The two guards snapped to attention as Zuhair approached. The warden recognized the nose-less face of Jeoff, the Yellow Hand that had been with Zuhair on his run-in with the Cleric of Norgerber a couple months back. The absence of the yellow tabard did not go unnoticed to Zuhair, he would have to ask Captain Devoy about the current morale of the men.
The door groaned as Zuhair entered the tunnel and the guard closed it behind him. The tunnel here was small enough that he had to hunch slightly as he walked down the hall. He looked in the cells for the bard Grigori as he walked. He passed a cell with a weeping man huddled in a corner. The man whispered, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," over and over. Another cell held a woman in a dark cloak, her hood pulled over her face; even in the dim torchlight Zuhair could tell her skin was smooth and her features exotically sharp. In the cell adjacent to the woman sat Grigori. His clothes were immaculate and his hair tied neatly back. The man had been in the cell for a couple of days now, yet he looked as clean as if he'd only just left one of Stagfell’s fine bath houses.
"Bard Grigori, I am Lord Zuhair al Hassein, Warden of Stagfell, Captain of the Hands of the Yellow Sun. I'm to understand you've been accused of unlawful prostitution. Under Sarenrae's guidance I will hear your story. Don't be alarmed, no harm will be done to you." Zuhair took a few moments to say a prayer to his goddess. Gradually, a dim light spread from the symbol held in his hand and completely filled the cell. "Now, tell me of your sins..."
“I assure you ser, that such a telling would require far more time than either you or I could commit to such an endeaver.” Grigori smiled and bowed with a flourish that made the cell feel somehow larger and brighter. He steeped his hands together and rested them calmly in front of him as he addressed the Lord Warden.
The bard remained infallibly polite through out the integration. Grigori stated that yes he did sell potions on the side to supplement his performance income but he didn't sell anything that couldn't already be found in the marketplace or from the academy alchemists. From a breast pocket Grigori produced a license for sale of potions & alchemical items. The license was stamped in Restov a year ago and is valid in Stagfell along with several dozen such vendors in town. Grigori said he doesn’t recall every customer but that he dealt with individuals that prefer greater delicacy in their purchases for phials containing aphrodisiacs, potions of invigoration and endurance, and oils that aid with beating back the ravages of time.
The girls, he responded, are lovely acquaintances that he met at the Inn. He told Zuhair that they assured him they were of proper age and he was sure to pay far above the standard fees. Quite generous in fact, he proclaimed. At the mention of a cult he grew somber.
“Cult you say? What sort of cult?” Realization dawned on the bard as his mouth gaped open and for a moment was at a loss for words, unable to speak under the effect of the aura of truth Zuhair had created. He recovered quickly, “Ah, if you would my Lord, I do so humbly have a natural stage presence that does tend to attract quite the following ser. I’m afraid I simply can’t be held responsible for the acts of those that may, grow over zealous in their desires to see me perform. It is with this terrible burden that I must continue on as best as I am able good ser . So that I may continue to bring my tales and wit to as wide an audience as, the light willing, is possible.”
Zuhair dismissed the magical field that he’d created and weighed the words of the bard. His instincts told him that Grigori was speaking in half truths about the cult. Despite his glib nature the bard had slipped up under the truth spell. He knew there was little chance of catching him off guard again, and there was also no lawful reason to hold him. “You are free to go with the Baron’s apologizes, Master Grigori. A nation needs to ensure taxes are being paid, you can understand such a reason.”
Zuhair unlocked the cell and stepped to the side to let Grigori through. As he walked out, Zuhair grabbed a fist full of the bard’s fine silk and pushed him against the bars. “However, I don’t trust you, bard. You will stop dealing your trade out of the Dragon’s Rest, and if I see you in these cells again it won’t go so easy for you.”
Grigori doffed his billowy cap and bowed. “You are most kind ser! Never again shall I sing of naught but your kind consideration and generosity good ser. I assure you, I shall discontinue my sales in the establishment.”
Zuhair released Girgori and walked him to the end of the tunnel. “Open the door, Jeoff. This one is free to go.” He had one more person to interrogate.
The girl was sitting motionless on the small cot in the corner, her face still covered in shadow. Zuhair unlocked the cell and entered, closing the door behind him with a reverberating clang. The girl seemed uneasy by the close proximity to the big warden. “What’s your name, girl?”
“Lora, m’lord.” She shuffled her feet and huddled her knees closer.
“Don’t be afraid, no harm will come to you, but I must ask you to remove your clothes.” Zuhair said the words to an orison that granted his eyes the ability to detect magic auras. His eyes began to acclimate to their new power.
With a roll of her eyes the girl began to undress and actually appeared more comfortable with the situation. She turned in place. ”Does m’lord see anything he likes?”
As his eyes focused in on the clothes piled on the floor, Zuhair saw three glowing vials of liquid attached to her discarded belt. He looked back up at the girl, and gave her body an appreciative glance. He had sworn off foreign women after the rash he picked up in Restov, but the sight of the girl’s naked body stirred his blood. It was tempting. “The only thing I see that interests me are those potions. Tell me what you know of them and the business you have with the bard, Grigori.”
The girl was paid well to pick up the items and drop them off at a baker’s shop on the south side of town. She did not know what they were but suspected they were love potions or some other phial that Grigori was known to sell.
“You can get dressed, but the charges against you stand. I’ll send someone down to make arrangements for the taxes due to the Lord Baron. I’m afraid I’ll have to take these potions, though.”
The girls, he responded, are lovely acquaintances that he met at the Inn. He told Zuhair that they assured him they were of proper age and he was sure to pay far above the standard fees. Quite generous in fact, he proclaimed. At the mention of a cult he grew somber.
“Cult you say? What sort of cult?” Realization dawned on the bard as his mouth gaped open and for a moment was at a loss for words, unable to speak under the effect of the aura of truth Zuhair had created. He recovered quickly, “Ah, if you would my Lord, I do so humbly have a natural stage presence that does tend to attract quite the following ser. I’m afraid I simply can’t be held responsible for the acts of those that may, grow over zealous in their desires to see me perform. It is with this terrible burden that I must continue on as best as I am able good ser . So that I may continue to bring my tales and wit to as wide an audience as, the light willing, is possible.”
Zuhair dismissed the magical field that he’d created and weighed the words of the bard. His instincts told him that Grigori was speaking in half truths about the cult. Despite his glib nature the bard had slipped up under the truth spell. He knew there was little chance of catching him off guard again, and there was also no lawful reason to hold him. “You are free to go with the Baron’s apologizes, Master Grigori. A nation needs to ensure taxes are being paid, you can understand such a reason.”
Zuhair unlocked the cell and stepped to the side to let Grigori through. As he walked out, Zuhair grabbed a fist full of the bard’s fine silk and pushed him against the bars. “However, I don’t trust you, bard. You will stop dealing your trade out of the Dragon’s Rest, and if I see you in these cells again it won’t go so easy for you.”
Grigori doffed his billowy cap and bowed. “You are most kind ser! Never again shall I sing of naught but your kind consideration and generosity good ser. I assure you, I shall discontinue my sales in the establishment.”
Zuhair released Girgori and walked him to the end of the tunnel. “Open the door, Jeoff. This one is free to go.” He had one more person to interrogate.
The girl was sitting motionless on the small cot in the corner, her face still covered in shadow. Zuhair unlocked the cell and entered, closing the door behind him with a reverberating clang. The girl seemed uneasy by the close proximity to the big warden. “What’s your name, girl?”
“Lora, m’lord.” She shuffled her feet and huddled her knees closer.
“Don’t be afraid, no harm will come to you, but I must ask you to remove your clothes.” Zuhair said the words to an orison that granted his eyes the ability to detect magic auras. His eyes began to acclimate to their new power.
With a roll of her eyes the girl began to undress and actually appeared more comfortable with the situation. She turned in place. ”Does m’lord see anything he likes?”
As his eyes focused in on the clothes piled on the floor, Zuhair saw three glowing vials of liquid attached to her discarded belt. He looked back up at the girl, and gave her body an appreciative glance. He had sworn off foreign women after the rash he picked up in Restov, but the sight of the girl’s naked body stirred his blood. It was tempting. “The only thing I see that interests me are those potions. Tell me what you know of them and the business you have with the bard, Grigori.”
The girl was paid well to pick up the items and drop them off at a baker’s shop on the south side of town. She did not know what they were but suspected they were love potions or some other phial that Grigori was known to sell.
“You can get dressed, but the charges against you stand. I’ll send someone down to make arrangements for the taxes due to the Lord Baron. I’m afraid I’ll have to take these potions, though.”
