Wars of Morale

[Bessain]

"I've decided that you have the most boring job in all of Faerun!" Rena whined, lying sprawled out on a fallen oak log. Several woodcutters would stop every so often to stare at the lazy lass, taking into consideration all the weird positions she would roll into in attempt to keep busy and comfortable. Rena was young and held little love for modesty. Let the woodcutters' sons look, she thought. That's all they'll get... possibly.

Brute stopped pounding on the wood splitting wedges, and set his maul onto the ground; leaning on the opposite end. Being mute since birth, Brute did not even try to retaliate to Rena's statements. He did however have something to say about her lack of civil propriety. With the hammer of his maul, he tapped twice on his half split stump to get her attention, then resumed his pose. He crossed his arms over his bare chest and glared at little Rena, offering nothing else but a disdain-filled sniff.

"What do you mean I should sit like a lady?" Rena snapped, half insulted that he always insisted to act as her father. Brute and Rena had been friends since they were very little. This only enhanced Rena's talent of "speaking mute".

Brute let his maul fall away from his reach and stood up straight, bringing himself up to full height. His tapping foot seemed to be the only sound for miles around. This obviously translated to, "Sit correctly, or I'll make you."

Rena groaned and swung her legs over the side of the log. She crossed them slowly and placed her hands in her lap, not forgetting to don a glare.

Physical labor was not something Rena was usually forced to do. She was a spy and was currently out of work. The world should never be at peace, she half muttered to herself. War equals work, Peace equals boredom! Rena was so desperate for money and work, that she nearly signed up at the nearest brothel. Brute, on the other hand, would not allow it. She had even tried to sign up just to spite him! But in the end, he had dragged her kicking and screaming from the building. To quell her restlessness, Brute had "talked" to his employer about hiring Rena as a wood stacker. So, here they were. They had been standing around in the hot sun all day just to make one silver and two copper coins each for a couple cords of wood.

Rena wished with all her heart, that war would begin anew... and soon.

~~~

"Lady Alustriel will never allow it!" said the dark eyed man, kneeling at the feet of two women.

"If we were afraid of the good Lady of Silverymoon, we wouldn't be here." Arien chuckled, running the blade of a dirk along the kneeling man's throat.

The young guard opened his mouth to scream as the tip of the dirk forced his chin upward, but only a blood clogged murmur escaped his lips. Within a little less than a minute his fading eyes could only pinpoint the shape of a dark spider, engraved on the hilt of the blood cover dirk.

[Michi]

"Girl, go out and see if you can't haggle us a bundle of wood early," Bim, the innkeep shouted from the noisy kitchens. "They're always cheaper beforehad and it's gonna be a full room tonight, likely." He poked his head out of the room and lightly tossed a small purse in Galia's direction. She caught it, and frowned.

"Bim, I'm a bard, not a maid. I'm here to entertain; not run errands." He stuck his head out of the kitchen again.

"You need something to do days to keep ye from festering. There'll not be any customers til nightfall, probably. An' I'd send one of the maids, but they're all already running errands." Galia sighed and stood.

"All right. I can't promise you I'll get as good a price as one of them would have, but I'll do my best." She tucked the small purse into a small velvet bag that hung on the front of her dress. It was attached by a belt that encircled her waist. This was useful, as whatever she kept in her purse woud always be literally right in front of her, making it much harder for her to be pickpocketed.

She turned and walked out of the dim light of the tavern into the bright sunlight that engulfed the town, braiding her long reddish-gold hair as she walked.

She was dressed more exhuberantly than most other people walking through town; most were merchants traders, or various servants running errands, who had a tendancy to wear dark, unobtrusive colors. She, however, was wearing a light blue gown with a green sash tied around her waist, a heavy medallion necklace, and the purse-belt, effectively standing out from the crowd. This marked her as a musician, but, unfortunately, was not the best outfit for running errands in. She was stopped twice with song requests, but pointed out that she'd left her instruments behind and was only running an errand.

The woodcutters were a few minutes' walk outside the town, on the outskirts of the woods. Galia hiked up the sloping hill, following the sound of wood being chopped, very thankful she had worn her sturdy leather boots today rather than the slippers she usually favored inside the inn. She soptted them finally, through the trees, and walked over to them.

(OOC: I apologize for the shortness and ftl of this post, but it's late and I'm on Some allergy medication and can't quite see straight. Will modify later, perhaps.)

[Bessain]

As soon as Brute finished chopping up their share of the wood, Rena began to stack the evenly cut pieces into the wagon trailers. Brute showed her how to identify each tree type and stack them into sections according to the cord. Rena, of course, was not interested in learning such things. Instead, she found that woodcutters' sons were more use than they looked. With a few whispered sweet nothings, the country boys could be very helpful. Rena and Brute finished early, to say the least.

Brute hooked the team of four mules into their traces and walked in the lead, with the reigns in his hand. Rena, with no respect for the mules, waved goodbye to her helpful woodcutting puppets and sat on top of the cottonwood pile.

Halfway up a large hill, the team struggled to haul the trailer. If Rena noticed their troubles, she didn't show it. Without even a grunt of annoyance, Brute ignored her and grabbed a whip out of the wagon. Every so often he would crack the whip, reminding the team to keep working as he pushed the trailer from behind. Rena yawned, and tried to get comfortable.

"Excuse me!" said Galia, walking up to the wagon. Rena recognized her right away as she was a frequent customer at the Bards's inn.

Rena rolled over in an overly lazy fashion. "Can I help you?" she muttered back, unsure of any other way to respond. Brute and the team struggled on, moving only an inch or two as the minutes crawled by.

Galia apparently needed wood for the tavern. Rena saw this as an opportunity for profit. So, while Brute and the team struggled ever onward, the two women bartered on and on about wood type and price. Rena's end always came out a bit more expensive than the wood was worth, and Galia's end was always a bit cheaper. Neither seemed to find room for compromise, until the wagon gave a great heave, nearly knocking Rena from her seat.

Brute threw a couple logs underneath the wheels and let the team rest. He stomped over to Rena and pointed at Galia, then at himself.

"He wants me to talk for him." she said bluntly, sighing.

The big man's hand fell down to his pocket and he pulled out a silver coin. Then, with a thick finger, he pointed out a combination of wood types; eventually amounting out to a full bundle. When he was finished, he grunted and pointed toward the team.

Rena glared and began to translate. "He said,' We'll give you a bit of oak, cottonwood and birch for a single silver'."

Brute nudged her and pointed to the team once again.

"We'll also deliver it on our way to town?! What's wrong with you? She's got a whole bag of coins and you want ONE silver! That's more than a bargain, she can haul--"

The big man covered Rena's mouth and extended his hand to Gailia, assuming that the deal was fair and that he would be payed.

[Michi]

Galia nodded, and reached for her money-pouch.

"That's more than fair, thank you." She said, finding a silver piece in the pouch Bim had given her and placing it in the big man's palm. He pocketed the coin, and turned to Rena, making a vague hand gesture as he did so. She nodded resignedly and turned back to Galia.

"He says thank you for your business and that we'll drop this by the inn once we get into town." Brute had removed the wood-blocks from the wheels of the wagon and was now attempting to make the mules move. They were very reluctant, however, and so he had gone back to pushing against the back. Galia looked at the situation and raised an eyebrow.

"Do you two need any help?" Rena shook her head, reclining on the massive pile of wood.

"Unless you know a tune that will get this mules to work harder, there's not terribly much you can do for us." She said, matter-of-factly. Galia nodded, seeing that this was true, and, with a wave to Brute, made her way back towards the town.

~

Bim looked up just in time to catch the bag of coins Galia gently tossed in his direction upon reentering the inn. He opened it and examined the contents carefully, before looking up at her.

"A silver piece is missing, but where's the wood at?" Galia checked the time on the old clock standing by the coat rack as she unbraided her hair.

"The woodchoppers I bought it from said they would deliver it here later. Rena and Brute - they're frequent customers. Trustworthy, too it seems. Well, Brute seems to be, anyway." She said, remembering how Rena had ruthlessly tried to sell her wood for obviously much more than it was worth. Bim nodded.

"All righ' then. Sunset's in about an hour, so yer free until then, when the customers start to arrive." Galia nodded, and walked down the hall to the bathing rooms; one reason this inn was so popular. It ran over naturally occurring hot springs, and so Bim's father, upon building the inn, had built a very large communal bathing room over them. Because of this, Bim could afford to give baths away (which he didn't). Galia, as a member of the staff, was allowed to bathe for free, however, and right now she fancied a long soak before a long night of entertaining.

[Naucoaran]

Vashal stared out of the small round window as the last rays of sun disappeared from Silverymoon's slum district. The unsettling appearance of the warlock unnerved many people so instead of staying at the guild hall he had found an empty shack to stay in. As the blanket of twilight thickened around the town Vashal started to prepare for his nightly jaunt.

Stripping down out of his day clothes he rummaged through his foot locker. As he pulled out his set of black and green leathers he fingered the discoloration on the right side of his abdomen. The birthmark looked strikingly like Cyric’s holy symbol, a skull with a sunburst behind it. Glancing at the window and noting that the dark of night was fast approaching Vashal quickly dressed. As he walked out the shack's doorway he put his dagger dealt on, sliding the dagger around to the back of his hip. Soon he melted into the shadows and was on his way.

It wasn't long before he encountered a man who looked to be doing well for himself. Ever an opportunist Vashal quickly scanned the man for any valuables then shadowed him till he went to a less populated area. Soon the slightly wealthy man turned a corner into a less traveled alley. Vashal grinned. Following him in then roughly grabbing at the man's shoulder and forced him to look into his crimson eyes.

"It's a dangerous thing, walking alone." The tiefling said casually, noting with satisfaction that the man was backing away in fear. "Many things can go wrong, horrible things." he said in a nonchalant manner as he picked at his fingernails. "Of course." he said as he returned his stare to the well groomed man. "There are certain things you can do to help protect yourself." It was at this time that the soon-to-be-mugged finally hit a wall and found he had nowhere to run to.

'Look, I have four other friends creeping about ready to intervene if the need should arise." he lied, the Warlock was totally alone. "Now perhaps we could be persuaded to lose interest in you, perhaps." as he said the last words his lips curled into a smile that revealed a row of white teeth that were thinner and sharper than a normal humans. "Otherwise, well...they might not be able to find you for a long, long while." he said as he waved his curved dagger at the scared man.

"This is all I have I swear!" the trembling man said as he quickly tore a coin purse from his belt and tossed it at the tiefling, his eyes scanning for the other thugs. Looking at the coins inside of the pouch he scrunched up his face. There were mostly coppers with only two silvers that he could see.

"This is it? I followed you for this?" he said as he shook the dagger at the man. "You've nothing else?" he said as his temper continued to mount. A glimmer caught his eye and he realized that the man had a nice golden earring dangling from his ear lobe and even a silver stud in the man’s tongue. Clenching his jaw in anger He lashed out with the dagger and took the man’s ear off with a clean swipe. The man clutched at his mangled head and screamed, which prompted the Warlock to rush in and violently reach into the man's mouth and grab at the bolt with one hand then cut a slit in his tongue to yank it out.

Finally the warlock launched a short jab at the man’s nose, making him fall to the ground. Hunching down he retrieved the ear, ripped the earring out, and then tossed the ear at the prone man. Shaking his head in disgust Vashal kicked at the human once then stormed out of the alley, well aware that the screams wouldn't go unnoticed. He disappeared quickly and ended up far on another part of town with a reputable tavern. Thinking that he had made a good profit that night he decided to go in early that night.

Upon entering he received a few stares, like always, and then quickly headed to the darkest corner he could find. Plopping down into a chair he propped his feet up on the table. After ordering a mug of mead he reclined deeper into the shadows and listened to the common rabble for bits of gossip. He knew a bard lived in the inn but she hadn't made an appearance yet so he waited for better entertainment than senseless drunks talking about their problems.

[Michi]

Galia walked into her room and quickly discarded the robe she had wrapped tightly around herself, changing quickly into a dark amber dress. She brushed her hair and tied a scarlet sash around her hips, before donning a pair of gold earrings and a matching necklace. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, and frowned. She wasn't looking her best, but this would have to do; she'd been a bit longer in the bath than she'd originally intended, and so now she was running slightly late.

Contemplating her instruments, she selected a relatively small harp that she could set on a chair next to her to play. She had a much bigger one - it stood nearly as tall as she did - but she rarely bothered to bring it into the common room of the tavern. Clutching the harp, she picked up her flute as well - she always brought two instruments, to keep the customers from getting bored with her music - and rushed out the door. She was halfway down the hall when she realized that she hadn't locked it. She stopped, then, after a moment of hesitation, kept walking; her room was generally safe from being looted or something of the sort, being far out of the way of the common room.

"There ye are - I was about to send one of the maids to fetch ye." Bim said, passing by with a tray of drinks as Galia entered the room. He paused and handed her one - a cautious sip told her it was lightly spiced cider - before continuing on his way. Galia took her usual seat just to the left of the massive fireplace. It was unlit now, because the weather was mild, but in the winter it kept her warm enough to play without heavy layers of clothing that might impede her. As she took her seat, she was met by some light applause - from the locals - and a few song requests. She smiled warmly at the crowd, and began tuning her harp.

~

After about an hour had passed and her mug was empty, Galia set her harp aside and stood up - she was not finished yet; far from it. But she was allowed a short break every hour to walk about, and to keep her from overtaxing herself. She took the mug and walked to the kitchens, informing the few patrons who asked that she would be returning shortly, and dissuading those who asked for a little something more; the locals knew she was absolutely not a whore, but there were always the few first-timers who assumed her services were something other than providing good music.

In the kitchens she exchanged her empty mug for a brimming one, before wandering back into the common room to survey the crowd from a discreet corner.

The inn was full tonight, and had its usual combination of whining drunks, honest, hardworking folk celebrating the end of a long day's work, and the occasional shady character. There were always a couple, skulking around in corners. Galia spotted a man - possibly brooding in the corner with a mug of ale and wrinkled her nose slightly; she had a slight distaste for folks who made a living in a less-than honorable fashion. She had nothing against prostitutes, who sold what they had to give, or even poor pickpockets. It was only the malicious ones she disliked.

However, folk of any sort were allowed into the tavern - "If they've got the money to pay, I don' care what they do for a living" Bim had told her once. And therefore, she treated them all like paying customers, even the woman last week who had tried to steal Galia's flute. Well, at least up until she had tried to sneak out with it under her cloak. Unfortunately for her, Galia had been on a break and lurking in the very same corner she was in today. The woman found herself sitting outside the inn with a broken nose for her transgressions.

But most customers knew better than to touch the instruments.

Galia spotted the Brute and Rena sitting towards the back, each with a mug of something. She assumed this meant that the wood had been delivered already. Brute spotted her and raised a hand in greeting, and Galia responded in kind. She would have gone over to say hello, but her break was about over, so she walked back to her seat to resume the evening's entertainment.

(OOC: I apologise for the pointlessness and ftl of this post.)

[Bessain]

Brute and Rena sat at a table close to the middle of the room. Their seating choice implied that they wanted to get a good view of the entertainment, but, in reality, it was just a way to stay close to those in their guild without showing any familiarity.

Thieves and murderers, after all, were common people too. When they weren't thieving or pillaging, quite a few people of the thieves guild loved to come down to an inn for a drink. Stealing, no matter how low, still demanded a bit of effort.

Tonight, Rena and Brute were joined by a good number of lowly acquaintances. The Shade Brothers, known for spiriting away a few prized steers, sat two tables away. The older brother gave a subtle nod to Rena and Brute, while the younger one blushed in Rena's direction. Brute moved his chair to shield Rena from the younger man's view, as the older brother smacked his sibling.

Old Jep, known for being a poltergeist in human form, sat a table away from the brothers, a black leather patch covering his missing eye. Jep was about as social as a rock, so it was said that he and Brute got along just fine. Despite this fact, he didn't bother to acknowledge the unusual couple in the middle of the room.

Lastly, there was Vashal the tielfing who sat in the corner. Brute and Rena had never formally met him, and, with the exception of an occasional pass in the guild hallway, had no intention of trying to stick around in his presence. It wasn't that they were afraid of him,--members of the same guild rarely confronted each other in physical combat-- it was simply that he seemed too foul a character to try to befriend.

Rena had had a tough day. Her backside ached from sitting on the wood pile for too long, and she suspected there was still a splinter or two lingering within the folds of her clothes. She needed socialize, and now. With a glance to Brute, she summoned the most pathetic look she could and pleaded. Brute sighed and gave a nod, thrusting with his chin toward her half finished glass of wine. Thanks to Galia, the room was well entertained, and no one payed her much attention.

The little women nearly squealed. As instructed to, by Brute, she spilled a little wine on her brown shirt and attempted to act drunk. Then, with a fake wobble in her walk, she left the table and sank down into the lap of the youngest Shade Brother. Denholm, the elder brother, acted disgusted and went to the bar, awaiting Brute.

Brute took the hint, and joined Denholm after finishing his ale.

"Ye alrigh' with tha'?" Denholm asked Brute, referring to Rena and his younger brother.

Brute gave a shrug as if it didn't matter, and passed his tankard to the barkeep for a refill.

Denholm nodded, and dropped the subject. "Ye see them posters out back?" he asked before continuing, knowing that neither he nor Brute could read. "Jep says their on about sommat in the dwarven land. Dunno where the ol' bastard learnt his letters!"

An amused Brute purposely kept his eyes on the tankard in front of him, but gave a shift of his head that said Denholm should keep going.

"Says there's drow afoot! Drow! In dwarfy halls! Ah, but old Jep always was good fer a laugh. Says the Lady Silverymoon is taking some of our boys to help fight!"

A loud giggle from Rena brought both their attention back toward the center of the room. Nero, Denholm's little brother, had lifted Rena into his arms and was heading for the rental rooms. strangely, Jep got up at the same time to head for the opposite hallway.

Denholm, considerate to his friend Brute, moved to go stop his brother. Brute put a hand on Denholm's shoulder, and turned back to the bar.

"Buck up now, boy! Stop lettin' the lass run off! Ye can't spoil her like that! Gods, man but she's a woman! They never know what they want! Stop her now and knock some sense into her!" Denholm chuckled with his last statement.

Brute merely sat still at the bar, intent on letting Rena make her own decisions.

~~~

Jep climbed the stairs to the rental rooms and put an ear to each door. He was about to take out his lock picking tools, when he noticed an open door down the hall. He looked around cautiously at first, then entered the room. Judging by the excess amount of instruments, the place obviously belonged to the tavern bard. He took a few pieces of jewelry, but left the musician's tools alone, remembering the last time someone tried to steal an instrument. Besides, it would take longer to notice missing jewelry.

With a slow spin on his old heel, Jep made his way back down the stairs and out of the tavern, making sure he was not followed.

There were new powers in Silverymoon, and some of them were looking to hire. The things he would loot tonight, would surely put Old Jep in their favor.

[Naucoaran]

Crinkling his nose, Vashal rubbed at the fresh blood stain on his shirt. "Damned human..." he muttered as he went over the mugging in his mind. He must have gotten too close when he was cutting the fool up, or he was too clumsy with the bloody nub of ear he handled. Either way it didn't matter, his shirt was stained.

There was a little more calm in the tavern as the bard took a moments respite and seizing the opportunity, he worked his way around to the bar to acquire some of the stronger swill. After putting some of his newly acquired coppers down he took up the thinner glass and dipped the stained part of his shirt into it. The oily drink clouded slightly with the blood as he rubbed at the stain until he was satisfied that it wouldn't be noticeable anymore. The tiefling had acquired a few glances while he was doing this so he pointedly stared at a rather squirrelly man as he drank the rest of his liquor, millions of fires erupting in his throat and into his stomach.

He placed the glass on the edge of the bar then would have walked away had he not overheard some rather interesting talk from a familiar looking man. He hadn't really befriended anyone in the guild, feeling it better not to get tied into their affairs, but he made a not of everyone’s faces. This one, Denholm by name, was jabbering about some interesting gossip concerning the Lady and some foreign place.

Vashal had never really traveled in his life, not since he landed himself here and got a good position in the guild. Even before that he only traveled out of necessity when he was run out of town or had to disappear from a village because he had lashed out a little too violently. Because of this he wasn't to learned with geographical regions or their importance. Why should they care about the dwarves anyways? Surely the squat folk to handle their own problems without involving others.

The warlock had some knowledge in letters, not much but a basic grasp. Pushing away from the bar he thought it a nice time to inspect this poster, see what it really said instead of some babbling from a fellow thief. Thieves were not always good on their word, after all. The tiefling walked out down a darker hallway, running into Jeb on his way. They didn't trade words but by his cautious stride and shifty appearance the tiefling thought he might have pocketed something. Silently congratulating the man he continued on his own way.

Once outside into the dark of night Vashal headed to the back of the tavern to inspect the poster. As Denholm had said, the poster was the standard 'help your city' and 'mercs wanted' poster telling about abominations in the east. Frowning at the flowing script he scratched his chin. He hated flowing script. People couldn’t just write, they had to doll it up to an almost illegible fashion. Growling at it he took out his dagger then carved a lewd sketch into it then carved a few choice words about their great Lady Silverymoon. Content with his work he headed back onto the tavern and then decided to take a quick peek around the pantry for a bite of food.

After pocketing a strip of jerky he quickly left and went back to the bar, this time standing closer to the two thieves who were still talking though about other things. He nodded subtly to them then ordered another mug of mead. "I hear that it's true, that Silverymoon is off to some dwarf lands." he said after some of the attention left him once more. "Opens up a fine set of opportunities I say," he said offhandedly as he swirled his mug. If you hadn't known Vashal's occupation you might have marked him as a mercenary out for glory, not plunder. "I hear that others might already be motivated to higher actions," he said quietly as he continued to inspect his very interesting mug of mead.

(erlack, shower teim >< oh well.)

[Michi]

At midnight Galia stood, despite protests, and gathered her instruments; Sunset to midnight were her hours, because any longer and she'd start to wear out. And a worn-out musician is not something anyone wants to hear.

She walked down the hall to her room, and opened the door, after remembering that it was already unlocked. Placing her instruments where they belonged, she removed the scarlet sash and her necklace and earrings, placing the sash in her large trunk containing her clothes and her jewelery in the small box that sat on her bedside table.

Which was, oddly enough, already opened.

This was puzzling; she was positive she had snapped it shut after selecting her jewelry for the evening. She remembered that she had forgotten to lock her door, and swore vividly.

"Of all the stupid, pigheaded things to do!" She examined the contents of the box, and surely enough, there were a few things missing; A nice necklace that certainly looked expensive enough but was really only studded with bits of colored glass; a pair of pearl earrings she was sad at losing; another necklace, this one containing many crystals; and a brooch her mother had given her before she left home. A brooch with a large, real sapphire. A brooch that she had seen her mother wear to every major function she has ever attended. A brooch she had received a lecture on, about how it was an Heirloom.

And it was all her own damn fault it was gone.

However, there was a reason Galia felt relaxed enough in the inn to just walk away and leave her door unlocked; she had placed a ward on the room.

Galia was, aside from being a bard, also possessed of a few clerical abilities. She was fairly skilled at healing, though she rarely ever got a chance to use it, and she knew several minor spells of warding and the like. The ward she had placed on her room wasn't enough to stop intruders from entering and doing what the liked once inside, but it stuck to them upon leaving, so that wherever they went, they left a sort of trail that only someone who used magic could see.

She stalked out of her room - remembering to lock the door this time - and down to the bar. There were three shady-looking men sitting there, who looked up in alarm as she approached, but she ignored them, and asked for something strong. She was given a confused look and passed a glass of spirits, which she drank, before pulling her cloak off a peg in the corner and donning it. She may not be able to get the brooch back from a thief - she was, after all, unarmed - but there was no use letting the magic trail grow cold and doing nothing.

She opened the door and stepped out into the night, following the faint traces of her warding spell.

[Bessain]

Galia's magical trail led her far away from the tavern. Eventually, it came to a community of homes. The trail led to a broken window in one house and led out another shattered window on the back padio. Galia-- even though her marked thief was unknown to her-- was one of many who came to see why Jep was known as The Poltergeist. He didn't just steal. The quiet, yet secrectly sadistic old man had to destroy everything around him. Jep had not destroyed Galia's room for fear of being over heard in the tavern below. The trail Galia followed only confirmed this.

Her mystic blue ward spell brushed against fallen and purposely overturned furniture in every house she walked by. Even if it was apparent that the thief only took a few small trinkets, the rest of the house was in utter ruins. Galia grew nervous at the thought of a potentially hostile quarry, but stubbornly trudged onward.

~~~

Brute and Denholm both supressed a visible cringe when Vashal openly used the word "others" to describe their secret band.

Denholm felt that he spoke for Brute and the rest of the guild when he decided to warn the tielfing. "Mind yer talk, boy," he said in a whisper, trying hard not to insult the young half-blood. Denholm did not want a fight.

Brute elbowed him softly in the gut, prompting him to keep going.

Wary now, Denholm continued. "Whats this about higher actions now?"

"You can't honestly believe people will go unruled." Vashal replied.

Brute felt that the Tielfing's words rang true, but, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get his heart into the conversation. He couldn't concentrate! His thoughts kept roaming to Rena. Was she okay? Did that little weasel of a man hurt her?

He knew his last statement to be false, merely an object of his paranoia. Nero, despite his occupation, was a good hearted man. But, it didn't change how Brute felt about Rena being in the backroom with him.

Finally, he strode a few steps away from Vashal and Denholm.

"Leavin'?" Denholm muttered.

Brute nodded and gave a slow wave to his friend and Vashal.

"I'll have the boy bring her home..." Denholm said gravely, knowing well the reason for Brute's departure.

~~~

Brute left the tavern quickly, heading at a quick stride for the outskirts of town. He turned through a couple alley ways, and even did a few circles around the block to make sure no one followed him. Finally, he came to the secret entrance of the thieves guild.

Before he could enter, a women pushed in front of him. She keep her eyes locked on something in front of her, but Brute could only guess what that was.

Two large guards at the entrance started to speak to her, she obviously requested entry. The woman, though, was unkown to the guard. The giant burley man shoved her back away from him, and the hood of her cloak fell back.

It was Galia!

Brute rushed forward, catching her. He brought a snarl to his lips, and the guards tensed. When Galia stood back up straight, Brute gently, yet forcefully, wrapped a large arm around her waist, pinning Galia to the side of his hip. He felt her tense, obviously uncomfortable.

He had no idea how the bard found the entrance to the guild, or even why she would want to get in, but he was Brute; he never asked questions. Slowly, he led Galia back to the guards. She was a little resistant at first, but she soon learned to play along.

"She's with you?" the guard asked.

Brute nodded and pulled Galia closer to his waist.

The guards stepped aside.

As soon as the two cleared the entrance, Brute could hear the sentries muttering to themselves.

"About time that boy got himself a woman," said one guard.

"I always thought he fancied that whore. The one that trails him around all the time."

"I wouldnt be surprised. That girl made one fine whore... The boy's got good taste... wonder what the new girl's like."

Brute bit his lip, trying to control his anger. His rage subsided when a whimper emerged from Galia. Apparently he had been squeezing her in his frustration with the guards. He led her into a side passage, and stared at the little bard with an apologetic look on his face.

He put a finger to his lips, and set her down. With a waving motion that took both hands, Brute urged Galia to keep moving and tried to get the point across that he would follow.

Brute's suspicions were only confirmed when Galia started to move down the corridor. The bard was indeed following something.

~~~

Down the two went, winding in and out of dark corridors. Some of the hallways Brute could have sworn he himself had never been in before. They walked for what seemed like hours, in complete and utter silence. Unaccoustomed to sound, the two almost jumped when they came across the sound of people whispering to each other, echoing down the hallway.

"Mistress," someone in the next room purred. "Jep, veteran spy to the guildmaster, wishes an audience with you.

"Let him enter," a shrill female voice replied.

"Greetings mighty one," Jep croaked.

"What is it you request of me, lowly male?" the words sounded parroted, as if the speaker was merely trying to fit a trend.

Jewelry jingled, and the two had to assume that Jep was tithing a box of sorts, filled with stolen goods.

Galia tried to sneak farther down the hallway, but Brute grabbed her arm and held her close. When she tried to protest, he put a large hand over her mouth.

"I wish to serve," Jep continued.

Brute didn't like the sound of this. He rememered the conversation with the tielfing at the inn. Vashal had said something about "higer actions".

The loud thud of a heavily booted foot drifted to Brute and Galia. Wisely, Brute kept his hold on Galia before turning to run back the way they had come.

[Naucoaran]

It wasn't long after Brute left that Vashal decided to leave too. Apparently he had opened a lot of ideas and revelations to the simple Denholm and he wasn't much for conversation anymore. Or he was too uncomfortable around the tiefling to make good conversation. Either way it didn't matter to him. Quietly excusing himself he paid for the rest of his drinks he had purchased then headed out the front door of the tavern. Seeing that Jep had gotten something from the tavern, maybe he could too.

Sneaking back into the building around the back he went up the seldom used personal stairways for the owner and permanent residences. Creeping down the hallway, Vashal encountered something that interested him fare more then expensive baubles. Had he not been on his guard and focusing on his senses he wouldn't have caught it at all. It was a trace, very vague, but it was a trace of spell residue, and if he focused a little more on it he could pick up a trail. He followed it back to its origin. After crouching down and popping the lock to the door, he cautiously went in. Noting the instruments he quickly surmised that it was the bard’s room.

It was all luck he knew, he wouldn't have been able to find it at all if he had not been attuned to magic like he was. Few things piqued his curiosity like this trail did and when he found things on those rare occasions, he investigated. Nothing was different for tonight. Closing the door and re-locking it he laughed to himself. He had the slight feeling that Jep had set something off and might be tied to this anyways so when he went down the same hallway out that he ran into Jep he didn't mark it down for coincidence.

He was moving swiftly now, better attuned to the nature of the spell trail and how it worked. He followed it down numerous alleys and side streets till it came to a house that seemed to be pillaged rather than stolen from. Another clear sign that it was Jep himself. Few others stole with such ferocity. He went even quicker following the trail in circles till it went to the guild hall. The guards bristled as he approached but knew well enough of him and his temper not to slow him down.

The trail led deep around and down into the guild and he thought that he would find Jep soon. The trail had gotten steadily stronger and he felt it most keenly now. So he was surprised when he ran once more into Brute and more pointedly Galia the bard from the tavern. He gave Brute an incredulous look then looked straight to Galia "Why is she here?" he questioned, his tone harsher than he intended. He hadn't caught them very close to the room Jep was in, but they were close. Three corners more and a short walk would bring them to Jep and his mistress.

Brute signaled that they should keep moving and discuss this in a better place and time. Wisely Vashal agreed with the cautious Brute so they quickly and quietly left to the higher levels. Brute took them to his private room so they could discuss this more privately.

It all fit in so nicely now, Galia had put some sort of protective or warding spell on her things or set it to trigger at someone besides herself. After Jep tripped it and stole some of her things, he left. That was when he met Vashal in the hallway. He went on another robbing spree after that, leaving his trademarks all over the quiet home in the other district. The he came here, to do what Vashal wasn't sure yet. All the time he was followed by Galia to this spot. Had Brute been working with her to get rid of Jep somehow? Rivalries in the guild were common and sometimes led to murder but Brute wasn't the type of person to kill to elevate his own status.

So it might have been just Galia. "She’s following Jep, I'm fairly certain." he said after he had linked all his investigations together. "And you let her in here, you compromised the security of the guild. Why did you do it for her?" he said, a little bit of an accusatory tone creeping into his voice. "Do you think she can be trusted with secrets, or will we have to resort to something...drastic." as he said this last part he turned a wicked smile that showed off his white dagger-like teeth to Galia.

[Michi]

Galia glared at this strange man who parceled out threats so easily. Yes he was odd-looking, but as a bard, she had most definitely seen stranger things, and so his obvious attempts at intimidation were lost on her. And if the fact that he was a tiefling - again, as a bard she made it her business to be able to recognize this sort of thing - unnerved her at all, well, she most certainly wasn't going to show it.

"I don't know who 'Jep' is," She began, "But if he's the one who broke into my room, then yes; I am following him." The tiefling sneered a bit. He was sitting in one of the chairs that he had turned around, and his arms rested in front of him on the back of the chair. His posture was easy; disarmingly so. Brute had seated himself on the edge of his bed, which left the second chair for Galia. She was ignoring it, however, and was instead standing with her back against the wall holding the door.

"And why would you track him all the way to the thieves' guild? Surely you must know that you're no match for someone like Jep."

"He has something that belongs to me."

"He's taken things from a lot of people. Be glad it was only your silly jewelry and not your life." Galia folded her arms across her chest and frowned slightly.

"I'm not going to let myself be walked on by some low-life burglar."

"It's not so much walking on you as it is extracting payment for all the years the guild has been sparing you." She said nothing; only cocked one eyebrow at him. He pulled out a small dagger and began toying with it. "For example, have you ever woken up one day to find your belongings gone and a knife through your heart?"

"Horse manure." She said simply. "I'm just not wealthy enough to bother with."

"Actually," He said, grinning again, "You're exactly the sort we'd bother with. No one would miss you but your family - and where are they now? Nowhere close, I suspect." The knife left his hand in the blink of an eye and thudded into the wall next to her. Brute glared at the teifling disapprovingly; that knife would leave a hole in the wood.

"So now you're threatening me, is that it?" She asked, yanking the dagger out of the wall and turning it over in her hands a few times. "I've had enough of this. This Jep you mentioned doesn't have my things anymore, clearly. I'm leaving." She said, and moved towards the door.

"One more thing," The tiefling said, grinning wickedly, "We can't have you spilling the guild's secrets everywhere, so I will be watching you v-e-r-y closely to make sure your tongue doesn't wag. The name's Vashal, by the way, since we're going to be seeing a lot more of each other. Or at least, I will be seeing a lot more of you." Galia yanked open the door, disgust written across her face.

"Bastard." She spat contemptuously. The hand holding the knife flicked slightly, and in a split-second Vashal's knife had thudded into the back of the chair. He snarled and stood up, but Brute moved between Vashal and the doorway. Galia walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

[Bessain]

Brute shook his head at his two guests, now quarreling in his room. He had plenty to add to the conversation, but Rena was not there to translate the finer points of his words. If he tried to get their attention right now, they'd likely sit there all night playing guessing games or sticking to yes-or-no questions. The large man hated that.

Even after Galia left, Vashal gave no hint that he was ready to move from his seat. The tielfing just sat there, seething. Brute sighed and snapped his fingers, waking his guest from his awkward trance. He tried desperately to tell Vashal that Galia had not seen anything that might compromise her or the guild. Brute didn't consider what Jep was up to "part of the guild", he didn't yet know what was going on.

Brute's attempts to get Vashal to understand him, seemed to be failing. This worried the big man, since he also wished to ask if the tielfing knew anything else about the strange sense of nervousness in their guild.

~~~

Rena dressed quickly and locked her arm around Nero's, as he led her back down stairs.

Now that was what she needed! Half a night of fun! Even if it turned out to be more enjoyable for Nero, she had been very much entertained. Why couldn't Brute see that? She never saw him with women, so she assumed that he was merely the embodiment of the world's anti-social population.

Denholm met his brother and Rena at the bar, with a scowl on his face.

Is that jealously, or contempt? she thought, considering the look in the older man's eyes.

"Walk her home," he growled to his younger sibling.

Nero, who had planned to accompany Rena anyway, obliged. He also considered the look on his brother's face. What happened while I was upstairs? Nero wondered. Where was Brute? He was never too far away where Rena was concerned. It was suspected among many, that Brute wished to court Rena. They were always together! But, Brute was not known for subtlties in his actions, despite the way he communicated. Nero held great respect for the big man, but, if Brute liked Rena, it only made sense that he would have gotten it out in the open.

"It's those two idiotic guards again!" Rena groaned, waking Nero from his thoughts.

The two guards grinned invitingly to Rena and tried to wave her over. Nero puffed out his chest and pulled Rena closer to him. Rena almost laughed, but stopped when she notice Galia walking out of the guild entrance...

How did the Bard get in? How did she find the front? Rena nearly wondered out loud.

"Galia! What are you doing here?" Rena called from where she and Nero stood.

Galia strode forward to meet the two, but stopped abruptly when one of the guards slapped her on the rump.

[Michi]

Galia jumped slightly at the unexpected blow, more from surprise than anything. Frowning, she whirled and glared at the guard, who merely gave a swagger and leered lascivously at her.

"Hey girlie I've not seen you in the guild before. Interested in a bit of fun once my shift's over?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"I really can't say that I am." She said cooly before turning on her heel and walking briskly over to where Rena and Nero stood. As she walked, she made a few discreet hand gestures and muttered something under her breath. Behind her, the guard who had slapped her yelped suddenly as the spear he had been holding suddenly gave off a jolt of energy - not enough to wound him, but enough to startle and sting.

"What was that?" Rena asked, staring behind Galia to where the guard was suspiciously inspecting the spear. "Last I checked Bards weren't able to do things like that."

"Well -I-" Rena eyed the other girl suspiciously.

"I think you'd better come with us." She said, nodding towards the thieves guild again. "I'm very interested in how on earth you got in here."

(OOC: More later, if no one posts. Sorry - But I needz me some sleepz now)

[Bessain]

Before Brute knew it, Galia was once again in his room. Not ten minutes after she left, and already she had gathered followers-- Rena and Nero to be exact.

Brute and Nero exchanged nods, but that was all. There was no need to get violent just yet, Rena was safe after all and he needed her to translate for him. Unfortunately for Brute, Rena ignored him completely. She started to go on and on with the bard about some sort of magic.

In the corner of the overly crowded room Vashal and Brute stood, brooding for their own reasons.

~~~

They padded along quietly in the dark, silencing and hiding any guard or city official out and about. Foot soldiers were not so hard to dispose of unawares, but the goodly wizards among their ranks were.

Several acolytes out for their end of the week leisures, were the first to go. It wasn't until one foolhardy assasin tripped a ward, that the first cry of alarm rang out into the city.

Unable to quiet the mediocre mage, the assailants fled into the night. They'd have to move quickly to make it to the next outpost before word spread of their presence.

Coincidently, the same foolhardy assasin that tripped the alarm, brushed up against the doorjam in his rush to escape detection; leaving behind his insignia of the Thieves' Guild.

((lame i know. blame teh espanol))

[Michi]

(OOC: THANK YOU. FOR POSTING. OMG.)

After she had been dragged into Brute's room a second time, Galia vaguely answered several of Rena's questions (Rena had been the only one who'd cared to discuss things, really), she managed to get them to let her leave a second time. She left the guild quickly, skirting around the guard who had slapped her earlier, and setting off for the inn again at a brisk pace. It was well after midnight by now, and though not terribly dangerous to be lurking on the streets, it wasn't the safest place to be either. Galia walked somewhat nervously; she hadn't seen or heard anything of importance while in the guild, but it was likely that no one but Brute knew that; if someone decided she looked suspicious, well, they might as well get rid of her.

Realizing that by walking quickly she was behaving exactly how a guilty person would, she slowed her pace a trifle and contrived to look a little more relaxed.

Her efforts were all ruined, however, when a sudden shout of alarm rang out across the quiet town. This was soon followed by others; close enough that the first yell caused Galia to jump slightly. She heard running footsteps, and, cursing the strange twists of fate that caused her to perpetually be in the wrong place at the wrong time, pressed herself flat against the nearest wall and held her breath.

Luckily she was in the shadows enough to where none of the running figures noticed her; not that they were taking the time to look. Galia realized - belatedly - that perhaps she should make herself useful: they had already passed however, so there wasn't much she could do but mutter a simple cantrip under her breath. Immediately, the ground they had just run over began to glow faintly.Anything they had come into contact with would.

She followed their trail back the way they had come, eventually finding herself standing outside of the massive building in the center of the town where all legal business was done. It also happened to connect to the separate quarters where city officials and their families lived. This would be where one of the - what were they? Assassins? Thieves? - had made a mistake. The door was glowing faintly, meaning that it had been touched by one of the running figures. She got close enough to see that, snagged on he door, was the insignia of the Thieves' Guild, before a hand grabbed the back of her cloak and pulled her into the shadows.

She was released and wheeled around to find herself looking at - Rena?

"Rena what are you doing here?" she asked. Rena muttered something involving some very colorful oaths and 'meddling bards', before motioning to Galia to follow her - presumably, back to the thieves guild. Galia didn't resist, but followed cooperatively.

(OOC: Sorry that my charrie seems to run into ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING IMAGINABLE but I couldn't think of anything else to do)

[Naucoaran]

(Posting a short one till Bess comes back cause I can't do much with a mute and a short-tempered warlock ><)

Vashal slumped in his chair as he continued to not understand Brutes many gestures. "Are you always so hard to understand? How does that Rena always know what you're saying?" The warlock sighed ridiculously loud then and stood up. "I give up, lets go find your girlfriend and she can tell me what you want." he said as he stood up and stretched. When he looked back to Brute he noted a scowl on his square face and wisely patted the air to calm the huge man. "I meant that shes your friend, and obviously a girl." he wore a crooked smile as he said this then muttered under his breath that Brute needed to loosen up.

Digging the dagger out of the chair he growled at the now absent bard. "One day he luck will run out, one day she'll need to be disposed of." He didn't bother to go into detail after that because mutes apparently had short tempers for people who came into their rooms and damaged things. After shoving Vashal out into the hallway Brute followed him out and closed the door. "I can't even chat with you right now big boy, I have to watch the bard and see if her tongue needs to be quieted." It was at this time that they entered what could only be described as the mead hall. As luck would have it Rena was practically dragging an annoyed Galia down the opposite hall right into the mead hall. "You!" Vashal shouted as he spotted the bard with Rena. "Why is she in here again? And why cant I understand your man toy?" He had quickly moved out of arms length and then some before he spoke the last words so he wouldn't be swatted by Brute.

(Short, sort of an abrupt ending, but I have other things to attend to.)

[Bessain]

"Bard, you meddle! Why? Just keep your nose to yourself!" Rena scolded, before turning to the Tielfing, "And you! Keep your tongue to yourself or I'll cut it out and give you to Brute while you bleed to death!"

"Macabre," Nero chortled, trying to hide his surprise by nervously pulling Rena's waist closer to his. He couldn't help but feel a little angry at Vashal's words.

Brute came to stand between Vashal and Rena. As much as the large man would have loved to crush the Tielfing, the half-demon wisely kept out of striking distance at all times.

Rena had had enough sense to grab the Thieves' insignia before she and Galia left the scene. She held it before her, for the group to examine when they all finally sat down in the mead hall. "Did any of you," she said, addressing the actual thieves in the group. "Hear about a job for the guild assasins?"

Brute shook his head, while Vashal said nothing. A job like this would normally be common knowlege to anyone calling themselves a thief. The guild didn't want it's members to be in a position to get caught while assasination attempts were afoot. No one really noticed, but the city's scum always cleared out just before business went down.

"Well, apparently they had one. And considering the city's alarms are still going off, I'd say they aren't done."

Before Rena could continue, a bell went off in the hall. This high-pitched stuttering noise called the guild spies together. Brute stiffened, knowing that Rena would now be sent into the midst of outside trouble.

With a quick kiss on Nero's check, Rena was off.

~~~

A while later, a second bell went off. This one called the entire off-duty guild to meet outside on the out-skirts of town.

((whoever posts next can pm me on meet info. Too tired to continue))

[Wrath]

As the off- duty members of the theives guild milled towards the outskirts of town, a gnome named Gimpy was traveling in the opposite direction.

Suddenly, Gimpy recognized an evil looking man among the crowd...

"Vashal's here, eh?" he Gimpy said, chuckling evilly to himself.

Without further ado, Gimpy sprinted over to Vashal and leapt high in the air. Face level with Vashal, who had a ridiculous look of surprise on his face, Gimpy winked at him and b!#@* slapped him in the face.

A loud, satisfying KA- SMACKK rang through the air. Very pleased with himself, Gimpy turned and sped through the crowd, paying little attention to which direction he was going.



((( ;D HIiiiiii matt!!!)))


((PS: Bilay, whom are we binding and putting in your tent??? ))