Those constables going on this first investigation have a very short trip over to the Harbor Market.

It's a busy, inviting looking place.  Conveniently close to the harbor and the docks, but set aside by its design.  The herbalist's shop is large and obvious on the corner, perhaps she voted herself spokeswoman for the market because she was closest.

It must get a lot of "working day" foot traffic because the shops mostly deal with the small, easy end of retail.  Food, repairs, a barber shop, a few odds and ends.  There are pushcarts in the plaza area enclosed by the market, where an old man sells finely crafted little statuettes of iconic inhabitants of the town- dancers and musicians, nobility in fine clothes, troops in Pomeran livery, even artisans... including a figuines of an artisan making figurines.  The dancers look like the best sellers.

The largest store is the fruit and vegetable market, all the way in the back.

As Mira described, nothing here looks rich or fancy.  There is a Connfectioner, but not nearly one of the city's best.  But there are baked cheese tarts that smell delicious.  It does seem to be a market for people on the go.  Some of the things for sale might even be targeted towards people leaving.  Souvenirs.  Of course there are no "I Heart Auxene" mugs (yet) but things like the little figurines, or the pillow cases with embroidered city scenes, make it clear that you've been here.

This is the first time many of the people here have seen Constables.  Some stop what they are doing to watch.


 

Khay is used to people staring at him as he walks along. He is usually balancing on a railing or swinging from outstretched poles, though. He glances at each store in turn, tapping his finger on his chin.

"I think," he says slowly, "that we should start by asking each of the businesses in turn whether they have been robbed. We can get a bit more intelligence on our culprits, and it would reassure the people to know that the Constables are looking into their problems." He looks at Andrea for approval, like a puppy hoping for a treat.

Theirastra watched from the roof as some of the others began to leave the for the market and called down to them after she stopped playing her lyre. "We're you guys off to?"

[OOC: Suppose I should post to the right thread if I want her to join in. :) ]
This message was last edited by the player at 02:33, Tue 09 Mar 2021.

With little more than a glance up at the roof Andrea gestures for the shouting person to come down and join them, with a pointing arm in the direction of the market.
Quietly to anyone on the ground she elaborates. ”We should use different methods to determine which is most effective, start with the basic introduction and offer to help with one of the smaller shops, and I will observe, on the next shop we will switch.”

Khay nods and decides to try at the barber's shop first. Talking about barbers has made him curious if there is anything interesting to see there. He pokes his head in and looks around.

Hedge hurried out to join up with the others who were headed over to the market, "Yeah mate, change it up as we go. Depends how they respond. Start nice and helpful like, and go from there, innit?"

Theira would make her way down to the group and join them. "So what did I miss?" She asked quietly as she walked up to them.

[OOC: To hurry things along I'll assume you guys brief her one the thieving stuff. :) ]

Hedge filled Theirastra in on the details as they made their way to the local.

Those going over to see Brother Marnely should head to the new thread:  St Abners.  That will help keep things organized.  The rest are, for the time being, here, though now separated.

********************

In the office, the Herbalist is still there.  She ponders the question about Dragon's blood.

Mira Kane takes a deep breath.  “Dragon’s Blood,” she says, as if to reintroduce the subject at hand.  “Where to start?”

She gives it a moment’s thought, and starts.  “Whenever you make something that’s true magic, whether it’s a magic sword or a potion that will protect you from fire, there’s a list of ingredients.  Most of those ingredients really have very little if any magic of their own.  Some thing’s might be good for you, some things might be toxic… but not real magic.  Take wine, for example.  Too much can kill you, so it can be a poison, sort of.  Some makes you happy, but is that really magic?  Or just a property of wine?

“There are some ingredients that supply the power to any magical recipe.  Like a wagon with a horse and driver, I guess.  The driver knows the direction, but the horse has all the power.  Jester’s Cap is a mushroom, and a little of that will… well it sort of acts like wine, but different… add some Dragon’s Blood, just a drop, to the recipe and you can get a powder that will have a room full of people laughing uncontrollably, and you don’t even have to tell them a joke.  So Dragon’s Blood is one of the Power ingredients. Jester's Cap just tells it where to go.  There are a other power sources, and they all share something in common, they are hard to come by.  Like the universe is working against us, making sure that these shortcuts aren’t too easy.  Maybe easy for the Elves, they seem to come by more of it than others… what the heck is liquid starlight, anyway?  But for Dragon’s Blood, obviously, you have to kill a Dragon.  And you’d have to be ready to collect the blood, and you’d have to know that some people will want to buy it.  So it’s not the sort of thing that’s a steady supply.  That’s part of what makes it valuable.

"Do you know what else is peculiar about Dragon’s blood?  If you ever talk to people who claim to know about Dragons, they’ll go on and on about the different kinds, and the flight patterns of a typical Blue and where a Black likes to make its lair… for a Herbalist or an Alchemist, the blood’s all the same.  I’ve never seen a recipe calling for a specific kind.  And the recipes can be very specific.  What kind of spoon to stir it with, whether you go clockwise or counter.  Anyone who ever calls that Widdershins is just trying too hard to impress you."

Meanwhile the others go into the Harbor Market.  A lot of curious shoppers look them over.  They are a novelty, after all.

The Harbor Market has about 20 shops, and a number of pushcarts that set up in the market.  The barber shop is small, and in the back- it’s a one man shop, a step above the “street barbers” that peddle the Docks area offering haircuts “on the go”.  The barber is a rail thin, busy looking man, somewhere in his thirties, and it takes him a moment or two to recognize the new constables for what they are.

He introduces himself as “Humber Beanward, the Barber of Harbor Market” and is immediately curious- off the various shops and cart merchants, what is it that has drawn the Constables here?

“I know I haven’t done anything wrong,” he says.  “I’m a guild member.”

But of course there is the chance that the Constables are here for his services?  His eyes brighten when he sees a head that hasn’t known a professional barber’s touch.  “You certainly want to do justice to your new uniform, sir, I can take you next if you wish.  Alas, I cannot serve the beautiful ladies, the guild says a barber can only cut men’s hair… and Dwarves, because, well, how it is with them.  Longstanding agreement with the Forthright Alliance of Hairdressers, Beauticians and Salon Keepers, you know, wouldn’t do to cross them.  But I can recommend Dina, across the market from here.  One-chair shop, like mine, but she’s a perfectionist who does it all herself.”

It's a small market.  Looking past a cart selling wicker baskets, you can easily see the hairdresser's shop from here.  Along with pretty much every other shop in the market.  The shops look they have one standard defense against serious thieves:  don't be worth the bother.  But then, for a lower class of shop, there is a lower class of thief.  Even an apple cart (the market has one of them, too) will be robbed by someone.

"Pleasant to meet you, Mister Beanward. I am Constable Vass, here on official business. I understand that there have been some thefts recently. Small gangs of people snatching from the shops, then fleeing. Have you suffered such a trouble, or have you seen anyone doing such a thing?"

Khay takes out a sheet of paper, an ink pot, and a pen. He prepares to take notes, and mentally decides there must be a more efficient way to store his writing items.

Andrea stays near the entrance to the barber's shop, not leaving but also willing to make it quite clear that she isn't tempting the barber to violate any guild traditions.

Theirastra will also stay near the entrance being attention and listen to everything that is said in the discussions.

Hedge was ready to tell the barber to piss right off, and only barely managed to stop himself as he remembered his new place. It was a good way to make sure the man kept talking, and it probably wouldn't hurt to look a bit less like what he actually was. "I might take you up on that offer, mate. Only we're quite busy at the moment, yeah? If you got information then we got time, but if you don't, then we've got other places to be."

In the crowded market, word gets around fast that the Constables are here talking to the barber about thieves.  Very fast.  One by one, others show up- a few shops are locked up, and pushcarts moved from their regular positions so their owners can get in on this, without leaving their wares too far out of site.

There is definitely a sense of community in the little market; they all know each other.  The way the market is arranged, a three sided box around a plaza, they all see others' shops all day.  In fact they have a better view across the market than of their own immediate neighbors!

Dina the Hair Stylist wanders over, as do a few of the push cart owners, a cobbler and his young apprentice, and one woman wearing an apron and a tool belt who is the only non-Human you have seen in this group- with those pointed ears perhaps she's an Elf of some sort, although a very pale, white haired one.

"They take apples all the time," the apple cart owner says.  "And not because they're poor and hungry.  They're too healthy to be poor folk.  And they take things from the others... and twice they knocked the cart over, just because.  They do it just because they want to."

The cobbler nods.  "It's true, they're as likely to break as they are to steal.  What have I got they want?  I take my tools out of my shop, all that's left are old shoes and leather and cord.  Once they smashed the shutters in and took nothing at all."**

"They climb walls and they hide their faces."  No one sure who said that, but there is wide agreement.

The different reports overlap in a few qualities.  The Harbor Market thieves move very quickly- take and run, which makes sense considering that if they are too slow they run the risk of being pounded to a pulp by burly shipwrights.

And according to Dina, they don't steal from the Herbalist.


**A cobbler is a person who repairs shoes.  A shoemaker makes new ones.  For most people here, having new soles put on old shoes is more cost efficient.  Shoemaking is considered a higher class of profession.

It was about now that the green skinned, green haired elf decided to speak up. "When they run off, do they run off in the same direction each time, or in a different direction each time?" She asked calmly.

Just as Hedge was getting ready to tell the barber he wouldn't have time to stick around for a cut, the others started coming in to share their tales as well. "It's your call, mate. If you wanna gimme a trim, I'll let you. But I'll have to take statements from all of these here, yeah? You cut while they do the talking, yeah?"

Theirastra quickly uncovers the first problem when dealing with groups of witnesses:  they don't agree on details.

"Always the same, over the roof!" the cobbler declares.  "The whole bunch of them!"

The roof, of course, goes around the entire perimeter of the Harbor Market except for one side facing the harbor.

"Their leaders come in from the front first, and check," the apple carter says.  "They slink around and tell the others when the time is right."

"How would they do that?" the barber asks.  "We don't hear them shout out to each other."

"Well of course they don't shout, that would alert everyone here."

"Well they don't use bird calls."

The pale Elf woman speaks up, with a quiet but clear voice.  "They know what they are doing, they have a plan, because when one of them is breaking it, the ones in charge get angry."

"They make a plan just to run around and grab and break stuff?" the apple seller asks.

The Elf nods.  "They come with a plan, they know exactly what they are supposed to do, and if one goes off plan they yell at him."

"The ones in charge, are they the same lot each time"

Khay Vass strokes his chin thoughtfully. He is pleased that the community has come forward to present their information collectively.

"Does anyone have any descriptions beyond 'masked?'"

Watching the process mostly Andrea waits for some of the chaos to die down before she speaks up. ”I think we have what we need here, it is time to go out and look at it for ourselves, I am not particularly good at climbing but if we set up a rope, or someone knows where we can find ladders up to the top of the wall I will accompany those who can.”

Khay has been trying to think like a constable, but hears "Climbing" and gets excited.

"I'll do it! Let me take the rope up. I have a rope. Let me," he says eagerly.

Khay steps outside and looks around. He is trying to find a roof with a good view around the market. Most other concerns he believes can be ignored; comfort, safety, accessibility.

The roof tops turn out to be quite a sight.

Nothing unexpected... everyone here has a pretty good idea of what is up there, being on the bottom all the time looking up.

But once up, the perspective is all different.  Some things become obvious, others less.  For one, moving across the roof tops would be quite a challenge.  Khay Vass can do it, but he's good at things like this.  Most people would struggle.

This is because the roofs of Auxene are built to handle that heavy winter snow load.  They are pitched, many of them quite steeply, and moving across the sloped roof can easily lead to a slip and fall.  (Ask an Auxene healer about the number of roofers that come to them for help!)

The market is laid out in a U shape. Every building on the east and west side has a short terrace on the back side, and then a small back yard, and then there is the rear wall. On the west, past the back wall is a street, and then the town's old perimeter wall.  On the right side, there is a street, and across the street there are the small stucco and timber buildings of the Old Town.  The back row of shops, the end of the U, has no rear yard.  Those shops are backed up right against Old Town, which is a tight maze of roofs of different heights.

   From up on top Khay can see that one roof here would be easier to navigate than the others.  That's the Herbalist's roof.  She built a series of platforms for growing herbs on the roof, with a catwalk.  It's the sort of thing that if not done very carefully would lead to a lot of leaks, but it gives her a lot more growing space... and would allow someone to move across her roof easily.  Some of it looks damaged.

The rest of it... clearly, to cross these roofs, the thieves must be agile, and know what they are doing.


Down below, collecting reports, the others collaborate that.  The pale Elf woman can give a really accurate height report... "Just about my height", which would be just a little over five feet.  And thin.  The others concur... it seems that the thieves are not as large and heavy as a typical adult male human.  Though some are taller than the one the Elf woman reports.  Or maybe those reports aren't accurate.

As for exact appearance, no one can say, the thieves hide their appearance.  But the witnesses hit upon a common feature.  yes, they were masked, all of them,  but they always have hoods, and those hoods are always pale grey.  It's not than uncommon an item of clothing in Auxene but they always wear them no matter what the weather.  Of course they never come when it's wet... and of course the roofs are exceptionally treacherous then!

They also agree that the ones in charge are taller than the others.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:13, Sun 21 Mar 2021.

"Hmm..." She considered a moment. "Perhaps a trap to catch a few of them?"

Khay stands on the roof, looking around. He plants his fists on his hips and scowls as he ponders.

"This is treacherous terrain. One false step, if it were wet or dark, and you would tumble. Even I would not want to take this at speed. But this is their preferred method of arrival and departure. They must be either far more skilled than I, or much more willing to take risks. Or perhaps they have some secret advantage. Could that be why they have never climbed the easiest roof?"

Still puzzled, Khay unspools his rope and begins to lower it down.

"Caution if you choose to rise, constables! The roofs are not easy to traverse. Perhaps someone down there could inspect the herbalists' shop in detail?"

20:46, Today: Khay Vass rolled 9 using 1d20+3.  perception.

Khay may be overstating the case... for him, at least.  He is certain among the more capable characters when it comes to negotiating roofs, possibly the most capable.

But it does mean it is best done with light weight, and agility.

Especially, as every native here is probably aware, in the poorer neighborhoods, where stepping onto the wrong section of roof can send one falling through the roof.  Old Town, though, is not like that.  It's dense and crowded and many poor people live there, but overall the buildings are old and well built and tough.

In the social order of Auxene, the shop keepers here are definitely middle of the pyramid.  With a broad generality, there are three economic categories:

The top:  You own stuff, and really don't have to work yourself.
The middle:  You own stuff and you have to work.
The bottom:  You don't own stuff, you work, but with other people's stuff.

That puts even the lower end of shopkeepers firmly in Auxene's middle.

Several of the shopkeepers look with interest at Theirastra Nailo.  The "trap" approach intrigues them.

"Wouldn't mind it at all if they took a tumble off a roof," the Cobbler says.  "I'll help!"

He means it, of course- Cobblers have tools and know how to use them.

Clearly welling to accept the assessment from above Andrea waits below with those less inclined to climb.  ”Some sort of trap is not a bad idea, I presume that will need to be at night, and we might want to make a few rumors to the effect that something important or valuable could be here or passing through on a particular night.  I believe we can make use of the herbalists roof as well, posting at least one observer up there to watch for their arrival from a vantage point they won't be expecting or using themselves.”

The merchants of the Harbor Market love the idea of a trap.

But Andrea's point means... someone has to pony up the bait.  Or rumors of bait.

"You mean something they'll actually come for, instead of being random," the apple seller says.  Well I can't help, it's just different day, more fruit for me.  And at night the cart is locked away."

The barber shrugged.  "Special hair tonic?  Not like I..."  He suddenly looks off in the direction of the herbalist's shop.  "Well she's got all kinds of special things, it would be perfectly normal for her to have something really interesting in there."

"But she's..."  the hair stylist begins.

"A bit odd," the pale Elven woman. "I make gloves and belts and leather trim and things... maybe I could make something really nice and put in the window?"

"Or say you just got some fancy Elven material," the Cobbler says.  "I mean, you are..."

"Not an Elf," the woman says.  "I am Sylphin.  But.. I guess I could... if not the herbalist."

Theirastra nodded at the townsfolk, and Andrea. "It would appear as though we have both our bait idea, a basic idea of a plan, and plenty of help. Now to make the trap." She said offering the cobbler a gentle smile.

"Yeah, mate. They might could fall for a trap if they had a nice shiny to be going after. Maybe since they all wore the same clothes, yeah? You could make somefin extra special like, that would already fit in with how they dress, but would make one stand out more. You know what I mean?"

Glenmark does have some insight here...

"What kind of trap am I making?" the Cobbler asks.  "Snares?  Or something?"

The cobbler is a very "urban" man- he can fix all kinds of shoes, boots, and leather gear expertly, but rural skills like trap making... he's never had the opportunity to engage in that.  Still, he seems ready and eager.  If someone can tell him what to make, he can make it!

Khay picks his route across the roofs. Stepping lightly, he makes his way from one end of the harbour's half circuit to another. He pauses occasionally, taking in the obstacles and the roofs' states of repair.

Andrea slides through the crowd to speak directly to the Cobbler.  ”We are the trap, you need only manufacture some kind of bait, and be sure it is on display in a place that seems easy to sneak up to, but offers a good view from the roof of the Herbalist's shop, if we only have one kind of bait we risk catching only a small number of thieves.”

"We should manufacture something to capture one encase we fail. They seem to be more adept at using the rooftops then we are. So we either need to get them inside the building where that agility is worthless, and or have something setup out here that they will fall into should that not succeed." Theira said, considering the Cobbler's question.

"I tell you what, mates. Maybe I knows someone who can help us find where these buggers been hiding out. I think I'll leave you lot to setting the trap while I go and have a chat wi' him. If it pans out, I'll let you know what's what. If not, then I'll be back in a jiff."

Climbing across roofs Khay can find where they are damaged the most.. that is, other than the herbalist's damaged rooftop garden.

That would be the roofs on the north side, directly facing the Old Town.  Cracked and damaged roof tiles are all over the place, definitely more than elsewhere.

At one point, he finds a brick chimney with a rope around it.

Oddly, it would not really be needed to climb down to the adjoining Old Town roof.  Here, the buildings are snug against each other- directly behind the chimney at the Fruit and Vegetable market is a large shed with an old planked and sodded roof.

Old Town, of course, is not on the list of places where the Constables are as of yet permitted to make arrests.  It is technically private property, belonging mostly to the Duchess of Pomton.  She has a reputation in town:  aloof, remote, uncaring.  She has people who manage people who manage things for her.

But the rope would hardly be needed to get down to that shed roof from here- not a hard climb at all.  And the rope is wrapped around the chimney several times- even if one wanted to use it makes little sense as a climbing aid from Old Town, as one would first have to climb up here and unwrap and lower the rope down to the shed!

Meanwhile, they plan out the trap in the market.  Stage one, of course, is setting the bait.

They Sylphin woman is a little nervous at the thought that her shop is the one being used for the bait, but then... she understands that hers is among the more logical choices.

"You will have someone here watching at all times, in secret?" she asks.  "Otherwise they will come and no matter what happens, make their escape and run."

It doesn't look like it would be possible to make a trap that would physically catch them all at once.  The shops are small, and the descriptions of the attacks have them spread out.

Does anyone in the party have either proficiency with thieves tools or a survival skill?  These are relevant to creating a trap. Otherwise you are left with the skills of the Cobbler.   

Glenmark has another idea, and heads over to the Fort Triumph thread. 

"Yes, we'll be sure to have someone here at all times." She said in a reassuring tone and with a gentle nod.

Then she looked towards her companions. "Can anyone help the Cobbler in making the trap? I myself lack the skills and knowledge."

Still not inclined to the physical trap idea Andrea tries one more time.  ”Anything we make as a physical trap will just make it easier for them to spot the real trap, there are going to be some street urchins tagging along most likely, but there will also be some professionals mixed in, and if any of them spot a significant change they will know something is up and be gone before we can catch them.”

Khay decides that there is no legitimate purpose for the rope being where it is. He works to untie it, then loops it and puts it over his arm.

Khay stands, hands on hips, looking into the nearby property of some Duchess or something. He glances around looking for any grounds-keepers.

The market folk finally get what Andrea was talking about... not a simple physical trap that would ensare or drop a net on a thief, but trap in concept, a baited lure that would draw them in where they could be caught by the constables.

"Aha," says the apple cart owner.  "It's metaphorical.  I heard about things like that.  It's like wizard stuff."

There are a couple of odd looks.  The glove maker looks like she almost wants to ask, "What?" but restrains herself in order to focus on the immediate issue.

"Elven kid skin is expensive," she says.  "It's soft, thin, high quality... If I had some, or they thought I did, they would look for it.  If a sign said 'In Back Please Inquire' they might come in to look for it, and the shop is small, and they could get caught.  That's what we're trying to do, right?"

"I could still make something," the Cobbler says.

"But you would have to be very close," the glove maker continues, "to get here before they escape.  Someone would have to be in the market, and not wearing the uniform.  They'd be cautious if they saw the uniform."

One thing that becomes clear from talking to the people here- thievery is a daytime issue for them.  First, that's when the shops are open, people are around, and goods are on display.  At night, things are shuttered and goods locked away.  Also, as sneaky as they are, prowling around at night makes one very obvious.  During the day, they could be blending into the population in minutes.

Also, as Khay has surmised, the roofs are tricky enough during daytime.  Running around up there at night, unless one had the night vision of an Elf, would be dangerous.  That would be the mark of an experienced expert thief, and those would go for much more valuable targets.  There'd be no reason for expert thieves to waste their time raiding a local common market.

Theirastra considers for a moment and nods. "That could be enough. Just the idea that something of value is here could be enough."

Then she lifted a brow at the mention of 'elven kid skin'. "Elven kid skin?" The Eladrin Elf asked, calmly, but carefully and sternly. It might be the not being from here thing.

"I think they mean some sort of goat!" shouts Khay from above. "An elven child is called a 'sprout'!"

Khay continues to look around on the nearby duchess' grounds for anyone there.

Khay has a little more chance to observe Old Town.

There has been a little misunderstanding with the description of it being the property of the Duchess of Pomton.  This is true.  It is her property.  But she does not live here.  The land underneath this crowded, chaotic, and densely built section of city belongs to her, and she collects rent from them.

She lives, much of the time, in the very large sprawling estate on the east side of town, not far away, reachable through the very impressive gate at W 17 on the map. Old Town isn't her only property, she also owns the beach area on the north side of town.

Pomera has a feudal system- the nobility owns most of the land.  Well over 90% of people rent or are provided homes in return for service.

*****************

"Elven Kid Skin," the glove maker woman says.  "I think it's from some kind of goat.  It's what we call it.  Truth is, I don't know where the Elves actually get it, but it makes the softest gloves, and other things.  I've only even touched it once, it's really soft, a little stretchy, and shiny.  The most perfect leather."

*****************

We have a scene change here, as the crew waits for the next move on the part of their prey.  We skip threads to:

A Trap Sprung... sort of.