With the day having been interesting to each person, the time was decided for each to return to the inn to meet with the rest of the group. The Laughing Lamia inn was on of the largest in Emon, located on the  Abdar's Promenade.

The first three to return were the two women Annica and Cora with the wizard Wilfred. All three were dirty, covered in blood and showed signs of fatigue. When they entered the tavern in the early afternoon. At the time it was reasonably quiet with a scattering of patients. The workers, a atractive half orc woman, a dragonborn male and two humans that looked alike took note of the dirty and injured trio.

One of the humans came over and smiled. "Welcome....up, to the laughing Lamia. I am Isabelle - you can sit wherever you like. Dinner isn't for another few hours. We have a stew of venison simmering, and a boar on teh spit out the back. I will return shortly for any drink orders."

About an hour or so later, the next group came in - the human Don, The flighty Echo and ever surly goliath woman Kiala, along with a paled skin man carrying a pack.

Dinner time came and was served, and the group wondered on the last member - the halfling Wapi and his whereabouts.

---

<OOC: For the purpose of moving things along, i have moved us forward. Wapi is noticably absent. Annica, Cora and Wilfred, you have been here for an hour or two when the second group (with a stranger) in tow>

When the others returned, Wilfred was cleaning himself up. "Filthy business, that."

Cora washed up as soon as she entered the inn, getting the dead dwarf's blood off her hands as much as possible.  Then she came back to the table, and set about cleaning and reloading her pistol.  She didn't disassemble it entirely -- she wasn't too sure that she'd be able to put it back together again just yet, but she made sure every moving part was clean and moving well.

Then she pulled out the map they'd secured from the Port, and looked at the marked locations, her almond-shaped eyes darting up towards the door every time it opened, hoping to see Wapi enter.

After half an hour, she got up and went outside, grabbing the nearest child and producing a cooper piece.  "Do you know the Drunken Firbolg?" she asked.  When she found one who knew of the tavern, she pressed the copper piece into their hand.  "I need you to take a message for me.  Find a halfling named Wapi, if he's there.  He'll be easy to spot, if you know what to look for.  Not much taller than you, but he'll have big bare feet, long black hair, and sun-brown skin.  He has really cool-looking paint on his face, and a necklace made of bones."

"Find him and tell him to come here to the Laughing Lamia.  if he's not there, talk to Jhesan -- she's a half-orc behind the bar.  Give the message to her and ask her to pass it on to Wapi."

Then she went back inside and settled down to wait -- something she was never really good at.

Annica had washed her clothing from the blood, hers and the dwarf's. She also had patched herself like she could from that arrow to her belly, cursing silently against edged weapons, they were so messy! A good bunk with her staff, admittedly boosted with magic, was much more cleaner to stop someone. She kept a eye on Captain Trouble, feeding him some treats to make sure he wouldn't go pester the other patrons for food. The raccoon was chatty and she thought that he was berating her for leaving him behind when she had teleported in the the warehouse, an useful trick the feys had taught her to slip out of the house to go play with them. But there was nothing she could do about it.

Cora was fidgety, the fighter being her usual self. "Calm down, Cora, Wapi and the others are adults, I'm sure they are still looking for those missing persons. And if they aren't, well, what can we do about it? "

Petting the raccoon, she was outwardly calm, but she was worried about the druid, she kinda like the halfling.

“Oh hey guys!” Echo looks around the room at her companions. “Yeah, we made a mess too, just not of ourselves. We also picked up someone new…”

She uses her mage hand to pull out a chair & turn it around backwards before she sits down in it.

As Kiana entered the inn where she'd be staying the last few days, she bellowed to the serving girl. "Isabelle, my ale please! LARGE!" As soon as she got the mug, she drained it in a single, gigantic gulp.

Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she handed the mug back to the girl. "That hit the spot, little lady. Another for dinner, please." When dinner was served, she ate with gusto.

Don entered and gave a nod to those companions who were present. The tribal halfling was notably absent, but the rest all seemed to be accounted for. Don took note of Cora's pistol-cleaning, wondering if she did it out of habit or because she'd been forced to use it. There was comfort in disciple, a sense of security and an opportunity to get your mind off of other things.

Don hated that feeling.

There was far too much going on in the world to block it all out and pretend it wasn't there. There was also a massive void in his memories that made getting lost in his thoughts a similar feeling to dancing around the ledge of a tall building with nothing but darkness and death waiting below, should you fall.


Don hated that feeling, too.

He ordered a drink, collecting it before he went to go and sit with the others. "We got a little information. Maybe a bit of a lead, too. You?"

Wordlessly, Cora took out the folded map from her pocket and unfolded it on the table, showing the three locations circled.  She tapped the first circle -- in the dockside district -- and said "We were here.  Found a group of dwarves who opened fire on us.  Took a few injuries, nothing serious.  One of them got away as far as we know -- and Wapi's missing.  Not sure if he's following them, or was seen and captured, but he's not with us."  Cora thrust the little wire brush into one of the barrels of the pistol a little harder than was strictly necessary.

She frowned. controlled herself, and brought the brush back out, tapped the second circle in the lower slums.  "I assume you were here?  You said you have a lead, but not an answer."

She tapped the third circle, outside the city, and a short distance up the coast.  "Safe to assume we should be looking here next?"

Her eyes flicked to the newcomer.  "Who's your new friend?  Another concerned citizen?"

Fyn walked in slowly, looked around the place. He also didn't know the new people - well, he didn't really know the people he had walked in with either - so he let them talk for a moment first. Then he finally stepped forward with a small nod and a bright smile.

"Fyntrallus Torryn, but you can call me Fyn if you like. I was asked if I could help with the investigation. I've only been involved for just a tiny bit now so haven't contributed yet."

He glanced at Don with a quizzical look, not wanting to flash the badge again just in case this was another place that wouldn't be good to do so.

Don indicated locations on the map as he shared the recap of their story. "Here met a tiefling, a member of some kind of group, but I couldn't tell you his name, much less the group's. We just know once him and Kiana had said their fill, others stepped out of the shadows to aid him if he wanted it. The badges aren't welcome down in the slums, by the way. Seems folks down there don't care much for a law they feel ain't there to protect them."

"He gave us locations, let us know that two of the names on our list weren't taken, they just ran off together as young lovers do." Don filled them in on the details of names and locations and such.

"She didn't want to talk to us there at the house, felt people were watching, so she sent us to a store. We met her there, saw the tiefling and some of his crew inside, along with an unknown that spooked her enough that she wouldn't talk inside the shop either, and asked me to meet her out back. I did, leaving Echo and Kiana inside to watch the others since we didn't know who was who. She got through 'bout two sentences before two fellows came our way, spooked her back into silence and inside the store."

"I let them know I wasn't in the mood for games, so they could either shut up and keep on walking or we could settle whatever it was they'd come to settle. One reached for a weapon and the other took a swing, so I gave them an education. The lesson didn't take long to teach. Then their buddy came out to collect them and they all ran off. I didn't realize at the time that those were the three watching her, or I'd have been more strict. She wasn't very clear in what little she did tell me, and things were moving fast, but I still should have put it together sooner than I had."

Echo takes a deep breath, annoyed that this process is not as easy as she thought it was going to be. She did not exactly have the intention for this to be a long-term gig. These people seemed competent enough, but it looked like the answers are just a little complicated.

She leans back in her chair & crosses her ankles, leaning back.

It was some time later that a dishevelled and exhausted Wapi wandered in to the Laughing Lamia.  As per his directions he'd made his way to the Drunken Firbolg, where fortunately a message had been left for him.  Not pausing for any self-care he made his way to the inn.

Out of breath he rushed into the room.  Seeing the group he came over.  He spent a moment eyeing the newcomer suspiciously but hearing the others talk, he assumed they were trusting of this new on.

Gasping, he let out his tale. "Me follow last.  Go nest.  Housegod.  Report to alpha, half human.  But not alpha, beta.  Alpha other.  Robe woman.  Speak of plans big.  Groups more.  See map.  Places see, outside village.  Me go, bad not see."

Wapi growled inwardly as he struggled to grasp the common tongue he had so frequently used in his life.

Cora spun the map on the table so Wapi could see.  "Can you mark the places on the map?"  She was exceptionally relieved to see the halfling, and even moreso that he had actionable intel for them.

Wapi waved to the barkeep to order a drink then turned his attention to the map.  He pointed to an area in the northwestern area of Emon.  "Nest," he said simply.

He then pointed to two areas outside Emon.  "On half human map."  The first area was slightly south of Emon.  The other point was near a bay west of the Daggerbay Mountains.

“Well let’s do this thing.” Echo slaps her hands together in acknowledgment. “Does anyone know anything about these areas?”
She preemptively stands & semi-politely waves the bartender over to ask.

Wilfred shook his head.  "I am sure someone knows, but maybe not in our group.  We might have to ask others."

The half orc brings a map over and puts it on the table. "20 silver"



<OOC: The green circle is where Wapi said the 'nest' was located

the red is where they were marked. The arrow is the direction that there was a big marking

The orange circle is where the Port team were

The purple was the market where the slum team was>

Cora frowned as she looked at the markings on the map.  [Language unknown: "Entre onhong art stwi leth of antherure?"] she swore, tracing lines from the various markings. 
"I can't say for certain, but it's possible the warehouse and this point," -- she tapped the green marking near the cemetery district -- "are hidey-holes.  Places they reach out from, take their targets," -- she tapped the red markings -- "and then retreat to.  Then when they have a full load, or at regular intervals, or whenever they feel the moons are right, they take everyone down south."  She traced the arrow pointing south with one finger.  "Impossible to say for certain without having seen more, but that's my working theory."

She glanced at Wapi again.  "This nest.  You followed one from our warehouse back to the nest.  This robed woman, speaking of big plans, and more groups.  Did you get a sense of how many groups?"

Capt Trouble had been overjoyed to see the halfling druid again and had been chattering towards him the moment he had showed up  even as the group was pouring over the map. Annica knew her friend was much better at tactics and she was content to follow her lead. "This seems to be a well organized group, and whatever we did so far, it probably didn't affect them too much. But both groups ended up in fights, they will expect that again. I would suggest not to separate again, if we are to fight we might as well be at full strength. And I've never seen someone like you, what happened to your skin, Fyn?" Her question was genuine, as she looked curiously at the newcomer.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:54, Tue 09 May 2023.

Don grunted, [Language unknown: "Ticonsnte it elave iners."] Don chuckled to himself, [Language unknown: "Us thall erenhe etitllme wit himo hertinlat bepema. E tic loce k sanecteenour era e t wiivad, ho plfo urno. Liniilti con atiratintres, mowi stpeic ei ntev eice antsomsom. In witote latlineenkor di Enes pl Of ameateeve i ad butromera thment ine lo loone preivethi ort in fotio arceof romeremen fipe ck omunca alai tiil ek."]

He looked over the plan, not entirely sure what to make of everything just yet, "In our case, they took one person and left watchers for the others. That means large numbers, organization, and manpower to spare. We're gonna have to even the numbers game one way or another, or things'll get outta hand when they figure out we're coming."

[Language unknown:  "Din, ce wiurta lo thi.  A thiredure wer wahi ngno whng o artes ndrilele.  Butla ou ic ta?  Siofou prean thi dinwi wh pless neles o stfoil.  Nd si ounama at, esugh Ad eraithart naarse a ainughman th linwi ove theeinioti on nias e t ughkormenrom."]

"I think they made a mistake when they took Damien.  I think they were covering their tracks.  I mean, it's possible that he was a plant, and the 'kidnapping' was an extraction ploy, but unlikely, unnecessarily complex, and it doesn't match reports of his loyalty.  I think he got too close, and they had to take him before he could tell anyone else."

"That was all over here at the warehouse."  Cora tapped the ports circle again.

Speaking up slightly to grab everyone's attention, Cora spread the map wide on the table showing all of the circles and markings.  "We don't know enough as yet to say anything for certain.  We've been here, here, and here, and not found enough people to give us solid answers."  Her fingers tapped the purple, orange, and green markings.  "The rest of these are where people were taken.  I think going back there is only looking into the past, and I think we need to get ahead of them somehow.  That leaves only this clue left."  She pointed to the large arrow pointing south off the map.  "Wapi says this was near the Daggerbay Mountains.  That's about 10 days from here on foot, or 3 days by boat.  I say we check out the coastline down there, see what's what, and determine next steps from there.  Does anyone have any other suggestions?"