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Also, as we are walking, and while we stop to shop if we do, Janos will try to strike up a conversation with Allara, sense her apprehension to his proximity, but remaining friendly and interested himself, almost as if ignorant of her disdain, “So, what brings such a lady as you here? You really don’t look like the. . . library type. To be honest, I would almost assume a priest, the way that the flame-touched Wadi feels about you.”
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Uninterested in trying to prove superiority, Janos will keep pace with Dakkon as he pushes past everyone. Janos will ask Dakkon off-handedly "So, what warriorly exploits can your sword claim, good sir?".
While his thoughts are sour, Dakkon is well-mannered enough to move past the others gently without shoving them.
"I have fought several skilled swordsmen and am a notable duellist back in Taldor. I was trained by an Elven Blademaster named Nemir, a training that made me who I am today. I hope to let my actions speak for me Janos, I am more comfortable with action than words. My shield is both my defence and my greatest weapon, and my combat style reflect this. Lets hope this outing for the Pathfinders allows me to expand my list of exploits." he says with a wry smile.
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"I persuaded my parents to send me here to Absalom to study magic, figuring that a city this big and well connected would be more likely have the type of knowledge I seek. Asmo...err, the gods willing, I will use that knowledge to return my family to it's right and proper place.
As for Wadi, I have never seen him before today and care not how he feels for me. Yet he may surprise me so I'll suffer the fool, gladly."
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"I have fought several skilled swordsmen and am a notable duellist back in Taldor. I was trained by an Elven Blademaster named Nemir, a training that made me who I am today. I hope to let my actions speak for me Janos, I am more comfortable with action than words. My shield is both my defence and my greatest weapon, and my combat style reflect this. Lets hope this outing for the Pathfinders allows me to expand my list of exploits." he says with a wry smile.
"When I touch your karma, at your flame, I foresee you ascending as a knight marshal. A personal champion of some,. . . king, perhaps. He sits on a throne. He is angry, . . . but not at you. You are his sword against south? Sense power. You look bigger, too. richer, I think. Very stange. You don't seem particularly happier, though until her.
Did you know you are the first of use to kill the dragon that lurks in the shadows belly. It is your test, and you not only succeed, but thrive in usurping it's barier to your family's station and rank as you choose one daughter before the other."
"I persuaded my parents to send me here to Absalom to study magic, figuring that a city this big and well connected would be more likely have the type of knowledge I seek. Asmo...err, the gods willing, I will use that knowledge to return my family to it's right and proper place."
"But you don't know what kind of magic you seek yet.
Your family is misplaced? I am sorry to hear that. My own was killed a long time ago, so I understand what it is to be wronged. Your fathers soul carries strength to you still, though and your own will does set you apart from others of your station and skill. You have nothing to fear of capability, but I think I might have to fear for you if you don't realize in time enough the difference between, . . ., but why does Asmo-err not set things right?"
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As for Wadi, I have never seen him before today and care not how he feels for me. Yet he may surprise me so I'll suffer the fool, gladly."
"Do not underestimate him. His dharma burns hotter than any of the others. No offense, but your's as well. Differently. I can't explain.
But he dies gain and I think will do so again and again when he comes to you. Like seeking a parent to love and be completed by so that he, the child, might go forth to excell more so. Perhaps if you showed him how? You seem to be some sort of ideal he strives to be like, oddly as you two are so different at the core. Your approval seems like worms to his baby birdie. If that makes any sense? He isn't ash. "
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Wadi walks next to Allara and thinks to himself, If Allara believes me a simple fool, unworthy of further notice, it can only be better for me in the long run. She is walking in the locksteps of her chosen path by her rulers, and knows her place here, as do I. Would that our paths would cross closer, she would be a boon companion. She has had her path chosen for her and she walks it gladly. I have also had the path decided for me, But I know best, the best path to walk.
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Nyria listens to the others speak, but keeps her own counsel. She wondered in the back of her mind whether or not any of the others were aiding a secretive faction within the Pathfinders as well. She suspected Allara probably was, but the others seemed so straightforward that they might just be doing things to their own ends.
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Once outside Allara stretches out her arm for a large black bird to land upon.
"Everyone this is Edgar. Edgar these are my companions." Placing the bird on her shoulder she switches to a darker tongue and says to the bird.
To which the bird replies in the same tongue.
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Exiting the lodge, you return to central Absalom. Merchants peddle their wares in the streets while all manner of species go about their day-to-day business. The thick fog has yet to lift; in fact, the clouds overhead have darkened while you were inside.
It's not an especially long walk from here to the Puddles, and following the rough map and directions you were given to Yargos Gill's home, you'll manage it in barely over half an hour.
As you near, and eventually enter, the Puddles, the noise and bustle of the central city dull and fade, to be replaced with an almost oppressive silence. The fog thickens as you near the treacherous waterline that gives the district it's name. Crowds will thin out and beggars will become more frequent, and as the quality of the garb that the pedestrians wear gradually goes down, so does the quality of the buildings you see.
After a while, you'll arrive at a small complex of 'homes' for lack of a better word. True to the nature of the Puddles, these ramshackle, waterlogged wooden hovels seem ill-fit for a sentient creature to live in. You'll turn a corner, then a second, and a third in this miniature shanty town before arriving at a doorway with the name 'Gill' carved into the wood over it.
The door to this particular doorway is hanging on one hinge, and threatening to let go of that hold at any moment. The room beyond, from what you can see outside, is small and only lit by what seeps in through the damaged entrance.
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Perception
"Allara and Nyria, would you check through those books for any clues. Oh, and that codebook, as well. Dakkon, please stand guard, as Wadi and I ask around".
I'm going to cast light on something inside the room, and step back out and take a look around to see see if anyone might be watching the room, or keeping some sort of look out.
Perception (with a Guidance spell)
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Janos, you will find that the only possible witness to what happened is a shabby-dressed man, either drunk or strung out on some substance, sitting on a bench nearby. He appears to have taken at least a moderate interest in the goings-on of Yargos' home.
Searching the rest of the room will be similarly fruitless. Underneath the bed you will find 3 sets of clothes, worn but not dirty, in addition to an inkwell and handful of pens. A tiny desk next to the bed has an unlit candle, the wick burnt about halfway down, and a small stack of papers detailing the events of the Chelish secession from Taldor as observed by a Chelish Colonal. The rest of the room is bare
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"Well...whaddya mean unusual? Like giant monst'rs wif tentacles fer mouths an' nasty crab claws? 'R maybe y'mean 'nusual like a ha' pony ha' gator *HIC* ha' bird?" He stops for a moment to consider what he's just described, and bursts into a fit of giggles and hiccups.
"Nah mister, I ain't seen nothin' unusual, 'xcept summa the Hounders came 'n busted in old Yargos' door. They look'd round for awhile then left in a hurry, they did *HIC* I don' think they found what they was lukin for."
The man momentarily snaps out of his stupor long enough to appraise the clothes and equipment you're wearing, and his face lights up with a grin.
"Spare a copper fer the information t'keep the chill *HIC* outta an ol' war vet'rans bones fer a night? I'd be much obliged, thankeesir."
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Perception 1d20+5
"Dakkon, please stand guard, as Wadi and I ask around".
"I am no simple brute Janos, I am an educated man and as likely to be useful with the books as the rest of you."
Perception Roll
Dakkon will see that the others have mostly busied themselves with the books and the bookshelf, and start to search and rifle through the desk, seeking the Codebook and keeping an eye out for anything interesting.
Search Roll
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The desk has only one drawer and, unfortunately, no codebooks in it. The items it does contain all appear to be Yargos' personal possessions: a hairbrush, spare inkwell, some hard candies, a scarf, and a scratched and bent pair of spectacles.
As you collectively finish searching the tiny home empty-handed, Wadi and Janos will return from their short conversation with the drunkard.
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Nyria tosses one of the books onto the bed with a sigh.
"None of this appears to have any bearing on where our mystery contact has disappeared to," she says, "Perhaps we'll have better luck at the... Soggy Piper, was it?"
"Oh, this place is so depressing, one can hardly blame Yargos for not staying home. Let's go visit this Soggy Piper."
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The Soggy Piper is only a few streets down, no more than a five minute walk at a casual pace. You can see it from several streets away after rounding a corner; the building slouches at a precarious angle and even from a distance, it's easy to tell where the 'Soggy' part of its name comes from.
A building that's been flooded, burned half-way down, rebuilt, and flooded a few more times just for good measure, you all can't help but think that Yargos must like the Soggy Piper because it reminds him of home, but bigger. The building has telltale signs that it was once painted a bright green, but the color has long since faded and chipped into a medley of brown and soft, dull green-yellow. Above the double-door entrance is a carved drawing of a thin, drenching-wet man with a feather in his sagging hat playing a pipe flute.
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Dakkon sighs heavily as he is forced to trudge through more disgusting, dirty district in order to get to the Soggy Piper; a sore sight indeed.
May my Lord in Iron grant me the patience to deal with these slums and their filthy inhabitants, and the strength to destroy those who would hinder our task Dakkon thinks to himself.
"I'm just going to have a look around the building for other exits before we enter... I don't want any surprises..."
Dakkon does a circuit of the building, looking specifically for any other entrances to it and possible escape avenues.
Perception Roll
Search Roll
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D20-3 Perception Roll
D20+3 Search Roll
Perception for Dakkon
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Wadi walks into the establishment looking around him. He senses something unusual, but cannot determine the cause. The girl who looked like she dropped the plate, bears watching. He walks over to the bar and motions to the fat bartender, "Hello, there innkeep, I'll take an ale, and what is the special for dinner?"
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Perception
Sense Motive
Failing to notice anything wrong, Janos will take out his money pouch and and starts to toss it in his hand, casually, "So who wants to tell me of the Hounders? Or where I can find one Yargos Gill?", directed at everyone in the place.
Diplomacy (+1 from previous Touch of Glory)
(or another roll that is more appropriate?)
I'd have also like to at least sift through his books for anything related to the Eagle Knights or a diary, or the like.
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To Dakkon
"I am no simple brute Janos, I am an educated man and as likely to be useful with the books as the rest of you."
Man, I didn't realize people would finally start jumping in the game so much. I would have responded tha I thought it wise that you be in a good position to help protect eithr of our groups if someone did attack by staying in a middle position between us. Not out of disrespect as much as smart tactics. I figured that he wizard and alchimest would be more inclined to search while the two more charasmatic characters could talk to people, but we zipped right past that without really even trying. :)
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"So who wants to tell me of the Hounders? Or where I can find one Yargos Gill?"
As soon as you mention the Hounders, the fat man behind the bar snaps his attention on you. Listening intently to your other question, he'll quickly respond.
"What do you want with Yargos? You're not with the guard, so who sent you? It doesn't make any difference. As luck would have it, you just missed Yargos."
He points toward the mess that the barmaid is almost done cleaning.
"Not five minutes ago, Yargos was eating in that very seat with a few friends, when a bunch of no-good War Hounder thugs came in and took him. Yargos is too old to put up much of a fight, and was never strong even when he was young, so they had no trouble with him.
"The thugs took him and all three of his friends and fled toward the sea line. We've sent after the city guard but they'll be late, to a problem in the Puddles. If you want to speak to Yargos while he's still alive, you'd best run as fast as you can."
With that, he walks out from behind the bar, towards the entrance, opens the door, and points down a street perpendicular to the one you approached from.
They took them that way. I'd send my sons after him but, well, we can't afford to get involved in the gang wars. I can't imagine what they'd want poor Yargos for though...."
She looks at the small girl cleaning up the mess and goes over to help.
"Have a spot of trouble recently?" she says, trying to be nice and friendly.
Glancing up at you, the thin girl timidly responds, "Yes'm, the Hounders came in and made a good mess here. Wanted something from Yargos, they did, or they just wanted to take him. Took his friends too! 's a good thing my pa charges up front at the least."
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"There were about five, maybe six, ma'am. They said something to him, but not loudly and I couldn't hear what they said."
The girl finishes clearing up the broken glass, taking a shy glance at Allara as she stands up and moves to begin mopping the floor.
"I'm afraid that's all I know ma'am. I hope you can help Yargos, he's always been kind and told the best stories. If you'll excuse me...."
With that, she focuses intently on mopping up the last of the mess. As she does so, Wadi, Nyria, and the others finish their short exchange with the owner, and quickly head towards the door.
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For th Drunk man, I would have liked to ask if Yargos had any enemies?
"Can't say I know *HIC* him *HIC* well enough t' answer that, but I'd guess he does from the way they was treat'n his home!"
Who/what the Hounders are?
"They goes by the name War Hounders, and them's a small but mean gang of no-gooders. Not sure who they follow, but you'll know 'em when you see's 'em."
About the Soggy Pipe, and lastly, if he has seen or heard any romurs about hooded people that seem very silent and mist and fog seems to follow?
"I see's lots of hooded people, but nothin' too strange. O' course, *HIC* I also don't get 'round much these days, so I can't say I seen what you're talking about...."