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Holding back a chuckle at Jasper's misfortune, Skilgannon thanks the servant and enjoys the walk around Absalom to the court. Glad to see many areas of the city he is yet to witness, the Gladiator nonetheless keeps his hands near his purse in case of pickpockets.
Suitably impressed by the Paladin's request for aid and her demeanour, Skilgannon offers his hand in a firm grip sealing their bond to this task.
"Gladly will we undertake this task, I do hope this is no vile cretin out for an easy mark. Good luck with your task my Lady."
Once everyone is ready, the Half-elf will wait for someone with better direction sense to lead the way.
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Zadrian hands over the medicine to Jasper "Thank you and be sure to tell me if there is anything untoward at the Orphanage"
With that the party takes its leave and heads out to the eastgate district. Not quite as posh as the Ivy district this is still a very well to do part of Absalom. At the top of Greenwood Street lies the Miltivis General Store and further down is an old town house bearing the sign Auntie Baltwins Home for Recovery
Nearly swarming with cats and children, this fine upper-class home appears to be clean and in good condition considering the number and ages of its inhabitants. Three young boys shoot marbles in the dirt near the side porch, and the inside is littered abandoned toys and cats lying about on the floors. A few children take care of chores, while coughs and sneezes softly erupt from the children’s dormitories upstairs.
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Skilgannon takes a look at the orphanage and frowns, it would appear that there were far too many cats around for the place to be truly hygienic, maybe that was why the children were ill. Keeping the thoughts to them self however, the Gladiator moves cautiously towards Jasper and the children playing marbles, not wanting to frighten them.
Kneeling carefully he smiles at the children.
"Yes, pray tell, how is life here?"
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Thagomizer, seeing the number of children playing about, wags his tail. "No, we're not here to play, Thag," Etixxi says, "Stay close to me." She follows Soryan and Tatiana into the orphanage. In a low voice, she whispers to Soryan, "I'm not a specialist in family law or anything like that, but do you see any signs of abuse?"
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The children seem fine to Etixxi although the coughing from upstairs is worisome but that seems mostly due to living in a city. Most of the kids seem warily eyeing Thag and thereare a couple of volunteers to go fetch Auntie. "She just doing her medicine inventory" says one of the kids as he goes to fetch her.
Auntie Baltwin soon appears "Hello! Can I help you with anything? I do hope you're not planning to bring that animal thing in here. This is a hygenic establishhment"
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Auntie draws herself up to her full 4' 8" and stares defiantly up at Soryan "I am jush fine sir thank you very much for asking she looks ready to give further reply when Tatianna speaks
"Health Department? Never heard of it. Still these new things keep cropping up all the time. Another one of Lord Gyr's innovations I suppose" She looks carefully at Tatianna's jewellry but fails to spot the Pharasma Spiral. "This is Auntie Baltwins Home for Recovery. Run by myself Gilga Baltwin it is where sick children come to to get better. With amazin results I might add. I recieve donations from the temple of the shining star and the hall of drunken heroes and nobles from all over Absalom and the children get better. What brings the Health department here with a strange animal in tow. What are you hoping to see? She pulls her cane in front of her and leans on it with both hands
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Soryan looks over to Tatiana, not sure what the next step of the plan is.
"We brought things from the Shining Star, they were worried it might not be enough and wanted us to check on the health of the children and see what else they might need."
Soryan stumbles over surprisingly few words as he makes up the middle details.
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"Right lets give you the tour Though I'm not sure you will need that filthy animal to guard us, Nor the long pointy stick. This way and with that she heads up the main stairs to the dormitory
"Here is where the children recover from the various maladies like hacking crud and the snots." She moves over to one unfortunate with a hacking cough. "Here Billy time for your medicine." She takes out a vial and spoon and hands it to billy. "Thats not Billy starts before Baltwin interrupts "Do as your told Billy or no bedtime story for you. Pour the medicine carefully onto the spoon and then swallow it" Billy does as hes told and swallows the medicine. His coughing subsides and he chirps up Thanks Auntie B that was real good" His coughing also subsides. He screws the top back on the medicine and hands it and the spoon back to Auntie Baltwin. Who pockets the medicine and spoon in her apron
There are lots of empty well made beds about although some have cats sat on them
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Tatiana thanks Jasper's keen eye and says to the woman.
Miss Baltwin, I think strange that so many of your children under your vigilant guard are sick. I've heard you received a lot of medecine.
Also, I note that you have alcool in your apron. In front of children it's not a good thing to do.
May be you have golden arguments about that?
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With the children unwilling to talk, Skilgannon decides to sit on the porch outside and enjoy the relative quiet of the bustling Absalom streets compared to the loud roars of Tymon's arenas. With the rest of his comrades inside it seemed overkill for him to join them and frighten the children any more than they already were.
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Skilgannon looks up as he is joined at the house steps by the druid and her spiky pet. Stretching back, the Gladiator places his curved spear on to the porch and lets out a deep breath.
"The children were terrified and would not speak so I thought to spend some time enjoying the relative peace. That place felt cramped and more bodies seemed only to make it worse. Is that why yu re out here?"
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"Where are the rest of the children?"
"Oh the rest of the children are out on placements. Learnin a trade and being useful to society an all." replies Auntie Baltwin who is sa little starled when one of the children adds "And helps pay our lodging fees"
"Hush child. The grown ups don't want to hear your opinion. and she smiles her gap tooth smile Tatiana Durland and Jasper. "Now would you care to step into my office. Somethings are better not discussed in front of the children." and with that she moves out to head to her room.
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Tatiana thanks Jasper's keen eye and says to the woman.
Miss Baltwin, I think strange that so many of your children under your vigilant guard are sick. I've heard you received a lot of medecine.
Also, I note that you have alcool in your apron. In front of children it's not a good thing to do.
May be you have golden arguments about that?
"Ah my dear. Yes I am fond of the occasional tipple. But when you have had the life I've had raising most of my sick mothers brood and then taking on these unfortunates you would take the odd sip of Dr Jacks as well She hauls out the offending bottle and looks at it like an old friend . She goes to remove the top but looks at you thinks better of it and replaces it carefully in her apron. "Far left for my medicine just left for the kiddies" She smiles back proud of the care with which she has arranged things. "Now none of the children are very sick. I have learned not to waste medicine for a quick cure or everything can get very dicey when you get a sudden outbreak. I keep a good stock here for emergencies" and with that sweeps a package sat on the table into a cupboard behind her. (Right next to another bottle of Jack Whiskey)
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"Fees?! Fees no children pay fees! No if they earn some money from placements it goes on little luxuries for them like cocoa at night some extra wood for the fires and the like. I tell em it pays for their lodging as it helps to give them a sense of how the world works" she puts her hands on her hips as she backs away slightly from the half orc.
"Olystria? Oh you're the department of health at the shining star. You don't look very Saranraeite to me. Well you've had your tour. Anything else you want to accuse me of or are you leaving now?" she retreats behind her desk and swallows hard and waits almost praying that you go
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Tatiana looks at the old woman and says. It seems to me that you give yourself a good part of this luxury and who's Cousin G in the puddle ?
I don't think the puddle are a good place for children and it don't seems to me that to employ children is what it meant to keep them safe.
The department of Health will give of full report, on what you do with the medicine given to you, and the safety of the children.
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"You're not from round here are you" says auntie as a statement not a question. "No The Puddles as we now call it was a reasonably well to do part of Absalom until the earthquake hit it nearly a dozen years ago. Its not a place anyone wants to live now but some can't afford to move out. We still get young un from there whose parents have succumbed to the lingering maladies and Cousin G is generous in the support he gives for those unfortunates."[b]
{b]"Will there be anything else you want to say?"
She then shows you out to the front door and shoos away the two before they get chance to talk to the adults
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Skilgannon looks down at the children and smiles with a soft chuckle. Ahrugging his broad shoulders he replies to the child's earnest question. "Thag is the companion of my friend here, he can do great tricks when it comes to the swatting of Imps but whether he can do a backflip? I am not so sure! What say you Etixxi?"
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The children cower back behind the pillar at the mention of swatting imps and the party asks around for the local gossip on Auntie Baldwin. Most locals admit she is a mean old bag, they also all reply they think it is great what she’s doing for the children.
Miltivis, who runs the local store, claims he’s served Auntie Baltwin for over 30 years, and while a good customer, she is quite demanding and often rude to the other customers. He says she’s kept his supplier of fine whiskeys in business for decades.
Travost and Tirelle Anthos are a couple of neighbours are frankly tired of the noises the children make and the retinue of cats—though they do appreciate the latter’s mousing skills. They admit to being happy when Auntie Baltwin sends the children “off into the town”during the day, as it gives them a few hours of peace and quiet before they return in the evening.
Master Trebb Bonto, a retired builder, says nothing but nice things of Lady Baltwin, as he calls her. He recounts tales of tea and games on the sitting porch, though if pressed, he lets slip that she often cheats at games and sometimes had some shady characters coming to whisper in her ear and palm her small bags of what might have been money before slinking away. “Otherwise a fine lady, indeed.” he quickly adds.
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"He's a stegosaurus, a fearsome beast, not a show animal for a cirucs," Etixxi says as Thagomizer hearing the world flip attempts some acrobatics
"I don't deal with criminal prosecution outside wildlife smuggling and poaching, but that last one sounds fishy. Very fishy," Etixxi says, "And I don't particularly like the idea of having the children out into day unsupervised. I don't particularly care for paladins, but I think we're obligated to return with this information."
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Skilgannon chuckles at the dinosaur's flip attempt and gets to his feet as he the reat of the group joins them on the porch. Following them around the neighbourhood he aoon gets the picture of the old woman and nods to Etixxi's suggestion.
"It would appear that way, let us inform the Paladin and then press on, we do have a time limit."
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I don't think so my Lady. says Tatiana before continuing
Even if the caretaker seems to take some care of the children, she seems also to use them for her own personal gain. Making them work for housing during the day. More, the medicine she has for the children she don't seems to use it for them but use it to do shady deals with people from the puddles. Too many children are sick.