Izumi sighed tiredly as she sat down on the stepladder and looked down at the kitchen floor. Behind her, in the main tavern room, she could hear voices, some raised in rough laughter and muddled conversations. The shouts of triumps and sighs of disappointment from patrons playing cards, mixed with the rattling of bone dice. The thumping of tankards being banged on tables accompanying and almost drowning the pleasant voice of the house musician, Gerry.

The Rusty Bucket wasn't the nicest tavern in the Dock district, problably not even in the top five, but the ale was reasonable priced and Orryn, the owner, didn't water it down too much. This meant that the place was usually full from about lunch time into late evening, and today was worse than normal. Apparently one of the major convoys of the merchant fleet had put in this morning, and sailors and marines had flooded into the docks hungry for entertainment after weeks at sea.

A clanking rustle of plates and pans brought Izumi's head back up. The smell of fried vegetables and boiled meat filled her nostrils as the Bucket's cook, a tiny female halfling named Kattie, slid a couple of plates onto the table next to Izumi, each filled with steaming food, 'Order up!'. She lookover at Izumi, a slightly concerned smile crossing her face, 'You ok Iz? You're looking tired'.

Izumi blew a stray lock of her inky-black hair out of her eyes with a sigh and smiled wanly at the little cook.  "Sailors don't watch their hands," she says before exhaling again and standing up.  The evening was young, yet; no sense wasting time here.  She stretched her back, lean muscles making themselves visible for a moment, and then picked up the plate of food.  "Out it goes, hope the other girls are faring better," she then steels herself for the onslaught and heads out of the kitchen to deliver theplate, deftly maneuvering between tables, rowdy guests and wayward hands.

The noise rose to new levels as Izumi entered the tavern room. Smoke drifted among beams along the ceiling giving the room the heavy smell of burning wood, pipe tobacco and food. Weaving her way through the throng of people towards one of the tables, where she could see three patrons waiting, two of them with eager smiles at the sight of the plates. 'Ah Finally!', the first one, a massive goliath reached for his food, almost grabbing it out of Izumi's hand, "I could eat a whale!'. The other nodded apologetically to her as he took his plate, "You'll have to forgive my friend'. The sailor, a squat half orc woman, with short blonde hair braided into a ponytail, smiled 'We haven't had anything decent for a while', she held out her hand with the money for the meal.

"Thank you," Izumi says with a short bow as she takes the coins; old habits were hard to forget.    "Where did you guys come in from?" she asks as she picks up any empty cutlery or mugs (and indicating with a gesture if any empty mugs needed a refill.)

The orc woman nodded and sat back down, setting the plate down, 'Oh, we just came in on the Silver Coin, trading ship in the convoy. Two month trip to the Angh'Jer penninsula and back...'. Though Izumi had heard the name before, she didn't know a lot about the penninsula. Most of Angh, the continent to the east, was covered in vegetation and deep forests, but the Penninsula had always been known as a place of foreboding jungles that seemed to resist any attempts to tame the land. '...good to be home I'll tell ya', the sailor laughed and clinked her mug with the goliath.



OOC: 12:55, Today: GM, on behalf of Izumi Ran, rolled 11 using 1d20.  Int (history).
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:05, Tue 19 Apr 2022.

"Angh'Jer, huh?" she aks doing her best imitation of a vacant look, as though she is dumb as a doorknob.  "What did you guys get there?"  She shifts her wweight as though preparing to return to the kitchen, but waits for aresposne.

The orc shrugged, 'Food stuffs and spices mostly', she looked up at Izumi with smile, and looked around for second before leaning in, 'Must've been pretty important though. Got a friend who's a marine, who said he'd heard the Council had some of the big wigs onboard the convoy flagship going along to oversee things'. She leaned back and took a swig of ale, 'Weird huh?'. Before she could reply, a deep voice sounded over the noise, 'Iz! Get a move on, got customers waiting'. The voice belonged to Orrym Hradik, the owner and bartender of the Rusty Buckets, a stout dwarf with fiery red hair and a massive beard, usually worn in finely braided rolls across his voluminous stomach. Orrym wasn't a harsh man, by any measure, but he did seem to have a knack for catching sight of anyone 'lounging about' as he called it.


OOC:
18:54, Today: GM, on behalf of Izumi Ran, rolled 21 using 1d20+2.  cha (persuasion).

Izumi jumped in the proper way of a startled employee caught dawdling, bowed to the customers and returned quickly with the empty cups, handing Orrym the coins they paid for the meal.  She continued about her business, but now eavesdropping on a lot more conversations, and prompting a few with pointed questions, and tables trying to piece together what she can about the expedition that just returned.

Orrym nodded with a smile as Izumi retrieved more mugs, 'Thank you...'. Weaving her way back through the tables Izumi, was soon back to work, though this time her smile and friendly demeanor hid a more inquisitive mind. Asking around as she walked back and forth from the kitchen to the patrons, she soon gained a better picture of the expedition. A couple of council envoys had travelled on one of the convoys trading ships, The Gull. Owned by a local merchant named Ashkern, the Gull had apparently split off just before the convoy docked at the trading station, and rejoined a few days later.

OOC:
19:05, Today: GM, on behalf of Izumi Ran, rolled 14 using 1d20+2.  cha (persuasion).

Well, that was certainly interesting, Izumi thinks to herself as she moves about the commons.  She didn't know too much about navigation, but it seemed to her that if a ship were to pull away and then rejoin before the others arrived, she needed to be fast and not gone very long, else the rest of them were slowing on purpose.  Perhaps a visit to this Ashkern's place was warranted?  As she moved about she tried to get a sense of where his place of business was located: his residence if he worked from there, otherwise an office of some sort.

---

17:10, Today: Izumi Ran rolled 4 using 1d20+2.  Persuasion, assuming it is the same skill.  Which she seems to have failed miserably.  Even if she used Deception to weasel it out of someone, it would be a 6 only.

Made up from mostly now somewhat drunken sailors and regulars, the patrons of the Rusty Bucket seemed to know little of Ashkern's residence, but his place of business was in the Docks district. A two story building on the edge of the warehouse area of the district.

The rest of Izumis shift seemed to pass quickly enough, the work and eager customers easily distracting her for the remaining couple of hours. As she was about to leave Orrym called her over, and placed a gold coin in her hand, "Hard work today Izumi, but you did good", he smiled, "See you tommorrow".

"Thank you," Izumi says pocketing the gold coin before hanging up her apron and heading for her lodging.  She arranged a loft in someone's home, a room with a slanted ceiling in the attic space of a house.  It was more expensive than a flop house but safer and more private.  She went there now and went straight to her room where she changed her clothes and prepared to go via one of the attic windows, heading across the rooftops for Ashkern's place of business.

Renting a room in Docks wasn't as easy as it sounded, withg the multitude of sailors and dockworkers frequenting the area, such spaces were at a premium. Still, with Orrym's help, Izumi had been lucky enought to find a spot near the gate leading to the Warrens.

Agatha Stonnis had recently been widowed, after her husbands ship was lost after an attack by pirates, and as a means of helping to keep the house she and her children lived in, she had begun letting out her loft, to supplement her income. A large friendly woman, Agatha had seemd relieved when she opened the door to see Izumi on the other side, and Izumi suspected the mother of four had been dreading having to take in a more rough sort of boarder.
The attic itself was fairly pleasant, if a little small. Slanted walls gave the place a slightly caustrophobic feel, but it was dry, warm and above all private. A couple of small cloudy windows gave access to the rooftop and to those of the surrounding buildings.

Creeping along the rooftops was not without its dangers though, the Docks was a lively place, and there were usually a few people on the streets at all times, Some heading home from a long day, others just starting their night shifts. The business of making money never really stopped in Port Azure. Still, the trip to Ashkern's trading house was a short one. A squat two story building with a wood tiled roof. By the looks of the warm light emanating from the few narrow windows Izumi could see, the upper floor likely also served as an abode, although whether to Ashkern himself or one of his people, she couldn't see. The bottom floor however was clearly the business part of the building. Secured with shuttered windows and a solid looking oak door, upon which she could see a brass plaque.

Moving as quietly as shadow Izumi moved along the roof of the Ashkern building and peered cautiously through one of the lit windows to see who was in there and to get a better sense of place.

---

09:40, Today: Izumi Ran rolled 24 using 1d20+4.  Stealth.

Gliding across the roof top, to glance down through a small roof window into the lit interior of the upper floor, Izumi saw what looked like a small sitting room. Well furnished with leather covered chairs, the room had a wellworn feel to it. A few bookcases, cabinets and a small fireplace lined the walls around a couple of leather covered chairs and a small table. In the chair closets to the fire, Izumi could make out the shape of a man. Dressed in a comfortable robe and sporting a long thin pipe hanging from the side of his mouth, a long thin smoke trail coming from the top, he seemed completely engrossed with a small red book in his hands. On the table beside him was a small stack of papers, and a couple of long rolled up pieces of vellum.

Making her way back up, Izumi moves to the rear of the house and looks for a way in: window on either floor, or the back door of the house, whatever seems easiest.

---

19:44, Today: Izumi Ran rolled 20 using 1d20+4. As needed (Stealth in this case, but could be any skill with a roll of 16 plus.)

Creeping back across the roof top, Izumi could see several windows, at both ground level and second story. All of them seemed closed and shuttered, but looking down across the building she suddenly noticed the window closest beneath her shift and open. One of the shutters opened and she could hear a femal voice, 'There, I'll open a window. That should help".

Izumi hangs down getting closer to the window, trying to peer in and see what is going on.  If there is a family and they are preparing to sleep it would mean an opportunity to enter the house.

Trying to lower herself closer to the window, Izumi felt the shingles start to shift slightly under her feet, creaking and flexing as she tried to get a better look. Quickly pulling back Izumi managed to keep her footing, but looking back down she considered that she might need something more to get down to the window than just her innate ability.


OOC.
22:08, Today: GM, on behalf of Izumi Ran, rolled 8 using 1d20+5.  acrobatics (dex).

Moving to a corner of the house where she can get easier purchase, Izumi attempts to climb down to the ground so she can circle the house from below and find another way in.

---

09:43, Today: Izumi Ran rolled 10 using 1d20+3.  Athletics.