Café de Nuit

"You are right. I had thought of seeking a voodan myself. Do you know where I can find one? Perhaps some voodan of the Maiden?

Oh, and by the way. What kind of sickness is it that you speak of? I've just arrived to Tarascon, you see, and still haven't heard about it."

Souragnien: "Well, the closest Voodan of the Maiden would be pêre Belhomme," the bartender says. "He practically lives out of Ezra's big temple these days, what with him working with La Gugoine as a contact to the other Voodan.

The sickness was pretty bad, but the Voodan and the Clerics managed to stop it in the end. It rose from the swamp when the water level started to drop. Killed a lot of little ones. That was bad -- and odd. Just the little ones sickened and died, the older folks were mostly fine. Good thing the holy men and women managed to end the disease before it killed off all the children, or we wouldn't have any future at all."

Zumba looks attentively at the barkeeper

"Only the children you say? That is interesting... what were the symptoms? How long did it take to kill a child?

I saw a number of children today. They seemed to be very scared of strangers and ran away easily. Do you think that sickness of yours... might have been caused by people instead? strange people?"

Souragnien: "They started to vomit," the bartender says bluntly. "Then they started to bleed. In the end, they dehydrated, and with this heat? They were dead within a week -- until the Voodan and the Clerics found the right prayers to drive the sickness back into the swamp.

Strangers? The only stranger is town is that Lamordian man, he who calls himself 'Doctor'. He's rude as all get-out, but I doubt he'd dare spread sickness. Was some talk of him making a machine that could make clean water to battle the drought, but nothing's come of it."

The bartender shrugs.

"Lamordian? That's also interesting. Where can I find him, please tell?"

Souragnien: "Easy enough to do," the bartender says. "His house is as the western edge of town; the sieurs insisted he keep his experimenting and his chemicals a bit out of their wa -- Oh! I think you should return to your table, friend; they're about to serve your second course. Enjoy the wine."

It is, indeed, about time for your meal's second instalment: wild boar with apricots, served with a thick, powerful Barovian red wine. The serving girls are getting ready to remove the soup bowls and first round of glasses.

Goren listens and tries to make ends of the information. Souragnien"Um, I have thought. As in my home, Waterdeep, if I need, I can be go see information broker. Person who sells information, yes? Now, is someone here Souragne very good at this endeavour? Secondly, maybe one of Temple Ezra knows of person who worshiping Ezra but become evil due to some circumstance? Possibility. I gambling that the stones are connectioned to this as well. Maybe the Ezra not want to tell of this person as embarassment, not wanting to be blamed."

Goren sits back, eyeing the food in front of him but not having the urge to eat.

Zumba returns to the table, suddenly aware that the others had been eating without him. He asks the maidens to leave a soup for him, which he tries to eat quickly, almost drinking it if possible. He tries to start eating the second course only shortly after the others.

In between mouthfuls, he says
"Hmm... this is good! I had forgotten I was so hungry..."

But after he finishes the soup and begins the second course, he says more calmly

"But it was worth talking with the man over there. I learned lots and lots of interesting things."

He then tells the others about the conversation: the candle girl, the sickness, the lamordian doctor, the Maiden Voodan, the feelings of the people around.

Lucien nods and raises an already-arched eyebrown after Zumba describes the conversation. "Impressive, Zumba, well done," he says. "So there's a 'new Loah,' this Homme Broché, whose followers appeared after the start of the drought and who advocate the abandonment of Erza and the other Loah... yes, that's suspicious, and it ties in with what the three of us have been discussing. But that candle girl -- Marri, I believe her name is -- she just started here yesterday, and brought a fresh supply of candles ... which she's obsessively lighting and relighting? That's bizarre."

Zumba shrugs.

"I would not call it obsessively. I assume a place like this would like to have its candles always lit. But of course, it's my first time in a house of this category."

Vincent almost chokes on his wine when Lucien mentions the name Marri. He sits coughing a moment catching his breath.
His eyes wide with realization. He looks at the candle then at Lucien.
"I would offer much more than a room number to this girl" he says standing up and walking to the bar. His composure visibly changes as he approaches the counter. He relaxes and slows his pace, his facial expression seems to change from arrogant and relaxed to a caring and compassionate man.

As he arrives at the counter
"Good evening my dear monsieur" he greets "I have question and I was hoping you might help me". He leans forward a bit as not wanting everybody to hear it and points in the general direction of the tables. "Every table has candle on it, as has ours. Unfortunately I missed the man who put them on the table. You see" he says and speaks a bit lower. He nods on the direction of their table "that red haired man?" he asks. "He is a priest" he says smiling "which is obvious" he adds "we are celebrating his arrival. It's been forever since we last met the four of us." he pauses a little bit. "Now, I know" he says as if revealing a secret "that he has taken a vow of poverty and that in fact this is one of the few occassions for him to be the center of attention in stead of the people he generously helps." he says, sighing as if embracing the good heart of a friend. "Having made a vow of poverty he has not much possession, however, he does need some light once in a while."
"We wanted to offer him a welcome gift and at the same time help out someone in need as a gesture." He pauses. "I want to offer our friend a crate of those candles that are on the table. Candles calm him down after a rough day. Unfortunately I can't see the seller. Could you help me out please?" he pleads. "It would be a double gesture to him."

OOC:
Bluff 25
Diplomacy 19

"A... whole box of candles?" the barman says in halting Mordentish. "Oui, certainement... Except..." The man visibly wrestles with the demon of greed, and wins.
"We buy... Buy? Oui, we buy in large... in bulk from the market, monsieur. Especially now, with the drought. No telling when they'll run out. The bees, you see, and the sheep and the pigs. They all need water.
Ah, I can sell you? Sell you a box of candles we 'ave here, certainement, but you can get them cheaper at market, if you haggle well. Our new candle maven, she haggles well. The owner, she say, customers can buy what they like, but we add three silver to the purchase price."
The bartender shrugs and smiles apologetically. "This is the fine inn, no? The finest in Marais de Tarascon! The owner, she must make a profit where she can, but you are looking for the present for a priest friend who is poor because he chooses to be. I tell you the true, hein?"
The man reaches under the bar and presents a box with twenty large, plain white candles, like the ones on your table.
"If you say, you must have these now... Five silvers?"

Vincent smiles at the offer made.

"Ah, well this seems interesting" he says while inspecting the box.
He takes out a candle to inspect and asks "who is this maven you speak of? She must be quite good and experienced if she haggles so well."

"I knew a good candle seller once. A small girl" he adds smiling. "She used to work in Port d'Elhour".

"Marrielle Rénard's her name," the barman says, and he smiles. "Nice girl. Small for her age, but she knows her work. She doesn't sell, though; poor girl, she lost her family in Port d'Elhour. Came here looking for work.

So, monsieur. Sale or no sale?"

Vincent feigns surprise

"Marri?" he asks "Marri works here?"
He pauses and looks at the candles and back at the bartender.
"Wasn't she working at the church before?"he asks him. Awaiting an answer he slowly grabs for his money pouch.