S01 The Rebels of Westcrown

Her first stop was a small tavern, The Silver Chalice, which sat next to a small chapel dedicated to the goddess Iomedae. Inside, she spotted the man she was looking for, Keemes Alistarde. A sellsword, Janiven had been told he was a skilled fighter as well as a bit of a holy man. He had lofty ideals for what is right, and would stand up against injustice, but he wouldn't do it for free.

Janiven approached him, applying a little more than her usual allure to get his attention. It worked, but not in the way she expected; he immediately turned away from her direction. Refocusing her strategy, she noticed Keemes' eyes were fixed on a group of three guards, who were sitting at a table nearby, shouting and laughing loudly about some poor soul they had just beaten—presumably not at cards. She could see his hands were clenched tightly into fists.

Not wanting things to escalate before she had a chance to talk to him, she moved in close and said quietly, "They are only a symptom of the problems we have in this city. If you want to do something about it, I can help you. And you can help me."

Keemes didn't yet look at her. Instead, he said as if to no one in particular, "What these men claim to have done is only spared from being called a crime because they act on behalf of the ones who write the laws."

"Laws which can be changed, if we can get the right people in power," Janiven said, trying to keep his attention.

"That's not the point," he reflected. "Whoever writes the new laws will need men like them to enforce them, and they will ultimately fall prey to the same abject corruption that always comes in the wake of granted authority," he pondered for a moment, then added, "What man needs is religion, not laws; something greater than himself to guide his actions. To give him a sense of purpose." He gestured broadly to the chapel next door. "I was once just like them, until I found a goddess whose teachings gave me a more noble cause to fight for."

Janiven, noting his pause, took the opportunity to interject, "Iomedae is a most righteous goddess, but she cannot do the work of mortals. And men like them will never be swayed by the teachings of a goddess, or by promises that are not of a material kind. They need to be shown that there is a better way, and they need to be shown by someone they respect. And the only thing they respect is power."

Keemes finally turned to look at her, his eyes now gently burning with the embers of his previous anger. "And you think I should be the one to show them by helping you with whatever cause you are here to promote?"

"I am here to give you an opportunity to do something about the injustice, and by doing so, to show the people of this city by what example they could follow," Janiven replied.

"If you came to find me, then you know I require some form of payment to sustain my ideals," he said. "It isn't that I'm not charitable, but I generally assume that what I offer is worth far more than what I ask in return."

Janiven smiled. "I can assure you that what I have to offer is worth enough to satisfy your ideals, and then some. But we can discuss that later, as well as the details of what I need you for. Meet me at Vizio's Tavern this evening after sixth chime. There you will learn everything you need to know."

Keemes looked at her for a moment, then said, "I will see myself to be there."

Janiven nodded, and put her hand on his shoulder as a gesture of thanks. She then departed her position at the bar, leaving Keemes to ponder her words.

Travelling to the market, Janiven knew that her second mark came here not so often, but with a regularity that could be abused by someone like her trying to find him. Arpentus Worshal was a reclusive mage who shut himself up inside his brewery making all manner of potions for sale to those who need them most.

She found him at a grocery stall, his bags already half full of ingredients from other stops along the way to this one. She noted that he bought only the best-looking vegetables and highest quality cuts of meat.

As she moved in next to him, she feigned looking over the vegetables, and when the moment was right, reached for the same exotic fruit as he did.

"It seems we have a common taste for monk's fruit," she said in an offhanded way. "I wonder if there isn't more we have in common."

Arpentus, perking up a little by the social encounter, replied with a bit of cheeky candor, "Well, I suspect you must be well read, as that is how I spend almost all of my time these days."

"What I read is people," she said pointedly. "And I see that you are someone who is without a purpose. You may be well read, but none of it can tell you what to do with all your knowledge."

"And what of me that you see today could tell you such a thing? I find great purpose in my daily work. How is it that you missed that?" he replied.

Not shaken in the slightest, Janiven’s tone was knowing, if not smug, as she shot back, "Your clothes are not laundered, and your eyes are dark like someone who has not slept in a fortnight. It is clear that you are not taking care of yourself, Master Arpentus, despite how well it appears that you eat."

Taken a little aback, the mage held his mouth slightly agape as if to respond for a moment or two before stammering out, "well, yes… well perhaps I'm on the verge of a very important discovery and my work has taken a precedence over such trivial things as washing and hot-ironing my clothes."

"I think you know that what you look for can't be found in the pages of a book," she said dryly. "It can only be found through the ready use and practice of magic. You must go out and experiment. Only then will you be satisfied in your understanding of what you have learned."

At these words, Arpentus looked slightly ashamed. "For such a great and learned master of the arcane such as I, it is hard to argue that I have little opportunity to put my knowledge into good use. Potionmaking is one thing, but oh the things that I have come to know, it would addle most men's brains."

"Then I will give you this one chance to take on me, Master Worshal. I have a ready need for your knowledge and talents. This city is in peril, and without those who can stand up and put a stop to the treacherous things that are happening in the very streets; it will fall to ruin. More than this I cannot say here. Come to Vizio's Tavern at sixth chime, and you shall find the very reason you desire. It will dispel your qualms about using magic errantly," she said with a note of finality.

Eyes wide open at her words, Arpentus seemed to nod along with ever increasing distance between each crest and fall. His eagerness to play with all of the arcane might at his disposal flashing behind the irises—almost with a madness. All the while, a keen desire to do no harm played itself upon his face until he finally said, "Then I shall meet you there."

Having spotted her quarry multiple times as she pursued him through the streets, Janiven noticed that Ronaldos Esmaren was a lonesome individual like the others. A wanderer that she only heard of recently, she knew that if she could take his ear for long enough she could convince him to join up with her. Only he damn near kept giving her the slip.

It was just as she saw him turn a corner into an alley and, while following, thought to herself, It sure does feel like I'm being played with —when she heard the cocking of a firearm from behind.

"Don't move a muscle there miss. I don't think you'd like what this here bullet would do to your knee if I saw fit to pull this trigger" came a voice from behind her.

Thinking quickly, she decided that honesty was her best policy in that moment and said, "Listen, if you've got guns, then I'm going to guess you're who I'm looking for. It isn't many who are willing to risk their life and limb to such black-powder magic."

"It ain't magic and it ain't luck. That's the problem with most people. They don't respect the incredible power that fire has to offer. But enough small-talk. Why are you following me?" he responded in a voice that felt measured. Entertained.

"Esmaren. Ronaldos Esmaren? That's you isn't it? I'm looking for the deadliest sharpshooter ever to set foot in the inner sea region. Or so they say," she stated confidently.

"And if I am who you're looking for, what does that mean for me?" came the voice again, a little more inquisitive than standoffish.

"I'm looking for good people who are willing to take a chance on a place like Westcrown. You might not be from around here, but I'll bet here is about as good a place as any to stop and make a difference in the world. What else do you use those guns for?" she asked earnestly.

A quiet settled over the alley. Thoughtfully, Ronaldos responded, "protection, mostly, but also to make a difference. I've seen too much of good people being kept down by those who call themselves lawmen. You've got one chance to convince me, or I'm adios. And this will be the last you ever see or hear of me."

After a moment to think on her words carefully, Janiven stated matter-of-factly, "What stands to call itself law in this town hasn't been right to do so in a long time. I'm putting together a crew who can make a change in that regard. But without making this city pay dearly for it. It isn't about just you or me. There are many more already. But not everyone has the skill or talent it appears you have to be… unnoticed." After a brief pause to let those words do their work, she added finally, "I'm having a meeting tonight with two others. A mage. And a holy man, though really more of a muscle man from reputation. If you're there, that's company that will go a long way to convincing the others. Meet us after sixth chime at Vizio's tavern if you think it's something you'd be after."

A long silence seemed to drag for ages. By the time she realized he wasn't even there anymore, over a full minute had passed. She rolled her eyes a little, but deep down, she hoped someone with that kind of ability to sneak away quiet was up for the job.