A nod, as if approving of both the servants' circumspection and their efforts toward an honest answer. "I take your meaning well.
"Given these security measures, do you find it likely that Payl Gower was approached outside of the household, rather than within?"
[ Most men of means do tend toward paranoia. I can only hope his staff does not suffer for it.
...More than has already happened. It seems a shame, what happened to Payl Gower.
Two final questions: Do you know the identities of the individuals hired to seek out the Nightmare Market? I may need to put them to question.
Then tell me: Do you feel safe remaining in your present position? ]
<.>
A moment of thought from the human before he replies, [ He only talked of 'Voronin' being with them. I suppose he meant the firstborn; the other two are in Morovsk, last I heard. Don't know his first name, but that's easy to find out, isn't it? Heard there was a tiefling and an elf in the bunch - ]
He pauses with a sudden thought and purses his lips before adding carefully, [ No, he mentioned another person, too. He said 'the Rhys whore's working his way up the food chain like the scraper he is'. I remember thinking - well, there was that big scandal, wasn't it? Half the territories heard about it, three years back - at the youngest Voronin's fete. I remember thinking it's strange that boy would be in the company of a Voronin after what happened. ]
He clearly looks ashamed for having spoken so unpleasantly, even if only relaying what he heard. Still, he manages a weak smile. [ Anyhow. No, Sir. I don't feel safe. Does anyone? ]
And, [ I'll get by. ]
<.>
Dima sees red. At the words regarding (slandering) (fucking speaking where no one has the right) Faolan, he doesn't quite catch the anger that flashes across his expression, brief but evident.
He.
( He's going to fucking kill Calabra and his godsfucked minions himself.)
Dmitri exhales a shape breath, rubs his forehead and speaks: "Take no mind of my frustration. You have all answered well, and - I believe - truthfully. Baseless embellishments would prove no aid to our cause, and there is use in all that you have shared today.
"A final question: When will Lord Calabra be available tomorrow? I should like to speak with him as early as is possible.
"There will, of course, be no mention of our discussion here today."
[ Guard yourself with care. Take care not to flinch at the mention of Payl Gower's name or death. And know that what you have told me here may well preserve countless lives. ]
<.>
While Dima has been interrogating the servants, Faolan has made his way to South Ward; it takes him the better part of an hour to find someone willing to even speak with him. The community here is especially distrustful of strangers. However, he does find someone he persuades to direct him to Morwenna Gower's home. (Persuasion 15)
What he finds is a door ajar and, within, a ransacked house. The girls are gone.
He doesn't think it's been long since the invasion took place; there's food on the table that can't be more than a few hours old, and the ashes in the hearth are warm. ( Investigation 18 )
Outside, he tries to find someone who witnessed what happened to Morwenna and Manon; the only person who'll even look at him is an elderly woman who seems to be terrified of what she witnessed. He gently pleads with her to speak with him (Persuasion 15 again); she very reluctantly tells him she saw a group of men forcing the girls from their home and into a carriage.
She goes on to say she tried to run and call for help, but Faolan can see she's infirm, able only to hobble at best. By the time she found aid, the carriage was gone.
Faolan has no reason to believe she's lying, but he really can't tell. (Insight 11)
He looks up to Liviana and, trying to keep his worry in check, asks her to find Dmitri; he intimates he'll be waiting at the inn where the four of them are quartered.
Once there, he finds Rin and Sen; once sat at a table apart from the meager tavern crowd, he tells them what he discovered, but urges them to wait until Dmitri joins them to detail what they found out at the Lion and Boar.
<.>
He receives the message from Liviana before he sees her (feels relief that at least, at least it sounds as if Faolan is safe), and cautions her against joining him until he's dropped his disguise and the Boar and Lion is out of sight. When they arrive at their own inn, Dmitri ushers them up to his room, cautioning against speech until they're safely sequestered.
There, he tells what he's learned: That they were tailed to the Market and the meeting with Gower. That Calabra meant to find Gower's daughter before ever reaching Awich. That Calabra and his elite retinue are supposed to be returning tomorrow, having left no note of where they've gone. Everything gleaned from the servants, Dima shares as quickly as possible (leaving out, of course, the way Faolan was spoken of), concluding with—
"The bastards followed us. We'll need to tell Nerys—" He shakes his head, looks at Faolan (and feels again a surge of warmth, twined with anger at the words those bastards dared to speak), and asks, "They weren't in Morwenna's home, then."
<.>
Faolan looks a like maybe he's in a bit of shock, shaking his head automatically at the question. It's only just beginning to sink in that the girls were taken, and this is compounded by the surge of guilt he feels for exposing the Market's whereabouts. He should have been mindful of anyone following them. He shouldn't have spent all the time on the dock with Dima. He shouldn't have slept. He should have gone straight to Morwenna the moment Gower told them about her.
Sen isn't feeling quite so guilty; he only says quietly, "We'll find them. If he'd wanted them dead, there would've been bodies."
Faolan only shakes his head again. "The Market's there for one more night. We need to go at sunset. We need to warn Nerys, like you said. As soon as possible. No more delays. No more - diversions."
He's wringing his hands in his lap as he speaks.
Sen frowns and gives Dmitri a subtle shake of his head. [ Don't take that personally. He's in no state. ]
Almost imploringly, he turns to Rin and says, "Why don't you show them what you found?"
<.>
"We'll go; of course we'll go." It's the one thing Dmitri can promise right now. The rest - the whereabouts of Morwenna and Manon, Calabra's intentions - is beyond prediction at the moment. And the talk of—
Of diversions.
Dmitri has some notion of what Fae might mean; Sen's Message only further seals the notion. And though Dima feels a sinking in his chest, he tells himself to remain focused.
He does also attempt - carefully, lightly - to settle a hand on Faolan's back, and Messages: [ We'll fix this. ]
Then, to Sen, [ I can't imagine what Calabra wants them FOR. ]
At Sen's cue, Rin immediately begins setting their findings out for view: The pile of Calabra's correspondence, the jewelry (one piece in its box), the weapon the piece of cloth and the nice-smelling item from the desk, the bag of coins, then the shirt and whetstone and piece of cloth from the room with the twin bed.
"I'm not sure what any of this is supposed to mean. There were also a bunch of locked trunks in one of the rooms - the guard's, I guess? - and a lot of clothes. And a pisspot.
"So. All right, what do you think?"
Dima will be particularly interested in the correspondence, though he will of course take a look at all of the items, and will try to determine whether any of them is touched with magic.
Rin is going to start counting out the coins.
<.>
The first piece of jewelry proves to be a signet ring. The piece of cloth is a handkerchief embroidered with the letters "N C”. The nice-smelling thing is a small tin of solid perfume. The weapon is a jeweled dagger. It looks expensive - and also unique and therefore recognizable. Rin counts out 105 gp, 33 sp, 4 cp. The miniature portrait is of a young woman. The shirt is a shirt, the whetstone is a whetstone, and the rag is a rag.
Of those items, would you like to make any checks?
<.>
Dima would like to check the signet ring and determine whether it's recognizable as Calabra's. He would like to check the dagger, both to see whether it's anything he recognizes, and whether it bears any magical properties. The portrait, to see whether he recognizes it. Also tbh is the perfume/its scent recognizable.
also a q: what is Calabra's wife's name, if Dima knows it?
<.>
For the signet ring, make an insight check. The dagger quite overtly has no magical properties and is in fact somewhat dulled; it's just a showpiece. For the portrait, make a separate insight check. The perfume is a commonly-used scent amongst nobility and Dmitri has smelled it on men and women alike. Calabra's wife's name is Naja. Both are human.
[INS, d: 6 (for both wtg man)]
<.>
Is the showpiece anything Dima might recognize? And. Dima. Is going to ask Sen and Faolan if they can make anything out of the ring or portrait.
<.>
It's literally just Calabra's show-off-y dagger
[Fae check: nat 20]
Fae identfies the ring as belonging too the baronial household in Riversdown.
[Sen check for portrait: 15]
Sen says she looks an awful lot like Calabra.
<.>
Rin is going to lean over, look at the picture again, and nod in agreement despite not really at all remembering what Calabra looks like.
Dima asks Faolan what he knows about this household.
[q: and i'll ask if dima knows anything about this household]
<.>
Being nobility, Dmitri of course knows the household and has found all his interactions with the Baron to be amiable, honest, and enjoyable.
Faolan reports he has heard much the same.
In short, they're good people and good leaders, and it's strange Calabra has the Baron's signet ring.
no subject
"Given these security measures, do you find it likely that Payl Gower was approached outside of the household, rather than within?"
[ Most men of means do tend toward paranoia. I can only hope his staff does not suffer for it.
...More than has already happened. It seems a shame, what happened to Payl Gower.
Two final questions: Do you know the identities of the individuals hired to seek out the Nightmare Market? I may need to put them to question.
Then tell me: Do you feel safe remaining in your present position? ]
<.>
A moment of thought from the human before he replies, [ He only talked of 'Voronin' being with them. I suppose he meant the firstborn; the other two are in Morovsk, last I heard. Don't know his first name, but that's easy to find out, isn't it? Heard there was a tiefling and an elf in the bunch - ]
He pauses with a sudden thought and purses his lips before adding carefully, [ No, he mentioned another person, too. He said 'the Rhys whore's working his way up the food chain like the scraper he is'. I remember thinking - well, there was that big scandal, wasn't it? Half the territories heard about it, three years back - at the youngest Voronin's fete. I remember thinking it's strange that boy would be in the company of a Voronin after what happened. ]
He clearly looks ashamed for having spoken so unpleasantly, even if only relaying what he heard. Still, he manages a weak smile. [ Anyhow. No, Sir. I don't feel safe. Does anyone? ]
And, [ I'll get by. ]
<.>
Dima sees red. At the words regarding (slandering) (fucking speaking where no one has the right) Faolan, he doesn't quite catch the anger that flashes across his expression, brief but evident.
He.
( He's going to fucking kill Calabra and his godsfucked minions himself.)
Dmitri exhales a shape breath, rubs his forehead and speaks: "Take no mind of my frustration. You have all answered well, and - I believe - truthfully. Baseless embellishments would prove no aid to our cause, and there is use in all that you have shared today.
"A final question: When will Lord Calabra be available tomorrow? I should like to speak with him as early as is possible.
"There will, of course, be no mention of our discussion here today."
[ Guard yourself with care. Take care not to flinch at the mention of Payl Gower's name or death. And know that what you have told me here may well preserve countless lives. ]
<.>
While Dima has been interrogating the servants, Faolan has made his way to South Ward; it takes him the better part of an hour to find someone willing to even speak with him. The community here is especially distrustful of strangers. However, he does find someone he persuades to direct him to Morwenna Gower's home. (Persuasion 15)
What he finds is a door ajar and, within, a ransacked house. The girls are gone.
He doesn't think it's been long since the invasion took place; there's food on the table that can't be more than a few hours old, and the ashes in the hearth are warm. ( Investigation 18 )
Outside, he tries to find someone who witnessed what happened to Morwenna and Manon; the only person who'll even look at him is an elderly woman who seems to be terrified of what she witnessed. He gently pleads with her to speak with him (Persuasion 15 again); she very reluctantly tells him she saw a group of men forcing the girls from their home and into a carriage.
She goes on to say she tried to run and call for help, but Faolan can see she's infirm, able only to hobble at best. By the time she found aid, the carriage was gone.
Faolan has no reason to believe she's lying, but he really can't tell. (Insight 11)
He looks up to Liviana and, trying to keep his worry in check, asks her to find Dmitri; he intimates he'll be waiting at the inn where the four of them are quartered.
Once there, he finds Rin and Sen; once sat at a table apart from the meager tavern crowd, he tells them what he discovered, but urges them to wait until Dmitri joins them to detail what they found out at the Lion and Boar.
<.>
He receives the message from Liviana before he sees her (feels relief that at least, at least it sounds as if Faolan is safe), and cautions her against joining him until he's dropped his disguise and the Boar and Lion is out of sight. When they arrive at their own inn, Dmitri ushers them up to his room, cautioning against speech until they're safely sequestered.
There, he tells what he's learned: That they were tailed to the Market and the meeting with Gower. That Calabra meant to find Gower's daughter before ever reaching Awich. That Calabra and his elite retinue are supposed to be returning tomorrow, having left no note of where they've gone. Everything gleaned from the servants, Dima shares as quickly as possible (leaving out, of course, the way Faolan was spoken of), concluding with—
"The bastards followed us. We'll need to tell Nerys—" He shakes his head, looks at Faolan (and feels again a surge of warmth, twined with anger at the words those bastards dared to speak), and asks, "They weren't in Morwenna's home, then."
<.>
Faolan looks a like maybe he's in a bit of shock, shaking his head automatically at the question. It's only just beginning to sink in that the girls were taken, and this is compounded by the surge of guilt he feels for exposing the Market's whereabouts. He should have been mindful of anyone following them. He shouldn't have spent all the time on the dock with Dima. He shouldn't have slept. He should have gone straight to Morwenna the moment Gower told them about her.
Sen isn't feeling quite so guilty; he only says quietly, "We'll find them. If he'd wanted them dead, there would've been bodies."
Faolan only shakes his head again. "The Market's there for one more night. We need to go at sunset. We need to warn Nerys, like you said. As soon as possible. No more delays. No more - diversions."
He's wringing his hands in his lap as he speaks.
Sen frowns and gives Dmitri a subtle shake of his head. [ Don't take that personally. He's in no state. ]
Almost imploringly, he turns to Rin and says, "Why don't you show them what you found?"
<.>
"We'll go; of course we'll go." It's the one thing Dmitri can promise right now. The rest - the whereabouts of Morwenna and Manon, Calabra's intentions - is beyond prediction at the moment. And the talk of—
Of diversions.
Dmitri has some notion of what Fae might mean; Sen's Message only further seals the notion. And though Dima feels a sinking in his chest, he tells himself to remain focused.
He does also attempt - carefully, lightly - to settle a hand on Faolan's back, and Messages: [ We'll fix this. ]
Then, to Sen, [ I can't imagine what Calabra wants them FOR. ]
At Sen's cue, Rin immediately begins setting their findings out for view: The pile of Calabra's correspondence, the jewelry (one piece in its box), the weapon the piece of cloth and the nice-smelling item from the desk, the bag of coins, then the shirt and whetstone and piece of cloth from the room with the twin bed.
"I'm not sure what any of this is supposed to mean. There were also a bunch of locked trunks in one of the rooms - the guard's, I guess? - and a lot of clothes. And a pisspot.
"So. All right, what do you think?"
Dima will be particularly interested in the correspondence, though he will of course take a look at all of the items, and will try to determine whether any of them is touched with magic.
Rin is going to start counting out the coins.
<.>
The first piece of jewelry proves to be a signet ring. The piece of cloth is a handkerchief embroidered with the letters "N C”. The nice-smelling thing is a small tin of solid perfume. The weapon is a jeweled dagger. It looks expensive - and also unique and therefore recognizable. Rin counts out 105 gp, 33 sp, 4 cp. The miniature portrait is of a young woman. The shirt is a shirt, the whetstone is a whetstone, and the rag is a rag.
Of those items, would you like to make any checks?
<.>
Dima would like to check the signet ring and determine whether it's recognizable as Calabra's. He would like to check the dagger, both to see whether it's anything he recognizes, and whether it bears any magical properties. The portrait, to see whether he recognizes it. Also tbh is the perfume/its scent recognizable.
also a q: what is Calabra's wife's name, if Dima knows it?
<.>
For the signet ring, make an insight check.
The dagger quite overtly has no magical properties and is in fact somewhat dulled; it's just a showpiece.
For the portrait, make a separate insight check.
The perfume is a commonly-used scent amongst nobility and Dmitri has smelled it on men and women alike.
Calabra's wife's name is Naja. Both are human.
[INS, d: 6 (for both wtg man)]
<.>
Is the showpiece anything Dima might recognize? And. Dima. Is going to ask Sen and Faolan if they can make anything out of the ring or portrait.
<.>
It's literally just Calabra's show-off-y dagger
[Fae check: nat 20]
Fae identfies the ring as belonging too the baronial household in Riversdown.
[Sen check for portrait: 15]
Sen says she looks an awful lot like Calabra.
<.>
Rin is going to lean over, look at the picture again, and nod in agreement despite not really at all remembering what Calabra looks like.
Dima asks Faolan what he knows about this household.
[q: and i'll ask if dima knows anything about this household]
<.>
Being nobility, Dmitri of course knows the household and has found all his interactions with the Baron to be amiable, honest, and enjoyable.
Faolan reports he has heard much the same.
In short, they're good people and good leaders, and it's strange Calabra has the Baron's signet ring.
<.>