Heroica RPG - Quest #40: The Strivvian Job

[Pandora]

"Yes, no, I'm here. I was just admiring that guy's robe, it's very pretty, just like mine. Probably why he knew I was a Mage, but he's a Mage too, so that might have something to do with it. Should I go and punch a few people? You know, just to throw them off the whole 'Mage' thing? Actually, I'd probably end up being arrested, so maybe not. Should I growl? Pull a more barbaric and fierce face?"

Nyx screws up her face into something resembling 'barbaric' or 'fierce'.

"No, that's really uncomfortable, I'm not doing that. Oh, sorry, is this not about me? Uhm, yes we should stick together and go and investigate both the Dockmaster and Mortimer, and probably in that order. And Greybeard, try to remember my name's Lyssa, dear. "

[Scubacarrot]

The party heads to the dockmaster's office, the route described to them by Edward the Free. After not too long, they see a building just next to the water, with a sign that appropiately says: "Dockmaster's office." The party goes in, where they see an armed man and an Orc behind a desk. The Orc greets them:

"How can I help you? Checking in, checking out? Your ship missing? Prolong your stay?"

[Zepher]

Boomingham pushes Atramor forward

"This is my apprentice. He is trying to learn how to talk to people politely, please be patient with him. He will ask you any questions necessary." Boomingham shoots Nyx a look of despair. Talking with Orcs is not his forte.

[CMP]

Atramor stumbled forward, wondering why the hell Boomingham thought him talking to the dockmaster would be any better than him doing so, even with his vast distrust of greenskins. Well, too late for it now...he cleared his throat, and addressed the orc.

"...Hello. Er, me and my group are lookin' for a group of fugitive soldiers. Aye, they, uh, they fled in the recent attack on Charis, we were hired to track them down. We managed to tail 'em to Eubric, but, well, they slipped off, and we, uh, believe they may have landed here. They're wearin' the colors of Charis - er, that is, blue, red and silver. Ya' seen anyone like that? Could we see some sorta record about ships sailin' in from Eubric...? It's a matter of life and death. Er, not that they're dangerous or anythin'! Uh, Blackhood here, aye, he's, well, one of those soldiers owes him a lot of money, ya' see. They're, um, both impulsive gamblers, and, well, he needed the money, ya' see, 'cuz, ah... "

He glanced around hurriedly, and waved his hand towards Nyx.

"-'cuz, 'cuz his only daughter's sick, ya' see! And, er...well, okay, ya' can't tell, 'cuz, er, it's a....a mental thing. Aye, she, uh....she hates elves. Right, uh, goes completely berserk when elves are around, bloody homicidal rampage...oh, wait, hell. Er, well, the reason we have an elf in the party is 'cuz, uh....he's...he's my second cousin! Aye. And, uh, he- he fought with Lyssa, here, in the Orcish War! Aye, they were the ultimate destructive force on the b-...no, that's not gonna...er, the Second Orcish War, my mistake. It, uh, it took place in...Dastan! Right, aye, they fought orcs in Dastan together! So, uh, that's why he's here.

And,er, if you're wonderin' why orcs were in Dastan...it's...it's the dragons. Aye. The dragons hired the orcs to take over Dastan. But, uh...Garlin, here, he...he didn't take the offer, he's a reliable guy. Right, he...he he actually killed the dragon leader! Got right up to the bastard and lopped his head off...and, er, if you're wonderin' how he's still alive...he...he overpowered another dragon, and flew out of the mountains! And, uh, he landed- he landed in Salamanda. Where he, uh, he- he came across Elpis, here! And they...they got the Golden Turkey Leg! And, er, sold it. So they got gold, and, er, they sailed to....Charis, right! And, uh, Lyssa and Trout were there too, they, er, they finished the last of the orcs. And, er, I was there too. And...that's where we got hired. And...and that's why we're here."

"...So, uh, that's why we need this shippin' record."

[Scubacarrot]

"Errm, is this some sort of joke?"

[CMP]

"...The, er, the point is, could we see the shippin' records...?"

[Scubacarrot]

"Hundreds of ships arrive and leave every week. The shipping records are many, and I have no records of people shipped, just ships themselves... You said you are after a ship departing from Eubric? Not many from there, let me see..." The Orc pulls out a large book, and drops it in front of him on the table. A few minutes of reading later, the dockmaster says: "I have one ship from Eubric, that arrived today, in fact! It is customary a fee is paid for these sorts of inquiries. I can assure you this is not, I hear you thinking, corruption." The orc points at a small plaque against the wall that says: Inquiries: 20 Gold.

[CMP]

"....Uh-huh. Well, my inquiry is if I could see the shippin' records. It hasn't been fulfilled yet. They beat us here, it had to have been earlier than today."

[Scubacarrot]

"...So you don't want the name and current location of the ship?"

[CMP]

"Depends. Are ya' gonna charge me for it?"

[Scubacarrot]

"Yes, that is indeed customary."

Edited October 20, 2012 by Scubacarrot

[CMP]

"Then no. Look, do you have record of any other ships from Eubric in the past few months?"

[Scubacarrot]

"Somehow I get the feeling if I answer that I will not be paid, how about you pay first, and then I will find out everything you need to know?"

[CMP]

Atramor rolls his eyes, tossing 10 coins onto the desk.

"You get the rest after I find out what we need to know."

[Scubacarrot]

"Hmmm, very well." Let me see here." Once again, the dockmaster opens his books, while the man with the sword eyes the party suspiciously. A short while later, the orc speaks up again: "The ship that arrived today, 'The Armory' is the only ship from Eubric or housed in Eubric that arrived here in the last months. If that is not the ship you are looking for, perhaps your fugitives changed ships or something? But why would anyone flee to Strivvi, anyway?"

[Zepher]

Boomingham grumbles.

"What the hel have you been drinking boy, and why haven't you been sharing any of it?"

Boomingham grabs Atramor by the back of the coat and yanks him backwards, tossing him over to Nyx.

"Lyssa, dearest child of mine, look after him, would you? Don't be afraid to beat some sense into him. I know you love to swing those huge fists of your's."

Boomingham next turns to the Dockmaster.

"Look here, Dockmaster. We need simple information, so no tom-foolery. Have you seen, in any way, red and blue coated folks entering the city. May be that some harm befell them on their way over. Is there a way that some folks might have snuck them into the city? If so, where might they have done that. These folks owe me a hefty sum, and I intend to find them and make them pay me, or find them and find that they've already paid in another way. How do we track people in this city? Let's assume they were kidnapped and roughed up. Where would they have come in, and where would they go? And if someone is paying to keep you quiet, I can tell you that we won't play friendly with them."

[Scubacarrot]

The dockmaster frowns as Boomingham speaks, and says:

"I'll just pretend I did not hear you insinuate something unpleasant. I'll be frank, we don't like trouble in Strivvi, while I see you are here for just that. Nevermind that, I can't keep an eye on every passenger that goes into the city. What you are talking about sounds to me like someone turned your people into slaves. Perhaps you'll find your red and blue folk in the slaver's markets, although I doubt your story is a hundred percent true. I assume someone captured your... employer's slaves, and wants to sell them himself, am I close? It does not matter, all that matters is that I will have to ask you to keep your weapons sheathed. You might cause problems, if you don't."

The Orcs pauses, before continuing: "I'm informing the guards to keep an extra eye on your little group. I don't know what, but you are up to something. Now, my remaining ten gold."

[Zepher]

"You tell your guards to watch us all you like. They'll find nothing but honest men and women doing honest work."

Boomingham tosses the Dockmaster 10 gold.

"Give us directions to the Slaver Market, and we'll be out of your hair."

[CMP]

Atramor practically hisses between his teeth as Boomingham pulls him backwards, but merely crosses his arms, glaring at the back of the Paladin's head. Old man was going to get an earful as soon as they left.

[Waterbrick Down]

Skrall chuckles silently to himself at Atramor's story, the witch could certainly spin a yarn, but he needed to polish up on his presentation. He quietly comments to Atramor, "Keep yer calm Ratabor, let the man work his charms. He may be a bit of a racist wind-bag, but at least he can get things done. Now then, ever been to a slave auction?"

[CMP]

"'Work his charms?' My story might not have been...great, but at least I didn't threaten him. Now we're gonna be tailed by guards the whole quest...and no. Where I come from, nobody'd think less of ya' for takin' part in the trade, but for the most part they were just too expensive, both to own and to keep fed."

[Waterbrick Down]

OoC: Just realized some of QM WBD is coming through in Skrall, I'll have to watch out for that.

"Oh, Paladins just have that aura about them, or is it Wardens? I can never remember... Anyways we got what we needed, 'xcept for directions that is.

"Never went in fer the finer things of life did ya? Takin' into account what we've already witnessed, Strivvi should be interesting then, seems like it ain't goin' to be just green-skins on the blocks today."

[Sandy]

Ellaria shudders as she hears the word "slave". She hadn't even thought about the option that Elpis could've been captured by slave traders, but now she couldn't get the vision of the baby in dirty slaver hands out of her mind.

"Uh, are we really going to the Slave Market? I have a bad feeling the slaves aren't just orcs in this city... But what about that archeologist's house? Weren't we supposed to go there next?"

[Zepher]

"We're simply getting directions there, should we need to pay a visit. Can't hurt. If you'd like to stop by the archeologist first, that would be alright by me."

"Come now, Dockmaster, it can't be that difficult to point us the right way. You have your gold, let's hear it and we'll be on our merry way."

[Scubacarrot]

Sorry, was waiting for you to decide where to go.

"Just go south, when you hear the sounds of whips, the shouting of people praising their slaves, and the cries of the slaves themselves, you're there."

Where will the party go? They could go to the Slave Markets, or the Archeologist's house. The party determines that if they want to be back on time as they agreed with Purple, they can only visist one location today.