[ooc]really sorry, work hit me then I got super sick, still on the mend but I'm at least conscious[ooc]
Zal smiles back at the woman and makes a gesture to see if she might step off to the side with his companions, not private per se but not overtly public either...
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She nods discreetly to you. A few moments later and you're talking:
"Greetings Zaladrel. May the tender of dreams be with you in these troubling times. How may I be of service?"
Zal bows his head in response, "Troubling times indeed..." Zal motions to his allies, "These are Juliet, her brother Tybalt and our companion Roakkard. We were looking to speak to the young Mvashti, Koya's grandson...is he still among you?" Zal does his best but to sound to concerned about the prospect that the boy might be gone...
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Juliet sighs as she crosses the Jeggare River, casting her eyes downwards to the fishing vessels below. She's never been as comfortable on this side of the city, little more than a sleepy bedroom community, really. And the Thieve's Camp.
These people. Juliet's father probably met her mother here, or a place like it. Varisans and Shoanti, living in conditions more primitive than Old Korvosa, little more than transients. As they pass the drunk Shoanti eyeing the group, Juliet stares back - hard - her jaw set in a firm line. Make a move, suckers. Sighing again, she looks at the standing stones that Zal is fast leading them to. Gods damned Thieve's Camp...
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Juliet gives the Varisan priestess a quick nod, and follows Zal's cues, a hand in her pack ready to produce the mask if needed.
Roakkard remains silent and observant as he watches the exchange, attempting to garner what information he can from their situation.
She spits when hearing the name. What would you want with a cursed boy like that? Her face becomes uneasy.
"Koya would be most upset. That...σκατά That drug they call Shiver.. it may not have killed him, but what lives is no longer her grandson. Zaladrel, there are no dreams with him anymore or behind his eyes. Only nightmares. He is not here. He cursed his kin and took off. Although I have heard whispers he's working for a that Gaedren Lamm.
She remarks "Tonight's funeral here is for another boy who worked for that Lamm... from what I've heard from those who found him in the gutter. And judging by his xenos tattoos and previous funerals.. I would not be surprised to hear it be true."
"I must admit, these days as spiritual leader I have lead services for more funerals than marriages or births. This is a dark omen and I look to Desna for strength and courage to get us all through."
Zal frowns at the priests words, "I had hoped so close to death he might be healed and think better of this addiction... regardless I need to find him as we seek to end the very Shiver issue you lament." Zal looks at the others and nods a gesture of conviction and continues, "We need to find him. Any ideas where we might start?" -Posted with Wayfinder
Juliet stays quiet, her mind turning as the elf talks with the priestess, but she can't help but speak up as the woman mentions the funeral. "Who is the boy you're burying today? And let me offer my condolences - I've lost the loved to shiver as well. We plan on shutting down Lamm's distribution network, but we'll need your help to do it."
Roakkard remains grim and silent. It is unlikely that the intimidation tactic will be of value here.
"If he's fallen in with the same crowd as this poor soul, I think the docks. I couldn't tell you which."
"His name is Villy Soldado.. I know his family well after the murder of their father, Bayan. Tayce raised him, their younger daughter and his older brother Grau as best she could. I think Grau is in the Korvosan Guard....yes. That's right."
She leans in close.
"You didn't hear this from me, but I have heard that Gaedren Lamm is getting some sort of shipment soon. I do not know what or where or who. My neighborhood doesn't always have the nicest of folks and I do my best to not judge and keep my head down, but you all could put this to good use. Your hearts are true enough. I sense a great future for you all."
Roakkard mutters softly. "If we could get to this.... shipment, when its being unloaded, we might be able to find out where Lamm is, and bring him his just rewards."
Juliet racks her mind, trying to think of the best place, or the most rumored spot, for smugglers' ships to dock in the city. When the priestess mentions the Soldado family, Juliet's mind wanders slightly. Why do I know that family? Do I know that family?
Sighing as any information about the Soldados seems just at the edges of her memory, inscrutable and vague, like the fog the woman had just come out of herself two days ago, Juliet turns to Roakkard. "Agreed, my tatooed friend. And I think I may know just the place."
"I'd guess this shipment is coming in under the cover of darkness, but perhaps the good priestess heard when it is expected?"
Zal nods and mentally takes in the information but leaves the specualtion about Korvosan locations to the locals. Looking to Harmalee Is Grau here? Would he be open to talking to us do you think? and after a beat he turns to the others, He may know things about his brother that might aid us. As a guard he may be willing to help us in ways we may not accomplish on our own...we might check with him before we leave.
"No. Grau will not be attending the funeral. Something happened at the University last night, some sort of robbery, which has him tied up. Knowing him, he will come to see him late at night if he can slip away for a spell. Grau is a good man and he's torn between the city he's sworn to protect and family he loves."
Juliet you DEFINITELY know of at least two good smuggling spots in the city. Old Korvosa's docks and West Pier of the mainland are both the primary docks of Korvosa. That'd seem the more likely of the two.
Juliet snaps her fingers, grinning. "Ah, yes - West Pier! Remember how mentions of West Pier were scattered through the paperwork at St. Casperian's? There's a dock there, easily secluded by Korvosa's buildings and topography from any watch post, especially at the dead of night. I'll wager that's the spot the smugglers will be using - we should get there as soon as possible, and keep watch for the next few days."
Roakkard nods sternly in agreement, but says nothing further. He is as interested in finding the perpetrators of these crimes as the rest of their group.
I agree. Perhaps once we have found a place to observe one of us might slip back here and see if we can talk to Grau about what he might know.
There are a few places you can overlook the harbor. Unless your literally on the docks, you'll need to be in a vantage point of at least roof height.
The docks Juliet is referring to are home to numerous uniform warehouses in various states of disrepair. Walking around the docks is a very high risk/high reward kinda deal if you're spotted. Posting up on top of one of them could work. You'd be close by but could be risky. Further away, like, St. Caspieran's crooked tower gives a wide view of the harbor. It's further away from the docks, so it'll be harder to spy, but certainly safer. Of course other ideas are encouraged for scoping out what's going on. :)
There are also several avenues to learn or gather information about the possible ship and/or day it's coming. Smuggling requires greasing a lot of palms. Especially folks around the harbor. Grau might know something or know at least who to talk to, but he does have his hands full with this case, the loss of his brother, and his moral obligations as a Guard. Baldo Mvashti could as well, but apparently that guy's reputation is... squiffly. Or someone else may know something! Perhaps asking/tracking down that elf with a mask, or any other ideas work as well!
"I remember that documentation well." the Shoanti says solemnly. "If only there were more papers about these places you know of, I have a knack for interpreting them."
Roakkard leans on his staff once again, but more with the restraint of one becoming used to the power that flows through it.
Juliet nods. "I say we stake out the pier at night. It will take a while to unload a large shipment of Shiver. We can hide out at St. Casperian's and then head towards the docks when something looks suspicious. In the meantime, maybe we can get some more information. Zal, if you want to try and locate this Grau guy, I can try to shake loose some information on Mashti's whereabouts. We can meet up later at the orphanage for our stakeout. Roakkard - you could go either way, I suppose. Just make sure you look scary."
Awesone! Ok so you talk the talk to the riff raff the best you can. Your contacts wish they could help, but he's a very small fish in this vast, crooked pond. They corroborate what the Sculptor mentioned and suggested you try any number of drug dens in Old Korvosa. The most popular one being, "The Dragon's Breath", one of a few permanently moored ships and definitely territory of some gangsters.
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Grau is much easier to locate. He's still at the Library of the University of Korvosa. He's currently out front having himself a smoke. He's a lean, clean shaven Varisian wearing the Guard's uniform. Sergeant, if you remember your ranks. He's flanked by two other guards. One of them is discussing the point of devoting valuable Guard resources over a simple book theft.
Juliet heads back to St. Casperian's to meet with the others, not sure she wants to enter The Dragon's Breath on her own. Distractedly kicking a pile of rubbish as she strolls, the former singer scowls, lost in thought about what to do next, her contacts seemingly come up dry in regards to Mvashti.
[ooc] Sorry my thread wasn't updating. I'll read through and update later today
-Posted with Wayfinder
Juliet sits perched in a window on the second floor of St. Casperian's, gazing out at the docks and watching the late afternoon commotion begin to dwindle with the day's dying light. It was easy enough to get up here unnoticed - she took her brother's route from their first night's raid, and the doddering old priest and his helper from below never noticed. Smiling as the others make their way into the courtyard, Juliet holds her index finger up to her mouth and then points to the sycamore that she's begun thinking of as "Tybalt's tree."
Once the others are up onto the second floor, the singer scowls. "I haven't had much luck, but Mashti could always be at The Dragon's Breath, a moored ship in Old Korvosa. It is also a drug den... and the domain of gangsters. We'd best go there armed and ready for a fight."