Dancing in the Soiled Gardens IC

[PersonMan]

OOC link. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=265872)

The weather isn't the best, if one prefers sunny days. Clouds cover the entire sky, melding into a single giant mass that blocks the sun, with smaller clouds closer to the ground floating along with visible speed. The wind that drives them is ever-present, blowing the cool air with enough force to make it a bit chilly. The wave-like sound of leaf-covered branches swaying in the wind is easy to hear, coming in large part from the pines that never lost their needles, but some early-blooming deciduous trees are already covered in leaves that are blown by the wind.

The train doesn't stay stopped for long, chugging off again, green flames shooting from the locomotive as it accelerates, heading off to the southwest full of coal and alchemical substances. The station is fairly small, a large wooden platform with the train tracks running through the center. There aren't many people who got off here, and it doesn't take long to notice the man who is standing near the path that leads to the nearest structure.

He's wearing a uniform, like that of a servant, and is looking down at several pieces of paper, brow furrowed in concentration, occasionally looking up and glancing across the small crowd. It looks like you may not have been the only one invited to this meeting.

The nearby building seems to be a manor house (and it indeed was, until the gardens were purchased by the Queen Alrin in 1147 to be made into a public place) and the only place reached easily from this side of the 'station'.

Passive Knowledge (History, Local or Gather Information) 14:
The reason the platform is so basic is that the old one was destroyed during a battle here between a group of radical Norries and monarchist soldiers. The alchemical scorch marks left by the explosion that tore the ground apart only recently became covered by the grass.

[Saskia]

Shivering briefly with the breeze, the tall and robust mail-suited Alina looks slowly around the crowd for signs of danger before approaching the servingman, a large golden-brown dog of indeterminate breed close in tow. Cautiously she says to the man, Excuse me goodman, I have the feeling you and I share a mutual acquaintance, perhaps?

Sense motive [roll0] for anybody who she might need to keep an eye on.

[Lateral]

Zack hops off the train, pulls an apple out of his haversack, and begins eating as he walks over to the servant. "Oi, you d'ere!" he calls out flippantly, munching his apple all the while. "I 'eard you wos lookin' for me?"

[Emperor Ing]

A diminutive figures moves amongst the othrs, layers of filthy rags blackened in splotches with dust and alchemical waste wrapped around him obscuring his features, but the distinct tail, hunched gait, and elongated snout give away his being a Kobold, even if his face is all but invisible beneath the layers of rags and the darkened goggles concealing his eyes. He overhears the servant being questioned, assuming they are here for the same reason, he chooses to follow them and see where they go.

[Zarthrax]

As the train pulls to a halt, a man in the utilitarian blue of the Peasentrist Navy literally falls out of the door and onto the ground. For a few long moments, he simply lies there, unmoving. Finally, the man stumbles to his feet, cursing under his breath. He removes his tricorner hat, runs a hand through his cropped close black hair, then replaces it in an exaggerated manner that announces to all and sundry that the owner is either drunk, mentally slow, or one hell of an actor.

The bottle that had fallen out of his pocket and smashed on the ground made the first theory the most plausible.

In a careful, cautious, and most of all drunkenly, careful manner, (Former) Citizen Captain James Cruikshank makes his way over to the lone man standing there and seemingly attracting a small crowd.

Once he gets there, he remains silent, clutching his invitation and staring blearily at the man.

[PersonMan]

The servant-looking man looks at Alina briefly, glancing down at one of the papers he's holding, looks back up to her and nods. As the others arrive, he repeats the process, not directly responding to anything you've said until James stumbles over to the group. Looking down at the last paper, the man nods to himself, seemingly pleased, and tucks them away into a pocket, clearing his throat.

"I have determined that you are those my employer invited. Please, follow me," is all he says before turning around and walking down the path to the manor house. He doesn't look behind him or wait. The walk to the building is fairly short, passing through a well-tended hedge maze (not much of a maze, though) and a garden before arriving at a patio.

The wooden platform of the patio rises about two feet from the ground and it's fairly large - perhaps thirty feet long and fifteen wide. There's a single table present: a bit large, it has four empty chairs pulled up to it. A small assortment of fruits sit in two bowls in the center of the table.

Sitting at the table, in the one occupied chair, is a young man in a white shirt and nondescript brown pants. His hair is a light brown and his eyes are of a similar color. There is very little about him that would make him easy to identify, except perhaps for his utterly mundane appearance.

Seeing you approach, the man smiles and waves you over.

"Welcome! I see you all decided to come, it's wonderful to see so many of you turn up," he says, the servant placing himself behind him.

"I hope your trip here was pleasant enough, it's always a shame to start a new enterprise with a bad voyage," he adds.

[Saskia]

Alina says softly in a register befitting her tall stature, Even a bad voyage offers good opportunities, ser. But yes, it was quite pleasant enough for my taste. Her dog animatedly sniffs at the floor around the group. If I may, exactly what is the nature of this enterprise?

[Emperor Ing]

I've had worse. The kobold says with a deep, but dirty voice one would never expect from something with such a small stature. Truth be told, this one was rather smooth. Black always anticipates that there's one overzealous rookie guard who interprets the law in too strict a manner, or those guards phishing for promotions by filling out arrest quotas. This time that didn't happen, fortunately.

[Lateral]

Zack shows hints of a smirk as he sees the man wave him over- in his experience, when an upper-class gentlemen treats him with respect, they're either a peasantrist or they really want his help. In either case, he'll have fun tweaking their noses.

"Look. This ain' a social call, an' we all know i'." He pulls up a seat and helps himself to a mango. "Wha'd'ya need, an' how much bread are ya willin' ta pay f'rit?"

[Saskia]

Alina raises an eyebrow at the mango man's behavior. I assure you, etiquette will not harm your wage, ser mercenary.

[Lateral]

"Did you... jus' call me... a mercenary?" Zack puts down his mango, slowly and deliberately. He then turns his head slowly, and shoots Alina a glare of utter contempt. "You really fink I'm a mercenary? Do I look like a FECKIN' MERCENARY ta you?"

Ooh. You hit a nerve.

[Saskia]

Alina takes an exasperated tone. With her hand on her hip, she looks at the man and says I assure you, ser, if I intended offense I'd have used a more emotive word than "mercenary".

[Lateral]

Zack looks at Alina closely, then laughs and sits down. "Well, I don' fink we 'ave a problem, then."

[Emperor Ing]

The Kobold chuckles at the exchange, but the slight disturbance is enough to send him into a coughing fit.

[Zarthrax]

The former Captain, still bleary eyed and staggering, followed the strange group over to the mansion, and stood a silent witness to the events unfolding, silently wondering what he was even doing here...

[PersonMan]

The man watches with vague interest as Zachary and Alina get into and then resolve their brief conflict.
"Yes, as to why I have called you here...You see, I have a plan that will involve things, of which each of you knows at least one. However, before I continue I will tell you this: there is a conflict, which you are probably unaware of, that will inevitably lead to complications. My plan will uproot the very foundations these secret groups are based upon, so they will act against it almost immediately," he explains. It's fairly obvious that he's proud of his plan already.

"Even those who one would expect to be with us will probably turn against us once they understand the true goal we have. I doubt that few apart from those here are not clouded by their misconceptions as to the proper order of things," the man continues.

"Despite this, I believe our true foe to be one person, a single enemy who will quickly work to turn the world against us," he says. "So now, knowing this...do you wish to be one of the few with knowledge of the plan? Merely attending this meeting has already made you an enemy of those who oppose it, but if you leave now they will not concentrate their efforts against you,"

[Saskia]

Alina raises an eyebrow and stares intently at the man. People who can speak without saying anything have, in the past, not been my friends, ser, so you will understand my suspicion. This has the air of the sort of political game which is dangerous to all but those at the top. What precisely do you want that requires a drunken ex-sailor, an obsolete knight of a bygone era, a lung-rotten alchemist, and a, She pauses momentarily shaking her head, as if fishing for the right word, a most-certainly-not-a-mercenary?

[Emperor Ing]

The Kobold looks around, not quite sure who the "lung-rotten alchemist" is. Nobody else has really displayed any of the symptoms of Black Lung to his knowledge, and he is most certainly not an alchemist so he wonders if either the human is mistaken or there is another he hasn't noticed yet.

[Lateral]

"Legitimate businessman, thanks."

Zachary turns and sneers at the well-dressed man. "Feh. I seen a dozen like you. Rich. Young. Bored. Think ya can change the world, jus' like tha'. Well, I'm gonna le' ya in onna li'le secre', ya stupid arse. The world don' work tha' way." He sniffs. "Still, tell me the plan an' 'ow much bread you're off'rin', an' I'll bite. I've always been a bi' o' a gambler."

[PersonMan]

The man smiles at Zachary's comment, but gives no other response, instead turning to Alina. "Do you know how steel is made from iron? You need to subject the iron to heat and work it into its next form. What I am planning to do is similar. This country and its people will be put through the forge's fire and be subject to the blows of its hammer; what will emerge will be far stronger than the Elravia of today or yesterday," he explains.

"For one reason or another, you all have something to gain from this, or a reason to be acting against the current government, which will need to be brought down for the next stage to proceed," the man continues.

---

In a dark room, there's an audible grunt as something is lifted onto a visible wooden surface - perhaps a table. There's some audible shuffling about before a soft clicking is heard. A candle is lit suddenly, and a tired-looking young man becomes visible. He reaches into an open suitcase and moves some things around before smiling, stepping back with a nod. Lighting a long, thin stick with the candle flame, he settles into a large chair that comes into view behind him. His eyes suddenly become dull and his body goes slack. The burning stick falls and something else catches fire, moving along the floor slowly.

[Saskia]

I am not often one to state the eminently observable, but I find myself compelled to warn you that severed limbs and grieving widows and fields sown with salt are the products of war, ser; traits not conducive to a strong and united nation. Still, if aiding you can turn out to aid the people, then I have my duty before me.