Might as well, perhaps ask our patron more about the creature
"That would be suitable. Perhaps we should do a quick circuit of the other gates, guardhouses, armories and the like to ascertain that this creature's presence was merely a fluke."
"I appreciate methodical thinking like that," Vokrin adds. "It wouldn't do for us to close one door merely to have another open."
Cimri again takes the lead and follows the most expedient path through and around town to get to your destinations. The other gates into the city are newer and better kept than Castle Gate, and also have a small number of Archbaron Fex's guards watching over them. The men and women there salute you as you pass, having heard from the Archbaron that you are the law in Longacre. The last place of import to check is the armory, a squat and graceless building that looks ready for a siege at any moment. Longacre’s armory is little more than a hodgepodge museum displaying the trophies and bent arms of local retired army veterans. The place looks undisturbed from the slight coating of dust on everything, even the Vendetta's light ballista, the centerpiece of the armory.
Wandering the armory's dusty hall, Rurisa nods to herself. Running a finger along the dusty crossbar of the ballista she thinks aloud, "I wonder if anyone in this town even knows how to use this thing? I should ask Razelgro about it sometime."
Satisfied with her cursory search, the mercenary takes up a place by the door until the others are ready to leave.
"I know how to use it. Not well, keep in mind, but I know how." Vokrin grins, figuring that it's basically load, point, and shoot like a giant crossbow. "I shudder to think why we would need to use it."
Touring the collection allows you to find the following exceptional pieces: a masterwork spiked breastplate, a mithral heavy shield, one arrow of dragon slaying, a masterwork greatsword, a repeating light crossbow, and a scabbard of honing.
Nothing my size
"This place is a gold mine," the mercenary murmurs, running a fingertip along one of the breastplate's armor spikes admiringly. [b]"Well lady and gentlemen, I think we should help ourselves, it'd be a damn shame for perfectly useful equipment to go unused. Let's relocate the most valuable items to the jailhouse, the rest can stay here.
Vokrin would take the light crossbow, just in case.
Cimri whistles low and goes to check out the ballista. "Cord is still good too. Wish we had time to move this thing, though I don't know where we'd put it..."
After securing the best gear you make your way back to the jail-house, Snivvi in tow. The deputies make their way around town and report back with nothing this day.
Rurisa asks Cimri to help her change out armors, then goes looking for a mirror to admire herself in her new spiked breastplate. "Where did our deputies get off to?" she remarks at some point.
"Oh you do look splendid Rurisa. Those spikes look down right frightening." Penance looked around at the remaining equipment.
"It would seem the collectors are sizist! How intolerable! Or maybe they were just never able to defeat the smaller races. Yes, that seems completely more reasonable. Well, I will help carry what I can but I stake no claim to any of these treasures. Help yourselves."
Once back to the headquarters, Penance paced anxiously. "Should I revive the little bugger? I can't wait to see the look at it's face...do we have any restraints small enough?"
Vokrin will either find a cage for the creature, or failing that merely find rope to restrain it, he isn't about to let it run free with its ability to fling fire. "Let us not be too overly antagonistic, it could prove a valuable ally."
Cimri looks up from more rummaging through her aunt's desk to respond, "Without new orders they've been going back to their old routines, checking the town, investigating crimes, keeping the peace. Probably helps them think everything is still the same way."
After some searching Vokrin does manage to find an iron bird cage that Snivvi won't be able to easily slip out of and lets Penance bring the fey back to consciousness. The tiny cat-thing groans and shakes its head before realizing it is no longer at Castle Gate. After cursing vigorously in Sylvan for a solid minute he realizes he's not alone.
"Why am I here? Take me back to my gate!" are his first demands.
Vokrin looks at the creature. "You have made a great deal of trouble for us. Your work at the gate was extremely problematic. We are not inclined to release you back to it."
Rurisa seats herself at the desk and begins an incident report regarding the house spirit, but listens attentively as the little creature's interrogation begins.
Trevor makes tea.
"Why are you so interested in the gate? Have you been there long little one? Perhaps you noticed someone closing the gate?"
Snivvi sneers a bit, but responds, "I've been with that gate for 30 winters. Everything was fine, the Gramels were great stewards." He spits into the foot of the cage, "Then you came last week with your paper, closed the gate, got the Gramels to stop coming." He turns his back to you, arms crossed, "I decided I didn't need humans to take care of the greatest building in this place. Have you seen the view from the roof? Amazing."
Those atop the gate do remember, between dodging fire and taking down the fey creature, that the view was indeed grand. The gate provides a nearly unobstructed view of all of Longacre. Even the Ash House, Louslik Tannery, and Scarlet Crown were visible in the distance.
"So how did you manage to open the gate? How would you feel about a truce then? Perhaps we could work out an arrangement where you remain as a steward of the gate, if you will. You would have to abide by some rules, but if you are open to responsibility, perhaps we could form a beneficial partnership of some sorts..."
"I may be small, but I bet I could bench more than you." He considers the offer, but shakes his head, "I need my gate open at all times, so everyone can see how great it is!"
"I'm sure you could little one. You seem quite capable. It's a pity we can't come to some sort of agreement. Oh well, I'm sure you'll be delicious."
"Vokrin, would you care to parley with this one while I prepare the pot?"
Snivvi turns back around in the cage, his fur bunching around his neck and ears, hands raised in supplication, "Woah, woah chum! No need to get ravenous here. Perhaps I was a little flippant in my remarks. What partnership are you thinking of?"
"You would work for with us, and in return, we would continue to let you reside at the gate, or elsewhere as you'd like in case another gate suits your fancy. For us, you would observe goings-on and let us know about them. He wouldn't eat you, either. I mean it would so disappoint him, he's never tasted... whatever it is you are. I found you positively adorable, I cannot lie. I thought you would make a fabulous housepet, once suitably broken."
Snivvi looks a bit more hopeful, "Does this mean my gate gets to stay open?"
Vokrin looks to the others and tries to confer, whether they could speak to the archbaron about shifting the gate priorities to keep that gate open rather than one of the others. A spy of this nature could prove invaluable, also it would do them a service to talk to the Gramels.
Possibly helpful Trevor offers.
"We can't open the gates without explicit permission from the Archbaron, Vokrin, and I doubt he'll approve of us humoring this creature," Rurisa says gently but firmly. "Perhaps there's something else that can be arranged? Longacre has a great many buildings that don't involve the town's security. And I have my doubts about its sense of loyalty--though we defeated the spirit quickly enough, and I'm confident in our ability to do it again."
Cimri pokes at the cage causing Snivvi to stumble a bit, "What do you think little guy?"
The little fey shakes his head, "I looked over all of the buildings already, that gate is the best building in this town, and that's why I claimed stewardship over it. I'm sorry, it's that gate or nothing."
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Oh dear. Trevor pulls out a Fey Cookbook.
Vokrin relents, allowing Trevor to do as he will to the poor creature. He certainly had a fondness for it, an independent little creature like that struggling against a stronger force, but it wouldn't do to let them be undone by sentimentality. "Alas. I will regret your passing, Snivvi. I think we could have been friends."
The little fey creature puts his sneer back on, "Here's something you don't know about my kind..." He compresses his body to a fifth or a sixth of his size and squeezes his way through the bars in a squirmy, undulating manner. He flexes his claws and leaps forward!
Vokrin looks at the creature, with no pity and no remorse. "We did know that about your kind, we just didn't want to kill you out of hand."
Vokrin fires a ray of frost at the creature, but it goes wide.
Trevor moves to flank the creature and help others like Penance to hit
"Well that's barely a morsel. I should hope it reverts to a bigger size upon death. Otherwise it will hardly even serve as a snack."
Penance grabbed a small length of spiked chain from his pouch and squeezed it tightly, allowing a spike to pierce his own flesh and draw blood. He tossed it onto the ground near the tiny fey and chanted the magical words loudly. The chain sprung to life and grew, quickly lashing out at Snivvi before falling motionless to the ground again.
Cimri pulls out her kukri and slashes at the little fey, aiming for the areas she believes hold vital organs.
Her concentration slips and her kukri pulls splinters from the floorboards.
"Enough, creature." the Hellrazor growls, knocking the chair over in her hasty rise and vaulting the desk even as she draws her massive blade. "My patience is at an end." .
Rurisa draws and slashes down at the fey with a single motion, slamming him into the floor and cutting a bit of him open. Snivvi snarls and rushes under her feet, looking to touch her with his tiny claw.
He recoils when Rurisa almost stomps on the upper half of his body.
Vokrin believes the rest have this more than well in hand, and delays. He's rather saddened by the impending death of Snivvi.
Trevor whispers some infernal words, seeking to cause the fey to cower
Trevor's casting is getting better as he easily pushes through the spell resistance covering the fey. However with Snivvi's mind so affronted that Penance is trying to cook and eat him Trevor's magic finds no hold.
Cimri tries again to stab the little creature, hoping to end the fight again.
Her blade catches the tiny creature at just the right angle, spilling its lifeblood across the floorboards, the poor abused floorboards, and causing it to fall unconscious.
The mercenary shakes her head in disgust. "Damned fools, the lot of them. Sometimes I don't know why we bother playing nice." Wiping her blade clean on her polishing cloth, she sheathes it and rights her chair and pulls out another incident report form with a sigh.
Vokrin checks the thing's vitals, as it might not quite be dead yet. If it isn't, he slices to let the last of the thing's lifeblood spill. It's the only way he can let go of such a creature. This could have been his friend, they were kindred spirits, but he can't have open revolt from such a tiny thing.
Cimri shrugs after getting a bucket and a mop to squeegee up the blood. "At least this one was doing it for his own reasons rather than for some 'righteous cause'"
Razelgo shimmers into visibility after the deputies have left to patrol. "I must say all of you are doing marvelously, beyond even my expectations." He buzzes about the room, inspecting the jailhouse while talking, "You've uprooted a hidden beast in the town, killed a propaganda line, and even closed the gate within a day of an unknown force taking it. Well done indeed. However," he stops and floats to look all of you in the eye, "we must stay diligent until this Angel Knight is caught.
I've been doing some tracking on my own and have found a potential link at the Jackdaw Stables. It is run by Dilman 'Dilly' Fortmile and his children and is also Longacre's post office. The Archbaron and myself believe missives between the Glorious Reclamation and others are traveling through there and we would like you to investigate it tomorrow night. If this Dilman does not cooperate bring him in. Any questions?"
Trevor helps clean and makes note of new floorboards needed since the old ones are rather stained.
As Razelgro appears Rurisa springs to her feet and salutes. She isn't certain about the devils precise rank relative to her, but he's an infernal messenger and an attache to the Archbaron, so protocols have to be observed.
"Sir, what are we looking for? Seditious fliers, a printing press? What's our angle?"
Razelgo shakes his head, "Nothing so obvious I think. If there is any news coming in it is likely to be encrypted, hidden in plain view. The Archbaron and I just want this area to be isolated from the Reclamation, keep the town in the dark about the damage they are causing Kintargo and other places."
Rurisa nods until Razelgro references Kintargo, then frowns. "Sir, what happened in Kintargo?"
"A small group of rebels called the Silver Ravens have been causing trouble in that city. The queen is very disappointed in the mayor of the city, and I don't expect Barzillai will be in power much longer. Whether that is from his defeat at the claws of these Ravens or from his relatives in Oppara is anyone's guess."