"Lemme as' somethin' o' ye, priest" the burly sailor answers staring down at his cup as Jon fills it, "if yer church burnt down t'morrow would yer stop bein' a priest?"
He looks over at the priest as his question hangs in the air; his look is more haunted than accusatory.
Turning back to the bar he quickly downs the new whiskey and murmurs, "b'sides, I don' call meself cap'n, other folk call me cap'n... mos'ly makin' sport I 'spect."
Aghon smiles, and even chuckles a bit. Ha! Rebuttal! Good answer. You are correct Culder. Temple or no, I am a priest. In fact his voice hushes to just above a whisper, I'll let you in a little secret. Though I'm working for the temple of Besmara, I'm actually a priest of Hanspur. He nods his head at Captain Hargraves, and tips his index finger against his nose in a gesture of secret acknowledgement. I like the cut o' yer jib Culder! I hope you get a new ship soon, and if'n ya do, I'd love to come aboard and lend my hands to it. He says, and reaches out a hand ready for shaking.
Well, you saw the flyer for the Dogfighting Tournament, so you know about that. If Bloodknuckle's is like the typical fighting pits around the Shackles, most of the fights will be hand-to-hand without weapons (including brass knuckles). Each fighter gets a share of the bet pool (usually around a gp), the house takes its share, and the winning bettors get a share of what's left.
Occasionally, especially when there's a friendly cleric on hand, there'll be fights featuring small weapons like brass knuckles or daggers. Usually, once per night, someone can challenge the local champion to a bout. While most sailors and pirates likely wouldn't invest in Improved Unarmed Strike (or be monks for that matter), it's likely the champion will have that feat.
Oops. The 1 apx. gp earned by the fighters should be a total, with 3/4 going to the winner. But yeah--this place should be right up Culder's alley, especially if he's the least bit careful about picking his potential opponent(s). A lot of the fighters are bored sailors/pirates waiting out their week-long quarantine on the island without a whole lot better to do.
Not much is happening lass. Jarvis said, as he sips at his mead.
They may be headed over to a place called Bloodknuckle's. It'd be interesting to see how the lug does down there. I'd just as soon stay out of arm's reach of him, just get an idea of how much of a bruiser he really is, you know? He said as close to under his breath as possible.
Jarvis sank back into his seat, tipped the mug up and slowly sipped at the honeyed liquid.
I think I may head over to the fights, try to make me some coin. Jarvis slurs, raising his voice over the din of the bar.
When he gets to the door, he takes a final glance around the bar before shrugging and heading out into the street.
Augier sips some ale, being rather poor at this whole spy business he decides to wait for the anchor weilding man to head out before attempting to follow.
Moina watches for now to see what happens.
Growing weary of his conversation and the unusually crowded bar, and starting to get an itch to hit something, Culder finishes the beer he's been nursing before and after the whiskey and stands to leave. Tugging the corner of his hat towards Jon and Aghon he says, "Ev'nin' gents," and heads out into the streets.
He makes his way through the still bustling streets to Bloodknuckles and starts looking for anyone he knows isn't a trained pugilist that he can get in the ring with.
After Culder left, Jordan waited anxiously for his replacement. Once his shift was over, he'd head back to grab his bow, arrows, and cloak before going down to Bloodknuckles. If there was any chance of catching the big man, he'd try and slow Culder down and explain to the brawler the price that was out for Bloodknuckle's mastiff.
Augier heads out after his target leaves and trails behind him in the crowd.
I assume you guys will likely be trying to be inconspicuous if/when you decide to follow Culder, so give me a Stealth check (or take 10 if you wish).
I'm assuming that after the ambush the other night, Culder'll likely be a bit more aware of his surroundings, so please roll a Perception check as he makes his way to Bloodknuckle's.
Give me a Perception check as you wait to be relieved at barkeep duty.
After Jarvis slips out of the bar, he looks for a shadowy corner on the street to wait until Culder heads out. Finding a barrel nearby, he hunkers down in its shadow, watching the bar door for the lug to hit the streets.
When he sees "The Captain" exit and take off through the streets, he follows behind him a bit, hoping the crowd will help keep him shrouded.
Smiling at his customer, Jordan glances about a little anxiously, waiting to leave and get to work.
At first Culder heads through the streets with little concern for ruffians or thieves--the hulking man with the anchor chained to his arm was rarely anyone's first choice for a target--but then for a moment he catches a strangely familiar terrible stink in the air and for some reason his mind turns back to the poor fools that's tried to jump him last night.
I s'ppose there ain't nobody what's above gettin' jumped here 'n' there... best keep me eyes peeled...
Moina does her best to stay out of sight.
Augier taps himself with Prestidigitation and cleans himself up some as he travels down the streets, his eyes seeign clearly in the gloom.
Bloodknuckle's Pit is aptly named: circular stadium seating surrounds a 15'-diameter hole in the middle of the floor. A few tables are tucked near the far wall and a long bar is situated in the northwest corner. Near the bar is a door closely watched by the burly half-orc barkeep. Not far from the arena seats is a small stand where another half-orc takes bets and hands out betting slips.
The clientele this night is exclusively male and mostly human: Rough-looking pirates and sailors for the most part, though a couple of half-orcs and a lone half-elf are seated near the fight pit. The walls are plastered with flyers announcing the Dogfighting Tournament and others offering a reward for the recovery of a stolen mastiff.
"Next bout--fisticuffs betwixt Rueben the Red and Harald Brausser!" cries the half-orc at the betting stand. "Ten more minutes to place yer bets!"
After looking around a bit, Culder finds what he believes to be the perfect opponent--an inebriated human sailor who's getting a bit fresh with one of Bloodknuckle's impractically-armored serving girls.
Aghon sits back in the wonderful tipsy bliss of two downed whiskey's, looks about the common room of the Rusty Drum, and realizes he might be the smartest man in the room. He even mutters to himself aloud. What possible good is it following the man? More than likely he's going to get himself bloodied up... Barkeep! He looks for his buddy Jon behind the bar. I'll have an ale. He waits for the drink, dropping a silver on the bar, and continues to mutter to himself. Beliza wants a report on the bastard, I'll tell her everything I know. He likes to drink, and he likes to fight. I can't think of two better qualities in a captain. Ha ha ha. He laughs at his own joke, clearly well into his own cups. When the ale comes, he sits back sipping it and looking around the room for someone interesting to talk to.
The few folks at the Rusty Drum are sailors or pirates...with one glaring exception--there's a very pale man with platinum-blonde hair at the far end of the bar. Decked in scarlet robes, he's drinking a glass of wine while trying hard to mind his own business.
**************************************
Since you said he'd likely have been at Bloodknuckle's Pit earlier, Culder would know that Bloodknuckle is the half-orc behind the bar and is the person who sets up fights. He informs Culder that the grabby sailor's put his name in as a pugilist and is fair game if Culder would like to challenge him.
Murmurs run through Bloodknuckle's as Culder enters and visits briefly with the half-orc barkeep. Lots of eyes pointedly turn away from the brawler, but a few braver men eye him speculatively.
Culder watches a fight or two- gauging the other fighters' ability, and waiting to see if anyone challenges him... When boredom begins to set in he challenges the drunken sailor... Oi, lez see how them hands o' yers fair 'gainst a man, or're ye hopin' th'barmaid there'd chall'nge ye?"
Augier casually enters the Bloodknuckle's and sidles around the crowd, looking for his target.
Jordan slipped out of the Rusty Drum after giving Aghon his drink. He'd noticed something peculiar...after Culder had left, a couple of strangers left pretty quick after. That tipsy halfling, the smelly dwarf, and a woman that looked as though she'd travelled through a storm and tamed it on her way out. Frowning as he gathered his gear and fastened on his cloak, Jordan decided to keep an eye on them as he headed to Bloodknuckles.
Keeping his hood over his eyes when he arrived, Jordan began watching the fight. He hadn't seen much of what Culder could do, and this would be a good chance to see how the big pirate handled himself.
Waiting for the fight to start, he glanced around the fighting pit, looking for any indication of the dogs, or even Bloodknuckle himself.
Entering, Moina felt slightly out of place and moved to the back with a view of the pit. At least she wasn't wearing a dress or the like.
Culder's potential foe looks up at the big man with a glare before his eyes shift to the rusty anchor Culder carries around. "That thing yer idea of a woman?" the fellow asks with a cackling laugh. "Ain't much in the looks department an' don't look like she'd be warm in the sack," the sailor chuckles, "but then ag'in, she don't talk an' ain't likely to put on more weight as she gits older!"
The fellow guffaws at his own joke and then sizes up Culder. "I've seen ye around an' been meanin' to test iff'n ye're as tough as ye look. Sure--I'll fight ye!"
He motions for Culder to follow as he stands and meanders over to the big half-orc tending the bar.
Your best guess is that the half-orc barkeep is Bloodknuckle. There's no sign of any dogs, but it's likely that any kennel or cages would be in the lower level where the contestants enter the pit.
You also notice that the halfling, dwarf, and woman from earlier at the Rusty Drum are all present, though they're spread out throughout the establishment and not all together.
Culder follows the man over to the barkeep, feeling the adrenaline start to build in his system as a fight draws near...
The half-orc at the bar has a few questions as the two potential challengers state their willingness to fight.
"You both OK wit' armor bein' worn?", "'Til someone quits or to a knockout?", and "How ya wanna be introduced?"
Culder's foe's replies are: "No armor," "To a KO," and "Romdal the Rough."
no armor, to a knock out? startin' to think this dog's hustlin' me...
Culder scowls a bit at his opponent's answers. "Alright," he begrudgingly agrees, "no armor, to knock-out... introduce me as Jimmy Cottonfists."
While he waits for his fight to begin, the Cap'n goes through the laborious process of removing his armor with an anchor chained to one arm.
"Next Match: Romdal the Rough vs. ...Jimmy Cottonfists. Place yer wager's now!" comes the announcement. Fifteen minutes later, the combatants stand face-to-face in the middle of the depressed arena. Romdal takes a nervous look at the anchor still chained to Culder's wrist and asks the middle-aged referee, "No weapons, right? He can't be sluggin' me wit' dat anchor, right?"
"Correct," the ref replies dryly. "You've naught to fear from Master Cottonfists other than his cottony fists...elbows, knees, feet, and so on. On my mark, come out fighting. BEGIN!"
Perhaps Culder expected the smaller, wiry sailor to circle and feel him out a bit to begin the match, but Romdal proves feisty and decisive, stepping in and launching a left hook toward Culder's chin. The blow clip's the Captain's chin, eliciting a few cheers and even more gasps of surprise from the audience.
time to give him th'ol' cotton fist...
Culder grits his teeth and swings like a man trying to end the fight in a single blow...
,
Culder answers the man's grazing blow with a haymaker that rattles Romdal's teeth. Romdal's eyes betray his fear, but the man shows some guts. Knowing now that he can't stand toe-to-toe with the mighty captain, Romdal tries to slide in and put the bigger man in a headlock or some other wrestling hold.
,
With one punch, Culder turned the match around. With two, he ended it....
The bold but overmatched challenger walks into a punishing uppercut, and this time teeth are separated from jawbone by the crushing impact. Romdal the Rough collapses into a motionless pile of battered humanity.
"Yer winner--in near record time--Jimmy Cottonfists!"
A smattering of applause comes from the stands; it seems that most bettors put their money on Culder, so the payoff's pretty minimal.
After the match, Bloodknuckle's assistant pays Culder 7 sp and 5 cp.
"Gotta find you a worthy foe--then maybe ye'll see a real payday! Come back in a week an' I'll see who I can sucker into facin' you!"
You've gotten a brief but impressive taste of what the mighty Culder can do with his fists. Do you want to do anything else (like approach him) while you're at Bloodknuckle's? Would you like to scope him out more the following day? Or should we sort of fast-forward to the meeting where you make your report to Beliza?
Culder weasels his way back into his armor before even collecting his winnings. He tips his cap to Bloodknuckle's assistant when he's paid and answers, "beddar seven silver won than eight silver lost," with a half cocked smile and a mischievous glint in his eye.
He quietly watches another couple fights then heads back to H&H fairly early to claim one of the better hammocks and get a good nights rest.
best get some sleep, I got work at the fair t'morrow...
Augier will make some notes about Culder's prowess and then follow him back to his berth and head home, figuring he would follow the brawler again tomorrow
Jordan took note of the dwarf, halfling and woman, but none of them seemed to be doing more than watching. That was fine with Jordan. The watchers typically had someone paying them, and that was where the money was.
Heading over to the half-orc, Jordan looked at the tall fellow from under his hood. Coughing to get his attention, the hunter says "I'd like to take a look at your kennels."
Jarvis cringes at the ferocity of Culder's blows. This is a man that knows his way around violence. If Beliza needs a knuckledragger, he'd certainly be a powerful candidate. Seems to care about his money, but not as much as preparedness. Nothing of note in terms of his trustworthiness, other than not slamming that Romdal character with his anchor per the rules.
Jarvis stayed around to watch a few more fights after Culder left Bloodknuckles. Feeling as if he had enough information to satisfy the deal he struck with the woman, he headed back to his room to sleep off his mead.
Heading over to the half-orc, Jordan looked at the tall fellow from under his hood. Coughing to get his attention, the hunter says "I'd like to take a look at your kennels."
"Why?" the halfbreed barkeep demands suspiciously when the hooded man addresses him. Then a light goes on in his head and he flashes a sudden, gap-toothed smile. "Wait--yer interested in findin' me missin' dog, ain't ya?"
"Mindy!" he yells to one of the bustling human serving lasses. Dangling a keyring before her, Bloodknuckle tells her to show Jordan the kennels, including the cage where his beloved Rover was kept before being stolen.
Mindy replies with one nod to her boss and another for Jordan to follow her. She unlocks the heavy door near the bar and leads the cloaked stranger down a creaky wooden staircase lit by a torch tucked into a sconce.
"Good luck to you, sir, if you intend on retrievin' that beast for Master Bloodknuckle," she says in a soft tone barely louder than a whisper. "Might be more trouble than it's worth--that foul-tempered beast's full name is Rovergug, an' it's a fittin' name iff'n ya asks me!"
"Young fella to investigate the dognappin'!" Mindy calls out to a pair of male club employees who are debating what to do with the human wreckage that was Culder's opponent. A cage with a bar door sits in the cellar's center--the entrance to the floor of the Pit. Across from the stairs are four large kennel cages, while boxes and crates are stacked against the other walls.
"Rover was kept in the first cage--the one with the blanket in it," Mindy says helpfully before turning to leave.
Only the door to the first cage hangs ajar. Inside is a huge green blanket covered with a lot of orange-brown hairs and a decent spatter of blood.
Your sharp eye picks out two clues: there are a couple of scratch marks on the locking mechanism, suggesting the lock to the cage was picked with tools. Also, a small amount of sand is scattered on the floor.
Not much to go on, Jordan thinks, looking around. "Hold up a second, miss," he says, squatting and looking into the cage. "Who's lost the most money recently bettin' against Rover?" the hunter asks.
Looking around the room, Jordan pondered something. Even if they got the dog on a leash, they couldn't get it out of here without raising a fuss...
Aghon sits idly at the bar, enjoying the quiet evening. Though he notices an interesting looking man across the common room, he feels no inclination to bother someone that, by all appearances, wants to be left alone. So Aghon sits, drinks, and smiles.
Mindy stops as she reaches the stairs and turns around. "No idea, hon--you'll have to ask Molgarth at the bettin' table. Other than the yearly tournament, we only have dog fights once every three or four months."
Nothing more on the dog's cage.
The stairs seem to be the only way to access this area (short of leaping into the Pit from the stands and then picking the lock on the cage door). The stuff stored here seems to be kegs of ale, wine, and whiskey; some foodstuffs (kept as far from the kennels as possible); extra chairs; brooms, mops, and buckets; and a stretcher which the attendants are using now by rolling Culder's senseless foe atop it.
"Uh huh," Jordan says, looking up at the stands from the pit. "How'd they realize the dog was gone?" he asked. "If this dog is ferocious as you say, and that blood's any sign, it didn't go quietly." Looking at the blood, he thinks Something bleeding that bad's got to leave some sort of trail!
"Oh, yeah--I had to scrub up a bit o' blood from the floor and stairs the next day," Mindy adds. "Was only a drop here, another drop there."
One of the men attending to Romdal the Roughed-Up looks up long enough to say, "Our old stretcher was stolen; maybe the thieves carried Rovergug out on that."
"Thanks for your time," Jordan says, heading up the stairs. Once out of the pit, he looks around and heads for the betting table.
Bloodknuckle's smaller and less-savage-looking half-orc assistant and bet-taker barely looks up as the cloaked stranger approaches.
"Bloody Rodrick or Marcus Callous?" he asks, sticking a hand out to receive Jordan's wager on the next match.
"It's information I'm after," Jordan says, "I was wondering if you can tell me who's lost the most bettin' 'gainst Rover."
"You lookin' into findin' Rover for the boss, eh? the half-orc says. "Hmm...not many folks're dumb 'nough to bet against Rover...least not in the first round. Fellow who owned the cur that lost last week didn't look like the rich type--I don't think he bet more than a handful o' silver on his own dog. Name was Ray somethin'-or-other...lives on the outskirts o' the mainland city, if I'm rememberin' right."
"Me, I'm a-thinkin' it's more likely that one o' the other semifinalists took Rover to help their own chances o' winnin'. I wouldn't put nothin' past Captain Barrow--he owns Spiketooth. Don't know much about the lady--Zeru Faizel, from Katapesh--other than that she's one o' the richest people in Port Peril. Probably shouldn't have allowed her hyena into the tourney but the boss said it'd spice things up an' raise interest in the event."
"Last semifinalist is Kory Hooper--owns a small house with a garden at the south end o' the island. That's about all I know 'bout that fellow--his dog's Black Spot. Damned fine name fer a pirate dog...but not as good as ol' Rovergug, if ya ask me."
"Hmm," Jordan ponders. "Anything else you can tell me 'bout Hooper and Barrow?" he asks. "I'd like the money for getting Rovergug, but I'm not yet in position to take on a whole pirate crew."