OOC: MikeD - you went to the Cointoss tavern and are returning later. There is gambling there, if you want to roll. Up to you. Same general rules. A more limited set of games but the gambling is generic.
OOC: Frankly, I'm worried about Pande. I'm going to move things forward a notch.
DM
Arus relayed what he had learned. It was not much and there were no telepathic responses to Kriv. Any attempts to communicate with her were futile. She stayed away from the five who came to Yarter from Triboar as well she could. She always found a way to hang around numerous other gamblers and mingle with them in a manner that precluded any such conversation.
Similarly, there was no way to get to the restricted areas of the ship without confronting guards and making a scene. There was crew and guards all about. The foreign woman, Pow Ming, who handled the issuing of chips, was very vigilant as she kept tabs on the guards and made sure they kept their eyes open. At no time did they let their guard down.
Before midnight the ship had turned around. As it did, the staff closed off several tables. Some patrons were unhappy with their losses. A few were celebrating their winnings. The dealers finished up with the last few gamblers that couldn't tear themselves away from the games but it was clear from the clean-up activity that the cruise was coming to an end. Patrons now mingled on the forward deck, enjoying cocktails, laughing, talking and a few couples were kissing.
From the interactions you have it is clear that these are the elite of Yartar and rich merchants who were visiting the city. People introduced themselves mostly as Lord this and Lady that. They were nice enough folks; regular people with fat purses. Talk about young Lord Artan and the other young lords was disturbing to them but none had more information than you do. Shortly, the harbor comes into view.
Meanwhile, back at the Cointoss, Davroar, Bern and Zindra were sobering up. Zindra went down to the gambling den and played a bit with small wagers. She eventually rejoins the men and says, "That was fun. I broke even, which is a win! Let's get going to the docks. The others should be there soon.
She had been feeling a bit like a fish out of water. Mixing with this sort of company is not really for her, nor is gambling but having the experience might be useful one day. It had been a learning experience. Still she is happy they are returning to their friends, especially Davroar.
It had been a pleasant enough evening ... sipping beer, chatting with Zindra and Davroar. But it seemed it was time to meet up with their friends on the boat. "Time to head back to the docks I think", he said with a smile.
He gives a nod to Zindra as she returns to their table, and simply says to both. "Ok, sure, let's go."
He still has a mild buzz, but he is steady enough on his feet and feels capable enough to help if there is any trouble at the docks, which he highly doubts that anything will happen.
He's enjoyed his evening, the gaming, the women, the drinks. But he learnt long ago to leave a carouse before it ended. After the fun, there is only cleaning up and the stench of smoke and sweat.
Arus stands with his cohorts, Kriv, Jaliera, Sindar and Zhu.
"We won't have time to arm up, so will rely on our shore party for support."
OOC: I'm worried a bit about Pande. Ruptured his appendix. It sounded nasty. How long does it take to recover? Let's move on for now. I'll ghost for him.
Sindar (ghosted)
He broke even for the night and made his way around the clientele, laughing and cajoling with them as they played their games. As the evening poured on, so did the patrons pour alcohol into themselves. He always seemed to have a fresh goblet of wine in his hands but he would put it down and forget it often, taking mini sips throughout the night. He played the role, being bubbly and effervescent as the evening wore on. The patrons had loose lips but aside from gossip about this lord and that lady, they had no information pertinent to their effort.
Arus, it seems, had stumbled onto something that had merit. After he had passed on the information, Sindar noted that the lady in purple made it a point to stay away from all from the five of them. Up on the deck, as they awaited docking, Arus starts talking strategy.
"I've been thinking about it, motives and all. You said she was a mind reader of sorts and that the said for us all to follow her? Why, if she wanted to harm us, would she ask that we all follow her? To make it more difficult for her to dispose of? Perhaps we are armed with the weapons we need - our wits! Not all matters are solved with a blade or deadly magic. And if there's a fight, and we kill everyone, where does it lead us? I'm not saying we let our guard down, but maybe we hear what she has to say first?"
She pauses, nodding. She'd played games for a bit, coming out ahead, and now stands up on deck with the others waiting for the ship to dock.
"Well, one reason to ask for all of us is to ensure that she can take care of removing us all at once. Were she to have nefarious reasons then talking to only one of us would leave the others free to act. Not to say she does, but we must be cautious."
[Mine burst when I was hmm... not sure but less than 10 years old. I don't know how long I was in hospital for sure either but it felt like 5-7 days. Given the perspective of youth, that probably means it was less.
But kids at that age bounce back more quickly than us grown-ups. And there wasn't a pandemic on at the time.]
[[ the 'good' news is that this is a pretty well understood 'problem' ... so (hopefully) 'they' will get him back on track quickly and with out any 'issues' <fingers crossed> ]]
[Let's hope so. I think I had a longer home recovery period because it was an emergency operation, so my scar was pretty huge. A nurse recently commented it looks more like I had a C-section! I assured her I hadn't. ]
[OOC NHS info: It usually takes a couple of weeks to make a full recovery after your appendix has been removed. But strenuous activities may need to be avoided for up to 6 weeks after having open surgery. I would guess longer for a burst one. Been 8 days since he was last here. ]
As lights from the shore came into focus, the patrons started to line up to cash in and disembark. The Lady in Purple, Lady Atalia, was already in line, one of the first there, and a crowd of folks were already lined up behind her. She never makes eye contact with any of the five in the party.
There was a process. First folks queued up to exchange their chips for gold. Pow Ming collected the chips and then reached inside her bag for the coins and carefully counted them out. Everything seemed to be going as it should. There was nothing that seemed suspicious or crooked.
As the ship went to dock, three individuals could be seen at the foot of the harbormaster's office, sitting, waiting. It was Bern, Davroar and Zindra. As the passengers began to disembark most veered right, towards the gate into the city proper. Lady Atalia was one of the first to step onto the pier and the quintet kept an eye on her. She veered right, away from the majority and as she passed the harbormaster's office, she also passed the trio. Bern, Davroar and Zindra have no idea who she is or that she was important. Perhaps they might remember Lord Artan's mentioning the lady in the purple dress? OOC: An Intelligence check for that. Just roll 1d20. I'll figure out if it's good enough. She went past them, around the building and was out of nearly out of sight even before the five companions were able to disembark. Whisper, still flying about above the ship, is able to see where she went. OOC: I attached a close-up of the area. The green dot is where Bern, Davroar and Zindra are. The Purple dot is Lady Atalia. The rest of you are on-board. Yes, I assumed that Whisper is still flying about.
He nearly slides off a storage barrel he was leaning against while waiting for Jaliera and the others when he hears the voice in his head. He takes a furtive glance at the lady before turning to Bern and Zindra and says in a low voice, "That woman in the purple dress magically talked to me..."
What is even more unsettling is that somehow she knows about his relationship with Jaliera and about Whisper watching overhead too. Nervously tapping a foot he waits until everyone arrives and says, "Not sure what all happened on the boat, but the woman in a purple dress, gave me a message for us to meet her behind this building. She knew your name Arus, and she even knows about Jaliera and Whisper too,"
DM Davroar and Bern both make the connection between the woman in purple and Artan.
The rest of the party soon disembarks and are perhaps two or three minutes behind the woman in purple. The group is once again assembled as one, at the steps in front of the harbormaster's office.
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I assured her I hadn't. 
]