New Blood, Old Blood

[*Darkrob]

One woman, covered in tattoos and piercings and sporting a large, bright blue, mohawk, sits at a table in the room. Up until Bridget had raised her voice, she didnÂ’t pay much attention to what was going onÂ… didnÂ’t seem interested enough to care. She had been joking around with a couple others at the same table, not really listening to what the newcomer had to sayÂ… until the sound of someone serious enough to kill in the name of Anarchy was voiced.

She turned her head to listen to the small killer, if only for a moment. One of the thugs that sat with her kept talking loudly about whatever he was discussing earlier. She turned to him and angrily told him to “shut your trap, I’m trying to hear” and flicked her smoke at him. He growled and made a move at her. In an instant she lashed out and struck him right between the eyes with her ale mug. He tumbled back and fell to the floor. She quickly climbed over the table, sending the other mugs and glasses scattering to the floor and was atop him. She beat him with her fist repeatedly as she yelled at him;

“Don’t” punch “you” punch “ever” punch “try” punch “to” punch “hit” punch “me” punch “again” punch.

She stopped, wiped her bloody hand off on his shirt and stood up. The other men at her table didnÂ’t seem fazed at all by the behavior. She turned back to Bridget, smiling calmly while cleaning her hand in a rag.

“Specific names? Why would you want specific names? Does it matter who pulled the trigger? They’re all guilty. Every fockin’ one of them. Just start skinnin’ them if it makes you feel better. Work from the top down. They’ll get the hint. Fock with us and we’ll make you pay. Simple as that. Who gives a shit who was there… they’re all sitting in the same pile of shit anyhow. They all smell the same to me…”

She turns back to the man now being helped up off the floor and walks over to him. He recoils slightly when she gets near but she is surprisingly gentle. She dabs some of the blood off his face and kisses his cheek.

“You’re a tough one, Sven… you know what that does to us girls…” She winks at him and smiles. She sits back down and watches Bridget again as if nothing had happened at all.

[*Powderhorn]

"What the Triad has on us is discipline and coordination," Bridget says, watching the antithesis of these traits playing out before her eyes.

"Mustafa is dead. No reprisals have been made. A cell, our brothers and sisters is gone, eradicated from existence. They wait in prison, the nooses round their necks, and we do nothing!" she says stridently.

"If we are to be relevant, we must forge ourselves anew. Teamwork, coordination, planning must be the words with which we lull ourselves asleep!"

Bridget leaves the challenge hanging, her tiny body heaving with the effort.

[*Darkrob]

Mila leans forward on the table, another smoke now lit, resting between her fingers.

"Teamwork... coordination... planning. My my... is this school? I swear you could be a cheerleader. You're lucky those of us that are here... are here! There's a reason we use cells, sweetheart... and that's to keep the reds from smoking too many of us out when someone gets sloppy. How do you intend to coordinate cells without knowing who's in them or where they're at? You just want everyone to offer themselves up to the trust that you'll deliver them unto salvation?"

She takes a drink out of her freshly filled mug, spilling a little down her chest

"You start openly connecting cells, without knowing what the hell you're doing, and you're only going to waste more lives... our lives. Those of us sitting here... we could give a rats ass if we're pointed out. We expect it sooner or later... but most brothers and sisters? They do what they have to do. They act on their own. Follow no orders and obey no commands. Sure, the Revs with names, the inner cells, influence them to act in certain ways... but they sure don't bother sending orders down the line.

You want to act out against the Reds? Fine. You might even get some of us to help you out... but organizing the cells as a whole? Not in your short lifetime... short..." snickers and elbows one of the guys beside her. "See what I did there? I crack myself up sometimes" She chuckles again and drinks.

[*Powderhorn]

"This cell, us here, we need to organize ourselves. Other celkes will hopefully see the same things and come to the same conclusions. They may even be having this same debate now. If not, they will know us by our actions and imitate us. By doing so the movement as a whole moves forward. Or can you offer a more effective way to further our goals?" As Bridget calls out her views she climbs onto a chair, so as to be better seen and heard by the whole.

[*Darkrob]

“So what do you want from us? We don’t have the resources of the inner cells, the communication lines, safe houses or stockpiles of weapons. We’re hit and run. Always have been. Yeah, I can sling more magic than most patsies that whore themselves in the markets selling enchanted wares but that doesn’t mean I want to be out in some street facing off against a Red patrol.

So please, before you fall off that chair and hurt yourself… what are you suggesting?”

[*A Casual Fellow]

A slow paced clap comes near the entrance to the halflings speech, the masked one eyed man had apparently returned from his extended absence. "I agree with the passionate one. And first of all, I have to apologize for my absence... I was preoccupied due to the recent activity by the triad and ensured that I wouldn't be captured, followed nor traced. But it's time to get back in business, and it is true Mustafa is dead. An anarchist of another cell I came to learn, though I didn't inform you at the time, it turns out he willingly got himself arrested. It turned out to be a mistake as I suspected, a shame. There were five main culprits that I can name during the execution. Of which only four are part of the triad...

He walked closer and extended a finger one by one with each name and description mentioned.

"Garen Seph, elderly human and a member of the Fraternity of Order. Witness of the Guvners that the execution had been put out.

Cristopher Cryptbane, heat headed Harmonium member, his temper is easily exploitable as he is one step away from cracking for something intolerant just existing. We can trust him to take the drastic action for provocation.

Iofiel Bune, a celestial born pale and mostly naive though idealistic mercykiller. She is the one whom commenced the sentence and pulled the lever. I however still have uses for her... unless you feel obligated to punish her, then be my guest as well.

Charae, a regular dark elf maiden merchant, but also a mercykiller. She played rather small role besides assisting the other Mercykiller to commence execution rather passively.

Uran'sel, a rather skittish elf woman with capability to use both the divine and arcane magic. However lacks confidence, she appears to go that extra step to ensure justice is however done as she ensured Mustafa indeed did turn himself in."

He let the information sink in before continuing "However I do not suggest we go after them. We have more pressing matters such as the still living members... granted it's true we may be able to impose fear by killing all whom were resposible to make later groups discouraged to attempt such public stunts. But I fear such will only work against us, if we become just gratified murderers there will be little support to the idealism of our organization.

Instead my counter proposition is that we capture members of Harmonium, Guvners and the Mercykillers to take as our own prisoners and negotiate a prisoner exchange. Good side of this plan is that they are easy to target without any pattern and anywhere that is convenient to us... be it in their homes, during their off-duty or even a mistaken patrol in wrong parts of Sigil. They may not agree to the terms in which case we will execute them as our members will be by the law. Eye for an eye." lifting his right hand to frame around his one eye with the fingers.

"The general thought of organizing I agree with entirely. We are being systematically hunted, yet we are acting blindly while they communicate and improve their methods of catching us. We still need to pool our information, I don't care if it's just this cell or all... but we aren't acting like a group so far. Just a bunch of individuals where everyone are doing their own thing, in which case we might as well not meet if that is the reality."

[*Darkrob]

“Alright… you want to capture some Reds.” Mila leans back in her chair and ponders. She rolls another smoke and lights it off a brass lighter she carries in her pocket.

“This could work… but what about the details? Saying we’re going to capture someone is one thing… actually doing it is another. I mean… we could get any namer off of patrol. But know what? Namer’s aren’t worth squat. You’d need a dozen of the shits to have enough pull to get them to release a prisoner. So… you need someone higher up the chain. You need officers. Would any officer do? Nope. Some don’t give a shit if they live or die. Those ones the Reds might be willing to cut loose and sacrifice just to make a point… just to snub us. So… we target the ones with baggage… the ones with families… families with pull. I mean seriously… you think all of these trophy wives just spend their lives on their backs when hubby demands it? Doubtful. They got their own jobs and lives. Many of these carry weight and influence in important circles. Wives like that ain’t going to just let hubby be sacrificed by the Red Machine. Those are the valuable targets.

You just let that settle in a little bit…”

[*A Casual Fellow]

"I disagree, any targets are fine. If you wish to murder someone then you target important figures... but in case of prisoners, their morals and ethics keeps it in high importance to get them back. Or only prove that they care little for their own members and the loyalties and morale will quite drop if they allow their own to die. Besides you seem fixed on opposing the Harmonium only... I find it that the Fraternity might be much easier target since they do not have the same excessive training, not to mention inadvertly might request the aid of Harmonium to their members. They've also enjoyed their time of peace far too long."

[*Darkrob]

"Then I guess we're gonna disagree. You think those berks give a shit about image, loyalty or morale? If so I've got a spire in the outlands I can sell ya cheap. It's Order at all damn cost. That's it. Done and done. The patrols know this signing up. They get caught... too effin' bad. They're on their own.

It's the families with pull that'll shut that bullshit down right away.

This isn't doctors in the weary spirit we're talking about. These are Hard assed Reds. And yes, I focus on the Reds... know why? I could give a shit about what some pencil pushing ass in the Fraternity does. Yeah... they preside over the so called laws and courts... but it's the Reds that meet us in the streets and drive us out of the shadows that put us there. They're the threat and don't you forget that.

You want to waste your time capturing namers walking a beat, just so they can tell you to pound sand... go for it. Best of luck... but I'm not wasting my time doing that.

[*A Casual Fellow]

"I've come to the conclusion that you're not going to "waste time" on anything regardless. The reason why I'm excluding a very narrow point of view for targets is simple: we'd need to know who have families which requires time, a luxury we do not have. I'd dare to say there's only a little time before they will begin to get rid of the captured members.

And it doesn't matter if they agree to make the exchange, I do not like plans where only one miraculous thing provides a success. You are right some will have their undeterred path, but others will highly likely reconsider the values. It is why I care little for the Mercykillers, they will not care for their own. The other two do not wish to show weakness, but at the same time very few will wish to make the call to cause a large number of deaths. Any form of division in the lines is quite fine since it can be exploited at later date... and we'll have options regardless to do with the prisoners what we want. They can send a message in many forms."