The wereboar takes a slow step towards the trapdoor, sniffing, then another and suddenly launches a great sweep with its tusks!
The tusks miss as Betha throws herself to one side - that blow would have disembowelled her if it landed! Worse - the creature seems to know where she is!
Jordanna retrieves a bomb and readies to throw it when she has a clear shot at an enemy.
Betha slashes at the creature, breaking the spell of invisibility.
Not wanting to continue one-on-one with an angry wereboar, she steps to the open trapdoor and drops through it.
Betha looks from the ground where she lay. "There's a wereboar up there. Who invited him to the party?"
Alyssa looks mildly interested in the news. "I don't know, dearie. But I know a way to keep him up there."
Taking a moment to study the ladder, she kicks it several times quite hard, aiming to smash it.
Betha slashes out, leaving a thin cut in the wereboar's flesh. The boar gores forward again as she leaps for the trapdoor and Alyssa wrenches the ladder apart behind her. The weakened rungs at the top snap easily and the old woman is nearly toppled by the long, unbalanced weight.
Betha crashes into the floor, a bleeding, unconscious wreck as Jordanna lobs her bomb upwards! There is a snarl from above and the wereboar comes crashing down through the trapdoor, nearly hitting Betha's unconscious form!
"Murderers!" It snorts, glaring at the coven with its beady eyes!
"You say that like it's a bad thing, dearie," Alyssa calmly observes as she steps back and heals her unconscious companion.
Jordanna casts color spray on the lycanthrope.
Betha hops to her feet ...
... and then slashes at the creature with her katana.
Jordanna bathes the wereboar in blindingly bright colours and the creature topples with a mighty thud!
With the threat neutralized, Jordanna takes the time to search through the tower's ground floor. She leaves the exploration of the roof to her more nimble sisters.
Betha is quite willing to take to the second floor to see what may be sequestered away up there. If we can find a replacement ladder, of course.
Betha draws her sword cleanly across the creatures throat and it gurgles out its lifeblood, monstrous features receding. Moments later the body of Agatha Claggan is left on the tower floor, face still twisted into a snarl of fear and rage.
The upstairs of the tower is much like the lower floor, a jumble of old crates, decaying tarpaulins and other objects of little use. Alyssa and Jordanna however, find that the chest thrown at them contains a masterwork light crossbow and a bag of holding (type I) containing six flasks of alchemist’s fire and a thunderstone.
"Hmph. The bartender's wife. I knew she was a fat sow, but I didn't think that was literal."
Jordanna looks at the items in the chest appreciatively.
"Stupid woman," she says when Agatha reverts to her human form. "She should have known she was in a losing position and acted accordingly. So what do we do with the body?"
Betha looks over the contents of the chest dismissively.
"Nothing there I want."
Alyssa looks with interest at the chest of items. The crossbow's of no interest, but the fire on the other hand...
She turns back to the hobgoblin, who apparently didn't want to get his hands dirty in a fight. "Very well, since we're paying you, dearie, disposing of this body so that nobody ever finds it is your job."
She looks at Betha. "Was this the only thing up in the loft, dearie? You know I don't like surprises." She taps the girl with her wand. "There you go, a minute or so and you'll be right as rain."
Zigar nods, pulls out a wicked looking knife and begins sizing the body up. The coven take their leave with their new gear in tow.
Arriving back at the jail-house another guest appears. Razelago. His bloated body hovering above the table he speaks.
"I looked in on your guest. Why exactly have you arrested one of the town gatekeepers?"
"He and his wife were plotting to steal weapons in the armory to use against the Baron. We took care of them and their piggy ally."
Razelago looks delighted, but tuts disapprovingly none the less. "Rebellion and sedition. How dreadful." He shakes his head, the bloated flies abdomen shaking as he does so. "The Archbaron is most concerned about the recent spate of lawlessness so he believes it is important to set an example that such behaviour cannot, and will not, be tolerated. He is announcing a public execution, two days from now."
Razelago glances back to the cells. "That one will do nicely. The Archbarons men will construct a suitable scaffold if you specify what you want. Oh and"
He hovers closer, his voice dropping to an unctuous whisper. "Lets avoid any more... escapes shall we? I've not said anything abut the first one - bu if there's no-one to execute on the day..." You'll be up there instead. hangs in the air as he vanishes from sight.
"No need to worry on our account," Betha says smoothly. "There will be someone to hang."
She turns to look at her sisters.
"We'll need to have someone available as the 'understudy' if something happens to that guy," she says with a gesture towards the old man.
"I'm certain we can find some other troublemaker to make an example out of," Jordanna agrees.
Alyssa nods, although she's mentally sizing the impudent devil-messenger up for a coffin; or whatever it is that fiends are buried in. Nasty, Lawful things, getting in the way and acting so self-important.
She brightens up at the mention of a public execution: "Just the one, though, is it dearie? I'm sure we could round up some more troublemakers. Even if they don't know they're causing trouble. That's the worst sort of troublemaker. Shouldn't be allowed."
"More scaffolds can be arranged for lawful executions." Razelago replies to Alyssa just as he vanishes.
With their winged devil overseer on his way the coven has time on their hands, much of the day has been lost to assorted mayhem causing but an hour or two of light remains.
Alyssa grumbles a bit to herself after the fiend has disappeared. "Trust a devil to take all the fun out of a public execution..."
"Don't worry, sister. One day, we'll give that devil his due."
The night passes quietly and the coven returns next morning to the jail from Ash House (which I think is where you're all still sleeping?).
Jordanna flings out an arm to halt her sisters as they approach. The ground in front of the jailhouse is heavily trodden and Jordanna's sharp eyes can see scratches around the jailhouse lock - someone has been attempting something during the night...
Jordanna growls angrily. "I'm beginning to think we'd be better off sleeping here instead of the Ash House. So many troublemakers trying to break our prisoners out!"
She looks more closely to try to determine what happened. She also opens the door to check on the old gatekeeper.
Jordanna's best guess, which Betha's greater expertise in the matter confirms, is that someone tried (inexpertly) to pick the door lock. Alyssa meanwhile is able to establish from the tracks that there were two people involved, although they seemed to wear extremely similar boots.
Once the door in unlocked the coven find Dent 'safe' in his cell. The old man barely reacts to their presence and seems entirely defeated.
"Any chance we could follow these tracks to their source and find the culprits?" Jordanna asks her elder sister.
Alyssa sighs at the sight - both at another attempt at escape, and the clumsiness of it. "Dearie, dearie me. Let's see who's been doing things they shouldn't have."
"Yes, let's follow the tracks," Betha says smiling. "Perhaps we'll have a pair of 'understudies' that we can put on stage with the main performer."
The tracks head across the town square and then veer off into a side street - clearly in an attempt to confuse any pursuit. Sadly for the attempted rescuers Alyssa has been at this game a long time and she follows the trail through back streets, across yards and even into a pig sty, before eventually emerging at the small cemetary gate behind the church of Iomedae...
Jordanna eyes the church with a gleam in her eye. "So, what do you say, sisters? Is this enough probable cause to perform a thorough 'search' of the church?"
Betha looks at the footprints again.
"Loran and Locar," she says with a grin. "Allamar's sons. That's who this was. Yes, let's pay them a visit."
Alyssa nods. "Maybe that's two more for the execution. And their mother too, if they resist arrest."
"Shall we head 'round to the front door? Or shall we knock here?" Betha questions with anticipation.
"Dealer's choice," Jordanna says. She casts mage armor on herself in anticipation of a fight.
The coven enters by the main door, since the back door is obviously well locked. The church nave is not huge but is neatly furnished and well lit, with a large stained glass window depicting the Twelve Acts sending streams of coloured light all across the room.
A few moments after they enter, Sword-Knight Allamar emerges from a side door and moves half-way down the nave to meet the coven.
"Greetings Ladies. Have you come to pray for the Inheritor's forgiveness?"
"Actually, we've come to speak to your sons. Would you ask them to come out, please?" Betha says. Her voice lacks its normal honeyed tones and is all business.
"And what do you want, witch?!" Comes a voice from above. In the raised gallery that runs around the top of the nave two shadowed figures stand - glaring down.
"He says that as if it were an insult," Betha says to Jordanna. She smiles as she responds to the youth above. "You and your brother clumsily attempted to gain unlawful entry into our jail last night. No doubt to attempt to free the seditious traitor we have in custody there."
"I would recommend you come with us to answer some questions," she continues. "That would be the honorable thing to do. It would be such a disgrace to flout the law and morality in your mother's very own church. How embarrassing it would be for her."
Alyssa nods. "Best for everyone if you do what you're told, boys. don't go trying to think for yourselves at this late stage of your lives. Could be the last thing you ever do."
Loran and Locan shrink backwards under Alyssa's wrath but their mother is made of sterner stuff.
"These are serious allegations you make." She responds quietly. "You of course have proof? Witnesses? Anything that would hold up in a legal trial under Her Infernal Majistrix's justice?"
She's smiling slightly, seemingly confident that you don't.
"After I've questioned them, dearie, they'll confess. Believe me. The trial will just be a formality after that."
Besides, she's sure that Betha's nice boyfriend can manufacture a useful witness or two if the price is right.
It's so easy when you're eeeeevil
"Or are you going to prevent the Archbaron's lawful representatives from questioning suspects?"
She smiles, almost hoping that the answer is yes - Alyssa has been waiting a long, long time to pay back the insults that the church of Iomedae heaped on her all those years ago.
"Of course not." The Sword-Knight replies. "My sons will be happy to attend a formal deposition in front of the town notary and another member of the town in good standing. Myself perhaps, or Doctor Rohelendi? And at this deposition you will present your evidence as to why my sons are suspects in the first place - since you apparently don't have any at this point. Thus justice will be served and the course of law prevails. The Inheritor teaches us that justice and righteousness go hand in hand." She bows her head momentarily and then looks up again. "When you have the deposition scheduled I will ensure my sons attend. Good day to you."
She clearly expects the coven to leave.
"Shame on you, dearie. And shame on your sons." Alyssa's elderly body shakes with indignation - only some of which is feigned.
"Here - in this place, of all places - devoted to the Goddess of Truth and Righteousness - are your sons honestly going to deny, right now, that they went to the prison and tried to pick the locks? Did you really not teach them that lying is wrong? What sort of mother are you, anyway?"
"And are you going to shelter law-breakers within your church? I always knew her worshippers were false." She spits on the floor at the priestess' feet. "Thank you for confirming it, dearie. I feel better already."