In reply to Breya (msg # 70):

The elf raises an eyebrow.  "Look.  It's a tough world.  I'm just tryin' to get by.

"Anyway.  Maybe we can negotiate here."  He looks over everyone of you.

"You guys were interested in that scarecrow.  Were ya maybe lookin' for something specific?  Like...messages gettin' stuck inside it?"

Kozibi was starting to wonder if this elf had a death wish. He was seemingly intent on seriously pissing Breya off enough to get himself killed. He winced and started to look away but then the elf spoke up again.

Kozibi rolled his eyes. "Ohhh of course you have information to barter." He shook his head. "I suppose in return you want us to stop Breya from killing you?" He glanced at Bellinha. "Does Salt Lick have a jail?"

"They only need a rabbit cage, I will stuff him in it!"  Breya promised.

Bellinha had carefully removed the coffee pot from Breyas hand and carefully put it back on the table.  She had no doubt that Breya could accomplish what she had threatened with the pot, and the Elf would probably have deserved it.  He seemed so annoying and...and annoying, which would hardly justify having pottery forcibly inserted into him, but the more that he said and the nonchalant way that he said it had her wondering if maybe Breya had the right idea.

"Salt Lick does have a jail.  Norvis Potts oversees it." she replied to Kozibi.  She decided to embellish a little. "It hardly looks very comfortable.  It's a little unkempt and I can't remember the last time that Norvis said that they had cleaned it out.  There's not a lot of crime here that requires time in the jail so they tend to neglect cleaning it.  The cockroaches don't seem to mind though."

As she spoke, Bellinha eyed the Elf.  How did he know that they were looking into the messages that were being traded in the Scarecrow?  Was this elf Alfie?

In reply to Bellinha Grunnel (msg # 74):

The elf seems to brighten up when you mention the jail.

"That sounds like a fine idea!  Let's put me in jail!  Right away!

"Well?  Are we going to jail or not?"

He glances at you Kozibi

"Yeah, I got info.  I mean you didn't come out here lookin' to buy some eggplants, didja?  Than what are you lookin' for?  C'mon.  I haven't got all day."

Kozibi rolled his eyes and gave a theatrical sigh. "Yes, very true, I do not have all day and Breya wouldn't wait that long to snap you like a toothpick."

He glanced over and gestured towards the Scarecrow. "Let us start with the scarecrow. And the messages you mentioned." He leaned forward. "Who sends and receives them? Have you...pilfered any and read them, or still have them?"

Breya was about to break him into pieces, but Kozibi asked the right question.

Breya had a theory, but given how cockamamie this whole situation was, who knew if it had any merit.

In reply to Breya (msg # 77):

The elf grins broadly at the rather astute question.  "Finally!  Someone who's more brain than brawn!  Well.  Not that you seem to have much going on with the brawn..

"But yes!  I do know something about the messages!  And yes.  I do have a couple of them."

He narrows his eyes.  "Get She-Bull here off me, and I'll tell you where one is right now.  It's close and I won't move until one of you goes and gets it.  How's that for proving my good intentions?"

This Elf seemed far too eager to go to jail.  That was odd.  Who would want to go to jail when they could have made some deal for their freedom, offering what they knew in trade for their freedom.

"I somehow doubt that referring to my companions in such a manner will endear you to them."  she said, kneeling down at the Elf side and lightly tapping him on the forehead.  "That will only get you squashed into jelly.  How about you tell us what you know about these notes as a way of making nice."

The veins on Breya's forehead were visibly bulging.  She just wanted to kill him so much at this point.

She was actually under control at this point, but she was letting her anger visibly boil on the surface, figuring it was helping.  Somehow.

Kozibi's eyes narrowed at the haphazardly-insulting elf. He glanced down at himself and then gave a shrug and half-nod of agreement. He was not overly-developed in the muscle area. Partly on purpose.

"The less you insult and the more you help, the better your chances are, really." He smiled too sweetly.

In reply to Kozibi Januson (msg # 81):

The elf wriggles his mouth as he thinks and at last, shrugs.  "Well.  Not much to tell.  This guy comes by the house...what?  Maybe once or twice a month.  He sticks a note in the scarecrow.  A day or two later, someone comes and gets it.  I usually don't see who.  Whoever they are is sneaky as hell.  But I do know they head into the woods to the north.

"I got curious and looked at a few of the notes.  Wrote down what they said too.  Just in case.  I'll tell ya where the page with my scribbles are and you let me loose.  Deal?"

Kozibi leaned forward. "Describe the person who sticks the notes in the scarecrow in as much detail you can muster." He paused and then smiled wickedly. "As if your life depended on it." He left unsaid that it might actually, but Breya was making that point for him.

"Unless you know their name, of course? That would be simpler."

In reply to Kozibi Januson (msg # 83):

The elf eyes Breya and then sighs.

"I think it's one of the fishermen.  Looks the type.  Overalls.  Fishing boots.  Little hooks stuck through the brim of his cap.  Ya know.

"Le's see...unshaven but not quite a beard.  Brownish hair?  Maybe towards the blackish side.  About as tall as..."  He gestures at Jevin.

"Oh.  And he kinda smells like fish guts.  Got downwind of him a couple of times."

Kozibi and Belinha, that sounds like every fisherman you've met thus far in Salt Lick.

The elf shrugs again.  A shrugger, this elf.  "That's the best description I can give ya.  If I see him again, I can point at him.  But...that's the best I can tell ya."

Kozibi rolled his eyes and let out a loud dramatic sigh. "That...is unhelpful, unfortunately. That describes like...90% of the fishermen in town." He shook his head.

"Alright. Fine. Sorry, our fault for hoping there would be something...distinctive about the person. Let's go with YOUR suggestion instead. Let's check out one of the notes you copied I guess." He shrugged. "Point the way please."

In reply to Kozibi Januson (msg # 85):

"Well I would like some show of faith that you'll let me off, but..." he glances at Breya. "I guess that's not happening.  Fine."

He reaches towards his boot.  "Relax. It's in my boot.  My feet may smell bad, but it's probably no worse than Big Bertha here's breath."

He pulls off the boot.  Wrapped around one leg is a parchment.  He peels it off and offers it to whoever is willing to take the oddly damp and fragrant scroll.

It seems to be some kind of diary.  He makes little notes to himself like

Fri. Day 288.  Had some toast for breakfast.  It was a little too crisp.  No butter.  Great sadness.  Saw this chick with a huge rack.  Great joy

Tues. Day 302.  Had toast for breakfast.  Not quite done enough.  Still a little chewy in teh middle.  Good boysenberry jam for it though.

Thurs. Day 304.  Toast was really disappointing.  They only had rye bread.  Who only has rye bread?  They deserve bad things.  Great sadness. Much anger.

And so on.  Yes, most of the entries seem to deal with toast.

But you do see intermittent notes throughout, all marked Scarecrow Note

Today's Scarecrow note:  (Ship named Gibbeon's Dog.  Bound from Coinhaven in two weeks.  Shipment set to include furs.  Definite)

(Ship named The Creamy Dumpling.  Talked to crew at tavern.  Return trip back from Burkersburg to LongHall.  Taking on lumber.  Skip it.  Not worth the hit.)

(Grunnel patrol came through.  Disguising themselves as a tug called Pull This Finger.  On hunt for Yo Ho Hos.  Skip 'em)

The scarecrow notes are all in a similar vein.  Notes about ships.  A pattern emerges.

Whoever "Alfie" is, they seem to be tracking ships that come through Salt Lick.  Since many ships stay over for the night, it wouldn't be hard to mingle with the crew and get intel.  Like what their shipments are.  What their schedule is.  If they are actually pirate hunters working for one of the families.

Alfie seems to be feeding targets to the Boss Pirate.

The elf grins.  More of a leer.

"So.  I think I know what you're all interested in.  I mean, it doesn't take a abjuration specialist to figure out what these notes are about, right?

"And I might have an idea about how you can use this to your advantage.  But of course, it's gonna cost ya.

"I'll tell you my idea.  And point out the guy planting these notes to you.  And you let me walk.  I'll be outta here so fast, it'll make the ugly one over there look good."

He doesn't specify which one of you he is referring to as "the ugly one".

Breya had been silent and feigning rage (well, perhaps not feigning, but she'd gotten it on a leash), but now she spoke up.

"How about you spill him, or I'll spill you?"

She cracked her knuckles.

Looks at charsheet-
Updated for Bellinha's calculations. Thank you Bellinha!

Also my skill ranks weren't updated last time I leveled up, so I fixed that.

I'm ignoring any possible circumstance bonus here.

19:35, Today: Breya rolled 10 using 1d20+8.  Intimidate .

lol well that was craptastic

Belinha re-read the notes for the third time.  The contents of the notes were worth the icky feeling of knowing where the papers had been kept.  She was really going to have to scrub her hands clean after this.

"And where are you going to run to?" she asked, distractedly.  The thought that someone was spying on ships passing through Salt Lick was disturbing.  No wonder the pirates were able to acquire so much wealth.  Bellinha looked up at the Elf.  "How long have you been staying here to know the schedule of when the notes are placed into the scarecrow....mister...what do we call you?"

In reply to Bellinha Grunnel (msg # 89):

The elf sighs.  "Okay.  Don't laugh.  Flea.  I Flea.  The "I" stands for Ichabod.  But everyone just calls me Flea. Okay?"

He shrugs.  "I noticed the guy coming to the scarecrow...what?  Six months ago?  Seven months ago?  You can tell by the dates in my journal."

The dates on the scroll seem to jibe with what he's saying.

"Anyway," he waves a hand impatiently towards the front door.  "You wanted to find this guy.  And I wanna stop seeing the lot of you.  So shall we head to the village?  We can look around and I'll point him out if I see him."

"Fine.  But we're holding hands because we're such good friends."  Breya made it very clear this was not negotiable.  "Stick out your wrist.  Jevin, search him.  And I mean check everywhere."

In reply to Breya (msg # 91):

Flea laughs and holds out his wrists, hiking up a leg so Jevin can have an easier time searching.

"Wow.  Two at once.  And I don't even have to pay for it.  Just promise me you'll still respect me in the morning."

The elf has a spell book, some components, a couple of ordinary daggers, and other basic adventuring type stuff. Nothing exciting.

Unless there is anything else you want to do at the house here, you may all move on to the "Hijinx Ensue" thread.

Thanks

Bellinha took the spell book.  "I'll just hold on to this for you in the meantime." she said.  Since Flea was a spell caster, he would probably put a high value on his spell book.  If Bell had it, she was sure that he would behave, or he'd not get it back.  Of course the threat of being squished by Breya made for a good threat, so the spell book would have to be option B.

Before they bust a move, Cass would check out the spell book.
Evidently she’s be interested in stealing a couple of spells from it. Maybe she meant sharing, but she definitely thought stealing first. To be fair, it would be the least she would expect, as retribution for being drugged and very nearly besmirched by the sad excuse for an elven wizard…

anything interesting ?
 Sorry about the delay!!

In reply to Cassandre Lagrene (msg # 94):

Hi Cass.  See Koz's reply in OOC.  And please head over to the "Hijinx Ensue" thread.  We are wrapping up a combat there.

Thanks