03. Greeshtan Calls

You've been hanging out at the inn for 3 days now. Luckily, the krenshar has come by a couple of times to help pay for meals while you wait.

Today, you are sitting in your room, just waking up for the day, when something scratches heavily on your door. You can hear the Oni woman screaming afterwards "You gouge that wood and I will take the cost out of your hide, you mutt!"

Upon opening the door, you see the krenshar you've grown used to seeing standing outside. Once she knows you've seen her, she walks away to scratch on the next door until everyone has been alerted. You all stand in the hall looking at each other, wondering about what will happen next, when the beast exits the inn. It is clear that she wants you to follow her.

So, the four of you oblige after quickly gathering your things, and as you walk outside the inn, you just manage to see her disappear into Greeshtan's home. It seems you have, finally, been summoned as he said he would.

You all enter the house, and are greeted by two beasts, but while they emit a low growl, they back off and do not keep you from entering past the entrance. Instead, they look over their shoulders at you as they walk further into the dwelling.

The room that you enter is huge; the ceilings are adorned with paintings, and overall everything is well lit. As for furniture, there are several comfortable looking chairs spread throughout, many of them facing a large desk that sits to the back. Behind the desk is a large oil painting, depicting a cloaked figure riding a white horse and carrying a flaming sword.

The lizard man who has called you here is sitting at the desk, and he waves his hand to you, beckoning. "Please, come sit."


As you take your seats, Greeshtan folds his hands in front of him and sits forward. "Though I told you to expect it, I have no doubt that you still wonder why I've brought you here. You must understand that with the current state of the world, it is hard to tell who you can trust.

"It is for this reason that before we continue anymore with our pleasantries and your own reasons for being here that you must complete a task for us. Wagering by the way you came in here, talking about assassinations and what not, you already think you know what this guild is about. I give you one chance to leave. The task that I will set before you will indeed be bloody. If you do not have the stomach for it, leave now. For once I tell you what your task is, you will be bound to complete it. If you do not complete it once it has started, you will be killed. It may seem harsh, but we can take no chances.

"Is there one among you who does not feel they are up to such a task?"

Silk just stares at the lizardman, not bothering to hide his amusement. What could they throw at him that he wouldn't do for the right price any way? Killing pups? He doubted they had the stomach for that themselves. These fools were pathetic, yes, but he couldn't deny that he needed their resources. And so he must hide his disdain. At least he was being grouped with Cyrus and Gyrax. They were the only ones in this damned guild that he could stand. Well, he considered, not entirely true. The bartender was rather pleasant.

Gyrax eyed the room with avid curiosity upon arrival. She cocks her head at the painting and stares at it for a few minutes, but there is no shortage of oddities to gaze at. She stops to stare at a colorful picture of a dwarf in ratty clothes, but with eyes blazing with inner fire. He is perched bareback upon a bucking stag, and holds a pickaxe up high as he calls forth his six brothers to battle. In gold letters below it reads SLAYERS OF THE WITCH QUEEN.

Indeed, it's a miracle she pays any attention to the lizard man as he speaks. She still nods politely, though she would probably make a better impression if she hadn't brought a mug of soup to the meeting. "I will gladly carry out any task within the measure of my abilities and the dictates of my gods, regardless of the cost to myself! Mutton and lentil soup?" she offers the kobold sitting next to her.

Cyrus walked in, whistling at the decor, quite amazed. He sat down in a chair, watching Gyrax exploring the room, then glanced to Silk. He looked up at Greehstan. "I said I would do what i set out to do in any means necessary. And while assassination isn't my thing..." He leaned forward a bit. "You say kill, I'll say 'who?'."

Silk chuckled. "I knew you'd come around, chew toy! That leaves only..." He eyes the kobold, waiting for either an outburst of insanity or an outright refusal to do any 'bloody' work.

The Kobold, looks next to his side towards Gyrax, and says under his breath as hes standing up,
"Sweet.. Dreams?" with a smirk upon his face. He seemed more confident than his usual appearance would lead you to believe, of course, nobody really noticed his appearance until he took a few small steps forward toward the lizardman. Koraph was wearing some very ornate clothing, with intricate patterns woven into every facet of his garment. He coughed slightly has be begun to speak in a form of clarity he has not been known for, "I am unable to refuse your quest, not only because of your lineage, but because of what I have set out to do. I have dealt with my demons and do not seek forgiveness for the atrocity that I have committed alone, but to own up to them and make those fallen at my hand wish they would have heeded my words." He bows infrount with his face still looking towards the lizardman. "I shall rise, and you will one day all follow." He takes two steps back, and stands next to Gyrax, and places his hand upon her leg, slightly gripping to hold himself up.

"Your ability to rise right now is dependent on if I allow it!" Greeshtan grumbles. "Now sit down."

"Now one of the King's barons, Denthanus, has a stronghold in this region, about a 3 days walk from here. He has been hoarding food and coin for himself and his command, making the rest of his soldiers suffer. He has ambitions about taking Nefaru's place, but we do not want him there. He is one of the King's pets, but due to his recent behavior has been moved to this outlying post. We must put an end to him to let Nefaru know we mean business. He will not take kindly to us killing Denthanus, and when you leave your mark, he will know to be weary.

"On his person, Denthanus carries a sword, passed down for generations, so it is recognizable. You will take the sword after you have slain him, and with some ever burning oil, which we will provide, you will light the blade on fire. You only have enough for the sword, so don't try to get tricky. If you fail to light the sword, you will be seen as abandoning the goal and will be punished.

"We have been watching you while you were at the inn, so we hope we can trust you with this task. However, Caex will accompany you to ensure that you complete your mission, and do not rat us out to any superiors you may have entered here to impress. She is a cunning opponent, and will kill you if she thinks you have betrayed us.

"Once you complete the mission and return to us, you will be put through the rites to become part of the Flaming Sword."

He looks at each of you in turn, making eye contact as if judging your reactions to what has just been put forth. "Any questions?" He finally asks.

Silk sits forward, all business. "Do you have a layout of where he keeps himself? Perhaps known entrances or guard patrol routes?"

"I can see that you are a seasoned assassin, Gnoll. It will be good to have you part of our midst should you survive. Denthanus himself stays locked up in the fort outside of Vescuz. He knows that he is beginning to lose the King's favor, and very well might think that Nefaru himself has sent you. For this reason, he will not leave the confines of the walls, to protect himself.

"He does have a patrol of about five that round the fort at dawn and dusk, looking for leftover Races of Light. You will encounter them about a half day's walk away from the fort itself."

"He only has the one patrol of guards? Does he have any personal guards within the fort itself?" He snickers. "We can avoid the outer patrols just fine, it is the ones we cannot avoid that I am concerned about." He glances over at the others, specifically Koraph. "And I don't mean for myself."

"They're just guards, right?", Cyrus said while stretching a bit, some of his bones popping. "I'm sure at least me and the paladin can hold them off while the gnoll does his job."

"Yehehehe! Oh, chew toy, you know your role all too well."

"Inside the fortress, you will encounter many guards. As I said, he is paranoid right now. His 2nd in command, Nixeu, will be there to direct the guards, and Denthanus himself has a personal guard that will try to prevent you from entering his chambers.

"Though they may just be guards, there are a number of them, and Nixeu is a good leader. If he wasn't loyal to Denthanus, I would almost say spare him so that we could get him among our numbers. And though Denthanus is weary, he is not stupid, and will take all of you to kill. You won't be able to do it yourself, Gnoll, no matter how good you are."

Gyrax's goofiness seems to vanish for a moment as she ponders the situation. "Why are we trying to send a message to the king if we want to assassinate him?" she asks. Noticing the Kobold's hand on her leg, she cocks her head. "Are you okay, Master Koraph?" she asks.

ooc Just how high up her leg is that rascally kobold's hand anyway?

Greeshtan smiles fiendishly. "I want that damn snake to know his death is coming, and who wields the blade."

Silk flexes his claws. "He should fear the hand more then the blade. Yehehehe!" His grin fades as he returns to business. "Will you be providing us with anything or are we to rely on our wit and skill?" He chuckles. "If that's the case then perhaps Koraph should stay here lest he be overwhelmed immediately."

"Yes, I'm a tad worried he might have another episode...", Cyrus muttered, his arms crossed over his chest, his bony fingers on his left hand drumming on his right arm.

"What is it that you require? We can see if it is something that we can accommodate. As for the Kobold, you may be surprised how much he can assist. Either way, you have to take him with you, as he wishes to join too and this is the only task we have readily available. And as I said, it will require all of you to complete."

"Oh I'm not against bringing him. Every little distraction is appreciated. As for provisions, I think food would be appropriate. The rest we should be able to handle on our own. Unless someone here knows how to hunt?" He looks to the group inquisitively.

Greeshtan nods. "Fair enough. You will be provided with one week's rations. I'll make sure you receive them before you depart."

The harpy grins toothily. "Pelor will provide. Just last week he provided a partially eaten rabbit!" she says, closing her eyes and savoring the memory. "But your help is most welcome!"

"Well, I am ready to go. I will collect my things and meet the rest of you at the door."

Koraph glances over at Gyrax and speaks." You once asked me what I can do. 'I go to a place, where their fears are faced. I see what they are hiding, So I'll just be biding. But there in the dark, there is a lark, who will make his mark. He's just out of sight, but he's now riddled with fright. Hiding within his mind, he is now confined. Unable to wake, from the fear that awaits.'"

He turns and looks to the lizard. "May there be a place where I can stock up on wizardry supplies before we set out in town, I didn't leave my room very much, I've been rather busy reading."

"What kind of supplies are you looking for? This is not the main guild stronghold, so we do not keep many weapons here; it would just attract unnecessary attention."

All I need is some Ritual Components.

OOC: Sorry, I went ahead an put them in my inventory. I did it just incase if i might need to use tenser's floating disk.