D&D - Sword Coast - The Drowned Rat

[Tromador]

After the encounter with the strange "Collector" and agreeing to perform his commission, ie by any means fair or foul, steal a finger from some potentially innocent and well meaning mages (not that anybody asked or even cared) the party has gathered in the "Drowned Rat".

Sitting favourably upon the Road of Sailmakers, this is a foul den full of the lower class of seafaring types, no doubt here to treat with the sailmakers for supplies and so forth and just popping in for a gallon or two of the worlds foulest gutrot, all merrily served by "ArrJimlad", notable mostly for having the one good hand and the one equally good hook.

Given the strange nature of their employer, it seems, after all, only wise to discuss options and tactics, before marching full frontal to assault Arbuthnot's Animal Feed Emporium.

[#1!]

Chell appraoches the bar, giving the interior of the tavern an approving look, especially the mutilated bartender. She purchases two tankards of the foulest drink possible from the barman, as well as four orders of the softest drink available. She heads over to the group's table with the drinks.

She settles down comfortably at the table, smiling at the group, getting a predatory glint in her dark brown eyes. She sets the four soft drinks down infront of the others and reserves the two foul tankards for herself. She gives Arman a huge smirk as she sets the soft drink infront of him.

"Here we are. Ready to plan. Ready to do work for a witch," she remarks, extending her hands outwards, fingers laced together and palms out, cracking all ten digits noisily. A look of satisfaction crosses her features. "Best to drink to that."

"Before teaparty starts, want to make one thing clear: I want first say on any weapons, special or not, that end up as loot. Everything else dealt with on spot or after, don't care. But I want dibs on weapons before anyone."

Chell continues to smile...she's smiling a hell of a lot lately. She grabs one of her tankards and hefts it up, taking in a mouthful of the foul stuff and downing it as quickly as she can without wretching. She clears her throat and exhales, her breath smelling as horrid as her drink. She looks relieved and even more comfortable.

"Warehouse should be easy to access. Big receiving doors. Lots of smaller doors scattered around. Can probably set stuff inside it on fire if it comes to that. Lots of places to hide in a big warehouse. Lots of places to hide a finger," she says, rolling her eyes at the last sentence. "Collector is creepy. Has scales, or had lizards in with it. Don't even know if it's got a cock or cunt. Will probably eat the finger."

She takes another, smaller, gulp from her tankard, leaving the other to sit and sweat at her elbow. She looks at Arman, then at the spare tankard, then back to Arman, smirking. "Enjoying drink? Isn't too strong for you?"

[^^Truth]

Arman stops snapping his fingers for a wench as Chell proceeds to the bar and sits back on his chair, emptying his bong rag on the floor. He then removes his glass bong again with pouch, fills it, lights it and takes a slow drag, blowing a single hoop into the air.

He sniffs briefly at the watery-drink laid in front of him, whilst listening to Chell make her demands. He picks the tankard up briefly, giving the contents a little shake, before putting it back down.

"You can have first choice of weapons on anything you kill, the same applies to everyone else... whatever people do not want will be divided amongst everyone" he states in his smokey arabic tone.

"We will have to see this warehouse, plan several routes of entry, I think, Dumitru and Sorscha, maybe Limnoch as well, should try to convince their way inside. I will be looking for a stealthy route to the rear... Chell can jump through a window on fire or whatever she incorrectly thinks makes her tough.." he says finishing with a small snigger.

"Regardless, we do this at night and as quietly as possible.. we are already hunted by the filthy citywatch and there is no need for us to attract more flies.. Chell does that enough for us already.." he says with another small snigger.

".. oh.. and.." he says, before slapping the watery-tankard at Chell, spilling the thin liquid down her chest and lap, before grabbing the last tankard of heavy dark brew and gulping at it, "If you want help finding places to hide a finger or two, I'd be happy to show you upstairs" he says in a mildly intimidating manner, before smacking his new tankard down.

Arman then turns his nose up whilst looking down at the dark filthly mead, appearing to be in a place somewhere between shocked and disgusted.

[#1!]

Chell looks down at the liquid dribbling down her chest and stomach, still with a smile plastered on her face. She swiftly kicks out at Arman in retaliation from under the table at his shins, aiming to cause him some accute pain.

"Wasn't asking about weapons. Was telling. First choice," she replies, taking another swig from her tankard.

"Going to show me what your father did to you with fingers, then? Before drink gets to your head?" she asks, smirking at the mad foreigner.

[^^Truth]

Arman grunts in pain at the under-table kick, staring hard at Chell, likely ignoring virtually everything she's said, before jumping to his feet and grabbing her wrist forcefully, yanking her half from her chair.

"Yes, come, I show you.." he snaps aggressively, violently tugging Chell towards the stairs.

[#1!]

Chell yanks her arm away from Arman with equal force, doing her best to stay relatively seated. It doesn't work too well, as Arman has both more weight and height over her. She's yanked out of her seat, though not especially easily. Recovering from the yank, she strikes out and hits Arman in the chest with the heel of her palm, aiming to knock him back some.

"Quit being dumb. Can fight after job," she snarls. "Who's impatient savage now?"

[^^Truth]

Arman staggers back from the chest-shove, his nose turnt up slightly, but still gripping her wrist tightly, "Do not suggest things you do not want to happen!" he states with intent to Chell.

"If you were not a fierce warrior and competant ally, I would drag you up those stairs now by the hair and have my way with you..." he continues, before letting go of Chell's wrist.

"Anyway....we are all as good as our word and little else.. you will get an equal share, you do not get to pick whatever you want.." he states, shaking his wrist slightly, before sitting back down, eyes on Chell.

Arman continues to eyeball Chell for a little bit, before sucking on his pipe - long and hard. Exhaling, he rolls his neck releaving himself of smoke and a little stress.

"What say you all anyway, quiet as mice.." he asks sounding calmer, a little more in control.

[Tromador]

Limnoch quietly watches the exchange, eyeing the two warriors carefully.

"I will not be dictated to be either of you. No. That will not happen. You want to do this job yes? Yes and take the rewards, I think. You want to dictate how the rewards are split? No. We split them equally or by agreement yes? Yes we agree maybe an item would be best suited to one of the group. You wish to be in a group, you must learn to be part of the group. Your attempts to dominate the group will lead to there being no group yes? Yes I think so. At least no group that includes Limnoch, the Servant of Velsharoon, he is not so easily cowed, nor are his skills so worthless, hmm? No, his skills are worth much more than such contempt."

[#1!]

Chell looks over at Limnoch, watching his lips move as he lectures herself and Arman. She sits back down in her seat and leans on the table with her elbows

"Aww, don't like us? You tell others to leave if they don't like way things go."

"So FUCK OFF and LEAVE if you don't LIKE way things are!" she shouts at the gravekeeper, emphasizing her words by slamming her fist down on the table, making the drinks jump and spill.

[Tromador]

Limnoch picks up his staff.

"Yes, that would be best, yes? Yes, for I cannot work with a loner. On your own too long to learn to be part of a team, too greedy, yes? Yes too selfish I think. A caged bear with all the social skills of a caged bear yes? Yes, open the cage and get bitten. A good brawler, good for nothing else. Not working with someone who thinks she can dictate who gets what and when. No. I will be heading home now. Blessings of the Vaunted One be upon you all."

With that, he stands up and prepares to leave.

((and will do so, subject to other postings))

[The Dark Power]

Sorscha, having stood as Arman and Chell started pushing each other around (again) places a hand on Limnochs arm as he turns to leave.

'Limnoch is quite right, you profess stealth and then start brawling with each other, making all here notice us. If you wish us to work together then you must learn to work as part of a team. After all you cannot fulfil our mission on your own.

Any items we find will be shared equally and by consensus. Last time we decided Limnoch should take the ring we found and that Arman should have his....ladies sword.....' Sorscha gestures at the scimitar with delicately carved moons on Armans belt.

If we encounter items of power again then we will decide who should have them, not give them to the first person to pick them up. And the money will be shared equally. We agreed this last time but various parties did not claim their share. Let us reach agreement now, and this time stick to it......

Sorscha gestures to the seats and sits down.

[Stripey]

Having only partly listened to the conversation between Arman and Chell, Dumitru was having his own dilemma. Chell had given him a drink much earlier, a drink which he decided must've been the foulest drink available in the tavern. "Quite dastardly," he thought to himself, "the drink is served in a glass meant for a soft drink, but it is not..".

Just when Dumitru had decided to pay no attention to the voice inside his head telling him not to drink his alcohol, he heard the voice of Limnoch preparing to leave. This troubled him, as he saw Limnoch as the only other individual in this group with whom he could have a real conversation with.

"H-Hold up!" Dumitru exclaimed, standing up quickly and accidentally spilling his untouched drink. "Why would you want to leave this group, Limnoch? Nothing has been done bad by you, no?" he asked, having no clue what Chell had done to anger Limnoch.

[Tromador]

"Chell wishes to dictate how we distribute our acquisitions, yes? Yes, that is what she says. She will only come if she has first pick over the weapons. Next time it is the armour, next time it is the money, next time only if we do what she says. Nobody made Chell the leader, hmm? No.. nobody chose Chell. Chell can do as she pleases, make the rules she pleases, but without this servant of Velsharoon, without this wizard. Obviously she has no use for my magic, no? No, no indeed. No use and no respect for my abilities. So.. I go."

[^^Truth]

Arman sits quietly paying little attention to anything other than his bong. He smokes whilst Chell bangs the table, he smokes as Limnoch gets up to leave and smokes as Sorscha and Dumitru say their pieces.

"Look whatever..." he states when everyones finished getting off their high horses, exhaling through his nostrils.

"Limnoch is not right, Sorscha.. and neither are you and neither is Chell.. Dumitru however, his many, many faults aside, is right" he says with a brief nod at Dumitru, before dragging on his bong again.

"No one has told anyone to do anything, people have suggested things... suggested, until we all agree, no action has been taken.. thus getting.. uppity, is pointless.." Arman says, smoke drifting form his mouth and nostrils as he speaks.

"I think.. this has been a good lesson, no? We all have different ways of communicating and we have discovered this now, without bloodshed.. so praise be to Sadin.." he says wisely, his elder status at the table becoming slightly more apparent for a change.

"Limnoch, whether you know it or not, you speak down to Chell.. and I feel perhaps myself a little, we are not children and I am assuming this is purely accidental, or like Chell, I might have even be angry myself..."

"Likewise, Chell, you cannot shout at educated men such as Limnoch, they discuss, then decide, not bang fists and rush blindly ahead.. I think we all must accept each others customs just a little, yes?"

"I say though, Limnoch, your actions cause me the greatest of concerns.. you have agreed to do this task and now look to back away because you believe you cannot work with a single member of this unit? You have agreed a contact, words are binding, words are reputation..."

"If you cannot work with Chell, that is fine, work with me, work with Sorscha, whomever you like, but you have at least for now agreed to this task...besides, you prove little point to Chell about being a loner, if you walk back to your graveyard now to be alone.."

Arman pauses slightly, looking between Chell and Limnoch for a moment, puffing lightly on his bong.

"If one of you were the leader of this unit, then I would respect the other walking away.. but neither of you are under the command of the other, so what is the problem?" he says waving his bong about briefly to indicate the pair of them.

"Regardless, as Dumitru so correctly stated, you have done nothing wrong, Limnoch, so why would you leave? I could only assume that if you were thinking straight, that you do not like anyone here and Chell has pushed the final straw thus there is nothing for you..."

"But no, I think it was a heated moment and one such as yourself is probably not used to such heated moments.. physical confrontations.. despite your obvious strength of course.."

".. and likewise, I personally think Chell has done nothing wrong, she just vents her frustrations loudly and more clearly than the rest of us...some of us... and we should appreciate that.. it is the ones that smile and apologise you should be scared of.."

"As for you Sorscha... I have much to say, but I won't.. but never call the magical blade a .. ladies sword again, please.." he says with a smokey laugh.

Arman then grunts in frustration as Limnoch continues.

"Leave it, will you.. Chell will get nothing more than the rest of us, is that not obvious?" he states seriously.

[The Dark Power]

Sorscha's demeanor suddenly becomes frosty in a way you've not seen before. She bangs a mailed fist onto the table causing the drinks to jump slightly.

'Enough. I've never heard such capable people speak such foolishness. Two of you bicker with each other ceaselessly and the other gets offended at the slightest word, another so caught up in his own thoughts he misses all that happens around him. Some of you speak like you have wisdom then act like fools, talk for hours and say nothing.

Perhaps you'd all like to have a group hug?

Can we not put our petty grievances aside and focus on the task at hand? Have we not thicker skins than children? I've already laid out how I think we should work. Who agrees?

And the blade simply seems too 'pretty' for a warrior such as you.', she says looking at Arman.

[^^Truth]

Arman looks at Sorshca for a while, puffing a little on his bong.

"Did you listen to a single word I said? .. and for future reference, sledgehammers do not make good nut crackers" he simply says

[The Dark Power]

'No I didn't', says Sorscha icily,'Now I'm either sitting here speaking with two skilled warriors, a powerful necromancer and a bard of reknown or a bunch of bickering children. Which is it?'

She spreads her hands wide, inviting her standing, rowing companions to sit.

[Stripey]

Standing up straight, Dumitru looks back and forth between Limnoch, Sorscha, Arman and Chell. Anticipating their next move, he chooses to stand quietly and think about his loyalties. "If Limnoch were to leave, where would he go? Should I be one to follow him if he does?" These were but some of the many thoughts going through Dumitru's mind as he watched the tension between the other members of the group.

[#1!]

Chell leans back in her seat, lifting her tankard to her mouth. She takes a big gulp of the foul stuff whilst rolling her eyes at Sorscha.

"Don't know if you ever been with non-Banites, but not everyone little drones with no will. Not everyone agrees. Like me. Or him," she nods at Limnoch.

She belches, then clears her throat and raises her voice, addressing everyone. She nods at Arman. "He's right. Nobody in right or wrong. Everybody too sensitive. Not everyone going to like each other. We work well together. Stronger together. Not everybody in every warband ever has loved each other. No different here. Gotta deal with it. Gotta learn that suggestion is not order. One suggestion doesn't mean mad with power. Can't deal with being one giving orders? Fuck off. Want to be a loner? Fuck off. Want to whine more about this? Fuck off."

She looks over at Dumitru. "What, you gunna marry him? Known him for like one day."

[Tromador]

Limnoch sighs.

"Maybe I am being hasty, hmm? Yes, anything is possible. It is strange to me somehow. Those who do the work of the Vaunted One are shunned at best yes? Yes and hated at worst."

He nods to Chell and Arman and pauses before continuing. "Sensitive maybe yes? Yes, probably. Few seek the necromancer, we are used to being easily abused and dismissed, yes? Yes, in the end, it is generally a solitary calling. Nowhere in the canons of my Patron is it written how to deal with being welcome within a group, rather it is written how to hide away. Arman is wise in his assessment. I will apologise for my part. Let us have a peace in this, yes? Yes I think that is probably best."

Limnoch offers his hand to Chell

[#1!]

Chell leans forward and extends her hand to Limnoch. However, she reaches past his hand and grasps his forearm with her red-gloved hand. She smiles and nods at everyone, making it clear that all is forgiven.

"Don't act like pussy on the rag next time, huh?" she says to Limnoch jovially, grinning.

"There. Can make plans now."

[Stripey]

Dumitru smiled a bit when he saw both Limnoch and Chell shake, his smile rapidly turning into a wide grin. "See? We're all going to be just fine. We are all friends here. Or, erm, at the very least we are grouped individuals with a similar monetary goal." he declared, moving his hand about and generally acting as if he cockily knew all along that Limnoch would've have left and that everything would be fine. Of course, he had absolutely no clue how things would've turned out. He had pulled his coy statements straight out of his own ass. Then again, this was where much of his acts of diplomacy came from.

"Now then," Dumitru started, "We have other, important matters to attend to. For instance.." he said, sitting back down in his seat. "We must figure out how we're going to get to the finger. Whether we'll go mainly by force or by stealth. Or, perhaps, by diplomacy." Dumitru continued, now thinking himself as on a roll. "We also must decide beforehand who will get the loot. The gold, weapons and like should certainly be divided evenly." he said, counting the points he had made on his fingers. "Also, we'll have to know how much supplies will be needed, though none of that is really my business..." Going on, Dumitru started to realize that he was rambling, and had hoped nobody else had lost their attention to him. However, he decided to finish up his half-baked speech as quickly as possible. "That's about all, I suppose. Though I'll still have to figure out where to find a nice lady to woo tonight. This is a tavern after all, and I'd like to enjoy some company before getting slaughtered by some mages." he ended, smiling nervously at the large speech he had just finished.

[#1!]

Chell settles back in her seat, leaning it far back. She rubs the bridge of her nose whilst Dumitru rambles, rolling her eyes.

"How the fuck you gunna talk your way into abandoned warehouse used by cultists as hideout? Not gunna, that's how. Going to sneak."

"Fucking...you all just were crybabies over how loot divvied up. Not having another stupid whine. We take what we can carry, then divide up later."

She drains the remnants of her drink, coughing roughly as she slams the empty tankard onto the table. "Go find a whore. At least three outside. Probably some boy-whores out there too. Spend some of the money we're getting paid."

[^^Truth]

Arman takes one last lug on his bong, before emptying it straight onto the tavern floor. He exhales and places his bong away.

"Good, welcome back Limnoch.. I would have just punched her in the breasts though, quicker and easier.." he says lazily.

"Now.. Dumitru, shut up, we are not discussing treasure sharing again, as Chell says, we'll get whatever we can carry and share it out later on.."

"As for the warehouse.. not required, but some information would be good, a map perhaps.. Dumitru, maybe you can talk to some of the dockworkers, whores, whatever, find out whatever you can about this place, so we may know routes of entry?"

"We will have to assault this building at night.. Limnoch, is there chance of getting your.. servant, to aid us? Perhaps through the sewers?"

"Chell, where is your flea-ridden mutt? It would be useful to set the beast on a wizard, a mage will be casting no spells whilst contracting rabies through groin wounds.." he says with a brief snigger.

"I will go seperately into the warehouse with stealth, if possible coming to the rearguard of the combat and destroying the wizards whom will be likely protected from the main assault force..."

"Which means, we will require a main assault force to take the warehouse by storm, you can all work those details out."

Arman then picks himself up and walks over to the bar, remaining there for a time whilst speaking to a bartender, before returning with a jug of wine and a tankard.

[Stripey]

Upon hearing the reaction to his impromptu speech, Dumitru shrugged and smiled slightly. "Well, I guess I'll be off to look for some information then. It is what I do best, after all." he said with a deep, and obviously fake, sigh. With that, stood up with what was nearly a jump, and set off to speak to bartender and locals for information. He took with him only his backpack and citole, leaving his crossbow strapped to the chair he was sitting on.

[Sponsored content]