You step out of the Crystal Gateway and into the capital city of Heit. Located in the center of town, you find yourself surrounded by storefronts, booths and carts, all peddling their wares. As an investigator, you know that when an item goes missing, someone who works for the Underground will have heard something. So, you make your way to one of the seedier parts of the city to locate your contact.
You watch as the crowd, and booths and carts, thin out as you head south. Paved roads turn to gravel, shops to houses, and then you see your destination: the Perky Mistress. It’s a decent sized bar with an inn across the street and a few shops flanking it. Inside, the first thing you see, mostly because it’s impossible to miss, is a large mirror directly behind the bar. Square in the middle of it is a silouette of a woman, lounging on nothing.
Being so far from the center of Heit, it’s impressive to see how many patrons are here. You ignore them all, however, and take a seat at the bar. “I’m here to see Melody,” you say to the bartender, a gnome with gray hair and an air about him that tells you not to cause any trouble. Not that you would ever dream of it, this place is a front for the Underground, after all.
“She’s in back, cleaning up the silver,” the bartender replies, a response you knew you’d hear, a code phrase you were provided when you were first contacted by the Underground.
“Mind if I go speak with her, should only take a minute,” you reply, staying on script.
“Take two if you need it.”
You stand back up from the bar and push through the swinging doors, noticing the ledge pulled out from the bar for the bartender to stand on. In the kitchen, you turn right and open the door in front of you.
“Why hello there, you finally here for the knife, or did you have something else on your mind?” A female voice asks as the door opens. A woman is sitting behind a desk, looking through some paperwork. She doesn’t even look up and acknowledge you.