“Excellent! Not as well as I had hoped but certainly better than I feared.”
“If you would be so kind as to wait another few moments, I’ll gather some materials for you to aid in your search for my wayward beau.”
The Beast shifts into Elven form..."I suspect a trap. And Yes lizard, I know you are intelligent. Can you speak?"
"Seems it's the best we're going to do... Agreed, for my part."
“I speak,”
“You are smarter than most that come to visit.”
“Here we are; thank you for waiting. I see you’ve been entertaining Gut Tugger. He doesn’t meet many new people more than once.”
“These are the collected love letters sent to me by Vanthus, minus a few of a more “personal” nature I’ll be keeping for fond memories. The more recent of them I have no more need for, and should allow you to discern where he’s got, a place called Kraken’s Cove.”
Setting the chest down near you, she adds, “Although you’ve cost me quite a bit in your little raid, you’ve shown me where our weak points lie, and you did see the reason in a diplomatic solution, so as a sign of good faith, and to be able to “prove” you did what you came for, I’d like to return to you a portion of what Vanthus donated for the cause. You may do with it what you will, and feel free to report this place to the authorities without guilt, as we’ll be relocating shortly after yourselves.”
“If you’ve eaten your fill, I’ll send Gut Tugger with you to see you off via the way you entered?”
"You're a damn fine lady and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Gents, how bout we roll on out and get after Vanthus?"
"Lead the way...Boots"
Seann rubs the bridge of his nose, then pulls a hip flask from his belt pouch and takes a long draw.
"Bloody wierd..."
Eldin nods curtly in agreement, silently praying that he has made the right decision in going after Vanthus over bringing Rowyn to account. He doesn’t like what she’s doing here, but fears that they will not win a fight here, leaving Vanthus free to continue on his orgy of murder and destruction.
“Let’s go,” he says, reaching for the sheath of papers, letting someone else take the chest. He throws a sideways glance at Terin, impressed that the druid was able to identify Rowyn’s lizard as something more than it appeared (some type of draconic creature perhaps?) but worried that the elf’s sense of altruism might get the better of him, that he might do something rash.
Tyndal slings his shield and hefts the chest over his shoulder, following the lizard to the way out.
Gut Tugger trots along, looking back every so often, circling around, and nudging the party in the proper direction sheepdog style before darting back to the front of the procession. He chatters nonstop about everything from the onset of fall weather to the tearing of flesh from still warm prey, the prattle stopping only as you pass Lotus Dragon guild members, at which times he lopes along glassy-eyed. Gut Tugger directs you up the ladder to the Taxidermists shop, waiting at the bottom until he is certain you are on your way. The hidden door closes behind you, and you hear the scrape of a bar from the inside.
As you enter the disheveled taxidermists shop, you spot a familiar face.
“Back so soon?“
“Your friend left this note behind on the counter. Is it to you?”
“You seem…confused. Ah, yes, of course.”
“Hmmm…”
“*cough* One second…”
“Ahem…there…”
POIK
“Well now, that should cover plausible deniability, don’t you think?,” he says, rubbing his mustache between his fingers.
“Good day, gentle customers.,” he smiles, shooing you out the door.
Eldin, bemused, takes the letter from the taxidermist … or Rowyn, or whoever it is. He’s confused. It’s been an odd day. Again.
Contents:
Gut Tugger trots along, looking back every so often, circling around, and nudging the party in the proper direction sheepdog style before darting back to the front of the procession. He chatters nonstop about everything from the onset of fall weather to the tearing of flesh from still warm prey, the prattle stopping only as you pass Lotus Dragon guild members, at which times he lopes along glassy-eyed. Gut Tugger directs you up the ladder to the Taxidermists shop, waiting at the bottom until he is certain you are on your way. The hidden door closes behind you, and you hear the scrape of a bar from the inside.
As you enter the disheveled taxidermists shop, you spot a familiar face.
Why do you stay with her? One such as you belongs in the wild, free to hunt and roam where the wind would take you! I don't understand how a magnificent creature such as you could stay in a underground lair like that. If you ever wish to roam I would enjoy your company, Gut Tugger, although I am sure you had ill intentions for us earlier. Look me up if ever you gain a lust for wandering.
Marius allows himself to be shooed, trying to avoid any unseemly haste but losing no time in his exit nonetheless. Once on the outside, he pauses to breathe in the smell of fresh air, blinking as his eyes acclimatise to the sunlight. There have been times lately when he hasn't been sure if he'll ever see the outside again. Indeed, when he's been certain he won't.
Now, he spends a few moments savouring his freedom before he moves on to contemplating where he goes from here.
I don't understand how a magnificent creature such as you could stay in a underground lair like that.
“The mistress has always been good to me, and there is much prey here you have not scented out yet.”
Now, he spends a few moments savouring his freedom before he moves on to contemplating where he goes from here.
After taking in the fresh air and bright blue morning sky, Marius looks down, only to discover a note pinned to his chest he hadn’t noticed before. Sneaky thieves.
“You are hereby placed on the Lotus Dragon extended roster, and relieved of normal guild duties, pending completion of one non-specified favor to be fulfilled at any time without prior warning. Contact us via the tattoo if you require assistance. Attempting to remove your guild marker will bring you undue harm.”
Eldin, various documents in hands, raises his head to luxuriate in the fresh air for a moment, then looks about at his companions.
“Well … that could have turned out better, but it could also have been much worse. According to this,” he brandishes the note, “Anders has returned to the Manor on some urgency … or something, it is difficult to make out his chicken-scrawl. I suggest that some of us return there in haste to see that he is alright, report to Lavinia and try to make sense of these letters. The rest of us should make haste to the nearest watch house and let them know about this place. I’ll do the latter – who is with me?”
Suddenly remembering something, he turns to Marius. “And what of you friend? I am not certain that the Lotus Dragons will let you go so easily … if you travel with us for a time we may be able to offer you a measure of protection, although I don’t doubt that we are marked by them too. Perhaps you should meet our employer?”
"There will be some manner of reckoning eventually, I'm sure," Marius says, deftly pocketing the note, "But I think they'll let me stew for a while first." He refrains from mentioning the note; the others have already done a great deal for him, and discharging this 'one task' is his own responsibility. Hopefully, it won't be something too far beyond his abilities when the time comes. As for betrayal... Well, he'll deal with the consequences of refusing to do their bidding if that time comes.
"I confess, I am in need of honest employment however," he goes on, "So meeting your employer does appeal. I also owe you all a great debt. If I remain with you, there is a chance I may yet be able to repay it."
"I'll go to the watch with you. Hopefully the Lotus Wench doesn't have all of them bribed..."
Eldin, Ardan, and Terin cross over a short, wooden bridge at the end of Monkey Street, take a quick shortcut between the shop of a sage and an unmarked residence at the edge of the Dawn Market, and arrive before the Sunrise Garrison. Two men in crisp watch uniforms flank an open doorway, while a drillmaster barks orders at a contingent of men to your right, putting them through their paces.
One of the men nod in your general direction by way of greeting as you pass into the barracks. The afternoon sun streams through the barred windows, throwing stripped shadows across the floor, and you detect a low odor of oil, sweat, and leather that isn’t altogether unpleasant. A wooden gate sections off the back half of the room, and bisecting the gate is a tall, wooden desk behind which sits a long-suffering desk sergeant in a short sleeve shirt attempting (without success) to grab bites of a muffin between the irate screeches of a woman complaining about her dead cat and demanding to see the watch commander.
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Seann and Tyndal make a beeline for the new Vanderboren Manor with Marius in tow. Kora looks pleased to see you, but inquires after the whereabouts of the rest of your party with a concerned glance.
“The Lady is in her drawing room entertaining Lord Lidu, so I will announce your presence.”
Following introductions, Kora covers three chairs with white linen covers for the trio, and Lavinia thanks you again for your service, and requests an update on your progress, letting you know you may speak freely, Lord Lidu being a staunch ally of the family. The late middle-aged man in wizard’s robes offers you a silent smile, then leans back and resumes sipping a strong smelling, bitter tea. As you begin, Kora offers you more of the same.
As Eldin steps into the barracks he pauses for a moment at the entrance, his elven heritage allowing his eyes to quickly adjust to the dimmer lighting conditions. He takes a moment to survey the scene, his eyes flicking quickly between several features. He tilts his head slightly, scratching at the fine blonde stubble at his jaw, the movement masking a quick and quiet whisper to Ardan.
“Trouble, maybe,” he murmurs laconically. “Go, now. Lavinia.” His eyes convey the urgency of the message.
Hoping that the sergeant will be too preoccupied with his muffin and the irate lady to pay much attention to Ardan (hopefully) hurriedly leaving, Eldin stands back and waits patiently for a few moments. If he appears to be unobserved he quietly draws Terin’s attention to the portrait on the notice board, and the tattoo on the Sergeant’s arm.
If the sergeant’s interview with the woman appears to be dragging on for more than a few minutes, Eldin makes a show of sighing loudly (looking back out the door away from the sergeant as he does so), and then says rather loudly (but to no-one in particular) “We’ll come back later,” before leaving in no particular hurry.
If the sergeant soon finishes with the woman, or appears to pay particular attention to them, or calls them over or otherwise reacts to their presence,
“Good day sergeant, I am Eldin Farstrider, humble servant of Fharlaghn,” his eyes drift towards the noticeboard, before he looks back at the sergeant and smiles pleasantly. “Perhaps you have heard of me? I need to speak to the watch captain in charge quite urgently, on a matter involving a group of thieves known as the Lotus Dragons.” His eyes flick momentarily towards the visible portion of the man’s tattoo. “Perhaps you have heard of them also?”
Following introductions, Kora covers three chairs with white linen covers for the trio, and Lavinia thanks you again for your service, and requests an update on your progress, letting you know you may speak freely, Lord Lidu being a staunch ally of the family. The late middle-aged man in wizard’s robes offers you a silent smile, then leans back and resumes sipping a strong smelling, bitter tea. As you begin, Kora offers you more of the same.
Seann sits nervously in one of the chairs, his large frame appearing almost comical when compared to the small size of the furniture.
He nods at Lord Lidu's smile, still appearing a bit shellshocked from the past few days, but noticeably warms up after the offer of tea. Daintily taking the cup and saucer in one of his mitt-like hands, he pulls a vial of a clear, pungent liquid from his kit bag. After adding most of the liquid to his tea (creating an odor not unlike that of turpentine or mineral spirits), he raises the teacup in a toast.
"Slainte. You have to add just the right amount o' wood alcohol. Improves the taste, you see."
The sergeant notices you, but there isn’t any glimmer of recognition. You do receive a silent plea for rescue in his glance, however.
The woman continues to prattle on about something in the bushes sucking the insides out of her cat. Sounds like a real nutter.
Leaning over without trying to put your face right up next to your portrait, you see the note reads: CLEARED in large block letters, apparently from a stamp of some kind.
"You have to add just the right amount o' wood alcohol."
“Thanks mate, I owe you one. Sorry, what’s this about the Dragons? Let me get the proper forms.”
“Nature of complaint?”
Spying the poster almost immediately, Ardan sighs lightly, quirks an eyebrow at Eldin's whisper, and wanders casually back into the streets. Once out of sight, he drops the pose and makes best speed for Vanderboren Manor.
Tyndal sighs as Seann puts away his flask without giving him any.
He doesn't sit, afraid that the weight of his armor and the arsenal on his back would destroy the chair.
"Um, yeah, we followed some leads to taxidermist shop, which was run by the Dragons. After some disagreement about how to start the fight, we just kicked in the door, and began killing anything that moved. Usually the best thing to do in a den of thieves.
After lots of killing and some truly wierd sh*t, we found the Lady herself, who turned out to be a noble or some such. Real nice lady though...gave us food and offered us a job without trying to kill us or anything. Nice for a noble...most of them either throw you in jail or conscript you in the army without pay. Bunch of worthless....um, yeah, present company excluded of course...what was I saying?"
Tyndal shifts uneasily, looking at the wizard's robes.
"Oh yea, in return for a clue on your brother's squat, we let her go and well, now, we're catching you up. Yeah."
He mumbles to Seann "Why in the bloody hell did they send us here again? And give me some of that rotgut"
He mumbles to Seann "Why in the bloody hell did they send us here again? And give me some of that rotgut"
"No idea, mate. And this, my friend, is no ordinary rotgut. It's an old Olman recipe, requiring the essential chemicals to be enchanted with spells of a specific nature. You really need to mix it with the junglefolk's kaf to get the full effect, but tea will do in a pinch."
Seann downs the noxious brew in one swift gulp, showing no discomfort at either the scalding tea or toxic chemicals. He offers Tyndal the rest of the vial.
"To our continuing survival. And make sure I get the bottle back. It was quite expensive."
Eldin flushes slightly, a little embarrassed over his (presumed) presumption. Ah well, better safe than sorry, he thinks. With what we’ve been through over the past few days, a little paranoia is probably justified…
“Um … yes, the Lotus Dragons. We believe we have discovered their primary headquarters, and the identity of several of their members – including their leader. Unfortunately, they are quite aware that they have been discovered, and will no doubt move quickly to cover their traces … oh, and to complicate things, their leader is a noble, and a member of a Dawn Council family, so marching in and making accusations based on the word of some scruffy adventurers might be problematic … fortunately, some companions of mine have some documents which should link said noble to various nefarious deeds…”
Eldin will go into as little or as much detail as required at this point, but his primary concern is conveying the information and its urgency, rather than standing around and demanding immediate action. As soon as he can, he’ll head back to the Vanderboren Manor to catch the others up, and cancel the false alarm if applicable… assuming he thinks the guard is on the level.
Tyndal takes offered flask from Seann.
"You sir, are a scholar and a gentleman...and I don't believe a word of what that cat said about you."
He gulps it down, enjoying the caustic burn down his throat into his gut.
*Cough* "Goood Stuff there"
He then turns back to the nobles...after glancing at the door, waiting for the others to return.
"Hmmm...got any food?"
Marius, for his part, restricts himself to tea, feeling that drinking alcohol instead would be simply the height of bad manners. Of course, allowances can be made for the others, as they've had quite the trying day. Come to that, allowances could probably be made for him as well, but he has appearances to maintain.
Conversation-wise, he's fairly quiet, limiting himself to the occasional nod of agreement with Eldin's statements.
A noble, so the rumors are true; did you learn her identity? I take you at your word, but on the council it is not what you know, it is what you can prove. Did you bring back any proof of the noble’s crimes?
It is a pleasure to meet you, Marius. I hate to be blunt but my brother appears to have fallen in with grave company. May I ask what the extent of your involvement is with his organization?
A noble, so the rumors are true; did you learn her identity? I take you at your word, but on the council it is not what you know, it is what you can prove. Did you bring back any proof of the noble’s schemes?
"Well, aside from scars, bruises and bite wounds... I actually don't know."
“…thieves guild…noble…interesting,” the man murmurs, checking off identical boxes on each of the sheets.
“What did you say your name was again? These are serious accusations, and I’m going to need you to wait here while I send a contingent to check this out.”
“Show this man to a holding room, please. He is to be treated as a witness, not a prisoner”
“…thieves guild…noble…interesting,” the man murmurs, checking off identical boxes on each of the sheets.
“What did you say your name was again? These are serious accusations, and I’m going to need you to wait here while I send a contingent to check this out.”
“Show this man to a holding room, please. He is to be treated as a witness, not a prisoner”
Do you wish to have us guide you to the place?
A noble, so the rumors are true; did you learn her identity? I take you at your word, but on the council it is not what you know, it is what you can prove. Did you bring back any proof of the noble’s crimes?
Tyndal takes a biscotti and crunches into it. "Damn, this is like hardtack! I think you overcooked this stuff!"
*crunch.crunch.crunch*
"Um no, didn't catch the name. Besides, that was part of the deal, she gives us Vanthus, we don't bug her."
"Um no, didn't catch the name. Besides, that was part of the deal, she gives us Vanthus, we don't bug her."
"As I recall, she did mention her name, actually. The Lady Rowyn, eldest daughter of House Kilawni."