Raid of the temples treasury
[5] As things finally calm down around town, you gather your men and weapons, and make your way to the Shriner's hideout. You have studied the route, and avoid the guards easily.
[2] Unfortunately, the hideout is guarded day and night, and it will take a fight to get inside. There shouldn't be any guards nearby, but this could still get dangerous.
[1] It gets dangerous. You try to sneak closer, but the sentries spot you, shout, run inside, and bolt the doors. Archers appear at the upper windows, and you hear people mobilizing inside.
[3] You are professional soldiers; they are just a bunch of religious refugees. But they have the fortifications, and the numbers. You skirmish, and kill or injure a lot of the Shriners, but eventually your men's injuries and tiredness overwhelms them, and you are forced to pull back. [2] The guards arrive as the fight dies down, and arrest everyone. [1] You have no way of escaping, and find yourself in chains, and awaiting a decision from some higher up as to your fate.
Action: Tala helps the citizens with food, warmth and rent out of her own pocket-and gives a public speech in support of the Queens decision, allaying the fears of the populace and ensuring them the lockdown will end soon/the lockdown won't be repeated soon. She also tries to raise her own influence in the eyes of the people as well.
Allaying fears: [4] The people listen to you impassively. You fear no amount of sweet words would make them fully accepting of the lockdown, but they seem to believe your assurances that it will end soon and won't be repeated. Certainly there wouldn't appear to be any risk of insurrection amongst them.
Improving standing: [3] The queen has been running poorhouses like this one for a while. Though they appreciate it, it doesn't quite strike the chord you hoped it might.
Smuggle spies into city:
1. A man in the city guard, patrolling the walls
2. A woman in the entertainment district, catering to high priced clients.
3. A woman in the merchant district, with enough money to buy a profitable tailors shop overlooking city square
4. A man serving as a butler for noble families.
5. A man who has ingratiated himself into the criminal element of the city, in the slums of the city.
[6] The Empire is more than happy to provide you with agents. The invasion, though you know it to be a minor one, a tool to get rid of an annoying general, is still treated seriously, and as such, your services are suddenly valued highly. Indeed, the influx of orders, messages, and agents is very high, and though it is all handled discreetly, it is impossible to maintain total secrecy, and if anyone were to investigate your situation, they might come across a few compromising things.
1.[2+
1] The queen's paranoia filters down the ranks, and getting into the guard is difficult. However, your man manages to get his way in with a clever story and a touch of bribery. He gets himself assigned to the walls, as requested, but his superiors are watching him, and he will have a hard time with any suspicious activity.
2.[3+
1] Women of negotiable affection are plentiful in the city, what with the sailors wanting a bit of company whenever they have shore leave. More up-scale entertainment venues are more picky about who they employ, but the Empire sends a beauty of an agent, and she manages to get in.
3. [2+
1] Unfortunately, the more profitable and professional tailors are also quite patriotic. The sums they want to sell out to a foreigner are ridiculous, and accepting would be suspicious, so the woman opts for a slightly less well known tailor. With the Empire's funding she makes it into a decent place, but it isn't the sort of place that, say, a noblewoman could shop in without looking suspicious.
4. [5+
1] The noble families of Ligoria are always looking for well trained and respectable servants. Your man has the pick of the litter when it comes to choosing a family to work for. Even one of your own servants (ignorant of his true nature) mentions his name to you, suggesting him as a potential employee.
5. [2+
1] Say what you like about the local criminal element: they know their spies. And they know your man is a spy. They don't know who for, and they don't really care, welcoming him into their operations with open arms, but they all know he is a spy, he knows they know, and they know he knows they know. They even make his nickname 'The Spy'.
Ah, dammit. I'm sure there were more 'brink of winter' actions than this. Mention it in the OOC thread and I'll do it as soon as possible.
Lockdown is unofficially lifted for both the port and the city. People are still searched at every entrance, but are otherwise free to enter and leave
[1] Upon hearing that you ordered the lockdown ended, people assumed it was your doing to begin with. Rather than thanking you for ending it, the people are upset with you for starting it.
Finally, Retcyl headed up to Hugo's door and knocked.
"Come in"Hugo is painting. A ship, weylandish, on stormy seas. You recall seeing a sketch for it in the embassy's corridors; Hugo is slowly but surely replacing his quick sketches with proper paintings.
"My friend, welcome. How can I help?"
Go to the embassy and meet with Hugo.
Strange place, the embassy. The front is an inn, and it appears there is an out-of-use mechanic's workshop next to that. You ask the barman as to the whereabouts of Hugo, and he sends a barmaid through a side door to look for him. After a few minutes, the barmaid returns, and requests that you follow her. You are led through several confusing corridors and up several flights of stairs, totally disorientating you, before you reach your destination. The barmaid invites you to enter the door before you, then hurries back downstairs. It occurs you may get lost on your way out.
Hugo is sitting behind a desk, tidying away paperwork. Paintings in various stages of completion litter the room, along with various tools of the artists trade; easels, pots of brushes, jars of paint, various knick-knacks. Light streams in through the open window, and a raven sits upon the windowsill, regarding you with curiosity.
"Welcome, welcome! Sorry about the mess, I have my hands full managing this place with the Hacturi gone. Right, what do you need?"[1] What a nice guy. The paperwork he is hastily stuffing into the draws of his desk and the management he is doing must be completely ordinary. There is certainly no hint that they are anything but.
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Topic: You Are King II: Tales of the Storm Coast (Winter 416a) (Read 239051 times)