RttToFC/Session7

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Beyond the Tomb of Five Corners - Session 7[edit]

Kuros: On the last exciting episode...

Kuros: Lei Zu is sneaking around trying to find out more from the Minister of the Interior, Alyssa was gathering information in upscale stores, and Caran tried to gather information in the mercenary/dive bars/areas, and was attacked by the very people he was looking for

Kuros: (OK, Alyssa, we'll continue with you)

Alyssa: (I'd heard something about Amram, what do I know about there?)

Kuros: Amram is the loose alliance of city-states in to the northeast. They are mainly foresters, and provide a great deal of paper to Lanterntown for lanterns

Kuros: And also lumber in general goes through Lanterntown and onto the bargest to head south

Alyssa: Do I sell wine to anyone in that area?

Kuros: It is relatively nearby, so sure.

Alyssa: I'll have a word with the local carters, on the pretext of checking the hazards of sending wine there and how that affects the costs.

Kuros: The local carter's guild is, unfortunately, in one of the seedier areas near the docks. The office is a long, one story rickety building with a large area for storing wagons and animals behind it.

Kuros: As you approach, a portly, dirty man looks up at you.

Kuros: "You need something, lady?"

Alyssa: "Only to speak with a reputable carter."

Alyssa: (does he look like the dirt is incidental or habitual?)

Kuros: Habitual. He's quite dirty.

Kuros: And the entire area smells of horse manure.

Alyssa: (Alyssa's definition of reputable includes 'knows the meaning of bathe')

Kuros: "Go on in, then." He gestures at the building.

Alyssa walks past him and into the building.

Kuros: The door leads into a small office, staffed by a young man behind a desk of neatly piled papers.

Kuros: He looks up as you enter. "Yes?"

Alyssa: "I'm here to talk business," Alyssa says. "I heard an unpleasent rumour that costs to ship to Amram are going up due to 'troubles'."

Kuros: He snorts. "You could say that. Right now, we aren't sending anything to Pragrish. We can still get shipments to Burvin and Vroul, though."

Alyssa: "I ship to Pragrish. What's the problem? Bandits?"

Kuros: The man sighs. "Couple of weeks ago, we lost a few wagons to these supposed undead. One carter managed to make it back, and let us know. Burvin and Vroul are taking in all the refugees from the city."

Kuros: "No one I know is willing to go there, but we've set up alternate routes to the other cities that bypass Pragrish."

Alyssa: "Supposed undead? What, some idiot thaumaturge has set up shop there?"

Alyssa: "And refugees? Surely that's exagerating things."

Kuros: "I haven't been there myself, and information is hard to come by."

Kuros: He shrugs.

Kuros: "From all the rumors, the undead just rose up and assaulted the city in the middle of the night."

Alyssa: "Assaulted the city? Like..." Alyssa feigns sudden nervousness. "Like Thorns?"

Kuros: "Oh, no, nothing so massive. Just under a thousand are the numbers I've heard. They had no leader."

Kuros: "I don't know how the city fared, though."

Alyssa: "Well unless the undead have started drinking wine, I'll have to sell somewhere else then," Alyssa says. "Thank you for your time."

Kuros: "No trouble. Let us know if you want to ship something!"

Alyssa: "Oh I assure you I will."

Alyssa will then head back to the White Lily for lunch and to meet the others.

Kuros: OK, Lei Zu

Lei_Zu: Under cover of his Charms Lei Zu watches the Minister.

Kuros: Tzu sits at his desk for a few minutes, then stands up and sweeps out of the office.

Lei_Zu follows. He has seen the man's spontanous reaction, now it is time to see what he will do.

Kuros: He heads to a different wing of the building, to a large set of double wooden doors, and barges in without so much as knocking.

Kuros: Inside, there's yet another opulent room with a huge desk piled with papers. It seems to be a theme here.

Kuros: The man at the desk looks up, and says mildly "Something I can do for you, Tzu? And shut the door."

Lei_Zu is already inside by the time he says that

Kuros: Tzu shuts it angrily, and tosses the letter to the man.

Kuros: "You swore they wouldn't be doing this in our lands!"

Kuros: "Amram is one thing, but this was less than a hundred miles to the south."

Kuros: "ANd what would have me do, Tzu? Ask them politely to stop?"

Kuros: "Something! Our paper shipments from Amram are already falling off, and the Guild is making noise about that!"

Kuros: "Do you want chaos and panic here? In our city?"

Kuros: The man behind the desk sighs. "I will do what I can. Is there anything else?"

Kuros: Tzu stares at him angrily, then turns and stalks out, slamming the door behind him.

Lei_Zu stays in the room, still as a statue in one corner of the room, watching this man.

Kuros: The man goes back to reading papers on his desk, occasionally scribbling notes

Lei_Zu: On silent feet Lei Zu moves along the wall until he comes to stand behind the man and can see over his shoulder.

Kuros: The papers he is reading are reports on trade, criminal activity in the city, that sort of thing. The notes are addressed to the "Office of the Prime Minister."

Lei_Zu continues watching the presumed Prime Minister. Unless there are more developments he leaves in time to be at the White Lilly at the appointed time, following someone else through the door

Kuros: No more developments

Kuros: You and Alyssa meet up at the White Lilly

Kuros: Caran is still nowhere to be found

Lei_Zu knocks at the door

Alyssa: Alyssa answers the door

Lei_Zu: There's Lei Zu there, back in his rich clothes and Realm face.

Alyssa: "Ah, you're just in time for lunch."

Lei_Zu: "Very good. I hate to be late."

Alyssa: "Have you seen either of the others?"

Lei_Zu frowns. "They are not here yet?"

Lei_Zu: "No, I haven't seen them."

Alyssa shakes her head.

Lei_Zu: "We can wait a few minutes longer."

Alyssa: "True. Would you like anything particular for lunch?"

Lei_Zu: "I have no particular preference."

Alyssa: "Well they do something quite nice with noodles and beef and cheese."

Lei_Zu: "Seeing as we are within your territory, so to speak, I will go with your suggestion."

Kuros: Casteen arrives for lunch!

Lei_Zu: "Although ... if Casteen and Caran are much longer overdue ... oh, there he is!"

Lei_Zu nods to Casteen in greeting

Alyssa: "Did you have a productive morning?"

Lei_Zu: (where are we talking right now?)

Kuros: The White Lily's upscale dining room, I believe.

Kuros: A private dining room reserved for important visitors, yes.

Alyssa: "Well, while we wait for Caran so we can order, perhaps we should compare notes? Unless you would prefer to eat first?"

Lei_Zu: "I was successful as well." Lei Zu looks a little nervous, he doesn't like people not being on time.

Alyssa: "Apparently there are problems of the nature we encountered in Pragrish, except on a larger scale."

Casteen raises an eyebrow. "Larger scale?"

Casteen: "That's definitely no good."

Lei_Zu: "The 'Minister of the Interior' and the Prime Minister are aware of the problems and their perpetrators, to the degree that apparently the Prime Minister assured the former, that Lanterntown lands would be left alone. Lao Tzu was quite upset that this has changed now."

Lei_Zu: "At his prompting the Prime Minister promised to try and do something about it, though I could not find out what he was planning. If anything at all. Both seemed afraid of the necromancers in red."

Alyssa: "Overconfidence, or collusion, would you say?"

Lei_Zu: "The latter, though perhaps not willingly."

Alyssa: "That is interesting. Very interesting."

Casteen: "It's starting to sound like this whole damn town is in on it."

Lei_Zu: "My impression was, that approaching Lao Tzu like Alyssa suggested might be a worth a try, but we should steer clear of the Prime Minister."

Lei_Zu: "But I'm not as adept at reading people as you are." He gives Alyssa a deferential nod.

Lei_Zu: "And where in Malfeas is Caran? He should know the value of punctuality as a military man."

Alyssa: "How kind of you to say so. I imagine that arranging a meeting might take some time through the normal channels."

Alyssa: "That is a good question."

Alyssa: "Perhaps he simply found a promising avenue of enquiry."

Casteen: "Perhaps. That is certainly what kept me late."

Casteen: "I think the guild might be involved in this. I certainly have their attention, now."

Lei_Zu: "What did you find out?"

Casteen tosses a letter on the table.

Lei_Zu looks at it

The letter: "To the esteemed visitor from Nexus, Please feel free to call upon me at the ninth hour of the evening, at the Nitumenian Guildhouse."

Lei_Zu: "The context?"

Casteen: "I may or may not have made up a story about being from Nexus and having vital information on our necromancer's artifact."

Casteen: "And I may or may not have told this story to a number of people from the guild."

Lei_Zu: "Mmmh."

Casteen picks up the letter and pockets it again. "Though I was never quite as specific as that."

Casteen: "At least, in reference to the artifact. I tried to be as vague as possible. Apparently it was enough for them to catch on, though."

Casteen: (Also, there was a signature on the bottom that read Wang Lung)

Alyssa: "Well, that gives us something of a schedule unless we want you to let the Guild down."

Lei_Zu: "That is two avenues of further investigation."

Casteen: "Well, I definitely will be arriving at this meeting, Alyssa."

Lei_Zu: "How long will it take to meet Lao Tzu?"

Alyssa: "If we go through channels? Depends on the size of the bribes."

Alyssa: "Or we could just go around them."

Lei_Zu: "If we send him a letter directly and ask for it?"

Alyssa: "That could work. Where would you suggest meeting him?"

Alyssa: "I doubt he comes across the river often."

Lei_Zu: "Let him decide how official he wants to make it. He knows the local politics better than we do, I assume."

Lei_Zu spents 1m to know the exact time.

Kuros: 1:04PM.

Alyssa: "How public do you wish to be? If he comes looking for, say, Alyssa of the White Vines then he will certainly be able to arrrange to meet me, but so could others."

Lei_Zu shrugs. "If he will recognize you anyway or eventually find out your identity, we might as well be honest about your name. You do have an understandable interested in keeping this from happening to your vineyards after all."

Lei_Zu: "But it should be a sealed letter."

Lei_Zu: "And it is your decision in the end."

Alyssa: "True. So, if I write a letter asking to discuss the issue of Red Robes and share information, and then you place it on his desk when he isn't looking?"

Lei_Zu: "I can do that."

Alyssa: "Then I suppose I should compose a letter. Shall I suggest contacting me before the ninth hour tonight?"

Lei_Zu: "He can send letters whenever he wants, but we should reserve the evening for that guild thing."

Alyssa: "Then I will send a letter anonymously asking for a meeting and asking him to reply care of myself."

Casteen nods. "Agreed. We will need to get our stories straight for the guild meeting, though. In fact, I am not so sure it would be wise to bring Alyssa long if there is a chance she will be recognized, unless we can think of a reason that she would accompany a scholar from Nexus who has pertinent information for our necromancer."

Lei_Zu thinks. "What guise would you suggest for me? A bodyguard?"

Alyssa's face blurs slightly and when it clears her face is paler and thinner. Then it reverts to its usual shape. "Perhaps as someone else then."

Casteen: "That is certainly the most plausible guise."

Casteen grins. "Yes, someone else will work fine. And again, you are full of surprises, Alyssa."

Alyssa: "My recent... inheritance at work."

Casteen: "Ahhhh."

Lei_Zu: "While we are on the subject of assuming other faces, I would suggest a hand signal and countersign to prove identity while in disguise."

Alyssa: "What do you have in mind?"

Lei_Zu: "Let me show you." He arranges his hands in a way that looks coincidental but is highly specific, then shows a few more signals.

Lei Zu teaches the others a few basic hand signals so we have some to chose from each time we move separately. Sign and countersign to identify ourselves as belonging to the circle. Additional passwords can be agreed upon as necessary.

Alyssa: Alyssa commits them to memory.

Casteen memorizes them as well.

Lei_Zu: "We will agree on one of these each time we go separate ways."

Lei_Zu: "I will show them to Caran as well, once he turns up ..."

Alyssa: 'Minister Lao Tzu. The Society of the Lawgiver knows certain facts regarding certain red robed individuals. As do you. Discussion of this matter privately would be advisable. If it your wish to discuss privately then send the details in writing to the vinteer Alyssa of the White Vines at the White Lily.'

Alyssa: Alyssa will lose patience and order herself dinner around half past one

Casteen: "Caran said something about investigating near the docks and where one might find mercenaries."

Lei_Zu stands. "I will deliver the letter now. If he isn't here when I return, I think it's time to go and look for him."

Alyssa: "Agreed."

Kuros: OK, it is easy to deliver the letter, and takes you approximately an hour. Caran has still not returned when you are finished.

Lei_Zu returns to the others.

Alyssa: Alyssa wipes the corner of her lips with a napkin. "It is now time to worry about him."

Lei_Zu: "It is time to investigate in any case."

Alyssa: "Where do you suggest we begin?"

Casteen nods, sipping at some wine.

Lei_Zu: "I will go and see, if I can find someone who has seen him. Leaving no witnesses to anything is far harder than it sounds."

Lei_Zu: "At least one of us should stay here, in case he turns up after all."

Alyssa: "As I could be contacted at any time, perhaps I should remain here."

Alyssa: "In event of a crisis - massive solar animas, I will assume there is a problem."

Casteen: "Well, let us hope nothing of the sort occurs."

Lei_Zu smiles thinly. "I should hope so."

Alyssa: "I would at least not have to justify sudden departure."

Lei_Zu: "I should go then."

Lei_Zu stands again, and leaves. No rest or even food for the wicked ...


Kuros: We'll continue with Alyssa until he gets back

Kuros: About an hour passes after Lei Zu and Casteen leave, Alyssa, when you hear a knock at your door.

Alyssa goes to the door.

Alyssa: "Who is it?"

Kuros: "I believe I've been invited," a strained voice says.

Alyssa opens the door.

Kuros: A large, older, balding stands outside the door, flanked by two city guardsmen, wearing leather armor and swords at their hips.

Kuros: The man holds up the letter Lei Zu wrote. His voice is taut with anger. "I am Tzu Lao, and I would be most interested in how this letter appeared on my desk."

Alyssa: "Letter?"

Alyssa: "I presume then that it relates to me?"

Kuros: "You are Alyssa, yes?"

Alyssa: "Last time I checked."

Alyssa: "Why don't you come in? Discussing this in a doorway is bound to be tiring."

Kuros: "Did you write this letter, then?"

Kuros: He steps in, and the guards move to follow

Alyssa: "It doesn't look like my handwriting. If you'd be so good as to hold it so I can read it then I may be able to tell you more," Alyssa suggests, taking a seat.

Kuros: He hands it to you.

Alyssa reads it quickly (confirming it's definitely the right letter).

Kuros: It looks identical

Kuros: It would take some time to do a detailed analysis.

Alyssa: "I'm in correspondence with the Society of the Lawgiver. I receive letters from and for them quite often. If you wish to meet with them then I can arrange this, but this is not my handwriting."

Alyssa: (how competent do the guards look?)

Kuros: They look quite competent, but hardly elite.

Kuros: Tzu's eyes narrow.

Kuros: "I have little patience for games."

Alyssa: "I have little patience for villages raped by the undead Minister. The letter suggests knowledge, perhaps foreknowledge, on your part. Or do I read too much?"

Kuros: A look of puzzlement crosses Lao's face

Kuros: "Tell your friends this, then. I will meet with them tonight, here."

Kuros: "At 10 o'clock."

Alyssa: "Very well then. And Minister, if you're going to bring guards then realise they will be staying outside my apartment. Not that they aren't perfectly pleasent, but when the Society say private..."

Kuros: Without another word, the Minister turns and sweeps out of the room.


Lei Zu meanwhile dives into realm of seedy taverns, poor dockworkers and dirty legbreakers. Armed with a description and a small drawing of Caran as well as a small sum of silver he puts his questions to a multitude of people with long-practiced efficiency.

Lei_Zu: He has assumed the guise of a short, rat-faced man with short brown hair, clad in a stained gray cloak.

Kuros: You spend a few hours working your way through the bars and docks. Caran apparently asked some extremely blunt questions that caused quite a stir

Kuros: You find a tavern you are reasonably sure he stopped at last, but all anyone remembers is that he left

Lei_Zu circles in an outward spiral, shifting to beggars and street kids as targets of his questions

Kuros: You find an old beggar, who swears he saw someone matching Caran's description head down a nearby alley. In the alley, you find a small pool of drying blood

Lei_Zu tries to make out what happened here from tracks in the dust around the blood

Lei_Zu: He gathers a bit of blood in a small piece of cloth, just in case Casteen knows some sorcery that can identify it.

Kuros: You find signs of a struggle, and evidence that someone about Caran's size was dragged down the alley after the struggle.

Lei_Zu follows the drag marks

Kuros: The drag marks stop, and turn into wagon tracks that head out onto a main street

Kuros where they are lost

Lei_Zu shifts his questions to 'someone dragging another man and leaving on a wagon'

Kuros: You're asking a new set of questions of the locals?

Lei_Zu: yes, and handing out more silver

Kuros: You don't find anyone who saw a man being dragged into a wagon and hauled away

Lei_Zu: When it becomes apparent that further inquiries won't turn up anything new Lei Zu grits his teeth and makes his way back to the White Lilly.

Lei_Zu: (how much blood was there in that alley?)

Kuros: Not enough for a fatal wound but a good amount

Kuros: 2 pints or so


Kuros: A few hours later, Lei Zu arrives back at the White Lilly!

Lei_Zu: He knocks at Alyssa's door looking quite tired.

Alyssa: "Who is it?"

Lei_Zu: "Lei Zu."

Lei_Zu: (he is back in his Lei Zu appearance, too)

Alyssa: "Ah." Alyssa opens the door and then looks first at Lei Zu and then behind him. "No Caran?"

Lei_Zu shakes his head and enters the room

Lei_Zu: "Not here either, I assume?"

Alyssa: "No, although our friend Tzu dropped by and will be back later for that private chat."

Casteen is pouring over a book in a chair, not looking up much.

Lei_Zu nods. "The evening will be full."

Lei_Zu: He sighs. "Caran asked a few very blunt questions and caused some stir."

Alyssa: "Have something to eat while you fill us in. You may not have a chance later."

Lei_Zu nods and arranges for food to be brought up for him.

Lei_Zu: He sits down at a table. "Best as I can tell someone took it personally and caught him by surprise."

Alyssa: "He's...!"

Lei_Zu: "He must have been overwhelmed in an instant since no one saw an anima."

Lei_Zu shrugs tiredly. "It wouldn't have been fatal, not with our resilience. But he was taken away, if I read everything correctly."

Lei_Zu: "Which is by no means certain of course."

Alyssa: "How truly good," Alyssa says sarcastically. "We shouldn't let him run around without his soldiers to watch his back."

Lei_Zu: "He shouldn't have gone in the first place. The kind of questions he asked ... it just isn't done."

Casteen chuckles. "Leave it to Caran to miss out on the subtleties of communication."

Lei_Zu: "Every part of society has its own language and custom and it takes some effort to blend in."

Alyssa: "Yes, etiquette is important," Alyssa says, pouring them both wine before filling a goblet for herself."

Lei_Zu: "Casteen. Is there some sorcerous way to locate someone if you have something of his?"

Alyssa: "I suspect that our letter to Lao Tzu was received as being similarly indecorous. He had a couple of guards with him when he came. I suggested that he leave them outside this evening. It should be... interesting."

Lei_Zu: He turns to Alyssa "Or maybe some sort of spirit that can help?"

Lei_Zu takes a single sip to be polite, then leaves it be

Casteen: "I do not know the precise sorcery that would help us locate him, though I am sure it exists. The best I could do is summon a demon who is good at finding people."

Alyssa: "Not that I'm aware of. If we go to the area then I might be able to find out more but it will probably look rather odd."

Lei_Zu: "A demon ... if it promises success, then we should try that."

Lei_Zu grins darkly. "Look odd. We both can change our appearance and I can make sure that we aren't followed. That is no obstacle either."

Casteen: "I will need some time to do a bit of research, but if our plans this evening are quick, then I should be able to have a demon summoned by the morning."

Alyssa: "Alright then. Casteen, can you remain here in case Caran turns up? Lei Zu and I will go and see if we can find any sort of trail."

Casteen nods. "Sounds good. It will give me time to do my research."

Lei_Zu: "We will be back in time for the meeting with that guild."

Lei_Zu: "Besides assuming a different face you should chose some less conspicous clothes as well, if I may suggest something."

Alyssa carries a long dark cloak rolled up into a bundle when she leaves the Inn. Out in the city she ducks into an unoccupied alley and wraps it around herself, taking the appearance of an old woman.

Alyssa: "Call me Heather"

Lei_Zu simultaneously assumes his previous disguise, that of a short, rat-faced man with short brown hair, clad in a stained gray cloak.

Lei_Zu: "I will be Bley in case it is required. Follow me."

Lei_Zu shows Alyssa to the place, careful to watch out for anyone watching or following them

Alyssa: "Is this the place, Bley?"

Lei_Zu: "You can see the blood here and the drag marks there." His voice is a rough whisper like from someone who has ruined his voice with a lifetime of smoke and drugs.

Alyssa: Heather taps the ground with her stick. "Hey road, wake up for me. I've a question for you."

Lei_Zu stays silent and watchful

Alyssa: "Well met. My thanks for responding."

Alyssa: "A question, yes. You may have noticed a fellow being struck down here and then carried away, just this morning. I seek him."

Alyssa: "Might you be able to point a young Pillar in the right direction?"

Alyssa: "I do not wish to offer insult, but I must respectfully enquire if you can not or you may not."

Alyssa: "Would it be acceptable for you to explain the constraints that you are under?"

Alyssa: "Forbidden by whomever that might be?"

Alyssa: "Thank you for your generous courtsey and consider me to be indebted for it, sir."

Lei_Zu: "End of the line?"

Alyssa: "Almost."

Alyssa nods understanding. "We shall see then."

Alyssa: "More here than I thought, but perhaps it all connects."

Lei_Zu nods. "More to do here? If not let's discuss it somewhere else."

Alyssa moves away along the road.

Alyssa: "Here in the wider sense, my friend."

Lei_Zu follows, easily falling into the bodyguard routine

Alyssa: Quietly, "Whoever took him is extorting silence from the spirits. That's no small feat."

Lei_Zu: "We did suspect involvement from someone like the Mistress ..."

Alyssa: "It occurs to me that Caran may have found those we seek and they have him now. And if they can not only raise the dead but also compell the spirits then they are very versatile."


Back at the White Lilly:

Alyssa: "Those who took Caran away have forbidden the spirits to talk about them. Although as no Bloody Hand was there, it's unlikely he was killed, there at any rate."

Lei_Zu: "That is something positive at least."

Lei_Zu: "What exactly does that mean, they have forbidden them to speak? Do they have legal authority over them? Is it simply a threat of annihilation? Is there some magic that can bind a spirit to obedience?"

Alyssa: "It would seem to involve some kind of punishment, so I'm inclined to think threats or, possibly, some kind of geas. The latter seems unlikely though."

Lei_Zu: "Then if we can make better threats ..."

Alyssa: "The spirits don't appear to be at all pleased by having this over their heads."

Alyssa: "Do we really want to go down that route?"

Lei_Zu: "If it leads to success, I don't see why not. The question is, do we have the means to do it."

Alyssa: "I can probably beat a spirit bloody if that's what you mean. Word would get round though and you know what that can do to a girl's reputation."

Lei_Zu: "With a materialized spirit I could do it. But that doesn't help us much. Casteen could probably send his demons."

Alyssa: "Perhaps we could make these people come to us."

Lei_Zu: "Yes, I was thinking about that. Although, I'm not sure if I would really fare better than Caran if they attacked me. They wouldn't be able to ambush me, but he is of the Dawn and if he was overwhelmed ..."

Alyssa: "Ah, but I wasn't thinking something that direct."

Lei_Zu: "What were you thinking?"

Alyssa: "What if, hypothetically speaking, word got around that these Red Robes were going to be dealt with by the Society of the Lawgiver. That the Red Robes were in fact, quite petrified of the Society."

Alyssa: "Given how they reacted to Caran asking questions, they might very well try to do something pre-emptive."

Lei_Zu: "To protect their reputation?"

Alyssa: "Precisely."

Lei_Zu: "The effect would be the same though, wouldn't it? Either way we would provoke an attack."

Alyssa: "Yes. But if you're wandering around asking nosy questions you're on their turf. They can't attack the Society directly unless they find it, so they'd have to come after us for informaton.

Alyssa: "That would be more difficult and they would be more exposed if they try it."

Lei_Zu: "It also exposes us to a higher degree."

Alyssa: "How so?"

Lei_Zu: "If I provoke a direct response, I have absolute control over their window of opportunity. Once their target disappears, they will have no way to find it again."

Alyssa: "That is a fair point."

Lei_Zu: "Whereas by necessity we will remain exposed, if they know about the society, which really is only another name for the four of us."

Alyssa: "That assumes that they know that. If the 'society' are faceless, presented by you or I in disguise, then we become contacts rather than their actual targets. Still, your approach has merit. Although I would prefer having more force available - perhaps one of Casteen's demons - if we do that."

Lei_Zu: "I'm sure he would let us borrow them."

Alyssa: "We would have to wait until tomorrow though, as I understand the procedure of summoning one."

Lei_Zu: "If we wait until tomorrow, we might be better served by letting him summon a demon to track Caran down."

Lei_Zu: "That way we will have the iniative."

Lei_Zu: "The only advantage to my idea would be, that it could be implemented immediately."

Lei_Zu: "And if they haven't killed Caran by now they aren't likely to kill him before tomorrow."

Alyssa: "I think that currently there is too much chance they might succeed and then where would we be?"

Alyssa: "We don't know enough about them."

Lei_Zu: "Yes, that is a problem."

Lei_Zu: "Maybe after our meetings with the Nitumen and then Lao Tzu we will have enough information to act upon a location found by Casteen's demon."

Alyssa: "Any information, if only what has been tried already... well, perhaps Lao Tzu can tell us that."

Lei_Zu: "Indeed. Although, if we find Caran and the choice is between getting him out quickly and waiting to gather more intelligence I favor the first option."

Lei_Zu: "He is an asset that weighs more heavily than any information we can find."

Alyssa: "Oh yes. And rescuing him is likely to reveal quite a lot in any case."

Lei_Zu: "So, we'll see what we can find out from the guild and the minister, then Casteen summons a demon to track Caran and we decide on a course of action from there. Agreed?"

Alyssa: "That seems to be the best course of action."

Alyssa: "I suppose we should also get our stories straight about the Society of the Lawgiver I invented earlier."

Lei_Zu: "Yes, that seems wise. What do you propose?"

Alyssa: "Well Lawgiver is one of the ancient names for our kind. And from what I've learned it's not uncommon for small cults honoring us to remain even after the Wyld Hunt has done its dirty work."

Lei_Zu: "I don't think we should tread to close to that, not yet."

Alyssa: "Not explicitly no, but it lays groundwork for future use if need be. For now, if asked we are upholding ideal of a founder who was 'divinely inspired'."

Alyssa: "Said ideals being, for example, elimination of those who raise the dead."

Lei_Zu: "That would work."

Alyssa: "It would be prudent to hide our faces when we meet him, even if he might recognise us anyway."

Lei_Zu: "It should be a vehicle we can use to exert influence on a level other than the personal and through means other than force."

Alyssa: "Yes. Who knows. We may wind up founding such a society in years to come."

Lei_Zu: "My thinking exactly. For now we are the only members, the inner circle so to speak, but in time we might get an outer circle as well."

Alyssa: "It is, after all, to be a secret society."

Alyssa: "To some extent it doesn't matter if Lao Tsu recognises me, since he will likely assume that I am part of the Society anyway. Misdirection. Better if he doesn't though."

Lei_Zu: "I will assume a different face and Casteen can try to hide his face."

Lei_Zu: "So, for the moment it is enough that we are dedicated to the promotion of just laws, the support of just rulers and strongly opposed to the undead. That sounds like a credible agenda, doesn't it?"

Alyssa: "Works for me."

Lei_Zu: "We will have sorcerers and godblooded in our ranks along with an implied multitude of normal people."

Alyssa: "Yes. It should be clear that we have some power at our command."

Lei_Zu: "We will need to be perceived as a group to be taken seriously, after all."

Lei_Zu grins "Very vaguely defined of course, that power."

Alyssa: "Oh yes."


Visiting the Nitumen Guild:

Kuros: OK. The letter Casteen has gets you over the Bridge. The Guildhouse is a huge, multi story first age building still in condition. It is in a district all to itself, and there are heavily armed mercenary guards everywhere. This entire area seems to belong to the Guild.

Kuros: A guide meets you, a young man in a deep purple robe, and leads you inside the Guildhouse. The halls are lit with the famous lanters, that glow without flame or smoke, and release pleasent scents into the air

Lei_Zu walks one step behind, one step to the left from Casteen

Kuros: The guide takes you to a large room, domainted by a massive, rectangular table. Seated on the far side is a man in a dark blue robe. He is extremely old, almost completely bald, and very wrinkled. He stands as you arrive, and gestures at a chair on the other side of the table.

Alyssa: Heather takes a matching position on Casteen's right

Kuros: "I don't recall issuing an invitation for your friends as well...Son of the Metal Flame, isn't it?"

Casteen looks unphased. "That it is."

Casteen remains standing as well, not approaching the chair.

Kuros: "You could simply have asked for a meeting, rather than make such a scene. We are hardly unaware of your presence to the north, or the rather interesting studies conducted there."

Casteen: "Certainly you understand that sometimes it is necessary to keep one's identity concealed for a time."

Kuros: "I understand that giving a false name won't help you if the wrong people hear you chattering about the undead and sorcerous orbs," he says snappishly.

Casteen stands silent and stoic.

Kuros: "In any case, what did you want to discuss? And you may as well sit."

Casteen moves to the chair and sits. "I am concerned about the recent happenings in the nearby villages and I am under the impression that Lantertown is at the heart of it."

Kuros: The man rubs his hand over his bald head. "And...?"

Casteen: "And I understand that little happens here that the Guild does not know about."

Kuros: He looks amused. "And why should I trust you? And what possible help could you be, in any case?"


Kuros: 7xp

Kuros: Anyway, I must go. I will see you guys next week.

Kuros: well, next Friday. 2:30PM PST