"I had someone guide me to this place, by the way, if you come back with me there's a relatively safe place to stay." Kalaya says happy to see tho others and wondering where Magnus might be.
"Would your guide happen to have been a young girl with horns?"
The fellow who was conversing with Stilgar beams a wide smile. "Well, what a pleasure it is to see wayward companions finding each other once again! Perhaps a drink to celebrate? I'll see to it personally!"
"Thanks, Hansi."
"Where did you guys land in the city? I wound up here yesterday and Hansi put me up for the night."
Auric leans in closer.
"Did you see any guys in yellow robes?"
Jon frowns. "Not that I recall. Are they significant?"
"Yes, thank you, Master Mancino," Stilgar says, smiling amiably at their host.
Turning back to the others, he gives them the quick version of events. "I stayed the night at another inn, in the Trade District. I hired a guide to take me here."
At Auric's last statement, the cleric frowns slightly.
"Yellow robes? No, I do not believe I have."
"No no one like that. I awoke in what I assume is someone's house. It was locked up and I had to leave through a window actually. I apparently made my way across town until I managed to find an inner where I managed to get some help and a safe place to stay." Kalaya replies.
"There were some here the other day and folks seemed pretty deferential. I don't know what's up with them, but keep an eye out and don't step on their toes is all I can say. Could be a guild or something or Fardusk's version of the secret police."
When Hansi is back with the drinks and we've made a toast to our reunion, Auric fesses up to the innkeeper.
"Wish I had some good news for you, Hansi, but your rug merchant wouldn't take the payment.", he says. "So I still got your fancy box here."
The smile fades from Hansi's face.
"He...he didn't? Why not? Something shiny twinkles in that fop's view and he snaps it up like a packrat. There's no reason for him not to take it unless..."
The innkeeper trails off and his face reddens. Whirls around, eyes searching the common room. From across the way, Mrs. Mancino graces him with a big smile, followed by a wave and a blown kiss. He growls and turns back to the group.
"Well...no harm done, I suppose. I can just...well, hmm." He stares off into space, rubbing his chin so hard he might start taking off skin.
Auric calmly rests his thick forearms on the bar.
"I'd say the place to start is to break the curse on the box so no one is stuck holding it anymore. Technically it's yours to do what you want with it, of course, but my understanding is you probably don't want it back."
If possible, Hansi's face turns an even darker shade of red. "Er, yes, I suppose, and no I'll not have it back, thank you. I'm not even certain there is a curse, but I'll not take a chance, given its history. This wasn't supposed to happen, him getting advanced warning. It should have been so easy..." He trails off, shooting a dagger glance at his wife, who is laughing with a few people at her table. "Are you sure you want to go through the trouble? Given the size of that gem on it, you could likely get some coins from the next person off a ship that's never heard of it before."
"No.", he says, shaking his head. "I'm not the kind of man that wants to pass his problems off onto someone else."
He pulls the box from his pack.
"Stilgar, Kalaya: can either of you tell what's going on with this thing?"
Careful not to touch the accursed box, Kalaya whispers an arcane word, her eyes glowing blue as she studies it.
"A curse?" Stilgar frowns at Auric, and then at Hansi. He did not exactly condone the man's duplicity, but it not seem like he wanted to cause his friend any undue harm.
"What is its history, exactly?" he asks, leaning in to take a closer look at the box.
The box is old, stained, and dirty. It was once rather exquisite looking, with intricate carvings now difficult to see due to wear and a build up of grime. Fine silver chains, tarnished nearly black, hold the lid closed. A large, red gemstone caps the lid itself.
"The magic on it is powerful indeed. It looks as if it was very much meant to keep something contained within, whether of great value or dangerous power I'm not sure." the witch replies.
Hansi puts on another smile. "Friends, this box has been making the rounds of Fardusk for decades. It is said the soul of a very cruel and intolerable soul was imprisoned within it by a wizard it had wronged. The names have been lost, though storytellers that care to share the tale insert their own to suit their purposes. The tales say that the owner of the box is cursed, though what that curse is changes with the telling. What remains the same in each story is that one can only take ownership of the box. Should someone put it in another's pouch without them knowing, the box will find its way back to the owner. That has been proven to be true, from what I've heard. The other main point in the tales is that it should never be opened, and to my knowledge that has never happened. These days it has become a way to get one over on another, a game, you might say. Some owners have met...unfortunate ends, but certainly nothing that would not be explained by an accident, or crime, or disease, or any other number of perfectly reasonable circumstances."
"How did you come by it Auric?" the witch asks , clearly intrigued.
"Hansi asked me to courier the box to a rug merchant this morning, to cover the cost of my room."
"Well, in the meantime, perhaps there's a temple or another place where we can learn more about the box. And we can find Captain Harenhal's widow and deliver the news of his passing- that's the Captain of the ship we found in the Tindal Sea that brought us over here."
Master Mancino wrings his hands and puts on another smile. "Well, consider the room cost compensated. It's certainly not your fault that the delivery couldn't be completed," he says, shooting another dagger-glance across the room at his wife.
"As for Captain Harrenhal, gods safeguard his soul on its final journey, he and I were friends. I can certainly provide you a letter of introduction to his widow."
Auric nods.
"I would be grateful, Hansi, thank you."
"Wizards. Somehow that... isn't surprising," Stilgar mumbles, stroking his beard as he ponders their new little dilemma. Despite Hansi's reassurance, he feared for Auric's safety. As the matter of Captain Harrenhal's widow comes up, the dwarf remembers something suddenly.
"Ah, I had almost forgotten. Master Mancino, you had mentioned showing me the rooftop earlier...?" He turns to his companions to elaborate. "As it turns out, Varras is a figure of some renown in this city. His tower is well within our reach."
Hansi nods to Stilgar. "Yes, of course. If you and your companions would follow me."
The trip to the roof takes longer than you'd expect, as Master Mancino deems it necessary to stop along the way to speak with guests here and there, shaking hands, patting backs, taking kisses on the cheek from female patrons, and engaging in other friendly interaction along the way. He occasionally chides a server here and there for sloppy or slow service as well.
Eventually, he gets you to the second floor, where he clumsily makes his way up a ladder and unbolts a trap door in the roof. Once above he awaits the rest of the group. He then speaks, using his hands in sweeping gestures to emphasize his words.
"Note that Fardusk is built so that the city rises the further inland it goes. The further up and inland one goes, the more affluent the general population." His hands then rise and point.
"Then you have the cliffs that border the northern edge of the city. There you will find the nobility and their great manses," he says, a note of longing in his tone. "And along the western most edge, you'll note the towers of the wizards. That one there, done in the red and black stone, is said to be the home of Varras. To respectfully correct Master Stilgar, the wizard is not so much a figure of 'renown' here, as he is one of...infamy."
"As in a danger to the public?"
Jon frowns and nods at Kalaya's question.
Auric looks out over the city, mouth hanging open slightly like a yokel. He shakes his head and gets back to business.
"Yes, I'd be curious why he's infamous here."
"That's not an easy question to answer. Varras doesn't rampage the streets, certainly. None of the wizards do. They mostly abide by the rules laid down by the High and Low Councils. However, the wizards have factions and they quarrel. There are many tales of their scheming and plots against one another. Mysterious disappearances, strange lights and sounds from the towers, that sort of thing. Varras, well, he's likely the most grandiose of them."
"It's rumored that he crossed the clergy of the goddess of vengeance, and she cursed him. When he vanished for a time, people thought he'd perished. Now it is said he's returned. Some say they fear divine retaliation against the city for harboring Varras. Others worry he and his faction will be more active against the other wizards. Personally, I don't worry overmuch. Why blame the city? It's not like most of us can just knock on the door of his tower and ask him to leave, or else. If their curse didn't work, they might send someone down from their monastery to roust him out. No concern of the common folk, certainly."
"I would say the fallout of a battle between wizards and gods would be concern for every living thing in the nearby area." Kalaya says sardonically.
Jon snorts, laughing at Kalaya's understatement.
Hansi spreads his arms in a helpless gesture. "I am no expert on wizards nor gods. I run my inn. I try to be a man of the people. All I can do is pray that these powers ignore me and mine, and that powers greater than myself will see to the protection of the city."
"Do you know anything about these factions of mages? Are there recognizable power blocs among them? I for one want to be sure I'm not stepping on the wrong person's toes."
"I am afraid I do not. To my knowledge, none of the mages frequent my establishment, at least not publicly. However, I could make some inquiries on your behalf, and perhaps find someone who spends time in their social circles...?"
"Only if that does not draw you the wrong type of attention, Master Mancino," Stilgar says gruffly, a little on the edge now that they knew where their target's abode was. The dwarf hums to himself for a moment, stroking his beard.
"I hate to admit it, but this is more Magnus' element than anything. I know almost nothing of wizardry or the like, much less the way they operate here. So I dare to ask, are there perhaps any among their number that are, well, not notorious?"
Hansi gestures to the towers on the clifftops. "Among the ranks of those wizards? I'd say not. Even the most reserved of them has their share of tales attached to their name. Power, especially power of their type, leads to infamy, I would say."
"Now, down here," he continues, waving his hands at the expanse of the city that rises away in three directions away from the rooftop, "you will find numerous enchanters, hedge wizards, diviners, and others that are much like the rest of us. They have power, but nothing to contend with those in the towers above. Some may have dealings with the greater wizards and could provide you information. I do have connections. With the proper amount of coin, I could make inquiries--discreetly, I assure you--and perhaps gain you something of use."
Kalaya smiles.
"And what exactly would you consider 'the proper amount of coin?'" the witch asks.
Mancino makes a sweeping gesture with his hands. "Difficult to say. A few coins here and there to prompt cooperation, some drinks on the house with the right people to loosen tongues, small gifts to ingratiate myself with a minor wizard or two, that sort of thing. I could simply compile it all and add it to the bill once I've found something of note."
"It seems that would be our best course of action," Stilgar says with a nod, unwilling to be deterred. "Coin should not be too great of an issue."
"In the meantime, shall we visit the captain's widow?" he asks, looking to Auric.
Jon nods at Stilgar's words, still listening but preferring to let others do all the talking.
Auric nods, "Yes, we can bring her the news. At this rate, we'll need to earn some coin or wait for Captain Wilde to arrive with our goods..."
"If needed, I know of a safe place we can stay....and apparently have quite a bit of coin based on how money works here." Kalaya says to the others.
Master Hansi wrings his hands. "Safe place to stay? My good woman, the Six is a large, well-built establishment with excellent food and drink and nary a problem. Just take a gander at my doorman, Reef! No one would think of violence or theft with him on the job. Why, just ask your friend Auric! He's stayed here. Surely he'd vouch for my fine service?" He glances at the paladin with a hopeful look on his face.
"There is no telling how long that might take," Stilgar remarks, in regards to waiting for Captain Wilde. "I do hope he and his crew are alright." The captain was a strange one - perhaps a little mad, even - but he seemed like a good enough man.
The dwarf chuckles at Hansi's words. "All things considered, I think we would be hard pressed to not return soon. But this is a big city, after all. And if it gets dark out, well. We might be left with little choice but to visit another establishment."
Auric nods, though in his mind he's still calculating how many rats or other pests had been through his room in the night...
"It is a safe inn and the service is quite good.", he says.
"Would you happen to have a suite of some kind for the four of us, Hansi? I'm happy to pay a little extra, especially if there's a private entrance or sitting area away from the common room- they don't want to be a bother, but some of my friends here prefer a quiet space, you know?"
Hansi nods. "'Tis true, I can't expect you to trek all the way back here if you are on business in some other quarter."
At Auric's question, the innkeeper brightens once again. "Ah! You have already seen the rooms below the main floor. There are many such areas, including interconnected rooms I could set aside for you. Many of my discerning customers use them when they require discretion and privacy. I'm sure I could find something suitable, at quite reasonable rates to keep them available for you at any hour of day or night."
Auric nods.
"We are discerning customers, Hansi. Let's have a nice private room for the four of us. Would one of these work for getting our tab started?", he says, holding up one of the ceramic chits the group found in Harrenhal's hold.
Hansi nods. "That would be excellent. I could reserve a suite of rooms for you for...say, a month? Unless you'd like some extra amenities, of course. Always willing to accommodate my customers wishes."
"A month?" Stilgar shifts uncomfortably, turning his eyes back to the towers in the distance. Some part of him had thought that completing their task would be a simple matter. In hindsight, that kind of thinking was awfully naive. There was no telling how long they would be in Fardusk for. And short of Captain Wilde returning safely, or another freak magical accident sending them back across the sea, there was no going home.
"I believe that should be adequate."
Hansi claps his hands together. "Excellent! I shall have the rooms prepared and fetch keys for you. Should you need anything else, you have but to ask and I shall do my best to provide." He plucks the chit from Auric's fingers and it quickly disappears in the folds of the broad girdle he wears across his ample midsection.
Auric nods, smiling politely.
"Excellent indeed, Hansi. In the meantime, we will convey the sad news to Captain Harenhal's widow."
"After that there is the place I've been staying up to now that I'd like to check on. A good contact in this city, and I owe her a debt." Kalaya says quietly.