Session 22: Pestilent Preparations
Start by deciding what to do about Dunlan, the gnafia orc who roughed up our new elf friend, Gilder.The party decides Dunlan should be dealt with.
Sartorii, the ever-skilled rogue, is chosen to shadow their mark. If the can figure out his schedule or find him out of town, they can dispose of the orc.
Sartorii expends a hero point (that she won by correctly guessing the ambient soundtrack) to pull on her Society connections and ask questions.
Where does the bitch live?
Mira's Flophouse at the edge of town, a low-budget inn for people just in town for a little bit or for poor folks.
Bottom floor in the second large living space, permanently-rented double bed.
What's his schedule?
Every other day, with the exception of Sunday, he goes out to different places to collect money.
Market Quarter, then east market, then west market.
The Sprite's turn.
Does he ever leave town?
Not really, and if he does it's as Besh's bodyguard.
What's his schedule, when does he leave and get back?
Leaves pretty early, gets back by about 3 o' clock.
Today he was back a little later than 3, though. Who knows.
Does he have any connections, or anyone who frequently visits him in that flophouse?
An elf sometimes brings him lists and letters, sometimes people saying hey the boss wants you, but no frequent visitors.
Rutana investigates about the lizards Dunlan had.
In the upper ring you can purchase exotic pets. Aerel's Fiendling's and Familiars. (The monitor lizards are named Vira and Victor.)
Clarence offers to bodyguard for Gilder and Gloriana.
Gilder is looking better after Naialah gets through with him. Wounds cleaned, breaks splinted. Quiet and tired.
Gilder takes Clarence up on the offer to walk him home.
("Mother I crave violence.") Clarence's tail flicking back and forth whenever someone looks at them.
No one bothers them on the way home.
Gloriana is thankful, but mostly worried about her brother.
The next day, the party checks on the exotic creatures shop, Aerel's Fiendling's and Familiars.
At the gate to the upper quarter is a snobby-looking guard. He starts to turn the party away, but recognizes them and quickly welcomes the party in.
Aerel's sign is very ostentatious. Purple-stained wood, Aerel in gold leaf, Fiendlings and Familiars burned into the wood. The door has a glass-pane, too.
A little bell jingles over the door when the party walks in.
There is a number of different critters, some in cages (imps and quasit, anything demonic, insectoid, or devilish), and the rest milling about.
An ostentatious elf—long, flowing purple robe with silver filigree—also mills about taking notes. A little silver kobold follows him around with a broom.
Clarence totally surreptitiously checks out the kittens to make sure they're all kittens, and properly socialized and cared for.
As the party walks in, a dry head hanging by its long, whispy hair inspects the party.
"Euuuhhh, you're not the normal wizardly fare. Welcome to Aerel's Fiendlings and Familiars. Aerel is busy at the moment, but I can help you!"
Sartorii: "Do you have a name?"
"Caric! In life, I was an accomplished wizard! In death...I am a head."
"Do you like it here?"
"It's not the worst. I was resurrect as Aerel's familiar, so I know a good thing or two of familiars."
"Are you able to move around?"
Caric's ears grow into bat wings and his hair disconnects from his hook, and he flies around.
Rutana mentions she wants to look at the bats. She has one of her own that could benefit from company.
The bats are kept in the back, where it's a bit darker for them.
It is a pretty long shop, about the width of one convenience store and the length of three. The farther back it is, the darker it gets.
Rutana looks at the bats.
Clarence stays by the kittens. He needs therapy.
The Sprite wanders about to read info cards and pamphlets of anything and everything, slowly looking for the lizards.
There's a pink slime, squishing up against the Sprite a couple times like it wants pets. It leaves a wet spot on his robes.
The Sprite pets the slime.
After a bit, Caric flies back to his post and hangs out.
Aerel turns around and approaches the party. He is old for an elf, and it's showing. In his 500s, perhaps.
"Welcome, to Aerel's Fiendlings and Familiars! I am Aerel! What sort of fiend or celestial or delightful, cute little creature may I summon for you today?"
Clarence quickly withdraws his hand from the kittens.
Rutana responds that she is letting her bat interview bats.
"There's a sniff of divinity from you," he points to Clarence.
"And you, little one, you reek of arcane," he points at the Sprite.
"And you...I don't know, but you're certainly something," points at Rutana.
"And your friend? Not a whiff of arcane." Points at Sartorii. "I don't think my wares would be for you. Most everything here is for magical purposes." Sartorii had been looking at the pets with vague longing, but it would not be wise.
Clarence is confused. Magic?? One of the kittens looks up at him and its eyes glow.
The Sprite waves up from the ground. He states he's in the research phase, looking at what the various species are, care instructions, etc.
"Ohhh, so you're a first-time owner! We have a special sale for first-time owners! Well let's see..."
He reaches under his desk and pulls out a dismembered-hand. It slowly flexes, hops up on its fingers and crawls over to the Sprite.
"Undead are best for first-time owners, the less intelligent the better. You do not have to feed them. Just remember that if they have an injury, they heal with negative energy, not positive energy."
Sartorii: Was it ethically sourced?
Aerel: Maybe. That was a joke. Our arcanum, the more open-minded are open to being donors.
The Sprite tries to steer the conversation back toward more living creatures.
Aerel has an idea. He calls his kobold. "Bring me, bring me.... The geckos!"
Nicklick runs into the back. There's a crash, then he returns covered head-to-toe in lizards. Aerel takes one off his face and sets it on the desk. It does a little dance.
"We have all manner of aquatic or arid or jungle lizards here! They can fit in pockets and know to stay out of trouble!" He proceeds to introduce the geckoes. He pokes Nicklick in the face, then puts on a glove and pulls a frog off the back of Nicklick's head. "Nicklick, this isn't a gecko. This is why you can't move now."
Nicklick is completely stationary and screaming with his eyes.
The Sprite asks if anything gets big enough for him to ride.
There are riding dogs. Maybe not a good fit with the cat, though. Points at Clarence.
No reptiles grow that big that you would be allowed to ride on.
Sprite asks for pamphlets to make his decision later. Receives Familiars and You.
In the meantime, any feather care for large feathered creatures? Plume and Crest, it's like Mane and Tail but for birds.
Cortez is just vibing with a bunch of bats and eating fruit. Didn't seem to pick a favorite, though, so no bat purchase.
Clarence took a card with all the kittens' profiles.
In the end, there were no monitor lizards.
The next suggestion is ask Astrafel if monitor lizards are even legal.
When they enter his office, he has a new secretary. She is already very tired. A halfling doing her goddamn best.
She looks up upon entry and asks how she can help.
Captain Doran's really busy.
Clarence asks, can you let him know (party's names) are here, just want to ask him a question real quick.
She hops off her chair which is too big for her and pops her head in. She waves them in.
"Don't worry you'll get to know us soon."
"Oh that's worrying."
"We've been helping clean up the city."
"Oh that's better."
Rutana basically shoves everyone in the room, just stop talking.
Sartorii: We have no social tact.
Astrafel: How many pages?
Sprite: We just have a question about local law.
Astrafel: You know you can bring those questions to anyone in the guard?
Rutana: Not if we don't want it to be tracked back to us by a party outside the law.
The lizards are not legal if they attack someone.
They would need strong proof tying Dunlan's lizard to the attack on Gilder, but Besh is well beloved by the nobility. The church worships a god of law, but is still beholden to the nobility.
Rutana thanks Astrafel for his time and apologizes for worrying him.
Astrafel is fine with them visiting him after hours, but his secretary can help any other time and she's trustworthy.
Last time the party was here, a rumor got out that citizens were helping with paperwork and suddenly his budget got approved. Fancy that.
Back to the tower to discuss The Plan.
It sounds like the legal route won't work, so back to "follow him home and get the stabby on."
The question of poison comes up.
The Black Dragon's Rest, a small inn by the waterfront district. There is a backroom there, where if you know the password, a man sells all manner of illicit wares, poisons and drugs included. Sartorii knows about this from her previous profession.
The barkeep would ask what you want to order, and you reply blackberry sour.
Rutana and Clarence stay home.
The Sprite rides along in Sartorii's bag.
The bartender's a big fuckin dude. He squints at Sartorii, but she passes the vibe check, so he points her to a little door.
A heavy incense smell assaults her the moment she steps into the back room, heady and hard to breathe.
A man sits at a counter, preparing his wares. Human, darker complexion, with long, braided black hair capped in gold.
"Welcome, welcome, welcome my friend! How can I help you today? We have everything from poisons to panaceas!"
"The first one."
"Well, how can Shahdi Sehr help you? Anything and everything is for sale!"
He first offers giant centipede venom, if Sartorii doesn't mind doing some of the heavy lifting.
"What symptoms does it have? One of the symptoms has to be death."
Throws him off his groove. "The primary symptom other than the illness and pain is muscle stiffness, makes it difficult to move. One dose will last for around... Hmmm, a little under a minute."
Next he offers a purple bottle with a skull picture, but no, that won't help.
He does sell belladonna. Won't kill, but will fuck them up.
Black adder venom to do a bit more damage. Results may vary.
He does something more debilitating, that could render him unconscious. The lethargy poison would run 28 gold for a single dose.
Sartorii purchases the poison, then returns to the tower.
Options:
Sartorii takes the Pimp Hat of Disguise, disguises herself as something nondescript, and scouts out the area.
Sprite rides along in her bag.
Sartorii will coat her arrows in poison and shoot him through his window.