This is Bazaar: Dungeon Adventure

[ToddSchumacher]

Marcus and Griswald head back to the Orphanage.

Temar Flagonstern, the cook, relates no further information that is usefull in the investigation.

Poto heads upstairs and finds Narth, and when you ask him about his dream... " It were a nightmare...There was a gnome...and crooked teeth...and a big...black..tattered cloak..and he was. He was trying to catch my breath and take it away. So I ran, and ran, and he almost caught me, and then I woke up."

 

[Badger]

Enroute - Marcus

At the dwarf's compliment, Marcus is momentarily speechless as he did not feel he had done that much for their cause, or in the least no more than the others had done.

"Your words flatter me Master Griswald, but in honesty, I think it was more of your presence that lent us credit than mine. Your presence gives the weight of the gods behind us, while I am but a simple scholar and tanner. I do hope though the pooling of our skills that we will be able to find the children, as well as the others soon. Now we have to figure out what could motivate a respected merchant to possibly betray his clients.

As they neared the orphanage for the second time today, Marcus paused once more and looked around the streets as if he was seeing them for the first time.

~Gehlve, yes, well you can throw a rock in any direction in this city and you can bet it hits a building with Gehlve's locks on it...throw a rock in any direction and a new victim waits to be taken...~

"Let us hope that the others had as much luck as we did..."

Opening the door for the dwarven knight, Marcus scanned the foyer looking for the others as Griswald entered before him.

 

[Manzanita]

Poto Knezer

Geez, I hope gnomes don't have a bad name in this town...or get one!

"OK, son. It was just a dream. We'll find you're friends. Not to worry. You'll be safe here."

Poto will head downstairs. Seeing Marcus & Griswold, he will tell the others what he has learned.

"After lunch, our next step seems to be our gnomish locksmith. Perhaps he'll be more free of tongue to a fellow hill-dweller."

OOC: Todd - did I miss the answer to my above question? Can the locks on the outside doors of the orphanage be opened from the inside without a key?

 

[Badger]

As Poto approached them and filled both Griswald and himself in on all that he had learned, Marcus was both pleased and displeased that all the evidence seemed to be pratically throwing them in the direction of Keygan Gehlve. While it was easy to begin thinking the gnome had a large part to play in the kidnappings, Marcus' pratical side warned him of a simple rule he had been ignoring.

~It is a grave mistake to theorize before one has all the data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.~

"Perhaps he will speak more freely to a fellow gnome than a stranger, but I do have a spell which will allow myself to understand the words you are saying. I can cast it before we enter his shop, and he need not know I understand your discussion. However, we must be careful, as Gehlve is a wealthy merchant, and if we are wrong about his guilt, it would not bode well for us to have him against us."

 

[Festy_Dog]

"Aye," Griswald said in agreement with the others, "We'll pay this Ghelve a visit, mayhaps he'd know sumthin. Also, get me if I'm wrong, but maybe this fellow is trying ta kidnap people through their dreams. Just a noovel idea, may seem a little fairy tale-ish, but I wouldn'a rule it out."

 

[Badger]

"To be honest, that is another possibility I had not considered, and while it does seem to be something out of a child's legend, they say all legends are built from the seeds of truth."

 

[ToddSchumacher]

Re: Poto Knezer

OOC: Todd - did I miss the answer to my above question? Can the locks on the outside doors of the orphanage be opened from the inside without a key?

No, and no.

 

[ErichDragon]

"I'm no constable, and that's for sure, but what about them blokes from the Last Laugh. We saw them roughing up the good padre, and one of them was also inquiring about one of the missing children, before he was missing no less."

Ian scratches his head in thought.

"'Course, I don't know how we would go about questioning the Thieves Guild. You'd figure it would be against their nature to answer questions about crimes and all."

"It might require some skull splittin', that's for sure."

 

[Manzanita]

Poto Knezer

"I seriously doubt that a prosperous gnome merchant would be involved in any mischeif. We gnomes are an honerable race, as is yours, of course, friend Griswald. I'm sure that was just a nightmare the poor child had. He may still have some good information for us. When we get there, I will try to conduct the interview in common, so we can all participate. I have no particular skill at interegation. I think we should omit the divination of Jenya to begin with, since we don't want him to feel defensive. Let's just say that we're investigating this matter, & that it seems possible someone picked his locks. Let's see if he can give us any advice at that point."

"Next we should look up this laughing rogue. But I don't know how we'd find him, or how we'd get him to talk if we did. Perhaps you could go join the thieves guild, good Ian?"

Let's head for the locksmith's.

 

[ToddSchumacher]

Ghelve's Locks

You reach the building of the locksmith, two-stories black stone, dominated by a small turret. You see Iron bars in thick window frames, and in the turret's ground-floor windows you see displayed an assortment of locks, big and small. To the left of the turret, above a heavy oak door, swings a simple sign that reads GHELVE'S LOCKS.

Entering the store, it smells of pipe smoke and wood. A small fire burns in the fireplace, upon its mantle is a tinderbox,a small vase of dried smoking leaves, and a collection of pipes. On the far wall you can see dozens, nay hundreds, of keys, all shapes and sizes, hanging from tiny hooks. A large carved counter stretches along the east wall. Behind it hangs a red curtain that neatly hides the rest of the store.

A tall figure, 6' or so, enters from the door to the north.

"Welcome to Gehlve's Locks. I'm Keygan Gelhve, how may I assist you today?"