The Company went through the strong double doors into a hallway which split off into three parts. Discovering the right direction was simple. A low hum of activity floated down the hall to the right, and they followed it through the open door, then up a set of wooden stairs.
The stairs led to a stadium that seemed to have been partly dug into the earth. From the look of it, one of the massive additions housed this part of the Coronet and scaffolded the small neighborhood outside. This place had looked much smaller on the outside, certainly.
This place seemed to have had more care and money invested into it than the whole outside bar did. A polished and freshly cleaned cherry-wood balcony ringed the walls, providing plenty of space for the guests to mingle. The stone walls were covered with a repeating pattern of two wide tapestries, all reaching from the ceiling to the ground. One was the black, pearl-ringed symbol of Athkatla, and the other was the symbol of Amn: a red field bearing the solitary image of a standing golden lion. Two dozen magical lanterns, flameless and fuel-less globes of light, were scattered throughout the room; some were housed in intricate iron sconces, others hung lazily in the air. A network of sturdy planks held everything in place and kept the whole thing from collapsing in on itself, allowing the bloodsports to take place under everyone's feet.
Two distinct classes of people lingered here, both men and women. One set wore brightly hued, gold-embroidered silk robes and turbans with several rings on each finger. The others wore the same rough surcoats and tunics as those outside the double doors; they were probably regular patrons of the Coronet whom Lehtinan liked enough to allow in.
Built into the nearby wall were six sets of wooden doors, each with a guard standing nearby. Lidia wondered what those rooms were for, and watched.
Suddenly, one of the doors opened and two men emerged, one clearly wealthier than the other. They bowed, shook hands, and then parted, each drifting to those who looked and spoke like them. The same thing happened at a different door as well, but they each picked up a drink from a small cart parked in the center, and raised a toast before they parted. They were striking deals, Lidia realized. Probably the kind that required the secrecy of guards, burrowed earth, and a façade.
A short man caught them by surprise. He greeted them with a clap on Yoshimo's back, waving a paper schedule in his hand and effusing the professional excitement of a town crier. The red feather in his sky-blue turban shook as he talked. "Why, hello to you, dear customers! Welcome to the pit!"
"I take it you have animal fights here?" Jaheira said icily.
"Better than that! Here we have the very best in live entertainment! Actual combat between man and beast, presented for your viewing pleasure!"
"I'm sure you pay them handsomely for this work," Lidia said, folding her arms. "And that they aren't coerced into it. Yes?"
Frankie seemed to think on this for a moment, then resumed his ebullient manner. "Willing or unwilling, it makes little difference. I'm sure you'll agree they put on an excellent show!" He flourished his hand towards the ring. "Go on and witness for yourself!"
Frankie broke his attention away from them almost as abruptly as he'd greeted them. Two noblemen had just entered, their turbans nodding as they greeted the doorkeeper; they seemed to be repeat customers.
Anomen said, "My lady - "
"Call me Lidia, please."
He was taken aback for a moment, then continued, "These practices are vile. Surely we will not stand by and allow this to continue?"
Lidia kept her voice low. "I don't plan on it."
She strode forward, looked to the rest of the group, and gestured towards the wooden doors. "Shall we go see what Lord Jierdan wants?"
Lord Jierdan lingered outside the farthest room. When they approached, the servant with him opened the door, and Lord Jierdan went inside. The servant ushered the Company in after him.
This small room was windowless and clean, and the only exit was the door behind them. The only furniture was a small round table with two chairs, all with plenty of heft and kept nicely polished. Even a small, practical space like this had been decorated with wooden bas-reliefs on the wall, and there was a lingering smell: sweet and floral, but in a way that wafted straight into the brain and invited torpor. A fire blazed at the front, below a large, gold-leafed image of the face of golden-haired Waukeen, the goddess of wealth and trade - both honest and illicit.
The others filed in after her and stood in the back of the room, for there weren't enough seats for all of them. As Lidia took a seat on one side table, Lord Jierdan waited on the other.
He produced two glasses filled half-full with the same amber liquor Lidia had seen him drink earlier. He pushed one across the table. It came to rest in front of her.
He raised his glass, and downed the contents in one gulp. Lidia followed suit. The drink was a little sweet, but it burned her mouth and throat on the way down. She swallowed a few times until the feeling stopped. She caught Lord Jierdan staring at her.
"This is a good brandy, is it not?" he said.
"Your judgment in these matters is much better than mine, m'lord," Lidia said.
"You would prefer to get straight to the point, then? I shall outline what you wish to know." Lord Jierdan absentmindedly closed his hand, in and out, dragging his fingernails upon the polished wood tabletop. "Certainly you understand that these are dangerous times, and that extreme measures are often called for. That is why I have need of you. I am Lord of a community outside Athkatla, and while I provide for my people as best that I can, there are some things I cannot do. Battle is not my strong point."
She doubted that was true, as he seemed to be more than a match for any of them, but she said nothing.
He continued, "There are marauders, horrid ogres and trolls that must be destroyed with fire. I need a firm hand to push them back. I need you, Lidia. I offer a grand sum, worthy of your stature. I offer ten thousand gold if you can free my land of this scourge. It is a fortune, you will agree."
Her brow furrowed. "Certainly it is. You could have an entire company of soldiers for that price."
"Ah, but you would not lump yourself together with common mercenaries, would you? No, I require someone with finesse and skill, as well as strength. You are ideal. You are the choice I make, and the offer stands whether you go now or not."
"Just as well," she said. "We'll need some time to prepare."
Lord Jierdan's wide, yellow-toothed grin showed itself again. "I have no doubt your service will be exemplary. If all goes well, we shall all receive exactly what we deserve."
He stood in his chair and bowed low. He left the room with the drink in hand, finishing the last drops of brandy and tossing the glass to the ground, indifferent to the sound of its shatter. He turned right, and headed down the stairs to the rest of the Coronet. The other patrons cleared the way for him as he left.
The Company was left in the room to consider his offer. After he was well out of earshot, Lidia silently got up from her seat and closed the door behind them.
"Well, what say you?" Jaheira said.
She replied, only half-convinced, "It sounds like good work."
Minsc stroked the hamster on his shoulder. "Ooh! To take swords against monsters of great evil! Already I feel Boo wriggling in excited anticipation!"
"I think it would be an excellent idea to get outside of the city and administer justice on such evil creatures," said Jaheira. "Tyranny is best matched with equal force."
Anomen said, "I also would advise you to take him up on this offer. Whether these ogres threaten his people or his businesses, eastern Amn faces enough foes as it is."
Lidia thought for a long moment. "If this offer is genuine - and to me, that seems like a big 'if' - then we'll need more help before we can hold up our end."
"O illustrious leader," Jaheira said, "perhaps you ought to enlighten us on your thinking."
Lidia turned back towards the closed door. "Something's not right. He's offering a lot of money without a call for urgency or further planning." And he sought me out by name, she silently added. "Besides," she said, "The evil I sensed on him was the strongest I've ever gotten on anything."
Yoshimo said, "Your knightey-sense was on the mark. When a man gives a young woman that much, she normally looks worse for wear afterward."
"Oh, the drink? I thought he just wanted to ease me into a deal."
"What you had went far beyond 'easing'. I would ask if you were born yesterday, but you're as sober as a judge, so that question is answered for me."
"The same thing would happen if he'd given me six," Lidia said. She hurriedly added, "Not that I'd take six, but immunity to poison includes the kinds that kill more slowly."
"Ah, and that's the catch," Yoshimo said. "No cause for revelry when one embodies the holy fury of the gods."
"And you can sense evil...you're a paladin, then?" Anomen's face had a look of disbelief.
Lidia knew she hardly looked the part, but that question still rubbed her the wrong way. What didn't help matters is that she knew it wouldn't be the last time she heard it. "Yes. I've worked with someone from your Order before, as a matter of fact." She quickly changed the subject. "There's something else that needs doing while we're here. I didn't take all of you along just to see the scenery."
Yoshimo opened up his fist. "I assume that's why you asked me to find this?" A thick iron key lay in his palm.
"Dare I ask how you got it?" Lidia said.
Yoshimo said with a grin, "Bernard. He was in a much better position to get a hold of it. I even said please."