Dacknar giving a hearty cheer to Yagra, when she drops the elf blow hard to the ground.
Thinking he just caught that something changed with their conversation with Jalester, but not sure what. Dacknar starts to pay more attention to what was being said until Yagara bends over to pick up the elf and the view was...most pleasant to look at. Dacknar then lost interest of what was happening with Jalester and more on the view.
"Sure, sure, sure. You just happened to meet the Open Lord of Waterdeep wandering the streets like a commoner." He says shaking his head with disbelief as he holds his hand out. "Let's see this token she gave you. I bet you just got suckered by one of the locals. They've always got some scam or another going. Can't trust any of 'em."
Bhoors shrugs expecting failure. "Here." Bhoors hands the man the coin.
Taking the marked coin from Bhoors, Jalester gives it a close inspection. He flips it over several times, holds it to the light, weighs it in one hand, then the other. Finally, he bursts out laughing and hands the coin back to Bhoors.
"You've been had my friend." He says thumping the bard on the back. "I admit, I've done a bit of business with her ladyship. And I can tell you, this is in no way one of her personal tokens." He shakes his head chuckling softly. "You must have just fallen off the turnip cart. Everyone knows Laerel uses a coin stamped with her image surrounded by seven stars. You know...one star for her and each of her sisters."
He points back the scratched gold dragon. "That. Why that's just a marked dragon that could have been done by any child. Not something used by one of the greatest mages in all the realms."
Watching him flip the coin he keeps an eye on it so it does not get replaced by another. As the bard talks about the coin. Dacknar has a thought.
Why would she flaunt around a coin so easily recognized on a mission that she does not want any part of coming back to her. It makes more sense that she gives a coin that only she would know about.....or track
Dacknar thinks to himself
"Certainly looked like her ladyship."
"Look I can tell there is more to you than a drinking tavern dweller. You've turned clear-eyed and wary on us. Let's assume you are right. Someone duped us. Impersonated the old girl."
Bhoors takes a drink. "There has been lots of trouble on the streets of late. More violence than usual, changes in the status quo. We have crossed paths and blades with more than one gang that normally keeps a lower profile of late." He leans back taps the table and lets his words sink in. "If we were duped. I'd rather find my efforts rewarded on the side of the angels tip the balance amongst those with less respect for life. I grew up on these streets you know. We succeeded in the mission. It was the rendevous we didn't truck with. Set us up with a meet anyway. The worst thing for you is you've wasted an ally's time and we would likely get a night or two in the klink. But if what we have recovered is the real deal. You would be doing everyone a service."
The man watches and listens to Bhoors. The clatter of mugs, the boisterous laughter and general din of conversation, the ever present music. All seem to drift into the far background as Jalester weighs the bard's words. Finally he leans forward and offers a simple nod.
"Where can I find you in two bells?" He says. "Someplace quiet, with not so many eyes and ears." He adds with a glance and gesture toward the ever-going chaos that is the Yawning Portal.
"Mind, I can't guarantee anything yet, but if someone is impersonating the Open Lord and helping stir up this mess with the gangs, you're right. It's something she'd likely want to know about. So tell me where you want to meet and bring this item with you. I'll try to arrange something. At the very least, I can bring word...and perhaps a real writ or marker for you to use."
"That's a healthy amount of trust we are asking between each other. But you seem the right sort of shady." He looks to Dak and Unmei for agreement.
Dracknar shruges his shoulders
"If yer vouching for him Bhoors, then it's fine with me.
We can use our pub if ye want. Just come through the back door, in two bells time we could leave it unlocked. And it's a stright shot to the celler. If that works for the rest of ye?"
Looking at the rest of the group and the bard.
Bhoors nods. "Vouch is a strong word Dak. But I don't think we have another offer that we can make good of at the moment." He regards Jalester, "Don't worry I don't think we have it restored to business yet, so it should be a quiet stop. Its Trollskull Manor off the self same-named alley."
"Trollskull Manor." Jalester says with a thoughtful nod. "I know of the place and heard it had come under new ownership."
He quickly downs the rest of the contents of his mug, which you now realize is nothing more than apple juice with a bit of cinnamon and other spices.
"I'll see you there in two bells." Tipping a finger to his hat he gives you all a short bow of his head and then proceeds to wind his way through the crowd and out into the evening streets of Waterdeep.
Dacknar scratches his head and lets out a loud sigh.
"We could if you want, Unmei. But like Bhoors said, what choice do we have?"
"I think we already rolled the dice. Might be better if we have home ready to receive guests." He shrugs, "Do we a way to keep eyes on him?"
You make your way along the damp Waterdavian streets back to Trollskull Manor only to discover the front entrance standing open. The door softly taps against the wall as it swings back and forth in the autumn winds. Inside is dark and quiet.
"Didn't we have people here?"
Bhoors peeks in, "Hello honey I'm home."
Dacknar slowly walks in weapon ready.
"If your still here, your messing with the wrong house. Show your self now and you might live to see the morning."
Dacknar barks out before he step in looking around with his dark vision
You step inside the dark interior of the tavern common room to find the place a mess. Everything has been turned inside out and searched. Tables turned over, chairs smashed, the kitchen a mess as well as your rooms upstairs.
Your hired help are bound and gagged in a store room, frightened and some suffering from bumps on the head, but otherwise unharmed. They look at you with relief and thankfulness when you open the door to discovers their situation.
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Dacknar moves in searching for threats.
Pointing to tied up staff "Take care of them" he tell the rest of the group.
As he goes form room to room. He stops at his door.
They better not have done anything to Mr. Snuggy My little stuffed bedtime Owlbear he thinks to himself.
And then walks it to check the damage.
"Lets get you all sorted out." Bhoors unbounds the help. [b]"So what happened and more importanly how long ago.
"I...I really don't know much sir." Says the young half-elf cook, Annika who you hired last week. "I remember sitting at the table with Ymyrdis going over what supplies we'd need for the next weeks menu when..." She shakes her head. "We woke up in here."
Ymyrdis, a thoughtful scowl on his face, nods his agreement. "Aye, it's as she says. One minute, reviewing the accounts, the next here we are." The thin dragonkin scratches at a flaking scale where the ropes were tightest. "Didn't get a look at who or what it might've been. But I think it was right after the eight bell. Not long after you set out for the evening. Last thing I remember was hearing the bells and thinking it was about time to call it a day."
Downstairs, Unmei finds two of the children, both orphaned girls, sweeping and cleaning up some broken pottery and other items tossed by the searchers. The two greet Unmei with warm hugs and cries of relief as they spill out their version of what happened.
The five of them had been down here resting and counting the days take, like Unmei taught them, when suddenly they heard a bunch of noise upstairs. Knowing something bad was happening they all bolted out the little basement window set up for just such a quick escape. Watching from the alley across the street, they saw three tall, lanky, caped and cowled intruders, search the entire manor top to bottom.
The oldest girl, young Miriam, a halfling of about 11 years, adds a little more to the end of the tale. "We didn't see much else, miss. Until they were leaving. That was when one the hood on one of their capes caught in the wind and blew back. Sure enough is was one of them dark skin elves hidden under there." She says her eyes filled with fright, having heard many tales of the terrors of drow-kind. "Some of the boys went off to try and follow them even though I told 'em not to." She says. "I sent Pip out to find you while Rose and I just slipped back in to see what they took." She adds sadly looking around the messed up room.
Upstairs, Dacknar checks out his room to find clothing spread everywhere, bed torn apart, weapons and spare armor lying about. For a moment the half-orc isn't sure if anything is different or not. That's when he notices a few bits of fluffy stuffing on the floor, a few more. The trail leads behind the open door. With growing, stomach churning horror Dacknar's eyes glance behind the door. Hanging there, a dagger stuck through its stomach is Mr. Snuggy, bits of stuffing dangle from the owlbear's worn soft furry body. A written note is also pierced by the dagger. It reads...Bring the stone to the theater or next time we do the same to the kids and the help. It is simply signed Friends of LS.
"This is getting crazier and crazier."
Punching the door. Dacknar yells out
Ripping the dagger out, he storms down the stairs with the note and dagger in hand. After he slaps the note and the dagger down on the bar counter with out saying a word. He storms back up stairs slams the door shut and sits on his bed holding Mr. Snuggy to his chest, weeping quietly.
After a short time he places the doll on what left of his bed, gathers up his weapons and heads down stairs to re-join with the group, having only one thought on his mind.
Their will be no mercy
"Well back at the theater. . . it means the drow impersonating Laurel Silverhand. This means I flirted with the wrong sort of powerful woman. Not the first time. Oh well. . . . if the dark elves hit shortly after we left then at least we can figure that Jalester doesn't work for them."
He thinks for a minute, "but we might be being watched or the house is."
"Well I don't think that Laurel Silverhand is a drow. But that the person who left the note for us to return to the theater where we were supposed to rendevous with Laurel Silverhand is likely to mean that a drow posed as Laurel to trick us. We didn't fall for it so they came here and ransacked the place while we were at the Portal." Bhoors breaths out. "I think we should figure that we have not met the actual Laurel Silverhand."
"This means we need to figure if we want to wait for Jalester to show up. If we or the house is being watched will these drow return before the second bell Jalester mentioned?"
"I heard of a mercenary company not common but dabbles in underworld dealings here in Waterdeep. Bregan D'aerthe. Its mostly drow dudes who are hard on their luck."
"If we aren't going to wait for Jalester do we have a means of getting a message to him. To warn him the manor is not safe. OR are we going to hold up and hope that he gets here with good news before the drow return?"
"I say let those cowards come. if we are going to fight drow what do we know about them other that that they know how to beat up unarmed tavern help and can damage personal property?" Dacknar says in a low growl.
Bhoors nods, "Alright lets get ready and keep watch for both our welcome and unwelcome visitors."
Dacknar has encountered a drow or two in his time at sea or really when visiting various ports of call. They thrive in darkness, live to deceive, and thrill to the kill. The creatures typically stay within the confines of the Underdark where they battle among themselves and worship Lloth. However, there are those exceptions who venture to the surface either to sow havoc and chaos or the gather slaves, riches, and power, not necessarily in that order.
Practically, they are usually a bit weaker and thinner than a normal elf, but quicker and with innate magics that can leave their foes blinded in dense darkness. Sunlight is their bane.
You proceed to clean up and consider various traps to set and devise other methods of deterring further unwanted guests when there is a sudden knock on the door, just as the temple bells start to strike the second hour.
Jalester stands outside, hood drawn up over his head to keep out both prying eyes and the autumn drizzle.
Bhoors moves to the door. He looks through the peep. "Its Jalester. We ready?" He readies to open the door ready to let their guest in hoping enemies don't accompany him. Tymora rolling the dice here keep us breathing.
Dacknar opens the door so the man can come in. Once the man is in Dacknar takes a good look around the for any prying eyes.
Before he closes and bolts the door shut.
"If you are here to tells up we stepped on a hornet's nest we already know. And if something happens get down and crawl under a table."
"Welcome, such as it is. The old girl is right. Heats on us. Sooner might be safer. We picked this spot because it was more private. We are really hoping you really are on the side of the angels."
Jalester slips through the door giving the room and its occupants a quick but professional and searching look. Frowning at the still obvious disarray of the common room, he flips a chair upright. Gesturing toward the other chairs around the table he proceeds to slip off a pair of worn, but well-kept leather gloves. Tossing the gloves casually onto the table, he proceeds to sit, leaning back casually.
"Hmmmm....and unwanted and unexpected it would see." He says with a slight smirk. "Well, things seem quiet enough for the moment. Since you called this little gathering, why don't you tell me about it and what you think it has to do with the Open Lord of Waterdeep."
"From what we can tell. The gangs on the streets are hunting for an item that leads to a fortune of gold. I am sure you are familar with the scandal surrounding Neverember. We found an item that is from what we understand crucial to finding the money."
"Look in the last few weeks I have tangled with more Zents, Xans and now fricken Bregan D'aerth is tossing my knicker drawer. We need help. We stumbled into this to recover a kidnap victim and now we are tangling with 3 major players in the underworld."
"My, my, my...that is the big three." Jalester says with a grim chuckle. "But I can assure you, that it wasn't the Open Lord who sent you after the...Stone of Golorr." He leans back in the chair and runs a thin, well manicured hand through his dusty blonde hair.
"You see, Laeral has been in negotiations with a rather cantankerous Chultan embassy for the past several days." He looks at each of you pointedly. "So I can assure you, whoever you were dealing with was not the Open Lord." He tips his chair forward with a loud thump.
"That doesn't mean the Open Lord isn't interested, both in the gold and who this imposter may be. The discovery of both of these things would be most beneficial to Waterdeep, the Open Lord, and yourselves...." He let's his last statement hang in the air for a few moments before continuing.
"To that end. I've been authorized to check the validity of your find. If it proves real, you'll receive a reward from the city. If false, then I'm authorized to hire you to continue the search for the Stone." He smiles. "This time you'll actually be working for the Open Lord."
"So let's see this find of yours." He says his eyes patiently flicking to each of you.