The Dog and Swordfish

[Serenity]

Three ships had docked this morning in Wistvale, mighty vessels with bellies full of gold and spice. The flag of House Trydent waved proudly from the top of the masts, a swordfish raising it's horn toward the sky as if having just leaped from the water.

Carts and wagons piled on the gifts from the land of Highever and transported them to several recently purchased warehouses for the merchant from the noble house, all the while Veronica Howle prepared the final touches for the evening's engagement at the local banquet hall.

The town buzzed with talk and murmur about the unprecedented wealth this new relationship would bring them. What new found glory awaited the little town that could and how much faster would it grow? All but one were optimistic about the new bonds being formed.

"Why Wistvale of all places?" asked Serenity over her drink.
"Because our merchant guild loves gold?" replied her esteemed guest, Jaime Trydent, son of Samuel Trydent.

"Oh I'll just top being coy, then, is this the high council's idea? Do they intend to force Wistvale into war like so many of the other smaller villages neighboring us?"

Jaime feigned hurt and shock before moving a lock of his bronze hair out of his eye, "You really don't trust our fathers, do you?"

"I helped raise these people out of the mud they put themselves in, Jaime, don't think I won't defend them either," there was a flash of anger in her eyes that made the sea captain take a slight step back.

"You are too paranoid, Veronica. Think about it, Wistvale is too far to support our war effort anyway, and occupying this spit would be a waste of resources. This is just a reasonable trade hub to the Southern and Eastern lands is all."

The Howle princess was not entirely convinced, but relented her attack.

"Come, there'll be plenty of time to question me after the party, don't ruin that pretty dress with a scowl, eh?"


Nightfall had come quickly over all the excitement, and the ball was well underway. The banquet was open to the public and so all manner of citizenry attended with their best dress and gowns.

Long tables were mounted by exotic fruits, stuffed pig, and fresh catch from the ocean all arranged in an artful fashion by Highever caterers. The walls were adorned with the colors of Highever and Wistvale, intertwined to signify the cause for the evening.

Musicians from the City on The Mountain played their instruments like larks in a Spring morning, twirling and skipping on the notes. Several guests had taken the opportunity to dance on the floor while others were fine talking among themselves.

In the North end of the room were all the nobility from Highever, mainly those with relations to House Trydent, and their air of royalty naturally intimidated those from Wistvale who took up the other end. How could the simple folk measure up to the grace of those raised from the mountain tops?

The only noble the people felt comfortable around was Serenity, who stood by one of the food tables wearing a violet gown that complimented her eyes. The daughter of house Howle exchanged small talk with, whom one could assume to be, friends she had not seen in a while.

Jaime Trydent, the main guest of the evening, hung along the back wall with several from his house. He appeared to be the most worldly from the lot, known for being an accomplished sailor and sword master, and not one for parties like this.

All in all the party was going well.

________________________________________

This is an adventure for 1-3, maybe one more if I'm feeling generous. Everyone attending this party has come wearing their best attire and no weapons of any kind.

If you have a concealment skill you may have slipped something small past the guards (RP your character doing this if so).

Everyone in Wistvale is familiar with Serenity (this includes your characters), even if they haven't met her, as she is one of the original founders of a government in Wistvale and the local go to for help. Her exploits are well known.

[Redblade]

Redblade had remained in the shadows on his way to this ball.  The streets seemed a little more crowded than the alleys at this time, so he did everything possible to avoid any confrontations with anybody.  A few buildings away he stopped and climbed a tree to get a better look of the building and everything around it before he got closer to his destination.  

With his regular gear and attire on, it was hidden to the eyes of anybody else that he wore a formal attire underneath.  He had to be prepared for any situation and having a mask on at the ball could probably draw attention of the guards.  His eyes began to scan the place out.  How many guards were there and where were they located, how many entrances and windows were there as well, and was anyone visible wearing the necklace he was searching for?

[Serenity]

Given that it was getting closer to dark and he was a few buildings away, Redblade has difficulty making much out other than the entrance to the party which was well lit. Pairs of locals are being inspected by guards before given leave to enter the party. If Redblade wants to properly inspect the building he would have to get closer to it.

[Redblade]

Wishing he had sight beyond sight, Redblade knew he had to get closer to get a better look of things from this point of view.  The front end of the building would be the last place he would want to be near, at this moment in time.  He made his way towards the back part of the building, again not getting too close so he could try and scan the place out before making a move to get into the place, always staying in the shadows to not get seen.

[Hoid]

Merchants from Highever. Hoid had problems trying to keep himself from squealing out loud. He he done some trade with Highever in the past, almost any merchant worth their salt had, but nothing that ever amounted to any lasting contracts or huge profits.

But this… THIS was different. He had come to Wistvale sensing a profit could be turned in the new trade-hub, but he never dreamed that something like this could happen, but he certainly wasn't going to let the opportunity go to waste.

From the very moment he had heard the news, Hoid had sent out for a new suit in the current fashion of Highever. It had arrived a few days before the event, and he donned it now. A pair of black silk trousers and a dark red shirt were first, followed by a rich black vest with gold buttons. Over that was an odd mix of jacket and robe, closer fitting and less voluminous then his normal robe, but also made of more fabric then a normal jacket would be. What followed was a custom addition of Hoid's, a headwrap very similar to his normal one, but black and red in fitting with the rest of the outfit. In addition, he put on his customary jewelry, aiming to impress where he can.



Outfit complete, Hoid makes his way from his rented room in the tavern and begins to make his way towards the event. When he gets to the entryway, he beams and goes to meet the guards to gain his admittance.

[Redblade]

((Heres to hoping I have my recent purchased items before I had arrived here, which Shen is suppose to post in my character sheet tomorrow.))

[Miroslaw]

Miroslaw had been hearing about the ball from conversations on the street. He always relished in eavesdropping on various people on his walks around town. The party sounded exceedingly fancy. It was much too fancy for Miroslaw to be able to fit in. Still, he heard there would be a plethora of fancy foods. He would never miss out on the chance to try new foods that were probably more expensive than his meager home.

He set out that night to attempt to enter the ball. He failed to gather much on stipulations of entering the party, though he knew he would need to leave his weapons at home. He did not particularly dress up. He wore his nice clothes, but they were not really that pleasant. They lacked the blood stains and patches of his other sets of clothing, and they seemed to have been washed recently. He also put on some of his flower scented perfume. He always wore it for special occasions. On top of this, he groomed himself, bathing and performing some fixing of his hair and beard. He was looking probably as fine as he ever will.

With his fanciness found, he approached the front entrance to try and enter the event. He tried to maintain a smile, though he was not entirely use to a forced smile. It would probably have looked to be a bit of an awkward grin at best.

[Serenity]

The guards at the front of the house were not the sentinels, Miroslaw and Hoid found. The men by the door and those checking the guests wore similar attire; an indigo patterned light armor with a crest indicating a swordfish.

Hoid recognized it as that belonging to House Trydent of Highever and figured that these must be their personal housecarls. Given the number of their nobility present they must have insisted their own security over that of the sentinels and more of them must be inside.

Both men were given a brief look over before given permission to enter the party, although Miroslaw was reluctantly given leave since his attire was barely passable.

When they entered, they were greeted by bright light shining off the many colorful dresses worn by the beautiful ladies and the waft of delicious meats. Hoid and Miroslaw found themselves among their fellow citizens while the Highever nobility were at the other end of the room with few mingling with the locals.


Red makes his way toward the back of the building, noticing that guards not in allegiance with the sentinels were guarding the sides. When he reaches the rear of the building he manages to find two purple cloaks standing by what looked like a wine cellar entrance.

"Can't believe we got stuck doing this," one of the sentinels said to his partner.
"Too right, these damned nobles think we're still mud fish picking off scraps. We can fight just as well as their housecarls. Probably better on land too."
"What I wouldn't give for a drink."
"You'd think one of the cooks would let us at a bottle of wine?"

[Miroslaw]

A grin, ear to ear, came to Miroslaw's face at the sight and scent of all the food. He couldn't believe they let him in. It seemed as if every other person in the establishment was dressed in their absolute finest. He was as well, but it just did not match up. Regardless, the fools let a Soren in. A Soren with a Soren appetite!

He looked around him, his eyes taking in the party. The food. The beautiful women. The royalty. It was like a dream. As a boy, Miroslaw read books about the royalty in the south. The North had nothing of the sort, so it always intrigued him. Now, to be at one of their parties. It was awe-inspiring, though he could have done without the crowd.

Honestly, it was not his scene. There were far too many people. After the thrill of making it into the gathering left him, his social anxiety immediately came back to him. It was almost as if, for a moment, he had forgotten he was surrounded by people. Upon this realization, his gaze dropped to the floor. He kept his head down and avoided eye contact as he made his way to the nearest food source. Afterall, food was the main reason he came.

[Hoid]

Gaining entrance to the party fairly easily, Hoid begins to scope out the room. Determined to make some sort of profit off the evening, he decides to do his best to determine which of the assembled guests would be the one to discuss mercantile interests. Spotting a violet-clad figure standing towards the front of a food table, Hoid decides that the legendary Miss Serenity would be a good first step, as she was widely known to be one of the protectors and champions of Wistvale. Her connections with both places and good-hearted nature would likely prove useful in getting the information on who to talk to from the group from Highever.

Making his way slowly through the party, weaving between groups as well as his belly would allow, Hoid begins to approach her, drawing up short to allow her to finish her discussion with her current group. Upon spotting an opening however, he slides his way in, putting on his best smile and bowing deeply to her

"Miss Serenity, it is an honor to meet you at last. My name is Hoid Relahur, and I am a merchant who has recently moved to Wistvale. I have heard much about you, and have wanted to have a chance to meet you for some time now. I will admit to wanting to discuss business, but first I must ask you, who made that lovely dress?"

Hoid followed his traditional approach, honesty but with a healthy amount of flattery. He honestly did admire the dress though, it was a fine piece...



"I might need to offer the maker some sort of distribution deal, assuming they do not already ahve one... Finding buyers would be quite easy..."

(italics+" = thoughts, just in case it's not clear ;P)

[Redblade]

Redblade remained still, trying to analyze the best plan of action to get into the building undetected.  There seemed little presence of the Sentinels at the Ball this night, which could either be good or bad for him.  Good for the fact that the private guards may not be aware of who he was if he was spotted and bad because if they did, they were probably on high alert to keep an eye out for Piper or him, and being that these people seemed rich, they were probably even better than the Sentinels.  That would only mean a much harder robbery than he was expecting.

His eyes scanned the area near the building that could probably help to get into the building.

((How big is this building?  One floor, two floors?  Any trees close to it?  Windows to an empty room perhaps?))

[Serenity]

A few people that were by the food table instinctively got out of the way as Miroslaw approached, sure that there's a saying about Soren and food. Thus, the warrior was relatively undisturbed as he made his mark at the table.

One of the ladies next to Serenity had spotted the well rounded Hasieth out of the corner of her eye and whispered to the Howle if she knew him. The Lady shook her head slightly, but prepared a smile to receive him with either way. As soon as Hoid got to her, Serenity's friends backed away.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, mister Relahur. I'm delighted that you've decided to bring your business to Wistvale."

Upon the compliment of her dress, Serenity giggled humorously, "What, this old thing? It's by a tailor back in Highover whom I'm sure has designed more wonderful gowns since I've been gone."

Serenity had turned to the other two girls for confirmation, "Ah yes, you should see his line for the upcoming Summer festivals! You'll be there won't you?"

"We'll see, mister Relahur these are Gwen and Resha Freer, daughters of Peter Freer, a lord under my father Victor Howle."

The girls were fair with light brown hair and a short stature, they could almost be twins. They curtsied with a slight bow toward Hoid.


As Miroslaw delved into the food one brave soul would interrupt.

"My you're a mighty one aren't you?"

The comment came from a raven haired gentlemen who carried himself differently from the rest of the lot from Wistvale. His hands were locked behind his back and he smiled almost mischievously.

"Oh, excuse me, my name is Roger Bacon. We don't see many Soren up in Highever, must be something to do with the air, but my are you larger than I imagined."

Mr. Bacon held up a hand for Miroslaw to shake if he chose to.


Meanwhile in 007 land.....


The guards were restless, bored, and the drink was starting to sound good.

"Alright, pop on in there and see if you can't get one of the help to relieve a bottle for us, eh? And ask, don't pull title into it. The Cap'n will have our head if he hears we used our position to get free drinks on the job."

The other sentinel eagerly opened the wine cellar and stepped inside to find a bottle while the other closed the door behind him.

The building had two floors and while there were trees around none of the branches lone themselves well to try and sneak in that way. It would take an amazing feat of agility and acrobatics to try.

[Redblade]

Seeing the current circumstance, Redblade had two options placed infront of him.  One: taking the lone guard out while he was alone, or two: hope that the guards do get a bottle of wine and wait till they drank it up and become a little tipsy before taking them on.  Now the problem would be if they didn't get the bottle and he was back to square one.  It was pretty hard choice to decide on which action to take, but he could not afford to take that risk if they did not receive the bottle.  

Redblade was about to walk up to the guard, but he stopped just he had taken a step forward.  What if the guards were only a distraction.  What if there were more guards hiding in the shadows that he had not noticed yet.  Could it be a trap set up for him?  Two words whispered under his mask as a precaution.

...Pierce Darkness...

His eyes blinked afterwards and when he reopened them, he felt a certain rush feeling of heightened senses through his body.  It was a feeling he had not felt before.  Things were more clearer to him now that he began to see things in the shadows that he had not seen just a minute ago.  He glanced around the entrance to see if there was anybody nearby that was hiding in the shadows.


- Pierce Darkness -

Effect: The mage's vision sees through shadow and darkness, revealing what lurks within.
Range: The caster.
AOE: 30 feet.
Cast Time: Immediate.
Power: The mage gains a + 2 bonus to Awareness in low light. Lasts 5 minutes.

[Miroslaw]

Miroslaw always detected the brand that seemed to follow him around. It was the stigma of being a Soren, a massive man, out of place. It seemed intensified in his the current setting. Ordinarily, he had little troubles completely dismissing it. It was so common, he had become desensitized to it. In the given situation, it was even convenient for him. It gave him free pickings on the delicious food! He almost could not contain his desire to gorge himself on the plethora of delectable foods at the table. He ate with ferocity though, making a bit of a mess.

He stopped abruptly at the sound of words that seemed to be aimed at him. He swallows the mouthful of food before turning to the voice and placing the large flank of meat he was eating from down on the table in front of him. He reaches up and wipes his mouth of any remnants of food before responding, “Aye, not a good many Soren around these parts either.” He reaches out and shakes the man's hand, “Miroslaw Zygmunt.” He couldn't help but wonder why this man was pursuing conversation with him. The situation crossed him as unusual. Not too many souls willingly engaged him in friendly conversation for the sake of conversation. Though, it could have simply been interest in his kind.

[Hoid]

Hoid bowed deeply, well as deeply as his sizable stomach would allow, to the ladies, beaming smile on his face.

"Wonderful to meet you ladies! I apologize for not introducing myself to you both at first as well, I can be rather short-sighted sometimes!"

Amusement having subsided, Hoid puts on a more serious face and turns back to Serenity

"As much as I would love to continue discussing enjoyable topics and the finer things in life, which as we can all see I certainly enjoy..."

Here Hoid punctuates his sentence with a hearty slap on his own stomach, sending minor vibrations throughout it

"…I sadly must bring up a slightly more serious topic. As I said, I am a merchant by trade. I have had a few minor trade interactions with Highever in the past, mainly handling some supply and basic good distribution for smaller mercantile houses. I seek however, as many merchants do, to establish a closer working relationship with the city."

Hoid clears his throat slightly here, and looks Serenity in the eye, knowing that while she might not enjoy such heavy topics, that she IS still the daughter of one of the high houses, and as such is not to be treated lightly

"Such is my reason for being here, both at this party and in this town. I saw economic potential here and it appears that Highever has seen the same. So I came here today to see what sort of arrangements could be made, for the benefit of all."

Here Hoid pauses. He has more to his hand then just this, but it is not becoming to reveal all, and Miss Serenity probably had plenty of her own questions.