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Post by Fish the Tinkerer on Jan 10, 2023 20:48:25 GMT -5
For a bird who grew up in a desert, the Pale City is a terrible place to be. Fish's feathers puff up trying to trap as much warm air close to their body as possible. Thankfully, they are at least inside the city where they can find a few breaks from the wind and places to keep warm. On top of that, Fish was likely about to create a fairly large fire which would bring the bird plenty of warmth. Just focus on the crime at hand Fish.
Fish had heard much talk about how dangerous the current goings on could be, but morality and figuring out right from wrong really wasn't a big interest for them. There were solars to be had and a chance at sabotage. From atop the roof of a warehouse, the kenku keeps a watch on the docks to watch the guards. The little eyes begin memorizing the patterns of guards, the timing of changes. This was going to be a bit more difficult than Fish originally had planned. It seemed whoever was running this trading vessel had heard about people working against them.
Help would be needed, but Fish knew they couldn't go it completely alone. They skitter down the side of the building, hopping towards an inn to see if they can overhear someone else looking into this. They could ingratiate themselves with a do-gooder or find an equally....let's say enterprising individual.
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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Jan 13, 2023 4:46:23 GMT -5
This was not her thing. Not the part of the plan that involved the pyrotechniques, but the part that she needed a certain degree of discretion about it. The Witch of Moonglade didn't have an ounce of discretion and stealth in her body.
But she knew who did.
The Black Quills were a long story, one that few knew, but she was grateful for their loyalty. They only knew how to do one thing in life, and when their former Master was dead and revenge was taken, they felt lost and in need of guidance. And of a new job, that could make use of their abilities.
Kamille had proven to be in need of their abilities time and time again.
That night, the tavern was full. For one, even if it meant more prying eyes and curious listening ears, it also meant the noise they made was greater and whatever private conversation she would want to have would be lost among the loud chattering around her. And even among all that noise, the cawing of a raven cut through: to the other side of the tavern, Mischief hopped from table to table, trying to dunk his head into people's drinks and steal bites of food from his mouth. Generally causing a bit of havoc right now worked on her favor, since people seemed too busy trying to either shoo or pet the raven to notice that the Witch of Moonglade was talking in a hushed tone with one of the Black Quills. Kamille and Allan were both leaning onto a piece of paper in the table.
"...do you think they will inspect the cargo? They might not want to allow it once they know there are explosives there. Make sure to hide them well. There's a few details we need to set straight still..."
It was hard to be sneaky for her, so she was relying on the Black Quills for that, supposedly making a donation to these greedy people that wanted to tame the Arid Mesa, supposedly trying to be a part of it too. Except her donation might be a bit more... unstable than initially planned.
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Post by Fish the Tinkerer on Jan 14, 2023 21:01:47 GMT -5
As Fish is looking about the tavern for any sort of allies in this endeavor they do eventually notice Kamille and the member of the Black Quills. They looked over the two, scanning to see if they can pick up on anything about them. They both seemed decently useful to Fish's plans. Quietly, the kenku sits among the crowd and listens to the talk, occasionally looking towards what Mischief is doing. They hope a little closer seeing paper being shared back and forth.
After a moment of listening, Fish seems to just appear at the table[1] and climbs onto a chair. They look between the pair before they start to use sign language to try and speak with them.
"If the target is those ships in the dock, Fish can help. Fish specializes in stealth and sabotage....The ships are heavily guarded, but Fish has already memorized the patterns and shift changes. Fish is amenable to sharing this information.....for a price."
The business bird is in full effect. If neither of them seem to understand the gestures or need clarification, Fish will pull out their chalk and slate to once more write out the message and provide their offer to the two.
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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Jan 17, 2023 21:04:53 GMT -5
When she first stepped into that situation, she thought it would be only her and the Black Quills, as she could be certain of their discrecy. Kamille could trust them with her life. There was no room for anyone else on that quest.
Unless that someone was a raven. A cute raven. Making cute gestures. Looking all cute and professional and tidy up. With a cute little slate and chalk and looking at her with his cute little face. One moment there was nothing on the table, and the next... they were there! And she wasn't complaining!
Allan cleared his throat by her side when he realized his boss only kept staring at the newcommer. Only then she finally realized that there were words written on the slate. If Poe was there, she could help them translate what he was signing - once again making a good point on teaching her how to sign. Yes, she should definitely learn how to sign. She would want to sign with this cutie right here...
"Oh.... Hum.... Hello.... And.... Who would you be.... exactly? What would be your price? Assuming... Assuming we're going with this?"
Normally, it would be madness to just promptly share such information with anyone... But the raven sure looked professional. Was his name Fish? Gods, he was so cute.......
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Post by Fish the Tinkerer on Jan 18, 2023 16:03:55 GMT -5
Fish narrows their eyes a moment seeing how Kamille looks them over. It wasn't often Fish let themselves be seen so openly and generally not long enough for people to get a read on them. They get a feeling they are being sized up, but perhaps not in the way they are accustomed to. Good, a sucker. Fish can extort them for a good price.
"Fish will take 100 coin for the information, 250 to hire Fish to participate in the mission. Fish has the necessary skills to make this is as discrete as possible." They patiently wait to see what the response between the two might be.
Despite their size, the bird does look serious. If Kamille takes a closer look, they can also see the bird is well outfitted for something like this. Darkened leathers, throwing knives, and a crossbow attached at their back. The bird was armed and probably dangerous, but clearly used to stealth given how quiet they were. Whether or not they actually had the chops to pull this off would be a judgement call, but they certainly had more than enough confident in themselves. It was bold to just walk up to a table and announce you can do a crime better than them.
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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Jan 18, 2023 19:38:31 GMT -5
Kamille had no chance against the neatly kept, professional looking, cute little birdy - but Allan's eye twitched when Fish demanded such absurd prices... for something that was actually his job! He wasn’t going to lose his job for a stupid bird - he was already having a hard time keeping his fame of most annoying among them, almost loosing for another stupid bird. He cleared his throat again, leaning towards Kamille to speak softly.
"My Lady, should I remind you that we are plenty capaple of this mission by ourselves? Adding someone else would just add another factor of uncertainty that we should not afford... The Black Quills have never failed you, not once. And we cannot attest to the birds intention nor loyalty. Not to mention..."
Allan glared at Fish, now turning to talk directly to them.
"These prices are absurd! Where do you think you are?! At the streets of Darkveil, picking idiots clean of their coin? Who do you think you are to warrant such prices? I wouldn’t pay that much if I was hiring an Ashen father!"
Certainly speaking from experience, for someone used to unburdening people from the contents of their purses, Allan was quick to identify Fish for what he was, even if Kamille still seemed unsure as what she should do. It was a strange day for Allan's voice to be the voice of reason, and even if it steemed from a place of not wanting to lose his job for a bird, his words sure had some merit to it...
But Fish was so cute....
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Post by Fish the Tinkerer on Jan 18, 2023 20:51:27 GMT -5
"Given the skill of the guards and the nature of the job Fish is offering Fish's services at a bargain. Fish has no further intentions nor loyalties other than ensuring a proper agreement. Fish is also in the employ of an Ashen Father meaning a successful job here can be something of use in the future as well. Fish would suggest considering the payment as less than hiring a mercenary and more making an investment."
Though their expression seems to change little, that could almost be more off-putting. Unchanging and unflinching eyes stare Allan down as he and Kamille consider the latest information dropped in front of them. If nothing else, Fish was ready to either wear them down through sheer force of will or take this offer to someone else.
There were plenty willing to slip coins under the table to fund a little sabotage and subterfuge. Fish didn't like having to shop around for their own clientele, but if they seemed so unwilling then there was only so much they could do. They could apply pressure to the more seemingly malleable of the two.
Fish turns to Kamille, "If there was security in this man's skills, Fish would have been denied, but Fish suspects that Fish can provide better results. Better results does require better pay, but you have many shiny things adorning you. Fish believes Fish is worth the cost."
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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Jan 19, 2023 8:26:36 GMT -5
Something pierced the fog in her mind.
Did Fish just mentioned being in the employ of an Ashen Father? That could be tricky... She wouldn't want to cross the wrong Ashen Father, since she had already stabilished some connections to the Ashlands through a certain charcoal-skinned tiefling - and if this specific Ashen Father that supposedly hired Fish wasn't on the same page as him... Well, maybe that would be indeed a good oportunity to learn more...
And Fish was so cute....... She was fighting the urge of craddling Fish in her arms, as she sometimes did with Mischief when no one was looking.
"How about 100 now and 100 later? I have mouths to feed, be reasonable. Also... This won't get me in trouble with the Ashen Fathers, will it? I don't know much about them, but a girl gotta be careful to not mess with the wrong crowd..."
To say Allan was displeased was an understatement. He was possibly one of the mouths she was feeding, and didn't seem to enjoy much competition. And as much as he respected Kamille as a boss, he was fairly aware of her weaknessess, but couldn't quite pierce through her resolve like Poe did.
There was also the fact that Kamille could use an extra pair of hands for that job, which had proved to be a bit bigger than she had anticipated. She wasn't sure where that bird came from, but now that they spoke of business and Ashen Fathers, her interest was picked.
Gods, Fish was so professional with his cute little crossbow and his cute little clothes........
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Post by Fish the Tinkerer on Jan 19, 2023 15:16:35 GMT -5
The little eyes look over the both of them a moment, assessing their character and this deal. Fish eventually nods and offers out a hand to shake and formalize the deal. They hop back off the table and onto a chair, taking a moment to rummage through their pack. After a pause, Fish proffers their notebook and flips open to one section.
A relatively detailed sketch of the port is scrawled across both pages, even into the crease, as notes fill out the margins. The timing of the guard patrols, how many men, arms and armor, and any other movements are all noted here. Fish wasn't lying when they said they already had a good bit of the information they would need.
The question remaining was how would this sabotage go down? There were plenty of options according to Fish's notes. Explosions, poisonings, carefully selected assassinations, and some tamer options like just destroying their supplies. Can't make a long trip by sea or land without food and provisions after all.
Patiently, the kenku waits for them to look over the options and discuss them amongst themselves. It was a lot to process at once, Fish understood that not every was as good at crime as them. A throwing knife is idly twirled between their talons as they wait, something to keep them busy and something to be ready in case Allan was one of those 'ha we have the info now we kill you types.'
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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Jan 20, 2023 9:53:32 GMT -5
Kamille looked a bit too giddy as she shook Fish's little hand, fighting the urge of patting them in the head. Allan was silently fuming, but despite that, didn't look like he was the kind to disrespect his boss' wishes. If it depended on him though, surely Fish would be gone by now. The Witch wasn't one to commit this type of treachery, wanting to build bridges rather than burning them.
Both Allan and Kamille bent over to look at Fish's notes, whispering among themselves as they read and took in the information that they brought. Sometimes they stopped talking and just stared at each other.
Finally, Kamille turned to Fish. It was hard to keep a level head with this cutie in front of her. The skill he showed as he twirled the blade in his tiny hand was the same she saw in Edgar. In the back of her mind, she had the realization this bird would kill her in her sleep - and she didn't seem to mind it at all.
"Looks like you're very good at this. If you would dispose of three people like you, what would your plan be? I was hoping for minimum casualties, hence why we were trying to get our hands in some explosives. My hope was to sink these boats before they leave harbor."
Was she really hiring a bird she just met to commit a crime with her? Yes, apparently she was. She wondered if that was gonna go to her ever growing list of bad decisions.
Yes, yes it would.
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Post by Fish the Tinkerer on Jan 20, 2023 11:12:05 GMT -5
“Fish can keep casualties to a minimum…..Ships like that often have some cannons….which means black powder….which means explosives are not entirely necessary…..if a distraction can be made to draw people off the boat, then Fish can create an explosion with minimal casualties.”
They are a bit annoyed having to write so much, but so be it for the coin. They point with their talon to a spot atop a roof from a nearby building. Through gestures and mimicked sounds, Fish explains they can safely glide to the mast from here and get onto to boat. What Fish will need is Kamille and company to pull people away in the opposite direction. Fish would need at least five minutes to take care of their half of the plan, but the bird preferred if they had ten. Fish did not want to have to rush if need be.
The type of distraction did not matter to Fish, but it needed to be large enough to pull the guards on the docks and deck of the ship off. Fish would leave that to the two to plan seeing as Fish had little knowledge of their skills just yet. Fish looks between them both to see if this works for them and also awaiting their payment.
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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Jan 22, 2023 8:05:02 GMT -5
Looked like all she needed was another pair of skilled hands. Or feathers. Really tiny, cute, hands and feathers... " I'm good at making distractions." That she was, though she would have to make sure to not hurt any civilians on the process. Her distractions were often very... destructive and fiery. She also wouldn't want to be recognized by setting it up. But that she would need to handle herself and speak among the Black Quills. Or maybe she could just bribe another drunk mage to start a fight in the middle of the streets with her. Yes, that could be arranged..... " What else do you need? Do you need an extra pair of hands? I can also take down a few of the guards if need be. They look like they need a bit of sleep." Her sleep potions could be put to good use on that regard - and she was known for her potent sleep potions.
Kamille and Allan exchanged a few looks. In the end, Kamille looked satisfied, and could more than promptly take a hint. Rumaging through her stuff, she put on the table a small purse that tinkled softly when it landed. For once, the Witch of Moonglade was happily ripped off by a cute bird. Allan shook his head. No one would believe it....
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Post by Fish the Tinkerer on Jan 22, 2023 11:22:19 GMT -5
"Fish is confident in Fish's ability to handle the crews on the ship alone. Fewer hands mean fewer chances of being caught, but knocking the guards out is a good plan if you can pull it off......Fish will wait here." They point to a part of their hand-drawn map signaling a rooftop. "When the distraction is set, Fish will move in...plan to rendevous here." They point to a warehouse a good distance away from the docks and tucked away in some alleys. "25 minutes after the beginning of the distraction."
If they both seemed satisfied with the plans, Fish would close up their notebook and take the purse to tuck away in their pack. They gave both of them a firm nod. It would be time to split the party as Fish hops down from the chair and slips back into the crowd. It's not quite invisibility, but with how they meld into the group it feels like it as the little feathered thief disappears from sight to get set up for their half of the plan.
The kenku starts to climb the sides of the building[1] making their way to the roof. The slight icyness of the roof tiles means their speed is slowed a bit as Fish carefully makes their way acros, but they eventually make it to the marked waiting spot. A well picked spot as it gave them an eyeline to the docks and the path Kamille would need to take to distract the guards.
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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Jan 25, 2023 18:44:30 GMT -5
It didn’t come as an empty statement that Kamille could handle setting up a distraction. The hardest part on her end was to track down a few other mages of the more underground kind that looked crazy enough - or drunk enough - to want to pick a fight with a certain Witch. A few coins slipped under the table, a reassurance of bailing them out and some honeyed words were enough to attract a couple individuals for the job.
Far from being a sleepy town, the streets were usually calm and without much buzz for that night, while the taverns had merely its regulars and not much more. It was relatively calm..... Until it was not.
When it came time for the "distraction", it looked more like show of pyrotechniques was taking place on the street, as tongues of fire raised licked upwards and lightning and ice cracked loudly. It wasn’t everyday that one could expect a mage's duel in the middle of town, and at the crack of the first spell, most townsfolk immediately started to run. Chaos took the streets as spells were deflected or stopped in time, the air filled with a force akin to static that left a soft buzz in the ears. Some would say, later on, that a couple men tried to ambush a woman in an alley, which now sounded like a poor decision on their part.
Almost imediatelly Fish could see the movement of the guards, as well as their dread as to approach such a situation. It was one thing to separate a couple drunks during a fight, but to handle a couple mages was another thing entirely....
"Why is post 7 not answering? What is happening there?!"
Fish could hear a few guards talking to their Captain, before being scolded and also whisked away for the mission.
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Post by Fish the Tinkerer on Jan 25, 2023 18:54:15 GMT -5
Fish kept a careful eye on the tavern to see Kamille on the move. Good, she had a quick plan together, Fish appreciated that she was ready to take action. The kenku carefully waited for the guards to start moving while their beady eyes tracked each movement, the pace of the guards, the speed of the wind, lots of little calculations going on in their mind.
With sudden speed Fish took off and sprung from the roof as their cape billowed out to slow their ascent. Had it not been for the distraction, they would have been a floating duck out there just waiting to be sniped. Sure, they could have eventually snuck onto the boat, but this was faster. Also in the likely case that whoever is getting their ship blown up gets mad, Kamille is the face they will have seen not Fish's.
The kenku hits the deck of the boat in a practiced tuck and roll to keep the momentum going and skitter below deck. Thankfully, most of the crew had been above deck at the time of distraction so it was mostly empty. Now all Fish had to do was find the powder room. Quietly the little bird began to search the lower deck, Kamille just had to keep the distraction going.
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