""Cârligul nu greșește, noi o căutăm pe Natalya, ea trebuia să-și închidă ceva, angajatorul nostru nu ar fi fericit dacă ne întoarcem fără el. Dar nu vrem nicio problemă cu tine și cu ai tăi."
Olander tries his best to be diplomatic with the Scazarni, recognizing this is their turf,
No disrespect was meant by the question. Is there no way to discuss this civilly? We apologize for any unintended slight...
Jera does his best to appear nonthreatening, keeping his hands away from his weapons and backing up what the others have said.
"All we're looking for is Natalya, we're not looking to offend anyone or for any trouble."
Several of the Varisians laugh and one says "The girl's name isn't Natalya ... that's Nelly."
The large one with a nose ring, a goatee, and a multi-colored scarf tied over his bald head says "Why don't you folks explain what exactly you're doing barging in on the 'Wringers while we're sittin' down for our mid-day meal."
"Before anyone goes anywhere, you're going to be answering why the priest barged in here bothering one of our people." nose ring answers.
"I, we, have come to find information. We are willing to recompense for this information. We wish no conflict."
With his hands held away from his body he takes a step back. "The offer is open to anyone." he looks around the room. "I asked Nelly because I know what it is like to be hungry"
"Well .... if you're looking to make a deal, then you'll have to talk to Blackjack. He might have a use for a fellow like you." mister nose ring responds, looking Sandu up and down.
The Sczarni usher the party deeper into the tent before a table with a number of rough Varisians sitting arounds it.
Nose-ring addresses a tough looking, black-bearded man wearing a red scarf tied over his head. "This bunch stumbled in like they were lost, saying they're looking for information. I knew you were looking for a priest to help with your problem, so we didn't toss them right back out onto the street."
The bearded Sczarni nods to nose-ring, looks the party over, and asks "Just what sort of information are you boys looking for. Do a bunch of lost sheep like you need to know the path back home?"
The crowd at the table laughs.
'Do they really not listen to anything anyone says to them? and why are Mother Flytongue's boys looking to this Blackjack? Even more trouble.'
"We are looking for Natalya, she was to fence something to us, What sort of help do you need?"
Blackjack's eyebrows crease as he tries to puzzle out Sandu's question.
"There's nobody named Natalya here. Are you under the impression that everyone on this side of town knows one another?" he looks a little puzzled as to why you would think he would know this person's location.
"Anyway Priest, I've got a man in the back who had a disagreement last night with a man who was a better knife fighter. If you can heal his injuries, and you can give me more to go on, I'll see what I can find out for you."
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Nocki stands listening and is wise enough to stay quiet. But as the man invokes the Pathfinder cleric to work for him, he lets out "I feel for your friend, mister, but if you ask for a divine miracle and more, then I'm afraid you'll have to do better than 'I'll see what I can do'." He then stands immobile, sure of being right.
Blackjack looks at Sandu and asks "Does the rude dwarf speak for you?"
Cool it Nocki, you're going to get some throats cut, which wouldn't be a problem if we weren't companions!
Olander knows better than to interject with the gangster already being somewhat perturbed, but he tries anyways.
I believe this is just a translation issue from Dwarven to Taldane. I'm positive the dwarf meant no offense. The person we're looking for is Nelly, and I think we can come to an agreement, right?
Blackjack seems somewhat mollified by Olander's manners and tone.
"You can leave the girl Nelly out of this." He begins, shooing the urchin away with the wave of his hand.
"If the priest here agrees to heal my man, then I'll see if me or any of my people can answer whatever question you have as long as it doesn't violate the code."
He sits back in his chair to wait for your answer.
"I am happy to look at your man. I would do that without coercion."
Sandu heads into the back to take a look at the man.
The Sczarni gangster with the nose ring escorts Sandu to a partitioned off area at the back of the tent and shows him another youngish man, laying on a pallet with an obvious knife wound in his leg.
Sandu kneels next to him and invokes a prayer to Desna for healing. An instant later, the wound begins to knit itself together with the healing magic.
”Thank you...” the man on the floor gasps.
Sandu examines him for a moment until he is satisfied that he is healed. Then he stands and nods to his escort.
”Well done, Priest.” the Sczarni says with obvious feeling.
The healing accomplished, the two of them return back to the front of the tent.
The other party members wait nervously out front while Sandu is gone. The Sczarni aren't actively hostile, but they aren't very welcoming either.
Blackjack and the three gangsters sitting with him exchange a brief quiet conversation in a coded secret language.
When Sandu and the Sczarni come back out and the nose-ringed ganger nods to Blackjack, the mood lightens considerably.
”Ha!!!” Blackjack exclaims as he digs a few silver coins out and hands them over to one of his companions. ”I bet Jake here five silver that you were a fake and we were going to have to kill you for lying to us.”
”Now, tell me what brought you in here in the first place.” he asks in relatively friendly tones.
Sandu starts to speak, but Olander cuts him off. He explains that the group has been tasked with finding the woman Natalya who has mysteriously disappeared. He goes on to explain that they have intruded on Washer's Row only to speak with Zograthy and that their intrusion into Mook's Meats was only a coincidence.
Hearing Zograthy's name, Blackjack exclaims ”Zograthy, that old drug addled quack! What did he tell you?”
The party recounts Zograthy's information, taking turns in their exposition. Blackjack nods along, occasionally looking if something is interesting or is new information to him.
Blackjack says ”There's been rumors about Nidalese slavers for years. Mostly rumors I've always thought, but now people do seem to be disappearing. One of my people told me he heard that some Nidalese were seen on the last month on the new moon skulking around at midnight at an old, tavern in Dockway called the Puffy Pelican. Could be that if there are slavers, they're using this old tavern as a hideout or a place to trans-ship captives. On a dark night like the new moon, you could ship a boat out out of there to a ship in the harbor.” he finishes.
At least of couple of you are knowledgeable enough about the calendar to realize that tomorrow night is the next new moon.
"Yes-yes, new moon, dark night. Very good for sneaky business like snatching and grabbing yes-yes. We should go-go, see this Pelican place and find our quarry."
"If you or your men fall into trouble again I am happy to help The Tender of Dreams gifts are for all of her children."
He turns to follow the others. Once out of the tent. "My apologies for handling that whole thing poorly."
Indeed, what is our plan. We certainly have no boat. Wait and watch at the docks all night? Should we go rest now?
Jera nods in agreement with Nocki's suggestion. "How close to the tavern do we want to get? They'll probably be pretty paranoid about people trying to investigate them."
Following Nocki's suggestion, the group travels to Dockway and carefully hunts along the waterfront for the deserted tavern once known as the 'Puffy Pelican'.
The natives of Magnimar in the party can tell the others that Dockway forms the heart of Magnimar's maritime activities, nestled round the shore of Outcast's Cove. It's also referred to as the Eagle's Quarter, or as the Trade District. Dockway never sleeps. The constant flow of trading ships and local fishing vessels keep the docks busy at all hours. Much of this part of the city is home to businesses that cater to the hardy sea folk who spend their earnings here. A few blocks inland from the salt-soaked dock fronts, there are a host of more comfortable inns and taverns that try to cater to the exotic tastes of Magnimar's foreign visitors.
You stop a ways down the street and try to examine the building from a distance without drawing attention to yourselves.
Olander can make out a faded painting of a fat pelican that still graces the facade of the empty building, and that the building’s back features a half-collapsed wooden deck that hangs over the high-tide mark.
Nothing seems out of the ordinary— the tavern truly looks abandoned, and bears no signs of having been used recently.
Olander lets everyone knows that he saw.
Perhaps that'd be a good spot?
"Yes-yes, go-sneak and look? I will do this-this very sneaky."
Mikkitar pulls his hood forward and shuffles towards the tavern, sticking to the walls and shadows like the rat person he is.
Mikkitar skulks up the street to the side of the decrepit tavern.
It doesn't look as if the building has been used in long time.
The description provided by the gangsters appears accurate. A large cartoonish pelican is painted on the side of the building. A partially collapsed dock extends from the tavern out into the water.
He stands up on tiptoes to peer in a dusty, filmed over window.
It doesn't appear that anyone is here at the moment.
Sandu leans against a wall, trying to look bored.
Mikkitar considers entering the building for a moment, but then thinks better of it. He comes scampering back up to the group to report.
"Old tavern seems empty ... empty." he tells the group.
"No slavers here now!"
Having located the tavern and not seeing anything further to be gained from loitering about, the party takes its leave.
Having nothing of value to report back to Sheila at the pathfinder lodge, they arrange a meeting time for the next evening and break up and return to their lodgings for the night.
They reconvene after sunset on the next day at an unnamed noodle shop in Dockway a few blocks from the harbor and the Puffy Pelican.
The shops proprietor, a half-orc named Bog-Grog is serving up bowls of noodles and cups of watery ale as the party members drift in.
Bog-Grog is bare-chested and sweaty. A grimy, grayish colored apron hangs down from his belt over his leather pants.
He is using a cleaver to chop vegetables and adding them to the noodle pot in between serving up dinner to his patrons.
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Nocki understands that none of the others would want to hide in the abandoned building to surprise take the slavers by surprise, if there were any. It was a dangerous endeavor.
The next day, he comes well rested and fully armed to Dockway and orders a bowl of noodle. He isn't used to this sort of food, but why not try it. He refuses the ale, as he knew he would end up complaining about it. The dwarf waits for the others to come eating. When everyone is there, he says "I'm not much for subtlety, so if it is up to me, we come into the Pelican foot first and don't let them have any time to think." His beard is somewhat dirty from the noodles and he does his best to clean it as he waits for the others to reply.
Bog-Grog looks suspicious at first that the dwarf with the ugly cat would refuse his ale.
Then he comes to the conclusion that Nocki is a recovering alcoholic.
"Ack ... my friend. I admire your fortitude in passing up the drink. Have some water instead."
He places a cup of water in front of the dwarf.
This is a defective dwarf, turning down Varisian ale.
I’ll have some ale and stew... My thanks
"Ale and noodles, please-please. I will enjoy this night's work, yes-yes."
Mikkitar slurps the food and ale down like a starving man, licking his rat-chops and barely refraining from running his tongue around the bowl.
"If we can get them grouped up, my bombs will be most effective, yes-yes. Otherwise I can burn them one by one."
There's traffic on the streets and lanterns hanging in front of businesses that are still open in Dockway after dark.
Foot traffic is lighter than in the day, but plenty of people are either still making their way home or headed out for employment after dark.
Mikkitat and Olander arrive and take seats next to Nocki. Bog-Grog drops off noodles and drink for Olander and Mikkitar.
The Koala yawns sleepily.
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Nocki gives Bear a couple of leaves for him to entertain himself on and checks his reserve. It's been a while since he has bought any and he didn't care to think what would happen if he ran out.
He comments with the others "So what's our plan? Do we wait until midnight and burst into the Pelican or what?" He puts another bunch of noodles in his mouth.
"Yes-yes, fast and ruthless I say. Slavers are bad-bad for everyone and need to be slain-killed for the good."
Sanud waits until his bowl of noodles is finished before joining the conversation. "I think we are better of getting inside early and waiting."