Heroica RPG - Quest#119: The Blackgull Inquisition

[CMP]

"I said the way you approached it was wrong. I didn't say it was right, what he did."

"Approached what? We're going to turn him in, what does it matter what he thinks of us?"

"Can you two stop arguing, please?" Annienal replies with a pinch of anger and seriousness, looking upset. "I really hate it when people argue...

"Well, if he disagrees with me, what do you expect to happen?" remarked Miderun, mildly annoyed. "We've got important things to do, we have every reason to argue with eachother over what we should be doing." The orc shook her head and followed Annienal to Caldera's house. These elves we confusing the heck out of her.

"Good day", the maid said timidly. "I am sorry to inform you that the captain is not home right now. You will have to come back later."

Miderun stared the bruised half-orc maid in utter disbelief for a moments, before one hand tightened into a fist and barely-restrained anger overtook her voice. Clearly the sins of these disgusting traitors knew no bounds.

"Who did this to you? Was it Hooks?"

Edited December 6, 2014 by CallMePie

[Sandy]

"Who did this to you? Was it Hooks?"

The maid looked embarrased.

"This was my own fault. I was clumsy and slow. Please don't let it affect your opinion of the good captain. Is there a message you want to leave him? He should be back from the Merry Mermaid by midnight."

[The Chosen Minifigure]

"We're... friends of his. Did he not mention we were coming?"

He flashed a smile.

"We don't mind waiting for him to come back, right guys?"

[Kintobor]

"We don't mind waiting for him to come back, right guys?"

"Um... yes. Actually, we do mind." Annienal replies, giving Warlen a rather insincere smile. How could he forget that they had until midnight to get their information. "Perhaps we'll just head to the Merry Mermaid now and see what he's up to?"

[Sandy]

"Um... yes. Actually, we do mind." Annienal replies, giving Warlen a rather insincere smile. How could he forget that they had until midnight to get their information. "Perhaps we'll just head to the Merry Mermaid now and see what he's up to?"

"As you wish. Just... be mindful that the captain does not... err, respond well to people of different races. Good day." The half-orcish maid quickly shut the door to the heroes' faces. It seemed that heading to the famous tavern was their best option.

The Merry Mermaid was situated by the seafront at the Harbour District, making it a popular place for weary sailors and captains to spend their gold after days spent at the sea. It was almost always crowded, and that day was not an exception. As the party stepped in, they noticed that many of the patrons were wearing Bonaparte uniforms.

A ginger waitress wearing a long skirt and not much else sashay'd to greet them.

"How's it going, girls? Oh, you've got a gent with you. Almost couldn't tell with you elves, tehehe! The name's Mariel. How can I be of service?"

[The Chosen Minifigure]

"Razzin Tarzan Murgaz..." muttered Warlen under his breath.

"I need a beard."

[Kintobor]

Annienal decides to interact with a bit more diplomacy by simply speaking calmly and with a friendly demeanour.

"Um... hi, Mariel, I was wondering if you had any tables open? I suppose we're all a little hungry. Say, um, do the Bonaparte's usually fill this place up?"

[Sandy]

"Um... hi, Mariel, I was wondering if you had any tables open? I suppose we're all a little hungry. Say, um, do the Bonaparte's usually fill this place up?"

"We're a bit full at the moment, but there's a free table over there", the waitress said, pointing at the far side of the room, opposite to where Hooks Caldera was sitting. "The officers, cadets and sailors from Fort Bonaparte do come here often, yes. We have the best looking waitresses in the whole city, after all. Tehehe!"

[CMP]

Miderun glared suspiciously at Caldera, a goblet in each hook, as the party entered. Here she was thinking racism had been subsiding over the last few centuries...

"We're a bit full at the moment, but there's a free table over there", the waitress said, pointing at the far side of the room, opposite to where Hooks Caldera was sitting. "The officers, cadets and sailors from Fort Bonaparte do come here often, yes. We have the best looking waitresses in the whole city, after all. Tehehe!"

"Who's the man with the hooks? He doesn't look much like a Bonaparte to me," observed Miderun somewhat bluntly to the ditzy server.

[Sandy]

"Who's the man with the hooks? He doesn't look much like a Bonaparte to me," observed Miderun somewhat bluntly to the ditzy server.

"That's Hooks. Captain Hooks Caldera. Yeah, pretty obvious for a nickname, innit? Tehehe! He's with the Bonapartes, alright, but rumors tell that once he was a feared pirate. He's not exactly popular nowadays, either, but his crew likes him. Our bartender, Cuttler, hates his guts, though. No wonder, since Hooks keeps calling him 'fishfingers'. Not that I'd say anything about anyone's hands in his place, tehehe!"

[Kintobor]

"I suppose we'll take that table for the time being." Annienal replies, hoping her allies would at least agree with her. "What's on the menu? Or is this strictly a drinking establishment?" She looks over to Caldera, nodding in his direction to the waitress. "Say, how often does he come in here?"

[Sandy]

"I suppose we'll take that table for the time being." Annienal replies, hoping her allies would at least agree with her. "What's on the menu? Or is this strictly a drinking establishment?" She looks over to Caldera, nodding in his direction to the waitress. "Say, how often does he come in here?"

Mariel took the heroes to the sole available table. Despite the distance, they had an undisturbed line-of-sight to Hooks' table from there, so they could easily observe him.

"Oh, Hooks is a true regular. He comes almost every evening that he's on shore. He doesn't have any family other than his crew, so I figure his house is a pretty empty place. He sure likes to drink and play cards and all the usual stuff that seamen do. Pinch my buttocks, too. Tehehe!"

[The Chosen Minifigure]

"With hooks?" Asked Warlen.

[Kintobor]

"Mariel, can you pass us a menu, please? Even a list of drinks, if you've got one would be nice." Annienal keeps darting her eyes back to Hooks, trying to see who he was with.

[Sandy]

"With hooks?" Asked Warlen.

"I know, right! Hurts like a bitch, tehehe!"

"Mariel, can you pass us a menu, please? Even a list of drinks, if you've got one would be nice." Annienal keeps darting her eyes back to Hooks, trying to see who he was with.

"We serve some wicked-good rum here, if I can recommend something. I'll bring you the menus right away."

Annienal watched as the captain laughed and drank with two men who must've been members of his crew. Suddenly the door of the tavern was slammed open. The newcomers made the entire room fall silent in almost an instant. It was the Ji Pei.

"Captain Hooks Caldera!" shouted the young Aoi man with red glasses, pointing at the captain. "We have evidence that it was you who orchestrated the attempt on my mother's life! What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Better be damn quick about it."

Captain Hooks glanced at his men, who were already holding the handles of their swords. The tension was enough to lift the roof off. Would the party intervene or observe?

[CMP]

"Hey Lee! What the hell are ya' doin' here mate?"

"What on olag..." Miderun stared as the blue man and his entourage stormed the tavern from the table her party was situated at. She glanced sideways at Annienal and lowered her voice a bit. "Didn't our employer mention something about blue people?"

[Kintobor]

"Hell if I know. Who's Lee again?"

Annienal kept her eyes on the aoi as he entered the establishment. She'd read about these beings before, but to finally lay eyes on one was both a wonder and somewhat worrisome. She replies to Miderun's question in a hushed voice, keeping her eyes on the Ji Pei aoi.

"I... um, believe it was his wife. She said that wherever the aoi go, bad things tend to happen. I've read in a book that in their country of origin, even touching an aoi can result in... er, severe punishment.

What shall we do? If Caldera dies, we're going to get in trouble from our employer, but I don't want to start a scene!"

[CMP]

"Look around for two seconds, Annie. If this isn't already a scene, I don't know what is. Let's get in there and sort this out. We can't just sit by, we need to make sure the right person has the crap beaten out of them."

[The Chosen Minifigure]

"Dislikable as he seems, I agree. We have to get in there."

[Kintobor]

"Well, I guess this means I'm, um... getting in the front." Annienal cautiously gets up and makes her way closer to Hook's table, while at the same time trying not to get close to the api in fear of touching him. She speaks to the two group diplomatically.

"Um... may I ask what you gentlemen are up to? This is not the place to start something violent. There are people in here simply trying to enjoy the atmosphere and the food." Annienal states, hoping to calm the two parties down before something broke out.

[Sandy]

"Um... may I ask what you gentlemen are up to? This is not the place to start something violent. There are people in here simply trying to enjoy the atmosphere and the food." Annienal states, hoping to calm the two parties down before something broke out.

The aoi looked at the elf, surprised of her intervention.

"We are here to make this man answer for his crime. After a long investigation, we have reasonable evidence that Captain Caldera machinated the explosion at the Baker's Guild construction site, which resulted in several deaths, as well as injuring my mother, Ambassador Shanxian Ji Pei of Xu."

"Took ya long enough to figure that out, blueberry."

"So you confess?!" The man with the facepaint was seething with rage.

"My only regret is that the blue bitch lost her legs and nothing else", said the captain, tossing his goblets at the Ji Pei.

"Men, seize him!" the aoi roared.

The Bonapartes drew their swords as the Ji Pei pikemen lunged forward. In a moment there was a full-on battle in the bar.

What would the party do? Would they side with the Bonaparte or the Ji Pei, or stay back?

[The Chosen Minifigure]

"Hmmmmn..." murmered Warlen.

"Join the Bonapartes, we keep our money, join the Ji-Pei, we keep our sense of right. Or, stay back and tell Blackgull he's a bakery-blowing up traitor."

[Kintobor]

"You're not helping, Warlen!" Annienal squeaked hastily. She looked torn and confused, trying to decide what the right choice was. "We don't know everything about this! If the aoi are truly despicable people than perhaps Hooks did the city a favour, but that's no excuse to kill someone!" Annienal constantly looked back and forth between the two groups, not sure what to do and trying to come to a rational conclusion.

"I don't know, what do you two think? If Caldera was in fact responsible, then that proves his loyalty, but I don't think Oberro would be happy having someone like him in Fort Bonaparte, a man who goes out of his way to cause trouble!"

[The Chosen Minifigure]

Warlen muttered to Annie and Miderun to trust him, and stepped forward.

"Oi! You lot! I don't bloody care if you hack each other to death, but I have one bloody question. If you don't wanna answer it, my friends the Knight and the Barbarian will be happy to do what they do best. So here's my question: Why did you blow up the bakery, Hooks?"

Ooc: May not have internet till Monday at latest.

Edited December 11, 2014 by The Chosen Minifigure

[Sandy]

"Oi! You lot! I don't bloody care if you hack each other to death, but I have one bloody question. If you don't wanna answer it, my friends the Knight and the Barbarian will be happy to do what they do best. So here's my question: Why did you blow up the bakery, Hooks?"

Warlen almost got stabbed by one of the Bonaparte men and impaled by a Ji Pei soldier, but Hooks heard his question.

"Whaddare ya, from the Eubric Herald or sumthing? Can't ya see I'm a bit busy right now?!"

"He already confessed, didn't you hear?" said the Aoi, who was standing on the backlines. "Can you finally tell me who you people are? You seem to be interested in Captain Hooks as well. My name is Jun Ji Pei, son of the Xuese ambassador."