An Odd Recruitment

[*StarSight]

Amongst the quippers of the Hive, word spreads that someone's hiring for something odd. Decent pay, good but not suspiciously so. It of course takes a while for the first basher to take the employer up on it, but given that basher comes back unharmed more than a few take this employer up on it, especially once said benefactor finds out about the disease and mentions his possession of a wand of disease removal, which he offers to make use of as part of the payment.

His terms are odd, somewhat. He wishes his identity concealed, suspicious but not overly so in the Hive, and to put it bluntly he wishes to train himself in mental communication, a fact that is both worrying and explains the desire for anonymity, but the pay is generous and more than a few quippers don't have secrets they wouldn't sell for a meal or two anyway. Some of course do, and decline, and are cordially allowed to leave.

Those who do not decline the employer's terms, find themselves seated relatively comfortably in a hired room with their hooded employer. Sometimes the employer touches their head with one gloved hand, other times he simply sits and stares. Some notice that the man's pupils are slitted amongst the darkness of his hood. Then they are paid, and leave.

Perhaps it is some fiend, looking to study people and learn how their minds tick.

Perhaps it is some cutter who wants another edge, and would rather keep his possession of such an ability in the dark.

The reality is close to the latter but far from the former. Beneath the hood is Auric Tenebrason, a yuan-ti who is learning to use his psionic birthright. Auric dislikes training this ability, fearing its overuse may change him, but its use has been requested, and he knows he cannot simply wing it when and if the time comes.

So train, or practice, he must, and that means people to practice on. Sadly easily acquired for coin here in the Hive. And while he is recruiting and practicing, he is keeping one eye out for someone, on the off chance he finds them.

[*Midnight]

Auric would not find subjects difficult to come by although the desperate quippers he prefers may not represent the greatest test of his abilities.


As for the other thing, the name he asked about Faelyn, that is actually well known. Auric would be told that a drow by that name lives near the gate house, he saved some girl from a nasty end at the talons of a Tanar'ri not long ago. A real hero by all accounts.

[*StarSight]

Auric finds that Faelyn's lack of name change is rather unexpected. Still, the saying about gift horses comes to his mind, and he seeks Faelyn out after another session or two. In transit he changes back out of his identity concealing disguise.

[*Midnight]

Indeed Auric would find news of Faelyn's exploits easy to come by, one might get the impression that he is not trying to hide. He would here a great many tales of the drow and his brief time in Sigil. The nature of them varies wildly according to some he is a sadistic slaver who stalks the hives for victims to drag off to Lolth's realm in the abyss, according to others a saviour who protects the weak and down trodden of the hive from those who would prey on them as to his current whereabouts everyone one would agree with the drunken out of work blacksmith Auric finds outside of the bottle and jug.

"Faelyn the drow? Aye I've 'eard of 'im cutter. There's a set of tenements up by the nightmarket. The people there 'ave closed it off 'cause o' the plague. They say that some thugs tried looting up there in all the chaos and they saw 'em off. When the dusties came up there recruiting they saw them off too. They say yer man's in charge there. Now 'ow 'bout some jink so I can buy some bub?"

[*StarSight]

((Okay, now I'm confused. Previous post said Auric had already heard of him and he lived near the gatehouse, and was "a real hero by all accounts"...thought from that Auric had the location, now instead of going there Auric's asking around about it and now finding out different stories/locations?))

[*Midnight]

//My apologies I think I misunderstood what you meant by seek. I had thought by seek you meant look and check what he was told (at which point he would have been given a tale that greatly contradicts the previous one) but what you meant is he is heading over to the house by the gatehouse to follow that up?

We can go from there if you like.

[*StarSight]

((Okay, got it. If it's all the same to you, let's just go with either checking the story on the way over or otherwise looking into it))

Auric, after paying the blacksmith for the chant, ponders his situation. He now has two near mutually exclusive stories. Frowning internally, he ponders the situation, and then realizes he's missing a rather important piece of information:

How common is the name "Faelyn" amongst the drow?

Realizing what he thinks is the most likely cause of the problem, Auric decides to visit the near-gatehouse Faelyn first...

[*Midnight]

As Auric approaches the house he would realize the door is open and he hears the clop clop clop of hooves. From out of the house comes a group of four. Two humans a tiefling and the source of the clopping sound a large bare chested bariur. The tiefling and one of the human's both wear badges that would identify them as being part of the free leauge. When they see Auric they stop but not before he can overhear some of their conversation.

"He's not here should we...."

Once they see him that stop talking and there seems to be a tense stand off.

[*StarSight]

Auric, trying to keep his voice level, shrugs and replies, "I'd heard he saved some girl from a fiend. Wanted to offer my thanks, not enough people in the world who'd save another. Why the frosty reception?"

[*Midnight]

The four of them exchange looks and some unspoken agreement seems to be formed between them.

"You're not the only one looking for him, if you know anything we'll pay you well for the information."