Blossom has been uncharacteristically subdued since yesterday's attack, offering little more than vague acknowledgement when addressed.
The old woman is clearly embarrassed by the questions from Trig.
"Ah, so Delly tol' ye 'bout our troubles down on Splithog, eh? The Pauper an' his boyz, been bustin' up old folks and rousting families fer protection money. An' wit' Lionel all laid up back there, we ain't got the money ta pay none. I was thinkin' we might 'ave to pack up an' move, but we got no place ta go."
The woman isn't particularly emotional about the state-of-affairs, but rather matter of fact, as if discussing the weather. It seems she's seen her share of hard times and this is just the latest set.
"Livin' on the Splithog ain't what I'd rekeemend, lassie, but it's better 'n livin'in the mission or on'a street. Seems like tha's where we're headed, 'less Desna's blessin' starts fallin' tonight."
The woman continues: Nah, doan git me wrong, eh? I doan blame that Beltias Kruen none, nosir. That boy's as fine as caiin be, but them hooligans he runs witt, they're nothin' but trouble, mark me word on it!"
She turns and spits a bit, runs her fingers through her grey, stringy hair and looks at you.
They's all holed up at the mission church, like as you please. That damn fool priest is so flummoxed wit' 'em, he's not sure who's comin' or goin'. We're not sure how to rid us o' that plague, not sure at all."
Reva's eyes widen. "They're holed up in a -church-?" She turns to the others, obviously angry as she speaks. "I think I was overcomplicating things. Routing this evil out of a holy place should be done directly and swiftly!"
"At the mission." he grunts, clearly struggling with the woman's rambling. He turns to Reva, brow wrinkling. "How many? Vill ve need more bodies, do you think?" he asks, lips moving silently as he's already counting how much this will cut into this weeks pay.
"How many hooligans, madam?" asks Trig.
Saphren stays alert in the hall, not expecting trouble, but on the lookout for it.
Reva looks over to Magnus. "No. We will be sufficient. This is a petty gang, not a criminal empire. You don't lay claim to the poorest part of Riddleport if you're someone of great power. I think we should investigate the mission, maybe see if we can talk to the priest in charge and find out what the hell is going on."
"Whose Church?" Blossom asks the old woman. Turning to Reva, "For all we know, it could be a place sacred to...
The Rough Beast!" Face screwed in contemplation she adds. "Well...
Probably not him, Riddleport isn't that wretched a hive of scum and villainy. However, we don't know it was a 'holy' place." She waggles her eyebrows lewdly in emphasis at the word holy.
Reva arches an eyebrow in response to Bu's warning. "Alright, fair enough. But it's a mission... bah. You're right anyways. Whose church is it?" Reva follows Bu's gaze to look over the old woman.
The old woman nods along with you, her head bobbing. The loud coughing sound erupts from the back room again, and she winces a little, but answers your questions.
"Not right sure how many of 'em there are all tol', but I reckon it's somethin' akin to half-dozen thugs, all of 'em downright mean. Enough muscle to enforce the Pauper's ways down 'ere where the Gendarmes are jus' a fiction."
"Ol' Casperian was a priest o' Sarenrae, the sun goddess dontcha know, an' he founded the mission as a home for decrepit sailor and them what was orphaned by pirates. He passed on an' is the patron of drunkards and small children now."
"Father Padrik keeps the place now, with the help o' young Jhonas the caretaker. Padrik is sick an' old, too sick to look after his own bidness, some say."
"If'n you wan' ta help out 'round 'ere, go chase them bad uns outta the mission and make it safe for poor folk agin. Now as to you'll excuse me, I gotta tend to Lionel's medicine..."
"Just one more thing, please -- How do you get to the church from here?"
Once they have directions...
"Now how do we go about this? Should someone scout first?"
They will not be 'spectin a frontal assault. I say we go in like we own the place.
Reva nods over to Saphren. "Scum will have low morale and can be cowed easily."
Delilah's mother passes along the directions (it's just a short bit down the old Splithog...) and you soon find yourselves looking at the Mission from a distance, trying not to be observed.
Squatting half-way down this muck-stained alley, sandwiched in between a derelict wainwright's shop and a bakery, stands a dilapidated tenement building. A crooked bell-tower rises from the building's rear, and a half-dozen grease-smeared, cracked and boarded over windows gaze out from the walls that might have once been white. A small sign hangs over the building's battered oak front doors: "St Casperian's Salvation - All Welcome!"
"I am with the orc." he says, grimacing as the word rolls off of his tongue. He shakes his head and takes point, readying his shield and one of his throwing axes and stomping his way to the front door.
Trig shrugs and follows them in, pulling a scroll of mage armor and using it on herself. She then pulls out a scroll of expeditious excavation and gets ready to cast spells as necessary.
You find the Mission easily enough and Magnus tromps his way to the front where flagstone steps climb to an open foyer hung with a pair of weather-beaten double doors. Two smaller doors flank the main entrance, both covered with graffiti. The southern door has a sign that reads "Flophouse: upstairs and take a left." The word "left" is crossed out, and scrawled next to it is the word "hike". The other door has a homemade sign that reads "All rooms are taken."
Trig is distracted by fiddling with her scrolls to make sure they're readily accessible.
"Keep an eye out, friends," she mutters.
Reva has a suspicious anxious look to her as the group approaches. She scans the area intently. She looks up at the flophouse with a scowl.
"Good advice, Trig. I suppose it was too much to ask that a heavily-armed group approach a known criminal headquarters without alerting someone. A lookout spotted us at the flophouse upstairs. I suppose the question is if we go downstairs and start asking questions, or go upstairs and start bashing heads."
"As a general course, it is much easier to escalate to violence, than to back down."
"Of course, you will do as you will." Blossom opines, seemingly disinterested which course is chosen.
"Vot if there is backdoor, eh? Vot if ve heff missed our chance?" the dwarf says, kicking down the southern door and searching for the stairs. "I am for the bashing of the heads."
With a soft 'shk' sound Reva draws her blade, obviously eager to exact some measure of revenge. She pads off after Magnus.
"Some times I think I'd be better as a dwarf. So much more direct. I think we'll learn the story of those inside soon enough."
Saphren, with no sheath for his large scimitar, follows with weapon in hand.
The worn and weary door kicks in with little difficulty, the jamb splintering. Inside is a set of stairs leading to the second floor of the mission. After a short climb, you arrive on the second floor foyer. Another matching set of stairs descends downward to what you assume is the north door off the Mission Entrance. Three doors are in plain site, as are two hallways leading back further into the house of worship.
Reva hops ahead of Magnus, creeping quietly before he puts her ear to the nearest door, listening intently.
Trig follows along. As she sees they're going upstairs, she sticks her expeditious excavation scroll back in her pouch, and retrieves a scroll of grease instead.
Magnus waits for Reva's signal.
There is no sounds heard from the other side of this door, but Reva does notice a rather large padlock on the door, keeping it securely locked. The lock looks much newer than any of the decrepit and dirty surroundings.
If Reva lets Saphren know about the lock he will check it out.
Trig keeps an eye out for threats, peering into the shadows with her dark vision.
-Posted with Wayfinder
"Padlocked door, no sound." As Saphren moves up Reva steps aside. "Going to check further down the hall, make sure there's no surprises."
Reva creeps further up the hall and tries to get a glance around the corner without being seen.
Reva peers around the corner, and sees the hallway continues to the interior of the upstairs bending to the right. There are two additional doors that open off the hall here.
Saphren works and works on the padlock, but cannot get the new and difficult lock to open, finally giving up in disgust
Looking into the poorly lit other hallway, Trig sees that it ends at the rear of the house, and has 2 doors on the south, and one on the north wall.
Reva immediately picks up on the conversation and heads back to the group, speaking quietly and quickly.
"Found some of them. They're having a meeting just around the corner, first door on the left. Best we set up and barge in now to demand what's going on before they start wandering."
Its a tough lock, but I can get it, Give me a minute. Saphren says quietly.
Reva glances over her shoulder to see Saphren still fiddling with the lock and she begins to look very nervous.
"I'm not sure how much time we have... someone may want to move up a bit in case someone stumbles into us from my direction. I don't know how long that meeting will last."
"Let's leave the lock for now... I trust Reva's instincts on this. There's three doors over here, but I don't think anyone's in any of them."
Saphren grunts but does not look up. Perhaps he plans to continue with the lock until he is needed elsewhere. :)
Reva sighs at Saphren. "You're like a dog with a bone, let's just keep quiet while he finishes. Nobody knows we're here and we're on the lookout. No matter what we have the element of surprise."
Magnus picks up an abandoned cigarette and frowns. "Nobody knows ve are here? Bah! I am doubting that very much." he says, stamping the cigarette underfoot and folding his arms. He will pace down the southern corridor, getting into position and grumbling that the others should follow suit.
Getting a mad on, Magnus barges his way to the door with voices behind it, readies his weapon to go slamming inside. Hesitating just a moment, the dwarf warrior kicks the door off it's jam, shouting his war cry.
Old mattress stand propped against the walls, making room for wide chalk circle smeared with black ichor. Around it, empty wine bottles and a half-eaten goose carcass litter the floor.
An enormous half-orc dressed in studded leather and a small human man leap to attention, surprised as you kick down the door. Inside the circle, 2 monstrous scorpions (still tiny size) are doing battle. Coins and papers litter the floor around the make-shift ring.
The Scorpion Duel - Surprise Round
20 Trig
13 Small Bad Guy
10 Blossom
9 Saphren
7 Reva
6 Half-Orc Bad Guy
1 Magnus
As you get a closer look, you see the half-orc has a hideously swollen eye, some strange growth sealing it almost shut. The smaller man has a greasy mustache and a shiv in his boot.
Trig moves to a position next to Magnus and sticks her head in the door. "Either of you two Beltias Kreun?"
The Scorpion Duel - Surprise Round - continued
Trig and Saphren move to the door ready for action against the surprised inhabitants.
Blossom at the back of the crowd, prepares her weapon and stands ready, also checking behind to make sure no one is coming.
The smaller human man replies to the gnome's question:"'Course we ain't Kreun, an' who are you kickin' in our door."His voice is raspy and dry like, a scratchy cactus. The half-orc just stares open-mouthed.
Trig mutters to Magnus in Dwarven:
The Scorpion Duel - Surprise Round - concluded
Reva steps into the room and past the surprised man, followed quickly by Magnus, warhammer in hand.
End of Surprise Round
The Scorpion Duel - Round 1
20 Trig
13 Small Bad Guy
10 Blossom
9 Saphren
7 Reva
6 Half-Orc Bad Guy
1 Magnus