The party as a whole has a bit more luck this round, with most advancing on Barnel. However, he continues to push further into the crowds. It seems apparent that if he isn't stopped soon, his trail might turn cold.
Round 5, Init. 19
Barnel pushes through the crowd, only to find a hay wagon that has stopped right in the middle of the alley he was ducking into. Seeing a tiny opening, he realizes he has no other choice.
Escape Artist:
And he gets stuck!
Meanwhile Morde continues his casual flight
Hrolf has a sudden moment of clarity and sees a quick route of how to gain Barnel. After excusing himself past the hostess and barreling through the remaining crowd, the Ulfen spots an open window that allows him to jump straight into the busy market. As he turns the corner, he sees an unexpected sight - Barnel, stuck on his belly under a hay wagon.
Barnel looks back and realizes that he has nowhere to go. He lets out a loud sigh and says, "Fine, you got me. What do you want from me?"
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Huffing and sweaty, Bjorn advances on the trapped man and grabs him by the collar.
"That was a fun little chase you took us on but now you're going talk or you won't be running anywhere ever again", the big man says with a growl.
"You sold something - a piece of a lance - to a merchant named Jared Moltwin. Who did you get it from?"
His eyes widen in fear as the Ulfen grips his clothing.
"Look, look, I'll tell you everything! Please don't kill me! I don't know her name, I've never even seen her face! She always keeps it concealed. But, I'm almost positive she's one of those Graycloaks. Oh... You don't look like one of them. Please, don't turn me in to the Graycloaks! If I go to jail, I'm certain I won't survive the night. She'll get me!"
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Daimonji arrives not much later, having taken the long way around. The sight of the captured Barnel brings a wide, sharp-toothed grin to his face, not even fully concealed by his scarf. It lasts only a moment, however, and the next second, he's already all business.
"You won't get hurt if you tell us everything you know," he grumbles. For anything else, he can't make promises.
"I'm not sure where her hideout is, but the places she meets me at changes all the time! All I know is that the goods that she asks me to move are normally kept in a warehouse somewhere on the north end of Ascendant Court. I've never been there myself, but I heard her mention it before."
The sweat begins to pool around his face and he seems notably more nervous.
"Look, the last order I got from her was to put out inquires to potential clients in something big and expensive that would need to be moved soon. I don't know any details about it though, I swear! You guys are Pathfinders, right? Don't you work for that, uh, Torch guy? The burned up one? I heard he knows everything that goes on in this city, he might know something! If she finds out I talked at all, I'm dead. Please, you gotta let me go so I can get out of here! I don't know anything else!"
"I swear, I don't know anything else! She's never openly talked about it, I've just pieced it together based on our conversations. You gotta believe me!"
His eyes seem fairly genuine and honest. Ryster is having some trouble reading Barnel, but he seems sincere in his statements at least.
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Daimonji has been silent for a while, ready to spring on a split-second's notice if their friend attempts to send them on another chase, but now weighs in.
"Grandmaster Torch would know what warehouse to check... I ain't sure what he'd think about keeping a tagalong all the way to the Puddles, though." He leans in away from Barnel, whispering, "Letting a blackmailed two-bit thug run is one thing, but him I'd rather turn in while we got the chance. We can't let every criminal we catch run just 'cause of one rotten city guard."
The trek across Absalom to the Puddles District isn't terribly long and is uneventful. However, it's hard to shake an uneasy feeling that someone might be watching you as you travel through the city. Nothing ever comes of it and no one is ever seen, unfortunately.
As everyone arrives at their destination, a burly half-orc guard stands near the entrance to the bathhouse. Grandmaster Torch reclines in one of the numerous small pools that make up the sauna, and steam fills the air. An attendant is rubbing a salve on Torch’s burn-ravaged face, but quickly gets up and leaves when Grandmaster Torch gives a silent gesture.
"Ah, you're here. Good, I have news from the Decemvirate and perhaps some assistance for you, but first I would like to hear what your progress is.”
His eyes shift over the party and become locked on Barnel.
"And who is this fellow that you've brought with you?"
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Tiasar keeps mostly quiet during the dealings with Barnel, taking interest but not offering any opinions.
In the bathhouse, Tiasar begins getting into the habit of tapping Morde on the head, who seems to keep drowsing off in the hot air. He acknoledges Grandmaster Torch with a respectful incline of his head, and looks around the room while the others explain their situation
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Daimonji isn't in the best of moods when the party gets to the Puddles, especially given that feeling nagging him, but he manages to cool down somewhat when in Torch's presence, out of respect for the man.
"And by 'woman', we mean a Greycloak who's seems to have a thing for blackmailin' folks," he clarifies with a touch of annoyance. "There's him," he thumbs at Barnel, "and there was also this Kanebti guy, spyin' on folks for her. We've got a detailed journal if you're curious."
He puts a particular emphasis on the "spying" part, as a (perhaps unsubtle) indication that he hadn't forgotten the assignment Torch had for him.
Grandmaster Torch patiently listens to the Pathfinders' accounts of they've discovered so far, and after Daimonji speaks, he graciously nods towards the party.
"It is relieving that you all have done so well. I'm glad that no harm has fallen upon you, and your search has been at least somewhat fruitful thus far. Please, leave the journal on the table there and I will examine it later. And you, Barnel," Torch says as he turns to him, "my guards will escort you to a safe room here in my bathhouse. You will tell us everything you know, and in exchange, you will be kept safe. Now, go."
Barnel silently nods as he is escorted towards a room out of sight.
Torch continues, "It is fortunate that you caught him when you did. My spies tell me that a cloaked figure wielding a bow was seen bounding rooftops in that same area. I'm sure this is our attacker, and I'm certain that they would've killed Barnel before he told you anything. Good work."
Torch walks over to a set of chairs, resembling a make-shift meeting room. He gestures to you all to have a seat.
"Please, take a seat. Just shortly before you arrived, I received a message from the Grand Lodge. It seems you all have new orders, so listen up.
“Kreighton has discovered another relic, and he claims this could be the most important one yet. Supposedly, this keg was scavenged from the ashes of the original Cayden’s Hall and is the last keg Cayden Cailean drank from before he took the Test of the Starstone. After selling it to our relic dealer, the tavern keeper threw a huge celebration and bragged openly about how the Pathfinders were funding her retirement. By now, we can assume that we have piqued the interest of every would-be relic thief in Absalom.
“While I am loathe to put you in harm’s way, this does present a unique opportunity. Should you accept responsibility for moving the keg from the pick-up location to the Grand Lodge, you will undoubtedly be the target of the relic thief we’re looking for. If you properly prepare yourselves, you might be able to reverse the ambush and catch the bandit before he makes off with the relic, or follow the thief afterward to find out where he’s been hiding. Either way, you’ll want to make sure not to kill the suspect, since whoever is behind this won’t be much use to you dead. Tracking down the culprit’s main site of operations is the most important thing right now — after that, you should search for as much incriminating evidence as possible.
“It’s a huge gamble — which somehow seems appropriate when a relic of Cayden Cailean is on the line. This isn’t the sort of thing I would normally ask a Pathfinder to do, but we’ve already lost one courier and another was badly injured. I’d like this ordeal to finally be over with, and with your help, we can make that happen.
"So, are you all in?"
Torch turns an eye in the direction of Tiasar.
"Please, I would love to hear this idea of yours."
As he talks, he reaches into his robe and produces a scroll tube and a folded letter.
"This scroll should help you track down the keg a little easier if it gets successfully stolen. Of course, if you have other ideas on how to handle this situation, or the potential thief, I will trust your judgment. Just don't do anything that would completely jeopardize the mission or any of the information we need."
As he slides the items across his desk, you find that the folded letter contains the pick-up time and location for the keg. The tavern is located back in the Ascendant Court, and it is scheduled for pick-up in roughly three hours.
Grandmaster Torch grins, but shakes his head.
"Under normal circumstances, that'd be a great idea. However, the timing of all this is purely coincidental, though in the best way. We need that keg moved anyway, so it just happens to be the best bait we've got. Besides, we can't take the risk of the thief catching on to a decoy. We might lose their trail completely if they don't follow through. We WANT them to come after the keg."
Torch's expression changes, his mouth curling into a scarred scowl.
"Look, these are orders directly from the Decemvirate. While it might be a little reckless, and I agree that there are safer ways of doing this, I have to agree that this might be our one and only shot at ending these thefts. Do you want more blood of fellow agents on your hands because you couldn't carry out orders?"
He turns his gaze towards Daimonji and says, "I assume I can trust you to see this mission through, tiefling?"