Sigil: City of Doors

((Follow up to this topic))

Jewel, a woman in her mid-twenties had to just take the chance. There was a few reasons to this; first there was rich people involved so it meant she could probably cash in a lot of jewelry out of this. Second, it was an adventure which suited to a Sensate quite well. But to be fair, mostly it was the point number one that did it. I mean seriously, jewelry.

Of course in the Hive she was quite the sight, an excessively radiant appearances and personality with pompous and lively attitude to everything that was shining. It's not to say that she didn't have any other type of a talent of course, but it did imply that she was quite the target for the less fortunate residents. The two empty seeming sheaths did not at least turn away any would be offenders, but the shortbow dangling on her shoulder might. It would be difficult to follow her through a casual seeming walk however since her movements were very erratic. Darting from side of the road to another at a high speed, then halting to look at the scenery and eccentrically continue once more. If anything, she was not too far off of a Xaositect in that regard.

She'd follow it up in the Hive, since that's where the man had vanished after all. Obviously the Hive was a large, even growing place one could say. So where to start? An obvious and rational person would go to the Harmonium to question the patrol route, but Jewel didn't think of the Harmonium fondly, so she instead chose to use the Hivers as her resource, with a subtle temptation being implied to the male gender in the bars - quite inviting to trouble one might say! She might go as far as a hug and offer money also... money that she'd obtain from their own pockets during the hug, so not targeting anything that had none.

Would this reveal what she wanted, which was the suspected location where it occurred, and she still managed to avoid trouble, then she'd go to the scene and see what she could find in the said search... of course while she wasn't the most wisest, she had the cunning to know that during the search she was vulnerable and laid a couple of simple traps consisting of trapwires and bells attached to them. So she'd be aware of approaching people as to give her the freedom to search the scene uninterrupted for any signs of struggle or leads.

((Skills that she might use!
Search: 25
Hide: 41
Move Silently: 36
Sleight of Hand: 29

Set Trap: 31
Disable Device: 39
Craft Trap: 28
Open Lock: 30
Perform (Flirt!): 26))

Jewel's appearance, behavior and mission gets her quite some attention in the Hive but so far most of the local lowlife was rather unsure how to deal with her.

Xaos they know. Thrill seeking clueless they know. But they did not really know what this daft woman might be. So they watched.

Information was not hard to get but telling rright from wrong, rumours from fact and truths from lies were a bit harder.

Yet another bruised ego and disappointed wannabe paramour later she has what she needs- a location to start her investigations.

It is not one of the worst places in the Hive- a narrow alley and she sees that this ambush spot was chosen well, allowing a single warrior to engage a much larger number by using chokepoints well.
There is a nagging sensation that she experienced a battle like this herself once, but on another plane against.... the sensation fades, perhaps only a memory of some warrior she felt in a sensory stone long ago.

There are scorchmarks on a wall, on the ground she finds a piece of red, enameled steel and there is also a small, now bent silver cross surrounded by twin circles, adorned with red garnets (one of them is missing!).

Soon she is surrunded by curious children and she feels herself watched from eyes hidden in the dark behind windows and - rather openly- by an enderly tiefling woman, smoking a three headed pipe.

But there are also three men turning up behind here- one of them she knows as her last 'victim'.

"There's the bitch! She bobbed me, peeled me made a foo' outta me."

She quickly obtains the piece of, what she presumes to be a piece of a Harmonium armor, and the small silver cross with the lone garnet in it. Unfortunately the search had to be halted for the time being as the crowd came around.

A Tad Doltish,Oct 29 2013 wrote:...of course while she wasn't the most wisest, she had the cunning to know that during the search she was vulnerable and laid a couple of simple traps consisting of trapwires and bells attached to them....

With the hostile sounding three men approaching she'd quickly exclaim to them "Halt! If you value your lives, you'll not come any step closer. The place is trapped! Ha! Besides technically I did not rob you! I just paid you for the information with your own jink! Ha! Call it a hug tax and send a complaint to the Fated- Though seriously! There's a trap there." she'd promptly point at one of the said tripwires... truth is that they were actually harmless, but she was hoping the trio would be cautious and gullible enough to second guess their approach and as such purchase her enough time for the next action. By rule of threes there were three options in her mind:

They halted their approach to plot way around or through
Then Jewel would spend the time to set an actual trap and get behind it. She could choose between a fire trap or a sonic trap, both which were deadly in potency. Of these two her choice was the sonic trap, for if the fire trap did not kill them they'd be quite pissed afterwards! But the sonic trap might leave them deafened and stunned even if it didn't kill them. Just enough to be vulnerable to her attacks.

And while she was setting the trap and if the children weren't smart enough already, she'd shoo them. Mostly because they might ruin the plan by setting the trap! Silly little kids! If not otherwise, then she'd use her sleight of hands to make it appear as if she tossed a bag of coins further down the said alley in hopes that they'd try to see where it went. Of course it would just be a matter of sleight of hands to conceal that it was just a simple trick indeed.

They did not give a damn about Jewels warnings
A completely valid approach! It was a quick choice between fight or flight responses, unfortunately the lack of adequate wisdom did take into count here as it expressed it in defiant stand your ground way. On the bright side however the alley did have the strategic advantage of denying the benefit of numbers! As it had proven to her previously that it was a great place for an ambush in that regard. Once more a couple of options in this were open: Melee approach with her invisible blades, the oafs, as she would put it, wouldn't expect. Bow and arrows to try to hamper their approach. Or make use out of the narrow space with either alchemist fire, acid flasks or choking powder.

Each had their own merit, but something said that grenade-like weapons might actually be the most beneficial in the current situation since there was little to dodge into and it might affect all of them. She had 4 of each, mainly they had been stashed for the purpose of manufacturing traps, but hey! Blowing up creeps was the second best thing. She'd use them in the following order: a single choking powder, an acid flash and an alchemist fire. But the order would change if they'd manage to get close and instead adapt a melee stance. She's got this! She has totally done it before... maybe? Has she? Or was it just Sensory-Focus Jewel! She's got this.

Of course if the kids were scattering that way... well it was their problem! What?! Fiiinneee... she'd use strategy that does not kill the children horribly. Stupid kids.

They withdrew ranged weapons
Well! This would most definitely stink. Although, there were children... maybe they weren't such dastardly beings as to target children. Worth a try! So she instead would step behind the children in hopes to prevent being shot by them and use the same strategy as if they were approaching to melee.

At the men's challenge and Jewels response most locals retreat behind their windows and the kids scramble to some nearby hiding places- running not too far because else they might miss a show and they also that the closer you stay to a fight the better are your chances to be the first who is looting the corpses.

The old tiefling watches with what might be best described as well cultured apathy, smoking her pipe.

Up on the rooftops Sana sees the man to the far left pulling a throwing knife from a sheat hidden on his back while his two companions stop for a moment- unsure how to proceed.

There are those wires- and who knows what they might trigger?

Yet it is one of the running children who trig gers one and instead of an explosion, an hail of arrows or some nasty, summoned critter there is only the soft chime of a bell.

The men grin at each other, the leader readying some brass knuckles while the second thug drawing a wicked, curved knife, the blade having the typical greenish hue of Baatorian Steel.

They advance on Jewel- now sure of their 'prey' and their own 'superior' position.

Stupid kids! She thought, always ruining everything for the decent women. And she had only had enough time to pull out the sonic trap kit, certainly no time to set it without them noticing or properly in any case. Three bulky men, one of them a moron that was easily seduced, two of which she didn't know anything about. A narrow street where the numbers mattered only a little and of course herself, beautiful adve-focus Jewel! While an adequate artist in the bladewomanship, she was by far not a warrior.

Jewel dropped the trapkit as it were to the ground, she didn't set it properly and as such it most definitely would not trigger by the thugs unless they were super careless and tried to trash it. Instead she went back to the other planned strategies... she withdrew her bow from her shoulder to her left hand while her right hand quickly uncovered a small pouch of choking powder which she promptly tossed at the approaching men.

[i]"Choking Powder" is actually a term applied to a number of different powders of various intensities. These powders are made from herbs that cause uncontrollable coughing fits. Each pouch of choking powder can create a small stinking cloud that will last for 5 rounds, but the intensity of each varies according to its strength - the greater the powder's strength, the more difficult it is for an opponent to resist. The cloud forces anyone within it to make a fortitude saving throw or become dazed.[/i] [/li]

"Eat poison jerks!" Of course it wasn't really a poison, and as it came to the choking powders it wasn't the most potent in them either, she was just playing time once more and an attempt to back away to prepare her bow for just one shot before taking them up in a fit of melee act, that is if she had even time for that. Many sane adventurers would've taken the opportunity to turn on their heels and leave! Unfortunately one of the many imperfections was an easily goaded mind to take up challenges way further than might be in her comfort zone.

In all fairness, while a flaw to most, it could irregularly become a benefit as well, much like any gamble would.

The cloud spreads in the narrow street and soon it is not just those three thugs who are retching and coughing. Several people are shouting curses, threats and obscenities at Jewel now and the fumes even reach the watcher on the rooftops.

Stumbling forward through the poisonous cloud they are more interested in getting some fresh air than in attacking but this might change quickly.

It seems Jewel has attracted some attention- might not be the kind of attention she was looking for however.

Serves them right! Watching a beautiful damsel in distress and only caring about the looting orders, Jewel didn't much care about the lowlives. She was more concerned about the impending spread of the dust into her direction. Unlike those around her, she did what was unnatural to bodys reflexual functions and exhaled, then held her breath rather than inhaling the disruptive dust. Darted quickly to pick up the trap she had left and then made her way out of the alley to the opposite direction, breathing only into her wrist through the cloth if necessary to avoid becoming victim of her own cunning.

Using the shortbows alternative quality to hasten her movements to make her exit from the scene hopefully without any further encounter(s). After all there was now a danger of angering even larger number of people, besides she had got what she wanted so it was time to exit the Hive and consider next course of action! That was her plan in anycase.

"A sensate, Huh So If you..." as it is interrupted the fiend pauses but when she is finished it gives a crooked, somewhat wicked smile.

"Hardbearks, huh? Lucky you we got some fresh lobster shells today. Still warm they say." The creature gestures down a alley on the end of it Jewel sees something like a market place. That is a muddy place surrounded by makeshift huts and tents on which mostly junk of questionable use is sold.

Some food is there as well and some slaves and Jewel then can see a woman who seems to sell the mentioned armour parts- which she had spread on a dirty blanket she laud on the ground.

"Ask her. She'll now something perhaps."

It was difficult for her to hide her curiosity as she finally listened the creature. Her eyes tracing the point to the indicated location "Ha! Spectacular coincidence! Then I will go ask her, thanks!" vivaciously skipped to the merchant with the armor pieces. Waved at the merchant in an excessive lively manner. "Hiya! I heard you got awesome trophies from your kill trip!" indicating to the pieces of armor on the ground. It was of course a bluff, she couldn't possibly know if this woman was behind it all, and it was highly unlikely, yet they just might get a tad defensive and decline the "accusation" with a truth or go along with it and lie. Well that's her line of thought regardless.

She kept an eye out for any armor missing a piece in particular, something that might be fitting hole to the piece she had attained within the alley. Regardless of any reply she might say, including hostilesque shooing, she'd gesture at any set armor that missed a piece. "Wow! That's an awesome piece, how much for it?", of course if none did then she turned them around to inspect better for any signs of burns that could indicate them to be part of the same scene.