Once that is done and your business is concluded, Akhitos turns to the information, which he clearly enjoys relaying. The final cost in cash is 500 gold for the individual information, along with another 150 for the Bishop's doings and intentions. First he turns to the subject of the Bishop.
"Having just come from Florence, this information is quite reliable, and indeed much of it is common knowledge. I shall begin at the last point that you all came into contact with him, which is still a point of conversation all about town." He pauses for dramatic effect, taking a small sip of his ambrosia. "The gathering, which was meant to be quite secret, with all the participants either eliminated or experiencing a religious turnaround, leaked out to the general public. It is rumored that a slight part-elvish girl who escaped the meeting and was thought to be in your company stayed in Florence some time, spreading information about what really happened there. Remarkably, to my knowledge no one has managed to find her." He pauses again, "I would be willing to pay for any information that you possess about this girl, as she has been mentioned prevalently in the Bishop's thoughts."
Returning to the story when he realizes that you all have no such information, "In any case, it became an embarrassment for the entire Church in Florence, and only the support of pretty much the whole oligarchy kept a new resistance from rising. Many people were executed in the following days on trumped-up charges, but the Bishop's rage was not abated. It is rumored that he managed to capture several of the original group of escapees, but none would share information about their comrades. I only have reliable information about two of those captured, due to such information being closely guarded. One giant Asian fellow was captured near the Arno river not long after an English fellow with a limp. I know for sure that those two are still in captivity, along with three or four others, of which I have no information. One at least was temporarily captured and escaped, but I have no information about that one either."
He takes another sip, "More directly concerning you all, the Bishop is rumored to have sent a party of low-level mercenaries out to retrieve you, mystifying many of his highly paid bounty hunters, who have been told specifically not to pursue you. This information is conflicting with some of the other information, but I am reasonably sure of it's veracity." He shrugs his shoulders.
"As far as rumors tell, the Bishop seems to not be desirous of harming you at this point, as he has not used one tenth of the resources at his command to detain you, though he has done his utmost to capture all those reported individuals other than this group who escaped the meeting. One, a sorcerer of some power and a renegade from the Magical Order, he has used extensive resources to locate, thus far without any luck, though it is only a matter of time, assuredly. As near as I can tell, this Golthar fellow seems to have the tacit support of the Bishop, but no actual material or magical aid, which is somewhat strange." He shrugs again.
"Much of Florence is abuzz about you. Indeed, meeting you will prove quite valuable to my business!" He smiles
Tolik frowns a bit, but keeps silent.
Akhitos continues. "What the Bishop is currently intending to do regarding your group is uncertain, as it appears he is willing to wait for you to reveal yourselves. A curious tactic, considering the man's history, but there you have it." That part of the story concluded, he sips his nectar again, then launches into the next bits of information.
Pointing a chubby finger at Amibar, "You, my hooded friend, do not seem to have roused the Bishop's attention, as I have heard no mention of you, though there is a strange rumor in the city that the witch previously in your company was replaced by a more mysterious wizard, a tiny fellow, whom I can only assume means you." He shrugs. "There is some interest in your origins, but since no one clearly knows your identity, I don't know how long it will take for them to find you."
Ami's emotions are mixed about this information. On the one hand, he is relieved he is not being personally looked for by the bishop and his men, but still, it would have been nice to be famous, or infamous rather, he chuckles to himself.
Turning toward Arkady, "As I mentioned, my Slavic friend, there is not much information of value concerning you either, though the Bishop does know who you are, quite definitely, and he seems to know your origins well enough. As the church wields little influence yet in your part of the world, I do not know what the Bishop might do to inflict pain upon you, though it is rumored that you and several others, members of the low-level mercenary group sent to detain this group, have been bountied, but only if separated from the main group."
Arkady ponders this information and rues his spending of gold to be told he is no one of importance. Biting back the burning reply that he is provided by the voices, he stalks off muttering something about security.
He storms out of the tavern and begins to angrily pace the perimeter of the hostel compound. He froths with a variety of emotions, anger at his drunkenness, distress at the Arab's hints that pain would be brought on his family by the Bishop, impotence at the current situation concerning the bishop and the horses. He keeps watch on the plains surrounding the hostel and eventually settles himself to lean on a tree by the water and watch till he drains of emotion.
Slowly Arkady pushes the voices back further and deeper into his mind, leaving his anger and his frustration without force and leaving him sad and exhausted.
Turning toward Asif again, Akhitos adds, "The Bishop has given free reign to any foreign influences that wish to detain or pursue you, and there appears to be some action on that front concerning you, as those interested in capturing you and returning you home seem to have deep pockets. I apologize I did not mention that before."
Rhune places a hand on her lover's shoulder, "It will be alright my love. We will see that all is made right soon."
Facing Dakath, Akhitos smiles, "You seem to have given the Bishop some problem as well, as he seems particularly desirous of any information concerning you, much more so than the others. He has found out that you are the former Jacobus, dealer in imitation holy items to the church, and perhaps several other alias criminals as well, and the warrant for you is longer than any other, apparently with great validity, unlike many of the others here. However, he has placed a high price on information concerning your current whereabouts and actions, almost as if you were no longer with this group, of which he has offered no bounty for information regarding whereabouts and actions, almost as if he knew where you were. However, if that were the case, would he not know that you were here amongst them? Mysterious..." He raises an eyebrow, obviously hoping for some confirmation or information from Dakath, but he hopes in vain.
Turning next to Forte, he smiles a bit, "It seems your community was most forthcoming with information about you, as a man of your size was well remembered. Your warrant list seems particularly contrived, with the exception of one murder charge of a horse trader. I remember the name as I have done business with her before, and indeed it is certain that she was killed. The rumor is that she was betrayed and murdered by two men she hired in Arezzo, one of whose whereabouts is unknown and the other seems to be you. Other than that, they do not appear to have been able to find any other real crimes, but the one is enough to have you hung, so I guess more isn't necessary!" He grins.
"How the hell does he know about Fyodorll?" Forte wonders aloud. "None of her guards lived...." Turning to the others with a worried face, Forte hypothesizes, "Do you think the Bishop captured Xania?"
To Pietro, "The Bishop had some trouble identifying the elven priest newly amongst the group, and still does not appear to have confirmed your identity. While this is not of paramount concern, apparently, such information would be valuable to him."
Of Ratlin, "A murder charge has been sworn out for you, apparently with your own father as a witness! Such evidence seems very solid, and the victim appears to have been a member of a magical order, and thus you have been sentenced to death in absentia. This information is well known."
At this information, Ratlin almost turns white with shock. He abruptly stands and heads outside, fists clenched. Once outside, he leans against the wall of the building tears falling down his cheeks in pain from the loss of his mentor and rage from his father's accusations.
On his rounds, Arkady sees Ratlin walk outside and lean wearily on the wall. His shoulders begin to shake and he strikes the wall with his fist. After a few moments, he straightens, adjusts his robes, and heads back inside.
Arkady ponders Ratlin's actions and then decides it's none of his damn business. When Ratlin goes inside Arkady is relieved to be left alone again.
Of Tolik, "It seems sufficient that your mere existence has been mentioned amongst several hunters. The only debate seems to be whether mages would pay more to experiment upon you or carnivals would pay more to put you in a cage. No charges have been processed upon you, though it has been said that you would be able to inform others of the mysterious homeland of your people, if you were tortured extensively enough. Thus the consensus is that you will be sold to the magicians, whose experiments would serve that purpose handily. The Bishop has given his assent to this, as your people have no protection legally from this." He frowns a bit, obviously not happy to tell the winged elf this.
Tolik nods his head, not surprised by the information. "We expected as much. Precautions have been taken. I will not betray my people." For all his bravado, Tolik still has some worries for his brethren. He make a sign in the air to ward off evil, something which seems very uncharacteristic for the elf.
Turning toward the last two, "You two seem to be the paramount concern of the Bishop." He turns to Ullar first, "Rumors have leaked into Florence of 'Lord Ullar's Resistance Army' hiding in the forest. While these are only hinted at now, some groups in that city seem to be using the very mention of this to incite some gossip, for whatever their purposes are. In any case, you have been purported to be a warrior of unbelievable strength, avoiding death and charging into the face of the enemy without fear time and time again. You are quite the local hero, my friend, and that makes you very dangerous. The bounty for your dead body is higher than any of the others. The charges against you seem frivolous with the exception of one Morpheus, who purports that you burned down his gladiator school, killing several of his slaves. It is largely on this basis that you have been sentenced with death."
"It seems You have made quite an impression on the Bishop. This is probably not the way you wanted to become a hero but it seems you have anyway." Rhune whispers.
Forte chuckles at the phrase 'Lord Ullar's Resistance Army.' "Guess I got my wish - I'm in the army now," he says with a grin at the ex-gladiator.
Turning last to Rhune, "And you, beautiful fey one, seem to be of utmost importance to the Bishop. Indeed, I believe that only your presence here keeps these others alive, as it has been expressly forbidden to put you in danger. For your safe capture, the reward is truly impressive, but the penalty for killing you is death and excommunication beforehand, a sentence of hell for the Catoliks, I believe. Why he spares you is something many in my trade wish to find out, as you do not appear to have any more value to him than any of the others. The rumor is that you possess something he values highly, though why he would not merely have you killed and take it from you I cannot say. In any case, it is rumored that he has contacted some very strange sources to arrange for your detention. What those sources are no one seems to know."
He concludes his stories. "I will bid you all good fortune on the morrow, and hope that all the importance attached to you does not prove foolish and exaggerated. Now I will be off to sleep. I wish you well with the elves." He bows respectfully, "It was very pleasant doing business with you." He then departs, sweeping up the stairs into his room.
After the merchant is gone and out of sight, "It has to be that blue tube. Now we definitely have to find a way to open it and find out what is in it. But why would I be the one singled out to keep alive. Ullar you were there as well. I don't understand. There has got be something else going on. Something that we are overlooking." she frowns in thought.
"Maybe he just wants you alive to make sure he can find the blue tube." Forte looks at the elf with a grim expression. "You've got to be extra careful, though the fact that he wants you alive is perhaps preventing more direct assaults against the group as a whole."
Smiling wanly at Forte, "Thanks. I will definitely try to be extra careful, my friend." she says to him.
Tolik voice is as grim as Forte's expression. "I think the merchant left us with some important questions. First of all, what is the purpose of sending us, meaning the 'low-level mercenaries,' after the rest of you? And what are the others achieving that they stay in the Bishop's favor while those of us who came with you are now criminal? Its not as if they are chasing you... us. Second question I see, what of the blue tube would keep him from taking it from, pardon me, Rhune's corpse? And how does he know Rhune currently has it, rather than Ullar or someone else?"
"I have no answers for any of those questions, Tolik. As you say there may be something else going on that we are not aware of. I have thought of that. He has had plenty of opportunity to have me killed and just take the tube. As for knowing that I have it and not another I don't know." she says puzzling over it all.
Ratlin walks back in after a moment outside. His face slightly red and a new set to his features, one of grim determination.
Tolik scratches his head, another question lost while voicing the others. His eyes are puzzled for a moment, then light up as he remembers. "Perhaps most importantly, what did this wonderful merchant mean when he said, 'meeting you will prove quite valuable to my business?' We have seen he deals in information, should we be worried?"
"Yes we should be. We could offer no amount of money to this man to keep him silent for we do not know if he would honor the bargain or betray us for a higher price. There is not much we can do about it now. We have given ourselves away." Ratlin responds with a firm set to his lips.
"You have a point there. Perhaps we should try to feed him some false information." Rhune replies.
"And not only does he know where we are now, he knows where we're going next," Forte adds glumly. "Let's hurry on our way, so was can move past Rifflian as soon as possible."
"I'm ready to leave now." Rhune replies as she packs up her new belongings and gets ready to leave.
Ullar, who has been quiet for several minutes listens to the discussion. He frowns and looks puzzled. "I don't think we have to fear much from him. He is a merchant and deals in information. Next to that he sells stuff. If he tells his buyers that he has met us, his fame will rise as well as his prices."
"That would be something as well, Ullar. He has met us so his prices could very well triple. However just by mentioning that he would be subject to arrest by the Bishop and questioned. I think we need to leave here as soon as possible and get as far away from here as we can." Rhune says still thinking over everything that the merchant had told her.
"Regarding you Rhune, I think the Bishop noticed you took the blue tube in Florence. Since you are the last known owner, he needs you alive to retrieve it." Ullar continues.
"Maybe, but I don't see how. I don't remember him looking anywhere near the spot the tube dropped and there a lot of people in that room." she replies frowning still trying to think how else that the Bishop might know that she could have the tube.
"It could be that one of your friends was tortured for that information," Forte suggests with a helpful tone in his voice. Then, realizing what he has said, his expression suddenly becomes a little embarrassed.
Ratlin shrugs, "Maybe it's more than just the blue tube. Remember Rhune, you are a young beautiful elven woman. Just because he is the Bishop does not mean he is free of lust. But whatever his reasoning is, I am sure we all here will keep you from his hands."
Rhune can't help but chuckle at Ratlin's words, "I thank you for the compliment, but young I am not. At least not according to human standards." then the meaning of his words sink in and she shivers at the thought.
She looks up at him with a pained expression. "That would not be unless it was Kenshiro or Silus. As they would be the only ones still living that would know I had the scroll case. Except for there was person who knew but I can't remember his name. He was with us for only a few days at best. Not sure if he knew about the scroll case or not." she replies in a strained voice.
A brief smile appears on Ullar his face when he remembers the 'Lord Ullar's Resistance Army'-part of Akhitos story. Then he remembers the part of the escaped girl.
"It seems that Teague managed to stay out of their hands. We didn't really get to know each other, but it's good that there are more around who keep resisting this evil Bishop. I could have sold her name to Akhitos, but, just as Ratlin puts it, you don't know how safe any information is in the hands of one who deals in information." says Ullar with a smirk.
"Yes it does seem that way. I am glad that she was able to escape and spread the word." Rhune adds.
"Rhune and Asif, do you think that Silus and Kenishiro are taken prisoner? That would really be a sad thing. I kinda liked both of them and it would be the second time Silus fell in the Bishop his hands. I doubt the Bishop has any mercy with him this time." Ullar asks.
"Yes I believe those were their names. I feel sorry for them I really do. I just hope that somehow they can get away from him." she says with a frown.
"Anyway, Akhitos says that the Bishop thinks that we are going to expose ourselves. That would mean that whatever is in that blue tube is something which has only effect if shown to the people, or something. I'm getting more and more curious every day. Just let's continue to ride, we need to get to the Rifflians soon. It was a Gnoll who brought us the blue tube, although not intentionally, and we're heading towards Gnoll territory. I hope we can persuade them to help us."
"We should reach the Rifflians in about 4 hours. If we want, we can continue to Threshold shortly after the deal and arrive there in the late hours. To me that sounds the best thing to do, as it seems that a low profile in the more 'civilized' parts of Italy is necessary. On the other hand, we should expect to get some 'beautiful things' from the elves, rather than gold. If those 'things' are gems I'm glad. If they are something else we might have a problem here... Taras, could you specify what the elves paid you for the horses in previous deals?" the ex-gladiator asks.
"I'm ready to go when you are." Rhune says.
The group debates for some time the import of Akhitos' various tidbits of information, intentional and unintentional. They then decide that it would be best to vacate the premises.
Gathering up all the goods that they purchased, their quite a bit less encumbered horses, and the remaining white horses (having turned only one over to the merchant), the group finally ferries over the river, which the gnomes, seemingly stunned by all the activities, hasten to assist you with.
Arkady has been silent and moody since his drunken outburst. He rides sullenly along with the group, occasionally glaring at the horses.