Six From Gate Pass - Chapter 3: Shelter From The Storm

[Gregor]

Smeed accepts your offer and leads you over to a table where he hops up into a seat. He grabs the behind of the serving girl after she comes by with ale, and nods his head in Kirio's direction to foot the cost.

"Thanks be to you fer this fine frosty tipple," he says before taking a large gulp from the massive cup in his small hands. "Smeed makes it his bidniss to know fings about this, fings about that. Anyfing really. Got me own people to take a look here, give a listen there, slip a coin in a palm ... you know what I be gettin' at don't you Queerio? No?" He takes another sip and then leans forward and places his arms on the table top. It looks, from your perspective, like he is holding onto a ledge for dear life. "Nuffin happens in Seaquen that Smeed don't know about. You wanna be findin' a certain man with a touch o' elf in his blood eh? Him n' his big friend and lackies? Yer big oaf of a friend made quite a scene at the camps today, quite a scene indeed, er so sez me little birdies. So, we waltzin' down the same road friend?"

 

[funkmamagoat]

Kirio pays the serving girl and sighs... "Tact is not my associates chief skill, decapitating people is more his thing. We all have our talents. Might be that I'm looking for a half-elf, might be that I'm even willing to pay for the information. Might also be that I have some pretty clear leeds already, and that I'm not in a particularly trusting or generous mood. So... smeed, as much as I love sitting around with dirty little halflings having a drink, talking all poetic like, let's cut to the chase no? Do you know where the lair is and what do you want for the info if you do?"

 

[Gregor]

"Cuttin' right to the heart o' it eh Queerio?" Smeed chuckles and takes another quaff from the mug. "Alright then, Smeed has a bidniss propersition fer you. You can hand over 500 pieces o' gold and Smeed here lets you know where you'll be findin' them who kill fer a price. Or ... you let Smeed join yer little group and Smeed takes his fair share of what you be findin' down there. This ain't Bresk, Old Ragos or even Gate Pass, so we're not talkin' heap o' treasure ... but you just be knowin' that takin' a life ain't cheap and that means there be a vault o' takin's to be a plunderin'. He takes a final drink, wipes the foam from his upper lip and tosses the mug over his shoulder and onto the saw dust covered floor of the tavern. "You wanna just be payin' me for the info, well thats a fine thing, it be me bread n' butter after all. But consider Smeed's words. Smeed found you in a day. Follow'd the bright n' stinkin' trail of a fancy dandy o' a bard whose name be on the lips o' half the maids in this here gloomy ol' seaside town. Reckon they be findin' ye just as quick, and makin' deals with marks ain't what they be about. So, have a deal with Smeed then?"

 

[fromage67]

Lars says, "Thanks for the support, Alric, but I won't go. I will not be his puppet."

 

[funkmamagoat]

"Well... smeed, as you've so eloquently pointed out, hiding is not really something I've been trying to accomplish, or something I'm interested in doing... not one of my... talents. As for the assassins finding me..., well, they know where I live already, and my associate's plan may not be subtle, but it has a certain... simple directness to it that is not... unappealing. 500 gold is a princely sum, but perhaps not unreasonable. If I were interested in your services, that is allowing you to accompany us; assuming you take a bath first of course; what skills, other than information gathering, do you think you would bring to such an endeavour?"

 

[Gregor]

"Takin' a bath?!" Smeed cries out, "you daft or sumfin? Thats how the guard dogs smells ya a mile away! Listen here bard, if ya let Smeed join up, then in the name o' Brandobaris the Irrepressible Scamp and piles o' gold everywhere, you'll not be regrettin'. Smeed here is sneakier than a mouse, shiftier than a shadow n' better n' deadlier with a blade than any other. Smeed pops a lock like a virgin's cherry, tumbles better than any ol' Wayfarer and drinks more ale than a gravel headed dwarf. All Smeed be wantin' is his share o' treasure n' any information they be stashin' down there. Smeed loves five things: gold, news, ale, pussy n' good ol' fashioned murder." He cackles and slaps the table. "Ohhhh, there be bulge in me codpiece just thinkin' o' that."

[sblock="for Kirio"]You don't have any hunches that the deplorable halfling is anything other than what he claims to be.[/sblock]

 

[funkmamagoat]

Kirio can't help but let to corner of his mouth raise a little at the colouful scoundrel in front of him... He hums a little tune before replying (cast detect magic) "hmm... sorry about the spell there, nothing offensive, just careful is all. Well your skills do sound useful... most useful indeed. I'll tell you what smeed, meet me at the inn I like to play at tomorrow for lunch and I'll let you know." He winks at the halfling "Man of your talents will know where that is already I'm sure. I'll have to discuss briefly with my associates before we proceed one way or another; lunch will be on me of course, so worse case you get a free meal. We have a few things in common, love of "pussy", as you say, and news being chief among them... I'm sure we can do business." With that Kirio gets up and walks away, his cape going black as he leaves the tavern. He travels directly home; forgoing his usual nightly performance

			"Gods be damned Bannock! Fool is costing me money as well as unnecessarily endangering me. I've a reputation to uphold... grumble grumble grumble"

Kirio tries to be as stealthy as he can and pays attention to see if he is being followed.

 

[Gregor]

Kirio, you cast the spell and move off in a hurry, so you're not able to learn too much about any magic on Smeed. However, his rapier, armor and a few other smaller auras register in your minds' eye. Smeed clearly doesn't mind and moves off to blend into the crowd as you take your leave.

You do not notice anyone following you and arrive at home in the evening. The rest of the party is present and presumably you all discuss your next steps.

GM: Presuming Kirio shares his information, here is what you all know: The individual known to you as Edmond Merrywinter is potentially an apprentice for someone and took a contract to, presumably, eliminate Arnir. According to information you've dug up or found, Merrywinter and his accomplices have likely returned to some sort of lair. You know that Merrywinter was to check in with a contact at an 'embassy.' Kirio was able to find the location to all the embassies in the city. Bannock and Kirio's searching also drummed up some unexpected help from a halfling named Smeed who is willing to either sell you the location of a certain lair, or accompany your party in exchange for a fair share of the spoils and access to any information found in said lair. Lars was offered similar information by a priest of Mask in the Thieves Guild, but he has effectively turned down the offer by not returning in time for sunset. You know that the priest in the guild wanted Merrywinter's superior eliminated. Alric has also taken on a quest to assist the Order of the Aquiline Cross, which involves reducing religious strife amongst the refugees. He accepted this quest in place of spending gold to cover costs incurred by commissioning a scrying spell to find Merrywinter and/or his accomplices. I'll assume you all wait till morning before you take action, but I leave it to you as to where you go next.

 

[The Bashar]

Hrimr steps out of his room with a freshly braided beard and heads to where Kirio is relaying what he has just learned.

"The halfling sounds like a crooked sort of fellow, but if he knows where Merrywinter is and just wants a share of the gold then lets do it. The sooner we don't have to worry about a knife in the back the better.

After this business is done we need to focus on getting that egg. Hopefully, Lowduke hasn't found a buyer for it yet."

 

[funkmamagoat]

"Alright, well... I'm off to bed" he frowns at Bannock "instead of plying my trade... thank you very much Bannock. No what?"

"The halfling sounds like a crooked sort of fellow, but if he knows where Merrywinter is and just wants a share of the gold then lets do it. The sooner we don't have to worry about a knife in the back the better."

Kirio shakes his head "That's besides the point. The dirty little scum bag is certainly well equipped, and if we're going to attack an assassin's guild dedicated to Cyric, a well equipped rogue type is probably not a bad idea, but I don't trust him as far as I could spit him, which despite his diminutive size is likely not far at all. He could just be what he seems, but the bigger question is, do we actually attack this guild?" He Looks at Arnir "This whole mess is on you Arnir, your vendetta, and a contract on your head. So... any chance you can talk to him, even through an intermediary, Caladan I mean? You cannot cast spells right now, severely limiting your usefulness in a fight. Taking out the assassin's guild will only slow things down, not resolve the issue. This guild is only doing business, you're a mark, nothing more, it is not personal. I see little point of going to the embassy otherwise. If you want to do this then we all go get smeed tomorrow and attack straight away, as stupid as that sounds."