Five days is enough time for Temple to have fully recovered from his injuries and then some, as well as patiently making sure that the wounds the others took in the depths heal cleanly and without scars (or with them, if the one with the injury feels that it's for the best)... It's enough time for him to have done a little 'work' for his landlords, to have done a little work at the training grounds and - last night - to have dropped by his favourite little social hangout to talk matters over with an old friend (as defined as someone who knows what sort of person he really is and is intrigued rather than appalled), which is where he was given something of a warning.

 And an opportunity.

 He's swung by the Den every couple of days - as he usually does - but on the fifth evening he looks uncommonly serious when he does so and is quick to signal for Asho's attention quite urgently and seriously indicating for him to head into the back before gathering up anyone else present and moving to join them.

 While hardly the life and soul of the party, it's rare for him to look or act this... troubled and he's quick to explain why as he slips into the room with those present and softly explains "We have a problem. Or rather, Asho has a problem. You may recall that while we were recovering that orphan child from the slave market, he attacked some of the other customers? A party from the deep country?"

 The Drow, in other words but you don't go throwing that word around up here.

 "Well that customer made it home and it turns out that they're... connected... They might not have much power here in Ptolus by themselves, but their family are cornerstones of the slave trade, drug trade and supply of illicit magic. Balacazar and Killraven dealers use their services.. And because he offended them, an interest is being expressed in having Asho delivered to them in the form of a nice pair of boots and a matching belt."

 Not, you know... Ideal, that but Temple wouldn't be Temple if he didn't also have a solution of sorts.

 "Fortunately, I have some... acquaintances on that side of things in their number who think well of me and they have indicated that that particular connected customer was searching for something that would make an excellent apology. Specifically, something in the possession of an old enemy of theirs who recently dropped out of sight in the city. I managed to earn a description of them and a few 'last seen' locations but the customer was extremelyreticent about the nature of the object or person they were looking for."

 Which is at least a little vague, but there you go.

 "The enemy in question is known to be dangerous, intelligent and magically capable, but if we can locate them or where they lived we can simultaneously loot it and-or-them while buying enough favour to avoid having someone render our companion there down into custom haberdashery... A state of affairs which I think we can all agree would be less than ideal."

 ---

TL:DR: Ash upset a Drow noble. The Drow want him skinned and have lots of friends. We can change their mind by bringing them a trophy a Bad Guy took from the Drow. We know what the Bad Guy looked like and some places he went, not much more. And we can loot the house for a bonus.

Cruch listened to Temple once the group was gathered in the back room.  The weird Mask-wearing man having taken it off for one of the few times he did almost shocked Cruch for he had honestly forgotten what he looked like it had been so long since he saw it last.

Cruch looked at Ash when it came to the part that Cruch very well remembered.  A small grin came across his face revealing his teeth as he remembered the drow falling to the floor when Ash had tripped them all in short order.  So it had come back to haunt them now.  The group or Temple at least knew something would happen at some point.  "Should have just killed the lot of them, then we wouldn't have a problem at all now would we?"  Cruch said with a shrug of his shoulders.

He quieted quickly when Jinx kicked him under the table.  When he looked at her she was looking at Crow.  "So, what does this bad guy look like and where does he live?"

 Temple wears his mask 'professionally' a great deal, but out and about he's as often to be seen looking like himself... It's just that he's not often to be seen, given his predilection for lurking and his knack for just appearing in places. It's a knack he's had ever since the Orphanarium days when he was the odd one out and picked on for his fascination with books and birds and dead animals (some of which hadn't stopped moving yet), at least until that... regrettable incident with the boy who picked on him most and all those rats.

 More innocent times, and all that.

 "No." he answers simply, eyeing Cruch for a moment "Because for one thing, they would have killed us. For another, they are connected and those connections would have killed us. For a third, if we do do this, we acquire a contact who may one day be useful to us."

 But rather greater relevance is brought about when the question arises, and he grimaces "It's hard to be certain since he is or was a spellcaster but my contact says that a private sedan chair with four attendants was seen in several locations, including Old Town around Emperors Square and South Gate around Emperors Road. If they knew where he actually lived then they would have had someone collect what's owed already. As for his appearance? Bald, pale to the point of being pallid and grossly overweight. Usually wears a petty nobles ransom in rings, necklaces and silks."

Ash kept his word, but not on the next day.  He spent a full day in bed, his wounds tended by the incredibly skilled doctor who, as far as Ash could tell, didn’t take any of his scales for study.  Ash went down to the common room a couple of times to scrounge a meal and take it back to his room.  Cedric fussed about attracting insects, but Ash promised to be careful and return soiled dishes promptly, which didn’t exactly appease the Den caretaker, but it go him out of Ash’s way.

The following day Ash managed to get out into the city early in the morning.  His scaled feet led him to Center Street and he walked for most of the morning until he reached Star Crossing Plaza.  The heart of the South Market district, here Ash was able to find a number of artists with their creations on display.  He looked over their works, seeking the right style for what he had in mind.  It needed to be mostly dark, sinister on the periphery, with the growling gnoll’s face just visible in torchlight, and another figure hinted at in the background.  In the foreground, lower-left panel would be the figure of a Tengu, but amidst the dark and dire would be a radiant gold gleaming from what at first appeared to be a mace.  The painting should show the moment of contact, the “mace” striking the gnoll.  At second look, the golden spray of the mace more the beginning of an explosion that just a simple shine, and the growling visage of the gnoll not the threatening menace it first appeared, but actually shocked and horrified as it was ended.

Ash selected an artist whose works appeared to have the kind of qualities he was looking for, and commissioned the piece. DM: Hope that is ok for you.  Let me know the price and timeline

The remainder of Ash’s week is spent running errands for Crow to sell the weapons they brought up from the last job or training with his acquaintances at the Citadel of Iron Might.  Ash chided himself for not making any further progress with removing the grotto motif decorations at the Den, but he did not have the motivation to do it.  Mostly because he didn’t have a direction for the place after the grotto designs came down.

On a whim, Ash did pay a visit to Grammie who, thankfully, also didn’t take any of his scales (or head).  He didn’t have custom for Grammie this time around (thanks again, Kray), but he liked to look at the works on display and listen to Grammie’s odd commentaries as he worked.

On the fifth day after they had returned with Triel, Temple arrived with his news.  Ash did not pale, exactly, but where Cruch remembered Ash putting the Drow on their backsides, Ash’s memory centered more on nearly dying to the blades of one of them.  He didn’t prefer to have his blood spilled by them again, if he could help it.

Well, I certainly don’t prefer to be made into a belt or a hat.  If anything, I saw myself as a stylish pair of boots, but who says your friends have any style?  Well, style or not, I still prefer to keep breathing, so I suppose we ought to look into this, whoever-they-are.  Your contacts just want a location?  Or are we delivering another body?

Jinx listened and had kicked Cruch at some point.  Now as she listened to Ash speak she eyed the man with a curious look.  "Haven't you been listening?" she said annoyingly.  "They want whatever it was that was taken returned to them.  Please keep along will you."

Ash gave Jinx a swift kick back. I am paying attention. He smiled a big smile at her. For once in my life, at least.  I only mean, it sounds like they don’t want to tell us what exactly they are looking for, which will make it hard for us to steal for them.  So either they just want the location of the person, or they want us to find the person and bring him back to them.  So, my question stands, do they want a body, or just the location of a body?  Or will they share some information about exactly what we are to retrieve?  What do you think, Doc?
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 19:05, Tue 16 Apr.

 "Boots are traditional, but I rather imagine that the belt was going to be extremely slim and rather long, they're inclined to show a great deal of skin." Temple allows, looking from Ash to Jinx and taking in a slow breath then explaining a little more of the situation "The person who I have been in touch with is not the one who wants this thing or person returned. They do however do business with them and they were... Somewhat forthcoming about rumours regarding why they were here, partly because of our professional relationship, partly because of the fact that I had sent business their way by offering the ones Asho offended a line of credit at their establishment and partly..."

 Fleetingly, Temple looks distant and disconcerted for a moment "...for other reasons of their own. They indicated that the woman in charge of that party was not the first of her family to come this way. And that their predecessor never left, or at least did not do so through 'established channels'. Were I to hazard a guess, we're looking to recover a hostage, a prisoner or a trophy or trophies relating to them and it will not be troublesome to identify them if we can locate them."

 Licking his slightly sharp teeth for a moment, the surgeon weighs matters and then adds uncomfortably "I could prevail upon them to find out more but doing so would... Obligate me. In ways I would likely be expected to pay back in something other than coin. Since this matter most significantly weighs upon Asho however, I would defer to his preferences in this matter."