The guards nod and allow you to continue into town. Soon you find an inn and stable your camels there. You rest then begin selling your wares. Shalazat explains more details of the mission to you "The opening to the tunnel is somewhere outside of town. We were not able to extract the exact location nor the number of Drow who have come through. The prisoner did explain to us, however, that Drow came through the tunnel, captured or killed someone outside of town, and assumed their identity. We must discover who in this town has been replaced by Drow and eliminate the underworlders."
Hadha nods and starts asking discrete questions of those who prefer to remain unseen. Those in power often ignore those with none, to their detriment. Hadha thinks he Knows a Guy or two.
Knowing from their previous mission that Zaza is likely to go out, talking to people, Amari decided to stick to her side.
Protecting her was one reason.
Making sure the intel she would gather is trustworthy another. Not because he could not trust the temperamental shadow, but to make sure that she would not be lied at by anyone she interviewed.
During their walk around the market, he will take particular notice of any beings buying expansive wine and food, remembering well the expensive goods the false Elder had with him. Anyone fitting this schema will be looked over with intense scrutiny.
Lo has serenity track through town, hoping to trace the scent of the wine to another Drow. Meanwhile the hunter attempts to interpret the reactions of the local populace regarding their presence here.
You determine that the following locals went missing for a few days then turned back up without explanation:
Swain Thompson: Shopkeeper
Janet Albrecht: Shopkeeper
Moses Fallion: Bartender
Joshua Demure: Shepherd
You could find one of these individuals without much difficulty if you like as they all have jobs in town.
During your investigations, you notice a tall bald black man, dressed in a scruffy long leather duster covering a chain shirt. He wears a mace at his side and carries himself as it the weight of the world rests on his shoulders. Head down, shoulders slumped, walks with a long gait and appears like he doesn't pay attention to a thing. But he seems to be in the same locations as you somewhat more frequently than you'd expect.
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Seems to be a little to easy to spot in a crowd, though never really caught him looking straight at me too often...wonder how he found each of us when we were separated and searching for information.
Turning briefly to Shalazat.
Do we want to try to catch one of the four identified or split up and hit multiple at the same time...course need to make sure our interested maybe third party doesn't interrupt us either.
Sending up a brief prayer for guidance.
Think we need to catch our friend first for my vote...don't like unknowns still out there and hopefully nothing we did would have spooked the dark elves.
Shalazat shakes her head. "We need to move quickly. If anything happens, the Drow will disappear. I will pursue two of the targets on my own. You decide your own course of action."
I can shadow Swain or Janet pretty easily, if we want to go that route.
Shalazat shakes her head. "Investigating alone is one thing but I would not have you five split up to try to take one of these. If they do turn out to be an enemy agent..." She shakes her head. "We do not have enough intelligence to make such an attack short-handed without unnecessary risk. The five of you should fight together."
Who said anything about fighting? I was thinking strict recon. Observe and report.
Hadha is already thinking through ways to track the targets without being seen. Also, I'm going to need to visit a bank later.
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Thinking a little more himself.
If we are going to attempt a kidnapping have to assume the Shepard would be easiest if we can catch him outside town tending his flock...shop and bar keepers would be a little harder to isolate I feel...might also give us a chance to see how interested our third party is if he follows us outside the city also.
Pausing a little longer and seeming to talk to himself.
Though might need a reason for us to head out of town so the guards dont ask questions...or find another way to sneak out of the town maybe.
Amari follows the discussion for some time, pondering their options.
As a short break in the discussion comes up, he starts signing quickly.
<Abduction is our last resort.
I would prefer to shadow our targets first as well.
And I agree with honored Shalazat, we should stick together in teams of two or more, whatever we are doing.
Going alone is too risky.
Let us keep a low profile at first, gather intel by talking and shadowing.
Then strike hard and fast together once we identified the targets.>
<Solid.>
Hadha sets out with Amari and seems to melt into the crowds. He was in his element here. He first goes to a bank and exchanges some of his gold for silver. He then seeks out some of the homeless and beggars of the city, a faction that few even saw, much less payed attention to. He greased a few palms and quickly had the attention of the larger community. He pays to have them keep an eye on all the targets in the city with a small bonus thrown in for their discretion.
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Giving Zaza a bit of a lead entering the tavern to draw the majority of the patrons focus before entering himself and finding a table close to a wall. Agaban situates himself where he can see most if not all of the room before pulling out his journal and starts making short entries into it, if one is looking across the table they would notice a series of shorthand notes and equivalent but two clear columns with various figures like a detailed oriented merchant might have to keep track of trends and merchandise.
However, he continues to look up at the crowd that has drawn towards his companion and watches to make sure no one is attempting to either attack or sneak off from the main room.
Lo'Laan keeps his distance watching the shopkeeper from afar. He puts his training to the test as he searches for anything out of the ordinary with his suspect.
Together, the shadows are very stealthy and observant. Moses Fallion and Swain Thompson are observed entering an empty-looking warehouse on the southern edge of town.
A bird flies to you and speaks the password from Shalazat. "The shepherd is proving most elusive. This confirms my suspicions regarding him. Continue your mission with caution and haste."
Hadha takes a look around to see what can be learned from the exterior of the building including any additional entrances, open windows, etc.
Haha sees old barrels scattered around the warehouse and notes a main entrance and a rear entrance. It seems to have been out of use for some years and there are no windows.
Hadha reaches up to the largest stone on the head of his crystal staff and closes his eyes. The main crystal, a light blue stone with white streaks, detaches and grows thin, spider-like legs of odd, white stuff.
Everyone, meet Rocky. He's going to do some more scouting for us.
The stone crawls to the ground and uses its legs to climb its way to the roof.
"Rocky" heads up onto the roof but you don't hear anything of note from here.
Rocky lets Hadha know there are no trapdoors or others means of entry or exit on the roof.
Looks like we have the front and the back as ways in. What do youall think? I'm partial to the back way, but that may just be habit talking.
Remembering their first mission, Amari proposes:
<Regardless of the path we choose, we should bar the other exit to keep the prey from escaping.
Hadha, could you break the lock of the door, so it won't open?>
Hadha nods. <Easily>
<Shall we attempt to enter carefully to maybe gather some additional intel by overhearing their conversation or go in loud and fast?
<Do it. Unless you shout your prayer, they should not hear it over the background noise of the village.>
Once the prayer is spoken, Amari enters through the Hadha-opened door - crouched with the first arrow of the day already on the string.
Hadha first checked the door to see if it's unlocked.
Then he dashes to the nearest cover and eats for a clean shot inside of 30 feet.
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Entering behind Amari; Agaban rethinks his early question and decides that with an unknown amount of time before contact might be made it would be better to hold on to his spells.
As he enters the door he attempts to step to the side to make room for the rest of the group and to gain another angle of attack with either his longspear or a spell depending on what they find on the other side.