Lavinia pauses, and then answers your questions.
"I would like Vanthus found, and returned to me if alive, so I can reconcile with him. I know he struck me over arguments about his behavior and his associates, but I'm hopeful now that the family fortune is partially restored, he'll be more inclined to come home and settle down. His portrait is over there, but he's a tall man, around 6 feet, with brown hair, blue eyes, and an impressive countenance."
"As for his associates, Mr. Crenshaw, I mean thieves, smugglers, even the Scarlet Brotherhood. As for your question, Miss Nayala, he is a man who enjoys the forbidden, the scandalous, and wealthy spots of ill srepute. He may have taken up with a lover in the Azure district, but I don't know if that is accurate. Miss black, that I hadn't thought of. If he did have a signet ring, he must have stolen or obtained it from my parents before, during or after their death.
At this statement, Lavinia visibly chokes up, but continues on. "Mr Ghostwood and Mr Oldcastle, search as much you can. Be quiet as you can, and if the law needs to be broken to find him, then so be it. The clerk did see him come in and out of the vault several times, but he never saw him leave with any visible wealth. If he's using it to run some form of illegal enterprise, then we'll deal with those circumstances as I have resources to do so. Please just find him and bring him back to me. That's all. I doubt he's hiding in the Noble or Champion Quarter, since someone would have recognized him or at least reported him to the guard, but one doesn't know. Hopefully he hasn't left the city."
"Well, we'll fit right in asking around then. Once we find something out, should we double check with you or just keep looking til we can find the lost lamb and bring him back? Is he a fighter, skilled or otherwise, or does he know any magic that might surprise us?"
Nayala gathers up her stuff and takes a long look at the indicated portrait.
"We're kinda flush with coin, so why don't we go hit up some gambling and drinking parlors, ask around and see what we can find?"
"What's the Scarlet Brotherhood?" Lila asks. "And why aren't women allowed in it?"
Lila nods at Nayala's words. "Everyone got the means to take dear Vanthus alive?" The small lady draws a leather sap from her belt and flashes a wide smile.
"Well, I imagine it's because they're called the 'brother'hood, not the 'Scarlet Order' or some such." Richter says in response to Lila.
"Hitting up a bar doesn't sound like too bad an idea, though I imagine we'll have better luck looking in some of the seedier places, so not much for relaxing. Might want to check some of the brothels too, a man with Vanthus' features would stand out to the girls there."
If no one has any shopping to do, Lila suggests starting the search in Azure District as Lavinia suggested. That section of town seems to have more brothels than regular taverns , so the vivacious gal decides to target the Bloodthirsty Pelican first, then maybe following up at the Empty Grave.
Apemantus Oldcastle will help Lila.
Research gathering by Apemanthus and Lila in the Azure District find that Vanthus used to hang out with a semi-professional artist turned pickpocket Brissa Santos. However, people haven't seen either of them in a month or more.
Sebastian has employed his time in taking care of his old mother, making sure she has everything she needs thanks to his new money. Though many explanations and some little lies have to be handed out, in the end she accepts that his son is not going to keep asking, at least for now.
Once he rejoins the others, Sebastian asks what they have found in the Azure District.
Not entirely sure where to turn next in the investigation, Lila leads the others south into Sunrise District. There she finds a couple of gambling halls (The Bridgehouse and The Hunter's Trap) that Vanthus may have visited in the past (hopefully recently). Trying The Hunter's Trap first, she asks more about Brissa Santos, claiming to have been an old acquaintance of hers; she adds a description of Vanthus at the end, saying she'd heard Brissa had hooked up with a man of that description.
Unfortunately, no one in Sunrise has seen hide nor hair of Vanthus, though Lila and Apemanthus get some offers to join games of Dragon Dice.
Lila begins to get frustrated and wonders how well Lavinia knows her brother and if perhaps Vanthus fed his sister a red herring were she to try to track him down.
"Maybe Vanthus is staying closer to home...maybe to keep an eye on his sister," the bard theorizes to the others. As she leads the group north into Merchant District, a business catches her attention: Cages of Plenty, a seller of exotic pets.
"Remember all those animals we saw in the Blue Nixie's hold?" she asks excitedly. "Maybe they were to be delivered here! It's even possible that Vanthus is in league with the creeps who tried to steal Lavinia's ship...maybe." Settling on a cover story that she's seeking a smallish constrictor snake to use as a prop in a dance performance, Lila chats up the proprietor, eventually bringing the conversation around to the nobles living in the nearby villa (the Vanderborens).
While away from the ears of Lady Vanderboren and her many Kovas, Lila advances a theory that's been building in her mind.
"If Vanthus is wicked enough to steal a family signet ring and raid his parents' vault...how much of a stretch is it to wonder if maybe he was somehow responsible for the elder Vanderborens' deaths? I mean, the ship was surrounded by water; the flames would have to spread really fast for no one to have time to jump overboard."
"Jealous heir kills his family to squander the inheritance? Sounds plausible to me, dunno how well it tracks with the rest of this Vanthus' behavior. I know it's kinda dumb to tip our hand, but maybe this Scarlet Brotherhood place might help?"
After a day of fruitless searching through the streets and back alleys of Sasserine, the group is approached by a shifty looking male half-elf with greasy black hair, dressed in leather armor, and looking like he hasn't had contact with a bath in a while. He smells of cheap wine, tobacco, salt, and desperation. Looking at Lila and Nayala with roving eyes and the male members of the group with careful ones, the denizen of the street says in a voice made made rough by drink and smoke "Hey there pretty ones. My name be Shefton, and I hear your looking for the double V himself. I have some chant for you all, but it will cost ya five gold rulers if you want to hear my song. What do you say?"
Shefton is not trustworthy, fine, but does he really know something? Or is this a scam he's on after he learned we were searching for, uck how disrespectful, "The Double 'V'."?
Like Apemantus, Lila's wary of Shefton (though probably not as wary as she ought to be). The smart gal's already picked up on a couple of nuggets the half-elf's let slip: He mentioned knowing Vanthus (and not Brissa) and that he smells of salt. While maybe the salt smell comes from his sweat, it might also be because the fellow spends a lot of time swimming in the nearby ocean. Though shouldn't that have washed away some of the other smells wafting off him?
"Five gold's rather steep, don't you think?" Lila replies with a coy smile. "I'm a bard and sing for a living, and 5 gold's about the best I can ever hope for...for a whole night's efforts! Besides, my business is probably with Brissa, not her man. Can't you come down some on your asking price?"
"Double V, eh? Seems like you might have a really good idea of the person we're looking to meet, especially if you have nicknames for each other. So, my new found friend, what was your nickname?"
Nayala looks the man up and down, repressing her instant revulsion and keeping a professional smile on her face. Her hand does not stray far from her newly acquired sap, though.
"Seems a fair price, assuming you deliver. I find it only fair enough to warn you that we're not the kind of people you want to cross." RIchter says, then pays the man.
Seb would never pay that huge amount of money for some information... at least the old Seb - the one used to handle small coin and deal with problems the rich never hear about.
The Seb of today, however... is it that much, five gold, to fulfill a job that could provide much, much more? Probably not. He lets the others try to thin the coat, though, just in case. There's always time to lighten the purse if words don't work.
Shefton seems a bit angry at the haggling, but shrugs and accepts a price of 3 gp. "Ok hard leg and folks, here's the gulls' cry on double V. He's laying low out on Parrot Island, in a small old smugglers complex underneath the island. For some extra gold? I can even point out where the trapdoor to the complex sits. What do you say?"
Apemantus Oldcastle continues studying the lines of Shefton's face as he speaks, looks at the gleam in his eyes and smirk of his voice.
'Well, none of his features haves stood out showing this to be a ruse.'
'Richter has warned him of crossing us -- not that I'm terribly confident of our being able to execute the consequences of such a warning. ...Perhaps I should, instead, show a façade of naivete. Imply I'm ready to follow him blindly, maybe get him off his own guard even if I can't win his trust.'
'But this is all concerning; the scenario of a miracle lead dropping from the sky right as we hit all dead-ends is too convenient. I believe he has heard of our search and is just a common thug, hoping to milk of us some money -- or apparently -- bring us to an ambush spot on Parrot Isle. ....Of course, that makes little sense; we are obviously not wealthy or influential and would make poor targets if it were just about a little money.'
'Perhaps Shefton just haphazardly came across where Vanthus is staying and is looking to make a few gold.'
"Well met new friend! I am Apemantus Oldcastle and I tell you, we are glad you have found us; please lead the way. You must have heard we owe that nobleman a favor and are looking to relieve our debt to him?!"
'I hope the gambit works.'
.
'Is it wrong that part of me wants this to be a trap, not of some local thug, for we clearly are not wealthy or influential, but rather of some more vile plot: Just so I can mayhaps begin the fight for my infernal soul. Would Mayaheine send some local ruffian to me? It seems unlikely. I don't even think she hears my prayers at all. Perhaps I am doomed to Hell no matter what.'
Nayala looks at the team, well aware that haggling over this kind of situation is perfectly reasonable, but still frustrated that they need to do so after getting paid so well. She grits her teeth and tries not to screw up further negotiations.
to know about this smugglers cave or its entrance.
Shefton looks at Apemanthus with a calculating look in his eye, "So you owe the double V some heavy flotsam that's not your own, ehh? I tell you what, I'll give you the location of the trapdoor on the island for one gold and a ten piece of whatever smuggler's cash you owe him. The flotsam will be worth more in the end anyway. What do you say, fancy pants? Tide waits for no man.
Lila keeps her mouth shut, letting Apemantus's gambit play itself out. Reaching into her coin pouch, she produces a single gold piece and gives it to Richter, her share of the shifty half-elf's fee.
"Parrot Island is a regular old smugglers hideaway. It's been in use for years, if not decades. Damned if I know how to get there, though, we might as well pay the man and be done with it."
Nayala tosses him the requested additional coin, if noone else ponies up first.
Shefton smiles and gives you the location of the trapdoor on Parrit Island. With that, he takes his leave.
"I guess we go to Parrot Island. ....Not that my concern is at all relieved; that was such an unusual encounter. We search to no avail for Lord Vanthus Vanderboren, and then this scallywag drops upon us and sells us some information. Hmm. We must be cautious. ....But again, I guess we go to Parrot Island.
"....Unless perhaps a sneaky one among you first wants to follow our dear friend Shefton to see to where he goes and to whom he reports...."
"Good idea, I can tail him pretty easy, I'd wager."
Lila's a bit worried about Nayala tailing shifty Shefton by herself, but she rather doubts her own stealth comes close to rivalling the sylph's.
"Maybe I could follow--a safe distance behind you--just in case this is some sort of set-up," she says a bit nervously. "And some of us should probably report to Lady Lavinia."
After another nervous fidget, the pretty bard blursts out, "And don't forget--I own a rowboat! Though...it'll be a tight squeeze trying to fit six folks in it. Plus, I'm not 100% sure where Parrot Island is, either."
"Yeah, Lila, having backup would be great. I'll try and keep Mr. Scumbag in sight, you keep me in sight. Sound good?"
Nayala let's him get a bit ahead, then tails at a discrete distance.
Lila gives Nayala a confident nod and then tries her best to be inconspicuous as she trails her friend at a distance (let's say about 50 ft.).
Sebastián stays with the rest for fear of altering the target. He starts making plans in his mind for next step - Parrot Island.
Shefton doesn't notice he's being tailed, or much of anything really. He proceeds to a local tavern, apparently quite happy to spend his new found wealth on drink.
Shefton entering the tavern presents a dilemma for Lila (and Nayala, too, she adds mentally and eventually). We're both waaaay too pretty to not garner attention inside a drinking establishment, especially without disguises!
Yeah, that's a problem...especially for someone who always expects to be the center of attention! another part of the bard's subconscious adds, but Lila tunes that voice out quickly.
Assuming that Nayala doesn't enter the place immediately, Lila approaches and asks the sylph if she has a Plan B.
"I mean, he's probably just drinking up the coin he just 'earned'. I don't rally wanna hang around a seedy tavern looking like this, unless you're looking for some more coin by rolling a drunk or two."
Nayala remains across the street and surreptitiously in the shadows, wondering is she could have filched the coins back as soon as they were handed over.
"Lets give him a minute, then meet the lads out by the manor."
Shefton doesn't appear to come out after at least 15 minutes.
When Shefton stays inside, Lila agrees to Nayala's plan to meet up with the others.
At Vanderboren Manor, Lila asks Lavinia if she knows Shefton, giving a description of the greasy, shifty half-elf in case he goes by a different name. After a moment's thought, she suggests that the noblewoman ask her crew of Kovas if any of them knows the man...or anything about Parrot Island.
"Anyone need to buy additional gear? Maybe some rope or a crowbar? Do we have enough light sources? I can cast a simple cantrip to chase away some of the darkness."
"My rowboat's only supposed to fit 4 people, but we can probably make it work if Nayala sits on someone's lap."
Lavinia responds."I've never heard of Shefton, but Parrot Island is notorious for being a smuggler's hideout and worse. Since it's close to the city but pretty inaccessible except for one beach, a lot of people have used it for nefarious purposes after the king was killed, then when the Sea Princes were overthrown, with rule restored by the Dawn Council (the Council of noble families that help rule each district and Sasserine as a whole), and so on. The Kovas don't know much about the island, since they've been servants of my family for a long time, and Vanthus never confided much in them after he returned.
I do know that if anyone is still using the island, they would have to be underground since the portion above water is pretty rocky."
"Well, I'm okay with riding high up if the waters not so choppy. Dunno how much I like the idea of swimming in my new chain shirt, though, might weigh me down a little. Do we need anything else? Light sources, weapons or ammunition, anything like that?"