-History: 6. (if Hunter's Bane applies, here's the advantage roll: 15)

Doozey nodded along where appropriate but found himself visibly taken aback at the mention of 'Grimshack Brothers'. A weird thought tangent has him wondering if the brothers were in any way related to the Brothers Grimm, famous authors and rumored ex-Bloodhunters belonging that belonged to the Mud Blood Order, only to immediately shake his head and mentally chide himself. Once more pen is put to parchment by the time Sagin began serving lunch. But when Sagin came around to him, he asks of the group's kobold compatriot, "If mobba mush troubo, bring up ciber for me? Abso, uhm..."

Doozey trails off for a moment, before saying in rough Yipyak(kobold dialect of draconic):

 While Doozey patiently let Sagin stew of the words, Taters more than happily dug into his meal, though pointedly put any cheese in his spread on Doozey's plate.

Once Doozey had his answer he thanked Sagin, before finishing his writing and passing the parchment back to Branden. The next lines reads as followed:

'This might sound silly to ask, but do you know of any other 3rd party making a more proactive effort to deal with the bandits, or who've alluded to doing so in the near future? Also, just so its know that we do appreciate your time and thank you for speaking with us'

History: 4

Tactical Mind (if it didn't pass): 1

(@Ori: Unfortunately, Hunter's Bane does not apply to this particular check.)

(@Drache: The check still fails, so you may keep your use of Second Wind.)

Everyone is left with a sense that they have heard the name Grimshackle before, but can't quite place it at the moment.You all exchange looks, hoping that a companion may help you remember an additional detail. Raist feels he is close to remembering at one point, and Neya's mind works overtime. But alas, it was not meant to be. Not even Doozey's thought regarding the Brothers Grimm make for a sensible connection. Soon, the aroma of warm food makes you forget the passing thought altogether. Utar is the first to dig in, followed by Taters.

Amid serving the food, Sagin pauses to confirm Doozey's choice of drink and switches to Yipyak almost unconsciously when the halfling begins using that language:

@Doozey (Yipyak):

Sagin looks confused and waits for Doozey to offer any clarification. He then exits to retrieve a mug of cider. He is more than willing to continue the conversation upon his return.

Fielding a question himself, Branden speaks up after politely swallowing a bit of cabbage salad: "You are very welcome. Thank you for listening to my plea. And while I do not know of another party currently looking into this one way or the other, I wouldn't rule it out."

Changing subjects, the noble merchant adds: "If you plan to visit Grimshackle Jail, let me give you a warning: the brothers are as corrupt as they come. Outlaws sold to the Grimshackles are typically ransomed off to anyone who will pay, be it those who serve the law or those who operate outside of it. If you'll have me, I would like to offer to accompany you to the jail, so that I can cover any fees that the Grimshackle brothers might levy. It wouldn't be too noble of me to expect you to pay for such unsavory business."

"That is a generous offer, Branden.  Likely one that we would be eager to take you up on."

Raist rubs his chin. "Grimshackle sounds vaguely familiar but I just can't place it.   But then again i have been out of town for a while.  They sound like a rather unsavory sort though"

"Sounds like they're mere steps away from being slavers. But if the prisoner is our best lead, the we've little choice but to go and meet them." 

Doozey had quickly shook his head, before then offering some clarification in Yipyak along with a thanks prior to leaving Sagin to his duties.

@Sagin:

 With that matter settled for the moment, Doozey finally began digging into his own meal. But if anyone looked his way for further confirmation of the next step, he just smirks, nods, then pointed to his own food as if to indicate 'after the meal'.

Branden places a gentle hand on his chest and bows forward no more than a few inches to indicate that he appreciates Utar's kind words of gratitude. He then turns to Raist and non-verbally agrees with the elf's sentiment. He does much the same regarding Neya's sentiment.

In the meantime, Sagin listen's to Doozey's next words in YipYak and looks pensive. He spends the next several minutes in the corner, trying to rack his brain for an answer.

While continuing to enjoy his cabbage salad, Brendan takes advantage of a break in the conversation to make his next point: "I would like to make one more request. House Cadorna has lost a small fortune to these bandits, but nothing compares to losing the Heart of Myth Drannor. This is a beautiful emerald necklace shaped like a heart that was being transported to Phlan and serves as a symbol of the house’s allegiances. We would very much like to have it recovered should you confront these outlaws, and we are ready to reward this rescue with additional boons." 

History check to see if Raist knows about this necklace

18

"So when should we go see this prisoner?"

"I suppose as soon as we're able. Time is of the essence and we seem to be already behind schedule."

Sagin approaches Doozey and speaks in Yipyak again.

@Doozey (Yipyak):

Branden sips on his tea and replies to Neya's comment: "While I am bolstered by your vigor an enthusiasm, I am sure we can finish this meal, can we not? Also, while this issue still persist, may I suggest you secure your lovely home? I wouldn't want it to be targeted by hungry rioters like my cart was. Speaking of which, would it be much of a bother to leave my wagon in your stable while I accompany you to the Grimshackle Jail?"

While the side conversation continues, Raist concentrates for a moment.

@Raist (history):

Doozey replied with a small but assuring smile again in Yipyak.

@Sagin(Yipyak):

 Turning his attention next to Branden, the halfling nodded sagely paused long enough in finishing his meal to fetch a pair of statuettes from his person: One of a Onyx Dog, and the other a Silver Raven. When next he sees a chance to grab Sagin's attention, he offers the pair along with instructions both how to summon them, rough idea of what they were capable of, and to only use them in case of emergencies. He puts a hand on the Kobold's shoulder afterwards and adds in Yipyak:

@Sagin:

Utar shrugs, "Don't see why not, although we likely cannot secure it for you indefinitely."

Clocking Doozey handing over his statuettes, Utar adds "Doozey, Sagin, could you both help me in securing the house before we leave?"

Sagin nods to show appreciation for Doozey's words. He then returns to the kitchen momentarily. When Sagin them comes back to the dining area to refill tea cups, Doozey catches his attention once more. Meanwhile, Branden responds to Utar's comment: "Oh do not worry, my dear host. It would be for just as long as it takes us to return here after visiting the jail."

Hearing Branden's suggestion, Doozey begins securing the home by arming Sagin to the teeth. In addition to the wand he has been practicing with, the little kobold is now armed with two magical statuettes. He promises to only use them in emergencies. Utar pays attention to the exchange and invites the halfling and the kobold to help secure other portions of the house. The three of them walk into the next room over.

Neya and Raist are left at the table with Branden. The merchant pulls some sort of parchment from his belongings and offers it to both the elf and the human. He explains: "This is my map of the area. You are well acquainted with it, of course, but I have Grimshackle Jail marked up on mine, so you can keep it for reference." He points to the jail marker on the map: "It is right here, you see... a bit away from the city proper but not too far from the margins of the Stojanow River, some 25 miles away as the crow flies."

Both Neya and Raist are quite familiar with the area. You deduce you would have to follow the northbound Stojanow Trail for some time before switching to some smaller country roads to reach the jail. Neya would note that this is not too far from the town of Kabel's Hill, which CRAP visited recently.

BRANDEN'S MAP:

Utar waits until they are out of earshot, then turns to his friends. "I feel like we might be serving many masters on this one. Can we enlist Gravy to deliver a message to Captain Burrall as I doubt we're getting anywhere near Blackfist HQ anytime soon. It would be good to have her input. Also, do we think Ekmong would have a view on House Cardona? It would be good to check with him before we leave town if we can."

Raist pulls out parchment and a quill and ink and quickly makes a copy.of the map

"We've been on part of that route only briefly, so we don't know too much about it. Are there any hazards we should be aware of as we travel to the Jail?"

IN THE DINING ROOM

(@Red: Give me a survival check so we can get a sense of how faithful or how stylized Raist's copy of the map comes out to be.)

Turning to Neya, the merchant looks a bit unsure: "We'll have to follow some smaller roads if we want to walk alongside the river. It is a sure way to reach the jail but it may be more prone to the odd encounter with highwaymen or wandering beasts. I heard the giant toads who populate the river can be a bit of a nuisance. Have you ever seen one? Also, should the group prefer a faster pace than a stroll, we can hire either horses at the stables or a river barge. The latter should be a bit harder to find than usual, given the increased risk to river traders in these riot-prone times, and I'd expect them to charge a premium. Either option would be faster than hiking, surely."

IN A SEPARATE ROOM

Sagin removes the Silver Raven statuette from his pocket and puts it in plain sight so that Utar and Doozey can come to an agreement. 

Humming to himself and sipping his tea as Raist copies

Survival: 9

Doozey at least appeared thoughtful of the suggestion before shaking his head. He then makes a slashing motion at his throat by way of explanation, before gently nudging the statue back in Sagin's direction. If Utar still looked unconvinced it is then that the stoutling sighed and jot down a message to hand over to the cleric. It reads as followed:

'Gravy is too unique to be mistaken for the typical messanger bird. And with things being as tense as they are, I'm not chancing getting him shot down and stolen by them.'
'Also, if yer suggesting it 'cause your own miracles haven't been working, odds are sending Gravy wasn't gonna be much help either'

By the time Utar was done reading the message he'd see Doozey giving him narrowed eyed look in suspicion while absent-mindedly petting Taters. "I'be, ehh... bes' save visimb of Emom for afer, uhh.. prism visim, simce we, uh... wemm-..." Doozey makes offhanded gesture in the rough direction in which the trio had left the rest of the party with Branden. Doozey then motions to have the parchment back, before jotting down another message for Utar that reads: "If only for courtesy sake, we'll need to escort Branden back to town once we're down at the jail. So, seeing Ekmong can wait 'till then. But, it's a fine idea. Perhaps we might even be able to persuade Mr. Dornal to part with a bit of extra coin for the added service while we're at it?"