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Even Newer(er) Tavern Thread: The Hanged Man
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pacdidj
First Post
The door to the tavern is flung open, and a slender, dark-haired gnome strides into The Hanged Man. He is dressed in expensive-looking black leathers and a gold-buttoned green overcoat, which appear to have been slept in frequently of late. He carries a small crossbow, numerous pouches and phials adorn his belt, and his somewhat pinched facial features are made even less pleasant by a black rimmed monocle that sits perched in front of his right eye. The gnome surveys the tavern's clientele, then sketches a hasty bow as he closes the door behind him. "Siveris Smythe, D.H.M., at your service," he announces.
Climbing up into a barstool, Siveris attracts the bartender's attention by rapping his knuckles sharply against the bar. "A glass of port barkeep. Quckly please." Then, having obtained his drink, the severe-looking gnome turns once again to observe the bar patrons, this time closely scrutinizing their every detail as if trying to find the right person to talk to.
Climbing up into a barstool, Siveris attracts the bartender's attention by rapping his knuckles sharply against the bar. "A glass of port barkeep. Quckly please." Then, having obtained his drink, the severe-looking gnome turns once again to observe the bar patrons, this time closely scrutinizing their every detail as if trying to find the right person to talk to.
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As the door opens, Esraethan's hand reflexively dives into a pocket inside his cloak. The more perceptive in the room noticed that it was not his dagger, but something else that he sought.
As it became clear that the newcomer wasn't a threat, Esraethan turns to him- after giving him a chance to fortify himself with the port- and says, "Well met! I am Esraethan. What is your story?"
As it became clear that the newcomer wasn't a threat, Esraethan turns to him- after giving him a chance to fortify himself with the port- and says, "Well met! I am Esraethan. What is your story?"
pacdidj
First Post
"Eh? What's that? My story?," Siveris asks, arching his eyebrows at the tiefling's question. "Well, I hardly think that's any of your busine-," the gnome's snappy retort breaks off as he notices an object in the tiefling's pocket. "Say, what's that you were reaching for? A wand? A rod? Are you an arcanist then?" Siveris' peevish expression suddenly evaporates, leaving his face blank, and for a moment you can almost see the wheels in his head spinning rapidly as he processes this new datum.
"You know I myself dabbled briefly in the manipulation of arcane energies in my youth. Before I discovered the subtle power that can be distilled and bottled with a modest knowledge of herb lore and alchemy, that is." Siveris pauses for a moment, taking a large sip of his port and swilling it around in his mouth as he sizes Esraethan up. Then he offers his hand to Esraethan, and in a much more friendly tone says, "Well met friend. My name is Smythe. Dr. Smythe, though you may call me Siveris. I'm the proprietor of Siv's Salves, the apothecary at the corner of Clacker's Run and Carenvale Boulevard down in Cobblestop, perhaps you've heard of it? Or, maybe I should say the former proprietor, what with the events of the past week..." the gnome adds in a mumbled undertone.
"But tell me about yourself friend. You're an arcanist. Are you also perchance an adventurer?," Siveris asks brightly. "I've heard it said that many like yourself come to this tavern in search of fame and fortune, and that the lucky survivors often find it."
"I am, as you say, a student of the mystic arts, friend Siveris. Also, I am an adventurer. My quest is to find and eliminate those who slew my mother. But until such time as I can complete that quest, I am interested in exploring, learning, and acquiring- in roughly that order." Esraethan smiles briefly.
"Please, tell me of your situation. I would be interested in learning more and in helping you if I am able."
pacdidj
First Post
"Yes. Yes, perhaps you can help. Well, as I said I run an apothecary, the most successful apothecary on the Isle of Daunton for the past two years as a matter of fact. I suppose you could say I devoted myself fully to my work after the disappearance of my dear wife Lucinnia. No amount of business success could ever make up for her loss, but I can at least take solace in the work I do: helping people with my cures and unguents." Siveris rattles off all this emotionally-laden information quickly and casually, almost flippantly in fact.
He sips his port once more before continuing, "That is, I used to take solace in my work, but recently things have become... rather complicated. It all started a month ago when some nitwit on the Lords Council subpoenaed my import ledgers and started making a stink about a careless paperwork error. Apparently I neglected to file the proper exception form to obtain a rare fungus imported from Old Allaria. I specialize in the distillation of fungal essences you see, and needed the mold to make a poultice to cure old Missus Fiedlerson's gout."
"But, in the wrong hands this particular mold is extremely dangerous, and as such all manner of forms and tariffs are necessary to bring it in to Daunton. Now ordinarily, I would have filed the necessary paperwork, but this all happened just prior to my wife's disappearance, and I was distressed because she had been behaving strangely for several months, and I suppose in my distraction I forgot to submit that one form for the magistrate's approval."
"I explained all of this at the Council hearing, but the magistrates would hear none of it. They ordered my property seized, my account at the savings and loan frozen, and all my precious potions, salves, and formulae impounded! They even tried to arrest me on trumped up charges of tax evasion and possession of illicit materials. And all this after twenty years of selfless service helping this island's residents cure and prevent disease. It is an outrage I tell you!"
"Well, naturally I posted bail with what little I had left in my home safe, and I'm seeking to mount a defense. I suspect that someone on the Lords Council is jealous of my recent success, and has manufactured these charges to bring down my business and protect their own interests in the alchemical trade. It's well known that the Glasstons have a large stake in the business. Why, their youngest scion Pyron used to be my chief competitor in the apothecary business. He managed Pyron's Potions until his own mysterious disappearance about a year ago."
"But, to make my case before the council I'll need to hire a crack team of investigators and attorneys, and as it stands I don't have enough money left to my name to pay my rent next month. That's why I'm here you see. I need to make money fast to clear my name, and I've got nothing left to lose, so adventuring seemed like just the thing. Now I just need to find a group of saps-... er, courageous folk to team up with and reap the rewards of rescuing distressed maidens and capturing dragons' hoards."
[sblock=Insight 20]Siveris' story sounds very well rehearsed. Though you can tell he's not exactly lying, at least not much, there's definitely a lot more to this story that he's not telling.
[/sblock]
"Please, can you tell me more of these disappearances? I would certainly like to help you if I can..."
"But if we can find the right people to help, I pledge myself to your quest." Esraethan seems relatively unconcerned at the idea of potentially working against the government.
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"But if we can find the right people to help, I pledge myself to your quest." Esraethan seems relatively unconcerned at the idea of potentially working against the government.
pacdidj
First Post
"Unfortunately, there's not much to tell. My dear Lucinnia started acting quite strangely just before her disappearance. Though normally sweet and outgoing, she began to withdraw into herself, becoming quiet, aloof, and distant. Some days she refused even to get out of bed."
"Naturally, I was worried about her, but I was busy at work, and I initially thought she was just going through a rough patch. She was prone to periodic spells of homesickness. We immigrated from Kythira twenty years ago you see, and dear Lucinnia never did grow completely accustomed to city life. She would always talk of missing the forest, and spend hours of almost every day at the municipal gardens."
"When I finally realized something serious was wrong, it was already too late. I came home one day to find my house empty. Lucinnia was nowhere to be seen, though all her belongings remained. She left a note though on the dresser. It said she felt too confined by city walls, but she knew how important my work was to me. She said she would like to see the mangroves once more, but didn't want to return to her family on Kythira in shame, a single woman having broken her marriage vows. She ended the note saying 'Where I go, you cannot follow. Love always, Lucinnia.'"
"Naturally I was heartbroken and worried sick. I commissioned several search parties to scour the island looking for her, but no trace of Lucinnia was ever found on Daunton, and no one could recall seeing her board an outbound ship. After a year of searching, holding out hope, I was forced to accept that I would never find her and to move on as best I could."
Siveris finishes his port with one long swig, and sits silent a moment as a shadow of grief and bitterness passes over his features. Then he continues, "As for Pyron Glasston, I don't know any more about his disappearance than anyone else. It was all over the news about a year back. Made the front page of The Screamer even. The article said he went out drinking with his friends, left alone after having a few too many, and never made it home. They found a small pool of his blood on the road back to the the Hills district, but no one ever located his body."
"It's a shame really. He was a charming lad, and we used to have such a spirited competitive banter between us, whenever I ran into him at social functions."
"Naturally, I was worried about her, but I was busy at work, and I initially thought she was just going through a rough patch. She was prone to periodic spells of homesickness. We immigrated from Kythira twenty years ago you see, and dear Lucinnia never did grow completely accustomed to city life. She would always talk of missing the forest, and spend hours of almost every day at the municipal gardens."
"When I finally realized something serious was wrong, it was already too late. I came home one day to find my house empty. Lucinnia was nowhere to be seen, though all her belongings remained. She left a note though on the dresser. It said she felt too confined by city walls, but she knew how important my work was to me. She said she would like to see the mangroves once more, but didn't want to return to her family on Kythira in shame, a single woman having broken her marriage vows. She ended the note saying 'Where I go, you cannot follow. Love always, Lucinnia.'"
"Naturally I was heartbroken and worried sick. I commissioned several search parties to scour the island looking for her, but no trace of Lucinnia was ever found on Daunton, and no one could recall seeing her board an outbound ship. After a year of searching, holding out hope, I was forced to accept that I would never find her and to move on as best I could."
Siveris finishes his port with one long swig, and sits silent a moment as a shadow of grief and bitterness passes over his features. Then he continues, "As for Pyron Glasston, I don't know any more about his disappearance than anyone else. It was all over the news about a year back. Made the front page of The Screamer even. The article said he went out drinking with his friends, left alone after having a few too many, and never made it home. They found a small pool of his blood on the road back to the the Hills district, but no one ever located his body."
"It's a shame really. He was a charming lad, and we used to have such a spirited competitive banter between us, whenever I ran into him at social functions."
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"I am sorry for the dissolution of your marriage. And forgive me for not knowing the news from a year ago- I have but recently arrived here, and know not the lay of the land."
Esraethan turns to survey the rest of the room, trying to guage how the others have taken this story and job offer. "Perhaps, when we find some others, we can retire somewhere more private to hear the other details of this situation."
Esraethan turns to survey the rest of the room, trying to guage how the others have taken this story and job offer. "Perhaps, when we find some others, we can retire somewhere more private to hear the other details of this situation."
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