Sara shakes her head. "Armor's not my thing. And disguises, uh, less so. Besides, their uniforms have no gloves, and I don't think a cultist of Norgorber would have Urgathoa's mark cut into her wrist. Could be a bit easy to oust me."
She looks at the dead woman, still in her chair.
"She doesn't look too tall, I think you'd fit it, Zhi. But regardless, it should be one of us three," she indicates herself, Zhi and Melodie; "aside from the halflings and the wayang, all the guards look human."
”In any event, we should take these tanglefoot bags, I already have one of my own so the rest of you should grab one each.”
"Yeah, but doesn't she have that wig thing?" Zhi begins protesting, but then takes a breath.
"Wait, let me think," she says.
"There aren't any other rooms, so they've either got her stuffed in a crate or she's up there," she mutters, looking up at the raised room.
"We can't fight them all at once, they're not going to buy us as cultists, and we all can't sneak by the guards. We need a distraction."
She looks up at Sara.
"How about we use a distraction to draw them to the other side of the warehouse and then we all cross and move up the stairs?"
Zhi holds up the thunderstone they recovered from the wayang.
"I can attach this to an arrow and detonate it on the other side of the warehouse. Once the guards move that way we cross and go up the stairs."
"The way I see it, the bigger the distraction, the better. I vote we do both plans, send someone out in uniform to get the Pathfinder's assistance and also cause an explosion. That should draw off most of them."
"We can send a message to them with this, can't we?" Zhi says, holding up the silver figurine of a raven.
"I'd rather not split us up."
Zileska says dubiously, "Is there any way for someone to climb up top from the outside? Not that it matters because we couldn't rescue her from the outside like that... she'd have to come down the stairs anyway... hmm. If only we had some fireworks."
Sara's eyes go bright at the mention of the raven. "Damn it Zhi, I could you, you're bloody brilliant, did you know that? I think we have the makings of a very clever plan here. Any other ideas?"
At Zileska's comment, Sara ponders. "I don't have much in the way of practical knowledge of architecture or engineering, but if this is a warehouse, it'd stand that that's the office up top; we can probably just jump out a window with her. The boss man's gotta have a window."
Sara's eyes go bright at the mention of the raven. "Damn it Zhi, I could you, you're bloody brilliant, did you know that? I think we have the makings of a very clever plan here. Any other ideas?"
Zhi looks down but there's no mistaking the flush rising to her face.
Focus!
Melodie tries to follow the twists and turns that the plan seems to be taking but loses track fairly fast - when the talk of kissing comes up she too blushes, even though the comment wasn't aimed at her.
"I could try and put the guards at the table to sleep?" She suggests quietly. "But then we don't want loud noises..."
"No, let's hold off on your singing for now," Zhi says turning to Melodie, thankful for something to focus on.
Those lips would be ...
Focus!
You quickly write a short message on a scrap of paper with instructions for the Pathfinders, then send your silver raven out to deliver it. It quietly flaps off to the west and disappears from sight. You hunker down by the door to the main warehouse and get ready.
After a few minutes, you can hear distant shouts coming from outside. One of the far doors open and a patrolling guard sticks his head inside. "Hey, we've got intruders lurking out this way. We could use some back-up!" The four card players douse their cigars and draw their blades as they head out to investigate, leaving only the four patrolling guards.
Zhi sneaks along through the crates to get a view of the far wall. She ties a thunderstone to the end of an arrow and launches it at her target. When the arrow impacts the wall, the stone detonates with a loud boom!
"What was that?!?" one guard shouts. The two pairs hustle over to investigate the noise, and you use the distraction to sneak towards the stairs. On the opposite side of the warehouse and with the tall crates blocking their view, the guards don't notice you as you creep up to the door to the office above.
Two metal pipes ascend through the northwest and southwest corners of this room. A viewing window overlooks the warehouse floor to the west. An oak desk occupies the eastern side of the chamber, backed by an intimidating chair. An open door the south reveals an unused and empty storage closet.
Two more guards are in this room, along with an unsettling gray-skinned man whose face is decorated with macabre clown makeup. He is surrounded by four identical duplicates, each one clutching a curved sickle. The occupants of this room are facing the door, having apparently heard your quiet approach.
"Look boys, we have guests," the gray-skinned man says in a singsong voice. "Let's give 'em all a second smile!" He slices the sickle through the air in front of him for emphasis.
Something seems out of place in the room, but Zhi pushes it to the back of her mind as she sees weapons pointed in their direction. Not wanting to block the door, she moves forward rapidly towards the cultist by the desk. At the last moment, she turns her forward momentum into a slide and attempts to slide past him and attack from the other side.
Zhi slides past the guard, ducking under the arc of his dagger. As she comes up on the other side, she drives her rapier into his back. He groans and falls to the floor as she pulls the bloody blade out of his body.
Sara follows right behind Zhi, yanking the guard's ankle as he dies. Dragging the body behind her, she runs up and swings it with both hands into the other guard.
Sara swings the dying guard into the second one, smashing him against the window. The glass cracks, sending myriad shards stabbing into the man's back. He doubles over, barely standing.
So much for this being a quiet vantage point, Maria thought to herself as the fight started. As she ran into the room, she slid across the table to attack the grey-skinned man.
Maria slides across the table and attacks, but her blade slices through a mirror image, destroying it.
The clown takes a step back and leers at Maria. "Stop me if you heard this one before. A tiefling walks into a bar, and the bartender says, 'Finally! I've been hoping to get some tail all night!'"
Backed into the corner, the disabled guard puts his whistle to his mouth and blows an alarm! Hearing it, the other guards begin moving across the warehouse!
"Really? I'd have gone for some play on the word 'horny'." She was somewhat annoyed at the illusion spell he had active. Still, easiest way to deal with this spell would be to eliminate the other illusions quickly.
Cover blown and need for stealth sacrificed, Sara tries to kick the offending guard through the window, screaming as she does so.
Zhi cringes as the guard manages to get a blast on his whistle.
"Damn! she curses as she moves towards the moving clown images.
"Back off, clown!" says Zileska angrily as she advances into the fray and takes the clown's feet out from under him!
Seeing no easy way to get to the clown Melodie turns around to watch the top of the stairs. Trying to calm herself she begins to sing arpeggios, voice running rapidly up and down the notes.
Melodie begins to sing a song, channeling magic into her voice. Zileska moves into the room and cracks her whip towards the clown's feet, but her weapon snaps an illusory double out of existence.
Sara tries to kick the other guard out of the window, but he still has the wherewithal to brace himself for the impact. More cracks appear in the glass, but the man remains on his feet.
Maria stabs at the clown again, once more destroying a mirror image. Zhi moves in as well, but her attack goes wide, scraping against the metal pipe nearby.
"Hmm, tough crowd," the gray-skinned man says. "Well, my father always said I should try to bring out the best in people. Let's see what you've got inside of you." He slices Maria across the belly with his sickle, leaving behind a deep gash.
The other guards continue to push their way through the maze of crates to get to the stairs. Melodie finishes her song, and the two closest ones fall to the floor, slumbering soundly!
"Your make-up is awful," taunts Zileska as she points and waves her fingers in a lazy pattern.
A glittering whip materializes in the air, accompanied by a low buzz. It snaps and cracks at the clown!
Hissing in pain as the sickle found its mark, Maria lashed out once more, hoping to at least get rid of the final illusion. Though her tail did retrieve one of the alchemical extracts from her belt.
Melodie levels Dignity's Barb and glares at the remaining guards. "Flee now, or worse will happen to you!"
Frustrated but ignoring the guard for now, Sara pulls out one of the trusty antique table legs and swings it into the grey skinned man.
"I've always thought Giggles the Dwarf was so much more entertaining then you," Zhi says through gritted teeth as she thrusts at the clown.
Melodie brandishes Dignity's Barb and tries to intimidate the other guards. They hesitate for a moment, but keep coming.
Zileska summons a spiritual whip, but it cracks through empty air.
Sara, Maria, and Zhi all assault the clown, and despite his remaining mirror image, all three manage to hit the real thing! He groans in pain as Sara clobbers him, Maria slashes him, and Zhi stabs him!
"Giggles...is a hack!" he growls, spitting blood. He tries to tumble out of his precarious situation, but his clumsy attempt leaves him open to retaliation.
Down in the warehouse, the two guards run over to the sleeping ones and kick them awake! The disabled one in the office takes a staggering step toward the door, wary not to open himself to attack.
Sara screams and breaks her club over the man's head.
[dice=Damage]d10+d4+3[/dice]
She picks up the fallen body and throws it through the glass pane, shouting at the guards racing towards them.
" And speak nothing of this. Or we'll come for you, too."
Maria's sword-cane destroys the last of the clown's mirror images. Sara breaks her club over Mr. Smiles' head, shattering it to splinters while delivering a compound fracture to his skull. Bone and brain leak from the gory injury as he collapses in a lifeless heap.
She hefts the fetchling's corpse and hurls it through the window. Glass shatters as it plummets to the floor and impacts with a wet thump.
That seems to break the remaining guards' morale. They help their companions to their feet and run for the exits! The disabled guard tries to stagger away as well.
"Don't let him leave!" Zhi shouts, pointing her sword at the guard staggering out of the office.
She looks around the office that is now empty of threats - and of Lotheed.
"Where is she?" she says, sliding closer to him without lowering her sword. "Where is Lady Lotheed?"
The man raises his hands in surrender as Zileska steps to block the exit. "Wyssilka has her down below...interrogating her..." he groans. He points to northern pipe in this room. "There's a hidden door there. A ladder leads down to Lotheed's safe house..."
Still holding her sword pointing at the man, Zhi moves to the indicated pipe and begins checking it for secrets.
"Leave." she says to the guard curtly.
The secret door is where the guard indicated, revealing a ladder inside the pipe leading down. He spares Zhi a grateful look as he staggers out of the warehouse.
You gather the gear of the fallen guard and the dead clown. Among the latter's possessions, you find a key that unlocks the desk in the office, revealing even more treasure.
Sara throws the gross and broken table leg into the corner of the room. Wanting to replace it before going forward, she flips the desk over after it is looted and pries apart its legs before going on.
Zhi looks down the dark pipe nervously.
"Those guards were human so there's got to be light down there," she says steadying herself.
Stowing her sword she swings onto the ladder and begins climbing down.
"Coming Ladies?" she asks.
The ladder descends down past the level of the warehouse below. Eventually, it ends in an excavated chamber. The walls are embedded with several artifacts of a long-gone iteration of Oppara: bare scroll rods, broken pots, cobblestones, and various other bits of street garbage. A normally secret door in the southwestern wall has been left open, and light shines from beyond it.
Zhi crouches low and moves towards the open door and peers through it.
Melodie examines the various magic items carefully before following down the pipe.
Sara picks up two of the scroll rods, giving them a practice swing. She nods and stows them.
The room beyond the secret door appears to be a storage room. Barrels of water and crates of foodstuffs fill the room, as well as basic tools. A stone on the ceiling glows with continual flame.
As Zhi steps into the room, though, she triggers a tripwire. A device in the corner hurls a javelin into her side!
Zhi tosses the javelin aside and her hands clutch at the wound.
"Baka! Baka! Baka!" she barks at herself. "You know better!"
Sara rushes to the young woman's side and puts her hand on her shoulder, looking at the wound.
"Are you okay, Zhi? That doesn't look comfortable."
Melodie pockets the smoke pellets, feeling like they might be useful one day. "This is magical." She says, waving the sickle gingerly. "Anyone want to use it?"
Down below she winces at the *thunk* sound of Zhi being hit by the javelin and presses herself against the wall to let Zileska through. "What's happening?"
Melodie pockets the smoke pellets, feeling like they might be useful one day. "This is magical." She says, waving the sickle gingerly. "Anyone want to use it?"
"I'd rather not keep anything that creep Smiles prized," Zhi says with a shudder.
Sara rushes to the young woman's side and puts her hand on her shoulder, looking at the wound.
"Are you okay, Zhi? That doesn't look comfortable."
Zhi takes a breath, wincing at the pain it brings.
"Father says 'Kichona kyokun wa itaidesu'," she says looking up at the tall woman still clutching her side. "'A valuable lesson is painful.'"
"You'd think I'd have learned that one by now. Lesson five; Never trust hostile ground. Baka!"
She wipes her hands on her breeches and draws her rapier.
"That trap may have triggered an alarm. We can't stay here, we need to move."
She looks back and forth between the two hallways and makes a decision.
"That way," she says, pointing at the hallway on the left.
The south hall quickly dead ends, but a search of the wall uncovers a secret door that opens outward.
Worked stone walls give way to the cracked walls of a natural cavern. A putrid rainbow of fungus covers the eastern walls. Among this bloom, a single purple mushroom rises to a height of four feet. To the south, the chamber opens into a worked stone tunnel. A slurry of foul-smelling liquid flows in the adjoining tunnel, its choking stench filling the air.
Zhi wrinkles her nose at the stench.
"Ummm... sewer ... ok. I guess I really meant that way, sorry," she says indicating the western passage.
The stink of spoiled food permeates this common room. Several plates covered in scraps of rotten meat and spoiled vegetables cover the two round tables in the center of the room. Shelves of preserved foods line the walls to the north and south. Passages lead out to the north, south, east, and west.