The Sword of Myr, again (Surraruthru)

[Iron Dragoon]

"Certainly."

Surraruthru takes wing and lands on Ebony's shoulder.

"Would you like me to play the loyal and enthralled personal dragon of the Queen of the Battlefield for this?"

[Anastasia]

A slight frown crosses Ebony's face. "No, though it is more because I am not the Queen of the Battlefield. I serve her, I am not her."

[Iron Dragoon]

"No offense intended. Still, you have no desire for a personal dragon? Most would jump at the chance."

[Anastasia]

"Dragons are like men," Ebony remarks as she draws her hood up, "Lovely things that appeal, but one must forever spend time on upkeep."

[Iron Dragoon]

"True, the hourly fee is horrendous. But then, hoards must grow, don't they?"

[Anastasia]

The two of you head in. It's a big room - far bigger than typical for a ship. It has a nautical theme, full of people eating and drinking. It looks more like a general restaurant than a bar, the smell of cooking meet thick in the air, mixing with the scent of smoke. Ebony looks about at the people eating - a mix, but most look rough and tumble, as well as well equipped. A serving maid passes, Ebony stepping in front of her, "I'm looking for Maras, Dela-umas sent me. Tell him that."

> roll 1d20+43 Kobot
<Kobot> Kotono rolled 1d20+43 Kobot --> [ 1d20=11 ]{54}

"Yes, ma'am. Right away," The serving maid balances a tray of empty plates and hurries off, Ebony going to sit at an empty table in the meantime.

[Iron Dragoon]

Surraruthru takes his place on the table in front of Ebony, stretching his wings out before settling down to lounge lazily, but watching the room closely.

[Anastasia]

Ebony waits, her head slightly bowed as she waits. She's mouthing something, but it's so soft you can't make it out.

[Iron Dragoon]

Surraruthru mostly ignores the mumbling, deciding to wait in peace.

[Anastasia]

The server soon comes back and finds you, "Mr. Maras will see you in the back," she says, leading the two of you along. Through a side door that grazes the kitchens, giving you a glance of people at work. Smells good, makes you hungry. Then to more mundane rooms and offices, the farthest one and the biggest your destination. It has windows, letting in the light of Brightwater. Here a male elf kicks back in a captain's chair, scarred and rugged. His left eye is naught but a mess of scarring and white and his right hand is missing two fingers. His good hand holds a shot glass, which he sips from. He's slender as any elf, with dark brown hair.

"What does Dela-umas want?" he asks straight away, finishing his drink. He draws a dagger and idly tosses it, catching it each time without even looking at it. "Let me guess: A fiend needs killing and you can't dirty your lily white wings with blood. You'll ruin your manicure too, and we can't have that." He barks laughter right after.

Ebony comes in and pushes back her hood, wings still as her serene face. She takes a seat without being invited, "I'm am Ebony of Sylica, though I currently am assigned to serve Aurora. This is Surraruthru of the Cauldron, who is also currently with Aurora."

With a deft move Maras catches the knife and stabs it into the armrest of his chair, "Fancy names to be throwing around, but respect isn't that easy, babe."

Ebony meets his eyes, "I have seen evil, Maras. I have been evil and I have struck down evil. I have bled for Sylica and given my mortal life for it. Your respects does not matter a damn to me. What matters is that you cooperate and do as you're paid to do. Will you do that?"

> roll 1d20+43
<Kobot> Kowork rolled 1d20+43 --> [ 1d20=9 ]{52}

Diplo check. Feel free to react here and throw in your two cents, Surraruthru.

[Iron Dragoon]

Surraruthru smoothly leaps to the back of Ebony's chair, sitting fully upright behind her and letting his tail drape over her shoulder.

"Our task is all that matters here. Not your respect, not your ego, not your reputation. You are a very small, but singularly useful cog, but only in this context. Your life has little meaning to us in the face of our task. All we require is the loyalty and work we purchase from you. A being can't live well in Brighwater if they are too incompetent to do so, so spare us your dramatics and let us get down to business."

> roll 1d20+33 Diplo/Assist
<Serith> Iddy roll for Serith < 53 > [d20=20]

[Anastasia]

Maras snaps his fingers, his shot glass flying off and meeting a bottle. They both fly and pour him a new glass, which he takes and sips. "Fine. What is it you need?" he asks, closing his eyes as he takes a long sip.

"A guide to Niflheim. A knowledgeable one, probably a yugoloth because they're the only ones who know it well enough. Distasteful, but our business requires us to go there." Ebony folds her hands into her lap and speaks calmly, without a trace of heat after the back and forth. "Can you do this?"

"Yeah, I can do it. Made my big break in the Blood War, know some players. You want a name you can summon and bind, or you want someone you can meet in the flesh?" He puts down his shot glass again and hmphs, "Second one, isn't it?"

"Surraruthru, do you have a preference?" Ebony asks, mulling it. "A greater planar binding spell should be sufficient to make a guide work from us, but the 'loths are known to be able to subvert those spells at times. However, it's quickest and the fiend will be in a position where bargaining with us makes the most sense. Alternately, meeting one in person lacks the confines of that spell, for good and ill, as well as opening the possibility of guides too powerful to be summoned, or who have found ways to protect themselves."

[Iron Dragoon]

"Hmmm... If we summon one, we should at least speak to it in some way. Simply summoning it and binding it as a surprise would likely make it's already distasteful disposition worse. So I suppose a conversation and a summoning. As foul as dealing with a yugoloth is going to be, we should be... somewhat... fair in it."

[Anastasia]

"For what good it will do, though I agree with your sentiment," Ebony says, "Do not return evil unto evil. Very well, Maras. We desire a name to summon."

"1,000 gold," Maras replies.

Ebony raises one eyebrow, "1,000 gold for a name? Are you that afraid of the consequences?"

"As a matter of fact, I am." Maras says blandly, "I don't fucking need 'loth revenge schemes in my life. My name also stays out of this, you don't tell them where you got the name. The price is what the information's worth, plus a markup to ensure my personal security is up to snuff."

This has Ebony sit back and murmur to you, "Split the cost evenly?"

[Iron Dragoon]

Surraruthru murmurs back, "I'll cover it. It's my mission."

"Then we have a deal."