Jacob sat in his office silently, rubbing his temples as he tried to figure out what to tell those mercenaries that would respond to his call. To say too much would be impossible to explain, and would likely make them say no; but to say to little would make them ask too many questions.

"Why did I have to grab that disk..." the imperial trailed off as he looked at the circle of gold sitting on top of one of his notebooks.

His thoughts were interrupted by the tolling of the city's bells, signifying nightfall and the beginning of first watch. Jacob stood slowly and picked his glasses up from off his desk, unfolding them and placing them across the bridge of his nose. He sighed as he reached for the disk and the notebook. The golden trinket was strangely warm to the touch and reminded him of the strange things that had been happening recently as he slid it into his pocket. With book in hand he moved to his door and exited into the hallway.

Turning, he made his way into the meeting hall, where several figures already awaited him, sitting around the room at the four tables and other chairs along the walls. Jacob made his way to the long table at the front of the room and let his eyes scan the warriors who had come to the embassy this night.

A towering individual stood against the wall to his left, his look was one he had seen before, the dark skin and tattoos of a tribal warrior from the region further south and east, but this man was massive. The hammer leaning against the wall beside him was large as well; Jacob could not hope to ever lift it, even in his wildest dreams. What little Jacob knew of others like him, and the physical presence he had in the room, he knew he needed this one’s help.

Sitting close by, but obviously not paying attention to anything, except the entrance of Jacob, was a much squatter figure. A dwarf, the researcher noted as took in his scraggly look and eye patch. Usually a reliable breed, and if he is a mercenary alike to others of his kind, this should be an easy hire, and hopefully a good one.

The third man was difficult to place, he had the unmistakable look of a sea faring man, but his trappings did not seem to fully agree with that. He did have the look of experience about him; his story must be an interesting one. The researcher reminded himself why they were here though and continued his scan.

The next table had two people sitting at it, closer to him on the left side of the table, a well dressed man of obvious nobility, probably a Breton by the way he carried himself. Not a knight though, as he spotted a pair of pistols, but he should be reliable. On the other side of the table and slightly further back, there sat a younger woman who seemed to be from the opposite end of the spectrum. Jacob reminded himself that he needed all the help he could get, and that you never know what skills will be needed.

Jacob dropped the book onto the table in front of him as he stared out at the five in room before him, and used a finger to adjust his glasses as he began, “I welcome you to the Imperial Embassy, my name is Jacob Valgeir…”

The researcher was interrupted as the door opened across the room from him; a head peeked in before the lanky looking owner of that head made his way through the door. The late arrival made his way over to one of the seats at the only empty table in the room and offered a sheepish black toothed grin to Jacob, bidding him continue.

“My name is Jacob Valgeir and if you are here, you have obviously seen the postings I have made around the city.”

“I am a researcher with the Imperial Academics Bureau, and have been sent to this land to bring back what information I can. To this end I would like to go to the pyramid tomb of a Khemrian prince from many centuries ago, Korhantop.”

“The pyramid itself lies about two days to the east, and three to the south; most of the journey being possible along existing safe trails. The danger lies only in the journey, the desert is unforgiving and there are several tribes of thieves and smugglers who prey upon the trails from each city.”

“I would use the embassy’s guards, but they do not wish to leave the city with the current problems they are having with some of the civilians who do not enjoy our presence. So that is where I need you, to protect me and my research as we go to the pyramid, have a look around and then come back here.”

“The fee for such a job is of course negotiable within reason. I do not have a massive bankroll from my superiors, but can assure a supply of water. Any other supplies you will require you will have to cover yourselves.”

“Other finds in the region suggest there will be a large amount of treasure in the pyramid’s vaults, and records indicate that no one has made it that deep within this particular tomb. So you can of course take such possible rewards into consideration.”

“So now I ask, do you have any questions, and how much is this going to cost me?”

Johann smiled. It seemed genuine.

"How much have you got?"

IC: Kyla looked at the warrior that had just spoken, then, looking at the researcher she asked. "Depends on what I go through," she said, shrugging. "I ask for pay after the job's done, so I may demand more if I have to risk my life, and so on."

She breathed in, waiting.
And to think, I'm like this man, except I have a weapon.

Freidrich thought of his family quickly; Maria his wife, Gil is son and Stefanine his daughter, he then replied " Will we get it now, or at the end of the expedition" he questioned the man.

"Arrrrrrr" Skalfi looked up at the man who seemed to be leading the expedition."How much do ye reckin' this 'ere treasure'll be worth? And I want not a penny less than 80 before we set off"


OC:I forgot what this city is called :huh:

And can anyone tell me what currency we're using?

OOC: This city I have not yet mentioned the name of, but it is named Al Qusiyah for your reference. The currency is the gold pieces that the region uses. A map will come later once we get to such a point that we need one.

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Jacob didn't like the smile, or having to make the first offer, but he thought quickly before he spoke, "I can give you a downpayment of 50 gold pieces each, that is about 27 Reiksmarks if my memory serves me correctly, but you will find that Imperial money is useless here anyway. That should be able to comfortably cover whatever supplies you may need."

The researcher took off his glasses and cleaned them with the edge of his shirt, "upon my safe return however, I do have a purse of 600 gold pieces which would of course be split amongst you. In addition, any artifacts we find are technically the property of the Embassy, but if some of the smaller items didn't make it into my findings there could be little harm in that."

Johann looked up at the man for a long moment, the smile still frozen on his face. His expressions breaking into life once more, he leant forwards in his seat, nodding in approval.
"Seems good enough to me. Three hundred and twenty-odd Marks, no? Not bad at all."
He seemed to lapse into blank silence once more, before looking back at Jacob.
"Agreed. On my part, at least." He sank back in his chair, looking at the others with another unnerving smile.

OOC: Sooooo tempted to say "We have an accord..."

"Arrrrrr,'tis not much much, but it'll do" (on about the 50 Gp) Skalfi eyed the pouch at Jacob's belt with his one good eye.
"I heard many foul tales about thee khemri desert when i were a wee lad.What'rr thee chances we won't survive?"
Skalfi let out a loud cough, as if to indicate something.
"My throats parched, any chance of a good beer around here?"

OOC:I assume we get a chance to look around Al Qusiyah beforehand? I need provisions and some more bullets.

"Very well, the payment seems sufficient. You say we can expect treasure on our voyage? That is all very well, but what sort of resistance do you expect us to run into? Simply bandits? I have heard stories about these lands, stories of creatures far worse than simple bandits..."

Leaning against the far wall, Jelani bared his teeth in a cold smile, though there was no hint of amusement in his expression. Picking up his hammer from beside him, he let its massive head drop to the floor in front of him, seemingly ignorant of the crash of impact as the weight of the weapon met the floor, and folded his hands over the leather-bound grip.

He leaned forward, well aware that he now had the attention of everone in the room, and met the gaze of the scholar in front of him.

"50 gold pieces will be fine for the down payment," he said, the deep rumble of his voice vaguely reminiscent of the echoing impact of metal on stone, with a hint of an accent unknown in the heart of the Empire. "I would prefer that any further payment be made in gold, though, rather than the treasure of the dead."

Jacob raised an eyebrow at the questions, and replaced the glasses to the bridge of his nose, looking back at them.

"There may be treasure within the pyramid, that depends on whether reports are accurate that it has not been previously looted. I expect they are, as most of the other information I have come across in my research has been quite accurate."

"As for resistance, I anticipate only bandits, anything you hear about the dead walking and other such monsters is merely superstition", Jacob stated coolly.

"Though these ones are a fierce lot, they tend to attack anyone regardless of numbers, only backing off when they realize it is no longer worth their time."

Jacob smiled lightly, "of course you seem like a strong enough lot, I doubt that you will have anything serious to worry about. The desert can be very harsh, but as long as we are prepared you do not need to fear it either."

"We seem to be in agreement as to the payment, so if there are no other questions I will continue with the details so that you know what we will be doing."

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OOC: I am going to leave a short break here to allow a possible interruption, I will resume the story tomorrow when I think a reasonable amount of time has passed if there are no questions. If there are, I will answer and continue.

"Sounds grand to me manling" The dwarf let out a smile, revealing the backened stumps that used to be his teeth."When do we set off?"

"Hold, Dwarf. I cannot speak for the others, put I know that I would like to procure supplies before we depart. At the very least, it would be nice to have some food for the trip, wouldn't you agree? So tell us, Jacob, if I may call you that, where is the best place to buy supplies? And weaponry, for that matter?"

OOC: Ah drat it! Have a friend stay the night and the Role Play moves several steps.

IC: Kyla nodded. "More than enough," she muttered, leaning against the wall. "Arrows," she muttered, silently. "Do you know a good fletcher, by any chance?"
She silently, waited for her answer.

"Ahh yes, I was just about to get to that", Jacob replied as he opened his notebook before him.

"There are four places I would recommend for purchasing supplies, they charge a fair price, and they do not gouge foreigners like many of the other shop keepers do."

"The first is a small smithy on the east side of Al Qusiyah, the owner is an old dwarf who goes by the name Flint, not sure how he ended up here, but no one is better than he in the forging of metal. If you need steel, go see him."

"Next there is this small stand run by this kid, can be a bit of a smart aleck, but he has a good eye for making bolts, arrows and occasionally a bow. If you need shafts and fletching you can buy them from him, however he doesn't do the fletching himself, since many archers prefer different styles, you will have to do that yourself. Mohammed is his name, you can find him a few buildings south of our current location and he is just looking for small change for his services."

Jacob turned a page as he checked his notes some more.

"Next is a general store, the old woman who runs it doesn't say much so I don't know her name. Can get just about anything you might need in the way of rations or other supplies from her. Head south still past the boy's stand and you would be hard pressed to miss it."

"And lastly is another general store, run by a man named Ackbar. Loves to haggle over every item, so only go there if you have plenty of time to waste but want to save a few coins. Sometimes carries Imperial weapons, such as pistols and bullets. You will have to go west to find him, but all you have to do is follow the very loud voice."

"Obviously there are other places you can go, but I warn you that they will gouge you if they do not think you are a local. Though you may be able to convince them to lower their prices, have a look around and you may find something of use."

Jacob closed the notebook and looked back up across the room, "I would like to start the journey shortly before dawn tomorrow, that way we can maximize the travelling time without getting caught in the midday sun. So, I will meet you at the eastern gates just as day breaks tomorrow morning."

"I have a sand shelter we can use during midday; it will keep us safe from the deadly sun. And at night it can be used to protect against the winds if they kick up and we cannot find a shielded location."

"As long as we travel intelligently, we should have no problems from either the desert or its inhabitants", Jacob stated as he took the pouches from his belt. Walking over to the table he dropped the six bags onto the wood with a heavy thud and jangle.

"I thank you for agreeing to take this task, and will await you at the gates before morning. If you need lodging you can either look for a tavern within the city or come back to the embassy, all Imperial citizens are welcome. I bid you all a good evening."

Jacob turned and began to walk away, leaving the group to decide how to use their night to prepare.

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OOC: Sometimes I hate computers; they just don't seem to like me. I will have the price and item lists posted soon enough, but I need to re-type them.

Flint's Steel

Battleaxe - 8 gp
Pickaxe - 4 gp
Weighted Handaxe - 2 gp
Throwing Axe - 1 gp

Morning Star- 8 gp
Mace - 6 gp
Warhammer - 2 gp
Balanced Quarterstaff - 1 gp

Polearms - 5 gp base, must have an attachment, may have two
- curved blade (+1 gp)
- hammer (+2 gp)
- pronged fork (+2 gp)
- spear tip (+1 gp)

Short Sword - 8 gp
B***ard Sword - 15 gp
Broad Sword - 10 gp
Long Sword - 10 gp
Scimitar - 12 gp
Sabre - 8 gp
Dagger - 2 gp

Shields (AC 9) - 1 to 5 gp (based on size)
Chainmail (AC 7) - 30 gp

Pistol Bullets - 3 for 1 gp
Black Powder Packet - 1 gp

Sharpening Services - (half of price of weapon, temporary +1, blades only)

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Mohammed's Roadstand

Unfletched arrows - 10 for 1 gp
Fletching
- Flight (5 arrows worth for 1 gp)
- Sheaf (5 arrows worth for 1 gp)

Crossbow bolts - 10 for 1 gp

Shortbow (+1) - 20 gp

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Al Qusiyah General Store

Dry Iron Rations (suitable for one day) - 1 gp
Other foods - 1 to 3 gp (based on rarity to region)

Clothing - 1 to 5 gp (based on quality)
Headwrap - 1 gp

Hard Leather (AC 9) - 5 gp

Rope - 1 gp (for 25 feet)
Sack - 1 gp
Pouch - 1 gp
Backpack - 2 gp

Wineskin - 1 gp (empty)

Flint and Steel - 1 gp
Lamp Oil - 3 gp (for making torches)
Cloth - 1 gp (for making torches)

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Ackbar's

Dry Iron Rations (suitable for one day) - 1 gp

Clothing - 1 to 5 gp (based on quality)
Headwrap - 1 gp

Rope - 1 gp (for 25 feet)
Sack - 1 gp
Pouch - 1 gp
Backpack - 2 gp

Wineskin - 1 gp (empty)

Flint and Steel - 1 gp
Lamp Oil - 3 gp (for making torches)
Cloth - 1 gp (for making torches)

Khopesh - 10 gp (curved khemrian sword)
Whip - 2 gp
Sickle - 4 gp
Javelin - 2 for 5 gp

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Other less easily found locations

Hochland Long Rifle (+2) - 34 gp
Crossbow - 14 gp
Chain Mail (+1, AC 6) - 40 gp
Camel - 45 gp

"Aaaaarrrr, that'd settle it then,manling"Skalfi took the pouch and dropped it in his pocket."Well then,i'm off to do some shoppin', so i'll be back in a bit"



OC:Skalfi will first pay a visit to the smithy to see if he can improve his sword,then he'll go to the old ladys shop to get some cloth to cover his head (while in the desert, stops you going delerious) and some food for the trip.Then he will go to ackbar's shop to se if he can sell his pistols for better ones.


EDIT:didn't see lucs post!

I have 72gp,so I'll get a battleaxe (8) pickaxe (12) 4 dry iron rations (16) a headwrap (17), A rope (18), some lamp oil (21) a cloth (22) and some flint and steel (23), a backpack (25), and 6 packets of bullets (31), and a wineskin (32) and 8 blackpowder packs.(40) and 6 more dry iron rations (46) And 4 more winsekinns (50)


When you say dry iron rations suitable for a day,do you mean they last for a day then go off or do you mean each ration only contains enough food for a day?

"Right then, I'm going to buy some supplies. I suggest you do the same; the road ahead shall be long and perilous, and I don't expect we shall find many places to resuplly." Jean-Jaques tipped his hat to his fellows, and swiftly turned and left, heading out onto the street on the heels of the dwarf.

OOC: so I've got 56 gp, so I'll first go to Flint's and pick up 12x pistol bullets, 8x black powder packet (for a total of 20 gp), then to Al Qusiyah's for a backpack, wineskin, 2xrope, flint and steel, lamp oil, cloth, and 10x dry iron rations (for a total of 20 gp), and save the last 16 gp.

EDIT: Just changed things up a little based on the new character sheets. Oh and Luc, after I pick up the above things, I'm just going to wander around until nightfall. If I find anything intersting, let me know.

OOC: The rations are suitable to provide sustenance for one day. A character with higher constitution does not need as many rations to keep going, but all characters will need to eat something or they will not have the strength to defend themselves properly.

And to clarify one thing, the black powder packets are good for between 1-3 shots, it depends on how rushed you are in your reloading and other external factors.

I have edited the character sheets to show the addition of 50 gp and the clarification of how much powder and bullets you already had, for those that use them. This is had not already been done since I hadn't decided how to handle them yet. Also, Johann Moescher's Business Sense ability has been clarified.

Lastly, if you are wanting to wander around aimlessly to do your shopping, say so in your post and I can communicate via pm what you find.

OC:Edited my post.I now got some blackpowder packs and some more food.


Skalfi will head off to a inn and spend the rest of the money on beer.

Johann grinned, scooping up the clinking bag and touching his forehead in almost mocking deference.
"Most obliged. I'll be seeing you in the morning, then."
He turned and walked out of the office, looking left, then right in the cool, starlit darkness of the Arabyan night. Even at this late hour, lights flickered in windows, the low, dusty buildings of Al Qusiyah harbouring a bustling trade in work of all kinds. A few of the natives had spilled onto the street, laughing and stumbling - some of the brews here were astonishingly potent.

Johann grinned again, his teeth flashing white in the darkness like a wolf's. He set off eastwards along the sand-swept street.

OOC: I'm heading to Flint's, to pick up a dagger, a dozen-odd pistol shot and half a dozen packets of blackpowder. After that, Moescher will head to Ackbar's, at which he will purchase a pack, seven portions of 'dry iron rations', and two wineskins. Needless to say, I'd like to use the bargaining skills to try and drive the prices down.

Kyla nodded and said. "Thanks for that, I'll meet you tomorrow, then."
She stopped leaning against the wall, bowed slightly, paused only to grab a sack of money (presumably) and then walked out the door.

Walking down the south streets, Kyla looked around, untill she found a small store run by a boy.
With nobody buying anything, she went to have a closer look. Arrows, or at least, arrow shafts.

OOC; 52 GP. Money time.
30 Arrows = 3 Gold
30 Flights = 6 Gold
30 Sheaves = 6 Gold
Total = 15 Gold

BIC: After several perchases, Kyla continued walking down the streets, untill coming across a store. Must be the store Jacob had told us about, she thought, walking inside. Inside there was a woman.

OOC;
52 - 15 = 37 Gold fro the earlier perchases.
Back Pack = 2 Gold
10 Dry Iron Rations = 10 Gold
Hard Leather = 5
Total Gold Left = 15.

Jelani straightened, swinging his weapon over a shoulder one-handed, a display of strength far beyond what the others would have expected possible from a human. Striding to the table, he reached out with the other hand and picked up a bag of coins, the sack seeming to disappear as he closed his fingers around it. Turning, he left the building, ducking low in order to pass through the doorway, designed to accomodate men much smaller than him.

Reaching the street, he straightened once more, stretching briefly and luxuriating in the feel of standing his full height, something which was proving impossible in the buildings raised by the men of these 'civilized' lands. Returning his hammer to its straps on his back, he turned and headed south, towards the general store his new employer had spoken of - if he was to be heading back to the desert, his clothing would need to be modified, and he would need to purchase much more in the way of supplies, especially skins of water, than he was used to carrying around.

He smiled to himself as he neared the building, barely noticing as one of the citizens of the city moaned softly and scurried off in the other direction; he was looking forward to seeing if any of the others who had been hired truly understood how difficult it was to survive in the desert.

OOC: I want 11 days' rations, and enough skins and water to last two days without access to the scholar's stores. As well, a loose, dun-brown robe with a hood to keep the sun off during the day, and a blanket for the night. Probably a pack to carry it all in, too. Just modify my character sheet accordingly, with the money gone and equipment added.

Johann continued his way down the street toward the voices he could hear arguing up ahead. The dwarf had driven a pretty hard bargain on the black powder, but had eventually given in to 14 gold for the items which had costed 18.

"Such a stubborn race", he told himself under his breath as he came to the entrance of Ackbar's, as evidenced by a poorly made banner, and the sound of loud bartering that Jacob had told him to expect.

Without any wasted motion, Johann moved about the store, procuring the pack, rations and wineskins he decided he would need for the journey ahead. As he made his way over to where Ackbar had just finished haggling with another customer, the Arabian greeted him.

"Welcome to my store Imperial, what can I interest you in today?"

"Just this bag and its contents", Moescher replied cooly as he placed the pack on the makeshift counter.

"That will be thirteen gold then my friend", the shopkeep said as he checked said contents.

Johann let that sink in for only a second as he checked his own math. "Hmm, you wouldn't be trying to gouge me would you?"

"I am ashamed that you would think so low of me, I am simply running a business here, I have no preference as to my customers."

"I think eight would be more appropriate."

"Eight? I cannot feed my family on eight, and I don't think I have any reason why I should lower my very fair price of thirteen."

"Then perhaps I should take my business elsewhere."

"Go ahead", Ackbar replied dryly.

"It's just", Johann paused for a second on purpose. "I heard that you are one of the fairest merchants around, it is too bad that I will have to correct my friends that spoke so highly of you."

Ackbar thought about that as Johann began to walk away, leaving the pack on the counter in front of him, "Ten".

"Nine, my friend, and we have a deal", Johann said as he stopped, only turning his head back toward the shop keeper.

"Agreed."

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OOC: Kael, it is already past nightfall, so I will assume you will wander around for just a little while longer before turning in.

IC: Jean-Jacques adjusted the backpack on his shoulders as he continued to search the many shops for something of interest to him. Up ahead he saw an alley that he could cut into to get over onto the next street, which he knew had a tavern on it from when he had passed by earlier. He was tired, and he decided to turn in now, this city had little to offer him.

As he entered the alley, a quick movement caught the corner of his eye, turning his head back to see what it was, he could see nothing but the bustle of a small crowd and a wildly gesticulating shop owner. Shrugging it off, the Breton entered the alleyway and could see the tavern's doors up ahead.

A light hiss caught Jean-Jacques's ear, the familiar hiss of metal leaving its sheath, followed soon by a voice.

"Drop your belongings and leave this place", the voice called to him in thickly accented Reikspeil, "Korhantop must not be disturbed."

OOC: Encounter. You have been followed into an alley, from the fact you were snuck up on, you guess there is only one attacker, any more and the footsteps probably would have alerted you, though you cannot be sure because you have not yet turned around. I need whatever action you wish to take in this situation.

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OOC: Darmort, your character already has Hard Leather Armour, would you like me to ignore that purchase? At this current point in time I have.

Freidrich, thought to himself a few moments. He knew he needed to increase his number of supplies, but he also wanted to send some home to his family. Deciding he'd decide a he'd go he picked the heavy bag up with a chink and said "Thank you, see me in the morning. I'll be around the town though".

With that he turned and headed off into the town to do some shopping.

OOC: I'll have:
-Unfletched arrows - 30 for 3 gp
- Flight 30 for 6 gp
- Sheaf 30 for 6 gp
- 10 rations - 10gp
- 3 winesacks- 3gp
- Hard Leather - 5gp
- Balanced Quarterstaff - 1 gp
- Pack - 2gp

Needless to say I'll also be bargining, and after that I'll pop down to the inn to buy drink for the wine sacks and see if I can get fresh food for a day or 2.

Ah,yes I forgot about that.Skalfi will fill his wineskin with beers from the tavern, but keep the water that the embassy gives him.

OOC; Ah, yes, ignore the armour. Thanks for reminding me.

Instead of that I'll go for 5 Wineskins, just to stay on 15 Gold (don't want anyone to kill me and get rich).

OOC:could i somehow discover jean being attacked while wandering around?

Jean-Jaques slowly moved his right hand down to the handle of one of his pistols, while turning his heal. Though he seemed to be at ease, his body was tense, ready to react to any sudden moves.

"My friend, this is more trouble than it is worth. I'm sure I don't know of any Korhantop. I'm simply here to repair my ship and go home. But in the meanwhile, I prefer it where I am at the moment, thank you. Now turn around and no one has to get hurt."

OOC: If attacked, Jean-Jaques will draw and fire one of his pistols as fast as possible and then fight with his sabre if neccessary.

Johann grinned and shouldered the pack. "You wouldn't know as to where I can find a well, would you?" he said to Ackbar, shifting the weight on his shoulder to be more comfortable. "I need to fill the excellent skins you've sold me..."
He gave an amused smile, flicking his head towards the pack.

Ackbar gestured outward of his store, "most wells are privately owned, go to a tavern or make your way to the town centre."

The shop owner went back to his business after that, another customer moving toward him and they quickly went off into their own language.

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OOC: Freidrich does not have the bargaining skill, so I am sorry to inform you Prince C. that your character has failed to successfully renegotiate the prices, fortunately for you he was not gouged in the process. Anything particular you are looking for in the way of food?

OOC: Sorry Ross, by my figuring you are nowhere near each other right now, different parts of the city entirely. No PC will be interrupting this scene.

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"More pain than you could know will come to you if you go to that tomb", the lone man said as he moved slowly towards Jean-Jacques, the sword in his hands just catching the light from the street ahead.

"If I can not convince you, I will stop you!"

As Jean-Jacques heard the footsteps accelerate in his direction, he spun to his right. His left arm whipped out to toss his pack aside, while his right drew his pistol up in a fluid, practiced motion. As the strange man came at him, his finger coolly pulled the trigger.

The crack and bang of the pistol echoed throughout the alleyway, but none in the crowds outside the alley seemed to care, the explosion nothing new to those who inhabit this city.

The man stopped in his tracks, the sword falling from his hand to the dusty ground with a clatter, as his hands went to the red hole forming in the center of his chest. Jean-Jacques could see the scarring on the man's hands, like something had been tearing at his flesh, before he fell to his knees. The low light revealed a face covered with boils and scars, the eyes rolling up as he collapsed sideways in the alley's dust.

Jean-Jacques replaced his pistol calmly and was about to pick up his pack, when a strange glint caught his eye. The dead man wore a pin upon his dirty jacket, and even from the few feet between them and the sparse light, he could make out the shape of the Imperial Seal; an embassy pass.

OOC: Over to you Kael with what you wish to do at this point. You have been awarded 100 Exp for this.

Jean-Jaques was struck by the pass upon the man's jacket. Did this clearly insane individual work at the embassy? Or was his employer aquinted with this man? These were questions that were worth investigating, so Jean leaned over and plucked the embassy pass from the dead man's jacket, then searched him for any belongings that might be unique and thus help someone at the embassy identify his attacker.

OOC: Jean-Jaques will search the body for anything that could help identify the corpse, then head back to the embassy to see if anyone is still awake. If so, and if he has found anything of note, he will try to uncover his attacker's identity. If he does not find anything, he will try a physical description to see if anyone will recognize him by his distictive dermal conditions.

Johann touched his forehead in a fleeting gesture of thanks to the merchant, looking around - with a confident step, he set off towards the town centre.

OOC: Johann is going to fill up his wineskins with water. I don't know whether I should write this all, or whether you might have events/occurances to respond to at the town centre.

OOC:As soon all skalfi's wineskins are filled with beer, he'll head back to the embassy for a good nights kip.

As the Bretonnian checked the pockets he was suprised to find that the body had nothing, save for the clothes on its back, a sword and the embassy pass. As he moved back to try and get a better look so that he could describe the man, he noticed that it looked like this dead man had been clawing at himself, the scars looking like the scraping of fingers, filling what little flesh there was between the boils and scabs.

'This is strange, let us go see if Jacob is still awake', Jean-Jacques told himself inwardly as he picked up his pack and continued out of the alley toward the embassy, the pin safely in his pocket.

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OOC: Ok, so Skalfi is also heading back to the embassy now that he has received some beer.

OOC: Chili, as for worrying about me adding something, don't, it is easier for me to work around your actions then vice versa, so if something is going to happen there will be fair interruption. As for this time though, since you paused I'll just continue it for you a bit.

OOC: Unless you say otherwise, I am going to assume that Jelani and Kyla are both heading for a tavern to spend the night.

OOC: I will continue the embassy related events later today, just have to let some time pass for other input.

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Johann stepped out of the road into the circular town center, cobblestones covered the ground in a large circle around the main well, at which a small crowd was bustling around it. As he moved closer he thought that this is probably the only free water in the city, or these people would be asleep by now.

The crowd seemed orderly enough though, there was no overt pushing, and then Johann spotted why, there was a pair of city guardsmen standing at the well while one man brought the water up and down for the people asking. He stood at the edge of the crowd and observed this for a second, and saw the exchange of small tickets.

"Hmm, I will not be able to get any water here", Johann muttered under his breath as he looked around. Down one street he could see a tavern sign rocking back and forth in its braces, the lights still on and beckoning to any traveler. Further to the north-east he could see the outline of the embassy from the glow of the light within and around it.

OOC: You can take it from here again Chili.

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Freidrich stepped into the inn and was immediately hit by the smell of beer and vomit. To his right he could see a girl attemtping to clean up the mess left by three men who had passed out at their table, from the looks of it, attempting to drink each other under it. The empty seat said that someone had probably one and was now being a drunken fool elsewhere.

The man who was now very far from home moved to the bar and was greeted by the toothy grin of a portly man, who was rubbing a mug off on his dirty apron.

"How can I help you tonight?"

"I'd like to fill these up", Freidrich replied as he placed the wineskins on the bar. "I'm heading into the desert and need something that will keep me going."

"You've come to the right place", he said as he grabbed the skins and moved over to a keg on the wall. "The locals call it the Elixer of Life, can quench any thirst, and can give you the fuel to keep moving. So they claim at least, all I know is it leaves you with a killer hangover if you take to much of it."

As he filled the skins he turned his head back, "anything else?"

"Some food would be good."

"Well, just about everything will go bad in the desert, except this stuff", the barkeep continued to ramble as he gestured to a jar strips of something. "Also locally made, steamed fruits, lasts a few days, and more flavour than those horrible rations, personally I can't stand 'em."

"Though if you want 'em it'll be 6 gp for the drinks, and I'll throw in some fruit strips free of charge."

Johann walked over to the tavern, pushing open the door: he looked around until he saw one of the Arabyans of the establishment's staff hurrying past, and stuck out his arm. Coming to an abrupt halt, the man looked round with an affronted glare. Moescher smiled.
"I'm looking for water, friend. You must have your own supply - I need to fill a couple of skins. I'll pay."

Jacob was sitting in his quiet office again. Staring intently at the golden disk which he had proped up against some books and trying to focus his mind on the task before him.

'So far so good, but it will only get more difficult from here', he told himself in his mind. He could guess by now that he was the only one of their group still alive, which means his time would be running short.

"I hope I have made the right choice..." Jacob muttered. A knock at his door jerked him back to reality, his hand darting forward to grab the disk and conceal it into his clothing, while his head turned to the door, "Enter."

"Master Valgeir, one of the mercenaries from earlier has arrived at the gates, he wishes to speak with someone of authority, and the embassy officials all left notes to not be disturbed tonight", one of the guards spoke as he opened the door and entered the office.

"Fine, I shall take care of it", Jacob replied as he stood from his chair. "Bring him inside."

The guard returned quickly to the gates where Jean-Jacques awaited him, opening it he spoke to the Bretonnian, "go ahead, Jacob will meet you in the hallway."

Jean-Jacques continued inside, his footsteps echoing throughout the hall as he moved through it. Up ahead he could see the researcher stepping into the hallway from a side door and then turning towards him.

"Ah greetings, what brings you back tonight", Jacob hailed Jean-Jacques as they came within a few feet of each other. "Looking for lodging?"

"Actually, I have a question for you."

"Ok, ask then, and I shall answer to the best of my ability", Jacob replied cooly, preparing his mind in case the question was sensitive to his quest. "I didn't catch your name before."

"It is Jean-Jacques Dupres, and I was wondering what you could make of this", the mercenary said as he brought out the pin and showed it to the researcher.

A look of surprise crossed Jacob's face at seeing the pin, "how did you come across this?"

OOC: I would like to leave this to you to decide what you leave in or leave out of your recounting, as I am unsure how much your character would be willing to say and/or trust Jacob.

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The man stared at Johann for a second and then nodded his head toward the bar without saying anything. He then pushed past Johann to continue doing his job, leaving the Imperial to wonder if the man was a mute, didn't speak Reikspeil, or was just anti-social.

Johann turned his attention to the bar and walked over, where another Arabyan man awaited him, this one not much more sociable.

"Yeah, what do you want?"

Johann decided not to mince words with this man and simply stated, "these two skins full of water." The two skins then were dropped onto the bar in front of the keeper.

Silently he grabbed the skins and went into the back kitchen, returning a few moments later with the skins, which appeared to have been drowned in a barrel in order to fill them. He placed them unceremoniously onto the bar and said, "a gold piece."

Johann checked to make sure the water was clean and, satisfied that it was, placed the gold piece on the bar before walking away with the two skins of water. It was probably time to take up suitable lodging and get some sleep.

Skalfi looked up as he came closer to the embassy, his one good eye catching the outline of a guard in the lit gateway. The dwarf grumbled to himself as he made his way up the steps to the gate and was greeted by the guard.

"Hold, what business do you have here?"

"I am looking for lodging manling", the pirate replied gruffly as he locked his one eye onto the guardsmen.

"Do you have authorization?"

"Authorization? what authorization?", the dwarf asked as he wondered why the gate had not yet been opened for him. "Go find that Jacob fellow and tell him that Skalfi Backbite was come back."

The guard looked the dwarf up and down and then stared back, obviously not wanting to go find anyone, but realizing that Skalfi wasn't going anywhere he sighed and walked off into the embassy.

OOC: To be continued...

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The massive man held the back in his left hand as he ducked under another doorway, fortunately this place had a higher ceiling and he was not forced to compress himself at all, letting his full 6'5" sink into the drunken patrons of this inn. Jelani made his way to the counter where this little slip of a girl was waiting tiredly.

"I require a room."

The girl looked up in admiration and awe at the strapping Jelani, but was able to regain herself enough to turn around and grab a key off of a rack.

"It is the third room on the left upstairs, would you like breakfast in the morning?" the girl asked of the towering man.

"Please, I shall be leaving early though", Jelani replied as he glanced at the stairwell.

"Alright, not a problem, it will be two gold pieces", the girl said, and Jelani brought out the two coins and passed them to her, "have a good night."

Jelani nodded silently and moved to the stairs. He made his way up, and as he disappeared into the upstairs hallway he sighed as he was forced to duck his head. Downstairs, the inn's doors opened again, and a woman entered, making her way quickly to the girl behind the counter.

"Good evening, how can I help you?" the now much more alert girl asked of the arriving Kyla.

"Do you have any rooms?"

"Yes, room two upstairs is still open", she replied as she turned around and grabbed the key.

"Good, how much for the night?" Kyla asked as she adjusted the pack on her back.

"Two gold pieces, and we will have food ready for you in the morning."

Kyla paid and took the key from the girl with a word of thanks. As she entered the room she tossed the pack onto the floor and collapsed onto the cot.

"Oh well, at least it is going to be better than out in the desert."

Johann swung his pack down, opened it up and pushed the waterskins down inside, packing the iron-hard rations down over them. Closing the rough linen bag, he hefted it again and looked around, before catching the eye of the surly-looking barman once more.
"Don't have any rooms here, do you? I need to find somewhere to wait 'till this morning, and this place seems convenient."

Jean-Jaques hesitated for a moment. So, this is something that interests him... otherwise, he would have just answered my question. I think I should be careful of what I say. I shall never blindly trust someone again, not after what happened in the jungles...

"I found this in an alley. It didn't look like something that would have been crafted locally, so I was wondering if you could help me identify it. Perhaps it could have some value, and I could sell it to make a few gold pieces." Jean-Jaques held out the pin, careful to make sure that Jacob was unable to snatch it out of his hand.