*Chardon+Jingo* Death and Taxes

[*angry_eevee]

Dressed in nondescript brown robes, Jingo leans against the half wall of the plaza tavern in the Market, eye flicking suspiciously from face to face as customers of all shapes and size go about their business.

The sword hanging on her hip is wrapped in thick black linen, and seems to radiate an unsettling aura. Her hand floats over the handle occasionally, and the slight unease in her posture might suggest she is not entirely used to using the blade yet.

She waits. Shouldn't be long now.

[*krandate123]

Chardon moves through the bazaar, moving to the agreed upon meeting point. Upon seeing Jingo, Chardon nods to the mercenary.

"Come with me, unless you have reason to delay."

Assuming Jingo falls in step behind him, Chardon moves quickly south through the Great Bazaar, seeking a familiar portal. After briefly examining his warding magic to make sure everything is in place, Chardon glances around and steps through to Oinos. Upon arriving, the lich looks about the barren wasteland before moving purposely to a small cave which was prepared hours before. As the pair moves into the cave, Chardon instructs Jingo to hold onto his cloak and begins chanting softly. The image of the cave distorts as the lich chants more and more loudly, and suddenly the pair are standing in a small clearing of a rugged island. Looking through the trees, the pair can spot the ocean and a caravel moving along the shoreline.

"This is Oerth, Jingo. If you follow the ship, it should lead you to Khosinga's Port. Complete the task we discussed and return when you have the information. I'll be watching and I'll know when the job is done."

With that, the lich begins chanting again, disappearing from that plane and appearing in his private sanctuary on the ethereal plane. The lich sits on a small pedestal and begins casting another spell. As his spirit steps free from his form, he whisks away to view Jingo's progress from the safety of the ethereal plane.

[*angry_eevee]

Standing alone now, Jingo takes a few deep breaths, shifting her weight as she adjusts to the new plane. Once she is satisfied, she pulls up her brown hood, cloaking her face and fiendish features in a deeper shadow than mere cloth would give, suggesting a slight enchantment. She taps the sword hilt once or twice, smiling in her pool of personal darkness.

"We'z goin' huntin', me lad."

Keeping to the shade of the trees, she follows the Caravel.

[*krandate123]

The lich nodded to himself, watching Jingo stealthily move across the landscape, pacing the caravel. The boat moved slowly, with several lookouts leaning over the side and calling out warnings to reefs in the area. After not much longer than an hour, the crew went into action preparing to dock as the port city came into view. The lich moved ahead of Jingo, surveying the city gate and observing their reactions as the tiefling moved towards the southern entrance to the port.

[*angry_eevee]

Upon entering the town, the woman walks nonchalantly; in no predefined direction, but to appear as if she knew where she was and where she was supposed to be heading. From under her hood she sought out any large groups of people, diverting course to catch snippets of conversation, sometimes stopping at a merchant or street vendor and purchasing trivial things to appear at home in the unfamiliar port.

[*krandate123]

As Jingo moved through the crowd one particularly seedy looking character took note of the hood pulled low and the nonchalant but not quite random wandering. The disheveled old man waited until Jingo had moved close, before reaching out and grabbing her arm.

"Yer lookin' fer sumptin' aintcha?" the man wheezed, blowing his foul breath in Jingo's face. "Ol' Ramptas 'ere's mebbe got whutcher lookin' fer."

The old man's eyes darted up and down Jingo's form as he spoke.

[*angry_eevee]

At the sudden hand laid upon her arm, sharp eyes would notice an immediate reaching for her sword, cut short with some effort.

Jingo's customary red and black plate had been hidden under loose-fitting robes in un-noticable browns. The voluminous robe would also disguise the fact that she had walked with a slight crouch to her posture, appearing shorter than she otherwise would. Her cowl fortunately hid the expression of anger and distaste as she spoke.

"Everyone's lookin' fer somethin', Ramptas. What makes you so sure yer got what I need?"

[*krandate123]

"Feisty lass aintcha? Don't be causin' too much of a ruckus or ye'll git other eyes on ye that Ah'm bettin' yer not wantin'." the old man smirked, looking at Jingo, noting the jerking movements. The man glanced towards an alleyway opposing the street, nodding slightly in that direction.

"Git yeself over 'round back o' dat wainwright's place. Ah ain't Ramptas, but Ah'll be sendin' him 'round the side to speak with ya. Ah'm bettin' we'll git ye set up with whatever it is yer needin'. Go on now..." The old man pulled away from Jingo, looking around the marketplace and calling out the assortment of odd trinkets piled next to him. The old man seemed to be ignoring Jingo, having sent her on her way.

The alley indicated by the old man (if Jingo cared to look) was narrow, broadening out slightly as it continued. The alley ran to the back of the next building, before cutting to the right and disappearing behind the mentioned craftsman's shop. The alley was unpaved and clogged with refuse that seemed to have been tossed from the back doors of the many shops lining the alley. Everything from spoiled meat to broken wagon pieces could be seen stacked along the edges.

[*angry_eevee]

With few other options discovered from the gossip of the port, Jingo descends into the alley, debris splintering under her heavily shod feet. In the gloom of her hood, one slit pupil widens until nearly no red iris remains, and she murmurs the first two components of a spell; Darkness.
If you have to run, make sure it's into a place that's difficult to follow, she thought, and primes are no good at the darkness.

[*krandate123]

\\OOC note: If I'm reading your post right, you haven't actually cast darkness but just preparing to cast the spell. If I'm wrong let me know and I'll edit my post\\

Jingo makes her way through the alley, noisily breaking boards with her plate shod feet. When she reaches the end of the alley and looks to the right she realizes that there are two large stacks of debris forming a narrow opening and that through the opening she can see that the debris stops on the other side, giving way to a much more maintained area. As Jingo moves forward between the two stacks a voice calls out

"That's quite far enough. Stand and be recognized"

Hands dart out from hidden compartments in the two stacks on either side of her, grabbing at her clothing to hold her in place.