Ooc: Would my merchant skill help me yield additional information about the logbook?

Perhapz make a copy zo id don' dizapear?

"And by 'anywhere', your surely don't mean to limit things to this world.  Remember that guy with the odd clothing we met, who came in by the other door that didn't open to Northport?"

In reply to Ardenas Barehand (msg # 373):

"Yes, Ardenas, that is exactly what I meant."

As they talked, Mancini made duplicates of the logbook so that everyone could have a copy.

In reply to Mancini (msg # 375):

Copying the ledger will take at least a day, maybe two.

You note that the most recent entry in the
Book is "Blade" and $ and acharacter  you haven't seen much... there are a few entries with the mark, three  prior entries that also have that name, and a handful of others with the mark. One has a C.

"Typical criminal mind -- never write things down in a way that others might make sense of.  Last entry 'Blade' -- is that the fellow from the other door, with the fortune in glass for a window?"

In reply to Ardenas Barehand (msg # 377):

"Blade" has been to the shop fivevtimes, and paid cash... that sounds like the fellow who went through the glass and brass door with the gilt writing.

In reply to Narrator (msg # 378):

"Everything will have a code. What we should do is list the entries by name rather than date when you make a copy. That way we can start tracking folk..."

"If I may offer advice?  The latest entries would be vastly easier to follow than earlier ones.  The older the entry, the likelier our quarry has left town, sold, lost, or been robbed of the item, or has fallen victim to misfortune and died.  Also, the newer the entry, the greater the chance of saving someone from their mistake and retrieving the evil goods before they can taint a soul."

"You make good sense, Benny.  Unfortunately, we lack that option for the last one, unless someone knows a different way to the city behind that other door -- Faust's shop is gone, sucked into the void."

"Door to another city?  Maybe I should hear the full story so I know what we are dealing with?"




OOC:  I't's perfectly fine by me if someone wants to say "I give Benny the run down", you don't have to actually type up the whole event, as interesting as it would be to read it from someone's Character's perspective...  but no, Benny hasn't actually heard the whole story yet.

"Short version -- the reason we're trying to chase down demonic merchandise is that a fellow named Johan Faust was running a shop that moved around the city; you had to be looking for a specific thing and know how to read the signs to find it.  Much of his merchandise was magical in nature, and much of that had a demonic taint.

"The shop, as it turns out, wasn't even in this world, it was somewhere else and could manifest doors in Northport.  At one point, we had two different doors open into the same shop, one with a flight of stairs up to the shop and the other at street level, to the same shop floor.

"There was more hanky-panky in the back room, I never saw what happened back there, but that's where the little demon disappeared to and the big one came from -- assuming one didn't just turn into the other.

"At one point, though, while we had two different doors open into Northport, same floor level in the shop and same street level in Northport but one with stairs, the other not, there was a third door with a glass window almost half the size of the door -- looking out into an entirely different city.  That's where this 'Blade' fellow came in from.

"A couple folks -- not part of our group, but I think they work for Hadereum too -- actually followed him through that door for a few moments.  It was terrifically noisy on the other side when the door was open, and they came back looking pretty confused.  I'm pretty certain it wasn't Northport on the other side -- the street was very wide and paved in some way, buildings were mostly brick, there was bright, weirdly colored street lighting, and a couple of the buildings had other colors of lights that looked magical.

"Any case, with Faust's shop gone, so is that door, I presume, and the magic to recreate something like that seems likely to be extremely complex and extremely exhausting.  Seems likely we can assume this 'Blade' fellow is out of reach."

"Well, as it happens Lord Hermes the Traveler can go anywhere and guide anyone He chooses.  But an endeavor like that would be fraught with peril and adventure unto itself.  And there is always a stipulation, like 'don't look back' or 'don't leave the path', something the hero always messes up and makes the enterprise moot... though I suspect those tales may be crafted as warnings rather than solid takes on Hermes nature.  So if Blade is someone we wish to find, it's not off the table."

He pauses to let that settle a moment.

"However, Blade has multiple entries, all supposing he paid in cash.  This suggests a few things, if you'll indulge some speculation?  One either that he knew what he was about, cash, not bartered favors or corruption, and thus is probably acquainted with the type of shop and avoided cursed or tainted goods, or two that he walks a dark path heedless of those risks.  So either he probably doesn't need our attention, or is far gone and our attentions might bear faster ends elsewhere."

Benny looks at the avatar of destruction, "Kalima, do you remember if this Blade smelled of evil when he was in your presence?"

In reply to Benny Morales (msg # 384):

"He was definitely not a demon, but he did have sharp teeth and red eyes, not what is typical for a human. I believe he purchased vials of blood along with his weaponry."
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:32, Wed 28 Oct 2020.

"He did say something about having a city to protect, as I recall."

In reply to Ardenas Barehand (msg # 386):

"What about other recent entries?"

In reply to Aoife (msg # 387):

Immediately before "Blade" there is an entry with an "f" the name is Andre Betancourt.

"Betancourt?  And a favor, then?  Owed to who, I wonder?"

"No doubt owed to the shopkeeper and his fiendish masters."

In reply to Benny Morales (msg # 390):

"Any way we can determine who and where this person is?"

In reply to Aoife (msg # 391):

Area knowledge Northport at -3, or you need to start offering a reward.

The next name with an "f" is Remy du Fontaine.

The same applies.

"Seems likely they'd make a deal for a 'favor' with someone who could deliver something of note -- a common worker couldn't do anything for them they couldn't just do themselves, but someone high up in Hadereum or one of the other temples, in the Guild, or one of the other guilds, or in city government would seem the likely targets."

"Don't overlook the value of a door unbarred at just the right time by a lowly servant.  A singular and otherwise insignificant 'favor' can set in motion the toppling of crowns."

In reply to Benny Morales (msg # 394):

"This is known. Sometimes a shift in chance is all it takes for evil to prosper."



Occ:
https://m.imdb.com/title/tt1071804/