Hammett looks very surprised as Gregor walks into the Coffeehouse. He looks even more surprised that Didiana, the one Laria called a “loiterer,” walks in beside him.
Laria, for her part, does her best to avoid taking direct interest in the new arrivals, likely to try avoiding suspicion of collusion. Still, she seems a bit nervous at this latest development.
Hammett acquiesces to Gregor’s request for a brief audience. Once you three are off in an isolated corner of the Coffeehouse, Hammett lets Gregor say what he wants to. The dottari officer keeps a serious face throughout the exchange, nodding at a few points, but otherwise remaining expressionless.
Meanwhile, Evander and Matiscio enter the Coffeehouse without incident. Hammett is still speaking with Gregor and Didiana as the investigator and brawler enter. The other two dottari are currently standing near Laria, eyeing her suspiciously.
Outside, the street lamp gives no reply to Gilda’s complaints and questions. The shaman is able to see Gregor and Didiana take one of the dottari off to the side. She also sees Evander and Matiscio enter without incident. She doesn’t notice anything unusual outside of the Coffeehouse.
Hammett takes a few moments to process everything Gregor says before replying. The dottari says, “You take after your father more than anyone suspects, I think. He always was a staunch supporter of the law. I look up to him, you know. It’s good to hear you’re still on our side. The way Ivan was talking, I had just about accepted you had turned traitor. Kintargo needs as many good soldiers as it can get these days. I’m sure your father’s quite proud of you.
“We received a letter indicating there were suspicious activities and unsavory practices going on here. If we had known you two were already on the case, we would have never interrupted the operation. Like I said, I think you had most of us fooled.
“I would steer clear of that Nox, if I were you. She’s nothing but trouble, if you ask me. Her eyes… there’s something unnatural about them. I don’t think she’s human anymore. Not fully, anyway.
“We’ll try not to compromise your mission more than we already have. I’ll be sure to steer clear of here in the future and advise others to do the same. Can’t disappoint the new Lord-Mayor. Oh, before I forget, here’s the letter we received about this place. It was brought in anonymously to the city Duxotar. Perhaps it’ll help you with your investigation.”
Hammett hands a folded letter to Gregor. It is written in a tidy script and is quite brief. It is also unsigned.
Honorable officials,
It has come to my attention that there are suspicious activities and unsavory practices taking place at the Long Roads Coffeehouse. Searching the place would surely reveal the establishment’s depravities. Please do not delay as it may only be a matter of time before such activities and practices spread and infect other parts of the city. For Kintargo’s sake, act swiftly.
He then looks over at Didiana and says, “I’m surprised to see one of your kind operating in the shadows. And one from your order even more so. It’s a damn shame about your Lictor. Hopefully he’ll show up sooner than later. If not, the bigger orders always need more recruits. And once you get done with your operation here, you should have more than enough clout to be accepted by them. I hear paralictor Kyrre Ekodyre of the Order of the Rack is looking for more recruits right here in Kintargo."
To both Gregor and Didiana, Hammett asks, “What’s your plan, if you don’t mind me asking? Just between you and me, of course. I had to deal with that cantankerous halfling. I’d like to get a little something for my troubles.”
Gregor is hard pressed to not exhale in disbelief that he pulled it off, but now the man wants more. It's at this time, he decides that less is more. He waves off the request, shaking his head, "I've already said too much. Any more and it could be harmful to my cause. Whatever you do, please, you mustn't tell my father. It would only compromise my delicate situation." He liked that he didn't have to lie this time, and hopes that his wish for silence speaks volumes.
As Gregor executed his plan, Didiana did little beyond standing beside him and looking surly. Which she didn't find difficult, even less so than usual, as she didn't like the plan. To her ears it sounded as if the rebellion's HQ now rested on one easily verified query. If Hammet decided to follow up on the purported dottari-Torrent undercover operation at all, the jig was up. But she had no better idea herself, so the sorcerer simply stood by Gregor as he lied like she had never heard him lie before, and looked very serious. It seemed the thing to do under the alleged circumstances.
That said, Didiana was about ready to give up on the Wasp Nest entirely as she saw the note handed over to them. From alligators to murderous bird creatures to sabotage, the place had been nothing but trouble since they'd set foot in it, and now it seemed some anonymous tattletale had already caught wind of the base. Then again, she corrected herself, the sender might actually only be suspicious of the goodly Ms Longroad, for whatever reason. Nowhere in the letter was there any mention of a secret basement. But given how integral the hafling was to the operation, this added up to the same.
"I’m surprised to see one of your kind operating in the shadows. And one from your order even more so. It’s a damn shame about your Lictor. Hopefully he’ll show up sooner than later. If not, the bigger orders always need more recruits. And once you get done with your operation here, you should have more than enough clout to be accepted by them. I hear paralictor Kyrre Ekodyre of the Order of the Rack is looking for more recruits right here in Kintargo."
"Thank you for your suggestion, officer."
The ice in the armiger's voice could have frozen a desert oasis.
Hammett holds up his hands at Gregor in a sign of relenting. He says, “Fair enough. It’s good to know you’re committed to your mission. I’ll try not to talk about it with your father, but if he mentions you, I might find it hard not to smile.”
The dottari’s eyes bulge at Didiana’s response. He glances over at Gregor for a moment before turning back to Didiana, shrugging, and saying, “Suit yourself. Seems to me that the Torrent is on its way out. Might want to think about your options for when the order ends. You can only go so long without a lictor.”
Hammett stands to his feet and nods at Gregor and Didiana before waving at the other two dottari and moving toward the door. As he leaves, he says, “Come on! We’ve got another place to be. I’ve got a lead on a raucous dive not too far away. We’ll arrest some lowlifes before this day is over if I have anything to say about it.”
The other two dottari hasten to fall in line with Hammett and the trio are out the door of the Coffeehouse moments later. A silence hangs in the air for a few seconds as Laria and most of the other patrons hold their collective breath. The seconds pass and a sense of calm falls on the shop.
Laria whistles as she walks over to Didiana and Gregor. She waits for the rest of the Silver Ravens to join them before she says, “I don’t know what you two said, but you need to teach me. I had just about accepted that I was going to lose my Coffeehouse and probably my head along with it.”
She lowers her voice before she says, “The rebellion yet lives, it seems. As you no doubt surmised, it seems we have a traitor to deal with if we want to keep operating for long.”
Laria pauses for a moment, expecting you to outline your next course of action. She suddenly snaps her fingers and says, “Oh, I almost forgot. I do have some good news. At least, I think it’s good news.”
The halfling walks away and goes into her office for a few moments before coming out with a bouquet of roses.
She walks over and explains, “A street urchin came by the Coffeehouse with this bouquet. I asked who they were from and he would only say that a nice man wearing a hooded cloak paid him 3 gold coins to deliver the roses.”
Laria sets the bouquet down into a vase on the table half-filled with water. “Hopefully these haven’t shrivelled too much. I had intended to put them in water sooner but was interrupted by our unplanned guests.”
The halfling parts a few of the roses and pulls out a small folded note. “It seems we have an abundance of mysterious notes these days. This one came with the bouquet and is addressed to Evander and his fellow Ravens.”
You are not alone in your fears for the nest we share, but for now, my flock and I must remain quiet and hidden. The time will soon come when we must meet, but until then, keep building your contacts and resources. Do not rush into opposition against our common enemy. The time to retake Kintargo will come, but to strike too soon will be to lose the war before it even begins. Recruit. Prepare. Remain strong in your patience. We shall speak soon.
- The Rose of Kintargo
After she hands the note to Evander, Laria says, “So, in light of all these developments, what is your plan?”
As you take a moment to reflect on all you've learned, all you’ve accomplished, and all you've yet to do, you realize you have grown in your skills and abilities. Kintargo’s freedom from Barzillai may still be out of reach, but it’s closer than it's ever been before.
Much like everyone else, Didiana breathed a sigh of relief as the dottari exited the coffeehouse. Today was not the day the Silver Ravens had to kill city guards.
"Nicely done, Ward."
Despite her misgivings with the longevity of the ruse, the compliment was genuine enough. She would never have thought Gregor capable of spinning a ruse like that, and was enormously glad for it. The ex-dottari was clearly adapting to the group's surreptitious activities. Perhaps better than her.
“It seems we have an abundance of mysterious notes these days. This one came with the bouquet and is addressed to Evander and his fellow Ravens.”
Didiana read the note intently when it came her turn (addressed as it was to the 'fellow Ravens') and was gratified and unhappy in equal measure upon finishing it.
"The Rose of Kintargo...? The Milanite cult?"
Allies were always appreciated; knowing that someone had found them out was most certainly not. She looked to Evander to explain this one. What was his connection to the outlawed faith?
Gilda wrinkled her nose at the appearance of the note from the Rose and shook her head as she glanced at the first of the pair.
"I don't like all these notes of people knowin' things goin' on here turnin' up."
"It's only a matter of time before we're not around to turn the nose of a snoopy guard in another direction... perhaps it's time to move the base given all the issues we keep havin'?"
Gregor lets out a deep breath he didn't realize he was holding as the Dottari walked out the door. He wasn't a liar, he wasn't raised a liar, yet here he was, and he did it much better than he expected. His father had always told him to look for the lies of the criminal hidden among the truths, as that was the best place to put them. Reversing that, he offered as much truth as he could, and hid his own lies within.
Coming back to the moment, he nods absentmindedly to Didiana's praise, his thoughts looking more inward, but at Laria's mention of another note, he can't help, and how he would like to, but agree with Gilda on both accounts. Yes, two notes in one day indicate we have a problem. Let me see those, may I?"
He takes both of the notes and compares them. As they both contain the word 'Kintargo', he looks to see any similarities, doubting that the Milanites would both praise them and try to set them up.
Turning to Gilda, he wonders, "The only problem is, where do we just find a whole different hidden base of operations? Before we do that, we need to figure out who gave us away, or a new hideout won't mean anything. I think we need to get a writing sample from every current member or confidant in our organization. Get them to write 'For Kintargo' for some reason."
He thinks for a moment, then offers. "Simple enough. They need to each write it on a scrap and carry it with them, the 'reason' being in case anyone dies for the cause, it 'lets the people know what it's all for'." He stops and stares straight ahead, there it was again. A lie, came so easy to him. Rolled right off his tongue. At least it's for a nobler end, or at least that's what he convinces himself to make it okay.
Gregor examines the two notes and can tell that, unless the person has a split personality and used different writing instruments for each note, the two letters were definitely written by different people.
The note Gregor received from the dottari appears to have been hastily scrawled and there are ink stains in a few different spots on the paper.
The note from the Rose is well written and whoever wrote it appears to have put a good bit of time into writing it.
Evander looks at the roses, looks at the note he was sent, and smiles. "That the Rose should find us is no surprise - after all, we have similar enough aims. I would not be too concerned about their contact - likely they are waiting to see if we truly are worth allying with. There may be a possibility this is someone impersonating them, so we should have a care, but if so, they would be better served leading the dottari down here to arrest us in force, not trying to con us into trusting them."
Looking at the other, Evander says, "The note to the dottari, on the other hand, is an issue. Between the hammer and chisel we found next to the collapsed wall and this note, it is obvious someone is attempting to undermine us. We must find out who. I like Gregor's idea - in writing a note, they have tipped their hand. I can possibly do a more thorough analysis of comparing their handwriting to this note."
"The Rose of Kintargo ... seems we have an admirer with a penchant for flair. The one disconcerting thing is that everyone seems to be aware of us, but we aren't aware of any of them. Forgive me for the paranoia, it must come with the occupation of being a ... well, a rebel."
Laria listens as you all discuss the latest developments. Once there is a pause in the conversation, she says, “Rexus and I can help with collecting writing samples. I’m sure he would be willing to lend a hand with the handwriting analysis if you want him to.
“While I share your concerns over the Wasp Nest’s safety, I’m not willing to abandon it yet. If we can find this traitor, we may yet be able to remain here. Besides, abandoning the Wasp Nest would mean I have to abandon my Coffeehouse. I am most definitely not ready to do that.”
“While I share your concerns over the Wasp Nest’s safety, I’m not willing to abandon it yet. If we can find this traitor, we may yet be able to remain here. Besides, abandoning the Wasp Nest would mean I have to abandon my Coffeehouse."
No, Laria. Abandoning the Wasp Nest would only mean us abandoning you.
Didiana did not enjoy thinking along these lines but she could not deny her pragmatism. If the halfling, if any member of the rebellion, became a liability, then the Silver Ravens had little option beyond severing ties with her. If the Wasp Nest was a problem and Laria Longroad refused to leave it behind, then they had to be discarded both. Fortunately, the sorcerer thought, 'discarded' was no euphemism in this instance. She trusted Laria enough to believe that she would not turn them in under any circumstance, even if scorned. What Didiana really dreaded was a day some former ally might truly need to be silenced.
Evander looks at the roses, looks at the note he was sent, and smiles. "That the Rose should find us is no surprise - after all, we have similar enough aims. I would not be too concerned about their contact - likely they are waiting to see if we truly are worth allying with."
"They know your name, Evander. This is serious."
The armiger feared that the writer was not seeing the gravity of the situation.
"If some shoddy cult can figure out your identity, then there's no reason our lord-mayor can't do the same. We absolutely have to be more careful about these things. Even if these Milanites can be trusted, think about what this would mean for morale among our followers. We have ten people willing to give up everything in order to save this city, because they believe in us. Some of them are underneath our feet right now, sitting in the Wasp Nest ready to put their lives on the line if we just tell them to. They risk everything, their families even, for this cause. How would it sound to them if they heard that one us, the people they look to as leaders, the rebellion's spymaster at that, can't even keep his own name a secret?"
To Didiana the secrecy of the rebellion was sacrosanct. Not just because anything that endangered one Silver Raven also endangered her and her family, but because she placed great weight on the relationship between superior and subordinate. This was no doubt something instilled in her in the tight-knit brotherhood of the Torrent, but the freedom fighters they had recruited were now their responsibility. The people following them trusted them. The secrecy of the rebellion was the only thing keeping any of them safe. If the leadership of the Silver Ravens could not respect that secrecy, this was an enormous disservice to good people. It wasn't fair.
What was not said was that the armiger wasn't entirely sure she wanted anything to do with the cult. Milani and her followers had never exactly been known to be friends to the hellknights. Milantes were famed for spreading dissent and tearing down the established; actually building societies, less so. Didiana didn't want to upend Kintargo, she wanted to preserve it.
Evander looked at Didiana and said, "The Rose has been working for the people of Kintargo for far longer than we have - they no doubt have an established network of contacts and spies, even if they have gone underground. Milani is the patron of those who fight against oppression and unjust rule - and Boarzilla certainly oppresses the citizens of Kintargo, and his rule is quite unjust. As long as we point at the same target, I suspect they can be trusted - again, unless this is an elaborate trap to try and draw us in. Such a trap seems to be far too much effort when they can send more than three dottari to arrest everyone they find."
"You are right, however, that we should be more cautious when using names. We will need to do better with that."
Mouth twisting into a half-smirk, Evander says, "So how much of your distrust of the Rose comes from the fact that their beliefs don't fit into your black and white viewpoint?"
Matiscio looks confused. What woman named Milani could be this important? Is she a goddess? Clearly if so she wasn't a Chelish one.
"Okay, okay. You keep mentioning this 'Milani', but you must first tell me this: who is Milani? Secondly, would she or those she .. patrons? .. be on our side of things?"
"Milani is patron saint of rioters and malcontents," Didiana offered as explanation to the puzzled brawler, although the description did not exactly do the goddess justice. "Stories about a cult venerating her here in Kintargo have circulated for some time now."
The Torrent had of course been on the look-out for said cult. Like so many others, Milani's faith was banned by law in Cheliax and, additionally, hellknights were already not well disposed towards any who idolized revolution. To her knowledge, however, the local Order had never actually caught any of the misguided fools. Didiana had not been entirely convinced that they truly existed at all until just now, with the arrival of the flowers and accompanying note.
"And all I'm saying, Evander," she continued, "is that we pick our allies carefully. Kintargo is home to some diverse politics. If the Rose turns out to be comprised of blood-hungry anarchists, I'll show them where they can stick their torches and pitchforks myself..."
The sorcerer thought back to the protest with its notable amount of anarchists that had dared to show their faces. She was not a fan.
"And they do fit, Evander. Into my 'black and white viewpoint', that is. They fit in the 'bad' division. Comfortably," she said with a snippy little smile.
Truth be told, Didiana had not completely lost faith in her entire ethical system, despite her recent soul-searching. Her personal crisis was just that: personal, and did not impact the values the Torrent had instilled her with. Her own position within said system was indeed shaky but the ethical framework held true, simple as it was. Although perhaps not as simple as Evander eluded to. Rather than describing it in terms of absolute right & wrong, black & white, it was more accurate to describe it as light vs dark. One single point of light in a vast dark ocean, in fact. There was no way around it. It was an ugly world out there. And the one mote of light, the only place where goodness could prevail, the one place people could live honest lives, was civilization. Whatever threatened that civilization, that was 'evil'.
The armiger did not feel ill at ease with such a binary view of the world. She had studied Hell and the other planes with it and had in the great cosmos found nothing but affirmation for such a view. The very planes themselves were defined by monocratic ideals. Absolute good. Absolute chaos. Absolute evil. Absolute law. The hypocrites could keep their backsliding philosophy. The multiverse itself was binary.
"... I'm going to talk to the men. See if anyone knows anything. Anything out of the ordinary. If there truly is a traitor, then they already know that this plan of theirs has failed."
Evander snorts at Didana’s explanation of Milani. ”Milani is the patron deity of freedom fighters and those who fight against oppression. Describing her as the patron saint of rioters and malcontents is both misinformed, and the sort of viewpoint one expects from those who don’t believe others should be free to express themselves as they see fit.”
As Didiana walks away to question the other members of the Ravens, Evander shakes his head. ”Of she doesn’t learn to accept the shades of gray in this world, she will break before we’re through.”
Gregor holds up a single finger and clears his throat, "Maybe, given our recent concerns just avoided, we can have conversations of this nature in a more private or secluded location?" He looks around at the patrons of the coffeehouse, where they have made no move to retire to their hidden sanctuary. "Let us adjourn to our 'offices' that we may discuss opinions on the gods, and the folly of the men who pay them obeisance, in a more suitable setting." He heads toward the storage room so they can discuss their next move as a rebellion.
Laria mostly just listens as you debate the finer points of who Milani is and what she represents.
When Gregor makes his suggestion, Laria smiles and says, “Oh, sweetheart, I’m not concerned about the gods my patrons pay homage to, at least none of the ones here at the moment. Still, you make a good point. Our discussion will likely be more beneficial in our offices.”
The halfling winks at Gregor and follows him into the storage room in the back of the Coffeehouse. Once everyone’s inside, Laria closes the door to the main room and opens the trap door leading down.
A couple minutes later, you’re all inside the Wasp Nest. Compared to when you first set foot in the place, it’s become quite the social hub.
Your band of freedom fighters nods as you make your way into the Wasp Nest’s main room, where the unfortunate cave-in took place not too long ago. You glance over and see Korva and her sisters in one of the side rooms. Korva seems to be teaching her siblings the finer points of pick pocketing by example as she stealthily brushes past rebellion members before returning to her sisters and showing off the latest stolen coins.
Before the main conversation resumes, Evander has a few minutes to see Rexus and assist him in translating the documents. Sir Victocora smiles at Evander’s suggestions and says, “I think I might just have a breakthrough thanks to you! I’ll be along shortly with what I’ve found out from the previous week.”
Didiana also takes a few minutes to talk to some of the other rebellion members. She speaks eloquently and none of them seem to have any idea that she suspects a traitor is in their midst. No one mentions anything that makes Didiana suspicious of them, but some of them do mention strange happenings that they have no explanation for.
One man thinks he saw a box move on its own a couple nights back, but laughs it off as a figment of his imagination. A man and a woman both indicate they heard strange music coming from somewhere in the Wasp Nest. When pressed, they both indicate they thought it was coming from the side room. The only consistently significant thing that happens in that room is Rexus’s translation work.
Once you all sit down at a table in the main room, it’s impossible for you not to notice Vendalfek above. He seems to be making quite the show of flying back and forth near the ceiling, making loops in the air and twirling his tail like it’s a plaything. Every now and then you see him return to one particular corner of the room where he has somehow managed to set up a beam near the ceiling. On it, an assortment of coins, jewels, and other shiny trinkets are assembled. The faerie dragon seems to make his bed in the middle of them.
You also spot Crowe and his men in another corner of the room. They appear to be talking quietly among themselves. They appear to be in much better health than when you first met them.
Over the next couple days, you all manage to obtain handwriting samples from the various members of the budding rebellion, including from Laria and Rexus, as well as from Crowe and his men. You even manage to get Vendalfek to make a crude drawing that the dragon refers to as ‘writing.’
Oathday, the 27th of Arodus, 4715 AR
Evander, with Gilda’s magical guidance, is able to sort through the various samples in a matter of hours and only finds one sample that matches the letter Hammett gave to Gregor. It belongs to a member of the Ravens’ original freedom fighters: Morgar Manthai. He was one of the original team’s survivors when Bix was slain.
Before you can discuss the matter further, Rexus comes over with a huge smile on his face. He puts down some of the Silver Ravens' documents on the table before sitting down and rubbing his hands together.
"With your help, I should have the rest of these documents translated in no time. I just had to come over and share the latest details."
"It appears the woman who founded the Silver Ravens was a mysterious elf known only as 'Jackdaw,' a figure who, before the advent of the Age of Lost Omens, built herself into a sort of Kintargan folk hero who fought for the rights of the city's downtrodden.
"What's more, many of the Silver Ravens were adventurers or worshipers of Milani. Jackdaw was a swashbuckler and was the most powerful and influential of them all, but others rose to particular prominence as well. There was Amyreid, who appears to have been a female half-elf cleric of Milani. There was also Ba, a male halfling enchanter. Kyda, a female human rogue and bard was another. Lastly, there was Brakisi, a male human ranger who seemed to specialize in urban environments."
Rexus is practically jumping up and down in his seat from how happy he is. He takes a few moments to calm down before he says, "I'm not sure what it all means, but it's exciting to learn more about our forerunners."
"Fascinating. One was a cleric of Milani, you say?" When he asks that question, Evander glances in the direction of Didiana, but says nothing else on the subject. "Jackdaw was an elf? If that's so, she may still be alive. Perhaps if she returns to the city, she will hear of our exploits - she would be of great aid should we find her. A low priority, perhaps, but something to consider."
The Silver Ravens had a bit of a 'tennis match' effect going on because even as Evander looked to Didiana, hoping to get a risible jab at the armiger with the news of a Milanite forebearer of theirs, she looked to Gregor. It wasn't a lark she was looking for, however. The revelation that the legendary leader of the original Silver Ravens, the urban myth Jackdaw, had been an elf was interesting. It was interesting because it was actually pertinent. It had been some 70 odd years since that first group defended Kintargo during the civil war. Given their long lifespans, it was possible, as Evander posited, that Jackdaw the elf still lived. What Didiana looked for in Gregor's face, however, was any sign of disapproval. Perhaps even disappointment. While she had no love of tieflings, the ex-dottari was not fond of anything inhuman, period. She wondered what he thought of Jackdaw the folk hero being an elf?
She turned back to Evander when she felt the writer's eyes burning holes in the back of her head.
"What? What are you... oh, stop it," she huffed when she caught his meaning. It wasn't like she had ever been a particular admirer of the Silver Ravens in her adult life, much as she appreciated any supposed defenders of the city. That she had spent a fair part of her childhood playing 'Jackdaw vs the Thrunies' with the other children was entirely beside the point...
She always played Jackdaw. Always.
"Even if he, ah... she" she corrected herself, "isn't dead, it's been 70 years since Jackdaw was active. I don't think we should be hoping for any miracles on that front. Besides, we have something far more pressing to discuss."
While Didiana did not want to be rude to Rexus, excited about his history as he was, he had interrupted a matter significantly more serious in the contemporary.
"Morgar Manthai. What do we with him?"
The handwriting had been matched. They had their culprit. Now they needed to decide how to deal with the situation. For her part, treason was not something the sorcerer could abide. Doing away with the scum was entirely acceptable to her. Not agreeable, but acceptable. That said, the crime still mystified her. Why had he betrayed them? And why in this round-about way? Ending the Silver Ravens would be as simple as reporting them to any officer on the street. Why the vague note? Why do this at all? It bothered her.
Gregor did indeed have a reaction to the revelation, which could most easily be summed as an eye roll of the 'of course it is' variety. "Okay, these former Ravens being run by an... elf, has no bearing on us the Ravens now. We are not here just to flaunt insurrection in the face of authority for the frivolity of artists and layabouts." these last two words are a clear summation of his opinions on elves, and both stated with obvious disdain.
He shakes his head at the information they are getting from the documents. No strategies, logistics paperwork, or even caches or hide sites. All they are getting is history lessons on the origin and the people. None of this will help them run a secret organization. "As far as" he looks around to ensure there are no attentive ears nearby, "the 'person in question', I think we need to set one or two of us to always keep an eye on him, tail him. We need to catch him in the act. Our evidence is pointed, but not damning. In the heat of getting caught during the act, criminals get more careless out of fear and surprise. Any other time and he may be too guarded to admit to the act. Any interrogation, pushed too far, will make even innocent men accept fault." He lifts an eyebrow towards Didiana, knowing that Hellknight encouraged confessions were not always the most truthful and could even hinder the act of finding the real culprit.
Rexus’s happiness seems a bit diminished from the conversation that ensues after his explanation of his latest findings from the documents. Still, he’s quick to offer advice.
“I would advise against an interrogation,” he says. “We need to be different than Thrune and his lackeys if we’re going to make any difference once he’s deposed. If this Morgar is behind the problems we’ve been having, we should make haste to prove his guilt. I can’t bear the thought of him stealing, or worse, destroying, some of these documents.”
Laria speaks up as well and says, "We've got quite the mess on our hands, haven't we? Sounds like the original Ravens were a diverse group, so we're following well in their footsteps in that regard. I'm sure between the five of you, you can figure out a solution to the problem at hand."
Matiscio has been listening to the ongoing conversation the entire time, only now feeling like he has something to add other than questions. "We got an enchanted Elvish cloak, right? I think that with the aid of such a magical instrument I can tail him and, if there's any dirt, uncover whatever is going on. Just an idea."
He scratches the early onset of a rather itchy beard by running the knuckles of his clenched fist over his face while pondering the details of such an operation. "Assuming we have the right man, we can map out his daily proceedings and form a checklist of sorts. Who does he meet, where he does go, who visits him, that sort of stuff."
Though he'd like to learn more of the history of the Silver Ravens, he agrees this must take precedence for now. "Once this situation is resolved, Rexus, I'd like to learn more of what you've found. This does need to take priority at the moment, I think."
Turning back to the others, he says, "I have some prior experience with tailing others and avoiding notice. I may be the better choice to do so, especially with the cloak."
Back when he'd been with the gang, his early tasks had been to locate and tail marks until he could find a good time to lift their purse. Sometimes, lifting the purse had been the distraction to trick them into running after him into an ambush for a more brutal mugging. He'd learned a lot of tricks to do so - how to avoid focusing too much on the mark, that sometimes in order to tail someone you had to move ahead of them, how to surreptitiously study them while focused on something else.
"Regardless of who goes, I'll disguise them so the subject can't recognize them."
Matiscio eyes Evander and nods. "I think you're right. It's just ... the idea of placing others in danger while avoiding it yourself doesn't sit well with me. My apologies, Evander, because I do not doubt your talents."
"I have some prior experience with tailing others and avoiding notice."
Do you now? thought Didiana, lifting one deep red eyebrow.
She sighed. If the others agreed that watching Manthai for a few days was the way to go about this, then she would not go against their wishes. But Gregor's suspicion was entirely correct: she would prefer a more blunt approach. They already had direct evidence of the man's involvement. What more could observation provide? The one thing missing was motive and that was far easier found through questioning.
“I would advise against an interrogation. We need to be different than Thrune and his lackeys if we’re going to make any difference once he’s deposed.”
"That's a lovely sentiment, Rexus. If we get another Bix on our hands, I'm sure he'll appreciate it."
That statement, that one statement of Rexus's, was every reason the hellknights existed. Morals needed to be done away with as soon as they hindered progress.
"Look, I'm not advocating for thumbscrews and hot coals here, but allowing a traitor with critical information to walk about any longer than he already has does not seem wise. He can still do enormous damage. This man nearly got everyone gathered down here incarcerated or killed; he does not deserve our mercy. Even so, I am confident I am make him confess without laying a finger on him, if you'll allow it."
Even if Manthai possessed the discipline to resist one of her charms, she doubted he could withstand... six? Yeah, she thought she could manage about six now.
Evander looks at Didiana. ”Why tail him, you ask? Well, for one, there is the possibility he’s been magically compelled. Given that possibility, he may otherwise be innocent. If that is the case, we can find out who did it and take them out. Second, there is a possibility he’s been paid to do this. If so, what’s to stop that person from paying someone else to do the same thing? Third, and most importantly, we need to show the rest of the group that we are different from Thrune. We cannot sacrifice the group’s morale and our support for this one person. We need to present ironclad evidence he either did this willingly or sold us out. Otherwise, doubt will creep into the minds of those who count on us, and we may create two traitors where there was one.”
Turning to the group, Evander says, ”There is also this. The two acts of sabotage - the chiseled wall, the note to the dottari - neither proved very detrimental to our efforts. We’ve recovered from Bix’s death, and the dottari were easily diverted. Why not just lead the dottari straight here? Why didn’t the note mention the trapdoor to the Wasp’s Nest specifically? These have been little more than pinpricks to us. True, enough pinpricks will bring us down, but it would be far easier to deal us a death blow than drag it out. He may not have the answers, and interrogation could get us nothing.”
Gregor seems confused by Evander and Matiscio's discussion on the tail. "No reason to leave one person to the tail. There are at least three of us that can do the job. It would be better to change it up daily, anyways, to reduce any suspicion from possibly seeing the same one of us always around. Whoever is on shift that day uses the cloak for better success, and we don't move until we notice any suspicious activity."
At Di's questioning the reason to not interrogate, Gregor sees the reasoning presented by others, but offers a different one from the viewpoint of a catcher of criminals. "Not just his potential innocence," he hadn't even considered magically compelled, even though it's one of the things he learned to look for in his training. "but consider the potential of catching more than just the one by making him feel safe. A ratcatcher may put a rats paws in ink, and let it lead him to the nest, we may do the same. If we wait and watch him, it could lead us to a bigger rat or a whole rat's nest, and then we have the advantage because they don't know we know. We regain the power position in the exchange."
He nods with Evander, "That is odd, these little pokes of disruption are just that. Like someone wants their presence known, but isn't brave enough to outright stir up the... well... Wasp's Nest, as it were. if we can find this milksop saboteur, possibly by tailing 'our man', it could answer some more questions as well." He refuses to use any names, avoiding any prying ears from knowing who they are talking about.
Evander nods in agreement with Gregor - he sees a good deal of wisdom in his words. "Agreed. Taking turns will help keep him from realizing what is happening as well. We can swap the cloak around as needed."
Fireday, the 28th of Arodus, 4715 AR
Come Fireday, Gregor takes the cloak of elvenkind and carefully tracks Morgar's movements through Kintargo. For the most part, Morgar stays in the Wasp Nest. Since the Silver Ravens recently invested gold in training him and his team to be infiltrators, Gregor normally finds him hard at work preparing for infiltration missions. In this case, Gregor finds Morgar along with Geoni and the rest of his team as they prepare for how they will go about rescuing Crissali.
When Morgar does go out, he visits the marketplace in Redroof and has a couple drinks at the Tooth and Nail before returning to the Coffeehouse and the Wasp Nest. The man gives no indication of spotting Gregor. He seems to be completely unaware that he is being followed.
Gregor is unable to get a read on the man as he seems to just be going about his day harmlessly. Morgar doesn’t do anything suspicious or talk with anyone outside the rebellion as far as Gregor can tell.
Starday, the 29th of Arodus, 4715 AR
The next day, Gregor passes the cloak off to Evander. The investigator does some actual investigating, despite his recent acquisition of some swashbuckling skills. Evander finds that Morgar’s activities are quite similar to those he undertook on Fireday. Instead of going out to the marketplace, Morgar stays in the Wasp Nest all day, only going out at night for a few drinks before returning once again to the hideout.
As with Gregor, Evander doesn’t believe he has been spotted and Morgar seems wholly unaware that he is being followed. Unlike with Gregor, Evander notices that during Morgar’s time in the Wasp Nest, the man seems to take careful pains to position himself during his team’s training. Specifically, he makes sure to position himself to where he’ll have the best view of the table in the main room of the Wasp Nest where you typically hold meetings between the five of you (and occasionally with Laria and Rexus). He seems to be paying careful attention to any conversations that take place at the table and especially conversations that take place among any number of the five of you. Once, you even spot him writing something down in a notebook.
While observing Morgar in the Wasp Nest, Evander thinks he hears strange music playing, like the music he heard back at the Fair Fortune Livery. Evander’s not sure where the music is coming from, but Morgar always seems to be around when the investigator hears it.
Gilda finally chimes in with her thoughts on the whole Morgar situation, albeit a few days late after they've had a chance to trail and observe the possible traitor.
"Hey, didn't one of you mention that maybe he was bein' magically compelled to spy on us? What's t' stop us from using magic to compel him back to our side again? And speakin' of.. if there's magic afoot, there'd be some sorta aura about..."
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Not being much use to the group's surreptitious investigation into their suspected traitor, Didiana found something else to devote her time to. Having been appointed manager of the freedom fighters, she took an active role in their training. It was no accident that this doubled as an easy excuse to keep an eye on Manthai as he worked through the regimes with the rest of the team.
"Here," she started one early morning, an ungodly hour she had demanded the team gather. "Strap this on."
The object in question was a hefty backpack loaded with a few bags of flour kindly donated from Laria's store. It made a not inconsequential thud as the sorcerer dropped it onto the rock floor of the hideout. The team had known her to be a harsh taskmaster the past few days she had supervised them, but then this was somewhat in line with their expectations. Didiana had noted that they looked upon her with a certain apprehensive curiosity. As an armiger of the Torrent, she was something different and curious to them. The hellknights, famed as they were for their callousness, were no more merciful towards their own members. The secretive training regimens that shaped these hard men and women were mired in myths and half-truths, some of them patently ridiculous but very indicative of the special status the grim lawbringers held within the minds of the public. And so, Didiana was perfectly aware that every member of the team both dreaded and relished this rare opportunity, to train under a hellknight armiger. Didiana didn't care about the team's preconceived notions. But she intended to utilize their anitcipation to the fullest extent.
When Geoni had donned the backpack, she led them to the small pier facing the Wasp Nest's waterway and then thrust a short length of rope into another team member's hands.
"Manthai, tie his legs together, now."
Both Geoni and Morgar looked nervous at the directive, but within the minute Geoni's legs were strung together.
"You are all going to swim out to the statue and back," Didiana instructed, pointing to the edifice of elven goddess out in the water. Her voice was stern and hard, and borrowed heavily from her own instructors in the Torrent. "You will all do so individually. You will be weighted and your legs will be restrained. Understand this: though you are a team, any chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Should any of you fail, that person will be assisted by two, only two, team members back to the pier. However, the next person to attempt the swim will have to carry the failure on their back. Is this understood?"
The undoubtedly harsh exercise was something adapted from training regimens she knew from the Torrent. It was designed to build upon the individual armiger's strength while reinforcing their place within a unit. Of course, Didiana found it best not to mention that she herself had never undergone physical training quite so demanding as an armiger... As a hellknight signifier in training, a member of the magically inclined subsection of knights, her education, while still grueling, was not nearly as physically demanding as the average hellknight's.
"Is, um..." a freedom fighter dared to mutter.
"Is this normal for hellknight training?"
Sigh. Alright, Di. Put on your 'hardass' face.
The glare she gave the young man was indeed hard. Channeling every merciless instructor she had ever had in the Torrent, Didiana spat out the word, "Training?", like it was undercooked chicken.
"Training? Within the Order, this is a selection process for hellknight recruits. If this were training, the weight would be doubled, the distance tripled and the straps of the pack replaced with metal wire. Now get to it!"
---------------
While she had every intention of abiding by the group's decision not to confront Manthai just yet, Didiana saw no reason not to confront a certain other about a related matter. The reports about strange music and moving objects had gotten far too numerous to be attributed to overactive imaginations. Even Vendalfek had admitted to such observations and in asking the men some had admitted to hearing the music most keenly near the side room, where Rexus did most of his work. And so Didiana plainly questioned the nobleman at the earliest opportunity.
"Rexus, have you heard anything strange whilst working?"
Regardless of the man's answer, the sorcerer found it best to watch the side room for the next few evenings. She had nothing better to do and despised inactivity. Finding herself a comfortable spot with a decent view, Didiana spent the late hours sitting near the nobleman's workstation. She whiled away the hours with something some might find surprising: reading. Realizing that an obvious lookout within the Wasp Nest could bring about unwanted question from the men (and just plain make Rexus uncomfortable), Didiana used a book for cover.
Except it wasn't just any book. It was Unbinding the Fetters, Irori's holy text, that she had bought from Crissali. It was with a certain amount of dread that she opened the text on that first night. The book represented her first attempt at... well, 'fixing' herself. It was a big step. Her heated conversation with Matiscio had forced her to admit her internal conflict. She had abused the hellknight doctrine to suppress parts of herself and could not live up to the ideals she espoused. She couldn't go on like this. The armiger had no idea what she would find in the Iroran faith, if anything, but some attempt at reconciliation had to be made. Never mind that she felt somewhat embarrassed taking inspiration from the Iroran brawler, it was worth a shot. After all, Matiscio seemed whole lot more... together than her.
Gilda moves through the Wasp Nest, casting detect magic as she does so. Despite her normally stellar ability to bluff, Morgar notices her and seems quite disturbed by the shaman’s behavior.
Still, he doesn’t try to stop her and he doesn’t flee, so she proceeds unhindered. Gilda doesn’t detect any magical auras on Morgar. While the hideout does contain various magical auras, such as ones coming from Vendalfek and his treasure hoard, only two stand out as particularly significant. Both can be found in the room where Rexus does his translation work on the Silver Ravens documents.
Gilda detects a transmutation aura coming from somewhere in the documents themselves. She also detects an illusion aura coming from somewhere near the desk where Rexus does his translating.
-----
Didiana proves to be a harsh, but effective taskmaster. When all is said and done, the freedom fighters’ conversion into an infiltration team will be credited, at least in part, to Didiana’s efforts. Still, they don’t seem particularly happy with Didiana once their time of training with her is complete.
When Didiana goes to Rexus with her question, the nobleman scratches his head and appears to sit in deep thought for a few moments before saying, “Hm? Oh, I’m terribly sorry. I was just thinking about how best to translate the last sentence on this page. I can’t decide if the author intended for the verb to be read ‘as is’ in the present tense or if he was implying it should be understood in the past tense. It’s what scholars refer to as a ‘historical present.’ You see, we...”
Rexus halts abruptly and blushes at Didiana before saying, “I must apologize again. It seems I started talking to myself and I’m sure I bored you with the details. Anyway, to answer your question, I’m normally so focused on my work - as you might can tell - that I ignore anything else going on. It’s kind of a necessity as we have more and more people come down here.
“That said, I do recall hearing some unexplained noises a few nights back… Moonday or Toilday, I believe. It almost sounded like someone was playing the pipes. I think that qualifies as strange, yes? I’m not aware of anyone in the rebellion who plays such an instrument, though I’m sure you could have found a few musicians who did when the Opera House was still open. Anyway, I’ve taken enough of your time with my rambling. That’s all I can recall as ‘strange,’ I’m afraid. Good luck with… whatever it is you’re doing.”
Without another word, Rexus returns to the Silver Ravens documents. In a matter of moments, he has resumed writing notes and recording his translation of the texts.
Didiana doesn’t detect any deception or other oddities in Rexus’s statements.
The armiger doesn’t see anything out of place during her nights observing the side room. That is, except for the occasional glimpse of Morgar peeking into the room. The man tries to be subtle about it, but it’s painful obvious that he’s looking for something. It’s hard to say exactly what, though.
"Given that Morgar is taking notes, perhaps we should plan an operation - something that he'll want to tip the dottari off about. Not involving Geoni's team, that we'll handle directly. Then, we wait for him to slip off and deliver a message to the dottari, warning them. We can catch him in the act then."
Gilda returns to the Ravens and quietly reports on her meager findings.
"Not enchanted. At least that I can make out. Rebel Rex has some interestin' stuff goin' on. Illusion 'round the desk and some transmutin' too."
Gilda eyes Evander and Didiana as her fellow "understander'ers o' magic".
"Given he's s'posed t'be on our side, maybe we ask Rebel Rex how those work?"
Normally, Gilda's revelations wouldn't elicit much beyond idle curiosity from Didiana. So Rexus had some magic going on. Under normal circumstances this would be fine. He had shown some aptitude for it. And normally the man's business was and should be his own. The armiger was pretty keen on privacy, when it didn't stop her doing her job. But things were currently far from normal in the Wasp's Nest.
"Every report indicates his work area as the centre for that cursed music..." she remarked.
The sorcerer's expression was dark. She did not suspect Rexus of foul-play, not yet. The nobleman was playing a long, complicated and exceedingly well acted con if he really had anything to do with the misgivings befallen the rebellion. There wouldn't be any Silver Ravens today if not for Rexus Victocora. Should he betray the group, Didiana honestly wouldn't know who to trust anymore. But Rexus had also proven himself naive. Perhaps there was something going on without his knowledge or intent.
Whatever the truth, the armiger favored the same approach here as she did with Manthai, as she did with most things.
"Can we please confront this one?"
"We can ask Rexus - politely - about the enchantments and such. He may be unaware of either, and he has been a very good ally, so I see no need to treat him like an enemy. However, I think we should resolve the issue with the subject first, as I think that far more pressing. If you and Gilda would prefer to resolve things with Rexus first, then do so - but ask politely."
Evander agreed with Didiana that they needed to determine what the magic auras were, but he did not necessarily agree with her methods of doing so, which would likely be to accuse a very good ally of treachery and attempt to browbeat him into confessing to a crime he may not even have committed. Thus, he took care to emphasize the need for politeness in speaking with him.
Gregor looks at Didiana and Gilda askance, "You know, there is once again no reason to show our hand. I've been studying up, trying to fill any gaps I have about the different potential enemies we may face after dealing with those fairies. As such, I've happened across a few tidbits. With enough experience, you can actually determine a spell effect that is in place. It's not easy, but can be done. If it's around his desk or table, that's easy enough, but if there's something hidden in his papers, you would have to check each one." He balks, "I could have a look, but I merely read about the process, I'm not certain on how it works in practice."
He returns to their discussion of a false strike, "I'm thinking, as the group Strategist, I can devise a... story of a hit on the Opera House set to take place tonight with just enough volume to attract attention. Then we watch and wait for him to act." Something is obviously bothering Gregor about his own suggestion, to the point that he looks angry at himself.
Didiana goes to confront Rexus, hopefully politely as per Evander’s request, about the magical auras near him.
The nobleman looks confused for a few moments, then shakes his head before saying, “I realize I have some magical capabilities, but I think you’re overestimating my current prowess. I haven’t conjured any illusions or transmutations here, much less any other magics, besides perhaps a light cantrip or the like. I’ve been far too busy working on these documents to practice any magic.”
Were Didiana to cast detect magic herself, she would find the same thing Gilda did. An illusion aura somewhere in the vicinity of Rexus and his desk and a transmutation aura coming from the documents Rexus is examining.
-----
Between the five of you, you’re able to craft a convincing story indicating you're planning an attack on the Opera House. You have a few different conversations all within earshot of Morgar, so you’re certain he’s aware of your plan and can act on the information should he choose to do so.
As you observe the man, he remains in the Wasp Nest for the first couple hours, but eventually he makes his way to the Wasp Nest's entrance and makes his way upstairs, through the trap door, and toward the Coffeehouse's entrance. It's about 2 in the afternoon now.
-----------------
Evander attempts to study the magical effects, but his knowledge of magic is rudimentary, at best.
======================================================
Evander attempts to stealthily tail Morgar, but the crowd isn't as thick as normal, making it tricky.
Gilda studies Rexus's face for clues while Gregor, Evander and Didiana study the lingering auras for details.