Fable - Ask Attention to Detail

[Jeriah Thackett]

Melfa Florinthe Othal William de Courcey

"So the plan is simple..." started Jeriah as the fire crackled. He looked entirely disappointed by this as his gaze passed around the campsite. He preferred a plan that made William turn the air blue in frustration half way through the explanation.

"We have a patron for this job because we need some cash. Now Baron Undvig is a bit fat fish in a small provincial pond down here. We're a few days ride from Elbion, but he still fancies himself quite important up there."

Jeriah paused and turned the skewer of hares over the fire.

"He's holding a big event, drinking dancing, bear baiting the lot. Which gives us a chance to clean out his vault. He supposed holds the Chalice of Ser Terrain in there. The real one.

"So here's the plan. Got Melfa a job as a guard round the back. We're gonna stop the carriage of a minor noble from the east who isn't so well known round these parts. Florinthe will go with me because I like having a magical murder machine for safety and William will be our footman because he's common as muck. Questions before we get to the gritty? "

 

[Florinthe Othal]

Florinthe grabbed one of the skewers that dangled precariously above the roaring campfire. She grinned and took a long bite out of the measly portion of meat that was the hare. The young mage didn't particularly enjoy camping, she much preferred the luxuries at home - but she knew there was fun to be had with this group.

"So, the way I see it, the plan can be summed up as so... We do the work - you watch. I hope our cuts reflect that." She spoke between mouthfuls, only briefly looking up from her portion, her face reverting back to a very slight, wry, smile.

"What's so important about a Chalice?" She glanced to her new acquaintances for support. Florinthe was completely unaware about Elbion and it's mythos. Although she realised, the other two might be likewise clueless.

She sighed, finishing up her food, before resting a long, hard, glare on Jeriah.

 

[William de Courcey]

William's eyes were suspicious when Jeriah pronounced the plan 'simple'. It was a word he didn't trust. It went hand in hand with phrases like 'It'll be a piece of cake', 'It shouldn't be any bother', and 'You'll figure it out'. The charlatan's dismay seemed almost genuine this time though.

The smell of the cooked hares made his mouth water. He shook his head and forced himself back to the task at hand. "And I need to be a footman why? Surely it'd make more sense for me to go for the fault while yiz are still causing havoc at the ball?"

 

[Asemir]

Melfa was lounging obnoxiously close to the fire, sprawled on her side and taking up the space of at least three humans. Not one typically for conversation, the komodo was awake and attentive only for the opportunity to eat.

"Wat chalisss?" she asked, spiked tail snaking around behind Florinthe Othal to claim the leftovers of her skewer. Her part in this was likely the only simple part of any of it. Stand there and look menacing, Jeriah had so succinctly put it to her when pitching her the job. Her freshly claimed snack slithered up to her face, coiled within the end of her tail, and she took a greedy bite - wooden skewer, bones, and everything else Flor hadn't deigned to eat. The crunching was beastly, but she did at least wait to swallow before posing her next pointed query at William.

"Wat yiz?"

Melfa's trade tongue was broken at best and she was always learning new words.

 

[Jeriah Thackett]

"Its history does not really matter. I am sure we could find someone to spin some grand tail of its past. There's nothing magical about it, if that's what you're all worried about. Just a plain old piece of gold and priceless gems."

Thackett sat back from the fire, wiping the sweat from his brow. He wasn't cold blooded like the komodo.

"What matters is that some people believe its story. They place value upon all that bullshit and they're happy to pay well over what its worth to have it. And when you consider its worth just by smelting the damn thing..."

Thackett opened his hands wide, hoping the idea was enough to encourage the band a little more.

 

[Florinthe Othal]

Florinthe paused to consider William's statements. Thankfully, for her at least, Melfa piped up and asked the very question she had been holding. She grinned at the Komodi, for she too was clueless. What was a yiz?

She had made a point to ignore the Komodi eating the gristle, bones and skewer combo. Florinthe had never met a Komodi, but she had heard of their reputation and she could see why people tended to ignore them. Melfa particularly, while being pleasant enough, had a certain musk to her.

"Do we know anything more about the vault? What's the security like in this place?" She spoke calmly, regarding Jeriah was a steady gaze.

 

[William de Courcey]

William groaned at the komodo's query. "Learn. Common" he stressed in a weary tone. Melfa had a unique grasp of the language that sometimes defied belief. He shook his head and tried to focus back on Jeriah. He spun a pretty tale but there was no telling if he was being economical with the truth.

"If we're near Elbion then you can be guaranteed they've got some magical wards or enchantments. The city's crawling with mages, they're bound to have been able to find someone reasonably priced".

 

[Asemir]

Well that was unhelpful.

Melfa bit into her skewer while staring straight at William de Courcey just to make a point, but also to make him uncomfortable. Twitchy as the man was it sometimes surprised her that he was still alive. Hardly any muscle to him and afraid of his own shadow.

But that was neither here nor there. Without any answers to her questions, Melfa couldn't follow the conversation. She didn't know what a chalice was and she had no idea what yiz meant.

At least there was food.

 

[Jeriah Thackett]

Jeriah hoped that Melfa wasn't going to eat William in the night. The plan required a capable thief and at least he trusted William. The same would not be true of any other hire.

"Don't be rude now William," he sighed. He realised that Melfa hadn't been asking which chalice but of what a chalice was. "It's a big cup made of gold and jewels Melfa."

"This isn't a grand castle. It's a country hall. Old fashioned and the floor covered in wine soaked reeds before the end of the night. The vault is dug below. A winding stair down and apparently an iron door. Could well be magic on it."

 

[Florinthe Othal]

She glanced towards the trio curiously. Each figure within the group seemed to have their own quirks - their own curiosities. Florinthe had lived a sheltered life, a tool of the state, heavily regulated and controlled - yet before her, she witnessed a small microcosm of sentient life. She grinned.

"I can handle any magic yiz might be worried about." She spoke confidently. Florinthe had no idea if she'd used 'yiz' correctly, but she didn't care. Instead, she flashed a smile towards Melfa.

 

[William de Courcey]

William did his best to move even a fraction further back from the fire while also trying to appear like he wasn't. Melfa looked capable of tearing a human limb from limb. Someone small and scrawny would barely be a challenge.

His nose sniffed. He'd be happy if the reeds were only soaked with wine. "Magic on it" he repeated. How were they going to find out? Poke it with a stick?

"You better. The last thing we want is the whole entrance chamber to be set on fire. There's some nasty trap enchantments"

 

[Asemir]

Melfa would have raised her brows were she physically capable but the keratinous growth of her atypical horns along her brow prevented any such form of expression. The permanent glower had been etched onto her face for at least a decade. Instead, her slivered pupils momentarily flexed wide in understanding.

A gold cup with jewels. Now there was something she could get behind. The komodo spent a moment pondering the trade value of such an item. Hard to guess, she would need to see the cup in question. It could be like ... bucket sized.

She was feeling a bit more enthusiastic about the plan and returned Florinthe's smile with a fang-filled grin/grimace.