With Arcos and Lubella's strikes, the crazed half-orc woman drops to the ground.
The other three of her comrades stand with weapons lowered.
Well, Pa-Tun-Ya was always a hot-head. Patch her up girls. I think that is enough fun for tonight. Says Red
Lubella sheathed her weapon and told the other gang members, "Other than a few bruises, she should be OK.
"I meant what I said about us looking for information about the Slasher. Have any of you heard anything about someone who might have witnessed one of the murders? We need to stop this sicko before anyone else gets killed."
She didn't want to give too much away about what they knew about the killer yet. She was mindful of the danger of getting false clues from people looking for a few coin.
The three look at each other then the middle One replies
”We no like the slasher - bad for business. Streets empty at night. “
She nods with a pause
”But why you care? Not your job to stop slasher. Why not dottari or Thrunes or Pointy star priests? It’s their city to rule. We no see slasher but word on the streets is he hunts loners at night. We travel together, so he no mess with us Jolly Time Girls. “
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The question had always been: how to build support for the Silver Ravens without risking giving away their own identities. They could only go so far meeting in basements and making plans — at some point one had to talk to people outside of the organization. Lubella highly doubted that these Joly Time Girls, as they seemed to call themselves, worked with the authorities. She figured that this was a suitable time to spread the word about the Silver Ravens.
She snorted derisively, "Did the dottari, or the Thrunes, or the Asmodeans do anything about the Devil's Nursery Murders a few weeks back (which were not the work of the slasher)? No, it was the Silver Ravens who took care of that. And the Red Jills gang that was terrorizing Jarvis End? The Silver Ravens shut them down!"
She paused before saying deliberately, "And the Silver Ravens are going to deal with the Slasher!" She let that sink in, implying that the party was associated with the new force in Kintargo.
Indeed, Aldren was still disguised as a scarred and leathery skinned human laborer. Moreover, he heartily endorsed the halfling’s disclosure.
”As the little one says, we’re associated with the Ravens. They are building an underground network throughout Kintargo. The Thrune’s are bad for business and they’re bad for the city. Not only do they fail to stop the slasher, their curfews are probably also putting a bite on your ‘business’, yes? Help the Ravens and you help yourselves.”
The three nod, lowering their weapons.
We heard of Silver Ravens. We think it just stories of the pretty weaklings to make hope. We know Silver Ravens long dead or run away years ago.
But we have no love for Thrunes or Slashers. Jolly Time Girls not stop you. You stop Slasher, we maybe help you later. If we see slasher, we tell you. Deal?
They smile as best they can, showing their sharp teeth in awkward grins they usually only sport during raging on their foes.
We take our sister now. You hunt slasher or go. Right?
Lubella told the Jolly Time Girls, "The Silver Ravens are back, you'll see! You've got yourself a deal."
As the gang departed with their comrade, she called after them, "Try to stay out of trouble for a while."
She conferred with her allies, "Well, what do you figure? Maybe watch the area around the Iudeimus Tenement? Or do you want to watch Vespam Artisans a little longer?"
Talvek grinned back at the Jolly Time Girls, waving them on. He turned to Lubella. "I think we made too much noise here, so we should get out of this area and circle back to the tenement. I still think having one of us act as bait is the best option, not many of us can see that well in the dark for these night-time stalking missions."
The Jolly Time Girls depart, still unsure what just happened to them. The streets are dark and unusually quiet. Even the calls of the dottari proclaiming the curfew seem to be far more distant than usual. Almost as if they are also avoiding the streets and alleys of the southern Kintargo.
Sidius says, "I'm fine as long as there's moonlight. Actually, on a night like that, I can see farther than you."
Lubella though about their options and said, "Jackdaw has a good point. The sounds of combat here might have induced the killer to seek out a different area. Let's go to the Iudeimus Tenement neighborhood. Do you think he would go after a halfling?"
Heading back towards the Iudeimus Tenement is relatively uneventful, other than seeing dottari off in the distance at the southern road gate. No other souls are seen wandering the streets this close to curfew.
Lubella kept her eyes out for a good place to hide out and keep watch.
"Perhaps, I do not think there is a pattern to the choosing of the victims, so maybe it's simply a matter of opportunity."
"Streets would be better without such predators but dumb muscle has its uses from time to time," Aldren observed, mostly to himself, as the group left the site of the altercation behind.
As you are wandering back towards the western areas around the tenements , several of you glimpse a shadow moving in a side alley at a distance about a block (100') ahead of your path.
The shadow is moving quickly and disappears behind a tall building...one you vaguely recognize from a few days before with the twin boys and their parents. And of course, the loveable old landlord, Nurla Botve, who is probably asleep at this hour.
On their way from the area of Vespam Artisans, Lubella healed her the axe wound inflicted on her in the fight.
Lubella's heart jumped when she glimpsed movement in the dim light. She whispered to the others, "I thought I saw a shadow moving in the alley! Did anyone else see that?"
She quickly cast a spell, wanting to be ready for whatever might happen.
"Yes, we should pursue. Perhaps one of us should go into the building, to make sure those inside are safe." Talvek whispers back.
"Hmm? What? No, but I trust your eyes more than mine."
"Yes, we should pursue. Perhaps one of us should go into the building, to make sure those inside are safe." Talvek whispers back.
"If only one, Kyda should cast that whispering spell on them."
Lubella took the hint and cast her message spell on the group.
Lubella casts the message and heroism.
You approach the Iudeimus Tenement, but do not recall there being a back door. Just the foyer and front office where you met Nurla and the twin's parents. There were several floors.
"OK, keep your wits about you — this could be the Slasher!", Lubella whispered. She moves steathily a few feet, drew out her magic wand and asked quietly, "Can someone use the wand on me again?"
" I certainly hope so," growls Talvek as he taps Lubella with the wand, then downs a vial at his belt.
Sidius casts his false life, then moves into the shadows himself.
Aldren simply drew his whip and let the others take the lead. If sneaking was the order of the day, there was little he contribute but his spells.
Your group is able to move into the shadows with some quick preps. From the best you can tell, the figure snuck into the alley behind the Iudeimus Tenement, but you do not recall there being a door. There are three floors and three sets of windows on the front of the building as well as on the rear.
No light emanates from any of the windows of the buildings in the area, as most folks have retired for the evening. You do not suspect landlords like Nurla would be likely to admit you at this hour of the night.
Remembering their very recent rescue and all the climbing involved, Talvek flattens himself against the wall and looks up.
Lubella moved quietly to the entrance to the alley and tried to see where their quarry had gone.
Arcos follows along, trying to be as quiet as he can be. As it turns out, he's not incredibly quiet,
Looking down the alley, you see the normal set of closed windows on the backs of both apartments sharing the alley. No lights or other movement. Not really sure where the person went. The alley appears to dead-end.
Lubella whispered to her companions, "I can't see anyone." This was not exactly surprising, since she didn't have any sort of night vision.
"I'm going to pretend I'm drunk and try to tempt the Slasher to attack me, if he's hiding here somewhere."
She didn't want to look well equipped, so she removed her backpack and crossbow, while still around the corner, and made sure to conceal her scimitar under her cloak. She took out her blanket and stumbled into the dark alley singing softly to herself, as if looking for a spot to lie down and sleep it off.
Lubella stumbles down and past the alley.
No immediate action as she finds a spot to lay down besides a few rats scurrying away as their usual haunt is disrupted.
Talvek keeps his distance so that Lubella's ruse is not ruined, hiding in the shadows and keeping an eye on her from a spot at the edge of his night vision.
Lubella staggered into the deserted alley and looked for a believable spot to lay down. She tried to scan the surroundings without being obvious about it, careful to maintain her inebriated ruse. She had trouble seeing much of anything in the gloom.
You spot the heat signature of a form lifting the shade slightly in the 3rd story center window in the alley behind the Iudeimus Tenement. The window is in the NW corner, almost directly over you.
Talvek whispers to his companions, using the message spell to target Lubella.
"Someone climbing up to the 3rd story center window!"
Fearing the worst, he begins to climb as well.
Talvek considers climbing the wall, but it looks daunting.
Most city buildings are made of a combination of stone or clay brick (on the lower one or two stories) and timbers (for the upper stories, interior walls, and floors). Roofs are a mixture of boards, thatch, and slates, sealed with pitch. A typical lower-story wall is 1 foot thick, with AC 3, hardness 8, 90 hp, and a Climb DC of 25. Upper-story walls are 6 inches thick, with AC 3, hardness 5, 60 hp, and a Climb DC of 21. Exterior doors on most buildings are good wooden doors that are usually kept locked, except on public buildings such as shops and taverns.
Someone up there at the window, perhaps they saw something, thinks Talvek, but waits to see if Lubella's ruse draws any attention.
Alerted by Talvek's whisper that someone might be looking from an upstairs window, Lubella lowered her singing to barely more than a whisper. She settled in and pulled her blanket around her, feeling very vulnerable knowing that the killer could be somewhere near. Under the blanket, she quietly pulled her scimitar out of its scabbard and gripped it.
As Lubella heeds Talvek's warning, the movement of the upper window's shade stops and Talvek is unable to discern anything additional from the window.
Lubella counts another 12 heartbeats as she waits under the covers. Not a sound is heard from the building, nor the nearby alleys. One would almost say it was deathly quiet...almost.
Lubella decided to sit tight and wait for a while. She stopped singing and hummed for a little bit, and then fell silent. We'll see if anything happens now.
When it seemed the stealthier members of the group were settling in, Aldren casually leaned up against the corner of the building. He idly kept an eye out for dottari and other complications but also chewed on alternative approaches if Lubella and Talvek's plans ran into a dead end.
The next half minute or so passes uneventfully. No movements or sounds are observed.
Lubella pretended to be falling asleep, but she was wide awake, listening for any sign of movement.
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Aldren went over to the landlady's window as a backup plan unfolded in his mind. He then paused to listen.
Oh, my... look at the rot on that windowsill. She better get that fixed.