[Adventure] Mystery at the Mavloix

Crimson · January 22, 2008, 02:15 AM

THIS ADVENTURE IS NOW CLOSED TO NEW PCs!

Timestamp: the 14th brightening in the First Cycle of Cryxatum.
It is Summer of Era XIV Post Fractum.
Paradigm Shift: Olympia Reopens sortof!

Secrets :

Not two brightenings passed since the fliers were circulated and already scores of Jaedaxians awaited the opening brightening for the 'renovations' at the Castle. Local lumber companies, stone crafters, and various skilled laborers were contacted, hired, and organized into a series of teams. They were told to select their team members out of the pool of possible workers and take charge of the various projects within the Castle as agreed.

All chosen workers were told to sign a waiver of sorts and a contract that indicated their promised wage of 200 crowns after the project plus the 100 sign-in bonus that everyone anticipated. It read:

Quote:

I, ___________ , hereby agree to work under the terms set before me by the Team Captain. The Mavloix is not responsible for any damage, permanent or temporary, to my health even if it occurs after my work with the Mavloix.

I am entitled to two hundred (200) crowns only after said project is complete.

If any Team Leader finds my efforts lacking or distruptive to the project, I can be dismissed without warning and without pay.

Signed here: ____________________
Date: __________________

Members of the Proectorat du Paix were stationed as peacekeepers and for crowd control at several checkpoints on the grounds. Their gold and blue uniform was enough to set the large group of aspiring workers under control. Many complained that it was too hot, while others walked around dragging a variety of equipment and gear that they might need. Others still decided to bring along wares, food, or drink to sell.

Those who were lucky enough to get hand picked and registered were escorted through another security line and into the main entrance of the museum. A middle-aged fellow dressed in a fine set of server's uniform did much of the escorting without a sound. And when they finally paused, the group found themselves in an oval office where a stout woman was leaning beside a lanky man dressed in a bright crimson suit conversing in hushed tones.

"Ah, bienvenue", she muttered as the newcomers came into sight, "first I am glad that you have come to take part in our efforts to restore and preserve a large piece of our city's, and perhaps even the Empire's, history. There are many works here that are considered priceless by many, so security is a top priority." She cleared her throat then continued.

"Our main priority is the Clock Tower. Our Team Leader", she waved at the man in the crimson suit and he bowed in turn, "local gadgeteer and enlightened engineer, Oscar Osbourne, will explain the task at hand."

"Merci beacoup", he said in soft tones. The man was fairly tall, leaving the plump woman just before his shoulders started. He donned a trail of flat hir that looked as if it was simply flopped on his head for no apparent reason other than to be there. His moutache was unsatisfactory at best, which covered only the space directly below his long, sharp beak of a nose. "The work is simple. I will do much of the mechanical ... things. And you shall directly assist me in the handling, disposing, and carrying of various objects. Any questions, hmm?"

OoC: Welcome to the first Mavloix adventure! Please assume that you were picked to join this team. List any items / weapons / whatever that you may carry. Hidden, secret stuff may be PMed to me.

Hargiir Thyrsson · January 22, 2008, 11:20 AM

At first he couldn't believe what he saw. They were actually paying people to clean some crappy old stuff!? And 200 crowns plus another 100 if you signed on immediatly! Hargiir saw the opportunity to make some easy cash and was quite fast in signing the paper.

When he came to the registration he couldn't help but to feel a little hopeless at the crowd that was gathered here. I mean, how many people could they need and exactly how much money had they? However it was very warm and the Vagaran had nothing to drink and soon he was quite sick of it all. When he was almost about to leave the place and forget the quick money, when a man came up and said to Hargiir that he was hand picked and that work was his if he followed him.

He was escorted to a office were a woman greeted them and then gave the word to a man beside her, Oscar Osbourne, wich Hargiir descided he didn't like.

" Where is the 100 crowns in sign-in bonus that we were promised? " Hargiir asked with a suspicious tone in his voice, (he wasn't happy with the thought of being lied to.)

OoC: Here's the sign-up and list of the few items I'm carrying.

Quote:

I, Hargiir Thyrsson , hereby agree to work under the terms set before me by the Team Captain. The Mavloix is not responsible for any damage, permanent or temporary, to my health even if it occurs after my work with the Mavloix.

I am entitled to two hundred (200) crowns only after said project is complete.

If any Team Leader finds my efforts lacking or distruptive to the project, I can be dismissed without warning and without pay.

Signed here: Hargiir Thyrsson
Date: 14th of Cryxatum, Era XIV (pf)

Items
Dagger
1190 Crowns
Imperial Visa

Wren · January 22, 2008, 08:39 PM

When Wren had arrived in the morning, eager to see what truth their was to the flier he had spotted all over the city, it seemed as if the entire city of Jaedaxia had shown up at the site. Of course, such an event seemed very likely with the almost too good to be true payment that was advertised upon the flier. Be paid 300 crowns for a brightening's work that mainly involved cleaning and fixing? Who wouldn't be interested in such a deal?

Wren, of course, wasn't so keen on any kind of heavy lifting, but cleaning and dusting had sounded easy enough. The promise of crowns, however, was not the only thing that had drawn him. He had the opportunity to possibly see the inside of a giant clock. That was something he wouldn't miss for the world!

So, Wren felt himself to be incredibly fortunate to be one of the picked among the many men and women who had shown up for the renovations. There was a small smile upon his face as he filled out the waiver and handed it over. It wasn't every brightening that you had the chance to do this kind of great work. Not even signing his life away could have dampened his spirits.

Quote:

I, Wren Kallisten , hereby agree to work under the terms set before me by the Team Captain. The Mavloix is not responsible for any damage, permanent or temporary, to my health even if it occurs after my work with the Mavloix.

I am entitled to two hundred (200) crowns only after said project is complete.

If any Team Leader finds my efforts lacking or disruptive to the project, I can be dismissed without warning and without pay.

Signed here: Wren Kallisten
Date: 14th of Cryxatum, Summer of Era XIV PF

He was soon brought before the people who seemed to be in charge, quietly listening to what they had to say. "Sounds simple enough," he commented with a shrug, having no questions of his own.

OOC:
Wren doesn't really have any items of note. 500 crowns, his visa, and a necklace. That's about it.

Tristan L'Evienne · January 23, 2008, 10:58 AM

This would be his home one brightening, Tristan decided as he entered the castle. He didn’t really want to be a lord or anything (although he would not have minded marrying the lord’s daughter – if the lord of this castle had a daughter and she happened to be beautiful) – he just wanted more room and a home that had a little more style than a seedy tavern. Besides, as much fun as drunkards and pirates (who often happened to be drunk as well) were sometimes, at night when you wanted to sleep or when you just wanted to read a book or paint, they were a bother.

He’d never been particularly interested in real work (the closest things to work he had done so far were fortune telling, dancing or playing a game of dice), but the offer of so many crowns for just one brightening were enough to make him forget his vows never to become another boring, hard-working member of society. Money was necessary to survive, to buy food and drink, and the things he spent most of his brightenings with usually failed to pay the bills.

With 300 crowns he’d be able to do nothing for another couple of cycles.

He signed that contract right away.

Quote:

I, Tristan L’Evienne , hereby agree to work under the terms set before me by the Team Captain. The Mavloix is not responsible for any damage, permanent or temporary, to my health even if it occurs after my work with the Mavloix.

I am entitled to two hundred (200) crowns only after said project is complete.

If any Team Leader finds my efforts lacking or distruptive to the project, I can be dismissed without warning and without pay.

Signed here: Tristan L’Evienne
Date: 14th of Cryxatum, Summer, Era XIV PF

The name would be familiar even to the people of this rebellious city, but they’d probably pass it off as coincidence. Which Regent’s relative would be doing such a job after all?

Had this been any other brightening and had those people offered less money, he would probably have wondered about the mention of damage to one’s health, but he didn’t care about it now. He was a survivor anyway, had never been harmed, never been wounded (except where his pride was concerned). And if he dropped something on his foot, the lord’s daughter would come and personally tend to his wound.

“Various objects?” he asked as the man who seemed to be in charge explained the task. “What kind of objects would that be?”

OOC: Old dagger. Visa. No money (that is hidden at home!)

Crimson · February 5, 2008, 12:33 AM

OoC: after this post, I will response to each of you in different posts This will ensure that no one person can 'hold' the adventure by being inactive. Have fun!

The dark, long halls of the Mavloix was decorated with an assortment of beautiful black, gray, white, and multi-colored tiles. Even the stone walls of the castle seemed to reflect the honour that the structure stood for: the prestige and, of course, wealth. Some of the greatest pieces of art were either donated, sold to , or bought by the Mavloix and its mysterious council of wealthy aristocrats. Very few of them were prominant among the commoners, but it wasn't hard to spot the nose-high, pompous punks when the group were led into the interior of the castle.

It was Hargiir's question that was answered first. The towering, skinny man simply regarded him with a hint of disapproval before dismissingly waving at their escort to provide the cheques indicating the promised sum of 100 crowns. But, as with most business deal, there was a slight catch. "These cannot be encashed until the morrow", Oscar Osbourne said with a hint of a devilish grin, "for work we must before any frivalities, non?"

The stout woman was quick to interject with a series of giggles which sounded horribly like a dying water foul of some sort. "Oh, you are so gloriously funny", she teased as her pink cheeks puffed, "but seriously." Her face grew stoic again as did her tone. She looked at the group of workers, all of them numbering some seven or eight in total. "Please follow us to your duties."

While they filed out again, Tristan's question was finally answered by Monsieur Osbourne: "Why, things of course! Kinds of objects that need sweeping, cleaning, and dusting! Now hop to it!" He snarled like a tiny feline before herding the group again, this time up a series of spiraling staircases, through a hallway made of marble, then over another set of stairs.

There was a few more minutes of walking involved until they arrived before a door that was guarded by two armed guards dressed in the Mavloix courrier uniforms. The only difference was that both guards distinguished themselves by wearing their longswords and a dagger along their belts. "Move along", Oscar said as he walked in between the two men and through a heavy wooden door. "Come along now, we have plenty of work to accomplish!"

The stout lady who wasn't far behind Wren looked to be scribbling onto a piece of parchment which she held against a flat piece of wood. And when she found Wren's eyes wandering, she pressed a sharp finger against his back to keep him moving in pace. "What are you? A visitor? Hurry up!"

A metal staircase greeted the newcomers, followed by the scent of old wood, dust, and the rattling of various metal gears that made up the funcitoning heart of the Clock Tower. The place was akin to a maze complete with dusty wooden railings to keep people from going over the platforms that were designed for engineers to travel from one level of the tower to another.

Wren · February 8, 2008, 10:03 PM

The Mavloix was grand. That was something that Wren would never have been able to deny. Not that he would have wanted to. He took in everything with an air of fascination about him, trying to memorize every detail, eyes constantly moving from one point of interest to the next. And in this place, with its high-class air and fascinating, probably incredibly expensive artifacts, held many interests to the young man.

He followed behind the others, trying to keep up even while he was taking in the sights they passed by. His cheque for 100 crowns was hidden safely away in his pocket. The catch that came with the cheque did not surprise him at all. For a brightening's worth of work he imagined he would be too tired to actually cash it until the next morning had come.

Wren was just as curious as he was sure the others were as to what exactly they would be doing here. The 'things' answer did not do much to satisfy his curiosity, but he was sure he would find out soon enough. That was, after all, the very reason he was in the Mavloix now.

Ah, but as they were led further it seemed as if Wren's wandering eyes had finally been spotted by someone who seemed to care about such things. He jumped at the sudden jab in the back, looking back over his shoulder at the lady who was strangely intimidating with her parchment and board. "What are you? A visitor? Hurry up!"

He chuckled nervously, an apologetic smile upon his face. "Ah, sorry, sorry." He jogged a little to catch up with the others, hoping to avoid another sharp poke. "Pleasant people," he commented, as if it was something obvious to see.

It was the final room they were led into that really caught Wren's attention. He had always enjoyed looking and fiddling about with strange things, but this was certainly a first. He had seen the clock from afar often enough, but he had never been able to imagine what exactly had been inside that device.

He placed his hands upon the railing and craned his neck back, trying to see to the very top. "So, where do we begin?" he asked, looking expectantly back at the people who had guided them this far.

Hargiir Thyrsson · February 9, 2008, 04:50 PM

Now he was absolutly sure that he didn't like this Oscar guy. Hargiir knew that everything with this assignment was suspicious, but he had made the conclusion that as long as he got the money he could put up with it. Now he wouldn't get the money until tomorrow! Yes, Oscar is and would probably always be, as long as he worked here, a pain in his Vagaran ass.

Well, at least he was working in a beautiful place. You couldn't help but to look upon the wonderful interior of Mavloix and appreciate it. There was different tapestries and paintings that made the Vagaran sigh in awe. Some of them were images of foreign countries and places, in others there were strange creatures and raging battles. He was quickly taken back to reality when he heard a voice cut the air. It seemed that another person had been watching the art as well, but had gotten a severe reprimand for doing so. Hargiir stopped watching the images.

When they came to the final room and Hargiir saw the two guards standing in front of the door, he became seriously concered. Why do they put two guards outside the room we would be working in? Hargiir thought. If they were worried about theftthen wouldn't the guard be inside and watch them as they work?

He felt a very disturbing feeling about what he had signed on.

Tristan L'Evienne · February 12, 2008, 10:56 AM

The Mavloix was grand indeed, the perfect castle in fact, Tristan concluded as he took a closer look at his future home. Of course he despised nobility – of course! – and everything it stood for, all those petty little intrigues and that egotism, but that didn’t keep him from wanting to live in a place just like that. He could do it better than they. He’d show the lords and ladies of Jaedaxia how life was really supposed to be lived and make fun of them in the process.

He hid the check in a pocket immediately after having received it. There was no need to tempt those that would work alongside him after all. He could very well imagine that there were a few less than savory elements among them. Such an offer tended to attract dishonorable men. He didn’t really care about the catch that came with it. He’d spend the brightening working and wouldn’t have time to go to the bank and do some shopping until the morrow anyway.

He didn’t dislike Oscar either – unlike one of his colleagues. Oscar’s behaviour was typical of a lot of Jaedaxians. In fact he could probably have done a perfect Oscar-imitation if he had wanted to. But this one time Tristan wasn’t here to make fun of people, he wanted to do something absolutely incredible and unusual: work!

The woman though, her giggle made shivers run down his spine. It was an absolutely horrifying giggle, and had he been alone with her he would likely have told her to shut up and committed a murder afterwards. But you couldn’t do murder in front of witnesses, and thus he followed her, like a good, obedient little worker.

“Things, I see.” The answer he received was less than satisfying, but he didn’t let it show. Instead he nodded as if that explained everything. Things. What kind of things? Bad things? Illegal things? Dangerous things?

He nodded a brief greeting to the guards, but didn’t pay attention to them otherwise or said anything. He’d posed as an important military official on one than more occasion. He knew how they greeted each other and what they were like. He also knew that most guards didn’t want to be disturbed and saw the smallest interruption as provocation.

He entered through the door and took a look around.

“Indeed, where do we begin?” he repeated Wren’s question. The sooner the work was done with, the better. He already knew that he would never accept any job again. This was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. He just did it because he was desperate and needed the money, not because he was such a nice and helpful man.

Crimson · February 12, 2008, 02:14 PM

Oscar cleared his throat at the piping up of unnecessary questions. "Well", he began in sharp tones, "you two", his spectacled eyes narrowed at Wren and Tristan, "will be starting off with one of these. Ahem." Then as if on cue, the stout lady with the horrible giggle arrived (she giggled again by the way) with a pair of old brooms. "Floor detail. I want to be able to eat off these floors by the end of the brightening. Chop chop. I suggest you start sweeping top-to-bottom. Ahem." Two more men, a dark haired youngster who was standing behind Tristan and a blue-eyed lad with blonde moppy hair beside Wren also got the same job.

Turning his attention to the other half of the group, Oscar regarded Hargiir and seemed to wonder what type of work he was most capable of. "I think ceiling detail would be a good start, hmm?" He smirked, which was akin to a smiling bastard son of an ugly katta and a saurid. "Remember to use the harness, and buckle up." The woman appeared again, this time with two middle aged men who was covered in so much dust that they were a sold off-white color from head to toe.

"These men will show your group what to do, dears", she said too cheerily. With that, Hargiir was led to the eastern section of the tower, up a series of creaky wooden stairs and near a point where some ladders were set up. Two more men were already hanging from the beams that supported the ceiling of the clock tower. And judging from the bits of rock, wood, dust, and spiderwebs that was falling Hargiir was expected to do the same.

"You better put this on", one of the men told Hargiir as he handed out what looked like leather straps with some rope attached to it. The men wore similar staps around their waist, though the ones they were giving out looked a little flimsy at best. "You guys too." He handed out more straps to those farther away from him before explaining the exact nature of their 'mission'. "The Mavloix needs the ceilings cleared of all debris. We will be using those", he pointd at a stack of old brooms, "to accomplish that. If you haven't any questions, we'll be guiding you up the ladders and our team up top will guide you through the rest. Let's go."

OoC: Wren, Tristan -- you can assume that the floors are very dusty And yes you are both expected to sweep the floor without dust pans.

Hargiir -- you can assume that you got up there safely, should you agree to go up. If not, you'll be terminated immediately It's also very dusty up there. Spiders are common and spiderwebs are even more common.

Enjoy!

Tristan L'Evienne · February 16, 2008, 02:18 PM

„This floor will be cleaner than clean when we are done, Madame“, Tristan assured the terrible, giggling nightmare of a woman, resisting the urge to strangle her. The words were accompagnied by a smile that only looked a tiny bit fake. The young man could be a decent actor if he wanted to – and right now he felt he had no other choice but to pretend if he did not want to end up in the gaol (which wasn’t as lovely as they said it was) or broke (which wasn’t a lot of fun either despite the fact that some men said life was a lot easier if you didn’t have any material possessions to worry about).

He took one of the brooms and started cleaning. It wasn’t a particularly complicated job – in fact an idot could probably do it, and he prided himself in possessing superior intelligence – there was just a lot of dust which meant he’d be occupied for a while.

“A fun job, isn’t it?” he whispered to Wren to break the silence. There was no reason why they couldn’t talk while they did this incredibly boring work. “Although I wonder where they hid the dust pans. It would make this here a lot easier …” They’d probably hidden the dust pans on purpose. Oscar and the giggling woman seemed exactly like the kind of people who’d enjoy such a thing. In fact he’d probably enjoy it as well if the roles were reversed. There was nothing more entertaining than annoying innocent people that just wanted to work and earn a bit of money.

Hargiir Thyrsson · February 16, 2008, 04:11 PM

Hargiir gave the strap he was given a second look. He didn't bother to ask if they were secure enough to hang from the beams. He probably wouldn't like the answer. With a grim expression on his face he looks up at the ceiling. How does crap end up on the ceiling anyway!?

" Let's hope this money is worth risking my life for. " Hargiir grunts for himself as he fasten the suspicious strap around his waist. He takes one of the brooms available. "The dagger aside, I wonder if I could kill the bastard, (Oscar), with this?" Is one of many questions circling in the Vagaran's head when he overlooks the broom. "And would that be considered a crime or just a heroic act for the society?"

After a troublesome journey Hargiir hangs from a beam as many more of "his" cleaning team and is almost constantly getting one of those f**king spiderwebs in his face! The only thing that is making him go on is the thought of sweet cash at the end and a vision of himself strangling Oscar.

He soon discovered that the clocktower had an oversized storage of dust and rocks and..Spiderwebs! This was going to take some time...

Wren · February 17, 2008, 01:15 PM

Wren accepted one of the brooms without complaint, eyes taking in the dusty floors that awaited the few who had been designated cleaning crew of the very, very dusty floors. He flicked the broom experimentally across the floor at his feet, coughing as far too much dust rose up to choke his lungs.

As the coughing fit passed, one hand massaging his throat, he looked over towards Tristan who was also holding a broom. He flashed the man a grin, leaning slightly on his broom. "What could be more fun then battling the dust that has taken over," he said with a light laugh, looking once more at the floors. Could their employers be trying to kill them with dust overload?

Ah, but his fellow worker did bring up a good point about the dust pans. Wren looked around, hoping to find some magically appear, but things did not seem that simple. "Well, we could just sweep it all in to one big...dusty...pile," he suggested, already starting the job. "Oh, but we'd have to watch out for people falling into it." His lips were tilted in a quirky smile. "Though it would be endlessly entertaining watching them run around like giant dustballs." Would that strangely intimidating lady be as intimidating as a giant ball of dust? That was something to muse over as he started sweeping the dusty floors, trying not to inhale too much of the stuff.

Crimson · February 19, 2008, 05:14 PM

Mundane work was ... mundane at best. Hargiir got the most interesting job by far, having dodged several fist-sized spiders on his first minute hanging from the ceiling as he continued to roll up more spiderwebs from the blunt end of his broom. His comrdes did the same though on man in particular seemed to enjoy smashing the spiders more than the average Jaedaxian. Between brushing and scraping, the man next to Hargiir would take quick pokes with his broom to squish the scurrying bugs as their homes were destroyed by the cleaners.

The crew below them looked to be having a snack, though they did do a good job at keeping their counterparts afloat (because the opposite end of the rope attached the Hargiir's straps was tied to a medium-sized man who looked like a boulder from certain angles. He was circular at best with larger chunks of meat and fat buldging from his arms and midsection. How he managed to find and purchase pants may forever be a mystery.

It was then that Hargiir suddenly felt something creep up his leg. But when he jerked down and kicked, he'd find nothing there. Until, quite suddenly, he heard a hissing sound directly above him. And looking up, he'd find nothing but more spiderwebs

Tristan and Wren on the other hand enjoyed a fair bit of unremarkable work as well. Within the next candlemark they were already a good halfway done with the dust. At one point when the pair turned to converse some more, they'd sweep back to their 'spot' where the two were beginning to pile the dust to find that their pile was gone! Instead, four new-looking dust pans awaited them and their crew.