Celia calls out to the others ”This way if we are giving chase.” She will start to run after the woman unless the others call for her to stop.
Matiscio, in turn, chases after Celia as she runs after someone or something. Well, that or something scared the living daylights out of her, but she looks pretty determined to Matiscio, and not overtaken by fear.
Having no reliable source of his own to follow the woman, he eagerly tries to keep up with Celia, both to help and protect her if needed.
Gilda sighed as she saw the crate falling over and a clear sign the woman was bolting.
"Really? Really?"
Nonetheless, she reached out, hoping to grab the woman's shirt and give them a chance to talk.
Cursing as the Tien woman darted past her, Gilda lamented not having the martial prowess of Matiscio in being a human blockade when necessary.
She then realized she'd have to trust her pets - both Sprinkles and Celia - to pursue their observer.
"Sprinkles! Fetch!"
Gilda rushed after the others, hoping to keep up. At the very least, she was a woman chasing a rodent through the streets.
The Tien woman looks back to see you are still following her. She drinks another vial and her pace picks up. She’s going to outrun you if nothing changes.
Seeing the woman pick up her speed Celia starts to slow down as she gives up the chase "We won't be able to catch her now..."
Frustration washes over Matiscio as magic yet again makes the difference in what ought to be a physical challenge. "And whoever she represents now knows people are snooping about Vespam Artisans. Ah!"
Celia nods then looks to Evander and Gregor "Any leads? We may want to look into them sooner than later now with this new development..."
Gregor scowls as they stop, knowing that the magic was probably the only chance of following the woman. "Yes, we got a name. An artisan by the name of Varl Wex. The word we got, is that he lives in Iudeimus Tenement." This last he directs more specifically toward Gilda, expecting her to be likely familiar with the place, and the shortest path there.
Gilda shouts towards Celia.
"Where!?"
Given some indication of the fleeing woman's position, she gestures towards the area hoping to catch the woman while Celia reports she's stopped to dig up and drink another flask and assuming her invisibility would be the first magic to be stripped.
Gilda casts her spell, but the Tien woman neither slows nor turns visible for the rest of the group. The woman turns a corner and moves out of sight.
With Gilda's last ditch attempt failing to slow the fleeing woman Celia turns to the others "No point in chasing her now. Let's check on the lead and go from there. We still need to get back and work on getting that machine fixed too!"
Gilda punches at the air in frustration.
"Ah, damn! Not sure what that was about, but she was definitely lookin' at us. I can ask the City what it knows about her tomorrow, maybe get a sense of who she is and who she might be workin' for."
Gilda feels her heart beat a little faster as there's less things known now to her than there was an hour ago.
"What happened inside? Is he inside now?"
Evander frowns after the fleeing woman. Annoying as it was, she wasn’t their priority - Wex was. Answering Gilda, he said, ”His name is Varl Wex. He hasn’t been to work in a week, but he lives in Iudemius Tenement. Let’s go.”
With the Tien woman having escaped, you decide to go to the Tenement in search of Wex. It's approaching sunset when you head that way.
Like most of the buildings in Old Kintargo, Iudeimus Tenement is somewhat dilapidated, but built well enough to have stood the test of time. The building is one of the taller structures in Old Kintargo; the upper two of its three stories are constructed of old gray wood.
A squat, elderly woman in drab clothing sits in a rickety chair on the tenement porch, wearing what appears to be a semipermanent mixture of exhaustion and disgust on her face. As you approach, she speaks gruffly and makes a rude gesture as she says, “What are you loiterers on about? Shove off and find work!”
Pointing specifically at Gilda, the woman says, "And you, I better not see another rat from you or have any funny smells waft from your apartment. I get more complaints about you than the rest of the tenement combined!"
Before making his way into the sorry structure masquerading as a welcoming home to people, Matiscio voices his worries. "Somehow it now feels like we're racing against time." It's not like they weren't racing to catch a homicidal maniac to begin with.
The welcoming parade that then greeted them is everything he expected it to be. Well, everything ... The fact the woman has an intimate relationship of sorts with Gilda is quite the surprise, but maybe a few choice words by the rat-talking city seer will keep the woman out of their business.
Knowing the importance of having a good understanding of the local environs with the undertaking their group was endeavoring towards Celia had been spending time when she could to get re-acquainted with the city she once called home, including the areas they often found themselves in such as Old Kintargo and Red Roof where she hadn't spent as much time before when she was a Victocora and a professor. She had heard of this woman and uses her magic to pass a message to the others where the woman couldn't hear "This woman is Nurla Botve, the tenement’s manager and owner. She has very little patience or concern for her own safety, and I would imagine those who dwell under her roof. Perhaps we offer her a small 'payment' to give us information on our target and leave us to our work?"
"Ahhhh!"
Gilda waves off Nitty Nurla's provocations.
She takes a couple steps in the direction of her apartment, waving the others to follow along.
"Come on up, I'll make everyone a snack, but, hey?"
Gilda takes a couple steps over to Nitty Nurla and bats her eyelashes.
"You don't know a guy named Wex, does ya?"
Nurla points her finger at Gilda again then waggles it in front of her face. “Maybe I do, maybe I don’t. What’s it to ya?”
Pointing at the rest of the group, Nurla says, “I don’t recall giving any of you lot permission to come in. I have to let Ol’ Grabbyapples in since she somehow pays her rent, but the rest of you can still shove off as far as I’m concerned.”
The woman rubs Matiscio entirely the wrong way, but he has no talent for intimidation. Still, his tone is laced with impatience and annoyance as he tries to placate the woman and tempt her with golden honey. Or silver, depending on her answer. "Wex. Do you know him? I'll toss you a coin or two if you give us a useful answer and hey, why not, I'll also promise to make myself scarce as soon as we're done figuring out whether or not he's relevant to us. Mind you, questions will reduce the value of the coins coming your way."
Gregor pinches the bridge of his nose, mainly in having to deal with another Gilda. This is one he doesn't share at least a common goal with. "Listen, citizen. I need you to recognize that we do not come here for either pleasure or our own wants. We are here for a vital purpose, and the longer you stand in the way, the more vital it becomes that you as an obstacle be removed. If that is less important to you than your need to control admittance into this building, then you will not appreciate the consequences."
Gilda smirks as Gregor is unleashed on Nurla.
She feigns wincing as the almost-a-Dottari steps forward.
"Yeah, Nurla! Ya better help this Dottari out! Ya don't want him poking around you know where! Or else we're all cooked!"
Gilda makes a hanging gesture around her neck and works her way with Nurla like she always does.
Nurla looks appalled as Matiscio offers coins for information. "A little politeness goes a long way, young man. Bribery, however, will get you thrown in the clink. As it is, I've got plenty of questions for ya, and none of them are particularly pleasant."
She stiffens at Gregor's words. The ranger's reprimand only seems to harden her resolve.
Addressing Gregor, she says, "I still haven't heard what this 'vital' purpose is. Maybe if you weren't so obtuse and vague, we could have been done with this conversation already. As it is, my 'vital' purpose, is to keep loiterers out of my tenement. Congratulations, you currently qualify for that classification. Ya better get specific or shove off."
Wagging her finger at Gilda again, Nurla says, "I ain't done nothing to warrant no Dottari comin' in here. Sounds like you have, though! And what kind of self-respecting Dottari wouldn't interrogate you right here and now after that statement? The corrupt kind, that's who. I'm running out of patience with you, too. Hurry on inside if you don't want me to raise your rent. I'll deal with this lot on my own."
A little politeness?! Those standing next to Matiscio could swear there's steam coming out of the brawler's ears.
Celia stands by as the others try bribery, intimidation and lies to no effect. She looks to Evander hoping he has an idea, but when he doesn't immediately speak up she leans on her magic to whisper a message to the others "Gilda just go inside, there must be a back door or some other means of entry, or if not come back out here and leave the door open long enough that we can sneak in under invisibility. Give us a few minutes to get somewhere out of sight I will make us invisible and then come back out to let us in."
Evander looks at Gregor, then he looks at Matiscio. Bribery wouldn't work, then, nor would threats. He simply smiled and said, "Apologies for my companions, ma'am. They sometimes forget things. The simple truth of it is that we are here to speak with one Varl Wex, who lives here and is a crafter of clockworks at Vespam Artisans. He hasn't been to work all week, and Vespasio Vespam is concerned for his well-being. Would it be possible to let us in so that we might check on him?"
Gilda rolls her eyes and Nurla lords about her unwillingness to respond to coin or intimidation. She waves the woman off and begins to exit the room, bent to discover details about Wex via some other avenue, only hesitating for a moment upon departing to overhear if Evander has any success.
Nurla doesn’t stop Gilda as she passes by.
At Evander’s words, Nurla smiles and says, “Now there’s a fine young lad.”
Jabbing her finger at Celia, Gregor, and Matiscio, she continues, “You three should take some notes. Ol’ Thrunie’s done made everyone turn right rude, if I do say so myself. Hard to find decent folk nowadays.”
Addressing Evander, she says, “Since you were so nice, I’ll let you and your rude friends come in. Wex lives on the third floor, last apartment on the left. If you see him, tell him his rent’s due next week. I won’t have him skipping rent just because he skipped work.”
Nurla gives Evander another smile before making a shoo’ing gesture towards the entrance to the tenement.
Evander walks in, motioning the others to follow him.
Gregor grits his teeth, clenches his fists, and glares daggers at the woman that turns out to be much more aggravating than even Gilda on bad days. It doesn't help that the group throws operational and informational security to the winds for the sake of easing the task, but that's an issue he's been working hard to correct. Maybe the prevalent lack of rigid organization and standard operating procedures is what tends to be the downfall of the average rebellion. It's an angle he may need to research, to allow him to present them with strong evidence toward working on the aforementioned weaknesses. His anger at the woman turns to introspective musing on the subject as they make their way through the building toward the man's apartment.
Celia smiles as Evander sweet talks the woman and gets them entry without her having to waste any of her energy in weaving a spell. She follows along with the others.
Nurla doesn't stop any of you as you pass by her, but her expression does sour as Celia, Gregor, and Matiscio pass by.
Once inside the tenement, you're able to easily make your way to the third floor and to the end of the hall to Wex's apartment. The door is currently closed, but a cursory examination reveals that it appears to be unlocked.
Taking enough steps down the hallway so they can't be overheard, Gilda shrugs to the others.
"Ya'll could always use Celia's trick to stay hidden and I can give Wex a neighborly knock, maybe ask him if he wouldn't mind comin' over to my place to fix somethin'?"
She bats her eyes, like she's be irresistible for such a proposal.
Gilda's pretty certain halfway down the hall, he's probably try to stab her, but she could probably knit that up pretty quick while the others pounced him...
Celia nods "It sounds like as good a plan as any other. Give me a moment to prepare and then we can do that."
Assuming no one has another plan she will pull out her spellbook and study it for a moment and give them a nod when she is ready.
AC: 14
Reservoir Points: [X] [X] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Pearl of Power: [ ] [ ] [ ]
Lvl. 0 Spells: Acid Splash [U], Detect Magic [U], Light [U], Message [U]
Lvl. 1 Spells: Toppling Magic Missile [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Lvl. 2 Spells: Cat's Grace [ ] , Invisibility [ ] [ ] [ ], Knock [ ]
Lvl. 3 Spells: Invisibility Sphere [X] [ ] , Water Breating [ ]
Evander nods in agreement, although he briefly considered using his own invisibility extract.
Gregor holds up a finger, "Remember, we have not confirmed his guilt. We need to question him first and maybe inspect his place. One of the things I disagreed with as a Dottari, was how freely they applied unverified guilt upon suspects, even forcing confessions."
Celia casts her spell, turning all but Gilda invisible. The shaman then knocks on the door, but there’s no answer. Repeated knocks yield the same result. Calling out for Wex also elicits no response.
An invisible figure shuffles about and then scrapes his throat. He speaks with Matiscio's voice. "[b]Seems no one's home ... we might need to apply some breaking and entering, Reverend, just to ensure the safety of whoever is inside.[b]"
Gilda sniffs the air, wondering if she could sniff out a body within, opting to pull Sprinkles from her pocket and use the tiny rodent's nose to assist in the endeavor.
She waits patiently, assuming the lock might find itself unlocked momentarily by some sort of invisible force.
Sprinkles Too takes several sniffs at the air before squeaking loudly. It seems he smells something odd coming from the apartment.
Celia whispers toward Gilda and the others, using her magic to make it more difficult for anyone else to hear "If he isn't answering we still need to have a look inside. Why don't you keep watch and we will move in under the effect of my spell?"
Not wanting the door to open on its own, Gilda tries the handle and pushes the door open.
"Hello? Anyone home? Just ran into Nurla and she was mentioning rent's due soon?"
Gilda takes a couple steps back from the doorway to assess the room beyond from the safety of the hall, glancing down both directions.
As the door opens for the others to move in, Gregor tries to get a good look and listen for any signs of someone within, or any danger.
No one answers Gilda's questions as she opens the door and takes a couple steps back.
The rest of the group moves forward to examine the apartment beyond the now opened door.
The interior of Wex’s home is very clean, with bouquets of fragrant flowers arranged artfully about the space. Several full bookcases sit against the wall. An investigation of these books reveals that most of them concern clockwork theory, tinkering, and machinery, but several books on medical or alchemical topics lie among them as well, strangely out of place.
You notice a few telltale drops of blood: some on the windowsill in the bedroom, and a few more on the floor here and there between the bedroom and washroom.
Someone likely moved between the window and the washroom while dripping in blood, and while most of the droplets have been cleaned up, a few escaped notice.
Gilda takes a couple steps forward, hoping to help cover any signs of her allies advancing from their magical shroud.
"Hello??? Anyone home? The door was open?"
Evander notices the blood on the windowsill in the bedroom, as well as a few other spots of blood. "Blood here, as well as in a few other spots. Not a lot, though. Looks like a small cut. I don't see anything it could have been cut on, though."
Gregor missed the signs of blood until pointed out by Evander, but he's not sure what it means. "Do we think something may have happened to Wex?"
As you continue examining Wex's apartment, all of you spot a secret door leading out of the washroom. Or at least, you're pretty sure it's a secret door. It's currently cracked open, making it easy to spot, but it's also only 4 ft tall. Gilda doesn't have a door like it in her apartment.
You notice someone hiding behind the secret door. Their foot is sticking slightly out from the crack, but you can't tell exactly who it is from this side.
Evander whispers to those near him, "There's a foot sticking out from behind that hidden door."
Aloud, he says, "I guess we'll have to let Vespasio know that we couldn't find Varl. He seemed quite worried about him. Thank you for your help, miss. Let's go."
Evander makes sure that the sound of footsteps heading towards the door can be heard, as well as the sound of the door closing.
Gregor misses the foot that Evander sees, but he follows suit with the plan, "Does that mean we'll have to settle for a different artisan?" He asks, since it was he and Evander asking for him previously. He too makes a point of leading a normal 'exit' from the room with Evander.