Mutants & Masterminds Mutants & Masterminds: Struggles of Iannin - Act I Scene I - Crack of Noon

[Nadya Lunălescu]

T'riss' golden eyes brightened with the prospects offered. Wulkyn's Wake was a large tub, true, but she'd get to captain her, and if this lost city had truly gone unlooted, the take could be enough for her to buy her own ship. She had had one once, and she greatly desired a ship she could her own once more. Perhaps she would even be able to commission some arcane Skrofan or Fen enchantments for her.

There was just the issue of some ravaging Chaos-beasts and ancient traps laying dormant... and one overly curious Nay'fen. T'riss closed a hand into a fist behind her back. And the fact the city of En'ur seemed to be hidden below the out-cropping of Elizabethea. Kiss of Quaress, I hope it don't be cramped. Big, airy caves, if you would. T'riss arched a brow in question at Wa'ne. "Dis staff o' yours, de creatures, will dey be drawn to it and such like?"

A smirk crossed her lips as her gaze passed over Arak and Tarmon before T'riss looked to Her Holiness. Elizabethea would be a shock for those men and the trouble landing their way would inevitably splash onto her and her cousin. "'Oliness, wi' de ship, will d'ere be some.... funds, say, fer dockin' fees, passage up to de Lake, bribes, and such like?"

[Forge]

Wa'ne glanced at the leader of the Sen'ten, who nodded, giving the Nay'fen permission to answer. "The creature bound to this staff is extinct. We don't even know what it is called. We have but one partial sketch of it to even insert the creature into history. There is plenty of conjecture, but nothing solid. If there were any more in the ruins, they should have long ago turned to dust. Unless this binding was common, then we could find..."

"That is enough Ray." the figure said and Wa'ne nodded. The Wake will be outfitted with cargo for a legitimate purpose to trade at Elizabethea. Its sale will pay for your passage and whatever else you may need. In preparation for your journey, the Wake has been supplied as well. If you find that there is something lacking, send word and it will be supplied."

[Arak Noak]

"Why us?" The question was a simple one, straightforward, and open. Arak felt that something more was at play, that this person masquerading behind illusion could have found anybody to complete this quest. So he asked the pertinent question. "Why not any number of other people more suited to a task such as this?"

[Forge]

"We don't want to attract attention." The figure started, "Were I to send a group of Sen'ten as would be logical, they would attract untold amounts of attention and not likely even make it to the ruins before being apprehended by the officials of Elizabethea. As per our agreements with their Guild Council, we are allowed one representative Lakeside at a time.

Were we to employ any of our more known, but not Sen'ten, liasons, they would undergo unfavorable scrutiny as well. We wish to keep the ruins of En'ur a secret, so that the Guild Council does not plunder our heritage before we can examine it. You all have ties to one another, have been found trustworthy, and have the skills needed for this quest to succeed."

The figure stepped off the dais for the first time and started slowly walking towards the entrance/exit. "There are others that could join this party, if you are lacking confidence in your abilities...."

The statement was left hanging, and made with its head turned slightly back towards the room. "The choice is yours."

[Arak Noak]

Arak found his curiosity overwhelming his irritation at the complex ruse, and his anger at the illusionary magic used to make the Holiness appear as a wizened Skrofan. Reluctantly he found that he did want to see this strange new place. To ride up a waterfall to a great elevated lake, to visit a pirate city, to explore strange ruins of an ancient city; these were his reasons for leaving home in the first place. "I will go, but only because it suits me to do so." He hoped he didn't sound like a petty child.

[Tarmon Kyrell]

There was no doubt Tarmon would do as asked of him, even if the Harbinger wasn't as generous and only told them where to go and deal with finding the place on their own. He looked around at this fellowship that was about to form and understood his role immediately. Without him their chances of success would be greatly diminished and he lacked skills which were obviously necessary to achieve their goal. Subterfuge and sleight-of-hand for example... but he was sure T'riss was more than well practiced in those 'arts'.

The huge Ankassim simply lowered his head in acceptance of the quest given to him and his peers. "We shall not disappoint you.", he simply stated, almost as straightforward as the young Skrofan did before him.

[Nadya Lunălescu]

T'riss rolled her eyes at the enormous Ankassim's portentous proclamation, but swaggered up to Arak with a smirk and slapped him on the back. "That be th'spirit, boyo! Trust me, 'Lizabethea'll be an lesson ye'll not soon forget." T'riss nodded at the figure of the worldly Muthay - who was more than she appeared to be - then gave her a bow with a flourish of her hat. "I be unnerstannin' yer reasons and be thankin' ye for th'opportunity."

If word got out of the ruins beneath Elizabethea, the city would descend on them en mass and precious few would be allowed up the waterfalls until they were stripped bare. And here, they were being given dibs to plunder En'ur first, first crack at the choicest loot. T'riss could almost feel the gold and jewels flowing through her fingers.

And truth be told, though her time on the Wake had been decent enough, it had been mostly dull. She was looking for something more exciting, a chance at a big score, one that could provide her with a ship of her own. That would even be worth digging into the depths with a thousand thousand tonnes of rock above her, just waiting to collapse and crush her.

"What say ye, 'cuz? Ye in?" T'riss asked Tora with a wide and eager smile. "Jus' think what ye'll hafta tell the Caravan!"

[z-Tora Zheng]

Tora smiled, the grin crossing her face showing her enthusiasm. "Of course I'm going," she said, looking bemused that T'riss is even asking. "I wouldn't miss this story for anything!" While T'riss was thinking about the gold and jewels she'd be receiving, Tora's thoughts were absorbed with the crowds and the acclaim that would come her way. She knew it would be hard; she'd heard many stories from those in the Caravan about how hard adventuring could be. The stories were exciting; the reality would be something different.

"Your Holiness," Tora added with a seated bow, "thank you for this honor." She rose and straightened her gear, resettling it on her frame. Silently, she made a note to ask her cousin to leave Arak alone. The Skrofan was a little touchy and if they were going to be traveling together, they would to be considerate of one another. Of course, Tora reflected silently, her Muthay cousin was never known for tact or respect. This might be a long trip.

[Forge]

"It is pleasing to hear you all so eager." the figure said over its shoulder as it continued to walk. It exited the room, then stopped and turned around in arched entrance, "Twin's Blessing, on you all."

A door from within the wall slid shut, sealing the room. Within moments, the small group was once again experiencing the jarring sensations of falling and rising as their senses sought to focus on what was going on around them. Just as the first time, the feelings stopped suddenly and they found themselves in the large rotunda they had been kept in before being escorted further underground.

The door to the outside was open, no apparition of a barrier lay between them to the outside. The figure was gone and there appeared to be no guard. The bustle of the city in the last hours of the day could be heard. The shadows and angle of light said there were maybe two hours til dark.

As the group collected their wits about them, the Temple bell began to ring, its deep chime signaling the top of whatever hour it was.

[Arak Noak]

"That's not possible. How could it be nightfall already?" The sky was indeed darkening, with only a portion glowing still with the waning light of the twin suns. Arak shook his head, "Wulkyn's mysteries indeed." He looked to the others, "Can we sail in the night? I know nothing of the sea or how to operate boats, aside from small rowing craft." He had everything in the world that he owned with him on his person, and the ship was to be supplied; for Arak there was literally nothing to wait on.

[Nadya Lunălescu]

T'riss took a deep breath and stretched her hands above her head, relieved at not having to walk those damnable stairs once more, taking comfort in the smell of the waterfront wafting over the city. She paid no heed - or didn't notice - the surprising amount of time that had seemingly passed. At Arak's question, T'riss glanced up and studied the stars, then shook her head.

"No such luck, t'night I be afraid. We be missin' th'evenin' tide, so will set sail in th'morn," T'riss explained. "I say we be takin' a look a' the Wake to be sure she's ready to set sail, then fin' us some grub and a bed for the night. We be ridin' the waves for some time, so you may be endin' up missin' dry land," their captain suggested, taking a look at her companions and she led them unerringly to the docks. "Hope the Sen'ten be hirin' th'rest o' de crew. I can't be sailin' a ship de size 'o the Wake with just four de likes 'o you." Not without a major arcane overhaul.

[Arak Noak]

"Crew?" Arak asked, "How many will be needed to make the ship go?" Arak suddenly wondered just what kind of journey this would be, sailor's didn't have the best reputations. "We need to find an inn as well. Tora and I only arrived this morning." He looked around, unsure where he was in the vast city. His gaze settled on Wa'ne, "Can you guide us to an inn? Preferrably one near the markets, so that we can save time on getting whatever supplied are needed?" Arak didn't think he needed anything but food and perhaps some material components for his magic, but surely food would be stocked on the vessel and he had sufficient components for the near future.

[Wa'ne]

Wa'ne was not in the mood to discuss logistics, having just been severely chastised and made to be nothing more than a hand maiden to this group of miscreants. However, commands were to be obeyed, especially considering the source. The relatively young Nay'fen raised her head from where it had been staring in self-pity at the floor and spoke quietly at first, but regained some of the lost confidence as she went on. "With the modifications to the ship, besides ourselves, we should not need more than two or three crew, but I leave the choice and expertise of such a decision to our good Captain. Perhaps after a review of the Wake's capabilities, a better decision could be made."

Nodding, she continued, "There are plenty of lodgings down at the harbor, and the small marketplace there will be sufficient for what we need, unless you have more extradordinary requests, then we should hurry, as most places in the Bazaar will be closing for the night with the Twin's slumber. Or we can lodge in the city, or arrangements could be made here at the College and you can make use of the Bazaar in the morning."

She paced a bit, tapping the staff gently against a cheek as she walked, "Judging by your talents during the fire and the looks you gave the floor," she gestured with the staff towards the floor, "You understand something of Pattern magic, probably the Skrofan's derivative line of thinking. Which is quite striking, your people have been ingenious in the development of some uses of the talent on living objects. I would be interesting in discussing this with you on our journey."

She waved a hand, as if clearing a muddle of thoughts from her mind, "But that shall be a topic for later. What shall it be, where would you like to proceed?" The Nay'fen glanced at Arak, striking a pose that seemed to accentuate her nakedness, but also show that the lines of Tattoos did not terminate where little cloth began.

[z-Tora Zheng]

"Let's lodge in the city," Tora said after a second considering the odds of making a bit of money as well as the odds of T'riss causing a scene just by being T'riss. "I'd rather have a room in the city and be closer to the bazaar. Though... are we really going to be doing the sailing? I'm not like T'riss; I'm a land-bound traveler." The thought of being on a boat was a little scary. Tora had never been on anything other than an occasional ferry over a river or lake.

"Does that sound appealing to everyone?" Her middle child was showing through - attempting to find the middle ground and get everyone to agree.

[Nadya Lunălescu]

"Sound plan, al' 'round," T'riss proclaimed, agreeing with both Tora and Wa'ne, a self-satisfied smirk gracing her lips. If the modifications to the Wake would let her pilot it with a trio of land-lubbers and no more than three real crew, the was suddenly looking far better than a lumbering tub. T'riss turned the group down another thoroughfare. "De Pink Dragon be this way, a sailor's inn and tavern frequented by first-mates and quarter-masters. Good food, clean beds and clean whores, all fer reas'ble silver."

[Arak Noak]

Arak nodded, "Fine. That sounds fine. Lead on, I think I want to get at least one more good night's sleep before ..."

"B'fore wha?" T'riss asked, almost teasingly.

"Before we get onto that boat and I find out the hard way if sea travel agrees with me." He frowned, almost a scowl, it would have been the latter if he were not so eager for it. Adventure is why he had left home; he just hoped that he could sleep at all tonight.