The Dark Truth - IC [Full]

[Felix]

Time to take some initiative in leadership. "I guess Betha and Dalith know this city best, so if we are splitting up, I guess each team should have one of them." Odette tried to seem smart, but also a little cheeky, she wanted these girls to like her so she could observe them more comfortably. "And I don't know what you all think about Dalith, but I don't think she is dressed to go into a temple." It was also in her personal interest not to be with Dalith, since she would probably be the first to tell Tatyan if she smelled anything wrong. She continued her plead: "But then the question remains: do we split up evenly or not? I think we shouldn't Tatyan was clearly worried about the temple, so maybe it's better to go there with four. So Ashe, are you okay with going to the potions shop with Dalith? Maybe you can also hit that pub, or hear out the head of the guards. Then us girls can pay our respects at the temple and we meet up here afterwards. Sounds like a plan?"

 

[BracedJupiter72]

Betha nods then looks at Odette. “I love that idea, although I think we should all go into the pub together. There are lots of shady people in that specific one. It would be unsafe for two people to go, unless you lot can take care of yourselves fine. I’m not implying that you can’t of course.” She chuckles nervously

Bethas stomach grumbles loudly.

“Pardon me, Im just,” She looks inside her back pack for some snacks. “A little hungry.” She finds a small loaf of bread. She hold it up in front of everybody and smiles. “Got me some bread.” She laughs to herself and picks a piece off and eats it. It’s stale.

 

[Ilikepie]

"I would rather not go alone with Dalith, since she isn't really my type and I don't want to babysit someone who's first instinct is to burn things down". Plus I'm still rather not be alone with the person that seems to have the most personal connection to the client. "The guards were quite rude to be me when I was coming in so I'm not sure I would be the best at getting information from them."

Ashe pulls out some jerky from one of her pockets. "Would you like some jerky to go with your bread?" Dust just keeps glancing around room while staying close to Ashe.

 

[welian]

“Hello? Hello?!” Dalith struggled to not raise her voice too much. “I worked on that speech for DAYS, Tati! The whole time I was marching home, I was working on that plan! You know me, you know – you know I’m not as smart as you!"

“I just… I just…. You know….”

Her shoulders slumped, and she looked sadly at the gifts in her arms. There were so many thoughts swirling in her head, it was overwhelming. Above all, she just wanted to know why she was so, so hurt by Tati's rejection. Was it that surprising?

“… Are you sure the dress bait won’t work? I’m only a little bit bigger than you.”

 

[RaynieTaco]

"I would had preferred you to be here than work on some speech- Dali! I would have preferred you be here over any of this but you didn't give me the choice when you..." She sighed and put a hand to her forehead to gather her thoughts and push back her emotions.

"I almost died Dalith. Do you understand that? I could have died without ever seeing you again. And then you come in here and say you'll pretend to be me to catch him. Like it isn't a big deal that you could be killed too. No. I just need you to make sure those girls are okay Dali."

She paused. "You remember when we were little and those boys would pick on me because I was scrawny? You kick their asses and even though you got in trouble by father... You would do it all over again. I admired your spirit and your strength but I am afraid it goes much bigger than you donning on a dress and finding a single assassin. I am not saying no. If you decide you can't stop yourself from doing it- I won't stand in your way. But try it my way first at least. Please, protect those girls like you did for me years ago. Then you can go off back to the woods."

 

[Psychie]

"I would rather not go alone with Dalith, since she isn't really my type and I don't want to babysit someone who's first instinct is to burn things down". Plus I'm still rather not be alone with the person that seems to have the most personal connection to the client. "The guards were quite rude to be me when I was coming in so I'm not sure I would be the best at getting information from them."

Ashe pulls out some jerky from one of her pockets. "Would you like some jerky to go with your bread?" Dust just keeps glancing around room while staying close to Ashe.

Riku leans back in her seat and looks over at Ashe. "I could swap places with you, if you'd like. That way we would still have a decent amount of people going to the temple to check in with Dorian, and I could go with Dalith to check on the possibility of getting potions for us in the event of a fight."

 

[welian]

“No one is going to kill you except me,” Dalith assured her sister a little too earnestly – or perhaps not earnestly enough. “And… and you know I could certainly take a few more hits than you could…”

She bit her tongue, realizing that that this wasn’t the way to comfort Tatyan.

“… I will look after these girls for you. I will treat them like the rest of my children, even, if that will make you feel safer.”

Dalith pulled Tatyan into a hug.

“And maybe when I am home again, you will let me throw an earl into the river? A tax collector, maybe?”

 

[Felix]

Riku leans back in her seat and looks over at Ashe. "I could swap places with you, if you'd like. That way we would still have a decent amount of people going to the temple to check in with Dorian, and I could go with Dalith to check on the possibility of getting potions for us in the event of a fight."

"Thank you for offering that idea. I think that would be a good plan." Odette wanted to add her own initiative as well. "Maybe all of us could put in some money in a general trust fund, so we can buy communal supplies like these?" She dreaded the idea of spending the money she just received, but she wanted to establish some trust, so she would take one for the team now, which she could hopefully cash in a a later point in time. She was also glad Riku offered to get them, since she would rather have a pious goody-two-shoes in charge of the money than that shady person who had some trouble with the guards. Hopefully Ashe could be an ally or confidant if Odette would ever need one, so gaining some favors wouldn't hurt.

 

[Sherwood]

Dorian smiles. "Of course. I will gladly put my coin in the pot for a group fund to get those potions and any other supplies we may need."

 

[Psychie]

Riku takes the offered coins with a nod, and places them in her belt pouch. "Now all we need to do is wait for Dalith and our employer to finish up their powwow and we can get going." The fact that they were willing to place their trust in her to not run off with their money is a good feeling, one that makes her feel good about being with this bunch.

 

[RaynieTaco]

(on mobile again but I must get this ball rolling!!)

Tatyan's eyes widened as her sister pulled her into her warm embrace. Her arms seemed stronger and her body harder than she last remembered. She smelled of sunshine and green, green places. She relaxed in the hug and wrapped her arms around her to give her a squeeze. The stress of the investigation, the near death experience, and gathering the group together seemed to leave her body slowly. Her eyes filled with tears but forced them back with a swallow. She had to keep strong.

She sighed at Dalith's attempts of compromise. Tatyan imagined the other dragonborn lifting a member of this building over her head and tossing them into a river. She forced herself to push away from her with a smile growing on her face. "Now, now Dalith. That is only if you can complete your job. Then I will surely allow you to throw one of my kind in the river. But if you get hurt- maybe it will be me throwing you into the fountain... If you still fit."

She reached into the safe mere feets away from them. Inside she pulled out one of the velvet pouches that were stacked inside. She didn't bother closing it. Instead, the magical force that kept it safe pull the door back in place and the panel returned back to normal. She opened the thing and gave Dalith 10 platinum from the bag. She forced herself to not give the girl more... After all, she was employing her sister and she needed to remember that.

The two dragonborns stepped from the door and once again, the door shut behind her with a magical florish. She handed out the Platinum that was owed the the group: 10 a piece. "With this, I must part with you. I am due for a meeting and rather keep up appearances. If you have anymore questions, please save them for our next encounter. Or perhaps find a way to message me if you can. Please be safe out there. Dangers lurk the streets and hatred is begining to bubble and fester here." She stepped away to signal the end of the meeting. She hoped she seemed professional at the very least.

 

[Ilikepie]

Monks aren't known to care much about money so it should be fine putting the funds in her beautiful hands. Ashe places her coins in Riku's hand and then gives Riku a kiss on the check. "Thank you for the wonderful help. It's time for us all to get going so stay safe on your mission." Ashe places the jerky back in her pocket since Betha took too long to accept. She looks at Betha with a smile. "Oh well it's time for us to get going, but I'm sure we'll have time to get something for you to eat later." Ashe and Dust slowly begin to walk out of the room towards the door they entered from.

 

[Psychie]

Riku gives off a bit of a blush at the kiss on the cheek from Ashe, and then does her best to focus on fumbling in her belt pouch to put the coins away and not meet the eyes of the others so she wouldn't see them if they were about to make fun of her. After she has regained her composure, she looks up at Dalith.

She says, "While you and Tatyan were talking, we came up with the plan to have you and me go to the market and try to score as many healing potions as we can with the coin that we just got, while the other ladies of the group will go with Dorian to the temple of Corellon so she can make her check-in with the other priests, just to keep up appearances of business as usual. We thought that you would have a good idea of where to find the market, and if someone makes the mistake of trying to jump us, we can then thrash them without worry. What do you think about that?"

 

[BracedJupiter72]

Betha stands, "I guess we're going now," she follows Ashe and Dust out of the room "What's our first stop?"

 

[Sherwood]

Dorian stands and follows the others out of the room. "Well, I would say we can either take a lunch break, or go straight to the temple. Either way, lets try and get a feel for the city."

 

[welian]

"B-bold of you to assume I know this city!" Dalith stammered out her lie to Riku, as though she hadn't so warmly greeted her sister and discussed their childhood in front of these other women.

".... The market is overpriced. If we go there, we must be prepared to haggle and have all our feminine charms on display."

 

[RaynieTaco]

Tatyan smiled as she led the group from her office. She bid everyone a farewell, reminding them of the gravity of the situation and how important discretion was to the mission. With a gentle nudge, she shut the heavy door behind them with a lingering glance at Dalith.

It was a little difficult to navigate through the expansive parliament building but soon you all find your way to the exit and step outside. The sun was high in the sky now and a crisp, cooling breeze filters past the bustling city streets. The many races that filled the street seemed at ease moving through the shops and other places around the large fountain. The guards who stood watch seemed alert and ready for anything.

The bright, white stone that made up the road leading to the gates of Maiden gardens where the large elvish temple was located seemed relatively empty. That iron made gate was open but two guards stood post keeping an eye on the people coming in and out. As the group who approaches that area makes their way to the gate entrance, a guard with a deep scowl painted on his dwarven face raises a hand to stop you all. "Hey, you all! Stop. State your business here." His voice was gruff and heavily accented. His partner was a tall Elvish man. He gives you all a lazy smile but his hands remained unseen behind with cloak.

The rest of the town was in full gear- the markets open and on full display. The main road, which still had white stone but it was dirty and cracked from use, was wide and accommodating. Signs were rare but many shops had displays of their goods on the outside with more to explore on the inside. The city had grown a lot since Dalith been there. [Please roll an investigation check to see how quickly you are able to find the potion shop- DC is low- you will find it. I am mostly curious on how much time you spend looking around ]

 

[Sherwood]

Dorian steps forward and offers up a bow to the guard. In Common, she says, "My good man, I am Dorian Raloquinal, one of the priestesses of Corellon." She opens up her own cloak to reveal the pendant with the holy symbol around her neck. "I am newly arrived in the city, and I wish to make my devotional to our lord and god inside the hallowed halls of the temple. These others," she turns to indicate the others with her, "Are my traveling companions, and we have faced off against the perils of the road together, and I would like to have my friends see the glory of this building as I offer up my prayers in this holy place."

She hopes that the others will hear her tale and go along with the story she's offering up.

 

[RaynieTaco]

The dwarf grunted with dissatisfaction. He eyed the symbol with one eye while the other remained closed. The elf, on the other hand, seemed to be satisfied with the answer.

"Come on, Darnock. There is no need to hold them back. Dorian will keep a close eye on this crew, isn't that right miss?" The lanky elf gave the pretty priestess a wink before the dwarf shoved him gently back.

"You're too trusting, kid. Anyone these days can flash a holy symbol and get their way. I got a close eye on you guys, you hear? Keep your head down and any weapons sheathed or else." He grunted but took a step back. The elf chirped up once more, "if you ladies like, I can always show you the way. I am a follower as well, but I am afraid it has been a while since I spent time at the temple."

 

[BracedJupiter72]

Betha steps forward and glances at Dorian then back at the two men. "There's no need for that," she says with a nervous chuckle, looking down at the men. "We can handle ourselves just fine. Thank you for the offer though, you are so very kind. Not many people would offer help to us girls like that." She smiles at him

She turn to Dorian with a smile on her face. "We should probably get going now, lots of things to do with little time to do them...right guys? Any who...if you see us around be sure to say hi." Betha glances at the rest of the women through the corner of her eye.

 

[Sherwood]

Dorian nods and returns Betha's smile. "We will be able to find our way to the temple, and enjoy the sights and sounds of this city as we go. Thank you for your kind offer, though! Just point us in the right direction, and we'll do the rest."

 

[RaynieTaco]

Darnock grunted at the other man while keeping a scowl on the group. The elf, himself, seemed disappointed with the two ladies who spoke up. Still, with a sigh, he moved away so the group could pass. "I admit, I am disappointed to not show such lovely ladies around but I am needed here at my station. Just stay out of trouble. The temple is a very... temperamental place. I don't want to hear anything bad coming back to me about you all."

Maiden Gardens was a beautiful sight. The gardens were in full bloom and the smell of lavender was much stronger here. The buildings were in very good conditions and the people who roamed the walkways were well dressed in silks and bright clothing. The temple wasn't far deep into the gardens but the magnificent architecture was even more breathtaking up close. White marble slabs wrapped in bright green ivy and pink lilies. A regal archway leads to thick, stained glass with the symbol of Corellon etched in it. The strangest thing was the thick iron lock that hung from silver chains that kept the door locked from the outside.

 

[Sherwood]

Dorian smiles at the guard, and says, "Thank you, sir, for your directions. I would not wish you to get into trouble by abandoning your duties on our account, and I am sure that we will cross paths once more in the future. May Corellon's blessings be upon you."

She then heads on down the path towards the temple, taking her time to enjoy the sights and smells of the garden. Upon reaching the locked gate, Dorian stands there for a moment, her hands on her hips, looking at the lock in surprise and a bit of sadness. "What is this? Why is the gate locked?" She looks to the others with her and asks a rhetorical question, "Can things really be that bad here, that this is needed?"

Raising her voice, she calls out to those that might be inside. "Um, hello? Is anyone there?"

 

[Ilikepie]

Ashe watches the other girls convince the guards not to follow while not saying anything due to her lack of knowledge of this religion and is slightly impressed with Dorian for getting rid of the guard that was crushing on her a little. She doesn't pay much attention to the sights of the garden focusing more of the moment of the other people. Gate from the outside most likely means they have something inside there that they don't want coming out, but what are they are trying to keep in? She watches Dorian call into the mysterious door. Risky play, but it could be the fastest way of finding out what's inside without actually going inside.

 

[RaynieTaco]

Seconds ticked by after Dorian's voice echoed through the archway. Dorian- your perception check allows you to see all this. You will be taking lead here.

Shadows moved in the recesses of the temple as seen through the stained glass. The flicker of candlelight could be seen as it moved close to the doorway. The person on the other of the door stopped for a moment before reaching over and pushing the door open. The chains went taut and the door only opened a few inches. A pale face of an elvish man peered out at the group, his eyes settling on Dorian in the front. He was clad in a white robe lined with golden thread and silk. The holy symbol of Corellon dangled from a long chain from the frail-looking man's neck.

Dorian- you see this man who looks very aged with wrinkled skin and hunchback. This man looked to be centuries year old but even then- he looked horrible. His eyes were sunken with large, dark bags beneath them. Those eyes were clouded and somewhat vacant for a brief moment before becoming focused on you. He straightened out a little and looked you right in the eye. You also, with your nat 20 roll, catch the smell from inside the temple itself. The smell is still a lavender but more artificially so and a small hint of sulfur.

Everyone- you seem this elderly man crack open the door just silver and eye your comrade. He puffed out a wheeze and glared at the rest of the crew. "The temple is closed for repairs, sister. Come back to worship later, we will have the courtyard open." He immediately went to close the door again.

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The potion shop wasn't too hard. The small building was a vibrant shade of maroon and bolstered a sign that stated "The Elixirium". When you enter, you are greeted with the smokey smell of incense burning. A large, runic circle was drawn on the floor in chalk in the center of the shop. Bookshelves filled with books and ingredients lined the walls along with multiple odd-shaped bottles filled with liquids of varies colors. A distant voice is heard from the back of the store calling out to you. "Be with you in just a bit- don't think about taking a single thing. I will know if you do."