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"I agree with my honoured companions." Tekkannan looks around warily, as if nervous of offering an opinion. "A ship, however stealthy, is still noticable. Someone will have seen something. But if the name of the Society is not respected in this town, then we must be prepared to grease a few palms, or apply some... er... persuasion, as my colleague has it."
He shuffles his feet. "Perhaps we should begin soon, while we are still unknown in this town, and before word spreads of our arrival."
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Zhatara merely nods at the halfling's words:"As I suspected..." she says smiling but in a completely neutral tone, as if the matter had no moral implications and it was just about her having correctly guessed the situation.
As the others make their opinions clear on the party's next move she chimes in:"Yes, seems to me Jerrik and Violet have the right of it. If the stolen merchandise appeared in the market then that's our logical first step. As for your magic I would gladly accept your help, more magical protection is never a bad thing"
Perhaps we should try to trace the illicit goods back to where they came from, starting in the Market. Do we know what in particular these goods might be?
“Drugs," says Oraiah flatly. "Perhaps in light of these recent troubles, Guaril will reconsider his involvement in that trade.”
"Is there a local thieves' guild? Or several? We might get dome information about who's doing the fencing there."
"Not that I know of," says Oraiah. "Though I wouldn't be surprised to find that was true."
"Yes, seems to me Jerrik and Violet have the right of it. If the stolen merchandise appeared in the market then that's our logical first step. As for your magic I would gladly accept your help, more magical protection is never a bad thing"
"As you wish," says the halfling, pulling a mask down over the back of her head so that she seems to look both forward and back. "Blessings on your new venture," she says, "And may the Lady of New Beginnings smile upon you."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Heading off to the docks, you find that although Molthune blocks much of the trade to and from Tamran, the city still does brisk business with other Nirmathi settlements up the river, and there’s plenty of fishing to be done well before reaching Molthune’s interdictors. As a result, the docks still bustle with activity during the day.
What's your plan?
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"Given what we were told about their cargo, it is unlikely that this ship is operating openly - perhaps they are pretending to be a fishing vessel, or some other vessel that runs the blockade."
He grins. "In Katapesh, we have a saying - 'To Talk Like A Drunken Sailor' - which means that someone says more than they should. I would expect things not to be different here. Perhaps we could ask questions where the sailors go to drink."
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Ashwait's upper lip curls in disgust at the mention of drugs, but says nothing.
She retains her silence as she follows the others, and tries to stay close to the center of the group as they go looking for a sailors' bar -- and her hands are on her cane the whole time, ready to draw the slender blade concealed within.
Her lips move as she seems to mutter to herself...
Rumors in Tamran
Molthune instead.
expensive items like drugs are still for sale in the market from less scrupulous merchants. Rumor has it that the Pathfinders are trying to get the Nirmathi soldiers addicted to drugs.
The rolls for these rumors is separate from that for finding information about the missing shipments.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Zhatara's search of the docks takes five full hours, but reveals no one who can help.
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Jerrik will cast Cultural Adaptation so that he might better blend in with the surroundings.
Jerrik shares what he was able to discover. Several of the hospitals and temples in town are running low on medicines and potion-brewing components ever since several key blockade-runners stopped making deliveries to Tamran. It’s said the Pathfinder Society had worked with these smugglers before, and the Society has paid them to divert goods to
Molthune instead. While most of the goods Karela smuggled into town are no longer available, some of the more illicit or expensive items like drugs are still for sale in the market from less scrupulous merchants. Rumor has it that the Pathfinders are trying to get the Nirmathi soldiers addicted to drugs.
You hear pretty interesting stuff from a place like this.
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From her dealings with people before, Violet thought she could figure out which people to talk to. Spotting them, she walked up and talked low with likely suspects.
"Tell me where to find the drugs and you may live through the night of this drunken debauchery." His eyes follow her hand slowly moving her rapier.
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Dalgron considers Jerrik's findings, his eyes closed. He opens them slowly and then widely, as if he's just invented something magical. "These rumors are both interesting and outrageous. Given our limited time, perhaps it would make sense to split up and investigate different areas?" He looks over at Zhatara and grins. "The lady here has already spent hours looking for answers only to come up with nothing. I am sure it's not her fault. One look at her face should have even the best of liars revealing all of his darkest secrets."
"Then again, it might leave us open to trouble if we are spread thin." The dwarf shrugs before continuing, "Now, let me see if I have better luck..." Dalgron says as he moves around the crowds of the docks, looking for answers.
Although Molthune blocks much of the trade to and from Tamran, the city still does brisk business with other Nirmathi settlements up the river, and there’s plenty of fishing to be done well before reaching Molthune’s
interdictors. As a result, the docks still bustle with activity during the day.
The combined inquests of the various Pathfinders at last leads you to the door of a middle aged half-elf apothecary named Jonathram. Jonathram has not aged gracefully, despite his elven heritage. He is completely bald and wears a silver earring in one ear and a snowy white beard.
“Thefts?" he asks peevishly. "I don’t know nothing about no thefts. I know about receiving stolen goods though, and I ain’t about t’get locked up on no fool charge like that. Some Varisian feller come by
wanting to buy up mah vermin repellent, trying to barter off some potions or whatnot. But I sees the Glyph of the Open Road on ‘em, and I ain’t about to touch no Pathfinder stuffs, so I tell him to shove off. Boy that got ‘im real mad. He was itchin’ up a storm, he was! Must have been living in them marshes, where them skeeters live.”
algron listens as the old half-elf explains before tightening his fists and unleashing his barrage of questions. "Are you certain you haven't heard anything else? Exactly what was he trying to sell? And where exactly are these marshes you speak of?"
Dalgron believes that Jonathram is being honest.
The old half-elf shrugs. "Now you know what I know. S'all I know. As for the marshes, who knows? Shore's full'a marshes."
"When you say Varisian, do you mean someone wearing their traditional clothes?" Ashwait asks. "Or someone with the look... like a Czarni, or whatever they call themselves. The low element?"
He shrugs "How would I know? A Varisian's a Varisian."
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Once the party's finished talking with the half elf and has moved away from his shop Zhatara adresses her companions:"Seems like we learned what we could here. Maybe it's worth checking out the marketplace though. Maybe there's more stolen goods for sell and we could track them back to the source, so to speak" so saying Zhatara starts asking around for the market, potions, food and, subtly hints she might be interessed in something more exotic.
Zhatara leads the team to the Market. The marketplace does not rely solely on Guaril Karela’s smuggling to function, and it remains a major center of activity in the town. The people here are as suspicious
of the Pathfinders as anywhere else in town. However, Zhatara's instincts here are good, and in less than an hour the team is inside the shop of one Gilligam, a purveyor of contraband substances of all kinds. Gilligam is a tall, obese man with a scraggly red chin-beard.
"Yes? What do you want?" he asks with a casual voice.
Gilligam tugs on his wispy beard, studying you. "Pesh," he says at last. "Fine Katapeshi Black, still wrapped in the original leaf. Five gold per hundredweight."
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Zhatara asks for a sample of the stuff, then smiles ferociously:"Excellent quality. Actually the same that was STOLEN from our employer some time ago... Guaril Karela, perhaps you know him? Anyway I wonder how it is it ended in your hands. You woundn't happen to know anything about the theft, would you?" the Mesmerist finishes in the sweetest of tones but the menace is plain in her words.
Ashwait doesn't spot any magic.
Gilligam looks frightened. “I knew this was going to come back to bite me! You’re here to break my legs or something, right? Well you don’t have to—I’ll tell you everything! Just don’t hurt me! I used to buy from Guaril Karela; now I buy from whoever is stealing from Karela. Hey, what’s it matter to me? When I meet them, it’s always on the north end of town, so I figure they must have a hideout up north somewhere. Please, that’s all I know!”
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Tekkannan leans in close to the frightened man.
"As you can see, this one is from that part of the world. So I will give you three pieces of advice. Firstly, keep pesh in a sealed clay jar - it keeps it from drying out. Secondly, do not unwrap the leaf - cut it with a blade so that its freshness can be seen - a fragile leaf means the pesh is not fresh. And finally..."
he pauses for effect
"never lie to those willing to break your legs."
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Dalgron also leans in close to Gilligam's face as he spouts nonsense, and grabs him by the collar as if he were a dog. "We've no time for your lies. We've come to investigate these exotic substances and that's just what we're going to do." Dalgron pulls him in even closer, and shouts in his face. "Now, tell us what you actually know, or you might just have a date with Davarn's wrestling champion!" A sly grin covers his face as he abruptly releases Gilligam from his grasp.
Gilligam looks more sheepish than frightened. “Okay, okay, they come from the river! They sell for half what I used to pay Karela! I hope you never catch them!”
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Zhatara sighs emphatically:"I'll gladly teach you some manners but I fear we don't have the time. Just know that one of these days you'll be receiving a visit. It will be some of Karela's men and I doubt they will be pleased when they find you selling their stuff. If I were in you I'd consider very carefully about your merchandise. They won't be as gentle as we are"
Once the party is out of the shop Zhatara adresses the situation "Thieves are Varisians and currently active, probably based somewhere in the swamps near the city. They carry the gliph of the open road, possibly to frame the Pathfinder's Society, which suggests they are actively trying to hurt us. I'd say we learned wuite a bit but maybe we can learn more. I'd like to make sure about those assumptions for example. So... let's hit one of those taverns, the Gar's Last Meal maybe? People tend to talk more freely after a drink or two"
Jerrik's attention is distracted by some interesting Ustalavic enamelwork on a pair of bronze bracers. Everyone else notices the pair of thugs intent on bumping into Violet Red, who happens to be in the lead as you move through the market. One holds a dagger in one hand and something hidden in the other.
Whaddya do?