You begin the adventure in an opulent parlor in the Druman capital of Kerse, part of the manor home of Temel Passad, a prominent Kalistocrat. Served the finest Chelish wine and delicate sweetmeats while awaiting your host, you have time to peruse a letter from Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin.
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"Well, ain't I a lucky duck, Dwarves, whose idea of a bad joke is this?" Selmy groans out loud, his thick Andoran accent muffled as he drinks his third glass of wine and cuts into the slab of meat on his plate.
"What do I care about some lost Sky Citadel. Oh well, If it's what the society wants from me, I'll do it, but I ain't lookin' forward to the dirty looks I get when they find out imma slag."
He turns to the other Pathfinders organized in the room, recognizing a few of them from the journey here but realizing he'd never actually introduced himself.
"I'm Selmy, pleased to meet yall. Here's hopin' this whole adventure goes smooth."
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"What a wonderful spread! They must have heard about me and brought out their special reserves!" Sulmoro exclaims boisterously as he breathes in the luxurious aroma of the wine.
After taking a few moments to truly enjoy his situation he takes a look at around at his new companions. "Helloooo, My name is Sulmoro, the charming Saint of Swords, and I am glad to have such a capable looking group of allies."
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"I am sure one of your stature and prowess deserves the special reserves friend." The tanned human female said from her seat near Selmy as she too sipped at a glass of wine, her first still. She sat wearing an orange dress with sky blue flower accents, bangles adorning her wrists, smelling faintly of sea spray.
"It is a pleasure to be working with you all, I am Lynn Kuro, frequent dancer of the Drunken Vixen and pursuer of knowledge."
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Joining them in the opulent quarters is a blond haired, well-kempt man with intricately trimmed hair and manicured nails. He wears the golden armour of a Crusader of Lastwall with a pure white tabard displaying the Crusader-Nations proud heraldry. A long-bladed Great-Sword rests in its scabbard by the side of the chair as he sips on the exquisite vintage offered to them.
Those that entered with the Crusader would have noted the powerful White furred tiger that entered with him but was left respectfully in a side chamber. Smiling at Lynn, he raises his glass and smiles brightly to the lady, before repeating the gesture to Selmy and Sulmoro.
"I have never met a Saint before, well met." he says softly, "My Name is Marius Reinhart the Second, Crusader against the foul demons in the name of the Angel of War. Whilst my Father meditates and prepares for his test to Godhood I am not needed as his squire so I can join you all here."
Two silent servants open a pair of richly lacquered doors, and a human and two dwarves stride into the lavish parlor. The man, clad in immaculate robes of whitest silk, is short and round with a blonde oiled beard, and his eyes are alert and amused. He takes a touch of snuff from a golden box and sneezes before saying, “It is a pleasure to welcome Pathfinders to one of my estates once more. I am, as you may know, Temel Passad. Allow me to introduce—”
One of the two dwarves, a redheaded female in deep scarlet robes, curtly interrupts the man. “We can introduce ourselves, Passad. I am Metella Raugar, representing the interests of several Highhelm mercantile consortia. My companion”—she gestures to a dwarven man with leathery skin baked by the sun, his head swathed in a bright yellow scarf—“is Amauhak of Reth Bezel, a mystic of the sand dwarves of Osirion.”
Passad attentively sees to his guests’ needs and ensures that the refreshments are to their liking before discussing business.
"My boat, the Abacus, will take you from Kerse, hugging the shore of Lake Encarthan before entering the mouth of the Glass River to pursue your first task: searching the Gray Revelation Inn. From there, the Abacus will take you the rest of the way to Mendev to deliver myself, Metella, and Amauhak, and hopefully the liberated envoys. Keeping the presence of myself and his my companions a secret is the wisest course, given what happened to the earlier team."
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Sulmoro takes bows before Temel Passad."You need not worry. I will ensure the mission is completed without you having to make yourself known. It is the least I could do after this gracious welcome and the resources you are providing!" he states with confidence before contemplating the mission.
"However to protect you and the mission we could use any information you have like why the previous team was taken?"he asks politely.
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Selmy raises an eyebrow as Passad and the dwarves walk in. He nods while Sulmoro speaks.
"Yeah, if ya got any more information since Ingardams message was sent out, it ain't gonna hurt. Any information about Xer or Razmiri can't would be good too, I ain't ever traveled around there, but if they're takin' people we should know somethin' about them."
He crosses his arms as he regards the two dwarves.
"And it says here in this letter, that if we ain't successful you two will take the place of the envoys that got snatched up. I ain't planning on failing, but did you know about this? You really willing to give up your freedom for the cause?"
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You begin the adventure in an opulent parlor in the Druman capital of Kerse, part of the manor home of Temel Passad, a prominent Kalistocrat. Served the finest Chelish wine and delicate sweetmeats while awaiting your host, you have time to peruse a letter from Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin.
Agirran tackles the snack tray with both hands, his face inches from its surface. He sweeps the rest into his belt pouch for later and then takes a swig from one of the wine bottles, wiping the excess dribbling through his prematurely white beard with the back of his tattooed arm.
" Aaaaah! Now that's some grog!" He drops the empty bottle on the floor under the table next to the other one.
"I'm Selmy, pleased to meet yall. Here's hopin' this whole adventure goes smooth."
"Put 'er there Selm." Agirran says putting out a hand and counting the dwarf's callouses when they shake while simultaneously judging the stump's grip.
After taking a few moments to truly enjoy his situation he takes a look at around at his new companions. "Helloooo, My name is Sulmoro, the charming Saint of Swords, and I am glad to have such a capable looking group of allies."
Great. A fancy. At least he's not wearing white make up with a little dab of red on his lips. I hope he doesn't get all emotional at the first broken claw.
Ignoring the slightly shorter, thicker slab of muscle that is the Nagaji he moves closer to the party's lone woman.
"It is a pleasure to be working with you all, I am Lynn Kuro, frequent dancer of the Drunken Vixen and pursuer of knowledge."
"Funny I pursue knowledge myself... and sometimes those who pursue it...." Agirran says before opening another bottle with his teeth and offering to top off the lady's glass. "Got any dance moves you'd like to show off?"
"I have never met a Saint before, well met." he says softly, "My Name is Marius Reinhart the Second, Crusader against the foul demons in the name of the Angel of War. Whilst my Father meditates and prepares for his test to Godhood I am not needed as his squire so I can join you all here."
"Terrific." Agirran says flatly. Staring at the man who might just be his polar opposite, and obvious rival for the lady's attention.
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Lynn eyed the man and his dwarven companions as they entered and made themselves comfortable, "It is a pleasure to meet you all, though i'm sure i speak for everyone when i say, i wish it were under less serious circumstances."
She grabbed her journal and readied her ink quill, "Could you tell us more about the glass river and the people who live around it, do you often have river bandits attacking vessels?"
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Rolling his eyes at the Uncouth display of Agiran, Marius keeps his calm and tops up his own glass from the fine vintage on offer, swirling it in the glass before taking a careful sip to savour the flavour. He is about to speak more with his companions as their host and his guests enter. Smiling warmly he salutes the trio with his wine glass whilst listening to the introductions and the outline of their plan.
"Well met, I am Marius. If the Razmiri should trouble our journey what is out plan? I doubt the Society can afford such a war."
"I will answer some questions." exclaims Temel
“We are rescuing three dwarves: Rakuska Imgardam, a well-known Five Kings diplomat and devotee of Torag; Holfist Sendstrom of Taggoret; and Pechas Domri—like Amauhak, a Pahmet dwarf of Osirion. All are valued for their strategic and military acumen.”
“Razmiran is a strict theocratic government presided over by a vast priestly bureaucracy serving a being said to be a living god.”
“All other faiths are prohibited in the nation, though foreign priests are tolerated as long as they are not proselytizing and just passing through. All nonresidents are subject to sundry tariffs and unannounced inspections.”
"What happens if you fail?"
“Metella and Amauhak will take their places, though it would reflect far better on the Society were you to rescue the captives. Regardless, it will be important to continue to Mendev in a timely fashion afterward.”
Knowledge History or Religion
Razmir, known as the Lord of the 31 Steps, claims to have taken the Test of the Starstone and ascended to divinity. He appeared before the people of Xer in the Duchy of Melcat 52 years ago and now acts as both sovereign and god of those captured lands.
It is no secret that the Razmiri clergy rely more on bullying than on divine miracles, often exploiting
travelers to fill the church’s coffers. The regular patrols of faithful enforcers searching for dissension has resulted in the paranoia that runs throughout the government and the populace. Any friendliness from a native is cause for suspicion.
While not all citizens of Razmiran worship the living god, none would admit as much publicly, especially to outsiders who may be undercover clergy.
A few scholars who have observed the faithful of Razmir performing healing magic claim that the divine magic functions in an abnormal way, different from that granted by other gods. A handful of sages speculate that Razmir’s claim of divinity is questionable, but there is no evidence to prove that he is anything but all-powerful.
After answering some question Temel and his crew go about their duties .
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"I didn't ask what happens if we fail." Selmy grunts when he's misinterpreted. "I asked if you knew that you would be replacin' the envoy that was already captured. Seems you did. I respect that. I aim to make sure it won't come to that, but I was tryin' to see what sort of character you had. Looks like you two are made of sterner stuff than most, I respect that."
Sely finishes his glass of wine and nods at everyone else.
"That all for my questions. I'm ready to step foot on the Abacus and get sailin' already."
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Lynn thought long about the history of the region, "The Razmir worship someone who supposedly completed the starstone challenge right? I think the books i was reading into to prepare for this mission said something along those lines, but they were fairly old so i'm not sure if the information is outdated or not."
She finished her glass of wine and jotted down what Temel explained about the region. "Do you happen to have any portraits of the people we are looking for so that we may confirm their identity?" She'd wait for such presentation but if there was none available she would fasten the straps on her upper arms and sling her backpack over her shoulder. Prepared to board the Abacus she sighed as she was once again thrust into the wilderness and out of civilization because of her job.
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Glad to have their questions answered, even if his own was seemingly left to their own interpretation, Marius finishes his Wine and gets to his feet, likewise collecting his Blade and supplies for the trip ahead. Once he is prepared, he bows to his host and goes to ensure his companion is also ready for the voyage ahead, fastening the creature's harness and speaking softly to the snarling tiger.
When prepared, Marius rejoins his allies with Curze in tow, looking at their transport with interest.
"A fine vessel Master Passad! And your crew are obviously well skilled. Apart from staying out of their way, is there anything we can do to assist?" he asks politely, sure there is not but offering anyway.
After the Pathfinders have their questions answered they sail off on the Abacus.
Your journey along the coast of Lake Encarthan from Kerse is uneventful. Passad’s hired hands (five sailors in all, including the captain) are quiet and efficient, and the boat, a modest craft named Abacus, reaches the mouth of the Glass River and heads east without incident. As the boat enters Razmiri waters, you have a choice as to whether they will dock at Xer and pay any necessary tolls or sail on and try to evade Razmiri authorities.
”We need to do the former.” argues Passad. ”Abiding by the local customs will help us avoid unwanted attention, especially if we include an extra gratuity when we pay our tolls. Without proof that we have paid the expected tribute , we run the risk of greater trouble if accosted by one of the ubiquitous faith barges upriver.” Passad draws two platinum pieces from a white silk purse. ”Here, I will provide the toll myself.”
”No.” exclaims Mettela. ”Stopping at Xer gives the authorities a chance to search this boat and discover you Passad. It is best to avoid the docks altogether and take our chances with any faith barges we might encounter.”
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"Passad surely understands the risk and deemed it better to take it at Xer but we will make sure he is undiscovered if they decide to attempt searching the vessel. However the extra gratuity could be spent elsewhere!" Sulmoro says in agreement with Passad while dreaming of the extra gratuity being paid to him as well.
I mean surely our patron providing the boat will steer us correctly and our loyalty be rewared.
"Companions? Where does your heart lead you?" he says looking around to his fellow Pathfinders.
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Lynn was more than happy to help the sailors, tying her hair back and folding her dress so it wasn't in the way she put her years of experience on a sailing craft to work. It was while she was tying down a harness to the main mast that she heard Passad and Mettela arguing, so she decided to approach and listen to the issue.
"Actually I think i like Passad's plan, and i've got the perfect way to allow him to hide in plain sight, i've got a spell that can drastically change one's age. Toss in some disguising and I can make him look like someone completely different."
She smiled widely at the idea of using her skills for espionage on this level. "Also i've never been in the port of Xer, so i would love to see another city even if only for a moment."
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Joining his allies on deck, the prowling Curze at his heels, Marius listens to both plans and frowns slightly as he considers their next plan, his hands combing through his fine blond hair as he leans against a spool of rope for balance on the rocking decks.
"I see the merits of both suggestions. To dock in Xer we would require silver tongues to keep our motives hidden as well as platinum coins. Remember we are on a rescue and infiltration mission. I feel to go to Xer would risk us being caught and surrounded by the foe. I say press on." he says carefully, not wishing to ruin their relationship with Passad but wishing to follow his own instincts.
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After the Pathfinders have their questions answered they sail off on the Abacus.
Your journey along the coast of Lake Encarthan from Kerse is uneventful. Passad’s hired hands (five sailors in all, including the captain) are quiet and efficient, and the boat, a modest craft named Abacus, reaches the mouth of the Glass River and heads east without incident. As the boat enters Razmiri waters, you have a choice as to whether they will dock at Xer and pay any necessary tolls or sail on and try to evade Razmiri authorities.
”We need to do the former.” argues Passad. ”Abiding by the local customs will help us avoid unwanted attention, especially if we include an extra gratuity when we pay our tolls. Without proof that we have paid the expected tribute , we run the risk of greater trouble if accosted by one of the ubiquitous faith barges upriver.” Passad draws two platinum pieces from a white silk purse. ”Here, I will provide the toll myself.”
”No.” exclaims Mettela. ”Stopping at Xer gives the authorities a chance to search this boat and discover you Passad. It is best to avoid the docks altogether and take our chances with any faith barges we might encounter.”
"They're likely to be nosey if we let them board us given the haul they got the last time. So how is everyone at lying? If we try to avoid 'em they may give chase. How fast is this tub? Could we outrun them if we had to? Ya got a ballista, Passad? A ram? Any ship's war wizards besides me aboard?" If only I knew how wide or narrow the river was and what terrain surrounded it--wherever we are. *hic*
The Abacus and its crew are nearly able to bypass Xer entirely when a nearby merchant vessel suddenly hoists a Razmiri flag and approaches, revealing that it is one of the faith barges that intercepts boats traveling near Razmiran.TheRazmiri sailors demand that travelers come to a halt before casting grappling hooks at the Abacus to pull the two vessels alongside one another.
Three Razmiri enforcers are on board the faith barge, and a chattering, trained baboon named Kanger gambols about the deck and serves as vessel’s mascot and attack dog. Once the boats have pulled close, Kanger leaps aboard the Abacus and scampers about while screeching triumphantly. Two of the barge’s sailors extend a 5-foot-wide plank from one ship to the other, and two of the armed thugs begin board the Abacus, while a third thug guards their crossing with a loaded crossbow.
You convince the Razmiri sailors to let you go unmolested.
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"Well this should prove interesting. If we let them board let me talk with their leader so he can hopefully see the benefit in letting us continue without incident." Sulmoro states slyly with a wink to the group as the ship approaches.
Sulmoro steps up and locks eyes with their leader.
"Thank you for checking on our well being but I assure you everything is in order and we are just a few travelers trading goods. We would like to continue on our trip." Sulmoro states with respect and confidence. "Isn't that right my companions?"
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The Abacus and its crew are nearly able to bypass Xer entirely when a nearby merchant vessel suddenly hoists a Razmiri flag and approaches, revealing that it is one of the faith barges that intercepts boats traveling near Razmiran.TheRazmiri sailors demand that travelers come to a halt before casting grappling hooks at the Abacus to pull the two vessels alongside one ....
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Selmy looks at the druid who has finally deigned to speak, and raises an eyebrow.
"Might not be a fight yet. We could let them on board, for all they know we paid our way through and they're just some redundancy. We're almost through the border, but we need to come back this way to get home. Best not be makin' a scene if we can help it."
Selmy looks to the rest. "I say we let 'em on board and act like we've done this already back in Xer."
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Rolling his eyes, Marius moves over to Agirran and pulls on his shoulder to get him to bring the ship's owner back onto the boat, sighing at the poor etiquette from the northern barbarian.
"There is no need for such brash foolishness, we are in civilised waters now, not the frozen tundra of barbarians. This looks like a merchant's vessel to me, did you see a ballista on the deck? Those things you do not hide." he says with his voice level, though he struggles to retain his composure. "Now, the society needs those dwarves and to get them we need Mr Passad, now calm down!"
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As he argues with the Viking, he spies the Merchant vessel show their true colours and curses. "This helps us not at all! Let Master Passad get out of here so we can get on with our mission, you can go back to your pointless bravado later?!"
Turning his back on the Ulfen, Marius takes a deep breath and combs back his misplaced hair with his right hand. "If you are confident you can persuade them to go, by all means let us try that, if not My friend looks hungry..."
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I shake my head, slowly, deliberately. I look at each of my companions on deck like they are mad.
They have pulled a weapon on us, they pulled us over and are boarding. If that isn't a hostile act, I don't know what is. But, go ahead, talk to them. Find out what they want. When the fighting starts, we will be ready.
I incline my head to Stripes, who, having been harassed by Curze, is hiding behind my legs grimacing his teeth and growling softly.
And, next time someone gives me a sleeping potion to help me avoid any issues at sea, don't make it so strong.
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They have pulled a weapon on us, they pulled us over and are boarding. If that isn't a hostile act, I don't know what is. But, go ahead, talk to them. Find out what they want. When the fighting starts, we will be ready.
"We're travelin' in their territory. You can't go having a fight with every nation that don't act the same as you would like. We knew we'd likely be boarded. This ain't unexpected or any more hostile than we were prepared for. If they shoot first, I'm fightin' tooth and nail but we shouldn't be aimin' to give them a reason to fight."
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Nodding at Selmys reasoning, "I would have my weapon ready boarding a ship with our powerful looking group as well and if they seek to challenge themselves against me they will have the chance but it may not be necessary." Sulmoro sighs. He then shakes his head regaining his composure.
"Marius! Thank you for saving our gracious patron from being thrown over the side of his own vessel! Our apologies and after you share what information you have please head below deck while we sort this out."
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Lynn would look at the colors, "Told you we should have just docked and tried to hide Passad, but no don't trust the one who grew up on a merchant vessel. Now could we all please stop bickering against one another we are all supposed to work together pathfinders or otherwise." She sighed lightly but then brushed out her dress and stood a good five feet away from the boarding plank awaiting their arrivals with her hands tucked neatly in the fold of her back.
When they got in range she would use her natural ability to cast charm person at the more leader like of the two boarders.
"Good evening gentlemen, quite the warm day in these warm waters, isn't it? What is it that we can help you with today?"
The Pathfinder note nothing special about the faith barge.
As Passad is put back down the rest of the crew go below decks before they are noticed.
"It is a mighty fine day isn't it! grumbles one enforcer.
As one enforcer seems a little too friendly the other demands.
"How many on board? What is your business in these waters?"
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Turning to face the Razmiran guard, one hand resting on the furred neck of his compaion,, Curze, Marius tries to keep a straight face and show none of the apprehension he felt at letting the foe getting too close. Smiling warmly, the Mendevian Crusader leans casually and keeps up the charm offensive begun by their allies, the Saint and Lynn.
"Greetings, as you can see it is the few of us here with our companions. We are a merchant vessel on our way to our contact, I assume this is not an issues here?" he asks.
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Selmy rolls his eyes at Lynn as she admonishes the rest of the group. "You ain't the only Sailor here, miss. Easier to hide him now at sea then in a full blow port city."
As the bard casts her spell and she and Marius negotiate with the Razmiri, Selmy continues moving along the deck, doing whatever work an active crew member would while the boat listing at a stable angle, trying to appear every as natural as possible.
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Lynn smiles lightly as the charm takes effect "Just as my friend here said, only those you see on deck, no one gets to relax while we're on business, everyone pulls their weight. We're on business with some wares for further up the river."
She looks over as if checking over the crew for a moment, "Make sure to tie up those masts to half, don't want to run her against the sides should the river narrow." Returning her attention to the enforcer Lynn folds her hands, "So how may we assist you today, is there trouble we should look out for?"
Agirran thinks about taking a dive overboard to auger the ship. The other Pathfinders try and convince the enforcers they are just sailing through.
"Are we ready to cast off?asks the friendly enforcer to the others.
"Yes I suppose you are correct. We must go. We thank you for your time."
The enforcer on the faith barge, noticing his companions coming back, lowers his crossbow. As the last enforcer crosses the gangplank he grabs it and brings it aboard the faith barge.
"Good day." yells the friendly enforcer. The faith barge sails off and out of sight.
As the Abacus sails smoothly up the Glass River, Amauhak asks "How do you intend to perform the rescue mission, namely how do you plan on gaining access to the inn without arousing unwanted suspicion?"
Metella, Passad, and Amauhak stare at you while awaiting for you to devise the plan first, as each is keen to gauge your cleverness.
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Breathing a sigh of relief as the Razmiran thugs leave them to move on unmolested, Marius calls Curze down and rests on the deck until they are called to a meeting with their hosts. Sat around with his allies, Temel and the dwarves, Marius considers their next move as it is posed to them.
"Hmm, Getting a room at the Inn is a great start, though we need to find an excuse to be able to get around. I agree with Ironleaf, Darkness would be best. Though we don't want them to suspect us when we get him, apart from Crusaders onto Mendev what have we got?"
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Lynn bowed her head to the enforcers, "Thank you and I wish you a pleasant day." She waved at them as they left. Once the faith barge had made plenty of room and wasn't looking to come back she let out a pent up sigh of relief. "Oh I am glad that charm worked."
"Well we need a low profile entrance, we can't really barge in loaded with weapons." she rubbed her chin a bit "Entering at night would likely be best, however perhaps one of us can enter earlier in the day and scout it out a bit? Getting a room would give us way to stay and have a base of operations on land. I'd love to try and carouse a bit and see what information I can dredge up from the locals, a little rumor can spread very quickly if you know what to listen for."
Her arms folded and she tapped her foot a bit lips working around as if searching for more that could be done. But she wasn't used to this kind of mission though it really went up her alley as far as skill sets. She had plenty of ways to make people talk, so long as she could get them alone and let them fall under her spell.
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"Marius told those Razmiri we were on our way to a contact. Why not keep up that story? If those sailors have anything to do with the priests we think are interrogatin' people at the inn, they may have already read a report about us when we get there." He grunts and strokes his blonde beard. "If we change our story, it might give us away."
"I say we secure some rooms, have Lynn scout earlier if we think it prudent, get into the rooms, and sneak out under cover of night. I'm a bit worried about, well....us, I suppose." He indicates himself, Metella and Amauhak. "We're a trio of dwarves, and if this really is where they are holdin' the rest of them, well that might be suspicious on it's own."