"Are you forgetting we still have a job? We need to claim our fee from Maltin. But I agree with Hobbes on one thing -- it would be good to stock up on some supplies in the market."
Rev:
Urlag
As Hobbes sorts out the money, there is a polite knock on the door and the breathlessly enthusiastic voice of Selwyn the helpful half-elf is heard.
"A friend of yours stopped by yesterday. He said he'd meet you at dinner and see how you were getting along in Oreme. He said his name was Maltin."
"See, Urlag! Sune smiles on us! Our reward is coming to us." Hobbes says with a laugh. Then he thanks Selwyn for the message and gives him a gold for his trouble.
Rev:
"Beren is afraid of the inquisitors. Kept touching his left arm every time he mentioned them. Think they their hands on him?"
"Do you mean you think the Order infected him, Kelgan? Gods, I hope not. We are going to have a hard enough time with the Order and seperating out whose helping and whose hurting people. O.K. here's what we know..."
Hobbes looks around the room.
"There is a group within the Order of the Blue Flame who is using a corrupted version of Gregor's elixer to infect people with a spellscar that makes them go rabid or something and attack people. And these people think they are 'blessing' their victims by infecting them. So they're insane. Lady Tyrangel wants us to stop them, period. Beren wants someone alive to stand trial and show the people that their officals are in charge and effective. What I don't understand is who are these inquistators? Are they Waukeen's people? Or are they from the Order? We have two options here. One, we go right at the Order, find Rapt's leader, the Master of Absolute Accord and shake the tree and find out what comes out. Since we are not working for the Watch, we are not restricted to their methods. His followers will protect him and we find out who's who. Or two, we go to the temple first and find out about the inquistators and why Beren is so frightened by them. Then we go and take down Rapt's master."
Hobbes looks at the others questionally. Then he smiles.
"Tomorrow, of course. Today, we shop a bit and stock up on supplies and then meet Maltin for dinner and get paid."
"Do you mean you think the Order infected him, Kelgan? Gods, I hope not. We are going to have a hard enough time with the Order and seperating out whose helping and whose hurting people. O.K. here's what we know..."
"If Beren was part of the Order, he wouldn't be hiring curious mercenaries to find the ones causing the marks. No, he is like the barmaid, only marked by them for their own purposes. He is afraid of the inquisitors because they will kill him if they find out that he is marked. Hobbes, must everything be so complex?"
"Everything ALWAYS is, Kelgan. It ALWAYS is." Hobbes says deadpanned.
"Should we see if Gregor can undo the effects of the mark, before Beren goes crazy, then? I could always ask Lady Tyrangel." Hobbes suggests after a moment of thought.
Hobbes pauses for another moment.
"Does this mean we don't have to go to the temple, then?" Hobbes smiles at the thought. "Great. One mystery solved. Unless they've got a cure for the curse mark at the temple."
"I don't see where the curse itself is our concern at all. We have a contract to put the Order down. No one has hired us to remove curses. Kill the order is my thought, and if we happen along the way to find the cure, we can sell it for fair market value to the city.
"As for inquisitors, *we* should be wary of them as well. Fanatics are fanatics, anyone who uses ideology as their primary motivation is dangerous."
"So it's agreed, then? Tonight, it's Maltin and the 'old business' and tomorrow we take on the Order of the Blue Flame and take out the Master of Absolute Accord and whoever else is behind the attacks." Hobbes says, then he looks at Arrika. "I hope you don't mind if I try to save the current victims. Beren and Moriah may be very grateful, of course in different ways." He tells with a leer.
Urlag snorts. "As long as your hobbies don't interfere with our business."
"I meant for after, Urlag. I would never jeopardize my comrades for a bit of company." Hobbes says with a wink.
"O.K. then, meet back here for dinner with Maltin. I don't care what you do until then, just don't cause any trouble. Now, shoo!" Hobbes says as he ushers the others out and locks his room. Then he remembered Cassie and opened the door to let her out, then closed and locked it.
He picks up Cassie and proceeds to the marketplace. While taking in the sights and sounds, he makes a direct line to the apothecary shop. "I am not going to almost die again, Cassie. I will tell you that much." Hobbes tells his cat as he enters the shop and looks around.
Hobbes and Urlag end their discussion and the sorcerer makes for the marketplace once more. This time, his feet take him to the apothecary's shop just beside the temple.
It is much as he remembered, but with one small difference. In your hurry to get to the Watchpost earlier in the day, you did not notice the appearance at the centre of the square of a warning gibbet.
Hobbes will stop and examine the gibbet. Then go to the store.
After giving Hobbes time to get clear, Urlag also visits the apothecary.
The gibbet is made of rough new wood and is quite empty.
EDIT:
All three of the potions Urlag is interested in are available at the usual prices.
Hobbes greets the shopkeeper. "Hello, there. I am in need of some good potions. What do you have available?"
Hobbes will buy 5 healing potions and a potion of fire dragonbreath and a potion of mimicry and a potion of lesser invisibility.
Hobbes thanks the shopkeeper and moves on to the fine goods store. He is determined to find a dress for Sybil. He enters the store and looks around.
"Anyone know where I can buy a large quanity of lamp oil?"
Kel spots a household good stall and heads across to buy lamp oil. Arrika visits the weaponsmith and after some discussion finds what she's looking for.
Hobbes is confronted by rolls of fabric and a bustling man who tells him that he can have any dress he wants made but it will take a day.
Hobbes describes Sybil in height and size and asks for 3 dresses to be made of silk, cotton, and velvet. The cotton dress is to be white and durable as it is meant for play. the silk and velvet dresses are meant to be luxurious and tactile. she should feel pampered as she wears them. all of them should cover the knee, but not down to the ankle. Hobbes asks that they be designed for movement, and not for looks. He explains that Sybil is blind and the different fabrics will be interesting. If the dressmaker can think of some other fabrics that will be interesting to touch, he can make a dress out of that and he will buy them.
After he is finished there, he will go to the hedge wizard and see what he is selling.
The stall holder suggests some other colour than white for a dress intended for play. Asking Hobbes to close his own eyes, he lets the socercer run his fingers over samples of silk and brocaded velvets before making his choice.
"An interesting task. I shall enjoy making these. I'll make them larger than your description. The young lady is likely to grow fast and it would be a pity if she had little use of your present. Five gold sir, and they'll be ready for you tomorrow."
The Hedge Wizard's shop is not nearly as disreputable as the name would suggest. It is run by a young, slightly bored man, and offers enchantments of many kinds. He makes it clear that while he does not enchant weaponry, he can provide rituals, tattoos, low level magic items and possibly, at a price one or two wondrous ones as well.
"Do you do fake spellscars? I mean, of course, a tattoo of a spellscar that makes your eyes glow blue like a real spellscar." Hobbes asks the Hedge Wizard.
"Fake spellscars?" Hobbes has the man's full attention as his jaw drops. "In this town? Now? Do you want to be questioned?"
He looks hard at Hobbes. "Maybe you do at that. How long would it need to last? There might be illusions I can work, but they won't fool a true spellscarred, however much they might deceive anyone else. Interesting problem."
"Too bad. I wanted to fool a spellscarred, at least to get in the door. Oh well, maybe next time." Hobbes says and then leaves.
Hobbes heads back to the Mote. Once there, he unlocks his room, enters and then relocks it so he is not disturbed. Then he sits down on the floor and recreates the symbols he needs to complete the ritual.
In Draconic:
He waits in silence for a few minutes in case there is a response.
Kel waits until Taren comes into view and whispers some instructions. Gold coin changes hands and the urchin nods furtively.
Gathering his comrades around him, Kel watches with satisfaction as the loathsome gibbet goes up in clouds of smoke.
Under cover of the conflagration, the group depart and their story is lost to history.