Ruins of Azlant Gameplay I

"With any luck, Koloshkora might know something that could help us and this situation won't last long at all," Aisha offers.

The next day comes soon enough, and the party travels back up the coast to visit Koloshkora.
"Welcome friends!" the locathah says, once the party arrives. "What brings friends here for a visit?"

"Hi Koloshkora!" Aisha beams and waves to the fish-lady. "Couple things, actually! Let's start with a question though. We've got a bit of an issue in our colony with a potential shape-shifter, see." She describes what Jax saw in as much detail as she can without giving names or disclosing the rest of the surrounding details of the situation. "Any chance you know anything that could help us there?"

Koloshkora cocks her head to the side, and shakes it. "I haven't seen anything like that," the locathah says. "If we find anything helpful, we will let you know."

"Okay, thank you," Aisha smiles graciously even as she curses her bad luck mentally. "As for the other thing, it isn't actually for us. We met the strix to the north of you yesterday, and they want to bury the hatchet with you and trade peacefully. I can promise personally that they're sincere."

The discussion goes on from there, with Koloshkora being understandably reluctant initially due to the history, but eventually the locathahs are brought around by Aisha's charm, and a mutually beneficial trade deal is struck.

With the diplomacy completed, the party discusses how to proceed. Despite Jax's strong desire to return to the colony and report back to Ramona regarding the concerning lack of information the other creatures had on the Soren situation, the party decides to stay out overnight to look for potential sources of lumber for the colony.

After a short time, the party finds a dense forest. While they are appraising the region, a pair of twigjacks jump out of the undergrowth and attack the party. While one lets off a spray of splinters and wounds Jax and Aisha, neither one is able to really threaten the group before they are taken down.

Upon the group's return from their most recent mission, Ramona Avandth calls them to the government house to inform them that a satchel containing the ship’s manifest and resupply schedule was stolen from the building the previous night, along with a leather purse containing 50 gp. Ramona believes Medrinnah Harleau, the teenage daughter of colonial soldier Sighra Harleau, may have perpetrated the theft, but she is reluctant to make this transgression into a big deal as long as the property is retrieved. She knows that initiating legal proceedings could put undue strain on the family and the colony. She asks the party to find Medrinnah at the tailor’s shop where she is apprenticing and talk to her about the missing manifest and gold.

Aisha takes the lead upon arrival at the tailor's shop, seeking out Medrinnah while wearing the same polite, diplomatic smile she used when solving other disputes at the colony. "Hey, Medrinnah, do you have a minute? There's something I've been wanting to talk to you about. It can wait until after you close if you're busy."

"Oh, er, sure. Let me just go get someone to cover for me," Medrinnah says, making her way for the door.

Jax sighs audibly. "If you're going to lie, at least make it believable."

Called out on her lie, Medrinnah makes the extremely wise and reasoned decision of bolting out the back door.

Aisha sprints after her as fast as she can, trying to keep her in earshot. "Medrinnah, please hold on! The reason we're talking to you and not Ramona is because none of us want you to get in trouble. We want to do what we can to help you and running away's only going to make it worse," she calls out, even while being conscious that this is already a bigger scene than she had wanted to have.

Medrinnah slows down a bit, reconsidering, though she makes sure to keep a good distance between herself and Aisha and Jax. "How are you going to be helping me? Ramona sent you to arrest me, didn't she?"

”She sent us to talk. Nothing more.” Jax replies, closely watching for any sign of her fleeing again.

"She sent us so she wouldn't have to arrest you," Aisha explains, respecting that safe distance and not trying to get closer. "What I want to do is work with you to help make the colony a place that you don't want to run away from. You took the ship manifest and money so that you could stow away on board, right? I want to talk to you about that and see what we can do to make this place better for you. Promise."

"What?" Medrinnah asks, confused. "I stole the gold, but I didn't steal any manifest!"

"Thank you for telling me that instead of denying everything," Aisha speaks slowly, running her fingers through her hair as she tries to work her head around that particular development. "So someone else stole the manifest. Okay, well, we still need to talk this over, and preferably not in the middle of town, right? How about you swing by my place and we can chat. Jax, I think we're fine from here, do you want to go to Ramona and tell her about the manifest?"

Jax nods, and jogs off without another word. He has a sinking feeling he knew exactly who had taken the manifest.

"I did ditch some papers behind the government house," Medrinnah hastily adds.

"Those could have been them too," Aisha muses. "Either way, you didn't take them so you can't give them back."

Jax pauses as Medrinnah speaks, then turns his head back to Aisha. "I'll go look there first then." he states, before starting off in that direction.

Sheepishly, Medrinnah takes out a leather purse. "I suppose I should give this back, though," she says, offering it to Aisha.

Jax, searching for the manifest behind the government house, finds nothing.

Aisha smiles and accepts the purse. "Thanks, I'll make sure this gets back where it belongs. So, was my guess right and you were planning to leave with that money?"

"Not really... I don't really know what I was planning to do," Medrinnah says, a bit embarrassed. "I was just mad, and thinking if I stole it, maybe I'd be kicked out and have to go back home."