He says turning to Scarlet. "-you smell like Mephistopheles' arm pit."
"HAHAHAH! Thanks!"
Scarlet seems genuinely impressed as she unties the man."So uh, this isn't your place. Is this Belia's place? Where is she? Did you see a huge rat around here, by the way?"
"Lot's o' huge rats. I butter my bread with them. Belia's one o' them--a lie-can-thorpe.' A bleedin' wererat!" Weston looks equal parts excited and incredulous.
"Haha! That's why that rat glared at me. I gave her a few hits on her way out."
"Wait...are all the rats coming together to bury the town in garbage?" Scarlet shrugs. "What a world..."
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"Geez Gods man, your breath is terrible..."
Numalar coughs embarrasedly, and a little bit of smoke comes out of his mouth behind his hand. "Draconic Halitosis. Can't be helped."
"So... Head of the ratcatcher's guild, eh? So perhaps you know Mung then? He was the one that sent us down here, to look in on some missing ratcatchers."
"You've told us about Belia, but what about this Vernon? Know anything about him?"
Numalar has a look at the rest of the room and eyes the papers Zokon is looking at.
"Never heard of him." Weston says.
After staring all for what seems like an eternity, Weston sighs. "Well, I'm outta here. I got to fire Belia, and see what's goin' on topside. I've got a business to run after all."
"He mentioned Belia set those cats on him? Seems weird. I figure such oversized housecats would be a boon to a ratters guild, especially if they make their home in the sewers...cats are better than rats, are they not? They defecate in one place and sleep everywhere, rather than the other way round...", Alia muses, before taking a closer look around the rooms
"Topside? If you think I stink - and thank you for that- trash hasn't been picked up for weeks. That's why we're here."
Scarlet takes a look for a bit with Alia.
"So, I guess we keep looking through the sewers, then? I want to see where Belia fled to. She crawled right up this hole over there..."
Scarlet takes a look for a bit with Alia.
Hey! There's an posting from the new head of the Sewer-Worker's Guild. It seems to be an introductory and service change letter signed by a Vernon Atcher.
In fact most of the paperwork here from either the Sewer-Worker's Guild or the Rubbish Pickers Guild (which Atcher seems to have been made the recent head of as well.)
In addition some of the postings and invoices have correspondence jotted on their backs some of the letters are signed: Your brother V. others are signed (in a different hand) the Master and seem to notes regarding the transport of unnamed goods to various points in the Coppers, the docks and outside the city proper.
There are a lot of papers (Belia seems to have been a bit of a pack rat). It will take a little time to organize and make sense of them all.
Scarlet takes a look around the notes. "So this Vernon Atcher has taken over, and did a lousy job at everything. I guess he's the target. How about we grab these papers, head back to the inn and figure out our next step?"
"Those other notes are of interest, too...transporting unnamed goods to certain locations that are not very likely to catch the guards attention. It may not be our business, but surely the magistrate could make use of these informations."
"I think we should turn the information in as well, it's time for those that know their city better than us to take over"
"Assuming they know about this and are alright with it..." Scarlet mumbles. "Did we help out Mung, then? He wanted us to handle the smell, then."
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"Assuming they know about this and are alright with it..." Scarlet mumbles. "Did we help out Mung, then? He wanted us to handle the smell, then."
"I don't feel we have really accomplished much. The problems down here are hardly concluded. And as 'evidence' what we have is pretty slim. Perhaps we should try to figure out where the wererat went? Or perhaps we should try and find this Vernon?"
"Ah, I think we did not mean to suggest that our work here is done...merely that we should probably not get involved with THIS, too...unless you think you can take a prolonged break from your charter-", Alia explains, handing the documents regarding what she assumes is smuggling of illegal goods to Numalar.
"Just saying we should not get bogged down with one thing after another. I'm all for helping the people, but I have a mission to accomplish, too, and I'm significantly behind on my schedule to do so! I also doubt I can climb up there after that wererat. Especially not with the cats in tow. Can't leave them here in the cages, best we deliver them to the Guild for retraining."
Scarlet is up for tracking down where Belia scurried to, although the track is terribly cold at this point. After that, she'd like to look through the paperwork before figuring out the next step.
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"unless you think you can take a prolonged break from your charter-", Alia explains, handing the documents regarding what she assumes is smuggling of illegal goods to Numalar...
"I can't speak to your timetable, Alia, but for us the charter has no due date. We work at it until it the job is done. I wouldn't want to spend too long here but a couple of days won't make any difference to our charter."
"Though I admit I am at a loss as to where to go next. Perhaps we should try mentioning the names we have learned to various contacts in the city? We could find out more about this Vernon character."
Zokon is a bit lost where to go next so he shall just start going through the papers in more detail.
This takes some time to go through without an enterprising entrepreneur to help, but after some time (enough time to make a long gather info check) you come to several realizations. First, Belia and her fraternal twin brother Vernon are the children of Havish Atcher. Known to Numalar as well as many others as a land-owner and sometime steward and constant supporter of House Lebeda (the most Rostlandic noble House). The man was quite wealthy for a petty noble and minor house functionary. He had interests in numerous civic and social guilds, a sword college, and actually ran the Rubbish Pickers Guild until his untimely death in a duel two months past. As it was not a sanctioned duel the opponent is wanted for questioning but has thus far eluded questioning. At the time of his death Havish's estate went to his children neither of whom were particularly well known--his wife having died years before during her pregnancy due in part to complications resulting from a bout of the plague earlier that year.
That last part apparently resulted in the twins developing a natural case of rodent lycanthopy which in their many correspondences they call their "gift." Most of the letters you have here are those Vernon wrote to his sister. It seems that he is the brains of the operation having felt that their gift left them sidelined socially. He has concocted a suitable revenge to visit upon Brevoy. He's going to drown the City of the Swordlords in filth and pestilence.
He used his father's contacts to buy the Sewer Worker's out and took his father's place as guild master of the Rubbish-Pickers and then used his power to slowly choke off service to the poorest neighborhoods, knowing that none of the nobles would catch on until it was too late. Most of the official paperwork you have points to this. Vernon formed an alliance with a new thieves' guild and their shadowy Guild Master to provide muscle and keep things mum in the Coppers as well as to help he and his sister move "things" around the city unnoticed. He also bribed some public officials to look the other way. Belia the more outdoorsy of the pair, was to breed and train all sorts of scabrous vermin to unleash upon the town when the time was right.
They had only one problem--"That disagreeable little degenerate bastard, Weston." Weston it seems wouldn't sell. Looks as though the man thought he could turn a tidy profit as reports of rodents and other vermin began to rise. "Weston and his ratters" would "have to be dealt with." The rest is pretty much history. It looks like they may have even killed two of the ratters. "How does it feel now!"
One of the letters indicates a boat moored along the riverfront as Vernon's base of operations. Vernon's most recent note mentions having Weston brought there for some sinister sounding purpose. Looks like lot of "things" have gone to the boat.
"Ha! Ha! To the boat!! Zokon declares dramatically. . After seemingly being lost in reading for hours.
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Numalar looks over the paperwork with Zokon.
"Ha! Ha! To the boat!! Zokon declares dramatically. . After seemingly being lost in reading for hours.
"Indeed, it would seem we have the location of this Vernon. It's a boat moored on the river."
"Especially not with the cats in tow. Can't leave them here in the cages, best we deliver them to the Guild for retraining."
Numalar looks over at the cats and raises an eyebrow. "If what these papers say is true, those cats were trained to attack people. And by that I mean indiscriminately. They weren't guard animals; Belia planned on turning such creatures loose upon the city. If they got loose, and came upon some vagrant sleeping in an alley, they would kill him for the sake of it."
"Is there a guild that would take them? Who would not use them for some nefarious purpose?"
Alia looks down at Numalar in surprise: "Why, Keegh, for example. He seems the trustworthy sort that seems able to handle them. Aside, the letters spoke of Vermin being trained. Feral Cat's still eat, and kill the likes of rats to feed on. And they are notoriously hard to train, preferring to do as they please. I've never seen a well-behaved cat accepting commands in my life, unless it was the companion of a caster of sorts. So those ones may well not be beyond redemption."
She then nods to Zokon and packs up the papers near her: "But aye, we should check the boat and end this. We have no time to find out who is and who is not corrupt...Belia will tell her brother of Weston's escape, and they may act on that knowledge, and already have a headstart while we sorted through those papers. We should hurry."
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"We have no time to find out who is and who is not corrupt..."
"We certainly do need to know if Magister Lebeda has been bribed by this Vernon before turning Vernon or his accomplices over to him. That is my main concern; I don't care about the other politicians especially. Of course, if Vernon refuses to be taken alive, the issue may be moot."
"As to the cats... we can always ask the Shepherd, though I think the Church of Erastil is more interested in farm animals. Perhaps we could find a genuine druid somewhere."
"Well, cats are predators, and found on many farms, to keep the mice from the grain...but I understand what you mean. Even if they are feral, we can set them loose in the wilderness...they will return to a normal way of life in time."
Scarlet reads, and reads, and reads, and reads. "Wish my old guildmaster was here. She was the brains of the group. I'm sure she'd love all this readin'..."
"So that's it, huh. We need to get to that boat. And Numular needs to find someone we can turn this into."
"I know why Vernon is so angry. When you're different-" Scarlet subconsciously tugs at her hair, "People can treat you very unfairly. Ostracize and exclude you. I know Vernon won't go down without a fight, but..." Scarlet shakes her head.
"I'd rather exile myself than engineer a plague. Tell me when we're you're ready."
Numalar looks over the paperwork with Zokon.
Alia looks down at Numalar in surprise: "Why, Keegh, for example. He seems the trustworthy sort that seems able to handle them. Aside, the letters spoke of Vermin being trained. Feral Cat's still eat, and kill the likes of rats to feed on. And they are notoriously hard to train, preferring to do as they please. I've never seen a well-behaved cat accepting commands in my life, unless it was the companion of a caster of sorts. So those ones may well not be beyond redemption."
"As to the cats... we can always ask the Shepherd, though I think the Church of Erastil is more interested in farm animals. Perhaps we could find a genuine druid somewhere."
Scarlet fights back tears as she reads about the ratters' deaths and the kidnapped. She stands up and sheathes her weapons. "Let's go. Now."
Something *THUNK*s into the door.
Longsword and Shortsword drawn, Scarlet takes a look outside...
Scarlet, her hands full of weapons, very awkwardly turns the door nob and opens it a crack to find... a three-man funeral procession. There are two men wearing plague doctor's masks, one leaning on a small coffin. The other closer man holding a recently fired crossbow, the bolt of which is lodged in the door. Behind him is an oily looking guy in a dark cloak.
"Bring out yer dead!" He jovially calls out, before looking up. "No squab today?"
"Uh...squab? Oh, the pigeons. Flying Rats. Nah, we chased 'em off."
Scarlet realizes she's brandishing weapons. "Sorry, we thought you might be trouble." She puts her swords away. "Weston isn't here, he left. And we should be moving, too..."
"Oh? And who might you be?" The hooded man (a half-elf) pulls his hood back and smiles a big feral grin that makes it look like he has too many teeth in his mouth. "My friends call me Needles."
His friends spread out a little bit, to give him room to draw in closer.
Zokon moves close and whispers to Scarlet
"Step back so we have numbers"
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Something *THUNK*s into the door.
Numalar starts at the sound and whirls around. He steps back from the door, and he begins mumbling and waving his little symbol around. He presses it to his lips and whispers:
"SuS ghogh!"
Zokon and Scarlet can hear Numalar's voice as if he is whispering in their ears.
"Just whisper and we can hear each other. My new trick."
As the door opens, Numalar peers past Scarlet into the hall.
"Oh? And who might you be?"
Numalar whispers to Scarlet: "No doubt one of Belia's accomplices. He's not likely to be too afraid of someone my size but if you push him he might give us information. I'll start off."
Numalar turns to 'Needles.'
"Well, 'Needles,' I don't think we are friends yet. But let me guess... you must be Vernon and Belia's 'Transpotation Department?' I'm afraid we don't have any dead people here, but there might be a couple dead cats here for you... no wait, they're not quite dead. Well, no matter. The point is the point is there won't be much business coming from Vernon and Belia from now on. So the question is, how loyal are you to those two? Do you wish to go down with Vernon's 'Ship?'"
Noticing the commotion at the door, Alia, while badly hurt, steps closer, staying by the side of the door, hoping to be able to surprise any would-be-attackers, not feeling well enough after all the scratches to risk open battle.
Huh? They're with Vernon and Belia? If you're sure...
"Hmm. Well, what do you know about their ship?" Scarlet steps back a bit. "My friends and I need to know how much of a mess they're makin, and something tells us you have answers..."
Noticing the commotion at the door, Alia, while badly hurt, steps closer, staying by the side of the door, hoping to be able to surprise any would-be-attackers, not feeling well enough after all the scratches to risk open battle.
"Hey, hold on, we don't owe that worm Atcher anything. We just handle delivery through the winding streets of Brevoy. We know the way to his ship's mooring, but beyond that not much. We're paid for discretion you see, so it helps to have a disinterested work ethic." says Needles.
Scarlet breathes another sigh of relief. "That's good. We don't have anything for you to collect. But if you have any directions to where his ship is, we'd be much obliged."
"Of course...." He smiles.
After giving you directions from sewer to the boat, he and his fellows cautiously depart.
"Oh! Thanks! I think..."
Scarlet remembers some of her old geography studies
Or not.
"Did anyone follow that?"