The old crone sits back satisfied that she has found allies. Not enthusiastic allies, but allies nonetheless!
While the Council of Thieves maintains numerous secret guildhalls throughout Westcrown, it is the one known as Walcourt that may house your greatest asset—control of the night. Walcourt is located at the eastern edge of Rego Laina, not far from the Trivardum itself in a former guild lodge once dedicated to followers of Founder Crucisal. This complex was abandoned shortly after Aroden’s death and the degradation of Rego Crua and never repatriated by the church of Iomedae in the increasingly hostile clime of Cheliax during its political upheavals. Falling into ruin over the years, Walcourt was used briefly as an orphanage and then later as a flophouse—both secretly serving as fronts for the activities of the Council of Thieves and overseen by none other than Sidonai Drovenge, the father of the siblings currently in charge of the Council. Most recently, I have come to believe that Walcourt has been given over to serve as the lair of one of the Council’s most dangerous leaders— and one of the greatest allies of the Drovenge siblings—a mysterious figure most of the Council knows only as the “Lord of Shadows.” According to my research, this Lord of Shadows controls the movements and actions of the shadow beasts that plague Westcrown’s nights, and the fact that he’s been allied all this time with the Drovenges explains a lot as to how they and their treacherous allies could move about the city unseen and uncontested at night. An invasion of Walcourt could not only reveal much of the secrecy surrounding the Council of Thieves but also give you an opportunity to lift the curse of shadows from Westcrown’s nights. And if such an invading force were truly lucky, it might even find one or more of the leaders of the guild within. She cackles loudly after revealing her master plan!
"An opportunity to help Westcrown and strike into the Council." Richard muses. "Whatever protection this lord is offering, it has cursed Westcrown. Destroying it would be very useful." He takes a look at Sherix, who simply smiles.
"That will help greatly. Is there any other assistance you can give us, or should we return to Westcrown now?" Richard asks out of politeness, but he hopes she offers them no foul gifts besides safe passage home.
The crone cackles! Oh I have gifts! She then turns serious. Renege on our deal, and the Council won't be the only thing you need to worry about! She then cackles in a way that sends shivers down your spines. She walks over to a small chest and opens it. Here you go, my pretties!
"How gracious of you." Richard sneers. He's stuck in this whether he likes it or not. Politeness is a pain.
I could take it all back! The old crone says with a huff.
Thatbis quite generous of you. I know I can say that that stick of strength restoring has proved priceless in the past. To have another is quite a blessing. I will be glad to strike at the former orphanage Walcourt. At last I will have the chance to make good on my promise to rid the city of the night stalkers and shadow beasts that have kept to many Westcrowni shuttered indoors at night. Thank you again
Tal does inquire one last last favor though before they are dismissed. Can you have Dog Tongue guide us back to the city so we don’t become lost? I would also speak to him again before we depart.
The old crone smiles. It will be well worth it if you can rid the world of every Drovenge! She looks at Dog's Tongue. Ah! I almost forgot about you! She then looks back at Tal. Sure! Whatever you need him to do. He has served me well by introducing our partnership!
"Then I bid you goodbye. May we never meet again." Richard finishes up and turns to leave, waiting for Dog Tongue to begin guiding them back.
"Well Tal, looks like we're doing this no matter what. Too many people with too many eyes are on us. So much attention. I like to keep to myself but... it is nice to be able help, even if it means satisfying that crone's thirst for revenge. If we can defend this grove, then imagine what we can do back home."
"I keep telling myself it's for the best."
Well away from Mother of Flies Tal answers, Well Richard I know what you mean. The enemy of my enemy may still be my enemy but doesn’t mean we have to attack each other immediately. My hope would be that once we remove the Drovenges, end the night terrors, restore Westcrown, and solidify our security we can then worry about ending the threat of the Maggot tree and the hag. Hopefully from this pint on we can start reducing our threats instead of adding to them.
To DogTongue, You are to be my proxy of the redcaps while I am gone. Protect yourselves but do not attack anyone from the city. Clear?
Dog's Tongue, glad to be restored to a position of some esteem, reluctantly agrees. But anyone not from the city will meet a violent end! he says bloodthirstily.
Tal doesn’t respond to Dog Tongue’s assertions. Without killing all the redcaps and then whatever group took their place this was likely the best solution he could come up with. Until I return, lead well. not that I plan to but you never know what fate has in store.
Arriving back to the city Tal will travel with the others to go visit the hideout and inform Arael of what they discovered and the information they gleaned about Walcourt. So do we head there immediately or is there any recon we should do or preparations that need to be made?
"Thank you for your understanding, Dog Tongue. Now that you're the leader, there were a few Redcaps who were particularly interested in leadership..." Richard gets a very uncomfortable image in his head, but if it pacifies Dog Tongue for a bit then it was worth it.
Back at Westcrown, Richard exhales a sigh of relief. "I need a bath. Covering ourselves in mud and gore wasn't my idea of a thrill. I'm certain there are plenty who wouldn't mind helping us get clean. Hmm? Oh, the hideout. Right."
Tal does most of the reporting. "Her information seems solid. We need to keep an eye out for her, once this Council is dealt with she may become eager to move in and take their spot." Richard adds.
Arael is excited when he hears the news. You mean we can make the streets safe at night? While toppling the Drovenges would be a worthwhile goal, making the streets safe for everyday citizens would be a huge win for the people of Westcrown!
He doesn't know much about Walcourt.
Areal’s excitement is contagious as Tal quickly agrees. I mean we would still have to worry about thugs and bandits but could you imagine being able to actually go out and see the stars from the bay? It will be a dream come true for Lily. The question though is how are we able to go about this the right way. The longer we wait the less likely we are to catch them unawares. However I think we need to have 3 people go scout the area first so we at least know what the outside of the building is like, how many entrances, guards, nearby buildings, etc. As for when we go in I am not sure. At night we would be able to sneak in easier but then the shadow night beasts would be free as well. Perhaps it would be best to recon tomorrow as I said and plan our attack to happen in 2 days time at dawn. With luck the night beasts are gone and we have a full day before we would encounter them.
Depending on what is discovered tomorrow morning we can make discreet purchases tomorrow afternoon.
"Let us scout directly." Richard kicks back. "I used to do this much more frequently, before all of this bloodshed ramped up."
"I can magically cause us to turn >Invisible<, and make sure if we need to talk to someone, we limit it to an >Anonymous Interaction<. They'll know we asked them a question but it won't be too specific."
Nothing like direct intelligence to help us out. I was just going to spend some time with Lily if others were casing the place. I will have tonight and tomorrow night though to be with her at home. and then hopefully the next night we will have the ability to spend the night out without threat of the shadow demon night stalkers!
I can also have some very subtle animal friends that can help as look around.
The next day, Arael says to you that Jarvis has gone missing. It is believed that he was taken captive by the Council of Thieves for his role in the Dusk Market battle. Since you are now moving directly against the Council, if you are able to free him, please do! He has a wife and child and that the have gone missing as well!
He also tells you what he has found out about Walcourt:
Walcourt once served as a social club and lodge for the adherents to Founder Crucisal (patron of the city’s ferrymen and adeliers) until a century ago when Aroden fell. Since that time, it has fallen into dilapidation, serving off and on as an orphanage, alms house, flophouse for derelicts—but increasingly as a cover for the actions of the Council of Thieves. Traditionally, the keeping of Walcourt as a hidden safe house, training ground, and repository of Council documents has been the charge of the Drovenge family, but once Sidonai Drovenge fell from grace, his father allowed the vampire Ilnerik Sivanshin to take over rule of the building. Since then, Walcourt has also served as the “command center” for the shadow beasts that stalk the streets at night.
Despite the building’s decrepit appearance, it is actually quite stout. The walls are of reinforced masonry, and all doors are of strong wood and can be locked from within (only a few members of the Council possess keys to these doors).
The wall surrounding the grounds is built of river stones with crumbling mortar and is 10 feet high.
"Of course we'll find Jarvis." Richard frowns. "This must be retribution. This isn't their first mistake, but we'll fix them all."
Once it's time to reach the group, Sherix uses Greater Invisibility on herself, and Richard begins his own preparations.
He casts >Anonymous Interaction< on his teammates so they can ask questions without raising too much suspicion.
[b]"Sherix, can you scout around, see if there's any obvious entry points? Or at least the least guarded entryway.
Once they find a good spot, he will cast >Invisibility< as they approach the next point.
Tal holds back until Sherix and Richard get a look at what they may be going against for enemies. He remembered the Pathfinder Lodge though so whispered to Richard be fire he left. Done get caught in a magic trap while invisible as I won’t be able to help you out. Stay safe and keep sharp.
Here is an is what Sherix sees as she flies ofer the building: MAP
"So, there's a lot going on in there." Sherix returns to Richard. "Part of me thinks we should enter through the back, near over here." She points at C3. "If we can clear that place out first we can buy ourselves some time and a place to retreat to if it gets bad."
"Should we climb over the walls?"
Yeah let’s explore that side building first and hopefully clear that out before we tackle the main building. Sound thinking Sherix that if need be we can always fall back to there once it is cleared out. Thinking the north door of the 2 that we can see? As for climbing the walls if that is what we must do then I should be able to handle that. I have a grappling hook and rope if we need it.
Richard casts >Adjustable Disguise< on himself, to make his clothing appear more like the guards' armor.
"Alright, let's see if we can climb the Northern wall and check the side tower."
Acheh has no real prep to do. She will follow along stealthily looking keeping a keen eye and ear open for dangers.
Acheh will send her familiar up to peek over the wall before we climb and report back any dangers.
On your way to the Cartaker's house, you pass the following:
This wall of the building has been completely overgrown by thick, twisted creeper vines, completely obscuring the masonry beneath all the way to the roof’s eaves.
Concealed behind a screen of surrounding trees and brush is a gaping pit in the center of the building’s backyard. The pit’s walls are of crumbling earth, striped by furrows of erosion. Its interior is lost in darkness, but the hideous stench rising from it reveals it to be a cesspool.
This two-story structure is in worse shape than the nearby building. Its walls are composed of wooden planks, now deteriorated and sagging. The windows bear panes of thick, opaque glass—many broken—and are all heavily curtained from within and caked with filth. The entire structure has a definite lean to the south, where its extended upper floor has actually come to rest against the mortared wall of the larger building. Despite its forlorn appearance, a thin plume of smoke rises from the chimney, while the barest hint of candlelight escapes from a second-floor window.
Tal passes by the cesspool and quickly hurries along after the first whiff from it. Holding his hand over his mouth and nose Tal forces himself to keep from retching and giving their position away. Upon arriving at the 2-story structure he uses his sword point to part a curtain and peer inside.
perception
Tal sees an old crone sitting by a fire cooking what might be a meal of gruel.
Tal gently draws back his sword as he steps back away from the window. Whispering to the others, Looks like 1 old woman sitting to eat her meal. Why would she be here of all places by herself?
"She may be one of the assistants, paid to maintain the grounds and keep her mouth shut. At least that's what I hope."
Richard updates his disguise to try to match one of the guards. Then he moves towards the woman.
"Eh there ma'am! Sorry, it's my first day on the job. Mmm, that smells wonderful... what are you cooking?"
Tal will use his hat of disguise to likewise appear as a guard but stays just outside the door as Richard uses his golden tongue to smooth talk the old woman. He is ready at a moments notice though should Richard need more forceful backup.
She jump as Richard barging into her hut without a knock startles her! Ye scared me boy! Where did ye come from where they teach youn' uns to barge into people's homes! If ye been me child I would be spankin' ye over me knee right now! Impertinent youth! Since ye an yer friend be new, I am Ophal, the last Grand Steward of the Crucisal Lodge in Westcrown, and that it has since fallen on my family honor to care for the building as it has continued to serve as a mission to the poor and needy among the Wiscrani. She says proudly.
This here is me supper, but since you have decided to visit a poor old lady as myself, why don't ye and yer friend come in for some tea. I get so few visitors these days.
She points to a few empty chairs.
"Excuse me ma'am!" Richard seems taken aback, and raises one of his arms to the side, to warn Tal. "Momma taught me never to lie when I meet people, 'specially for the first time. Somethin' tells me that's not the real reason you're here."
"So's if you don't mind telling who you really are..."
Auto pass the sense motive.
"My friend is right it is best to start conversations honestly and you seem overly eager to have guests."
She is surprised as Acheh enters the room and then sighs deeply.
I guess the jig is up! She says as she transforms from a crone to an ogre!
Opal starts off combat by casting Darkness!
"Somethin' tells me I'm gonna be part of that gumbo if I don't fight back."
In the darkness, Richard begins to Inspire Courage (+2) to help his allies as a move action.
Then he makes his way back, towards the curtain. "Dark as midnight in here. Best to let mah friends handle this."
Richard inspires his comrades!
Tal holds as he sees Richard back out of the darkness hoping that Acheh can illuminate the area. If Acheh is able to then Tal moves in to bring his style of keeping the peace.
Power attack for
Acheh will cast daylight and Cheken pounce flying over the group.
Tal misses but Aceh and Cheken deliver a devastating attack!
Ophal turns invisible!
Unable to see anything in this darkness, Richard maintains his Inspire Courage +2.
"Hospitality is paramount, ma'am. If you just offered us to sit and eat your gumbo we would've been on our way. Then again I don't know what's in there..."
He takes Total Defense to keep his guard up.
Tal uses a move action to move about the room until he bumps into something that shouldn’t be there. Once he does he attacks again with power.
Power attack for
Miss chance 1-50 miss
Tal hits something and hears a yelp!
You can't see, but on her next turn she turns gaseous and floats out of the room!
"Huh. I can't see a thing. But sounds like she ain't here no more." Richard likes this disguise, but he'll change it again to look like a different guard
"Looks like she fled. We didn't give ourselves away, I think. We walked in, she told us a lie, then she attacked us." He shrugs. "Where to, next?"
Richard takes a closer look at the gumbo she was cooking. He holds his breath just in case he sees something putrid.