The gentleman looks at Smithy, and nods in agreement. "Indeed, if we all work as individuals, we will be doomed to fail. The strength of the gang is each individual member. The strength of each member is the gang." (OOC: Phil Jackson)

"I like your idea, Smithy of a group to lead, rather than one person at this time. It could be that through that almost like a job interview, we can eventually vote on a new leader after they have proven themselves worthy."

Quote from shimshon123 >>

"My friend, I hear your anger, and it is easy to point blame. I've already taken a hit for the boss serving 2 years for the gang. If you trusted Biscotti, trust his judgment." Etienne pulls up his sleeve and shows a tattoo of a Raven. "He placed great trust in me and he was also my friend. I feel his loss as deeply as you."

You know of only two individuals who have received this tattoo on their wrist. It is a symbol of a fiercely loyal and trusted non-gang member. These people are needed because they can interact with parts of society that the underground can't (politicians, local authorities, even other gangs). People who are given this tattoo swear a blood oath to not betray the Ravens. (Etienne Navarre, AKA, Duks) is one of the two.

 

I was told once, "Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win." (Sun Tzu)

"Be careful about your strategy my friend, it has been tried many times in the past."

 Before Smithy joins them Steelclaw just looks unimpressed about the tattoo “That supposed to mean something to me. I’ve seen men betray oaths before, a tattoo doesn’t make it any more or less permanent. As for my strategy right now it’s simple - scare them so bad they look over their shoulders every minute of every hour.”

He just sips on his whiskey as Smithy joins them “As long as they have the best intention for the guild I’m good either way.”

Etienne looks at the stubborn Tabaxi,

"Sir, I will assume you are either blind with your grief over Biscotti's death, or too drunk to know the difference between your friends and your enemies." I hope its the former.

"I have been helping the Ravens since I was a boy, and did time for the boss while you were getting your ears wet, so I think my actions speak of my loyalty. As for you, anyone can run into a dark ally and kill, and your actions last night make you a primary target for the Dagger's next hit. If you're not careful, you won't live to see the next day as word gets out of your murders, and when that happens, you might want me at your side.
He looks around the room, and takes a breath, choosing to use diplomacy instead of anger.

"You are a member of the Black Ravens, and I respect you. Your skills and tenacity are well-earned. Steelclaw, if we don't stick together, we are all done for.

Now, why don't we put this 'misunderstanding' behind us, and focus on the real enemy."

Etienne holds out his hand to Steelclaw to make peace with him.

Steel law just looks at him “Interesting isn’t it how you keep using that as some sort of coin. Yet on the same day you are released is the same day Biscotti passed and is buried. For someone who claims to have had so much respect for Biscotti, you were dang sure fast to dig up his body and disturb his grave.”

He says loud enough for anyone in the room to hear as his voice was raised as he stands and just smacks the man’s hand away “Guess it takes a whole lot of loyalty and respect to dig up a man you so respected the day after he was buried! Also, to be the only one to inspect the body; how do we in this room know you weren’t trying to cover up something?”

He just looks at the man as he sheaths his swords and continues “As for if you come and help me when I’m in trouble, that’ll determine if you’re a Raven. Cause Ravens help each other, even if we don’t see eye to eye. Ravens flock together no matter what. That’s what Biscotti raised in us and that’s what we will keep doing, and anyone who doesn’t is free to walk out of the door.”

@Lace and Fist

Lace is able to lead the horses into the nearby alley but first she checks the saddlebags and finds just a few mundane and uninteresting items of little real value. Fist gets the "Go ahead." signal from Lace once the horses are clear.

With no hint of annoyance, Etienne retracts his hand, raises an eyebrow, while idly stroking his goatee. "Interesting," he mumbles to himself and goes and sits at a table, sipping on a cup of coffee.
He pulls out his dark leather bound journal and starts writing more notes.

The top of the page reads:

The Inexplicable Death Of The Great Biscotti

 He closes the book after writing some more.

Smithy looks at Etienne in anger "you, what?"

((Did we have any reason to assume Biscotti's death was suspicious because from the start I assumed he just past away?))

(There is nothing to suggest that Biscotti's death was nothing more than a combination of his age (many decades spent building up the Night Ravens as the top underworld guild) and the vices he enjoyed in his later years.)

Fyn's CHA: 15 

Fyn leaves momentarily and when he returns he has a scroll that was delivered to the guild.

Etienne looks up at Smithy and sighs, "My friend, it is not as bad as it sounds. Well, maybe it is.  When I left the Rooster, I passed a note to Cinnamon, saying we meet up at Biscotti's grave the next day at noon. Cinnamon, or should I say, Asbestos forgot to pass on the note to you. We had acquired over 500 gold between us, a big take and I wanted to make sure we were all ok after we left and before we returned here."

 He looks around and talks quietly,

"Now, while we were there, Asbestos, a changeling, suggested that he had a spell that could make it so that Biscotti could not be raised unnaturally from the dead. I had asked around and no one seemed to know the cause of Biscotti's death. Over the last 2 years, I have spent a great deal of time studying life and death, and have seen death many days in the prison I was rotting in. When the grandmaster of a gang dies, and more importantly a true friend, I want to know the circumstances, how did he die and was foul play involved? I was particularly suspicious of the Silver Daggers' rising confidence, and their combined and coordinated efforts against us. I suspected them of murdering Biscotti. So after Asbestos dug up the body, I performed a medical examination of Biscotti to try to determine the cause of his death and also to confirm that it was indeed Biscotti."

"I know, it sounds gruesome, but I was able to determine that there was no physical damage, nor did I detect any poison. I believe that this is important information for the Black Ravens to have as fact, not to guess at.

In the end, Asbestos cast a spell that laid him to rest, we re-buried him, satisfied that he was protected, we confirmed his identity, and...that he was not murdered, at least by weapons, that is."

He looks at Smithy again, "That is the truth of the matter, you can take it or leave it, but I am one that does not take anything for granted.  The more information we have, the more we can make smart decisions. That is why I am still alive. Anger, reactivity, and blame will lead to our downfall."

The flowers tasted sweet but soury. Or maybe it was just because they weren't ripe yet. When is the best time to eat the flowers? They were in fact pumpkin flowers from the seeds he carried. The yellow blooms tasted nothing of the sunrise. Neither did they taste anything like pumpkin. By the time everyone had been sitting together he was buried in flowers. Continuous strings of cantrips later, he made not just one flower crown but 30. 

He doesn't even notice Fyn leave. Doesn't even realize Fyn's there. Sometimes his eyes played tricks on him and he saw things that weren't there. Fyn's ghost wouldn't come back to the guild right? Right? Like he would go to Biscotti's .... grave... because... because they were so close. Yeah. And like. Maybe there were just other changelings in the guild who looked just like him. Haha. Hah? Other changeling. Other changeling. He tries to reassure himself. 'You were just saying how much you never see other changelings yesterday.' That thought hits him like a fireball and he goes cowering. Into a lizard (a gecko to be exact) he goes. He ignores the ghost. Though keeping his eye on it to be sure and when it comes back with a scroll it is just another hallucination for sure. No one else is talking to it! It's gotta be a trick. Has to be.

Asbestos, as a lizard, clambers up a wall... and into the walls. He follows the ghost just to be sure. He hears his name briefly in passing 'Oh?' Etienne, Steelclaw, and Smithy by the bar. 'Oh they sure have good things to say about me!' He smiles (a little lizardy smile) and goes off and follows dead Fyn into the next room. 'Wow he looks so alive.' He thinks to himself. The next thing he knows he is off the ceiling and onto the hair of said ghost. He screeches. It comes out like a high pitched wail.

"There wasn't any reason to suspect foul play anyway so why you would disturb the dead I have no clue.. I agree with Steelclaw here that it is a bit suspicious; you suddenly turning up last night and than disturbing Biscotti's grave this morning.." Smithy says to Etienne "Is there anyone here to vouch for you?"

Fyn reaches up and gently plucks the lizard out of his hair and places it on the ground.

"Here take this and see that it is done."

After placing the scroll in your mouth Fyn then changes into a green dragonborn and leaves again, it's a little unsettling as the ghost seems to be real but maybe isn't as the green dragonborn it changed into didn't quite get the nose or ears right.

“I understand your concern Smithy. I suppose Asbestos can confirm his part in the situation and validate what I have said and you can learn more of the prison break yesterday. Indeed, Clerics and others have spells to determine if I speak the truth, but you are an observant man.

”There are many here and those who are not here that have much to gain from Biscottis death. I can almost feel the hungry predators circling." (He glances at Steelclaw subtly.) "I admit, you may find my actions suspicious. However, I do not seek power or leadership and will endeavor to prove that."

"After finding that no one I spoke to knew anything about how Biscotti died, I felt the need to confirm two things. One, that it was indeed Biscotti that was dead. And second, the cause of his death.

Etienne looks at Smithy, hoping that he sees that although the curious man's methods may be in extremely poor taste, he is indeed genuine.

"Smithy, you know Biscotti as well as anyone here, and you know how thorough he was, leaving no detail to luck or chance. He hated those who were sloppy and made mistakes. I learned that from him, and when he fell, I felt compelled to use his teachings to aid the Ravens as best I could."

The lizard 'AHHHs' more as Fyn picks him up. 'It's real. It's real. It's real. Yes.' His thoughts go loudly as he picks him up. He doesn't even attempt at a bite to him but just screams. 'The ground looks so far down from here!!!' Plop. His screaming is silenced by a scroll in his mouth. He gently grasps it.

Asbestos look up at the dead or not-so-dead Fyn. 'He is currently not a zombie.' He squints, 'Or at least I suppose...' The ghost's transformation into a dragonborn was bit unsettling. He doesn't recognize if he knows this transformation or not. Something about it though he just can't place. He stays there still, eyes firmly planted on the door for minutes until he realizes that the ghost isn't returning. He scuttles a bit. Stops. Turns to the door once more. Then scuttles again. Up the wall and into the ceiling he goes. The scroll takes a bit of work getting in between the wood boards but he manages. He follows the sound of sounds into the room with the bar. First his head pops out then his whole body. He takes a few seconds to comically drag out the scroll which got stuck in between the wall again before he manages to get it out with a huff. It is pretty obvious to the others that this is not just a lizard but the local druid (he hoped they wouldn't randomly swat at him).

With the scroll in his mouth he crawls up the counter with a little wiggle of his head. In the same second he transforms back (still with the scroll in his mouth). "Ouch." He bit down harder on the scroll. He always forgets he was so tall. He took on his regular changeling form (the one that is more than 6 feet) and crashed into the lamps hanging overhead. They swing a bit as he slides off the counter. 

"Bleh. DELIVERY!" He spits out the scroll and into his hands and onto the table as he sprawls it out. He wants to wag a tail so bad but there isn't any. This reminds him of the postman he has to go chase. Oh how does it feel to be topsy-turvy now. He doesn't take the time to actually look at the scroll but instead ponders. 

After staring at the walls in trance, Asbestos blinks and gets back to reality. "Oh yes. I found this from the dead. Yes... A clue!" He puts his face too close to the paper as if examining it. Really, he was smelling it for signs of the ghost (as he didn't already have it in his mouth). 'Is this what zombies taste like?'

((Perception: 9 +1 =10 ))

((Investigation: 4))

Holding it so close you can smell the parchment and the ink, which are normal, and the writing looks overly large as only several of the symbols occupy your vision.

Smithy looks at Etienne

"You did help yesterday, and with Biscotti dead and the daggers onto us we can use all the help we get. BUT know that we do keep a little extra eye on you for the time being" he finally says

'Normal' Sniff. 'Normal.'  

"I conclude there is nothing off about this sort. Yes. No retort." He sticks his finger in the air as if declaring something huge. He nearly trips from just excitement. "Except for the fact is that... I cannot read it." He spreads the scroll out further across the table for Steelclaw, Smithy, and Etienne to peruse.  He does not comment on whatever is being said in the room because he is too lost in his own little world.