Peri is savvy enough to sense that they are probably harmless shills looking to make a kickback or two, and not muggers. And this duo is savvy enough to sense that Peri is no rube.
"Absolutely! Let's check out the shop first, then!" responds the tall woman. "That's okay – you can pay us what you can, then. This shop has a little of everything – a real hidden jewel, I can assure you. And if they don't have what you need, they can undoubtedly find it for you." She points down an uneven side street away from the harbor, and invites you to accompany her down the partially-cobbled alleyway.
"Maybe shop sell you key, Terry. If not maybe we run into white face man and ask for key back." Thwack walks to the side of the tall lady and cranes his neck to look her in the eyes. "Shop sell keys lady? We looking for key. Either way, we go shopping with you. Maybe some treasures to be found" he trots along beside the lady, occasionally running to keep up with her much longer stride.
"Keys?" responds the tall woman as she guides Peri and Thwack down a badly slanted alley. "We can have you keys made. Locks and keys. Arcane wards. Protective traps. Watch your step. A canal or pipe or something collapsed a few months ago under here." The right side of the street is about three feet below the left side; a three-story building atop it leans precariously to one side and backward.
She leads you to a dark shop that spills out onto a more level street under a greasy awning, about two blocks away from where you met this duo. Emerging from a shadowed doorway, a hunchbacked human man covered with warts grunts a greeting. "Whatcha need? Whatcha need?" You can see all manner of grimy goods on display - pots and dishes, mechanical parts, rope and wire, tools, some costume masks, various powdered chemicals and liquids in grimy pots, snacks in bags. A rat skitters underneath a table.
---------------
Meanwhile, unless you have any further business with Trantor or Jarme's cell in Hopene’er Asylum, the boy leads Boko, Qivys, and Gerrard back out onto Lamplicker’s Way.
Peri considers a snack, until he sees the rat. He uses his Eldritch Sight to scan the shop for any magic. "Hello! Our new friends here tell me you might be able to help us. We're trying to find a friend, you see, and I think he's somewhere on the other side of the harbor. Do you have anything that might help us track him down?"
”Master Qivys, shall we go to the garrison before retiring for the evening?” asks Gerrard, hoping now that they are out in the clear air his friend might be ready for a bit more investigation before resting.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
Excited by the wares on offer, it's the snacks that really catch Thwacks eye. "What in bags?" He asks excitedly. Whilst waiting for a response he has a casual look through the other items, looking specifically for keys.
The hunchbacked man grunts and digs around under a table. Thwack opens a bag and finds it full of greasy-looking fried peas. Everything exposed has a layer of dirt and grime on it; some of it looks like it has been sitting here for years. Peri's arcane vision picks up something magical about some of the powders in colored bottles, and an arcane signature around a tool inexplicably kept in a dented birdcage. He also gets hints of other bits of magic deeper inside the building. But most of it is ordinary junk – like a hardware store or pawn shop that was left out in the elements for a bit too long.
The tall woman vanishes around a corner. Her heavyset companion smiles politely and watches. The hunchbacked man clears off a patch of filthy wooden tabletop and lays upon it a few items – a spyglass, a beartrap, shackles, a stained map, a speargun, a patched net stained with old blood. "Tracking, tracking," he mutters.
------
Meanwhile, Qivys begins to feel better as they walk through the High Quarter toward where they were directed to find the District Garrison. They spot it soon enough: a three-story stone building that looks more like a prison than a barracks. The gallows in front of the building look well-frequented. (By this time, Qivys' exhaustion has lifted.) A handful of teenage guards stand out front, eyeing you warily as you approach. "Your business?" asks one, stepping forward a bit aggressively.
”Greetings, soldier. I am Gerrard Feldren, here to speak with Constable Jute,” says Gerrard respectfully but firmly. As he speaks, he spreads his hands in a gesture of openness, but the motion also serves to showcase the noble signet ring on his left hand.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
Boko hangs back to ask one more question at the asylum. She wants to know who Trantor thinks the authorizes should have talked to about the murders, even with the evidence as substantial as it may have appeared. What else could have been responsible.
She also keeps to herself the encounter that introduced her to this whole mess: getting abducted by an aboleth underneath Seaton and being told to purchase a potion from the temple of Procan with likely tainted/arcane coin, at pain of death, which she decided not to do. She wonders whether they are the same aboleth or different.
("I really don't know," replied Dr. Trantor to Boko before the party departed. "I'm not privy to evidence. I'm just told what they tell me. But Jarme's innocence felt authentic, and the secretive way Mr. Dory and the militia handled it was unusual. Plus I hear there was another, similar killing just this morning – some fisherman, up in the Alchemists’ Quarter. I haven't heard any details.")
"Jute?" responds the teenaged militiaman to Gerrard, skeptically. "What d'ye want with Jute? She's out on patrol. Won't be back until late tonight. Where are you guys from? That's a beautiful ring," he adds, with a bit of forced politeness.
”Indeed,” Gerrard responds, addressing the last question first, “This ring identifies me as nobility of Seaton. You may address me as Lord Feldren of Seaton, and these are my associates, Master Qivys and Mistress Alcor.”
”Please inform Constable Jute that we request her company after she gets off patrol at the Steaming Hog to discuss matters of security for the region,” he adds, emphasizing her title as a subtle correction for the soldier’s lax attitude.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
”On the contrary, Constable Jute is to be commended for her service. Since she will be off duty when she arrives at the Steaming Hog, I will be sure to buy her a refreshment,” responds Gerrard.
Pausing for a moment, he adds, “Of course you lads look thirsty too…here’s a little something for delivering the message—to be used after you are off duty, of course,” as he flips a platinum piece the soldier’s way.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
The young guard catches it, as another guard watches and audibly huffs in astonishment. They seem squirmy and excited, bouncing from one foot to the other with eyes wide, giving each other side glances. "Yes sir!" the boy responds sharply. "Yes sir, Lord Felson!"
Meanwhile, the tall woman returns to the shop with a restless female gnome with a pinched, asymmetrical face. She introduces her to Peri and Thwack as "Grotten". "You wanted a tracker? Here's your tracker," intones the tall woman.
"Hello," says Grotten in a raspy voice, eyeing the duo warily.
The hunchbacked man digs around some more and adds a few more items to the table: A blow gun, and a vial of dirty brown liquid.
Turning to leave, Gerrard assesses if Boko or Qivys have something else to add. If not, he will say, “Let’s hope the Steaming Hog has cold ale, hot food, and warm beds,” and start heading that direction.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
Munching on the surprisingly tasty little green nuggets, Thwack meanders through the store. "So many treasures!" He says with a mouth of fried mush. He gathers a handful of innocuous items and puts them next to the spyglass. "How musch?" Bits of pea fly from his mouth as he waves his little claw above his hoard. "Any more?" He holds up the now empty snack bag, grease glistening around his mouth.
Peri is savvy enough to sense that they are probably harmless shills looking to make a kickback or two, and not muggers. And this duo is savvy enough to sense that Peri is no rube.
"Absolutely! Let's check out the shop first, then!" responds the tall woman. "That's okay – you can pay us what you can, then. This shop has a little of everything – a real hidden jewel, I can assure you. And if they don't have what you need, they can undoubtedly find it for you." She points down an uneven side street away from the harbor, and invites you to accompany her down the partially-cobbled alleyway.
Thwack
"Maybe shop sell you key, Terry. If not maybe we run into white face man and ask for key back." Thwack walks to the side of the tall lady and cranes his neck to look her in the eyes. "Shop sell keys lady? We looking for key. Either way, we go shopping with you. Maybe some treasures to be found" he trots along beside the lady, occasionally running to keep up with her much longer stride.
"Keys?" responds the tall woman as she guides Peri and Thwack down a badly slanted alley. "We can have you keys made. Locks and keys. Arcane wards. Protective traps. Watch your step. A canal or pipe or something collapsed a few months ago under here." The right side of the street is about three feet below the left side; a three-story building atop it leans precariously to one side and backward.
She leads you to a dark shop that spills out onto a more level street under a greasy awning, about two blocks away from where you met this duo. Emerging from a shadowed doorway, a hunchbacked human man covered with warts grunts a greeting. "Whatcha need? Whatcha need?" You can see all manner of grimy goods on display - pots and dishes, mechanical parts, rope and wire, tools, some costume masks, various powdered chemicals and liquids in grimy pots, snacks in bags. A rat skitters underneath a table.
---------------
Meanwhile, unless you have any further business with Trantor or Jarme's cell in Hopene’er Asylum, the boy leads Boko, Qivys, and Gerrard back out onto Lamplicker’s Way.
Peri:
Peri considers a snack, until he sees the rat. He uses his Eldritch Sight to scan the shop for any magic. "Hello! Our new friends here tell me you might be able to help us. We're trying to find a friend, you see, and I think he's somewhere on the other side of the harbor. Do you have anything that might help us track him down?"
Gerrard:
”Master Qivys, shall we go to the garrison before retiring for the evening?” asks Gerrard, hoping now that they are out in the clear air his friend might be ready for a bit more investigation before resting.
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
Thwack
Excited by the wares on offer, it's the snacks that really catch Thwacks eye. "What in bags?" He asks excitedly. Whilst waiting for a response he has a casual look through the other items, looking specifically for keys.
Qivys nods, too exhausted to do much else.
The hunchbacked man grunts and digs around under a table. Thwack opens a bag and finds it full of greasy-looking fried peas. Everything exposed has a layer of dirt and grime on it; some of it looks like it has been sitting here for years. Peri's arcane vision picks up something magical about some of the powders in colored bottles, and an arcane signature around a tool inexplicably kept in a dented birdcage. He also gets hints of other bits of magic deeper inside the building. But most of it is ordinary junk – like a hardware store or pawn shop that was left out in the elements for a bit too long.
The tall woman vanishes around a corner. Her heavyset companion smiles politely and watches. The hunchbacked man clears off a patch of filthy wooden tabletop and lays upon it a few items – a spyglass, a beartrap, shackles, a stained map, a speargun, a patched net stained with old blood. "Tracking, tracking," he mutters.
------
Meanwhile, Qivys begins to feel better as they walk through the High Quarter toward where they were directed to find the District Garrison. They spot it soon enough: a three-story stone building that looks more like a prison than a barracks. The gallows in front of the building look well-frequented. (By this time, Qivys' exhaustion has lifted.) A handful of teenage guards stand out front, eyeing you warily as you approach. "Your business?" asks one, stepping forward a bit aggressively.
Gerrard:
”Greetings, soldier. I am Gerrard Feldren, here to speak with Constable Jute,” says Gerrard respectfully but firmly. As he speaks, he spreads his hands in a gesture of openness, but the motion also serves to showcase the noble signet ring on his left hand.
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
(Apologies for delayed post)
Boko hangs back to ask one more question at the asylum. She wants to know who Trantor thinks the authorizes should have talked to about the murders, even with the evidence as substantial as it may have appeared. What else could have been responsible.
She also keeps to herself the encounter that introduced her to this whole mess: getting abducted by an aboleth underneath Seaton and being told to purchase a potion from the temple of Procan with likely tainted/arcane coin, at pain of death, which she decided not to do. She wonders whether they are the same aboleth or different.
("I really don't know," replied Dr. Trantor to Boko before the party departed. "I'm not privy to evidence. I'm just told what they tell me. But Jarme's innocence felt authentic, and the secretive way Mr. Dory and the militia handled it was unusual. Plus I hear there was another, similar killing just this morning – some fisherman, up in the Alchemists’ Quarter. I haven't heard any details.")
"Jute?" responds the teenaged militiaman to Gerrard, skeptically. "What d'ye want with Jute? She's out on patrol. Won't be back until late tonight. Where are you guys from? That's a beautiful ring," he adds, with a bit of forced politeness.
Gerrard:
”Indeed,” Gerrard responds, addressing the last question first, “This ring identifies me as nobility of Seaton. You may address me as Lord Feldren of Seaton, and these are my associates, Master Qivys and Mistress Alcor.”
”Please inform Constable Jute that we request her company after she gets off patrol at the Steaming Hog to discuss matters of security for the region,” he adds, emphasizing her title as a subtle correction for the soldier’s lax attitude.
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
"Yeah, yeah, sure, Steaming Hog, got it... Lord Feldren. I'll tell Jute. She in trouble?"
Gerrard:
”On the contrary, Constable Jute is to be commended for her service. Since she will be off duty when she arrives at the Steaming Hog, I will be sure to buy her a refreshment,” responds Gerrard.
Pausing for a moment, he adds, “Of course you lads look thirsty too…here’s a little something for delivering the message—to be used after you are off duty, of course,” as he flips a platinum piece the soldier’s way.
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
Qivys watches Gerrard flip the coin and watches the two men's reactions.
The young guard catches it, as another guard watches and audibly huffs in astonishment. They seem squirmy and excited, bouncing from one foot to the other with eyes wide, giving each other side glances. "Yes sir!" the boy responds sharply. "Yes sir, Lord Felson!"
Meanwhile, the tall woman returns to the shop with a restless female gnome with a pinched, asymmetrical face. She introduces her to Peri and Thwack as "Grotten".
"You wanted a tracker? Here's your tracker," intones the tall woman.
"Hello," says Grotten in a raspy voice, eyeing the duo warily.
The hunchbacked man digs around some more and adds a few more items to the table: A blow gun, and a vial of dirty brown liquid.
Gerrard:
Turning to leave, Gerrard assesses if Boko or Qivys have something else to add. If not, he will say, “Let’s hope the Steaming Hog has cold ale, hot food, and warm beds,” and start heading that direction.
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
Thwack
Munching on the surprisingly tasty little green nuggets, Thwack meanders through the store. "So many treasures!" He says with a mouth of fried mush. He gathers a handful of innocuous items and puts them next to the spyglass. "How musch?" Bits of pea fly from his mouth as he waves his little claw above his hoard. "Any more?" He holds up the now empty snack bag, grease glistening around his mouth.
With the prospect of a meal and ale, Qivys' step is a bit more lively.