Mission 14: The Spider and the Slug

Exalted: Grass Spiders
Grass Spiders On You Organizational Info Charms
Chapter 2
10: A Proper Sendoff 11: The Rat that Caught the Canary 12: A Proper Introduction 13: A Pearl Necklace 14: The Spider and the Slug
The Circle With No Name
Ash - CS Fay - CS Mesa - CS Opal Zealot - CS

The Job

Tepet Berel Dunbar

Client: Sesus Nagezzar
Target: Tepet Berel Dunbar
Type: Assassination
Target background: The Grass-Spiders have been commissioned by Lord Slug himself to handle a rogue associate with discretion. Tepet Berel Dunbar, for the longest time, was Lord Slug's chief enforcer and widely considered to be one of the most dangerous men in the Realm. Trained in the House of Bells, Dunbar was a Dragonlord in the Tepet legion that was destroyed by the Bull of North. His survival brought him more disgrace than his defeat. Upon his return to the Realm, he could no longer bear the constant reminder of his losses, and demanded to be allowed to resign. Although most members of House Tepet were being forced into the Legions, with the House desperate to rebuild its forces, Dunbar's connection to the Berel line of merchants made him an exception: Rebuilding the economic might of Tepet was equally important, with many of its satrapies no longer paying tribute. With that in mind, the Tepet elders allowed Dunbar to leave the Legions and instead serve the House by helping to manage its mercantile efforts. It didn't take Dunbar to fall into contact with Sesus Nagezzar, the Realm's foremost crimelord. Dunbar, unable to bear the pain of serving in the Legions but unable to handle the tedium of a bureaucrat's life, instead pledged his fealty to Nagezzar. Making use of Dunbar's military training, Nagezzar initially hired Dunbar to serve as his personal bodyguard. Dunbar was a renowned fighter since his days at the military academy, and famously defeated a young Solar Exalt in single combat in defense of the Slug Lord. Dunbar quickly proved his loyalty, and the Slug, now comfortable lengthening Dunbar's leash, entrusted the man with carrying out Nagezzer's dirty work, which often included racketeering and "taking care of" various problematic people throughout the Realm. Over time, Dunbar grew to become a criminal mastermind in own right and established his presence as a high-ranking lieutenant in Nagezzer's criminal network. Dunbar quickly became one of Nagezzer's most feared underlings, and Nagezzer appointed Dunbar his top enforcer - it was Dunbar's job to dispatch of the most powerful or hardest-to-find people on the Slug's blacklist. As Dunbar's fame and power grow, the Slug has begun to question the man's loyalties. Dunbar has been spending an increasing amount of time with affluent socialites of House V'Neef. Some of Dunbar's underlings, still more loyal to Nagezzer than Dunbar, have suggested that Dunbar is considering a split from Nagezzer to join the V'Neef merchant fleet. The elders of House Tepet (and in particular, Tepet Berel and his family), who still receive their kick-ups from Dunbar (which he can easily afford to pay as a successful member of Nagezzer's empire), have tended to leave Dunbar to his own devices. They have, however, re-entered Dunbar's life, urging him to go through with his defection from Nagezzer to the V'Neef merchant fleet - they see here an opportunity to unite their mercantile strength with V'Neef's own. The combination of reports from Dunbar's underlings and knowledge of the external pressure from House Tepet to leave Nagezzer was a bridge too far for the Slug. Despite Dunbar's effectiveness as an enforcer, the Slug knows Dunbar is charismatic and well-liked, and fears that many of his own men would join Dunbar in his defection.

Nagezzer thought carefully about how to handle the situation; he couldn't risk Dunbar making his defection official and creating a public schism in the underworld. At the same time, if Nagezzer were to off one of his high-ranking associates without an obvious cause to do so, it might scare away future allies. That's where the Grass-Spiders come in. Nagezzer reached out to Gyoki with a request that Dunbar encounter an unfortunate accident. Gyoki, recognizing the need for clever social engineering, gave the job to the Circle With No Name. The mission will be carried out in Nagezzer's home and the largest city in Creation, the Imperial Capital.

Critical Notes

• Dunbar has been operating with a great degree of autonomy recently, and though Lord Slug is willing to provide us with a limited amount of help locating Dunbar, he admits that he himself doesn't always know Dunbar's whereabouts. On top of that, Nagezzer doesn't want any of his contacts finding out he's taken out a hit on one of his own men; that might be bad for business. In the contract, Nagezzer specified that it be impossible for Nagezzer himself to be linked to the hit.

• The Kukla's Cradle, a popular tavern near the Throne of Roses (Nagezzer's manse), is well-known to be a hangout for members of Nagezzer's circle, both those members still loyal to Nagezzer as well as Dunbar and his men. Catering to wealthy members of the Realm's shadow courts, it is simultaneously upscale and of terribly ill-repute; the best place to get stabbed while wearing a suit! Probably a good start for reconnaissance.

• • The Kukla's Cradle has fairly strict rules - formally, no weapons are allowed. In reality, only fools would enter the place without armament, but it is true that weapons and armor must remain well-hidden. The peace is kept by Iselsi Guan Yu and Iselsi Chi You, identical twin-brothers who are Earth-aspected Immaculate monks and reputed to be incorruptible. They must be so if they hope to resist the bribery and constant temptation offered by the hedonism that follows Nagezzer's empire wherever it spreads.

• • Mesa has played at Kukla's Cradle before and is highly respected by Nagezzer, who is a fellow sanxian master.

• Dunbar is also known to frequent the exclusve parlors of House V'Neef. V'Neef Malthus, son of V'Neef, is a fleet commodore and wine distributor. He is widely believed to be Dunbar's lover. V'Neef Alara, Malthus's sister, is a sorceress and lead cartographer for the V'Neef's merchant fleet. She has also frequently been seen with Dunbar and there is some suggestion Dunbar may be romantically involved with Alara as well. The house of Tepet Berel is actively trying to arrange a marriage between Dunbar and Alara.

• Ideally, Dunbar's death should appear to be an accident. However, Nagezzer knows firsthand that Dunbar is a fierce combatant and is unlikely to go down without a considerable fight. It is acceptable if Dunbar is murdered in a way that is clearly deliberate, but in no way traceable to Nagezzer or his network.

• Both the Kukla's Cradle and the Throne of Roses are in the Imperical City's Onyx district. The Grass-Spiders have several contacts and safehouses there. For the moment, Nagezzer has provided us with a lavish apartment three blocks away from the Kukla's Cradle, although the Circle With No Name has also been given permission by Gyoki to harness all of Order's resources in the capital.

• The Imperial Capital is well-policed by guardians of various power levels. The "no innocents" rule should be taken seriously here - although the Grass-Spiders currently operate under a gentleman's agreement with the All-Seeing Eye and local security forces in the Onyx district, the powers-that-be could make future operations in Capital much more difficult for the Grass-Spiders if they chose to do so. Gyoki has ordered us not to test them on this point.

Expected Threats

• Henchmen (Threat level: Very Low, Probability of Encounter: Certain) - Dunbar, Nagezzer, and V'Neef all protect their interest with substantial legions of street-level thugs. While many are mortals who have little more combat experience than a bareknuckle boxing match, there are a lot of them.

• Mercenaries (Threat level: Low to medium, Probability of Encounter: Certain) - More sensitive areas and more important people have a higher degree of protection than the mere henchmen described above. Nagezzer, wealthy and powerful, maintains a literal legion of mercenaries, recognizable by their sigil: a white rose on a black field. These troops, while typically mortal, have proper training and high quality equipment. Their squad leaders are often god-bloods or awakened mortals, while some of their highest ranking officers are Dragon-Bloods recruiting from the Red Piss legion.

• Guan Yu and Chi You (Threat level: High, Probability of Encounter: High) - Identical twin brothers from House Iselsi who carry their House's name proudly and attended the Cloister of Wisdom; they certainly embody their Order's stereotype as expert martial artists. These Earth-aspected Immaculate monks are proving their loyalty to Nagezzer by serving as bouncers at the Kukla's Cradle. Although using Immaculate monks as bouncers might seem extreme, it is less so when one considers the type of company typically attracted by Nagezzer, who specializes in peddling the most extreme indulgences to the Realm's most powerful people. The brothers also serve a dual purpose - while they do keep the bar safe and under control (and they do it well), they are also listening carefully to all of the business dealings taking place at the bar and reporting them to Nagezzer. Reportedly, they have never accepted a bribe, and those who have tried typically meet an unfortunate end days later, in the shadows.

• Tepet Berel Dunbar (Threat level: Very high, Probability of Encounter: If we can find him) - Although we're supposed to make Dunbar's death look like an accident, he is an expert enforcer and criminal mastermind, and has demonstrated social and physical prowess comparable to many Grass-Spiders. Notably, he was the only member of Nagezzer's crew known to regularly best Anton in sparring matches when Anton was working for Nagezzer, though this was many years ago. He is famous for wielding a pair of Lightning Torment Hatchets in combat. He is an Air-aspected Dragon-Blood.

The Team: Ash, Fay, Mesa, Zealot

Mission Status

Job: Complete
Dates: Ascending Wood 3 - 5, R.Y. 778
Summary: ((See Aftermath))

Quote of the night: ""How big is this flagship? ... ... Do I have sail?" - Zealot
Exp. Awarded: Base - 8 EXP (9 for Mesa)

Aftermath

Suggested music: Handsome Boy Modeling School - The Truth

"Walk me through this one more time."

Sesus Nagezzer exhaled a puff of thick, white smoke. Although the room had smelled of opium long before Lord Slug lit his pipe, the heavy dosage needed to inebriate a man of the Slug's size imparted the smoke from his pipe with a certain viscosity that bordered on distracting as it surrounded Ash's face. As the smoke dissipated, Ash could nearly feel the film the cloud had undoubtedly deposited on his cheeks. Letting the smoke clear, Ash cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"... the whole thing?"

"Please. The whole thing," Nagezzer replied calmly.

The rest of the Circle With No Name stood just a few feet behind Ash, who they'd "elected" as their spokesperson; it so happened that elections within the Circle often took the form of poker games, and Ash seemed to have exhausted his luck earlier in the mission after landing a wine tasting with Malthus in a fairly reckless fashion. Their audience with Lord Slug seemed rigid and out of place set against a backdrop of the absurd luxuries surrounding them in the Den of Roses.

Looking in any direction would have revealed someone engaged in vices that would make a Cynis host blush. Every manner of consort of imaginable was sprawled out among the forest of pillows and ornate canopies that comprised the seating options available in Lord Slug's den of sin. Opium smoke filled the air, barely masking the scent of stained fabric and spilled wine. An unseen musician played his pan flute loudly, setting the stage for a level of decadence in excess of even what most Dynasts would consider acceptable. All this made the audience of four standing tensely in front of Sesus Nagezzer's "throne", itself barely more than a mountain of luxurious pillows, seem all the more awkward.

Ash narrated, "After getting into a town, a few of us went to check out Kukla's Cradle. Apparently there was a group of privateers there who got a bit rowdy, and that sorta... muddled the scene for the evening, as it were." Ash declined to comment further on Zealot's involvement with the botched privateer raid on the harbor, but shot the Air aspect a quick, biting glance. Ash continued his story.

"Meanwhile, I decided to track down V'Neef Malthus. I managed to find his boat at the docks... and, ah, I can't even sugar coat this - I pretty much walked onto his boat, demanded to speak to him, and then when he showed up, demanded that he set up a wine tasting for me and my colleagues, so that we might buy some of his wares and rapidly export them to Greyfalls."

Lord Slug exhaled another puff of thick, white smoke. "And that worked?" the corpulent kingpin asked.

Ash nodded. "He acquiesced almost immediately. I was as surprised as you are. That kinda set the stage, so the next day, we decided to do a little recon on Malthus. Zealot used his cheat belt to --"

Zealot, standing behind Ash, interjected, "My what?" His voice barely concealed the expected air of indignance.

Ash replied, dismissively, "Nothing. Zealot, uh, navigated his way to Malthus's ship, where he overheard news that Dunbar would arrive back into town that night, and furthermore, that he'd be at Kukla's Cradle. Fay and Zealot scouted it out that night, although things got a bit... Well, without going into too much detail, we did spot Dunbar, but didn't really get a good opportunity to take a shot at him. We did clear the air with the whole Mesa problem, though."

Nagezzer, sharper than his opium-induced swaying let on, quickly interjected, "What Mesa problem?"

Ash, having partaken a bit himself, had forgotten that he'd neglected to mention Mesa's unprompted proclamation of his relationship with Malthus. He made use of one his most reliable skills, deflection.

"I'll let Mesa explain that one to you."

Mesa, like Ash had moments earlier, cleared his throat uncomfortably. He stepped forward, now as close to Nagezzer as Ash was, although he was to Ash's left and wasn't centered with respect to Nagezzer, leaving him in a slightly awkward position, particularly with nobody to Ash's right.

Mesa began his narrative by exhaling for a long time. A long time. The sort of exhale, through tightly closed lips, that belied an action aimed solely at buying time, or expressing distress. Or both. Just as the lack of dialogue was beginning to become awkward, Mesa finally spoke up.

"Well, you know, we always show up and there's this, like, well, you know... How do we find the guy, right? So I'm thinking, shit, maybe for once I'll do something --"

Fay interjected, nearly without hesitation, "That's a pretty big change."

Mesa replied in an equally prompt fashion, "Yeah, exactly - I noticed that Fay pretty much flirts and sleeps her way through every obstacle, so I decided to give it a shot."

Fay rolled her eyes, though Mesa changed the subject too quickly for the exchange to develop into an argument. He continued, "So, while I was strumming and singing for the wonderful folks at Kukla's Cradle, I decided I'd announce that I was dedicating my last set to my new lover, Malthus. Well... I had a bit more luck doing this than I was expecting, and the rumor spread like wildfire. By the time we'd gotten to Kukla's Cradle the next night, Malthus was well aware of the rumor, and he was pretty upset."

Nagezzer sighed as he inquired, "Did you think this through at all?"

Nothing could embody the Circle With No Name better than the silence that followed. Mesa's silence and dumbfounded expression were such that he hadn't seemed to consider that "thinking it through" were even a possibility. After a few failed starts at a reply, the Slug waved his massive hand and said, "Forget it. Carry on."

Mesa nodded, as though agreeing with Nagezzer's suggestion, which prompted a few eye rolls from his circlemates and started Ash wondering whether he should take the conversation back over, but he decided to let Mesa continue for a bit longer, against his better judgment. Mesa resumed his narration.

"Anyway, like I said, by the time we showed up at Kukla's Cradle, Malthus was out for blood - my blood, specifically, in case that wasn't clear - and so he sent his goons to bring up to his private booth. Zealot was disguised as my manservant -- "

"No, I was not," interjected Zealot, coldly.

Fay replied, "You kinda were, to be fair."

Ash looked back at Zealot and nodded in agreement with a slight shrug. Zealot sighed and Mesa continued.

"-- so my manservant and I were led up to Malthus's private booth, at which point Ash, who was there because I guess he was trying to sleep with Malthus's sister -- right? Is that right, Ash?" asked Mesa, earnestly trying to recall the events.

Ash started to issue a more nuanced response, but shrugged instead and replied, "Ya know what, that's close enough."

Mesa nodded and continued, "Great. So Ash was there too, with Alara, and he managed to smooth things over with Malthus pretty effectively. We played me off as a wine importer or something trying to sabotage Malthus's operation, so I improvised an on-the-spot, grovelling apology to Malthus, and Ash convinced him to take my boat as reparation. So we just went down to the harbor and did that, and we were back to smooth sailing, as it were."

Mesa smirked at his own sailing pun as Nagezzer contemplated the situation for a moment. The Slug asked, "So you had a boat here to give him? Just sitting around?"

Mesa shook his head and replied, "No, absolutely not. We just stole one of the larger ones out of the harbor."

At this point, Ash stepped forward and cut Mesa off, forcing the narrative to continue forward. "Yes, so after we, ah, resolved things with Malthus, we were ready to make our final attack on Dunbar. We decided to use this wine tasting we'd staged as the site our strike, because there was an abandoned building across the street nearby. That's where we'd kill Dunbar. So, more or less, some of us tracked down and followed a guy we knew was doing some dirty work for the All-Seeing Eye. We beat him up and took his clothes, then we dressed up one of my guys as the A.S.E. thug. Meanwhile, we rented out an old club - The Black Canary - for this wine tasting, which we rigged up with a shit-ton of firedust. Okay, so, day of."

Nagezzer interrupted Ash, asking, "Wait, how did you know Dunbar would be there?"

Ash replied, uncomfortably and with full utilization of air quotes, "We... didn't? No, that's not true. Mesa had it on 'good authority' that Dunbar would 'probably show up'." Ash looked back at Mesa with a gaze that would have dealt piercing damage.

Sesus Nagezzer wordlessly relaxed back into the mountain of pillows upon which he sat, taking a few puffs of his pipe. After a slight, bewildered shake of his head, he gestured with an open palm, inviting Ash, who was now a bit hesitant when faced with the prospect of re-iterating his plan, to continue the story.

"Well, I joined up with Alara, then I met up with Malthus, Dunbar, and some of their associates to head over the wine tasting. They brought your twin eunuch monks with them, so ya know. That was annoying."

Ash, with pursed lips, let the silence hang for a moment to voice his frustrations with needing to confront Nagezzer's own powerful guards.

Nagezzer only said, "They're not eunuchs." Fay stifled a laugh in the background, tickled by Ash's indignant jab at the crime lord.

Ash smirked, "Really? Wow. I had assumed this entire time that... Anyway, we handled it. When the group got close, we lit the firedust under the Black Canary and then had my partner, dressed as that A.S.E. thug, run away from the scene, making sure he was spotted by any wary onlookers. At the same time, Zealot sprung from the shadows, where he transported Dunbar to that abandoned building I mentioned. There, Zealot, Fay, and Mesa fought him down. I'll be the first to admit the escape was a little hairier than we intended - because of your guys - but we did get the job done, and we made it look like the A.S.E.'s fault."

Nagezzer retorted, "You made it look sort of like someone associated with the A.S.E. did it."

"We made it look sort of like the A.S.E. did it," Ash countered.

Nagezzer changed the subject. "So how did you bring Dunbar down, anyway?"

Ash replied, "I think Mesa eventually killed him with a poem or something."

Mesa sighed, although Nagezzer correctly guessed that arguments over the kill could turn into a pissing match, and quickly pushed the discussion forward. Sitting up from his pillows, the Slug cleared his throat and said, "So let me get this straight. You created a completely irrelevant conflict with Malthus, resolved by stealing a giant, commercial cargo frigate out of the harbor, and then decided to blow up a building you were just hoping Dunbar would be at?"

Ash was silent for a moment, although he did speak up before inviting more rhetoric from the Slug.

"Well that's not... exactly how I would've phrased it if I were telling it to you, but, ah, factually, yeah, I don't think that's... incorrect, per se."

The silence that followed persisted for some time before the Slug's uproarious laughter boomed throughout the Den of Roses, loudly enough to silence most of the debauchery casually taking place around them. With all eyes on the group in the center of the room, the Slug slapped his massive thigh loudly, finishing his storm of laughter with a few coughs and some strained wheezing. Finally catching his breath, he addressed the nervous-looking assassins.

"Beautiful. Fucking beautiful."

Ash, unable to pass up the opportunity, replied with a grin that had gotten him in trouble far too many times.

"That's all we promise, sir."

The Slug, nearly cracking up again, shook his head. "You know, conventional assassins would've just stabbed him in a dark alley on the first night here and walked away quietly."

Fueled by Ash's response, Mesa couldn't resist a reply of his own.

"That's not really our style."

Ash pinched the bridge of his nose and rubbed it stressfully as Mesa replied. The Slug, still sporting a disbelieving grin, said, nodding, "You are one of the worst assassin clans I have ever seen. I'll transfer the payment to your handlers. I suppose. Now get out."

Mesa, again unable resist and against even his own better judgment, solicited a clarification.

"One of, though, right? Not the worst?"

Nagezzer, a little taken aback, replied with surprising honesty, "I suppose not, no."

Most of the group had already started walking away when Mesa spoke up to Nagezzer. After that reply, Mesa hurriedly turned around and caught up to Ash, to whom he turned and whispered.

"Ya hear that? Not the worst."

Ash grinned and nodded as he replied, "Another satisfied customer."