N'kai learns that the Pond Rat is pretty popular for the river docks on the east side of town.
The uncanny trio heads to the tavern, experiencing the smells and sounds of the popular docks district...
doesn't work for some reason.
weird.
Well, if you google "lepidstadt" then look in images, a map will show up there....
doesn't work for some reason.
Try this one instead:
The link Heathy found had profaity in the url, the forums whacked it.
#facepalm#
Huzzah!
Edwin thinks deep thoughts,...
'Zzzzz,..'
Huzzzah!
You guys looking for the tavern? What are you doing?
N'kai learns that the Pond Rat is pretty popular for the river docks on the east side of town.The uncanny trio heads to the tavern, experiencing the smells and sounds of the popular docks district...
"It's by the pond," says one one eyed, grizzled old fisherman.
You guys find it eventually.
There's an old guy, sitting out front of the place on a patio, whittling someething and drinking some grog.
N´Kai approaches the old man:
"Well met, sir. If I may, I would like to ask for your help. My friends and me recently found, just a couple of streets away, this folding knife. Being the concerned citizens we are, we are eager to return it to his rightful owner. Any ideas about who may that be?? Or about who might point us in the right direction??"
Alinya finishes scribing the new spell of finding in her book. She dries the ink, washes her stained fingers, and retires to sleep.
He looks it over;
"hmm....no initials? That'll teach the owner.......no, it's a pretty nice fishing knife though. Whoever lost this oughtta kick his own arse," says the old guy, and he winks.
"That´s very unfortunate. However, we may have better luck if we ask inside the tavern" says N´Kai, turning to face his companions.
As an afterthought, he turns to the old man again "Anyway, I´m sure you get to see a lot of things around the docks. Anything odd happening lately??"
"Just the trial thing. Everybody's acting out in the whole city really. They're all morons."
"Acting out?? What do you mean by that?? You seem to have quite a strong opinion against your fellow citizens"
"They've got the mob poison in their collective minds. You've seen them. It's distressing."
"I wholeheartdly agree. Most often men get carried away by mob mentality, instead of looking into the real facts. Thanks anyway for your insight, sir."
N´Kai hands the old man a silver coin and asks his companions: "Let´s see if someone inside knows about this knife. Otherwise we can call it a day and go home" He then bolts inside the tavern.
There's a burly half orc at the door...
"what do you want"
he says, glowering, big green muscles tensed.
Larissa steps between the half-orc and N'Kai. "Hi!" She says brightly, intentionally overlooking the menace in the man's stature and probable occupation, "We were looking for someone and it was suggested that we might find them here. They dropped this knife and we were hoping they might have seen something when they were there. Do you by chance know whose it might be? I'm afraid they didn't mark it..."
Larissa steps between the half-orc and N'Kai. "Hi!" She says brightly, intentionally overlooking the menace in the man's stature and probable occupation, "We were looking for someone and it was suggested that we might find them here. They dropped this knife and we were hoping they might have seen something when they were there. Do you by chance know whose it might be? I'm afraid they didn't mark it..."
[dice=Diplomacy]1d20 + 12
N´Kai stops dead in his tracks in front of the half orc, somewhat relieved that the more socially capable Larissa steps in...
He looks at Larissa and says, "no. No idea.
Will buy for 2 silver though."
She laughs, "How can I ask about it if you have it? If I don't find them soon, I'll sell it to you, though. Do you come here often?"
"Hell yeah. This is my home. I'm the dog at the gate."
Brightly, "Excellent! You might know the person we are looking for!" She looks around conspiratorially and waves him to lean in so she can whisper.
"We think they have been pretending to be a dockworker or a fisherman while they scoped a certain high-profile crime we are investigating. Have you seen any new folk around, especially ones that don't quite fit in?"
She leans back with, "Anyone come to mind?"
"No."
"Well that's unfotunate, could we get in so we can talk to the regulars of the place?? We really need to find the owner of the knife" replies N,Kai, while he wonders if the bouncer knows more than he shows.
He' probably a criminal, and doesn't talk to "the man," as it were.
He's no rat, even though this place is called The Pond Rat.
"You can go in. But your kind,....." he glances at both of you, "brings trouble. Bring trouble here, and you'll see trouble you can't believe."
Big artery starts pumping in the half orc's neck that is knotted with muscle like a viny jungle tree.
With a mild surprise, Larissa says to N'Kai, "I'm surprised how difficult it is to find someone that wants to help get this fellow out of prison. Shall we go in?"
"I know what you mean, Ms. Brightfoot. I pity that poor soul, framed for a crime he most surely did not commit. Hopefully we can find someone that helps us to get him off the hook. I hate when people think of you as a monster just because you look different.
But I digress. By all means, lead on"
He doesn't bar the way in.
There's a short entry room, which gives way to a badly lit common room.
There's a billiards table which nobody is playing on.
A halfling throws darts at a target on the wall, and three men cluster around one end of the bar.
Nearby them a bored bar waitress sits, sloe eyed she looks up at the two newcomers. The bartender is drying mugs with a rag.
Business doesn't look like it's kicked off yet.
Yeah. You get the feeling that nobody here will be bothered by a bug man.
She will signal the waitress when the three find their seats.
She saunters over.
"Yeah." is all she says.
Keeping her voice down a bit to avoid it carrying to the other patrons, Larissa asks conspiratorially, "Hello, we were hoping you might be able to help us find someone."
"I'm a waitress, not a detective," she says. "You wanna beer?"
Leik will take a seat in the booth next to the wall
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Leik finds a defensible redoubt/booth, and Edwin drags into the bar.
Two more patrons enter as well. One has a bright red shirt, and a goatee, and looks dangerous.
He orders "steaky wake" loudly, and starts swilling mulled wine.
The other is a rather bland average unassuming uninteresting half elf. Type of guy you'd completely forget 4 minutes later.
He orders "something to gnosh" and "water. Cool cool water."
He looks at the two ladies (and maybe the bug). He looks right through them.
"Ah, Mr. Drood, come sit with us if you will" says N´Kai to the recently arrived. "We were in the process of ordering drinks." He then sits beside Leik.
"I will have a cup of the local wine, or a beer if you have nothing of the sort" says to the waitress. "And may I inquire whether those guys are regulars, by any chance?" asks her in a lower tone, discreetly pointing his chin to the half elf and his companion while he gives them the once-over.
"Mulled or cold?" she asks,
and,
"Regulars, not locals; they ply the river trade."
"Mulled, please. We're not looking for a detective, just someone that knows who belongs around here and who's pretending." She shrugs, "Seems like you would know who was who better than about anyone around."
She looks at Larissa; "most times that's true."
Edwin sits with the others, his weary eyes undimmed as they scan the bar and the two newcomers,...
"Ah, yes. The salty tang residing in their clothes attests to that. I can smell it from here." He smirks lightly.
"Ale, please kind miss. Would you happen to know if any of your regulars have complained of losing a pocket tool recently? We came across one, and as they are a useful sort of item, we had thought to return it to the owner. Unfortunately it was not labeled with it's owners mark." Edwin shrugs. "What's a good neighbor to do but ask around and hope that the actual owner claims it, and not some one looking for a free knife?" He adds wryly.
"Seems like an awful lot of trouble over a pocket knife."
Edwin shrugs, again.
"What can I say? I'm a teensy bit Obsessive-Compulsive. And I have a thing about items being with their owners. I like to think another would go to the trouble to return my pipe if I were to lose it." He waves the mentioned pipe in emphasis.
"Pffft....if you say so, guy."
She looks at him again, lazy eyed.