Scene:
The crowds of craftspeople were busy tending to their regular tasks. Many opened up their semi-permanent stalls of wood paneling, others erected temporary ones made of animal skin and canvas, but all the occupants were surprised to be set upon by Alwin, Erastil, and Thornharp.
Salvidore, a small, balding man wearing a striped red robe held an enormous platter of flatbreads covered in cloth to sell at his nearby stall as he made his way across the avenue. From careful and tenatative steps in his thonged sandals, it was obvious to all that surveyed him that the man was carrying much too large a burden of warm and delicious smelling bread in an effort to beat the rush. Such an unwieldy gambit he'd played to beat out other vendors with the first and largest batch of fresh bread to sell to passersby. His face wore both expressions: worry and smugness. It was precisely at this moment, Sal decided to cross the street in front of our adventurers.
Alwin, having run at breakneck speed to catch up with Haibram, had little time to react, but his muscle memory proved true as he performed a pirouette on a single heel, dodging Salvidore's bounty of breads by ducking under the platter itself. Erastil, close at Alwin's heels, obediently kept up with his master, though his original quarry of Haibram had diverted paths.
Thornharp, the poor thing, was not so lucky. Our leshy hero, running after Alwin and Erastil, chanced a dash through Salvidore's walking gait, only to catch a knee to her shoulder, upsetting the stride of the man and sending the pair of them--leshy and baker--on a collision course with the dusty street.
Enter Saur. As the kobold hopped down from his vantage point, an indeed startled shopwoman cried out in surprise. Such commotion brought all eyes to bear on him as he lithely darted through the crowd to the slow-motion crash that would likely ruin someone's day. In the milliseconds that followed, several things took place: first, in a deft movement, Saur caught Thornharp's coat. Second, Thornharp, in a rush of good luck, avoided being caught up in Salvidore's legs. Third, Salvidore, seeing nothing beyond his over-sized platter, tossed the whole lot into the air before falling face-first into the street.
As Saur's momentum propelled them forward, Thornharp watched as she was carried away, how a cloud of flatbreads rose into the air in perfect harmony, then slowed, and finally plummeted to Golarion covering the baker in floured loaves and littering the street with his day's work. Beggars descended upon the sight like ravenous wolves, and a trumpet was blown to attract the guards.
Meanwhile, back to the elf...
Fleur strode through the sleepy city, finally coming to life like an orchestral overture. The sounds of people commuting to their places of work filled the air, of animals baying, and the peeling bell from a nearby place of worship. The older gentleman the elf had within her sights was non other than Mr. Gerard Kittyborough, a retired minstrel on his way to Ibex park, chess board and box under his arm. He looked up at the stunning elf and adjusted his spectacles.
"Why hello there, young lady," he scratched his chin, wholly enthralled by Fleur's request, having nothing better to do so early in the morning than play chess in the park. "Yes, yes, yes!" he nodded enthusiastically, "I know Alandri well. She always sells me the best catch of the day. I've even helped her fish a time or two. I'm retired you see," he patted the chessboard in the crook of his elbow. "I can help you get there--I know a shortcut even. Would you like me to show you the way?" The man looks hopeful, as Fleur is the most exciting thing that has happened to him in a goblin's age.
OOC: @patientbean If you accept Mr. Gerard Kittyborough's help, please roll another Diplomacy or Intimidation check, and I'll see if he takes this opportunity to regale Fleur with his life's work, uncomfortably, in chronological order.Speaking of goblins...
The captain, Ms. Pi Carnbah, of canal taxi number three-zero-two-dash-"A"-"H" graciously accepted the offered silver pieces from Jenk, her latest fare. "Alandri's? Yes I know her stall," she said, before her eyes grew wide as the goblin brandished the shiny elixir. It was, as Jenk said, worth some sum of gold, which gave her pause. The woman, who appeared to be from Tian Xia, tucked her long dark hair into her beret before rolling up her sleeves. As she stole a glance at the dawning sky, she nodded affirmatively at Jenk. "Yes, I know a way, but it could be dangerous."
Without waiting for Jenk to agree to said danger, the woman lifted her gondola's steering stick high to push off from the canal's bank with some force. In no time, Ms. Carnbah had joined the steady traffic in the canal. "Here, the shortcut," she said over Jenk's shoulder as she pushed from the stern of the boat. The 'shortcut' turned out to be a very, very narrow side aqueduct of some sort, with towering walls on both sides, though the water appeared still and listless. Only after the expert canal woman had maneuvered into the passage did Jenk realize the smell.
This 'shortcut' must have served as some sort of latrine for businesses in the area. As he glanced back at Ms. Pi Carnbah, he noticed the closepin on her nose as she wiped her brow, not breaking speed until... Crunch! Something blocked the way forward and diverted the nose of their craft into the side of the narrow passage. No matter what Pi did, she couldn't budge the boat from the stern. At the bow, the black viscous water began to rise up the outer side of their boat as the blockage threatened to pour over the edge. "There's a oar there," she said, pointing to one tucked under the inside of the boat's bow. "Push, quick!" If someone didn't do something to free the boat or the shift the blockage, their boat might begin filling with foul smelling water! The walls on either side of the canal branch upward to slate roof tiles, the water below is rising, the boat may have some other resources.
OOC: @rush99999 You know the drill. Give me some sort of check. You seem to know your way around, so I won't feed you a stat to roll. Surprise me.Back to the hullabaloo...
At the cacophony that was Salvidore's misfortune, Alwin, Saur, and Thornharp look back from a safe distance away. The man stands, all smugness gone from his face, only to be replaced by a mix of tears and disgust. "Guards! Someone, catch those no-good scoundrels! My whole day's work ruined!" His shrill voice was answered by three guardsman, halberds raised, which Salvidore points in your direction. The crowds are still thick with passersby who have no idea what just happened to the baker, and there are myriad streets and alleys which branch off from this spot. As your eyes scan, you spy a fresh pile of hay big enough to dive into...
OOC: @Cleveraptor @apheline @Digizel Quick, hide! Give me a stealth check, or come up with some other way to avoid the guards.End Scene
Storyteller's Aside
Sorry! I went a bit overboard with this one.
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hanzo,
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