Kammon's secret log
Where to begin.
Spoke with Miss Smythe again about the highlands job - I am satisfied with my choice to bring her along. We also spoke briefly about the power of language; refeshing to meet another who recognizes the value of understanding another's tongue, not merely to communicate with them but to get the glimpse into their worldview that such knowledge provides. You can't put a price on that kind of understanding and the advantage it brings. I look forward to future conversations on the subject.
I had my little chat with Miss Ivygrove about the compensation rates, which turned into a much bigger situation than I was expecting. It appears that the captain is being blackmailed by an unknown group for eighty percent (!) of all the Tavernlines' income, on threat of revealing the source of our contracts to the authorities. Apparently, Miss Ivygrove has been pilfering military-grade contracts from the sentinels, an offense that is punishable by death in that organization.
Questionable sentinel policies aside, this does put Miss Ivygrove in a bit of a bind. The recent restoration of the pay rates we've been experiencing is solely the result of her underwriting the payroll out of her own rapidly depleting savings. Clearly, the current situation is unsustainable, and the party responsible for the blackmail undoubtedly is aware of this. A take of eighty percent is not a simple blackmail racket - Thirty, thirty-five percent is the most to be expected if someone just wants to be paid off indefinitely for their silence. At this rate, they're aiming to slowly strangle Miss Ivygrove while destroying her credibility and robbing her blind.
When confronted with that point, she was still loathe to act against her enemies, until I pointed out that doing nothing would eventually result in exactly the worst-case scenario she was wanting to avoid. I offered my financial backing to buy us a few more weeks to investigate her unknown aggressors, to which she eventually agreed. While my current resources are considerable, they won't last long with the amount of money we're dealing in. I did recommend that she confide in a few of the more discreet operatives in the Tavernlines and make use of them; she said she'd think about it.
For the sake of my bank account, I do hope she's a quick thinker.
Other topics - It appears that Sere discovered a rather gaping hole in her disguise. In her haste to go to ground, she neglected to ward herself against scrying, and was discovered using that method. Thankfully, it was by an ally, but it could just as easily have been one of those hunting her. She decided to make for the jungle, as her draconic patron dwelling there is quite capable of constructing such wards. I accompanied her, of course, and on the way we ran across two individuals she had been after for some time - two elves, one of whom apparently has a quite advanced case of that arcane degeneration Sere told me about.
I was reluctant to engage them; protecting Sere's disguise is of primary importance, at least until we can be sure of our defenses against those who are after her. She, however, was unwilling to be swayed, and so engage them we did. After a brief tussle, we were able to overpower them; we took them captive and brought them to our destination. One must give credit where credit is due, however - later, even when bound, tied to chairs, and secured behind a thick, barred door in a room with three captors, they put up quite the struggle. I had to use my lightning weapon to subdue the diseased one, even as frail and bound as he was.
Impressive spirit, to be sure.
After subduing them the final time, Sere and I administered a concoction that seemed to turn the non-diseased one to stone - an incredibly useful way to imprison someone, that. I'll have to remember it in the future.
The diseased fellow we simply bound all the tighter and locked him in a room with his solidified friend.
The dragon fellow - Suri, or some such - is rather spiteful and annoying, but he completed the warding Sere wished, and also performed the task for me, which could certainly prove useful. The rest of the evening was spent in conversation, myself asking innumerable questions about the situation and Sere and Suri responding. It still seems like a hopeless and questionable cause to me, but... well. I'll admit that I'm curious as to where this will lead.
As for now, I find myself sitting in a small hideaway in the middle of the jungle while there is work to be done. I'll see about attending that gathering in Brill again tonight to do a bit more listening - Sere is unlikely to need my further assistance here in the near term, and she assures me the location is quite secure.
Spoke with Miss Smythe again about the highlands job - I am satisfied with my choice to bring her along. We also spoke briefly about the power of language; refeshing to meet another who recognizes the value of understanding another's tongue, not merely to communicate with them but to get the glimpse into their worldview that such knowledge provides. You can't put a price on that kind of understanding and the advantage it brings. I look forward to future conversations on the subject.
I had my little chat with Miss Ivygrove about the compensation rates, which turned into a much bigger situation than I was expecting. It appears that the captain is being blackmailed by an unknown group for eighty percent (!) of all the Tavernlines' income, on threat of revealing the source of our contracts to the authorities. Apparently, Miss Ivygrove has been pilfering military-grade contracts from the sentinels, an offense that is punishable by death in that organization.
Questionable sentinel policies aside, this does put Miss Ivygrove in a bit of a bind. The recent restoration of the pay rates we've been experiencing is solely the result of her underwriting the payroll out of her own rapidly depleting savings. Clearly, the current situation is unsustainable, and the party responsible for the blackmail undoubtedly is aware of this. A take of eighty percent is not a simple blackmail racket - Thirty, thirty-five percent is the most to be expected if someone just wants to be paid off indefinitely for their silence. At this rate, they're aiming to slowly strangle Miss Ivygrove while destroying her credibility and robbing her blind.
When confronted with that point, she was still loathe to act against her enemies, until I pointed out that doing nothing would eventually result in exactly the worst-case scenario she was wanting to avoid. I offered my financial backing to buy us a few more weeks to investigate her unknown aggressors, to which she eventually agreed. While my current resources are considerable, they won't last long with the amount of money we're dealing in. I did recommend that she confide in a few of the more discreet operatives in the Tavernlines and make use of them; she said she'd think about it.
For the sake of my bank account, I do hope she's a quick thinker.
Other topics - It appears that Sere discovered a rather gaping hole in her disguise. In her haste to go to ground, she neglected to ward herself against scrying, and was discovered using that method. Thankfully, it was by an ally, but it could just as easily have been one of those hunting her. She decided to make for the jungle, as her draconic patron dwelling there is quite capable of constructing such wards. I accompanied her, of course, and on the way we ran across two individuals she had been after for some time - two elves, one of whom apparently has a quite advanced case of that arcane degeneration Sere told me about.
I was reluctant to engage them; protecting Sere's disguise is of primary importance, at least until we can be sure of our defenses against those who are after her. She, however, was unwilling to be swayed, and so engage them we did. After a brief tussle, we were able to overpower them; we took them captive and brought them to our destination. One must give credit where credit is due, however - later, even when bound, tied to chairs, and secured behind a thick, barred door in a room with three captors, they put up quite the struggle. I had to use my lightning weapon to subdue the diseased one, even as frail and bound as he was.
Impressive spirit, to be sure.
After subduing them the final time, Sere and I administered a concoction that seemed to turn the non-diseased one to stone - an incredibly useful way to imprison someone, that. I'll have to remember it in the future.
The diseased fellow we simply bound all the tighter and locked him in a room with his solidified friend.
The dragon fellow - Suri, or some such - is rather spiteful and annoying, but he completed the warding Sere wished, and also performed the task for me, which could certainly prove useful. The rest of the evening was spent in conversation, myself asking innumerable questions about the situation and Sere and Suri responding. It still seems like a hopeless and questionable cause to me, but... well. I'll admit that I'm curious as to where this will lead.
As for now, I find myself sitting in a small hideaway in the middle of the jungle while there is work to be done. I'll see about attending that gathering in Brill again tonight to do a bit more listening - Sere is unlikely to need my further assistance here in the near term, and she assures me the location is quite secure.