|
Arael listens intently as the discussion about the devils goes back and forth. "A wooden coin you say Xianae? There have actually been a rash of robberies recently with those left behind. The dottari have been investigating and they say the mayor has been getting frustrated enough that he was appealing to the Order of the Rack for help. Some help they'd be..." He pauses and takes a bite of the eggs Coran has cooked up, murmuring something appreciative. "I was trying to learn more when I got apprehended myself. I'm going to lie low for a few days since my face is a lot harder to hide. I have Janiven looking into things further today to see if she can turn anything up."
I tun to face Emmett, "Emm, ya did say it right's, yes. I jus' thought it was weird's that a thief would leave's a wooden's coin with a Devil's on. Tha's all. But Roman got's concerned, so's we brought it up's with ya'll."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Roman gratefully accepts the mouth-watering breakfast, then shrugs. "Call me superstitious, but I know how religion works from the inside; I know that omens and portents do exist and can matter. Anyway, for now, knowing that Janiven is looking into the matter gives me comfort. We should concentrate on the immediate task we have. Byron, did Rizzardo provide you with the directions to the goblin king hideout? And then the shadow beast challenge still stands, I believe."
Byron shakes his head in response to Roman.
"When he returned this morning, he was going to provide more details; he needed to confirm a few things with his contacts, so we would have a safe way in..."
Jo stirs at the conversation of the others. He stretches and groans at the aches and pains of his body. Aches and pains he does not realize he should not have at his young age. He rises and places Rosebud in the corner. He heads to the table to the two plates sitting together in one spot. Since no one else is paying attention to them he decides he will.
"We decide to smash goblin heads? Jo likes that idea. When we leavin?"
|
|
Rizzardo comes confidently into the room, "Hey, you guys talking about Whitechin or something else? I learned a little more about where he's supposed to have his lair. My contact in the Rundottari says its the basement of an abandoned manor on the river. He can let us into the ruins or we can see about buying or renting an adel."
Byron smiles warmly at the new arrival.
"Ah, Rizzardo! Yes, we were talking about your little 'goblin problem'. I would prefer to approach via land; I get a little nervous around boats... Besides which, I would prefer to rely on our own abilities, rather than having to count on a boatman."
"Not to mention saving some coin on an adel", Roman adds, on his way to wash the now-empty plate.
The smell of the cooking proves too tempting for me and I head to the table to start eating a meal. While eating I am quiet and don't speak, but once I have finished I look up from my plate. "Adel? Killin' the Goblin would be good's fighting practise 'n' I can see's Roman's fighting style. Then we can see's if sparring would be good's for us."
Once I have said my piece, I head back to the fire where I sit down, trying to stay away from all the smoke of the pipes.
Emmett has his mouth full, but nods in approval. He'd prefer to stay on land if possible and wonders why the river seems better. He chews through and finally is able to ask: "Can't we avoid the water? It's not my favorite..."
When Coran hears water "If we can avoid water would probably good, I am a bit nervous traveling in a boat while wearing armor anyway." Coran notices a few extra people "Does anyone need anything more to eat or more coffee or tea." Coran starts gathering the empty plates.
No horses? Good! thinks Emmett as he walks out.
Byron shakes his head.
"I just need to grab my pack, and then I will be good to go."
"I has everything I need's right here." I tap to my blood-stained axe.
Roman double-checks the buckles and straps on his armor as he joins everyone at the door.
"I have everything I need here for the most part, how long of a trip will this be. Should we pack provisions?"
"Shall we's get going's then? This king is causing's problems for innocent people's, we have to leave's now."
"That sounds good to me, Xianae. Let's hit the road! There is Evil to be vanquished, and innocents to be saved..."
"Jo has deez Crossbows and Swords to get rid of." He points to the pile of weapons sitting in the corner of the hall.
"It can wait, I guess. Unless someone needs dah money to buys some udder fings."
Jo seems resigned to let the rest of the party take the lead on this.
|
|
Rizzardo leads everyone out into the Westcrown streets. After a brief detour to pick up Byron's pack, you all head directly north toward Rego Cader. In spite of the inclement weather, traffic on the streets is starting to pick up. Most of you have never been to the Dead Sector. For Jo, it is all too familiar. Minutes later, you arrive at Obrigan Gate. The ancient gate stands three stories tall with griffon designs visible in several locations. Rizzardo holds out his hand, "Wait here a moment and I will get Caratacus to let us through one of the sally portals." Rizzardo heads up to the gate and a moment later, disappears into the structures surrounding the entrance to Rego Cader.
Coran is a bit Paranoid being out in the public so soon after what happened but drawing attention away from the hideout is good. When their guide leaves them Coran gets a bad feeling.
Perception:
As Roman follows his companions along the cobbled streets of Westcrown, he is once again lost in thought about the city, and how the legacy men create seems to outlast its creators and get a spirit of its own. He has heard the priests call it 'genius loci' - no matter how hard the Thrice-Damned House of Thrune tried to curb it, the life in Westcrown was still bustling outside of the curfew hours.
While they were waiting for Rizzardo to return, Roman's attention was captured by the designs on the gate. "How old is this stone, I wonder?", he mused.
Emmett feels very exposed when their guide bails. He takes a few steps away from the party and takes to the shadows, then takes a look down the street in search of something out of the ordinary.
Coran tries to get a look at the face of the Hell Knight before he goes inside.
Perception:
Coran backing up to where Emmett was and whispered "I am not sure but this could be a trap."
Stealth:
Emmett tensed at the sight of the hellknight. As Coran approaches: "Could be... We don't know who or what is Cataracus? Could be his contact, though I doubt it... Better to make ourselves sparse at the moment. Tell everyone to meet five streets east from here in fifteen minutes, but for now, let me stay here and watch, from the darkness... Sounds good?"
Emmett's pulse is going 1,000 cycles as he offers this. They can't accuse me of anything, and they have to find me first... He stays put and hidden for now.
|
|
Coran, you do not recognize this particular Hellknight. It is definitely not the Badger.
Coran, Xianae, Roman, Jo, and Byron retreat from the gate while Emmett watches in the shadows. Ten minutes later the Hellknight comes back out and mounts his horse. He rides back to the south, toward Taranik House.
He passes within 10 feet of Emmett's location in the shadows, but fails to see the lawyer in hiding. Two minutes later, Rizzardo and one of the rundottari emerge from the building. You see Rizzardo glance around as he carries on an animated discussion with the guard. A moment later, the guard heads back into the building.
Seeing the Hellknight leave, briefly before Rizzardo comes out. I lean into Coran, "Ya's don't think's he's working with's the Hellknights, do ya's?"
Emmett comes out of the shadows and walks to Rizzardo: "So, how did it go? Did you have trouble with the Hellknight?" He scrutinizes the man, looking for signs of omission or falsehood, bringing to bear his small training as a lawyer.
|
|
"Sweet Barleybrew! No, no trouble, but I felt the whole time like he was going to recognize me at any moment. But, word is definitely out about us. Somehow, they even knew our name, the Children of Westcrown. But the rundottari just laughed at him and said it was pretty funny the Hellknights got shown up by a bunch of kids. Man was he pissed. Sounds like the dottari are pretty pissed at the Hellknights too. Not happy that the Hellknights used their leverage to get Arael in the first place."
He pauses for a moment to take a breath and wipes some water from his brow. "Well, here's the deal. Caratacus is willing to let us through. But, the Hellknight was here to tell them to be on the lookout for the Children. They had descriptions for Jo, Arael, and Coran. When we left, I asked him about other ways into the ruins. He says the rundottari have a passage through a cellar in an old tavern east of here that they use as a sally port if they need to go into the ruins someplace other than the gate. He said he gets off work and can meet us there in an hour if we want to try that. Tavern is called the Hag and Guillotine. Still game?"
Byron nods his assent.
"I am just glad that you are still okay. It will take more than an angry Hellknight to stay my path!"
"Yes we're game!" As he returns to meet the others: "Quick! They have your descirptions running around the town. We need to lay low and change your appearance. We meet in an hour at the Hag and Guillotine. In the meantime, let's disappear."
Jo chuckles."They not able to disguise Jo so he not noticed".
"Let dem come. Jo not chicken. Jo introduce dem to Rosebud." Jo says holding his hammer head toward Emmett.
Knowledge Check to see if Jo knows the Hag and Guillotine:
I look at Emmett, "I don't know's where that's is."
I turn to face Roman and Byron, "Could's we go 'n' scout around's before meeting everyone? They don't know's us, so could get away with it's."
"Good idea! Let's go now then."
Emmett starts walking towards the meeting point.
"That sounds perfectly fine to me."
|
|
You skirt the edge of the wall that once simply cut through two regos, but now wards the city against threats from the old ruins to the north. The street here is rough and poorly tended. Several cobbles are loose and in the poor weather, the rain has collected in large puddles, some rather deep. Trash is frequently heaped against building or the alleys between. The homes and shops are not in much better shape. People do not live in Rego Crua if they can afford better. Few people walk the streets. As you draw closer to the river you smell the stink of the tanneries and then on your left, you see a sign depicting a guillotine with the head of a hag laying cock-eyed in front of it. "Here we are." says Rizzardo and heads for the door to get out of the rain.
Emmett pushes the rain in his hair back and shakes the water off his hand. He looks left and right, to get a sense of the area.
"I'd suggest leaving a lookout outside, someone passing up for a beggar perhaps? While we step in. Perhaps there is as much to learn inside than outside."
Coran looks up at Emmett "I volunteer, I can probably go unnoticed under a mound of dirty clothes or between a few trash cans." he smiles up at Emmett "Sometimes the small go unnoticed because they are considered unimportant."
Water dripping down my hair and onto my body, I make no move to shake it off or dry myself. Instead I face up to the sky before heading through the door with Emmett. "That's nice."
When I step inside I will make a small puddle, as the rain has collected on my furs, is running down my Breastplate, dripping off of my axe and all landing on the floor with a very quiet rhythm. Once I have looked around, I will take a seat, closest to the door and look up, "Could I has a drink's please?"
Jo follows Xianae into the tavern and sits next to her.
"Two ales and two plates of whatever you are serving ."
I look at Jo shocked when he speaks, He can speak's properly?! Upon realising that I am staring at him, I pull my gaze away and dismiss it as my imagination. Maybe I'm spending's so much time's with him, that I's understand's him better now?
"Thanks, Coran."
Byron shakes the water from his cloak, pulls his hood tight, and enters the 'tavern' along with the others.
Coran wraps his cloak around him tightly and looks for a spot where he can hide, hopefully covering up with some of the local scenery and watch the front.
Stealth:
Perception:
Emmett goes inside and makes himself comfortable, ordering whatever the barman recommends as ale and tastes it, wondering to what extent it actually is ale...
Placing his jacket on him, then keeping a hand under the table, he scans the area, looking for something amiss in this environment, beside them, or some reaction to their coming.
|
|
Everyone except Coran, thankfully escapes the miserable weather. Inside, the Hag and Guillotine is warm, but dingy and ill-kept. Clearly the tavern has seen better days. The double doors swing in to reveal a wide room, only 30 feet deep. Throughout the room are several small round tables or larger rectangular ones. To your right stands a bar, tended by a stooped old woman with greasy gray hair, her flesh a pasty color making her look like she hasn't been outside in weeks. She watches as you shake off the water.
Two doors stand against the far wall. Built into the door to the left is a large guillotine that rises to scrape the ceiling. The blade is raised, but looks rusted into the frame of the device. The other door stands next to the bar and likely leads to a kitchen. The fishy smell of something cooking fills the air. Adding to the foreboding atmosphere are a number of humanoid skulls, suspended from the rafters of the room by wire or twisted twine.
The creaking voice of the woman at the bar calls out, "No plates, but I'll bring you a bowl of the fish stew. Maybe a vat for you. she says eyeing Jo.
She disappears past the door by the bar and returns with a few bowls of soup on a platter. At the bar, she pour a few mugs and brings the lot of it over to the table. "I'm Minerva. Never seen any of you before. What brings you to the Hag?"
Rizzardo straightens up, "Recommended by a friend. We're waiting for him now."
Outside, the rain picks up heavier. Few people are out on the streets. Those that are seem to be moving with purpose. Hustling off to unknown errands.