Mawl is grumbling a little about paying the toll. Previously, under the employ and in the favor of the owner of Clenchjaw's, he was allowed to conduct business on the bridge or on either side without charge. He realized now things were different. He realized in joining this group and with the new Tyrant of Thrune many things from his old life were gone.
Maybe we should get a little boat to go back and forth across the river so we wouldn't have to pay a toll. How expensive are boats? I'm surprised I've never looked into that.
Back to reality Mawl observes the sleeping dwarf and says"Let's try to wake him up quietly, but let's wake him"
With that Mawl taps on the window with an irregular pattern.
"It's only a small shop, I'll cross the road and keep a watch, whilst you go in. Call me over if you have need." the cleric asks his friends.
Nils stands near Mawl, ready to step in if needed but otherwise watching the traffic passing on the street.
Mawl taps on the window as some of the others take up positions to keep watch. The dwarf remains passed out on the counter, oblivious to the sound.
Mawl looks to the others..."Did we try the door? Let's try the door, but someone not so frightening should be with me." Mawl waits at the door and...
"I wonder, besides locks, what kind of 'stuff' Volioker sells? Obviously not coffee..." Sorix chuckles to herself.
"I'll go in with you, Mawl."
Sorix enters Locks n' Stuff with Mawl and loudly clears her throat in an attempt to get the sleeping dwarf's attention. If he doesn't wake, she gently taps his shoulder.
Mawl is happy to have Sorix by his side, knowing that an awakened shop owner is going to be much more at ease to see Sorix than Mawl. His attention is not on the sleeping dwarf but on the rest of the shop to avoid any surprises on his side.
Mawl, you're not such a frightening fellow as you seem to think, anyway. Well except when you're beating up devils or Thrune's militia. This mister Volioker might be impressed by one who carries himself with obvious martial capabilities.
Saniel follows the others into the shop while the rest of the group keep an eye from the streets. Seeing the dwarf soundly asleep at the counter, Saniel looks to Sorix and Mawl with a questioning glance, unsure how someone manages to conduct business while in such a state. Looking around for a bell to ring, and finding none, Saniel follows the lead of the wizard and states in an elevated voice, "Master Briskalberd? Are you open for business today?", following the question with a rap on the counter with his knuckles.
Knowing most dwarves to be more surly than congenial he awaits with anticipation for the boisterous response he feels is coming.
Mawl, Sorix and Saniel enter the shop. Upon opening the door the smell of alcohol is almost overwhelming. The dwarf snores away, not noticing your entry. It isn't until the combination of Sorix tapping and Saniel speaking loudly that the dwarf abruptly wakes with a start "Wha! Those damn elves... where'd...huh?"
He looks around, realizing he is in his shop and there are customers "Oh... ehrm... my 'pologies. He sits himself up and seems to sober rather quickly "Seems I dossed a bit. Wha' canna help ya with my friends?"
Mawl puffs himself up a little after Sorix's comments, still being alert to anything or anyone else in the shop. If we can walk in without waking him, there's no telling who or what else could already be here. Some people know nothing of security.
Saniel does his best not to appear startled by the sudden outburst, giving the inebriated dwarf a polite nod and a smile as he addresses him. "We were told you were the finest locksmith in the city Master Briskalberd, and have come in the hopes that you might be able to ply your trade on an old coffer we unearthed while helping clear out some debris from one of the buildings within the city that have fallen to disrepair." the man says, weaving a story behind the history of the locked coffer that would seem most believable. "Would this be something we could trouble you for this afternoon? We'd be paying customers of course."
The dwarf grins at the mention of pay and the compliment "Well ya came ta the right place laddie! Let me take a look at this coffer o' yers an' I can let ya know the cost."
After Mawl produces the coffer the dwarf looks it over and runs his hand through his beard. "Yer right. This is old. I can, o'course, get it unlocked. May take a couple hours though." He looks about the three of you with a discerning eye "For ma time an' efforts, I say 20 gold is a fair price to get this 'ere treasure of yers unlocked."
The man winces at the figure, knowing the price was as close to legal robbery as he had seen while in the city. No wonder the dwarf could afford to drink and sleep during business hours. This job alone would set him up in booze for weeks. "No small sum, especially since our pay for the job was not nearly that amount. A moment to confer with my fellows if you would?"
Saniel steps aside to quietly speak with Sorix and Mawl. "20 gold is a fortune for such work. And I'll wager if we sit on this until Nils can get around to practicing on it a bit more we could have this opened ourselves, and without the risk of its contents being seen by unknown eyes." He pauses for a moment and adds, "Perhaps we leave this in Rexus' care while we chase down the lead on the safehouse? And look to revealing its contents then?"
Mawl, waking from his intense surveillance of the shop and outside, trying to be inconspicuous, Great idea, Saniel. I say we get to that safehouse and look for this compatriot of the lady's. I agree it might be best not to involve any more people with our doings.
Mawl relaxes a bit with the thought of leaving the shop and getting back to 'a plan'.
Nodding to the larger man Saniel says, "Agreed. Let us rejoin the others." Turning back to the dwarf he then says, "My apologies Master Briskalberd, but we have another matter that demands our immediate attention. Perhaps we will be able to return later this evening once it is cleared up. I'll see if I can't get my hands on some Three Devil Ale and bring it along with me to repay you for your trouble. Good day sir."
Walking back outside to the midday sun Saniel looks for the other half of the group, ready to make haste towards the Tooth and Nail.
Mawl follows Saniel out reaching back to hold open the door for the Sorix, nodding towards Horillo and Nils as he continues to follow the well spoken one, seemingly with a renewed sense of purpose.
The dwarf shrugs as you walk out "Well ya know where ta find me."
Heading out of the shop the group gathers to continue on toward the Tooth and Nail. It isn't more than block back the way you came before Rexus brings you to a simple one story building. The single-story tavern is marked by nothing but a wooden post outside, four bent and rusty nails and six wolves’ teeth hammered into its weathered face.
Rexus leads you into the tavern and over to the bar to some empty seats. The tavern is pretty quiet and low key. There are a few patrons, but being early afternoon there isn't much of a crowd at this point. A young man cleans some of the tables. Behind the bar is a short woman with fiery red hair, seeing Rexus and the rest of you sit, she heads over from behind the bar. With a smile she nods to Rexus "Ah Rexus, good to see you. I see you have some friends with you today?" She looks around to the rest of you "Welcome to the Tooth and Nail. I'm Setrona Sabinus can I get you all something?"
Nils takes his eyes from the streets as Saniel and the rest exit the locksmith's. He raises an eyebrow at the still locked coffer under Mawl's arm but says nothing about it. Giving a whistle to Horillo he falls in and follows the party.
At the tavern he looks about to take in the place, taking special note to look for any armbands or other signs of Thrune allegiance among the patrons.
He smiles in response to Setrona's greeting but leaves the introductions to the rest of the party.
Well met, lady Sabinus. It is a very welcoming place you have here, none too flashy, very comfortable. I don't care for anything at the moment, I am Mawl. I just met Rexus earlier and we became fast friends. He led us here, praising your establishment. Thank you for your hospitality. Mawl spouts off a little and very quickly, then seeking a place where he can look around the room and have his back against the wall.
Damn my social awkwardness, I need to just shut up and be alert
When Horillo asks about the cask and it's contents and learning about what happened inside, he sighs with a tinge of disappointment. He continues to walk on with the others, wondering if there are any tools back at Olmer's that might pick the lock. Probably not, not without smashing it first.
At the tavern, Horillo smiles at Setrona, "Ms Sabinus, a cup of ale would make the day a little brighter and some stew to satisfy the belly. 'Tis a fine establishment you have here." He says as he looks round the bar. "Indeed, our paths of friendship have crossed with Rexus, and I can but hope that extends to yourself as well." His kindly face looks at the woman, "I myself am an apprentice with metal working skills, at your service."
When they arrive at the Tooth and Nail Saniel scans the interior of the building with a careful eye, noting the patrons located inside the establishment.
As the introductions proceed, Saniel gives a shallow bow to the woman and says, "A pleasure to meet you m'Lady, I am Saniel. A common friend of ours, Mistress Longroad, has asked that we check on a parcel she left in the basement. Do you know if it is still down below?"
The woman smirks then looks to Rexus briefly who gives her a nod, then she speaks up loud enough for any around listening "Oh, so Ms. Longroad is working with some new vendors now? Let me show you where I keep the supplies and then I can rustle you up some food and drink so we can talk business afterwards."
Without waiting for any sort of acknowledgement she heads to a set of stairs near the bar that descend into a basement below. The basement is rather large, necessitating two rows of four pillars to support the weight from upstairs. She leads you back to the north corner of the room behind a few stacks of boxes then looks to you all "The 'supplies' you seek are this way. Do one of you have the key?"
Mawl rises from his seat against the wall and follows behind Rexus, acting as if he were in the employ of Rexus, keenly observing any who might be observing them.
Nils takes out the key they were provided and hands it to the woman.
"Ms. Longroads mentioned she hadn't heard from her associate. Have you seen him or any other activity of late?"
Sorix smiles politely but stays quiet as supplies, vendors, and business are being discussed. She follows along with the group as Setrona leads them to wherever they're going.
She puts her hand up to stop Nils from handing her the key and pulls out a key of her own then smiles "Just making sure." To Nils' question she shakes her head "Nope, I mean the other 'vendor' was here a few days ago. I let him in, but hadn't seen him leave or anything. Not sure if he slipped out at some point and I missed him, or if he is just laying low down there."
She shrugs and reaches for a torch holder on the wall. She turns it to the right then puts it back upright, a small door creeks open in the wall. She pulls the door open to reveal a small ten foot passage with another door at the end then motions for Nils to go in "Make sure your key works."
"A wise precaution." Nils says as he grins at the womans subtle test. Stepping forward he scans the door for anything amiss out of habit before asking, "Sorix would you mind taking a quick look?
Once the wizardess confirms no harmful magics are on the door he knocks twice and then opens it.
Mouth slightly agape, Mawl follows along, looking around in awe.
Wow, this is kind of exciting with the secret doors and secret passage, secret keys, secret room. This Nils guy seems to be accustomed to this sort of thing. I wonder why, I guess being a Tiefling maybe? hmm, I hope he doesn't hold grudges against all humans.
"Sure thing."
Sorix casts Detect Magic at the door.
Not finding any threats at the door, Nils inserts the key and opens the door. There is a small ten foot by ten foot room. On southern wall is another closed door, then next to the door you have opened there is a set of stairs descending to the east. Setrona nods in approval then turns to head back upstairs "I will leave you to it. The stairs lead down to the 'storage' area. The other door leads out to the street. I will prepare some food and drinks and we can speak further once you've had a look around."
Mawl begins to look around. "Let's find a place to put this coffer at least until we are ready to reveal it's contents. This seems like a good spot. I didn't notice anyone taking a special interest in us upstairs, so we essentially have two exits. I would like to know what this other door looks like from the street view. I guess Lady Longroads buddy must have slipped out that exit."
Mawl sets the coffer down temporarily so as to have both hands free and examines the room, picks up the coffer and turns to go downstairs to the storage area.
"Agreed, we should see what the entrance looks like from the outside but let's see what lies below."
Nils follows Mawl down the stair, his hand floating near the hilt of his kukri.
Horillo, his eyes wide open, "Gosh!" he exclaims under his breath. Keeping his eyes open he follows the others down the stairs.
Saniel follows closely behind the others, eager to see what this place holds but still wary to the possibility of danger. His keen eyes scan the passageway as the group proceeds, ever vigilant of anything that might stand out as out of place.
You head down the stairs and into darkness Horillo and Sorix cast light so the group can see. At the bottom of the stairs is a large storeroom with no apparent other exits. However, Rexus walks over to one of the walls and pushes on a section of it to reveal a secret door that he pulls open leading deeper into the hideout. He notes "This way."
With the light cast on Mawl's Bec, he follows through the open secret door, moving slowly so that he can react quickly if necessary.
Mawl steps through the secret door into a fifteen foot wide hallway that leads to the south as the others follow behind. This long, damp hallway opens to the southeast into a large reservoir of calm, dark water. A wooden pier extends twenty feet into the water, while another twenty feet out rises the top half of a statue of a beautiful elven woman. A foul smell, like that of rotting meat, comes from somewhere near the pier. Two holes have been knocked into the northwest walls to provide access to chambers beyond.
"Strange place for a dock, no? And that smell, ugh!" Saniel says flatly, following closely behind Mawl and keeping his eyes peeled for signs of trouble.
"I've smelled this earlier, I don't like what it leads to, let's be alert please"
With the foul stench assaulting Horillo's senses, he looks and listens. "If that's rotting meat, then it's going to attract vermin. There must be something we can do to rid the place of the smell." the cleric states. His face drained of colour, his appearance is almost ghostly in the torch light from the spells. His bow is held ready, he looks towards Nils and Mawl, ready to follow them as they go forward.
"Nils, Mawl careful as you move on."
He turns back to Rexus, asking quietly, "Rexus, what is this place?"
Taking in the surroundings Nils draws his weapon and falls into a ready stance.
"Perhaps, but if this waterway gives access out to the river it could be critically important to our case in the future." he responds, obviously distracted by his focus on the area around.
Nils nods at Horillo's warning and creeps forward towards the unknown source of the smell.
Mawl readies his Bec, and warns the others. "If I remember correctly, we didn't see them until they spewed their disgusting guts. If someone has a way of making them visible before they attack, we might save ourselves some pain and suffering. Just sayin'."
Horillo motions for Rexus to follow, "You have been down here before? What's down this way, Rexus. Have the boats disappeared?" Horillo asks cautiously.
Nils and Mawl step up to take a closer look at what may be creating the smell, while Rexus responds to Horillo's question. "I actually haven't been inside, Laria had just told me how to open the secret door. She calls this little hideout of hers the Wasps Nest. She did describe the place though. She mentioned there is a bunk area to the west, obviously this little waterway is a means for them to smuggle people in and out while avoiding detection, it connects to the sewer system which eventually flows out into the river. Further to the south, she noted, was a warehouse of sorts with various supplies."
Mawl reaches down to the water to grab a hold of the remains of the body. While lifting it out....I fear someone or something knew about Ms. Longroads friend here. I never met the man but it would seem likely if he has been missing this might be him. Can you identify him Rexus?
Mawl pulls him out of the water and lays him down at the nearest location, not allowing himself to be distracted by the dead so much that he maintains his alertness.
Watching Mawl drag a body from the water Saniel says, "I don't mean to overstate the obvious, but I'm guessing that body didn't end up there of its own accord..." as he begins to scan the water and dock area for any other signs of movement or trouble.