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Post by HorizonsDream on Jul 3, 2018 11:50:54 GMT -8
~This isn't possible,~ Kalana thinks to herself as she focuses on the stage. Her whole body tenses up as she fears what she might see performed before her as she knows it is completely possible that other people have heard her story without her telling it to anyone other than a very select few.
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Post by notARobot on Jul 3, 2018 19:55:16 GMT -8
The half-elven leader grimaces, but knows he cannot win. Hesitantly, he tosses his sabre to the ground and holds up his hands. "You backstabbing traitors are idiots," he tells his fellow sailors. "Now, about our pay," one of the elven women says to Mathias. "That's one hundred gold each," she says expectantly. Mathias sighs in relief as it begins to sink in that he's actually going to escape from this situation with his life. "My thanks, friends," he says to the elven bandits. "Have any of you got any rope? Let's get this one tied up, and then we'll find a suitably private place to count out your coin and you can all be on your way." Assuming someone manages to produce some rope, Mathias uses it to restrain the half-elf's range of movement as best he can, the asks the elves if they can recommend a nearby tavern offering adequate privacy, or anywhere else safer for dividing up the payments than a back alley. |
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Post by Bishgada on Jul 3, 2018 21:56:51 GMT -8
Senllip open his eyes widely, "I'm a man of the world, I've seen much, have many friends and always looks for adventures and to help. So, you are a merchant? What is your specialty? Do you have any of it with you? Do you have a ship or you go by land? Do you have company you go with? Interest in expending your market over the seas?" Senllip asks.
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(OOC: notARobot/Mathias - Brilliant move with the bribe!! Cheers!)
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Post by Daos on Jul 4, 2018 9:24:29 GMT -8
Kalana Ioane (Amusement Park, House of Illusion)Kalana watches in horrified silence as the play begins. It has incredible production values, utilizing illusion magic for sound effects, fake weather, pyrotechnics and blood and gore. It is unlike any play Kalana has ever seen before, and were the subject material about anything else, she would probably enjoy it quite a bit.
The play's story is basically Kalana's entire life, but the main character is instead a blonde woman named 'Kendra.' Several other names have been changed, as well. Also, Kendra's motives are completely selfish from the beginning. In the play, Kendra sides with the occupation out of a lust for power (and implied a weird dragon fetish), that marrying the prefect had been her idea, and the whole 'Hero of Shadowshore' thing was just a ruse she came up with to fool people into liking her. The character is portrayed as irredeemably evil. She murdered Rhys (named 'Sadron') with glee, because she wanted to please the prefect (also in the play, she murders Akoni, as well, so she can 'be' with the prefect).
The play ends with the Blue Lightning liberating the town and Kendra escaping justice, swearing an oath she would return one day to enslave Shadowshore again and avenge her beloved prefect.
"Hey, isn't Shadowshore where you come from?" asks Aata after the play ends. "I guess your little hometown will be famous after this."
Senllip (Marketplace)"I sell jewelry, or I will," the woman replies. "I just got my Guild membership a short time ago, so I haven't actually opened my shop yet. It's what my father did, before he was killed by pirates. I'm hoping to rebuild his legacy someday, to honor his memory. Right now, I'm starting small. Just a shop here in the Tu'Valie market. If it does well, I would like to expand, but that's probably years down the road." Mathias Blackcairn (Slums)As it turns out, none of the ruffians carry any rope on them. "Tavern?" one of the elves asks. "There's plenty of privacy here. What's wrong with here?"
"Idiots!" the half-elf leader chides. "Don't you get it? If he was willing to part with any of his gold, he would have given it up when we first threatened him. He has no intention of giving you anything. He probably plans to lead you straight to the nearest constable. Just kill him and we can take all of his gold."
The other ruffians think this over, looking at Mathias with increasingly suspicious expressions.
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Post by HorizonsDream on Jul 4, 2018 13:58:52 GMT -8
Kalana looks as pale as a ghost after watching the whole show. Despite the fact that she knows that a lot of her story was changed for dramatic effect, she feels as if most of it were true because of all the horrible stuff that she did back then. The whole show was nothing more than validation of her own thoughts that people believed that she was an evil monster. What makes it all the worse is a person she cares about has now seen her story. "Huh?" she finally says as to Aata as she takes the flask from her hip at takes a long drink from it. "Uh, yeah, I...uh...know this story well," she says softly. |
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Post by notARobot on Jul 5, 2018 10:43:25 GMT -8
"Tavern?" one of the elves asks. "There's plenty of privacy here. What's wrong with here?" Mathias lets out a soft chuckle. "I was thinking that handling large sums of money in the middle of the street might attract the wrong sort of attention," he explains. "But I suppose it's a little late for that. You all hold him down and see that he doesn't escape while I count out your pay." "Idiots!" the half-elf leader chides. "Don't you get it? If he was willing to part with any of his gold, he would have given it up when we first threatened him. He has no intention of giving you anything. He probably plans to lead you straight to the nearest constable. Just kill him and we can take all of his gold." Mathias has already begun counting out coins and handing them over to the nearest elven accomplice by the time their former leader has finished his diatribe. He ignores the half-elf's words until he's finished counting out the first hundred, saying "...and here's a hundred for you. Won't have any of ya goin' around sayin' I'm not a dwarf of my word. Who's next? You, over there.". He gestures to the nearest elf who has yet to be paid as he says this last bit. He continues to ignore the half-elf as he counts, except to occasionally glance up and check to make sure the elves are sufficiently on guard against any attempt he might make to flee. "It's a dangerous lot you've all chosen," he tells them as he nears the end of his task. "I encourage you all to hold on to this gold as best as you can, and use it to pay your way while you learn an honest trade. Plenty of ships out there always lookin' for good crew." Finally he finishes paying all the elves and bids them goodbye. "Just you and me now, chum," he says to the former leader of bandits as he sheathes his cutlass. Then he withdraws his pistol and puts its muzzle directly against his captive's back. "Try anything funny and I'll blow your guts out. We're going for a little walk now. Care to tell me your name, or should I just address you with 'Hey, you'?" He begins to lead the man back to where the Tiaru is moored. |
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Post by Daos on Jul 5, 2018 12:38:32 GMT -8
Kalana Ioane (Amusement Park, House of Illusion)With the play over, the woman who claimed to have written the story returns and starts hobnobbing with the audience, answering their questions.
"Did you want to speak with her then?" asks Aata. "Maybe you two know each other?"
Mathias Blackcairn (Slums)The half-elf is clearly stupefied by Mathias handing over large sums of gold to his former companions. "But that doesn't make any sense...why did he even fight us then...?" he mumbles to himself, trying to make sense of the whole situation. Once they have their gold, the others run off eagerly and Mathias is now 500 gold lighter.
With a gun to his back, the half-elf has no choice but to move forward, although he does not offer his name. "What is it you are planning to do with me?" he instead demands, still unable to figure out the dwarf's game.
==============
Mathias gives away 500 gold pieces.
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Post by HorizonsDream on Jul 6, 2018 11:40:53 GMT -8
"I don't think I recognize her," Kalana says. ~She is either from Shadowshore or she visited Shadowshore,~ she thinks to herself. The thought of meeting this woman made her stomach turn from nerves, but she was somewhat curious as to how the woman would react if the real "villain" of Shadowshore approached her. "I guess I am a little curious about the...spin she put on the story though," she finally says before she makes her way towards the woman that told her life story to a crowd of people. "Excuse me?" she calls out to her.
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Post by notARobot on Jul 7, 2018 18:35:59 GMT -8
(OOC: Can we assume that Mathias grabbed the harbormaster's logbook from off the ground where he'd dropped it before departing? I momentarily forgot about it before making my last post.)
The Guild investigator ignores the half-elf's request for an explanation, merely insisting that he keep walking until they're on board the Tiaru. He likewise ignores the stares of the few crew still remaining aboard the ship, and leads his captive directly back to his quarters. Along the way he picks up a length of rope; once they arrive, he uses it to bind his captive's hands and attaches him tautly to one of the bedposts. Only then does he answer the man's question: "The way I see it, I'm out five hundred gold because you decided to rob me. That's getting off easy compared to where I'd be if you'd succeeded, but...that's still quite a bit of money. Let's throw on another hundred gold on account of the time and aggravation you've cost me, and say you're in my debt to the tune of six hundred gold pieces."
Mathias pauses for a bit, studying the half-elf's face to gauge his reaction. As he continues talking, he begins begins frisking his prisoner for weapons, and relieves him of the contents of his pockets. "So here's how it's gonna work, shitbird. You're gonna remain with me as an indentured servant and work off your debt by doin' whatever work I need you to do. When the debt is paid, I'll consider us square and let you return to Hashadeth. Let's say you'll be earnin' a monthly salary of 20 gold pieces for your trouble, so by my calculatin' that's...two-and-a-half years from now?"
The dwarf flashes a toothy grin, as if challenging the other man to protest. "That's reasonable, ain't it? Think you'd fare any better if I turned you over to the island's authorities, to face charges on robbery and attempted murder? That's what I'd normally do with the likes of you, but...at present I ain't got time to be dealin' with them. Just like I didn't have time to be dealin' with a pack of two-bit muggers. So you just sit there a bit and think on what you've done, and I'll be back in a bit."
Mathias leaves the tied-up man in his quarters, and goes off in search of Setra -- first checking her chapel, and then her quarters if he fails to find her there. "I need your help," he immediately says when he tracks her down. Showing her the logbook, he continues, "I've got a lead on the man I'm after, and I think it's somewhere in this book. Only problem is the whole thing's written in Elvish, and I can't read a word of it. Oh, and it's kinda urgent...I sorta borrowed it from the harbormaster, and he'll be wantin' it back before we set sail. Think you could lend a hand? I'm willin' to pay for your help."
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Post by Daos on Jul 8, 2018 12:19:09 GMT -8
Kalana Ioane (Amusement Park, House of Illusion)The playwright doesn't hear Kalana, as she is being bombarded with questions from people all around her. "How did you get the idea for this story?" one gnomish fellow asks her.
"Well, it's all a true story, actually. I first heard of it in passing from a pair of sailors in a tavern. I wanted to learn more, so I hopped the next boat to Shadowshore myself. I spent a month digging around, learning what I could. I interviewed the Villain's family, people she grew up with, local law enforcement, minstrels--anyone who knew anything." She shrugs. "Of course, I had to fill in a few blanks. There were some facts that nobody could know for sure, except maybe the Villain herself. But I feel I stayed as close to the truth as possible."
"Do you think the real Villain will ever be brought to justice?" asks a female elf.
"The people of Shadowshore sure hope so," the playwright replies. "But that's the business of the law. I just wanted to tell an entertaining story."
Mathias Blackcairn (The Tiaru)With the logbook and the bag of gold awkwardly under one arm, and his pistol hiding in his coat with the other, Mathias looks quite odd as he drives the half-elf forward. He notices on his way back to the ship, that there are two constables at the harbormaster's office, standing at the door while speaking to the harbormaster himself. Fortunately, they don't notice him as he passes by.
The only crew still on the ship are Heven, Varil and Jaeron. The former two are too busy working on ship repairs to even notice Mathias board. The dwarf takes the half-elf down to his quarters and ties him up. "So, the Guild does deal in slavery after all," he says. "Don't think you'll get away with this. You can't keep an eye on me twenty four hours a day. Sooner or later, I will walk free. And you best sleep with one eye open after that."
With that dirty business taken care of, at least for now, Mathias returns to the upper deck. But Setra cannot be found. Mathias remembers she went with Julak, Toven and Divex somewhere, and they have not returned yet. He can either wait for them to return or go out into the sprawling city in hopes of finding her.
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Post by notARobot on Jul 8, 2018 12:56:59 GMT -8
"So, the Guild does deal in slavery after all," he says. "Don't think you'll get away with this. You can't keep an eye on me twenty four hours a day. Sooner or later, I will walk free. And you best sleep with one eye open after that." "You're welcome to walk the plank instead, if that's how you feel about it," Mathias gruffly intones. "Wasn't but a scant few minutes ago you were tryin' to kill me -- if I were you, I'd be grateful for the opportunity to redeem myself." With that dirty business taken care of, at least for now, Mathias returns to the upper deck. But Setra cannot be found. Mathias remembers she went with Julak, Toven and Divex somewhere, and they have not returned yet. He can either wait for them to return or go out into the sprawling city in hopes of finding her. "Damn, blast, and tarnation," the dwarf curses. Finding the ship nearly unoccupied, he settles on paying a visit to Heven, the ship's navigator. "I got a favor to ask of you, sir," he tells the bald elf. "I've managed to track down a possible lead on my quarry, but the blasted thing's written in Elvish. If you wouldn't mind lendin' your assistance, I'd be much obliged." Mathias hefts up the heavy book in one hand, and rattles the bag of gold enticingly with the other. |
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Post by HorizonsDream on Jul 8, 2018 17:14:58 GMT -8
"You said you went to Shadowshore, so what did her family have to say about their daughter?" Kalana asks through the crowd. She isn't surprised to hear that the people wanted justice, but she is more concerned about her actual family.
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Post by Daos on Jul 9, 2018 10:37:47 GMT -8
Kalana Ioane (Amusement Park, House of Illusion)The playwright turns to Kalana. "Her family was the source of the juiciest details. As for how they felt, well, they're basically pariahs now. The whole town abhors them. None of them can find good work. They are spat upon when they walk the streets. I actually felt pretty bad for them. They must be pretty resentful toward her, don't you think? I would be."
Mathias Blackcairn (The Tiaru)Heven is busy working on ship repairs when Mathias approaches him. "Are you still here, dwarf? I would have thought you'd have hopped the next Guild ship to Vaneil by now."
Heven raises a skeptical brow, but his curiosity gets the better of him, so he takes the book and flips through a few pages. "What is...this looks like the harbormaster's logbook. How in the world did you get this?" he wonders. "Say, you didn't do something...illegal, did you?" He puts a hand to his chest, doing his best to appear scandalized. However, he breaks into a laugh before he can hold the facade for very long. "Perhaps hanging around with us has rubbed off on you already, lawman. Just so long as you haven't done anything to make the captain look bad. You may not be part of this crew, but if you cause problems and word gets back that you got here through my captain's generosity, you can better believe there will be trouble for you." He hands the book back. "Speaking of the captain, I have my orders to get this ship back into shape. But I can have a look at the book tonight, unless you want to take over repair duty for me. Also, this book goes back months, though, so unless you can tell me what you're looking for, it might take several days to translate it all."
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Post by HorizonsDream on Jul 9, 2018 23:36:30 GMT -8
Kalana wasn't at all surprised to learn that her family was treated like crap after what she had done. Matter of fact, she expected it which was part of the reason why she kept sending money to her family when she could. "What do you mean they were the source of the juiciest details?" she asks. "As much as they might hate their daughter, she is still their daughter," she points out. "Also, why did you kill off her ex-husband?" she asks. "I'm sorry. I'm from Shadowshore, so I know the story. Her ex-husband didn't die. It has been awhile since I've been back, so did something happen to him as well?"
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Post by Daos on Jul 10, 2018 12:29:17 GMT -8
Kalana Ioane (Amusement Park, House of Illusion)"You're from Shadowshore? You know the Villain's husband?" asks the playwright, her eyes suddenly gleaming with interest. The people crowding around her suddenly turn their attention to Kalana and start talking to each other. What did she know? Was she there?
After a few seconds, one person observes, "Hey, she's wearing two swords just like the villain..."
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