Felmor gives Grak a dubious look, noting the golden tinged wings of the loyal companion of Lureene. Grak returns the looks from Felmor, and hisses, "I cannnn ssstay out of sssight."
Priyya watches Felmor speculatively. When did he become so flirty?
Felmor utters a relieved sigh once he has exited the castle, the silent form of Grak tailing close behind him. Ach! What be goin’ on wit’ me? Eveah since I be travelin’ with the Captain, she be having effect on me. It be like she be drawing me out o’ me shell. Certainly, those three women formed a potent triumvirate. Whenever he was near Princess Alis, like when she was educating him on the finer aspects of being a Sea Singer, he could almost sense the force of her personality emanating from her like waves on the ocean and it seemed to be affecting his own as well. He was not sure what to make of it. Maybe he was always like this.
Still, he did have a job to do, namely trying to track down where the lamp oil from Malatesta originated from. He moves off into the crowd…
Knowledge, Local (untrained)
Felmor approaches the tavern with a sense of trepidation. Never has he felt so alone here, surrounded by unfriendly faces. Still, he had a job to do. He mentally reviewed his cover story, provided to him by Alis and Priyya. He was a low end merchant looking to deal in commodities, including lamp oil, in bulk quantities, and hopefully form some business contacts. He figured that would be enough to get him in the doorway.
Well here goes…
”Hello, my name be Gerrold, ‘n I be lookin’ fer some info, I be told thar be some opportunities in some basic commodities…”
Before long, Felmor finds himself in a seedy tavern called The Cat's Ass. There laborers, and less discerning craftsmen turn to their cups after a day at the grind. After entering and making his presence known, a few of the patrons turn to regard him.
The barkeeper waves Felmor over and asks, "You get here before or after the sh1t storm, buddy? Figured the gates would be closed to outsiders, but I haven't actually been up that way."
He indicates the bottles behind the counter. "I just offer drinks myself, but you might find some folks here who can help ya if your coin's good."
When Felmor hefts the purse heavy with a varied assortment of coins that he was provided, the man nods and says, "Right, so tell me what you're drinkin' and then maybe we can give a listen to what you need. I have to make a living to you know."
Felmor nods at the bartender, and replies, ”I ain’t too picky, as long as it is wet, ‘n has a kick to it, know what I mean?” He chuckles, “Heh, judgin’ by what I saw, looks like I jes missed th’ storm. What happened out thar, anyway?”
Once he has been hooked up with a local beverage, he glances over at the prospective contacts, and continues, ”I be lookin’ fer opportunites. I be told this be th’ place ta start in…”
The barkeep nods at "Gerrold's" not-pickiness. "You look like a whiskey man to me, so that's what you're gettin'"
Once the would be entrepreneur has slaked his thirst, one of the men sitting in the corner nods his head at you and asks, "What sort of opportunities you looking for friend? You've got the look of a sea hound about you. Looking to trade goods from Malatesta mayhap, or are you looking to buy?"
After making sure the barkeep is well tipped, Felmor gives the gentleman a nod, "Aye, I be of th' sea. Verra hard ta get the tang of the sea out of yer blood, ya know. As fer me purpose, I be lookin' fer trade opportunities mostly, though I be open ta anything that happens ta drop in me lap, he he. I noticed there be some upheavals 'ere recently, 'n that kin be a gold mine, if ye move quickly. So, I be askin' ye, what sort of commodities are in short supply now?"
The man nods knowingly at Felmor's words and offers him a seat. "Jarvis is the name. I used to be from further south too. You're right, there is a good deal of coin to be made at a time like this. Since you missed out on what was going on, I'll give you a brief run-down."
The man wave to the barkeep to keep the drinks coming. "Word is, the Count was in cahoots with with some noblewoman from up in Estoria planning to sell out the city to expand their boundaries."
He gives a chuckle. "Mind you, ain't none of that actually true the girl's actually an elf princess from Ilmarond, but none of that made a difference to the the regular folks here who don't know what's what. The important thing though is that the simpletons bought it! Or at least, enough so that folks would go along with it or wait it out you see. Naturally, that leaves those of us who were prepared in-advance or who still have the means to make a damn killing!"
Felmor's Checks
When the barkeep puts down a bottle of whiskey on the table for you and Jarvis, you notices that he gives the talkative fellow a dark look, although you don't quite note the intent behind it.
Jarvis continues. "So anyway, it's not so much what the people need as to what we can keep in short supply to drive up prices, you see. Now if you've got access to actual goods, and we do business together and can keep the supply tight, that means less money we're putting out on our side and more demand and higher prices that we're reaping."
He gives both your glasses a healthy pour of whiskey and holds his up. "What do you say, pal?"
Felmor accepts the drink gladly, and drinks it in one swallow, to try to hide the pounding in his heart. How th'hell did they figure that, unless these guys be Tar Dogs? Plus it seems ta me th' barkeep dinnae like this business, fer whatever reason. Fel, I hope you dinnae get in too deep.
Once he has steadied his nerves, he responds to Jarvis, "Aye, I kin see why that be lightin' a spark in a keg o' oil, he he. I do see plenty of areas to make a healthy profit. I be sure ta let me...associates know this. But, ye mentioned an elf princess? Have ye seen 'er? From what I be told, the elves have no trade interests in Elsymar Dale, why would a Princess be travelin' 'here? I know me associates also be interested in that tidbit of news."
Jarvis gives Felmor an odd look, but just shrugs his shoulders and throws back his drink in one gulp as well. "Heh, been a lot of such 'sparks' lately actually. I suspect my associates might have a better idea on why the elf girl is here, but I suspect she must have business further south. Given that they've taken such an interest in her, I guess they know enough to figure they can either make a profit off of her, or that she'll interfere with profits they plan to make."
He chuckles, nudges 'Gerrold' and continues, "Anyway, a little war profiteering never hurt anyone, right Ger'?"
The man pours each of you another drink, spilling a bit on the table as he does so. "So you representing any particular group I might have heard of? Tar Dogs are the main players here in Dunwaar. Recently had a... reorganization you might say. Good time for making new contacts, broadening the net so-to-speak."
Felmor laughs, ”Aye, Jarvis, profit seeking is what makes this world go round, Princesses or no Princesses, as long as they dinnae catch wind o’ us little folks ‘n our pursuits, right?”
He accepts another shot of the whiskey, and notes it is definitely affecting his speech, as he has slurred a few words. ”Sounds like some in th’Tar Dogs dinnae like the direction th’ leader be takin’ them. As fer me associates , let’s say they prefer ta keep themselves anonymous. It be safer fer all concerned. As long as I give’ em what they want, they give me what I need ta do business.”
”Now, getting’ down ta business, what sort o’ goods be in demand now, especially now wit’ Counts ‘n Princesses meddlin’ in our affairs?”
"Yeah nobles, who needs 'em?" Jarvis laughs loudly and slaps his hand on the table.
As the two of you continue talking and slipping further into inebriation, the barkeep comes back over, a rather stern look on his face.
"Gentlemen," he says, "I believe I'm going to have to ask you to take your business elsewhere. This is a drinking establishment, not a guild hall, and the rest of the folks here don't need to be party to whatever you two are planning."
Felmor's Checks
Felmor looks up at the man and can see that he is looks agitated but seems to be looking out for your best interests. Looking around the room, it takes your eyes a brief moment longer than normal to focus, but you can make out men at a few other tables casting spurious glances in your direction and muttering curses under their breath.
Beside you, Jarvis pushes his way to his feet and groans, "Aww yer jus' too yella ta know when there'sha good thing comin' yer way! C'mon Ger, lesh blow thesh loshers!"
With that, Jarvis grabs the nearly depleted bottle of whiskey, tosses a few coins on the table and begins staggering for the door waving for you to follow.
Felmor staggers out the door after Jarvis, and through the haze of the alcohol, notices Grak still hiding out in the alleyway. He does not acknowledge the serpent’s presence, however.
Trying to keep his gait steady, he glances up towards the darkening sky, Och it be getting’ late Time ta slip this anchor, ‘n be movin on. He motions to Jarvis, ”Sho, me friend, did ye have any further plans, cosh me gots a verra important plash ta be.” He then gives Jarvis a knowing wink. ”Me job ‘taint all work, ya know…”
"Wha? Leavin' arready? We ain't even figured on whar ta meet up!"
Felmor's Checks
Jarvis seems confused, but before you can reply, you hear the unmistakable sound of footsteps behind you and steel being drawn. Looking back, you see that four men who had been seated inside The Cat's Ass have followed you outside.
One of them taps a shortsword against his palm while the other three brandish a bottle, brass knuckles, and a club. The one holding the blade tips his chin at you and growls, "You guys sure have hella big mouths ya know that! What, you think you can just proclaim yer gonna run everyone here into tha ground jus' so yous can make some extra coin offa our sweat? Well some-a us got families of our own and we dun like that plan!"
"Aw hell," Jarvis curses, "Ger', I don't suppose yer friends are nearby, are they?"
He pulls free a pair of well-honed daggers concealed behind his bracers. "Ah well, no matter, we can take 'em. I gotcher back, bud!"
Initiative Rolls
, Enemies, Jarvis
Grak sees the scene of violence start to unfold, and then his mistress' warning comes to his head. He sends a mental message to his mistress, warning "Sailor man in trouble, mistress".
Felmor draws his trusted belaying pin, along with his dagger, while remarking, ”I dinnae recall invitin’ ye ta join us, mebbe ye should return ta yer drinks.”
Not waiting for a response, he lunges at the one gentleman holding the sword, and swings his pin....
Felmor rushes forward and bats one of the men upside the head with his belaying pin. "Watch it boys, this'n fast!"
, Enemies, Jarvis; Felmor
MAP: Cat's Ass Tavern, (Round 01)
Theme: Throwin' Down
Grak hears his mistress' command, something akin to Help him any way you can.
He launches himself and moves to assist Felmor in dealing with the presumed leader.
"Git 'im!" The leader shouts, and in the next moment, Felmor is mobbed by all four men even as Grak swoops down to help.
Damage
For all of Grak's agility, in his present state, Felmor's footwork is clumsy at best. He first gets brained across the back of the head with a club before feeling a blade rake across his side.
Behind you, you hear Jarvis say, "What the hell is that? Sh1t, I didn't drink that much! Hang in there Gerrold!"
With that, Jarvis stumbles forward swinging madly at the winged monstrosity assailing his new friend.
Fortunately, Grak manages to avoid the drunken criminal's attacks.
, Enemies, Jarvis
MAP: Cat's Ass Tavern, (Round 02)
Felmor gasps in pain as the blows connect. Seeing Jarvik attacking Grak was rather comical, but still troubling.Is he be workin' wit' them after all? Better drop this guy quickly.
He continues his attacks on the leader...
Grak continues to help Felmor from getting hit...
"Ah gods," cries the leader, "I'm bleedin' here!"
"What the hell is this thing?!" shouts another.
The four become confused the the winged snake flailing about and become erratic in their attacks, swinging every which way. When they are unable to his anything, they break and run for it.
AoOs
Seeing that Grak remains, Jarvis shouts, "Dammit, this can't be happening, what is this thing?! Get away, get away!"
He continues slashing madly at Grak but is unable to connect.
"Watch it, Ger' he's right on ya!"
, Enemies, Jarvis
MAP: Cat's Ass Tavern, (Round 03)
Felmor puts on a confused look, "Ehh, I am not really sure 'bout that, but I s'pect it works fer one o' me contacts. Prolly wonderin' why I be runnin' late."
He looks hard at Grak, who returns the gaze stolidly. He shrugs, "I t'ink I betteah be leavin' now. If'n I kin I be findin' ye at th' Ass, right?"
Jarvis takes a step back from Grak and eyes the odd creature ruefully, "Well if it's witcha I guess thas arright."
"As fer findin' me here, ain't no chance in 'ell I kin come back here now! Shiii— oh gods!"
Reflex Saves
Suddenly Felmor feels an incredible sensation strike him from above and then everything goes black.
Lureene's face grows pale, and she says to the others, "Oh, Gods, they captured him!"
She sends a mental image to Grak, Keep tracking them, we will meet with you as quickly as possible.
"Hmm," Alis taps her forefinger on her lips, "That's a bit reckless of him but rather clever I'd say. Felmor's better at this than I thought! Lureene, can you track Grak's location if he follows the captors?"
Lureene nods in response, "Yes, 'Lis, as long as Grak is on this plane, I know where he is, and can communicate with him silently."
At Lureene's outburst, Priyya pops the last bite of a flaky eclair into her mouth, savoring the sweetness of it. She looks levelly at the women. "I know we are trying to avoid any appearance of displaying Ilmarond might... but can we please find and squeeze some of these bastards? Hopefully, in the process of rescuing Felmor - if he needs rescuing."
"Well actually I think the rioters were convinced that Estoria was meddling, not Ilmarond, but one kingdom is as good as the next, right?"
Alis looks up from buckling on her rapier and notes Priyya licking pastry crumbs off her fingers. Her eyes narrow dangerously and she says, "We have eclairs and we have to go save Felmor before I can have one? Oh, these bastards are going down!"
Alex makes ready to object, but the fiery glare he gets from the short blonde whilst she coils her whip sees him nodding his ascent. "Oh, uh, by all means! I'll send word to Captain Monroe to prepare backup for your raid. And I shall make sure we save some pastries left for you as well, Alis."
Mal jumps up from where he was lounging with Talvyra. "Count me in... well, except for the eclair thing." Tal follows on his heels.
Lureene shoots Priyya an incredulous look, plainly asking, Where did you get these eclairs from?. As she struggles to fit into her new armor, she notes it was starting to fit even more snug against her body. With a sigh of regret, she realizes she will have to start cutting back on those eclairs.
Did Chivane even eat? Judging by this armor, she must have inhaled her food!
She gives a brief nod to Alex, "Wise call there, Alex. Make sure you save an extra eclair for Fel as well."
Priyya snorts, "Eclairs are gained by merit. Anyone who wants one is going to have to EARN it." Priyya hops up, positively chipper. She punches Mal in the shoulder. "Come'on - tall, dark, and feral. Let's go make some bad people regret their choices."
"You do know how to sweet-talk a guy, Darkmane."
After donning some cloaks to hide your weapons and armor, Alis makes use of a few quick prestidigitation cantrips to change her hair color and to apply some make-up. By the time she's done, the lot of you are looking considerably less regal.
"There, hopefully a grey-haired old nanny like me, and her strapping children, and attentive nurse will draw a bit less attention than we normally would." She has a look at Talvyra and says, "Well, except for walking about with a big black panther anyway..."
In order to give Alex some idea of where Monroe should send reinforcements, you head to the top of the southwest tower and gaze out over the city. It takes a bit of effort since you are looking towards the sun, but with Lureene guiding him, Mal is able to point out to Alis something flying in a holding pattern about half a mile away.
Perception Checks
"There," Alis points west by south west, "do you see that church steeple, Alex? If you look closely, you can see Lureene's pet flying near there. Grak last saw the man carrying Felmor in that area of the city. Chances are, that's where we'll find what we're looking for."
With that, you set out making use of the new ramp that has been constructed in front of the keep. It takes about 10 minutes for Lureene to lead you to the general location where Grak is at which point he swoops down to greet his mistress. He explains that since he was trying to stay close to the rooftops and out of sight that he didn't see exactly what building the man entered (he was hustling about as fast as Grak could fly), but that he had been running west down this street and hung a right at some point before disappearing.
Further to the west, a young couple are just leaving a townhouse while to the south, a scruffy old man is ambling towards the doors of a dilapidated church, The Temple of Lakonus. Looking around, you note that this section of the city isn't particularly prosperous, though it's not quite what you would call a slum.
Perception Checks
MAP: Dunwaar Streets, (Round 00)
Lureene looks around at the area, not particularly liking what she saw. Memories of traveling in similar run down districts back in Khaledrun came flooding back to her. She feels a sense of empathy for those still trapped here. Still, she had a mission here, to find Felmor. She sees Corporal Mal and Priyya looking around and scanning the surroundings, but there seemed to be no immediate threat. Still the sense of unease hovered over her.
Wishing her disguise was a little more complete, she touches Alis' arm and motions to the older gentleman approaching the church. She whispers to her, loud enough for Mal and Priyya to hear as well, "I am going to talk to him, he may have seen something."
She wraps her cloak tightly around herself, trying to keep her wings and armor from showing, and moves towards him, Once he acknowledges her, she asks him in a high pitched voice, "Have you seen my uncle, sir?"
Priyya looks to Alis and Mal and says quietly, her eyes indicating the belfry, "Someone just closed the shutters in that belfry. I think they didn't appreciate Grak's hovering."
As you leave the castle, Alis points to each of you in turn and reveals your temporary aliases. "Alright, so Lureene, you're going to be Ellie. Mal, you're Ellie's husband, Andre. I'm Ellie's aunt, Lisa. Priyya, you're Lisa's nurse, Sister Sarah. Felmor said he was going by his father's name, Gerrold, so just keep that in mind."
The old man turns around. He has a bushy grey beard and smells strongly of booze although he doesn't seem to be drunk. His eyes go wide when he sees the pretty young brunette before him, and he looks her up and down appraisingly before answering. "There, there lass, so your uncle is missing is he?"
He gives a wink and says, "Well I suppose I can help you look for him. Let's head back this way, I know just the place to start..."
He holds out his hand indicating the townhouses just to the north of the church.
Sense Motive DC 21
'Lisa' pays more attention to 'Sister Sarah's' words than to what 'Ellie' is up to and misses out on the comedy unfolding.
"Andre," she stops moving so that the big man walk just far enough past her so she can peer up at the belfry while looking like she's talking to her nephew-in-law. "do you think it's going to rain? I don't like the look of these skies..."
Bluff Checks
Perception Checks
"Hmm," she nods at her nurse, patting her on the arm. "Yes, I think so dear girl, I think so..."
In a whisper, she continues, "Yes, it looks like someone is still there. I think they are checking us out."
As you stand around talking, the couple from down the street begins walking east towards your group. Grak scurries out of the way while the rest of you take a few steps forward, out of their path.
"Excuse us," the man says as they walk past.
Perception Checks
You can also see that the man in the belfry is still eying you guys, although he's trying hard not to be seen.
MAP: Dunwaar Streets, (Round 00b)
Priyya looks at Lureene and the old man, saying quietly, "Andre, that old man is propositioning your wife. I think you should object - loudly. Lisa, let's head to the belfry when things get interesting."
'Ellie's' face lights up in relief, completely missing the true intent of the older man. She waves to 'Andre' and calls out, "Oh, darling, I think this gentleman knows where Uncle went off to!" She indicates the same group of houses. She simpers at the old man, "Tell me, was it long ago when you saw him last?"
Mal steps over to the old man, intentionally lumbering, "so you've seen the man we're looking for, huh? I'd be so disappointed if this were a false trail."
The old man's eyes go wide when he hears the woman he thought was propositioning him call out to her darling. "Oh, you really were looking for someone? Sorry, usually pretty ladies don't approach old fellahs in this area of town unless they're ah... selling something. Um, sooo what's this uncle of yours look like?"
'Ellie' smiles reassuredly at him, "Oh, don't worry about it, I get that all the time. Right, honey?" She touches 'Andre' on his arm lightly. "Well, Uncle Gerrold is slender, about half a foot taller than me, dark brown hair, graying now, tanned skin. Walks kinda funny. I hope he did not get lost, he's new in town."
"Hmm, well that could describe a lot of fellahs I guess. Any idea why he'd be in this part of town? Things ain't exactly safe right now. Course, with a big guy like that with ya, I guess ya don't need to worry too much, huh? Well, I guess I should probably be on my way, good luck with find your uncle lass."
With that, the old man starts walking away heading south.
Sense Motive Checks: