The Blacklock Society [Pathfinder]

[Noble Pigeon]

There must be well-off merchants, or other people in significant positions in the city, that could have their hands in this illicit drug trade, Desaix mused. Looking in the underworld or the rougher parts of town are viable options, but sometimes you need to look up. Up in the political pyramid, of course.

"I am Desaix Solomon, wandering bard extraordinaire, reciter of past glory and current exploits. A pleasure!" He gives another bow. "I agree with Lady Tirrem. We should plan this out and narrow down the best way to locate a center of distribution...and, I'd like to get to know my future comrades better over a round of drinks." He winks.

[loser0ll]

For several moments, the tall Human seems to be still drawn into his own head. He still seems more busy with some sort of distracting thing inside of his own mind for during the beginning of the introductions - at least until Miss Laudine introduces herself.

Spoiler

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Fine! She is honestly an ally of yours - you can take over for now. But only as long as your deal with her decently. Don't forget that she is a lady serving the ally of your deity.

His vision clarifies, to the point where it almost seems like some kind of intensive battle of the minds has ended. He approaches Laudine with a respectful stance, considerably more self-disciplined and organized than the rest of his behavior has been through the night, before bowing to her directly.

"So, you are a Cleric of Abadas, Miss Laudine? Then it is a pleasure to meet you - while I am not a direct follower of the one you bow to, I am deeply devoted to a firm ally, so it an honor to have you within this group with me.

As far as where we should go, I would suggest the Old Port. The ones who sell these drugs aren't likely to store their income into banks and funding, since it would give away who they are quickly. Meanwhile, those who buy them aren't likely to have the income left to go to banks for too long, since drugs this strong are too addictive and expensive to leave many Gold Pieces behind for long.

The Old Port would let them try and sell the drugs quickly to those who come into the city freshly from a trade ship - and it would keep us from looking too obvious, since wearing armor and carrying weapons happens fairly often for those sailing."

[North_Ranger]

"It's Old Dock, not Old Port", Silviu grumbled. "Beggin' your pardon, but sailors ain't the best sorta people if you want to make a decent pile sellin' drugs. You needs someone who keeps comin' back for more. Sailors don't do that none too often."

For a moment Silviu looked like he had something more to say on the matter, but then he leaned back and scratched the side of his nose. "That bein' said... Old Dock an' Old Korvosa proper would be where I'd go lookin' first. But discreet-like, whisperin', not shoutin'. We want to catch these 'ere rats, not scare 'em off. Or worse, make 'em come after us."

Or yours truly in particular, he mused to himself. Old Korvosa... now that brought back memories. It was a foolish gamble, that much was true. The moment he arrived, someone would see him - and eventually, someone would talk. Best be done about this quickly, then. There'd have to be another time for a family reunion.

"If all else fails", he said instead, sliding out his knife and testing its edge with his thumb. "We can always try... persuasion. Somebody will talk, eventually."

[Zealumieo]

"Nice to meet you..." Sarka apprehensively stretched out her hand. "A... pleasure to be working with you."

He approaches Laudine with a respectful stance, considerably more self-disciplined and organized than the rest of his behavior has been through the night, before bowing to her directly.
"So, you are a Cleric of Abadas, Miss Laudine? Then it is a pleasure to meet you - while I am not a direct follower of the one you bow to, I am deeply devoted to a firm ally, so it an honor to have you within this group with me."

Laudine wasn't one to ignore the courtesies of conversation and exchanged a friendly handshake. It was close to the one she gave to Desaix but she eased off slightly to avoid an overlong welcome.

She smiled, "You are too kind." Laudine was quick to reply to his bow in kind once she hand the chance, 'It may be prudent to say your name.' Laudine whispered to him, not wanting to make him an odd one out.

OOC: Ehehe, XD sorry if my swift actions are long..
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"Mmm... frightening them would mean you'd have to be- or atleast seem- scarier then a whole drug ring. And you know groups like that tend to have the muscle or money to make themselves fairly threatening. " Laudine presented her thoughts, "I'd prefer if we didn't start on the lowest ring with a public fight. It would tip the wrong people off that someone was snooping around. I suggest we go to the Bank of Abadar, if there is a good place to find addicts in debt it would be there. Plus, the desperate may be easier to deal with then the currently enthralled. That or we try getting a location out of a person being or currently rehabilitated off their addiction. Someone of the self-righteous bent might even volunteer the information for free." Laudine held herself back to not sound excited, she noticed how she had said it... but she took a little comfort in the fact it might not have been noticed by people who didn't know her all that well. She shrugged it off, "That or we mislead someone... its a higher risk gambit, but it does pay off when they don't know what got them."
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OOC: Edit: Erm Sorry this section would be listed for "Questions for Wayne"

"A quick one please, if we confirm two places or more in our findings... Will there be a bonus?"

[lemeres]

Sarka withdrew her hand as quickly as possible. She had to be careful to hide th slight feeling of revolt. There was business to attend to.

"Well, with the Old Dock, while we will not find many people pushing the drugs, we would still find smugglers. It is rather close to Trail's End, and I'd guess security might be rather lax compared to other docks. Unless this drug is completely synthetic, it will likely have at least some unusual ingredients. We'd have to consult an alchemist about this first though, to know what to look for." .

Sarka paused while considering the cleric's suggestion. "Looking for addicts would probably be our best bet on a lead. A bank might be a bit of a stretch, but it would probably be a good place to find addicts that we can....work with" She gave a smirk to Silviu, "...since I'd imagine that most looking to use a loan for their habit would probably not have any bigwigs on their side to cause a ruckus or know anyone to tip off. If we are discreet about it, it would not be too hard to find out their dealer and work from there."

[Noble Pigeon]

Desaix sat, eyes closed, his brow furrowed while his companions discussed possibilities. Then, he seems to come around.

"There is another option. A more difficult one to do, but perhaps might yield the best results. We should look a bit higher on the political hierarchy for our solution. Doubtless there will be merchant princes, nobleman, anyone who wields considerable power in the city to have dipped their hands at least partially in this whole business." He shrugs. "However, I think we should only do this only if we run into consistent dead ends in our search."

[Jane_Smith]

Wayne pipes in to your group after the first goes on there marry way. Ariana gives Desaix a wave as her group leaves, while the other, like yours, still plans on the other side of the room.

"All sound plans so far. Also ma'am you will get a portion of the guilds funding for completing the job. I am not allowed to discuss in detail the finer details of the societies money handling, but I can say its over a good thousand gold or two, more if you can find multiple drug producers. Not to shabby for your first job, eh?" He grins and finish's smoking one of his cigars and puts it out in a empty mug on a table. "Anyway, I wish you all luck. Crex works here until high noon, if you have anymore questions just go talk to him. Oh, and I almost forgot, you have up to a week to find at least one producer. I don't think I have to go into details of what happens to recruits who can't do there first trial." He waves you all off as he leaves as well in a rush.

Crex laughs. "Don't worry to much, he did not mean to make it sound so ominous, he just means you will have to attempt another trial."

[North_Ranger]

Silviu's nose began to itch something fierce again, and he muttered as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. Hmh, now that's an ill omen...

While not as formidable in stature as his nose, his ears still served him well as he listened to the discussion around him, weighing the options in his head. When Wayne mentioned the time limit, the itching grew again briefly, then disappeared. That must've been it... there was always a catch.

"Listen", he started as he sat down by a table and motioned for the waitress - hopefully that redhead with the freckles might show up again. "I'm hearin' some sound ideas and not so sound ones. Personally I don't think anyone lookin' ta get gold for drugs would run to the bankers. There's easier ways ta get coin. Loan sharks, petty theft, sellin' yer valuables", he said, nodding to Laudine.


"Nor do I hanker ta go after the bigwigs yet", the Varisian man continued, looking at Desaix. "We can ask aroun' an' see if someone has dirt on 'imself, but th' bigwigs got big by not gettin' dirty. An' gold tends ta make people look squeaky clean. No, dear partners of mine. I think our best bets lie in findin' a dealer an' gettin' him to talk. For that, we's got three options."

"One", he said, lifting his right forefinger. "Th' temples. Find someone who's usin', and persuade them to tell us a name. Th' problem lies in doin' that without the priests lookin', if we need to rough up the bugger."

"Two", and his middle finger rose. "Old Korvosa. That'll take time and be more dangerous, but if there's some gang that's involved in Tear-dealin', I'll bet my boots there's two or three that'd pay in coin or information for takin' down a rival. But that path has its own dangers."

"An' three", up came the ring finger. "The smugglers. Now, I have been doin' some alchemical work when the pickin's been slim, but I'm no apothecary. I can take a gander at the Tears if you like, but that'll take time, and time's not somethin' we have in abundance. Th' same's true if we hire us a professional alchemist, but that costs coin - also something we don'ts have in abundance."

"So that's the way I see it. Now how about we sit down, have us a drink like th' bard suggested an' put this to a vote? Unless someone wants ta be th' serjeant for our merry company?"

[Zealumieo]

The set timeline didn't bother Laudine, deadlines could be managed and the punishment wasn't the end all. As she sat down, she ordered the same drink as before. The moment Silviu started what seemed to be a list, she pulled out a journal and jotted down notes. She still took pauses to look up at everyone's faces (atleast to show she was paying attention to them too) and stated, "Not that I want to put anyone on the pedistal (or be judgemental), but if anyone has previous experience with... criminals and rackets, it wouldn't be a bad thing to step up and take loose charge."

Laudine could see the advantage of the party setup, with five people votes would never be tied. And noting from the colored nature of everyone in it, they probably could find a person with one hand in a certain expertise or another. "Because Silvu was right about one of my suggestions now that I consider it. When theres the good and the bad- one person here should be decent at making the baseline." she nodded and went to thinking about the list again, "Contacting the higher class about this may be to risky even when weighed for the reward. Mistakes made can... at best have you dismissed and forgotten about... At worst you make an enemy with the wrong group of people. Mmm... also, I like the idea of going to Old Korvosa... Staying away from the homebase of the Hellknights and City Guard would probably be better in terms of being caught in compromising position... But not too far gone, no need to entrench ourselves in the worst areas of the city."

[lemeres]

Sarka asked for another drink. She didn't like having this much while on the job, but she needed it if she was going to play nice with casters. "Well, I have to agree that we might want to keep to Old Korvasa for this. We aren't going to get bailed out until we find at least one of the targets. But I have to side with...Laudine, was it? Just a quick check at the healing centers first might not be a bad idea. We'd get a name or two from people in rehab to work with before going to look in the slums. And if we talk with the healers, we might also get a few symptoms to look out for. That would help us question uninvolved people with out tipping them off to much. Asking for drug addicts is a lot more suspicious than asking if someone had funny eyes or something." She had to shrug her shoulders. The best advice she could give was how to keep a low profile. Her familiarity in the drug trade was somewhat lacking. Sarka never liked to get involved them since they would always dull the mind and body. Never a good idea in her profession, and it just generally bred a disgust with users.

"After that, we might also want to check out money lenders. Particularly the ones who offer, how should I say, 'special interest rates.'" Sarka had to hold back a snicker. "Addicts would likely turn to them as a last resort to pay for their habit. A bit of coin would probably get them to name a couple of dead beats that are tear-users."

[Noble Pigeon]

"Well, I for one am content with whatever plan works. As long as we be quick about it. I admit, I was sort of hoping our initiation would have been to delve into a dungeon and steal a dragon's hoard!" Desaix sips his ale, blowing bubbles into it as he sighed. "A worthy start of the beginning of my saga as an adventurer! Ahem...But yes, we should be quick about this, both to leave an impression on Wayne and to get to the bottom of this dangerous drug before it infects too much of the city." Desaix takes another sip again, glancing at everyone at the table. He seems almost restless, the methodical planning clearly contributing to that.

[North_Ranger]

"Well someone clearly has th' gift of th' gab", Silviu said with a smirk after listening to the bard's boasts. "If it's peachy with the rest of you lot, I'll go an' ask Crex for a sample an' if they have a place where I could study it. If one of yous has a knack for alchemy or wants t' help otherwise, come with. I suggest the rest could start askin' around in th' temples in the meantime an' see what they can dig up. Ol' Korvosa is a place we oughta hit in numbers - or at least, not in ones."

At least that way they won't just grab me in broad daylight, Silviu thought to himself. He knew Old Korvosa like the back of his hand, but time and burnt bridges meant that his old stomping grounds were more treacherous than they were back in the day. No sense going there alone... But those things he kept to himself as he stood up and walked up to the barkeep. Tapping him on the shoulder.

"Master Crex... First, many thanks for the ale. Haven't had one this good in ages", he started. "Second, might I bother you fer some... assistance? We reckoned it'd be a good start t' see what the Tears were made of. Now, I have the tools of an alchemist's trade back at my place an' I can procure them within th' hour. Per'aps th' Society could provide me with a sample an' mayhaps the facilities? I'm sure I'm not th' first dabbler amongst your ranks, an' I swear on my good name t' leave th' place as spotless at it was when I gots there."

[Jane_Smith]

Crex quirks an eyebrow. "Hm, you fancy yourself a chemist? Then go on ahead, we got a sample and a lab in the back. Take that door over yonder, go past the first three doors and take the hallway right, it will be the first door to your left after turning down that hallway. I would also advice you don't bother Sophia and don't touch anything without her permission first, last sap who touched one of her experiments had to buy a regeneration spell from the temple to repair his face, let alone the damage to his arse. If you ask me, those chemicals have made her a bit unbalanced if you know what I mean." He rummages behind the counter for a moment and pulls out a old tarnished steel chain necklace with a blacklock symbol amulet. "Take this with you and show it to anyone who asks what your doing back there, consider it a hall pass. Bring it back when your done."

OOC: Silviu gains Crex's Amulet. Try not to lose it, I doubt you want someone who can almost kill a dwarf in a single hit with a mug on your bad side.

[North_Ranger]

Silviu nodded as he gingerly picked up the amulet and put it around his neck. "I'll guard it like my sister's maidenhead", he said solemnly as he slipped the amulet and the chain snugly under his collar, against his naked skin. I did guard it well. It was Lucrezia's own doing, going like the gatehouse on a market day... Silviu stifled a chuckle at the thought. "I'll be back within the hour, and I'll give this back as soon as I'm done with the sample."

With that, Silviu gave his collar and scarf another tug to make sure the amulet was safely tucked inside his clothes, the metal cool against his skin. Putting his traveler's cloak back on he stepped out of the tavern to make his way towards the slophouse where he had rented a room for the time being, intent on not wasting a moment.

OOC: Just lemme know if he runs into something before he gets back to the tavern

[Zealumieo]

Laudine smiled at Desaix's silly idea... Dragons and their hordes in the city. Though from what little she knew about them there could be one in the city, magically veiled to seem like a human.

Laudine waved Silviu goodbye, "We'll leave a message with Crex if we're gone by the time you get back."

Not to take much more time she went back to business, "So thats the majority for going to Old Korvosa. We have a place then." Laudine took another sip, "All it takes now is whittling it down to what we're doing there. Maybe a plan A and a plan B... if those don't work we can meet together and figure what to do." She tapped her journal for a moment, and then put in her vote, "So its great we're having someone determine the make-up of this drug. I'm going to go with Sarka and say I want to find some addicts... find the symptoms. If we go out and know the signs and the materials it'll be that more likely we'll find the source. That isn't to say, if we find someone to work with we should pass the opportunity. That'll be a bonus in that case, and we should take advantage of it."

OOC: Edited

[Jane_Smith]

Crex pipes up, "You know, funny you should mention dragon's. We have one as a regular client in the city, a bronze at that, bastard would tie you up to ask you questions for eternity, calls himself "Tin Tim" over at the merchant's guild, one of there main financial advisers and money lenders. Though for an adviser he has a lot of pull. He often hires us to help collect the fools who cross him. Funny thing is he never has us kill them, or have them jailed. He has them hauled off to interrogate himself - they show up a few years later mad as a foaming dog on the streets. Poor sod's." He casually explains to Desaix as he finishs cleaning a mug. "If you ever need a loan after you finish your trial and join up, he will lower his interest rates to almost nothing, especially if you do some of his collection jobs. Powerful friends you know?"


He snorts and pours himself a mug and walks out from behind the bar, sitting back on the stool and lighting a pipe before facing you all. He softly whispers something to no one in particular, and you just now realize Crex has a set of hooves for feet and goat-like legs, covered in fur the same salt and pepper aged color as his beard and mustache. He seemed like a perfectly normal human until just now, though you do notice his arm and knuckle hairs are a bit more coarse than normal.

[lemeres]

Sarka turned towards the cleric. "Well, safest bet is to check out the temples, for which I'll have to differ to you. It would be best if you asked the questions when we get there, Laudine. I might not be the most welcome, as you can guess." A Single finger tapped against her horn. It was a good enough excuse for avoiding more clerics. "I'll still accompany you, but I hope you do not mind that I will try not to draw too much attention to myself. Remember, discretion is our ally, and the less people pay attention, the easier we can get through this trial. "

She perked up when she heard Crex's story. "Tin Tim, eh? Sounds like I name I'll need to get to know." Who cared if he was a dragon? With time and brains, anyone can get into power. He simply had more time than most to get that comfortable position. "We might check with him if the temples do not pan out to see if we can get some extra leads. We might even be able to kill two birds with one stone. Since we made it this far, I'm sure we will not need to much vouching for our abilities. If he does have anyone we'd be interested, we can offer our services for free we'd get both the info and a spot in his good graces." She smirked at Desaix, "That is if we can keep from picking a fight, eh, muscian?"

[loser0ll]

For a decent while the Human seems to mostly just sit by and listen, not bothering to speak or even react firmly to much of anything said. This finally changes suddenly when one thing in particular is mentioned - the Bronze Dragon who calls himself Tin Tim. The expression over his face seems to shift almost immediately, becoming a look of dislike against the Dragon.

Spoiler

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No! Don't you say a word! There isn't a single reason to speak against them, even if they are your natural enemies.

The Human seems to be arguing with himself for a moment, before finally speaking. His voice seems much more annoyed than before, as though he is just barely keeping some sort of rant to himself for the moment. "I suppose that I should tell you something of my own abilities before we leave. To shorten the story, I am a liar, charmer and bully, with magic that helps those things. Aside from that a wooden stick and responding to 'Thrum' are most of what I can offer.

His voice clearly shows that he is annoyed and his words are much less charming than they were made to be before - but at the very least, it seems as though the newly introduced Thrum is willing to put at least basic effort into ensuring that victory is possible.

[Jane_Smith]

Crex laughs. "For a professional liar and charmer you don't talk very much." He jests, taking a large puff of his pipe.

Silviu

You take the path Crex told you to take and you see a few members walking about the open hall of the guild. You find the path and door to the labs and the smell of spices, herbs, and you could swear something far less pleasant that should be in the sewers wafting from the door. You peep inside to find a very expensive set up, with vials, cauldrons, beakers, and more of great quality for the lab. Several experiments seem to be going on at once, with a single person in goggles overseeing a rather vicious looking liquid boiling in the corner.

The woman asks you what you need, and as your attention focuses on her you find shes dressed in a black lab coat with thick gloves and a pair of goggles strapped on with a strand of leather, tinted blue. She has long black hair in a pony tail, and a face mask on. Whatever she seems to be experimenting on seems to belch a strange red mist, you are not entirely sure you should be in the room, but oh well. She warns you not to touch anything as you enter the room.

[North_Ranger]

Silviu had taken every precaution when he left the tavern. Not taking the direct route, ducking and darting into smaller alleys, sliding in and out of the crowds that had already filled the streets... Perhaps he was being just paranoid, but he knew that at one point or another his family would find out he was back in the city. The Sczarni had their way, and it forbade or at least discouraged violence towards other Varisians. Still, it didn't hurt to be careful.

Nonetheless, he made his way back to his rented attic room, and found his tool kit. Checking once more that the various vials, reagents, tools and notes were still in order, he then locked the little wooden chest and tugged it under his arm for the way back.

Back in the tavern, he had to stifle a whistle when he saw the expansive - and most definitely expensive - laboratory hidden in the back rooms. The walls must be sturdy as hell, he mused to himself. Half of this stuff looks like it's about to blow up. Keeping those notions to himself, however, he took off his cloak and most of his gear, leaving them on a vacant bench. He would need a steady hand while doing this, and every little thing was a distraction.

"I'll be sure not to, ma'am", he said politely when the busy-looking woman told him not to touch anything. "An' I'll try and bother you as little as I can. Crex did say I should ask you for a sample, though. Of Ileosa's Tears, that is", he continued as he began setting up his tools in the small part of the lab that was not already occupied by the dozen experiments the woman had going on at once.

"If you has a moment later on, I'd be more than happy t' hear any thoughts you have on th' drug", Silviu added as he picked up a pair of goggles, gloves and a leather apron stained with all manner of blotches and spills - and one nasty hole that looked like an acid burn. Just in case he also took up a linen wrap and soaked it in water mixed with some of the herbs in his kit. He would need that to keep himself unafflicted by any possible vapors...

[Jane_Smith]

She perks up and turns to you, pulling her goggles atop her head. "The tears? I have a few samples, but why do you need them? Also who are you?" You can even feel her frown threw her mask.

[North_Ranger]

"Ah, pardon me, ma'am. I thought not to bother you none, so I dispensed with th' pleasantries", Silviu answered with an apologetic smile, leaving the linen to soak up the scented water. "Silviu Drazesti, one a' th' recruits, at your service", he offered with a courteous bow to the woman. "Me and mine were told by Wayne t' look into th' Tear-trade. We figured a good place t' start would be figurin' what them Tears is made of. Crex gave me the okay t' come here..."

With that, Silviu slipped his fingers inside his shirt and slipped the amulet over his head, showing it to the woman. "He said t' show this, t' show I'm here legit. Th' sample... well, one needs somethin' to esperiment on. It's not fer personal use, I assure you. I was just soakin' them linens in case there's any noxious fumes", he said and nodded towards the soaking fabrics. "Figured it'd be safe not t' breathe in any of the stuff..."

[Jane_Smith]

She sighs and gets up from her work a few moments later and pulls her goggles up. The only attribute of her face you can see is a pair of blue eyes. She walks over to another section of the lab and gets you a sample, bringing a vial of the vicious blue liquid. "I have already done tests, but if you wish to see for yourself and try your hand at it, I am curious to see what you discover. It would be nice to find another academic in the society, even if you talk like a sewer rat. Indulge me, you might get a surprise." After handing the vial she directs you over to a corner you can work with the lab equipment and goes back to her experiment, idly keeping watch on you.

[North_Ranger]

"A sewer rat? I'll take tha' as a compliment, ma'am", Silviu offered back with a wicked smile. "An' if you speaks Varisian, I'd be more than happy t' oblige you wi' somethin' else as well", he continued with a wink. He was no bard, but he knew a good poem or two in his native tongue. But there was a time and a place for such things, and neither of those was right now.

Carefully the "sewer rat" placed the vial aside and wringed the linen dry of excess moisture. Wrapping the piece of cloth around his head so that it covered his nose and mouth, he then picked up the vial and proceeded to the corner that Sophia had shown him. Hmm, this looks a lot more complicated than my old set-up, he mused. Looking over his shoulder he could see the blue-eyed woman staring at his back, as if expecting him to burn his face off within the next heartbeat. Might as well try. There's less shame in trying and failing than being yellow...

With that, Silviu began his preparations, picking out dishes and vials ready and setting a small flame in the small stone dish...

[Jane_Smith]

After about thirty minutes you finally get use to the set up, but once you hit the ground your on fire, and you make amazing progress. She walks over to watch you work once or twice as she keeps an eye on her own experiments as you do your work. It does not take long before you make a very sickening discovery.

The contents of the tears are the following; Tetrahydrozoline (a common chemical that constrains blood vessels), a handful of other non-harmful substances like green tea leaf extract, some mineral found in the water that was likely gained at a river, not the ocean, due to its lack of salt content.

The dangerous parts, however, is a mix of three potent drugs. Shaonti Redshot, a herbal tea capable of increasing ones adrenaline to heart-bursting stress levels to induce a berserk rage for short periods of time, Aetherium, a popular recreational, but extremely addictive mist-like drug used by the mages of the academe for recreational use to give the pleasurable effects and hallucinations, and to likely give it its blue coloring. And lastly, and the most gruesome discovery... extremely rotted human bile and pus. Though an extremely small amount, it was apparently intended as part of the mixture, but has no apparent effect.

After being in the room so long, you feel your eyes burning from the chemicals brewing - you did not wear any goggles and you find them extremely sensitive as you turn away from your project.

OOC: You gain a -4 penalty to sight based perception checks for three hours.

[North_Ranger]

"Hells below", Silviu gasped when the thought hit him. His eyes itching and watering, he had to check twice more just to make sure his senses weren't failing him. Yet there it was, discolored and oozing with the other ingredients, sitting at the bottom of the distillation cup. Pus. Bile. Already decomposing. In his mind Silviu muttered a brief thank you to Desna that the Redshot had masked the smell, because the idea of imbibing or injecting such bodily effluvia...

"Beggin' your pardon, ma'am, but I can't tarry now" , he said to Sophia, blinking his eyes to keep them from watering even more. "My company must needs hear o' this swift-like. Perhaps we may discuss some other time? Mayhaps when I'm not squintin' like a bedazzled piglet?"

Silviu didn't stop for a moment as he spoke, still managing a small smile as he cleaned up his station. There were flames to be put out, distilled ingredients to be safely disposed of, cups and vials and bottles to be cleaned up. "'Cause t' be honest... you's got a wonderful set-up 'ere, ma'am Sophia. I'd... uh, careful, tha's still hot... I'd love t' just spen' a day or two jus' learnin' th' ropes. All th' more reason t' get through with th' initiation th' sooner."

[Jane_Smith]

"So I am guessing you found that particular little trait as well?" She snorts. "I retested myself when I first sampled it. But that aside you did amazing work, if you ever need training after your trial come back and see me. And here, take this." She rummages over by her experiment and pulls out three vials in a small potion pouch, the corks of each one marked with a wax seal for easy identification. "Anti-poisons, general use, so they are not as potent as anything that can be created to combat a single type, but in case you or your own gets a dose of the foul stuff, it should help them settle down. Oh, and mayhap's you's can come back just to visit?" She winks as she lets her own accent slip out.

OOC: You acquire a potion pouch, allowing you to draw a vial or flask as a swift action. It takes a move action to place a flask or vial within it. It can hold up to 10 vials, a flask takes up 3 vial slots. Insider this cured leather pouch is three vials of clear liquid, stated by Sophia to be anti-poison.

[North_Ranger]

Silviu couldn't help but grin when he heard the woman letting her high and mighty mask slip and show that little twang of the tongue that marked her own speech as well. "Hey, I'm a sewer rat, ain't I?" he chuckled as he slipped the potion pouch on his belt. "I always come back t' places where I'm welcome. Seein' how you wish me not to get poisoned before that", he continued with a wink and gently pat the pouch on his belt. "If I do, I'll try an' nab you a sample. Y'know, if it's some other foul stuff tha' we could experiment on, us academics."

With that, Silviu offered Sophia a broad smile as he picked up his gear again, the sword and the dagger at his hips, the bow and the quiver on his back. "Until tha' time, ma'am", he said with a smile and a bow before stepping out of the laboratory and making his way back into the tavern.

Gods, I need t' remember th' goggles next time, he mused to himself as he looked around. Tha' stuff is makin' me see things. Like Crex havin' hooves and furry legs. Of course, he did not say that as he nodded to his partners and walked up to the bartender. "I'm guessin' you'll be wantin' this back", he said with a smile as he slipped the amulet off and handed it back. "Much obliged, an' I'll try an' not blow anythin' up in th' future, neither."

[Zealumieo]

As Laudine finished the last of her tea, she spoke up in order to get this table moving, "Since we're one man down with Silviu in the labs, why don't we go to the temple then? Its much safer then asking on the street. And I don't want to ruin his chance to meet an important contact like Tin Tim." She glanced at the direction he'd left before turning her eyes back on the group, "Just simple things, symptoms... leads if they're willing to give it. We can at least approach on vague terms in case we want to try a specific plan later." She set her cup aside so that the waitress could easily pick it up, "I'm completely fine with heading the front for that. Though the temple of Abadar generally doesn't buy into stereotypes unless they're related to trustworthiness or money... Tends to turn away perfectly good clientele that way."

[Noble Pigeon]

Desaix gives a slight nod at Laudine. Hmm. On one hand I believe we need to stay together as a group as much as possible. In these troubling times, the more the merrier. But I'm also a firm believer of completing a task well before its deadline. He seems to ponder it, staring at the ceiling, before coming about again, grinning. Should we leave a note for Silviu? The bard whipped out a piece of fine parchment and an inkpen almost immediately, as if expecting this to happen. When Silviu returns, he puts them away, looking slightly crestfallen.