"Perhaps we should start our story now. Spend the day tomorrow engaging the Razmirians in small things. That way when we show up tomorrow night, a few of them might remember us. Makes it more likely we would attend the meeting if they've helped us in some small way. It sounds like they work kindness at the low levels. That's all I mean."
Good idea Lorant. Maybe some of us should claim to be from Skelt; hopefully it's far enough away and small enough that the cultists won't know much about it. I think I'll claim to have come from Korvosa, and say that Razmir appeared to me in a dream, and told me he would give me dominion over fire if I came and did homage at his temple here in Tamran. Then show them a bit of magic, that whole thing. Or, is that too over the top?
"Given how brazen their 'recruitment' methods are, I doubt our story needs to be terribly complicated. If what Reginar says is true, they will take us in regardless. So long as they do not suspect our connection to the Society, even coming from Kassen may be seen as nothing more than coincidence. The initiation process is what most concerns me... but we will not know what that is until we show up."
REGINAR: "I think the most important thing to remember for the recruitment process is to blend in as best you can. Make the cult feel as though you are truly devoted in your ambitions to join their ranks. Don't let your morals and beliefs get in the way and just do whatever they say so as not to arouse suspicion."
"I don't think we can just throw away all of our morals and beliefs, Mr. Reginar. We want to infiltrate them, not become them. We will do our best to show them that we are eager to join though."
Lorant nods. "We still need to remember why we came here and what they did at the tomb. Try not to let your acts blind you to those facts. We just need to see behind the masks and figure out what's going on here."
"We want to infiltrate them, not become them."
"On the contrary, that is exactly what I'm proposing you do. Don't forget Mrs. Kaylee, these people are swindlers and killers. Make one wrong move while in their midsts and they will end you. That is something my conscience would have a hard time dealing with. The cult has already done enough damage to this city. Its time to be rid of them. Thats precisely what we're here to accomplish."
"At any rate, there is little else we can do. We will not know until we try. These people seem to be resourceful enough - I am sure that we will pull through one way or the other."
"Is there anything else we should know before proceeding?"
"That is all the information I have to offer you my friends."
Then let's find a place to stay, and prepare to swindle the swindlers tomorrow evening.
"Right. What about this place for the night?" He looks at Reginar for any indication about the rooms here.
"I've got a room here. The price is fair and the beds are comfortable. Not the best I've ever had but far from the worst."
"Well that saves us a bit of trouble finding a place then. Will you boys each want a room to yourselves or will you be sharing?" Kaylee asks playfully before going to the barkeep to pay for a room of her own.
"It will be less suspicious if we all split up," Lector says to the others with an amused tone. A few moments after Kaylee, he then moves to pay for a room as well.
Kerret shakes his head and rolls his eyes at Kaylee with a rueful grin, then procures lodging of his own.
That done, he looks about for any comely young ladies to waste time with.
"Not with how Vastar snores!" Lorant says, totally missing Kaylee's tease entirely. He goes up to pay for his bed, grumbling about the price and how maybe the midwife had a decent idea.
Inn prices are as follows:
Poor: You're welcome to find a place on the floor near the hearth for the evening. 2 SP
Common: You'll have a bed, but not necessarily a room to yourself with a blanket and a pillow. 5 SP
Good: A private room with some amenities. Blankets, pillows & a chamberpot are also provided. 2 GP
Kerret, roll a dice to see if there are any ladies that suit your description. Odds will be YES, evens will be NO. There is also "Paid Companionship" available if that's more your style however prices will vary depending on what you're looking for.
Lector shells out the gold pieces needed for his own room. Nothing but the finest. Finest of what it is available, anyway.
Kaylee hands the innkeeper two gold pieces for a good room to herself and tries charming the innkeeper into providing her with free breakfast in the morning.
I stay in my seat a moment, bemused.
"Hey, I don't think I snore; do I snore?"
Then I splash on a private room. I need somewhere to make my devotions to Erastil but I don't want to be seen at it again.
Kerret passes two gold over the bar for a private room, and 5 silver pieces for a good meal as his eyes scan the crowd.
Across the room Kerret spots a particularly attractive woman sharing drinks with man roughly the same age.
Lorant grumbles about the costs as he forks over a handful of silver. He shakes his head at the others spending their gold.
I'll take it over there, he tells the bartender before ambling his way over to the table.
Kerret waits to catch the young woman's eye, then smiles and ambles over to the table. Evening miss, I'm Kerret. New in town and looking to have some fun. I was going to look for any hidden treasures that Tamran might have to offer, but it looks like I've spotted the best one already, he offers as an introduction, clearly referring to the young lady.
With a delicate but practised swish of her pale flowing hair back across her shoulders. "I see, quite the honeyed tongue you have there." she replies with a wryly amused tone.
Offering her hand in greeting, the eye is drawn to intricate Varisian tattoo's that wind their way up her arms, across her bare shoulders. The stark ink slides behind, what appears to be scintillating scarves that make up her outfit. A rainbow of hues to conceal her tempered physique; "Adventurer hey? Off on a fabulous mission to obtain magnificent gems? Or is your cause a just and noble one?"
Kerret gently accepts the offered hand and bows with a roguish wink, lightly brushing the tops of the ingenue's fingers with his lips before straightening to lean casually on the table with the thumb of his free hand hooked over his belt.
Adventurer is such a loaded term. I prefer to think of myself as a student. Those are fascinating tattoos though. I knew someone in Korvosa who did similar work. I'm not quite so daring as you though. I tend to keep mine hidden.
The young man drags a chair over to sit facing Zara, right ankle resting on left knee while a server brings his food and wine.
"Oh I'm sure they'd be fun to explore." she replies with a throaty chuckle. Glancing across to the glowering man sat next to her, Zara runs a lacquered finger along the strong line of his jaw producing a rasp of stubble.
"Oh you would be a sweetie and get me some more red wine, I'm parched." her soft tone like velvet along the skin, the young woman obviously used to modulating her voice. As the man rises and moves to the bar, Zara watches him move with an appreciative wry grin.
Then turning her attention back Kerret. "I got mine from a good friend upon the caravans, you are a bravo? Whence are you bound, or is the journey the thing - learning all you can upon the way."
Kerret takes a small sip of wine, pursing his lips slightly before placing the pewter goblet back on the table dismissively. A bravo? No, not remotely. I'm a simple son of Nirmathas, a backwater bumpkin with a few bits of polish on me, he adds with a sarcastically self-deprecating smirk. As for where I'm bound, I'm sure I'll move on eventually, but Tamran seems lively enough for now, plenty to see, and do and explore. And why plan so far ahead when the present is so pleasant, and your company especially, mistress... He leaves the pause hanging, hoping to tease out the young woman's name.
"Zara. Lady of the scarves." she gestures to her attire, which seems to consist of a half-dozen of over-large strategically placed scarves. The most prominent is a translucent crimson scarf or shawl, it glimmers in the tap-rooms light.
"I dance, I explore, I live." she smiles warmly. "Tamran is quite the place, filled with many wonders..."
Mmm, Zara. Kerret savors the name, obviously appreciative of it, and the woman who bears it. Perhaps you'd care to educate me as to those wonders, over a bottle of wine better than this poor offering, he gestures to the cup at his elbow.
I nudge Lorant and mutter by his ear, "Lorant's having fun. I hope he hasn't upset her beau."
"I don't think he really cares!" Lorant snickers. "She sure does have an odd look to her. Look at those tattoos!"
"You really are an enthusiastic student, aren't you?" she replies with a twinkle in her eye. "Unfortunately, I've just sent my darling friend to pick up a cup of red. We wouldn't want to neuter his good work would we?"
Zara leans over the table, unconsciously improving Kerrets' view whilst she looks to his goblet. "Oh, I suppose you have run out of your libation. A bottle could be in order then..."
Friend? Apologies, I took him for a servant. With a look of mock consternation at the dregs in his cup, Kerret adds That was passable, but hardly worthy of a man of my tastes, or a woman of your quality. Still, I'm sure a few coins would scare up something more suitable for us.
Tell me, he lowers his voice conspiratorially will your friend be terribly upset if I steal you away from him? I must admit, you have a certain fascinating quality about you, and I would hazard to guess there much of the sublime hidden away under those scarves. As a student, it's my duty to learn all I can of you, and then of course apply what I've learned, rigorously. He leans back, a wicked grin turning up the corners of his lips.
"She is probably Varisian," Lector remarks to Lorant idly, taking a sip of wine. "Fascinating culture, really..."
Kaylee returns to the table with a mug of water. Looking over at Kerret and his companion, she then turns and questions the group. "Does anyone know anything about the woman Kerret is with? How mad do you think he'd get if I casted a fumbletongue spell on him?" She grins mischievously but her body language shows she doesn't really want to mess with him, just enjoying thinking about it.
Kaylee returns to the table with a mug of water. Looking over at Kerret and his companion, she then turns and questions the group. "Does anyone know anything about the woman Kerret is with? How mad do you think he'd get if I casted a fumbletongue spell on him?" She grins mischievously but her body language shows she doesn't really want to mess with him, just enjoying thinking about it.
With a wicked smile Zara replies; "Really, such a flatter. You must be quite..."
Interrupting lean man comes back to the table, a pitcher of wine in one hand and a couple of goblets in the other. "That was a magnificent dance earlier, my dear." he glances over to Kerret; "Oh, sorry Sonny, I didn't bring you a mug. I'm not sure if there's enough to go around." he grumbles.
Zara rolls her eyes.
Kerret lightly snorts and chuckles, tapping his empty goblet with his fingertip. Fortunately, I'm well provisioned where cups are concerned, and in many other ways as well, he adds with a grin for Zara.
And if I'm Sonny, I suppose that would make you grandfather? He delivers his jibe without looking at the man, then calls over a server and asks after the wine selection. He dismisses several of the selections. Too pedestrian for the exotic flower before me... before settling on a bottle of Taldan Malbec.
He passes over ten gold coins without batting an eye, or taking his gaze off of Zara.
The man's palms slap upon the table, causing the goblets to shudder, as he disgruntledly rises to his feet.
"Well I'll be the bigger man..." he motions to move and then gives Zara a meaty wink. "...if you want one, you know where to find me." He picks up the pitcher of wine, accidentally spilling a goblet over the table, and moves away to the common room leaving the pair alone.
The dancer dabs at her scarves where the wine has spotted it. "Oh, how gauche. Want to retire to my room where it's a bit quieter?" she says with an unreadable hint to her voice.
Certainly, Kerret allows with a smile. He calls over to the server, and asks that the bottle be sent up to Zara's room instead. Standing, he offers his arm, and seeing her concern over he scarves, helpfully offers I know a bit about the arcane arts. If you'd like, I can save your scarves from that lout's wine in a trice.
When the hand bangs the table, I bristle a little.
As the man wanders off, I decide to keep half an eye on him as we chat together.
"This is a nice town, we'll have to come back here once we have freed Kassen from his torment."
"This is a nice town, we'll have to come back here once we have freed Kassen from his torment."
"Oh, this town definitely seems friendly enough for a return visit." Kaylee mentions with only a slight hint of sarcasm. "Well maybe it is quite friendly to Kerret…" her voice trails for a second as she watches him offer to escort his lady friend to his or her room. She then turns back to the others. "So what are you boys up to this evening then?" She asks curiously.
Lorant sits with a mug of ale, sipping it and watching people around the room. "Oh, I don't know. I'm still just taking it all in. There's more people in here now than we'd ever see in Kassan's inn in a month." He spots a group playing some sort of dice game.
"What if we join them for a while? We can see what the stakes are and see how it's done." He moves over to watch the game, bumping into an old man at the table. "So what's the game, here?"
Putting a hand around his toned bicep as they walk up the stairs, Zara smiles speaking softly for his ears only. "I was just going to soak the scarves, but... well you said you wanted to read my tattoo's. How good are you at Braille?" She chuckle softly, as she swishes up the stairs noticeably.
I reply to Kaylee, "Chewing the fat, I guess."
I strike up a conversation with a few people at the bar, asking about life in the town. Just trying to get a feel for the place (you never know when a little local knowledge might come in handy) and sowing the seeds of our back-story.
Kaylee orders a meal for herself and shares bits of scraps with Fenris. Soon after she stretches and yawns before making her way upstairs to her luxurious room. She falls asleep instantly when she lays down, feeling only a small pang of guilt for having spent so much money on herself.
Waking up early in the morning, she lays in the bed for a few minutes enjoying the comfort. One day, I'll have to have a bed made for everyone back home… she thinks to herself. Getting up, she washes her face and prepares for her daily meditations with Fenris. He curls up in lap as she sits and closes her eyes, focusing on her mysterious patron beyond.
0- detect magic, message, read magic, touch of fatigue
1st- charm person, enlarge person, mage armor
2nd- cure moderate wounds, summon monster II