"Mister! Kaye Ginzel, right?" a halfling runs up to him, panting. "You didn't hear me? I told you the Twin Tankards is on the other street. You took a right when you shoulda took a left."
Kaye looks at the woman, confused. "But I thought this was..." he trails off before looking at the tavern's sign. "Oh, this is the Triple Trials! I'm late!" Kaye picks up his equipment and runs off in a huff.
"Smart man, but he needs to stay more aware." She shakes her head. "My name's Enora, pleased to meet you!"
|
A second halfling woman runs into the room, a little out of breath. This one is dark-haired, her hair done up in a severe bun, her clothes snappy and immaculate. A small but well-made rapier hangs at her side and a scroll box is fastened to her belt.
"--oh good, not late! Had to run from the Arcanamirium! Eglantine Bandawax, that's ee-gee-ell-ay-in-tee-eye-in-ee-Eglantine bee-ay-in-dee-ay-double-you-ay-ex, Bandawax but people seem to have a hard time remembering that sometimes, I don't know why, anyway some people call me E.G. which could be a bit of a pun if you liked, given the Azlanti academic notation of 'e.g., - exempli gratia', for the sake of an example--"
The halfling sucks down a breath of air. "--anyway, call me whichever, it's fine." She unslings her pack and drops into a seat.
|
A tengu wearing finely crafted lamellar armor made of some cloth-like material makes his way into the meeting area, watching the corners, any other entrances, the windows, and finally the people within the room.
He gives everyone a bit of a squinting glance as his gaze wanders, then he finds a seat with his back to the wall, his eyes still watching any avenue of attack. As he sits in the chair, the hilt of a large weapon rides up over his left shoulder.
"Karasuma Tazou. 'Kara' works if you're shouting at me to keep my head down or something like that. Locksmith, that's what we'll call it this week. Good at helping expose flanks. Better at melee than ranged. Have one of those fancy healing sticks, but someone else is going to have to use it, it argues with me all the time."
“Pathfinders, I’m sure you know our associate, Guaril Karela, if not personally then by reputation,” says Ambrus Valsin while gesturing to the Varisian man seated across from him. “We’ve had reports from a confidential informant in the Aspis Consortium that trouble is brewing in Tamran. Probably not coincidentally, several of Karela’s shipments bound for Tamran have gone missing.”
Guaril adds, “You see, the Molthuni navy maintains a rather tyrannical blockade around the city—a blockade past which my associates and I have helped Ambrus move items numerous items. It’s not so difficult; the Molthuni are not the brightest stars in the sky. Or at least it wasn’t difficult until recently. An unknown party has intercepted my last dozen shipments, and I doubt Molthune is responsible. When I lose shipments—”
“—Our lodge in Tamran loses much needed supplies,” finishes Ambrus. “Not to mention the fact that Guaril provides many important goods to the people of Tamran, such as food and medicine. Your mission is to accompany Guaril to Tamran and investigate the disappearances and thefts. Hopefully Oraiah Tolal, our venture-captain in Tamran, will have more leads."
“You depart with Karela in two hours. If you have any questions, or any supplies to purchase, I advise you do so now.”
The Nirmathi are outmatched by the Molthuni
in numbers, and so they rely on guerilla tactics to win their war of independence. To this day, the capital Tamran and its surrounds are not protected by a single army but by loose collection of militias.
Molthune has captured and occupied Tamran
five times throughout its history, but the Nirmathi have retaken it each time. Fortifications proved ineffective against the Molthuni armies, so the Nirmathi simply tore down the walls; this makes it harder for the Molthuni to hold the city, and the forces invariably withdraw and burn down the city after sustaining too much harassment.
Armies of the Shining Crusade fought the forces of the Whispering Tyrant over the area now occupied by Nirmathas, and the ruined fortresses left behind by the crusaders still remain to this day.
|
|
The tengu will give a nod to Guaril.
Must be a big deal if Karela is getting involved. Don't typically see faction heads show up at briefings like this.
And then Karasuma's feathers ruffle when it's mentioned that the noteworthy Exchange member is coming along on the mission.
Oh, man. This is going to be painful.
|
|
Eglantine strokes at her chin, squinting. Nimrathas and Molthune are hardly her areas of expertise... still.
"The Molthuni army outnumbers the Nirmathi, from what I've heard. The Nirmathi use speed and stealth to stay alive. Tamran doesn't have a traditional standing army-- just lots of militias, who can hit and strike and disappear back into the woods again."
|
|
The stunning aasimar sits quietly throughout the meeting. She could tell she was more inexperienced than most in the group, and showed respect to the grizzled veterans. She listened to the mission instructions, and couldn't think of anything else to add to the briefing.
"We can do it," she calls out cheerfully with a broad grin.
"Did y'all know the Molthune took over Tamran five times? Nirmathi always got it back , usually by just tearing the fortified walls down. Eventually, the Molthune get sick of it and burn everything on their way out." She frowns. "Talk about sore losers."
"Speaking of which, some of the ruined fortresses are still standing. Left behind by the Armies of the Shining Crusade when they fought the forces of the Whispering Tyrant. Now that spot is occupied by Nirmathas."
She kicks her feet up a bit. "Sounds like Molthune picked up their game a bit. I can't wait to see their secret weapon!"
Guaril provides transport to Tamran, but does not join you personally, mentioning that he'll hook up with you eventually... Seconds after you walk into town a man approaches and introduces himself, "Greetings, I am Reginar Lacklan. Guaril told me of your impending arrival. Come let's head to the Ashfall Lodge."
Like much of the city, Ashfall Lodge rises above the marshy ground; however, whereas most other buildings stand atop piers and pilings, the Pathfinder lodge straddles three broad cypress trees. Rope bridges and wooden slat ladders wind across its outer branches, leading to a handful of tiny cabins for storage and visiting agents. Two bell pulls hang from the southern tree—one weighted by a medallion depicting the Glyph of the Open Road and the other weighted by a bronze symbol of two faces in profile.
Reginar takes hold of the Open Road rope and gives it a sharp pull, sounding a high-pitched bell in the lodge above. From above, a gray-haired halfling woman examines the visitors, smiles, and drops a rope ladder. She nimbly clambers down and gestures grandly to the elevated structure. “Welcome, Pathfinders. May Ashfall Lodge be your home away from home and your welcome to a new land. If you’ll accompany me, I can answer any questions you might have.”
|
Nym smirks a bit as the discussions of the lost provinces of Molthune and Nirmathas come up. "These lands were better off under the rule of Cheliax in any event. You can bet none of this petty squabbling and constant warfare would be allowed under the Thrune's mailed fist. Perhaps it would just be better if these lands were just re-annexed by my homeland. Seems like a much simpler solution to me." He shrugs callously, but stops to listen carefully as Enora mentions the Whispering Tyrant, the Shining Crusade, and the possibility of leftover treasure troves from that era.
He nods at Guaril, not paying the Exchange faction leader much mind. He certainly was a lot less interesting than Zarta Dralneen, his own faction head.
Later, as the group arrives in Tamran, Nym follows the local Pathfinder contact to the Ashfall Lodge and is impressed by the location, up in the large cypress trees.
Well met!" says the elf as warmly as he can muster. "Would you be Oraiah Tolal? We are here at the best of Venture-Captain Ambrus, and would like to hear more about the problems you are having with shipments."
|
"I am." She replies with a smileand leads you to a small meeting room inside the lodge. There she explains that her own attempts to investigate the thefts were stymied by a pernicious rumor spreading through Tamran slandering the Pathfinder Society in general—and more specifically herself and Reginar—as Molthuni sympathizers. "Around here that's treason!" she adds. Oraiah suspects that the rumor campaign may be linked to the disappearance of Guaril Karela’s shipments, but she has no proof. "YOU might be able to learn more, given that you are relative newcomers to the area. After all, whoever is spreading the rumors hasn’t had the chance to fully turn the city against us."
Oraiah recommends several sites that might be worth investigating in the city.
“Karela’s shipments across the lake haven’t been getting through, which means the bandits must have a ship. If they have a ship, they’ve probably visited Tamran’s docks.”
“Many consider it the only inn in town worth staying at—a harsh verdict but a great place to dig up rumors.”
“That’s the town’s most popular feast hall. These days it’s seen a lot of traffic from members of the city’s various militias. You probably won’t get a very friendly reception, what with the rumors around town, but talking to the militia patrols is your best bet at learning what’s going on outside the city.”
“We haven’t been getting our supplies, but several of the more… illicit… items Karela used to bring into the city are still appearing in the market. That suggests someone in town is fencing goods for the thieves.”
She adds, "Look, I know this is a lot to ask you, so you can stay here and I have some curative spells I can use if your investigation turns sour."
|
|
The tengu scoffs at Nym's suggestion that Nirmathas and Molthune would be better under Chelaxian rule.
"Chelliax is one of those places where they remember the letter of a deal, not the spirit of a deal. Wouldn't be surprised if they had some merchant running around insisting on the flesh of their debtors, given how things work there. Definitely not a market I intend on looking at any time soon. Now, this situation here in Nirmathas? Plenty of opportunities, I think, if we don't mess it up."
Kara will be polite to the rest of the party members and downright grateful at the offer of assistance by the local Lodge leader, in particular the healing and curative offers.
Better offer of support than I've gotten in Absalom at some points, even!
"My personal hunch would be to check the markets first, build some networking, find out who's got what for how much and why. Adventurers always go to an inn first, though, based on experience, so that might be an option. Yeah, on second thought, let's do that."
That's 2 for the inn. Anyone else want to offer up a plan?
|
|
Eglantine side-eyes the pro-Chelish elf as well, her brows rising nearly to her hairline. "Well, it's clear the demons have gotten to you, Willing Chattel Of House Thrune," she says brusquely. "Let's be off!"
***
She greets Oraiah with a smile and a cheerful "Good road to you!" in Halfling, and listens intently to the options laid out.
"The inn seems as good a place to start as any, though I say we visit the docks afterwards-- who knows what canny sailors may have seen?"
To the inn!
The Gar’s Last Meal is a reasonably priced and relatively comfortable inn, whose only downside is that it smells of fish. The taproom at the Gar’s Last Meal seems to be a fairly popular local hangout, providing you a large number of possible informants in one place. Getting someone to actually talk to you is another matter. [ooc]Make either Diplomacy (Gather Information) or Knowledge (Local) checks.
|
|
Assuming the usual lack of ACCOMMODATIONS FOR SHORT PEOPLE, Eglantine winds up climbing on a bar stool to get the attention of the bartender.
"Hello! A mug of rumboozle, if you please, sirrah! And do you actually serve gar at the establishment, or is it merely part of the name?"
She fishes out two gold coins, sliding them discreetly across the bar. "Any strange new fish about-- besides me?" she asks, brows waggling. "What's the latest scuttlebutt?"
|
|
Karasuma will wait a few minutes before entering the inn, so it doesn't immediately look like he's affiliated with the rest of the team.
He'll make his way over towards a corner and order up a pitcher of whatever the house special brew is, and the daily meal. He'll slowly nurse a mug as he watches the room, watching for folks who seem to be 'chatty' or the like and no one seems to mind them being so.
Some people look up at Reesa, but no one moves to answer her questions. The other Pathfinders strike out hard, being ignored by everyone.
Enora gets a brief feeling that everyone is going to ignore her. She presses on, anyway...
Yup, can't fight fate. She can't even get the bartenders attention.
"Half of these tallshanks can't even see their feet..." she grumbles.
The party strikes out at the inn, not only in getting information, but in having an opportunity to show the Pathfinders are an organization worth having around.
|
|
Karasuma is unaware of the 'mission creep' that snuck into the parameters of 'gather some information to find out what's going on', so he'll take his time, finish his ale at a measured pace so as not to be completely trashed (-5G between ale and tip), and make his way out into town after the party, keeping an eye out for business opportunities and leads, as well as trying not to get shanked. He'll be rather subtle about this.
"Well, that was annoying." Enora dusts herself off. "Someone stepped on my foot on the way out. Hurt like the dickens."
"Let's try the market district next. If they're selling some of the shipments we can grab it from there!"
Enora gets to the docks, takes a look and feels much more comfortable. "Huh. Think he's part of a gang? Maybe we should ask her directions..."
Kara does a solid job of blending in, despite his physical differences. The general sentiment here is that the marketplace in Tamran is far more worthwhile than the size of the town would suggest.
Where to next? Enora suggested both docks and market. Novid suggested the forest bounty.
|
|
Watching with dismay as the rest of the Pathfinders strike out in the Inn, Nym sees he may need to intervene at the next stop.
"It is obvious this chattel doesn't respect their betters the way they should. Perhaps we should show them the power of the Society, instead of trying to be subtle. Peasants may not understand being asked nicely. Maybe Novid needs to crack a few heads and the others will fall in line." he says with his usual air of superiority.
The marketplace remains a major center of activity in the town. The people here eye you as suspicious-types... People tend to look down or hurry away as if busy rather than interact with you.
The marketplace, as they typically are, is a fair amount friendlier. You soon make contact with a vendor who introduces himself as Gilligam. He's a tall, obese man with a scraggly red chin-beard. Before you can get much in the way of conversation going, he takes the lead.
“I knew this was going to come back to bite me! You’re here to break my legs or something, right? Well you don’t have to—I’ll tell you everything! Just don’t hurt me! I used to buy from Guaril Karela; now I buy from whoever is stealing from Karela. Hey, what’s it matter to me? When I meet them, it’s always on the north end of town, so I figure they must have a hideout up north somewhere. Please, that’s all I know!”
He's lying about something...
|
|
Eglantine is disgusted by the elf's suggestion. "Right, that'll help," she says shortly. Frowning over her own lack of results, she broods until the market, where she breathes out in relief as they make some progress here.
She nods along with Gilligam. "We're not here to break your legs, but anything further you can tell us would help. What do the men you've met with look like? And I assume you mean that you meet in a different location each time, but always on the north side?"
After they've asked Gilligam, Eglantine corners one of the bare-footed street urchins. "Hey, wanna see a magic trick? And make a little coin?"
She uses mage hand to float a silver piece the child's way. "Seen anything funny lately? Or heard anything?"
The leads look pretty thin here too.
|
|
Basking in the glow of his success getting the merchant to spill important information, Nym fails to notice that the man may be less then forthright.
"Your information is invaluable, good chap. There's a good man. No harm will come to your legs over this, I can assure you. There's a gold crown in it for you if you can show us to this meeting place. There's a good lad"
Nym puts a single gold coin in his hand, and passes it in front of the vendor, as if it were an immensely valuable gemstone.
"Your legs? Does it look like I could break your legs from here?" Enora shakes her head. "Still, thanks for the info mister. Don't worry, we didn't hear it from you."