Tamyir was silent most of the way to the estate, keeping an eye out for possible dangers as they traversed the streets. He was more than willing to let Peir and the others take the front at the gate, as he did not have the Lord's seal.

Rhaga looked at Birahu, and then slowly lowered her eyes to the snow leopard at her side. When she glanced back up, she cocked her head and regarded mage with a curious eye.

"You can try petting Maral if you like. But don't you need those fingers to cast spells?" the burly Orc asked, voice all innocent.

Penny noted the guards at the entrance to the mansion and grimaced, she had made a number of bad experiences with guards mostly when citizens called for them to kill the demon. Chosing to stay quiet she moved behind the mage, pretending to look inconspicious. The others could handle entering the mansion...

In reply to Penny (msg # 79):

Birahu placed a hand behind himself to comfort Penny, he placed the other hand in front of Maral's muzzle so she could smell him then if all was fine scratcher her ears! He loved big cats, little cats too, he just loved cats! "It's alright Penny. Hello Maral, my you are so pretty!"

The gate guards examine the seal proffered, then look at each other and shrug. The guard on the left turns and opens the iron gates, gesturing for your entrance. "Lord Nenthar gave word of your expected arrival." He spoke.

As your group passes through the door, you catch site of relatively small grounds surrounding a massive compound, easily what could be described as a medium sized keep. The path forward is clear and without obstructions, leading to a set of massive wooden doors.

A servant seems ready to greet you as you approach, opening the doors for you before escorting you down modestly appointed hallways. There are quite a few doorways that you pass by, all closed, until you reach a set of well-crafted doors. As you enter, you fine a well-furnished reception room, easily the size of a small guild meeting hall, books lining the walls and a great fireplace at the far end of the room. Multiple comfortable chairs and worktables are spread throughout, though the servant guides you to one closer to the fireplace. "Lord Nenthar will be with you shortly, Saer's." He spoke, then picked up a bell and rings it. From various side entrances, more servants bring in trays of food, goblets of wine, and one fellow, after seeing the cat, leaves quickly and returns within short order with neatly cubed beef on a plate, laying it down before the cat. Almost as quickly as they arrived, they disperse, leaving you alone in the room with food and drink.

Maral gave Birahu a surprisingly expressive deadpan look, as if to say "of course I am pretty." And while she tolerated a few scratches, the big cat flashed her fangs to let the man know her tolerance was without limits. Rhaga cocked an eyebrow at that, for the snow leopard had taken other people's hands off in the past. Either she really liked Birahu, or Maral understood that Rhaga considered the man to be an ally. But she kept such comments to herself as she entered the gates.

Once they had been shown to the opulently furnished waiting room, the Orc showed no shame in immediately grabbing a goblet of wine and a roast leg of lamb. Free food was always better than paying for it. Rhaga nodded her thanks to the servant who was thoughtful enough to bring Maral a meal.

For the next few moments, all you could hear was the sound or Orc tusks and cat fangs tearing into meat. Not perhaps, the most refined sound. But they went about it with equal savage intensity.

Ignoring his fellow's brief improv act behind him, especially given Birahu had presented the seal when needed, Peir ducked his head politely to the guards, "Thank you kindly." Heading in the indicated direction he glanced back a few times to make sure no-one was ambling off on their personal escapades once they were inside the grounds he kept the same level of courtesy as they encountered other members of the staff.

Once they were seen to the waiting rooms and catered too he once again expressed polite appreciation to the servers and only when they relaxed did he turn his attention properly to the rest of the room. Taking a small bit of food as he seated himself at the table he regarded the various books lining the room with interest, chewing quietly in contrast to the carnivorous devouring Rhaga and Maral were managing.

Being invited into the mansion Penny felt relief, after the initial security was passed inside it would be more relaxed. With a curious mind the tiefling took in the interior design, the display of grandeur and the pompous waiting room. It all spoke of a rich family, yet all that money didn't bring back their child - at least not without the willingness of skillful people to do whatever necessary to bring them back. Rarely had she been welcomed by a potential employer in such a friendly way. Actually they had never welcomed her like this.

Politely the beguiler declined the offered food and drink, something felt off. Maybe it was her paranoia, but being paranoid didn't mean everything was alright. Penny fell back into her old behavior: Searching for escape routes, marking potential threats and so on. Patentiently she waited for Lord Nenthar to arrive.

After Maral let him know he had scratched enough, he followed the others in. He immediately began perusing the titles of the books and so on. He loved libraries as much as he loved cats! He ate a chicken leg and had a goblet of wine, noting Penny was being paranoid as usual, he let it slide, she had her reasons!

Tamyir follows the others, admiring the limited gaudiness of the household and appreciative of the library/business room they were ushered into. Politely taking a wine, he sips it appreciatively, but is modest in his consumption of both food and drink.

Having mapped the room and the escape route in her mind, Penny wondered what would keep the Lord of the mansion from greeting them. Didn't they want to see their child returned as soon as possible? Every minute passing unnecessarily was reducing the probability to return them alive, much less unharmed.

Turning to one of the servants she asked with a frown "So, when you say 'shortly' how shortly is that meant to be?"

An elderly gentleman, easily in his mid-fifties and dressed in simple, but fine merchant clothing, walks through the door as Penny speaks. What must be Lord Woarsten Nanther leans slightly on a gold tipped ivory cane with a handle shaped like an ibis head. He has the slightly disheveled appearance of a man who hasn't slept in a few days, although he is dressed and capable of feigning a smile.

"Long enough to hope that guests have partaken of wholesome food and drink and perhaps would be in a more receptive mood to an old man's pleas." He spoke, gesturing for you to take seats. "I am Lord Woarsten Nanther, patriarch of the Nanther family and the many titles and responsibilities thereof. Now, although I have summoned the best my agents could find, please, introduce yourselves so that I may know with whom I am dealing with and where your talents lay." He spoke, almost falling into a comfortable padded, well used, chair.

In reply to He Who Watches (msg # 88):

Birahu sits and nods his head, "I am Birahu, a lowly wizard of no repute. The others may speak for themselves."

Tamyir bows his head slightly at the entrance of Lord Nanther stand respectfully until he is given permission to sit in the man's presence.

"Peace and Well Met, Lord Nanther. I am Tamyir Flameworthy, Paladin of Mystra, in service to her mystic fire." He spoke, placing his non-gauntleted hand across his chest in respect.

Rhaga tore the last chunk from the bone and washed it down with the fine liquid. Tossing the bone down to her snow leopard, she wiped the grease on her furs and leathers, where it wouldn't show up. She might not understand that this wasn't exactly noble etiquette, she knew being seen as clean was important. She just might have a different definition of clean.

"I am Rhaga of Almorel. I am a Thief-Taker and Sellsword. I am called the Wolfhound by many. Under that name you may know of my deeds," the burly Orc grunted, giving their host a polite nod as she spoke.

When the elderly man entered the room, Penny's behavior didn't change much except for a certain tensing in her muscles - as if she was expecting to be attacked at any moment. She took the time the others used to introduce themselves to assess Nenther himself, before answering his inquery. "I am a scout and infiltrator." the tiefling told the nobleman. "And while Rhaga can find any target in the wilds, my specialty is to find my mark in the city." she added, looking at the orc bounty hunter. "So you can rest assured we shall find your offspring and that of your... competitors." Penny told the Lord confidently. She pushed off the wall and moved along the table, not touching food or drink, waiting for the Lord to grab something himself. "I understand that some people might call my words cocky, but if it is the truth it's called a promise." the woman said while she turned to rest her hands on a chair, fixating the man with her gaze. "The condition we find them in, however, is depending on you giving us all information you have, every little detail counts." the beguiler stressed, trusting the worry for his child would bring the man to spill whatever small bits he knew about.

Rising from his seat as the Lord entered Peir studied the man with interest as he made his way to a chair. From the look of him at least the one who had summoned was reacting like a parent would to the disappearance of their child, assuming it was not a performance of some kind. Like Tamyir he did not retake his seat though he showed no signs of disapproval for the actions of any of the others.

When the others were done with their introductions he lowered his own head briefly, "Peir Barrow, priest of Garl Glittergood and sometime entertainer." Looking Penny's way as she moved to the assumption they had reached following the information from the tavern Peir turned his attention back to the noble to gauge his reaction.

Lord Nanther nods to each of you in turn, looking thoughtful though haggard.

"Ah, a well-rounded group of professionals, I must remember to give my seneschal a bonus. To business then.

I wish to pay you 1,000 platinum pieces to find my son, Oreal. While he is a grown man I don't follow his activities on a daily basis, he hasn't been seen for five days -- far too long. Worse, rumors abound that other noble scions are missing, as you alluded to. I've exhaused all prudent avenues of investigation, but with the increased orc raiding of late and the heightened tension caused by the mission scions, I'm afraid I have little to show. I am certain that you, as neutral operatives, will have better fortune. I must warn you, as the lord of this great house, I have many enemies, both within the city and without. Some no doubt seek to take advantage of this distraction to undermine my authority. House Nanther's utter destruction is not beyond the pale. Such is the politics of this wretched city.

Please, bring my son back to me, forcibly, if need be, safely and soundly. If you find the other scions, please return them as well -- surely the other great houses will blame House Nanther for any death or harm inflicted upon their kin.

Just to be clear, however, the platinum I will be paying you is for Oreal's safe return alone." He spoke, earnestly, but clearly much of what he revealed was not comfortable to the Lord.

Penny pursed her lips in thought for a heartbeat then drew a deep breath "Well, that is... unfortunate." she commented on the lack of information that Lord Nenther had on his son. "So, you don't know if he frequented any specific parts of the town, like the temple, a specific inn or the red light district?" the tiefling asked, wondering if he actually cared about his son.

Licking her lips while she thought about another avenue how to get at least some clues she set her priorities straight. "First we need to determine if your son left of his own volition or if he was abducted. We need to talk to your servants and see if anyone of them has made observations that can help us in that way. Perhaps they know if he left his bed untouched, what gear has gone missing, if his favorite horse is still around etc." she detailed the reason for her next request. "Sir, we need you to summon your employees so we can question them."

Rhaga looked around at the others after Lord Nanther informed them of the job, and the offered payment. If initial reactions were anything to go by, the man had just made a generous one. But she was from the Hordelands, so perhaps she was a bit out of her element. Or maybe this was just a cultural thing.

"Excuse me, what in the Nine Hells is a...plat-in-um?" the Wolfhound asked, hoping to be filled in on the meaning.

With all of the bounties she'd worked, the only denominations she was familiar with, beyond trade, were copper, silver, and gold.

"I understand you want your son found, and any other noble welps if we can manage it, but that part needs to be made clear to me," she followed up quickly, not wanting to look the brainless Orc.

In reply to Rhaga the Wolfhound (msg # 96):

"That's 10,000gp dear Rhaga, a kingly sum. Sorry to say this, but what is the reward if we bring him home to bury. He may be dead already, though I doubt it. Worth too much alive."

Leaning forwards with similar interest as Penny after she was done with her questions Peir added, "If there's been any recent changes in his habits too that might offer some insight. New associates, an interest in certain matters or even just a tendency to visit particular areas of the city or beyond. Anything like that at all you or others in the building noticed will be helpful to know." Which might just leave them with even more leads to chase down but hopefully something would get them moving in the right direction.

Nodding absently in Birahu's direction as he clarified the amount for Rhaga's benefit Peir did not comment on his clarification or additional commentary.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:23, Tue 02 Aug 2022.

Lord Nanther waves off Penny's questions. "I have already questioned the servants, and they could provide me little information I did not already know. Nothing is missing, nothing is disturbed in his room. It is as clean as the day he disappeared. He has been known to disappear for a few days at a time, but not this long, and not with other scions of noble houses missing.

Oreal has some ranger training, but he is known to be carefree, spoiled, and reckless. The boy is naive enough to believe that peace between the great houses is possible, amongst the younger generations. I strictly forbade him from pursuing any liaisons that would undermine House Nanther's security or position within the city.

My greatest enemies are Lord Dornig Leiyraghon, the foul git and his infamous temper, and the Lord of Keys, Halmuth Bruil. Neither of whom will meet with me to discuss our missing children, though Lord Bruil says he is conducting an investigation. Be that as it may, Bruil and the lesser houses of Melvaunt wouldn't dare raise a finger against my house, leaving it unlikely that they are involved.

Assassins from Zhentil Keep or Mulmaster are always a possibility, but such acts would have come with a clear message and outcome.

Orc raids on the infrequent caravans to the northern settlement of Glister and on outlying farms have become more pronounced as of late, still, the city is safe from the creatures' depredations and no orc would dare attack a noble family."

At Birahu's question, a pained expression passes over his face, for a moment, the weight of years shadowing his features and aging him. "If my son is dead, I want concrete proof of his death, his body returned to me in as good a condition as you can so that he can be interned in our family mausoleum. I will pay the same, Kelemvor help me, for my child's return, but I pray that you will be able to bring me more joyous news than that."

He ponders Peirs questions, shaking his head. "Oreal did not like to be followed by my agents, though he was known to frequent many houses of ill repute within the city, no place did he prefer over another. I wish I could provide you more information, but I have told you all that I know and all that is known to my household." He spoke, depleted.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 12:07, Wed 03 Aug 2022.

"We will endeavor to bring him back alive m'lord, he should be safe. Well good company, shall we undertake this rescue mission? I vote yes!" He looks to each in turn.

The tiefling listened carefully to Lord Nanther's elaborations, annoyed he insisted not knowing anything of use. Yet, it was the details that would make the difference between failure and success. "Sir, " she began, sharply addressing the father of their target. "In these few sentences you have told us more details helping determining the reason for your son's disappearance. - Let me say that you asked us to find your son because our skills are better suited to finding Oreal than your own or those of your staff. Let us do our job, even if that means asking what you consider redundant questions." Penny appealed to the wisdom of an elder leader of a family. "The other houses have hired thugs to look for their kids and they have not been successful, most likely because they are not asking the right questions and overlook certain details. We will not make the same mistake."

Penny rubbed her temples in order to calm herself down, it was not the smart thing to aggravate your employer. "Do you have any likeness of your son or a very detailed description that will help us to identify Oreal when we ask for him?"