Kai exhales a breath, taking it all in. He gets down to business. "Right. Any windows broken? Damage to the room, forced entry?" The aarakocra flips open a battered notebook, the leather cover stained with a splotch of oil and scorch marks. His pen scratches across the page. "I'll assume you've put some other people in the organization on the case as well, found nothing since a week ago, when you noticed he was missing. Which is why you called us. We'll need to know what he looks like, what he acts like."
A beat passes. Kai clicks his beak and points the pen at the director, seemingly having an 'aha' moment. "Your nephew, then. Commander Shin is the father? Have you been able to contact him since he disappeared?"
“Don’t. Mention his name to me. That man is no commander here. Understood? Good. No damage, which is what makes this so disturbing. Someone got into the agency, took him, and got out faster and quieter than should be possible, meaning they had inside information. I believe we may have a mole, which is why I put together this team. I trust each of you, highly decorated agents of METAL.”
"Mole from the Shadows? Or is that too obvious? Someone who could well be a Shadow but works in another department?"Heli frowns a bit. She rarely made plans when it came to her work, improvising and using her way with words to get out of situations worked better for her. She runs a hand through her hair, "Forgive me for this one question, but is Luke anything special? Is there any reason to kidnap him other than him being your nephew?"
(What city is to the east? Could we get a map of where we are?)
Kai tilts his head a bit. He'd never heard of any bad blood between the director and his brother. But no matter. "Understood."
"It would help us very much, then, if you had anywhere specific in mind that could help narrow down our search. Do you have any contacts to the east that we could reach out to?"
Victorin lets out a low whistle “Looks like you were right, Kai. It is to retrieve something big. And here I was hoping for the ale.”
Shin’s boy. That made things interesting. Victorin wasn’t aware of the true level of bad blood between the two brothers, but there appeared to be a little more to it than just sibling rivalry given Jacob’s response. And he went right to thoughts of a mole? Why? Who would be mad enough to make an enemy of both Jacob and Shin? Still these were thoughts best kept to himself for now.
He turns to Jacob “Maybe the kid left on his own? Kids do that all of the time. He is a kid, right? Regardless, east is a pretty big place, you got anything to narrow it down? Maybe we could take a look at the room ourselves, see if we notice anything out of the ordinary?”
(To the East is the Thousand Bone Sands, home to a tribe of marauders as well as the city Zerone, bandit capital, a city of lowlifes and thugs for hire)
”Honestly, I could not make any assumptions about the mole and the best reason I could think of is that he’s my nephew, I’m the director of the agency, and he could be used as leverage. I have an… associate, in Zerone, just go to the Dead Drunk bar on Ghost avenue and say that Jake the rake sent you. And please don’t mention this to anyone. We need to be discreet about this,”
(The Thousand Bones Sands are about five miles East and then you have about a three mile wide expanse of desert and another mile to Zerone so about 9 miles. You will be provide with a transport unit to get where you need to go.)
Quinn shakes his head "Wait a minute. Why would you have any reason to trust us? There are what, three hundred agents in METAL, and WE are the ones you happen to turn to. I am not saying you are wrong, you need someone to go after your nephew, but you should be more careful in who you put your trust in. Any one of us could be the mole. Also, you hesitated earlier when you were talking about the east. I believe all of us noticed that, we're not amatures. If we are doing this, don't you think it would be apt to tell us everything that you know."
Quinn's gaze doesn't leave Stronghold, and his stance still seems relaxed, but something about his words seems off. Almost tense, or nervous.
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“I will take responsibility for what I have done. [...] If must fall, I will rise each time a better man.” ― Brandon Sanderson, Oathbringer.
"He can't tell us everything if one of us is the mole, but i agree with you. We do need more information. We, or I at least, know how to find artifacts, not children. I am not that good," Heli doesn't leave either, although she does lean against the wall by the door, "I think its worth the risk, but maybe not. Is there someone who you trust more than anyone else here? Maybe just let them know."
Kai pivots on his left claw, facing Quinn. "Everyone else hasn't managed to find him yet. His nephew has been lost for a week, everyone trying to find him. Hasn't worked. So it falls to us, best damn agents in the organization. You. Me. And the other four. No moles to be found." Kai eyes the Kalashtar carefully. "Unless you're not confident in your own abilities, in which case feel free to drop out of the mission now before we start."
Heli keeps her eyes on Stronghold, but decides to chip in, "Nothing wrong with being careful. If one, or maybe two people know whats going on, the others can trust them and follow their lead. We are still risking giving info to the mole, if there is one, but again, better safe than sorry. Its up to you in any case, boss."
“The desert” Victorin curses “Why is it always the desert? Sand, scorpions, and heat. The last time I went in, to recover that Djinn’s lamp, I had sand in my gear for weeks. When is someone going to hide something somewhere nice?”
He pauses and notes the tension in the room. The lack of information didn’t really bother him, he had a place and a name, that was more than he usually got at first, but it was interesting to see some of the pushback in the group. He hasn’t really worked with many of them before, he would have to keep an eye on everyone here.
He remains silent, watching Heli, Quinn, and Jacob, and waiting to see who is going to blink first.
Quinn smirks at Kai "Confidence isn't the issue, it seems you have that in spades. Competence however.....that remains to be seen. As I said before, I am not refusing. Just making sure that you five know what my stance is. I trust none of you, and I expect none of you to trust me. And that suits me just fine."
Quinn still looks relaxed, but one of his fingernails has dug into the palm of his hand, and a single drop runs through his fingers and lands on the floor.
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“I will take responsibility for what I have done. [...] If must fall, I will rise each time a better man.” ― Brandon Sanderson, Oathbringer.
((would Agar have met the nephew before? If he could be considered familiar with him he could cast sending))
Agar leaned against the wall casually as he listened, then spoke up. "Have you tried reaching the boy via Sending? If he's kidnapped, doing so might provide invaluable info on the kidnapper, and maybe even their location. Also, can we examine the room you left him in? There may be clues there."
(You probably wouldn't be incredibly familiar with him, he mainly stays in his room or in the greenhouses.)
"I trust you all because Eltress trusts you. If I'm being honest I didn't put this team together, she did. She thinks you six the best and brightest of your fields and trusts you all, I am not entirely sure about you all myself, but I am desperate. Eltress, of course, knows. That woman could get a demon to tell her their true name. I wish Timbers were here, I would have of course told him, which is... another reason I would like you to go East. Last I heard of him he left for the Singing Mountains to find peace, if... if there's anyone who could get through the anti-scrying field, it would be him," Jacob says, getting quieter.
(Anyone would know what the Singing Mountains are; since they are what they sound like. The wind whips through the mountains at just the right angles and frequencies that the mountains sound as though they are singing)
“The desert” Victorin curses “Why is it always the desert? Sand, scorpions, and heat. The last time I went in, to recover that Djinn’s lamp, I had sand in my gear for weeks. When is someone going to hide something somewhere nice?”
He pauses and notes the tension in the room. The lack of information didn’t really bother him, he had a place and a name, that was more than he usually got at first, but it was interesting to see some of the pushback in the group. He hasn’t really worked with many of them before, he would have to keep an eye on everyone here.
He remains silent, watching Heli, Quinn, and Jacob, and waiting to see who is going to blink first.
(How about mountains that are alive with the sound of music? And the Thousand Bone Sands aren't actually that bad, just infested with horrible creatures, lack of water, and the blinding white of the sands that give the place it's name!)
“Well, that settles it. Let’s be off then”Victorin pats Quinn on the back in a reassuring manner and gives him a cheerful grin “Don’t worry, you can continue to accuse us all of being moles on the way. No wonder why no one in R&D wants to work with you.” Victorin turns and follows the others out of the room, stopping by his quarters quickly to gather his traveling gear and equipment, and then heading to meet up with the transport.
Carcan rights himself, nods toward Mr. Stronghold and follows the others out of the room with his metal companion following close behind.
When they're all out of earshot from the office, assuming there's nobody else nearby, he'll say to the group in a somewhat hushed tone "This is odd, right? It's not just me? He was clearly hiding some key information, and why does he even have an 'associate' in Zerone? Isn't that place just full of bandits and low-life criminals?"
(Knowing this is sensitive information, he wouldn't say this if there's anyone other than the group from the meeting within earshot. If we're in a busy hallway, I'll save that for the road...)
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“Don’t. Mention his name to me. That man is no commander here. Understood? Good. No damage, which is what makes this so disturbing. Someone got into the agency, took him, and got out faster and quieter than should be possible, meaning they had inside information. I believe we may have a mole, which is why I put together this team. I trust each of you, highly decorated agents of METAL.”
Farewell.
"Mole from the Shadows? Or is that too obvious? Someone who could well be a Shadow but works in another department?" Heli frowns a bit. She rarely made plans when it came to her work, improvising and using her way with words to get out of situations worked better for her. She runs a hand through her hair, "Forgive me for this one question, but is Luke anything special? Is there any reason to kidnap him other than him being your nephew?"
(What city is to the east? Could we get a map of where we are?)
Kai tilts his head a bit. He'd never heard of any bad blood between the director and his brother. But no matter. "Understood."
"It would help us very much, then, if you had anywhere specific in mind that could help narrow down our search. Do you have any contacts to the east that we could reach out to?"
Aruzhal - Lv 1 Tempest Cleric - Planescape: Lost
Victorin lets out a low whistle “Looks like you were right, Kai. It is to retrieve something big. And here I was hoping for the ale.”
Shin’s boy. That made things interesting. Victorin wasn’t aware of the true level of bad blood between the two brothers, but there appeared to be a little more to it than just sibling rivalry given Jacob’s response. And he went right to thoughts of a mole? Why? Who would be mad enough to make an enemy of both Jacob and Shin? Still these were thoughts best kept to himself for now.
He turns to Jacob “Maybe the kid left on his own? Kids do that all of the time. He is a kid, right? Regardless, east is a pretty big place, you got anything to narrow it down? Maybe we could take a look at the room ourselves, see if we notice anything out of the ordinary?”
(To the East is the Thousand Bone Sands, home to a tribe of marauders as well as the city Zerone, bandit capital, a city of lowlifes and thugs for hire)
”Honestly, I could not make any assumptions about the mole and the best reason I could think of is that he’s my nephew, I’m the director of the agency, and he could be used as leverage. I have an… associate, in Zerone, just go to the Dead Drunk bar on Ghost avenue and say that Jake the rake sent you. And please don’t mention this to anyone. We need to be discreet about this,”
Farewell.
(How far away is that?)
Kai jots all this down and snaps the notebook shut. "Solid copy from me. We'll find your nephew and be discreet about it.
The aarakocra slings his gear on, opening the door for the group. "Let's move out then. Our transport’s waiting."
Aruzhal - Lv 1 Tempest Cleric - Planescape: Lost
(The Thousand Bones Sands are about five miles East and then you have about a three mile wide expanse of desert and another mile to Zerone so about 9 miles. You will be provide with a transport unit to get where you need to go.)
Farewell.
Quinn shakes his head "Wait a minute. Why would you have any reason to trust us? There are what, three hundred agents in METAL, and WE are the ones you happen to turn to. I am not saying you are wrong, you need someone to go after your nephew, but you should be more careful in who you put your trust in. Any one of us could be the mole. Also, you hesitated earlier when you were talking about the east. I believe all of us noticed that, we're not amatures. If we are doing this, don't you think it would be apt to tell us everything that you know."
Quinn's gaze doesn't leave Stronghold, and his stance still seems relaxed, but something about his words seems off. Almost tense, or nervous.
“I will take responsibility for what I have done. [...] If must fall, I will rise each time a better man.” ― Brandon Sanderson, Oathbringer.
"He can't tell us everything if one of us is the mole, but i agree with you. We do need more information. We, or I at least, know how to find artifacts, not children. I am not that good," Heli doesn't leave either, although she does lean against the wall by the door, "I think its worth the risk, but maybe not. Is there someone who you trust more than anyone else here? Maybe just let them know."
Kai pivots on his left claw, facing Quinn. "Everyone else hasn't managed to find him yet. His nephew has been lost for a week, everyone trying to find him. Hasn't worked. So it falls to us, best damn agents in the organization. You. Me. And the other four. No moles to be found." Kai eyes the Kalashtar carefully. "Unless you're not confident in your own abilities, in which case feel free to drop out of the mission now before we start."
Aruzhal - Lv 1 Tempest Cleric - Planescape: Lost
Heli keeps her eyes on Stronghold, but decides to chip in, "Nothing wrong with being careful. If one, or maybe two people know whats going on, the others can trust them and follow their lead. We are still risking giving info to the mole, if there is one, but again, better safe than sorry. Its up to you in any case, boss."
“The desert” Victorin curses “Why is it always the desert? Sand, scorpions, and heat. The last time I went in, to recover that Djinn’s lamp, I had sand in my gear for weeks. When is someone going to hide something somewhere nice?”
He pauses and notes the tension in the room. The lack of information didn’t really bother him, he had a place and a name, that was more than he usually got at first, but it was interesting to see some of the pushback in the group. He hasn’t really worked with many of them before, he would have to keep an eye on everyone here.
He remains silent, watching Heli, Quinn, and Jacob, and waiting to see who is going to blink first.
Quinn smirks at Kai "Confidence isn't the issue, it seems you have that in spades. Competence however.....that remains to be seen. As I said before, I am not refusing. Just making sure that you five know what my stance is. I trust none of you, and I expect none of you to trust me. And that suits me just fine."
Quinn still looks relaxed, but one of his fingernails has dug into the palm of his hand, and a single drop runs through his fingers and lands on the floor.
“I will take responsibility for what I have done. [...] If must fall, I will rise each time a better man.” ― Brandon Sanderson, Oathbringer.
((would Agar have met the nephew before? If he could be considered familiar with him he could cast sending))
Agar leaned against the wall casually as he listened, then spoke up. "Have you tried reaching the boy via Sending? If he's kidnapped, doing so might provide invaluable info on the kidnapper, and maybe even their location. Also, can we examine the room you left him in? There may be clues there."
(You probably wouldn't be incredibly familiar with him, he mainly stays in his room or in the greenhouses.)
"I trust you all because Eltress trusts you. If I'm being honest I didn't put this team together, she did. She thinks you six the best and brightest of your fields and trusts you all, I am not entirely sure about you all myself, but I am desperate. Eltress, of course, knows. That woman could get a demon to tell her their true name. I wish Timbers were here, I would have of course told him, which is... another reason I would like you to go East. Last I heard of him he left for the Singing Mountains to find peace, if... if there's anyone who could get through the anti-scrying field, it would be him," Jacob says, getting quieter.
(Anyone would know what the Singing Mountains are; since they are what they sound like. The wind whips through the mountains at just the right angles and frequencies that the mountains sound as though they are singing)
Farewell.
(How about mountains that are alive with the sound of music? And the Thousand Bone Sands aren't actually that bad, just infested with horrible creatures, lack of water, and the blinding white of the sands that give the place it's name!)
Farewell.
"Alright, find Timbers, find Luke," Heli shrugs and pushes herself off the wall. She takes in Stronghold for a second more and then walks out.
Kai, having given his two copper already, nods and follows Heli out.
Aruzhal - Lv 1 Tempest Cleric - Planescape: Lost
“Well, that settles it. Let’s be off then” Victorin pats Quinn on the back in a reassuring manner and gives him a cheerful grin “Don’t worry, you can continue to accuse us all of being moles on the way. No wonder why no one in R&D wants to work with you.” Victorin turns and follows the others out of the room, stopping by his quarters quickly to gather his traveling gear and equipment, and then heading to meet up with the transport.
Carcan rights himself, nods toward Mr. Stronghold and follows the others out of the room with his metal companion following close behind.
When they're all out of earshot from the office, assuming there's nobody else nearby, he'll say to the group in a somewhat hushed tone "This is odd, right? It's not just me? He was clearly hiding some key information, and why does he even have an 'associate' in Zerone? Isn't that place just full of bandits and low-life criminals?"
(Knowing this is sensitive information, he wouldn't say this if there's anyone other than the group from the meeting within earshot. If we're in a busy hallway, I'll save that for the road...)