Write up follows:
We decided to split up before going to the Reguirin Demesne and take care of our own investigation for now. Deja, Valerie, and Veldryn were going to make their way to the Merchant’s Quarter and poke around to find the Thieves Guild while Magnus and Talion would go to the docks and see if they could come across the squid markings of the Order of the Kraken on their own.
The girls left the Saucy Winter Wench and wandered south and west through the merchant district. The blocks were long, the buildings tightly spaced, and the age and time had them rocked slightly on their foundations, choking off the sky above and plunging the alleyways into shadows. The group stayed with Deja who was looking at the mouths of each alley, looking for a marking that would identify the place as a meeting house for the local thieves guild.
She stopped outside of a two story inn called the Resting Frog. Convinced she saw something on the wall, she inspired Val and Veldryn to follow her in and look around. Upon entering, we noticed the place was a bit smaller than the Saucy Winter Wench, but more interesting – it seemed to be a demi-human establishment. There were dwarves and gnomes, Halflings and half orcs, elves and half elves – no humans.
We made our way to the bar through the Common Room of 40 odd patrons and took a seat where we spoke with the bar owner, a gnomish fellow named Markle McDickle Nickle. Some order for water, wine, and ale followed while Deja was Canting about the possibility of the thieves guild. Markle hand waved it away and commented no but had one of the other barbacks get the drinks.
While the drinks were being delivered the barback motioned to Deja in Cant about south while Markle made some inane comment and conversation about a decent flower shoppe on the next block run by a woman named Ygrette Stolis. Gathering the clues we stayed and had some more drinks until a group of three half-orcs near the east wall were watching Valerie. One of them got up and made his way over, crudely attempting to flirt with Valerie and failing it. Identifying himself as Aetar he was a bit intimidated by Valerie and Veldryn was not helping the situation by supplying information to Aetar who grew pissed off and then Valerie stormed out of the Resting Frog to sit on the front porch and wait.
Deja and Veldryn finished their drink, made some small talk with the patrons within while the druid waited outside. However, while she was sitting in the over-sized chair, a half-ogre woman over 8’ tall and 400#s came over and asked Valerie to move. She was Grael, the half-ogre bouncer for the Resting Frog and took some pity on Valerie, talking to the somewhat naïve half-orc. She explained about orcish whistles and was surprised that the druid did not have one. Letting her know that she hadn’t the luxury of a mother figure, raised by the druid circle since she was small, she was instructed to go to Anour the Toymaker’s and get a whistle there. By this time Deja and Veldryn came out and the group made their way south.
Meanwhile, Talion and Magnus left the Saucy Winter Wench and went off to the docks. They stayed at the end of the 1st dock and looked out. Each of the docks, the four of them, stuck out some 120’ from the shore. Larger boats were at the end of the docks, smaller rowboat and single masted boats were closer to the shore.
While they were standing there, a pair of dwarven longshoremen pushed past and made their way to a boat on the dock, loading up what seemed to be a small cargo of precious wood. The dwarves were watching the paladin and ranger and one of them came back, grew wroth with the pair, and then stormed off to the wharfmaster to complain.
Kurly Lodbrook, the dwarven Wharfmaster came out and hand waved the long shoreman away. He shook Magnus and Talion’s hand and invited them off the dock and to his office to get them away from the docks and “stop pestering his people as they work.” If they have questions, they should just ask him since he knows everything that goes on and off his docks.We talked for a while about various things, bringing up Dunwater (town to the south of here) and the trade caravans that might or might not go there. We did learn that at least 2 boats had reported they were able to make some money selling swords and axes to the markets at Dunwater which was interest since Dunwater does not have a standing militia or army. But when it came time to bring up the Order of the Kraken, Grabbi Ogansdottr, or the squid sigil – the two party members did not – realizing that Kurly might actually be in on the entire smuggling operation.
They did bring up Ned Shakeshaft but Kurly only knew of an Elric Shakeshaft, a midshipman on some merchant vessel called the Sea Ghost. Relations? Don’t know, but the two men filed it away and decided they were going to take their leave of Kurly and head off south to check out the three warehouses and see if anything turns up there.
Back to Deja, Val, and Vel – the Halfling thief stopped at Ygrette’s Flowers while the druid and priest went on to Anour’s Woodworking and Toy Emporium to look inside. Deja was convinced the lintel of the flowershop had the markings of the thieves guild and she entered. Ygrette, mid to late 30’s human woman, reddish hair, dressed in greens and browns, tending to a number of plants was here, and a younger man (her son?) was lounging just on the inside of the door nodding to Deja.
The Halfling asked about buying a purple flower for a friend and was Canting while doing so, getting a fluid answer in kind. Yes, right place. Ygrette mentioned that an Amaryllis would be nice but they were in the cold storage below. The son went and locked the front door while Ygrette stomped on the trap door in the floor twice before sliding the latch aside and opening it. A set of stairs went down to the flower filled interior and the three of them descended, the young man lowering the trap door behind them.
In the dim gloom a Halfling in black leather, face streaked in greys and white paint was positioned with a crossbow pointed at Deja and instructed Ygrette to give Deja a quick pat down. Every knife was accounted for and no other problems were uncovered. The Halfling then opened a secret door in the shelves behind him and led the four of them into the guild hall.
There were already 8 people here, 3 humans, 2 other halflings, a gnome, an elf, half elf, and half-orc. The black haired Halfling identified himself as Hedagar, the “Father” of the guild. They talked for a while; the guild was small and was a spin-off of the larger guild in Dilabria where the “Grandfather” resided. Deja was made to feel welcome and there were many conversations about her life and past and the guild itself and the members within.
Three rules: Direct orders from the Guild Father are always obeyed. Under no circumstance does any member of the guild work at odds against any other member of the guild. And the guild itself is always protected. In return, everyone works together, the guild is family, you give up 10% of your take of any job done in or around town, you don’t assault anyone who is already paying protection, and guild members will always help train and come to the aid of other guild members no matter what.
Deja was happy and joined right then and there. They commended her on adventuring with a paladin as that was the perfect cover – it makes her and her actions above casual reproach. When it was asked about the party leadership, Talion’s name came up and that led to two of the members getting excited. It seems the Dilabrian Slaver Society had never forgiven Talion for his actions 7 months ago when he brought in an escaped slave for a bounty for a crime committed instead of turning it over to the Slavers.
Turns out the slaver was a sorcerer of some small skill and the numbers guy for a large operation – invaluable. They hadn’t been pleased that Talion opted to place law above the slaver guild wants and had watched him carefully in Karon, expecting to exact a measure of revenge when he would leave the town by caravan.
They did not expect him to board a boat and when he sailed out, no one knew where he was headed off to. So the slaver guild had sent runners to every guild house at every ocean front town from Karon to Reters Trod with a 50 noble reward for information regarding Talion and his arrival. Two members, Elbaus (Human) and Marzina (Half-Orc) had been the contact and let the Deja know what happened. Do they approach the slavers? It’s worth money to Deja and the guild to give up Talion’s location. And it’s not bad for the guild. Hedagar waited to see what Deja’s ultimate decision was.
Deja was willing to pay the lost money for Talion’s information if the guild didn’t let the slaver’s know. This pleased Hedagar who let the Halfling know that it showed good character that he was willing to protect her leader and pay the funds to the guild to keep the secret safe.
Hedagar took 10 of the nobles that Deja gave him and handed it back, telling her to go to the Lost Children of Tyr, an orphanage on the south end of town, and make a donation to the establishment there in her name. Deja was thankful and we talked more. As for the smuggling operation, there was always the Dunwater angle and Hedagar did reveal that some contacts he had had let him know of Lizardmen from the Eider Down Swamp being seen in the vicinity of Dunwater. Was told to proceed carefully. Deja left and headed off to Anour’s Toy Emporium to meet her friends, purple Amaryllis in hand.
Meanwhile Talion and Magnus had made their way off the docks and to the warehouses. They bypassed the one that Rosensteel used and went to the one that Iran Hamanar and the Umbarian Tradegoods used. They took it upon themselves to walk in as if they belonged…and it worked! They wandered up and down the aisles, seeing at least a dozen merchant seals and stamps on palletized and loose goods – but nothing after a half hour of searching showed the Order of the Kraken or the squid seal.
They left and went to the last warehouse and again, luck was with them. A few of the longshoremen gave them a glance, but they were left alone as they entered and took to looking through the back of the stacks. If was while they were looking that they stumbled upon a pallet with 5 casks on it – the markings turned inward but from the edge they could see the squid symbol upon it. Nice. This warehouse was used be Nightsiren’s Tradegoods of which we knew almost nothing about. The pallet was marked that it was awaiting shipment but there was no purchaser or shipper information on the manifest. They two men left feeling pretty good and started making their way south towards the edge of town and on their way to the Reguirin Demesne.
Veldryn and Valerie had gone to Anour’s Toy Emporium where they saw the red hat wearing elder gnome sitting at a bench in the crowded store with other similar dressed and younger gnomes about stocking shelves, working wood, and preparing orders. The elder gnome motioned the two women closer as he finished his carving of a small wooden knight on horseback and engaged them in conversation.
He knew 7 languages and was able to speak a couple words in 15 others. He talked about the orcish way of things with Valerie who admitted her orcish upbringing was nonexistent. He guided her on the way orcs think and their strict adherence to honor and respect for clan leaders and elders. He tried to explain what an orcish whistle was and why it was important for orcish girls to get one on their 16th birthday. Since Valerie had never gotten this information from her mother or anyone else, she was a bit behind the 8-ball. But she did purchase a very nice black walnut whistle in the shape of an oak tree that blew out a 4-note harmonic.
They continued to chat until Deja arrived. Anour was carving the knight for a young man at the orphanage and he often made small simple toys for the children there when it was their birthday or if they’ve just arrived. Deja offered to take it for Anour but the gnome demurred, saying he’s never missed giving a toy to a young child before and wasn’t planning on missing one opportunity now.
It was almost 11:30 when the three women left and headed south to the Lost Children Orphanage and then to the Reguirin Demesne when they spied Talion and Magnus coming from the Warehouse district and called them over to join them.
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