The rest of you make your way down the cliff and through the nicer Shore district neighbourhoods to Rag's End. You can already see an increased City Watch presence in that area, and can tell that the locals have noticed also. The streets are a little more deserted than they should be at this time of day.
Now that you're here, what's the plan? Walk around listening for screaming? Start asking around?
Once she's got a description, she'll start asking around.
He turns to Robal, "Where would Mig be likely to hole up? Who does he know that might help him?"
Robal looks back and forth as the three investigators begin to bombard him with questions. "You're right, folks won't help the Watch down here. Not with all the flat feet you folks have poking around down here! I'll show you some of his usual hangouts."
You spend the next half hour following Robal from slum to slum, finding no trace of Mig.
How much information are you giving people you ask? Just about Mig? Flying heads? Something in between?
When Heward starts talking to folks about the curfew and vargouilles, folks are definitely skeptical, most assuming that Heward's been early to the drinking party. Then he shows them Robal, and some folks come to check out his scarred and scabbed scalp. Most of the men proclaim the whole thing sick, and want nothing to do with the lot of you. Some decide that the whole thing is still just a big hoax the Watch is putting on as an excuse to come in and mess up their lives. That group seems to be thinking that now is a good time to get angry. Then a few other folks suggest that if this is what's happening, then Mia must have been a var-girl for years now, which brings raucous laughter and diffuses the situation immediately as several of the angry men offer up cheerful toasts to Mia.
Phil looks up at Heward to see if the sergeant is going to allow a less conventional approach...
Heal
Diplomacy
Awgin's passion for plants overcomes his normal, surly disposition as he and Calatin speak with the shop owners and rare plant enthusiasts.
Those are some very nice rolls, and you get results from them. It takes a few shops before you find somebody who even knows of the herb, and then a few more shops to start figuring out where to buy them. A couple stops for pastries later, and you learn that the only place to buy the herb in the city are a few Garundi herbalist shops in the Bazaar of Sails. Tracking those down is fairly easy, and you find small quantities of the herb, enough to innoculate four arcane casters, costing a total of 40 gp.
[spoiler=Perception DC 15]As you leave the final herbalist shop, you notice you're being followed.
When they get to the next tavern, Phil takes a few deep breaths before aiming a solid kick at the door. Following in after the boom as the door flies wide he projects his voice above the din "Right, which of you bastards wants to make some money?" pausing for only a moment before grabbing Robal by the shoulder and walking in side-by-side continuing "We're looking for a bloke named Mig who shifties around with this'un. The greasy little bugger's up his neck in crud and I've come to collect. All you need to know is" producing the ruby between his fingers and held up before him "that iffin ye can lead us to him it'll be worth your while... Now who's for talking?"
"If I don't look, how will I know who's following us? I thought you were smart enough not to use such a stupid line. I guess I was wrong. It doesn't matter though. I'm sure they saw how smoothly you yanked me over here and since we aren't kissing, they'll reaize that they were seen." Awgin tries to get a look at their pursuers.
Phil makes the ruby disappear back into his sleeve before the group moves on to the next tavern. To Heward's query he gives a somewhat cryptic response "Hopefully she'll play as sweet as a well tuned lute... but if the song's off-key... feel free to step in and save me from getting myself killed... and keep the watch badge in reserve... savvy?" To Robal he gives a whispered "Just trust me and follow my lead"
Heward looks down at the Watch tabard covering his mail. With a sour expression he undoes the ties, rolls it up and pushes it through his belt. Then he follows Phillip into the bar.
Your pursuers aren't that hard to spot. Though they wear no uniform or distinguishing marks, they stand staring at a bookseller's table with far too much authority to be everyday customers. Two men, both hard of face and well built, they peek glances over at you occasionally, clearly not pleased that you have obviously made them. They give up the pretence of looking at the books and watch you openly, though they make no hostile moves.
The first three bars fail to yield any useful information, and at the second, you wind up beating a hasty retreat or invoking the authority of the Watch, which only adds to the size of the mob of angry patrons. By the fourth bar, even Phillip is starting to think this might not be the best approach, when he finally spots someone, one of the waitresses, give a start at Mig's name, an even bigger start than when he kicked in the door. Before you can approach her, however, she manages to slip out the back.
The first three bars fail to yield any useful information, and at the second, you wind up beating a hasty retreat or invoking the authority of the Watch, which only adds to the size of the mob of angry patrons. By the fourth bar, even Phillip is starting to think this might not be the best approach, when he finally spots someone, one of the waitresses, give a start at Mig's name, an even bigger start than when he kicked in the door. Before you can approach her, however, she manages to slip out the back.
Khismia takes the path of least resistance, stepping up onto a table where she kicks a drink into a patron's lap, then leaping to the surface of the bar and over the back.
"Out of the way!" Heward booms and brandishes his halberd overhead. "Go get her." He encourages the pursuing Watchmen and Khismia.
"Come on, you," he snarls at Robal and turns to go out the front door, dragging the prisoner behind him.
"Oh my," Laya mutters. She starts to run forward, hops up on a chair and onto a table, but unfortunately, her bag gets caught on the chair, pulling the chair into the table, destabilizing the table, which then topples over. Rubbing her head, she sits up on the floor. "I think I'll let people more suited to this handle it," she says with a sigh.
Intimidate:
Khismia smoothly vaults over most of the crowd, jumping from table to table, while Laya's attempt to copy that feat results in a spectacular fall. Phillip and Heward shout to move the crowd, Phillip diverting the mob to one side as he shoves his way through the other side.
Khismia and Phillip burst into the kitchen to see the waitress, panicked look over her shoulder, disappear through a back door into an alleyway. By the time you cross the kitchen and out the door, you don't see her.
Knowledge Local DC 15(with district prestige modifiers) to know a likely route through the back alleys (either because you've been here before, or through innate knowledge of how back alleys work), or Perception DC 15 to hear running footfalls.
Heward, in a normal combat round, that would all have been fine, but in a chase scenario, you only get one "action" per "round", so you'll emerge from the front of the tavern next "round".
Laya, yes you have a -2 penalty to all chase rolls. Are you giving up the chase or trying again? Phillip's action with the gem has presented a clearer path. DCs to pursue reduced to 10 (same skills, though).
Khismia comes to a skidding stop outside the kitchen door and stops a moment to listen carefully before taking off again at a run.
Rag's End Chase: The Kitchen Conundrum
Hot on Khismia's tail Phil barely avoids a collision as she skids to a halt. Eye's scanning left and right...
Perception:
...he picks up the sound of footfalls receding and some freshly disturbed debris and takes off elbow to elbow with Khismia.
Awgin makes it a point to stand between Calatin and their observers. "Calatin, you know how I've been making jokes about you going on a murderous rampage? I hope these guys aren't willing to help you with that." With a quick glance at Calatin, Awgin decides against the run away option. Instead he offers, "We got two choices, try to lose them in a crowd, which I don't think will work too well, or choose our battle field. What do you think?"
Laya, yes you have a -2 penalty to all chase rolls. Are you giving up the chase or trying again? Phillip's action with the gem has presented a clearer path. DCs to pursue reduced to 10 (same skills, though).
Laya stands up, straightens her hat and unruffles her clothes. With a sigh, she heads in the direction the others have gone, taking her time to carefully go around obstacles.
Khismia and Phillip burst out into the late evening streets. You spot the waitress trying to cross the street. She glances back, sees you hot on her tail, and gets distracted, unable to get passed a horse and wagon, and nearly run over.
She's within your reach this round. Either a successful grapple check to tackle her or a successful Intimidate check will get her to stop and in your custody.
Rag's End Chase: Wagon Interrupted
Rushing forward at the girl, Phil grips his cutlass in reverse grip - drawing it in a smooth movement to smack the waitress across the head with the heavy hilt...
Charging Cutlass (non-lethal): for
Crit conf: for
..."Now quit running before I hit ye again"
Or that works, too.
The waitress lets out a yelp just as Phillip cracks her on the skull, her eyes rolling back into her head, and she collapses into Phillip's arms.
Khismia pauses to catch her breath at the sudden end of the chase, eyeing the buccaneer with his cutlass and prize. "Not the first time you've chased down a terrified woman, eh, pirate?" she asks Phillip cuttingly.
Phil shrugs "Actually... it is, but that's beside the point. I learnt early that they wake up happier if you hit em with the round bit and not the sharp end. Once we've got her back with the Sarge I'll wake her up" moving forward to grab the waitress by an arm, slicking back his ruffled hair before asking with a smirk "Lend a hand?" asking for help dragging the woman back towards the sergeant and the kitchen.
Awgin tries to stop Calatin from getting within arm's reach. "They may be looking to target you with the poison. Stay away from them." He hisses at his partner.
"Pick her up and carry her like a person for whose well-being you are concerned rather than dragging her through the filth like a piece of meat," she hisses at him. "You look like a slaver and will attract the attention of those willing to stand up to a ruffian to defend a woman's virtue."
As Calatin approaches the men, one moves for his sword before the other stops him. After a few harsh whispers between them, they both hold their hands out, well away from their weapons, and back away from Calatin.
"We bear you no hostile intent, mage. What is your business in the Bazaar?"
Smirk bedding into his face Phil muses "Aww, you do care for some things then" before forsaking the assistance of Khismia and picking up the waitress in a fireman's hold for the short trip back to the tavern.
Catching up with Laya and Heward at the kitchen, Phil finds a chair and puts the waitress down gently. Rolling her head forward, Phil finds the lump on her head and prods it gently with his fingers "There now lass, we'll bring ye back around"
Awgin maintains his position (as best he can) between the two and Calatin. "We're looking for flowers. You don't have a problem with us looking for flowers do you?"
Intimidate
Smirk bedding into his face Phil muses "Aww, you do care for some things then" before forsaking the assistance of Khismia and picking up the waitress in a fireman's hold for the short trip back to the tavern.
She shrugs. "I see no reason to attract unwanted attention. I have no authority in this part of Magnimar." She follows him back, keeping an eye on any curious passersby.
The two men, who had mostly been ignoring Awgin in favour of the greater threat they seem to think Calatin poses, back away with a start, hands going to swords, and one of them even bares several inches of steel, more out of reflex than malice. "No-no problem with looking for flowers. No offence is meant. By order of the Princess, all suspected mages are to be kept under surveilance, in case they should begin rampaging against the citizenry."
The growing knot on the waitress' temple disappears with Phillip's spell, and she comes to. Looking about, the tries to bolt again, but Phillip's firm hand on her shoulder keeps her down, and she doesn't try again. She looks at Robal with extreme fear.
"Know him?" she asks nervously, glancing past Phillip at the grave robber. "I don't, but if he's into the same stuff as Mig is, he's not safe to be around. Mig and I hook up some times. I went by his place last night, and he was seriously messed up. I figured he'd gotten high on something, till I saw them tentacle things hanging out of his head. So I'm like, 'Mig! What happened!', and he turns around and his head just falls off, rolls across the floor, then starts flapping around the room with these bat wings. I ran out of there so fast and got outside when there was this awful screeching. I just ran faster and didn't stop till I got home. I don't know what Mig's messed in, but it's some serious s#@%!!"
"Well, that confirms what we feared," Laya says. She approaches the waitress and smiles comfortingly at her. "I'm Laya. Don't worry about Robal. He's already been cured. I'm sorry we're too late for Mig. Can you lead us to where you left Mig? The creature that killed him and took his body needs to be caught and destroyed. I promise you will not need to go near the thing and you will be kept safe."
The waitress, clearly still terrified, takes some assurance from Laya's kind words and soft tone. "I...I...how close?"
Once you reassure her that you'll keep her safe, she relents to show you the way. Do you want to go straight there, or hook up with Awgin and Calatin?