"It's important to note that though the mages themselves are a pantsshitting threat, they will most certainly have every sort of resource at their hands. They are powerful and they are In Charge. They are writing the narrative now. And in their employ is every sort of devious character you could imagine. Traitors. Infidels. Abstinents. Hard-ass motherf+%!ing killers. Negating the magic is priority one. Negating physical harm is a very close two. So what do we have on that?"
"True enough. And we have the Scroll of Silence to negate any spells that requires speaking. However, a well-learned enough caster may not even need to speak." Dev taps his bony fingers on the table, building up a steady rhythm. "I was not able to get the Scroll of Dimensional Anchor so a mage able to teleport would be able to do so if we cannot interrupt them. As for physical harm, I do not know. It seems to me our best chance would be to ambush one and hope we get rid of them before they can get a spell off."
Drewan pipes up. "I've noticed that mages of all sorts don't cast so well when they're sprouting arrows, or any number of other wounds. As long as we focus our efforts, we should be able to take care of things quickly. So, let's pick a target and a time, and get to it."
"I agree with Dev and Drewan. Ambush. I'll nominate Akeli. Her summons, if she even gets a chance, won't be able to help her if we're already upon her. But if we see Torenest, lets go for him in-case Akeli doesn't show. Let's get them before the meeting, they're intensifying the guard at night. We can simply use our disguises at the entrance to be sure we don't miss them. Chandler and I can convince the original guards that we're on disciplinary guard duty or something. I will cast silence on whoever closes with the mage first, then commit arrows until the target is down. Someone will have to make sure the job is finished, and then someone to cover our escape. The rest of us should be right at the door."
She takes a sip of a drink, looking to the table in thought. After a brief silence, she looks to Hazan.
"A little slick grease can help with that, but I think I should be at the door. What do you think?"
An ambush seems like the best option and Akeli and Torenest seem to be the most dangerous in person. However, Master Veray is the head of the council, and as the bard says, kill the head and the body will die. Also, do we know how they travel to these meetings? Do they walk, ride, fly? Do they travel alone or in a group?
"Master Veray may be the head, but if he's so young and secretive, he must be very dangerous. I don't think I want to try my luck against him in a place he'll probably be on guard."
It could be argued that any time we could attack him would be a time he'd likely be on guard. However, if the rest of the team would also prefer another target, I would support that decision.
Hazzan turns to the rest of the team
Gentlemen?
Jake nods to Roco "Sounds like the best plan, I would favour attack Torenest as I suspect he is least likely to not need to speak or have the ability to teleport. Remember this will need to be very quick and we need a escape plan."
Departure from the meeting does not follow this same pattern. Each is usually delayed in private conversations with notable individuals from the community and depart separately as they finish those conversations. They may or may not have guards with them during their departures.
"Now that I think about it, they'll probably be together before the meeting. Scratch hitting them prior to the meeting, because that really isn't an option. This will be a night operation, and perhaps better done a little bit north toward the tower grounds."
"The main problem that I see is that we don't know what routes the mages will take. We will need someone tailing them that can communicate with the rest of us, and we'll need to work quickly to set up an ambush." Drewan sighs. "Because of this, I don't believe we will be able to pick a target beforehand. We should pick a target that seems promising at the time. If we force ourselves to choose a single target, but he travels home with a dozen guards, where are we then?"
Hazan smiles and claps Drewan on the back
Richer from the spoils of a dozen guards, friend.
adopting a more serious expression
Perhaps, a priority list is in order. That way, if our first choice is no good we all know who the next target should be.
"I can provide the tail if that is what we need, althought the disguise job may be a difficult one." Jake looks across at Rocosmia..
Rocosmia nods to Jake. "The guard uniforms should be a big help with that. Torenest, then Akeli for the priority list then. One of the two should show up on the way."
Library street runs northward passing a neat collection of homes and shops, as if proximity to the library demands order compared to the more haphazard layout of the rest of the city.
Only a little farther north and to the west of the street lies the tower grounds .
The large building at the north edge of the map on the west side of library street is a warehouse used by the tower to stock common goods. There are always several tower guards standing around it.
On a side street to the east is a decorative spot where many street performers practice their talents during the day near two large fountains. A large wooden structure supports a number of beams fifteen feet overhead providing partial shade during the day. Various plants and bushes in the area provide a very faint but refreshing scent.
"I was thinking about for the tail. He is a little small for the uniforms, I was thinking halfing merchant. That wait he can stop the target to talk to him where we want him and maybe even remove a few items from the target before the fight starts. Being silenced without the pouch of spell materials might slow them down even more."
"Yes. We should move soon, to prepare ourselves and to catch if anyone's arriving early. Familiarize ourselves with the area and find an escape route if needed. And if none of the mages enter our ambush, then we'll have to infiltrate the meeting or wait until it ends, both of which may be possible."
"That sounds like a good idea, both of you. Now we've just got to do it. First, disguises."
Rocosmia does not wait for any further discussion. She impetuously heads somewhere appropriate to make up disguises, leading whoever follows.
Drewan quietly sits and lets Rocosmia attempt to disguise him. "I plan on being on a nearby rooftop. I'll wear a uniform, as well, so that if I must join you on the street, I'll blend in with the rest of you."
A few hours before the meeting Rocosmia takes some time and effort assisting everyone with looking the part of one of the city watch. Then painstakingly disguises Puck to look the part of a hafling merchant, though it takes some remonstration from Jake to get him to sit still.
With the large selection of stolen guard uniforms finding a good fit for everyone isn't a problem.
Arriving a little before the meeting is a take place Dev and Drewan make their into some of the back streets, and when no one is looking Drewan assits Dev up onto one of the roofs then follows behind him. Both take up a prone position overlooking the main street while using the shallow slope of the roof to remain hidden.
Jake, Rocosmia, Digger and Hazan lounge about on the street below.
It is not a long wait before Master's Torenest and Liam along with four tower guard can be soon coming from the direction of the tower. Master Torenest towers above the smaller Master Liam, his thick arms look as though they could tear an oak tree out of the ground. A rune etched warhammer hangs at his side and a iron breastplate protects his vitals. His hair is touched with gray and his face is beginning to show the first signs of aging.
Master Liam is old, his hair thin and gray and his back bent a bit with age, though wisdom and learning shows in his eyes.
Their four guards are dressed in chain shirts and have heavy steel shields strapped to their backs. They each carry a different weapon. A flail, a longsword, a battleaxe and a trident. Each also carries a longbow across his or her back.
Other citizens also walk the streets, and to the south numerous people can be seen crowding around the library, heading for the entrance and the meeting.
The two men and their guards soon pass by, making their way towards the library.
A few minutes later Master Veray can be seen coming down the street. Of average height, he is in his late thirties. He is slightly overweight and talks animatedly with a young elven woman.
(gulp, whisper) "Veray... great. Alright. Let's get him. Puck, do your thing." With that, Rocosmia waits with scroll rolled up in one hand, not focusing on Master Veray and the woman.
Dev waits, watching Master Torenest and Liam pass by. The situation is tense but he is somewhat calmed by having Drewan next to him. When Master Veray appears, he waits for a signal, noticing him as a good target.
Whispering over the message "Get ready. Our halfing friend will try to delay them for a minute or two while we make sure of the situation. Look out for the unexpected.".
Jake turn away as if looking down another street and casts detect magic then turns back to examine the pair.
Puck turns to see Veray and runs up to him stopping a metre away panting. "Master Veray. I am so glad I managed to find you." Puck glances at Veray checking for spell component pouchea and other interesting items and then at the woman. To the woman he says "Oh, sorry I didn't mean to interupt but I have something very important to talk thw councilman about."
Also, I'll be wearing my armor, so won't need mage armor.
Drewan whispers to the others, "We don't have to do this before the meeting, remember. The woman with Veray may very well be a cleric, which will make this much more difficult."
As Puck runs up to the mage and the elven woman he overhears just a bit of their conversation, the woman speaking "Adian, you are constantly bogged down in political matters, but this really can't wait."
Both then focus their attention on Puck. Master Veray speaks, his voice kindly but firm. "I'm sorry sir. I don't have time to discuss anything at present. You may contact my secretary back the tower though. He can likely take care of your issue for you, or relay the information to me when I'm not busy."
Both Master Veray and the elven woman move to step around the hafling.
"Alright we are going to abort, I don't think we are all ready and I don't want to attack the most powerful of the mages with unknown suport availible to him." Jake whispers
And he seems like the nicest of the lot. He thinks although that probably means he is the worst.
Jake keeps looking at the pair for 18 seconds and if required walking to keep them in range of his detect magic to see what magics they have.
Puck looks annoyed and frustrated but sighs and says "Sorry to disturb you, I'll make an appointment with your secretary." Then turns away.
As Dev gets into position, he prepares to start summoning his eidolon, trusting the rooftops to keep them out of sight and hearing.
"I'm going to summon my eidolon now," Dev warns Drewan ahead of time. "Keep watch, I won't be able to notice anything while summoning."
He closes his eyes and starts chanting something in an unknown language, guttural and dark. The sounds seem less like speaking and more like a lamentation. It is the noise of wind through dead branches, the sighing of dead through a cypress grove at midnight.
Around his prone form, the shadows seem to gather and deepen.
The shadows solidify and a dark growth starts spreading from where Dev lies, slimy like moss. It seems alive, pulsing softly before pieces of it rise up and form a piece of dark writhing flesh.
It rolls against itself. In places, the flesh puffs out a little, splits, opens, bleeds black ichor that drips to the ground and mixes with the darkness, and at the bottom of the split an eye, a laughing mouth appears. The same process happens all over as the flesh grows from the darkness, feeding itself, growing and bleeding, over and over until it becomes the size of a fist, a skull, a man.
Appendages grow: centipede-tongues, fingers curling against themselves, three-cornered arms folding and unfolding, curved spider-legs with big bumps swelling in places, hairy and bulbous like onions. The wounds that bleed scab over, filthy and infected, and they blossom into flowers of flesh, forming into hands that spasm in seeming agony, mouths that scream in silence, glassy eyes that ooze black tears. The eyes blink, the mouths twitch, teeth closing around nothing. Tentacles ooze and curl. Parts solidify and soften, some patches appearing slimy and oiled and others hard and chitinous.
The limbs start to grasp each other, sticking closely until they appear to be one limb altogether until they form humanoid arms and legs. The extremities form and start bleeding, chitinous claws starting to protrude from them, wicked and sharp. Similar spikes start growing out of its spine and parts of its flesh. From its back, two arms reach out for nothing before they are covered in hands, pulling them back. Darkness covers them, solidifying into a mishmash of purple feathers, misshapen scales, and small spikes until they form wings.
A head appears, or what seems like a head. It is a sphere of flesh on top of the being, pulsing softly. Eyes start pushing outward of the flesh, bleeding horribly and staring wildly at nothing. All these eyes slowly devour the face, which splits at the bottom into horrible sharp teeth as the eyes focus on the man before it.
A glowing rune appears on where its forehead would have been, and identical symbol appearing on Dev's forehead as well, signifying their bond.
The being opens its mouth, hungry and salivating, and opens the mouth beneath that and the mouth beneath that. The protruding teeth shudder in anticipation.
"Long time," the eidolon purrs, its voice a million hungry knives sweeping across Dev's mind. The being reaches out towards Dev and envelopes him in his arms, clutching him possessively.
"Too long," Dev agrees, letting himself be dragged towards the being in a hug. He lies limply, winded from the summoning.
"I have missed you."
Waiting for the two to pass, Rocosmia only so much as glances at them. "That's three," she whispers. "...we'll have to wait until the meeting is over then. Let's get off the roads for a few hours and meet back here."
Checking up to Dev and Drewan, she looks to Digger. "How about you and I make a little visit to the gathering?"
"My dear, a fine idea." Digger shifts his appearance to that of a middle-aged half-elf.
Jake stops digger. " It would be better to let Roccosmia do they will be looking for illusions at the meeting."
"Not until they need to. Hey, trust me." Digger grins.
"It's not about trust, it's about risk and why bother risking anything if you don't have to. If I was a powerful mage at a public meeting I controled I would have guards scanning the crowd using magics to see what other spells were active. And I would tell them to check the illusion spells first." Jake whispers
"They're too arrogant for that. This ain't my first rodeo, Jake."
"Now you are being arrogant, do not underestimate your enemy. Do not put your self in danger when you don't need to and above all of those don't put your team in danger when we don't need to" Jake whispers.
"Alright- Jake has a point. We can do this without the hat. Just take your time with the disguise and do it the old fashioned way. I'll see you there."
"Oh, fine."
Rocosmia and Digger quickly strip off the guard uniforms while the rest keep a watch for passers by who might wander into one of the back alleys.
A large crowd of people mills around the entrance to the library where a number of guards are peace bonding any blade or weapon larger than a dagger. The guards go about their work with a bored detachment.
The meeting has already started by the time you get inside the meeting hall, a packed room. Even the balconies above have people standing at the railings looking down into the room below.
A dozen city guard stand placed around the room, their armor and uniforms standing out from the rest of the crowds. Four tower guard stand near the east end of the room where the three mages sit facing west, breastplates and helmets of a slightly different design than the city watch, but still bearing the familiar crescent moon symbol. A fourth man stands to one side of the three mages, his dress suggesting he is a mage of the tower as well, blue robes covering his short 5' and a little height. Short brown hair neatly trimmed and combed frames his face. The man looks to be in his mid forties.
The rest of the room is filled with chairs where merchant's and commoners alike sit packed close together, though the front two rows of seats are taken by those of clearly greater wealth and a few personal bodyguards.
Near the east end, resting between the mages and their guards and the front rows of seats stands a podium. A finely dressed middle aged man is speaking from the pulpit. ”...as the government is well aware, one of my ships was attacked on its way back from the islands five days ago. The pirates are at this very time still sitting in your cells. How long will our seeking redress for these things fall on deaf ears?” There are several angry mutters from the crowd.
Master Liam speaks up, ”Mister di Alkanov, we hear your words, but considering the tidy profit you made from that expedition, uh, a new ship added to your fleet, I don't believe you personally are suffering from the issues facing our kingdom.”
”Oh, I was fortunate, this time at least. But my colleague, Miss Ashin, we've learned today has not fared so well.” di Alkanov gestures to a woman sitting near the front, and a man in leather armor stands. His face is a very familiar one, the caravan lieutenant from a few days past. ”Idmech, can you please relate the events of two days ago to this council.”
The lieutenant steps up to the podium as di Alkanov steps to the side to make room for him. ”I am Idmech Daniay. I serve as one of the caravan guards for Miss Ashin. Two days ago we were ambushed on the road to Issust Hold, little more than a days journey outside of Coran. Several men and one woman dressed in the livery of the empire approached us with claims that our captain was smuggling flayleaf. When our caravan captain refused to bow to their fraudulent demands they attacked us. There were several hiding in the trees, a catfolk, a wizard of some kind who conjured up a demon, and another whom I did not get a good look at, had a cloak pulled down close over his head.” The room is silent has Idmech continues the tale. ”Seeing the guard rushing toward them they ensorcelled our captain, and demanded we depart. I had already taken several arrow wounds, and some of the men were also hurt. Seeing we were outmatched we had no choice but to withdraw and have seen nought of the caravan or our captain since.”
Mister di Alkanov stands again, ”Will you deny Miss Ashin redres for the loss of her caravan? And Idmech brings up a concerning point, are the patrols no longer to be trusted? Do they harass the honest and hard working folk for their own gain now?” More mutters from the crowd at the questions.
The mages confer for a moment with one another then Master Liam speaks again, ”I can assure you Mister di Alkanov that those who waylaid the caravan are not representatives of the tower.” His look shows anger that such would even be suggested as true. He turns his gaze to the woman, ”Miss Ashin what was the value of your caravan?”
Her voice is nasally, ”Fifteen hundred gold crowns Master Liam.”
Master Liam sighs resignedly, ”Very well, we will see your losses are covered.” He leans over to Master Veray again to whisper for a moment. ”And from forthwith there will be a change in the road patrols. Two members from a patrol will hereby accompany all further caravans as both added protection and to prevent any such attempts to impersonate government authority. The same will be done for all sailing vessels headed down the coast to Issust Hold or to the islands.”
Digger shares with some bystanders, "See the way the mage's eyes moved? Lying. They were behind this. Merchants are getting too poweful, so they'll be disrupting them."
The woman sitting next to Digger nods knowingly, buying into his subterfuge. ”Yes, can't trust the lot of them.” she says, as though this is what she has believed all along.
As Mister di Alkanov takes his seat Master Liam speaks again, ”Coen Aldath, you may take the podium.”
A man in rich clothing and jewelry stands, one ear is pierced and a tattoo of a dragon climbs along one side of his face. He is a little taller than average with blonde hair and a handsome face. His voice is a clear tenor as he speaks. ”You are well aware I'm sure of the events two nights past Master Liam.” Coen's face grows dark for a moment, but he suppresses whatever anger he has. ”I also heard this afternoon a rumor that Radgar the Butcher has returned, and that he was responsible for the murders.” There are gasps and murmurs among the crowd. ”What do you know of this news?” His hands clench and unclench around the pulpit.
Master Liam is about to speak, but Master Veray puts a hand on his arm and stops him. Master Veray stands up to address Coen, his voice is calm. ”We have indeed heard that news. I have seen his evil firsthand this afternoon. It could not have been Radgar that committed the murders in the city though. Those who were killed two nights ago were all killed within the space of an hour.”
The room is tense, many in this group it seems remember Radgar the Butcher.
Up in the rooftops, Vower keeps Dev close as his head moves to look at Drewan, his eyes blinking in interest at the catfolk. "What is this?"
"That's Drewan. He's a . . . friend."
"A friend? Like Geoff?"
"Something like that."
"Ahhhh," the eidolon exhales, and the sound is soft like the rustling of a dark forest. His mouth parts in an imitation of a smile, the grating of bone on bone as his teeth slide against each other. "Hello, Drewan."