Chapter 1 When angel's fall

[Novabomb]

Marcus Polonius
Moderately confused by Oetychus, he knocks on Amara's door.

(Assuming she answers, will modify if not)
Did you send the attention seeker to fetch me?

[Thundercracker]

Marcus Polonius
Moderately confused by Oetychus, he knocks on Amara's door.

(Assuming she answers, will modify if not)
Did you send the attention seeker to fetch me?

Amara

Amara, now dressed in clothing fit for the road and with an studded leather vest in one hand, answered the door.

It took her a moment to realize who Marcus Polonius was referring to.

“No, no I would not do that to you,” she replied, “but you should make preparations to depart. There is trouble afoot and we are going to investigate. I will fill everyone in on the road.”

[razorback]

Tarik, late to rise for reasons that escape him, washes his face from the water and the stand before dressing quickly and moving downstairs to join the others.
As he goes to have breakfast, he meets anyone from the party who is down there, ignore the conversation with the small boy as he leaves.

Spoiler

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Holy moly, I hope the site isn't crashing like it did in December. Took my 10 tries to post this, it ate the rest of my tries.

[Novabomb]

Marcus Polonius
Very Well. I shall be ready in 3 minutes.
He marches swiftly, then takes the stairs two at a time to grab his backpack, and returns waiting at attention.

[Toliudar]

Hunter Greene

A plan seemingly set, Hunter also returns to her room. Her gear is small and simple, and it takes her only a few minutes to dress, splash some water on her face, and be ready to go once again. She wanders down just in time for Marcus to vault past her on the stairs, so she joins Tarik at the table for breakfast. Scrambling up onto a too-tall chair, Hunter reaches a small hand across the table to shake the much larger man's hand.

"It sounds like we're gonna investigate some kind of magical beastie killing people here in town. Amara's got ideas."

She orders a round of breakfasts for the group, less Marcus.

"So. Ch'Karthis. Would you say the name's been a blessing because people assume you're going to be like your great-grandpa? Or a curse because people assume you're going to be like your great-grandpa?"

[Thundercracker]

Amara

Amara finished getting dressed and then descended to the taproom. She informed the staff they would not be staying for lunch, then ate a quick breakfast while waiting for the rest of the party to join them.

[dantiesilva]

As everyone gathers in the main inn downstairs ready to go about their day Amara and Hunter explain to those who were not there what they learned from the young boy Aeitus. An older gentleman in a coner waves to Amara and Crystal though makes no move to get up and speak with them, the same old man Marcus notes tried sitting with him and talking to him earlier.

Once the plan has been explained in the at the moment mostly empty taproom, including the part about magical beasts, you all depart. There are two possible places you could head, Old Haven is said to have missing people as well as where old Jenkins went missing so its almost certain the beast was there, and Aeitus explained the mercenaries who were trying to get people to pay them protection money were also there. Or you could go to New Haven where people have also gone missing, though is closer to the guardhouse.

[Thundercracker]

As everyone gathers in the main inn downstairs ready to go about their day Amara and Hunter explain to those who were not there what they learned from the young boy Aeitus. An older gentleman in a coner waves to Amara and Crystal though makes no move to get up and speak with them, the same old man Marcus notes tried sitting with him and talking to him earlier.

Once the plan has been explained in the at the moment mostly empty taproom, including the part about magical beasts, you all depart. There are two possible places you could head, Old Haven is said to have missing people as well as where old Jenkins went missing so its almost certain the beast was there, and Aeitus explained the mercenaries who were trying to get people to pay them protection money were also there. Or you could go to New Haven where people have also gone missing, though is closer to the guardhouse.

Amara

“I think our best bet is old haven,” Amara said, “we might even be able to convince the mercenaries to join us and hunt down the monster.. though from the sound of it I doubt it.”

Assuming there’s no disagreement, she started off heading for where Aeitus mentioned the mercenaries were.

[Novabomb]

Marcus Polonius
Before departing, he goes to speak with the man.
I am sorry for my lack of courtesy. You know how it is, orders to move can strike at any moment.

[Jopustopin]

Mission

After Oetychus wakes him and tells him of what happens, the monk simply nods and rubs his head. For the remainder of the morning he meditates for a while in prayer before rising. At seemingly the last moment he walks downstairs and walks up to Tarik. He seems to be adjusting his gear a bit but is mostly silent for the time being.

[razorback]

As the others come down and join him, Tarik gives a simple nod of his head in acknowledgement.
"Beast, eh? Do we have a tracker amongst us?"
At Hunter's question, he pauses as he rubs his chin as he thinks on not shaving this morning along with the travel here, as a give a wry grin. "Yes... to both. I am who I am... and I am not my forebears, though others would like to see me as such. I honor my ancestors but I can only do what I can do." he says with a shrug. Swirling the sausage gravy a bit with his biscuit, he looks her in the eyes. "Like any of us. I seek no greatness for myself and I won't exceed their greatness by any stretch, but I seek to carry on the legacy they helped forge. A humble servant to the Emperor is all I am." and give her a wink.

[RCgothic]

Crystal comes downstairs to meet the others, uniform smartly pressed and hair nearly braided as usual. She skips breakfast, but Jax jumps up onto the counter whilst everyone gathers to politely demand treats from the staff.

"I'm ready when everyone else is. I hear the ogres can wait as we've got a problem a little closer to hand?"

Sideling up to Hunter, she whispers aside "You see the man with the white hair? That's our handler." she whispers. Crystal waves to Agimaex as they leave.

[NiKkatsu]

Oetychus stands in the middle of the taproom, watching the others gather, ready to depart. He puts his hands on his hips and takes in a deep breath, a satisfied smile hanging on his lips. Then talking to no one in particular he says in a loud, confident voice:

''Here it is: the seven of us finally setting out. Where it all begins. Isn't it exciting? Doesn't it move you deeply? To think of the challenges we shall face, knowing that, maybe, some of us won't make it back - and most likely some of you hope that will be me.''

He pauses, hoping for a laugh, and continues:

''Nonetheless, I must say: such a beautiful, selfless task. Putting ourselves on the line. But fear not, for I will make a song for the ages out of our trials and tribulations. And I wanted to take a second to add that I was truly touched by your tales last night: you are all such deep and well rounded characters. Because of this, and since we are a team now, I thought it would be a great idea to take on a name. Since Amara seems to be the leader of this team, I suggest Amara's Able-bodied Alliance. Or just the Alliance for short. Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?''

Finally, more to himself he adds: ''That being said, the Allies set off.''

[Thundercracker]

Amara

“I wouldn’t mind a song, just ensure it’s not overheard by anyone, as this is supposed to be a more or less secretive group,” Amara said.

[dantiesilva]

Marcus as you walk over to the old man and apologize he nods his head in understanding at your statement. "Just remember even the strongest warrior eventually needs to sleep, and to do that they must trust those at their back." the old man offers for advice before you depart. Raising his hand up in greeting to Crystal who had waved to him.

Spoiler: @Crystal

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As you walk out the door the voice of Agimaex fills your ear, loud enough for only you to hear, clearly a spell. "Swift hunting detective, and may the Mother never stand before you."

As Oetychus begins to make a display in the middle of the taproom that is thankfully empty except for the old man in the corner and your hostess it begs to question if he will reveal you to your enemies before you ever even know who they are? He seems quick to seek praise and always looks to stand out in some way which while not a bad thing will make it much harder to move around unseen as a secretive group as the letter suggested you would be. Could he be trusted or was he a spy, only time will tell as you all make your way out of the Golden M and follow the main road south towards the southern doors to the village.

It doesn't take the party long to learn where to look for the mercenaries as by the time they get to the gate separating Old Haven from Sheperd's door they can hear the sounds of people arguing coming from the west. Following along the wall they come to a rather small looking temple of the Lovers. Unlike in most cities this one seems rather humble looking, with the marble and granite statues depicting the lovers being only vaguely humanoid. Outside the church stands a woman with flowing red hair that falls down to her ankles, tied in braids as well as a man of average height, and oddly white hair given how young he looks. In the mans hands is a shovel, though it is clear his other hand keeps on gripping onto something by his side, before them stands the mercinary company you were told about. "If you want your little temple here to be protected from the beast you will pay us or our boys simply won't come to this neighborhood when we hear its cry." the leader, a large burly orc with two tusk clearly protruding form his mouth says to the woman in a burlap sack. "Sir as I have already told you I do not trade in material wealth, only the wealth of the living soul. You will find no coin here." the woman says. However it is clear that unlike the young woman, the male by her side is less eager to talk with these highwaymen. All around the area a crowd is starting to gather to watch the scene unfold.

[Toliudar]

Hunter Greene

The gnome tucks into her breakfast with relish, eating nearly an entire human portion with evident enjoyment. She leans close to hear Crystal's subtle message.

Sideling up to Hunter, she whispers aside "You see the man with the white hair? That's our handler." she whispers. Crystal waves to Agimaex as they leave.

Hunter nods twice to show comprehension, but her expression back to Crystal is frankly confused. Does this mean that Agimaex is handling all of them, or just Crystal and Amara? Does he have a task for the group, or looking for them to prove themselves on their own first? Did he work for the same division where Hunter had made her mark, or an entirely different agency? And did he know about her, and her work?

Enough questions, and no particularly good way to pursue them. As the group packed up to head off, she eyed the white-haired curiously, but said nothing.

As Hunter watched the big orc shake down the priestess, Hunter glanced up at Crystal with a nod. She broke from her companions, sidling off along the side of the building.

Doubtless, one or more of her companions would be noble, forthright and articulate in their defense of the clearly deserving young lady. They woudn't need Hunter's help with that. What they might need help with would be surviving the confrontation that would inevitably follow. And she didn't think that whatever weapon that young man was clutching would be enough.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Ideally, Hunter is looking for a way to get herself concealment by the side of the street, or at least a bit of cover.

[Novabomb]

Marcus Polonius is mildly displeased at the mercenaries' demeanor.
He does not know the details of their remit, and in the absence of a direct threat aside from denial of service he is inclined to let allow the woman's declaration stand for itself. If there is further aggression from the orc, Marcus will intervene.

[Thundercracker]

Lady Amara

Amara watched quietly to see how Joshua would react. It was clear the temple didn’t gather wealth, based on the priestess’ sack clothing, and if this was the life he wanted rather than serving the Emperor, he at least deserved a chance to speak in its defense.

Of course if it came to violence, she’d be defending the temple right along with him.

She pondered how the mercenaries were able to drive the beast away, whether they were working with it’s masters, or if they were simply taking advantage of the people’s fear to extort some coin.

[NiKkatsu]

Oetychus addresses the Orc. He acts humbler and downplays his confidence a little, sounding as polite as possible:

''Excuse me, Sir? Yes. Hello. And-and g'day. Of course. You must be the leader, huh? Umm.. how much is the protection fee? Maybe I can help the church this time around, a-as the church has done so much for me and my soul. I may- I may have a little bit of coin and, uh, as a devout, it would be my pleasure to offer my aid. W-w-would 30 gold suffice, Sir?''

He half smiles, avoiding the Orcs gaze as he pretends to look intimidated.

[razorback]

As they turn the corner to see the scene unfolding before them, Tarik slows as he accesses the situation quickly.
When Oetychus speaks, he keeps to the back. He understood if the 'beast' was running around that some would hire some kind of protection but this... this went against everything the Empire stood for. To anyone looking he looked relaxed except for a tightening around his eyes as he breathing smoothed out, becoming the practiced paced he was taught to maintain, a spring wound but with no hint of what lay behind it.

[dantiesilva]

Spoiler: @Hunter at the Golden M

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Hunter as you are departing you can swear you see a smirk appear on the old mans lips as you eye him cursorily before he lifts a cup up and drinks what smells like tea. Normally when a group had a handler they were a lot more in the loop then this man seemed to be as he sat down perfectly relaxed and ate his breakfast in peace, while a black cat walks up to his seat before padding his leg as if to say pick me up.

Spoiler: Hunter breaking off from the group

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Hunter nodding to Crystal that you were going to set up you move back down the street you came, walking two full building lengths to the small alley you saw when you began walking this way. A fully grown human would not be able to fit through such a narrow passage, however for you it is rather simple as your training kicks in and you make your way through the ally into a vegetable garden behind the church. Unlike most other courtyards you have noticed in this village this one seems to be actually functional as you look around. You can just barely make out the mercenaries and the priestess from your vantage point behind the chicken coupe.

The rest of you watch as the man with the shovel hefts it expertly as he notices the group looking at the gathering crowd of people they no doubt already got to pay them for protection. It is at the moment the half-orc leader is about to talk that Oetychus makes his move with the ease of someone who had done this kind of act a thousand times. You all watch as the group of mercenaries begin talking among themselves almost immediately at the prospect of getting 30gp. However their leader quickly quiets them and addresses you. "Finally a reasonable human, I was starting to think no one here cared for the church. 30 gold will cover our basic protection fee of course, a single guard stationed with a rosewood stick and bell made from the bones of a dragon." he says with a pleased smile. "Now if you don't mind handing that coin over to Jasper over here." he says indicating the bugbear besides him. "We can be on our merry way."

[NiKkatsu]

Oetychus starts to untie his coin purse, then pauses. He scratches his beard and stares at the Orc before saying:

''From what I understand, you seem to know enough about this beast. You have just described an elaborate way of keeping it at bay. That shows preparation. Which then begs the question: is your true purpose to simply protect against the beast, or is it actually to eliminate it? I guess what I'm asking is: are you trying only to extort these poor people...
As he says ''these poor people'' he makes a large gesture towards the crowd gathering around them, making sure to grab their attention, make them involved.
...or are you trying to help them? If it's the latter, then let's work together to bring down this thing. Between the 12 of us we can definitely defeat the creature and free this town from it's vile clutches. That should be in the interest of everyone, right? Unless... Unless that isn't really where your interest lies? If so, that would be a shame, since now everyone here would know the truth about you and your boys. Gonna be hard to find work after that. But, I do not believe that's the case, right? You all seem like a smart lot. And, of course, if you accept to help there will be more coin in it for you.''

He stretches out his hand for a shake.

''What say you?''

Spoiler: Here's diplomacy

Show

(1d20+10)[17]

[dantiesilva]

As Oetychus begins to untie the coin purse you watch as the five mercinares eyes seem to alight with greed before swiftly switching between confusion and lastly anger as he calls them out. "The dead cannot collect coin, are me and my boys dumb enough to go around hunting the beast. Use your flowery words all you want, you either pay us to protect this place or we move on and offer our services to someone else who isn't so insane." The orc says looking at the crowd "Tell me brave soldiers of Angelis Ianuam which among you wish to go hunt this beast and risk dying when you can pay someone to make sure you never have to face that situation? That one their says the twelve of us could fight these beasts but all I see is eleven with him. Who are you going to trust more, a mercenary who has fought for your country before and spilled blood with your fine blades." he says lifting up a human size dragon skull as proof of his accomplishment. "Or the word's of a coward who offers coin to protect your church only to stop at the last minute and accuse us of extorting you?" the orc says, and it is clear the crowd is on neither side, the orc makes valid points, however so has Oetychus.

Spoiler: Crowd

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Crowd is about 60 orc
40 Oetychus at the moment

[Thundercracker]

Amara van Tannin

Amara sighed to herself.

She quietly stepped forward, between Oetychus and the mercenary.

"How will you protect the people with one man standing in front of a temple when you say it would defeat a dozen?" Amara asked, "it will pick you off one by one. Stay here if you like, we will hunt it down and destroy it. We've destroyed one already, though not without casualties. Joshua can attest to that."

She nodded to her former comrade.

"That won't stop us from destroying this one as well, the risk is worth it to protect the Empire's citizens," Amara said, "Join us or not, but tell us where we can find it."

Spoiler

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diplomacy take 10 for 30.

[Toliudar]

Hunter on the Sidelines

Chicken s*it. Charming. Well, it's not as bad as pigeon.

Hunter eases her way past the chickens, moving very slowly to avoid setting them off. Fortunately, Oetychus was talking, which meant that, unless the orc reached out to throttle him, she'd have some time to get into position.

Carefully, quietly, she withdrew her black crossbow from her pack, and just for good measure took out a yellow-stoppered flask as well. If the mercenaries stayed clustered up for protection, she could probably JUST reach them with the flask. Otherwise, it would be the crossbow.

Settling in the corner of the alley, she carefully eased the safety off of her crossbow and settled in, maintaining a bead on the orc.

Spoiler: OOC

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Assuming she's less than 50' from the mercenaries, she'll prepare to toss some Alchemist's Fire into their midst. If she's more than 50' away, she'll prepare to shoot her crossbow at the orc.
Hide: (1d20+14)[24]
Move Silently (1d20+14)[28], using an inspiration point.

[razorback]

Visibly, the insults to Oetychus from the orc rankle Tarik a bit as a clenching of his jaw can be seen, but he quickly lets wash over him. The urge to step in and berate the orc would probably end in bloodshed or with the thugs returning once they moved on. He knows a honeyed tongue would work magic that bashing over the head wouldn't solve, so he holds his peace for the moment, hoping Amara and Oetychus can diffuse the situation.

[dantiesilva]

"We are a mercenary company, we wouldn't be really effective if it was a single one of us now would we?" the half-orc leader replies to the fact that a single person could not stand against it alone. Though when you state you have destroyed one before the leader and his group clearly seem impressed as Joshua states that what you say is true. "Then I wish you luck human in your hunt, however should you die what would you like on your grave? After all who is to say you won't be the casualty this time." he asks after all if you had lost people before there was always that chance this time it could be you. "All I know is that it tends to go where it is rather loud and its screech can be easily covered up. At least that is what we have determined from where the attacks have seemingly taken place." the leader offers you when you ask for a way to find it.

The group notes however that the two bugbears seem to be eyeing up Tarik the moment he begins to clench his jaw, ready for a fight should it come to it. However just as happy to leave if there boss says so.

Spoiler: @Hunter

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As you move into position you thank your luck as you easily make it into position given how high the sun is without being spotted by anyone. As they all seem to focused on the conversation they seem to be having. From your position you see the two bugbears tense in reaction to Tarik's own movements. Nothing else seems to be amiss at this point.

With the situation seemingly defused the red haired priestess of the Lover's once more asks the group to leave which unless stopped by the party they do. No doubt moving on to sell their services elsewhere.

[Thundercracker]

Amara
After the mercenaries depart, Amara approaches Joshua.

“Are you certain you want to stay here?” Amara asked, “we still need help as you can see.”

[razorback]

As the mercenaries leave, Tarik follows them with his eyes until they are out of view. With a roll of his shoulders and a slight shudder, he eases out of the tension in his body.
"It is ill times, indeed, when men such as those can find success in shearing the sheep with empty promises and veiled threats. Ill, indeed." as his look goes over the crowd, especially over those who looked in favor of the orc.
Once the crowd starts to disperse, he moves up to Crystal. "You defeated one of these beasts? What was it? What did it look like?"

[Toliudar]

Hunter

As the mercenaries take both Oetychus' money and their leave, Hunter eases the safety catch back onto her crossbow and slides it back into her bag, along with the fiery flask. Maybe there was hope for the boy, after all. Whatever he said seemed to have worked.

Before rejoining the others, Hunter takes a look around in the alley, making sure that any footprints in the bird dirt and such were of species she could identify. Hunter assumed that the beast that they were seeking was working from more than simple hunger, but it was good to know what might attract it.

When she finished up, she took a different route to loop back to the team to check in.

"Learn anything useful?"

Spoiler: OOC

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Search to pick up weird tracks or signs: (1d20+7)[20]