"Very good Aubreen I will head over to the Eastside and see what lodging I can arrange for the group and see if they have some warm meals for us."
On the way to the Eastside Zenos will keep his eyes open for anything unusual. Stepping inside he will have a good look around and if possible have a seat at the bar.
Perrin sticks to himself for the most part as they trek across the frozen wasteland between towns. After all, he couldn’t really add much to the conversation even if he tried. He was grateful to be leaving Targos so quickly. It would take him a long time to recover mentally from being the most recent sacrifice to Auril. Turns out, being ripped away from your family and then tossed out into a blizzard to freeze to death was quite the traumatic experience.
As talk of finding a place to sleep tonight starts to happen, Perrin nods emphatically in agreement and repeats Zenos’s words of, “Find a place out of the weather.”
With the town guards They come to a halt upon spotting you, clearly cautious but not drawing weapons. They look at each other upon being questioned.
"Torrga eh? Dwarf merchant with human companions? Her company arrived here yesterday I think. They spent most of today in the market. That man was with her alright, wearing naught but a summer's outfit."
The Blue Clam Aubreen finds this dockside tavern well occupied with fishermen celebrating the days catch. The building has a long open hearth in the middle, around which most patrons are crowded. There is a half-orc man behind the counter, working at pace to slake the thirst of his customers. No sight of Torrga anywhere.
But as you enter, you almost collide with someone that was about to leave. The lightly dressed man sidesteps you with a sway, spilling a bit of the bottle he's holding in one hand. Eyes of ice survey Aubreens exterior. "Watch your step fella."
Sephek continues on his way, taking a large swig from his bottle. Seems to be headed for the northern outskirts of town.
Sephek
The Eastside Zenos and Perrin, you enter an inn with a cold but welcomingly decorated common room. What looks from the outside like separate houses turns out to be a single structure with rooms connected by underground passages, with cozy guest accommodations in the cellar. Running the place is a willowy teenager who introduces herself as Marta. "Looking for a room?" she asks, almost as soon as you enter.
A dwarven woman and humans (1 woman, 3 men) sit around one of the tables, engaged in a dice game. The only one missing is the man with eyes of ice.
Zenos "Good evening Marta, I hope this evening finds you well". Putting my hand on Perrins shoulder, " My companions and I would be grateful if there were four beds available and a few hot meals if it is not to much trouble." Hopefully a table is available where we can sit have a chat and some food, also a place to observe the group and maybe eavesdrop on the group playing dice, or a quiet conversation with Marta.
Sirius has joined Zenos and Perrin in going to The Eastside as he feels pretty exhausted from the travel of the day. Sirius gives Marta a polite nod as they enter but lets Zenos do the talking.
As soon as Sirius clocks the company at the table playing dice, his exhaustion vanishes in an instant. Sirius immediately tries to identify the best table to eavesdrop on them from. As soon as the interaction with Marta is over, Sirius goes to the closest empty table inviting his companions to join him.
Sirius gives a quick and mumbled prayer to the Triad and uses a technique his father taught him that he called Divine Sense. Sirius tries to suss out if the company has some extraplanar qualities though he doubts the possibility. If any one of them is a celestial, fiend or undead it is Sephek but it doesn't hurt to be careful.
(OOC: Sirius only uses divine sense if it's subtle enough not to be noticed by the company. I don't think it requires somatic or verbal components but I may be wrong.)
(OOC: Sirius: since that feature is not a spell and has no wording to the contrary, I agree that it can be used without drawing notice)
The Eastside
Marta gives a bit of a strained smile at Zeno's question, but says "It's going well. Lots of guests today." She moves her head to indicate the dice-playing group. "I hope your trip wasn't too exhausting.", she says with a side-eye towards Perrin's beak and Zenos' horns. There is an unasked question in that statement. But she continues, "We have rooms for 8 silver per night with two beds each. You'll also get a good breakfast for that price."
There are three tables in the room, one being occupied by Torrgs and the others empty. An old man huddled in a blanket sits in a chair close to the hearth.
With his silent technique, Sirius realizes that none of them are intruders upon this plane.
Zenos, Sirius (Perception: 5, 11): The only understandable words from group at the other table are related to the game they're playing ("That's third win in a row, damn you!", "What can I say, I'm Tymoras chosen!"). There is little casual conversation going on. You can't tell if thats just who they are or if they are cautious due to your presence.
Sirius sits at the closest table to the company and orders a stew and an ale and pays his share for a room. Sirius eats the stew, drinks the ale and absent-mindedly starts plucking hairs off his fur coat while waiting for Aubreen to come to The Eastside or for the company to make a move.
If the company retires to go to sleep in The Eastside, Sirius keeps on waiting for Aubreen at the table.
However if they get up to leave the establishment, Sirius waits for them to leave and then quickly tries to get one of his companions to shadow them. "I think it's far too late for travel, especially as they do not even know they are being chased. I am far too cumbersome in my heavy armor, I think it would be better if one of you could shadow them to see where they are going." Addressing the one that wants to go Sirius continues: "as soon as they enter a building, come back here and get the rest of us."
Zenos to Marta "Two rooms should do us for the evening. I thank you very much for the warm place tonight and for the food and beverages. Have you any thoughts about the other group playing dice, perhaps what they are up to or where they are going, as I am always looking for interesting tales to put into my stories? You see I travel the lands trading and love to gather tales of interest, intrigue, and great deeds, and sometimes scandals. Come on I know you have some tales to tell?"
Someone loses one too many times at the dice table. One of the men stands up, grumbles something about "crooked dice" and then heads down the stairs to the guest rooms. The rest continue playing.
Zenos (Persuasion: 24); The innkeeper looks unsure upon Zenos' question, but answers quietly out of earshot of Torrga. "They're merchants. Torrg's has been through here before. They usually head up to Lonelywood and then back again. They keep the towns supplied and safe. It's not a good idea to get on their bad side." Marta frequently glances at the dice-playing table while explaining. Finally she excuses herself and disappears into the kitchen to prepare the ordered food and drink. No other employees are to be seen.
After the conversation with Marta, Zenos finds Torrga looking at him form across the room. The dwarf keeps up the eye contact until one of the other people on the table realizes and also looks over his shoulder. There is an uncomfortable silence.
One of the men rolls another set of dice. The sound breaks the spell and everyone turns back to the game.
Zenos, Perrin, Sirius (Insight: 11, 10, 7): You're not sure what just happened.
Anyone: subtract 2x 8 sp for the rooms Sirius: subtract 1 sp 4 cp for stew and ale
Sirius pays for one of the rooms in full. Aubreen paid to reward the guard, it's only fair it's my turn to pay now.
As the uncomfortable silence sets in, Sirius remains at the table and stops fiddling with his fur coat. His left hand instinctually reaches for the wooden handle of an already bloody ice pick he's been carrying on his belt since he won it in a card game in Bryn Shander. As he consciously realizes what his left hand is reaching for, he quickly he withdraws it, wary of escalating the already tense situation.
As the dice are rolled again, Sirius relaxes a bit but remains vigilant for any aggressive intentions the group may be up to.
Zenos takes care of paying for the other room. Starting to whisper to the others at the table "well that was uncomfortable, I wonder what their problem is. Maybe they just have not seen such a magnificent specimen of a man as I am, yes that is probably it. Anyway what do you all want to do, sit and watch in shifts or just hang out? Maybe go ask to join them and take all their money, yea lets do that!"
Sirius, emboldened by Zenos' suggestion, gets up and approaches the table with him and addresses the dwarf this time skipping his usual introduction. "We have had a long day on the road and would love to unwind a bit. You seem like you're having a good time. Do you have room for us three to join your game?"
The four people still sitting at the table look back up as Sirius approaches. (Persuasion with disavantage: 17, 6) Torrga frowns and says "You're not the only one who had a long day mate. To relax, I play games with people I know. I don't know your face, or those of your companions. If you wanna trade, you'll find me in a better mood at the market tomorrow."
"Oh an another thing." The dwarf looks pointedly in Zenos' direction. "You better don't bother the innkeeper. She's a friend of ours."
Aubreen watches Sephek disappear around a corner, struggling with the decision to follow or let him walk away. The grumbling in his stomach and late hour makes the decision for him as he wanders back over the the Eastside, hoping his companions have secured something to eat. Dry rations are not very enticing at the moment.
As Aubreen arrives at the Eastside, Torrgas group is getting ready to finish up their game and they're heading down the stairs to the rooms. The people still in the room are all of you, Marta and the old man by the fireplace.
While cleaning and preparing food, the girl is softly singing to herself.
Perrin’s grateful for the warmth of the inn as the group starts to settle in. After the whole fiasco involving Torrga and her gang, Perrin finds himself deep in thought. He sure did wish there was a way that they could eavesdrop on the group and learn more about their plans. The lady working here mentioned that Torrga’s pals traveled a lot to Lonelywood. Maybe they had a base of operations there?
He notes Aubreen’s entrance with some interest. Hopefully he found out some good information. He turns his attention to girl singing the song. Idly, he memorizes the tune and the words without much effort. He hadn’t heard that song before, but it was sorta catchy. While not a musician himself, he did enjoy music and songs.
Zenos thinking that could have gone better but at least it didn't go worst. "Welcome Aubreen I hope you have some news? As you just missed a rather lively group of merchants"
Aubreen shovels the stew into his mouth like a man who hasn't eaten in days. "Marta, can i get a second please, and any chance for a hunk of bread to help sop up this delicious broth?" He waits for her to bring a second helping and wander away before surveying the others.
"We need a plan" he mumbles with a mouthful of stew, "We have tracked our quarry, discovered their habits, even their future course of action. It appears they travel with a crew but spend their evenings alone. It shouldn't be difficult to get them alone." Aubreen contemplates his next thought before continuing "Still we have only an accusation without any actual proof, do we simply confront them with the suspicion and see how they react, keep the names out, we dont know who may be listening" Aubreen eyes the old man and Marta, nodding to his companions. "What suggestions do the lot of you have for moving forward with this task?"
"Just to be on the safe side I think we should keep a watch tonight, to know for sure of the comings and goings and not become surprised when our suspicions are revealed as false.
After delivering the second helpings with a smile, Marta heads over to the old man and speaks to him for a while in a low voice. Pulling up a stool, she sets down a bowl of gruel next to him. The man is wrapped up in furs and its not clear if he responds to Marta. She stays there, only getting up to fulfill any additional orders.
Torrga and her companions stay in their rooms safe for using the outhouse occasionally. Sephek does not make an appearance as the time goes by.
Sirius speaks in a low voice to try to avoid Marta and the old man from hearing the conversation. ”I think we have a couple of options on how to proceed. We can confront the company right away or we can try to nap one of them on the way to the outhouse and try to intimidate them into talking. I’d imagine both of these would probably turn hostile very fast.” Sirius finishes his ale and continues. ”We could also try to approach this with fresh eyes in the morning. Maybe Sephek will even come here. Though I’m not sure whether that’s good or bad for us. If we decide to sleep the night, I think we should take shifts to make sure they don’t slip past us.”
”I think we should settle this in the morning after a good rest, though I am open to settling it right away if you so wish.” Sirius looks around at his companions for their input on the next move. ”I can take first watch.”
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"Very good Aubreen I will head over to the Eastside and see what lodging I can arrange for the group and see if they have some warm meals for us."
On the way to the Eastside Zenos will keep his eyes open for anything unusual. Stepping inside he will have a good look around and if possible have a seat at the bar.
Perrin sticks to himself for the most part as they trek across the frozen wasteland between towns. After all, he couldn’t really add much to the conversation even if he tried. He was grateful to be leaving Targos so quickly. It would take him a long time to recover mentally from being the most recent sacrifice to Auril. Turns out, being ripped away from your family and then tossed out into a blizzard to freeze to death was quite the traumatic experience.
As talk of finding a place to sleep tonight starts to happen, Perrin nods emphatically in agreement and repeats Zenos’s words of, “Find a place out of the weather.”
With the town guards
They come to a halt upon spotting you, clearly cautious but not drawing weapons. They look at each other upon being questioned.
"Torrga eh? Dwarf merchant with human companions? Her company arrived here yesterday I think. They spent most of today in the market. That man was with her alright, wearing naught but a summer's outfit."
The Blue Clam
Aubreen finds this dockside tavern well occupied with fishermen celebrating the days catch. The building has a long open hearth in the middle, around which most patrons are crowded. There is a half-orc man behind the counter, working at pace to slake the thirst of his customers. No sight of Torrga anywhere.
But as you enter, you almost collide with someone that was about to leave. The lightly dressed man sidesteps you with a sway, spilling a bit of the bottle he's holding in one hand. Eyes of ice survey Aubreens exterior. "Watch your step fella."
Sephek continues on his way, taking a large swig from his bottle. Seems to be headed for the northern outskirts of town.
Sephek
The Eastside
Zenos and Perrin, you enter an inn with a cold but welcomingly decorated common room. What looks from the outside like separate houses turns out to be a single structure with rooms connected by underground passages, with cozy guest accommodations in the cellar. Running the place is a willowy teenager who introduces herself as Marta. "Looking for a room?" she asks, almost as soon as you enter.
A dwarven woman and humans (1 woman, 3 men) sit around one of the tables, engaged in a dice game. The only one missing is the man with eyes of ice.
Torrga
Zenos "Good evening Marta, I hope this evening finds you well". Putting my hand on Perrins shoulder, " My companions and I would be grateful if there were four beds available and a few hot meals if it is not to much trouble." Hopefully a table is available where we can sit have a chat and some food, also a place to observe the group and maybe eavesdrop on the group playing dice, or a quiet conversation with Marta.
Sirius has joined Zenos and Perrin in going to The Eastside as he feels pretty exhausted from the travel of the day. Sirius gives Marta a polite nod as they enter but lets Zenos do the talking.
As soon as Sirius clocks the company at the table playing dice, his exhaustion vanishes in an instant. Sirius immediately tries to identify the best table to eavesdrop on them from. As soon as the interaction with Marta is over, Sirius goes to the closest empty table inviting his companions to join him.
Sirius gives a quick and mumbled prayer to the Triad and uses a technique his father taught him that he called Divine Sense. Sirius tries to suss out if the company has some extraplanar qualities though he doubts the possibility. If any one of them is a celestial, fiend or undead it is Sephek but it doesn't hurt to be careful.
(OOC: Sirius only uses divine sense if it's subtle enough not to be noticed by the company. I don't think it requires somatic or verbal components but I may be wrong.)
(OOC: Sirius: since that feature is not a spell and has no wording to the contrary, I agree that it can be used without drawing notice)
The Eastside
Marta gives a bit of a strained smile at Zeno's question, but says "It's going well. Lots of guests today." She moves her head to indicate the dice-playing group.
"I hope your trip wasn't too exhausting.", she says with a side-eye towards Perrin's beak and Zenos' horns. There is an unasked question in that statement. But she continues, "We have rooms for 8 silver per night with two beds each. You'll also get a good breakfast for that price."
There are three tables in the room, one being occupied by Torrgs and the others empty. An old man huddled in a blanket sits in a chair close to the hearth.
With his silent technique, Sirius realizes that none of them are intruders upon this plane.
Zenos, Sirius (Perception: 5, 11): The only understandable words from group at the other table are related to the game they're playing ("That's third win in a row, damn you!", "What can I say, I'm Tymoras chosen!"). There is little casual conversation going on. You can't tell if thats just who they are or if they are cautious due to your presence.
Sirius sits at the closest table to the company and orders a stew and an ale and pays his share for a room. Sirius eats the stew, drinks the ale and absent-mindedly starts plucking hairs off his fur coat while waiting for Aubreen to come to The Eastside or for the company to make a move.
If the company retires to go to sleep in The Eastside, Sirius keeps on waiting for Aubreen at the table.
However if they get up to leave the establishment, Sirius waits for them to leave and then quickly tries to get one of his companions to shadow them. "I think it's far too late for travel, especially as they do not even know they are being chased. I am far too cumbersome in my heavy armor, I think it would be better if one of you could shadow them to see where they are going." Addressing the one that wants to go Sirius continues: "as soon as they enter a building, come back here and get the rest of us."
Zenos to Marta "Two rooms should do us for the evening. I thank you very much for the warm place tonight and for the food and beverages. Have you any thoughts about the other group playing dice, perhaps what they are up to or where they are going, as I am always looking for interesting tales to put into my stories? You see I travel the lands trading and love to gather tales of interest, intrigue, and great deeds, and sometimes scandals. Come on I know you have some tales to tell?"
The Eastside
Someone loses one too many times at the dice table. One of the men stands up, grumbles something about "crooked dice" and then heads down the stairs to the guest rooms. The rest continue playing.
Zenos (Persuasion: 24); The innkeeper looks unsure upon Zenos' question, but answers quietly out of earshot of Torrga. "They're merchants. Torrg's has been through here before. They usually head up to Lonelywood and then back again. They keep the towns supplied and safe. It's not a good idea to get on their bad side." Marta frequently glances at the dice-playing table while explaining. Finally she excuses herself and disappears into the kitchen to prepare the ordered food and drink. No other employees are to be seen.
After the conversation with Marta, Zenos finds Torrga looking at him form across the room. The dwarf keeps up the eye contact until one of the other people on the table realizes and also looks over his shoulder. There is an uncomfortable silence.
One of the men rolls another set of dice. The sound breaks the spell and everyone turns back to the game.
Zenos, Perrin, Sirius (Insight: 11, 10, 7): You're not sure what just happened.
Anyone: subtract 2x 8 sp for the rooms
Sirius: subtract 1 sp 4 cp for stew and ale
Sirius pays for one of the rooms in full. Aubreen paid to reward the guard, it's only fair it's my turn to pay now.
As the uncomfortable silence sets in, Sirius remains at the table and stops fiddling with his fur coat. His left hand instinctually reaches for the wooden handle of an already bloody ice pick he's been carrying on his belt since he won it in a card game in Bryn Shander. As he consciously realizes what his left hand is reaching for, he quickly he withdraws it, wary of escalating the already tense situation.
As the dice are rolled again, Sirius relaxes a bit but remains vigilant for any aggressive intentions the group may be up to.
Zenos takes care of paying for the other room. Starting to whisper to the others at the table "well that was uncomfortable, I wonder what their problem is. Maybe they just have not seen such a magnificent specimen of a man as I am, yes that is probably it. Anyway what do you all want to do, sit and watch in shifts or just hang out? Maybe go ask to join them and take all their money, yea lets do that!"
Sirius, emboldened by Zenos' suggestion, gets up and approaches the table with him and addresses the dwarf this time skipping his usual introduction. "We have had a long day on the road and would love to unwind a bit. You seem like you're having a good time. Do you have room for us three to join your game?"
The four people still sitting at the table look back up as Sirius approaches. (Persuasion with disavantage: 17, 6)
Torrga frowns and says "You're not the only one who had a long day mate. To relax, I play games with people I know. I don't know your face, or those of your companions. If you wanna trade, you'll find me in a better mood at the market tomorrow."
"Oh an another thing." The dwarf looks pointedly in Zenos' direction.
"You better don't bother the innkeeper. She's a friend of ours."
Aubreen watches Sephek disappear around a corner, struggling with the decision to follow or let him walk away. The grumbling in his stomach and late hour makes the decision for him as he wanders back over the the Eastside, hoping his companions have secured something to eat. Dry rations are not very enticing at the moment.
As Aubreen arrives at the Eastside, Torrgas group is getting ready to finish up their game and they're heading down the stairs to the rooms. The people still in the room are all of you, Marta and the old man by the fireplace.
While cleaning and preparing food, the girl is softly singing to herself.
Perrin’s grateful for the warmth of the inn as the group starts to settle in. After the whole fiasco involving Torrga and her gang, Perrin finds himself deep in thought. He sure did wish there was a way that they could eavesdrop on the group and learn more about their plans. The lady working here mentioned that Torrga’s pals traveled a lot to Lonelywood. Maybe they had a base of operations there?
He notes Aubreen’s entrance with some interest. Hopefully he found out some good information. He turns his attention to girl singing the song. Idly, he memorizes the tune and the words without much effort. He hadn’t heard that song before, but it was sorta catchy. While not a musician himself, he did enjoy music and songs.
Zenos thinking that could have gone better but at least it didn't go worst. "Welcome Aubreen I hope you have some news? As you just missed a rather lively group of merchants"
Aubreen shovels the stew into his mouth like a man who hasn't eaten in days. "Marta, can i get a second please, and any chance for a hunk of bread to help sop up this delicious broth?" He waits for her to bring a second helping and wander away before surveying the others.
"We need a plan" he mumbles with a mouthful of stew, "We have tracked our quarry, discovered their habits, even their future course of action. It appears they travel with a crew but spend their evenings alone. It shouldn't be difficult to get them alone." Aubreen contemplates his next thought before continuing "Still we have only an accusation without any actual proof, do we simply confront them with the suspicion and see how they react, keep the names out, we dont know who may be listening" Aubreen eyes the old man and Marta, nodding to his companions. "What suggestions do the lot of you have for moving forward with this task?"
"Just to be on the safe side I think we should keep a watch tonight, to know for sure of the comings and goings and not become surprised when our suspicions are revealed as false.
After delivering the second helpings with a smile, Marta heads over to the old man and speaks to him for a while in a low voice. Pulling up a stool, she sets down a bowl of gruel next to him. The man is wrapped up in furs and its not clear if he responds to Marta. She stays there, only getting up to fulfill any additional orders.
Torrga and her companions stay in their rooms safe for using the outhouse occasionally. Sephek does not make an appearance as the time goes by.
Aubreen: 1 sp 4 cp for food and drink
Sirius speaks in a low voice to try to avoid Marta and the old man from hearing the conversation. ”I think we have a couple of options on how to proceed. We can confront the company right away or we can try to nap one of them on the way to the outhouse and try to intimidate them into talking. I’d imagine both of these would probably turn hostile very fast.” Sirius finishes his ale and continues. ”We could also try to approach this with fresh eyes in the morning. Maybe Sephek will even come here. Though I’m not sure whether that’s good or bad for us. If we decide to sleep the night, I think we should take shifts to make sure they don’t slip past us.”
”I think we should settle this in the morning after a good rest, though I am open to settling it right away if you so wish.” Sirius looks around at his companions for their input on the next move. ”I can take first watch.”