While not entirely sure what Utar was talking about, the context clues are enough for Neya to put together.
"Time is of the essence and you've lent us good amount of your own. Thank you for inviting us, good sir. Will we report to you or to our friend at the graveyard when we finish our task?"
Dornal's satisfaction at Doozey's dwarven curtsy is quickly erased by the halfling's uncivilized display of drink guzzling. Thankfully, the dwarf's attention is then pulled towards Utar and then Neya, in that order. To the half-orc, he says "Don't let her bother you." and gives a nod agreeing that it is probably time to part. To the human, he responds "You can come directly to me. You have outgrown having to use our faithful acquaintance as your contact person for the Alliance. I'll be having lunch right here at this table for the next tenday. Perhaps we can share more meals after this is all done... In a more agreeable establishment." He looks at Karen with an apologetic tightening of his facial muscles.
With that, Dornal waves farewell. Karen humphs in disgust while the chief restaurateur looks completely lost.
The group exits The Velvet Doublet, Biscuit being the most reluctant to leave. Villonah complains a bit: "Finally! Have you learned anything useful or was the contact also just asking for favors?" She walks and talks. Hearing Graxx's plight to go for a hunt, she instead asks "Is the plan to still visit the Black Fist Lady Captain? I had a few questions for her myself..."
After a moment of pinching the bridge of her nose, Neya speaks, "Fortunately, there was more than one pair of ears. From what I can gather, the merchant was supposed to be arriving from the west, which also happens to be direction from which Yip came. The ship may be moving in the same direction, as well, but let's not close ears to other possibilities. Now, the only thing we need to find out is the timing of these attacks and possibly get ahead of its next strike."
"Since the Captain seems to be interested in this ship, she may have noticed something about its behavior during her own investigation."
Despite their different levels of understanding concerning the information they uncovered, the party members agree to pay a quick visit to Captain Aleyd Burral. CRAP backtracks towards Podol Square, almost step-by-step. Once there, instead of exiting through one of the eastern gates as before, the party turns north towards the Stojanow Gate. Unlike Utar and Graxx's last visit (Episode 2), the two tall towers and large gate in between are heavily guarded.
Before you can get too close, a guard raises his hand and stops you. The tiefling man is supported by six others, and they all wear the simple Black Fist guard uniform the group is very familiar with. The tiefling then says while approaching the group: "Halt, what is your business at the Stojanow Gate?"
Graxx and Utar would remember at this point that during their last visit, they had a promissory note in hands which entitled them to payment for services provided. Back then, they were urged inside by a guard named Jask, who had given them the promissory note in the first place, though he was kind of a jerk about it all.
Doozey and Neya note that Villonah is about to say something, and she doesn't look too happy about being approached by the guards.
Now that Doozey no longer needed to keep wrestling Biscuit, and against his better judgement, the halfling places what he hoped to be a consoling hand on Villonah's shoulder. Biscuit came up on her other side, comically mirroring the motion. Unlike the mastiff, if shel ooks back at him, the ranger can only meet her gaze for so long before nerves compel him to let go sooner, and stare elsewhere.
Other than this, he was content to watch and wait, having already stepped up one too many times than comfortable today.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
Utar exhales heavily. There is no promissory note this time round and having encountered many more Black Fist since that meeting with Jask, he knows they are either corrupt, self serving, incompetent or some mixture of all three.
All of which casts a very large shadow over any meeting they somehow manage to convince these guards to allow them with Captain Burral. He's also more than a little worried about bringing Villonah so close to the woman who executed her father not so long ago.
Straightening his back and attempting to looks imposing as possible, he gives the guards a cursory once over, assessing them for symbols of rank.
Nodding curtly to the highest ranked among them, he keeps his tone of voice even and respectful.
"We are in need of an audience with Captain Aleyd Burral as soon as is convenient, sir. We have no prior appointment or written order but come with urgent information from Doomguide Yovir himself which will be of great interest to the Captain and to the protection of Phlan itself. The Doomguide insisted it be shared with only in her presence."
Doubling down, Utar is careful to be conspicuous in patting a hand against a pouch of coin hanging from his belt as he finishes speaking, letting the sound of jingling coins carry through the air.
Graxx approaches Villonah and goes to the opposite side than Doozey and also places his hand on her shoulder. Instead of consoling he gives a tight squeeze to gain her attention and make her meet his gaze.
Graxx lowers his head so he is looking up through his eyebrows at Vilonah as he says...
(OOC: Haha! According to your posts, Villonah has three shoulders.)
Villonah does not seem to notice either Doozey or Biscuit. It seems compassion is not the gesture she needs at the moment. Instead, Graxx is the one who notice the halfling's and mastiff's actions and tries a different approach. His controlled fury resonates with her... or does it?
(@Grx: Please roll a persuasion/intimidation contested check versus Villonah's insight roll of 16. You may do so with advantage as I'll say Doozey's compassion counts as a help action.)
Separately, Utar tries to identify the highest ranking guard in the immediate vicinity. A quick glance proves to be insufficient, and the cleric is left assuming that the one doing the talking is his best bet. He speaks to the tiefling guard, even though his uniform doesn't look any different than the others. He is missing a helmet though, as it seems the standard Black Fist issue is not designed to accommodate his twirling horns. Perhaps his luscious purple hair is where he gains his confidence from.
The tiefling notices the pat on the coin purse, and raises an eyebrow...
(@MB: I'm going to need that persuasion check. As mentioned OOC, the clear implication of a potential bribe is enough to give you advantage on the roll.)
Utar gives serious consideration to asking the tiefling about his grooming habits and abandoning their audience with Captain Burral. Seriously, there has got to be some kind of additional product above in soap in play here. Maybe some kind of secret herb or nut...
Regaining his composure, Utar mirrors the tiefling for a moment, arcing his own eyebrow.
Perhaps sensing the Warrior's intent on an instinctual level, Biscuit backs off surprisingly swiftly to sit at Utar's side, eyeing the tiefling with dubious eyes. Doozey, on the other hand, doesn't let go, and in fact looked up as well, smiling faintly. Then the message is given and causes it to falter close to frown. He says nothing however, sensing and seeing some resonance between the two in the moment; but, continue offering still some mute support.
Though he would make a mental note to keep a closer eye on Villonah.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
Neya is interested on how this will (Utar possibly bribing the guard) play out. Perhaps such a tactic could provide a path of lessened resistance to similar individuals.
Utar avoids being lost in a pileous daydream, and reaches a non-verbal agreement with the tiefling guard, who says: "Ah, of course. Your audience with Captain Burral. Please follow me." He then turns around and begins walking to one of the towers that constitutes the Stojanow Gate, gesturing CRAP to follow along. The other guards don't behave as if they are following his orders, but are aware enough of their surroundings to know what is happening. They seem to react as if this is commonplace around here.
The group follows the tiefling to a heavy reinforced door leading to stairs in the northwestern tower.
Villonah's anger begins to show in her face. She uses her hands and arms to flick Doozey's and Graxx's hands off her shoulders (thankfully Biscuit had already removed his paw). In turn, she looks each of the would-be voices of reason in the eyes and frowns even harder, albeit silently. This is the Villonah you remember from that night under the Lyceum (once she recovered, that is). Angry, spiteful, and hotheaded. Her eyes say everything you need to know. She follows the tiefling guard and Utar closely, her hands itching for her blade.
The tiefling takes CRAP up a couple of flights of steps before halting, turning, and asking: "Alright, pay up and be generous. I have plenty of comrades within earshot. I'll then lead you the rest of the way." The ashy-beige stone staircase is not so wide, has plenty of arrow slits positioned a few feet away from each other, and a door every so many steps indicating the next floor up. Villonah is sweating, and her angry expression has not changed a bit.
Bringing up the rear, Neya hears the sound of many boots hitting the floor from beyond the doors as well as the steps behind the group (passive perception). She understands that the tiefling's threat is not likely an empty one.
Sweating more out of nervousness than anger, Doozey would keep his hands to himself, but an eye ever trained on Villonah. Most of what passes between the tiefling and the others go right over his head. When her hand starts to itch too dangerously close for a weapon, the halfling taps a pattern into the stone with the tip of his boot, catching Biscuit's attention enough for the mastiff's ears to perk as if awaiting something.
Finally, the halfling takes a deep breathe, and hushed whisper first to noone, "For the love of Big Mama" in halfling, then switches to common (unless he sees recognition in VIllonah's eyes) as he side-eyed Villonah, "I'm all for dying fer a good cause. But not if it imperils me friends. Not again... Don't kill your friends too."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Utar moves a hand into the pouch, palming a handful of coins. Looking at the tiefling, he tries to deduce the correct amount to offer. Too little might be read as an insult, too much and the barbers of the city would be only ones to benefit. Still Aleyd was a captain now, likely not one to just take drop in appointments.
Shrugging nonchalantly, hoping to hide his nerves at the fact that CRAP were now firmly within the belly of the Black Fist and were bringing an ever more impulse Gnome with a grudge with them...
"We're halfway, that means half payment. Full recompense for your time comes when when I see the chin of Captain Burral again."
Villonah looks at Doozey, her irises meeting the corner of her eyes. A faint nod of the head confirms that she understood his plea. In Halfling, she whispers back: "This guard is not why I am here anyway." Her arm muscles are not as tense now, but her facial expression never changes.
Separately, Utar gauges the tiefling. From past encounters, the half-orc knows that these Black Fist guards receive a fair wage for their services, which is high enough to always keep a steady supply of interested young men and women in signing up into their lower ranks. A steady income is quite the powerful incentive in these parts. Moreover, since the Lord Regent instituted martial law and handed over plenty of power to the knightly order, Utar could safely guess that its corrupt members have come across more than a few ways to earn some extra gold on the side. In thought, the cleric deduces that the tiefling is not likely to be satisfied by any number of coins that isn't made of at least two digits.
"Halfway... fair enough." The tiefling guard responds. "But you'll pay the other half before I open the door to the Captain's quarters." He then extends a hand, expecting half of the payment now. The other hand grips a spear's shaft.
(OOC: @MB Did Utar mean agree, not ages?)
While not entirely sure what Utar was talking about, the context clues are enough for Neya to put together.
"Time is of the essence and you've lent us good amount of your own. Thank you for inviting us, good sir. Will we report to you or to our friend at the graveyard when we finish our task?"
Extended Signature
Yes, good catch, made the edit.
Dornal's satisfaction at Doozey's dwarven curtsy is quickly erased by the halfling's uncivilized display of drink guzzling. Thankfully, the dwarf's attention is then pulled towards Utar and then Neya, in that order. To the half-orc, he says "Don't let her bother you." and gives a nod agreeing that it is probably time to part. To the human, he responds "You can come directly to me. You have outgrown having to use our faithful acquaintance as your contact person for the Alliance. I'll be having lunch right here at this table for the next tenday. Perhaps we can share more meals after this is all done... In a more agreeable establishment." He looks at Karen with an apologetic tightening of his facial muscles.
With that, Dornal waves farewell. Karen humphs in disgust while the chief restaurateur looks completely lost.
The group exits The Velvet Doublet, Biscuit being the most reluctant to leave. Villonah complains a bit: "Finally! Have you learned anything useful or was the contact also just asking for favors?" She walks and talks. Hearing Graxx's plight to go for a hunt, she instead asks "Is the plan to still visit the Black Fist Lady Captain? I had a few questions for her myself..."
Graxx's eyes flash for a moment.
"Oh yes... The Black Fist. Yes, let's meet with her quickly to see what they are up to."
Graxx looks to the others.
"I was mainly focused on eating and the chance at makin' some gold along our way. What did y'all take away from that dwarf's talk?"
After a moment of pinching the bridge of her nose, Neya speaks, "Fortunately, there was more than one pair of ears. From what I can gather, the merchant was supposed to be arriving from the west, which also happens to be direction from which Yip came. The ship may be moving in the same direction, as well, but let's not close ears to other possibilities. Now, the only thing we need to find out is the timing of these attacks and possibly get ahead of its next strike."
"Since the Captain seems to be interested in this ship, she may have noticed something about its behavior during her own investigation."
Extended Signature
Despite their different levels of understanding concerning the information they uncovered, the party members agree to pay a quick visit to Captain Aleyd Burral. CRAP backtracks towards Podol Square, almost step-by-step. Once there, instead of exiting through one of the eastern gates as before, the party turns north towards the Stojanow Gate. Unlike Utar and Graxx's last visit (Episode 2), the two tall towers and large gate in between are heavily guarded.
Before you can get too close, a guard raises his hand and stops you. The tiefling man is supported by six others, and they all wear the simple Black Fist guard uniform the group is very familiar with. The tiefling then says while approaching the group: "Halt, what is your business at the Stojanow Gate?"
Graxx and Utar would remember at this point that during their last visit, they had a promissory note in hands which entitled them to payment for services provided. Back then, they were urged inside by a guard named Jask, who had given them the promissory note in the first place, though he was kind of a jerk about it all.
Doozey and Neya note that Villonah is about to say something, and she doesn't look too happy about being approached by the guards.
Now that Doozey no longer needed to keep wrestling Biscuit, and against his better judgement, the halfling places what he hoped to be a consoling hand on Villonah's shoulder. Biscuit came up on her other side, comically mirroring the motion. Unlike the mastiff, if shel ooks back at him, the ranger can only meet her gaze for so long before nerves compel him to let go sooner, and stare elsewhere.
Other than this, he was content to watch and wait, having already stepped up one too many times than comfortable today.
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
Utar exhales heavily. There is no promissory note this time round and having encountered many more Black Fist since that meeting with Jask, he knows they are either corrupt, self serving, incompetent or some mixture of all three.
All of which casts a very large shadow over any meeting they somehow manage to convince these guards to allow them with Captain Burral. He's also more than a little worried about bringing Villonah so close to the woman who executed her father not so long ago.
Straightening his back and attempting to looks imposing as possible, he gives the guards a cursory once over, assessing them for symbols of rank.
Perception 7
Nodding curtly to the highest ranked among them, he keeps his tone of voice even and respectful.
"We are in need of an audience with Captain Aleyd Burral as soon as is convenient, sir. We have no prior appointment or written order but come with urgent information from Doomguide Yovir himself which will be of great interest to the Captain and to the protection of Phlan itself. The Doomguide insisted it be shared with only in her presence."
Doubling down, Utar is careful to be conspicuous in patting a hand against a pouch of coin hanging from his belt as he finishes speaking, letting the sound of jingling coins carry through the air.
Graxx approaches Villonah and goes to the opposite side than Doozey and also places his hand on her shoulder. Instead of consoling he gives a tight squeeze to gain her attention and make her meet his gaze.
Graxx lowers his head so he is looking up through his eyebrows at Vilonah as he says...
”In time.”
Graxx then nods straight faced to Villonah.
(OOC: Haha! According to your posts, Villonah has three shoulders.)
Villonah does not seem to notice either Doozey or Biscuit. It seems compassion is not the gesture she needs at the moment. Instead, Graxx is the one who notice the halfling's and mastiff's actions and tries a different approach. His controlled fury resonates with her... or does it?
(@Grx: Please roll a persuasion/intimidation contested check versus Villonah's insight roll of 16. You may do so with advantage as I'll say Doozey's compassion counts as a help action.)
Separately, Utar tries to identify the highest ranking guard in the immediate vicinity. A quick glance proves to be insufficient, and the cleric is left assuming that the one doing the talking is his best bet. He speaks to the tiefling guard, even though his uniform doesn't look any different than the others. He is missing a helmet though, as it seems the standard Black Fist issue is not designed to accommodate his twirling horns. Perhaps his luscious purple hair is where he gains his confidence from.
The tiefling notices the pat on the coin purse, and raises an eyebrow...
(@MB: I'm going to need that persuasion check. As mentioned OOC, the clear implication of a potential bribe is enough to give you advantage on the roll.)
Persuasion21
Utar gives serious consideration to asking the tiefling about his grooming habits and abandoning their audience with Captain Burral. Seriously, there has got to be some kind of additional product above in soap in play here. Maybe some kind of secret herb or nut...
Regaining his composure, Utar mirrors the tiefling for a moment, arcing his own eyebrow.
Perhaps sensing the Warrior's intent on an instinctual level, Biscuit backs off surprisingly swiftly to sit at Utar's side, eyeing the tiefling with dubious eyes. Doozey, on the other hand, doesn't let go, and in fact looked up as well, smiling faintly. Then the message is given and causes it to falter close to frown. He says nothing however, sensing and seeing some resonance between the two in the moment; but, continue offering still some mute support.
Though he would make a mental note to keep a closer eye on Villonah.
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
Persuasion: 20
Neya is interested on how this will (Utar possibly bribing the guard) play out. Perhaps such a tactic could provide a path of lessened resistance to similar individuals.
Extended Signature
Utar avoids being lost in a pileous daydream, and reaches a non-verbal agreement with the tiefling guard, who says: "Ah, of course. Your audience with Captain Burral. Please follow me." He then turns around and begins walking to one of the towers that constitutes the Stojanow Gate, gesturing CRAP to follow along. The other guards don't behave as if they are following his orders, but are aware enough of their surroundings to know what is happening. They seem to react as if this is commonplace around here.
The group follows the tiefling to a heavy reinforced door leading to stairs in the northwestern tower.
Villonah's anger begins to show in her face. She uses her hands and arms to flick Doozey's and Graxx's hands off her shoulders (thankfully Biscuit had already removed his paw). In turn, she looks each of the would-be voices of reason in the eyes and frowns even harder, albeit silently. This is the Villonah you remember from that night under the Lyceum (once she recovered, that is). Angry, spiteful, and hotheaded. Her eyes say everything you need to know. She follows the tiefling guard and Utar closely, her hands itching for her blade.
The tiefling takes CRAP up a couple of flights of steps before halting, turning, and asking: "Alright, pay up and be generous. I have plenty of comrades within earshot. I'll then lead you the rest of the way." The ashy-beige stone staircase is not so wide, has plenty of arrow slits positioned a few feet away from each other, and a door every so many steps indicating the next floor up. Villonah is sweating, and her angry expression has not changed a bit.
Bringing up the rear, Neya hears the sound of many boots hitting the floor from beyond the doors as well as the steps behind the group (passive perception). She understands that the tiefling's threat is not likely an empty one.
Sweating more out of nervousness than anger, Doozey would keep his hands to himself, but an eye ever trained on Villonah. Most of what passes between the tiefling and the others go right over his head. When her hand starts to itch too dangerously close for a weapon, the halfling taps a pattern into the stone with the tip of his boot, catching Biscuit's attention enough for the mastiff's ears to perk as if awaiting something.
Finally, the halfling takes a deep breathe, and hushed whisper first to noone, "For the love of Big Mama" in halfling, then switches to common (unless he sees recognition in VIllonah's eyes) as he side-eyed Villonah, "I'm all for dying fer a good cause. But not if it imperils me friends. Not again... Don't kill your friends too."
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
Utar moves a hand into the pouch, palming a handful of coins. Looking at the tiefling, he tries to deduce the correct amount to offer. Too little might be read as an insult, too much and the barbers of the city would be only ones to benefit. Still Aleyd was a captain now, likely not one to just take drop in appointments.
Insight 8
Shrugging nonchalantly, hoping to hide his nerves at the fact that CRAP were now firmly within the belly of the Black Fist and were bringing an ever more impulse Gnome with a grudge with them...
"We're halfway, that means half payment. Full recompense for your time comes when when I see the chin of Captain Burral again."
Villonah looks at Doozey, her irises meeting the corner of her eyes. A faint nod of the head confirms that she understood his plea. In Halfling, she whispers back: "This guard is not why I am here anyway." Her arm muscles are not as tense now, but her facial expression never changes.
Separately, Utar gauges the tiefling. From past encounters, the half-orc knows that these Black Fist guards receive a fair wage for their services, which is high enough to always keep a steady supply of interested young men and women in signing up into their lower ranks. A steady income is quite the powerful incentive in these parts. Moreover, since the Lord Regent instituted martial law and handed over plenty of power to the knightly order, Utar could safely guess that its corrupt members have come across more than a few ways to earn some extra gold on the side. In thought, the cleric deduces that the tiefling is not likely to be satisfied by any number of coins that isn't made of at least two digits.
"Halfway... fair enough." The tiefling guard responds. "But you'll pay the other half before I open the door to the Captain's quarters." He then extends a hand, expecting half of the payment now. The other hand grips a spear's shaft.
Utar removes his hand form the pouch, opening it to show a pile of coins (25gp) before tipping it into the tiefling's outstretched palm.
"Lead on then."
Graxx secretly wishes Villonah would strike but is glad she stays her blade.
Graxx will wait until they arrive at the chambers and then he will pay the other 25gp(deducted) himself to the guard.