[IC][Exalted 2.5] The Emerald Labyrinth

[wonderandawe]

"Oh, don't worry, Orca. I am perfectly capable on running the management side of the business. I just need talent to manage such as you and the Unrestrained Lover. I am no great crafter or sorcerer, but I can make sure you have everything you need to succeed in those endeavors. I am also not very good when things turn bloody. I managed to survive as long as I did on the Blessed Isle by not attracting attention to myself. "

[Dietaku]

'I admit that I am unfamiliar with that one, sir. I do know, however, the tale of Danaad versus the Sea Devil. My grandfather taught me this one. It goes like this:

"One day, Danaad was hungry, so she went fishing. She waited andc waited. She waited for three days and nights, until she finally got a bite. She pulled and pulled, until she pulled up a massive sea devil; one of the Anathema and the so-called rulers of the deep."

She uses the blue-haired Danaad from before with tiny fishing rod in hand, and out of nowhere, a large dragon puppet appeared. Well, kind of a dragon puppet. It was actually a stocking with button eyes.

""How dare you! I am a ruler of sea, land and sky! I have existed since before you and your family have lived! I lived through an age of wonders, and now you snare me with your hook! What do you wish? My life?"" The Sea Devil demanded angrily, the monk affecting a high-pitched falsetto for the Devil, as the little Danaad puppet shrugged.

"My apologies, sir Devil. I am merely trying to get a bite to eat. Would you share some of your fish with me?" she asked.

"Never! You do me this disservice, and then you ask for fish! Begone, evildoer!" the Devil demanded as Danaad replied.

"Please sir. It's just, they must be so terribly lonely."

"What? What do you mean?"

""Well, the fish, they must be terribly tired of seeing the bottom of your ocean, Why not show them land and let them see how fun it is? We could have a party together,"" Danaad said. The Sea Devil thought and thought, until finally agreeing. He tossed waves of fish to Danaad who picked them up in baskets. After collecting them all, she laughed and began to leave, which infuriated the Sea Devil, who had realized he had been tricked.

""You tricked me!" it roared, ""I will feast on your entrails!""

Danaad then pointed to the Sea Devil.

""You have poor grace and aplomb to one who is your better. Drown in your sins,"" she said, and the Devil drowned, as the evil in its heart consumed its insides.

The children all clapped and laughed, and the hecklers remained silent, processing the obtuse moral, of which some were secretly sure was "Shut up and die, Anathema," but remained silent anyways.

When the puppet play was over, the monk turned to Merciful and scowled, "Madam, if these children do not receive the Catechism of the Dragons, then what chance do they have of living productive lives? By my name of Nellens Xavia Franceska, I will ensure these and all those who will listen receive all the knowledge they wish of the Immaculate Faith."

[Dietaku]

Meanwhile, as Merciful and Joachim were baiting the Immaculate missionary, Zarah, Orca and Lover descended to leave quietly and track down the warehouse Zarah owned. They passed by the vendors, and on the street beyond, they found a young man with a scruffy beard and unkempt blonde mane talking to a woman with pale skin, dark hair and clear blue eyes.

"I tell ya, I had the dream again, a sword of light. I can make it, I tells ye, I can do it. I just need more cash," the youth pleads, as the woman frowns.
"So you can make another glass blade? Lukas, I swear, I've had enough with a "Sword of Light you found in a wreck in the White Sea," and "Conveniently lost when a bearman mugged you" Give me something to work with, and we'll talk. Like these su--I mean, customers. What can I do for you, outlanders? The name is Ilse Flugelhund. Nice t'meetcha. I run the warehouse district here. Do you wish to buy or sell? I got some great stuff in today. Looks like Rudolf the Razor got one of Rehhanz's kids. That ought to catch a lot of cash. Or do you have some loot of your own?" she asks, as Lukas mutters something about mirrors.

What will you do?

[wonderandawe]

Zarah studies the woman with a critical eye. "What other items do you have for sale? My colleagues and I are always on the watch for the unusual," she asks. One of Rehhanz's kids? Do they trade slaves in this city?

Does this woman match the description/name Zarah was given for the Warehouse contact?

Zarah is going to activate Courtier's Eye Technique on Ilse Flugehund for 3 motes of personal essence. (Exalted Core p. 214).

Perception 3+ Investigation 3 = 6 dice (6 Successes) - http://dice.brainclouds.net/Result.aspx?ID=7EXPPN6L

Is there a preferred Dice Roller? I usually roll with this one: http://dice.brainclouds.net/

[Dietaku]

(Warehouse)

[OoC: Initially, I was thinking you'd used Wise-eyed Courtier Method, and I was all ready to link to Harry Enfield's Loadsamoney for her motivation. Darn. I use Invisible Castle for my dice roller, as temperamental as it is, but that one is fine, too.]

Zarah's scan of Ilse's wealth is more than even she suspected. She possesses Resources 4, Backing of 2 from the Haslanti League, and even has an influence of 1 with both them and the Guild. She is a serious contender, especially out here in the boonies. She also notes that Lukas there is a lifelong friend, if sometimes financial parasite of the broker as well, although in what regard, your magic cannot say.

"Oh, so you do have a few tricks," Ilse smiles," You're trying to cheat at the game, but that's fine. It wouldn't be fun otherwise. Besides, the Guild tries to pull fast ones all the time and forces me to only negotiate with Fae intermediaries. Anyways, I don't have much myself at the moment. A ton or two of Whipwood, a few barrels of sealsap, nothing amazing. We've hit a bit of a dry spell, with Rehhanz moving nearby and eating most of our exploration teams. I have a feeling it'll end soon, though, Rudolf says he has some cockamamie scheme to fell Rehhanz once and for all, but I doubt it'll be so cut and dry. In any case, him being here means more poor souls'll get desperate or brave enough to try venturing in again, and that's when I start rolling in the cash, as they sell their findings to me. 'Course, if you're impatient, you can always try the other brokers. The Icecrowns have one, a Zadro, I believe, while the Guild has Fefrik Keenhand. Don't trust either of them, or you'll end up penniless. That tip's free, something of a rarity with me, but sometimes, I can't help myself," Ilse says, crossing her arms and grinning.

Well, then, what will you do?

[wonderandawe]

Zarah smiles back. Ah, the competition. How wonderful to met you so soon, she thinks. "Actually, I was looking for something with a bit more substance. I'm in the market for a warehouse. And it is fortunate that we have run into you, as you are in charge of the warehouse district." Let's see if she realizes that she has already sold me a warehouse or if she tries to rip us off.

[OOC: Zarah doesn't have that charm yet.

Does this woman match the description/name Zarah was given for the Warehouse contact?]

[dreamking89]

A sword of light, huh? Orca thinks to himself. Now the wind was blowing in his favor.

"Pardon me....Lukas was it?" Orca says with a smile, "My name is Orca, a pleasure to meet you. I couldn't help but overhear your story about a sword of light. Would you mind telling me about it? It sounds like quite the story, and I enjoy a good story."

[Wise Old Guru]

Nergui chuckled at the puppeteer's tale of Danaad overcoming the Anathema, particularly at the part where the foolish sea-devil was tricked into throwing all its fish onto the shore.

"Ah, that is a good one!" He declared. "My people tell a similar story of Red Whale, son of the Whale-God, tricking the Walrus Father into sending his people ashore for the tribe to eat them."

He stood, from where he'd joined the children seated in the square. He bowed to the puppeteer.

"I need to go now, but I love your stories. Please visit my airship at the dock tonight. We like well-told tales, and I will be happy to feed you dinner and share tales with you."

Tossing a few coins to the children and telling them to buy themselves something nice, he strode off to the market, reminding himself of the list of supplies he needed.

[The Revenge of TV Head]

"Sister Franceska, are you quarreling with the locals again?" A voice said, from behind Merciful and Joachim. It spoke not in Skytongue, but High Realm.

[AkatsukiLeader13]

Ledaal Roku suppressed a chuckle as he watched the silly little puppet show. It was all lies and half-truths, like everything else that sprung from the mouth of the Immaculate Order, and a tool to indoctrinate the weak and the ignorant. But in time the light of truth would expunge the shadows of falsehood.

As it always does in the end.

"Sister Franceska, are you quarreling with the locals again?"

A chill raced down his spine. High Realm wasn't common in these parts but it was common among servants of the Order. However that was not what gave him pause, it was the accent. Only someone born on High Realm had that accent. And there few highborn of the Realm that would come to a place such as Last Chance.

At the top of said list was the Dragon-Blooded which could mean trouble and worse.

'But then ease and luxury breeds sloth and decadence while struggles and challenges breed strength and wisdom.'

[Magnusar]

Zarah smiles back. Ah, the competition. How wonderful to met you so soon, she thinks. "Actually, I was looking for something with a bit more substance. I'm in the market for a warehouse. And it is fortunate that we have run into you, as you are in charge of the warehouse district." Let's see if she realizes that she has already sold me a warehouse or if she tries to rip us off.

[OOC: Zarah doesn't have that charm yet.

Does this woman match the description/name Zarah was given for the Warehouse contact?]

Unrestrained Lover will tap on Lin's shoulder and his voice muffled by the scarf a bit and it is thick with his autochtonian accent.

"I would like to have some of that whipwood I need to learn how to work this material properly before I can begin to produce goods made of it. I can pay for them I think..."

[The Revenge of TV Head]

Behind them stood a white haired woman. Svelt in figure and slightly shorter than Franceska. She wore robes of blue and white, in the manner of a priest in the immaculate order. Her skin was pale blue and her eyes glimmered like oricalcum. She gave an affected sigh as she polished a gleaming blue and green smashfist.

[Wise Old Guru]

Nergui was halfway out of the small crowd of children, muttering things like, "...more sailcloth for Ragnar," when the new person spoke up. Slowly, he stopped in mid-stride and turned. It would not do to be rude.

"Um. Your sister is welcome to join us too," he declared to the puppeteer. Looking the white haired woman up and down, he smiled. "She looks like she also knows some good stories."

[Dietaku]

(Warehouse)

In fact, Ilse does match the description of the executor of the real estate transaction that led to you being an owner of a warehouse, Zarah. Fancy that.

"Oh, do you now, Mr....Erm, You seem like an Eisen. Can I call you Eisen? Whipwood is great for airship construction. It's as strong as ironwood, doesn't crack in extreme cold, and is flexible as willow, a true wonder of nature. The issue is, the trees tend to be inhabited by man-eating monkeys called Marclars. Nasty little brutes, they'll rip your head off just to eat your ears. So, how much do you want? It's in 2 thumb by 3 thumb y 14 cubit strips, and can easily be made into frames for housing, into airship frames, pretty much anything you'd like," Ilse said, her eyes lighting up in the heat of the deal.

Meanwhile, Lukas brightens his gloomy demeanor when Orca inquires about his exploits.

"Well, uh, sir. Me and me Da' were out on the floes. Me Da' is a salvager, he skims the ice for wrecks and bits of scrap from ancient ships and aircraft, and we found the mother-lode, we did. We found half a golden airship, complete with intact flight drives and air crystals, and in the captain's chair, we found a book, and the sword. Me Da' thought it was junk, on a pedestal, it looked like a piece of trash, a hilt with no sword. Then I touched the pedestal, and me head went all fuzzy. I felt like I got drunk, but somehow, I felt better, instead of tipsy. Now, like this, I grabbed that hilt, and the thing grew a blade made of light. It thrummed like me Ma's bees do when they're happy, and it crackled in the air like lightning. The thing was amazing. However, that night, we met a bearman out in the floes. We offered him a bit of grub, and he thanked us for it, but when we woke up, the blade was gone. That bastard musta took it. Now, I'm trying to remake it. Such a pretty, pretty thing," he sighs, a faraway look in his eyes," All I got to show for it is this," he says, producing a silver-plated book the size of a dinner plate.

"I dunno what it does. I've never opened it, but I think it's a book, right," he asks, showing it to Orca.

[Dietaku]

(Plaza)

"Thank you, kind sir. See, children? To live a chaste pure life, is to live a path of quiet rewards," the monk says, bowing, before snapping back up at her name.

"Who is there? A fellow priest? I am Nellens Xavia Francezka, Student to Ledaal Haiyama Ascendant Sword, and third coil student of the Orinoco Flow path of the Water Dragon. I would have your name, if you please," the Nellens demands of the newcomer monk.

"Yes, that would do very nicely. Now, if you please, would you all keep it down? I've tolerated you overly long because you paid your evangelical license, Miss Nelly, but you're overstepping your bounds. Again. Do I need to ask the little lady here to summon one of her friends?" a tall, barrel-chested man with a massive flame-red beard said, clapping the shoulder of a pale, skinny girl no more than twelve. Covered in a rough leather cowl, and with silvery unkempt hair done up in several braids, Joachim and Merciful would recognize this girl as a member of the Weiss Zahne tribe; a clan of Icewalkers who live in the bordermarches, and terrorize other tribes with their therianthropic and cannibalistic practices.

"Dolphin and Kestrel are at my command," she said, barely a whisper," Shall I call them?"

"My name is not NELLY, Ser Sealowe, please. I won't start a fight here. Please," Francezka said, as Sealowe arched an eyebrow.

"Very well, Miss, but remember, I have my eye on you," Sealowe says, walking off to one side, as the little girl saunters over to Merciful and tugs on his/her hem.

"Grandma, you have the stink of death on you. Like, everyone you know has died. My sister loved that smell. have you seen her? She has seen 17 summers, and has beautiful hair, the color of raw flesh. She's quite pretty, but a silent wolf got her, and took her to an evil land. My instinct tells me you would know. Do you?" the girl inquires.