”Nothing of the sort! No, of course not. It’s just...well, my experience with the guard hasn’t been very pleasant up until recently. No offense to Bashiel, of course. I fact...” he turned to the guardsman ”...getting to know you has changed my opinion on the uniform you wear.” Then, to Quin he said ”I’’m just not comfortable joking in the office of someone so powerful. It’s the feeling that you know something bad is going to happen. That you’re not sure what, but the safest thing to do is to just get away unseen before the axe falls. Maybe it’s not rationale, but a lifetime of avoiding authority figures is hard to shake.”
What he said, was the truth. Not the whole truth, of course. That was another habit that was hard to shake. The way that his comrades looked at him after the torture, and how he looked at himself, made him feel extremely uncomfortable. But there were some thoughts that he wasn’t quite ready to make public.
Pel nods at Cressida as he leaves with the others. Once they are a safe distance from Cressida's office and other guards, besides Bashiel, he says, "We may only get one chance to catch or follow these cultists, so, like Bashiel said, we should think carefully about how we wish to approach this.
"If we want to avoid being detected while we wait for the cultists to show up for the meeting, I can cast alarm on the area. That way, we don't even have to be in line of sight of the area and risk spooking the cultists."
Pel takes a moment to think about whether or not he wants to add anything else, then says, "Also, and I'm sorry if this hurts, but we should really come up with a better plan than the one we concocted for confronting Trinia. We got very lucky there. If another chase breaks out, we're not likely to catch our adversaries in heavy armor or spread out helter-skelter like we were, especially if they run into a crowded street."
Do you have a proposed plan, Pel?
"I guess I understand that a bit, Kalem. There were times in my life when I would have felt uncomfortable in Croft's presence. But those times are behind me... and you... Time to let it go, and loosen up a bit... she may be commander of the guard, but she's still just a person. I'm sure she understands the need for a little levity from time to time."
When Pel mentions having a better plan for the upcoming meeting, he nods. "I missed the chase on the rooftops, so I don't really know how it all went down up there. The details are a tale for another day I guess... but I agree, a plan would be a good thing. But plans don't always go as expected. There are other folks involved and we can't predict every reaction. So that said, let's get there early, check out the area and make a plan. Since they set the time and location, we have to assume they already have a plan of their own."
To Zamanda's question, Pel says, "I agree with Quin. I would suggest we don't all go at the same time, or at least don't make it obvious we're all part of the same group. If they're watching the spot and we're not careful, we might give ourselves away before the meeting even happens."
Bashiel takes a seat at a table in the room down the hall and rests his head on his fist. As he listens to Pel's comments, he nods "You can say that again Pel. I think we caught Trinia almost entirely due to luck. Neither of us would have stood much chance of keeping up a chase on the rooftops."
"So, tonight the cultists will have someone checking the stone where Zamanda flipped it. Probably only one person, probably not very high up in their group. I doubt it would do us much good to jump them. We need to be a bit more subtle about it. I've been thinking that we need to find some way to either tail the contact back to their hideout or mark them magically so we can find them in the future."
"Based on what we know of these cultists, they have a lot of resources. Probably quite a few members, but at the very least a lot of money. Maybe even the support of some patron." He scowls at the thought "They also have to have a base of operations where the people they ordered were taken. Once we know where that is, we can strike."
He leans back in his chair and crosses his arms. "What do you all think? Is there a way to keep track of the cultist without revealing ourselves?"
”Perhaps we could try infiltrating their group? I mean, I’m pretty sure I could look the part. Our group isn’t too large. If we can come up with a reason on how we know about them, then maybe we can find a way to get inside their lair and strike them from inside.”
"That's not a good idea," Varor says holding up is iron pendant, "I think I can speak for everyone when I say that none of us would be able to stomach there activities."
”Why?” Kalem looked at Varor, confused. ”What do they do? Sacrifice people? I mean, that’s bad. But it’s not like we will go that far.”
Varor gives Kalem a hard stare, "Rape, murder, desecration, I wouldn't be surprised if those kids were cannibalized, it wouldn't be the first time Urgathoins have done so. She's the goddess of excess, disease, and undeath. Believe me friend, a ritual sacrifice might be the only mercy for those kids, and that's only because Urgathoa will treat them well after she corrupts their souls!" He yells out the last part while clutching his pendant.
Is anyone in the group good at stealth?
"Sorry, Zamanda, it's not one of the things I'm terribly skilled at."
Me neither. Just trying to see what the possibilities are. Unless someone is skilled at that, hiding and watching where they go seems to be out, which is unfortunate. That seems safest.
I agree with Varor that long-term infiltration wouldn't be wise either... they are just too scary. So either short term infiltration or ambush, and honestly short term infiltration isn't going to work. You don't surprise Urgathoans in the middle of the street and talk your way in and have them lead you back to the hideout. You have to know where they congregate to even have a chance.
We either have to play along and provide them with something, which I assume we are unwilling to do, or... I guess Pel's plan of casting alarm on the area sounds like the best plan. We go very early and stake the area out, get hiding places that we won't be good at, but hopefully it won't matter because it won't be line of sight, but only near enough to run in and attack. The problem is, what if they have a way in we haven't thought of? What if they are roof runners like Trinia, or they come up from the sewers, or they have a hideout that is already in the area, so they will already be watching us as we set up an ambush.
Anyone else got anything?
Kalem listened and shrugged. He didn't quite understand what the problem was. Lamm sold people. For just about any purpose. He had seen murder, torture...there had been plenty of screams and cries that he had to ignore growing up. For his own safety and sanity. Belonging to Lamm was not the most pleasant of experiences. What did it matter if some idiots did the same things for a god instead of for gold? But, he told himself, Varor was a priest. So pretending to be worshiping another god was probably a bad thing for him. He didn't understand how the gods worked, and truth be told, rarely ever thought of them. It just never seemed relevant. Regardless, infiltration was off the table. And he suspected that further suggestions along the line wouldn't be productive.
"I'm not one for sneaking around. And let's be honest, we'd all need to be good at sneaking, because if even one of us is seen, we're done for." He chewed on his lip as he thought. "Maybe we could capture one? Though how we'd convince him to take us to his lair is beyond me. Or...and I'm just throwing ideas out. Maybe we bluff this out. Tell them that we've offed Devargo and Lamm, and that we're the new players in town. And we've got goods to sell them. Then enchant what we sell them so we can track it. Follow the goods back to their lair, rather than the people."
"That could work... I know there are magical ways to track things... but do we have time to set up such a ruse? I'll be no one has that spell today.... what is it... 'find item?' or something."
"Locate Object! that's the spell.. anyway.. what do you all think of Kalem's plan?"
"I completely agree, sneaking would be a lost cause for me. And an ambush sounds like it could go south too easily. We've done ambushes before, but even if we're successful, we'd have to interrogate out the location of their hideout. And I'd rather not do that again."
Bashiel listens with his brow furrowed as Kalem and Quin offer alternatives.
"Hmm... Get them to take something and then use that to tail them home? Seems like a solid plan Kalem. The biggest question is what we can entice them with. It could be as simple as leaving a few coins, small enough that they could have conceivably been lost without a nobleman noticing, but large enough that they've worth pocketing."
"We don't know much about our targets. Makes it tough to guess what they would take without question." Bashiel scratches at his beard, obviously unsure about the right move. "We actually have two chances. One, tonight when they go to check the stone but don't expect a trade. For tonight, they won't expect anyone there, so we can attempt to plant something on them more passively. If we fail, we have tomorrow to attempt a 'gift' in person."
"I'd leave a marked coin for tonight, something we can track. Though I'm open to something more enticing."
Bashiel looks over at Zamanda "You mentioned that locate object spell earlier, and that it wouldn't have helped to find Trinia. Do you think we can rely on it for this, or is there a better way?"
It won't work unless you are within, say, 500 feet or so. And I can't cast it anyway. You'd have to find someone else... and that person would have to have personally seen the object, and probably be able to cast the spell multiple times if you are doing a search. You're talking a high level wizard.
Honestly, if you are going to hire someone... hire someone with stealth who can follow them and see where they go.
If you want to get it done with only the assets we have available, then you're limited. This group has brawn and bluff, which are both good, but we don't really have speed or stealth. I don't know what options we have other than ambush them and hope that something one of them carries will lead us to the right place, or capture one alive and have Pel cast charm... or use a love potion. That works the same way, just with more romantic overtones... which admittedly would be excessively creepy from an Urgathoan. But people will tell you most anything if they think they are in love with you.
I guess you could get some invisibility potions or something... Hmm. Sincerely, I don't know. I guess I lean towards play to your strengths and capture one of them. ... Or if Kalem really wants to try infiltration, I'm for letting him try... I just have no idea how you even make that work in the middle of the street, or how we would track Kalem in order to find out where he goes and have a chance of keeping him safe if things go sideways. Breadcrumbs? But he's good. He might be able to come up with a story.
”A locate object spell isn’t actually that advanced. Granted, I can’t cast it on my own. But if we were to invest in a couple scrolls, I could probably use them easily enough.”
”It might be good to have a few different plans in place in the event something happens that we weren’t expecting. A locate object spell is one option. Having Kalem bluff them into trusting him could be another plan. If neither of those work, then I could try to charm one of them if we’re able to capture one.”
"Maybe we can combine the plans... have Kalem carry something we can track with locate object and try to infiltrate them, so we can find them through him."
”But what do we bring? It would need to be something that they would want to keep in their hideout. Varor? You’re the expert on religious stuff. Any suggestions?”
Bashiel thinks about what he knows about followers of Urgathoa and what might be a good item for Kalem to bring to entice them.
"Kalem, as long as you are willing to accept the risk... well, even so I can't recommend it. This group might be worse than anything we've seen so far, and better prepared besides. But if you're committed to this, I have a Potion of Invisibility you might want to hold onto in case you need to make an escape."
Kalem nodded. He still didn’t fully take the cultists seriously. Excess? Disease? Undeath? It didn’t sound too bad. ”I’ll do it. Out of all of us I look the part the most. And thank you for the potion. Hopefully I’ll deliver whatever good we decide upon, and will give your potion back untouched.”
Pel looks at the tiefling in a new light. The man's willingness to risk his own life isn't exactly something Pel was expecting. Perhaps there is more to the man than meets the eye.
"Don't hesitate to use the potion if you need to. It's not worth risking your life to conserve it."
To everyone, Pel says, "So, are we planning to buy a couple scrolls for the locate object spell? I would suggest getting them from one of my old professors at the Acadamae, but they're not exactly open for business anymore."
Bashiel sighs "As for the Urgathoans, other than what I've already mentioned, I don't know much about what kind of gift or trade you should bring them. That said, I can't imagine anyone would say no to some gold. We could get a special pouch to put the gold in that would be track-able by Pel's magic."
Zamanda puts in 43 gold as well, hoping that it doesn't take more than that, since that's almost half of everything she has.
Pel also adds 43 gold to the scroll-buying fund.
"Kalem, I think the rest of us will follow you to the Gray, but I at least will have to stay well away from the meeting point unless we want to frighten them off. Pel as well, I think?" Bashiel glances over at Pel to get his confirmation "We'll stay out of sight within a few hundred feet so that the magic will still work, and follow along as best we can if you start moving. Do you have some kind of signal you could make if you need us to provide immediate support?"
He takes a looks briefly through his pack and pulls out a belt pouch. He takes a piece of charcoal and marks a circle and a line on the inside of the pouch. He shows it carefully to Pel and then passes the pouch to Kalem. "If you want to give them a bit of extra gold in celebration of the new business arrangement, that pouch should be unique enough for Pel to track with his magic."
Pel nods at Bashiel and says, "I'll have the scrolls ready. I should be able to track that pouch easily enough."
The arcanist looks over at Kalem and says, "We can't track you if you separate from that pouch, so stick with whoever you give it to in case there are multiple cultists and they split up."
To Ilsa, he says, "Would you be willing to stay close enough to see Kalem? Maybe we can be twice as far back, so you can signal us should something go wrong or if I need to use a scroll."
At the appointed hour, Kalem, shadowed at a distance by the others, arrives in the Gray District. Cast in a pale silver light, the Temple of Pharasma rises like a giant mosuleum to the west while the Pillar Wall rises like a black curtain to the north, stretching out towards the sea and cutting off the city. Sculptures atop graves create odd silhouettes, giving the impression of sinister company lurking just out of sight. And yet, compared to the rest of the city, there is a strange peace here. The noises of the city recede and, though the smell of the fires still lingers, the air is clean of the stench of sewage and refuse.
Zamanda goes very early, and hides on a nearby roof, keeping watch over the meeting area, and using her Sleeves of Many Garments to blend in with the roof as much as possible.
Pel arrives early, hoping to be prepared in case something goes wrong. He takes a queue from Zamanda and uses his Sleeves of Many Garments to better blend in with his environment.
Kalem confidently walks to the arranged meeting spot. When he gets there he pulls his hood back, revealing his skin, as dark as night, in all of its Tiefling glory. Making no move to hide himself, he waits patiently, looking around expectantly.
Before leaving, Bashiel will spend an hour to call upon his ancestral spirits and commune with Phiatep.
--------
Lacking any magical sleeves and relatively sure that he'll stand out like a sore thumb despite Phiatep's advice, Bashiel puts on a heavy cloak and heads out into the cemeteries. Along the way he gathers a weed of some kind that could be passed off as a bundle of flowers, and does his best to appear to be a grieving visitor.
He arrives ahead of time and (at least initially) separate from Pel. After wandering the graveyard for a minute or two he finds a spot about 200 ft away from the meeting spot and without direct line of sight to it. He lays his 'flowers' in front of a newer seeming gravestone and spends a few minutes kneeling in front of it, before stepping away and into the alcove of a mausoleum. Once there he remains quiet and still, but forces his expression into a pensive one, appropriate for a visit to a deceased relative. Once in place, he keeps an eye out for Pel.
Quinlan will suggest to Ilsa: "We could pose as a couple out for a stroll, maybe pretend to sequester in an alcove and make out, while keeping a watch... We'd be able to be fairly close without hovering... maybe just 20 to 60 feet away? Just a thought... if you're not interested, that's fine too. but being on the ground will give us easier and faster access to Kalem than being on a rooftop.. should he need our help that is."
plus 8 for bluff? +bonus for distance as well.
Kalem: Up front and center
Bashiel: Hiding 200' away, Stealth 43
Quin: Pending arrangement with Ilsa, maybe Hiding 20~60' away
Zamanda: 30' away, Stealth 25
Ilsa: 30' away, Stealth 32
Pel: 200' away, Stealth 32
Varor: ?
There aren't many "buildings" in the traditional sense. There is the Pillar Wall but that's... 50' high? (I'm guessing.) Mausoleums and large crypts would be your closest thing to a building, usually just one story high and not terribly large. Might just be a way to make you more visible, frankly.
Edit: Sorry, moving off since there is no roof. So, if you want to be close, no point hiding with me.