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Redmond curses when his quarry disappears. Not willing to risk a shot between his companions at the archer, he stows his shortbow and draws his short blade. Following Magnus' advice, he scans the floor for disturbances and listens for rustling fabric. If he detects Baralbus, he takes a moment to point out the location to his allies. Otherwise, he moves up to the square west of Father Emil.
Upon a closer examination of the man gate , Redmond realizes the significance of the ink marks. "Looks like someone beat us here," he begins, "Someone who works with ink. I'm afraid we might not have time to pick the lock, and since someone's been kind enough to open this one for us..." Redmond looses his shortsword in its scabbard, positions himself beside the door, and nods to the paladin.
"Now what would a stodgy bureaucrat be doing at a place like this?" Redmond asks as the party approaches the suspiciously well-maintained building. He frowns at the ink, wondering if it might be part of a trap or security mechanism of some sort. He circles the building until he reaches the alleyway and checks the door there. Finding the door to be locked, he returns to the others and fills them in on what he found. "Alley door is locked, but that shouldn't be a problem. I have a bad feeling about this place, and I'd rather not wander through the front door if I can help it." Then he waits to hear what everybody else thinks.
"That's odd," says Redmond, "I heard he sold his place and spends his time in Envy Road West." He glances up and down the street, then looks back toward the Ministry. "We could always tail him, see where he goes when he leaves work. But we'd run the risk of being spotted or caught out after curfew..." "Whatever we decide, I'm afraid we'll have to take a risk."
Redmond frowns at Themolin's flustered objections, but decides not to interfere. He waits until the group is outside and away from any guards before saying, "He was watching his tongue carefully. Like he thought someone could overhear him." He pauses in thought for a moment, then addresses Magnus, "Could the wizard who runs this place, Belimarius? Could she be eavesdropping with magic, somehow?" At any rate, I think we should try to find a more discreet way to contact him. A note tucked in his pocket, or the like. And we had best watch our backs - there's no telling who could know what we're up to here."
"With a fresh start and a good mentor, he could make something of himself. We're giving him the fresh start. You'd be a good mentor."
Redmond can't afford his share of the antiplague, so he scrawls a hasty I.O.U. and hands it to Modra. "Don't worry, I'm good for it," he says with a grin. While Magnus explains the details of raft-making, Redmond looks around at the others. "I think he's speaking Gnomish again, can anyone understand what he's saying?"
From the description of the Rockfish (page 3): Looking around the Rockfish Inn, you discover that most of the inn’s foodstuffs have diminished as Yuleg made plans to leave. However, six large barrels of pickled fish remain. Yuleg encourages you to consume as much of their contents as you wish.
A PC trained in Crafting concludes that they may be able to convert each barrel into a raft that holds four creatures. Creating one raft would require spending 8 hours and a successful Craft check.
Redmond approaches the counter and addresses the shopkeeper. "Good day," he begins, "Yes, we are outlanders - I hope that doesn't mean we can't do business?" Without giving the merchant a chance to respond, he continues, "Your shop has a reputation, in certain circles, for being able to procure items not found at similar establishments. Items which may not be on the menu. We wish to acquire one such item, a sweet treat to raise the spirits of a friend. This friend has recently suffered an unfortunate injury in the sewers, one which seems to have become infected. Do you have anything which might cheer them up?"
Redmond scratches his chin as he works the problem of smuggling a giant through customs. "I like the ballast idea," he says to Father Emil, "But I was thinking, we're here under cover as merchants, right? Why not merchants under contract to a company of dwarven stonemasons, maybe with Master Boeske here as their representative? They'll be expecting us to have some cargo when we depart on the Merry Mayfly." "I saw a cart we could use back at the Rockfish. We load our friend here," he says, gesturing at Seddothrum, "Along with some other samples for camouflage. Then we can move about in the open."
As a dabbling mage himself, Redmond also looks through the professor's collection, and is about to mention the magic scroll when Modra reaches for it. He is disappointed by his inability to read it, and resolves to visit the Spells tutors upon returning to the Grand Lodge for further training.
"Now wait a moment," he says as Seddothrum turns to leave. "Maybe you can earn your passage some other way. Having some extra muscle that can blend in when needed is always useful." "Besides," he adds to his companions, "This fellow represents a lost, ancient culture. We could earn some real favour with the venture captains if we bring him back with us. What do you think?"
When Modra tries to apologize to Redmond, he grins and claps the dwarf on the shoulder. "Not at all, friend! Besides, you were right - I was sloppy as a wet-behind-the-ears footpad in there. Thanks for having my back." To Magnus, he apologizes: "Sorry, but I didn't manage to get the book out of the office. No way we could have made it out of there with it after my slip-up."
Following the directory, he ascends to the second floor. He spots the woman and wonders if she is the mark. As usual, he allows the more diplomatic Pathfinders to approach first and prepares for anything.
Redmond freezes when the guard stops him. In his haste to leave, he had left a corner of the book sticking out of his pack, obvious to anyone who looked close enough. Finding his worst fears coming to pass, he mentally runs through his options. Fighting was out of the question. Fleeing would draw too much attention, dooming the mission and unlikely to succeed even so. To his horror, he found that his best option might be to turn himself in and take full responsibility; at least then the others would have a chance to get out of this city, along with Yuleg, Vurna, and Flitch. Before he can do anything uncharacteristically selfless, Modra comes to his rescue. Redmond is speechless as the dwarf berates him and tries to play along as best he can. He opens his mouth to mutter an excuse about grabbing the book by accident, when a giant interdimensional beetle appears out of nowhere in a blast of light. Shocked, he closes his mouth and hurries out the door when the captain declares recruitment to be over. "Sure," he replies to Alenor when she suggests heading to Arcanium Abjurant, "Let's head to the mages' guild. The sooner we're out of here, the better."
"You've given us a lot to think about" Redmond says, suddenly in a hurry to leave. "We'll need to mull it over, mayve over ales to get our courage up. Thank you, Captain." "Don't forget your papers," he adds to Emil. "Here, I'll get them for you." Redmond attempts to scoop up the black book along with the documents:
When Modra points out the lone guard, Redmond glances her way and realizes his plan might have succeeded after all, if not so smoothly as it had unfolded in his mind. "I think you're right," he says to the dwarf. "Let's see what she has to say." "...And don't worry," he adds under his breath, "The day I join the city watch is the day Rovagug breaks loose and swallows the sun."
Redmond mentally cringes when his plan backfires, but maintains his outward composure. "Right, of course," he sighs, trying to salvage the situation, "Garrla is a codename. It is an undercover operation, afterall." "I'll have to check back later. He would have revealed himself if he was here. Thank you, soldier. Dismissed!" he concludes, before marching off to meet back up with the group. Upon rejoining the group Redmond resumes his laid back manner, mired only slightly by the failure of his ruse. "That could have gone better. We shouldn't hang around here if we can help it."
Redmond was calm and relaxed crossing the border under false pretenses. He didn't feel any stress or anxiety breaking and entering at Fitch's, nor delving the unfamiliar sewers. But here, surrounded by guards and others responsible for upholding the law, he feels uneasy. He nods to Father Emil and Modra. "Right, we should make this quick. I have an idea," he says. His eyes glaze over when Magnus starts speaking what he initially assumes to be Gnomish. "Er, right. Incarceration, that would be bad. I'll go talk to someone, see if I can get us past the queue. Maybe you could get ready to make a distraction or something, in case things go bad?" Redmond approaches the nearest guard, his typical laconic manner replaces with a look of grim determination. "You there!" he barks, "Fetch Garrla for me. I have urgent news about the undercover mission in Envy Row. Tell him it's about Operation Flower Pot, and to meet me here. Double time it!"
Redmond takes a half step forward when Modra gives the stack of paperwork to Baralbus, ready to spin an elaborate fabrication designed to maximize wasted time. However, the clerk takes the dwarf at face value and walks away grumbling, leaving Redmond off kilter. He recovers quickly and turns his attention to Deloriah. Magnus seems to have the situation well under control, so Redmond waits to see what happens.
Redmond, thoroughly amused by how Magnus put Baralbus in his place, hangs back for the moment. He makes a note to remember the arcane glyph used by Baralbus, in case it becomes convenient to impersonate him later. He gives a slight nod to Modra and replies under his breath, "Good thinking. We can provide a distraction if things turn sour."
"Back in the sewers, you mentioned somebody messing with your flower pot. That'd be Garrla, I take it. How much do you know about them, if anything?""Oh, that?" Flitch replies. "There was this overturned on a windowsill at my flat. Not sure how long it had been there. Maybe it came with the place? Anyways, one day I forgot my keys, so I tried getting back in through the window. That's when I knocked over the flowerpot. Turns out, there was a bag of coins beneath it! There, was also a note attached, but I gave that to Uncle Guaril--back when he was still in the city that is. Now that you mention it, I think that he did say something about a 'Garla', but that's about all I know. "In other words, Garrla may have left the note for reasons entirely unrelated to our seditious sea voyage," Redmond says with a frown. "We must be extra careful at the Guardhouse." Aside to Redmond, he remarks, "Hope ye didn't have ta find out abou' filth fever comin' back from yer own livin' through it." "No," Redmond replies, a look of genuine sorrow on his face. "Cellmate. Poor knave was so proud of catching that rat for dinner, too." At the Ministry, Redmond tries to blend in with the crowd. He observes how the countless other people in the line behave, and prepares to pass himself off as yet another petitioner. He also makes note of what his companions are up to, so that he can support them if necessary.
Redmond is in high spirits as he enters the common area in the morning. He checks on Vurna:
"Well done," he says to Father Emil and Modra. Quietly, he adds, "I doubt she's out of the woods yet. Filth fever can go dormant before coming back with a vengeance." He sits down for a breakfast of fish, and calls Flitch over to join him. He makes small talk for a bit, before suddenly turning serious. "Back in the sewers, you mentioned somebody messing with your flower pot. That'd be Garrla, I take it. How much do you know about them, if anything?" When the group discusses the day's activities, Redmond agrees with Father Emil's plan to visit the two nearby locations.
Upon reaching the inn, Redmond disappears into one of the private rooms. He exits some time later, slightly damp from washing away the filth of the sewer. He checks on Vurna, ready to lend a hand if needed, but sees that Father Emil and Modra have the situation well in hand. Next, he grabs a pickled fish and joins the gnomes, taking a turn to look over the modified forgeries:
He shrugs, having equal difficulty understanding the subtleties of the documents and Magnus' large words. Finally, he stands up and yawns. "You lot seem to have everything covered. I'm turning in for the night. It'll be a long week, and my work requires sharp wits and steady hands."
Redmond frowns at the young man. It normally wouldn't bother him that somebody was ignoring his advice, but today he happened to have a vested interest in the lad's continued freedom, not to mention survival. "Modra's right. Better off braving Vurna's father. Besides, he seemed fond of you, just doesn't want you to know that," Redmond lies.
Either way, he returns to the inn with the others, commiserating about the foul conditions on the way. "Aye. I thought sewer duty was an exaggeration, but here we are, on my first assignment..."
Redmond takes the forged documents and makes a show of looking them over. Just before he is about to sheepishly admit that his forgery skills are lacking, however, he notices Magnus seems interested and passes the papers to him. "Let's see what Magnus thinks. After all, he helped decode the message at the shack!"
Satisfied, Redmond pushes the door open. The feeling subsides quickly, however, upon view of the dust-covered interior. Redmond is impressed when Modra discovers and decodes the hidden message. "Well spotted! Though I begin to wonder if I may be in disreputable company," he jests. "If the trail leads to the sewers," he says, adjusting a scarf around his neck so it can be easily pulled up over his mouth and nose, "Then I guess we don't have much choice. Better to get it over with, I say."
Having only basic first aid knowledge and lacking a healer's kit, Redmond waits patiently for Modra and Father Emil to finish their initial examinations. When Modra reports back and the group discusses the next move, Redmond again mentions going to see Flitch. "In my experience, planning a job like this, you start with the getaway and work backwards. The sooner we secure passage to Shard Cove, the better."
As the group walks away from the guards, Redmond recalls overhearing a conversation between sailors while aboard Lightbringer that may have included the Emerald Guard. Later, he checks the sign on the door of the Rockfish Inn and takes a few moments to investigate the exterior of the building and glance in the stables. When the dwarven proprieter answers the door, he considers a half dozen lies and excuses to gain entrance, but waits instead see what the other Pathfinders have in mind.
With a bored expression and relaxed demeanor, Redmond waits for his turn to hand over his forged papers. Once past (and safely out of earshot of any bystanders), he replies to Magnus and Modra, "Agreed, Yuleg and his daughter seem low risk. And having a place to lay low could be useful." He ponders a moment, then says, "We'll need to get them alone before we can reveal our purpose here. It wouldn't do to be overheard discussing defection in a crowded tavern." "Flitch should be a priority, too," he adds. "We might not be able to get anyone to the ship without his supposed secret tunnel to the cove."
Redmond responds to Modra: "Times change fast, we just don't notice since we're changing too. Spend some years locked away, and you'll find new nations have risen, others have fallen, gods have perished..." He trails off, a bitter expression on his face. "Right," he says, regaining his usual composure, "I need to see the quartermaster. I'll meet you all before we disembark."
"Don't they pay you Pathfinders?" Guaril replies with a shake of his head. Redmond shakes his head ruefully at the mention of being paid. "Not up front, I'm afraid."
"Very well. Noses clean, clients pay up front. Understood." "As for setting up secret handshakes and what not?" Guaril continues with a bit of wince like one with fresh wounds being poked and salted, "Let's just say that there wasn't time to align all the stars and to make sure that everything was all tidied up with bows and ribbons. When I was in the city, things got hot far quicker than I would have liked. I barely got out from under Belamarius and her pack of sniffing, sword-wielding dogs as it was! Believe me, if I could have pulled things off the way I wanted, I wouldn't be here offering to split the profits." Redmond nods sympathetically, remembering a similar experience of his own. "Aye, sometimes it all goes to the otyughs. Well enough, we'll figure it out as we go." |
