City of Nine Stars -- City of Twilight (Inactive)

Game Master therealthom

Marius had to smile despite himself at Waifs forthright answer..ask an honest question and you get..well what you get from Waif. He notes the other mans expression as his cousin admits to her previous status..that always gets to people.

When the pounding begins on the door he's on his feet instantly short swords snicking from their sheaths like oiled snakes ..he watches as the still as yet unintroduced man moves to the door and opens it then as the lad outside moves in he moves into the doorway his eyes flicking up and down the street.However he sees nothing unusual.

perception 1d20=10

"No one else out there" he announces.

Raven, please introduce yourself to the others ASAP.

What youth?

see Waiffrin's spoiler above.

Raven:

Raven Perception DC 16:

In the tavern:

A gangly teenage boy stumbles through the open door. He rasps out, "They've got a rail!" Then collapses to his hands and knees and begins to vomit.

As members of the party swirl about, Janiven drops to his side. "Who's got him?" After interminable moments of heaving, during which you ready weapons and look for an oncoming threat, the boy can speak, "The dottari nabbed Arael, and the Hellknights of the Rack are trying to get custody of him! There’s a bunch of Hellknights on their way here now! I only just made it in here; they’ve already surrounded us!”

Janiven points at Mother Vangelis, "Check the back door. See if they're there."

Anyone going to the back door:

Mother Vangelis goes and looks out the back. She grunts with displeasure and shakes her head.

"Can't say I like the look of that; there's a Hellknight out there, all right." She thinks about all of the problems the Knights have caused for the folk of the Turanian Hills and scowls.

"Back, front, or is there another way out of here?" Waifrin demands, her knuckles whitening on her staff.

"Damn it, Janiven!" Akorian curses at the news of the Hellknights, "We're bottled up in here." He starts to shrug off his heavy wooden shield so he can strap it to his other arm. "The time for words is most definitely past! We either fight our way out of this or every last one of us will hang!"

"You..." he gestures towards Marius, "You look to have a bit of fight in you. Maybe between the two of us we can make a path out of here. Janiven? Can you see to the boy? He surely won't make it very far in his condition. But you did good warning us, lad..."

Perception 24 (18 +6)

Realizing that the secret meeting place appears to be secret no longer, Raven picks up the pace and makes his way to the tavern's front door as quickly as possible. He enters fast, closing the door behind him. "You really should close the door Janiven, though I doubt it will do us much good."

As an afterthought, he turns to the others gathered in the place and smiles. "Good evening gentlemen, ladies!"

"There are at least a dozen Hellknights coming this way and they will have us surrounded in a matter of minutes. Mostly armigers from what I could see while making my way here, but they do have a few knight leading them. A formidable force to be sure..." He speaks to everyone gathered, though he tends to look at Janiven most of the time.

Despite the gravity of the situation, the smile does not seem to leave his face just yet.

Is it safe to assume Akorian and Raven may already know one another? We both have backgrounds and associations with Janiven that may have allowed us to cross paths, it seems.

Marius cursed softly, how could he have missed this cloacked man..it mattered not. As thJavinen closed the door and Mother reported the backway also being sealed off he hefted the dinner table up spilling dishes across the floor and rammed it up against the door.

"That should give us a few seconds more" he said turning to Javinen.."I presume there is some sort off emergency exit for times like this?"

Marius Goddon:

Akorian and Raven:

"Can't say I like the look of that; there's a Hellknight out there, all right." She ... scowls.

Janiven nods.

"Back, front, or is there another way out of here?" Waifrin demands, her knuckles whitening on her staff.

Janiven speaks softly to MOrosino, and wipes some of the vomit away.

"Damn it, Janiven!" Akorian curses at the news of the Hellknights, "We're bottled up in here." He starts to shrug off his heavy wooden shield so he can strap it to his other arm. "The time for words is most definitely past! We either fight our way out of this or every last one of us will hang!"

"You..." he gestures towards Marius, "You look to have a bit of fight in you. Maybe between the two of us we can make a path out of here. Janiven? Can you see to the boy? He surely won't make it very far in his condition. But you did good warning us, lad..."

Realizing that the secret meeting place appears to be secret no longer, Raven ... makes his way to the tavern's front door ... closing the door behind him. "You really should close the door Janiven, though I doubt it will do us much good."

As an afterthought, he turns to the others gathered in the place and smiles. "Good evening gentlemen, ladies!"

"There are at least a dozen Hellknights coming this way and they will have us surrounded in a matter of minutes. Mostly armigers from what I could see while making my way here, but they do have a few knight leading them. A formidable force to be sure..." He speaks to everyone gathered, though he tends to look at Janiven most of the time.

Despite the gravity of the situation, the smile does not seem to leave his face just yet.

Marius cursed softly... he hefted the dinner table up spilling dishes across the floor and rammed it up against the door.

"That should give us a few seconds more" he said turning to Javinen.."I presume there is some sort off emergency exit for times like this?"

Janiven helps pull the boy out of the way so Marius can block the door.

Finally she answers the question in everyone's mind. "There is another way out. Akorian, Raven watch the doors. Everyone else,to the kitchen." She half-drags Morosino behind her as she strides into the back room of the tavern. She tears open a cupboard door and with loud banging and clanging scoops a motley collection of pots and pans out onto the floor. Then she drops to her hands and knees and draws aside the panel at the back of the cupboard. "This leads into the sewers. We have another safe house but the trip is hazardous. So you must each choose. Follow me and Morosino or wait upon the Hellknights' mercy."

A few words about the sewers: nasty, smelly places yes. Home to the usual cast of sewer hazards, yes. But in Westcrown also rumoured daytime home to the shadow beasts that stalk the city by night. The city officials have sealed most of the entrances to them. Someone lost in the sewers could wander to perhaps the end of teir life before finding an openable exit.

While Janiven is opening the hidden door, Morosino pours a quick mug of beer, swishes out his mouth and spits onto the floor. He coughs, takes another drink, and smiles. He seems well blessed with the recuperative powers of youth. At Janiven's gesture he ducks into the cupboard and crawls into the black hole at its back.

"There is another way out. Akorian, Raven watch the doors. Everyone else,to the kitchen."

Akorian nods and then positions himself by one of the windows to keep an eye out for the shadows of Hellknights approaching. He grimly smiles at Raven. "Good to see you again," he comments, "I just wish it could be under better circumstances."

"This leads into the sewers. We have another safe house but the trip is hazardous. So you must each choose. Follow me and Morosino or wait upon the Hellknights' mercy."

Hearing Janiven's explanation to the others in the next room, Akorian calls back, "Everyone go! I'll see if I can't create a diversion. Raven and I will be right behind you!"

He steps back and reaches beneath his tunic for the holy symbol of Milani he keeps on a chain around his neck. The gleam of three small redstones symbolize the blood of the goddess' martyrs lying next to the sytlized etching of a rose engraved upon a silver disk.

"I doubt these Hellknights have had cause to cross paths with a follower of the Everbloom," he tells Raven, "Let's see what the goddess of hope can bring to those who still pray in her name."

Akorian is preparing to cast obscuring mist to fill the tavern's common room as soon as he hears the Hellknights approaching the outer door.

"The sewers!? Well, it can't be any worse than the time the goats got a bad dose of the stomach worms. That's a couple of weeks I'll never forget." 'Mother' shivers at the thought, but steels herself for the frantic trip ahead.

"Maybe Ralf was right -- there's no place like home, and excitement isn't all it's cracked up to be!"

In answer Waifrin strikes flint against steel, and a torch gutters into life. With a length of twine she binds it to the end of her staff.

"I'll risk the sewers," she says tersely. "There's too damn many of them and they can call for more. Let them follow us in there," she nods at the hole, "and numbers won't mean a thing - it'll be easier to give them the slip, too."

The prospect of night creatures does not seem to worry Waifrin so much ... although she pulls a scrap of scarf over her nose and mouth in an attempt to keep out the worst of the smell.

Zarabeta is on her feet and moving for the kitchen, to find this entrance to the sewers, cursing in Kellish under her breath. She hauls open the hatch, when she finds it and waits to see if the others are standing and fighting, or entering the sewers (since she has no intention of going down there without a native guide).

Through their empathic link, Uqabi receives a blast of anger and disappointment at his failure to warn her of the approaching knights. As she's never been anything but mildly impatient with him before, this is unusual.

While waiting for the first person to lower themselves down into the sewer, she conjures up magical protection for herself. Mage Armor, 1 hour duration.

The passage into the sewers is roughly 3' tall by 2.5' wide and slopes downward. The walls, ceiling and floor have been lined with rough wood planks. You can often see dirt or stone through gaps between the uneven edges of the wood.

Mother Vangelis' armour spikes occasionally catch the soft wood and score long scratches as she crawls along.

Crawling on his hands and knees Morosino leads the way into the dark. Even with Waifrin's torch it's hard to see. Your bodies block most of the light from travelling down the tunnel. After about 15' he stops and fiddles for a heartbeat with something on the wall and strikes something against the wall. Suddenly light blazes from a stick he holds in his hand -- a sunrod. "This way, " he says unneccesarily. There is only one way. Another 10 feet and he pulls open a door, looks through it, pushes a pile of detritus aside, then continues on into the sewer tunnel proper.

The sewer tunnel has a rounded roof just shorter than an average man at it's peak, but after the makeshift passage you've just been through it seems roomy indeed. Between the sunrod and Waifrin's torch you can see quite clearly here. The tunnel is about ten feet wide. A channel about five feet wide runs down the center of the channel. Filthy water with bobbing bits of -- refuse -- flows sluggishly about three feet feet below the walkways on either side.

Morosino walks a short way down the tunnel. Obviously he plans to wait here for the others, but he is making room for everyone.

***

Meanwhile back in the tavern, Janiven asks Marius to barricade the back door. (There is some shelving and a table nearby.) She calls Akorian back into the kitchen and with his help barricades that door. "The rest of you down the hole," she says. "I'll go last."

From the front door you can hear shouting - muffled by the intervening kitchen door. Heavy mailed fists begin pounding on the front door. Then there is a much sharper crack. Probably an ax.

Set, sorry about bypassing your lookout. I lost track of him among all the posts. I owe you one. Neil, Akorian can cast the mist in the kitchen, the dining room, or straddling the two. Don't know what you've got for duration but that may play into your plan. Also, when we hit combat remind me about the mage armour.

Marcus hefts the heavy oak kitchen table as if it were a twig well when you have STR 18 you might as well use itjamming it against the back door and wedging the shelves under it to form a fairly strong barricade..he nods as javinen gives her orders and ducks through the opening into the sewers

"Congratulations" he mutters "what an interesting smell you've discovered". He moves towards the front of the group.

"Stick close girls..mother can you bring up the rear and make sure no one falls behind?"

Zarabeta moves decisively once the decision is made to take the tunnels, and the young lad ahead of her barely has time to light his sunrod before she's nudging him forward. If she's got any hesitation at all about crawling through sewage, it hardly shows...

In the warm golden light of the sunrod, Zarabeta's skin and clothing glitters, as if she was sprinkled in powdered gold, making her quite visible in the half-lit conditions.

Prestidigitation to make herself more noticeable in the dark, although it doesn't shed enough light to improve the lighting conditions for anyone.

No big on the lookout. Uqabi is a bird with an Int 6, a love of shiny objects and a near-psychotic dislike of seagulls. There are plenty of reasons he could have been distracted. He's just totally in the doghouse. :)

He grimly smiles at Raven. "Good to see you again," he comments, "I just wish it could be under better circumstances."

The elf inclines his head in acknowledgement. "Always a pleasure my noble friend, regardless of the situation we seem to find ourselves in at the moment."

"This leads into the sewers. We have another safe house but the trip is hazardous. So you must each choose. Follow me and Morosino or wait upon the Hellknights' mercy."

"Not much of a choice, is it now?" Raven wrinkles his noise at the idea, but he knows it is the only way out of their predicament. "At least the Hellknights smell better..."

Watching the others as they follow the boy to the opening leading to the city sewers, he takes his place alongside Akorian and the other man, a warrior from the looks of him, determined to enter the sewers when they do, not earlier. There may be dangers under the city streets, but Janiven would not have chosen these people if they could not take care of themselves, at least for a little while. 'Besides, taking care to slow down our pursuers even for a moment or two might make all the difference,' he considers silently. 'Well, I did wish for a bit of fun, did I not?' He sighs softly, his hand moving within reach of the hand crossbow almost always kept hidden on his person.

Raven will be staying with Marius and Akorian in the tavern until all three men are ready to enter the sewers as well. If the knights seem to be breaking through, he will take his hand crossbow out and keep it pointed at the most likely point of entry, firing a bolt if he can get a clear enough shot, just to give them cause to hesitate for a few more seconds.

Waifrin hangs back once they enter the sewers, letting others pass her by.

With Morisino at the head with a light, she is best placed at the rear. Should the Hellknights follow she can douse her torch to avoid attracting them.

She gives Marius a crooked grin as he passes her.

"I half hope those bastards do try and follow us - a swim in the sewage here would be an improvement for them."

Akorian's obscuring mist will have a 1 minute duration. Just long enough for everyone to pile through the escape route. Then, Akorian hopes that he and Janiven can quickly put the cupboard back the way it was so it'll take the Hellknights that much longer to figure out where they went.

Akorian notices Raven's readiness to guard their retreat, but he claps the elf on the shoulder and nods toward the cupboard. "Go ahead," he advises, "As much as I'd like to give these Hellknights a taste of their own medicine someday, we just need to get out of here. And I've got a trick that'll cover our retreat. It'll cloud the whole room, make it impossible see anything that isn't right in front of your face. It won't last long. But maybe enough that Janiven and I can hide our escape route before they make it in here. So head on down. We're right behind you."

The way I'm envisioning things is that Akorian will wait by the cupboard/sewer entrance with Janiven. As soon as everyone else is down...or the Hellknights finally break through...he'll cast the spell and position it so that he and Janiven can still see one another in the 5-foot square right at the exit. Then, he'll head down, leaving her to put everything back in place so it looks like an ordinary cupboard again.

"Aye cus..just try not to get in the way of a sword will you..I'd hate to lose you so soon after finding you"

Marius' half joking reply fails to hide his concern for waif..he has no idea how she would handle herself in a fight..a real fight not the practices he's watched her at..she's no trained fighter and might freeze in combat..or worse lose her head by losing her head.

He moves forward to just behind Morosino

Akorian notices Raven's readiness to guard their retreat, but he claps the elf on the shoulder and nods toward the cupboard. "Go ahead," he advises, "As much as I'd like to give these Hellknights a taste of their own medicine someday, we just need to get out of here. And I've got a trick that'll cover our retreat. It'll cloud the whole room, make it impossible see anything that isn't right in front of your face. It won't last long. But maybe enough that Janiven and I can hide our escape route before they make it in here. So head on down. We're right behind you."

The rogue smiles at the cleric's words. "Oh, I assure you I had no intention of going so far as to fight our merry band of knights, just helping you stall them, but your plan does sound like it might work." Nodding in agreement, he adds, "But do not decide to engage in any silly heroics and take too long, yes?"

Bowing his head ever so slightly, he turns and quickly enters the opening leading down to the city sewers. As he catches up to the rest of them, he proceeds to introduce himself, not having had the chance earlier. "Do forgive my apparent lack of manners, but I suppose the circumstances did not allow for proper introductions earlier. You may call me Raven; not my real name to be sure, but I am rather fond of the nickname."

He makes his way to the front of the group, taking the time to look at each of his new companions, the two young women especially, before moving to stand close to Morosino. "You do not mind if I stay close to you? Between your sunrod and my eyes, I think it will help us make our way through the sewers more easily. And if something intends to do us harm, I might be able to see it early enough to warn us. But, of course, if or when that happens it might be wise for you to step to the front, right warrior?" As he says that, he winks at the fighter.

'Mother' laughs. "I'm willing to go last, but it looks like everyone else is bucking for the position! Well, I don't have any magic charms, and this old body doesn't have enough strength to fight a dozen Hellknights, so I might as well head on to the sewers. You kids follow right behind, you hear?"

Waifrin nods to Raven. "I'm Waifrin. Where are Janiven and Akorian?" mentally she keeps count: Marius, Raven and Morisino ahead, then Zerabeta and Mother Vangelis, then herself. She didn't like the idea of a Hellknight coming through next, although there was no sound a fight from above yet.

The elf turns to Waifrin, taking note of the young woman's silvery hair. 'Now that is something you do not see among humans all that often, at least not among the younger ones.'

"They should not be long now. Simply taking care of making things a little difficult for our pursuers. We would not want to make it too easy for them to follow us, would we?" His tone is reassuring and quite friendly. "Nothing that involves them picking a fight with the knights though."

Marius and Raven crawl through the cupboard and into the passage. Janiven reaches into an upper cupboard and pulls out another sun rod and a red sack. A sharp crack from the front room is followed by louder shouting and the sound of something heavy dragging across the floor. Janiven throws the sack at the door into the front room and it explodes into a gooey mass sealing the door, temporarily at least.

"You'd better take this." She says thrusting the sunrod into his hand. "And cast that spell now. " Then she points him down the crawlway. And makes ready to follow behind.

Someone pushes on the door to the front room. Then puts a heavy shoulder. A loud bass voice shouts through the door. "By the authority of the Rack, come out!" Immediately after the voice, an axe splinters through the upper panel of the door.

***

Down in the tunnel Morosino hands the sunrod to Zarabeta. Sizing everyone up, he motions to Marius and Mother. "Here by the door. " He reaches along the ceiling of the crawlway to the tavern and pulls out the end of a rope. "When they come out, we pull on this."

DC 16 Strength check. There's only room for 2 on the rope.

***

Akorian casts his spell: mist fills the room obscuring his view of the door. There are shouts of alarm, and the axe falls silent for a few heartbeats. Satisfied, the cleric plunges into the crawlway. Janiven backs in right behind him. She drags a few pots and pans in after her and tries to get the panel concealing the crawlway into position.

The door gives, but the tanglefoot buttressed barricade holds. Blind and hampered by their armour, a Hellknight tries to awkwardly scramble over the barricade. Another axe thuds. Probably the back door, maybe a wall.

***

Akorian scrambles out of the crawlway into the sewer tunnel. Another few seconds pass, then Janiven follows him.

As Waifrin's torch is no longer needed, she douses it and puts it away. Two sunrods provide more than ample light.

Comparing her own slight frame to that of Marius, who is also right next to Merosino, Zarabeta steps aside and allows him to grab the rope, hissing quietly in his ear, "You are stronger than I, warrior of the Goddon, grab the rope when the lad says."

If Merosino seems too frail, or too exhausted from his dash across the city, Zarabeta will haul on the rope in his stead, hoping to aid Marius' Strength check.

14, successful Aid Other, or, if someone else makes an Aid Other, successful Str check!

Mother heaves on the rope, but her hands are covered in some sort of slippery crud and they slip off.

"Oh, fiddle." She mutters to herself.

1d20+2=5

As Waifrin's torch is no longer needed, she douses it and puts it away. Two sunrods provide more than ample light.

Not sure Akorian fired it up.

Akorian quickly scrambles down the narrow passageway. Though the smell rankles his nose, he presses on, knowing full well the greater inconvenience lies behind them with the Hellknights eager to arrest the lot of them. The light of the sunrod helps him find his way. And soon, he emerges in the same sewer tunnel with the rest of the group.

"If you'll pardon the pun, that was a 'hell' of an exit to make with the Order of the Rack on our heels," he smiles encouragingly, "Now let's make haste out of here before they find Janiven's hidden entrance."

Moving quickly, Zarabeta gets the hell out of the way so that someone significantly stronger than herself can pull the rope. "Marius, Akorian, someone!" she hisses, "pull this rope quickly. Morosino says it's important."

I must admit, I'm perplexed by the rope. What purpose is it supposed to serve exactly? Are we trying to trip Hellknights that are following after us? Or was it meant to somehow "catch" Akorian and Janiven as they climbed down into the sewer tunnel?

I must admit, I'm perplexed by the rope. What purpose is it supposed to serve exactly? Are we trying to trip Hellknights that are following after us? Or was it meant to somehow "catch" Akorian and Janiven as they climbed down into the sewer tunnel?

Out of my butt, I'd speculate that it collapses something behind us and makes us un-pursuable, barring excavation equipment. But that's my butt talking, so take it with a grain of salt and some air freshener...

Marius grabs the rope his shoulders straining as he pulls on it...

strength check 1d20+4=16

Mother Vangelis' slippery hands don't matter at all because Marius grasps the rope and strains his shoulders, drives his legs, and puts his back into it. The rope grudgingly follows for about a hands width, then with a low plodding rumble from back up the crawlway runs free for a span, then stops cold. A wave of dust surges from the crawlway.

Janiven pulls aside a stone in the tunnel wall and reaches into the space behind. As her hand gropes in the space she says, "If they're determined they can dig through that in half an hour or so. We need to get moving."

She pulls her hand out, in it she holds five vials of pink fluid. She keeps one and hands out the others. "These are healing potions. In case we run into trouble." She hands one each to Akorian and Raven. And holds out the other two.

free to first two takers. Just record it.

She starts walking to the left and quickly stops at the first intersection with another tunnel. "The sewers can be tricky, but we marked out a path about a month ago. Look here." She points at a chalk picture of a sword high on the wall. "We put one of these at every intersection between here and our safehouse. The sword points you on the way." Morosino nods to confirm her statement. "If we get separated just follow the swords."

The sewer is not as bad as you might think. Obviously the smell is unpleasant, but there is seldom any sign that the effluvium overflows its channel and runs onto the footpath. In general the arched walls are dry, although there are occasional wet patches where water seeps into the tunnel. There are also grates from the streets above. Water runs from these down sluices in the walls, across the walkway and into the main channel. You have to step over these foot wide channels. It is easy with light to see them, but in the dark you could easily turn an ankle.

Surprisingly there are no rats.

Zarabeta takes one of the proferred healing potions and steps ten feet in the direction the sword is pointing before turning back and muttering a cantrip, causing the mark on the wall to fade away.

Prestidigitation to clean the mark off of the wall.

"Now they won't be able to figure out what the markings mean." she says simply, before putting her hand on Morosino's shoulder, "Lead on, young man. Faster is better."

Marius accepts the potion and then maneuvers arond Morosino to place himself at the front of the Party..unless of course Javinen wants that place in which case he waits until the end and covers the rear

"I may regret asking this, but why aren't there any rats down here? Last time I had to hide in a sewer you could barely avoid stepping on them," Waifrin remarks nervously. She follows along with the rest, looking around and peering into the darkness and shadows.

Zarabeta shakes her head, annoyed with herself for having missed what Waifrin has pointed out. "Something down here must be eating them..." she mutters dourly, keeping her hand on Morosino's shoulder as they press onwards.

"I was really hoping I wasn't the only person who thought of that," Waifrin sighs from behind Zarabeta. "I know my cousin's pretty fierce with those swords of his, and Mother Vangelis has made it clear what she can do," Waifrin continues, "but what about the rest of us? Does anyone have any skill with spells and magic?"

Thought I'd just get the ball rolling on discussing what we all can do before we actually have to find out the hard way, and it passes the time.

"If they're determined they can dig through that in half an hour or so. We need to get moving."

"Somehow, I expect they'll be determined enough to do exactly that," Akorian sourly notes, "But it's good to know they'll have to get their hands dirty if they want to find us."

"These are healing potions. In case we run into trouble."

"You really did prepare for such circumstances as this," Akorian smiles, "I'm liking you more and more, Janiven, dear. A woman after my own heart. Thank you. I hope we don't have to resort to using them anytime soon."

"The sewers can be tricky, but we marked out a path about a month ago. Look here." She points at a chalk picture of a sword high on the wall. "We put one of these at every intersection between here and our safehouse. The sword points you on the way." Morosino nods to confirm her statement. "If we get separated just follow the swords."

"Well let's hope they don't lead the Hellknights to us as well," Akorian replies.

Zarabeta...steps ten feet in the direction the sword is pointing before turning back and muttering a cantrip, causing the mark on the wall to fade away.

Prestidigitation to clean the mark off of the wall.

"Now they won't be able to figure out what the markings mean." she says simply....

"Not a bad idea," Akorian approves, "And perhaps I can add one more piece of deception." He steps down the other passageway and places his sunrod in one of the wall's many niches like a torch. "Perhaps they'll think we've gone that way instead," he tells everyone as he rejoins the party.

"I know my cousin's pretty fierce with those swords of his, and Mother Vangelis has made it clear what she can do," Waifrin continues, "but what about the rest of us? Does anyone have any skill with spells and magic?"

"The goddess Milani the Everbloom has blessed me with carrying out her hopes and goodwill at times," Akorian answers, "Now would seem to be such an occasion." He offers a quick prayer before they get underway.

Casting light on his holy symbol and leaving it outside his breastplate for now. Duration = 10 minutes, but he'll renew it as necessary during their trip.

"Let's keep a sharp eye," he advises, "Some say the nightstalkers haunt these sewers during the day. I'm hoping the Hellknights are worried about that, too."

"The goddess Milani the Everbloom has blessed me with carrying out her hopes and goodwill at times," Akorian answers.

"Oh great, a bloody priest ..." Waifrin keeps her comment low enough to not be clearly heard.

"Let's keep a sharp eye, some say the nightstalkers haunt these sewers during the day. I'm hoping the Hellknights are worried about that, too."

"I'm hoping they aren't! If all those bastards are scared of something down here, then I don't want to meet it," Waifrin replies fervently.

"Nice to meet you, Brother Akorian. Sorry it wasn't under cleaner circumstances!" Mother wrinkles her nose, although the smell doesn't truly bother her that much.

"I feel better knowing that you're around if we have to tangle with a mess of them shadow things."

The down the party starts off down the tunnel marked with the sword. The walkway slopes almost imperceptibly downward as you go. You wind through four intersections without incident. At the fifth however, Morosino stops. "Janvien, there's no sword here!"

Please give me a marching order. Morosino should be near the front. Janiven should be toward the rear.

Here's what Waifrin suggested: "Marius, Raven and Morisino ahead, then Zerabeta and Mother Vangelis, then herself."

"I know my cousin's pretty fierce with those swords of his, and Mother Vangelis has made it clear what she can do," Waifrin continues, "but what about the rest of us? Does anyone have any skill with spells and magic?"

Raven considers the question for a few moments before finally answering. "Well, I would say that my particular area of expertise has to do with getting into places or situations where I do not usually belong and then getting out of them mostly unscathed, preferably without being noticed. I will not necessarily shy away from a fight, but I do prefer avoiding them if I can."

Turning to look at Waifrin, he winks at her and adds, "I have also been told that I am quite the nice fellow and more than a bit of fun to be around, if that helps as well," before looking up ahead once again, his golden eyes almost glittering under the sunrod's light.

Perception 11 (5 +6)
The poor fellow is probably distracted methinks...

"Well, I would say that my particular area of expertise has to do with getting into places or situations where I do not usually belong and then getting out of them mostly unscathed, preferably without being noticed."

"Are you suggesting I keep a close watch on my purse?" Mother Vangelis says with a crooked grin. The danger surrounding her doesn't seem to have dampened her sprightly spirit.

Although he does not turn his head, a soft chuckle comes from the rogue's direction. His next words have an amused tone to them.

"Not unless you are a member of the nobility in what is a very convincing disguise dear lady! I can make you no promises if you are though, but I may have to seduce you first before I make my way into your purse. Just business, I assure you."

"Well, I would say that my particular area of expertise has to do with getting into places or situations where I do not usually belong and then getting out of them mostly unscathed, preferably without being noticed. I will not necessarily shy away from a fight, but I do prefer avoiding them if I can."

"I have also been told that I am quite the nice fellow and more than a bit of fun to be around, if that helps as well."

The poor fellow is probably distracted methinks...

"A thief, you mean," Waifrin laughs. "I've known enough before today."

Cha 19, what can I say?

"Janiven, there's no sword here!"

At the call from ahead of them Waifrin immediately tenses and scans the tunnel ahead, to the side and then behind.

Perception check 1d20+4 -> [20,4] = (24)

Zarabeta mutters an curse and scans the walls for any sign of a sword that has been wiped away. Perception check, 4.

Seeing no trace of the mark that should be present, she whispers, "Everyone, try to find where the mark was, someone, or something, must have wiped it away. We can't wander around waiting for the Order of the Rack to catch up..."

She mutters an incantation detect magic and scans the area for magical auras, having failed to find anything mundane.