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Kynrac watches the events with the Pure Legion unfold, preferring to take a back seat for once. During all the scene, he watches Eando carefully, wondering what makes him so special in the eyes of the Society.
When they meet later, he looks aghast when he learns of the fate the the Riftwardens. "Then we shall rescue them, and dispatch those foul Blackfire Adepts - our sworn enemies - if we have the chance. Do you know where they are being held, and who their guardians are? I imagine some conjured creatures from the Outer Planes are to be expected?"
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Kale gives a slight smile as the rude guards turn tale and leaves the pathfinders in peace. Relaxing and letting the dagger slip back into it's hiding place.
After hearing that the blackfire adapts had captured the riftwardens Kale frowns. "Eando vhy are ze Pure Legion looking for you? And how does ze Pure Legion feel about ze Blackfire Adapts? Might it not be better to simply expose zem for vhat zey are?"
Kline takes all your questions in stride.
"First, you spoke of Jahani. Please, I must have all the news of her you can provide before we proceed. Spare no detail on my account."
After hearing the news of his friend, he turns to the group's questions:
"Indeed they are no doubt being held in the very fortress they sought to infiltrate. I also know its location. I know a guard in the Blackfire Adepts’ compound who’s fond of a particular barkeep friend of mine. I purchased the freedom of her brother and she’s very persuasive. I’m quite certain of my information. And yes, you'd better be prepared for creatures summoned from other planes of existence.”
"Now, there isn’t much I can do without endangering myself, and I’m not going to do that, but I’ll tell you this: there must be more than one way into that compound. 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 as possible to lighten the load. How you operate and what the Society teaches these days is your business."
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"When we arrived in Azir, we first went to visit Jahani. While she wasn't present, her maid Akhina was able to provide us with some information. She told us that approximately 2 weeks ago, she began withdrawing from public events disappearing for longer and longer times, and acting very secretively, instructing her maid to be careful about admittances at the gate. You were the only guest she entertained at that time. One week ago, Jahani disappeared and has not returned. Moreover, there were the remains of a letter which she burnt in a brazier, and another that indicated your presence in the great sook." explains Kynrac with a matter-of-fact tone.
Kline responds to Kynrac: “I have obligations that prohibit me from joining you directly in whatever you do, but I can 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.”
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I really must retrieve my clothes One last word of advice: explosions and swordplay are fine in a dungeon, but you’re looking at an urban raid in a city with a good police force at an estate that pays its taxes. Once you start cutting down Blackfire Adepts, you won’t have long before the local guards surround the place. Act decisively.”
With that he takes his leave and returns to the baths.
Kline speaks: "Back doors? I'm sorry if I wasn't clear before: They're holed up in a converted watch house. Solid walls all around. There may be a way in from below, or I suppose you could try to fly over the walls, but there's only one entrance on ground level. Now, you needn't go for a frontal assault. I haven't staked the place out, but you certainly could. There's still a couple days to go. One day spent planning might well do you good. Maybe you can figure a way to sneak or bluff your way in. I already mentioned that they're looking to move their slaves. Could be you can pose as slavers yourselves."
Kline's tone is slightly brusque at first, but he eases up once he realizes he should have been more clear at first.
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Kale frowns at the news of how secure their target's location is. "Subterfuge may get us in the gate, but it vill take a strong blade to get us out. Zough I do not relish ze idea of posing as slavers."
Kale will do her best to avoid unwanted attention feeling terribly out of place already, so far from Brevoy.
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Kynrac takes some time to absorb the information provided by the former Pathfinder before coming up with some thoughts on the matter at hand. "The idea to pose as slavers is not a bad one, but we'll need to work on the credibility of our cover. We could act as such, but I don't know the first thing about being a slaver, so we'd need a silver-tongued person to do the talking, which I am not - I'm very bad at lying. How about a stealthy approach?"
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"We could buy a scroll of invisibility sphere and use it to sneak in.. Can anyone cast a charm spell? Perhaps we could convince a guard to help us out.. Regardless ill bet there will be plenty of magical traps.. How many of you can use dispel magic? I'll reset my spell list and grab one and I have a couple of scrolls of it.. As far as scouting goes I could go invisible and have a look around flying.. Perhaps we should investigate the possibility of a way in from below.."
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Fendahl replies to Darius' question...
"Hrrmm, if we wish to remain unseen, Master Darius, all I can offer is mist or fog to conceal us from any sentries. I cannot dispel magics. Master Kyrnac, as the most skilled speaker among us, if you do not believe subterfuge will work, then stealth is our best option."
Nahlah's keen eyes allow her to learn a great deal about the compound, and she seems to be unnoticed in her observations for now...
The compound is located in the northwestern edge of the city, which tends to see slightly less foot traffic. 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. Depending on the circumstances, a serious incident could see the city watch show up in anywhere between 5 and 20 minutes. The compound has its own guards, but they can’t compare to the full force of Azir’s city watch.
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. A recent push to recruit more guards suggests that the city watch may be short staffed, so they are unlikely to arrive in under 10 minutes.
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Kynrac smiles faintly as the desert strider calls upon his well of knowledge. "The Blackfire Adepts have darker souls than the Thrunes, dirtier minds than the Great Priestess of Calistria - or the Paracountess for that matter - and know no bounds in corruption. They are the Riftwardens' enemies, for they seek to unmake all that the multiverse creates. Their focus is on weakening the threshold between the planes of existance, especially between the Prime Material Plane where we live and the foulest Outer Planes like the Abyss. In that perspective, they are adept at summoning creatures from these dark places. We oppose them with every fiber of our being, for we are the guardians of the Great Beyond's integrity." explains the elf with a vibrant, strangely almost emotional, voice.
Darius' "family" connections provide him with a bit more intelligence about the situation.
As is the case in most parts of the Inner Sea region, the Blackfire Adepts are not tolerated in Azir. Although 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 PCs and Riftwardens. Few would dare deny the Pure Legion entry, and even the Blackfire Adepts would likely admit these soldiers to avoid causing a larger incident. Several nearby robberies over the past month have inspired the city watch in this district to patrol more frequently; they would likely show up in 5 to 12 minutes of anyone sounding an alarm.
The party enters the sewers and follows the directions that they were able to gather in their investigation. As the party nears the place they were told to look for the entrance, they notice a cavern caused by a wall collapsing. They detect no magic in the room, and inspect it.
The room ends in a narrow passage that meets with a brick wall. The search reveals no secret door. If there was one, it has been bricked over. The wall is a bit too thick for detect magic to penetrate.
The group presses on, and reaches the a corner. Darius stops and peers around - and a clear magical aura appears, about 20' in front of a set of double doors!
As Jarlgur rounds the corner, he looks closely at the door - he can see a very fine silver wire with a tiny bell attached. He also notes a small squid tentacle dangling from the door frame.
Relaying this to Darius, the magus examines the area with his spell active. He can detect two distinct auras.
First, he can tell that the wire and bell serve as the material components for a an alarm[/i[] spell. It appears to be centered on the door. He remembers that the spell has a radius of 20' and will trigger the moment someone enters the spell's area of effect. Similarly, Jarlgur can tell that the door is trapped. Darius sees that the trap is magical, and he recognizes the spell as [i]black tentacles. Again, merely entering the spell's area will trigger the trap.
Kynrac utters the arcane phrases written on the scroll, and one of the magical auras quickly dissipates.
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Darius will pull a scroll out and try to take the Black Tentacles down..
But only succeeds in making himself angry.. He tries his memorized one next..
Success!
"Ok the wards are down.. I would suggest casting buffs here if your going too.."
He'll drink his Antitoxen/Antiplague and coat his weapon in Bladeguard..
He then casts Extended Bear's Endurance and Extended Montrous Physique on himself, along with a Shield spell..
He takes the up the likeness of a Gargoyle, gaining Flight, Darkvision, a Bite Attack, and a Gore Attack..