Fhingle retreats around the corner of the gate
Zea steps up to the guards and becomes visible as her blade fills with lightning. She strikes one guard with her lightning blade then chops at the neck of the other, moving quickly to silence the guards. But what did they do to us... Maybe they're just doing their jobs?
Normally have +8 to hit for 1d6+5. Spellcombat gives -2 to hit. Spellstrike allows me to get an extra attack with a touch spell. Casting then 5 ft stepping to attack. Shocking grasp gives +3 to hit against someone wearing or holding metal. Using a point from my arcane pool to give +1 to hit and +1 damage to my blade and 1 point from my blade's pool for +1 damage. +2 on my attack rolls because I was invisible until this round.
Zea drops the two guards. Cassius storms into the arms of his companions, and almost stumbles over the bodies.
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Saul pulls out two sets of manacles and secures the sleeping guards. The manacles go on one hand, around a fence post or any other small stationary item, and then on the other hand, so they can't move more than a few inches from their position.
"If he isn't coming, maybe he can't come. Let's go. Time is wasting, so we are going in."
Saul leads the group inside.
Fhingle will come back at the words from Saul, moving towards the house and pulling out his mace.
Zea concentrates for a moment to regain shocking grasp then heads in with Saul and the others, moving quickly.
The man of the house comes from the lounge to see what the trouble is about and stands aghast in shock as armed men storm his manor. With his guards down he stammers "Get out, by... by the name of Thrune! he'll have you heads!" but at the moment his words are inconsequential, as he has nothing to back his threat.
Cassius fires a color spray at him.
The man is unimpressed by the light show. The maids and butlers retreat into the adjoining rooms.
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Zea attacks the unarmed old man, trying to knock him out. She lashes out with her blade, leaving a sparrow mark upon the old man's skin.
"This is great!" Cassius blurts.
The man flees the battle and locks himself in in a side chamber, badly wounded.
"You ready to get out of here?" Cassius whispers to Marquel.
Fhingle surveys the scene not really understanding what is going on as he cannot understand what people are saying but seeing that his team mates are pulling their punches he realizes that they are staging an abduction and just does his best to help out as he can.
Marquel comes down the stairs with a small bundle in hand. "You murdered the guards?" he states shocked.
Marquel looks at the guards, the strangers, the house, pondering his options, but finally he comes all the way down the stairs. "Where are we going?"
As the group arrives at the Scourge of Belial, Lieutenant Nones moves swiftly into action, hustling them and their charge into the captain’s cabin. Within, the halfling Hopgut plays his violin while Captain Sargaeta sits at his desk, sipping tea and reading poetry by lamplight. He looks up as the PCs enter, but Marquel speaks first, rushing into Sargaeta’s arms. "Here’s your answer, Cassius!"
The two embrace, Sargaeta actually weeping. "Ah, my darling!" the captain cries. "Marquel, my sweet, impulsive boy!" The lovers finally part and Sargaeta looks at Cassius, his eyes awash with gratitude and his stern demeanor for a few moments gone away. "I am now in your debt, and I'm a man who honors his debts."
He finishes his tea, then hands the teacup to Cassius asks "Drop it on the wooden floor."
After momentary confusion over hearing his name, Cassius realizes what's up. "Ah, Captain! My name is Cassius, too." He then drops the teacup.
One of the halflings comes over and collects the shards.
"The fragments of this cup represent the number of favors I owe you," Sargaeta says "Anything—short of outright public treason to the queen—I’ll do for you. Simply write your request on a scrap of paper and use it to wrap a shard of the teacup. Deliver it in person, or perhaps via messenger. And know that you have earned a friend tonight."
The halfling holds the shards out to Cassius to take.
Cassius takes the shards solemnly. "This is a friendship I will treasure even more than the favors. I must ask ...Marquel, will your family figure out where we've brought you?"
Fhingle looks at the halfling to see if he is being mistreated or not. Sliding over to Hopgut Fhingle whispers. "Are you all right?"
Zea's heart warms at the display. We just rescued a man being held against his will... Maybe we're doing the right thing after all... Her guilt and anxiety over killing the guards are somewhat assuaged...
Hopgut looks puzzled as if he doesn't understand the question.
"I don't care if they find out. But I don't think they will." Marquel replies.
The Captain answers with a slight bow to Cassius answer. "If you'd excuse us now. We haven't seen us in a long time and have to catch up on events."
Fhingle just shakes his head at the other Halfling. "I cannot rescue them all, he seems content and not beaten." Fhingle things to himself.
"We have business to attend to as well, we will be in touch Captain." Fhingle bows making a bit of a display of it, then heads back out onto deck without another word.
"Totally understandable. We'll be in touch. Captain, Marquel, enjoy your reunion!"
Lieutenant Nones accompanies the group off deck and wishes them farewell.
"You tend bar long enough, you start to understand how things break," Cassius chuckles. "I think those two will both be useful. A warship and, eventually, a noble house. We should look into 'clearing the way' for Marquel, if you catch my meaning."
Zea looks puzzled at Cassius' euphemism. "No I really don't catch your meaning." The tiefling looks sufficiently flummoxed. "But yes, that was good."
"Once he's the eldest of his family, he's in charge of a lot more resources and people."
Zea's face falls as she catches Cassius' meaning. "Oh... You mean we go back for that old man at some point..." She shakes her head. "I don't know... knocking him out when he's in the way is one thing... And killing guards who are fighting us is terrible... But assassination?"
"Of that's who they think did it."
"I am not one for out right murder. You will have to count me out on that, I have seen enough death, I agree with Zea that killing someone like that isn't what I signed up for." fhingle says as they walk
"Don't worry. You won't have to be there. But remember, we will have to kill some evil men to save this city. He was keeping lovers apart. F~*@ him."
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"Oh ho ho! Cassius, the romantic! Ah, Cassius, you must tell us stories off your past, especially those involving... the dames! Or chaps, I'm not one to care."
Saul thinks back to what happened last time they went to Cassius's bar. "Come on, you lot, to the Tooth and Nail! It's close to my place, so it will be easier for you to carry me home! Onwards!"
An unusually jovial Saul leds the crew to a night of partying.
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Jarithe makes sure to look as if he is drinking
And he makes sure that Saul passes out again...
At the end of the night after they carry Saul home...
Jarithe cuts the center out of an old chair and puts a chamber pit beneath and then ties Saul to the chair and ties the chair to the wall so it won't tip over and says
Saul will be having a prolonged stay here until he breaks his habit. If any of you don't care or don't want to help now is the time to say so.
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Saul absolutely drinks too much again, and tries to get the others to do the same, but misses Jarithe's actions in his own inebriation.
Eventually, he wakes up to find himself tied to a chair. He blinks his eyes groggily.
"What the Hell... What is... Those damned Thrunes... I'll kill every last one of them!"
Zea nods firmly. "I'm with you, Jarithe. Saul has to get better."
When Saul wakes up, she stands in front of him with her arms crossed. "It's nothing hostile, Saul. It's for your own good. We're going to break your alcoholism now, once and for all." She raises an eyebrow. "Unless you want to repeat this lovely experience down the road later."
"I am with you on this Jarithe, if he wants to keep leading then he has to stop drinking, other wise he could become a liability like Logan did." Fhingle says. "We could lock him up under the coffee house."
"You've become a liability. Jarithe tied you up this time, but it could have been a Dottari or worse. That big brain of yours knows everything about our cause. And the cause is too worthy to risk what you know and what you can do by pickling yourself to unconsciousness every night you can. I'd say we should hire a cleric to remove disease but for this to really work, it's going to have to come from you."
'Who are we going to hire in this town that will not report us to the Thrunes? Maybe a Cleric at the Temple of Abadar but no one else." Fhingle says creating a light and moving it so it shines right in Saul's eyes.
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"Little Mac, get that blasted light out of my eyes? You trying to blind me? Listen, I got things under control. No one has come snooping, no one has any idea that Saul Gibson PI is the black bird Jackdaw. Let me go, and we will keep on fighting the Thrunes together, no retaliation by me. I promise."