Kontha follows.
Kontha emits a low growl to aide in the intimidation
With Marina holding him down and everyone else dead the man slowly ceases struggling. The blood drains from his face as he responds, slowly and carefully, "What do you want to know?"
Kontha remains close to Dulomak.
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"I think you owe us the answers you promised on the cultists, the murders, the strange shiver, and the realm of dreams. How do those four issues sound for starters?" Dissa looks as though the man had already confessed.
He turns to the cleric and speaks softly, "Thank you for the gentle approach. Every other time we had to revive this guy to get answers."
The non-tied up man holds his hands up, "I get that. This is just a job. I've seen some messed up shit when guarding Greeley in the dream world.
Speaking of Greeley, he's been losing it more and more lately. Had us guarding him day and night, in the dream world and out. He kept saying that the cult's hideout was haunted by the souls of those killed there. Bog-Lother or someone wasn't keeping the house safe. Declared the house was a spider's web that would ensnare the world.
There's a house that he refuses to go near. Just off of...Hook street. Used to be owned by the Caligaro family. It's where we get our drugs now. Probably have some Dream Spiders in there to make the quantity they do. Can I go now? Oh, I guess I'll take Bill too. He's the one you got tied up over there."
The tables of this chamber hold all manner of bartered items, from lanterns and mirrors to candlesticks and jewelry. Together, these mundane items are collectively worth 300 gp. Items of more substantial individual value include a large jar of pulled gold teeth , three silver holy symbols of Abadar , a phrenologist’s kit, and 40 doses of shiver . In addition, there are several pieces of evidence: Frell’s blue parakeet in a bronze cage worth 10 gp, a wooden case containing a set of silverware—engraved “J.W.” as reported—, and a golden holy symbol of Desna . In the cabinet itself are a half dozen olive green robes.
perception
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"What? go? No! You've contributed to murder across the city! Your cooperation is to hope he authorities are leniently on you, and to save your immortal soul from the lower planes! Not to just wander off to do more crimes later with so much as a 'tee hee, i was only get paid to be evil, i don't actually like getting a bunch of people killed, so it doesn't count, right?' The nerve."
Kontha gives a low growl.
"It's not like you guys are actually the authorities! S'far as I can tell you just busted up the joint for sick kicks! You adventurin' types are all weird. I mean, you've got a giant freaking lizard with your group!"
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"We are actually." Cyrene points out with a wide smile. "We've been deputised to help clear this mess up. So let's take you over to law enforcement HQ and see if they arrest us for breaking and entering or you for your laundry list of crimes. I know which way it's going to go."
The two and a half foot tall smiley halfling is surprisingly scary...
The man's face blanches. "I don't suppose you can be persuaded to let us go? Perhaps in the form of...compensation?"
who gives a roar in response.
The man falls backwards and scrambles against the wall attempting to make himself as small as possible.
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"I have been a guard. I know sometimes you work with people, or for people, you don't like." The words roll out of Dissa's mouth like coffee ground sludge. He looks slowly from man to Marina to man to dinosaur to Cyrene.
"I think the law may be best served by us returning these men to the magistrate, however I do not trust the local governance." He steers his gaze to the dead guards on the floor, and back to the men in custody.
"However, what's legal isn't always right, and what's right isn't always legal." After a long pause, Dissa makes a proposal to the men and to Marina.
"I offer the three of you the following scenario. I hire you two guards on the spot, and pay you a month of your Greeley wages. You can negotiate with any guards, or otherwise innocent people, at Hook Street and beyond. I charge you with removing all innocents from the pending conflict." His eyes settle on Marina.
"We seek to root out evil and the true threat, but we have no desire to inflict any more damage or pain or death than absolutely necessary to accomplish our tasks. If you guards do your part, we will part ways without the involvement of authorities. If you do not, we will meet out any punishment we see fit." he winks at Kontha.
"Does that work for everyone?"
Kontha will approach, nostrils blazing as she gets a good wiff of the remaining guard
Kontha rips into the corpse.
The men that remain alive nod from their various tied, bleeding, or contorted forms and begin getting up, keeping a wary eye on Kontha and edging around the sides of the room. Altogether the pay comes out to 300 gold.
The two men point you to the secret door hidden in the back of the wardrobe before making their exit.
Dissa squeezes forward through the small hallway, making it to about the halfway point before the floor collapses underneath him.
Looking at the area around the false floor it soon becomes clear that the people who used this hallway simply swung across the area using the beams above. They are rounded with constant regular use. The door at the end of the hallway is locked, though not after using the key found above the cabinet, and opens into a storage room stuffed with more ill-gotten goods.
This room is stuffed with more mundane goods . An oval frame has been paired with a mummified imp’s corpse worth 200 gp to a collector . Magic items include a fine suit of mistmail, a +1 kukri, a lesser talisman of danger sense, 2 scrolls of restoration in a bone scroll tube, and a clay animal divining pot fired in the shape of a corpulent, lounging rat.
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"It seems the mistmail would have been pretty useful to Greeley about 10 minutes ago." chortles the warrior.
"Time to hit the spider den? I still have a few spells going, and I'd prefer to maximize their utility!" Dissa calls out as he rapidly packs the loot.
"New guys, here's your chance. Get all the guards out, leave their gear behind, and we will smash anyone remaining in the den. Let's go! Packed and ready, Dissa ushers everyone out.
From the outside, the once-opulent house’s rotting front blends in perfectly with the decrepitude of modern-day Bridgefront. The house is set slightly off Hook Street, and the surrounding area is overgrown with makeshift tenements. Sprawling hovels cling to the mansion’s exterior, growing upward toward the Shingles.
The house’s exterior doors and windows are heavily boarded or barricaded to prevent intrusion from outside , with the exception of the balcony entrance.
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Dissa casts Honeyed Tonge from a wand while Kontha sends her half-orc to scout. He looks at his supreme lockpick, and gauges the strength of the doors.
"OK new guys. Now is your chance to save some innocent, or at least not guilty, fellow guards. We paid you, brought you here, and now is your chance to serve justice." Dissa encourages the new guys, Larry, Darryl, and Darryl, to minimize casualties.