CH. 02 - Shore Leave

[Bishgada]

Senllip would try to use his old connections with the guild. It seems like the best source of info.

[Daos]

Kalana and Johannas (Upper deck of the Tiaru)

"Who can say how Guildmen think?" Toven asks rhetorically.  "Their actions never made any sense to me.  Profit over anything else.  I say, some things are far more important."

Senllip (Midnight Brawlers Base)

It's been four long years since Senllip left the city, but he remembers well where to go when it comes to matters of the criminal underbelly of the city.  He heads for the waterfront, to an old, seemingly abandoned warehouse there.  Most believed it was just filled with rats and dust.  And to some extent, that was true.  But it was also the secret base for Senllip's old guild, the Midnight Brawlers.  Only one of numerous competing thief guilds in Tu'Valie, the Midnight Brawlers were fairly small and tight-knit.

The entrance is barred by a pair of homeless people.  Or so they appear.  Senllip knew from experience that they were only dressed that way, but were actually highly skilled warriors.  They were guards, to make sure not just anyone walked in.  The halfling flashes them a secret hand signal, showing he is allied with the Brawlers, so they let him pass.

The interior of the warehouse is quite different from the outside.  It resembles more of a shady tavern in atmosphere.  There are numerous tables and chairs strewn about, where members can eat, drink, gamble and talk.  Several members are passed out on the floor, either from drinking too much or brawling with each other.

It looks like the place has grown in population in the past four years.  Senllip sees a lot of unfamiliar faces.  But one face he does recognize belongs to a halfling named Athel Rarde.  He and Senllip both joined around the same time, fresh faced rookies looking to earn a name (and quite a bit of coin) for themselves.  But where as Senllip was from a small farming village, Athel had grown up in the city as a street rat.  He had copper hair and brown eyes, and a messy beard.  He wears black leather and has a wicked looking flail on his belt.

"Well, well, the prodigal son returns," Athel notes, gesturing for Senllip to approach his table.  "Finally get tired of life on the seas?" he asks.

Jaeron Dernfog (Queen of Harts)
"Oh...okay," Sanwen agrees.  "By my homeland, do you mean the city...or the whole island?" he asks by way of clarification.  The two walk up to the front and Drezden pays five silvers for their meals.

[GreyWolfVT]

Jaeron Dernfog thanks the stranger named Drezden who paid for his meal and clarifies to Sanwen "Oh no not the entire island just the local city. The whole island I don't think I will be on leave for that long." the gnome chuckles.

[HorizonsDream]

"I'm not really sure how much profit he would have got from keeping at slave, unless he planned on selling him," Kalana says in disgust. "But I can help take him to where he needs to be taken, since I don't have anything else to do."

[Daos]

Kalana and Johannas (Upper deck of the Tiaru)
Toven nods.  "I'm sure Mister Johannas won't object to the company, as well as the assistance.  But do me a favor.  When you two are finished, return to the ship.  The captain has some new recruits coming in, and would like to have some of the crew here to welcome them and get them settled in."

Jaeron Dernfog (Queen of Harts)
"Ekera, but even the city itself is quite large," Samwen replies.  "Where should we start?"

[GreyWolfVT]

Jaeron "Very well if it's that large how about just places of interest? Or perhaps if you'd rather we could return to the church and you could tell me about growing up here."

[HorizonsDream]

"I didn't know we were looking for new recruits," Kalana admits. "But all right," she says. She turns to Johannas and their captured man. "Let's get going."

[GravityEmblem]

He nods in reply. "Certainly."

[Daos]

Kalana and Johannas (Upper deck of the Tiaru)
Kalana and Johannas escort the half-elf down the ramp, onto the harbor and start making toward the nearest constable barracks.  "You two seem more reasonable than that Guild dwarf," the half-elf says.  "Tell you what, untie me, and I'll make it well worth your while."

Jaeron Dernfog (Temple of Obedience)
"Alright, let's return to the temple then," Samwen says.  "I'll tell you whatever you want to know."  The pair return to the temple and find that it is still empty, as expected.

[GreyWolfVT]

Jaeron "Well I guess what was it like growing up here? What made you decided to become a kohen of Gonto?"

[HorizonsDream]

"Hmm, I highly doubt you can make it worth my time to untie you," Kalana says. "You still attacked a person. His sense of justice over the incident was misguided to say the least, but you still committed a crime from my understanding."

[GravityEmblem]

Johannes shakes his head in response to the prisoner. "I joined the Blue Lightning to make up for once leading a lawless life. I'm not going to turn a blind eye to your crime."

[Daos]

Kalana and Johannas (Harbor District)
"Pah, hypocrites, both of you.  The Blue Lightning are criminals, too.  Just romanticized ones, because they target other criminals," the half-elf says.  "Don't even pretend you're better than me.  I was just doing what I had to in order to survive."

Jaeron Dernfog (Temple of Obedience)

Samwen begins, "Well, my parents were both street rats, forced to do whatever was necessary to survive.  Often that meant stealing, scamming or fraud.  My father wound up joining the Blue Lightning and getting killed in battle with pirates when I was thirteen.  My mother, who owed a great deal of money to one of the local thieves guilds, was stabbed in the back in an alley one night under mysterious circumstances when I was fifteen."

He sighs and shakes his head.  "I knew I didn't want to wind up a criminal like them.  But I was an orphan with no skills or prospects.  And to be honest, I wasn't a good thief.  This became evident when I was caught the very first time I tried to pickpocket someone.  He was a dwarven priest of Gonto, as it turned out.  He turned me into the authorities, but when he learned I had no parents to be turned over to, he decided to take me aboard his ship with him and make me learn the ways of Gonto.  At first, I hated it.  Being taken from my home, having to serve and obey him, I mean.  Every day he would make me work to pay off my debt to him, and each night he would read to me from The Doctrine.  And after enough time, I really started to listen.  I realized that Gonto has a grand plan for us all, but only if we submit ourselves to Her authority.  To live life without Her is to be lost, as I was and my parents were.

"Eventually, my master sponsored me for apprenticeship in the church, and I became an acolyte.  The church was very happy to have me.  They have very few elves in their ranks, and felt I would be the best choice to represent them on Tu'Valie.  So when I graduated and became a kohen, I was sent here.  And...the rest is history, I suppose."

[GreyWolfVT]

Jaeron takes out his notebook and jots the information down. "Very interesting story. I can't say that mine is the same but we have some similarities. I am sorry about your family but I think you made a good choice with how you got to where you are. Sometimes life lessons are hard to learn. Some folk never learn." 

[HorizonsDream]

"The Blue Lightning might be criminals, but at least we aren't hurting others in the name of survival," Kalana points out. "I know what doing things in the name of survival is all about, and it never works out in the end."