Jammers Summary: Chapter 2, Turn 12

----------- = Meanwhile, elsewhere...
*********** = Later...

Jamila continues walking towards the Grey Cat and walks past Leera. It's only once past her, that Jamila stops and turns and looks at the disguised Leera that she realizes who it is from the description she received on ship.

Playfully slapping her forehead, Jamila turns and catches up with Leera as she boards the ship.

After arriving back at the ship, Leera informs the company that "Well, our new friend seems to check out okay. He's staying at the Grey Cat as he said, and the name he's using there is the same one he told us."

She then notices Jamila and Italapate. "You're back. Any trouble after I left? And where's Holland?"

Everyone quickly fills Leera in.

Kain listens as Leera is brought up to date, nodding as the tale is told again. "Well.. ah.. " he begins once the narrative comes to an end, "I'd like to go into town for awhile. See if I can find Talus and maybe a crossbow. If I'm still wandering when noon comes I'll find you.. ah.. all at the Grey Cat."

Heading belowdecks, Kain returns to his bunk. Buckling on his sword belt and tucking his daggers into his boots, Kain grabs his over-cloak and rucksack as he heads topside. "I'll, ah, see you all later," Kain says as he walks down the gangplank and into town proper.

Ferric follows Kain down the gangplank, "Kain, if you do not mind I will accompany you. With all the excitement lately I dislike the thought of someone traveling alone."

"Oh, certainly," Kain smiles as he waits for Ferric to catch up. "I don't mind the company at all."

Billy joins Kain as he and Ferric debark.

Turning back to the ship Ferric says, "I imagine that we shall be back before noon with ease unless some ill befalls us. I should like to go to the tavern with any of the others who decide to do so as long as no one objects."

Talus nods in greeting to his friends as they pass on the gangplank as the half-elf returns from the town.

"Well, that was easy enough," Kain says with a smile after nodding to Talus. "Now.. ah.. I hope finding the 'bow will be as simple."

Leaving the _Silent Star_ Kain, Ferric, and Billy make their way through Wrighters, as Kain searches for a dealer of crossbows. Stopping at the Anything Shop(#5) for a few minutes, they discover the shop deals mostly in spell components, herbs, elixirs, and so forth. Though a few potions labeled as "healing" attract their attention none of the three is willing to risk their gold on their meager arcane skills.

They then spend some time browsing through Market Square(#4), here Kain finds what he's looking for. A grizzled old dwarf has a booth lined with crossbows, bolts, spears, and other assorted weaponry. He has a decent light crossbow which he sells to Kain for 40 gp, tossing in a score of bolts for free. He explains his low prices easily, "I took these offa some dead gobbos a few weeks back, still living off the bounties."

Trip completed, the trio then return to the STAR.

Meanwhile, back on the ship:

Heading over to where his comrades congregate, Talus says "I had a chat with some of the locals and found out a few bits of news, including the fact that the Church of Ptah has an ongoing rivalry with the Shipwrecker shrine. The Shipwrecker's Fellows are basically a loose federation of perhaps ten pirate vessels that dock at a port they maintain jointly somewhere on Shipwrecker. They rarely operate together, the extent of cooperation seems to be that they don't fight each other and pay to keep the port facilities up. Most of these ships stay within Bralspace, raiding the trade routes near Bral or Shipwrecker. Known captains include Laocoon (who used to command two eelships), Milken (who commands a Great Galley), and Lazzer (who commands a Lamprey). In many ways this reminds me of a much smaller version of the Pirates of the Sea of Fallen Stars on Toril." Talus pauses as he receives several blank looks and moves on, "Many feel that if someone in the group _did_ get the Chalice, a lot of infighting will occur as others try to take it; so the captain that got it is likely to keep it secret from his fellows."

Holland says, "You said one of these captains is named Milken?" in a forceful yet quiet voice.

"Yes." Talus answers in a puzzled voice as he looks at the suddenly tense Holland, then the half-elf continues, "I also learned a little about the two ships on the landing field at Wrighters, the yellow Dragonfly is "The Resplendent", and is owned and operated by the "Gallents", an adventuring party from Greyspace. The black wasp is "The Rebuttal", it's owned and captained by a man called Herminard the Eloquent. These are not known pirate ships but seem to be vessels hunting for the Chalice."

"If I'm needed for anything, I'll most likely be at the temple to Ptah." Jamila says, "I'll be back before the meeting at noon. You might want someone out the front watching for the city guards like at the shrine." with a wink towards Seguld, Jamila heads down the gangplank and into town.

Pondering this information, the company disperses about the ship doing their daily tasks.

About an hour or so after they left Kain, Ferric, and Seguld return. Just before noon Jamila returns as well.

Leera spends the time cleaning up her room, paging through her spellbook, and organizing her spell components. A couple of hours later, she emerges. After glancing up at the sky, she asks "It's just about noon now. Who's coming?"

"I shall go, provided there har volunteers to remain hand guard the ship," Deigatt says.

Holland says with a wry grin, "I'll stay behind, I have no desire to encounter the city watch again any time soon."

"Grrr... I will guard ship as well." Grigree says from the bow where he is busy cleaning the ballista.

Nilaroo nods in agreement as he splices more rope, "Hoom... Worry not for the vessel."

Deigatt suggests that Seguld and Ferric also come along to the Gray Cat. "Clearly hif we har negotiating a deal then Trader Seguld should represent hus, hand Agent Ferric's own hexperience would be useful has well."

"Well Big Guy," speaks Seguld in the slow speech for clarification. "As you may remember, I have never officially joined your team, and my role, otherthancompanionandfriend, is simply a merchant for your trade goods. This chalice hunt is far more than that and I believe someone else should handle the negotiations, notthatIcouldn'tdoanincrediblejob, but I would not want to negotiate over something I have no authority over. Whydon'twejustsaymy rolein thisdiscussionwillbeasaconsultant, manytimesbeforeIhavebeenhiredsimilarly, and I think it would be best so as to be fair to Ferric." Seguld then smiles and says to everyone, "Let's go see what our new associate would like to share with us!"

"As for my part Seguld the role you play in this is not my concern and it will not hurt my feelings if you use your merchants tongue to get him to sign over half his soul in exchange for allowing him to lead us to the treasure." Ferric smiles, "In that department _I_ shall be avidly taking notes and being thankful for the education. As for the rest of you, will it hurt anyone's feelings if I talk to this boy? Apart from Seguld here I may have had more practice in dealing with strangers for a gain than anyone else here. I would suggest that we remain polite throughout our questioning of him. Let us not interrogate him harshly for there is always the chance that he may be a good man and simply looks to sell his knowledge. Of course there is a very good chance he'll cross us too but since we are on our toes we should be able to deal with that situation should it arise."

Leaving the Star's guards behind the others head down the wharf to the Grey Cat.

After a few strides Seguld quickly falls back from the others, especially Deigatt, whose long strides far outdistance three of Seguld's. "Hey Big Guy! Can you slow down a little? It's awfully hard for a guy my size to keep up y'know." Suddenly his eyes go wide, and it appears as if a light bulb has gone on in his head. "Of course, if you wouldn't mind carrying me on your shoulders then no one would have to wait for me." Seguld smiles his most endearing smile with a look of 'PLEASE!' written all over his face.

The minotaur stops and waits for the gnome to catch up. As Seguld rushes forward, Deigatt catches him and picks him up, holding him around his waist under the minotaur's left arm. Despite Seguld's squirming, Deigatt holds him firmly and continues with the others to the Grey Cat. Seguld inhales a heavy whiff of the odor of a hairy minotaur who hasn't bathed in 34 days.

Seguld manages to wave his hand in a shooing motion and then breathes deeply. He obviously doesn't get the scent he was expecting as he suddenly starts coughing and sputtering, finally calms, then sighs resignedly as Deigatt carries him.

Once the group arrives at the Grey Cat, Deigatt roughly places Seguld on the ground. "We have harrived," he says unnecessarily.

"Gee thanks!" says Seguld as he wipes his clothes to straighten them out. "You know Big Guy, a bath now and then might prove beneficial, although if you are using that smell as a defensive maneuver it certainly might work." Seguld chuckles and quickly dashes into the Grey Cat.

The Grey Cat is a dim, quiet bar. Booths predominate, and there are no windows. A set of stairs leads up to rooms above, and a long bar caps the end of the common room opposite the main doors. The bartender is a tall, heavy man with an unpleasent face. Perhaps a dozen folk of various sorts are busy eating their lunch or conducting business in small groups, a trio of brown haired wenches serve them.

Periander is sitting in a corner booth away from everyone else. He's absently chewing on a large piece of white cheese and obviously has noticed your arrival but makes no overt gesture.

Deigatt stands with his back to the wall near the door. Without a word, he sizes up each of the Grey Cat's staff and diners and keeps a watchful eye on his comrades as they negotiate with Periander.

The bartender's a large, balding man with a growing beer gut, the waitresses are typical bar wenches; dirty hair and bad attitudes on top of over-abundant cleavage. The crowds a bit more diverse, though for a dockside tavern the Grey Cat is seems pretty staid. In fact, there appear to be no sailors in the room except for Periander. Most of the clientele have no easily observed profession, a dozen humans, a half-elf, a dwarf, and a half-orc comprise the diners.

As Seguld enters the room he locates Periander and then quickly heads for the bar. "G'dday!" He calls out to the barkeep as he grabs a hold of an empty stool. "Mind if I borrow this?" Seguld then throws a copper on the bar. "Thanks for your understanding." As he drags the stool to Periander his eyes dart from one serving wench to the next. Finally he settles upon the most attractive of them and he whistles to her. "Hello Miss! My friends and I will be needing your attention when you have a moment, and maybe more." He smiles and winks at her.

Raken eyes the bar cautiously, taking note of the patrons. After scanning over the bar for a few moments, he walks over to the table where Periander is seated and takes a seat. He visibly relaxes, but remains on guard.

Leera walks over with Raken. Sitting down next to him, across from Periander, she asks "Well, we're here. What's your proposal?"

"Tsk, tsk, Leera my dear. Is that anyway to start a conversation?" Ferric chides. Sitting down next to Periander he says, "Forgive us Periander, we have not introduced ourselves properly. If you may recall my name is Ferric. The lovely lady across from you is Leera and the worthy chap to her side is Raken." Ferric quickly names each of the others present. "Now that you know who we all are you had a proposition for these fine ladies and gentlemen."

Nodding politely as his name is mentioned, Kain finds a spot on the corner of the booth's seat and sits down, leaning forward on the edge of the bench.

Seguld pushes the stool the final few feet and then uses his mace to leap up to the top. His body lands precariously close to going too far over the stool, but he holds on and laughs. "Sorry about that." Looking to Leera and then the others he smiles apologetically.

Kain quickly reaches out to lend a steadying hand to Seguld's wobbling stool, but leans back as the gnome finds his balance. Resting with his elbows on his thighs, Kain looks up as the waitress approaches. "I'd like whatever you're serving for lunch, if you please," he says quietly. "Ah.. just water to drink for me, though, please."

Moving to stand behind Seguld, Jamila places her hands on his shoulders in case the stool should fall, rather than take a seat for herself. She gives a brief smile at Periander when her name is mentioned, otherwise she stays silent though there is a slight "hruff" at the sight of the over-abundant cleavage of the waitress.

With all the seats taken Talus leans against the wall where he has a clear view of the bar's entrance. When the waitress takes orders the half-elf simple shakes his head.

After the waitress finishes taking the orders, Periander looks around the table and speaks softly enough that only those at the table can hear. "As I mentioned before, I've got a pretty good idea where the Chalice everyone's searching for is. For 500 gp and a one way trip to Bral I'm willing to lead you to it. I'd form my own group but it takes a ship to get there and I can't afford a ship or crew."

The skepticism is clearly visible on Talus's face at this offer. He quietly comments, "I am afraid you will have to do a bit more to convince us that you really know where the chalice is if you want to keep us interested. This whole town in full of rumors as to its location. I think Billy even managed to buy it this morning," he ends with a grin.

Periander smiles nervously, "I was raised on Bral, always thought a life sailing the stars was for me. Last season I took a job as a hand on a ship ported in Bral, the FLOW GHOST. I thought she was an honest trader, a good ship to get my void legs on. Turned out instead she was pirate and a smuggler. I was treated like a slave, though the mates said once I was "blooded", had killed and thus was legally a pirate, I'd be made a full member of the group. Over the next few months I spent a lot of time cleaning the bilges and doing the ship's dishes. And we made a trip to the pirate haven here on Shipwrecker. A month or so back we were coming back to Shipwrecker, a storm came up as we were landing. The captain brought our ship down in a nearby bay, I took a chance and leaped overboard in the storm, hoping they would think I drowned. And here I am."

"Well my friend, it is a fine story, but you did not speak of the actual acquisition or appearance of the chalice - therefore we know nothing of what you may have to offer." speaks Seguld as he taps his chin. "500 gold coins and passage aboard our ship is a large bounty for leading us to this item. Let us look at the overall task."

"In order to return the chalice we first must find the chalice - you said you can lead us there, but we need our own vessel and pilot. You only did one third of that section. Once we get there we need to defeat a pirate ship's crew and take the chalice. Now I would expect that you would spill your guts on the crew and the ship so we can give you credit for some more aid in this hunt. Finally, we need to return to Bral with it. Well, we really don't need you for that." Seguld shrugs his shoulders.

"I would say 250 gold would be more than fair and we throw in the transport to Bral as well. You give us the information and then watch us take care of the rest. I'll tell you what - you play this out for us right, and I might even find a spot for you in my merchant company. That way you can get your void legs without being treated like a slave. I'll even pay you a nice wage." Seguld then turns to look around. "Now where did that nice little tart go?"

"I'm afraid I don't want my void legs any longer," Periander replies, "though I appreciate your offer. 500 gold, just 10% of the reward, seems fair since your chances of earning it without my help seem very slim. I think I was misunderstood, however, in that I don't expect anything except the trip to Bral if my information proves incorrect. If you don't recover the Chalice I don't expect payment." The young sailor clears his throat nervously and takes a long drink of his ale. "I hope to use the money to start up my own business, I've had enough adventure. To put it plainly, I suspect my old captain has the Chalice. The bay we dropped in on was the same one the crashed wasp was discovered in the next day. That seemed like a pretty big coincidence. The ship took a little damage in that storm, that's why I think he's still on Shipwrecker, docked at the pirate haven. If he isn't, then he's already set sail for Bral, to either ransom the Chalice or claim the reward himself."

Back at the ship:

Italapate spends the time while the others are at the bar, carving his initials into the gunwales with his tomahawk, while gazing out over the bay.

Nilaroo frowns at 'Pate's graffiti but doesn't say anything. He and Grigree conduct a thorough inspection of the ship's lines, going over every square inch for signs of wear or imminent breaks.

Holland stays below decks, studying his spell books in his cabin.

Date/time: 12:10 pm 1st day of the 5th Month, 5049 OC