Astrinos is very uncomfortable in this part of town. Things are very different than in the crystal halls of the spire he used to live in. He holds his pouch even closer to his person and his other hand is tense and ready to draw his sword at any moment. He second guesses his decision to come here and wonders if he could have found more legitimate work elsewhere.

Remembering his training, Astrinos relaxes his pose and his face is unreadable as a stone. "I have very little coin and no valuables, all that I carry are valuable only to me. Is it really worth getting a few new holes in you for 2 gold pieces in my pouch and hers? I suggest you let us on our way and maybe get the next guy. This blade is not just for show. I have been trained to use it." His hand moved to the hilt of the sword to flash a little bit of steel, before returning it to its sheath.

((I will roll intimidation cos I am slightly better at it))
add plus 1 so its 19

Astrinos nods to each one politely as he passes them. "Thank you all, and good luck on your next hunt. Come now Rosemary, lets leave these gentlemen to their business."

Everyone keeps close eyes on each other as Astrinos and Rosemary make a cautious escape from the narrow alleyway road.
The air feels fresher on this side, not just because they made it out of that tense situation, but also because they made it to the outside edge of the Mason Tower.
From here they walk along the inside wall, passing open bays and windows along the way.
The tower is squared off this low down into the city of Sharn, and The Broken Anvil sits nestled into the inside corner.

'The ------ Anvil'
There is a visible gap in the sign across the entrance way where it once had golden lettering. If you look closely you can barely make out that the missing word is also 'golden'
Nearby the name sign is a signboard bearing the crest of House Ghallanda.
- - -

Inside is a fairly impressive establishment. It's not elaborately decorated, but the interior has some features that you wouldn't expect on a run down place in this area.
A simple chandelier hangs above the main room, with a full sized bar, some gambling tables alongside the other tables, and even a stage area off to the side.
There is a dwarven comedian on stage that seems to have lost his zeal and is just going through the motions, not that the few drunken patrons seem to care.
A group of halflings are playing cards at one of the gaming tables, rolling their eyes at the dwarf's jokes. You can tell they've heard them a lot by this point.

A halfling woman greets you after a moment of taking in the atmosphere.
"Ah good morning! Right this way please. The lady has been expecting you."
She leads you to a secluded booth table in the back of the common room.
"My Lady, your guests have arrived."
- - -

The human woman in the dark blue cloak has delicate features, dark blue eyes, and sleek black hair bound with silver and turquoise ornaments. She wears a signet ring of House Cannith on he right ring finger and speaks in a soft but clear voice.
"Thank you for coming. We have important business to discuss that relates to the unfortunate death of bonal Geldem. Please, have a seat."
She gestures to the glasses and three pitchers on the table in front of her. The pitchers are filled with ale, wine, and water.
She waits a moment for you to take your seats, then gets down to business.

"I am Elaydren Vown of House Cannith and I have been working with Provost Geldem to recover a family heirloom...We were to meet last night, but as you know, he never made it. I learned from The Watch what had transpired, and so I sent one of my men to track you down."
- -
"The heirloom, according to family legends, was locked away in a foundry that dates back to pre-galifar Sharn...Poor Bonal believed he had discovered the location of the foundry in an ancient House Cannith journal. I was going to fund an expedition to go to the site, but without Bonal...."
Her voice trails off, and she leans in closely.
"Perhaps you would be willing to recover the heirloom for me? You seem to have some skills given how you fought off Bonal's murderer.
You would receive a generous reward, of course.

________________________________

Join the Horde. We have bananas. 🍌

[ Sipping at a cup of water, Rosemary looks thoughtfully at the lady. When her cup is empty she shrugs her shoulders. "Why the Hell not, I've got nothing better to do with my time right now". Who knows how long it would be before she found her family. Might as well make some money while she waited for them to find her. ]

[ Accepting the gold Rosemary began planning out the things she'd likely need. ]

"Once you have it, return here to The Broken Anvil. My men will notify me when you arrive, and I'll be here to pick it up, as well as presenting the rest of your reward. Simple as that."

She thinks for a few moments over your last two questions.

"It's quite possible there are some sort of defenses for the old Cannith forge, though I do not know what they might be...

More pertinent is the fact that Bonal was killed in an attempt to get his research. This proves there is someone else after the contents of my family's lost forge. Given that the assassin was a Warforged, I have suspicions that it could be the rumored 'Lord of Blades' so you may encounter more of his warforged agents.

Other than that, Bonal had mentioned needing things like alchemist fire and torches for making the trip. Torches, or some other light source would be a given since it will be quite dark without the Everbright Lanterns we are used to up here. I couldn't say why he might need alchemist's fire though.

But whatever arises, I'm sure you can handle it. That's why I'm making you this offer."

[Astrinos tries to gauge her responses, looking for any possible deceit. Everything she says seems truthful as far as he can tell.]

________________________________

Join the Horde. We have bananas. 🍌

________________________________

Join the Horde. We have bananas. 🍌

Astrinos thanks his employer once more and leaves the tavern "Lets be off then Rosemary! Back to Upper Dura for this...alchemist's fire. I hope this entire thing doesn't blow up in our faces." He makes an exploding motion with his hands and grins.