[IC] Keratia: Tales of the Arisen One

[Guardian Angel Haruki]

Sylvia notes that the shopkeeper in front of them was simply gauging their strength and honesty. However, something about the younger man’s words seemed off to Sylvia. Why would he say ‘that slaad’ instead of ‘a slaad’? The former option would imply that he knew about Red Stain, despite the vague description. Though, then again...he could be talking about the specific gem. But even then...did slaad have their own gems? And if so, how would he know if Sylvia herself didn’t? Also...why would he compare the slaad to a dragon? That was not the first thing on her mind when she described the slaad...

Was she overthinking this...or was that man a cultist...?

She turned her attention back to the shopkeeper and she answered him honestly and with a shrug, “That’s fair. If I was in your position I would be considering the same possibility,” She then told the Shopkeeper, “I’m okay with selling the pearls, but the slaad gem...we still don’t really understand much about slaads or the gems they leave behind, so it might not be safe to put on market yet. We’re not sure. After we do our research and make sure it’s safe, we’ll sell it to you then,”

[Lucius Cypher]

“Of course. I can’t say I know much about Slaad stuff either, I just know it’s magical and wizards usually want it. It’s not unusual for me to do a custom job for a mage that involves a fancy pear or diamonds. In any case let me write you a receipt for the pearls.” The man leaves for a short while before coming back with a small pouch containing 100 gold, and a small parchment piece of paper with some documentation on it about paying 100 gold for a string of pearls. He has a small wooden board with a built in ink well and wood pen. “Just need you to sign this copy for my own records and then we’ll be done. Anything else I can help you with?”

[Guardian Angel Haruki]

Sylvia nodded after the shopkeeper told her to wait so that he can get the receipt. Once he came back with the receipt and the pouch of gold, she used the ink well and wooden pen to sign her name on the receipt for his records, just like back at home. She answered the elderly man, "I think that's it for right now. We'll come back later to ask more questions, and after we've determined if we can sell the gem or not," She took the pouch and she answered the man, "Thank you for your time, sir. We'll be back later," She then looked to her friends and nodded as though telling them they should head out now, before leading the way out.

After they made it out and were away from Red Cliff Square, she asked her friends while walking and keeping an eye out on her surroundings, seeing if anyone was following her and if she could find a private place to continue a serious discussion with her friends, "Hey guys...If you were to compare a slaad to another creature, what is the first creature that immediately comes to mind?"

[Lucius Cypher]

"Of course. Make sure you keep that receipt safe, that sort of cheap parchment is highly flammable." The old man went back to work while the party left the shop. Walking a bit of ways away, you eventually bring everyone to an alleyway where you can speak to the party in private. When you asked them they pondered and answered. "Well... The boy didn't seem too bright. I'm sure the only monster's he's ever heard of would've been generic beasts, such as dragons, goblins, and so forth. Many adventurers could live their life of adventure and retire having never fought something like a slaad." Shortfang shrugged as he did his best to advert his eyes from the sun. "Shortfang didn't know what Slaad was until friends tell Shortfang. Shortfang only know Trogs because they live in sewers." Buddy wrote his thoughts out on a note. "Dragons and Slaads both seem like reptilian creatures. It is a stretch, but there is some similarities. Some."

[Guardian Angel Haruki]

Sylvia made sure to slip the receipt in a pocket of her fire resistant robes as they walked away from the store. Once they were in an alleyway and she asked her question to her friends, she listened as they spoke. After they gave their answers, she nodded quietly and she commented "OK...so I could be overthinking this after all," She then told them, "I thought it was weird that the son would say 'that slaad' instead of 'a slaad', because that kinda means that he knew which slaad we were talking about, and considering the cultists worship the dragon..."

She then sighed and she shrugged, "Again, I guess I must have over thought this one. Still, we really should do a little research on the slaad gem. Make sure that if the cultists get their hands on the gem, they can't bring it back,"

[Lucius Cypher]

"That would be a good idea. Perhaps we should sell it to Ferric?" Pylia suggested. "He's pretty much the most trustworthy merchant we know." Shortfang nods his head as he rubs his eyes a bit, trying to get the light out of it. "Ferric good guy yeah. So where next boss?" Shortfang asked. There were still the merchants that were attacked by the mimics, and now you had names of the gang who has been vandalizing the shops. From what the fletcher girl, Kathie, told you, the gang seemed to live in the Red Cliff area. Buddy wrote a note for you to read. "Dead drop." As he points to a box next to you. It was hard to see, but on the top of it appeared to be the lightning bolt symbol that Yorik warned you about. Buddy traces it with his finger, allowing you to see it more clearly. Pylia looked at it. "A dead drop perhaps? Not sure why else they'd have one of their symbols hidden so subtly here."

[Guardian Angel Haruki]

Sylvia answered Pylia with a nod, "That is definitely a good idea. Think he knows anything about slaads as well?" She started to answer Shortfang, "Well..." She stopped when she tried to get her thoughts together, and considered the possibilities of where else they can go. Her attention turned to Buddy when he wrote another note. This time, the note at first seemed weird. A dead drop? Then her gaze followed where Buddy was pointing, and there it was. There was a box, with a subtle drawing of the Lightning Company's emblem.

She answered Pylia, "Has to be. But the fact that the Lightning Company has a Dead Drop at all is very weird and fishy. Aren't Dead Drops usually used for espionage?" She then looked to her friends with a somewhat mischievous grin growing on her face before stepping forwards towards the box, "Think we'll find anything in here?" Now that they found the Dead Drop, they could totally look through and read what information they were passing to each other. When life gives you lemons...!

[Lucius Cypher]

"Perhaps? He does seem to be well educated, perhaps he knows a thing or two about monsters. If nothing else he knows about magical enchantments, and I'm sure a slaad gem has something to do with those." As Buddy pointed out the sign, everyone else looked at it with great interest. "Dead drop? Shortfang knows those! Sometimes Shortfang get bounties from dead drops. Maybe bad guards have bounties or shiny monies?"

Opening the box, you don't find much. It seemed pretty empty. There was however a note left on the underside of the box. The note simply showed what you'd guess to be a map, though the details were fairly sparse. There was an rather childish drawing of a boat, with what you'd assume to be a fish person on it. The top half of a stick person and the waist down was a fish. There was some sort of dotted line trail that let to what you'd assume to be an alley of some sort where there was another tiny drawing of the lightning sword symbol. There was nothing else on the note. Pylia looked at it and tried to connect the dots. "Well... I guess if we'll investigate this, we'll need to head to the docks and find a boat with a fish person? There's a lot of alleyways on the docks though, and boats as well."

[Guardian Angel Haruki]

Sylvia didn't hesitate to open the box and pulled out the small map. She raised an eyebrow at the drawing and the map. She answered Pylia, "We might as well check it out. I'm betting the mermaid drawn here might be a statue on the front of the boat," She remembered hearing about how some boats had statues at the front, and in some stories, the mermaid was a popular choice. Still holding the note, she told her friends, "Let's head to the docks. Maybe we can figure out what the Lightning Company is doing there," and she started leading the way.

[Lucius Cypher]

The group leaves the Red Cliff district and heads over to the docks. While there are a lot of boats, not many of them were very decorated. Most had fairly plain looking designs or at best, colorful masts, but nothing that looked like a mermaid. Most of these ships were fishing vessels as well. If there was a boat that had anything to do with mermaids it'll likely be named not depicted. As you were looking around however someone would come to stop you. A small child who handed you a flyer. "Hello lady! It's happy hour at the Throaty Mermaid! Buy a meal and get a complimentary mug of grog!" The child would soon leave to pass out more flyers, but this was a lead for you. The Throaty Mermaid was a floating inn of sorts, basically a large boat that you could rent a room for the night and order a meal. You vaguely remember Shor telling you about it when you were asking for a place to stay. Located at the Waterfront, that basically meant a rather rundown part of the docks similar to the sewer entrance through ironically, the sewer entrance and the waterfront were quite distant from one another.

In any case you would eventually arrive to the Throaty Mermaid. It seemed pretty busy with gruff looking sailor types for the happy hour, buying grub and grog and getting rather belligerent for what was probably somewhere around noon. Most people seemed to ignore you aside from a few drunks who were catcalling you and Pylia. "Ugh. I'd rather go into the sewers than deal with drunken sailors. Where do we need to go from here, Sylvia?" Pylia asked you as she tried not to look at the men trying to call you two over.

[Guardian Angel Haruki]

Sylvia stopped when the child appeared, and handed her the flyer. She accepted the flyer and thanked the child before looking at it and telling her friends, "I think we found it guys," She led the way to the Throaty Mermaid. She thought it was a little early for Happy Hour, but she wasn't the business owner. When they got there, Sylvia also tried to not look at the men who were catcalling her and Pylia. She understood and shared Pylia's sentiment. She answered Pylia quietly, "I don't think the patrons are going to be of much help here. Let's go to the innkeeper and ask him some questions," She wasn't sure how forthcoming the innkeeper will be, but it was still worth a shot. She then told her friends, "Keep your eyes out for anyone who's acting weird," She then led the way to the bar.

[Lucius Cypher]

“It is a ship full of drunken sailors, Sylvia. It’s going to be weird.” Pylia sighed as she followed you into the ship. It was pretty packed, with so many sailors trying to get drinks that many didn’t even sit down, just chugging their grog and bread where they stand. Many tried to touch you but their drunken hands, as well as the intentional interception by Buddy and Pylia, made sure no one harassed the group as you got up to the bartender. The bartender was a tall elven man with very sharp features. “Here for Happy Hour? Order quickly, I’ve other patrons to serve.” He says as he fills up a drink, takes a tab from a customer, and passes the booze down.

[Guardian Angel Haruki]

Sylvia chuckled hesitantly in response to Pylia's words, and she commented "OK, weirder than normal then," As she led the way to the bar, she quietly thanked Buddy and Pylia for intercepting the drunken hands that tried to grab her. She soon reached the bar and she answered the bartender, "We actually have a couple of questions. We'll try and make this quick," She then asked, "First of all, I don't suppose you've seen a group of guards who call themselves the Lightning Company? They have this emblem," She then showed him the drawn symbol of the Lightning Company.

[Lucius Cypher]

The bartender almost took your drawing, but stopped to give it a glance. “Nah, don’t get many guards over in the docks district. I got my own men to be my muscle if anyone starts trouble.” He continues to serve out drinks with rapid precision. “Is that all? Things are starting to pick up now. If you’re looking for guards or whatever ask one of my criers, they’re the kids passing out my flyers. They see things.”

[Guardian Angel Haruki]

Sylvia nodded in response to his advice to ask his criers and made a mental note to backtrack to the kid who handed them a flyer earlier today. She answered the bartender as she put away the drawing of the emblem, "One more question, and we'll be on our way," She then asked the bartender, "Have you noticed any unusual behavior from any of your patrons or visitors to the Throaty Mermaid?" She figured asking the question was worth a shot. The bartender seems like a sharp person. Maybe he noticed if someone was waiting for anything, or just something different than the usual drunken patron.

[Lucius Cypher]

“Nothing worth mentioning. Got a lot of strange people who come here for a drink and to mind their own business and I’m happy to oblige. Anything that’s worth noting ain’t worth talking about, capish?” The bartender said in a somewhat aggressive tone. Seemed like he was getting a bit annoyed by your line of questioning. Shortfang, climbing on Buddy so he could reach you in this crowded area, whispers down to you. “Maybe we give him shinies for Info? We give shinies, we customers yeah?” The bartender himself was busy handing out drinks and wasn’t really paying attention to your group anymore.

[Guardian Angel Haruki]

Sylvia narrowed her gaze at the bartender, and when Shortfang gave his suggestion, she nodded quietly in agreement. She then took out five pieces of gold and she placed it on the bar in front of the bartender, as she suggested, "I think that talking about anything that's worth noting, might be worth talking about after all," She wasn't sure how much the Throaty Mermaid charged the patrons here, but if she was to compare the potential prices to the Silver Stag's charges, then five gold might be enough to get the bartender to talk a bit more. Or at least she hoped it would be enough.

[Lucius Cypher]

As soon as you put the gold on the table, they vanished underneath the bartender's hands as he stood towards you filling up a glass underneath the counter. "So yeah might've noticed something queer. A pair of regulars, orc brothers named Banger and Mash, seems to have caught quite a windfall. Past few days they've been spending a lotta coin on my top shelf brands and buying em for the girls they bring in, always a new one every night. Don't know where they're getting this money but I doubt it's anything honest. Been seeing them loitering around the alley's bout north of here, next to the shutdown brewery. It's the building with the dirty looking sign that has a barrel spilling out booze. Wouldn't be surprised if that their new hang out or something." After passing that information along the bartender goes back to serving other customers, and his attention is quickly consumed dealing with the influx of drunken sailors throwing coin at him for drinks.

[Guardian Angel Haruki]

Sylvia's interest was piqued at the information, and she muttered "Hm...Interesting," She then thanked the bartender and led the way out of the Throaty Mermaid. Even if it wasn't much, the information they just found was definitely interesting. Banger and Mash, a pair of orc brothers...didn't Kathie mention that there were two orcs in the gang? She said that they weren't related, but they might as well be with their same level of intelligence...

Still...if Banger and Mash were the same as the two orcs from the gang, and the Lightning Company had a map that led them to the Throaty Mermaid...

Once they were outside, Sylvia, who had been thinking silently while walking with her friends, suggested to her friends, "We should definitely check out that 'hang out'. But maybe we should send a familiar this time?"

[Lucius Cypher]

Clearing out from the crowded Throaty Mermaid, your group would stand around a fairly empty dock. While you could still hear the hustle and bustle of the Throaty Mermaid, but not so much that you couldn't speak to your party. With a new location to investigate the group nods to your idea of sending the familiars to investigate. "Shortfang make Syfr keep watch. Dunno where Dinah, but good time to practice magic! Boss, call Dinah name with mind, and point near you. Then just snap, and there she is!" Shortfang demonstrated using Syfr, commanding him to fly off somewhere before he suddenly vanished even as you watched Syfr fly away. Then Shortfang just pointed towards a mooring and snapped his finger at it, causing Syfr to appear there. "Easy!"