Morbid follows the group leader Akira. Hopefully the blessings of Hel will be well used if she spends time with this group. The questioning, she stays well clear of. She's not remarkably intelligent, just well meaning...

"That might be true, but not everyone has the balls to ask to use the place.  You wanted the best to be on the case, it's a small consideration to allow a limited number to have access, even if at a push it's only for the ladies."

Given it seemed obvious he wasn't going to get his way and free accommodation, he's not above asking for a secure and safe place for some of the ladies he's recently met, whether they want it or not.  It's not a case of him being chivalrous, more so of him being young and trying to hustle to see if any bargain can be struck.  To his mind securing lodgings for some would raise his own stakes as being someone worthwhile to have as part of a group.

Given the rebuke in regards to the servants being questioned, I take it that line of questioning is going to be a dead end.

After the conversation (and the possible dead end with getting any accommodation grant for anyone in the group) Griff will turn to Amalfy, or this can follow on if some allowance is made.  "You know this city right?  I'm new here but I hear these big places have an underbelly, the usual suspects that know what's going on.  Do you know anyone like that?"

"I am someone like that," Amalfy replied, "and that underbelly you speak of is my home.
"But the night is getting late, why don't we plan on meeting someplace in the morning, then go get some rest?"

ooc: I will generate a location for everyone to meet the next morning.  You are free to continue this scene as long as you like.  Once the group pursuing the cause of the sickness determines their actions I will make the necessary threads for them.

"Underbelly?" Ponder asked in mock wonder. "Cities are havens from orcs and such, bastions of light and life, right?" He tried to keep a straight face.

Once they have finished with the introductions, Calgarvin gives the tavern a last look about for anyone seemingly interested in pursuing the quest. "We could make a start, and leave a message with the taverner for any others who might wanna help get rid of the sickness," he says to Luthien and Rytel.

"'Bastions'?!" Vanomir tried to keep a straight face at Ponder's words. "Possibly, but if this place is anything to go by, not of life and light but rather strife and sh...well, you get the idea."

The elf smiled, then paused for a moment as he regarded Ponder and Amalfy.

"But you two look like you might know something of the underbelly. The rest of us will no doubt have our uses, but as far as initial enquiries I think we will be relying on the two of you."

With that he followed Akira out of the door.

Ponder chuckled and followed Vanomir. "Underbelly? Sounds like something that rubs briefly through the dirt, not the dirt itself."

Amalfy follows the others out.

ooc: where is everyone going?  I assume the group investigating the stolen items are retiring for the night and meeting back tomorrow, at least I believe that is what I read.  The ones investigating the sickness I am not sure where you are going.

Amalfy will return to the slums, but he don't really have a place to live, as much as a selected collections of hiding places to sleep for the night, and none of them are big enough for two.

Given that there seem to be strangers to town in the group, I would suggest meeting back at the Kraken, as it is the one place I can feel confident everyone know the location of.

Ponder wanted to grab a cheap room at the inn. But, being a patient sort about most things, he listened in to see what everyone wanted to do.

ooc: either that or I can write you guys into the town square in the morning, vendors and what not.

ooc: Gets my vote but some people enjoy rp-ing getting a room, etc.

Akira would sleep outside somewhere.  She is not into pampering herself.

ooc: so, my DMing style usually allows for posting along two timelines.  Character building/development with other characters is important.  As such I often allow scenes, such as this one, to run while the scene for the next day has began.  Allows characters time to interact on a personal level while still keeping the story moving.  Players in my other games eventually adjusted to the fact that we are fluid with time for the sake of the story.
 Just because we have moved to a different scene the next day does not mean this one has to end.

OOC:  Cool I like that style DM.  Griff will keep going as long as anyone else wants to post, in particular Amalfy.  Cities are exciting places full of adventure everywhere, and Griff is mid teens so he can go all night and still bounce in the morning.



"Well in that case very well met Amalfy.  I think I'm probably going to need to rely on you to keep me out of trouble.  Can I buy you a drink and you tell me a little about this place, or show me something I want to see.  Large crowds haven't really been my thing until recently, but I'm willing to learn."

He looks to Ponder, "Was underbelly the wrong word to have used?"  He point to Amalfy, "You're like him aren't you, you know what I mean when I say it.  What should I have said?"

OOC:  For clarity - when he said underbelly, he really meant fences for the stolen goods, but I didn't think a farm boy would know the right word for that.

If no one else is staying up, Griff will still stay in the pub a little longer, as he wants to get to know the place a little, and perhaps watch a few faces to see who comes and goes.  Besides he might get lucky, I mean there's always that chance.

Rytel looked to Calgarvin and nodded.

"Yea.  I agree to get started now.  Let's leave a note with the bartender and head to the temple district.   I am ready."

Rytel steps away from the area and heads to the bar to leave a note with the bartender with his name and a group heading to the temple district to investigate about the sickness in the city.

When the others are ready he leaves with them and heads to the temples.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 01:01, Sat 13 May 2023.

In reply to Rytel Phorza (msg # 125):
ooc: the temple district, let me work on that....

Chuckling at Griff's apparent confusion, Amalfy explains a bit more.

"Underbelly is correct, in the most vile way you can imagine it, and probably worse. Not a place you want to be after the sun goes down. Even the Watch knows better."

He waves off the offer of a drink.

"Perhaps another night, I appreciate the offer, but I needs must get some rest, I expect tomorrow to be a busy day.
"We can walk together a ways if you want, I can show you the way to Maggie's, a relatively safe inn of sorts just on the outskirts of the slums. Clean enough, a bit pricier but you get your own room, and two meals."

Maggie's is closer to a cheap boarding house than than an Inn, but what it lacks in booze it makes up for hearty meals. Maggie was an old friend, a working girl who did well for herself. She runs it along with her four daughter, her sons having already having moved out. It tends to cater to transient laborers, traveling merchants and the occasional ships officer.

Ponder chuckled. "No, friend, underbelly is as good a word as any. Perhaps not strong enough or vile enough but it suits." Ponder followed Amalfy towards Maggie's for a cheap night's rest, they could begin hunting down the missing items when everyone was willing.

"We probably should start with the local fences and shady merchants. Unless the thief is some sort of collector, he or she will want to turn quick coin and get on with the next job."

Griff joins Ponder and Amalfy on the walk to Maggie's Inn.  He listens to the two men as they talk about the next days activity.  He had a few years on Amalfy, given he was human but Amalfy had big city experience as did Ponder, whilst he was green to the point of being naive.  Once Amalfy and Ponder explain what a 'fence' was and he joked about his own understanding of a fence coming from a farming background, he asked if they thought the man Adriel had anything to do with the theft given how quickly he shut down Griff's question about whether the household staff had been screened.  "I mean, he's left us no chance of seeking an inside trail to follow don't you think.  I wonder if he's just protecting himself?"

"No real opinion of him yet, but he's certainly not NOT a suspect. I don't trust that high falootin' style of talking much. I always figure people like that is making up for deficiencies elsewhere, if you get my meaning."

He made a slightly suggestive gesture with his hips.

Griff smiles and sniggers.  "It's pretty clear he thinks we are beneath him, but that don't worry me, I wouldn't care for the shallowness of his life either."

Griff is silent a moment as each of the men negotiates their way around a pile of street debris before he continues.

"So if he ain't going to give us access to the estate staff to talk to, and we aren't likely to be let into Lord Vandergathen's private quarters, watching out for a few stolen goods doesn't sound so easy.  Either of you got any idea where we start, cause I don't have a clue."

ooc: the thread for the meeting place the next morning is up, Market Square
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:29, Sun 14 May 2023.