Café de Nuit

tarlyn wrote:"Sorry to have offended you, ma'am. I'm actually curious if anyone has passed through here in the last few hours. It might be worth your while if

you can help me out here."

"Upended?"
The woman fixes a dull gaze on DOMENICA, as if she has trouble with "big" words.
"Passed. Oh! Gravedigger came in. He was spooked. Then he left."

"Thank you. I meant before him, say a woman. A very dirty woman. Coal all over her face, smelly and not very good looking."

tarlyn wrote:"Thank you. I meant before him, say a woman. A very dirty woman. Coal all over her face, smelly and not very good looking."

"Oh, no. No woman."

"Very good, my friend. I think you very much for your help."

Filbert and Termelan

ewancummins wrote: Filbert (and TERMELAN, if the minstrel accompanies the halfling lord ) finds the the city offers numerous options for gift buying: jewelers, clothiers, silversmiths, and so on. No libraries open to the general public seem to exist (those are vanishingly rare in most countries) but there is a small book market and a printshop.

Filbert ponders for a moment their gift options and says:

"Based on what we find out so far about the Archmage and what we saw so far in the city I believe the more suitable gift is a painting with a falcon, or a jawerly, maybe a gold one. We can check the book market as well but I doubt we can find a book there that might interest him. Any other ideas?"

"If I may suggest... a gold falcon. Even a medallion with a gold falcon. Perhaps we can find something that resembles it and hire a goldsmith to modify it"

"Good idea, lets look for that then."

SEARCHERS

Renn nods a grudging thanks as Boarholt and Roald break down the door. Ah well, he's always been more of a sneaker than a pick-lock anyhow. Of course, none of that will matter if they get turned into Orog chum.

"Well lads," he says quickly as he nocks another arrow. "Only one path from here! I suggest we get running."

Searchers

"A sound notion, Captain." Roald wipes some sweat from his brow. "Let's not dawdle any longer than we have to."

SEARCHERS, KAL ANTHERAK

The great cavern echoes with the noise of battle. The sounds seem to be getting closer every second.

The party has just enough time to escape into the hall above the rock ledge, the last man up taking the rope with him, before the chaotic battle below sweeps across the spot they had all been standing a short while ago.

It looks like a three way fight between gangs. At least three. Very bloody.But there is not much light to see by, even for the Bard.
Renn's men have hurried away from the ledge and into the hall, holding their torches in front of them as they go deeper into HOUSE OF THE MARQUIS...

DOMENICA, HAES

Finn arrives with Vollmar driving a cart with two men in the back. Two more men arrive mounted on ponies. DOMENICA recognizes the men as workers from her warehouse. Some are recent hires, the ex soldiers she recruited from Riverside.

The hired tracker enters the pub and reports his findings to Sir Rory and DOMENICA.

Traces of a horse drawn wagon rolling west, down the road towards Diemerel.
The man can't be certain if the driver of the wagon will keep on the road, but he is fairly confident that he could track it if it did go off road onto soft ground.

Sir Rory orders a pursuit.



FILBERT and TERMELAN
CITY OF ENDIER

The pair make inquires about golden birds and similar things.
It takes all day, but they track down a golden statuette of a hawk, finding it at last in the shop of a moneylender and pawnbroker.
Filbert brought funds and letters of credit for a gift. But even so, the price of the beautiful little statuette would nearly wipe out his accessible funds.




SAFANA
AT FALCON'S ROOST


After realizing that the waxen faced man might want the message scroll Filbert sent, she hands it over.

The servant admits SAFANA and her two companions.

...............................................



THE TOWER OF THORNS


"The traitor escaped our capture party, my Leader. Shall I have the survivors punished?"

"Hmmmm...no. Morale seems a bit low since the fight in the Pass. And who knows, he may do more damage alive and free, when the next phase begins. This could work out in our favor."


END of CHAPTER

Safana places the message scroll in the outstretched hand, looking calm and relaxed at the silent minion... at least she hopes she is successfully hiding her unease. As they are admitted, she steps into the tower trying to put on a show of calm and confidence.