At mention of Gerant concern deepens on Filli’s face. “You think that Gerant may be involved in this also? I pray to Argon that neither of them has come to any harm....” Her words trail off for a moment as she contemplates things before she asks Larkan “This map, where is it Larkan? Perhaps it is best if you got away from this.” Looking to group around her she continues with a pleading look on her face “I know we have just met and I do not know your names but I hope I do not presume too much when I suggest that we take this map and perhaps together we can find out what is going on and hopefully find your friend, and Gerant if he is also wrapped up in this.”
"Thanks.." Mugs said after Filli finished casting her miracle. She rolled her shoulder testing out the repaired tendons and ligaments. "Almost good as new."
Pocketing the gold from Erika she sat patiently at the bar as Larkin recounted his plight. Her eyes wandering to a half eaten meal left behind by the patrons that vacated when the fighting started. She snapped back to attention when she realized the conversation had gone quiet as Filli stood there waiting for a response.
"Um.. yes. Definitely." she answered blindly.
"We can start by questioning one of these guys that is still alive. How would they have known the map was even here unless they had captured Gerant or your Gnome friend?"
Mugs takes one of the bowls that Basiel had stacked up and starts spinning it around.
Dara immediately flicks her quarterstaff to get rid of the residual energy humming through it. Once she does, she quietly observes the crew that seem to be talking with each other and towards Larkan and Gerant. She listens in on the conversation, quietly sitting back down in her original seat she had occupied beforehand. She is specifically listening in on the conversation that breaches the conversation with "Ratbeard" but she also eyes the other elf with interest.
She has her hood still covering most of her facial features, as she silently watches from her place.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Basiel listens attentively to Larkan and Filli, and nods thoughtfully at the female halfling’s offer.
“Larkan, what is your friend’s name? And could I have a look at that black coin you received?”
Basiel inspects the coin (if produced) while listening to Mugs make her suggestion.
Investigation:5
After inspection, Basiel tosses the coin up and catches it back in his hand, testing the weight. After a moment, he sucks air through his teeth, and sighs quickly.
“I’ll help find the gnome and this one named Gerant. Name’s Basiel, by the way. I spent some time in the Navy, ‘till last year - Conquista, that is.” The halfling says, looking around at the group, “Not a sailor, though I might dress like one these days, but more of a ‘soldier-at-sea’, if you will. I make that clear so you don’t get the wrong impression - I’m a gods-awful swimmer. I even got a nickname ‘cause o’ that: Bass, like the fish. Looked like one, I guess, from the way I was flopping on the deck one time after the crew pulled me out o’ the drink.” He quips and smiles wryly, before quickly changing back to a serious tone. “It’s partly because of this past that I know who Ratbeard is. Those of you from Stormhaven will already know of him, of course; but for those among you who don’t know: he’s a pirate. And he’s bad. A real black spot, black jack, bilge-sucking buccaneer. So, if you come along with us, you should remember what sort we’ll be up against.”
He looks over at the unconscious ruffian.
“Now, like the girl said, let’s hear what one of that sort has to say…”
Erika thinks for a moment and asks, “Where does this map lead?” She’ll watch while the group interrogates the final man, and study the map if Larken will let her.
Benagol is quite intrigued by the conversation: a mpa, kidnapping, he quite remembers the cook and he liked him: for all these reasons he would be willing to partecipate, of course in his opinion Ratbeard is a big problem
Mh, one problem at a time
He nods to Basiel and presents himself, shaking his hands while he gets closer to the prisoner:
"My name is Benagol, from Stormhaven, I am a sailor myself. I agree to give a you a hand in clear this situation because I am getting curious..."
Then putting the tied ruffian over his shoulder he says:
"Let's interrogate him in the back, though, somebody called the guards, I don't want them to show up and spoil us all the fun, ok Larkan? we go behind the kitchen"
Looking at all the persons who got involved in the fight.
Then, passing close to Larkan
"so you also have time to clean up this mess up and we don't scare the other customers, see?"
If Larkan has nothing to say against it, Benagol goes to drop the ruffian behind the inn ((I hope there will be a bcakyard, a storage closet, a free room or else...you know, just for the sake of rolepaying))
Once in a safe place and everybody who joined the fight reached him, Benagol starts snapping the ruffian in the face
Filli wrinkles her gentle face at the thought of interrogations, clearly uncomfortable with it. Despite this she understands that they may not have much choice if they wish to find those who are missing, the city watch would take days to get organised. As the others begin to move the captive to question him she says "I will go and meet with the guards outside and sort things out with them...and to buy you time for your...questions. Oh, and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintances Basiel and Benagol, and you all. I am Filli..." She hesitates for a moment here, before letting out a sigh and continuing. "Filli Goldenfield. I am sure you know who the Goldenfields are, and yes, I am Filli Goldenfield of the Goldenfield trading company."
With that she moves over to the bar counter and places five gold pieces on it as she looks to Larkan. "For the mess friend.." and with a quick glance at Mugs adds "and some food." Then she turns and heads towards the exit of the inn to intercept the guards when they arrive. Just before she passes through the threshold she turns to the others and adds "Please don't be cruel...I will tell the guards that one still lives." And then she exits and awaits outside.
((Wow, almost thought you guys forgot about the guards, they were about to drop in :) ))
Filli leaves the building to wait outside for when the guards show up. She didn't have to wait long, as two human guareds walk near, almost lazily in their approach. When they see the broken window, they stiffen up a bit, and tighten the grip on their spears. "You called for us, Ms. Goldenfield? ((They would probably know you by sight since they are from around here.)) Was there a fight?"
Meanwhile, the rest of you, excluding Larkan ((he doesn't do well with interrogations)), are in kitchen at the back with the prisoner, along with four dead pirates. The sweet aroma of the kitchen manages to keep the place from reeking of death. The living pirate wakes, looking rather groggy. He attempts to stretch, and then realizes that his arms are bound with rope. His gaze immedietly snaps back up to Benagol, and then to the others in the room. "What...?" he mumbles, looking around.
((For those of you interrogating him, you can ask questions and roleplay the conversation, and roll a Intimidation (with either Strength or Charisma) or a Persuasion (Charisma) check for each character. Based on the questions, I'll set a DC, and he'll speak)).
As the guards approach her Filli holds herself as straight and as tall as possible(well for a halfling) and adopted the manner most of her siblings did when letting others know of who they are. She hated leaning on her family name like this, but it was for a good cause. In a stern, but not rude, tone she speaks with them in a manner which makes sure to remind them who she is: “At last, you finally arrived. Yes indeed there has been an attack and lives have been lost, though thankfully only those of the guilty party. I myself am a witness to the events, please let me run you through the events so that you can create an accurate report. I trust that my account will serve as acceptable testimony in the investigation into this crime?”
With that she proceeds to run the guards through what occurred, slowly and taking as much time as possible without drawing suspicion. She leaves out any mention of the map, but otherwise recounts events truthfully to the guards, and she finishes with mention that one of the attackers was incapacitated and inside.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
As they are moving to the kitchen, Basiel finds a moment to pull the others aside and say,
"We can't go too far with this. This guy's a criminal, but still, I won't condone torture." He explains, "From my days at sea, I've seen good interrogations and bad interrogations. I've found bodily harm is a bad incentive, and the information one gathers is tainted and untrustworthy."
He gestures back to where Filli is, "She's right, we need to talk to the authorities, although obviously I think it should be after we get what we can out of this one. Four dead and one prisoner, we'll need to explain ourselves to them. And we'll need to turn this one over after we're done." He pauses, and looks pointedly at Erika and Mugs (if they're there), the ones who looted the bodies, “Could be they’ll offer us a reward for them - and maybe even pay us to solve the rest of this.”
- - -
The prisoner awakes with a sputter. As the pirate scans the room desperately, Basiel takes the lead and steps forward. He had been leaning against a counter, to the left of the prisoner, in the shadows.
"Ah, finally..." he says, drawing the pirate's gaze to himself. His face is cold, impassive, but his eyes are blazing. Basiel walks slowly forward, rolling up the sleeves of his tunic with rough, calloused hands as he comes into the light. The sleeves roll back to reveal the patchwork of scars that stand highlighted on the halfling's bronzed forearms, marks of his time at sea and in battle. He stops a few paces from the tied-up man.
"I hope you slept well. Me, I'm tired. And them, they're tired." He says, while gesturing to the group behind him, "You. You'll need your wits about you. You'll need your energy. So, I hope you slept well." Basiel waves over at the corpses, slumped over in a pool of blood. "Stupid thing the group of you tried. Wrong time, wrong place... wrong person to go after, even. I hope you see that now. Time to smarten up. That means it's time to answer our questions. That's the smart thing to do, given your situation." He pauses, letting that sink in, before continuing, "Tell us the truth, no playing around, and you're free to crawl back to the cave you came from. Lie to us and... well, you've seen what we're capable of."
Intimidation:10
"Who are you?" - "Where did you come from?" - "Where were you supposed to report back to, after this?" - "Where is the gnome?" - "Where is Gerant?" - "What do you want with the map?"
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Dara has been distancing herself, not sure if the others who had just partaken in the fight had taken notice of her as she had been listening in and not actively joining the newly made acquaintances in front of her. She is not a creature that likes to make friends. All she cared for was to find her sister as soon as possible, she did not need this distraction. But this news of Ratbeard might give light to some more clues to a path her sister may have taken or was taken.
She eyes the prisoner that the man seems to be interrogating. Standing from her seat, she walks over close enough to see what kind of man this prisoner is more in-detail:
Perception 17
Dara is not necessarily being stealthy, but she does not say anything as of yet.
The man agrees to your terms. "If you let me live, like you said... I'll say what you want."
"My name is Quarren. I've lived in Stormhaven my whole life as a beggar. Ratbeard got me out of that mess, and set me up for a path to fortunes. I'm supposed to report back to Thrym. He's Ratbeard's first mate, and a scary one at that. He comes from Grizzleheim in the north ((Grizzleheim is a viking-like land. The people there are expert sailors and often very strong. They seldom use magic.))."
Quarren stops talking, but then eyes the bodies of his fallen companions. "The gnome and the human are at Blood Shoals. I don't know if they're alive or dead. As for the map... it's the floor plan of La Fortaleza. Labels every nook and cranny, every secret passage. Ratbeard says there's a treasure down in La Fortaleza. Somethin' to do with the natives. The Conquistans keep it locked up tight."
Quarren looks to the group. "You're good with weapons. Ratbeard'll pay you good if you take it, and bring it back to him. You won't ever have to worry about food again. If you let me go, I can take ya to the captain. You take the treasure, you give it to him, you get rich. Good deal eh?"
Mug stops spinning the plate and squints at Benagol as she tries to decipher what he's saying. Shaking her head she hops off the bar stool and walks in a half circle around Quarren. She begins, "So this gnome friend of Larkins somehow finds this map on how to infiltrate La Fortaleza the fortress holding so much spice it could fund a kingdom for decades. Then gets kidnapped by this RatBeard fellow. Later, and of course coincidentally between then and now a patron of this bar... this.." Mugs stops for a moment trying to remember the name.
"This Gerant fellow also gets kidnapped..." Mugs puts her fingers up to make obvious air-quotes around the word kidnapped, "Then you fellows show up knowing Larkin has the map and try to steal it."
Mugs cocks her head to the side condescendingly at Quarren "Having failed horribly at that you're now telling us to steal the map from the man you tried to murder that we defended with our lives on the off chance that the murderous kidnapping Ratbeard would reward us with a treasure of untold proportions."
She squats down next to Quarren at about eye level, "When we could just sell the map to the Stormhaven navy, in exchange for helping us rescue the captives from you pirate scum, let the Governor and the Generals sort out what to do with the blasted island while we go our separate ways?" Mugs stands back up rubbing her shoulder. While most of the damage was healed by Filli, but it was still horribly sore having been shot through earlier. Walking towards the door to join Filli she finishes "Ratbeard must be the dumbest pirate on the high seas to be stupid enough to trust such an important mission to a group of bottom feeders like you."
Dara sighs quietly, not sure if she would hear anything of interest as of now, and walks outside the tavern to talk with the guards. Maybe they would have heard about her sister.
Once Filli answers the guards' questions, Dara intends to ask them if they know or have heard about an elf called Alea.
"Gentlemen, thank you for your help. I understand that you have a task to fulfill with the man inside, but before you go, might I ask you if you have heard about a female elf that goes by the name Alea? She would look almost exactly like me."
With that, Dara lowers her hood to show the guards her appearance.
Basiel watches as the two leave the kitchen. He turns back to the pirate and stares at the tied up man. After a moment, he grabs a dish rag from the counter, walks behind the prisoner, and says, "These two have it right: either Ratbeard is stupid enough to trust us, in which case we would be fools to go into business with an idiot such as that, or you think we're stupid enough to trust you. I said no fooling around - the deal's off. You need to face justice and learn the value of taking honest responsibility for yourself. Goodbye, Quarren." The halfling quickly loops the rag around the pirates head, gagging him, before tying it off at the back of his head. Basiel looks at Benagol, "Let's move these guys back into the main room and then go see what's keeping those guards."
((Does everyone find this colour legible? It will help differentiate the dialogue, and it will also give a quick indication of which character is talking. I'm happy to choose a different colour, though.))
At mention of Gerant concern deepens on Filli’s face. “You think that Gerant may be involved in this also? I pray to Argon that neither of them has come to any harm....” Her words trail off for a moment as she contemplates things before she asks Larkan “This map, where is it Larkan? Perhaps it is best if you got away from this.” Looking to group around her she continues with a pleading look on her face “I know we have just met and I do not know your names but I hope I do not presume too much when I suggest that we take this map and perhaps together we can find out what is going on and hopefully find your friend, and Gerant if he is also wrapped up in this.”
"Thanks.." Mugs said after Filli finished casting her miracle. She rolled her shoulder testing out the repaired tendons and ligaments. "Almost good as new."
Pocketing the gold from Erika she sat patiently at the bar as Larkin recounted his plight. Her eyes wandering to a half eaten meal left behind by the patrons that vacated when the fighting started. She snapped back to attention when she realized the conversation had gone quiet as Filli stood there waiting for a response.
"Um.. yes. Definitely." she answered blindly.
"We can start by questioning one of these guys that is still alive. How would they have known the map was even here unless they had captured Gerant or your Gnome friend?"
Mugs takes one of the bowls that Basiel had stacked up and starts spinning it around.
Dara immediately flicks her quarterstaff to get rid of the residual energy humming through it. Once she does, she quietly observes the crew that seem to be talking with each other and towards Larkan and Gerant. She listens in on the conversation, quietly sitting back down in her original seat she had occupied beforehand. She is specifically listening in on the conversation that breaches the conversation with "Ratbeard" but she also eyes the other elf with interest.
She has her hood still covering most of her facial features, as she silently watches from her place.
Basiel listens attentively to Larkan and Filli, and nods thoughtfully at the female halfling’s offer.
“Larkan, what is your friend’s name? And could I have a look at that black coin you received?”
Basiel inspects the coin (if produced) while listening to Mugs make her suggestion.
Investigation: 5
After inspection, Basiel tosses the coin up and catches it back in his hand, testing the weight. After a moment, he sucks air through his teeth, and sighs quickly.
“I’ll help find the gnome and this one named Gerant. Name’s Basiel, by the way. I spent some time in the Navy, ‘till last year - Conquista, that is.” The halfling says, looking around at the group, “Not a sailor, though I might dress like one these days, but more of a ‘soldier-at-sea’, if you will. I make that clear so you don’t get the wrong impression - I’m a gods-awful swimmer. I even got a nickname ‘cause o’ that: Bass, like the fish. Looked like one, I guess, from the way I was flopping on the deck one time after the crew pulled me out o’ the drink.” He quips and smiles wryly, before quickly changing back to a serious tone. “It’s partly because of this past that I know who Ratbeard is. Those of you from Stormhaven will already know of him, of course; but for those among you who don’t know: he’s a pirate. And he’s bad. A real black spot, black jack, bilge-sucking buccaneer. So, if you come along with us, you should remember what sort we’ll be up against.”
He looks over at the unconscious ruffian.
“Now, like the girl said, let’s hear what one of that sort has to say…”
Erika thinks for a moment and asks, “Where does this map lead?” She’ll watch while the group interrogates the final man, and study the map if Larken will let her.
Benagol is quite intrigued by the conversation: a mpa, kidnapping, he quite remembers the cook and he liked him: for all these reasons he would be willing to partecipate, of course in his opinion Ratbeard is a big problem
Mh, one problem at a time
He nods to Basiel and presents himself, shaking his hands while he gets closer to the prisoner:
"My name is Benagol, from Stormhaven, I am a sailor myself. I agree to give a you a hand in clear this situation because I am getting curious..."
Then putting the tied ruffian over his shoulder he says:
"Let's interrogate him in the back, though, somebody called the guards, I don't want them to show up and spoil us all the fun, ok Larkan? we go behind the kitchen"
Looking at all the persons who got involved in the fight.
Then, passing close to Larkan
"so you also have time to clean up this mess up and we don't scare the other customers, see?"
If Larkan has nothing to say against it, Benagol goes to drop the ruffian behind the inn ((I hope there will be a bcakyard, a storage closet, a free room or else...you know, just for the sake of rolepaying))
Once in a safe place and everybody who joined the fight reached him, Benagol starts snapping the ruffian in the face
wakey wakey...
Filli wrinkles her gentle face at the thought of interrogations, clearly uncomfortable with it. Despite this she understands that they may not have much choice if they wish to find those who are missing, the city watch would take days to get organised. As the others begin to move the captive to question him she says "I will go and meet with the guards outside and sort things out with them...and to buy you time for your...questions. Oh, and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintances Basiel and Benagol, and you all. I am Filli..." She hesitates for a moment here, before letting out a sigh and continuing. "Filli Goldenfield. I am sure you know who the Goldenfields are, and yes, I am Filli Goldenfield of the Goldenfield trading company."
With that she moves over to the bar counter and places five gold pieces on it as she looks to Larkan. "For the mess friend.." and with a quick glance at Mugs adds "and some food." Then she turns and heads towards the exit of the inn to intercept the guards when they arrive. Just before she passes through the threshold she turns to the others and adds "Please don't be cruel...I will tell the guards that one still lives." And then she exits and awaits outside.
((Wow, almost thought you guys forgot about the guards, they were about to drop in :) ))
Filli leaves the building to wait outside for when the guards show up. She didn't have to wait long, as two human guareds walk near, almost lazily in their approach. When they see the broken window, they stiffen up a bit, and tighten the grip on their spears. "You called for us, Ms. Goldenfield? ((They would probably know you by sight since they are from around here.)) Was there a fight?"
Meanwhile, the rest of you, excluding Larkan ((he doesn't do well with interrogations)), are in kitchen at the back with the prisoner, along with four dead pirates. The sweet aroma of the kitchen manages to keep the place from reeking of death. The living pirate wakes, looking rather groggy. He attempts to stretch, and then realizes that his arms are bound with rope. His gaze immedietly snaps back up to Benagol, and then to the others in the room. "What...?" he mumbles, looking around.
((For those of you interrogating him, you can ask questions and roleplay the conversation, and roll a Intimidation (with either Strength or Charisma) or a Persuasion (Charisma) check for each character. Based on the questions, I'll set a DC, and he'll speak)).
Player: Caer Blain Campaign
DM: Stormhaven
DM: Temple of the Lizard King
As the guards approach her Filli holds herself as straight and as tall as possible(well for a halfling) and adopted the manner most of her siblings did when letting others know of who they are. She hated leaning on her family name like this, but it was for a good cause. In a stern, but not rude, tone she speaks with them in a manner which makes sure to remind them who she is: “At last, you finally arrived. Yes indeed there has been an attack and lives have been lost, though thankfully only those of the guilty party. I myself am a witness to the events, please let me run you through the events so that you can create an accurate report. I trust that my account will serve as acceptable testimony in the investigation into this crime?”
With that she proceeds to run the guards through what occurred, slowly and taking as much time as possible without drawing suspicion. She leaves out any mention of the map, but otherwise recounts events truthfully to the guards, and she finishes with mention that one of the attackers was incapacitated and inside.
As they are moving to the kitchen, Basiel finds a moment to pull the others aside and say,
"We can't go too far with this. This guy's a criminal, but still, I won't condone torture." He explains, "From my days at sea, I've seen good interrogations and bad interrogations. I've found bodily harm is a bad incentive, and the information one gathers is tainted and untrustworthy."
He gestures back to where Filli is, "She's right, we need to talk to the authorities, although obviously I think it should be after we get what we can out of this one. Four dead and one prisoner, we'll need to explain ourselves to them. And we'll need to turn this one over after we're done." He pauses, and looks pointedly at Erika and Mugs (if they're there), the ones who looted the bodies, “Could be they’ll offer us a reward for them - and maybe even pay us to solve the rest of this.”
- - -
The prisoner awakes with a sputter. As the pirate scans the room desperately, Basiel takes the lead and steps forward. He had been leaning against a counter, to the left of the prisoner, in the shadows.
"Ah, finally..." he says, drawing the pirate's gaze to himself. His face is cold, impassive, but his eyes are blazing. Basiel walks slowly forward, rolling up the sleeves of his tunic with rough, calloused hands as he comes into the light. The sleeves roll back to reveal the patchwork of scars that stand highlighted on the halfling's bronzed forearms, marks of his time at sea and in battle. He stops a few paces from the tied-up man.
"I hope you slept well. Me, I'm tired. And them, they're tired." He says, while gesturing to the group behind him, "You. You'll need your wits about you. You'll need your energy. So, I hope you slept well." Basiel waves over at the corpses, slumped over in a pool of blood. "Stupid thing the group of you tried. Wrong time, wrong place... wrong person to go after, even. I hope you see that now. Time to smarten up. That means it's time to answer our questions. That's the smart thing to do, given your situation." He pauses, letting that sink in, before continuing, "Tell us the truth, no playing around, and you're free to crawl back to the cave you came from. Lie to us and... well, you've seen what we're capable of."
Intimidation:10
"Who are you?" - "Where did you come from?" - "Where were you supposed to report back to, after this?" - "Where is the gnome?" - "Where is Gerant?" - "What do you want with the map?"
((Do I need to roll deception for the lie that the pirate will be released if they're honest? If so, here: ))
Deception: 12
Dara has been distancing herself, not sure if the others who had just partaken in the fight had taken notice of her as she had been listening in and not actively joining the newly made acquaintances in front of her. She is not a creature that likes to make friends. All she cared for was to find her sister as soon as possible, she did not need this distraction. But this news of Ratbeard might give light to some more clues to a path her sister may have taken or was taken.
She eyes the prisoner that the man seems to be interrogating. Standing from her seat, she walks over close enough to see what kind of man this prisoner is more in-detail:
Perception 17
Dara is not necessarily being stealthy, but she does not say anything as of yet.
Benagol smiles at the prisoner and he is totally satisfied with the little hafling approach.
For the moment he just listens
The man agrees to your terms. "If you let me live, like you said... I'll say what you want."
"My name is Quarren. I've lived in Stormhaven my whole life as a beggar. Ratbeard got me out of that mess, and set me up for a path to fortunes. I'm supposed to report back to Thrym. He's Ratbeard's first mate, and a scary one at that. He comes from Grizzleheim in the north ((Grizzleheim is a viking-like land. The people there are expert sailors and often very strong. They seldom use magic.))."
Quarren stops talking, but then eyes the bodies of his fallen companions. "The gnome and the human are at Blood Shoals. I don't know if they're alive or dead. As for the map... it's the floor plan of La Fortaleza. Labels every nook and cranny, every secret passage. Ratbeard says there's a treasure down in La Fortaleza. Somethin' to do with the natives. The Conquistans keep it locked up tight."
Quarren looks to the group. "You're good with weapons. Ratbeard'll pay you good if you take it, and bring it back to him. You won't ever have to worry about food again. If you let me go, I can take ya to the captain. You take the treasure, you give it to him, you get rich. Good deal eh?"
Player: Caer Blain Campaign
DM: Stormhaven
DM: Temple of the Lizard King
Erika perks up at the mention of La Fortaleza and money. Asking the group, “Where’s Blood Shoals in relation to La Fortaleza?”
((Stormhaven is on the coast. La Fortaleza is on an island east of here. Blood Shoals is north of Stormhaven))
Player: Caer Blain Campaign
DM: Stormhaven
DM: Temple of the Lizard King
Benagol little easy mind is troubled
This man is here is almost dead and still he tries to deal....he is crazy or he has wits.
And the mention of money lures me but
then he speaks
"Revealing to a captain pirate that you know something about the treasure he wants, and that you also stopped his fellow pirates, eh?!
Great plan, you have, great plan indeed, dear old Quarrel"
Mug stops spinning the plate and squints at Benagol as she tries to decipher what he's saying. Shaking her head she hops off the bar stool and walks in a half circle around Quarren. She begins, "So this gnome friend of Larkins somehow finds this map on how to infiltrate La Fortaleza the fortress holding so much spice it could fund a kingdom for decades. Then gets kidnapped by this RatBeard fellow. Later, and of course coincidentally between then and now a patron of this bar... this.." Mugs stops for a moment trying to remember the name.
"This Gerant fellow also gets kidnapped..." Mugs puts her fingers up to make obvious air-quotes around the word kidnapped, "Then you fellows show up knowing Larkin has the map and try to steal it."
Mugs cocks her head to the side condescendingly at Quarren "Having failed horribly at that you're now telling us to steal the map from the man you tried to murder that we defended with our lives on the off chance that the murderous kidnapping Ratbeard would reward us with a treasure of untold proportions."
She squats down next to Quarren at about eye level, "When we could just sell the map to the Stormhaven navy, in exchange for helping us rescue the captives from you pirate scum, let the Governor and the Generals sort out what to do with the blasted island while we go our separate ways?" Mugs stands back up rubbing her shoulder. While most of the damage was healed by Filli, but it was still horribly sore having been shot through earlier. Walking towards the door to join Filli she finishes "Ratbeard must be the dumbest pirate on the high seas to be stupid enough to trust such an important mission to a group of bottom feeders like you."
Dara sighs quietly, not sure if she would hear anything of interest as of now, and walks outside the tavern to talk with the guards. Maybe they would have heard about her sister.
Once Filli answers the guards' questions, Dara intends to ask them if they know or have heard about an elf called Alea.
"Gentlemen, thank you for your help. I understand that you have a task to fulfill with the man inside, but before you go, might I ask you if you have heard about a female elf that goes by the name Alea? She would look almost exactly like me."
With that, Dara lowers her hood to show the guards her appearance.
Basiel watches as the two leave the kitchen. He turns back to the pirate and stares at the tied up man. After a moment, he grabs a dish rag from the counter, walks behind the prisoner, and says, "These two have it right: either Ratbeard is stupid enough to trust us, in which case we would be fools to go into business with an idiot such as that, or you think we're stupid enough to trust you. I said no fooling around - the deal's off. You need to face justice and learn the value of taking honest responsibility for yourself. Goodbye, Quarren." The halfling quickly loops the rag around the pirates head, gagging him, before tying it off at the back of his head. Basiel looks at Benagol, "Let's move these guys back into the main room and then go see what's keeping those guards."
((Does everyone find this colour legible? It will help differentiate the dialogue, and it will also give a quick indication of which character is talking. I'm happy to choose a different colour, though.))