Brazen Wolfe Tabletop

Broken Bonds

16BrBo

Dee stepped merrily into the house that she had been living in with her friend Carter for the past few months having finally made enough money to upgrade from staying in a local inn. It had been a number of years since they had left Carters family residence and everything she had known to start things brand new, from scratch with a skillset not accustomed to life on the streets. She had to learn quickly and had even discovered a bit of magic coursing through her veins. Using her magic, her charm and her natural talents as a halfling she made a name for herself as part of Carters crew in retrieving or locating objects and people for the right price but always at the behest of Carter.

As she past the kitchen old habits kicked in and she found herself tiding up bottles, plates and utensils that had been left across the table from when the other members of the crew had come to discuss the next job they had. She had been out helping a groom found his lost ring from when he had been guarding a caravan in a nearby marsh. The pay had been good but the marsh was not a safe place for the ill prepared, lucky for her no one expected her natural talent for this type of work, herself included.

“Carter?” she called as she walked up stairs to where the bedrooms and where they kept their plans in private she found Carter snoring in his room with his Fiancé, Gwen. Closing the door to give them more privacy she walked forward towards her room but stopped when she passed the room where they conducted most of their planning due to the thickness of its windowless walls and loose boards on the walls and floor to hide things in quickly should the need arise. the door was open which was something that they had agreed to not do, secrecy in their clients private matters was the highest priority for her. Entering to make sure that the room hadn’t been broken into she found a series of papers and plans on the table, it looked like the Crew had been planning late into the night. Tiding up the papers she noticed that several of the papers referred to streets and buildings between the market and the docks. Looking further into it she noticed several names she didn’t recognise as well as detailed movement of people or groups. Her guess was that, like the rest of their work, these people were thieves or people of interest that they were needing to apprehend and hand into the Market Watch to be returned to their rightful owner. But there was a nagging, a tug at the corner of her mind that told her that there was a large number of weapons listed amongst the documents for planning and the more she looked the more the numbers of names listed, the areas that they were listed and a few key names of people who own stalls in the market. This looked like something that wasn’t normal for their little crew and it gave her a bad feeling. Backing away from the table with the ill-boding plans she left room, checking that no one was in the hall way before she stepped through and closed the door.

“Morning Dee, didn’t here you come in. What are you doing?” Carter asked with a yawn as he leant against the door frame to his room.

“Just came in Carter, just closing this door as it was left open. Don’t want to risk someone walking in.” Dee said with a smile, and imitating his yawn to hide her true feelings on her face. Carter just smiled before walking downstairs towards the kitchen “I cleaned up, there should be some salted meat and bread on the table!” she called out.

Carter smiled “What would we do without you Dee?” he said before walking down to investigate what was for breakfast. Dee practically ran to her room and started to pack her back with her valuables. Something was wrong and that little voice that kept her safe in the past was telling her that she had to get out and so she packed and made plans.

“So Dee, we’ve got a job. Our largest yet and I need you to do something for us that only you can do. Without you the job will fail and our client will not be reunited with their father.”

Dee bit her lip before turning around with smile painted on her face “No worries Carter, what do you need me to do?”

“I need you to have a little chat to the Market Watch.” Carter grinned as he took a bit out of the fresh bread that she had brought back the crew.

A few hours later, all belongings stuffed inside a backpack Dee was standing in front of the Market Watch guard post, a large building in the middle of the the mark district. “Just this last job and walk away, we owe him that much” she thought to herself as she pushed through the doors, with a little more effort due to her size. Walking up to the front desk she stood on a stood that was to the side and cleared her throat. “I am here to report a theft, well its about to happen in a manor, the Youngbanks manor, Lord Ruther Youngbanks’s house” she said putting as much effort as she could into her face remaining concerned and, no effort required, worry and fear showing in her looks. She was quickly shown a seat and asked to wait for someone to come get her.

Minutes ticked by and she began to worry, Carter needed the Market Watch sent in the other side of the city so that he could complete the job – what ever it was – and she was out of time. Panic began to set in as she knew she was out of time and as she began to fidget and sweat more a hand gripped her should and she looked up into a guardsman’s face who was kneeling next to her.

“Are you ok miss?” A kind human man asked smiling as he took a seat next to her. “I am Sergeant Dane Weathermane, you are probably waiting for my big brother Grant to come and speak to you but he is a bit preoccupied at the moment, is this something I can help with? he said, his smile calming her nerves somewhat.

“I have to r-r-rreport that there is going to be a robbery at the Youngbanks residence in the southern district. I overheard a few men at the bar saying that they were going to storm the place looking for some treasure that the family had stashed away and so I came here straight away. You have to take as many men as you can and get there, it sounded like it was one of them street gangs” she blurted out, her nerves returning to give her lies a tingle of real urgency and nerves.

“Okay okay little miss, I believe your name is Dee is that correct?” Dane asked, Dee’s face dropped and went blank. Her real name being exposed was not part of the plan. “I have heard that we have worked with you before, you collect a lot of bounties and make quite a few people happy by reuniting them with their kids, parents or lost things.” Dane smiled, he was actually genuine.

The door burst open and two Market watch guardsmen ran through the door, weapons drawn and their armour already smeared with blood. “There is trouble in the south, by the docks. We are requesting all available able body men and women to come help break up multiple fights between street gangs. From the looks of it a someone has rallied multiple gangs together and they are all fighting for the one guy they call the Gent.

Dee’s heart sank, The Gent is what her crew was called due to the nature and how Carter worked and treated people – fairly, if not ruthlessly at points, much like a gentleman. Carter was behind this.

“I’m sorry Dee there are people that could need help. Someone will come help you with your report and we will see if we can be of assistance to the Youngbanks” Dane said as he stood and received a tunic and sword that he strapped on.

“Please don’t go. I.. I really.. ” Dee didn’t want this genuine kind man to get involved. She had a bad feeling about all of it. “really think that someone, you!, yes you should look into the Youngbanks”

Dane sighed but smiled “The Youngbanks residence has been vacant for years, ever since their son disappeared and the family was thrown into ruin. If wealth still lies within their walls I doubt that it has gone this long without being discovered. When I return I will investigate it personally” Dane said with a smile.

As he stood and walked out tears came to Dee’s eyes and she got up and walked out of the building. She was never going back to Carter, it all made sense now. His ambition had outgrown doing what was right and he was revealing his hand, he wanted the city like his parents ahd but he wanted to take it with violence instead of schemes alone.

As she left she shed her moss green cloak and let it sink into the mud. She would not be called Dee any more, she would change herself, become self reliant and it would start with a new name and a new place to stay. She, Discordia, would disappear. Dis. Dis had a nice ring to it.