Sapphire:Sessions:20150509
Feast Time 2 at the Green Lantern Tavern. Little Sal: "It is my intent not to involve the city guard in tonight's events." Chalker: "We have no objection to your disposing of the body." Sal doesn't recognize the name Carl Carver; he'll ask his serving girls.
Chalker returns to the main room and goes up and claps one of the scholars on the shoulder. "Another drink?" The scholars speculate that the fighting sticks were keyed to one individual -- Hunter -- which is why they disintegrated when he died.
Yasser is quite pleased when a serving girl brings him drinks and tells him they're on the house.
Shawna examines Hunter's contract for watermarks, and finds one behind the mage's signature. It is a sketch of the western coastline of the Peninsular Kingdoms. She gazes steadily at the parchment, then announces that the mage's name is Tholadan.
Tammy comes over, points to a young man at another table, and identifies him as Carl Carver, a university student who stops in at the Green Lantern about once a week. Chalker walks over and seats himself at Carl's table. Carl's companions give their names as Don Shaw and Earl Lark. Chalker slides the contract over to Carl, telling him to read it. A few moments later, Carl looks up and claims he has no idea why anyone would want him dead. But then he admits that several months ago he had dated the emperor's fifteen-year-old daughter. Some men had attempted to kidnap her from the Green Lantern, but had been foiled by a group of local adventurers.
When Carl and his two friends leave the tavern, Ahn-Lee follows them for a time, but no one is paying them any special attention.
The contract specified that Skylar was to be delivered to a certain alchemy shop. On the way there with Chalker, Yasser says recognizes the name Tholadan from his travels in the Peninsular Kingdoms seven years ago.
The alchemy shop is two stories tall (shop on the ground floor, living quarters above). The shop is dark, and only a single dim light shows in a second-story window. From what Yasser and Chalker can tell, the building is not under observation. They check the rear of the shop; the back door is not latched.
Chalker mutters to Yasser, "We're going for our strong suit." Boldly he opens the door, walks in, and calls loudly, "Hey! Is there anybody here?" A minute or so later, a middle-aged man creeps down the stairs, a club clenched in his fists, and shakily addresses the intruders: "My name is Ander; this is my shop. Take anything you want, just don't bother my family." Chalker quizzes him. Yes, he left the door unlatched deliberately. A man calling himself Tyadim paid him 4g to leave the door unlocked and place a small rug on the floor. He shows them the wool rug, which is only about 1.5 feet square; it has fancy designs woven into it and words woven around the edge. Chalker has Ander place the rug in a bag. Ander elaborates, "Tyadim is a mage... The deal was that he would pick up this rub in the morning... No, I never met him before... Describe him? He was about five-six, jet black hair, well-trimmed beard, lightly tanned skin; wore expensive embroidered clothes. And he spoke with an odd accent; no, not like yours."
Chalker: "This conversation never happened. But if Tyadim comes and leans on you, tell him Chalker Jackson can be found at the Dolyenan Embassy. And Ander, if you've lied to us... wasting a dwarf's time is expensive."