The Dauntless III: Revenge of the Sith

"Consider everything you know about this poisoning," Hrann suggests. "I've been in the field for a long time, and particularly when you're using something new, there's always some kind of trace. Perhaps once I've discerned more of the ingredients it will be easier, but in the meantime, ply every bit of information you have. If you cannot think of anything more, then hopefully in a few days I'll be able to give more assistance."

Dorrak pauses for a moment, then turns to Nova next to him. "Nova, do think you could try to memorize the scent of the poison from the grinder?" he proposes. "That might help us find a trail to follow."

Nova takes a sniff when offered the grinder, and her eyes cross a bit.

"Ew, it's so salty... too salty... hmm." She thinks for a moment. "... I've smelled this before! There's a warehouse, we passed it on the way to the farm people, I remember smelling a lot of salt with a weird aftersmell like this."

Dorrak grins when she figures it out. "Perfect. Sounds like we have a target then. Thank you for the help Guildmaster, we have an assassin to capture."

Nova leads you to the southern end of Katapesh and points out a warehouse near the city wall. A sign out front in Kelish reads "Amlah al'Ard" or "Salts of the Earth." The building isn't notable in any particular way, but Nova insists it has the same smell as the grinder.

Dorrak takes her word for it, and the group heads on in the open front doors to the warehouse.

Inside, shelves are loaded with slabs of rock salt and thick bags filled with salt crystals. Four piles of more common salt are waiting to be bagged, and a few offices to the northwest contain simple desks and cabinets. A number of workers load salts of various types into bags and grinders while a Garundi woman directs them all with increasing impatience and anger.

"No you idiot, the Vent grinders go in the crate bound for Thuvia and the Thuvian Mountain Salt bags go in the crate for Oppara. Gods do I have to do everything-sir!" Her head snaps when she spots you all out of the corner of her eye and she stares at Nova in horror. "Sir, you cannot bring animals in here, this is a food establishment!"

"She's no animal," Dorrak shakes his head. "She's a warg, smarter and cleaner than half this city at least. We're looking for a very particular salt that came from this warehouse though - one that was just used to poison a Guildmaster," he says that comment particularly loud, watching any present for a sudden reaction.

The woman looks surprised. "A Guildmaster has been poisoned? Well, I can promise you that none of our salts are poisonous... well, okay, some of the ones from the Plane of Earth may induce allergic reactions in sylphs and djinni but I doubt that's what you're referring to."

"Whether you imported it or not, I assure you that the exact poison my friend identified could be traced by scent to this warehouse," Dorrak insists. "And it wasn't a djinni reacting to it, but a half-orc with far deadlier symptoms than most allergic reactions."

"Oh my," the woman says. "Well, feel free to look around, as long as you don't interfere with the workers."

As the party is examining the warehouse, they hear the sound of a creature changing forms, a sound well familiar to those who travel for long alongside Antoinette. An instant later they hear another familiar sound, the sound of a blade entering flesh. Spinning on the spot, they see the Garundi woman has turned into a long, tall, reptilian woman, with a serpentine lower body, her hand gripping a blade that drips with poison, currently sticking out of Django's back.

Suki is the first to react, the color fading from her body as she draws her fauchard, swiping at the snake-woman, drawing her attention away long enough for Django to get away and start patching himself up. Within moments the woman is surrounded, and takes a nasty beating as she lashes out at the warriors around her and tries to re-poison her blade, before stabbing at Dorrak. Suki draws forth the draconic power stored in the amulet at her breast to terrify the snake woman, and as she fumbles for another vial of poison, she strikes the reptilian hand away and slams the butt of her fauchard into the woman's face, bringing her down.

Django quickly stabilizes the defeated serpentine woman before her wounds can take her, for later interrogation.

Deciding to interrogate her here, Dorrak makes sure the poisoner is thoroughly bound and propped up against a wall before Django wakes her. He leans over her as she awakes, one hand on the wall above her head. "How much did the Scarlet Triad pay you to assassinate Guildmaster Stral?"

Ishti grins groggily. "No idea who or what you're talking about, pretty boy."

"Think the Triad'll help you once the Zephyr Guard have you? We've already got seven guilds voting to censure them, and thanks to your help," Dorrak waggles a container of the nightmare salt, "We'll have the Poisoners with us as well. And that's just a week's work. You can stay loyal, but you're on a sinking ship, and you don't want to go down with it. And Stral will recover too, we have one of the best medics and one of the best alchemists in the world here. You failed."

"May your trip to Hell be excruciating," Dorrak growls, then his gauntleted fist collides with her head to knock her back out.

Shortly thereafter the Zephyr Guard comes around and takes your statements before carting the lamia away for trial. When you return to the Poison Maker's Guild, Guildmaster Hrann is thrilled that you got two full doses and promises to have it reverse engineered and an antidote within a few days. He also considers this a sufficient favor that he agrees to vote with your censure, particularly given how the winds seem to be blowing in that direction anyway.

The Red Dhabba is an untidy sailor's tavern near the docks, characteristically rowdy and lively. As you enter, a dark-skinned dwarf catches your attention and signals for you to come join him at his table.

"Dorrak, glad you and your friends could make it buddy!" He's incredibly cheerful and his tone is distinctly familiar. "Pull up a chair, all of you. Ol' Dorrak here's spoken highly of you in his letters and I'm looking forward to getting to know you." The message is clear: sit down, pretend you know me already, and then we'll talk once we can be quiet about it without looking suspicious.

Dorrak returns the smile and manages a chuckle, if just at the absurdity of him trying to act, giving the dwarf a wave as he approaches. "Couldn't ask for better friends," he replies, taking a seat at the table.

Antoinette simply fakes an unconvincing smile and sits down.

You take a seat and the dwarf slides glasses towards each of you. "Water," he says, his voice now low and more serious. "Ordered vodka, swapped it out. Figured you would all want a clear head for this discussion. So. Word is that you’re looking for guild support to appeal to the Pactmasters against the Scarlet Triad, yeah? But here, you’re going about it all wrong, see? Why beg for the Pactmasters’ mercy when you could force their hand? I, ah, represent a consortium of esteemed operatives that has more pull with the guilds than your bogeyman, the Scarlet Triad, and that’s help you need. My boss is willing to negotiate the details. Interested?”

"We need to know a lot more about who you represent before we agree to anything," Antoinette responds.

My employer is a secretive man," the dwarf admits. "Even I couldn't pick him out in the streets. I can, however, promise you that he, and our organization, want good things for this city. We stand against the more unjust aspects of Katapesh's law. Its tolerance of slavery, its disproportional punishment for crime, the stranglehold the Pactmasters have on the city. We don't oppose them, only seek a freer and fairer Katapesh, and attempt to be the Unseen Hand that guides it in that direction."

"I have heard of your group. Nothing good," Antoinette replies. "A very ill reputation surrounds your unofficial guild. Now I'm sure some of that may be due to your opposition to the city's leadership, but terrorism and blackmail are methods this group will never support."