Killilli’s Dragon Heist

Cico watches the flashing lights for a moment before he closes his eyes and clenches his fists. This place is too much, he thinks to himself. But you have practiced. He opens his eyes and forces a smile on his face. It looks a little forced.

"Have you learned anything?" Cico asks Aimee and Lyss. "I found a very imperious noble and a punch happy bodyguard searching for an artifact of some kind but it was not Mirt's."

"Bit morbid there, Barnsworthington... but good to know. Now, what odds are you taking on tonight's game?"

Aldrik places a bet for Silverhand to take the pot by the end of the night -- 10 gp.

Aldrik continues chatting a few minutes with his troublemaker friends before rejoining Edvord, which clues him in to the girls playing that game with Cico nearby. "Not much information I could drudge up, except that the Blue Alley is off of Ivory Street. Might be a good way to turn if we've no other clues for the 'Something Blue', and seems to match up with what Ames said."

Looking at the girls, "So what trouble are they getting into? Suppose it's all awaiting the main event, huh?"

After a little gambling and chatting, the event itself begins. Each of the players enters via the red carpet one by one, from lowest to highest station, starting with Lady Reinholdt. She enters, with her extravagant dress, acting dainty and approachable in one of her classic charades. Nevercott follows by, joining into the crowd. He catches eyes with the brothers, giving a chef's kiss over his work on her outfit. 

Next, from opposite ends, come Lady Gralhund and Lady Cassalantar. Gralhund is fanning herself dramatically, supported by Hrabbazz. Lady Cassalantar, accompanied by an elderly tiefling butler rushes to embrace Gralhund, who whispers in her ear before Cassalantar addresses the crowd. "Greetings, it has come to my attention that there has been an attack on Lady Gralhund tonight. Clearly, somebody is intent on stopping the good we are doing for the city. It's a desperate, craven move, as the corrupt are making a last grasp at power, attacking such a paragon of our community."  

 Following from this, Lady Haventree, a perfect display of decorum sits beside Lady Reinholdt. The Blackstaff joins, barely able to hide how tedious she finds the whole thing. The final player is Lady Silverhand, who comes with an army of guards making it impossible to get near her. The whole room seems to brighten as she enters, and she joins the table in a calm manner. 

The game is fairly well matched for the most part, with a few almost too obvious throws by Amelia Reinholdt. Ammalia Cassalantar comes out as the victor. As the crowd cheers she gives her speech  " Thank you, thank you. Now my husband can call me Victor, there will be quite the confusion! But really, the real winners are the people that this money will help. And it's important to us that you are able to see the work that our charity does. That is why, I invite all at this table, and their families to partake in our annual Founders Day Feast."  

At the end of the game, the crowd starts to leave. It's getting late, and you are able to regroup in somewhat private as you leave.

At the main event, Aldrik keeps an eye out for any potentially non-obvious blue markers - a pinned ribbon, a pocket square, or something else of that ilk. He figures one of the patrons present must be the owner of the Mermaid, no way that such a high profile game would go through without a personal, if subtle, touch, so he also keeps an eye on the pit bosses, to see who they report to.

Perception: 11

Aimee never stops looking at the blinking lights as she answers,

"I learned I'm supposed to help you by the order of the Blackstaff! She is surprisingly pleasant! I'm supposed to stick with you on your pilgrimage! Where you going? Oh and I heard you in a room upstairs but then they said you jumped out the window so I came down here! That is great, huh Lyss! Anyhow, nothing about Mirt! I actually forgot about that!"

She glances away from the lights to Lyss,

"Ohh! You look so pretty! Say she looks pretty Cico!"

Aldrik is also very disappointed as Silverhand does not win the pot. He gives Barnsworthington a glare, the smug bastard.

Cico keeps his head bowed as when Lady Gralhund enters but listens keenly to what Lady Cassalantar says.

"That's he one I met," Cico whispers to Lyss and Aimee. "She did not appear to have been attacked before I was dragged into her room. It must have happened after I jumped off the balcony. This artifact must be attracting attention."

After the event, he tries his best to guide Lyss and Aimee towards a rendezvous with Aldrik and Edvord. He can't seem to place Kerri anywhere.

Aimee's voice finally pierces into Cico's head. He looks down at Lyss.

"You look pretty," he says as if reading off a card. Then he looks over to Aimee. "Blackstaff? There are very few ways she would know of that."

He pauses for a moment then continues. "You may come if you like. There is someone up the mountain that I would communicate with."

Aimee drops her voice to a conspiratorial whisper,

"The Blackstaff knows all! That person in the mountain good at soothsaying? I need that!"

---

Aimee looks at the beat up lady that doesn't look at all beat up.

"Huh, must have mostly been stuff under the dress and she is wearing A LOT of makeup!"

Aimee goes with Cico unless Lyss wants to go somewhere else, then she goes with Lyss instead.

Cico tries to guide Aimee and Lyss towards Edvord and Aldrik.

"I was not able to find anything out," Cico explains to the brothers, "except that Mirt's bauble is not the only thing people are looking for. Lady Gralhund and her mountainous bodyguard are seeking some sort of artifact. Did you discover anything?"

Edvord appears visibly frustrated, "Honestly, this night has been a bit of a bust... Aldrik lost some money... Amelia didn't have the stones to notch a win for the Reinholdts... and we have been just listening to nobles prattle. There has to be something we are overlooking. Else we have wasted our time here... apart from the profound discovery that other people are looking for other things."

"The guy who made my dress offered me enough gold to cover what we need. I tried to steal it from him but he was expecting it. Offer still good if we want to take it. He just wants to be friends or something like that ... I don't know probably a catch in there somewhere."

((What way is this dray going?))

To Eddy,

"Oh, I lost money too! But I met the Blackstaff, she was nice!"

To Lyss,

"A random guy offering you money to be his friend? Win-win!"

Kerri's dray takes her on a whistle stop tour of the city, arriving back outside the festhall a good couple of hours later. Kerri, you feel as if you know the drays route pretty well now and could track it down more easily.

The workers at the casino seem to have a convoluted chain of command, with plain looking supervisors answering to plain looking managers. You look thoroughly, and it all seems legit. A blue robed figure can be seen through the crowd though, pocketing a large number of dragons.

Leaving the venue, you are all able to reconvene with Kerri. Your tavern is nearby to the northeast by a block or so, but the night is young. The robed figure heads westwards through the streets towards the sea ward as the dray clatters south down the highway.

Cico leans down and speaks quietly to Aimee. "We will talk more about going up the mountain tomorrow."

He then starts fidgeting in the casino workers uniform and starts removing pieces of it to provide more freedom of movement again.

"Blue Alley?" Cico asks, "or follow the figure in blue that you have taken an interest in, Aldrik?"

As he watches the figure head further down the street, he takes a few steps to follow.

"If we are to discuss, we should follow blue robe while we do or we will lose them."

Cico then starts following the robed figure, looking back briefly to see what the others are deciding to do.

Aldrik nods. "Seems he's headed the same way. You and Lyss have the sharpest eyes and quietest step,  keep a close eye on him and we will follow behind. Maybe he'll lead us right to the Blue Alley... It's just off Ivory Way in the Sea Ward... "

Aimee even more quietly answers Cico in his mind with,

<Gotcha! Secret mission!>

She then gives him a huge wink and a sly smile.

((Was Lyss suppose to meet up with Nevercott to return the dress before we left?))

Cico looks back at Aimee briefly, raising an eyebrow at the voice in his head. He nods and turns and continues after the robed figure.

Stealth (if needed to not attract attention): 22