(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown

[It is mid afternoon on 27 May 2105.]

[So, are we off to visit Falstaff?]

((I'm ready to go see Falstaff))

(Aubrey is ready.)

Rohuzar is eager to move quickly to the guild hall and is especially alert to danger

You arrive without incident at the converted hotel where the Red Band officers and a few unaffiliated businessmen (barristers and bondsmen, mostly) maintain their offices.  Lt. Falstaff is downstairs in the common room, enjoying a smoke with a middle-aged human man, clean shaven with a military haircut and wearing a Red Band uniform.

Lt. Falstaff takes a long drag from his pipe when he sees you all enter.  "Cochran...  The new crew I've been crowing about."  He points toward you lot near the door.  "Good to see you boys.  This here is Lt. Cochran.  Just earlier, we had been discussing your accomplishments.  Don't tell me you're here to drop off another chest full of treasure?  We are going to run out of room to store it." He laughs.

Grugga clears his throat and waits for Rohuzar to explain why they're there - he assumes it's about money or the capes the lieutenant had made for them. Grugga of course lets Rohuzar handle the main business first, but once an opportunity to politely interject presents itself, Grugga will request some local maps of Old Duncrosse or the Dunmoore, if Lt. Falstaff has any.

Guilim has to hide his twitch at the mention of giving over so much gold, turning to look at the leader of their group so ue can explain.

Aubrey smiles politely at Lt. Falstaff's comment but is in no particular mood for joking, still shaken by the news of his servant.
He stands in the back, letting Rohuzar do the talking, but eager to get going with their mission.

Leelan stands at attention, waiting for their leader to explain the situation. He’s normally more lively, but as this is a serious situation, he tries to act accordingly.

Quote from Bartjeebus >>

You arrive without incident at the converted hotel where the Red Band officers and a few unaffiliated businessmen (barristers and bondsmen, mostly) maintain their offices.  Lt. Falstaff is downstairs in the common room, enjoying a smoke with a middle-aged human man, clean shaven with a military haircut and wearing a Red Band uniform.

Lt. Falstaff takes a long drag from his pipe when he sees you all enter.  "Cochran...  The new crew I've been crowing about."  He points toward you lot near the door.  "Good to see you boys.  This here is Lt. Cochran.  Just earlier, we had been discussing your accomplishments.  Don't tell me you're here to drop off another chest full of treasure?  We are going to run out of room to store it." He laughs.

 “Not yet. But… soon. I am having concern for this job. Job came straight to us from earlier contacts vith hydra job. Judexi. Outside normal channels. Not sure it is approved. Sir… I vill give Red Band a cut, but I need your help. I need quiet verifying that ve are not valking into a trap.” 

Rohuzar will lay out the details of the job - including the reward involved- and he is taking careful note of how each Lieutenant reacts. He’s looking to see if they treat his concerns seriously, have the means and motivation to do something to help him. He wants to see if this is a two-way street, or how much it is. He’s gauging if this is going to be different than the Legion was. 

Rohuzar, as you describe the job, both lieutenants look interested, then concerned... then are both shaking their heads.

"This is trouble.  No way.  No way can we get involved," says the man identified as Lt. Cochran.

Falstaff continues to shake his head.  "Yeah... this has bad news written all over it.  Government work is highly sensitive as it is... but this sounds like off the books wet work.  And it's crossing international borders... into Fidelis, no less."  He shakes his head again and puts a hand down on the table for emphasis.  "I'm sorry boys, but there is absolutely no way you can take this job.  The Red Band has spent too long rehabbing our reputation.  Something like this... if things go bad... the Judexi won't hesitate to dump it all on us."  He looks both serious and worried.  "Not worth the risk."

"Final answer.  The Red Band will not take this job."

They don't seem as concerned about the logistics of the job or whether it's a trap... rather they seem to hit full-stop just at the political implications.

Aubrey pales and then grits his teeth as he hears the very clear answer from Lt. Falstaff, not even considering arguing, instead waiting to talk to Rohuzar and the others as they are finished with Lt. Falstaff.

“Sir, if I may… is opportunity to have a Judexi owe to the Red Band. Prove capable, and coin may flow in like a river. Inside track to big government contracts. Access to restricted materiel. Favorable taxation agreements and exceptions.”

“If not, this is is new squad vith old legatus lead. Perhaps overzealous vashout bit off more than he could chew.” 

Persuasion 24 

(should’ve taken the Fey wanderer conclave lol) 

Grugga chimes in ((to give Rohuzar advantage?)), "This cult is after us. We can't fairly concentrate on making money when assassins have already tried their luck at offing us. If we can't take this opportunity to neutralize them, then we'll always have a target on our backs. Just to stay alive, we'll have to move away from Bardstown and start making some other lieutenant chests full of gold. Or we could make decent money off this quick job, the political fallout of which is being absorbed by one of the Judexi, and we could remain here and get rich together." Grugga tries to play off the greed that he's quite sure he sees in Falstaff. "Or that's how I see it, at least."

Lt. Cochran starts to get angry but Lt. Falstaff takes him aside.  They speak quietly for a moment and then Lt. Cochran snuffs out his cigarette, taking a long look at you all before departing.

Falstaff sees him out, then closes the door and sits down.  He seems to think about what he wants to say before proceeding.

"You're not understanding.  This is bigger than a job, or even a 'connection' with the Judexi.  For a long time, the Red Band name was poison.  It took decades of hard work to be accepted again in the Empire, in Valar.  We even have permission to operate in Fidelis, where they used to consider us enemies of the state.  This job... it stinks.  I don't buy for a second that the Judexi 'can't do this on their own.'  If you think they don't have goon squads hidden in every foreign town and settlement, just for situations like this, you're more naive then I would have expected.  If they are looking to hire this out... no.  Something else is going on.  And they want a nice patsy to pin things on if it goes bad.  And we fit the bill."

"And it's not just your necks on the line.  If something goes tits up, and there's a flare up between Fidelis and the Empire, it is all of us who could get taken down by that."  He looks at Aubrey.  "I'm sure your family name will protect you.  And maybe some of the rest of you can skip town if things get bad... just walk away.  Me?  I've got investments; roots here.  I'm not looking to spend my old age on the run, or in a stockade, or hanging from my neck because of some shadow game the Imperial spooks are playing with Fidelis."

"If you guys are in some trouble with this cult, I can put the word out.  Maybe call back in a team from the field so we have more swords in town in case someone makes a move against you.  You deserve that.  You're a good crew."

"But this job... no."

"I won't say it again."

Rohuzar nods. “So I vas right? Is trap?”

"I have no idea if it's a trap.  What I know is, there is a reason the Imperials want someone else's fingerprints on this, instead of theirs.  And that's enough to make my blood run cold.  If it helps to tell yourself it's a trap, then tell yourself it's a trap.  Just stay the Nine Hells away from it."

Guilim listens quietly,  crossing his arms while deep in thought. "Thing is with the judexi I don't know if that was a job offer or more of you are going to do this whether you like it or not. I do not think it is worth the trouble it could cause either but is there some way that they could spin it to make us look bad? It would not be to hard for them to make it seem as if they came to the Redbrands for help and we refused to take the job."

Grugga shakes his head, torn between wanting to pursue the cult that's been tormenting his mind for the better part of a fortnight, and agreeing with Falstaff's logic. "When you said earlier that you could recall a squad... how soon could they get here? These cultists are after us - I can barely sleep at night even with 2 automata watching over me. You don't want to take an extrajudicial assignment from the empire... fine, that makes sense; so, how about we take on this cult on our own terms? Lure them into a trap here in Bardstown?"

He looks to Falstaff seriously. "Would that be agreeable?"

Falstaff calms a little as your discussion turns away from trying to get approval for the job, to looking for alternatives. 

He responds first to Guilim.  "I wouldn't worry about them trying to make us look bad for rejecting the job.  If this man's a legitimate, wanted criminal, let them post a bounty and do this the proper way.  Turning it down will surely be the end of any favor's you can expect from the Judexi, but trust me... you're better off.  You'll never be anything but a tool to be discarded after your usefulness is at an end."

Next he looks to Grugga.  "Auto - mata...?  Nevermind.  Look, I don't want you lads getting the impression we won't back you up.  You're Red Band.  If some demon-worshipping scum think they can come after our colors, they'll soon see the error of their ways." He punches a fist.  "If you can find us a target, we'll help you find a way to hit them, and give you support.  It would be best if we can keep it out of the city proper, and better yet if we can find a way to get someone to pay us for the work... but we can worry about that later."

"Just steer clear of these g-men."