It started in a tavern, of course

[tibbius]

Janak looks curiously at Ogden, starts to speak, says nothing.

Achmedjan purses his lips a moment, then starts to talk. He has a whiny voice. "It's not our business, of course, just fun to talk about," he says. He has an anxious manner, too. "Do you know this Hustamev? How do you know him? ... Hercermer, huh?"

[Squid]

Ogden wipes his face and puts a cleaned chicken leg on a plate. Waving his hand in a nonchalant manner, "Oh, we shared a common interest back in the day." Finishing his last bit of ale he leans back in his chair. "So, Janak and Achmedjan, thank you for your time and I hope you enjoy the drink and remaining chicken."

Ogden slides the chair back from the table, turns and heads for the tavern door.

[tibbius]

The two scoundrels watch Ogden Hercermer depart, before tearing into the remaining chicken.

Where's our hero go?

[Squid]

Ogden is going to head over to the Trollhide Room and see if he can find anything that indicates the rumors shared by Janak and Achmedjan are valid.

[tibbius]

The Room is notorious in Thelav. It's not advertised, but everyone knows where it is.

Getting in is tricky, though. Ogden thoughtfully pats his pocket as he walks toward Whisper Street, checking that his phony patent of nobility remains in place. Showing the paper, with a pretty coin beside it, should suffice to gain admittance.

Lanterns atop wrought iron posts elegantly illuminate Whisper Alley with steady bluish-yellow flame. The lanterns, Ogden knows, are fueled by essence piped from the alchemic works in Shinbone Alley. Porters ignite them at sunset and shut off the valves at dawn.

The streets in this district are cobblestone, carefully and smoothly set and tidily kept, without the rough spots or rubbish of Bustle Street. The buildings along the streets are well-maintained, beautifully and solidly built, the ground floors occupied by upscale shops and the upper floors apartments for the well-to-do.

As Ogden passes along an alley between two buildings, he hears a sudden clamor of monkey voices shrieking at each other on the rooftops. A toddler-size body abruptly hurtles to the ground before him, striking with an audible soft impact that faintly trembles the ground. The fallen simian contorts in a death spasm, then sprawls limply, its arms and legs flung out, its tail curled on the stones. Ogden sees that its throat has been torn out, and blood pools rapidly around it. It wears a ragged silk vest.

[Squid]

Shocked by the falling monkey, Ogden quickly looks up to see what could have attacked it.

[tibbius]

In the twilight, Ogden sees monkey faces glaring down from the eaves, not so much toward him as toward the corpse on the cobbles. The monkeys on opposite sides of the street chatter viciously at each other, then spin away from the roof-edges and vanish.

[Squid]

Stepping over the dead monkey, Ogden continues on his way to the Trollhide Room. He's hoping to get a glimpse of the patrons and see if there is a devious side to the happenings there.

[tibbius]

At the door of the Trollhide Room, Ogden meets a burly bare-chested Berudine, who wears a garotte looped around his neck and a curved dagger at either hip. The man's clearly a doorkeeper, and he raises one big hand firmly toward Ogden. "What's your business? Who are you?"

[Squid]

Ogden stops and looks at the guard casually, trying to appear confident. "I'm Ogden Gruger. I'm here to see the person in charge to discuss a business venture."

Do I need to roll anything for this? Ogden is trying to get inside to see what's up. If the person in charge will see him, he'll try to find out what's up by asking about providing alchemy services.

[tibbius]

The bouncer laughs. "Do you have bona fides? I don't make appointments for the owner, but if you come back during the day you might have a chance."

[Squid]

Ogden rolls his eyes and lets out a sigh, then reaches in his pouch to pull out his papers. He deftly pinches a coin under the paper so it will fall in the bouncers hand when he passes it over. "I'm not just a random peasant. Here is my identification." He holds the paper out with the coin underneath, ready to drop it in the bouncers palm.

[tibbius]

The bouncer glances at the fake seal on the fake watermarked parchment, doesn't bother (or maybe can't) read it, makes the coin go away. "Come in, m'lord," he says with sarcastic obsequy and a grand gesture to open the leather-covered door. The door swings silently on its hinges.

Within the door, Ogden sees candle-lit gloom. There is an odor of sweat and incense.

[Squid]

Squinting and glancing around, Ogden is a little disturbed by what his senses are telling him. Knowing what is happening here makes him uneasy. He turns to the guard. "Who's in charge here? Can I speak with them?"

[tibbius]

The guard grins salaciously. "Inside here there's many masters," he answers. He laughs at his own joke. "The owner's not at home to visitors who aren't invited. If you had been invited, I would know."

[Squid]

Ogden glances about then reaches into his pouch and produces another coin and spins it between his fingers, "Any chance the owner would accept a non-threatening uninvited visitor?"

[tibbius]

The bouncer sighs and shakes his head. "Look, friend, I'd be glad to take your coin, but as you know, Idim wrote that we should deal honestly. There's simply no way I can get you an invite to meet with the owner. She's busy."

[Squid]

Ogden slips the coin back into his pouch and nods at the door keep. "Understood. I'll return during the day. Oh, and thank you for dealing honestly. You serve the owner well. Please, if you don't mind, mention to her that I was here and will be calling again?" Ogden then turns and heads back to the door.

[tibbius]

The bouncer nods.

Where does Ogden go now? Does he return to his lodgings?

The most likely place for him to reside, as an alchemist, is over his shop in the essence-stenching Shinbone Alley, where the odors tingle the nose and the vapors itch the skin.

He might, if he's been quite successful, have a somewhat fancy apartment somewhere in Whisper Street or perhaps a less pricey and smaller place in Bustle Street (a neighborhood adjacent Shinbone Alley and Whisper Street, where roving crews almost keep on top of clearing rubbish and soil from the rough-cobbled streets that run between three-and-four-story buildings of brick and stone with low-market shops on the lower floors).

I'll post up a map of the city in here soon

[Squid]

Sorry for the delay!

I think Ogden would have a less pricey place on Bustle Street. Just enough success to be able to move from over his shop. Maybe he's just able to afford it and had to get out from over his shop. He's likely renting the apartment over his shop to someone he trusts... maybe an employee?