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The building inside is spacious, but not so large that it does not take you too long to scour the upper (ground) floor and note that the man you're looking for isn't there. At Lillian's suggestion, you descend a spiral staircase to the lower level.
The air in the lower level of the Jistka Bathhouse is cool and humid and the lighting is dim. Faint lanterns reflect off the water and the sound of running water echoes off the tile floor and walls.
To the East is a broad hallway is lined with hooks and shelves that hold dry towels, bottles of scented oil, and a variety of combs and brushes. Several buckets of water line the southern wall of the hallway and there is a pair of drawn curtains at the end.
To the North, you see a large open chamber housing the chilled bath itself. It is a large pool of varying deepness, and at one end sits a rather handsome Taldan man with a short beard. He looks awfully familiar. Where have you seen him before....oh that's right. He's the spitting image of the man in the sketch that Venture Captain Obo gave to you for Eando Kline!
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When Scrillion realizes who the man is, he glances at the faces of the other members of the party to ascertain whether they too have realized it. Knowing that they would do a far better job than he in this conversation, the veteran soldier strolls, apparently casually, toward the pair of drawn curtains. He attempts to see what or who might be behind them, without actually being recognized as doing that (and without disturbing the curtains themselves). If the curtains hide mooks of any sort, Scrillion knows it is his primary function to keep them away from the less sturdy members of the group - even if it means sacrificing his own flesh.
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The Taldan man's half-shut eyes widen and come alert at Exiel's words. A few seconds pass before a faint smile forms on his lips.
"An interesting way to start a conversation. No need for names, for now, especially mine, but you can assume I am listening to whatever else you wish to say. I assume this is more than just a social call."
He looks over at the rest of the group and arches an eyebrow.
"A small, disparate group of four to six vaguely skilled individuals travelling together. Of course. The twelve ridiculous stooges are rather set in their ways, after all."
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Exiel takes a deep breath as he considers his words carefully.
"Very well, no names. We are seeking a group of people, people who have experience dealing with individuals who come from VERY far away. We are told that a certain trader of malleable substances has had contact with their activity-coordinator. Information on either of the group or the trader would be very much appreciated."
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Aestrid takes a position somewhat removed from the others and uses the opportunity to enjoy the cool waters of the bath while maintaining an air of separation from the rest of the conversation. This needn't look like a huddled conference in hushed tones to any outsiders who happened by and she could hear the man's replies just fine from here.
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Ranus can only grin at Eando's quip about the 'four to six vaguely skilled individuals', knowing how true that statement was. However, seeing as how the more sociable members of his party were avoiding names and speaking obliquely, he rather thought his job was to simply enjoy the bath.
Shame there wasn't any reading material in here.
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From where they are, Scrillion and Issac both have a clear view of the spiral staircase, and easily spot a trio of men in lamellar leather armor and very familiar white-and-gold cloaks (the same ones worn by the guards who nearly arrested Aestrid at the gate).
Ranus cannot see the soldiers from his location, but hears the sound of hurried feet and men whispering, and even the tell-tale rattling of scimitars in their scabbards. Exiel barely hears them coming, but he does and turns to see them men. Aestrid is so enjoying her soak that she nearly fails to pick up the sound of one of the guard accidentally banging his scimitar's scabbard against the wall just a little too loudly.
But unfortunately, even that sound is insufficient to alert Lillian to their presence, as she is too distracted by the sheer amount of nudity that surrounds her.
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Damn it, now of all times! We could not be in a worse situation, without any equipment, in enclosed quarters, and half of us literally naked to boot... I've talked my way out of several situations before, but the need for that has probably never been greater...
"Ah, I see some this city's finest have come to join us! Greetings, gentlemen," Exiel says as he gets to his feet and walks towards the legionnaires, keeping his hands open and in plain sight. "The legion must be working you guys incredibly hard if you have to wear your armor even as you take a bath. Haha. You know, I was thinking of having a massage in a couple of minutes - I hear the staff here give some really good ones - but for you guys, I'll hold a place in the line whilst you remove your armor if that's where you're headed. If not, come and take a dip and share some stories with me and my friends here. Nothing like relaxing in a cool bath to take off the noonday heat!"
Keep it casual, Exiel. Don't do anything to make them think you're more than a friendly patron. Chill and keep your cool...
Trying his best not to blush, Exiel removes his robe and steps into the pool and lounges as casually as he is able to, still trying to keep his voice level and casual.
"You know, my father was a military man. A commander, in fact, in the Dragon King's army back in Xa Hoi. I spent much of my youth surrounded by soldiers, and I know, most people don't know the value of a good, honest soldier. No appreciation for the hard work and danger that you guys put yourselves through to protect the peace of the common folk. But me, my father thought me better than that. Give me an honest guardsman over an honest merchant any day. Least I know one of them's real!"
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As Exiel speaks, you notice the Taldan man in the bath slowly lowering himself into the water, his eyes wide with concern, and apparently very content to let Exiel do the talking.
Exiel's stirring words softens the countenance of the three legionnaires. The one in the lead relaxes his stance and says, "hang on, a friendly blond guy from Tien with a bird-tattoo? You're the guy that Koben was talking about. The legionnaire you met at the gate. Exiel, right? Well, good to see that there are people around who actually like us being around, though we're not really with the guards per se. We help them out, but the Pure Legion is its own organisation."
"Unfortunately, we can't stick around and swap stories, though we really would love to. As he says this, his eyes wander to the thin robe clinging to Lillian's body, whilst one of his fellows checks out the nude Vudrani woman in the pool. "We're looking for a man by the name of Eando Kline. He's wanted for smuggling illegal idol and icons into Azir, and we followed a suspected accomplice of his here. You wouldn't happen to know of anyone by the name of Eando Kline or a copper merchant by the name of Maroc, or heard their names bandied about, have you?"
"In any case, we're here to search for them. Sorry to disturb your bath, sir, ladies, but we do have a job to do."
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Aestrid uses the moment's distraction to hoist herself out of the bath, still separating from the group talking with Klein.
She takes on a false look of annoyance at being so obviously leered at and, keeping in character, grabs a towel and begins drying herself off in such a way that she continues to expose herself from time to time, hoping to keep the guardsmen distracted. In the process, she drapes her towel about her waist in such a way as to doubly conceal her disguised spell component pouch.
"A bit of an exposed place for a smuggler to be hiding, isn't it, or are you hoping to catch a glimpse of wares other than religious icons here in the bath?" She teases, moving the towel in a manner of ineffective modesty that she learned so long ago would draw the men's eyes to her.
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Hearing the banter between the legionnaire an his companions, the archer realizes that the worst has happened - and there is a good chance that they will be thrust into battle stark naked. Scrillion has a moment of longing for the beautiful Mark IV on a shelf somewhere above him, and then forgets it as he walks casually to the last remaining legionnaire in the hall. "Hail, soldier. You here for the massages? I was next, but I am happy to let one such as yourself go first. We older folk have all the time in the world." The old campaigner flexes his hands, trying to remember the best way to throttle someone without a garrote. He received training on it, but it was along time ago and in another country. And besides, the wench is dead.
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Exiel grimaces at Aestrid's words, and nods at Lillians. Mindful of the curse binding him to strict honesty, he picks his words carefully.
"Aye, it is as the lady says. The people in this chamber are known to me, and I have never heard any of them called by that name before," he says with a smile, silently thankful that Kline had specified that no names should be used. "And it would seem that one of my friends is getting uncomfortable being un-dressed as she is before strangers... Perhaps this meeting would be a little less awkward if it occurred after your shift?"
Diplomacy:
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Exiel, you'll still need a bluff check for that, and you don't appear to have any ranks (but a good CHA score) so I'll roll in your place. I'll give you a +5 for them wanting to believe you since you managed to improve their disposition to 'friendly', and Aestrid's reaction to their gawking whilst simultaneously showing them more skin has managed to make the situation embarrassing enough for them that they would rather be somewhere else right now (or at least has them very distracted).
The guards consider the words spoken by Lillian and Exiel:
(They have favoured enemy human and Exiel has the scion of humanity racial trait)
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The leader of the guards is rather taken by the words of Exiel and Lillian, and appears reluctant to make a bad impression on either. The other soldier is blushing like a beet at Aestrid's performance.
"Yes, I suppose there are better places to be searching for a smuggler than in a bath. Not sure what I was thinking, really. We know where that Maroc sets up his stall anyway. He can't hide from us for long. We apologise for interrupting your bath, and bid you good day. And I, uh, I may see you at the bath this evening, perhaps, miss," the lead legionnaire says with a nod to Lillian. "Come on, men, we're pulling out."
As they depart, you faintly hear the leader saying, "damn it, Orlando, next time you tell me that a suspect has been spotted going to a bath and we should corner him in there, remind me to smack you on the head for suggesting such an idiotic idea!"
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Eando Kline gets out of the bath and walks to the stairs to check that the legionnaires are well and truly gone, then motions to all of you to follow him to the massage room, pausing only briefly to grab a dry robe off a hook on the wall to wrap himself in. Once at the massage room, he nods to the masseurs, who shortly after finish their massages and invite the patrons on the tables to move to the pool to wash off their perspiration from the steamed room. Once they are out of the way, one of the masseurs draws the curtains whilst another moves to a hidden catch in the wall to the North-East, and then pushes on the wall to reveal a hidden passageway. With a brief gesture, he conjures a glowing ball of light as motions for the group to follow him inside.
The passage leads down to a small room well beneath street-level. A simple wooden table is set in the middle of the room surrounded by equally plain chairs. Kline takes a seat and motions for you to join him.
"Well, I must say I'm impressed. You lot handled that situation remarkably well. I'm honestly surprised that they've been able to link the copper trader Maroc to the name Eando Kline, but now that I know they suspect something, I should be able to lay enough false leads to clear the suspicions on Maroc before I show myself in public again. At the very least, I'll be able to prolong my stay in Azir without being locked in a cell. For that, I'll tell you what you want to know."
"“I know where the Riftwardens are, but it’s not an answer you’re going to like,” Kline says with grimace. “They attempted a raid on a compound full of Blackfire Adepts who were masquerading as slavers, but the plan didn’t work as they had hoped. You see, for all their talent at magic, the Riftwardens aren’t the best at keeping their heads down when planning an attack. The Blackfire Adepts caught wind of their plan and struck first, capturing all four of the Riftwardens perhaps a week ago."
"From what I’ve been able to gather, the Blackfire Adepts are planning on moving to greener pastures—which could mean practically anywhere other than Rahadoum—and they’ve been making the most of their remaining time in Azir by interrogating their captives rather ruthlessly. It seems the Blackfire Adepts just can’t pass up a good opportunity to gloat over their arch nemeses, but they’re sure to tire of it soon and just execute the lot of them. Last I heard, the slavers are departing on a caravan the morning after tomorrow, and you can bet that the Riftwardens will be dead before then. If you want to rescue them, you will have at the very most a day to prepare.”
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"Before I tell you anything more, first answer me this. You say that Sasha Antif-Arah sent her regards. Tell me, do you actually know she is well, or was it just a line you were given to initiate conversation with me? Have any of you actually seen her in person?"
Also, everyone here can roll me a sense motive.
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"Well I'm glad that worked out. That was much too close a brush for my liking."
"I'm sorry, Eando, I myself have not met Sasha in person, but I have confidence that the man who told me of her had no reason to lie. Moreover, we now know when the Riftwardens will be killed at the latest, but we do not know whether they will be killed before then. We must act quickly if we are to rescue them. If there is anything more that you can tell us about the Blackfire compound, we would greatly appreciate your help."
"I understand that your associate, Maroc, is on good terms with Lady Jahani, the leader of the Riftwardens, and might even have had a hand in helping her plan the intended raid. Surely he would appreciate any assistance you can render in retrieving Lady Jahani, and if you will not do it on account of Maroc, then surely you can count on his gratitude in future transactions with him? I also understand that Lady Jahani is a merchant of no small means in this city, and surely her gratitude would be a valuable asset to your operations in Azir? We will be certain to mention your assistance to her when we rescue her. "
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"You don't get it yet? I AM Maroc. It's a false name that I operate under whilst in Azir. But you are right, you handled that situation well, and I would prefer to be in Jahani's good books. Very well, here's what I know."
"Firstly, as is the case in most parts of the Inner Sea region, the Blackfire Adepts are not tolerated in Azir. But whilst tipping off the authorities would ensure that a small army descends on the Blackfire Adepts, the Pure Legionnaires would almost certainly round up any they find on the property for questioning—including the Riftwardens and you lot. The compound has its own guards, but they can’t compare to the full force of Azir’s city watch. Few would dare deny the Pure Legion entry, and even the Blackfire Adepts would likely admit these soldiers to avoid causing a larger incident."
"Secondly, depending on the circumstances, a serious incident could see the city watch show up in minutes. Furthermore, several nearby robberies over the past month have inspired the city watch in this district to patrol more frequently. That said, a recent push to recruit more guards suggests that the city watch may be short-staffed. All things considered, they are unlikely to arrive in under 10 minutes, but also probably not much more than 12 minutes of anyone sounding an alarm. Basically, as soon as you get in, expect that you will only have minutes to get the Riftwardens and get the hell out, unless you want to get arrested."
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When Aestrid asks her question, Kline almost laughs. “You don’t know Didn’t the Decemvirate brief you at all? The Blackfire Adepts seek the destruction of civilization using terrible outsiders. Read: devils and demons. They’re not nice people, and the Riftwardens oppose them. If you need a comparison, think of them like the Aspis Consortium and your Society, except that in your case, neither side qualifies as ‘the good guys.’”
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“One more thing. The Blackfire Adepts’ compound is located in the northwestern edge of the city, which tends to see slightly less foot traffic. Heading over the walls or through the front door may be your style, but I also know that the Blackfire Adepts are looking to pick up and leave, meaning they’re probably interested in selling off as much of their inventory, that is, slaves, as possible to lighten the load.”
"Also, the compound purchases a large quantity of fish soup and bread each day to feed the slaves, and the owners allow the delivery people to enter the compound. You may be able to get in that way too."
"A much lesser-known secret is that the sewers of Azir extend to the Black Adepts’ compound, but as the surrounding area has become drier and drier over the centuries, little water flows there. A set of doors near the compound’s foundation in the sewers may grant access to the facility. So there, that's all the information I have. How you use it, how you operate and what the Society teaches these days is your business."
As he finishes his spiel, he starts to get up, then pauses to think for a moment before wincing as if regretting what he’s about to say. “Look, I have obligations that prohibit me from helping you any more directly in whatever you do, but I suppose I could at least buy you some time or create a diversion when you make your move. Don’t worry about contacting me; I’ll be keeping an eye out for when you get near. It will only buy you a couple of minutes at most, though. Don't think that my help changes the fact that you will need to act very quickly.”
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Kline creases his brow as he says that last bit, and falls very silent. You get the impression that you won't get much more out of him. If you have no more questions, he leaves through the wooden door and closes it behind him, telling you that you should leave by the front door of the bathhouse instead. (A good idea, since your gear is still in the bath houses' storage facility.)
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Rather than discuss plans in a public echoing chamber like this one, Aestrid moves in silence to get herself dressed and armed.
Once outside and joined by her companions, she offers an observation, "We don't look anything like delivery people, so I would suggest that option is out. Masquerading as interested buyers for the Blackfire Adepts' wares risks exposure in a public place as we try to gain entry so my vote would be to try the sewers."
At least they may be dry. That's an improvement over that affair with the Sewer Dragons...
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Scrillion nods, relieved. The idea that he would have to pass as a delivery - what, boy? man? - did not fill him with much hope. Better a crawl through sewers any day. "Any of you have experience with locks and other such gewgaws? Never had much truck with that kind of fiddling, myself. More of a kick-down-the-door-shooting kind of fella. I would just hate to put all our eggs in that basket to be stopped by latch at the end."
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As Klein prepares to leave the group, Exiel calls out after him.
"One last thing, if I may. Nothing to do with the Riftwardens this time. At least, not directly. Our friend here had her holy symbol confiscated at the city gates. I don't suppose there might be such items amongst the goods you bring into this city that the the Legion is so interested in?"
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[Outisde]
"Yes, the sewers do seem like a good option, and I realise that under most circumstances such a statement would seem incredibly odd... Heh, if we were only in Absalom. My friend Yiddlepode would sort us out easily."
"We should certainly check out the sewer entrance, though if a couple of us are skilled at subterfuge, it may be worthwhile posing as slave-buyers to get a tour of the compound so we have a better idea of what we're up against and what security measures there are that we can try to avoid. Suppose we do a day-visit pretending to be slave traders, then return by night through the sewers for the real rescue mission?"
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Aestrid looks around to make sure they aren't being snooped on before replying to Lillian, "I don't need my Three Daggers for many of my spells, including the restorative ones. I cannot channel but I have several wands, a trick that will help Scrillion's aim with his bow and I can help with my whip."
She smiles, "Don't worry about me."
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Keep in mind you potentially have all evening and a full day after that to prepare. Kline gives you directions to the sewer entrance to the compound and you can certainly check the door out whenever you choose.
Are you going to try Exiel's suggestion and go for an early visit before your actual raid?
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I would recommend it, but won't insist on it because Exiel would not be going himself - he'd be more of a hindrance due to his legalistic curse.
5gp for a temporary wooden holy symbol sounds like a good deal under the circumstances.
Regardless of whether we're going to do an early visit, Exiel will send his thrush to do a few fly-overs to get a bird's-eye perspective (literally!) of the compound (and he will hide his holy symbol in his pocket whilst his familiar does this). If relevant, the trush will be about 100ft above the highest visible surface of the compound. He just wants a general layout.
and observers will take a -10 penalty for distance =p
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Rather than put her aasimar companion in an uncomfortable situation should they be asked about icons again, Aestrid denies interest in the holy symbol out of one side of her mouth while covertly arranging payment out of the other.
As the Lady in the Room says, "It's always best to keep a fool's eyes darkened"
When the discussion returns to probing the entrance "I can help with subterfuge by concealing myself or someone else or by taking the skin of a servant, but if they don't buy our stories, we will either have a fight on our hands right there at the gate or we will have alerted them that something is up. I would just as soon strike in the middle of the night tonight."
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"Hmm...it would appear that this operation will require stealth and subterfuge. Any magic that might delay our detection would be immensely useful. Spells of invisibility, silence, darkness or enchantment. All will be useful in removing guards without being detected."
Even as Exiel points this out, he feels queasy in his stomach at the tactics he is advocating... but he was raised by 2 of the greatest military leaders he knew, and he knew how to tell when stealth and subterfuge were necessary, and open confrontation simple folly. This was precisely such a time.
"If there are any spells that any of you can prepare that will help in those regards, we should take the time to rest in order that you may prepare them."