cinaed

Session 121: Day 34 of Veksdan (10/6)

Morning comes with the slow, gentle rock of the ship to and fro. To some it is comforting. To others, it is a little stomach-churning. Some of them are more familiar with the sound of crashing waves against the rocks now.

The sounds are achingly familiar to Hava, and the sounds of the dock itself are familiar to Az who grew up in a dockside city.

They get summoned to breakfast by Travesty, though the breakfast has an air of tension. It isn’t that it’s quiet or strained or stressed, but instead there is a forced cheerfulness on board the ship. There is teeth-gritted anger simmering between Maeve and Travesty.

The food is fresh, likely bought that morning.

They know that Captain Treiaos will be bringing information as well as his daughter in the late afternoon after school. They discuss who they should speak with first, with Yolov suggesting Lyra first since she works at the docks and would be closest.

Audacity studies Galowen, seeing that he’s not at his best but is better than the night before when they spoke on deck. He glances around and says that the god squad should check out the brothel when it’s time.

When Galowen muses on if the brothel is open yet, Travesty leans forward. He ignores Maeve’s rolled eyes and says he has it on good authority that the Orange Tassel has a nice brunch that begins at ten o’clock and then opens up to customers for the night later on. He swears that he has only ever been there for brunch.

Galowen eyes him and can’t tell if he’s being honest about only going to the brothel for brunch. Travesty says that there are bottomless mimosas and Diana says she’s never had one. Travesty begins to describe what mimosas are, gesturing with his hands.

The party discuss how they need to visit the Magnificent Mango at some point, making Yolov grimace a little in distaste, before they decide that they will look for Lyra and Vakari first and then speak to Kalani before they speak to Valerie.

The docks are busy, with many moving parts, though after a moment Yolov can tell who is part of the crews and who is working at the docks, with the crews handling unloading and loading crates. He finally spies amid a cluster of dockworkers there is a halfling woman standing on a crate trying to order a few workers around.

After she tells two workers to head out, she turns and starts yelling at a strapping firbolg who is awkwardly picking up some rope. She asks him if he’s stupid and to handle the rope like a normal person, then turns and spies the group. She asks them if she can help them and if they’re lost.

As Hava mutters that she’d like to be, Audacity says they were looking for her. When he asks about Professor Coisaira, Lyra claims ignorance but tenses a little, and Audacity and Hava realize she is lying and doesn’t want to talk about knowing Coisaira in public.

As Az offers to treat her to brunch at the Orange Tassel, Hava leans in close and asks if she wants to talk more privately. Lyra asks Hava if she’s coming onto her, and Hava asks if she wants her to be. Lyra says she’s too busy for work or sex unfortunately, but she’ll take the brunch once she’s gotten a ship out of the docks so that a special ship can take its place. When she gripes about being rushed on the job, Az asks whose ship is coming.

Lyra says the Striogian senate. Lord Turen sent a special request since his daughter’s ship will be arriving tonight. Az says they will expect her at the Orange Tassel as she nods and goes off to ensure her workers get the ship out on time.

While everyone is distracted by this, Audacity quietly asks Galowen if what they talked about last night should be shared with the others. When Galowen says to keep it between them for a moment, Audacity pats his arm.

Lyra circles back a few minutes later. She says that she told her workers if everything isn’t gone by the time she gets back, they’ll all be fired by the end of the day. However, now she has planted a flag at the correct dock that they can’t miss unless they’re morons.

Galowen asks her if she’s ever tried positive reinforcement. Lyra skeptically asks if that works and the entire party choruses yes. Audacity compliments her on being a good dockmaster and she perks up. After asking if this is scientific and assured it is, she yells to one of the dragonborn working for her that he’s doing a good job carrying the crate.

He visibly brightens as he continues his job, but Lyra says if it doesn’t work she’ll go back to yelling at them.

Lyra leads them up a few levels and down a winding cobblestone street that is littered with cafes and bistros and other store fronts. There are alleys filled with arcane strings of lights. Above one of the small quaint shops situated between a restaurant and a bakery is a sign for the Orange Tassel. The sign has two bright orange tassels that look like from the bottom of a tapestry and painted text that says restaurant and brothel.

The doors open and there is a chalkboard sign advertising a lobster bisque of the day and fresh bread from the bakery. It has the aesthetic of velvet lounge seating and low lighting, except in the daylight there is bright light and cheerful music. People chatter at circular tables and at the seating by the windows and the bar.

Galowen and Audacity want to buy a bread bowl and get the bisque from a six-foot tall, curvaceous half-elf woman who introduces herself as Morani and explains the entry fee for the buffet is two silver for all they can eat and an extra silver for endless mimosas.

When Diana starts to offer a gold coin, Az quickly pays for everyone. Little orange tassels materialize on each of their wrists. Audacity thanks her and she blows him a kiss. Hava immediately gets a mimosa and finds it very alcoholic but not particularly tasty.

As Lyra fills up her plate at the buffet, Az glances over the crowd. He spies first an elf or a half-elf in a cloak who waves away Morani when she approaches them and then sits down in a shadowed corner.

There, a blue dragonborn leans forward to engage them in a cordial but stilted conversation. Az has never met Vakari personally, but he remembers there were a couple of classes in Borava where he had to read a handful of very stilted and boring books on archeology and the history of archaeology. Every time he shut the books in irritation, there was a picture of this dragonborn on the back. This is Professor Vakari Xolaian.

Audacity and Diana look curiously at the half-drow speaking with Vakari as Lyra sits down with a heaping plate and asks in a whisper if they want to talk about Coisaira. Audacity tells her about the dragon turtle’s fury at Coisaira and Lyra says that makes sense, sometimes she wants to destroy this town too.

She explains that Coisaira has made a lot of enemies and makes a lot of stupid, callous mistakes. She doesn’t think Coisaira has any friends at this point, and doesn’t recognize the drawing of Coisaira’s companion when Audacity shows it to her.

Audacity asks if she has any idea what is in the cliffs. Lyra says she has no idea and Audacity says she might know about the local lore. Lyra says that supposedly before the founding of Upper Crescent Port City, where all the Valnorian refugees landed and fled north to form Avisrune, there were ruins and a temple built into the cliffside.

Most people discount it, but Coisaira believes in it. She believes in any lore or gossip as long as there’s gold in it for her. Whatever she wants is nothing good, she wants money and power.

When Audacity asks power over what, Lyra sighs and says she has no idea. She just knows Coisaira is crazy and will do anything to get gold and power. Az asks if Coisaira has ever tried to hire her workers and Lyra says if Coisaira ever messed with her people she’d kill her.

Yolov asks about the places Coisaira used to frequent, and Lyra hedges about popular bars that Col’Far frequent, telling them about the Overflow and the River Blue. In the backroom of the River Blue, the password when she went was to knock twice and say green sprig. If there is still the ginger bartender with two nose piercings there, don’t sleep with them. They will steal their money, though they were an incredible lay.

As the party jokes about giving their money to Yolov beforehand, Lyra says her bisque is getting cold. Yolov asks if any other archaeologists believe in the story of the temple, and is told no.

When Audacity tries to theorize that they would need to fly to the dragon turtle’s lair where Coisaira, Yolov says it doesn’t seem as though Coisaira was finding anything interesting and he would prefer to find her here instead. Audacity asks Yolov about Scrying and Yolov says that was a very expensive spell component and he doesn’t know the spell, though it might be worth it to learn later.

As he asks about dock thefts and most of the party gets derailed into conversation about human resources, Az sees the half-elf drow lean forward and Vakari hand him a bunch of gold, revealing a drakestone bracelet that is either flashy or a symbol of a high-ranking Col’Far.

Lyra leaves, and Az immediately grabs Yolov and asks if he knows Vakari. Yolov glances over and recognizes Professor Xolaian from his books. As Az whispers what he saw, Yolov tries to read their lips. They are discussinging that Vakari wants information, but the elf tells him that he’ll need more money, getting information to help him kill the runt is one thing but killing Abrisolm is quite another.

Yolov casts Telepathic Bond and quickly relays everything he’s heard.

Audacity says that this man is clearly a madman. Az also points out that probably it’s best if seven people don’t approach and crowd Vakari. Audacity suggests that he and Diana learn more about him from Morani.

Audacity approaches her and says that he and some of his friends are interested in the evening. Morani asks if this would be a group or more individualized and Audacity says he isn’t sure. She brings him a paper as Yolov, watching all this, is baffled and going purple.

He asks her a few questions about the group rates, a little awkward but seeming to know about brothels. Then he points out Vakari and asks if he’s one of the workers or a patron. She tells him he’s a patron and when he asks her about him, says she can’t discuss customers before she asks if that’s what he’s interested in.

He says yes, and she brings out two dragonborn.

The brawny bronze dragonborn introduces himself as Vix, and the slender silver dragonborn looks coyly between them both and says that she’s Elis. Audacity says that he might be interested in a night as he telepathically explains that they might be willing to talk about customers privately.

Audacity schedules an appointment for eight o’clock. When Vix asks if it’s for them both, Az says go big in the Telepathic Bond, trying to make him blush. They can see his tail, which has been curling in a relaxed way, twitches before he says yes. Everyone in the Telepathic Bond hears a quiet remark that they aren’t blue.

Vix asks if Diana will be joining them and Diana says sure. Audacity asks her if she’s sure, since she doesn’t sound enthusiastic, and Diana says she just hasn’t done this before. She can do it with them, she just has to remember the advice she was given at the ball.

Audacity asks what he missed at the ball and then suggests perhaps she should talk to other workers. Diana brightens at dividing and conquering and after some conversation with Morani and Audacity chooses a tiefling who is good with new people.

They pay fifty percent up front, and then fifty percent after.

Audacity says they will see him later. Vix winks and Elis says she looks forward to it, Audacity Jones. Elis gives him a little wave as he squints at them, not sure how she knew her last name.

He and Diana return to the table and he tells the group she knew his name, though he didn’t recognize her. Az suggests they heard his name in one of the bard songs. Audacity says that’s probably it and then asks what they’re supposed to do next.

Yolov lifts his head from the table and says he thought they were going to talk to Vakari. Audacity says he wasn’t planning on it, and Yolov and Az decide to approach Vakari about his archaeological digs.

Vakari looks a little flustered, clearly worried they’re old students who have found him in a brothel, before Az asks for his autograph.

Az asks about the cliffside temple and Vakari dismisses the idea, because it would have been found by now and there’s no record of any temple in any other records. If there ever was one, no one ever thought of it interesting enough to record anything about it in the annals of history.

Az says that makes sense, and Yolov nods and says that the rumors still persist, since they have heard the recent dragon turtle problems are because of illegal excavation.

Vakari dismisses the rumors and tells them that there are rumors about a hidden temple of Tsaliora that is pristine and untouched and exists somewhere in the world. It probably doesn’t exist, but it would be fascinating to uncover it. This Tsalioran temple is the archaeology community’s holy grail.

He tells them that there is a guild of archeologists in Cantor, but there is a contingent of them in Upper Crescent. When Az asks if he knows about the dig that Fowsle is at, Vakari nods in acknowledgement and says it was also a recently uncovered temple. He’s been there recently himself in the last few months.

Vakari smooths his clothes and says that he would tell them to come by his office, but he is actually here on pleasure, not business. They thank him for his time.

Yolov and Az return to the table and Yolov says they should speak to Kalani next, unless their party thinks that he should try to warn Kiva. They decide to gather more information first.

They begin to walk through the city, with Az and Yolov earnestly telling Diana that she doesn’t have to go back to the brothel if she doesn’t want to. When she says she’s never been intimate before, Yolov asks her if she made the appointment because she wants to experience intimacy or because she thinks she should want it, since some people aren’t interested in intimacy, or might want to wait to experience these things with people they care about. He’s squirming a little in embarrassment but earnest.

Diana tells them that she is still learning about these things. She was mostly in the forest with Adrin, and then Keyleth found them wandering and called them brave and took them in until she met the other Hooligans. She does want to try it, she just isn’t sure about the speech she has to prepare about how much she cares about this brothel worker.

Yolov and Az say that sounds more like love and not something the worker would expect, just kindness, and Az baffled, asks who told her to give a big speech.

When Diana says Colby at the ball, everyone exchanges even more baffled looks.