Damien begins walking towards a small cabinet, addressing the group as he walked away, “I knew we would be able to count on you to come up with some interesting plans. Take the next few days to gather information or prepare in any way you can. The Gardeners are no slouches, so spend this time making sure you have every advantage you can manage. We will have the opportunity to meet again on Wealday evening to finalize the plan to free Sister Pauline.”
Reaching into the cabinet, Damien returns with a few messenger bags and hands one to each member of the group. “These pouches should be of use to each of you. Each can protect a few pages, letting you keep some illicit notes or intel on your person without much concern for discovery. Additionally, you’ll find some extra money in a variety of denominations. This should help you cover any expenses big and small you may have during your preparations and leave plenty to thank you for your time and discretion.”
“If you have any final topics to discuss before we adjourn, or arrange anything with your new allies, please do so now.”
Inside each pouch you find 7 bloodstone gems (50gp ea), 50 gold, 5 platinum, 100 silver pieces.
"Lastly, the Cerulean Sanctum has three exits: the one you entered through upstairs, as well as an exit to the Theatre Quarter and a third in Sud Rivière. Please make use of the added security against divinations if you feel the need, just make sure you aren’t followed. You may leave notes here for us or your fellow Council members."
"I'd be remiss if I didn't insist on your silence with regard to the activities of this Council," Le Voile stands. "We shall see you all Wealday, after sundown. Look for a message on our meeting location early Wealday morning. Until then, adieu."
Emilien: The Coffee Shop Owner with GM Le Quatrième Voile
Wyssal: The Barrister with GM Renard
Thisbe: The Racketeer with GM Le Quatrième Voile
Lev: The Partisan with GM Le Quatrième Voile
Nyx: The Courtesan with GM Renard
In the evening, after whiling away the day anticipation, the evening of the rescue has arrived. The sun hangs low in the sky and curfew approaches as you've donned your disguise and make your way through the many alleys of Sud Rivière, avoiding the eyes of many. You finally find the location you were looking for in a mostly abandoned street hangs the faded sign of a cupcake with a cherry on top, and text below reads 'Cerise sur le Dessus'.
The abandoned shop seems quiet, and there is little sign that anyone is within. Walking into the abandoned shop, you can peer your head into an alcove with a closed door. Opening the door, you see the same fog that was visible within the Cerulean Sanctum. Just as the last location, there's no sound coming from within. Stepping beyone the fog, you can see the Le Quatrième Voile seated on the hearth of an unused oven. Gathered around are the other recruits who've arrived already: Emilien and Thisbe.
"Join us, join us," Le Voile calls everyone together. "Damien will be joining us before long. Thisbe was just sharing her local visits."
Patiently, the racketeer Thisbe watches as everyone circles up before she proceeds. "Well I thought that an open bar for a gang of Caydogs would be a good way to keep the streets of Sud Rivière alive late into the night. The only problem was that I didn't know which bar to choose. I was still able to track down a few tabs from some of the friendlier of their members and make an anonymous donation. It may not be as loud as I wanted, but there will almost certainly be a smattering of drunks in the district tonight."
When the Vice agent finishes, Emilien looks to Lev and Nyx with a nod. He seems pleased with his contribution before even speaking it, but offers to let the halfling and the courtesan speak first.
Lev grins at the group, eager to share his nascent plan of attack. "I've got a few of the Rose who are ready to make a distraction and run for it. I'll disguise myself as a Gardener and hand Pauline's escorts order that I'm to take her for fear of revolutionaries making trouble- once I'm in place, those Blood Rose runners I mentioned will stir up some trouble and lead off her old guards. If they see through me we might have to grab her and run- but that's the worst case scenario we want to avoid if at all possible!"
Lev looks to Emelien, Thisbe and Nyx to see what they think.
Nyx rises from her seat, and waits for control of the room to be hers. "I successfully managed to tail several Grey Gardeners undetected while they were mapping the secret route they plan to take Pauline. It means that we can reliably plan our initial rescue attempt in an advantageous location, as well as escape with Pauline."
The room looks kindly at Nyx as she mentions knowing the Gardener's route.
"Amazing work, Madame," Emilien gives a smile. "I'm much more confident about our efforts now."
Thisbe doesn't speak up, but gives a nod of approval.
"Describe this place where you found them," Le Voile steps forward spreading his sleeves to clear the center of the room. He waves his hands about as he coaxes more and more detail from Nyx's memory of the busy street of Isarn and the alleyway where she saw the Gardener's cross. Illusions of the dimly lit street come to vibrant life in the basement of the bakery. With Nyx's help, Le Voile crafts an illusion all around the group of La Scène. Over the course of an hour, at Nyx's direction, Le Voile walks the four council members through the twisted alleys of an eerily quiet moving illusion of Sud Riviere. From a busy street running east across the district south of the river, the illusion passes through the room until everyone 'exits' onto La Rue du Pain within a bowshot from the Farmer's Gate. "From here, the Gardeners can usher Sister Pauline to Litran with ease. She'll be put to death, and no one shall be held to account for it."
"I'd say we have a few options on where to meet them," Thisbe suggests as the gnome's illusion fades back into the basement ruined bakery basement. "We still have some time to prepare, but I'd like to hear more about the tools at our disposal. Material, knowledge..., monsieur Lev mentioned some agitators he can add to the mix. If we know what we have, we'll be able to choose the best place to attack."
"I was able to map a couple of catacomb access points." Emilien excitedly raises his hand. "I would not say I've been thorough enough to navigate a significant distance, but somewhere to lay low could be beneficial."
"Very good, very good," Le Voile offers more praise. "We else do we have at our disposal?"
"I'll be grabbing some cheap fabric in the morning, for my Gardener disguise," Lev says. "Some place with lots of crossroads, and plenty of cover to duck behind would be optimal. I have no skill with locks, so we'll need someone to free Pauline sooner than later. I could use the expertise of someone adept at forgery to fake the transfer orders as well," he states while looking at the group.
"I can potentially help you out with the forgery aspect Lev, although it will be a rough job if I'm doing this on the clock as it were" Nyx points out thoughtfully.
Lev nods. "That's all right, it doesn't have to pass close inspection, just enough to make them more amenable to the deception. I also have this cloak- though poor quality, it will help maintain the illusion. I hope, at least!" Lev removes a grey cloak from his bag and presents it to the group.
"Good, good," Le Voile cheers with a bit of a chuckle.
"I've brought some of the paper I mentioned to madame Nyx," Emilien finds his satchel in the corner and begins fetching supplies. "I've plenty of inks as well," he grins as he lays out the fine papers necessary for creating a convincing transfer notice.
"I cooked up one of these last night," Thisbe reaches into a simple satchel she has been lugging about. She draws a smaller, hempen sack wet with goop from inside. "I regret not having time to create more. I brought a few flasks that might burn an opponent, but I don't think they'll be especially useful in the 'cut and run' style of operation. I've got some healing tinctures too if things get bad out there."
As Emilien opens his mouth to speak further, Le Voile urgently snaps her hands into the air, demanding silence. She shifts uncomfortably in her robes, and the floorboards above suddenly creak quietly. With no words and a few arcane gestures, Le Voile releases another illusion upon the room, this time rendering the same dank basement everyone is standing them, but empty.
"As much as I admire the caution, it's me," a familiar voice calls down the stairwell from above after a few tense moments. Feet descend at an easy pace until Damien Martel walks into the room, with a bit of sweat on his brow and apparent on his clothes. The illusion washes away revealing the group to the other head Councilor. "I'm terribly sorry for my late arrival, Wealdays truly difficult working for the Party, but such is the cost of democracy. Alas, tyranny does not respect our schedules, or anything else for that matter. I'm thrilled to see you've all returned for the operation."
"So chipper" Le Voile matches the Whip's mirth with her greeting.
"Well, I come bearing my favorite sort of gift," Damien announces, giving a knowing grin to Emilien. He stands straight and throws his shoulders back as if about to give a stump speech. "Information! And of the most useful type, I bet daresay Norgorber would be jealous." Despite the room's expectation that the politician might be here to share some relevant secrets, Damien pauses for effect before continuing.
"Through some of my barrister contacts, I was able to gather some information about prisoner transfers happening tonight. While Goss would never openly admit to who he's transferring, there's always at least a little bit of a paper trail. I was able to find a prisoner transfer starting at half-past midnight. It seems they'll want to avoid any of the nightlife that flaunts curfew. Damien announced.
"It'll cost a damn fortune to keep Caydogs drinking that late," Thisbe laments as she looks to her coin purse.
"The Melody is doing well enough, I could easily draw on my own resources to help fund a drinking habit" Nyx remarks absently, not too worried at the cost as much as other aspects. "Its good news that we know when and where though, gives us plenty of time to get into position, have the documents and disguises ready."
Lev nods, stroking his beard. "The right atmosphere will have the Caydogs paying for their own drinks- a good story could get things started, then I can slip away to prepare an intercept," the halfling says. "A drink or two to calm the nerves before we begin couldn't hurt either!"
With Damien's cheer at the news out of the way, Le Voile pulls up her illusion of the city again. "I noticed a few places that might be opportune." He announces, and the illusion zooms in on a large intersection with several cross-streets. "This plaza offers several points of ingress and egress, along with a web of side-streets, but there is not a close catacomb access, and the larger roads that meet here mean you'll need some way to cover your escape."
The illusion then pans again, this time to a lone side street, long and isolated. "This old row will offer you the opportunity to ambush the Gardeners more easily and control any routes of escape, but your maneuverability will also be hindered and you'll need to extract Pauline without killing the Gardeners."
Finally, the illusory map moves and shows a much smaller intersection than the plaza, but the streets are wider than the lonely road above. "Finally, this location is less ideal tactically, with the roads too wide to easily control, but too few to help make escape easy. However, there is a catacomb access incredibly close, just one street away, if you can overcome the tactical deficits."
Damien then chimes in again to add, "This is your operation, and you all know your own abilities best. Take the time to review the locations and consider which will best suit your preparations."
Nyx peers at the illusion for a long moment, considering each of the three options.
"If we are involving the Rose and the Caydogs we want a large space not a small one, the better to maneuver a crowd of people. The lack of a close catacomb is annoying but considering Lev and I are probably disguising ourselves as legitimate Gardeners, we won't look too suspicious, and the chaotic mess the Rose and Caydogs create should be able to cover our exit or delay things while presenting us a logical reason for being present. The timing will have to be perfect though."