"It vanished when you got close to it..?"
Meliora's brow furrows. This feels like a 'she needs see invisibility' problem, but what would turn a rat invisible in the first place? Maybe they had moved into the den of a sentient rat who could turn invisible?
'No, Mel, that would be stupid.'
Still, that makes her nod.
"Alright then. Do me a favor? Well, two favors. First off, keep right on taking care of those delicious rats for us... and if another one vanishes, I'd like you to remember where and let me or one of the others know. That rat could be related to this. Maybe. And favor two..."
She trails off, looks around to make sure that the others are out of earshot, and leans forward conspiratorially.
"I heard that faerie dragons have special breath... could you like... Hit me with it? Just for a sec? It's been a pretty rough month, you get me?"
"I feel like testing it to see if it's what I've heard. It's supposed to, like, make you feel awesome while you're affected?
For science, of course, and not because she's lost all control of her life.
|
AS you start to have cleared the destroyed wall and given the unfortunate man his last rites Lena comes to you "I have some new information I've heard from my network. It seems the dottari guard towers are so full of prisoners now that they're keeping those they arrest in warehouses. My contact even said they're putting prisoners to work in places like Sallix Salt Works. I think this might be a good chance to cause a little trouble for Thrune and liberate those from the salt works. This can potential be a rather dangerous endavour so I would consider checking out the workshop and learn how to get in and how many guards are on work to keep the prisoners working."
Meliora didn't even have the start of a proper anything before the nausea and sickness sort of hit her all at once and she's left with a very short, very mild hangover.
"I'll get you a mirror while I'm out. Thanks for tryin'." The House of Satin Veils is out. Drugs are expensive and addictive. Faerie dragon breath was a bust. She needs something to do outside of the occasional forays into adventure, and--
--thank god for Lena. Distractions. Distractions are great.
"By the god of your choice, you have no idea how much I love you right now. We'll get to it once we've had a chance to case the place. Might be a good way to let Thrune know he's still got some enemies alive... Well. Consider it taken care of."
Which just leaves figuring out what to do now.
"So... we've still got the Red Jills' leader going crazy to deal with, and these salt works too. Any opinions? I'm thinking about going to bug some of my old academy fellows tomorrow to fill out my low level spell options with some of the gold... it'd help to know if we'll be dealing with talking to thieves or sneaking by or fighting guards first."
"I would like to deal with the Red Jill's first. The other seems like a bigger job. Maybe a couple of us watch the slat mines for a bit. More options for your powers makes a lot of sense. Maybe try and get the spells and then work out the Red Jills?"
"I have no objections to our wizard being as powerful and versatile as possible," Jack chimes in. "And I'll volunteer to do some snooping and sniffing around near the saltworks to get a better picture of what we'd be up against there."
"I'd like to look into the Red Jills first as well. It can't hurt to take care of them. I think the Salt Works needs more research before we take on what is a makeshift prison." Lena gives Meliora a look of concern as she allows their new friend to breath on her.
"Are you alright? I can heal you if needed."
She shakes her head.
"Nah, I'm fine, I'm fine. Just wanted to test something. You know how it is." She moves right into a bulldozer-esque subject change before anyone can show her any more concern, because people offering her concern feels somehow alien and disconcerting.
"Anyways, sounds like we're handling the Jills and then the salt works. Does anyone know anything in particular about them that might come in handy?"
Mic will spend her time poking around town, talking to old contacts to learn anything about the Salt Mines.
|
|
Micheria you learn this from some people who live close to the salt works "The guards stationed at Sallix Salt Works does not look like official members of the Church of Asmodeus nor the government for that matter, I think they are contracted mercenaries." Also you know that Sallix Salt Works is located just outside Salt Gate in Old Kintargo.
Lena spends the day moving around the city. She listens for rumors, and tries to help any citizens who might need it. Such as anyone getting robbed or little old ladies needing help carrying packages.
Meliora comes back to the base later on in the day, her now-trademark scowl on her face as usual.
"The one time I need the transmutation head and they're not available. Having a baby... You're a wizard for Cayde's sake! Just slap it in a homunculus and get back to work!"
Still, once she's through the door, she holds up her spellbook. She lets it fall open in her hand, and then thwaps it shut while breaking into her cockiest smile in order to be appropriately dramatic.
"I'm back, everyone. Hope we didn't have any more shelving issues. Did we figure out what we were going to do with ol' Paulson?"
She'd left that stuff to the people who had time to give a damn.
"Anyhoo, I got us a hot tip. The Jills set up a hideout over on the eastern slopes of Temple Hill. Luckily for you guys, that was one of my usual haunts because of-" She pauses awkwardly. Considering that she's gone out of her way to avoid saying anything about her... anything, really, it feels a bit awkward to bring it up now.
"Because of reasons. Moving on. If it's the eastern slopes of the hill, we may want to start with the Humbert House and then move on to look for other good haunts. Right area, and nobody's lived there in ages. Seems perfect for a bunch of squatting thieves."
Jack travels into Old Kintargo with Mic, watching her back while doing his own digging into affairs at the Sallix Salt Works.
Amused, Jack shares what he overheard, first with Mic and later, upon returning to the Wasp Nest, with the other Ravens.
"Not a bad thing for it to be known that there are hidden helpers in peoples midst. Once our 'fearless leaders' hear they will be fit to be tied."
There were so many things to do Canacha was beginning to feel like there were just not enough hours in the day to get all the projects she wanted to get done while at the same time doing what she could for the growing resistance. She had also been looking into whether their fallen supporter had family, to see what they wanted done with his remains.
She was glad when everyone got back. It was boring here sometimes by herself. She missed her evening tea... not that she well talked with people all that much there but just being around the noise was nice. She listened to the intel with a smile.
"We need to find some smugglers at somepoint i think, there are some interesting things i can make but are awkward or rare enough that questions might ask if people are buying them... Plus i need mint for my tea. Its killing me not having it."
She complained adjusting things in her workspace. She really needed to seperate her forgework from her alchemical creations... fire and some of her alchemical supplies were not good friends.
"Oh! yeah, we need someone sneaky to get into some of the governmental buildings and see if they cant find maps or plans for the sewers in the city. They should have something like that about. If we can get a copy of them with a bit of studying we can use those to get about unseen by the Dottari above."
She added running through the 800 hundred things that had been running through her mind when they were gone.
"Smugglers are on the to do list. Was going to see about having the moneyfarm figure that one out... we'll need cash to make it happen, so it's on the 'maybe later' tab. As for the sneaks, that was next on my to-do list. Don't think we'll have time this week, but..."
Meliora shakes her head and fluffs up her hair with her hands before sighing.
"Anyways, do we have to go do things by the sewers? There's a ton of criminals in drainage tunnels, aren't there? And... yeah, I have prestidigitation... but..."
She shudders.
"I still have to smell it."
She's staring at her own desk as she says it, considering scribing some scrolls for the four hours or so that she could pull together. What did she even have prepared..? Obscuring mist? She had that covered already, so why bother? She needed to remember to prepare more ridiculously niche spells on days like this to jot down. Ugh. Some genius.
Well not always the sewers no, but it could help in a pinch. I could make you up a smell good package so you dont have to smell anything i bet."
She began mentally adding another project to the list. It was an interesting problem, sewer smells. It might be a fun project to look into if things here ...well got too mindbreaking serious.
"The Jills have a hideout in the hills? Good information. I learned that Thrune is doing some particularly horrible punishments for lawbreaking."
"About the Jills are we trying to recruit them or remove a threat?"
I never thought of that... I suppose that would depend on them. Any group that wants to oppose Thrune i might consider as an ally... but if they are just trying to take advantage of all the recent troubles and would be more liable to knife us in the back then help well i guess its to the depths with them eh?"
She paused and fought off a giggle. They made her think of pirates for some reason.. maybe it was because Paul had been a sailor before being mixed in with them.
"Our fallen friend was a sailor before he got stuck here. I was thinking maybe we can give him a buriel at sea... well barring that, a flask of rum and weighted canvas and dip him off the docks? Since he has no family near here?"
She asked and mused aloud looking torwards Lena. Canacha thought she would be the best person to decide how to honor the dead... being a preist and all that. She should have gotten a book or something about sea life... sailors... sailors and sea life? Never enough time it seemed.
"So long as we don't have to answer awkward questions about a body, I don't care."
Then, chiming in on Lena's question.
"I figured that we see if they want to join us. If they don't, we make sure they stay out of our way. If they won't... well, they're thieves. Nobody'll miss them."
"I guess it is worth seeing how they react. Might have to cut of the head, so to speak, if the leader is the real problem. Still no need to go on aggressive."
"A burial for a sailor? That can be done. I believe we have a connection to the sewers, and then out to the sea. We can take his body out via the sewers, and give him a service there."
She looks like she just thought of something. "Do we have access to a boat? it makes sense that we have another way in and out of here."
OK let's put getting a boat on the list. Let's try to smuggle the body out in a crate or something. We can do the service this afternoon, and then scope out the Red Jill's area. Then we can come back another day to try to speak with them? Does that sound like a good plan?"
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"That sounds like a great plan. I can cobble together some sort of crate i bet, then we can you know wander the Jills'... tuff? Toof... no turf! Thats the word!."
She began moving quickly to find enough wood to hide their fallen member. She began to hum a little tune while she started literally banging peices a wood together with a hammer and some nails from her shop.
It was immediately clear that having a hammer and nails did not a carpenter make.
"Can't think of anything better so why not. Maybe just poking around will get their attention any way. As far as the burial goes, could be dangerous moving threw the sewers but better then trying though the streets."
"Makes sense to me. Should start at the old orphanage and move our way around from there, after we've tossed the poor sod back into the sea."
Jack watches with interest as Canacha tries to build...something. Is it a boat? Is it a coffin? The end result looks most like a funeral pyre to his eyes, so Jack heads upstairs before the place can fill with the smell of smoke and charred flesh.
"Who's gonna do the talking?" Jack asks as he keeps an eye out for trouble.
"Someone who isn't me. I've got the social skills of a rock."
Or so she says after bringing everyone up to speed on the Humbright House.
"You've all seen it. I'll just focus on not getting us all killed if things go bad."
"I can try to speak with the ladies." Lena takes the lead walking up to the Humbright House. She studies the area carefully.
Meliora gives the place a quick look around.
"Nowhere to really hide down here... Wanna head up to the roof and see if there's anything up there? If not, we could hang around and see who shows up."
"do you think if like we called out to them the would show up? Like a game of red rover?"
"So we can call or just climb up? If there is anyone there they know we are here so may as well take a look."
Unless someone stops her Mic will make her way up the ladder to poke her head up.
"The sun is setting? Are we planning on staying out after curfew tonight?" Lena asks from the bottom of the ladder.
"If we have to. Not like the guards are going to be searching here, right?"
|
|
The church roof stands 20 feet above the street below, with a flat top and sloped sides that require a successful Acrobatics check to navigate.
As Micheria puts her head up through the trapdoor in the roof a sword slices at her.
But it misses and she sees a tiefling at the end of the short sword.
First round: bold may act
Micheria, Lena, Meliora, Micheria
Tiefling
Jack
"Hey!! Enough of that."
Mic finishes her assent and attempts to grab her attacker.