The dwarf girl is almost bowled over by the charisma-assault from Rodergo. "B- B- But you're Father Xativa!" she stammers, eyes round as pennies. She's clearly a fan. Pulling herself together a bit, she adds, "I'm afraid the master died a few days ago. It's very sad."
"Oh,....oh, no....how dreadful, I......my condolences,....."
he sighs;
"I don't......I don't know what I'm going to do now....."
Aubrey;
there's my roll but I don't know what skill to use.
diplomacy
Rodergo looks like he is really really really shattered by this news. He staggers and swoons a bit.
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"You poor dear. Is there anything we can do to assist you? Our business can wait. Surely a man of his ability had many unfinished tasks. We might be able to help his family tie up loose ends. How may we be of assistance?"
The girl looks a bit nonplussed at offers of help. "I- I'm only a maid," she stammers. "Do you wish to speak to Miss Gort, the housekeeper. Perhaps she can help?"
Gil-Matilda nods, "By all means, dear. Please lead the way."
The adventurers are ushered into the hall and then a sitting room. The dwarven maid disappears, and a few minutes later a half-orc woman appears. Her black hair pulled back in a bun and she is wearing a sober, full-length black dress. In a voice accented with the Shadow Marches she asks, "I am - was - Mr Grannt's housekeeper. Can I be of assistance?"
Knowing that diplomacy is not his strong suit and seeing that there is little chance for violence now that the party has been granted entry, the elf simply leans against a bookshelf with arms crossed and remains silent. His eyes slowly scan the room, looking over the decor and trappings of the man who once lived here in idle curiosity.
Seeing that Rodergo is on a roll sweet-talking the ladies, Nevharath will similarly let him work his magic
Spellcraft:
Aubrey:
If not, I perhaps can whisper it to her whilst they're out of the room.
Rodergo stands;
"I haven't had the honor, ma'am. Rodergo Xativa......I have just.....found out about Grannt's demise......I did have some business with him.....forgive me; I'm......a little shocked by proceedings...."
diplomacy
"What....what happened to him?.......he looked so well, when I saw him last. I thought he did; I was....my mind was distracted I guess."
With a look of concern at the cleric's state of mind, "Calm yourself, Father. I'm sure that this untimely demise had nothing to do with your business with the esteemed Grannt. Isn't that right, ma'am. Natural causes, I'm sure."
She leaves the obvious questions all but asked as she comforts the poor stricken cleric.
Janosz stands a little back along with the other bruisers. However, he nods gravely as Rodergo talks. "'Tis true what he says, ma'am", he says in Orcish with a fat Shadow Marcher accent.
dot bump
The woman seems mollified by the kind words but suspicious. "I'm wasn't aware you knew the late master," she says.
"I didn't know him personally,....only reputation really.
I had approached him about a job.....a few weeks ago...."
Rodergo isn't a practiced liar.
Gil-Matilda clucks and shakes her head. "My goodness, this really has you, doesn't it? You don't sound like you know what you are saying."
"I'm sorry, Miss... Gort? Yes, pleased to meet you, actually, despite the circumstances. I had heard of Master Grannt - quite glowing praise, really - near the end of the Last War. He had been quite successful, I gather, at finding folks trying to be lost, you see. I was working in Cyre at the time and I had heard that the great finder had left for Sharn. Well, long story short, I was sent home shortly after and then the Day of Mourning..." she stops for a moment and looks away. "That awful day happened and I did my best to forget about my time there. When my friend Father Xativa told me he needed to secure the services of a finder, Grannt's name came to me after all these years. So neither of us can say we knew him, really, but we were hopeful to meet with him. There was no formal meet-time; we were hoping to drop by unplanned and avoid undue attention being brought to your employer or the task. We seem to have ears about that know his every move - if I schedule something 'officially', paparazzi are waiting when we arrive. Not every time, of course, but there are times when it is more important than others, don't you agree?"
*facepalm*
so sorry; I thought Gil was deferring.
As Rodergo stumbles over his words, Gil suavely intervenes. Eying the priest suspiciously she nods uncertainly to Gil. "The master has sadly passed away. I'm not sure how I can help you."
"Honestly, at a time like this, our needs are secondary, really. The last thing you need is someone asking about your master's work. Of more import is whether there is anything we can do to help you through this time. I'm sure such a busy man had business left unfinished... It would be my honor to aid in tying up loose ends, as it were, if there are any to tie up, of course."
Rod'll kick back. When he realizes when to shut up, err......uh.....he knows when to keep his big mouth,,,,.....er, he'll shut up for now....
The half-orc woman frowns. "I wasn't privy to the master's work."
"Certainly. Is there some other way in which we can aid you?"
"I don't think so."
"Well,.....I guess that's that...." he sighs.
Rod'll get up and start to leave.
The conversation peters out and the adventurers are escorted to the door.
As they are shown to the door, Gil-Matilda addresses the housekeeper again, "Well, my dear, our condolences, once again. Did Grannt indicate if he would leave his work to another? Perhaps we could see his assistant about our needs. Surely someone will be taking responsibility for his files now that he's gone."
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"His files are in his office. I'm honestly not sure what to do them. He didn't have any family or assistants to pass them on to. If no one comes forward for them I expect I'll have to burn them."
With a look of shock, Gil-Matilda says, "Really? No family, no assistants? I wonder who might come forward, then? I mean, I would dearly love the opportunity to peruse them because I expect they have an unusual sort of historical value, personally, but I don't know if that's sufficient claim for a man's lifework."
"I, too, would be interested from a scholarly standpoint in the entirety of a life's work of a man such as your employer. Could you perhaps allow us to pore over the materials before you were to dispose of them?"
"There might be others whose business isn't completed.
We're adventurers. We might help them."
aid another diplo
The half-orc woman seems to have reservations. But eventually she says, "I suppose it would not do much harm now. Very well, I will show you to his files."
The groups are shown from the hall to Grannt's office. It is neatly set out, with alphabetically labelled cabinets and an uncluttered desk.
"Shall I leave you, then?" asks the housekeeper.
"That's fine, miss."
"R" for "Ranticar."
"Thank you, Miss Gort, we can let ourselves out if you wish."
After she leaves, Gil-Matilda will say to the others, "This may take a while. It will go faster if you each pick a drawer and scan through for things that appear to be out of place. I realize that it appears to be conveniently organized, but it would be very effective to put a folder of inconsequential details where a search expects to find them while the real meat is somewhere else."
Turning to the ranger, she adds, "Janosz, your eye for detail will be useful looking for hidden stashes of documents. I mean to examine the desk - would you check the walls for hidden panels?"
Once she's satisfied she's found what she can find in and around the desk, she will check the floor and then pick a cabinet that the others have not checked yet.
Nevharath will also aid in the search. He will first manifest Steadfast Perception. Nevharath's eyes become completely black with little pinpoints of light from within, like a glimpse into deep space.
Nevharath is scanning the area first to note any illusions that might be in play, and then will start looking in whatever area isn't currently occupied by an ally.
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The group peruse the files - except Runzyl, whose interest in such things being limited, prowls the room and peers from the windows. Grannt was obviously meticulous and his notes and evidence are carefully itemised. However, the Ranticar file isn't immediately obvious, not being in the expected section. However, a small archive is found in a cabinet containing the notebooks for the tasks Grannt was working on when the Day of Mourning happened. Flicking through these, it initially appears that Ranticar's case isn't there either. But it gradually becomes clear that the details of Ranticar and Grannt's employer on this case - House Cannith - have been disguised with false names and codewords.
Grannt traced Ranticar's route across the border from Cyre and on to Sharn to a smuggling route. Disturbingly, Grannt noted that the smugglers were conected to the cult of the Dragon Below. Moreover, Ranticar was apparently already well-known to them.
Travelling under House Cannith neutrality, Grannt followed his quarry to Sharn. Still following the leads from the cultists, he identified that Grannt had gone to ground somewhere in Tavick's Landing. The intelligence he had suggested a contact by the name of Jeeboo, a goblin fence who received the khyber shards and distributed them onward to his contacts. But before Grannt could get to Jeeboo, the Day of Mourning wiped out his client. The notes end abruptly and Grannt clearly abandoned the search at this point.
"Hmm, so where should we go from here?" Nevharath asks of the group.
"and I wonder how much of this the Dreaming Dark is in on..." Nevharath wonders to himself.
"He was a private investigator. There's no way he didn't hide away something somewhere..." As the otheres read through the files, Janosz pokes around the office, making sure not to make enough noise to summon the housekeeper.
"Sounds like that goblin Jeeboo is the next stop. The City Watch should have something on him. Cultists of the Dragon Below, eh? This should be most interesting..."
Janosz manages to find a safe hidden in the floor under the desk.