Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Xardion" data-source="post: 7820475" data-attributes="member: 6744">After wiping the floor with Dead-Eye and his gang, the crew wanted to go do a bit of shopping and also to see if they could sell Dead-Eye's jewelry (they first spent some time cleaning his blood and general body filth from it).  Approaching the Black Dragon Gate to the Upper City, the Watch guards' initial eagerness at being able to collect some gate fees turned to disappointment when they realized it was Ronus Shattershield with a group of deputy Fists in tow, and let them pass with a look of chagrin.  They quickly found a shop known for it's fine jewelry (a fairly popular place in the Upper City), and Ronus' simple charm and surprisingly good haggling skills netted them an excellent price for their well-earned booty.  Flush with gold, they quickly found a purveyor of arms and armor, and Ronus came away with a very sturdy and well-made greataxe.They then headed back to the Elfsong Tavern, stopping along the way to acquire a brewer's kit for Tenshi, her experiences with the "adequate" beverages in the local establishments leading her to think she could do a better job herself.  Ronus encouraged her newfound interest very eagerly.  Apparently word of their fight had spread among the locals, and they were treated to a raucous greeting, and decided to engage in a night of revelry and light debauchery.  Voragine provided excellent entertainment (with some accompaniment provided by Tenshi with her pan flute), which brought in more customers. Alan Alyth, the proprietor, felt obliged to give them free room and board (though NOT free drinks), letting them stay in his unoccupied guest rooms while providing them dinner. Business hadn't been this good in months, and indeed, it had never been this busy.  He had to hire some temporary help and bring out more ale from storage to keep up.The night wasn't completely wasted on drink, though.  They did hear some interesting news and rumors.  Word got back to them that the rest of the crew of the Uncivil Serpent, Dead-Eye's ship, had heard of the fate of their captain, and holding no particular love for the man, took the first mate as their new captain, found some more men to replace their lost crew members, and set off for brighter shores.  They also heard a ridiculous rumor that the Elturel refugees were some kind of scouts for a supposed army that was going to descend upon Baldur's Gate, and a more credible rumor that Thalamra Vanthampur had her eyes on the Grand Duke's seat, now that he had gone missing and may in fact be dead.  Some of the group still remembered these rumors in the morning.After shaking off any hangovers they might have had, the group headed straight to the bathhouse shortly after waking.  Finding the place open, but otherwise unoccupied save for the two masseuses, they decided to take advantage of the facilities and have a bath.  They definitely needed one.  Ronus and Eldon used the pool between the massage rooms, while the ladies took to the pool on the north side.  Some amount of searching in the pools themselves was conducted, though they found nothing of interest, aside from noting that the plumbing was excellent.Eldon and Ronus did notice something interesting as they chatted and looked around at the bathhouse and massage rooms.  Eldon commented on the symmetrical layout of the place, and Ronus noticed a single discrepancy to that symmetry.  The masseuses left their doors open while they readied their tables for customers they'd likely be receiving after the group finished bathing, and Ronus noticed that the position of the windows differed between the two rooms.  Wanting to investigate further, the men left their bath, and availed themselves of the massage services, Eldon took the south room served by the androgynous masseuse Jabaz, and Ronus went to the north room where Qurmilah waited.Understanding the intent of their male counterparts (presumably), the ladies waited for a few minutes, and then decided to act.  Tenshi just boldly entered the southern room with Eldon, and after he acknowledged her presence, set about looking for a hidden door.  Jabaz of course asked her what she was doing, and Tenshi cleverly replied, "Um, where's your watercloset?" after she found nothing.  Jabaz directed her back outside, informing her there were chamber pots under the bench in the southeast corner of bathhouse.  Voragine took a... different approach. Barging into the room with Ronus, she bellowed at him and accused him of infidelity, rifling off a list of supposed character defects and berated him mercilessly.  Qurmilah fled of course, taking refuge with Jabaz and Eldon.Nodding to Ronus, but continuing her farcical rant, the two of them proceeded to investigate the room.  It became quickly apparent why the window was positioned differently in this room: the outer wall in the northwest corner turned north instead of continuing west to the corner of the building, indicating the presence of some kind of space behind the wall of the room.  They quickly found the secret entrance to the dungeon, and just as quickly left the room, partly because of the wretched smell that wafted out, and also to get their clothes back on.  Everyone (except Eldon, who was still getting his massage), quickly dressed, and then Voragine confronted the masseuses. She was still in an apparent rage, but now she threatened them with violence if they didn't tell her about that secret passage and everything they knew about this place. Terrified, they stumbled over each other to spill their guts to her, not wanting to be on the receiving end of either her fists or her sharp tongue.  They told her that Thalamra Vanthampur owned the bathhouse, but her son Mortlock ran the place. Jabaz suspected he was having some sort of shady dealings there, because they were expressly forbidden from being there after dark, and that he was conducting some sort of dark business without his mother's knowledge.  Jabaz and Qurmilah quickly fled, and Eldon got dressed, disappointed about his interrupted massage, but eager to join the rest of the crew in investigating this dark and dank passage they had discovered.NOTE: The group did continue on, but I'll include that with the next session's report</blockquote>

Verification