Griff unlatches his maul off his back and lets it drop to the ground beside him with a sickening thud he locks eyes with the man. "I am a man of justice. i believe in doing right. And I have a big problem with wrongdoers... I am here, trying to do something right. I'm trying to stop a notorious thief. You are standing there with information you chose not to share because of your greed. That doesn't sound like a good person to me." he says in a low growl then mumbles some draconic to the man as well.
Looking towards Griffdar. "If you think you are the first to threaten me sir, then you are sorely mistaken. Murder is a crime in this city, and the punishment for that crime is death. And, I always have witnesses if you try anything," Gaxly retorts back to Griffdar's threat.
"Information is valuable, and information is my trade, I don't provide the newspapers for free, so why would I give out free information, when even public knowledge can have a cost. I'm a businessman, not a charity."
Briga tries to calm Griff, placing a hand gently on his forearm. "It's OK, man. I get it. You're an idealist, and this dude's ideal is business and profit, and information is his business. Honestly, I get it, though. We're after a thief who's targeting the nobles. This isn't some cultist sacrificing innocents or a serial killer dropping bodies. This is all about money in the end. If this was about lives or something more, I'd be right there with you, calling this guy out on his bullshit. But he's right. This one's just about coin." She hides a smirk at the barbarian playing good cop to the bad cop paladin, and offers, "Half upfront, half when we catch the Viper, 25 now, 25 when we're all celebrating the capture. Sound OK to you?"
Arlon stands a bit to the side, seething like Griff. He is going through is spells but nothing can be useful now. Except to hurt the man but that wouldn't do any good.
Tyrus, gives Griffdar a nervous glance and then looks around to see if there is anyone taking notice of this conversation as Gaxly said.
He then turns to Gaxly, "You said you were a business man, but you be not selling this very well. Give us some idea of the worth of this information, so we'll be happier handing over our gold."
Griff grumbles, "I didn't say nothin about killin. I was just gunna rough ya up real good. You're lucky for my friend. I suggest you start picking up morals before it catches up with you." Griff falls back behind Briga and puts his arm around Arlon shaking his head.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Gash- Lvl14 Goblin Wizard - The High Court of the Aasimar Queen
"Half up front and half if it leads to something? That's fair," Gaxly responded to Briga, dusting him off. "Now, I have been informed that the Lady Cassalanter had a twin that was born disfigured, wears a mask to keep her face hidden. Twin sister of Amalia, but disowned by the family. If anyone has motive to steal from the noble families, it would be someone rejected by one," he says tapping his nose.
"Ok, and I have two parents that disappeared. Might be them." Then he gets serious. " The money comes only if that gossiper leads to something. Why would you think that Amelia is the Viper? "
"Not Amalia, her twin sister!" Gaxly said angrily. "Amalia owns many banks within the city, they are a loan company that have many institutions around the city. The Cassalanters fell on hard times but about two years ago, their business turned around, more money was put into it. I'd say her sister was the one that got the money they would have needed to pull that sort of thing off!" he adds.
"Where does this disfigured Cassalanter sister live? It might make sense, rejected my the nobility, striking out against them aiming to hurt, instead of just for the profit," Briga says. "Does she have a name, also?"
OOC: Briga will produce her 6 GP towards the 25 GP advance for the information, and looks a bit sheepishly to her friends.
"Interesting, it the banking business fell on hard times, you think Amalia's disfigured, rejected sister would have helped them? Sounds like she would have been happy to see them fail. I could see an angle there, make them come crawling back to her when they need her."
"Could be this lady took on the identity of a former Waterdeep thief, or they could be elves or some other long lived race," Briga ponders. "Are the Cassalanters human, Gaxly? Have they accepted the sister back into the family since the got their bank bailed out? Does the sister have a name, a residence somewhere?"
Those from Waterdeep know that the Cassalanters are a noble family that own banks around the city. A few years ago, the family almost went bankrupt, but somehow turned their losses into profits. Some people suspect foul play, but no evidence has been found to suggest as such.
Tyrus scratches his head in confusion. "I'd be holding onto your money there, Arlon. Because, what I'm hearing just doesn't add up, and perhaps we don't want to be getting involved in this thing at all."
Looking at Gaxly, he says, "Apart from the unlikeliness that the disfigured daughter would be helping out a family that disowned her, we were told these sightings of the Black Viper have only started recently. That means the turnaround in the fortunes of the Cassalanters a few years back can't be because of them robberies."
Then he turns to Briga and say, "And what thief in their right mind wants to add the crimes of somebody else to their list of known offences... I be thinking there must be something else going on here... Perhaps something political, with someone wanting to rub some dirt onto the house of the Cassalanters."
At this point, Tyrus realises that he should probably have kept his mouth shut, and quickly glances at Gaxly to see what effect his words have had on the man. [DM, Insight Check please: 10 ].
Briga smiles and gives Tyrus a thumbs up. "Smart guy! He's right, this could have a political angle. There might not even be any legit robberies, maybe just a bunch of nobles who want to give the Casselanters a bad name, and they cooked up this story about the thief, using you, Gaxly, as a deniable asset to leak the info about this thief to the bounty hunters, all so they can sling mud at a rival. Maybe for the rich that's not a bad way to spend 500 or 600 gold. Maybe a lot less if they never expect the 'thief' to be caught at all. Got anything to legitimize this information of yours? Y'know, proof?"
"If we're going to hunt in political snow, we have to think like the political polar bears. I feel like a shark metaphor would have been cleaner, but it seemed off-brand for me,"Briga jokes.
Gaxly seems hard to read to Tyrus as he mentions his opinion. When Briga continues the conversation. "It is possible, however the Cassalanters have been one of the families, very few at this point, NOT yet targeted by the Black Viper" he says as his answer.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"Which would be perfectly played if a certain group of nobles would be keen on framing the Cassanlanters. The ideal suspect is the one not being robbed." Arlon says then turn to Griff and adds nonchalantly. " Maybe we should "shake" the information out of him. Try not to break him though, our friends in the watch will want to have a talk with him later on."
He makes a show of hands toward Gaxly.
" Last chance."
OOC: The idea is to deceive Gaxly into thinking he is cornered. I'll throw the dice and you decide which is appropriate. Skill check 2 +6 for Deception/Persuasion or +4 for Intimidation. )
4
OOC: This is the Persuasion check, assuming no advantage or disadvantage.
Griff unlatches his maul off his back and lets it drop to the ground beside him with a sickening thud he locks eyes with the man. "I am a man of justice. i believe in doing right. And I have a big problem with wrongdoers... I am here, trying to do something right. I'm trying to stop a notorious thief. You are standing there with information you chose not to share because of your greed. That doesn't sound like a good person to me." he says in a low growl then mumbles some draconic to the man as well.
intimidation: 11
Gash - Lvl14 Goblin Wizard - The High Court of the Aasimar Queen
Looking towards Griffdar. "If you think you are the first to threaten me sir, then you are sorely mistaken. Murder is a crime in this city, and the punishment for that crime is death. And, I always have witnesses if you try anything," Gaxly retorts back to Griffdar's threat.
"Information is valuable, and information is my trade, I don't provide the newspapers for free, so why would I give out free information, when even public knowledge can have a cost. I'm a businessman, not a charity."
Briga tries to calm Griff, placing a hand gently on his forearm. "It's OK, man. I get it. You're an idealist, and this dude's ideal is business and profit, and information is his business. Honestly, I get it, though. We're after a thief who's targeting the nobles. This isn't some cultist sacrificing innocents or a serial killer dropping bodies. This is all about money in the end. If this was about lives or something more, I'd be right there with you, calling this guy out on his bullshit. But he's right. This one's just about coin." She hides a smirk at the barbarian playing good cop to the bad cop paladin, and offers, "Half upfront, half when we catch the Viper, 25 now, 25 when we're all celebrating the capture. Sound OK to you?"
Arlon stands a bit to the side, seething like Griff. He is going through is spells but nothing can be useful now. Except to hurt the man but that wouldn't do any good.
Tyrus, gives Griffdar a nervous glance and then looks around to see if there is anyone taking notice of this conversation as Gaxly said.
He then turns to Gaxly, "You said you were a business man, but you be not selling this very well. Give us some idea of the worth of this information, so we'll be happier handing over our gold."
---
Tyrus Mountson: Lvl 3 Dwarvish Bard; Waterdeep Campaign (Dragon Heist)
Nanoc the Younger: Semi-retired Lvl 2 Rogue / Level 2 Barbarian Human; The Knuckle, Mror Holds, Ebberon.
The Honourable Jaden Fellan: Level 3 Human Eldritch Knight; Band of Sunswall
AKA: Phillip Berrie: writer, editor and academic thrillseeker—a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
Griff grumbles, "I didn't say nothin about killin. I was just gunna rough ya up real good. You're lucky for my friend. I suggest you start picking up morals before it catches up with you." Griff falls back behind Briga and puts his arm around Arlon shaking his head.
Gash - Lvl14 Goblin Wizard - The High Court of the Aasimar Queen
"Half up front and half if it leads to something? That's fair," Gaxly responded to Briga, dusting him off. "Now, I have been informed that the Lady Cassalanter had a twin that was born disfigured, wears a mask to keep her face hidden. Twin sister of Amalia, but disowned by the family. If anyone has motive to steal from the noble families, it would be someone rejected by one," he says tapping his nose.
"Cassalanter? Be that a human name?" asks Tyrus, a little confused. "If'n it be, how can this be the same Black Viper?"
---
Tyrus Mountson: Lvl 3 Dwarvish Bard; Waterdeep Campaign (Dragon Heist)
Nanoc the Younger: Semi-retired Lvl 2 Rogue / Level 2 Barbarian Human; The Knuckle, Mror Holds, Ebberon.
The Honourable Jaden Fellan: Level 3 Human Eldritch Knight; Band of Sunswall
AKA: Phillip Berrie: writer, editor and academic thrillseeker—a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
Arlon chuckles in the back.
"Ok, and I have two parents that disappeared. Might be them." Then he gets serious. " The money comes only if that gossiper leads to something. Why would you think that Amelia is the Viper? "
"Not Amalia, her twin sister!" Gaxly said angrily. "Amalia owns many banks within the city, they are a loan company that have many institutions around the city. The Cassalanters fell on hard times but about two years ago, their business turned around, more money was put into it. I'd say her sister was the one that got the money they would have needed to pull that sort of thing off!" he adds.
"Where does this disfigured Cassalanter sister live? It might make sense, rejected my the nobility, striking out against them aiming to hurt, instead of just for the profit," Briga says. "Does she have a name, also?"
OOC: Briga will produce her 6 GP towards the 25 GP advance for the information, and looks a bit sheepishly to her friends.
"Interesting, it the banking business fell on hard times, you think Amalia's disfigured, rejected sister would have helped them? Sounds like she would have been happy to see them fail. I could see an angle there, make them come crawling back to her when they need her."
Arlon smiles and will give the rest of the gold.
"Maybe she did. Help I mean. Maybe that s how they got back on track. Appereances can be deceiving and a powerful tool in the nobles circles. "
“Are they an elven family? How has the Black Vioer been able to operate for so many years?”
Gash - Lvl14 Goblin Wizard - The High Court of the Aasimar Queen
"Could be this lady took on the identity of a former Waterdeep thief, or they could be elves or some other long lived race," Briga ponders. "Are the Cassalanters human, Gaxly? Have they accepted the sister back into the family since the got their bank bailed out? Does the sister have a name, a residence somewhere?"
Those from Waterdeep know that the Cassalanters are a noble family that own banks around the city. A few years ago, the family almost went bankrupt, but somehow turned their losses into profits. Some people suspect foul play, but no evidence has been found to suggest as such.
Tyrus scratches his head in confusion. "I'd be holding onto your money there, Arlon. Because, what I'm hearing just doesn't add up, and perhaps we don't want to be getting involved in this thing at all."
Looking at Gaxly, he says, "Apart from the unlikeliness that the disfigured daughter would be helping out a family that disowned her, we were told these sightings of the Black Viper have only started recently. That means the turnaround in the fortunes of the Cassalanters a few years back can't be because of them robberies."
Then he turns to Briga and say, "And what thief in their right mind wants to add the crimes of somebody else to their list of known offences... I be thinking there must be something else going on here... Perhaps something political, with someone wanting to rub some dirt onto the house of the Cassalanters."
At this point, Tyrus realises that he should probably have kept his mouth shut, and quickly glances at Gaxly to see what effect his words have had on the man. [DM, Insight Check please: 10 ].
---
Tyrus Mountson: Lvl 3 Dwarvish Bard; Waterdeep Campaign (Dragon Heist)
Nanoc the Younger: Semi-retired Lvl 2 Rogue / Level 2 Barbarian Human; The Knuckle, Mror Holds, Ebberon.
The Honourable Jaden Fellan: Level 3 Human Eldritch Knight; Band of Sunswall
AKA: Phillip Berrie: writer, editor and academic thrillseeker—a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
Briga smiles and gives Tyrus a thumbs up. "Smart guy! He's right, this could have a political angle. There might not even be any legit robberies, maybe just a bunch of nobles who want to give the Casselanters a bad name, and they cooked up this story about the thief, using you, Gaxly, as a deniable asset to leak the info about this thief to the bounty hunters, all so they can sling mud at a rival. Maybe for the rich that's not a bad way to spend 500 or 600 gold. Maybe a lot less if they never expect the 'thief' to be caught at all. Got anything to legitimize this information of yours? Y'know, proof?"
"If we're going to hunt in political snow, we have to think like the political polar bears. I feel like a shark metaphor would have been cleaner, but it seemed off-brand for me," Briga jokes.
Gaxly seems hard to read to Tyrus as he mentions his opinion. When Briga continues the conversation. "It is possible, however the Cassalanters have been one of the families, very few at this point, NOT yet targeted by the Black Viper" he says as his answer.
"Which would be perfectly played if a certain group of nobles would be keen on framing the Cassanlanters. The ideal suspect is the one not being robbed." Arlon says then turn to Griff and adds nonchalantly. " Maybe we should "shake" the information out of him. Try not to break him though, our friends in the watch will want to have a talk with him later on."
He makes a show of hands toward Gaxly.
" Last chance."
OOC: The idea is to deceive Gaxly into thinking he is cornered. I'll throw the dice and you decide which is appropriate. Skill check 2 +6 for Deception/Persuasion or +4 for Intimidation. )