"Ah, yes," Morvena remarks, shutting her spellbook with a soft *whap* as Victor storms out. "It seems that further plans will need to wait just a bit, given Victor's insistence on visiting the circus and your, hmm, delicate condition, Padraig."
"But that does not mean that we cannot visit the markets today as well," she adds with a smile. "For to answer your question I am afraid that I do not have Monkey Fish scribed into my book; I do, however, possess Air Bubble and Water Breathing."
She frowns slightly and then glances over at Issil. "The other two - Free Swim and Freedom of Movement are not arcane magics but divine. Perhaps we can purchase scrolls or wands that Issil can make use of?"
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"Let's go get Victor some p--, er, take him to the circus. Then we can go shopping."
"Waterproof bags should cost about 5sp," Pádraig Henry says, still thinking about what the team might need. "Monkey fish is a fairly short-duration spell, so a wand might be more practical, though I still think we should get a scroll for you to scribe into your spellbook, Morvena."
"Victor hasn't broken character, huh?" Issil shrugs. "Let's go to the circus. Then we can buy some scrolls. I'll use whatever scrolls a priest can. I'm still not sure how that works, but..." she shrugs.
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Just as you're planning on what might be the next step in bolstering regional support for the rebellion, Victor scrambles out the front door of the Seven Apples and dashes back towards The Final Throw, part circus, part casino. The rest of you catch up not long after, and find Victor seated next to Anca inside the circus tent, watching two lion tamers practice their routine. A big white lion prowls the stage.
"We opened a little earlier today, but we're still getting things ready. Come on in," Anca turns as she sees the rest of you enter. "Your friend here really loves the circus, and I'm happy to oblige. Like most in Vyre, I don't ask questions." She smiles.
One tamer holds a big golden ring mid stage and the other a raw steak. At the snap of his finger, the lion charges ahead, leaps through the ring and catches the steak in mid-air.
Victor claps loudly at the display, clearly having the time of his life "What else can the do? Are there more animals and more acts? I wanna see them all!" He squirms in his seat and waves the others over to watch as well.
"Can we have a private tour? This is great!"
"Even if it were, I would assume - and hope - that said halflings are volunteers and trained professionals," Morvena remarks as she takes an empty seat. "I am curious though, where do you procure your stars? To my knowledge lions are not especially common in this region."
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"Much as I keep things safe here at The Final Throw," Anca looks sidelong at Morvena. "I don't ask where the performers get their animals from, nor where the performers themselves come from. Our city is built on tourism, and I'm not inclined to get in the way of that over some," she clears her throat, and speaks low, "Animal smuggling operation."
She turns back to Victor. "The real fun are those catapults just outside the tent," Anca points at an exit adjacent the stage. "For ten gold, get the Apprentice of Tricks Snarly Mopgarden, to lend you a Ring of Feather Fall with one charge remaining. Jump in a catapult and get ready for the ride of your life. Be sure to sign the waiver, of course."
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Issil just sits back and enjoys the show.
Also, the circus animals.
"Alright Vic, what's next?"
"I see..." Morvena frowns, but doesn't offer any further commentary or questions on how the animals or other performers are procured; they'd only just managed to secure an alliance with the Queen, after all.
It would not do to rock the boat too much here in Vyre, not when our position here is in its infancy.
Deciding to run with the change in subject, Morvena glances at Victor with a smirk.
"Normally I am not a betting sort of woman but I would be extremely surprised if he does not wish to ride the catapults before we leave," she whispers to Issil.
Victor's current persona is apparently VERY uncomfortable with heights. "They launch you way up in the air? WAY UP?" He reaches out and grabs Morvena's hand and squeezes nervously "Umm, how about we do something else? My stomach feels funny."
Geoffrey chuckles, "I understand completely Vic. Let's check out those buildings on Heretic's Row."
"Gah...very well..." Morvena winces as Victor squeezes her hand in a vice-like grip. "Perhaps that would be for the best. It might also do us good to be seen taking an interest in the city...as I am sure that our friend has eyes and ears among the crowds..."
"Oooh." Issil enters tourist mode, taking a keen interest in everything she sees.
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"Way up," Anca nods at Victor, but looks relieved when he decides not to ride the catapults. "Being an apprentice, Snarly's antics aren't always without danger."
Victor's curiosity knows no bounds, and so he decides to lead the rest of the party on a visit to Heretic's row, even in spite of Captain Sargaeta warning you about it, and Molly Mayapple also implying what some of the buildings may contain. The street is lined with buildings that resemble temples, most with stone walls, yet all of them have their windows boarded up. One appears to be a Temple of Abadar, though the symbolic golden key above the front doors has been marred and covered in graffiti.
The street has a slow trickle of passersby, most in pairs of twos or threes, and most looking at you suspiciously as you pass through - enough to make you want to hold your belongings close. An unsavory-looking man with bulging biceps hefts a box over one shoulder as he passes by you and disappears towards the back of the temple.
"Ah...perhaps this was not the wisest of ideas after all?" Morvena whispers softly. "We certainly stand out quite a bit. Hopefully we appear sufficiently dangerous enough to be left unmolested but drink and things even stronger often give individuals a false sense of superiority..."
"I agree Morv," Geoffrey glances uneasily about him as he grips the hilt of his sword tighter, "Have you had enough sightseeing here Vic?"
Issil's glamoured clothing morphs and is much more drab. "Reminds me of my earlier days."
"Hey Vic, anything in particular you want to look for?"
"Huh. I wonder if one of those buildings is a hideout for whoever might be left of the Gray Spiders?" He scratches his head as he looks around, pretty certain of the shady business being conducted here.
"Do you think that mole woman may be tied in with them? I dunno." Victor's shoulders slump, not quite knowing what to do. The pit in his stomach tells him its not his problem, but his adventurous 'screw you I do what I want' side tells him otherwise.
"What do you guys think? Let the spiders lie and go home or poke around and get bitten?"
"While I am sure we could do some good here by cleaning out this infestation, I also know Kintargo needs our help even more." Geoffrey shakes his head in frustration, "We can return here at a later time."
"Actually...perhaps we should inquire around a bit as to the identity of this mysterious 'mole woman'?" Morvena muses aloud. "While we do not have her real name we have an alias and a physical description, do we not? Perhaps it would be wise to investigate this matter further while we are still here in Vyre - especially if there is any possibility that she might be involved with these Gray Spiders."
Victor nods, slowly at first to the query, then picks up the assurance of the idea "I dunno if we should right here." He looks around then shrugs his shoulders "Ya why not. Let's split up in pairs and meet back at the circus in a few hours?" He grabs Issil's hand and tries to drag her off to talk to some nice bulky men who may know a thing or two.
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"Hang on Victor. Let me cast message on everyone first." Pádraig Henry grabs his lesser rod of extend and casts the spell. "It should last over 2hrs. The range is limited, only about 170ft, but it's better than nothing."
With some uneasy misgivings when Victor takes off with Issil, Pádraig Henry turns to Morvena and Geoffrey.
"You guys are welcome to come with Rosebud and me, if you'd prefer to stick together."
He waits for them to decide what to do, then he waves to Rosebud. Let's see what we can find out."
Pádraig Henry approaches a halfling couple on their way to the market. "Excuse me, folks, I'm looking for someone. Calls herself Tsutsia. Has a prominent mole on her chin.”
”I met her at a dinner the other night hosted by the Queen of Delights, but I didn’t get a chance to find out how to locate her.”
Rosebud spies an otyugh about to slip into the sewers, squeezing itself through a large hole in the rusted grate.
"Ahem! You there! Quick question!"
The otyugh turns, surprised that anyone would want to talk with it. "Sure, Ah can spare a minute or two. Ah's just on me way to work. Vyre's sewers won't clean themselves, ya know."
"Woman named Tsutsia. Huge mole on her chin. Know her?"
Geoffrey barely has time to object to this new plan before Victor, along with the others, leaves him alone with Morvena...yet again. Shrugging slightly here, I hope you know what you are doing Vic... he faces Morv with a questioning look. "Where would you like to go here...and maybe Pavi should keep an eye on us, just to be safe here."
"Whee!" Issil offers no resistance to Victor.
"Hey, you. Ever see this woman with a mole on her cheek? Worships Nobringer? Loves Grey spiders? I'll make it worth your while...."
Issil let's her eyebrows do the talking to the big burly guys.
Victor runs around asking most people he sees if they knew the weird woman with the big mole was. His slow, childlike persona hopefully will help loosen some lips, if not he plies his magical charms on stubborn looking loners. "Have you seen my Great Auntie? She calls herself Tsutsia and has the biggest, UGLIEST mole on her face EVER!" He points to the spot on his face that the mole is before laughing. "I think she's trying to avoid me for some reason!"
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The party splits up to start asking about odd, mole-faced woman who had been watching you at the banquet. Pádraig asks a halfling couple who are browsing fancy clocks at the market. "If she says her name is Tsutsia, then her name is Tsutsia. We haven't heard of such a name, by the way, but citizens of Vyre generally don't concern themselves with the lives of others. Privacy, and all that."
The otyugh that Rosebud encounters is in a particularly foul mood, and if it weren't for her tiny size and ability to fly away, she would've been gobbled up and pooped out. And gobbled up again.
Victor and Issil stay in Heretic's Row, and approach a group of muscular, tattooed half-orcs behind the temple. "Are you serious? Asking about your Auntie in a place like this?" The man gets close enough that Victor can smell his garlic breath. "Are you working for her too? How brave of you cultists to come here and ask questions directly." Not really getting an answer, Victor tries to lay on a magical charm... but it only makes it worse when the charm fails. The half-orc picks up Victor by the shirt collar. "What the hell, man. You've got 5 seconds to explain yourself before I throw you into a barrel and set it on fire."
Morvena and Geoffrey consider where they might go for answers in a city known for its laws on privacy and secrets.
Victor wriggles out of the man's grasp and apologizes meekly, clearly not wanting to get into a scrum with these fellas. "I'm sorry, we aren't cultists! Just trying to find someone!"
Issil laughs. "Some crazy witch took over their last place and started kidnapping kids. I tore her other eye out with this dagger." Issil brandishes the dagger, holding it loosely by the handle.
"This lady with a mole started eyeing us ever since we stepped foot in Vyre. We may as well take her out before she goes after us. That's why we're asking."
Cool as a cucumber, the Carnelian Signet puts her blade away. "Could you put my friend down, please?"
As the group splits off Morvena finds herself left to her own devices with Geoffrey and Pava, as per usual. She looks to her bodyguard and her familiar friend and shrugs.
"Perhaps we should go and see what sort of, ah, 'scuttlebutt' we can pick up at the Opal Marketplace?" she suggests. "Merchants are well-known for being gossips, after all...especially if they believe that you might buy something."
Assuming he agrees, Morvena retraces the group's steps back towards the markets and begins to subtly ask about about the mole-faced woman as she peruses some of the wares...
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"Sounds good to me," Pava chirps, sounding the most cheerful she's been since the group arrived in the city. The strange secretiveness of Vyre and its citizens was both strange and oddly familiar; after all, was there not a similar aura of secrecy hanging over Kintargo? But just the same, Vyre was different and, in some ways, felt even more dangerous than home did.
"Most of the other places around here are a little creepy, Morv...and that dinner last night was weird! But the markets seemed nice and so did the circus, mostly. Let's stick around there if we can, okay?"
Feeling a little more emboldened by Morv and Geoffrey's return to 'friendlier' areas, Pava tries to keep her little birdie...ears?...open for any interesting conversations or news while they're browsing around.
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Victor manages to tug hard enough that he slips out of the brutish man's fingers. He laughs, turning to Issil. "Get out of here, and now. We don't know anything about any mole lady."
Meanwhile, Geoffrey, Morvena, and Pava peruse the marketplace, where they notice one particularly loud-mouthed gnome standing behind a tent selling meat. "Wild boar from the Chelish woods, smoked camel from the deserts of the Osiriani, and fresh catch from the Ravounel coast! We've got it all! Step right up! OH Hello my dear," the pink-haired gnome beams at Morvena. "You don't look like the meat-eating type, especially not with that dark I-am-so-gloomy gothic makeup, but whatever. I don't judge! Takes all kinds, or something, right? What can I get ya? By the way, I love the 'stache," she winks at Geoff. "And don't look at my hair like that. You're not one of those stuffy Did-she-really-dye-her-hair-pink? types, are you? What an odd couple!"
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"Ah...well, while I certainly enjoy hearty fare let us say that I am not one who feels that every meal must contain some manner of meat," Morvena smiles, deciding to ignore the gnome's comment about her choice of cosmetics. "And fish can often be a healthier alternative to more traditional staples. I...don't suppose you have salmon, do you? Smoked would be wonderful but I am not picky if you don't."
As Geoffrey makes his order, if he orders anything at all, Morvena leans in a little closer to the gnome. "Also...I might have once been one of 'those types' but recent experience has broadened my horizons considerably. Your hair is you and it suits you."
Issil would probably enjoy pink hair, if it weren't so noticeable otherwise.
"You know...your selection is one of the best that I have seen," Morvena adds as she peruses some of the other cuts of meat that are on display. "It must bring you many customers and plenty of news and scuttlebutt to go with them. I don't suppose you've heard of anything interesting happening in the city of late, have you? Ah, if it is permissible of me to ask, that is. I admit that we are visitors here and I know that Vyre has many rules, both spoken and unspoken."
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Geoffrey rolls his eyes at Morvena's words and even manages to return the gnome's wink. I am glad someone appreciates the effort I placed in my grooming! I suppose Morv spends too much time worrying about her own makeup to worry about anyone else's.
"I will take the largest haunch of boar meat you have here! I know it will not go to waste!" Geoffrey licks his lips in anticipation. "Still I do appreciate the compliment Miss..." Once he has received the gnome's name he bends down in a conspiratorial fashion. "Look, I know she is a little...odd but she does pay well...if you get my drift, he he. Also I hope I have not run across one of those rules I keep hearing about. If you could fill us in on them, I would like that!"
Victor tucks tail and with draws from the man, apologizing frequently. Those guys looked mean! Maybe we should just go home after all. He wanders along meekly for a while with Issil.
"Always a pleasure." She turns from the orcs and walks off. "Good to know parts of this town still have backbones."
"I think we're done here for now. Let's see what our friends found out." She leads Victor along.
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The gnome's eyes widen as Morvena compliments not only her products, but her hair. "You two? As charming as succubi!" She smiles, putting small squares of salmon and boar on toothpicks and handing them out to Geoffrey and Morvena to try. "Miss Luckfizzle. Lydia Luckfizzle! Looking for gossip, are you? Yeah, the city's entirely too keep-secrets-secret and whatnot, but what fun is that? Gossip is the lifeblood of our tourism industry, I say! All kinds of stuff happens on Vyre, good and bad. Heard the queen had one of her banquets recently, also heard her skeletal husband was in attendance," the gnome rolls her eyes. "Must've been fun for the guests. Also heard mutterings of those..." Lydia leans in close. "Skinsaw cultists having some activity in town. You know, those Norgorberites? Bad news, but they haven't bothered me none."
Lydia backs away as Padraig and Rosebud wander over, and Issil and Victor also soon find the rest of the party at the market. "Ah, three - no, four more customers. And a tiny one that flies, no less! Fancy some shrimp, shrimp?"
Morvena's eyes open wide; this was new information. "Wait...so the Skinsaw cultists are here in Vyre? What purpose would they have for being here? Have there been any strange or unsolved murders in the city recently?" she asks in a hurried whisper. As the rest of her companions begin trickling in, Morvena gives them a rather pointed look.
"It seems that we might have some friends of Mangvhune skulking about in this city..."
"Hmmm..." Geoffrey strokes his goatee in thought here, "Would it be worth spending time investigating this lead? He wonders softly.
"Hmm? Oh. Like that blade we sold." Issil ponders. "Is it time for the Carnelian Signet to strike again?" She grins. "Sure, let's take a look. We learned our target hasn't been in the rough part of town, so any leads you've got will help."
She looks at the gnome. "Love the hair. What's the secret to the pink color?"
"Shrimp? Yum I like shrimp. Are these free samples?" While Victor always seems to have different personalities to deal with, they all seem to share his hunger for free food.
As the group talks about Skinsaw murders he shivers nervously "That doesn't sound very good at all!"
Rosebud narrows her eyes and scowls at the gnome deli operator and Victor. "Victor, I'd think you'd refrain from jokes about small size, considering your own shrinkage problem."
Victor looks at Rosebud and blinks a few times, oblivious to her comment's actual meaning. "Huh? Don't you like shrimp? Or do you only consume happiness to survive?" He blinks a few more times and goes back to the free samples.
*snort*
Morvena quickly covers her mouth with her hand and pretends that she's still perusing the gnome's wares.
"I thought Rosebud was into S&M or something? She was coaching someone on it..." Issil muses, clearly forgetting story details.
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The gnome looks back and forth between Issil, Victor, and Rosebud. "Do you all know each other? I wouldn't have guessed it, but then again, Vyre does have that modern cultural-melting-pot feel to it. Lots of beards and baristas." Lydia runs her hand through her pink hair. "Don't you love it, Miss Signet? The secret is no secret, no no. Two words. Beet. Juice."
Turning to more serious things, Lydia lowers her voice, addressing Morvena. "I'd love to be your 1000-in-one-answers gnome paragon, truly, but all I know is that some older woman was pulling something in town some time ago. I'd see her with a few unsavory types on Heretic's Row. Then they disappeared a day later."
"I'd stay away, if I were you. Dunrock Prison is home to more than just criminals, and asking too many questions about peoples' identities can be easily twisted into something it isn't. There's no getting out of that place."
"Yes, you'll want to take these goods - only five gold a pound! - for your trip out of Vyre! I'm sure we'll cross paths again, friends," Lydia bows.