"When have we not proceeded cautiously?" Pepper chirps from up front with a wide grin.

Sharn’s neighborhood of High Walls in Lower Tavick’s Landing is a district mostly enclosed by walls that cut this district’s crumbling, vandalized buildings off from the rest of Sharn, though towers rise over the walls like imposing sentries. As you cross one of the bridges to enter this area, you notice the massive, magically warded gate and a fortified Sharn Watch station. The stench of body odor, garbage, and tobacco mix together in the streets. Many people stand idly on street corners, eying you suspiciously and keeping to themselves. The neighborhood is home to refugees of the Last War, mainly the displaced peoples of Cyre. 

It is a simple matter to find the Cog Carnival, it’s the only warforged bar in the neighborhood. The dilapidated bar has a crumbling stone outside marred with graffiti that says things like, “Forged Are Scrap!” and “Leave, Metalheads!” There is a large warforged soldier with a carved chunk of wood replacing a severed foot standing outside the door - a 'bouncer' of sorts. Observing the entrance for a few minutes, you see that warforged enter the building for free, but other humanoids must pay a cover fee (5 cp each.)

Once inside, smoky, low flames in a fireplace barely illuminate the cracked stone walls and filthy floor of this establishment. The single-room space is crowded with warforged with severed digits or limbs, scars, burns, and other wounds. Other warforged in the area are gathered around traditional dice, card, dart, and board games as well as carnival competitions such as throwing metal rings onto posts, tossing a ball at a tower of weighted iron cups hard enough to make them fall down, and striking a homemade machine hard enough with a hammer to make it ring a bell.

A small bar in the corner serves cheap ale. Behind this bar, a warforged bartender shouts jeers at patrons losing games. "Come on, Blue! My 500-year-old gnome Nana can throw harder than that!" The bartender's laugh sounds like gravel grinding over a metal plate - harsh but not menacing.

"Well this seems a likely place, at the least!" 

Cyril adopts a cheery expression as they enter the Carnival, grinning as he throws an arm around Pernach's shoulders. His staff is strapped crosswise on his back, while a single knife is at his belt. 

"Come on boss, let's grab some drinks, yes?"

Pernach looks with some dismay at the rather dilapidated tavern and its broken-down patrons. Would this have been their fate if not for the Bastards? 

Fortunately, the less expressive nature of warforged facial features comes in quite convenient here. 

At Cyrils words, they nod in agreement and look for an open table. "Perhaps the ale here is more suited to a warforged palette than what I have sampled before. Or perhaps it's yet another way I'm unusual."

The loose tabard Pernach wears covers most of the runes and embedded gems and stones on their body, but not all. Hopefully it avoids the notice of most of the patrons. They'll keep an eye out for warforged that are on their own, as well as an ear on conversations to try and catch mention of Coal. 

Pepper, first to hit the door, hands over two silver and a fist of copper for the group, before heading in. She surveys the room from the door, then stands to the side to let the others in. As they trail in and Pernach and Cyril make for a table, she takes a moment to stare hard at the crowd, playing up her role but also looking for any obvious signs of a warforged who might be named Coal.

Perception: 5

Walking into the bar Caelyn only takes a few steps in before stopping to adjust her eyes to the surroundings. Only to realize a moment later that she is standing in front of Pepper blocking her view of a good part of the bar as the others move towards a seating. 

Caelyn quickens her pace to reach those in front Perhaps the bartender can help us with more than just drinks. 

Pepper, distracted by Caelyn, follows her to the group's table.

OK - you're all in the Carnival at a table. There is no wait staff - you have to order drinks from the bar. The place is full of warforged and a couple of humanoids. How are you going to find out which, if any, of these warforged are Coal?

Cyril casually examines the interior of the room, looking for a game of some sort that he could inject himself into. Darts or something similar would be preferred, a spot that he could mingle with others and try to ingratitude himself with the right mix of manipulated wins and losses. His goal would be to try and get people talking, loosen some lips, so to speak. Hopefully he can overhear or manipulate a conversation around to getting a mention of Coal. If not he would mention an interest in Warforged names, trying to get people to talk about their own names and that of others to see if the name Coal comes up. 

The patrons remain tight-lipped when asked about Coal, or pretty much anything else. They exude an aura of exclusion and not trusting outsiders - anything NOT warforged. Although you didn't see this at the Academy, you have noticed that warforged are not highly regarded here in Sharn. However, if Cyril makes a DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion) check:

Pepper is keeping a watch as Cyril begins canvassing the room. Any mentions of Coal might cause a reaction, so she is watchful for people getting up to leave, or whispers or conversations occurring after Cyril has moved on from a person.

(Here we go again)

Perception for catching the movement/action: 10
Insight for determining that it might have to do with Coal and not just a war forged needing to pee (I know, I know): 22

 Cyril nods in appreciation and slips a quartet of gold coins onto the table to the warforged subtly, trying to keep the interaction low key. Job done, he makes his way casually back to the others and slips into his chair, nodding with his chin towards the warforged.

Coal is a black, one-armed metal warforged sitting alone near the bar.

Pepper looks impressed and gives Cyril a nod. Nicely done. 

Ashe hangs back and surveys the main floor, looking for any suspicious or shifty-looking figures.

Perception: 11

As Cyril is getting the information they need Caelyn will walk to the bar. Once the bartender gives her attention she will speak up I would like 5 ale's please and what do you recommend for a warforged? 

She glances back towards Pernach as she asks the bartender his suggestion. Trying to make a bit of conversation. 

Meanwhile she her hand slips into her bag preparing for the followup to get more information from the bartender. But when glancing back she sees Cyril is back with the others discussing something. With that she lets go of the writ before pulling it out of her bag and awaits the bartenders answer. 

The bartender comes over as Caelyn stands at the bar. When the elf orders, the warforged nods and a kind of smile appears on its face. "Coin AND manners. We don't normally get both from humanoids in here...think we'll like you, lass. Name's Smelt. Lemme get you that ale, and something special for the warforged in your group. What's their name, by the way? They look in better shape than any of my regular crowd."

Caelyn smiles at the bartender Nice to meet you Smelt, im Caelyn. As for my companion, perhaps its best to introduce you two. she adds, unsure if Pernach's name is known here she doesnt just want to blurt it out. 

Looking back at the others she waves them over, giving them a reason to approach the bar. 

Kira looks over at Caelyn, shrugs, and heads over to the bar.

Smelt pours five mugs of ale from a barrel and puts them on the bar in front of Caelyn, then reaches under the bar and extracts a metal cylinder with a conical pour spout near the top. She finds a metal cup and pours a viscous dark red fluid in it, holding the special beverage out for Pernach. "What's your name, hon? Haven't seen you around here before. You are shinier than most here in High Walls. Can I offer you a rub and a polish, on the house?"