Project Point: Team Scimitar

Jax looks down at Stitch, and very seriously, as some of his wounds heal, puts his hand to his heart and says, "I am Jaxium."

Having done your healing, mostly hiding the body, and otherwise wrapped up the business of this fight, you make your way to the lightning rail station without further event. Inside, the building is full of people negotiating rates for carriages, buying tickets, sending packages, and all the other business Orien does. You also see a Sivis message station and several restaurants and such.

15

Jax wanders over to a place where people seem to be buying tickets. He gets in line and once it's his turn, he strides up and says, "We seek passage to..." and he turns and looks at Case with a self-satisfied expression, "Borth." He taps a finger tip on his temple, raises his eyebrows a few times, and nods at the warforged. 

Case looks at Jax, "Would you like credit for partial answers? I can give you a grade of 80% on your attempt. However, the correct location is named Korth. I'm sure the person selling tickets would have figured it out, there are less than two dozen stops on the entire lightning rail system, and none of them are named Borth, but only one sounds roughly close to Borth." 

Jax smiles and pats Case gently on the head. He looks up at PM and says, "He is funny. I like him."

He's happy to get tickets and proceed, if that's something he's capable of, though someone else should handle the accounting.

Drego slings Stitch down off his shoulders as they enter the busy building and tosses him up onto Case's back 'Stay with Case for a few minutes, ok? I'm gonna check our backtrail' he addresses this last statement to the broader party. 'If I'm not back in 20 mins assume the worst and keep Stitch safe.'

The ranger then pulls his cloak around him and works to disappear into the crowd to make sure they aren't being observed or followed by anyone else.

He's counting on the spectacle of a dragon, a goblin and a warforged tromping through the building to create enough disruption to help in spot anyone or anything acting strangely.

Perception 22 or with Advantage 25

     PM assists Jax with the accounting and travel itineraries.  He makes sure he allows enough time for Drego to do his investigation and return but otherwise facilitates the purchase on the next passage there.

     PM does take a more active role to try to negotiate a slightly cheaper fare since one passenger is a child and surely the teller can see that PM himself is not going to be taking up an actual seat…

persuasion: 7
…

Drego: Only the dragon would serve as a sufficient distraction, as goblins and warforged aren't really rare on Khorvaire (and even then, pseudodragon familiars would be quite common if you were across Scion's Sound in Aundair), but also you don't see anyone else following you.

Ticket buyers: The Orien ticketperson looks at all of you from under their unicorn horn hat, then shakes their head. "We sell by the seat. So if you aren't using one, you don't need to pay--the conductors will be checking tickets with seats--but we don't do age discounts. If you're headed to Korth, it's eight galifars each for steerage, fifty four for standard, one thirty four for a first class carriage. Ten hour trip, but next Five Nations Rail doesn't get here until the afternoon after next because of a tangle-up in Passage--the House member responsible is already being disciplined, and we're getting everything back on track as quickly as possible. Still faster than horses or walking to the capital," the ticketperson adds brightly. "Even if you cut through the Nightwood for some Sovereign-forsaken reason. So how many tickets and what class?"

"What do you guys think?" Robin asks, frowning as she looks to the others. "Seems odd that this has happened, just when we are looking to get a ride somewhere, but it could just be happenstance." She does not appear like she believes that though. "Should we wait, if so, what class of ticket do you guys want to agree on?"

     "...first class, of course...  you can afford that, yes?" Pieste Mor suggests, not having to pay for a seat... "...I imagine we will be in steerage."

     "...if this was a deliberate sabotage aimed at slowing us down, whatever we are involved in is much bigger than we suspect."

"Tangle-up? What happened?" Jax says, scratching his head.

And he will also ask what the next stop on the line would be, and if they could get there over land by the afternoon after next. Wanting to potentially shake any snare that might be set for them. His hackles are up.

"Oh, some junior engineer was tinkering with an engine and knocked it out, and we've only got two trains on the Five Nation circuit right now, so gotta wait until the other one gets from Krona Peak," the ticketperson explains. "The Atur train goes straight to Korth, so unless you're planning to cut through the Nightwood--wouldn't recommend it unless you like wraiths and vampires (not the Seeker kind) up your ass--best to just wait." He casts a glance over everyone's tensed forms. "I doubt someone went all the way to Aundair just to mess up your ride, no matter how important your trip is. That's the kind of effort typically reserved for things like heads of state."

"So are assassination attempts and such things." Robin states blandly, but shrugs. "I'd vote to ride in a little less public a vennue as we can, but funds are a bit tight, so what are you guys thinking?" She glances to the prices. "No reason to do steerage, unless it helps us lay low, as 32 compared to 50 is not a huge deal. 134 for a private coach is enticing, but can we afford it?"

(8 steerage, 54 standard, 134 first class… maybe I forgot to add some along way but PM only has 34.)

Case says, "We were told less than ten gold for the trip. Indeed, he must have been referring to Steerage class. We were each paid 100 gold, but....I have miscalculated and only have 7 left. Can someone lend me 1 gold?"

He turns to the attendant, "I do have a note here, stating that all of our expenses will be paid for by the crown. I don't suppose we get a credit note that the crown pays back later? We are on important...head of state...business as it were." 

If someone lends Case 1 gold, he'll take Steerage if that's all they can afford. 

(Misread... Thought it was 8 apiece for steerage, 50 for 4 in standard, and a coach for all of us at the price for first class.)
"That would be nice, if the crown would cover this." Robin speaks up, glancing to the ticket agent.

Drego slipped Robin his purse containing 100g before he disappeared to provide overwatch 'This is all I have, but do with it as you see fit for Stitch and myself - and anyone else who needs it'

As Drego stands against the far wall, he scans the crowd, working his way through the room slowly and methodically.  Mentally blocking chunks of the room and making a note of who's where and where they were looking...

Something feels off.  The spy, the commandos, the attacks... they were in over their head.

(Sorry for the confusion--all stated prices were for each person)

Case: Give me a Persuasion check

Case Persuasion : 15

"No, we don't do letters of credit unless they're explicitly stamped by the person in question who will be paying. I don't really have any way of knowing the crown is actually willing to pay for your tickets, after all." The ticketperson shrugs. "So, you buying the tickets or not?"