Snorey also tries to look menacing... and fails at it in the cutest way possible.
As others arrive and Alistair calls him on his bluff, the halfling looks over at the children and then the doors. It is quite clear that he is assessing the situation, perhaps wondering if he can make it to the doors or maybe to a kid for a hostage.
After a moment, he looks back at Alistair. His voice loses much of it's childish tone, "That giggling idiot half orc and Frumpypants are what? Run off? Tied up? Dead?" He points at the double doors to the outside, "Howzabout I tell ya where to find Lamm and what pets he's got there, then you let me walk out those doors? That old bastard's not worth dying for, but I ain't going back to prison."
The oni draws back his bow string and takes aim at the halfling and says in a gruff voice, "Howzabout you talk first and then we decide if the information is worth your life?"
The halfling puts his hands in the air. "Ok, ok! Lamm lives in a room below us. Only Yargin - the "diva" - dealt directly with him, not us. Yargin usually goes in his office to talk to the geezer and pass him meals. Other than that, we'd lower the bad kids down through the opening in the main floor." He indicates the large room you are coming from. "Said it was to feed Gobblegut, his pet alligator."
"What's in that room?" Garran asks, pointing his sword towards the other set of doors leading to the room they haven't been to yet.
Alistair stares long and hard at the Halfling after he talks about feeding kids to the alligator. Maybe we should feed you to that alligator...or better yet....let us see what he has to say first.
He listens as the Halfling tells all that he knows about Lamm. He lifts his blade up and
touches his shirt around the area of the hidden blade.
Nice and easy...why not take that out and toss it over to my friends. Along with anything else you have. You can have them back when all is down and over with.
After the Halfling disarms himself.
Now please answer the question.
The halfling pulls out a wicked looking kukri and tosses it on the ground near all of you and then puts his hands back up.
"See? I'm cooperating. I can be helpful. Other side of that door is the front room - just a desk for greeting customers. Beyond that is our bunks and Yargin's office. Only ones up here other than these brats," he gestures towards the kids and then catches himself with mock concern, "I mean... poor unfortunate children, is me, Giggles, Yargin, and our guard dog Bloo. So, hey, you won. Go kill Lamm. Hell, feel free to make the geezer suffer, that's all fine to me. So we good? Can I go now?"
Garran turns and walks toward the doors to the office. "There are no traps in here to be concerned about? Yargin's office leads down to Lamm, yes?"
"I've never been in Yargin's office, so I have no idea what's in there. I just know he talks to Lamm and takes him his meals there. That's all I know, honest! Otherwise, out there, there's just a boring desk and some stinky beds."
As the Gnome continues to talk, Alistair watches him closely. He glances over at the children and then motions for one of his companions to pick up the discarded weapon. He also nods his head towards the other door, hoping that another companion will cover that door as well.
Children....just children....feeds them to an alligator. This one is not leaving here alive.
He looks down at the Gnome and motions him to move to the middle of the room.
Why not drop anything else you are carrying. All of it...
After the gnome gives up anything else he may or may not be hiding and all weapons are out of reach, He looks to his companions for anymore questions. If there are no more questions.
Turn him over to the authorities...or....
He lets the words fade as his intentions are plain to see.
It would appear that we have no more use for you. So from our end you are free to go....but
Alistair points his weapon towards the children.
....they may have something to say about your freedom.
He nods at the children
This gnome deserves justice and he has wrong each of you. His life is for you to do with as you wish. Deliver justice yourselves...delegate that task to another...or feed him to the Alligator.
Alistair steps back and keeps his back to the door..waiting.
It would appear that we have no more use for you. So we will tie you up and keep you here until the authorities arrive. You can argue all you want but I just may get a bit tired of you lip and toss you to the alligator myself. Your choice.
Edita watches the scene, trying to make sense of it without the help of the spoken words...
"This man, just like Lamm, is scum. He's no better than him and deserves nothing better than him."
As the conversation moves to a close, the Oni sees Alistair is of a like mind. The Oni nods at Alistair and fingers his blade, silently giving his consent to do justice here and now.
Garran had no particular care for the halfling - so long as he got Lamm, the fate of the halfling didn't matter to him. He suspected some of the others were in favor of killing him, and if they did, so be it. No skin off his back.
Garran opens the doors into the office to see what's in there.
We should turn him over to the guard. We are better than those criminals and should act as such. Please...
With a glance of hope Edita stays aside nevertheless, trusting that the others have to choose for themselves.
Seeing that the majority of the group is leaning in the same direction as Alistair. He begins to speak up about the future of the gnome when Edita makes her case. Alistair's voice is low and calm but there is anger just under the surface that is barely being kept in check.
turn him in....hmmm...that would be the just thing to do correct? Justice....She was just trying to feed the children. These men killed my sister and left her on the streets to bleed out...where was your justice then...hmm where was it. We are all victims of Lamm and those that work for him. While these children are victims as well. Victims of him... He points at the Gnomeoh and not to mention the victims that you fed to that damn alligator...
Alistair looks from Edita to the gnome and then to the children.
He nods at the children This gnome deserves justice and he has wronged each of you. His life is for you to do with as you see fit. Deliver justice yourselves...delegate that task to another...feed him to the Alligator..or what ever you wish. It is your choice.
Editas face leaves no sign wether Alistairs words have touched her at all. She remains calm and collected and seems to wait on something.
For just a second, Snorey snarls and shows his teeth to Alistair until Edita shoves him behind her back with a quiet "Silent!".
The children look at Alistair confused. One of them meekly speaks up, "You - you w-want us to kill him? He's a bad, bad man but I've never killed no one, sir. We jus' steal stuff. If we kill him, will you help us get home? I miss my family."
As Garran (and any others once you are done with the halfling) explores the other rooms, there is a front room, a small room with two bunk beds, and Yargin's office.
Front Room: A single desk sits in the middle of this room, with a moldy chair pushed up against it. A small pile of ratty furs and straw is heaped under the desk, likely the bed of the horrifying dog you fought earlier.
Barracks: A pair of bunk beds sit against the far wall of this room on either side of a boarded-over window.
Yargin's Office: A wooden desk sits in one corner of this room, its side preventing the western door from opening all the way. The table is heaped with dozens of slate boards covered with chalk scrawls, while to the east a cabinet slouches against the wall.
Garran stalked through each of the rooms, looking for the door to Lamm, then went through them again, more slowly. Yargin talked to Lamm somehow, and Garran was determined to find out how - because that would lead to his blade separating Lamm's head from the rest of him.
Alistair looks at the monkey for just a bit as the creature attempts to be threatening. He smiles at the monkey.
A little salt and pepper and you would taste just like chicken.
Alistair was hoping that the children would take up his offer to beat the Gnome into oblivion. They deserved to have some revenge for what was done to them. Alistair was thinking that there is still some innocence and good left in these children, that these veil men have not destroyed the good that is left in them.
His voice is soft and gentle.
Children, I will not force you to do anything that you do not want to. I will not force you to kill this thing. He will meet justice one way or another. We will make sure you get home.
Alistair waits as Garran searches the other rooms. He does look at the Gnome and decides it is best that they tie him up. for now that is.
This is so that you do not get yourself into trouble. Once we are done I will untie you.
Garran found the trapdoor, but he could tell someone would either have to impersonate Yargin, or he would have to smash his way through.
Going over to Alistair, Garran says, ”You seem to have a way with words. Could you impersonate Yargin and get Lamm to open the door?”
Alistair shrugs his shoulders.
I could give it a try but I do not see it working.
He nods towards the area the gnome mentioned. The area where they would lower children down.
Maybe there is a way to get to him through there. Down that hole our good friend here pointed out.
He nods at the gnome.
Edita searches the office thoroughly in the hope, that she would find any clues that help with Lamm.
The Oni checks the bonds on the halfling, making sure that there is no chance to break free. Satisfied, he heads to see if he can assist Garran in anyway.
"So close to Lamm... Soon you will be avenged."
The halfling is tied up , and you have found a very narrow trap door (allegedly) directly to Lamm's room, or there is the way by going around the outside and trying to see if there is an external entrance (since it's unlikely an old guy like Lamm crawls up and down through this trap door IF he ever actually leaves).
Mivaela spits on the tied up halfling and joins the rest of the group. "Whatever you all decide is fine with me. I just want to get our vengeance and make Lamm feel fear before he feels death."
"Shall we try to see if there's an external entrance we can use?"
"I would second our search for a second entrance. He's probably heard us by now and we should cut off his easiest means of escape."
I agree that he has heard us by now but just to be safe..let us move something over top of the trap door. To prevent him from fleeing this way if we find another way in.
Alistair starts to look around the inside of the building for a way down to the lower level
Garran motions to the Oni to help him move the desk over the trap door to prevent Lamm's escape, then sets about going to search the outside of the building, looking for another door.
"Lamm's escape route won't be in here - it will be on the outside. Let's look for it out there."
Alistair follows the others outside.
Edita finds all sorts of records on slates and scrolls about ordinary business at the Fishery. However, in a secret compartment on the underside of the desk, she finds the real ledger. It is written in a code that can't be immediately understood, but the records do look highly detailed.
Garran and the One then slide the desk over so that one of the legs sits on the trap door, and Alistair cannot find any other means to get to the lower level other than dropping through the opening in the main fishery floor into the water.
As everyone starts to move around the outside, a few slip and stumble on the steep slope unfortunately making a decent amount of noise. Getting down to the water level, it becomes apparent that there is another walkway leading from the ship to a door on a lower level of the fishery. However, this walkway is constantly splashed with water, making it quite slippery.
Mh... Maybe this here could be interesting once we deciphered it. Edita puts the ledger into her backpack and readies herself to follow the others.
Snorey suddenly fixates something in the water, points at it and lets out high-pitched screams before Edita manages to calm him down.
Sh... it's fine! Mommy's here. Did you notice something frightening in the water? We take care... don't worry little one.
He is afraid. There must be something threatening in the water. Snorey is no ordinary monkey. He wouldn't panic just for gull or so. Maybe we should still use the trapdoor?
Alistair tries to focus on what the little monkey was upset with.
There is something in the water all right..look there...something large. I do not think we should do any swimming...but why is it so close to shore.
Garran looks at Alistair and says, "The halfling did say they fed children to an alligator."
Garran looks about the water, trying to find the large creature the monkey and Alistair had noticed.
Then maybe it is better if we take the inside way nevertheless... just to much to do to get eaten by an alligator you know.
Watching longer and looking closer, the large creature looks to be a jigsaw shark! This breed of shark is not as large as some that stay out in the ocean depths, but are still fierce and can swim up into rivers in search of food. The shore must drop off rather quickly for it to come this close, but seeing the underside of the Fishery above, with the repulsive fish guts that seeped through the floorboards, it's not surprising it would find this spot a nice feeding spot.
It may be possible to stay close to the building and climb onto the walkway to avoid the shark. It seems to be circling lazily waiting for a meal than particularly enraged.
So where to then? I am not to keen on becoming dinner for a shark.
This rotting den of a building is full of dead fish, right? Why don't we dump a load of it into the waters - far enough from us but near enough to the shark to distract it... While it feasts, we could enter the buildung safe and sound.
"I cannot find any fault with that plan. One of us should keep watch here to make sure Lamm doesn't escape while we collect the fish to distract the shark."
"Agreed. That should help keep us from being eaten while go after him. Let's get some fish."
Garran turns around and heads to go gather up some fish to throw into the water for the shark.
There is plentiful fish guts and unidentifiable semi-rotten seafood of some sort to dump into the water. The shark goes into a feeding frenzy that looks like it will last a while.
"That should keep the shark busy. Shall we meet our justice on to Lamm?"
"Yes. We shall."
Garran strides forth, through the waters, heading to the platform and the door.