Drakor coughed.
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You don’t see any mention of Baron Dalin — whatever it is that he’s up to, if anything, it apparently hasn’t made the broadsheets from a few days ago. Likewise, you don’t see any mention of whatever situation is brewing further to the south (unsurprising, as it seems to be very recent). The political developments that have made it into the New Stetven broadsheets include:
- There’s some Taldan nobility at court! Time for all the broadsheets to complain about how much they think Taldor sucks!
- As you heard about last night, the King has imposed an increase on duties for bridles and saddles being brought through Port Ice. He provided a notional justification about ensuring that this is to make sure that those items are high-quality, but from how the newspapers are talking around it it’s clear that this was basically pretextual.
- There was a mining accident in the north! Some people think there should be higher safety standards for mines. Some people think it was sabotage.
- Some villagers showed up claiming their village was burned down by a young dragon! Isn’t that terrible?
- Two men working as minor bureaucrats, both of comparable status, dueled over an accusation of cowardice. This on its own would not be news, but (first of all) despite having magical healing on standby, the challenged party actually killed the other party (most duels are not fatal), and (second of all) the killer is being prosecuted for murder on the direct orders of the king. The broadsheets seem to uniformly think it’s So Terrible how the King’s Advisors have Convinced him of such a harsh prosecution, a decision which Surely the King would not have made on his own.
- A noble family under House Ledeba had a tiefling child, and not only that, they’re raising the child as their own ! Though the lord of the family is Brevic, the lady of the family is Mendevian, and depending on which broadsheet you ask, this is either a sign that she (and possibly all foreign nobles) are untrustworthy demoniacs that no honest Brevic nobleman should be willing to marry, or a sign of the great virtue of the lord of the house in raising the child. The fact that the broadsheets are willing to openly accuse a noble of being an untrustworthy demoniac suggests that this is a very unusual case; normally no one would be willing to risk making a claim like that so incredibly publicly, with their name attached.
Journalistic objectivity has yet to be invented, and basically all the political news is expressing some sort of commentary, if not necessarily the author’s honest belief.
As for prices, you do spot a few that are unexpectedly high. It seems like transportation costs (as in, individuals paying to be transported places) have increased. In terms of the prices of mundane objects, the price of salt, cured meat, and grain seems a bit higher than typical for the season, as is the price of metal; the price of common weaponry has increased a bit, but by somewhat less than the previous items listed, and the price of weapons made of special materials (like cold iron) seems to be holding steady. The price of scrolls of fourth-circle divine spells, never low, has apparently risen to well over eight hundred crowns; scrolls of spells of higher circles than that seem to be uncommon enough not to be reported in the papers at all.
Icerime amethyst prices don’t seem to be reported in the broadsheets, but the news does include gossip about the latest fashions spotted among nobles and other individuals of high status; one of the broadsheets is harshly criticizing a minor noble who’s one of the king’s advisors for being spotted wearing ordinary (non-Icerime) amethyst, implying that he’s insufficiently devoted to his country (albeit in guarded enough terms that the author is unlikely to actually get in trouble over it), in a tone that suggests that the author would not be criticizing him for that particular choice if he had been wearing Icerime amethyst.
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“Well, I guess I’ll see about that.”
He goes back into the Watch headquarters. He’s in there for somewhat longer than the person who went inside on the previous trip, and when a pair of (less buff) members of the watch emerge, he’s not among them. The two of them are both human men (one fairly young, one middle-aged), carrying crossbows and shortswords. Like the other members of the watch you’ve seen, they’re uniformed.
“We’ll be escorting you to the site,” says the middle-aged one. “Remember, no funny business, or we’ll have you brought up for disturbing a crime scene.”
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93
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“Aye aye, sir!” With the tall guard out of the picture, Arius subconsciously releases his tension. He sighs in relief, as he no longer has to lead the awkward conversation.
((…are we about to enter a dungeon of sorts? Because if so, then Arius will pre-load his crossbow with a piece of free unlimited projectile™.))
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the dungeons of fear and hunger
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(why do you all think you’re going to enter a dungeon. this is pathfinder. you’re entering a path.)
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After several hours of aimless wandering, most of it with little useful information, Canary turns a corner and encounters an eleven-year-old complaining to a shopkeeper.
“…and after my dad went all that way , the baron’s servants just turned him away! They told him to come back on Sunday, but what if that monster comes back sooner than that? I mean, it showed up in broad daylight before, I don’t think it’s scared of people! I hope the monster eats the baron , that would serve him right!”
The shopkeeper sighs. “Look, kid, I sympathize, but you can’t just go saying things like that, even if you’re talking about the guy to the north.”
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“…”
Oh. Information.
I try to stabilise myself from my panicked wandering… and steel myself for the task I have ahead.
Breathe. I approach the little girl. “I’m… sorry. What- had happened with your father? And- a monster?”
…Turning away. The baron had done that with protestors whom were…
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I need to be. Calm. Because one wrong word, one digit out of place and she’ll think I’m a monster too, or that I’m… an awful person. Which is. A different definition of a monster.
Hah. I’ve completely scammed that groveling jeweler.
(Roll for Media Literacy to understand the news…)
Paprika puts down the broadsheet and shrugs a bit. A tiefling child being accepted is highly unusual, but irrelevant. The King’s latest decisions are somewhat odd. The price increases are suggestive of conflict, but this was already known.
(Uhh can I roll for knowledge local just to check if any of these are Secretly relevant to anything I know about)
@discobot roll 1d20
That aside, Paprika thanked the shopkeeper, then spoke in a lower voice. “I might go check up on the other bookstore in my spare time… The rumor about his VIP is tugging at me. It seems these broadsheets are too delayed to be of any use — when do the next ones come in?”
If the shopkeeper’s response is boring she then goes to link up w/ the rest of the party
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(sorry i just used up all our party’s luck for a bit)
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(Media literacy roll failed)
(ash after playing disco elysium)
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Your group walks through the city to the old pewter shop. As you walk, the two members return to what was apparently an ongoing conversation, which mostly consists of complaining about the weather, and especially about how much rain they’ve been getting lately. One of them suggests, not very seriously, that they should get paid double for working on ways when it’s raining.
Eventually, you arrive at the old pewter shop. The watch has clearly taken some steps to prevent the crime scene from being disturbed; they’ve added some chains to keep the cellar door shut, reinforced by a sturdy lock, and there’s a sign warning people to stay away.
The older of the two watchmen unlocks the chains and pulls open the door. You descend into the cellar, which is…
…completely empty.
“Well, fuck,” says the younger watchman.
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Wanderer shows visible confusion.
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