[Other] Halforums Heist
- Thread starter MindDetective
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Whoops..you're right
Since combat is over, I'll go over and look at the dead guys lined up on the wall. This looks like too many guys for those kenku to have all killed. Anything in particular to note about them? I'll let those with more smarts than me do the interrogations.
The dead appear to a mixture of two different gangs. Five sport the known Zhentarim tattoo:
Seven others are inked with a tattoo on the palm of his right hand that looks like a circle with ten spokes radiating out from its circumference:
Collectively, they have 9 daggers and 5 rapiers of unremarkable quality. The unknown gang has 4 sets of leather armor that appear to be in usable shape. They have 52 gold (in various denominations), 2 silver, and 4 copper.
Seven others are inked with a tattoo on the palm of his right hand that looks like a circle with ten spokes radiating out from its circumference:
Collectively, they have 9 daggers and 5 rapiers of unremarkable quality. The unknown gang has 4 sets of leather armor that appear to be in usable shape. They have 52 gold (in various denominations), 2 silver, and 4 copper.
Are the Kenku sporting any gang signs? That Zhentarim tattoo..that's the 'snake' tattoo we're looking for, right? The same one Yagara has?
Their feathers make it difficult to tattoo their bodies, so they do not appear to have any.
Erythro closes the open gate and locks it behind him, offering a silent curse at the kenku that escaped. Then locks the remaining doors. Before halting Marten, "Marten, I've locked us in, but the birds may return and in greater numbers, best we have our staunchest warrior at the ready. Hopefully Floon is not among the fallen. We appear to be dealing with at least two gangs, let's have a look at these weapons and armour. Perhaps if they bear a makers mark we can trace their origin and it can give us an indication of how organized they are. Hmmm, tattoos imply a tattoo artist, another avenue to investigate. Floon does not seem to be here, nor does the other man. I'm going to search the rest of this floor. Here sheep, here sheep."
Actually serious about the weapons and armour, the gangs might have a supplier or a quarter master. Same with the tattoos.
I investigate the first floor, looking for signs of our lost "nobles", they may have been dragged away to some secret location. Maybe a trap door or some hidden tunnel. Or maybe just a trail of dust out the door.
Passive Investigation 18
I dispel the fog.
I investigate the first floor, looking for signs of our lost "nobles", they may have been dragged away to some secret location. Maybe a trap door or some hidden tunnel. Or maybe just a trail of dust out the door.
Passive Investigation 18
I dispel the fog.
Erythro:
As Erythro pokes around the main room, he opens the battered door to the closet under the stairs. A minute later, a nobleman in filthy clothing crawls out, shaking, exhausted, but otherwise unharmed.
Erythro discovers two things as he investigates the main room. The first is a hidden cache of stolen goods just north of the door they all entered right next to the stairs (at 1E). Inside he finds two wooden crates. The first contains four wood-framed paintings wrapped in leather. The paintings depict the cities of Luskan, Neverwinter, Silverymoon, and Baldur’s Gate and are probably worth about 75 gp each.
The second crate contains 15 10-pound silver trade bars, all black from corrosion but still probably worth about 50 gp each.
His second discovery reveals another person! Ragged breathing betrays the person hiding in a storage closet under the stairs. The door to this back room hangs loosely on broken hinges. The cramped chamber beyond smells strongly of sour fish and vinegar. It is filled with discarded ropes, canvas tarpaulins, and splintered wood from smashed barrels. Under one of the tarpaulins is the man, dressed in fine clothing, which is filthy and reeks of rancid pickled herring. He looks terrified, but seeing Erythro standing over him in a non-threatening fashion, he relaxes some and crawls out from the storage closet.
The second crate contains 15 10-pound silver trade bars, all black from corrosion but still probably worth about 50 gp each.
His second discovery reveals another person! Ragged breathing betrays the person hiding in a storage closet under the stairs. The door to this back room hangs loosely on broken hinges. The cramped chamber beyond smells strongly of sour fish and vinegar. It is filled with discarded ropes, canvas tarpaulins, and splintered wood from smashed barrels. Under one of the tarpaulins is the man, dressed in fine clothing, which is filthy and reeks of rancid pickled herring. He looks terrified, but seeing Erythro standing over him in a non-threatening fashion, he relaxes some and crawls out from the storage closet.
As Erythro pokes around the main room, he opens the battered door to the closet under the stairs. A minute later, a nobleman in filthy clothing crawls out, shaking, exhausted, but otherwise unharmed.
"Floon? Oh, gods. Floon." The man despairs for a moment as he stands, trying to straighten his crumpled and stained shirt and trousers. He composes himself. "No, I am not Floon. I am Renaer Neverember. I am unharmed, but the last few days have been trying. Floon was...is...my friend. We were accosted on our way home...some time ago. I don't know how long it has been. I was escorting Floon home as he was quite inebriated. Five men attacked us, dragging us back here. Still, others showed up not too long ago and dragged Floon away..."
Tears stream down the man's filthy face as he recounts his tale.
Tears stream down the man's filthy face as he recounts his tale.
The name Neverember is a familiar one. Dagult Neverember was, until recently, the Open Lord of Waterdeep. He is currently the Lord of Neverwinter
"Oh, bless Volo," Renaer Neverember says. "He found some worthy rescuers. I hope you will see things through to find Floon."
[ooc]Anyone gonna interrogate the bird brains?[/ooc]
(Still unconscious...)
The kenku sits up, leaning against a crate, a sour expression on his face. He looks around at the dead bodies and shakes his head, huffing a sigh through his beak. Otherwise, he makes no move to speak.
Charity
"Sir, I apologize for pressing you in such a time of need," Charity begins, crouching at Renaer's side and handing him her waterskin, "but did you hear anything about where they might've taken Floon? Anything at all? We had hoped to find him here, but it seems time is of the essence, now."
"Sir, I apologize for pressing you in such a time of need," Charity begins, crouching at Renaer's side and handing him her waterskin, "but did you hear anything about where they might've taken Floon? Anything at all? We had hoped to find him here, but it seems time is of the essence, now."
"Charity, we have not yet explored upstairs. We may find clues yet. But there may still be other cutthroats about and I would surely be dispatched while concentrating on my investigation if they are present. Will you escort me so I can search in safety?"
I will passively search upstairs for clues, I am actively using the help action to grant advantage to whoever interrogates the kenku.
No more classic interrogation trope than distracting the paladin.
No more classic interrogation trope than distracting the paladin.
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Marten figures that if there were more bad guys in the warehouse, they would have attacked by now. I'll go ahead and actively search upstairs, and cast a Detect Magic for good measure.
A wave of horror fills the wizard as he realizes no one is watching the outside. He scampers over to the window and resumes the surveillance, muttering to himself "It's almost as if they've never committed crimes before.." Then with a wave of his hands casts a spell.
I cast minor illusion over the window so it appears normal and does not reveal me looking outside. Heh playing a criminal is fun!
Ooc: Is Renaer wearing gloves? Can I see the palm of his hand?
I'm finding it kind is suspicious that he wasn't really tied up or that the room he was in wasn't locked. I also feel like as a freed hostage he would be begging us to take him home. As a freed noble hostage he would be demanding we take him home.
I'm finding it kind is suspicious that he wasn't really tied up or that the room he was in wasn't locked. I also feel like as a freed hostage he would be begging us to take him home. As a freed noble hostage he would be demanding we take him home.
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"I'm afraid not," Renaer says, rubbing his chafed wrists.
No gloves. He has no tattoo. He claims to have escaped his bonds when questioned about it.
Upstairs, Marten and possibly Charity mostly find junk in the crates and boxes littered about on the balcony overlooking the warehouse floor. They find moth-eaten bolts of cloth, bottles of spoiled olive oil, and hundreds of pairs of wooden-soled sandals that were all the rage last summer but are now out of fashion. None of this junk is valuable. Adjacent to the balcony are a suite of offices. Opening the door rings a bell loudly, causing everyone to freeze for a moment. But nobody is inside the offices. The rooms have desks, chairs, and bare shelves covered with dust and draped in cobwebs. Harmless rats skitter about. The offices seem little used, actually, although the duo do find a single unused paper bird.
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Fixed and good to know, so fixed.
Try this?
Paper bird
Paper birds were magically enchanted pieces of parchment that conveyed small written messages by flying from the message's sender to its recipient. After writing a small message (of 50 words or less) onto a paper bird, the sender whispered the name of the intended recipient. This caused the...
forgottenrealms.fandom.com
That's the one I changed it to.Try this?
Paper bird
Paper birds were magically enchanted pieces of parchment that conveyed small written messages by flying from the message's sender to its recipient. After writing a small message (of 50 words or less) onto a paper bird, the sender whispered the name of the intended recipient. This caused the...
That is why it is single-use.
