After a hot steamy bath with Lucia, you come out of the bathroom and find Kate snoring.

During the bath, anime stream covers you while Lucia helps wash Tomoe's here.

The next day, what do you do?

Lol anime steam. 

First we restock on potions. Tomoe will personally buy another dozen. And restock on torches. Then track down Priya. Tomoe would like to see that she is ok and talk to her. 

Buying 12 potions cost 600 GP. A single torch costs 1 GP (Because GP is the only currency and cheap things that would normally be less than 1 GP got inflated to 1 GP). How many torches are you buying?

Tomoe remembers Priya telling her that she's available at the Blue Lotus, Going there, she finds that it is in fact a newer place and so there aren't many mercs here. There's only Priya, A 7ft tall dragonborn with plate mail.

Priya is sitting at the bar and drinking fine wine. She waves over to you and says, "Oh you're alright. I was wondering if you made it out alive or not."

(I thought she was an elf?)

Enough to have 10 total torches.

(Punctuation error. Priya is a half elf. There is another merc here who is a male 7ft tall Dragonborn)

So 5 GP for five torches. Total is 605 GP for 12 potions + 5 torches.

(Correct on the purchase. Are bags of holding or the lesser havarsack thingiosomething I have to find in the underground markets too?)

I am glad to see you safe aswell your skill and knowledge were very handy. I would like to ask you something. My team is about to undertake a mission. I cannot say much about it in a public setting though. Is there someplace private we may chat? 

 Priya stands up and says, "I see. Come." She take Tomoe and the team to private bedroom. She says, "This is my room. Tell me, what job do you have? My price is 1000 GP"

 Also for things like bag of holding and Handy Haversacks, you don't need the black market but you would need to pass a high Persuasion check to get one. DC17 for Bag of Holding and DC24 for Haversacks.

Very well, we are hunting down the various disjointed leaders of a gang called Rat Liver. They mostly sell drugs and kidnap people for ransom. They has somehow convinced clerics, paladins and other holy knights to join their cause. Kate is trying to rescue her brother and Lucia is trying to find (oh lord I hope I remember this right) the members of the gang that drugged her and whipped out some of her memories. We have taken down two drug dens and a distributor so far. We would like to hire you for this next raid. Tomoe continues to explain what they know of the next target, allowing Lucia and Kate to chime in when they feel its appropriate.

Priya says, "I see. Well, my rates are the same as always: 1000 GP." Lucia says, "Well, I guess if we want to recruit her we should pay her first."

Note about Mercs: Mercs don't scale in level but recruited DMPCs do. That is, Priya will always be a level 3 Glamor Bard but if recruited, then she will scale to match Tomoe in level. DMPCs don't scale down so if you manage to ever recruit someone who's higher level, they will stay stuck that higher level until you pass them. Once you pass 3 DMPCs though you can't just continue to recruit infinitely. To recruit more than 3, you will need a base big enough to house all of them and all the costs that come with maintaining said base and paying the NPCs.

More money more problems. With her stats, she should be fine for our next job.

Tomoe would upfront with Priya on her intentions to recruit her. If we decide your a good fit for us, and assuming you want to be a part of our band, you would get equal share of any and all profit made on the jobs we undertake to bring down the gang or other jobs you we wish to do. Still merc work, but as a team rather than solo. And that would go for our private jobs taking on the guild. We have made a fair bit of coin selling off the confiscated gear and hoarded valuables these degenerates have. So for now, we pay you and decide all that other stuff later.

Priya agrees and Lucia briefs her, "So our target is Shirai. A young hot head who's the younger brother of the deadlier boss, Shrike. He doesn't deal in drugs but he is known for burglary, murder, mugging and kidnapping. His base is in the slums. We are planning to take him down. Be prepared to face Paladins and Clerics."

(If you're worried about book keeping, don't worry. Most of the finances that come with running a base would be handled by me. I'll just tell you every in-game day: X GP is the total cost and it has been subtracted from your character sheet. You will be consulted however, if you have less than the daily expense and need to not pay a bill to meet it.)

(A bridge to cross when we come to it.)

Now we know the mission. Are we prepared to assault? If so, when?

Kate says, "Well, you haven't steered us wrong yet. Why don't you decide." Lucia says, "Shirai might be home at night but that would mean more guards. During the day, less guards but no Shirai."

Where does he go during the day?

"He goes around the slums and the diurnal district to "remove the unworthy" which basically means mugging and kidnapping people who the guards don't care about: junkies, hobos, wenches, you name it."

Could we maybe disguise ourselves as beggars and lure him out and take him by suprise?

"I wouldn't count on it. His movement is random and we don't know which way he's going. It is possible but we'd have to get lucky." Kate comes up with a plan, "Wait! Lucia, you said this guy has a major crush on Edo right? Well Tomoe is from Edo. Can we try to lure him with that somehow?" "Possible. But how?"

Perhaps I could visit his dojo and feign interest in it revealing my heritage to lure him back there? My family Crest is embroidered on my sircoat.Tomoe moves her long hair away from her back as she turns to fully reveal a large golden and circular shaped Crest  largely embroidered on the back oh her sircoat. My family is well respected. That is part of why I am here.

Kate says, "That could work well. And the Rat Liver doesn't know what you look like still. That could work. When should we go? The morning or the night?" Lucia objects, "That sounds too dangerous, however, we could put you up in a nice fancy inn for a night and spread a rumor that a respected noble of Edo is here. That would get him coming all the way to meet you."