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Jack deciding on behalf of the group to talk with these people rushes ahead. As he enters the market tent scares the living daylight out of a gnome setting up bottles, and who instictly tosses a bottle in front of Jack bathing him in fire.
Jack takes 3 points of fire damage as he quitely steps out of the flames and explaines the situation to the gnome. The gnome smiles widely as he understands "I'm sorry for the little fire show, you did enter without give the sign needed to enter safely. You can step down boys, this one is a costumer who forgot to signal his entrance." The amber eyed gnome says waving down the two rogues who stood behind Jack with swords drawn. They step a side as Zea and the rest of the group comes in, she looks to the gnome "My apologies Newt, I showed them here as they needed help, but he rushed ahead not giving me time to explain how to get in wihtout being harmed."
Newt looks the group over and asks "So you want to make the streets safe again, but what's in it for old Newt here?"
"Um...safe streets for your customers?" Jack replies, a bit surly, as he stamps out a nearby fire.
Mic quickly follows in hands held up in front of her.
"Whoa, whoa whoa. My friend Jack is a little over zealous this morning, too much coffee."
She extends her hand and smiles..
"Micheria, nice to meet you. I would say what is in it for you is simple the fact that your customers will continue to arrive. My family has been in the security business for a spell and I can tell you no customer pays less then a dead one."
A gnome. A gnome?! They were eccentric at best and outright insane at worst..! Just getting set on fire a little was something like a good day when gnomes are involved...
No, no, this is fine, they can do this.
Meliora appraises the room, and leaves the talking to Mic for the moment.
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"Ah one of the Musca family, your jobs have often been the reason people come here. The streets have never really been a safe place for the kind of costumers I deal with. The biggest problem you see is that danmable curfew, it keeps a good chuck of my profit away these days." Newt says with a smile.
"Completely understandable. Actually, a little silver birdie told me that we might have the same overall goal in that case. And... that same bird also told me that they're going to need potions in the future. Now, this hypothetical bird could just find someone who can brew potions, or else teach itself. It's a smart birdie. But if they had access to a good friend working towards the same purpose... Well. You like birds, right? Especially birds trying to solve the curfew problem for everyone."
This is how doublespeak and entendre worked in the novels, right? She's pretty sure that's how she remembers it.
Face, meet palm. The real world was never as good as one of her books. Why would it be?
"The Silver Ravens. Have you bloody heard of them, or do I have to start at the absolute ruddy beginning?"
She didn't take all those divination courses to be talked down to by a bloody alchemical hack, no matter how good his potions or his information were.
"Anyways, we're them. And we're trying to solve a murder mystery 'cause we think Thrune might be involved and it's nine hells of hard to put together a revolution when people keep godsdamned dying in the street. Is that plain enough for you?"
After being somewhat baffled by Meliora's first comment Mic smiles at the redirect.
"I would think that is plain enough. We want the killer stopped a well as the curfew ended among other things. Common goals with you."
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"Nah you can't be them, the Silver Ravens fought against Cheliax during the civil war around a century ago, you folks are much to young to have been a part of that. I like your atitude lady you have a fire in your belly, but not much for social skills." He responds to Meliora.
Turning to Micheria "Well an end to the curfew would be a goal wroth reaching for but I can't really put my hand behind so a goal when the people trying to perform it is complete strangers to me. But I tell you what give the murders in the Nursery a good look over, something doesn't sit right about them. One of my men reports about fey creature on the loose in there, but I keep telling them that they would never come into town unless someone called them here. If you can solve that perhaps we can do some business in the future, but for now you can only get standard treatment, potions at full price. But with no questions asked."
Zea whispers to Micheria "I think this is the best you'll get from Newt at this point in time."
"Black powder.... Guns, Bombs."
Canacha said suddenly stepping to the front and kneeling before the gnome. She withdrew her pistol slowly and held it up for him to examine.
"I just recently started studdying alchemy, not so much potions but some of the more.... flashy things it can do. We want to help the city,more importantly the people of this area. And you are right.... we are not the Silver Ravens from a century ago, but we will be... or are the Silver Ravens of this age, and we can do even better than them with your help.... Tell me Newt... would you like to be the owner of a scattergun? I have an idea tinkering about in my mind and will make you one eventually... if you become a true ally of the newborn Silver Ravens."
She finshed doffing her hat torwards him and rising re-holstering her gun.
"Yes, got it, fine. Okay then." Meliora has, if anything, gotten even more tilted. It's almost amazing how easily Newt's gotten under her skin. "Guess I can't be surprised that our secret revolution hasn't really gotten to be too well known yet. Fine. Fine! Okay, tell you what. We are going to go give the murders a good look over, find whatever fey might be doing this, destroy that, and do business. Because if we are going to be able to overthrow the ruddy regent himself, I'll be covered in horse dung before I let some black marketeer sass me without answer!"
She points at the Newt. "We're going to absolutely end whoever's killing things around here, and when we come back with their heads you're going to listen to whatever Cana was going to say about her scattergun, because it sounds like it explodes and explosions are clearly your style, because you exploded one of us on the way in the door for not knowing the handsign yet. I hope everyone here is okay with that. Now, me? I'm out of here. I have murders to stop!"
Having gotten her overdramatic episode out of the way, Meliora flips her hair, folds her arms in a huff, and makes for the great egress. She's not going to realize for a good couple of minutes that she just might have made a scene...
Lena had been standing in the back of the room quietly. She sighs, and rubs her hand over her face as Mel gets going and walks out in a huff.
After the young woman leaves she moves forward and says, "Thank you for seeing us. We appreciate having someone to purchase potions from with no questions asked. We'll do our best to make a name for ourselves. Though that might get you less customers. Milani's blessing on you. Thank you for the information about the fey."
Mic sighs and looks at Newt with a shrug.
"So... there is that. We will come back once it done."
Out on the street Mic pulls on her gauntlet.
"So fey. Not really my field of expertise though I know this gauntlet can hurt them. Shall we wait until evening and skulk around some? Maybe ask some questions first?"
Mic wonders if the new body creates a pattern. It was laying killed previously so maybe something will turn up.
"Yes we want to be there when the body is burnt. Is there a chance we can examine it before then?" Lena asks.
Jack looks a bit aghast when Meliora claims that the group is the Silver Ravens and tries to shakes his head to keep her from saying any more. A secret organization, after all, is only secret if it remains, well...secret.
Meliora's anger is plain as day on her face, one of her eyes twitching as she grinds her teeth together.
If you get too close, you might even hear her muttering under her breath, as her habit of thinking out loud from spending most of her time alone comes to bear.
While she's working through her annoyance, she'll be keeping more to herself while following the others, preferring to let the them do the heavy lifting while she irately flips through her supply of scrolls over and over to double and triple-check them all.
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"It is certainly possible that you could get a chance to examine the body." Zea says and gestures for you to follow her. She leads you through the Devil's Nursery to an abandoned shop where the body is placed on a table with a few locals tending to it, perparing for a wash in oils to make it burn easier tonight.
Zea nods to the people. "Give them a moment to look over her body." They nod back and follow Zea as she walks out of the room leaving you alone with the body.
"Thank you." Lena moves next to the body and begins to look it over. She gestures for the others to take a look as well.
Jack examines the corpse twice, once from a medical perspective, once to just see if he notices anything unusual about the victim or his/her possessions.
Mic give a glance at the corpse but knows that is not her strength. Instead she starts to examine the area for anything out of place.
"...It might well be fey. The most I can figure out is that it's outside of anything I know." Meliora bites her lip, folding her arms.
"I'm thinking if it is fey, they aren't the sorts of creatures that usually plan, right?"
"We should build a real apothecary here, One that wants to help people not be so gnomish."
She spoke torwards Meliora though really for any who could hear her. She couldnt believe how blockheaded that stupid gnome was. So much so she almost wasnt paying attention about the body... well Untill Meliora brought up fae plans.
"Hmm... you know ive never really studied Fae. I could still probably do some math and see if we cant figure something out."
She added pulling out her abbacus and sitting down to start some calculations.
After several moments however her brow clearly creased in frustration and concentration she rose up and put the calculation device and put it away.
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"We could walk around and see if we can pick anything up. Also, if it is fey make sure you have a weapon that could work."
Mic will try and get info from the residents as well as acquire a long cloak that might blend in as a resident.
With time to kill before nightfall, Jack decides to try to gather some information on the killings (victims, times, locations) from the locals.
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It doesn't seem to be anything coherent to the stories of what you here form the locals. Most agree the murders happened somewhere around the Devil's Nursery and doesn't seem to be centered around anything special other then happening in different parts of the area. The victims were found at dawn around where most people would start to leave their homes to get to work. The victims themselves are two women and a man, all three were tieflings.
"Don't fey require cold iron weapons to hurt. We may need to go shopping. Does anyone know of a wepaons shop nearby?"
"Oh yeah, Mic mentioned something about that... Eh, color spray 'em, slit their throat, they die the same as most anything else. But we could look, I guess."
"To the blacksmiths then. she reads off to the Blacksmith shop to purchase a cold iron mace.
"I am all set but yes, you should get some cold-iron weapons. I have found them to come in handy form time to time. At some point I will get a silver gauntlet as well."
Jack already carries a cold iron dagger, but he buys a belt sheathe for it so it'll be nearer at hand than its usual spot (tucked inside Jack's right boot).
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After you have been by the blacksmith you find a tavern near the entrance to the Nursery and get a meal and a drink while you wait for nightfall.
Once night has fallen you go along with the plan and let Micheria act as bait while the rest of you stay about 50 ft. behind, as you pass a crossroad where most of you hide out of sight Micheria is suddenly swarmed by tiny creatures.
Surprise round the creatures in group red and yellow move into Micheria's space, the blue and green are late for the party and just flies as close as they can. Micheria get's a single action before round one begins.
Round 1: Blod may act after the surprise round is done.
Meliora, Canacha
Creatures Blue
Lena
Creatures yellow, red, green
Jack Micheria.
"Oh did you little turds pick the right target. Lets see if you can murder me so easy!"
She snaps a quick backhand at one of the faeries.
Meliora steps out from around the corner and fires off a DC 16 color spray at the blue pair left lagging behind the others.
"Gonna go out on a limb here and say it's a 'no,' Mic. You don't murder so easy."
Lena moves up and casts bless on the party. "Careful those are little. Whatever they are."
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The creatures around Micheria begins their assault on her.
One of the creatures uses his pliers to pinch Micheria so that so let's loose a little scream and before she can close her mouth again another manages to pull a tooth from her mouth. 1 bleed and charisma damage.
The green ones move in on Meliora and attacks her.
Meliora is also pinched with a set of pliers.
Round 1+2: Blod may act.
Meliora, Canacha
Creatures Blue (out of combat)
Lena
Creatures yellow, red, green
Jack Micheria
"Ouch! That is enough of that!"
Mic sends two strikes with her gauntlet at the one who took her tooth.