Seeing the dwarf and the guard retreat after dropping Marillo, Pakuzzo vaults over the table and lands in a crouch on the open floor.
He nocks his shortbow and takes aim at the retreating guard.
"Uh-uh friend, you're not gonna be that lucky tonight."
Although he keeps his gaze on Pakuzzo from behind the table, the wounded Vinz obeys his last given command and remains right where he is.
Cerenity makes her way to her fallen comrade trying to help him with his wounds
"Not so soon my friend..."
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Cerenity and Crady rush to Marillos side, trying to stop the bleeding. Pakuzzo drops the remaining minion with ease, while his companion holds back as ordered. By some miracle, the freed captive and Luthor manage to release another prisoner.
Cackling at the efforts of the gunman and the sage, the dwarf cries out. "If ya let enough seep out, it'll stop. I've seen it before. It always stops....eventually." Shuffling further down the hallway, he retrieves a vial from his pack, blood trickling down his leg to the floor.
Cerenity
Pakuzzo
Luthor
Crady
Marillo
Dwarf
Guards (Black -16; down) (Red -15; Down)
Noticing the dwarf's garb, Metronicus shoots him a dirty look.
Closing the distance between himself and the tiefling, Crady casts cure light wounds on his fallen friend.
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Not taking his eyes off of the retreating dwarf, Pakuzzo moves toward the table, giving Cerenity and the others a clear line of sight to shoot.
"We'll got to take down that dwarf before he calls in more reinforcements! Go, I'll catch up!"
Pakuzzo races back behind the table. Laying his hands upon Vinz's injured back, he casts a healing spell.
He then commands the bird to remain near his side once they move out, then nocks another arrow in his shortbow.
Vinz stretches his wings experimentally, feeling somewhat better from Pakuzzo's spell. He then readies himself to follow after the tengu once he starts moving again.
A trapdoor opens in the floor of the room. Out lumbers a medium-sized thing made of clay.
'Bzzt. Whirrr'
"Initiating Bot Program: Cerenity....No program found....initiating relative assumption based off observation..."
Cerenity moves deeper into the room, to get a clear line on the dwarf. Leveling her weapon, she pulls the trigger. 'BOOM' The bark in this case is much worse than the bite, as her aim misses by mere inches.
"Initiating Bot Program: Marillo: ...Using relative assumption protocols..."
Marillo struggles to his feat, grabbing his blade as he goes. Seething with hatred for this beast, he sidesteps away from his companions. Bringing his blade to bear, he slices the neck of the defiant man, cutting his beard clean off. Blood spraying from the wound, the armored opponent drops, motionless to the ground.
The strange being slips back into the trapdoor as it slides closed. A faint sound coming from the location.
Click, Whirrrrrr. Zzzt
2 potions, Finely crafted Chainshirt, Heavy shield with pentagram drawn on it, Finely crafted heavy mace, composite longbow with 20 arrows.
Each has studded leather armor, light mace, manacles,
bronze Thrune pendant
Grimacing in pain, Marillo says "Thank you. I...I got carried away there. Almost died. Need to stop making a habit of that."
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Pakuzzo shields his face from the blood spray with his arm, but once the dwarf hits the floor, he offer his approval.
"Nice job, Marillo," he says approvingly. "That's one alarm we won't have to worry about. Now, let's see about freeing the rest of those workers."
Sticking to the ground for now, Vinz remains near Pakuzzo's heel as the tengu moves toward the workers' area.
Now that the fight seems resolved, you manage to take your time and free the remaining prisoners. They all seem quite malnourished, but thankful for your efforts. One speaks up.
"Thank...thank you." he gasps. "W-Who are you? H...H...How may we repay your....kindness? I'm...I'm...Forvian Crow. These be...my men."
You find a lockbox, surprising unlocked. Contained within is 67g 423s
"Good to meet you, Mr. Crow," Pakuzzo addresses the man. "You can start by telling us two things: how many more guards are in this building, and is there another exit besides that door over there where we came in? Depending on your answers, we may need to move very quickly."
Struggling to stand, the man rubs his chin a moment before speaking. "I..." starts the scrawny Forvian, stopping just as quickly. He slowly looks from each bloody mass to the next, slowly counting the piles on his fingers.
Thinking a bit longer as he sways in place, barely capable of standing, he continues to stammer again. "There...There...Three miss--ing h--ere. May...be outside?....Back door...fenced court--yard...Fence swings o-o--pen." He manages to force out, collapsing as he finishes the oratory.
Two of the other prisoners struggle to his side and attempt to help their leader to his feet, though all three wind up in a heap on the hard packed earth.
Cerenity takes Crow in one set of arms. After helping the rest up
"Don't struggle Crow. We can talk later. First we need to get you and your men out. Lean on me. "
"Lets move. They are in no shape to stand against anything. A closed door will be able to defeat them"
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"Agreed. I...have had enough excitement for one day as well. Let's get us and our new friends to safety."
Metronicus helps as many prisoners out as possible out of the factory.
You manage to get the prisoners out the back door without too much trouble. Glancing into the rooms as you pass, you find nothing else of significance.
Once outside the building, Pakuzzo scans all available exit routes to make sure they can travel unnoticed.
Stepping back to converse with the group, he refers to the liberated prisoners.
"Alright, for now, let's get these folks back to the coffeehouse. If necessary, we can hide them in that underground chamber by the cellars until we can get in touch with somebody that can move them under the radar; maybe the Bellflower network can do it, or at least know somebody who can."
"Once we get back, I'd like to see if we can get some more information on Thrune's activities before we make our next move."
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Crady nods fervently, helping to carry those who can't walk on their own.
The citizens give you a few strange looks as you and your new companions hobble through town, but seem to give you a wide birth. By some miracle, you do not encounter any guard patrols on your way.
As you approach the bridge, the guards that have become a staple there can be seen. You are still far enough away, they can't see you too well and they don't seem to have noticed your new companions in the least.
During your travels the leader of the group you recently liberated grumbles a few times "Thanks"...."Anything we can do to help you....just let me know."
Crady, leaving the main group, walks over to the bridge tollman, and starts fingering through his ragged coin purse.
"Let's see..let's see, I believe these 7 gold pieces will pay for me and my brother's", thumbs the urban druid behind him, "passage, me good sir. And have a pleasant day."
Metronicus then boldly walks himself and his six ragged brothers across the bridge.
Pakuzzo gives the guards a short salute with two fingers, and strolls his way along the bridge with the others.
Eyeing the group wearily as Crady fingers through his worn coin purse, the guard opens his mouth as if to say something. Looking down to the coins offered, his mouth shuts rather quickly. Fingering the golden material, he glances to his companions, all of whom seem preoccupied with their duties. Pulling out a few copper pieces to drop in the till, he shoves the gold into his own pocket.
"Certainly good sir, you and...and your brothers are free to cross. As always Bless Asmodeus and his servant Thrune." he replies quickly, with a slight bow. Quickly he turns to the next citizen and keeps his eyes averted as the rest of you pass.
The rest of your travel to the coffeehouse is uneventful. When you arrive, the lunch rush is winding down. Your friendly proprietor spotting you gives a pleasant smile before rushing to your side. "Oh welcome back, welcome back. So good to see you. Hope your morning prayers for Master Thrune's safety went well." She exclaims as she ushers you to the back room.
Once out of earshot of the other patrons, she turns to Crow. "My! You've seen better days, let me get you some food. I take it my information was....shall we say...slightly less than accurate..."
With a snap of her finger a plate of pastries arrive and several bowls of soup. Eyeing the food, Luthor gives a wry smile to the halfling. "Apologies, but I've a deadline I must meet. I'll be seeing you later." and with but a nod to the team, he turns and heads out the door.
"So," Pakuzzo begins, leaning one elbow on the table and reaching for one of the pastries, "we've managed to strike a blow for the oppressed and hopefully made our group worthy of notice by the wrong sort of people. While they're still piecing together what happened, I propose we plan our next move."
Crady winces, "I wish we could have been a bit more stealthful about it. But nothing can be done about it now. Anyway, I think my 'brothers' should rest first before they decide what they want to do."
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"If I were them I would strike back at those who did that to me. Let them rest and if they wish to defend their city, they can join us."
Crow nods to you, choosing his words carefully, he replies. "I and my companions appreciate what you did. We also appreciate what you seem to be doing for this city. There may come a time in the future where you require us to come to your service...if and when that time comes, don't hesitate."
Pausing a moment, as he takes in the state of his crew, he continues. "I agree though, some time off would do us some good." Getting to his feet, his companions follow suit. The man stops at the door, turns and salutes you each in turn before heading out into the city.
A few moments pass and Laria steps back into the room. "You guys doing ok? You need anything?"
Waiting for an answer, she gauges your appearance for a moment before adding, "I know it's been a rough go, but I have heard some rumors...if you're interested."
"OH!" she exclaims, snapping her fingers. "I'll get you all something to drink." and she scurries out of the room, leaving you to discuss your desires. Upon her return, she has a mug for each of you and a saucer for Vinz. She carries a carafe of coffee and a pitcher filled with clear water.
"Well, now that that's been addressed," Pakuzzo says, mug in hands, "let's move on to new business. We still need to canvas for more information about Thrune's plans, not to mention other opportunities to endear the Silver Ravens to the people."
"We also need to start getting serious about funds, and a base of operations. The coffeehouse is nice, but it's way too public as a primary headquarters. Speaking of which, we also need to diversify our recruits. Those workers were good folk, but we need people with more skill. Any thoughts?"
Planning being irrelevant to birds, Vinz occupies himself next to Pakuzzo by wetting his beak with cool water.
"Well, The Livery..oh, thank you", spoke Crady, interrupted by the mug of water offered to him, "the livery is coming along well. I spend nearly every spare moment getting it back to useable shape. More hands would be better, though."
Pakuzzo nods at the sage.
"Duly noted. I submit that we also should be considering another means of attack: information. Self-aggrandizing ourselves is alright, but if we really want to psych up the populace in our favor, we need people on the ground who can talk up the Silver Ravens on a full-time basis."
The halfling looks over to Pakuzzo and offers "Well, as for Thrune's plans, you all heard about his intentions for public excruciations, right? Well, yesterday I overheard a patron talking about it."
Pausing a moment, considering her words, she shakes her head violently. "I...they mentioned...some of his guards have started doghousing people too. But, doing it on their own, without his approval. It's like they're practicing or something."
Her face visibly green at the thought of such things, she adds, as an afterthought. "The Red Jills are supposedly getting brazen in Redroof and Temple Hill too."
Pakuzzo turns and regards Laria with surprise.
"Doghousing? Gods, Barzilai really is bringing that old Thrune 'justice' to Kintargo! We need to get on this! The Red Jills can wait for now."
Cerenity crosses her lower arm and another hand cups her chin.
"Indeed,this seems most severe and needs to be dealt with."
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Nodding at the assessment, the halfling frowns. "I'm inclined to agree. Do you know what Doghousing is? Unfortunately, I haven't heard exactly where they are doing it, but you could probably find out.
"Well, they take some dogs and starve them for a few days. Then they put some poor soul in a tiny crate covered in spikes so they can't lay down. The starving dogs are tied to posts just far enough they can't get inside the crate, but they can reach the front of it. Then they toss some scraps on the ground in front of the crate and the prisoner can either just not eat, or try to grab the food before the dogs do... it's barbaric!"
"I'll say it is," Pakuzzo adds, getting up from the table. "You're better off just executing someone. I say we hit the streets and see what we can find out about this."
*********
Once the crew is ready to go, the tengu suggests hitting every tavern, market, or busy shop within a walking distance to see what they can find out about doghousing, while being careful to avoid the dottarri along the way. He chats up the locals every chance he gets, although he's a better liar than a conversationalist.
"...s'called doghousing, friend, and we know it's happening, but we'd like to know where. Anything you can clue us in on would be appreciated, and possibly lucrative, if you catch my drift."
Working your way through the seedy districts in town, asking about these horrific rumors, you find little luck. Eventually, winding up near the bridge at a place called 'Clenchjaws'.
The sun hangs low as you enter the crowded tavern. Rambunctious patrons roar with laughter as they share tall tails. Meanwhile others sit in the darker corners and grumble quietly. A stout man at the bar subdues one of the rowdier drinkers and hauls him out as you enter, only to return moments later. Upon returning to the bar, he slumps over in the corner and begins snoring loudly.
As you continue assessing the room, a pint of ale soars off the bar, landing in another patrons lap. Leaping up, the cross-eyed man slurs "Why I outta...yass dint 'purpose!". Taking a step forward the would be assailant. Another pint flies across the room, colliding with a second drunken patron.
You instantly recognize the man now sleeping as the owner of the establishment Rinston "Clenchjaw" Jon. He is well known for ejecting trouble makers instantly.
Out of the corner of your eye, you see something in the rafters for a brief second. Something small and blue had pointed at the man just prior to his falling asleep. But before your eyes could focus on it, it was gone
Pakuzzo takes a step back to the wall, and eyes the nearest escape routes if they're needed, but doesn't reach for his weapon.
"Vinz, heel!" he hisses to the raven.
"Aw, crap." He says, turning his head to face the others. "Maybe we should come back when things quiet down..."
Vinz puffs out the feathers around his neck and shoulders in agitation at the commotion, but nonetheless sticks close to Pakuzzo by the wall.
A young tiefling bursts through the front doors, looking around desperately, his eyes fall on Pakuzzo. Scurrying up to the tengu, out of breath he gasps.
"They...they took...her...Zea...the...thugs took...Zea!"
Doubling over, he attempts to regain his breath. Meanwhile, inside the tavern, another tankard of ale goes flying. Jumping back up at the sound of shattering glass, the young boy darts back outside.