Juliet almost yells out as Balston's blade punctures her armor, drawing blood, but the singer grits her teeth and holds the pain in, focusing it into anger. It is not enough and Balston steps back out of her reach as Juliet scowls in frustration.
Tybalt registers that the elf is escaping, and is torn between the two targets. Ultimately he decides that Balston must die first.
He curses as his eyes are drawn to the elf, and his arrow ends up somewhere in the middle. He breathes, trying to find his focus.
Balston parries back Juliet's attack. "When will you learn, girl?"
Sensing that things are going poorly against the tough, Zaladrel calls upon a sacred flame to burn the human...
Down goes Balston in a beam of radiant light. The floor, once again, goes quiet. There's still some papers and money on top of a dresser near the old bed in the back of the room and an open window overlooking the courtyard in the back.
Juliet runs to the window, drawing her handaxe as she goes, looking out into the night for the elf.
Roakkard also pursues after the elf, if he is able. If he sees him he will fling an eldritch bolt at him.
The elf is checking his back, speedily making his way through the back of the courtyard carrying something in his arms! Something wrapped or bundled in dirty cloth?
Tybalt let's fly an arrow!
The combined attack from you all out the window causes the elf to stumble into some refuse in the alley. He falls out of sight. A crash is heard.
Zaladrel look at the others,Should we head down? Do you think there are others in the building?
Roakkard shakes his head. "Let's look around up here first. There may be others hiding in the rooms."
Zal, without thinking, offers the warlock a "casual" signal meaning "as you say"", used among various Shoanti tribes in the western area of Varisia, perhaps betraying his time spent more with humans than with elves in the last few decades. The elf idly looks around the room attempting to ascertain if anything is of interest.
Tossing the dagger, hilt first, to Tybalt, Juliet hefts Spite and grins. Leaning down to Balston, she runs the blade through his neck, once, just to be sure the man won't be getting up again. Unless he comes back like I did...
Ducking back out the door and into the hall, the singer grunts as she steps over Balston's corpse, pain running up Juliet's side where the drug dealer stabbed her. Unconsciously, Juliet's hand goes to her side, and she's surprised to find that one of her puncture wounds stops bleeding and begins to close up.
Stopping in front of a door in the hall, the woman readies Spite and placing her buckler-hand on the knob of the door, swings it open...
Juliet, This dank room stinks of mildew, and the only light creeps through a single grease-stained window. An old, drafty door is in the back of the room where more cooing can be heard. The room’s simple furnishings include a worn mattress, some crate-furniture, and three rusted birdcages. Atop a makeshift desk sit some calligraphy pens, a ream of fine parchment, and a stand holding an oversized magnifying lens. A sack of birdseed rests beneath the cages.
An elderly man in old longshoreman rags with cloudy eyes is holding a cane threateningly towards you. "Back! I heard you sonnies making a ruckus and I won't let you hurt muh poor birds!"
Roakkard follows behind Juliet, staff held at the ready. He takes a keen interest in the calligraphy set. "No one here is interested in hurting your birds. Or you either, unless you become a threat." He looks over some of the scraps of parchment still lying on the makeshift desk.
"There ain't no money or drugs here. Just muh birds and I ain't lettin' nobody mess with them. You don't scare me, thug! Breakin' into a church and robbin' people. Y'all should be ashamed!"
Roakkard you quickly scan the documents. They are in small ribbons. Definitely for transport on the pigeons. The sentences are vague and meaningless. A few numbers are there. "Raining today." and "14 Charity gifts later.". The last strip on your scan, "Got any more?" seems pretty blatant. Codes.
Juliet rounds on the elderly man, holding the hilt of Spite up above her head, as if to strike him. "YOU should be ashamed of yourself, old man, using a church to peddle shiver. You've got two choices to make - you can get your favorite squab and nothing else and get out of here, NOW, or we can string you up and dangle you from the window for the crows to eat. Your choice."
Zal balked at the sudden intensity from the otherwise unassuming Juliet she looked "nice" but her words were anything but. Zal simply strokes his chin a moment and stare passively to see what the old man will say...
Tybalt catches his second dagger, and it disappears in his sleeve a moment later.
He shudders and remains outside of the pigeon room as the others barge in.
"Jules...did you recognize that elf? That mask made him look like some sort of performer."
"Where were these messages being sent? I assume we have a common acquaintance." Roakkard looks sternly at the pigeon keeper.
Juliet rounds on the elderly man, holding the hilt of Spite up above her head, as if to strike him. "YOU should be ashamed of yourself, old man, using a church to peddle shiver. You've got two choices to make - you can get your favorite squab and nothing else and get out of here, NOW, or we can string you up and dangle you from the window for the crows to eat. Your choice."
[dice=intimidate]1d20+5
The old man cowers at your demands. "Alright I'll get goin' but don't hurt! Shoreman's Promise! Let me get my bird, Pengus, an' I'll be outta your lines quick as a gib."
He scuffles to the cages submissively. You can see he's using his hands to "feel" his way than his murky grey eyes.
"Not that yin's would believe me, but I donno nothin' bout no shiver. The messages were goin' to my friends down at the docks to keep in touch. I feed muh birds. Balston handled the messages... I can't see so good anymore."
Juliet lays her fencing blade across the man's chest as he moves out the room, stopping him momentarily. "What do you think Balston was doing with those messages? Like it or not, you're complicit. Find a better use for your bird, or we'll meet again."
Letting him go, Juliet enters the hall again and turns the knob on the next door, swinging it open...
"Jules...did you recognize that elf? That mask made him look like some sort of performer."
Juliet shrugs. "It does look like an entertainer's mask, Ty, but I've not seen it before. I don't think the guy made it too far, though - we can take it off him and ask around."
"I.. I don't know! What do you mean? Irontooth... he's muh nephew. He took up the family trade at the docks after his father passed. Been writing to him to make sure he keeps his nose clean!"
I assume he overhears your discussion of the elf and expresses disdain while gathering his belongings.
So long as the old man proves no threat, Roakkard will continue to follow Juliet, holding staff at the ready.
Zal looks to the old man, What of the elf, neighbor? You know him?
"As much as I'd want to. He had one of those fancy elf names... I can't recall it, but the elf has a monstrous heart. All he cares about is money."
Tybalt suppresses a chuckle. I'm sure he has other concerns now.
"Let's find him before the rats do." He heads out the church, taking the back exit, to cautiously follow the blood trail.
Roakkard turns when he hears Tybalt's departure.
"Let the elf be for now. I do not want us to get separated. That turned out to be devastating the last time, and we have not yet secured the building."
Juliet, you turn the knob into a poorly furnished room. A copper lantern hangs from the ceiling of this windowless room. Aside from peeling paint, a worn pallet, and some threadbare woolen blankets, there is little of interest.
A young boy, not quite a man, is cowering in the back corner. "I tried to get away, but I just couldn't. The Pauper's got a lot of friends..." The boy is sniffling. "Please--- make it quick for a snitch like me."
Juliet lowers her blade and steps into the room. Sighing, she squats down next to the boy, at level with his cowering. Regarding him silently for a long moment, she affects a softer tone, asking the boy a series of quick questions, barely pausing between his answers. "Boy, who do you think we are? Balston had it coming to him, but you're no enemy of mine. What was your role here? Who is this Pauper? We're looking for a man called Lamm. Talk and you walk."
"I thought Balston and the Pauper found out about me snitchin. I thought you were here to set things straight...." His shock turns to surprise! A manic smile is seen on his dirty face. You also notice a distinct, twitchyness about him. His voice is high and nasal.
"Folks call me Madrat. Balston made me sleep on the floor since I'm the new guy in Pauper's crew. I sling for him."
His hysterical expression quickly turns back sour and has a sheepish demeanor upon the mention of the name Lamm.
"Oohhh not him. No. No. No. He's a scary dude. I heard he eats kids!"
Nodding as Roakkard mentions not separating Zal hears the increasing stress of the new found boy...A story to strike fear into the hearts of the young who are convinced to do his work, Zal kneels to show the boy he is no threat, But a man. A man who is not a friend and who we mean to stop. Do you know where we can find him or those who work with Blaston and the Pauper?
A scowl crosses Juliet's face. A twitcher snitch. Not the most reliable informant, probably, but at least he's got the backbone for it.
Putting her hand on the boy's shoulder, the singer looks at the twitcher for a long moment, staring him down while Zaladrel plays good cop. "My friend here is nicer than I. Me? I've got no patience for slingers... and you don't work for Balston any more, Madrat. Who is the Pauper? Do you know where Lamm is? Spill it and you walk. If not..." Juliet looks down to her other hand, still gripping Spite.
"The Pauper's the ones with the connections! Or maybe Balston! Since none of us have seen the Pauper since yesterday. It seemed there was some action when a gang hit us yesterday. Rumor has that the Pauper split last night and Balston was moving in to take his territory in his absence. I wanted to get out before Balston took over but I didn't have any time.. or a choice."
Tybalt sticks around, but he isn't happy about it.
"We're not here for the building. The one in the mask seemed to know what's going on, and I don't like having him out of my sight.
"We'll find him soon enough. One way or another. I do not like leaving the building unsearched. There could be more combatants here, or even Lamm himself, hiding somewhere in the darkness."
Juliet stands, and waves her blade towards the door. "Get out, Madrat, and get yourself some help."
Turning to her brother, she says, "Roakkard's right. That elf is either dead or gone. We need to clear this building."
Sliding into the hall, Juliet swings the door open in front of Zal...
Zal nods at the half-elf and readies himself for whatever might be behind the next door...
You open the door and find another vacant. This room is remarkably clean for a flophouse, and the bed actually looks comfortable—or at least free of lice. Three wardrobe cases lie pushed beneath the bed. The drawers half half open/closed and scraps of clothing and belongings are rustled about.
Juliet pulls the wardrobe cases out from under the bed, giving them a cursory look-through, and then checks under the bed itself, flips the mattress over and goes through the rustled through items, not really thinking she's going to find in this obviously picked over room.
After tossing the room (some more), she moves onto the two rooms to the south.
She pays little more attention in these rooms as well.
Roakkard slowly looks over the room that Juliet tossed nonchalantly. He doesn't really bother looking under anything that had been turned over. But his eyes are definitely peeled for further information.
Zaladrel moves with the others casting an eye about for anything that seems of interest...
The room appears to have been quickly rummaged. Judging by the quality of the room this might have been where the leader stays.
Juliet you actually, in your blundering about you actually catch something of note under the bed. It's an empty vial of makeup. Professional quality judging from your time as a performer.
Tybalt tries to make the best of a weak situation, and looks to filter the meaningless trash from the clues. Though getting the masked elf to fess up would've been better.
Zal frowns, IT doesn't seem that there is much here. Perhaps we should leave with what we have and check the alley?
Tybalt you recognize a few tiny hints this was the room of the guy you encountered last night.
The trash and clues don't add anything new. It's clearly a ransacked room and the former tenant left in a hurry.