A Rat's Tale - Part 3: If it Ain't Rough it Ain't Right
A. THE RAT'S NEST
In this episode, the adventurers seek out a possible suspect and find themselves embroiled in a tavern brawl.
- Area Information
Read once the players enter the Rat's Nest:
As you look around you see a rough-and-tumble dockside tavern, dimly lit and with enough tables to comfortably seat twenty patrons. So close to the water, the smell of sea salt hangs in the air and lines the walls. It’s a bit grimy and a bit seedy, but the dozen or so current patrons seem to think it’s a well-enough spot to have a pint.
Standing at the front door, there's a small stage set up in the corner immediately to the right and then the bar on the opposite corner from the entrance. In the back corner there stands a ten-foot by ten-foot cage where the stains of countless fights cover the ground.
- Creatures/NPCs
The place isn’t too crowded at the moment — only a handful of townsfolk (one for each player character), mostly poor non-humans are here drinking, gambling, and conversing. Here and there a raucous drinking song breaks out. Then there’s Kaldur, who would stand out in any crowd, sitting at the bar.
Objectives/Goals. Kaldur does anything he can to help his son have a better life than he’s known himself. He tries to set a good example for his son, and refuses to drink, curse, lie, or break any laws, always trying to do the right thing - even when his son’s not around. Most importantly, he doesn’t want his son to have to fight for coin like his dad. In general, he has a soft spot for kids, and keeps them safe whenever possible. Beyond that, he just wants to stay out of trouble and be left alone. The rest of the people present just want to blow off some steam.
What Do They Know? Kaldur had visited Tomas Woodrue in the hopes of paying to borrow some books that might help with his son’s schooling. He was turned away, but that’s for the best, since he managed to purchase those same books a few days later anyhow for cheaper than he was going to borrow them for. He doesn’t know anything about a theft, but he might be willing to give a description of the person he bought from, if the party can impress him. The seller was just a kid, an elf maybe seventeen years old, with a mop of brown hair and a big grey rain-cloak. Wiry kid, too — looked like he could be blown over with a puff of wind, but he moved with some spring in his step. He had a freckly face, a round nose, and a big smile full of uneven teeth - a kid with a lot of future ahead of him. The rest of the townsfolk don’t know anything about the situation.
- Impressing Kaldur
Though your players might come up with other options, Kaldur’s suggestion for resolving the scene involves the party playing a game of Talos' Gambit against Kaldur.
The Object. Kaldur’s game is a test. He’s not looking for an adventurer’s skill at the game, but rather their strength of character. In fact, he’s very, very bad at this game. If any player chooses to follow Kaldur’s example and refuse to lie, even though that ensures their loss, he’s satisfied with their character and shares what he knows.
B. THE TAP ROOM TWO-STEP
The adventurers find themselves caught in the middle of a tavern brawl.
- Creatures/NPCs
Kaldur, and the townsfolk from the previous scene are still present, but it’s the new arrivals who are likely to draw the adventurers’ focus. A band of off-duty Red Plume Legionnaires (a bandit captain that is so drunk he rolls everything at disadvantage as well as four bandits, several pints deep, enter they tavern and immediately begin making boisterous demands. Seeing Kaldur, one of them spits on the ground loudly complaining that he “didn’t have to share space with green backs”, while another demands his seat at the bar. A third flings insults about his race (tusk-tooth, underbite, half-breed, etc.). Kaldur ignores them. Instead quietly sipping his glass of water.
Objectives/Goals. The guards are uninhibited and wild from drink. They’re on a power trip and want everyone to know just how big and bad they are.
What Do They Know? The Red Plumes have no useful information. They just want to fight.
Wrapping Up
If the party stood up for Kaldur in he thanks them for the help and tells them what he knows about the seller of the missing books, even if they previously tried to intimidate him or failed his test. If they impressed him by staying honest during his test, he also warns them to stay away from Tomas Woodrue. He’s been buying up tenements near the docks - the only place the majority of the city’s nonhumans can afford to live - and trying to strong-arm them out so they have no place to go but out of the city. He provides the contact information for several people who can back up his claim, both human and non-human, and swears to the truth of it.
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