Heroica: Glory Amongst the Stars - Mission #9: He's Dead, Jim

[Duvors]

1 hour ago, Endgame said:

"Greetings to ya too," Decker says, a little surprised by the creature he was interacting with. He'd only ever seen his species in passing and in pictures.

"We wanted to inquire about an I. Machen? You look the observant type... don't suppose ya know anything."

He nods slightly in acknowledgment of your greeting, then listens attentively to your inquiry.

"Ahhh, yes," he says, his voice calm and lilting, steady in tone. "You wish to ask about the man who was here last week. You are indeed correct in that I am an observant person, but I have a problem you see." He shifts his arms into a new position. "I am a member of the Sect of the Red Cloud, and am sworn to a vow of poverty and to live solely on the charity of others." He motions gently around himself. "Unfortunately, maintenance on this suit is expensive, and I must eat, but charity is lacking on this station. But were you to donate something to my continued livelihood, I would be obliged by my vows to give you any help you require." As he talks, you begin to sense an oily smugness beneath his thin veneer of feigned innocence.

"However, I am not without charity myself, so I will tell you things you could learn elsewhere, but only after much time. I hope this kindness will prompt reciprocal kindness in you." He shifts slightly in place. "To begin with, I. Machen came here looking for looking for reports of strange activity or unusual phenomena, and seeking a specific individual known as Alex Kampf. This is not meaningful in itself, but I suspect your interest is as much in Machen's quarry as he himself. Alex Kampf - a technician formerly in the employ of White Knight - first entered public consciousness when he vanished three weeks ago. Only a small article was dedicated to him, being either famous nor rich, but it seems to have caught the attention of this Machen, who made many equities around this area of the station. Unfortunately for him, he also disappeared around ten days ago, sadly failing to make the papers. He nods to you. "Judging by your enquiries, attire, weapons, and reek of sewer air, I assume that you are Heroica agents hired by Arno Milver to investigate the vanishing of Gregory Smiles, which occurred three days after Machen's own. Finally, five days ago, four more people disappeared - Rosco Bisque, Reid Catlow, Erik Sharpey, and Jet Stoyer - all on the same day. They made the headlines. All of them lived in the same area, a low-income neighborhood in the southeast docks, near to Blue Moon. The same area where Kampf lived." He shrugs. "I do know more, but I cannot part with it save in repayment for a gift freely given."

[Yzalirk]

Ronin turns to Decker.

"I sense something awfully eerie about this.  Multiple people missing.  I fear for the safety of these people.  We came here for just Greg but we should help the others out too.  That would be the noble thing to do."

Ronin turns to the Quarm.  He inspects his suit for any damage while speaking to him.

"Your information has been incredibly valuable and we certainly appreciate it."
Ronin gives Vinoq 10 Credits and bows in appreciation.
"You are correct, we are from Heroica.  I am Ronin and this is my colleague, Decker.  We were indeed sent by Arno Milver to find Gregory but with this newly given information I feel we have more people to find and investigate their disappearances.  If you have further information that can help us on our mission we would very much appreciate it."

[Duvors]

7 hours ago, Yzalirk said:

Ronin turns to the Quarm.  He inspects his suit for any damage while speaking to him.

Ronin Perception Check (DC 1): (5,5,4,6) four successes.

It is easy to see that Vinoq's suit has been repaired many times over an extended period.

Ronin Engineering Check (DC 3): (6,5,5) three successes.

However, you notice all the work has been of a consistently high quality - likely expensive - and has certain hallmarks of all being done by the same workshop. Likely Vinoq has only one person he trusts near his life support.

7 hours ago, Yzalirk said:

"Your information has been incredibly valuable and we certainly appreciate it."
Ronin gives Vinoq 10 Credits and bows in appreciation.
"You are correct, we are from Heroica.  I am Ronin and this is my colleague, Decker.  We were indeed sent by Arno Milver to find Gregory but with this newly given information I feel we have more people to find and investigate their disappearances.  If you have further information that can help us on our mission we would very much appreciate it."

Vinoq sweeps up the credits in a graceful motion and deposits them somewhere in his cloak.

"I thank you for your generosity. But now I must repay you in kind. Let me see, what would be an appropriate recompense for this gift? Hmmm..." There is a momentary pause. "Why don't I give you some further context?" His arms shift to a new position. "Only a few of the newspapers covered this, but Alex Kampf and the four who disappeared all at once did not merely live in the same area, but were associates of one another. Some time back - I can't pin down exactly when - they began holding regular meetings in an unknown location, seemingly at the instigation of a sixth person whose identity I had to go to great lengths to acquire." There's a momentary silence. You wait in expectation for said identity. Unfortunately these hopes are soon dashed. "Too great lengths, indeed, for me to give it away for just ten credits. The same goes for the truth of Machen's identity, or for the Grey & Brown Shipping co. and its relation to the police's inaction on these cases." He gives a slight nod in mock benevolence. "You don't need to give out further charity if you do not wish it. I will happily gift you more of these stories in return for some of your own... if I think them valuable enough."

[Endgame]

9 hours ago, Yzalirk said:

Ronin turns to Decker.

"I sense something awfully eerie about this.  Multiple people missing.  I fear for the safety of these people.  We came here for just Greg but we should help the others out too.  That would be the noble thing to do."

"If they're still alive," Decker says morosely. Were they not acting fast enough? Should they have run through the gated area of the sewers in reckless abandon, before more time was wasted? "At any rate... Agreed. What heroes do, eh?"

Decker turns back to Vinoq.

"So ya have t' explain this vow of poverty thing to me a little more, because it strikes me as, what's the word... counterintuitive; shouldn't that preclude ya from taking any money at all? If I have ya 1000 credits would you take 'em, donate 'em, would you just... not request, ah, charity from everyone else? Jus' curious."

58 minutes ago, Duvors said:

"I thank you for your generosity. But now I must repay you in kind. Let me see, what would be an appropriate recompense for this gift? Hmmm..." There is a momentary pause. "Why don't I give you some further context?" His arms shift to a new position. "Only a few of the newspapers covered this, but Alex Kampf and the four who disappeared all at once did not merely live in the same area, but were associates of one another. Some time back - I can't pin down exactly when - they began holding regular meetings in an unknown location, seemingly at the instigation of a sixth person whose identity I had to go to great lengths to acquire." There's a momentary silence. You wait in expectation for said identity. Unfortunately these hopes are soon dashed. "Too great lengths, indeed, for me to give it away for just ten credits. The same goes for the truth of Machen's identity, or for the Grey & Brown Shipping co. and its relation to the police's inaction on these cases." He gives a slight nod in mock benevolence. "You don't need to give out further charity if you do not wish it. I will happily gift you more of these stories in return for some of your own... if I think them valuable enough."

Associates, huh. What's more likely, they disappeared alongside Greg, or they're the ones who disappeared 'im? Decker ponders.

"Valuable stories, eh?" So this is how he builds his network of info. "I'm guessin' you're lookin fer stuff that's nonfiction, yeah? Otherwise I saw this pretty cool arthouse holovid once." Decker clears his throat. "In all seriousness, we got stories to tell. I could tell ya something from my past, or... Ronin, would you mind if I shared the tale of our last endeavor fer Heroica?"

Decker turned back to Vinoq. "What kinda story is up yer alley, friend?"

 

[Duvors]

16 minutes ago, Endgame said:

"So ya have t' explain this vow of poverty thing to me a little more, because it strikes me as, what's the word... counterintuitive; shouldn't that preclude ya from taking any money at all? If I have ya 1000 credits would you take 'em, donate 'em, would you just... not request, ah, charity from everyone else? Jus' curious."

"What you have said is... difficult to parse. It's something of an intersection between theology and necessity. You see, while it would be nice to live in a word where those who choose not to own things can get by, the one we live in requires us to pay our way for the whole journey. While in a sense I agree that one cannot expect to get more out of life than one puts into it, it would be more convenient if everyone was a shade kinder."

Decker Persuasion Check (DC 5 1 [secretly depressed, earnest inquiry]): (5,5,3) two successes.

For once, the tone of his voice seems genuine, dropping the sly, mocking timbre for something more world-weary. "If you want to get technical about it, the Sect I belong too is disbarred from buying and selling goods, and from owning anything other than what is necessary for survival. The money I take is considered in the latter category, as I need it to buy food and maintain this suit. Otherwise I would suffocate in this low pressure. And being a power broker on this station has... other benefits, even for an ascetic. Frankly I enjoy being smug." He gestures across the way, the forcefulness of his motion betraying and internal anger at himself for admitting all this. "I do donate to the temple over there if I take in more than I can justify, but money buys my services only when I have need or when other payment is unavailable."

34 minutes ago, Endgame said:

"Valuable stories, eh?" So this is how he builds his network of info. "I'm guessin' you're lookin fer stuff that's nonfiction, yeah? Otherwise I saw this pretty cool arthouse holovid once." Decker clears his throat. "In all seriousness, we got stories to tell. I could tell ya something from my past, or... Ronin, would you mind if I shared the tale of our last endeavor fer Heroica?"

Decker turned back to Vinoq. "What kinda story is up yer alley, friend?"

"Anything I can sell, frankly." You seem to have prompted him to drop the dissemination, at least for the moment. "Useful information I can use to maintain my reputation as a purveyor of knowledge, so I don't become fair prey to street gangs and the like."

[Yzalirk]

13 hours ago, Duvors said:

"I thank you for your generosity. But now I must repay you in kind. Let me see, what would be an appropriate recompense for this gift? Hmmm..." There is a momentary pause. "Why don't I give you some further context?" His arms shift to a new position. "Only a few of the newspapers covered this, but Alex Kampf and the four who disappeared all at once did not merely live in the same area, but were associates of one another. Some time back - I can't pin down exactly when - they began holding regular meetings in an unknown location, seemingly at the instigation of a sixth person whose identity I had to go to great lengths to acquire." There's a momentary silence. You wait in expectation for said identity. Unfortunately these hopes are soon dashed. "Too great lengths, indeed, for me to give it away for just ten credits. The same goes for the truth of Machen's identity, or for the Grey & Brown Shipping co. and its relation to the police's inaction on these cases." He gives a slight nod in mock benevolence. "You don't need to give out further charity if you do not wish it. I will happily gift you more of these stories in return for some of your own... if I think them valuable enough."

"I insist, purveyor of knowledge.  Keep this in good faith."
Ronin gives Vinoq another 10 Credits.
"We do have a story, as a matter in fact.  Very recent too.  You know of Recivic in the Vicrar System?  Our mission brought us there some weeks back.  Decker has a much better way with words than I do.  His rendition would certainly be much more interesting.  It does involve a giant polar gator too."
 

12 hours ago, Endgame said:

"Valuable stories, eh?" So this is how he builds his network of info. "I'm guessin' you're lookin fer stuff that's nonfiction, yeah? Otherwise I saw this pretty cool arthouse holovid once." Decker clears his throat. "In all seriousness, we got stories to tell. I could tell ya something from my past, or... Ronin, would you mind if I shared the tale of our last endeavor fer Heroica?"

"By all means decker,"
He extends his arm to give him the floor.
"You are more articulate with words than I am.  Your telling of this story will surely be much more entertaining."

[Endgame]

22 hours ago, Duvors said:

"What you have said is... difficult to parse. It's something of an intersection between theology and necessity. You see, while it would be nice to live in a word where those who choose not to own things can get by, the one we live in requires us to pay our way for the whole journey. While in a sense I agree that one cannot expect to get more out of life than one puts into it, it would be more convenient if everyone was a shade kinder."

Decker Persuasion Check (DC 5 1 [secretly depressed, earnest inquiry]): (5,5,3) two successes.

For once, the tone of his voice seems genuine, dropping the sly, mocking timbre for something more world-weary. "If you want to get technical about it, the Sect I belong too is disbarred from buying and selling goods, and from owning anything other than what is necessary for survival. The money I take is considered in the latter category, as I need it to buy food and maintain this suit. Otherwise I would suffocate in this low pressure. And being a power broker on this station has... other benefits, even for an ascetic. Frankly I enjoy being smug." He gestures across the way, the forcefulness of his motion betraying and internal anger at himself for admitting all this. "I do donate to the temple over there if I take in more than I can justify, but money buys my services only when I have need or when other payment is unavailable."

"Anything I can sell, frankly." You seem to have prompted him to drop the dissemination, at least for the moment. "Useful information I can use to maintain my reputation as a purveyor of knowledge, so I don't become fair prey to street gangs and the like."

"Huh. Y'know, I had trouble wrappin' my head around it at first, but that sounds like a fair enough system. Things would be easier if people were a little kinder... Sometimes feels damn hard to do in this system."

"Ah, then I think the stories of me gettin' chased by Diremelds through construction sites back on Akharif aren't worth much to ya, then. Worth a laugh, maybe."

11 hours ago, Yzalirk said:

 

"By all means decker,"
He extends his arm to give him the floor.
"You are more articulate with words than I am.  Your telling of this story will surely be much more entertaining."

"Ya sure about that?" Decker laughs. "Am I better with words or jus' worse at shutting up? If ya say so, though, I'll tell it."

"I could spin it as some grand old yarn, but it sounds like you're innit for functional info, not tall tales. So let me tell ya the basics. Myself and Ronin, 'long with three other compatriots - Aysu, Enson, and Polaris - well, six if you count Polaris' mini-mecha, I guess - were hired to do a bit of under the table work for one Mervin Softpaw. Y'see, their sled-wyrm race had the route clogged up by all kinds of monsters swarming the area. We go 'round the tundra surrounding Vindkoss, takin' em out one by one. The frost hawks and the glacial mongers weren't a huge issue - the latter sprung a trap on us, though - but as Ronin mentioned, the massive Polar Gator? Absolute menace. Aye, hope I never run into another one again."

"Of course, this wasn't a mere huntin' trip. There was some corporate intrigue here. Not sure if this is on yer radar or not, but Kristal Ice does a whole lotta business on Recivic. Plenty of mining outposts, all this equipment... in the trade of ice mining, if I understand correctly. Anyway. Kristal Ice wasn't entirely on the up and up. We witnessed an altercation between them and the locals, where they were almost willing to shoot a man dead on site. All over a suspicion of theft. The suspicion ended up bein' true, but it was rather ornery of them. The real malpractice by them though, was their inability to tie up loose ends, so to speak. It turns out that all of the animals in the area were goin' nuts because they were eating meat off of a Rime Drake carcass - a Drake that Kristal Ice killed, but never properly disposed of, throwin' the whole ecosystem outta whack. We took care of drake, but shows where Kristal Ice's priorities lie."

[Duvors]

Vinoq sweeps up the credits and listens in silence as you recount your previous experiences.

"Hmmm... I'm not sure how useful this little piece of corporate blackmail is, I don't usually deal with executive types... There is a reporter I know, I might be able to convince him to drop some other stories my main clientele would find awkward in return for this scoop. Very well, I'll take it."

He shifts his arms again, settling into a new position.

"Let's start with the sixth man, Avery Mann to be precise. His presence was absurdly hard to confirm - or guess rather, I still can't pin him for certain - I wouldn't have known he was on station at all if wanted posters for him hadn't been popping up recently. Avery is a ghost, he often appears in connection to strange events of an unpleasant character, including multiple crimes with no clear motive. His role in events is always murky at best, and people often have difficulty describing him - if they even remember he was present to begin with. All descriptions of him are exceedingly generic, with no distinct identifiers aside from name - and even that can be obscured by one of his pseudonyms, Norm Pearson, Stan Guy, and others no-one knows about." He makes an uncomfortable sound that might be a cough. "It's not just his face that people have difficulty with, no-one has ever been able to clearly remember a conversation with him, even when witnesses attest to have spoken to him at great length. People he doesn't interact with don't seem to remember him at all, and even knowing his name or appearance doesn't seem to help people recognize him. The only thing that the police have been able to established with any consistency is that his presence often seems to coincide with acts of... ritualized murder."

There is another shift, you get the sense of a distinct discomfort with this topic.

"As for Machen, that is somewhat more mundane - somewhat. After asking around with my usual contacts I was able to discover that he had moved into an apartment in Kampf's former building shortly after the latter disappeared. Clearly part of his following the man. Further digging was barely able to tun up his name on the æthernet in relation to ...Avery Mann. It appears that our elusive friend was his true target. After connecting the two, I had a hunch to check the membership roll of a certain organization that specializes in hunting ritual murderers and suchlike." He lifts of slightly, seemingly preening himself in pleasure over his deduction. "I discovered that 'Machen' is, in fact, a pseudonym used by Investigators from the Thaumaturgic Society."

[Yzalirk]

"This Avery Mann character sounds incredibly eerie.  Almost not human.  An unnatural entity.  How can no one remember talking to him or recognize him?  This worries me."
Ronin pauses for a moment.
"Does he have any associates that you are aware of?  Or is he acting on his own accord?"

Ronin turns to Decker.

"Decker, I think we should find this Machen person.  If they are indeed with the Thaumaturgic Society their help would be very useful.  If they are after Avery Mann this is certainly a dark rabbit hole we are entering.  Multiple disappearances, occult killings, and an unnatural person.  I fear this may be too much for us to handle alone.  What do you think?"

[Endgame]

Decker feels his stomach knot up a bit as Vinoq continues. "Aye. That, ah. That sounds not great," Decker gulps. "When you first said ghost, I thought ya meant metaphorically, but this guy sounds... Well. Like bad news. So Machen was a PI under a false name, investigatin' a culty serial killer."

And now we're chasin' him into the sewers.

2 hours ago, Yzalirk said:

"This Avery Mann character sounds incredibly eerie.  Almost not human.  An unnatural entity.  How can no one remember talking to him or recognize him?  This worries me."
Ronin pauses for a moment.
"Does he have any associates that you are aware of?  Or is he acting on his own accord?"

Ronin turns to Decker.

"Decker, I think we should find this Machen person.  If they are indeed with the Thaumaturgic Society their help would be very useful.  If they are after Avery Mann this is certainly a dark rabbit hole we are entering.  Multiple disappearances, occult killings, and an unnatural person.  I fear this may be too much for us to handle alone.  What do you think?"

"Is there anywhere on the station we could go to talk to the Thalamusi- Thaumamatic- Traumatoni- the Society, see if they have any insight into this? Do they have an office on that station we could stop in and ask? As for doing it alone, well, I didn't read my Heroica handbook front t' back, so I could be wrong, but I'm not sure if we can jus'... call backup from the hall. We're gonna have to handle this all smart-like if we wanna get this job done. Without one of us gettin' sacrificed to who knows what," Decker clarifies.

And we all know doin' things smartly is 100% my specialty, Decker thinks to himself dryly.

 

 

[Duvors]

On 2/1/2022 at 3:49 PM, Yzalirk said:

"This Avery Mann character sounds incredibly eerie.  Almost not human.  An unnatural entity.  How can no one remember talking to him or recognize him?  This worries me."
Ronin pauses for a moment.
"Does he have any associates that you are aware of?  Or is he acting on his own accord?"

"Unfortunately I can't answer that question. What little I know about him is based on inference, and since his movements are near impossible to track it would be a tall order to associate him with any specific individuals. Most of the crimes he's involved in seem to be carried out by people with whom he had no contact prior to the... incidents."

22 hours ago, Endgame said:

"Is there anywhere on the station we could go to talk to the Thalamusi- Thaumamatic- Traumatoni- the Society, see if they have any insight into this? Do they have an office on that station we could stop in and ask? As for doing it alone, well, I didn't read my Heroica handbook front t' back, so I could be wrong, but I'm not sure if we can jus'... call backup from the hall. We're gonna have to handle this all smart-like if we wanna get this job done. Without one of us gettin' sacrificed to who knows what," Decker clarifies.

"I believe they have a lodge off Starbright Street, but that's up a whole level and could take hours." He stops for a moment, shifting his arms into a new position. "I don't want to dictate your next actions to you, but there are several courses you could take; to start with, several of the vendors on this street, namely the potion seller, pizzeria, and bookseller, all have wares that you could use. The priest of that temple could also be persuaded to give you some form of blessing if he's told of your mission, and there's a wandering swordsman who comes around here sometimes, though he'll probably want to challenge you, Ronin, to a duel - to 'test your skills' or some nonsense."

He sighs and shifts position again.

"I don't know the details of how your organization operates, but asking for backup doesn't sound unreasonable, though your employer might have to be informed somehow. And... well, you could go to the local police, but you'd likely need more evidence than hearsay, or perhaps some nice blackmail." There's a momentary pause. "I'll give this to you for free, but I'll expect you to return after this is all finished to tell me how this all went down; Grey and Brown Shipping is officially a small shipping company. Unofficially it's a front for Flatfoot Thompson's lates criminal endeavor - smuggling. Thompson is sort of famous for being willing to engage in pretty much anything criminal, and the Space Police have a warrant out for his arrest on an increasingly long list of charges. Now, the chief of police of this precinct has been seen having meetings with one Ted Wilson, supposedly a clark for Grey and Brown. The police chief is almost certainly taking bribes to cover up Thompson's doings. It's likely he thinks the disappearances are connected to Thompson somehow, or that investigating would involve accidentally breaking the agreement."

"And of course, you could simply continue investigating, either in the sewers, the Grey and Brown warehouse, or the apartment building where Kampf and Machen both had rooms. Any of these could provide evidence to convince the police to act, or conversely might be easier with the police's authority." He clasps his hands together - two behind his back, the rest in front. "I'm curious Heroes, what will you do?"

[Endgame]

"Some part of me is a little 'esitant to even get other poor souls mixed up in this, but maybe that's just my stubborness talkin'. And about the blessing, well, I kinda like the idea of some sort of holy purifyin' shotgun." Decker pats the shotgun slung across his back.

"If I had to voice my picks, we'd check out the church, then maybe cross blades with that swordsman, then back to the sewers... Ronin, what're ya thinkin'?"

[Yzalirk]

15 hours ago, Endgame said:

"Some part of me is a little 'esitant to even get other poor souls mixed up in this, but maybe that's just my stubborness talkin'. And about the blessing, well, I kinda like the idea of some sort of holy purifyin' shotgun." Decker pats the shotgun slung across his back.

"If I had to voice my picks, we'd check out the church, then maybe cross blades with that swordsman, then back to the sewers... Ronin, what're ya thinkin'?"

Ronin pauses for a moment to think.

"I am in agreement.  Perhaps some holy blessing is what we need.  After the temple we should see what these vendors have for sale while we wait for the swordsman.  I cannot say I am thrilled to play games when we have work to do.  Then we can head off.  But I really think we could use the help of the Thaumaturgic Society."
 

[Duvors]

@Endgame @Yzalirk

There's no difficulty in finding the temple, it's directly across the street after all. You and Vinoq bid each other brief farewells before you make your way across the street to the temple doors - and the person standing before them.

"Greetings, travelers. What brings you to this place?"

What on Ebria are you going to say?

[Yzalirk]

"Hello."
Ronin bows.
"I am Ronin and this is my colleague, Decker.  We are from Heroica.  We fear our mission will be met by an unholy incarnate, and agent of the occult.  We respectfully ask for a holy blessing so we may purge this demon and bring further peace and safety down here."

[Duvors]

1 hour ago, Yzalirk said:

"Hello."
Ronin bows.
"I am Ronin and this is my colleague, Decker.  We are from Heroica.  We fear our mission will be met by an unholy incarnate, and agent of the occult.  We respectfully ask for a holy blessing so we may purge this demon and bring further peace and safety down here."

"Uhhh... wow. That's... that's a lot to just walk up and say to someone." He shakes his head as if to clear it. "I'm sorry, can you tell me more about this demon you're hunting?"

[Yzalirk]

56 minutes ago, Duvors said:

"Uhhh... wow. That's... that's a lot to just walk up and say to someone." He shakes his head as if to clear it. "I'm sorry, can you tell me more about this demon you're hunting?"

Ronin grumbles.

"Understandable.  Very well.  I am sure you are familiar with the sudden and mysterious disappearances of mutiple people here, yes?  To our knowledge, a man going by the name Avery Mann is likely the culprit.  He is no ordinary person, nothing mundane about him.  Everyone that has been recorded to have spoken to him does not recall doing so nor do they remember his face.  Time is of the essence.  Can you please help us?"

[Duvors]

40 minutes ago, Yzalirk said:

"Understandable.  Very well.  I am sure you are familiar with the sudden and mysterious disappearances of mutiple people here, yes?  To our knowledge, a man going by the name Avery Mann is likely the culprit.  He is no ordinary person, nothing mundane about him.  Everyone that has been recorded to have spoken to him does not recall doing so nor do they remember his face.  Time is of the essence.  Can you please help us?"

The priest gives you a searching glance for a moment, but seems to decide you're being sincere after a moment's contemplation.

"That... does not sound good. I do not think I can give you anything to counteract memory altering powers, but... One moment."

The priest disappears behind the doors of the temple for a moment, before just as swiftly returning.

"Here, take these. It's dangerous to hunt the forces of darkness alone. May the wisdom of the Ranagapari defend you from corruption."

 Holy Candle x2: (Consumable) Prevents Unholy enemies from entering a space adjacent to the user for 3 turns.

As he speaks to you, you feel a strange energy in the air. Like some ward, preserving you from harm. As this happens, the priest clears his throat uncomfortably.

"I... do not want to impose on you, but can you do me a favor? My son, Neros Solon, he hasn't been home for a few days. This isn't unusual, his friends tend to... encourage that sort of behavior. But it makes me worry about him... especially now, with all you've told me. If you run across him, could you please tell him to come home? I don't want to impose, or distract you from your quest, but..." he trails off, clearly distressed by his subject.

[Endgame]

6 hours ago, Yzalirk said:

"Hello."
Ronin bows.
"I am Ronin and this is my colleague, Decker.  We are from Heroica.  We fear our mission will be met by an unholy incarnate, and agent of the occult.  We respectfully ask for a holy blessing so we may purge this demon and bring further peace and safety down here."

"And you say that I'm the one better with words?" Decker snorts. He knew Ronin was more of the quiet sort, but when he spoke, Decker couldn't help but feel that his companion was more articulate than he could ever dream of.

2 hours ago, Duvors said:

The priest gives you a searching glance for a moment, but seems to decide you're being sincere after a moment's contemplation.

"That... does not sound good. I do not think I can give you anything to counteract memory altering powers, but... One moment."

The priest disappears behind the doors of the temple for a moment, before just as swiftly returning.

"Here, take these. It's dangerous to hunt the forces of darkness alone. May the wisdom of the Ranagapari defend you from corruption."

 Holy Candle x2: (Consumable) Prevents Unholy enemies from entering a space adjacent to the user for 3 turns.

As he speaks to you, you feel a strange energy in the air. Like some ward, preserving you from harm. As this happens, the priest clears his throat uncomfortably.

"I... do not want to impose on you, but can you do me a favor? My son, Neros Solon, he hasn't been home for a few days. This isn't unusual, his friends tend to... encourage that sort of behavior. But it makes me worry about him... especially now, with all you've told me. If you run across him, could you please tell him to come home? I don't want to impose, or distract you from your quest, but..." he trails off, clearly distressed by his subject.

Decker accepts the candle into his hand. Just holding his palm over the white wick, he feels a strange sensation. It felt more like warmth than heat, if that made any sense. What an utterly fascinating thing.

"Huh... You're jus' too kind, sir, really. I have a feeling this will aid us quite a bit on our mission." Decker feels his insides tighten up as the priest describes his missing son. Please... it's just a kid... The weight of their responsibility was starting to get to Decker. This wasn't like Recivic, not at all.

"You're not imposin' at all. So don't worry a thing. If we see him we'll give him an earful. I didn't catch your name? If we cross paths with the boy, it'd be helpful to have your name so he knows we know his dad."

[Duvors]

16 hours ago, Endgame said:

"Huh... You're jus' too kind, sir, really. I have a feeling this will aid us quite a bit on our mission." Decker feels his insides tighten up as the priest describes his missing son. Please... it's just a kid... The weight of their responsibility was starting to get to Decker. This wasn't like Recivic, not at all.

"You're not imposin' at all. So don't worry a thing. If we see him we'll give him an earful. I didn't catch your name? If we cross paths with the boy, it'd be helpful to have your name so he knows we know his dad."

"Thank you, my name is Merol Soron. I know it's silly to worry about someone his age, but his friends are... distressingly irresponsible." He blinks in sudden realization. "Oh! I haven't told you what he looks like. He's about sixteen, slightly shorter than I am, and wears a black jacket, with zippers. Reminds me a little of myself at his age."

[Yzalirk]

22 hours ago, Duvors said:

As he speaks to you, you feel a strange energy in the air. Like some ward, preserving you from harm. As this happens, the priest clears his throat uncomfortably.

"I... do not want to impose on you, but can you do me a favor? My son, Neros Solon, he hasn't been home for a few days. This isn't unusual, his friends tend to... encourage that sort of behavior. But it makes me worry about him... especially now, with all you've told me. If you run across him, could you please tell him to come home? I don't want to impose, or distract you from your quest, but..." he trails off, clearly distressed by his subject.

Ronin pockets a candle.

"This is very much appreciated.  Thank you."
He bows.
"Of course.  You are not imposing at all.  If we find your son we will tell him.  You have done us a great service so it is only right that we return the favor."

He turns to Decker.

"Are you ready to check out the other vendors and see if our swordsman is there?"

[Endgame]

5 hours ago, Duvors said:

"Thank you, my name is Merol Soron. I know it's silly to worry about someone his age, but his friends are... distressingly irresponsible." He blinks in sudden realization. "Oh! I haven't told you what he looks like. He's about sixteen, slightly shorter than I am, and wears a black jacket, with zippers. Reminds me a little of myself at his age."

"Silly to worry about a sixteen year old? That's when you oughta worry most. My ma's hair went gray dealing with my siblings and I 'round that age. We'll keep an eye out for him."

3 hours ago, Yzalirk said:

He turns to Decker.

"Are you ready to check out the other vendors and see if our swordsman is there?"

"Sure am."

[Duvors]

@Endgame @Yzalirk

"Thank you again, you have no idea how grateful I am. May you be drawn inwards."

Moving out into the street again, you reassess the scene presented to you:

Edited February 5, 2022 by Duvors

[Endgame]

That fizzy drink actually sounds... pretty damn good right now, Decker thinks to himself.

"Ronin. If I were you, I'd be brandishin' that blade. In a more... cocky way than a threatening way? See if we can draw out our swordsman pal. In the meantime, I'll be uh... scoping out the pizza place."

Keeping an eye on people's backs and hips to see if anyone was concealing a sheathed blade, Decker makes his way across the street to the pizza place.

[Yzalirk]

43 minutes ago, Endgame said:

"Ronin. If I were you, I'd be brandishin' that blade. In a more... cocky way than a threatening way? See if we can draw out our swordsman pal. In the meantime, I'll be uh... scoping out the pizza place."

Keeping an eye on people's backs and hips to see if anyone was concealing a sheathed blade, Decker makes his way across the street to the pizza place.

"A true disciplined swordsman does not flaunt his sword, but maybe you are right. You should bring that little mushroom man along with you.  I hear mushrooms on pizza is quite popular."
Ronin lightheartedly says.  Semi-joking, semi-serious.
"He seems like an interesting person.  Perhaps he has more insight than we think."

Ronin takes off his Workman's Uniform and throws on his Rocketpack.  He then approaches a random vendor they have not visited yet while scanning through the crowd for the mysterious swordsman.

Edited February 6, 2022 by Yzalirk