Saul angrily and successfully shoots the commander. Cassius douses all in a colorspray. He knocks out a guard and a hellknight.
Zea kills the guard in front of Cassius and the other one too. The hellknights look kind of incompetent compared to that. And they don't dare to step up with Cassius being unobservant.
the commander uses the opportunity to attack that simple victim. The spiritual weapon continues to attack Cassius.
Zea keeps giving the hellknights orders, though it's a very strange role to her. But somebody has to save these people! "One of you! Grab your friend!" She then lashes out at the commander, trying to keep her occupied.
Saul and Zea wound the commander badly between the two of them. The Hellknights swing their halberds at the commander, leaving her even more wounded.
The commander cast another spell on Zea.
Retribution
Zea resists the spell as well as she can but still feels pain wracking her entire body. "GGGAAAAHHHH!" she screams in agony but tries to focus on the fight.
Saul kills the commander with another precise stab to where it hurts.
Guards: potions of cure light wounds (2), mwk chainmail, mwk composite longbow (+4 Str), mwk halberd, mwk manacles, 90 gp for each of the dottari.
Cassius' eyes widen at the treasure, but turns to the hellknights. "Sir and Lady knights, we need to get you somewhere safe. Any ideas?"
"Where is Lictor Octacio Sabinus?" Armiger Auruda asks. Far away from that crazy troupe would be safest.
Zea hushes the armiger "Safe. We can help you find him. Let's go." she helps gather up the valuables to head out.
"At a safe house close to the city." Fhingle says "Does anyone need healing?
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Fhignle mutters something in Celestial, his body changes into what looks like white hot heat. Moving towards the down Hellknight Fhingle lays a hand on him.
Fhingle offers his hand out to those in need of healing.
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"Before we beat the concrete out of here, how about a look around? We probably have the time. Might be some valuable information to find...Maybe our next target. Maybe some gold."
Saul goes into what he thinks is the the commander's office area (B3,B4,B5) to search for notes, letters, and valuables.
There is nothing to be found here. No planning, no valueables. Those guards have a s$#~ty life indeed. Keeping them in a bad mood may be part of the strategy of the Thrune to make them ven ttheir frustration on the people.
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"This place is worthless. Still, we have collected a fair amount of extra gear. With a little scraping to get the blood off, we can turn a nice profit here. Shall we head out? How about the "haunted" livery? Ba, you remember the place, right? Should be empty. It will give Brakisi a place to work on disguises."
Leaving the commander and three dottari dead and three more in prison cells the group heads out of the holding house. The old lady watches out of the window on the opposite side of the road. As Saul looks over she makes the signs of the three apes, covering her ears, eyes and mouth with her hands.
The group splits up to not draw attention by large numbers and make it without further incident to the abandoned Fair Fortune Livery. This aged stable leans slightly to one side, its roof precariously propped up by aged wooden walls. The air reeks of stale urine. Broken desks, scuffed tables, and torn chairs crowd the thirteen horse stalls, all of which are covered with a healthy layer of dust.
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Saul points out the formerly locked gate that leads down into the basement. He leads the way.
"This used to be a Silver Raven hideout. Weeks ago, myself and Fhingle, along with our former associates, explored it."
"Hellknights. You may be unappreciative of my brusque manner, but in war, the commander isn't out to win a popularity contest. He is out to win. We are at war with the Thrunes. I hope you can understand that. We are the Silver Ravens. My name is Saul Gibson. Jackdaw, if you will."
Zea helps the wounded hellknights into the stable. "Ok good. I could use some rest too."
"You wanted to tell us where Lictor Octavius Sabinus is found." the Hellknights remind you.
"In the swamp just out side of town, we can get you there maybe a few at a time or if each of us goes with you." Fhingle says. "Does your armor designate your order or just that you are hellknights? If your Order we may have to put it away till you are out of sight so we don't draw to much attention."
"I guess we can't be seen walking around like that." the hellknights reply.
A plan is made and it is decided to get Octavio here instead the other way around.
"Who is going to get octavio? We can send one of ours and one of yours to get him that way we all are kept in the loop." Fhingle says
Zea nods. "Or I could sneak out invisibly, get him, turn us both invisible, and come back?"
So Jarithe and Fhingle and Zea move out. Jarithe and Fhingle to 'collect wood' and Zea as an invisible companion on their walk to the swampy western shore of Argo Isle. They meet again with Brother Jenbai and Sister Remele at the Shrine of Saint Senex.
The tricks and traps down to Lictor Octavio are known and easy to pass, but to persuade Octavio to come along is not as easy. But after giving the names of the four armigers and a description, along with telling the tale of freeing them in a way worthy of heroes (leaving out the poison part as that is totally unheroic) he is finally persuaded. He joins them to meet with his armigers in the Fair Fortune Livery.
Fhingle looks out for wood on the way there and collects it in little hidden stacks and picks it up on the way back. If you'd really need it, you'd have woods for two to three days on the back of that poor halfling.
"Cheaper than a donkey, ey?" the guards laugh as they see the two coming back through the gate. Which is a nice distraction for Zea and Octavio to sneak past them invisible.
At the livery there is a heartily hellknight reunion with everyone glad to see the others alive. "You are indeed great people and lead a cause that I support. I pledge my services to the Silver Ravens until the Order of the Torrent can be reinstated." Octavio tells. And his four armigers join him in that.
"Well next time someone else can carry the fire wood in." Fhingle says dumping it on the underground. "Thank you Octavio, we will make sure that we win the day then. We can get you supplies and you can make your base here if you would like." Fhingle offers.
Zea nods with a smile of satisfaction. I can't believe it... I'm really helping people... I'm making a difference... She responds to Octavio "We are glad to help free our people and fight the Thrunes. I look forward to working with you in the future."
All return to their normal daily activities. Saul to his office in old Kintargo, Zea to her home, Fhingle to Laria and Cassius to the Tavern he works at.
Somewhen in the evening a figure he remembers from somewhere appears at the bar and orders a drink. While sitting there she scrutinizes Cassius.
"We will need to set up a runner to make sure that we can communicate with the Livery and the rest of us." Fhingle says
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The next day Saul finds Jarithe and the two of them visit a local pawnshop where Saul has previously sold off...unwanted goods... and attracted little attention.
As they empty out the bag of holding, items are strewn across the counter and fall onto the floor...
Altogether, at a 50% reduction of price, the two are looking at 5515 in gold.
Saul tries to get it a little higher. "All fine shape, as you can see... good quality. Barely used, in fact!"
waa waaa
Fhingle will spend a few days painting some pictures to sell if possible. He will help Liara around the coffee shop and spend some time listening to rumors and talking with citizens.
"Next time when you tell me stuff is barely used, take at least the time to remove the blood." Chuko chuckles. "Help me bring it to the back. Can't have that lying around in the shop that way."
Once that is done he hands you the coins.
After his shift Fhingle heads down stairs to talk with Maggie.
"There was a murder near the south wall of Old Kintargo, do you think you and your ladies could find out more?" Fhingle asks.
"Sure. We'll ask a few people. By tomorrow we should know something." Maggie replies.
Zea heads back to Redroof to see how her people are doing. She's not much of a charmer but she tries to listen sympathetically to their concerns.
It is hard for her to be sympathetic of the more minor concerns after what she has seen and the near-fatal wounds she has taken but she tries her best.
Cassius salutes her casually and gestures towards the rum.
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Saul spends the rest of the day finding his friends scattered across the city, and hands each a pouch of 1310 gold and two cure light wounds potions.
Afterwards, he heads toward a magic store he knows in Jarvis's End: Crissali's Fine Tome.
Entering, he introduces himself and says,
"Sir, I would like to hire you for an enchantment job, if you will! My poor longspear here, it has not had the joy of being made into a magical weapon. I have the gold on hand to make its wishes come true, if you can help!"
As Saul counts out his money he realizes that indeed, he does NOT have enough to enchant the weapon. Cursing his bad math, he sells off the magical mace he was planning on keeping, and makes a mental promise to make it up to the others at the very next chance.
The enchanter promises the spear can be ready in a day.
Concerned about Saul, Zea is glad to see him sober when he delivers her gold. She shakes her head at the sight, unsure what to do with so much money.
But she refocuses on her drunkard of a friend. Gently she says "Hey Saul. How's it going? What are you doing after these delivieries?"
Zea blushes a darker shade of red at Saul's first sentence. Then his second sentence makes her raise an eyebrow. Maybe she misunderstood the first? "Ah! Oh that's great. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help with that. Meet up tomorrow morning to see what we can work on?"
"Sure no problem. I'm always a fan of customers leaving their hard earned money with me." Chuko tells. "That will take me a day. If you leave it here, you can come and fetch it the day after tomorrow. I open at eight."
Zea tries her best to come up with interesting rumors, but it is too obvious to the people she's talking too and they lose interest. Besides learnign all the maladies from an old lady who talks to her about it for full two hours she find nothing.
The woman in Cassius bar nods and as he serves her the rum she grabs hold of his arm. "You wanted a tour of the ship. Now you get one. Declining is no option." she tells him.
"I get off shift in just a half hour. Care to drink while I close up? I still want that tour, force won't be necessary."