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[Jackben]

"Actually, I could use my magic to become a - No... No... never mind, thats just... just no

Grunting in affirmative reply to Jack, Tarkus drifts to sleep, choosing to restore and conserve his energy during the hottest part of the day.

- - -

As the bright yellow sun wanes from its sky throne to hang just above the shoreline, the half-orc begins to stir from his rest. After a few hours sleep, the warrior's body has finally begun to re-acclimatize to the nourishing energy of his enchanted ring. Standing from his bedroll, he wordlessly begins a short exercise routine comprised of crunches and push-ups, ending with a few stretches to assure his muscles are loose and limber. Tarkus finally speaks to his warforged comrade as he washes the accumulated sweat from his face and neck.

"What kind of spar you seek Jack?" turning to open a window, he pads his neck with a cloth before throwing it aside. "Here not best place for armed training, too easy to smash things" he says, his eager desire to spar taking the metal man's proposal in a more immediate sense than perhaps he had intended.

Nonetheless, the half-orc lifts the dirt stained window to peer outside. It would appear that while some of the populace has come in from the beach, a new, rougher crowd has since taken their place on the streets of Southport. As the orange glow of the sunset paints long shadows across the stone pavements, an exotic mix of people have come out to experience and partake in the pleasures and pursuits of the evening.

"Wonder if others make progress on finding gnome..." Tarkus muses, scratching the stubble on his chin in contemplation.

 

[Mike M]

"Well I suppose if worst came to worst, I could use this handy trinket that Quintus gave me so long ago to play the part of our bait. It does have a time limit though, and there's no telling how long it will take to, uh... woo him.

"But I'm getting ahead of myself. Everyone is here to see that justice is served to our flighty little gnome friend and that Quintus is discharged of his debt obligations that were fradulently foisted upon him. All well and good, and I completely agree, though I suspect I may be operating under a different conception of what forms 'justice' may assume than everyone else.

"I should at this point remind everyone that this half sized little shit has made off with ten million gold pieces. Now's doubtlessly spent a great deal of it, but he obviously has a considerable sum left to him."

Val clasps his hands before him in askance. "I have been on my very utmost best behavior --relatively speaking-- for months now, I haven't even done a single lift job or confidence scheme that wasn't in the service for the greater good of the party. Even now, I'm not proposing anything to enrich myself alone, merely a simple shake down. We get our mitts on Rubio, we make him think we're agents from the Ruby Keep Savings and Loan, we scare him shitless --maybe imply that we've already killed Quintus-- and let him think we're taking the remainder of his ill-gotten gains as a bribe to forget we ever saw him. Then we're off to Ruby Keep, I can almost certainly prove Quintus' signature on the original loan agreement is a forgery, and we tell them where Rubio is as part of the bargain. They come and break his legs, we keep the money."

Val looks the assembled party members in the eyes and pouts, his eyes wet with crocodile tears. "Please oh please oh please oh please oh please let me rob him."

 

[KittenMaster]

"We already know that he has attachment to the land enough to return on occasion. If I can get a trail while he does business here, I have a chance of finding and surveying his boat. It may help to know what purpose his trips hold."

In response to Val's incredibly risky idea, he asks, "And if you fail...?"

 

[DeadPhoenix]

Quintus shakes his head and says "Sorry, but even if I had no doubts you could pull all that and get away with it, the Ruby Keep Bank is just as much a victim as I am... Though I'd have no problem with them breaking Rubio's legs, that money was meant for the people of Alydar. They don't appear to need it anymore, so I'd just like to not be further in debt then I already am and having the Bank's enforcers or whatever trying to find me and break my legs." Turns out Quintus has a good alignment... who knew?

 

[Mike M]

Val crosses his arms and "harumphs" like a petulant child.

"Can't believe we're siding with the bank. They're bigger crooks than even me," he mutters under his breath.

((On an unrelated note, this Val story I'm writing is literally going to be the longest single story I've ever written. Of course all my stories are pretty short.))

 

[Zynx]

As Val starts to explain his view, Avalyra is quickly shocked by what she hears, and gasps quietly. She hadn't known that such a sum was involved, and the figure continues to stick in her mind. Getting even a fraction of that fortune would go a long way to finding better specialists who could help her recover her past. Even as a creeping feeling of distaste begins to set in as she learns more about Val's scheming ways, she can't help but be tempted. Still, she stays quiet, once again not feeling comfortable enough to make herself heard.

But when Quintus claims that a bank is a victim, a different set of emotions come alive. She'd seen how a bank had manipulated and squeezed her mentor's enterprise, the man who had kindly taken her in after she had lost her memory, and taught her how to support herself with the work of her hands. Even though she's not impressed by Val's theatrics, she finds herself incredulous at Quintus's suggestion, even with the limited information she knows. "The bank, as much of a victim as you are?" she asks him pointedly. "I can't believe what I'm hearing. The same banks who go around victimizing people who are down on their luck with their exploitative contracts and shadowy enforcers?" She pauses to take a breath before continuing. "And why would a bank lend out 10 million gold at once? Shouldn't they be responsible when they take such incredible risks?"

 

[KittenMaster]

"I have no idea what motivation a bank serves, but I am wary of such excess planning with such little information we have, and I am also wary of the consequences that could make us a needless number of enemies."

 

[ThLunarian]

((I'm enjoying this conversation, so I'm staying out of it especially since Jack isn't in the scene. When you guys get tired of it, or believe the discussion is over, just give me a blurb about how you're going to check out, for example, the Marina))

 

[Mike M]

Val waves his hand between the party members in an effort to tamp down the flaring tempers he may have inadvertently stoked. "Now, now... The meritoriousness of the kingdom's financial system is a complex subject worthy of debate, but that will have to wait. I personally think we're letting a plum opportunity slip through our fingers, but it's not as though I could readily accomplish my proposal on my own. I do think Muun and Quintus overestimate the risk, but I'm not about to debase myself with begging. Well, not anymore than I have...

"Alright, if we are so determined to do this on the up and up, it seems simple enough. We stake out the marina, identify Rubio's boat... Maybe sneak aboard after he disembarks and plan a surprise party, we'll just play it by ear."

 

[DeadPhoenix]

"Alright. I suppose we can have Muun and Avalrya keep watch, as Rubio would know neither of them, but me and Val should be able to give you guys a break everyone once and awhile. We will probably need a change of clothes to not arouse too much suspicion though..."

 

[ThLunarian]

After a visit to a local souvenir shop to purchase some attire more in line with the locals' (which doesn't necessarily have to be ultra-revealing unless that's desired), Quintus, Val, Muun, and Avalyra take a walk down the boardwalk.

The aptly (if lazily) named South Port Marina is about a mile down the beach. Comprised primarily of a long, wide, and very sturdy-looking pier, it is made for purpose rather than form - in stark contrast to many of the luxuriously indulgent watercraft docked all along either side of it. Canvas roofs cover each docking point, whether occupied or not. Where the pier begins, there is a podium where a shorter, pudgy human man is stationed. He looks a little bored; occasionally, a customer will walk by with a document that the man glances at, then nods and waves them in. RIght now it's early afternoon, and the sun is beating down particularly hard. There is a nice breeze, though.

((https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQU7ml26JVM This song is really only relevant to the scene for about the first 30 seconds before it gets all Last Boss-y, but it's at least appropriate up to that point))

 

[KittenMaster]

Muun chooses to wear a tunic to prevent attention from being drawn towards his recent injuries that are still very noticeable. When he spots the man taking documents, he suggests, "We need to find a spot where we can watch for Rubio without being questioned. I don't want to try asking around more than we already have."

 

[Jackben]

((If it's early afternoon still, timeline wise Tarkus is still sleeping. I also had him make some off-screen purchases of magic potions and misc supplies before booking a room with Jack. They are chilling out-of-sight while the current events are going down, but will be ready to act by sunset should the group need it. Darker time of day is better for a half-orc and metal man in a wealthy resort town as they are far less likely to attract attention in the shadows.))

 

[Zynx]

Avalyra isn't entire comfortable in her new, beige summer dress. Even though the thinner fabric is quite nice in the hot weather, the fit of her new outfit is nowhere near as good as the dresses she makes herself, and she doesn't particularly enjoy having her long hair tied into a tight bun, tucked underneath the wide-brimmed hat that now sits on her head. Still, she tries to focus on the task at hand. When the group stops by the marina, she's holding a finely cut, but otherwise unremarkable crystal in the palm of her hand. "It's not a difficult task for me to keep an eye on the pier over there, but I have no way of positively identifying either Rubio or his boat right now."

 

[KittenMaster]

"Quintis, you know what Rubio looks like, right?"

 

[DeadPhoenix]

Quintus gets deck out in a slick new swimsuit so he can blend in with the other rich spoiled brats. Replying to Muun, he says "Of course, though being the only gnome around here apparently, he will stick out like a sore thumb. Just look for the really short guy."

 

[KittenMaster]

"I was hoping for more detail that would set him apart from other 'really short guys'. I personally find it hard to believe there is only one Gnome out of a huge population."

 

[DeadPhoenix]

"Huge population? ...Well I guess compared to what you are use to, it might look like that. Anyways, if you must know specifics *insert whatever Rubio looks like here*"

 

[Mike M]

Dressed in shorts and an unbuttoned short-sleeved linen shirt embroidered with tiny palm trees, Val slurps the remains of some exotic beverage through a straw from a hollowed out coconut bristling with umbrellas and pieces of fruit on toothpicks. Lowering his darkened glasses, he stares disapprovingly at his drink from beneath his broad-brimmed hat. "There's hardly any alcohol in this at all, what they're charging is highway robbery. Maybe I should set up a shop here myself, seems the risk to reward ratio is far more agreeable than fleecing people the old-fashioned way."

His coconut emptied of its contents, Val tosses it over his shoulder into the water where it bobs away on the waves. "You are all over analyzing this. These berths are almost certainly paid for, ergo there must be a ledger that lists which one belongs to Rubio. We look it up, and we narrow this from surveilling the entire marina for a gnome to watching a single point."

Pointing at the man behind the podium, he continues, "And that fine fellow probably has it right there. Should be easy enough to distract and do a lift..."

 

[Zynx]

Avalyra nods. "I agree. Narrowing down possibilities is always a good idea. And I can provide the distraction. Just wait for a moment."

Still standing some distance away, she focuses her attention on the man on duty, giving him a mental nudge.

Suggestion, Implanted (Complete Psionic p102), Will DC22 - "You really need to go to the bathroom right now."

 

[ThLunarian]

The man at the podium gets up from the stool he'd been parked on, takes one more bite of the apple he'd been eating, and walks toward the end of the pier, leaving his area unattended and giving Val ample opportunity to subtly pilfer the ledger. When he returns to the others, a safe distance away, the man is still at the end of the pier, facing the ocean.

It's not at all difficult to decipher the exact parking spot of Rubio's boat, and after doing so, the party finds that the boat is currently docked there. The boat is of medium size, and seems to have a small, enclosed cabin area; you can't discern any further detail without actually going onto the pier and inspecting it up close.

 

[KittenMaster]

Muun first takes a sweeping gaze over his surroundings to see if there's anyone that might spot them moving towards the pier.

Perception: 1d20+15=25 (add 4 to the result for finding humans)

 

[ThLunarian]

There are certainly people milling about, but none are paying any attention to the party. The attendant that Avalyra psychically manipulated is still at the edge of the pier, turned toward the ocean, and is starting to exhibit signs of frustration that are obvious even from a distance.

 

[KittenMaster]

After taking a look around, Muun says to the others, "I may have to get close to get a good look. Anybody have any different ideas before I move in?"

 

[Mike M]

Val tilts his sunglasses down and gazes at Avalyra. "Well that is a handy trick to have..." Whistling nonchalantly, he picks of the ledger and quickly determines which berth belongs to Rubio.

"If you're going to go, Muun," he says, "better go now, it seems our window of opportunity is closing. Just do a walk-by, trying to break in is a bit risky in daylight. Besides, he may have it booby trapped or something. The fellow knows he's wanted by some nasty people, expect him to be smart enough to take precautions even if he isn't."

 

[Zynx]

Avalyra averts her eyes from Val's stare. She feels quite uncomfortable and exposed, having revealed some of her mental abilities to her companions. But there's no time to waste, so she speaks up in agreement. "It's as good of an idea as any," she says delicately. "Seeing if he's here is the next logical step." And as Val interjects with his warning, she nods. "Do be careful."

She's actually a little relieved that one of the others has volunteered to take the risk of trespassing, even though the rational part of her mind tells her it's not a big deal. After all, even if one were to be caught, there's an easy excuse that should work well here. "You could act like a naive tourist who's really interested in boats." But she suddenly finds herself unsure if her serious companion would welcome her unsolicited advice. "Um...if you want to, of course."

 

[KittenMaster]

"That was her...?" He asks, looking to her, the effect of her psionics not anywhere near as noticeable as Quintis' magic, it seems. With his thoughts taken back by Val, he nods, "Right then, I am going. I don't think I could afford to wait on Quintis to cast a spell to help me with time pressed." And he starts for the pier. He avoids going directly towards the target boat, but for one a couple of piers down to acts as if he is giving himself a tour of each boat he passes by, glancing towards each one while having his arms raised behind his head, only to give a slower look over Rubio's boat once he reaches walking past it, as if it were better than the rest.

Inspired by Avalyra's advice, Muun deliberately lets himself be in a vulnerable position of being seen, if only to come off as a typical harmless teenager that is wandering through instead of a shady character that is sneaking about. ((I am not sure this requires a stealth roll in itself, but I have one ready if the DM rules it))

Perception: 1d20+15=23

 

[Zynx]

((Heh, caught that stealth edit. I had to change my post because of Mike M's, too. Looks like we were thinking along the same lines, though.))

 

[ThLunarian]

The man at the end of the pier is starting to become seriously concerned with his situation, and he's looking around desperately, as though he's not sure if he should call for help or what. He actually seems relieved when he sees Muun. "You! Please, fetch a healer! I'm having an emergency here!"

However Muun responds to that, he did get some information about the boat. Judging by its appearance and the way it's been moored to the pier, it looks like it's only been docked for a very short time, and that it's been used fairly frequently. He doesn't see any signs that there is anyone inside at this particular moment, though.

 

[KittenMaster]

Muun is startled a bit by being called by the man, but when asked to fetch a healer, "Er... Sure thing! I'll be fast!" And start to rush back towards whence he came.

Once he meets back with the others, he'll look to Avalrya, saying, "Whatever you made him think, it's damned convincing. It's no wonder you are shy about people knowing about your abilities.", he says a better understanding of the implications now. "I think the boat is empty now, but I have a feeling our friend will be back quickly."

 

[Zynx]

Avalyra watches nervously as Muun heads down the pier to take a look. She's happy but perplexed that the man whose mind she manipulated is still not yet returning to his post, but as Muun begins to return, she hears the marina worker call for assistance. Avalyra starts to get worried as she wonders what she could have done to cause such a reaction, when she finally realizes her mistake. Drawing once again on her mental energy, she acts to reverse the suggestion that she implanted on the worker.

Dispel Psionics (targeted) Automatic success on the power Avalyra manifested, 1D20+10 => 26 just in case there's other effects

With that done, she turns around and tries to casually walk away, hoping not to have been noticed.

 

[ThLunarian]

The man at the edge of the pier suddenly looks extremely relieved, cleans himself up a bit, and returns to the podium, looking mildly on edge, but mostly happy that whatever malady which had befallen him is now gone.

 

[Zynx]

When Avalyra is finally sure that things have settled down, she cautiously rejoins the group. She still wonders if the man will be suspicious; if she should have pretended to be a healer to make his recovery less unusual, but by now the point was moot. It was time now to move on to the next step.

"Okay, we know that his boat is here, and he isn't." she declares. "So what do we do now? Wait here for him? Look around in town for him? Or split up and do both? We probably should find Tarkus and Jack, right?"

 

[Mike M]

"Now? Now we sink his boat..."

 

[KittenMaster]

"...Now?"

 

[DeadPhoenix]

"Oh, I'm liking this plan. Probably don't want it to be too flashy, so fireball is out of the question... perhaps a black tentacles to drag it under water and ripped apart? Or maybe just disintegrate it and leave no evidence behind?"

 

[KittenMaster]

Now that it's confirmed that they're going to sink the boat right away, he suggests, "A more subtle way of sinking it might be in order, like a hole plowed through the bottom. Perhaps I should bring the healer the man asked for as a distraction.." He looks to Val intently after saying just that.

((Just to make sure, Quintis is currently dressed like he wouldn't be easily spotted as a Wizard, right?))

 

[DeadPhoenix]

((as i said before, he is in a slick new swimsuit.))

 

[Mike M]

Val shrugs noncommittaly. "I seem to have left my auger and potions of water breathing in my other shorts. Subtlety would be preferable, but I will settle for anonymity. This is Rubio's escape plan, if he slips through our grasp and makes off in his little pleasure vessel here, he may be forever lost to us.

"But if we cut him off, he has a much harder time escaping where we can't follow. Hopefully we rattle him to boot, rattled people are prone to mistakes..."

 

[Zynx]

Avalyra is caught off guard by Val's bold suggestion. She's not used to thinking that way. "But if he suspects foul play, wouldn't alerting him like this make him harder to catch?" She pauses in thought for a moment. "But if we could somehow make it seem like an accident..." She looks like she has an inkling of an idea.

 

[Jackben]

((This would be the part where Tarkus would smash a hole in the bottom of the boat just to end the conversation regardless of consequences.))

 

[KittenMaster]

"Precisely why a more subtle use of magic will work better, in my opinion. 'Hole in the ship' was just an example of a desired effect."

 

[ThLunarian]

((Wow, well this should be interesting. I was a little worried while I was away that you guys were waiting on me, but I'm glad to see that things have been steadily developing. Carry on!))

 

[Mike M]

"Well, Quintus is our only magic user on hand at the moment, if he's got something to make it look like an accident, then swell. We can use that.

"Otherwise something that doesn't leave a flaming trail tracing its trajectory from our location will make do. There are advantages and disadvantages to making an overt spectacle of it, but it's all academic if we cannot actually avail ourselves of the alternative."

 

[Zynx]

"Don't you wizards have owls or ravens or something you can use to deliver your magic? That might be useful here."

Avalyra starts to sounds a bit impatient. "I don't want to stand around here longer than we have to. People might start to get suspicious. Or worse, they might start to remember our faces."

 

[DeadPhoenix]

"You know... now that you mention it, I haven't seen him in a while. If he was with us after Ravenloft... I might have to get a new one. Anyways, If I can just find a small hiding place nearby, I should be able to get on, and off, the boat without anyone noticing. Making the boat unusable should be no problem once I'm on it."

 

[ThLunarian]

((I'm assuming you're going to hide, cast Polymorph/Invisibility/whatever, and then get on the boat. Let's fast forward and assume you do that and are there now))

Rubio's boat is sturdy and well-made of expertly-finished wood. Its cabin area is well-stocked with provisions and looks comfortable, if a little small. Everything is miniature, as if designed for a gnome, except for the bed, which is big enough to accommodate two full-sized humans.

There are no alarm systems or traps, as far as Quintus is able to tell.

 

[DeadPhoenix]

Quintus speaks to himself "Nice boat you got here Rubio... be a shame if something were to happen to it." Then activates his ring is silent spells and casts disintegrate, leaving a nice hole in the middle of the boat. As it beings to sink, he jumps in the hole and swim out from under the boat, and resurfaces some place far away.

 

[ThLunarian]

Quintus's plan goes off almost without a hitch. He does have a little bit of trouble while trying to swim out of the hole; he finds that his mobility leaves much to be desired. Fortunately, it's nothing that a casting of Alter Self can't remedy pretty easily.

From their vantage point, a safe distance from the pier, the party sees Rubio's boat sinking. The sight draws a small amount of attention from passersby, though it's not enough to draw a crowd; eventually, the hapless attendant turns around and realizes what's happening. He turns pale, looks around worriedly, and does his best to play it off, as though he didn't see anything.

However the party decides to go about their stake-out, the rest of the day goes by uneventfully.

---------------------

Jack joins Tarkus by the window of their hotel room. "It appears that many of the citizens in this town are nocturnal," he observes.

After making the appropriate preparations, Tarkus and Jack leave the inn to go explore, and probably to find the others. At street level, it becomes even more obvious that the nighttime revelers are an entirely different crowd than the daytime lolligaggers. There are far more non-humans roaming about: tieflings, orcs, and dwarves are fairly easy to come by, and the street performers are also out in full force. A juggler's torches light up one alley, and in another much darker one, a street hustler is hosting a game of 'chance' with some unassuming tourists.

As they walk the streets, seeing the sights, Jack suddenly stops in his tracks and taps Tarkus on the shoulder. He says softly, "Tarkus, I believe I have spotted a gnome."

Tarkus turns to look, and sure enough, a gnome is just ahead on the street, his back turned and heading in the other direction. Walking alongside him is a very shapely woman with long, auburn hair and a short, tight dress.

((If you decide to follow and don't want to be noticed by Rubio or the woman, roll Stealth. I'll add in additional modifiers to account for the fact that you're on a busy street, etc))

 

[Mike M]

Val smirks as he watches the hull of Rubio's boat inexplicably start to sit lower and lower in the lapping waves as it takes on water. "Welcome back," he acknowledges Quintus as the wizard rejoins them.

As the sinking continues, Val and the others become just part of the small crowd of somewhat bemused onlookers watching as the tip of the ship's bow finally slips below the surface. "You, did check to see if the gold was in there first, right?"

---

Once the crowd starts to disperse, Val takes up position, lounging in a beach chair in the sand that provides an excellent view of the pier.

((Do only Tarkus and Jack find Rubio that night, or have the rest of us come back?))