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westwhere2022-08-01 07:33 pm
groundrules) wrote in westwhere2022-08-01 07:33 pm
the mouse house
Welcome to Serthica’s Mouse House — a mini plot roll for recent newcomers, lasting until 11 August. Characters who opted in are in a different physical location but can contact the group at sea through their communicators. You can use the log post below to top level and mingle, or you can make your own logs and posts.
Characters awaken in the dessert, unburied from high sands, recovering in medical tents or drifting towards a caravan. After a day to mend, they are presented to the caravan leader — the Merchant, who provides them translation and communication devices.
He explains they are outsiders who have reached the world of Akhuras, where undead factions wage war with each other and the living. The undead summon otherworldly conscripts, to enslave or weaponise them in the conflict. The Merchant finds and transports such newcomers east, where beacons might return the visitors back to their home worlds. Other otherworldly guests are currently travelling the haunted Crossing Seas — the Merchant offers their names.
The group at sea will reach the beacon-bearing clockwork citadel of Serthica within days. Caravan newcomers are supplied 10,000 coins each, blade weapons and ship passage to the impoverished Mouse House — the underground outskirts of Serthica and home to beggars, smugglers, contrived thief networks and mercenaries. Here, they must complete a set of tasks to wrangle, muscle, thieve or bribe coveted Serthica passport papers for themselves and their incoming comrades. Good luck!
CHEESE FOR THE WHINE
- ■ The Mouse House is the literal industrialised underworld that surrounds Serthica. Coarse and labyrinthine, it has the gargantuan width of a very large vessel (50m). Here and there, crumbled makeshift stone roads show defunct rail tracks underneath. One train still runs in the outmost pathway of the Mouse House, taking daily imported coal shipments from the port to Serthica.
■ Often filthy, dangerous and entirely cavernous, the Mouse House comprises several crammed community homes — ‘rat mounds’ — some small illicit trade and forgery shops, and hideouts for opiate suppliers, slavers and thieves. Sleep lightly and watch your backs.
■ A pathway leads out to the ports. There are no windows, and the stuffy air is unhelped by limited ventilation. A strong scent of sedative incense blooms in the air to keep the criminal population tame(r).
■ Characters are taken in by Ma’am Mariol, the benevolent matronly leader of a ring of orphans who provide courier and espionage services for the various overlords of the Mouse House. Enjoy her hospitality: dried bread, questionable soup and a resting place in her breezy enclosures.
■ Ma’am Mariol looks after 12 valiant urchins. You can enlist their services but expect they’ll want pay.
■ Twice a day, at 6:00 and 18:00, the Mouse House suffers a dull shudder for a few minutes, as if suffering the echoes of a distant, rippling earthquake. Ma’am Mariol shares this is because the two city halves of Serthica are starting to swap places: Eidris comes up in the morning, while Minaras is overground at night. They only meet for one hour during the swap.
✘ PRIME OPPORTUNITY
Win passage into Serthica by completing quests from the list below. Multiple people can tackle the same assignment. Report in by 23:59 GMT on 10 August for your gains.
PLOY & PLUNDER
Highly superstitious gang leader Artemius Bale is holding a festivity to celebrate conquering the territory of former rival Edward Three-Hands . The crème de la crème of the Mouse House’s underworl attends in a bustling, tight space. Despite his recent victory, Artemius remains heavily paranoid and keeps his cronies on guard.
- ■ Steal decent garments and function invitations from attendees to join the party.
■ Ease the pockets of the many criminal merrymakers, while they’re enjoying their fine wine. The more coin you can collect for later bribes, the better.
■ Pass for one of the many séance holders and ‘necromancers’ Artemius Bale has commissioned to entertain his guests. Coax attendees that the dead want them to patron incoming travellers — You may need to pair up and simulate a few ‘haunting’ tricks to persuade them of your great necromantic talent.
■ Why not pull a fast one on old fox Artemius? You could even persuade him he has been cursed by Edward Three-Hands and will fall deathly ill or unable to enjoy his gains if he does not make amends for his wrongdoings… to your benefit.
ALL ABOARD
A time-honoured fixture of Serthica, the single coal train typically enters the Mouse House each day at 11:00 without threat or trouble. Loaded to brim, it brings in fuel and smuggled goods.
Come early morning, Ma’am Mariol’s orphan scouts mention the latest 6:00 shake has toppled large pieces of stone and metallic debris over a segment of the railway. As the train approaches, Serthica officials send word that anyone who
- ■ Grab a shovel. Use it wisely.
■ Careful with the various oversized rats that haunt the filthier depths of the Mouse House — they typically avoid groups of humans, but will jump you if you’re alone.
THE SCRIBE
Serthica’s most skilled forger, Rayssa is returning to the Mouse House after months of imprisonment in the citadel. She brings along decades of experience crafting passport papers — and a wealth of debt collectors who want the coin she owed before her disappearance.
It is widely known she will visit One-Eye Calliope’s tavern as her first point of call, to enjoy a first drink in freedom. Her pursuers will be waiting for her, armed, prickly and ready.
- ■ Win Rayssa’s good will and services by rescuing her from the inevitable bar brawl.
■ Head into her heavily watched quarters in the Mouse House to collect her tools of trade — inks, parchments, pens and stencils.
■ Hold her watch or her hair while a heavily inebriated Rayssa writes up your forged passport papers.
LADY LUCK LOVES YOU
If you’re no fan of honest looting, leave your fate to chance: the Mouse House’s various taverns and gathering places host nightly gambling games, from cards to bone dice, arm wrestling and a local favourite, mouse races.
Pair up to rig the games in your favour, and win coin, passport forgeries, clandestine passage or a crime lord’s patronage. You never know what favour the right name can earn you later!
NPC CONTACT
GAINS
GRAB A FRIEND
3
So he doesn't catch more than a passing look from the regulars as he makes his way in - old guard he certainly isn't, but he passes well enough for a recent immigrant who's settling in, rather than a clear interloper here for the fireworks. When Fei catches his eye, he slips over and settles in at her table.
Backup is never a bad idea, and especially not in a place like this. ]
When the drinks are good, always, but here... [ A small, rueful shake of the head as he pours himself a glass. ] Well, I certainly won't need to worry about overdoing it.
[ He wouldn't be likely to overdo it even if the wine was excellent, honestly, but what is a Sylvain if not being a smartass. ]
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Puffing out a silent laugh through her nose, a little smirk makes itself visible and is gone again while she nods in agreement. ]
If tonight does not go well it will not matter that I carried it this far, so, after we are successful, I will share some of the liquor I have from home.
[ The good stuff, fermented right at home, something that fills her quiet voice with unmistakable fondness, but like her smile it disappears in an instant when the formidable stature of a new arrival to the tavern pulls her thoughts back to business. ]
There are five, maybe six who could make trouble when she arrives.
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[ His gaze slides past her, to the tavern's latest visitor. ]
That one hasn't been here for the past few days, either. He's not even trying to look like he belongs here.
[ Makes him easier to keep an eye on, so that's useful in its own way, at least. Some of the debt collectors have drifted in over the past week and tried to blend in, but this one looks like he's counting on just intimidating his way through the whole affair. He turns his attention to the rest of the room, checking for anyone with an obvious reaction to the new man. ] I don't think he's playing decoy to pull attention away from any of the other ones, though. This one might just be that confident.
[ Or stupid. Sometimes, it's stupid. But they won't really know until the punches are being thrown. ]
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How shameless.
[ Then, as she looks back to him. ]
You have been to this place already. This is good.
[ Fei shrugs off the baldric keeping her sword strapped to her back, choosing to set it on the table instead. When things took a turn, she would want to be able to use the scabbard as well as the sword to fight. ]
Do you know how we can get out quickly too? No one in this room concerns me, but, we will need to get her to safety.
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...there's also a short length of pipe he salvaged while cleaning up after the train, which he's tried to carry as inconspicuously as possible. ]
Best route will depend on where she gets jumped. Main entrance, obviously. There's a window just up the stairs to the rear left - [ He tilts his chin in the appropriate direction, since it's less likely to get anyone's attention than pointing. ] It's a drop, but it's also a drop with a garbage pile underneath it, and someone did a pisspoor job of boarding it up, so it wouldn't be too hard to pry it open in a pinch.
The back door is a pretty straight shot through the kitchen, but it's also behind the bar, so that's an obstacle.
[ Not necessarily a great obstacle, and if anyone happens to get thrown over the bar, it might even turn out to be the most convenient egress. But making a mad dash straight for it could end painfully. ]
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We don't know who's waiting in the kitchen.
[ Escaping out the back door was obvious, another prospective assassin could have mingled among the kitchen workers in the hopes that stripped of options the forger would try for it.
She hated how much better the trash sounded as an alternative to walking into a trap. Still stewing on their options Fei's fingers work at the scabbard of her sort, picking at it absently. ]
What do you think is best? If it has to be garbage then will have to be garbage, but–
[ Under the guise of taking another sip of this repugnant wine Fei's eyes run over the crowd in the room again. ]
We could fight our way out the front door.
[ She still likes her odds okay. ]
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[ He'll still hold his own, he has no worries, but cavalry like him is not at his best in a cramped battlefield. ]
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[ This world had been nothing if not generous when it came to doling out unfortunate circumstances. ]
When she comes we get her between us and fight our way to that window?
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[ He's not...thrilled about it? But the metaphorical trash was his natural habitat as a teenager, he'll get over it. ]
Get her between us, maybe even one of us can cover her and the other can clear a bit of a path first. Get the shutters off - I can definitely handle that much. [ He may not be as unnaturally strong as his king, but his Crest still gives him a leg or two up on the average guy. ] One out first to clear the way, then her, then whichever of us has the rear.
Her home will definitely be watched, so I imagine it won't be too hard to convince her we go elsewhere to start.