[OOC: I increased Midian's experience.

Make an Intimidation check.]

Intimidate 12

The woman, in her revealing clothing (as well as the GM), squirms at the mention of low-hanging fruit and begins to look uncomfortable about her immodest clothing.

"What is it that you want?" she asks, looking nervous while covering her breasts with one arm.

“Cultists,” Midian says as something of a sudden topic change. “Right now that’s where all the real focus is. I bust a vice den, it’s just another day at the office. If I can get a lead on worshippers of now forbidden faiths, that’s a much bigger feather in my cap. The church is using its influence on the guard. That’s the flavor of the week. Find the heretics. Long shot you’d know anything, sure, but I would sooner follow a weak lead in that direction than shut down a friendly place like this.” 

"Cultists?" the woman says, looking a bit surprised.

She looks around the darkened room and with a little bit of snark in her voice she says, "People don't come to this sort of place for that sort of a religious experience."

Then she looks back at Midian and adds, "This has something to do with the king's decree, doesn't it? I just thought he was trying to placate the Mithrans, but if he's got the city guard involved, then he must be serious... But I'm afraid I can't help you. Nothing of that sort happens here, that I know of."

“We shall see,” Midian says. He will take his order and attempt to blend in with the crowd of youth, seeing if they use the opportunity of an illicit location to engage in subversive talk, or if they remain focused on carnal vice. He inwardly resigns himself that this may be another dead end. 

Midian takes a chair at a table close to some of the other patrons to watch and wait while the woman gets his food and drink [OOC: Which she hadn't done yet].

[Make a Perception check for the general area and an Insight check to gauge the likely nature of the other patrons.]

Perception: 18

Insight: 13

His eyes having adjusted to the dimness, Midian sees that as well as this large general area full of tables where the music and dancing is occurring, the establishment has a bar and kitchen area on the side facing the river. It also seems to have another area accessible to patrons at the end opposite to where the minstrels are playing.

Midian watches as one of the serving girls leads one of the patrons away in that general direction and is about to discount that as just the intimate service area when another door opens revealing a room with some people sitting around a table gambling. However, immoral or not, there appears to be nothing actually against the king's law going on in this establishment. 

His attention is suddenly brought back to the patrons close by as he distinctly hears the word 'Aieda' over the general noise of the minstrel's music. It seems that one of the boys from the School said the word and, despite the almost naked woman in front of them, these two seem to be deep in conversation.

Midian tries to recall if the word Aeida has a meaning to him, a name perhaps, as he maneuvers over to better overhead, and possibly join in, the conversation. 

[OOC: Aieda is the Moon goddess of the Mithran faith. (Look in the 'Religion' category on the World Anvil site for more about the Mithran pantheon of gods.) I didn't ask for a Religion check because, as an orphan, Midian was raised in the Temple by the Aiedan priestesses and that is why the name caught his attention.]

Midian moves closer to the two students and hears them talking about some sort of incident that occurred in the School's refectory earlier in the day. From the way they are talking, it seems they are rehashing a conversation they had earlier, and it would seem they have come to this place so that one of them can prove to the other that he is not a cradle snatcher and that the incident that happened earlier had something to do with a young girl.

Uncertain as to the nature of the parts of the conversation he has missed, Midian is interrupted in his speculations by the arrival of his food and drink; the serving woman putting them down and then quickly moving away.

Midian approaches the two, swishing his drink in mouth for a bit to ensure the smell of alcohol is on his breath and effecting a slight slur in his cadence of speech of a youth used to drink emboldening his words. “I would say these ladies are about at their prime. The priest’sess of Aeida might be dis’pointed with them now, but their loss is our gain, am I right?”  He keeps his eyes on the girls, but pays careful attention with sidelong glances to ensure the lusty students accept him as one of their own, raising his eyebrows suggestively at the girls. 

[Make a Deception check at Advantage.]

Deception: 12

The two students look up at Midian and then look at the dancing woman who is currently in the last stages of her dance. The three of you watch on as she finishes ,leaving nothing at all to the imagination as to what she might look like naked. The small audience shows its appreciation with a few appreciative catcalls and a desultory round of applause as the woman is given a robe by one of the minstrels and leaves the room.

"Hello," says the Sorian student. "What was that you said? Something about Aieda?"

Midian pretends to be just as distracted by the dancer, now leaving, as the students evidently were.  "Err, yes, something about Aieda.  Something about how disappointed the priestesses would be if they could see these girls now, and how their loss is our gain, maybe?  I dunno, it was solid witty banter, chum, but one of those in-the-moment things.  Nice to meet you, I'm Dorian."  He extends a hand in greeting.  "I suppose I should be studying, but there are some thing that just need to be studied up close and personal, if you're to have a truly well-rounded education, know what I mean?"

While the Stemian smiles at Midian's joke, the Sorian accepts Midian's extended hand and says, "I'm Seb."

The Stemian then also offers to shake, saying, "I'm Walt. Where are you studying?" 

[OOC: Midian would know that the School, while being large in size, doesn't have a large student population because of the necessary requirement to become a student, i.e., being an innate sorcerer. There are two other schools in the Scholar's Ward: a scriptorium where scribes are taught the formal runes of the Sorendenese high language and an establishment where the general public can be taught the simplest rituals (and gain the Ritual Caster feat). The Temple also run schools for the faithful, but they are located in the Temple Ward. Rich families would also employ private tutors who might live in the Scholar's Ward and there would also be a few non-school magi and sages who would take private students in various specialist subjects.]

“The tedium of formal script and likely I’ll get pressured into ritual training, all the better to help with a family business I could just as soon see burn,” Midian says, effecting boredom and a desire to talk about anything but school.  “No sorcery in this blood it seems. But I would much rather be studying anatomy, that seems to be my calling.” He peers at a passing woman. “How about you gents?” 

Quote from Izraal1 >>

“The tedium of formal script and likely I’ll get pressured into ritual training, all the better to help with a family business I could just as soon see burn,” Midian says, effecting boredom and a desire to talk about anything but school.  “No sorcery in this blood it seems. But I would much rather be studying anatomy, that seems to be my calling.” He peers at a passing woman. “How about you gents?” 

[OOC: Midian would not say, "No sorcery in this blood it seems", as, although he is not powerful, he does have enough magick to be detectable as an innate sorcerer by anyone with the See the Arcane cantrip. About ten percent of the population actually have this gift, but not all make use of it.]

OOC: He might revise it to “no great sorcery” then, to minimize the importance.