It had been a whole month since the resourceful Scots-Irish man arrived in Rhy'Din. As he'd learned to in previous towns, upon his arrival, he behaved as anyone else in his position ought to - he sought out work as a bouncer at four clubs, and found employment at two of them, so he was working four to six nights out of the week; he also found himself a proper place to live. It was a run-down little loft apartment over an antique shop. He borrowed tools from the owner and fixed it up himself; in return, he could buy it, and pay off the debt over the course of a year. There was a living room, a kitchenette, a bedroom, and a bathroom, so it wasn't very expensive. In fact, he could've scraped up just enough funds to buy it all at once, but there was no need to draw attention to the fact that while he'd come to Rhy'Din with only a small suitcase, much of that suitcase was lined with money.
Some of the money was taken to two different banks, one in an older, medieval district, one in a more modern (at least Victorian) district. At the Victorian-styled bank, closest to his home, he gave them what was presumably his real name, Robert Donegan. At the other one, he was Thomas MacGowan. Then, that weekend, he made a long trip, and deposited the rest at three different out-of-town banks under three more names.
When he came back on a Sunday afternoon, his landlord asked him where he'd been. He told him simply he was exploring the city, and that he enjoyed it. The landlord went on a long while about pretty churches, and mentioned a basilica, and Robert answered quite truthfully that he'd already seen it, but would have to return there.
During the second week, Robert began eavesdropping at the clubs he worked for. He heard nothing too interesting all week, and that weekend, finished fixing up his apartment.
On his third week, he explored the city a little more, found the marketplace charming, found the basilica the landlord had recommended severely wanting upon closer inspection, and found that, late at night, in a warehouse by the sea, people were sometimes led out. Their heads were bowed and covered in black cloth, and large men led them firmly by their upper arms, and stuck to the shadows. The men glanced his way, so he left them alone, but the next night, he returned, and followed them back to a ship called the Empress of India.
That weekend, he invited himself on board the Empress of India. When he slipped into the cabin, the captain aimed a pistol at him. "Who are you?" he demanded gruffly. "What are you doing on my ship?"
"I've come to do business." He unbuttoned his shirt to push out his upper arm. There was a rough black tattoo, an encircled X, on it. "I suspect they've a different symbol, but this means - "
"You're a slaver," the captain finished, lowering his pistol somewhat, "and you've been caught for it, though a long way from here."
Eventually the gun was laid back on the desk; Robert and the captain, Orlen, made conversation, laughed about a few of their exploits, and came to an accord. Captain Orlen would be one of the few men in the business to know Robert's face, for as long as Robert could keep it that way.
The fourth week, Robert returned to that older section of town where he'd opened up a bank account. He found the nastiest, most miserable tenements he could find there, and spoke to the landlord, a bona fide slumlord who wasn't above making a few bucks any way possible. The slumlord, Mr. Erske, would let MacGowan know when he was going to evict his tenants. He ran several buildings, and was frequently kicking people out. Then MacGowan presumably would send them to his awful shantytown that they might be better able to afford. In return, Erske would recieve a small sum of money, really a token amount. But Erske wasn't doing any real work by doing this, so he didn't care.
And so, by the end of his first month in Rhy'Din, Robert Donegan was ready to ply his trade. He put a ski mask into his back pocket when he went to work that night as a bouncer. Then, when his work was over at two a.m., he set out for Erske's apartments. A few poor Poles, one of them a young teenaged girl, had just been evicted, and Robert would soon be there to welcome that little girl to her new life.
Some of the money was taken to two different banks, one in an older, medieval district, one in a more modern (at least Victorian) district. At the Victorian-styled bank, closest to his home, he gave them what was presumably his real name, Robert Donegan. At the other one, he was Thomas MacGowan. Then, that weekend, he made a long trip, and deposited the rest at three different out-of-town banks under three more names.
When he came back on a Sunday afternoon, his landlord asked him where he'd been. He told him simply he was exploring the city, and that he enjoyed it. The landlord went on a long while about pretty churches, and mentioned a basilica, and Robert answered quite truthfully that he'd already seen it, but would have to return there.
During the second week, Robert began eavesdropping at the clubs he worked for. He heard nothing too interesting all week, and that weekend, finished fixing up his apartment.
On his third week, he explored the city a little more, found the marketplace charming, found the basilica the landlord had recommended severely wanting upon closer inspection, and found that, late at night, in a warehouse by the sea, people were sometimes led out. Their heads were bowed and covered in black cloth, and large men led them firmly by their upper arms, and stuck to the shadows. The men glanced his way, so he left them alone, but the next night, he returned, and followed them back to a ship called the Empress of India.
That weekend, he invited himself on board the Empress of India. When he slipped into the cabin, the captain aimed a pistol at him. "Who are you?" he demanded gruffly. "What are you doing on my ship?"
"I've come to do business." He unbuttoned his shirt to push out his upper arm. There was a rough black tattoo, an encircled X, on it. "I suspect they've a different symbol, but this means - "
"You're a slaver," the captain finished, lowering his pistol somewhat, "and you've been caught for it, though a long way from here."
Eventually the gun was laid back on the desk; Robert and the captain, Orlen, made conversation, laughed about a few of their exploits, and came to an accord. Captain Orlen would be one of the few men in the business to know Robert's face, for as long as Robert could keep it that way.
The fourth week, Robert returned to that older section of town where he'd opened up a bank account. He found the nastiest, most miserable tenements he could find there, and spoke to the landlord, a bona fide slumlord who wasn't above making a few bucks any way possible. The slumlord, Mr. Erske, would let MacGowan know when he was going to evict his tenants. He ran several buildings, and was frequently kicking people out. Then MacGowan presumably would send them to his awful shantytown that they might be better able to afford. In return, Erske would recieve a small sum of money, really a token amount. But Erske wasn't doing any real work by doing this, so he didn't care.
And so, by the end of his first month in Rhy'Din, Robert Donegan was ready to ply his trade. He put a ski mask into his back pocket when he went to work that night as a bouncer. Then, when his work was over at two a.m., he set out for Erske's apartments. A few poor Poles, one of them a young teenaged girl, had just been evicted, and Robert would soon be there to welcome that little girl to her new life.