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Saul certainly wants to hear from Vendalfek, but another thought occurs to him and he says, "Maggie- I think the most important thing about all of this is to permanently silence any guards that see us. We will have to kill any guards near the entrance, and then I think we will post you and your sisters inside the entrance and any side doors to prevent anyone from fleeing the building. Then Vendalfek, Logan, Fhingle, and myself will head in. Vendalfek can distract some of the guards to clear our way, and we will free the prisoners."
"Vendalfek makes people beat each other. Mighty dragon is good at that. Fire is even better distraction. No one looked for Vendalfek as the Thrashing Badger was burning." the dragon tells.
"Be careful who you kill. We had to leave Riddleport because the dire corby killed the wrong person." Maggie warns. "A good disguise might be good enough if you knock them out somehow."
"Clerical robes and Masks?" Fhingle offers
"Hells no. It was my home!" Vendalfek objects.
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"Ah... good, good. It was my home too, sort of... Shouldn't have been. But let's get some revenge for the Thrashing Badger, Vendalfek? Shall we outfit the Thrunes in cement galoshes?"
"Let's get our disguises and weapons, and meet back here before curfew. We'll wait for it to get dark... and make our move."
Saul stops at at store there, a store here, until he has six new shortswords.
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Logan is a drunk, sure, but he's not stupid. He understands the gravity of this rescue mission and so, against type a bit, he doesn't kill time by going to the bar. Instead he grabs another cup of coffee in hopes that it shrinks his head a few sizes.
As he drinks the coffee in the common room upstairs, he quickly realizes from the looks of the other patrons, not to mention the reaction of Laria herself, that he is not the type of person who would be all that welcome in a coffee house. He goes back down to the hideout.
He spends the rest of the day working out, doing push ups and crunches and other exercises, in an effort to stay limber in case he has to crack some heads tonight. At one point he goes out and purchases some sacks of grain and a length of rope and fashions a rudimentary punching bag that he hangs up in a corner of the hideout. He adds that to his workout routine.
When the rest of the team returns, they find Logan sweating, but surprisingly sober, and ready for action.
"Have you floated? Captained? what is moving a boat called, have you done that after dark?" Fhingle asks
Rowing a boat is not harder at night, than it is at day. And the one or another light on shore tells where to go. Larger problem is fitting eight people into it. Assuming no one will object, the group borrows another one from the docks.
Going downriver you reach the Old Harbour. Here it is dead too, as the fishers leave the docks before the curfew and don't come back before morning. The short path to the Salt Works the group manages without incidence.
The obvious entry is via the main door. Which is of course locked.
"II can make light but I cannot see better than you can." Fhingle says.
So far no one of the group sees any guards. Common sense tells that guards who are usually humnas with the dottari would also see nothing.
Saul finds no traps and unlocks the door. But doing so isn't exactly quiet. To throw off the beam on the inside makes a loud clattering noise.
Inside you find four startled dottari, who didn't expect to be attacked from the outside. They jumped up from playing cards.
Seeing That many people stand in the door the fastest of the guards flees, telling "I'll get Kossrani."
The others draw their weapons readying themself to fend you off. Maggie and her sisters safe the door.
Vendalfek throws a patch of grease in front of the fleeing guy. But to no effect.
Fhingle stance shifts to that of a fight, drawing out his sling, Fhingle starts it around and launches a stone at the fleeing man.
Logan goes after the one fleeing. He doesn't reach him but at least he doesn't fall on his behind.
Saul stabs the air besides the dottari.
The fleeing dottari makes it to the back door and opens it. The other three try to hold off the rest of the intruders.
Vendalfek turns on the two attacking Saul, as there is more fun in that and places another grease spell.
Both dottari fall to the floor.
The Fushi sisters stay where they are.
Fhingle physically crumples with the blow from the long legs, planting his feet, then quick stepping backwards to avoid the long legs.
HP 13/15
channel positive energy 4/day (DC 13, 1d6),
halfling jinx (DC 15, -1 to all saves)
Oracle Spells Known (CL 1st; concentration +4)
1st (3/4)— abadar's truth telling (DC 14), bless, cure light wounds
0 (at will)— detect fiendish presence , detect magic , light, read magic, Stabilize
The one attacking Fhingle goes down falling unconscious. The other two stay down. One asks "What do you want. We have no money here."
"We can't look the other way when you take prisoners out. How about you leave now, while you can. Or do you want House Thrune hunting you down." the guy tells. But doesn't move.
"We didn't come to negotiate, we came to free those who you have enslaved. Surrender and you won't be killed!" Fhingle challenges
"Okay, okay." one replies and both take their hands up.
Still playing for time.
Fhingle cannot understand the men but seeing them put their hands up so easily he questions their motives.
Logan aims for the guy, but runs into the door.
The two dottari at the tip of Saul's spear push their weapons away. The one at the door runs on, to the barrack, tears the door open and shouts in "We're under attack!"
"How do these work?" the guy asks, as he picks the manacles up.
Maggie and her sisters surround the guards, and Maggie puts her knife into the guy's leg. "Does that help to remember how it is done?" Maggie asks.
And it looks like the dottari understand.
From the barrack you hear cuss words.
It takes a while but then a pissed off dwarf and four more dottari come out of the barracks. The dwarf, clad in armor and with a big mace walks straight into Logan's punch. But he can take it. And he can deal out. Even better than Logan can.
The dottari get out their bows to shoot at Logan, but they only hit the wall.
Inside Maggie shackles up the two dottari on the ground.
Salt Pit: Taking up most of the building’s space, the salt pit is 30 feet deep and lined with clay. A series of flues run through the walls, connecting to the three chimneys around the silo’s circumference, making the entire chamber a warm, arid desert with constant airflow from above. A small dock extends over the pit, with pulleys and hooks above. A layer of salt constantly dries on the floor below. The job of turning the salt to ensure it dries well, combined with harvesting dry salt into buckets for loading into sacks, is a grueling and painful task.
Work Yard: The work yard is a covered patio for meeting with customers and readying larger loads for delivery.
Barracks: This outbuilding contains bunks now used by the mercenary guards and their leader, Kossrani.
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"L, retreat! M, leave one at the door as a guard and help us here! F, can you heal L!?! We make a stand at these double doors!"
But before following his own orders to make a stand at the double doors, Saul approaches the locked door and attempts to open it.
"You in there! This is a rescue! Fight your way out!"
Saul checks all the doors in the building hoping to find the prisoners and no more guards. He is lucky and the second door he tries is already the right one.
Six prisoners are being held in this room. Five humans and their onetime leader, Forvian Crow. All six are sickened from conditions in the Salt Works and are in no condition to fight.
Vendalfek casts another grease under the dwarf.
Which he manages to stand, but is now flat footed.
Fhingle cocks his head but knows enough to follow behind Saul as he goes.
Seeing Logan's wounds Fhingle moves up and allow his healing magic to flow out of him.
Maggie retreats with her sisters into the cell room, closing the door but a small gap to look through.