Fantasy Saga of the Seven Sins - The Second Cycle

[Lord-Leafar]

Unwilling to draw attention to himself just yet, Saif slides behind a staff member heading towards the back room, matching the steps and breathing patterns of the unsuspecting worker and cloaked by his essence, Saif is seen as nothing more than a shadow carried by a gentle breeze, slipping into the staff area the moment the doors are open, closing behind him without no one being any wiser to his intrusion.


[dice]5734[/dice]

 

[Seeker of the End]

The merchant laughs at Viktor's response, "You caught me, you caught me." He pulls out the small pendant around his neck and swings it like a pendulum. The iridescent sand glitters in the lights within , "I got this lucky trinket a little while ago. I was skeptical about it working, but it really does work. Who would have thought?" he laughs jovially before he puts the pendant back within his robe.


When Viktor manages to win the next hand his smile falters before it returns, "Not bad, not bad at all! You're pretty good at this! But the next hand is mine."


Saif on the other hands slips through the staff members like a spirit. None of them even glance his way as enters the money area. There are a few guards on station but none of them notice the Night Caste slip past them. He is alone in the main vault of the casino and it is filled the brim with currency.

 

[Sherwood]

Darian does little to involve herself in the gaming on the tables, instead she watches the crowd as she drinks a glass of wine, trying to be aware for any other disruptions in the weave of Fate that might be taking place here.

 

[Seeker of the End]

In the flood of essence Darian doesn't appear to find any large distortions of Fate around her. The crowd is mostly composed of mortals and wealthy businessmen. However there are a few Terrestrials around, some are gambling and others are acting as security guards.

 

[Random Word]

Opal quirks an eyebrow at Viktor, amused, but gathers his meaning. So the amulet lets him cheat. She briefly toys with the idea of stealing it for Viktor, but her pride is wounded - she's made money in the last few hands, but only from the other players, and has lost some of it to the merchant. As the merchant announces his 'lucky charm' and the cards are laid on the table for the latest hand, Opal is doubly incensed to note that Viktor has won. When did he become so good at - Oh, money.





Throughout the game she has been moving with a speed that defies reason to intercept cards as they slid along the table from the dealer to each of the players, swapping them almost instantly with a card in her hand and then back again in the blink of an eye. In this way she knew the hands of the players nearest her consistently, and was careful to only occasionally steal a high card to avoid suspicion. On hands she knew she could not win, she would instead make her best cards vanish into Elsewhere, carefully concealing that she was returning too few cards to the dealer. Now she had quite a stock of excellent cards, and though she couldn't prevent the merchant's excellent luck, she was confident she had now made her own. She would take that man for everything he had, or she wasn't the best cheater to attend one of Plentimon's grand tournaments in the Age of Sorrows.

Spoiler

Using Instinctive Dexterity Unity for a free 6m Dex Ex, and 2m for Many-Pockets Meditation.


[dice]5735[/dice]


Nope, I give up. His artefact is too good ( ).

 

[Seeker of the End]

Somehow Opal's cheating has not managed to get past the merchant's insane luck and he wins the hand... again. He laughs heartily as he takes the chips on the table, completely oblivious that Opal had cheated throughout the entire game. She would have better luck just stealing the thing from the merchant's neck than win against him in cards. But she is setting up for his eventual loss.

 

[WarDragon]

"Indeed I am," Viktor says immodestly. "I have what one might call a natural attraction for wealth. Skill is much more reliable than luck, is it not?" He shuffles his cards, not even looking at his opponent. "Still, I am somewhat curious; wherever did you find such a bauble? It is pretty enough, even if it is not quite so large an advantage as you thought."


He knows that getting under an opponent's skin is half the game, and his eyes gleam with the thrill of the hunt. Not to mention a bit of admiration at Opal's smoothness; if he weren't watching through the eyes of Titan, he'd never spot her.


Sadly, it seems that luck can occasionally overcome skill.

Spoiler

[dice]5750[/dice]Bah, only six successes this time.


Would it be possible for Opal and I to coordinate without drawing attention to it, to gang up on him so to speak?

 

[Seeker of the End]

The merchant chuckles as he takes the next set of chips uncontested, "I'm afraid I can't tell you! I've gotten pretty luck for a while, maybe you'll get lucky by hanging around me!"

 

[Random Word]

Opal triumphantly flips her hand face up to reveal the Court of the Empress, certain she's finally bested this obnoxiously lucky oaf on a decisive pool, only to let out a strangled cry of dismay as he overturns the Five Dragons Ascending, the strongest possible hand. Her palm slams down beside her hand causing all the cards on the table to jump, fingers curling in rage, barely restrained essence forming tiny moonsilver claws which tear through the fabric of the table before she regains her composure. She compliments the merchant with a smile and a bow of her head as the croupier pushes the stack of tokens towards him, "Well played," her voice slightly strained. The odds of assembling that hand given the cards played were... well, it clearly didn't matter. She would just have to ensure she was the only one with any cards capable of forming a perfect hand. Under the table she summons from Elsewhere the Factor in the Glass Tower between her fingers and slits its throat before dropping it edge down to balance on her toe, kicking it under the table to land on Viktor's lap. She didn't need that card, anyway.


All but abandoning pretenses or any attempt to avoid being caught, Opal begins taking every good card which passes within her reach, replacing them with the least useful cards she has accumulated, determined to build the Five Dragons Ascending. Should both of them somehow play the Five Dragons Ascending everyone will know someone is cheating; only one such set exists in the deck. Having acquired the cards she needs after several hands, she pushes all of her chips - a pile only half the size of his - into the center with a dramatic flourish, "All in. Your move." She stares dead into the merchant's eyes with one eyebrow raised provocatively and a disturbingly intense fire in her own carefully calculated to convince him she's at her wits end and playing recklessly, daring him to call her bluff. It isn't a hard look for her to pull off.


She will not lose to a mortal.

Spoiler

The usual, with a two die penalty for having failed this test twice already. Channelling Conviction to partially cancel that out.


Dex 12 + Larceny 6 + Essence 6 + Stunt 2 + Conviction 3 - Retries 2 = 27


[dice]5760[/dice]


To convince him to go All In with me:


Manipulation 6 + Socialize 6 + Stunt 2 = 14


[dice]5761[/dice]

 

[Sherwood]

Darian slowly drifts along until she is moving along right behind Opal. In a soft voice that somehow still seems to carry, she muses, "Hmmm. It seems you are second best at more than just one thing. Tisk tisk."

 

[WarDragon]

"Let us make this even more interesting." Viktor pushes his own chips into the middle of the table with Opal's. "Add my bet to the lady's. I can afford to buy a round if need be, but this is simply too fascinating. I believe with my victory last round, that is more than you have at the moment... unless you have something else you could add to the pot?"


Viktor's tone leaves no doubt as to what he means. He uses the distraction to pocket the card she flipped him, his avaricious essence wrestling invisibly with that of the amulet... on Opal's behalf rather than his own, flowing down the link between their souls.

Spoiler

Since Seeker said there's no way she can't win, I won't bother rolling. Just edging things up a bit.

 

[Seeker of the End]

The Merchant's face reddens at the sudden bravado of Opal's goading before he growls, "Fine then." He shoves all of his chips as well as a few precious gems and other items to make up the cost. He does keep the amulet on though. When the hands are revealed his face is bright red in rage and he swears venomously. He has lost all of his riches, and is literally peniless in the game.


"Damned bitch," he swears, "Did that damned blue-haired scumbag put you up to this?!" he shouts, "Is he trying to cheat me out of even more money?! First this damned piece of junk and now this?!" He tears the amulet off of him and throws it at Opal. "Take the damn thing, it's more trouble than it's worth. I hope that blasted trinket sends you to Malfeas," he snarls and leaves with his concubines and guardsmen in tow.

 

[Random Word]

As the chips are pushed towards her, Opal makes a rude gesture at Darian without turning. "It can be challenging for the unskilled to spot a master at work," she laments, self satisfied. She snatches the amulet in midair and examines it briefly, then reaches up to stretch luxuriously, tipping her chair backwards and causing the nearest bodyguard to come up short. Her hand almost brushes the temple of the passing merchant, concentrating on getting her fingers to snatch the instance she wants, drawing a tiny silver thread from his mind and into the weave of her glove faster than the mortal eye could follow.

Spoiler

Wits+Larceny+Essence+6m 1st Wits Excellency vs Merchant's MDV to pilfer his memory of receiving the amulet.


[dice]5793[/dice]


She ignores the scowling bodyguard and turns to Darian's retreating form, "Care for a game, darling? I'll let you pick the stakes. I bet you'd love to see me get down on my knees and apologize any way you like," she taunts, "Or you could admit I'm the best card player in Creation and you don't stand an Immaculate's chance in Malfeas." She tosses the amulet to Viktor, smiling serenely, already having forgotten the pile of tokens and gems on the table.

 

[WarDragon]

Viktor catches the amulet with a covetous smile, and gestures for one of his mortal guards to gather up the rest of her winnings. "Thank you, my dear, you are ever thoughtful. As for you... stop." Flickers of green fire race from his eyes and crown his head as he commands the merchant.


"Being a sore loser is a mark of poor breeding. You were outwitted and and outplayed; if you were any sort of man, you would accept it and learn from it. I was thinking of making you a business offer after the game, but that opportunity has flown. Not that I should be surprised... merely disappointed. However, I must insist that you apologize to her. Now. And what 'blue-haired scumbag' do you refer to? As for Malfeas... I've already been. It's quite nice this time of year, but I do not see myself returning any time soon."

Spoiler

Anything I phrase as a command is UMI, which is why I'm careful to avoid doing so with allies. Bolded as a reminder.


Only three successes, but Appearance 4 should help... if the implied threat counts as instilling fear, I'll also turn on Heart-Wracking Countenance.


[dice]5800[/dice]

 

[Sherwood]

Darian raises an eyebrow at Opal. "No need for us to play cards; after all, I've already beaten you in the most important way possible. Anything else is just icing on a very delicious cake. Unless, your need to be on your knees in front of me is that powerful, we can talk about it later, my dear."

 

[Random Word]

Opal's eyes narrow and her cheeks colour, uncomprehending but suspicious. "Don't flatter yourself, Darian," she replies dismissively, absentmindedly performing tricks with the cards in her hands to work out her tension. I promised Viktor I wouldn't hit her. I promised Viktor I wouldn't hit her. "You wouldn't have the faintest idea what to do if I did," she mutters under her breath, Although I might have a few, then, louder, "You won't play because you know I'm better than you at everything," she calls, her composure and self-assurance restored, "With the possible exception of being insufferably obnoxious. I will grudgingly admit that may be a tie. You couldn't possibly have already defeated me, let alone at anything of consequence," she laughs derisively.

 

[Lord-Leafar]

[QUOTE="Seeker of the End]Saif on the other hands slips through the staff members like a spirit. None of them even glance his way as enters the money area. There are a few guards on station but none of them notice the Night Caste slip past them. He is alone in the main vault of the casino and it is filled the brim with currency.

[/QUOTE]
Inside the money area, Saif pays close attention to any comments made by the staff members behind closed doors, particularly to any mention of Trasti Marlon, or his whereabouts. Disappointed by Marlon's absence in this casino, he waits for a single worker to get into the room, silenced by the walls of the vault, Saif prepares himself to surprise the unaware casino staff.

Spoiler

Basically what I want to do is to get any info on Marlon, if no one says anything about him, or I can't find any clues as to where he is, I'll rough a worker up to get the info, leave them unconscious and follow any clues I can get from them.

 

[Seeker of the End]

Viktor's words stop the Merchant dead in his tracks. He stiffly turns around and grits his teeth, "...I'm... sorry for my behavior towards you." it is clear that he hates the fact that he had to even say those words. He storms off without saying another word. But Viktor realizes that the 'blue-haired scumbag' could be referring to Marlon since he had some blue streaks in his hair he last time he saw them.


It seems that nobody knows where Marlon is right now, which not surprising since a few people want him dead or assassinated in order to secure a spot as one of the most power people in Gem. House divides are quite strong in this part of the south, and it shows.


Opal peers into the memory of the merchant, how he received the amulet is now clear.

Spoiler

Opal sees the merchant and a blue-haired man in a private room. The blue haired man carries a staff with a large hourglass at the head. It is filled with the sand within the amulet and radiates something that you cannot discern from the memory alone. The man, who is addressed as Trasti Marlon offers the merchant a deal. In return for an amulet that would grant him unparalleled wealth, he would have to pay half of his earnings to Marlon directly. When the merchant begrudgingly agrees, Marlon hands over the amulet that she just won from him.

 

[WarDragon]

"I do despise people who refuse to know their own limitations, don't you agree?" Viktor is sorely tempted to give the man a more... forceful send-off, but word might get back to his real quarry of just what is stalking him. Still... setting out a bit of bait couldn't hurt.


After cashing in their winnings, he asks (or rather, insists) to speak with whomever is in charge of the casino. "I would ask that you pass on a message to your employer, Trasti Marlon, for me. I would have him know that an old acquaintance of his, who is now a Merchant Prince of the Guild, wishes to involve him in a most profitable venture. I shall be at the tournament tomorrow if he wishes to speak with me there, or else he can send me a message at his convenience, via my factor in town." He leaves them the address, which is indeed that of a Guild merchant in good standing... and a part of Viktor's own spy network.

 

[Random Word]

Opal steps up behind Viktor and whispers quietly in his ear, [Old Realm] "He has a staff which mass produces these amulets or things like them. He's distributing them in exchange for half the profits. He'll be wealthier than the Despot in weeks."

 

[WarDragon]

He replies in a low voice, in the same language. "Yes... I suspected something along those lines. Trasti Marlon overreaches himself badly... if I am right, he still only scratches the surface. We need to get it from him before he digs any more deeply."

 

[Rykon]

Renost walked up to interject "Should we dispose of these folks then? Or let them cause more of a disruption in local affairs for us to take advantage of?"

 

[WarDragon]

"Those fools?" Viktor gestures towards the departing merchant and his entourage. "They are of no consequence now. As for disruption... Renost, you have not yet begin to see disruption," he says with a small smile that does not reach his eyes. "But that which Marlon holds may be more valuable than the rest of the city together... I must find a way to reach him. I propose that we lay low for just a short while longer, until the tournament tomorrow; that is likely our best chance. Come, let us be away from here... and tell me, are any of your students in need of financial support?"

 

[Rykon]

"Are you kidding? I can just possess his door and beat him to death with it, or even possess his waiting staff and poison him. I could probably get this done within two hours alone... And no, they are well equipped by mortal standards."

 

[WarDragon]

"No!" Viktor has the social grace to look slightly embarrassed at his snap. "My apologies. There is... an old score to settle between Marlon and myself. He offered my family a grave insult, many years ago, and I want him to know that it was Viktor von Drakholdt who is behind his downfall... and by preference to look him in the eye when I do."


"But, if you can find where the paranoid rat is hiding, and lead me to him, I would gladly accept such aid."