As you suggest dropping the job altogether, another man speaks up. "Failure isn't an option for us." It's not the one behind Kaz, but another man standing to the left. His hood is down, revealing brownish hair that falls just above his ears. It's a bit difficult to tell exactly with the mask on, but he seems like he might be younger. The outburst elicits sharp looks from the rest of the room, but the young man simply crosses his arms. Eventually, Kaz turns his head slowly back towards Silthras. "It is as he said. This is not something we will back out of, but the warning is appreciated nonetheless." His head tilts to the side curiously for a moment, almost like listening.
"As for this creature you speak of - it is not something you 'get lucky' with." There is some hesitation, and then he continues. "What you killed was once a protector. One who fell to the madness of the very thing he guarded. Even before he was cursed with dark power, his might was said to be the stuff of legends."
"Your group must be quite strong indeed to have felled him and walked away."
He runs a finger down the side of his face, pondering on Silthras' second question. "I do not know these other men you speak of however. And Tel'Ssri, who did have this proclivity for removing eyes, was singular. We are not aware of such disfigurement taking place in the city."
As Usul picks up the coin pouch, hefting what he feels like are platinum coins, maybe twenty or so, Kaz chuckles and gives him an amused look then begins to speak again. "As one businessman to another, might I make an alternative proposition? Surviving Tel'Ssri is proof of your capabilities. Such strength could be leveraged for our mutual benefit. Our client's needs are still many. The pay is good, the locations interesting, exciting, and full of things that do not necessarily fall under the client's requirements and thus...Free for the taking."
"Of course there is a matter of trust, but that is a discussion pending on what you say next."
The tone definitely struck Velyra as something said out of conviction. Which was strange to hear, given that the general vibe of this group is something adjacent to a smuggling operation.
Velyra looks around at the others, trying to gauge their reaction to the offer. "We don't really have a leader that makes these decisions, so we'd have to talk about it I think. At the least, you have my interest Kaz." She lifts the stone out of her pocket and holds it up. "Should I hold onto this to keep in touch?"
"I would still like to hear how you plan to resolve this trust issue."
As Sylnora quietly observes the conversation, Velyra hears her voice in her head. 'Is there something you have in mind Velyra? If you've got an idea, I can tell the others like this."
As the voice speaks up in her mind, Velyra is surprised at first, wonder if Syl had cast a spell before remembering the crystal. These people were knocking on the doors of a living Watcher. Right now Kaz is implying they have the whereabouts of other locations, which we were just discussing trying to find the other day. I think we should at least consider playing along with this offer. We don't have to trust them, but they clearly know more than they're letting on.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Silthras nods at Velyra's words. He can see advantage in working with these people, though it would likely end in conflict. The trick would be making sure the conflict was in the distant future, and quickly resolved. The outburst from the young one interested him, as did his response to reprimand: it did not seem a disciplined response, rather more petulant.
He looks at the man for a moment, then pointedly at the belongings of his dead colleagues still on the table, but says nothing.
Insight: 6 (was the interaction like fanatical belief or the enthusiasm from a young mercenary recruit, or...something else? )
Turning back to Kaz, he waits for his response to Velyra's question, anxious to ask about these 'protectors'.
'Gotcha. I'll pass it on.'Syl replies, then contacting each member of their party telepathically to pass on the cleric's logic. If anyone has reservations, she'll relay those back.
To Silthras, it's hard to tell what source of the young man's outburst might have been. Leaning towards fanatical perhaps? But nothing like the fervor witnessed from Calmaius.
"Ahh, a democratic decision! Strong and fair, how lovely your group sounds already." Kaz says with a smile. His attention turns to Velyra now, and he nods to her suggestion. "Yes keep it. Regardless of whether or not you end up working with us, having you all as a contact seems delightful."
He blows out a long sigh as she presses his comment on trust, scratching the back of his head. "Well there are options. But first, allow me to motivate these measures you may consider extreme."
"As I said earlier, our operation requires the utmost discretion. Even meeting you all as we are now is an extreme deviation of our norms...But these are unique circumstances, and we are not inflexible."
"Our ability to exist undetected for as long as we have is owed in large part due to our vetting. Our relative invisibility is our greatest protection, and we have interests we must protect at all costs. There are connections we must be sure you do not possess before allowing you closer so to speak. You would be subjected to a magic involved interrogation. I will not lie to you. It is invasive, and many find it uncomfortable. You can always choose not to answer a question, but doing so would mean walking away."
"The alternative is to allow us some of your blood for safekeeping. If you do not know of the kinds of the things this would let us do, I would think it sufficient to let your imaginations run wild."
Kal leans in with his arms crossed, frowning. "In either case it seems we'd be putting ourselves in a vulnerable position. That is a steep ask from someone we have no reason to trust. Whatever plans you have for our blood is out of the question. For this interrogation to work, we would need leverage of our own."
Silthras listens to Kaz and is glad to have a moment to collect his thoughts while Kal responds. He nods at both of the knight's points.
With furrowed brow, he starts speaking slowly, seemingly mulling the matter as he speaks. "Further...and please correct me if I am wrong...the nature of your questions will reveal much about you. I can not help but conclude that 'walk away' is, perhaps, a euphemism?"
Again he scans the room, looking for chinks in their disguises. "But, if there is a genuine possibility of walking away, then perhaps you could let us know the questions beforehand so that we can decide if we are comfortable answering them. We are familiar with such magics, and you are asking us to possibly reveal all of our secrets to you. Only if the questions are narrowly focused, can I imagine acceding to the request." He glances at his companions to see what their reactions might be.
As an afterthought, he adds "Would you accede to similar terms, perhaps even answering the exact same questions?"
"Valid concerns my good friend, but it is the way it must be. As for your own leverage...There are perhaps things we can work out." Kaz replies as he looks to Kal. His attention turns back to Silthras, and he laughs. "No euphemisms. You will be allowed to walk away. But you will not hear nor see us ever again. And if you come looking for us after that..." He trails off, and shrugs. "Your safety is not guaranteed at that point."
"Well no two interrogations are the same you see. We start with similar questions. Where are you from? Who are your parents? What groups are you affiliated with? And we find this typically leads us down the appropriate paths." Looking again at the men around the room, there isn't really anyway to further glean their identities. None of their masks are slipping, and besides the rings they don't have any other identifying jewellery or markings.
"Hm." Kaz rubs his chin as he considers the counter offer. "That is not a bad idea. So long as you do not try to ascertain confidential information...It will work I think."
Seemingly following his own train of thought, Usul suddenly perks up as he pockets the coin pouch to share later, saying, "We know the city quite well. How long have you been here working? Protecting your 'invisibility' in a place like this isn't easy for sure."
Silthras blinks and stares at Kaz for a moment. He did not expect the response to his final suggestion. He draws a deep breath and nods very slowly.
"Well, this could work. Especially if I get a similar guarantee regarding confidential information. I have a few things I would prefer were not generally known, but...." He looks around the room, wincing when he regards the one he has come to regard as a young recruit. "...I would also expect that only one of your people would be present to hear the answers." Along with whoever-the-hells is listening in now. He nods a little more vigorously. "I could live with that, if that is acceptable to you."
He glances in the direction of Usul who has been remarkably quiet until now. He smiles faintly, shaking his head, then his gaze slides over Velyra and Kal before returning to Kaz, "Must we all agree?" He asks. "Or could we move more slowly -- just a few of us to start with?" He smiles, "We are a democracy after all."
"I am assuming we are not joining a cult, and that this is merely to establish ... trust... as you say. That we are not working for whoever you regard as enemies or competitors?"
Kaz looks over to the gnome, smiling again. "Our presence in this city predates most of its current residents. Suffice to say, it helps when you're able to grow with the city."
He glances back to Silthras, tilting his head. "That depends on the nature of your secrets. As I said, we must explore certain possible connections. There would be two of us. One to ask. And one to layer on the magic." He considers your question for a moment before offering back, "A few could go through the process first, and then you could make a decision. But all must be questioned before we can move forward."
"It is not a cult." He says firmly, "this is merely precaution. We have evaded the notice of what would be a natural enemy so far - we would like to keep it that way for as long as we can."
Silthras nods once more, "Since it will likely become clear from the questions, do you mind saying whom you think this natural enemy might be? It may, possibly, go some way to allaying any of our own remaining ... misgivings, and allow more of us to accept sooner."
Kaz laughs, shaking his head. "No I'm afraid not. You would either think me crazy. We'll let the questioning do its job." He gestures to one of the other men in the room, and they step outside, closing the door behind them. "This won't be something we could do here, and I"m afraid I'll have to ask you to suffer our paranoia once more..." He says. After a moment, the man returns, a wad of burlap sacks in his hand. "We'll have to disorient you while we take you somewhere less public."
As you suggest dropping the job altogether, another man speaks up. "Failure isn't an option for us." It's not the one behind Kaz, but another man standing to the left. His hood is down, revealing brownish hair that falls just above his ears. It's a bit difficult to tell exactly with the mask on, but he seems like he might be younger. The outburst elicits sharp looks from the rest of the room, but the young man simply crosses his arms. Eventually, Kaz turns his head slowly back towards Silthras. "It is as he said. This is not something we will back out of, but the warning is appreciated nonetheless." His head tilts to the side curiously for a moment, almost like listening.
"As for this creature you speak of - it is not something you 'get lucky' with." There is some hesitation, and then he continues. "What you killed was once a protector. One who fell to the madness of the very thing he guarded. Even before he was cursed with dark power, his might was said to be the stuff of legends."
"Your group must be quite strong indeed to have felled him and walked away."
He runs a finger down the side of his face, pondering on Silthras' second question. "I do not know these other men you speak of however. And Tel'Ssri, who did have this proclivity for removing eyes, was singular. We are not aware of such disfigurement taking place in the city."
As Usul picks up the coin pouch, hefting what he feels like are platinum coins, maybe twenty or so, Kaz chuckles and gives him an amused look then begins to speak again. "As one businessman to another, might I make an alternative proposition? Surviving Tel'Ssri is proof of your capabilities. Such strength could be leveraged for our mutual benefit. Our client's needs are still many. The pay is good, the locations interesting, exciting, and full of things that do not necessarily fall under the client's requirements and thus...Free for the taking."
"Of course there is a matter of trust, but that is a discussion pending on what you say next."
Velyra perks up at the sudden declaration from one of the supposed "guards" in the room. She looks towards the man, a curious look in her eyes.
Insight: 25
Trying to determine how "Failure isn't an option" was said. Was it more fearful, or something that was said with conviction?
The tone definitely struck Velyra as something said out of conviction. Which was strange to hear, given that the general vibe of this group is something adjacent to a smuggling operation.
Velyra looks around at the others, trying to gauge their reaction to the offer. "We don't really have a leader that makes these decisions, so we'd have to talk about it I think. At the least, you have my interest Kaz." She lifts the stone out of her pocket and holds it up. "Should I hold onto this to keep in touch?"
"I would still like to hear how you plan to resolve this trust issue."
As Sylnora quietly observes the conversation, Velyra hears her voice in her head. 'Is there something you have in mind Velyra? If you've got an idea, I can tell the others like this."
As the voice speaks up in her mind, Velyra is surprised at first, wonder if Syl had cast a spell before remembering the crystal. These people were knocking on the doors of a living Watcher. Right now Kaz is implying they have the whereabouts of other locations, which we were just discussing trying to find the other day. I think we should at least consider playing along with this offer. We don't have to trust them, but they clearly know more than they're letting on.
Silthras nods at Velyra's words. He can see advantage in working with these people, though it would likely end in conflict. The trick would be making sure the conflict was in the distant future, and quickly resolved. The outburst from the young one interested him, as did his response to reprimand: it did not seem a disciplined response, rather more petulant.
He looks at the man for a moment, then pointedly at the belongings of his dead colleagues still on the table, but says nothing.
Insight: 6 (was the interaction like fanatical belief or the enthusiasm from a young mercenary recruit, or...something else? )
Turning back to Kaz, he waits for his response to Velyra's question, anxious to ask about these 'protectors'.
'Gotcha. I'll pass it on.' Syl replies, then contacting each member of their party telepathically to pass on the cleric's logic. If anyone has reservations, she'll relay those back.
Silthras agrees with Velyra's suggestion, "These guys may be knowingly or unknowingly working with Calmaius' people. Or worse. Be wary."
To Silthras, it's hard to tell what source of the young man's outburst might have been. Leaning towards fanatical perhaps? But nothing like the fervor witnessed from Calmaius.
"Ahh, a democratic decision! Strong and fair, how lovely your group sounds already." Kaz says with a smile. His attention turns to Velyra now, and he nods to her suggestion. "Yes keep it. Regardless of whether or not you end up working with us, having you all as a contact seems delightful."
He blows out a long sigh as she presses his comment on trust, scratching the back of his head. "Well there are options. But first, allow me to motivate these measures you may consider extreme."
"As I said earlier, our operation requires the utmost discretion. Even meeting you all as we are now is an extreme deviation of our norms...But these are unique circumstances, and we are not inflexible."
"Our ability to exist undetected for as long as we have is owed in large part due to our vetting. Our relative invisibility is our greatest protection, and we have interests we must protect at all costs. There are connections we must be sure you do not possess before allowing you closer so to speak. You would be subjected to a magic involved interrogation. I will not lie to you. It is invasive, and many find it uncomfortable. You can always choose not to answer a question, but doing so would mean walking away."
"The alternative is to allow us some of your blood for safekeeping. If you do not know of the kinds of the things this would let us do, I would think it sufficient to let your imaginations run wild."
"These are the only ways we can work together."
Kal leans in with his arms crossed, frowning. "In either case it seems we'd be putting ourselves in a vulnerable position. That is a steep ask from someone we have no reason to trust. Whatever plans you have for our blood is out of the question. For this interrogation to work, we would need leverage of our own."
Silthras listens to Kaz and is glad to have a moment to collect his thoughts while Kal responds. He nods at both of the knight's points.
With furrowed brow, he starts speaking slowly, seemingly mulling the matter as he speaks. "Further...and please correct me if I am wrong...the nature of your questions will reveal much about you. I can not help but conclude that 'walk away' is, perhaps, a euphemism?"
Again he scans the room, looking for chinks in their disguises. "But, if there is a genuine possibility of walking away, then perhaps you could let us know the questions beforehand so that we can decide if we are comfortable answering them. We are familiar with such magics, and you are asking us to possibly reveal all of our secrets to you. Only if the questions are narrowly focused, can I imagine acceding to the request." He glances at his companions to see what their reactions might be.
As an afterthought, he adds "Would you accede to similar terms, perhaps even answering the exact same questions?"
"Valid concerns my good friend, but it is the way it must be. As for your own leverage...There are perhaps things we can work out." Kaz replies as he looks to Kal. His attention turns back to Silthras, and he laughs. "No euphemisms. You will be allowed to walk away. But you will not hear nor see us ever again. And if you come looking for us after that..." He trails off, and shrugs. "Your safety is not guaranteed at that point."
"Well no two interrogations are the same you see. We start with similar questions. Where are you from? Who are your parents? What groups are you affiliated with? And we find this typically leads us down the appropriate paths." Looking again at the men around the room, there isn't really anyway to further glean their identities. None of their masks are slipping, and besides the rings they don't have any other identifying jewellery or markings.
"Hm." Kaz rubs his chin as he considers the counter offer. "That is not a bad idea. So long as you do not try to ascertain confidential information...It will work I think."
Seemingly following his own train of thought, Usul suddenly perks up as he pockets the coin pouch to share later, saying, "We know the city quite well. How long have you been here working? Protecting your 'invisibility' in a place like this isn't easy for sure."
PbP 🎲: Tyekanik; Moneo Noree; Korba Muris; & occasional DM:
Silthras blinks and stares at Kaz for a moment. He did not expect the response to his final suggestion. He draws a deep breath and nods very slowly.
"Well, this could work. Especially if I get a similar guarantee regarding confidential information. I have a few things I would prefer were not generally known, but...." He looks around the room, wincing when he regards the one he has come to regard as a young recruit. "...I would also expect that only one of your people would be present to hear the answers." Along with whoever-the-hells is listening in now. He nods a little more vigorously. "I could live with that, if that is acceptable to you."
He glances in the direction of Usul who has been remarkably quiet until now. He smiles faintly, shaking his head, then his gaze slides over Velyra and Kal before returning to Kaz, "Must we all agree?" He asks. "Or could we move more slowly -- just a few of us to start with?" He smiles, "We are a democracy after all."
"I am assuming we are not joining a cult, and that this is merely to establish ... trust... as you say. That we are not working for whoever you regard as enemies or competitors?"
Kaz looks over to the gnome, smiling again. "Our presence in this city predates most of its current residents. Suffice to say, it helps when you're able to grow with the city."
He glances back to Silthras, tilting his head. "That depends on the nature of your secrets. As I said, we must explore certain possible connections. There would be two of us. One to ask. And one to layer on the magic." He considers your question for a moment before offering back, "A few could go through the process first, and then you could make a decision. But all must be questioned before we can move forward."
"It is not a cult." He says firmly, "this is merely precaution. We have evaded the notice of what would be a natural enemy so far - we would like to keep it that way for as long as we can."
Kal returns Silthras look and nods. "So long as we ask our questions at the same time, I'm fine with taking part."
Silthras nods once more, "Since it will likely become clear from the questions, do you mind saying whom you think this natural enemy might be? It may, possibly, go some way to allaying any of our own remaining ... misgivings, and allow more of us to accept sooner."
Persuasion, if relevant: 23
Kaz laughs, shaking his head. "No I'm afraid not. You would either think me crazy. We'll let the questioning do its job." He gestures to one of the other men in the room, and they step outside, closing the door behind them. "This won't be something we could do here, and I"m afraid I'll have to ask you to suffer our paranoia once more..." He says. After a moment, the man returns, a wad of burlap sacks in his hand. "We'll have to disorient you while we take you somewhere less public."
"Well. I'll do it." Syl says, speaking up for the first time. "I have no secrets to hide from anyone anyway."