The Spice Merchants Of Sel-kai: Part One

General Summary

Taking their ease in the "Crock & Bull" one early evening just after the third Quintar, the companions are approached by a merchant named "Deltar of Urgon" who is searching for some help to recover some missing property. The poor merchant has recently imported 4 large crates of miscellaneous healing herbs but due to a clerical error made by his partner, the goods were impounded due to a failure to pay the proper tax. The goods languished in a warehouse for a week while poor Deltar filed papers and argued his case with tax officials. His goods were finally released but to his horror, the warehouse that they had been placed in had burnt to the ground. However, some of the local "Gargoyles", a street urchin gang, told Deltar that they saw some crates being moved out of the warehouse just hours before the fire.
Approaching the group and after some haggling, the companions agree to look into this for a flat 20% of the final sale price of what is obviously a valuable shipment. In fact so well is Deltar prepared to pay that the group are quite suspicious and decide to investigate their employer before they proceed further. The barman recommends "The Old Sword" in the North District as being one of the better of this rather run down areas hostelries. The inn was run by "Old Mother Cloot" a tough octogenarian whose business acumen was legendary … or infamous depending on the direction of monies being transferred. The bar is busy, and the ambience pleasant when the party finally arive and the current owner, "Davos Cloot" very helpful. He knows of the warehouse and who owns it, one "Braern Fenvyre". Davos sends his hapless apprentice, "Thuro" to talk to the party and the young boy is able to add some more detail to the story. Nervous and clearly rattled by the event, the lad confirms that crates were removed, spotted by members of the Gargoyles. More, one of the men was "Olver One-thumb" an enforcer and thug who has something of a reputation (and not for baking cakes) in the district.
In the morning, the party head into the centre of Sel-kai to the Customs Centre and a battle with bureaucracy. The main desk sends the party to The Department Of Bonded Goods, and then to The Department Of Acquisitions. The party get more conformation of the ownership of the warehouse and from the Department Of Registers they learn that Deltar of Urgon has no publicly listed property (warehouses or residential). A conversation with an off-duty Redcape alerts the party to the high value now being placed on medicinal herbs (Deltar's crates could be legitimate) but also the fact that the majority of people with business interests in the North District are not hesitant to ruthlessly enforce their business agreements and relationships. The sort of people bringing shipments into this part of the city (as Deltar did on the "Wave Sprinter") often have something to hide.
With little more to find out and their research into Deltar having reached something of a dead end, the party decide to investigate the ruins of the warehouse.

Report Date

20 Apr 2018

Primary Location

Sel-kai