The Imperial Hero Academy (in game)

[samduke]

George looks around to see if there is any map of the area to look at before meeting up with the others

[Stormwolf69]

SamDuke

Yes you were able to get a map of the area and to Beaver Vally. As well as a more detailed map of beaver valley that shows the location of the road way, the waterfalls, and the river as well as a good idea of how far the valley is on both sides. It will be about a days walk to beaver valley from town. if you go by the river and down the waterfalls or 2-3 days by following the road.



All

As you stand around outside it is getting dark.

[Toliudar]

Zeno

Once they all work their way outside, Zeno peers at George's map.

*Beaver Valley doesn't look too far. A day's walk is just a few hours' flying if the two of you climb onto Malleus' back. I think that we should follow up on this mysterious note that directed us to the 'Moon over Mayhem'. What do you think?*

[samduke]

George looking over at Malleus then to Zeno before he climbs onto Malleus' back.

[Togo]

Tolo nods.

We should follow up on Moon over Mayhem before we leave town.

He looks around the busy guild.

Given what we're expecting to find - weres influenced by our agent. How far do we play along, how far do we go with them being hostile, before we attack them?

[Toliudar]

Zeno

The insubstantial Zeno shrugs.

*I don't know how to predict our behaviour. There are so many variables, so many different scenarios. How about we have you do the talking at Moon Over Mayhem, and I'll follow your lead?*

[Togo]

Tolo nods.

You focus on whatever you can detect, and I'll keep them talking. He turns to the others. Anything we need to do? Or should we head over now?

[Toliudar]

Zeno and Malleus

Malleus gently sets George back down again and nods. Zeno smiles.

*That sounds ideal. Hmm. Maybe I can do more to fit in with our anticipated contacts.*

Zeno had still been in the guise of a rather aristocratic middle-aged woman, but when they arrive at the Moon Over Mayhem, she quickly morphs. Her clothes become tighter and more cleavage-y, and while she remains human-looking, there's a narrowness and callousness to her face now that suggests a life lived hard, and perhaps without a great deal of sunlight.

Spoiler: OOC

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Zeno is once again using her Assume Likeness ability. Disguise: (1d20+17)[33]

[samduke]

Following the others in, George is slightly distracted by Zeo's more cleavage look. but does not let that distract from the reason they were there,

[Stormwolf69]

As you make your way back to the market area the moon is rising in the night sky as you find a greenish lantern with a ghostly green light. That marks the sine for the tavern. As you go into the ally way and inside.

As you walk into the first part of the dimly lit bar. You can tell there is an elevated area. Also, there appears to be no stage in sight or anywhere for a bard to do his trade in the lower area.

You see the bar with a bartender. He is a heavy-set man as well. He has some grey on his short unkept hear and he has a red beard. There are 8 benches with patterns 4 of them are dwarfs. Heavy bodybuilder type builds with long beards.

Toliudar. You detect a number of things around you. The patterns upstairs appear to be humans’ elves and dwarfs. But bellow. You can sense there are wererats, goblins, elves, and few other beast men creatures.

[Toliudar]

Zeno

The slightly more top-heavy version of Zeno tilts her head slightly and reports mentally to her companions.

*This is definitely the right place. There's a mix of the more populous people upstairs, but there are wererats, goblins, elves and beast-men below us. Tolo, I would recommend we try to talk our way into getting access to the lower level. Malleus, you still have the note, right?*

The quiet ranger nods hurriedly, and hands the note off to Tolo.

[Togo]

Tolo looks much the same as he always has before - a capable swordsman in thin silk shirt and tight trousers, showing slightly too much skin. But now, standing next to Xeno, the warrior as ornament suddenly makes sense. He has added a copper mushroom on a chain of blackened metal. A small, innocuous-looking thing. But it wasn't there before.

He nods, and takes a deep breath, then moves into the bar.

He takes his time, raising an eyebrow at the assembled dwarfs, before sauntering over to the barkeeper. He stops a foot or so shy of the bar, puts one foot on one of the lower rungs, and the leans over to put both hands on the bar, a poise that takes space for two people and makes his muscles of his legs and arms roll. He gives the barman a frankly appraising look, up and down, and then says softly, in the same archaic elvish accent as before.

We're thirsty for a party? Yees? I was told I could find a good party here?

[Stormwolf69]

Tolo

The bartender says "Three wild snakes coming up."

As the bartender goes and makes three takers of some dark ale. As the closest dwarf goes over to a corner picking up a gold coin. that got the dwarf's attention but none of you manage to figure out how it got there. Then bends over saying in under common If you want in to there. "When you go into the latrines give a coin to the rat, at the end of the hallway and he will give that coin to his master who will open the secret door."

[Toliudar]

Zeno

Conveniently, the barman has only poured three drinks, absolving Zeno of any need to deal with the drink. Malleus glances at the others and takes one of the beers.

Casually, Zeno looks around the room, while her mindsense reaches into the toilet to confirm that she senses a ratman there.

Spoiler: OOC

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This is all assuming that 'uncommon' means 'common'. If it's a different language, she likely didn't understand the message.

[Stormwolf69]

OOC under common I hate auto correct



IC

Ratman no Mages, Familier you did find. As you walk over to the restroom area past the final stall. Were the only privacy someone will get is a curation. you see the familiar sticking his little rat head and two red eyes sticking out of the small slit in the wall. A space is only large enough to fit a coin and the rat.

[Toliudar]

Zeno

Walking back into the lavaratory, Zeno reports telepathically to her colleagues on what she's sensing.

*I'm just going to take a moment to look around behind that wall. Hang in here a moment.*

Reaching into her bag, she withdraws a semi-solid wand and taps herself with it, vanishing from view. She slides into the wall near the rat and slides along the wall and then down below the floor, to see what's there.

Spoiler: OOC

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Zeno is using her eternal wand of Invisibility on herself. She will then slide around the wall of the lavaratory to see what's on the other side of the wall. If there's nothing of special interest there, she'll also examine the floor space 5' below.

[samduke]

george waits nearby for zeno to report

[Stormwolf69]

As you examine the wall you discover some machinery and that the wall is actually a hidden door with a stair case. on closer examination, the rate has somewhere to drop the coins and a little leaver to open what you think is to operate the door. Down the stairs you discover. Three scantily dressed tall were rats in hybrid appearance a brown, white, and grey fur covering their slender bodies and a stack of menus in their desk. They appear to be relaxed as they talked then when they finished saying something. you don't understand a cute little squeak is heard before the others say something.

[Toliudar]

Having drifted invisibly and silently down the stairwell, Zeno takes a moment at the bottom to take stock of the minds further in, and then returns to report to her colleagues at the lavaratory.

*It looks like the rat dropping a coin in a spot operates a device to open a secret door. Beyond, there's a stairwell down.*

She goes on to describe the array of minds that she had sensed at the bottom of the stairs.

*While we could doubtless find a way to bypass the door mechanism, it may be simplest to simply pass the rat the coin.*

[samduke]

George will attempt to communicate with the rats when he hears this

appear to be relaxed as they talked then when they finished saying something. you don't understand a cute little squeak is heard before the others say something.

[Stormwolf69]

As you give the rat a coin. the rodent takes it and disappears into the hole. as the hidden door opens revealing a staircase. that leads down words.

As you walk hear talking none of you understand followed by speaks. As you come to see three females were Rats. As the gray one says to you in common,

"Welcome, Welcome to the lower section and Black market, Black market. I will take you to your seats. Yes, yes. Most of the services of the black market are written into the menus. In both Common and under common and its night is great to treat tonight. Yes, yes. Pit fights, Gladiators. Also, three great clans are here tonight as well as goblins. Fallow, Fallow. Here Almost everything is on sale Here. Don't worry me and the others are born in. Not, not bite-ins. Squeak."

As they give you very suggestive smiles. As she leads you into the next room she leads a much larger area. At times you wonder how this city does not fall into the large area. but you do see a large pit area for the fights. As no fighters are in yet. You think that they have not started.

You see three groups of Rat men in three corners of the Room. The different colours of their armours give you the ideas of them being from different clans. The goblins are there to you see five Hobgoblins with a group of lesser goblins. You also see a lone female Drow surrounded by body guards.

As you examine the menu you find it forward enough. things like money laundering, Fencing services, An Infomation Dealer. Also poisons and other illegal items like poisons for sale.

And one other item is the gladiator fights card if you wanted to place some wagers on the outcome. There is also an option to take part in blood sports. As there is duels and four on four battles. With to the death matches offering better prise money then till knock out.

[Toliudar]

Zeno

The surrealness of the subterranean restaurant-of-crime is not lost on Zeno, but when you have more or less total control over how your face looks to the world, making it a mask of impassivness is not all that hard.

At Zeno's telepathic urging, Malleus pulls out the note they had been slipped on the street. When a server comes along for their order, Malleus shyly asks.

"Um. Excuse me. We got this as a kind of invitation. Do you know whose handwriting this is?"

[Togo]

Tolo makes a bee line for the money laundering services, but stops as he noticed the gladiatorial cards. He pauses considers for a moment, and then checks out the nature of fights and the skills of the participants. Every so often he wets his lips.

[Stormwolf69]

The girls look at the note as they stare at it for a moment then say that they are not sure who the writer is but it looks like a common note used to bring in possible new clients that will be interested in the services of this establishment. Squeak.

meanwhile, the full card reads as follows

fight 1 nonlethal
3 females were rats From each clan fighting till one clan group is standing. Odds 3 to 1 for each group. (three rouges vs three fighters, vs 3 monks)


Fight 2 Deathmatch
Human Slave vs. WereRat slave

Fight 3 Deathmatch
Half-Orc "Fang" vs Minotaur

Fight 4 deathmatch
Adventures team of a Warlock, Fighter, Cleric, and Rogue VS Dire Bear.

Fight 5 Deathmatch
Dwarf berzerker vs Minatour.

fight 6 Deathmatch
Drow Male vs Minotaur

fight 7 Deathmatch
Dwarf Berserker vs BugBear

Fight 8 Deathmatch
Clan Rat warrior vs Hob Goblin

Fight 9 Deathmatch
Rat ogre vs Troll

Fight 10 Deathmatch
Hob goblin vs Drow warrior

Fight 11
Drow Champion vs Queek Headtaker of Clan Mors

and for those wanting to add themselves to the card, you can talk to the management and make arrangements (ok what do you want to fight ?)


The fights appear to a mostly fair fight. In the last fight you have no idea how that one will go.

[Togo]

Tolo, although distracted by the men and woman walking past, manages to inch his way back to Zeno.

Dear one, you really ought to pay attention. There are a few events coming up that are just to die for! Really get you going.

He leans in, whispering a confidence, his now loosely bound long hair falling to obscure his face as he does so.

Human slave fighting to the death in round 2. Adventurers fighting to the death in round four. If we're going to develop a conscience about this place, we need to get our business done fast.

He straightens and smiles, giving his fingers a little wave, then saunters off with an exaggerated roll to his hips.

To try and find whoever is running the fights.

These cards, not very detailed, yes? How am I supposed to bet on the outcome if I can't see the participants? I mean 'adventuring party' could mean anything, yes? I may be doing business when the fight actually starts - you know how it is. Can I get a sneak preview?

[Stormwolf69]

One of the Rat woman overhearing you says "The is a viewing Hall to see most of the Fighters as she looks to one direction saying Queek Headtaker of Clan Mors, on the other hand, is in the corner of the room. He is here in this Room with the Clan Mors warriors. Squeak." As she looks in the general direction. As you see some Rat men in full battle armor. Heavy plate.

As she offers you to follow her. she down a staircase to a quieter area. there are guard few guards armed with clubs. As it looks more like prison cells the first ones are open as you see female wererats putting on leather armour and warming up. they all have short swords and blockers. As she comments they will be in a fight one, one. But more trusted professional gladiators will have their doors unlocked, and gear handed to them before the fight. I could ask the guards if they know about those cases. But she has heard that the human slave belongs to the Drow Woman.

(Ok can I get some spot checks for each of the matches or do you want to speak to anyone down here?)

[Toliudar]

Zeno

Realizing from Tolo's comments that he was contemplating some kind of Spartacus uprising, Zeno quickly relays the gist of this to the others.

*Well, George, what do you say? My own feelings are that 'stop demon invasion' trumps 'free some gladiator slaves', and we should leave now, but I'll go along with your thoughts on this.*

[samduke]

Zeno

Realizing from Tolo's comments that he was contemplating some kind of Spartacus uprising, Zeno quickly relays the gist of this to the others.

*Well, George, what do you say? My own feelings are that 'stop demon invasion' trumps 'free some gladiator slaves', and we should leave now, but I'll go along with your thoughts on this.*

while i am not big on slaves, demons are a greater threat, slaves can be freed anytime by almost anyone. but demons that takes a dedicated force, which i think we are capable.

[Toliudar]

Zeno

Almost imperceptibly, Zeno nodded.

*Remember, we have only two days to find the whatever-it-is in Beaver Valley and then get back to the capital in time to stop the next raid. If we leave now, Malleus should be able to get us to Beaver Valley by midnight, giving us time to sleep and be fresh for exploration in the morning. Tolo, I promise to return with you once the invasion is dealt with. is this acceptable?*

[Togo]

Tolo looks around.

Yes, yes, very nice warriors. But betting on the favourite makes for low winnings and boring bets. I am interested in the wild cards. The slaves of unknown background, the vaguely touted 'adventuring team'. Are they people who raid the surface for you, or people adventuring that you captured? These kinds of competitors are where the best odds lie. Possibly. Depends on what I can see for myself.

To Zeno, when he gets a chance, Tolo whispers fiercely Hey Zeno, before you were brought back, where were you? You know, when we were dead? After a moment, he adds We need to find out who might have been sent out, or is going to be sent out. People who organise combat teams seems like a good bet.

Spoiler: What Tolo is trying to achieve here

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Tolo is really only interested in captives forced to fight. He's presenting it as a betting strategy, on the basis that few people here would bet on them compared to the wererats or the drow. He's happy to bribe and/or bluff his way through to see them, where they are being held and get some measure of who they are and where they came from. He's also interested in how teams are put together for raids, in order to work around to whether any teams have been sent out recently, or might be being sent out soon.