"As Alika has rightly divined, I too have justice I seek to be delivered upon Gaedren Lamm," Areniel declares. "Those of you who have revealed the identity in which you bring judgment I know by reputation, and those who have not I trust are of a similar inclination... I have never partnered with others before but I shall venture to the Old Fishery and welcome any of you who wish to join me."
I will have to get into my other identity, since I did not bring it with me. We should schedule a time to meet near the fishery.
Kheldar nods, and assuming nothing else is discussed, he sets a time to meet at the fishery. "I will find anything I can on that part of old Korvosa. Perhaps there are building plans or details of underground structures thereabouts. Might know a few people, too."
"A light shines brightest in the dark," Areniel offers, "that is why I do most of my work at night... Shall we meet just after dusk? Do any of you know of an appropriate meeting place near to the Fishery?"
I'm in favor of meeting after dusk.
"I usually do my business in the evenings, yes. After dusk sounds fair."
"Dusk works fine for me too. Looking forward to this, my beef with Lamm is pretty damn personal."
"Now that I think about it, I know a guy who lives nearby. He works for me and we can use his place to meet. I'll tell him to go visit a bar for the night on me.
Kheldar gives simple directions and leaves, saying, "See you later."
He rearranges his outfit back to the performer and disappears out the front door the same way he entered.
Robert goes home, changes out of his courier outfit, logs some billable hours on his casework and goes through old financial files in the area of the old fishery to see if there are any clues about people or goods trafficked through the area, any patrols from any of the cities agencies of order (hellknights, the Guard, the Marines). If nothing turns up there he finds an excuse connected to a case he is working on to access building and tax records at the relevant guild hall or tax office.
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Nothing. What Robert finds is that the Old Fishery, officially at least, has been abandoned since it's last owner died while at sea, fishing, and now the building is in escrow from the city, and after a couple of years the crown will take possession of it. Normally when that happens it is sold to the highest bidder, if one shows up.
Kheldar also does some footwork. He gathers information on the Fishery and the group using it for Lamm, while Yarblek digs around for any relevant information he or a contact might know.
Lysander gets home, stopping at the same establishment as the prior night to change back into his noble clothing, and checks in with Cassander and the staff. He spends the day brushing up on his knowledge of the Fishery and the surrounding area. His best bet for doing so is chatting with other members of the social elite, as some of them are interested in the older parts of Korvosa, the city history, or the lives of the poor folk.
Areniel assumes the guise of a street sweeper and makes his way over to the area around the Fishery. He finds the nearest tavern and sits down there for a plate of beans and toast and a beer. As other people arrive there instead of work he makes small talk and keeps an ear out for unemployed former Fishery workers. He stays until lunch time learning whatever he can about the layout of the building.
After lunch he returns home and becomes Ulfgar once more. He spends the afternoon at court, working. After a delightful dinner, provided by whichever nobleman he happened to be serving today, he heads home to prepare for the evening's activities.
Juliet remains quiet as most of the group discusses further, her mind firing with possibilities. 'Finally!' she thought, the chance to take down Lamm, to avenge her father. Her excitement dulls somewhat as the group mentions meeting up that night - she wants to go now, immediately. She knows they're right, though, that the cover of darkness will be better.
When they go their separate ways, she returns to her office, and paces the room for a bit, before going to talk to some of the priests of Pharasma. She doesn't ask them about the fishery, though, instead asking about Alika and the Harrow cards.
Once satisfied, she goes back to her office before preparing for the evening's adventure...
Master Kheldar waits in the dimly lit room of his followers house, empty now except for him, dressed as a nondescript laborer, waiting to allow them entry on their arrival.
Shiriki returns to the bar and does his work, mind already halfway to the docks.
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As with all of Gaedren Lamm's hideouts through the years, the old fishery he now dwells in is a forgotten echo of someone else's dreams. Gaedren chooses these lairs not only to give him and his gang a place to hide, but also for their current ownership (or lack thereof), preferring buildings whose owners have died and left behind no heirs. Under Korvosan law, a building abandoned in this manner immediately reverts to the city and is held in escrow for 2 years, during which time any rightful owner who can prove a claim can regain control of the building. After the 2 years, the city claims the building, yet even then, the government is slow to handle the structure's eventual fate. Gaedren has found that by choosing the right building in the right location, one can effectively live for free for years at a time.
The old fishery is no exception. Its previous owner died when a devilfish attacked his boat, and now Gaedren uses it as a hideout and a base for his criminal empire. The fishery is a place where desperate anglers can sell off their less fetching catches (fish caught 3 days dead in the nets, or freakish specimens unfit for sale, for example) and where fishmongers dump their old sun-tainted wares that reek with the first hints of decay. Gaedren's little workforce of enslaved orphans toil among the guts and slime, creating a foul-smelling slurry that can then be resold as bait, fertilizer, or the main ingredient for what are known as "dock-dumplings," a local favorite among poorer dock workers who can't afford fresh fish.
The old fishery is a creaking, decrepit building, yet it remains solid - it will be a few years yet before its floors start to give way and its roof begins to crumble. All external windows are boarded shut but have ample slits between the planks to allow those within to peer out. The wooden doors are mottled with mold and grit, but remain solid. The fishery is perched atop a steep embankment, with most of the structure extending out over the Jeggare River on wooden pilings. The embankment drops 13 feet into the river below; the sides are slippery but can be scaled. The fishery's external walls extend almost all the way down to the river, leaving only a few feet of space between the first floor and the water.
At night, the fishery shuts down - all external and internal doors are locked.
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At night Gaedren's accomplice, Yargin, and his crew retires to his room (South West) for a full night's rest. Gaedren's other two thugs, Giggles and Hookshanks, again with their teams, swap out semi-regular patrols through the fishery - one at about 9:00 at night, one at midnight, and one at 3:00 in the morning, mostly to ensure that the orphans and kidnapped kids hidden there aren't getting up to trouble, but also to check for intruders. The majority of nighttime security is handled by Bloo, Yargin's mangy cur, who is allowed to wander through the place as he sees fit. His barks are quick to rouse the entire fishery.
Each of the criminal gangs is composed by 5-8 men, besides their leader.
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Special note should be made of the orphans Gaedren "employs". Known to his thugs as "Lamm's Lambs", these little charges are tough kids, made rough as leather by Gaedren's quick hand and life on the street. They hate the crime lord, but they fear him more than Asmodeus himself.
The urchins infest the fishery, toiling away under the cruel ministrations of Gaedren's fellow scumbags, with "street duty" - when they're sent out to fleece and cut purses -as a reward for good behavior. Those who are not "broken" yet, having been "recruited" or kidnapped a short time ago, are keep in closed rooms. In all there are about two dozen of Gaedren's Lamm's Lambs, sleeping in their hammocks at night, and half of them working the street at day.
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Gaedren himself lounges in his secret chambers in the fishery's underbelly, accessible only by braving the scum-slick narrows beneath the structure itself (Despite his age, Gaedren is quite adept at scrambling along the walkways and through the decks of the old ship Kraken's Folly to reach his den). Here, he plays for hours at cards with his thick-witted companions, counts his coins and examines his stolen goods, and hurls buckets of chum to his beloved alligator, Gobblegut.
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Map of the Old Fishery, East is up.
Robert changes to the Cobalt Sword and arrives at the meeting place and after going over all the information gathered by the group starts brainstorming, his visor closed and hands on his belt.
If we can safely go in through the ship or water that makes us less likely to have to deal with the children, as well as avoiding Giggles and Hookshanks. Could we steal a boat and take it to the ship and go in from the east side? Or we could break into Yargin's room and disable them while they sleep, cutting off the reinforcements for the night watch while another group stops the children from coming out and joining the inevitable fight.
Kheldar tugs on his nose thoughtfully, reclining in a chair with one leg draped over it's arm. "Alligator. Could cause a scene, if it decides we aren't there to feed it. Though obviously getting to his lair and blockading him in with us means no reinforcements. But if we let them flee, we will have to hunt them all down. One would inevitably replace Lamm if he were removed from the action.
And then there's the issue of the dog. That dog will be more of a threat to our plans than Lamm's flunkies. One wrong bark and everyone will be on alert."
I agree. That's why I think we should either go straight to Lamm or to the sleeping flunkies and the children. That way the worst the dog can do is summon the night watch. There are seven of us, and most of us can sneak in unseen, right?
"Unseen, yes. But the dog will smell us before we reach the door. Perhaps we could procure some poisoned meat and put it to sleep.."
Lysander arrives at the meeting place in his vigilante form as well, dressed in dark clothing with a shawl masking his face and the furs of a firepelt cougar adorning his shoulders and back. He listens to Cobalt and Kheldar's brainstorming, his own mind thinking through the information they've gathered. "I'll admit I'm no fan of swimming in the river, but that may be our best point of entry. We might avoid the dog entirely, and if we can kill or bypass the gator, we have a straight shot to Lamm and his cronies."
He turns to look at Kheldar. "If we need to go through the front, giving the dog a nap isn't a bad idea. But I don't think it's quite necessary if we can go through the back. Either a rented boat, or leap to the ship from the docs?"
Kheldar shurgs and nods, "We can borrow a skiff to get us close enough.. I wonder if we feed it some fish guts it'll leave us be. Alligators aren't particularly loud like a dog would be.
"They can still make noise by thrashing in the water." the Angel points out, surveying the scene along with the others. "Still, I would prefer it if we could avoid killing any animals. For all we know, we get inside and one of the orphans could cause a stir, I doubt we'd be killing them for it." Unlike most of them, her face is uncovered, and her beauty shines in the darkness, concern for the victims inside only accentuating it. "Feeding the alligator may be our best bet..."
I can allow deaths to happen here. We aren't fighting for the usual cause tonight.
I can disable the alligator or the dog or even the children without risk of killing them should it come to that. My sword doesn't kill.
Kheldar smirks, "Nice trick. Try as I might, my daggers tend to seriously injure people. Maybe it's all in the wrist? If you think you can disable the alligator, maybe we should go that way. We could try feeding it chum to keep it busy and you can incapacitate it with your sword otherwise. I could try disabling the locks on the first floor to buy us time if things go south, they'd have to break the doors open or the boarded windows to get out and down to the lair."
-Posted with Wayfinder
It's in the enchantment, actually. Bought it off a merchant who was on his way down from Kalsgard to Egorian. Said he usually sells them to Hellknights of the Nail. Not even able to inflict lethal wounds unless I want it to.
Kheldar leans forward in the chair more seriously, "So, boat, feed alligator, get Lamm. I assume the door will be locked, I might be able to deal with that quietly. Any other suggestions, or shall we get this show on the road?"
"Works for me." Angel says, drawing up her scythe. "I've been looking forward to this for a long time."
Sounds like a good plan to me.
"Sounds fair to me. Quick and quiet is my preferred way of doing things."
Kheldar pulls out his mask, a tight fitting flexible skull visage, and adjusts his outfit. He also flips open a metal bracelet to reveal a mirror, and speaks into it after a moment, "Yarblek, get a signal whistle out of my apartment, and pass it off to Beren. No... in the survival kit. He's pretty quiet on his feet. Have him wait on the roof across the way from the target, and blow that whistle loud 3 times if he sees the upstairs gangs running for the lower area I showed you, and then get out. Strictly if they look like they are headed for a fight. Tell him he's going to lose a limb or two if he blows it for anything less."
After flipping the bracelet closed, he winks at the others and then pulls the mask down over his face. "I'll go get the skiff we will be borrowing, if one of you can get some chum for the gator. Meet you in five a bit further down the river. By the way, don't call me Kheldar in this get-up. The Rat, Rat, Silk, whatever, just don't use my name." With that, he ducks out of the house and onto the street.
The Cobalt Sword nods and goes to find some chum from the neighboring houses and/or fishermen's homes. He leaves a gold piece behind.
I'm not a thief.
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You are accustomed to the night at the city, so you board and steer the small skiff without lights, trusting the city illumination to let you navigate, and let you see the environs.
You move quietly on the water, embracing the darkness that so many times have covered you before, letting you get to your mark without being seen.
Of course, you are not familiar with this part of the river, or the city for that part, nor are used to be expecting a giant crocodile to jump out from the water at you, so some nervousness is expected.
As you approach the target building you all notice an immense form floating in the river. At first sight, it seems like a large boat (maybe bigger than your skiff) sunk in the water, but you quickly realize it is floating against the current, towards you. Yes, it is Gobblegut, Gaedren's fabled crocodile. And yes, you realize you need a bigger boat.
Jigsaw sharks are particularly notorious for their preference of habitat—shallow, coastal waters. This often puts them in close proximity to sailors, merchants, and swimmers.
A jigsaw shark is aggressive, and reports of them lunging out of the water to snap at passers-by on low piers or attacking small rowboats are well-documented. A typical jigsaw shark can grow to a length of 7 to 8 feet. With a pale tan belly and a blue-gray back decorated with mottled brown, irregular spots, these sharks are easy to identify in the wild.
TCS leans in and whispers the group.
Jigsaw sharks, near the crocodile. Chum's going overboard, be ready to fight.
He then dumps all the chum he brought with him over the back edge of the skiff.
Hope that's enough.
Firepelt squats low in the middle of the boat. He nods at Cobalt and the Rat's words, and stays as still as he can. If we can make it in without a fight... well, catching the bastard by surprise is the key to the whole plan.