Above & Below

Brask gives the man a friendly and encouraging squeeze to remind him that his life depends on giving satisfactory answers, but otherwise doesn't speak.

(Mobile)

Satisfied that no one was approaching for the time being, Kurama joined Brask and attempted to look/ act as tough as possible to captured man.

"Ah..." He pulls his neck back as far as he can without seeming like he's going to try and run. "I just mean...there's a lot of men that watch that boat. Nobody messes with it, they know there's no way to get on. Even when we're docked there's a few guys on top, plus usually men moving things on and off during the day. More below deck. Well-armed." He thinks for a minute. "You know, if you want gold or information I'm sure there's something you can work out with the guys down there. No need to do anything foolish."

Kurama Insight on how truthful the man has been so far: 19 

"We are looking for something specific.  Something one of our acquaintances recently had stolen from them.  A monk.  Do you know what it is and where we can find it?'  Kurama asked.

(Everyone can take 12 gold coins, except for Brask, who can take 13 for sharing with Pip)

"Think about it carefully," Effort adds.  "Your superiors may have been amused or irritated by that one's antics.  Consider the gossip you may have overheard."

After the man gives his answer, Effort will step away and silently message first Kurama, and then Brask:
'Do you have anything more to add?  Do you wish to question them about what happened in their city hideout, or the tower beyond, or do we care not for their conflict with Orochi and his followers?' You may answer in a whisper so that one does not overhear.'

Details of the ship, Brask whispers back.  Numbers, guard positions, shift changes.  Everything we need, if we're still going to hit the place.

"Orochi..." Kurama answered back.  "I would like to know if they've had dealings with him before, or if our meeting was completely by chance." 

Sighing, Effort beseeches her patron for patience, then refines her questions in the face of the man's reticence, putting some bite in her voice.

"You will need to be much more detailed about the number of men on your ship, and the times of their shifts.  Where they post guards, and when shift changes occur.  In addition, you will tell me if any particular member of your watch has a weakness.  Drink, gambling, women, sweet pastries... I do not care how insignificant you find the details, you *will* tell us.  Also, you will tell us if your people have found themselves in conflict with any other groups of late.  Dark magicians, other monks, even city magistrates.  You will tell us everything you know, or tell us how to find someone who does.  And lest you think you fear only for your life..."

The darkness still surrounds the area so the others can't exactly see what she's doing, but she flicks her dagger expertly, holding it at a certain dangerous angle over the bandit's most precious jewels - the family ones.  "... you are sorely mistaken.  There are things worse than death.  Do not test me."

"Okay, okay..." He stumbles over his words and tries to think through the questions asked. "I don't know this Orochi guy...but yeah, we jumped that monk a couple of days ago. I wasn't there - I swear! But I remember them talking about it at the warehouse. Said he he just got back from somewhere and had things of value that we could sell overseas to collectors. I don't know what they are, but they're probably on the ship or being loaded up sometime soon. We tend not to keep stuff in the warehouse too long, especially if it's valuable."

"When we're docked there's at least four guys up top watching the docks. Another four or eight below deck, depending on when we're shipping out and how many men are needed at the warehouse to move merchandise. Switch off every six or eight hours. And...weaknesses, hmm. I think there ain't one of us would turn down women or drink, but it'd be tough to sway men on their post. Wrath of the cap'n and other top men wouldn't be worth it. Our leader doesn't always go on the voyages, but the cap'n does. Never leaves the ship, really. Big bearded guy with armor made of whale bones. Ribs, mostly. Nasty guy."

Kurama, as far as you can tell, he's being truthful. This guy doesn't seem like he's at the top of the organization, but he's telling you whatever broad information he can think of.

Effort waits to see if anyone has anything else to say to the man, before stepping back and tapping Brask lightly.

(feel free to interject here if you want to ask this guy more questions)

"Time for him to take a nap," she says to the minotaur.

Brask nods, and with a hand clamped firmly over the man's mouth, strangles him until he is unconscious, but not long enough to kill him.  Twelve is a lot, he comments with regards to the ship.  On their home turf too.

"Wait, w-" It doesn't take long for him to succumb to the minotaur's choke. 

Pip nods at Brask's concern about their numbers.

Kurama had a pensive look on his face as he thought on the exchange before commenting, "We may need to hire a few extra men... Before we do anything rash, it might make sense to speak to the Raftel again.  At the very least to inform them of what has occurred since we last spoke with them."    

(OOC: The monk's name is Raftel correct?  And what was his friend's name?)

Rastel. The other monk is Rasgo.

Effort drops the darkness.  "I don't think they managed to get a very good look at us during this attack, but we might want to make sure they don't return to their shifts anyway.  As you said, twelve is much, and fourteen would be even more."  She gets to work cutting some lengths of rope to bind them.  "I agree, though.  We should get back to the monks.  Particularly if there were rumors being spread that they were carrying something valuable enough to make them a target for the Black Forest.  Perhaps something given to them by the Sister?  We should find out."

Brask nods at Effort's words.  Yeah, always good to learn more.  He helps tie up the losers, and then follows Effort back.

Someone give me a sleight of hand check for tying up these two guys. You can have help from the others.

You make your way back to the place the monks are holed up. They're both there. Rastel is sitting up in a chair, looking ever-so-slightly better than before and drinking a glass of water. Rasgo greets you at the door.

"Friends, how goes it?"

Brask's Sleight of Hand is not great, so he'll help someone else.

Effort uses her prayer for patience and Brask's assistance to bind the men up: 20

"Not bad, all things considered.  We are alive despite obvious attempts by others to belay that," she says.  "I believe we have some questions to ask you."  She looks to Kurama to see if he wants to speak to the monks first, about Orochi, or anything else, though it's also obvious that she is waiting to ask the two about whatever possession they failed to mention that they owned, which got the Black Forest so interested in them in the first place.

Seeing Effort look to him, Kurama stepped forward.  "Yes.  In the forest, we discovered the Black Forest under attack by a secondary group that managed to get away through a portal..." he said the last part with a bit of frustration.  "...A group led by... another monk.  Would you happen to know who that monk was or why they may have been attacking the Black Forest?"  As a precaution, he left out Orochi's name, waiting to see how the monk's reacted to the news and if they knew more about his enemy's recent activities than he did.

• Insight: 10