RPG Recap: Alar, 2012-02-18
Year 28 of the 7th Imperator, 8th of Declarations
Stomachs full of rich food and pockets full of (a very small amount of) gold, the gang retired early and took a well-earned day off to replaced lost gear, mend armor, and otherwise relax.
The next day, the got back to business early, heading off to the seat of government to look for dirty deeds needing doing. They’d hardly left their neighborhood, though, when they were distracted by the sight of a local shopkeeper being harassed by a group of terchic thugs. They stood by and watched until the terchics wandered off, and then followed the merchant into his shop to see what was up.
Igrus, the cloth merchant, was being pressed for protection money, like many of the local merchants. He didn’t mind paying – that’s part of doing business in the city – but he wanted to pay proper men, not protomachean abominations. Ayla expressed her sympathy with that position and said that they’d be happy to take the protection money, so that it didn’t have to go to the terchics. Igrus agreed and said that the deal would be sealed as soon as the gang delivered the news to the terchics.
Everyone headed into the Vorican ghetto, and to the Burning Dog, the extortionists’ favored tavern. A few hours passed before they showed up, but they did, and Ayla explained how things were going to be: the terchics would stop hassling Igrus, and nobody would get hurt. The terchic didn’t like these terms, much, and set about making his position clear through pugilism.
As a few dozen locals watched from alleys and windows, the two gangs engaged in brutal combat in the street. While Ayla focused on keeping the minds of the thugs clouded and Helga and Ignatius took down one opponent after another, Redorus faced the leader in a fierce one-on-one fight. It was a close thing, but Redorus scraped through (owing to the intervention of pale-faced Olixitus) and the terchic’s leader did not, finally collapsing in a bloodied heap in front of the tavern.
Calliope had cowed several of the terchics by wielding her Nexan dagger (presumably returned by Felix without significant news). This drew the attention of a few Nexans in the Dog, one of whom chased Calliope down until she gave up the dagger. When he picked it up and, blue-skinned, threatened her, she made tracks in a panic. Meanwhile, the Nexan’s friend pushed Ayla and Redorus for information on the dagger’s origin. They promised to tell him all about it… later. He reminded them that it wouldn’t be too hard to find three bald-headed Voricans, especially if he looked for one as badly beat up as Redorus. He told them to go freely and tend to their wounded.
So they did.