Kalvin, wearing his Paladin's tunic, bows low as he greets the innkeep.
"We thank you for your hospitality, m'lady," Kalvin responds as he and Grax open the door. "My name is Kalvin Theordos, this is my friend and brother-in-arms Graxton Soth, the finely wrapped mummy behind you is our resident Magician, Crux. The other two are new to our company, and I'll let them make their own introductions."
Graxton with a huge smile on his face, "Why thank you my dear Kalvin for the introductions." She slaps his arm onto Kalvin's shoulder and leaves it there.
Theandra is genuinely pleased to see and meet you all. "Welcome to my Inn. You know I was once a renegade adventurer like yourselves, even joined that mysterious Pathfinder Society; you may have heard about it once or twice. I so enjoy when doer's of daring are in my company -- I insist you join me for dinner tonight and, while there may not be a bard among you, I also insist you bring tales for the telling. In these troubled times, one needs to think of other things besides the poor king and the succession."
She smiles and you can see that though she is a bit matronly now, she would once have cut a strikingly beautiful figure in her more active years. It is mid-afternoon now, so a little ways until dinner time.
"Whatever assistance I (or my staff) can provide on your oh-so-secret mission for that dear Cressida Kroft, you need but ask!"
"My name is Lazlo Verrgaio, thank you for allowing us to stay in your establishment" Said Lazlo, his voice sounding genuine but with his grim tone, that could have been easily missed.
"It is my distinct pleasure, Lazlo. Verragaio you say, hmmmm...." she trails off, but eyes you sideways.
"I do know the butcher's shop. It's only a few blocks from here, and I heard it had re-opened recently. I know they have a holding pen for live animals around the back (a group of druids protested there a while back) and they have a basic storefront. I don't know what goes on in between, but I'm sure it's icky!. If you like I can have Par look into the place a bit and report at dinner."
She smiles indulgently. "I love being back in the game. How exciting, though I'm probably not the same hand with a rapier as I used to be..."
"I would be more than willing to help to knock that rust off and train you some. Perhaps some private sessions, Theandra?" Graxton says attempting to put on the charm. Diplomacy Check.
"Great, already losing my roommate," Kalvin says with a smile under his breath.
"The reconnaissance will not be necessary. We were waiting to meet with you before going there ourselves. Though if things go well, perhaps we will return by dinner. It we do, I am sure my companions will be willing to regal you with the tale of our adventure."
Theandra grins at Graxton's suggestion. "Perhaps we should at that... she winks at him lasciviously and turns to the others questions.
"I really don't know anything about the owners, but you could aak Par who noses around the neighborhood more than I do. He'll be downstairs at the bar. I, however, will be freshening up for tonight's dinner...and lesson."
She sweeps out of the room with gusto and descends heavily down the stairs, whistling to herself as she goes.
Tauk Par works behind the bar, his deft movements belie the size of him. Wide shoulders, thick neck, massive biceps, all are present in this huge man. He is friendly and peaceable enough as you approach however. If you ask about All the Worlds Meat, he beckons you to a quiet corner.
Graxton will not start the conversation thus waits at the back of the group, until the conversation is in full swing to attempt to help or interject.
Making his way to the bar in quick but non alarming strides, Lazlo turned his head to the left and right before he arrived, trying to catch a glimpse of any new customers or suspicious faces. Once he arrived he fixed Tauk with a hard, studious glance, and a stony, half hidden scowl that would be more at home on the face of a guard looking for a suspect than his own facade. The former noble placed his hand on the table that separated them with enough force to draw the large man's attention.
"I would like some information on 'All the Worlds Meat' place of business" Proclaimed Lazlo in a low, whisper like clear voice, as he kept his eyes focused on the giant of a barkeep.
The response of Tauk didn't surprise Lazlo, as he expected that if this information was of any importance, that they would not be discussing it where curious ears could easily pick up their conversation. Both men walked away from the hustle and bustle of the customers, leaving for an almost unnaturally quiet corner, that was not as well lit as the rest of the floor. When they've arrived, Tauk turned to him and asked what didn't he want to know.
"Anything and everything of consequence, will be helpful to our cause. We are here to protect Korvosa, and the information you provide us will most likely aid us in achieving that" Said Lazlo, his expression and stare unchanged from before "I realize that you may be reluctant in surrendering what you know, but you should understand that by helping us you also help yourself and your employer...you seem to be a man who have seen many things in his life, so I trust you'll arrive at the right decision" Continued the handsome, brown haired man, before crossing his arms in front of his chest. His expression changing slightly to incorporate the feeling of impatience.
Graxton follows along behind the two if not more of the group, he stands just off to make sure no one is perceiving the conversation.
Perception
"As you can tell we are trying to help give us a hand with this knowledge and we would easily be persuaded to help you with a situtation that might need some more bodies or muscle. " Graxton interjects after Lazlo.
Diplomacy aid in Gather information, perhaps his words fall on deft ears as prejudices arise again.
My apologies in on the road and only have my phone, I have a +7 in diplomacy when using it to gather information
Kalvin follows Tauk Par to the corner.
"Men like you are rare commodities, Tauk," Kalvin opens. "And rare commodities should not be wasted, so I'll not waste your time by mincing words. You deal in information and we need information, perhaps we can barter some future insights for present data. We need to know anything we can about what's going on at All the World's Meat, including who's running it, if they have an agenda and if the market is a front for anything. In return, we'll be sure to give you a heads up into anything we find out during our investigation, nothing the guard might hang us for, to be sure, but information that in the right hands could equal some gold for you. Sound like a fair trade?"
Tauk nods gravely agreeing to exchange his information for your future information. He then proceeds to spill what he know of the meat shop as described above.
When he finishes, he says:"I vill call on jew for more newz sometime, jew can be sure."
"Thank you Tauk." Graxton says in a humble way.
Once Tauk leaves, Graxton looks troubled with a furrowed brow, he asks the group, "So what are our plans now? Do we set it up that we want the mercenary group to work for us, it seems like they have been doing this for some time and are very organized?"
"Depends, how many of them there are to how many of us. If we think we can go in there in force, and handle ourselves, I vote for the straight forward method. But if we're heavily outnumbered and outequipped, then subterfuge will be necessary. Unfortunately, subterfuge is a tactic I must be cautious with. Bluffing and feinting in battle are one thing, even setting up an ambush against a superior force is acceptable if not necessarily smiled upon, but outright lying is against my code."
"Perhaps the thing to do would be to stake out the Meat Market, get an idea of Vanerksin's habits. Become regulars to the market until we know what his routine is. Then we could hire his mercenaries for an escort mission, reducing the size of Vanerksin's force, so that we could hit him at his weakest."
"That sounds like a good plan...if they are truly his only assets besides the guards that turned traitor with him" Lazlo crossed his arms in front of his chest "Don't forget that he has relations with a corrupt noble...a corrupt noble how utterly predictable" Green eyes shown with the fire of anger as Lazlo mentioned the noble The Arkona's...there had been a time when I could recount the names of all noble families in Eastshore by heart, but I've been too far away from them for far too long, but the name is familiar nonetheless The rage filled gleam in Lazlo's eyes transformed to a distant glance as he tried to remember anything he could about the Arkona family.
"Before we go Kalvin I would like to make something clear, whether you feel comfortable with lying to save this city is your own burden to bear, but should the time come to disfigure the truth of a matter to bring in the likes of this traitor or any other scum we are sent after, leave the knife and the task to me" With that Lazlo left the group to collect his equipment from his room, the grimness and determination was felt by both the tone of his voice and the unrelenting strides he made as he cut a path towards his sleeping quarters.
"That sounds like a good plan Kalvin, though do we have the time? Well we should have at least today and tomorrow to prep and see before acting. Marnos I think that is a smart idea to learn what we can of the building before even approaching it, you look down that avenue but be wary of the Arkona family. Tomorrow Kalvin and Lazlo should go in plain clothes to see what they can see. I and Crux can wait outside in case we are needed. What do you think?"
"I am fine with whatever is chosen, if anything I can pull the half-orc warpriest and see if they need some more muscle and healing." He grins and rests back in his chair.
Crux stays in the background and allows the martial types to make their plans.
The current lord, Glorio, has started a urban renewal project in Old Korvosa, leveling old decrepit tenements and leasing new spaces to poor and destitute, making him quite popular with the unwashed masses in the old city.
Kalvin turns to his companions.
"Be cautious with this group. Their generosity with the poor holds the hearts of the downtrodden who reside here and their leader's dalliances with the Arkona girl only reinforces this bond with the destitute. If we move against him in the open, we may find ourselves in the center of a riot."
The small shop is located at 22 Stirge Street, a few scant blocks from your Inn. The building appears to be fairly well maintained from the outside. A sign displaying the name of the store hangs from the front.
The building is mainly one story - no windows on the first floor, except a large display window in the front, which shows a table with odd assortments of meat displayed. Flies are heavy on that table at this hour. Through the window, you can see a long storefront counter, and an open door behind that.
There is a small second floor with 2 windows facing in each direction. This looks to be a small apartment or office of some kind. There is a fair distance between buildings here, so a rooftop landing would be difficult from any nearby structure. It could be climbed from the ground without too much difficulty it appears.
Traffic into the shop is light as you watch from the street, but it is late in the day. Only one or two customers enter and only one of those leaves with anything -- a small bag. The others leave empty handed.
The east side of the structure is surrounded by an 8ft palisade fence, which has a double gate in the southeastern portion. By the looks of things, this is where livestock is brought in for butchery. The gate is wide enough to pull a livestock wagon or trade cart through.
There are no signs of guards or barricades. To all appearances, this is a normally operating butcher's shop.
Kalvin left a few moments after Lazlo and Marnos. He disliked the idea of leaving the two of them on their own, in case things went poorly at the meat market. But he danger the concern, his presence could put the mission in. So, instead of doing nothing, he resolved himself to see if he could stir up a lead on his cousin's suddenly cold trail.
Walking down the street, Kalvin approached individuals as they passed my.
"Excuse me, I'm looking for my cousin." He'd open, hoping someone would stop and listen, perhaps with some information.
"I'm sorry to bother you, my Cousin Tomas has gone missing and I'm trying to find him."
He asked a young mother with her children as they passed.
"Have you seen a man, looks like me, but much thinner with brown hair and a bit of a limp?"
Of course haha.
Graxton will try to assist Kalvin... Diplomacy
"Please help my friend a moment is all we ask."
Some people are kind, and some are rude, and many just ignore you, but no one offers any information or help in finding the missing Tomas.
Eyes darting from left to right, up and down. Staring at surrounding buildings, the few people that walked about their desired area of surveillance and for any sign of outward activity. Lazlo understood the importance of this phase, he has more than once studied targets of his personal missions whether they were buildings or merchandise, it was the fact that he was working with someone that made him overly cautious and a bit on edge. While he didn't think Marnos wasn't capable of handling himself, he worried about how well they'd work together, especially since he had no experience when it came to teamwork We'll just have to find our common ground while we work Lazlo turned to face the bounty hunter as they got close to their destination.
"How do we go about this?
From the outside, on this evening, you don't gather any more information by watching then I've already told you. You can try to enter, or come back tomorrow, or try something completely different, but Lazlo and Marnos call the play.
Crux doesn't help ask after Kalvin's kin as he is concerned that his bandages would keep people from them.. He does stay close by though.
|
Marnos flicks his gaze over to Lazlo when Lazlo asks his question, then goes back to studying the building."We need to see inside: layout, guards, etc. I would suggest you pose as a noble while I act as your bodyguard. It won't look suspicious if I keep checking the place out as a bodyguard, and it would explain my weapons. Can you act as a noble?" Marnos can't help smirking at the last question as he knows Lazlo can do that."We will need a cover story."
A wistful expression came upon the usually stony face of Lazlo, his eyes appeared to be staring ahead, but what he was seeing was anything but what was ahead of him, his head swam in memories of his past, witnessing images of the many parties and events he's been into in the past. Faces filled with laughter, grins that hid ill intents, and endless pleasantries and forced greetings. Lazlo has attempted to keep a fair distance from such gatherings, especially after he supposedly saw the true face of these nobles. A now he had to once more revisit the role of a noble once more, a role he had not regretted leaving behind.
"I'll see what I can do" Answered Lazlo, as he took a breath a took a more regal, commanding and arrogance stance. The only thing unchanged was the scowl that usually found a home upon his face "Let us go bodyguard, we have much to do and little time to accomplish it in"
As if All the World's Meat were a normal shop, there is a sign out front and a little bell tinkles as the door opens into a mundane looking storefront. Only a few rough looking scraps of meat remain in the display case, perhaps indicating why patrons were leaving without purchases. It is late in the day, and fresh cuts are nearly spent.
While you wait, two men appear in the behind the front counter. Both are garbed in strange gear for butchers. With chain mail armor, longswords, and a crossbow and shield slung at the back, they look much more like soldiers than shopkeepers.
One of the men is tall with bushy eyebrows that merge into one above his large flat nose. The other is wheezy, out of breath, and his chainamil doesn't quite cover his ample frame. The tall man speaks:"Sold out t'day mate, best come back t'morra. We be closin' now, right?"
The men leave the door behind the counter open, and you can see it is a hallway of some kind with other doors at the far end and one at the near east side.
Indifference and pride were reflected in the eyes of Lazlo, it almost felt like he was looking past the two armed men that stood before, that they were not just unworthy his presence but even his attention, tilting his head slightly upwards and crossing his arms, only helped to enhance the effect. Stepping forward and looking about himself, while not giving a quick reply or indication that he even heard what the tall man had told him, helped complete the performance by adding a dash of arrogance.
"If I wanted to purchase food for my stores I wouldn't bother coming here personally" Said Lazlo, after making the two supposed owners of the store wait far longer for a reply than it was really appropriate, and the fact that he was not facing them and looking at one of the few pieces of meat left didn't help matters "No, I am here to discuss the night's special cuts" the rogue turned to face the two men, still utilizing his see-through glance, but with a bit more sternness.
The men look at you suspiciously. "Not sher who you are, mate, but you know the password well enou'. What is the business we can help ya wit. YOu musta heard The Cow Hammer Boys are the best in town from a satisfied customer, eh? Go get the others..." the tall man motions to the other who disappears behind the door and down the hall.
Soon enough, 2 more men arrive. The tall man smiles, winking:"Alright, you, let's talk business. What you have in mind?"
"Have you heard of the Verrgaio family?" He begins, his eyes gleaming with something akin to malice "Well, they are not so much a family now with only three annoying brothers left in the mansion" Said Lazlo as he walked to one of the walls of the store, stood there and placed his hands the left within the right, then without warning he turned and stared at the mercenaries, his green irises finally appearing to really look at them.
"Which brings me to the reason of this little visit" He paused as the frown on his face transformed into a straight line, that betrayed no emotion "I want you to teach them a little lesson, nothing drastic or permanent mind you, just a friendly visit and a well told message, do we understand each other?"
Somewhere a paladin facepalms