LOG: Scoring an Own Goal(em) [closed]

[stone_blind]

WHO: Astrid, Clarisse, Hermione, Katia, and Vaclav
WHAT: Carefully extracting a piece of Minrathous' defenses, WITH EXPLOSIONS.
WHEN: Toward the end of the mod plot timespan
WHERE: Minrathous
NOTES: OOC post for reference.

Standing at the gates of Minrathous are two fearsome stone golems. These beings, gifts from dwarven craftsmen generations back, are guardians of the city; their intimidating presence has done much to dissuade would-be invaders from ever attempting to break through the city’s walls. One Juggernaut, truly, would be enough to crush a good-sized army, while two make defeat all but certain.

But the thing about a golem is that it’s only loyal to one person: whoever’s holding its control rod. And a control rod’s just a thing. It can be stolen.

So that’s what they’re here to do.

This plan was not hatched by Riftwatchers themselves. Rather, it’s come from two descendants of those very same dwarves who once gave Minrathous its terrifying protection. The first, Vaclav, is a well-dressed and well-bearded Ambassadoria member who elbowed his way into contact with Astrid and Riftwatch in turn to lay out a proposal like he was proposing a trade of eggs for tomatoes. And the second, Vaclav’s near-opposite, is Katia, a wary young woman in nondescript clothing, who keeps her hand on her knife and speaks with few words. The two of them seem not to know each other well — but nor do they seem all that keen on sharing details of their relationship with Riftwatch’s representatives.

This is a two-pronged operation. Vaclav, Hermione, and Astrid will be carrying out the theft and replacing the golems’ control rods with decoys. But opening the vault where the control rods are held will set off a building-wide alarm, and it’s imperative that no one ever knows the control rods were touched. And so this is where the second team comes in — Clarisse and Katia will be leading an attack on the treasury chamber on the other end of the building. This attack will be very public, so that the alarm sounds and draws all attention, giving the first team a chance to do their business undetected.

Comments

[brennvin]

Behind them: Astrid-Antonia has taken up guard position behind the other two, standing at her best imitation of mercenary professionalism, hands folded behind her back, her stance comfortable and expression bored.

That part isn’t even an act: she tuned out a little when they started getting into the bureaucratic small-talk and pitches, Vaclav greasing the wheels with ease.

She looms without trying, standing head-and-shoulders over all the dwarves and a little over her supposed employer (it sells the bodyguard idea). Still, negotiating with dwarves is warmly familiar background noise for her: the ebb-and-flow of tradespeak, bartering, frank and forthright details without all the meandering circles of Orlesians. During the introductions, she’d given a tilt of her chin and the standard upnod to the two guardsmen at the back of the room, the shared camaraderie of practiced watchfulness.

In adherence to the building’s security, there’s no weapons on her. But if all goes well, she won’t even need one; and if not, well, Eirene’s got a pretty hefty fist-sized memorial rock sitting on her desk, details carved into it, some sort of professional association award trophy.

She doesn’t look at the locked door.

[footholds]

"I'm sorry to hear that," Eirene says to Helena, and if everyone involved knew less about what was going on, it might be plausible that she meant it. "I am sure we compensate you generously enough to make up for it—and we only wish to rent it from you, you see,"

sounding now a bit like a Chantry teacher explaining the alphabet; everyone knows Free Marchers are a bit simple

"and once the lyrium is extracted, we'll move along. Maybe your soil will have recovered by then."

A heretofore unmentioned part of this plan^* is very important. In fact it's the primary reason these two self-sufficient dwarves have seen fit to involve Riftwatch in the heist at all. It's their sending crystals—a commodity no one else has in such abundance—and the ability they confer to coordinate with precision across long distances. To be absolutely certain that Vaclav, "Helena," and "Antonia" are not only in Eirene's office, but so thoroughly ensconced within it that making them leave would be an inconvenience.

It's Astrid who's been asked to leave her connection open, connected to Clarisse, because it's Astrid with the excuse to stand a little bit further away from everyone else, where an occasional muffled sound from her crystal won't be audible to Eirene or the guards over the conversation or the bustling street leaking in through the window panes.

That also means it's Astrid's voice that needs to give the signal, because it's Astrid who's close enough to her own crystal for it to be picked up. Vaclav, in turn, is the one who can—in his own estimation—see the tipping point. It arrives as two things happen simultaneously: an attendant knocks and shuffles into the room long enough to deposit a pitcher of herb-infused water and array of crudité, depositing cups, and Eirene extracts from a drawer something to write on and with to begin calculating what she thinks a patch of land of this size and purpose is worth, narrating her choices of numbers aloud for Helena.

Once everyone has a cup of water in hand, the attendant has departed, and Eirene has quite nearly reached a a final monthly sum she would be willing to pay Helena for use of her land—a premium added for her discretion, then most of it deducted again for the inconvenience of transporting goods out of that neck of the countryside—Vaclav twists around to look at Antonia. Only polite not to interrupt business dealings for minor questions, like an out-of-the-blue, "What ship did you come in on again?"

Look, he's not a spy.

^* My bad.

[brennvin]

At some point during the negotiations, Antonia’s folded her arms. No glass of herbal water offered to her; she’s the help, which means she’s looming in the background and very much present, but still irrelevant. Who cares if the hired hands are properly hydrated.

When Vaclav turns to look at her, however, then her chin moves slightly, making sure her mouth is angled toward the necklace dangling in the neck of her shirt (in actuality: the crystal on a chain). He’s given the signal, which means she needs to give the signal.

“Mermaid’s Tit,” she says, loud enough to be heard over the crystals; the codeword for Clarisse. “It’ll wait for milady Helena until the deal’s wrapped.”

[reparo]

Let the records show that she could've been perfectly fine with a more dignified codeword, thank you very much! No need to make anyone think of tits in the middle of a very tense situation.

Let the records also show that she didn't feel she had a vote, given that it was never meant to be her giving the signal, or her listening out for it. (But okay, Clarisse. Noted.)

Lady Helena apparently travels via titular vessels now. Lady Helena also is watching Eirene draft up that contract attentively, so is quick to make a little unaffected gesture when the woman looks up at the name of the ship.

"It's a reputable crew in the Free Marches," Hermione says by way of explanation, and as she waits for the chaos to ensure on the other side of the compound, and draw the guards' attention away, she sets down her glass of water. "I appreciate your considerations, lady Eirene. Perhaps the addition of a clause for the extraction crew to not use anything explosive near the winery itself?" Stalling that woman with bureaucracy.

hi sorry

[footholds]

Vaclav doesn't crack a smile. He cracks something closer to a wince. But why wouldn't he wince about Mermaid's Tit in front of fine company? No one pays his unschooled expression any attention. Eirene's focus is on Helena, her pen pausing as she considers whether there might be any downsides to this agreement.

The consideration is for show. It doesn't matter what she agrees to. If the land and its lyrium existed, and on arrival they needed to do something explosive near the winery, they would. But there's no need to sully the bargaining by drawing attention to the fact that it's all a polite fiction.

Having considered, she says, "That's reasonable," and moves to make a note, incorporating it into the agreement she's narrating. Accommodations for workers; a fixed price for access well water while they're there. The end is so close, a handful of clauses away, when the sirens sound.

It doesn't matter that he's been waiting for it. Vaclav startles, twisting in his chair to look at the door with sincere interest in the sounds from the hallway. That it hides any insincerity in his face from Eirene is only a side benefit.

"Shit," Eirene says, then, "Sorry," to her company. She hesitates over the paper. They're truly so close—so, as hoped and planned, she doesn't tell them they'll have to finish later. She stands while gesturing for them to stay seated. "I'm sure it's a false alarm. I'll be back shortly. Sellanus?"

Both of the guards move to go with her. But only one of them can reasonably be named Sellanus—otherwise they'd be Sellani, wouldn't they—and Vaclav's stomach is already sinking.

Sure enough, Eirene holds up a hand.

"Wait here, Davan," she says.

Leaving her old friend Vaclav alone in her office before, that was one thing. Leaving Vaclav and two strangers appears to be another. Maybe it's meant for his benefit; as Eirene walks past him she lays a hand on his shoulder, a friendly and fleeting parting gesture, and he hopes that the sirens are enough of an excuse for how strained his answering smile is.

She's quickly gone. Which leaves them only almost alone with the door. Davan, looking a bit rebellious at having been ordered to stay behind, leans against the wall just beside it and eyes them in silence.

[brennvin]

The group eyes him back. Astrid manages to look impressively calm despite her internal monologue going something along the lines of shitshitshitshitshit. But she re-settles her weight and they affect a little more patient interest, twiddling their thumbs, enough that Davan starts to settle in for the wait.

Different setting, but Astrid has done this before. You step on a twig and it cracks and the deer’s head shoots up, on-guard, watching, waiting for the next movement and ready to run; you wait until its hackles go back down and it drops its guard.

She can’t do shit about getting them into the building to begin with (Vaclav) or getting past that locked door (Hermione), but what she can do?

Is suddenly pounce, leaping into fluid panther-like movement, seizing that memorial rock (The Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration - Outstanding Young Professional Award - Eirene Caerularia, 9:45) and swinging it at Davan’s head. The impact stuns him, leaving him unsteady, easier for her to collide with the dwarf and wrestle him to the floor, forearm in a slow chokehold around his neck while they thrash and kick and knock over one of the visitor chairs.

Behind the ruckus, someone else in her group discreetly closes the outside door so their own commotion isn’t visible from the hall. The siren continues blaring.

[reparo]

Look at that, someone ordered a discreet closing of the outside door, and that's a job well-suited for Hermione, because she does it. In the midst of Astrid pouncing and taking Davan down, and the chokehold, she jumps out of her chair and crosses the room to gently nudge the door shut. Wand in hand, she turns around to face the chaos.

On the floor, Davan does his best to thrash and kick off his assailant but all he manages is one chair, before the world turns fuzzy around the edges and he succumbs to the chokehold. Falls limp and heavy in Astrid's arms, eventually.

"Right, so. Where's the thing, serah Vaclav?"