Falren eyes the group for a moment, considering Effie's request.
"You've been talking to Thunder. Not surprised; that old busybody never has known when to keep his nose out of other people's affairs. But it's not like I've got anything better going for me right now," the sylph continues with a grim chuckle and a gesture towards her missing arm. "So sure. 250 gold and I'm your huckleberry for however long you're in town. Sound good?"
"Hey, long as you're not butting heads with anyone that's like to shoot the messenger, your business isn't any concern of mine," Falren shrugs. "In my line of work it's best to take the money and not ask too many questions, you know? Asking questions is a good way to get shivved."
She puts down her kebab and leans forward, her one elbow resting on the table as she considers your own offer. "How about this - you get me an in with the mayor when you're done with your business and I'll knock 50 gold off the price."
The sylph then painstakingly fishes into the pack sitting near her feet, pulling out a small vial that all of you recognize as a healing potion.
"It's kinda hard to bust heads with only one arm but if things get ugly for some reason, I got this and one extra. One of you gets clobbered, I pour it down your throat - consider it part of the package, if you like."
______________
With a deal agreed upon Maria draws up the contract while you briefly and discretely explain what you're about and what you'll be needing Falren's translation services for.
"Huh...heckuva a thing," the sylph finally remarks. "I only just got back into town a couple of days ago. Heard about some of this stuff but nothin' more than what Thunder already told you. But I can think of a few places and folks we can check with around town."
"Okay so first place is the docks - anyone comin' into town has to pass through the docks so maybe some of the workers there remember seeing your Jamila," Falren begins. "If we don't have any luck there, Cookie over at the Sweet Tooth oughta know something. All sorts of folks pass through there for a game of cards or a chance to throw the dice, so it's a good place to pick up the local scuttlebutt."
"Let's see...who else?" Falren muses. "Briel might know something. Cartographer, looks kinda like you two," she nods at Maria and Hepsubia. "She sells maps of the air currents and shipping routes and she's on good terms with most of the regular airship captains that stop in. Maaaaybe Maren might know something too - she's a little strange but a damn fine alchemist and the only one I'll buy potions from out here."
______________
|
"That sees one of the more tenuous leads, but that is fine," Zithembe agrees with Maria's suggestion. "The docks and the cartographer seem more likely to yield results though of different value. The former would confirm her arrival but possibly not more; the latter might reveal a clue as to her destination."
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Holan-Ji does indeed perk up at the mention of Cookies and Sweets, but doesn't seem to get it until Effie explains. He is a bit confused at why someone would name a casino that, though.
"Eh, we've all seen plenty of dock districts, and you're right about what info we'd get at both, Z. But if the alchemist has anything useful, it'll be something we wouldn't expect."
He wipes his tusks off on his sleeve. "'Sides, that stingray ain't sittin' right with me, and the alchemist'll have stuff to settle it down. Startin' to wonder if it wasn't some kinda giant scallop, instead."
But as his fork goes floating off, he admits that maybe the lack of gravity could be affecting his tummy.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Though some of you quietly suspect that the docks might provide a more practical lead, Maria seems eager to speak with Maren the alchemist, hoping that she might be able to offer more unique insight on the recent happenings in town.
And it's also a good opportunity to pick up something for Holan-Ji's nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea (hopefully not). Two birds with one stone!
"Sure, why not?" Falren shrugs as she rises to her feet. "It ain't far from here..."
______________
A short time later you enter into the small, unassuming shop that is Madam Maren's Magic Mixtures. The interior walls are inscribed with arcane designs and formulae and the shelves are neatly stocked with a wide variety of colorful potions and alchemical concoctions. As you enter, you see a woman with pale blue skin standing behind the counter; at first you think her a sylph like many of the others you've seen since coming to the Plane of Air but her green hair and webbed digits give away her aquatic heritage.
<"Ah, hello Falren. Nice to see you out and about,"> Maren calls in greeting. <"And with a crowd! Are you all looking for something in particular today?">
Falren chuckles. <"Something like that. These folks are interested in...well, I'll let them put it in their own words and I'll explain it. I'm playin' translator for them since they're new in town.">
There's some quick back and forth as you relay your interests to Falren who then relays them to Maren. The undine frowns. <"Hmm. You know me Falren, I don't pay much attention to all the goings-on around here - too much to keep up with and it's almost never relevant to my research!">
<"Still...I do have a little tidbit that I can offer up...in trade. They're from the Material Plane, you said? I'd be happy to share what I know in exchange for a potion from the Material or perhaps a peek at a formula book, if any of them have an interest in alchemy like my own,"> Maren smiles. <"I think that's perfectly reasonable, don't you?">
Falren shrugs and turns to the group. "What do you think, folks? You got the kinda goods my girl here is interested in?"
______________
|
|
Maria darts forward and is already sharing notes with the alchemist the second she indicates an interest in a formula book. She happily chatters away, "This is what I've collected so far. I'd be thrilled to maybe know what you know too, but I understand if that isn't part of the deal."
She flops her heavy book down on the counter and opens it up to the first page, "Alright, so this one allows me to climb or swim like crazy. And this one..."
Adhesive Spittle, Endure Elements, Expeditious Retreat, Comprehend Languages, Crafter’s Fortune, Heightened Awareness, Identify, Monkey Fish
<"Oh! Perfect, perfect, perfect, this is perfect!"> Maren exclaims as Maria proves more than happy to share her formula book and compare notes. <"You have an impressive collection, my friend. Some of these I'm already familiar with - Crafter's Fortune is *such* a lifesaver, you know! But let's see...Monkey Fish? Ah, it allows you to swim and climb more easily! I imagine that would be very handy for ones such as yourselves...or even me, if I needed to scurry up a tree or something.">
After she spends a few minutes perusing Maria's book, the undine gives a satisfied nod. <"Thank you very much! Now I keep my end of the deal, such as it is. So, you're curious about the Duchess' minions, yes? Well, after that grand entrance I'm told that they pulled, they started roughing people up looking for information. They probably hit up every bar in town before they started shaking down businesses, the brutes! Do you have any idea how much product they shattered when they came in here?? It was such a mess!">
<"Whoever they were looking for must be real important to risk causing this much trouble,"> she sighs.
<"They shook down everyone, from what I heard,"> Maren scowls. <"As for what they looked like - they were air and lightning elementals. Not to be rude or anything but they all tend to look about the same, don't they?">
|
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Holan-Ji wanders around the shop for a while looking at the weird names of the various salves, potions, and powders.
"'Scuse me, could I get some of this? Sounds like just what I need in case... well..." he rubs his belly that's starting to feel a little better once he stopped thinking about it.
"Ooh, and a pouch of this stuff, too, please. I've got a buddy that swears by it."
He pays the nice water-lady, but doesn't use either of the items yet, saving them for when he really needs them.
"Sounds like they didn't find her if they had to go door-to-door through shops. What exactly did they ask you when they came here? They give a name, or just a description, or what?"
<"I'd almost like to be there to see you suggest such a thing,"> Maren snorts in response to Hepsubia. Her expression then brightens a bit as Holan-Ji steps up to the counter with some purchases.
<"Oh, of course! Let's see...">
She continues to chat as she tallies up Holan-Ji's items. <"A description and a name, actually. I hadn't seen her or heard the name before and I told them as much - and they still saw fit to make a mess anyway! Air creatures can be so rude, sometimes.">
<"At any rate, I'm afraid that's all I can tell you,"> Maren concludes as she bags up the tiefling's purchases. <"I hope you're able to find your Jamila in one piece. The Duchess doesn't play around, from what I've heard.">
And with that, it seems as though you've exhausted your first lead. At least it turned out to not be a complete waste of time as you now know that the Duchess' agents absolutely knew who and what they were looking for when they blew into Port Eclipse.
"Alrighty, that went pretty well," Falren remarks. "Where to next? The docks? Or do you wanna go see if Cookie knows anything?"
Deciding to backtrack a bit, you follow Falren back to the docks where you first arrived. After casually looking around a bit, Falren suddenly points out a wiry old sylph woman as she finishes up unloading one of the many airships at the dock.
"Look there," she gestures. "See her? She's a 'chucker' - means she works loading and unloading airships that come through here. They see all manner of people and cargo come and go, so maybe she's seen your Jamila."
You follow after Falren and approach the old sylph just as she finishes up her work and takes a seat on a nearby crate, pulling out a flask and taking a long swig. Her exposed skin, including a bald head, is covered with faded, swirling blue tattoos. As you approach, she stoppers her flask and wipes her mouth with the back of her hand.
<"Yeah, whaddya want?">
On cue, Falren smoothly steps in and very briefly explains what you're all about. As she listens, the old sylph nods.
<"Huh, interestin'. Name's Klarh, by the way,"> she nods. <"Not every day we get true-blue landwalkers through here, you know. Er, new ones, anyways. Y'got your air legs yet? Sometimes it takes awhile, haha! Just take care y'don't go careening off into th' open void, seen that happen too many times.">
<"Kinda reminds me of th' time I spent weeks adrift in the great expanse after my ship was smashed in a storm that appeared outta thin air,"> Klarh continues. <"Th' storm took me an' th' rest of th' survivin' crew over two months to break free from, y'know. Just picture it, nothin' but th' open sky in all directions an' y'can't keep your bearin's 'cuz of gettin' tossed all around by th' wind...">
You're not really sure how this has anything to do with your own business but Klarh seems like she's just getting warmed up.
|
|
Nearing the docks, Holan-Ji grabs a couple sweet-rolls from a bakery that clearly caters to the longshoremen and ships crews. Although he's already eaten one by the time they meet Klarh, he quickly offers her the other to distract her from the saga she's getting ready to tell.
"These aren't bad, are they? But what I wanna know, though, is what in the flask?" he asks with a knowing smile.
|
|
"I understand," Zithembe says as Klarh describes the dangers of the Elemental Plane of Air. "The people of the plane are just as dangerous as the air upon which they live. We have encountered our own storms during our time here, and we heard that one came through recently searching for the same person we are looking for."
Though Holan-Ji makes a valiant effort to derail what seems like a rather long and meandering tale, all it seems to do is irritate the sylph woman who gives the tiefling a cantankerous glare as she firmly waves away the offer of a sweet-roll.
<"Whaddya mean, 'what's in the flask'?"> she snorts. <"It's water! What, y'think I'd be drinkin' on th' job, do you? Good way t' get flattened by a load of cargo!">
Effie, on the other hand, receives a pleased smile when she encourages Klarh to continue with her tale. <"Ahhh, good t'know there's still some young'uns out there that care to sit an' chat a spell. Now, where was I...">
Thirty minutes later, after you've heard all about Klarh's trials and tribulations weathering the great storm and the friends she lost and pretty much her whole life story from then to now, the old sylph seems highly content. She stands and stretches.
<"Always nice t' have a chat with folks that's willin' t' listen! Now, you folks said you were lookin' for someone...?">
After Falren explains the situation, Klarh's eyes widen.
<"You're lookin' for Jamila?? Afraid t' say you're too late on that one. Th' Duchess's goons were in town for two days 'fore they put out a 50,000 gp bounty on that janni woman. Made a big stink of her needin' t' be alive, too. Bad time t' be a janni livin' in th' city, if you ask me! This town likes t' keep its secrets, but with a price like that, people were draggin' in any janni they could get their hands on. Bounty was barely out a few hours 'fore word got 'round that someone claimed it. Dunno who it was, though.">
<"You're askin' th' wrong person on that one,"> Klarh responds with a shake of her head. <"Port Eclipse might go its own sweet way in most things but you ain't gonna find too many people willin' to stick their noses in th' Duchess' affairs, even here. An' I reckon it might also depend on who claimed th' bounty in th' first place. They might still have her, they might not.">
|
|
"It is difficult to weigh the life of Jamila against what might happen if Hshurha gets her hands on the relic, but I agree that the most will be gained if we can intercept her bounty hunter before she is handed to the Duchess' minion," the shabti concedes with a nod. "It is a gamble but worth taking."
"I like the attitude but you probably don't wanna go picking fights around here," Falren snort-laughs at Hepsubia. "Wouldn't be hard to do, though. Materials like you draw enough attention as it is, so all you'd need to do is look at the wrong person or people funny and it'd be on."
She shakes her head. "Anyway yeah, I think maybe now'd be the time to-"
______________
Falren is suddenly interrupted by a *psst*. As you all look for the source of the noise, you spot a hooded figure in layers upon layers of billowing clothing, beckoning from a nearby alley. She looks at you and shrugs, before heading over to see what they might want...and throwing a few glances around to make sure you're not attracting too much attention.
Once you're all in the alley and largely out of sight, the figure pulls their hood back slightly to reveal the pale blue face of a djinni.
<"I am Ramzi. I deal in...'found' objects. I watched you talking to old Klarh,"> he says in a voice just above a whisper. <"You're looking for something. Someone. I can help you...for a small price. 20 gold, will buy you what I know.">
He actually seems to be telling the truth, as best as you can pick up.
Falren squints at Ramzi for a moment and finally, there's a flicker of recognition in her eyes.
"Oh yeah...I don't think he's been here in the city long - maybe, uh...a month or two? It's hard to keep up with the passage of time when there's no night," she shrugs. "But yeah, I've seen this guy skulking around here before, trying to hawk his wares."
She lowers her voice and adds, "You know that around here, 'found' usually means 'stolen', right? Just so you know."
Clearing her throat Falren quickly interprets Zithembe's words for the djinni, who seems satisfied.
<"Yes, this is agreeable,"> Ramzi nods. <"You seek the janni named Jamila, yes? I suspect you already know that the Duchess' agents have been seeking her as well. Not long after word spread that the bounty on her had been claimed, I saw several of those agents fly out of here in a great hurry - without any added cargo, I might add. So I knew that this meant that the janni was likely still here, within the city.">
He glances around, a bit nervously, before continuing. <"I heard that the Coldfire King himself - a powerful efreeti overlord - was the one who claimed the bounty. I cannot say that I was surprised to hear it; everyone knows that half the ice his operation moves in and out of Port Eclipse has people stuck inside. That tavern that his thugs operate, the Sleet Saloon, is probably the closest thing Port Eclipse has to a prison. It is likely there that your Jamila is being held.">
|
"The 'Coldfire King'? An efreet who deals in ice as a cover for some kind of people smuggling operation. Sounds thoroughly unpleasant. The kind of person who'd upset plenty of the locals.
Much as I'd like to visit Cookie - her establishment sounds a lot more agreeable - there's no time to lose!
Zith, would you like a contribution to our new friend's fee?" Effie offers.
|
|
Zithembe fishes a platinum sphinx and a platinum crown from his coin purse. He hands the first coin to Ramzi and starts to hand the second to the janni but pauses. He looks to Falren. "We know how to find the Sleet Saloon, yes?"
He completes the passage of the second coin and then puts his fingers back in his coin pouch. "Does he know any pass phrases or other tricks that might make our arrival more smooth?"
Though Falren looks uneasy at this turn of events, she finally nods. "Yeah. Not my kind of place but I do know where it is. I can get us there."
She passes along Zithembe's last question to the djinni, who quickly shakes his head.
<"Now that I am afraid I cannot help you with. While I do have some connections here, I would prefer to avoid the notice of the Coldfire King for my own personal reasons. Perhaps you can finesse your way inside? At least one or two of you do seem to possess the gift of gab, as they say. And if not..."> Ramzi glances at Holan-Ji, <"...perhaps you can simply take a more direct approach, if you feel bold.">
______________
After you take your leave of Ramzi, Falren gives you a quick rundown on what she knows about the Coldfire King.
"So the Coldfire King, he's got interests across the multiverse," she explains. "He specializes in shipping ice all through the Plane of Air and his customers range from nobles seeking ice for their exotic cocktails to fellow efreet maintaining cold torture chambers on the Plane of Fire."
"Port Eclipse isn't his home, though. Nah, he's got a place inside a floating iceberg near the borders of the Plane of Water. I think he's got stooges that take care of his business here, most of the time. And no, I don't know who or what, exactly. Like Ramzi, I try to steer clear of anything to do with this guy if I can help it!"
______________
The Sleet Saloon is a rundown steel building, resting along the outer fringes of a jutting stone stalagmite. A series of wooden docks extends along the sides of the Sleet Saloon, acting as scaffolding to access the building’s sides. The building is bafflingly tall, with a 30-foot-high ceiling. A primary entrance rests on a polished portion of the adjoining stalagmite, while side entrances are accessible from the north and south scaffolding. The main entrance is a heavy steel door with a single viewing porthole that is currently shut - an oddity for a building that openly declares itself as a bar.
______________
|
|
"We better have a plan before we knock, T.A.L.H." Effie cautions.
"Or at least a good story." She looks sideways at Holan-ji, an idea forming. "What if we put some manacles on you, Tiger? Pretend that you're a rebel with a big bounty on you and we want to drop you here until our client pays up?"
"I mean I think you're the most believable 'dangerous rebel' amongst us, you know? And naturally we could jigger the lock, or leave a key in your hands."
|
|
At Hep's comment, Holan-Ji lifts his massive fist to knock on the steel door, but stops himself just in time when Effie begins talking.
"That's .... not a bad plan, I suppose," he admits. "But don't leave the key with me, in case they search me. Can you rig it so I can just snap the chain?"
Either way, he'll go along with the plan, as it does seem reasonable.
Though you say I look like the most dangerous rebel, but that's only cause they don't know Hep, he thinks with a fond glance at the Princess of Chaos.