casablanca ♔ i've signed this contract with my blood

[pickyourbattles]

WHO ||Willow, Paige, Aurelius, Nathan, Cora, Allison [Closed]
WHAT || The Knights travel to Casablanca to track down a vampire unleashed by Strahd into this world
WHERE || Casablanca, Morocco
WHEN || Fall 2016 [back dated]
HOW || Actionspam. Single thread, don't worry about maintaining tagging order.

It's been well over a year since an unexplainable phenomena occurred - the usual mist that hails the momentary gap in the Veil between worlds hung around in Romania, and actually seemed to work two ways for a time.  A time long enough for the Knights to wander into the realm of Barovia, where they discovered a people terrified by the Vampire Strahd of Castle Ravenloft.  Confronting the vampire, they managed to be reunited with their lost leader, Sir Dovan, but they drove an increasingly irritated Strahd to send something else back along with them - an ubervampire of his own creation, one of his bizarre experiments, which he unleashed upon their home world.  There had been no clues as to where the creature had ended up until now.

Six disappearances in Casablanca across the last six months have turned up no bodies, but sightings of a creature that matches the description.  The Knights travel to the last location of one of these sightings - near one of the piers.

Comments

[pickyourbattles]

[ paige's over-enthusiasm is indeed met with looks of discomfort from those she accosts, who are quick to dismiss themselves in the local language.

it's cora that manages to find someone who can actually speak english, and with his good role, aurelius saddles up beside her. the local is a dockworker who takes a pipe out of his mouth from where it's nestled in his grizzled beard, and looks them over.

"Strange, eh. You're talking about them disappearances." ]

Yes, sir. We're hoping to help find these missing persons.

[impetere]

We just want to get them home to their families.

[Which is true! It doesn't really matter that Cora is probably assuming that most of them are already dead.]

We were hoping that someone might give us a good place to start?

[somepagesturn]

[Paige sort of wanders up closer to back Cora up if need be, but stays silent since CORA CLEARLY HAS ALL THE PEOPLE SKILLS HERE.]

[pickyourbattles]

[ "What makes you think you can do more than them police have done?" he asks, screwing up his face to study her and paige ]

[impetere]

[She gives a small shrug in return, but her abilities of persuasion are not as good as her ability to get information, but she's gonna try (diplomacy 13).]

It can't hurt to try. And the police have to play by rules we don't.

[pickyourbattles]

[ "Who's 'we', then?" he asks, pulling the pipe from his mouth and glancing across them, looking unimpressed by their relative youth ]

[autorevive]

We're [wait shit he can't say knights] detectives!! Me and this one. [he gestures at paige.] These lot are our assistants. [bluff 20 total]

[somepagesturn]

[Paige looks at Nathan slowly like Stewie Griffin tilting his head.

okay so we're doing this.] We... probably shouldn't be announcing that. We don't want to cause a kerfuffle since this is out of our usual jurisdiction, but... what he said.

[impetere]

[She blinks at that, before nodding once and playing along (bluff 21).]

Private investigators, hired by the families.

[risked]

[This feels like it's going... slightly poorly. She doesn't comment on the situation building within the group though. Too many people trying to reaffirm a lie doesn't really sell the lie. Allison just stands near the group, an expectant look on her face.]

[pickyourbattles]

[ the man doesn't look surprised at all by the pronouncement, or by their relative youth, just sort of shrugging and taking it in.

"Ah, yeah. Maybe a good idea. Police never do much around here anyway. Well, if you're looking for strange, there's been plenty of that goin' on. The wolves, for one." ]

Wolves? [ he glances at willow ] Did he say wolves?

[ "Aye," the man adds. "Don't usually come in the city. Golden wolves." ]

[autorevive]

Golden how? Are they gold-plated, or covered in piss? That could mean about anything.

[impetere]

[Wolves are a good thing. Cora can talk to wolves (in theory).]

Where in the mountains?

[pickyourbattles]

[ "It's what they're called. Golden wolves - it's their species. You can find them anywhere out there, out in the woods." ]

[autorevive]

[nathan looks thoroughly disappointed. this is not the answer he was wanting or expecting.]

[somepagesturn]

And do they just... appear? I'm just curious if there have been attacks linked to them on top of everything else.

[pickyourbattles]

[ he shakes his head. "They come out of the woods, far as I can tell. Just strange that they don't seem afraid to come near the city now. Not sure what they're looking for, exactly." ]

[impetere]

[She nods once before turning her head to try and find the woods in question.]

Which woods?

[pickyourbattles]

[ he nods up towards the hills visible beyond the city proper, covered in dark trees.

"That way," he says. "Though if you go out there, be careful. Hear there's dangerous things lurking out there, wolves aside." ]

Seems as good a place as any for us to check out, then.

[risked]

[Allison is prepared to follow the team, but the mention of "wolves aside" does pique her interest.]

What are the rumors... wolves aside?

[impetere]

[Yep, Cora's very interested in knowing that too. She turns her attention to the older man to try and get a sense what they're up against.]

[pickyourbattles]

[ he shrugs. "Creatures, probably, from the other world. Or worlds, if what they say now is true." ]

[somepagesturn]

You mean the Veil... [she glances at the others and then turns back to the man.] You've been a huge help, sir.

[pickyourbattles]

[ he nods and waves dismissively as they turn from him, and aurelius glances back over his shoulder before saying quietly ] It looks as if we'll do well to scope out the woods, then. Though if he's right about Shadow creatures, we should make sure to go armed.

[impetere]

I'm always armed.

[But that's just Cora, not everyone can sprout claws and fangs out of nowhere.]

But you're right. We should be prepared for anything.