(Scars do not appear to be cause of death –shock ... - Bad Request

I looked back to the barkeep as he grunted, a shotglass full of some reddish
spirit. I tossed it down with a grimace... it was as spicy as anything I'd ever
tasted before. It was only later that I learned the whiskey here was distilled
from fermented Carceri rust-peppers.
"Looks like you can hold your own in more than one way, berk," he said with
a curl of his lip, "You looking for work?"
I scrubbed my tongue against my teeth, the heat of the drink still on my lips,
"I'm already burning the candle at both ends. I will in a an hour or two, at
least."
He chuckled, a haggard and grim man. His coarse face was lined and
weathered, and his eyes were red-rimmed. "Welcome to the Traitor's Gate.
I'm Tainted Barse, the innkeep."
I caught the strain in his voice, "Is something wrong?"
"What's wrong is that my daughter got herself kidnapped by slavers, and
now the place is going to fall behind on its bills and I'm going to lose the
place to one of those rich pikers in the first circle." He looked at me more
closely. "You're the fellow asking about the deva, ain't you? Tell you what.
You help me out, I'll help you."
I blinked. "What do you know about the deva?"
He smiled craftily. "You're looking for him, ain't you? I can tell you that he's
hidden far beneath the prison. I can tell you how to get there, too, apart
from being arrested or trying to bribe your way in - which wouldn't work
anyway."
"What do I have to do for this?"
"Go over there and talk to Marquez. He's the ex-Harmonium fellow. He
knows about these slavers - and he holds the first part of the key that'll put
you on the path of seein' the deva. There are five parts to the Key, but it
ain't a physical key. When you've got the parts together, you come tell me -
and it unlocks knowledge in my mind. 'Til then, though, it stays secret. You
got to satisfy the keyholders."
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