"The only rational use of that thing would be as a weapon, and a pretty devastating, albeit underhanded one at that. The money that could be made from selling it would go far toward saving a lot of the town from the predatory bastards trying to buy it out, but I wouldn't feel comfortable putting this thing in the hands of the kind of person who'd buy it." Layla says, considering their findings and Miya's revelation.
"But, if we're trying to save the town from financial raiding..."
"How about if we see if we have enough without it? We seemed to have done pretty well."
Your agency is still quite new, so a standard operating procedure hasn't been implemented yet - although now may be the time to start testing out ideas.
Sending a report back to Commander Odeber, whether by magic or a physical messenger, would be a good start, as she can dispatch a contingent of troops to secure Bloodeye's stash, since there is far more than just your team could expediently remove.
However, personally securing the most valuable or most dangerous items might also be a good step. If someone else should sneak in here before troops from the Diamond Regiment can secure the site, it would be disastrous for some of these items to fall into the wrong hands.
"Kind of you to offer." Randu nods "We'll send a dispatch "
"Yeah, we should secure the most dangerous or valuable items, and send a dispatch to have soldiers come to transport the rest." Layla agrees.
Once the more high profile items are safely stowed away, you make your way back out. You drag the stone table from the kitchen over to bridge the pit left by the collapsing floor trap, and thus you safely backtrack to the entrance of the stronghold.
As you open the door in the guard post, leading to the hidden entrance near the foot of the waterfalls, you hear a group descending the same cliffside stairs that you used earlier.
Randu tilts his head hearing it. "Blast it. Probably after the same money. I best see who it is before I let my cynicism run away with me though.
And he takes a peek hoping not to be noticed.
(+2 in rocky areas/hills)
Layly quietly makes sure that her weapon is loaded.
The dark of night and the cover of the cliffside keeps Randu well hidden from the approaching men. From his vantage point, he gets a decent look and can glean their identities, both false and true.
They are the caravan guards who arrived earlier in the day, escorting the merchants from Druma. However, they now eagerly strip away their white trappings, tossing the Kalistocratic symbols over the cliffside to float and flutter down into the white water blow.
Stripped down to their "business" attire of arms, armor, and tools of skulduggery, their idle banter as they descend the stairs only serves to confirm the suspicion that was welling up in Randu's mind. These are actually Redrock Guild agents, come to reclaim their master's treasures
Listening to their chatter, you quickly piece together their plot. They disguised and ingratiated themselves as guards for the Drumish merchants, using that as a cover to reenter Andoran. Once their wealthy patrons were asleep in their rooms in the inn above, the Redrock agents slew them and looted their valuables, and now they seek to retrieve the stash and return it to Bloodeye, exiled in Isger.
"Whats should we do?'
A whisper "They're associates of a known criminal and working for him. They're murderers of foreign merchants. I think that's just cause to stop them here and now. All agreed?"
"Absolutely"
Randu looks to Miya as well
Nods and pulls her weapons.
What was once a proper stone staircase has been worn down by time and the elements, leaving a path that is smooth in some places and lumpy in others. This trail winding down the cliff face is just barely wide enough for two men to walk abreast. The nearby waterfall leaves much of the surface wet with spray, meaning that the descending crooks are at risk of losing their footing...
As they grow closer, you are able to get an accurate headcount. There appear to be six men coming your way.
Miya pulls out a fox mask and puts it on. Then her clothing turns black.
Reaching into her backpack she pulls out a bottle of Alchemical Grease.
"Almost too easy"
She says, deading down the path ahead of the men working up it.
He sidled to the side of the path climbing up just high enough to be out of eye view. He figured a wise person would be more likely to keep their eyes mostly down to be aware of their footing.. it was a long fall after all. That should make it easy snough to drop down and help them 'slip' off the edge.
Randu smirks as he sees Miya pull out some grease, and mouths ''Gonna make a fake ledge.''
And then, quietly, he casts Silent image, to add a precious half foot to the ledge hoping to aid the plans to knock at least a few over, maybe some will even step on of their own volition.
The oil of silence active on her gun, Layla quietly waits until the chaos starts, ready to aim at the first enemy to survive the ambush.
The dark of the night, the roar of the waterfall, and their own chatter keeps the Redrock brutes utterly distracted from your presence. They never even suspect that anyone else may have come this way.
About half of their number are duped by Randu's illusion, seeing an extension of the path rather than open air. Of them, two catch themselves as they find emptiness beneath their boots and pull back from disaster. The third, however, steps through the illusion and plummets off the edge, into the dark river below.
With the magic oil silencing her pistol, the only sound heard as Layla aims Kadavera and fires is the wet thwack of a bullet punching its way into one of the Redrock thugs looking astonishedly at his plummeting comerade, before the jolt of shock and crackle of electricity takes effect.
Rrruh springs down from his vantage point up along the cliff face, and his momentum shoves one of the crooks ten feet back - easily ensuring that yet another one of them plunges into the cold water far below.
One of the four remaining Redrock men turns in time to catch Layla's shot in his stomach rather than his back.
As the others had got ready she had gone ahead, climbed high and let them villains pass under her, dropping down she covered the retreat with Greage oil. Skinking once more back into the shadows, should any get past the Greece she would be waiting.
Randu drops the illusion, it has served its purpose and while he doubts his allies would fall for it as easily, no point in risking it.
He takes a moment and decides to cause a bit more chaos. Sending eldritch waves of fear towards the foe closest to the area Miya laid her oil.
The thug targeted by Randu's spell is much too weak willed to resist the creeping fear, so he turns tail and runs. Unfortunately, he proves to be more coordinated than courageous, so she slides through Miya's grease without falling.
The man shot by Layla quickly draws a throwing hatchet and hurls it in her direction.
The other two Redrock goons draw their curved blades and attack Rrruh in revenge for their fallen buddy.
The impact of the throwing axe elicits a loud curse from Layla as she fires another shot at the bastard.
Miya is waiting as the one comes running.
As he runs past she strikes.
Layla's shot puts down the axe-throwing thug.
Miya's quick attacks leave the frightened hoodlum quite bruised, which does nothing to diminish his fear or intent to flee.
"i'd tell you that cost you your lives..."
The catfolk said darkly at the gashes left on his skin from their blades. He planted his foot and suddenly spun snap kicking his heel downward at his foe to the left most side of him, his feets crackling with electrical energy.
"but you were never going to leave here alive anyhow."
Randu flings a slingstone at the fear spelled fellow who so far is managing to stay alive.
Randu's stone is yet another painful bruise upon the frightened thug, and it is certainly not the last in this short span of time. The thug attempts to continue his flight, but this time his feet fly out from beneath him thanks to Miya's magical grease.
Rrruh delivers a powerful, electric blow upon one of the two enemies currently hemming him in. However, both of them fail to even clip his fur as they swing their swords at him.
"Surender or there will be more pain"
She says to the scared lad.
Layla moves forward, leveling her weapon to target one of the pair battling with Rrruh, aiming for the one the catfolk had just kicked.
Miya's intimidation leaves the magically frightened man a terrified, quivering heap on the narrow cliff trail. He curls up and shivers in the magical grease, presenting quite the sorry sight.
Layla's shot puts down her target, and the last Redrocker is soon subdued by Rrruh and Randu.
Holstering her weapon, Layla strides over to the bodies of the fallen (those that haddn't gone over the cliff), searching each of them in turn.
Randu nods, "Good work, all. These murderers needed to be stopped."
She kicks the prisoner
"Get up you. Your going to live, we are taking you in for questioning. If you give a full and frank details, they will take that into account. Try and run and we will hunt you down for the sport of it."
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He frowned at miya's words.
"who are we taking him too?" we arent here in any official capacity."
He leaned forward and whispered in Miya's ear. Sadly these men were already judged in his book. and it was distasteful... but a necessary evil.
He moved to follow behind Layla and when she finished searching the body he lifted it and gave it a heave over the edge... terrible tragedy them all falling down the mountaint and dying like that...
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She whispers back.
"Miss Night says we are to recover information. If he talks and tells us what he knows, Then we have that. After that we can ether let him go or drop him off with the local law. For now lets just get what we can out of him"
She says to Rrruh.
Randu arches a brow at the kick but leaves it be for now.
She sits cross legged in front of the lad, her fox mask on with just her eyes visible.
"Now my friends here want to ask you some things, if for one moment I think you are lying, I will hurt you really really badly."
she says this as a matter of fact not as threat, it will happen if he lies.
"If they like what they hear, you will have a chance to run form here alive and never ever come back."
She then waits for the others to ask what they want to know. Never taking her eyes off him.
Alas, Randu was never that diplomatic... he isn't skilled enough to play 'good constable bad constable'... but maybe he'll at least come out as 'slightly less bad' constable?
"Oh I can do more than that... I've magic to read thoughts. Need I cast it?" He eyes the prisoner . "Or will you save me the trouble and yourself some risk, and just be honest?"