CH. 9: Winter is Coming

[TristenC]

Grubnick nods at the bard's suggestion. Yes.. it might be good to have a covert base of operations... especially with an ample supply of arms... perhaps we could plant caches of items across the city in various secret locales... are there any abandoned buildings we might use that the army or church are not soon to take over?

[BishGada]

"Hmmm... when you mentioned taking the weapons it reminded me that there were at least one more mage here, and from your description there might be even two mages besides Belzor, so maybe we can find their spellbooks? We should search the bodies and the barracks over here." Tulbas points to the barracks where he was kept.
"Also, telling the church that Belzor can be tracked by magic, again, they might locate his wereabouts and ask us to finish the job, and lastly, don't forget we had promised to go to the prefect and ask to do something about the tax." Tulbas reminds the others.
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(OOC: Sorry, I forgot the name of the sorceress but Tulbas would speak of her by her name.)

[mgbevan]

Gregeddin thinks for a moment, searching his memory for good hiding spots and so forth [Local History 17], they were hard to come by when the city was pack full of refugees fleeing the war that was certain. "There may be the old warehouse in the harbour district where the cult of the Master, that is Darewind the false prophet who was struck down and exposed when the Dragon Army arrived, I think that the Dragon Army would have quite a good lockdown on most places though. Perhaps, 13 Riverside way, the old accommodation of two friends, one who left the city for love... and another who rests with his ancestors now... I know that organised thieves used to have a significant presence here in Haven but I don't know much about now. This place has changed so much."

To Tulbas, Gregeddin replies "Indeed that is resourceful thinking Tulbas. I have the letter here from the townspeople. I also heard on the streets that the Prefect is hosting a party tonight in the noble district, but I have no idea how broaching such a subject would go down there. Perhaps if the prefect drinks enough he might still be merry enough to take the people's request in good spirits."

[djhyland]

"I'll come as far as my home," Arulia replies. "And maybe farther if it's early enough...but after my family all but broke curfew last night when I didn't come back, I don't want to stay out too late."

[Chris1234]

Shima looks at Arulia and smiles, "That would be nice. Hey, anyone know what time it is now? And how long until curfew?"

[JadedDM]

Haahqae, Gregeddin, Tulbas, Arulia, Gobax and Shima (Deserted Building)
There's no way of knowing for sure how much time has passed; there are no windows in this area, as the entire base is underground. The only way to be sure would be to return to the street and look up. It does feel that it has been quite a few hours, though.

(OOC: Her name was Leota, BishGada.)

Kendra Greylock (2527 Market Street, Greylock's Gorgeous Gems)
By the time Kendra finishes getting ready, Norris joins her in the bedroom, dressed in his best outfit, including a dark green coat. He is nervously trying to part his hair just right so that it covers the scar he got when he was cut by a broken bottle during the riot; it's something he's been self-conscious about for some time.

Norris Greylock.jpg (65.23 KiB) Viewed 6227 times

"Drat, I don't suppose this is a masquerade ball, is it?" he asks aloud. When he sees Kendra, though, he stops and smiles. "You look...lovely. My, it has been a long time since we've had a good night out, hasn't it? I don't think I've seen you in a dress since the wedding." He walks around her, taking her in from all angles. "I fear to even touch you; I could only mar such beauty with these clumsy hands."

[HorizonsDream]

Kendra smiles lightly as she looks down at herself. "Thanks," she says. She walks over to Norris, and tries to help him with his hair. "Don't worry about the scar," she finally says. "It adds...character."

[djhyland]

Arulia makes her way back to the entrance, but doesn't yet go far out into the streets without an escort with a weapons permit. She looks at the sky, trying to determine the hour by the position of the sun.

[JadedDM]

Haahqae, Gregeddin, Tulbas, Arulia, Gobax and Shima (Deserted Building)
While the others continue discussion of what to do and how to do it, Arulia takes action and makes her way back to the entrance, climbing up the stairs and then looking outside to judge the time.

The sun is starting its descent toward the horizon, but at least the snow has stopped. Arulia would guess it's probably pretty close to Twelfth Watch (6 PM). This means curfew will begin in around two hours or so.

Kendra Greylock (2527 Market Street, Greylock's Gorgeous Gems)
"I suppose at this rate, I'll be able to blend in with your ruffian friends," Norris jokes. When Kendra reaches to fix his hair, he takes her hand into his own and nuzzles his stubbly cheek into her palm affectionately. "Well, we best get going or we'll be late. Do you have everything you need? Don't forget your ID papers and the invitation."

[Chris1234]

"Shouldn't we be following Arulia?" prompts Shima, and moves towards the exit.

If more searching is required then Shima will try to help.

[HorizonsDream]

Kendra isn't exactly sure how to react to the sudden affection, so she lets out a kind of awkward laugh. "R-right," she says, to his little joke. She walks away from him to grab what she needs (ID papers, invitation). "Okay, let's go," she says. Honestly, she is a little nervous about this whole thing.

[BishGada]

Tulbas looks at the dwarf. "Yes, we should." but instead of walking out, he turns to Haaque, "Are you done with search or need more time? If you are done let's just check the barracks quickly and then search the bodies. Leota was a mage and maybe the other guy you smashed to jello in the other room. I pity Leota, she was nice and fallen a victim to yet another deceiver. Sigbert also was nice."

[djhyland]

Arulia ducks back into the doorway and makes her way back to the others. "We really should be leaving," she reports. "By my guess, we only have a couple of hours left before curfew starts, and we have a lot of people to get home with only a few weapons permits."

[Haahque]

"No, there's no point to search this room any more. There's nothing useful here, and we've found all the traps that are to be found. Didn't we already check the bodies? If it's too late to do any chasing today, we should plan for tomorrow. Split up into searching groups, make sure each group has a pass and a destination. Then we can meet up. We won't all need weapons if it will save time. We're chasing only two people, the difficulty is finding them, not fighting them."

[JadedDM]

Haahqae, Gregeddin, Tulbas, Arulia, Gobax and Shima (Deserted Building)
Shima follows Arulia back to the entrance, but then Arulia returns to the others and Shima presumably follows her back. Meanwhile, the party continues to discuss what they should do.

Kendra Greylock (Prefect's Mansion)
Kendra and Norris depart and make it to the mayor's mansion just as the party is beginning at Twelfth Watch. Well, it is no longer the mayor's mansion, having been seized during the occupation. It now belongs to the prefect, Tethys, who was left in charge of the city after Verminaard conquered it.

Baaz soldiers stand guard at the entrance and ask to see ID papers and invites before allowing anyone to enter. Guests are also searched for weapons, so it was a good thing Kendra didn't try and smuggle a dagger in after all.

Kendra has been here once or twice before, back when she was a Holy Guard for the Seekers. She never got a chance to really explore the place fully, though. Generally, she was just made to guard the entrance and search visitors, much like the Baaz are doing now. So her knowledge of the layout is limited. She knows it is two stories (well, three if you include the basement) and that the master bedroom is on the second floor.

However, upon stepping inside it becomes clear that the prefect has been busy doing some serious renovations to the place. The former mayor, Gerin Serrund, can trace his lineage all the way back to the birth of the city and he decorated the place to reflect his family history, the history of Haven, and his own personal accomplishments. The prefect, however, has discarded most of the mayor's stuff and instead decorated the place to be more suited to a military general. Paintings of former mayors have been replaced by paintings of epic battles and dragons in flight. Lovely vases and urns, crafted with detailed care, have been swapped for weapon displays and suits of armor.

Once inside the entrance hall, Kendra looks around. There is a double door to the west, with two Baaz sentries standing at it. Dimly, she recalls that was where the guest rooms are, as well as the toilets. There's also a smaller door next to it, leading to a cupboard, if Kendra remembers right. To the northwest is a single, unguarded door. Every now and again a servant passes through it. Directly to the north are the stairs leading up to the second floor. Two Baaz stand sentry here, as well. To the northeast are two single doors, neither guarded. The smell of food wafts from that direction. To the east are double doors that are unguarded and hang wide open. Peering through, Kendra can easily see the massive ballroom there.

A well-dressed servant, a male human, approaches them. He's quite elderly, with a stooped posture and white hair. His eyes are grey and his complexion is dark brown. "Good evening, sir and madam," he says. He sounds tired and mousy, but also a bit curt. "If you have a cloak or coat you'd like to check, I can take that for you. Dinner is in two hours, in the dining hall directly north of the ballroom. Until then, please enjoy the ballroom. The prefect will be making an appearance shortly." He gestures to the east doors.