The Wasteful Nobles - RPLOG
Participants
Date
7/3/477
Log
Evening in Firmament, with a light shower of rain as spring approaches. Yet it's insufficient to truly wash away the smell rising from the Sweetwater - faint as it is, there is undoubtedly a stink, enough to dissuade the average being used to taking a sip. Even the inhabitants of Mange Square are generally smart enough to not pollute their own drinking water, but the occasional stretch of thin, wispy...well, gunk would be the best word for it - swirls in the otherwise clean water.
Several rugged-looking beings stand by the water's edge and a nearby grating, clearly in some sort of heated discussion while waiting for the Freeswords to arrive. No job too small...or too stinky, it seems.
Selena grumbles quietly, the wolfess moving along towards the river. Late, it would seem, though not too late. Scrunching her nose a little at the smell as she approaches, she greets one of the beings nearby. "Don't tell me the purifier's got a leak..." She half-asks, half-asserts.
Kalt makes her way through the streets with haste, trying to get close to the stink as she winces... A slight whimper rising from her as she goes to rummage in her bags to try and get a rag to tie over her nose in some manner... Though, unluckily for her she lacks one. "Creator's damnin me today eh? Ain't wantin' to go off rememberin' fertilizin' fields..." She grumbles as she approaches Selena, figuring it best to be near somebody she recognized.
Asher patters up to the gathered beings at the sewer grating. He wrinkles his nose as he draws near. He pulls a handerchief from his pocket and holds it over his sensative, canine nose. "I can already tell I'm going to regret this," he mutters as he joins the group.
Normally Dio wouldn't leave his room or camp without his prized coat, but today was a bit different. Knowing that he might have to investigate the sewers, he decided that perhaps the risk just wasn't worth it. Instead, he arrives with a simple linen shirt along with his other usual equipment. "Hoo wee," the lion exclaims, waving a hand in front of his muzzle. "Somethin' fierce I tell ya. Faster we get this done the better."
Sven looks agitated as he prowls along the river bank. "This is where stink in Sweetwater is coming?" he snarls, "Filth is floating straight past Sven's window!" Not to mention that it had kept the hefty puma from enjoying his evening swim. He glances around at the collection of unfamiliar beings, looking for an explanation.
Bite sways along towards the requested meeting sight with the large rugged folks by the waters edge. As she moves along she works some air maths to gently encourage the air around her to move away, although not so forcefully that it is hard to breathe. "That smells terrible sssweeties." she says as she approaches the group.
"Not sure if the purifier's sprung a leak," one of the sewer workers says, sidling up to the group and clearly lacking any sense of smell. "As far as we can tell, the outflow's about here -" she draws an imaginary line on the river - "'cause anything upriver is fine, but the inflow could be anywhere. Anywhere. Th' pipes are usually sealed up good so nothing gets into the dirt and from there, the water table, but as you can see..."
"In any case, we've checked by the riverbank for the outflow for a good while, and there doesn't seem to be any one source, so it looks like it's going through the dirt. Unless you have a way of tracking it, we looking for the point where it's going in is going to be a problem - hence our arguments...we're hoping that you can find it at least, so we can actually do something instead of standing around."
Selena tsks quietly and nods. "That's frustrating, to say the least..." She notes, glancing back over to the group and giving a friendly wave to the others. "Through the dirt? That's... Not a good sign at all." she mutters, then turning back somewhat. "Kalt, it's good to see you again. How've the lightbringers been treating you? Dio, Bite, it's good to see you as well." That said, she taps her cheek. "It might be possible to use some water magic to tell where the sewage is flowing from, but I haven't tried doing so in this kind of situation."
Kalt scratches the back of her neck for a moment as she's left to think, offering a wave to the gathering people and a blink at Sven, Remembering the Puma's bar antics with the gator. "Uh... Shit, we ain't able to just sniff it out an' all, findin' where all smells like shit the worst eh?" She fidgets for a moment at mention of the river, glancing warily at the water before looking back. "Figurin folks with earth math ain't gonna be able to figure it either are they...?" She muses lightly, knowing murpheys law. She perks up when Selena talks to her, shaking her head slightly. "Ain't no Lightbringer, just workin' for solacious an' all." She nods before tilting her head. "Water huh? Well alrighty then... Guessin' thats a better option than walkin on in to the sewers."
Asher shudders, then takes off his fine, embroidered vest and tucks it into his satchel. "I just know there's going to be some tiny hole that you lot will make me climb through," he says. But in spite of his words, he looks determined and ready to face whatever comes.
Dio listens to the sewer worker intently, doing his best to drown out the smell with his own thoughts and a bit of tunnel vision. However, results may vary. "Through the dirt ya day," he comments under his breath. "An' welcome to the party!" The lion waves towards the new arrivals and lets out a soft chuckle to hopefully help the mood a little. "An' a good evenin' to ya, Wolf o' Many Spells. We'll be 'eroes if we fix this I tell ya. Make a big ol' statue o' the warrior who defeated the awful smell o' the sewers an' let everyone 'ave a peaceful night sleep.
Bite smiles and waves to Selena, visibly restraining herself from hugging her. "Did someone just drop something to purposefully pollute things?" she hisses as she looks at the water, trying to without a doubt identify it, however she refrains from touching it.
Sven grins at the little dog and removes his own shirt, as well as his nice shoes and shoving them into the arms of one of the workers. "You are taking very good care of Sven's things, da?" he says, then turns to face Selena. "If you are needing water folk," the meaty cougar puffs out his exposed chest, "Then Sven is for you!" He loves the water and the water loves him! Sven grins at the lion, "Da! Big heroes of sweetwater!" he crows.
"Leaching is never fun. We'll need to do some tests, but hopefully the water table should clean itself up without too many problems once we get rid of the leak. But...well, do whatever you want to. Just let us know when you do find it, yes? That's what we put up the notice for - you'll be paid, of course. If you have any more questions, just ask."
Selena nods, rubbing the back of her neck at the restraint shown by Bite. A few momentd pass before she does cede a hug to the taipan. "Just not every ten minutes, all right?" She comments, turning back to Dio and the others. "You have too many nicknames for people, Dio. Isn't 'Selena' less of a mouthful?" The wolfess chuckles. "I do have a question, actually. What do you think the source is? What's most likely. It could be a useful place to start."
"It's likely to be domestic sewage. It doesn't smell like the stuff that's usually comes out of the tanners down by Mange Square, for example, or the rotting fish so close to the wharfs. A crack in the sealant can be enough that over time, nastiness can accumulate. Last time this happened was some years ago - we'd be able to tell better if there were bits and bobs, trash that would help us identify the source, but all that's seeping through the dirt is gunk."
Kalt looks to Sven and Asher, mumbling as she looks at her armor. "... Ah shit." Unbuckling and unstrapping the plate before setting it into a neat pile next to herself, left in just her brown linen shirt and pants as she looks back to the scene. Picking her belt back out as she ties it on so she'd keep her axe and saber at the least. "... You don't be thinkin' it'd be too deep down in there eh? I uh... I ain't all too good with swimmin' an' such..." She looks to Sven and Asher, then up to Dio whom seemed the king of nicknames! A smirk spreading across her features before looking back to Selena, figuring she'd follow the lead of someone she had met before.
Asher looks at the sewer grate with a gulp. "So, we have to go down INTO the sewers?" he asks. "I'm not a great swimmer either," the corgi says, waving his stubby little arms for emphasis.
While everyone talks, questions, and plans, Dio starts stretching, rolling his shoulders, and really gettin' ready for some serious walking and whatever is needing to be done. "I ain't in a soul that's too good at usin' water magic, so I'll leave ya'll to it," he says, taking a small leap and nodding his head to confirm his readiness. "An' nickname 're plenty fun, lass! Ya should give 'er a go. "Jus' give me a good point an' I'll seal up that leak so fast the entire planet will be smellin' like a bunch o' flowers."
"Not into sewers, little doggy," says Sven, "Into beautiful water to find where sewer is coming in!" The puma stretches and jumps up and down a few times, as if preparing for a race. "And you are not worrying little doggy and pretty fox lady," he crows, "Sven is the best swimmer! He will not let you sink!" The hefty cat kneels down by the water's edge and reaches out with his water mathemagic. "Odd," says the cougar, standing, "Stink is come from that way," he says, pointing toward the castle and the noble quarter. He blinks a moment at Dio's statement, then erupts into laughter, slapping the lion on the back with a meaty paw. "Sven is very liking funny lion!" he guffaws.
Bite smiles and nods to Selena. "Deal." she giggles as she looks to Sven. "I can help with that too you know. I don't know who would be faster but I can certainly swim." she hisses to Sven before lowly commenting to Dio "Just not you." She looks the direction Sven points and moves along to search for a likely culprit, not wanting to dive into the murk before hand. She does strip her outfit down to a modest two piece however.
Selena nods, stretching herself out and nods. "Sven's right. As best as I can tell it's coming from the castle district. Asher, Kalt, I think we're in luck for now." Shw chuckles, starting to make way through the sprawl of the city to the awfully uptown manors and courts, tracing the flow to... Just outside of the Solacious manor. The wolfess pauses for a moment, peering to the ground. "As best as I can tell, this is where the problem's coming from." She says with a shrug. "I guess the tunnels from a while ago did some more damage than I thought they might..."
Kalt picks up her gear and follows after Selena, carrying the armor as she figures she'll need to don it soon enough anyways. When they arrive at the spot on the ground, she looks down, then back up to Selena. "Uh? S'that gonna be'nuff, or we gotta go down?" She seemed most interested in the descent or no descent part. After all, if they didn't need to descend she could put on her armor. "N'what tunnels?"
Asher is glad for the ebullient Sven's offer of help, but even more glad that he does not have to slog through the sewers yet. The little corgi trots after the others as quickly as he can. The canine is surprised when they arive at the gates of the Solacious compound. He's as curious as Kalt about these tunnels. "And if we ARE going down," he asks, "How are we going to get under the manor?"
Dio let out a small surprised grunt after getting a fine slap to the back, but being a creature of close contact, he certainly didn't seem to mind. In fact, Sven gets a fine friendly back slap of his own! "Good on ya, lad! Dio's the name an' travelin' is my game ya see. Walkin' 'round the place just 'appens to land ya in trouble more than sittin' still as ya can imagine. Anyways, good to meet ya Puma o' Infinite Energy. An' I smell plenty good, snake lass! The smell o' experience. Anyways, let's go fer it. Check out the rich folks an' nobles fer any strange activity."
Sven laughs as Dio introduces himself. Ah! So this was the lion everyone had told him needed swimming lessons. The puma could tell he would like this lion. Though he was less certain about this'scent o' experience.' "Da!" he crows, "Sven is also great explorer!" He swaggers off after the others. "Someday soon," the cougar drawls in his thick accent, "New friend Dio is sharing drink and tails with Sven!" Sven gazes up as the others stop. "We will go in? Da?"
Bite giggles profusely at Dio as she shakes her head, looking to Selena. "We can try to open a path but we'll likely cause unwanted property damage sssweetie. Do you think they'll let us in to see if that's the trouble?" she quizzes her friend as she looks around for any other ideas. "Maybe someone can see if they're doing something right now that would cause these problems? Are they disposing of something nearby?" she adds as an after thought.
Selena nods, g
Kalt's words ring true - it is likely, alas, that they will be required to go down - it is, after all, quite unlikely that one is going to be able to diagnose a sewerage leak from street level, especially through the neat, clean cobblestones that pave the roads. It's also counter-intuitive that such foulness could be flowing all the way from this district...but the magic doesn't lie, does it? In any case, one has to wait and see what the group decides to do next.
Selena nods, gazing over the manor. "A long time ago, there was a string of robberies in the castle district. We fou d out they were being conducted through a series of tunnels under the castle district. Most have collapsed or been filled in, but I don't know if they were ever properly assessed..." She notes, sighing quietly. "Well, as long as Mirana isn't in..." She grumbles, moving over the to the gate's guards. "Pardon me, there's been a sewage leak, and ghe origin has been traced to this area. I was wondering if I could check thr basement of the manor to see if I can get a better ide of the location from there. I have a feeling it's related to the tunnels that were used in the strinv of robberies a few months ago."
Kalt sighs with relief as the guards move to the side to let them in, turning to wave the others forward before looking back to the guards. "Uh, these folk's n'such are with me an' all. They're gonna be helpin' patch up whatever's wrong if'n we're findin' it." She nods to herself, staying put as she hoped the guard would allow Dio, and Sven in with her. "I'll be escortin'em an' all honest too!"
Asher patters in after Kalt, nodding and smiling to the vaguely familiar guards. This was so much better than being dragged through the sewers.
"O' course, o' course!" Dio exclaims, giving off another friendly laugh. "A good drink o' two o' three o' seven an' ya can get all the tales ya want. But fer now, we gotta solve that stinkin' problem we got goin' on. Can't drink in that atmosphere," he says matter of factly, as if ignoring his own scent. "An' some tunnel robberies? That sounds like somethin' out o' a legend! Could cause some leakin' that's fer sure." As he finds himself in front of the gate, the lion waves and smiles. "Good to see ya 'gain, lads! Been a bit o' a long time since the last time I've been 'ere."
Sven swaggers through the gates, barely noticing the guards. They looked just like all the others, anyway. No personality, these gate guards. The hefty puma feels around again with his water magic, but can't get any better of a sense than, 'somewhere around here.' "We are going down, I think," he drawls as the group enters the manor. He remembers the great hall well enough from the dull parties held there, mostly bereft of any important Solaciouses. "Kitchen is that way," he says, pointing out the door he had retreated through when he could stand the tedium no longer. "Sven thinks dungeon is best place to start," the cougar says, assuming it will be the lowest part of the manor.
Bite enters the Solacious Manor and proceeds to follow the others around, seeking the basement door. "They have plenty of personality when you meet them off the clock I bet. It's good to hold back on your baser nature when it might embarass such a high ranking name." she hisses and nods.
The dungeon? Well, the obvious aside - considering that some uncouth characters are being held there and that no one from the family is with the group to allow for admittance - one doesn't usually find plumbing in a dungeon. Instead, the basement is where Selena and Kalt lead everyone, the former's water sense leading them past the root cellar and right down to the plumbing where every single washroom in the manor connects. Further down appears to be the source of the leak, and yet the only way forward from the final room everyone finds themselves in is an impressively large vertical sewer pipe leading into the ground. A small grate sits in its side, perhaps to vent off foul gases, just about three feet wide...could anyone squeeze in?
Selena nods politely to the guards as they part, making her way into the grounds and the building proper before beginning to hunt about for the cellar... Then glances over at the grate. "Well, I can make that hole larger if we absolutely have to..." She sighs.
Kalt looks at the grate as it just sits there, seeming to taunt them. Her gaze flicking slowly to Asher, then back to the grate. "Uh... Ain't figurin it'd be smart to just be sendin on folk in eh? Ain't really no way to be openin' it up bigger without' damagin lots... An' if all ya'll do that, I weren't never round here!" She nods to herself, ensuring job security first.
Asher's ears droop as he sees the pipe. It was bound to happen. Good thing he had been working off some of those extra pounds with Fenris. "I could fit down there," the little corgi offers, though that would probably be painfully obvious to anyone in the room. "Just tie a rope around me, and I should be fine," he says, patting his sabre and giving what he hopes is a brave smile.
Eyes falling upon the gate, Dio crouches down low on the ground and lets out a large laugh. "Oh hoh, straight to the source. Didn't take too much investigatin' at all! Now then, suppose it ain't to fair to make the little lad go down there if he don't want to, but if ya do, I'll 'elp ya out and hold the rope fer ya if ya want," he says, flexing his muscles and uncoiling a rope from around his waist. "Thought this might come in handy ya know."
Sven squats down and thumps Asher on the back. "Little doggy is most brave!" he crows with enthusiasm. The puma looks thoughtful for a moment. "But you are needing light," he looks around for a solution, "Gas and fire will be bad mix."
Bite blinks as she tilts her head, a thought crossing her head. She hisses "Back up sssweeties." as she works some fire magic, and a spark ignites into a bit of a flare. "I'm not sure how breathable this is but it is flammable." she adds after she finishes. "I'm not sure how plesant it would be but maybe some air math wouldn't hurt to go with him?"
Sven steps up to help Dio with the rope. Waiting for Asher to prepare himself before taking his position.
"Good luck to ya lad," he says, tying the rope around the cute little Asher and making sure it's nice and tight. "Now remember, tug on the rope twice in quick succession if ya want me to pull ya up quick. It'll hurt, but it'll hurt less than what'll get ya if ya don't o' course," he chuckles, giving Asher a fine pat on the shoulder.
Bite works a little air magic to help clear the gases out for Asher's safe travel. "Good luck, don't be afraid to ask for help." she says with a nod.
Kalt makes her way to lean on the wall as she watches the group work with the entrance for asher. "Now Asher, if'n anythin' goes comin' for you with teeth or such, just go off givin a hollar you hear? We'll uh... Be figurin a way in then I'm supposin." She shrugs gently not so certain herself.
Asher strips down to his breechcloth, belting on his rapier over his furry belly, just in case. Then he waits as Dio carefully knots one end of the rope around his waist. On a whim, he digs a large handkerchief from his discarded trousers and ties it around his face. "Ready!" he says, lowering himself through the grate, then letting the rope take his weight. The corgi starts to feel his way carefully along the pipe, looking for signs of cracks in the dim light from the open grate.
The sight that greets everyone isn't the minion of an Old One, but may as well be. Generations upon generations of noble fox crap have accumulated in the manor's cesspit and fermented into something that can only be described as positively foul, deep enough to drown in - a most unpleasant fate.
More importantly, it would appear that the usual sealant of nonporous stone has managed to either break or corrode away - it's hard to tell in the dim light - but whatever the case, it's clear the cesspit has gained another discharge of considerable size. The road, it would appear, ends here.
Asher gags and nearly vomits. "Creators, Gods and Bone dragons!" he chokes, "Pull me up! For the sake of all that's holy, PULL ME UP!" The little dog starts climbing the rope even as Dio starts to hauling. "We've found the ultimate source of all evil!"
Kalt keeps her hand over her nose just in case, asher's holloring perking her ears. "Well damnations. Guessin' it weren't too difficult to go figurin' on out were it? You still got your lunch Asher?"
Hearing the yells and feeling the tugs, Dio immedietly pulls up the poor little Asher as quickly as he possibly can. "I'm gonna save ya, lad!" He shouts out until he finally retreieves the corgi. "Tell us what ya saw, lad! Was it a bunch o' dead bodies? A spirit? Ol' one?"
Sven helps heave the little dog from the pipe. "Little doggy friend is alright?" he asks, looking for evidence of the bone dragon that Asher had been screaming about.
Bite giggles profusely at Asher's exclamations as he is pulled up. "Is there treasure down there? Maybe worth going to get?" she adds to the questioning playfully. "So did you see what to fix?"
Asher sits silently for a moment, holding down his lunch as best he can. The fact that he had just been dipped in that vile cesspit was almost more than he could take right now. "Cesspit. Hole. That side," he chokes out gesturing to where the new egress had formed in the Solacious Family's least pleasant treasury. There was one myth about the nobility down the proverbial drain. And the literal one.
Selena paces back from the stairwell as the commotion begins, calmly noting, "Well, nobody seems to be too fussed with this little escapade." She notes, cringing a little at Asher's revelation, rubbing her forehead. "That is not pleasent..."
Kalt whistles lowly as she watches Asher, just keeping her arms crossed as she remains leaning on the wall. "Well then, guessin' we know what to tell the folks n'such right?" She grins and gives a thumbs up to Asher. "Good job though buddy! Ain'
Kalt whistles lowly as she watches Asher, just keeping her arms crossed as she remains leaning on the wall. "Well then, guessin' we know what to tell the folks n'such right?" She grins and gives a thumbs up to Asher. "Good job though buddy! Ain't easy but'ya did it!"
Sven blinks in confusion for a moment, then laughs a deep belly laugh, stopping only after choking on Asher's. . . distinct new cologne. "Ugh!" he wrinkles his nose, "Now we are throwing you in ocean, little doggy!"
Dio leaned in, excited to hear the mystery that laid bellow, only to discover the dark secret instead. "O-oh..." is all he can mutter for a few moments, dropping the rope upon the floor and leaning back quickly. "Well... Mystery solved it seems! I like helpin' an' all that but... I'm sure the Solacious manor would know jus' what to do! At least I 'ope so," he coughs, rubbing the back of his neck. If anything, the Solacious probably wouldn't want this matter getting out. Pride and all that.
Bite breaks into laughter as she doubles over in her own thoughs. "What will folks say!" she hisses inbetween laughs. "The nobles were being... quite wasteful, to say the least." she says with a wide smile. She seems to be having a great time with this prospect.
No indeed, it is not pleasant in the least, most of all for Asher. Still, since no one seems to want to go down there again, the general consensus seems to be to leave it to the people who do this for a living. Next stop for everyone, one supposes, is that, followed by a good, long bath.
