"Or leave the fighting to those more suited ...but whatever works, works, don't you agree. Information we sought and information we're now offered. Excellent job, Korriban! You've entertained us all!"
"Weeeeell, I wouldn't say the information's been offered, per se," Barvasi says, holding up one waggling finger on his throne. "You gave me good entertainment, and for that I thank you. All of you. Though particularly you," he adds magnanimously to Korriban.
"You offered me 250 gold sails earlier, as I recall. I tell you what--make that an even 500, and you've got yourselves a deal. I've got something I think might interest you. It's the reason our good friend the Ambassador has been coming here." The crime boss smiles wickedly.
Korriban smiles as Gruck takes the hit. However, it becomes a look of shock as the big man's fist comes towards him. Then all goes black...
***
Korriban stirs, groaning slightly. His first sight is of Abu touching his face. He sits up, wiping the blood from his nose and resetting it. Normally, he would be joking and happily reacting to Gadriel and Teodor. But he just remains silent. He looks at Gadriel and ruffles her hair. He gives a small smile. "Yeah. Maybe you can help with next time." He moves over and places his gear on. He takes his coat and puts it on.
He looks to Barvasi, his face showing no emotion. He thinks to himself, 'I must get revenge. Calistria demands it. I demand it. I won't take being insulted and humiliated by a man who obviously deals in illegal dealings and gets away with it due to paying taxes. It's more than just me. It's Korvosa. Barvasi is like a cancer and it needs to go. Let's see, taking him on directly would just get us in trouble. So... why not a more subtle approach? What if... I take him down... through his pride and finances? Going to have to talk about this with mom, Lidda, and the others. Maybe the group'll help me out.'
Korriban shakes his head. 'Nah. I volunteered. I suffer the consquences. I sound like some spoiled child. However, it's still in everyone's best interest to drive the drugs out.'
Raina facepalms as Korriban thunks down to the ground, wincing at what would no doubt be a crooked nose once it healed... not unlike her own, in fact. (It was rare to find a person in her business that didn't have busted cartilage in some way.) "This is why I said I should do it," she mutters and then heaves a sigh. Glancing up to Gruckalus, she offers him a weak smile, "No hard feelings, eh mate? Just friendly heckling. You gotta learn to ignore that stuff if you wanna do well in the ring!"
She otherwise lets Korriban take the lead in the negotiations, nudging him in the side and mouthing, "Don't forget the dragon!"
Gruckalus grunts. "No hard feelings," he mutters, though he shoots Raina a bit of a dirty look.
Meanwhile, Barvasi twiddles his thumbs and looks at the five of you expectantly. "Well, what do you say?" he demands. "500 sails, straight up or down. Take it or leave it."
Korriban looks at Raina as she mutters. The look on his face practically says: 'And I should have listened to you.' At her insistence for the dragon's freedom, he nods. Putting on his best smile, he speaks. "500 sails seems fair. However... I'm still interested in that dragon of yours. After all, he doesn't seem too lively. So, why keep 'im? Tell you what." He pulls out the coin pouch he received back from Adoros. "Throw in the dragon and the price goes up to 1000 sails."
Barvasi glances up at the dragon. "Him? Oh, he's live enough, all right. I've seen him get pretty lively a time or two." He chuckles nastily, then pauses, eyeing you. "But, damn, I do like you lot despite myself. Tell you what--I'll give him to you for 1,000 sails--that's on top of the 500 for the info you're looking for. It's less than a quarter of what he's worth, but...what can I say?" He smiles at you, spreading his hands. "If it means that much to you, what can I do?"
Korriban looks to Spiderman. "Well, he's lively. But for how long? Eventually, he's going to wear himself out and not move at all. Besides, pseudodragons are common in Korvosa. Just about anyone can catch one with time and patience. If your "hopefuls" want to impress you, they should find and bring you back something from outside of Korvosa. Besides, if we give 1000 sails for both the information and the dragon, you can earn everything back by the end of the week. I mean, Eel's End is a popular spot."
Korriban shrugs. "But I understand. Gotta make money somehow. However, I think I can offer you something that's worth quite a lot." He takes out his silver dagger, flips it in the air, and catches it by the blade. "This little beaut is forged in pure silver. Has exchanged many hands before coming to my meager paws. According to what I heard, it's even fallen into the hands of some of the nobility. The Jeggares, the Arkonas, and, rumor has it, it has even gotten to the Queen. With history and quality like this, you should be able to sell this for a high price."
Barvasi bites his lip, listening to Korriban's honeyed words. He looks dubious, at first, but then when Korriban begins talking about the dagger his eyes light up greedily.
"Oh, hells below, very well. The gold and the dagger, for the dragon and some...papers. You drive a hard bargain for someone who just got his brains punched out, tom-cat." He hops up and strides toward the door that stands open at the fore of the cabin. "With one hand I give--" he seizes the pouch from Adoros as he moves, and chuckles, "And with one I take. But give 'em the dragon, Boll. Don't go releasing it in here, now!" he warns as he descends a flight of stairs beyond the door, whistling.
Boll (for apparently that is one of the hopeful thugs' names) clambers up on a table and, with some difficulty, manages to unhook the cage and swing it down. The pseudodragon looks a lot more alert, now, and it watches with wary eyes as Boll passes it to Korriban.
"Right then, here y'are!" Barvasi, unheard, has reappeared upstairs. He's holding a sheaf of paper bound tightly with twine, and he gestures with it as he explains the situation. "So, y'see, I heard of this Ambassador Amprei before we'd ever met. Heard he had a little something going on on the side of his more...shall we say, ambassadorial duties. Something that is, in Cheliax, quite illegal. In Korvosa too, for that matter, though we don't tend to be as strict with it." He grins wolfishly. "Point of fact is, I heard he was tuppin' his superior's wife. It's a biiiiig no-no down there in the Empire; he could lose his head over it, and not just 'cause his superior has some sway. So, when I heard this, I thought to myself, 'Why, Devargo, this here isn't a domestic tragedy of betrayal. This is a business opportunity!' So I goes to his house, I bring along some choice trinkets--specifically, some of my best shiver--and I ask him if he's interested in helpin' me move some of my goods to market in the Empire, as any honest salesman would. Well, what do you know, the f*%$ing jerk has me thrown out of his house! BUT...on the way out I make a lift off his doorman. I started on the streets, I still got my health and my skills. So I come back to his place late, a couple nights later, and just quickly look through his things to see if there's anything worth...noticing. And what do I notice but a locked box. And what's in that locked box but...these." He hands them to Adoros with a flourish. "Letters. From the good Ambassador Amprei to his lady love back in Cheliax. Some of them are quite...explicit." Barvasi leers. "We had a good time reading those out loud in the mess."
The crime lord retreats back to his throne, dropping into it with a thump and a sigh as the spiders scurry frantically around him, then resume their normal rhythms. "So, since that day, Amprei's been comin' here trying to get those letters off me. I've been selling 'em back to him--one by one, for a reasonable price, of course." He grins. "Can't wait to see his face when I tell him I don't have 'em anymore. It was nice meeting you all. You enjoy your purchases now!" He waves a dismissive hand and turns to grab a goblet of wine, clearly expecting you to head out of his domain.
Korriban takes the cage in exchange for the dagger. He listens to Barvasi speaking. When everyone's set to leave, he says, "Thank you! Pleasure doing business with you!"
When the party's a good distance from the Eel's End and no one's around to hear them, Korriban stops. He puts the cage down on the ground. He's silent until he begins laughing. After his laugh, he whispers, "Can you believe that?! He bought it! He actually believed all of the crap I said about the dagger! AHAHAHAHAHA!! Ah, good times. And if he tries selling it and word gets out that it's just a plain silver dagger... well there goes his credibility." He begins looking over the cage. He says to the dragon. "Don't worry, little guy. We'll get you out of there." As he looks, a smile forms on his face. "Did you hear what he said? Do you think we could inform Kroft about the fact that Spiderman's trying to expand his drug trade to Cheliax? Hells, maybe Amprei knows a few things about Spiderman's illegal doings, since he's a regular. If we play our cards right, we can take out Spiderman and take him to jail. What do you guys think?"
Gadriel shrugs her shoulders at Korriban. "We think it a possibility, but should we be involved in such things? We are only small people in a large city, and the dark recesses of the spiders web may stretch farther than we know."
Abu begins to tug on Gadriel's hair until she turns to the dragon. Suddenly her eyes go vacant and begin to glow a vibrant purple, matching Abu's now glowing eyes. In an odd voice, she speaks to the dragon.
"Fekiikiri, sart ir. Hesi thurirl huvenic ekess duulo wux, petranas tir ti ouith jacion. Yth re Gadriel, svabol nomag yth relgr wux?"
The tiny dragon in the cage stares first at Korriban, then turns, with a startled hiss, when Abu's antics begin. It relaxes when Gadriel speaks, though, and moves as close to the child as it can in its cage. When Gadriel finishes speaking, it responds in a raspy voice.
"Kveðjur Gadriel, barn Korvosa. Ég er kallaður Majenko, af væng flug í nótt. Ég skaða ekki verur af góðum vilja."
All of you hear, in your minds, a strange, bell-like voice speak. "Free me! I will gratefully serve whoever unlocks this cage for a year!"
"Greetings Gadriel, child of Korvosa. I am called Majenko, of the Night's Wing flight. I harm no creatures of good will."
The cage is locked with an old, clunky padlock...it looks like you might be able to pick it, bust it open, or just batter the cage apart.
Korriban hears the voice in his head. He digs his pack for his thieves' tools. Once he has them, he begins to pick the old lock.
He says to Gadriel, "Tell him this shouldn't take long. And it was our pleasure to help him. No one should be trapped in such a state."
"Majenko is the dragons name. Majenko of the Night's Wing Flight offers a year of servitude to Korriban for Majenko's freedom." Gadriel smiles at Korriban before her eyes once again go vacant and glow purple.
"Wer ir relgra Korriban yest ekess qe xiesin, wer ifni geou nif persvek filki vi klewar."
As Korriban fiddles with the lock, it suddenly pops open with a metallic clunk beneath his hands. Immediately Majenko is pushing against the door of the cage, battering at it with his tiny horns and head, until the door pops open and the pseudodragon springs free, leaping into the air and spreading its wings. It turns acrobatic somersaults and aerials as you all hear a voice in your heads (and several passers-by startle and look around) exulting, "FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEDOOOOOOOOOOOM! FREEDOM!! FREEDOMFREEDOMFREEDOMFREEDOMFREEDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!"
After a few moments, the tiny reptile whirls downward and lands, one leg extended in a semblance of a bow, in front of Korriban and Gadriel. Lifting itself out of the bow, it fixes the two Korvosans with deep-set, purple eyes shot through with red veins. "I shall be true to my word. You, Korriban, Lock-Breaker, and you, Gadriel, Dragon-Tongued, I shall serve the two of you for a year in gratitude for this. What service can I now perform for you? Or if there is nothing, may I return to my flight? You can call me to your side with but a thought--I will hear the thoughtspeechvoices of my liberators throughout the city."
Korriban stands. Seeing Majenko flying around, Korriban jumps into the air, whooping and laughing. Seeing the little dragon bow, the rogue bows back. He uses thoughtspeechvoice. "It was no problem, Majenko. Glad to see you're free from that cage and the hands of Barvasi. It would be quite an honor to have you as an ally. I have no problems with you returning to your flight." A thought occurs to him. "Say, Majenko. I don't suppose you saw some of Barvasi's operations and wrong-doings while you were in that cage, did you? It may be possible, with the right evidence, to take him to prison."
The little dragon lands on the docks in front of your party, and tilts its head quizzically, looking from one to the other of you. "There were many things I witnessed in the cage, though my chief memory is of my tormentor. But the ways of you two-legs are strange to me. I could not tell you what was "right," what was "wrong." But this I know: that bad man did not smell of fear. He was not worried about being caught."
With a sensation that can only be described as a mental shrug, the tiny dragon leaps skyward again. "Thank you for my freedom, heroes! When you have need, call upon me and I will answer as swiftly as my wings can carry me!" The pseudodragon flaps into the distance, and disappears.
Right and wrong is one of those things where ignorance is wisdom, newfriend of the skies.
Gadriel nods at the dragon as it zooms off into the air, before continuing on her way. "Abu thinks this was a wise thing. More allies will only help us.:
Adoros clenches the bundle of letters in his hand as he shakes his head at the strange little dragon and the orphan girl's knowledge of its tongue. Back in Eel's End, he had almost frozen at the mention of shiver. That infernal drug still had a faint hold upon the Chelish man, his lips suddenly gone dry. It took a good deal of willpower to walk out of that place with not turning back to buy a hit of shiver. He glances down at the letters and counts how many are in the stack while he clears his voice, "For now, Kroft said we shouldn't worry about taking down Barvasi. We can brief her on what we discovered about him but I'm fairly sure her answer will be what he does outside Korvosan soil is his own business. Just as well since if one of his thugs was enough to take down one of our number then the simple laws of attrition would not flow in our favor. Best we return to the Field Marshal with our purchased blackmail for now."
As you all head south again, the sun begins to sink out over the roofs to the west. It's the first time recently that you can honestly remember walking through the streets of Korvosa and thinking that things were at least somewhat normal...even if there's a lingering tension that you can't seem to shake, emanating as if from the cobblestones. Things get quieter as you get further and further south. By the time you reach Citadel Volshyenek, the streets are close to silent, as the people, still somewhat fearful about the lingering energy, turn in early.
Kroft is still up and in her office, though, and she looks up as you enter, appearing worn, almost haggard. "Ah, you're back! Good news, I hope?" When you present the letters, she opens them and skims them quickly, face flushing slightly as she discovers the contents. "Well. Er. Yes. Yes, I think if Darvayne continues his campaign of illicit speculation, this should serve as quite sufficient evidence to bring him in line. Thank you for...acquiring this." She rings for a clerk, who takes the papers away for safe keeping. Kroft smiles slightly and counts out some coins, handing ten platinum crowns to each of you. "Payment for a job well done," she comments. "I have nothing further for you all at the moment--you're--"
Just before she can dismiss you, a courier runs in and whispers in her ear. She listens to him, the blood drains from her face, and she sighs. "Just when I thought things were going to get easier...listen. As some of you may have heard, Korvosa keeps otyughs in the sewers to dispose of the city's waste materials. It seems that, in the chaos of the past week, one of the disposal stations has been abandoned, and a hungry otyugh has broken up onto the surface up in the Midlands. Do you think you could go help the Guard take care of it? It's on your way home, and the next time I have need of you I'll surely throw a few extra gold sails your way..." She looks at you hopefully.
Korriban walks jauntily down the road. When the team arrives at the Citadel, he smiles. "Yep! Took some work, but we got 'em!" As the good Field Marshall becomes flustered, Korriban shows curiosity. "Ooh! Now what is written there? Can I see?" He leans over to see the letters.
He takes the 10 crowns with earnest and places them in his coin purse. When the courier runs in, Korriban's brow raises. When the news is given, Korriban groans. "We have to take out a giant living hunk of garbage? Doesn't sound fun." But Korriban's face becomes serious. "All joking aside, we'll take care of the otyugh. We have to keep our city safe, after all."
"Hee hee hee ...Korriban worked very hard, Kroft. Really took this one on the chin."
Korriban turns to Teodor with a smirk. "It was more... on the nose. Hahahahahaha!" He then cringes before moving his hand to gingerly touch his nose.
Kroft gives you both a quizzical look at the joke, but shakes her head wit ha smile. "One day I will get you two to explain that to me...but now, I have need of you elsewhere. Hurry! Go!"
As you jog northward, led by a guard, you run through possibilities in your mind...but the result is worse than even you had anticipated.
A massive otyugh has broken onto the street in one of Korvosa's tiny, unnamed market squares, a place dotted by flowers, a small fountain, and stalls. The beast reeks of squalor and filth, its stench carrying on the wind toward you. A cluster of ravenous looking eyes on a stalk turn their gaze toward you as you approach the square, but its attention is clearly being captured by the many humans that were in the square when it arrived. It roars in hunger and anger, and snaps at the nearest group. One knot of civilians seems to be heading toward your exit; another is making for the stairs south into the rest of the street; the otyugh terrorizes a final cluster. People scream; the beast roars as it lunges at them, 10'-long tentacles flailing.
Otyugh: HP 39 AC/T/FF 17/9/17, Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +6, CMD 19 (21 versus trip)
Raina had heard tell of the otyugh "garbage collectors" that lived in the sewers, but she had never before seen one with her own two eyes. "Being thrown to the otyughs" was something she had been threatened with as a child, as silly a bogeyman as it came; but seeing the bizarre creature in the flesh left the boxer feeling rather disturbed. (Perhaps that's just the terrible smell of the thing getting to her, though.)
... no! Bad Raina! Now's not the time to be creeped out by giant gross rubbish-eating tentacle-things! There are innocent people to protect! Gritting her teeth and taking a deep breath, Raina dashes around to close in on the otyugh, pushing her way through the throngs of terrified people as she goes.
Korriban follows the guard at full speed. He smiles, turning his head back to the others. "Don't worry! With the Guard aiding us this time around, I'm sure we can-- BY THE GODS!!" As he was nearing the end of his speech, he turned his head forward to the sight of the otyugh wreaking havoc. Gritting his teeth, he draws his rapier and moves closer. He stops and says, "Oi! Over here!"
Adoros lifts his rifle up and sights at the towering creature with body odor that could strip paint at a hundred paces, having already loaded it on the way toward the incident. The Chelish man calls out at the group of civilians surging toward them, "WATCH YOUR HEADS!" With his conscience unburdened with fair warning given, he pulls the trigger.
"Hurry! This way!" Gadriel calls out to the fleeing civilians, as a fog suddenly appears around her. "Into the mists, where the monster cannot see! She then moves closer to her companions, though still maintains a safe distance from the writhing tentacles.
"Worry not, fair citizens! As I, Agent of G.R.O.E.T.U.S., will fix this! Please remain calm and evacuate efficiently!"
As Korriban and Raina fight their way through the crowds, Adoros takes a careful aim and, firing over the heads of several of the cowering civilian, causes a sharp report to echo through the square. Several citizens scream, and the otyugh also bellows in rage and pain. Gadriel's mist seems to well up from the very cobblestones, which gives some citizens pause, but the combination of the now enraged otyugh and Teodor's surprisingly calming words leads one group to disperse, running into the mist and sometimes into nearby buildings. Another group makes it as far as the southern stairs in the square; but one remaining mob, in their confusion, just surge toward Teodor's voice, cowering back around the fog.
As Raina closes with the otyugh, it snaps its huge jaw at her, but she nimbly dodges out of the way, feeling its fetid breath rush against her face. Its eyestalk whirls to look behind it as Korriban approaches, and with a bellow it lashes out, swinging one of its huge tentacles at the rogue and the other at the boxer. It seems surprised to be facing conflict; both tentacles whiff harmlessly through empty air.
Then, to your surprise, the otyugh screeches in Common, "Kill! Feast!" Its eyestalk swivels from Raina to Korriban, and back again.
Otyugh: HP 31 AC/T/FF 17/9/17, Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +6, CMD 19 (21 v. grapple)
Korriban smirks at the fading sounds of the citizens. When the sight of the creature's tentacle closes in on his face, a faint image of Gruck's fist appears. Frowning, the young rogue ducks. "HA! I'm not falling for that one!" When the creature... talks, Korriban's jaw drops. After a while, he says, "By Calistria's t**s. It talks! This is... amazing! Hey! What else can you say? C'mon, say people words again! You can do it, big guy!" He then thrusts his rapier forward.
His gun's load blown, Adoros steps closer as watches the others move in to surround the monster. The Chelish man starts to call out tactics to the others, "Attack that eye stalk to distract it. When it swings around to bite, bruise it's backside like an overripe tomato! Duck under that tentacle! Now, attack!"
Gadriel stays near the fountain, using it as cover from the writhing tentacles. Abu rides on her shoulder, his eyes a brilliant yellow. With a screech, the small monkey seems to distract the monster slightly. Gadriel begins to laugh without a trace of humor.
(Su): The witch can cause a creature within 30 feet to suffer grave misfortune for 1 round. Anytime the creature makes an ability check, attack roll, saving throw, or skill check, it must roll twice and take the worse result. A Will save (DC 16) negates this hex. At 8th level and 16th level, the duration of this hex is extended by 1 round. This hex affects all rolls the target must make while it lasts. Whether or not the save is successful, a creature cannot be the target of this hex again for 1 day.
(Su): A witch can cackle madly as a move action. Any creature that is within 30 feet that is under the effects of an agony hex, charm hex, evil eye hex, fortune hex, or misfortune hex caused by the witch has the duration of that hex extended by 1 round.
"Whoa, it talks...!" So taken aback by this, Raina very nearly falls over herself as she gapes at the bizarre creature. "Then there's no need to fight, right? Just go back down into the sewers and we'll overlook this!"
Nevertheless, Adoros' guiding words push her onwards and Rains feels her body moving almost without thinking. She grabs at the eye-stalk and yanks down - hard - allowing Korriban a chance to strike its backside. When its angry tentacles swing around to grab her, she ducks out of the way and flicks a quick side kick aimed at its nether regions.
Although Korriban's blow goes wide, Raina's hits produce shrieks of rage and pain from the otyugh. "Hurt! Kill the hurt!" it shrieks, its voice grating against your ears like the shriek of a nail on glass. It swings both tentacles at Raina in a rage; as Abu's eyes glow, the eyestalk swivels toward the small monkey, seemingly compelled, and one tentacle just misses Raina by a hair, shattering the cobblestones at her feet. There's no such misfortune, however, with the second one--that connects solidly with Raina's skull, and the woman sees stars. The otyugh tries to seize her with the flailing tentacle, but she's just that much too fast for it...
Otyugh: HP 11 AC/T/FF 17/9/17, Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +6, CMD 19 (21 v. trip)
Adoros continues to call out attack patterns and spots for Korriban and Raina to pummel as the otyugh roars in pain. Meanwhile, his hands are busy reloading his musket with practiced ease.
Seeing Raina get hit, Korriban glares at the creature. He shouts, "That's it! You're going down, you walking sack of garbage!" He strikes, his rapier aiming for a sweet spot, following Adoros's advice and working in tandem with Raina.
"Control that temper, Korriban. We know not why this creature is upset."
Korriban's swashing blow is, indeed, enough, and the aberration collapses with a shriek. It lies there, flanks heaving as it drools onto the cobblestones. Sobbing civilians slowly disperse.
"Yikes. That is...not one of the good-looking ones," a voice comments from behind you. Turning, you all see a familiar face, though it's in much better condition than the last time you saw it. Sergeant Grau Soldado whistles, and a few of his Guards come up and circle the otyugh warily. When they see that it's not moving, they start casting ropes over it and preparing to tow it back to the sewers. "We'll take it from here, thanks," Soldado says to you. "Dump it back where it came from. I heard your comment," he adds to Teodor, "and I wouldn't worry too much about being rough with it--these things can speak, but they're not much more intelligent than those talking birds you see on the shoulders of sailors from Garund." He snorts. "They live to eat, and not much else."
As his men head off, he extends a hand to each of you. "Sergeant Grau Soldado," he says, shaking each of your hands firmly. "I'm pleased to meet you when I'm...in a condition to remember it." A pained look crosses his face. "I hope you understand, the condition I'm told you found me in is...not normal for me. I took the news of the king's death harder than most; guess it just upset my idea of Korvosa's stability." He nods firmly. "If there's anything I can do to help you good folks with, just let me know." He smiles, salutes, and (unless you stop him) heads off after his men.
The day is drawing to a close, and now that the sewer-dwelling menace is taken care of, people are slowly dispersing back to their homes.
Korriban shakes Soldado's hand. "A pleasure to see you again. And don't worry, we're all taking the king's death hard." He nudges Soldado a bit, a smile on his face. "Be honest. That last blow was pretty good, huh?" He crosses his arms and looks to Adoros. "Though it was in part with you and Raina, huh? Thanks you guys. Guess I do need that training with Master Vencarlo."
After Grau leaves, the rogue turns to the others. "I got a few things to do before heading home, if there's time. Due to the sensitive nature of my errands, I think we should stick together."
After all of the business, Korriban heads back to the Rosa. He walks in and calls out, "I'm home. Very eventful day today. Very interesting stories to tell."
"We are fine going with Korriban. Abu is ready for dinner soon, and a roof after, but we would not mind a delay."
When you make it back to Citadel Volshyenek, a guard escorts you to Kroft's office. She glances up from some papers as you enter. "Oh. You again," she says with a slight sigh. "Just heard from Soldado--good work with that otyugh." She smiles. "So, what can I do for you?"
Korriban smiles, while making sure the door's closed. "Oh, what? Can't we come by to say hi to our favorite Field Marshall? Jokes aside, I'm curious to see if your agents made any headway with the identity of the Five Fists. A bit early to ask, I know. But, still, can't hurt to ask."
"Well, asking could hurt ...theoretically ..."
Korriban turns to Teo. "Possibly. Depends on the whos, whats, whens, wheres, whys, and hows."
Gadriel wanders aimlessly around the room, handling things and getting glares from Kroft.
Kroft swats Gadriel gently away from a delicate-looking compass on her desk. "Ah, that. No, I haven't heard anything yet, Korriban. And I know it's important, but my agents can only move so quickly. Rest assured I'll let you know the instant anything turns up--we still have two days before your rendezvous." She glances around, taking you all in, and smiles slightly. "Perhaps you should all get some rest--it's been a long day for you lot."