Wisp scampers up the ladder and just manages to reach the storage room, while Leppin is about halfway up the ladder, with Patros just behind him.
Brin and Myth wait with breathless anticipation, ready to attack whomever might come through the doors...they are sadly disappointed when nobody does. The woman does not respond to Myth, nor do you hear her call out for the city guard. As you strain to hear if she calls out, you think might hear someone moving around the room, but it's difficult to tell.
Wisp moves up the western door of the double doors, out of Myth's line of fire. With a nod he opens the eastern door of the double doors and Myth sees a human female standing due south of him, on what would normally be the customers side of the counter in what appears to be a shop selling curiosities. He shoots his bow, but unfortunately the partial cover afforded by the counter is enough to throw off his shot.
Brin strides forward and chucks his tanglefoot bag, and his aim is true, striking the woman square in the chest, eliciting a howl of anger and frustration from the woman as she finds herself covered in goo.
Leppin and Patros manage to finish climbing up into the room, and all of you see what at first appears to be a human woman dressed in local fashion. At least, you think she's human, until you look a little closer and see she has claws and fangs. As Leppin shrieks a bit, thinking she might be a vampire, Brin readily recognizes the effects of a feral mutagen. She has a dagger on her hip, and carries a variety of potions and vials on belt and bandolier. And just about the time Brin susses out her true nature, she snarls at the party, then winks at Brin, drinks an extract, and disappears. You do hear a loud schlurping noise as she moves out of the goo, but you can no longer see her.
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"She is an alchemist! Her feral form is merely the result of a mutagenic concoction she imbibed." Brin comments back to Leppin. "I'm glad you could make it my friend. Be careful, she has vanished from sight and I heard her step from the resin."
Brin readies a bomb for when she becomes visible.
As you wait in anticipation, hoping your quarry will reappear, you see this small store is filled with strange knickknacks, art, and unusual tools. The display case to the west features jewelry, most of it locally crafted. The case to the east contains oddities such as turtle-shell soup bowls and bizarre gnome cooking utensils. The center case is filled with bottles and vials and a selection of scented soaps and perfumes. Glass windows are set in the entrance doors.
Alas, you are again left waiting in vain for a target to appear...
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This is going to be risky, but if it works...
"There isn't much space for you to move madam. Eventually we will have you. Surrender now, and things will go easier for you. Fight us, and you will likely die. Your friend with the ponytail died gurgling because he was a fool."
To demonstrate how little space she has, Brin lobs a combustible vial over near the far door to land with a crash on the floor spraying fiery liquid in all directions.
He then steps back through the doorway behind him.
Mythryndyr's arrow slices across the shop and sticks into the door with a solid thunk. Wisp follows suit and uncorks an airblast at the space in front of the western front door and it causes the little bell on the top of the door to violently shake, causing it to ring vociferously.
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She suddenly appears, as she hurls a fiery flask at Brinshandyr. Unfortunately for her, she's much too busy gloating at the easy shot to actually account for the sticky goo which entangles her and she misses. Unfortunately for Leppin, it strikes right above his head and explodes in a much-too-familiar flash of flaming bomb.
Mythrydyr offers up a surprised grunt of anger as his well-placed arrow seems to be deflected at the last second by an invisible Shield.
Wisp moves into position to blast her, while Brin hits her square in the face with his bomb and she's engulfed in flame. She emerges with a stunned look at first, replaced quickly by a snarl that's quite comical given that her eyebrows have been singed off.
Leppin dodges the worst of the splash from her inept attack, and begins offering an enCOURAGing word or two.
Patros rushes forward, ready to strike her down, but comes to a screeching halt as he wildly cartwheels his arms and manages to pull up short as a pit yawns open at his feet. He finishes his turn by moving up alongside her.
Patros is close enough he can see the calculation in her eyes, torn between the desire to try and shred him to pieces, and both the heavy damage she's sustained and the number of foes she's facing. Then she glances downward and hope sparks to life her face.
She offers Patros a lopsided grin. "Some other time, big guy. I'd like to try it out with the real thing, rather than just my hubby disguised as you..." Then she winks and blows a kiss at him...and she dives into the 20' pit, hoping for the best.
While she manages to avoid provoking an attack of opportunity from Patros, her obvious concern about avoiding just such an attack throws off her efforts for a soft landing, and she crumples unconscious, done in by a pit of her own design...
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Myth walks slowly to the pit and looks down at the woman...
"Think we've seen this pit before...poetic justice when you come to think of it..."
He grins. "Well done, my friends. We have all the evidence we need to clear the carnival now. Let's go present it to the Sheriff and greet Mistress Delisen..."
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Scribbling in his journal on the walk to meet the Sheriff, Brin looks up only occasionally, mostly to avoid a misstep that could turn an ankle than out of any thought for others he might run into.
"I believe the information we have gleaned during our time here will be invaluable to the Society. Future members should gain great insight to a variety of situations once they read this account. I really must thank you all for letting me along for the documentation alone. Oh, and I suppose we should make sure that the Venture Captain receives her merchandise as well."
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Good job, fellows. I'll make sure she's bound up tight before we take her to the sherriff. Gather as much evidence as we can to use. I'll wager the ale will taste mighty fine at the inn tonight. Patros heads down to secure her before she wakes up. He binds her wrist and legs and slings her over his shoulder as they head out gor the sherriff's office.
You scamper down the ladder and head for the room at the bottom of the trap. On Robella, you find a couple of healing potions, magical bracers, and assorted vials, plants and chemicals that make up an alchemist's kit. You also find a diamond wedding band and master key to the Locked Box, both of which belong to Archivin Walder's widow.
Having secured the Guild, you send word to the Sheriff. While you wait, Brinshandyr gathers up all the various alchemical gear you found, and realizes it weighs at least 40 pounds or more . He turns a sheepish eye to Patros, asking him to lend a hand in getting back to the Inn. Once you present all the evidence to the Sheriff, she thanks you profusely for bringing the actual culprits to justice, and rooting out this nest of vipers. By the time you've been debriefed and helped secure the thieves that survived your assault, it's quite late and you retire to the Crossroads Inn.
The next morning, you return to the carnival. As you approach, you see Phardeen the Panotti swooping in lazy, awkward circles, keeping an eye out for your approach. As soon as he spies you, he lets out a loud whoop, then shouts, "They're HERE!" He flies in circles over your heads, declaring at the top of his lungs to anyone who'll listen, "All Hail the Heroes of the Umbra Carnival!" You spend the week as their honored guests, and the Carnival's business is booming--now that they've been cleared of all charges and folks are no longer worried about being eaten by any of the attractions, the notorious goings-on has brought attendees from miles around.
During the week, you work with the sheriff, sorting through evidence and grilling the few guild survivors and learn all about the thieves' guild known as the Gilded Hands: The Gilded Hands were run by a married Chelish couple from Korvosa. Once young hustlers for the Cerulean Society, they were run out of town by an influential Sczarni gang leader over a personal grudge. They moved to Ilsurian, and took on the aliases of Borvius and Robella Monchello to avoid pursuit and continuation of the vendetta. In public, Borvius ran Ilsurian Storage & Hauling, a cartage company that ships goods and stores cargo, and Robella owned Mistress Robella’s Curiosity Shop just next door. In secret, they jointly control all the serious criminal activity in Ilsurian. Recently, they have been constrained by the size of the town itself. The guild has reached a tipping point where it dare not undertake more profitable criminal ventures without risking a strong response from the town’s sheriff and the larger community—at least, not without a scapegoat. The arrival of the Umbra Carnival presented just such an opportunity. With the circus in town, the Gilded Hands quickly planned to perpetrate their boldest schemes and pin the blame on carnival folk, who are seen by the townspeople as even less trustworthy than other ethnic Varisians. They eliminated Archivin Walder for his money lending business (they wanted to become the only local loan sharks). They wanted complete control of the docks and shipping, both for legitimate business and for smuggling, so Arhaneem Braeton had to go. And they were worried Sister Esrelda Woodmere would succeed in unraveling their plans by working things out between the Carnival and the town.
The dwarven Gearwright Brothers that you rescued from the guild's prison offer you lucrative work acting as security for their engineering contracts throughout Varisia, including mysterious locales such as Kaer Maga. Potentially more enticing is a personal invitation from Ika and Almara Delisen to join the Umbra Carnival and travel all across Avistan as part of a new family. But alas, words of your deeds have spread even as far as Sheila Heidmarch, who sends a note that it's about time for you to wrap up your little vacation, "unless you're truly considering taking on the dubious moniker of 'Carnie!' And if you do, I still expect to receive your written reports..."
As time goes by, you eventually learn that Chelaxians and Varisians in Ilsurian set aside their differences in an annual memorial to the victims. A greater understanding is reached, and the community grows even stronger.