”She tried to slap me but other than that, nothing”, says a disappointed Tanith.
”Turns out she was spying on me the whole night – trying to find out more about that gold Seeker ring we found in the Cairn. Once I caught on, she stormed out in a huff.”
"You upset Red? If it was something Smenk said, say the word I'll go in there and lay him out for you..."
Carina's expression softens a bit.
...is he seriously this dense? Fine. Plan B.
"Tanith, as much as I appreciate the thought of you breaking Smenk's nose, he's not who I'm upset about." She blinks a few more times.
"No. I'm upset at you." Her tail is beginning to slow down.
"Here's why. You've flirted with me ever since we met, and while I was skeptical of you at first, you going out of your way to help us get though the Cairn gave me several reasons to reconsider. In fact, I was starting to loosen up around you, even contemplating dating you." She unfolds her arms. She feels her throat tighten.
"Now, I've had my share of men flirt with me before. It usually took the form of catcalls and whistling, mostly out of a desire to humiliate me. I was used to it. I can count the number of times someone has been genuinely interested in me on one hand." She takes a breath.
"When I saw you and Tirra together, I didn't know what to think anymore. I don't even know what you want from me. What do you want from me?" She looks up into Tanith's eyes.
She's not glaring anymore. Tears are forming in the corners of her eyes.
[dice=Sense Motive (aiding Tanith)]1d20+3
Astraden thinks this sounds like a good idea. We might be able to get Dourstone's head and then inform on Smenk about it later.
"Could you draw us a map to Dourstone's quarters? I don't know about Tanith, but that sounds like a fair job to me."
Smenk snorts. "I'm not your cartographer. Ask around. You can't miss it."
"Who is the Faceless One? Does he really have no face?"
"Vecnan wizard. Wears a mask." Smenk grimaces. "I think he's their leader, or one of their leaders."
The Dourstone Mine is right across town and doesn't take long to reach. It's currently the day shift, naturally, so human guards patrol around the premises. There is a wooden stockade marking the camp's perimeter, and a small watchtower.
For a long moment Tanith is speechless. He’d had women upset with him before. He’d even been slapped more times than he could count but he’d never seen a girl as hurt as Carina looked at that moment.
He gives Carina a sad smile – an awkward expression on the big man’s rugged features.
”Red, Kord teaches us to act on our instincts – Live a life of passion. A man without fire isn’t a man at all”, Tanith explains in one of his rare religious moments.
Looking into Carina’s eyes, the brawny Suel continues. ”But even if I’d had a night in the sheets with Tirra, it wouldn’t have meant anything. It’s just sex, just like it’s been with a dozen other girls around Diamond Lake. She wasn’t special – not like you.”
Carina takes several breaths, holding back tears. When she looks into Tanith's eyes again, her eyes are turning redder than usual.
"And what makes me special to you?" She whispers.
How am I any different from the girls he's been with before? Well, aside from the obvious?
Tanith holds Carina’s chin so he can look her in the eyes. ”You didn’t hear me the first time? You’re clever; You’re sweet; You’re brave.”
”And red’s my favorite color”, he adds with another warm laugh.
Robin nods and turns to Astraden. "I'll go and inspect the area. Come meet me when you're ready."
He turns to Smenk and bows. "Pleasure."
Robin leads Bermintrude behind him as he passes Carina and Tanith. "Oh Tanith!" He calls, and throws a small pouch containing 25 gold. "Your cut from the game. Enjoy it, old bean!"
He nods at Carina happily and continues on his way.
Carina giggles, her tears streaming down her face as Robin tosses a pouch to Tanith.
Heedless of Robin's interruption, she hugs Tanith, her tail settling down and curling around his leg.
"Robin, could you scout it out and come back? I need a few minutes to prepare spells."
Astraden hangs back along the Vein.
Tanith catches the pouch and then returns Carina's affection, squeezing her slight form tight against his bare torso. He notes, briefly, the tail wrapped around his leg. It wasn't a bad sensation.
"Now come on Red. We've got to get ready for the mines. The others are going to need us."
Carina pulls away, rubbing her eyes with her hand.
"Right. Of course."
She heads over to Astraden, her mind now fully focused on getting the job done.
Robin leaves Bermintrude slightly further back and sneaks to the outskirts of the residence.
He's far more focused on gathering intelligence, however.
Robin easily eludes detection by the two guards in the tower, taking shelter behind a rock.
Two more guards are at the gate. One of them almost does notice Robin, but the distance saves the hunter from being spotted while he crawls behind a bush.
The stockade is about ten feet tall, and there is only one entrance robin can see: The front gate.
Tanith smiles at Carina and gives her a wink. ”That’s my girl. I’ll be back in a bit.”
The big man lumber off. He returns to his room to towel off, get his things, and dress in his armor.
Robin skirts around to watch the mine entrance for a brief minute.
Farrukh scratches the back of his neck awkwardly when Carina and Tanith's conversation starts and slips away when he can.
Once at the mines, he follows after Robin, quietly as he can.
Astraden sits down on a grassy hummock and prays to Olidammara for a short bit. She nods at Carina but doesn't speak, to preserve concentration.
Carina waits until Astraden has finished praying before speaking.
"Any suggestions for extracts I should prepare?" She digs out her alchemy kit.
"I'm sure healing and protection would come in handy," Astraden says as she gets up. She dusts bits of grass off her pants. "So, you're okay with Tanith now?"
Carina starts mixing up a couple of shield extracts.
"I think we've started the healing process." She says, glancing up briefly from her work with a smile before refocusing on her extracts. If she didn't get the balance of ingredients just right, the shield reagents would over-saturate the solution and ruin the whole effect...
Robin and Farrukh remain hidden. After about a minute, four men come out of the gate and start circling around. They come back the other side, still none the wiser to the presence of the two spies, and go back behind the stockade.
When Farrukh, Robin, Tanith & Cuetzpalli return, Carina presents three vials filled with black liquid.
"I stopped by the church of St. Cuthbert yesterday, looking for some potions and stuff that we could use. Guess what I found?" She says with a smile.
"They're oils of magic weapon." She holds the vials out for someone to take. "Just rub these on your weapons and they'll enchant them to... be..." She trails off, her eyes widening and her face turning maroon.
"Um, t-that sounded less suggestive in my head."
Tanith chuckles and stows the vial. ”Thanks Red. I’ll be sure to save this for when my weapon needs a good rubbing.”
”So what’s the plan? We’re going to try sweet talking our way past the guards?”
Carina nods. "To be honest, I like that plan more than sneaking past them." She pats her coin purse. "I've got a fair bit of money to spend on bribes here, and odds are we'll need it."
Tanith frowns at the notion of bribing their way into the mines. Using coin to settle problems felt like the coward’s way out but it was better than killing decent men.
”Okay but don’t let the fools take advantage of you. I’ve worked with these guys before. If they think they can take you for a fortune, they will. Sometimes you’ve just got to let your fists do the talking.”
"Great thinking, Carina!" Farrukh says as he stows the vial.
"Could have used this back in the Cairn, actually. We'll have to go in more prepared if we ever want to do something like that again." he muses.
"Anyway...I'm not much of a sweet talker, but if that's what you guys want to try I'll try and keep my mouth shut."
The guards look suspicious as they see an unfamiliar group approaching.
Carina clears her throat and approaches the guards.
"Hello, gentlemen. My associates and I are conducting an investigation into the health and safety standards of the Dourstone Mine. Would you be so kind as to let us in?"
She jingles her coin purse. "Rest assured that should you do so, you'll be well-compensated for your time."
Tanith clears his throat and nods in confirmation of Carina’s story. It might have been a couple years since Tanith had been in the mines but some of the guards were bound to remember him. ”Don’t worry, I’ll make sure the girl doesn’t step into a pit or something.”
Astraden smiles at one of the guards. "Yeah, Dourstone isn't concerned about the health and safety of the miners or anything: Just that of his excellent guards! How healthy and safe are you feeling, sir?"
The guards' suspicion seems to lessen. They exchange looks, then shrug. One of them even smiles at Astraden. "Feeling fine, priestess. Though Dourstone's been buying us the crappy beer lately. Thinks we won't know the difference."
A guard with short black hair and an ugly scar on his cheek shoots his coworker a glare, then turns to Carina's group. "I'll go with you all, just to make sure the miners don't try anything. They're a desperate lot."
Did the scarred guard just give a signal to someone in the tower?
[dice=But if you insist – Bluff]1d20+1
Carina focuses on the scarred guard. "Sir, I assure you that my associates and I can handle ourselves if any of the miners try anything. Look at us: we all have enough muscle together to keep ourselves safe from harm. There's no need for you to accompany us, and I'm certain your friend in the tower would agree with you." She adds, pointedly looking up at the guard in the tower.
The guard quickly nods. "Yes, yes, of course. Go on right ahead."
"Here, for your vigilance."
Astraden hands a moderate fistful of platinum to the black-haired guard.
"Here, for your vigilance."
Astraden hands a moderate fistful of platinum to the black-haired guard.
[dice=Diplomacy (aid)]1d20+2
The guard's eyes bulge, and he forgets his suspicion.
The other guard scowls, probably wishing he'd threatened to follow, too, but doesn't say anything.