PLAYER PLOT: The Least of His Children

[pinprick]

WHO: Nathaniel Howe, Felix Alexius, Anders, James Norrington, Kaisa Daesun, Fenris, Araceli, Inessa.
WHAT: A quest to rescue a slave.
WHEN: August 26
WHERE: Tevinter
NOTES: Will update. Plotting post is here.

The Mastermind: Nathaniel Howe
The Game: Green Goods
The Grifter: Felix Alexius
The Mark: Magister Leo Valerius is an ailing old man, but his mind is sharp. His main concern of late has been to leave his sons a good inheritance, though he isn't exactly straight-up greedy.
The Prize: Alavda Endris is a slave to Valerius. The bad news is that she almost never leaves his side. The good news is that that makes her easy to find.

The Plan: One team is sent in, with Felix dressed as a minor lordling and his entourage trying to climb the social ladder by schmoozing an old magister. Felix claims to be staying as a guest of a nearby lord (technically true) and only visiting for the day. Valerius must believe this boy is an upstart with no political value and too much money.

Another team performs a heist and gains the money Valerius keeps at this estate by pretending to be contractors hired to work on the floorboards in the room with the vault door (an appointment Valerius set up months ago and our team hijacked). Planting bees in the floorboards will clear the room of guards. Felix pretends to fall in love with Alavda and asks to borrow her from Valerius. If Valerius hesitates, Felix offers him more and more money until he consents. He has loaned Alavda to other lords before, and Felix's show of being petulant and stupid should help wear away any suspicion that this is a set-up. In that way, it's a basic hustle. Once Valerius consents, Felix then sends an attendant outside to fetch that amount from the money stolen from Valerius' vault. The entourage departs, claiming to be returning to the local lord's house. They leave with Alavda and return to Skyhold.

MAJOR OBSTACLES:

Alavda is wearing an enchanted collar which allows Valerius to locate her. If it is cut away or in most any other way removed, it sends a massive and lethal shock through her system. The team will need to find a way to remove the collar without killing Alavda.

If/when the collar is removed, Valerius will send people to find her.

Valerius has about twenty guards on his property.

The vault door operates on reacting to a specific keystone which cannot be found, but aside from the magical lock, the mechanism is still a mechanism. A good thief can crack it.

IMPORTANT NOTE: It is vital that the members of this team keep their involvement and mission details secret before and after the mission. It must not get out that Inquisition members and affiliates were involved in hustling a magister.

Comments

[solutus]

"One of the few good things to come out of Tevinter, the mabari," Fenris says, watching the dog. "The breed originated there before they were introduced to Ferelden, you know. Good dogs and good wine." He trails off a bit oddly, but recovers with a shrug.

"I wonder why that is," he frowns slightly. He's still not thrilled that he's volunteered to waltz back in with a party full of mages, whatever the noble cause. He also notes she's heart of him and isn't too surprised, it seems he's garnered some notoriety lately thanks to a certain blasted dwarf. Or perhaps she's just done her research. "But thank you, I will try to be of help where I'm able."

[circleprodigy]

"Really? I didn't realize." Inessa raises an eyebrow, thoughtful as Garahel wiggles and runs in a circle. She moves to take the ball, but he ignores her. Evidently, he only wants his new friend to throw it.

"Are you at all familiar with the magister we seek, or the area in which he resides?" She'll ask Felix, too, just to gather all the information she can, but given Fenris' background, she's sure he'll be able to provide insight that a noble lacks.

[solutus]

Fenris tosses the ball and catches it, then fakes a throw that gets him a half-start and then a dirty look from the dog. "Smart boy," he says approvingly, and throws again.

When the dog has peeled off, he looks at Inessa, darkening visibly. "I am familiar with Valerius. He was in attendance on occasion when Danarius had... 'get togethers'. His estate is in the Upper City with many of the other Magisters' homes."

[circleprodigy]

Inessa smirks at the interaction between Fenris and Garahel, shaking her head. "He will be sufficiently tired tonight, I expect. Thank you for the assistance in wearing him out."

She sobers upon listening to the information provided, lips forming a thin, worried line. "Any would he could many of these magisters as allies? Or rivals? I am wondering what we will have to deal with, should we draw unwanted attention."

[solutus]

"I like dogs," Fenris says simply, not feeling he has done anything particularly deserving of gratitude. He's happy to be of this sort of service anytime.

"All members of the Magisterium are both allies and rivals," he supplies, cutting his eyes to Inessa. "We do not want to draw unwanted attention." He shakes his head, looking grim. "Our best tactic is to be fast second to discretion. Give them no time to rally. Guards will come first, then mages. We must be far away before the latter."

[circleprodigy]

Listening intently, Inessa nods and frowns thoughtfully. "It sounds rather like the Grand Game, but with mages. Though I suspect both parties would take offense to hearing that." Even so, to her eyes the elite often seem to have more in common with each other across borders than they would like to believe.

"Agreed, I have no desire to face their magic. I can dispel if need be, but that's a last resort, not a first. If nothing else, I can annoy them through buying a little time with ice walls." She's sure they can burn those down, but it's still time they waste on an object rather than those escaping.

[solutus]

"Not an entirely incorrect comparison" Fenris looks both dead serious and distantly amused. "but with much more and blood magic, unfortunately."

He nods vaguely because it's all he can really do without being overly forthright, saying he does not think it will be enough if they were really caught and the Magisters come down on them. There will be no saving anyone then, Fenris is afraid. "There is no point in contingencies when there are too many possible outcomes," he does say, crossing his arms. "It works or it doesn't."

[circleprodigy]

Inessa nods to that, knowing she can try to react to dozens of different scenarios in her head, but that something will happen that she doesn't anticipate. At least Warden life has hardened her to that truth, difficult as it was to accept at first. Her large eyes are shadowed, her lips forming a thin line. "You're right, of course. I should -do- know better, but the thought of facing blood magic again is...unsettling. Still, Garahel and I will be ready when we're needed."

Garahel's happy to interrupt with his glorious return. He drops the ball and barks happily, tail wagging. Did they see his grand leap?!