"Daytaar? Not much I could tell you to be honest... they're really nothing more than an upstart gang of thieves - they've no business annointing themselves "Coterie" without control of a gate... that's what distinguishes the powerful from the impotent here in Zel-Argose. You want my opinion, go in... put the scarers on them... make sure folks know it was Avaar that sent you... then, soon as I've told Avaar the jobs done, they'll put you in touch with this other party looking for Lomrick".
Drill grimaces, "Look... there's over a hundred thousand souls call Zel-Argose home, it's a big place and you're not going to bump into your jagladine taking a coffee by the Zeph, if you don't take this opportunity then Lomrick may slip through your hands".
"Works for me. I've busted heads for worse reasons. Sometimes my anger gets the better of me."
"So we just have to let them know to not mess with our coterie, then. Do we need to engage in any property damage or any theft, or are we just there to spread the word?"
Drill smiles at Rikkan, "Zoreck here has the right of it... Avaar wants you to deliver a message - but that message is to ALL of the coteries... they want to show what happens when you interfere with Avaar's business... so it's, what did you call them? Ah yes, 'busted heads' and enough property damage to put Daytaar out of commission for a while... I'll deal with spreading the rumours about who did it and why. If you make enough of a show of it, this may even prove to be a good opportunity to let your Lomrick know, if he doesn't already, that you are looking for him".
"So... you're in? I can take you to where Avaar have found the Daytaar safe house now if you're ready?"
Rikkan nods his head. "That sounds like it our only option. Hopefully these rogues aren't very good people, so putting the hurt on them shouldn't be too awful. We don't really have much of a choice."
"I agree with you Rikkan. We don't have any choice." Drancis nods in agreement. "As for getting Lomrick's attention..." Drancis clenches his fists tightly, "I think I won't have any problems doing THAT!"
Standing to his feet he nods to Drill, "I am ready to go."
Illonna speaks up hesitantly "I'm sorry...but this is not something I'm entirely comfortable with. This business seems very" she searches for a word "underhanded. Is this really how justice is meted out on this world?"
As the friends are led through increasingly residential districts of Zel-Argose, Drill replies to Illonna, "The populace, or at least the majority of the people here, are subject only to the laws passed by the Auditor", he pauses for a moment as a look of distaste crosses his face, "but beneath the surface, the power truly lies with the Coteries... and, for as long as they have existed, they have warred with each other - a secret war of intrigue, posturing and subterfuge. On occasion, these struggles spill out into violence... and the Auditor, puppet-queen that she is, looks the other way". Realising that Illonna, and maybe the other friends are less than comfortable with the situation, Drill makes another observation, "Daytaar knew there would be repercussions when they raided Avaar... they left four Auttaine dead... these are not good people".
"Aaaaah, here we are", an ancient stone cenotaph stands here at the end of the street, flanked by a pair of large trees and surrounded by a thicket of overgrown shrubbery. The rectangular structure bears the weight of a crumbling statue representing a bearded warlord raising a stone spear towards the sky. The name, Valdo-Char, appears as an inscription on the monument’s facing in large letters.
The structure has suffered multiple attempts to vandalize it over the years, and clearly sees few visitors any longer.
Perception
Rikkan looked around the scene but due to its alien nature, he didn't spot anything out of the ordinary.
Zoreck looks at the odd glyphs on the statue and marvels that he's able to read them, even if the name is completely alien. Something then catches his attention behind the monument, and he moves in to take a closer look.
"Someone has cleared the vegetation here... and there are tracks through the sand. There might be a hidden entrance over here somewhere..." He looks for signs of such an entrance.
"This was one of the city's early warlord rulers. Not a lot of people have heard of him now." Drancis responds softly. "Careful, it may be trapped." He adds as he joins the search.
Once Zoreck has seen the cleared vegetation behind the cenotaph, it doesn't take much longer for Drancis to locate the polished stone that acts as a latch for a relatively well disguised secret door. A small landing waits behind the secret door, leading to an earthen staircase descending to the west. Stray tree roots have burst through the hard-packed ceiling overhead, and another five-foot landing marks a second stairway as the passage turns north...
Drill leans against the old monument, and taking care not to speak in the direction of the friends, whispers that he'll keep an eye out for any movement on the street, "It's a pretty quiet area here though... you folks should be alright".
Perception
"Who wants to take point? We need to take care on the way. If this is similar to thieves guilds on our world, I bet there will be a ton of traps."
"Traps...wonderful." Drancis grimaces. "We will also need some light here too."
"I can go in front"
As Drancis sets a light floating ahead of them, Illonna takes the lead and descends the staircase... turning to the north, the friends approach a simple room with a single door leading north. The room is near devoid of furniture beyond the pair of sconces in the northeast corner holding two torches - their light burning brighter even than the torch that Drancis is manipulating...
Perception
Rikkan follows close behind Illonna, looking around the room with his honed senses.
Moving, quite cautiously behind Illonna, Rikkan looks towards the northern door... and then sees them, to either side of the main door, there are concealed doors within the wall - and in each of those doors, peepholes...
"Look! Peepholes there and there. We are being watched I'd bet.". He walks over to the right most concealed door to see if he could find a way to open it.
Zoreck draws his pistol as he descends the stairs. He enters the room and looks about suspiciously.
"I've got a bad feeling about this..."
He points his pistol at the door, ready to shoot if it opens.
Zoreck was right to be nervous as, either side of the main door, the secret doors that Rikkan had seen suddenly crash open... amidst cries of "Daytaar!!!' and "Get 'em boys!!!", a woman standing behind two onrushing men demands the friends go back the way that they came... and the men, blackened daggers in their hands, emphasise the message with brutal force...
Zoreck pulls the trigger, firing at the first Daytaar thug who rushes out.
Zoreck barely flinches at the thug's dagger now sticking out of his side. He draws his sword, and savagely attacks the thug that just hit him.
Rikkan throws an alchemical bomb at the unengaged thug.
RTA
Damage
Use mythic surge to add to attack roll. for a total of 16 RTA.
In the tight confines of the room, the noise from Zoreck's pistol sounds like the epicentre of a thunderstorm - and, when the onrushing thug is not dissuaded by Zoreck's gun, the Numerian cuts him down with his sword. At the other side of the room, the second thug is badly scorched by Rikkan's bomb... but continues to fight, rushing Illonna...
...the woman though, seeing the first of the thugs fall to Zoreck's sword, slams the door shut.
Zoreck holsters his pistol and steps toward the thug fighting Illonna. Gripping his sword in both hands, he slashes furiously at the man trying to kill his friend.
...but the thug ducks at the last minute, and the Numerian's sword swishes through the air.
Drancis grabs a loose stone with his mind and sends it at the remaining thug with practiced ease.
Drancis, trying to fling the loose rock at Illonna's attacker, struggles with the chaos of the melee... and his stone nearly glances wide... adjusting the trajectory as it lofts airborne, Drancis strikes the thug near the nape of his neck and he collapses...
Thanks to Rikkan's timely warning Illonna is able to turn on her attacker quickly. Unfortunately her companions where quicker still and by the time her longsword was out of its sheath the two thugs were incapacitated. She puts it away again and checks on their condition, trying to preserve the mens lives.
Rikkan delays to see if the others can take out the remaining enemy before expending more of his magic.
Illonna, sheathing her sword, kneels next to the Daytaar gang members that had attacked her friends... and, after ensuring that they are restrained, ensures that today is not the day that they die. Whilst Illonna stablises the dying thugs, Rikkan and the others quickly check the doors that head north. The central door remains locked whilst the concealed doors that the thugs rushed through remain open - and lead into a pair of bunk rooms.
A simple cot with a mattress and blanket sits against the walls, along with empty wine cups and dirty plates with the remains of recently consumed meals. In each of the rooms, a door opposite the bed provides an exit into a central corridor...
"They know we are here. Let's push on before they can completely prepare for us!"
"Right behind you." Drancis nods in reply as he takes up his position behind the ratfolk waiting for the others to proceed further.
From the small corridor into which the doors from the bedrooms lead, there are three doors... listening at the eastern and western doors tells the friends nothing whilst, without having to specifically listen at the door, a peculiar whirring noise is coming from the northern door.
Rikkan pushes toward the door with the strange noise coming from it. Theyll never expect us to follow that path, will they?!
Perception
Zoreck reloads his pistol with a regular bullet and powder, and then holsters it. At Rikkan's suggestion, he remarks, "Works for me." He covers the door with his pistol while Rikkan examines it.
Listening at the door, Rikkan hears the sorceress whispering to someone else... a gruff voice replying to her, "Let them come... I will send Avaar's lackeys back to those Light Lovers in Pieces!!!"
Rikkan drinks down his Cognatogen, increasing his Intelligence. He then points at the open door, holding up two fingers to let them know that at least one other was with the sorceress.
Zoreck approaches the door, as quietly as he can. He faces his friends with a raised eyebrow and gestures toward the door. He then turns to the door again, and points at it with his pistol. With his other hand, he holds up three fingers... Then two... then one...
Then he throws open the door!
The spacious chamber beyond the door contains a heavily-padded bed in the northwest corner and a punching bag hanging from the ceiling directly south of it. A strange mélange of body odor and machine oil permeates the air... and there, talking to the sorceress, is a four-armed figure - muscles rippling around pistons and metallic rods within its upper arms. He turns and looks at Zoreck as he bursts in, "So these are Avaar's finest?"
Zoreck draws his sword and charges at the sorceress, firing his pistol as he closes.
Illonna hustles into the room alongside Zoreck.
Moving in behind Illonna and Zoreck, Locke takes one look at the muscle-bound fighter... and fixes him with his eyes. Concentrating hard, he throws his head back and screams a noiseless scream - the Daytaar thug's eyes open wide as he clutches his head with all four arms...
Seeing Locke disable the guard, the sorcerer - bleeding badly from the wounds inflicted by Zoreck's weapons - opens her mouth wide open and screams at Locke in return...
Rikkan notices the sorceress alone and throws an alchemical bomb at the her.
RTA
Damage with Cognatogen
Drancis nearly clamps his hands to his ears as the echoing of the screams reach his ears. Gaaahhh...that hurts!
Gritting his teeth against the pain, he holds up his arms and focuses his mental powers upon the bubbles...the aether that surrounds every thing...
...drawing them into one large bubble...and ready to split in two...
Rikkan's bomb, bouncing from the relatively low ceiling in the room, crashes against the sorcerer... screaming in pain as her injuries threaten unconsciousness, she throws her hands up, "Surrender!!! I surrender!!!"
Illonna lowers her weapon
Seeing Illonna lower her weapon, Zoreck growls at the four-armed warrior, "Best you give up the fight as well..."
The sorceress, bent nearly double in pain from her wounds, pleads with her Daytaar colleague, "Veelan... the game is up!!! It will go better with Avaar if we comply". The four-armed man seems to consider this for a second before spitting his response, "Never surrender"... and crashing into Illonna...
That...was a MISTAKE!
Drancis needs no further urging as he manipulates the clouds of aether around the four-armed man preparing to lift him up and fling him against the wall.