Gilda moves in, partly not to be left out of the party, and partly to get a good look at the room's interior.
As she does so, she scowls at the lone thug that heard them coming.
Lia stabs at the pink thug and hits.
Gilda stares down the pink thug with an evil eye and deeply affects the man. She then stares down the black thug and he also looks visibly weakened.
Gregor strikes true with his bow and it seems to do a decent amount of damage as all the enemies in the room are human, except Kossrani.
Matiscio increases his defenses but in doing so misses his attack entirely.
Evander stabs the pink thug, doing a decent amount of damage.
Didiana’s Magic Missile, as usual, strikes true and the black thug yelps in pain. She then gives a very intimidating talk to Kossrani. The dwarf is visibly shaken by her words.
Black thug picks up his mace from the ground , steps a bit closer to Matiscio , and swings at Matiscio, but misses.
The other thugs all stand up and grab their weapons off the ground.
Kossrani stands up and grabs a bag of some sort off the ground before shouting, “Kill the invaders, men! They’re trying to usurp Thrune and all of Cheliax with their actions! Kill the rebels!” Though the man tries to sound forceful, Didiana's intimidation makes Kossrani's shouting come out half-hearted.
Lia takes an attack of opportunity against the pink thug as he stands up and hits, dropping the man.
The brawler manages to sneak in a blow against one of the thugs as he scurries forth to engage Evander, but then quickly returns his attention to the other thug. The ultra defensive stance is dropped and instead, one for maximum punishment is adopted.
As he gets up, Evander strikes at one of the nearby thugs.
Seeing as the man was right in front of him, Evander again lashes out with his sword, seeking to down the thug.
AC 21, T 17, FF 18
HP 15/15
Effects: shield (10/20 rounds)
Extracts
[ ][ ] cure light wounds, [X] shield
Gilda winces as Muscles lands a crunching blow on one of the thugs, and continues taunting the others.
"Owwww.. you all see that? That was with Muscles bare hands! Any of you fellas willin' to fight like a real man and drop them big blunt stick-things... err, maces?"
With half-dressed men expiring left and right, Didiana knew it was only a matter of seconds before Kossrani was the last opponent standing. And she intended to be ready for him when he was. The sorcerer took a deep breath as she drew upon the most rooted, rawest core of her arcane power. The air gliding into her lungs tasted metallic with the loyalists' blood. Somehow this helped her channel the spell; that magic wellspring within her only seemed livelier when in the presence of death and misery, but this did not surprise her. Considering the source of her power, this was only natural. Didiana had long since recognized that her magic was what it was. Where a wizard could study, produce and design the arcane, all she could do was give shape to what was already present. A studied caster's magic was a scalpel. The best Didiana could manage was forcing a broadsword through an eyelet. Now, she was foregoing that eyelet. Most every sorcerers' magic tended towards certain manifestations. Their artistry lay in forcing that power to different applications, such as simple cantrips or, in Didiana's case, the spell others casters would recognize as 'Magic Missile'. When allowed to flow freely, as she now did, the armiger's magic manifested in fire and manipulation. More specifically, Didiana readied a Charm Person.
As her blood quite literally pumped the spell into her hand, ready to be launched, she reflected on how easy it came to her. Other spells required study, lots of it, but this? All she needed to do to release the charm was let go. Yes, that was the word: release. In truth, she felt that she was constantly holding it back, as if her body was a dam built around a great lake. The second she dropped her guard it was free, flowing out with every innocent word she spoke.
This was no mere conjecture. There was a time, Didiana realized now, as a child when her every utterance could ensnare the minds of her peers, her teachers, sometimes even her mother. She hadn't recognized the power for what it was then, and like the spoiled little girl she was, had abused it horribly. Had even done so, she was ashamed to admit, after she finally understood her own power, for a little while. Well, no more, the armiger thought, as she aimed the spell at the dwarf. She was not that selfish brat anymore. She was better than the cursed blood within her. The Torrent had given her the discipline to ward off every nasty instinct her own infernal soul was shackled with. And if she felt it necessary to use this power regardless, as in forcing Kossrani to hand over any evidence of his corruption, then it would be for the greater good. Yes, the greater good. The thought was comforting to Didiana, as the blood pooled around her feet.
The decision Gregor had expected became the reality, as he took his opportunity to hit the man getting up out of the bed. It was a hasty swing, as the man moved away from him, but Gregor had situational advantages on his side.
With his path now cleared in regards to risking himself to fire, he sheathes his sword, and takes aim at their true target, Kossrani. Not having time to draw a solid bead on the dwarf, he pulls and fires somewhat hastily, not as familiar fighting dwarves as he does the human majority of the city. All the same, it doesn't much change the mantra of firing center mass when learning to aim a missile weapon. If you always aim for the bulk of a target, being a little off doesn't risk the shot as bad. Since the dwarf had a bigger center mass than humans tend to, he figured it was a safe bet.
Gregor greatly injures the purple thug, Matiscio nearly caves in the brown thug's chest, and Evander almost manages to finish off the brown thug.
Lia, inspired by Gregor, moves to stand on one of the beds and stabs at the purple thug, grazing the man.
Gilda channels her distracting taunts into Misfortune at the light blue thug and he can't resist her.
Gregor fires his bow at Kossrani and lands a solid hit in the dwarf’s center mass.
Matiscio kicks the brown thug in the side of the head with an audible crack and the thug falls over. He then moves over to the black thug. The poor, unarmored man is completely unprepared for Matiscio's ferocity as the brawler's hand and arm go straight through the thug's chest and out the other side. The thug's body goes limp even before Matiscio has a chance to withdraw his hand.
Evander, seeing that the brown thug is dead, steps over the man's body and fells the purple thug.
Didiana waits for the opportune time to cast her spell.
Cerulean thug looks nervously at the well-armed and seemingly merciless group. Then he glances over at Kossrani for a moment, tightens his grip on the mace in his hand and steps up to swing at Matiscio. It almost seems as though he's going to hit the brawler, but unfortunately he is unable to overcome Gilda's taunting.
Kossrani shouts, "Cowards, all of you! To attack men making an honest living while they sleep! I'll kill you all by myself if I have to!" He throws a bag of some sort at Matiscio, but the brawler deftly dodges out of the way. Kossrani then leans over and picks up a mace.
Dipping to the side, Matiscio only registers the swoosh the mace makes as it swings past the side of his skull. Not blessed with the time to overthink this near meeting with Pharasma, he continues to launch forth vicious kicks while weaving in thrusts with his madu to both create openings and defend himself from counter-attacks.
Evander hops up on the bed to threaten Kossrani, saying, "Honest? You? Then tell me, why do you have six men tied up in the Salt Works who look as though they have been worked nearly to death? If the Church of Asmodeus knew about your little side operation, would they appreciate it, or would they decide to remove your head? And given your recent argument where you refused to give these men a cut of the profits, would they back your story, or sell you out to save their miserable hides?"
AC 21, T 17, FF 18
HP 15/15
Inspiration 3/4
Effects: shield (9/20 rounds)
Extracts
[ ][ ] cure light wounds, [X] shield
Gilda pumps her fist in the air as she realizes her taunt worked to distract the thug just in time for Muscles to avoid taking a hit.
As she recognizes Didiana directing her focus to Kossrani, she too turns her attention to him.
"Hey! Kossrani! Odds are lookin' pretty slim for ya now!"
You're not evading me, dwarf. I've ensnared better men than you when I was wearing pigtails.
Seeking Kossrani's gaze with her own stare, she let loose the charm one more time, depleting her arcane power in the process.
The thugs dropped quickly enough, opening up avenues of fire for Gregor. Whatever the intent is with the others, Gregor feels it will go much smoother if they just off the man. Besides, an Asmodean is bad enough, but a corrupt one can be even worse. He steadies his hand and focus, counting his breaths. He is aware of Evander being close by, but has trained to focus his shots past his former fellow Dottari. Breathe in, hold, and fire.
Lia takes a step back, seeing that the others seem to have the situation under control. She seems a bit overwhelmed by the situation.
Gilda casts her gaze upon Kossrani, weakening his resolve.
Gregor shoots at Kossrani again and once again lands a decent shot on the dwarf.
Matiscio lands a sizable blow on the cerulean thug, but the man dodges the brawler's second strike.
Evander hops up on a bed and threatens Kossrani. The dwarf is once again shaken by his enemy's words. Perhaps even more so than the last time.
Didiana continues to wait patiently for the right moment to act.
Cerulean thug grits his teeth and swings at Matiscio, but the brawler once again proves too difficult to hit.
Kossrani's face turns cherry red at Evander's words and the dwarf shouts, "You know nothing of what I do here! And you won't tell anyone anything once you're all dead!" He swings at Evander, but his mace glances off Evander's invisible shield of force.
Kossrani's threats fail to be registered by the brawler as he focuses on the thug in front of him, attempting to chain together faints, thrusts and a decisive elbow blow to the jaw. Victory is oh so close right now.
"Well, then I guess we'll just have to find out more, won't we?" Evander says, thrusting his rapier at the dwarf.
AC 21, T 17, FF 18
HP 15/15
Inspiration 3/4
Effects: shield (8/20 rounds)
Extracts
[ ][ ] cure light wounds, [X] shield
Gilda continues her onslaught of disrupting remarks directed towards Kossrani.
"Heeeeeey! Kossrani! Betcha we can make even more salt from yer tears once Muscles is done with ya!"
Lia stays close to one of the room's wall, gripping her rapier tightly.
Gilda sends her Misfortune Hex in Kossrani's direction and manages to mire the dwarf in misfortune.
Gregor fires again at Kossrani after steadying his aim.
Matiscio thrusts at the cerulean thug, killing the man. Stepping next to Kossrani, Matiscio continues his assault, his elbow colliding with the dwarf's shoulder for a sizable blow.
Evander pokes Kossrani with his rapier, but the dwarf remains standing despite the blow.
Didiana tries to charm Kossrani into surrendering.
Kossrani drops his mace and raises his hands. "I surrender. It's clear you've won, anyway. Just let me live. You can take the slav... prisoners... just let me live."
The dwarf sits down on the bed and appears to be visibly shaking. It looks like the man has never had to surrender before and is taking it very hard that he has to now. Above all, his pride seems to be mortally wounded.
"I surrender. It's clear you've won, anyway. Just let me live. You can take the slav... prisoners... just let me live."
"You may yet survive this, Kossrani. If you just cooperate."
Didiana stepped towards the dwarf and spoke with the comforting authority of a conductor. She was very aware of the limitations of the spell; if the charm was to hold, Kossrani needed to believe that it was still possible for him to escape alive. The second he felt that the group, and especially this woman who he inexplicably trusted, were more likely to kill him than to let him walk, the spell would break.
"It needn't have been like this, Kossrani. Truly, you doomed yourself. While our Dark Prince tells us that the strong should take what they deserve, he equally warns us what happens when someone stronger comes along and wants their due. You're a pious man, Kossrani. You know of what I speak. You were profiting from this little operation."
The sorcerer paused to let the dwarf get a chance to protest, to explain, only to cut him off. He needed to understand that he was powerless.
"We need to see it, Kossrani. Your ill begotten gains. Bookkeeping, ledgers, numbers. Who you were selling to, where and when, and for how much. Tell us this, Kossrani, and you may yet survive this."
Didiana's stomach was churning as she spoke. The very idea of mental intrusions sickened her but if this would get the Silver Ravens evidence of the corruption under Barzillai's rule, then so be it.
Evander lets Didiana take the lead in questioning him, merely assuming a defensive stance in case the Dwarf managed to throw off the enchantment.
Gilda gave an affirming nod to the direction that Didiana's assorted inquisitions were taking. Even though she had come to know Didiana fairly well in the past weeks, the woman's well-thought thinking impressed her in ways that few of the "kids" of her age group could.
As Kossrani considered his reply, Gilda began scanning the room.
Kossrani visibly shakes as Didiana speaks to him. Once she finishes speaking, he says, “I didn’t think anyone would notice. Honest! I...please tell Barzillai, I’m sorry. I’ll do anything to repay for this. Starting by doing what you asked.”
The dwarf stands up from the bed and walks over to his nightstand where he pulls out a key hidden underneath the stand’s drawer.
Just before Kossrani goes to retrieve it, Gilda notices a metal chest beneath the dwarf’s bed. A moment later, the dwarf grabs the chest from under the bed and places it on the nightstand. A quick turn of the key and the chest is opened to reveal just what Didiana asked for: bookkeeping documents, ledgers, numbers, and more than enough evidence for Thrune to have Kossrani executed.
The chest also containers his profits thus far from selling salt on the black market: 90 gp.
Kossrani also offers his belongings to try to further compensate for his deeds. He has 2 potions of cure moderate wounds, 1 tanglefoot bag, masterwork chainmail, heavy steel shield, composite longbow (+2 Str) with 20 arrows, masterwork heavy mace, and 40 gp of his own.
"... We would speak on your behalf. Excuse us, Kossrani."
After robbing the dwarf for everything offered, Didiana stepped out of the now blood spattered hut. She waited for the others to join her before gently closing the door, leaving Kossrani alone with his despondent thoughts and decimated men.
After leafing through just a few of the surrendered papers, the sorcerer spoke up: "Alright, what do we do?"
Her tone was markedly different from the insisting dominance she had used with the dwarf.
"We either kill him here or let him run off back to Barzillai. And while the latter seems counter-intuitive, it would be remiss of me to not share an argument for the former, as... appointed public relations manager of the Silver Ravens."
Hellknight and PR manager. Didiana looked as if she was fighting the urge to roll her eyes at herself.
"I've been thinking about Lia's suggestion of a newsletter. Assume for a second that I would be capable of producing a fair amount of copies of such a pamphlet. With the expertise of this group..." and here she looked at Matiscio, Evander and Lia, "I think we could easily catch the attention of the public. So here is my suggestion: Kossrani walks. Evander, Lia and Matiscio put their literary skill to making bulletin exposing Kossrani's corruption and lampooning the lord-mayor's government for it. It's alright if this takes a few days; I'm going to need some time to research a spell for copying your pages in bulk. Ideally this is what then happens: the dwarf is back in Barzillai's employ when suddenly everyone in Kintargo knows what he did. People are angry, and while our mayor clearly has little regard for the citizen, he has to react. He has two options: punish Kossrani or ignore the matter. Ignoring it will merely make people angrier, especially given the evidence we provided, furthering our cause. Punishing the dwarf confirms that what we said was true, indicting his own government in the process. This again, furthers our cause. It's a lose-lose for him. Either way, we win the people."
She spoke quickly, as if the words had sprung up in her mind unbidden and unwelcome and she wanted the offending thoughts out of her immediately, but now that they were she looked hesitant.
"... Is... is this a poor idea? It'd be good publicity..."
The armiger looked in particular to the three members of the party to whom it would fall to make the theoretical newsletter. She was still coming to terms with thinking in terms of public perception as Silver Raven demagogue. It was a role she was still deeply uncomfortable with, determined as she had been to cut herself off from all social relations upon joining the Torrent. However, she reflected, the training she had received in the Order actually complimented her role within the Silver Ravens. The Torrent, with its focus on rescue operations and hostage negotiations, provided its armigers with some education in diplomacy and even psychology. That Didiana would find a use for those skills as part of the rebellion was as unexpected as it was unwelcome.
Evander listens to Didiana's idea, thinking for a moment before saying, "It depends on where he is in the hierarchy of Barzillai's government. If he's low-level enough to be of no concern, then it's a simple matter for Barzillai to have him silenced and blame us. If he's important enough that this could actually harm Barzillai, it's lose-lose. I'm game for trying it, but if Kossrani is relatively minor, Barzillai may be able to distance himself enough that he can avoid any direct scandal."
"Whatever Barzillai does, if the pamphlet manages to circulate we'll have sowed more seeds for rebellion against the tyrant. I am in. It does mean that we will paint a target on our backs, but sooner or later they'll come looking for us regardless. We can't just kill everyone that opposes us and have them .. dissolve into history."
Matiscio shudders.
Gilda considers the matter of Kossrani.
"So, the little bastard was stickin' it to Barge'o'lies real good, eh?"
Gilda squints as she looks over her shoulder at the door behind her.
"So, what yer sayin' is he's kinda an unspoken hero of the people?"
She turns her attention back to the group.
"So, we chain 'im up somewhere? For all we know the lil' bastard tries to make like a leaf and tree if we ain't keepin' a close eye on him. Maybe that ain't so bad if he hooves it ta Egorian or somewhere.. then maybe they'd be puttin' up posters or somethin' for him? Shows problems in the ranks?"
Once the group returns inside, Gilda sticks a finger out in the dwarf's general direction.
"So Salty. Whatcha plannin' on doin' if we just let ya loose after findin' all this?"
Gilda gestures to the books.
Didiana was relieved to find most of the party receptive to the idea. Evander's misgivings were valid; Kossrani was no doubt a very minor player in the grand scheme of things. But still - he wouldn't be here if not for the lord-mayor. Matiscio's comment on increasing their own visibility also held true, although as the man himself said, and she recalled Gregor saying something similar earlier, this was only a matter of time anyway.
She stood behind Gilda as the group reconvened inside, giving the dwarf an insistent look that told him it would be best to answer honestly.
Kossrani’s mouth falls open when Gilda suggests that the group might let him go. He quickly recovers, though, and looks like he’s going to stay silent till he spies Didiana looking at him intently.
Upon seeing his enchanter, the dwarf immediately starts talking. “I hadn’t thought about it. Honest. I assumed you lot were going to kill me and be done with it. Seems like the sort of things rebels would do.
“If you’re actually serious about letting me go, I guess I would head east to Nidal. They tend to be on friendly terms with Cheliax, but I think I could go unnoticed more easily there. Might even be able to find some hit jo… er, mercenary work.”
The dwarf stop talking and seems to be in deep thought before saying, “Of course, all of that is assuming you turn over ‘all this’ to Barzillai. I would want to keep working for him, if I thought I wouldn’t sully the Thrune name and be executed.”
The brawler tries not to stare and so rapidly blinks a couple of times as he watches the domesticated dwarf adress Didiana in such a cordial manner. Mental note: do not ever piss off Didiana.
The dwarf stop talking and seems to be in deep thought before saying, “Of course, all of that is assuming you turn over ‘all this’ to Barzillai. I would want to keep working for him, if I thought I wouldn’t sully the Thrune name and be executed.”
"... I see."
For a moment, the sorcerer wore a funny expression. She looked a little like the strict parent to a teenage child who had just worked up the courage to declare that they would not be taking up the family business. Or, for a more intimate comparison, she looked nothing so much like her own mother when a younger Didiana announced her intent to turn hellknight.
"Kossrani, dear, please look forward."
With quick steps, the armiger walked deeper into the hut and then past her enchated subject. Kossrani seemed confused, but followed his instructions; his eyes did not follow her and instead stared ahead. He opened his mouth to speak.
"What's going o..."
And then the cudgel fell. *CRUNCH* Didiana's mace drove into the the back of the helpless, trusting, dwarf's head, and cracked his skull in the process. He toppled over, falling forward. As he lay there, face down, all that could be seen of his head was a mess of blood and hair. Didiana raised her mace and delivered another double-handed blow to the cavity that used to be an occipital bone once more for good measure. It resulted in little more than a wet squelch and some light blood spatter onto the wielder. Kossrani was dead.
"Pertinent questioning, Mrs Grabapple," the armiger said, hooking the now gore-caked weapon to her belt. "If he wasn't going to return to Barzillai, then there would be little point in letting him live. And no, we couldn't have convinced him that we would keep his ledger secret."
She spoke hurriedly, as if the matter really wasn't worth discussing. "Well, we most likely could have, but he would've realized our deception as soon as the charm wore off. Better to end him. There is still worth in exposing his crimes. Besides, Nidal doesn't need any more scum like him; world's bad enough as is out there."
Didiana walked back to the main building, ready to see if Crowe and his men were prepared to leave. Only a slight shakiness to her step revealed how unsettling she had found killing someone who trusted her completely, magically compelled or otherwise. Especially magically compelled.
The lifeless body of Kossrani twitches and jerks as the last of its automatic responses come to a halt. Eventually, mercifully, the body stills entirely, leaving only a bloody mess of a corpse.
After Didiana and the others return to Crowe and his men, the party can tell that the mercenaries already look better. Freed from their restraints and given the opportunity to drink some water, the color was already returning to their faces. They weren’t fit for fighting yet, but it’s reasonable to think they eventually would be.
Crowe looks at the group and says, “Thank you. Truly and deeply, thank you. My men and I weren’t long for this world till you lot came along. If you need anything, give us a few days, and we’ll be ready. You just say the word. And that Kossrani bastard, he got what he had coming, right?”
The loud audible crack was more than just Kossrani's end. There was the sad realization, within Matiscio, that part of Didiana had sacrificed herself for a cause greater than her. Surely she must have.
But at what cost?
All of a sudden there was the urge to hug the woman and unleash a tidal wave of comforting words and wisdoms upon her, but this wasn't the place for it nor did she strike him as the type who would welcome such things. Maybe it was him seeking solace and comfort.
Chilled to the bone, Matiscio left the room. No ordinary bath brush could scrub off this layer of dirt from his soul.
Evander wordlessly watched as Didiana crushed Kossrani's skull. A part of him was repulsed by such a cold, calculated decision to kill, but another part of him, the part that made his eyes flash red as the killing blow landed, approved. It was the same part that had reveled in violence as a gang member - and it was that part that made him casually respond, "It is indeed the best outcome in this situation. Now, let's get Crowe and his men and leave. Do we still want to stage this to look like a falling out between Kossrani and the CCG?"
Gilda, despite living in the squalor of Old Kintargo, shuddered briefly at the crunch that indicated Kosrani's end.
She showed no signs of disapproval, only raising an eyebrow at Red.
"Didn't know ya had it in ya... yer not one of those necro types, are ya?"
Gilda barely allowed time for Didiana to answer before she gave Kossarni's corpse a more thorough search, having somehow missed the key earlier that allowed the group to get into his chest.
Standing up, she wiped her hands on her oversized dress.
"Welp, good thing ya used that big hammer... given the lil' bastard's thugs sure liked usin' 'em."
“Thank you. Truly and deeply, thank you. My men and I weren’t long for this world till you lot came along. If you need anything, give us a few days, and we’ll be ready. You just say the word. And that Kossrani bastard, he got what he had coming, right?”
Didiana had something to ask of the mercenary, even as she ignored his own question and avoided his eyes.
"We may take you up on that. But before we leave - could you and your men assist us in moving the corpses? Time is short and we want to arrange them so that the authorities may suspect infighting within the ranks."
With the room that served as lockup for the prisoners now vacant, the sorcerer took a minute to look it over.
She then closed the door, and proceeded launch kicks at it until the lock finally burst through the frame. The arduous process would hopefully lead the law enforcement astray, the entrance now appearing to have been forced from within, and also most definitely left the armiger with a terrible ache in her leg. That was alright. Didiana found herself relishing the pain right now. Guilty conscience or not, wading through all this blood and carnage completely unharmed felt profoundly wrong. Almost shameful.
Gregor stood back and watched Didiana do the talking, it was her spell after all. Feeling it pointless to speak his mind, knowing that he had already offered his plan, and assuming with the dwarf charmed that it would all have to be rewritten. When the Armiger finished him off, though, Gregor could only raise a single eyebrow and nod in surprised agreement.
As they move to set the scene, he lays out what he thinks needs to happen. "We need to stage it as a story. There needs to be a start to finish. Did he kill off the sleeping men, then fight the other three, dying in the act? Or the other way around? Who caved in his skull... in our story." He glances over to Didiana in apology, as he knows her well enough to know she may not be comfortable with even her own decision.
He indicates the freed men, "Were they involved? I would say no, because they turn from 'escaped slaves or prisoners' into killers. Their's must be an escape of opportunity. I say we leave the sleepers to wake to the scene when their relief doesn't come. Guilt over their sleeping will play into feeding the lie to prevent too much of an investigation. By being survivors, they will be suspect, and therefore possibly try to dissuade digging too deep." Looking at the others, he points to the book, "The ledger, or pages of it, must remain to be a clue. Otherwise the story goes untold, and they look for different reasons. Once we have this all figured out, all wounds caused by us must be covered by wounds that match the weapons of those here. We need to take one of the thug's bodies with us. He's our scapegoat for any evidence that may be missing."
When Didiana asks Crowe if he and his men can help move the bodies, his mouth drops open as he glances between his men and Didiana as if to say, You really think we're in any shape to help you move things?
Once Crowe realizes that Didiana is serious, he sighs and says, "You could find better help than me, but I'll do what I can. You'll have to make due with me, though. I'm not going to subject my men to heavy labor so soon after being freed."
Though Didiana isn't very thorough, she does see the three large desks that are present in the room in which the mercenaries were being held captive.
Evander goes about staging the scene, making it look like Kossrani was killed by the mace of one of the CCG thugs, covering up stab wounds of others with mace strikes, removing arrows, and generally making it look like a falling out occurred between Kossrani and the muscle. He also left choice pieces of evidence, while leaving the sleeping two alive.
Didiana helped Evander in the distasteful work, stoically keeping mum throughout.
Knowing part of the mayhem was the result of his handywork, Matiscio quietly follows Evander's instructions in rearranging the bodies, evidence and what not.
Didiana doubled back to the sleeping quarters and found what she was looking for: a simple wooden chest serving as a bed bench. She upended the box, emptying its contents onto the bloody floor, with one pair of undergarments fluttering out to land on the staring face of an ex-loyalist, forming a make-shift death shroud. The sorcerer paid no attention to this and just made her way across the yard into the main building with chest in hand. There she dumped it in front of the bags and cratesful of unjustly won salt, and started emptying said bags into the chest. When the chest was as full as could be, salt spilling onto the floor, she closed it, locked it, and lifted it. Or tried rather. Didiana was perfectly aware of her own limitations; she simply chose to ignore these as a rule. Still, she recognized that she would not be doing herself any favors in lugging the now heavy trunk about.
"Matiscio?" she queried as the more able-bodied man passed by in rigging the place. With a nod to the chest, she asked, "Would you?"
A few minutes later the armiger and journalist were walking down to the edge of the waterfront side by side, Matiscio with the chest and Didiana with a corpse. The weight of a fully grown man was still a bit much for her, but then she'd rather bite off her own tongue than complain. Luckily, the saltwork sat right beside the ocean. Once the two could see into the depths, black as tar at this time of night, they set down their load. Didiana brought out the manacles, pilfered from the dead man, and chained the two items together: the loyalist's leg to the chest's handle.
"On three."
An awkward splash rang into the night. The pair threw the cadaver with ballast out as far as they could manage, which, all told, wasn't particularly far, but it was enough. As long as this one Chelish Citizens Group member stayed vanished for the next few days, he would serve as the primary suspect in the deaths of his comrades, suspiciously absent from the massacre as he now was.
"You alright?"
Didiana didn't look at Matiscio in asking the question. She didn't even stop to watch the waves subside, instead starting the walk back to the others immediately. The long legs moved quickly; the sooner the group left, the better.
"Sorry," she added, still not really looking at the brawler. "It's just... I get the impression you haven't killed before."
While she hadn't known the man long, it was difficult not getting a feel for a person after fighting alongside them. While Matiscio was always ready to answer an opponent's invitation to violence, Didiana had the sense that he did so reluctantly, almost with regret. She suspected that he was a pacifist at heart. Couple this with his... beliefs, and the sorcerer couldn't imagine that he done anything like this before.
Nor had she for that matter. To call her conflicted over the murders would be an understatement akin to calling the Thrunes well-to-do.
"So are you? Alright?"
Didiana wasn't altogether sure why she was even asking. For all her ascetic mannerisms, the armiger wasn't nearly so cold that her comrades' well-being didn't matter to her. She worried for them all. But perhaps she hoped that the brawler could phrase some justification for how she herself was feeling; some words that she did not allow herself to even think.
With the Salt Works staged as thoroughly as possible, the group makes its exit. But before they get far, Lia lets the rest of you know that she won’t be participating directly anymore. She’ll continue to support the rebellion from afar, but has decided that combat and being involved in the day-to-day affairs of the rebellion are not for her.
As a final direct show of support for the rebellion, Lia agrees to escort Crowe and his men back to the Coffeehouse to get them to safety and to report the evening’s happenings to Laria and Rexus. She assures you all that she can talk her way out of any chance encounters she might have with patrolling dottari or Chelish Citizens' Group thugs.
At Gilda’s suggestion, the rest of the group head to the nearest drinking hole, which happens to be a place called Tooth and Nail. It’s also in Old Kintargo and is a relatively small tavern run by a human woman named Setrona Sabinus.
The quiet tavern advertises itself only with a few nails and wolves’ teeth driven into the post out front. Despite it being close to 2 o’clock in the morning now, there are still quite a few patrons in the tavern when you walk in. Most of them are drunk or otherwise distracted.
There are enough open seats at the bar for everyone. One of you will have to sit next to a passed out man to fit, but it’s the only place where you all can sit together.
The proprietor, Setrona Sabinus, currently watches over her establishment behind the bar and nods at you as you enter. Despite the late hour, she seems pleased to have patrons who aren’t already drunk.
Once you’re all seated, she says, “What can I get you folks? We have some good dwarven mead that came down from Varisia before all this… nastiness… went down. We’ve of course got the usual ales and wines, if you prefer that instead. First round’s on the house, seeing as you folks look like you can hold more than a few rounds before having your fill.”
Besides the proprietor and the man at the bar, there are several patrons scattered throughout the rest of the dining area. Most of them are passed out or otherwise incapacitated, but a pair of individuals and a group of three seem to be holding quiet conversations on tables out of earshot of the bar. Even those patrons, however, look drunk or at least tipsy.