" 'though I have to admit, I kinda want to see what kin' of person goes by the name 'Amazing' anything. " Keeya added curiously.
"That does make sense," Talon concurs with the others. "We'll check with them first, then." He turns to the Venture Captain. "Just to be sure, does Natalya have any identifying features?"
Sheila closes her eyes for a moment as if trying to get a good picture of her in her head, "She's a thin, half-Varisian woman with long, curly black hair. The last time I saw her, she had on black leather pants and boots with a dark red top and gloves. She also has a scimitar."
Talon makes sure to take a note of Natalya's description on his piece of parchment, before blowing it dry and folding it up to put into his pocket. "Got it. We should be able to find her with all of these leads. Hopefully alive," He adds. Not many betrayed the Sczarni and didn't end up floating face down in the bay.
"Well, I suppose that we should all head to the Arvensoar now. Unless any of the rest of you have anything else to ask."
"So we just need to fin' a thin woman with curly black hair somewhere in Magnimar. How many people could fit that description?" She asked with only the slightest hint of Irony.
She shook her head 'no' to Talon, "I thin' we have what we need."
The door opens as the butler allows in a latecomer. He is dressed in a voluminous robe, but it doesn't seem to be enough to hide an odd lumpiness along his back. He looks almost a hunchback, but the random twitch beneath the cloth makes it clear that it is not a solid form. His hands remain hidden within his sleeves, as a raven rests on his shoulder. The man himself keeps his head low, avoiding eye contact, but the raven looks at each of them, focusing it's cold black eyes on each in turn.
The man finally speaks, his accent heavy, "Vienchur Captain Heidmartch? My late arrival kin be blamed on the coorse I bear. Eyentering the city, I vas kvestioned about my horrific visage. I yam from Myendev, here to assist zis chipter." He strides forward, trying to avoid looking anyone in the eye, and hands his letter to Sheila. The hand that does so is tinted red, with long ochre colored nails, ending in blackend points. As he stares at the floor before the Lady Heidmarch, the raven once again eyes each of the others coldly.
Talon takes pause at the very late arrival of the hunchbacked man, staring not at him but at the raven perched on his back. It stared intelligently at him - clearly some kind of familiar, which indicated this guy was some kind of spell caster. That would certainly round out their group.
"Well, you missed quite a start to our group's acquaintanceship. We probably could have used your help then. But that just means we'll need your help later," He speaks up to him, stepping out and shaking the man's hand. The harsh looking claws and red tint to his skin reminded him of the Cheliaxians and their devilry, though his accent pegged him from a different land. Definitely not a local.
"My name is Talon Neverion. Here we have Taize Vesper-" He gestures to the blue-skinned woman. "Pai, a very good bard, He says, waving his hand towards the fiery gnome. "And Keeya, our...archaeologist, I'd like to say." Seeing as she was all about artifacts.
"We were just about to head out on our mission. The Venture Captain wants us to find a missing contact of hers. We can fill you in on the way to the Arvensoar." He suggests to him. Part of him was slightly unnerved by his appearance, but the Society wouldn't recruit anyone considered wicked, he believed. So he'd give the strange man the benefit of the doubt here.
Keeya took a step back behind Talon put him between the new comer and herself, her knees bent , her body in a defensive posture ready to react before relaxing, Remembering where exactly they were and the many strange sights she saw as Major Maldris' assistant and the trip to Magnimar. She was slightly eyeing the strange man, sizing him up. She peaked out from around Talon, "Um... Nice to Met'cha."
She stepped a bit closer and smiled at him, her same manufactured smile that she had been wearing all day. "I'm Keeya, from Andoran. What sort of accent is that you'd be usin'? " she asked in an innocent almost flirty manner. It was a skill, just a skill she had trained like all the others.
As she spoke another gust of wind picked up the loose strands of her hair despite the fact the fact they were in doors. She blushed again and quickly ran her fingers through them to straighten and fix her hair.
As Talon moves to shake his hand, K'nyaz withdraws his quickly before they touch, almost as if burned. He tucks his hands back into his sleeves, and merely nods at the introductions. "Please to forgeev, I yam not like to beinG' touched. Very nice meet ju all, bud I yam not sure if the Vienchur Captain vill trust me for mission?" in response to Keeya's reaction, he sighs sadly before he answers her question "I hail from Miendev, near the Vorldvound. I yam speak Taldan now, bud moi niative tunG' is Hallit." at the mention of language he seems to be a little more cheery "I yam actual studier of langvage. I speak many of dem, and transcribe when is possible."
Keeya smiled at him genuinely and asked in a strange soft spoken breathy language, (Auran), "Do you recognize this tongue?"
"I also speak this, and..." She mentioned in Gnome.
"And a little of this." She added in Elven.
She nodded as if in agreement with her self. A look of pride could be seen on her face.
The former Serpent Runner glances at Keeya, not surprised by her eloquent tongue. "Really, though, there's only two languages anyone needs to know in Magnimar. Varisian and Thassilonian." Both languages he was familiar with.
"Variety doesn't hurt, though you'll find a lack of people speaking anything else around here. Though I'm sure those other ones will come in handy in the future," He added.
"I suspect that as long as you recieved that letter, you were to be included in our little group. I hope I'm not being presumptuous in that assumption, Venture-Captain? Let me see if I can fill you in correctly. We are being tasked to find a half-Varisian woman named Natalya Vancaskerkin, who supposedly recovered some artifact, possibly of Tassilonian origin but failed to deleiver it to the Venture-Captain. We are also to locate the artifact and bring it here, for which we will be paid. If we can bring back Miss Vankaskerkin as well, we're paid double. Reports claim that Miss Vancaskerin is also being hunted by her Scarzi companions. Possible clues to her dissaperance include rumors of Nidalese slavers. She could be locked up in Arvensoar,the city garrison. She also has referenced a contact in Washers' Row in Dockway, a Varisian fortune-teller called the Amazing Zograthy, who may have some information as well."
She looks at the group and at the Venture-Captain. "Have I covered all the details?"
He listens intently as Keeya drops a few lines of a couple different tongues, slightly scowling until she hits the third one. "I do not know the first two, bud I am recognize the elven. Moi study lies vit langvage of lonG' lived, and of outer planes. I vood like to learn them all, bud is come vit time. Maybe you can teach me vut you speak as ve vork together?"
At Talon's dismissal of the necessity for different tongues, K'nyaz disagrees, "First two may be most common in city, bud does not devalue the power of vords. Langvage is lifeblood of communication, and understand people. Is nonverbal cues, Da, bud is much said in niative tunG' that is not translate to proper meaning. It is one thing that close gap between all species, that is effective communication. Handy in future, Da, bud if alvays save learn for future, it never arrive."
As Taize steps forward and begins giving the details of the situation there is a bustle of movement underneath his cloak. He reaches into it and produces a journal, drawing the ink and pen from a belt pouch, and begins writing. He listens intently, holding the book high on his right side toward the raven, which periodically speaks a single word or two whenever he pauses. The bird's speech seems simple, but in sing-songy, dulcet tones of a strange language. "Vell, if is all, then ve should continue on task given. Moi name is K'nyaz, am please make all your aqvaintance." He tucks the book back at his side before it disappears back under his cloak. "This," he indicates the raven, "is only friend, Voroan." at this the animal dips its head to each of them in acknowledgement, yet still with the jerky movements common in birds, looking at them askance due to having non-forward facing eyes.
Keeya frowned at the strange man, "No one ever knows the first one. But maybe I can teach you a bit as we go, the other is gnome, though my accent is probably terrible. Pai could help with that I bet."
Keeya nodded in agreement with K'nyaz. One of her first lessons was the value of listening, one could over very many things even in public, but when one spoke languages that were unexpected one could hear much much more. She realized at this point that bragging about the languages she spoke was not the best move she could of made. Though she was eager to show off her tongue and eager to know what he knew. 'Sometimes you have to show your cards to see theirs' she justified it to herself.
"Oooh can Voroan do magic? He's a magic bird yes?" she leaned closer to the man and the bird, her own head tilting to the side mimicking the bird as if to look at it closer.
He nods in somber agreement, "I vould most like learn your mysterious langvage. The older is, the better. Vut is this called, and who is speak it? Am less interest in gnome, it derivative langvage, further from origin. In time, I am vant know them all, bud am have preference of vut is learn first."
He shakes his head at her question of Voroan. "Him am not able do magic, only a familiar. I do teach him how speak one my langvages, so I can talk vit him vhile travel." reaching into his component pouch, he pulls forth a fat grub, offering it to Keeya to feed Voroan. "Ver is ve are head first? Vuz Arvensoar you speak of ven I yam first enter?"
"Yes. It is the easiest to check and the easiest to recover both the item and the woman from, if necessary. And we'd all feel pretty silly if we spent days tracking fortune tellers and slavers only to find she'd been picked up for over-celebrating her acquistion."
She smiled the innocent smile of youth before a slight sadness over took her, her expression quickly changing into what you might call a poker face. "Actually, I don't know it is called. I though' I made it up as a girl, until I over heard someone speaking in Absalom. But when I turned to as' them 'bout it I saw no one. I was hopin' you knew."
She turned to Taize, each hand coming up to the other's sleeve, feeling for her knives on her spring loaded sheathed, then resting there crossed against her shapely but modest breasts in an instinctively defensive posture. Her body language depicted this as well, with her feet moving out in a square fighting stance, and her knees bending slightly to stay mobile, Though Keeya did not realize she had done this.
"Slavers..." her mind mulling it over for a few minutes, "I hope we'll fin' her in the Arvensoar" There was no zeal in her voice, she was no Eagle Knight, it was not her job to free slaves. Just a discomfort that shook her to her core that she, with all her practice, was unable to hide.
Its also a bit inconsistent because she did grow up in a trading port and her father employed people from all over. The more time she spends around the party the more likely she is to adopt what they'd assume to be an 'accentless' sound. (not that there is such a thing)
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Sheila reaches out and accepts the letter from K'nyaz and looks back and forth as the rest of the group fills him in on what's going on, she smiles and says, "It appears you have everything in hand. Thank you for joining us K'nyaz, I'm certain your skills will be extremely useful. I wish you luck everyone." She turns and heads back inside the manor.
Talon leads the way to the Arvensoar, filling people in with the general local knowledge about it. The Arvensoar looms in the southern part of the city, high above the districts of Lowcleft and Naos. The tower itself is about 400 feet tall, with the lower portion built into the side of the Seacleft that splits the city in half.
The Arvensoar is bustling with activity, watch members enter and exit. Some of the watch groups enter with prisoners of various descriptions, some struggle and some don't. Watch members exit, starting their patrols.
You walk into the main entrance and head over to the front desk with a watch officer behind it. He's a thin Varisian with a very officious air about him.
Talon has never played tour guide before, but it seemed that all of the newcomers were interested in the city to some extent. He was thankful they didn't ask too many questions right now, as he navigated the streets to the Arvensoar, entering and approaching the watch officer.
"Excuse me," Talon spoke up, looking seriously at the man. "We're from the Pathfinder Society. We're looking for a Miss Natalya Vancaskerkin. Thin, with long curly black hair, some Varisian blood in her. If she's here, it's important that we speak with her as soon as possible," he explains himself to the man.
Keeya hid behind Talon nervously, peaking out from around him to get a view of the sights, before finally stepping forward.
She made eye contact with the guard looked up at him and smiled innocently at him, her eyes wide with false adoration.
"Hello, I'm Ameilia. Any thin' you coul' tell us about Natalya woul' make me so grateful"
The watchman looks up from his desk and stops shuffling papers, he says, "I don't recognize that name off-hand; there are enough people coming and going that I don't know them all. However, I can have an officer speak with you as soon as someone becomes available. I apologize for the wait."
Talon nods at the response - he expected this. The trouble with the bureaucracy was that it took a while to get anything done. Glancing over at the rest of the group, he gestures them all to come take a seat for a moment as they waited.
"I feel like that we're going to be waiting here a long time before anyone comes to assist us - time we could be using to pursue other leads. So, I'm thinking that it might be beneficial if we split up - a couple can wait here to talk with an officer when they get the time to do so and see if she's in lock up, while I show the rest the way to the Amazing Zograthy." He glances at K'Nyaz, speaking to him. "I think that if we split up, you should come with me - I don't think too badly of the watch, but your appearance might stall any assistance they'd be willing to give us - just until they confirm you are a Pathfinder."
"I woul' also be more comfortable... not here..." she adds softly to Talon.
As they walk through the city toward Arvensoar, K'nyaz speaks with Keeya to try and get a handle on her mystery language. He works with her on simple words first, just pointing to things and telling him what they are called in her strange tongue. He also tries to establish the alphabet, so when he hears the sounds, he recognizes the symbols associated with them.
As they near the edifice itself, he nervously draws his robes closer, huddling deeper into them. He often gets odd looks when people notice him, but it is those with the authority to act on their suspicions that worry him the most.
When Keeya introduces herself as Ameilia, he crooks his head her way, a look of confusion on his face, but resigns to clarify what it is he should call her later. Being told to wait, he shrugs, and makes his way to the benches to sit patiently. He has spent many a night sitting in wait while studying, and it allows him time to take notes in his journal. He is surprised when Talon suggests they head off in another direction as others stay to be spoken with. "I agree that my hideous appearance cause fear and suspicion, but am reluctant to suggest anyone stay that not vant to. Who stay can keep Voroan vit them, and he and I can sense each other's emotions for fair distance. Talon, show me vich direction ve head, and I can explain to him vich direction to look ven they are done here."
"Aw, You're not hideous N'nyaz, just differen' exotic really if anythin'." She smiled at him she nodded to the group then walked back over to the guard with a light and playful stride. She pulled her backpack off her shoulders and began to open it, undoing the buttons that kept it shut. Reaching in she began to pull out a bottle.
"Sir, you look like you have an awful thirst, I have some wine of frankly fine vintage would you care to have a drink with me? There's no way I could drink it all myself. Well mayhaps sub-fine vintage, but servicable none the less, Surely a high ranking member of the guard like you are allowed a small break for personal matters here and there right?" she smiled at the guard innocently, sweetly.
"I'm just making the suggestion right now. No one's elected me to be leader," The swordsman states to the tiefling. "We don't actually have to split up if we can get through this quickly enough - I'd say waiting for at least half an hour before we actually go and..." Talon trailed off as he noticed Keeya talking to the front desk officer, before taking out a bottle of wine and offering it up to the man.
"...she's going to get herself locked up and fined." Talon shook his head slowly. The girl was too impatient - they were going to get their answers here, but she was trying to speed up the process unnecessarily. Bribing an official might work out on the street - but at the front desk of the Arvensoar, that was just asking for her to get slapped by the legal system.
Taize watches Keeya as she makes her attempt.
That's not very wise. I hope she doesn't create more problems than she solves.
The watchman looks up at Keeya as she offers him the wine and he smiles at her, "I'm sorry, I can't have any while I'm on duty, however, I'll be off duty in about four hours and I'd love to take you up on the offer then. You're a very pretty woman." He looks her up and down and smiles at her again, "Perhaps we can get to know each other better?"
Taize relaxes a bit, relieved that Keeya's actions seemingly have not insulted the guard.
Keeya smiles at the guard "Mmm..." she lets out the soft sound for a moment.
"I'd love to... I bet'cha 'ave lots of exciting stories that you can tell me about this place. And I can be back by myself when you are off duty... well, of course, I might be a tad to busy to, what with my companions and all dependin' on how long it takes to fin' this woman." she said holding back a grin.
She smiled sweetly at him and slowly put her drink back in her pack, shifting her weight from one foot to the other like an anxious teen-aged girl. Her eyes wide with false adoration for the strong looking guard. "After all I'm new to here, An' mayhaps you could show me 'round then? I bet you know all sorts of interesting secluded places bein' a guard and all." She bit her lip innocently, her hair whipping around her face slightly, her hand coming up to tuck it behind her ear. She leaned forward on her toes to get a closer looking at the guard a sly smile across her lips.
Puffing up slightly at the compliment, he smiles at Keeya, and says, "I'm looking forward to meeting you later. Let me see if I can track down an officer so you can finish your business in plenty of time." He winks, stands up from his desk and hurries off farther into the Arvensoar.
Returning a few minutes later he says, "We're in luck, I ran into Officer Kasadei, right as she was finishing up some work and she agreed to see you."
He leads you off into the Arvensoar and after a few twists and turns, you arrive at a room and are led into the presence of a Varisian woman, he gestures for you all to enter, he winks at Keeya and whispers as you go by, "I'll be looking forward to seeing you later."
The tough-looking woman stands up a you enter and says, "I'm Officer Kasadei, how may I hep you?"
Unfamiliar with most forms of social interaction, K'nyaz questions the others about Keeya's actions in this situation. "If are eager to find Natalya, am not understand vy she think is good time for make date?"
As he learns of their upcoming meeting with someone of greater authority, he curls further into his robes, ensuring that his hands are draped in sleeve.
Keeya smiled to the party sheepishly, beaming with pride. She knew her limits though and wasn't about to push it trying anything with the Varisian woman they were introduced to. She winked back at the guard as he left and gave the officer a polite bow. She decided to let the others speak to the officer.
"We are members of the Pathfinder Society and have been asked to locate a half-Varisian woman named Natalya Vancaskerkin. She had contacted the local Venture-Captain about employment, but never arrived. We were hoping to simplify the search, if by chance she was being held here for some minor offense. Is there any way you could check for us, please?"
Officer Kasadei says, "Natalya contacted Lady Heidemarch about employment? That's an odd pairing. Natalya is a petty burglar that runs with the Tower Girls. I wonder why she thought Lady Heidemarch coud use her 'services'." She cocks her head to the side a bit and continues, "I know she hasn't been picked up by any of our patrols. Perhaps she decided the Pathfinders couldn't use her services and decided not to show up?"
"It's possible. Perhaps she had 'found' something and then found a better offer. Thank you for your help."
Keeya listened in carefuly when she heard Natalya described as a burglar. Cringing at the use of the word, as if remembering something unpleasant. Doing her best to hide her reaction and distrustful of authority figures she paid close attention hoping to spot any falsehood in the officer's speech.
"Hmm" Keeya said pondering what Taize mentioned.
Now if I was to sale something of value in this town where would it be that'd I do such a thin'
"I wonder..."
Well, it seemed that Keeya's influence had gotten the guardsman to actually get off his ass and find someone to help them. Someone who actually had some useful and relevant information.
"The Tower Girls, huh..." Talon commented, stroking his chin. As he knew it, that particular gang's specialty was burglary and extortion. They were often hired by the nobility in a nigh endless war of gaining the upper hand on their rivals, and most of them had day jobs as dancers and performers. It might do them good to look into the gang after they had used up all of their initial leads.
"Thank you very much, Officer," Talon states to her, nodding in her direction. "It seems that we'll have to look elsewhere to find her. Though if you do happen to catch wind of her whereabouts, could you perhaps send a message to the Pathfinder Lodge? If it's not too much trouble."
Looking at the others, he gestured for them to lean in as he whispered. "All right, we managed to get a few bits of new information here. Let's go find Zograthy now and see what we can gleam from him. After that, we'll see if we can't find these Nibelese slavers."
"You're very welcome, I'll send word to Lady Heidemarch if I hear anything about Natalya, good luck!"
Keeya frowns slightly and adds to the group, quietly so that the town watch members would not hear her. "If she did sell the artifact... I might of heard of a few people who'd be willin' to buy such a thin' quiet like, were she would of sold it I mean... but that sort tends to be the unwelcomin' kind of folk so we should check up on the more proper leads first, but if she doesn't turn up we can try them."
Talon nods to Keeya, though he had to wonder where exactly the girl managed to hear of such people in the city in the short time that she'd been here. "If she sold it, then we can track it down - of course, we don't have any idea right now what the artifact is, so going looking for that is a moot point until we find Natalya. But good thinking on that, anyways."
If there are no more questions, Talon will lead the group out of the Arvensoar, to get to Washers' Row in Dockway.
"One more question, Officer? Has anyone else been asking about her?"
After the group leaves, Taize explains "If she 'acquired' the artifact in a burglary, the original owner may well be looking for it, too. Perhaps learning where she got it would also help to find her."
Keeya nods back to Talon slightly embarrassed, "Oh yes... righ' sorry."
"Wha' kin' of man do you suppose this Amazing Zograthy is? Mayhaps a con artist of some kind? Or maybe an actual mystic?"
Keeya sighed for a moment, "These slavers... what are they like Talon?"
Talon glanced back at Keeya as she asked her question. "Not all that sure. They're slavers, so they're not exactly saints. As for being Nidalese..."
Keeya swaggered side to side on each foot as they walked down the road to Washer's row. She smiled at herself the pride smile of someone who just got away with something she should not have. Keeping a respectable distance from the Party, and staying close to Talon's back. Best to be seen next to the big guy with a sword in a town like this she figured. A moment of guilt washed over her as she remembered the guard, 'Someone is going to be disappointed after his shift.' she thought to herself.
'Well on second thought... he wasn't bad looking, I could always see him... though I get the feeling he doesn't have romance on his mind. no, no I have work to do, Whatever reason I was brought up here I need to show the local lodge I can do this task. I can be useful to them. I can be useful to my allies and my country.'
She smiled at herself, 'well no one says I can't make a profit while doing it.'
'These are good people but, soon they will know the real me and it will be time to move on, that's how it always is.'
She followed close behind Talon, wondering what exactly he knew of these slavers, and wondering how she might react upon meeting them.