[IC] The last thread of Balance; Book 1: Chaos

[Yanisa]

Ba Sing Se, the once capital of the earth kingdom still stands tall and imposing as the hired zeppelin flies over the agrarian fields surrounding the city. It was an expensive service, but the airships were the safest way of travel and the White Lotus didn’t seem to save a penny for this mission. Although in order keep your cover, this one is a refugee ship, filed with desperate people that pawned of their last possession for this trip to Ba Sing Se. As far as the news go, the city might be tarnished, it is still the strongest city. Free from spirits, the insane wilds and other problems that plague the world. On board you had time to process the information from the White Lotus, but talking with your fellow mates was impossible here, too crowded and too many eyes.

The orders from the White Lotus where simple, but rushed. Time was of essence because known and unknown enemies are also on the move. Like you knew, there were rumors about the next avatar being in Ba Sing Se, you and a group of other chosen White Lotus members were to travel there. You get a bag of the relics of past avatar in order to preform the basic ritual to test, the avatar should be able to point out which ones where "his" in a previous life. Because we are unsure whether this avatar has a bond with the previous avatar is unknown, we also ask you to preform the basics test. See if candles flickers, small rocks tremble and cups of water flow in the presence of the kid.
In Ba Sing Se there is a contact who has more information on the presumed avatar and hopefully of any enemy movement. If you find the avatar, we got a safe bunker on the shore across Republic City, return to there and await further orders. If no further orders appear within a week, you are implored to teach or find teachers for the avatar. If there is no avatar there, return to base, in Republic City.
In case of emergency you are allowed to break orders as long as it means to keep the avatar safe.

The zeppelin lands outside the inner gate, a small patch of dirt is cleared and a small hut stands just outside the landing circle. A few angry looking people, earthbenders most likely, oversee as the ship lands and people unboard. You and your companions gather, realizing that you guys arrived a day early and your contact person is nowhere in sight. You guys are left with the contact information of a small inn, in case things went sour, and the address of the boy who might be the avatar. The question is, what will you do first? This is also the first time you get to talk with your companions in private, although those earthbenders are staring at you, they don't seem to listen.

[Rofltrollcopter]

Ezekiel had a spring in his step as he got off the airship. He had never ridden in an airship before. Despite the group's dire situation, he find the situation exciting. Ba Sing Se was still a breathtaking sight from the sky, and his height ensured that he managed to get a very good look. It reminded of him of the first time that he had laid eyes on Republic City, although that seemed like a lifetime ago.

Ezekiel fixes his leaf hat and saunters over to stand with the group and starts speaking in an enthusiastic tone. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm fixin to get me some possum-chicken. No good day starts out of an empty stomach" He drops his voice a bit. "We should come up with an extraction plan. Assuming we do find the you-know-what, we need to get-em out of the city as soon as we can, and I don't think we can take the airship again. If the White Lotus heard the rumors, so will our enemies." He frowns Although if we don't know where we are going, that dog-fish won't hunt. Do any of y'all know where we are supposed to go once we are done here?

[manwithaplan]

"Well, we know where to find our contact," Taka said, considering their options. "We should go to them and ask them what to do with our package once we get it. I'm sure they have some sort of idea."

Taka had also never been on an airship, and was fascinated by the concept of flight. It was something he hoped to achieve with his bending, someday, but for now using this vehicle to simulate the effect was good enough for him. He was a lightly equipped man, which his Air Nomad ancestors would have approved of - he wore an unassuming cloak and had a simple (at least in appearance) quarterstaff slung across his back. The only other thing he carried was a large pouch of coin that he had received from the White Lotus, as payment and to cover his share of the mission's expenses.

[bryn0528]

Saza, meanwhile, looked rather bored, but any who had come to know the young man would find that this is generally the case about nine-tenths of the time. He kept a casual eye on their surroundings at all times, in case their mission had already been compromised.

"Agreed," he said to Taka, without looking at the Airbender. In his mind, Taka was almost as valuable as the Avatar, or even more so since the Avatar could at least be reborn again. Who could say the same for an airbender? It was risky sending him on such a dangerous mission, but airbending teachers were scarce, so perhaps there was some logic in Taka's presence. "The absolute last thing we want is to blow our cover. Let's keep a calm head, find our contact. We can panic when we find their corpse in an alley with a slashed throat."

For a second, he rummaged through his sack and pulled out his atlas of the Earth kingdom. He flipped through the pages to find the proper map; unfortunately, much had changed in the world since the publication of this particular atlas, but while the spirits in this world had changed much, the same general topography remained true. Besides, Ba Sing Se kept most of the spirits at bay, and though political unrest had left much of the place in ruins, it couldn't be that different than a 20 year old production, right?

[Elricaltovilla]

Lee stretched and looked up at the walls of Ba Sing Se.

"I'm down for getting some food, but then again, I'm low on supplies anyway. I knew I should have stocked up before we left... Why don't we meet with the contact and get a recommendation for somewhere to eat?" He asked.

Lee kept a close eye on his surroundings, and an ear as well. He'd heard of the chaos in Ba Sing Se, and knew it would be only a matter of time before trouble found the group.


Spot check:
Listen Check: [roll1d20+8

[Rofltrollcopter]

Ezekiel snorts. "you seem as happy as a dead pig-rat in sunshine Saza." Ezekiel was worried about all of the people in the group. None of them had any idea what they were going into, and most of them were practically children. I ain't calling for us to panic, but we shouldn't count on our contact to get us out of here. Considering how well our predecessors did with the last you-know-what, I think due diligence is in order. I say we check out the inn, spend the rest of the day searching for an extraction point, and then meet up with our contact as originally scheduled tomorrow." He pauses for a moment and looks troubled, something has been stewing in his mind since the journey began. "Has anyone thought about what we are going to tell the you-know-what? I've been thinking, and this is the best I have come up with so far: 'Hello, we have come to take you away from everyone you ever knew and loved. Our long-term plan is take you into direct conflict with a bunch of violent angry people who hate you simply because of the fact that you exist. But don't worry, we are part of a secret society dedicated to protecting and educating you whenever you reincarnate, and we did a really bang-up job guarding your predecessor....'" He trails off "My folks always told me honesty was the best policy, but I'm not sure if that applies here"

OOC:I propose we
1. Go to the inn
2. Walk around the city a bit, try to inquire about ways out of Ba Sing Se
3. Timeskip to the next day

[Breitheamh]

As the others made small talk and talked about the plan of action, Zheid's nose was deep in a book. He'd nearly walked off the side of the ramp when they were disembarking. Finally, he places a pressed white dragon flower on his page and closes the book.

A gasp escapes him as he looks up at the ruins of the great wall of Ba Sing Se. "Wow," he says in wonder. "Did you guys know that this is only the third time in the history of the Earth Kingdom that Ba Sing Se's inner wall has been penetrated? Still, the sight is beautiful to behold."

He stands in awed-silence for a few moments, then abruptly inserts himself into the conversation the others had begun. "I second, Ezekiel, was it? I second Ezekiel's plan. Except the part about what we should say when we find the package. I don't think we will really know what to say to them until they've shown us what kind of person they are when we meet them."

[Nettlekid]

Just a heads up, this isn't that fleshed out because Wednesdays are always going to be a super busy day for me, but I'll try to keep up as best as I can and if I miss a Wednesday post I'll be back soon.

A muffled voice echoed through the airship's corridors, spilling only slightly outside.
"Alright everyone, we've touched down in Ba Sing Se, so get your-oh, no one's in here.


Okay you guys, we need to...Where did you-"
The latecomer peered out of the hatch to find the gathered White Lotus team just starting their conversation on solid ground, having left the ship. Reign's eyebrows furrowed and he adjusted the weight of his pack, hurrying down the gangplank and joining the group.
"Oy, what are you guys even doing? You're seriously just going to wander off already? It's like you don't have the slightest semblance of order or appreciation for procedure. What, we're going to stumble around and mill about and hope that we, er, accomplish our objectives? No, we need tact and precision, and a plan of action. All things considered, we don't even know if our sources are reliable. Not that I question our higher-ups, who are of course fit to do their duty and the best decisions for the job, but it's not like there's a lot of direction to be taken in a place like this. I mean look at it!"
Reign gestured to the city, a shell of its former self (and depending on who you spoke to, it wasn't the greatest place at the best of times) and shook his head. He looked left and right, dropping his voice to a whisper.
"Doctor Ezekiel is right, however poorly elocuted his statement may have been. We should under no circumstances assume that we are the only ones with a mission. We shouldn't assume the information is valid. We shouldn't assume that we have any place of safety in this entire city. And so his suggestion of utmost caution is more than warranted. At this juncture, our greatest weakness is that we stick out like six multicolored sore thumbs. Before we even venture to the inn, where we may be ambushed as soon as any of our enemies realize we're their mark, we should endeavor to either blend or (the less distasteful route) act by proxy if we can find anyone who seems if not trustworthy then at least not conspiring against us.

We had best stay together. It's not like we'll draw any less suspicion on our own, we minimize the chance of any one enemy seeing us by chance on a street, and at least we'll have strength in numbers if something goes amiss. I say we check out the inn, spend the rest of the day searching for an extraction point, and then meet up with our contact as originally scheduled tomorrow. I hope my plan satisfies you. Let's not waste time."

[Rofltrollcopter]

Ezekiel snorts. Outsiders often had trouble dealing with Foggy Swamp names, but he had gotten used to it overtime. "You can call me Zeke. Problems don't go away by ignoring them Zheid. We have to convince a child, who will be no older then 15, to abandon everything they ever knew to come with us. We don't a need good recruitment speech right this very second, but its something that y'all should mull over. The last time someone tried to force a you-know-what to leave their family behind, there was the whole 'iceberg situation'. We cannot afford to make a screw up like that."

Ezekiel ignored the mild insult offered by Reign claiming ownership of his idea. The important thing was that the mission succeeded. Ezekiel leaves the group and begins making his way towards the inn. On the way, he keeps an eye on the various refugees leaving the area. If he notices any are injured or sick, he stops to offer whatever mundane assistance he can. As much as it bothers him, he doesn't risk using bending in order to avoid drawing attention.

OOC: When assisting refugees, he will take 10 on heal checks if its relevant.

[manwithaplan]

"Don't worry, Ezekiel, I should be able to talk the kid into coming with us. You say they're no older than fifteen? Neither am I," Taka stated. He considered himself a man, being one of the oldest Airbenders currently alive, but that didn't change the fact that he was really a child. He liked that. Enemies seemed to underestimate him frequently.

"Also, I left my family to join a greater cause once. That's why I'm here now, and I've had a lot of fun so far - I can relate to this guy and encourage him. Not to mention, he'll also need me to be his you-know-what teacher. I'm practically his best friend already! Anyway, that's business for tomorrow, at least. Let's get to the inn, then we can look around."

He took off with Ezekiel, quickly strolling into the city. He would head straight for the inn, assuming he wasn't forced through customs or anything.

[Yanisa]

So the group decided to towards the inn, using the directions of one of the notes that was quickly given before they went on their mission. As Saza noted, the book still seemed to function as a general guide, especially on the main roads, the only major change in layout was the eastern side, the new slums, but you arrived at the western side. Also many of the bigger land marks tended to be tarnished or ruined. Most notably the monorail, which the book still describes as one of the greatest accomplishments of city but now it lays in broken bits all over the city.

While you don't note anything of particularly interest, you do know feel it's cold in the city. The city is also quiet.

There aren't people that seem wounded or in need of aid, you do spot a small boy with scraped knees, but he is gone before you can even open your mouth.

Although traveling on the main road had his down side, the big group drew a lot of suspicion, even with 2 of them slightly ahead.. People stared intensely at them, or fled into the side streets. Some even backed up with their backs against the wall. Luckily the notes instruction quickly guided you into the side streets, avoided the almost hateful looks of the locals. The smaller streets had their own problems, many of them were blocked by rubble, some of them were on the note, others not. Luckily the side streets had a grid like patterns, so finding a way around was easy.

After about an hour of wandering through a seemingly endless maze the group arrives at what looked like a large building. It might have even been a proud inn once open a time, but the building is now ruined, partly collapsed and partly burned. The building seemed deserted, unstable and most of all, unlivable. Although the front door was ajar, behind it was only darkness.
Everyone in the group noticed that there is a bucket resting on the door, which is opened to the outside, so the bucket stands there almost in plain sight. It intend almost seems to distract of the wire spanned above the doorstep, but the wire is also hard to miss. This seemed more like a childish prank then a real trap of any kind. The name of the inn is correct, as in a wearied out sign states "The Molebeaver's Mug", same name as on the note.

[Breitheamh]

Zheid pulls open the door and ushers everyone in to the dilapidated building, then heads to Zeke.

He pulls the waterbender over to a corner and says in a hushed tone after being sure no one is listening, "One step at a time, Zeke. We don't even know if this kid really is what we're looking for. If our enemies have heard the rumors as well, we might not have time to convince him to come once we've tested him. Before we start changing his life forever, let's get to know him. Once we understand who he is, it will be much easier for him to trust us."

[Elricaltovilla]

Cold and quiet, never good signs in a place as crowded as Ba Sing Se. Lee recalled some of his training, focusing his senses and alert to any danger. The others could worry about how to approach the subject of their mission, Lee would just focus on keeping them all alive. Which was funny, considering his family's profession.

The burned out husk of a building, where they were supposed to meet their contact set off all kinds of alarms for Lee. "I think we'd be better off worrying about the present, instead of the future. This place looks like a trap, and even if it isn't it's probably about ready to collapse."

[bryn0528]

Zeke's earlier comment to Saza left him with only a slight shrug, before Saza led the group with through the increasingly labyrinth streets without any real concern. Each blockade which forced a reroute, though, seemed to be a tiny knick in his frustration. At one point, he nearly considered bending to clear their path, but a second's moment of meditation left him calm and dull... and rather bored.

He only took a mild interest in the inn, his usual not-quite-calm-but-rather-detached voice. "The entire city is in ruins, Lee. And I mean that more than just physically. We're the outsiders here, and in the places so large as Ba Sing Se, everyone deals with their neighbors and doesn't trust a new face farther than they could throw a dragon-horse."

[Yanisa]

As Zheid opens the door, the bucket falls with a loud clang. A rather large scorpionrat runs out of it, takes a stab at Zheid's feet but misses and then scatters away in panic.
The scorpionrat triggers AoO if anyone feels vindictive enough to squash it.
In response someone inside shouts "Aha!" and then "Ssst!" followed by a large thonk.

The door now open light shines on a taproom, but it showed signs of an old brawn. Various tables and chairs were thrown about, many of them chipped or broken. One table seemed to split down trough the middle, the bar had some nasty dents and the floor is littered with broken glass and stains. The scene was littered with rocks lying around and parts of the floor seem to raised up as walls. Then there were the scorch marks, that were literally everywhere, on the bar, the furniture, the walls and roof. Lastly there is a stair in the back of the bar, going upstairs. Fresh dust is dwindling down the stairs and upstairs seemed blocked by a table. A voice from the behind the table whispers. "Don't mind us, we are innocent Sparrowmice." Then a sharp sound, that sounded like a slap.

Someone taking note of these things, the small wire seemed to be connected to a bunch of bells, also functioning as an alarm system.

[manwithaplan]

Taka cringed as his ally blindly stepped into the trap. It had been right there, in plain view...Oh well, it didn't matter now. He tried not to let the awful conditions bother him, and instead spoke up.

"Innocent Sparrowmice, huh? Is there anyone else in here? Maybe some people, or something?"

[Rofltrollcopter]

Zeke was somewhat reassured by Taka's words, although Zheid brushing the problem off bothered him. Sure there were some kids who jumped at the call to adventure, heck, he himself was an example of that. However, those tended to be the exception, not the norm.

Atticus shouted across the ruined inn. "Do ya'll have any Possum-Chicken?" He pulls out a couple of coins from his coinpurse and holds them up in the air. "Cause if you do, I have a couple of friends who would like to meet you"

If folks were wondering why I kept hammering about that point, I'm thinking of the setting in terms of 'darker and edgier'. E.g. most of the time, it would be a really, really terrible idea to trust the fate of the world to a child.

[Breitheamh]

"Relax. It might scare off would-be thieves, but it's not a trap," Zheid explains as Taka cringes. "There were plenty of better places to kill us along the way," he mutters under his breath.

As the others talk to the people behind the table, Zheid busies himself righting a table and a chair, where he then sits down and takes off his backpack.

[bryn0528]

Saza took the time to close the door, once he and his companions were safely inside, and to reset the simple bucket trap. Granted, the scorpionrat had run off and thus the trick much less effective... though it didn't really seem to work that well in the first place.

Saza walked over to where Zheid made himself nice and comfortable, though he chose to remain standing. "He's really just a child, and everyone knows you-know-whats are flighty." He chuckled a bit, but it was rather dry. He too seemed uninterested in dealing with the "sparrowmice", but then again, it was a bit of an open secret that firebenders were notoriously bad at diplomacy.

[Yanisa]

A muttering angry sounding voice sounded from above, as a older man steps awkwardly over the table and comes down the stairs. You knew the contact was a wizened, aged man that was a bit eccentric, but you didn't except this. He was very old, his hair was nothing more then oddly places spots randomly across his head, except his beard that was knotted and still hang almost at belt length. Age spots and wrinkles filled the hairless parts of his face, and he was awfully skinny and crooked, although that was hard to see with his loose robes. Still he walked with a fierce determination, shaking his fits and his eyes filled with a glistering. "Kids these days! Barge into my home and don't pay attention to me! Just make yourself at home and sit around. Bunch of benders too, like the last ones didn't ruin my bar or anything." When he reaches the end of the stairs he rummages and pockets and throws something in ground of the group. A couple of rocks bounces around and a single white lotus tile rolls over the floor, ending against Taka's left foot.

Suddenly the man's angry face turns serious. "We should have discussed a password, or something. Throwing around white lotus tiles has been the dead of many of us." He shakes his head. "Although if you guys wanted me dead I already would be. I also suspect my would be assassins don't trigger the traps I set against the pesky children and sit around lazily around the ruins of my once fine establishment." The man walks behind the bar, grabs a couple of mugs and a bottle of wine, sets it on the most intact table and sets a couple of decent chairs around it. "No possum-chicken though, food is hard to get as it is. Coin is worthless here though, but still people gladly kill each other for it."

Meanwhile a older woman pushed the table upstairs against the wall and sits down at the top of stairs. "I told you Seok, it was today." The old man looks up to the stairs and shouts angrily. "I might not have seen a calendar in 17 years but I still know it was tomorrow! Blasted woman always want to be right." A sigh escapes his lips as his gaze turns back to the party. "So... why are you here? I wasn't expecting unexpected guests."

[Nettlekid]

"Then you ought to have been expecting us," Reign declared, pushing around Saza and Taka to stand at the front of the party. He glanced down at the White Lotus tile, popped a waterskin open and Water Whipped it up to his hand, returning the water to the skin in a fluid motion. He examined it briefly.
Take 10, check is 26, should be plenty.
I'm also going to Sense Motive to see if he seems to be telling the truth about being part of the White Lotus. [roll0]
EDIT: Shoot, messed up the roll, I'll roll in the OoC.
"You are remarkably foolish, old man, moreso than your years should suggest. Yes, we're a group of benders from different parts of the world, that much is obvious to anyone who isn't colorblind. This man has a leaf hat, he's obviously not from here, and that one has war paint on his forehead. What you don't know for certain is why we're here, and whether we're on the same side. Any knave can procure a second-hand Pai Sho set and toss a dirty White Lotus tile on the ground in front of him. Are we to think you allied with the White Lotus? If we were the wrong group of travelers, if we were part of an anarchist splinter cell, then not only would you have painted a lotus-shaped target on your back but our assassin would have slit your throat from behind while we had you distracted at the door by talk of possum-chicken and scorpion-rats!"
Reign's voice, which had started soft, had risen to an intense indoor shout. He was still mindful of not being heard by outsiders, but he wanted to make his point clear.
"If you're who we think you are, then you ought to know why we're here on this day. It's best it isn't discussed loudly, or indeed at all. If you aren't who we hope you are, then not only is that quite unfortunate for us but you've put us all in a rather dangerous position by so flippantly tossing tiles around your," he paused, "exceedingly humble establishment. So let's cut to the chase. Are you the people we're looking to see, or are you not? And I don't take this to be much proof." he scowled, flipping the White Lotus tile before pocketing it.

[bryn0528]

Saza gave Reign a rather glaring look at being pushed around. He didn't say anything, and neither resisted, but the way he pulled his arm out of Reign's grasp suggested that Saza would give him a couple combustionbending lessons personally. He spoke in a firm, yet quiet voice.

"Reign, shut your pretty little waterbending mouth right this second. It's not like we have enough allies to go around and start making water on all of their heads."

Saza rolled his eyes and made a quick hand gesture to Lee or Zheid, whoever seemed more responsive at the time. Deal with this, it tried to communicate, with reference to Seok. Saza, then, would impose upon Reign, just to make sure he didn't try to muck up anything else.

[manwithaplan]

"Reign, please stop mistreating the one person in the entire city we know isn't out to kill us. Use your head, man. For one thing, if somebody is smart enough to acquire a White Lotus tile and understand its significance, then he's going to be smart enough to avoid flashing that tile around and throwing it at random people. Nowadays, that's how you get killed, so he must know who we are. Furthermore, he knows that we were supposed to arrive tomorrow, not today, a fact I am sincerely apologetic for and intend to repay before we leave," he said, addressing his apology to Seok, not Reign. "How can anybody just guess that sort of information? Finally, he matches the description we were given. This is our guy."

Moving towards the table that had been set, he took a seat and turned his attention fully to Seok. Something annoyed him about the fact that he was the kid of the group, and yet he was doing the diplomacy. Hopefully some of the others would back him up.

"Again, I apologise. I understand the danger you're putting yourself in just to do this for us. If you can think of any more opportunities to prove that you're on our side for the benefit of my friends over there, I'd say it would be wise to take them. Oh, also, sorry about setting off your little trap. Anyway, my name is Taka. My group roughly knows where our package is, though we are going to need some assistance in getting it out of the city. Would you have any way to help us there?"

[Rofltrollcopter]

Ezekiel raises his eyebrows at the sudden squabbling between his companions. Reign was being a prick, but Ezekiel grudgingly admitted that he was right. If y'all are looking for someone to pick a fight with I'm sure the Red Lotus would be happy to oblige you. We've only known each other for half a day, and already we are at each other's throats. Ezekiel turned to address the old manWe will gladly accept any form of hospitality you can offer, and we can compensate you in other ways if gold is not sufficient. He begins to move around the bar, and tidy it up as best as he can. I don't suppose you know anyone we could could talk to get information about the city? Maybe a guide of some sort?

[Yanisa]

The old man, Seok you presume, smiles at Reign. "You are smart, almost makes me wonder why you are here. But you are clearly no assassin. Assassin hate the light and hate talking and hate sound, I would be dead before I would notice one of those." He nods, as if agreeing with his own statement. "Besides the only people that come here are the neighbors kids looking for the 'Angry Ghost of The Molebeaver's Mug' or assassins that would come to kill. And you seem to be neither. There was a time people sought me out for advice, but those days seemed to gone. Although some stick in the mud wanted me to pick up some kids tomorrow, but they would only come here when things went wrong. They shouldn't even be here! So is it coincidence that people seek me out a day before my first task in years, or did something went wrong?" "Or perhaps you misremembered the date." "Shut it, Iseul! You are not even part of this elite group, stop spying on us!" The woman nods and puts her hands on her ears, but after a minute or so she lowers her arms again.
His gaze turns to Taka, almost like a scowl. "In contrast, you are young and seem naive, almost enough to instantly know why you are here. Your comrade has a point, trust is the most expensive good around here. No one has it and everyone wants it. Besides I am stupid, for the past 15 years, each time I walked down the stairs I expected it to be my last, and I still keep doing it." He shakes his head and his face turns sad for a moment, before he suddenly realized something and almost jumps up. "A day early?! How does that even happen?! Unless someone planned a delay and you just happen to be lucky?" He scratches his head. "And here I thought I needed to accept my wife could be right too." The woman atop the stair laughs for a moment.
"But the main problem remains, due this... odd... planning we lack any way to identify each other. I got no prove, you shouldn't trust me past the white lotus tile. And you don't got prove, I can't trust you past the fact that I am alive. I do know that the enemy knows more then me, so they are stupid if they wanted to interrogate me." He stands up, goes behind the and retrieve a large map, which is a hand drawn portion of the west side of the poor part of the city. A large stain seems to match the general location of the avatar. the old man points to a house off to the side of the stain. "That's an assassin. Each sound makes him jump like a Kangaroo-frog, he never gets outside during the light and he hates talking. He also stares, like stains on the map are interesting or something." The man points to a different building, a few blocks down the stain. "That's a blacksmith, makes tools for food. Simple trade. Open between noon and 2 hours after noon. Follows kids to their home! Creepy fellow." Then he points to the stain. "Trading post. Makes deals with all sorts of people, has good deals with farmers. Their kid is a talented Earth Bender, and even has his own shack next to his parents house. I don't spy on kids but I often see him carrying metal inside his shack around 2 after noon. Same time as I get food there."
"Lastly, the only people in the city that are open to others are the children. They know the way and they see a lot. They may mistrust, but they don't avoid strangers. As for payment, the most important thing to trade around here is food. Gold might not be buy food anymore, it still buys services. Easiest way to get food is the help the farmers outside, or make things the farmers use. And we could use some more food, the people at the trading post are nice and gives us some free food... but it is barely enough for the two of us. Just like at my poor wife, she is basically skin over bones." As he points points his sleeve lowers and he clearly is just as skinny as a wife, if not even more. It's hard to judge from a distance, but the woman's face seems well fed.



The White Lotus tile is old, worn out and chipped, it either has seen a lot of plays or has been tossed around a lot. Interestingly you spot a carving over the tile's picture, two letters, an "S" and a "I" and a heart between them.

The old man doesn't appear to be lying.

The old man doesn't appear to be lying. He does seem to be faking his angriness, especially towards the woman at the stairs. He does seems genuinely confused and perhaps also a bit scatterbrained.

The old woman at the stairs hasn't said or done a lot, so it's hard to get a feeling on her. She does often frown when Seok gets angry or say mean things and seems a bit worried.

[Rofltrollcopter]

Ezekiel seems satisfied by the read he got off the couple, and opens up a bit more.

Farmers huh? I don't suppose there is any of them that could need a doctor. That's the only service I can offer that would be valuable for trade. Also, do you have any more details about the person of interest that you informed our mutual associates about? Gender, age, that sort of thing? What made you think that this person would be the one we are looking for?

[Nettlekid]

Reign gave a glance to his companions.
"Tch, what happened to proper procedure? You're actually going to trust anyone we meet on no basis? For all you know, this guy is an assassin who took out the real old man who lives here, but not before torturing him to learn everything he knows to trap us, and we're being surrounded right now from the shadows. I'm not saying that's happening, or even probable, but it's by no means impossible. So come on, show a little decorum over here, would you?"

He turned back to the old man Seok.

"Your pitiable plight is the result of you insisting to continue living in such a lawless zone of abject chaos. I recognize that many are reluctant to pull up their roots and move on from the security of their homes, but it's not like you've got a lot to cling to. You're gristle on bone. And you say food is the most important thing in the world for you, but you remain in a city with a huge population of starving people and little means to actually procure food. There's no farmland in the city, the sparse farmlands outside the borders are overfarmed and can't meet any level of demand, and the disestablishment of government did a number on any kind of trade economy for getting food from the outside (not like you have anything that people want anyway.) Why not leave? Forage or farm in the countryside where no one would bother you? You have no law and order anymore, and the pandemonium means that everyone does what they want. Which means the only people still here are the people who want to be. Typical Earth Kingdom mentality, everyone's as proactive as a stone in the dirt."

Reign looked over the map, largely uninterested. They only had one goal and so long as they knew where to go, it ought to be largely straightforward. He didn't need to know where the assassin's house was, or the blacksmith's shack.

"We've no reason to be bothered by any of the goings on of this city beyond those which are greater than the city itself. Ba Sing Se will be one of many places of change if what should come to pass does. If you know what I'm talking about and who we are, then you'll know that the trading post or blacksmith's shop are the least of our concerns. And with regard to trust...Again, shall we say that if you know our purpose, then we have four markers of our mission that are a little more unique than a dirty White Lotus tile.

As for the date, quite frankly I wasn't even aware we were meant to be here on a specific date. We could have any number of excuses for being here quote-early-unquote. We wanted to get a jump on any potential threats who would intercept us on the decided date. Our base of operations is under threat of attack and we had to speed up the mission. Your wife is right and we're here on time. But honestly, I think it's fair enough to say that the sooner all this business is finished the better, and there's no reason to wait if we don't have to. So with that said, let's not waste time. Can you tell us where we're going and where the package we're here to pick up is, or are you entirely useless to us?"

[Elricaltovilla]

Lee blinked at the mention of one of their group being an assassin. He kept his silence as he listened to the old man's explanation and his compatriots arguments. The whole process seemed highly inefficient to him. The presence of blacksmiths and farmers spoke positively of the state of Ba Sing Se, but the suspicion of enemy presences was something that needed to be addressed. He looked over at Ezekiel, who seemed most likely to offer useful assistance.

"I want to go check out this potential 'assassin.' If there really is someone like him around, it could be very dangerous for our mission, and if we're really lucky he might have more useful information than these folk." he whispered.

[Rofltrollcopter]

Hold on a second Lee, the man wasn't very clear. Ezekiel speaks up again. "This 'assassin' you mentioned, do you know if he is working for the opposition, or is he a freelancer? Do we need to worry about this guy?"

[Breitheamh]

Zheid opens his mouth to address Seok, but is cut off by Reign's tirade. As the others ask the questions he'd been planning to ask himself, he glares at the cocky waterbender.

His voice deathly calm, the kind that comes before a storm, he says, "Reign, please be quiet. You are making me angry. I don't know if you realize just how difficult it is to do that, but you are succeeding. Congratulations. You call yourself a noble? Then show some class.

"Besides your rudeness, if this man is an assassin, as you claim is a possibility, you have just given him enough information to have us killed, our backpacks searched, and our mission failed. Thank you. Now sit down. If you don't trust him, you don't have to talk to him.

"Seok, I second Zeke's question."

[Nettlekid]

"Some lead, some follow. Still your temper and keep to your place, lest you fall into the cliche of being the headstrong, choleric, short-fused Firebender of every fairy tale. And don't be so hasty as to undermine yourself. I mentioned neither what we were in possession of nor if they were on our person. And please, you say that as though a killer wouldn't rifle through our pockets after dispatching of us. Don't be naive. We can't afford to jeopardize the safety of the people we'd like to serve through poor leadership and failure to keep diligent. So let the leaders lead. There's a reason I was entrusted with our markers, now isn't there?"
Reign patted the fold of robe over his heart.
"Not that there's any reason for them to come out in front of anyone other than who they're meant for," he added, shooting a look at Seok.

I know he's not holding them. And Reign knows he's not holding them. But anyone listening in wouldn't know he's not.

[bryn0528]

Saza sighed heavily. He found that he agreed and disagreed with more or less each person involved... He never found that he was incredibly talented or useful in any sort of social situation. He became incredibly bored by the instantly tedious and roundabout logic involved. These were some of the reasons why he became so focused on his own bending abilities and tracking--which in turn was exactly why he was here, now. He sighed again, and wandered aimlessly.

"Just let me know when you've got it figured all out. Tell me who or what you want reduced to a pile of ash and consider them exploded."

Saza leaned against one of the raised earthen walls that littered the trashed bar. In his hands he began to play with a small ring of fire and allowed the others to do their parts. This wasn't his area of expertise... when his skills were needed, he would know.

[Yanisa]

"Leave? I considered it, but you know the excuses. We are old, she can't even walk up and down the stairs. If not for that we had left ages ago." "Yeah right, like you can abandon this place, you are just as stuck here as I am." "To be fair, our time had come 15 years ago, the fact we are still alive is... Not that it matters for you. Still if we had moved, no one would have found him. But I cannot provide any information you want it seems. You know where you need to be. My job was to prevent others from knowing that, not telling you the obvious. Still your friends seem interested."
"Everyone needs a doctor some day, everyone makes mistakes. It's a good skill to have."
"Ah, the boy from the trading post. Spends most of his time in the shack though, he is hard one to approach if you need a guide, but he does know the city. Most talented Earthbender I have ever seen and he is like fifteen. So good it seems he was born bending. Might be a metalbender too with all that metal he has been collecting. Interesting kid."
"Assassins are always weird. Never leave the house, so I don't know if he carries a marker, a tile, or a color, but I know he carries a forbidding message. I would worry, but more so for what he stands for. His message states that I have failed and that perhaps your waterbending friend is right. And I was sure I was the only one who saw it, and I only told the one person I trust. Still he sits there in that windows, staring like a Eaglehawk."
Seok tosses a look back to Reign. "Owh, I don't know what new markers are in with the current generation. I miss the old ways, when you would sit around a board and play for hours. Each move indicating the personality of the other player. And when that one tile moved in ways normal people didn't use it, you knew you had a friend."

[Breitheamh]

"Unfortunately, since the Red Lotus splintered from the White Lotus, those won't work anymore, but I agree. It was far more elegant in those days."

Zheid smiles at the old codger, then looks sharply back at Reign and says, "May I speak with you for a moment?" Then he gets up and motions off to one side.

"Reign, I need you to think through what would happen if this man were a spy. First of all, how would he have known to be here, right now, in order to intercept us? Our enemies would have had to be expecting us, which means he already knows who we are, especially after you told him he should have been expecting us. And if he knows who we are, then he can guess at our purpose, and be almost certain of it now.

Before we give away anything else, let's see what he can tell us, and then we'll go from there. If he thinks he's made, we are done. If we play along, we might have a shot at getting the best of him." Zheid speaks in a whisper while the others continue to talk to Seok.

[Rofltrollcopter]

Zeke offers a bow of respect to Seok and Iseul. "Thank you for your assistance, and I apologize on behalf of our group for inconveniencing you" Zeke will wait for any members of the group to ask additional questions, and once they are done he will step outside so he can talk to the group members in private.

"We need to watch what he have to say to Seok, although not for the reasons your worried about. He was sincere, and he did not mean us any harm" He sighs, and a look of pity comes across his face "If I had to guess, I would say that Seok is suffering from the early stages of Dementia, that being said diseases of the mind are not my specialty. Dementia is a broad category of diseases, but they all involve memory loss and loss of ability to think and reason clearly. Did you notice how Iseul got worried whenever Seok became angry or he seemed confused? I would guess that she's been watching her husband slowly deteriorate for a while now."

Ezekiel looks at Taka That means we can't tell Seok anything about our plans, for his safety and ours. There is a chance that he could become disoriented and tell the wrong person what we are up to. Or someone might try to torture it out of him.

Ezekiel adds We should decide on some ground rules before we make any further progress. We don't tell anybody anything they don't need to know, period. Trust no one. Again, its for the safety of the people we interact with and ourselves. Second he looks at Reign No Bending. Not unless its a life or death situation. Your right, were going to stick out like a fat wart on a catgator's snout, but there is not much we can do about that. Ezekiel does take off his hat though but thats no reason to draw more attention to ourselves then we have to. People pay more attention to Benders then non-Benders, doesn't matter where in the world you go. A bender has the potential to cause more violence then a normal, so people will always keep a closer eye on them. Third, we should come up with a consistent cover story. If anyone asks, we are refugees from Gaipan. It was a former Fire Nation colony, so it was a crossroad for a lot of different folk. We all were orphans who grew up there which is why we know each other. Our homes were destroyed by Bandits, which is why we've come to Ba Sing Se for safety.

Ezekiel sighs and rubs his forehead. He was painfully aware of the fact that he was the eldest in there all too young group. He looks between Reign, Saza and Zheid. "Listen, you can't be fighting each other like a bunch of rat-badgers tied in a sack. We are in a city filled with potential enemies. When things get dangerous, the only people that we can rely on to guard our backs are each other. We all come from different backgrounds, and we will all have different opinions about how to do things. Unfortunately, I don't have a cure for wounded pride. So if someone says something you disagree with, try to be patient with them. Or at the very least, if you want to say something save it for a time when you can bring it up in private, and not in front of outsiders." Ezekiel shakes his head "By the Great Tree, we are here for the Avatar, the literal personification of the four elements working in harmony. Lets try to be a good example, and show him what can be accomplished when the four nations work together."

His tone switches and becomes more business like "The way I see it, we have two outstanding problems. The potential Red Lotus member thats taken an interest in the package, and the fact that we don't have a plan to get the package out of the City. About the Red Lotus member, I am very uncomfortable about trying to kill someone on Seok's word alone, so let's find another way of dealing with him. Maybe we can force him to leave somehow, either collapse the house or set it on fire or something. I propose we split into two teams. One team will keep this 'assassin' under observation, see if he leaves somewhere during the day or something. It didn't sound like Seok kept too close of an eye on him. Maybe they can try to break in and see if he was corresponding with someone. The second team will try to find a way out of the City. The best way to do it would be by airship, although it will look really suspicious if we inquired about flights out of Ba Sing Se the same day we arrived. Maybe there's another airport in the City. Otherwise, we will probably have to figure out a way outside of the walls, and take a caravan. The street kids that Seok mentioned are probably our best bet if we can't find a way out by airship. Reign, you've got a good head on your shoulders, why don't you come with me to figure a way out of the City?" Not to mention the less time you spend around the Firebenders, the more relaxed I will feel. It looked like Saza was about to start a fight back in that inn. Taka, why don't you come with us? Your a friendly person, I think you would get along just fine with the kids. As for the other group. Lee should be on the team doing the stakeout in case they need his Earthbending to set up a hiding spot. Saza, you vaguely mentioned that you were a tracker right? If this 'assassin' tries to pull a runner, they could need your help. Zheid, just try to keep an eye on everything and make sure nothing goes sour. I know this risks splitting our forces, but we can cover more ground this way. Just try to avoid getting into a fight if you can help out.

At the end of the day, we all meet back here and we go talk to the package tomorrow, sounds like a plan?

Sorry if this is being presumptuous, but I am just trying to move things along. i don't know if the dm wants to or is willing to deal with two groups at once, but I see it as a quicker way to get stuff covered

[manwithaplan]

Taka nodded as Zeke explained his plan. He figured he'd be pretty good at chasing down an assassin, since even without his bending he was pretty athletic, but he couldn't track like Saza so it would be pointless. He did have another idea to share, though.

"You know, in theory, I could grab the kid and sprint right up the outer wall with him over my shoulder. It wouldn't be impossible...a twenty second run, tops, and twenty more to run him down the other side. Keep that in mind, in case of emergency, though I hope it doesn't come to something so risky. Anyway, yeah, let's go and see those street kids."

The ambitious airbender moved to stand with Zeke, hoping he knew where exactly you were supposed to find street kids. They didn't sound like the type you'd find at the park.

[Breitheamh]

Swallowing his pride, Zheid takes a deep breath and looks at Zeke, "I'm sorry. I won't let anger or pride rule us."

As the young airbender speaks, Zheid can't help but chuckle inwardly at the boy's enthusiasm. "Thank you, Taka. I suppose if worse comes to worst, that is an option. I have one more question, though: did Seok happen to mention what kind of bender the suspected Red Lotus member is, if at all?"

[bryn0528]

Saza's interest peaked only a little. He at least looked up from the fire in his hands, which faded into smoke with a small puff. Finally, someone with some actual leadership qualities. Maybe all waterbenders weren't that bad, after all. Then again, it wasn't like he actually agreed with half of what Ezekiel said, but he only shrugged, barely listening.

"Wasn't fighting. Just keeping peace. But yeah, I can handle an assassin. No problem." He still spoke with a flat voice, but at least he made his way back to the group.

[Nettlekid]

Reign side-eyed Zheid. "What a one-dimensional mindset. You'd probably fit right in here."
He turned around and headed toward the door, giving little acknowledgment to Seok as he departed after Zeke.

"So the old man really is useless to us, then. It's a sad day when the glory of a proud organization is reduced to torchbearers like that. Reign frowned. "I still think it's suspect. The more I mull it over, the only person who would actually be safe throwing a White Lotus tile on the ground would be a member of the Red Lotus who knows that other members won't attack him for it, while a true member of the White Lotus would run the risk of revealing themselves to the wrong person. But you're right, I'm not the best judge of character but I'd say he was just a moron. I agree that we keep in him the dark, and that won't be hard. But if you're right about his slipping mind, then we'd best take everything we've got to go on so far with a grain of salt. He's our original information source, yes? The one who saw what he thinks he saw, and told us? Which means everything we know might be faulty, and we should be careful about what we acknowledge as fact. (Which is, you know, what I've been saying throughout.) If he's truly losing his mind, then there's nothing to say for certain that there is an assassin of any sort, or even if there is, none of the information regarding the guy might be valid. Perhaps the supposed assassin is merely a thief or a pedophile spying on the trader boy, and the paranoid old man assumes him to be a terrorist. For that matter, the same holds true that there may not be anything remarkable about some kid at the trader's. The old man may have seen him playing with spark rocks and assumed he could Firebend. I hear there's not much difference between the two, anyway."

Reign listened to Zeke's plans, nodding occasionally.
"Age before beauty, feel free to lead the way. But forget the airships and caravans. I imagine getting out of the city won't be a substantial challenge, albeit a somewhat distasteful one. With this many civilians in such close quarters, there'll be a need for a source of water. And it'll be drawn from deep underground. It's not like they'll be carting it in from outside, or catching the smoggy rain when it falls. If memory serves, the tales of Avatar Aang relate a number of intertwining passageways beneath the city used by the old Dai Li, as well as the Crystal Catacombs where Aang nearly perished. We could find an outlet or a well, or have our Earthbender here make a new one. Then Doctor, between the two of us, we could use that subterranean water to make an ice chute to carry us beneath the city. If we're quiet about it, no one will know where we are unless they have the seismic sense of the old chief of police."

[Rofltrollcopter]

Ezekiel nods at Taka's suggestion. That's good to know. But lets hope the kid gets to know you before it becomes necessary. If he didn't know whats going on, it could get unpleasant.

Ezekiel gives Zheid a grateful look when he apoligizes. Thats water under the bridge now

He turns to speak to Reign. Ezekiel was very surprised at Reign's suggestion. He would have guessed that the uptight waterbender would have been afraid about getting himself dirty. I think your over-analyzing the situation. The higher ups should have set up a proper protocol for us to meet the contact. What sort of proof could Seok have offered us? Hopefully this 'assassin' turns out to not be a threat. Your scheme will get us out of Ba Sing Se, but I am worried about how we get back to Republic City. It's quite a long way to travel through the wilderness.

Zeke pulls out a map for reference
http://i.imgur.com/qKwBR8T.png

Republic City is the place in the red circle, and you can clearly see Ba Sing Se on the right. If it takes too long to figure this out, we can meet with the package tomorrow and sort out travel arrangements later.

[Breitheamh]

After everything is decided, Zheid pulls Reign over to one side.

"Listen to me. In the course of the past several minutes, you have disrespected Taka, Saza, Seok, Iseul, Zeke, and myself. Whether or not you trust Seok is your own problem, and beside the point I'm trying to make. In fact, you may even be right. Seok may be trying to lead us into a trap. I never said he wasn't. You don't have to trust him if you don't want to. But please understand that you do need to trust us. Despite how important you may believe yourself to be, you cannot do this on your own. No one can. So, please, if you feel that we should proceed with caution, speak to us first, in an even tone. Do not burst into the situation, words brimming with anger, and then tell me to curb my temper.

The battle for balance and harmony is not just the avatar's. It belongs to every man and woman in the world. It is fought between good and evil, every day, in our souls. If we restore order to the world, but fail to be in harmony with our fellow man, we have the lost the battle anyway. Do you understand?"

[Elricaltovilla]

"You all spend so much time arguing I feel like I've been standing here for days. We have a mission. Can we please focus on it?" Lee was starting to get angry, but he forced the edge out of his voice in the interest of keeping peace, also something he wasn't used to.

[Yanisa]

Narrator: The group has decided to split of to cover more ground and actions without wasting as much time. The groups will be split as followed:
Team 1 consist out of Lee, Saza and Zheid, they are going to stake out the trading post, where presumably the new avatar lives and also keep an eye on the the "assassin".
Team A consist out of Ezekiel, Reign and Taka , they are going to find a way out of the city, most likely by pestering the local kids.

Team 1
You arrive at the trading post, a large building at a small square, you almost get the feeling it's pushing away the smaller buildings to the side. One building seems to be a normal house, suitable for a small family. The other building seems to be a large shed, large enough to store multiple vehicles, but it hasn't have a second floor, so it still seems small.
Just like Seok pointed out, across the building, at the other side of the square, is a man sitting in the window. He seems to be around forty, still young enough to be fit, but he already has a receding hairline. He looks like a typical earth kingdom citizen, brown hair, brown eyes and a green outfit, he would easily blend in a crowd, yet sitting on his windowsill makes him stand out like a sore thumb. He just sits there lazily, his gaze glides over the square, often shifting towards the shed but in general keeping everything in sight.
The square itself is mostly empty and quiet, a few people wander around, going quickly in or outside the trading post to disappear again in the side streets.

Team A
You are still in the alleyway in front of the ruined inn, discussing plans. However your presence has drawn attention, as a small face peeks around the corner of the street and stares at you. It seems to be a young girl, her eyes huge with curiosity.

[bryn0528]

TEAM 1 - SAZA
Saza put a hand gently on Lee's shoulder, and pulled him away as the two groups split. "I agree, Lee. Let's just go." He offered a genuine, though half-hearted smile, before giving Zheid a quick nod. As before, Saza referenced his Earth kingdom atlas, and by making a few detours from the main road, they arrived at the location in anonymity; Saza stopped the group in an alleyway, with just the square barely visible beyond. He wanted to make sure that if the supposed assassin was real, that they at least had the element of surprise.

"So, what do we do now? Approach the avatar or scope out our guy? Either case, we shouldn't just sit and wait." He looked to Lee. "I know that's the earthbending way, but I hope I'm not too forward to say that you strike me as a more proactive type."

[Rofltrollcopter]

Ezekiel shrugs and looks over to both of his companions. This really was not his area of expertise.

someone want to make a diplomacy check?

[manwithaplan]

Team A

Taka smiled as he spotted the girl peeking at his group. Girls didn't argue with you like the guys he had come here with. Trying not to scare her off, he gave her a wave.

"Hey there! Looking for the ghost of the Molebeaver's Mug? He's not in a talkative mood right now, we just went in ourselves. Anyway, I'm Taka, what's your name?"

It's a girl, not an encounter. All we do is talk to her.

[Breitheamh]

"I don't think we should approach our main target while the suspect is watching. A distraction might be a good idea. See if we can get him to leave his house. I have an idea for when we are leaving that might help, but one step at a time. Any ideas?"

[Elricaltovilla]

TEAM 1 - SAZA
Saza put a hand gently on Lee's shoulder, and pulled him away as the two groups split. "I agree, Lee. Let's just go." He offered a genuine, though half-hearted smile, before giving Zheid a quick nod. As before, Saza referenced his Earth kingdom atlas, and by making a few detours from the main road, they arrived at the location in anonymity; Saza stopped the group in an alleyway, with just the square barely visible beyond. He wanted to make sure that if the supposed assassin was real, that they at least had the element of surprise.

"So, what do we do now? Approach the avatar or scope out our guy? Either case, we shouldn't just sit and wait." He looked to Lee. "I know that's the earthbending way, but I hope I'm not too forward to say that you strike me as a more proactive type."

TEAM 1 - LEE

"Personally, I think we need to eliminate any known or suspected threat before we try and make contact. Our actions are bound to arouse suspicion, so its best to eliminate as much risk as possible." Whatever Lee's training had been, he still preferred the most direct solutions.

[Yanisa]

Team A
"Hi Taka! I am Yun." She says as she steps out the alleyway, but still keeps her distance. "Also no, the ghost is scary. I heard him once. He was all like 'aaaawuuuuuu aaaawwwwww my baaaaaaack, my baaaaack!!!' It was really scary and weird. I dunno what he wanted back." She makes wild arm movements with her imitation, trying to look (more) scary. "But you dared inside! Just like my brother!" She adds with wide eyes, both curious and impressed.

[bryn0528]

TEAM 1 - SAZA
He looked between Lee and Zheid. Both fire and earth were direct styles, that relied on a great deal of strength. However, earth was rooted in the physical and fire belied upon mystical energy. Fire was aggressive and earth was neutral. In many ways, fire and earth were more opposites than earth and air or fire and water. Saza found himself a little surprised to have sided with an earthbender over a firebender.

"Lee's right, here. Seok said he never leaves his house, so I think we'd be hard pressed to distract him with anything short of setting his house on fire. But we're still not even sure if he is an assassin or not, so too direct an approach is out of the question. I think I have an idea: let's go pay him a visit and get right in his face and we'll see his true nature. If one of you two are unsure, then you can hang around back the otherside of his house and we'll have him pinned down."

[manwithaplan]

Team A - Taka

The airbender laughed at Yun's impression of Seok, and grinned throughout her next few sentences.

"Yeah, we went in. He yelled at us a lot, didn't seem very nice. Anyway, Yun, are you smart? Or is your brother? My friends and I are looking for some smart kids who know their way around and could help us with an adventure."

Taka made sure to leave out the details he didn't want her to know. He liked this girl, but that didn't mean he trusted her.

[Breitheamh]

Team 1-Zheid

"And then what?" Zheid says incredulously. "Doing that would pretty much blow our cover entirely. Maybe the suspected threat won't leave his house, but the boy across the street has to at some point. If we could approach him anywhere while the enemy is looking the other way, we might succeed. If we confront the threat directly, we risk everything. What if he is a more powerful bender than the three of us, or even just a dangerous non-bender? If the Red Lotus is anything at all like the White Lotus, they probably will have sent their own team here to investigate if this guy said anything. And if they didn't, if this guy felt like he could handle dealing with the situation on his own, I might be even more nervous. We need to know what kind of bender he is, if at all, and we need to know how dangerous he could be before I will feel comfortable approaching him directly."

He takes out a piece of beef jerky and gnaws at it while he continues, "I recommend Lee talking to the earthbender kid to try and find out more about our target. One of us should watch the target's house to see if he leaves, maybe giving us an opportunity to approach him away from the suspected threat. However, do not approach him until we can discuss our findings. The whole time, one of us needs to be watching the threat's house. If he leaves, we need to know. If he bends, we need to know. If he follows the target , we definitely need to know.

If we find out that the threat absolutely needs to be eliminated before approaching the target, we can confront him with the rest of the group after the rendezvous.

Just my thoughts."

[Yanisa]

Team A
"Of course I am smart... But my brother is more brave. He once went all the way to the other side of the city. I tried, but it got dark and then I had to ran home." She sounded awfully disappointed. "What kind of adventure? Owh, owh! Let me guess.... You are ghost hunters!? Ammerit?!"

[Elricaltovilla]

TEAM 1 - LEE


He looked between Lee and Zheid. Both fire and earth were direct styles, that relied on a great deal of strength. However, earth was rooted in the physical and fire belied upon mystical energy. Fire was aggressive and earth was neutral. In many ways, fire and earth were more opposites than earth and air or fire and water. Saza found himself a little surprised to have sided with an earthbender over a firebender.

"Lee's right, here. Seok said he never leaves his house, so I think we'd be hard pressed to distract him with anything short of setting his house on fire. But we're still not even sure if he is an assassin or not, so too direct an approach is out of the question. I think I have an idea: let's go pay him a visit and get right in his face and we'll see his true nature. If one of you two are unsure, then you can hang around back the otherside of his house and we'll have him pinned down."




"And then what?" Zheid says incredulously. "Doing that would pretty much blow our cover entirely. Maybe the suspected threat won't leave his house, but the boy across the street has to at some point. If we could approach him anywhere while the enemy is looking the other way, we might succeed. If we confront the threat directly, we risk everything. What if he is a more powerful bender than the three of us, or even just a dangerous non-bender? If the Red Lotus is anything at all like the White Lotus, they probably will have sent their own team here to investigate if this guy said anything. And if they didn't, if this guy felt like he could handle dealing with the situation on his own, I might be even more nervous. We need to know what kind of bender he is, if at all, and we need to know how dangerous he could be before I will feel comfortable approaching him directly."

He takes out a piece of beef jerky and gnaws at it while he continues, "I recommend Lee talking to the earthbender kid to try and find out more about our target. One of us should watch the target's house to see if he leaves, maybe giving us an opportunity to approach him away from the suspected threat. However, do not approach him until we can discuss our findings. The whole time, one of us needs to be watching the threat's house. If he leaves, we need to know. If he bends, we need to know. If he follows the target , we definitely need to know.

If we find out that the threat absolutely needs to be eliminated before approaching the target, we can confront him with the rest of the group after the rendezvous.

Just my thoughts."


"Why exactly should I be the one to talk to the kid? I'm an earthbender, yeah, but if there really is an assassin, I'm the best bet we've got of stopping him. The chances that he's an earthbender are pretty slim, which means I could trap him in his house fairly easily, just seal up the doors and windows around him. If he is an earthbender, then you're going to need my help to keep his bending under control. I'm telling you, clearing the area of threats is priority one. What if we pull the kid out and that's when our enemy makes their move? We could be putting him in danger." Lee replied.

[bryn0528]

TEAM 1 - SAZA
Saza nodded his head. "Okay, Zheid. We'll avoid a direct approach to the assassin. I think we could take him out easily if we used a concentrated attack formation, but we'll take your plan of action first. If things get ugly though, we should unleash a full assault to at least gauge his abilities." Saza looked to Lee, before speaking again to Zheid. "I have to agree with Lee here, though. I've noticed he shares a more proactive stance than most earthbenders, while you exhibit a very defensive style yourself, Zheid. Since you have a better understanding of neutral jing, and a better sense of rapport," here, he shot a brief, apologetic look to Lee, "You should be the one to approach the kid. Lee and I can use our bending abilities to pin down this guy, if he really is who we think he is. You can then make an offensive escape with the boy if he really is the you-know-what. Lee and I will cover you and then follow." Saza looked between the two, to see if this plan of action was acceptable.

[Elricaltovilla]

TEAM 1 - LEE

"That works for me." Lee said, he cocked his head to the side so that his neck popped, then smiled. "I'm looking forward to the exercise."

[Rofltrollcopter]

"You seem quiet Reign, is everything alright?"

[Breitheamh]

Team 1 - Zheid

"Agreed. Just please don't do anything rash while I'm gone." Zheid winks at the two as he walks toward the trading post.

[manwithaplan]

Taka noticed Zeke asking Reign to speak up. It seemed neither of his companions had anything to say, which didn't bother him - he was pretty good with kids.

"Haha, nice try! You see, nobody really appreciates specialised adventurers nowadays - explorers, ghost hunters, and such, they don't go very far. It's better off to just be an all-around adventurer. Like us, for example. Today we might be ghost hunting, but soon, we're going to go exploring. That's why we need someone smart, like you." He had moved a few feet towards the girl, so now he was closer to her than he was to his group. He crouched, so that they were of equal height. He used this as an excuse to lower his voice, so eavesdroppers would struggle to pick up his words.

"We're wondering, what's the easiest and most reliable way to get out of Ba Sing Se, without an airship? If you can help us find out, I'll make it worth your while." He lightly patted the pouch of food on his belt as he finished the sentence, and gave Yun another smile.

[bryn0528]

TEAM 1 - SAZA
Saza smiled and gave a thumbs up. He moved to a strategic point, where he could watch the post, but also keep an eye on the assassin. The position was a little compromised, however, being exposed to the square, and if the assassin thought to look his way, they'd be seen. Of course, it was easy enough to look casual and stand around without drawing much attention to themselves. Saza wished his clothes were a little more in the Ba Sing Se fashion. Being from Kyoshi meant he usually wore a fusion of water and earth culture clothing, but his parents also brought with them a sense of fire nation flare. He really looked like he could belong anywhere, except perhaps a monastery. He drew a length of extra fabric, and tied it around his forehead like a headband, to hide his warpaint third eye. Heck, maybe it even made him look a little cooler (not that he looked particularly cool at all).

In the downtime of waiting for events to unfold, Saza chatted with Lee, which made their loitering even more natural. "So, uh.. What do you think about Zheid?" He cleared his throat a little awkwardly and scratched at the back of his head. "I mean, as a teammate and all. He seems very clear headed."

[Yanisa]

TEAM 1
The square itself is way to open to hide properly in, so the best option is one of the alley ways. The problem being that many of these still lack cover, and the few things that could work as cover tend to be barrels, or heaps of junk. Still exposing their backs to the alleyway, it is a hard spot to properly hide. Still Lee and Saza find a decent hide out in the alley's, because it is mostly deserted.

In the meanwhile Zheid walks into the small trading post, obviously being watched by the possible assassin. (If you look directly back at him, he would wave and smile at you.) Entering trough the door, Zheid gets greeting by a cheerful voice. "Welcome to..." then it fell silent, as everyone stared at the newcomer. The store... or what used to be a store... has a small area before you see a 4 feet high wall with behind it some shelves with minor supplies and items. The wall seems to block off the costumers from the employees. There are three people in the store, 2 behind the counter and one next to Zheid, who takes the moment to quickly slip out of the store, mumbling something about "Not dealing with strangers." The friendly greet came from the woman behind the wall, she seems to be paler then your average Earth Kingdom Citizen, and has black sleek hair rather then the normal brown tints. Her face quickly turned cold and disinterested after she saw Zheid, she clearly expected someone else. Next to her is a brute of a man, closer to 7 feet then 6 feet, towering over the already pretty large wall. His look his stern and almost angry, but also filled with suspicion. His eyes glared at Zheid as he asked a single word question. "What?"

TEAM A
Yun seems to be impressed by Taka. "A secret way out of the city?" She whispered excited. "Well, did you know there are tunnel all beneath the city? It's a pretty impressive place too! I once went in there once with my brother, but there were bats..." She sighs, seemingly disappointed with herself, then she puts her arms over each other and states "So I decided to stay on guard, never trust a bat. My brother went far, and his friend even made a map. They say it even leads outside the walls into the farm lands, but I don't know if it leads outside the city. Shall I call my brother? He should be close because he spend me to spy on you." It takes a moment before she realized what she revealed and she quickly slaps her hands on her mouth, trying to looking innocent and nonchalant.

You spot a kid crawling to the edge of a roof across the inn. Seemingly taking interest in Taka and the young girl. He looks a bit older, a lot rougher and carries a large thick stick.

[Elricaltovilla]

TEAM 1 - LEE


In the downtime of waiting for events to unfold, Saza chatted with Lee, which made their loitering even more natural. "So, uh.. What do you think about Zheid?" He cleared his throat a little awkwardly and scratched at the back of his head. "I mean, as a teammate and all. He seems very clear headed."

Lee smiled a little at the small talk. Something about how awkward it came off was amusing. "Zheid wants what's best for the order, which puts him down as a good egg in my book. I don't know though, I think he's too cautious about this. If this were something my family was undertaking, things would go very differently."

Although he was responding, Lee's attention was focused on the house where the "assassin" was living. He kept his senses sharp and his mind at the ready, just like he had been trained.


Spot: [roll0]
Listen: [roll1]

Watching the "assassin" looking for any sudden or strange movements.

[Breitheamh]

Zheid beams the biggest smile he can muster as he looks up into the man's eyes.

"Hello, sir. I was told that this was a place of business and trade, and I would like to see what there is to be traded," he says cheerfully. "In fact, I think you might know him. Seok is his name."

While he tries to put the man at ease, Zheid tries to judge the man's general demeanor as well.

Diplomacy[roll0]
Sense Motive [roll1]
Fingers crossed

[Nettlekid]

Sorry, I've been busy with schoolwork and I just got a new computer so I need to transfer all my files and stuff, which is taking a while.

Reign hadn't had a great deal of interest in the conversation thus far, but upon hearing the little girl mention spying, he just shook his head slightly and took a step forward to be closer to Taka. He kept the kid on the roof in the corner of his eye, but didn't address him just yet.
If I can, I'm going to prepare action to make a Trip attempt against the kid if he could come within five feet of me, like if he jumps at us or something.
Of course the kids aren't on the up-and-up. But this one at least is far too naive to be a worry to us.
He knelt down by Taka, keeping mind not to close off the little girl so as not to make her anxious, and tried to adopt a softer tone.
PropagandaDiplomacy check: [roll0]
"Your brother sounds like a brave and adventurous person. Very much an initiative-taker. And it's very good of you to help your brother out when you can do something better than he can do it. Your brother's probably the best friend you've got, and you're his. But I bet you have other friends too, huh? Friends who are good at finding stuff, or hiding, or running really fast, or fighting bad guys. And when you work together, you do a lot more than you could do on your own. That's what makes a community, or even better, a government.

Have you heard that word before? It means a group of people who decide rules together and work to make the world better for everyone! Because some of them know how to do one thing, and some of them know how to do other things, they all work well together. Right now we're living in a time where, a little while ago, people decided that they didn't like governments and they all wanted to be by themselves. But because everyone's being on their own, they're all lonely and confused. When you're lonely and confused, you find friends to support you. I bet you and your brother support each other, right? And all your friends together? Without even knowing it, you're starting your very own government! Now, you just said your brother asked you to look at us. I bet that's because while he knows he's brave and strong, he knows you're good at being nice and friendly and you probably hide very well, so you're a lot better at meeting strangers than he is. See how well this allocation of duties works out, when everyone does the thing they're best at?

Your brother also sounds very clever. Like I bet he had a plan in mind when asking you to meet us, right? Maybe he wanted to sneak up on us and try to catch us by surprise, right? Or maybe someone asked him to follow us because they want to know about us, and so he asked you, because he knew you'd be really good at it. You know, I'd love to chat with your brother and see how he's making the best choices to keep you safe, and to see if maybe I can offer him one better."

[Yanisa]

TEAM 1
The assassin takes a careful look at the square, then, after he is sure no one else is there, he takes a moment to clean his nose. You are pretty he hasn't seen you, or he mocks you while acting really well.
After a moment the assassin steps of the window still and disappears in his house, he does occasional reappear and take a look over the square, but seems to be something else inside too. A straem of Small white plumes of smoke slowly escapes the window for a moment.

The man is clearly mistrusting, defensive and protective, but he also seems afraid, like he is expecting more trouble.
Inside the Trading Post the air changes after the mention of Seok. For a moment it looks like the man's corner of his mouth raises, like he remembered something funny, before it returns to his stern gaze. The woman shakes her head and sighs. "So he is still alive? He came every 2-3 days until a week or three ago. Last he said is that we needed to really good care of our son, sounded like he was going away..." She looks at the man. "Honey, it's okay. The old geezer rarely tells his name to anyone, so if this one knows Seok's name, I don't think he is a Stomper." The man nods. "Yeah, but still... Stranger." "Excuse my husband, but we got attacked recently. So we don't have many wares to showcase." She points to the few shelves beside her, having a few basic tools and food lying around. It looks empty and sad. "We have a bit more in the back, you can always ask." The man frowns. "Or, if Seok send you, you aren't here for the special goods?"

TEAM A
Yun seems a bit intimidated by the speech, but does nod in agreement. "Well rules sound stupid... But me and my brother, we do got lot's of friends. My brother wants to make a good gang when we grown up. Not like the Stompers or the Fisttossers. We are going to help people. That's why we got lot of friends. And yeah my brother told me to talk with you... because it's strange to see go strangers go in and out a ruined building. And I do was curious too. But yeah, my brother can explain himself better then I again."
Yun takes and deep breath and then omits a shrill shriek. In the response the boy of the roof stands up, earthbends a slope on the side of the building and slided down. He is shorter then his sister, but where she is delicate and soft, he is hardened and rough. He seems to be littered with bruises, cuts and even missing a couple of teeth. "First off, we work for no one but ourself. The 'big gangs' tends to be for hire, but we just work for people we find worthy. Not food or coin. Secondly I send my sister to spy because I never met someone heartless enough to attack a young girl. She is a horrible liar though." He sticks out his tongue to his sister, who in turn acts offended. "But like she said, you are special strangers. No one has been in that old building for months. And even though there are many rumors of ghost, my sister is the only I know that heard the ghost. Makes me wonder why you are just walking in there and 'chatting' with it." His attitude seems to be hostile and bossy, but he clearly acts bigger then he is, trying to impresses you. Still he experienced a lot on the streets and that shows too, but in being careful and in being curious. "My name is Yan, and about a deal? You tell me what you did in the ruined building, and I show you the entrance to caves and tell you how to navigate them. Or you help me with a big problem and I give you the map my right hand made."

[manwithaplan]

Truthfully, Taka was hardly surprised to discover that he was being watched, though he didn't exactly like the idea of using a little girl as a distraction for potentially dangerous strangers. Either way, Yan's entry speech seemed okay, and he had no reason not to trust the kid. However, he didn't want to take his white lie any further - the bigger a web of fibs got, the easier it was for someone to see through it. So for now, he'd try to avoid saying anything more about the Molebeaver's Mug.

"Well, you know, we do a bit of problem-solving on the side," he said to Yan. "What do you need? If there's a map up for grabs, I guess we can at least hear you out."

[Breitheamh]

Team 1 - Zheid

Zheid grows slightly cautious. "Well, Seok didn't tell me to mention 'special goods,' but I am here for something, or rather, someone, very special and important. But before we get into that, you were attacked? And who are these 'Stompers?'"

[Yanisa]

TEAM A
The kid has a look that says 'not talking eh' but instead tells. "To keep a long story short. A couple of Stompers, a gang, started attacking shops and stealing supplies. Hoarding it in a warehouse. If you want to have the map, prove yourself to the community. If this map falls in the wrong hands, a nasty person can do nasty things to it. You basically can get in, out and trough the city without being noticed. If you help us to get the supplies back, it means you have good heart. I had a plan too, distract the guards with one group, and get the supplies with a second group. But a lot of kids don't want to fight adults. Especially adults that use voice to get what they want. They need to punished in someway."

TEAM 1
"My Son trades in techy knick-knacks." "Yeah, and Seok seemed to support it. We find it weird but at least our son is trying to find his own path and tries to earn a living, so we cannot complain."
"The Stompers are a gang of sorts. They mostly were angry teenagers and young adults that refused to work and stole from others. Recently they started to attack shops too, they are getting more daring with the month. Thank god I got both a husband and a son that are great Earthbenders. so don't try anything funny. Still two against more then a dozen... in the confusion they did grab a lot of stuff."

[bryn0528]

TEAM 1 - SAZA
Saza seemed momentarily distracted, thinking on the words Lee said. His attention snapped to focus as seeing... something exit the window. He maybe even growled a bit under his breath. "What is he doing in there? I can't take sitting around for much longer." Saza looked around and surveyed their surroundings. "I hope Zheid doesn't take too long."

[Rofltrollcopter]

Ezekiel frowns at the boy "Hold on a darn second. Why do you care about where we've been? If you wanted money or food from us I could understand that, but why do you care about what we've been doing? Also, how do we even know that this map of yours exists, or that its any good?

Lets say that we did decide to help you, what exactly are you proposing? Would you have us use your original plan, and just have us distract the guards while another group steals the food? Also, how dangerous are these 'Stompers', are any of them benders?"

[Breitheamh]

"I hate bullies," Zheid says angrily. As he says the letter "h" a tiny, almost imperceptible wisp of steam escapes from his mouth. He takes a deep, calming breath and a smile returns to his face.

"That sounds very industrious of your son. May I speak with him?"

[Nettlekid]

Reign was disappointed that his educational lesson had gone over the little girl's head. Also a bit surprised; he could imagine a headstrong child who had grown up in a normal civilization with parents who told her "No you can't have candy for dinner" would have an attitude of disliking rules, but a little girl whose parents are probably dead or sick and thus has to survive largely on her own ought not to have such a cliched attitude. Oh well, nothing to be done. And now her brother was down here. How...loyal. Could they not have used a slightly more subtle signal?
Spot [roll0] and Listen [roll1] checks to see if anyone else is coming as a result of the little girl screaming.
He stood and took a step back to look the newcomer up and down.
"You seem to have a somewhat poor definition of 'community.' For one, these 'Stompers' are part of your community. In this lawless world, would you and your sister not be better protected by joining them and working together? If they were to work in tandem with the shops they're currently robbing to instead receive supplies in exchange for protection from worse threats, and someone with a good heart kept them in line such that they didn't exploit the merchants, you could begin to rebuild this city from the ground up. Speaking of good hearts, you say that we're to prove we have a good heart by aiding you, but you know full well that were we to do so it would be in exchange for a favor from you. Good will and charity have nothing to do with it.

But additionally, what I don't understand is that you seem to be a capable Earthbender in your own right. You just used Earthbending to get down from the roof. Why don't you dig a tunnel, using your formidable map as a guide, underneath the Stomper's warehouse and reclaim your stolen goods from below? You wouldn't need our help at all, you could just..."
Reign paused.
Hang on. Young boy, proficient Earthbender. Ragamuffin on the streets, unlikely to have a proper teacher. Self-taught? Talented. Extremely naturally talented Earthbending young boy.
"Doctor Ezekiel, a word?"
Reign pulled his fellow Waterbender by the sleeve, drawing him to the side and whispering.
"I think we've been given a tremendous stroke of fortune, Doctor Ezekiel. I recognize that I may be wrong in my guess, but consider that this is a naturally talented young Earthbending boy with a vested interest in the merchant's community and a sense of balance, reasoning right from wrong. Might this be exactly who we've been hoping to meet? And if so, doesn't this give us the perfect foot-in-the-door to win him to our side, as was your previous concern?"

Before waiting for an answer, Reign backed away from Zeke and stepped forward to face Yan again.
"I think I was a little too hasty just now. This is a difficult environment to be in, what with the lawlessness and thievery going on. And right you are, that those who rely on such a might-makes-right mentality deserve punishment under the full weight of the universal laws which run through the core of civilization. What I said before is not untrue, that even these Stompers could be made decent members of society, but I daresay it'll be a long time before that comes to pass. If your way of life is threatened by these villains, then it is entirely right of you to act to protect that which is dear to you. And I admire the innate leadership you're showing in making a stand and seeking allies to support you. The Stompers outnumber and overpower you, yes? Perhaps it is high time the scales were balanced."

[Rofltrollcopter]

I don't know about that Ezekiel sounds skeptical I'm not sure if he is doing this because he sincerely cares about the community, or he just wants whatever is in there for himself. The only thing we know for certain is that the person would be 15 years old or less, and that they are an Earthbender. There could be plenty of people within the City that fit the profile. I don't see a problem with helping the kid, but lets not over commit.

Rolls:
Sense Motive:[roll0]

[Yanisa]

TEAM 1
The two look with suspicious, before taking a step back and discussing something in whispers. Then the woman looks at Zheid. "Sure, but do remember, both my husband and my son are talented Earthbenders." The man just nods, then bends a small portion of the wall down and guides Zheid past a shelve trough a door which leads to the shed.
The shed is a pretty large area, there are shelves everywhere with random assortment of hammers, wrenches, screwdrivers and many other tools. Other shelves have cans and jugs with various liquids, and other's have various metal objects in shapes. However you eyes are drawn to the center, where a motor vehicle stands, a car. The thing is rusted, broken and seems like had it hasn't functioned in years. Makes sense too, the streets of Ba Sing Se where not designed for vehicles so one that ended up here couldn't be used.
The husband and father announces Zheid's presence. "Kid, Costumer." In response an teenager slides out from under the car and stands up. He is slender and long, but still looks muscled and strong. His hair is just like his mother's, black and sleek, but it seems awfully greasy and tangled. His eyes are green, unlike his parents, and seem filled with enjoyment. He wears a simple overall, covered in stains of various colors, in fact it is stained so much you have no clue what the original color is. His face is mostly a large smile, as he seems really exited to have a costumer. He steps towards Zheid, wiping his hand off his pants and stretch it out to shake hands. The hand still looks greasy and the nails are almost black from whatever the kid does.
"Welcome to the Shed!" He exclaimed loudly, as he nods to his father. Who in return grunts and turns around, closing the door behind him. "So what are you looking for? You are in luck, we still got a working radio. Perhaps a short distance commutation device for you and your friends? Or one of the automatic bucket lifts? We are out of those but you can order one!" His excited makes it sound like one blur of words.

TEAM A
He looks at Ezekiel with a challange in is eyes. "Hey mister, this is my turf and I am curious on what happens it. Six strangers in a old building is something very special. Besides you are the guys that want something, if you don't trust me we can just go our ways."
Then turning to Reign, it seems that like his sister many of the messages goes over his head. Still he seems to agree. "I wish I could work with the Stompers... or any gangers. However many gangs end up fighting and splitting up in new smaller gangs. The same is going to happen with the Stompers soon. But when that happens, they are going to fight over the warehouse, would be a waste of all that food."
"I considered tunnels, but that would take hours. Also they have twice the Earthbenders we have, and each of their Earthbenders is twice as good too."
"Well, if you are serious about helping, we should discuss time and place. Just remember stopping the stompers isn't the most important, it is getting the supplies."

You notice a few more kids in the distance, but they stay far enough so they cannot hear anything.

The kid seems honest and he is indeed very curious, it seems like he wants to ask more, but doesn't

[manwithaplan]

"Well, once we group up with the others, I guess this will be doable," Taka said to his allies.

"I for one make a pretty good distraction. I mean, when I'm moving around, most benders can't tag me to save their life. Reign, Zeke, would you be game for this? I think we could give these Stompers a run for their money, and while we're doing that, the kids could grab the food and go. If they get spotted we could cover them, too."

[Breitheamh]

Team 1 - Zheid

Zheid can feel the excitement boiling inside him, but pushes it down long enough to keep a calm demeanor.

"Ooh, short range communication sounds very nice. May I see that?"

[Elricaltovilla]

TEAM 1- LEE

Lee watched the smoke carefully trying to determine if maybe it was a signal. It wouldn't be too far fetched to assume so.


Sense Motive (untrained): [roll0]

[Rofltrollcopter]

I have no problem with trying to teach these 'Stompers' a thing or to. We should probably try to come with a plan that doesn't involve picking a fight with all of them at once... Hm. If we could draw most of them out somehow.. Maybe cause a skirmish between them and a rival gang?

[Yanisa]

Lee
You peer into the smoke, but it looks like ordinary cooking smoke. It is odd though, you know most houses have a chimney for indoor cooking. Whatever it is, it stopped. When you turn around you note that Saza wandered off.

Zheid
The kid seems excited. "The idea is the same as a radio, but tuned to specific frequency. Also it has a build in mast unlike the large ones radio use, but because of that the range is limited." He explains as he walks towards one of the shelves. As you follow him suddenly one of the many machines starts beeping loudly. "Again, it is the matter with you." The kids pick up a large stick with two disc. One disc has a handle and display, the other seems a solid disc. "It's a metal and gold detector." The kid explains. "Or was. For some reason a spirit went into the energy slot, and hasn't come out since. The thing hasn't worked since. I kind of forgot about it until it started beeping a couple of minutes ago." The kids shakes annoyed with the stick and then show one of the disc, in which a open slot reveal a small blue spirit. The creature flies out and lands of Zheid. Looking up close it looks like a catterpillar hiding in a small ball of blue light. "Hey it came out. I wonder what is it detecting that it is attracted to you." The kid blinks at you, completely forgotten what he was going to show you.

The spirit has landed on the bag or pocket in which you carry the avatar trinkets (not sure if you carried them separate or not). You wonder if it is a coincidence or not.


Team A
The kid's mission seems you need to whole group for and time has past quickly. You should check with the others. You quickly discus some small details with Yan. He gives you a crude map of the location of the warehouse, and ask you to give a sign at night at a certain spot. If you don't give the sign they assume you won't help them today and they will not do anything. If you stay the next day in the area they will try to contact you. Otherwise you need to find a different route out of the city. Another important details is that the stompers have around 4 earthbenders guarding the warehouse and about 4 normal guards sometimes with a dog, and from that little fact you also realize Yan has one friend that can earthbend. He said the stompers had double the earthbenders. You also learn that the Stompers are heavy rivals with the Gravels, they used to be one gang before they started to steal more from each other then from helpless people.

After that you say goodbye to Yan and Yun follow the roads towards the Trading Post. After a while you encounter Lee taking watch on the square, the other two are no were to be seen.

[Breitheamh]

"Hm. I think I might know. And I think I might know why this spirit seems to like hanging around you so much," Zheid says quietly as he slips off his backpack and pulls a small pouch out from a side pocket. He pulls out the relics, one by one, carefully watching the boy's reaction with each toy. As he places them on a nearby table and pulls out his waterskin, Zheid asks him, "Do you know what these are?"

As the boy examines the toys, Zheid dribbles some water on the table in front of him and flicks up a candle-sized flame from his thumb.

[Yanisa]

Zheid

The kid stares at them for a moment, before he shrugs. "Seem to be old relics? Toys? They might be worth a lot to right person, but I am not interested them, I prefer more modern stuff." However where the kid fails to recognize them, the blue spirit lands on one of the relics, specifically a waterbending toy that belong to Avatar Korra. The kid meanwhile gets distracted by the metal detector. "Hm... If I could amply it, it might detect metal on a larger scale... Perhaps with a bigger power source."

The kid seems really clueless about the trinkets. The other elements also don't react as described by the old tales that said the avatar subconsciously attract elements before he is trained.

[Breitheamh]

Confusion, horror, and anger vie for position on Zheid's face as he realizes that this boy is not the Avatar.

"I'm so sorry for wasting your time, but I just remembered that I need to meet my friends now," Zheid says quickly as he gathers up the relics and begins to walk outside. Just as he reaches the door, something catches his mind, and he turns to the little blue spirit.

"Would you like to come with me?" he asks the little creature as he holds open the door for it to follow.

[Yanisa]

The spirit sort of dances up and down, it seems to be nodding and follows Zheid around. When Zheid returns back to the rest of the group, still waiting in the alleyway, the disappointed look on his face speaks volumes. Meanwhile the assassin returned back to window, eating something and has put a lute beside him. The group seems now to be complete, missing one, and found a new friend. Also the group is now clueless, now this whole thing turned into a wild goose chase. A moment of silence passes as the assassin starts to play a strange tune.

[Breitheamh]

"He's not our guy," Zheid tells the others dejectedly. "So now what? Do we talk to the guy upstairs and find out why he's watching this kid, or move on?"

[Elricaltovilla]

"I've always found that people who act strangely do so because they know something that others don't. So I say we talk to this 'assassin' and get some answers out of him." Lee replied as he joined the rest of the group. "Oh, and Saza seems to have disappeared."

[Rofltrollcopter]

Ezekiel's shoulders slump as Zhied tells them the news. Hearing that Seok was wrong did not surprise him, but he was still deeply disappointed. So Seok's mind is a fine as frog-skeeter hair. Our standing orders were to return to base if there was no avatar. We don't have another good lead, and we can't afford to spend our time testing every Earthbending child in the city. Heck, no one knows for certain if Korra is actually dead. There might not even be an Avatar to find. I don't see what choice we have. We better git on the stick and get out of Ba Sing Se as soon as we can.

He peers over Zheid's shoulder curiously
Just a darn second. What's that you got there?

Knowledge Religion on the spirit: [roll0]

[Breitheamh]

"I'm not exactly sure," Zheid replies, gesturing to the little blue spirit floating near his shoulder. "It seemed very interested in the relics, so I said it come with me. Probably feels the spiritual connection to the Avatar's past lives floating around those things. What do you think I should name it?"

[Nettlekid]

"Hang on, despite your insistence we take the delusional old man seriously and irrationally chastising me on bursting into a situation with haste, you let your side of Doctor Ezekiel's plan fall apart and did what we specifically agreed that we wouldn't do, namely contact the trader's son today and without the full group. Furthermore, you're saying that the old man's intel wasn't reliable. I hate to say I told you so, but that's a lie, I'm very glad to say it. I hope you see where your half-hearted attempt at leadership leads your group, and will leave it to those with more experience in the future.

We, on the other hand, have made substantial strides to our goal. We set out with the intent of finding a way out of the city, and we'll have to do that whether or not we find what we came here for. We came across a pair of street urchins who claim to have a map of Ba Sing Se's formidable underground passageways. I know we have to take their word with a grain of salt, but they seem surprisingly trustworthy and honorable. However, they request that we aid them in reclaiming stolen food and merchandise from a gang called the Stompers as a show of goodwill before they trust us. I think it shouldn't be too much of a chore if we're smart about how we do this. And I have a suspicion that our search may not be in vain after all. The young boy we spoke to seems to be a naturally talented Earthbender with a strong ethical sense of balance. A long shot, perhaps, but a better chance of being our target than a merchant's child that we now know to be a lost cause. And if nothing else, we can aim to restore a sense of decency and lawfulness in this city by punishing those who seek to break the rules."

[manwithaplan]

Although Taka struggled to approve of Reign's rather pretentious behaviour, the man certainly knew how to make a good point. He was especially interested in his ally's statement of the possibility that Yan was the Avatar. That made him speak up.

"Oh, you thought Yan could be our guy too? I mean, he was a damn good Earthbender, and a nice kid for sure. Tonight, after the raid on the Stompers, we need to test him with those relics. We might as well try his Earthbending friend, as well. You never know, right? Anyway, that'll be easy. The hard part is the raid itself. The Stompers have four Earthbenders, four non-benders, and sometimes a dog, apparently. Some of us have to get their attention while the rest sneaks in and take the supplies they stole. Thoughts?"

[Rofltrollcopter]

This is foolish. Ezekiel says bluntly."Reign, your being trapped by your own wishful thinking. We have no proof that the boy is the Avatar. Being an Avatar does not mean that you are a more ethical person, even if that were the case, using one's own sibling as bait as hardly the pinnacle of moral ideals. I am sure there are plenty of earthbending children in the city, and we do not have the ability or time to find and test them all. We have to face the facts. Seok was wrong. We have failed to locate the Avatar. Our orders explicitly stated that we were to return to Republic City"


If there is no avatar there, return to base, in Republic City.

[Nettlekid]

"It's true, there's not a large chance by any means. It's more probable that there is absolutely no Avatar in the city. It may even be the case that the Avatar cycle has been broken, and the world will never see another Avatar. Quite the pity. However, throwing our hands up and returning to Republic City is easier said than done. We got here in quite a commotion, with an airship and all. That's going to turn a few heads, and heads that we don't want turned. I'm sure that if at any point the Red Lotus has caught wind of us here, they'll have sent a few spies to keep an eye on us. And if we just turn tail and leave the city, then it's child's play to send a squad after us and pick us off either one by one or in one fell swoop when we're just outside city limits, perhaps as we're tired after a day of walking and have our guard down. We need to take precautions as we leave, for our own sake. And that means that it's in our best interest to carry through with this 'Retrieve supplies, punish Stompers' plan here to get the map we've been promised and to exit the city subtly, Avatar or no. I'm not about to get ambushed in some forest when with a little effort we could make it miles from the city before anyone knows we've left."

[Yanisa]

Knowledge Religion on the spirit: (1d20+4)[22]
Old stories speak of "avatar-sprites", small butterfly creature that glow blue and are attracted to something that the avatar possess. Although what exactly depends from story to story, although they mostly come from far and wide to greet an avatar. They haven't been seen or documented recently though, these are old stories, from a day only the avatar could enter the spirit world.
This particular one looks weak and faint. Unlike the stories, you can see it's body (faintly catterpillar like, but still blurry and hard to see) and it's light doesn't shine as bright as in the stories.

Each time the word 'avatar' is mentioned, the small spirit jumps off and flies a small circle, before landing of Zheid again. After a while you note it always jumps in the same direction, before gliding down, making an u-turn and landing on Zheid.

[Breitheamh]

"You know, Zeke, despite Reign's apparent lack of respect for anyone but himself, he does have a point here. We need a secret way out of the city, and this kid apparently has it. We're going to run into him again in the course of obtaining it, so there's no harm in testing him," Zheid says, then gives Reign a sideways glance and a smirk, "Unless of course Reign thinks the homeless kids are out to get us too.

"Reign, you were right in your assessment of Seok's intel, and I was blind to rebuke you for the wrong reason. However, despite his lack of full competence, Seok did what he thought was right, and that counts for something, (and I know firsthand what happens when the best intentions go awry, so don't lecture me on it). Whatever he may be now, I think it is clear he once was a shrewd, dependable, good man, so have some respect for those who fought the battle before us. Besides, destiny is a funny thing, and thanks to Seok, I found this little guy." He gestures to the spirit buzzing around him.

"If there's anything I know about finding Avatars, and admittedly, it's not a ton, it's 'follow the spirits.' This spirit here has some kind of connection with the Avatar relics, so it may be able to help us find the Avatar as well."

[Rofltrollcopter]

Hmm Ezekiel stares at the spirit curiously. Hey Zheid, can you pass me the relics?

[Breitheamh]

"Sure. Playing a hunch?" Zheid comments curiously as he passes Zeke the small pouch.

[Yanisa]

The spirit takes a moment, but eventually floats to Ezekiel. It indeed seems to follow the avatar relics, although it keeps jumping whenever someone mentioned the word "avatar".

[Rofltrollcopter]

Ezekiel's eyes widen as he sees the spirit move. As he gets excited, his speech unconsciously slips back into Foggy Swamp dialect. "I ain't never seed something like dat glowy before. I do bleeve dis spirit is tied to the avatar. Heard about 'em back in the swamp. My kin swapped stories habout the olwd spirits. "

Ezekiel kneels down in front of the spirit and puts the relics out of sight. Why were you here in the first place I reckon

He then speaks to the spirit Theres a yongun' out in this big awful city, in this place so fahr removed from basic human decency. Theres a new avatar that will need some friends soon, can you help us find 'em?

[Yanisa]

The spirit is really able to reply, but somehow do you got the feeling it wants to do. It seems to want help you find the avatar, but because it still keeps jumping by the mention of the word. Whatever the case, it does stick with you.



The group decided to at least help out Yan before leaving the city. They go back to the meeting point and find the kid waiting impatiently. Next to him is another kid, but this one looks bored and disinterested, barely looking up to the approaching group. "I was afraid you guys wouldn't trust me enough to come." Yan states. "Come, I know a safe spot." He guides the group to a nearby building, seemingly not having any inhabitants. "By the way, this is my second in command Hyun. He is the one who made the map and now is a good time to show of his skills." The bored kid sighs and lays down a large of paper on table. "Well, the most important part is the lay-out. There is a large building not connected to the other houses, with one main entrance directly to the large road. There is a small entrance to side." As Yan narrates, Hyun sketches the area, but he keeps awfully quiet. "They seem to have upped the guards though. There are two earthbenders outside and two inside. Then there are 4 normal guards outside, and 2 inside. The outsides ones often hang around in groups of 3, 1 earthbender, they do sometimes wander around as to patrol."
http://i59.tinypic.com/263abdj.jpg
"As for the plan itself, I figured getting them away from the warehouse for 10 minutes should be enough. We sneak in and get the food." For as much time Yan spend on observing, he didn't spend a lot of time making a plan. He kind of looks at you, hoping that you might add something smart.

[Elricaltovilla]

Lee looked at the map and cocked his head to the side.

"It looks like a pretty simple smash and grab to me. I mean, the best way to do it would probably be to send the fastest people we've got to try and distract the guards on the outside while our more experienced combatants come in through either the side door or the main door. Actually, do you know what the walls are made of? If its stone or earth of some sort I can bend us an entrance. If its metal, we're kind of out of luck." Lee feel silent for a second then continued. "Honestly, its less the outside guards that have me worried, and more the inside ones. We don't know their layout, so we're almost guaranteed to get ambushed."

[Rofltrollcopter]

I'm not familiar with this sort of business, so I will follow anyone who has a good plan about how to approach this. I don't suppose there happens to be a well or reservoir somewhere close by the warehouse?

[manwithaplan]

Taka's first thought was to look to Reign, which he did. Inwardly he chuckled, amused at how his opinion of his ally had moved from an arrogant fool to an intelligent tactician within the span of a few hours.

"Reign, what do you think? I can run in and distract them easily, but somebody like you needs to come up with a plan for the whole group."

[Nettlekid]

Someone keep an eye on the spirit at all times. I want to see if it reacts to any of the kids, or even one of the Stompers.

"Thank you, I'm glad to see that slowly but surely we're coming together on a kind of unanimity here. Now, let's see. We have a number of disadvantages playing against us. Firstly, although we have more Benders and we're presumably more skilled than gang members, we don't have sheer numbers on our side. Secondly, we don't have their advantage of knowing the layout. They know where their valuable good are being kept, and upon the first sign of invasion they can immediately act to protect those goods while we're scrambling around to get our bearings. But thirdly and I think most importantly, they'll be fighting harder than we will be. We're not murderers or thugs, we aren't just another gang here. We can't go into this intending to crush, burn, and freeze those in our way. We have to be tactful, sending a message that we aren't to be trifled with, but without losing control of ourselves. They on the other hand have no reason to hold back, and if they see us as threatening them we can expect lethal attacks.

The result of looking over these downsides is that we can definitively say that we don't actually want to engage the Stompers in any kind of fight, at least not until we're nearly finished and retreating. Our only advantage beyond our superior Bending skill is that they won't be expecting this, and we need to act on that as much as you can. I'd like to know how the Stompers have reacted to any kind of offensive tactics in the past, such as by common thieves or rival gangs. Do they have established tactics, or do they simply gang up on intruders? Do they have more advanced detection systems, or is it simply lookouts? We need to know these things to have the upper hand.

Taka, earlier you were saying that you had confidence that if things went bad you could have taken our 'package' and sprinted to Ba Sing Se's outer wall. How stealthy can you be? Because if you think you can get by without being seen, you could make several sweeps of the building on your own, finding the supplies and either moving them to easily-retrieved locations or even taking them out of the warehouse if you have the opening. I daresay anything there will be far lighter than our 'package.' And if you're spotted, the best thing to do would be to grab the most precious-looking thing you can grab easily, and then bolt out the door. Run around the exterior of the building and act surprised when you run into more guards, baiting them into chasing you. They've no hope of running you down, and you can draw them away while the rest of the team acts on the Stompers' absence.

Lee and Yan, I think your Earthbending skills are best put to use in finding entrances in more subtle ways. Lee, I like where your mind was with regard to opening holes in the wall. I expect the least defended point will be the east wall, as the Stompers are aware of the door on the west side and will have some kind of cursory defense there, perhaps someone just on the inside, but likely not on the east. If we're luck the supplies will be close to there, and if not then Taka, on your sweeps through the east wall would be the best place to relocate the supplies. But alternatively, if we can be sufficiently quiet about it, I expect we can make use of Yan's map of the Crystal Catacombs to approach largely undetected from below. If we move in from the east, and move up from underground, we can emerge just outside or even inside the east wall and go from there. Unless they have Seismic Sense not even the Earthbenders won't know we're there, and if they do then the surprise is lost anyway.

Out of personal interest I second Doctor Ezekiel's query as to any reservoirs or other sources of water? A large rain barrel would even suffice. But quite honestly, I'm not sure that I have a way that the two of us can be of great aid. Should it come down to a fight I'm not terrible at disarming and toppling an opponent without inflicting serious injury, Doctor Ezekiel can provide medical attention, and we could aid Taka's retreat with iced paths, but that won't stop the Earthbenders. The best I can think of is to create a heavy fog over the surrounding area, so that the guards won't see us gathering in the east and won't be as suspicious. It wouldn't be too unseasonable to do it so late at night when the air is cooler and the mist is gathering anyway. But that's only an ancillary benefit.

Zheid, I'm afraid that Firebending is too harmful to play a great role in this operation. Our goal is to retrieve, not damage. Fire poses too great a threat to throw any plan into chaos, as using it as a weapon risks permanent injury to the gang members and using it to distract risks it spreading and potentially damaging the supplies. I'd say we could use it as a signal, but even then only in emergency situations because the moment a flare goes up that draws attention to your area. The best bet is to keep watch on wherever we set up base, keep an eye on the kids to make sure they're not in harm's way, and frighten off any unanticipated threats that show up.

Beyond that, I don't know what else to say until we have more information. Does anyone have suggestions or objections?"

[manwithaplan]

"Eh, I'm not that stealthy, actually, just quick. I've looked through some old teachings, and my people's techniques are mostly about evading, not sneaking. I do like the second half of your plan, though - I can get in there, grab some good stuff, and force a group of them to waste time running after me. I could lead them outside, get them into a nice shapely line, and boom! Pigeon-fish in a barrel for the rest of you."

[Breitheamh]

"Huh? Wha'? Yeah, sure. That sounds fine, Reign."

Zheid was bumped out of his thoughts for a moment to obligingly reply to Reign, but his mind was far from the plan of attack. If he could have his way, they would put their efforts toward convincing the Stompers to distribute the food among the people, but he knew he was no master of diplomacy, and Reign seemed to have things under control.

He was much more interested in the little blue spirit that had followed the Avatar relics from the trade post. He fiddled with the little Water Tribe toy as he contemplated the mystery.

[Rofltrollcopter]

Ezekiel calms down and returns to his regular speech pattern. Yeah, I was thinking that I could use the water to create some fog cover. That wasn't the whole story. Not many Waterbenders know about this technique, but fog can be manipulated to produce figments that deceive the senses. Its a phenomenon that happens naturally in Foggy Swamp. I'm still hoping we can somehow provoke a fight between the Stompers and this other gang to take some of the pressure off of us.


Seeing Zheid look quizzically at the spirit, Ezekiel speaks up. I guess I wasn't very clear earlier. Oddly enough, despite how much knowledge of the outside world my tribe lost when they migrated to the swamp, they acquired a surprising amount of spirit lore. This type of spirit was referred to as an 'avatar sprite'. They are supposed to enter the world to herald the arrival of an Avatar. That being said, they are supposed to be as bright as 'a swarm of fireskeeters' and this one is really dim. I'm not surprised its attracted to the relics. Although, it does beg the question of what this one was doing at the workshop in the first place....

He looks at Zheid Maybe it would be worth revisiting the shop? We could probably use those radios anyways.

[Yanisa]

Yan seems overwhelmed by Reigns plan and you could almost here his mind work hard to keep hard. He does manage to filter out the questions. "The stompers, like their name suggest, are brute force types. They mostly win by numbers, rarely by other tactics. Like most gangers they lack weapons, they mostly use punches and earthbending to threaten and knock out people. The Gravels are different, they don't have any earthbender, so most likely fight dirty and with ambushes. They might even show up if the stompers are in a loosing fight, like hyenavultures.
As for guarding it the same, they sit mostly around, flexing muscles and try to impress, I have never seen them any smart. Even patrolling seems to be more because they are bored of sitting."
"There must some source of water, I mean they have to drink somehow. They either store water barrels, or might even have a well. And there should be rainbarrels around, city be littered with them. I never mapped them, so we should scout them out."

[Rofltrollcopter]

I guess we might as well check it out then.

Ezekiel leaves to search for the water barrels near the storehouse