As the day is young, Huski (Huskir) Salnahir, Greycoat (Shier'Tal) and Rascar Capac decide to head out and cash in the gold picked up in the Temple of the Elements.
We disguise ourselves - Rascar in his Firefly/Kenneth [Rascar Persona] disguise, Huski as Cev / Ceviche [Huskir Variant], and Grey as Patrysha - in order to head into the money exchange, the Opal Armoury, which is guarded by two Unknown sentries wearing a uniform clearly inspired by the Unknown, if not associated with them.
In the cloakroom, they take our weapons but Greycoat (Shier'Tal) insists Unknown is just a walking stick; Huski (Huskir) Salnahirat least has disguised himself somewhat using Grey's Unknown - and he has his claws.
- Dark-haired Elf (name on the receipt is Eloise Woodleaf) greets us - we show her some gold, ask if we can have it valued/exchanged, or even use it to trade with directly
- She advises us to value and exchange; Husk brings out 14 giant chunks
- Ask a shipwright, carpenter, or dockmaster Terrowyn de Gray, or go to the East Issylra Trading Company (where we bought dress from previously); we are advised to visit Clifton Cartwright, it head
- Portly Tabaxi Solstice welcomes us back to his cafe, Solstice of Summer, brings us sumac soup and cakes; very rich Marquesian wooden interior, cross-legged cushion seating
- We have traditional hot spiced tabaxi chai -
- We each get 1800 from the gold
- On the way back to the Post Husk advises Ras exactly WHY Zee was mad enough to poison him - she likes him. Ras was unaware, and the boys advise him not to lead her on
- Ras and Zee have it out on the roof of the Post; ultimately Ras says they could perhaps be more than friends one day... Zee just needs to figure herself out first
- Grey, using Quoth to spy, is interrupted downstairs by a returning Ras, catching him with his eyes glazed over. 'I told her you said she was pathetic, and a shitty cleric' 'Guess that makes us even...'
- Grey heads up to the roof. He and Zee lay back and watch the stars, and he tells her she's not what Rascar said... but if she does want to find herself, the Traveler won't abandon her if she gives up being a cleric, and the group can look after itself - he and Ras had even discussed opening an apothecary from the Post, an extra source of healing goods and herbs
- Zee and Ras decide to make stew (not bisque) for dinner, she'll teach him her recipe - they go shopping for supplies a1 g, pantry stocked
- Huski, having paid Berinon to deliver his previously-purchased goods, asks about orphanages; he finds his way to the Littleriver Orphanage, run by human Amity Wildwind, donates 150gp, talks to some kids
- They have family dinner, Ashkeet smells it and shows up - Port Damali coconut curry
- Ras declines dinner, Husk and Ashkeet fight for his portion; he mentions he needs to meet Jeremy from the Myriad after receiving Beldain's passed on note to his alter Myriad ego, Firefly
- We follow him to the Fiddler inn, Grey ducks into an alley and wildshapes into a grey desert mouse; scarred Unknown bartender points Ras to booth; Grey follows, beneath the table
- Jeremy pays 'Kenneth', what he knows the Firefly agent as, 1000 gold; mentions the other agents - Hornet (human male), Bee (human woman) and Sawfly (Drow)
- Jeremy advises of attacks on Myriad members starting from the Skew, now reaching the Opal Ward; something, not someone, is tearing them up
- Mentions that 2 nights ago a noble's daughter was taken, and her nursemaid left in pieces - Myriad have been paid by the noblewoman to find her as the Zhelezo can'
- Ras splits the gold 50/50 not wanting to tell the others, but Grey gives them 100 each (we got 400g! 100 each!) and keeps 300
- To become Blackjack again, Grey gets his rat-pelt cloak from Unknown, puts on his Bearskull Mask, and uses Zee's thigh-strapped dagger to cut his hair short
- Zee becomes Bluejay again, disguise self as a short curly red-haired Unknown girl with blue eyes
- Huski becomes Ceviche again, whitens his fur with Zee's disguise kit and wraps himself in a head-shawl
- We return to the Hungry Fiddler and Blackjack adds to the bad accents, get a whiskey from the scarred Aasimar bartender, who does not like him
- Syrelle Hasham, a well presented woman enters; trenchcoat, scarlet lips, veiled hat, pale; shows us the photo of her daughter; also pale, jet black hair, 8-9, Nimue, of House Hasham
- Syrelle advises us House Hasham are a family of some influence in the Menagerie Coast (though not one of the Big Seven), yet she does not believe a rival House or enemy was involved
- All bodies have raking claw marks on their backs; no magic scorch marks/signs; torn through leather armour, half-orc warriors;
- Minus 5g to Zhelezo as a bribe 'you think this might be evidence?' but they didn't know anything; mentioned Hand of Zarus have been stirring up trouble, but not related to this
- We find fur matted at the entrance to a sewer, head inside; soon torches and footsteps approach and Zee makes us invisible
- they are crouched over the body of a dwarf with animalistic tracks heading elsewhere; the tankard clutched in his hand is emblazoned with the logo of the Ivory Rapier
- Zee throws a rock and the guards freak and follow it, one's sword nicks an invisible Rascar; Husk takes the opportunity to investigate the dwarven body they abandoned
- Husk detects an undead of unknown location, I pop locate creature and search for a wendigo; we appear visible again and flag down the Zhelezo
- Fearfully they tell us there was a creature with shaggy, matted fur on two feet - the guards advise they can take us to the Ivory Rapier (their leader is Vinrath)
- Baby-faced Jhelmes, hand on torch shaking, whimpers 'its only my second day' as Zee finds clump of wendigo-like fur and we tell them what we believe it is
- Rowan Junior, the last guard, accompanies us as we climb a nearby ladder out a manhole, leading to the street by the Ivory Rapier; a figure watches us
- It is a lady of the night, raven black hair and pale skin and scarlet lips.... we notice she is not unlike the appearance of House Hasham ladies
- She says one of her companions is missing - a human woman named Keshana, meaning yellow marigold, so named because of her hair; we ask the lady to mark Keshana's travel route
- Some Zhelezo run past, and we trail them to an alley where they