[Closed] Wolf Liberation Mission

[rocketraccoon]

Character(s): Rocket, Daud, Billie, Shura, Strange, Kylo, Dany, & Jon.
Status: Closed
Location(s): The City of the Free Peoples/Defenders' Warcamp
Date(s): February 1st, pre-kidnappings
About: A small team of riffraf break into the Defenders' Warcamp, steal an abused wolf, and then try to figure out what the fuck they do next.
Warnings: Animal abuse and the team kills some people.

They have had weeks to figure this plan out, the team spread across the cities during it but in contact via courier. Daud had used Mercy to get an idea of the routines they were dealing with and all that they had needed after forming a plan was the distraction to kick it off. That distraction came somewhat unexpectedly on the first of the month when the orcs belonging to a group that called themselves Tsekour's Stormers made a heavy return.

With a quick word passed between the members of the team, they gathered not far from the warcamp, avoiding the fighting going on between the two armies outside the city, and set their plan in motion.

As luck would have it, the city's resistance had decided to take the same opportunity and so they had had a surprisingly simple time rescuing the chained and caged wolf, cutting down any defenders that got in their way on the way out and leaving no survivors.

The only problem? The wolf is in a state that healing alone can't fix and the team is left trying to figure out what to do with a starved wolf that members of the team suspect may either be the missing captain or related to him in some way.

Comments

Jonathan Strange | ota!

[kingsroads]

a: pre rescue
Considering that most of the team is some variation of battle-hardened, the nerdy elf in a simple tunic and no armor is sticking out like a sore thumb. That's something which Strange has realized as well, as he looks over at the various other members of the team, all who look like they could handle a weapon and all of whom look more capable in combat than he is.

Hmm. He's certainly the odd one out. Still, he wasn't brought onto this just for his good looks and lack of combat skills. But might as well reassure the rest that this person who doesn't look like he knows what he's doing actually does know what he's doing.

"You needn't worry about me," Strange casually remarks, as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small square of fabric. "I've fought in a war, I can handle myself here."

b: during or post rescue
As soon as the fighting started and the group of guards spotted them, Strange just straight up made himself invisible again. He's not an idiot, if they can't see or hear him then they can't hurt him! He'll still help out every now and then and occasionally conjures gusts of wind to try and knock down or confuse any defenders but he is staying hidden and unseen as long as possible.

He only removes his scarf and makes himself visible once they're out of the camp with the wolf in hand. Unfortunately, he's oblivious to the fact that he's making himself visible far too close to someone and that considering everything, people might be a bit jumpy.

"That went surprisingly well!" he chirps, too close to someone's ear for comfort.

post rescue

[redwhaling]

Billie... isn't jumpy, actually. Someone suddenly appearing is a concept she's familiar with — the Sea Wolves all knew the same teleport spell, so this happened fairly often — and that part doesn't bother her. No, what she reacts to is someone being far too cheerful right up by her ear as she's in the middle of pulling her whaler's mask off.

Yeah, she can tell it's Strange by voice alone. That just means he doesn't get punched. Instead, she gets the mask off and immediately turns to put a hand in the mage's face and shove him away.

"Never do that again," she tells him, firmly, like she's scolding an idiot who's just learned to do that. Which is, in fact, what it is. "Unless it's to put a knife in someone's back, which I'm pretty sure you don't do."

[kingsroads]

Strange is working on taking the scarf further off and is about to start folding it up before Billie spins around, shoves her hand in his face, and pushes him backwards some. He stumbles, but manages to stay upright. He gives Billie a slightly indignant look before realizing that if he was close enough for her to shove her hand in her face like that, then he might have been too close.

Maybe. He's still not 100% certain he was too close.

"I'd need a proper knife first. After that, who knows?" They both know he wouldn't stab someone in the back, that's something which is blatantly obvious. There's a brief moment before Strange decides to talk a little bit of shop. "By the way, that teleportation magic of yours is impressive. Self-taught?"

Because he has a sneaky suspicion Billie didn't go to one of the magical universities like he did.

[redwhaling]

Billie hooks the mask back to her belt and gives Strange a funny look when he jumps right to the magic bullshit part of the rescue. Admittedly, it was her magic bullshit and she likes it very much, but still, there's something irksome about him assuming she's 'self-taught'.

So rather than take it as a compliment, she takes it as a reason to get a little sarcastic, her reply coming out deadpan with, "What? You're so sure someone like me couldn't come from one of your fancy magic schools?"

[kingsroads]

"Most people from my fancy magic schools don't immediately jump to using their magic to put a knife in someone's back."

Strange gives Billie a little shrug as he says that. It's said in a very obvious tone of voice, completely unaware of any implications that he might be making about how posh (or not) Billie is. While he talks, he starts to unwrap the scarf from around his neck, brings the ends together, and starts to fold it up.

[redwhaling]

"You must have run with the dull crowd in yours, then," Billie replies, "I've heard academics are better backstabbers than I can ever hope to be."

That said, she'll actually relent after that and give Strange a real answer.

"But no, it isn't self-taught. I picked it up during an—" A what? Definitely not a class, certainly not a school. "Apprenticeship."

pre rescue

[exaomori]

Strange is certainly the odd one out in this little ragtag group, and Shura is completely unconvinced by Strange's reassurances. However, this is different than the Long Night, and it wasn't like he was completely defenseless. It doesn't hurt that death only mattered so much at this point.

Shura eyes the fabric in Strange's hand, pulling up the loose scarf around her neck to cover the lower half of her face. Some kind of enchanted item? Well, obviously. She doubts that he'll keep its effects a secret from the rest of the group.

"We all fought back then, you know." Maybe not directly, but somehow or other. Shura doesn't mind letting him know that no one is going to be impressed.

[kingsroads]

"Which still proves my point," Strange responds, though inwardly he's frowning a little because shit, they all did fight back then, didn't they. Look at everybody else, they all might have fought in the army for a longer period than he did.

He continues to unfold the fabric. It's obvious there's an enchantment of some sort on the fabric because as he unfolds it, it unfolds into a scarf that's too big to come from the small piece of fabric he took out at first.

"Besides, this isn't like before. We know what we'll be going up against." Possibly orcs, possibly enchanted locks, possibly a potentially angry wolf.

[exaomori]

It proved absolutely nothing, Shura wants to argue, but she can't disagree with his next point.

"You're not wrong," she concedes. A few distracted orcs probably wouldn't be too much of an issue, not with the party they had. But that didn't mean they wouldn't run into trouble than they expected. She wouldn't worry about it, but with a guy like Strange--

Well, she wasn't alone this time. "Do somethin' stupid again, and I won't go after you."

This is a lie, she has too much of a heart to leave him behind. Plus, she has no idea how he would fare if he was tortured for information.

[kingsroads]

"If I do something stupid, I won't let them catch me," Strange points out, with a little hmmph. "I'm more prepared this time. They won't catch me off guard."

Mostly because his plan is 'don't let the orcs see me' which is only a semi-decent plan as plans go. Still, it's solid enough for Strange's tastes and hopefully solid enough that nobody would go after him or get hurt again due to his actions.

[exaomori]

There are a lot of people who could probably pull off that kind of line. Strange isn't one of them. Shura's lips press into a thin line, but for now, she'll go with what he's saying. Maybe he had gotten his stuff together in the last month.

No, she wouldn't be so lucky. But she had to hope.

"Whatever." But she was wasting time, talking like this. She'll move to retrieve her cloak and pull the hood up over her head to hide her bright hair.

scrying megathread, post-rescue (one big thread, anyone tag in whenever)

[redwhaling]

With the grand theft of wolf and skirmish out of the way, Billie's ended up settling the wolf — for now — in some agreed upon basement in a currently abandoned building. The building itself had been burnt down in the first orcish assault but the stone cellar itself, she found, is sturdy enough. It'll do for a night or two, it's out of sight, and they can light a few lanterns without too much worry.

Getting the wolf settled somewhat comfortably is her first and foremost task. It seems content to sleep after its long incarceration back at the camp, making it a heck of a lot easier than expected. That done, she leaves people to look the wolf over and goes fishing around in her own supplies for a map of the city and its surroundings.

That's the other reason she's picked this building. It's far enough from the warcamp and in a unique enough spot for her to be able to tell whether her shiny new trinket is working or not.

"Alright, move over," she tells whoever is closest to the wolf before settling down to sit by it. She leaves enough room to lay the map out, placing rocks on the ends to keep it from curling before she pulls the necklace out. It isn't her style to wear jewelry usually but she's made an exception for this. To anyone with a decent eye for magical artifacts, that pendant there? That is definitely a scrying stone.

[rocketraccoon]

Rocket doesn't like being shut into the cellar with the wolf. Big predators like this one had always made him nervous. But that's exactly why he shoves Lylla into a corner and sets about making sure the wolf is actually sleeping, checking it over for anything that might tell them what or who it really is. He refuses to believe it's just a wolf.

When Billie speaks he looks up, catching sight of the impressive jewel and moving out of the way. The map takes his attention away from the wolf and he takes a better look at it. It's the first one he's seen since coming back from the dead for the first time. The differences are interesting, though not as interesting as the stone. He didn't like using much magic himself, but he did know a valuable trinket when he saw it.

"Where'd you get a fancy toy like that?"

[redwhaling]

"A little bird dropped it off for me," Billie answers cheerfully like she finds it funny somehow. She does, of course. The whole concept of some god's birds just dumping treasure in people's laps sounds like a flawed one, considering how people are. In this case, though, it's useful.

Although at the mention of a bird, Deirdre -- the tern sitting back on Billie's gear -- makes an indignant sound. She looks her way.

"What? Don't be jealous of some dumb crow." Well, Raven. She knows. Whatever. Anyway, she switches back to looking over the map, necklace held up so the pendant swings down over it. "I'm hoping I can pinpoint the captain with it. If it points here, then we'll have our answer."

[exaomori]

Having taken a good look at the wolf and the brand on his paw, Shura has kept to the back of the cellar. It was all good and well that they got him out and in one piece, but that brand...

Well, Shura had used silver in the past, but removing it was different. Wounds could heal and they could feed him, but the silver would kill him before they could get that far. The bird's sound is a welcome distraction from Shura's thoughts, and she'll cheerfully chime in on the conversation.

"Hm? Must be holdin' a grudge or something like that~" Not like Shishi had forgotten the incident, but that was another matter entirely.

[rocketraccoon]

Rocket would love to put some distance between himself and the wolf but he is far too determined to see whether or not the stone is the real deal. He knows Billie is clever enough, but he still speaks up.

"Make sure it doesn't start too close to where we are." It is less out of a distrust of Billie and more out of Rocket's own innate distrust of magical trinkets and the tendency of fortune magic users to play fast and loose with magic vs coincidence. It's the trinket he doesn't trust.

He does, however, use a foot to carefully edge Lylla back away from the wolf as his too compassionate otter tries to edge in to comfort the wounded animal again. He shoots her a look and she matches his stare with a similar look, making a soft but indignant noise.

Wolfsitting | Post-Heist

[forswore]

[ ooc: Relevant information here. Assuming your character wasn't immediately kidnapped after the 1st, they probably could have been around for some of this. ]

Laying Low
It doesn't take Daud long to find somewhere to keep the wolf and tell the others. Once a rotating shift of people has been established, the tiefling takes his turn standing guard and keeping the wolf fed, rarely disturbed no matter how the beast -- Lykos, he supposes they should call him now-- might snarl and growl.

During feeding times, he watches the wolf with narrowed eyes, hooking the eye-charm from around his neck and examining it critically. Once the wolf snaps his back up, he glances over at whoever's just come in or has elected to watch with him.

"Protective of that, isn't he?"

At other times, he's content to simply stand by and keep an eye on other people interacting with the wolf. Mainly, he's here to be ready to pull people back if he looks about to snap.

The Missing

Yet as the days roll by, something becomes quickly evident. Their numbers are dwindling. And when, a few days after the wolf is stowed away, a certain former assassin doesn't turn up, Daud can't help but put out an irritable message on the Courier to all involved parties he can reach.

Has anyone seen Lurk?

missing

[exaomori]

Shura was right in the middle of sending her own message to Daud when she receives his. She'll send a voice response in reply, mostly because screw text.

'No. I'm almost there, I'll see you in a bit.'

Because she's confident he's still in the basement with Captain Woof. He's at least someone Shura thinks can help with getting the silver out of the wolf, if only to hold him down. She'll keep her entrance quiet, gently shutting the door to the basement her so as not to disturb their new 'friend.' After everything they might have to do to him to get him back to his original form--

Well, they might not be his favorite after that. But that was a bridge they'd cross when they got there. For now, she wanted to sit for a minute.

"How's Captain doing?" She asks, thumping down wherever seems good. Maybe she should ask if Billie was late or something? Eh, he'd tell her if he wanted.

[forswore]

Daud is definitely still in the basement with captain woof because he's terribly unimaginative like that. When she turns up, the tiefling looks even unhappier than he usually does, which is quite the achievement given everything.

The wolf rouses weakly at Shura's entrance, but it seems she's caught him at one of his weaker periods, so he settles down with a soft rumble and a swish of the tail. Daud, having the actual ability to speak, will answer what Shura can likely deduce for herself.

"Not much of a difference. He's eating more, and he recognizes people. That's about all."

[exaomori]

"Getting an appetite back is a good start." But there were other things they were going to have to worry about soon. For now, Shura was just satisfied to see that Lykos was starting to recover instead of worsening.

But they'd have to start moving soon if they wanted him better before the full moon. Shura reaches into the bag she has, pulling out a book on alchemical seals and thumbing through to a dog-eared page and handing it over to Daud.

"Take a look at that. Familiar, right?" Maybe that would help that cranky expression on his face, maybe it would make it worse.

[forswore]

The crease between Daud's brows doesn't get any shallower, but the question gets him to direct that pinch-faced look at something other than his delayed ex-protege. Billie Lurk is many things, but someone who doesn't show up at an agreed time isn't one of them.

The frown evens out into an expression of sharper focus once he actually gets a chance to properly take in what's in his hands. He doesn't look any happier (by this point, it's hard to guess if 'happy' is ever really in Daud's repertoire of emotion) but he does seem more focused.

"Where did you get this?" he asks, turning it over in his hands to check the title.

laying low

[kingsroads]

It's less that Strange has chosen to be on wolf watch, more that he wants somewhere to be while his hare licks her wounds and they catch their breath (that berserker thing was useful and worrying at the same time.)

Bell is watching the wolf from afar: the hare is laying on the ground, ears down, attention focused on the wolf. Strange is playing around with magic. There's a silver coin in his hand that he's been moving around and staring at for the past few minutes. It's a bit hard to see what he's doing with the coin from afar but it's obviously something that's grabbed his attention.

"Hmm?" Strange turns to look at the wolf as he sighs. "That's an understatement. Has he even let us go near the thing since he arrived?"

[forswore]

"Only to eat," Daud answers, glancing over at Strange. He hasn't been overly chatty with Strange since their reintroduction, content to let the rest of the party carry the conversations. While he isn't sure what Strange is doing with the coin, Daud's content enough that the man's attention is on that, rather than on him.

"It looks familiar."

[kingsroads]

"That trinket thing?" There's a pause, while Strange mulls it over before realizing just why and where it looks familiar.

"You're right, it does. Someone I know looted something like that off of one of the orcs when they were attacking the city." Granted, Strange only saw that trinket once or twice period, but now that Daud's mentioned the familiarity, it seems obvious to him.

"Of course, that opens up more questions than it does answers." And then, without hesitation, Strange gently tosses the coin in Daud's direction with a simple request of "Catch this."

[forswore]

"I've seen those on the orcs after the first attack," Daud affirms, conveniently leaving out the part where he owns one of those. Strange is free to come to his own conclusions on how he speaks with such authority, but...

"The one he has is of a better make. It make's the orc's talismans seem like they were meant to imitate it."

Which, yes, not helping with the more questions thing. As it is, when Strange lobs the coin over, Daud shifts a hand up where he estimates the coin will land. With no idea what Strange's done to the thing, he's not eager to get ahold of it, but given he's wearing gloves and the magician's been fiddling with it this whole time, he can at least reasonably guess it's not enchanted with corrosive acid or anything.