Mason returns to the inn with Savendir, surprisingly keeping with the plan.
"What do we do now?" Flavia frets. "Some of us definitely need to follow our decoys back. Does one of you want to follow Enard to wherever he's going?"
Flavia nods. "Right, then Rokuro and I will head back to the Inn. Looks like Savendir and Mason are going that way." She grins at Corvin. "Have a good time! The rest of us will hole up in Savendir's room until you return, if we can all fit in there without anybody spotting us."
She and Rokuro meander back to the Rich Fox after Savendir and Mason. Flavia keeps a sharp eye out for anyone who might be observing them.
Corvin hurries and catches up with Enard and his two new acquaintances. Savendir and Mason head back to the Rich Fox Tavern. Flavia and Rokuro wait for 10 minutes near the fountain and then also return to the Rich Fox.
"I'm in the mood for a drink, Sir Elf. How about you?" Mason inquires as he nods towards the bar.
"I don't know if I ought to let my manservant drink on the job," Savendir says dryly, suppressing a grin.
"Actually, I think that sounds like a great idea. Mulled wine perhaps..."
Corvin catches up to Enard and the other two men. Enard makes a brief introduction of Corvin to the two men, Kelan and Zoque. After the brief greeting, they proceed north on Quiet Axe Bend past the Pharasma's Temple and then turn right onto Queen's Way. You walk two blocks and take a left into a dark cul de sac named Miller Street.
As you walk, the two men describe the place where you are heading. "As you may have guessed, the town frowns upon open gambling. Things have gotten much more serious since Cerpera had her miracle. This town use to be just a backwater stop over for merchants traveling between Janderhoff and Kaer Maga. The only other source of income was the local subsistence farmers. Then Cerpera appeared, the fountain began flowing, and people discovered little Sirathu. The Trick Door is an underground gambling hall in a small home. The dice are mostly fair, and if you bring enough coin and keep your head down, you shouldn't be bothered. The password is 'Desna smiles on me'."
You approach a rundown home at the end of the cul de sac. No light comes from the house as black curtains are drawn on each window. You go to the side of the house where there is a side door. Kelan knocks four times slowly pauses and then adds two quick knocks. A small window opens in the door, and gruff voice asks, "How's your luck been?" Kelan answers, "Desna smiles on me." You hear a few latches unbolt and the door slowly opens. The gruff voice asks, "Who's with you?"
Kelan answers, "Two fellow gamblers hoping that Desna smiles upon them also." "Come in then" the gruff voice responds, "Check your weapons at the door, and no magic, we have a powerful wizard here who will spot a cheating spell in a second."
Nad comes to your table, takes your order for Mulled wine and leaves. Of the dozen people who were in the tavern earlier, only about six are left. There is a table of 3 men, another table of a man and a women, and a table with a sole dwarf sitting at it. Nad returns with two glasses and a bottle of wine. That will be 4 copper pieces."
Since the fountain square seems to be clearing out, we'll leave very shortly after Savendir and Mason. The objective will be to keep them in sight most of the way back to the Rich Fox.
At the Rich Fox, we'll take a peek into the common room. If Savendir and Mason are there, we'll get a meal and drink at another table.
If they're not in the common room, we'll head down the first floor corridor as if going to our room, but stop at Savendir's if nobody is around to observe.
As Flavia and Matsumoto enter the Rich Fox Tavern and Inn, they see four groups of people at tables. There is a table of 3 men, another table of a man and a women, and a table with a sole dwarf sitting at it. Savendir and Mason are seated at the fourth table enjoying some wine.
As you try to eavesdrop on the other tables you hear the following snippets.
From the couple, "...you are the sweetest in the world. No, your are the sweetest..."
From one of the men at the table of three, "...its just like Samlin to be late. We've waited over an hour for him. I'm ready to call it a night and head to my room."
The dwarf just sits in stony silence drinking his ale.
If there is an empty table, Flavia nudges Rokoru so they go sit down and order a drink or two. She keeps her ears open to conversation at other tables while chatting softly with Matsumoto.
Flavia and Rokuro make their way to a table slightly away from Savendir and Mason on the other side of the 3 men. Nad comes over and takes their drink order.
The dwarf sits in stony silence at his table. The couple continue to look lovingly into each other's eyes whispering sweet nothings. At the table with the three men, you hear the following:
"...give Samlin some more time, Quinn. He'll be here soon enough."
Flavia whispers to Rokuro, "Those men seem to be one short. Why don't you make a show of being tired and heading back to the room. That will give me a chance to go speak with them under pretext of seeking company. See if you can catch Mason or Savendir's eye and get one of them to go with you. If nobody is around, you can slip into one of their rooms and catch them up on what's going on."
If Matsumoto is agreeable to this plan, she watches him go with a plaintive 'Good night,' then looks around the room wistfully for a while before approaching the table with the three gentlemen.
Corvin follows Enard into the gambling den, the sound of coins clinking from inside his cloak.
Matsumoto stretches out his arms and yawns. "The journey today is long, I will retire to my room. We have another long day ahead of us, don't be up long." With that, he gets up and walks toward his room.
The person with the gruff voice steps out of the shadows. He is about 6'4" and you can see his tusks poking out of his mouth. "Not so fast, weapons stay here. Everyone entering the hall must be searched. You don't like it, then you are not welcome here. Those are the rules." Your two companions look at you nervously, "Don't spoil the fun, you will be safe inside. You don't need any weapons." They begin to stack their belongings on a table to the side of the entry foyer.
Flavia watches Matsumoto leave and sees Savendir depart as well. She sips her ale for a moment, then lays payment and tip on the table and surveys the other customers. After a few moments, she carries her ale over to the table with the three men.
"Excuse me, but my companion has retired for the night and I certainly can't sleep yet. Do you mind some company? We're in town for a week or so to see the prophet. What about you?"
The person with the gruff voice steps out of the shadows. He is about 6'4" and you can see his tusks poking out of his mouth. "Not so fast, weapons stay here. Everyone entering the hall must be searched. You don't like it, then you are not welcome here. Those are the rules." Your two companions look at you nervously, "Don't spoil the fun, you will be safe inside. You don't need any weapons." They begin to stack their belongings on a table to the side of the entry foyer.
Corvin puts up his gauntleted hands in a pacifying manner.
"Hey, I ain't meanin' to cause no trouble here. I ain't carryin' no swords or nothin'. I'm just lookin' for a quiet drink and a pair o' dice."
The three men stand up, "Well certainly young lady. We don't mind keeping you company. Yes, we came to see what all this talk is about for ourselves, but we plan to leave tomorrow."
The half-orc bouncer eyes Corvin closely. "Well you don't mind a brief search just to be sure do you?"
Flavia is momentarily taken aback, then realizes they are standing out of courtesy. She settles into an empty chair with her ale and smiles, keeping the conversation light for the moment. "So what did you think of the miracle? Has your pilgrimage been worthwhile? Anything to recommend while we are in Sirathu?"
The medium height man answer, "I have to admit, I was skeptical when I first heard about Cerpera. Thought she was just another backwater kook amusing the local yokels. However, I do think she is the real deal. I watched her walk right on top of the fountain pool, her feet hardly making a ripple. And her message, 'Standing up for ourselves, and not letting some far off monarchy tell us what to do' there may be something to that. Tonight's our last night however. We have a long journey to Magnimar. We were suppose to pack tonight to get an earlier start, but one of our fellow travelers is late."
Savendir, you see Matsumoto studying a sign absently. He tells you that Enard and Corvin have gone off to a gambling house called the Trick Door. Enard said it was to gather information, but Matsumoto is a little suspicious of that. He and Flavia, intend to stay in your and Mason's room so that no one is alone just in case.
The body guard gives Corvin a pat down and verifies that Corvin does not have any concealed weapons. He does find the hardness under the surface of Corvin's clothing disturbing. "You can enter, but watch your self, I'll have my eye on you, any hint of trouble, and out you and your friends go."
Enard reluctantly relinqueshes his weapons, gets patted down and enters the dimly lit room.
There are three games available spread out over several tables. Bounder, Golem and Skiffs. Also there is a bar serving a variety of drinks to facilitate separating the gamblers from their money.
"He said something about Desna smiling on him. He was visiting someplace called the Tricky door or something like that. He was suppose to be back here just after sunset."
Flavia chuckles. "Maybe somebody else smiled on him tonight, hmm? It's not that late. Maybe we should go fetch him before he spends the night out? Of course, he might not appreciate that."
"Excuse me, miss. You seem to have dropped your room key." He hands Flavia the key to his room.
Flavia takes the key and smiles up at Mason. "How very clumsy of me. Thank you, kind sir. Say, maybe you can help us with something else. These gentlemen have lost a friend who may have gotten wrapped up in the charms of a place called the Trick Knee or the Tricky Door or something like that. Are you familiar with it? We may have to go fetch the poor man from his pleasures. They have a schedule to keep."
"Hmm, I have heard of a place with that name. How about this: You and I go there and look for their friend, while these fellows wait here, just in case we cross paths."
He looks over at one of the men.
"Can you give a description of your friend? Any distinguishing marks, for example?"
Flavia eyes Mason. "That's not a bad idea, sir, though I will want to let my roommate know where I'm going before we leave. But what's your friend wearing? What's his name? Those are the important questions." She shakes her headin amusement. "Men."
Enard is very reluctant to give up his sword. He looks the half orc in the eye. “This sword is very precious to me,” he says. “I’ll give it into your care, and enjoy myself and make no trouble within … but should anything happen to it, I will burn this place to the ground and make you eat your own entrails. That’s not a threat friend … it’s a promise.” He nods, gives the sword over, then turns to enter the establishment.
Once inside, Enard looks about for a table where people seem to be chatting and talking as much as concentrating on the game – also one where people are drinking a lot. He will choose a card game such as Golem over a dice game like Bounder by preference.
He plans to spend up to 5 gp on drinks – for the table more than himself, he’ll nurse the one drink. He loses in good humour if needs be, willing to lose up to 10gp worth, though he’ll bet in small amounts and generally try to play it fairly safe so that he loses slowly.
During the game he tries to engage fellow players in conversation. He’ll say something like, “So, do many pilgrims prefer to try their luck here than at the Fountain?” or once he has lost a hand, say something like, “Ha! I bet I am not the first Korvosan with more coins than sense that you have beaten at this game.”
He does his best to be pleasant but keeps his ear open for any talk of our missing noble, or missing people or trouble in general . He’ll change tables as soon as he can do so politely if he hears any interesting discussion at another table.
"Hmmmn," says the man who was speaking before. "It may be helpful if you see him to ask him to hurry along. His name is Samlin. He is wearing a brown tunic, tan pants and a maroon cloak. You should easily spot him, as he wearing some silly Pharasma holy symbol brooch that he picked up at one of the vendors near the fountain this morning. I bought one also, but mine is just a gift for friend." He pulls out a brightly painted wooden brooch decorated with Pharasma's holy symbol and shows it to you. "Tell him that Pharl is packing at the stable and needs his help soon."
The bouncer looks carefully at Enard. "Don't worry your sword is safe," he pauses, "That is unless Desna frowns upon you and you cannot pay your gambling debt."
Enard takes a seat at a table with 3 other players. As he sits, one of the players throws down his cards. "That's it for me boys. Desna seems to be looking the other way. I have a long journey to Magnimar starting tomorrow and I better be hitting the road. I'm already late." The man stands up, puts on his maroon cloak and fastens it with a brightly colored brooch decorated with Pharasma's holy symbol. "Good night Samlin" the other players call to him, "Have a safe journey."
Enard signals to one of the waitresses to bring he and the remaining players a round of drinks. The dealer calls out for the players to place their bets and begins dealing. Desna does indeed seem to smile upon Enard as the first few hands win for him. As he plays he overhears one of the other players comment, "...I was working at the stable this morning. Another horse abandoned by its owner. Its been over a week and half and nothing. I tell you Rodrik is making more money auctioning off abandoned horses then he does in stable fees."
Flavia rises and nods to the travelers. "Will do, gentlemen. I've enjoyed the company, but I'm in the mood to go out and you need to pack, so I'll let my roommate know where we're going and we'll be off."
She waits for Mason to bid his farewells, then heads with him towards Savendar's room. When they are out of sight and earshot of the tavern, she says, "Maybe we should get all the others and go, in case we run into trouble at the Trick Knee. Splitting up as we've been doing makes me uncomfortable. We can stop and get Savendir, then pick up Matsumoto. I hope they're still dressed. Do you know where this place is?"
Enard is very reluctant to give up his sword. He looks the half orc in the eye. “This sword is very precious to me,” he says. “I’ll give it into your care, and enjoy myself and make no trouble within … but should anything happen to it, I will burn this place to the ground and make you eat your own entrails. That’s not a threat friend … it’s a promise.”
At this, Corvin lets out a short, harsh laugh.
"Ha! Part o' me wants to see you put yer money where yer mouth is on that one. 'Eat yer own entrails.' Ha!"
Once inside the gambling den, Corvin buys a large tankard of brown ale and makes his way to the dice tables.
Taking a huge swig from his tankard, he grins, showing a mouthful of crooked teeth. "Time to lose some money, eh."
On the way to the room, a thought strikes Flavia. "One second," she tells Mason and returns to the men at the table.
"Say, could I buy or borrow that souvenir to show people? If he's actually wearing that thing, they might remember him better than from any description. I don't mind buying it if need be. It's just the sort of thing my mother would love. But if you still want it, I will return it or send it back with him when we find him."
He heads to Savendir's room to tell him the plan.
Pharl says to Flavia, "You may borrow it. If I am not around when you return just leave it at the front desk when you return. I'll pick it up in the morning. Thank you for your help."
Corvin sits down at the Bounder table. The dealer nods at him and slides him a pair of dice with 20 sides. "Minimum bet is 1 silver piece." Two other players sit at the table gravely watching the dealer.
Flavia takes the trinket with a smile. "We'll track him down if he's trackable downable, don't worry. It's been nice meeting you all. If I don't see you before you leave, safe travels."
She heads back to Mason. "Let's check Savendir's room first, then upstairs if Matsumoto isn't there." She pulls Mason's key out of her pocket and hands it back to him with a wink and a grin. "I assume you need this back, unless it was an invitation?"
"So, yeah, I'll go check with Savendir!" Mason runs off to Savendir's room.
Flavia stifles a chuckle and waits for the rest in the lobby. She examines the key that Mason left behind in his haste, then shoves it back in her pocket, grinning.
"That'll do me just fine."
The dealer merely nods as Corvin produces his coins. Corvin rolls his first die, , "Ha" he cries out and doubles down with a second silver piece. The dealer rolls his 3 die, , "Eleven" calls out the dealer. Corvin shakes his second die, "10 or lower wins" he calls out. He throws the die and groans as the die matches the dealer's score. "You lose." The dealer scrapes over the money, "Place your bets, gentleman."
"Tough luck, there young man" says one of the two other players, an older dwarf. "Thought you were going to win that one. "You're new here." He reaches a hand out, "My name is Bjorn Ironhammer and you are?"