DreamLyrics™ Play-by-Post Forums Fantasy SKT: The Storm King's Thunder 3Db - Waterbaron Hall (Kriv, Zhu & Sindar)

Nestra Rithol

The Waterbaron pays careful attention to Zhu as she lays out the details of how and where the cocoon was found and ponders for a moment before answering.

"It is open land and if someone wanted to pick up this package, it would be easy to hide. No doubt it was a delivery."

She stands up from her desk and begins to pace before she continues. It is clear that she is concerned and is taking the matter very seriously.

"Whoever is behind this will change tactics. Word of the delivery failure surely has reached whoever is behind this and whoever that is will change tactics and cover the trail. You talked to Lord Artan. What, exactly did he say? Where was he before he was taken?"

OOC: this post might help

Zhu

"Well his memory was hazy. He said something about going to a party, and about a 'Golden Goose', but he couldn't put that phrase in context. He also mentioned meeting a classy woman with Black hair - long, black hair. wearing a magnificent purple dress."

She glances at Kriv. "Do you recall anything else he said?"

Nestra Rithol

"Wait! You said Golden Goose? Timothy Salzberg, one of the still missing young lords, frequented the Golden Goose."

Sindar

The half-elf made a mental note to check the Golden Goose at some point.

Kriv

What might have been a grimace crossed the Dragonborn's features briefly at Zhu's inquiry.

"I was speaking with him all the way into the city, and yet in that short synopsis you have covered everything pertinent and salient that he said. Otherwise there were long-winded anecdotes and inconsequentialities. I will relay them here if needed, but I suspect we'll have better fortune at the Golden Goose itself."

Nestra Rithol

She laughs at Kriv's reply before she says, "Everyone hopes for good fortune at the Golden Goose, but my understanding is that Lord Drylund always turns a profit there. It doesn't stop people from trying their luck. Tymora might receive more prayers from Yartar than anywhere elsewhere in the realms!"

Kriv

The Dragonborn mused on her words, imagining a whole cavalcade of dissolute humans born into luxury, lured into this gambling den and departing with hydrophilic skin and encased in a shell.

"A point of commonality and a description of a person. If it's a hotspot for 'nobles' of a certain disposition, it might well be an ideal target. Is it on or near the river, and do the others of those taken share the attributes by which Lord Artan and Lord Timothy were drawn there?"

Nestra Rithol
"It is on a riverboat, the Grand Dame. As for attributes the young lords share? They all like to enjoy themselves and their families are powerful."

Sindar

"A riverboat would make for an easy disposal system so to speak. The real question is why? It isn't for replacing them, or else that would have been done. Have there been any ransom demands?"

Zhu

"Or blackmail communications?"

Nestra Rithol

"Those are all possibilities and I would like to know who is threatening the fine citizens of my city! I don't know of ransom demands but that doesn't mean there aren't any. Worse, I don't know why they are happening."

Zhu

"So, not to be impolitic, but if you are doing anything about it it would be good to let us know so we don't interfere with your operations while we do our own investigating."

Nestra Rithol

"If you are wondering if I'm investigating the Grand Dame, I cannot. I have no jurisdiction there. It belongs to Lord Khaspere Drylund." As she makes the statement, The trio can tell from the way that she responds that the Waterbaron really would like to investigate. Apparently, she cannot.

Zhu

"Alright, but are you investigating anywhere we should know about? We will be poking around and there is no way to tell where that will take us. We don't want to interfere with one of your agents."

Nestra Rithol

She smiled as Zhu rephrased her question, but it was an politician's smile. "If the Shields of Yartar give you a command, you obey it, of course."

As she says that, she reaches into a drawer in her desk and pulls out a small coin pouch and pours the contents onto a silver tray on the desk and pushes it forward for the three to see. There were ten gems on the tray. "They are worth ten gold each. There's another pouch like that for you if you clean up this mess. Of course, there really isn't enough evidence to merit an investigation on the Grand Dame. So, I cannot protect you if you run into trouble on the Grand Dame."

Kriv

"I would like to think that we can take care of ourselves, and be more alert to potential threats, than pleasure-seeking lordlings who have never tasted the cold, hard realities of this world. The investigations to which we are committed and this investigation appear to coincide. Thus, I accept this task and give you my word I will seek to resolve this matter." commented the Dragonborn, looking askance of his companions. He hadn't committed the rest of the group just yet, but neither was he going to turn down getting remunerated twice for the same, or closely related, work.

(OOC - Do we know/heard anything about Lord Drylund?)

[OOC Sindar is good to go.]

Watermaron Nestra Rithol

"Thank you," she said, replying to Kriv who made the pledge and looking with a warm smile at both Zhu and Sindar as she rose. She then rang the bell on her desk and the guards who had been stationed outside the door of her office came in. "Then I hope to see you back here soon, with answers."

OOC: This was the We first mention of Lord Drylund. So we can probably handle the question in the next thread, where you all get together for lunch to share what you decide to share and plan the next steps. Let's see if we can get these threads synced up.