Ms. Elias slowly sets down her glass of wine. She once again glowers at the party, before turning to Doctor Landis, I think we should reschedule. Good day.
And with that she promptly leaves.
Doctor Landis has been sitting there the whole time silent. His face is equal parts disappointment and surprise. He eventually speaks in a disappointed voice,
Order of the Nail? I should have known this benefactor was too good to be true. The key is just such an amazing artifact. Think of what a grand addition it would make to the museum! But... not if it takes getting into bed with the Order of the Nail...
They have made overtures before, about acquiring some artifacts from my museum. Not always nicely. Or subtly. I suppose they saw this as an opportunity to get some leverage over me. Oh well...I guess I'll be dropping out of the auction then...thanks, I guess.
He morosely sips at his glass of wine, having lost all of his excitement and exuberance at discussing your adventures.
The sad Doctor stays behind at the restaurant, drowning his sorrows in his wine. You pass a quit indignant halfling, still waiting for a table as you exit the building. After reporting your success back at the lodge, your contact starts giving you your next mission. Kenza and Jeskit pipe up that they think Dymal Rinks is up to something, and worth checking out. The Agent responds, Ah yes, Rinks. He's on our list of potential bidders. While we’re not sure how much of a threat Dymal Rinks poses to our winning the auction, we don’t want to take any chances. Our informants tell us that Rinks owes a considerable debt to the proprietor of the Matador, Master Basaale Minvandu. Short on the funds to cover his debts, Dymal Rinks hopes to cash in on the Runecarved Key as part of a wild investment scheme. Unfortunately for Rinks, Minvandu wants his debts paid immediately and has sent his collectors to track the halfling down. I suspect we can easily knock Rinks out of the auction by turning him over to Minvandu’s thugs. Still, I’m a little wary of this course of action as handing Rinks over to the bone-breakers may very well result in his death. Despite being a desperate little imp, Rinks is a decent arbitrator and if word gets back that we played a part in his death, it might make things difficult in the future. If you can avoid getting him killed it might help. Perhaps you can pretend to be thugs and scare him off or simply threaten to rat him out to Minvandu if he doesn’t back out of the auction. In any event, do whatever you need to do to drive him away. Oh, and he lied about his whereabouts. Our informants say he’s hiding out at the Galesford Inn in Dockway.
|
"Poor fellow. Have we not all been down on our luck from time to time? Still, it seems like we'll be doing him a favor if we convince him not to add more to his troubles with a failed scheme. Surely we can frighten him off. Friend Kenza and Friend Jeskit certainly look intimidating enough," Kahwen comments.
He'll scan the crowd at the Galesford Inn when they arrive, looking for Rinks, but also for anyone who might also be looking for the halfling.
The group collectively spots several shady, gruff looking fellows that could potentially be enforcers, but none are obviously here looking for someone to collect a debt. Asking the barkeep, you are able to find someone matching his descriptions is staying in one of the rooms, though under a pseudonym. Approaching the door, you can hear movement inside. We are on slide 7.
Jeskit discovers that the paranoid halfling has rigged up a trap of some sort on the door.
|
|
"I should have stopped and bought some tools," Kahwen grumbles as he approaches the door. "First mission I've been on with traps...except for those statues that fell on me last time...but that wasn't really a trap so much as bad interior design."
He studies the trap then tries to disarm it so that it cannot harm him or his companions.
That is good enough to disable the trap. I will note, you are in a large city. If you want to go buy some thieve's tools now, you certainly can.
Rinks appears to be ready for you, having heard you disable the trap and conversing outside. He is laying in wait beside the door, and sticks Jeskit in the kidney as he bursts in.
Tell Minvandu to go to hell! If you live!
Pathfinders are up!
Rinks
Merrill
Jeskit
Kenza
Kalangkang
Kahwen
Rinks
Rinks does not drop his weapon, though he does step back and stop stabbing Jeskit.
Minvandu didn't send you? Who are you? And what exactly do you want
|
|
"Give us the money you have and run. And we will solve Mivandu's case for you. And promise us that you will not appear at auction.
I can make you invisible for a few minutes so you have a head start."
Kalangkang turned to Kahwen and whispered to him, "Why did you tell that we are Pathfinders. It should be a secret that no one can connect us with Pathfinders"
You Pathfinders are crazy. Thugs and brigands. And of course Minvandu is just using me. He runs a gambling ring. That's what they do. He'll only dispose of me if I can't pay. That Key is the ticket to paying him back. And give you my money? You might as well just kill me now if you're going to rob me.
Kenza punches Rinks twice. First, with a quick jab to the nose, then a vicious uppercut square on his jaw. He drops his weapon and stands there slack jawed, looking like he could collapse at any moment.
|
Kenza looks at Kalangkang in surprise. "Perhaps before scolding me for breaking orders, you should properly recall them. I did not disobey."
Kenza seems to take this remark very seriously.
She glances back at the halfling...
"Minvandu's men are coming for you NOW. He requires payment up front, not after the auction. We came to warn you."
She pauses a moment, to let her words sink in.
"Flee Magnimar with your life while you can."
"What is your decision?"
A bloodied and beaten Rinks regains his senses, with several Pathfinders on top of him. Cut out my tongue out!?! You people are insane! Just let me go and I'll leave, I'll take my chances with Minvandu.
|
"Are you okay, human Kalangkang? Your memory seems lost in the clouds." he muses on his odd confrontation with Kenza.
I wonder if he is playing a game or truly doesn't remember Kahwen introducing us. Then he tried to rob the target. Odd
Taizen with his patience gone pushes into the room and kneels before Rinks.
"We only wanted to warn you away. Some seem to get lost in the storm after the trap. We are indeed Pathfinders but our goal is to protect the key. Let me heal you as an apology." he offers.
|
|
"He would still be able to write," Kahwen comments in response to Kenza's suggestion. He contemplates the halfling's fingers.
"We aren't thugs or criminals!" he exclaims, highly offended by the halfling's words. "We are noble protectors of what is good and right! See? Friend Taizen is even healing you, even though you have insulted us. When he is finished, you should do as you have said and leave the city."
|
|
...Perhaps you can pretend to be thugs and scare him off or simply threaten to rat him out to Minvandu if he doesn’t back out of the auction. In any event, do whatever you need to do to drive him away.
---
Kenza ignores Kalangkang completely. She glowers at the halfling.
"Back out of the auction or I will drag you to Minvandu myself. Then we will see whose methods you prefer."
Gah! Fine, I'll leave. Get off of me. I'll leave town.
Assuming you let him go, he spends a few moments gathering his things, then departs the inn for destination unknown.
Sheila is delighted to hear that Dymal Rinks is out of the picture. How much do you tell her about exactly how things went? I'll follow up on this after your next post, but I am going to go ahead and give you the next hook to keep things moving.
Regardless, she directs you to a scribe for your next assignment.
I think we got lucky with our merchant friend, Falrig Sneve. He mentioned that he was trying to conserve funds for the auction, so we sent him an invitation to stay at Haruka House on the grounds of our manor. If you have yet to see it, Haruka House sits alone on the west side of the main house and is the most luxurious of the four Thassilonian cottages on the property. As far as I can tell, Sneve suspects us of no foul play. Still, we can’t have him mucking up the auction, can we? Thankfully, I doubt we have to do much. Ensure no actual harm comes to him, though, as such would reflect poorly upon Heidmarch Manor and the Pathfinder Society. Rather, somehow trick him into believing the Runecarved Key is cursed and he should withdraw from the auction without any further urging.
|
|
Kahwen is both honest and contrite about what happened.
"We told Mr. Rinks to leave town and he chose to do so after Friend Kenza beat him up and we convinced him Mr. Minvandu would do worse. But, I'm afraid I mentioned that we are Pathfinders. He did not like that."
"I have an idea, Companions. If Friend Kalangkang or Friend Merrill can cast a small illusion on my hand I can pretend that it was withered or twisted or posed by touching the key," Kahwen says when it is time to plan their next mission.