Episode 14: Super Sandwich Snooper Sleuths

Pre Break
They spend the rest of the day setting up the barracks to prepare for any antics from Jacquot. The guards get some servants to put the door back on the hinges, which is splintered and bowed, but still functional. The night passes without any fanfare. Taxi learns a lot about Ungaroe and the mythology around it, but only gets about a quarter of the way through the book. Sylnan makes a Scooby-Doo type sandwich. Mountain wakes up hungover, and notices that Olgart is gone.

Taxi meditates on the roof of the barracks for the morning, while Sylnan goes to talk to a guard. He learns that Olgart has told the guards to inform the group to not look for him, which concerns Sylnan. The guard tries to assuage his worries, tells him that the King is requesting an audience with them, and then leaves.

Meanwhile, Br’aad takes the first step towards his destructive peak of the day, asking Mountain if he wants to make pancakes.

They quickly realize that they don’t have anything to make pancakes with, so they settle for paninis. They also don’t have any wood. Mountain says that they do have a door, however, and Br’aad Eldritch Blasts it. The door splits in half, the bottom half explodes forward and gets splinters all over a guard who was approaching them.

While the guard tries to keep them from making a fire in the middle of their home, Taxi front flips off of the roof in front of the guard, messing up his leg a little. Sylnan finally returns to the barracks, and they are both surprised to see Br’aad has once again taken the door off the hinges. Br’aad says that they can’t stop progress!

Taxi asks for the pieces of the door so he can mend them, which both Br’aad and Mountain refuse, and start a bunch of roundabout tales. Taxi does not seem up with their shenanigans today, and when Sylnan informs them that the King wants to see them, immediately leaves. Vel follows, and Sylnan looks at Br’aad and Mountain with concern. The guard takes his leave and Mountain immediately starts their fire in the middle of their room. Sylnan grows more  concerned, then joins Velrisa and Taxi, while Br’aad and Mountain find their joy for cooking.

While talking with the King, the group learns that they will get a new, more efficient tracker named Tristain. He’s said to be a young and spry halfling with blonde hair. He has just docked in the Wharf and will be settling in before making his way to the castle. Afterwards Sylnan asks the King about Jacquot, who the King only has good things to say about. He says that he will be meeting with Jacquot in a few minutes, and the team immediately starts trying to make their exit. After a few more follow up questions, one being about where they can get healing potions, they return to the barracks.

When they return, Br’aad and Mountain are sitting on the floor by the fire, and have charred their sandwiches, which are hanging off of sticks like marshmallows. When Sylnan comments on their food, Br’aad casts Minor Illusion to make his sandwich look delicious, and Prestidigitation to try and make Mountain’s smell like fish so Taxi will eat it.

Taxi says no, but Br'aad remains insistent, and Velrisa suggests that Taxi should eat the sandwich so Br’aad will let them move on. He continues to refuse, and eventually, Sylnan grabs it and eats it. Mountain throws the entire sandwich into Taxi’s face. After Br'aad keeps egging him on, Taxi snaps and goes to punch the fuck out of Br’aad. Sylnan and Mountain immediately step in. After they back off, Taxi quietly fumes while the group discusses their next steps.

Mountain doesn’t trust a new person, and says he might be working with Brenden. Sylnan argues that Brenden only wants to rule the Wharf, and that Tristain is an outsider. Taxi finally speaks back up and says that if they work with Tristain and get close to Brenden, he can cast Locate Object and find Mountain’s locket. Sylnan comments that the King is stupid, but he’s more worried about Jacquot and Brenden, who took his pinkie! He holds up his hand, his pinkie has fully healed and looks normal, to everyone’s surprise.

Mountain asks, because he doesn’t remember much of his drunk antics from the other day, if Sylnan was actually trying to eat people. Everyone denies it, and Br’aad comments that he should cut back on the drinking. Mountain believes them. Sylnan comments that Jacquot is about to meet with King Rigmund, and it would be the perfect time to break into his place and find incriminating evidence on him. Mountain seems apprehensive to go back to Jacquot’s.

Taxi stands and says he is going to find Tristain, who the King said would likely be at a tavern. As Sylnan and Br’aad start talking about robbing people, Mountain asks them to tag along to the tavern because “Taxi’s in a mood,” they concede.

Sylnan and Br’aad start muttering about plans to do some crime. They bring Hilltree in and ask if he wants to commit some crime. While they progressively more disturbing, Sylnan hears a cackling in his head, and he tells Br’aad that his head agrees with them, they should go commit some crime! Br’aad asks which crime he was talking about, because he was kidding about setting the Wharf on fire. Hilltree suggests they go steal shinies at the tavern, and the party makes their way to the Castle Tavern.

Br'aad and Mountain cause trouble for the tavern owner as they impersonate Mead Inspectors. While they’re creating a hubbub, Taxi slips by down the stairs to the Blue Orc’s room. The room looks normal, but as he inspects it, he is jumped from behind by someone with a weapon. The voice asks what Taxi was doing in the room, and Taxi lies and says he thought he forgot something in the room, then Taxi turns around to come face to face with a person who matches the description of Tristain, and who is holding a large longbow made of brass with cogs and other mechanisms that Taxi has never seen the likes of before. Taxi introduces himself, then the halfling continues interrogating him and writing his response down in a notepad.

Afterwards, he finally introduces himself as Tristain, and says that he was here to pretty much do the same job that Taxi described in one of his answers. Taxi realizes it’s The Tristain, and starts being less vague in his responses, and apologizes for lying to him. Despite Tristain only being in the Wharf for 3 and a half hours, he has already learned as much as the team knows, including Brenden, his ring of trusted members, the Collector, the Blue Orc, and also information about the fish cult. Taxi asks if they can go upstairs to introduce him to everyone else, and Tristain, seeing the interrogation is over, tells Taxi to take him to his band of fools.