The nurse has gone back to her paperwork, and isn't really paying attention when the curtain parts slightly, allowing Aloysia entry back into the room.
Aloysia walks to the member of the group who's furthest away from the other people in the lobby, and whispers in their ear, "Get the others and meet me in the nearby alley."
She hustles out to the alley so as not to reappear in front of anyone, and waits for the others to arrive when it makes sense for them to leave.
The spirits carry Aloysia's whisper to Jolon's ears, and he gives a sigh.
"I must return to the Grand Cathedral. There will be more death before this plague is gone, and it will fall to us to inter all of Korvosa's children it takes from her. Good day, and may the Lady look upon your fate sternly and fairly."
He begins making his way out to follow Aloysia.
The nurse nods enough to let Jolon know she's listening as she continues her paperwork.
Gamon, who has been waiting quietly in line after Nicolai's outburst, theatrically looks at how many people are waiting in front of him, then shakes his head and steps out of line. Anyone listening carefully as the big man ambles out into the street can hear him mutter, Perhaps tomorrow, if we're still alive by then.
Aloysia reappears in the shadows of the alley, giving some rats a startle, but drawing no further notice.
When Aloysia reappears, Jolon leans in and whispers to her.
"What did you see?"
Nicolai jumps up again in a manic state "See, see, even the priest thinks we're going to die" He runs out the door and into the street ... all... doomed" his voice trailing off as he conveniently leaves the door open for Aloysia to make her exit through.
He runs around the corner and joins up with his friends "Well that was fun." he says with a smile on his face.
Aloysia grins at Nicolai, "That was most certainly impressive! I got quite the kick out of what I heard in there. Now, on to business. Suspicions were most certainly correct in some capacity. They don't really seem to be causing the plague from what I could tell, but they are definitely not treating it."
Aloysia pauses to look around for anyone who might be listening in, then continues, "This facility may as well just be a holding tank for the sick, so they can die. They are using the bodies for something. The 'physicians' are just running around offering comforting words, but as soon as someone dies they haul the body off through a large set of doors guarded by several large people with big weapons. I couldn't get a good glimpse of what was behind the door with the time constraints I had, but I can pretty safely say there's shady business in there. Frontal assault is probably doable with us as strong as we are handling the guards in the room I was in, but I have no idea how many might come out if we do go loud."
Aloysia thinks back to the room again, "Not a lot of strategic value for us to go head on, but I'm not sure what other options we would have beyond trying to bring in the city guard to do the dirty work."
"Laid it on a little thick, didn't you?" Jolon replies to Nicolai.
He frowns at Aloysia's description of the situation.
"It sounds a lot like I feared. If they're just waiting for plague to kill people and then cart the bodies off for disposal...what if they're NOT disposing of them, but reanimating them? Given all the undead we've encountered and Urgathoa holding dominion over both disease and undeath...It would not surprise me if there were some necromancers hiding among the Physicians. Maybe we'll even find our 'old friend,' Rolth, among them?"
"My thoughts exactly. How do we want to enter? I didn't have a lot of luck with a back door, and the rafters have crossbowmen that won't be easy to get to in the room itself."
Majenko flutters his wings, rising and hovering slightly before settling again. "Everyone here is fit enough. I'd just be worried about stepping on someone and getting the plague. Well, I would if I was a humanoid. Luckily it doesn't seem anything affects us dragons." His chest puffs out with pride.
"I can treat the plague if any of us catch it again," Jolon replies. "You're the stealth expert, Aloysia...what do you think is our best course."
"I feel like it from what I saw stealth won't really be helpful for more than a few seconds. If I'm lucky, I might be able to get in and take one out on the ground before they know what's happening, but beyond that we'll need either you or Nicolai doing something with the guards in the rafters while Gamon and I try to hold the ground. We can just hold to hope that there aren't a lot more guards behind the door."
"Why don't I help you hold the ground and Gamon take the rafters? Gamon's a better climber than me, and I'm wearing heavier armor," Jolon says.
Gamon nods, I can go in the rafters if you would prefer. ALoysia, do you think you would have better odds of sneaking up on someone in the rafters, or down below? I would imagine it's most important to get rid of those guards quickly.
"I wouldn't have any trouble getting up there, but there were two up there when I was in the room. I'm pretty sure I can end the first one without contest before they see me coming, but I doubt I can go toe-to-toe with the other one. I'm not built for face to face fighting."
Of course, do I think it's best if we pair up. Gamon turns and stares intently at the clinic for a moment before refocusing on Aloysia, Do you remember, of the ground floor or the rafters where it seemed more likely reinforcements may come from?
"They'll come from the ground floor, the doors I couldn't get behind are on the far side of the room from the curtain I went through. I didn't see anywhere else reinforcements may come from."
Aloysia pauses and thinks for a second, "You know, it might be worth going into the waiting area aggressively. We might be able to funnel them through the curtained door. I can probably set up near the curtain to even hide to catch one or two from behind as they come through."
"Won't that give the game up? I thought we were trying to be subtle here," Jolon replies. "Cressida would...she'd be real disappointed."
Jolon frowns awkwardly.
Gamon nods, If we can be subtle, that would be best. I ask because I'd imagine we want me to be on the level that reinforcements will come from, to deal with those.
Do you think that we could get onto the rafters without being seen?
Aloysia's scouting indicates there's a way to get into the walkways above from another door, but the climb up the walls would be in direct line of sight of anyone on the floor below.
"I think our only option is to just go straight in and hope for the best. I'll hang slightly behind, and see if I can't at least sneak in to take out one or two once you have their attention and choas ensues with the 'patients' in the room."
"I've had a thought. Rather than start a fight among innocent plague victims what if we use a little subterfuge. Those plague "Doctors" are almost indistinguishable from one another when all dolled up. What if we ambush some of them and take their clothes. We can then try to make our way into the hospice and hopefully past the main floor."
Jolon's eyes light up.
"That's a great idea, Nicolai! If we can find one with clothes in my size...I'm kind of a big man..." he says, as he grimaces in embarrassment.
Majenko flies down and pounces on a rat, killing it with a quick thrust of his tail. "Are you going to try and catch some out in the city or get some of the ones here?" He starts feasting, ripping gobbets of flesh out with each large bite.
Aloysia looks Nicolai up and down, and with no small amount of snark in her voice, "Are you sure the lot of you have what it takes to pass? I'm not worried about myself, but I didn't think you three would have the acting chops to pull it off."
Aloysia shifts her attention down to Majenko, "Both, I think. Wait for one to leave and take them where we can in an alley or dark corner away from prying eyes."
"We only have to pass long enough to actually get in," Jolon replies. "We're only trying to be subtle enough for them to let us in instead of just kicking down the door and making the Guard look bad."
Gamon nods, It shouldn't be too hard, but perhaps you could sneak in the first time, then get outfits for the rest of us so that it's easier for us to pass as well?
"I'm not saying that we pick off one at a time but there must be a "patrol" of them out in the city picking up the sick and the dying for whatever purpose they may have. If we could ambush a group of them we stand a better chance of surprise than if we just went after them one by one."
"Right," Jolon replies.
"I like that idea, Nicolai. Let's see if we can find some..."
Aloysia remembers some of the routes through the most infected part of the slums where the doctors are known to haunt. It's a little risky moving through without catching bloodveil yourselves, but it'll be easy to ambush a small group there.
"I can maybe get their attention...claim I'm out of healing magic and need their help to lure them down an alley?" Jolon offers.
What if one of us told them they had friends suffering from bloodveil and near to death? Gamon asks, thinking it through out loud. We know that's what they want, so it might make them eager to approach us.
"I think they'd be more tempted by someone close to death than not. Whatever tactic we use we should emphasize that it's an emergency that they come. Dark alley murder is probably going to be our best shot, but we'll have to be quick and as quiet as possible about it. Don't want the guards coming down on us."
"I think they'd be more tempted by someone close to death than not. Whatever tactic we use we should emphasize that it's an emergency that they come. Dark alley murder is probably going to be our best shot, but we'll have to be quick and as quiet as possible about it. Don't want the guards coming down on us."
"But Aloysia," Jolon replies, a toothy smirk coming to his face. "We ARE the guards!"
Majenko flies up and down, listening to all of the conversation.
"Fair point! Let's do this..."
You find your spot in the filthy streets, a narrow alley that dead-ends after a blind corner. The people here have cleared the streets, none willing to risk infection by the plague. The Queen's Physicians are easily spotted in their plague masks and long robes approaching from down the street. Majenko flies high above them, giving you an accurate fix on their location.
Aloysia whispers to the others, "I'm going to hide down the alley, someone call them for help."
Aloysia heads down the alley, draws her daggers, and hides in a place she can quickly strike from...
Gamon looks at the other two, Well, who wants to go get the guards? I'm not a great liar but I'll do it if need be.
"I can do it. I'm still a priest, and so it would make sense that I'm in the area treating people," Jolon replies.
"An excellent idea, Jolon. They might believe it better coming from you. Meanwhile I can play the victim while Aloysia and Gamon pick the best spots to hide and take their time settling in before you fetch them. I might also suggest that you stay a good 5 to 10 feet behind these "doctors" so not to get caught in the area of any spells I might cast"
Everyone sets up and settles in for a wait. Luckily it doesn't take very long for a group of three Queen's Physicians to come and take interest in Jolon's cries that someone is dying of bloodveil. They seem to float, beaked masks looking more like carrion birds as they approach the "dying" Nicolai.
Aloysia begins to smile to herself, the thrill of ending someone without them even before they even knew she was there settling in...
Gamon takes his opportunity as Nicolai begins to cast his spell to step from the shadows and open a huge cut across the back of the nearest physician.
Nicolai lays shivering against the alley wall as the group of physicians approach. As the first one bends to examine him, the shivering stops and he turns, smiling, up at the doctor "Surprise, buttercup." he says as he casts his spell he cries as a fan of coruscating light washes over the Queen's Physicians.