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Oswald will take a moment after seeing the addicts before before meeting Laszo, to drink his disguise self extract and take on the disheveled look of someone rather down and out.
Oswald approaches, shaking, "Common man, a couple hours... I'm in pain here. You gotta have something... I know about the rust monster lair in the sewers and these adventurers gonna pay me good for the info, I just need some more to get my head together man... I just can't think like this, I can't operate man, and if I don't tell them I think they are gonna dump me in the harbor, so you gotta help me, it's life or death man..."
As soon as Laszo starts responding Oswald will grab something of value from the bench and bolt, hoping to create a distraction for his companions to find/grab notes and samples.
Laszo rolls his eyes at Oswald. "It does not look like they mean you any harm and trust me, you are in no immediate danger. You can wait a few hours just like everyone else. Now what is it you really want?"
When Oswald approaches closer, Laszo steps up to stop him. "No closer until you tell me who you are! I don't want any intrusions and I don't like the look of your lot!"
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This place could use some fire. And then some water. Fire... hmmmmmmm.
Sully, having kind of dressed down to do the whole 'dockworker disguise' thing, takes this as his cue!
"Oooh. Oooh! CanIcarrysomepackagesforyou, runsomeerrands, cleansome vialscleanyourplace? I'mahardworker and I'mreadytowork! See! Tellme whatjobsyouneedmetodo!"
Sully attempts to impart the frenetic energy of someone still 'in thrall' to the drug wanting to have more and not have the effect wear off like the other folks that are dragging. While he may not appear to be very smart, he's hoping he can 'sell it' well enough.
The Leper startles back at Sully's enthusiasm. "Well, I do like having a tidy lab... wait! Don't come any closer! This procedure is delicate and private! I won't have it copied and spread throughout the city, especially before it is perfected! Get away! Now!" He grabs two vials, both steaming and bubbling angrily, and readies to mix them together, but Oswald and Alaneo react more quickly than Laszo.
Oswald steals the bomb-to-be from Laszo's hands but Alaneo's icicle flies past the alchemist and shatters against the wall.
Laszlo steps away from Oswald and drinks another concoction which hardens his fists into stone!
The commotion also seems to have attracted some unwanted attention: a black-and-red beetle crawls from the nearby pipe and scuttles straight towards Oswald!
Quinn sends her bird against the alchemist, who takes a nasty wound from Bracchus' bite, but Quinn's arrow only breaks against the stone wall. Sumil then bravely takes the plunge and steps down into the sewer water, taking Laszo off guard with the move, which leaves Laszo open to a deep sword thrust which knocks the man unconscious!
The bug doesn't pose much of a threat on its own and you quickly put your might together to squash it.
Laszo’s lab notes are difficult to decipher, but they are extensive—his handwriting is tiny, cramped, and organized.
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Quinn stems the Lepers bleeding with whatever she can find, hoping that the vile man somehow will pay in his own suffering for that which he has caused in countless others.
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Sully's mind is *blown* at the depths that Sumil will dive into the gutter for the team.
"Great teamwork everyone! Now bind him up carefully."
Once Laszo is bound, Sully will raise his hands upwards. "We have reached a new dynamic peak, and we shall all enjoy the dividends!"
"And, um... can we get the hero of the hour a bath? No offense, Sumil, that was pretty intense. I couldn't do that."
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Sumil looks at his party happily as Laszo falls, seemingly unaware that he's standing in sewer water. As Quinn tends to their foe he looks over everything they've received but does not have the skill to decipher the alchemists work.
"Perhaps we should leave him tied up here. Maybe we can have the authorities pick him up, no? Maybe they can do something about these other people too."
He steps back out of the water and scowls at his wet pants, but when he looks back up he's smiling again.
"Either way it seems we have done what we set out to do, let us tell Magali that we are ready to go."
You head up from the sewers, tipping off the authorities about the captive man and his dangerous lab, and seek out a place where Sumil can clean himself off.
By successfully accomplishing two of Delroya’s tasks, you have delayed the shipment and bought her the time necessary to meet with you secretly.
Around noon, Captain Zendrani calls a meeting on the deck of the Sixwing Drake. “An urchin boy delivered this note just a few minutes ago. I tried to keep him here so we could talk to him, but he slipped away without a word and ran off into the city. I haven’t looked at the note—but it seems to be from Delroya.” The captain hands over the note.
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Pathfinders,
Your tactics were certainly unusual, but everything turned out as expected. The shipment is delayed, and the Aspis Consortium is occupied with getting everything back in order. Soon, though, the consortium will get its act together and come to the warehouse to proceed with the operation. There is no time to lose. The warehouse is at the southern edge of the Bristles, where Gull Street meets the water. I will meet you there.
Magali Delroya
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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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"What is expected of us? An ambush of sorts? And how do we tell the different factions apart?"
After receiving her answers, Quinn will search the Warehouse for anything interesting and a good spot to gain the tactical advantage.
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Sumil listens intently to Magali as she explains the current situation.
"You have worked here some time yes? Do you know these people that are coming to the warehouse? Like Quinn said, how do we know the difference. Surely they will not announce themselves entering into their own building."
Sumil will assist in searching the warehouse for anything useful once Magali departs.
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Sully isn't the greatest at searching for things. But what he can do is kind of help coordinate any efforts and make sure that once anything of a given value is found in an area, that area is not searched again.
He considers.
"We are buying time, yes? With trade goods this should be easy! All we have to do is introduce the arriving guests to the dangers of improper safety procedures!
After all, bags of flour shouldn't be kept on the rafters of a building, nor buckets of caltrops hanging over doorways where they might accidentally cause a slip and fall hazard or worse when a door is opened! And..."
Sully is really getting into the role. Someone might need to slap him to get him to calm down a little.
"What is expected of us? An ambush of sorts? And how do we tell the different factions apart?"
"You have worked here some time yes? Do you know these people that are coming to the warehouse? Like Quinn said, how do we know the difference. Surely they will not announce themselves entering into their own building."
"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."
It is decreed by the Scion Lord Avid of House Arnsen, Teriarch of Diobel, that the actions of Magali Delroya on this day, the 28th of the month of Neth, of the year 4715 Absalom Reckoning, are aligned with the goals and mandates of House Arnsen, and that no lower power shall have jurisdiction over Delroya or those in her company.
Scion Lord Avid
"The Kortos agents should arrive around dusk to investigate. By then they will have caught word that something has gone wrong with an important shipment. It might be possible to talk them down. They know the Aspis has been using this place for illegal activities and drug smuggling but they don't know about the experiments on Diobel's citizens. Use that if you have to. Convince them to leave and keep your ambush a secret. Then I expect the Aspis agents will show up eventually. They'll likely expect a fight. That's where your preparations will come in handy."
"Once I've moved the shipment to a safe location, I will have time to sort everything out. The drugs will be disposed of safely, and I will return the Kortos Consortium's goods along with evidence of the Aspis Consortium's wrongdoings. This should all sufficiently damage their relationship and the reputation of the Aspis Consorium in Diobel. Some of the other goods belong to the Aspis Consortium, and I'll make sure the Pathfinder Society gets its fair share as payment for your help."
In the first open part of the warehouse among the boxes you find one interesting item: a bear trap. The next two places house mostly carpentry supplies and tools. Between the first two areas you note that one of the skylights is hinged, to act as an entrance from above. In the second section you also note that a secret entrance is hidden in the wall.
In the guard room you find six smokesticks.
On the loading platform you notice that the pulley system is broken and the platform cannot be raised or lowered.
Finally, the back of the warehouse you find three doses of black adder venom among the other hazardous goods. You also note another secret door along the wall leading out to a steep path along the sea.
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"Perhaps we can place this trap in front of one of these secret passages, yes? I'm sure it will be quite a surprise for anyone who tries to come in that way!"
Sumil will place the bear trap in front of the northern secret entrance and start barricading the lower flower, covering both the secrent entrance and the doors if he has time, unless anyone objects.
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"And we should desiminate these smoke sticks to help cover our exit, if that becomes necessary"
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Sully glances upwards at the skylight, then at the crafting tools and gets a big wide grin on his face.
"To focus our sales, we need to reduce customer options while presenting the capacity for choice!"
It takes him twice as long as he wished, though, to partially nail the rooftop entrance shut, as he keeps dropping nails when he's about to use them, and then when he DOES hit one he has to wallop his hand to make them 'stick' for the first couple.
He doesn't pick up the dropped nails, though, if they've fallen conveniently close to where someone might land if they dropped in through the skylight. The haphazard method of the dropped nails might even give the impression of someone nailing it shut but not really caring about being any good at it.
After you spend some time making your preparations, four people show up at the main loading door and let themselves in: One wears studded leather with a short-sword on his belt and another wears a heavier breastplate and holds a shield on his left arm. They lead the way in for a man in blue robes and another wearing hide armor decorated with holly and mistletoe, leaning on a quarterstaff.
"Who are you?" the man in the blue robes demands when they realize that the warehouse is not empty as they expected. "What's this we've heard about about a problem with an important shipment. You should know the Kortos Consortium does not take its deals lightly, as you seem to be doing. We need to get this straightened out right away."
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"Hello there, my good sir! It is an honor and a pleasure to see a proactive and forthright member of management come to address such concerns!
Let us resolve such things in the way of all good and proper folks of business, that we might smooth the rumored bumps out of the evening and get everything back on an proper keel, shall we?"
While the tone will be welcoming and appreciative, it will also be a bit guarded. But that is kind of expected, from the briefing.
Sully will approach the fellow with the blue robes with a reasonably hefty coin pouch .
"We're all in this together, so let us help you help us help you make this problem go away, with everyone working together, shall we?"
If the 'business offering' seems a bit... 'high', well, that would just help underscore the potential shadiness that is going on, but also an indication of desire that the Kortos representatives move along.
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Remembering Magali's advice Sumil adds his own voice to the negotiations, not entirely sure that the bribe alone will work given the Kortos Consortiums status as a merchant organization.
"Just earlier today we discovered your own fellow citizens of Diobel with their minds addled by Aspis drugs. You would like this to stop happening, yes? Or if you prefer, you can announce our presence and allow your countrymen to be experiments for crazy alchemists! You do not seem like those kind of men though. Now you can be paid to let us save face for you!"
"So you're not Aspis?" the man in the blue robes asks, "What are you doing in their warehouse then? If we wanted we could take you all in for breaking and entering, probably theft too if you've taken anything."
Hearing your accusations about an alchemist slipping drugs to citizens, the man in the blue robes gives a knowing glance to the man decorated in holly and mistletoe who speaks up. "We've heard such rumors and if they are true it could be disastrous for the Kortos Consortium to be mixed up in such an affair. Frankly, I don't care who you are. If you have evidence that the Aspis are mixed up in this, we need to know now so we can cut our business ties with them immediately."
When you reveal the evidence of the Consortium's dealings with the alchemist who tested his drugs on citizens, the Kortos agents seem concerned and take a moment to confer with each other privately. When they come back, the two leaders address you. "This is quite disturbing information you have brought to our attention. At this time, I do not think it would be profitable for the Kortos Consortium to do any more business with the Aspis until this has been resolved. We will let our superiors know about the situation. Thank you for bringing this to our attention." With that, they leave and take their bodyguards with them.
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Half an hour after the Kortos agents arrive, Aspis Consortium agents show up at the warehouse to deal with you; by now the Aspis agents know something is afoot, and clearly they expect a fight.
The Aspis agents burst into the warehouse from two directions: from the northern secret door emerge a man wearing no armor followed by a man holding a flute with a rapier in his belt . The unarmored man steps directly in the bear trap you left waiting for him!
The man screams in pain just as the large loading doors in the docking area fly open to reveal another man with a sword sword and dagger in hand leading the way for a man in chainmail holding a crossbow at his shoulder
ci: 8 dmg
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"Alright, people! We need to diversify our holdings this quarter, as some of our divisions are showing a distinct improvement over others and we need to monetize our exceptionalism in a proactive fashion!"
Sully the party with another motivational speech. There may also be some tactical advice snuck in there as well.