The room appears to be a reception room where Smeed conducts his business. There is a desk and a few chairs, but not much of interest and nothing of value.
"Lets get the monkey in a cage, and some chains on Smeed." Tessirda declared, swiftly and decisively. Smeed would not sleep forever, and having him resume his assault seemed like a really bad idea. "Anyone have some rope or other restraints?"
Lacking such things of his own, Kelne ransacks the room for rope or anything that will serve as such.
Having done his part by neutralising the foe, Zavos is content to let the others deal with restraining him.
In the first room there is a chain attached to the wall with a collar at the other end, presumably for restraining the baboon.
In the first room there is a chain attached to the wall with a collar at the other end, presumably for restraining the baboon.
"Oh, why bother restraining him? A few blades at his throat while he lay prone on the ground should be sufficient restraint, I think." Amunyet draws her scimitar, and holds it at Smeed's throat. She'll wait a moment, for someone else to do the same with their own weapon. Once a few more are covering him, she'll give Smeed a quick kick to the jaw.
"Time to wake up. Your appointment with the gray lady will need to wait. How long it waits is entirely up to you."
"Because I want none to be even tempted to do something foolish" Tessirda interjected before Amunyet had a chance to wake Smeed. "Look, we're on very thin ice here, we basicly mugged him in his home. He's rightfully scared and if we hold him at swordpoint he might just decide we'd kill him anyway and try something tragic. Let's secure him, and give him a little time."
Kelne, meanwhile, secures the baboon using the collar. He makes quite sure it's on a short leash.
Zindit looked uneasily at the budding argument between the two godswomen, and decided that it was wisest to avoid having to support one over the other. She backed away and helped Kelne secure the babboon.
"Because I want none to be even tempted to do something foolish" Tessirda interjected before Amunyet had a chance to wake Smeed. "Look, we're on very thin ice here, we basicly mugged him in his home. He's rightfully scared and if we hold him at swordpoint he might just decide we'd kill him anyway and try something tragic. Let's secure him, and give him a little time."
Initially bristling a bit, Amunyet relaxes after a moment. "He already did do something foolish - attempt to attack our entire group, despite our trying to talk. But no matter, we can tie him up instead. Does anyone have rope? I'm not certain how long Zavos' enchantment will last." She keeps her scimitar at his neck, though, in the vent that Smeed wakes before they can secure him.
Smeed begins to wake up. When he sees the scimitar at his throat he doesn't move, but unleashes a burst of profanity then says "What do you want with me?"
Zindit pointed meekly at the bloodied cloak, opting to keep quiet for the time being. She lamented that she had not hidden her face from Smeed earlier...
Tessirda had just tried to find some restraint for the man when he came to, but breathed a sigh of relief as he proved sensible. Her fears seemed to have been less well-founded. "We need to talk to you, very badly. Someone is trying to set you up for murder. And we were your intended executioners. So I think we'd both rather like to know why."
"Smeed calms down a bit. "Saul sent you to kill me? Why is easy, he thinks he won't have to pay. But it won't do no good. It's not me he owes."
"It can't be Saul" Tessirda replied, shaking her head. This was so clearly impossible to her, she didn't pay it a second thought. "Saul send someone to pay you last night. Larur, our floor manager. We found his cloak, bloody, in your trash. Someone intercepted him, and decided to give each of us a reason to attack."
"So whaddya want with me? Like I said, I aint seen Larur."
"We'd like to know who has it in for you, your boss, or Saul. As well as who knew he was coming here. Somebody knew enough to plant his bloody coat on your back doorstep. So far, the only people I'm aware of who would know of that connection are you, Larur and Saul himself."
"Lotsa people has reason to kill me. Saul too, from what I hear."
Smeed looks defiantly at Kelne.
"Now I already told ya, I don't know nothin' about what happened to Larur." He glances at the cloak. "Anyone coulda left that out there."
"Now either kill me, or get the hell outta here."
"Or maybe did you hear someone get mugged outside your house?" Zindit quietly asked, hoping to be helpful. Maybe he just got stabbed on the street and robbed.
It happened often enough in Riddleport.
"You aren't mad at us are you?" she asked, wringing her hands and looking up at Smeed hopefully. "We warned you that we were set up to kill you so we're okay, right?"
"So... I take it you did not hear, see or otherwise wish to share anything that might be helpful in finding whoever is resolved to have you killed with us as your executioners?" Tessirda asked, fighting hard to keep her composture in this. The man was so obstinate, she wondered how he ever could have survived as long as he did.
"With that attitude, and all these people who want you dead, it's a wonder you're still alive to talk to us," Kelne says, letting his own ever so slightly violent inclinations colour his voice. Still, he has no doubt as to why Smeed is still alive - kill him, and there'll be retribution from his master. There may well be retribution anyway, depending on how seriously today's events are taken.
"Lotsa people has reason to kill me. Saul too, from what I hear."
Smeed looks defiantly at Kelne.
"Now I already told ya, I don't know nothin' about what happened to Larur." He glances at the cloak. "Anyone coulda left that out there."
"Now either kill me, or get the hell outta here."
"So willing to die, over just a little gold? You are not worried about someone wanting you dead? At least you have the right person here; I can of course smooth your transition into my Lady's realm. Unless you have any other information to tell us?"
"I don't know nothin' more." Smeed insists. "Why don't you ask Saul?"
"Excellent plan," Kelne says, "First however, I'd like to see if anybody's watching the place. You know, to make sure we kill you in accordance with the plan." He heads over towards the stairs, "Zavos, Zindit, if you'd give me a minute to get to a window and then nip out the front and do a circuit of the place."
"Yes sir, Mister Kelne!" Zindit chirped with a quick and clumsy salute.
Zindit went to the back of the building, close to where they had snuck inside. She looked for a window and peeked through, checking to make sure no one was watching, and then quickly went through, beginning a slow walk around the building while trying to keep a subtle eye out for anyone watching.
Tessirda seized up the sleezy moneylender. "I see. So what have we left to do? We believe you that you have nothing to do with this, but... this evidence had to be placed recently. Do you know anything about this, or know who might do?"
Zindit doesn't see anything out of the ordinary on her tour of the building.
Smeed sighs. "Gah, how man times I havta say it? I don't know nothin'. But I'll tell ya what. If you let me go and leave, Saul can keep the 2 bills he owes me."
Zindit quickly came back inside, giving every one a thumbs-up and bobbing her head excitedly. "Everything's-okay-we-can-go-now-and-we're-really-sorry-about-this-sir-if-y ou-want-to-relax-after-today-there-are-a-lot-of-fun-games-at-the-Gold-Gobli n!"
Tessirda sighed, and moved away from the sleazebag. "Well... no. We have not come to rob you, or break a leg to reduce the credit. We've got a serious loss here. If you would grant us some more time to recoup that loss, we'll take it. We'll be thankful. But you will be paid in full."
She turned away, grasped her pendant, and lowered her head. What was she to do here? She had come dangerously close to being a harm already. But the issue shouldn't rest.
"Zindit, I have a job for you" she finally said. "When we are among ourselves."
"Amunyet, if you wouldn't mind healing the monkey before we leave? Myself as well, come to think of it." Between the attentions of said monkey and Smeed, Kelne is definitely not a hundred percent.
Amunyet hesitates a moment. "I of course will heal your wounds, Kelne. But I will leave the baboon as it is. I am afraid that if it regains consciousness, it will merely attack again. It will live, but it will remain as it is and recover on its own."
Amunyet reaches out to Kelne, and casts cure light wounds.
Zavos shrugs. "I felled the beast, so I will heal it."
After first ensuring it is secure, he sings a note of power and heals some of the damage on the baboon. Then he backs away quickly.
Zindit nearly jumped back as if she had been struck. "Wha-y-yes ma'am!" she quickly replied to Tessirda. Calmdowncalmdownshejustwantsyoutodoajob She kept a fearful eye turned to the floor as she followed closely behind the elven woman.
"Be careful healing the monkey Zavos. It might try to bite again..."
Tessirda phrased her words very carefully, unwilling to offend or maybe shock the jumpy little gnome too deeply. "Zindit, I am not willing to let this go. There is something very wrong about this issue, and Lahur would probably want us finding out the truth. So I need to know when he took the money, who saw him last, and where exactly his trail stops. If he left the goblin, someone had to see him do so. Why didn't he take someone for security? Can you find these things out in the goblin?"
The baboon comes back to consciousness meaner than ever. Fortunately it is restrained by the collar and chain and can only slaver and snarl at you.
Kelne nods thoughtfully at Tessirda's comments, "Somebody also had to bring the cloak here," he says, "So attempting to backtrack their route would also be worthwhile. Much as I hate to say it, the easiest way to get answers would be to find a body. There are people who can question the dead, after all."
Zavos addresses Smeed.
"It appears that the lady has decided to be very generous with you. More generous than I personally think someone like you probably deserves. Should you or your employers remember or discover anything further about what happened to Larur, I hope that you will recall that generosity, and the ease with which we dealt with your security, and that you will pass on your discoveries to us."
"Saul seemed a bit anxious for us to check Larur's place, as well. Perhaps that should be our next stop, even if it's a 'staged' scene?"
Zavos addresses Smeed.
"It appears that the lady has decided to be very generous with you. More generous than I personally think someone like you probably deserves. Should you or your employers remember or discover anything further about what happened to Larur, I hope that you will recall that generosity, and the ease with which we dealt with your security, and that you will pass on your discoveries to us."
"Ya, Ya. And tell Saul he can keep the money. I don't want no more trouble."
"Right then," Kelne says, once they're outside and well out of Smeed's earshot, "Tessirda, Zindit, if you'd like to try and retrace Larur's steps while the rest of us check his apartment?"
Tessirda nodded solemnly. "I am not really good with this... but better than just waiting around. This issue stinks to high heavens."
After leaving Smeed and his pet, you arrive at Larur's house and find the door is closed but not locked.
"Zindit, could you perhaps investigate to make sure there wasn't any ... surprises left for us here? Another unpleasant thought has occurred to me: that perhaps WE are the ones being set up to be eliminated, as well. An closed, but unlocked, door is a bit suspicious to me."
As eager as ever, Zindit agrees. "Yes, yes ma-am."
She opens the door and sneaks in. Soon she comes back out again.
"There is a man in there sleeping. I think he is drunk."
"Naturally," Kelne says. They do meet the cream of society, working for Saul. Deciding that there's nothing else for it, he walks in to see for himself.
Larur's apartment looks fairly undisturbed. Some valuables may have been taken, but it is not ransacked. Sure enough there is a filthy man (not Larur) snoring loudly in Larur's bed, empty wine bottles strewn around him.
"I seem to be doing a lot of this," Amunyet mutters. She strides forward, and taps the snoring man on the top of the head with the flat of her scimitar .