Defend Inky Agora

Dryali, Terrance, Tuala, Tahu, and Fine Branch had taken a couple days to settle into the Ripa Daneo Freelancers Tavern, which occupied an older villa a ways south of the Rim.  Despite all of them considering themselves seasoned Freelancers, most of the Ripa Daneo folks treated them coolly, as if they were freshly recruited.

They did learn the basic layouts of the Commerce settlements.  There were three main cities clustered together; Ripa Daneo on the east, dominated by [humans, elves, etc] and Gata Nahaki to the west, dominated by [pteroti, hobgoblins, etc].  Those cities were on the rim of a great crater to the north, and separated by a chasm with a river far below, named Diyairón.  The river and the chasm were commonly accepted as the work of the primordial god Rohe.

The top of the Rim had ancient villas held by families with histories older than the calendar; buildings and small apartments, taverns, expensive shops clung to the north cliffedge; both cities spilled southward along the gentle slope, ending in industry.  Southward of there, ranches were nestled in the rolling hills.  Along the northward cliff, between the packed buildings and flanking the gorge, were the airship docks.

Far under the ridge and river was the city Vathia Estia, which controlled the broad tunnels that allowed cart traffic to & from the valley to the north – for a price.  This thriving underground settlement was mostly dvergar and coblygnomes.

Some of the new arrivals had quickly found Inky Agora – the grey market, a mostly-underground affair with all manner of items for sale – and quickly parted with a portion of their coin to augment their own gear.  But, they all had been running missions for the Freelancers for over a year, and hadn't come to Commerce to be tourists.

Dryali, Fine Branch, Terrance, Tahu, and Tuala climbed up the stairs to visit Damakaios, leader of the Ripa Daneo Freelancers, for a mission.  The top of the stairs opened up into a lounge on the left, which had windows at the opposite wall allowing a view of the outside, next to what they hoped was an unnecessarily large fireplace.  To the right, windows looked out over the atrium.   The walls without windows had various trophies on display which looked to be from considerably more challenging adversaries than the grblins or bullywugs of Duquesne.

Damakaios' door had been shut, but it abruptly opened and someone in leathers left hurriedly.  Beyond, behind the desk, they saw Damakaios, a Pungarehu hanyou, half standing.

Damakaios had brick red skin, with longish black hair and a goatee, horns sweeping back close over his head.  The 6' tall hanyou was lean, wearing dark, fine clothes with a sweeping leather coat and ankle boots trimmed in red & gold.  He was sporting some nice jewelry as well.  As the Freelancers entered his office, he sat back down calmly behind his desk, which was clear except for a crumpled sheet of paper.

The rest of his office was also very neat.  Highly-detailed maps of Commerce, Ripa Daneo, Gata Nahaki, and what looked like several larger settlements lined the wall to their left; some cabinets were in the far corner.  Behind him, and along the wall to their right, were various weapons on display.  The back wall also had museum-quality cabinets with smaller weapons on display, some of them fancy, some of them antique.

Damakaios might be calm, but he looked over Freelancers coming into his office much like Arnari did in Cliffshadow.  He nodded to himself, said "you'll do," and smoothed out the paper on his desk.  "You must go immediately to the grey market, which is under attack.  A pair of aberrations have come up and are attacking Inky Agora.

"Check in with Jenzabar – they are mostly in charge of Inky Agora – to get the fee, once this is handled.  The fee is 250gp each; minus the Freelancers' Cut, of course, and minus property damage."  He looked at them expectantly, while Dryali wondered just what Arnari had told Damakaios about them.

Fine Branch's ears were slightly flattened.  "What's a life worth?" she challenged Damakaios, who started, "I expect you to not murder innocent by-"

Fine Branch cut him off.  "Not that, but if someones' lives are in danger, how many are in danger, before it's okay to break a window?" despite her attempts to keep the question even, the sarcasm still made it through.

Damakaios inhaled soundlessly, and those paying attention almost heard him murmur "Arnari…" before he said calmly, "Of course if you are saving people, that is one thing-" and Fine Branch cut him off again.  "That's good enough for me!"

Tahu asked, pleasantly curious, "Do you often get aberrations in the grey market?" Damakaios replied, "The interior of the skylith is full of strange and terrifying creatures, that often decide they don't want to be in the center of the skylith."  Everyone interpreted this diplomatic answer as a "yes."

Dryali piped up, "Capture or kill the aberrations?"  Damakaios replied, with the same smoothness, "Strongly suggest you kill them, if they are already attacking.  Also, we have no place to keep them."

The emphasis on "already attacking" was almost ignorable, but the Freelancers caught it and headed out to Inky Agora.

Inky Agora is an underground area accessible from both Gata Nahaki and Ripa Daneo.  The grey market is southwest of the Freelancers Tavern, extending under the river Diyairón which divides the two cities.  It takes up a modified natural cavern in the skylith, with irregularly-occurring pillars of varying sizes holding up the cavern roof.  In some places the pillars were reinforced (or, did they reinforce?) arches.  The grey rock of the cavern was offset by colourful awnings and tables of the vendors hawking their wares at the base of the pillars.  Lanterns powered by continual flame illuminated the high-traffic areas of the cavern.

Tahu, Fine Branch, and Terrance got turned around getting there, but Dryali and Tuala were pretty confident about the way, so they arrived in short order.  Unsure what to expect, the Freelancers entered the market cavern from the northeast entrance.  The market sounded a little off from what one would expect; the mongers were quiet, and Tahu and Fine Branch heard crashing and screaming, as if on the other side of the cavern.  They pointed it out to those who did not.

The Freelancers looked at each other.

• Dryali created a protector eldritch cannon.
• Fine Branch cast aid on herself, Tuala, and Terrance.
• Tuala cast protection from evil and good on Terrance.
• Terrance and Tahu drew their weapons.

Tahu dashed towards the screams, to see two creatures about the size of a human torso floating in the air.  The creatures were round and green, each with four eyestalks, a larger central eye, and many jaggedy teeth.  People of all kinds were scrambling to avoid them.  His own eyes went wide in shock.

Tahu ran back towards the other Freelancers, exclaiming, "They've got lots of eyes!!!"  He described them for the others.

• Tuala also moved towards the screams, and saw one of these creatures.  It was green, like a poisonous toad, and it stuck an unnaturally large tongue out of its mouth.  He thought it looked like a giant green floating barrel, and he shot it with a firebolt.
• Dryali had the protector bolster Terrance, Fine Branch, and himself, then he used the magic in his all-purpose tool to learn the eldritch blast cantrip.  He moved up next to Tuala.
• The poison green eyeball creature moved 20' closer to Tuala, and growled.  In his head, the nekomata heard "Burn, burn burn!"  
  • From one of the eyestalks a dark red beam shot out, hitting Tuala!  Necrosis spread from where the beam touched him, but Tuala maintained his spell on Terrance.
  • It also saw Tahu, and from another eyestalk, a weird orange beam shot out.  Tahu felt his muscles start to lock up, but shook it off.
  • The eyeball creature hid behind a pillar.
• The other creature was a more pale green, and floated towards Dryali, who tensed.
  • A dark red beam shot out of one of its eyestalks, lighting up Fine Branch.  Necrosis spread from the beam, injuring Fine Branch badly.
  • Another one of its eyes shot a clear blue beam at Tahu.  The Wind sagani's eyes clouded over, but he blinked and shook his head.
• By this point, the screaming had stopped, as the market populace had ceased getting menaced by these aberrations.  Some people were still fleeing.
• Terrance moved up next to Tuala, but made sure to put a pillar between herself and the pale green eyeball creature.  From there she dashed to the next pillar eastward, using her short bow to send an arrow at the creature.  It bobbed and dipped out of the way.
• Fine Branch cast spiritual weapon in the form of a white box, which made a slight buzzing noise, in front of the pale green eyeball creature.  It tried to box the creature's ears; except there were no ears, and the creature again dodged out of the way.  The nekomata cleric then cast guiding bolt, but entirely missed; so she moved behind a pillar, to not get hit with another beam.

Tahu quickly strode up to the pale green eyeball creature and pierced it with his magical shortsword.

• Tuala moved southwest, further into the grey market, and shot another firebolt at the pale green creature.
  • It flexed weirdly, and the firebolt changed course and hit Tahu in the face.  He dodged in an uncanny way and avoided much of the fire, but still ouch.
  • Seeing that, Tuala used his sorcerous abilities to quicken magic missile, the darts striking the eyeball creature with force.
  • Tuala moved behind cover.
• Dryali stepped to his left, bringing the pale green eyeball creature into his view, and incinerated it with firebolt.  He then stepped back, and had the protector bolster himself, Tuala, and Fine Branch.
• The poison green eyeball creature floated a little southward, enabling itself to see the two Freelancer rogues.
  • From one of its eyestalks, it shot a yellow beam at Terrance, which did nothing because Tuala still had protection from good and evil on her.
  • A dark red beam shot from another eyestalk at Tahu.  Necrosis appeared where the beam touched him.
  • The creature floated behind the pillar again to hide.
• From the west side of the Freelancers, a forest green eyeball creature appeared!
  • It shot a dark red beam on Tuala, causing even more necrosis.
  • Another eyestalk shot a yellow beam at Dryali, but nothing happened there.  <Narrator voice:  because Shari rolled a nat 20>
  • It hid from the two Freelancers behind a pillar.
• Terrance shot the forest green one with her shortbow, then hid.
• Fine Branch moved the spiritual weapon box towards the poison green eyeball creature.  Then she zoomed over next to Terrance as only a nekomata can do.  From there she had a clear view of the forest green floating creature and cast a guiding bolt at it, burning it with holy radiance.

Tahu ran past the spiritual weapon to attack the poison green eyeball creature, piercing its central eyeball with his magical shortsword.  The creature fell to the ground at his feet.  He glanced up at the forest green creature, and backed up until one of the market pillars intervened.

• Tuala moved so he could see the forest green eyeball creature, but his firebolt went wild.  <Narrator voice:  David rolled a 1.>  The air shifted, and felt sharp. 
  • The nekomata again used his sorcerous abilities to quicken magic missile, the darts striking the eyeball creature with force, but perhaps not as much as last time.
  • Like Tahu, Tuala backed up until one of the market pillars was in the way.
• Dryali's protector bolstered Tuala, but Dryali did not move.  He waited, ready to send a firebolt at any eyeball creature that floated into view.
• He did not have to wait long.  The forest green eyeball creature gurgled like a fish talking underwater, then floated toward Dryali.
  • Dryali burned it with his firebolt.
  • The creature shot Dryali with a dark red beam.  As it did to his fellow Freelancers, necrosis spread from where the beam struck.
  • Another eyestalk shot a yellow beam, and Dryali found himself entirely frightened of this weird, floating creature.
• Terrance emerged from her hiding place and dashed west.  As she did so she shot the forest green eyeball creature with her shortbow.  The arrow pierced it all the way through, and it slowly deflated to the ground.

After a tense moment in which the Freelancers wondered if any more would appear, Tuala walked up to the corpse of the forest green eyeball creature.  But whatever it was, was out of his expertise.  Dryali did not join him; he was still frightened and could not make himself move closer.

Tahu cast levitate on the corpse of the poison green one, and pushed it out from behind the pillar.  Tuala instantly sank a firebolt into it.  Tahu, perhaps not wanting another firebolt to the face, lowered it again.

The noises of the market were starting to resume, and the fright wore off Dryali.  He strode up to the forest green corpse and looked at it.  "What is this fucking thing?!" he exclaimed, but he didn't know either.  He stomped on it and stabbed it with his rapier repeatedly.  He stopped when a gangly human walked up, wearing slightly mismatched leathers, and a black armband with eyeholes.

The Freelancers realized this person was Jenzabar, when they started doling out coin:  250gp each.  "Thank you for not destroying anything," they said, "We'll handle cleanup."

Dryali asked them, "Where could these things have come from, in the first place?"  Jenzabar shrugged laconically.  "Below." They moved to a couple of other people, both in dark leathers, one with the same armband, one with a black cloth mask around his neck, and gestured at the aberration on the floor, and also upset tables.  The other two started to move around, addressing problems.

The Freelancers looked around as the grey market came back to life.  They noticed others with the armband, and some sigils of the Raccoon here and there.  Tahu noticed the people helping with cleanup were keeping a sharp eye out around the market; no signs were evident of looting of the abandoned booths.

They also noticed the grey market was a… wider variety of peoples than they were used to.  Certainly the plurality were sagani, but mixed in with elves, dwarves, gnomes, and humans were lizard folk in one corner, and kobolds and goblins on a pillar to the northwest.  They looked around for pteroti or garuda, but none were in evidence.

They shrugged at each other and left, heading back to Freelancers Tavern.  After all, they hadn't come to Commerce to be tourists.

Damakaios was gracious as he accepted the 125 gp Freelancers Cut from the returned group.

Damakaios: glad to see you whole, and in one piece.
Fine Branch: we tried, but could not find a good excuse for massive property damage.
Terrance:  ability to hide was key.
Tahu:  one got up and started attacking, after he died!
<Damakaios was not fooled by this statement, and raised both his eyebrows.>
Damakaios <to Fine Branch>:  I understand you hail from Cliffshadow, but here, Freelancers are in more delicate and sensitive work.  Sometimes we hide we were hired at all; sometimes be sensitive to others' property.  
Damakaios <embedded in above statement, as thieves' cant to Tahu>: wasn't it levitate?
Dryali <crossed arms>:  really, how are people supposed to hide we are hired?
Damakaios:  sometimes you have to be sneaky.
<Dryali considered the sharkskin boots of elvenkind he just finished crafting.>
Dryali:  I'm good at that!
<Tuala snorted with laughter, and Tahu hid a smile.>
Damakaios:  I've heard from Arnari about your skill in this area.
<Silence, in which Dryali wiggled his toes.>
Damakaios:  sorry there were three, not two, of… those.
Tuala:  nature of the job.
Damakaios:  but, it is normally my business to make sure I know ahead of time.  But, there was a time constraint on this.
Tahu:  so, an inquisitive rogue.
Damakaios <smiling>: well, an inquisitive rogue would be appropriate.  Given the intrigue with the various ancient houses with Ripa Daneo, and the interactions with Gata Nahaki.
Damakaios:  I'll let you go; just remember we have a reputation to maintain.  Speaking of which: when taking missions off-Commerce, always bring back alcohol from other skyliths.

The Freelancers filed out of his office, and shut the door behind them.  Damakaios rested his forehead in his hands a moment, and felt the peacefulness of his orderly office, before he stood up, unlocked a cabinet, and brought forth a sending stone.

He closed his eyes, and then sent to Arnari, who was no doubt asleep,

Did you not explain how Commerce works before you sent me your Rabble Rousers

Her amused answer made him consider she had planned this.

It's good for you, you need to be challenged sometimes