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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.

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(They almost don't sense the feather at all. It's a new thing that they hadn't been anticipating a need to look out for, given they hadn't expected Hawks to even be here at this particular auction.

Hawks himself though... they sense him, once he starts getting closer. The mind is familiar enough that they know he isn't one of the traffickers, or a worker coming to check on things, and so they continue looking through the inventory, picking up a covering to peek underneath and oh. OH.

They let it fall out of their hand when he enters, turning to give him the flattest look, except of course their face and eyes are entirely hidden behind that mirrored helmet.)

Do I look like I'm involved? (They gesture at their suit.) This is hardly the worker's uniform. Or are your eyes failing you? (Snappy, annoyed. Offended, even, at the idea that anyone would dare to think they'd be involved in this. Yeah, they're a villain, but there's villainy and there's villainy and this isn't the kind of stuff they do. There's a lot of sharp and crackling static in their voice.)

[ Although he's scanning the scene in front of him, his eyes haven't moved. He hasn't moved. Hawks is good at standing completely perfectly still, when he needs to. Not like when he's just in a more relaxed state. ]

My eyes are fine. [ Yet, he sounds like he doesn't exactly trust Puppetmaster's words. When they spoke last, they seemed rather content with the status quo, and the status quo here happened to involve trafficking innocent people. ]

What are you doing here, then? [ He's suspicious, not entirely ready to believe their words. ]

(The status quo of not starting shit between the armadas without a good reason? That status quo? Forgive them if they'd rather not deal with whatever bullshit might interfere with their work if word gets around that Paladins are arresting people on Nogard.)

Same as you, I suspect. Take a look at what I've found.

(And, with a touch of angry and yet dramatic flair, they whip away the cover they were peeking under to reveal a "statue" composed of two people frozen in crystal, an adult trying to embrace a child in their last moments before the crystals took them completely, clearly unrelated due to both being a different species and yet doing their best to comfort each other in their final moments.)

[ One of his feathers shoots forward to press up against the statue and he doesn't say anything for a moment before shaking his head. Fuck. Not another loss. If he'd only known about this to begin with. Too late. He's always too late.

Hawks exhales. ]

They're already gone. [ He doesn't drop his weapons, but he does lower them and turn his attention to investigating a different box, accepting Puppetmaster's explanation. ]

I was concerned as much.

(No fear. No ominous feelings. Nothing to indicate that there might be a desperate mind trapped inside, unable to get out.)

Keep an eye out. (Now that he's here, they can concentrate more thoroughly on picking up those signs, as opposed to "listening" for approaching guards and workers.

Their armor doesn't give off a lot of bio signs, but Hawks might notice the weird way their posture relaxes, stills, for just a moment. Breathe in, breathe out, the armor turning the noise into the sound of a radio tuned to no particular station. Then they stiffen and immediately beeline for something at the back of the room.)

Something's alive.

Already got that covered.

[ He's got feathers in all kinds of places, he'll know if anyone comes from any direction long before they get there. It's a bit interesting that Puppetmaster seems to relax. Does he trust him that much? Seems a bit more odd in someone who he thinks is running in circles closer to what Hawks runs in, over being a total innocent.

At their words, several feathers dart in that direction zipping around until they find it, and a thick heavy tarp is grasped with two feathers and yanked aside, to make it easier for Puppetmaster to see the crystal. ]

(What they found isn't all that big, and they're not sure whether they're disappointed or relieved.)

Probably an ani-

(And Hawks rips off the tarp to reveal... yeah that's just a small and very ugly dog. It's completely encased and frozen and doesn't seem like it should be alive but it definitely is, if only barely. It has been mounted on a platform for display, making it look bigger than it actually is.)

[ Hawks doesn't care if it's an animal or a person, he's there in the blink of an eye, another suggestion that he's way faster than he looks.

He's already trying to break apart the crystal regardless. He's hoping for a happy ending, but it's not easy to get through, sharpened feathers or not. ]

(And well, the alarm at his actions is immediate and palpable.)

Stop! You're gonna make it worse! (The panic is enough to drop the usual dramatic flair to their speech, though the vocal distorters are still in effect, and they reach out to grab Hawks. There are specialized treatments for getting creatures out of the crystal. Yeah, you can scrape them off at earlier stages--they helped out with that--but just shattering it like this might break apart whats inside!)

[ Making it worse is the last thing Hawks wants to do, and he's a bit surprised by their grabbing of his arm, but he doesn't even glance at it. He does meet their eyes - well, where they would be with the helmet. ]

A specialized treatment? [ He exhales and then nods. ]

Okay...okay. [ He's looking at the crystal instead judging it in terms of weight. He would really be pushing it to carry it out of there alone. It would hamper his speed, without a doubt and he could sacrifice feathers to carry the brunt of it, but it would put his movement in jeopardy. ]

Yes. (They try and switch back to their usual way of speaking.) Both armadas have been working on the developments of cures for this ailment... though I doubt it's any natural sickness.

(They only now seem to notice they've grabbed him, and they let go of his arm abruptly, taking a step back.)

I don't... I am uncertain there is anything else living in here. Though the stocking appears to be in progress. (More living things might be moved in later, is what they're saying. Which is also another concern in that if people are currently moving things in, they probably only have a very limited time before another delivery is dropped off.)

Then I have to be fast. Fortunately, that's my specialty.

[ It's the only time since he's entered the room he offers a bit of levity with a playful wink, but he'll grasp the crystal and pick it up in his arms, beating his wings to fly, even indoors. It takes some of the pressure off. ]

I'm just going to take it out to someone who can help so it won't get missed. I'll be back before you know it.

(A nod. At least they don't have to deal with finding a way to transport the thing out.) I will ...keep an eye out for further developments.

(By which they mean they're going to find a good hiding spot--maybe get under one of the tarps and pretend to be part of a weird statue?--cloak themself in stealth aura, and watch and see what else gets brought in. If Hawks wants to, he can return.

...They can't believe they're doing this. This was going to just be a quick to check to grab any victims already there, but now they're committing to a stakeout? Goddammit.)

Thanks.

[ Hawks makes it look easy to zip out of there, but it's anything but. Strength is not his forte, not by a mile. It's heavy, but he's willing to suffer the consequences of carrying things for however long he needs to. It's his heroic mentality to sacrifice himself.

He's back in a minute flat, which would be far faster than anyone else, and admittedly he made up ground on the way back because the crystal weighed him down significantly. It's likely that Puppetmaster barely had time to situate themself.

The only sign that anything took a toll on him is the sweat beading on his forehead. He enters the room and glances around. Something feels out of place. He can tell something is out of place, but even pausing for a more thorough glance, he can't quite put his finger on what it is. ]

(Everything looks like it did before either of them entered the room, sans one missing statue... and well, one additional item under a tarp, but of course, no one is going to notice that.

Except Hawks nearly has. Is he some form of psy sensitive, they wonder? They've got a sense that his feathers are telekinetic, and they've noticed some interference. It would make sense: the sheer neural load his power should create is more than a typical brain should be able to handle, but they don't know much about how quirks work. If psychic talent exists in his universe, then why isn't there shield training? Dampeners? They know there can't be, because there's no way an agent like this guy would be allowed to go around without some form of protection from spying telepaths who could out him in an instant.

They'll let him scout around and try to figure out what's wrong with the room for about half a minute before they stand up, dropping the effect as they do so.)

You've returned. (More an acknowledgement than any sort of surprise. If they didn't expect him to come back, they would have fucked off with the money.)

[ Their instincts are pretty good, there can't be many psychic people in his world because that's not something that he's been trained for and thus remains an open book for someone who can read his mind.

While he's got a nagging feeling that something isn't right, he doesn't know what it is. Puppetmaster showing up out of nowhere does make him startle, and his feathers puff up from the surprise.

He totally meant to do that. ]

Yeah, that's me, fastest guy around. [ Another glance around the room, now it seems fine. Huh. Weird. ]

Nothing happen while I was gone?

You were hardly gone long.

(Just enough time for them to get situated. Speaking of, they'll hold up the tarp.)

Perhaps you'd like to join me?

(And make use of their stealth capability. Alternately, he could hide somewhere else... might be good to have someone watching from above.)

[ Of course the first thing Hawks does is look up before shaking his head slightly. There are rafters and he's going to make use of them.

It only takes a moment for him to glance and figure out where he wants to go, getting up on a beam and hiding into the shadows.

Hawks might not have some telepathic cloaking ability, but for someone usually so vibrant with bright red wings, he's excellent and melting into the darkness, keeping his breathing slow and shallow.

Although he's perched up there, his mind is still racing. He might be still, down to each feather of the wings on his back, such as they are at the moment, but he's getting feedback from a good twenty feathers or so. He has his eyes closed, listening, seeing, just not with his visible senses.

A heartbeat here, breathing there, conversation. Allies, helping with the raid. A victim in need of rescue - a feather can take care of that, yanking them out to safety - and the odd enemy, although if they're surrounded by others, he doesn't intervene. He's just watching. ]

(They merely nod, and go back into hiding.

This time, Hawks will have no trouble knowing where they are. It might even seem slightly obvious that there's a crouched figure under that tarp. Even if they're still like a statue, surely the people stocking the room would remember they hadn't brought in any such thing...

And yet, when the workers come to unload the next thing--something large and heavy, crystalline but... not quite right, a forgery?--they pay the crouched figure under the tarp little mind.)

[ Forgery or not, they're still part of this ring, even if they're trying to pull a fast one on them. Trafficking people is just not okay with Hawks, especially children and to even flirt with the idea disgusts him.

They don't have a chance to see him coming down from below, landing behind them, holding a pointed feather at each of their throats. ]

Surrender and make this easy on yourself.

[ This cannot continue and if they force his hand, he knows the choice that he needs to make. ]

(The sudden arrival of floating feathers gets more confusion than fear, though one of the mention does seem to--wisely--be more than a little nervous. Perhaps, unlike his companion, he's realized that this isn't some weird attempt to tickle them into submission but a deadly threat.

The bigger, stupider one though? He squares up, turning around to face Hawks.

Oh look, Micky, it's a lil birdie.

For the moment, Puppetmaster just watches.)

[ He doesn't look the least bit amused, nor concerned about the bigger one being much bigger than him. It doesn't phase Hawks in the least. Most people are bigger than him in his world. ]

I'll repeat. Surrender now.

[ A warning shot, one of his secondary feathers zips across the big lug's cheek almost too fast to be seen, but the thin cut leaves blood behind.

These people need to be arrested. He would like nothing more than to put the fear of god into them, but they aren't the mission. Not entirely. Patronizing assholes. He's completely put Puppetmaster out of his mind, for the moment, his focus is on the two idiots in front of him. ]

(The sudden cut to the face startles Stupid, and he reaches up to touch it in disbelief before his expression begins to rapidly boil over into rage. With a snarl, he'll try to shove the feather knife aside and advance toward Hawks, though how far he actually gets is debatable.

...The smaller one? He's turned to watch the altercation and when he sees that feather slice open his buddy's cheek his eyes go wide, and he's already raising his hands up in a gesture of surrender.

Yeah birdman has it handled. Puppetmaster won't reveal themself.)

[ The smart one is the one that has his hands up, but Hawks is not stupid, he has a couple of feathers on him, leaving the threat as he steps back a couple of paces. He's not unreasonable, but he doesn't want the smart one to get hurt.

As much as Hawks is not a powerhouse, and in sheer strength he'd be overwhelmed, he has no problem zipping around the guy, placing a well aimed kick to the back of the knee and getting him on the ground. He'd let go of his feathers to handle him and planted his weight on his back, the primaries coming back into play as a threat, until he agreed to surrender.

Hawks is prepared to kill him, that's certain, but there's no bloodlust there. He's not looking to make a mess. Puppetmaster didn't need to worry, as stated, he literally was a professional. Getting their hands bound with thick rope is not a difficult task once he proves he's the predator in this situation. Cowards.

He's more disgusted by them than anything, but Hawks doesn't waver. He drops a couple more feathers in the room and escorts them out. He'll be back, there are awaiting paladins to deal with these two. ]

(The smart one--Micky, Stupid called him--won't give any more trouble, and neither will Stupid once Hawks has beaten him so soundly.

Of course, the people running this are likely to eventually notice workers going missing...

Fuck. Why are they working with a hero, again? They could have just taken incriminating pictures with their shellphone and snuck out still living victims, then gotten the bad guys later when they were alone, or had someone else deal with them. A fight wasn't what they were hoping to get into tonight.

Hawks is probably more than capable of handling this himself.

They'll be there when he gets back, reemerging briefly.)

That felt personal.

Edited 2025-01-21 12:38 (UTC)

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velocityraptor - 2025-01-22 05:15 (UTC) - Expand

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telepathicignorance - 2025-01-22 05:25 (UTC) - Expand

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