Sammy looked at the others.
"Sounds ok for me," she said, "of course, we still have to get the map and that either means getting into the auction or taking it from whoever wins it at the auction."

O'Connor nodded, giving his consent to the new deal. He asked the group, "So what now? We can either come up with a gift or steal an invite. So far our best idea for a gift is killing some of the king's enemies. Our best lead on an invite are those guys Torley ran into. Which way do we want to go? Or does anyone have a third option?"

With the new arrangement settled, the group bats around a few ideas, but nothing as strong as the two mentioned. The rich meal and liquor you consumed eventually starts to do it's work and you leave the matter undecided until morning.

What you didn't expect is for morning to start at 1 am.

That is when the heavily armed group of guards burst into your suite. Before anyone can get themselves killed, (your team or more likely, the guards) Jane manages to intervene and finds out that there as been a break-in and an item has been stolen that was intended to be in the auction. It isn't the map, but a statue of some significance to Adegoke and the Yoruba. After some questioning, and a search, the guards clear you of any involvement, but apparently gives Jane a third option.

"You might get your way after all O'Conner, if we find this thief before Adegoke's people, that should get us an invitation. Whoever did this is definitely one of the Oni's enemies. You guys think you want to try and track them down, or are we still considering theft and assassination?"

"It's not as if we have a lot to do right now," Sammy said, "so we could give it a shot. It's going to be tricky though, getting access to the crime scene and the information we need. I could give it a shot in the astral, but with the magic being wonky here, it will be difficult."

O'Connor grinned, "It seems these thieves have volunteered themselves for the slaughter."

"You try that, I will let it be known that we are interested, maybe we can charm something from them, Torley?. Snow, can you see if you can pull anything from the system? Maybe catch some info they will be trying to distribute, like a picture. Don't do anything crazy, they will be on high alert." Jane seems to snap into boss mode now that they have a clear objective.

Snow nods, goes back to her bed, and seems to zonk out. In actuality, she's slipping into VR, enabling her to search at the speed of thought. She immediately begins running data searches through the local 'trix to find what news is being distributed.

Snow is able to find a lot of data on clashes between the Yoruba and the Igbo, it is basically guerilla warfare on the Igbo side. They can't stand against the organized Yoruba, but the Oni can't just wipe them out because it would mean razing mainland Lagos into a parking lot. That would be bad for business.

This latest potshot by the Igbo is already getting spread around, the auction being compromised is a big slap in the face to the Yoruba, people back in Lagos are talking A LOT, and more than a few seem to hint they know details or will sooon

She is also able to snatch a datapic of someone on a security camera that was accidentally posted to a public facing news site for less than a minute before getting pulled. Looks like it was meant to be part of an APB to Yoruba forces, but it is a terrible picture, barely showing a person in the uniform of an Yoruba guard peeking out of a door.

Sammy decided to have a little look around on the astral. She wouldn't go through any wards and she would heed any warnings of spirits she might enounter, but you never knew what she could see. So she slipped out of her body and started roaming the palace carefully and taking into account that with the aspected domain she was in, she wouldn't be able to stay out as long as she otherwise could. But in about one hour she hoped to be able to gather some information, like an aura of the thief, or some emotions where it happened, or spirits that might answer her questions.

The Astral World in this particular area is quite active and very intense. Your suite sharing a wall with the shrine makes it especially so, to the point where immediately upon leaving your physical form you see and are challenged by an acolyte who seems to be monitoring the visitors wing in Astral.

"Greetings, I am Taa, a humble follower of Blessed Ifa', is there something I can help you with?"

"Maybe you can," Sammy said, "I'm checking out the surroundings a bit for my employer. She's gone a bit paranoid since the theft, you understand. And I wanted to know the lay of the land a bit. I wasn't planning on going near wards and things, but maybe you can help me and spare me a long and tedious trip. If I know what or who to look out for, it would be a lot easier for me to do my job as bodyguard."

"Well, your employer has very little to worry about, we will keep you from harm. Unless you are a follower of Ife, there is not much you could do anyway. This is our home, our fortress, you are safe here." It is hard not to see the truth in his words, especially here on the astral. You haven't felt this weak since your first astral excursion and even this altar boy looks like a beast feeding off the land.

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Jane and Torley head for the courtyard and the security who seems to be keeping them here. "We need to speak with Adegoke, we want to help." The security person looks at you dubiously.

Following after Jane and Torley was O'Connor acting as bodyguard. Though, if things went to drek, how he would do that job was a bit shaky. He had no weapons and the domain suppression was keenly felt. He knew Torley was similarly affected by the palace. He wondered how the face's flim-flam and bulldrek routine would work here.

"I have to say, by the way, that I didn't believe it when Jako told me 'Sevelda' was here in Ife. I guess the rumors are true, you have left the movies behind. I would love to help you, but even our caste leader could barely see the traces of the thief's presence, he was using some strong magic to hide..." he trails off, embarassment at having said too much clear in his astral image.

"Don't worry," Sammy said, "I can keep a secret. If I had sold what I knew about scripts in Hollywood while we were filming, I could probably have outbid just about anybody here."

So a thief with strong magic, probably aspected to this domain, otherwise they would be able to find him easily.

"Hey, maybe we can come together and talk shop one day," she said, "I'm sure you have many interesting ways to look at magic and I would love to know about telesma here in the jungle."
And she could use that time to try to get more information out of them, which was Always easier face to face. And maybe get Torley to join, he seemed better at this stuff.

"I would consider it an honor to trade knowledge with the witch who singed Karl Combatmage. We are less well versed in offensive magic here, so we could fairly trade." the young initiate replied happily.

"In the meantime, you should return to your physical form. My replacement is a bit of a 'stick in the mud'"

"Sure, why not," Sammy said, having a good look at his aura so she would be able to recognise him again.
"I guess you know where I am," she added. With a last salute, as she had done in the movie, she left and went back to her body. She hadn't seen much, but at least she had made some contacts which could help. And she had some information. There couldn't be all that many awakened people with the skills to get through the security here in this aspected domain. That should narrow the search.

She looked around for the others.

Torley shakes his head back and forth, as if to clear his mind of fog. This religious glamour in this place is really getting to him. He does a check through his adept powers to see what he still has. Like a leper, looking to see how many appendages he lost overnight.

Kinesics ... Linguistics ... Commanding Voice. Well, this won't be the first dance I've gone to, wearing nothing but a smile and a napkin. Pfft. With me at point, we can do this.

The newly alert and aware Torley pulls himself up to his most imposing height and projects the confidence he has in himself and his team. He speaks in the Yoruba he has learned so far to add to the trustworthiness, but keeps it simple, as it is in the Yoruba he has learned so far.

We are ... experienced in hunting thieves. We hear that something important to your people and to the King has been taken. We wish to offer our skill to the King to right this wrong. We trust you guards to do a ... great job ... but we are from far away and may see things like a stranger to your land would. Please take us to the King so that we may help.

The guard quickly snaps to and after alerting relief, escorts the three of you to the next building where the king is in an office looking over reports in sumptuous surroundings. The guard bows deeply and explains your disturbance.

"What is it you seek to provide that my Army cannot accomplish? We will have this thief in chains soon enough, and dead soon after."

Jane speaks up at this point, "We can provide you speed, we can move right away to chase this thief down. Your army will need a target before they can act. We have a freedom to operate where you may need to call favors."

"How am I to know you aren't in league with this thief? Or that you will simply take the idol for yourselves?"

Well, it could have been worse. It could have been O'Connor piping up again, trying to do Torley's job. Torley puts a hand gently on Jane's arm, and with a sideways glance at her takes a half-step forward, not enough to be a threat to the King, but enough to physically mark him out as the speaker for the group. He puts his hands out to the side and projects believability, confidence and deference. No mean feat, that! Now, what's the honorific people here use to address the King? Oh, yeah.

Kabiyesi, you are wise to question motives in this time of trouble. Some enemy has dealt a blow to you and your people, and you move to rectify the situation. Who are we? Why are we here? Why do we offer ourselves to you at this very moment? These questions are reasonable, and they also show you, wise King, why we present perhaps the best tool you have to foil your enemy. For just as you knew nothing of us until this moment, so too did your enemy know nothing. What happened here tonight ... what we have heard is that an idol of great significance to you and your people was stolen ... could only have gone so far if the enemy planned carefully and at length to overcome the physical and spiritual defenses here. But we are not part of those defenses. If the enemy could not plan for us, he will not be prepared for us. Lack of preparation opens the way for mistakes. We have experience making use of the errors of thieves and criminals.

You see instantly that we have a desire here. But it is not to rob you of your heritage. We do wish to take part in the great auction, and hope that by serving you in this time of need we find you generous enough to allow us to attend and take part. We ask no other reward but to be allowed to be among all the other foreign participants. Look deep, Kabiyesi, and know my words to be true. In this place of power, I have no doubt that lies would be signaled to you at once.

Adegoke leans back in his chair, steepleing his fingers and considering your words. After a time he speaks, "If you think you can catch this thief, then go to it, if you succeed you will have the invitation. But....!" he indicates at Jane "...your group will leave your benefactor here as assurance you will return. I have spoken."

The several king's guards and your escort take you three back to your rooms.

Once in your suite, Jane gathers the group out of easy earshot of the guards and relays the meeting, adding "Nice job Stick, you might have finally earned your keep. I will send word to Dobri to be at your disposal, you will most likely be headed back to Lagos, no way an Igbo thief is going to try and stay local."

Torley accepts Jane's backhanded praise with the slightest of smiles. Yeah, you bet I have.

So, what's next, team? This place is still messing with my head. I can't remember who we know in Lagos who can help us. Drek, I can't even remember how much time we have till the auction.

O'Connor scratched his head, "Help wise, we got Lil' Homie as a guide. Otherwise we've been racking up enemies more than friends. As for tracking this idol, seems we should start looking into the more ambitious factions that want to stick it to the King."

"I spoke to one of the mage guards here," Sammy said, "he let slip that it was an awkened thief, but a good one. Probably an adept with the right powers, even in this aspected domain. He didn't give any more information, but I promised to visit them at one point, so maybe I can get a bit more information. If I have an aura signature, it would be a lot easier to get him back once we're in persuit. And yes, it's probably going to be Lagos."