(OOC: You've got time to think it over, as a turkey-induced coma will keep me offline for the rest of today.
I'm trying to think how a flying cat can mime some complicated course of action.)
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Beegred Thornpost - Lvl 8 Halfling Ranger - Out of the Abyss by Kerrec Drusk - Lvl 8 Half-Orc Life Cleric - The Long Road: Dragon Heist by Mingofaust (player & current DM) Hunferho Aelorothi - Lvl 5 Half-Elf Bard/Rogue - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy) DM - Frontier City of Nunkreet (ended)
Hildi doesn't really care if Emmek realizes later that two of the documents are missing. He's half a mind to turn visible and confront him right here and now.
Hildi doesn't really care if Emmek realizes later that two of the documents are missing. He's half a mind to turn visible and confront him right here and now.
Hildi sneaks back to the main room. Since he is invisible and trying to hide his presence, he sneaks behind Jorin, taps him on the back, and tugs his shirt slightly in the direction of the front door.
Meanwhile, what Emmek sees is a big gruff warrior type break through the front door (that he painstakingly worked on), demand drinks from a pub that isn't open, threaten that Emmek's friends shouldn't be seen in a place he has never heard of, shout back "I think YOU have the wrong place", then spin around looking for something that isn't there.
Emmek stops swinging his broom at the flying cat causing a ruckus, and holds the broom between him and Jorin to maintain a safe distance. Speaking slowly and calmly to the crazy man: "I hear there are drinks out in the street. Very good drinks. The best drinks. If you are thirsty, you should get your cat and go outside. No one will get in your way." He will move slowly and to the side, to put a table between himself and Jorin.
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Beegred Thornpost - Lvl 8 Halfling Ranger - Out of the Abyss by Kerrec Drusk - Lvl 8 Half-Orc Life Cleric - The Long Road: Dragon Heist by Mingofaust (player & current DM) Hunferho Aelorothi - Lvl 5 Half-Elf Bard/Rogue - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy) DM - Frontier City of Nunkreet (ended)
Jorin levels his gaze at Emmek and says, quite deliberately, "Aye, street drinks are the best drinks." and then slowly backs away, heading out of the tavern.
Is there an address on the letter from the wererats?
(There are no letters from the wererats. I figured they would be lucky to have 1 out of the 4 be literate. Any transactions Emmek may or may not have with the wererats was not in those documents.
The letter you pilfered was someone saying that Emmek was trying to get them to work for too little pay, and turned him down.
... And Jorin and Quillary are still in the dark.)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Beegred Thornpost - Lvl 8 Halfling Ranger - Out of the Abyss by Kerrec Drusk - Lvl 8 Half-Orc Life Cleric - The Long Road: Dragon Heist by Mingofaust (player & current DM) Hunferho Aelorothi - Lvl 5 Half-Elf Bard/Rogue - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy) DM - Frontier City of Nunkreet (ended)
(Until the others are told what is happening, I'll put this in a spoiler.)
For Hildigrim only:
I re-read what I originally wrote, and I think I see how you interpreted that differently than I intended. Let me try this again.
Emmek wanted some tasks done. The letters don't say what. "Problem solvers" is a euphemism for unlawful jobs, when they don't want to blatantly admit that they are being hired to commit a crime. The two letters were from different small organizations or adventuring parties. Both letters were denials, since Emmek was being cheap and tried to pay less than half their going rates.
Hildigrim has a letter with only a sigil for a signature. He doesn't recognize it. If he wants to ask around about that symbol, and make it known that he is trying to find out about this secretive criminal group, that is his decision.
Neither of the two groups were the 4 wererats. Apparently, the wererats are willing to work for quite a bit cheaper than other groups.
Even at those cheaper rates, the wererats still had to visit Emmek to get some money and demand that he prepare the rest promised.
Beegred Thornpost - Lvl 8 Halfling Ranger - Out of the Abyss by Kerrec Drusk - Lvl 8 Half-Orc Life Cleric - The Long Road: Dragon Heist by Mingofaust (player & current DM) Hunferho Aelorothi - Lvl 5 Half-Elf Bard/Rogue - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy) DM - Frontier City of Nunkreet (ended)
So the two letters were from other (non-wererat) individuals who had been solicited to do something, but were unwilling to do anything for the price they were offered? So it's like he tried them, then the wererats, and the wererats were willing to work for cheap? OK. No, there's not any reason I can think of that Hildi would want to find either of those individuals. He would have taken one of the letters from Emmek's sisters, but nothing else.
Hildi (still invisible) leads Jorin and the tressym somewhere out of sight of Emmek's place and becomes visible again. "Motive uncovered!" he says excitedly. He tells them about the letters he read on Emmek's desk:
1. He finds a somewhat crumpled and tear-soaked note from several weeks ago from a prestigious auctioneering firm, informing him that he was outbid for the Grand Trollskull Manor by Volothamp Geddarm. Another note from a few days after that, from a real estate firm, congratulates him on purchasing this building that you are currently inside, noting that it was still zoned to be a tavern or restaurant.
2. There are some personal letters from his sisters, sent over many weeks. The tone is not pleasant. One states that he has received all of the funds promised from the buy-out of the family business, so he should stop threatening to sue. The most recent states that their parents, Kelemvor rest their souls, would wash his mouth out with soap if they heard the kind of language Emmek wrote to his sisters. Hildi took one of these letters.
3. A letter from a local bank stating that Emmek has already maxed his credit limit, and that all requests for more loans will be denied.
4. There are several notes from the carpenters guild. They are split between overdue bills for work done, and notices that home repairs will be fined, especially since Emmek's work is not to code.
5. There are 2 letters from around 2 weeks back, from "problem solvers" of poor reputation. They note that they do the kind of work requested, but that Emmek's offer is less than half of their normal rates. These are not from the wererats. Evidently Emmek tried a few "problem solvers". These turned him down. The wererats evidently didn't.
6. Emmek appears to be working on several letter drafts to the health inspectors. None are finished yet. He states that Trollskull Manor is known to be rat infested, which is why he didn't buy it. He also demands, after the recent findings of rats by the inspectors, that the tavern in that building should not be allowed to operate, and in fact should be demolished to rid the neighborhood of a vermin threat.
(This might be a good time to revisit the Campaign page that Mingofaust set up. Particularly, "The Law" in Waterdeep:
Murdering a citizen with justification: exile, hard labor, or damages up to 1,000 gold
Assaulting a citizen: imprisonment, flogging, and a fine up to 1,000 gold
Blackmailing or intimidating a citizen: fine or damages up to 500 gold and edict )
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Beegred Thornpost - Lvl 8 Halfling Ranger - Out of the Abyss by Kerrec Drusk - Lvl 8 Half-Orc Life Cleric - The Long Road: Dragon Heist by Mingofaust (player & current DM) Hunferho Aelorothi - Lvl 5 Half-Elf Bard/Rogue - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy) DM - Frontier City of Nunkreet (ended)
Quillary certainly has no knowledge of the code of laws in Waterdeep… nevertheless, she sheds her skin in a flurry of feathers and downy fur, moving to block Jorin.
”Peace, Jorin of the Bodt. We can solve this without violence.” She turns and strides back into the tavern, her spores trailing behind in a swirl. The redolence of rotting leaves, or worse, accompanies her.
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ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he). Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
"The female halfling's response when leaving yesterday would lead me to believe the wererats now have more motivation to shut us down than whatever meager wage Emmek is paying them," Hildigrim offers. "We might could pay them off to leave us alone, but perhaps not.
"I lifted one of the letters from Emmek's sisters because I am considering writing them to disclose their brother's unscrupulous plans. They seem strong and intelligent, and they might know a way to stop Emmek. However, we should not put all of our eggs in that basket, so to speak. We need to get this rat problem under control, especially if he is writing duplicitous letters to health inspectors. That needs to be our main concern. If Emmek continues to break the law by performing work himself and remains unable to pay off his debts, his dream will whither without any assistance from us. We would just need to be patient. Of course, we could write our own letters concerning the work he is performing behind closed doors." He makes a face. "That seems ... underhanded."
After your party of 3 left the incomplete pub, I assume you went out to somewhat secluded area before your discussion (Hildi turning visible, Quillary shapechanging). It was a half minute walk away from the pub, and 2 minutes of discussion.
On your return to the pub, the front door is closed. A book-sized portion of the door where the handle used to be is still missing. (Probably where Jorin left it inside.) Through that gap, you can see that chairs have been stacked behind the door to prop it shut.
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Beegred Thornpost - Lvl 8 Halfling Ranger - Out of the Abyss by Kerrec Drusk - Lvl 8 Half-Orc Life Cleric - The Long Road: Dragon Heist by Mingofaust (player & current DM) Hunferho Aelorothi - Lvl 5 Half-Elf Bard/Rogue - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy) DM - Frontier City of Nunkreet (ended)
(This should be fun, she's not a natural negotiator with a Charisma of 10 and her Haunted One background, but she does have a lot of wisdom, and her Passive Insight is pretty good at 15. This guy doesn't seem like he is gifted at Deception.)
Join will attempt to stall by quickly calling back, "I think YOU have the wrong place!"
(Sorry, that's all I got lol)
(OOC: You've got time to think it over, as a turkey-induced coma will keep me offline for the rest of today.
I'm trying to think how a flying cat can mime some complicated course of action.)
Beegred Thornpost - Lvl 8 Halfling Ranger - Out of the Abyss by Kerrec
Drusk - Lvl 8 Half-Orc Life Cleric - The Long Road: Dragon Heist by Mingofaust (player & current DM)
Hunferho Aelorothi - Lvl 5 Half-Elf Bard/Rogue - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy)
DM - Frontier City of Nunkreet (ended)
Hildi doesn't really care if Emmek realizes later that two of the documents are missing. He's half a mind to turn visible and confront him right here and now.
Hildi sneaks back to the main room. Since he is invisible and trying to hide his presence, he sneaks behind Jorin, taps him on the back, and tugs his shirt slightly in the direction of the front door.
Meanwhile, what Emmek sees is a big gruff warrior type break through the front door (that he painstakingly worked on), demand drinks from a pub that isn't open, threaten that Emmek's friends shouldn't be seen in a place he has never heard of, shout back "I think YOU have the wrong place", then spin around looking for something that isn't there.
Emmek stops swinging his broom at the flying cat causing a ruckus, and holds the broom between him and Jorin to maintain a safe distance. Speaking slowly and calmly to the crazy man: "I hear there are drinks out in the street. Very good drinks. The best drinks. If you are thirsty, you should get your cat and go outside. No one will get in your way." He will move slowly and to the side, to put a table between himself and Jorin.
Beegred Thornpost - Lvl 8 Halfling Ranger - Out of the Abyss by Kerrec
Drusk - Lvl 8 Half-Orc Life Cleric - The Long Road: Dragon Heist by Mingofaust (player & current DM)
Hunferho Aelorothi - Lvl 5 Half-Elf Bard/Rogue - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy)
DM - Frontier City of Nunkreet (ended)
Jorin levels his gaze at Emmek and says, quite deliberately, "Aye, street drinks are the best drinks." and then slowly backs away, heading out of the tavern.
Quillary-tressym haughtily trots out of the tavern, tail held high, wings demurely folded.
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he).
Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
Is there an address on the letter from the wererats?
(There are no letters from the wererats. I figured they would be lucky to have 1 out of the 4 be literate.
Any transactions Emmek may or may not have with the wererats was not in those documents.
The letter you pilfered was someone saying that Emmek was trying to get them to work for too little pay, and turned him down.
... And Jorin and Quillary are still in the dark.)
Beegred Thornpost - Lvl 8 Halfling Ranger - Out of the Abyss by Kerrec
Drusk - Lvl 8 Half-Orc Life Cleric - The Long Road: Dragon Heist by Mingofaust (player & current DM)
Hunferho Aelorothi - Lvl 5 Half-Elf Bard/Rogue - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy)
DM - Frontier City of Nunkreet (ended)
Those weren't the "problem solvers"? Well, Hildi is assuming they are. Is there an address on the "problem solvers" letter he swiped?
(Until the others are told what is happening, I'll put this in a spoiler.)
For Hildigrim only:
I re-read what I originally wrote, and I think I see how you interpreted that differently than I intended. Let me try this again.
Emmek wanted some tasks done. The letters don't say what. "Problem solvers" is a euphemism for unlawful jobs, when they don't want to blatantly admit that they are being hired to commit a crime. The two letters were from different small organizations or adventuring parties. Both letters were denials, since Emmek was being cheap and tried to pay less than half their going rates.
Hildigrim has a letter with only a sigil for a signature. He doesn't recognize it. If he wants to ask around about that symbol, and make it known that he is trying to find out about this secretive criminal group, that is his decision.
Neither of the two groups were the 4 wererats. Apparently, the wererats are willing to work for quite a bit cheaper than other groups.
Even at those cheaper rates, the wererats still had to visit Emmek to get some money and demand that he prepare the rest promised.
Beegred Thornpost - Lvl 8 Halfling Ranger - Out of the Abyss by Kerrec
Drusk - Lvl 8 Half-Orc Life Cleric - The Long Road: Dragon Heist by Mingofaust (player & current DM)
Hunferho Aelorothi - Lvl 5 Half-Elf Bard/Rogue - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy)
DM - Frontier City of Nunkreet (ended)
DM:
So the two letters were from other (non-wererat) individuals who had been solicited to do something, but were unwilling to do anything for the price they were offered? So it's like he tried them, then the wererats, and the wererats were willing to work for cheap? OK. No, there's not any reason I can think of that Hildi would want to find either of those individuals. He would have taken one of the letters from Emmek's sisters, but nothing else.
Hildi (still invisible) leads Jorin and the tressym somewhere out of sight of Emmek's place and becomes visible again. "Motive uncovered!" he says excitedly. He tells them about the letters he read on Emmek's desk:
1. He finds a somewhat crumpled and tear-soaked note from several weeks ago from a prestigious auctioneering firm, informing him that he was outbid for the Grand Trollskull Manor by Volothamp Geddarm. Another note from a few days after that, from a real estate firm, congratulates him on purchasing this building that you are currently inside, noting that it was still zoned to be a tavern or restaurant.
2. There are some personal letters from his sisters, sent over many weeks. The tone is not pleasant. One states that he has received all of the funds promised from the buy-out of the family business, so he should stop threatening to sue. The most recent states that their parents, Kelemvor rest their souls, would wash his mouth out with soap if they heard the kind of language Emmek wrote to his sisters. Hildi took one of these letters.
3. A letter from a local bank stating that Emmek has already maxed his credit limit, and that all requests for more loans will be denied.
4. There are several notes from the carpenters guild. They are split between overdue bills for work done, and notices that home repairs will be fined, especially since Emmek's work is not to code.
5. There are 2 letters from around 2 weeks back, from "problem solvers" of poor reputation. They note that they do the kind of work requested, but that Emmek's offer is less than half of their normal rates. These are not from the wererats. Evidently Emmek tried a few "problem solvers". These turned him down. The wererats evidently didn't.
6. Emmek appears to be working on several letter drafts to the health inspectors. None are finished yet. He states that Trollskull Manor is known to be rat infested, which is why he didn't buy it. He also demands, after the recent findings of rats by the inspectors, that the tavern in that building should not be allowed to operate, and in fact should be demolished to rid the neighborhood of a vermin threat.
Quillary-tressym hisses low at the last item, about the health inspector and the rats. Her tail twitches in annoyance.
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he).
Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
"Perhaps I was too kind before..." Jorin says, turning and walked back towards Emmek's tavern, fists balled.
(This might be a good time to revisit the Campaign page that Mingofaust set up. Particularly, "The Law" in Waterdeep:
Beegred Thornpost - Lvl 8 Halfling Ranger - Out of the Abyss by Kerrec
Drusk - Lvl 8 Half-Orc Life Cleric - The Long Road: Dragon Heist by Mingofaust (player & current DM)
Hunferho Aelorothi - Lvl 5 Half-Elf Bard/Rogue - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy)
DM - Frontier City of Nunkreet (ended)
Quillary certainly has no knowledge of the code of laws in Waterdeep… nevertheless, she sheds her skin in a flurry of feathers and downy fur, moving to block Jorin.
”Peace, Jorin of the Bodt. We can solve this without violence.” She turns and strides back into the tavern, her spores trailing behind in a swirl. The redolence of rotting leaves, or worse, accompanies her.
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he).
Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
Jorin relaxes his fists but maintains a pretty serious scowl as he falls in behind Quillary.
"The female halfling's response when leaving yesterday would lead me to believe the wererats now have more motivation to shut us down than whatever meager wage Emmek is paying them," Hildigrim offers. "We might could pay them off to leave us alone, but perhaps not.
"I lifted one of the letters from Emmek's sisters because I am considering writing them to disclose their brother's unscrupulous plans. They seem strong and intelligent, and they might know a way to stop Emmek. However, we should not put all of our eggs in that basket, so to speak. We need to get this rat problem under control, especially if he is writing duplicitous letters to health inspectors. That needs to be our main concern. If Emmek continues to break the law by performing work himself and remains unable to pay off his debts, his dream will whither without any assistance from us. We would just need to be patient. Of course, we could write our own letters concerning the work he is performing behind closed doors." He makes a face. "That seems ... underhanded."
Quillary sort of does a head shake to ward off Hildigrim's logical thinking process, and continues on her way into the tavern.
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he).
Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
After your party of 3 left the incomplete pub, I assume you went out to somewhat secluded area before your discussion (Hildi turning visible, Quillary shapechanging). It was a half minute walk away from the pub, and 2 minutes of discussion.
On your return to the pub, the front door is closed. A book-sized portion of the door where the handle used to be is still missing. (Probably where Jorin left it inside.) Through that gap, you can see that chairs have been stacked behind the door to prop it shut.
Beegred Thornpost - Lvl 8 Halfling Ranger - Out of the Abyss by Kerrec
Drusk - Lvl 8 Half-Orc Life Cleric - The Long Road: Dragon Heist by Mingofaust (player & current DM)
Hunferho Aelorothi - Lvl 5 Half-Elf Bard/Rogue - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy)
DM - Frontier City of Nunkreet (ended)
Quillary knocks politely, if loudly.
(This should be fun, she's not a natural negotiator with a Charisma of 10 and her Haunted One background, but she does have a lot of wisdom, and her Passive Insight is pretty good at 15. This guy doesn't seem like he is gifted at Deception.)
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he).
Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.