Cabins, Dens & Loose Ends

## **Synopsis**

In Chapter 75: Cabins, Dens & Loose Ends, a rousing game of "Monsters in the Middle" put some extra coin in Orba's pocket to cap off an eventful day of self-discovery.  It was a bit of fun that distracted from a few of the larger looming issues, some of which our wizard was still unwilling to elaborate on just yet – having not fully processed their significance herself.

Not long after, a late dinner at the bar was interrupted by a timid dwarf who implored Safira to turn herself in to the Broken Crown offices over in Wampurani-Na – though despite having her portrait, didn't seem to imply that the warrant was for some kind of crime or arrest.  Our connections to the Broken Crown at this point were varied, so  there were a number of possibilities for why they'd want to make contact – but it would have to wait, as our schedule for tomorrow was as full as we could currently handle.

With the crowd thinning out, it seemed time to retire for the evening – but the elves stayed up for one last drink as Erland reflected on where he'd come from and how his and Orba's paths might not be as similar as he once thought.  It was a sobering discussion but the alcohol had the opposite effect – and after one drink too many it was as good a time as any to get some rest.

Returning to 'All Hands on Deck' after stops at the Cleaver residence and the Militia Reserves, Graven found the tavern in full swing – though his attention was immediately drawn to a goliath seated alone at a table.  The man was mourning the passing of a friend – Christopher Chauncy – who worked with him at the Tall Ports keeping records, and who was identified as one of the three victims in Thorsten Ramaker's murder mystery.

A relevant piece of information came up when we discovered that Christopher had been adjusting the books to avoid taxes on imports – pointing to some under-the-table involvement that may have been related to his death.  That combined with learning of Christopher's affection for his crossbow further convinced us there was something suspicious afoot – though it was hard to make any definitive conclusions just yet.

It was at that point that Beezaura returned from her trip down memory lane – and while Mohan had generously offered to let us spend the evening at his coastal cottage, there was still some digging left to do in the city proper.  As we'd soon learn, Mr. "Hatchet" had no problem price-gouging any customers he knew wanted information rather than a narcotic escape – so Graven proposed an evening stroll over to the Mycrawl den at the southwestern end of town.

It was an eerie scene with paralyzed addicts lining the walls, but the stillness gave us a chance to look around unhindered for any clues.  When we had exhausted our search, we had the thought to ask one of the Mycrawl users some questions after waking from their stupor – though the more intriguing option came when we heard a clinking inside… as who we presumed to be the owner of the building had come to take out the garbage.

The opportunity to ask her about the murdered tiefling invigorated us, yet on the other side of Navika-Pura it wasn't intrigue that kept us awake but a knock at the door of our room in the Upa Alehouse.  Conflicted about soliciting our aid, the Rudhiran elf Yan-Yol had heard of our arrival and offered an opportunity to clear the debt we'd promised Skett-Skirr some time ago.

Just outside of town, some Rudhirans were squatting in an abandoned cabin to house their sick and injured, but wandering bandits of Cruxia had forced them out – keeping one wounded elf as a hostage to discourage retaliation.  It wasn't a great time for a fight, as the Steederway skirmish from this morning combined with Orba's Reaper trial had left us rather depleted – but Erland seemed determined to help and we didn't want to send a drunk friend out alone.

Hoping that the cool evening air would clear Erland's head in time to create a cohesive plan of attack, we started the long walk toward the western bridge.

## Trivia

* Natural one count: no natural ones were rolled in this Chapter.