"Well, shall we then?" Vaddis walks out and heads to the visible 'Hammer Boy' and stops about 10 feet away. "We would like to speak with Verick, get him please"

1, Today: Vaddis Sonaden rolled 22 using 1d20+7. Diplomacy.

"No more meat," the Guard says disinterestedly, examining the end of his finger which has just come out of his nose. He stops and frowns, looking over at Vaddis as if he just realized exactly what the warrior had just asked. "Verik ain't here. You find him, tell 'im I said hello."

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Tarrov stepped forward.  "Are you sure?  Because we have news about Mister Kindness, and heard that he might have some in exchange."  He looked around the area, as if checking for informants or spies.  "It's taken a great deal of time for me to track down Mister Kindness' foes, and Verik seems like a serious one.  We'd like to give him the opportunity to join us.  But then again, if he's not here," the bard shrugged.  "I suppose you can tell him of our offer.  Do you expect him to return soon?"

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The Hammer Boy studies Tarrov a second. He narrows his eyes. For a moment, the brute almost looks intelligent. He flicks his latest discovery off his finger and out into the street. "My my. That is somthin' I guess ol' Verik would be interested in." He considers a moment. "I'll pass tha message to him. Why don't ya come back later tonight. Maybe around dusk? He should be back by then."

Skirk meanwhile did his best to look as ratty and thuggish to play along with the part as possible.

It wasn't much of a show, as the learned ratman had a tendency towards keeping his personal hygiene up and cleaning behind his ears as often as possible...
but hopefully the racial stereotype often afforded to the ratfolk would work in his favor for once.

He'd never been good with words and he didn't plan on trying to start now.
Thankfully his allies seemed to posses the skill

Selvin wasn't an intimidating person when his ally wasn't around. He knew that very well. He didn't mind it either, as being intimidating-looking all the time was not usually a good thing for social mingling.

Therefore, he merely stayed quiet and gave a nod after being told that they should return at night.

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"Dusk it is," Tarrov nodded, speaking as if he was talking to an upscale maitre d' rather than a barely-comprehensible, rough-looking thug.  "Allies in this pursuit are hard to come by.  We're greatly looking forward to our upcoming conversation."  With that, Tarrov sketched a short bow, turned, and strode down the street away from the shop until they were out of sight.

Once the shop was out of view, he turned to his companions.  "Well, we have an appointment for this evening."  He nodded.  "In the meantime, I'd like to canvas the area for information on Verik and/or Mister Kindness.  You're welcome to come with me, or if there's something else pressing we could just meet here at sundown."  He looked around at the group.  "What do you want to do?"

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This message was last edited by the player at 09:18, Tue 26 Nov 2013.

Skirk shrugs at the man and replies
"This isn't really my field of expertise I fear, so I don't really have anything to help with the digging up of information."

He scratches his ratty chin beard and adds
"Do you think the doorman was telling the truth by the way? I've never been very good at telling when someone is lying to me..."

Toke nodded in agreement. "It sounds like we have put ourselves in the perfect position to be ambushed." He mused, "However I will follow your lead, Garrick, and watch your silver tongue at work, as I too am curious as to the identity of this so called 'Mr. Kindness'."

"He seemed to be telling the truth I thought, but I could be wrong."

10:48, Today: Vaddis Sonaden rolled 12 using 1d20+5. Sense Motive.

Vaddis, he seems to be telling the truth. I made rolls for everyone on gathering intel.

The five of you spread out and make inquiries around the neighborhood.

Vaddis and Selvin, you find that everyone sings the praises of The Cow Hammer Boys as they are called by the locals. The City has shut it's gates and little fresh food is getting in. The Cow Hammer Boys responded by gving away meat. True it's not the best cuts...some of the meat is odd tasting and stringy...but everyone for several blocks around line up each morning for the doors to open. Usually the farmers who can make it past the blockade will deliver their wares around back just before sun up. The doors open at third bell. Everyone is so grateful to the Cow Hammer Boys. Imagine! Giving away free meat! "And tha bloody Queen can't even be bothered ta come outta her castle to see how things is," one tough old matriarch tells the two of you. "'s a disgrace is all."

Tarrov you manage a little more. It seems the Cow Hammers do not just limit their good deeds to free meat. One lady tells you how Justina, her neice, was having trouble with this man. The Cow Hammers sort of 'talked' to him. And h hasn't bothered her since. Too bad Justina didn't go to them before that man made off with this small pearl necklace Justina had. You hear several such stories and they all follow the same pattern. Someone is having trouble with someone. The Cow Hammers intervene. Undesirable person hightails it,,never to be seen again. But often that person has taken some valuable like a small bag of silver coins or an antique silver tea pot.

Toke, you pick up a few things about Mr. K. He supposedly runs some kind of gambling joint, but the stories about which vary. They say he loves spiders, some claiming he worships some odd forgotten divine with the face of a spider but arms of a man. Of more interest is that Mr. K seems to control the river 'trade'. Everything from drugs to prostitutes. There are a few gangs in town who pay him a cut. Some say Mr. K is a noble from Old Korvosa, the northern part of the city that rests on a seperate island. Others say he can be found at Eel's End. A reputed dock brothel thing you've never had the pleasure of venturing to. He is also supposed to make the best Shiver in the city.

Skirk, you learn a little something more about the Cow Hammer Boys 'business'. It seems the free meat thing is legit, in that they do hand out free meat each day. But the supplies are limited and of questionable worth. More importantly, the Cow Hammers will do some knife work for you if you ask them about 'today's special cuts'. They do good work apparently. They seem to make their client's problems disappear.

"I wonder if this 'free meat' and the 'problems are gone' have a common end. They get put in the 'pot' never to be seen again. Problem is gone, poor meat, equals they're butchering their victims and giving them to the locals for free to eat. They eat the evidence."

Selvin slowly turned a horrified look onto Vaddis at the other man's words. "That's...terrible! We would definitely need to stop that, if that's the case."

"I do not know if that is the case, but they are not known for being generous men. Why else would they give something for free that they could be making a fortune on. They solve problems that go away permanently, then give away free meat the next morning..."

The barmaid sets down your next round as you all ponder Vaddis' words. Outside, the sun begins it's final dip.

Anything else ya'll want to do before we move on to the rendevous with Verik?

I'm ready to move on. I have no other questions myself.

"The information on Mr. Kindness varies, but all seem to agree that he well connected, at least in regards to crime, and that much of his personal life is shrouded in mystery. I say we be careful throwing his name around from now on; especially as connected as he seems to be and how quickly word can travel."

OOC  Otherwise I'm good here.

Stirge Street lays as still as a newly beheaded ogre while smelling only half as sweet. The last rays of the sun are peeking over the buildings in the west. In a moment, night will have officially fallen.

No one is out front of All World's Meat. The shop is still and quiet. A lantern burns in what must be the front room because a small shaft of light falls from the small display window by the door to light up the street outside.

A glance in the window shows the front room to be empty. The door is locked.

The wind whisks a smell towards your nose. Sausages cooking over a fire around back. A glance down the alleyway confirms the dancing light of a small fire somewhere inside the delivery yard, though you can not see anything from the street beyond that.

It appears as if you are being invited to the back for dinner.

Map should be uploaded to Group 0. Again, sorry for crappy maps.

B1 is the front room.

B6 is surronded by a 7' tall stockade wall. You can see through gaps in the posts. The front area appears to be a holding pen for livestock. Some pigs are inside from the sounds of it. The fire seems to be coming from the reddish blob area at the bottom. Let me know if there aee questions.

"I don't like it. It smells of an ambush." He looks to the others, "what do you think, sneak in through the front, or circle from outside the back?"

What do ya'll want to do?

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OOC:  Sorry, just back from the holiday.

Tarrov looked at the group.  "Since we've set up a meeting with Verik I'd like to go in and take his measure.  At the very least it will give us some intelligence about the interior of the place, how many men they have, how the defenses are set up, etc.  And we might learn something about why they've bunkered themselves in and/or who Verik's mysterious paramour might be.  I'd prefer to take that route rather than just going in swords drawn, as it were, since we might learn something.  They'll be taking our measure as well but I think we have more to gain than they do."

"What do you all think?"

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This message was last edited by the player at 07:06, Mon 02 Dec 2013.

"I still don't like it, but I agree Tarrov."

You head down the alley and around to the back. The gate is ajar and behind it you hear low off key whistling and the smell of sausage.

The whistler is a tall man with a pock marked face. He is not the thug you set up the meeting with. On his hip hangs a servicable looking sword in a cheap sheath. Before him is a steel drum with a fire burning in it. The man has a stick with several sausages skewered on it which he holds over the flames. The sausages have burst their skins at the end and the rich smell of fat wafts over you like a mother's love.

He blinks at you and wipes his nose with his free hand. "Oy. You lot be sneakin' about? No huh. Oh. You must be them that's ta meet Mr. Verik. Malder said you'd be about. Wanna sausage?" He hnds over the stick with three charred but tasty smelling sausages to whoever is in front and wipes his hands on his shirt. "C'mon in. They waitin' for ya."

He heads through a pair of double doors and into what apears to be the butchering room. Updated the map. You are headed into B4. The room smells of old blood and fresh sweat. Another man you haven't seen before is mopping the floors with a bloody mop. He looks up at you. He wears an apron that someone has playfully embroidered KISS THE BUTCHER, but he doesn't look very kissable. He watches as your guide leads you across the room and down a hallway. Your guide stops at the bottom of a flight of steps.

"Oy!" he shouts up the stairs. "They 'ere!" He turns back to and jabs a thumb towards the stairs. "Anyway, Mr. Verik an' Malder are up there. Best a' it gents."

He squeezes past you and heads back down the hall.

"Come on," a tired voice calls down to you. Someone sounds grumpy. The stairs creak slightly in the middle as you head up them. At the top you are looking into a small room with a table and chairs in it. A door is across the room from you, but the big man you meet this morning...probably this Malder the other one refered to...is leaning against it.

A second man, dressed in guards uniform...a guard's uniform that looks like it hasn't been washed in a few days...is sitting in one of the chairs. A polished and very sharp lookng spear rests in the crook of one of his arms. He scowls at you and says, "I'm Verik. Whaddya want?"

You are now in B7

OOC: Apologies. Had a bit of connection issue with the holiday.

Selvin really really wanted to summon his friend but...it was conspicuous. And showing up to a 'friendly' meeting looking like a blue flame enshrouded tiger was not friendly in the least. It was more security-minded but tended to put people off. He sighed softly.

Glad he wasn't in the front, he would have waved off any sausage offers from the man cooking. He gave a small nod at the shouted warning up the stairs and directions to follow it up. Selvin waited for one or both of the chatty ones in his group to speak up. He sized up the two men in front of them.

"Sergeant Verick, we finally meet." Vadis greets him and offers his hand as he detects evil in the room.