Frowning, Saul returns to Malkith's side from the queueing area, Bojasc trailing him protectively. "Discuss it with Larur, my dear," he tells Liry cavalierly, waving his hand toward the dwarf as he passes. "He handles the business side of things. That's a rather wild accusation, isn't it?" he asks Malkith, lowering his voice and glancing toward the bar. "Looked like she was the one in danger. You have any evidence or is it, uh," he waggles his fingers a little nervously, eyeing Malkith's traditional Varisian garb, "you know, a revelation?"
Meanwhile, Gord and his partner step eagerly up to the cashier's cage to collect their pay.
Hardly missing the inbred reaction and assumption that all of his kin are slaves and servants Phillip does not do immediately as requested and instead extends the conversation "No apology necessary milady... though I must admit that I myself were mistaken. Why when I saw you manhandling the Varisian across the floor I could not fathom that she who had a vice-like grip would be the same to render herself helpless at the feet of a little person such as myself." letting the phrase hang in the air for a few moments to gauge the Chelaxian's reaction.
The flash of irritation is visible this time as she gives the halfling an aggrieved glare. "I do not 'manhandle,'" she sniffs disdainfully. "I cling. After what I have suffered tonight, I hardly think I should be censured for being less than robust. A sensitive constitution is sign of an artistic soul."
Out back in the alley, Braddon requests Samaritha's assistance for the fallen Hellknight and then hobbles around the corner where he spies his quarry in the shadows between the two buildings.
Seeing Braddon appear, the Hellknight moves deeper between the buildings and once again vanishes from the half-elf's sight.
"Not so much a revelation as mere observation," Malkith explains, "I saw how that Hellknight was holding his dagger; she was in no danger from him. She also literally dragged me all the way to the bar - the exact opposite direction in which the thieves escaped. Then there's the fact that they used the Lady's own dressing room to escape from." Pausing for a moment, the Varisian sighs, "I know it's rather circumstantial, but I think it's a possibility that need exploring. How much do you really know about that woman?"
As he waits for Saul's response, he looks again towards the bar, "I'd like to have a look in her dressing room, but I'm not sure how much longer the halfling will be able to occupy her for..." As his voice trails off, he looks back at Saul.
Tendal continues up the back wall of the Goblin, then bends down to flip over the lead Hellknight and size up the extent of his injuries. He draws back in disgust as a few loops of the man's entrails slip out of the wound cut in his belly. He's obviously massively injured, but in the dim light, Tendal can't immediately ascertain if there's any shallow breathing.
In the meantime, Daynadrian continues through the narrow gap between the dilapidated warehouse and the boarded-up shack. Coming around the corner of the smaller building, he immediately spies the fleeing bandit and trains his arrow on him, calling out loudly so Braddon can hear him. "That's far enough. I suggest you come back to the casino and have a word with our employer or you'll be getting intimately acquainted with this arrowhead. A pocketful of stolen jewelry doesn't do a dead man any good."
Samaritha edges a bit trepidatiously out into the alley and gasps at the gory sight. "Is he --?" She steps up next to Tendal and squeamishly leans a bit closer to the prone body. "I think he's dead." For some reason, she is holding a earthenware cup.
Larur looks like he'd like to keep pursuing Saul, but Liry isn't about to let him get away without approving her compensation. "If me and Dungo aren't shipshape and ready to go when the doors open in the Free-Coin District tonight, Cromarcky's going to want to know why. You want his Gendarmes down here crawling over this place, looking for reasons to levy fines?"
Covey Smith begins to cross the casino floor toward the cashiers' cage, a mild look of amusement on his face as he watches Liry buttonhole the dwarf.
"Not so much a revelation as mere observation," Malkith explains, "I saw how that Hellknight was holding his dagger; she was in no danger from him. She also literally dragged me all the way to the bar - the exact opposite direction in which the thieves escaped. Then there's the fact that they used the Lady's own dressing room to escape from." Pausing for a moment, the Varisian sighs, "I know it's rather circumstantial, but I think it's a possibility that need exploring. How much do you really know about that woman?"
As he waits for Saul's response, he looks again towards the bar, "I'd like to have a look in her dressing room, but I'm not sure how much longer the halfling will be able to occupy her for..." As his voice trails off, he looks back at Saul.
"What do I know about her?" Saul responds a little nervously. "Not much. She's not a Riddleport native, hasn't been in town long. She came to me, actually; said she'd heard about our Night in Cheliax and offered her services. Seemed like Desna was smiling on us." He glances in the direction of the bar. "Go ahead," he nods Malkith toward the dressing room door. "I'll try to dissuade her if she comes this way. Everyone else has been through there anyway."
Entering the room through which the bandits were chased, Malkith sees a large round table pushed to one side, chairs stacked next to it. Near the far wall, one of the chairs lies on the floor; it looks like it was used to break the glass out of the window so the Hellknights could make their escape. In the northeastern corner near the door is a small writing desk where the actress must have made her preparations; the elaborate gown she was wearing before getting into costume is laid across its top. In addition, there is a tall wardrobe with double doors in the corner south of the door and a buffet with three drawers standing near the broken window. A woven rug covers the floor beneath the table.
Braddon rounds the corner and, as he lumbers towards the thug, he smoothly pulls his other dagger from his boot.
"Surrender or die. I prefer the second, but you get one last chance to pick for yourself."
The Varisian looks over his shoulder, as if estimating how far he could hope to get and what cover he might find if he made a break for it. The painful twinge in his foot from the shard of glass in his boot, however, restrains him. With an impotent snarl, he drops his sap to the ground and holds his palms open unthreateningly in the air in front of him. "Puta eta bere planak malditos!" he spits angrily.
"Darn. One of them is smart," Braddon sulks to Daynadrian. He sheathes his dagger, grunting in pain as he shifts his weight.
"Let's get him back to Saul. We both need to get this glass out of our feet. But search him first, just in case he's too smart."
Braddon uses the point of his bastard sword to cover the man and then to herd him back towards Samaritha and the casino. "Move loser... though I guess you didn't lose as badly as him..." Braddon mutters when he sees Tendal and Samaritha gathered round the fallen leader.
"This one wanted to live," Braddon introduces their captive. "What's your name?"
Braddon carefully retrieves his thrown dagger while they talk, then winces. "We need to go inside. I dunno about Limpy here, but I really need to sit down. What happened to the oth... oh, don't worry. I see his boots."
The captive keeps a sulky eye on Braddon's swordpoint, offering just as much resistance as he thinks he can get away with without being run through, as Dayn pats him down. He finds a second dagger in his boot, as well as the purloined jewelry and a small clay sphere tucked away in a pocket, but the Varisian is carrying no money pouch or personal items. Removing Fiora's precious horned helmet reveals him to be a young man, still in his teens, with a wispy attempt at a moustache clinging to his upper lip.
Braddon and the captive match each other's painful pace back to the rear of the Goblin, and Daynadrian tries not to get too far ahead, keeping his bow ready in case the bandit attempts to make a slow break for it. When the boy sees his leader's limp form and empty, staring eyes, he looks shaken for a moment, then hardens his face into an expression of renewed defiance. Asked for his name, he replies, "Erez Ezdiot."
Samaritha gives a short snort of laughter. "I'm sorry," she explains. "That's not his name. It means 'I won't talk.'"
The bandit fixes her with an angry glare and bursts into a furious harangue. "Traidorearen puta! Fede apur duzu zure odol propioa? Ez duzu merezi karabana azpian lo egin txakurrak! Erbia horiek belarriak eta begiak, ez da harritzekoa. Zure hankak zabaldu zeure atsegin beste zaborrik zikin bat hazten Erbia-gizon hau?"
Whatever he is saying, it isn't complimentary; Samaritha's face turns red, and she looks as if she has been slapped.
Leaning over the swiftly cooling corpse of the bandit, Tendal pulls out a hankerchief and using it as an impromptu glove, starts to pick at the bandit's clothes. Careful not to soil his clothes with blood, Tendal looks for pouches, papers or anything that could identify the bandit or his origins.
Noting Samaritha's reaction, Braddon smashes the thug in the face with an iron fist, then raises his sword and pauses.
"Do you want me to kill him, Sam?"
Braddon points the sword at the thug's knee. "Or I could cut off that sore leg of his."
Braddon watches the thug's eyes with cold fury. "I could cut off any part you want," Braddon offers, and slides the sharp blade up the man's thigh.
After taking in the room, Malkith immediately heads to the writing desk. He gropes the dress quickly, checking for anything that might be hidden in the fabric before tossing it aside and focusing on the rest of the contents of the desk. He then moves over to the buffet. He opens the first draw when a thought strikes him. He moves the buffet enough to flip up the woven rug and ensure there aren't any hidden surprises there, before resuming the search of the drawings. Finally he heads to the wardrobe, prepared to check the pockets and lining of whatever clothing he's sure to find.
Thuvalia's dress is stiff with embroidery and lace, but Malkith's quick examination reveals nothing suspicious sewn into its hems. The surface of the writing desk also holds a hairbrush and a small jeweled box which contains dense face powder. Opening the drawer reveals a few thick, creamy sheets of parchment and some rather ratty quills stained with dried ink.
The rug appears to conceal nothing more than a bleached-out stain on the wood floor where something hot has once been spilled.
The buffet by the window has some pewter dishes displayed on the top, with more conventional earthenware plates and dishes concealed behind cabinet doors. Beneath are two drawers: The first contains pewter flatware and folded linen napkins; the second is full of heavy tablecloths, but as Malkith slides his hand down the edges of the drawer to see if anything might be concealed beneath, he feels rough wood and metal. Lifting out the layer of table linen reveals a light crossbow and container of ten bolts in the bottom of the drawer.
The wardrobe, somewhat surprisingly, turns out to be bare, with only empty hooks behind its double doors.
------------------
Outside, Tendal's fastidious turning-out of the dead Varisian's pockets reveals a clay sphere which faintly sloshes to the ear when shaken and a tightly folded packet containing a coarse gray powder. Each of his boots conceals a dagger, and the shortsword with which he threatened his hostage seems quite well-made. Beneath his horned helmet, the dead man looks some years older than the living captive and is much more handsome, in a swarthy and disreputable way. He carries neither a money pouch nor any identifying papers, however.
"I... no. It's fine," Samaritha says, still looking angry and uncomfortable. "He ... objects to the not-human side of my heritage. I've heard it before, just not as ... crudely phrased. Not to my face, at least. If you men have all this under control, I'll go back inside. I was supposed to be fetching something for someone." She retreats back into the casino quickly without meeting anyone's eye, seeming eager to remove herself from the present company.
Tendal pockets the sphere and envelope of powder. "hm. I wonder if someone might be able to identify these..." he mutters, then gathers the weapons up before making his way to where Braddon stands with the captive, arriving as Samaritha rushes away.
"The deceased gentleman didn't have anything identifying on him. Just weapons, a clay sphere with fluid in it, and a small envelope with powder that I am unable to identify. I imagine that the clay sphere produces alchemical smoke when broken."
"Were you able to discern anything from your captive?" Tendal asks, with curiosity.
Braddon watches the retreating Samaritha as Tendal arrives. "Not yet. He reckons he won't talk. I'll be happy to persuade him though."
He nods towards the prone boots. "Is alley guy dead too? Our friend here is a crack shot with that bow."
Daynadrian gives the captive a warning look, keeping his bow in hand as he jogs down to check on the other Hellknight. As he approaches the fallen body in the alley, he catches a glimpse of some fat rats disappearing through a hole into the interior of the long building. The bandit is lying face-down, the dirt beneath him blood-stained; while he may have lived for some time after the arrow struck him, he is no longer breathing. The elf takes hold of him by the boots and pulls him into the open. Besides the borrowed armor and helmet like those Braddon is wearing, he has a dagger in each boot and another of the clay spheres; the sap he used to threaten his targets in the casino is soaked through with blood.
Pocketing the little found on the dead hellknight in the alley Dayn picks the man up by the heels and begins making his way towards the back door Samaritha is heading towards. As he does so he explains his actions to the others "Let's bring them in through the back. The Golden Goblin has already seen enough damage to it's reputation, and our chances of working here, without our making it worse by dragging a couple of corpses through the front door."
Looking between the effememate seeming Tendal and the muscular Braddon he stops for a moment"Let's tie up this one" with a nod to the sole living prisoner "and pretty boy here can guide him back inside. If we waited for Mr. 'Can't get his hands dirty' to drag the other body in we'd be here all night."
Helping with the securing of the hellknight teen, if there are no other objections, Dayn grabs one set of corpse ankles and resumes the trek back inside.
"I imagine that the other one perished as well. I must say that you appear to been the most successful defender here. Dead men don't tell us whom their employers are." Tendal responds as the Daynadrian returns.
"I would leave them where they are for the watch, rather than dragging them into the kitchen. This one," he says, "shouldn't offend anybody's sensibilities since, unlike his comrades, he isn't dangling intestines everywhere."
"And since you caught him, you should definitely take the hero's honors of walking him in and returning the stolen goods." Tendal finishes, looking at Braddon and motioning for him to take the lead with his prisioner.
Braddon looks from the dead bodies to Daynadrian to Tendal.
"Sure," he answers the noble, liking the idea of not hefting bodies.
Before someone can suggest otherwise, he prods the thug towards the rear entrance of the casino.
"Move 'Erez'. Let's get inside and get this glass out of our feet."
As Braddon herds his captive toward the back door, it is momentarily filled by the shapes of the two half-orc bouncers coming out. Gord and his partner survey the scene in the back alley with mild interest. "Hey, Magnimar," Gord grins, recognizing Tendal where he stands over the erstwhile bandit leader, "you kill a man?"
Tendal frowns at the orc's words.
"No, I didn't shoot anybody in the back. In fact, I wish I had been present sooner..." Tendal mutters, not really responding to Gord.
"There is a body over there, and over there." Tendal says, pointing. "Is there a watch that we turn them over too, or do bodies just get dumped in the river?", Tendal asks with morbid curiosity.
"You empty their pockets already?" Gord prompts, as he and his friend clear the way for Braddon and his captive to enter the building. "No reason to leave any money sticking to their bones for the scavengers. That's good armor; you mend up the arrow-holes, you can sell it," he points out, examining the corpses with a practiced eye. "As for what you do with them, depends on who they are and whether you want trouble with their boss. Leaving bodies in the street is a declaration of war; you want documentation that you're acting above-board and legal-like, you turn them over to the Gendarmes and file a complaint with Devil's Fork that they came down here to mess with you, unprovoked. You want the whole thing to go away, you fill their bellies with stones and hide them in the water somewhere, hope no one remembers where they were sent on their last job." He grins at Tendal. "What you do with the bodies of all the men you kill in Magnimar, Magnimar?"
"Why, I simply stacked them up and made a dining room table out of them. It was the rave of the city, everyone said it was both practical and avant-garde." Tendal replies, drily.
"I haven't killed anybody Gord, nor have I been in a situation where I needed to. I hope that I manage to avoid that situation as long as practical, taking a persons life should never be a simple thing."
"Gendarmes it is then. The more above-board we keep this the better for the casino...we want to be a respectable establishment, after all. Plus, since they are dead, we signal that we can take care of problems when required."
Gord guffaws and slaps Tendal on the shoulder so hard he nearly loses his balance. "Dining table! That's a good one, Magnimar. Have to tell the boys that one." With a cheerful salute, he and his friend walk off northward toward the nearest cobblestoned street.
Braddon shuffles his captive through the kitchen back to the casino floor and announces, "This one had the common sense to surrender. His buddies are dead. That elf and the... noble are seeing to the bodies."
Braddon prods the man into the centre of the room then pulls up a chair and sits himself down with grunt and a sigh.
"This guy won't run far. That window sliced his feet to ribbons. Mine too. Can someone help me get the glass out? Sorry about the carpet."
Scowling and shaking his head at the foolishness of the fop, Dayn resigns himself to completing the less-than-plesant task himself. As their small group bumps into the half-orcs and they explain to the self-styled noble the error of his ways the Elf ranger quips to Tendal "Oh? And you weren't planing on simply paying the cost of their armor out of your own pocket then? Well then I suppose I'll just go get the other one shall I? No, no, don't thank me. It's not like we could have you breaking a sweat and actually earning your keep or anything now, can we?"
And, good to his word, once the first corpse is brought just inside the kitchen he returns and does the same for the second.
If there is any reaction by the kitchen girls to the dead bodies Dayn does first spend the time to calm them down and herd them all into the main casino room. Once both bodies and everyone who is supposed to be inside is inside, he locks the kitchen door behind him and moves further in to look for Saul and Laur.
"Ah yes, quite nice. I do enjoy a meal prepared in a kitchen full of dead bodies." Tendal says, shaking his head as he walks past Daynadrian and back into the main casino. Spotting Saul, he joins him.
"Gord and his brother have left for the evening. The half-elf, who I didn't catch his name, was successful in the apprehension of one of the bandits, as you can see. The others...well, its difficult to breathe when you have an arrow through your chest, or so I am led to believe. The elf dragged the corpses inside the kitchen for some reason."
"Sir, I would suggest that I summon the Gendarme and have them take the bodies away. That would signal to the town that the casino is protected, and that it plans on being a law abiding business. What would you like me to do?" Tendal asks.
The flash of irritation is visible this time as she gives the halfling an aggrieved glare. "I do not 'manhandle,'" she sniffs disdainfully. "I cling. After what I have suffered tonight, I hardly think I should be censured for being less than robust. A sensitive constitution is sign of an artistic soul."
Phillip bows to hide his smirk "But of course milady... I shall find you some water, lest wine upset your constitution." straightening before turning to see if he can track down a glass of water. As he does he keeps an idle eye for abandoned chips or coins that might be liberated...
Perception:... As he walks he casts an occasional glance back at the diva to make sure she stays put.
With his blood still up from all the evening's activities, his frustration finally gets the better of him and Dayn turns of the dandy and roars "Your damn right it's hard to breathe with an arrow through the chest! It's also a mite difficult to escape! Which is what these three surely would have done had you been tasked to stop them. And while we're at it, please remind me, what exactly is it that you have done this evening? Other than mince around with your airs and 'I'm better than you's'? If you ask me, you've been even more useless and annoying here than that rancid cologne you're wearing! I warn you now dandy, stay out of my way!"
Taking a breath to calm himself, Daynadrian turns again to Saul and Laur "I figured you'd at least want to get another look at the bodies before you dispose of them, as well as salvage that armor of yours they're wearing. It's worth a site more than this one anyway." as he hooks his thumb at Tendal. "Even though his feet were full of glass, Braddon here did a good job though of keeping up with this live one." and he gives a nod of respect in the half-elf's direction.
Looking back to the casino owners he shrugs and asks "So, what now?"
Phillip heads out into the casino proper in search of milady's refreshment. Spying the bartender leaning the splintered ghoulette wheel up against the wall, he inquires about potable water. Straightening up, Covey brushes his hands off on his breeches and informs the halfling, "Water for cooking and washing up is by the kitchen door. Comes from a pump, not the river, so it should be safe to drink, if someone's got their heart set on it."
Crossing to the kitchen door will let Thuvalia out of his line of sight for a while ... but it would also provide the opportunity for a detour by one of the abandoned golem tables, where some blue and yellow chips are visible spilled beneath a chair.
Entering the kitchen, Phillip finds it deserted. Turning the corner to the cisterns by the open back door, he is almost stepped on by Samaritha coming back inside; the half-elf looks upset.
"Oh!" she cries, looking up just in time to avoid bumping into him. "I'm sorry; I --" She looks over her shoulder out into the darkness. "One of the men they hired to work in costume tonight -- he's dead."
When Phillip explains his mission, she looks at the mug in her hand. "I was supposed to be getting the water for her. If you're going back out there, do you mind carrying it to her?" She lifts the cover off one of the cisterns and dips the cup into it. "This is the clean water. For that sorgin, I ought to fill it out of the one we've been using to rinse off the dishes, but...," she glares down the back corridor to the bar where Thuvalia waits but then shrugs and hands the cup over with a wry smile.
Emerging from the kitchen, Phillip comes around the corner to the bar to find Thuvalia sitting just where he left her. "Finally!" she proclaims impatiently when she sees the cup of water. "I don't know what became of the slattern who was supposed to fetch this for me. Ran off with the flatware, most likely; I understand her kind to have a reputation for being untrustworthy."
Braddon escorts his fellow Hellknight in the back door and through the kitchen. Samaritha is alone in there, stacking up some plates; she glances up as they come through and offers Braddon a small smile, but her face hardens as her eyes slide to the captive who had harangued her in Varisian and she looks back down at the tabletop, suddenly finding the enameled earthenware very engrossing.
As he pushes through the swinging door to the casino, he meets Liry and the bartender coming though the other way. Liry is holding a straw-filled wine crate full of gibbering ghoul-head, and Covey Smith is hefting the broken ghoulette wheel and bent metal cage. Braddon delivers his captive to Saul and takes advantage of a chair at the nearest golem table to get off his painful feet.
Malkith emerges from the dressing room through which they had earlier chased the Hellknights, a crossbow and case of bolts in his hand. Hearing the problem of the shard of glass, he pulls up an adjacent chair, setting what he has found down on the table, and carefully wiggles the boot off the half-elf's injured foot. Braddon feels a brief moment of more excruciating pain as the shard slides out of his flesh and then blessed relief as the boot comes off.
As Tendal follows Braddon into the back door of the Goblin, he meets Liry and Covey on their way out. The bartender offers a friendly smile and nod, his arms fill of Liry's broken equipment; Liry is carrying Dungo in a wine crate and ignoring the ghoul head's infuriated rambling. "I still owe you for that drink," she smiles at Tendal. "Got to take care of getting this fixed today," she shrugs the box in her arms, "and I'll be working the Free-Coin District tonight, but I'll have tomorrow morning or afternoon free," she trails off invitingly.
As Daynadrian pulls the first dead Varisian into the kitchen, he finds it manned only by Samaritha.
"You said if there was trouble, Drulia should get the other girls out," she reminded him. "After we got them out the back door, I tried to get out to the main floor like you told me, but then the customers started running through, going out the back door as well, and I couldn't get through, pushing against the tide, until they were all out. I think Drulia must have taken the other girls home; they were hysterical." She looks at the corpse he's dragged in a little queasily. "Um, maybe in the break room?" she suggests, clearly not happy at the idea of the dead man lying in the middle of the kitchen floor.
Daynadrian deposits both dead Hellknights in the small sitting room at the foot of the stairs before locking the back door and re-entering the casino proper in time to hear Tendal's explanation and suggestion.
"Sorry about the carpet."
Saul glances down at the unconscious Hellknight, his wound stuffed full of Malkith's scarf, and the large bloodstain he's lying in. "Wouldn't worry about a few more drops on the carpet, lad."
"Gord and his brother have left for the evening. The half-elf, who I didn't catch his name, was successful in the apprehension of one of the bandits, as you can see. The others...well, its difficult to breathe when you have an arrow through your chest, or so I am led to believe. The elf dragged the corpses inside the kitchen for some reason."
"Sir, I would suggest that I summon the Gendarme and have them take the bodies away. That would signal to the town that the casino is protected, and that it plans on being a law abiding business. What would you like me to do?" Tendal asks.
With his blood still up from all the evening's activities, his frustration finally gets the better of him and Dayn turns of the dandy and roars "Your damn right it's hard to breathe with an arrow through the chest! It's also a mite difficult to escape! Which is what these three surely would have done had you been tasked to stop them. And while we're at it, please remind me, what exactly is it that you have done this evening? Other than mince around with your airs and 'I'm better than you's'? If you ask me, you've been even more useless and annoying here than that rancid cologne you're wearing! I warn you now dandy, stay out of my way!"
Taking a breath to calm himself, Daynadrian turns again to Saul and Laur "I figured you'd at least want to get another look at the bodies before you dispose of them, as well as salvage that armor of yours they're wearing. It's worth a site more than this one anyway." as he hooks his thumb at Tendal. "Even though his feet were full of glass, Braddon here did a good job though of keeping up with this live one." and he gives a nod of respect in the half-elf's direction.
Looking back to the casino owners he shrugs and asks "So, what now?"
Waving a hand placatingly at Dayn and Tendal, Saul considers for a moment. "Two dead men who'll tell no tales, and two living Varisians with tongues to loosen. What are you? Sczarni?" he asks the conscious bandit.
The captive tilts his chin defiantly. "I am Erez...," he begins.
"'Erez Ezdiot': I know, I know," Saul interrupts, smirking at the Varisian. "Saul Vankaskerkin didn't just fall off the turnip truck, lad. You're right, my boy," he nods to Tendal. "We should call the Gendarmes. The Overlord won't sanction Sczarni operating outside Lubbertown. Best we let him deal with this; we don't have the resources and we might as well let him fight our battles as long as we're on the same side. Make sure we get back Fiora's costumes and the jewelry they lifted from our patrons first. Only question is, did we catch all four, or did one or two get away? I don't mind handing over the dead bodies, but once these boys get inside Devil's Fork, Mescher won't tell us anything they spill, and I'd like to know who's behind this. A handful of wet-behind-the-ears Sczarni didn't decide to pull a heist in Riddleport all on their own; someone put them up to it." He glares at the tied-up former Hellknight.
"What in the Nine Hells does it matter who put them up to it?" Larur rasps furiously. "Unless you think it'll make me feel better to know who to curse impotently when I'm dying penniless on the street! We're ruined! Ruined!"
"Larur, Larur, calm down," Saul urges the dwarf, "and look around." He picks up an abandoned chip off the nearby golem table with a smile. "Everyone left without cashing out. Every chip you see left behind here?" he waves his hand across the room. "Pure profit. There's probably enough here on the floor to replace the carpet. And the chips that got carried out of here in pockets and purses? Well, we're closed for business until next Sunday. They'll have to come back next week for our Varisian caravan night if they want to trade them in for coin." He laughs with satisfaction. "It's going to be another guaranteed crowd! You lads," he turns back to the small group that fought back against the Hellknights, "you've proven yourselves as far as I'm concerned. You still looking for a steady position?"
"I still owe you for that drink," she smiles at Tendal. "Got to take care of getting this fixed today," she shrugs the box in her arms, "and I'll be working the Free-Coin District tonight, but I'll have tomorrow morning or afternoon free," she trails off invitingly.
Tendal smiles at Liry "I certainly won't pass up the chance to be shown the town by a lovely lady. I am at your service Liry. What say you to showing me around in the morning and then later I can take you to find some lunch somewhere?" Tendal says with a grin.
"Ach. Thanks...Malkith wasn't it?" Braddon rubs his sore foot and tries standing gingerly. He smirks at the untended thug.
"You lads," he turns back to the small group that fought back against the Hellknights, "you've proven yourselves as far as I'm concerned. You still looking for a steady position?"
"That I am, sir. And some new boots." He holds aloft the ruined leather.
"We got all four of them... unless they were working with someone else. The two here, the dead ones outside. Maybe they're common thieves. If they wanted to send a message from some ganglord it seems pretty dumb to shut up. Actually, if this one doesn't talk, maybe we couldn't capture any alive..." Braddon raises his sword threateningly.
Happily taking advantage of the opportunity, Bostarg calls upon the luck of the Sczarni and seeks to pilfer a few more chips on the way to the kitchen...
To Samaritha:
Phillip gives her a nod for the steer on the source of aqua, before speaking in a conversational tone "Was the dead one a friend or kin?"
To Thuvalia:
Phillip proffers the cup of water with a flourish... restraining his puckish side from indulging itself. "Her kind, milady?" seeking her elaboration on the topic.
Happily taking advantage of the opportunity, Bostarg calls upon the luck of the Sczarni and seeks to pilfer a few more chips on the way to the kitchen...
Phillip takes advantage of his proximity to the ground and the momentary cover provided by a human-sized chair to bend his knees and effortlessly scoop a few chips off the carpet, scarcely breaking pace. He feels the eye of the proprietor on him as he emerges from behind the intervening furniture but feels sure that no one could have detected his quick knap. He waits until he is in the kitchen and is sure he is unobserved to open his palm and add his new acquisitions to his pocket stash: 1 yellow chip and 2 blue.