Shadow Guild Page 3 (explanation inside)

I had the idea of seeing if I still had any of the pages to this thread in my cache. The only page I have is page 3 so I'll repost that by doing quotes of each author. Anyone who posted in it or read it, check your caches to see if you have the first two pages. I accessed mine by trying to load the page while offline.

"Maps and instructions you say, oh how arousing, this is so detailed! Trizzini, all fired up covered his right eye removing tears with a soft napkin as he kept on studying the map delivered by the Lion-man. "This horrendous handwriting is so.. so bad my body is shivering in fear." He added sarcasticly.

"I see that you're on your way to the temple of Okeanos, sir whats-might your-name be?" Ambrae hesitated slightly for a respond

"Bodhi." he snarled showing of his strong fangs with a proud grin.

"Good good, now we that we know each others threacherous names there shall be no bad incidents between us, yet atleast..." Trizzini with a glee armed himself with his quill and coated it with black ink before he slashed odd dots, circles and connected them with thin lines on a canvas of dried cloth.

"If you could just wait for a second i've got something specially prepared from the guild of alchemists as a gift to Okeanos himself and his church of followers. It seems like the guild of alchemists and the church of Okeanos has some bad blood to settle. To show off their superiority the alchemists has promised quiet a handsome sum of royalties to the ones that could leave a mark of their work inside Okeanos precious breeding ground of vile fishmen. Evidently their eternal choking embrace and love for each other has lasted long enough. For now they are dabbling in ways to undermine each others assets, and we are here as a working guild to harvest the royalties of the oncoming incidents of course!"

Trizzini handed the towering Bodhi a small container with two rolls of black coarse powder. "I've been told that this mixture consists of seven diffirent alchemical demon magics and at the bottom there should be two diffirent runes, one for you're protection and a rune of destruction to enhance the powders effect."

From the outside the small dusty shop in the alchemist district might have passed for a book shop, paint old and cracking and set slightly to the side of the lower end of Mercury Place, the main street in this district. The sign had a complicated faded sea-snake symbol, and stated it had been opened some seventy years past. The street was still busy, and Lairz was returning to the shop with a bag over his shoulder. He pushed the door open and tried to make his way past all the achemical jars and sigels that cluttered the tiny front of shop, and went behind the counter into the back shop where the alchemist was working.

The old man had his head bent over a workdesk and barely looked up when the tall younger man strode in, if one were to look closely at his graying face it might be possible to recognise something of the younger man in the hook of his nose and set of his jaw.

"Did you get it all?" he asked still straining over a thin wooden piece of wood where he was ingraving a rune.

"Of course." The younger man replied, his accent far more pronouned. "everything on the list old man."

"And did you pay for it all?"

"Whadda you think?"

Behind Lairz a skull rose into the air apparently of its own accord, and threw itself onto the back of the theif's head producing a satisfying clonk.

"Idiot!" the old man snarled over his shoulder as Lairz swore and almost fell over in the background "I have to work with the people in this district you putz, we have an understanding and the last thing I need is some brick headed nephew breaking into their stores! Once I'm done here you'll go back and pay them!"

Lairz looked up, anger in his eyes. "Why do you need all this stuff anyway? You already made me the ward of concealment, why do I need a prayer Icon to Nautillus? It's the Okeanos temple I'm going to"

"Because you petufo theirs no point praying to a god if you're going to defile his temple! If you ever went to temple you would have known Nautillus is at war with Okeanos, but no you had to go spend all of your poor fathers money whoring and drinking every night and missing seminary." the old alchemist turned back to the icon, apparently satisfied with his work, turned around on his stool and placed in on the ground infront of Lairz, who was slouching and packing some wet leaves into his pipe. From the bag the old man arranged a selection of candles and braziers, before placing a prayer scarf over his shoulder.

"There, now lets see if we can't convince our lord that your a crusader not a bum."

***

Lairz stepped back onto the street, his head dizzy. During the ceramony he'd seen... images, flashes of smells and places. And teeth, sharp yellow teeth. His uncle seemed satisfied enough that it had worked, suprised perhaps at the reaction his nephew experienced. The evening air roused him somewhat, and as he set off to repay the shops he'd just robbed he started thinking ahead to what he was planning.

Wait till dark then go round the back of the temple, he thought to himself, the ward isn't strong enough to make me invisible underwater, my uncle isn't that powerful. No I'll need a disguise, like the boar hunters use in the eastern forrest. Something that makes it seem I belong there.

An idea came to him, and he set off back to the docks.

*********

OOC: Bohdi, once you've met Trizzini catch up with me before I try to get into the temple. Will be in a boat near the back of the temple with a very stupid disguise for myself!

Happy new year everyone!

Bodhi took the items from the fop and put them in his pouch. "What am I supposed to do with these?" He imagined the pleasure he would get from forcing one of the creatures to drink the stuff.

"Oh just pour it in thier home waters, the powder shall do the rest!" Bodhi nodded a bit disappointed in the no confrontational way to disseminate the sabotage.

"Right, well then I'm off." He turned and stalked back out over the balcony. He glanced back at the rail and noticed the chap jabbering to himself. Odd human, that fellow. He thought to himself.

He quickly made his way through the quiet night streets and alleys, a hint of fog was rolling in from the sea. He was halfway to the temple, when he saw Lairz headed in the opposite direction back toward the warf.

He decided to follow and catch him up. He paralleled him momentatrily and then made his way ahead to that he was in front of him as Lairz turned a corner.

"Lairz." He grinned and toothy grin. "Aren't you supposed to be at the temple?"

Lairz had been rather concerned when he heard the creature following him, even more so when he smelt it, so by the time it jumped infront of him he had is sword drawn and speeding for its throat.

Well, those must be the teeth I saw...

He blinked, the thing had just said his name. "Who the hell are you?" he asked just before the warrior identified itself as one of the Shadowguilds newest recruits. He raised his eyebrows and lowered his sword. "Nearly gave me a bloody heart-attack" he muttered before continuing. "Fine, come this way, we've got work to do."

***

A little while later both were rowing the small boat halfway up the canal that joined with the temples back, being a shrine to a sea lord, the altar couldn't be too far from water. Bhodi looked on somewhat bewildered at what Lairz seemed to be doing to a gigantic tuna.

"Are you planning on eating that or what?"

Lairz looked up with a grin, " Actually it's my disguise!" He hauled the boat over to the side of the canal and tied it up to a mooring. "Here's the plan: I've got too disguises here, one this shawl of mourning, you my friend are going to have to pretend to be the biggest sea widow the world has seen. Try not to let the rest of the congregation see your fur. Me-" at this point the tall man stood up sharply, almost causing the boat to capsize as he pulled the giant gutted fish over his head, his face sticking out of the creatures gaping mouth. "Me I'm gonna swim under the temple, up to the inner sanctum and steal the trident without the fish-monsters suspecting I'm human. Or at least, lure them out onto dry land... what are you laughing at?"

Bhodi was shaking his head as he took the shawl and climbed out. Lairz called out to him as he left the boat. "The temple will still be open, try get near the front, trust me you'll be able to hear if things start going wrong!"

And with that, the man in the dreadful fish costumn dived into the water.

****

favour6 wandered back in to the thw wharehouse that the guild was based, he was covered in blood bt he had the book and a few other trinkets. the blood wasn't his it was red and thanks to an ancestor of his he bled black favour6 sat down fo a minute to rest, when he was finished resting, he put the book in the office and walked out of the wharehouse, just as it started to rain, "just what the dr ordered a free clean up"

a few steps down the road favour6 noticed a young man walking in to an alley "you may not want to go down there, there's all sorts of stuff down those alleys" favour6 knew what was down that alley the guild hq of the Initium the local assasins guild. as favour6 was about walk away, the man said "its ok ill be fine in there im the boss, and favour try to keep the local body count down" favour6 just smilled and walked away with detour to 'help' a tourist that got lost

OOC ill write the rest of the wizards tower when i have the map

Stefan Draget yawned as he was preparing the masters white horse carriage, it has been less than a couple of months since he had joined the proud house of Dea Ambrae doing odd jobs as a man servant, and at times a messenger between the house and finer places of the sprawling city. He was getting used to it though, getting waked up on ungodly hours by their ever energetic master. During the first weeks he found it disturbingly hard staying, and has several times threatened to leave his place. Reading scrolls, writing with thin fragile quill two hours a day. Not to mention those heavy morning excercises. "It's hard now still.. - if it keeps up at this pace my body will turn rockhard." He sighed as he touched his aching stomach muscles.

He had left the household more than once allready, but has always been begged back to his place by the other house hold servants, three times by his house brother and good friend, Kenor, whenever Kenor asked for his return he would accept his role and get back just like that. The thoughts of living in the gutters doing stray jobs, nicking items from vendors always got him back on the right track. He was a petty thief at best. Most often he would get seen or caught, when caught he had been battered into oblivion along with other pathetic man creatures not fast enough to get away.

The pay here was decent, he guessed, six silver a week and a gold coin at the end of each month. "This House was not much of a normal family." He thought. The Master is childless, but over the months master has adopted three more young adults like himself. Hungry, poor, or most unwelcome. The master claimed they were all gifted youngsters with alot of potential. They've been all given a choice to be either educated or work through daily routines for the food. No one denied.

"No random screaming, no disciplinary beatings. Atleast physically... Master is sure kind being or just being one of those crazy nutcases." He thought.

Good food were served always, made by the beautiful silent nomad woman every other house-hold servant called 'mother'. An odd thing that, he thought for himself, he had seen the other ladies the master was courting, and they were at most decentish at best compared to mother. Even if mother weren't coated in rich clothing and expensive perfumes he had found her more attractive than those other old chrones the master frequently wrote love letters too. During months he had stayed there he has heard or seen nothing about those two even being close to romanticising. As weeks passed he got even more curious about their relation to each other...

"Bro, question." as Draget unsheathed his blue edged rapier.

"Yes, sir?"

"Why's that master and mother never dance or talk to each other?" Draget asked his slightly older companion servant Kenor with a sly grin.

"I believe they do... Pass me the black linen on that barrel will ya." Kenor smiled as he was about to reveal a secret...

"Ever noticed whenever mother and master are preparing dinner or whenever they are by themselves at the evenings, how they move their lips, eyebrows and does those odd hand gestures?"

"Bro, yah, it looks odd and funny. Silent talk innit'?"

"No no, if it was silent talk master would of headbutted mothers edgy knives facefirst long time ago!" Kenor chuckled. "I believe it's some kind of dodgy innuendo, or so the play-actors say... but they do argue alot, like real parents you see!"

Draget now with a contemplative look on his face, he double-stepped forwards and swung his rapier four times with great finesse against the dark of the roof. As he sheated his gift of a rapier he asked his servant friend once again. "Bro, I have a bad feeling about tonights work... Think master will be allright? And us? It is after all proffesional warrior knights we will be fooling this time..." Kenor eyed his friend and grinned. "Sir, don't be.. we're meeting up with you're cute lady patron and her entourage remember?"

"Pardon?" Draget, clearly insulted by the obese giggling beast he had in mind.

"Yes, the thinly clothed woman folk that you've been courting. You know... The one with the huge moving wort on her back. You know her very well, the one who moans as much as our masters pet pig Grunter during feeding times, Esacakes I believe!" Kenor grinned, clearly amused by his friend.

Draget furiously stepped towards his foe to be, his warm hand on the rapiers shaft. "Bro, it was that one time... I was well intoxicated and If I was you... i'd best not mention it again. Savvy?"

Kenor eyed his friend, he stepped back a couple of feet, as his left hand went hidden behind his back ready to draw his hand-crossbow. A curved dagger in hand, he firmly signed his right fist to show his readyness.

"You actually think you can draw that needler faster than I can pierce you're heart twice over, Ken?"

"I believe you are mistaken, sir. I should be asking you if you even get the time to draw before i've planted my needle between you're eyes and cut my dagger through you're fragile neck!"

"Bro, I have time enough and it's still dark. You're a bad aim at nights!" Stefan bend his good foot onto leaping position.

"And you sirs are standing in a pile of wet horse dirt, I know you're footwork and the fact that you damn idiot can't fight indoors with that long blade!"

........

As shady figure with catlike reflexes scuttled up the towering statue of a hero unbeknownsk to him. He was now in the center of the City Hall, assemblage room to the far right and the clerks counter to the right, northwards was his objectives for the night but he had decided to steal a couple of fresh documents in the guild registry offices while he was around. He had not planned to return or atleast not scripted it in his play. Yet... Trizzini scouted four guards patrolling about in groups of two. He cussed the heavy rain for draining his outfit and counted two usable flashpowder charges, the rest he had left behind in the rain. He regretted now not bringing his efficient combat tools. Choosing more of his incapacitating devices instead. Four guards, two men armed with deadly flails and two others with longer reaching halberds, both groups carried a magical torch to illuminate the dimly lit halls. This was going to be most challenging. A hand-crossbow and three spare bolts, his strangler, a deck of cutting edged cards, his blackjack and of course; his trusty poisoned curved daggerlike shards. Rumours of the City Officials replacing local guardsmen with proffessional soldiers was closer to the truth than expected. These were more than mere warrior knights, they were more like crude pit fighters, barechested half orcs covered with a dozens of scars, and by the looks of it they were more than capable enough fighting in tight places. He breathed hard, regretting that he did not inhale more of that rare shamanistic weed. Running through the gutters in the flailing rain had made him sober, he breathed harder as he calculated the seconds between the guardsmens intervals.

There were more guards inside at nights than what his employers papers had provided. "It did not matter, as I'll just adapt." he thought whilst hallucinating the walls ever changing patterns. Three seconds from now he would leap towards the service counter, three seconds to get to the counter and one and a half second to get into cover behind it. As time passed he felt his whole body starting to shake, he hurried down from his higher position and forced his wet enhanced boots towards the counter. He cussed when the pounding of his beating heart clouded his sense of judgement. He could hear the guardsmen's heavy boots closing by in the vicinity, they must have heard something. He was sure. Nervously his hands where blindly reaching through his countless of pockets for that special item he hated to use whilst on the job. Shivering and cold he tried to refrain from hitting his boots to the wooden desk... he noticed how he allready had booted it loudly twice over allready, causing ecchos screaming in the oval hall. "A wreck on the job, such a disgrace." he thought, as he opened a tiny metal case and inhaled the powdered snuff he had earlier refrained to use.

.........

Bodhi wiped at the fish stink in his nostrils and made his way to the front of the themple. He cut through alleys and kept away from the main roads to keep notice down. Standing in the dark mouth of an alley overlooking the grand entrance to the temple, he placed the cloak over his muscular frame.

He stooped trying to look mournful as he crossed the square to the steps of the romanesque building. Coming through the main entrance he stood just inside the doorway as drizzle began to fall throught the low clouds. A brazier stood near the entrance and he hovered there as if he were fridgid in saddness as well as the frosty night.

He watched as temple members, preists, pretesses, and general rabble entered and exited the premises across the marble tundra and into the temple proper. So far he went unnoticed, people had no interest in interacting with mourners. No one knows what to say to the widowed so they remained away.