178. Persona: Wiremu

I entered the city as Dianne, the female mercenary. My Roleplay Skill is more challenging to use the longer I keep it up. Short periods of an hour or so are fine. I paid attention to detail and was wearing the chest piece. With leather armour, I didn’t have to wear the corset, which was a relief. I waved my Mercenary badge at the gate guards, and they waved me through. It was a small risk they would check the badge as it actually belonged to Sten.

Tabitha was organising a new ID for me, but it might be time I organised one myself. It took all evening, but eventually, I had a contact. A city official who would provide papers. It was more expensive than it was in Jern. Tabitha would be getting me an ID as a hunter and mercenary. I decided Dianne Prints would build a reputation as a spy and occasional assassin. She would be a wonder woman! But I was getting ahead of myself here. Reputations are built slowly. It would take two days for her ID to be ready to register with the Mercenary Guild. That would mean we only had a week left in this city.

In the meantime, there were several things on my to-do list. Find out the fallout from Gilbert's oil discovery. Interview fire lady Mary about Otto’s experiments and try and find out more about the Duke of Kirghiz from Samatha. The first thing to do is catch the Comedic Rhythm show. It would be good to see it from start to end in a proper theatre.

I caught up with everybody after the show. Everybody seemed in good spirits and refreshed. Tabitha handed me some ID papers.

“William Cody?” I asked.

“They are familiar names in the Empire,” she replied. “William is often shortened to Bill.”

That didn’t make sense to me. I guess the empire has its own culture, and I am going to need to learn and refresh that culture.

Tabitha continued, “What I was thinking was creating a persona for entering the empire. Starting here with the bison ranches and your hunter and scout classes, you could create a loud, almost showman charactor. You could take the nickname ‘Bison Bill’. We could build it in Kirghiz, and you could wear your hides, proclaim monster kills to the city people, and build a loud reputation as we move toward the empire. It plays to your strengths and helps hide your other activities and identities.”

“So we are aiming for this loud, rough hunter to have a reputation that is known as we enter the Empire?” I asked.

Tabitha nodded. “It does mean you must operate separately from the rest of us, especially in Khirgiz. We can rejoin after our commitment to the Comedic Rhythm is over.”

“What about the Canine Queens?” I asked.

“I talked it over with them. We probably need to have a funeral for Sten.” She looked sharply at me, “No, you cannot come.”

I made a face at her. I knew it would be a beginner's mistake to turn up at your own funeral. But seriously, they will be drinking in my honour, without me! Which is normal for a funeral, I guess.

“I am not sure I can pull off a brash, showman character,” I said, getting back to the topic.

“Isn’t that what your Roleplay Skill is for?”

“It is mid-apprentice. It only lasts for an hour and a half.”

“That doesn’t sound right. What is your Mental Perception attribute?”

I used Identity on the Skill, “Mental Perception is how convincing it is, Mental Strenght is how long I can keep it going for. Mental Agility is how flexible I can be with the role.”

“Mental Perception is your lowest attribute, right?” I nodded. “You definitely need to be more convincing and for a longer time. I would put any spare attributes into both those and ensure they are both over 30,” Tabitha instructed.

I nodded I could do that. Mental Perception went to 30, and Mental Strength went to 35. “That makes a difference. I can sense how I can be more convincing and keep it up for almost two hours now.”

Tabitha nodded, “That should be enough time to get somebody drunk.”

“Let me think about it. The name is fine. I am just unsure about the persona.”

Tabitha shrugged, “It is so different from your normal, which is why I suggest it. You don’t want to be linked to Sten. What we can do is get you playing bar-type games. My Sleight of Hand Skill is Journeyman now, so I can teach it to you. Your Physical Agility should be well over the required amount.”

“It will be a good Skill to have anyway. I will get this registered with the Mercenary Guild and maybe try the character.”

I put some thought into it before going to the guild. I would need a consistent look to keep this up. I purchased a wide-brim Ranch hat and decided on shoulder-length hair for both Bison Bill and Dianne Prints. Bill would have light brown hair, a bushy moustache and a small section of chin hair. That should break up the lines of my face, as Dianne won’t be allowed to have facial hair. Dianne’s hair would be darker, almost black. Bill would wear clothes with lots of loose decorative bits and brighter colours. Dianne would be all business in dark leather armour. Bill will have a Longbow and spears as befitting a monster hunter, and Dianne will have knives, darts, and a short bow. Wild Bison Bill will be rinding Mosey with a fancy new saddle. They are two very different people. I only have two hours at a time, but Dianne would work alone so I can ease up on the Roleplay for her a lot of the time. Bill is more of a people person, so he will push the skill harder.

The next morning Bison Bill swaggered into the Mercenary Guild, ready to sign up for gold and glory. The smell of his cologne wafted after him. He has a griffon feather in his wide-brimmed hat, claiming to have taken it from the wing while the griffon slept. A guild administrator took his papers, and Wild Bison Bill loudly proclaimed his Hunter, Scout and Monster Hunter Classes. I don’t think many believed the last claim and someone from the bar muttered there was no hunting around here. It is all settled ranches.

After registering, Bill went into the bar, buying a round of drinks in celebration. He regaled them with a tale of troll hunting with his valiant comrades, who he saved repeatedly. Some of the younger apprentices believed him. Bill took a tracking job from the guild and left under two hours after he arrived. It was quite a successful test run.

The shadows were lengthening that afternoon when a quiet girl in dark leather armour and a face mask slipped up to the counter to register for work in the black books. She was tested in espionage and assassin and took a test job to plant documents in a merchant's office. She was registered by the same administrator that had registered Bill. She left less than half an hour after she arrived. She returned with evidence of a completed job before sunrise, cementing her place on the black books register.

That afternoon Wild Bison Bill swaggered back in with a completed tracking job, proclaiming he had found the poor lost sheep and caught some rabbits to boot. He had added a Rabbits tall on the opposite side of his hat to the griffon feather and a rabbit skin draped over his shoulders. He had an ale at the bar before leaving again.

There was only a very small chance the spiritual signatures on Bill and Dianne's membership would be compared. Registering at two different cities would have been better, but I figured it was a small risk. Arriving in Kirghiz with membership was preferable for Bills’ bragging. Dianne could have waited, but Bietemark was always going to be easier than Kirghiz. Tabitha does not know about Dianne yet.

Tabitha seems to have sorted information on the Duke of Kirghiz. I just want to find any ties Otto might have left, which meant interviewing Mary.

I also wanted to see how the oil discovery affected Gilbert. Hopefully, Gilbert will be suitably distracted. I don’t really care who he is reporting to locally. I do care about the information he might send to the capital.