Lucien follows quietly.
Agaban sees Gara, the living sand, Zaza, and the halfling walk spectacularly through the common room. No one notices as Lucien slips out a few minutes later and conceals himself in shadow outside in the relatively dark street.
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Looking up as the halfling and Gara stomp pass with Zaza following a little behind in their footsteps. Agaban takes a quick look around the room and apparently upon seeing Zaza's expression..
Agaban closes his book and gets up leaning in while walking with her right out the door leaving his food/drink half consumed.
Is everything ok? Do you want me to come with you? Then even softer.
How is it looking so far?
Outside, the halfling grows more impatient and assertive with Gara, twirling his dagger a little faster with each sentence. Look, oaf. What do you want? What's the deal here?
The demeanour of Gara changes so abruptly, that it may seem like a totally different man has followed the halfling bro the shady sideway.
His voice calm, low and matter-of-fact like, eyes expressionless and devout of emotion.
"The deal is ... whether you want to die an agonizing death after long hours of torture and be fed by the Living Sand afterwards...
Or if you are cowardly enough to sell out your companions to their doom to save your own hide."
Confused and startled, the halfling looks incredulously at Zaza and sees her inviting doe eyes turn into burning coals. He stammers Wait, wait. What is this? You want my crew? He lowers his blade a few inches.
Dropping his attempt to move stealthily, Lucien steps up to close the ring, rapier in hand.
Gara lets the Halfling just enough time to asses the situation he suddenly found himself in - surrounded by hostiles in a dark street corner - before pressing on with that ice-cold, emotionless voice.
"The time of your 'crew' has come to an end.
An abrupt and bloody end - whatever you tell us and even if you don't.
You may have a little chance to life yet, so tell us:
Where is that escape tunnel of yours?
We know that you have one."
The halfling turns pale and throws drops his dagger in the dirt, holding up his hands in supplication and speaking in a low voice All right! All right! The tunnel leads out north in the hills. I can show you where but what can you give me out of this?
Lucien smiles with all the warmth of a blizzard. ”Your life, wretch. Haggle well enough, and maybe you get to keep most of your limbs and digits, too.”
Gara, Lucien, and Agaban back the halfling into a dark alley. Zaza disarms him then leaves briefly. He gulps and nods That's right! See how useful I can be! Aroc always keeps at least one scroll on him to use for himself and however many of his lieutenants and grunts he can bring with him. But it takes a bit to get it out and use it. Also, he can't always use it right. I saw him try to use the scroll and fail once. He smiles weakly but ingratiatingly, trying to prove his usefulness.
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Pausing briefly.
That is definitely good to know though a little more interested with you showing us the exact location of the tunnel and any surprises that come with it. Also, how likely are they to have a watch on the tunnel or where would Aroc be at this time?
Walking over to Lucien and whispering.
What do you think would exile for this rat meet the mission if the rest of the ring is scattered/killed. Pretty sure Gara and his pet can scare him enough that he wouldn't cross the border again.
The halfling nods eagerly. We often have a watch on the tunnel. Not all the time. Aroc usually stays in the warehouse overseeing things. He leads you to the middle of the hills north of Lopul. He whispers There's probably a guard on duty at the tunnel right now. If we want to go further, we'll have to be quiet.
"I'll wait here with him.
Fetch me if the way is clear."
Gara waves his hands in a difficult motion and utter a short series of arcane words, then a barely visible shine shortly outlining the gruesome figure of the living sand.
The living sand moves a bit too close to the tunnel and is noticed by the halfling standing guard.
Zaza's magical voice calls out to the halfling, overpowering his weak mind. The lookout stands dazed, doing nothing.
Lucien rushes the lookout's position and drives his rapier into the halfling.
Round 2, after Zaza:
Lucien again stabs at the tiny man.
With a swift movement like sand carried from a strong wind, the living sand is upon the already bleeding, dazed man and swirls around it in a deadly embrace.
Where the blury outlines of the creature come in touch with the halfling, armor, skin and flesh rip and tear, drawing blood which quickly vanishes inside the creature, causing its sand-body to take up a darker color.
Lucien's first attack pierces the foe solidly but Lucien's momentum throws off his second attack, even though the nimble foe was somewhat easier to hit after having been pulled down by Zaza's whip. But Gara's strange creature rushes forward, finishing the blood Lucien started flowing.
The tunnel entrance is near his body. He had 12 gp, studded leather, 2 daggers, and a potion of cure light wounds.
Lucien watches the entrance while Zaza gets the others.
Back at the other halfling, Gara snarls a evil grin as he feels the demon ripping and tearing into the body of the guard.
He turns to the still breathing one at his side with a blank expression.
"The Living Sand has tasted blood ... you better talk and make me satisfied with the answers for I will have to hold it off your throat once it returns.
Describe me the inside of the place, from the direction we will approach if we follow the tunnel.
How many side-ways, additional guards, traps, rooms, everything.
And make it quick, they are returning already..."
The halfling quails before Gara, almost crying, which strikes you as quite pathetic for a grown man. Whatever you want! The tunnel leads straight to a door! On the other side is Aroc's room. That's connected to the main storeroom and then next there's our sleeping room. Upstairs is just more storage!
The halfling quivers in fear before you, nearly fainting with terror.
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Almost feel sorry for the guy now but still unwilling to let him have a chance to sound the alarm on us.
Is there anything else in the tunnel that we need to know about. Tell us just because this Aroc seems to be multiple levels of paranoid and doubt he would leave anything to just a single level of protection.
Seeing Zaza and Lucien coming back over Agaban moves out to see them away from the captive.
Do you think we let him go here? I doubt he could warn them even if he had the inkling to after we enter the tunnel.
You recall your training with the Shadows in which you were told that anyone who knows your identity as Shadows must be eliminated. That said, the halfling might be in the dark as to who you are and what you want. He replies to your questions
He should be there tonight. He rarely leaves his room. He sends us out to conduct his face-to-face business.
Hearing Agaban's remark about the tunnel, the halfling shrugs.
He is at that. I don't know about anything else but he does always seem to know when someone is coming through the tunnel. I've never seen him surprised.
You're quite confident the halfling is too scared of you to try to interfere with your plans if you released him.
You're VERY confident the halfling is too scared of you to try to interfere with your plans if you released him.
You think the halfling is probably describing and alarm spell or two cast by Aroc.
Looking into the halfling's eyes, Agaban senses that the halfling is pretty confused about who you are.
"How about we have him lead the way" Lucien says, gesturing to the halfling. "Then we'll know if there's traps he hasn't told us about, and he can tell his boss we're new recruits that want to join up."
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Doubt new recruits would be taken through the tunnel. How long is the tunnel roughly? Assuming he doesn't give anyone a password when they go down for guard duty?
Looking again at the halfling.
If we send him ahead or have him do anything he would be outside our influence and under Arocs. Considering how easy he was to break would probably flip the other way as soon as that happens.
The halfling panics at Zaza's reaction. I don't know how it works! He told us to always say "muvvyl" when we go into the tunnel. He always yells at us when we don't! Once, he even killed a guard who came through the secret door without saying it!
The Moonblades are an assassin's organization prominent in Qadira while the Sons of Emeth are a prominent thieve's guild.
The group of assassins begin moving toward the tunnel, as they reach it, Zatinya notices a faint magical aura on the left-hand wall of the tunnel (K arcana to ID school if you like). The halfling speaks the Infernal password as he nervously enters the tunnel, extremely displeased that you are making him do this.
Having the demon guard the halfling, Gara lets himself fall back to the others a bit, talking low - but not low enough to prevent the halfling from hearing tidbits of the conversation.
"So, what do we do with him?
At least, we should bind and gag him, before pressing further on.
We can deal with him later - depending on the outcome of this, I'll let you show mercy on him if you want to."
Nodding, Lucien approaches the spot carefully. "Muvvyl." he says, as he reaches the indicated location.
Gara ties the man up with a full 30m of rope from his backpack, using a strip of the halflings own clothes to gag him.
He whispers into the mans ear while doing so.
"You're a smart coward - and lucky that my comrades are so forgiving and show you mercy.
Standing orders would have seen any witness killed and I am not as kind as them...
Stay here and wait for us to finish the job.
If I find you waiting here like a good, frightened boy, I'll untie you and let you enjoy your cowardly life.
If you move so much as a hands-with, I'll let the Living Sand utterly devour you."
That dealt with, Gara crosses the boarder, murmuring the Keyword and re-summons the demon to the other side of the border, since it cannot speak the keyword.
As soon as it reappears, he lets the sand-creature follow Lucien while staying far behind to not give them away with the heavy clank-clank of his chain shirt and the scraping of his tower shield over the walls of the tunnel.