Session 33

To Trust In the Law

Date: Wednesday, 16th of September, 2020
Attending Players: Ashara, Embra, Ish'Mael, Victalyassa
Time 3.5 Hours (Total: 103.25 Hours)

Game Time 14th of Sowmeadow, 12:00 PM
To
14th of Sowmeadow, 12:30 PM
Game Locations:
Watcher's Quarter of Orvadah

"Maybe you like it this way, but there is dust and sand on everything. 'Tisn't possible to keep the counters clean," Myrin grumbled as the local man they hired to help continued to wipe down the counters for the fourth time in the hour.

"It's a pain, yes, but as you wipe, you polish, and as you polish, the world shines with its inner beauty," the beniran native smiled, his perfect teeth almost gleaming. He finished his task and stepped down from the stool, carrying the aid to the next counter.

"Well, as long as all of this dust doesn't make Mr and Mrs. Shimmerdew ill. I dare say the missus has finally started to turn a shade brighter."

"Our salted air in the city is great for the health. Life is hard to the west and south, the doctors have grown wise. We in Benira have the sharpest swords and minds," the halfling man smiled back to Myrin with his comment.

"What is with all of this hub-bub pride you have? Emska, Benira, to the abyss, even Orvadah, I don't care for any of them if you ask me. It is the Lord and the Lady you swear to, not the crowns."

"Myrin, Halsheev?" Mr. Shimmerdew stood in the doorway, his age apparent with his tired eyes and gaunt cheeks. The months with his ailing wife had taken a toll on the poor man, but he still held himself with a resounding strength that inspired awe in Myrin. The gentle man continued with a slow breath. "We have gotten the Seeress. I want to begin preparations for her visit."

"Of Course Mr. Shimmerdew. You tell me what we need, and I will get it."

"Here is a list, but please stop by their domicile and request further instruction. Please be careful too. I feel like the wickedness that we have evaded may be returning," he turned and walked away before Myrin could say anything. She turned toward Halsheev who simply nodded, setting down his rag. The hourglass was running low, and no one knew what happened when the last grain fell.

Noon in Orvadah, heavily raining outside. The muggy and cool afternoon is met with the cool breeze that sweeps through the jail cells. The naked Aasimar gets goosebumps on her runic skin as she begins to put her armor back on. Behind Embra and Victalyassa, as they walk away from the cells, but are still in the prison, "Guards, Guards, my arm is broken!!!"
A guard runs past Embra and into the cell where the drunk man is. "Look, my arm is broken. Is doesn't work right!" The guard stands between the two cells and Ashara makes her move on the guard, reaching her arm through the bar and grabbing him by the neck. She had only just begun to put her armor on with the straps not set and the belt not tightened. "Ughhhh...let go of me!" he chokes out in fear.
Embra runs back to the cell to see what is going on. Victalyassa stays in the hallway to run the distraction to keep guards away from the cell. "I'm sorry, I'm just so sad I let out a scream! Have you ever had a child!!" She cries loudly, acting as if it was her making the noise and the guard awkwardly leaves the hallway and returns to his office, closing the door behind him.
Ashara maintains her grip around the man's neck but just as she is getting her arms up, he makes just enough space with his fingers to gasp for air. Embra shows up and sees Ashara at work. Embra feigns trying to stop her but then grabs the guards hands and force him down. Embra begins to search for the man's keys... and wallet.
Embra successfully grabs the keys as the guard slumps down. "Where's Ish Mael, did you see him?" asks Ashara.
"Yes, he wants to stay here for some reason," replies Embra.
"Whatever. Let's lock the man in the cell, I have to show the drunkard here my chest."
"I'm very much looking forward to that," says the Drunkard in a cockney accent. Ashara gets up and opens her armor revealing her chest as she moves toward the man's cell.
Embra and Ashara discuss the status of Ish Ma'el and their plan to get her gear. Ashara keeps her promise to let the drunk man grab her chest through the bars and as he does, she ACTUALLY breaks his arms as he screams out in pain.
The same guard responds to Victalyassa again but this time runs by her to get to the cell where Embra and Ashara are at. He makes it to the cell and stares in horror at the drunk man with his broken arm on the floor
A guard runs into the cell block of Ish Ma'el and huffs as he asks, "did anyone come through here!?" Ish Ma'el looks up for a second and says, "nope."
Ashara stands over the Sudgea who whimpers in the corner of the desk in his side office and attempts to persuade him to give over the Writ of the King, he explains he doesn't have it and kicks his knee, damaging it but not breaking it. He screams out in pain and throws his bag on the ground, proving it is really in the courts.
Vic and Embra confront guards in the hallway. They walk by the office and Embra tells Ashara to grab the prisoner and leave. She puts two fingers on his back and explains her plan. The guard moves in, and they share a dialogue, she convinces the guards to move on the promise she will let him go as she gets out. She does so and kicks the Sudgea into the jail as she runs as fast as possible to get around the cell. Embra points in the opposite direction and says, "She went that way!"
The guards take the bait and run in the opposite direction of Ashara as quick as possible. Embra and Vic then take off in the similar direction of Ashara, loudly whispering to meet at the location the dark figure in the warehouse told them earlier. Ashara nods and runs to the back of the jail to be in sight of Ish Ma'els window. She tries to convince him to leave, saying she killed two guards and broke the Sudgea's leg. Ish Ma'el decides not to leave with her, and she spits on him before saying he has to find her bag, and then she leaves.
Embra and Vic try to steal their way through the city to find the Ruby Barge. Unfortunately, Embra grabs the butt of a man in the street instead of taking his coin purse. She tries to convince him that she was just looking for a good time, and she shoves her out of the way, calling them a "bunch of harlots," before storming out. Victalyassa managed to pocket 20 marks as she finds the location and heads there.
Ashara, wandering through the streets, applies her knowledge of back alleys as she would in Benira. She stalks through the dark back alleys and preying on the homeless until she finds her own way, getting there moments before Vic and Embra. She feigns as though she was waiting for a while, and of Ish Ma'els decision to stay in jail, and then proceeds inside, taking the lead. The three women walk inside together into a bar that has a variety of mismatched bars and couches. Ashara notes they have to go to the third door in the back, walking by the bartender and discussing the plan before they walk in to the lair of another Gavathrakian agent.
Back at the jail cell, a rabble of the guards pointing blame filled the hall over the wind and rain. About an hour after Ashara had broken out, a guard come in to Ish Ma'els cell block and drops a food plate to the ground and kicks it into the cells. "High King's orders huh?"
"Excuse me," says Ish Ma'el, leaning to meet him.
"High King's orders, very interesting. If you are able to get out of here, stay in the city. The Tsarina Mother will be looking for you." The guard then leaves the hall.
Across the cell, a prisoner says, "you done fucked up boy!"
"Explain to me what you mean before I kill you." says Ish Ma'el.
"You got the mother on you, she really runs this town. If she's on you, she's going to get ya!"
"So a low threat then?"
"Oh think what you want, but her reach goes way beyond Tanaviak, ain't nowhere be safe for you!"
"Well that's just great..." says Ish Ma'el putting his hat back on and grabbing his plate of food. The other prisoner just silently repeats, "you done fucked up" chuckling to himself as he does so.
In the Ruby Barge, Ashara walks up to the third door in the back and does the traditional Gavathrak knock, starting low, slow, and booming before becoming rapid up to the top of the door. A voice from the other side says, "I told you to just come in."
Ashara opens the door. "Yes but it's not often I get to do the knock, have to make sure you are who you seemed to be in the warehouse." The woman pets the kitten on her lap, "took you longer than expected."
Ashara and the girls catch the woman up. Then the woman, Yula, explains that she is on the task for Gavathrak to clear out the library that Oroval is embodying. Yula explains a woman named Nola will "explain" everything to them after they interrogate her but that won't happen until late at night. Ashara takes her leave, commenting on Yula's laziness to just sit around and wait, and explains to Vic and Embra the library job she was explained to by Gavathrak.
Ashara decides to stay back at the bar during the downtime they will have before Nola shows up. She is given a mark from Victalyassa, which she takes to the bar to get a meal.
As the night brings the sun behind the city, several footsteps of guards approach the cell of Ish Ma'el. "Ish Ma'el."
He takes off his hat, straightening himself up, "That's me."
"We are to escort you to the Peak Wings Eatery. You have been requested to eat with Prince Delv'orva."
"Well lead the way!"
"Turn around and put your hands behind you back." They clamp his hands in manacles, taking Ish Ma'el out of his cell and into a fancier civilian wagon than the one he was sent there in. They don't say a word to Ish Ma'el along the way until he asks for suggestions to order. The guards explain the place is too fancy for their "type." They then explain that Ashara was supposed to go as well, but hasn't actually killed anyone unless they succumb to their wounds. "sigh... 'hey, we're being arrested, let the due process go' I said... Ugh, if you ever get the opportunity to higher a follower of Gavathrak, just don't."
Several minutes later, they arrive at the finer district of Orvadah, the eatery specifically. As Ish Ma'el is escorted in by the guards, he is brought to a side room separated from the main seating area. Inside, a large lounge horseshoe sofa sits in the middle of the room. The man sitting in the middle waves his hand and the women sitting by him leave. The guards give him a threat before Ish Ma'el returns a threat and then booms: "PRINCE DELV'ORVAH, good to see you buddy!"
Ish Ma'el maneuvers over to the sofa and sits down. The prince looks over and says, "It amazes me the High King would hire someone like you." He pulls up a scroll and unravels it, looking at it and rolling it back up. "I believe this is your writ", and hands it to Ish Ma'el.
Ish Ma'el takes a drink from the nearby table and the writ from his hand. "Well thank you, I am quite grateful to get that back. Is there a particular reason you wanted to speak in private? Or just the standard, sorry my men were overzealous."
"Oh, no apology, you've done plenty of horrible things and your partner went against the guards which is an act of treason. For you, that's a 50 lashing and for her about 200 or death, whichever comes first."
Ish Ma'el quickly dismisses Ashara and says "if there are any tasks we could complete to free ourselves, we can write up a contract."
"Oh, no contract's necessary. I have all the cards and you will do this to save yourself. The High King has sent you here, and he has also sent many agents ahead. I want you to work as an agent for me to possibly save yourself."
"Well this writ here gives me a lot of immunity and I have my speaking stone right here to get back to people in Valtaska. The fact I am talking to you and not a king, means this is something suspicious. So far all I've heard is a threat against my numbskull partner, which I don't care about anyway. You'll have to up your offer here."
"You see, in Orvadah, the head of security falls to the prince: me. Your writ gives you immunity to investigate 'Cult' activity but you have arson, terror, and murder for the good people of Orvadah."
Ish Ma'el burps, "That shit happened under your watch, we executed a warehouse of cultists. You're not the big dick around here, instead I would rather talk to Tsarina Mother." His eyes start to glow lightning blue. "Are you going to give me something to work with or not?"
"I see. I thought I was speaking to someone willing to negotiate, not the common rabble and terrorists, thinking a contract from the High King will allow you to murder who you see fit without evidence. You are not the man of reason I was hoping for."
"Look, I found a warehouse of cultists. No one gets a warehouse that big without security knowing. So either you are working with them, grossly incompetent, or someone lying to you about this. You know the type I'm sure."
"I know you are trying to play me, but I want you to imagine what will happen if you do reject me here. You will rot back in prison, I will watch you suffer, and then personally watch as I execute you for your crimes. You are just one of many mercenaries with a paper, the high king will not come for you."
"I have the cards her, not you Prince. Your guards left the sorcerer with the lightning bolt here next to you." Ish Ma'els fingers start to spark. "So let's call this negotiation by force. You are not in control here, this writ certifies that I can act as an inquisitor of the high king for all tasks in regard to the weather and cult phenomenon. You will not believe the shit I have seen to get this far and I will not have someone who is probably a cultist boss me around."
"Then it seems I will have to have you executed before you try to execute me or enact your plans." The Prince cracks his neck, staring deep into Ish Ma'el's blue eyes.
Ish Ma'el turns his lightning off his fingers, "well look at it from my position, I am taken to this shadowy location and brought before you. You want an informant, what's the pay?"
"I'm glad you saw reason, what do you know about the political situation between Benira and Valtaska?"
"Well the Skemnavian news never talks about them if it doesn't affect Skemnavla. I know there is cult activity in Benira, but that is all."
"Well fleets have been building up in Skemnavla. Benira has been mobilizing troops. Enderfaso too. The high king has been denying aid to those cities and things are turning. The Rann family is backing Benira and I need to know where Orvadah should fall. If the Rumor's I've been hearing are true, I need to know that Orvadah comes out on top."
"I can appreciate that, and from my limited knowledge is that the Rann family needs to be cut out. I've done a couple jobs for them. The kids are alright but the father is really buying into the cultist B.S. they even had their own priestess, keyword did though, since my associate made short work of her."
"You may want to consider better associates."
"The risk isn't higher than the reward with her."
"Well I can organize a small ship for you by tomorrow evening, you can take it to Benira to do your task for the High King but return to me first to tell me the position."
"Do you have a Vocal Orb, that would be faster than ship?"
"I prefer my meeting face to face."
"Alright, well getting to Benira is helpful, but I won't be able to guarantee when I will return. Is this an Airship?"
"I can get you a small Airskiff. Gather your crew and make it fast. I will mark the ship for a remote burning if you try to escape me. And if you see armies starting to march, you get back here as soon as possible."
"Well all charges against my companions are dropped I hope."
"We will keep the paperwork for now, but it will be put on hold until you return. The guards have already had word to stop the search for your crew. Do we have an understanding Ish Ma'el?"
"Yes. I will say you are backing the wrong horse if you back the Ranns, but survivors have to survive." Ish Ma'el spits in his hand and moves for a shake, but the Prince requests the guards come into the hall and escort him out.