Just bring it back and hand if over.
You almost got us killed with that Concerned Citizens Nonsense!!!
And you Gave away all the money so not only did we get nothing for this but it cost us to do that! for what? Some Paper that none of us can read?
Gods below that was brilliant, especially for you!
She stalks off starts banging pots around in Zellara's little kitchen, to make some tea.
Briggi just sulks
|
"It was a rash decision. But much as I'd like to see Devargo being taken down, I believe there were few scenarios in which we'd manage to have the upper hand on him. Not on his territory. And a bargain might not have been well received."
"If we bring that back to Kroft, I believe she'd have the means to get this expertized and translated."
"Yeah, but I'd like to know what we have here, before we hand it over. So... "
Narciso takes the letter and copies the body text (leaving out the opening greeting line and the closing signature) to a blank sheet of rice note paper. Then he tears off 2 smaller pieces from the bottom of the sheet and copies the opening greeting line and the closing signature (including the seal) onto the separate pieces.
1 ranks + 4 int
"Ok, I can find someone at the college to translate one bit. Ernhild, can you find someone at your temple to translate another? Finally, between you two can you scrape up a someone to discretely translate the third bit, without questions?"
I can ask at the barracks.
Tisha consults with her personal oracle on the possibility of the request.
Zellara any ideas of someone who can translate an unknown language and stay quiet about it?
"The ambassador." Zellara jokingly suggests. "I have no idea."
The group spreads all over the city to find translations.
When Narciso approaches a former classmate about the text he earns a raised brow and a smirk. "What were you told it is? Or are you starting a collection of erotic literature from hell?"
When Ernhild asks a colleague at the temple he takes a few minutes to pray to comprehend languages. Latest at that point Ernhild realizes, that she could have done that herself too - if not today, then tomorrow.
After a few hours the group is reunited and the translation is complete.
...
When Narciso approaches a former classmate about the text he earns a raised brow and a smirk. "What were you told it is? Or are you starting a collection of erotic literature from hell?"
...
Narciso gives as good a smirk as he got and replies "No comment, none whatsoever..
Briggi brings back his sample. So dirty talk between nobles.
Having put all the pieces back together, Narciso summarizes, "So, it's a love letter to Ambassador Amprei, from Lidia Arquetius (a Cheliaxian noble). It strongly suggests they have been carrying on an affair. Not sure if Amprei is married, but Lidia is, and given how strict Chelaxian law is, that means real trouble for those involved if said affair is exposed. This letter should give Field Marshal Kroft the leverage she's looking for. Now all we have to do is figure out how to dig ourselves out of a 600 gp hole..."
"The last job we took for Kroft was a paid one. " Ernhild chimes in. "Unless the rules have changed, I don't believe you should worry much about gold."
"Tell that to Tisha, I dare you..."
Briggi presses Trisha's buttons. Good deeds are their own reward.
Ernhild smirks. "Indeed. Perhaps we should redistribute whatever wealth we get from taking down Amprei..."
"You're shaking my faith in the church of Abadar's belief in profit margins."
Illusions like how getting blackmail on someone counts as a good deed?
Come on, we might as well turn this in. Maybe it might help the city.
As she tries to shoo you out you hear here mumbling about how the money could have made this place so much nicer….
...
Come on, we might as well turn this in. Maybe it might help the city.
...
"Yeah, let's get this over with."
Narciso cooperates as Tisha shoo's him out the door, and heads off to the garrison.
"Welcome back. Did you manage to meet Delvargo? How did it go?" Kroft greets you.
Briggi hands the evidence over. Money grubbing crook.
And your boy who is very happy to feed him…
Even after the walk Tisha is clearly still not happy, even if she is no longer making snide remarks under her breath.
"No surprise there." Kroft takes the parchment and looks at it skeptically.
"You know by chance what is written there? This doesn't look like any language used around here."
"It's a love letter, written in Infernal. From Lidia Arquetius (a Cheliaxian noble) to Ambassador Amprei. It strongly suggests they have been carrying on an affair. Lidia is definitely married, don't know if Amprei is. Marriages are contracts in Cheliax, and you know how Cheliaxan law is..."
Narciso pauses for a beat and continues:
"Could be a fake and Devargo is scamming us, but I didn't get that vibe. Would need to get a writing sample from Lidia to check it."
"I'll double check with Vencarlo, but I believe that is what he was talking about. When that checks out, we'll check with the ambassador if it is legit." she tells with a smirk.
"But things are on the move and there is the next task already. You might have heard the rumors that the king was murdered. Now the killer has been named. Soon this will be made public. Yet there’s something more going on here, I’m afraid. Queen Ileosa could have quietly had this Trinia Sabor arrested at any time, yet the way in which she will reveal the information to the city seems to me like she wants the riots to come back. With the city the way it is, the girl doesn’t stand a chance of a fair trial. They’ll lynch her the moment they catch her. Even if she did kill the king, mob justice isn’t the way. Worse, if she’s innocent, the real killer—if indeed the king was murdered at all in the first place — can use this distraction to throw us off the trail forever."
"Before Trinia is captured and executed, I need to be absolutely sure she’s guilty. And that means we need to catch her before someone else does. I’ve managed to determine her last known address - a flat in Midland at 42 Moon Street - but soon, so will the rest of the Guard, and the mob itself, for that matter.
This news may rile up the locals and even bands of Hellknights of the Order of the Nail might jump on this. On top of all this, word is that Queen Ileosa’s not satisfied with what the Korvosan Guard’s been doing to address the situation, and that she’s preparing to disband the Sable Company and reveal a newly founded order of specialized guards to help bring order to the city. For now, I’ve still got a fair number of Korvosan Guards who are loyal to me, but the problem is that I’ve got them at work keeping things from getting any worse — and if I were to send them into Midland, they’d trigger a riot."
"I’m sure you can see where this is going. I need you to get into Midland, find Trinia, and bring her back to me so we can deliver her, safe and sound, to somewhere she can be interrogated—preferably with magic, so we can be absolutely sure about her role in Eodred II’s death.
Get in there, catch her, and get out without letting the mob or the Hellknights or the queen’s guards get their hands on her. I’ll have loyal agents and officers nearby to take her into custody. If you can get her to one of them, we’ll be in the clear. Any questions?"
"Several questions, first, do you have a description for Trinia? Second, how can we identify these 'agents and officers' that are loyal to you? It'd probably make a big mess if we turned her over to someone who isn't loyal to you. Third, and perhaps most important, what's the pay?
Aye, being able to identify her is a must. I can perhaps help with knowing who to hand her off to.
Yes what's the pay.... Briggi, was way too free with the cash on the last job, and ended up handing over 600 more then you gave us to get that letter. I'm all for getting some girl a fair trial, but we have to eat, and just doing good deeds for the watch at a loss is not going to put food on our table.
I can get us some Dwarven Bread for cheap. There is always Dwarven Bread! Why, when people feel like quitting you just offer Dwarven Bread and they get right back to work.
Narciso is curious "Is it true that you guys put rocks in it, like the halflings put in raisins in their travel cakes, to improve the taste?"
Briggi rolls his eyes. No, we bake them on rocks, put rocks in them?Phhttt. If some little pebbles get inside, well that is just roughage.
"1600?" Kroft calls out wide eyed. Then she looks at 'her boy' with scrutiny.
"Well..." she puts a coin bag on the table . "We wouldn't want you to starve."
"But if you want to actually earn money, you have to be more careful on your spending."
"Payment on the next one only on success. 1000gp. Trinia was the king's portrait artist. That shouldn't be too dangerous for you." Kroft dives a description of what the woman looks like. 5'4" tall, short blonde hair, slender, 20 to mid 20 in age.
"How did a portrait artist, who 'shouldn't be too dangerous', supposedly kill the king?"
Briggi wonders if he will have to become a Troll Slayer out of shame.
The gold seems to settle Tisha down quite a bit.
Or have you heard of any evidence that the queen will give to tie her to the murder?
And when that is answered she follows up with more questions showing that she was listening even as she pouted about the lost money.
Is she a known criminal, or does the guard have records on her? What about where she lives, anything we should know about it or the people that line in the building with her?
Finally how soon is this announcement? Do we have time to go back and grab a few things, or do we need to head directly there?
"Supposedly she slipped something in the king's tea on the last day finishing the portrait. There was a confession of a guard that noticed something of that kind but didn't speak up until he got some special interrogation treatment."
"Like I said, I'd like to have the a word with Trinia myself before the mob lynches her or she gets publicly executed without further ado by command of the queen."
"Maybe a poisoner... Well, could be worse, at least she's not a beserker with an axe."
Some of the finest people I have known were berserkers with axes. Plus some very intricate tattoos.
Some of the finest people I have known were berserkers with axes. Plus some very intricate tattoos.
"And this says something about your life choices, your point..."