In the Overmarket, the streets are broader, the buildings farther apart, and the alleyways less dark. The spice levels in the air are much more breathable as well.
As you all feel ready and most of you agreeing on next step, the party starts to move on.
This is the middleclass portion of the Qalli—not as crowded as the Central Market where the poorest of the poor rub elbows with highpowered merchants. The Overmarket almost has the feel of a residential neighborhood, albeit one with many more shops and stalls than houses and apartments.
Multiple people is here around, so it seems difficult to know where to start, but once you are at the intersection of Candlewood and Zephyr, you think people around might know where to find Nasir.
You feel like someone is following your group close among the crowd.
It is an easy task to find where Nasir house is located, and a couple questions does the job without calling much attention by the Pathfinders. Soon enough you reach the building you are told, which has a sign with the name of Nasir Tandir. There is some noise coming from the interior that calls your attention.
Directly inside the front door of Tandir’s low warehouse are two men in the middle of a heated discussion. One, behind the low counter, is a fat, jowly man, looking wary but defiant. The man standing across from him is grizzled but menacing—his body lean but for a sizable paunch and his cheeks scraggly with halfgrown gray beard. The fat man blusters, “I’ve already paid you what you’re owed, Belal. You told me protection would be ten a month, plus another five for the mucks. By those rates I’m paid up through the end of the year!”
Belal reaches across the counter and grabs the man by his collar. “Rates have changed, Tandir. I’ve told you that twice now. If you want my protection”—he jerks on the collar—“you’d better pay me the rest.”
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"What he needs protection from? Now it looks he needs from you. Nasir, we'd like to talk about a statue. We'll help you if we can get it. So go away you bully, it's not nice to grab people. I have a tiger, we'll bite you if you don't let go", Kiti threatens Belal, dropping to diplomatic tone in middle to address Nasir. She moves in to join Arthrax, keeping her shield ready and waving her finger to Belal.
Belal Al-Sarif lets go of Nasir’s collar and looks at you all warily, moving to a side to let you talk with Nasir.
"So what is it you are looking for?" asks Nasir.
Belal eyes seem to flash with curiosity as Kiti talks about the statues, while Nasir answers "What statue are you talking about lady?"
You hear additional enforcers lounging casually deeper in the warehouse.
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"The one you bought from Chaim. A giraffe or an eagle, I don't know which it was but heard you got one of the animals. About this size", Kiti answers trying to show the size with her free hand. "We'd like it back, as it was stolen. You have friends in there? How many? They do funny things with magic. You should really leave, and no sneaky back then", she says, switching talking to Belal while waiting answer from Nasir.
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"We do not know if you have any arcane talents, Master Al-Sarif, but if you do, do not use them while you hold that statue. Another man did just a few minutes ago, and summoned three giant centipedes to the middle of the market. It was only swift action and sturdy blades that prevented anyone coming to harm. We assure you that the statue is more trouble than it is worth."
"I don't know what statues are you talking about laidies. Have you come to buy some of my goods? Or perhaps you want to rent some storage space?" says Nasir while giving an odd look at Jani's horns.
You feel Nasir knows more than he says when he gives a look at some point in the bottom of the counter.
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"Well we heard, and, he's usually knows, so, it, you don't have one?" Kiti stumbles on her words on the Nasir's unexpected denial of having a statue.
"Ah, yes of course! We want to do a deal with you and so the others should go, and we can protect you. So we don't need anymore your protection, and you can go protect some other people. So if you would come and let us do our thing and you can go and everyone is happy?" she tries to navigate the discussion. She moves closer to Belal, reaching for his hand to guide him out.
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Hearing the other thugs from deeper in the shop, Arthrax steps towards the entrance from the back, his battleaxe out and at the ready. He glares at Belal, mentally daring the man to do something stupid.
"Look, I realize you probably would've rather waited for Belal and his cronies to clear out, but that horse has left the stall. Nasir, be reasonable...better us than these goons, right?"
Nasir seems to get a bit nervous on the pressure, but seems to drop a bit under Eva's sweet tongue "Let's say I know where the statue is. What had you thought to pay for the statue you are looking for?"
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"Oh you do know! Well, it's really ours, or actually it's Ruby's, and it was stolen from him. Which animal is it? So we didn't think to pay. But you paid to Chaim, you should get your money back from him but he's dead so it's hard. How much you wanted? Or if we helped you some way?" Kiti answers, not comfortable in Nasir's careful style of talk.
The man tenses his muscles when he hears Chaim is dead "Let's say I know who bought the statue, let's say I know how much it was the cost and I don't want to know what happened with Chaim and the money. But... let's say this person still wants to keep the statue. How much more would it have to pay in addition to the money that Chaim took?"
"You cannot be serious... do you know what has been paid for that statue? Thousands of golden coins" intimidated by Ma'Huuk he shoots an entreating glance at Al-Sarif who haughtily asks "Take your business elsewhere. Nasir has no interest in your deals"
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"Then you made a bad deal. And that is for you to sort out." Ma'Huuk stops, then, and looks back at Al-Sarif. After a quick grunting call answered by Moto stalking into the room and taking up a position next to her companion, he speaks to the man.
"The 20 gold offer is now to you. Take your men outside and wait for this man to give us what we want, then you can come back and in and convince this man to pay you more money. Putting gold in your pocket is better than bleeding, no?"
"That is going to be your last insolence" says Belal Al-Sarif visibly intimidated by Ma'Huuk and his calling to Moto.
Kiti's voice is almost not heard as the enforcers at the back of the warehouse draw their shortswords, followed by Al-Sarif who hands a dagger from his belt.
Nasir drops himself to the floor taking cover below the counter.
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Ma'Huuk growls, "Mistake!" He points at Al-Sarif, once again grunting out a kill command to Moto, who rushes in to bite at the man.
Then the big tribesman draws the club at his waist in one hand and touches the carved tooth hanging from a leather thong around his neck. As he chants out a few primal syllables, the club begins to grow in size and take on a sinister appearance.
Eva casts a spell and a thin layer of grease appears below the enforcers at the back of the warehouse.
They both feel to the floor immediately.
Ma'Huuk casts a spell making his club extra large while his dinosaur bites Belal whom shrieks on pain.
Meanwhile Jani points at the leader saying some more words.
Kiti flanks the leader with her tiger hitting it with ease in his limbs rendering him staggered.
Reesa starts casting a spell.
The enforcers at the back stand up and try to move out of the grease.
The red clothed one falls prone once an again as he tries to get out of the grease, but the one with the green cloths manages to help himself with a box getting out of the place in front of Mimi the tiger.
Belal profits the flanking to attack the tiger but it easily dodges the blade. He then falls unconscious to the floor.
As Reesa ends up the spell the red clothed enforcer gets slept over the grease.
Kiti and Mimi finish up the enforcer as Ma'Huuk comes to check it is really finished.
As you are still searching the fallen bodies, Arthrax and Jani notice two more enforcers arrive from the street. You feel you have seen those ones around since you entered the market, and they have their daggers drawn and looking at you with angry faces.
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Ma'Huuk follows Reesa's gaze towards the newcomers, then nods to Arthrax. The man had prove capable of fending for himself ... he could hold the line against a few thugs.
Ma'Huuk makes his way to the cowering Nasir and begins searching the spot he looked to earlier, intending to take the statue. "These men do not seem able to protect you. Maybe you are actually paying them too much."
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"Oh no, please, go away. Is he still alive? We just want our statue back, then you can continue your thuggery. We don't want to fight you. Mimi, defend Arthrax", Kiti says, looking from Belal to the arriving enforcers and back. She puts her scimitar away and casts stabilization on the unconscious enforcer leader. Mimi moves carefully next to Arthrax, keeping an eye on the arriving men.
As Ma'Huuk approaches Nasir curls up into a fetal position and tells him "Take whatever you want", he seems to be assuming you’re the new muscle he has to pay monthly for protection.
The barbarian druid easily finds a strongbox concealed below the counter with 300 platinum pieces. Also in the strongbox is one of the linen-wrapped Osirian statues.
Reesa's words seem to find some judgement on the enforcers ears, they seem to stop their aggressiveness "Belal! You are still there isn't it? Do you need our help?" they shout not sure if their boss is still there or they have arrived too late.
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"We didn't want anything else but they just lied and tried to hide the statue and then they attacked. You can even get your moneys from poor late Chaim if you are fast, Kiti tries to help Eva. Her concentration doesn't stay long as she remembers Arthrax got the statue. She runs next to him and tries to take a look at the statue. "Oh, which was it? Let me see, let me see!"
The enforcers look at each other, and understanding their boss is now dead, or at least defeated, they turn and run as they came.
Nasir seems surprised as Ma'Huuk says you only want the statue, he takes half of the money at the strongbox and offers it to you "Thank you for taking Belal out of my place. Please, accept this part at least as a price for helping me"
Arthrax takes the Golden Giraffe, a 8 inches tall, 2 pounds weight statue with an accurate depiction of a giraffe, including carved markings to represent spots, eyes, and so on.