Kocino continues writing, zoning in and out of the conversation. “A map would be nice, do you think your boss would allow for that?” After a bit, he gets up from the table and checks the food stores again and returns to writing. “If I may ask, who is this mysterious boss of yours? I only ask because, as I’m sure you know, it’s good to have connections to people. We may not be well known, but we can be useful allies. Not just if you are hungry either.” Kocino let’s out a chuckle.
The shadir kai woman, Zenta seemed surprised by the quiet Corvus suddenly speaking forth but the surprise on her face does not last long as she takes another drink before answering.
"Though it hasn't been confirmed how, my people have discovered his death. The king and him had fought the Blue Dragon, The Vintsvents are blessed you see. By the gods with the potential to grow and grow at exponential rates. These blessings do not limit to only Paladins or Clerics, still they had lost. The king has an injury, one that no one in our kingdom can manage to heal and his son? From what I hear.. he was struck down by the self same beast. The Vintsvents are indeed fair rulers, they are the reason Tieflings are accepted and they are working on the living condition of the Shadir Kai. However.. with Germuid's prime minister coming and the dragon's army at the borders they have been too busy for us I'm afraid."
The woman had given a slight grin to Kocino and a nod as well
"For you my new comrade yes, a we can give you a map. Be careful however, in sneaking in. I may trust the Vinstvents but that isn't to say.. Other humans in that castle are cunning and shrewd you know how politics can be after all. Don't wanna get caught in, but since they have a meeting today may not be a bad time to sneak in."
At the mention of sneaking in to see the vinstvents Drezmir decides to jump into the conversation. "So you would say sneaking in would be better than trying to arrange an audience?" He hesitates before saying, "I... was told that a knight would be able to request an audience and receive one fairly quickly...and well that's what I had planned on doing. It would surely be safer than trying to sneak in, but if there are others in the building that could get in the way..." He shakes his head, "Regardless of whether or not you trust the Vinstvents, I don't think they would be happy if some strangers showed up inside their manor uninvited. The last thing we need is to stir up trouble before we get the answers we are looking for."
He finds it troubling that the Vinstvents are apparently such good people. How can they be involved in this Awakening then? Unless the 'anxious' younger son is somehow orchestrating this... it wouldn't be too far fetched, but Drez prefers to give the benefit of the doubt--especially since he doesn't know anything about this family. However, if they aren't involved...well that means that someone else is pulling the strings. Could it be that one of them is under the influence of someone else's magic? His mind wanders to the woman they'd met on the mountain.
"So the king is hurt as well? Hmmm." This younger son is becoming more and more suspicious to the warlock. After a brief pause, he continues, "And this Blue Dragon is still on the prowl? Is it an immediate threat to the city?" He falls silent again as he waits for the woman to respond to the next batch of questions.
“Thank you. We are great full for the help.” Kocino gets up again and heads back to the food stores, continuing to write. Maybe asking about the boss was too much. He was hoping to forge some connections. Allies, whether good or bad, can be useful in large cities.
Zenta looked to Drezmir and crossed her arms a bit, she pondered Drezmir's question for a moment before responding.
"I can't say, with the right connections a meeting could be easier? It depends I suppose one is certainly more dangerous but quicker to the point eh? I can't fully recommend one way or another. Were it me? I'd sneak in, but I've got no political power to speak of so that's a given I think."
She had listened further as Drezmir explained his appointed status as a Knight she had begun to nod along.
"As a knight you'd be treated as a noble of Radiance and would have a right to the hearing. So you could request a meeting or joining the meeting taking place today."
She had nodded to Drezmir considering both aspects of being caught or requesting a meeting but it didn't seem she had one clear answer over the other.
She turned to Corvus carefully as he asked her another question she placed a finger under her chin thinking for a moment.
"Hmm.. The dragon is still at the borders, no one believes it but the king and his elder son wounded the beast. It slowed down the charge, it's out and about but it gave their armies time to mobilize and defend and push it's armies back. My scouts however inform me they are slowly being pushed back, I could imagine the meeting today will ask the other nations for aid in this matter. We're trying to save coin and move to Germuid, with their tech and scholars they surely must have a plan because honestly? As far as I see it Radiance is done for and it's only a matter of time. However is the city in danger now? No, for the moment the capital is safe, the dragon's army has spies and scouts that have broke through but not anything from the main army it would appear."
Her serious expression slowly grew to a smile as she looked at her fellow Shadir Kai.
I am grateful for you're help as well my brother, may the Raven queen guide you're steps.
Corvus nods. At least it isn't an immediate problem. Normally he would have simply ignored the threat, it isn't really his problem. However, that eledrin woman seems to be connected to dragons somehow, and while this might just be coincidence, it is not something to be ignored. ...not to mention knowing his companions he's going to get wrapped up in it somehow. Hmmm, maybe the dragon has some valuable loot in it's hoard...
Remaining silent, he looks over at Drezmir. The warlock doesn't particularly care if the party sneaks in or gets in through the half-elf's status, but whatever they decide they need to do it quickly. The day won't last forever...
"I see," Drez says thoughtfully. "Hmm, well as fun as infiltration sounds, I think I'd rather start by arranging a meeting. However, perhaps we could split up," He looks to his companions, "One of you could come with me, and the rest of you could sneak in. We bought sending stones, so we should be able to stay in contact."
He listens silently as Zenta explains what's going on with the dragon, "Hmm, well, perhaps we've got our next heading." A pity Arthur wasn't here, perhaps he'll ask Gwen to let the young paladin know if they decide to investigate the dragon further. Drez got to fight a dragon...even if he only won thanks to Fox. Arthur had expressed his desire to fight one too, so this would be the perfect opportunity for them both to reach that stepping stone.
"So you think Radiance is done for? All because of that dragon?" The scars on his arms flash slightly, and he clenches a fist. "Well, someone's got to step in and stop it. I'm not about to watch this whole kingdom fall." He glances over to wherever Alek had gone off to, a conflicted look settling into his eyes. After a moment he sighs, then pulls out his coin purse, "I suppose it would be foolish of me to assume I can stop this. I cannot know if it is in my destiny to stop more than one calamity. So I understand your precautions." He sets his coin pouch on the table in front of Zenta, "We might have gotten off to a bad start back in that alley, but I would prefer to be allies. This isn't much, but I've come this far with an empty purse. Something tells me that you need it more than I do. All I ask in return is that you take care of Alek, make sure he doesn't stoop to thievery again, and give him a place of safety. I know you don't need another mouth to feed, but if you are planning to leave Radiance because of this threat, I'd rather he leaves as well." He pauses, "I'm going to do everything in my power to get to the bottom of whatever is going on here, but in case this is something that cannot be stopped, I'd like to know at least someone in this city made it to safety." He gives a wry smile, "I'd like to stay allies for as long as you are here. And who knows, perhaps my group will head to Germuid and we'll meet again."
Kocino slides a few sheets of parchment across to Zenta. “Thank you. I wrote down the recipes for todays meal and a couple others that I could come up with based on the other supplies you have. You get a few of these hooligans to practice and they might even get half decent at cooking without the instructions.“
Kocino turns to Drez. “Any ideas on how we should split up? Or do we want to stick together? I’d say majority rules.”
The woman had looked at Drezmir when he had spoke of stopping the dragon.
"It's no ordinary dragon friend, and it commands massive armies. It doesn't act like any Blue Dragon we've seen, you wanna try and stop it still? Seriously? You've got guts, fool hardy sure and perhaps a tad suicidal but no one can say you're a coward I suppose."
Than however, Drezmir had spoke a bit of pragmatism but the woman was still certain Drezmir had stood by his initial words. The woman raised an eyebrow surprised by Drezmir's kindness. She looked at the gold than back to him, she had nodded at taking the boy in but had taken the pouch handing it back to him.
"Perhaps.. I was wrong about you, being like the other naive souls I see here. You go even farther than most knights would, and to show such kindness to my people. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't surprised, cautiously optimistic but it seems my brother of shadow has chosen a good companion."
Though she hands the gold back to Drezmir she does willingly and somewhat eagerly take the recipes from Kocino. A chuckle when he talks of her hooligans being half decent cooks.
"Hah! That'll be the day! We'll certainly practice! You do us a great service and I wish you all luck in you're endeavors and maybe we will meet again one day in Germuid."
Drezmir thinks for a moment when Kocino asks him how he thinks they should split the group, "Hmm, well I would appreciate some input on that front, as honestly I have no clue as to how to... well be a knight or a noble. Which...well I'm not too keen on pretending anyways. Still, if any of you have any experience with talking to nobles, or have any ideas of how to go about this meeting, it would be very helpful to have you come with me. I'm sure any of us would be capable enough to sneak in. So I'm not really worried about who goes in the second group. I just need someone who is confident in their...uh... ability to communicate and read the situation. As...well you know how I tend to slip up at times." He adds the last part with a hint of embarrassment. "If Guilded was here, I would have asked him since he is familiar with this country. But, I figure now I'd turn that choice over to you lot. Which of you would be willing to accompany me?"
He gives a chuckle when Zenta calls him a 'tad suicidal' but doesn't respond, knowing his reasoning likely would just make him sound even crazier. Though he inadvertently clenches his fist--flexing the wrist that bore the snowflake mark. Eventually he'll face something more dangerous than whatever this dragon was--at least, more dangerous as far as he knew.
He reluctantly takes the coins back, thinking better of trying to press the issue. "Thank you, Zenta. I wish you well on whatever path fate places before you."
He turns to the group. ”If we split, I can go with you and help with communication. However, I think we should all go together. Front door, give them the news about Glazing Winds, and see if we can get any information of note. I think breaking in may not be the best idea. We had difficulty sneaking through the manor and a castle will be under heavier guard. Also, it seems there will be a bit of a bias towards some of us. So getting caught would be even more detrimental than normal.”
"I agree with Kocino here." Corvus speaks up. "It would be best to do one or the other. If we tried both, and the infiltration team were caught, it could have dire consequences... unless of course those who decide to meet with the nobles deny knowing the group. Personally, I believe that just talking to them would be the best strategy. A friendly conversation will likely give us more answers than attempting to search an unknown fortress for them."
Drez chuckles, "Alright. That makes sense. Though it might be a good idea for a few of us to stay behind whether or not they decide to sneak in. Just because we have no clue how the Vintsvents are going to react to our... um... conversation. It might be better for a few of us to remain unknown to them."
He looks to Jess, Juzi, and Sy, "How do you three feel about this? Or would you prefer we all stay together?"
Sy stares at Drezmir, his cold eyes piercing beneath the mask, and he blankly replies “My ally, I would personally believe that sneaking in is a better option. I know not of your previous excursion in the manor, but we are more powerful now that we have fought stronger foes. I believe sneaking in is the best option, and I personally agree with sneaking in. Nobles are unpredictable, and it would be safer to act cautiously and sneak in instead. Staying behind hinders our power, so I would recommend staying together.”
Kocino continues writing, zoning in and out of the conversation. “A map would be nice, do you think your boss would allow for that?” After a bit, he gets up from the table and checks the food stores again and returns to writing. “If I may ask, who is this mysterious boss of yours? I only ask because, as I’m sure you know, it’s good to have connections to people. We may not be well known, but we can be useful allies. Not just if you are hungry either.” Kocino let’s out a chuckle.
The shadir kai woman, Zenta seemed surprised by the quiet Corvus suddenly speaking forth but the surprise on her face does not last long as she takes another drink before answering.
"Though it hasn't been confirmed how, my people have discovered his death. The king and him had fought the Blue Dragon, The Vintsvents are blessed you see. By the gods with the potential to grow and grow at exponential rates. These blessings do not limit to only Paladins or Clerics, still they had lost. The king has an injury, one that no one in our kingdom can manage to heal and his son? From what I hear.. he was struck down by the self same beast. The Vintsvents are indeed fair rulers, they are the reason Tieflings are accepted and they are working on the living condition of the Shadir Kai. However.. with Germuid's prime minister coming and the dragon's army at the borders they have been too busy for us I'm afraid."
The woman had given a slight grin to Kocino and a nod as well
"For you my new comrade yes, a we can give you a map. Be careful however, in sneaking in. I may trust the Vinstvents but that isn't to say.. Other humans in that castle are cunning and shrewd you know how politics can be after all. Don't wanna get caught in, but since they have a meeting today may not be a bad time to sneak in."
At the mention of sneaking in to see the vinstvents Drezmir decides to jump into the conversation. "So you would say sneaking in would be better than trying to arrange an audience?" He hesitates before saying, "I... was told that a knight would be able to request an audience and receive one fairly quickly...and well that's what I had planned on doing. It would surely be safer than trying to sneak in, but if there are others in the building that could get in the way..." He shakes his head, "Regardless of whether or not you trust the Vinstvents, I don't think they would be happy if some strangers showed up inside their manor uninvited. The last thing we need is to stir up trouble before we get the answers we are looking for."
He finds it troubling that the Vinstvents are apparently such good people. How can they be involved in this Awakening then? Unless the 'anxious' younger son is somehow orchestrating this... it wouldn't be too far fetched, but Drez prefers to give the benefit of the doubt--especially since he doesn't know anything about this family. However, if they aren't involved...well that means that someone else is pulling the strings. Could it be that one of them is under the influence of someone else's magic? His mind wanders to the woman they'd met on the mountain.
"So the king is hurt as well? Hmmm." This younger son is becoming more and more suspicious to the warlock. After a brief pause, he continues, "And this Blue Dragon is still on the prowl? Is it an immediate threat to the city?" He falls silent again as he waits for the woman to respond to the next batch of questions.
“Thank you. We are great full for the help.” Kocino gets up again and heads back to the food stores, continuing to write. Maybe asking about the boss was too much. He was hoping to forge some connections. Allies, whether good or bad, can be useful in large cities.
Jess listens intently, comfortable for now in letting the others do the talking. She will insert her own questions if needed, of course.
I still check here every day-//
Zenta looked to Drezmir and crossed her arms a bit, she pondered Drezmir's question for a moment before responding.
"I can't say, with the right connections a meeting could be easier? It depends I suppose one is certainly more dangerous but quicker to the point eh? I can't fully recommend one way or another. Were it me? I'd sneak in, but I've got no political power to speak of so that's a given I think."
She had listened further as Drezmir explained his appointed status as a Knight she had begun to nod along.
"As a knight you'd be treated as a noble of Radiance and would have a right to the hearing. So you could request a meeting or joining the meeting taking place today."
She had nodded to Drezmir considering both aspects of being caught or requesting a meeting but it didn't seem she had one clear answer over the other.
She turned to Corvus carefully as he asked her another question she placed a finger under her chin thinking for a moment.
"Hmm.. The dragon is still at the borders, no one believes it but the king and his elder son wounded the beast. It slowed down the charge, it's out and about but it gave their armies time to mobilize and defend and push it's armies back. My scouts however inform me they are slowly being pushed back, I could imagine the meeting today will ask the other nations for aid in this matter. We're trying to save coin and move to Germuid, with their tech and scholars they surely must have a plan because honestly? As far as I see it Radiance is done for and it's only a matter of time. However is the city in danger now? No, for the moment the capital is safe, the dragon's army has spies and scouts that have broke through but not anything from the main army it would appear."
Her serious expression slowly grew to a smile as she looked at her fellow Shadir Kai.
I am grateful for you're help as well my brother, may the Raven queen guide you're steps.
Corvus nods. At least it isn't an immediate problem. Normally he would have simply ignored the threat, it isn't really his problem. However, that eledrin woman seems to be connected to dragons somehow, and while this might just be coincidence, it is not something to be ignored. ...not to mention knowing his companions he's going to get wrapped up in it somehow. Hmmm, maybe the dragon has some valuable loot in it's hoard...
Remaining silent, he looks over at Drezmir. The warlock doesn't particularly care if the party sneaks in or gets in through the half-elf's status, but whatever they decide they need to do it quickly. The day won't last forever...
"I see," Drez says thoughtfully. "Hmm, well as fun as infiltration sounds, I think I'd rather start by arranging a meeting. However, perhaps we could split up," He looks to his companions, "One of you could come with me, and the rest of you could sneak in. We bought sending stones, so we should be able to stay in contact."
He listens silently as Zenta explains what's going on with the dragon, "Hmm, well, perhaps we've got our next heading." A pity Arthur wasn't here, perhaps he'll ask Gwen to let the young paladin know if they decide to investigate the dragon further. Drez got to fight a dragon...even if he only won thanks to Fox. Arthur had expressed his desire to fight one too, so this would be the perfect opportunity for them both to reach that stepping stone.
"So you think Radiance is done for? All because of that dragon?" The scars on his arms flash slightly, and he clenches a fist. "Well, someone's got to step in and stop it. I'm not about to watch this whole kingdom fall." He glances over to wherever Alek had gone off to, a conflicted look settling into his eyes. After a moment he sighs, then pulls out his coin purse, "I suppose it would be foolish of me to assume I can stop this. I cannot know if it is in my destiny to stop more than one calamity. So I understand your precautions." He sets his coin pouch on the table in front of Zenta, "We might have gotten off to a bad start back in that alley, but I would prefer to be allies. This isn't much, but I've come this far with an empty purse. Something tells me that you need it more than I do. All I ask in return is that you take care of Alek, make sure he doesn't stoop to thievery again, and give him a place of safety. I know you don't need another mouth to feed, but if you are planning to leave Radiance because of this threat, I'd rather he leaves as well." He pauses, "I'm going to do everything in my power to get to the bottom of whatever is going on here, but in case this is something that cannot be stopped, I'd like to know at least someone in this city made it to safety." He gives a wry smile, "I'd like to stay allies for as long as you are here. And who knows, perhaps my group will head to Germuid and we'll meet again."
Drez had 98 gold and 5 silver.
Kocino slides a few sheets of parchment across to Zenta. “Thank you. I wrote down the recipes for todays meal and a couple others that I could come up with based on the other supplies you have. You get a few of these hooligans to practice and they might even get half decent at cooking without the instructions.“
Kocino turns to Drez. “Any ideas on how we should split up? Or do we want to stick together? I’d say majority rules.”
The woman had looked at Drezmir when he had spoke of stopping the dragon.
"It's no ordinary dragon friend, and it commands massive armies. It doesn't act like any Blue Dragon we've seen, you wanna try and stop it still? Seriously? You've got guts, fool hardy sure and perhaps a tad suicidal but no one can say you're a coward I suppose."
Than however, Drezmir had spoke a bit of pragmatism but the woman was still certain Drezmir had stood by his initial words. The woman raised an eyebrow surprised by Drezmir's kindness. She looked at the gold than back to him, she had nodded at taking the boy in but had taken the pouch handing it back to him.
"Perhaps.. I was wrong about you, being like the other naive souls I see here. You go even farther than most knights would, and to show such kindness to my people. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't surprised, cautiously optimistic but it seems my brother of shadow has chosen a good companion."
Though she hands the gold back to Drezmir she does willingly and somewhat eagerly take the recipes from Kocino. A chuckle when he talks of her hooligans being half decent cooks.
"Hah! That'll be the day! We'll certainly practice! You do us a great service and I wish you all luck in you're endeavors and maybe we will meet again one day in Germuid."
Drezmir thinks for a moment when Kocino asks him how he thinks they should split the group, "Hmm, well I would appreciate some input on that front, as honestly I have no clue as to how to... well be a knight or a noble. Which...well I'm not too keen on pretending anyways. Still, if any of you have any experience with talking to nobles, or have any ideas of how to go about this meeting, it would be very helpful to have you come with me. I'm sure any of us would be capable enough to sneak in. So I'm not really worried about who goes in the second group. I just need someone who is confident in their...uh... ability to communicate and read the situation. As...well you know how I tend to slip up at times." He adds the last part with a hint of embarrassment. "If Guilded was here, I would have asked him since he is familiar with this country. But, I figure now I'd turn that choice over to you lot. Which of you would be willing to accompany me?"
He gives a chuckle when Zenta calls him a 'tad suicidal' but doesn't respond, knowing his reasoning likely would just make him sound even crazier. Though he inadvertently clenches his fist--flexing the wrist that bore the snowflake mark. Eventually he'll face something more dangerous than whatever this dragon was--at least, more dangerous as far as he knew.
He reluctantly takes the coins back, thinking better of trying to press the issue. "Thank you, Zenta. I wish you well on whatever path fate places before you."
OOC
Feel free to strategise/RP than we can flip to the castle afterwards ^~^
Kocino bows his head to Zenta. “Until next time.”
He turns to the group. ”If we split, I can go with you and help with communication. However, I think we should all go together. Front door, give them the news about Glazing Winds, and see if we can get any information of note. I think breaking in may not be the best idea. We had difficulty sneaking through the manor and a castle will be under heavier guard. Also, it seems there will be a bit of a bias towards some of us. So getting caught would be even more detrimental than normal.”
"I agree with Kocino here." Corvus speaks up. "It would be best to do one or the other. If we tried both, and the infiltration team were caught, it could have dire consequences... unless of course those who decide to meet with the nobles deny knowing the group. Personally, I believe that just talking to them would be the best strategy. A friendly conversation will likely give us more answers than attempting to search an unknown fortress for them."
Drez chuckles, "Alright. That makes sense. Though it might be a good idea for a few of us to stay behind whether or not they decide to sneak in. Just because we have no clue how the Vintsvents are going to react to our... um... conversation. It might be better for a few of us to remain unknown to them."
He looks to Jess, Juzi, and Sy, "How do you three feel about this? Or would you prefer we all stay together?"
Sy stares at Drezmir, his cold eyes piercing beneath the mask, and he blankly replies “My ally, I would personally believe that sneaking in is a better option. I know not of your previous excursion in the manor, but we are more powerful now that we have fought stronger foes. I believe sneaking in is the best option, and I personally agree with sneaking in. Nobles are unpredictable, and it would be safer to act cautiously and sneak in instead. Staying behind hinders our power, so I would recommend staying together.”
OOC
Juzi sadly maybe leaving the campaign >~<
But after Jess responds to Drezmir's strategy they can act upon it ^^
(That's to bad. Though, do we know if Jess is still with us? I haven't seen them respond in a while. Man, I'd hate to loose them both)