"You asked a very specific question.  I answered it," the elf says somewhat confused by the responses.  Then she continues, "What bit of no was it that you didn't understand?  Or perhaps you didn't properly understand your own question?"

"Then answer the spirit of the question and not the jot and tittle of the syntax. You know very what I'm asking. My friend needs to know about his father. You say he's in Kyonin last you knew, I'm asking you to contact someone, reach out to them, and try to ascertain his status. However, that may need to or can be done. You said you were corresponding with a contact in Kyonin, so you have contacts. I'm asking you to use them," Zelona said her sweet smile of a second ago slipped a bit as she tried to remain diplomatic and hold in her frustration for these kinds of people and their semantical ways.

"Please," she added for good measure.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:38, Wed 20 May 2020.

"To paraphrase your question, you asked if I had a quick to contact Kyonin.  I said No. To put it more simply, I can send a letter.  Your friend can do that just as easily.  So can you."  She explains, but then continues as if she is addressing a child, "And now you are suggesting that I should write to one of my friends in Kyonin and ask them to do a favour for me, that is really for you, or possibly your friend at fourth hand?  Do you understand how big Kyonin is?  How many people do you think live in Kyonin?  It is a bit like me asking you to take a message to your friend to get him to find Robert Smith of Brevoy.  How do you think he will find him?  How much effort do you think he would be prepared to put into the task?"

Zelona breathed out and put a smile back on her face.

"My apologies Lady Yarki. I am in your home and you are right to question my requests. My friend is desperate for news of his father and I let his emotion get the better of my words and tone." she said to the elven woman.

"I had been told that Seraphiel Aeratholsyr was or is also a friend of yours, so I assumed that his son's concerns for his well-being would be shared by a friend of his as well, and I presumed upon that attachment in my requests and assumptions. Again my apologize for my contentious tone and presumption."

"I am told that Seraphiel Aeratholsyr is of some nobility within Kyonin. If you are indeed his friend as I was also told, my assumption was then that it would be much easier for you to reach out and either contact him or find news of him if any were to be found."

She looked at Adoven and continued, "as to resources and payment for this request... well, I am also told that you are a broker of magical items. My companion Adoven runs a trading company, and is working on this trip to expand his access to the port of Mivon. He also runs trade up to Restov. I myself own a small workshop in Midmarch that produces items of minor magical nature from wood. I have a gnome who is quite the tinkerer and craftsman with both jewels and wood work. He makes things that might find a good home with the wealthy of Mivon that you could broker to them such as self warming baths and more."

"if we could open up your market to include those in Midmarch with coins to spend and items of magical nature desired, and also provide you with more and new goods to sell to the wealthy elite here in Mivon, I think that in partnership, one of the things you could do is aid our friend in getting some word of his father's status or whereabouts. It is a win-win all around. We all make more money, you earn the favor of a minor Brevan nobleman, who in partnership with Lord Henry and Midmarch has his eyes set on the not so minor nobility for himself in the near future."

The Elf listens to Zelona’s words and then smiles thinly.  ”I am afraid you were misinformed.    Acquaintance would be a better word than friend, I think I have met Seraphiel twice?  Maybe three times over the last 50 years. It is conventional to offer the hospitality of one’s house to fellow travellers from Kyonin.   Nor do I know anything of his family, I am afraid.  He implied that he was abroad on the Queen’s business …  but ...” The mage spreads her hands wide,  as if to imply that she doesn’t usually take that sort of implication at face value.  ”So you see I really do not have anyway of contacting your friend’s father.  However, if he was on the Queen’s business, you friend’s best course of action would be to write to the Minister for Foreign Affairs in Iadara.  The letter wouldn’t get to the minister, of course, they never do.  However, I am sure the letter will be opened and read, and if Seraphiel was working for them,  they might forward it to him.  They might not, and he might choose not to reply -  but I do think that is your friend’s best chance of getting a response.  A child’s cry for help often garners a response.

Anada turns to nod towards Adoven <coral>”I am aware of master Adoven’s vessels trading between Mivon and Tusk, alongside those of the Yitis.  I am sure they will, eventually, open up a major trade route between Mivon and Brevoy.  And I have one of master Findlas’s self-warming baths, for myself, already.  An ingenious design, I might say so,  a warm bath is certainly a pleasant sight after a hard day’s work.  While I manufacture some items here, I also act as a broker for other specialist crafters, so I try to stay away of what might be available from other crafters.” She adds by way of explanation.

"Now is there anything else?"

Zelona looked at the woman as she replied and nodded.

"That is good information and I will be sure to pass it along to my friend about both your relationship to his father and where he might start to get some more information on his father as well. My thanks to you for that."

"I'm glad you enjoy Findlas' baths, they are quite clever."

She looked sidelong at Adoven, "As I have a request of a personal nature, and I am in charge of Findlas' workshop and orders, I would gladly prioritize any orders from Mivon that come from you and only you, with him so that you can supply your customers more quickly, if you will offer consideration on a personal request I have for an item. I have heard there are headbands that can be enchanted to grant one more intellect or to make more wise decisions. I would like to see if this tiara I have could be so enchanted to help make me more wise?" she said as she then pulled a beautiful gem-studded tiara from her pack to show the woman. "And... at what cost to me that would be?"

Adana nods as Zelona recognizes how her new knowledge might help Dom and then reaches out a hand for the tiara.  She holds it for a moment, and mutters  "Excuse me ..." before casting a spell and examining the tiara in detail.

After a moment or two, she replies, "Yes, this is suitable for enchantment and the enchantments required are available to me.  I cannot enchant it immediately, but I can have it done shortly, and delivered to you by the end of the year.  That will cost 3500 gold pieces - which includes the cost of delivery."

Zelona pulled out a horn from her pack as well.

"I have carried this around with me for months now, and while I have an affinity to its powers as a druidess of Gozreh, I have yet to have cause to wind it and use it's power since I've owned it. Would you accept this as partial payment in trade for the enchantment of the tiara with coin for the balance?"

Again, Adana reaches out for the horn, and examines it with a spell.

"It produces a thick mist around you ..."" she says once has finished her examination, then after a moment's thought she continues "I will take this as down payment, with 2,500 gold to be paid on delivery of the enchanted Tiara."

"Indeed it does. A cloud of fog similar to the one I commonly already prepare as a spell. We have a deal then. And one of many more to come I hope," Zelona nodded and smiled.

She stood and gave a slight bow, "I will convey what you've told me to my friend. Though I wish I had more.. hearty news for him, this is a step in that direction I hope. I think our time and business is concluded. I am glad that it can end more cordially than it began, and I hope that future dealings can remain such between us."

(I'm assuming Adoven has nothing to add since he's been silent the whole time basically? If not, then...)

Zelona gave a slight bow once more and turned to leave the elf to her devices and head back to the boat.

Before they depart, Adoven asks "My Lady, I am unfamiliar with the lands to the south. Would you happen to have maps of the waterways around here? And would you know anything of a ladyy named Nyrissa?"
This message was last edited by the player at 08:01, Wed 27 May 2020.

"The waterways south of here? I am not the captain of a vessel that needs such a thing.  And no, I don't know a lady called Nyrissa, did you want me to send her a letter on your behalf?"

Adana responds irritably as she stands ready to show her guests out.

Adoven shakes his head. "No, Lady. It was the name of a Vampiric Fey I encountered in the Narlmarches. I had hoped to learn something of her origins. She said her name as if it meant something, once."

"No.  I don't know any vampiric fey ..." she says standing to leave.  She waves towards her servant forwards, "please show my guests to the door, I am sure that their guide will be able to guide them back to the docks."

"Yes, ma'am." Jacky responds from her place by the door.  "I will be able to do that."

The servant rises and  moves to open the door of the chamber, ready to escort you to the main gate of the compound.

The trip back to the Lady of the Lake is quite uneventful and jacky leaves you at the entrance to the pier, where the guards see you back to your vessel.  There are more guards than you remember, and there is a larger vessel, one of House Yitis's River Boats,  moored at the end of the pier.

Yolen is aboard, along with her crew and she watches the larger vessel as the stevedores unload her.

"Fresh from Tusk," she comments "And she had some Aldori as passengers.  I didn't recognize them, but I bet they came down from Restov."

Adoven nods. "The sailors aboard her are likely rife with rumors. I may take some time in the taverns dockside to pick up some information."

“Damn the Aldori and their arrogance!” Cass spat in the water as he leaned against the rail. “They have all but poisoned my heart.” Thoughts had also crossed his mind of a more practical poisoning, but the truth of the matter was that he had simply contracted some form of illness during his travels and he and this trip had suffered for it.

The symptoms of his illness waxed and waned, but never fully abated enough to leave Cass feeling well enough to leave the boat and engage in the type of scouting expedition that he intended. Luckily, word had been brought back to him of current events and he was able to make determinations almost as surely as if he had been directly involved in each conversation abroad.

“From what you have told me, they’ll see things escalated to war one way or another. And all just to show off their supposed prowess at arms.” Cass tried not to sway and tip himself overboard in his anger. “Well, if they think they can drag Midmarch into their little games, they have another thing coming. There are much more fearsome ways to wage war than dancing around with a sword in hand.”
This message was last edited by the player at 19:44, Fri 29 May 2020.

OOC:  Are we finished here?

OOC After I try to pick up information at the dockside taverns.

OOC:  Who are you taking with you?  What are you wearing etc etc

Adoven is drawn by the sounds of a dockside tavern. Wearing his usual musician outfit, with his armor underneath, and sporting rapier, daggers (and vambraces) and a lute of high quality. He mingles for a while, getting a sense of the crowd, then moves to get a drink. He tries to discover (through Perception and Sense Motive) who among the patrons are sailors aboard the vessel that so incensed Cass.


07:43, Today: Adoven rolled 23 using 1d20+11.  Diplomacy, Gather Information .

07:43, Today: Adoven rolled 17 using 1d20+8.  Perception .

07:43, Today: Adoven rolled 13 using 1d20+3.  Sense Motive
This message was last edited by the player at 14:44, Thu 04 June 2020.

Helga raises her eyebrows as Adoven decides to try his luck around the dockside bars, but tags along to guide her boss away from the worst dives and towards the bars that really are bars, rather than gambling dens and whore houses.  She even nudges Adoven towards bars where the sailors might be, rather than  just working all the bars at random.

It isn't hard to pick up the conversations between them and the other customers - apparently there are a lot of people who want to know who the passengers were and Adoven picks up a number of snippets of information.

• They all agree that there were Aldori from House Yitis
• Most say there were Aldori from House Photus
• A few say there  were Aldori from  Restov
• One sailor insists that the saw the White Dragon of House Khavortorov.
• Another sailor insist that he saw Jamandi Aldori, even though others laugh at him.
• There was a row between two of the Aldori and talk of a duel

OOC: Are we ready to finish this thread now?

OOC Sure. Didn't think I'd get much. Was hoping to hear rumors about the brewing war as well.

Slowly The lady makes her way back to Tusk.  The trip upstream takes longer, the current hindering rather than helping, there is a lot more rowing, and  there are more stops on the way.  Helga reduces the threat by picking up an extra couple of guards at the Chain Ferry, muttering  'you have what you hold' as she does so.

The new guards are another half-orc woman, who is equipped with well-used, but well maintained, equipment, and her halfling assistant.  Another female, but armed with  newer and lower quality equipment.

"This is Vanez." Helga says introducing the half-orc.  "I have known her for a while and I trust her.  Cora is her 'assistant'."  The pair do little aboard the vessel, and are clearly not sailors, but the pair take one of the night watches, making sure that the vessel is guarded at all times.

After what seems like many days of such travel, The Lady finally ties up at Tusk Pier.  Helga pays Vanez off, who passes a couple of coins onto Cora.  Vanez heads of to Tansy's for a couple of drinks and to find a vessel heading south, while Cora heads off into the town.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:38, Sun 14 June 2020.