The Forgotten Wish

Sylvera stares at Nuria for a moment or two, her blue eyes as cold as ice. The captain? That... that idiot from the gate? She snorts, then slams the door shut. However, just before Nuria has any time to leave, she yanks the door back open and steps out. Apparently that was all the time it had taken her to get ready, as she no longer looks frazzled--just irritated. 

"Lead me to them," she says cooly. 

As Breldo asks his question, there is some initial silence from his cellmates, and the brute called Constantine makes a few noises and exclamations, but the best Breldo seems able to get out of him is an agitated "Working!", or that is what he presumes the man is trying to say. The first one to give a proper answer is the drunk.

"I didn't do shit! I just went out drinking and woke up in here!"

"I was just... Bookkeeping, in my store, basically all day." the merchant adds in with some apparent hesitation. The girl is the last one to respond.

"...I spent early morning stealing. And eventually got caught." She says, giving off a light shrug.

---

Sylvera for one brief moment looks as if she's about to completely deject Nuria, before standing at the ready to go investigate whatever is going on. On their way out, they no doubt see Khond talking to their current boss. Who gestures over toward them once he finishes addressing Khond.

"Yes, I'll be fine. Just, make sure you all get back here safe, okay?"

Breldo weighs their words.

Insight: 21

"I got the impression that the Captain welcomed an excuse to pin something on the three of you, but I'm less clear what motivation he would have to remove a shopkeeper... have you had issues with the guard in the past?"

"I'll make sure of it, not to worry."  Approaching Nuria and Sylvera, Khond joins the two, "Seems like something's happened.  How can I help?"

Athletics: 11

Athletics with advantage, if I get it from the rope?: 26

Stealth: 7

Investigation: 12

Oren gives Rick a nod, "You could be right..."  with his explanation of the item still being in the shop.

Oren is not that subtle as he climbs up the rope, but does it fast enough that it seems no one noticed, and soon both are searching the shops. If they were to go downstairs there are all the goods of course, including the maul that Oren had considered buying, and various of the other weapons, books, and other pieces of history... But nothing that stands out to such a degree that one would make an entire conspiracy over, at least from just an external observation. They discover also that several goods are being kept secured in a separate room than even the shop, although judging by the damage on most items, it seems more like stuff marked as "unsellable" than anything else.

Oren however gets the idea to search for more than just among the store goods for something suspect, and eventually finds something that may hopefully shed light on stuff: the shop's ledger. Quickly browsing through it, it does seem that the store has not a lot of business overall... But maybe that doesn't matter if an apparent patron by the name of "Braston" while buying infrequently, does so in great amounts, although even then just doing a quick headcount would seem like the shop itself barely breaks even. That might be one matter of suspect, perhaps. But an entry that could be far more of note he finds back around two months ago:

-Attended the Vanstrom family auction:
-One maul (dating back at least to dwarven land times)
-One longsword, shortsword, (dating to occupation wars)
-Several books (to be cataloged)
-Family lineage painting

---

Breldo thinks everyone is speaking the truth. Some hesitation here and there perhaps, but nothing that is an outright lie. Bryon, the shopkeep, shakes his head.

"Oh no, no, I've never had any issue with the guards! I stick to myself and the business, really. Well... Maybe for the captain, there's the whole thing with his father, but that's nothing personal..."

"His father? I've found in my experience that what people take as personal is... well, personal."

Happy that he found the ledger, Oren placed it inside his pack. 
“Clues, my friend.   To be searched through later when we are in our room.”

 Unless Rick has something else, Oren is ready to get out of here.  

Sylvera eyes the centaur, but nods to Pallen before answering Khond, "Right now, you can't." She looks back at Nuria, "Come now, take me to that fool captain so I can get this mess sorted out." She sniffs, lifting her chin and waiting expectantly. 

Nuria yelps when Sylvara slams the door in her face only to rip it back open. "Y-Y-Yes Mam!" With that she starts to scurry back towards the front of the inn. She almost responds to Khond, but Sylvara is faster. Nodding to the elven lady, she glances at Khond, and blurts out her story once again. It would probably be best if they all stayed together. Then she starts to lead the two back to the guardhouse.

 Rick looks over in surprise,

"Friend Oren has found something? Rick wonders what?"

If Oren explains what was purchased from Vanstrom auction Rick suggests,

"Rick thinks maybe we get the lineage and look at the books to see what they are? Rick doubts an old hammer and sword are interesting."

He rubs at a jagged tip of an ear while he thinks,

"Rick will bet Oren this is because of the family tree! Rick guesses the Captain either mixes two branches of the same tree or has a mom not on the tree..."

Rick sniffs,

"Rick guesses the books could show something exciting too. Oren agrees we need to look, yes?"

Oren will explain what he found and nods, "Yes, I guess we should find the books, too."

"But we should try to be quick." he adds.  "I'm not comfortable at all with sneaking about like this."

Slick blinks at Oren's last comment.

"Oren thinks this is sneaking? Rick and Oren only climbed in a window, Rick would call this after hours browsing."

The shopkeeper softly shakes his head, looking a bit uncomfortable, although not as much about being "pressed" as he does about the general situation as he begins to explain.

"Well, the Vanstroms it's just... Don't know the specifics, but they're nobles proper. His father, Armel I believe? Got in some kind of trouble, and eventually, things went so bad that they lost... A lot. Much of their stuff ended up being auctioned off, and I bought some of it," he finished, then quickly continued.

"But that's nothing personal, right? The whole reason he even started working here is to restore some family honor!"

(Give me a lore check, with advantage.)

---

Sylvera first brushes off the request for help, though Nuria quickly reiterates all that happened. Their current boss listens with some hint of shock, and pauses the group from rushing off too quick.

"Okay, this... Doesn't sound good, but certainly they can't keep him long for just an insult, right? I'm not sure what you are planning miss Lark," he says, trying to not sound disparaging, "But if they're pulling something like this, I doubt they'll listen to... Well, this isn't Mhurgot or even Mezzra, I'm not sure if there is even an Ghundra representative in this place."

"Just... Be careful, okay? I don't want you to kick a hornets nest if it would make things worse."

(Barring that any of the group have particular answers or questions for Pallen, nothing will stop the group from arriving at the guard hall, now seeming mostly silent. The main entrance got closed at some point, but does not appear locked.)

---

Oren seems happy enough with just the ledger as some kind of proof, before Slick figures they should try and grab some of these items. Breldo already knows where the maul is, and does in fact remember that Bryon had dropped the name "Vanstrom" while discussing selling it in the past. There's also a few longswords and shortswords in the same area, even if most weapons there don't really look usable, too rusted, they could probably figure out which ones are the ones in the book with some closer look. The other items however seem less obvious about their current location.

(Investigation checks if you are searching, and for what first.)

Breldo History: 19

Rick is after the family lineage painting first and then a stack of unorganized books to paw through. He doesn't care much about the weapons.

Investigation: 4

Khond pauses at the door, looking to Sylvera and Nuria, "So how do we go about this?  Apply pressure using noble title?  Convince them through subtle indirect wordage that the two of us are representatives of the local lord reviewing the town's management?  Mislead them into believing you are a relative of the local lord?"

Breldo has what was probably a nagging feeling before turn into sudden realisation as he hears that name. While he never met the man in question, it'd be hard to forget one of the nobles that was calling the shots back in the long years at Clowfe. 

Sylvera crosses her arms, "Well first we need to find the fool responsible. And then I will handle it from there." She speaks with total confidence, but it is very unclear as to whether or not she actually knows what she is doing. Especially considering she just brushed off Pallen's warning from before. Why should she care what representatives are present from where. She is a noble and so she expects the captain to do what she tells him to do. That is that. 

She pushes through the main entrance, immediately looking around in expectation. 

Nuria doesn't respond to the centaur, she just keeps on leading the two towards the guardhouse. Sylvera is a noble. She should be able to handle this. Everyone has to listen to nobles....