"Given that Eliath ended up moving on to another idea, I'm guessing this isn't the right gate for what he was looking for anyway," Nari whispered, looking around nervously.
"Exactly," Karrin nods, "but something what if this is the gate . . . you know who is using, it would help to spy it out in case we need to come back."
As the group at the Silver Rose sups, Renkar appears at the common room, Mercutio draped over his shoulders. He strides over and sits down
"So folks, how went the investigations?"
The Hive group peers down the alleyway at the Butcher's Block.
It's a filthy place, reeking of nightsoil and urine. A few squats of splintered wood and cheap cloth are erected along the stained walls. A loud racking cough can be heard from one. As they stare, the contents of a chamberpot come from a few stories up and splash into the large puddle that dominates the center of the alley.
The rain hisses down. Suddenly, a dim form materializes behind the party.
"Ain't a noice nite for noice wimminfolk such as yer ladyships to be out and about. Can I assist yeh>"
Karrin turns to look at the stranger.
"Maybe you can," Karrin says cautiously, "we're looking for a hiver named Torm. He's supposed to crash around here."
Although Karrin doesn't outwardly appear ready for a fight, a trained warrior would note that her hand rests on her axe, her feet are slightly spread . . . needing only to angle them to move into the high guard, and her eyes watch the stranger's eyes. Karrin appears calm and relaxed but she could still explode into violence in a moment's notice.
As the group at the Silver Rose sups, Renkar appears at the common room, Mercutio draped over his shoulders. He strides over and sits down
"So folks, how went the investigations?"
"Pretty well, boss. We got some leads on Eliath's kip from Talesar at the Society. From there we split up: the four of us to the Clerk's Ward via the Hive to look up his kip while Karrin, Merle and Naridre went to the soup kitchens. We got jumped by the Bottle and Jug by a couple o' spivs and a spellcaster. Peak hour robbery/murder, no demands for jink or nothing and the spellcaster didn't want us seein' his or her face. I'm thinkin' there's a berk out there what doesn't want Eliath found."
"Anyhow, we dealt with 'em like the hardy mercenary bloods that befit your prestigious organization, though the spellcaster got away after his monkey tore into me and got a face full of Justin's specialty. We were a bit... over-enthusiastic in taking down the spivs, so there weren't any leads to be had out of it. We passed a tavern in the Clerk's, though and we saw a cutter what looked just like the one Karrin and the rest of these bloods saw penned in the deadbook when they met the Chaosmen the other night. I tried to get some chant out of him, but he seems to think he's a Clueless and just joined the Fated. He got nervous to my barmy act, though, so there may be more to it. We know where he's stayin'. So our suspicions may be right: Eliath could be among the quick."
"So, his landlady wouldn't let us into his kip unless a hardhead was with us, so we had to get Measure Mirrebeau involved. His kip weren't turned out, so the abduction angle didn't pan out. His journal mentioned a few books and planar sages he was researching and where he was headed for 'em. Brimstone's books and Ragpicker's Square. It was a little late for another jaunt through the Hive and we figured it best to trade the chant with our comrades given this new development so we came back after that."
Stuff...
Bethany still looks bewildered trying to follow Isaac's description in Cager Chant. She obviously gets the gist of what he's saying, but the finer details shoot the breeze straight over her head and out the door.
"errr... yeah, what Isaac said," she adds, wanting to seem as if she's contributing.
rundown ..
Renkar ponders.
"Well, it seems the job has become a little more complicated than a simple hide and seek. If someone's trying to pen you in the dead book that brings the threat up a bit."
Renkar ponders more
"I think you did the right thing, and we'll hope that the others have found some more information. If we are messing up someone's plans they might feel the need to silence us before the slaad's out of the sack. Let's wait for the others and get a fresh start once we gather all the clues together."
Renkar signals Ramona
"A pot of coffee, one of tea, Some sliced beef and mustard, and an apple pie for my frined Mercutio if you please Ramona."
Mercutio launches of Renkar's shoulders and hovers exitedly, flapping his orange-and-black wings
"Apple pie Apple PIE!"
Karrin turns to look at the stranger.
"Maybe you can," Karrin says cautiously, "we're looking for a hiver named Torm. He's supposed to crash around here."
Although Karrin doesn't outwardly appear ready for a fight, a trained warrior would note that her hand rests on her axe, her feet are slightly spread . . . needing only to angle them to move into the high guard, and her eyes watch the stranger's eyes. Karrin appears calm and relaxed but she could still explode into violence in a moment's notice.
Karrin can see the man is a typical Hiver. He is dressed in a patchwork of faded clothing, and is unshaven, with a scraggly beard crawling across his sallow face. He does have a sturdy belt with a largish knife scabbarded in it. He gives Karrin, the once-over and smiles, revealing a gap-toothed grin with more gaps than grin.
"Well, seems I recalls a berk by the name o' Torm. Fancy how thirstyness can make yeh forgetful."
The sallow man scratches himself.
"We might have a couple of coins," Karrin says without shifting her stance, "but I don't take kindly to sneaks or people who deliberately waste my time. Might be in your best interest if you convince me that you're doing neither of these two things."
Karrin flexes her mitt causing the leather and metal to creak and groan menacingly.
"We might have a couple of coins," Karrin says without shifting her stance, "but I don't take kindly to sneaks or people who deliberately waste my time. Might be in your best interest if you convince me that you're doing neither of these two things."
Karrin flexes her mitt causing the leather and metal to creak and groan menacingly.
The man backs off, hands up
"Oh, no disrespect yer worship, I was jest sayin' that I might know Torm, but I 'members better wif a stinger or two in me palm. Now, I don't wants no trouble, so I'll tell yeh straight up he's in the area, an I can leads yeh to him. As me sainted grannma used ta say: 'Silver shines on the darks best.'"
"Well that's a start" Merle then hands the man 5 gold coins "Remember anything else now?"
"Well that's a start" Merle then hands the man 5 gold coins "Remember anything else now?"
The man makes the golden Ladies disappear so quickly you'd be hard pressed to say he even had them in his possesion. He bows low to Merle
"Yeh're a roight generous cutter, m'lady. Torm is down the alleyway. Check the red box with a tin roof and that's his usual kip. Yeh'd better get the jump though, more'n likely he'll be out panhandling and bubbing soon. A good Antipeak to yeh ladies!"
With that the sallow man scrambles off into the rainy dark, grinning ear-to-ear
"That was a waste of 4 and a half gold," Karrin mutters, not quite to herself, "and for a copper's worth of information."
I need to teach these berts about bribing Karrin thinks to herself, I'm sure I could have got that information for free!
"Well let's check this place out," says to her companions, "see if we can spot any obvious markings or anything."
Justin smirks at Lady Bethany's obvious ignorance at Isaac's command of the local lingo, But it is a good natured smug grin, not his usual superior smirk. With a full stomach and spiced ale warming his toes, he is just too blasted happy to be his usual sarcastic self. So it with unusual self-control that he holds his tongue and makes no snide comments. INstead choosing to finish his last swig of mulled ale.
"Sounds good to me boss." Justin replies happily to Renkar's suggestion that they wait and compare notes with the others.
"I'm not sure exactly what a Slaad is, But it SOUNDS like something that should kept in a sack!" Justin murmurs softly aside to any who care to listen.
The lanky caster props his feet up on an empty chair, and begins filling a pipe pulled from the depths of one of his pockets.
"Isaac, and Mr. Renkar, I'm not as familiar with the Hive as I maybe should be for this. Is being ambushed in broad 'peak' on a major street a common occurrence there? Obviously the gang COULD have just been looking for an easy purse, although if WE looked easy, I need to cultivate a new image!" He smirks as he lights his pipe with a flicker of flame from one finger. He puffs a couple of times, looking positively blissful, and continues.
"Obviously, the gang was put up onto us by the caster. But why?!? SO far all we have are a few tantalizing tidbits, and several half-baked theories! To go to all the trouble to remove people permanently, you'd think that we had found, or were at least CLOSE to finding the answers! But the caster pulled out an hell-spawn Ape, something I'm not even sure I could summon yet. But he didn't hang around to try to fry us with another spell, he just ran away invisible." He stops, takes another puff, then look sat Isaac and Renkar incredulously.
"You don't think that whole setup was just to give us a Warning, do you? Bit over-the-top, don't you think?" He asks, puffing his pipe as he contemplates. "I don't suppose he was wearing any easily-identifiable item or symbol you may have noticed before he vanished? It would be nice if he would give us something to go on for all that trouble."
After a bit he looks sheepish, and says to everyone at the table,
"Look, I,... Uh, just want to say that I'm not used to group strategies. I've had my share of fights since I landed here, but usually it's been me against one to half a dozen thugs. My usual strategy is to blast first, and ask questions later. To be honest, it didn't even occur to me to try to capture one of the gang for questioning. And I was so intent on taking them out quickly, I burnt through most of my more powerful spells before I even realized that we had been flanked by the caster and his organ-grinder ape." He frowns.
Justin shrugs, and grins self-deprecatingly. "All's well that ends well. But I'll plan better for group dynamics in the future." He adds and puffs on his pipe.
Isaac rolls himself a cigarette, letting Justin talk and (mostly) answer his own questions. He takes a puff and blows the smoke languidly through his nostrils.
"A berk can get bobbed or peeled in the Hive Peak or Antipeak. Not a Hardhead, a Guvner or the Red Death in sight. Mostly it happens in the Antipeak hours and not in front of a crowd. Our spellslinger was peery with their face and their loyalties; just a black robe and a cowl so no notions there. Let my handle slip to them Dustmen at Caritas the other night. Bone-boxes tend to rattle, could have found its way up to Toranna's ears, I'll wager."
"I reckon we're on to a game o' slaad an' modron. The spivs and the ape were to test our limits, see if we were legit. I'd even bet another cross-trader had his eyes parked on the whole thing, 'sides the spellslinger. We'll see 'em again, like as not in greater force."
"Bring 'em on."
Nari watched warily as they walked down the alleyway. Karrin seemed to know what she was doing, and Nari was glad to defer to her. She'd about used up her day's supply of courage already.
"Isaac, and Mr. Renkar, I'm not as familiar with the Hive as I maybe should be for this. Is being ambushed in broad 'peak' on a major street a common occurrence there? Obviously the gang COULD have just been looking for an easy purse, although if WE looked easy, I need to cultivate a new image!" He smirks as he lights his pipe with a flicker of flame from one finger. He puffs a couple of times, looking positively blissful, and continues.
Renkar nods
"It is strange that you were attacked by a group in the Peaklight hours, especially at the Gatehouse Night Market. Most knights of the post don't go in for group bashing, and casters hanging about for support isn't exactly a common thing. My feeling is is that we've stumbled upon something that someone wants kept dark. "
Renkar begins slicing up some beef slices and popping them into his mouth.
"My instinct is to keep going on the investigation until we find out the real dark of things. It might be beyond our original charter, but if there is some sort of independent entity spying on the factions, that piece of dark could be worth plenty to the right buyer."
Nari watched warily as they walked down the alleyway. Karrin seemed to know what she was doing, and Nari was glad to defer to her. She'd about used up her day's supply of courage already.
The narrow alleyway is peppered with small makeshift shacks. A faded red crate with a tin roof swims into view, slightly drier than the rest thanks to being built under an overhang of the Butcher's Block. There is a rummaging sound coming from inside, and one ragged boot is visible from the entrance hole.
Bethany follows Justin's reasoning and finds it all sound, nodding along as she digests the food and sips the mead.
Once Isaac starts tot alk again however she appears totally lost, her head swivelling between him speaking and the mead in her hand, wondering how strong it was and if it had at all affected her facuties.
"My instinct is to keep going on the investigation until we find out the real dark of things. It might be beyond our original charter, but if there is some sort of independent entity spying on the factions, that piece of dark could be worth plenty to the right buyer."
She turns and smiles at Renkar as he finiahes his address. "Now that is definately something I understand sir. Information is worth it's weight and I agree with your assertation that we continue upon our chosen path."
The narrow alleyway is peppered with small makeshift shacks. A faded red crate with a tin roof swims into view, slightly drier than the rest thanks to being built under an overhang of the Butcher's Block. There is a rummaging sound coming from inside, and one ragged boot is visible from the entrance hole.
Merle decides to do the polite thing and Knock.
Merle decides to do the polite thing and Knock.
Merle bangs on the side of the old crate and there is a shriek from inside. A wild-looking berk tumbles out, dressed in typical Hive ragamuffin style. He brandishes a crude shiv made of what looks to be a sharpened hunk of old iron welded to a sawn-off broomstick handle.
"Gerrof! Wha' yeh doin' by me kip! Gods flog yeh, back off 'fore there's red ruin!"
Merle bangs on the side of the old crate and there is a shriek from inside. A wild-looking berk tumbles out, dressed in typical Hive ragamuffin style. He brandishes a crude shiv made of what looks to be a sharpened hunk of old iron welded to a sawn-off broomstick handle.
"Gerrof! Wha' yeh doin' by me kip! Gods flog yeh, back off 'fore there's red ruin!"
Merle although not really getting half of what he said seems to get the basic just of it and steps back slightly
"You must be Torm then I take it? we would like a quick word if that is okay?"
Justin merely nods at Isaac's, Renkar's and Bethany's words as he stares intensely at a spot in the air in front of him. He mutters aloud to himself.
"But what exactly have we found? We know what they're doing, we even have a vague notion of how, but who and why? We need at least one of those answers to solve this puzzle. What have we found that we don't even realize? I'm missing something,..." He mutters off, puffing on his pipe as if it might hold the answer. AFter a couple of minutes he looks back up at Isaac.
'Your would-be girlfriend. The one with pretty purple skull & sunburst? She's probably not the leader. BUT,... what if she's not only the receiver of not-quite-dead bodies, but the provider?" Justin sits up, suddenly excited.
"Think about it, she's in the perfect position to receive 'dead' barmies, and make sure that they don;t accidentally end up cremated for real. But how does she know which ones are for her to process, and which ones are normal business? The simplest way is if SHE's the one putting them on ice to begin with. then she simply goes to work, and waits for them to be delivered by the usual pickup crews, all nice and neat and legal. No obvious ties to her at all."
Justin looks at all the others with a big grin on his face. He looks at Isaac with a raised eyebrow.
"How good are you at tailing?,..."
"Damn good logic Justin. Reckon' we follow her to the next poor sucker? And what? Take'r out before it happens or just watch?"
"Girlfriend? C'mon, cutter, I'm spoken for. At least, as far as I know."
Isaac holds up his right hand, the ring finger of which bears a plain iron ring.
"And besides, she's more Drazek's type. What with the constant scowling and all. As far as tailing goes, cutter, you're asking the blood that spent his last few incarnations as a member of the animal kingdom. I can tail like I was born with one."
"You must be Torm then I take it? we would like a quick word if that is okay?"
Torm squints at Merle, then sees the others. He backs up warily, keeping the shiv up
"And who be you lot? What yeh want?"
...I can tail like I was born with one."
Renkar laughs
"Then I suggest after we talk with the others we get some rest and on the morrow you all attempt to trail this Toranna blood."
"Well I'm Merle and this is Seph, Nari and Karrin" She indicates each person as she speaks "We just want to talk to you about an argument you were having with a man named Eliath if that's okay with you?"
"Girlfriend? C'mon, cutter, I'm spoken for. At least, as far as I know."
Isaac holds up his right hand, the ring finger of which bears a plain iron ring.
"And besides, she's more Drazek's type. What with the constant scowling and all. As far as tailing goes, cutter, you're asking the blood that spent his last few incarnations as a member of the animal kingdom. I can tail like I was born with one."
Justin winks at Isaac and nods an exaggerated bow to Drazek as he accepts the complement.
"Good." He says to Isaac with a grin as he taps out his pipe and starts to refill it.
"To the best of our knowledge, the barmies are supposedly being killed at night. And I believe that Toranna works the day,... er, 'peak' shift? So that gives us tomorrow to try the bookstores and see if we can find a copy of this mysterious book that Eli was looking for, and then our animal friend can tail Ms. Tall, Dark and Spooky after she leaves work, and we'll see if she's putting the bodies down as well as processing them."
Justin lights his newly-packed pipe with another flicker of flame, and puffs happily. CLearly pleased with himself.
"Even if she's not tagging them, we'll be in the area, and hopefully we can catch whoever it is BEFORE he/she/it can 'kill' again."
"Well I'm Merle and this is Seph, Nari and Karrin" She indicates each person as she speaks "We just want to talk to you about an argument you were having with a man named Eliath if that's okay with you?"
The raggedy man spits on the filthy wet ground
"That barmy git? Barmier than a Spire god he is! Tried to sleep in me kip, found him curled up on me blanket! "Course I'm gonna pound on him! That don't make ME barmy! I wuz 'tectin me roights! I won't go back to the 'firmary! I'm cured!"
Torm's voice rises in a shriek as he crab walks down the alleyway away from the party.
I won't go back to the 'firmary! I'm cured![/b]"
"That's somewhat debatable." Merle mumbles under her breath before turning to the other two "Well I think it's safe to say this lead is a bust. just move on to the next thing?"
"That's somewhat debatable." Merle mumbles under her breath before turning to the other two "Well I think it's safe to say this lead is a bust. just move on to the next thing?"I won't go back to the 'firmary! I'm cured![/b]"
Nari nods. "Eliath must be a very good actor. Convincing everyone that he was barmy. I'm surprised we were able to fool him so easily. That worries me. What if he was only pretending to be fooled by us? If he knows we're on to him, and he doesn't want to be found out... Or maybe he does want to be found out. Maybe he got in over his head and needs help."
"We're taking the word of a barny that someone else was barny . . . does that not seem odd to you two?" Karrin asks, "Eliath might be a master of disguise and a master con man, or perhaps there's something else going on here, and maybe our witnesses are unreliable. I think we're still missing something or something. There's lots of stuff we don't know."
Nari nods. "Eliath must be a very good actor. Convincing everyone that he was barmy.
"Well lets be honest the people that declared him a Barmy are the same that said that fella we just talked to wasn't not really sure how much we can trust there standards around here."
Nari stops to consider Karrin's words.
"Perhaps Torm was threatened or paid off?"
"We're taking the word of a barny that someone else was barny . . . does that not seem odd to you two?" Karrin asks, "Eliath might be a master of disguise and a master con man, or perhaps there's something else going on here, and maybe our witnesses are unreliable. I think we're still missing something or something. There's lots of stuff we don't know."
Merle just gives a small shrug "Well anywhere else we should try?"
The alleyway begins to empty of the homeless bubbers that make it home. Nari spots a man she has fed at Allesha's Pantry, Green Garvek. Garvek, called green for a scaly skin of some odd fiendish origin starts when he sees the slender elf maid.
"Nari, by the Spire! You shouldn't be out this way in the Antipeak! Quick get to Allesha's! She'll protect you. There's evil all about this place."
The green-skinned bubber shuffles out of the alleyway into the pouring rain.
Karrin moves over to Torm's shelter to take a peek inside. If she can see the stonework floor or the walls behind by moving a few things she will.
"Good thinking Naridre," that is a possibility, "I want to visit the body we stumbled across yesterday."
Karrin moves over to Torm's shelter to take a peek inside. If she can see the stonework floor or the walls behind by moving a few things she will.
"Good thinking Naridre," that is a possibility, "I want to visit the body we stumbled across yesterday."
As Karrin moves towards Torm's kip the ragged man shrieks out
"THEIVES! CONY CATCHERS! GERROF ME KIP!"
He advances on Karrin waving his makeshift shiv.
Karrin glances in and sees a filthy blanket, a few crusts of bread, a clay jug with a stopper, and a crutch. The back of the kip is the stone of the Butcher's Block.
Torm screeches and comes up to Karrin, a wild look in his eyes. Some of the other alley folk start to gather, and a big orc peeks around the corner from the back courtyard, bucket of slops in hand.
Karrin moves the flat of her axe between herself and Torm.
"I'm not stealing your gink Torm," Karrin says, "I was looking for your friend."
Karrin moves the flat of her axe between herself and Torm.
"I'm not stealing your gink Torm," Karrin says, "I was looking for your friend."
"Karrin leave it" Merle actually hisses out
Nari steps in between Karrin and Torm, hands out to the side and open to show that she is not holding any weapons.
"Please accept our apologies. We were rude. However good our intentions may have been, we should have respected your space. As a gesture of our sincerity, would you be so good as to accept this small token?" she slowly reached into her belt pouch and pulled out three copper coins. "One from each of us."
"One from each of us."
Torm snatches at the verdegrised copper coins. He scowls at Karrin.
"That be me kip. Ain't much but it's me kip. Yeh stay clear o'me devilblood, fancy axe or no I'll shiv yeh good."
He backs off a bit, trying to keep all three of the party in view. A voice calls out from an onlooker.
"Shiv the devilspawn Tormy!"
The small crowd, sensing that the fight is defusing starts to wander off.
"To the best of our knowledge, the barmies are supposedly being killed at night. And I believe that Toranna works the day,... er, 'peak' shift? So that gives us tomorrow to try the bookstores and see if we can find a copy of this mysterious book that Eli was looking for, and then our animal friend can tail Ms. Tall, Dark and Spooky after she leaves work, and we'll see if she's putting the bodies down as well as processing them."
Renkar nods
"If she's part of a wider group, as your encounter in the Night Market suggests, she will possibly have to meet with someone to discuss plans. I would imagine that your investigations has stirred up the proverbial hellwasp's nest. I'd expect her to get spooked if she is actually a spy within the Dustmen faction. If she is caught out, she'll be grey-faced and tottering down the street with a number tattooed on her forehead within the week."
"She'll be grey-faced and tottering down the street with a number tattooed on her forehead within the week."
Bethany looks at Renkar with a peplexed look on her face. "Why would she paint her face grey and tattoo a number there? Is that some form of punishment?"
"She'll be grey-faced and tottering down the street with a number tattooed on her forehead within the week."Bethany looks at Renkar with a peplexed look on her face. "Why would she paint her face grey and tattoo a number there? Is that some form of punishment?"
Renkar smiles grimly
"No, my dear Lady Bethany, something else quite sinister. The Dustmen have a proclivity to animate corpses for labor, and although by Sigilian law they are limited only to bodies that sold the rights to them, troublemakers often end up zombified as well. I doubt anyone would complain since this Toranna is nominally a Dustman Factotum. They would consider it an internal matter."
Renkar takes a quick sip from his mug
"The forehead numbers are just a way for the Dustmen to identify individual zombies and skeletons, and also to show that the undead are licensed animated bodies, not the work of rogue necromancers."
Bethany wrinkles up her nose. "Undead... The Reptilians of House Charthaxix use them extensively, but they are not usually welcome in polite Harpy Society."
"I have also heard rumours that the Dusk Avariel worship some sort of Undead God, but other than Avarian Ambrosia I tend to not have much to do with any Avariel."
She finishes the last of her Mead and looks around at the others. "So should we wait for the others to return, or head off to get some rest and all meet up in the morning to discuss our finds?"