Go to "The Barking Spider" and find 'Granny' Mistaris.
Having armed yourself satisfactorially, you go out, making your way along Sheepstead's darkened streets, your breath turning to white condensation in the night air. You have been to the Barking Spider once before, having heard of it briefly from your father's associates,
[6] and you head straight to the small alleyway it's housed in.
You push open the door, take a quick glance over the common room: Nothing much to see, just a bunch of hard drinkers staring into their cups at the bar, mostly, and a few various people seated about the room at the crude tables.
Wasting no time, you head over to the bar and take a seat. After a moment, the bulky form of the bartender appears before you, wordlessly awaiting your order. You don't beat around the bush, saying simply, "I am looking for a woman named 'Granny' Mistaris, do you know of her?"
With your heightened awareness from your line of work, you perceive a slight shift in the moods of the men seated around you.
Suddenly they don't seem so drunk. In fact, the core group of drinkers at the middle of the bar, sitting either side of you, are eyeing you with open suspicion, and you also notice they seem rather openly aggressive as they set down their drinks, pulling daggers and clubs from various well-worn sheaths and belts. "Y' don't come in
here an' ask stupid questions, friend!" Says a lead figure, a viciously-scarred, unkempt brute with sallow skin and a tri-corner hat placed somewhat innocuously on his head. "Ah'll cut y' open from guts t' gizzard, y' ugly bastard!" A few flecks of spittle hit your face to punctuate his point. Even the bartender produces a large, lead-weighted club from beneath the bar.
As if that wasn't bad enough, at that moment the door bursts open and in comes a very tall, imposing-looking figure in flowing black-and-red robes, with a large axe strapped to his back. He's flanked by two well-armed soldiers.
Uh oh...
Go to the more seedier taverns and start breaking fingers of small-time crooks for information on Granny.
You head out into the City night, your guards falling in behind you wordlessly.
[6] You head into the darker, less well-kept side of the city, intent on a nice, relaxing evening of torturing drunken farmers for information.
The first tavern you barge into is largely empty, just a few off-duty labourers seated about the spartan establishment, relaxing after a hard day's work. You point out a suitable target to your men, a blond-haired middle aged man sitting with his fellows at a small table, dressed in simple cotton clothes.
Two of your guards stride fowards to grab him, scattering the drinks from the table before shoving him down onto it, as the third watches the door. You move over to the fear-stricken, confused man, and give your best smile. Which is, doubtless, pretty damn scary, as his eyes widen further.
"Wh-wh-what d'you want of me, sir? I've done nothing wrong!" "You are going to tell me something. Do you know an old lady, called 'Granny Mistaris'?
"N-no sir! Never heard of her!"
...You rather swiftly make him change his mind, and exit the building with a satisfied feeling and directions to a small drinking establishment nearby, known as the Barking Spider. The man's directions prove good, and you quickly make your way to the location, squashed between a cluster of warehouses and an old, abandoned building, apparently quite impressive once upon a time.
You fling open the door and step inside, casting your eyes across the room as your men move in.
The place itself doesn't look like much, gloomy, dank, cheap furnishings and mostly-bare walls, but you seem to have arrived during a bit of an altercation. As far as you can see, a bunch of wildly-dressed thugs are arguing amongst themselves at the bar, knives out and angry. This should be interesting.
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Topic: You are King! (Spring 315a) (Read 185115 times)