Quest Start
Loose threads None really
Participants Guhdhag, Oskar Dragonlance, Reiko Amiri, Silvia Olos, Dominique-Baptiste Emanuel
Locations Unexplored Continent, south of Unekawa's Reach
Short summary:
Hired by a Red Mantis assassin, the party set to the wild to seek and take down a criminal pair.
Full Report
The downpour of autumnal rains has not stopped in First Landing for some time. The drops are imbalanced, seeking to restore something amiss, some teetering harmony that was disrupted and released over the island. It matters not. With a crack of lightning the door to the run down room far from the main thoroughfares of the bustling frontier town bursts open, a figure in red briefly illuminated, outlined against the downpour. As the light fades, the dimly lit eyes burn underneath a soaked, wide brimmed hat.
"You thought you could hide from me, but I felt I should deliver this...personally." A clatter sounds as a battered metal pot is unceremonously tossed across the room at the feet of the insectoid occupant. "The targets were no trouble at all, but somehow I doubt that was your intention. I get the sense you intended for me to be eliminated in the process. A neat and tidy end to your scheme."
The figure removes her cap and trenchcoat and unceremonously dumps them in a pile at the entrance, water pooling around them. "You didn't account for the fact that I'm a simply impeccable assassin. I would say that to warn you for next time, but I rather think I'm done with your games. No more jobs, certainly not from you. I'm out -- for good."
Without leaving room for a retort, she spins on her heel and strides away, quicker than most. A smirk crosses her face, satisfied that her message was sent...
- FOUR DAYS EARLIER -
We could taste the stench of the rats nibbling at wet wood beneath our feets. Five strangers gathered in a shady tavern at the edge of town. The smoke from flayleaf cigarettes danced between us, like ghostly tendrils. Bossman Guhdhag, The Muscle, sat at a table with a short and stout figure. It was Oskar Dragonlance, the heart, who was whispering to the brim of a hat that concealed Reiko Amiri's features. The brains of the operation. Just thinking about that woman sends shivers up my spine. Lastly, Silvia Olos joined. The Stranger, always shrouded in mystery. And I, Dominique-Baptiste Emanuel, the Shadow, was sitting at the bar.
I spotted them first. A ghost from another realm. Fame preceded The Mantis. Their armor was a reminder that our contractor was not to be trifled with. But they pay well, and that's what matters in these festering streets. The job was simple: two criminals claimed too many lives. Now they would meet their fate. No prisoners. No mercy. We didn't ask any question, since ignorance makes it easier. The truth is, it's never easy.
We exited the chaos of the city. Our targets had filtered through the cracks of the walls, looking for another chance beyond the Elemental Portal Shrine. The grassy plains of the Unexplored Continent would soon get wet with blood. The blood of beasts, as we had to put down a heard of rabid boars. Enraged by the effects of a drug. A present from our outlaws. The appetizer.
Following this toxic trail, we found other victims. Orcs. Soldiers suffering ill effects from a cursed meal. The next hint. We couldn't do much for them. Another sin to add to the list. It didn't change the Mantis' judgement. Nor the punishment.
Finally, at the shores of a quiet lake, we found the encampment. I could almost hear the ticking. Pharasma was looking at her clock. Every step we took set the beat. We sneaked, we ran, we charged. And the targets were revealed. One hulking mass of seaweed, and an onion-shaped critter. Brothers in crime. Their names were their last words: Miso and Tamamo. They were never buried, since that wasn't part of the contract.
Let this be a cautionary tale. Not about justice winning over crime. But about the fact that if you ever commit one, be sure to never deserve the mark of a Mantis.