"I'm good at going undetected, it's one of the plus side of being so slow people don't expect anything from you." He smiles. "But Quinlan might have it right, we all know how hard it is tracking Lamm down he could slip away if we sit on this information too long. I say to go tonight we keep it quiet, check out the perimeter and the move in as a group. We have enough of us that know how to fight to get in and put an end to this." He takes a deep breath.
"I don't want to wait any longer than I have too, if we take anyone for questioning it could be to late."
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Ilsa listens to the conversation in silence. Sitting by the window, she opens the drapes just enough to see the last of dusk disappear.
Then, she falls asleep in her chair.
As the others stare at her in stunned silence, she abruptly wakes up in a panic. "Aaahh!" Looking at the others, her demeanor has darkened.
"We cannot go in the dark. There are terrible things in the night...all around us. I can hear their breathing, smell their stench. They grasp at us with their filthy claws. There is one that is the worst, the Lord of the Nightmares! We should stay together tonight and go tomorrow during the day when all is better!"
She appears to be very frightened. The chair she is sitting in begins to glow with light.
"Ooooo-kay. Right. As much as that was a compelling argument, the dark is just, how do I put this? The same thing as the day, minus the light of the sun. Nothing changes. But don't worry, if any lord of nightmares come, I'll cave his head in for you."
Turning to the halfling:
"Gregor, that is your name, right? I like your plan. We go tonight, with you moving ahead to scout the area out for us. I mean no offense, but in the dark and at a distance you could easily be mistaken for one of his lambs. We rendezvous, and go in hard. Kill the bastard right here and now, and worry about the ominous fortunes as they come."
"While I'm not exactly a swordmaster or anything, I can hold my own in a fight in my own way, and I like your idea, Kalem. Sounds good to me. SOrry, Ilsa, but this can't wait, and the dark isn't inherently evil.. it is simply the lack of light, which we can remedy if and when we must. I'm sure there will be light inside, as Gaedran I believe is human and most of his little basta... I mean lambs... probably are too. Let's go!"
Gregor moves next to Lisa. "There's more things to be frightened of than the darkness, we'll be going face to face with one very soon. It's best to be afraid of the thing you can see and touch, and worry about what else could be out there when the time comes to it."
He places a hand on hers. "I need you, we all need each other here. Lamm has done so much to each of us. My little boy is out there now being forced to do god knows what, it breaks my heart every second." He looks around at each person in the room. "This is the first time since my wife died that I've felt hope, felt like I'm moving forward and not slipping back into darker times. Your niece needs you there."
He then pasts himself down checking all his equipment is in place. "No one here can force you to come, any of you. But I'm going I will scout ahead and spot what I can, I want to be the first in there to find my son."
I suppose its not too surprising, caution is the privilege of those with time to spare after all. But these men and women are desperate. Desperate enough to throw their lives away for a chance at revenge. Can I really get them through this?
Speaking to the room, Bashiel states "Gregor's plan is alright by me. If we check the perimeter and find unguarded exits, we may benefit from at least jamming the doors. Beyond that, we'll rely entirely on the element of surprise. Lamm or his men may even be sleeping at their posts."
He turns to look at Kalem. "Kalem, consider that the lambs are as much victims in this as any. Frightened little children for the most part. "Leaning on them" as you suggest is out of the question. Those few times that the guard has freed some of them from Lamm, they've been peaceful enough, but too stricken by fear of the man to speak much about him. " Bashiel watches the man, concern plain on his face. And your bloodthirst worries me... what has been done to you to end up this way...
Bashiel watches Ilsa's strange display with as much concern as he showed towards Kalem, but for an entirely different reason. "Ilsa, as the others say the dark alone is not dangerous, though it can certainly hide more dangerous things. And we cannot see, feel, nor hear these things you claim to sense. Right now, our goal is Lamm. If you are not willing or able to fight alongside us, you can stay here. I promise that I will search for Briget in your stead." Maybe that would be for the best. An untrained young woman, deeply distraught, and possibly even mad, would meet a swift end on the blade of one of Lamm's thugs.
As Gregor begins to check his gear, Bashiel gives him a reassuring smile. "I'm with you Gregor. I'll try to keep an eye on you as you scout ahead so we can intervene if things go south."
Varor nods, "He's a man of many faults but stupidity is not one of them. He'll have some measure of defense plan ready and if we fail the first time we won't get another, he'll pack up and leave immediately. if you're only going to get in the way than it's best if you stay behind because while there may be things in the dark that are worth fearing, there are also many things in the light that we should tremble before as well."
Varor scans the room before continuing on. "Besides even if we do go during the day we'll have to stay until the night anyway to wait for all the children to come back." Varors gaze lands back on Ilsa, "I know it may seem cruel, but we are dealing with a man who weapon is fear, if we go in trembling in our boots jumping at every shadow that we come across we'll have no chance of success."
"Now , Now, Varor. I'm sure he didn't mean that Ilsa" Brin pulls out a handkerchief and gives it to her. "It's just that everyone here appears to have their own reason to get Lamm, and I think that we will need your help. Here you go have a tart." Food is confort and love...as brin also takes some.
"Gregor you don't happen to have something your son wore."
"A midnight raid is fine with me... we can relax a bit before we go in, after all, we've got a few hours... and then begin with scouting and then instigate our assault."
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Ilsa almost looks like someone else entirely as she sits in the glowing chair; her countenance has changed rapidly.
"There are worse things than death," she murmurs darkly. "It may sound like I am crazy, but I can see things you cannot. They are nearly as real to me as you are."
She stands and prepares to leave. "I will go," she says. "Soon you will understand."
She seems to take solace in the fact that others will be with her tonight.
"I will find Briget or die."
When the scouting begins, Quinlan will hang back a ways, in sight of the fishery and the scout(s?), but barely so, lounging on the edge of an alley in shadows.
Once you finish your initial planning and discussion, you head out around midnight and approach Westpier 17 cloaked in the darkness. Bits of light filter out from a few warehouses, trickle down to the street from the moon, and reflect off the Jeggare River when you can see it between the buildings. Despite being a "water front", this section of the harbor is densely built with one building practically atop the other. All of them are old, some are better maintained than the other.
Down the street you catch a glimpse of the Gaedren's lair. As Zellara and Quinn both described, it is a decrepit structure, creaking and neglected with a bowed roof. A building to its right is nearly on top of it, only a small gap between the two housing a wooden walkway towards the river and a gap between the building. On the opposite side is a loading dock, a gate on the left side is closed.
Facing the street is a pair of double doors, closed. Windows would look out onto the street but are covered by wooden planks nailed into the frames. The entire building rests on an embankment sliding down more than a dozen feet into the black waters of the Jeggare.
I will hang back with Quinn, and staying close to Ilsa more than anyone else. Brin bumps things the entire way. When he stops to move a twig off the road to be more stealthy. He literally hits a pair of bells that are hanging on the door next to him and steps on a dogs tail laying by the door.
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Ilsa stays back with the main group.
"Can you see them?" she whispers. "Just at the edge of sight, in the darkness? They wait for you to fall asleep."
She huddles close to the rest of the group.
It is out there, but they do not--cannot--see it. I will need to face it myself. Is there more to me than shop girl? The reading says maybe so. I can feel magic around me...I think. Can I make it lighter with a thought?
A pebble at Ilsa's feet begins to glow brightly, eliciting harsh whispers from her companions. She promptly picks it up and thrusts it in her belt pouch.
As they decide what to do, she looks in her pocket from time to time, gaining some comfort.
An hour before midnight, Bashiel took to a corner of the room and sat cross-legged. He closed his eyes and seemed to meditate, breathing in slowly and carefully. The trance lasted a long time during which he was more or less unresponsive. To external appearances, he could have been napping.
Inside, his mind was abuzz with the whispers of his ancestors. He waded through the mix, seeking a particular spirit. Phiatep, I need your aid. His plea seemed to echo about in his own head. His ancestors repeated it and passed it on. Finally, he heard the voice he was looking for.
~Այնպես որ, ինչու եք ընդհատել իմ խոհ. Մտքիս աչքով ամպամած է ձեր փտած լեզուով~
Phiatep, I seek to restore the Eland honor by bringing one who has struck against our family to justice. His domain is well guarded and I need to be able to evade notice. I've heard since childhood that you were a legendary thief, one who once stole a diadem off the head of the God-King Nethys himself without attracting attention. Please, can you guide me with even a portion of your knowledge!
~հա! ժառանգությունը աճել է ֆանտազիայի տարիքից. աստված թագավորը բռնեցին զիս մոտենում, գցում ինձ բանտ, եւ ապա առաջարկեց ինձ հնարավորություն է ծառայել նրա կողքին. ես կօգնեմ քեզ երիտասարդ մեկին. Պատրաստիր ինքդ քեզ!~
At the end of the hour, Bashiel rose with a sudden smoothness. He stretched. He checked his gear with strangely elegant movements. Finally, he cleared his throat "Ready"
With an appreciative nod towards Zellara and a whispered assurance that the group would find Lamm, he headed out into the night.
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Bashiel stays back with the non-scouting members as the party approaches the fishery. He keeps his eyes peeled for any unusual activity out in the night and tries to move the way Phiatep is dictating. It turns out not even the best coaching is able to totally counter the clanking of his armor and the occasional squelch into a mysterious puddle. At least the details of his armor are obscured by a rough woolen cloak.
Bashiel keeps whoever leaves to scout in his line of sight if possible, but otherwise remains plenty far away from the building.
"Ok I'll go in and scout, stay close if anything happens I'll come back and get you. But if you hear anything going off come for me, We'll forget this sneaking and we go full in catch them by surprise." He says pulling out his daggers and inspecting them both.
Gregor stretching clicking his neck in to process his is shoulders drop and he begins to stalk forward towards the fishery, dragger in both hands his breathing slows and steps away from the group into darkness. Ilsa words echoing in his head as he starts to feel like he's being watched from the darkness but the thought of his son pushing him on no matter what could be out there in the darkness or in the fishery.
He continues forward attempting to us all this scoundrel tricks to keep out of sight and unheard. He moves towards the first window he see's attempting to look in.
While Brin has all the stealthiness of a drunk elephant (and Bashiel's weaponry keeps banging, clanking and scraping against his armor), Gregor is another story entirely. He sticks mainly to the shadows and the nooks and crannies of the buildings created by Korvosa's architecture. Benefiting him still further is the fact that the streets of West Dock are essentially empty at this time of night. While Brin's bumbling catches the eye of a few homeless and drunkards, Gregor is as a shadow and goes unnoticed even by them.
He slips up to the window adjacent to the front doors. As he passes the doors, he notices they are mottled with mold and grit, but otherwise appear solid. The window itself is planked over, but there are a few gaps between the planks.
It's dark inside with no obvious source of light, but judging by the shadows and gradations, this appears to be a simple room of some sort, not related to the work of processing fish. Gregor sees the outline of some furniture in the middle of the room and what appear to be two doors on the far wall... perhaps 20 feet away. It's hard to make out the other dimensions of the room, though, due to Gregor's limited perspective.
Gregor then slips to the right side of the building where a boardwalk goes around the side of the building and over the bank of the Jeggare. The boardwalk begins about 13' above the water but takes a shallow slope downward, such that at the end it is only 10' above the water. The planks are slippery. Gregor can tell if someone were to move quickly along them -- or have to fight -- it would be difficult to maintain balance.
As he steps onto the boardwalk, he quickly discerns the boards are also in poor repair. Fortunately, Gregor has a light step, but he realizes if more than one human were to step onto here, it could compromise the boards resulting in a swim in the Jeggare. The same could be said of a single human heavily weighed down with gear or armor. But for the halfling... it isn't a problem.
Pausing by the first window on the boardwalk (again it is boarded over), he sees the outline of large, vertical pieces of furniture to the left and right of the window. It would be difficult to tell what they are except... he hears snoring. Not the snoring of children, but the heavier, snorting type of an adult.
Moving a little further down the boardwalk, he inspects the door. He senses no traps, but does see the door is locked, though it's a cheap, simple affair.
Down the street, the rest of you see Gregor move around the front of the building, peer into a window, then come back towards you a little before turning a corner at the side of the building, where your line of sight is now blocked by the adjacent building. You hear nothing to cause to concern.
"Hey guys and gals I think we should go in through the front doors on the streets. I think dry land would be best as long as possible." Brin says as he is huddled against a wall. Nervously Brin pulls out a piece of candy. and eats it. " Sorry, I eat when I'm nervous" Brin says in-between chewing.
Gregor will continue down the planks only to the end of the building and see what's by the ship. If nothing stands out he'll come back and attempt to unlock the door only once if it works not go in.
He'll then come back checking the double doors, if they are unlocked he'll move on to the other side and check that door.
Then if all goes to plan, he'll head back to the group and replay everything he has seen and learned.
"Well if we hear screaming we go in. If not, let's put some faith in the half-man, and see how this goes."
the end of the boardwalk wraps around the side of a ship called the Kraken's Folly. There are more boarded windows but passing within a room on the other side you get the impression of a candle...someone walking with a candle.
The door facing the boardwalk remains locked despite your efforts, as is the door at the front.
Quinlan scowls at the term 'half-man, but then nods to Kalem... "Aye, if we hear any signs of a problem, we rush the place... "
Varor nods, "Silence and caution are our greatest friends here."
"I think I see him coming back around the front. Its hard to tell in the night." Bashiel strains his eyes, peering into the darkness. "No sounds yet, so I think he's alright. I've known him long enough to know that he's no slouch at these kinds of things. I don't think its likely that he'll be heard, much less caught."
Gregor Continues his scouting attempting to find an entrance easy to get into, checking any remaining doors he can find then heading back and explain everything he's seen to the group.
Down the street, the group sees Gregor's silhouette slip back and forth along the front of the building, inspecting the front doors a second time, then slip around the corner on the far side.
There, Gregor finds the boards comprising the loading dock to be in slightly better shape than the boardwalk on the opposite side. It seems these could even support a loaded wagon. He takes his time to inspect the lock and then begins to carefully pick it. After a couple of minutes, the rusty device finally "snicks" into place, popping open and releasing the chain holding the gate shut. While the gate creaks and groans on its hinges as you open it, the noise isn't so much worse than when the gate was locked and banging against itself in the breeze.
while a rickety flight of stairs descends ten feet to a point just three feet over the river’s surface, where a simple door provides a secondary entrance.
Gregor returns to the group and informs them of what he's found.
I'll take out one of my pieces of candy that has mage armor and hold it in my hand.
Kalem will make his way to the front line with his hammer held ready.
Quinlan will approach the fishery cautiously, doing his best not to make any untoward noise.
Bashiel moves as carefully as possible onto the loading dock, enduring Phiatep's angry lectures at every misstep. I'm glad no one else can hear her... or I'd be waking up this whole place.
Once the group is next to the door, Bashiel whispers "Once we're inside, I'll be right behind you Gregor. We can't risk you getting cut off from us if fighting breaks out."
Bashiel draws a longsword and holds it in one hand. "Alright, ready when you are." he whispers.
Bashiel's head turns towards Brin and he blinks in disbelief Did he just throw... some dough... onto the roof? I must be too tense. He shakes his head and focuses on the door ahead of him.
Varor has his saber drawn and at the ready with only a nod to confirm that he is prepared.
Gregor nods, then leads the group back to the loading dock. Hoping their combined movement doesn't wake anyone up he moves as quickly as he came getting to the double doors and attempting to open them or unlock them. He then slowly swings it open.
After a moment, a single chocolate chip falls down onto Brin's head.
Gregor goes to work on the lock and it opens with a "snick".
The stink in this room, a mixture of fish and sweat, is enough to make the eyes water. To the east, a large wooden trough holds a hideous mound of half-rancid fish, seaweed, and brine. Filthy river water and fish blood stain the floor around this trough. A pair of wooden chutes lead from this trough through holes in the eastern wall into a larger room beyond. To the west, a desk and chair sit in one corner while a tall cabinet sits in the other.
Gregor, Quinlan and Kalem hear the sound of several people snoring through the chutes to the east.
Quinlan mimes that someone is sleeping to the east.
but despite what he thinks are clear signals, the movements don't make much sense to others.
Brin whispers, "Cookie; get back down here then you useless hunk of dough."
Brin then readies a charm person if anyone comes out the side door. He is pretty happy where he is at. He pulls out a handkerchief to wipe down his brow from all the exertion. he also keeps a ear out if anyone screams for help or for any exclamations of food. having run out of tarts....
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Ilsa's face is a stoic mask but her eyes betray some fear.
She finds some comfort in the center of the group but looks out into the darkness constantly.
This place is awful! she thinks, but does not venture even a whisper.
She pads along as silently as an apparition. She pulls the sap from her belt. Having never struck someone with a weapon, she is glad this one at least wouldn't draw blood.
This place felt familiar. It reminded him of the lofts and warehouses he would sleep in when he was a lamb. Moving quickly, Kalem snuck forward, eager to finally bring Lamm to justice.
Gregor nods to Quinlan at least partly understanding what he is trying to say.
He then moves forward pointing at the door. Wanting to take a look down the chutes.
Varor stays to the back let the others do the sneaking. he'll wait for the inevitable sign of battle, understanding that he is well out of practice and that his current attire make stealth an invalid option for him.
The group begins its infiltration of the fishery. A few boards squeak beneath Brin and the smell of his baked goods carries on the wind, but the rank smell of fish plus intervening walls and doors is enough to stifle any detection.
For his part, Gregor senses two things through the chutes, his low light vision helping him despite the near darkness. Many small figures swing gently in hammocks in a large room to the east...and you hear a scratching of something hard against wood. Clickclickclickclack. Like that of a dog walking. With a thunk, it sounds like it has laid down.
Bashiel wrinkles his nose at the stench of rotting rish. He moves to the southern door, holding up an ear to the door and trying to hear if there are any people in the adjoining room.
He looks at Gregor questioningly, then points at the eastern door. He tries to convey a question to Gregor nonverbally: "Want to go that way? If so, lead on."
Gregros heart drops as he spots the small figures in the large room. He is quick to get everyone attention waving his arms and pointing into the large room. "Their in here!"
He moves to the door and attempts to open it.
Quinlan whispers quickly and vehemently: "Wait! there are probably guards about the place... wouldn't it be better to dispose of them first before going for the children?"
Gregor curses to himself as he steps back from the door. "Tom could be in there, if we get them out fast there's no chance they could get hurt in the fighting." He whispers back, hands curled tight into a fist. Staring up at the large man he knows the position he is in, he needs to think first and not jump for his price, then taking a few deep breaths he loosened his grip. He points to the southern door the one Bashiel is standing by and moves to check it for a lock.
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Ilsa huddles close to the others as they creep forward.
"The stench of death...there are monsters in this place. Even you will see them," Ilsa whispers.
She draws the glowing stone from her pocket just enough to see a slight glow.
"We need more light," she whispers. "They are so close...all around us."