Leaving Simion at the senator's, Broneslav headed home to clean up. After that, he decided to follow up the lead that the orator had given him. Also, the fighting had given him a thirst. A flagon of mead would not go amiss and the man had said there was due to be a meeting, so he really felt like dropping in there.
The streets were full of unrest as he worked his way back towards the docks but he managed to dodge trouble along the way. Barely, at one point, as a riot broke out, but nipping down an alleyway and onto the next street along did the trick. As he pushed open the door of the shack that was the Blue Water Mead Hall, he actually really needed that drink.
He sat at a free space in the corner and looked the place over. It was dark, with half a dozen common tables and benches for the patrons. No booths or cushions in here, and the floor was covered in sawdust. There was no bar in the main room. The tavernkeeper ducked through a curtain at the back of the place to fetch beer through from another room. There did not seem to be food on offer here. The place was moderately full with dock workers and sailors, by the looks of them.
The beer that the tavernkeeper brought Broneslav was thin and not particularly tasty. He sipped it and watched the tavernkeeper duck in and out of the back room. There was another curtain next to it, and it was a long while before he say anyone go through that one. The man looked much like the other patrons here, but there was a sense of purpose in the way he ducked through the curtain. Broneslav waited but the man never returned. In the meantime, another man disappeared through the curtain.
It was time to find out what was going on here. Broneslav slipped quietly through the curtain just behind the other man. He opened the door and entered a short hall with a stable door at the other end. The top half was open and two people in robes were lounging beside it. A section of the wall to his right was just closing as he stepped into the hall.
"Ish thish th'way tuh th' toilet?" Broneslav slurred as he staggered a bit towards them.
"Straight through the door there," replied one of the people. A local by his tone.
"Whu? Thish way?"
Broneslav staggered over towards the open door. The men sneered at him and stepped aside to let him through. As he got level with them, he erupted into action, slamming one man's head against the wall and punching the other in the gut. Neither man had a chance to react before they were unconscious on the floor. He did not kill them because he was not sure if they were 'innocent' bouncers or in on the secret.
A quick search found a secret door in the hallway leading to a room barely big enough for more than a couple of people. Broneslav opened it and dragged the unconscious men through. Within the room was a cupboard and a bench. Within the cupboard, he found red robes with black leather hoods hung up. This appeared to be a robing room of some sort and there was no obvious way out. Nevertheless, he closed the door behind him, bound and gagged the men and stuffed them in the cupboard. He could release them when he returned or one of The Veiled Society members would if he failed here. They would be stiff and sore, but at least they would be alive.
I can't believe how long it has taken me to get back to this. I got hung up on mapping one of the rooms in this section of the adventure, and it killed my flow. Ah well, back to it, eh? After all, Broneslav is nearly at the end of this story arc.
