Layla's shot screeches along the broad side of Randu's cart before burying itself deeply in the shoulder of one of the riders threatening the stalwart halfling spellcaster.
This proves to be the final straw for the horsemen. They rode out expecting to find some ordinary merchants they could muscle out of business, but instead they found a far tougher fight than they could handle. They dig their heels into the flanks of their horses and ride off into the vast plains, leaving behind their fellows.
Being thus abandoned leaves the last footman all the more susceptible to Miya's interrogation. Blubbering, he quickly confirms what you suspected: he and his companions are hired muscle working for Ayda Vorshin, staking out the road south from Falcon's Hollow to scare off competitors.
He also adds that they stole a bit from the other would-be merchants they muscled out of business, offering to show you where they stowed the goods if you promise not to kill him and his friends.
"Sounds like we just got a witness, and the location of evidence. We best move fast to it first. We should be able to get a warrant out on Ayuda quickly but I fear not as quick as her fellows running back to her now."
A glance over at Layla "On a personal note, nice shooting"
Miya looked at her wounds and then goes out of sight to cast a Healing on herself spell on herself. When she comes back her wounds heal over the next few minutes.
With the Gaurd talks she get him to show them where the stolen goods where.
"Thanks!" Layla replies with a grin, taking a moment to reload her pistol before re-holstering it. "Can't have riff-raff running up on us can we?"
"No we can't it's plain disrespectful and amateurish, they were lucky some got away with their lives. And as for you my little Bushwacker. Think yourself lucky and you get to tell lock law everything like you just told us. And they may go easy on you. Me was just me you, well I will leave that to your imagination."
She says grinning at him.
You steer your carts and mules off road, as the apprehended suspect leads you toward the ruins of Falconridge from whence he and his routed fellows initially rode.
The abandoned logging town is quite akin to a skeletal corpse, the jagged timbers of husk-like cabins reaching feebly towards the sky, and stone foundations lie gathering moss among the sawgrass. Hidden among these remains, your captive guide shows you where they kept their ill-gotten gains, hidden beneath tarps or down inside old cellars.
These include crates and barrels of sundry goods: bolts of fabric, glassworks, pottery, slabs of salt, blacksmithed pieces, and other items that the people of Falcon's Hollow cannot produce for themselves. Thankfully, some of these trade containers still bear the stamps of their original owners, providing further evidence of not just Vorshin's crimes but also identifying victims.
"Well, looks like we have, not only evidence, but a good haul of supplies that will undercut their attempts to control the market." Layla says with a low whistle, running through the collection of goods and beginning to tally up their value in her head.
Randu's brow knits with ire, oh he's glad they got the evidence, but "Andorans are supposed to be better than this to each other. We yank the damned Consortium back, only for this sort of thing to form up. Short sighted greedy fools"
The recovered goods are worth a couple hundred gold, if only by volume rather than rarity. This makes the plan you executed all the more fortuitous: without the carts and mules you requisitioned to sell your ruse, it would be next to impossible to transport the crates and barrels back to town.
The routed riders fled southward, away from Falcon's Hollow.
This means you will have a headstart on apprehending Vorshin before her men can warn her.
"Criminals are like weeds, where you fine fertile land weeds will group. And every now and then the farmer has to syith them down"
She helps load up the goods,
"Those that have lost their wares should be reimbursed with their goods. This would show the law works"
When done she looked at her clothing, slashed and bloody, she cast a spell and the damage repaired itself.
"If we are going to apprehend Vorshin, we had better not look like we have just been in a fight"
Another spell seemingly coming from her tattoos cleaned her clothing.
Healed and looking as good as new, the young foolish monk persona was back.
"Well that's a useful skill." Layla says, as she watches Miya instantly clean and repair her clothing with magic, seemingly from one of the intricate tattoos on her body.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Miya has her back to Layla, as she redresses. And the tattoo Layla was looking at is that of a fox. As Layla looks at the depiction of a fox walking away, it catches Layla's eye. And moves! it turns around and sits, looking at her. Now sat, it freezes into place eyes locked on her. Miya stops moving and turns her head back to also looks at Layla. She smiles and slips her top over the Tattoo.
"If you wish to see it again you will have to invite me to your bed"
Then laughter and now ready, she heads off to the wagon.
"Aye. Let's go arrest the ..ahem" He curbs the word he was GOING to use.
The carts move a bit slower, being now laden with the recovered goods. Nevertheless, you never see the outlaws riding past you on the horizon, and you arrive back at the ferry landing to find that you have, indeed, gotten there first. The vast sky above the distant mountains has grown golden with the advancing afternoon.
A handful of coppers gets you passage back across the River Foam, and from the ferryman you learn that Vorshin has not left town yet. Now you just need to find her and approach her without giving her the chance to flee.
With the fight over Fiila was quite pleased with the turn out, even if not with her performance in it. The first time they saw her fight and it ended like that, truly unimpressive. When they reached their destination and found that their target was still there it was a great deal of relief.
Planning how to get to Vorshin without her leaving town would prove tricky but maybe her newness to the group could be exploited. "If we can find out where she is I can try to provide a distraction so you can all get in position."
Miya jumps off the wagon,
"I will go and have a look-see"
Miya has her back to Layla, as she redresses. And the tattoo Layla was looking at is that of a fox. As Layla looks at the depiction of a fox walking away, it catches Layla's eye. And moves! it turns around and sits, looking at her. Now sat, it freezes into place eyes locked on her. Miya stops moving and turns her head back to also looks at Layla. She smiles and slips her top over the Tattoo.
"If you wish to see it again you will have to invite me to your bed"
"....I'll definitely kepp that in mind." Layla replies with a grin, after taking a moment to register the comment.
As they take the ferry back, and discuss options, she considers. "I'll just wait until we have some actionable intel."
Miya slips unnoticed into town. She scouts the sawdust-strewn streets for several minutes before she finally spots Ayda Vorshin. The caravaneer is standing in the High Market, speaking with a halfling woman. Rather than being any sort of argument, the two women appear to be reaching an agreement. They don't appear agitated, and their conversation turns no heads from the other market-goers.
Vorshin has none of her hired muscle around. If you can move in quickly and precisely, this will be your best opportunity to bring her in.
She goes for the others and brings them back.
"If we can take her here we can take her clean. Who has any subduing magic?"
She goes for the others and brings them back.
"If we can take her here we can take her clean. Who has any subduing magic?"
Randu muses "Unleashing lightning tends to be seen as less subdual, more panic in the streets and possible corpses. I can lay a curse on someone, and if their will doesn't hold I can freeze someone in place for a rather short time. Luck of the draw the both of them."
A look at the others to see what options they bring in
"I have.. .been known to be able to strike hard and fast to subdue someone? Magic seems the best option unless you think we can bring them in with words?"
He asked still not sure how the best way to approach this was.
She goes for the others and brings them back.
"If we can take her here we can take her clean. Who has any subduing magic?"
"I've got a spell that is pretty good for taking out weaker opponents, and even tough ones can have trouble with it, and another that can make it pretty hard to run." Layla offers.
Fiila shook her head and said, "I can't do anything when it comes to non-lethal damage." She considered things a moment and then added, "I could create some low walls that would slow them down a little bit to cover our retreat, say a total of thirty feet worth though it takes me a few seconds to make five foot lengths of it."
"I might be able to sap her strength." He thinks at mention of Layla's thing, "Time's like this I miss Sapphire. Good strategist. But we'll get this. Cut off her means of escape, try to subdue, have each other's backs."
"Will do!"
The location is fortuitous. The layout of Falcon's Hollow is comparable to a simple motte-and-bailey fortification: In addition to the palisade that surrounds the rest of the town, the manors, offices, and High Market that occupy the hill known as the Perch are protected by a second palisade. While ostensibly meant to afford an extra layer of protection for the more fortunate residents of the town, this also means that there is only a single escape route for Vorshin.
As few as two of you could effectively block off her escape.
Meanwhile, the large buildings that ring the marketplace offer numerous places to clandestinely get into position.
Randu looks at Rrruh, wondering his his old friend has a few ideas, "Who do you think would be best at closing the path of escape off?"
"Follow me, I will make a distraction. Keep away until I call out get yourself into place, on the word help move in and take her, cover your faces."
Miya perchest a large pot with lit. And taking out smoke and Sneezing pellets, she placed her hand with them in it. As Vorshin finishes talking and moves away.
Myra waiting just in front of her, Miya held her breath, and Vorshin came close, Miya turned as if in a rush and bumped into Vorshin dropped into the pot which would bake, releases it the Smoke, and Sneezed powder in a cloud.
Powder, Sneezing Improved +4
This coarse yellowish-red powder is a splash weapon that causes uncontrollable sneezing for 1d4+1 rounds. Anyone standing in the square of impact must succeed on a DC 12 DC18 Fortitude save to resist the powder, while those in adjacent squares must make DC 8 DC 12 Fortitude saves. Creatures affected by sneezing powder must make a DC 10 DC14 Fortitude save every round for the duration or be staggered until their next turn.
Smoke
Obscuring Mist (M): The spell creates a smoky haze instead of mist. This haze cannot be dispersed by fire spells and dissipates naturally after 1 minute.
She called out as smoke and Sneezing filled the air around them.
Others coffered and fumbled about.
"O MY GOSH WILL SOMEONE HELP!"
[ooc]Right you lot get in there and take her. Cover your faces by the way[/b]
Grinning to herself at Miya's tactics, Layla takes up a position on one of the buildings. "Okay boys go get her, I can pick off anyone that tries to stop or follow you."
He had climbed up onto one of the buildings following along as best the stealthy catfolk as he could...
Vorshin remains unaware as you take your positions. She is too distracted by her negotiation with Salk to notice Rrruh scaling one of the nearby buildings, and she does not recognize the newer team members and thus does not register them as threats.
"Watch it, you stupid...!" Vorshin barks at Miya, but her anger is cut off as the dust from the sneezing pellet overtakes her. As the cloud of smoke begins to also envelop her, you can all hear violent sneezing and wheezing erupting as she's temporarily incapacitated.
Randu is glad to see it work, and remembering some part of a plan , goes with it, and tries to use the distraction to hit Vorshin with a ray of enfeeblement, preferably with no witnesses realizing it
Miya drops and using her rope Dart, tries to entangle Vorshin legs.
Despite the smokey haze enveloping Vorshin in the moment, Randu's aim is true. He strikes her square with his magical ray, and from the way her shoulders and knees tremble he recognizes that she has succumbed to the spell's effects.
Thus weakened, Vorshin is especially vulnerable as Miya ensnares the crooked caravaneer's legs with her rope, pulling her right off her feet. Momentarily able to stave off a sneezing fit, Vorshin kicks frantically to free herself from the rope around her legs, but to no avail. All the while, she blindly hurls slurs and invective at you.
"Vorshin, You are under arrest, for crimes of brigandry among others. You and yours have preyed upon the Merchants and other innocents of Andoran too long"
Miya yanks on the rope and goes to hog-tie her.
Filla decided to guard the escape path while the apprehension occurred. As soon as she heard the command for Vorshin to surrender Fiila stomped on the ground and conjured a five foot by five foot wall across the opening starting at one edge of the road.
Initially planning to climb to a vantage point, Layla find the process more difficult than she anticipated, opting instead to guard the way out, and pick off any of Vorshin's lackeys that try to help.
Miya can't see the fact that none of the team is coming to help her subdue a half-orc. She thinks they will so carries on.
With Randu standing over them, his commanding voice making him seem far taller than his stature, Miya secures Vorshin's arms with the rope. The would-be racketeer is unable to break free, since her strength has been sapped and she remains in the throes of the sneezing powder for the crucial seconds when she might have escaped.
Stationed at the entrance to the High Market, Fiila is enough of a deterrent to keep any rescue from reaching Vorshin. She spots a few rough-looking men start to make their way up the hillside road, but her presence and the sounds of Vorshin being arrested make them think twice, and they turn tail to flee while they can.
From their perches atop nearby buildings, Layla and Rrruh spot the halfling woman, Kilarin Salk, whom Vorshin had been negotiating with, trying to slip away and make an escape of her own. Rather than risking the entrance to the market and getting caught by Fiila and the others, Salk slips between the large, well-appointed buildings of the Perch and makes for the south-eastern wall. They spot a gap at the foot of the palisade, overlooking Vade's Tower, that she likely plans to use as an escape route.
Miya finishes off with a cloth gag. She stands as the smoke and sneezing powder clears and takes a breath.
She slips her knife into the size of the half-orc a pulls her up.
"Move wrong and I cut spine. Then Ill drag you to jail"
Randu wasn't sure he should have made that announcement, but he's not crazy about setting a precedent of open abductions by mysterious authorities without folks at least knowing what they were being grabbed for. He looks about to see how towns folk are taking this, and to see if he missed anything.
Miya flipped out her officer's badge on a neck thong.
"Get the others and a cart Randu, we have to take the prisoner to the lock-up. Don't worry about the locals, they know who and what she is."
On a hunch the dark furred feline followed the halfling woman only making the dramatic entrance and leaping down to cut her off.
"Going somewhere?"
He asked baring a lot of teeth.
Miya flipped out her officer's badge on a neck thong.
"Get the others and a cart Randu, we have to take the prisoner to the lock-up. Don't worry about the locals, they know who and what she is."
For better or worse, Miya seems correct in her assessment. No one moves to interfere as you arrest Vorshin, and you see at least one spectator nod in approval.
For her part, Vorshin abruptly ends her resistance. Other than occasional spasms from the sneezing powder as it works its way out of her sinuses, she remains limp. She's used to dealing with the likes of the Redrock Guild and Gavel Kreed's legbreakers, even if they're no longer in power, so she's used to folks making good on physical threats.
...
"Gods dammit!" Salk exclaims as she suddenly finds her escape cut off by Rrruh's aerial arrival.
She holds her palms up plaintively.
"Whoa, whoa there, furball! I ain't with Vorshin. I just inspect her goods to make sure she isn't bringing anything illegal into the market. I don't work for her. I work for the town," she argues.
Randu grunts "Let's hope this goes as smooth as it appears to be. Good work folks" And gets the cart and such.
She snorts
"Smooth, this is the 1st time my mark ended up NOT dead. and it kind of feels odd"
Miya perks up,
"but there's still time, she could try and make a run for it."
she prods the Half Ork with her blade.
"Go on make a run for it"
but relaxes as she sees the half-orc is defeated for now.
As she gets down from her vantage point to join the others, Layla chuckles at Miya goading their captive to run. "Nicely done!"
"So what's your game? Handing me over to the uptight blonde human b%#%$ that those out-of-touch dandies down in the capitol put in charge? Or do you have the stones to execute me yourself?" the crooked caravaneer taunts. Despite her bluster, she makes no move to escape or otherwise risk her hide with any reckless moves.
"You know..." she says, cautiously leaning over, "even though we've gotten off on the wrong foot, I think we could still be friends. Talent recognizes talent, after all."