Thinking for a moment after Lily's query, Slenk says "I know there are magics that can assist in finding someone or something. I do not have the power now, but eventually it should be within my ken. Once I am able, you can be sure of my assistance. In the mean time, I suppose continuing to ask as you are is the best course of action."
Eventually, Slenk arrives back at the house with Lily and finds it empty. He looks up at Lily saying, "Hrm... last time I slept elsewhere and missed out on what is here. Today, I sleep here and apparently miss out on what is elsewhere."
With Jerax having flagged a table through the crowd, Cimri dives in, weaving through arms and bodies with practiced ease and nary a yip of protest. She slides into the corner seat just as the rest are arriving with only a hint of a smug grin on her face. Veda quips, "You always were the first to take a load off," before setting herself down at the corner opposite her friend, leaving the seat adjacent to Cimri open.
When Caggan approaches, he offered a not-quite-surly, "What'll you have?" However, while it lacked a certain grace, Jerax's effort to show interest in the tavern's offering elicited the pride in his cooking that Caggan was known (and suffered) for. "Aaaaah, I'm glad ye asked. I've got the usual, of course. A nice rabbit stew with turnips and pearl onions, fresh thyme and rosemary, finished with a bit of butter. I've also got some nice venison tenderloin served in a red wine reduction. The real special tonight though is owlbear steaks. Some loggers in Whisperwood felled it, sold me some of it very reasonably. It's in a dryrub then, when its done, I take the drippings from the pan, throw in some dwarven lager and... mmmm. You won't be disappointed. And, of course, I've got the usual ale if you prefer, or mead if you don't."
Jerax's eyes lit up at the larger than normal selection at The Last Stand.
"Ooo. I'll take the owlbear steaks, medium, with a dwarven lager to start." Motioning to Cimri and Veda, the tiefling adds, "The ladies's orders will be on my bill."
Alixus raises his eyebrows at the owlbear steaks, "Well, the owlbear steak of course. I've heard owlbear is divine. Just like chicken, but better in every way. Do you have wine, by any chance? Red if you have it." He sighs and says, "I suppose white if not." He mutters to himself, "Though any self-respecting Chelaxian would have red of course."
He looks back at Caggan, "My Lord rewards the deserving. A bottle of the best wine you've got for the table, glasses for whoever wants it. If you've got it, tarte tatin for afterwards."
Cimri seems a bit surprised by the offer, though pleasantly, and says, ”In that case, make it three, but with the lager.” Veda orders something as well. Caggan casts Cimri a doubtful look but leaves something unsaid (and she seems to ignore it). He comes back a few minutes later with drinks for all, including a passable but pedestrian wine for Alixus.
Cimri grins, nudged Jerax and says, ”First, thank you. I could have paid for myself, but... thank you. Second, a toast. To Archbaron Fex and her Infernal Majestrix!” With the ambient volume in the tavern, she had to speak up to be heard and it coincided with an odd and sudden lull, suddenly making the toast seem loaded than intended. There are. A few awkward glances, one or two of them less than friendly, but the conversations around you resume quickly.
The antipaladin gives Cimri a hard look, but completes the toast. Pulling Cimri close with his prehensive tail, the tiefling speaks low. "By the Dark Prince's left elbow! Cimri! Read the room! We're probably surrounded by Reclaimation townsfolk! Do you have any idea how many heads I must crack to fight our way out of here!!?!"
Having found the note and after gathering her share Lily makes her way to the Last Stand for an after work meet up. She enter just as Jerax begins grumbling about the content of Cimri's toast and begins to walk to the table.
She grabs a nearby chair and joins the group, "Anythin' I need to know from our boss?"
Cimri blanched in embarrassment when the toast was heard by nearly the whole tavern and Jerax admonished her. At first, an impish-"Oops" is all she could muster.
She raised her pint to Lily's arrival, took another drink, then said (more quietly), "Not so much, no. Maybe more work tomorrow but he didn't say about what."
As she continued to mull over her embarrassment, she wanted to suggest the other patrons were all sheep and wouldn't start a fight, but Longacre was fundamentally a town of veterans and lumberjacks. A rough crowd that was all too happy to get into a scrum. She'd grown up with them and knew it well.
So, she kept the dismissive (and false) bravado to herself. And yet, "Maybe I'll tell them I know the sheriff..." It was said with a smirk but clearly was in jest. "You're right, Jerax. Sorry; I didn't mean it to be so loud. I've always been good at two things. Getting out of trouble... and getting into it."
Caggan returned a moment later, casting a foul look at Cimri before turning to Lily and taking her order.
Lily considered the extravagance of eating owlbear, would it taste more like bear or owl? She decided against it and said, "Ale, stew, and venison." She added after Caggan leaves, "Do I gotta worry if he's gonna piss in our drinks? Last guy who did that got keel hauled. Course it was the captain's rum"
She added after Caggan leaves, "Do I gotta worry if he's gonna piss in our drinks? Last guy who did that got kneel hauled. Course it was the captain's rum"
"I'm tempted to leave right now", Jerax said, giving Cimri another knowing look and sighs. "I don't normally like spit with my steak."
The tiefling's face softens. "Cimri, I keep forgetting Longacre is all you've known. If we get out of the tavern in one piece, we'll chalk this up to a 'learning experience'."
Cimri rolled her eyes and groaned. "Please, that ugly fook loves a good ol' fashioned brawl. He's just cross 'cause I might not have paid... once or twice. Maybe a few times. Hard to say -- who's counting?" She waved her free hand, "But I did my time, it's done..."
She looked up at Jerax, then across the table at Alixus, Lily and Veda, then back up at Jerax. "What? You don't think I should apologize, do you?"
"No. What's done is done", Jerax looks again in Cimri's eyes. "Let's see to the quality of the meal, and play it by pointed evil ear."
Slenk quietly joins his companions as he arrives with Lily, he had removed the sash as soon as the work was done. He seems genuinely interested in all the goings on in the tavern, and sips at a glass of lager while he waits for his food. He says aloud to no one specifically, "It might seem a bit strange, but this is my first time sitting in a tavern as a customer. Generally I would only be allowed in on an errand, and never had the coin to afford a meal or drink at the prices. It is quite the luxury."
And to Cimri's toast he adds, "Well at least we know where the crowd's thoughts are, though I don't think brawling would advance our cause much."
A few hours after the sermon with the sun dipping beneath the horizon, business is starting to pick up at the Sweet Caress when an unexpected visitor arrives in the form of one Sheriff Rhona Staelish. She is greeted by one of the bouncers and gives him one of her trademarked, no-nonsense greetings. "Evening, Norris. I'm here to see the lady of the house. She in?" It's not really a question, more of an instruction, but the niceties needed to be observed.
Caggan took Slenk's order the same time he took Lily's, then returns a few minutes later with the last of the drinks. He's about to return wordlessly to his kitchen when Cimri pipes up, "Ay, Bolgart..." and puts five gold on the table. How she pulled it from her coin purses without a jangling cacophony or even looking down is a testament to her nimble fingers. "I realized I, that I should, uh... F*~$. Look, the big guy may be paying for me for tonight, but I owe you money, 'k, even if you did call my aunt on me and I spent a week in her s~&~ty jail. I owe you. So, there it is. Now don't spit in no one's fooking food, k?"
Bolgart looks at Cimri as if she's grown a second head, casts a quick glance at the coin. "That's..." His lips purse as he glances at Jerax and, across the table, Veda brings up a hand to cover her face, either for embarrassment or laughter is hard to say. Then the 'keep looks back at Cimri and laughs as he grabs the coins in a meaty paw. "I still think you're a runty piece o' s@%~, Cimri Staelish, but you're square... Just don't go f+!$in' up my place again."
The rogue extends her middle finger to the man and quips, "No promises." He laughs again, flicks one coin in the air where he grabs it again, then heads back to the bar in a significantly improved mood. "Food'll be out in a bit," he says over his shoulder.
For her part, Cimri seems quite pleased with herself and takes a healthy pull from her pint. "Okay, now... can we all relax a bit and enjoy this meal?"
Jerax tries hard not to smile at Cimri, but a small smile peaks from the edges of his mouth. Looking to the cleric, the knight of Asmodeus poses a theory. "What do you think, Reverend Vade? Could this situation be tied to the social contracts we all make in a mercantile society, and breaking these contracts leads away from the Law of Asmodeus into the realms of Chaos and Anarchy?"
"Well, this can be narrowed down to two of the core principles of our lord. The social contract is an aspect of it. We follow our master's decrees because it is what Asmodeus commands. That includes the economic functions that our society runs on. However, there is also the right of a superior to receive due diligence from an inferior."
He pauses to take a sip of wine. He raises his eyebrows and screws up his mouth, "What sort of cat piss..." He sighs and continues, "Awful wine or not, if Cimri acted from a position of earned or vested authority, and Caggan was in an inferior position, then I would say that she acted correctly. If not, then there may be a conflict of interest."
Since leaving the Ash House, Ameliya had been holding court at the Sweet Caress, ensuring that her business was running in tip-top shape as more customers began to fill its halls as day gave way to night.
She was just in the midst of a chat with a high-spending regular when Norris, one of her bouncers, came to her with a very concerned look his face. The bouncer made his apologies for the disruption and quickly whispered something into the madam's ear. If not for her nearby client, Ameliya's pleasant smile would have turned sour, but being the professional she was she refused to allow that to happen. Forcing a sanguine smile on her lips, Ameliya made her own apologizes to the client and asked a nearby Joana to hold the man's attentions while she dealt with the sheriff.
In no time at all Ameliya was face-to-face with Rhona Staelish. Wanting to maintain being in the sheriff good graces, Ameliya let out her hand for the sheriff to shake and played at being happy to see the other woman. " Rhona, darling! So happy to finally see you at the Sweet Caress. It's been a long time coming, I think," she says, chortling kindly. "My good employees tell me that you want to chat. Please follow me so we can speak in relatively privacy." The madam guided the sheriff to a cosy table booth that was a few tables away from the hassle and noise of the rest of the brothel. "So darling, why is that that you which to talk about, hmm?"
Cimri had never had anything approaching a formal education or even structured instruction of any sort for an extended period of time. As such, she was a bit befuddled by the turn in conversation, glancing over to Veda, Lily and Slenk with a furrowed brow. Eventually, though, she remembered a lesson she been given by an itinerant gambler who'd passed through Longacre a couple years ago, 'Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.' So, she simply continued to lean into Jerax, hoping this was some sort of harmless teasing, and took a few more pulls from her pint.
To Ameliya's initial greeting in the parlor, Rhona gave a firm, calloused shake of Ameliya's hand and offered a simple, "Madam Arvanxi, evenin'. Thanks for finding the time." Again, the niceties needed to be observed. Even though there was nothing illegal about the brothel (the taxes and licensing fees were paid), the presence of the dour official tended to put a damper on the mood when seeking to indulge in vice.
She followed Ameliya to a more private booth and, after adjusting the axes at her hip and leaned her bow against the table, slid in to take a seat. She cast a slow gaze about the place, "You've done nice things with the place. Was kind of a rathole before you came to town, what was it, a year ago?" A finger rises slightly on the table, almost like a shrug, then she met Ameliya's gaze squarely. "Anyway, thank you for taking time from your schedule to see me. I know you're busy and my being here isn't... conducive to business." She watched Ameliya's reaction to that, then continued.
"I wanted to talk with you about a couple things, though. First, thank you. I appreciated your intercession at Church Square earlier today. You didn't need to do that, but thank you."
During lulls in the conversation, Jerax keeps his ears open for reactions about the day's gathering and possible threats.
Slenk enters into the philosophical conversation. "And the concept of appropriate castes and levels of leadership within society is exactly what the Reclaimation seems to abhor. As one has has occupied significantly different levels within our society, I can say that the order of knowing one's role, duties, and goals is something worth defending. They offer us the chaos of altruism instead of the order of society."
Alixus raises his eyebrows when Slenk speaks, surprised that the quiet halfling is speaking at all, much less with such insight, "Your knowledge of theological concepts is striking, especially for one of your status." Alixus pours Slenk a glass of wine and hands it to him, "It's awful wine, but no discussion of the doctrines of our lord Asmodeus is complete without a glass of Chelaxian red."
Cimri was about to comment on Slenk's 'status' when she cast a sidelong glance at the halfling. She realized she had accidentally let slip the other night that the halfling had bought his freedom and now recalled he preferred some discretion on the matter (or at least had wanted it in the past). Instead, she just took another sip of her lager then whispered up to Jerax's ear, "He's not talking about putting me in jail again, is he? I don't understand all the lawyer talk."
A few minutes later, Caggan brings out everyone's meals, the owlbear steaks hanging off the sides of the plates.
Alixus narrows his eyes when he overhears the men and once Caggan is out of earshot says, "If I recall correctly, I read about an owlbear hunter who captured, raised, and trained an owlbear specifically to follow them."
Cimri was about to comment on Slenk's 'status' when she cast a sidelong glance at the halfling. She realized she had accidentally let slip the other night that the halfling had bought his freedom and now recalled he preferred some discretion on the matter (or at least had wanted it in the past). Instead, she just took another sip of her lager then whispered up to Jerax's ear, "He's not talking about putting me in jail again, is he? I don't understand all the lawyer talk."
"No. It's alright. They are just talking about the philosophy of Cheliax culture", Jerax whispered back, gently patting Cimri's knee.
The antipaladin didn't realize just how hungry he was until the owlbear steaks came out. The food looked mouthwatering. The tiefling took several sips of his dwarven stout before cutting into his meal.Jerax didn't seem surprised by the snippets of conversation he overheard, but noted the 3 laborers mentally, and began to watch them when he could without drawing suspicion.
Ameliya tried to gauge Rhona's reaction to see whether the she was secretly trying to cross-examine her in some way, but ultimately found nothing in her mannerisms to alert her to some deception.
Believing she had thoroughly and truly gained access to the older woman's good graces, Ameliya relaxed somewhat. "Oh that's very kind of you to say Rhona. I must say this place was indeed something of a fixer-upper but it was obviously all worth it in the end," she preens, waving a velvet gloved hand across the room. "As for your coming here, think nothing it darling. The same goes for what happened at the Church Square. I may have only been in town for a year or so, but that doesn't mean I don't have a civil duty to come to its defense in times of strife."
The madam smiled innocently and causally as she lies right in Rhona's about her intentions at the Church Square. While still not apprehensive about the talk as she would have been, Ameliya still tries to get at the the heart of the matter and end the discussion as quickly as possible so she can politely see the sheriff out the door and return to her business. "So. Is that all, sheriff?"
The left corner of the sheriff's lips twitched in a hint of a smile, but she shook her head. "Ah, I wish it were. It's an uncomfortable business sometimes, watching over this town I mean, but sometimes... well, I'll just say it. Louslik was attacked last night, beaten pretty savagely. Strange thing is, he's not talking, which has me thinking it's someone he's afraid who will come back, which means someone local." She pauses, then adds, "Actually, multiple someones, judging by all the footprints. Anyway... I imagine a woman in your position, well, your staff probably have interesting, what can I call it... 'pillow talk', sometimes? Have you heard anything that might help in my investigation?"
Veda has the rabbit stew and mostly concentrates on eating it. On the one hand she's glad to have gotten the impressive second payment, enough so that she's put aside the notion of taking her windfall and cutting ties to head out right away. She'll give this some more time and see where it goes.
One the other hand she's not feeling much more at home with Cimri's new lot of partners. Cimri being Cimri is amusing, even if Veda would prefer to avoid trouble when she's not being paid for it. Veda also finds Cimri's sudden enthusiasm for Cheliax's ruling class plain silly. But the high philosophy or religion or whatever it is talk from the others just shows they're a bunch of toffs.
Veda doesn't bother to conceal her boredom with it as she uses her spoon to play with her stew.
The halfling seems confused about the sudden change in conversation, but nods seeming to understand that there is someone who needs to be followed.
Lily let the more intellectually inclined debate the merits of class and rank. She nods at Alixus's instructions but seeing that they're not leaving currently she asks, "Anyone got a deck of cards or dice?"
Cimri begins working on her steak with gusto, but when Alixus mentions something about the table next to them, she pauses a bit to cast a sideways glance at the group. She slows down on her consumption of the lager.
By the time most of you are done with your meal, the drunken conversation at the neighboring table has escalated into a full-blown argument as one of the men bellows, "I don't care if that fooker is Egorian or Westcrani, he's a bloody leech. An' when the Angel Knight comes, I'll be first in line to see him swinging from a rope!" His tablemates try to calm him, "Pilus, shush, sit."
"No! You hear Louslik got roughed up last night! I heard his jaw was busted! It ain't right an' I'll bet a week's pay it was on account of that arch-para-whatcallit-baron Fex." One of the friends stands, puts a hand on his shoulder and says, "Pilus... stop..." and tips his head towards your table in a somewhat pointed gesture, but that only infuriates the man further as he points an accusing finger at Cimri, "And you! Toasting that parasite! Your aunt has been too gentle with ya!" He shrugs off his friend and takes a half-step, half-stumble to your table, his breath like swamp gas. "Come on, Staelish. Outta the corner and I'll show you where Fex and that Westcrani b$*&$ can shove it!"
For the moment, Cimri is staring at her plate, silent and jaw clenched.
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Jerax finishes his dwarven stout as the argumentative comes closer, then in a quick fluid motion stands to his full towering height.
The tiefling roared over the tavern.
Alixus stands and puts a hand on Jerax's shoulder, "What my companion lacks in tact, he makes up for in raw strength. If a row is to ensue, I would suggest we do not make this any more difficult for our kind proprietor and take this outside. Then my compatriot can get to the, ah, pardon my Kelish...f$%ing up."
Lily casually drinks from her cup and comments on the display, "So no cards then?"
With a voice meant to carry, Slenk nods and says. "Yes, talking of murdering your fellow man is exactly what these who declare themselves angelic should espouse. I agree that we shouldn't bicker in this fine establishment. Let us head outside and if they follow, we can deal with that."
More quietly he whispers to his companions "Keep them grouped tightly and I will try to weaken them considerably."
With that he makes his way towards the door.
Lily shrugs, dowms her drink, and follows the halfling. "Aye aye." She waits at the entrance.
Ameliya tried to make herself the very picture of innocence as she was again was forced to weave another lie for the annoyingly investigative sheriff.
"My word! Louslik was assaulted? No wonder he wasn't at the Church Square,"she bemoans sadly, shaking her head in false concern. "I'll ask my employees about this wretched crime, but I must tell you that'pillow talk' is not as common a thing in this line of work as one would think. Most customers sate their desires and move on back to their mundane, saying little of substance or interest during the act. That goes double when it comes to criminal activity. Still, you have my word that I will ask them about this."
The drunk looks like he's about to swing at Jerax's ample jaw when Alixus suggests taking it outside, to which one of Pilus's comrades tries to calm him, "Yeah, Pilus, let's..."
Suddenly, from another corner of the tavern, "Take the Thrune-loving bastards, Pilus!"
"Yeah!" comes a chorus of other voices as others stand from their tables to join the coming fight. From behind the bar, barely heard, is Bolgart cursing up a storm as he grabs a club.
Pilus goes for a sucker punch at Jerax's stomach, connecting with a surprisingly solid blow.
Villains
Drunks
Cimri
Party Average:13
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The sucker punch only infuriates the tiefling as he swings and just misses the drunk's chin.
"My word! Louslik was assaulted? No wonder he wasn't at the Church Square,"she bemoans sadly, shaking her head in false concern. "I'll ask my employees about this wretched crime, but I must tell you that 'pillow talk' is not as common a thing in this line of work as one would think. Most customers sate their desires and move on back to their mundane, saying little of substance or interest during the act. That goes double when it comes to criminal activity. Still, you have my word that I will ask them about this."
The sheriff nods in understanding, "Of course, of course. Thank you." She starts to stand, then suddenly pauses and sits back down, "Actually, just one more thing... A formality, you understand, but I heard you'd been looking to buy Louslik's business. Him suddenly running into some trouble, that might be to your benefit, wouldn't it?"
Lily keeps an eye on the nearby barroom brawlers waiting for the right moment to strike.
Veda tries to ignore the lout who approaches the table, and is doing an excellent job of doggedly sticking to finishing her meal. But when the tiefling stands up and starts shouting too, she has to take action.
She picks up her bowl of stew and slides out of the way so she can continue eating in peace.
Everybody just HAS to be an a&@$&+& don't they? I'm off work and didn't ask for this crap. Maybe the tiefling needs to learn something about taking more care to be sure he can finish what he starts.
Alixus sighs and mutters, "Barbarians..." He steps back, raising the Archstar and yelling, "Asmodeus guide our blows, that the heretics may be tossed aside before us!"
Ameliya's lips twitched ever so slightly as she recognizes that Rhona knows that she has been lying. Not deigning to allow the two-bit sheriff to have the satisfaction of seeing through her, Ameliya lied once more, largely out of need but also partial out of spite for the woman.
"That's very serious allegation, Rhona. Formality or not," she says in false shock and outrage as she herself raises from the booth. "Whatever my dealings with Louslik, I would never stump so low as to deal with a business dispute by resorting to violence, and you surely have no evidence to say otherwise." The madam sighed and shook her head. "I know you think you're doing some good by asking me these questions, really I do, but you are wasting your time and energy here."
Jerax: Swing and miss
Lily: Ready
Veda: Eating my stew, fook you
Alixus: Bless
Slenk: Botted
Slenk doesn't see an easy path to Jerax, so instead opts for discretion being the better part of valor and begins making his way to the edge of the room around back around.
Half the drunkards seem to go for either Jerax or those closest to him, while the others swing at random bystanders who happen to be nearby. The drunkard closest to Veda seems to ignore her as she grabs her bowl of stew; he picks up the chair she just vacated and swings it at another bar patron next to him. Similarly, as Slenk makes his way around the periphery of the bar, the lumberjack next to him doesn't seem to notice the sly halfling and focuses his rage on another one of the locals.
The drunkard who was focused on Jerax, however, takes another swing but, this time, the tiefling is ready for the punch and easily deflects it. One of the lads near the bar, however, seems to take exception to Alixus' calling upon Asmodeus and charges him, but stumbles in the crowded conditions and his haymaker goes wild.
With her path to the drunk who'd insulted her (and a few nobles) blocked by the towering Jerax, Cimri vaults over the table and lands between Alixus and Veda. In one hand is a kukri and in the other her sap. She swings the latter at the man attacking Alixus...
Crack! The sap slams into the back of the man's head. His head is spinning but he's not out of it yet.
Working his way around the bar comes Bolgart, a leather-padded club in hand.
The sheriff does a very poor job at feigning shock. "It was an 'allegation'? I thought it was merely a question." But, after watching Ameliya closely for a second, she follows with, "But... maybe you're right. I'm sorry for offending you. Still, there's something you're not telling me, Madam Arvanxi; something is off with all of this, and I aim to get to the bottom of it, regardless of who I wind up offending." She heaves herself out of the booth with a sigh, slings her bow across her back, and gestures dismissively towards any effort by Ameliya or an underlying to guide her out, "I can find my own way. Thank you for taking the time to see me."
The antipaladin blocks the drunkard next punch and smiles a toothy grin. The towering tiefling sees an opening in Pilis's defenses. Quickly grabbing the drunk's tunic, and with a raised knee, Jerax brings his horned forehead down onto into his opponent's brow for a headbutt.
Slenk reaches into a pouch at his waist and pulls out a pinch of sand, reciting an incantation as he brings the sand up to his mouth and blows it in the direction of the drunkards.