Volar readies his shield in case needed. Argenta likewise cast protective magic on herself. The blue thug finishes loading his crossbow with shaky hands and takes aim at Polonaco again. frightened or not the the Thug's aim is true; the crossbow bolt springs out of the weapon and sinks deep in to Polanco's chest.
Argenta
Volar (ape can act on his turn)
blue thug (bane -1 att. & -1 vs. fear)
red thug (gone ran away)
Tajan
Polanco
Hudor
Dog
Solomon
The dog helps at the hammering blow of the shard speckled paddle. The poor beast runs away from the terrible paddle and it's master. Tajan heals his comrade with curative magics in his wand as Hudor waits to see what develops.
Argent
Volar (ape can act on his turn)
blue thug
red thug
Tajan
Polanco
Hudor
Dog
Solomon
The blue thug is still moving but gets this dazed look across his face like he momentarily forgot where he was and what he is doing.
In his distracted state the Blue thug doesn't put up much resistance as Tajan slips under his defenses and grabs him by the collar. Tajan maneuvers the man's arm into the 1/2 chicken wing position and the blue thug realizes he has no hope against this group and drops his crossbow.
I give up...just don't kill me!
What do u guys do next?
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Polanco nods at Hudor I agree laddy
The irritible dwarf spanks the thug with his paddle - mostly to make a sound not to deal damage Alright, listen yer mixin' with forces beyond yer ken. Tell us who you work for and what you know bout the robberies going lately and maybe we see to it to forget to tell the city guard where we got you tied up. And maybe the knots are loose. You savvy?
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Argenta edges her way around the corner and squints at the would be robber. She scowls a little and then her face softens. You are in a lot of trouble friend, the penalties for highway robbery are really stiff here in Absalom. However, if you help us we can probably see a way to let you go without having to alert the authorities. Who sent you to attack us and why?
THe thug starts to weep, Ah I knew'd come to this! It's what I get, for going against the tenants of Iomedea,... but it was to, save me own kin!
After some time the man the children called Kanebti, begins to confess,"I'm not from here originally..I'm from Rahadoum. I never would have chose this life for myself...in fact that's why I fled my awful homeland..I just wanted to be free to worship my God. Kanebti winces as Tajan helps pull the crossbow bolt out of Polanco. She made me do it...I wouldn't have done any of it if it weren't for her! The thug claims earnestly. I don't know how those bastards from the pure legion tracked me down...but, I never would have done any of this if she hadn't threatened my family back in Rahadoum! The thug looks from face to face, desperate for anyone to believe him.
The one called Kanebti says, I don't know here name...she always approaches me in a dark place cloaked. the thug shivers. It's un-nerving how silent she can be! He holds his hands out to show that nothing is in them. If you let me I can show you some of the work she has had me do in the past. There's a small book in my pack it's a journal of some important people's comings and goings...and a Pathfinder fellow too!
in Osiriani. There are detailed records of his surveillance of Kreighton Shaine and several local relic merchants. The entries are intermixed with lamentations about his guilt over working with a former member of the Pure Legion and the threats she’s made against him and his family.
Look I've had enough of this life. If you promise to help me and try to catch this woman I'll help any way I can. Just turn me over to the city guard not the Greycloaks....I don't trust that bunch. Too much like the Pure Legion. Your adversary just moments ago looks to the rest of you hoping you'll be merciful.
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Argenta takes the book and flicks it open. Dos anyone speak whatever language this is in? she asks? Oh, wait a moment, I know! and she pulls out a scroll from her pack and reads it.
It looks like our friend here has been watching Kreighton Shaine and the local relic merchants for this Pure Legion contact. She glares at the man, Have you been spying on Shaine and reporting back to this awful person you work for! That's terrible, she seems genuinely shocked.
Turning him over to the group she says, Yes, we should definitely turn him over to the city guard, or possibly to the Lodge. I am sure the Master of Scrolls would want to know why this...person...has been following him!
After some discussion it's agreed that you hand Kanebti over to the city guard as a person of interest. You don't report his assault on yourselves and you don't reveal the existence of his book; both of which are damning evidence that could get him a long prison sentence; without first corroborating that he was compelled to do these illegal activities. Instead, you ask that the local magistrate have Kanebti held for question about the disappearance of relics in the Ascendant quarter.
The recent disturbance and the Pathfinder's good name in the city, is enough to get your request granted. After all this is done, it's mid afternoon. You decide to skip lunch and go strait to the site of the second robbery the street corner of Erastil’s Alehouse.
Erastil’s Alehouse is a thriving brewery and alehouse run by monks of Erastil. Located near the edge of the Avenue of the Hopeful, it’s currently a challenge to enter, with a mob of followers of a would-be-god crowding around the entrance hoping to catch a glimpse of the future godling drinking a swig of ale. A monk stands at the entrance blocking the path of some of the more aggressive followers who are trying to squeeze into the alehouse.
As your group approaches, the monk at the entrance looks up with a frustrated expression on his face. “I’m sorry, my friends, but the Alehouse is a mite full at the moment. There's another hopeful God-ling, trying to follow the Path of Cayden Cailean.
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"As a fellow follower of Cayden Cailean i wish them all the best, though truly can any match the constitution of The Drunken Hero!" Volar toasts an imaginary tankard to the man as his own form of reverence.
"My pal Hudor here is right though, we'd very much like an audience with the Friar, if he's not too busy of course."
The monk looks at your group carefully scanning all of of you head to foot. Finally, the monk nods sympathetically and arranges for you to meet with Friar Horace in the alley behind the alehouse. A few minutes later a man walks out of the Pub.
Friar Horace is a thin, precise man with a hawkish nose. His description of events is precise and to the point. “Aye, I saw what happened ; they attacked that Pathfinder right over there,” the friar says as he makes a curt gesture to a patch of dirt in the alley behind the alehouse. “They were wearing gray cloaks, but I don’t think they were guards. Your friend was holding her own, but then someone shot her from that rooftop.” He makes another precise gesture pointing to a building across the alley. “I called out for Brothers Ellis and Freel and grabbed my staff, but by the time I got outside, it was all over. We were able to help your friend back into the alehouse and Brother Freel went to fetch the Graycloaks."
“I didn’t see what happened to the relic your friend was carrying—they must have grabbed it while I was getting my staff. When Brother Freel tried to follow the thugs, he found their cloaks discarded at the delivery entrance to the bakery. After that, things open up to the market proper and it’s almost impossible to follow anyone out there.”
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Polanco mulls over the Friar's words. He is once again at something of a loss. But he did pick up on a detail.
Their cloaks were discarded? Perhaps someone is just trying to frame them. Curiouser and curiouser. And he may or may not have still be in the possession of the relic by the time they got here....hmm do we have any idea where he was last seen with it at this point? Anyway maybe we should check the bakery - see if someone there might have seen the criminals.
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"Hmmm... perhaps. But the other witness was pretty sure it was a Graycloak that she left the soon to be dead victim. Unless she was completely fooled."
Waits for Tajan's search to see if he picked anything up and then suggest the next clue. "It might be best for us to go check on Jarid Moltwin. Since it was his stall where the stolen relic was trying to be sold, he might be the next victim to silence him."
”Did you see where the arrow came from? And are you sure it was an arrow not a crossbow bolt?"
Friar Horace looks at Tajan blankly and says, Pretty sure I can tell the difference between an arrow and a crossbow bolt. He makes to spit on the ground but thinks twice and swallows. one is thick short and fat like me the other is long and thin like this fellow! the Friar points at Hudor. Anyway i didn't see much, I was just having me afternoon ale and was looking out the window when I saw the arrow hit her. The Friar again motions to the top of the adjacent building. From the angle the arrow pierced her; the attacker must have been lying in wait up there somewhere. This time the Friar doesn't restrain himself and does spit.
Anyway, you won't have much luck at the bakery. She was robbed in the late afternoon. The Margroves close up by 3pm on account they come in at 5am to start making the day's bread. They've closed early every since their son joined the navy three years back. Friar Horace pants a little says and looks back at Erastil's Alehouse. Some of the crowd seems to be pushing their way in un-invited. There's really nothing else I can add, except that the cloaked people spoke with a foreign accent and in a strange tounge...oh yeah they had had dark skin too! Didn't see their faces but caught a glimpse of their arms and legs as they ran towards the God's Market. The Friar's head snaps suddenly as he here's something break inside the pub. I really got get back inside and help the other monks control that crowd!...If you'll beg my pardon.. With that the Friar scurries back in to the pub and you immediately hear his baritone voice raise over the clamor, That i'll be enough of that!...Hey stop shoving the others or you'll find yerself shoved out on yer rump!
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Argenta has been listening quietly at the back, she doesn't really have much time for the chaotic Caydenites.
Well, that's two of our leads down and this whole business seems very fishy. We still need to chase down this Jarid Moltwin in the Gods Market, should we head over there? Given someone wants to keep us out of the way maybe it might be best to take some precautions.
She draws a slender blue wood wand from her belt. Could anyone benefit from a mage armour? It might help if we get ambushed again.
Smiler puts his and up.
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Volar pulls Smiler's hand down agin.
"She doesn't have any food you dolt. Here have something from my pack." says Volar as he grabs some rations and gives them to the Ape.
"Thank you for the offer miss. Me and Smiler are fine thank you."
"I'm not liking that fact this is pointing us towards fake Greylcloaks. I do agree we should find the person in the Gods Market next.
The Monk you met at the front door greets you as you walk back to the street. So you talk to Friar Horace? Already finished investigating the crime scene? Didn't see much myself, Friar Horace just told us someone was being robbed and was shot by an arrow from over there, somewhere. The monk points in the vague direction that Friar Horace had. Yeah it was an eventful day.! The monk points his thumb over his shoulder at the crowd and scoffs, *guffaw* Even by our standards! The monk grabs his belly as he giggles. Well sorry we couldn't be more help...hope you catch the scoundrels..
Argenta not satisfied with the cursory talk with Friar Horace decides to look more closely at the crime scene. She first walks over to the side walk side of the street where the Friar said he saw your Pathfinder comrade accosted. Having been several days, all foot prints are useless. But she does see a small bloodstain on the cobble stones; presumably from the arrow that, struck your fellow Pathfinder.
After she looks around the incident area, she heads to the front of the bakery where the cloaks were discarded. The shop has just closed it seems..but, as Argenta is about to turn, from the entrance of the bakery, she discover a small slip of paper between two bricks.
The paper cryptically reads “Barnel—Noon,
Pitview Pub."
tavern located in the Ascendant Court.
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Solomon becomes uneasy about the idea of subterfuge, understands how difficult this may become, particularly if they are seen attacking these thieves dressed like greycloaks. This could get problematic, we need to be careful when if we speak with any greycloaks. Sol also looks at the paper but shrugs, I don't know of that place. Maybe we'll have answers at the market. We should be on guard out there.