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Chip approaches a hulking man by the name of Miss Feathers. He asks "I was wondering if you had any information for us."
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Wondering around trying to find someone else, Chip spots a thief, Fasch, trying to steal his wallet. Chip quickly places his hand on his coin pouch to stop the theft. "Hey, not so fast! I'm familiar with that kind of trickery, ma'am, so you won't be swindling me! But while I got your ear, perhaps there's some information you could tell me about a particular individual, as I know thieves can get around and know things about people. His name is Besel Ardoc."
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As Fasch tries to escape from Chip, having been spotted in the act, Blend steps in front of her and takes her by the shoulder. Girl, if you are going to stick to this line of work then you need to get a lot better at it or you are going to run into someone less kindly than Chip here. I suggest you answer his questions, nice like...
Prisim's conversation with the merchant Jorda provides little information, but when she comes upon the caravan guard, and the drinks begin to flow, the dour demeanor that Roold has cultivated leaves her and her smile is bright and cheery, like a moment of summer sun through parting clouds. She says, “Speaking of drink, I hear that Besel can’t make it through a day without a pint or six of whatever grog the pub he’s in is selling. I don’t know what those Ardocs are involved in, and I don’t even want to—whenever someone tells me what they’re up to, I realize again that I’d probably drink myself stupid three times a day if I were one of them.”
Meanwhile Silgil finds a companion in Sard, a down-on-his luck scallywag just trying to make ends meet. With the silver on the counter and the drinks coming his way, Sard grunts and says, "You're gonna have ta try better than that, neh? What you want with the Ardocs? You know they make golems, right?"
Chip has a brief conversation with Miss Feathers before getting stonewalled, but with the cutpurse Fasch, he has more luck, especially with Blend's timely interjection. Fasch throws up her hands, and, in a squeaky voice says, "Look, those Ardocs aren’t stupid. They run the best golem-making factory since Thassilon, and when you run something like that, you have an obvious source of guards. I ain’t never seen Besel without at least six of those iron things stomping around behind him. If you’re trying to find him and put a hurt on him, you best change your mind, friend.”
It has taken hours to find this information so far. Morning has come the next day, although you wouldn't know it just by the light, as the city remains steeped in twilight. And then afternoon comes again, and night once more.
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Before letting her go Blend will sit down the little cutpurse at a table in the Inn, buy her a meal and give her some tips on how to cut a man's purse without him noticing. You need to be more careful kid, you get caught and you aren't going to spend a few months in a comfy jail getting three square meals a day. You're going to wind up floating face down in the river...
Now, you seem to know this place pretty well, we don't want to cause this Ardoc any trouble but we do want to talk to him, maybe put a little business his way. You help us find where he is at the minute and maybe there's a bit of coin coming your way...
As Blend leans back there is a small stack of silver coins sitting on the table. Bring me some useful information and I will double that for you...
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Lod decides to speak with Jorda, the fruit merchant. He first purchases 1 gp worth of fruit (a lot of fruit!) and then says, "It looks like you have some good produce here! I may be here a while with my friends so I will have to return later for more. But I was wondering if you knew how to get in contact with Mr. Ardoc? I have some urgent business."
Fasch's eyes widen to saucers at the money Blend lays out. "You...You got it, gov!" She runs off at a full Sprint and a few minutes later she comes back with a half-drunk man seemingly pulled straight from a bar. Fasch hits the man with an elbow and he says, "Oh yeah, I seen Besel Drinkin' in Downmarket a bunch--had a few pints with him m'self. It's probably because of those pints that I can't remember the pub where I last saw him."
With both Silgil and Lod making conversation with the matter-of-fact Jordan, he says while handing another "fresh" piece of fruit to a buyer, "Down by that disgusting troll Augur temple--called Augur's Entrails I think. There's a troll on the sign pullin' his own damn entrails out. You won't catch me drinkin' there, but I saw Besel and his iron monsters there this morning."
With a few honeyed words from Garrett, Miss Feathers all but swoons in front of the halfling. Taking out an ornate fan and waving it furiously, Miss Feathers says, "I was in the Augur's Entrails over in Downmarket this morning and heard Besel say he'd be back there again tomorrow morning for something. That's probably your best bet for finding him, sugar dumpling."
With all five pieces of information, you know that Besel likes to drink, has a bodyguard of six golems always around him, works long hours at the Kiln, frequents the Augur's Entrails, and will be there tomorrow morning. It is well after nightfall of the second day by the time the investigation has ended.
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With plenty of rest, you wake to the sounds of The City of Strangers already on the move. Merchant carts trundle along the roads filled to bursting with exotic wares and produce. Gargoyles flit about the tall perches of Bis and Highside Stacks while goblins skitter about underfoot. You make your way, navigating the streets until you come to Downmarket. Following the information you collected the days before, you find the Augur's Entrails at the southern corner of the district, an old oak sign swinging overhead depicting a troll pulling out its insides and reading them.
Next to the pub is the unmistakable sight of three iron golems. They are positioned defensively around a human man currently seated and having his shoes shined at a roadside stall next door to the pub. The man has short black hair with the beginnings of a beard, patchy and rough. He wears the garb of a factory worker, but an air of importance surrounds him, given credence by the looming golems that watch all passersby.
There can be no doubt this is the man you are looking for : Besel Ardoc. What do you do?
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Prisim pokes Lod cheerfully.
"Why don't you try. You have quite the way with words. " she eyes up the Golems worriedly.
"Just don't say anything that will get us into a fight. All we really want to know is how he heard about our friend being dead, so we can track down who did it."
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Whoever speaks, Prisim will nod helpfully in the background and try to do her best to create a good impression. She can't really keep her eyes off the golems though.
"Do you think they would mind if I polished one of them?"
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Garrett chuckles nervously at the attention from Miss Feathers, but they are then off to more rest before setting out the next day! They arrive and spot their target.. Garrett approaches cautiously and bows low. "Milord, pardon my gnomish companion, she has an exuberant zest for life and all things exciting. I wonder if perhaps we may have a moment of your time?"
Besel takes a long moment to look over at the assembled party. The golems tense just so, but then calm again immediately. Besel says, "A moment, yes. I am a busy man. Who are you and what do you want?"
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The mention of Collgardie's name catches Besel's attention. "Then you know he is dead and I am looking for his killer. The Shadow Lodge will not succeed here. Are you one of them, helping to build this Society lodge on our turf?"
Blend gets the feeling Besel is hiding his motivation for hunting Collgardie's killer.
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Besel says, "The Shadow Lodge? I assumed it was some code word the Society was using while attempting to set up a lodge here in Kaer Maga. When these fools started causing trouble, I had Collgardie send a letter to a friend of his at the Grand Lodge before a bunch of Pathfinders ended up dead because of all this. I only hired the goons to kill Collgardie's assassins because Dakar, head of the Commerce League, said he would owe me a favor. And being owed a favor by Dakar is worth more than all the gold in your vaults in Absalom."
He considers things for a moment. "It looks like you have stumbled into quite the situation."
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"Stumbled? More like thrown, which is the norm. Got a problem? Throw Pathfinders at it! I feel like a bowling ball some times."
Or the pins. They need more dwarves in the pathfinders.
"So, who are these shadow guys? Does this 'shadow lodge' have a physical location, or does it live up to its name and dwell in the shadows? And what kind of trouble have they been causing that required a team to be sent?"
Besel, finished with his shoe shine hands the attendant a purse of silver and walks forward a few steps. He brushes dirt from one of his iron golems' elbow joints and says, "I don't know of any location. You could try to talk to Dakar, but you don't find him, he finds you. He's the most secretive man in Kaer Maga, and that's saying something."
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As the others talk to Besel Blend ducks inside the Inn and has a quick look around. Merging with the crowd he quietly makes his way to the back of the Inn and slips outside. Sliding to the edge of the alleyway he cautiously peers at Besel's iron golems, making a mental note of any maker's marks or other useful identifying features.
Happy with what he see's he cautiously slips back into the Inn passing the keeper a few silver coins to keep his mouth shut and heads back outside, snagging a refreshing beer to cover his tracks.
Returning Blend sighs inwardly, his feet still hurt from all the walking about yesterday and they still seem no closer to finding out what has happened to Colgardie. Well then, I guess we have some more hunting about this city to do. I thank you for your help.
"I will do what I can to help," Besel says. Before he turns to go inside the Augur's Entrails, he sighs and says, "Be careful who you make deals here with, Pathfinders. Kaer Maga is a city brimming with politics--play the wrong kind and you'll end up dead. Hell, play the right kind and you'll end up dead. The point is, be careful who you make an enemy of here--or worse, who you end up owing a favor to."
Besel directs you to a ramshackle library in Bis and you spend some time following up on any information source about Dakar, but there seems to be nothing to go on. Like the man is a ghost, or never existed in the first place. You leave the library and try to dig up anything from the locals, but that avenue also goes nowhere. Then suddenly where a thick crowd of people once stood are now only six burly men carrying cudgels and a seventh with his hand in a pouch at his belt. All seven sets of eyes are on you, while in the distance, the crowds suddenly turn and find another way past this street.
"You've been asking about Dakar," says the man with his hand in a pouch. "He wants a word with you."
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While the others were looking up data about the locals, Silgil was also searching for information on Dwarven history, orcs, goblins, giants, and the like.
When confronted, Silgil is about to open his mouth when the cacophony of responses assault his ears and his mouth snaps shut.
Just as well. I'd rather not do any of the talking anyway.
The man with his hand in the pouch smiles only with his eyes. "Good," he says. "Now you're going to have to follow orders, to the letter, else this arrangement is for naught, right govs? Right then. First thing's first, can't know where tha boss is, neh? You gotta have bags over your heads, we wheel you about, and you're at your meeting lickity split." The men produce several ruddy bags and brandish them toward you.
“You’ve asked for me and now you have me. What do you wish to know? Know that I don’t give anything away for free, Pathfinders, but I will give you information you want in exchange for a future favor.”
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"Well... there are quite a few things we want to know really.. Firstly would be around the Shadow Lodge of Pathfinders that seems to be here. The next would be around the murder of our contact. "
She shrugs a little and fusses with her hair some.
"Thanks for taking off those bags. I hate to think what it has done to my hair. Do you have a mirror handy?"
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Lod feels quite lost being swept up in the politics of a strange town and addressed by people important and dangerous enough to send their own agents to fetch the Pathfinders for a meeting. Nonetheless, he complies with no complaint and places the cloth over his head to be led to the meeting.
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Faced with the outline of Dakar, Lod stays quiet and listens to Prisim's questions. "Yes, if you were a friend of Collgardie then your interest is in helping us. We were shocked by his murder and if there is a Shadow Lodge behind it we need to investigate."
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Blend tries to keep his bearings as the men lead them through the city.
You seem pretty well informed, you must know that this Shadow Lodge isn't a part of our society, that it has been causing trouble. We have a mutual interest in getting rid of them. You point us in the right direction, we will do what Pathfinders do best......solve problems. Its a win win for both of us yes?
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A favor, huh. Weren't we just warned about that? My compatriots are not much in the way of bargainers. Perhaps I really SHOULD speak up, if for nothing other than to make sure we do not get the raw end of the deal!
"As Lod said, I would have thought our interests aligned? It seems odd that you want payment so that we can help you accomplish one of your own goals!"
"Please," Dakar says, "Bring the lady a mirror."
Moments later one of Dakar's men walks in and hands Prisim a mirror and abruptly walks out without a word.
When Collgardie is mentioned, the image of Dakar stills. He says, "While it is a great lost, and he was a dear friend, the Commerce League is not in the business of giving something for nothing. My favor to you and your Society is giving you the information you require to shed light on this...Shadow Lodge. All I ask is a future favor in return. I must insist your answer."