Graded [Schal Town] - Schal's 11

[Novama]

Mentions: NeramoDJI Sisyphus Happy NebulaBlossom
OOC: Post in whatever order you like and rp among each other to finalize the plan and/or ask questions of John
Time: 7pm
Weather: Light Rain, Cool but not cold, cloudy

Intro​

This chapter in Isekai Hell will chronicle the efforts of Zeke, Liu, and Loke (among others who may join the rp later) as they attempt to assist some beach sailors reclaim their ship and sail out of the port of Schal. Zeke will get the asset of a river boat and crew to man it if the rp is successful. Any who help him are unlikely to get more than bounties on their heads and a ship bunk or hammock to lay their head so long as they stay with Zeke.

The town of Schal is a western town in the Eastern Empire next to the Glattzdan Hills that make up Ryke's eastern border. Not far from hill nor river with ocean access, they have want for little. The plains surrounding their village on both sides also houses one of the largest tree farms in the world. While the trees do not grow to the height of World Trees, they get particularly tall and fast, providing the town wood enough for its namesake: Schal the River Boat Town. The town is not literally a collection of riverboats, but they are one of the largest produces of river boats in the empire. Despite the modest size of the town, they export ships aplenty and regularly get visits from traders looking to purchase a ship for their business. To keep up with the demand, most of the adults in the town are either caretakers of the trees, boat carpenters, or serpent handlers. Another standout for the village of Schal is their domestication and use of giant tree snakes to assist them in their lumber production and ship building. The last thing of note in the town was that everyone was particularly fit. There were no overweight people in the entire town. Not unusual for the times, but that they were fit on top of it show a people that prided themselves on excellence.

Zeke and others would find themselves in a back private room of one DillWeed Tavern. Squeezed into the room with them were the officers of one CrestStrutter, a river boat until recently used for merchant trading all along the east coast. For reasons up to them, Zeke and companions found themselves in the tavern and overheard the plight of the crew of the CrestStrutter. Turns out that some tax changes had swept through the town's harbors. In order to dock at any harbor, one had to a pay a tax in Empire coin up to a percentage of cargo. Those who cannot pay would have their ship seized. It was obvious the suddenly law change was an effort by someone to oppress or take advantage of the smaller merchants. Despite the obvious intent behind the law, the crew of the CrestStrutter were caught unawares and had already docked their boat. Port authorities quickly moved in to seize the boat and her assets. While the crew immediately complied, the merchant captain threw a fit that was audible to all on the docks that day. The port authorities then deemed his resistance to lawful seizure a form of piracy and executed him on the spot.

With their home confiscated and their captain dead, the crew barely had the means to stick together, much less travel the hundreds of miles back to their homes. Zeke and the others would agree to help the crew get their ship back in exchange for letting Zeke be the new captain. The men lacked purpose and didn't mind the details much so long as they got to keep sailing. The plan was relatively simple: sneak into the boat warehouse they were keeping their boat docked until it and its goods could be processed. Then sail the boat away from Schal and not look back. The snag was the warehouse and the docs were crawling with dock workers and guards at all hours of the day. The crew and party would need to come up with a suitable distraction to create an opening to steal back the ship or they would need enough firepower to go in their and take back the ship regardless the opposition.

On the table in front of everyone was a rough map of Schal. It was an interior room so the party would need to be mindful of eavesdroppers as they made their plan. They also only had enough oil left in the lamp to quickly come to a consensus or be left in the dark. The tavernkeeper didn't fancy a bunch of men and a few oddballs holing up in one of this nice meeting rooms for too long. The room smelled of the fish stew getting served that evening.

John, a middle aged human that looked like he was cut from a stone and then tanned in the sun till golden brown, pointed out some information based on what they saw and knew of the area. His voice was deep and stern. His muscled finger was dirtied with charcoal as he pointed out the districts and the warehouse the CrestStrutter was stored in. According to John, the boat was housed in a warehouse on the most eastern part of town on the west bank of the Nefza river and was part of the East Gate District. The warehouses in the area were packed. It would potentially take a little effort just finding the boat and making it able to ship out.

​

 

[NeramoDJI]

Zeke "Mors" Valdain
​

Zeke was not one to do altruistic things typically. However, when an opportunity presented itself, he wouldn't refuse to take it. With what little a crew he had, he would need to make do. He would rather have a crew of Zebesians with him like the old days, but he supposed this was how things went. "Alright, so this is where the general area of the ship is then." He said in a hushed voice, gesturing to the warehouse sections. "So the main prospect of the plan needs to be luring the guards away from the vicinity. Hope you fellows have some methodology to blow something up." He said, that being his first and foremost plan to get things done. Create a crisis to draw guards away from the docks to give them a way in. The other method required a thief, which at the current moment, they didn't exactly have. The other option being overwhelming force, and he was down his current favorite bowman, which puts that plan out. "I don't like not knowing the exact spot our vessel is in, so the first step is finding that. But crooked guards are hard to come by with this title nonsense. And we don't currently have someone who can sneak in through such watchmen." Zeke continued along, remaining quiet as he could while remaining audible to those in the room.

"So instead, this will be a matter of finding some way to cause an issue. Causing a scene involving any number of us won't work so well, we saw that from your poor captain. They'll either lock us up or execute us on the spot." He assumed, looking to the group for any correction or contradictions for what he has said so far. "My personal favorite would be some method of explosion. Another method would be one of us going and untying those boats to cause a stir, shouting up a storm of pirates or something." He said, humming to himself. "I'm open to any suggestions here as well, I take the council of my crew. To an extent." He added afterwards, couldn't be too soft on the crew lest they get ideas of mutiny after. Course, didn't seem like this lot would have any plans like that, seeing as they just want the ability to sail, and he could provide that in spades.

 

[NebulaBlossom]

Loke had come to Schal looking for something new and he certainly found it. The idea of joining a heist and then sailing the seas was way more than he ever thought he’d stumble into. Dying his hair brown temporarily was already paying off. Maybe he should look into some illusion spells to make things easier in the future.

He listened carefully to Zeke’s plan, this man obviously had experience as a leader. His two ideas made sense though the first one seemed the most likely to work in his opinion. “If explosives are an option, it would definitely cause the biggest commotion and wouldn’t risk having someone getting pulled aside for interrogation.” Loke tapped his chin in thought. “That being said, I myself am a dedicated healer. While I can’t add much to the explosive side, I can go with that team just in case someone needs emergency treatment.”

He had always been quick to market his abilities and right now seemed like a good time to be sharing that information. Loke definitely didn’t want to be on the riskier side of the job but it would make the most sense to put a healer with that group.

 

[Sisyphus Happy]

One hardly gets to experience how little space a skeleton really takes up. Most of it is fresh air once all the meat is removed. Rivaling this uncanny discovery was the level of perspective Liu was able to muster once he thought for but a moment about his situation. Their muffled voices filtered past Zeke's shoulders and into a surprisingly small rucksack nearby. The femur of an elf is long but not too long to hide among camping supplies and rations. Impelled by reason and a rather impotent common sense, he thought "why not just work until you can buy a ship?" in a fit of servility brought about by his newfound longevity. It jarred him suddenly how much a person is driven to do by their impermanence, and remembered faintly some stories about immortal people. Most of them were people of ambition who were rewarded by heaven for their great efforts. The irony is, if you live forever you can always get to it later. Here he is, able to get to it later, and he's about to be dragged into a heist. Silently, his bones rested in that sack while two came to the agreement that explosives are a most favorable option.

As for his opinion, he remained silent. What would they make of a talking sack? Probably nothing to his benefit. Sailors are a supserstitious coterie on earth. On second thought, in a world where magic is really real, perhaps they're all scientists. Nonetheless, Liu kept his musings to himself. Hopefully some time in the next hour he would be able to "parley" with Zeke. Perhaps he, if he were lucky, would be able to "flesh out" this "skeleton" of a plan... While marinating in his amusement, he continued to listen.

 

[Novama]

Mentions: NeramoDJI Sisyphus Happy NebulaBlossom GR00s
OOC: Planning will go on until you guys signal to me you are ready to move out
Time: 7:10pm
Weather: Light Rain, Cool but not cold, cloudy

DillWeed Tavern Private Room​

John and the officer sailors with him quietly considered the proposal. A few shook there heads. One or two put forward suggestions. John eventually nodded and spoke on behalf of the crew, his deep voice unintentionally commanding the ears of all in attendance,

"We are merchant sailors until recently. We do not have the access nor knowing of proper use for explosives. We have heard of such things occasionally, but not in relation to anything we could find in the harbor. However, we do know of fire. A lot easier to start and create in controlled amounts. The boys feel more comfortably committing some arson than potentially blowing up some bystanders also. We noted as we went through the town that several of the buildings are water proofed with a special pitch. The stuff lights easily and coats most the buildings in the harbor. Would be easy to get a big blaze going with enough effort. Should keep those in the harbor occupied bailing out buildings with water while others snoop around the warehouses. Once the fires are noticed, though, it'll be hard to keep up the distraction without getting caught. Depending on the mages they have about, the fires may not last long neither."

John laid it out for Zeke and others in hopes some of it may help them make a decision or develop the plan further.

 

[NeramoDJI]

Zeke gave the slightest twitch at all the bemoaning of innocents in crossfire. He realized things wouldn't be so easy as his last life. He supposed that collateral damage of a living nature was an obstacle to be avoided this time around, rather than a method to use. Though considering the types he was dealing with who were opposing him, it wouldn't have been a fruitful option anyways. "Well, seeing as what they did to sailors who told em no, I doubt they'll be too up in arms to spare all their men to put out home fires. Instead, we gotta go for something a little closer to home. And being a greedy son of a gun myself, I understand exactly where we gotta set fire." He whispered to those around, a grin creasing his lips. "We go for the storehouses. Trade centers, bakeries. Anything that produces something they value tradin. Lives mean nothin to folks like them, but goods and coin? That they'll spare no expense to save. And seeing as metal coin ain't too flammable, we'll have to settle with what we got." He said, gesturing to the map. "You got any idea where goods would be stored or traded?" He asked, giving a look to the man who seemed to have the lay of the land.

"As for mages... It's rather unfortunate they exist." He said, his more verbose vocabulary coming out once he'd gotten out of the pirating mindset. "What I wouldn't trade for my armored archer to take a few of em out. But for now we'll make do with what little time we can buy with the plan, once we iron it out further." He nodded to the two healers, looking around. "Now, if my plan goes the way I'm hopin, we won't be needing your services this time around, but it's good to know you're here with us." He was going to conveniently leave out the part about them being stuck with them after this, since he didn't want to spur away any of the helping hands he had.

 

[NebulaBlossom]

Loke remained silent. If he was staying in an area, innocent people getting hurt just meant a bigger payday later. It seemed Zeke would be the easiest to get along with going forwards but he certainly didn’t want to make enemies. The other healer could be a problem for him. Her hesitance to put innocents in danger gave him a feeling that she may not see healing as a marketable skill. Perhaps he should have a chat with her sometime about that.

His focus turned to John. The man was speaking for the whole crew and seemed to know the area. Setting fire to the businesses would have to do as a distractions Though if mages were around, it wouldn’t buy them a lot of time. For now, he’d wait to hear his assignment from Zeke.

 

[Weesnaw]

With his entire appearance hidden behind a hooded cloak, Percy silently listened to whatever planning the group would come up with. He was self-serving and not the least bit proactive. The idea of a heist was definitely profitable, and given the nature of his race, Percy wasn't in the position to be choosy with the company he was with. With these considered, he was left with no choice but to speak up.

"You mentioned needing a thief before?" Seated on the floor, with his back against the wall, Percy's dull voice joined in the conversation. "Look no further. I'm your guy." Getting up on his feet, despite his unimpressive height, Percy stepped forward, offering his talents to the ragtag crew assembled before him. "Quiet as a mouse and slippery as an oiled up potato. What do you need me to do?"

 

[Sisyphus Happy]

Liu shifted minutely in the bag. That is to say, the central bundle of all of his long bones slipped near imperceptibly, the loose ribs and vertebra wiggled in their scattered positions. Though none them touched the sides or would be visible looking down the neck of the bag from the top, they were scattered randomly, mixed with a bunch of mundane supplies. Staying in such an enclosed space for such a long time began to wear on him physically, even through the doldrums of being dead. Even in the ersatz of life he could not help but wish for this conversation to end already. He would have to bother Zeke later about getting him some clothing to wear.

Half listening, Liu commented inwardly that even a tiny explosion is alarming whereas a fire can grow to consume an entire city. He also commented inwardly that this world might not have explosives that are sophisticated enough to deliver the clean shockwave in a way that would prevent a fire from breaking out. Since he wasn't actually part of the conversation, he spared the isuse no more thought and went back to listening/half sulking in his little fabric jail.

 

[Weazel]

Izaak
The DillWeed. Interactions: Novama NeramoDJI Sisyphus Happy GR00s NebulaBlossom Weesnaw

Well, he’d done it. Crossed the mountains out of Ryke, and into Imperial territory. That had been an adventure and a half in and of itself, not least because of the dragon he’d met and then tended for during the journey! Honestly, worrying about Hink had become something of a pastime for the Wolfen. Though, it wasn’t like a dragon could easily enter a human settlement like Schal, and Vlad, Hink’s Goblin savior, would likely have had just as much an issue, if not more! So, at the moment at least, Izaak was alone, getting his first impression of the Empire.

And what an impression it was. He hadn’t been in Schal for more than an hour before he witnessed the summary execution of the Captain of a river vessel when he protested the seizure of his ship following a sudden change in local law. Izaak was many things, but stupid wasn’t one of them. He recognized a shakedown when he saw it. There likely wouldn’t be any more protests after that display. Not like Izaak was going to make a stink about it anyway. Unlike Ryke, which hid its human superiority attitude under a veneer of equal opportunity, the Empire was quite happy to tell him where he stood in their eyes.

He’d picked up an overcoat and scarf, in addition to his usual cold weather coat and pants. All together it left him a bit uncomfortably warm, but so long as he kept the hood up and stayed out of people’s way, no one made an issue of his species. As a passerby in a random port town, the anonymity really helped him get around without notice. But while he’d taken strides to keep himself invisible, the suddenly stranded former crew of the merchant ship had not. He’d ended up tailing them to a local tavern, the DillWeed, where some of her remaining crew and a party of sympathetic ears had holed themselves up in one of the meeting rooms in the back.

The leader of the little gang dressed in a matter that screamed ‘pirate’ from the rooftops. Or maybe Izaak had just ready too many books. So far as Izaak could tell, the pirate had been traveling with another human who looked to be much less extra in his matter of dress, at least. They had since been joined by a silver haired woman, and finally by a small, similarly cloaked figure. From what bits of the conversation he’d managed to pick up from outside the meeting room – even with the door muffling and the group doing their best not to raise their voices too loud, his ears were good enough to pick up a few snippets - it seemed like the group was trying to plan how to cause a big enough distraction to get the guards’ attention long enough to recapture the stolen ship. In particular, talk about causing an explosion and setting fire to places were goods were produced and stored jumped out at him.

No time like the present then. The Wolfen took a deep breath, steadied himself, and entered the room.

“If an explosion is what you’re looking for, a bakery – or some kind of flour storehouse or granary – is your best bet,” he said, as he closed the door behind him, “any left over powder floating in the air will catch quick, you could blow the roof off a mill that way if you had enough of it. Sorry, couldn’t help but overhearing, and, uh, I saw what happened at the docks earlier.”

He paused, awkwardly, to tug a little at the bowstring of the bow strung over his shoulder. “If you need an extra pair of hands, I’d be happy to offer mine. Long as we make sure no one gets hurt if we can avoid it.”

Property could be replaced, and buildings could be rebuilt, but any life ended would not be so easily recovered.

 

[Novama]

Mentions: NeramoDJI Sisyphus Happy NebulaBlossom GR00s Weazel Weesnaw
OOC: Planning will go on until you guys signal to me you are ready to move out
Time: 7:20pm
Weather: Light Rain, Cool but not cold, cloudy

DillWeed Tavern Private Room​

In response to Zeke's question, John's brow furrowed as he thought and considered. A weather and work worn finger then points out the very area their boat was likely to be and their operation.

"Here. I get what you are saying, but unfortunately, the main piers for receiving and off loading goods is where our boat is being held. If we draw too much attention to this area, not only will we risk damaging our own boat, but we would not likely reduce the number of men there for the duration of the commotion. We don't know much about grain silos or bakeries. This town isn't exactly known for those things as much as boats, trees, and snakes."

Some of the crew behind John were growing anxious with the talks. Some gave side glances to the strangers of the group: Izaak and Percy. Not all of the crew of the CrestStrutter were human, but most were the passing sort that could hide ears or tail as needed. The human ones were Empire natives though and certain things were ingrained at this point in life.

 

[NeramoDJI]

Zeke began to hum a little, walking over to the person who had walked in and closing the door behind them. "Leave the door the way you found it." He said simply, walking back to the table. "So, no go on the burning goods then..." He said with a hum, looking over the map. "The mayor's house is a runner up. Maybe the houses around. We can't particularly take chances with the ship being damaged, so we'll be going for this area instead." He said, switching his target to the more affluent section of the town, thinking the rich folk would be ones to summon guards to their aid. "It'll be guarded to say the least, but we can try for one big hit before we run." He said, humming to himself slowly. "Chances are all these fancy folk have some way to get out, so no fatalities, but we'll be getting the panic we want."

He then turned to the self proclaimed thief, nodding a moment. "Well, if you're as good as you say you are, we'll need you to find out where the ship is. I want to know the exact spot we gotta go before we get there, and if they have anything locking the ship down beyond the anchor and tie it down. Even a split second wasted searching could mean this whole operation could go south." He explained, looking at the thief. "As for the rest of you lot, we'll be throwing the flames all together, but scattered so we don't make a big target. We'll regroup at the ship, and set off from there." He looked towards John once more. "Any holes in the plan so far?" He asked, seeing as John seemed to have most information about the area to fact check what he'd been saying so far. "And before I get ahead of myself, we'll need to be throwing the torches and flames through windows. The outsides of the buildings have a large chance of not catching with the rain out like it is." Through his entire talk, he'd been keeping sure to keep a hushed voice, so as to prevent any further eavesdropping. "Oy, new lad, watch the door." He said, looking towards Isaac. "I don't want any other unwanted ears. You're already in, but I'd rather not be risking someone who ain't in."

 

[NebulaBlossom]

Loke looked back over the map. “So, now we’ve got our targets. I suppose for safety, splitting off into pairs would be the best idea. Everyone has someone to watch their back in the event something gets dicey.” He kept his voice low, especially now that they had a confirmed eavesdropper. They really needed to wrap this up before they got more interruptions. The thief would certainly help but this newcomer who just walked in the door seemed iffy.

In all likelihood, he’d be put on torch throwing duty. That was… fine though if he was being honest, he’d prefer to be closer to the ship. It would be easier to avoid getting caught that way. He looked over to Zeke, the seeming de facto Captain of the group. “You’ve got leadership experience so I’ll trust that. Just tell me where you need me and I’ll go. Healing likely won’t be needed in this unless there’s an accident somewhere.”

In healing, he was in competition with the woman so he had to prove he’d be useful in other ways. Life was about marketing yourself to snag opportunities. If he wanted this chance at adventure, he’d have to take it himself.

 

[Sisyphus Happy]

Liu's fortitude and even-keel disposition were well known in his time elsewhere, while alive. However, something about being tucked neatly into a bag made him impatient. He began working his jaw in the bag, in which his skull occupied the center of all the blankets and other bones, until his face was pointed more upward. Though it was still not visible from the top, as mentioned before there were a number of blankets and banal supplies obscuring his presence, he would be in ready position to talk to someone if they moved some supplies aside with ready knowledge of the skull within. Meanwhile, his boney index finger began inching its way downward through the bag. Covertly burrowing through supplies and past miscellaneous objects, it eventually reached the floor of the bag, where the only thing between his finger and the floorboards would be the fabric of the bag.

Once there, he began scraching on the floor lightly and vehemently, so as to mimic the sound of a rat scrambling about on the floor. It was expressive and brief, and he even tapered the sound a little so that one might interpret the creature fleeing after ruckus. The hope was that Zeke's attention would be called to the bag. A rat in a dingy tavern is not so strange -- unless right nearby where the brief and chaotic sound came from was the rucksack containing the moiety of your crewmember was being held.

 

[Weazel]

Well, someone was certainly paranoid. Despite the fact that Izaak had very clearly already closed the door, there went Mr. Pirate to push on it just to make sure. Well, whatever made him settle, the Wolfen supposed. In fact, Izaak leaned against the door for good measure, using his larger size to hold it closed and better muffle any sound the others might be making. Though at this point, the Wolfen was already not liking what he was hearing. Rather than targeting industrial centers and trade storehouses that they could be reasonably assured were closed up and empty for the evening, the pirate was now suggesting targeting people’s homes – with them likely still inside!

The next person to speak up, distressingly enough, seemed a-okay with that course of action! Even worse, they seemed to imply they had some medicinal talent, and despite this training, seemed more than willing to risk endangering people’s lives if that’s what the pirate deemed it necessary. Izaak would have hoped that someone who was trained to care for people would hold their lives in greater value.

“Now, hold on a second!” Izaak said from his place by the door, before he heard the sound of scratching. His eyes drifted in the direction the sound was coming from – something trying to get into the pirate’s bag? He couldn’t see anything, and the bag wasn’t exactly moving, either. Under the floorboards? As quickly as the sound started it tapered off. Ominous…

Izaak shook his head, recollecting his train of thought, and lowered his voice so it wouldn’t so easily be heard by anyone outside the room, “Going after people’s homes… If someone gets hurt – or worse – because of this plan, we’re no better than the ship stealing bastards who started this.”

 

[Novama]

Mentions: NeramoDJI Sisyphus Happy NebulaBlossom GR00s Weazel Weesnaw
OOC: Folks can post multiple times per round. just not back to back with themselves. Combat or tense movements are exception. I'll mention when those are.
Time: 8:00pm
Weather: Light Rain, Cool but not cold, cloudy dark

DillWeed Tavern Private Room​

After reminding Zeke they were traders and not locals, John took another hard look at the map and quietly spoke a few words to the men with him at his back. He nodded his head in agreement and shared with the rest of the table,

"We believe this whole thing smells of a bad deal. We know too little and assume too much. Let us explore the town some and get the answers we need. Where's our ship? What places are most likely to draw attention if something were to happen there? Whatever else we can find useful too."

John was very matter o fact. His age and confidence in his tone gave off the impression this wasn't that much different from another thursday for him and his boys. Before too much more could be debated, the large innkeeper opened the door suddenly whether anyone wanted it open or not.

"Alright, boys. You've had the room to yourselves long enough. Time to clear out,"

His voice boomed. Behind him was a small entourage of better dressed men. Their fingers had a few gems that shimmered when they caught lantern light. While the innkeeper looked like he would take no protests and was large enough to tussle with John, the fancy men looked like they were dealing with nothing but hardship and only keeping complaints down for the moment.

Party members that stay may be in for a fight.

Party members that leave can either bed for the night or start exploring the town as they see fit.

 

[NeramoDJI]

Zeke began to roll his shoulders, looking at the rest of the crew and nodding. "Alright then. We've taken up this lads room for long enough lads, lets set out for now." He said, deciding it would be best to avoid anything that would attract unnecessary attention, and knowing that starting a fight in an inn would paint a target on his back brighter than the sun. "We'll get to our business tomorrow lads." He told the others, stepping out. He looked at Izaak, rolling his shoulders. "We'll talk about our little disagreement in the room." He said, looking back to the rest of the crew. "You all get some rest." He said simply, walking towards the inn keeper. "How much is it for a room for the night? A sleepin room, not a meetin room." He asked, figuring he'd just sleep for the night and deal with things in the morning.

However, realizing the tapping was happening, he quickly ran back, grabbing the bag that contained Liu, planning on taking it back to the room he would get to give the skeleton some breathing room and listen to what he had to say. He began to grab that bag and the other he had that contained his food and belongings, walking back out of the meeting room. He took note of the men behind the man, figuring they might be worth keeping an eye on. Those gems in particular were very nice looking and could probably fetch a pretty penny. Of course, that would net him a criminal title, which meant if he was going to try and take them, it would need to be worth it, and as such he decided to Appraise one to get an idea of the pack.

[Appraise] Used

 

[NebulaBlossom]

Loke moved and grabbed his bag. They’d have to continue another time. Oh well, he could go take a look around the town and see if he spotted anything useful. His first priority would be to get a room first so he could leave his bags behind.

“I’d like to get a room for the night as well.” He looked towards the innkeeper, stepping out of the way of the suits. It wouldn’t benefit anyone for trouble to start here so they’d all need to lay low.

Loke noted how the other healer was quick to leave. If she didn’t come back for the continuation of their meeting, that suited him perfectly. Being the only healer had its perks. Though and Izaak might end up having disagreements later but that was going to be a problem for another time.

 

[Sisyphus Happy]

Liu felt himself lifted from the ground. Without any lungs he couldn't breathe a sigh of relief. Once in the room, a dingy corner unit with gnarled floorboards, uneven and with a curving grain which stood out in the weak sallow light of an oil lantern, he began wiggling his way out of the bag. The sack shuddered and tipped, spilling out an old utility knife and a tinderbox, a corner of the blanket within spilled out along with hundreds of tiny white bits. Bones clattered across the floor, spinning, rolling, sliding across the sunken-in whorls in the dessicated wood. Everything settled and for a moment there was stillness before the bones quivered, all at once as though drawn along by one string, they began to skitter and revolve around each other, a hand formed from the scattered bones, and then another, palm down on the wood. The blanket hanging out of that old sack lurched and the two forearms formed, positioned to brace a yet unseen upper arm and torso. In this manner, a full skeleton assembled itself on its hands and knees, a dull ivory white in the sepia light of the room.

The whole skeleton showed up to play -- except for the head. Impotent, the skeleton stayed there for a few frozen moments. The blanket lurched again, but nothing came out. Again, and one more time, the blanket parted and a skull launched from it and sailed a few feet away, bouncing off of the floor and rolling to stop on its cheek next to one of the love-stained beds nearby, the face of it toward Zeke. Liu's blank eyes settled on his new captain, and his empty jaw moved to mimic speech. It is a wonder how clear his voice sounds despite the lack of organs.

"Ah... one moment please," he apologized, grunting quietly in exertion as his head rolled back and forth, like a child learning how to use a swing or an unsettled egg. After just a moment the skull began rolling back toward its body and, drawn up by an unseen force, the head turned about so that where the spine would attach was facing the body and it slid magnetically across the ground before it leaped into the air and snapped onto the spine. Liu mimicked sighing in relief before standing, his skinny fingers reaching up to make sure his head went on right, "mmh, that's better..."

 

[Novama]

Mentions: NeramoDJI Sisyphus Happy NebulaBlossom GR00s Weazel Weesnaw
OOC: Quick narration post. the plot is still in your hands
Time: 8:10pm
Weather: Light Rain, Cool but not cold, cloudy dark

DillWeed Tavern 2nd Floor​

Zeke's appraisal quickly scanned on of the rings on the wealthy looking man's hand. Was a real gem worth decent amount of empire coin. He didn't have a grasp of Empire Coin worth, but he guess it was somewhere between a couple weeks and a month of an average man's wages in this world.

After the Tavern keeper shooed the party out and the wealthy men into the room for their private meeting, the Tavernkeeper would see to their accomodations. The rooms were were moderately priced. Not the cheapest. Not the Most expensive. Fortunately, he was willing to deal in Rykes since the party had yet to acquire Empire Coin since entering the country. Showing those that wanted rooms up tot he 2nd floor, he showed Zeke to the first room down the hall. While Liu was in the background trying to pull himself together, the Tavern Keeper had his back to the room while the rest were kept in the hall for his next question. (this is before Loke get's shown to his room.)

"Keeping a pet will cost double. Is it with you?"

Tavernkeeper asks Zeke in reference to Izaak.

 

[Weazel]

Izaak
The DillWeed. Interactions: Novama NeramoDJI

Hearing the innkeeper approach, Izaak swiftly stepped aside, out front in front of the door, and hunched into himself a little more, trying to look small and pathetic, the cloak and hood going a long way to mask his actual size and musculature. Seemed their little group was being booted from the meeting room. It was just as well, the planning had reached an impasse, and the sailors wanted to go out and collect more information in the morning before committing to anything. A few of the group dispersed, a few others seemingly decided they would be staying the night here. Izaak shouldered his own bag of belongings, and wandered after the main cohort towards the lodging area.

Mr. Pirate got his own room first. But then, something very interesting happened. The tavernkeeper, having noticed Izaak, propositioned the pirate for extra pay, asking if the Wolfen belonged to the human. This was something Izaak could potentially exploit, and it might give him the chance to get a better read on the man on top of that.

“You wouldn’t abandon me now, would you Captain?” Izaak asked, trying to make his voice sound small and pitiful. “Not after all we’ve shared?”

And with the potential stick laid out, Izaak next had to provide the carrot. He reached into his bag and pulled out his own bag of coin, what remained of his trading around the villages of Eastern Ryke. So long as Zeke played along, Izaak would try to make sure he wouldn’t be too badly out of pocket. “I’ve been a good boy and held onto the money you asked me to.”

 

[Sisyphus Happy]

Liu gave a full body shudder after recomposing himself to make sure nothing fell off. Nothing did. Filtering through the surprisingly solid door was the weak din of conversation. Zeke, the tavern keeper, whom Liu identified by his activities, and some smaller creature sniveling nearby. It filtered from lower down through the door and Liu crept closer carefully. Faintly he wondered if the creature ever spoke during the meeting below. Unfortunately, he was caught up in his own discomfort and paid little attention. On top of the thing changing the nature of its voice, Liu had no recollection of the role it offered to play, but could at least be sure of its involvement. Liu began walking away from the door carefully. The creature offered to pay for a room or something. How could Liu know that? Simple. Zeke would never let someone else hold his money.

Creeping across the room carefully, Liu made his way into a tiny closet with enough room for spiders and dust and not much more. He would rather have not risked the creature finding him before Zeke. From entering the room, the closet is near the far right corner of the room. Rather than a solid door there was a relatively heavy canvas flap hanging over the top of it. Inside, there was nothing, of course, since the room was previously unoccupied. Liu pressed himself up against the corner nearest to the door and waited for Zeke patiently.

 

[Weazel]

Izaak
The DillWeed. Interactions: NeramoDJI Sisyphus Happy

Excellent, the pirate played along. Izaak quickly shuffled into the room, giving it a once over before stepping out of the way of the door. He could’ve sworn he’d heard something in here, but it’d been muffled and indistinct, and with how loud the tavernkeeper was, the Wolven couldn’t quite be sure. Maybe he’d just been hearing things? This town had him on edge, but it was also thrilling, in a way.

Once the door to the room was closed, he allowed himself to relax somewhat. He stood up to his full height again and rolled his shoulders, before stripping off his cloak and dropping it, along with his bag and bow, near one of the beds. Then he sat himself down, taking a moment to undo the buttons of his jacket to expose his furry chest and belly, and breathing a sigh of relief.

“Sorry about all that, had to think quickly,” he said, back in his normal tone of voice, “Else I might’ve been spending the night under the stars again, or worse.”

 

[Novama]

Mentions: NeramoDJI Sisyphus Happy NebulaBlossom GR00s Weazel Weesnaw Goran Glacial
OOC: Quick narration post. the plot is still in your hands
Time: 8:00am
Weather: light wind, Cool but not cold, cloudy sky

DillWeed Tavern and Schal​

The various parts of the heist team eventually were able to settle down for the evening and rested uneventfully. The following day, they were awakened by the smell of leftover fishstew from the previous evening and loaves of freshly made bread. Unclear where the bread was made. The smell of river and the lapping of water was ever present though. With the rain gone, the town looked more alive and in a normal state that morning. The docks were already crawling with workers and just arrived sailors and passengers of note. The calls of seagulls following boats in from the sea mixed with the cries of the men working the various piers. The heist crew would rouse themselves from various places of rest and recall their main goal was to find and steal the ship that had been confiscated: the CrestStrutter. Their plan was to find its location, devise an appropriate distraction, and then sail the boat out of the town before things got too crazy. Based on the crew's report, they knew the ship was being stored in one of the water access warehouses on the east side of the EastGate district.

 

[NeramoDJI]

Zeke had gotten an early start to the day, getting up and beginning to delegate tasks as subtly as he could, simply explaining to the main crew that he wanted them to search around for any potential distraction sites, while he has a search done for where their ship would be found. He did however, want one of the crewmen with him to identify the ship when he found it, preferably one of the less notable ones so as to not be recognized by any guards. He decided to bring Loke and Izaak with him, as well as Liu in the pack to keep his main group with him.

"Alright then, from what the map said, we just gotta look around this section of town to look for the ship. We'll check how heavily guarded the area is, where our ship is, and if there's any fast route towards it from the distraction site." He explained the objective of their scouting trip, keeping a hushed voice so as to keep any unwanted ears from hearing, even after having made sure they were a little bit aways from any big groups. "Now, anyone have any questions?"