« mini manta board log: auction houses »

[seaboards]

SPECIAL QUEST: AUCTION HOUSES

This mini log is for the Special Quest listed on the January 2025 MANTA Board. The IC and OOC timeline for the log is for the entire month of January, and players can play with the idea that things get more difficult later in the month as word spreads and auction houses become more difficult to access and deceive.

There have been recent reports of large amounts of inventory potentially related to the recent whale hunting and crystal statues appearing in various underground auction houses. They are hard to find and both Armadas are feeling heat from the public and higher officials: Corsairs for being suspected as the ones behind all this illegal trade and the Paladins for not being able to close this case out yet.

Both sides will either be working against or with each other depending on what they are assigned to do or how they meet, and suspicions will be high from both sides. Be careful!

There are multiple auction house locations, all with different inventory passing through but all are high end with only those in the know or of elite status will frequent. They are often held on remote islands, but some are clever enough to have them literally underground beneath venues such as casinos. Some are actually "innocent" in the sense that while they likely have illegal goods in their stock, they are not related to the whales and crystal trade. However, they still need to be investigated, and who knows? Maybe there are interesting items there…

Objectives: The following are objectives or assignments that members of each Armada can do in an attempt to infiltrate and investigate the auction houses to find the targeted goods and those involved in the trade. While listed generally, players can be creative to alter and change things to fit the style of the Armada. Working together or against opposing members is allowed.

"Security." Pose as a security member to guard any of these positions: outside the building, high ranking auction participants, storerooms where inventory is kept.
Buyer. Participate in the auction and try to win the item! Where the funds are coming from—not our problem.
Seller. Find something to be sold at the auction house. Is it actually worth something? Is it fake? Have to be convincing to get it on the list somehow and allow entrance into the building.
Other. Any other possible means to get inside the auction house. Just sneak in like a thief? Post as an inspector? A journalist? Crazy drunk? Be creative!
Raid. For those who don't have the patience or have determined that targeted items are there, just raid the auction house! Arrest, capture, or kill(??) them all!!! This might not always be the best option, but perhaps the chaos could create openings.

The following are items that one might find at any of the auction houses, but players can also come up with something else that could be interesting! If a player would like to claim or be part of a specific find or list something they made up, comment to this subthread.

🐋 Whale parts. From raw materials such as bones, ambergris, and oil to specific goods made from such materials such as perfumes, scented oils, wines, and furniture. Without a specific license of approval, this is all considered illegal and one of the main targets for this quest.

👤 Crystal statues. Encased in solid crystal will be animals and people who are victims of the illegal operations that started late summer. Are they still alive or not? Like the whale parts, this is the high priority target.

🫙 Potions. A number of different potion sets will be up for grabs. Their effects range from powerful healing to love potions to dangerous curses.

🦄 Creatures. Various creatures and beasts are a common staple for these auction houses. Sprites and fairies, golems, rare animals like the unicorn, or even dangerous monsters that can barely stay contained in their cage. Some of them may even resemble past bounties: horned dolphins, small carnivorous rabbits, mermaids. Some of these are legitimate, but many are fake.

📚 Forbidden Tomes. Various books that deal with ancient myths, legends, spells, curses, creatures—the topics will vary. There is even a limited edition signed copy of the hit erotic dragon fanfiction, Dragonheat. However, some of these may be fake and contain grandma's old recipes instead. Wait, that actually might be valuable—!!

🪈 Sound of Music. There are special instruments that are said to have special effects when played, such as talking during one's sleep, compelled to speak the truth, etc. There is even a very rare otamatone that only plays the song Thunderstruck. Music sheets are also in demand, some claiming the music could lead the way to treasure, or the notes are actually a secret code for something else. There is also a valuable antique music box said to have a haunting melody, the dancing figure seemingly able to move on its own…

🐕‍🦺 Commanding Collar. A special collar that when worn will make the wearer obey whatever their "owner" demands. "SIT BOY!" Handcuffs sold separately.

🗺️ Treasure Map Pieces. Treasure maps are common to find, but only a few are worth the gold the auction houses bring. Scattered throughout numerous auction houses are pieces of a treasure map said to lead to an "ancient treasure" that dates back to the time before the Flood, when the world had more land masses than water. Is it real or not? (A map CAN be formed, but it will depend on how many map pieces are found during this log!)

❓ Wildcard. For any other items that players may think of!

It goes without saying that any auction house that is selling either or both the whale parts and crystal statues will need to be shut down. How that happens, well. Guess it depends on who is there.

If you have any questions, comment here.

Comments

Leona Kingscholar | Corsair | Open

[sunsetking]

[As a general rule of thumb, Leona doesn’t like getting involved in things. Most of the time, it’s not worth the effort. Other times, there are some treasures that can be gleaned from whatever is at stake. And then, really, Leona does like the challenge from time to time.

Hence, this is how he finds himself posing as part of ‘security’. And once he mentioned his sense of smell, well—there are some uses about being part animal. Such as being able to guard the storeroom of all places in case some thieves try to sneak in.

Oh, the irony.

And in a show of good faith or whatever, he happens to open the door for someone as they try sneaking around.]

Yo.

[It doesn’t necessarily matter if you’re friend or foe. He’s done his good deed for the day and goes back to investigating the storeroom.]

I wouldn’t linger too long there unless you want us to get caught.

[Because in the end, they’re all here for something, aren’t they?]

[octoblot]

[Azul, for his part, came here under the position of being... well, a businessman. Willing to buy, offering something of value for the auction as he managed to smooth talk his way into being added on the invite list for this particular gathering without arising suspicion.

He made up a lie about wanting to check something regarding the security of what he planned on selling, making it seem like he only meant to talk to the guards. However, he was intending to sneak into the actual storeroom and take a look around... however, it seems that he wasn't the only one who was here to inspect the storeroom.]

Ah... so you're here as well.

[Azul's words are initially a little awkward--he hasn't really spoken properly to Leona since... the incident with the bats.]

[sunsetking]

Yup.

[A short, simple answer.

Leona doesn't seem bothered by Azul's presence really. He is busy looking through the store room, one ear flicked toward the door.]

Don't just stand there, octo-punk. I'm sure you came in here looking for something, too.

[octoblot]

[Since Leona is playing it cool and not giving even a breath of mention regarding the last time they spoke, it actually makes it easier for Azul to do the same as he adjusts his glasses.]

Yes, I did. I wonder though, perhaps it's the same thing you're looking for, or is it truly a coincidence that we've both ended up deciding to give this particular auction house a look?

[He asks, as he now walks over to take a look at one of the random crates here that's been left open, carefully pulling the cloth covering the items inside with a finger to look and see what's inside. This one appears to contain some glass objects, some empty, some with liquid inside that might warrant a closer look by removing them from the box, but he doesn't do so just yet, instead watching curiously to see what Leona's looking at in here by comparison.]

[sunsetking]

I'd consider it a coincidence. Our interests don't tend to lie in the same vein.

[Azul is a little more potion-oriented, after all.

Leona likes his books. Which he's combing through these items for now. Sure, many of them seem valuable and he can scent some hint of something on them, but they don't really hold his interest as much.

He brushes aside some cloths covering wooden crates and waves away the dust that flies in his face from the action.]

[octoblot]

[Azul scoffs a little at that, letting go of the cloth he had moved to let it fall back over the crate he had been giving a glimpse of. It seems that he's decided that whatever Leona is after is more interesting for the time being.]

Try me. I'm genuinely curious to know what it is that you're hoping to find here.

[Besides, Azul also has a keen eye for grimoires when they manage to have information on magic that even he doesn't know about... and especially if they can be potentially monetized...]

[sunsetking]

I can ask the same for you.

[A glance over at Azul, brow raised.]

What are you hoping to find for in here?

[Don't monetize his grimoires.]

[octoblot]

Dodging my question and turning it back around on me isn't cute, you know.

[But, Azul sighs, and seems to concede for now.]

If you must know, I'm looking for anything useful that will be able to benefit us during our forced stay in this place... or anything that might actually be able to help us leave this place altogether and return back to Night Raven College.

[sunsetking]

That's hilarious coming from you.

[He glances over at him, brow raised.

He half believes that and doesn't at the same time.]

Found nothing so far?

[octoblot]

[Azul folds his arms across his chest.]

I haven't found anything. I've spoken to several people who claim to have returned home for a bried period of time, but they have no memory of how they were able to end up back home again, nor how they suddenly returned here once more. As such, it's rather frustrating trying to gather clues that may be able to point us in the right direction on this mattee.

[sunsetking]

Possibly the magic of this place. Whatever brought us here in the first place ain't gonna be so kind giving us a hint as to how to get out.

[He combs through some of the objects. Fake jewelry, some artificial artifacts that crumbles a bit into dust under his fingertips, and then he yanks off a cloth to reveal a crate.]

[octoblot]

[good gravy how did I miss all those errors in my last tag Azul hates to admit it, but Leona is probably right about that. Doesn't make it any less annoying, though.

Azul leans over to try to get a look at the crate that Leona has uncovered. The lid is still on for the moment, but...]

I don't see a label on this one. Any guesses you wanna make regarding what it has?

[sunsetking]

[His nose twitches.]

It smells like parchment.

[He taps the top of the crate, gauging how secure the lid is.]

[deepstar]

[ Honestly, Claude doesn't think that security has really been all that tight. No background checks on the people that they hire? He's found that he has been able to sneak in pretty much unnoticed. But then again, maybe there are other distractions going on.

It's clear that not everything here is strictly legal, but that's not what interests Claude per se. More like... The potential of forbidden items to appear can't keep him away.

He's looking through the shelves when he hears someone else make their way inside. Claude looks up and over. Then falls into an easy smirk seeing that, well, no wonder security is lax. ]

You don't make for a very good guard cat, do you?

[sunsetking]

[He can't help but smirk.]

Don't go complaining about me now. I don't need another red mark for my laziness.

[Leona shrugs, closing the door behind him. He walks over to an unoccupied shelf.]

[deepstar]

I can't help but think you wouldn't actually care about that.

[ Since Leona isn't actually employed? Well, he might be, but since the man also looks pretty suspicious himself for walking in here. And closing the door. ]

But depending on your customer service in here, I might refrain from voicing any complaints.

[sunsetking]

Ah, I'll have to do my best then in that case.

[Leona holds back a snicker, moving to one of the shelves.]

And how exactly can I help you in here?

[deepstar]

Then consider this the evaluation period. I can be a rather demanding client, just so you know.

[ This probably isn’t an exaggeration either. Claude can very much be demanding, but not aggressively so. At least the other is amused by the little exchange. Claude is too, really. ]

Anyway, I’m looking for adequate reading material. I don’t suppose you might know where some more racy material is, hmm?

[sunsetking]

You're already demanding.

[A scoff.

Though, Leona lets out a low hum in thought.]

None that I've found so far. There's still plenty of crates to look through.

[deepstar]

At least I am upfront about it, right?

[ He flashes the other a grin. It turns only a little more serious as he gets a response. So the lion man hasn't found anything... But has he really had the chance to really look through things? Claude is almost certain he's gotten here before any real discoveries could be made. ]

You'd think that they'd have some sort of system for storage and cataloguing their items. Then again, maybe the auctioneers really have no idea what they're selling.

[sunsetking]

[Leona glances back over at him, tail curling a bit at the end.]

I'm willing to bet not all of it. Some of them are categorized at least in likeness.

[He walks closer to a side of the wall.]

[deepstar]

Likeness and item type, sure. Those things are basics. I guess I would just take it a step further than that.

[ A shrug. He wanders over to another series of shelves and begins to loo through different books and parchments. ]

Still, they are being a little too lax. Don't you think?

[sunsetking]

They are.

[He removes some of the drapes over the crates, nose twitching.]

It's either arrogance or ignorance that prevents them from having tighter security.

[Which can work in their favor or not depending.]

[deepstar]

A little bit of both would be my guess.

[ He sighs, rolling his shoulders. Then he is hovering over Leona. ]

Find something?

[sunsetking]

Some books if they're your fancy and logs.

[He gestures to the piles he's come across.]

Whichever catches your interest more.