Making Enemies and Influencing People

Lizzy attends to his wounds quietly. Then he walks up to the door. "Cats? We were fighting for cats? Where are the workers? The repressed? I don't fight for bourgeois house pets."

Penelope glares at the dwarf. "Animals are oppressed and exploited by monsters of all races. It's important that we protect them!"

Penelope wrote:

Maybe I shouldn't have run away from my cat-lady legacy after all, Penelope thinks, gently nudging Sappho with her foot. After giving the menacing cat a brief, disapproving look, she returns her attention to Gideon. "I'm Penelope. This beautiful creature is Sappho."

"We were glad to help you," the archer adds, sounding less foreboding than usual, "though my colleagues might try talking you into paying them some sort of fee." She looks past Fix for a few moments, her focus on the numerous felines. "I'm glad your cats weren't hurt. They're lovely."

A broad grin spreads across Fix's face. Clearly the tales of the harbormaster's love for cats is true. "Thanks. And yes, they are, aren't they?" He looks down at Sappho and back up at Penelope. "It's nice to meet another animal lover."

gridley wrote:

"We're quite happy to see you and your darling charges unharmed, Master Fix," says Odanais, picking up one of the friendlier cats and petting it lovingly. "Have you any idea why you were being attacked in such extraordinary fashion?"

"Damned if I know why," begins Fix, his smile disappearing quickly as he scowls at the question (though evidently at the thoughts it raises, not at Odanais), "Though I know where they came from. Well, to some exte..."

overeddie wrote:

Lizzy attends to his wounds quietly. Then he walks up to the door. "Cats? We were fighting for cats? Where are the workers? The repressed? I don't fight for bourgeois house pets."

Penelope wrote:

Penelope glares at the dwarf. "Animals are oppressed and exploited by monsters of all races. It's important that we protect them!"

Fix looks confused for a moment as he watches the exchange and then snorts. "Workers? You mean the gobbos? They've been promising better behavior and all that shit since the riot, but as soon as these monsters showed up they all left me and my kittens here to die! Bastards!"

He starts to get a little more red in the face as he continues, "And it's all their fault anyway! They know they're not supposed to land anything here without permission or unless they've checked with me and I've been paid. But the stupid gobbos landed the crates which those monsters came in without a say-so from me! And then they ran off when those creatures busted out and started trying to kill everyone!"

shilsen wrote:

Fix looks confused for a moment as he watches the exchange and then snorts. "Workers? You mean the gobbos? They've been promising better behavior and all that shit since the riot, but as soon as these monsters showed up they all left me and my kittens here to die! Bastards!"

He starts to get a little more red in the face as he continues, "And it's all their fault anyway! They know they're not supposed to land anything here without permission or unless they've checked with me and I've been paid. But the stupid gobbos landed the crates which those monsters came in without a say-so from me! And then they ran off when those creatures busted out and started trying to kill everyone!"

"I doubt very much that the average dockworker would have stood a chance against such creatures," says Odanais. "They were quite wise to make their escape and bring the matter to our attention. Had they not, you, they, and these lovely kitties would all be dead now."

"The Knights of Treasure do not charge innocent victims for the saving of their lives" says Yatagan as he marches up in a state of high bluster. "However, Harbormaster Fix, moving forward, may I offer you the services of the Oracular Pig Detective Agency for the further investigation of this matter?"

"Our rates are quite reasonable, given our undeniable strengths."

"A plot may be afoot, either by the Driftglass Society, or, as is more likely, by someone wishing to implicate them in terrorist acts and through that destroy them." Because Sidney Distaff couldn't possibly be that stupid, could he? "Or it could be mere coincidence that the goblins failed to follow protocol, then ran off in the face of those fearsome beasts."

"A misstep here could be costly for the harbor, your career, and the Port itself. Surely no expense should be spared."

Yatagan pauses a beat.

"Not that we're unreasonably expensive, of course."

OOC: Yatagan is pouring on the charm, ie using Astral Speech. Want me to roll something or should we do this old-school?

Mallus wrote:

"The Knights of Treasure do not charge innocent victims for the saving of their lives" says Yatagan as he marches up in state of high bluster. "However, Harbormaster Fix, moving forward, may I offer you the services of the Oracular Pig Detective Agency for the further investigation of this matter?"

OOC: Oh, lord. Y'know, Yaitgan needs a sheaf of different business cards to hand out on such occasions. "Let me see now...erotic propangandist?Playwrite? Labor negotiator? Performance artist? Mercenary leader? Ah, yes, detective!"

"Where is the wreckage of the crates from which these things escaped?" Vox brushes at his jacket, happiy at least that his magic have kept it from becoming stained. "That should tell us something useful."

Rolzup wrote:

OOC: Oh, lord. Y'know, Yaitgan needs a sheaf of different business cards to hand out on such occasions. "Let me see now...erotic propangandist?Playwrite? Labor negotiator? Performance artist? Mercenary leader? Ah, yes, detective!"

OOC: all of this is possible despite, or perhaps because of, his 8 INT. Yatagan likes making things up, and his ability to tell fact from fiction is... underdeveloped.

Quote :

"Where is the wreckage of the crates from which these things escaped?" Vox brushes at his jacket, happiy at least that his magic have kept it from becoming stained. "That should tell us something useful."

IC: Splendid, one of us is good at detection! thinks Yatagan.

gridley wrote:

"I doubt very much that the average dockworker would have stood a chance against such creatures," says Odanais. "They were quite wise to make their escape and bring the matter to our attention. Had they not, you, they, and these lovely kitties would all be dead now."

Fix frowns again as Odanais defends the dockworkers. Clearly the harbormaster doesn't take well to disagreement. But he is just as clearly a soft touch when it comes to his cats, since his frown disappears as Odanais mentions what could have happened to the cats. "Yes," he says, just a trifle grudgingly, "That's true."

Mallus wrote:

"The Knights of Treasure do not charge innocent victims for the saving of their lives" says Yatagan as he marches up in a state of high bluster. "However, Harbormaster Fix, moving forward, may I offer you the services of the Oracular Pig Detective Agency for the further investigation of this matter?"

Fix studies the dragonborn with some interest as he begins his spiel.

Quote :

"Our rates are quite reasonable, given our undeniable strengths."

"A plot may be afoot, either by the Driftglass Society, or, as is more likely, by someone wishing to implicate them in terrorist acts and through that destroy them." Because Sidney Distaff couldn't possibly be that stupid, could he? "Or it could be mere coincidence that the goblins failed to follow protocol, then ran off in the face of those fearsome beasts."

"A misstep here could be costly for the harbor, your career, and the Port itself. Surely no expense should be spared."

Yatagan pauses a beat.

"Not that we're unreasonably expensive, of course."

Fix stays silent for a couple of seconds after Yatagan finishes, a thoughtful frown on his face, and then he laughs suddenly. "I just got it - you guys are the Arseholes! You're the ones who were in the middle of the riot on the docks a couple weeks ago, and you put on that damn play! I didn't see it, but I heard, well, funny things about it. Hah!"

He shakes his head and then refocuses on what Yatagan was saying, smiling as he does so, "And nice one, master whatever-your-name-is. But don't ever try to hustle me. If you want to be investigating this bullshit, I ain't going to be paying for it."

He pauses to do a quick sidestep from Sappho, who had just begun to treat his leg as a scratching-post, and then adds, his smile widening, "But never let it be said that Gideon Fix didn't appreciate a favor. The city would, I'm sure, want to know more about what happened, and would pay the bold investigators who check on it. In fact, that might be just the thing to put on the harbor's expense account."

Fix chuckles, clearly enjoying his own cleverness, and then adds, "What's your reasonably expensive rate then?"

Quote :

OOC: Yatagan is pouring on the charm, ie using Astral Speech. Want me to roll something or should we do this old-school?

OOC: Old school is fine by me.

Once Yatagan has told Fix how much he would like the harbormaster to gouge the Port for...

Rolzup wrote:

"Where is the wreckage of the crates from which these things escaped?" Vox brushes at his jacket, happy at least that his magic have kept it from becoming stained. "That should tell us something useful."

"The crates?" Fix turns and points down the dock a little further, towards one of the multiple long wharfs which extend into the bay. The remnants of what are likely broken crates lie near the spot where the wharf meets the dockside proper, as well as the corpse of what seems to be a goblin.

Fix shows no sign of interest in investigating the crates, wandering over to look at some of the monster corpses instead. Looking at one of the beetles, which has the fletching of two arrows sticking out of its eyes, he whistles. "Nice shooting," he says to Penelope, eyeing the huge bow she carries, and then says, "Hey - you wanna come see the cats?"

shilsen wrote:

"I just got it - you guys are the Arseholes!

"Were."

Quote :

You're the ones who were in the middle of the riot on the docks a couple weeks ago, and you put on that damn play!

"We have many talents. " Yatagan positively beams.

Quote :

I didn't see it, but I heard, well, funny things about it. Hah!"

"It was a heartbreaking work of staggering genius."

Quote :

"And nice one, master whatever-your-name-is."

"Sir Yatagan Fracas, at your service."

Quote :

In fact, that might be just the thing to put on the harbor's expense account."

"Splendid!"

Quote :

"What's your reasonably expensive rate then?"

Yatagan's eyes dart around, looking for a League member that understands the value of numbers.

Quote :

Fix shows no sign of interest in investigating the crates, wandering over to look at some of the monster corpses instead. Looking at one of the beetles, which has the fletching of two arrows sticking out of its eyes, he whistles. "Nice shooting," he says to Penelope, eyeing the huge bow she carries, and then says, "Hey - you wanna come see the cats?"

Penelope grins, though the expression - concealed by the black material covering her face - is wasted. "I'm a good shot," she replies happily. "And yeah. After you're done working things out with my colleagues, I'd like to see them."

"Well, normally we'd charge 10,000 gold for a job like this," says Odanais. "But since we're all cat lovers here, let's call it... 9,000."

gridley wrote:

"Well, normally we'd charge 10,000 gold for a job like this," says Odanais. "But since we're all cat lovers here, let's call it... 9,000."

Fix emits an explosive cough and mimes choking, grinning from ear to ear as he does so. "Nice one, kid," he says when he stops his display. "Pull the other one."

Penelope wrote:

Penelope grins, though the expression - concealed by the black material covering her face - is wasted. "I'm a good shot," she replies happily. "And yeah. After you're done working things out with my colleagues, I'd like to see them."

Fix nods and quickly says to Yatagan and Odanais, "Tell you what - lets make it a round thousand gold, shall we?It seems reasonable for your 'expenditure of resources in protecting the docks from damage, rescuing endangered individuals, and investigating the attack'." He grins and winks, before turning back to Penelope. "And maybe if you find something useful I can get the high-ups to toss some more your way, okay? Anyway, you can take the thousand from me before you go. Come along, let me show you Bubastis."

As he walks back to and into the building with her, Fix explains, "That was the name of my first cat, so I named the sanctuary after her." Once he begins to show Penelope around the place, she realizes that "sanctuary" is a little deficient a term for it. "Cat mansion/playground/wonderland" might be more appropriate, considering all the facilities that Fix has arranged for the felines, some 47 of which (he announces proudly) inhabit the building.

The less cat-focused members of the League move on to investigate the crates. There were two large crates and, just as they had thought, there is the corpse of a goblin near them. He had evidently taken one of the beetles' fiery breaths right in the chest and been burned alive. The crates themselves are actually almost intact, both of them having been opened with the top coming off. The inside of each is coated with a light covering of lead, presumably to resist the fire and acid breath of the occupants. Each of them was held shut by a strong and fairly simple sliding bolt, which could be easily opened from the outside.

OOC: I don't really see why our characters would take this case for so little money. 1,000 gp is nothing to us at this point. It's one level five magic item.

gridley wrote:

OOC: I don't really see why our characters would take this case for so little money. 1,000 gp is nothing to us at this point. It's one level five magic item.

Well, that's 1,000 gp more than you have right now, plus Fix said he would pay you more if you found out more stuff. And you get the money whether you follow it up or not, as thanks for the rescue.

I should also mention that I'm continuously throwing little plot hooks out there and you guys are absolutely free to pursue or reject any that you want. I never have any expectation that you're going to follow one, and I only prep actual mechanical stuff based on your choices, so don't worry about not following a plot that I want you to follow. Since there isn't any such plot. Just go after what you think your PCs would (and what would be interesting/entertaining for you as players, of course) and I'll roll with it.

BTW, Steve, can you play on Sunday? We're waiting on a reply from you to the email(s), so Scott can plan accordingly.

Mallus wrote:

shilsen wrote:

"I just got it - you guys are the Arseholes!

"Were."

"Yatigan's Yahoos?" Vox suggests absently as he examines the crates.

OOC: Perception: 5, Streetwise: 13

"Well, they're certainly crates, no question about that." Vox stands up, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Wish I was in a position to ask this fellow a few questions, " he says, indicating the Goblin's corpse, "But the best that I can do right now is see his last sight. And I doubt that there's much question about what that would have been."

The member 'Rolzup' has done the following action : Dice Roller

'd20' : 4, 3

Lizzy is disgusted by the smell of the cats and wanders down the dock in search of some live goblins to talk to.

Yatagan follows Lizzie, trying to drum up some eyewitnesses among the dockworkers through a loud, Brechtian mix of vaguely salacious pro-labor sentiments and promises to bloodily avenge each worker's death.

"So, Mr. Fix," says Odanais, petting a particularly smart-looking black and white cat, "do your records indicate who was shipping those crates of creatures? On what ship? And whom they were to be delivered to?"

Rolzup wrote:

OOC: Perception: 5

"Well, they're certainly crates, no question about that."

overeddie wrote:

Lizzy is disgusted by the smell of the cats and wanders down the dock in search of some live goblins to talk to.

Yatagan wrote:

Yatagan follows Lizzie, trying to drum up some eyewitnesses among the dockworkers through a loud, Brechtian mix of vaguely salacious pro-labor sentiments and promises to bloodily avenge each worker's death.

Lizzy and Yatagan (and anyone accompanying them) move past the corpse which the drakes had been feeding on, which was that of another goblin. At the end of the street behind the corpse, a couple of living goblins cautiously emerge, and promptly begin to retreat before Lizzy's and Yatagan's cries halt them. They wait nervously while the adventurers near them.

One of them, his squat body carried on disproportionately long legs, starts speaking hurriedly as soon as the League-members reach them. "Is it safe? Are the monsters dead?" The second goblin, which looks mostly like a human, albeit one with gray-green skin and a head the size of a large apple, interrupts, "Is Fix okay? Are we in trouble?"

gridley wrote:

"So, Mr. Fix," says Odanais, petting a particularly smart-looking black and white cat, "do your records indicate who was shipping those crates of creatures? On what ship? And whom they were to be delivered to?"

"Nope," Fix shakes his head. "That's the weird thing - there wasn't any ship expected in for the next half-day."

shilsen wrote:

"Nope," Fix shakes his head. "That's the weird thing - there wasn't any ship expected in for the next half-day."

"Well, that makes foul play almost a certainty," says Odanais, setting down the cat. "A man in your position must have enemies, professional if not personal. Tell me about them."

Also, Odanais is using Insight to see if he's lying or hiding anything.

Ahem... 13.

The member 'gridley' has done the following action : Dice Roller

'd20' : 3

shilsen wrote:

"Is it safe? Are the monsters dead?" The second goblin, which looks mostly like a human, albeit one with gray-green skin and a head the size of a large apple, interrupts, "Is Fix okay?

"We have slain all the monsters. Harbormaster Fix and the harbor, are safe, citizens. There is nothing to fear" says Yatagan, easily sliding from his righteous labor-agitator voice to a strong, smooth, reassuring tone that reeks of state propaganda being read aloud in a nearly-deserted square.

Quote :

Are we in trouble?"

"Not if you tell us everything you saw."

gridley wrote:

"Well, that makes foul play almost a certainty," says Odanais, setting down the cat. "A man in your position must have enemies, professional if not personal. Tell me about them."

Fix laughs harshly. "Lemme see - that would be every ship's captain who uses my docks and doesn't like the, heh, expenses here. The fools know nobody could keep this place running better than me," he adds proudly, "But it doesn't stop them complaining. Idiots!"

Fix snorts his disgust at the lot, and then scratches his chin thoughtfully. "Had a little trouble more recently with Lukas Castlemourne and Agatha Tripe. Lukas wanted me to keep everything quiet around his damn ship, since he said he needs to always hear The Sonata sing. Bah! Nobody tells me how to run my docks. Same for Agatha. She wanted to transport some 'expensive' goods and not pay me my 'docking charges'. I don't care what she's selling to the natives, but if she's moving the stuff off my dock, she's got to pay. Same as anyone else." He grins like a particularly hungry/greedy shark and then looks down at the cat Odanais wasn't holding, his smile changing to something which can only be called soppy. "Otherwise how am I going to pay for Mr Cuddles' fish?"

Quote :

Also, Odanais is using Insight to see if he's lying or hiding anything.

Ahem... 13.

Odanais doesn't pick up any signs of duplicity. Fix seems irritated at what happened more than anything else.

Mallus wrote:

"We have slain all the monsters. Harbormaster Fix and the harbor, are safe, citizens. There is nothing to fear" says Yatagan, easily sliding from his righteous labor-agitator voice to a strong, smooth, reassuring tone that reeks of state propaganda being read aloud in a nearly-deserted square.

Both goblins smile in some relief, though they continue to look a little nervous.

Quote :

"Not if you tell us everything you saw."

"There's, er, not much to say," says the apple-headed goblin, speaking quickly. "We were working on the docks when someone saw a ship coming in. Small one, and from up north in the city, I think, since we only saw it when it got close. I, um, we were going to get Fix like we're supposed to when an unscheduled ship comes by, but the guy in the front of the ship gave us the 'Urgent landing. Illegal cargo' signal." He shrugs as if to indicate that's fairly standard operating procedure.

"So we waited and it came in and the guy threw us some money and told us to help take down two crates. Said he'd handle it with Fix when we had them unloaded and we could keep the money. But once we handled the crates we heard things moving inside and he said it was a special delivery for the Ethical Circus."

The goblin is looking more nervous by this point. "Anyway, we got the crates down by hand, even though they were really heavy. And then Fix came out and yelled at us asking what was going on, and this little halfling bastard who was with the man jumped on the crates and flipped them open and ran off! These monsters came charging out and attacked us and we ran!" He is wringing his hands by this point. "Really - we didn't mean any harm! It wasn't our fault!"