As Yaziyah was still avoiding the Citadel (and Cressida Kroft in particular), she splits off from the rest of the group and goes shopping for Magda's new boots - several pairs of them, as the girl seemed prone to losing them.
"Well, it has been decided then. I'll go home to rest... probably taking a big piece of roasted pork, some ale, and then some good ol' halfling pipe-weed." He says, before departing. His description was obviously an invitation for any who would like to join him.
The party re-gathers and makes their way to Lavender's the next morning.
Heady scents twist throughout the cramped but stylish perfumery. A dizzying assortment of bottles—from gaudy ceramic containers to graceful crystalline vials—lines a variety of lace- and ribbon-strewn tables, shelves, and racks, as well as an eye-catching display in the wide front window. Across from the front door’s lavender-tinted glass panes runs a long counter, stacked high with hundreds of simple clay phials bearing round, magenta stoppers. Behind the counter, violet flourishes swoop across a sign reading, “Lavender’s Luxuriant Liniment: Either You’ve Got It, or You’ve Had It.”
There is a line out the door and into the street of customers waiting in line and speaking to the woman behind the counter. The woman is flanked by a pair of wary-looking guards with their arms folded. There are a handful of customers milling about in the store, as well.
First thing in the morning, Magda treks over to an alley near the "store". "Okay, it's up to you lot." she coos to her little friends with multiple legs and dull brown bodies "This whole thing smells fishes. Selling Smells, hmpft." she lowers her palm to let her scouts out to do their work.
While walking back to meet up with the others, she opens her ears to the city's whispers, wanting to know about this per-smellery, how long it has been open, who runs it, anything odd about it other than this mystery cure.
In front of the window, she looks at the people in line, at their attire and then at her own, "Don't think they'd think I'm one of them here to buy a pretty flower smell. Should we just be the hammer, with words and all?"
"I'll take a look around the place first." Erasmo informs as he vanishes in the crowd.
Marcus snorts dryly at the line. "Looks like word has spread fast." He casts his eyes over the crowd briefly, then assesses the guards.
"Hmm. First step seems to be ask the crowd about information, then the seller, then buy a dose and do some tests. If the cure is legitimate than our only business is to report back." He shifts his weight. "I suppose I'll get in line, my friendly disposition doesn't tend to make people talkative."
The day before their mission, Vera tries to give word to Ishani about their plans to investigate the cure. If she can meet him, all the better; otherwise she sees if she can pass a message along using a helper like Majenko.
In the morning, Vera performs her daily harrowing.
Arriving on site, she grants herself some magical protection in case trouble arises.
"Sure is a long line. Lemme see what the crowd knows." Picking out a friendly, and hopefully not sick, person from the crowd, she approaches. "Is this the line for the cure they're selling? Do you think it works? I don't want to waste all my coin, but sure do want to help out my sick friend."
Yaziyah wrinkles her nose as they walk through the affluent neighbourhood where the perfume shop is located, as if the well-dressed passers-by and the fancy houses were a personal affront.
As they reach their destination, she looks around the crowd before turning to study the shop itself. "How would a perfume maker find a legitimate cure when doctors and clerics couldn't? This is obviously a scam."
Ishani writes back that he will try to join them if he can, but that Davalus has them running a lot of errands. Ishani is pretty annoyed about it, and he doesn’t seem to think it will help anything. He’s also been ordered to save his remove disease for nobility, which makes him mad - he was reprimanded for giving free cures to the poor (his superiors at the church did so seemingly reluctantly).
Erasmo sneaks around the area a bit, blending into the crowd. They don’t seem to notice him cutting in line. He slips into the store.
The perfumery smells very nice, but it’s clear that some of the people waiting for the lineament are ill with the blood veil. You notice that one of the men, a portly fellow with a mustache, is browsing the perfume. The guards seem to be relatively relaxed, and have saps at their belt.
Marcus sees that some of the people in line have symptoms of “blood veil”. The guards seem bored.
Nobody gives Marcus any trouble when he moves to stand in line with the others. The people in line seem to be of varying social status and class. Watching the shopkeeper serve the people it is clear that many folks are seeking any treatment possible - and are willing to mingle with anyone to get access to it.
The person who Vera approaches is a man with a limp and a hat with a feather in it, reading a small book. He has a short beard on his chin, and green kind but stern eyes. In a deep baritone he replies ”it is only 2 gold. I have heard it works to stave off the symptoms, from my cousin - he read a broadsheet mentioning it.” He retrieves two gold pieces and hands them to Vera ”here, young lady - it is only two gold sails.” And gestures for her to get in line, then turns back and continues reading his book.
Magda watches the store get brisk business since the plague began, with a line always out the door. The proprietor must be very wealthy by now. She also sees glimpses of the woman, Vendra, closing up shop and heading through the backdoor. Some of the people in her vision spot the guards moving barrels around out of the alley nearby, behind the store.
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Bored guards is a sign of a peaceful situation, so that bode well.
But the sick people in line did not. He grit his teeth at his own stupidity. Of course there would be sick people in line. He takes a spare shirt from his pack and wraps it around his mouth and nose, and glares harshly at anybody who gets too close to him, starting to enforce a small socially distanced circle around himself. Then he continues to wait, eyes peeled on the surrounding area.
Vera shakes her head as the old man offers the two gold. "I'll be okay. Very kind of you to offer, though. Sure hope this stuff works!"
Seeing that Marcus has a place in line, Vera heads over for a second to mention how affordable this "cure" is. "I'll look around a bit and come back when you're closer to the front of the line," says Vera.
When it seems like Marcus is pretty close to the front, Vera will look to cast Detect Thoughts from somewhere out of the way, then join the line as they prepare to speak with the seller.
Marcus nods to Vera, lowering his voice to a deep whisper. "I'll get w few doses then, for testing."
Magda looks into the past through others eyes, then blinks back into the present. Vera and Marcus are concentrating on the line, with too many people around them to chat, so she goes to Yazi. "See she's had plenty of business, much much much. Saw there is a backdoor, that the lady, Vendra or something like that, leaves by. Oh, also there are barrells in the alley behind the store that might mean something or another or nothing all together.
City wasn't too clear."
Not seeing anything suspicious, Erasmo returns close to the others, hearing Vera talk about the barrels in the alley. Since Marcus has a place in the line and it will take a while for his turn, Erasmo then sneaks towards the alley to take a look on the barrels. "Let's take a look on them, Magda."
Magda has always been impressed at Erasmo's ability to slip around without notice, especially when he has a leg made of oak, which he still denies, but Magda knows!
"Barrel hunting is a time-honored thing." the odd shaman nods her agreement and follows him into the alley, attempting to find shadows as she can.
The guards are humans with long beards and burly forms. Not as strong as Yazi and Marcus, but they don't seem to have any special belts, etc. and are likely quite strong on their own.
Magda and Erasmo slip into the back alley.
There don't seem to be any barrels here right now but Magda recognizes one of the doors where they were being moved.
The line moves along relatively quickly, and people give Marcus something of a wide berth, as Vera stands aside. Other people get in line behind him.
Yaziyah snorts at Magda's report. "Of course she's had much business, people are desperate. This is criminal, and not in the way that the guard would think, but preying on people in need, bringing them all together here to spread the sickness even more..." The Shoanti clenches her fists and grinds her teeth, glaring at the shop window.
"Barrels in the back, you say? Let's go take a... where did they go?" Somehow, both Erasmo and Magda had disappeared, so she stays put as she keeps an eye on Vera and Marcus.
Erasmo tries to door. "Let's take a look inside?" He asks Magda, like a boy preparing some mischief.
Erasmo moves over to the closest door, and finding it lock, expertly pops it just as Marcus gets inside Lavender's.
Delicate wall hangings, artistically shaped candles, and the fine scent of cherry blossoms fill this well-decorated apartment. A table sculpted with swirling ivy leaves bears a fragile porcelain tea service and an exotically curved hookah in a kitchen nook to the east. A door adjacent to the kitchen opens into a bedroom furnished with an antique armoire and a bed heavily laden with round pillows and draped with purple silk bedding.
No barrels are visible.
"that's a lot of pillows" Magda whispers in a bit of confused awe. "how can she fit in the bed with so many?" she busies herself looking around as quickly and as quietly as she can.
"i have seen weirder stuff in bedrooms..." He then starts to look around for anything suspicious, always worried about movement.
Magda opens her mouth to ask what kind of weird stuff he has seen, probably starting a very awkward conversation, made at least a little better now that Magda wasn't a kid anymore... but instead "Found something" she indicates a secret door that looks like it goes to the apartment next door, to the east.
Vera and Marcus approach the front, and the two bearded, burly fellows snort when Marcus shoots them the intimidating glance, but don’t do anything else. The woman behind the counter is lithe, and pretty, with small hoop earrings and a generous-looking face. She seems to be counting things, and she holds up a slender finger asking him to wait as she whispers something under her breath, obviously doing some mental arithmetic. She looks up at Marcus and smiles warmly, ”sorry, it’s been a busy morning. Welcome to Lavender’s - what can we do for you?” Her clothes are of simple but fashionable design, and her earrings are obviously high-quality gold. She wears a beautiful emerald ring. The smell she gives off is comforting and clean, like the streets after a rain smelled through a window while a person sits at a cozy fire with a good book and a stack of profiteroles in a box on the table next to them. Nothing overpowering; nothing antiseptic.
This looks to be a mirror of the other apartment - though somewhat more dilapidated. A ruined bed sits in the northwest corner, with moldy straw. A closed door is the only obvious exit to the room.
The woman laughs brightly at the question, ”no sir, a fine question - many people have similar ones. Perfumery is a specific type of alchemy, when the plague hit - I had the idea that if I can make scents which turn everyone’s head, I might be able to make a compound to ease people’s suffering a bit. As to how it works, well, I can’t give away the secret can I?” She grins and winks at him, ” My dear old gran had a home remedy for all kinds of ailments. This is made with locally-sourced ingredients from around Korvosa, elbow grease, and a pinch of alchemical magic - mixed together to a very specific standard. I had a version of this before this dreadful plague which I used to keep myself well, but I changed the formula somewhat for these circumstances once I saw what was happening.” She speaks quickly and smoothly, with something of a practiced patter.
She retrieves two vials and asks , ”one for you and your…” she blushes a bit, ”girlfriend? You look pretty strong - it would make sense.” She smiles at Vera, a look of hunger at Marcus disappearing as she obviously tries to be kind to the arcanist.
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After closing the secret door behind them, so they are not snuck up on, Magda looks around the new room as quickly as possible, while keeping an ear out of anyone coming.
They all appear to be Ulfen, from the land of the linnorm kings.
The small bedroom has nothing of value or consequence. Magda can hear people speaking quietly through the closed door, but can't hear what they are saying.
The woman nods, "if I were filling my pockets I could take your point. The cost is barely less than the charge. Might I interest you in some perfume?" She gestures brightly towards a rack near the window of what looks like crystal vials with gold filagree.
A man in the area gives a start when Marcus looks towards him, glowering and tall, and blinks. He takes one of the vials off of the rack and moves to stand in line, saying "lady isn't lyin', I work with many folks come down with the pox. Two sails saved my life, I'll tell ya'. Figure I can pay her back a little buying some perfume for my wife." When Marcus turns back the woman is smiling cheerfully, "here you go!" she replies, adding another vial to those in her hand and offering it to Marcus as he hands her the gold. "Thank you for your concern, sir, but I'll manage as I always have." She looks around his form to the next person in line, an obvious please leave if you aren't buying anything else move if there ever was one.
Erasmo knows how good Magda's hearing is, so if she can't hear what is being said, he doesn't even try. Instead, he tries to open the door and peek inside.
You crack open the heavy door door, and notice that the way it’s hanging will cause it to squeak, so you lifts it slightly and it opens noiselessly.
Bits of broken crates and barrels cover the floor of this dilapidated apartment. A tub of oily liquid, its lip about four feet high, fills a corner of the room, a well-used oar sticking out of it. Next to it squat several large casks of murky water and two stacks of boxes. One holds dozens of small ceramic vials with magenta stoppers; the other holds a mismatched collection of delicate perfume bottles. The apartment’s kitchen nook holds another crate, this one filled with broken shards of multicolored glass. A table sits against the wall with neatly categorized raw alchemical supplies, beakers, heat sources, Erlenmeyer flasks, and other objects that despite being disorganized are obviously “alchemical” supplies. Despite being in shambles, the apartment smells delightfully of spices, flowers, and exotic oils. There is a small table in the center of the room with two battered stools.
Two burly fellows - similar in comport to those guarding the shop, sit at the stools. Each has a brown bottle of ale and they appear to be playing cards. They are speaking quietly to each other, chatting in a language you don’t understand, full of long complex words.
Erasmo gestures for Magda do peek as well, while he thinks of something smart to do.
Vera does indeed cast Detect Thoughts somewhere discrete before joining Marcus in line. Vera focuses her magics on the woman, trying to gather her surface thoughts--especially while Marcus is asking his questions. Though if she finds the woman's thoughts to be inaccessible, Vera will try the guards instead.
She blushes, though, when being called Marcus's girlfriend. "Just a friend," she quickly corrects. "And a protector," she adds shortly afterwards, not wanting to diminish Marcus's stature.
When the man steps in and assures them of the cure's efficacy, Vera wonders if he's a plant. Her focus shifts to the man and his surface thoughts.
Magda peeks around the corner, taking in the quiet lovely chaos, before moving back into the apartment they are in, quietly shutting the door.
"Smells nice." Magda shows the entirety of her ability to know anything about alchemy. "they ain't going anywhere. We could find someone who knows about things like this and bring them back tonight? Or I could try and make them both sleep and we can root around in there, hoping for a sign pointing us to the right or wrong of this stuff."
"Oh, make them sleep, yes. We can't guarantee we'll be able to reach here later."
"Okay... remember sometimes the city can lead to a bit of restlessness, so we might need to jump in and bonk a head or two to make it stick." Magda grins at Erasmo, then peaks in the room again to cast her sleeping spell on the drinking guards.
Magda begins casting her spell and both of the guards, confused, put down their cards and look towards her. Reacting with incredible speed they stand up and draw their flails, frowning, and one shouts, ” hei, hjelp! Vi har en inntrenger!” Cold fury is in their eyes.
One of the guards is in the middle of saying something else when Magda finishes intoning the verbal components of her spell, and he collapses. His friend grimaces and steps over to him, kicking him roughly with his boot, then gestures at Magda,”I knock you out now thief.” The sleeping one wakes up groggily and grabs the heavy flail he dropped.
Marcus and Yazi hear someone shouting, somewhat muffled - as if on the other side of a door, or far away, in a language they don’t understand, ” hei, hjelp! Vi har en inntrenger!”
It’s obvious that Vendra hears the same thing. Some of the people in the shop do as well, and look confused. Vendra raises her voice ”I’m sure it’s nothing folks - but I live nearby - I wouldn’t want anyone breaking into my apartment or any other shops. Bjorn here will handle sales for a moment so long as you only need Lavender’s Luxurious Linament.” She gestures to the slightly less surly one to stand behind the counter and then swiftly, moves towards the door.
At the threat, Magda quite logically retorts with the loudest wettest raspberry that most people had ever heard. Raspberries, as the wise know, are all in the tusks. "Catch me..." the half orc starts as she steps through the door toward the guards. And then disappears only to hear "... if you CAN" in the same voice as mockingly as can be from the other side of the alley door.
Seeing Magda disappear, Erasmo looks for somewhere he can hide for a bit.
The commotion in the shop and the muffled shouting are probably bad news for Magda and Erasmo, and Yaziyah barely has time to think that when she spots Magda materializing as if from thin air a short distance away. Rushing over, she asks the girl, "What happened?"
Anticipating trouble, the Shoanti sends a quick thought-prayer to the ancestors, begging their favour should a confrontation occur.
"we found where they make they stuff. Cruddy water, oily paddles, bits of Glass, no ideas about it all, so trying to draw they off so the oakleg can search." Magda says quickly and quietly, ready to dash away at the first sign of guards.
Marcus's frown could have sliced a boulder in half. He moves his massive frame to help cover Magda, hiding from any guards or pursuers. "How will we know if he needs help? I don't want to leave him on his own if he needs us."
Marcus turns to the blocked door with a hard stare. "Our business is done here, we are leaving." He doesn't ask, he doesn't threaten, he simply states a fact, and waits to see if they will try to refute it.
Vera surmises that the trouble might be coming from her friends' investigation and applies some quick thinking.
"Wait--miss--we can come help!" says Vera. She heads toward the door and pulls Marcus along. "If there's trouble, you'll be glad to have some more muscle." She looks up earnestly as if eager to help.
Vendra turns her head behind to look into the shop where Marcus is staring at her, and looks taken aback. "Sir, we are leaving the shop to attend to other matters. I suggest you and your 'companion' do the same as well." It doesn't sound like a suggestion. Then Vera speaks up, and the woman looks confused, she starts, "no, thank you though - I hired the best bodyguards I could find. It's nice of your to ask, though" and she seems sincere in her thanks. She looks exasperated, "look - you're both acting very oddly, so if you give me a few minutes we can speak if you want. Or leave if you'd like. May Lavender's Linament serve you well. Come, Sven." She heads towards the south. Bjorn folds his arms but then shrugs at Marcus and attends to another customer as Sven and Vendra step out into the alleyway.
Yazi and Magda see one of the guards and the shopkeeper quickly come around the corner from the shop alley into the more narrow one. The burly man growls angrily, his flail drawn, and though he looks angry it looks well-measured and controlled somehow.
Vendra calls out brightly, "might I ask what you're doing near my apartment?" There doesn't appear to be a hint of malice in her voice, but she does seem to have her hand resting on one of many bottles at her belt.
Yazi and Magda hear a heavy *thud* come from the door adjacent to Magda, as if someone very strong is trying to dislodge the boards keeping it in place.
The boards fall off with a clatter, somehow, and the door looks easily openable now. Whatever dislodged them on the other side was very strong. Vendra glances over at the door and gestures as if trying to lower the temperature of the altercation - breathing out, she adds, "look - if you want money, I can pay, but I already pay the Society well enough already. You'll hear from them if you push too far, you realize that, right?" She sounds exasperated a little, but speaks clearly and you get the feeling she just wants to end whatever's happening peacefully.
Erasmo watches as one of the big guys comes into the room and opens the secret door, weapon drawn, and angry.
Erasmo hears a heavy thump come from the room to the east, along with a faint clatter of falling boards.
The guard in the room with him definitely did not notice him.
Magda opens her mouth to answer just as the thuds shudders and breaks. Her attention goes to it, wide eyed, before returning to the shopkeeper. "That is... whoa. He's a big one, isn't he?" while the strength of the guy is enough to make her nervous, the open street behind her lets her push it all down. Street kid on the street and all.
"Money?" she gets back to the questions, a little confusion in her voice before she gets it, irritation blooming "No! Not a shakedown, no protection, not a thief, well... not for that reason. Just cause I'm a what I am and she's a what she is, you think that!" she narrows her brows in a Shame look. "I just want answers. The city is festering something awful. IT's bad. Kids are dying, their parents too, leaving them... So we just want answers."
Marcus walks out and goes towards Magda. Not at a run, but still at a good pace. When he sees the situation is not immediately violent he stops in the crowd and watches from the corner of his eye, hoping it's not too obvious that he's paying attention.
"Okay, be safe, miss," says Vera as the woman and her guard leaves.
Vera exits the store calmly, staying with Marcus. She refocuses on Vendra's mind, trying to read her thoughts (assuming Vendra's still in range and line of effect).
Erasmo keeps his cool, deciding not to stab a man that might be innocent after all.
Yaziyah crosses her arms and straightens her back, drawing herself up to her full, impressive height as she looks down at Vendra, her expression frosty. Although it is a little difficult to feel self-righteous right now, given that Magda and Erasmo did break into the woman's house, Magda's implication that it was the woman's biases doing the talking helps.
"If your liniment truly helps with the blood veil, then you have nothing to fear... even though you are making a profit off sick, desperate people. But if it doesn't, and you are not only cheating said sick, desperate people, but also making this whole situation worse by helping spread the disease..." She lets her words hang as her features flex in a frown to rival Marcus's.