OOC: 17:30, Today: Rhaskos rolled 26 using 1d100. Perception (61).
17:29,
Today: Rhaskos rolled 12 using 1d100. Difficult Lore (73-20=53).

And the luck turns!

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 25):
Kordan - test INSIGHT

[ 11:33, Today: Kordan Mardahar rolled 81 using 1d100. Insight (23) check.

Nothing to see here folks, move along, move along. ]

In reply to Rhaskos (msg # 27):

Rhaskos is surprised to see some fellow 'country folk' hanging around. He knows they are 'out of context', don't belong here in Thyrta - especially down round the docks. Toughs from the woods and vales - three of them, stick out among the usual tavern crowd. They're taking an interest in Rhaskos and his companions - watching. Listening.

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 25):

14:56, Today: Tanek Sanasin rolled 67 using 1d100. Perception (28).

Sanjar will spend the time split between studying his Art, playing Grand Vizier to Safra at every opportunity, and going out to interact with the assorted merchants of the city in order to attempt to research their various people of interest ( Kortano, Valsus, Prishad, and Haliskome.  Oh, and Elkanos.  I won't forget him... ) in person.  Preferably never by himself.  Make that just never by himself.

   Rhaskos casually approached his countrymen.

   The bond of ethnicity didn't hold an excessive amount of weight among his people- there was always some petty enmity or skirmish breaking out even among the tribes with bonds of blood- and so the young hunter was a bit guarded, yet simultaneously curious and happy to see some people from home.

   "Hail!" he said, friendly enough, "You too are a far way from home my friends.  Are you bound for elsewhere?"

   Rhaskos looked at the ships, as if they explained the question.

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 31):

Safra is adamant (critical Persistence test. She does not seem to care that the situation is dangerous)

In Djesmiri - but in the open here to reduce messaging to fill in Tanek et al...

"Good Sanjar Zand, I can see that you urge caution lest our mission is compromised even before it begins. But I have hired your magics, and the service of good Tanek here, and kept you close by, because I know there is danger and I am in a foreign place, where you two are strangers also and perhaps better to be trusted for that. But I will not sit here idly, while there is more to be revealed of my father's fate - it is a fine thing to reach out for the hand that killed him and hack it off, but if I can ever know who guided it...then I must...you understand?"

Still unsure of Safra's wisdom - or at least of her prudence - Sanjar knows that he cannot in truth escape the imperative to at least make some further enquiries about town, and seeks to satisfy her desire to know more by leading her, with Tanek as company, about town. He is sure simply to ask questions that any merchant might ask on Safra's behalf and not stir up trouble.

Some information is easily gleaned.

Many remember Prishad's visit last year, and are happy to meet his daughter and offer condolences for her loss, if only as good manners. By all accounts he simply set up shop in the market place on the appropriate days, and did business there. A Morkeshite is a rare appearance in town (the only other often seen is a slaver) and many will have stopped by just out of curiosity. One or two make some comment that "old Valsus must have been pissed to see someone else in town with a fine selection of Jekkarene wares", but to amuse themselves with the thought rather than suggest something sinister.

Valsus does not keep a shop, but he has a warehouse adjoining his home, and conducts business from there, or at his clients' homes, which makes him a fairly high class merchant. Valsus might be seen about town, sometimes with his steward, Modatis.

At least one person suggests you call on Valsus at his home if you might do business. Someone else has heard the rumour that his usual supplier may not be coming this year, and Valsus had better find some alternative business. The typical prejudice against foreign rich folk like Valsus perhaps shows with a curled lip and a touch of schardenfreude.

Haliskome - you don't meet anyone who knows that name - but if you refer to the female captain of the Jekkarene ship that would arrive and do business with Valsus, then they all know who you mean. "Strange looking piece, she is...eyepatch..and I never seen a Jekkarene with red hair before", says one. "What you talking of?", says another, "you've never seen no Jekkarene piece before anyways".

Talk of Kortano is easy, all the merchants here pay dues to the Syndics, and that is just the way it is. "If you want to meet Kortano - why you can try grab a moment of his attention as he goes about his business. Every so often he inspects the market in person, just to show his face. At other times you'll find him shuttling back and forth across the main square, between the Syndic's and the Governor's offices".

Elkanos - simply, "sure, he's a slave isn't he?"

In reply to Rhaskos (msg # 33):

GM NOTE - sorry, what should have been a 'private line to' got posted as a 'private message'.

At Salty Mari's (downbeat dockside tavern)

Kordan and Sallantus see Rhaskos approach a trio of rough looking types - almost certainly Thennalt country folk - sitting at a table nearby.

Rhaskos - Two skill rolls please, one for Influence (modify with your critical Culture, Own), one for Insight.

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 35):

Kordan taps Sallantus' heel with his boot and gestures at the nearby table with his chin.

[ OOC: Cautiously preparing for action if something should happen that's un-neighborly. ]

[OOC:]

How large is the Syndic temple?  How many other rooms than the public one and Kortano's office?  Can I get a rough idea of the layout and what can be gleaned about people that are normally there?

How far away is the Governor's Office/Building?  How long is he usually gone when he takes such a trip?  Or a market inspection?

---

Can you elaborate slightly on Valsus' warehouse?  A bit about layout/structure/security?  I assume he normally keeps guards there?  The adjoining home, likewise?  How sizable is that?

Is Modatis perhaps easier to watch and/or gain information on?  Does he appear to reside in the home with Valsus?

---

Sanjar will at first seem reticent yet let himself be brought 'to the cause' in due course and again express his admiration for Safra and her devotion to her father and the honor of her family, before resuming his digging for information.

---

How do people feel about the prospect of some, ah, covert action in the house and/or offices of either Valsus or Kortano?  High risk... yet, possibly a master stroke in information and/or profit to be gained.

[/OOC]

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 37):

>>How large is the Syndic temple?  How many other rooms than the public one and Kortano's office?  Can I get a rough idea of the layout and what can be gleaned about people that are normally there?

It's quite sizeable, with offices, counting and meeting rooms and storage surrounding the temple space (which is barrel-vaulted and fronted by a portico with a semicircular pediment). Without knowledge of the cult of Sabateus, it would be difficult to know who is there and what they all do, but you would guess there are typically well over a dozen people around at any time. there are a lot of heavy doors about and a lack of ground floor windows in some areas. Remember there may be quite a lot of money inside in one form or another. These guys collect taxes. There are usually one or two club-weilding constables around, and more in the general vicinity. These constables are state-owned slaves, and report to Aparinaon, who is the state enforcer (acolyte of Kos).


>>How far away is the Governor's Office/Building?  How long is he usually gone when he takes such a trip?  Or a market inspection?

Take a look at the map - it's just across the main square, less than a minute's walk when not doing a lot of meet and greet on the way. So presume he is going back and forth quite a bit. If he is 'in the office', probably more than once per day.

The main plaza of thyrta does sport a lot of hangers-on who wait about hoping to pay respects to, or petition, one of the local bigwigs.

>>Can you elaborate slightly on Valsus' warehouse?  A bit about layout/structure/security?  I assume he normally keeps guards there?  The adjoining home, likewise?  How sizable is that?

More information than you can get without casing the joint and providing me with how you intend to acquire the information. but the location is available if you only ask someone at the market, and on a casual stroll by you can easily ascertain:

It is a 2 story house, tile roof, a stout front door at the centre giving directly to the street; adjoining it to the right as you look at the house, a 6-7' walled courtyard, the gates of which are open during the day as people and goods move in and out. You see a dog in the yard, a cart, and perhaps one or two hired hands, no guards. The courtyard gives access to the modest warehouse (similar height to the house, but only half the depth, which has wooden double doors to some height.

The ground floor windows are barred and shuttered, first floor windows are narrow, except for one with a little balcony that looks over the courtyard.

Judging by the position of the door and that the house has a frontage of about 30' or so (9m-10m), you would assume that it is about two room across on the inside.

Neighbouring houses are similar size and quality, but without the warehouse. If you take this further I'll sketch out a map.

That's what you can see on a walk by, without hanging around or making Perception rolls.

>>Is Modatis perhaps easier to watch and/or gain information on?  Does he appear to reside in the home with Valsus?

This isn't stuff you can glean information about on the fly.

OOC: I'm outta town for 4 days. My posting will be spotty.

Influence: success

Insight: failed

Rolls:

23:20, Today: Rhaskos rolled 81 using 1d100. Insight (31).
23:20, Today: Rhaskos rolled 30 using 1d100. Influence w/ Culture mod (31).

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 37):

Well I await what people think of this suggestion - particularly Tanek.

Kordan, Sallantus and Rhaskos are out carousing again at this point.

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 40):

Likewise waiting to hear what people are thinking.

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 41):

Kordan says, "I be not the sneaky type, but I be happy to keep an eye from afar with me bow.  Just in case things go as sour as week old milk left out in mid-summer."

In reply to Kordan Mardahar (msg # 42):

"So what are you thinking Sanjar?  I'm not the stealthiest, and this hoplite shield of mine will hinder covert activites.  But I'm not one to shy away from some mischief that needs doing.  The only thing I worry about is if we get ourselves seen or caught, how that would be a disservice to the Lady as we would not be available to do what we were hired to do."

If Sallantus is not down the tavern when the 'covert operation' was proposed, he would say:

"We're a group ill-suited to sneaking about a city, getting tangled in the powerful web of men who we know little. By all means let us find out more about these men. But let's not go smashing their windows just yet."

"I'm not worried about a little trouble. Once we're at sea we'll be able to handle a boat-load of touble." He grins in way that accentuates his scars. "What I am worried about is a lot of trouble. A city-worth of trouble."

In reply to Sallantus (msg # 44):

"Well now that is truly amazin' and makes everything else worthwhile.

Never thought I be seeing the day ol' Sallantus here be lookin' forward ta being back at sea!"

"Aye, but In cities I've seen men dead face down in gutters. Looks a nasty way to drown."

In reply to Sallantus (msg # 46):

Sallantus, Kordan and Rhaskos have rejoined Sanjar and Tanek after an excursion to the not-so-salubrious dockside tavern, Salti Mari's.

Meanwhile, Safra has already agreed to provide the funds to relieve Rilados the Navigator of his instructions for finding Solisand, and Sanjar has done some basic fact-finding on the merchant Valsus of Pytna.

Safra, who initially seemed quite taken with Sanjar's call to action , listens intently to the contributions from the party on the wisdom - or otherwise - of undertaking some risky escapade to crack open more information on their quest. There is a general mood of threat that oppresses the mood, perhaps above all because it is unquantified and noone is quite sure whether the threat is real and who is most to be feared.

Rhaskos had an intriguing and possibly worrying encounter to report, which may have some bearing on the matter - and the hurry or otherwise with which the party sets ut to sea...

Sanjar nods quietly for a moment, his teeth chewing uselessly at the stem of his pipe as dark smoke billows around his lips.  His eyes betray his inner thoughts only slightly as he watches the reactions of the others, including Safra, with a keen attention.  When he speaks it is in Korantine. "I am not completely in disagreement, Sirrahs.  Mmm.  Indeed not.  Yet I find myself searching for a proper avenue of employing our talents to such ends none the less.  To that end then let us focus our efforts on garnering further information of the one Valsus.  And his warehouse and the house that adjoins it.  Perhaps after a closer inspection of his affairs an opportunity to act for our cause may present itself.  In the interval however, we should proceed with gathering information and planning as if to enter his home under cover of darkness and thereupon to gather what information might be available.  And perhaps to speak with him in person on the matter.  Caution is a must, no doubt.  No doubt.  Yet neither am I willing to let the matter completely rest.  Perhaps one of you good Sirrahs might have suggestions for how we might continue to go about garnering information about our target?"

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 48):

"If I want to know about a captain, I ask a man who has sailed under his command," Sallantus says. "A man such as Valsus must have servants, or slaves. I say we begin by speaking to the members of Valsus' household for whom he has little respect. They will apply less varnish to their thoughts, and will only be loyal and discreet on behalf of a man who really deserves it."

In reply to Sallantus (msg # 49):

Rhaskos seems to have been turning his conversation with the unnamed Thennalt at Salti Mari's over in his mind, trying to make sense of it. At last his colleagues prise the man's words from him as best he remembers.

"Well, to start with, he said - gesturing at Sallantus and Kordan here - 'I'll tell you straight, your foreign friends are not long for this world, and best you keep your distance from them over there, or you won't be either. I've no wish for bad blood with you and your kin, so go home'"

Thinking more, Rhaskos continues, "Well of course I stood up to him, challenged him to tell me what foreign devil's dirty money...oh, excuse me, I mean nothing by that so far as present company...of course... Anyway, so he just laughs and says, 'Ha! A true son of the earth and no mistake!' That's not an insult where I come from, you know...Then he looks me right in the eye - right up close, and says: 'Well boy, I can see you mean no harm, and if you live to see the next month out, then perhaps we shall meet again with Theyna's blessing. I'm no foreign master's henchman, nor mistress' lackey. You need not fear me today boy, but there are others coming, who are not like us. So guard yourself well, or be on your way and quit town, by road or by sea, whichever way you decide your fate takes you'.

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 50):

"Well it be seeming to me that this be a clear indication of danger.  For my part, I will contact the street boys to keep an eye out for strange Thennault and report on them.  Even if it be costing some additional money for the same info again, or not useful info, I think it be worthwhile."

[ OOC : I wish to contact the street boys and set up some sort of retainer for services.  Food, clothing, some money, etc, in exchange for them keeping a lookout for, and reporting back on the movements of, and strange / new Thennault showing up in town. ]