Someone in particular doesn't ring too many bells, but their are at least a few places one could research the subject. Either from the Alabaster Academy, where Bardigan received some of his early education as a young noble, to the store where you met up with Rexus early this very morning, Crissali's Fine Tomes.
As Jinx and Rexus are brought up to speed, and down to the new hideout, they each set to task. Jinx starts planning how to best utilize the spaces they have available, while Rexus settles in at the table to continue poring over all the notes and paperwork he needs to decipher. He almost trips over the half-decayed body of Nan laying on the floor, before eyeballing that, the dead alligator, and then the tied up not-tengu. He nods and shrugs, as if it all lines up with what they said, then continues on into his work.
"Ah suggest we work in pairs, too many and we're conspicuous, too few and we're targets. Bardigan and Ah can go check at his library; Dawnilea and Larenti, can you two go check Crissali's? Ganner--can you guard down below, keep the sleeping one asleep without hurting it too much? Also, if anyone knows a way to get some forged papers, maybe those tengu can get jobs--one at a time to be discreet--and earn some money to cover their own keep?"
Larenti nodded to Aula's plan and made ready to head off with Dawnilea.
Bardigan gives Ganner an approving nod, confident in the man's reliability. "Alright then. We'll head off to the Alabaster Academy and see what we can find!" There's a hopefulness and eagerness in his voice as the encouragement he feels from Aula and Dawnilea buoys his spirits.
Dawnilea chuckles, "Works for me. Sending me to do research is not the best plan... but charming information out of others... that, I was trained to do."
The group makes plans to split up. The Alabaster Acadamy is only a few blocks away, but Crissali's Fine Tomes is way back toward Aria Park. Dawnilea and Larenti have to travel through most of Villegre district, pass the Yolubilis harbor, cross back over Bleakbridge, past Temple Hill, to about the middle of Jarvis End. When it's all said and done, though, it's only about a twenty to twenty-five minute walk. The rain from early this day has let up with the rising day, but it is still a steady drizzle.
Larenti was incredibly tired, but he leafed through the books at Crissali's as best he could. An old reference book looked promising.
"Tengu, habits of...Tengu, plumage variations...Tengu, mating displays...whoa.
After arriving at the Alabaster Academy, Bardigan deftly steers Aula across the campus grounds to the library, but that's where the impassioned man's skill runs dry. Searching and hunting through row after row of shelves yields little fruit as the weariness from the day catches up with him.
"It's odd, being in a library now, especially this one, isn't it? I mean, it was barely an hour ago that crocodile was trying to turn us into second lunch." He glances at the tome Aula has in her hand then adds, "You having any luck? I found something about 'avian migratory patterns', but that's about it."
Aula 'oohs' and 'aahs' as Bardigan shows her the sights of the Alabaster Academy. At some point during the walk, she says "Darlin', Ah'm feeling a little faint from the long day; could Ah rest on you, just for a bit?" She takes his arm, hardly waiting for his acceptance, and presses against him the rest of the way to the library.
Once they arrive, she says "Thank you so much for the tour, you know so much about this place. But now we've got work ta do. I've spent some time with books, but surely not as much as you. I'd just get in the way."
She wanders off to ask the librarian how to look for information on bird-like humanoids, adjusting her dress to be... 'more persuasive' as she goes.
More than an hour passes before she returns, her hair a little dishevelled and her makeup a little smudged. "The librarian was very helpful--he showed me all kinds of things," a dreamy smile flits across her face, "all kinds of things about human-like birds. I think one of them even looked familiar!"
As Aula disappears into the library to seek help, Bardigan is left to his own devices. He is forced to wander the shelves looking for whatever he can randomly come across, in the overly large expanse of the Alabaster Academy. It's a lot more than an hour that Aula is gone, having likely lost track of time in her 'research', to the point Bardigan may have concerns that something happened to her. It was three hours spent at the library in total when Aula returns with what she learned.
Larenti and Dawnilea didn't quite have as much of an effort with it, given that Crissali's is a much more comfortable and condensed establishment. Dawnilea was correct in her assessment, as randomly grabbing books, thumbing through quickly, then replacing them on the shelf accomplished nothing. Larenti was a little more focused in his efforts, if not looking at the best spots. After about an hour, he finds enough to answer the question he had.
What both Aula and Larenti learn, although through slightly different means, is that there is reason for confusion. The creature in question is known as a dire corby. They share similar appearances to tengus, except with a slightly more feathery meign. The key difference being that, where tengu tend toward existing within larger societies, dire corbies are savage, subterranean predators, known for ambushing prey.
"And that is why we have to put it down. You wouldn't let a goblin wander around town freely, would you? And this thing is bigger." she finishes her explanation of dire corby habits and society. "And let's get it done quickly, Ah'll sleep just fine knowing we protected people by doing so, and Ah'll do it soon--it's late."
Bardigan's eyes widen at Aula's description and he shakes his head ruefully, "A dire corby? I've never even heard of such creatures. At least we know now. Though, given what this book says, I've half a mind to-" he hesitates at this, glancing over his shoulders to ensure no one is within earshot. Even so, he leans forward and quietly finishes, "half a mind to let the beast loose in you-know-who's basement."
With the riddle solved, he shrugs and turns for the door. "Back into the rain then?"
Ganner keeps watch on the sleeper, knocking it out as gently as he can.
Dawnilea chuckles to Larenti, "Didn't think it would be you I ended up charming the answer out of...."
She shrugs, "If it's an evil creature that likes killing, then it is like a rabid dog... And we'll have to deal with it accordingly."
Larenti shrugged a sad agreement. He didn't see what else could be done.
Aula and Bardigan arrive back at the Wasp's Nest, the latter wearing exhaustion plain on his face. "Sorry that took so long. I didn't have much luck, but Aula did." Seeing the heaviness on the others' faces, he sighs. "I guess you all learned the same then. Chough isn't sick, she's a dire corby."
After a pause, he rakes one hand through his short, thick hair. "I see two options. We smuggle the creature out of the city and set it loose in the wild, or we end it now."
Dawnilea makes a strange face, considering Bardigan's options, then shakes her head, "Hadn't thought about setting it out in the wild.. and it's tempting... but it's like setting a rabid dog free to terrorize the countryside. Don't think I want to live with the guilt if it hurts or kills anyone."
"I agree with Dawnilea. Let's end this."
Ganner nods, looking grim. "For what it's worth, I'm glad you tried to find another solution." He heads in and snaps the poor wretch's neck before it can awaken again.
Bardigan watches, his countenance heavy, as Ganner approaches the dire corby, but he turns away as the man kneels down beside the unconscious creature. When he hears the shuffling of bodies cease, he turns back to see Chough laid out in peaceful repose and Ganner still and silent beside her.
"Well then. That's that, I suppose." He takes a stiff breath, then briskly departs, unable to offer any other words, his disappointment and the lengthy day obviously proving to be too much for him.
Dawnilea nods, "We should tell the tengu sisters.. Both what it was and how we had to deal with it."
The Fushi sisters looked relieved at first to know that they did nothing wrong in regards to Chough. It wasn't their fault that she turned out the way she did, but there is still concern among them. "So, what do you intend to do with us?" the question comes with the quaver of worry to it. In an offering of peace, or maybe a bribe, they suggest the group can have the jewelry that was Chough's, a few copper bracelets and a silver locket.
Dawnilea smiles, "We were hoping to talk to you about that. You said you were fleeing Cheliax, but didn't say much else about your plans..."
She sighs, then says, "Unfortunately, thanks to Kintago's new High-and-Mighty Lordling and his edicts," her tone dripping with scorn, "it would probably be hard to get you out of the city right now... So we were kind of hoping you might help us fix that."
"We were just trying to get somewhere safe, where we didn't have to run from Chough's mistakes." She looks to the other sisters, they each nod to her in acceptance, "But if there's no easy way out of the city, we could help, at least to make up for what she did to Nan."
While the others remain to speak with the Fushi sisters, Bardigan stops a few steps beyond the door to the Long Roads Coffeehouse, realizing suddenly that though his feet had started to mindlessly lead him there, he wouldn't be returning home. His shoulders slumped and he cast a longing glance up the road in the direction he'd have traveled to get back to his family's estate.
The exhaustion crashes over him at this point, as all the losses and failures of the day eclipse the triumphs. Sad and feeling defeated, he heads back into the coffeehouse and shuffles down the hall to the quarters they'd met Dawnilea in earlier.
Dropping his gear to the floor at the foot of one of the simple bunks, Bardigan sheds his clothes and slumps into the bed.
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As most of the group settles into what may be their new home for an unknown amount of time, Aula and Larenti have settled into their roles toward growing the Siver Ravens once more into a real organization that can one day take on the Lord-Mayor himself to bring the city back into order.
Aula easily finds that her wily charm can sway a decent amount of people toward the need for a rebellion. She notices that the words espoused by Bardigan during the protest at Aria Park has already reached the ears of some of the citizens and given them something to think about.
Larenti spends his time skulking among the singers, dancers, jugglers, and tumblers that tend to make up the amateur performers making limited coin from passersby. With Barzillai's takeover of the Opera House, there is still a strong fear and reluctance to try and stand up to the man and his forces. Before long, word gets out that the half-orc has been asking around, and before long the performers won't even stick around long enough for him to approach them, and he is unable to talk anyone into working with or for them.
While the others have worked on making the Wasp's Nest into a habitable location, Rexus has remained intent on going through all the sheafs of paper to decode any information that he can from them. WHat he is able to piece together so far is limited. He learned that the Silver Ravens were established in 4606 AR in the wake of the chaos that swept over Cheliax after Aroden’s death to help protect the city of Kintargo from oppression.
Larenti, frustrated at his failure to recruit the street performers, tried to regroup mentally.
What would Shensen do?
Sorry, work's been a mess these last two weeks and my attention span has been flatlined. What do you need Ganner to do?
Bardigan spends a great deal of time over the following two weeks working closely with the Fushi sisters in addition to trying to wrap his mind around the intricacies of funding a secret resistance without his parents' money.
When Ganner swings by to see how things are going, he finds Bardigan seated at a worn oaken table in the Wasp's Nest, with a number of sundry items and jewels laid out systematically before him. The young noble looks up and a genuine smile breaks across his face. "Ganner! Good to see you! I don't suppose you'd have much insight into where we can best try and sell some of these things, do you?"
Ganner racks his brain before responding.
As the group manages to do different tasks around the Wasp's Nest, Rexus points out that the body of the man known as Nan is wearing a single magical boot, and that there is something magic inside the dead alligator as well.
Bardigan rummages through all of what they have found as a group thus far, comparing pieces to one another, and using his experience growing up around the finer things to determine what he would price each of them as. Some he is less certain of than others, but he gets what he figures is a fair value for each.
Oddly enough, Ganner knows of a fair number of peddlers that work just under the taxation and import export laws, but most of what the group has to sell should be able to go pretty easy if they spread out where they sell it in a wide enough distribution. Mainly just to avoid any notice from liquidation of assets.
Dawnilea makes short work of the alligator's carcass, splitting it wide upon the dock so the entrails and blood spill into the water rather than across the floor of their hideout.
Bardigan shoots her a wink and mimes tipping a hat to her as the matching boot comes to rest by her feet.
The bracers continue to escape understanding, but the cloak is one that builds up ones resistances to various effects, and the boots allow someone a little more mobility in limiting terrains.
Larenti took on the task of cleaning the boots, washing the muck out over and over again, and then setting them to dry by a fire. They looked passable when they were ready.
He looked uncomfortably at the pile of treasure, not sure how it should be divvy'd up, and unwilling to be the first to put his hands in. He looked to Bardigan for direction.
Though the group starts strong out the gate in the decision to start the rebellion, what few supporters they have realize that it can be pretty dangerous to their health. This is especially true until the group becomes a greater force to stand up to an entire city of corrupted officials.
Ganner spends his time exploring the sanctuary, trying to find any records or writings that expound on its history. At his heart he is a scribe, and he finds order in the written word.
Bardigan throws himself into the work of their new, burgeoning rebellion. It's hard for him to curb his impassioned beliefs and to keep from proselytizing when given the chance, but he at least stays busy and involved with the few agents they have at this point.