Greep hides near by , and waits for Swift to return from her reconn.
;)
Waving to Greep Swift runs off, wanting to be well out of his view when she transforms into her catform. 'He seems like a nice enough guy but I need to carefully pick my allies. The more people who know means there is less chance of me using this form for recon.'
Hiding away and changing she soon heads off in her small feline form, the small black cat clinging to the shadows as she goes to take a look at the warehouse.
Ffethpaar turns to Eir when they are alone.
"Negotiating here is not the same as negotiating among my home tribes. I feel I have a lot to learn about this place. Back home, you speak plain or threaten. Here, it seems you must allow yourself to be insulted to get what you want."
I must learn. I do not wish to go back... yet
He looks up as another scream rends the air
"Are we just going to let this pass? Do you think we can do anything for those people up there?".
"At least we should leave this stinking place."
Marion frowns at Zigel's questions
"Can't think of anyone lately asked for Salt gear specifically, but a lot of this stuff is popular no mater what Inner Plane yeh're headed to."
Marion starts putting items on the back counter of her store.
"I can get yeh amulets that negate the salt moisture-robbing effect, but that's Lady's Ward jink. I can get yeh whole suits of treated cotton or leather, that's still a bag of Hammers, but not as dear as the amulets. I got goggles fer the peepers, but they won't help but to keep the salt outta 'em. They wont flatten the pouch too much. I got some heavy oil cream lotion. Helps the body retain moisture, not as well as the others, but a Stinger on the Mert alternative."
Marion adds as she displays the various items she mentioned.
"As for other stores, the Cage is a soddin' big place. Plenty of stores carry equipment. I make my jink in extreme gear only, but others make a stinger or two on the trade."
Waving to Greep Swift runs off, wanting to be well out of his view when she transforms into her catform. 'He seems like a nice enough guy but I need to carefully pick my allies. The more people who know means there is less chance of me using this form for recon.'
Hiding away and changing she soon heads off in her small feline form, the small black cat clinging to the shadows as she goes to take a look at the warehouse.
Swift leaves the immediate confines of the New Market behind as well as her partner Greep. There are many quiet small alleyways along the edge of the road, and Swift rapidly finds a good spot to change.
As a cat, Swift/Blacky runs down the narrow street that encloses the Goblin neighborhood of Crackskull Close. The buildings here are run down, with few shops. The few shops seem to be focused on Goblin-oriented goods. Signs in Goblin swing over the few stores, and scrawls of Goblin are written on almost every building surface. Trash, offal and vermin all compete for space on the street's cobbles.
Swift notices that there is little activity on the street, strange for a nocturnal race like Goblins. She spies one goblin descending what looks like a large set of well-worn stairs at the very end of the street. She can hear faint noises and Goblin squeals coming up from the depths. A crude sign in Common and <Swift assumes> Goblin above the stairway reads: Crackskull Close. Swift peruses the street, and notices a wagon with a load covered in a waxy tarp sitting by a warehouse. The warehouse has the same symbol etched above its' door as the salt seller had at the New Market, a stylized broken claw. Upon closer examination, Swift can see that the wagon is filled with bricks of solid salt. There doesn't seem to be anyone about, but Swift can hear faint noises from within the warehouse.
He looks up as another scream rends the air
"Are we just going to let this pass? Do you think we can do anything for those people up there?".
"At least we should leave this stinking place."
As the two stand by the rancid pond, another body comes sliding down the wooden chute from the Weary Spirit Infirmary to land with a greasy splash in the brown water. Screams and howls are increasing, perhaps because Antipeak nears. You can hear screams also coming from around the tenements that line Boneyard Pond, as well as raucous singing, a gabble of nonsense words, and what sounds like a swordfight beginning.
The squealing whine of an unoiled wheel startles you as one of Sil's workers appears from the butchery, pushing a rickety wheelbarrow full of unusable fragments of bone and gristle. The young worker wheels to the side with a garbled "Cry yer pardon cutters" before dumping the entire stinking load into the pond.
"Let's go"
Greep looks around for some way to make a distraction should Swift need it.
He wonders to himself, "What might 'beware a fiend in shadows' mean?"
"Is it an actual fiend? Or someone acting fiend-ish. Is shadows a place or a reference to the plane or does it imply someone hiding his actions? Might the shadow plane have something to do with how the goblins get the salt? Or does this simply mean I need to watch out for an ambush?"
With that thought, Greep redoubles his efforts to keep watch.
Curiousity overwhelming the young tibbit she pauses for a brief moment before pressing onwards and attempting to get inside the warehouse. The small black cat clings to the shadows and keeps an eye out for an easy way in where she wouldn't have much chance of being spotted.
"Let's go"
Greep looks around for some way to make a distraction should Swift need it.
Curiousity overwhelming the young tibbit she pauses for a brief moment before pressing onwards and attempting to get inside the warehouse. The small black cat clings to the shadows and keeps an eye out for an easy way in where she wouldn't have much chance of being spotted.
The old warehouse looks fairly solid to Swift's eyes. Brick, with a normal compliment of razorvine, and a red tiled roof with a slight pitch. The main door by the wagon is large and sliding. There is a smaller door to the main door's right side. As Swift watches, a pair of Goblins emerge from the smaller door, chattering in Goblin with each other. They look to be headed for the wagon.
Greep waits nearby, hoping Swift is still unnoticed and keeping an ear out for her yowl.
Swift makes an agile, if a little frantic dash for the open door. Sure making a run in was risky, but she knows she needs to find out more about these goblins. Her small feline body tense she holds her breath as she quickly squeezes through the gap in the door and finds herself a good spot to watch the goblins inside from.
"Don't suppose you'd be interested in buying some of this stuff back would you? I mean you said most of it's usable for all sorts of places and stuff? well I'm thinking that if we're successful in finding who we're looking for we might have a lot of extra gear to deal with . . . I mean if we had someone to sell it too, someone we could trust, we might ask for less then half of what it's worth."
Greep waits nearby, hoping Swift is still unnoticed and keeping an ear out for her yowl.
Swift makes an agile, if a little frantic dash for the open door. Sure making a run in was risky, but she knows she needs to find out more about these goblins. Her small feline body tense she holds her breath as she quickly squeezes through the gap in the door and finds herself a good spot to watch the goblins inside from.
Blacky makes the run to the closing door. Her small size and dark coloring play to her favor; the two goblins don't bat an eyelash. She manages to squeeze in, losing just a few hairs off her tail as the door closes with a clang.
The warehouse Blacky finds herself in is large, and looks like it has been used for several different purposes over the years. Piles of broken crates, rotted cloth and rusty metal line the crumbling brick walls. The interior isn't lighted, but this plays to Blacky's advantage, rendering her almost invisible to the naked eye. There is talking in high-picthed Goblin down towards the other end of the long building.
Blacky creeps stealthily towards the noise. There is about a half-dozen goblins arrainging blocks of salt, redistributing them after the ones in the wagon outside were presumably taken. The warehouse is slightly less cluttered here, and a few torches give a wan light. Goblins need little external light to see by, but then again, neither does Blacky.
There is a lot of spilled salt underfoot in this area, and not as much to hide behind. Blacky observes a dark corner and sits in it, waiting for anything to occur.
Suddenly, one of the goblins fishes for something around his neck. He pulls out something on a chain and says something to the others. They all stop their labors and crowd together at the far end of the warehouse. Blacky can see that there was once another large doorway in this wall, but at some point in the past it was bricked up. The bricks are a slightly different color than the ones that the warehouse was originally built of.
The lead goblin raises his hand with a small round object and chain clasped in it. He walks towards the bricked-up warehouse door and the others follow. close behind. One goblin stays back, letting the other five approach. As the lead goblin reaches the bricks the wall seems to ripple, and a neutral grey color gleams brightly from the outlines of the bricked-up doorway. The five goblins enter the grey shining haze, disappearing from sight.
"Don't suppose you'd be interested in buying some of this stuff back would you? I mean you said most of it's usable for all sorts of places and stuff? well I'm thinking that if we're successful in finding who we're looking for we might have a lot of extra gear to deal with . . . I mean if we had someone to sell it too, someone we could trust, we might ask for less then half of what it's worth."
Marion looks over at Karrin
"Sure, I always look fer bargains. I don't rent gear though, that's a cully game. You pony up the jink, use the gear, bring it back in useable condition, and I'll give yeh five Greens on the Stinger, and that's the square chant."
Marion looks over at Karrin"Sure, I always look fer bargains. I don't rent gear though, that's a cully game. You pony up the jink, use the gear, bring it back in useable condition, and I'll give yeh five Greens on the Stinger, and that's the square chant."
"We'll be keeping our own gear of course! We'll probobly be using it quite a bit and renting anything is too costly for the long haul. What I was talking about is . . . em, gear in which the previous owner is unable to use any more," Karrin says winking, "course that would be only with someone we could trust . . . I mean half market is the going rate for selling, and our boss is kinda tight with the change purse, so we couldn't sell to just anyone, but if we got some information in return . . . well I'm no good with numbers and stuff! Likely I'll make some mistakes somewhere along the lines!"
Marion ponders a bit and frowns at Karrin's bluntness.
"Yeh look like a rum lemon, so I'll lann yeh the chant on pealing. Pealing yer customers is a good way to get put in the dead book. I'll chant yeh straight out that i'll take whatever yeh got to sell, five Greens on the Stinger, like I already said. That includes gear what didn't come from here, I ain't picky. As fer who I do me trades with, that kind of chant is top shelf. I don't want to catch a scrubbin' from some basher cuz he thinks I pealed on him."
Marion ponders a bit and frowns at Karrin's bluntness."Yeh look like a rum lemon, so I'll lann yeh the chant on pealing. Pealing yer customers is a good way to get put in the dead book. I'll chant yeh straight out that i'll take whatever yeh got to sell, five Greens on the Stinger, like I already said. That includes gear what didn't come from here, I ain't picky. As fer who I do me trades with, that kind of chant is top shelf. I don't want to catch a scrubbin' from some basher cuz he thinks I pealed on him."
"Oh I get it! Pealing!" Karrin says smacking her head, "I somehow doubt that the people we're looking for are customers. Blokes we're looking for are the type to break all sorts of laws. More likely these punks are robbing all sorts of people, shaving coins, shop lifting, ripping tags off things and demanding discounts. See, the way I figure it, these guys probably cheated or robbed honest outfitters, and when we're through with them it's unlikely that we'll be able to put them on trial, so it more likely we'll have to return their gear to someone who can find the proper owners."
Marion looks puzzled. She mutters under her breath a bit.
"So my good Prime, what exactly are yeh fishing fer? I got no chant on Salt, or any cutters who rattled their bonebox about Salt anywhere near my earholes. All I know is that yeh stay on Salt too long yeh BECOME salt. That's why a body should get some protection, less yeh want to end up as jerky."
Shifting her weight from paw to paw Blacky weighs up the practicalities of the situation. She knows she could get trapped somewhere unpleasant but at the same time curiousity burns at her senses. Running low on time she runs on instinct and makes a mad dash to follow the goblins. Trying to cling to whatever shadows she can she almost doesn't manage to catch up.
Blacky darts towards the grey shimmering haze, praying hard to the Cat Lord to see her through. The opening is quite wide, but even so Blacky has a hard time getting there before the light winks out. She enters the haze just as it begins to ripple back to its' original brick.
Blacky feels the sense of dislocation that any plane traveller knows when stepping through a portal to somewhere else. A moment (or an eternity) later, she skids into a large cave, luck having it that her small form tumbles behind a stalagmite jutting from the cave floor which sheilds her from view.
The cave looks to be a natural sort, one like you can find anywhere. There are scrawls of goblin grafitti all around on the walls and bits of trash scattered about. The cave is dark; wherever this place is it is night here as well.
The five goblins chatter among themselves. they file out of the cave, Blacky can see a dark entryway a hundred feet or so beyond where the portal had been. A voice calls out in Goblin from there, and Blacky also hears the whinny of a horse from what she perceives as the outside.
As Blacky drinks this information in she notices her ears hurting rather badly. There has been some sort of pressure change, but the air she is breathing is sweet, if thin.
Obviously intrigued the small black cat slinks after the goblins, trying to keep an eye on the goblin that has a chain around his neck especially, hoping to memorize any distinctive details about that on in particular and maybe spot what he has around his neck.
Blacky slinks quietly after the goblins. The goblin with the necklace thing-a-ma-jig is unfortunately first in line, which makes it hard to get a good look at the necklace. He does seem to be in command though, and Blacky can see him in the lead as they troupe out of the cave.
When Blacky had been in the warehouse, she had gotten a decent glance at the object. It was a pendant, roughly oval and small enough to be swallowed up by the goblin's hand when he clasped it.
The group of goblins file out of the cave entrance. Blacky slinks to the cave entrance as they depart. The group is crowded around a simple two-horse-drawn buckboard wagon, common enough for carrying freight. The wagon is parked in a small clearing that drops of into darkness, just enough room for it to turn around in. The wagon is empty, and the goblins are proceeding to climb aboard. There was a pair of goblins with the buckboard, so there are now seven in total. The goblins are fairly leisurely, chatting and jostling each other as they clamber onto the wagon.
As Blacky gets a peek, she looks out the lip of the cave at her surroundings. Although the night is pleasant, there is a chill to the air and there is a stiff wind. Blacky can see that she is actually on the side of a large mountain. The sky is completely black, no stars, no nothing. It is hard to see far, but the wagon does have lanterns, as the horses need a bit of light to walk safely down the narrow pathway in front of them. The road that fades off into darkness seems to lead downwards along the side of the mountain.
"Let's go meet Norgins."
"Let's go meet Norgins."
Realising she has pushed her luck to it's limits already Blacky sulkily watches the goblins leave. Taking a moment she looks around the area around the mouth of the cave trying her hardest to gain some sort of clue as to where she might be.
Perception (1d20+6=25)
Knowledge: Planes (1d20=17)
After she's had a look around she slinks back into the cave and tries to work out if she has a way to get back without using the amulet. If not she finds herself a hiding spot and waits.
Blacky listens as the wagon starts up and clatters down the dark mountain path. The noises of the horses' hooves soon fade off into the distance, and Blacky is alone in the cave.
Even with Blacky's cat vision seeing any distance is hard. There is literally no stars, moon, or any type of light outside. Blacky can hear rustlings and growls off in the distance, one was definitely a cougar of some sort. Hawks and eagles occasionally scream from the air as well.
Blacky ponders her dilemma, looking at the cave closely as the night wears on. It is a normal cave, and underneath the goblin grafitti there are angular runes that look Dwarven carved into the rock as well. The cave is unremarkable, a typical limestone cave with stalagtites and stalagmites scattered about. It is functionally one big oval room about 100 feet in diameter, and doesn't seem to have any other caves connecting to it. There is a rough alcove in the far corner that Blacky assumes is where the portal came into being, as they like to attach to doorways.
Blacky remains pondering as the night wears on. Tiredness overwhelms her and she takes a 'cat nap' in a dark corner of the cave. She starts awake as the light in the cave begins to increase. She heads out of the cave to get her first good glimpse of her surroundings.
There is no sun here. Much like Sigil, the light is directionless and just springs into being gradually from all areas. Blacky is on the side of a mountain, as she had deduced earlier. A rutted track leads from the cave down the side of the mountain. Blacky can see it joins with another track below that follows a saddle pass through the surrounding mountains. Far below her, a verdant green valley opens up, surrounded by several high peaks. A large waterfall graces the edge of the valley, and a large river rolls through the middle of it. Blacky can see that the peaks march all around this area, with their height increasing in one direction until they all fade together into a huge mountain chain. Past this forbidding mountain range, Blacky sees nothing except a pencil-thin object that reaches to the sky. Blacky cannot see the top of it.
To the best of her knowledge, Blacky would guess that she is somewhere in the Outlands, and the thin object she sees in the distance is the famous Spire, upon which Sigil spins.
Marion looks puzzled. She mutters under her breath a bit.
"So my good Prime, what exactly are yeh fishing fer? I got no chant on Salt, or any cutters who rattled their bonebox about Salt anywhere near my earholes. All I know is that yeh stay on Salt too long yeh BECOME salt. That's why a body should get some protection, less yeh want to end up as jerky."
Zigel's ears picks up from browsing the items he had long ago given up any hope the shop keep knew anything useful to them. He smiles to himself as he hears karrin go on and on about selling back gear blunt cutter she was. fainly he walks back over to the shop keep and karrin
"Well dear Marion ya' has to over look karrien shes a clueless still, Barmy some peaks i'll tell ya that"
He shoots karrien a charming smile and winks
"we'll take there gear,and should someone have a loose bonebox we'll willing to pay for what chant ya have there too. As for staying in salt ..ahug barmy swig that is. Addle cove goblin's and all. The lass has it right about selling ya gear and if ya bar ya bonebox about ever seeing us this peck we got a little extra jink to send ya way.."
Zigel looks at the snail
" And cutter just what does that eat anyhow "
After tiring of the novel stenches at Boneyard Pond, Eir and Ffethpaar decide to inquire about Mr. Norgins in the Marble District. The easiest (and safest) way to go is Whisper Way.
The hour approaches Antipeak. The streets are crowded with beggars, bubbers, two-Green jinkskirts, and street vendors selling all manner of food cooked over trash fires in the street. The Cage Fog has risen up again, and the intrepid duo travels warily through the cottony evil-smelling haze.
The street turns a corner by a large decrepit tavern. An aged sign announces it's name as the Butcher's Block with a headsman's axe and block emblazoned on the sign. As the two walk by, a ragged-looking man is tossed out the front door by a large scowling ogre, a swell of amused laughter echoing behind him. The bubber hits a large puddle in the street and screams suddenly, his form shifting and stretching and sinking into the brown water. The ogre turns back to the tavern and you hear him shout to the patrons
"Step lively when you leave berks! One a' them Ooze portals is right outside in the big puddle. Grubber wuz nice enough to test it fer us."
You hear another gout of laughter at this announcement from the ogre.
Just past the tavern is another building, one of the nicest kept you've seen since you came to this ward. It is patched up well, and the razorvine growing on it looks like it is kept in check. A cheerily-colored sign proclaims it as Allesha's Pantry. There is no light coming from the ground floor, although a candle burns in an upper window. A few bubbers snore around the entrance, which has a big sign announcing breakfast at the first hour of Before Peak.
Another tavern comes into view, this one markedly different from the rough-cut one you passed earlier. A large sign above the door has one word scrawled on it in crude calligraphy: Zero. From within you can hear the tattoo of a set of bongos being played and a loud voice shouting out some non-rhyming verse:
Sod's think you need to strive
Cullys lie bleeding in the Lady's Ward
Were all figments of lies trapped in an uncaring cosmos
If I thought it'd improve things I'd commit suicide
You can see a alrge group of black-clad patrons inside drinking silently as the depressing poet rants on while beating a bongo drum.
The buildings start to improve a bit after you pass the weird tavern. The Marble District is what passes for an exclusive district in the Hive. There are still plenty of loiterers and rustlers on the street, but they seem to be the better class. One fat drunken bubber dressed in fairly decent tunic and hose propositions Eir as they walk by, then gets a look at Ffethpaar, blanches, and staggers away.
You finally approach Norgins' kip. The building is nice, made of marble stained brownish from the sooty Cage rain. No lights are on, and there is a courtyard wall that separates the building from the street. The rusty solid-iron gate is shut. An exploratory tug on it confirms that it is bolted for the night.
Marion smiles at Zigel, taking him for a blood rather than a Clueless. She leans into him and whispers so that Karrin can't hear.
"Yeh got ta lann yer lemon friend here the straight chant cutter. She can't go rattlin' her bonebox at every sod she meets looking fer the dark o' things. She'll end up bobbed, peeled, brainsnatched and humpin' in a two-Green crib in the Hive if yeh don't square her away. Can't let a fresh-faced Prime walk around like that, even with that soddin' big axe."
Marion smiles at the mention of her snail
"Thrasher's a big baby. He wants fresh Arborean lettuce, don't yeh darlin'?"
Marion looks over at Kratos
"I tell yeh that's a fine Bullhound too, cutter. I like dogs as well, but the snails are my true fancy."
The two of you discuss prices
Any beggars in the vicinity of Norgins' kip?
If so I want to interview them.
If not, then surveil.
Marion smiles at Zigel, taking him for a blood rather than a Clueless. She leans into him and whispers so that Karrin can't hear.
"Yeh got ta lann yer lemon friend here the straight chant cutter. She can't go rattlin' her bonebox at every sod she meets looking fer the dark o' things. She'll end up bobbed, peeled, brainsnatched and humpin' in a two-Green crib in the Hive if yeh don't square her away. Can't let a fresh-faced Prime walk around like that, even with that soddin' big axe."
The two of you discuss prices
"We'll cutter i'm trying keeping that one out of the deadbook is about like peeling a power...it can be done..maybe."
Any beggars in the vicinity of Norgins' kip?
If so I want to interview them.
If not, then surveil.
Eir and Ffethpaar cast about looking for any loafers around the street. As they look around, a trio steps into the small side street that Norgins' kip is located on. A small ugly man with thin hair and a squinty eye walks between a thin dark man and a large hulking figure, from his size most likely of giantkin blood. The small man is slightly staggering, grining and slurring his words to the two others.
" ... an' did yeh shee the look on that berk's face when Fizzgig cracked the coconut with his skull? Soddin' priceless it was I ... Oi! What's this?"
The small man becomes aware of Ffethpaar and Eir.
"Whart're yeh two berks doin' bangin' 'bout me kip?"
You and Marion dicker, then settle on seven pairs of goggles and seven bottles of lotion for 150 GP.
Kratos sniffs Thrasher warily as Marion boxes up your purchase.
"Pleasure doing business with the two of yeh cutters. Best of luck in the big Salt. Keep a peery eye out for cross-trading with the gobbos, it's like a religion with 'em."
Marion shakes both their hands and pets Kratos' head. Aside to Karrin she mutters.
"Keep yer yobs peeled for cross-tradings my young lemon. Don't trust a body in this rotten burg 'till yeh get squared away with the chant. A fresh-from-the-Prime bint is like a sack o' jink in some quarters here."
Greep remains quiet and observant of the neighborhood of Crackskull Close for a couple of hours. He saw the salt seller Svarnark go into the subterranian stair opening, and he has seen other goblins coming and going on various errands. A wagon pulled away about 15 minutes after he last saw Swift and headed out into the Lower Ward. Greep could see that it was filled with salt, and two goblins sat at the board. The warehouse with the stylized broken claw on it sees a bit of activity with goblins coming and going a few times, often with a load of (what Greep assumes to be)salt slung over their shoulders in burlap sacks.
Antipeak arrives and still no sign from Swift that she is returning. Greep begins to get anxious.
Ffethpaar is not happy to see so much begging going on. He has been deep in thought since leaving Sil. The sordid nature of this work is starting to dawn on him. Before talking to the beggars, he asks Eir:
"Who is this Norgins we were trying to see?"
Marion shakes both their hands and pets Kratos' head. Aside to Karrin she mutters."Keep yer yobs peeled for cross-tradings my young lemon. Don't trust a body in this rotten burg 'till yeh get squared away with the chant. A fresh-from-the-Prime bint is like a sack o' jink in some quarters here."
Karrin nods, "sure thing miss Marion," she says with an innocent looking smile, "Kratos is trying to help me but I just don't have the chant yet."
"Who is this Norgins we were trying to see?"
"Pettigue's replacement."
"Whart're yeh two berks doin' bangin' 'bout me kip?"
"Hello sir, we're from the ale and chat benevolence society."
Eir does the cloak pull away so everyone can be sure that she's armed.
"I buy, you chat. Interested?"
Greep is getting very concerned about Blacky's absence, but he understands that she must decide when to sneak in or out of the warehouse. He keeps watching. If he doesn't see hide nor hair of Swift soon, he is considering sneaking close enough to listen to the gobbos.
It is a few hours before Antipeak . As the two intrepid heroes leave the outfitting store, they can see that the Great Bazaar beyond Grimnock Lane is in full swing. The streets are thronged with late night shoppers and merchants of all stripes.