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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Sic_Pixie" data-source="post: 5835089" data-attributes="member: 52403">Looking for tools. ...Woken up early in the morning by the innkeeper; they take a bacon sandwich with them as they head out to investigate Surgeons Flats.  Getting there by 6am they find the shop described to them by the professor so they wander inside to ask some questions.  Walking inside they find a bell on the counter but no-one viable; the sound of faint tapping comes from the back room of the shop.  Grembor taps the bell sending a ringing through the building; the tapping pauses for a moment then resumes for several more minutes before stopping.  Walking through from the back wiping his hands on a rag is a portly gentleman wearing a headset with various lenses attached to it; smiling at the party he asks what he can do for them today.  They explain the situation they find themselves in and show him the surgical set; opening it up he whistles slowly and takes out several items to examine.  He tells them that the raven symbol on the tools as a maker’s mark used by Zbraslav Hora and Sons, who have a workshop on the tiny Anatomists’ Alley.  This is just a short distance away just of the Surgeons Flats so they head round and find the establishment without any problems.Zbraslav Hora is a bookish, taciturn man who wears thick spectacles.  He keeps them waiting a good 20 minutes after entering the shop while he finishes up on the current piece he is working on.  Afterwards he walks through with a smile asking what they are looking for; and expressing interest in the item after they advise him they have one of his pieces.  Showing him the item he goes through it examining each piece meticulously and tutting over any slight damage or blunt instrument he looks at the party quizzically.  “Your not here to sell these or to congratulate me on my craftsmanship I take it?” he asks with one eyebrow raised.  They concede and state the reasons they are there; shaking his head he states that his clients are confidential and it would not be professional of him to release this information to just any vagabond who takes a fancy to it.   Predictably they offer him some money to assist in soothing his conscience which works wonders once they upped the price a little.  Zbraslav noted down the purchaser as Vladka Kostel, a red-haired Varisian woman who wears a green silk scarf depicting a swan. Zbraslav knows she works for an auction house, but he doesn’t remember which one.  The party thank him and leave wondering how they could track down this woman in the very short time they have left to them.  It’s currently roughly 7:30am and they have to be at the trail at 10am.  Tracking down a single woman in even a small city like this would take a while.  They return to the courthouse somewhat despondently and go over their problems with Gustav.  Gustav advises them that there is an auction house not far from here and suggests that they head there to ask questions.  The party perks up and heads out immediately to investigate the lead.  They find the Auction house easily but it looks to be closed; heading around back they find a cart being unloaded by a surly looking gentleman of large build; asking him about this he looks at the somewhat confused then does what any good employee does when presented a problem above his rather limited pay grade and calls for his manager.  The manager comes out of his office and asks what the party is doing interrupting his employee from unloading the wagon; they explain who they are looking for and are advised that she does not work here.  However for a modest finder’s fee he does know where she used to work a while ago.  Sighing Grembor hands over a sum of money which makes the foreman’s eyes light up; he advises them that he used to work for another Auction house for a little while called Ledov’s Chirurgery Merchants.  The lady they are looking for worked there when he did; she was difficult to miss. ….  Grembor thanks the foreman and they rush off to follow up on this new lead.Finding Ledov’s is easy enough and like the previous establishment it’s closed.  Checking round back they find a similar situation but this time the work is being overseen by a club wielding supervisor who promptly advises them to piss off.  They flash a couple of gold coins and his mood improved dramatically; they ask about Vladka Kostel and are informed that she will not be in work till later on as they don’t arrive on the scene till closer to the auction time. It’s now 9am and they have only an hour till the trial begins; after producing some more incentive the club wielding foreman lets them know whereabouts in the city she lives and that it’s a red brick building.  They sprint off to investigate and hopefully track down the house prior to the hearing.Finding the area is easy enough they have walked through it a few times previously; some nice houses and several red brick houses in the area.  They split up and take a couple of houses each; unfortunately they don’t find any indication of her living in any of them.  Either the information they were given was incorrect; the house that did not answer is the one or someone they spoke to lied.  Each is a viable answer; Sayuri in a panic notices that the time is very close to 10am and starts running off to the courtroom; Grembor stays were he is and lurks around the graveyard on a likely route to the auction house hoping to spy the lady on her way to work while Kat walked the streets looking for her.  A significant crowd gathers around the Punishing Man at dawn, and a carnival atmosphere engulfs the courthouse.  This crown and the general business of the streets make crossing the city a timelier affair than it usually would.  The area outside the court is filled with the usual type that you find at any gathering of people whether it’s a hanging a party or a performance.  They get asked if they would like a rat on a stick …. Kids love them !!! by a greasy aproned individual holding a tray of suspicious looking ‘edibles’.</blockquote>

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