Waiting as Quinn presses further into the building, Alikia runs a hand over the arcane markings on her crossbow. Sparing a glance down the street, the blond half-elf looks for an alternate route out as a precaution, should something go awry. Alikia cautiously follows Ezro into the cultist's stronghold, hoping not to run into Aladir and give away his position. "Lady Hosilla sent us here personally. Any resistance will have severe consequences." Alikia adds, attempting to sound more stern and confident than she felt.
Ezro readies himself, crouching down a bit, and drawing his sword and shield. Hanging back ten feet to allow the front line to advance, the cleric prepares himself.
"Alikia, when we meet the enemy I will bless the party. In case you would like to hold off for some divine blessing to aid in your attacks." he whispers back to the wizard.
Unfortunately for him, he neglected to relay this news before the others moved forward. Gripping his sword tightly, he waits.
Quinn opens the door to the shop and he and Hyram enter quickly. Aladir, who just drank and is now invisible quickly enters after the two warriors of Iomedea enter and steps to the wall.
Alikia continues the bluff that Quinn started, and Ezro waits to see what develops so he can best help the group.
You see three men behind a counter on the far side of the room. "We don't know no Lady Hosilla. Get out of here, this is our hidey-hole." says the man in the center. The three of them are dressed in leather armor, and all three have bows at the ready.
"If you don't know Hosilla, surely you recognize the names Vorlesh... or Vhane?" Quinn moves slowly towards the trio keeping his hands spread and well to the side, making no move for his sword. "It was by Vhane's own hand we learned the pass-phrase to this safehouse," Quinn says guessing what the initials "SV" stood for.
"Mine is not a face to be loved by friend or foe," he continued with perfect honesty. "Surely there is no harm in sharing this space for a time?"
Aladir will simply move to the side, not advancing toward the others yet, an arrow nocked to his bow. Whispering very low under his breath, so that Quinn will hear him but his voice will not carry far enough for the three across the room, he says,"Staunton. Staunton Vhane."
Offering a worried glance to Ezro, Alikia holds her breath as the others try to bluff their way inside. The men not recognizing Hosilla's name could work in their benefit, but it would be up to Quinn and Hyram to play it off. Clutching her crossbow to her body, she waits for the men to react before moving.
Hidey-hole? This city is ripe for the taking and you sit here and hide? You, in the center, what's your name and are you in charge here? We have made great strides in the cause and don't need to be wasting time with underlings! Hyram barks as he moves next to Quinn.
"Fine, you want in here. We will leave you to the place. Plenty of other abandoned buildings around" says the man in the center. He picks up a sack and the three of them slowly and carefully move towards the door, weapons at the ready.
Aladir draws his bowstring back, ready to fire off a shot. He is in no mood to let these cultists escape unharmed, but he waits to take his cue from the others. If anybody else attacks, he looses the arrow immediately.
Quinn smiles his jagged, unearthly smile. "I'm afraid this safehouse becomes somewhat less useful to us if you leave. I'm afraid I'll have to insist that you stay. Besides, we have more than a few questions that need answering."
Quinn reaches a hand to his pouch, rubbing a thumb across Terendelev's scale and activating it's magic.
Hey! You never told us who's in charge here! Just how many are there of you anyway? Hyram continues to bark.
"You can be in charge for all we care. We are outta here" the one in the center says as the three men keep moving towards the doorway.
Then be gone and don't ever show your faces around here again!
Quinn finally draws his sword. "Kindly leave the bag." He levels the blade at the middle one. "I wouldn't feel right about allowing you to loot this place while its owner is away."
Ezro looks to Alikia, fairly worried. He has no idea where this will turn, and really has no idea on how to help the situation.
"I do not imagine, any of your arcane gifts would be of benefit here? I am at a loss for how to help the situation. If the situation can be helped?"
He shifts his grip on his sword handle somewhat nervously.
Giving Ezro a bewildered look, Alikia nervously watches as the men approach the door. "Uh, I don't know. I don't know how to de-escalate a situation; I can only insult them in about ten different languages!" Feeling a slight tingling sensation in her fingers, Alikia tries to calm down before she accidentally unleashes an acid dart at the other half-elf.
"No. I don't think so. If you want to fight then start it, otherwise we are leaving." All three men, draw swords but leave the blades pointed down and continue to move towards the door.
Jumping as the men exit the building, Alikia takes a five foot step back away from the group, before chucking a glob of acid at the one outside. "Back off!" She shouts as acid strikes the man right in the face, as it drips down the front of the man's armor. "Don't you all know better than to just waltz by a jumpy wizard?!"
Quinn stares daggers at the trio, flaring his nostrils in anger. He huffs out a billow of smoke before finally lowering his blade as the men slip out the opening.
But, no sooner has he done so, than he hears Alikia's startled cry. He can only stare in shock as she slings a gout of acid into the man's face.
Alikia cast a spell, hitting the lead man in the face with an acid gob. The three men moved quickly, as if they have been in battle before to engage the woman. "Wench, you will pay for that" the man says and the three of them surround Alikia and attack with their longswords, two of them hitting her.
Aladir UP
As soon as the three men move to surround Alikia, Aladir draws and looses the arrow he had in hand at one of their backs.
Quinn barely makes it to the door before the three men have Alikia surrounded. Despite the sword in his hand, his only thought is to get the men away from the wizard.
Ezro moves behind one of the men attacking Alikia, and brings down his sword, "Feel Iomedeas' wrath traitors!"
Suddenly realizing what he yelled, he looks to Quinn, "Is the ruse up? I hope the ruse is up!"
Swinging his blade to try and down the man attacking his allies, his call to Iomedea feels to have been answered.
Well, Look at the mage starting a fight! Hyram thinks with amusement. He will take a five-foot step and swing at the foe .
He will also whisper to Quinn, I did not detect evil on the leader, for what its worth.
Alikia lets out a small yelp as she is stabbed, before she draws the longsword she disarmed from the knights that they fought earlier. Taking a defensive stance, she takes a step backwards to try and limit the amount of people surrounding her. "I think the ruse is up, Ezro!" she shouts to the other half-elf as he attacks one of the men.
As the men surround Alikia, Aladir shoots an arrow at the last man in line, wounding him severely. Alikia, moves back a step and drawing the longsword she goes into full defense mode, hoping that the rest of the group will take down the men. Ezro moves up behind the man that Aladir wounded, and with a slash of his sword kills the man. Quinn moves up then bull rushes the man back ten feet, but the attack allows the man to take an attack on Quinn and he nicks the Paladin. Hyram steps up and seeing the man he was about to attack go down, he moves to the leader and hits him and wounds him also.
The man bull rushed, steps to flank Quinn and both the men attack him, and one hits and damages Quinn.
Aladir UP
Aladir makes a quick step to the side so he can get in view of the next enemy in the line, drawing an arrow from a quiver at his side and letting it fly in one smooth motion.
Hyram will take a five-foot step and attack the man that he is flanking with Quinn on.
Surrender while you still yet live!
Quinn doesn't hesitate to use his sword, now. As Hyram slips behind one assailant, Quinn brings his blade in a sweeping arc against the flanked thug.
Aladir moves outside so he can get a clear shot at one of the men, but misses. Alikia takes a five foot step, and continues to hold the long sword in front of her protecting herself from the men. Ezro takes a step closer and swings but misses. Quinn steps so he flanks the man and misses. Hyram though for a moment to move but seeing that Quinn is flanking he swings at the man in the middle and hits him.
With one of the men down, and the leader badly wounded the two men take off running away.
Aladir UP
Bah! Let them go. Let's make sure Alikia is all right. The Inquisitor says as he watches the fleeing figures.
Quinn makes a half-hearted attempt to grab the thug running off with the bag. But, at Hyram's words, breaks off his chase and lets the remaining thugs run free.
"I hope they did not just flee with the evidence we were supposed to be gathering," Quinn walks back to the group slowly. "If they are off to warn the other two safe-houses..."
Ezro lifts his holy symbol of Iomedea, and beseeching the Inheritor for aid, channels positive energy into the area. Making sure to select out the two runners.
"Inheritor! I beseech thee, heal us, so that we may continue to fight the evils here!"
Aladir takes one last shot at the one with the bag, hoping that he might be able to bring him down so they can be sure that he doesn't get away with what he is carrying.
Dropping her longsword and her bag, Alikia Chases after the men. Although her running resembles a teenage moose in motion, she is able to get within a reasonable distance. "I'll live! Whatever those men are carrying could be dangerous, we have to stop them!" She shouts over her shoulder, as she conjures up a slick of butter underneath the men.
Aladir shoots at the wounded man with the bag, and even though the man is outside of normal range, he manages to wound him, but not enough to stop the man from continuing to run away. Alikia tries to get within range of the men to cast a grease spell, but she cannot both run after them and cast her spell(*). Ezro calls upon Iomedae and heals everyone except Alikia who is out of range of Iomedea blessing. Quinn and Hyram knowing they cannot catch the men, let them go.
Hyram will look at the wounded man and will try to stop the bleeding.
Does anyone have any rope? We may have lost the man with the bag, but we have this prisoner.
I'm afraid I have no rope with me... though waking up to all of us surrounding him will likely feel every bit as prohibitive.
-Posted with Wayfinder
"I have rope," Quinn responds. "But, let's get off the streets first. We can't do anything here, but draw more attention to ourselves."
Quinn reaches down to grab the man's shoulders, nodding to Hyram to grab the man's legs. "We need to search the inside, anyway."
Returning back to the group, Alikia hoists her bag back onto her shoulder and secures her longsword. Entering into the safehouse, Alikia scans the room for any signs of hidden trapdoors, false bookshelves, or other places that the cultist might have hidden anything.
Hyram helps Quinn bring the man into the house and helps secure the man with the rope. Hyram will then turn to the Paladin and ask, Do you want to be bad cop, or badder cop? then looking at Alikia as she is wandering around the room looking at various items, Hyram will say with a chuckle, Or we can have Alikia interrogate him!
Hyram helps Quinn bring the man into the house and helps secure the man with the rope. Hyram will then turn to the Paladin and ask, Do you want to be bad cop, or badder cop?
Quinn snorts back a laugh. "Let's see what stories this building tells first."
While the others work on restoring the thug to consciousness, Quinn explores the closed off section in the northwest of the room.
+1 vs traps
Hyram and Quinn drag the man inside the building, and tie him up. After Alika returns, picks up her gear, Ezro bestows the blessings of Iomedea on the group, including the new prisoner who regains consciousness.
Hyram stands over the man while the rest of you search around the room and in the northwest corner, you find a secret door that Aladir opens and you see a set of stairs going down.
Quinn watches on as Aladir checks the door for traps and eases it open. Staring down the narrow staircase, Quinn begins to second-guess his suspicions about the three men they first encountered. "Will he survive?" he asks Ezro.
"They didn't make any attempt to prevent us entering. Likely as not, they were just hoping to hole-up in here to avoid the chaos going on in the city." Quinn looks down at the trussed up man sympathetically. "We'll know for certain shortly."
Quinn sheathes his sword, but his tail wraps its prehensile end around a vial of explosive fire, ready to draw it at a moments notice. He edges to the staircase, whispering to the others, "Leave him be for now. He's as safe there as anywhere. And our ruse may still be intact."