The Entertainment District

[Tharris]

*Tharris continued eating as Joe relayed his recent chrades. As always, while listening to the story, he was amzaed at how well this young man who not all that long ago simply fell out of the sky had adjusted to this world that was entirely new to him. It also never ceased to amuse how much of a knack Joe had for getting into "the thick of things" as he put it. Finishing his dinner he sat back and wiped his mouth on his sleeve, then almost imediately berated himself silently for doing so, old habits died hard he guessed. While listening to the story Tharris looked at Frost then nodded towards Joe in a questioning manner, in essence asking him if he was up for another adventure. Joe finished his story and asked if he was up for helping out, why he even asked was beyond him. They both knew he was going to help if he could, either way it had been asked and Joe was waiting for a response.*

Tharris sat back and took another drink to rinse down the last remnants of dinner then looked at Frost and said, "Well, what do you think? Are you up for helping this guy out again?"

Frost looked away from Joe and towards Tharris and then cocked his head in thought. "Well, which is it do we help them out or not?" Tharris said patiently he had grown used to the delayed responses he got when speaking with Frist so was not surprised when it took him a few moments to respond. Everyone jumped slightly when Frist finally did respond with a loud bark, "There you have it, sounds like we are in." While he was always up for a good adventure a unplanned adventure usually meant someone came home in worse shape then they left it in and he wasn't fond of that. Grabbing some bread he sat back in his chair, tore off a piece and tossed it to Joe. "So what do you have in mind?"

~tharris

[The Lone Assassin]

..:: From all outwards appearances, Cassius Halfhand was a well liked, and well revered merchant and citizen: he always paid his taxes on time, performed all his civic duties and even helped fund a school in his home village. But to others who knew him better, he was know has Cassius the Ironhanded. He never compromised in a trade, hired mercenaries on more than one occasion to obtain his late payments and had allied himself with certain… families in the lands of Titan, among some of his services he offered them: providing transportation for all their illicit goods, conveniently having rival family’s cargo caravans disappear while traveling and always having them armed with the latest weapons ::..

..:: Cassius had been successful enough that he was able to retire from the legitimate-side of his career and moved into the Golden Quarters section of town. Because he was a Halfling -- although that never interfered with his career -- he had a mansion of a house built to accommodate his stature in the Quarters, almost to flaunt his wealth. Dirk had floor plans to several of the newer houses via bribes and other connections. Luckily Cassius’ house was one of the latest houses built ::..

..:: Dirk walked next to the wall by Cassius property. He adjusted he messenger bag, its strap was biting into shoulder, Dirk had been pretending to be delivering messages for hours. He had already figured out the schedule for the guards that patrolled the neighborhood, all that was left was the guard change for the gates on Cassius’s property. Dirk found a quite section against the wall roughly ten meters away from the back gate and leaned back, keeping his senses open for any approaching guards ::..

[Joe]

Joe caught the bread in his hand and took a bite, "Well my friend, though I'm still not too versed in this world of yours, the criminal element seems to have a universal theme, hiding in the shadows, working under the noses of everyone else, just out of site. As an ambassador, I'm a little too well known to just be checking around in seedy bars, but you're not in the public as much, you stick to the forest more. If you wanted to check out a few places, I'm sure you could pass it off without being too noticed. Hell, a ranger coming into town after spending that much time in the woods alone, it's not unheard of to, you know." Joe smiled "In the mean time, I'll go to the palace and tell Tordek what you're up to. You can meet us there in a day or two. Unless you have a better plan?"

[Gwaihir Windlord]

*It was a balmy night, Gwaihir, newly returned to his home and clan, was heading towards the Tavern to do what he loved to do. As he reached the door, it suddenly burst open with Tordek and Frenzie coming through*

"Hey there, what's the rush, you two seem to be up to something and that usually means trouble, is there anything I can do to help?"

[Tharris]

*Tharris smiled at Joe's comment about coming in from the forest. Chuckling he knocked his feet off the table as he stood and clapped Joe's shoulder as he said, "Give me three days, I'll find out what I can." Tossing a silver piece on the table he began to leave saying over his shoulder, "Let's go Frost, it's gonna be a long night."*

...

*Tharris walked out of the Golden Griffon with several places in mind to check for info. Stopping by his room momentarily to drop off everything but his coin pouch which he tied securely onto his belt, and his trademark blades. He wouldn't need supplies where he was going. Off into the darkness he walked. traveling to the outskirts of titan influence he began gathering information, sparce information but information none the less. It was the second night when he walked into The Hole in the Wall, walking up to the bar he ordered a drink and inquired about a wench. While the keep was getting his drink and pointing out a few lasses an old friend sauntered up to him.*

"Hey mate! Fancy seein' you 'ere."

*After getting his drink from the bartender Tharris waved off the girl he had called over, he was finally getting somewhere. The two went over to a table followed closely by Frost, and began talking.*

"'Ere you go. Wow! 'aven't seen you since that time we was hired to hunt them pirates! Right nasty bunch, they was." Suddenly he was over taken by a fit of laughter remembering a story abou that particular battle. His face turned serious again and he lowered his voice a bit. "Say, you ain't hooked up with 'im are ye?" Tharris put his mug down, "Him?" The man looked surprised that he hadn't either heard of or wasn't already working for him, and his voice lowered a bit more, "Yeah, I 'eared there was a new boss in Cartes. Pays good too, run off most o' the others. Been tryin' to get a job from 'im, I have." Tharris listened intently as the man spoke, "So ye don' know how reach 'im?" "No," Tharris responded, "but I'll keep an ear to the ground for you. If I learn anything I'll be sure and let you know. Thanks for the heads up on the new boss." Tharris, stood and palmed a few coins into the mans hand and left. The rest of the night was fairly uneventful and the next day turned up few promising leads, and so he returned to the palace with what he had, hoping it was enough to go on.

[Tordek]

Without so much as a smile, Tordek took in Gwaihir's manifestation in a single voracious glance. Speaking in an ancient Elven tongue, one that he even struggled with, a religious speak of the Elven Rangers like Frenzie, he saw his kin depart.

"Ah Gwaihir! So, spotting two old friends together means something is afoot huh? Well...I supppose there's truth in that statement. Afterall, how often does that damn stoic ever emerge from those shrubs and bushes. Wild man he is...


Anyway. Come. There's a makeshift pack of miscreants gathering in the Palace. We'd best hurry."

The two quickly speed away for a night's lodging. Tordek retired in his old Council chamber as he was still a member in some respect to Titan's government, or at least Curulan gave him that dignity.

[pre] ***[/pre]

Unlike his usual self, Tordek had no prefrences to meander the streets of Cartes or to use any of his normal means while he was here. Rather, he spent his days lavishly relaxing or strolling through the Entertainment District. He caught a few shows at the Dancing Dryad, but no one seemed offset by his presence there. The more established rooms were strangely empty though. That he did notice.

Now to some it certainly would look like a foolhearty move to be meandering about in such a careless display, but Tordek did not mind. His assassin had failed. No attack would be made openly, at least not here in Cartes, in the prime of the districts, not to him. He left the tracking up to Tharris.

CuruEdit: I removed the preformatted tags around the main text. If there was a reason for making the post that way, feel free to change it back.

[Joe]

Three days of waiting were driving Joe crazy. It wasn't the time that was the problem. When he came back from his travels he usually stayed in the palace for a few days longer than this before heading off again. And he always had good company. But this time he wasn't just relaxing before heading out again, he was waiting on information, waiting on Tharris' sneaking and tracking, and that's what Joe hated. Sigh. Still though, this was his plan, he knew he had to give Tharris the chance to find what he could before Joe went off and screwed things up. In the mean time, he decided to spend his time practicing, leaving all other distractions out. No girl waited for him in his bed when he returned these nights, instead, his body fell on his empty bed with exhaustion, and he fell asleep instantly.


*yuk, this post sucks. blah, I'm at work now and have to go back in a second so I'll edit this and finish it tonight.*

[Judafu]

Karakashi awoke at surise deep inside the haul of an old battered clipper that appeared as if it could crumble at any moment. "Some transportation..." , he murmured as the navigator came to report there position.

"Sir, we are only two days from port sir." Chided the sailor happily. However, Karakashi just looked on in disgust.

"What have we, The mighty Band of the Eagle's Claw, been reduced to?" Violently smashing his hand on the base of the missenmast, "Tailing troops from the Silver Arrow... we should be ashamed"

Feeling a bit out of place, he heads topside to mingle with the crew, after all, it was either that, or stay below deck the entire trip. Niether thrilled the agrivated noble, this was, however, a well paying job. Not to mention the fact that where Yasuyoshi goes, many jobs follow.....

[Akane]

A thick fog surrounded the ship at port causing more than the usual comotion as men unloaded its cargo. The nightime bustle was the perfect cover for the ship's only stowaway to slip off unnoticed. Completely covered in a black cloak, the small figure snuck away, and into the city of LIghthaven. It was not the entrance Akane prefered, but sometimes subtlety was the needed course. As she made her way through the dark alleyways, heading into the heart of the city, she wondered if they'd made the right decision in leaving Shangala. The Boss's reputation was hurt there, yes, but was it worse than starting over in a strange land? She rid herself of these thoughts quickly though, it was not her place to question his judgement, and she had other tasks at hand. He had sent a message to her ealier that two of his men had failed in their assignments here, and as soon as she'd finished in Shangala, she was to find them here, in Lighthaven, and discipline them, before finally meeting The Boss in Cartes.



Two days later she was on her way to Cartes, traveling in a simple carraige under cover of night. She would stay hidden a little while longer, before revealing herself to the lands of Titan. What she left behind in Lighthaven however, was not so subtle. Indeed, the entire underbelly of the city was buzzing with the word of what The Boss did to those who failed him. It was a message none would soon forget.

[Tordek]

"First you try and kill me. Well maybe that was Toronaga-masa who tried that, but now you want to trade? Quite a time. The city is flourishing. Alas, I can't say I represent either the High Council or the city's trade interests - well not legally at least."

Smoking a rolled cigarette in his private suite, Tordek had met with Tokuma for several hours now. Tokuma had wanted to increase the imports, including weapons in exchange for luxuries. He had brought with him the same sense of imperious command he carried on the battlefield. Though Tordek did not represent any of the circles Tokuma would ultimately need approval from, he held no animosity against the warrior, and even respected him.

"I'm sure, if you were persistant, as you inevitably will be - Curulan will meet with you. I will ask him myself for an appointment for you."

Beneath the discussions, Tordek had not secretly wondered if Tokuma knew of what was going on. Suddenly he began to wonder if this sudden movement against Titan's underworld was mutually exclusive from this trade venture. 'Could Shangala be behind this all?' he asked himself. 'Perhaps Tokuma is here to finance their exploits?'

Nodding to Tokuma's leave, he sat in his office contemplating. Tharris was due soon with their report. He was tired of this waiting, though it did give him time to think, and also opportunities to arise.

[dedman]

*"Robert" watched as the crew of the ship unloaded it's shipment, and smiled when his own belongings were carefully set aside. Though he paid well enough, he did worry when someone was allowed to handle his possessions that he didn't have time to run a few dozen background checks on. The pale gentleman in the pressed black suit was checking over his agenda while he waited for the one he was following to disembark.

In the heavy fog it was impossible to tell when they would move, but it never took too long to find a target. In this case, he was prepared with more information then he was used to. The entire underground society was buzzing about someone getting in trouble for a failure. It was the same story: new area, new targets, old tactics...

The first two days had proven quite lucrative, and the vampire had two locations he considered to be a haven, well hidden outside of a few outlying towns where they would be safe. He had secured a group of people that would take any form of payment to allow him to feed. And the trip to the heart of Titan lands proved to be quite uneventful.

In his mind, "Robert" was already planning to "acquire" a few things that would make his life, if you can call it that, so much easier. He had a set schedule to let him know when he expected his targets to move, and had purchased a great deal of maps of the area to decide where they would go. All that was left, is just to wait, and watch.*