Pizazz's Ravenloft and Beyond

Ulthan seems to mull it over while book creature talked "hrmpfh when hrmpfh". After book is put away. Seems to mull it over some more "hrmpfh wish do lots use notwish go home hrmpfh". Meanwhile he still looks for stray animals that look to grow up big and strong one day.

"It can, it can," did not argue Lionel with "hrmph" (one can't argue with "hrmph" anyway). "But for now we do not have that wish. So, let's try to get to the Lady's Ward? I would still want to visit that Bureau and we can try to contact our mad friend there. I am sure someone of the streets can point us to the right direction." If there was no objection, Lionel would return with others to the main street and stop the first ... least weirdly looking person to ask how to get to the Lady's Ward (and specifically to the Bureau)

     "If we get to the Lady's Ward, I should be able to find the wizard. I did not prepare the prayers I want to to use to test the book-person but I do have a locate prayer readied and available, if we can get close enough..." Ketch says.

Decision made, the group leaves the alley, and starts meandering down the street. A teenage Tiefling wearing worn out clothes with holes in the knees, and with a light rucksack on his back comes running up behind the group not more than a couple minutes on.  "Uh...scuse me folk.  Ya need some'un to take you places? Uh...my bud Tommy said ya might need a guide. I ain't no light boy. Imma tout. A tout is like...a guide to Sigil. He said somethin bout bein out of his depths. I know m'way through every nook and cranny of this crazy changin town. I know tha passwerd for every kip and case in town, an how much garnish ya'll ill need to get things movin round 'ere. Garnish ya see is a little grease in tha wheels, a little lubricant ta make tha gears of bureaucracy turn a lill' faster. I know all sorts a folk as well, can get ya an intro at the Fortune's Wheel...or a lill' free time at da hall of guvna's if you got the jink for it. May I introduce myself...."  he bows with a flourish, "...da name is Etain the quick...at yer service."  He glances up, still holding the bow....and adds, "Fer da very reasonable price of 25 gold by the day."  He stands up straight, "But I'll save ya more than that in time or money before tha day is done."

     Ketch looks the Tiefling over with a glower and tries to get a bead on him, judging his intentions and trustworthiness - at least for their purposes.  ((Insight: 23 )) Ketch weans over and whispers any judgements he males about the kid to Lionel and gives a shrug.  "I run the last one off, ya?  Someone else should negotiate with this one..."

Ketch figures he's dealing with someone much more savvy at this point. The kid...was well....a young kid. All bluster and nonsense. He may have known his way round town and grown up on the streets, but he still probably crap at really knowing people or how to read situations. This teenager though. He's got a keen eye, and a slippery way about him that screams he's been having this exact conversation a hundred times. He also doesn't look so skittish....so Ketch feels like the kid has probably dealt with tough customers before.  That said, the glint in his eye says to Ketch, he's a merc type. Keep him well paid and he'll do his job with no complaints. Fail to pay him, and he'll leave ya passed out in the gutter without a second thought.

Meepo gives the new kid, who is much taller than he is himself, a glance, but shrugs. He doesn't mind which way the group goes. he found a lost book, and now is considering how to save a lost cloud-creature. He has bigger things to deal with...

There is a big difference between "leaving in a gutter" and "putting in a gutter". A knife in the back was not something Lionel was looking forward to. Hopefully, Ketch meant the former. Also, Ketch was the one with the money, so decision was his. 25 gold per day sounded ridiculous, though (Tommy worked for 2gp and it felt like they were overpaying). Aasimarian dwarf sized the kid and asked: "You meant to say five gold a day, right? And dining with us." (After all, that kid was older if as shabby. That, an Lionel was never good at haggling)

(Roll Persuasion vs 17)

Ulthan trusts this one about a quarter as much as the previous one and the other one was barely above street kid in one of the bigger cities he's heard about. He's expecting the kid to send them into ambushes and be followed by others. Plus it would make sense to take us into a portal that we're not aware of and we land in the middle of a 100 thieves with crossbows. He keeps in mind to pay attention to any glowy portals or the like to kind of see what happens and signs to look for to identify potential portals. Basically disappearing people/groups down alleys or building doors that don't work as normal. Not having any gold he shrugs to himself, still that seems like a large amount. Perception roll for being followed 17.

(Where are we?  We're back in public, meandering through town again at this point?)

"Listen, I believe that you know what you're doing more than Tommy.  And hey, I liked the kid - I'm a fan of a little harmless mischief, and he seemed to be full of that.  I like you too - you're an opportunist, and that reminds me of myself.  But let me tell you, we're not your average group of clueless newcomers.  You charge 25 gold a day normally?  I assume that's never your final settled price anyway if your clients have any wits about them, but what are your normal clients to you?  They're worth nothing to you but the gold they pay you, right?  We have certain skills that could help you out with more than just gold, and if you prove yourself trustworthy enough for us to be able to call you a friend, you could find our friendship worth way more to you that the gold.  So I'll back up what my dwarf friend here says - make it 5 gold per day, and we cover your food, and you might have made the best deal of your life.

I'd be happy to show you some of how we could be helpful to you, but we'd have to go somewhere private, and it'd bring the fee down to 3 gold per day if you insist on the extra evidence - a little trust is a valuable thing, after all."

(EDIT: Wow, all the posts at once!)

 Persuasion: 17 (Lionel hoped Mordekai was convincing enough but tried his best to look as convincing as one can do to back his words up)

(Ya, you'd left the alley and started walking around, getting ready to start asking strangers for directions to the Lady's Ward.)

"Haha...cagey primers, good good, there had to be a reason ya'll were still alive. Etain may not look it, but he is well worth your jink, trust me. But, I have been offered many vague promises of riches in the past, and been left holding my own shoe, as they say, I'll not fall for that again. And food, well, ya pay me good, I'll get m'own food thanks. I need jink, not a loaf o bread. Finally, trust...well...you look all honest folk like, but, my trust extends just past the tip of my fingers. I'll trust yer gold. But, I'll cut ya'll a deal. I'll do ya fer 10 gold today. Then, if yer satisfied fully, and ya think its worth it, 15 gold tomorra. And we keep goin up by five gold per day as long as you agree the previous day wuz well worth it. Got it?  I have a feelin in ten days you'll be payin me ...."  he pauses...a frown on his face..... "....uh..hmmm..." he mouths along as he does some math, "...uh...60 gold in the mornin with no issue whatsoever. Deal?"

"So let me get this straight. Your original price was 25 gold per day, and our new special 'deal' is that you increase the price daily?"

Mordekai will use his Fey Presence ability at this point (DC17 WIS save or be charmed). "How about this. We pay you 10 gold for the first day, and if we like your services, we pay you 10 gold for the next day, and so on? And you pay for your own food."

Wisdom Save: 17  He grins and puts his hands out to either side, "Hey, izzz just an option, right? A guys gotta try. Can't blame 'em there right? Ok, ok ok, 10 gold per day. Buy my own food, good deal. I've 'onestly never had some'un try so hard ta make food part o' tha deal."  He smiles, "So..I could talk yer ear off, but where do ya want ta start. Betta to walk and talk. I gotta da quick tour of Sigil for da clueless, da Snobby tour, or a pub crawl...or we can just make our way fer some place else ya heard is worth visitin. Though...if yer after somethin in specific, I could help decide where ya should head. Oh...and....10 gold fer my first day if ya don't mind too much?"  He holds out his hand and waits...still smiling. 

"Meepo want know what you know about wizard named Zikran." Meepo speaks up, as it seems the others had decided to hire this little big.

"Zikran?  Hmmm, Zikran."  He scratches his head, "Well, like, did you hear about a wizard named Zikran who lives in Sigil?  I mean, I got a cousin on the prime material plane, his name is 'Jessadiah', do you know him?  See what I'm sayin there?  There's like a million people in this town.  Literally."  He laughs, not meaning to be insulting, but clearly trying to make a joke, "Ok ok, right, I said I know people...I get it....but I don't know this Zikran guy. He must not be that famous or I'd certainly woulda heard his name at least. But, if yer lookin fer someone named Zikran, I can take you to a few people who DO know almost everyone...I also got a few tricks up my sleeve...and can see what I can find out. That what's top o tha list today?" 

"Meepo no know list." Meepo says with a glance to Mordekai and The Lionel. "Mordekai have list, or maybe The Lionel..." He pulls his cloak around his coppery scales as he waits to see what the others have for a plan of action.

The Lionel (he missed the point when he became "The" but did not mind that) did not have the list either but had a few locations in mind. Pulling out the paper with the address and showed to Etain. "How about we go there first?" Lionel looked himself and read "Lady's Ward, #22 Advocates Row, on the Spike-Lowerward side of the building. And on the way there you can begin to talk about the city. Say, someone got here accidentally - how that someone can return home?"

(It has been Meepo's way of speaking of Lionel since, well a long time now. Want to say it started with you taking the dwarf body, but not 100% sure it wasn't before then.)