Seamus starts counting coins in his pouch before adding them to the pile. And that's 100.
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Gann finally cracks a smile at - of all things - Kamlann's quiet-but-obvious fury as he lays his coins down.
"There's a shrine to old Gozreh here in the Docks district. Sailors pray before they set out to sea, or when they return. All sorts of folks visit there, day and night. It should be a simple matter to have your curse removed. Or, if you prefer, there is also a mid-sized shrine to Desna here, as well. One of the priestesses is a friend. A pesh-addled soothsayer who - I'm very sure - can help you."
"Wherever you go; don't skip the tithe. The gods are angry enough with you as it is."
Gann sorts out your coins, and locks them up in a drawer.
"There's the door." He says, without looking up. His silent companion looming near the door doesn't move.
Farid, there's a fair-skinned, tattooed, bald-headed man lurking through the same alleys you're travelling to return to the Dockside Inn. He's armed with a fine suit of armor, a beautiful darkwood heavy crossbow, and an expensive chain-shirt tunic, perhaps silver or mithral. He doesn't creep, but simply stalks quietly through the alleys, walking slowly as he approaches the Inn.
Syndir glances at the man in leather and then back to Gann.
Is he to be our guide to this safe room?
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Gann simply taps the leaf of paper on his desk. Despite having previously offered no explanation as to what he was scrawling, or why, he seems almost irritated at having to draw your attention to it. His attention has since turned to other paperwork.
At a glance, the leaf of paper seems to contain an address, and some scribbled instructions.
Right then, many thanks master Gann.
Syndir will pick up the paper and hand it around.
Anyone know where this is?
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Gann's silent companion opens the wide-open door just a little wider, and subtly clears his throat.
"Now," he adds, with a growl.
Catching the not so subtle hints; Syndir will usher the others out into the main room. Once there they can go over where the address points them and other issues.
Jelani, if I remember correctly the sandman held the stone right? Perhaps that is the secret to countering the slow effect? What say you?
Seamus takes a look at the address, trying to see if he could remember where that street was.
"Here, allow me to inspect the stone again. Perhaps it has additional properties I hadn't guessed at."
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Jelani determines that he could find the street address easily enough. It'll be a backstreet somewhere within the adjoining warhouse district, maybe twenty to thirty minutes away, by foot.
Concentrating on his identify spell, Jelani is indeed able to determine more about the stone.
This is, of course, how the sandman was able to burden Syndir with the curse without first seeming to suffer from it, itself.
This time, Farid seems to evade the stranger's notice. Seemingly content that Farid isn't coming back, the bald and fair-skinned stranger finds a suitable place among the shadows some forty-five feet away from the tavern front. He watches the establishment intently. Farid wonders if he has a man or two around back. The men Farid chased down must have tipped off this crossbowman. The activity surrounding the inn would just be too coincidental, otherwise.
"Information is more important than haste in this matter, Kamlann. Especially since the man that is hunting Haggarthy is a renowned bounty hunter with a high success rate." Jelani finishes up his inspection of the stone. "As expected, the stone is cursed. However, once the curse is removed, it is possible for you, Syndir, to use it in a similar way to slow your enemies. Now let's be off."
Very interesting, this stone could end up being a valiable tool in our arsenal then but I would be free of its curse as soon as possible. Out the backdoor it is then and mind we might have a bounty hunter. I trust Farid is close by...
He left unsaid the problems that could occur if they got seperated or had to spend time finding his friend while walking the streets.
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"If we die before we can do anything with the information," Kamlann snaps back, "it isn't going to do us a lot of good, is it?" He visibly bites back the rest of the impending tirade, continuing after a moment - in a microscopically calmer tone - "We move or we die. It's that simple. I want answers as much as you, but they need to wait until we get somewhere we can safely take the time to seek them." He looks around, almost as though noticing Farid's absence for the first time, and shakes his head. "We might already have someone heading our way, lead by the boy or the men he followed. We need to go."
Perception
With their destination agreed upon, Seamus cautiously opens the back door from the tavern. Scanning the alley briefly, he moves out away from the building.
Syndir wasnt sure who Kamlann's ire was directed at but he understood the man's frustration at the dire predicament. He couldn't get rid of this damn stone's curse fast enough and eagerly followed Haggrathy out the back door. He stuck close to people that were bigger than him like Farid showed him to do in crowds and hoped the man was bale to catch up to him.
Stealth -
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"Been a pleasure," dryly remarks the attendant on the ground floor, as the party makes their exit.
Despite the distance between the inn and his place of hiding, Farid can hear at least one of his clumsier companions knock the back door of the inn open, too wide. He knows that the man in front of him must've heard it, too.
Around back, Jelani, Kamlann, Seamus, and Syndir pour into the alley. Loitering (or waiting?) there is a street rat no older than sixteen. He is unarmed, but as you leave the alley, the boy's hands rise to his lips, cupped as though to amplify a shout, and in one of his cupped hands he holds a shining platinum coin...
If you'd like to stop him - or convince him of another course of action - we'll have to roll initiative.
The boy's initiative:
I'd like a summary of actions from everyone who manages to roll higher than the kid. Farid, don't worry about acting in initiative. If you move, you can roll Stealth to dry to do so without giving yourself away. If you're haeading around back of the inn in front of you, you'll want to fall back and take a roundabout way. If you don't care about Stealth, moving straight past the bald man and into the open is technically the fastest route, however.
Initiative -
Seeing the kid with the shiny coin and hands raised as if to shout; Syndir figured they were about to be ratted out. He hissed out a spell and snapped his fingers causing a burst of bright light to flare in front of the lad's face.
Squinting his eyes shut at the burst of light, Seamus will then draw his pistol and point it at the boy's face. You make one sound and I'll make sure it's the last thing you ever do.
Farid will hold his position he wants to be behind not in front of this man. Also I want to see what he does before I do anything, I have made an assumption I don't want to simply act on that assumption until he does something to confirm it.
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The boy's Fortitude save:
The street urchin throws his arms up against the flare, turning his head to find himself staring down the barrel of Seamus' pistol.
The young man's mouth works as if to speak, but there is no sound, at first. Instead, he gives Seamus a barely-perceptable nod, then extends the platinum coin in his hand toward the group, as though offering it.
Shortly, he manages a few hushed and trembling syllables. "I... sorry... take it. This was... I- I don't..."
"Keep your coin, young man." Jelani says. It wasn't right that someone hired a child to do their dirty work. It seems, though, that someone was already closing in on them. "Run away from here, and quickly."
Syndir smiled inwardly. Just a few hours together and already this group of strangers were starting to work well together and back each other up...this is going to be very interesting indeed... He scanned the area for anyone taking more than a passing interest in them after the minor altercation...somebody paid the boy to be looking for us...
Perception -
Seamus scans the alleys around them before loping off towards the shrine. Best we move in case whoever hired him is nearby.
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The bald man scans the alley, and holds up a shining platinum coin.
"One of these, plus another when you return. Easiest coin you've ever made, and the easist you're ever likely to. Eh?"
Stealth
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"Good lad," he says.
As you're leaving the inn through the back alleys (deja vu), I'd like everyone to give me an idea of your "marching order" and an attempt at a DC 12 Perception check. Those of you who succeed on the check spot Farid slip into the back alleys to rejoin you, and may react accordingly.
Seamus snaps his head around at Farid's approach. Checking behind him to see if anyone followed him, Seamus again moved along. The sooner they were away the better. You accomplish anything on your little walk?
Perception -
Syndir was starting to get worried about Farid until he saw the rogue come slinking into the alley. He waved him over and then started walking. He was curious as to how his friend would answer Seamus but concentrated on making as much headway under the stone's weight as he could.
Jelani notes the return of Farid, but beyond a nod, says nothing, focusing on the task at hand.
Farid approaches Seamus quickly and whispers, "Looks like your problem found you. He wants me to yell out if I see you, what do you want me to do? Decide fast he expects something of me."