A Wizard, a Bear, and a Thief [Open]

[Armorend]

"Er. Yes, you did... What do you... hope to accomplish with your thievery, though?" Melmac was somewhat out of breath after more exercise than he had gotten in a while. "I-I don't mean to imply that stealing is not something worthwhile, but... Rather that you seem to be stealing for little more reason, than boredom or novelty, if this is the best you can do." Melmac's face, admittedly distorted by his heavier breathing was sincere, not angry, upset, or distraught.

"It would likely be much safer, and more to your benefit, if you put your skills to some actual use as I said previously." Melmac was recovering, not needing to pause, although his breathing was noticeably heavier. The bear, meanwhile, looked around but maintained its calm demeanor, although it too was a bit out of breath from the escape.

[ShadowRune]

And that's the question Jintare sometimes asked himself. But as he tells himself, he now tells to Melmac. "Well you see, I'm not just a thief, and it honestly helps me home my skills. I sell my services to anyone who pays for them. Espionage, theft, that sort of thing. And well, pickpocketing and theft helps me practice my techniques for stealth." Pulling two chairs from the table, Jintare offered one to Melmac, offering the rug in the middle of the small shack for his companion.

"And well, as far as this being the best I can do, I could afford more, but I'm trying to save money to get out of this town and travel. I'm hoping to acquire a small ship if I can. But after today, I may need to leave town for awhile anyways. And as for the explanation I owe you, normally I don't attack my marks. This one is trouble. He's not just a merchant, he's one of the most corrupt and cruel merchants in Essyrn. People who get in the way of his empire disappear. And well, one day when I was out I managed to catch a glimpse of him, so I followed. He led me right to one of his smuggler's safehouses. I managed to pick a few coins from his pocket and snagged a ring of his keys. Obviously you heard him threaten the guard, well, he's got half of the city guard in his pocket, and the ones that aren't, are in the pocket of someone who is. I guess you could say I have a slight vendetta against him. I want to bring him down. The list of those who have disappeared after asking too many questions is far beyond any damage I may do by hurting him." Reaching to one of the bags on the table, he handed it to Melmac. This bag in particular was notable for its sheer weight. "Go ahead, look inside. That bag is filled with gold coins from nearly every nation in Le'raana. I got that after I used the key ring I got and snuck into one of his dens."

[Armorend]

"Well, that's truly... Something." Melmac appeared somewhat taken-aback; not being native to Essyrn, he wasn't familiar with the politics of the area, other than knowing they played quite a large role in trade across the land. "Do you even... Have a plan? Er, for--for both your own needs, and for bringing down this tyrant? I know you mentioned selling your skills and making your way out of this nation, but even then, you may lose your money if you yourself are lost in the world."

Melmac lightly stroked his beard as he picked through the coins. "Is everyone afraid of this ne'er-do-well? Perhaps you could rally the people; I've seen that work many a time."

[ShadowRune]

"I suppose there could be some who would stand, but to what purpose? Bring one tyrant down for a new one to stand in his place? The merchants run Essyrn, their gold is what keeps the noble families living the life they're accustomed to. I guess I could be called an oddity, a thief with morals. No, I don't want him to come up missing or anything like that, I want him to watch his empire crumble as it tears itself apart from the inside. Take everything he has, then see how high and mighty he is after that." Jintare didn't have the slightest clue about how he would do all of this, but he suspected a nice bit of trickery and playing his empire against itself would do just fine.

"Now, I'll admit I haven't got the slightest clue about running a revolution, or toppling trade tyrants for that matter, but in my eyes, I think it'd be best to attempt to play his people against themselves."

[Armorend]

Melmac rested against the wall, listening to Jintare as he spoke. He had no intent to start a revolution, either, but it would at least give Melmac a better idea of what this young thief thought.

"Manipulating people to do what you want isn't easy; that's why these tyrants use money instead. It's far easier to convince someone when you have something to bargain with. Unfortunately, that isn't restricted to just Essyrnians, as you may well be aware." Melmac shrugged. "Er, whichever way, both positive and negative actions can accomplish the goal you seek. I am by no means a master strategist; far from it. Yet I have seen entire kingdoms, and even villages, rise and fall from both violent and peaceful means. It all depends on your perspective and execution."

Melmac exhaled deeply after his drawn-out talk. "Forgive the lengthy speech. I do hope I got my point across, however. And if you truly feel strongly about this, I would be glad to lend my aid. It's up to you."

[ShadowRune]

Thinking long and hard about this, Jintare wondered just what exactly they could do. True, he didn't have money to rival a merchant empire, and he didn't have many people he could trust. This would require time to plan, and time to put everything in place.

"I think the best thing we could do right now is to let the fire die down after my little stunt back there, and meet again to plan how we can do this. This isn't going to be an easy thing if I'm not mistaken. Is there any way I could contact you? I plan on slipping into the desert to let things cool down for a while before we get to work."

[Armorend]

"Way to contact me, hm...?" Melmac pondered. "I can remain in the vicinity of Essyrn for a while; I'm here on business, either way, and am still in need of directions to the current location of the Head Astromancer of the city; we had arranged a meeting several months ago and he had given me an opportunity to learn more of geomancy. Anyway, speaking of that, I suppose it would be good practice..."

Melmac moved near the entrance of the hideout where quite a bit of sand had accumulated from feet shuffling it in slowly over time, lowering himself down and scraping it into a pile, slightly larger than a large anthill, before placing his hand over the mound. "Harenam vir sui..." Melmac spoke words of magic, his hand glowing yellow, the light shining down upon the sand. After about ten seconds, the sand fully glowed the same color as the light; he allowed the magic in his hand to fade, took out a small pouch, and scooped the sand into the pouch.

Pulling the drawstrings on it, he handed it to Jintare. "Here. If you need to contact me, pull the drawstrings on this bag, and say 'Harenam anima'. It is not relegated to emergencies, but please try not to misuse it."

[ShadowRune]

Grateful for Melmac's willingness to help, Jintare took the bag and secured it to his belt. This man certainly was an odd one, old enough to have seen kingdoms rise and fall. And now he would be involved in toppling one as well. Jintare himself was far too young to remember any days before this merchant had risen. He had grown up under the shadow of this empire, and now he has grown old enough to do something to better the lives for those at the docks. This merchant will fall. He just has to figure out how.

"Thank you for your assistance Melmac. If you would like, we can adjourn this meeting and we can go our separate ways until it is time to move."

[Armorend]

"That would be quite fine. Ehm... Do you know where the Head Astromancer happens to be? I would very much like to not be swindled by the more effective pickpockets and n'er-do-wells of this city." Melmac looked to the youth.

"And... Just make sure you let me know when you need my assistance, rather than when it is imperative. I am no general or strategist, by any means; I've only seen wars and the like, but never participated, and for good reason." Melmac let out a breathy sigh; it wasn't one of sadness, but rather one of acceptance of the realities of life that he was consistently reminded of.