“That’s very helpful, sir”, said the warforged to the tavernkeeper. “But I think we should check upstairs before we head out. Two of them ran up there in the fight, and they might be able to ‘assist us’ if they’re still up there.” His voice had that uncanny timbre of his kind, but somehow, it managed to convey concern and excitement at the same time.
“Sure, sure,”, Thane replied, and waved the youngsters on. The whole group of them trooped up the stairs, even though he knew it was futile already. He bent to grab the booted feet of one of the bodies - one Daniel Elesson, who’d owed Thane 7 silver pieces on his bar tab - and started dragging him back to the entrance to the basement.
Bursting up the stairs, Thistle took the lead - waving for the others to hold back while he tried to figure out where the two gang members had gotten to. He looked over the lounge at the top of the stairs. There was a fireplace on one side of the room, and a door at the opposite wall. On the far wall was another door, but there was no sign of the two gang members. Thistle stood, trying to figure out which of the two doors they’d gone through, but couldn’t see any particular signs. One of the two had been severely wounded, and neither door showed any signs of blood.
“I got no idea where they went, guys. We’ll have to check both rooms. Gnorth - you and Kairn check that room, and Steveigh and I will check the other.”, he said.
“Sounds good to me,”, replied the half-orc, heading over to the door on the eastern wall. The two of them walked across to the door and tried to open it, with no success.
Turning to the warforged, Gnorth made a suggestion. “Why don’t you use that metal bulk of yours and break down this door.” The mechanick nodded, and backed up a bit, before slamming into the door with his right shoulder. The sound of the impact echoed throughout the lounge, and dust came down from the ceiling - but the door held fast.
While this was going on, Steveigh and Thistle similarly tried the southern door. It, too, was firmly locked, and resisted their efforts to open it. Ourgal bent to examine the floor of the lounge while D’ral looked out the windows that pierced the curved western wall. After a moment, the sound of angry footsteps was heard, and the tavernkeeper stomped up the stairs into the lounge. Looking over at the half-orc and the mechanick, his face clouded as they prepared to ram the door again.
“OI!!!!”, he shouted - freezing the two in their tracks. “You can back off and leave that door alone. They’re not in there, or I would know by now.” The tavern keeper stalked up the stairs, and into the lounge, walking over to the door that Kairn and Gnorth had been investigating, and shooing them away from it.
“What do you mean?”, asked Gnorth, a little aggressively. Kairn tilted his head to the side as he looked at the man.
“Because those are my quarters - and they’re firmly locked. If anyone had opened this door, I’d know - and no one has, so back the hell off.”, growled Thane in response, glaring at the half-orc. Gnorth’s expression turned sheepish, and he pulled the mechanick with him into the middle of the lounge.
Ourgal cleared his throat to get their attention.
“Looks like the men we were fighting went out that window.”, he said, pointing to the open windows on the southeast wall. There were two, and both were open to the evening air. Thistle glanced at the open windows, and scoffed.
“How could you know that?”, he asked, walking over to the windows.
“Because that’s where the bloody footprints go.”, replied the tiefling, pointing to the floor. Thistle, and the rest of them, looked down at the floor, and, sure enough, there were bloody footprints leading from the top of the stairway across the lounge, right to the open windows.
“Oh - yeah - I didn’t notice that.”, came the sheepish reply from the young Bostian. Obviously embarrassed, he walked over to the windows and looked out at the roof of the tavern’s stables. The roof was shingled, and looked sturdy enough to hold his weight. “I’m going out to follow them. Who’s with me?”
The rest of the awakened sleepers looked at each other. Kairn shook his head, Gnorth snorted, and Steveigh went over to look out the window with Thistle.
“Wouldn’t it be easier to just go back down the stairs and around back to see if we can pick up their trail in the street?”, he asked. Ourgal grunted his agreement, and headed down to the main floor again. One by one, the rest of the group followed the young dragonborn, until it was just Thistle and Thane left.
“Well, out you go then, lad. I’ll shut the windows behind you. Don’t know what’ll come in if we leave it open at night.”, he said. Thistle, feeling a little uncertain, nodded, and crawled through the window, and out onto the rooftop. As he examined the shingles in the late summer evening light, he heard Thane close the windows behind him.
There was a few bloody footprints leading across the rooftop. Thistle followed them, and found himself looking at a 15’ drop down to the alleyway behind the tavern. The alleyway was strewn with refuse, but it looked like something that he could manage. He eased his form over the edge of the roof, lowered himself down while holding onto the gutters, and dropped. As he landed, the garbage shifted, and he twisted his ankle a little, but ended up in the alleyway relatively undamaged.
Unfortunately, it was darker at street level, as the fading light didn’t penetrate all the way to ground level in between the buildings. The smell was unpleasant, and in the gloom, he couldn’t see anything. After a few moments of searching, he gave up and headed out to the street.
The rest of the group emerged from the front of the tavern, along with Thane. The man was telling Kairn again about where the Hawkblood Gang could be found, and told them that all three of the men that had fled from the fight were likely headed there.
“One street up, two streets over, and then head upstream a bit. You can’t miss it.”, he said.
“Thank you again, Thane, and I’m sorry that we were trying to break into your quarters.”, he said, his artificial voice somehow managing to convey realistic contrition.
“Yeah, sorry man.”, chimed in Gnorth, with more embarrassment than contrition. The rest of the group expressed their thanks as well. Thane shook it off and shooed them on their way. But before he returned to the tavern, he added one last thing.
“Look guys, I get it - you’re trying to figure out what’s going on and you’re going to keep looking for Gianno. Just in case he’s not over at the gang house, for a small... donation, I’ll keep my ears open for anything about Gianno. Where can I send a message to you if you don’t find him on Algin’s Lane?”, he said.
The group looked at each other, and nodded their agreement. D’Ral gave Thane some gold, and told him to send a messenger to the Temple of Lossounelyn and it’d get back to them. Shaking the tavernkeeper’s hand, they headed out into the evening twilight, heading deeper into Nighthorn. Somehow, after the excitement in the bar, the neighbourhood didn’t seem quite so dangerous.
As they left, Thane headed back into the tavern, locking the door as he did so, and started cleaning up the barroom, whistling a Dryian marching song to himself.
“At least the evening’s not been boring.”, he thought to himself as he hauled the first of the gang members down the stairs to the basement.
As the sky darkened, the group could see dim lights coming on in the ramshackle buildings on either side of the street. Most of the lights were the flickering glow of candles, but here and there they could see the steady, warm yellow light of glows. Most Autiersians used glows - the magical light sources turned out by the hundreds by magical craftsmen throughout the country, but the very poor could never scrape together enough money to purchase them - so instead, they purchased mundane candles, and burned those instead. The irony, of course, is that the candles ended up costing the folk that bought them more, over time, than a glow would. Unfortunately, when all you have is copper, you’re not likely to be able to scrape together the 5 silver it cost for a glow.
“Should we hurry?”, asked Thistle as they walked through the streets. The street traffic was starting to change as they walked. There were fewer people on the streets, but more people hanging around outside of the taverns, inns, brothels, and gambling houses. Thistle’s hair seemed to be thicker, almost like it was puffed up like in a thunderstorm.
“I don’t see that it matters. We know where he’s likely to be going, and by now, his friends have caught up to him, so he knows that we’re going to continue to chase him. When we get there isn’t nearly as important as just ensuring that we get there.”, replied Steveigh. The dwarf was still sounding - and looking - tense and angry, but he was focused more on the shadowy areas in the darkening street than on what Thistle was asking.
“I agree.”, chimed in Ourgal. The tiefling’s long stride carried him through the streets at a steady pace - his height, and his horns made him look relaxed and intimidating at the same time. Passers by mostly ignored him, but Steveigh could see people peeking at his companion from time to time. Not all the peeks were mere curiosity - some of them were more predatory in nature. Ourgal seemed not to pay attention, however. “Our quarry is, no doubt, heading to where he can get either reinforcements, or protection. We have no idea what we will be walking into, so better that we arrive ready for anything than in any particular hurry.”
"Hey, look over there”, Thistle said, gesturing across the street at an Autiersian walking down the street. The group stopped and watched through the twilight. The Autiersian came out of a tailor’s shop, walked three doors down, and entered a cobbler’s. Gnorth looked confused, and Thistle continued. “Watch what happens next…”
Again, after a short period, the man came out of the shop, and walked into the next shop on the street, a grocer’s.
“Did you notice his armband?”, asked Thistle. Gnorth shook his head and the Bostian explained what he meant. “He’s wearing a blue armband, with a black hawk and a red droplet sewn onto it. I think he’s a member of the Hawkblood Gang, shaking down shop owners. I say we go confront him and ask him about Johnny Twothumbs.”
“It’s ‘Gianno’, not ‘Johnny’”, said Steveigh with a skeptical look on his face. He continued, saying, “I don’t see what good that would do, honestly. I mean, he’s not the thief, and we already know where Gianno is likely headed. Why don’t we just head over there and not stop on the way.”
He was, unfortunately, talking to the Bostian’s back, as Thistle, Gnorth and Kairn crossed the street, and headed into the grocer’s. With a sigh, Steveigh followed, but waited outside, watching the street for more trouble. Ourgal, bemused, joined the dwarf, along with D’Ral. The three waited, listening for signs of trouble, and looking for incoming complications.