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Post by Lavandul on Apr 5, 2022 20:40:03 GMT
"This didn't feel professional in the slightest. If I wanted to kill Korruk, I wouldn't announce myself to the world before I tried," Lavandul mumbled. "Maybe there's a blood prize being circulated. Or that elf is just a menace to society...!"
The quiet ranting ended with a point that only made sense to themselves, with them straightening.
A murderer poisoning the night of a festival would conclude their burden. It felt more directed than helping with the area, where fate had threaded this all together, and here they had missed the Answer.
Maybe — or this was inviting more misfortune. But they had already been so thoroughly punished, that the idea of incurring further divine fury was terrifying. Now that everyone had their ducks in a row and a man to question to satisfy their curiosity, the Night Stalker had a calling. Ice snapped as they dislodged themselves from the wall and picked up the hammer, trudging heavily to the door and after the predator that needed to be put down.
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Post by Humble Chris on Apr 6, 2022 3:12:24 GMT
Tor grumbled and cursed as he led his crew along the bustling thoroughfare of the boardwalk, all the while dragging along his wounded elven companion. Morg followed close behind, with the still slumbering Quinn draped across his shoulders in an awkward carry. The orc paid no attention to his minion, instead focusing on throwing out enough angry glares to help clear a path for them. Most people on the docks gave people like Tor and his gang a wide berth as a matter of course, but the sight of a bleeding elf was enough to break some out of their revelry and scurry for cover.
Not far from the straight shot to the Last Refuge, Tor spotted an alley he was familiar with and turned his party to descend into its shadowy depths. Neither he nor the dwarf stopped to check if anyone was following them.
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Korruk
Visitor
Name: Korruk Logar Race: Orc Class/Level: Paladin 2 XP: 480 Maximum HP: 21 Alignment: Lawful Good
Posts: 98 
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Post by Korruk on Apr 6, 2022 5:59:39 GMT
“If I am with them that is news to me, but I am familiar with their work and why they are pervasive. A necessary secret as many say, but…”
Following his answer to Cyrus he turned his head, watching Lavandul collect their hammer and begin to move towards the door and eventually out the door.
“I think our companion has decided to take a more direct means of getting answers.”
He turned to eye Cyrus and Smileu, raising his brow with a shrug, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
“It would be in poor taste to let them handle it on their own, wouldn’t it?”
He turned his broad shoulders and heavy steps would move to use his long stride to follow the person who had warned him first. Sometimes letting the dust settle was the right choice, but in others it was best to choose actions over words.
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Post by Cyrus on Apr 6, 2022 6:39:05 GMT
"Lav!"
The hiss that came out of Cyrus's mouth was direct and blunt as he moved after them, reaching out and moving after them to get a word in edgewise as she picked up her hammer and started moving. He kept his voice low to not make a fuss, but this was an Intervention.
"Listen. My momma didn't raise no dumbass. We make a fuss on the street, we're in the gulag. This guy's potentially connected, and now you're the aggressor. Johnny Law's out in force on festival day. Play it smart. You want to help this stranger, ask someone with some moves to put eyes on, figure out where they're going."
The pirate had little intention of ending up in some Vynnian gaol for some Imperial stranger today, apricots or no. Driving after them on the street might as well be pleading guilty - and the Red Saint never pleaded guilty.
He just got even later.
"Like Smiles here. He's got light feet. Right, Smiles?"
At the door, he glanced out, but he wasn't moving on yet. Big sword or no, you didn't get a rep like his for being a fucking idiot. Smiting the shit out of someone was most effective when the smiter delivered The Business somewhere convenient.
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Post by smileseverbeam on Apr 6, 2022 15:11:26 GMT
Smileu sighed. He shrugged, thinking to himself briefly - 'And that's why you get smashed in the head one too many times. Not everything is a great evil that needs to be rooted out and destroyed, Lavandul.
Looking at the Orc as he left, Smileu gave Cyrus his attention briefly, speaking just a bit above a whisper.
"Lavandul is of a singular focus when they get this way. And I'm of no mind to stop them if they feel this is where they need to go. Standing people people of faith and their objectives has - in my experience - unpleasant outcomes. But if your keen to make sure it doesn't turn into a street fight..."
He hesitated, sighing again and shaking his head.
"Well I guess I didn't have any plans today anyway."
There were a hundred different ways that Smileu had meant to spend this ostentatious and boisterous day; quietly in a corner with drink and food, in his modest living space alone, or even out beyond the walls where the festivities would fade after a good amount. Maybe fight a bear on a whim - though Smileu wasn't too sure what his chances were there. Anything was better than high-end smugglers who had a poor grasp of who was-and-wasn't walking a beat and an attempted assassination unprovked.
Nobody was really asking the right questions and it seemed that nobody was intent on it. An accepted part of living in Vrynne, it seemed.
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Post by Lavandul on Apr 6, 2022 21:31:44 GMT
What were they doing...?
The blink was another hammer sending starlight across their vision.
Right, yes, avoiding a second strike of divine wrath.
The dazed cleric took a snapshot of the crowded street in autopilot, honing in on the four parting the sea of people with alarmed shuffling. The Orc cast a shadow overtop of them as he strode up behind, "Weren't you going to the arena?" they asked nonchalantly. Their first goal had been settling the scene for the bar patrons, and hadn't expected others to follow them into unnecessary danger. "I was going to join you. I just needed to..."
Their head swiveled to track the target entering the alleyway as Cyrus hissed and caught up and spoke quietly in their ear. They grunted with irritation. "It's the coin. In all the taverns in Vynne it just happened to fall from the elf and catch his boot for you to know what it meant and the attempted murder makes no sense unless we were meant to find a killer today-"
The undercurrent of sick rambling continued as they gestured Smiles, Cyrus and Korruk's attention to the dock workers' dip into the alleyway. No unhinged charge happened to throw the streets into chaos, just a slow, methodical hunt.
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Korruk
Visitor
Name: Korruk Logar Race: Orc Class/Level: Paladin 2 XP: 480 Maximum HP: 21 Alignment: Lawful Good
Posts: 98
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Post by Korruk on Apr 7, 2022 3:25:52 GMT
He let Cyrus have the moment of discussion with Lav that he sought, not seeking to intrude, but once the door was left he could do little but shrug as he followed in behind.
"Strenght in numbers, I would hate to see them outnumbered."
He noted to the now cool headed Cyrus before he was quick to close the distance on the pondering cleric.
"The arena is for the evening, until then I do have some time to spare don't I? Plus if not for your warning and Cyrus' quick action I may be nursing a bit of a wound before I could krump them in return. In return the least I could do is make sure they didn't get the idea to jump you too - they seem the type to use a different tone when face to face rather than face to back."
A good deed deserving of another, though the opportunity to potentially dislodge the tusk of the back woods Orc who seemed to have forgotten the architect of this great city…That was merely a bonus, perhaps head strong, but how else was one to hone the body?
"A killer you say, and a clue delivered to us by providence?"
He produced the red coin and held it in his large palm for Lavandul to examine if they wished.
"Coincidence or fate you think?"
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Post by Cyrus on Apr 7, 2022 5:54:16 GMT
Everyone was all about trying to see Fate where there was a much simpler reason.
"You ever think that maybe I stabbed the shit out of him so hard that his coinage just... fell? Do I have the Sword of Destiny to go with my Emperor Blood?"
Blink. There was an edge in his voice to suggest humor. It was all so absurd, but he shook his head and sighed.
"Fuck. Fine. Just take the damn orc alive to begin with so we can figure out why people want him dead."
He gestured to Smiles to take point, letting the stealthy elf do the stealthy elf thing. He'd be eyes on. It was the least he could do.
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Post by smileseverbeam on Apr 8, 2022 0:48:40 GMT
Why am I doing this again?
The question was of course, rhetorical. It hadn't occurred to the others that a bar tab was gonna come due for a table and drinks that was supposed to be paid by people that were probably about to die.
But there was gonna be blood and between the Orc with a motive, an Aasimar with anger issues, and a poor lost soul who only sees knives in the dark - Smileu was probably the only one who might keep them from ending up in shackles on this most auspicious of days.
He sighed to himself, and headed out with the others.
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Post by Humble Chris on Apr 8, 2022 14:32:53 GMT
With Smiles at the lead, Cyrus, Lavender and Korruk follow in pursuit of Tor and his cronies down the cramped, twisting alleyway. Most of the doors in the alley lead to the backrooms of the shops, taverns and gambling houses along the boardwalk, with most of them closed off to the public. Occasionally a door would open and a cook's assistant would come out hauling trash, or an elderly woman would pass them by with a bundle of laundry over her shoulder.
In the tight confines of the alley, the party had little trouble finding clues to root out their quarry. Scuff marks on the plank walkway were fresh, and the winding route had few branches which to explore. As they delved deeper and twisted down another passage, a mental map began to form in Smile's mind. Most of his career as a private detective involved skulking down these corridors, and certain landmarks began to pop up which indicated where Tor and his cronies were heading. One was injured bad by the giant corsair in their midst. The other was magically charmed and probably still suffering the ill effects. What's more, that coin which fell out could only mean one thing - the attack wasn't a random bit of violence, it was planned. The orc was commissioned, and for now, he failed. He was probably going to ground until he could either worm his way out of the deal, or recollect himself and some more minions to try again.
As the mental map formed, Smiles led the party up a set of stairs that led directly onto the roofs of a long row of single-story houses, where instead of regular slanted roofs they found a long platform filled with the huts and homes of a host of kenku. Ever since moving into the city, the kenku had favored the rooftops and highest perches of the slums and docks, until eventually an entire second city was built on top of the first. It was still less densely populated than the streets below, and the trio of Smiles, Cyrus and Korruk were able to cut across and soon found themselves in sight of Lavender and their quarry.
In the street below, Lavender had caught up to Tor and his party, who were now stopped at a four-way intersection. Tor paused as he appraised each direction, as if he had gotten himself turned around. The elf's shirt was stained thick with blood, turning it a deep wine colour.
Red filled Lavender's eyes as their vision tunneled. Righteous fury and resolve filled them as they gathered the strands of Fate which bound everyone together in their hands and twisted them to their whim. Focusing on the bleeding elf, Lavender released their power in a spell that echoed like the resounding gong of a funeral bell. Dull and deep enough to pierce the soul.
The booming echo of the invisible bell made the quartet freeze in place. Each of them looked around frantically for signs of its origin.
Before any of them could react, the trio of Smiles, Cyrus and Korruk realized the intersection was just beneath a bridge that crossed between two buildings. And the four criminals were not looking up.
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Post by Cyrus on Apr 9, 2022 4:44:09 GMT
The sound of feet landing behind Tor heralded the arrival of the Red Saint from above.
"Surprise."
The hiss was followed by the wind whipping as Cyrus's massive sword parted the air at Tor.
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Post by smileseverbeam on Apr 9, 2022 5:47:09 GMT
Smiles was not usually one for such...'forward' ways of problem solving. But again - he was more concerned with avoiding the potential implications of what was to come than anything else at the moment.
"Ahem" he said lightly, popping up near the Elven assasin.
"Turns out you managed to offend more than just me. No hard feelings, chap."
In Elvish, he said "if you just surrender, you're likely to live. But this gonna hurt."
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Post by Lavandul on Apr 9, 2022 6:41:27 GMT
The cleric landed heavily, tottering a bit as the world tilted and their skull grated in protest. The spell was misplaced as the necrotic energy cracked through their gesture, and they questioned if this was a farce on their part as the sodden dirt started to crystalize around them.
Everbeam put down their target instead.
Har har, Lavender can't even catch a limping amateur killer.
The ice popped around their boots when the mud solidified, shoulders hunching to brace against an imagined swing.
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Korruk
Visitor
Name: Korruk Logar Race: Orc Class/Level: Paladin 2 XP: 480 Maximum HP: 21 Alignment: Lawful Good
Posts: 98
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Post by Korruk on Apr 9, 2022 7:30:20 GMT
Maneuvering was as important as anything in battle. When the party had been targeted in some capacity it had meant that there was going to be a reprisal at sometime. It seemed that the cleric was more eager to see that than even Korruk himself. He had no qualm with this. Despite his size he was fleet enough to keep a pace, and shift through the alleyways in a way that left him in an advantageous position. By the time that Tor and his brigands understood what was happening hell was already upon them.
His breathing was measured, done in a way to maximize combat prowess. A trained warrior didn’t just swing away, his strokes were akin to a painter's brush - both were their own form of art.
While lacking a shield at the moment, his axe was a measure more deadly in a dedicated offensive stance, demonstrated by the Orc’s rapid descent on Tor - choosing the same target as Cyrus, showing that great minds think alike. They would take the enemy's head. He flashed a grin to the Aasimar, a gesture that he was impressed with the warrior's ferocity.
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Post by Humble Chris on Apr 9, 2022 14:51:39 GMT
It was raining enemies.
The Aasimar's attack took Tor by surprise, making him let go of his elven companion. Foren staggered, bleeding and gasping as he reached for a knife but all he found was an empty sheathe; his weapon long since discarded on the floor of the Last Refuge. The blow Smiles inflicted knocked the offending elf to his knees, where he slumped off to the side and against a wall.
Though the clang of the nightmarish bell had awoken the human member of his brigands, by now the giant orc they had been sent to kill was descending from the sky with axe in hand. The intent for murder in his eyes was all Tor could see.
"WAIT!!" Tor half-cried as the axe paused a hair's breadth from his neck. The edge of the blade could have given him a shave. "You want to know who sent us, right? You kill me and I can't talk!"
Panic filled the eyes of his two standing companions. The dwarf had already drawn his own curved knives.
"Boss, you can't be serious!" the human's high-pitched voice squeaked, "They'll kill us!"
"Like we're in a better position!" Tor snapped at the human. "You think that armored witch won't turn your corpse into a puppet?!"
That seemed to take the fight out of the two remaining brigands.
Turning back to Korruk, Tor smiled his best salesman grin, trying his best to mask the fact he was pissing himself from fear, "You let me go, and I'll tell you. Deal?"
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Post by Lavandul on Apr 9, 2022 17:17:00 GMT
"Do you want him to live?"
Lavandul addressed Smiles in Elvish, indicating the bloodied elf.
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Post by smileseverbeam on Apr 10, 2022 14:16:45 GMT
Smiles regarded Lavandul for a moment, considering. He replies in Elven.
"Justice is often hard to come by, but with a clear confession, languishing in a cell will be far more painful than simply releasing them from this wretched life. Do what you need to satisfy that which you believe in."
A sensible suggestion, a clear preference on the outcome, but Smiles often made his position clear while rarely standing in anyone else's way as to what they felt was right. Lavandul might recall a particularly out-of-the-way-village in which they both had...very different ideas on how a problem should be handled. The ash and flames had been Lavandul's solution, and Smiles had never brought it up after.
Turning his attention to Tor, Smiles took in a deep breath for a moment before speaking (in Common).
"Tor - I don't think you understand what's happening here so I'm going to spell it out for you. You will talk; there is no path forward in which you don't where you have even the potential to continue living. After you are done talking, based on what you've said, they will decide if you live, you die, or you spend the next several months in chains in a cell. There is no 'setting terms' here; you talk or you die. After you do talk, they'll decide if you live or die. My vote would be to take you all to the watch and throw manacles on you, but..."
He motions to the other three, their weapons in particular, and then motions to himself.
"If you think I have any ability to stop them - you either overestimate my abilities, or underestimate just how much you've offended them."
"So what's it gonna be?"
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Post by Lavandul on Apr 10, 2022 15:09:18 GMT
As Everbeam appeared to be thoroughly inspired by the circumstance, the cleric's feet dragged before they knelt over the concussed elf.
They drew the reliquary from the throat of their armour, signing a gesture as the opalescent crystal drew the light from around them, or maybe it was just the illusion of its glinting as it danced on the chain. Lavandul then grasped the palm of the fallen with both of their own, hauling as if to lift the man up.
A bell tolled.
The skin blackened and withered around the cleric's icy grip, travelling from fingers like creeping charcoal. With a twist, the wrist snapped clean off before the spell continued to travel, rending the hand that took the coin and wielded the knife.
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Post by Cyrus on Apr 10, 2022 18:20:00 GMT
Cyrus had his sword cocked back over his shoulder, ready to deliver another blow. In the pause -- god, there were so many pauses with these people -- he made a long hoaaaaark and spat something gross onto the ground.
"Promise. If you don't listen to the good Constable here right the fuck now, I'm going to work some feelings out on each and every one of you, starting with the small digits."
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Post by Humble Chris on Apr 11, 2022 3:24:31 GMT
The deafening toll of the celestial bell drowned out the scream of agony coming from the elf as Lavender extracted their terrible judgment upon their offending hand. Skin and sinew blackened, withered and turned putrid, growing taut and putrid as veins shriveled and flesh began to die. Fingers splayed out in one last act of defiant self-preservation before the blackness took them too and the fingers curled tight as they shriveled. So weak was the flesh and bone beneath that it took no effort at all for Lavender to pull the arm free. The elf fell back, paler and sweating as shock began to overtake them. The combination of blood loss and necromantic energies coursing through their body was almost too much, and the elf fell into deep unconsciousness.
Fear took hold of the dwarf and human, who both bolted in different directions; wanting to be as far from these people as possible. No job, no coin was worth their lives. And Tors certainly wasn't worth it, either.
Tears welled in Tor's eyes as he watched Foren's fire extinguish. It had been his fault. He dragged his friend into this, and now the elf was near death. And one way or another, he was going to be going that same way.
With a resigned sigh, Tor nodded. "I hope the Mortician keeps his coldest slabs ready for you." the oath was heavy and bitter. Finally, he spoke, "Look, I only did what I was told, all right? If you're looking to know who hired me... I don't know. I don't talk to nobody, it's all done through notes. I got a dead drop I go to, about once a week. They leave a note for me with instructions on what kinda job they want me to do and half the payment then, with the rest to come after the job's done. I never have to report - they just know it's done, and they pay when it is. But it's always been small stuff - lose a crate here, load up a palette no one remembers putting down there - smuggler stuff!"
Tor gulped and continued, "Two days ago, we get a letter in the dead drop and a whole sack of those red coins. All it said was to go to the Last Refuge today and put a knife in the first orc we see wearing Orgthengaar colours." His gaze fell upon Korruk, as if to speak directly to him. "I ain't got no love for the Empire, but it wasn't personal. A job's a job, and if you refuse... you don't get another one. Or live to see another."
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