"Camouflage... the fox..." Arianwyn muses to himself, "Narissa... who would you think of as the most accomplished actor in the city?"
Inside
Narissa shakes her head. "No, it does make sense. I see now why Magister Weltmann thought I could help you. Those books would be the perfect bait to the right person, just as the poems were perfect for me. Oh, she is cunning your witch. She knows our weaknesses."
Her eyes gleam and a grin that closely resembles Arianwyn's and is just as disturbing crosses her face.
"How I long to see you defeat her. She has made a fool of me and frightened me and that does not ... let me say it does not please me to be toyed with."
Graceful fingers clench in a most unladylike gesture of throttling. In the silence that follows, her words are hard as diamond.
"I want her dead Arianwyn."
Taking a moment to compose herself, she goes on.
"Yusiri Kaseem. He would give his arms or at least his liver for the book on dwarven vineyards. Why your witch should want him I cannot think, unless she has some need for a cast iron constitution. He's a shameless hedonist, but never seems the worse for his excesses. I'm almost envious. Yusi is an old friend. I can find out where he's likely to be."
"The other book. A little more difficult. I think I know who the recipient must be. The problem is that he has professional reasons for remaining incognito. Let us call him The Gentleman. I can tell you where to find him and how to recognise him. More, I cannot do. His work makes him evasive and my own reputation is at stake should I break his confidence. Not an actor. An assassin."
Inside
Inside
"What is it you always say - "are we not all fools and madmen"? Truly so, those of us that are not rogues and vagabonds and thieves. The Gentleman is one such. I can vouch for his effectiveness and would doubt that even a gift of such calibre would make him drop his guard."
Inside
Narissa regains her poise and turns to Kia. "If you find the art of camouflage of interest, you may find much to learn from the Gentleman. He is most adept - and I assure you, a charming man when not engaged on business."
Inside
"Oh thank you! But an assassin... Well he can look after himself at least a bit. We should go for Yusiri first, I would think. Where can we find him?"
Inside
"At this time of day, the steam baths would be likely."
Gobi did in fact hug Roswitha happily and then also take part in the Dwarven blushing. After this he listened in on the conversation doing his best to follow and tried to look important while still fiddling with the shards in his pocket.
Inside
Seeing that Gobi has no objection to her hugging him, Roswitha smiles happily and keeps her hand in his while Narissa reveals the names of the other two victims. Very quietly, she whispers
"I wouldn't like to get on the wrong side of her."
Inside
Yusi will be having a sauna. He swears it allows him to live as he does and he may be right. The Gentleman will be at his club. Please be circumspect. They will not relish any disturbance."
Her serenity shatters for a moment and you look into the eyes of a deeply fightened woman as she bids you farewell. "Please, don't let them be taken. I cannot imagine a worse fate."
She touches a bell by her side. "Just to let Bankimcandra know you're leaving," she explains.
Whiteclaw
A faint ring is heard and Bankimcandra's head comes up. "Your friends are about to rejoin you, I do believe."
Whiteclaw is waiting in the hallway, in much the same place that you left her and the party makes its way out through the garden, watched all the time by Bankimcandra and the gardeners.
The bath-house would be easy to find in any circumstances, decorated as it is in an extremely fanciful array of mosaic tiles. In this instance, the task is greatly simplified by the mixture of towel-clad clients, traumatised staff and a Watchman attempting to bring order to chaos, milling around outside it.
"Wonderful," Vel mutters.
"Bath houses are often the site of much intrigue." Arianwyn comments.
Arianwyn raises an eyebrow and comments with a straight face "You would be surprised how much weaponry can be concealed under a towel..."
"Maybe they just ran out of hot water.." With his best attempt, Gobi tries to look hopeful.
As you stand watching the unfolding drama in your own ways, the Watchman comes up to you looking harassed.
"Just move along please. We've got enough problems without bystanders adding to our troubles."
Arianwyn's eyes gleam, "Officer, what has occured here?" he asks.
"Just a spot of bother sir. On your way. Unless you happen to be insect exterminators," he adds gloomily.
"You could say we have done our fair share of such." Arianwyn replies with a grin and a flicker of icy fire in one hand.
"If we can assist we shall do so."
"Is that so?"
The watchman's face brightens up noticeably. Drawing the party aside, he goes on. "Bloody great swarms of newts and bees and maggots. Well, it's not my line of country at all, but if you can help out, you'd be doing the Watch a favour. Lots of panicky people, as you can see. Unclad or nearly so. It's not right."
He writes a brief note on a bit of paper. "Show that to the lummox at the door and tell him Sergeant Hardshyp sent you. Personally, I think it's something they put in the water."
With the assistance of the Sergeant, you easily make your way into the ostentatious building and find yourselves outside a pair of wooden doors, fancifully adorned with carvings of waternymphs. From beyond them you can hear splashing and an outraged buzzing.
Arianwyn keeps grinning and elbows Reason.
Upon opening the door, you are realise that the Sergeant had not exaggerated the problem. Indeed, as experienced adventurers, you are fully aware that he understated it.
Six swarms infest the room. In the deep pools of water, hypnotically beautiful newt-like creatures swim ecstatically, while the buzzing comes from wasps circling the area. To top off the collection, two further swarms of rapidly writing maggots roam, hunting for prey.
On a hastily abandoned massage table, lies a book. There can be little doubt in your minds that Yusiri Kaseem has fallen victim to Kyleth's trap and these swarms are another of her attempts to remove witnesses.
Gobi stands proudly next to whiteclaw , What he doesn't do is look thrilled about the bugs.
Reason - taken a guess on your position, but tell me if you want to be somewhere else.[/ooc]
Arianwyn curses the writhing maggots and blasts them casually. The realisation that his attack has done less damage than he hoped does not materially affect his expression of disdain.
Curse/Blast (inc 1 for point blank) v M2 (Ref) (1d20 5=22, 1d10 4=11, 1d6=6).
The maggots move with astonishing speed as they converge on the party at the entrance. Squirming toward the warlock, they cover his boots, slithering and biting.
M2 attack v Arianwyn (Ref). On hit 5 ongoing necrotic damage (save ends). (1d20 12=27, 1d8 5=13).
The second swarm of wasps fly towards Reason and Gobi, their frenzied humming reaching fever pitch as they settle on the dwarf's head, trying and failing to find a way through the braided beard.
W2 attack v Gobi (Ref). On hit 5 ongoing damage (save ends). (1d20 10=11, 1d6 1=3)
Gobi smacks effectively at the wasps, brushing them out of his hair as Kia overcomes her expressed aversion to insects and takes refuge in the steam pouring from the bath.
"What amusing foes we face in the city." Whiteclaw moves to engage the maggots.
Whiteclaw marks the maggots and moves further into the room.
The newts dance in the water. Unlike the maggots and wasps, they are strangely beautiful, hypnotically so, moving in eye-dazzling pattens. Seraphiel feels his eyes drawn towards them, but manages to shake off the attraction.
Lure of the Wild (Will) v Seraphiel (on hit, target is pulled five squares and dazed. Save ends) (1d20 6=11)
Lure of the Wild (Will) v Seraphiel (on hit, target is pulled five squares and dazed. Save ends) (1d20 6=10)
The wasps swarm further around Gobi, delivering stinging bites that carry on hurting long after the initial pain should have died away.
Attack (Ref) v Gobi. On hit, takes 5 ongoing damage (save ends) (1d20 10=16, 1d6 1=3).
The newts spin and dazzle seductively.