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Taemin keeps low but turns back, motioning only Karista to follow, tapping the planks and whispering, "Weak". He waits for her to get into position, then tries the door slowly.
Karista raises an eyebrow at Taemin's warning, but shrugs and treads lightly after him. As he reaches for the door, she brings the full length of the blade to bear held before her. She glances back at Haedrik then gives a nod to Taemin.
Verronax takes up position at the rear of the party. He lays his halberd at his feet and loads his crossbow, keeping a watch on both the main doors and the party at the office entrance.
Crouched halfway between Verronax's position and the entrance to the catwalk, Taras seemed at a loss for what to do - with almost no relevant spells memorized and hardly any combat skills to speak of, he suddenly felt very keenly how exposed and endangered he was.
Speaking quietly to himself, he quietly cast a simple abjuration...
Taemin
The piling you are climbing goes straight into the water, with no lower level or anything of that sort, so you cling to it as you survey the fishery.
The front half of the building (the part facing the street) comes nearly down to the water line. The outer part comes down to perhaps within 5 feet of the water, but there is (some of) a wooden deck below it, creating something like a crawlspace. A handfull of small, half-rotten skiffs are moored to this decking, drifting back and forth in the weak current.
Through the gap created by the crawlspace, you can see the shape of a barge's hull, presumably moored up to the back of the building.
As you continue to scan the area, you spot a ripple on the water, then a sharp dorsal fin, sillouetted against the moon's reflection in the river. A shark is swimming back and forth outside the fishery.
Taemin gathers everything in then crawls back up. He ponders a moment, then whispers to Karista, "Small boats, and a bigger one at the back. There should be a way in below, but there's a shark, and climbing could be hard for any others without rope. Dangerous, and we'll need some light, but I think it may be our best bet. Thoughts?"
Taemin waits for Karista's response, then creeps back along the catwalk and repeats his statement and hers.
Karista's face darkens in a scowl. "A shark? Are you mad? Don't get crafty, elf, he's one old man surrounded by scared children. Let's go in and finish this." Her voice remains quiet, but anger is creeping in at the edges. She spits on the rotting boards below her and adds, "And for the sake of your gods, untie your damned sword."
"You make a good point Karista. My sword, as you can see," Taemin tugs at it, "will come loose quite..." Taemin glances down and grumbles, carefully unfastening the tangle, mumbling his thanks before heading to the rest, relaying the situation to the rest.
"So, sharks or break in? Perhaps I could at least loose the boats so he can't escape that way?"
"This is no time for a bleeding crone's circle! Let's strike while still have some measure of surprise!"
Taemin looks calmly into Karista's eyes, even as his hand clenches tight, "Please do not grab at me, but you are right, we need surprise. We also need him not to escape. Allow me to look once more to see if I can remove the boats as an escape route, then we will go in at once."
A brief look of surprise crosses Karista's face when the door fails to give way beneath her boot. She gives frustrated snort, takes a step back, lowers her shoulder and bulls her full body weight into the door with a sharp grunt. The damp wood gives way with a screech, showering Karista with sharp splinters. With a harsh grin and a malicious glint in her eye, Karista raises her falchion to the ready.
Verronax mutters with a shake of his head.
He waves Taras around to the side, to join Haedrik and Karista, still covering both doorways with his crossbow. Once everyone is back together (and assuming no one comes out of the main door), Verronax will follow the group.
Taras frowns uncertainly, looking at his starknife, then at the front door, before slowly starting toward the side and the rickety catwalk. After a few seconds, he breaks into a jog, flexing the fingers of his free left hand. As he crosses the catwalk, he whispers softly to himself, repeating a few nonsense-words over and over, like an actor practicing his lines backstage.
Startled, he winces and cringes away as Karista smashes the door down, then peers carefully up over his shoulder, trying to get a look around the big woman.
The office sports a wooden desk positioned in the northern corner. It looks like it might block the western door from opening fully. The desk is covered with piles of slates. A battered cabinet rests against the eastern wall. The southern door rests in pieces on the floor. It appears to have been boarded shut from the inside.
That dog continues barking loudly.
Karista
Taras
The lighting outside (from moonlight) is shadowy. The lighting inside the office (which consists of moonlight comin in the open door) is shadowy if you're generous. It's hard for a human to do much more than make out the shapes of walls and large pieces of furniture.
Karista pulls open the door to be greeted by a mangy cur, which lunges forward. Despite the darkness, her the flat of her blade finds the dog's neck, pounding the animal into the doorframe. The dog emits a loud yelp as it collapses unconscious.
Taras and Haedrik move into the space behind Karista, while Verronax calls for Abadar's protection and follows down the walkway.
Karista and Haedrik cannot see anything through the open door. It's simply too dark. Taras, however, can see a walkway connecting to the doorway. A heavily fishy smell wafts through the open doorway.
Taemin manages to shimmy down the piling and draws his sword, stepping toward the tied-up skiff.
Haedrik watches wide-eyed as Karista punishes the dog with a vicious swipe. He lets loose a low, soft whistle under his breath.
He leans over to Taras. "I cannot see a bloody thing." He starts rifling in his pocket for flint and steel. "Please tell me you have a torch or something."
Taras spoke in the lightest whisper he could, barely an exhalation. "...Karista, Haedrik, a step to the side if you please... there is a walkway through the door... empty. The house's guardians come. I'll alert you if they're not hostile - swing if you hear nothing from me - let us catch them off guard."
Karista takes a half step to the side and kneels. She puts a hand in front of the dog's muzzle to make sure that it is still breathing. She turns to look at Haedrik but her peripheral vision is blocked by her own hood. With a quick toss of her head the material flops back onto her shoulders. The dim moonlight reveals her shaved skull with it's odd swirling stripe running down to her neck. "Don't just stand there," she growls at Haedrik, "Find a light!" While she is obviously trying to match Taras' pitch, Karista is not terribly good at whispering. She glances after Taras trusting that he knows not to get himself killed.