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"Certainly, my good sir. I apologise for disturbing a hardworking sailor in his tasks." With that, Kai continues his charade of searching the ground and wanders off. When he is out of sight, he then joins back his party.
"Hmm, apologies, that didn't work so well." With that, he then follows the lead of Avenging Flame to sneak onboard.
Bokkah, Kai, Torga, and Avenging Flame all ghost over the gangplank and immediately head aft towards the ladderway leading below decks. Inside the ship, they find an empty hold and two doors. One is on the aft port side, the other is amidship fore.
Conal manages to shimmy on board this time, and follows the rest of the team below deck.
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Kai whispers to the rest of the team, "Now that we are on, does anyone know anything about boats? Where would the captain's cabin be?"
Completely clueless about the layout of ships, Kai creeps over to the nearest door . He places his ear against the door to listen if there's anyone on the other side and checks the door for anything suspicious before attempting to open it.
With quick and decisive eyes and fingers, Kai manages to easily overcome the lock on the door. Opening it, he reveals the captains cabin. There is a large desk in the middle of the room, stacked with sheafs of papers and documents. There are several book cases around the room, most filled with nautical tomes and maps, and a few overstuffed chairs present reading areas and comfort for the captain or his guests. As you enter the room, you are easily able to identify the shipping manifest on the top of the desk, detailing the many items that will be loaded onto the ship tomorrow.
The party quickly escapes the ship, documents in hand. You slip back through the quay to the ferry that brought you ashore, and head back to the Sixwing Drake. You report your successful missions to VC Valsin, then fall into your racks for some well deserved sleep. Late the next morning, you awake to a deckhand rudely rousting you awake. "Tha Venture Capt'n wants ye!" he growls.
Back on deck, the Venture Captain waits until you have all gathered before speaking. "Very well done, Pathfinders. You have managed to complete both tasks and all is looking well. We received this missive a little while ago from Delroya, asking for you to meet her at a warehouse around noon. I suggest that you be there. This will be your chance to prove to her that the Pathfinders are a good fit for her skills, as well as to lay a significant blow to Aspis interests. Report to me when you have finished. Your barge from yesterday is waiting, and the arrangements are the same." With this, he hands you a slip of paper and walks off.
A large warehouse looms into view at the end of Gull Street. Its main level sits at the edge of the street above a ten-foot drop to the harbor’s waters below. A door in the western wall of the warehouse opens, and a woman clad in simple leather armor steps out. Her features display a blend of Taldan and Mwangi heritages, and her crisp accent is difficult to place. “I am Magali Delroya. You must come quickly, Pathfinders. We do not wish to be seen.” Delroya moves briskly, waving off protests or interruptions, and speaks with the rhythm of her steps. “Questions later. Much is at stake. First you must listen.” Her outward display of authority does not entirely mask her fear. The small room through the warehouse’s western door features a round table and several chairs. “This room is for the guards. They are all too busy dealing with our disruptions, so no one is here for now. That door leads to the docks below,” she says, indicating a door in the southern wall. “Come this way. I will show you the warehouse.” She opens a door in the northern wall, revealing a cavernous storage room. Haphazard stacks of barrels and crates almost reach the ceiling twenty feet above. Two large skylights in the ceiling provide ample light during the day, and a dozen unlit lanterns are spaced around the room. To the east, a wide opening in the southern wall looks out over the loading bay ten feet below. A freight elevator platform rigged to a complex set of pulleys and ropes and a staircase both lead down to the loading bay.
“As you can see, the Aspis Consortium maintains a sizable operation out of this warehouse, which they rent from the Kortos Consortium’s Locosta family in exchange for alchemical goods. After tonight, I hope that the relationship between Aspis and Kortos will be irreparably damaged.
“We may have delayed the shipment, but my sources tell me that both the Kortos and Aspis consortia are likely to investigate the warehouse later tonight. I had hoped for more time, but I will not able to move the goods until after midnight. I need your help in holding off the agents until everything is in order. They are not likely to work together, so you should prepare for multiple groups of agents. While I have no qualms about fighting the Aspis agents, if possible we should avoid further antagonizing the Kortos Consortium. Their agents may be willing to look the other way.”
“Because the agents are on high alert, you should stay at the warehouse until they arrive. We wouldn’t want anyone spotted or attacked out in the city before we’re ready. That gives you several hours to prepare. Most of the items in the warehouse are simple trade goods designed to make this outfit look legitimate. You may want to take some time to look around, though—you never know what the Aspis Consortium might have stowed away here. I can stay here briefly, if you have questions or need assistance.”
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Kai listens attentively as she speaks to the team, attempting to discern if there's anything else she is not revealing. However, Kai doesn't seem to notice anything.
"Thank you, Delroya. You have taken great personal risk to bring down this drug operation of the Aspis. Having seen firsthand the effects this whip has on innocent people, I am glad that you decided to turn again the Aspis. If we get out of this alive though, your live would be in great danger from your previous employers. Might you want to consider joining the Pathfinder Society instead? Beyond the protection, I believe that its goals might be more aligned to your."
"About the Kortos Consortium, I agree. The Pathfinder Society has no intention of antagonising them either. But if they see us in their warehouse, they might jump to conclusions. How might we convince them to ... as you say ... look the way? Are they even aware that the Aspis is using their resources to push drugs?"
Delroya looks thoughtful. “You are presumptuous, aren’t you? I will say only this: when our work is done, I expect to meet with your venture-captain to settle up my payment. After our meeting, I do not know where I will go, but your actions in Diobel have certainly given me much to think about. As for the Kortos Consortium, by now you should know that the Aspis Consortium is breaking Diobel’s laws. What we’re doing here is not exactly legal, either, in the views of the Kortos Consortium. I am hoping that we can get through this without drawing their ire, but as a last resort, you can use this document. It should eliminate any questions as to the legality of your actions. If you can avoid having to use it, I would be grateful, but do not hesitate to present it if necessary.”
"And speaking of the drugs, did you manage to get anything for me off of the alchemist?"
"Very good. And the ship? Anything from there?"
"That's a bonus for us then. The fewer people hurt, the better. It makes it easier to keep a low profile. Oh, I just remembered, there are two secret doors here, as well. I have some supplies that will help you as well. Are there any more questions?"
Delroya turns to Tinker and responds. "An arrangement has been made with the city watch for this evening, so don't worry about that. As long as the warehouse and its goods remain in good shape, most things should be able to be worked out. Try your best to avoid engaging any Kortos agents that will come by.. that's why I gave you the writ to use if you absolutely need to. As for the Aspis, take what measures you feel are necessary to guard this warehouse until I return. Anything else?"
M 1,1|S 3|H 1
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Kai recognises the mushroom, and shares with the rest of the party. "This is a Shrieker mushroom. When exposed to bright light or movement within 10 feet, it emits an ear piercing shriek making it impossible to hear anything within 50 ft. The glass case soundproofs it right now, but we could probably lay it as some kind of trap. Must be careful though, as it could affect us as well."
Kai then goes over to fiddle with the platform. "Aha, got it! Managed to get it unstuck. It's operable now. How can we use this?"
Listening to the discussions while doing this, Kai chips in. "Yes, I like Bukkah's idea. If we block all the doors, they can only come in from the skylight. That would leave them easy targets."
The team discusses plans to defend the warehouse, deciding to block all of the doors and restrict access to the warehouse until Delroya returns.
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Bokkah tells Torga, Kai, and anyone else keen on blocking doors: "Let's work together moving the boxes. We'll just start with the door we came in and go around the building clockwise."
And then, considering the other items they found, she suggests, "Maybe we could put the cages under the skylights as a trap somehow so that if someone comes through there, they will just fall into the cage."
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Kai gratefully stows away the potion.
Kai gets to work on the platform having raised it to the same level as the upper floor. He then jury rigs it so that it would collapse should any weight be placed on it. If successful, he calls out to the rest of the team, "Hey, be careful with this platform. I've rigged it so that it would collapse if anyone stands on it."
Kai then returns to help the party move the crates to block the entrances. As he works, he comments, "Torgga, that's a good idea to plant the mushroom up on the roof. That way, we would be warned when they come. How are we going to get up there, though?"
Careful inspection of the warehouse eventually turns up a ladder, and you are able to get the shrieker mushroom up on to the roof successfully, but with some difficulties. The rest of the team blocks all of the entrances with crates, and then settles in to wait. After the tedious labor of the day, it isn't long before dusk colors the sky, and you are able to hear voices outside. Suddenly someone begins pounding and hollering at the door to the break room. "By the authority of the Kortos Consortium, open this door, this instant!!!"
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Turning to his team, Kai suggests, "I say we let them in? Valsin and Delroya did tell us not to offend the Kortos Consortium. We can try to talk them down, and if necessary, utilise the letter from Lord Avid. It's difficult to do it through a closed door."
If there are no objections, Kai shouts out, "We're opening it! We have no quarrel with you. Just hold off anything until we have the chance to talk! With that, Kai gets the help of his team to shift aside the crates for the Kortos Consortium representatives to open the door.
Kai lays his longspear on his floor when they enter, and holds his empty hands up. "Look, I just want to say first that we have no dispute with you. We are from the Pathfinder Society and in fact, the last thing we want is to damage the warm relationships between our organisations. Our feud is with the Aspis Consortium. I know that you are in partnership with them, but I am uncertain how much of their operations they have revealed to you. They are not moving simple goods. They are producing and peddling drugs, to your treasured town of Diobel and pushing it out to the rest of the Inner Sea. We just rescued a number of your townsmen who have been trapped by this drug. If you don't believe, go to the Church of Sarenrae. Get their testimonies themsleves! We just want to shut down their drug operations, before they hurt more people. More of your townsfolk. Please, we have no quarrel with you."
The agents wait impatiently while the group unblocks the door, then four men push their way past you and into the main warehouse, looking around skeptically. One is dressed in sorcerer robes, one looks like a druid, and two toughs. The sorcerer steps towards you "I demand to know what it is that you are doing here in a Kortos building. We received word that there had been some.. suspicious circumstances yesterday, and we were requested to check this warehouse out. Where we find you.. obvious foreigners, and barricaded and armed. Explain yourself."
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"Rest assured that we have no intentions of damaging your property or damage your goods. We respect the good work that Kortos Consortium has done in building up trade in Diobel. As we've said, we only intend to disrupt the operations of the Aspis Consortium, to stop their nefarious spread of the accursed drugs. To stop them from destroying countless lives. The Aspis has been using your warehouse as a front for their drug smuggling, and we are here only disrupt their operations. We would be gone in the morning, none the wiser. Except for the Aspis scoundrels."
The magic user turns his head to Kai. "What are you talking about? We have been working with the Aspis, yes, but there are no drugs or drug smuggling operations. "
"If you took those addicts to the church, we will pick up their trail there, and verify your story." He gives you a hard glare. "But that still leaves you in our warehouse. What is it exactly that you are doing and what would you have from us?"
"Ok, fine. We might'a heard a few rumors, but nothing we could go on. Now it puts us in a position though. You're here, and we're here. We have orders to check out the building and ensure everything is ok. If this is Aspis business, we don't want any part of it, so what't the next step?"
"And you lot will be.. "cleared out by morning with none the wiser", eh?'