Racking his brain as his hit with the rapier appeared to do absolutely nothing, Evander thinks that all he can do is keep trying and hope he's lucky.
AC 20, touch 17, flat-footed 17
HP 9/9
Conditions: none
Extracts:
1st -
[ ] cure light wounds, [x] shield
Gilda struggles with her crossbow, loading a second bolt while doing her best to rally her allies.
"Maybe it we shoots 'em right in the eye? They just gotta hold still.."
for
"OW! You little--" Lia starts as her rapier lunges forth...
The brawler changes his stance and visibly shifts his weight forward, whirling about in a veritable dance of death as madu and thunderous kicks come crashing down upon the lemure.
Didiana pulls the chain over with Mage Hand. It’s barely convinced to move, its weight apparently at the upper limit of the cantrip’s ability. She pulls on the chain with a decent tug. The pillar shakes, causing some debris from the ceiling to fall down. While the pillar still seems relatively stable, Didiana knows her pull could have been stronger. Didiana also knows the ceiling is about 15 ft up. If she were to successfully pull down the pillar, it would likely hit Evander and Matiscio in addition to two of the devils based on their current positioning.
Lia strikes the devil, but her blow doesn’t seem to have phased the creature.
Matiscio slams his foot into the devil, doing a decent amount of damage, but not nearly as much as he thought it should. He adjusts his positioning to a more dextrous stance.
Gilda fires her crossbow again and it comes much closer to hitting a devil, but barely misses.
Gregor repositions to a better location.
Evander stabs at the thing again, but misses.
Yellow Lemure swipes at Evander again with its two claws and hits with one of them.
Blue Lemure tries to claw Matiscio again, but the brawler dodges out of the way.
Red Lemure tries to strike Lia again and lands both blows.
Rexus, seeing Matiscio was able to do some damage, touches the brawler again with Touch of Destiny.
The amorphous blobs seem undeterred by the group's efforts to undo them, somehow deflecting heavy blows and ravaging strikes with their otherwordly physique."Gods above, what foul creations are these?!"
The debris falling from the ceiling into the shallow water emboldened the armiger. The pillar could be weaponized. However, she now recognized that Matiscio and Evander would most likely also be caught in the barrage. Didiana resolved to hold off on bringing the whole thing down until the two were out of danger. Besides, she thought, she was going to need some help with this plan in any case. She may have gotten just a tad too big for her britches on this one; Didiana could already feel her arms starting to ache and protest.
"Evander! Matiscio! If you think you have the situation in hand, then please, continue! But if you don't..."
The armiger indicated the chain with a tense look, feeling the strain in her muscles.
Now that he has them lined up, Gregor pulls his bow, with care to his breathing and form, launching a shot straight across at the nearest devil. His shot is decent enough, but had nowhere near the force needed to truly damage the thing. "Damn the Hells, my arrows are proving usless. Focus fire on the most injured enemy. Reducing their numbers is better than just minor injuries to each of them equally." Seeing Lia continue to take hits, he swears softly to himself, accepting that he may need to once again step over her protectively if she were to fall.
Evander realizes that he would need to deal this creature an incredibly solid blow in order to even scratch it, and it would likely kill him before he killed it. At Didiana's shout, he glances at the Hellknight, sees the chain, sees the pillar, then grins in understanding. He says, "Matiscio, your strength would be most helpful in this endeavor!" Then he darts away from the Lemure and grabs the chain to help pull the pillar down.
Evander realizes that by setting his stance a certain way, he will have more leverage with which to pull down the pillar. Bracing himself, he gives a heave, hoping their combined efforts can bring it down.
AC 20, touch 17, flat-footed 17
HP 7/9
Inspiration 2/3
Conditions: none
Extracts:
1st -
[ ] cure light wounds, [x] shield
Gilda steps a bit while narrowing her eyes at the devil at the end .
"I swear I'll land a good shot if I gotta use every last bolt I brought!"
She does seem to be picking up speed with each bolt she loads into her crossbow and coming to a decision upon when to fire it. Additionally, each time she fires it seems less likely she's about to hit Evander.
for
"Dammit.. ya know sometimes things need special metals to hurt right.. that's why I always carry this special knife made of special iron when I'm in the sewers..."
Didiana pulls on the chain and a bit more debris falls down from the ceiling, but the pillar seems unmoved.
Lia, being severely injured, withdraws to get in a position where she can assist Didiana with the chain on her next turn.
Matiscio strikes the blue devil, but the blow is once again smaller than the brawler would normally expect.
Gilda misses again, but seems to be wising up to the creatures’ ability to shrug off damage.
Gregor fires at the yellow lemure, but his arrow bounces off the creature harmlessly.
Evander steps back and pulls on the chain along with Didiana. His efforts don’t accomplish much more than Didiana, though, as only a few more pieces of the ceiling fall to splash into the polluted reservoir.
Yellow Lemure swipes at Matiscio with its two claws and hits with one of them.
Blue Lemure tries to claw Matiscio again, but misses with both claws.
Red Lemure tries to strike Matiscio now that Lia isn't near, but it also misses.
Rexus, seeing what Didiana and Evander are trying to do, touches the sorcerer with Touch of Destiny.
Gregor fires one last shot at the endmost devil, before moving back toward the front end of the fight. His shot is clean and solid, but once again he fails to get his arrow to punch through the tough fleshy folds of the disgusting thing. He draws nearer to the fight, drawing his blade as he has had to do so much more often lately than he did on patrols.
Evander grips the chain and digs his feet in, pulling hard to try and bring down the pillar, saying, "Make sure you stay clear! Matisico, Gregor, move!"
AC 20, touch 17, flat-footed 17
HP 7/9
Inspiration 1/3
Conditions: none
Extracts:
1st -
[ ] cure light wounds, [x] shield
A bleeding and humiliated Lia grabs a chain and starts yanking it along with Evander & Didiana...
Matiscio takes a step to his right and hopes to drag the lemure to his left with him, straight into the path of the hopefully-soon-to-come-crashing-down pillar.
Didiana shot a hateful glance at the frustratingly still standing pillar. Try as she might, even with the combined might of Evander and herself, they could not bring the thing down. Evidently her strength was as depleted as her magic. Her arms were burning as the lactic acid within was putting up a compelling argument that this might all have been a poor idea. The chain was slipping from her grasp...
That is until she felt the chain and herself with tugged back strongly. The armiger looked back in confusion. The wonder did not end as the herculean strength she had felt seemingly came from the meager frame of Lia. The noblewoman was beaten and bloodied but certainly not out. There was something compelling in the sight: the noble, pretty half-elf in midst of a great feat of physical strength. The incongruity of it all was something to behold. Inspiring too. Didiana dug in her heels and resolved to do all she could to help.
Gilda glanced upward, concerned that the ceiling might come down upon all of them instead of just targeting a few of the muddy devilkin.
"I sure hope you know what you're doin'!"
Nonetheless, Gilda was stubborn and she wanted to sink a bolt into the nearest devil just to know she could do it if she set her mind to it.
for
.. instead, her bolt hit the ceiling that the group was working so hard to bring down.
"Uhh, I shot the ceilin'... that gonna help?"
Gilda worked to close her coat pocket out of sheer embarrassment that Sprinkles Too might've seen how bad her shootin' was.
Didiana tries to pull down the pillar again, but her effort seems to be less effective than the last time.
Lia, despite her severe injuries, is still resolute in trying to slay the devils. Seeing Didiana and Evander try to pull down the pillar, she decides to try as well.
Lia’s slight frame provides quite the contrast to the heavy chain and heavier pillar. With everything she has, Lia pulls back on the chain. For one long, dreadful moment, it appears the pillar is unaffected by Lia’s tug.
But then a moment later the pillar makes a noise somewhere between a scraping sound and a cracking sound before dislodging from the ceiling and falling toward two of the lemure devils and Matiscio. The ceiling once supported by the pillar begins to collapse. Dust, dirt, wood, and finally daylight fall into the chamber. The debris splashes into the polluted cistern.
At the same time, the pillar finishes falling, crushing the yellow and blue devils beneath it. Water splashes out of the pool to fall on the ground just outside the cistern’s border. The pillar’s disturbance of the water sends up a more potent version of the water’s odor, filling the room with the stench.
Above, a hole at least twenty feet wide is present in the ceiling, sunlight still streaming through. It would be impossible for people above to miss the commotion. Mercifully, no one falls through the hole.
Looking up into the hole reveals part of the area they had just explored: the first floor of the livery. The collapse had caused an entire section of the livery’s wall to disintegrate as it fell into the hole.
Matiscio miraculously manages to get out of the way of the falling beam. In doing so, he swings his leg into the red lemure. Matiscio’s momentum makes the blow especially devastating. His leg slams into the devil. What passes for the creature’s neck snaps and it falls to join its companions in the shallow grave of the polluted cistern. A keen observer might note that the lemure doesn't vanish as it falls, it actually dies. Matiscio’s slaughter of the creature spared Gilda from another embarrassing miss with her crossbow.
With the battle won, the basement quiets for a moment, before a squeaking sound is heard above. The partial collapse of the ceiling had also made the ground above slope down toward the hole. The wagon on the first floor wheels to the edge of the hole before falling in, flipping over in the process and shattering as it lands in the stagnant water. It is only after the remains of the cart settle into the water that silence finally reigns. For the moment, at least.
As the group assesses the events that just transpired, they find that their encounters and experiences have increased their competence and strengthened their resolve. Their rebellion has barely begun, but they have already taken out part of a building and slain some devils. They were one step closer to gaining the abilities necessary to take down Barzillai Thrune.
Lia chuckles as the ceiling comes crashing down on the lemures, the adrenaline surging through her momentarily abating the pain.
She then turns to the others... and her head swivels to Didiana.
"Please don't tell my mom--uhhhhh..."
And she falls backwards, passing out on the floor from the pain.
Didiana raised an arm to shield herself from the slush splashing up from the fountain as the wagon came crashing down. She waited. Was that it? Was the bombardment over? Silence. She lowered her hand and looked over the others, Matiscio first. Shock and anxiety were the two emotions warring for dominance within her mind at the moment, and of the two anxiety won; she couldn't help but feel responsible for the situation. The brawler had been nearest the barrage and she would much prefer not carrying the man's demise on her conscience to her own deathbed. Relief washed over her when she saw that Matiscio was fine. More than fine, at that; he was deftly finishing off the one surviving devil by himself.
Didiana's face remained tense, however. The prodigious noise of the ceiling's collapse must have drawn some attention above, all of it unwanted, no doubt. They needed to be on their way, fast.
"Is everyone al...?"
She turned just in time to hear Lia's simple thoughts on the matter and then see her slump to the ground.
The armiger didn't say a word. She just started for the noblewoman's prone form whilst digging through her backpack for some bloodblocker, fearing that her wounds had gotten the better of her. But in reaching the half-elf, Didiana couldn't find any cut in need of immediate attention. Just exhaustion, perhaps? That last haul must have taken a lot out of her, she reasoned. Evander and herself couldn't have done that on their own, although she still wondered where Lia had found the strength. Perhaps it was a case of mind over matter? Speculation would have to wait. Whatever the means, Didiana had new-found respect for the noblewoman.
"Ms Grapabble? Do you have another one of those curative glows in you?"
After a couple of moments, Lia sits up from her spot on the floor.
"Owww... feels like I've been kicked by a horse..." She rubs her bloodied and torn clothes. "...and how am I going to explain this to Mom & Dad?"
Evander covers his head as Lia gives a mighty heave and pulls down the pillar. Fortunately, it appears that none of them had been hurt - and even better, they had crushed two of the lemures in the process. Matiscio avoided injury and finished off the final lemure. They had done a good job of dealing with this. Things were looking up.
Then Evander saw the hole, the sunlight streaking in, the collapsed wall, and watched as the wagon fell into the muck. His brain, working a mile a minute, suddenly triggered a sense of dread within him. "We need to hurry and finish looking the place over. Anyone who saw that will be running for the dottari, and I do not think we want to be here when they get here."
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Gregor, part of the way through his dash to stand on the front lines, turns his head and lifts an eyebrow at Evander's call. Seeing the column finally begin to give way, he twists to throw his arm up, forgetting that he had his bow instead of his shield. Small chunks of rock and the spray of filthy water each strike his left flank. As the cascade of rubble and sprayed filth ceases its crash against the edge of the cistern, he stands with an incredulous look to the others, as he stands upright shaking his head to dislodge a small cloud of dust from his short hair. "That... was..." His words and attention are cut off by the following sight of the wagon tumbling into the newly created hole in the ceiling above. This time he just turns his back, closing his eyes, and slightly tensing as it finally crashes down.
He takes a deep breath through his nose, teeth clenched so hard his jaw flexes from the effort. "That.. was.. totally irresponsible! What would possess any of you to deem that a worthy risk?" He points to the ceiling and newly-formed sinkhole with the tip of his sword, "Did you even bother to think of what lie directly above? Did you consider what hapless citizen may have fallen in and gotten hurt, or even worse died? That doesn't even begin to touch upon the risk to us by bringing down an old support, that could have potentially brought the entire street or building above crashing down."
He turns and looks to where the devils were, "And for what? To defeat a few devils that were proving to be more of a nuisance than anything? Lady Aulamaxa was badly injured, yes, but no more so than she was at the protest, and Mrs. Grabapple has healing magics. Did you even consider that what we came here looking for could possibly be buried under all the rubble that was just caused? Not to mention, it's kind of hard to remain secretive about our activities when we are tearing apart buildings from hidden places beneath them."
Turning on Evander, he admonishes "As I come forward to hold the line after two of you back off of it, what do I get as a word of warning, beyond 'Gregor, move!' as if I was some obstacle? How about 'Lookout', or 'Be careful', or 'Say any final prayers, because we are about to pull the building down on everyone's heads, regardless of the great personal risk to all of our lives'?"
He takes a deep breath, trying to find a calm, "Yes, we defeated the foe, but I don't feel this extreme act was warranted in doing so. They were getting hurt, albeit slowly, but it was progress. We were not in such desperate straits that we had to throw all caution and concern for others out the window in some last ditch 'Hail Iomedae' suicide charge into the Worldwound. We have got to find some way to effectively work together in combat, before we become a disorganized sprawl of chaos, that ends up doing more harm to one another than help." His breathing is ragged, face set in a hardened scowl. He slams his sword into its scabbard, and slings his bow.
"Let's just find what we came here for, if it didn't just get buried, and get out of here." He throws his hands up in frustration.
Lia gets up, her mood souring as soon as Gregor opens his mouth.
"How about a lot less lecturing, and a lot more searching? Or would that cut too much into your schedule?" She starts looking around.
Gilda blinks a few times as the bulk of the group bears Gregor's lecture, then begins slowly tucking her crossbow back into her pack along with the few bolts that remain. Despite her slow-motion, careful stashing of the "weapon" (borderline in her hands), she finishes the process long before Gregor's lecture pivots to the part about her healing capabilities.
"Oh, yeah.. speaking of that. Looks like it's time for some more of Ol' Kintargo's love."
Gilda carefully moves forward, worried that whatever lip remains of the newly formed hole above may still yet yield another fifty pound block right into her noggin'. She glances carefully at the debris and remains of the devils, just in case there was something valuable that just got buried.
Neither Lia nor Gilda find anything of note on the devils’ bodies. Gilda’s Detect Magic picks up a faint conjuration aura on the room’s walls. There’s also a very faint divination aura that permeates the room.
Now that the group isn’t threatened by the devils, they're able to more closely examine the Infernal writing on the walls. While some of the wall’s contents are just drawings and meaningless scratchings, the part with actual Infernal reads:
“Osh koroshon Gohora, Osh dreesha Koros, sozi dos kapala. Ikasi ni kro des noka doukos troz gokk thren.”
“Masters of Hell, Lords of darkness, hear this calling. Open a way that your servants may come forth.”
The writing and runes on the walls are an attempt to open a portal to Hell, and while they may have once worked–if only for a few seconds–the runes no longer carry any significant magic.
Rexus takes in a deep breath. The nobleman had been standing completely still for the better part of five minutes. He was flabbergasted by the destruction caused by the pillar’s fall.
Shaking his head, he returns to the present situation and says, “Evander is right. We should move quickly. There still appears to be one more set of rooms beyond this area. Maybe we’ll find someth-.”
Rexus stops speaking abruptly and freezes in place. For at that very moment, the strange, discordant music begins playing again. This time, the music unmistakably comes from the area north of the group’s current location.
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Matiscio blinks at Gregor and realizes that not everyone reacts the same way to the sudden, and sometimes overwhelming, rush of adrenaline. "When this is all done I'll treat you on some Vudrani tea, Gregor. All these things perhaps could've happened, but they didn't, so do not cast the shadow of past doubt onto the certainty of now; that is, we are safe and sound and the devilkin has been dealt with."
But then he hears what Rexus hears. "But whatever ties this evil together still lingers deeper within. Let us deal it the final blow" he says with steely resolve.
Lia wanders over to the inscription in Infernal. "...huh. Didiana, do you know what this means?" She waves the armiger over.
"I mean, I *know* what it says, but..."
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Evander looks at Gregor, blinking as he unloads, then very calmly responds, "It was, indeed, rather rash, but given the overall ineffectiveness of the majority of our attacks, ended the fight much more quickly. I find this an acceptable result. And as to my warning, I'm sorry you took that as my treating you as an obstacle, but if you lacked the battlefield awareness to see what we were doing and move in anyway, you might as well have been. But, next time we do something drastic, I'll make sure to phrase my warning in a way you can understand."
Evander then turns from the other man, and, as the music plays, draws out his rapier and looks towards the northern part of the room. "Let's move. Quickly."
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"Ward. Not one of your arrows managed to pierce the fiends and you were completely useless this fight."
Didiana just let the statement sit in the stale air for a moment. She had patiently listened to Gregor's objections, but her eyebrows had descended throughout the tirade to their current ill-humored position. He was entirely correct; the party's cohesion was a problem but, in her own view, he had severely misplaced the fault.
"As was I," she continued and held out her hand. It was shaking from exertion both physical and arcane.
"That last missile drained me entirely, leaving me effectively powerless against the beasts. Couldn't even carry out that madcap idea," she nodded towards the carnage, "without Evander and Lady Aulamaxa."
The woman's displeasure at her own impotence was plain to see on her face.
"What would you have me do? Stand by and watch as Aulamaxa fell to the... how did you refer to them? 'Nuisances'?"
An unmistakable edge snuck into Didiana's voice here. Not surprisingly, the hellknight in training took the forces of Hell rather seriously. The infernal sorcerer doubly so.
"As the literal embodiments of evil were tearing into us, we found ourselves with two options. Continue with a mode of tactic already proven ineffective..." Her eyes rested heavily on Gregor. This was the option of the feeble arrows.
"Or try something else. Anything else. You say we should just have kept pressing on? That we were 'making progress'? That Aulamaxa was 'no more hurt than at the protest'? She nearly died at the protest, Ward. People did die at the protest. And the only one of us able to chip away at the damned things was Matiscio, and it will be a warm day in Cocytus indeed before I'll levy all responsibility in battle on a single team member. That is not how a team fights."
Her voice was steady and she spoke quickly. This needed to be said, that was all. "Yes, you are entirely correct that it was irresponsible, notwithstanding that we are clearly still below the livery rather than a city street. I apologize for being so weak as to not see another option. It was foolhardy and desperate and I wish never to be caught in the situation again. But you had best know that if we encounter any more fiends, then I, strength willing, will not hesitate to collapse this entire livery on them if necessary. And I expect to do so side by side to you. I expect results."
There was that word: results. Nothing perhaps encapsulated the hellknight philosophy more succinctly than the phrase, 'the end justifies the means'. Hellknights across the nation and beyond worked tirelessly to ensure the just society's survival. Ideally that meant working within the laws of the country. But there was a reason they enjoyed their special status outside the law. Because all the hellknight really wanted was results.
"Make no mistake: we both made irresponsible gambles here. Merely hoping that one arrow would succeed where the previous failed was no less foolhardy. The difference is just that one method was proactive whereas the other was reactive. So lay off Evander. It wasn't ten minutes ago that you criticized him and Lady Aulamaxa for not being willing to kill some dogs for the cause. You wanted teamwork and commitment, yes? I think they just showed themselves plenty dedicated."
Lia wanders over to the inscription in Infernal. "...huh. Didiana, do you know what this means?" She waves the armiger over.
"I mean, I *know* what it says, but..."
Didiana chose not to question why the noblewoman knew Inferal. Was that just part of noble schooling? Regardless, she couldn't be bothered to look the writing over too closely; they just didn't have the time.
"I'm not sure. I think there are some magic runes intermixed in the letters, but I can't ascertain their purpose."
Lia can't help but blush at the armiger's rebuttal.
...wow. Pretty and with a spine of steel.
"Runes, eh? Now I'm starting to wish I paid more attention in class..."
Matiscio and Evander lead the way to the unexplored areas. These rooms have fallen mostly into disrepair. Chunks of plaster hang from the walls, exposing rough stonework beyond. Scattered furnishings that once outfitted bunkrooms, a kitchen, and even an armory lie scattered about in various states of decay. Doors hang from hinges in the crumbling archways that lie between the chambers.
No musical instruments can be seen anywhere.
Everyone notices a small nest in the northeastern corner that seems to have been used by a small humanoid creature, perhaps another grimple gremlin. But not enough material remains in the nest to reveal anything definitive.
Everyone also sees three small crates in the northwestern corner of the ruined chambers. The first crate contains a piece of leather armor, a composite shortbow (+1), a masterwork hand crossbow, a masterwork silver morningstar, a plain gray cloak, and a pouch containing eighteen pearls worth 100 gp each.
The second crate contains a small, locked iron coffer. Though the coffer looks old and a bit rusted, it also appears to be watertight. The key is nowhere to be found.
The third and final crate appears at first to only contain ancient straw, but even a cursory examination reveals its actual contents: six metallic birds.
Rexus starts shaking, not from fear, but from excitement. In the nobleman’s glee, he briefly abandons his normally impeccable social etiquette and hops in the air. The man quickly realizes his socially scandalous display and clasps his hands together to try to calm himself before saying, “This is what my mother wrote about! Something connected to the Silver Ravens! I can’t wait to find out what that coffer contains, but these figurines are proof that the Silver Ravens were once here! They're silver raven figurines of wondrous power.”
Rexus picks up the coffer and tucks it under his left arm. “I think it’s time for us to pay a visit to my mother’s friend, Laria Longroad. She’ll be busy at the Long Roads Coffeehouse, no doubt. Perhaps there we can examine these items more closely without fear of vermin or devils.”
The nobleman glances down at the other items in the crates. “Would the rest of you mind divvying up these things to carry them out of here? I’m sure we can figure out who gets what once we’re out of this place.”
Before anyone has a chance to respond, everyone hears shouting from the direction of the polluted cistern. Specifically, it sounds like the commotion is coming from above the area the group had just come from. Much of what is said is incoherent as several different voices try to talk over each other. Finally, one voice wins out over the others.
The voice is that of a man who can be heard saying, “Quiet! Quiet all of you! Officer Ward is on his way. Our instructions are to wait till he gets here. With this sinkhole, the entire building could be unstable, so we shouldn’t be rushing to get down there anyway.”
The brawler is obviously confused. "So .. what was the source of the music?" He eyes the room, but it is clear to all that there is no gremlin or amorphous devil in sight. "Hrm, I suppose getting these valuables out of here before the guards arrive has priority over finding the source of the music."
Matiscio picks up the iron coffer.
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Gregor merely steels his anger, and stares blankly at some of the responses. He could be expected to take little of what the two 'artists' had for him in the way of their own reprimands, and can almost appreciate Mrs. Grabapple's focus on recovery over biting back. It was Matiscio's words though that helped him find a calm center amidst the fading adrenaline that had his nerves on edge. Even offering an acquiescence "You are right, Mr. Tartaluna, I should not focus so much on what could have been. I can't help but continue to worry about what could still come to pass from the decision." There is a feeling of calm and respect toward the big man and his peaceful demeanor.
It was when Didiana spoke, though, that his eyes grew wide in shock, cocking his head slightly toward her as if not hearing correctly. Out of professional respect for the woman, he neither interrupts, nor raises his voice. He responds, hands folded in front of one another before him in the relaxed position he had at the first meeting "I hope, as deliverer of this city's justice, that you are aware that you are taking liberties with the truth? Or are you merely being flippant to make your point? I drew first blood. My arrow was the first injury they received, and your magic was equally so if not more effective. Do not even pretend that our two actions alone did not prove to be almost as effective as Mr. Tartaluna's first few attacks, let alone call what we did useless." he holds up an appeasing hand toward Matiscio, so as to show that he was not denigrating the man's success as much as lifting their's up in comparison. "He was not alone in damaging this foe. You are as effective with your mace as I am with my sword, but I was led to believe that we had a solid three-man front line, and took my role as intended."
He puts his hands forward, trying to pause any retort or argument while he continues, "I admit I may have been hasty in my words, and should speak with you as I would my broth... my 'former' brothers in arms. I have been on edge this entire day, and would be worried if all of you did not share my level of concern for what we are doing. As it is outright treason, and punished quite harshly, not to mention the stain it will put on our families and their name." This last he punctuates directly at Lia, as the most to lose beyond just herself.
He turns to Evander, in explanation, not anger "I was fully aware of what the group of you were intending, that's why I moved in front, much the same way someone would step in front of their ally's weapon to prevent them from using it on an innocent. I did not have time to discuss at length all the concerns I had with such an action, and chose instead to try and return to the line where it was left empty," he lifts a single eyebrow, "to take the brunt of the attacks, while switching tactics, without yet resorting to extremes."
He turns back to Didiana specifically, "My greatest concern, Armiger Drost, is that very few of us exhausted our options before turning to the final decision. You used one spell, but did not pull your weapon." Turning to the rest of the group he asks "Did anyone switch weapons? What were we all using, arrows, rapiers, fists?" He looks at Gilda while listing, but doesn't bother mentioning her crossbow. "I came back with my sword to do just that. If devils will be our foe, in facing the Lord-Mayor, we need to know what hurts them and be prepared for it, but we won't know unless we try all our options? The Half..." He bites his tongue quickly to correct himself, "Lady carries a club, Mr. Tartaluna his rather unique weapons and the silver dagger, you and Mr. Forrell each have maces, Mrs. Grabapple..." He looks her over, certain he saw one before, pointing gladly when he sees it, "carries what looks like... an iron dagger?" The last a question, as he's uncertain of the material, or why she would have that over good steel.
"I will give my life to this cause, as I swore in my oath, but I will not do so without fighting to my last breath first, nor will I risk allies or innocents if my sacrifice alone will be enough." He states this, as if it punctuates the entirety of what he was trying to convey all along.
----------------------------------------------
Looking at the text along the walls, he answers, even though it was not directed at him specifically. "I cannot say for certain, but the way it reads, it just may be how the devils got down here in the first place. Though, I didn't think writing it would be enough, I thought spells were a little more involved than that."
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Gregor begins rummaging in his pack to once more draw out the set of picks he carries, lifting an eyebrow, shaking his head, and shrugging when Rexus mentions the figurines. The name means nothing to him, but he does understand that finding them down here is a sign, and the locked chest may be the answer.
As he returns to pulling his tools, he hears the voices above, then goes stiff and stark white. His eyes wide open, stare straight ahead. He flings his backpack back on, and speaks quickly and quietly, "We must go. Now. I can't let him catch me here, not like this." He grabs the chest with the weapons and armor, the one that seems the most useful in his eyes, and looks around frantically for the best means of escape.
"We have very few options. If they are in the livery above, or have a clear view, we can't get out that way. We could lock the gate we came in, and try to hide in the rat room by holding the trapdoor shut until they go. Or hide behind the big slaughterhouse tables in the large room, and hope they are not thorough in looking the place over. I can't face him and expect that any lie we tell will get us out of this." The panic is evident in Gregor. Nothing they have faced so far has proven to even the slightest effect on him as hearing that name has.
You can tell the voices above are coming from outside the livery. The only sounds coming from inside the livery are the barks of two of the dogs you caged.
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The debate showed no signs of stopping as they ventured further into the den. Gregor and Didiana walked hurriedly beside each other, two sets of identical regimented footsteps following behind Evander and Matiscio, echoing in the dark. She would not hold her tongue now; it was too important for her to know that they stood together.
Or rather, that was how she justified it to herself. And it wasn't untrue. But, unknowingly, somewhere deep within there was a wicked little kernel of her that would not let this go out of sheer stubborn pride.
"No, no flippancy, Ward. So we both managed to clip the beasts; so what? We might as well have been aiming for the sky for all the good it did. We still weren't able to finish the deed. Perhaps you're right. Perhaps we could have taken one of them down through sheer attrition. But not before they had claimed one of our own. That is unacceptable, Ward. Again, they were putting us in the ground faster than we them."
She scanned what had apparently once been a hideout with the others, but never stopped the back and forth with the ex-dottari. Even the find of some actual and quite literal silver ravens (nor the nobleman's childlike glee at said find) could distract her. Yes, yes, some Silver Raven antiques. Can we please hurry?
"Which is also why exploring different avenues of attack would have been ill advised. The enemy had the advantage. Identifying new options would have costed us time, and with it, life. Extreme measures were warranted. If we need a door opened under duress, I don't want us searching for the key. I don't even want us picking the lock. I want that door crushed under our boots."
The armiger bent over to stuff some of the party's findings into her backpack. "I would also very much appreciate no further comment on my family's well-being or my safeguarding of said well-being, Senior Recruit. You..."
“Quiet! Quiet all of you! Officer Ward is on his way. Our instructions are to wait till he gets here. With this sinkhole, the entire building could be unstable, so we shouldn’t be rushing to get down there anyway.”
The voice froze Didiana where she stood. When the name 'Ward' was spoken her head snapped towards Gregor, the junior Ward. Her eyes were large as teacups.
Oh. Oh no.
Desperation being the greatest inspiration, her long fingers dove into the backpack she had been holding whilst the other hand freed the dagger at her side. She found what she was looking for soon enough: her Order provided bedroll. The den was quickly filled with the sound of ripping and tearing, as Didiana cut great long gashes into the cloth. As quickly as she could, she handed over a long strip of fabric to Gregor.
"Hurry," she simply said, as she put a strip of her own to use, wrapping it around her head. The wide band shrouded her mouth and hair to form a primitive makeshift mask.
"Ward, we may have to force our way past them. If that happens, your father cannot see you."
Whatever disagreements the two might have had moments ago were null and void now. Didiana had nothing but sympathy for Gregor's situation. The man had trusted her enough to reveal his tragic family circumstances just yesterday, and she would do whatever she could to prevent father and son from meeting here. If her mind wasn't working a mile a minute for some way out of the giant hole in the ground the group found themselves in, the armiger would be cursing every deity even tangentially related to fate for having precisely Officer Ward on duty here precisely now. And then herself for tempting said fate.
Studying the runes, Evander recognizes the language and words. The opera had done something with similar verbiage at one time, although he suspected this had been more effective. "These runes were an attempt to open a portal to Hell. While they may have briefly worked - and brought these lemures here - they hold no power now."
As they find the objects and Rexus does his happy dance - much to Evander's amusement - he looks at the Ravens and thinks, Well, whatever they do, they surely must count as a sign of things to come.
At the sound of Officer Ward being mentioned, and Gregor's panicked reaction, Evander then thinks, Well, there's some familiarity there. I wonder what relation Officer Ward is to Gregor?
Head cocked, Evander listens and says, "They haven't entered the livery yet. We may have time to lock and secure the gate above before they get in. Unless there is another way out."
Evander will then look to see if there is any kind of secret door.
Lia doesn't pay much attention to what Gregor or Didiana are saying as she follows Evander about. The runes on the wall, once their meaning is divulged to her, cause her to frown in contempt. "So... either their little ritual was botched, or it was answered, and those piles of rancid flesh were all the devils felt they were worth giving. Either way, a quite disgusting business."
"Makes me quite grateful that House Aulamaxa has never consorted with such loathsome beings for even the pettiest of gains, really."
“Quiet! Quiet all of you! Officer Ward is on his way. Our instructions are to wait till he gets here. With this sinkhole, the entire building could be unstable, so we shouldn’t be rushing to get down there anyway.”
The sound of the talking dottari outside makes Lia's hands twitch briefly and her heart to skip a beat. She finally glances back over at Gregor... and notices that his once imperious and overbearing demeanour has abruptly vanished--replaced by one of sheer, naked terror.
Whatever satisfaction she may have felt at that look, however uncalled for, was promptly dashed when she thought for a moment longer about just why, exactly, Gregor was suddenly so terrified.
Ward... that's his surname, right? And he was just fine and dandy lecturing us at just about every turn before, so... family troubles? Most likely. Could be a sibling, or more likely a parent.
...oh. All the more reason to get out of here, then--is that why he's so... so much of a wet blanket? I was kinda hoping it wouldn't be the case...
...oh, wonderful. Now I feel bad.
"Grab the loot we can and let's get ready to move." Lia taps her chin briefly.
I think I have a way to get us out of this...
"...if worst comes to worst, I could perhaps try to talk our way out of this."
Rexus lets Matiscio take the coffer from under his arm, nods, and says, “Please be careful with it. I think the key to bringing back the Silver Ravens may be locked inside it.”
After hearing Didiana mention Gregor’s father, Rexus looks at the ranger, and says, “Your father is a Dottari officer? I guess I should have known. Guardsmen do tend to pass on their profession from generation to generation.”
Evander doesn’t see any indication of a secret door.
At Lia's mention of trying to talk their way out of the situation, Rexus says, “That would indeed be the worst that could happen. I’m sure you have a silver tongue, but Didiana’s improvised masks won’t be a viable way to keep the Dottari from knowing who we are if we have to talk to them.
“If they haven’t entered the livery yet, as Evander said, then perhaps we still have time to escape without notice. The man above described the opening as a sinkhole. If they don’t find us, they may write it off as a natural phenomenon. Perhaps we should try sneaking out the way we came?”
Gilda rolls her eyes more than once, using her hands to pantomime two bickering speakers as she quips in order to bring the party's focus back to the present.
"You two oughtta get a room! Reminds me of the way Lenny used ta' court me back in '97. Oh, we woke up the whole neighborhood more than a few times!"
Gilda smiles thoughtfully, tilting her head as she remembers some forgotten memory.
"Best part'a it was makin' up though."
Her reminiscing is brought to a halt as they discover the cache and the runes.
"Huh? A devil portal eh? Wonder if it was somethin' to do with the Ravens or just some new gang later on that took up their hideout?"
Shrugging, she takes a look at their haul.
"Hey! That bow's magic! Betcha that could set you up for a whole year if you lived moderately enough..."
Gilda looks guiltily about as she shares these thought, "ah, but yeah, we gotta save Ol' Kintargo. I was just sayin'..."
Her words and thoughts, like those of the others, are cut short by the apparent arrival of guards.
"I guess walkin' up and sayin' 'hey dad, ya wanna join me and my brand new rebel group' ain't a valid option?"
Gilda smiles enough such that even Gregor would get that she's intending nothing but levity with the suggestion.
"Whaddya say we hoof it back to that newly made escape route that Red here made for us? Anyone got any rope?"
Gregor's mood had almost seemed to be lifting while in debate with Didiana, reminding him of other heated discussions they would have about laws and the political climate. It reminded him of how much simpler things were just a few short weeks ago, but now was not the time for reminiscing about better days. Now was a time for swift and deliberate action.
He looks at Didiana, and comes out of his stupor, his expression becomes grateful to the one person that seems to understand him and his plight. "Thank you, Armiger." He takes the strip of cloth, wrapping it over his head like a bandanna, crossing it in the back to wrap around his mouth and nose, before tying it in the back. He shifts his shield and cloak, so that the latter covers the former and his quiver, then pulls the hood up. Opening the first chest of gear, he grabs the cloak within, binding the weapons to prevent rattling, before tucking it within the set of armor. The whole of it he stuffs into his mostly empty backpack. He wastes no time answering anyone's questions, nor even acknowledging Gilda's joke. He has a singular focus, an immediate and decisive escape.
Looking up at the angle of the sinkhole, and where it intersects above, he calls out his plan. "Okay, grab what we can from the open chests, Matiscio has the locked one. We exit through the gate into the slaughterhouse floor, lock it behind us, and go back up through the trapdoor. The hole is on the other side of the way we came in, so that's our best bet. We will not be able to talk our way past Officer W.. the Officer. We use the barking of the dogs to cover the sound of us leaving by the barn door. If the guard are south of the sinkhole, they will not have a clean angle to see us as we leave. We can't go up the sinkhole, that's where all there attention is, we need to use that to our advantage. If any of us are seen, we run, run for all we're worth. No talk, no fighting, just run."
Turning to the two most likely to know, he asks, "Gilda, Evander, do either of you guys have a nearby bolthole that we could duck into if we are chased? Somewhere we can hide to at least get them off our trail." He doesn't even notice his slip in formality, in his eagerness to escape the situation. He doesn't even wait for an answer, as much as want them thinking about the question. "Let's go."
"Whaddya say we hoof it back to that newly made escape route that Red here made for us? Anyone got any rope?"
"If what Evander said is true," and Didiana found neither reason nor time to doubt him, "then whatever guards are up there are most likely milling about the sinkhole, preventing people from hurting themselves."
She was increasingly convinced that time was of the essence and continued hurriedly, even ignoring the nickname that would otherwise have stung her.
"We may have a small window of opportunity. Judging by the lone voice, the dottari above are few, perhaps even just one or two. If they still haven't entered the livery, we could simply make a run for it."
She stuffed the mangled remains of the bedroll into her backpack.
"Depending on the size of the crowd above, we may be able to slip away unseen, as Rexus suggested. If that's not possible, simply forcing our way past a few lone dottari into the alleyways should be viable. But that means going now. We can't wait for the reinforcements to arrive."
Evander turns from his search and says, "I agree. We only have one way out, and I think we want to avoid battle with the dottari if at all possible. While one or two of us may have been able to talk our way out, the seven of us will have a much harder time. Especially since Lia is covered in blood with tattered clothes, and there's a very good chance Rexus may be hunted. The presence of a dottari and a Hellknight Armiger make it doubly suspicious. We are far too eclectic a group to talk our way out of here. Sneaking is our best option. Let's move, quickly, and avoid the sinkhole. You never know who might look down into it."
"...yeah, come to think of it, this blood's going to be hard to explain. Sneaking out sounds like a much better plan."
The party makes its way as quickly and quietly as possible around the edge of the room with the polluted cistern. Some members of the group wear improvised masks in case they are discovered.
Above, the Dottari’s efforts to quell the commotion seemed to be failing as the noise level continued to increase. So much so that it was almost impossible to hear the barking dogs from below.
As the group rounds the corner of the room and heads toward the stairs up, the voice above from before says, “It’s about time you showed up, Ward. The Hellknights were just about ready to storm down there by themselves.”
An authoritative voice responds, loudly but calmly, “You will address me as Officer Ward and you will do as you are told. The Dottari and the Hellknights serve Paracount Thrune, so you and the Order of the Rack would do well to obey the orders of your superiors. Kintargo has already seen too much rebellion as it is.”
As the last of the group exits the area containing the stagnant water, a pair of ropes fall from above followed by more words from the authoritative speaker. “Descend two at a time. The rest of you, cover them with your bows from the rim of the sinkhole. Who knows what creatures have made this place their home over the years.”
Time was short.
Everyone makes their way up the stairs back to the room that contained the grimples, closing the double doors as they go. Gregor is careful to lock the grate behind him before proceeding further. As the last one to continue further, Gregor alone hears the first set of boots splash into the polluted water.
One of the people now in the room the group just left says, “This water is filthy… is there a draft in this place? It's cold in here. I-I can’t see! What’s going on?”
The man’s words are followed by another splash, louder this time.
“What are you two doing down there? Asmodeus take you both! I have never worked with such an incompetent pair of…” The voice becomes difficult to hear as Gregor joins the others at the door to the room where they had fought the rats.
The first of the party ascends the ladder into the livery’s workroom. The rest swiftly follow and the group creeps along the southern walkway till they’re at the grate leading to the livery floor. More shouting and giving of orders can be heard to the group’s right. Only the dogs’ barking can be heard to the left.
As Matiscio opens the grated door, it creaks a bit and does likewise when Gregor shuts it, but the Dottari and the Order of the Rack seem too focused on the opening in the ground to notice.
Anyone in the group who decided to glance back toward the opening would see a large gap in the wall of the livery. A few members of the crowd could be seen through the gap, but all were looking down into the sinkhole.
The party exits through the livery’s front doors to a bright day, the sun now high in the sky. No one is on the street as they exit, likely because most of the pedestrians who would normally be in the area had gone to the other side of the livery to observe the hole. Many Kintargans probably thought of it as a form of entertainment. With Thrune’s rule and martial law, amusement was seldom found now, so Kintargans were eager to partake in it when the opportunity arose.
Rexus motions the group onward and says, “We make for Villegre and the Long Roads Coffeehouse. We’ll be safe there.”
The seven make their way at a brisk pace through the Redroof district of Kintargo. They have to duck into alleyways and side streets on a few occasions, but with Evander and Gilda’s street smarts, the group has little difficulty navigating toward the city’s northern half.
Everyone crosses Bleakbridge into Yolubilis Harbor before turning northwest toward Villegre. Near their destination, the group passes Alabaster Academy before arriving near the northernmost part of the city to the west of the Nightways Gate.
The six fledgling rebels stand across from Villegre Park in front of the Long Roads Coffeehouse. The outside of the Coffeehouse blends in well with the surrounding buildings, matching the district’s more well-kept and well-to-do feel. A sign over the double doors at the front of the building proclaims its name. Three windows line the wall to the right of the front doors. A warm glow issues from inside.
Rexus asks his companions to wait beside the building while he goes inside to find Laria. About five minutes pass before he and and a smiling halfling woman appear at the Coffeehouse’s entrance.
“Oh sweeties! Have you all been having a hard time of it? Come in! Come in! We need to catch up on old times,” the halfling says with a wink.
When the woman walks back inside, Rexus smiles and says, “That would be Laria. Don’t let her informality prevent you from liking her. She has an infectious laugh and a kind heart. Like she said, we should go inside.”
The group follows Rexus inside and passes through the Coffeehouse’s public dining area. It features several circular tables and bar areas as well as bakery space behind counters. A massive oven lies in one corner of the room and a large portrait of Queen Abrogail II hangs above the bar. A pair of halfling men attend to the half dozen guests currently drinking coffee or eating pastries.
Laria ushers the group into one of the Coffeehouse’s backrooms which clearly serves as the halfling’s office. In addition to the chair behind the office's desk, enough chairs have been placed in the room to seat eight. Laria elects to sit in one of the regular chairs with the group rather than in her office chair behind her desk.
A large tray sits on a stool in the middle of the office containing an assortment of pastries and eight steaming cups of coffee along with milk, cream, sugars, and spices.
Laria looks around the room, a look of concern flashing across her face briefly as she observes those with injuries.
Her initial examination complete, the woman says, “Now then, sweethearts, we have some privacy, so how about everyone introduce themselves? I’m Laria, as you’ve no doubt surmised by now. While you’re introducing yourselves, why don’t each of you also explain why you’re interested in rebuilding the Silver Ravens? It looks like you all have had quite the little adventure, so I’m eager to hear the details of that as well. Please and thank you.”
Weary hands reached for a warm cup and Matiscio nodded his head at Laria to show his gratitude. "Thank you for spoiling us, Laria." He felt a little out of place to start first, but now that he had spoken, he might as well. "My name is Matiscio, Matiscio Tartaluna, and I've lived my entire life in Kintargo. It is the only home I've ever known. Lately, I've come to realize that we're now being ruled by someone who is trying to take our home away from us. This misguided person is attempting to corrupt it, wanting to turn into a sickening mockery of the city we love. The rule of law, our rights as citizens, they're being trampled underneath and I just cannot take it any longer. People I care about have gone missing and or have been hurt for no reason, it has to stop. I then stumbled upon the history of the Silver Ravens, or what little of it can be found, and continued my quest from there on and now, here I am, sitting in front of you Laria, having a cup of wonderful coffee, after having just recovered some Silver Ravens artifacts with my companions."
Pfoo! That was a lot of words. He scanned his companions with wide open eyes and then reclined, happy to fall back into relative anonimity.