, intent on getting some kind of reaction from the man.

He scoffs and adds, "And private wars? If you feel so selfishly about our city then perhaps you should leave, and carry on with your own petty issues on your own," before sitting back down with his arms crossed.

[ForzaFiori]

Ante stands and faces Aeacus. "Yes, your private war is working out so well for you, that's why your here today, correct? To inform us of how you've destroyed that part of the noble houses which did you harm." he pauses, as if waiting for an answer, but continues before one can be given. "Oh wait, you mean that you, like us, live like **** because of them, and have gotten nowhere? Well maybe it's time to try a different approach!" Here he slams his hand on the table for emphasis. "The nobles hold us where we are because we do not unite against them. It is easy for one rich man to hold one poor man down, but hard for him to hold down 5 or 6 poor men all by himself, and they squabble even more than we do. If we can unite against them, we will be done with them before they can unite against us."

[OracleofSilence]

"I am sorry I presented my view so bluntly, but understand. So far, this man has said nothing different from what I stated. Yes, I live and fight here because I feel compelled to resist a regime as corrupt as theirs. No I have not made any great impact." He turns from person to person as he says this. "But so far, the man before us, has just said more of the same. So what if we win? What then? We must notice one core issue. The Vizzini are a disease, yes, but they are a symptom as well as a cause. When people are raised to be slaves, like everyone in this city has been to some extent, when we remove their shackles, they will make themselves new ones. Fighting for the streets is not enough. We can do that already."

Ruefully scratching his head, he continues "I will admit it. I was wrong to be so blunt, and disrespectful to you, and to our shared cause. I am sorry, truly, and I can only beg for your forgiveness and hope to gain it. I just worry that we are going to make new tyrants. The people don't need that, just like they don't need us to fight for them. They need to fight for themselves. All we can do is try to give them to courage and means to strike the blows."

[WyvernLord]

Giustino nods,
"I agree, but to give them the courage they need we need to have successes that show them that they aren't all powerful. If I had a family I might not have been here. Many people in this city feel that they are to vulnerable to the nobles to speak up against them."

He starts speaking in a louder voice.
"We need to strike them somewhere. Somewhere that is obvious that hurts the nobles but doesn't hurt the rest of the population. I don't have an idea for that though."

[Dr.Robotnik]

Yeah, Icouldn't think of anything else to contribute to this conversation...

"We could hit them in their heads, that tends to be a weak point for everyone" Gragg says sarcastically.

[whiskytangofoxt]

From the back of the tavern, one of the men pipes up.

"We could try those damnable guards."

He steps forward. He wears worker's clothes, plain and practical - but few workers wear a dagger at their side, and fewer still have a prisoner's brands on their wrists.

"Half the guards are in their pockets, and the other half are easily swayed. We maybe weaken their hold on this city, and our job would be a little easier, no?"

[Bad Situation]

Victus quirks an eyebrow at the man's suggestion, "And just how would you suggest we root out the troublemakers?" It was a reasonable suggestion but without a method to weed out loyalists it was rife with danger.

[ForzaFiori]

"It would also be nice to have something more useful to replace them. A city with no guards is almost as bad as a city with corrupt guards."

[whiskytangofoxt]

"Sadly, true enough. But, I can't jelp but think if we were to make a few... examples of the higher-ranking corrupt guards, that the Nobles might take notice - and the other guards might straighten out a little."

[ForzaFiori]

"Examples ARE excellent learning devices. I would be willing to try this. Take down a few of the top guards, scare the others into acting better, the entire city benefits."

[whiskytangofoxt]

The finely-dressed man at the front clears his throat.

"Now, we don't want to start a riot, or leave us under martial law. We should try and ensure our efforts are not traced back to us."

[Dr.Robotnik]

"Well, do you have anyone specific in mind?
Or were we just brought here to talk instead of doing anything useful?"

[whiskytangofoxt]

The finely-dressed man looks at you with irritation.

"We are here to discuss these happenings, and to come to a suitable plan..."

The suspect-looking worker laughs, the brash bark cutting across the room.

"I'm with this guy!" He points to Gragg.

"We could use a big fella like you... we're here for action, not fancy bastards like you tellin' us what to do!

I vote: we head round to the Captain's Rest, just near here, get an idea of the layout, then go and kill that bastard Captain!"

[OracleofSilence]

Aeacus glances over at the exuberant worker. "That won't help. Kill the captain, and they will only put someone nastier in his place. We are overlooking a required aspect of any revolution. We need a base. And we need as many fronts as we can come up with."

He glances over at Gragg as he says this "We must be able to strike from a place of strength. What can we expect to do by killing captains if we have no plan. If our finely dressed friend has no suggestions, I'm sure we can come up with something better then simple assassination."

[WyvernLord]

Giustino shakes his head at the crowd getting riled up.
"As this man says assassination is not the answer. Our goal is to overthrow them. Not get into a long bloody battle with them. It may come to that but we will have no support if we start the battle.

I suggest we simply disrupt they income. A large part of their power is the leverage they can hold over the greedy and the desperate with there wealth. The problem is choosing a target that is very widely used by the wealthy but not the average person. Those are the thoughts I humbly submit to this fine group."

[ForzaFiori]

"Does anyone know the route the guards pay takes? We could steal it, and use it to set up our own base of operations like Aeacus mentioned."

[Dr.Robotnik]

"Taking their pay? That would be sure to lead to a long and bloody fight. I've never seen a guard that didn't like money."

[OracleofSilence]

"If we are going to see this thing through to the end, the fight will be long and bloody whether we want that or not. We just need to minimize the damage it does to the people of this city. As for a target, one that only the rich can access? Why don't we target the tax collectors and tariff officers?"

[ForzaFiori]

"Which, as I pointed out, is also an excellent choice because it gives us something that we can not only take from the nobles, but something that we can then turn around and use to further our goals. No resistance happens without a bankroll, unfortunately, and if we were rich, we probably wouldn't be here."

[whiskytangofoxt]

"The guard's pay train might be easier - it's guarded, but the tax collectors can afford to hire their own protection - and most have some form of magic backing them up. The guard's pay is simply guarded by Jotuns and mercenaries.

Any ideas as to how you'll manage to steal it from under their noses?"

[OracleofSilence]

"The old ways are the best ways. We have a tinkerer here. Why not open things with a bang?"

[ForzaFiori]

"I can give you a nice fire, or just make it look like there's one. Not sure if I've ever seen someone with a working, controllable explosive though." Ante points out.

OOC: No actual explosive inventions until second level ones, but there are smoke bombs and molotovs.

[Dr.Robotnik]

"If we take the guard's pay and they use that as an excuse for not paying the guards, we end up much worse off then we were in the long term.

There must be some weak point in the way that the tax collectors or merchants collect or hold on to their gold. "