Milkman

The Light In the Darkness

Ash looked in awe for a bit before he regained composure. The sight of the interior was truly marvelous, a true sight to behold. Then he noticed it too. The palace looked way to prestine to be natural. The forces of time, wind and weather seemed to not have affected the place at all. Was this the magic of Anthedon at work? The wizard died like 300 years ago. Shouldn't the magic have worn off by then? I not, the wizard was amezing.

"Yeah, this certainly looks like an upgrade from the dirt I've been sleeping on for the last few years. It looks so new and fresh. Are you certain that this palace is over 300 years old? Nothing shows wear at all. This place even smells way too clean to be natural. No funny smells at all, except for Monty over here." Jested Ash lightly as a reverence to Armontillado's work as a mortician.

For a moment the young man looked around. There were so many buildings in the compound that looked like a village of its own and they had to check them all. "So that big octagonal building in the center first? Or do we want to split up to cover more ground quickly?"

The Light In the Darkness

Ash looked at the gate and stood in silence for a moment. The place looked familair as if he had seen it before and yet it looked like most forts in this region but then in pristine condition. The walls and gate reminded him of what he was shown in visions and dreams throughout the past 4 years. If the palace of Anthedon truely existed, this must be it.

Many people had been searching for this place. For fame, fortune, ultimate power. You name it and somebody had used it as motivation to find Anthedon's palace. But not Ash. The truth was, Ash wasn't sure what he would find here. He only had visions of the outskirts of this humongous building and an instinctual drive to find it. Ash wasn't even sure on what he was searching for.

Ash walked up towards the gate and positioned himself next to Alyssa. "My tribe always told that the sky was our roof and the dirt our floor. But this doesn't look too bad either."

The Light In the Darkness

Name: Ash Greymane
Gender: Male
Age: 19
Race: human

Appearance: Ash has a rather unremarkable physique. His muscle tone is almost non-existent and he’s of rather average height. His brown reddish hair is rather wild and unkept. For those with a sharp eye it is clear that he just cuts it himself when it gets too long. His skin tone is rather tanned.

Probably the most remarkable features are Ash’s clothes. His simple pants look like they are at least several sizes too big and are held around his body with a leather belt that is easy to open up. He tends to wear simple peasant shirts and is mostly seen traveling with a bag of many spare clothes.

Around Ash’s neck there is a leather strap withs holds the fang of a wolf.

Backstory:
Ash was once a member of a nomadic tribe from far beyond the borders of what once was the great kingdom of Omicria. Connecting with your spirit guide was of great importance within the culture and considered a vital step towards adulthood. As a rite of passage all members of the tribe had to journey on their own for a month into the wilds in order to find and connect with their spirit guide when they became 15 winters old. During their journey, the tribe members had to rely on the skills they were taught and connect with their spirit guide in order to gain the wisdom and courage to survive the harsh conditions. Not everyone that undertook their journey returned home.

Just like all the other tribe members Ash ventured into the wilds on his 15th winter. The conditions were freezing and food and shelter hard to come by. Conditions deteriorated by the 2nd week as the worst snowstorm in a decade hit the area. As the young man’s body started to give in to hunger and the freezing conditions Ash could hear the wolf's howl in the distance. At that moment he was sure that he would be one of the people that never returned from their journey.

As his mind went black he suddenly had a vision. It was as if his spirit had left his body and was now flying close above the ground in the woods at a rapid pace. Forward, left, right around the tree. Then momentarily waiting behind the bushes before continuing. And then there was this smell. Something that the young man had never smelled before and yet he recognized it. It was the smell of deer. His mind was following the scent of the forest creature. As his spirit journeyed on, he could see the deer. Slowly Ash closed in on the animal and then he leaped.

Suddenly the young man woke up. The last thing he remembered was his dream about chasing the deer. And then he tasted it. The taste of blood in his mouth. His hunger was gone too. As Ash looked around he saw the carcass of a deer. It looked as if it was eaten by a predator. Did he do it? Did Ash somehow hunted it down with his bare hands and ate it raw? As the young man looked closer he saw a fang sticking out of the carcass, a fang of a wolf. Ash had found his spirit guide, the totem of the wolf.

As the month passed by Ash returned to the camp of his tribe only to be met with an eerie silence. What should have been a place full of life and fires was now a place of silence and death. Only the vultures circling above occasionally disturbed the silence with an occasional skreek. The camp had been raided and his tribe had been massacred. All the winter supplies had been taken and what was left was nothing more than burned out tents and rotting corpses. There was nothing to return to for Ash.

And then it happened, a vision. It was as if ash was high in the clouds looking down on a wandering lone wolf. As he followed the creature different landscapes passed until it stopped before the largest door he had ever seen. A building so humongous and big towered before him. At that moment Ash knew that his journey wasn’t over but just beginning.

Powers:

The shamans tell that everybody has spirit guides but not everyone shares a strong connection between them. Many people live their entire lives without noticing the signs and opening up for connecting with them. The shamans also say that spirit guides come in many forms. Some are ancestors that have deceased many generations ago while others are celestial beings from beyond time and space. For Ash his spirit guide is the wolf. A predator that the shamans associate with freedom, loyalty towards friends and family, perseverance and survival.

Spirit guidance: The guidance of the spirits manifest themselves through visions, dreams and signs. The spirit guides often show things, imagery or share experiences but never provide clear answers. The role of the guide is not to say what to do but to help those who they guide to find their own path.

Feral senses: Ash’s senses are highly developed. Even in his human form his senses are vastly superior to regular humans. He can distinguish the different smells of individual creatures from a mile away and his hearing and sight is far more accurate than that of a regular human.

Shapeshifting: Ash can borrow the power of his spirit guide and transform into a large bipedal wolf creature with razor sharp claws and teeth. In this form Ash’s is much stronger, faster and more agile than a regular human. However as this is borrowed power, Ash cannot maintain it for long periods of time not to mention that his spirit guide must agree to grant Ash this power. If his spirit guide believes Ash's intentions are wrong or the situation does not warrant the use of this power, Ash is not allowed to tap into it.

The Light In the Darkness

Sounds interesting :)

Winds of Fate - A Thieves' Adventure (Semi-Tabletop)

Neh’miah He’ron

Location: The Faded Lantern

The quality of the food presented by the self-entitled lord surprised the young thief. He didn’t expect lord Vargass to waste such a fine selection of meat on the lowlifes like them. For a moment Neh’miah wondered why their financial benefactor had presented them this feast. It almost felt like this was intended as their last supper.

Neh’miah’s eyes went across the table as he watched how the others gobbled down the food. Manners were certainly not everyone’s strong suit, not that it mattered much. They weren’t gathered around this table to impress each other with their refinements after all. No, the table manners we're not the things that would make a difference. It was the skillset of each individual gathered that mattered.

Neh’miah watched how Vargass and Solage interacted. Those two certainly had a peculiar relationship. Were they truly on the same page? Or where they just dance around each other pretending to be partners. If they were not, Solage seemed to be in a huge risk of overplaying her hand.

The young thief was about to leave the table when he heard Marengo’s remark about stealing. ”Ha, as if there is anyone worth stealing from among the sorry lot that gathers here” Replied Neh’miah joyfully as he was making his way to the bar where he would spend his hard earn coin on food and wine for all the beautiful ladies that were willing to put up with his ramblings about his antics and adventures from the past, present and those who would still had to come.

Drunk from all the wine and far deeper into the night then intended Neh’miah stumbled towards his quarter in the tavern. As he fell down on the bed he noticed how bad the world was spinning. Laying on the soft sheets felt like he was on a galleon in the middle of an autumn storm. Not that the thief actually knew how it was to be on a ship, let alone in a storm. As the first lights of day entered through the window, Neh’miah fell into a sleep so deep, that even the knocking on the door by Percival did not wake him up.

Winds of Fate - A Thieves' Adventure (Semi-Tabletop)

Neh’miah He’ron

Location: The Faded Lantern

Neh’miah knew that Vargass was right. He had spotted the wanted poster and noticed that many of the kingsguard were in town today. With all those soldiers looking for him, it would be hard to move around town. Let alone to liberate some coin from some wealthy people. Leaving Guillan certainly seemed the best move for now. The young thief raised his pint of ale and looked around the table to his future companions. ”To fame and fortune!”

It was true, that it was an odd bunch that had gathered around this table. A bunch of weirdo’s crazy enough to go on some wild goose chase to some ancient tomb far away, or at least far away from Neh’miah’s perspective. The thief had never traveled much beyond the walls of Guillan, let alone sailed on a ship. The only time he actually boarded one was to steal something from a merchant.

For a moment the young thief thought about what they could encounter on their journey and that he should prepare accordingly. There might be pirates and others who want to raid the same tomb. Maybe some aggressive animals and not to mention that he had to make it to the ship without the kingsguard noticing him. Neh’miah could better make a list of items that Percy should acquire for him. Quickly the young thief grabbed a piece of parchment and writing gear from his pocket and started to write some stuff down.

Pistol shot
Gun powder
Easy to hide daggers
Torches
Leather cloak with hood
Crowbar
Thiefs tools
Backpack
Hair Dye
Small mirror
Cosmetics
Perfume
Expensive and fashionable clothing usually worn by rich merchants
Merchants hat.

Once Neh’miah was done writing down the list he turned towards lord Vargass’s assistant. ”Percy, please fetch these items for me.”

Winds of Fate - A Thieves' Adventure (Semi-Tabletop)

Neh’miah He’ron

Location: The Faded Lantern

Once more Lord Vargass missed to grasp the brilliance of the self titled master thief Neh’miah Heron. Leaving the harbor is the most easy part of stealing a ship. The difficult part about stealing a ship is that you have to become the legitimate crew first. That way you can sail out of the harbor, way beyond the reach of any city guards or other nasty law enforcing figures and stage a mutiny to seige control of the ship.

Of Course that required that you board the ship with enough crew to operate the vessel, that the crew actually have the right skills to sail, navigate and maintain the ship and that the ship has enough supplies for the trip. If the mutiny was successful, the ship would never reach its destination and the owners would assume that it was lost at sea.

An almost perfect plan from the inflated head of Neh’miah except that scouting out the vessels, assembling the right crew and somehow getting them to replace the existing crew by noon tomorrow was something that could not be done in such a short timeframe.

So Neh’miah decided to go with the proposal of Vargass but quickly changed his mind when Solage spoke that she could do it too. Neh’miah did not put much faith in the words that left the woman’s mouth. It was a gut feeling that she was lying about at least some part of what she was saying yet the young man was entirely unsure what parts were true and what were the lies.

Just as Nora entered the room the young thief turned his attention toward Solange. He believed that it was time that the woman put her money where her mouth was. ””I’ll go with your offer. Even if the price is worse, it still beats getting on Nora’s bad side. You don’t want to know what that vixen does to people that piss her off.” Spoke Neh'miah with a flirtuous smile.

Winds of Fate - A Thieves' Adventure (Semi-Tabletop)

Neh’miah He’ron

Location: The Faded Lantern

”Yes, the one and only. No better thief on this side of the ocean then me.” Spoke Neh’miah joyous. As he looked at Y’vanna while listening to her sarcastic remark ”You’re Y’vanna, the head that consumes more grog than an entire brigg crew on a daily basis, right? Anyway, I don’t have a ship…...yet. We could always steal one” Spoke Neh’miah confidently as if he was stealing ships on a regular basis.

However before the thief could cook up some elaborate scheme to steal a ship, his attention was attracted by the other women at the table. Neh’miah did not know the woman who introduced herself as Solange and yet there was something familiar about how she spoke, her mannerisms and her body language. In a way, it reminded him of his mother.

For a moment Neh’miah followed her movements with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion. There was something off about what this woman said, however the young thief could not entirely pinpoint out what it was. However, Solange was right about one thing. Having Neh’miah on your team is more valuable than the gods.

As Solange traced her finger around the young thief's shoulder, he could not help but to feel that she was playing him. This kind of behaviour Neh’miah had seen many times before. Solange shared the profession of his mother. And yet while knowing this, he still bought kinto her game.

”Oh? Vargas wants to pay for a ship? That could be interesting, depending on what the man, I mean lord of course wants in return for his investment.”

Awareness roll to see if Neh'miah is understanding what Solange is doing.

roleplayerguild.com/rolls/21143

Winds of Fate - A Thieves' Adventure (Semi-Tabletop)

Neh’miah He’ron

Location: The Faded Lantern

It surprised Neh’miah how smooth the scam went. The Baron was still clueless when he left the estate and even the splitting of the loot went without any fuss. His plan was truly a masterpiece crafted by a thief who’s skill and intellect was one in a million, at least in his own mind. The young thief was certainly convinced he had just pulled off the perfect crime.

Laden with his new found coin, it was time to celebrate. It was the festival of the Crescents and the ale should flow like swollen rivers during the autumn rains, or at least as heavily as that fucking rain outside. Quickly Neh’miah pulled the hoodie of his leather coat over his head to protect himself from the downpour that was falling from the sky.

The young man was barely around the corner when a small crowd staring at a wall attracted his attention. Apparently they were all staring at some wanted poster and arguing about what the criminal had pulled off that the king's guard was this busy hanging up posters all over town. Quickly he looked over some men’s shoulders just to see who’s mug was on the piece of paper and much to Neh’miah’s own surprise, he was staring at his own face.

The baron and the sheriff were moving a lot faster than the thief had anticipated. If they were hanging up wanted posters at this hour the streets would be closely monitored by the king's guard. Not that those losers would pose any threat but still, he’d better be careful not to get recognized by those government dogs or law abiding citizens.

Quickly he continued his journey to the Faded lantern. Lord Vargass was a shrewd businessman who certainly realized that too many guards around his place would be bad for business. Neh’miah was certain that the self-entitled lord would have paid off the sheriff to not sniff around too much at his tavern.

Much to the young thief’s relief he did not spot much guards on the Sea-side market square. With only a handful of people and a huge crowd on the streets, Neh’miah deemed it unlikely that the guards would spot him when he undertook his casual stroll towards the Faded Lantern tavern and inn.

As the young thief entered the tavern he could see that the atmosphere was already joyfull. The grog was certainly flowing wildly already and most people were too busy in their conversations and activities to notice the next patreon entering the establishment, not that he feared that someone would alert the guards of his presence. Thieves don’t rat eachother out. It’s bad for your reputation to sell the competition to the law.

As Neh’miah made his way towards the bar he dropped his hoodie while passing some muscular Tork guy warming up near the fireplace. He had never seen the man before so Neh’miah did not give him much attention. After all, it was probably some foreign sailor biding his time before he would depart again.

As the young thief arrived at the bar he noticed that Percy was not on his usual spot. One of the other bar keepers informed Neh’miah that he was upstairs, doing some business with lord Vargass himself. Knowing both men, that usually involved some shady dealings and the prospects of coin.

However when he reached the top of the stairs, a scene that he preferred to stay out of involved in front of his eyes. The self-entitled lord was giving his employee a proper scolding. Apparently poor Percy had given the private table to some drunken sleaze without consulting the boss. However what happened at the table peeked Neh’miah’s interest. The story of an ancient tomb teeming with loot sounded like a good opportunity to gain more coin and boost his reputation. Not to mention that being eighty kilometers away from the sheriff for a while would not be bad either. However the missy seemed clearly out of her league.

”That’s an interesting tale about an ancient tomb you’re telling, it certainly piqued my interest. So please continue your story. If the prospect of loot is good enough I might offer my help and that is far more valuable that what the gods have to offer.” Said Neh’miah with a bit of a smug on his face as it sounded that the lady was navigating uncharted waters and had no clue how to do it.

Winds of Fate - A Thieves' Adventure (Semi-Tabletop)

Neh’miah He’ron

Location: Baron Devalal Astly’s estate, Guillan
Time: Late morning
Interacting with:

It was unusually busy around baron Astly’s estate. The usually quiet courtyards were now bustling with activity. Gardeners were laying the last hand on the elaborate mosaic patterns of flowers while other workers were setting up various tents and other assets on the neatly mowed lawn in front of the baron’s luxurious estate. Everything had to be in perfect order because the festivities of the Crescents were only a few days away.

The celebrations revolving around the second crescent moon of the summer was a tradition among the inhabitants of Guillan. Many would hit the streets and visit the many taverns and inns of the city but not the high and mighty. The Guillan upper class would host their own private parties. The one more grandiose then the other. The wealthy would leave no coin unspent in an attempt to outdo each other. Throwing the most memorable party of the Celebration of the Crescent would uplift anyone’s status to infinity, at least until the next round of parties was due.

Needless to say that such an exorbitant amount of spending has a certain appeal to a certain kind of people. Where the coin rolls in great numbers people with less honorable intentions are bound to show up. That’s why we find Neh’miah Heron under the employment of Baron Devalal Astly.

“My lord, I have found a wine merchant who is capable of supplying 20 barrels of the most exquisite wine in Guillan. He does ask a hefty price but in my honest opinion, I believe it’s worth it. Those barrels were intended for Lord D’arta’s The Crescent banquet. Imagine the humiliation he suffers when he is unable to serve his guests the finest of wines.” Spoke Neh’miah resolute as he made a deep bow as a sign of respect towards the baron.

The young thief was well aware that he had made the baron an offer he could not refuse. Status was everything in the highest echelon of Guillan society and Neh’miah had just offered the baron the opportunity to publicly humiliate one of his rivals. He was sure that Baron Devalal Astly would take the bait.

The old baron had stoically observed the preparations for his feast when Neh’miah approached him. His festivities had to be the best of the city this year. He could not afford to lose again against Lord D’arta. With a inquisitive look he stared at his servant. The young man had only been in his server for slightly less than a month but he had proven his worth on more than one occasion. Where most new servants would act timidly this man showed confidence in his own abilities and was well informed about what was going on in the city. Neh’miah was certainly trustworthy in the eyes of the baron.

As the old man turned his head towards the servant in front of him his stoic look on his face did not disappear. “What is the price?” Asked Baron Astly swiftly.

Neh’miah looked his employer right in the eye. This was the moment he and his compagnon had been working towards for the past two months. Without even flinching his eyes the thief named the price. “He’s asking 18 gold per barrel, my lord.”

The thief knew that this price was outrageous. A barrel of exquisite wine would change hands for slightly more than half that price so close up to the festivities. Something the baron was well aware of and yet, this was the first offer he communicated to the Astly. Throw in some fake haggling and Neh’miah was sure that the baron was willing to pay 12 a barrel just to spite one of his competitors.

Before Baron Astly could respond the thief continued to speak. “It’s an outrageous price, my lord. I am well aware of that. The merchant is playing you against lord D’arta to drive the price up. I’m sure we can negotiate a better price than D’arta can offer. Your estates are far more profitable, my lord. Lord D’arta’s coffers pales in comparison to yours.”

For those who are in the scamming business, it was more than clear what game Neh’miah was playing. He had been working hard to gain the baron’s trust. All in preparation for the grand finale, the sale of 1 barrel of wine and 19 filled with seawater. In order to accomplish that, Neh’miah had made sure that the transaction would have a personal touch for the baron. Feelings of animosity towards a rival would cloud the man’s judgement and make him more eager to close the deal. What the old man didn’t know was that the wine merchant was actually an accomplice of Neh’miah.

The young thief could see Petrov, his accomplice waiting patiently near the gate of the estate. Even though Neh’miah had done such scams numerous times, he could feel his heart pounding. This was the part where it all came down to. It was make or break. That break would be literary if the old baron would catch wind of the scam at this point. Baron Astly had a reputation of fierce retaliation to whomever did wrong to him. Nonetheless, Neh’mian took the risk. For a master thief like him, no risk was too great and no target too dangerous. Or at least, that was what he was telling everybody including himself.

A smile filled his face when Neh’miah approached Petrov. He could see that the man had followed his instructions to the letter and dressed himself up in the most expensive garment that he could lay his hands on. Just like the nobility, merchants tend to flaunt with their wealth as much as possible.

“My lord, allow me to introduce Petrov peroski, wine merchant and sommelier from Bavoria” Spoke Neh’miah even more resolutely as before to mask his nervousness as this was all or nothing. If things would go south here he would be in deep shit, six feet of deep shit to be more precise.

Petrov bowed deeply towards the old baron. “It’s a great honor that such an exalted baron is willing to consider my services, my lord. I’m willing to sell these 20 barrels of exclusive Bavorian Wine for a fair price of 18 gold per barrel.” Spoke Petrov politely.

Baron Astly looked agitated at the merchant in front of him. To the old man it was clear that he tried to get a ludicrous price out of him. Such ways he would not tolerate on his estate. “It is indeed an honor to you that you are allowed to my estate with your wares only to insult me with your outrageous prices! Get out of here right now!” Shouted the baron agitated, as he was clearly a man not to be tempered with.

“My lord, wait. Please keep in mind that these barrels were intended for lord D’arta and allow me to negotiate with the merchant. I have worked at the docks and I am well aware of how these men think. I’m confident that I can get you a fair price for these barrels and a victory over your rival.” Said Neh’miah swiftly when the baron responded in a way he did not anticipate. The young thief had to speak out of turn and go against the judgement of the baron. Something that was extremely uncommon among servants to any highborn or even wealthy merchants.

Baron Astly turned his head towards his servant. First he looked agitated and Neh’miah feared that it was because he went against the high born’s wishes however the old baron’s face quickly changed to a smile. “You certainly are a bold one, mister He’ron. But that is what I like about you. Your audacious nature reminds me of my young days. With your attitude you will do well in life.Go fetch me a good price.”

The baron turned his head towards the merchant and spoke again. “My servant. Mister He’ron will conduct the business. But before he can negotiate prices, we need to check your wares.”

Neh’miah could feel the tension in his body skyrocket as he knew that only 1 of the barrels actually was filled with Bavorian wine. The others contained just seawater. For a moment he exchanged glares with Petrov as he could only hope that he had remembered to place the right barrel in front. He had to keep the charade up at all costs, there was no room to cross the path of the baron here. If he would somehow try to talk Astly out of a preemptive tasking it would surely cast suspicion on himself. With his heart pounding Neh’miah quickly spoke. “My lord, I agree with your judgement. It would be sensible to taste the wine before purchasing it. I do not wish to question mister Petrov’s honor but I have heard of occasions where shady merchants tried to sell poor quality wine as exquisite Bavorian wine. With your reputation at stake, it is certainly wise to rather be safe than sorry.”

The young thief’s eyes followed Petrov’s moves as the man calmly bowed before the baron. He could feel his sweat run beneath his fine clothing as he heard his accomplice acknowledge the high born’s request. Neh’miah’s brain went in overdrive as he contemplated different scenarios. He knew that at this point he could still try to ditch Petrov if the ruse got exposed. Try to convince baron Astly that he had nothing to do with Petrov’s scam and walk out unscaved. Some might consider that a dick move but the only person you could truly trust is yourself after all.

Neh’miah’s head felt like it could explode any second now as watched his accomplice bring out a fine crystal glass and approche the front barrel. With a swift move of his hand, Petrov opened the crane and the young thief could see the purple liquid flow from it into the crystal wine glass. His anxiety flowed away as he watched his master taste the wine with content.

“Aah, nothing tastes like the fine Bavorian wine. One of life's few true delights. Mister He’ron. You have my authorization to negotiate a fair deal.” Spoke Baron Astly resolute as he was delighted in the prospects of putting some rain on Lord D’arta’s festivities.

Neh’miah knew he had reeled in the big fish. He and his accomplice quickly went into their act of bantering about the price. Neh’miah and Petrov had practised this routine numerous and after 15 minutes of acting out a fake negotiation, both men finally settled on the price of 11 gold per barrel. The price was above market value but Baron Astly was willing to pay that none the less because he believed that he was setting a competitor back in his place.

With the deal done, the baron paid Petrov 2200 gold for what he assumed was 20 barrels of fine Bavorian wine. Neh’miah had to keep his smile in check as he realized that he had just made the biggest score out of his thieving career so far. A huge sum of money fitting for a master thief like himself. But as far as his own imagination goes, this was just the beginning.

Neh’miah brought the barrels to the wine cellar of the estate. There they would remain untouched for the coming few days. More than enough time to slip away before the scam gets noticed. The only thing left to do now was to meet up with Petrov this afternoon in the Faded Lantern and split the loot. What could possibly go wrong at this point?