A Herring Without A Shrew - RPLOG
Participants
Date
12/8/478
Log
The Freeswords guild is all a buzz with activity, the new blood looking at the easy missions, rescue a cat, build a fence, and all those simple jobs while the more experienced ones are looking at the more dangerous jobs. In a corner stands a representative of the merchants who posted the contract, but rather surprisingly he is not surrounded by eager sellswords as one would expect. The chubby and nervous looking graceful clan chimpanzee bites his thumb as he looks around, waiting for anyone to accept the job.
Around him, 'friendly' Freeswords warn others in hushed whispers about the job from the merchants.
Zuri makes his way through the throng of beings, taking note of the various jobs and smiling at all the new faces. He himself had spent not much time in the Freeswords' guild proper, and was eagerly catching up on all the goings on by chatting with some of the beings he recognized. The jovial salamander, walks past the chimpanzee being at first, but pauses and doubles back when he notices the absence of being willing to take on whichever job he seems to be offering. He steps forward, waving at him to catch his attention. "Hello Sir!" He looks around, at the small clearing in the crowd created by the beings that seemed unwilling to go any closer to the merchant. "I assume you have a really dangerous job lined up huh? What's it about?"
Thelergramor looks over the various contracts and other freeswords, stroking his muzzle ponderously... Primarily interested in the job for the chimpanzee, not caring much for the warnings given. He knows bandits, doesn't consider it to be too difficult from the sound of the job. The basilisk, for he tends to be a basilisk when working, heads on over to the chimp, smiling behind his plague mask as he approaches him behind Zuri. He says nothing yet, simply listening for his response to the salamander.
Elijah lumbers over to the job boards and looks to the nervous chimpanzee with a grunt. "You the guy needs help with some Cliffside bandits?" he rumbles, "I figure me and Grizz could help you out." He hikes a thick thumb over his shoulder at his gigantic, gleaming golem that looks like a mechanical twin to the bear himself.
The chimpanzee practically beams as he sees not one but three beings answering the call! The chimpanzee quickly shakes his head, "The job is not dangerous, and as far as we know the bandits are from Sweetwater. It is just that someone started a rumor that we are actually tricking people into attacking a Cliffside guard post to aid in our smuggling operation. But that is preposterous!" the chimpanzee says with a shake of his head, "But people were quick to believe that especially with that recent thing in Braevales, they say that the contract owner posted it in the Freeswords. I mean obviously the guild would double check any contracts after fiasco! Idiots." The chimpanzee grumbles and sighs.
"Anyway, you are not here to hear me rant. You are interested in the contract. It is simple really. You see the Cliffside troops patrolling a certain path we use for caravans were moved closer to the city of Cliffside, something about the events there, I don't know. But because of that some bandits who dwelled in the Saltide swamps moved into that area and began hassling our caravans. The Sweetwater militia refused to help us because they are busy with the Criage, and we can't find a way to contact the Cliffside army. So now we are forced to pay for our safety! Ridiculous!" the chimpanzee quickly shakes his head, "Sorry about my outburst again..." he takes a seat and looks up at the three, "We want a permanent solution for this problem, we don't want you to kill them unless you are forced, but we want you to at least arrest them all. We don't want to see those bandits again. For that we are willing to part with a couple of carts to help, and six hundred crowns for each one of you, but if anything happens to the carts we are taking it out of your pay. Questions?"
Zuri nods slowly as the chimpanzee mentions the Braevales debacle. Best not linger on that one for too long.. He smiles at him and nods. "Everyone's paranoid right now. Don't worry, we'll take good care of it all and make it as clean as possible. Some violence will likely be necessary, if it is bandits we are dealing with, at least enough that they will think twice abou returning in stronger numbers." He purses his lips. "A permanent solution would mean either a show of force big enough that it scares them off for good, or destroying their stuff to the point it's not viable for them to return. We'll have to see." He turns back to te others, looking over Elijah appraisingly, but smiling brightly as he spots the familiar wolf in his plague mask. "I have a good feeling about this, tho! What do you fellas think?"
Thelergramor shrugs at the chimp, but listened to the whole explanation. "Works for me. Have any idea on their numbers? Bandits aren't successful unless they've got some training or numbers on their side." The basilisk would know. "We'll drive them off, though." Glances down at Zuri. "Maybe not a good feeling, but, I have more than enough experience dealing with bandits, so I'm not concerned too much." Then nods in Elijah's direction. "Elijah, nice seeing you again, yeah?"
Elijah snorts derisively. "Too damn bad," he says, producing a cigar from a pocket and a book of matches from another, "Would have been a treat to lay into some Cliffsider scum. Way more satisfying than the regular kind." He lights up his thick cigar and takes a long drag before nodding. "Count me in," he says, "Don't much care for lawbreakers either. I'll help see that they're dealt with." The burly grizzly nods to Zuri and frowns at Thelergramor, not recognizing the face, but definitely recognizing the gear. "Idiot wolf," he mutters under his breath as he makes a check over the etched steel bands around his biceps, forearms and wrists. It is probably just a term of endearment.
The chimpanzee shakes his head, "That is why we are giving you two carts. We don't want you to drive them off, we want them captured and brought here to the City Guard. You either do that or I am not hiring you." the chimp says as he eyes the, "Capture them and bring them here or kill them if forced, but we are not paying for half-assed jobs. Don't worry about one or two escaping, but we prefer if you get all of them."
The chimpanzee shrugs, looking at some papers in front of him, "Some of the caravan drivers mention that they saw about seven or eight of them. There is definitely a mage among them, the leader in fact. They also use archers, but thankfully no muskets or other firearms."
Zuri nods at the chimpanzee, listening to him. He glances sideways at Elijah as he speaks so derisively about Cliffsiders, but doesn't make anything of it. Instead he returns to smile at the chimpanzee. "Arrest them then, got it." He looks at the others, then back at the being offering them the contract. "I'm ready to go now, or whenever things are set up."
