Making A Statement

Participants

• Tingle
• David the Gnome
• Arden Rook
• Zeek the Zapper

Recap

The enforcers of JKS oversaw the move of the hundred-plus guild-members moving into Squadquarters, plus a few new additions due to their benevolence. Kurf and Tolland looked especially appreciative after their ordeal with the shadows. The enforcers remain unsure of what to do with Kiplik, the goblin thief they are keeping captive after finding his band looting their new home.

After ensuring things were in good order at home, the group decided to head across the sector towards Gamut's Alley, the twisting maze of official and unofficial shops weaved into the former outer-hull of Spire Primus itself. The claustrophobic network of tunnels also served as the home to two of the three merchant's guild vendors in section 6, with Nameless under the protection of the mysterious Dreth, and Escher providing muscle for Hurthe. With all the options, and plenty of secluded spots for anonymity and risky business, the area was always active.

En route to the market, JKS eagerly discussed their plans for purchases and information, when a man called out from a nearby alley asking to talk. The middle aged man, garbed in a dark cloak, draping over his larger frame, stepped out, accompanied by two large dogs. It took JKS moments to see a clear attempt to shake down a new, smaller guild, and the stranger's demeanor became aggressive quickly.

JKS would have none of this, and talk quickly gave way to hostile actions, but the man was quick, and his dogs quicker. The dogs got to Tingle immediately, as David closed in to attack. Zeek and Arden formed up in the street ready to counter, and protect their fallen comrade.

David read the situation, seeing the bloodshed quickly unfold, he tried to take control of things. With a cool head, the gnome managed to talk the thug into settling down as he entered the small alley, standing in front of the hulking man in the cloak.

Seeing the chance at negotiation with David, weapons were holstered as the stranger waved his hands, enveloping the budding conversation into darkness. Unbeknownst to these two, beyond the swirling, inky cloud, things had already gone too far for the rest of the enforcers present.

The sound of spells and threatening shouts from just outside the veil of black quickly broke the thug's fragile trust of the situation, and he lunging forward with his short-sword into David, keeling him over. That would be the high point of this conflict for the cloaked man.

The wrath of JKS was quick, with spell and sword felling the thug under a unified assault of blade and spell. The small group of enforcers decided to put the dogs down after subduing them, as much a statement as a public service.

Realizing they were in a fairly public through-way, JKS became aware of a smattering of bystanders. the group decided to cement their "newcomer" reputation here and now. Tingle cut the hand from the Thug to serve as a warning, while Zeek sought to help David recover from his potentially fatal wounds. Seeing an opportunity, Arden cast some well-timed colored sparks into the air, as Zeek's magic gave the impression of a bombastic resurrection happening before the eyes of several impressionable young Ravers. Before the group moved on, Tingle flipped the youths a coin, reminding them that only the strongest can join JKS. As the group moved on and was back on track to the market, Arden blazed the JKS guild logo in fire on the street to seal the lasting impression.

Once at Gamut's Alley, the group separated, each wanting to follow up on some personal interests, While David went off on his own, Tingle watied outside Nabomai's brew-shop and just soaked in the environment from the shadows, no one playing any attention to a the tiny gnome, minding his own business in a corner.

As Arden and Zeek perused the brew shop, they buzzed with ideas on what they could make, they got several recommendations from Nabomai, the shop's owner, a wise female elf who'd mastered the art of many different racial brew-styles over her centuries-long life. Curious to tap into her wealth of knowledge, during the conversation about which local brews may perform best at a taproom in section 6, they made a proposition to Nabomai for a partnership. The elderly elf countered with an offer of a potential partnership if JKS performed well in their first few months of brewing.

Tingle remained patient, not wanting to separate too much from his friends, being a bit of the paranoid type. As he stayed outside the brew shop, his position commanded a decent view of one of the larger, longer cross-sections of the marketplace. At first, he wasn't sure what he saw, since it happened so fast. A tall, relatively striking young female elf had been paging through an older tome she must had recently purchased, as she stooped against a wall at the far end of the through-way that Tingle overlooked. In a blink of an eye, Tingle saw a darkly garbed figure quickly approach and apprehend the elf, quickly turning a corner, and out of sight. No one else seemed to have born witness to this, if they did no one reacted.

Wanting to know what happened, Tingle alerted his friends in Nabomai's shop, their arms full of brewing supplies, and he took off towards the scene of what looked like a brazen kidnapping.

Tingle was thorough, within only a minute, he had crossed the market's main tunnel, and bore down on the path that seemed like the most likely taken to make an escape from prying eyes. He looked for footprints, pieces of clothing, people or shopkeepers looking worried or dismayed, there was nothing. There was no trace. He couldn't understand. Wracking his brain at who or what could have pulled off something so clean and smooth, the blood in his veins ran cold. Was it the mysterious and feared Dreth guild? The garb, from afar, did seem to match what he had heard, and the Dreth were often associated with occurrences such as this. His mind whirred, thinking of all the possibilities while still retracing his steps, and looking for something, anything that would - and then everything went black.

JKS found Tingle unconscious just up the main alley diverging from his primary search area. Someone or something was apparently not in the mood to have anyone poking around, and they made sure the pesky gnome didn't get a chance at anymore fresh information.

Once reconvened at the market entrance, the enforcers decided what happened was too much to ignore, and made their way over to the enormous marble construct known as the Precinct of Divinity, section 6's headquarters of the Autorus Reign, Ravien's peacekeeping and law-enforcement guild. Inside the cavernous reception area, two clerks took down the information from JKS, and directed them down the hall towards the Guild-conflict division, headed up by the long-serving and decorated Lt. Frieda, a human female who had, in her years of service, likely seen it all. Without much information to go on, the Lt gave JKS her ping-card for the case, and told them they had the rights of guild-investigation, but not to interfere with the autorus assigned. They could be privy to any non-sensitive data as a reward for their report.

After following up with with assigned Autorus within the market, there was very little additional information to go on, so JKS retired to Squadquarters.

A new day dawned, and JKS decided to explore a new area of section 6, heading over to Escher "Pits" establishment to check out the gambling, and gladiatorial entertainment. It did not take long for at least some of the members to become entranced at the chance for the thunderous applause of the stadium to cheer for them, and Zeek, Tingle, and Becky all entered into the lower-pits initial championship ladder, crushing their initial opponents to the point where their performance inspired David and Arden to complete their own tier 1 fight (with relative ease) before joining their friends for the Tier 2 fight.

Working together, JKS impressed on the second half of their double-header match-up to earn the right to advance out of the open-league lower-pits. Slinger, called "Gil" by his friends, the group's assigned Pit-agent, was beside himself with joy. He hadn't repped a winning team in ages, and really needed this one it seemed. He told the group that if they won the next fight, things would step up a notch, and you'd have a real chance to be on the path to make a name for yourselves, albeit a dangerous one.

Challenged by a gruff looking pair of merfolk, JKS made quick work of their competition, with Zeek getting loud cheers landing a nearly immediate kill with a blast of magic from his hammer. The win earned them the right to meet the owner of the Pits, a spectator named Brengoth, who took personal interest in helping to arrange the most entertaining fights once a group or individual had proved themselves.

The enforcers now await the meeting, while waiting in the competitor's lounge, listening to Gil pontificate about what a big opportunity they have, and how "ol' Gil really needed this one". A sly smile creeps on the faces of JKS, as they know they're starting to make their presence felt.

Loot