Meet Irene "Iron Eyes" Von Goritsi
House of Goritsi
Irene heard the sailors, of course, long before they dragged her into the conversation.
“You can tell the difference, easy like," said the ship's bosun. Irene hadn't caught his name, but he always wore the same patchwork hat. Vampires can't hide from a watchful eye, mark me.
"I might be young, bosun," said Third Mate Mai Leng, "but this sailor girl has been to Telloria plenty of times and stayed in plenty of dockside taverns. There's no way to tell, believe me."
"Which I don't, ma'am, meaning no disrespect," said Bosun Hat. "I've ranged the Tellorian coast up and down these past fifteen years, and I've seen plenty of vampires, like."
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Meet Ooroth
House of Hadross
Ooroth stomped along the darkened streets of Fructus City as well as his tentacles would carry him on land. A walk sometimes did him good when he was angry, but this time the words wouldn’t leave his head. "No human woman would love a monster such as you," Ambassador Jahroon had sneered. And laughed at him too.
That puffed-up, blue-skinned, self-important simpleton. Who did he think he was? Sure, he was Hadross's representative on Frutcus. Sure, Ooroth was captain of his house guard, and therefore his servant. But nobody got sent to Frutcus for their health. Jahroon's hands were no cleaner than Ooroth's. They'd all been disgraced, in one way or another, and exiled from the depths.
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Potential Unchained
House of Teknes
Gulraast drummed his tiny fingers on a desk too large for him. He couldn't tell if the woman was lying, mistaken, or simply confused. Such uncertainty didn't happen often for him. "And your captain, he is not being seen these last four days?"
Third mate Mai Leng shook her head, annoyed. "Not since dinner at Goritsi Tower. Both him and the first and second mates. Three people. Just missing."
Gulraast frowned. "Along with my shipment, no? But, and forgive my not speaking common language so well, but this phrase: 'dinner at Goritsi Tower'... It could have many meanings, yes?"
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Meet Alyana Heska
House of Nasier
Alyana Heska hit the ambassador's office door like a battering ram. She wasn't wearing her mask. "Have you seen this?" She threw the dispatch on the startled ambassador's desk, nearly upsetting the decanter all over his lunch. "Six ships! Gone! in four days! Six!"
The Kartoresh Ambassador to Fructus spoke calmly. His ambassadorial mask sat beside his lunch. "Yes, I have, and there's one other thing -"
But Alyana's blood was up. "Right beyond the harbor at Qualat Mon! Six merchantmen, straight to the bottom. And what does Hadross have to say? 'Saddened by the loss...' and 'regrettable happenstane...' and other meaningless diplomatic drivel! They're planning a move on Qaulat Mon. I'll be my blades on it."
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Game Changer
House of Shael Han
The Winterhawk worried at his tea. Not obviously, not quite visibly, but anyone that knew his habits would have known. He examined the paintwork on the ceramic cup, almost added too much honey, and finished a full pot by himself inside half an hour.
Everything depended on how seriously Gregorio had taken his request. If the old vampire had a hand in Hadross's game, he'd send assassins. If he decided the debt was too long passed for collection, he'd ignore the request. Worst case, however, would be if Gregario sent a catspaw. The Winterhawk wouldn't put it past him to pay his debt with fool's gold, giving it the proper appearance, but lacking substance.