Not Another Lost Mine of Phandelver Campaign!

Miner’s exchange: If you thought Berthen’s was an organized mess, you stand in awe at the Mining Exchange. Your pretty sure there’s more papers and documents in this place then books in Neverwinter’s main library, the building gives an almost claustrophobic aura to it, there’s barely enough room for the three of you to stand without having one foot in some random box. It would take hours just to get started sorting things out. Halia easily glides through it like a second sense, a etherhral grace that does not go well with her bland, assuming looks. “Information is another form of currency you know. I probably got the thing you need, but I’ll need you boys to do a little something for me first.” She suggests dryly, yellow eyes cast upon each of you in turn, more Reptilien then human.  “And trust me, if you try anything funny, you’ll be ankle deep in 20 year old tax incomes from old man Jenkins this time next week.” 

AB and Kor: You both can perceive through yourselves or your familiars that you’re attempts at deception are remarkably wooden, and fake sounding. An 8 year old reading a play script for the first time could probably sound more convincing then you two. The teenagers are at a loss of how to comprehend your lifeless dialogue before one of the younger looking boys suddenly shouts- “These two are ******* narcs! Ain’t nothing illegal going on ‘ere!” The other boys instantly join in, and you have four teenagers screaming ”Narcs!” at the top of their voices. 

This is what I get for taking a job outside of the city. Oh, well let's go for double or nothing.

Drawing himself up to his full height and adopting the officious tone of someone used to authority, Kor turns on the boys, "Listen kids, my partner and I don't want to be here much more than you don't want us here. Unfortunately, the Baron heard some things about this little shithole you call a town and sent us to investigate. Rumors been getting around that a pack of thugs wearing red have been pushing the townsfolk around and cutting into the Baron's profit. You all don't want your boss finding out you punks caught the eye of the Baron's men, my partner and I don't want it getting back to the Baron that we were made by a bunch of snot-noses. If you all shut your traps and tell no one, and I mean no one, about us, we'll write a nice report about how charming and quiet this town was when we get back to the Baron. What do you say, want to make this easy or hard?"

an what might that be Berrus asks Halia

AB squints then stammers then takes on an air of officiousness, awaiting the response from Kor's final dialogue.

The three teenagers bawk at the pure authority radiating from Kor at the moment, and instantly cow to the very adult-like presence you embody. “Ye-Yeah. But if you still wants to come in, we cans go get our boss man if you want?” They say very uncertainty, one of them even takes off his bandana and tries hiding it in his pockets. 

Miners Exchange: Halia leans over the counter, and flicks a hand. At the very edges of your perceptions you feel a slight dimming, and the town sounds from outside the shop get extremely muffled. “A man who goes by ’GlassStaff’ is currently the head of this towns Red Operation. I want him dead. He barely comes out of the Manor up the hill, and my sources say he’s pretty recognizable, an old frail looking human male. Feel free to take care of whoever you need to, but keep some of them alive.” She all but demands, in a cold, business like tone, almost like she was talking about store prices instead of assassination. 

Berrus looks at MaV and Val      thoughts,  tho i perfer a fair fight to straight up killin

"Well, it will be good to come an understanding with the man himself, but I won't be meeting him dressed like some scruffy miner, no offense to you lads. We'll come back when we've had a chance to get presentable. But before we go, tell be a bit about the man. Who is he and what kind of person is he? I like to know a bit about the man before we come back to talk business." Kor says to the young men. 

AB continues to let Kor take the lead.

Valathar absorbs the entire experience with the women in silence. From the first time he stepped into the room, he had an off feeling about the place. First of all, he was much to big to be walking through some place so precarious. One wrong turn and he'd topple the place. Before she started speaking, he was focusing all his energy on keeping himself composed enough to maneuver the boxes. Secondly, the air in the room was far too stuffy for his liking. Open, fresh air, under the sky was far more comfortable than this dusty mess. And finally, this women, her eyes gave him an uncomfortable feeling. They were almost like his own, but set in that human face, there was just something off about her. 

"This GlassStaff man, what has he done to you to justify his death? Seems a little extreme to me." Valathar remarks, stepping back slightly as the lights dimmed. He practiced magic himself, but his power was born from the sky, from the earth itself. This work was sorcery, and sorcery could be a tricky thing to work. Already this town was giving him pause. First Gundren's guard was plagued by some foul magic, and now this women was displaying her abilities here. Very strange indeed. 

"From what I remember those two boys saying about the Red's operations here in Phandalin, they aren't up to much good. Extorting businesses and towns folk for protection money, when they are the ones the people need protection from in the first place... I would much rather remove the leader of the organization than get these teens involved."  Mav stands very delicately as to not knock anything over or step on anything else, seeing as how Halia seems to know where everything is just perfectly despite the mess.

aye,  sorry we are not assassins,  if it comes to a fight thats a diffrent story but we arent hired killers

"Berrus speaks the truth however... We understand the plague that the Reds' are but by no means are we assassins."

Kor: The teenagers look among each other before the talkative one in the group speaks up. "Rhit's probably breaking something in the bar right now. He's the one who's in charge of all the town stuff, biggest human we've ever seen, probably hiding troll blood or something with how ugly he is. Heard he was an adventurer type before settling down as the town bully, he like's to laze around the bar and drink all day while we do the hard work, but none of the adults have called him out on it, so we just grin and bare it."

Miner's Exchange: Halia deeply frowns when she see's the doubts you guys are projecting, and sighs before speaking up. "Assassination's a harsh word, don't think about it that way. Imagine he's just another orc leader or something you have to clear out when storming the bad guy base. Glassstaff is the brains of the operation, and he has no qualms about the nastier side of business if my sources are to be believed. If you don't do anything, the town will burn, the women and children will be enslaved, and the men will be put down like dogs in the street. You'll be hero's of the town, and you'll get the info you need, best of both worlds." She says all this without any real passion, like it was the weather. Yellow reptilian eyes still flitting between all you, giving away nothing behind them.

Kor looks at AB with a incredulous, can-you-believe-this-guy look, "We don't want to talk to some sloshed enforcer, we're the Baron's men. Who's running this operation? Tell me about him!"

Berrus shakes his head,  Ill be at the inn,  he turns and walks out

Mav shakes his head. "The simple fact is though, he is not some orc. He is an old man... I do not believe that this is what will happen. Have they killed anyone before?"

Mav: Halia looks more and more annoyed the more you guys question her demands and explanations, as if she wasn't used to people not rolling over at her commands. "Quelline's husband. You know Quelline right, nice half-ling down at the orchard with the little boy?  Nobody knows what happened to him, other then rumored to be dragged bodily to the manor up the hill. Probably tortured to death after he tried going to the mayor about the problem, just to make a statement towards the others in town and with the way the boy is bragging about 'some secret about the reds', they'll both probably be dead this time next week." She states completely calm, keeping the annoyance in her face out of her voice before continuing.

"Thel Dendrar, human male that was clubbed to death in some back alley after standing up to some drunken thugs that were pawing at his wife on the streets. Mayor's office put it down as the orc's who set up camp south of town, but I've got eyes and ears that know otherwise. His wife and children were also dragged up to the manor, if they're not dead, there probably waiting for it, or for some miraculous miracle to save them." She concludes with a pointed stare at the group.

Kor: One of the other boys steps up with a terrified expression. "We don't get to see the big boss, paranoid bastard he is. Takes all his meals in the office, didn't even see him during recruitment, all of our work has been through Rhit. That's all we know, I swears. You can't let me get arrested man, my parents up in Neverwinter think im apprenticing under some pottery organization."

"The office?" AB asks. "Where's that?"

Berrus is waiting outside the exchange looking around

Perception .  9

"Don't worry lad, arresting folk requires papers to be filled and I don't like filling them," continuing, Kor says, "I've got one last question for you lot, then my partner here will have his words. There's a thief we're looking for in these parts, out-of-towner so you wouldn't know 'em. Heard he might have stopped this way to fence some goods before moving on. Do you know where he might have gone to sell his goods in this town? It'd be someplace or someone you could purchase less savory goods from, like lock picks or poisons and such."

Kor leans back to wait for their response. Afterwards, he hangs back and lets AB steer the conversation.