A Rather Odd Shovel [Judge: Bront]

[Trouvere]

Keldar has already been sidling back out into the street, but he suddenly turns on his heel and strides back to the desk.

"Now, now, this won't do. If we didn't bring back the book, it would be nothing short of thievery, exactly the sort of thing we don't approve of."

"You seem, forgive me, a little disheartened about this whole Urton business. Perhaps a little bored. Are there many unsolved crimes in Fallon? Or are none of them more interesting than attempted bribery? Why, it was only a day or two ago - perhaps you heard? - that the piratical crew of the infamous Jamella Githiel was brought in to face justice by none other than... er, a dashingly handsome young fellow whose name escapes me. That should raise the spirits of any upholder of the law!"

"Now, then, what would Rolli ask if she were here?" Keldar muses. "Who was the official? Why did Urton think he was the man to bribe? Where was Urton's home? Who owns it now? Which are the nearest taverns to it? Did Urton work as an architect here? Did he draw up plans for any rich clients? Have any of them ever been robbed? Are any of his associates known? Things like that."

"With the answers to a few of those questions, and a good look at this book, we'll soon track Urton down, or my name's not... important."

 

[Rae ArdGaoth]

OOG: I haven't forgotten this thread, I just want to make sure I get the details right. It's proving difficult to sit down and review the thread to make sure I remain consistent, so please bear with me.

 

[Boddynock]

OOC: No problem, Rae. Thanks for letting us know.

 

[Rae ArdGaoth]

OOC: Here's what I've been doing the past few days. Feel free to contribute, edit, and whatnot.

A Rather Odd Shovel (wiki)

 

[Boddynock]

OOC: Just had a quick flip through - looks fantastic, Rae.

 

[Rae ArdGaoth]

"You seem, forgive me, a little disheartened about this whole Urton business. Perhaps a little bored. Are there many unsolved crimes in Fallon? Or are none of them more interesting than attempted bribery?

The clerk just shrugs.

"Why, it was only a day or two ago - perhaps you heard? - that the piratical crew of the infamous Jamella Githiel was brought in to face justice by none other than... er, a dashingly handsome young fellow whose name escapes me. That should raise the spirits of any upholder of the law!"

"Oh yes, and the paperwork for that fiasco was a bloody nightmare. Ownership rights are a real treat, let me tell you. All kinds of precedents and laws and whatnot, and in strange circumstances like abandonment in the face of pirates, everything gets quite nutty."

"Now, then, what would Rolli ask if she were here?" Keldar muses. "Who was the official? Why did Urton think he was the man to bribe? Where was Urton's home? Who owns it now? Which are the nearest taverns to it? Did Urton work as an architect here? Did he draw up plans for any rich clients? Have any of them ever been robbed? Are any of his associates known? Things like that."

The clerk narrows his eyes then leans back in his chair and lolls his head back. Talking to the ceiling he says, "Just a moment while my tired old mind thinks back that far... Hrm... Yes, the official was an up and coming boy of 20, delegated to patroling the sewers for monster rats. It's a shuk job, but it hardens the lads for dealing with criminals and keeps our water ways clear of the nuisances while they're still just a nuisance. Wasn't a problem before the Sentinel spell and its subsidiary magics saturated our daily lives, but now these nasty blighters can grow to such colossal sizes, you wouldn't believe. I recall this one time... Ah, sorry, the official, right."

"Anyway, the boy had access to the whole sewer system, and Urton approached him with his bribe, asking for a copy of the keys to some of the gates. The boy knocked him over the head with the flat of his blade and took him out right away. Put him in the holding cells for a while, but someone let him out. Seems Urton already had friends on the inside, but whoever they were, they're not talking. Then he disappeared. Urton was a fairly well known architect, did some pretty pieces for a couple of clients on the top levels, I recall, and a few on the ground down here, over by the Halls. He had a nice place of his own on the 40th floor, if I remember rightly. Not a great neighborhood, even today, but the place was nice. The Guard got there quickly, but we found nothing but that useless tome. Whether he got there before us or he was just prepared for the worst, we don't know."

"We seized the house and all of his assets in the bank, what little he had anyway, and eventually sold the place to another man on the same level. His name slips my mind..." He gets up, goes to Urton's file, and retrieves an old piece of parchment. He copies some information down for you. "Here you are. Vlad Turket, 113 Gyllet, East side, 40th level. Pay him a visit, tell him we sent you, I don't much care." With another sigh, he continues talking in his strained old voice.

"Urton was a quiet man. He had few friends among the other architects, his clients were satisfied enough to recommend him but didn't maintain any long-term relationships. We did visit a few taverns, seems he preferred to socialize with the pub-goers more than his clients, but even they weren't able to give us much. Generous guy, bought drinks for the house on occasion, catered roast pig feasts on holidays, but didn't talk much about himself. He had some gold, that man, but he didn't keep it in the bank, that's for sure." He chuckles, then coughs, then takes a few deep breaths before finishing.

"So there you have it. We don't have anything on him except attempted bribery. That's it. Nothing else. Tried to buy one cop too many, bought enough friends already to get him out, and we never saw him again. Clients never reported thefts, what few acquaintances he had knew next to nothing, and that old thing is just gobbledygook. This thing has been dead for 18 years. Good luck." Again he shrugs, and he sits up in his chair.

[sblock=OOC: ]Phew! Sorry that took so long, but maybe you see why now. I'll be on vacation until the 5th of January. If we can, I'd like to start 2009 off right, so if you guys could have a solid plan of action by the time I return, we can jump right into things.

Happy New Year to everybody! Hope your vacation was pleasant, Trouvere.[/sblock]

 

[Trouvere]

Keldar listens attentively to the old man's recollections. "Thank you, sir," he says. "You've been very helpful, and who knows, perhaps after all this time, Urton has grown careless."

Once outside, Keldar points the way towards the School of Wizardry and while walking says reflectively, "I suppose a guard who hardly cares is better by far than a guard who is overly officious in the carrying out of his duties. There are some stories I can tell you about Orussus guards who wouldn't accept the simplest excuses! Or, better, I could sing one to you!"

It turns out not to be an idle threat, but fortunately - or perhaps not - it seems Keldar's singing voice has improved some.

"If you've ever been a bard,
Then you'll know that life is hard;
You'll find your skills are going for a song.
But the very worst of worst,
When you're just trying to fill your purse
Are those who're there to set right every wrong:
Yes, the gentlemen of the Guards –
Who might have heard you cheat at cards
And will not let you ever get along.

I remember one fine day,
I was just strolling on my way
Through a market filled with every kind of stall -
Bread and cheese and chicken wings
And other kinds of tasty things -
And I'll swear it wasn't me who caused the brawl!
It was some other clumsy oafs
Who knocked down the pile of loafs:
I was just the one who caught them all!

But as I went on down the street
Who should I chance to meet
But a guard who was always sticking in his nose.
Said he, "You're looking rather… schemy.
So, are you just pleased to see me,
Or is that a loaf of bread stuffed down your hose?
For a handful of silver coin,
I'll ignore your swollen groin;
Otherwise I'll have to look inside your clothes."

I said, "This is not a long baguette,
With two buns slightly offset,
Or any other kind of risen dough.
Your demand is quite extortionate!
You should know I'm disproportionate:
Ask any of the ladies that I know!
I value my modesty and cleanness
So I will not show my -

Well, here we are at the School of Wizardry," says Keldar, interrupting his song. "Do you have any thoughts on what we've just learned?"

 

[covaithe]

Tommy leans back against a low wall, half listening to Keldar's song and thinking. When Keldar finishes, he applauds politely, but quickly changes the subject to their quest. "It seems we have three leads. One, the shovel itself. Perhaps someone else might recognize it, maybe a woodworker, or one of the historians at the college might be able to decipher some of the symbols on it. If we're really lucky, there might be another one like it within range of a locate object spell.

"Two, a book. It was found in Urton's home after he fled prison, if I understand correctly. Once we get a look inside it, maybe we'll be able to go somewhere from there.

"Three, Urton's house itself. Maybe we can find something the authorities missed.

Naturally, I think we should start with the book, if we can convince the constables to let us look at it. One can usually find what one seeks in books, if you look long enough. Failing that, we might look over the house next. Uh, that is, unless someone else has a plan?" Tommy stops talking and looks around apologetically, ears burning at being caught lecturing.

 

[Trouvere]

"We almost have too many paths to follow," says Keldar. "Remember Volidar said the seal on the shovel is based on the sigils of several noble houses. And if all else fails, we still have the sketches from the thieves' tunnel. We could lie in wait until someone used one of the marked secret passages - but our wait might be long!"

Keldar looks pensive for a moment. "I can't help but think I am forgetting something. Ah!"

"Do you suppose we did the right thing, leaving Galwynn in charge of my ship, with Rapture in charge of him? I can't help but think something will go wrong. The best I can hope for is it's nothing more than an embarrassing misunderstanding about the poopdeck."

 

[Trouvere]

"Poopdeck!" says Keldar. "Poopdeck. No?" He sighs. "Well, let's see what I can learn from a visit to a School of Wizardry."