The Hunters :: Setup 1

X

Xindaris

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Original poster
The bill was up a month in advance. It was a simple bill: Wanted: Able-bodied people, in need of coin, to form a band of hunters. Share coin from each hunt equally. The rest was a place, day, and time to meet. And, one by one, they did come. Perhaps none of them expected to find a grizzled old man missing a leg sitting on the other end of the table, inviting each in turn in his gruff tone to sit down while they waited for the others. Perhaps some recognized him as the bartender, for he had not been able to post the bill more than a block or two from his home and place of work.

Angar didn't much care what they thought of him. He sat there, fixing each one in turn with his iron glare. He knew how to look friendly, but now wasn't the time. They were going to be fighting together, and he would need to have an idea what they could do for him. Any old soldier could take one look at a guy and tell how strong he was, how confident; but a good general would know better than to make assumptions.

When it was a half-hour after everyone was supposed to be there, he finally sat up. His hunched stature had hidden just how large the old veteran was, but now he towered over most of them. He cleared his throat, and spoke in a rumbling, growling voice. "Well. I think it's safe to assume we're all here. I'd say some introductions are in order. If we're going to work together, we need t'know who we all are.

"I'll start. I'm Angar Lockspeer, thirty-year vet'ran of the Itheran army. You may not have guessed it, but I can't go with you on the hunts. I'll do the bookkeeping: Find good contracts, divide up the money. I hope you're all alright with taking equal shares of each bounty. Nobody's work is unimportant. I've got some good contacts, I know who t'ask about what and how t'negotiate; any bribes we need'll come out of my pocket. I'll also give you any advice I can on how to handle a hunt, but you all should know things rarely go as planned. You'll have t'improvise."

He made a sweeping arm gesture that included everyone in the room. "Well, go on and introduce yourselves, if y'don't mind."


((OOC here))
 
V had arrived exactly on time, to the minuet and as their new patron finished speaking decide it was the time to talk.

"Mr. Lockspear." the monotone was a practiced one and V spoke before anyone else could. Useful question should get priority after all.

"I'm sure your record is very exemplary but as an accountant and assumed leader you will provide lodging for your cohorts?"

V unfolded a piece of paper that had been held since the meeting was meant to begin waiting for the opportunity to speak.

"I think its fair to ask for board and lodging here in your establishment and for privacy in our downtime." The elf's eyes flicked to Angar to judge his reaction, then to the others.

"Vilanomius Surefire, former apprentice to Mage Durton and his better at arcane theory." that should answer their obvious question.
 
Kable rolled his eyes. Yet another elven mage that thinks Mental agility makes up for a lack of might. Kable had seen the notice pinned to the pub wall and had decided to join the team as the muscle, teams like this could always use more muscle in his opinion. "Kable" he growled simply. "I break things and find things. Tha's me job." he was stood by the door with one hand on his whip, he'd seen these meetings go wrong before. "Tha' be all ya need ta know about me." it was a short introduction, but an efficient one. He'd work on being nice once he knew that he could trust and work with these people, especially the elf. He looked to the rest of the room. the team could be deciphered vaguely at a glance, elf mage, half elf fighter, human ranger, half human thief and himself. Or at least that's what he assumed. Just 2 front-men... one of which wasn't even a man.

Teams like this could always use more muscle.
 
The werewolf had been slightly early, mostly by chance. She took a seat in front of the table, opposite Angar, but was only using the front third of it or so, and her arms leaned on the table in front of her. The chair was a simply made right angle of wood with legs, so her tail would have nowhere to go if she sat back; as it was, its tip hung loosely off the left side of the seat's back. Her sword was at an angle, its hilt leaning on her right side, some of its blade on the chair and the sharp tip not quite putting enough pressure on the wood floor to puncture it.

She made no move to turn around and look at any of the others when they introduced themselves, but her ears turned slightly toward each one. When she finally did sit up and turned her upper body sideways to half-face the others, it was mostly for their benefit. "I am known as Iradel," she said in a quiet, reserved tone, "an unjust outcast from among the house of Rashal. I am a lycanthrope, and in full control at all times, like all of my family. Keep silver from me and I should be fine."
 
IC:

Ashe had traveled from quite far when she heard rumors of someone in need of bounty hunter. Inside the little place where the meeting was being held, she was the one who arrived early and sat in a corner for a while, rocking her chair with her legs on the table, out of sight of most. She needed some rest and found dark corners best places to have a little doze. Although her ears were sharp and her eyes would looked from under her bangs that covered her eyes. Quite a bunch showed up and it took her a while to figure out that the old man was the one who called them. Angar as he called himself introduced himself and Ashe listened intently.
"I'll start. I'm Angar Lockspeer, thirty-year vet'ran of the Itheran army. You may not have guessed it, but I can't go with you on the hunts. I'll do the bookkeeping: Find good contracts, divide up the money. I hope you're all alright with taking equal shares of each bounty. Nobody's work is unimportant. I've got some good contacts, I know who t'ask about what and how t'negotiate; any bribes we need'll come out of my pocket. I'll also give you any advice I can on how to handle a hunt, but you all should know things rarely go as planned. You'll have t'improvise." He made a sweeping arm gesture that included everyone in the room. "Well, go on and introduce yourselves, if y'don't mind." 'heh yeah sure as if none of us here knows how to improvise' Ashe thought to herself, most of the people were bounty hunters only 1% would be newbies to this profession or none at all and here he was telling us about improvisation. And as far as the money was concerned Ashe would get away with her right full share even if it was not given to her under some ugly scheme,

Ashe knew how to handle herself and felt it a drag for people to introduce themselves but she did as she was told after hearing one and the other speak.
"The names Ashe, call me demon if you like cuz that's what I am. Let me know if there's more you people would like to know." Ashe's voice spoke from the corner in the same posture she sat, legs on table leaning back rocking the chair, face covered in her scarf and eyes hidden under her bangs.
 
Angar looked around the room at the four of them, and nodded at each introduction. To Vilanomius he said, "I don't own this place, but I'm sure I could arrange something real cheap with the owner if you don't have anywhere else to stay." Then he stood up, balanced unevenly on his real and fake legs. Finally, he reached under the table and pulled out a portrait of a young-looking elvish woman wearing a fairly plain mage's robe, then set it upright on the table in front of him so everyone could see it. "Okay, this is our first mark. Her name is Thera, and her brother wants us to find out what's happened to her. She's the apprentice of an old mage with a tower out in the west side of town, and she's supposed to have a day off every week to see her family. It's been two weeks and her brother hasn't seen her. Neither she nor the mage have shown up in the market to buy alchemy supplies, something he needs regularly."

He leaned forward on the counter, bringing himself closer to everyone. "We want her alive, but this isn't exactly a capture mission. If there's nothing really going on it's easy money, just find out she's okay and report it to her brother for a reward. But I've heard some rumors about that tower's door opening and shutting on its own, and none of my contacts have seen the wizard in th'last two weeks either, so it looks like there's something fishy going on. This is probably a rescue mission, I don't know from what. In light of that..." He pulled out a scroll from under the table, and passed it across the table in Vilanomius' general direction. "This scroll's a teleportation spell the mage gave to her brother in case of an emergency. It's supposed to be a simple, self-contained scroll that anyone can read to use, but I'd still rather trust a real mage with it. It takes everyone in a radius of a few feet from the caster to the top of the tower. The only other way in is the front door, and it has a sealing ward that would be a lot of trouble to undo unless it just happens to open up when you get there. Anyway, the tower's attic is a place no intruder should know about, according to her brother, so if there is something funny going on you may be able to take it by surprise from up there. It's up to you whether you use it or not, it was given us free of charge and he doesn't care if we use it or not, long as I give it back if we don't."

He sat back down. "So, you all decide what t'do from there."