"Well, let's see...she was short, with short black hair. At least I think it was short; she had her hood over her face so it was hard to tell," Kresch shrugs. "Strangest thing though, she had a...a smell about her, more than most humans do. And it wasn't stink or even flowers or anything like that. It kinda reminded me of sulphur and ashes."
Reaching - carefully - into her pocket, the wererat boss pulls out her hand, which is now covered in a gritty substance. "That's all that's left of that stuff she had me spread, dunno if it means anything to any of you or not." Though the grit at first does look to be almost like tiny seed pods, a closer inspection reveals that it's actually some sort of ground up incense.
Further inspection of the writing on the note itself doesn't yield any further clues as to the woman's identity or plans, but you make sure to file away what you've learned to report to Sheila Heidmarch when you return. Your task here done you immediately set out again, this time for the Dockway District - which is thankfully quite close by so you don't have far to walk.
_______
After a short walk you find yourselves standing just outside the Galesford Inn, where Dymal Rinks is purported to be holed up. The inn, located near to the water, is a quaint-looking two story affair, painted white and with a large wrap-around porch. A few guests can be seen sitting in wicker chairs, enjoying the sea breeze and each other's company.
It occurs to you that with this neighborhood being a little more upscale than Underbridge, some discretion and finesse may be in order as you deal with Rinks.
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From the party's position outside the Galeford Inn in Dockway, Lazarus Logos take a look around for Dymal Rinks or anyone looking suspicious.
"Rinks owes a considerable debt to the proprietor of the Matador, Master Basaale Minvandu. Minvandu wants his debts paid now and his collectors are hunting the halfling down."
"We could turn Rinks over to Minvandu, but he'd likely be killed. If possible, we should avoid that outcome. We could pretend to be thugs and scare him off."
The samsaran shrugs his thin shoulders. "Neither deception nor intimidation is my forte. Desna smiles, though, the team doesn't lack for convincing muscle."
Lazarus eyes his companions. "I will do my best to aid the leader of this mission."
He checks his spring-loaded wrist sheaths, confirming the scroll of breath of life and his wand of magic missile are ready. Finding a spot away from prying eyes, the samsaran uses his wands to cast mage armor on himself, and before everyone enters the inn, bless on the party.
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Yorad grins in reply, "I like your enthusiasm Lazarus, yet first things first, we have to find him first. He is probably disguised, especially since he knows thugs are looking for him, so let's be... friendly, for now." As a gesture of 'diplomacy' he conceals his knives within the various layers and pockets of his clothing.
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Lazarus smiles at Yorad's cheerful ambition. "Diplomacy is my preferred approach, even if it's merely the opening gambit."
Having accomplished his wand-waving preparations, Lazarus enters the Galeford Inn, nodding courteous greetings to its guests, and approaches the reception desk. "I believe an acquaintance of mine is staying here. And I need to convey a message to him. The matter's rather delicate and somewhat urgent."
"I'm not sure what name he's using to protect his privacy, but he's a squat halfling, shifty-eyed, prefers plain clothes." Lazarus adds other descriptive details, recalling his earlier meeting with Dymal Rinks. "I suspect he might require an expedited check out. I'd be happy to settle his bill for him in advance." Lazarus places a shiny gold coin on the desk. "Can you please direct me to his room?"
The samsaran places another gold coin next to the first. "And this, my fine young concierge, is for your discretion."
After a whispered conversation and some subtle spellwork - just in case, an ounce of prevention and all - the group makes their way inside the spacious lobby of the Galesford Inn. Comfortable couches and chairs are situated throughout and a fireplace pops and crackles with warmth. Behind the reception desk, an elderly woman with iron-gray hair looks up and offers a welcoming smile.
"Welcome to the Galesford Inn," she greets the party, as Lazarus approaches the desk. "How may I help you?"
She listens intently as Lazarus explains the group's purpose and gives a nod when he's finished. "Oh yes, I know who you're talking about. The poor dear's been staying here for oh...maybe a week now? Very seldom goes out and when he returns, he shuts himself up in his room. He won't even come down for meals; we've had to leave them outside his door," she explains. "I...normally I wouldn't be sharing this, as it isn't our business or place to get involved with the private business of our guests. But you have a kind face, lad - and your friend really does act as if he's in some sort of trouble." Raising her arm, she waves to get the attention of a young man busying himself tending the nearby fire. "Merrick!"]
The young man approaches the desk and the receptionist slides the gold coin that Lazarus placed on the counter towards him. "Please show these gentleman and their...er...pet...up to Room 203...and not a word to anyone else." Merrick regards the group curiously for a moment and then shrugs, pocketing the coin. "Of course. Please follow me, sirs."
_______
Merrick leads you up to the second floor and down a long hallway before stopping just outside of Room 203, located on the northwest corner of the inn. "Here you are, sirs. If you need anything else, I will be downstairs in the lobby," he explains before hurrying away.
The hallway is quiet and most of the inn's other guests must be out of their rooms, given the time of day. From within 203 come the sound of rapid footsteps, as whoever is within is pacing the floor.
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"Since I've already met Dymal Rinks, it's probably best if I stay here and try to talk to him first. If I recall the layout of the inn correctly, we might need more than one of us to cover the windows, if he tries to bolt."
Lazarus casts an orison, enhanced diplomacy, on himself.
While Grayscales attempts to conceal himself and fiddles with the lock to Rinks' room, Yorad moves to the window at the end of the hallway and carefully peers out the window. He can just see two windows further down the side of the building that must lead into Rinks' room but the curtains appear to be drawn. Lazarus prepares himself for some potentially difficult negotiations and Tathane ponders on which version of a direct approach would be best.
Try as he might, Grayscales isn't able to jimmy the lock on the door. On the bright side, the sound of pacing footsteps continues to be heard from the other side of the door and you're all pretty sure that Rinks isn't aware of your presence outside his room - yet.
_______
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Lazarus steps up to the door, miming a knocking motion, looks at his team and raises his eyebrows in a question.
If no one objects, the samsaran knocks, announcing himself. "Mr. R., it's the gentleman you met the other evening at Abadar's place. May I come in? It's rather urgent." He pauses a moment, then adds in a whisper "Please, let me in. You may be in grave danger. I believe I can help you."
With no one offering any objections, Lazarus steps up to the door and knocks softly, announcing his presence. From within the room, the sound of pacing footsteps cease and there's a long silence.
"You think!?" hisses the voice of Dymal Rinks. "And how do I know that you aren't lying? Maybe you've been sent by Minvandu's goons to break my kneecaps! And even if you haven't, what's to say that you've not been followed by someone else?"
Rinks clearly sounds scared but there's also the tiniest bit of hope in his voice, as if he very much wants to believe what Lazarus has to say.
While Lazarus keeps Dymal's attention focused on himself, the rest of the group fans out in the hallway a bit and makes sure that the clearly paranoid halfling doesn't try making a break for it out the windows or attempts any other kind of funny business.
"I...okay, fine, hold on a second," the halfling mutters. The group hears some scuffling at the door and then the *click* of a lock. The door cracks open and Rinks peers out at you, dagger gripped tightly in one hand.
"Come on in, but don't try anything funny alright?" he whispers, standing aside to allow you all entry. He chokes a bit when he realizes that Lazarus has quite a bit of company in tow but seems resigned at this point to allowing everyone into his room. Once you're all inside, he quickly shuts the door and locks it again. The room is quite the mess; the bed has been pulled away from the wall and the table has been tipped on its side near the door. Chairs are pulled underneath two of the windows in the room while a small chest sits under the third. Some of the bedsheets have even been knotted into a crude rope, as if Rinks anticipated needing to make a hasty escape through one of the windows.
Having allowed the group inside, Rinks quickly glides past you all to stand on the far side of his bed, back to the wall.
He happens to glance out the window behind him and does a double-take as he spots Teann skulking down below on the inn's well-manicured grounds.
"He with you too???" Rinks asks, gesturing towards the windows. "I saw him at the gala the other day, I saw all of you. If you're not with Minvandu then who are you and what do you want? How did you even find me here?"
You notice what look to be traps set up next to each of the windows and the remnants of one right in front of the door.
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"Who we are is not important. You weren't that hard to find, Dymal Rinks. If we could follow your trail, so can Minvandu and his thugs. In exchange for our protection, you need to agree to withdraw any notion of bidding in the auction for the Runecarved Key."
Lazarus holds up a finger. "Seems you have one good option. Leave town for a while and lie low. We can provide you security during your escape."
Rinks shrinks away from the group, clearly cowed. "Okay, okay! I'll drop out, I'll disappear, you'll never see me again," he babbles. "You're bidding too, right? I'll even give you my deposit, I'll...I'll send a message, they'll turn it over to whoever you want me to name! Just...please help me get out of the city!"
"Yeah, okay...if you say so. I'll stay here for now, but make sure no one else knows you found me here! And I'm going to lock this door back when you leave," Rinks responds, still on edge but more relaxed than he was when you first knocked on the door. "Oh and tell your dwarf friend out there that I've seen better hiding skills from a goblin," he snorts.
You and Rinks make arrangements for his deposit for the auction to be delivered (in a roundabout fashion) to the Pathfinder Society's own contribution and then part ways - pausing outside long enough to collect Teann and Fuzzy.
_______
After a quick jaunt through the city and across the Yondabakari River into the Ordellia district, you make your way to Darga Cranstone's tower. The group arrives at Cranstone’s tower to find it long abandoned and rundown from lack of care over the years. The doors and windows have been boarded up and dozens of old, faded notices plastered on the door warn trespassers to keep out and that the property has been seized by the lord mayor’s office. Still, it appears like a long time has passed since anyone from the government has paid the premises a visit.
All is quiet.
_______
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After the jog to Darga Cranstone's tower, Lazarus freshens up with a dab of mage armor from his wand.
The samsaran looks around the apparently abandoned tower.
"So, either the alchemist isn't here or she's trying to make it look that way. We're supposed to collect the fee she owes, with interest. We may want to spread out a bit."
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Yorad glances around him dubiously at the abandoned tower grounds. "Naaah, more like this Cranstone has not been around here for a while...or we just got the wrong place! That apprentice must have kept trying to ride the gravy train. Could be that money is still inside..." He moves up to the door and presses an ear to it, "May as well see if anyone is home before we...knock, he he."
While a few of you maintain guard and make some preparations should trouble find you, Yorad and Tathane both creep up to tower entrance. The actual door appears to have collapsed long ago and the entrance has been blocked off by some flimsy boards. Peering in between the boards, the interior of the tower is in complete darkness, although with some of the exterior light filtering in, nothing seems to be moving inside.
With no actual door to open or lock to pick, Tathane pries open the boards easily, allowing access to the ground floor of the tower. Long looted of all valuables, it contains nothing but rubbish and rats. A rickety wooden staircase curls about the exterior wall leading a good 60 feet upward to a second floor. Ever so cautiously, you all begin making you way up.
The second floor is just as run down. The stairs bring you to a small room, with doors to the east and south. Not being exposed to the elements, these two doors are still standing.
Wait...what was that? It sounded like the sound of a soft *thump* coming from the south.
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While Lazarus sheds some light on the subject, Tathane and Thern set about giving both doors a thorough inspection for traps and other possible hazards - like collapse, considering the rough state of the tower. Thankfully, both doors seem like they're still firmly anchored to the stonework and neither of them are trapped or locked. While nothing is heard from the other side of the eastern door, Thern thinks that he might have heard some sort of shuffling sound from beyond the southern door.
Satisfied by the joint examination of the doors with Tathane, Thern cautiously grips the knob for the southern door in his hand and slowly turns it, opening the door...
The light from Lazarus' dancing lights filters into the room and reveals a large chamber that must have once served as a bedroom and sitting room. Now, however, it is in a sorry condition. The bed against the wall has completely collapsed and the mattress is covered by mold. The table and chairs are standing on rickety legs, and the shelves against the wall are full off dust, bearing nothing more than broken pieces of glass. But still, no signs or smells of life. Other than the desiccated corpse of what appears to be a woman lying beside the bed.
Certain that he'd heard something from within this room, Thern beckons everyone forward and you all slowly advance inside, every wary for traps and other hazards. A few seconds pass and you begin to relax, thinking that the noise was perhaps a rat scurrying along the floorboards. But then, something strange begins to happen. To your surprise, the chairs in the corner begin to rattle and shake...and then slowly rise into the air! Before any of you can react, the chairs coming flying towards the group...
...and slam into Lazarus and Yorad! Another one, meant for Tathane, crashes into the back wall and splinters into pieces as the half-elf barely manages to duck under it!
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Tathane
Yorad (-1)
Thern
Lazarus (-2, Mage Armor)
Grayscales
Teann + Fluffy
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????
Active Conditions: None
Everyone is UP!
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Perturbed and insistent that angry ghosts weren't part of the deal, Yorad quickly falls back out of the room as he draws his dagger. Meanwhile, Grayscales draws his falchion and adopts a defensive stance as he defiantly calls for the unseen attacker to show themselves. Lazarus activates his wand, granting a blessing to the party as he attempts to pinpoint the source of the attacks and the nature of their attacker. Though he isn't able to determine exactly where the attacks are coming from, he's confident that he knows what the group faces. With the thrown objects and dead body - quite possible Darga Cranstone's - lying nearby, he's positive that you're all under attack by a poltergeist!
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Tathane
Yorad (-1)
Thern
Lazarus (-2, Mage Armor)
Grayscales (Total Defense)
Teann + Fluffy
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????
Active Conditions: Bless
Tathane, Thern, and Teann + Fluffy are UP!
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Tathane ducks the flying chair and looks around wide-eyed. A smile spread on his fact. "This is interesting. But not enough that I want to stay here and get attacked by the furniture." He follows Lazarus out of the room in a couple of steps. "Hey, you're religious," he says to the samsaran, "So what's going on here?"