18: Don't be a menace to Shadowshore while drinking your rum in the 'hood

[Ebiris]

[15:36] <@Ebiris> Leaving behind the happy bustle of the festival behind, the four humans and a goat and an eldritch horror from beyond time and space make their way up the claustrophobic road into Shadowshore, the cliffs of Champion District looming high above them. They haven't gotten very far however when an inebrieated man stumbles up to them, bumping into Henrietta as he staggers to a halt. "Eh! Eh!" he slurs, red-eyes squinting as he points at Glenn's handsome form. "I'll buy yer sheep! Always wanted one'a those!"
[15:37] <@Rudy> "You can't afford him. He's a prize sheep!" replies Rudy, shaking his head.
[15:37] <@Henrietta> "It's, uh, a goat," Henrietta says, stumbling over her words slightly as she backs away from the drunk.
[15:38] <@Rudy> "Same thing, really..."
[15:39] <@Ebiris> "C'mon! Don't be a stinge!" the man complains, stumbling a bit as Henrietta refuses to prop him up. He then totters a few steps over to Glenn and grabs hold of a horn to steady himself. "S'a good sheep! I'd give 'im a good home I would! Twenty five coppers I'll give ye!"
[15:40] <@Rudy> "If you're thinking in coppers, you ain't thinking rich enough to buy this... animal," retorts Rudy, shaking his head and trying to proceed.
[15:41] <@Ebiris> "Thirty!" the man calls as he's brushed past, cursing under his breath and staggering off down one of the alleyways as he sees his efforts come to naught. A few more sober individuals eye the party as they head deeper into Shadowshore, but weight of numbers seems to once more deter any trouble...
[15:42] * @Henrietta eyes any drunks they come across warily, lest they make unwanted advances upon their goat.
[15:43] <@Rudy> "I think this one will require a certain degree of tact and subtlety," notes Rudy, reaching up to pluck an apple from his enormous, fruit-laden hat. "Let's try not to be too high-profile."
[15:44] <@Ebiris> "Good call," Trucy agrees, snagging a few grapes for herself. "A man might kill for a goat like Glenn around here. We shouldn't show off," she adds seriously.
[15:44] * @Henrietta adjusts her own hat and flail. "I will do my best to look like I belong," she vows.
[15:45] <@Rudy> "Lead the way, Trucy! By the way... how old are you?"
[15:45] * @Glenn snorts. He -had- recalled saying something about waiting until the potion thing wore off. He just keeps an eye out for anybody to headbutt that looked like trouble in the meantime.
[15:46] <@Ebiris> "Huh?" Trucy looks up at Rudy in surprise at that question. "Fifteen... why?" she gives him a suspicious look. "How old are you?" she then adds as a belated comeback.
[15:47] <@Rudy> "Seventeen. I dunno, I had this feeling you were older... I mean, there's no real reason behind the question..." muses Rudy, shaking his head and sending grapes flying from side to side.
[15:47] <@Henrietta> "Oh!" Henrietta exclaims. "That makes me older by a year! How curious!"
[15:48] <@Ebiris> "Likewise, I guess?" Trucy shrugs before adroitly snatching a few grapes up as they fall. "Hey, Glenn, what about you? Clomp your feet for each year?"
[15:50] * @Henrietta is tempted into picking a few of the grapes heerself.
[15:50] * @Glenn looks at her and shakes his head, but humors her. It's going to take a while though to do. *clomp**clomp**clomp**clomp**clomp**clomp**clomp**clomp**clomp**clomp**clomp**clomp**clomp**clomp**clomp**clomp**clomp**clomp**clomp*
[15:51] <@Rudy> "I suppose we have a real range, here. What do eighteen-year-olds usually do where you come from?"
[15:51] <@Ebiris> Trucy visibly gets bored around the tenth clomp and after the conclusion she looks blank for a moment. "I lost count," she admits. "I'll ask you again tomorrow."
[15:53] * @Glenn snorts, having expected something like that. "Baaah!" Glenn exclaims, agreeing with that.
[15:53] <@Henrietta> "Mmm. Usually?" Henrietta contemplates this over her grapes. "Get engaged to a marques, I suppose. It takes a lot of preparation, and then you move in to live with your fiance."
[15:55] <@Rudy> "Haha! That'd be the life, alright," replies Rudy, nodding. "If only there were that many rich, eligible lords and ladies around, eh?"
[15:56] <@Ebiris> "Maybe Lady Vanderboren's brother will turn out to be really nice after you guys catch him?" Trucy suggests brightly to Henrietta.
[15:56] * @Glenn starts to give a goat-y and hearty laugh.
[15:58] <@Henrietta> "Oh, that's just silly!" Henrietta responds, punctuating her words with a laugh of her own. "Why would I travel so far from home for the same old boring engagement and a life of mindless wealth?"
[16:01] <@Ebiris> On you go, traversing the street past Rabbani's shop towards the rum distillery at the end that juts partially out into the harbour, pungent steam wafting out from vents at the rear. "We can just go right in, it's kind of like a tavern as well," Trucy explains, ducking under the hanging sign of a barrel with four Xs stamped across it and pushing the door which swings open easily. Inside you can see a large open room, pipes, vats, and stills dominating the far end while the side closest to the door has several tables and chairs scattered around, no real theme, as if made up from the cast offs of several different taverns and dining halls, and all rather stained and weathered. At one of them sit three figures; a woman in threadbare robes with the hood up and her face in shadows sits facing the door, a large iron-shod mace placed on the ground in easy reach. Beside her on opposite sides of the table are two men, one with fresh boyish features and wavy black hair, wearing an old but well tailored suit, and the other a short pinch-faced man with thinning sandy hair, a chain shirt worn atop a long-sleeved brown tunic. The two of them look to be playing some sort of board game.
[16:02] <@Rudy> "Nice decor. I could go for drinks after work at a place like this, if I had a real job."
[16:03] <@Ebiris> "It's a dive," Trucy mutters under her breath, "Anyway, I recognise Lucie over there, she's one of the Cobra Fangs. Never met the other two - lets go say hello?" she suggests, starting to approach the three at the table.
[16:05] * @Henrietta follows Trucy even as she looks around curiously at an authentic lair of neighborhood criminals. Which is above ground!
[16:06] * @Lucie looks up--though half keeping an eye on the other players to make sure they don't use the distraction to cheat--and scans the newcomers. "You're back," she observes, spotting Trucy. Blue eyes glitter in the shadows under the hood. She speaks with an air of weary resignation, rather hoarse and husky. "Who's the rest of this lot?"
[16:06] <@Rudy> Rudy certainly doesn't fit in as well as he'd like to think he does here; the fancy shirt and the gold-black jacket give the impression of someone trying to impress, save that he wears them in an artfully dishevelled fashion that seems almost natural.
[16:06] <@Rudy> Black tattoos of odd shapes wind their way across his face, though they in no way detract from his pearly smile. Behind him, the headless Myra hangs protectively, her many chest-mounted mouths licking their lips and silently gnashing their teeth.
[16:06] <@Rudy> "Rudy! How're y'doing?"
[16:08] <@Ebiris> The floorboards are faintly sticky underfoot, and the pungent reek of alcohol hangs heavy in the air. Doesn't seem to be any waiting staff, but there's several taps over on the vats by the distillery, and a fat balding man overseeing the whole thing. Trucy just smiles and shrugs, happy to let people introduce themselves. The two men sitting with Lucie look up, the boyish one smiling pleasantly at Miranda and Henrietta while his companion focuses intently on Myra, an unreadable expression on his face. "Hey, name's Chekick. This 'ere's Mort," he grins. "Heard about you dropping by yesterday," he gives Trucy a brief nod but seems more focused on her more mature female friends.
[16:09] <@Lucie> "Worse than yesterday," Lucie responds to Rudy. The answer sounds uttered by rote. She leans on the table with her right arm, while her left points to Myra. "What's that? And why did you bring a goat with you? For lunch?"
[16:11] <@Rudy> "Just a thing that won't stop following me, no matter what. The goat is my bodyguard," replies Rudy, bobbing his head. "You guys'd be the Cobras, right?"
[16:12] <@Henrietta> Henrietta happens to be dressed in very fashionable adventuring clothes over her much-tanned skin, shirt, slacks and jacket, complete with a very nice hat that has a place of honor upon her red hair. The rest of it is tamed by a ponytail as much as it might be. "Henrietta Ul Copt, at your service," she introduces herself belatedly. "And the bodyguard would be Glenn," she adds for the goat that
[16:12] <@Henrietta> could not speak his own name.
[16:13] <@Glenn> "Bah!" Glenn exclaims in agreement, bobbing his head at the mention of his name.
[16:13] <@Ebiris> "That's us. Nice of you to drop by and brighten our day," Chekick winks at Henrietta.
[16:13] <@Ebiris> "I bet she can service somethin' alright," Mort mutters, a sinister grin splitting his face.
[16:14] * @Henrietta smiles back uncertainly.
[16:16] * @Lucie stands up, kicks Mort in the shin. "Shut up for a bit, will you?" To the visitors: "Yeah, you're in the right place. Got business with us, then?"
[16:16] <@Rudy> "Haha! Myra's avaliable for rent. Five silvers a night. I'll talk to ya' afterwards if you're interested," replies Rudy, winking. "Anyway, we've actually got some news for you. Right?"
[16:17] <@Henrietta> "Oh, so she's worth two Glenns?" Henrietta asks Rudy in surprise.
[16:17] <@Rudy> "Glenn has sentimental value."
[16:18] <@Ebiris> "She does have all those... flexible... urgh, I can't even finish," Trucy just shudders and shuts up.
[16:18] <@Henrietta> "Right, that's why his price was raised to three...."
[16:19] <@Rudy> Rudy shakes his head. "Look, we've heard some rumours we felt we ought to share with you. Actually it goes beyond rumours right into the realm of fact, pretty much. Were you kind folks aware that the, what're they called, the Lotus Penguins were looking to take over the city?"
[16:21] <@Ebiris> Mort shrugs blankly while Chekick frowns. "Penguins? What?"
[16:21] <@Rudy> Rudy snaps his fingers. "Dragons. Lotus Dragons. That's it."
[16:21] <@Lucie> "Just came to share out of the goodness of your heart, huh? Yeah, this is news to me."
[16:22] <@Ebiris> "Oh... think I've heard them mentioned, but never seen them do anything in this part of town. What's it got to do with us?" Chekick asks.
[16:25] <@Henrietta> "They want to, umm--" Searching for a word, Henrietta glances at Trucy. "Taking over is the proper term, right?"
[16:26] <@Ebiris> Trucy shrugs, "You know more than I do," she admits plainly. "I just go by what you tell me."
[16:27] * @Henrietta nods back. "It seems fitting enough. They want to take over for you. They seem very confident!"
[16:29] <@Lucie> "They try it, they're gonna have their hands full. Anyway, what's it matter to you if they do? We live here, you don't. So what's your angle in telling us?"
[16:30] <@Henrietta> "This is the best part!" Henrietta responds, very excited. "We would very much like to help you!"
[16:30] <@Rudy> "Well, we don't like 'em very much," replies Rudy, forthrightly. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend! So we should be friends."
[16:32] <@Lucie> "Makes a little more sense," Lucie says to Rudy. "What's your beef with them? You working on your own, or on someone else's behalf?"
[16:32] <@Ebiris> "They show their faces around here we'll feed 'em to Midorin," Mort states with a trace of bitterness. "S'what happens to anyone that crosses us. You think standing around watching that's fun, knock yerselves out"
[16:36] <@Rudy> "Does that matter?" asks Rudy, glancing at Lucie. "There's one of 'em in particular who we want to get our hands on, and I can't say I'm too thrilled with the idea of those folks getting hegemony over these streets. Buncha assassins and cuttroats, vicious mobsters. Got this big underground tunnel network beneath Salerno."
[16:36] * Quits: @Koaway (WinNT@ip68-99-109-25.hr.hr.cox.net) (Ping timeout)
[16:37] <@Ebiris> Chekick's eyes widen and he looks down at the floor. "All over?"
[16:38] <@Rudy> "I don't have a map or anything, but from what I gather, it's pretty extensive. Plenty of secret ways to get into someone's territory, and get away just as easy."
[16:38] <@Henrietta> "They are very large tunnels," Henrietta confirms. "Because they have many assassins. It would not do to be cramped underground."
[16:38] * Joins: Koaway (WinNT@ip68-99-109-25.hr.hr.cox.net)
[16:39] <@Ebiris> "Maybe I should go get Herman..." Chekick decides, standing up. "I'll be back in a couple, he'll want to hear this." With that he hurries out the door.
[16:39] <@Lucie> "'course it matters. To me, at least, though I don't speak for everyone. Easier to trust someone if you know why he's doing what he's doing." She shrugs. "So what are you proposing here? Not that we just do your dirty work for you, I hope."
[16:44] <@Rudy> "Well, that'd depend on if you folks want to fold up and let 'em take what they want, or if you're gonna make a go of it." Rudy shrugs.
[16:46] <@Lucie> "Never made a habit of giving up before, don't plan to start now."
[16:49] * Koaway is now known as Kotono
[16:50] * ChanServ sets mode: +oa Kotono Kotono
[16:51] <@Ebiris> A slithering hiss is heard as the door is pushed open by the head of an enormous black cobra, its 'skin' completely smooth and ebony except where it catches the light with a faint green tinge. Its forked tongue flicks out with a hiss as it slithers in followed by a vacantly smiling young girl, pale and black-haired, wearing a weathered and once-elegant black dress. She cuddles up to the snake which half curls around her near Lucie's table, while Chekick returns accompanied by two others, a tall bald man with severe features and a full beard, wearing rusted chainmail and carrying a pitted glaive on his back. Bringing up the rear is a short and overweight figure with a pudgy face and beady eyes, a fragile looking but large club dangling from his waist and nearly scraping the ground. The tall man nods to Lucie as he comes to stand by her table, folding his arms and staring down the party. "You people got somethin' to say to the Cobra Fangs?" he asks, voice a bass rumble.
[16:54] <@Rudy> "Sure do," replies Rudy, not entirely unflappable in the presence of so many violent-looking men. "Been telling your people 'bout the imminent ambitions of the Lotus Dragons. Y'heard of 'em?"
[16:54] <@Henrietta> "Ah, yes!" Henrietta responds, equal parts excited and intimidated. "If you have not heard of the Lotus Dragons, the are a guild of assassins with tunnels underneath much of the city!"
[16:55] <@Ebiris> The tall man turns to Lucie. "What do you think, Lucie? They legit, or just wastin' our time? Ain't seen no Lotus Dragons around here myself."
[16:56] <@Ebiris> Meanwhile the snake leans its large fanned head towards Myra, tongue flicking out close enough almost to touch her vinegary skin.
[16:57] * @Lucie eyes the visitors again, especially the better-dressed ones. "They're coming from money, I can tell that much. Figure that at least makes 'em worth listening to."
[16:58] <@Rudy> Myra peers down towards the snake with equal interest, apparently unflappable despite her spasmodic vibrations.
[16:59] <@Ebiris> "Money don't buy no class," Herman attests, narrowing his eyes. "So you say these assassins want to wipe us out? They can try, but those fools won't know who they were messin' with. This is our turf, ain't nobody gonna take it away. But I don't give no shits what happens to the rest of this city, it ain't ever cared about us."
[17:00] <@Henrietta> "I'm afraid you misunderstand," Henrietta corrects him. "They want to, uh, wipe everyone out. But they are thinking of starting with you."
[17:01] -> *Rudy* Myra senses a kinship with the snake. It's familiar to her, perhaps even the same.
[17:02] <@Lucie> "Might not, Herman, but it can buy information." To Henrietta: "How much exactly do you know of their plans? They got a base somewhere? How do you know these things?"
[17:02] <@Ebiris> "Why'd some kickass guild of assassins want to take over the city by starting with us?" Mort asks. "No offence, Herman, but this is a shithole. Gotta be better places to start out, even in Shadowshore."
[17:02] <@Henrietta> "Because the best poison-maker in town lives here, of course!" Henrietta responds.
[17:02] <@Rudy> Myra mumbles something into Rudy's ear. "Not now," he mutters, though he does glance curiously at the girl. "It's not because of you folks. It's because of a dwarf of certain talents you've got stashed down here," advises Rudy. "They want an exclusive contract. You folks are in the way."
[17:03] <@Lucie> "Rabbani, huh?" Lucie says.
[17:07] <@Rudy> "Yeah, that's the one. Since he's working for you folks, though, there's no chance of him switchin' sides unless you're out the picture," explains Rudy. "As to how we know? Why, we heard it from them, of course. Don't get me wrong, but the criminal fraternity of Salerno's pretty fucking open to outsiders."
[17:07] <@Ebiris> "You see any guards around here, fool?" Herman glowers at Rudy. "We ain't criminals, we're all this neighbourhood's got to look after it."
[17:09] <@Rudy> "Hey, my bad. Group with a reputation like yours, it colours the layman's opinion," replies Rudy, hurriedly.
[17:09] <@Henrietta> "And this is why we thought that we should help you instead!"
[17:10] <@Lucie> "Yeah, well, Rabbani's in our pay, right?" Lucie says to Herman. "We're not just gonna give him up, are we? We let someone else get a foothold in here, only a matter of time before they think they can get more. If this is legit we should at least be watching for them, shouldn't we?"
[17:12] <@Ebiris> "So that's it?" Herman asks, looking at Henrietta. "You give us our warning, do your good deed, then skip merrily off to your villas in Sunset District?" he shakes his head in disgust. "Fuck, whatever. We'll look out for ourselves, always have."
[17:12] <@Rudy> "Yeah, that was pretty much my plan, but I changed my mind," replies Rudy, agreeably. "I gotta help you folks."
[17:13] <@Henrietta> "We do not actually have villas," Henrietta adds. "And we can do a lot more than that! We could try and help get the Dragons right where you want them."
[17:14] <@Ebiris> That gets Herman to pause, giving Henrietta a measuring look. "Keep talking."
[17:16] <@Henrietta> "We heard this plan of theirs from them. They do not consider you a threat, and once we talk to them once more, we could, well, reinforce that notion. At that point, I suppose, all we would have to do is point to a time where you would be easy to, as they say, crush? Except you would not be, of course!"
[17:18] <@Ebiris> "Well, if they're gonna come after us anyway, might as well make a trap of it?" Mort suggests, looking up at Herman.
[17:19] <@Lucie> "Mort's got a point. There's a bigger world out there. Most times we can go about not giving a damn, but when somebody gets it in their head that we've got something they want, better take it seriously."
[17:19] <@Henrietta> "It would certainly be better than assassins going after you one at a time while you are in your beds," Henrietta says uneasily. "It is very terrifying to think about that sort of thing."
[17:20] <@Ebiris> "Alright," Herman wipes his nose on the back of his hand and nodding. "Forewarned forearmed and all that, yeah... best place for an ambush here'd be Grifter's Lane. You get them pointed that way and give us warning, we can make something work. You gonna be putting your own necks on this?"
[17:22] <@Rudy> "It gets worse when you think about 'em going after your friends," replies Rudy, shaking his head. "Yeah, hey, you know what, sure. I'm down for this. You're gonna be sending in the snake?"
[17:22] <@Ebiris> "If it's nighttime Midorin can eat without being seen," the girl giggles from where she's cuddling up in the serpent's coils. "He can see good in the dark."
[17:23] <@Henrietta> "That's, umm, nice."
[17:23] <@Rudy> "Same's Myra." Rudy shakes his head. "She reckons she's like sisters with.. Midorin, right? Something like that."
[17:24] <@Henrietta> "Myra has family?!" Henrietta exclaims, pointing a shaking finger at the creature. "Myra?"
[17:24] <@Ebiris> "Yeah, darkness gives us a tactical advantage... you one of those summoners?" Herman peers at Rudy. "Looks like you managed better than Maya, at least... How'd you handle it?"
[17:24] <@Ebiris> "But they look so different. Midorin doesn't have hands or feet..." the girl carols, pushing herself up on the snake's hood to peer at Myra.
[17:26] <@Rudy> "What, there's more of us?" asks Rudy, uneasily. "There were nightmares for about a week, and then, there she was. I dunno, it was like looking into something really dark and horrid. Try not to think about it too much, but, you know. Hard not to worry."
[17:27] <@Rudy> Myra places rubs her stumpy neck, and sketches an inarticulate bow.
[17:27] <@Rudy> "There was some sorta box. I think I opened it before it all started. Or maybe after, I just don't know. How'd Maya get hers?"
[17:28] <@Ebiris> "Midorin isn't horrid!" Maya asserts, patting her cobra which hisses happily. "The scary men said he wasn't strong enough, and that made him really sad that he couldn't protect me. But then he became stronger and he ate them all!" she beams.
[17:29] <@Rudy> "Yeaah that's one thing Myra's good for," mumbles Rudy.
[17:29] <@Ebiris> "Uh, yeah... she doesn't remember so good, but there were some sort of rituals and sacrifices done to her. We figure that's why she's so weak," Herman admits uneasily.
[17:29] <@Ebiris> "And touched in the heat," Mort snorts contemptuously.
[17:29] <@Ebiris> *head
[17:30] <@Henrietta> "This... went into a strange, scary place," Henrietta asserts, shaking her head to clear it. "We can help, but if we are not needed for the ambush and Myra's... cousin... eats the assassins on its own, that only helps us all. Since we might arrange another ambush before they catch on."
[17:31] <@Ebiris> "How many you expectin'?" Mort asks, pulling a pair of shortswords out and stabbing them into the table. "Be nice to get to fight for once instead of letting the snake handle it all."
[17:31] <@Lucie> "I'd have more faith in the plan if you were there to share the risk," Lucie says. "Safety in numbers."
[17:31] <@Henrietta> "We most certainly shall be! But not quite so visible, at first?"
[17:31] <@Rudy> "Look I don't mind pitching in here. It'll be dark, they probably won't even know it's me," notes Rudy.
[17:37] <@Ebiris> "Okay, so you guys go and tell them dragons to hit us at some place on Grifter's Lane at night, then come back and tell us the time so we can be ready for it and take them down together?" Herman asks. "Don't like it, but if we have to deal with them anyway it's probably the best way..."
[17:38] <@Lucie> "Wnat someone with 'em, Herman?" Lucie offers. "Just to make sure they stay on the level?"
[17:38] <@Henrietta> "Do you need some time to prepare?" Henrietta inquires.
[17:38] <@Rudy> "Where is this lane, anyway?"
[17:39] <@Ebiris> "Lucie can show you, since she's offerin' to keep you honest," Herman nods. "So long as we get half a day's notice we can be ready any time."
[17:40] <@Rudy> "Can't take you down to 'em when we go tell them what's up, but I ain't one to say no to the rest of it."
[17:44] * @Lucie shrugs. "Long as I get enough chance to be sure we're dealing with someone who'll keep their word."
[17:46] <@Rudy> "I ain't never told a lie to people I like," reports Rudy.
[17:46] <@Lucie> "I can't tell you how comforting that is."