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Post by Vikram on Dec 2, 2022 1:24:22 GMT -5
It was nearly silent as Vikram walked the hall, the only sound being the soft jangle of chains and jewelry that adorned the rotund man. He patrolled a warehouse in the Sapphire District of Zeinav at the behest of an employer that had contracted him for his services. Tall tales of burglars assuming the identity of the famed Red Rogue breaking into storages and pilfering them of supplies had certainly garnered the attention of nobles here in Zeinav. He idly whistled as the night carried on quietly around him, the darkness of this warehouse oppressive minus the occasional torch Vikram had insisted be lit. His trusty floating lantern idly followed him through the corridors of crates and barrels arranged neatly in long rows, the soft blue light illuminating their labels. Blankets, Rugs, Robes, cloth, none of it was even that interesting to steal anyway. He anticipated a long and quiet night.
Around midnight Vikram sauntered on over to the quartermaster's desk, overlooking the warehouse floor from the rear of the building. Vacant, of course, because all the employees had been told to go home and enjoy the holiday. How pleasant it must be, to be cozied up at home with family, enjoying a nice story by the fire of daring do brought about by the actual Red Rogue. He sighed and tilted back slightly in his chair.
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Fighter's Guild
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Ray Castien, my character https://talesofcharon.proboards.com/thread/660/ray-castien-character-page
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Post by Ray Castien on Dec 2, 2022 13:16:09 GMT -5
Zeinav City was a place quite unfamiliar to Ray, though a very familiar sight had greeted him within the walls. Poverty.
The city seemed to have an entirely ignored population of homeless and poor and the coming Winter's Crown would prove particularly difficult on them, even here in Zeinav. While living amongst them providing aid, healing wounds and sicknesses, and serving the best he could Ray overheard many praying that the Red Rogue would provide them aid this year. It sparked an idea that appealed to his new found beliefs and his past as a bandit equally. It was time to play at thievery once more, this time for the good of those in need. The Wanderer would approve, or so he hoped.
Qil gave some vague parables on how two wrongs make no rights and whatnot, but seemed otherwise tolerant of the path Ray had chosen.
As night settled into midnight Ray approached the warehouse he had scoped out through the day. A large place, owned by a conglomerate of some of the richest merchants in Zeinav, notorious for their greedy practices and pitiful working conditions. So far he had spotted only one guard, a short and rotund fellow with a sword at his side and an enormous turban atop his head. Ray hoped above all else to avoid a conflict, though his ability to remain quiet was lacking at best.
The warehouse had one main entrance, a backdoor, and a roof hatch that Ray had scouted so far as well as many windows. He had spent the time to identify a dead drop location as well, a dumping location near the warehouse that could be used to hide whatever he stole tonight. He pulled his cloak over his head and pulled a scarf over his face, tying it tightly so that only his eyes remained visible, and approached the warehouse from rooftop entrance. He used a stack of crates outside in the alleyway to climb up onto the roof and crouched low while approaching the hatch. He'd hired a local youth to provide the distraction he would need to enter undetected, tossing a rock off the roof towards this youth's position signaled the start of the heist.
The youth then tossed the same large stone through the warehouse's window before sprinting off into the dark city streets.
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Post by Vikram on Dec 3, 2022 8:19:47 GMT -5
A crash startled him from his daydreams as glass scattered across the floor on the other side of the warehouse. He almost fell backwards from his chair, but managed to get a strong footing and began a jaunty jog over to the scene of the incident. "What the devil..." He muttered as he came across the large stone laying on the floor several feet past the window that had broken, surrounded by shards. He could hear the giggles of a group of children echoing through the empty streets, running away from their crime scene. "Who's out there! Know that you will not get away with this! Bloody kids" What were urchins doing in the Sapphire District throwing stones anyway, didn't they have some dune to slide down or something. Perhaps they were getting in the spirit of the Red Rouge, finding some rich merchant to take out frustrations on. Oh well, children would be children he supposed, and it IS just glass. Wandering slowly back to the quartermasters desk at the rear of the shop, Vikram grabbed the wide store broom and sauntered on back. He stopped, in the middle of the warehouse, and contemplated a moment. Something was off, different, but he couldn't quite pinpoint the source.
Only a moments consideration passed before the bejeweled man shrugged, attributing his feeling to a kebab he had consumed before starting his watch. His stomach growling only confirmed the notion as he sauntered back to the scattered glass and started sweeping, humming a joyful winter song all the while.
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Fighter's Guild
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Post by Ray Castien on Dec 6, 2022 5:41:16 GMT -5
Timing his opening of the hatch with the crashing of glass and his drop down into the warehouse with the yelling of the guard provided enough cover that he avoided detection. The guard now simply swept and hummed, a pleasant tune even. It was a fun backdrop for his perusal of the wares stored there. He stuck to the shelves on the opposite side of the warehouse, allowing his eyes to shine just enough to illuminate his search. The only issue was that he'd only thought things through this far. He was no stranger to thievery or banditry, but doing it alone was foreign to him, a team would have made this far easier...
"Seeker, that you deem dispersing quilts and jackets to those suffering from poverty it's solution shows the fallacies you rely on all too well." Qil had apparently decided now was a wonderful time to debate moral philosophy...
"Qil, please be quiet, we can talk about what's wrong n' right later!" Ray mentally shushed the celestial.
The voice in his head ignored him as it continued to berate him with a verbal essay against stealing. He searched through the warehouse's supplies trying to focus on the humming instead. He found various heavy quilts and blankets, jackets and scarfs, as well as various valuables that could pay for food for a family for weeks on their own. It would be a danger to give someone stolen valuables, things he stole would need to be of average quality, that was the difficulty here, stealing what wouldn't be recognizable... Although... If he could fence a few things, it would give him solars to hand out.
The glass would be cleaned up soon so he needed to take advantage of this moment. He began stuffing items into his backpack, weighing it down quite heftily. As he was about to lift the pack he misjudged his location and swung his elbow into a large vase. It teetered, and tottered, and made the usual sound of a bowl rolling about before finally dropping to the floor and...shattering into a million pieces.
Ray quickly slid the bag of goods under a shelf and slid himself under another nearby, pulling his hood over his head and laying as still as he could to avoid detection. He slowed his breathing, preparing to stop it entirely as the man approached, he couldn't tell footsteps from the loud beating of his heart at this moment.
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Post by Vikram on Dec 7, 2022 1:17:17 GMT -5
*Crash* The hair on his neck stood on end. The broom dropped and he pulled his scimitar from its silken sheath. "Who goes there". It was a trap, the kids in the alley a distraction. And he had fallen for it hook, pole, and rumbler. He slowly advanced forward, weapon drawn, eyeing all the boxes and shelves for a hidden assassin or Black Quill member hiding in the shadows. Reaching the large vase, or what remained of it, he noted that it was probably too large to have fallen over accidently, someone pushed it. Another distraction? What could they be after? It was all just clothes and linen. This was meant to be an easy extra cheque for the holiday. "I know you're here, come out, and we can deal with this like men." He began to peek between boxes as he slowly stalked the aisles, his footsteps echoing through the expansive area. Shit, it might not even be one of them. There could be an entire guild of assassins in the rafters, waiting for their chance to strike. The paranoia overtook him, Slamming his boots into the ground. The stone that made up the floor swirled into sand around him, depositing on his extremities to form a sort of sandstone armor. Nice try, Black Quills. "IF YOU WANT ME COME GET ME" He shouted, to the apparently empty room. Art of the Iron Fist (1/3)
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Fighter's Guild
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Ray Castien, my character https://talesofcharon.proboards.com/thread/660/ray-castien-character-page
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Post by Ray Castien on Dec 10, 2022 0:07:51 GMT -5
Laying face to the stone floor Ray breathed as quietly as he could as the "Who goes there" echoed out. Footsteps approaching his location made it far harder to remain calm. In all his years as a bandit he'd never robbed a place like this, it was somehow even more exciting and intense than storming in and killing the guards to hide from them. He felt a tinge of guilt at the thought, especially at how quickly his mind went to such an act.
The flood of emotions continued as the guard called out again during his search. He had now walked around the shelves Ray hid under and was circling around the opposite side. If he could just be missed once more, perhaps he could continue his attempt...no, that was too risky... he had one more distraction up his sleeve. He might even be able to grab more goods with the time it bought him.
"...and in no situation does endorsing the continued thievery of goods for the purpose of providing a community service do The Wanderer justice..." Qil still droned on, his monotonous lecture breaking through into Ray's conscious despite his best attempts to surpress it.
"Qil. Quiet! Unless you'd rather us be killed!" Ray shouted internally.
Quiet. Finally a break...
"IF YOU WANT ME COME GET ME" The scream almost brought a yelp out of Ray before he caught himself, looking back at the guard he saw that the man now wore a coat of stone armor. This was no ordinary guard, he really didn't want to fight him now...
After recovering from fright, he put his plan into action. He focused on the blade at his side, willing it to slide loose of its sheath and rise into the open air of the warehouse. A barely audible sound ensued as it slid free. The blade hovered some 12 feet in the air and Ray focused his magical energy through the blade which hummed as the energy filled it. In a split second the energy was released, a loud screeching sound echoed out from the blade as a ball of energy zipped across the warehouse like lightning. It struck the main doors that lead out onto the streets with an explosive BOOOM that swung the doors open, even breaking one loose from the hinges. The sound was so loud it hurt Ray's ears still despite his distance from it.
With the distraction set he slid out into the floor, grabbed his bag, and sprinted for the alley way door.
(Cast Spell - Sonic Bolt - This spell launches a nearly invisible and fast-moving projectile of sonic energy. When it strikes an object, it will rapidly expand in an explosion strong enough to knock someone off of their feet. This explosion is primarily sonic, and will produce a deafening roar. Those close to the boom will be deafened. Additionally, being struck by the Sonic Bolt will induce nausea in the target that lasts for several posts.)
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Post by Vikram on Dec 10, 2022 17:01:49 GMT -5
An explosion at the door left Vikrams ear ringing, and he could see the splintered door at the front crumple to the floor. No immediate threat...another distraction. Fool me twice they say, immediately he looked in the opposite direction. A pale moon elf clutching a large bag of goods ran towards the alley. Was this thief missing an arm, or was it a contraption? No matter, a thief was a thief, and Vikram would be damned if he let one get away on his watch. What little moisture was in the air accumulated around his hands, forming into two frozen axes. He lobbed one quickly at the floor in front of the thief, aiming to trip him up before he reached the door. It exploded into a shower of tiny sharp crystals as it created a wide patch of ice in the man's path. The second axe aimed for the bag, where upon hitting (if it does indeed hit) would cause it to freeze over, becoming a slippery, unholdable sack of ice. Before exploding.
"Halt there you ruffian! Theft is an incorrigible act, someone worked very hard to make those goods!" Vikram redrew his scimitar, levelling it in the direction of the thief.
"Now please, raise your hands....hand?, and surrender."
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Fighter's Guild
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Post by Ray Castien on Dec 12, 2022 21:23:05 GMT -5
Ray's plan was a complete failure...
While sprinting towards the door an icy axe stuck into the ground in front of him and exploded into a spray of ice crystals. A second axe struck the sack on his back and it instantly froze into a bundle of ice. Ray was unable to stop in time to avoid the now iced over floor and as the sack of goods exploded into even more freezing shards of ice he fell directly onto his back atop it. A loud thud and a groan came from the accident site as he slid to a stop in the icy floor. A few jolts of searing pain entered his mind as the shards of ice had stabbed into him, his blades quickly dispelled some magic and healed the wounds.
Assessing the situation he saw the guard holding a scimitar towards him and heard his demand for surrender. Well now, this was a predicament. It was also mildly infuriating, especially the part about all the hard work that went into the goods he'd just blown to bits.
"Ahh, that's gonna bruise..." Ray slowly stood to his feet and stepped out of the ice patch towards the guard with his hand up.
"What was that about hard work? Did they make all that for target practice? To sit in a warehouse? Or to keep someone warm?" He cocked his head to the side with a look of frustration.
"Or to be stolen?" Qil added in to Ray alone.
"Tell me this, guard. What purpose do these merchants have with hoarding goods like this? What choice have I got except to perform a little... charity?"
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Post by Vikram on Dec 13, 2022 22:46:04 GMT -5
Great, not only was this man not a deadly cabal of assassins, he was a would-be philosopher. Though he did make a good point that these goods could be better distributed elsewhere, there were certainly better options than taking a bag from a warehouse and distributing it. Right? What was the actual better solution to keeping someone warm than to either spend a fortune or take it.
"My friend, if everyone simply snuck into a warehouse and stole what they have wanted, there would be no incentive to continue to create goods at all. While true, there are indeed those who could benefit from the merchant being more philanthropic, is it not the responsibility of the Sultan to care for his people?" Largely hollow words from a man covered in wealth. The ice evaporated slowly off the bag and floor, making a cool, soft mist in the dim warehouse. Even the dusty sandstone armour covering his limbs began to slough off into dust and sand. This man was not a threat to him, and to his credit did attempt to avoid conflict with distraction. Vikram sighed, sheathing his scimitar.
"My apologies for the hostilities, many enemies to be made amongst the sands and stars. I suppose a soggy bag of goods is and a few nicer ones from that box to the left is the price of doing business on the night of the Red Rogue."
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Fighter's Guild
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Post by Ray Castien on Dec 14, 2022 21:01:55 GMT -5
"You... Really?" Ray's eyes widened in disbelief as the guard retaliated with the same rhetoric as Qil, even more so as he sheathed his sword.
Ray seemed dumbfounded, he'd never imagined the guard would be talked into letting him steal, I mean redistribute, these goods. A part of him was sad that the fight he'd expected wouldn't arrive. The other felt vindicated in his beliefs, Qil had been unconvinced but the guard himself was now on the side of the red rogue.
Ray cautiously regarded the man, trying to tell whether or not this was a bluff. If it was, it was convincing. He turned to pick up the bag of soggy blankets now that it had almost completely thawed, still looking over his shoulder at the strange guard. Then he moved to the slightly nicer items and took a small amount more, not wishing to press such incredible luck.
"I apologize as well, for the inconvenience I've caused you." He motioned to the broken items, doors, and window with an embarrassed half smile.
"If I'd thought for a moment you'd be convinced, I'd have come begging instead." With that Ray bowed and exited the building through the side door. He stopped for only a moment to look back with a smile.
"Name's Ray, I wish you a merry Winter's Crown." Still in sight of Vikram Ray summoned his celestial wings, enormous and covered in pale gold scales, and flew off into the night sky.
Qil didn't speak at all, seemingly just as dumbfounded by the events as Ray.
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