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Davina nods to Dom. "I know my friend. You will do your best to make sure all this comes out all right. I'll do what I can do to make sure none of may family comes to harm. Even my Mother." she says that with a wry look on her face.
"Right now we need to keep the cousins calm. They are almost as hot headed as Jess and Sabrina."
Arani frowns. "Alright, but minimal exposure. I'll be damned if you get taken by those bastards."
"I'll do what I can do to make sure none of may family comes to harm. Even my Mother."
"Yes, even your mother, Sudarynya," Domitius says, with mock exasperation.
"So, to recap what I’m telling them: The latest Proclamation has put Sudarynya in peril. You are laying low until this can be made right," he pauses, pointing at Davina. "Their only responsibility is to stay out of trouble, and do nothing that puts the house or its inhabitants at risk. The elders of the house cannot be trusted. Does that sound right?" Dom pauses for a minute, then gets the 'idea face.' "If and only if I have an opportunity, are there any personal effects or items you want me to gather or secure?" Dom thinks furiously, but can’t figure out an effective way to get either the portrait of Master Derius, nor the family portrait of Davina, Derius, and Kelyana smuggled out of the house safely. Keep thinking, Dom. You get this right, you have a future as an art thief ahead of you...!
"Alright, but minimal exposure. I'll be damned if you get taken by those bastards."
Dom listens intently, and nods back at Arani. "Of course. Like mouse..."
Dom has another instance of the ‘oh yeah’ face. "If I am going back to house, I have a stop I could afford to make…"
ERADON MANOR (21 Gozran)
Dom (and anyone else who wants to tag along) heads out into the mist and fog. The streets are fairly quiet, though there are small gatherings where Lord-Mayor Thrune's latest proclamation has been posted.
There's another minor surprise this day: The toll to cross the Bleakbridge has increased from 3 copper pinches to 5 silver shields! That means that to make a round-trip over the river and back again now costs a citizen a full gold sail! Outrageous!!
The streets around Davina's parents' manor are quiet, and there's no sign of any dottari, Queensman, or Hellknight presence nearby. Interestingly, there's a box near the front door that contains half-a-dozen copies of some of Davina's older works of fiction.
Knocking at the door brings a worried-looking cousin--Sarila--to the door. She says that a dottari patrol delivered a copy of the latest proclamation earlier that morning and demanded that any of Davina's books on the premises be turned over by nightfall. Sarila says that she and her other cousins are gathering a handful of books to turn over, hoping that will satisfy the dottari. She also whispers an admission that they are keeping the matter secret from Davina's parents. She asks if Davina is safe.
T'chazzar says to Dom sourly, "Well, if you do get caught, we'll have to assume that we're compromised, as they'll bring in mind-magic once they realize they have an actual rebel. I'll see what we can do to spring you if the worst happens."
"You can't get the entire library. There are some letters from Kelyana that need hidden, and if the portrait could end up in the basement behind the wall. Sarila will know where to put it. I'm thankful for the help." Davina stays at the Tooth and Nail waiting for everyone to return.
As he walks to the grounds of Eradon Manor, Domitius makes a conscious effort to not sneak, slink, skulk, or otherwise behave surreptitiously. You belong here. The thought proves rather comforting as he arrives at the house. As Sarila explains what has transpired, Dom nods. "Your cousin is safe, and is laying low until we find a way to set this right. You were correct to keep this quiet. Both your parents and Davina's own pose no small amount of risk in this situation."
"Your most important task now is to keep the lot of you safe. If the dottari demand more books, don't go to jail trying to protect what they will seize anyway. If people come to do harm to the house, you must escape, and get everyone to safety. Do not die for mere things. You understand, yes?" Sarila nods, blinking with some trepidation but understanding the situation. Dom begins to realize he may have judged Davina's cousins too harshly. Not all people can be made to wield blade or spell, battling evil. Some do their part just by being good-hearted. We must hope there are more of them than can be stamped out.
"Your cousin has some personal letters from Miss Kelyana she would like you to keep safe." Dom relays their location, having gotten that from Davina before leaving. As he talks, he eyes up the portrait on the wall. "For now, this might look better in the basement, do you not agree? I think the painting in the upstairs library would look good here, the lakeside scene," trying to suggest one of similar size to take up the now-slightly conspicuous blank spot on the wall. "Can you manage getting this one downstairs? If not I will move it after I get the other painting."
ERADON MANOR (21 Gozran)
Dom checks in with Sarila, listening to her report while passing Davina's messages on. Sarila says the dottari were businesslike and professional during their visit, so she thinks they can be put off with the offering of a few of Davina's old writings. After a quick walk-through of the grounds, Dom finds nothing out of order. He returns to the Tooth and Nail with no problem, pretty much in time for lunch.
Doing his best to make sure he's not followed*, Domitius winds his way back through the city to the Tooth and Nail. After greeting T'chazzar and Arani with a smile ("See? Like mouse."), he reports in to Davina, standing almost solider-like at attention to report back to her. "I spoke with Sarila. Your cousins seem to be handling the situation as best they can. They are keeping this from both your parents, and theirs. The three of them are trying to mollify the dottari by sacrificing some of your older works; I have impressed upon them that they are not to endanger themselves over the issue under any circumstances."
"The portrait you mentioned is down in the basement, I moved a painting from upstairs so that the wall does not look conspicuously empty. Sarila has secured your letters from Kelyana." Dom had made sure to know where Davina's cousin placed them, and relays the location.
Domitius scowls in concern. "I found no signs that the house or your family were in any immediate danger, so I have returned. But I will not lie, Sudarynya, I feel very... uneasy about this. I keep waiting for the other foot to drop."
TOOTH AND NAIL (21 Gozran)
Despite the ominous feeling Dom's getting, he doesn't believe he's been followed back to the tavern.
Domitius looks around at his comrades. "I know we had been talking about looking for the lictor; does this new Proclamation change anything? I am loath to leave, given Sudarynya having been called out by name, but I do not yet see a reason to not go." The half-orc feels a bit embarrassed at the idea that Barry's got him jumping at shadows.
Falina had intended to go along with Dom to the manor but as she was getting ready he left her! He was the one who convinced her that none of them should do things alone but what did he do?! He went alone!
When Dom came back and delivered his report Falina sat there and simply glared daggers at him. She was relieved he made it back in one piece, and apparently not followed, but she was still miffed he went alone. Her mood kept her silent through the conversation but she did respond when the question of whether their plans needed to change came up and said, "No," she shook her head, "much as I hate the idea I think we need him and his forces so we should go through with contacting him."
If we allow the proclamation to stop everything we're doing...well then he succeeds doesn't he? You don't think this was specifically the main objective? We struck a pretty hard blow in the town square, gave people a reason to believe in the resistance." Arani says, speaking quietly but with an intensity that carries far more weight than a raised voice would.
"He wants us to hide, to lay low and let any momentum we're building die down."
Dom shakes his head in exasperation. “Arani, if Mayor Barry has any sort of rational objective, I’ll be damned if I can see what it might be. From the start, nothing that idiot has done has made a lick of sense. But I agree, in the absence of a concrete threat we can’t let him distract our efforts. The lictor should be our next course of action.”
Domitius had noticed the venomous look Falina was giving him earlier, but wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. The only thing he knew for sure was that he didn’t want to get on the woman’s bad side.
TOOTH AND NAIL (21 Gozran)
Setrona says that the shrine where she believes her cousin to be hiding out is less than an hour's walk from the Rust Gate. The Shrine of Saint Senex is located along the western riverbank of the Yolubilis, hidden away in some swamplands.
Setrona also warns the party that the Rust Gate isn't open at all hours any more: Instead, the dottari guards there open the gates briefly at daybreak, noon, midafternoon, and at sunset. The short woman suggests the party either go in disguise or have a good cover story for their sojourn. She also suggests bringing some sort of disguise for the lictor, should he indeed be hiding in the sea shrine.
"If you leave the city the next time the gate opens, you might be able to make it back in time for the last opening around dusk," Setrona states.
Dom braces himself for Falina's scorn, and does his best to keep his cool, and make sense of himself as he tries to explain. "I am thinking you are upset that I left for the manor without you. If that is the case, then I have very well earned your anger." He frowns, trying to gather his thoughts. "It has not been long that I have been a free man to make my own decisions, Falina, and it would seem I am terrible at it. I seem to have a tendency to look -- no, to leap before I look, and I think it gets worse when there is danger." Another long pause, and he continues. "After the ordeals that Jessibel was put through, the doghousing, then the branding, and then Zea's... what happened to Zea, I find myself trying to stop it all. Like, if I take all the risks, then no one else will die. I say it out loud and it sounds so dumb, but in the moment it's all that goes through my head."
"I'm not telling you this to excuse my rashness, but I'm hoping it'll help you understand it. I am sorry, Falina. I hope you can forgive me." Dom braces for whatever might come next...
Arani shakes her head with a sigh that carries a hint of exasperation at Dom's response but maintains her focus on what was important for the moment.
"So disguises, and head out to the shrine?"
Dom shrugs at Arani's sigh. "Hey, I'd love to know his plan, it'd then be that much easier to fold it up on itself, and send his ass on a bumpy cart ride back to Egorian."
"As to your point, yes, we need a good pretext for a half dozen people to be going out that gate..."
"Thank you Dom. I feel better now. I'll stay a way for a while, and hopefully this will blow over with a new proclamation."
"We can go fishing or hunting for the day. Food IS getting expensive in the city, and you know how hard it is for the hard workers of this city to make ends meet." Eustoma is suggesting they dress as day laborers who are trying to supplement their food with fresh fish or game.
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"You followed me on when I tried to seduce information from those guards on the holding house because you were worried it might not go as I planned," she said as she continued to glower at him, "You were right to do so as was shown by the end result." She paused as she continued to glare, "You should practice what you preach of having backup!" With that she whirled away and prepared to storm off to cool down.
"We can go fishing or hunting for the day. Food IS getting expensive in the city, and you know how hard it is for the hard workers of this city to make ends meet."
Dom smiles at Davina, trying to keep her mind off trouble. "Indeed, I have had to take up both gardening and carpentry. Who knew being a masked terror of the night was such a poorly-paying profession? We’ll have to do at least some prep to look plausible, slings are probably the weapon of choice for a little hunting on the side, no?"
"So you’re right. If I want to live through this, I have to start being smarter. I will try very hard to keep this in mind from now on. Thank you, Falina." Dom smiles at her, and nods his head.
Who knew.” Davina smiles at Dom. ”I’m ready to head out when everyone else is. I just need to do my disguise.”
THE RUST GATE AND SOUTHERN ARGO ISLE (21 Gozran)
Your party makes it to the Rust Gate in time for the midafternoon opening. The dottari on duty there ask some basic questions but allow your group to pass without incident.
Once you're out of sight from the gate's watchtowers, you leave the Ravounel Road and follow the coastline. Soon the land grows swampy. The water never gets more than a foot deep, so passage isn't too difficult.
Eventually, you spot an upthrust escarpment of stone that overlooks the Yolubilis. A 2-foot-wide path rises up from the marshy ground, leading to what appears to be a heap of stones and driftwood. The mound has an opening on the southeast side, flanked by two poles sporting gouts of fire that dance erratically in the ocean breeze.
Beneath the shrine’s dome--flanking a wide stone altar--await two figures clad in tattered rags. Seashells are woven into the long beard of a middle-aged human male, while a similarly-aged female's braids hang down past her waist, shells and bits of driftwood knotted in their lengths.
"What brings you travelers to our humble shrine?" calls the male caretaker.
You see a catch on the side of the low altar and believe it may be some sort of trap door.
Dom approaches, sizing up the two caretakers . An interesting style they've got there, he thinks to himself. Not sure I could pull it off, or would want to, but I guess good for them?
"Um, hello. We've come from the city," he begins. "We're searching for someone, and have been led to believe they might be here." Dom's face flashes concern, and he turns back to his friends. "Hey, any chance Setrona gave you guys some way to establish our bona fides with the lictor?" Man, that word still sounds funny. Lictor. Lictor...
THE RUST GATE AND SOUTHERN ARGO ISLE (21 Gozran)
Their trip to the shrine was rather uneventful and Falina had no troubles at the gate having assumed yet another form. When they reached the shrine she saw the strange couple and eyed them warily.
As she was she noticed something on the alter, something that implied where the man they were looking for might be found. She didn't mention what she noticed for now feeling it was better not to, and said, "We recently aided some of the person's friends out of trouble and were suggested that we could let them know if we came here."
Standing back and keeping watch over the area, Arani is preoccupied with threat assessment, though she listens in as the others address the caretakers of the shrine.
"Friends that they might have been very worried about, being....mistreated by people who betrayed them and what they stood for." Arani says in a calm, but direct tone.
T'chazzar meanwhile keeps back a bit and keeps a wary eye out for other problems.
SHRINE OF SAINT SENEX (21 Gozran)
"The goings-on in the city aren't really our concern," the male caretaker grumbles.
"Just as we and our shrine seem to be of little concern to the citizens of Kintargo," the woman chimes in. "We see very few visitors."
"The goings-on in the city aren't really our concern."
A little irked, Dom retorts, "Hey, giving a damn about this stuff wasn't in any of our plans, either. But we've been taught that if we don't care, then we get stuck with jerks like the new Lord-Mayor, who does stupid nonsensical stuff like outlaw the only order of Hellknights who seem to be worth a damn. Now their lictor, who used to do the good work of finding missing people, is gone, and his cousin is so worried she sent us to look for him."
SHRINE OF SAINT SENEX (21 Gozran)
The two guardians glance at one another after hearing Dom's words.
"I hear the new lord-mayor isn't afraid to burn places to the ground to get at perceived enemies," comments the woman. The male guardian's eyes narrow as he looks from the shrine's dome made from driftwood back to his comrade.
You can almost read his mind: Don't give them any ideas!
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Davina pulls out the ring that Setrona gave them, and shows it to the caretakers. "His cousin said we might find him here. She's a tiny thing. I hear she has All the piss and vinegar of a fire giant crammed into someone not much bigger than a gnome."
"We certainly don't want to inconvenience you. We wanted to make sure our friend was all right, and let him know that his team is doing well and free."
Dom's hackles are a bit raised by the caretakers' assumptions about their intent. "Hey our friend was a regular at one of the places that burned on the Night of Asses, she was lucky to not be burned up!" And screw you for thinking that about us, you conch-wearing codger!
"She's a tiny thing. I hear she has All the piss and vinegar of a fire giant crammed into someone not much bigger than a gnome."
The turn of phrase knocks Dom off of his attitude. "Wait. All the what?"
SHRINE OF SAINT SENEX (21 Gozran)
The male caretaker examines the ring and nods to the female. To Dom he mutters, "Sorry, but the only visitors we've had here in years are the lictor and his underlings; you folk could've been agents of Thrune for all we knew."
The woman chuckles and says, "I've really got to meet Octavio's cousin! Maybe I can stop in the next time I travel to the city for supplies."
The man uses a strange key and activates a switch on the side of the altar. With his companion's help he lifts it up, revealing a stone well descending into darkness. Metal rungs are set into its side, forming a ladder.
"Provided you pass Saint Senex's test--a simple thing, I'm sure--you should find the man you seek below," the male caretaker informs you.
******************************************
THE ROOM BELOW
The ceiling of this damp chamber is seven feet high, bolstered by square supports of rough-hewn wood. A shallow pool of water lies in the northwest corner of the room, where a rusty iron ladder descends from a hole in the ceiling above. An iron gate blocks access into a corridor to the east. Piles of sail canvas and jumbled coils of rope litter the stony floor, and the walls, floor, and ceiling have been carved to look like wood. Brown paint clings in patches, and it’s easy to see how the room may have once looked very much like the hold of a ship. To the west stands a statue carved from driftwood depicting a woman dressed in robes, holding the body of a drowned sailor in her arms.
“Those who would visit the drowned departed must bring to these lips the gift of lung’s bounty, lest my guardian stand before your approach.” The words come from the momentarily animated mouth of statue of the robed woman.
You've just witnessed a magic mouth spell in action.
The statue of the robed woman depicts Saint Senex herself, attempting to rescue a drowned sailor.
Relieved that Davina was able to resolve the tension Falina still felt some anger at being considered a Thrune agent. She could understand the reasoning she supposed but it didn't make the implication and less offensive. She was in a bit of a huff as she followed the group down below the shrine.
When she saw the room and heard the animated statue speak Falina considered the riddle. It seemed rather straight forward to her as to what to do and she approached the statue. "The lung's bounty can mean only one thing." She leaned over the sailor int he statue's arms and bent forward, pressing her lips to it's, and exhaling into the mouth of the sailor.
Observing the exchange, Arani smiles as Davina steps in diplomatically. Making her way down the ladder first, she gives the area a brief security sweep, keeping her bow in hand as the statue speaks. She quietly nods, as Falina moves toward the statue, but keeps an eye out for the "guardian".
Domitius scoffs at the caretaker's implication."Pfft. Listen, the day I willingly bend a knee to a podonok like Mayor Barry, it's all over, okay? Not happening."
"The lung's bounty can mean only one thing."
"Lung's bounty," Dom ponders. "Could be haggis." As Falina gives him her most withering glare, he concedes "But yours makes a lot of sense given the context…
She gives the female guardian a grin. "She's quite the spitfire."
Interesting spell. Magic Mouth I believe."
SHRINE OF SAINT SENEX (21 Gozran)
Falina seems to have rightly guessed the answer to the riddle--or perhaps there's just that much magic in her lips--for the iron gate to the east unlocks with a loud *CLICK*! No guardian appears to block your way.
A low, narrow passage heads east, south, and then west, terminating in a wider chamber. The seven-foot-high vault contains over three dozen human-shaped bundles of sailcloth, each wrapped tightly, sewn shut with heavy thread, and laid respectfully side by side on the cold stone floor. A shallow pool of water lies in the southeast corner, while in the northeast corner of the room someone has set up a camp.
That someone, it turns out, is a powerfully-built man with close-cropped brown hair; he wears the distinctive plate mail of a Hellknight of the Order of the Torrent. “These shrouded bodies are those of drowned sailors with no living relations, given a place of honor down here by the grace of Saint Senex,” the man intones solemnly. “Those who seek Octavio Sabinus have found him. His safe capture, however, is no certain thing.” The man brings an impressive halberd to the ready.
Dom does his best to keep himself composed. "Whoa, easy there, okay?" He stops right where he is, and holds up his hands, palms-out. "We're not here to fight, and we're not here to capture you or anybody else. We'd just like to talk. Can we do that, please?"
Arani's bow snaps up, an odd blunt-headed arrow fitted to her bowstring ready to release at the first aggressive action. "Stand Down Lictor! We aren't here to capture you.
Dom hears Arani's words and the bowstring creak behind him. Without taking his eyes off the lictor, he barks out, "Arani, nyet! We're the ones barging in unannounced, the lictor is within his rights to be a little edgy about it." Returning to addressing Octavius, Dom says, "But we're not here to cause trouble. I know it doesn't look like that, but it's true. We come at the request of your cousin Setrona. What was the phrasing, 'the piss and vinegar of a fire giant crammed into someone not much bigger than a gnome. No, was it gnome or halfling?'" Dom shakes his head, then asks Davina, "Sudaryna, the ring, please?"
Between the concealment of her veil, and the utter still tension of her stance, not relenting one hair's breadth on the bowstring, The Black Thorn stands silent, a clear counterpoint to Dom's offer.
SHRINE OF SAINT SENEX (21 Gozran)
Davina produces Setrona's signet ring, and between that and Dom's use of the code phrase, the Hellknight's tension and aggression recede noticeably.
"Rebels," the lictor says with a sigh as he sizes up your group, "and vigilantes. Exactly the kind of people my cousin would turn to in these troubled times. You certainly seem to be hopeful idealists, but in my experience, passionate revolutionaries lack discipline. You seem quick to threaten violence...but can you exercise subtlety and work at least partially within the bounds of the law to solve problems when such an option exists?"
"Who are you people and what exactly do you want or expect from me?"
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T'chazzar says, "I use whatever tools are necessary to fight systemic oppression, whether by legal remedies or by resistance. One of those tools is the common assumption by supporters of regimes that anyone opposed to them is stupid, incompetent, or lazy. Clearly we didn't get this far via a combination of those traits, so make the appropriate deduction."
As most of the tension leaves her body, Arani gives the Lictor a slight nod, acknowledging his recognition of her alter ego as she lowers her bow and returns the blunt headed arrow to her quiver.
Her veil manages to conceal the smile that arises at T'chazzar's retort.
SHRINE OF SAINT SENEX (21 Gozran)
"Oh, I don't doubt that you're a competent group," the lictor replies to T'chazzar. "It's the 'whatever tools are necessary' part that gives me pause. Shall I give you a history lesson? Back when House Thrune first seized power in the empire, many resisted, including a band here in Kintargo called the Silver Ravens. They resisted the rise of House Thrune in many ways: through diplomacy, politics, guile, and--when necessary--armed violence. They were beloved of the citizens of Kintargo, yet still they failed to topple Thrune. When the end seemed near, one of their number chose to 'fight back' by abducting the innocent young son of the Thrune-appointed lord-mayor in an attempt to force concessions. Even those who despised Thrune rule were appalled that this Silver Raven would use a child as a pawn in the battle. Public opinion turned against the Silver Ravens, and a resourceful Hellknight of the Order of the Scourge and her team were quested with rescuing the abducted child. That Hellknight--Reya Naulvaneti--cut down the kidnapper in single combat and saved the child. And from that incident, the Hellknight Order of the Torrent was born."
"So tell me...are there any lines you won't cross in your battle to oust the new lord-mayor?"
After a pause, the lictor adds, "And I'd honestly appreciate any news from the city, especially in regards to other members of my order. The caretakers at the shrine's entrance are a poor source of gossip."
Domitius listens attentively to the Lictor's tale of their predecessor (and his own, apparently) with interest, a bit of a frown crossing his face. "I knew nothing of that history, and to be sure, I find it... distasteful. I can't truthfully answer the question of what I won't do, but I will tell you who I will do it to. I only seek to engage those who inflict cruelty on their fellow Kintargans."
"You talk of the law, Lictor. If the law were being applied in a fair and just manner, do you think we'd be involved in this? Given the choice, would you apply the law, across all lines? The next time tieflings are abducted and mutilated in the Nursery, will you stop it? Will you even be aware of it?" Dom's hackles are clearly up a bit by this point. He catches himself, takes a moment to regain his composure, and continues.
"We managed to rescue four members of your order from the Holding House just the other day. One of them, a woman named Hortense, I believe? She was being tortured, worked over with knives by some fearsome-looking creature from the Pits Below. She is alive, but it had its way with her." Dom declines to get into the extent of her injuries for now. "I'm sorry that had to happen to her, but we cannot be everywhere at once."
"We do what needs to be done.....no more, no less." Arani says calmly. "Someone has to stand and fight, and remind people that they can."