The Last Dance IC

[NeoSeraphi]

The half-elf Selene gazes out across the seas. She thinks about the legend of the artifact that her human grandmother had possessed, a long time ago.

A legendary flute, said to calm any conflict. Made purely of glass, this sound of this flute brings pause to a sword, it causes hesitation in a snarl, and softens a hardened heart. Used by the humans to protect themselves from orc invaders, it stood as a symbol of Selene's clan's dedication to peace and prosperity between all peoples in Golarion. And now, it is missing.

Selene has traveled from Minkai to the Inner Seas, searching for this artifact. Each area she turned to has given her a clue, but nothing more than that. It seems that whoever is in possession of the flute is happy to change hands with it or that one or two of the owners are quite quick to travel.

Selene's search for the flute has led her to the barely tamed wilds of Varisia. As she disembarks from her ship, she gazes through the disorganized mess of a city known as Korvosa. She walks off the ship and bumps into a large man. "Hey! Watch it!" the man mutters gruffly. The half-orc woman with him places a hand on his shoulder and he calms down, growling and moving past her. Selene vaguely realizes that these must be Shoanti, the brutal outlanders who have settled in this city out of necessity as their hunting grounds shrink. She can smell drugs in the air, there's likely a booming shiver trade in these alleys.

As Selene walks through the city, she passes by a bar with a low wooden sign that reads 'The Wheel of Fortune'. The sign has an image of a woman reading from a Harrowing deck. The door opens and a man is thrown to the ground. The man hiccups and sits up, still holding a bottle. The innkeeper yells at him to go dunk his head and slams the door. The man laughs and stands up, taking a swig of his drink. "Good riddance...no one around here has any respect for a genius." He stomps off towards the west side of town.

Selene's contacts have informed her of potentially three useful people in the city who might talk if Selene greases the wheels properly. She looks at the letter and reads it again carefully:

"Selene -

I've got a lead on this artifact you've been interested in. No need to thank me, I know you're good for a favor when I call again. Apparently it passed through the port in Korvosa not too long ago. Some important person had it on them. I bet if you track that person down you can find the flute and get it back. The tricky part is figuring out who has it, exactly.

I know three people who might have an idea and can be persuaded to talk.

Ser Mavis Lasker is a knight that you can probably find either on patrol or in the barracks. If anyone is visiting the king, they have to go through her. Sounds like she knows all the important people, right? If you pass a few coins her way, she might loosen her lips.

Leonardo Mistcaller is an alchemist who owns a shop somewhere in the Merchant District. If the flute was going to be sold, or pawned, or identified, it would go to him. He's a bit of an eccentric but he has a perfect, sterling reputation. You wouldn't catch the man eating a cookie before dinner, let alone all the vice and backstabbing in that city. You can't bribe him, but he's been widowed for ten years, so maybe he's a bit lonelier than most men and would appreciate the company of a beautiful woman?

Duke Roy Carbuncle is the last mark. He's probably the one most likely to know something, but also the most dangerous. You can find him in one of the villas in the Royalty District. Obviously you can't bribe someone rich, but those with power have the most to lose from it. I know Carbuncle has his hands in the shiver trade, if you can find some proof of that you can blackmail him and he'll tell you anything. But if you mess up, you might end up behind bars.

Best,
Jack"

[Diachronos]

Selene looks over the letter. Three potential marks, any of whom could be either her ticket to retrieving the flute or a waste of time. There's no way to know without asking them, though...

Mavis is likely the "worst" place to start. She'd know anybody who was trying to see the king, but that wouldn't help her at all if the flute's current owner isn't involved with the Korvosan court at all. Leonardo has probably crossed paths with the owner, though, and someone as influential as Roy would likely have information on who possesses the flute even if he himself hasn't met them.

After some thought, she heads into the tavern. Asking around would help her find out any additional information on the contacts Jack had found for her, as well as picking up any other potential leads.

[NeoSeraphi]

The inn is bustling with people. There are a few humans playing cards, and a group of Shoanti arguing over a recent kill. The innkeeper, the same tiefling that Selene saw 'escort' the drunk out earlier, is standing behind the bar, polishing a glass that never seems to get any cleaner. There are several tables set up, with chairs around them and plenty of people to fill them. On stage is a beautiful elven woman, singing softly and playing the harp.

Selene's experience alerts her, however, to one individual who is trying his hardest not to be noticed. She spies him towards the back of the inn, drinking casually as he tries to pretend like he's not eavesdropping on everyone else.

Spoiler

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[Diachronos]

Selene narrows her eyes briefly before approaching the man at the back. "Hello, there. Is this seat taken?"

[NeoSeraphi]

The man looks up. His single eye examines Selene's face for any sign of hostility. He hesitates, and then relaxes and sits back in his chair, facing her properly. "...No. That seat's free. What can I do for you?"

[Diachronos]

Spoiler: Skill checks

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Perception: (1d20+13)[32]
Sense Motive: (1d20+8)[12]

She smiles and takes a seat across from him. "Oh, I'm just in town looking for something. One of my... er, friends, directed me here to find it."

[NeoSeraphi]

Spoiler: Perception

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The man's eye is moving at an angle that suggests he's only trying to see half of her, before it quickly redirects to observe everything at all angles. Because of this, Selene can guess that this man isn't used to looking at things with one eye. Either whatever cost him his eye happened recently, or the patch is part of a disguise and both his eyes still work.

"Looking for something? Unless it's a knife in your back, I don't know why you'd come to this port to find it."

The man takes a drink before pausing. "My name is Karasmus."

Spoiler: "Knowledge (Local) DC 20

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The man is speaking Varisian, but based on his accent and word choice Selene realizes he is actually Chelish. His last sentence, if understood from a native Chelish speaker, is 'They call me The Salamander'

[Diachronos]

Spoiler: Knowledge (Local)

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(1d20+9)[19]

Selene notes his eye movements, but doesn't raise any questions about it. Chances are he's unwilling to tell her anything if he's in disguise or just recently lost an eye.

"No, it's not betrayal I'm looking for. I'm looking for something that my grandmother lost some time ago. With any luck it'll be back in my family's hands where it belongs without much issue."

[NeoSeraphi]

The Salamander smiles. "That's certainly an interesting tale. But unless your grandmother lost an awesome scarf, I don't see why you would come looking for it at my table."

[Diachronos]

Selene shrugs. "I just figured that you might have an idea, seeing as you clearly weren't listening in on every other conversation in the room."

[NeoSeraphi]

The man stiffens and sits back in his chair. "Alright, look, don't blow my cover. What do you want to know?"

[Diachronos]

Selene leans forward. "I'm looking for a glass flute. My mother says that it's got some kind of calming magic infused into it."

[NeoSeraphi]

The man frowns. "I can't help you. I'm a very busy guy, and I haven't heard anything about a flute. ...Sorry."

He actually sounds sincere there at the end.

[Diachronos]

"Fair enough. Do you know anything about Ser Mavis Lasker, Leonardo Mistcaller, or Duke Roy Carbuncle?"

[NeoSeraphi]

The Salamander's eyes shoot open and he leans across the table to grab Selene's mouth and cover it. "Damnit! You idiot! Not another sound. ...Let's talk in my room."

Spoiler

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Grapple check: (1d20+8)[25], if it doesn't beat Selene's CMD she can shake him off (though she might think resisting is unwise for other reasons)

[Diachronos]

Selene isn't able to push him off, but she stops when he suggests talking elsewhere. Without a word she starts getting up, ready to draw her sword if he forces her hand.

[NeoSeraphi]

The man lets her go and walks upstairs to a bedroom. He enters the room silently.

Selene is free to leave the tavern if she wishes, or she can follow the man to see what this is all about.

[Diachronos]

This is probably a trap... but Selene follows him upstairs.

[NeoSeraphi]

The Salamander turns to face Selene when she enters. "Alright. I don't know who you are or who is paying you, but you need to back off Roy Carbuncle. That man is dangerous. He owns half the thugs in this town. Say his name in the wrong company and you might just disappear."

He's not threatening her. He sounds more...concerned?

[Diachronos]

Selene frowns. "It's dangerous to ask him a simple question?"

[NeoSeraphi]

The man nods. "Yes. And more importantly, he's my mark, and I don't need an amateur getting in my way and screwing things up."

[Diachronos]

"Frankly I don't care what your plans are for him. All I care about is whether he knows where this flute is."

[NeoSeraphi]

The man sighs. "Alright, fine. I'm planning on making my move against Carbuncle at midnight in two days. If you come back here before then and offer me something I would think is valuable, I'll give you whatever information I have on him."

[Diachronos]

Selene tals her chin in thought. "'And what do you consider 'valuable'?"

[NeoSeraphi]

The Salamander looks caught off-guard. "I - uh...tsk. You ask a lot of questions, you know that? Just go. Get out of here already."

Looks like she'll have to use her instincts to tell when she's found something he might want.

[Diachronos]

"Alright, if you insist." She heads out of his room and back downstairs.

[NeoSeraphi]

She has some new information at least. Glancing down at her letter, she still has work to do. Where to go next?

[Diachronos]

Selene leaves the tavern, seeking out Mavis in hopes of finding out whether she knows the flute's whereabouts.

[NeoSeraphi]

Selene talks to a few guards and asks about Mavis. She gets a tip that the guard will be doing a night patrol later. She should meet the guard in front of the gate at a quarter past nine.

Selene can't think of a better time for a guard to accept a bribe than after dark when no one is around, so it's probably best for her to go along with this.

However, that does leave her with a solid four hours to kill.

She considers her options. She could explore the city, perhaps do some shopping in case she needs to defend herself while she's here.

She could get some food and maybe write a letter back to Jack and send it out.

She could look around the city and try to find something that The Salamander might consider valuable.

She could head over to Leonardo's shop and talk to him.

Or, she could try and find Carbuncle's villa, maybe do a bit of snooping.

[Diachronos]

Selene heads out to do some shopping, figuring that she could use some supplies in case things go badly. She tries to find Leonardo's shop, as the man might have some information for her and he'd likely have some useful alchemical tools that would help.