GM Ladile & the Pathfinder Society Present: Portent's Peril CORE (Tier 1-2) (Inactive)

Game Master Lady Ladile

Wherein GM Ladile tries her hand at a Core game. More information to follow!

Arcane Mark

Sarzuket steps out of the ship with a rucksack thrown over his shoulder. Chewing on a minty mix of herbs, he sets out to find a farmer's market to find some produce.

As the elf approaches he seems as if pulled from a storybook. His features are clean and sharp, and his robes are immaculate. Dark, volcanic eyes of sapphire take in the setting. His silvery hair falls on thin shoulders, falling long enough to move slightly in even a gentle breeze.

His speech is crisp and deliberate, "Greetings. I am Thranalas. Thran works if Elven is difficult."

A well-armored young man nods at the elf. "Dwozer"

I don't care how clean you keep your robes, but you better be willing to get your hands dirty.

"A pleasure. I recognize the look of a man evaluating another. I assure you. When the time comes, we won't long for arcane destruction. I can explode foes and turn that blade of yours into a blur..."

You're also welcomed to check the spellbook. Yes, there are non-core spells.

Despite the trepidation that might’ve been held by some of you, the week-long voyage from Magnimar to Korvosa had proven, thankfully, to be an uneventful one except for perhaps some seasickness here and there. The weather had been calm and Captain Fessender proved herself to be a surprisingly good host as well as ship’s captain, sharing stories over mealtime of the places she’s been and of some of the more memorable individuals that she’s met in the process.

Although the majority of your voyage held sunny skies and calm seas, the morning of your arrival into Korvosa’s harbor dawns with a foreboding gray sky and a slight chill in the air. Located at the mouth of the Jeggare River, Korvosa is not only the largest city within Varisia itself but also one of Varisia’s three city-states along with Magnimar and Riddleport. Once part of Cheliax, the city has a rich history and has slowly grown into one of the primary hubs of trade for the region. As your ship slides into the harbor, you think back on the simple note each of you had received a little over a week ago, the catalyst for your current presence in the city.

Please see Slide #3.

Once your ship has safely docked at the harbor, you bid Captain Fessender and her crew goodbye for the time being and set out into the city proper. A few quick inquiries later and you have your directions to Eodred’s Square, where Lady Heidmarch’s note directed you in order to meet up with Zeeva Foxglove. As you travel through the city, an ill wind stirs whitecaps on the nearby Jeggare River, carrying with it the faint odor of spoiled meat. Other travelers grumble and pull their collars up against the cold as they trudge along the city streets. Where Magnimar’s atmosphere was lively and vibrant, the atmosphere here is much more quiet and subdued.

After perhaps a half-hour or so of walking, you soon reach a sprawling square plaza. Throughout the area, small clusters of people gather close together, stuffing their hands in their pockets as they engage in quiet conversation. Several guards hover around the edges of the plaza and a gray tabby cat rests nearby, its bright yellow eyes seeming to watch over the crowd.
________

And we're off! Please feel free to backfill any additional character introductions and happenings that might've occurred during your trip to Korvosa, if you like.

Dwozer turns his head left then right, scanning the crowd. His gaze pauses on the attentive tabby cat, then settles on the guards. He walks directly toward them and stares at their equipment a moment, before looking their sergeant in the eye. "Sergeant. Zeeva Foxglove?"

Knowledge (arcana): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21 Is the tabby cat a familiar?

The elven woman had been keeping to herself the whole voyage, usually sitting among her pile of books and scrolls, reading and mumbling to herself. She had stopped her studies just to quickly grab a couple of fruits from the meals offered, just to return to her reading, arranging her long legs in unhealthy-looking positions in the small space available on the ship.

When the team steps off the ship, she finally says two words: "Nastya, Ana". She starts to walk toward the square, but turns back, as if remembering something. She takes a deep breath, and starts to speak. "Sorry. Teachers say I must try speak more. Smalltalk. So, my name - Anastasia, in elven Antasarë Iva. Some say Nastya or Ana. I study both magic and mundane. This," she stops momentarily to draw a toad from her pocket, "my companion Prince Very Charming."

At the square she looks around, trying to spot someone waiting for them. "Here, but who? Human, elf?" She notices Dwozer's gaze and adds: "Or even cat? Why not? Guards should know." She follows Dwozer as he seems to have spotted their contact.

"You need not make small talk for me. And yes, I see that cat..."

At the end of an alley nearby, a gnome watches the three newcomers speak to the guards, opening a burlap sack full of small potatoes and stuffing it with fresh garden cress and horseradish. He remembers seeing the three off and on during the see voyage. He waits to see what the guards will do.

"Well, this should be exciting!" Pavo professes cheerily despite the sky's gloom as they disembark. "The city is much larger than I envisioned."

The amiable man walks with a bounce in his step that makes him stand out against the trudging locals. Other than an exaggerated whip of his head as if struck when the wind first blows the rotten smell to his nose, he carries on with his happy-go-lucky demeanor. The bard is more than happy to inquire for directions as they make their way through the city, chatting with--or more likely at--the locals along the way.

Once they reach the Eodred's Square and he notes the wary hands sunk in every pocket, he adjusts his belt pouch and keeps a hand close. He follows Dwozer to the city guard. The bard chuckles and clarifies with a smile, "What my taciturn companion meant is, 'Good day, sir. We're sorry to bother you, but might you be able to direct us to Zeeva Foxglove?'"

The cat looks up lazily as Dwozer's gaze lingers on it, yellow eyes regarding him with curiosity...and a preternatural intelligence. It yawns, offering Dwozer a slow blink.

Turning his attention away from the cat, Dwozer then approaches one of the nearby guards to inquire as to Ms. Foxglove's whereabouts. For a moment, the man just blinks at Dwozer, looking rather confused and a bit startled by the dwarf's abrupt words.

"Uh...pardon?"

But then Pavo smoothly steps in and the man's eyes light up with understanding. "Oh yeah! So you're the ones Miss Zeeva was expecting then?" he asks as he looks Dwozer and Pavo up and down and then does the same with the rest of the group. "Yeah, she told us she had some important guests coming from out of town but that she'd know when you showed up, somehow." He shrugs. "Didn't make much sense to me but I guess you'd best wait right here for her."

And as if on cue, the gray tabby cat rises to its feet. It stretches and then seems to give Dwozer a bit of a wink before turning and trotting off down a nearby alley.

After just a few minutes, the party's patience is rewarded as a large-eyed woman in a red gown strolls into the square from the same side street that the cat had disappeared down earlier. She waves when she sees you and strides over, with the very same gray tabby trotting close behind her. "I owe you an explanation," she says as she hands each of party a card bearing her name, 'Zeeva Foxglove' and the address of the Green Market in the South Shore district. "But let us travel as we walk, for my market cannot do without me for long. I'm thankful that my message was received by Sheila and that she was able to send you to me as quickly as she did," she continues as she beckons the party to follow her back in the direction that she'd came from.

"I know it sounds positively ridiculous, but there are actually three disasters waiting to strike, not just the one," she explains as she sets out into a brisk walk, slipping gracefully past the crowds and carriages. "It began after I heard about a Varisian caravan parked outside the city. The vagabonds had lost everything to bandits and my marketplace is so profitable now that I can afford to share my bounty with those whom fate mistreats. I brought them some produce in and return, their fortune-teller offered me a Harrow reading." Though continuing to walk, Zeeva's rosy complexion pales as she recounts the tale. "The spread foretold good fortune, almost to excess - that is, until she turned up the Yellow Prophet. If you're unfamiliar with the Harrow the Yellow Prophet is a legendary lost card, though I myself didn't know that at the time. Its appearance upset the fortune-teller and she said that its presence required that three more cards be drawn and she did so hastily, giving me hardly any insight as to their meanings."

Now Zeeva stops and turns to the party, a look of the utmost seriousness and sincerity on her face. "What I've learned since is that each of those cards portends a dark fate - a disaster." She produces a small deck of cards from her handbag. "It seemed as if that fortune-teller was hiding something and so I procured my own harrow deck and did some research into the cards' meanings. But I'm still largely in the dark and my own auguries tell me that time is running out. That's why I sent to Sheila for aid; I need brave investigators, ones well-versed in the arcane, to determine where and when these calamities will strike. Or failing that, track down this fortune-teller so that she can explain her strange behavior."

"Well versed in the arcane? This explains my presence. I'm eager to hear more. Divination is not my forte, but my skill is still better than most. Give voice to your specific concerns and we will see them handled."

In the distance, you can just barely spy a dwarf running head long for you all while screaming. "SURE, LEAVE THE DWARF SLEEPIN ABOARD THE SHIP, AYE DINNAE KNOW YA HAD IT IN YA, BUH CLEAHLY YA DO!" While trying as hard as he can, the strain evident on his face, his stumpy legs only carry him so fast.

Finally closing with the group, he huffs and puffs as he accepts Zeeva's card. "Ya let me run all tha way here tah tell me ya need a buncha pointy hats and wagglin finguhs? Suppose I'll hafta hang round, an' make sure nuffin kills the lot o' ya," he concludes.

Now that the dwarf has stopped moving, you can give him a real look over. The sides of his head are shaved and the rest of his thick hair crests into a moderately sized mohawk. His equally thick beard is braided into several massive strands as wide and heavy as rope. The Urgrosh on his back and the cords of muscle in his arms clearly mark him as a warrior.

"What were the last three cards?" Pavo asks, leaning toward the woman with interest.

Sarzuket catches up with the party, satisfied they are all out of earshot of the guards.

"Miss Zeeva? glad to meet you. I'm the medic for this group."

Casting speak with animal, he asks the cat, "and you, little gray lion. What is your name? why is your mistress sooooo upset and freaked out?"

Human here, not dwarf :-p

Dwozer dips his head in a single nod as Pavo finishes his question, then addresses Zeeva, "The more you help us now, the better we can help you later."

To Rumble, he says, "We shouted in your ears and threw cold water on your face, but neither got through that beard. Perhaps you should trim it."

That explains why my pillow was soaked... "Aye will na trim ma beard and ya know it. Why dontcha throw ya sword inta tha ocean, or toss tha spellbook a yers inta a fire, eh?" he retorts, clearly very smug with his response. "An wha makes ya all high and mighty? Ya need anotha human ta speak for ya, haha!"

Fire! No! Anastasia cries at the threat, and backs away from the dwarf, hugging her books and scrolls protectively.

After reaching comfortable distance, she turns to Zeeva. "Divination, good for knowledge. Harrow cards, not so much. Turn card, see death, whose death? Yours, enemy's, king's? Never know. Too messy, too shady." Anastasia balances all her scrolls on one hand, pulls out a pen and somehow manages to scribble some illegible notes on one of the scrolls. "Again, here, to us: Disaster. What kind? Certain or possibility? If certain, our work useless, can not prevent. But we can research, of course, more knowledge how divination works, what reliable, what not.

She scribbles up some more notes, then continues: "Where we start? Have cards, know harrower, there something more?"

To the cat, in cat language, Sarzuket says, "What do YOU think about that dwarf's beard, over there?"

As Sarzuket casts his spell and addresses the cat, the tabby blinks, as if surprised. It looks up at Zeeva and then back at the gnome as it makes a series of meows and trills that sounds incomprehensible to everyone else.

"It is nice to meet you," Zeeva says with a small smile in response to Sarzuket's greeting. "And I apologize for making you run, my friend," she adds to Rumble. "At least it allowed you to dry off, yes?" Although Zeeva is clearly quite worried about the matter she called you here to investigate, her sense of humor still shines through and her lips twitch a bit as she addresses Rumble. "If only it were under more favorable circumstances! But I'm afraid the fates seem to have deemed that I only meet any of Sheila's agents in the most trying of times," she continues, her smile now rueful. "I can see that some of you are not from Varisia and so it's only natural that the Harrow holds little meaning for you," she continues, her gaze lingering on Anastasia. "But that doesn't really matter - what's important to me is that each of you are here and still willing to help investigate these dark matters."

Zeeva begins shuffling through the Harrow deck she holds in her hands. "As for where to start, I believe there are two options. One is to attempt to track down my mysterious fortune-teller and see if she'll explain herself. The second would be to try and divine some sort of meaning from the three additional cards that she drew for me." After a few moments, her shuffling is complete and she has three cards held separate from the rest, which she hands to you. "These three: the Betrayal, the Cricket, and the Unicorn."

Please see Slide #4.

Gesturing to each in turn, Zeeva shares what little she knows about each card and it's meaning. "Harrow cards can be tricky: an ominous card isn't always negative and a cheery card can turn calamitous. For example, the Betrayal can represent selfishness *or* self-sacrifice, or a choice between the two," she explains. "The Cricket is a card for quick-witted travelers, some of whom find glory while others return empty-handed. And the Unicorn promises rewards from a friend, but...sadly, some friends are false and some prizes are poison. However, instead of their traditional meanings it's possible that each card is meant to have a connection to a specific person or place here in Korvosa."

She chuckles wrly. "Clear as mud, isn't it? Still, perhaps the group of you might catch something that I've overlooked."
______

"Clearly, the fortune teller knows something important. Why else hide?"

Dwozer pulls at his beard twice, then says, "I know of many betrayals and no crickets, but only one unicorn--The Frisky Unicorn bed and breakfast in the Heights District."

"Aye dunno nuthin abou no fancy cards," Rumble comments, scratching his scalp while his brain works away at piecing together all the nonsensical information Zeeva just gave them. "Buh if a human needs ta be foun, Rumble's ya dwarf, HAHA!" he says while giving his gut a hearty slap.

Thranalas's gimlet eyes focus on everything about the cards as he searches his mind for information:

The Betrayal: History: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (3) + 11 = 14
The Cricket: Engineering: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (13) + 11 = 24
The Unicorn: Nobility: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (1) + 11 = 12

"Of The Unicorn, I confess to not remembering. The other two I know. I know that the Betrayal is also known as "Viamio's Kiss" among Korvosan harrowers, named after Lord Amrys Viamio, the city's most infamous traitor. Only one building in Korvosa still bears his legacy: Traitor's Mews, a dilapidated manor in Old Korvosa."

Thran holds up the Cricket, "I recognize the icons on this card as the symbols of Desna - stars, moons, and planets - all of which figure prominently in the architecture of Kendall Amphitheater, the city's largest performance venue."

He looks out over the city, "We have at least two leads now. Might anyone have an idea on the Unicorn?"

Pavo clears his throat and answers Thranalas, "Dwozer just mentioned the Frisky Unicorn, which I assume is actually a brothel masquerading as a bed and breakfast." His tone almost sounds hopeful at the end of his statement.

"We have the locations of the calamities, it seems," he says as he turns his attention back to Zeeva. "Do you have the time?"

Shoot. That's my bad. I misread the roll, and it's too late to fix my post. My apologies.

Anastasia comes over to view at the cards.

"Head, grapes? Cannot tell what more is there. Still I cannot understand how get self-sacrifice? Picture clearly not that."

Dwozer coughs lightly, then maintains eye contact until Zeeva finishes answering his question. "What do these places mean to you? The Frisky Unicorn and the Kendall Amphitheater."

I wonder if there's cards in that deck for the three of us: the wizard who talks too much, the wizard who can't talk much, and the wizard who listens.

No worries, it happens. For the moment the party does not know the information about the 'Betrayal' card but you do have two other leads to follow :)
________

Zeeva raises her eyebrow at Pavo. "If you're looking for that sort of an establishment, you'd be better off making tracks over to Old Korvosa. The Frisky Unicorn is in Citadel Crest, in the Heights District. Most of Korvosa's elite reside there." Unable to help herself, Zeeva snickers. "But by all means, ask Oliver - Oliver Cadmion, the owner - about brothel services if you decide to pay the Frisky Unicorn a visit. The look on his face should be priceless!"

"As far as the Kendall Amphitheater is concerned?" Zeeva shrugs, helplessly. "I'm afraid that I'm not sure what connection it would have to all of this, same for the Frisky Unicorn. This turn of events is strange to me but already you've pieced together information that I couldn't. Perhaps one or both of those places bear further investigation? The day is still quite young," she continues, gesturing up at the early-morning sky.

Zeeva then snaps her fingers. "This is just my suggestion and you needn't follow it, but if you've yet to find a place to stay then why not visit the Frisky Unicorn anyway? It would allow you to both investigate the establishment as well as offer a starting point for seeking out our mysterious fortune-teller. Some of the most devoted patrons of fortune are the wealthy and travelers...and wealthy travelers, after all."

"Either way I do have one other bit of assistance that I can offer to you - if you wish it." As she speaks, she begins shuffling the harrow deck in her hands. "I told you that I did some research into the harrow myself, right? After doing so I believe I've learned the art of performing something of a limited harrow reading, called a Choosing. A Choosing is often done to grant one luck or insight in completing a task."

Zeeva holds the harrow deck in one palm and holds her other palm face up, in an offering. "If any of you wish for me to do this, say the word and I will do it - but if you'd prefer not, then please don't worry; no offense will be taken."

"I admit that I am curious. Time is of the essence though, so I leave it to the others."

A reminder that I've run this, so I'll take a back seat for some scenes.

"I think we should stay at that Frisky Unicorn! it sounds cool!"

When she offers a Harrow reading, the gnome says excitedly, "Oh! oh! yes! please do that fortune-teller thing! how exciting!"

"We could use all the luck we can get in this, I think," Pavo says with a smile. He nods to the gnome in agreement.

"Very well then," Zeeva nods. "The way that this works is by setting aside all of the cards except for those in a single suit. For this Choosing, it seems appropriate that I select the Suit of Books since the Yellow Prophet is from that suit - and that card is what set these events in motion in the first place," she explains. Working quickly, she removes all of the cards out of the harrow deck except for nine. These she shuffles, then holds them out to each of you.

"Draw one and we will see which way the winds of fortune blow."
______

For everyone wishing to choose a card, please roll 1d10. Ignore any result of 10 as well as any result that another PC has already drawn. Each of these cards is located on Slide #5 and numbered #1-9 starting from the top left. Once you make your roll, please remove the black cutout covering your card and place your character image over top of it so I know who has drawn which card :)

1d10 ⇒ 10
reroll: 1d10 ⇒ 6

A link to the maps and handouts should now be available at the top of the campaign page as well as in my GM header. Please let me know if you have any trouble accessing!

1d10 ⇒ 4 "Interesting indeed..."

Brothel? Never went to one, sound boring. But, research must start somewhere", Anastasia comments on the information.

"Card I take, I must note how much is true, how much guess" she answers to the offer.

A toad crawls out of Anastasia's pocket and points at one of the offered cards.

"Ribbit.

Card: 1d10 ⇒ 7

"This one?" Anastasia asks and takes the card.

Anastasia stared at the card, confused. "Rakshasa, curious creature indeed, and dangerous. With tea."

Rumble leers at the cards, unsure if he wants to require his own team of Pathfinders to save him from them. Seeing others participate, he succumbs to the pressure and draws a card. "Oy, wass this un mean then?" he asks, nervously checking his feet for a snake. "Keep ma eyes open n such? Wha sort ah game is this?"
________
Harrow: 1d9 ⇒ 9
Fun fact, you can roll dice of any denomination you want! GM Ladile, if me not rolling a d10 causes problems, please let me know and I will reroll appropriately! Her proposed plan sounds good to me.

"Not a Calistrian, I take it, Anastasia," Pavo says with a self-amused twinkle in his eye as he steps forward to draw a card.

"The Joke, eh?"

Dwozer smiles at Pavo, then draws one of the few remaining cards. "Better lucky than good."

He looks at the card for a few seconds, then turns it away from himself so that others can see. The Foreign Trader? If that means I'm supposed to talk to those wealthy travelers Zeeva mentioned . . .

Harrow: 1d4 ⇒ 3

"Hmm...now these are most interesting cards," Zeeva muses as each of you make your picks. "How oddly fitting that this is the card that you chose - or maybe it chose you?" she smiles at Sarzuket. "At any rate, the Vision represents esoteric and arcane knowledge, as well as madness. As a priest I'm sure you know more than most that knowledge is power and that power can be used for good or for ill. I have no doubt in my mind which you would choose. But it is also important to be able to recognize that which is relevant to the task or situation at hand and which is simply...useless trivia. Think well on that, my friend."

Looking at Thranalas' card, Zeeva pauses and then gives the elf an appraising look. "Interesting. The Inquisitor represents the immutable object, which can neither be deceived nor influenced. A will of iron, able to see through the mists to the heart of the matter...perhaps there's more to you than meets the eye?"

"Yours represents domination, mental control, and slavery, Miss," she explains, nodding at Anastasia. "Should you cross paths with some poor, suffering soul, maybe it is you that will have the knowledge to set them free."

Turning to Rumble, Zeeva pales as she looks at his card. "You may be more right than you expect, my friend. The Snakebite represents just what you might think - poison, venom, assassination, and discord." Gently, she clasps both of Rumble's hands in her own. "This is a dangerous card, for you or possibly another. Please, be cautious in your investigations, all of you."

"But yours...quite the opposite," she continues, releasing Rumble's hands as she peers at Pavo's card, expression brightening a little. "The Joke...the monster that can only be defeated through trickery or simply the value of humor. Humor can open many doors and bypass many obstacles. Something you might have experience with?" she smiles at the man.

"Last but certainly not least," Zeeva chuckles as Dwozer selects his card, "the Foreign Trader - representation of spies, merchants, and others who truck in information. Just as I said to Master Sarzuket, information is knowledge and knowledge is power. And sometimes the best way to learn something new and important is to simply watch and listen."

With the Choosing complete, Zeeva gathers her cards and returns the harrow deck to her bag. "I'm afraid that that's all the information that I can offer you," she sighs. "I just hope that it will be enough. I'm almost certain that this matter is now out of my hands and so now I leave things to you. If you need to find me I will be at my market. Now go and catch up with your friend and may the Goddess of Fortune ever favor you."
________

Alrighty, so I saw one vote earlier to head to the Frisky Unicorn but that's not your only option - the Kendall Amphitheater is another place you can investigate. I'll go with Rule of Two on this so we don't spend too long dithering around :)

"The Unicorn?" Dwozer asks.

Our joker seems to have drawn the right card for himself, but hopefully he doesn't tell the wrong joke for us.

Anastasia looks at Pavo. "Calistria? No. I want interesting work, not something only for money", she explains.

"Poor soul? I will remember. Society always frees poor souls. Unicorn full of them, so we go there.

More nervous than before Rumble is now constantly checking over his shoulder, sometimes even jumping at a fleeting shadow. "Ah don' like tha game, why ya make us play, eh?" Weird humans and their weirder customs. I'd rather just fight them, makes everything easier.

"Les ge' goin' ta tha Unicorn. Aye gotta question fer tha manager abou tha women he keeps in tha back, haha!" Rumble jests, trying to take his mind off of the lingering fear in the back of his skull.

"I might," Pavo replies to Zeeva with an expression of benign innocence.

Once the Choosing is complete and what can be explained has been explained, he turns toward the others. "As good a choice as any," he agrees with Dwozer. "At some point, you just need to pick a strand and start pulling when trying to untie a tangled knot. Or wrist ties. Or a bodice."

I had actually voted in favor with Sarzuket earlier, but it was subtle. :)

You take your leave of Zeeva and begin making your way through the city streets towards the Heights District, where you know that the Frisky Unicorn is located. After maybe twenty minutes or so, you enter into the Heights District and then the wealthiest neighborhood in said district, Citadel Crest. The city's true elite call this place home and this can be seen reflected in the many stately manses and business that you pass by. However, when you turn a corner and spy your destination just a few hundred paces down the street, you're all a bit surprised by what you see. The Frisky Unicorn stands as a modest and cozy single-story building, painted a soft shade of blue. A large porch dotted with rocking chairs and small tables circles most of the building and a turret juts up from the northeastern corner, supposedly home to the pseudodragons that live within the establishment. As you approach the front porch, you can hear what sound like multiple tiny shrieks and growls coming from inside as well as the occasional *CRASH* of china and other things hitting the walls and floors.

Hurrying up the steps, you all step through the front door and into the Frisky Unicorn's spacious lobby. Comfortable couches and tables laden with refreshments are situated throughout the room. As you all file inside, you even notice a table sitting near the entrance that's piled high with a stack of flyers advertising the Green Market. A few guests also recline here and there, chatting among themselves and paying little mind to the ruckus that can be heard coming from multiple rooms.

"Well, I heard that Cadmion had decided to start charging them rent," one of them, a rather portly woman in a shockingly purple dress, drawls as she reclines on a couch. "Can't say I blame him, either! They may be this inn's star attraction but they eat, sleep, and relieve themselves just like any of us do - it surely must cost a small fortune just to keep them fed!"

"Rubbish, I say," replies a tall gentleman as he reaches over to one of the tables for a scone. "They're intelligent little creatures, I'll give them that, but they're still beasts at heart. There's a full moon on tonight, yes? I've heard that it drives them into a frenzy!"

As if suddenly registering the party's presence, both man and woman turn and look at you with a sort of bored curiosity. "Hmm, are you exterminators? You must be, you rather look like what I'd imagine exterminators would look like," the man asks. "Yes, I had heard that Cadmion was considering summoning exterminators - clearly these are they. And here so early, too!," the woman remarks. "If only more people took such pride in their work!"

Both of them gesture towards an open set of double-doors just to the southwest. From what you can see, it appears to lead to a dining room. "The kitchen is that way. That's usually where exterminators begin, or so I've heard," the man explains between bites of scone. "It's a pity, I wouldn't have expected Cadmion to resort to exterminators but I suppose a man can only put up with so much," the purple-clad woman adds with a dramatic sigh.
________

Added Slide #6, a map of the city with locations of interest marked. Everyone is currently on Slide #7.

Subtle? From Pavo? I hope you aren't surprised that didn't work :-p

Dwozer pivots his head slowly to look at the tall, gentle man and says, "No." Then he stares at the portly woman's purple dress a moment before walking back to the kitchen. Clearly waiting until he is moving away from her, Dwozer says, "It's a pity alright."