You decide to hunker down for the rest of the night and meet Mel and Harold in the morning.
A little before midday, another ship, unremarkable among the morning rush, pulls into Bannerhold's port. It doesn't take long for all five of you to meet up again.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Having sailed back to Bannerhold with no particular difficulty, assuaged a dubious dockmaster about their invisible crew and paid their docking fees, Melia returns to the terrace on Rider Road, eager to reconnect with the rest of the crew.
She unlocks the door and steps inside. "Hello? Fyrman? Janus? Khaz?" she calls. "We had a lovely time on our brief holiday, I can't wait to tell you all about it."
"Fookers nearly caved me head in. Same for him." Kazador said, pointing his thumb at the elf. "We'll have to make a move right quick, because more killers will be comin." Then, realizing how rude he was, he looked at Mel and said "Sorry! Ye were gonna say somethin.' Was rude of me to just jump in like that. I'm all ears."
Melia looks at him blankly. "What? Who?"
Harold, entering behind Melia, freezes in the doorway and turns to look outside. Carefully he backs through the entrance, trusting Melia to have moved, and pulls the door shut behind him.
"Aye, some young lady tailed me - noticed her near the bookstore. Lured her into an alley, since I was not sure of her intentions. Figured I'll have the initiative, but she managed to jump me regardless. Knocked me right out - Nelly didn't take kindly to that., Túrion also gives his account of events to Melia.
"Didn't manage to learn who she was or who she worked for, but I see there is a pattern here..."
"Aye. That's the elf." Kazador said. He took off his helmet (it reverted to it's true form as he did so) and rubbed his head. "Me and Fyrtor got hit too. Luckily I was wearing this." He held the helmet up. "Or I'd have been taken down. I think that we need to hit these fookers right hard, and we need to do it soon. They came at us trying to capture us. Probably to get information about who we are working for. But now that they're hitmen are dead, they'll be sending assassins."
"Huh. All right. On our end of things, we are now the proud owners of a ship named The Siren, which is docked down at the pier. We have an excellent crew, but they come with a few strings attached." She ticks things off on her fingers.
"Try not to look directly at them, they don't like that. It's kind of hard to avoid, though, since they're invisible all the time."
"Don't talk to them. They can't answer anyway, so that's not hard."
"We're not paying them -- Hal called in a favor apparently. They're not our employees, they're, err, helpful neighbors who deserve respect for their assistance."
"No singing. I'm not sure, but I think it may distract them from their work."
"They'll probably abandon us if we kill anyone aboardship, so, I mean, try to avoid that, hey?"
"Don't give them gifts, or accept gifts from them. I'm not sure how they would offer one, but hopefully it won't come up."
"No bells, no cold iron, no silver. Stow all that stuff before you get aboard. And ... what was the last thing ... oh yes, they don't like cats. Did you know we had a cat on board? That was a point of contention. I found her a new place in a warehouse in Catlinshead."
"Other than that our stay in Catlinshead was uneventful. So what's the status with Turick? Is he an ally? Have we successfully unmasked the treasury robbers? Have we developed any more leads on Beaumont, Harcourt or Cust? Who are these people trying to kill us and how did they find us?"
Harold coughs politely "Well, given the ship went missin' at the dock, and we were well seen, my guess is that they're lookin' for the people who stole their fortune in treasure. I'd go further, and suggest Reaps. I'd go further than that 'n' say they'll have people waitin' for us to head back ta the ship - or at least they will soon as their people in Caitlinshead talk to their people here." He shrugs "Or at least, that's my guess."
"I'm thinkin' they'll be tryin' magic soon enough. I've got some wards might help, but we need ta start thinkin' about some big wardin', movin' on, or takin' 'em out now."
"I'm down with hittin' 'em hard. We could try hittin' the shop, 'n' hopin' the people there know somethin'? Otherwise we could try to trap one o' the assassins, but that's real dangerous, and it's hard ta get 'em to talk. I reckon our only real chance is if the kingdom comes down on 'em though."
"Well, she managed to surprise me because I was unsure of her intentions. Won't happen next time. If they try again, they won't find me an easy target again."
He scratches Nelly behind her ears, something that was enjoyable for her regardless of her form:"While I admit I was reluctant to get involved further, I am now motivated to clean out that rat hole. Seems a desirable and efficient solution, too, while it aligns with our original purpose if they are involved with those advocating war for profit."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Melia asks some probing questions, getting the full story out of them in more or less chronological order.
"All right," she says. "So it sounds like intercepting that shipment accelerated matters. Good! It's about time we made some serious progress. I still don't know if we can trust Turick, but for now we have interests in common."
"It sounds to me as though the next logical step is to take the fight to the Reaps. If we sit here twiddling our thumbs, sooner or later they'll just kick the door in. Better we go kick theirs in first."
”Aye. And we have nay any time to waste. Any more delay and they’ll have fled.” Kazador said, already heading for the door.
"Is there anything here you want ta keep?" Harold asks "'Cos I reckon they'll be tracin' us back soon."
He turns to "I'm all for attackin' the Reaps, but I'd prefer ta go in with a plan. I've got some tricks that'll help 'n' don't take long ta set up. I've got some 'friends' I can call in as well, if it's not goin' ta get 'em killed."
Melia looks around. "All of this is disposable. Oh! But I rather like that skillet I bought." She steps into the kitchen and shoves the skillet into her handy haversack.
Returning, she glances at Janus and Fyrman. "Did you learn anything about this place? Do we know what the layout is like, or how many people might be in there, or what kind of opposition to expect?"
"It was Kaz and Fyrtor staking out the place, I had different matters to attend to.", Túrion explains to Melia, then gives his attention to the two who might have learned something about the place.
He then also turns to Harold: "As for your tricks, I have no doubt they could be helpful, but I have little interest in surprises - ", he rubs the back of his head where the young woman hit him with the sap, and continues to speak:" - got enough of those for today, and lack of proper sleep does little to make me less...agitated. Do tell, precisely and concisely, so that I'll know what manifestations of the craft originate from you, and which may be from our enemies."
And regarding friends to call in, you have your own little ace up your sleeve, don't you, hypocrite?...nah, I am not TRYING to hide it, it would just take too long to explain...
"The Reapers may be preparing already to escape given that their assassins have failed. Unfortunately we didn't learn much from our operation. When we were attacked and realized they knew to look for us in particular we left to try to find you and the others." Fyrtor sighs and continues, "We'll be mostly blind going into this, and they'll have good reason to expect we're coming. It may not be worth trying to storm the place before we call in the guards. If they've already destroyed the evidence then we'll be risking a lot for effectively nothing."
Harold turned to Janus "Simple things, mainly. Illusions, legerdemain, suggestion. Primarily I use the Sight ta 'see' things. I know some wards, o' course, but I'm light on spells ta kill, or help others ta kill. 'Cept curses, I guess. I can curse with the best of 'em." He shrugs "I take it the way ya fought on the boat is standard? Two front-liners, an archer, and a wise ta exploit 'n' create weaknesses? It's effective, and from what I heard you aint missing anythin'."
Harold scratched at his beard "Reaps love ta stab in the back, and use spells ta create weaknesses 'n' disrupt. I could keep an eye out, give warnin'? Even interfere? I can try ta countercharm any spells they send our way, or knock up a focussed curse on an arrow, if there's a special target?" He considers "So... sort of a scout, I guess. I'd appreciate it if someone could set up a silent communication link o' some sort - scouts that shout out in the middle of the field tend ta do poorly. Then I can tell ya what I see, and any tricks I'm doin'? Long as I'm not attackin', and I keep quiet, a simple illusion should make me practically invisible."
"It sounds like we don't have time for an elaborate plan," Melia says. "We know where they are now, and we have very little time before they evacuate. We should go do that. I'm not ordinarily a fan of just kicking the door in, but I think that may be our best option. Preferably with a few magical protections in place before we rush in."
"I tend to almost agree. I could try and transport us right inside, bypassing any defenses they may have set up near the entrance. It would probably also give us an element of surprise - but it might make retreating harder, and we may find ourselves opposed from multiple directions. I would still tend to favor this approach. Worst case, we'll abort and go right back where we came from-", Túrion responds to Mel, then turns to Harold, considering for a moment if he should explain about Nelly, but deciding against it for now - it would only complicate planning: "It is a method that has proven to work, yes. Illusions or Enchantments might be very useful to maintain control over the situation where we are going."
Harold nods. "Right then sir. I'll stay hidden, run counters and follow your lead. I've two tricks I can share."
From nowhere the old man produces a dented flask. "I've enough 'potion' here to gives us all a swig. Should help keep our heads clear! Just a swig mind you."
He turns to Melia "I'd also appreciate it if someone can give me an arrow or somethin'. If I see a good target I'll knock up a good focussed curse and hand it back."
Melia hands Hal an arrow. "Go on, then."
While the others discuss ways and means, Melia raises a hand to the holy symbol under her shirt. She bows her head slightly, closing her eyes, and whispers. "Neiti, voisimme käyttää apuasi. Missä ovat purjehtijan myymälän alla olevat Reaper-piilopaikan uloskäynnit?"
She lets the sounds of the city wash over her, straining to make out snatches of useful information from the babble.
Kazador took the potion and gave it a swig, trusting Harold to know what he was doing. He waited for word to either come in hammer swinging, or to teleport the group inside. Either way, he was ready.
Túrion politely declined the potion - he did trust Harold, somewhat, but the old man was trying very hard to hide everything about him and his capabilities - including the arts he performed.
And as a craft-user himself, Túrion was reluctant to trust any magical strands woven in a way that was masked from him.
"Well, we do have a variety of options available, but very little time to act. Harold, could you perhaps turn one more of our number invisible? If so, we could try to phase right inside, find some alternate exit before breaking invisibility, and let our allies in that way - or, alternatively, attack the only entrance in a pincer movement with those of our allies remaining outside-..."
You hear brief snatches of conversation, as before. It seems common folk aren't aware the sailmaker's is a Reaper hideout. But there are hushed conversations about the Reapers in general. You hear anecdotes of raids on Reaper locations. In one case, the guards burst into a carpenter's and an apprentice pulled an odd lever in the floor. The guards eventually found a secret sub room but it was empty. The lever rang a bell down there. The guards found a disguised cellar door the sub room had been evacuated through.
You imagine there is probably some kind of similar setup at this sailmaker's shop, especially since this location is alleged by Rollinsby to host some higher ranking Reapers.
"I couldn't find out how many exits they may have," Melia reports. "But they're likely to have some kind of alarm set up -- a lever, a button, or similar. Something to alert hidden people. So if you see any such thing, prevent them from activating it. I don't think any of us are particularly good at disabling devices -- certainly I'm not."
"I wish we had better information about what to expect in there! The layout, how many people there are. I don't like going in blind. But I don't see that we have much option."
Harold coughs "I realise I'm a bit outa practice, but I used ta be thought a dab hand at disablin' stuff."
"Aye, but disabling a lever before someone manages to pull it takes a bit of extra trickery. I suppose it all comes down to surprise, either way."
"Let's just go in and fook them up." Kazador said. "They have defenses? We'll break them. They have faces? We'll break them. Shadows and daggers be their specialty. Let's nay play their game, let's play ours."
"Well, we're not getting anything done just talking about it, and the longer we sit here the longer they have to get out. Let's go to the area, at least. We can make our final plans once we're there."
She checks her disguise and starts trying to shoo people out the door.
You head out the door and start heading toward the sailmaker's shop.
Kazador walked in with confidence. Given the enchantments on his armor he looked like a dwarf wearing regular traveler's clothing. Well worn black leather boots, with wool brown breeches, a sturdy belt, a green vest, and a weather worn cloak that looked like it used to be green as well but was turning gray. As usual, his hammer was disguised as a spiraling arm-torc that wound it's way up his right arm. He trusted that his companions would come with him.
After the rest, Túrion asks Melia to help with his disguise again, benefitting from her years of experience regarding keeping her nature hidden among humans.
"My only worry with the front entrance is that while we fight to get in, they will have time to destroy any evidence we might want to secure. It only takes seconds to toss a bundle of papers into a fire, or pour some acid - as in, I am confident we would win the fight, but we'd still fail our objective."
Once he is ready to head out, he joins the others in heading to the location.
You make it to the sailmaker's shop without being accosted. The shop is open, as usual.
There would usually be four apprentices working the shop but right now it's six, despite the shop not being particularly busy nor this being a busy time of the week.
"So that's the place, is it?" Melia asks from under the hooded cloak she pulled on to make herself less obvious. "Janus? Hal? Could one of you take a peek inside, please?"
Kazador’s disguise was as imaginative as his false name. Once again he proved himself to be a blunt instrument.
"Ah, let me give you a hand with that," Melia tells Kazador, and adjusts his disguise to make him look like a less noticeable dwarf.
Fyrtor adjusts the chameleon scales spell but with oath of anonymity being limited, his alterations leave something to be desired.
He otherwise prepares for the impending assault, enlarging his scimitar to is proper size, strapping on his buckler and begining to cast is protective spells.
- for spoiler
- if seen, to be disguised
- to get in unseen. Note: +20 if they cannot see invisible.
- I have not rolled for spellcraft to see magic auras, and there are various bonii if there is someone invis. While general he IS looking for a 'panic button' equivalent.
- "If I was a Reap, and I was, where would I keep panic button?"
- given what this looks like, how might an alarm be sounded or trap sprung by a panic button.
Edit: that stealth roll looks awful. Will spend a luck point (from Bit of luck) to add (min 0)
"I'll see what I can do, Miss. I'll shadow up, and slip in, look f'r this lever. If I see one I'll try to jam it, else I'll slip out 'n' tell ya what I see, or use that talkin' spell to whiper it to ya if it seems quiet enough."
Harold - now with the appearance of a generic mendicant monk - waits for a nod, then says a word and fades slowly from sight.
Harold slips quietly into the shop, invisible, and finds a drawer handle behind the counter that can twist to activate some sort of alarm.
Meanwhile, Túrion remained in a safe area, and casts clairvoyance, focusing on the largest room in the basement of the shop as a place for the sensor, expecting to get sufficient information to be able to shift there later, with his allies.
Turion's spell shows him a brightly lit, busy room, approximately 15 x 15 ft, with doors in the middle of opposite walls. Six people occupy the room, working hurriedly and occasionally speaking something he cannot hear as they burn papers, scoop coins out of crates and into hidden pouches, and pack sundry valuables from shelves into crates.
Edit: let's add another luck point
This won't make him visible, will it? If so he'll need to hide afterwards.
Invisible the 'Monk' studies the lever for a few moments, ensures he is out of line of sight, and moves. he rifles through a set of miniature thieves tools by feel. A thin nail - more a pin - is carefully jammed through a hair thin gap, and a squeeze of two different adhesives applied to the joint, the alchemical mixtures hardening instantly as they touch each other.
'Hope that's enough... time to head out and tell the others.'