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Jenya can see that the kid is caughing, it's nose is running and it has red eyes. It could be a flew.
"My name is Tobee! I'm here for a few weeks now, I don't know how much longer I have to stay. My parents say they take me home when Auntie Baltwin says. Did you know that Auntie Baltwin can cure people only by touching them?" the kid says with a smile. "Look, this is Freda, my friend." Tobee says pointing at a 10-year-old girl sitting on the floor playing with cats. "She does not have parents and she's here for years now."
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Jenya smiles a bit sadly in response and reaches out to tousle Tobee's hair. Well I hope you get to go home soon. Don't forget to visit Freda when you can after you do. She'll play with the kids for a little bit more and then head back to the sitting room and motion to everybody that they should go. Thank you for your hospitality but we have other work to do she says to Baltwin I hope the kids get over their sickness soon
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Garret raises an eyebrow as the woman introduces him to the child, not used to people speaking for him. When Tobee points out the other girl Garret makes an effort to involve her in the conversation, while playing with both children.
"Do you two like it here? Is Auntie Baldwin nice to you? Does she look after you?"
Garret uses his small stature to talk to the children on their level, keeping his questions light and not too pressuring.
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"I don't like it here, I want to go home to my parents. They have to pay for me staying here. A lot of money! My parents told me that I get medicine which makes the sickness go away, but Auntie Baltwin doesn't give us any, she says she does not have enough money to buy some." Tobee answers to Garret's questions. "But she looks after us and tells us funny bedtime stories."
Freda jumps up and comes closer to Garret "Auntie Baltwin is sometimes strange and smells, but I like her. She gives me a home. She sends me to work for my room and board to other families and houses. But I like the cats!"
As Hans moves through the house, he fails to notice anything unusual, whilst his mere appearance tends to intimidate the children...
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As if on cue, Garret enters the room to catch the end of the womans sentence.
"Really? Because from what I've just been told you don't offer these children any medicine at all, you just take their families money and then send them off to work. These are sick children, not your own child labour!"
The thought of even slight mistreatment has clearly set the halflings blood boiling and he glares up the 'Auntie'.
"I don't know what sort of scam you're pulling here, but rest assured I'm going to take everything we've learnt back to the Silver Crusade!"
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"So you've been sent by the Silver Crusade? Tell the Paladin I don't need any help from them. This is none of her business! Tell her not to send somebody ever again to my house!" Auntie Baltwin starts shouting. "Leave my house now and never come back, I'm doing good things for the society, what are you doing? Nothing, exactly! Be sure to take all your stuff with you!"
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Garret maintains his glare as he makes his way towards the door.
"These children, their families and the Silver Crusade placed their trust in you, and you betrayed that. I don't know why you did it, but I suggest you take a long look in a mirror and see consider if you like the 'person' staring back at you."
Having said his piece, Garret moves to leave.
Hans nods.
"Let's head back and let them know what we discovered; they can choose to take action, if they so wish..."
Hans shrugs apologetically.
"I am afraid that I did not find anything, but some of my colleagues came across some rather troubling, and eye-opening, information..."
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Unfortunately no m'lday Jenya says shrugging apologetically I found three separate stashes of medicines from different charities unused in the orphanage and some of the kids in there said they weren't orphans at all but dropped off for weeks on end by their parents. One girl who actually is an orphan said that Baltwin sends her to work at other houses for her room and board!
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"I'm so sorry to hear that. We will stop the deliveries to the Baltwin house and we will confront her directly with what you found out. Child labour is one of the worst things she can do to the children beside being confronted with alcohol abuse every day. I thank you for your effort, we will look for a better place for our contribution." Zadrian says with sad eyes. She takes the medicine and hands it over to on of the servants near her. "Your task is finished. Thank you very much! May whatever gods you believe in bless you for the rest of your journey."
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On the way to the Wise Quarter the Pathfinders have the strange feeling that somebody is following them.
Jenya, Garret and Tabitha can see a person watching them intently from across a crowded street. When trying to reach the person he disappears in the crowd.
You make your way to the rich estate of Grand Councilmember Dremdhet Salhar, and are greeted by a guard who is expecting you as you reach the tall, wrought-iron gate. Once you are inside, a servant tells you Salhar is not present, called away on important Council business, but his most trusted advisor is available to negotiate any business you may require. The servant explains this while leading you down welldecorated hallways, past expansive rooms.
After a few minutes, you arrive at a simple study near the end of a long hallway. Inside Amenopheus, the Sapphire Sage, a tan-skinned old man sits behind a desk flipping through pages in a large tome. Scraps of paper jut from the book marking over two dozen different places. As you approach the open door, the wise sage silently gestures you into the study with one thin hand, while closing the tome with the other after finishing what he was reading. Once you are all inside the study he says to you: “Good day to you, Pathfinders. I am Amenopheus, the Sapphire Sage, advisor to Master Salhar. I understand you were sent here to discuss archaeological permissions. Knowing this was coming, I spoke with Master Salhar at length on the subject and have this to say.
Since Osirion was reopened to exploration a decade ago, adventurers, historians, and treasure-seekers flock to my country by the hundreds, perhaps thousands. While most families with ancestral burial vaults maintain guards and keep their sites out of the hands of casual thieves, not all families have the wealth or power to restrict everyone, and as we all know, not every defense is perfectly secure. Unscrupulous tomb robbers and maligned merchant organizations cause Osirion to bleed relics into the Inner Sea—something the descendents of Ancient Osirion cannot afford. We Osiriani have thousands of years of rich history coursing through our veins, and while that power has been out of focus in recent years, we are content to wait, knowing our enemies will wear themselves down. As they fall into arrogance, folly, or greed, we wait for our return to power, knowing we bear the riches of our ancestors at our feet.
Master Salhar remains impressed by the Pathfinder Society, orating in their favor a handful of times in front of Absalom’s Grand Council, in fact. Due to previous relationships between him and the Society, Master Salhar has agreed to grant permission to the Pathfinder Society to explore his family’s vaults below Sothis. The only thing he requires is that you retrieve the map of the vaults from his own vault here. The servant will lead you to the basement and show you the room."
The Sapphire Sage’s eyes twinkle as he smirks knowingly, then he turns back to reading his book as though he had never been disturbed.
After leaving Amenopheus’ study, the servant brings the group back through the spacious estate, leading them down sturdy stone steps into the cool basement. Down a hallway, after a couple turns, the party ends up at a plain wooden door. The servant opens the door, gesturing to the room with a bow, and waits silently for you to enter.
A plain stone room contains three chests: a copper-banded chest of smooth, dark wood; a red lacquered chest; and what looks to be a cube of solid steel. Behind the chests sits a low table holding a clear glass jar half full of liquid and a covered wicker basket.
Once all of you enter the room, the servant shuts the door and locks it behind you. Written on the back of the door is the message: “Within these cases lies your quest and your way out.”
"Wonderful. A test..."
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Pregen can hear a sizzling noise coming out of the basket. The glass jar is about one gallon in size and half filled with clear liquid. It looks like water but seems to be acid. Around the red chest's keyhole Pregen can see glowing runes. The steel chest has a prank trap attached to it's lid. It's spell effect colors the skin of the opening person blue.
Hans regards the 'puzzles' thoughtfully.
"Is anyone here good with traps and/or devices? I could try the blunt force approach, but it does lack finesse for things such as this..."
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After pushing the lid away with her unseen hand, the sizzling gets more excited. If somebody looks into the basket he will see a small key made of blue stone with runes on it. The runes match the runes on the red lacquered chest.
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Hearing the snake, Garret moves forward cautiously.
"I'm not gonna lie, I've never charmed a snake before."
Despite his hesitation, the small ranger draws closer to the basket and tries to mirror the vipers behaviour so as not to spook it.
"Hey there little friend, my name's Garret. How about we get you out of that nasty basket?"
"That," Hans says matter-of-factly, "is a tiny green viper. Yes, it is undoubtedly poisonous; vipers and asps generally are."
Hans turns to Tabitha.
"Could you use the same trick that you used to *open* the basket to retrieve the key? Failing that, I *could* just kill it, but that seems like such a waste..."
Since there was a key in the basket, Hans also takes a look in the jar to see if there is something in that, too...