Swire unlocks the door and slowly pushes it open.
1d20+12;1d20+8
The stairway leads upwards, dark and redolent of stale vomitus and other bodily fluids. On the third floor, Issac, Drazek and Swire come to the door. Swire inserts the key and rotates it. He doesn't get any sense of a trap and he opens the door. As the door swings open there is a *tunng* sound. A crossbow bolt comes flying at Mr. Swire.
The bolt whickers by his head, ripping a gash in his ear before burying itself in the wall where it buzzes like an angry bee.
Drazek gives a peek in afterwards. The room is rather large as inn rooms go. There is a crossbow on a tripod, with a string threaded through its trigger attached to the doorknob. A large window stands open, the damp Cage Afterpeak air blowing fitfully thorough the room. Through the open window, Drazek can see the crazyquilt of the squatter camp outside.
The room looks like it was hastily tossed. A dresser sits in the corner, its drawers pulled out and a few random pieces of clothing still inside. A rumpled bed, wardrobe, and mirrored washstand are the only other items in the room. The wardrobe stands open, a few clothes still hanging in it. Drazek doesn't sense anything arcane.
"I will also stay down here, in case someone else comes by looking for the Shadowknave." Ekuur pulls a silver out of his pocket and asks Three Teeth for "what she is having," indicating Karrin.
The large barkeep grunts and slides over a clay mug for Ekuur. He slides nine green coins over to him as change. The smell of cheap alcohol wafts from the chipped drinking vessel.
"Let's hope our coney was in a hurry to get Out of Town..."
Isaac begins a thorough search of the Shadowknave's quarters.
"Ahh!" Swire clutches the side of his head. "That berk's going to pay for trapping his door." Swire then helps Isaac search the room.
Justin, still blinking from the smoke making his eyes water, indicates that he will also stay with Karrin & Ekuur.
"Can't see anything anyway,... I thought you were supposed to smoke tobacco, not breathe it!" He grumbles, murmuring to himself as he slides up towards the bar. Once there, he gives the bartender his usual smirk, and also points to Karrin's drink. "One more." Feeling unusually generous, and unusually rich, from their recent adventures, he slides two copper coins onto the bar.
When the drink arrives, he lifts it with a smile, raises it to Karrin and Ekuur, and takes a swig. He pauses. His smile is still on his face, but it looks frozen there. He swallows and briefly considers asking for the extra copper back. He looks at the others with fresh tears forming in his eyes.
"Good stuff." He says, still smiling.
'IF I was looking for something to disenchant magic items! Hey,... I think I found something to clean those Alchemical stains from my workbench,...'
Merle feeling completely out of her element Hastily follows Swire and Isaac upstairs "Found anything?" she asks them
"Swire found a crossbow bolt.That's 'bout it so far"
"Swire found a crossbow bolt.That's 'bout it so far"
"Bar it." Swire glares at Drazek, his hand stained red with his blood, along with the side of his head.
Drazek rolls his eyes. "It'll heal."
Drazek rolls his eyes. "It'll heal."
"I've had worse. The point is, I shouldn't of even let it hit me."
"Can't argue with that"
Drazek takes a moment to take in the room, trying to figure out the most likely scenario for the hasty exit.
Sense motive
Bethany looks from those at the bar, to the stairs leading up and decides on the staris. Her eyes still watering from the haze in the air, she is fervently hoping that the air upstairs is cleaner (and at the very least there may be a window in the room she can open).
She follows Drazek up the stairs, smiling as she watches his leather clad behind in front of her. They reach the top and she brushes past him into the room, giving his arse a playful squeeze as she does so.
She looks to Swire first and sees that the wound isn't a bad one, then proceeds to scan the room with detect magic, sweeping in tandem with Drazek as she catches the fact that he is doing the same.
"Can't argue with that"
Drazek takes a moment to take in the room, trying to figure out the most likely scenario for the hasty exit.
Sense motive1d20+3
Drazek:
...
Bethany finds the open window in Shadowknave's room refreshing after the taproom's fetid smog. Her Detect Magic reveals naught. The window in the room is nice and large, she could even step out and launch herself from the sill if she needed. Drazek studies the homeless shacks that bracket the tavern, lost in thought.
"Good stuff." He says, still smiling.
'IF I was looking for something to disenchant magic items! Hey,... I think I found something to clean those Alchemical stains from my workbench,...'
As Justin enjoys the tongue-blistering cheap rum of the grog mix a group of three men stride into the tavern and head for the bar. They are dressed in dark-colored tunic and hose, with thick black fur cloaks clasped with brooches fashioned in the form of the Fated. Outside can be heard the clank of metal. A red-armored fellow peers in from the doorway, his cold eyes drinking in the scene. The common room quiets.
The three men stride up to Trunfeld and the oldest of then unrolls a large vellum scroll.
"I am here on behaf of the Taxation Department of the Hall of Records. It has come to our attention that a tax-evader, one 'Shadowknave' has been renting accomidation from you?'
The scarred ogre grunts.
"Lots of folks rent me rooms, Taker. What's yer point?"
The richly-dressed man pauses. His thin lips almost disappear as he stares up at the hulking giantkin.
"The point is I am here to serve him notice of his arrears. He is to be apprehended, and I am here to make sure that there are no difficulties. I have a squad of Harmonium guardsmen outside, and with your leave, I will have them take him into custody."
The ogre chuckles
"Yer a Peak late and a Stinger short, Taker. That bird's flown the Cage."
The man frowns.
"Indeed? And where did he fly to?"
The ogre grins, revealing several yellowed tombstone-looking teeth. He leans down and snorts on the man.
"I ain't 'is penpal. 'E left no forwardin' address."
The man frowns even deeper
"If that is so, I will need to search his quarters. I have a legal document to do so here."
He places another scroll on the bar. Trunfeld looks at it askance.
"Go ahead, berk. Third floor, last room."
The squad of red-armored men troop into the common room and begin filing up the stairs, swords unsheathed. The ogre looks at the three dark-tuniced men then at the party members still at the bar. He shrugs as if to say sorry, then returns to wiping his mugs
Issac:
As Issac and Swire search the room, a heavy clanking and stamping echoes down the hallway. Someone is coming up the stairway, and they are either well armored or carry sacks of ironmongery around.
Swire leans out of the door. "Hey! What's with all the racket?"
"Go ahead, berk. Third floor, last room."
"Your boss tell you what your really looking for?" Karrin asks, "because the chaosmen and the deadites have already beat you here. I suspect the cipher is already been nicked. The notebook is pretty much useless without it."
Isaac stuffs his find into his pockets, rises, and faces the window.
Sleight of hand to conceal the documents:
"Bar that, cutter. We got what we need, let's give this rat trap the laugh."
He swings out the window with as much grace as he can muster.
Acrobatics if applicable:
Climb if applicable:
Ekuur looks to both Karrin and Justin. "Perhaps we should do something to distract them?"
"Your boss tell you what your really looking for?" Karrin asks, "because the chaosmen and the deadites have already beat you here. I suspect the cipher is already been nicked. The notebook is pretty much useless without it."
The gentleman who procured the documents and did the palaver with Trunfeld turns his stern visage over to the tiefling
"And what, pray tell, would you know of a cipher and/or a notebook?"
Ekuur looks to both Karrin and Justin. "Perhaps we should do something to distract them?"
Isaac stuffs his find into his pockets, rises, and faces the window.
Sleight of hand to conceal the documents: 1d20+9"Bar that, cutter. We got what we need, let's give this rat trap the laugh."
He swings out the window with as much grace as he can muster.
Acrobatics if applicable: 1d20+8
Climb if applicable: 1d20+6
Issac grabs the burned papers and makes them disappear. He swings up on the wide window and begins clambering down the side of the building.
Issac finds that the uneven masonry and the ever-popular rusty steel spikes jutting from the building's sides an easy enough climb. He manages to shimmy down to the pounded muddy ground around the tavern. The squatter's hovels start up about 10 feet away, a warren of narrow debris-built roads.
Ekuur looks to both Karrin and Justin. "Perhaps we should do something to distract them?"
Swire leans out of the door. "Hey! What's with all the racket?"
Swire looks out the door and sees a squad of Hardheads, swords naked, clanking up the stairs. He instinctively ducks back into the room and shuts the door, but they will be knocking in seconds..
Keeping his head down, but peering at the men going up the stairs, Ekuur focuses on the armor of the lead man. His eyes flash with a brief fire, and he envisions the metal plate growing hotter ...
Stealth (if needed to remain unobserved)
"Sum'b&#*+'s been gone for hours. Definitely got the tip off and headed out the window. No way we'll find him in the warrens with the trail this cold."
Drazek focuses for a moment then steps out the window reorienting to treat the outside walls as 'down'. "Comin' Beth?"
"Sodding hardheads..." Swire glances around the room before settling on the open window. Without a word, Swire runs to the window and leaps out into the streets below.
The gentleman who procured the documents and did the palaver with Trunfeld turns his stern visage over to the tiefling"And what, pray tell, would you know of a cipher and/or a notebook?"
"We're the ones the broke this whole thing open actually," Karrin says, "so pretty much everything. I assume you guys got the notebook from the deadites. I hope they didn't charge too much for it. We were kinda forced to give them that, I mean we couldn't exactly get away without sharing with them after we busted into their base o' operations and all, but I figure the notebook is pretty much useless without the cipher. I suppose you've gotten you hands on the illuminated in your organization by now, I mean there were a lot of names, and we were able to uncover a few. But I seriously doubt that they even know about the cipher never mind where to find it."
Justin looks at Karrin, not realizing what she is saying until it is too late. He casually picks up his chipped mug, and drains it's barely palatable contents in one long swallow, with no indication of his previous discomfort with it. He places the mug on the counter, and turns back to Karrin and the hardcases.
'Think fast! Um,... faster than that,...'
He blinks, gazing at the guards with a blank smile on his lips.
Palaver
The Fated gentleman looks very interested. He smiles: A cold, slender thing, and extends a begemmed hand.
"Well! This IS a fortuitous meeting! Please permit me to introduce myself. I am Factor Gervais Hollyshan, sub-director in charge of taxation and recovery for the Hive. I was directed by my factol to apprehend this Shadowknave, but I wasn't given much information as to why."
He leans closer. A faint smell of oranges exudes from him as he lowers his tone
"Perhaps we can discuss what information you currently posses? Perhaps at a ... less public venue?"
"Sodding hardheads..." Swire glances around the room before settling on the open window. Without a word, Swire runs to the window and leaps out into the streets below.
1d20+12;1d20+6
Swire agilely leaps down the various spikes to the ground with a fluid grace that speaks of many antipeaks' experience. He finds cover by a nearby squat, the snoring occupant too lost in opium dreams to notice.
The lead man stops as they clank ahead. He calls down to the others and his voice carries down to the hushed common room.
"I'm stopping at the next landing. You go ahead, something's barmy with my armor."
The Fated gentleman looks very interested. He smiles: A cold, slender thing, and extends a begemmed hand."Well! This IS a fortuitous meeting! Please permit me to introduce myself. I am Factor Gervais Hollyshan, sub-director in charge of taxation and recovery for the Hive. I was directed by my factol to apprehend this Shadowknave, but I wasn't given much information as to why."
He leans closer. A faint smell of oranges exudes from him as he lowers his tone
"Perhaps we can discuss what information you currently posses? Perhaps at a ... less public venue?"
"I wish I could," Karrin sighs, "but we're currently under contract, when word of this thing blows open it's gonna be huge! But you know how these things are: I can't tell you anything . . . I mean not without destroying client confidentiality, and that's bad for business. I'll tell you this much though, if we knew where shadowpants was or where this cipher was, we wouldn't have stopped in here but we would certainly be looking to auction that stuff off. We're not a greedy or stupid lot. That sort of thing is only valuable to people that can stay alive to use it."
Karrin stops and blinks. She leans into Factor Gervais Hollyshan and lowers her voice.
"I suppose if we heard anything that doesn't involve our current contract we might be willing to pass that on, you know professional courtesy and all that, but I couldn't just pass that stuff onto anyone. There's lots of sensitive information and all and we couldn't take the chance on the wrong sort hearing about it. You got a contact you can trust?"
Merle looks between the door and the window before deciding to follow Swires example and dive out the window
Acrobatics
... You got a contact you can trust?"
The severe-looking factor reaches into his tunic and withdraws a small card.
"You may find me at this address. Please feel free to stop by. I would be more than happy to arrange some ... favorable renumeration for any valuable information."
Merle looks between the door and the window before deciding to follow Swires example and dive out the window
Acrobatics
1d20 + 9
Merle has a bit of trouble getting the footholds, but manages to get to the ground without major incident. The squatter warren affords plentiful, if nauseating, cover. Those looking back see a Hardhead in red armor peering out the window moments after Merle alights on the ground. He scans the area then turns back into the room.
Merle deciding that discretion is the better part of valour begins to put some distance between her and the Inn
With everyone out, Isaac follows Merle's lead into Shantytown.
With everyone out, Isaac follows Merle's lead into Shantytown.
The shacks twist and turn over a couple of empty lots, with almost every square foot tied up in a someone's shelter. The smell of bodily fluids, cheap bub, and various pipe smokes mingle in a fair approximation of what despair would smell like, if given olfactory expression.
The party makes their way through the reeking, snakeline alleys leading out of the warren towards Two-Lamp Lane. They emerge near Allesha's Pantry, a large charity house that serves low-cost and free meals. A line of Hivers waits for admittance, the queue running close to a block in length.
A few of the down-on-their-luckers approach the group.
"Spare a Green, Cutter?"
"Oi! I got the Purple Rot. I need jink for me nostrum!"
"Me baby's sick. He needs food, please spare a Green kind sir?"
Isaac gives no outward acknowledgement of the beggars, avoiding eye contact and arm's reach. He does scope them out a bit, the hardhead raid piquing his paranoia.
Perception
Drazek walks straigth forward treating the beggars as if invisible.
... You got a contact you can trust?"The severe-looking factor reaches into his tunic and withdraws a small card.
"You may find me at this address. Please feel free to stop by. I would be more than happy to arrange some ... favorable renumeration for any valuable information."
Karrin nods sliding the card into her belt pouch.
"It's always useful to have friend in the right sort of places Mr Hollyshan," Karrin says, "I suspect we'll be in touch. Well seeing as your lot is here I'd better collect my associates, nobody is going wandering in here all unexpected like with your lot camped outside. We got other things to take care of as well as tying up some loose ends before this thing busts open."
Karrin stands looking around the bar. She finishes off her grog.
"Nice meeting you," she says to three teeth, "be weary of some of the people who come around asking, there's bound to be some that'll think you got something hidden away."
Merle remembering what happened last time she handed out money follows Drazek's lead
Isaac gives no outward acknowledgement of the beggars, avoiding eye contact and arm's reach. He does scope them out a bit, the hardhead raid piquing his paranoia.
Perception 1d20+16
The area around Allesha's Pantry looks to be some of the most squallid hovels Issac has seen in the Hive Ward next to the Slags. Even the Hive District had the Xoasboys providing some protection, albeit chaotic in nature. Allesha and her cut-rate shelter seemed to be the headquarters its own bizarre faction. Volunteers moved through the crowd, dispensing ladles of thin soup into cracked bowls. A large fountain, seemingly one of the cleanest Issac has seen in the Hive, offers water to a crowd of grey women with yoked buckets.
Issac notes a triad of Dead on the far side of the crowd, making no bones about who they were. The bones they weren't making was a squad of five skeletons dressed in black plate and carring big swords right at their back. These weren't your garden variety black-tunic bad-poetry-spouting types of Deaders. This lot was definitely looking for something.