Plot In the Name of Riches (ft. Girheim)

[The Narrator]

𝕀𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 ℕ𝕒𝕞𝕖 𝕠𝕗 ℝ𝕚𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕤​ There was a time of the day where the sun caught the vast banners that hung off the sides of the many, many buildings in Questhina Square. It lasted, perhaps, no more than ten minutes, but Oriemin Thistlewind loved the moments where he was able to catch it. The sun, starting to to flee from the coming night, started to disappear off in the west. It had fallen low enough that it was no longer visible in the sky, and perhaps if he were standing on the western walls of Khare, he'd be able to see the brilliant orange ball as it sank into the sea. When the sun was about to sink beneath the waves, and the sky was bathed in vivid colours and it looked like the banners were on fire. It was beautiful. Oriemin pulled his hood over his head and rested his shoulder against the nearest wall. Nearby was a stall selling delicious-looking fruits. Ripe mangos, starfruits, gissinfruits, and he even spotted a few coconuts—a rarity indeed in Khare. The man's voice was loud and he used the shrill chirps and whistles that were customary from the vendors of Khare's markets. Anything to get attention. Oriemin was not in the market to buy, at least he wasn't there to buy food. He was there because he'd been tracking down a piece of information for a few days and he felt like he had managed to find someone who had said that they could chase down the rumours for him. When you were one-foot-in to the seedier underside of Khare's... less-savoury parts of society, sometimes you came across pieces of information that were interesting. Being a halfling, Oriemin was used to going unnoticed. He was used to hearing things. "I'm sure that it would net enough money to buy an entire quarter of Khare," the man had said. An entire quarter of Khare... Oriemin had felt like his heart was going to leap through his chest. From what he'd managed to gather from that conversation, it was some kind of relic from a time long-forgotten. Wasn't magical, didn't have powers, but it was old. One of those need to know the right buyer kind of things. But he was not deep in that world, and he didn't know who would have information about it, or even where he'd be able to sell the item once they got it. But the Crowhoods did know that sort of stuff. So, after tracking down someone who knew a person that knew a Crowhood, he'd managed to get in touch. In exchange for details about where the item was (the man had been sparse on details and had only said Three Jagged Cliff, which Oreimin had not managed to learn anything about), the Crowhood had suggested that they would then sell the item for the halfling, for sixty percent of the profit. Forty percent of an entire quarter of Khare was still more money than Oreimin and his brother had ever seen. They'd be able to live comfortable lives, free from stress, in a nice part of the city. They'd have no problems at all. "Thistlewind." Oriemin almost leaped out of his skin. The woman that stood next to him had managed to get right behind him without him even noticing. Was he that bad at paying attention? Or were the Crowhoods that good. He started to turn around but felt something get pushed into his left hand. He looked over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of the bronze, avian-looking mask, before the woman turned and was gone—disappearing back into the crowds of the market, leaving him alone, clutching the paper, and listening to the chirps and whistles of the nearby fruit vendor. He stood there for a moment, looking around suspiciously, but he saw no eyes on him and no one seemed to have noticed the exchange. He went to open the piece of paper and then stopped. No, Shae should see what it says too. After all, he was the one that wound up dipping deep into his pockets to even get the information in the first place. Oreimin shoved the paper into a pocket and made his way up the street, passing the fruit vendor as he want. The little halfling was a half-block away before he fished the mango he'd stolen out from the shadows of his heavy cloak and tossede it up into the air before catching it. At the very least, he'd be able to ply his brother's mood with some delicious food if the information on the paper was just a wild-goose hunt.

 

[Girheim]

Shae was locked in conversation with a jeweler. Each gilded piece glistened in the warm light of the setting sun.

"You call these real?!" Shae shouted, throwing a golden necklace onto the table, causing it to leave an indent in the wooden surface.

"Sir, I assure you-" The merchant pleaded. A soft spoken fellow; an easy target.

"Don't you lie to me!" Shae turned to the crowd, cupping his hands around his mouth and shouting to the crowd. "Hey! This guy is selling fake jewels!"

The jeweler was becoming distraught. Nobody liked a fake, especially in a bazaar like this. Counterfeit goods always meant distrust and disruption amongst goods. The crowd coming around to view the event meant someone would eventually step in, and step in they did. A muscular man, built like a brick house and with the height to match, stomped over to the table, demanding a refund for the bracelets he had bought for his wife. This was Shae's que.

Shae leaned against the table, smug grin on his face as he slipped a small handful of necklaces into his sleeve while the jeweler was focused on not getting his face pounded in by the raging giant.

Shae slipped out of the scene, their small frame allowing them to hide in the ever moving crowd of the bazaar.

"Ha! Easy as pie!" Shae said as he tossed one of the necklaces into the air, catching it with a quick swipe of his hand.

Shae looked at the sun setting in the sky, noticing it beginning to disappear behind the every restless waves of the Khare sea.

"Oh no! I'm late! Ori is going to kill me!" Shae began running towards the town square. Shae had promised to gather information, but they saw an easy target and couldn't help themselves.

It didn't take long for Shae to reach the town square. Shae sat down on a bench near an ornate fountain, carefully scanning each person that walked by while they searched for their brother.

 

[The Narrator]

It didn't take Oriemin long to find his brother. He had always found it strange that he was able to find his brother, no matter where he was and no matter how hard he tried to hide. Shae had always found him too, as if something about them just clicked together a the level of destiny. Perhaps Oriemin had had destiny on the mind of late, but whatever the case may be, him and his brother were going to get rich and be able to go on adventures all the time. He knew it in his bones that the two of them would be together until the end, going on quests to gain riches. He hopped up on the fountain next to Shae and gave him a sheepish look. "You know what? I got it, I just ran into a Crowho—... er, a source... And anyways, here's what they gave me." He reached into his cloak and pulled out the sheet of paper and thrust it into his brother's hands. "Also, I got you a mango," he added, pulling out the fruit and settling it down on the edge of the fountain between them. He knew that Shae was probably still a little angry about having to shell out the money, and on top of that, there were a lot of rumours in the city about how reliable Crowhoods actually were. Oriemin had always found that there were two types of people that had opinions about the Crows. The first were those that actually used them. These people were quick to complain about the price of whatever they needed, but were fast to point out that it exceeded expectations. It was in those circles that Oriemin had gotten his contacts and his information. The second group was those that just had heard of them. The Crowhoods were, after all, a guild of thieves and murderers. Yet, they were a central power in Khare, and that was unavoidable. This is why they always had good information. It was also why you never ever wanted to be in debt to them. Who knew what they'd come asking for if you were silly enough to make that mistake. "Well, go on, Shae, open it up and let's see where our treasures lie! I can't wait to go get stinking rich so that we don't have to steal mangos all the time. Imagine, being able to just buy them!" Oriemin burst into a fit of warm laughter.

 

[Girheim]

Shae greedily grabbed the mango, using their teeth to rip off the skin before biting into the soft flesh inside.

"Thankth for the food!" Shae spoke with their mouth filled with mango. "So thith ith it?"

Shae swallowed their food, carefully trying to open the parchment with their single clean hand. Shae slipped off the band that held the paper closed, letting it fall to the floor as the rolled the document open on their lap.

Inside was a delicate map, yellowed with age and torn at the edges. Whoever had this before didn't seem to take good care of it before it fell into the hands of the crowhoods. The map looked hand drawn, almost like charcoal was used as the medium for the sloppy directions. An attempted drawing of mountains lined the top, followed by scribblings of a language that Shae couldn't read along the top. Another word seemed to follow what appeared to be a river, and a small X sat in the center of a drawing of a forest.

"This is it? It's just a map. It doesn't even look special! Where's the grandure? The intricate designs that show how precious the treasure is?! Are you sure you got the right guys?"

Shae tossed the paper back at Oriemin, feeling their excitement dwindle with the lackluster map.

"It looks like something I could draw in my sleep, and I can't even read what it says! It looks like something a kid could come up with." Shae crossed his arms, mango juices dripping to the ground from his half eaten snack.

Shae sighed and reached into his pocket, pulling out the jewelery that he snagged earlier, holding it out for Oriemin to see.

"Here. A surprise for you. I swiped it from some new merchant on the north side of town. Dude fell for the oldest trick in the book!" Shae laughed, feeling no regret for their actions. The guy was new, after all. He should have known better than to let someone bash his wares.

"We can get a room here for a few days with these beauties!"

 

[The Narrator]

Oriemin looked over the map as Shae held it out. He turned his head slightly and then reached over to rotate the map in his brother's hands. "I'm not sure, Shae," Oriemin reached over and took the mango from his brother, took a bite out of it, and then returned it. "I guess I was hoping to get something really classy too, but maybe that's not what you want to do when you're hiding treasure, right? The fancier you make something look, the more likely it is that it'll just get stolen, right?" He frowned as he also peered at it. "You know what everyone says about information from Crowhoods though, if they've got it then it's good information. I think that we have to trust that it's real... He turned his head. What do you suppose this is?" Oriemin's fingers traced a round central area with two triangles. "It looks like something I could draw in my sleep, and I can't even read what it says! It looks like something a kid could come up with," Shae said. Oriemin knew though that if anyone was going to figure out this map, it would be his brother. For all the self-doubt, there wasn't anyone he trusted more to get them to where they needed to be. "Here. A surprise for you. I swiped it from some new merchant on the north side of town. Dude fell for the oldest trick in the book!" Oriemin eyed the jewels. Shae was right, they'd be able to get a room for a few days and then some. Maybe even be able to buy a few supplies. He snatched the jewels and held the up to the sky, peering through the colourful stones. "Want me to go get these fenced? I know a guy," Oriemin gestured towards the map as he fished through his pockets for his pouch of coins. "In the meantime, you can use some of my money to get the room and you can start figuring out what the story it with this map. I have faith that you can get it figured out." He nodded, full of confidence. "Besides, even if we can't figure it out right away, I want to get it out of the open air. Challenging or not, that piece of paper cost us a lot of money and I'd hate for some other lesser thief to snatch it while we weren't looking." Oriemin hopped off the edge of the central fountain and stretched, his arms over his head and feet on points. He looked back at his brother, waiting for the acknowledgement before wandering off to get some useful coin that they could use in exchange for someone else's property. Shae always was great with his hands, a great lockpick, a great thief, and a great pickpocket. Oriemin was always more adept at dealing with people and figuring out what their plays should be. They were the perfect team. And always would be.

 

[Girheim]

Shae let Oriemin take the mango from his hand, grateful for the food they shared together.

"The fancier you make something look, the more likely it is that it'll get stolen, right?" Oriemin's words held wisdom, even if they disappointed Shae.

"I guess you're right..." Shae visibly frowned, an exaggerated frown meant as a joke, but still held a shred of truth. He perked back up, giving Oriemin his usual cheeky grin as he grabbed the jewelery.

"Want me to get these fenced? I know a guy." Oriemin offered. His words lit up Shae's eyes.

"Could you? I wanna sleep in an actual bed tonight! We've been running around looking for these crow fellas for so long and sleeping mats just don't cut it."

Shae stuffed the parchment into his pocket. The potential damage to it was less troublesome than having it snatched. It was their first actual lead since they started their journey.

"I'm gonna go figure this thing out! I'll meet you at the inn next to the potion place!"

Shae ran off, waving behind him as Oriemin disappeared into the crowd. Shae walked until he found a quiet part of town, a book store lined with art, maps, and novels in every language in the region. Shae sat in a reading chair, opening a large book and opening the paper inside of it. He didn't want others to suspect he was deciphering a map, even in a place as empty as the store.

"Where do I even start with this? It's all gibberish and scribbles..." Shae rubbed the back of his head. "Guess I could see if it matches any maps? It's just mountains and trees with a handful of random shapes though."

Shae's verbal mumbles drew the attention of the store owner, causing her to shush him.

"Keep it down!" She whispered to him, brows furrowed in frustration.

"S-sorry..." Shae whispered back, embarrassed he could be heard.

Placing the book back on the shelf, he began to look at the maps displayed on the walls and in glass cabinets. Maps laden with gilded trims and colors only available to the finest craftsmen were used on the maps hidden behind glass. Shae looked around the room, making sure that nobody was watching him as he pulled the paper out, lining it alongside each of thr maps, rotating it to see if he could find any semblance of a clue.

"Shit..." He whispered to himself, finding that none of the modern maps matched the hand drawn one he held.

Holding the map against the glass of a larger typography map, Shae rotated it once more.

"Wait... that's not just a language. That's a date!" Shae shouted, causing the owner to shush him once more.

"Another outburst like that and I'm going to ask you to leave." She huffed out in frustration, tapping her fingers on the wooden counter she sat behind.

"Sorry." Shae whispered back, finding an idea cross his mind as he hid the map behind his back. The date on the map was old. Older than anything in the shop.

"Hey." Shae spoke in hushed tones to the owner. "Do you have any old maps? Maybe, I don't know, 300 years or so old?

"I don't got none of those here." She mumbled out, looking down at a book she was reading. "Anything that old lives a good life in a museum."

Shae nodded in thanks, leaving the store without buying anything. Not that he had the money to do so at the moment. Shae rushed over to the cheapest Inn, searching for Oriemin, finally having a semblance of a lead. He had to see if he could snatch one of the museum maps, but he needed his brother's help. Something as precious as this always took more than one halfling.

 

[The Narrator]

Fencing the jewels hadn't taken long, though his usual go-to conspirator was no where to be found. This wasn't strange, and Oriemin didn't give it a second though—not until it was time to get paid for the gems and it was almost a full quarter less than he would have liked. Still, it was better than nothing and at the end of the day would still be more than enough to pay for the room and whatever equipment they needed to buy for the trip. Would there even be a trip? Oriemin secretly hoped that the map pointed to some place that was close by, and something deep in his stomach always told him that wandering too far from Khare was a recipe for disaster. After all, the city had been the path to riches for so many people, why not them, too? A few hours after parting ways with his brother, he walked up the steps of the in that the two were fond of staying at. The food was decent, the prices were good, and the best part was that it was a we didn't hear nuffin' sort of establishment. For a couple of copper more, a bit of privacy was given and the two would have a room that they could have in addition to their sleeping chambers where they could set out all their things on tables, make plans, and otherwise have a bit more flexibility when planning. After all, a good thief always had a good plan. And a great escape plan. He shoved a bunch of the coins, a little more than half, into his brother's hand and the two made arrangements, as usual, and went about their standard rituals. They spread out their goods, their packs, and Oriemin listened to his brother tell him about the attempts to decipher the map. He frowned a little as Shae explained that they were going to need a different map. They had some money, but buying something that old would be perhaps prohibitively expensive. When Shae have him a punch in the arm and told him that they weren't paying for anything, Oriemin grinned and rubbed his arm. "Right," he agreed. From time to time, he forgot that they were criminals. That they were no longer happy children playing in the parks and running up and down the markets of the city. His brother could do no wrong in his eyes, so when Shae explained the two-man job, Oriemin listened with the same quiet sense of wonder that he always had when listening to his brother. "Okay, so you have a place you want to hit for this map? Do you know a good mark?" Oriemin checked his pack and tried to find his lockpick kit. With a bit of luck, the museum would just assume that no one wanted to steal some dumb old map and would just have it out on a shelf or something, but who knows what went through the minds of curators. Bunch of crazies stuck in rooms with old junk, he thought to himself.