Kintobor

OoC: Sorry, fixed my statement.

"I do not have any time frame in mind, but I imagine your investigation may take more than a day. I have heard the village of Knothole has an inn, so feel free to stay the night. As for contacting the ship, unless any of you have the ability to contact my communications officer through the use of magic, no, you will not. I will not be able to advise you in this mission, as much as I would like to. It is currently Harvest Week, and celebrations are happening across the planet. It's not too out of the realm of possibility that you three might be in the village to celebrate the holiday. If there's anyone you wish to speak to, I can see about having them speak to you. As for exploring the ship, I am afraid not. Some areas of the Satyr's Song are off limits to anyone other than the crew for safety purposes. I hope you understand, Polaris."

Zaria moves to D1 and strikes Creature B. "Once this one's been slain, I will focus on the last one likely standing. We will get Varen up!"

Zaria lets out a short, curt laugh. "Ha! Merei, allow me to prove my worth with a blade when I have the backing of my allies!" Zaria strikes the creature with renewed vigour.

"Bers, with all due respect, I am part of a spy ring, not a group of mind readers." Ezra chuckles. "I am aware of some of your... prior exploits: the job you did in Cosmopoli, and your designation as a warbot. A few other things came up, but nothing too exciting. Needless to say, I do understand loneliness being a driving factor in finding work. A few of the crew members aboard the Satyr's Song were looking for friendship and camaraderie." Yelana Nature Check (DC: 1): (1,3,3) Three Failures Yelana isn't quite sure if the starbolt phoenix could be used for anything related to her occupation, other than being kind of a neat pet. "Harrigan has status as a League citizen. He was born in League territory, and is therefore granted citizenship. The reason the ITA has not gotten involved is because we do not want them involved in this matter." Ezra takes a long sip from his wine glass before continuing, looking to Yelana. "Ark Victoire's security council and the ITA do not always see eye to eye on matters. As much as I do appreciate their assistance when necessary, what this operation requires is a more delicate touch. I do not need the ITA rolling up into Knothole and banging on doors during the midst of a cultural observance." He places his goblet down and looks each of the heroes in the eyes as he speaks. "So do not go around and performing actions that would get them involved." Yelana Insight Check (DC:1): (3,3,4,5) Two Successes "As am I. If this individual does happen to not be Harrigan, and this all happens to be a series of happy coincidences, you will still receive the money promised for completing the job put forward to you. Of course, I'd prefer him in custody, Miss Fennix." Yelana seems confident Ezra is being truthful and open to the party. If he was being deceitful, he wasn't doing a good job of hiding it. She also gets an inkling that although Ezra might have past experiences with Harrigan, he would prefer to see justice run its course and Harrigan be arrested for his crimes to stand trial. His interest seemed more in the heroes safety should they find themselves in trouble over following a legal procedure. Yelana Insight Check (DC: 5): (2,2,4,6) Two Successes Ezra smiles back at Yelana with a smug grin. "The reason we hired Heroica, Yelana, is that the security council considers your organization a potential third party in our affairs. We are providing your guild with a job of this calibre to see if it is as qualified and "elite", like your associate, Bers, said it is." Ezra returns to cutting a piece of fish from his plate, eating it, and chewing it while grinning at Yelana. She wasn't sure if he was lying, telling the truth, or leaving out any information. "I am familiar with your background, although I will admit getting information on you Polaris was the toughest. Ne'xo Chi is not a place League diplomats and spies tend to find themselves, so I did have to go out of my way to finding the information. Nevertheless, you are in capable hands, Polaris: the crew of the Satyr's Song will ensure you and MILES are taken care of as representative of the Commonwealth." Ezra finishes his fish, wiping his mouth with his napkin and looking satisfied with his meal. "Delicious, as always. I do hope you enjoyed the meal prepared. We should be taking off shortly-" As Ezra comments, the sound of the gravity locks keeping the ship in place disengage, emanating with a loud "THUNK". The soft hum of the frigate's engine purr through the vents as the ship leaves Ebria Spaceport in the direction of Aluriel. Just as the ship leaves the dock, the doors to the cabin open as a woman in a white dress enters, her attire accentuated with numerous golden pieces of jewellery. Her staff, embroidered in golden runes, also has hoops and bells attached to it. As she entered, her clothing jangled and jingled, announcing her presence. Her long, brown hair sways as she approaches the table. "Captain Nezzar, I- Oh, my apologies, sir, I did not mean to intrude!" "No, no, that is fine. Heroes, this is Dayna Vielight, priestess of Irvator and our communications officer." "How do you do, heroes?" She bows towards the heroes before turning to Ezra. "I just received our confirmation from Aluriel. We are good to land at these coordinates at the spaceport you requested." She hands Ezra a handwritten note which he examines thoroughly. "Very good, officer, see to it this directive is given to the helmsman, and ensure that the bridge crew have the aethergate prepared for us." "Aye, captain!" She salutes to the captain and waves to the heroes, giggling to herself as she leaves the room at a hurried pace, the sound of her jingling jewellery following her. "We will be arriving at Aluriel sooner than later. Is there anything else you wish to discuss with me before then?"

Zaria, brushing off the initial attack with little energy, grins, adrenaline rushing through her. "Is that all the strength you could muster?" Zaria swings her khopesh into the creature in C1 (which I believe is creature B). "Let us focus our attacks on the same creature, Merei! The less combatants we need to contend with, the better!"

"I suppose that is a succinct way of putting it, Bers." Ezra nods as he eats another piece of fish, looking back to his plate to cut his fillet into more manageable bites. "Skreaaooo!! Swab the deck! Batten down the hatches! Port to starboard!" Ezra chuckles as Rorrick begins barking commands. "Starbolt phoenixes are known for their speed and grace, but also their ability to mimic speech. He's been in my family for a long time, and when I took up my commission I brought him with me." Ezra picks a piece of fish off his plate with his fingers and lifts it to Rorrick, who inspects it curiously before gently grabbing it with his beak and devouring it. "I would prefer it if you do not damage anyone unless they are being a hostile threat to you. Should Fix-It turn out to be Harrigan in disguise and he attacks you, I would expect nothing less than for each of you to defend yourselves, as is your right." Ezra's eyebrows raise in interest as he wipes his mouth with his napkin, setting his cutlery down and looking to Yelana. "My job involves dealing with a number of people, Miss Fennix. You and I are cut from a similar cloth. Information is our occupation and gathering it is our specialty. It is only natural I would go digging through what I could find on you three as a means to ascertain your ability. Despite some issues, I believe the three of you are more than capable of handling the situation if you work as a team." "We have quite a bit of information on Harrigan, actually. Before he became a pirate, he was a mechanic working contract jobs. The war broke out and the need for ship hands and mechanics increased exponentially, and Harrigan, like many others, joined up with the League navy. After the war ended, the need for these mechanics decreased, and Harrigan was one of the last to be discharged from the navy. A few years later, he hooked up with some of his former shipmates, retrofitted a ship, and flew off into the stars, beginning their crime spree. The tip-off came from a turn-coat. Said turn-coat is currently experiencing a reduced sentence in a League prison." At the mention of magic, Ezra shrugs his shoulders calmly. "It is entirely possible that Harrigan used some kind of magic to teleport himself out of the area. We have no reports of him using magic personally, but he might have had someone else cast it for him. As for Knothole, it was fairly close to the crash site of the Red Hand. In the end, though, these are questions your report should answer." "It is a possibility Harrigan is responsible for Teclion's disappearance. I am not ruling that out, but I also do not know the ground situation. My only believe about Harrigan being in danger is the disappearance of our contact. If the contact hasn't responded, it means something has gone awry. Harrigan has made a number of enemies, but most individuals in Ark Victoire's intelligence council understand the penalty for acting out of order before Harrigan makes it to trial. Former associates on the other hand... hmm, I wouldn't rule out the possibility of other pirates, either loyal to Harrigan or otherwise, being involved somehow. Harrigan had few friends, and not all of his fleet was destroyed in the battle above Aluriel. Again, without knowing the situation in Knothole, I cannot give you a clear answer." "I can provide you a picture of Harrigan once we make it to Aluriel. His wanted poster shouldn't be too hard to pull up. I assure you, this is an instance of you will know him when you see him, you won't need to worry about getting- oh what are they referring to it as nowadays? Cancelled? You won't get cancelled for confronting Fix-It, Miss Fennix." Ezra groans at the use of modern parlance. "I would prefer in that case you try and apprehend him, but if push comes to shove, kill him. I can handle the political minefield that you three are not equipped to handle. This operation was put under my purview, and if a trio of mercenaries put a blaster round into Harrigan's head, it'll look less bad than if one of my men did so." Ezra gently lifts his wine glass to his lips and drinks from it silently. He swishes the dark purple liquid around before placing it back on the table. "I have answered quite a few of your questions, and yet I have not had a chance to ask some of mine. Heroica is a new organization: not nearly as entrenched as many others in the galaxy. I am curious. If you don't mind me asking the three of you, what made you join Heroica?" Ezra clasps his hands, elbows on the table as he intently waits for the heroes responses.

"You should try your best to ensure Fix-It stays in one piece." Ezra responds. "I think by responding Polaris' question you will have a better understanding of why I want him alive, Bers." "Anything you do not eat will either be stored in the galley for whoever wants it, or I suppose you three could take some with you if you care for some takeaway. Although, Knothole, and most of Aluriel, are in the midst of celebrating Harvest Week, which leads up to the Day of Solitude, so I can imagine you won't be at a loss for food on your mission. I can understand enjoying owls more, but I find Rorrick to be an affectionate and helpful ally when I need him." The bird coos as his name is mentioned. Ezra scratches his chin in contemplation at the mention at the missing informant. "Perhaps I should elaborate what I want from you. I imagine the missing informant did not merely go missing. Teclion was a trusted informant for Ark Victoire, and his disappearance is deeply suspicious. Aluriel is a fairly safe planet. There are criminal elements, and beasts do stalk forests and valleys, but it is nothing akin to, say, a planet further from the sphere of influence of the League, or even the Empire for that matter. As much as part of me wishes to believe he went missing, I suspect foul play. I have reason to believe that Fix-It is danger, and the League council of Ark Fraternite wants Fix-It alive for trial. Your job is to ensure that nothing threatens Fix-It's safety before my crew and I grab him for travel back to Ark Fraternite. I also would like you three to snoop around and figure out if Mr. Fix-It is actually Harrigan or not. Harrigan was described as having a large black beard and a scrap metal cap protecting part of his head. He is also an O'Kor'Uk. Shouldn't be too hard to find, as the description left by Teclion matched Harrigan's description. If there is something that threatens Fix-It and our attempt to bring him in front of a judge, I want them removed from the equation. I also would like you three to see if you can come to a decisive conclusion as to whether or not Fix-It is Harrigan or not. You are not here to pick up Harrigan and arrest him." Ezra rubs the bridge of his nose with his hand. "So please do not attempt to do so."

Ezra squints his eyes judgingly at Bers as he begins to listen to music. He side eyes the confused musicians and shakes his head. They continue playing. "Yes, I am certain Rorrick very much enjoys your music, Bers, don't you?" Ezra turns to Rorrick, still nodding. "Skreaaooo! *click click*" "Well then, Miss Yelana, wanting to get straight to the chase? I can appreciate that. Why don't we begin to dine before our banquet goes cold, and I can go over the details?" Ezra takes his seat at the head of the table and places a piece of fish and a few scoops of salad next to it before finishing by topping up his goblet with wine from a corked bottle. "I understand the three of you have all been involved with at least one job prior to this one, no? I did a fairly thorough background check on each of you before I made my final decision on who I would be hiring for this job. Quite the curious things I found..." Ezra muses on the subject as he begins to cut into his fish with a fork and knife. The sound of metal cutlery lightly clanging on plates hovers over the sound of the band. "No matter, I am certain, as Miss Yelana stated, you want to know more about this mission. Please listen as I fill you each in on what your job is. I have hired the three of you to investigate an individual on behalf of the intelligence council on Ark Victoire. For the past few months we have been searching for a notorious criminal known as Gorthizar Harrigan: a skilled warrior, an even more skilled craftsman of ships and weaponry, and last and most importantly, former captain of the Red Hand of Doom: the flagship for a pirate fleet Harrigan oversaw. He has been plundering League territory for quite some time: zipping his fleet in and out of shipping lanes and hauling off with credits, goods, and guns for the underground markets. For the past two years, from Drandora to Aluriel, he plundered and stole his way to infamy, but eventually the League had enough, particularly Aluriel. Ark Victoire has spent a vast amount of resources to cast a net wide enough to catch Gorthizar, and six months ago we almost had him. The security council on Ark Victoire had been notified of a raid Harrigan was planning in Aluriel's atmosphere by a tip off, and above Aluriel's skies was was where my comrades ambushed the pirate fleet. The Red Hand of Doom went down, regrettably crashing onto the surface, with all hands aboard accounted for and either found dead or arrested at the scene... all except for Harrigan. The manhunt has continued in this matter since then, searching for a ghost and investigating numerous dead ends... until very recently. One of our contacts on Aluriel reported that Harrigan had been spotted yet again on Aluriel's surface, this time in a small village called Knothole. However, he was not the cruel, reviled pirate captain he was known for, but rather went by the name Mr. Fix-It, and was kindly and generous to the people of the town. Heck, people seem to actually idolize him. Before we could receive anymore information on the matter, our communication with the informant worryingly went dark. We have not heard from him since. Your job, heroes, is two fold: figure out who Mr. Fix-It is, and ensure no harm comes to Mr. Fix-It. You are not being hired to be judge, jury or executioner: that will be the job of League courts. I am certain you three have questions regarding the situation, and I will answer them to the best of my ability." Ezra continues to dine on his meal as he awaits the heroes responses.

Yelana Insight Check (DC: 2): (4,4,4,5) Four Successes Yelana gets the feeling that beneath the charm and diplomacy, something is bothering Ezra. Although her initial thoughts on the job made her believe this was a low-level operation, it's clear something is lingering on the captain's mind.

MM Note: Fixed. Ezra waves his hand in dismissal, charmingly smiling at the chimeran. "Miss Polaris, I assume? I would have prepared this feast for any guest aboard the Satyr's Song. Fresh lobster, fish, and crab; hand kneaded artisan bread; fruit and vegetables, grown farm fresh, and wines from the finest vineyards: all of this came from Aluriel." He motions to various dishes laid across the table as he speaks of them. "It is my gesture of hospitality to you before your mission begins and as we set off." At the mention of the bird, Ezra turns to the creature with a smile. "Ah, I see you've taken an interest in my starbolt phoenix, Rorrick." The phoenix bobs it head up and down before whistling and clicking it's beak. "Skrea! Hell-oo! Skrea-ooo!" Rorrick greets the party, not unlike a parrot. "Beautiful bird, isn't he?" Ezra scratches the starbolt phoenix underneath his chin as it leans into his finger, clearly enjoying the affection through the clicking of his beak.

OOC: Zaria will move to C2 and attempt to meditate.

Zaria bull rushes to D2, Khopesh in hand. "Merei, move back behind me! I have you covered." OOC: Zaria should be down one point of spirit and she's bonded, not blinded. Also, the Enhanced Vision spell is attached to her holoscroll, and not actually a spell she has with the rest of her known spells.

Zaria goes with the more traditional option, choosing the cake. “Well, couldn’t hurt to also have the cake. I’ll have to find a way to fit it into my training regimen. Hmm…”

Zaria's khopesh comes out of its sheath as she prepares a warding bond. She wasn't taking chances in this situation. "I do not like where this is going. Demons, possession; I do not what is causing this, but we are getting to the root of this evil and destroying it." She gives Merei a side glance before turning to the rest of the group. "How do we want to handle this? I do not think the captain is in full control of his faculties."

"Alright, I've got word in from the captain of the Satyr's Song. Bers, Yelana, Polaris; the three of you are heading to Aluriel aboard the Victoire vessel. This note also says to bring your appetites... whatever that means." Chosen Heroes for Mission 8: The Enigmatic Mr. Fix-It Bers (Dutch-Thriceman) Yelana Fennix (Classic_Spaceman) Polaris Ursaring (samuraiturtle) Mission Master Note: Enigmatic Mr. Fix-It goes up Saturday. Thank you for signing up, I hope you guys are as excited as I am!

Zaria stops as Illbery waves his gun around. She figured she could take him, but she was more concerned with his poor health and the sinewy tendrils growing around them. “Captain Illbery? We were hired to look into the disappearance of this freighter. My associates and I would prefer if you put the gun down.” Zaria sheathes her khopesh, but a growing unease grows in her gut. She was no diplomat, and a desire to prepare a warding bond was cautiously welling inside her.

Zaria backs off from the capsule with the... thing inside, keeping a wary eye on it. "Very well. We can move on, but I still believe this creature should be destroyed."

"I think I understand enough to know it is dangerous, Merei. We have a responsibility to destroy this thing to ensure what happened to Bugsy does not happen to others." Zaria replies sternly. She was more concerned knowing this creature was present on the ship than anything else, but while it was here it was seemingly a threat and it should be dealt with.

"If we have any means to, I say we incinerate the damn thing." Zaria says bluntly. "If it is what we believe it to be, the creature that killed Bugsy, then it is a menace to us and others. It should be destroyed."

Zaria stashes the plasma potion on her person for the time being before turning her attention to the capsules in the room, looking to see if she could identify the contents inside.

Current Sign Ups for Mission 8: The Enigmatic Mr. Fix-It: Bers (Dutch-Thriceman) Yelana Fennix (Classic_Spaceman) Polaris Ursaring (samuraiturtle) Mission Sign Ups End Dec. 10th "Hmm... seems a mission just came in." Thorvald begins to prepare Enson's green tea as Heisenberg pulls out a pocket watch from his pocket, frowning. He mumbles to himself. "Erm... runnning behind schedule... well, I should be off, heroes! Much to see around here, much to do!" He exuberantly proclaims, placing his watch back into it's pocket as he stands up, cigar still in hand. "I do hope we meet again soon: Yelana, Bers, do take care now." He bows respectfully to his two compatriots and begins to make his way out of the hall, a trail of smoke from his cigar wafting behind him as he leaves.

Zaria cocks her head in Kirwin’s direction with a quizzical look, her eyebrows furrowed. “Kirwin, the drinks are already free back at the hall.” Zaria pauses for a moment before correcting herself. “I believe the drinks are free at the- now you have me second guessing myself. Let us continue investigating this room. Drinks and comfort come after we’ve finished our job here.”

Zaria tentatively steps into the science lab, sword drawn and at the ready. She ignores the computer and heads for the desk with the drawers, investigating it's contents. "I think Greenlaw's not in here, Merei. I do not know what we were expecting to find, but maybe not finding anything was the best outcome for now."

Is Father Grogmas showing up with a sack full of loot to hand out to good adventurers?