Lazarus found himself raising his eyebrows no less than three times in the span of only a few minutes. First was when Sin-Singha suggested they had made a bet. He was fairly certain he would have remembered that. Not to mention he was not sure how he would collect his winnings if Sin had lost the alleged bet. He shrugged it off and smirked, and assumed Sin was just having a bit of fun.

The second time Lazarus raised his eyebrows was when the barmaid treated him as a part of the larger group. He did not know the group all that well yet, so he was a bit surprised to be lumped together with them already. Not that he actually minded. After all, he did intend to travel with them if they allowed it. And it seemed they would.

Lastly, Lazarus raised his eyebrows a third time when Lucius confidently invoked the "laws of hospitality" to get them some food and rooms. Lazarus had know idea what the laws of hospitality were, but that didn't stop the wizard from hoping the barman would honor them. "Yeah, the gods will repay you," he said, attempting to back up Lucius. Of course Lazarus had no confidence that his claim was true, but if it actually got them free food... Meh.

The dwarf nods at Lucius and says I don't know about no "laws of hospitality" young man, but I do like to stay on the right side of the gods.  So here's what I can offer you - if none of you have any coin, you can give me something else as collateral, and I'll cover your dinners and one night.  Then tomorrow, you set out and show you're on the right side of the gods as well.  He pauses for effect here, glances around, and then leans in conspiratorially before continuing.  I know no one's happy about the goblins raiding caravans and kidnapping travelers, but if you ask me, goblins is small stuff.  But I hear bits and pieces on the grapevine makin' me think someone else is paying them for those prisoners they take.  If you lot can figure out who's doing that, and take them down, well, that'd be more than enough sign for me that you're blessed.  So you do that, I give you back your collateral, and I put you up free for two whole weeks.  Pipes included.

Alora gasps at the suggestion that she might have been sold to someone even worse than the goblins.

and what do the rest of you do?

Lucius extends a hand to the barkeep without hesitation. He spoke solemnly: "A deal, good sir. Thank you for the information - I have sworn to bring the light to the darkest corners of the land, so this is what I'll do." With a warmer smile, he continued. "As for the collateral, let us discuss among ourselves."

(Marking off one use of Adventuring Gear)

"This telescope was made hundreds of years ago with metal mined from Eagle's Peak mountain, and the lenses were made from sand taken from the beaches of Yurath, at the edge of the great Skytree forest. It was given to me by my mentor, and I used it for birdwatching and studying the stars. It has no magical qualities, but it is quite valuable to me, and if anything happens to it before I reclaim it, no chickens nor other birds will lay eggs for you ever again for 5 miles around this spot." The fact that Istvan is completely bluffing about that very last part does not affect his deadly serious tone.

"I don't have anything quite as nice as a telescope," Lazarus said to both the barman and the group. "But I could leave one of my books. I have this beautiful tome written in archaic dwarven script. The letters practically jump off the page with the iridescent ink they used. It probably won't be much use to me where you are sending us, but it is still not an object I hand over lightly." Lazarus pulled the mentioned tome from his bag of books and slid it across the table. "Please store it somewhere where a beer won't get spilled on it, if you could."

The innkeeper examines the telescope closely, making appreciative comments about the craftsmanship.  He flips through the book as well but doesn't show the same level of interest.  Nevertheless, he takes the two items and says This'll do fine, thanks.  I'll have someone get a couple rooms ready for you upstairs, and you can set off in the morning.  He then heads to a back room, and when he returns to the bar he is no longer carrying your items.

And so the evening passes.  Your food is quite good, and the drinks pair well.  The smoke hangs low (no thanks to the low ceiling), and gradually gets lower.  At the other large table, where the dandies from out of town are gathered, there is a lively debate about whether or not Mr. Rakosi's new pieces are anywhere near as good as his older works.  Eventually some of the customers with the pipes begin passing out in their seats, and at that point Alora thanks you again for bringing her back to town and says that she should get back to the temple.

Sin-Singha carefully drew a bone ring off his long hair. It looked to be a cross-slice of a thick bone, a leg bone perhaps, that the hair passed through with a fine bone pin running through it to keep it in place. Some foreign characters were delicately carved around the ring itself. He placed the ring with the objects on offer, his expression grave.

"I do not part with this lightly, and I give it to show my sincerity--I will return for that, at any cost. My great-grandfather was a wise and generous man, and I will have him back with me again when this is over." Singha touches the ring reverently and then lets it be taken with the rest.

---

Singha takes his time enjoying the food, and finishes anything that might have been left unconsumed on the table. He seems in no special hurry, but he turns a bit serious when Alora announces she's leaving.

"Will you be safe heading there alone, this late?" It wouldn't do to safe-guard her this far an then leave her to some lowly criminal predation.


OOC: I added a bit for before the innkeeper takes the stuff, I hope that's ok. It just seemed fun and fitting.

As he ate, Lazarus spent some time getting to know his new traveling companions a bit better. And while he did, he also searched through his brain, trying to think of any groups in the area that he has heard of who may want to buy the goblins prisoners. He had been in this town for a week or so now, and had overheard many different things during that time. It was difficult, however, to determine what random knowledge might be both truthful and useful. In the end he decided to sleep on it.

---

Spout Lore Roll
15:14, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 8 using 2d6+2.  Spout Lore - who might want to buy goblin prisoners.

Lazarus will share his info after they all get ready in the morning. Feel free to have him say what he knows to everyone in the party if you would like, GM.

Laid back in his chair, the paladin finally has a moment to relax. He's already biting into the stew in between sips of ale, all the while smiling gently to the barmaid. However, his eyes snap to Alora when she excuses herself. "Where is your temple located?" He follows up Sin-Singha's offer with a question. "The night is dark."

The temple isn't too far from here, Alora says.  And not many people in town would dare attack someone wearing the robes of the Gray Mother.

Perhaps some of you walk back with Alora, perhaps not.  Either way, before she leaves you, she says Thank you all again for rescuing me.  I don't know if- well, regardless, I'm glad to be back here.  I hope I will see you all again in better circumstances.  And Sister Auberyn, may your road be clear and may the wood be your shelter.

                *                   *                   *

You all sleep relatively well that night, and reconvene the next morning.  Whatever injuries you sustained in the sinister thicket yesterday are now healed.

Having spent the night racking his brain, Lazarus tells you that among the various bits of information he has picked up around town, one that sticks out is that goblins seem to like exotic herbs, spices, and the like even more than humans.  Especially the ones that bring about supernatural visions.

Lucius goes to sleep quickly with a full stomach and wakes up before dawn. He dons his armor quickly, facing against the rising sun with his chest puffed. His tabard, bearing the mark of the blazing sun, absorbs the first rays of sunlight. As it does, Lucius makes his vow:

"I will find out who is paying goblins for the prisoners, and bring them to justice."

QUEST TIME!

Discover the truth of who pays goblins for the kidnapping.

Boons:
Invulnerability to piercing weapons (not sure thorns apply, but goblin arrows and spears are the main concern).
Voice that transcends language.

What will Lucius' vows be GM?

After meeting up with the others in the morning and telling them what he had remembered about goblins and spices, Lazarus gave his opinion about what course of action he thought they should take. "Given that we know goblins are partial to exotic spices, I suggest we start our investigation at the spice vendor. If the vendor is not the guilty party, then perhaps we can find out if anyone has been purchasing a suspicious amount of spices from them to use with the goblins. And if neither of those produce results, we could procure some spices ourselves and try to bribe the goblins directly to tell us who their slave-buyer is."

Lazarus turned around where he stood and, after a moment, reoriented himself. "I believe the spice vendor is in that direction," he said, pointing. "Sound like a good place to start?" He raised his hand and shoulder questioningly, waiting for people to agree or provide another option.

"Sounds like a good idea to me... but let's be careful to not start off by accusing anyone or anything..." said Istvan...

"The spices must also come from somewhere--they certainly do not refine them in this little backwater," Singha seems oblivious to the mild insult he's throwing at the town. "If the goblins have tried to get spices, the merchant dealing in them must surely know something. Stolen or sold, it is a good place to start." He leans his large sword over his shoulder and strolls the way there. The stranger with the enormous weapon can't help but be startling to some, but he keeps his posture and expression very casual--broadcasting off duty rather than on a mission.

You make your way to the market, where there are in fact a few different vendors selling different spices (their convergence here is part of what makes Vorbrud such a good food town).  One shouts about cumin and cardamom from the east, another shows off colorful jars of cayenne and saffron from the west, and a third offers you besharam and stormy collub from the north.

Lucius - it is an honorable quest you have taken on, and so you must take a Vow of Honor to prove your worthiness.

"Robbing caravans for spices, that sounds goblin enough to me." Lucius speaks. Despite not talking very loudly, his voice has incredible clarity. "I shall ask the merchants if there was any trouble on the roads."

He stops to think. "Uhm, any of you got an idea where the goblins are from? North, east, west? All around? I think we came from the north right?"

I took a peek at the map, assuming north is at the top. The third merchant sounds like our best bet aye?
This message was last edited by the player at 04:38, Sun 05 May 2019.

Yes, north is up.  I'll try to remember to add a compass next time I update the map.  Carry on.

"I know you guys headed North out of town when you first went to investigate the goblins, but where the goblins themselves originated..." Lazarus shrugged his shoulders. "As far as I know they have always lived in the area. But I'm not from around here."

Lazarus began heading toward one of the vendors. "If you are checking for trouble on the road, Lucius, then I will see if they have had any suspicious buyers.

When he reached the cayenne and saffron vendor, Lazarus raised one of his magically transmogrified hands in a friendly greeting and said, "Hello. Nice wares you have here. I was wondering if it would be asking too much throw a couple of questions your way. I've got a curiosity itching at my skull and I think you may be just the person who could scratch it."

"Yeah, that's right." Lucius nods to Lazarus, heading towards the besharam and stormy collub merchant. He puts on a small smile.

"Good day to you, sir. Do you mind if I ask some questions?" The paladin goes straight to the point. "Your spices are from the north, right? Was there trouble on the road, or have you heard of it from other merchants?"

Sin-Singha stays a step behind his companions asking the questions. He's quiet for now, but only because he's openly studying the merchants to see what kind of answers they give, and if anything seems shady. His gaze scans across their wares, picking out various familiar and unfamiliar offerings. He takes it in as part of his assessment, but his attention inevitably keeps returning to the merchants and their response.


OOC: I'm not 100% clear if we're splitting up to question different merchants at the same time, but if so then I suppose I'll tag along with... Hmm, Lazarus I suppose. No special reason but maybe they're less likely to hide something from a paladin. If this is just get the info and go then cool, if we're going to play the merchant scene a bit I'll do a Discern Realities.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:54, Tue 07 May 2019.

The merchants are not very far away from each other.  In the noisy market it is hard for Singha to clearly hear what each of them is saying, especially since these conversations are happening more or less simultaneously, but it's at least easy enough to maintain visual contact. (go ahead and roll for it if you'd like)

The merchant from the west seems a little put off by both Lazarus' appearance and his manner of speaking.  After a few seconds of thought he says, uncertainly, Would you, um, would you like to buy some cayenne?  It can be ground and rubbed into your scalp to relieve the itch, if that's what you're looking for.

The merchant from the north seems caught off guard by Lucius' question, but quickly recovers himself and says Trouble?  Oh, no, I mean, yes, a little bit, some, er, some goblins came after us near the woods, but we got away safely.  Now, ah, can I help you with something?

"Ha ha ha," Lazarus chuckled in earnest at the vendor's remarks. "Oh no, my friend, that was not what I meant at all. The itch I describe is not a physical one that can be scratched by your wonderful spice-remedies. It is a thought. An inner itch, that can only be scratched with information."

The wizard smiled kindly at the man, inferring that he probably still was not grasping what Lazarus was meaning. "Okay, forget my ramblings for a moment. What I would like to know is if you have heard of any big spice sales lately. Ones that seemed out of the ordinary. Especially concerning exotic varieties. If you can help me out with this, I would be happy to reward you with a demonstration of magic." Lazarus wiggled his fingers dramatically at the mention of magic, hoping add to the intrinsic excitement of the prospect of spellcasting.

---

Parley, if needed. Leverage is the offer to cast some magic. Let me know if I should add XP (assuming nobody Aids to bump that up to 7).
11:49, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 6 using 2d6+1.  Parley, if needed.

"Ah, goblins. That's why I'm speaking with you, good sir." Lucius nods in acknowledgement. "Are the goblin attacks frequent? Maybe even regular?" He further prods the merchant.

Is the plan 'escort the caravan and capture any goblin ambushers' count as tricks? Presumably we would put something on to resemble the merchants.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:14, Thu 09 May 2019.

The western merchant looks offended at Lazarus's offer.  In a stern voice, almost shouting but not quite, he says Magic?!  Andolg don't like no sorcery, and Iain't about to turn my back on Him!  Now if you ain't gonna but nothin' from me I suggest you move along.
(Yeah, go ahead and mark xp)

A short distance away, the northern merchant is looking a little nervous as Lucius continues to question him, and he says Well, um, they, ah, they attack sometimes but not always, I think.  I guess maybe sometimes they're distracted?  Oh, I, uh, I don't really know, never mind, right?




That does seem a little iffy, doesn't it?  I mean, it could be interpreted as a cowardly trick, but maybe there's a way to justify it?  Is that something you're willing to try?

The young Paladin was not the brightest, but the merchant was far from the best liar. Eagerly (perhaps too eagerly, first quest after all) he leaned in and spoke loudly right in the merchant's face.

"Sir! This is the most urgent matter, the goblins have been kidnapping innocent people. I urge you to speak with me truthfully, otherwise I will have to make a thorough investigation of your business."

I suppose Lucius would refuse to wear a disguise so no tricks there. potentially tipping off the goblins though.

13:11, Today: Lucius rolled 12 using 2d6+2.  Parley, threat of thorough investigation as leverage.


This message was last edited by the player at 15:42, Thu 16 May 2019.