Iz will wait for a beat, mulling his words over. If Torem hasn't responded, she'll butt it.
"Oh aye? So then what is your purpose for coming here? Come to claim Nightstone for yourselves have you? She looks them up and down suspiciously. And I suppose you and your brood had nothing to do with the giants, or the goblins?"
She squints, looking them up and down trying to get their measure.
Not seeing any problem with them, she slaps the black haired fellow on the thigh, her laugh high pitched a little forced.
"Hahaha, just yanking your chain my friend. But in any case, we really could use your assistance. The place the villagers ran to is supposedly full of bat guano and potentially fearsome beastlies. Personally, I fear the guano most."
The man stutters before he recovers himself. "I claim this town for the Zhentarim. We will not interfere in your business unless you interfere in ours, in which case you will be declared enemies of the Zhentarim and dealt with as such." With a wave of dismissal he turns away.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Iz is still standing in front of the black haired man and reaches up to poke him in the stomach.
"Ahem... 'fraid you can't claim land what's already owned, friend. Those villagers are alive and will be coming home forthwith. As an old family friend used to tell me, 'Don't be hasty.' "
She pokes him three times to punctuate the last three words, looking up at him with a wide grin.
Druug moves to stand behind Iz, staring at the black haired man with his eyebrow raised and his hand on his hammer. "I'm sure none of us wants to do anything hasty, right?" he growls menacingly.
"Now wait just a moment," Thalia says, frowning as she looks between the newcomers and her companions. "Of course something should be done with it, but isn't that up to the original inhabitants to decide? If Nightstone's original residents don't feel like coming back and would instead rather start over somewhere else, then that's fine, I suppose I don't see why not—although I can't say a bunch of people just marching right on up to a town that was only just devastated and laying claim to it leaves a particularly good taste in my mouth—but plenty of people have their lives and livelihood here, and surely it's only fair for them to have first pick of what to do! Besides," she adds, now fiddling absently with her robe's hood and looking only slightly less flustered, "it's not even really abandoned yet, is it? Torem and his people are still here, aren't they? They live here, don't they?" She glances at Torem, expecting a response that should settle the whole matter.
Sheshka shakes her head "I don't think we're on the same page. I don't think there is any intention to prevent those who still live here from continuing to live here. In fact, this is an opportunity to rebuild, fortify, and even flourish. "
Iz steps back a bit (running into Druug before catching her step) then moves back so that she can keep her eyes on everyone instead of being in the center of the discussion. She's about to go into a diatribe about how you can't own land, maaan... but thanks to Thalia remembers that there are in fact local inhabitants that should have a say in the matter. She shoots a meaningful look at Torem.
"What would your sleeping Lady think of all this?"
Torem looks around uncertainly as the Zhentarim leader and his companions lay their hands on their weapons. "You," The Zhentarim leader says, nodding to Frix. "Are you with us or against us? Because if your friends don't leave this town in the next few minutes, there'll be hell to pay."
Frixori gives the Zhent leader a wicked little grin. "Oh, I am certainly not against you." She steps toward the man and begins to whisper in his ear.
"I know the Black Network tries getting its tendrils into every little town. Perhaps use your charms instead of force to make your way. Help those that return to rebuild and we can gain a foothold in every facet of this little town."
Rat quietly moves away from the group, muttering to himself, "I was looking for honest work, not the same damn scum and the games of power of big people."
He will stay a little ways back to observe the outcome of the situation with the clear intention of "this is not my fight".
"Look," Thalia says, exasperated and confused that Torem's people don't seem to be speaking up for themselves, "no one here wants trouble. This isn't my home, so I suppose it doesn't much affect me personally, but I'd feel much better knowing that the people of Nightstone will have the ability to rebuild their lives here if they so choose. Is that the case, or isn't it? I'm just trying to understand what's going on."
Torem is clearly torn with indecision. "We're the only hope of the villagers in the caves." He whispers to Thalia. "If we throw our lives away in defense of a ruined town, there won't be anyone left to occupy it."
The Zhent leader, who Frix recognizes as Xolkin Alassandar, a ruthless mercenary in the employ of the Zhentarim, considers her words. " I do not wish for bloodshed. But if your friends try to interfere in our occupation of the town, I will have no choice. "
Iz scoffs, looking at Torem wide eyed with disbelief. She starts to storm off, her face scrunched with anger, but then remembers she needs someone to lead her to the caves.
"Well if you won't fight to save your home, then we'd better get a move on and save your people. Let's go!"
Thalia huffs in resignation, then gives Torem an uneasy nod. "You are right, aren't you," she sighs. "I guess the only reasonable course of action here is to focus on what's most important. Things can be replaced, after all. Somewhere else, I suppose, if absolutely necessary..." The dragonborn watches Iz start to stomp off in anger; she can't say she feels quite the same way, or at least not nearly as angry so much as she is conflicted. In the end, though, she isn't much in the mood to deal with any more loss of life—certainly not her own, if these "Zhentarim" people are at all serious. She gives one final sigh, hitches up her belongings, and moves to wait with the little fighter. The sooner they get to those caves, the better.
Iz will wait for a beat, mulling his words over. If Torem hasn't responded, she'll butt it.
"Oh aye? So then what is your purpose for coming here? Come to claim Nightstone for yourselves have you? She looks them up and down suspiciously. And I suppose you and your brood had nothing to do with the giants, or the goblins?"
She squints, looking them up and down trying to get their measure.
insight : 9
Not seeing any problem with them, she slaps the black haired fellow on the thigh, her laugh high pitched a little forced.
"Hahaha, just yanking your chain my friend. But in any case, we really could use your assistance. The place the villagers ran to is supposedly full of bat guano and potentially fearsome beastlies. Personally, I fear the guano most."
~♡~
The man stutters before he recovers himself. "I claim this town for the Zhentarim. We will not interfere in your business unless you interfere in ours, in which case you will be declared enemies of the Zhentarim and dealt with as such." With a wave of dismissal he turns away.
Flayr Flameseeker | Genasi/Fire | Wizard/School of Evocation | Level 2 | Custom Campaign: Cold Cash
OOC: Okay, sorry for the delay. Where can Sheshka be at this point?
Iz is still standing in front of the black haired man and reaches up to poke him in the stomach.
"Ahem... 'fraid you can't claim land what's already owned, friend. Those villagers are alive and will be coming home forthwith. As an old family friend used to tell me, 'Don't be hasty.' "
She pokes him three times to punctuate the last three words, looking up at him with a wide grin.
intimidation : 2
(OOC: And those were the words they carved upon her grave.)
~♡~
Druug moves to stand behind Iz, staring at the black haired man with his eyebrow raised and his hand on his hammer. "I'm sure none of us wants to do anything hasty, right?" he growls menacingly.
OOC: Aren't we all like, way up in this keep and that guy's back down in the actual town?
(OOC: We went back across here.)
"No one is doing anything hasty here," Frixori replies calmly. "The town has been abandoned."
OOC: Thanks!
Sheshka nods and crosses her arms "Agreed. The town has been crushed and raided. Something might as well be done with it"
"Now wait just a moment," Thalia says, frowning as she looks between the newcomers and her companions. "Of course something should be done with it, but isn't that up to the original inhabitants to decide? If Nightstone's original residents don't feel like coming back and would instead rather start over somewhere else, then that's fine, I suppose I don't see why not—although I can't say a bunch of people just marching right on up to a town that was only just devastated and laying claim to it leaves a particularly good taste in my mouth—but plenty of people have their lives and livelihood here, and surely it's only fair for them to have first pick of what to do! Besides," she adds, now fiddling absently with her robe's hood and looking only slightly less flustered, "it's not even really abandoned yet, is it? Torem and his people are still here, aren't they? They live here, don't they?" She glances at Torem, expecting a response that should settle the whole matter.
Sheshka shakes her head "I don't think we're on the same page. I don't think there is any intention to prevent those who still live here from continuing to live here. In fact, this is an opportunity to rebuild, fortify, and even flourish. "
Iz steps back a bit (running into Druug before catching her step) then moves back so that she can keep her eyes on everyone instead of being in the center of the discussion. She's about to go into a diatribe about how you can't own land, maaan... but thanks to Thalia remembers that there are in fact local inhabitants that should have a say in the matter. She shoots a meaningful look at Torem.
"What would your sleeping Lady think of all this?"
~♡~
Torem looks around uncertainly as the Zhentarim leader and his companions lay their hands on their weapons. "You," The Zhentarim leader says, nodding to Frix. "Are you with us or against us? Because if your friends don't leave this town in the next few minutes, there'll be hell to pay."
Flayr Flameseeker | Genasi/Fire | Wizard/School of Evocation | Level 2 | Custom Campaign: Cold Cash
Frixori gives the Zhent leader a wicked little grin. "Oh, I am certainly not against you." She steps toward the man and begins to whisper in his ear.
"I know the Black Network tries getting its tendrils into every little town. Perhaps use your charms instead of force to make your way. Help those that return to rebuild and we can gain a foothold in every facet of this little town."
Persuasion 20
Iz's eyes narrow, but this time out of frustration and suspicion rather than attempting to correct her myopia.
~♡~
Rat quietly moves away from the group, muttering to himself, "I was looking for honest work, not the same damn scum and the games of power of big people."
He will stay a little ways back to observe the outcome of the situation with the clear intention of "this is not my fight".
"Look," Thalia says, exasperated and confused that Torem's people don't seem to be speaking up for themselves, "no one here wants trouble. This isn't my home, so I suppose it doesn't much affect me personally, but I'd feel much better knowing that the people of Nightstone will have the ability to rebuild their lives here if they so choose. Is that the case, or isn't it? I'm just trying to understand what's going on."
Torem is clearly torn with indecision. "We're the only hope of the villagers in the caves." He whispers to Thalia. "If we throw our lives away in defense of a ruined town, there won't be anyone left to occupy it."
The Zhent leader, who Frix recognizes as Xolkin Alassandar, a ruthless mercenary in the employ of the Zhentarim, considers her words. " I do not wish for bloodshed. But if your friends try to interfere in our occupation of the town, I will have no choice. "
Flayr Flameseeker | Genasi/Fire | Wizard/School of Evocation | Level 2 | Custom Campaign: Cold Cash
Rat inches further away from the conversation, looking for an alley or a cellar window nearby to disappear into.
Iz scoffs, looking at Torem wide eyed with disbelief. She starts to storm off, her face scrunched with anger, but then remembers she needs someone to lead her to the caves.
"Well if you won't fight to save your home, then we'd better get a move on and save your people. Let's go!"
~♡~
Thalia huffs in resignation, then gives Torem an uneasy nod. "You are right, aren't you," she sighs. "I guess the only reasonable course of action here is to focus on what's most important. Things can be replaced, after all. Somewhere else, I suppose, if absolutely necessary..." The dragonborn watches Iz start to stomp off in anger; she can't say she feels quite the same way, or at least not nearly as angry so much as she is conflicted. In the end, though, she isn't much in the mood to deal with any more loss of life—certainly not her own, if these "Zhentarim" people are at all serious. She gives one final sigh, hitches up her belongings, and moves to wait with the little fighter. The sooner they get to those caves, the better.