The woman gives Dibbets a scoffing look and turns to search through the many bottles of Salty Dog rum until she finds a clear bottle on the back of a lower shelf and pours the dregs in a copper cup. "Well, maybe a little more boisterous than usual judging by the damage. I think we're down to our last two chairs. Aye, saw Kaul here. He an' Buster were over in the corner thick as thieves. I got off early so don't know exactly what happened later." She looks with disgust at the mess she has to finish cleaning.
"Need a hand? We'll have to catch up with Buster, but he's not likely to be up this early either."
The woman smiles and bats her eyes at Jim. "Well aren't you a gallant. Can you handle a mop? You seem more the officer type than a swabbie."
The Taldan grins. "Some things you never forget how to do, hey?" He'll help the woman with the mopping up.
While Jim charms the barmaid with his banter and top-flight mopping, Corliss whispers a quick prayer to his goddess and saunters about the chamber, looking for any clue that might exist to hint at what went down earlier.
Corliss tries to get ahead of the mop to look for clues. It's obvious that there was a battle royal last night. Among the splintered stools and shattered glass, Corliss finds something unusual: a curved piece of steel about six inches long with a serrated edge. It looks to be the broken off tip of a blade as there's still dried blood across the teeth.
Jim efficiently finishes a quick mop up noting that they need to get across town to look for the book. The barmaid looks appreciative. She says that she goes by Sal and will pass on a message to Kaul that you all were looking for him if he shows up here.
Corliss shows his find to the others, pondering on the unusual design of the blade fragment.
Corliss half-remembers hearing about red assassins that used serrated scimitars to murder people, but that was before his noggin was knocked and who knows if they actually exist and if they do, what that has to do with the spider cult.
Corliss makes his half-arsed report to the others, all the while unconsciously rubbing the bump on his head. "Hopefully them assassins'll be huntin' the cult, too, an' will do most o' the dirty work fer us, eh?" he adds quietly under his breath.
Jim gives the barmaid a smile, then takes a look at the steel fragment.
Jim agrees that the blade doesn't look like it's from a segmented sickle; the serrated edge is on the wrong curve. Without any other leads at the moment, the crew heads across town toward the student slums around the Freeport Institute to look for the stolen book.
Jim stops up by the History Department, looking for Professor Deveril.
Raising an empty cup to Sal, Dibbets winks his thanks before sliding away with the others. By means of conversation he adds "Big lug'll turn up somewise... bit o' steels interestin tho"
The crew travel back across the Docks and skirt the edge of the Warehouse District before crossing at the Plaza of Gold to The Cluster- a jumble of dorms, kahve and ale houses, and shops surrounding the Freeport Institute. It seems unusually quiet today. Jim takes leave of the others to consult with his Institute contact.
Up on the third floor, Jim finds the professor at a desk piled high with papers. He wears the same worn brown coat with ink-stained cuffs and peers through round glasses reviewing a booklet from the stack. At Jim's knock, Deveril takes off his glasses and smiles, welcoming the sailor. "Ah Jim, how have you been? I think it's only been a month since I saw you last. Yes, the day of the bombing. I don't have much time to visit today unfortunately." He gestures at the pile of papers. "I'm drowning in these final exams, but I can certainly spare a few minutes. What brings you by?"
Jim hooks a chair over and carefully moves the stack of papers off of it before sitting down. "Good to see you too, Professor. I'll not keep you overlong. My mates and I have been dealing with an...unusual situation, which I hope to be able to tell you more about someday when it's safe. It came up that a gent named Reynaldo (now beyond my ability to speak with) had supposedly sold a book to someone at the Institute. The book, I believe, dealt with the doctrines of a spider cult. Have you heard tell of it, or do you know of a colleague who Reynaldo might have sold it to? This likely would have been in the past few days."
Deveril chuckles, "Spider cult, eh? Wasn't it Shark gods last time. You certainly see a different side of Freeport than I do, Jim. Huh, not sure who that would be. The professors here focus on more mundane matters. I think I had to recommend you try the Temple of Knowledge last time, but you're sure someone at FI bought it? Can you tell me anything more about this Reynaldo?"
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"Ye hear that?" Corliss hisses excitedly at Dibbets and Dingus. "Damnation! Iff'n we had Kaulie around, we could have him bash them two lads senseless an' steal their broadsheet! Either o' ye gentlemen know where we might purchase today's edition o' the local news?"
Picking out Corliss's words Dibbs raises an eyebrow "More'n one way tae skin a cat eh" before turning to the lads he mentioned "Oi, young'uns... two silvers fer tha bit o scratch yer readin"
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Perception
"What? Did you say Kaul was around"? Dingus head spins around looking for his scary mate.
He then looks at Dibbets offer to buy the paper.
"Yes! Great idea. I heard there is a sale at Santoris' and I'm in desperate need of a good new hat".
Once Dibbs procures the paper he eagerly tries to help the halfling read it.
"Never saw him while he was alive-alive, if you take my meaning, and he was somewhat the worse for wear when we fought him. He ran with a gang led by a fellow named Moses. They dealt in shiver, which (we heard) they got from this bunch of cultists. Reynaldo stole the book and a few other things from the cult, though, got himself caught and killed, but not until he'd sold the book."
Corliss' query is met with a shrug. "Probably sold out by now," he is informed. The students actually look up at Dibbets' offer. "Yeah. I'll take 2 skulls for it." With the exchange conducted, Dibbets attempts to read with the others clustered around him and Dingus in particular trying to page to the advertisements at the back.
"Spider cultists selling shiver, huh? I don't know much about it personally, but I recently overheard a student saying he bought some bad shiver from pushers over at Belle's Well. Guess it's considered haunted since she was murdered earlier this year and now there's a bit of black market around there. Could be someone familiar with this Reynaldo might still be around there and be more help than I am, Jim."
"Thank you kindly, Professor. Good luck with the exams, hey?" The Taldan takes his leave and goes in search of the others. I'm thinking we avoid Belle's Well--the haunt may not take kindly to Dingus.
The professor sighs as he looks at the mounds of exams. "Ah, you bet, Jim. Sorry if I haven't been much direct aid of late. Hey, if you're around next week after I finish these, maybe I can buy you a drink and record some of your more recent adventures for posterity. You all certainly seem to be involved in some important events. Cheers!"
Kaul flashes a hair-lip grin at Buster and grabs the bottles o' suds in his meaty paw.
Lumbering to where the hulking bouncer waits, the thug eyes the room, patrons and atmosphere with his usual belligerent caution;
Buster-
Not sailors-
Mackey-
As Mackay falls, Kaul feels his blood boil and hears the booming roar fill his ears. Not sure if it comes from Buster or himself...
Grabbing the hungry hatchet from his belt, the thug moves to engage one of the assassins .
With murderous intent, Kaul brings Lopper to bear with a brutal chop!
"Hur! Ye basterds picked the wrong bar to conduct murder! Only me an' Buster get tae conduct red-handed deeds on this 'ere location! As ye'll find out..."
Buster is right behind Kaul and vaults through the red cloud hovering over the bar. His scream of rage echoes through the bar and crashing follows.
Faced with a crimson haar, Kaul tests its mettle with a chopping swipe with his axe;
:
:
As he engages the mist, the brute bellows ahead to his fellow half-orc;
"Buster! They're tricksy like! Watch yersel' matey!"
Jim finds his mates where he lefts them on the street outside the Institute. Dibbets pushes the rear pages of advertisements at Dingus to distract the always fashionable sorcerer after Corliss points out the salient article.
****Bookseller's Death A Mystery!!****
The Watch is still investigating the mysterious death of long time bookseller in the Cluster. The victim's daughter reported the death early this morning and although the scene of the crime has been sealed off by the Watch for their investigation, the Shipping News has been able to speak with a neighbor familiar with the horrific events of the day. The neighbor reports that she heard a strange sound from the residential floor of the bookshop around three in the morning followed soon after by the daughter's screams. The neighbor rendered assistance in calling the Watch and heard the daughter reporting that she awoke from one nightmare to another as she heard the sounds of a beast mauling her father in the room adjacent to hers. In a panic as she attempted to break through the locked door of his bedroom, she thought that she heard him yell the word "Hound", but once inside, she found only the bloody, savaged corpse lying on the bed with no evidence of what attacked the man! As ever, the Shipping News will follow this developing story!!
At Buster's bellow, Kaul's murderous mood dampens a little, and he casts a beady eye o'er the viscera laden tavern;
"What the feck 'appened Bust? Why they butcher Mackay..."
The thug's scarred brow furrows;
"We got tae find 'em. Kill 'em all. For what they done."
Jim skims over the sordid tale. "Well, so much for finding the book before the cultists got it, hey? We should talk to the fellow's daughter--find out if she heard anything more."
"Firs' I figure M.F. were an angry mate, but would'n Mackey sus his right out? Then maybe a pirate hunter out of Corentyn, 'nuf of them right, Kaul. But can't see a pirate hunter staying by Freeport as long as he did here. And now devils showing up to spirit ol' Mackey away, I start suspek he much more importan'."
Although details are lacking in the article, Corliss volunteers that he overheard that the shop is called Pegasus Books and the crew quickly locate it a couple narrow streets over.
The store is closed and apparently empty from a peek through the windows. The Watch must have finished their investigation because no one is seen guarding the place. Students and shoppers pass by on their way home or to one of the more lively pubs on the block.
Kaul listens intently, scarred brow furrowing ever further as Buster spills what he knows.
"Yeah I remembers M.F... Dunno what this Vesperi means tho'. Ain't makin' top nor tale o' it... Could be a blood feud, or nabbed 'im fir ransom. Either way we needs tae find 'im and kill all them 'sassins."
"Dingus, how about sending Richard in to have a sniff about?"
"Sure. That's a great idea. He's getting fat with all this inaction, so we'll have to find a hole big enough for him to squeeze through". He then grins at Jim. "He's molted three times this year he's growing so big".
"Help me find a snaky door".
Perception
Dingus finds a pipe that exits from the front of the store and quickly directs Richard to go through it. Shortly after, the snake exits on the roof and pokes his head over to look down at Dingus questioningly. Dingus feels the viper's thoughts in his mind, Did you want me to go inside? That was just a rain spout.
Meanwhile, a woman's face appears at the window of the door. Her eyes are red with crying. She looks out at the sailors hovering around the front and points to the 'Closed' sign mouthing the word, "closed" through the window.
Jim steps up and taps on the door, trying to look somewhat official, open, and concerned.
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It was a short stop at the first port Kaul ever visited outside of Freeport, Ilizmagorti. Kaul didn’t realize at the time how close he’d come to being chained in the hold with the other unfortunate souls purchased at the Fleshmarkets there, but Besmara’s favor and the captain’s whim had spared him. Instead, he was allowed to accompany the captain to the port’s Marketplace after a dire warning not to say a word or look at anyone funny on account of the Red Mantis cult that supposedly ran the port. Kaul never saw one in the flesh, but a mate joked about their fetish for red-colored bug outfits once the ship was safely at distance away. Despite Buster's protestations that the killers must have been devils, Kaul is certain they were the infamous Red Mantis assassins.
And there was another tale from that same voyage on the Chelish slaver, where an old salt related how a rich and powerful Cortenyn merchant family in days of old built an invincible warship that protected them from pirates until the weapon was lost somehow in the turmoil that followed the death of Aroden.
The family’s fortunes waned thereafter under the depredations of Inner Sea pirates until the last two remaining sons were forced to join the very pirates that had stolen their last gold Sail. The old salt claimed that their lost weapon, the Terraken, had not been lost, but was hidden in some cove around Mediogalti and the brothers were in a race to reclaim it. Kaul swears now that the merchant family's name was Vesperi.
The woman frowns, but is charmed by Jim's look of concern. She opens the door and asks what he wants.
Bad form to hit on someone while they're mourning, so I'd best be polite. "Thank you, ma'am. My mates and I were asked to look into a death elsewhere in town, and we learned that the victim had tried to sell a book somewhere near the Freeport Institute. The broadsheet story of your father's death sounded as though it might be related. I know this isn't the best time, but would you know if your father had recently acquired an unusual book?"
The woman smiles faintly at Jim's question in spite of her sorrow . "This is a bookstore, Sir." She shrugs at the shelves of books behind her that fill the shop. The ephemeral smile disappears. "I'm not sure what you mean though. I heard a dog attack him."
Dingus shrugs and Richard... then shakes his head yes...
He is then distracted by the conversation at the door, and forgets about Richard for a bit.
"Ah, but what would a dog be doing inside a book shop in the first place, eh?" Corliss asks the woman. "Did yer pa have a soft 'eart an' let every stray in town into his business? Seems unlikely to me. Dog's have this tendency to lift their leg an'...an'...besides, they can't read."
The Besmaran gives a quick scan of the floor for dog tracks or scat.
The woman shakes her head wearily. "No, we had no dog and my father was not known to take in strays. In fact, there was no evidence of a dog in our home beyond the barks I heard and the ghastly bites..." Her voice breaks in a sob. When she regains her bearing, she continues. "No dog unless it be a phantom or evil spirit. I am sorry gentlemen. I have already given a statement to the Watch this morning and I do not have the strength to do this again right now."
Corliss gives the woman a nod and slight smile for her help. Back outside, he opines, "Might be somethin' to her phantom or spirit dog theory. In addition to bein' unable to read, I hear most dogs can't open doors either. So how would whatever killed her Pa be able to enter an' leave the room? Unless, mayhaps, it were a werewolf...but I'm guessin' any sane sot wouldn't yell 'Hound!' while bein' attacked by a werewolf. I'm stumped."
Jerking back to lucidity Dibbets suddenly yells "Sausage!" before shaking his head and blinking a few times. A weathered hand wipes the drool from his mouth as his brain catches up with what's transpiring before him.
Brief muse aside he adds "Ye wants me tae take a peeper inside turned tae p1ss 'n wind? Could do quick like an check" further adding "Doesnae hae tae be full on doggie... could jus be head changin or summat weirder... or a doggie wi' a bastard eggin it on?"