Time passes while you wait for night, for a chance for your escape to begin. Many of you pray. Tease is momentarily stunned by Trissae's worshipful dance.
After the rest of your prayers, Tease speaks up. "If we make it through this, I think my gang and yours should go into business. Forget The Shields, let The Counterwits do your legwork." He reaches out a hand to the three of you generally, and waits to see your response.
The Counterwits are an independent group of thieves that work around the sword coast. They are unknown in numbers, but are usually considered to be a small gang. They are considered to be a loosely democratic gang as there is no outstanding leader known to their group. They are generally known by any thieves guild in their area of operation as they make sure to pay any required cut for operating within the jurstictions of local guilds, as well as helping to facilitate thief-guild cons with their specialties.
Their specialties range from impersonations, document foraging, illegal minting, to artisan craft work. These skills are employed by selling/using props identical to well known objects (Say, a nobleman's signet ring to act as a vassal to their lord's wishes), creating counterfeit coins to purchase any goods they might need (It is said that The Counterwits never use legal coin when they have their own mint on hand), imitating guards with forged documents to spring captured guildies from prisons by official order, etc.
One of the most outlandish rumors of the gang is that they have successfully imitated a Masked Lord of Waterdeep to cast a useful vote at the right time, though the validity of this claim is unknown.
---------
As time passes, the weather outside goes from worse to strange; wind gusts, lightning crashes on top of the city, and rain soaks everything. At one point there is a barrage of hail blanketing the tower's yard. Guards come and go, and the gate is quite active by letting more people in and out. Raised voices seem occasionally desperate and fearful from whatever is going on in the city. Horses are heard along with the rustling of people moving quickly in armor.
Eventually, night falls.
Grellik lays out his bedroll and removes his gear down to his clothes, stowing it either on the side of the bedroll or in his pack, as appropriate bedroll ."Or perhaps it is a reminder that some things should not be tampered with." He takes off his boots and loops an arm around the strap of his pack. "well, Mr. Bindle, I suppose I shall leave myself in your hands in this matter as well. If I wake up without my flesh attached, I'll be sure to haunt you."And he lays down on his right side with his warhammer on top alongside his body, able to be grasped in a moment's notice.
In case it becomes relevant, below is a crude placement diagram
#
+OA
WIA
+<
0=Grellik
I
<
#=pack,+=gear outside of pack,W=warhammer,A=armor
Tease goes over more information that occurs to him while you wait for the day to come, listing other things he finds to be worth noting. This information, he says, it pieced together largely from overhearing conversations from the soldiers and relies on some amount of interpretation on Tease's part. He makes note of the things he believes may be wrong.
-The first and second floors house mostly barracks to the regular soldiers in addition to the rooms you've already seen. There is also a kitchen on the second floor.
-The balcony has some amount of authority assigned to it. The balcony guard is always an officer, as they need to make calls on who is allowed in and out of the balcony. There is a bell they can ring to alert the inner tower to external threats. Tease assumed the door is generally kept locked, so people couldn't just snipe the guard and grapple up, and the guard does not possess a key to get back in (for the same reason). The tower guard has plenty of ammunition for whatever they happen to be proficient with, so they can defend themselves, or threaten people at the gate.
-Some lower officer's rooms are on the third floor, and also has some kind of research room. Tease supposes that this research room might be some kind of library, but it doesn't sound like anything fancy.
-Fourth floor sounds like some kind of meeting room, along with more officer's quarters. He expects there to be city plans, maybe maps of Yartar's defenses there. Maybe notes on quarantine procedure would be kept there.
-Fifth floor is more officer's quarters. Tease expects Wen's quarters to be on the fourth or fifth floors.
-He in unsure on what is above the fifth floor.
"Eh, don't think it's that deep. Pretty sure his skeletons aren't anyone he used to be close to... CLEARLY aren't family, they're too big. There's just kind of... Some kind of emotional bond through his magic. Like I said, I don't really understand it."
He chuckles at your threat of haunting him, and time passes.
You are woken just before sun-up by Bindle. "Mornin' ugly. Gunna get a move on soon. Take your piss before the dawn breaks or else you might not get another chance for some time. The day looks like it'll be clear, so you'll be spending most of it in the hold. Feel free to kick Frug out if he acts a prat."
Cavell grins to Tease but doesn't take his hand. "That's up to The Boss--but helping us will go a long way in that regard. You've earned my respect Teasey, but I think I'm the most junior 'Shark in the gang."
He listens closely to Tease's information, then turns to Trissae. "Sounds like we need to make a choice. We can focus on sneaking out of here quiet and quick, or we can go for disguises and forged papers. Personally, I like your plan, Triss, it's all Bogshark--well, equally as Bogshark as fighting our way out." Cavell grins at Ozz.
"Which means we have a plan B and a plan C. Plan B, we take the rope over the wall. Plan C, we fight our way out."
Standing, Cavell holds out a hand to Trissae. "The hairpin," seeing the look on her face, he adds: "Sorry love."
Tease, with his hand still outstretched, looks from Cavell to Trissae.
As dawn begins to shine over the Dessarin, Bindle does his whistle once more and the strange "sailors" appear and begin to... row. At this point you go into the hold.
Frug is asleep, curled against his empty packs in the corner near the opposite hatch. His remaining, not-empty pack is held in his arms. He snores softly while his skeleton, name unknown, sits cross-leg-boned in front of him, staring off emptily at nothing.
Trissae slowly dresses again listening to the two of them go over the plan with the new details. As she is dressed the magic fades and her hair returns to normal.
She indeed gives him a pouty-face but hands it over. "Be careful with it, it has a powerful enchantment on it. It'll be a great tool in case problems arise while we are escaping." She motions toward Tease after she hands over the hairpin.
Afterward she turns away she casts Disguise Self again, this time taking the form of a Shield Guard: the gear fashioned in a style similiar to Spearwoman Torea's and her skin tone changing to match a wood elf's
Ozz shrugs at Triss and Cavell about Tease's offer, ignoring his hand.
As Trissae begins to strip, Cavell begins smiling. He looks like he wants to make a comment but stays quiet, gradually crossing his arms and enjoying the show. His body language shifts from amused to appreciative as she dances. He doesn't say a word.
When it's over, and she's dressing again, he adjusts his pants and clears his throat. "I think Tymora granted my prayers. I do feel lucky," he nudges the stunned Tease.
"I think it's a fine idea by the way Tease, though I think your holding yourself back by not joining us directly..." She smiles at him "But I will definitely promote the idea to the crew." She takes his hand and shakes it daintily.
"Now my friends, gird your loins, once Adrien has the door open we don't know what exactly to expect. I will lead the way, Ozz behind me and Adrien at the rear, keep your eyes peeled. We'll head for the armory first to gather tools, then storage for our gear. If anybody has suggestions make'm now."
She readies up near the door awaiting what comes next.
Tease turns Trissae's dainty grip into a firm one with an aggressive, large-smiled shake. "Good enough, lass. Vergadain () smiles when crooks do business. With luck, He'll be so curious as ta our future misdeeds that he'll put in a good word with thuh others fer us."
The guard activity of the day bleeds into the start of night. Guards enter, guards leave. At one point it sounds like some people have entered through the gates to seek refuge from something, maybe the storm? About two hours after night, the first break occurs. You can hear the wind and rain when all sound isn't deafened out by the thunder, but the gate has been silent for some time. You hear no sounds of activity outside.
The skeleton doesn't seem to respond in the slightest to your comment.
After maybe half an hour, the skeleton rubs its eye-sockets and moments later Frug begins to stir. He sits up and looks over at you. He huffs out a breath of irritation and fumbles with the hatch near him.
Cavell nods and goes to the cell door, peering out. "We'll try to stay hidden while we follow you."
Once guard activity dies down, he kneels and starts working on the lock.
"Ozz, keep eyes and ears open for me. I'll be too focused on this."
Time drags on slowly as Cavell curses and mutters, fingers working deftly at the lock. When it feels like it's never going to happen, there's an audible click, and Cavell grins over his shoulder at them. He opens the door carefully so it doesn't squeak, and bows extravagantly, gesturing towards the open door.
"Ladies first."
After Adrien picks the lock, Trissae casts her magics to impersonate a surface elf of the Shield. Tease grabs something from the corner of the cell where he sleeps, from a crack where the wall meets the floor, and palms it. Disguised and ready, the group moves out into the stormy night.
You are all soaked in moments by the pouring rain, and as you go up the stone steps and into the muddy yard, you notice that the guard(s) that usually stand a the top of the small staircase/near the backdoor are gone. The backdoor to the tower, just a few short paces away, is unguarded, at least from the outside. Firelight from a lantern flickers through the barred window.
On the opposite end of the large yard is the stables, empty of the couple dozen horses it usually shelters and too far from the wall which itself is too high to make more a realistic jump to freedom.
Between the stables and you, near the northern wall of the yard, is a big barrel about 7 feet long loaded into a wagon, similar to the one you've been hauling around for a couple of days (though clearly meant to be pulled by a horse or ox).
Though you cannot see it from the top of the staircase, you know that just around the tower to your right is the gates, and you would be surprised to find it unguarded.
You currently see no one in sight.
Triss holds out her hand. "Hairpin please."
Afterward she looks back at the three of them. "Not a word to anyone of what you saw...." she looks at Adrien specifically "Not - A - Word."
Trissae leads out confidently, holding an arm up to shield her face from the rain. she begins looking around for the signposts to locate either the storage or armory, whichever may be closer.
realizing the backdoor to the tower is just before her she walks up and puts an ear up to it.
then motions for Ozz to come to her and listen at the door to discern if there's possibly anybody on the other side.
Cavell hands her the hairpin then grins, not saying anything. He returns to the nearby shadows.
You see no other people and no other traps as you emerge into the rainy night. Trissae moves to listen at the door. Ozz, you notice a wood-cutting axe near the fire pit you've generally been taking breakfasts at. It is near the end of the tower, near the gate, so you might be able to see more in that area, or at risk of BEING seen if you don't stick close to the wall.
Triss, at the door you can hear a conversation from inside, the noise coming out easily through the barred window.
"... at least a few more in the last hour. It's bad. We don't get it, this is more than just a common disease, for sure. The Waterbaron said that the Lord of Amberglow is looking into it, as it seems to be more his kind of thing. He's been real bad though, so I don't know what he'll be able to accomplish."
"By the gods... Triad's blessings to you, Kipnal. Sounds like you'll be needing it. Thanks for taking the moment to keep me in the loop. I'm getting kind of stir crazy in here, you know?"
This is what you hear at first, and it sounds like the conversation hasn't quite ended just yet.
You notice something strange going on in the clouds. Little flashes of fiery light burst here and there above the city, clearly an unnatural look. You are certain this isn't an effect of the lightning, additionally, the clouds are spiraling above the city, the small flashes occurring most numerous toward the center of this maelstrom of clouds.
As you watch, and notice all of this about the clouds through the streaming rain, you notice several more lightning strikes coming from the very center of the spiral, directly west of your location, probably on your side of the Dessarin.
Frug looks back at you steadily with his one eye.
Twitch, twitch
"Well, it's not that they're important. They're just... mine. And difficult to obtain. What if you awoke and found your, uhh... Big f!!+ing sword had been thrown overboard, eh? Now imagine swords were largely difficult to come by, and you don't know when you'll be able to replace it!"
His skeleton begins to move shift its weight awkwardly from foot to foot, fidgeting slightly with its hands.
He lets out a sigh and casts his gaze down, muttering lowly to himself. "At least I can finally get some work done..." Frug absently gets a better grip on his non-empty bag, and doesn't look back up at you. "I just gotta piss..." he says and opens the hatch. Sunlight pours into the small hold. Frug blinks out into it and leaves, calling "Jasper!" out to the skeleton who then follows.
An apology? An acceptance?
Being careful not to be seen from around the tower, Ozz approaches the fire pit and claims the axe happily. That's when he notices the clouds, and stares off into the sky for some time, mouth slack with awe.
Anyone looking at Ozz would notice him gazing upward in wonder.
"Yes, I might be a bit perturbed. Though I hope you realize that I was only doing what I felt I had to to get you, and thus myself, on our respective journeys."
Unless he adds more, when he mentions the piss Grellik will wave him on understandingly.
Some time passes. The travel up the Dessarin is a time consuming one in a small keelboat. When Bindle thinks he can get away with it, he'll whistle his men to double time it, and make some actual distance while he thinks no one is close enough to his boat to notice the unnatural speed. Usually, he is forced to take a steady pace so as to not break the cover of a ordinary trading boat on the river. Despite the strange look to his crew, apparently no other traffic on the river pays it any mind and treat Bindle's ship as any other vessel on the Dessarin.
Frug has seemed to gotten over his pratishness for the most part, but he'll occasionally ask for Salizar or Aubrey to fetch him something. In these moments he'll usually laugh it off but Jasper the skeleton will look downcast or stare at Grellik for several moments.
The weather ranges from fall rains to nice sunny days. The mornings are usually foggy and chill.
Triss waves again impatiently for Ozz to come over, that's when she realizes he's trotted off somewhere. At first annoyed she looks around for him but when she finds him she looks puzzledly in the direction he is gawking at.
Cavell whispers harshly as Triss goes to check out what Ozz sees, "No time!"
He then takes Ozz's place and listens at the door.
As you follow Ozz's gaze, you see that the lightning strikes of the storm all seem to be coming from the same spot in the sky, the center of a swirling vortex of clouds above the city. As you look, something seems to be changing within the clouds.
-----
Adrien moves up to Triss as she gets distracted (at least partially) by what Ozz and Tease have both been fascinated by. He is able to pick up the conversation some.
Two Shields seem to be having a conversation, their voices easy to make out through the barred window.
"... in here than out there. Trust me, you're better off. All of the captains have been working themselves hard. A sergeant lost a leg to frostbite, and Captain Gravonis is suffering from pretty bad burns, but it sounds like he'll make it."
There is a gasp, followed by a stunned silence.
Aside from that, he definitely wants go off into the woods one night (or day if there happens to be opportunity) to forage, like he do. Sitting for days does not a happy Grellik make (and its not like there are any good sparring partners, as far as he knows, in the boat), and being out of the confines of the ship would be a welcome change for a bit.
"By the gods..." without breaking her attention she reaches over and grabs Cavell by the collar and uses it as a guide to find his head in an attempt to use it get his attention on what she's looking at.
As the four of you watch the the storm, the voices from within the tower passage fall on deaf ears.
The sky strobes as the rapid flashing of lightning emerges from swirling clouds, so rapid fire that the thunder is almost continuous. As the clouds spin in a dark vortex above the city, a fresh bolt strikes out of the center at a rate about one per second. Occasionally two or three bolts will lash downward simultaneously. Warm red bursts can be seen at other parts of the vortex, growing stronger as the lightning grew to its current frantic rate.
Suddenly the rain pelting down on you turns into a barrage of hail, and the center of the vortex disintegrates, opening the clouds like portal into the sky. The storm loses all cohesion, and the spinning clouds and flashing lights of fire and thunder stop and break up in to a only cloud pocked sky, Selune and her Tears visible in the now mostly clear night.
"Oh s$&~." comes a voice from the doorway in the new silence. "I think it stopped." Following the voice comes a sound of movement toward the door.
Frug doesn't seem to mind if the thing you grab for him is natural for you to assist him with, but shows some annoyance if it would be easier for him to just grab the thing himself.
One night as Bindle parks his boat a couple of days into your voyage, he responds to your request for leave.
"You want some time on land?" he thinks, smoking his pipe. "Probably not a great idea. We're by Goldenfields right now. There's a lot of empty area, but it is usually patrolled by abbey priests. They're a capable lot, and actively try to keep the land free of creatures a lot like you. You're welcome to risk it, but know I'll be moving on in the morning with or without you. If you must, maybe wait a couple more days until we get past Stone Bridge. That's about as far north as they patrol."
Cavell tries to duck back into a shadow, but gets caught in the open.
Ozz manages to snap out of it with just enough time to push himself against the wall, hoping that the sounds of his movements aren't enough to alert anyone.
Trissae stands prominently in front of the door, partially in hopes of distracting anybody who comes to the door from seeing her hiding friends.
With Triss blocking the window in her disguised form, only some sounds of Adrien quickly ducking away in surprise are heard. The approaching guard catches sight of her filling the window and starts.
"Aagh!" A human guard, male. About middle age with a scar on his cheek and shaggy, unkempt black hair. He flinches back in surprise when his eyes adjust enough to notice that there is a person RIGHT there at the door.
"What? What's happened?" a voice calls from further back in the hallway.
"Nothing, nothing..." the first man says, catching his breath. "Torm's Law, girl. Nearly stopped my heart. What is it?"
Adrien lets out a slow, silent breath of relief, heart hammering in his chest. He glares at Ozz.
Ozz looks back at Cavell, and glances back at the clearing sky. Looking back and holding his axe in one hand, he wiggles it at Adrien, grins, and shrugs.
He thinks of the risk of not making it back, then he thinks of the patrols--a challenge! We'll see if they can capture me, if they are unfortunate enough to come across me! The barest smile starts to form on his lips, when a memory from his squiring comes to him.
Having gone looking for trouble, and to no surprise having found it, he is scolded by Sir Dirmein.
"But they started it! I made sure not to attack first! I followed the rules!"
"It does not matter! Laws, Codes of Conduct--these thing are in place to guide our actions. To give us principles with which to hold true to honor and goodness. They are not meant to be twisted and warped to justify our desires! You knew what would happen in that part of the city. It is imperative that we, and you especially, due to the burden you bear, only fight when it is just..and only when it is necessary!"
As he recalls this, Grellik lowers his head slightly, exhaling. "You are right, Bindle. A little restlessness is worth avoiding unnecessary bloodshed."he raises his head and grins. "Especially if it means my head on the block!" He laughs, letting the tension out a bit.
He'll stretch out on deck a bit and practice some sword routines before settling down into eating and eventually sleeping
"Sorry, I was sent to check on the knuckleheads in the cells when I finally caught a glimpse of the sky spewing lightning like a lightweight at a meadhall."
She scratches her nose with her thumb and spits to the side away from her hiding friends then continues.
"For the love of Selune let me in there, it's colder out here than the looks Silvers gives me when I make advances at her."
she chuckles and puts her hand on the door awaiting it to open.
The guard nods absently along as you speak, not looking properly out of the window as he starts fiddling at his keys.
"I can imagine..." he says in response. "The weather has been crazy. Days like spring, nights like winter. Hail and rain and lightning going back and forth."
The sounds of a key entering a lock.
"That thunder a second ago was something else, I couldn't even hear myself think!"
The key turns in the door, unlocking it.
Bindle grins back at you, unaware of the internal struggle which guided your decisions.
Another day passes, and that night Bindle calls out into the hatch. "Hey, we're docking by Stone Bridge tonight! You should take a look at it before we pass it in the day, if you haven't before!"
Trissae waits for the door to be unlocked before pushing her way in. She'll do a quick glance around the room as she does so.
If he has:"Yes, I've seen it, but its always an impressive sight. I wouldn't want to miss the chance."
If he has not:"No, I've always skirted the badlands surrounding it. perhaps I should take your boat more often." He smiles congenially.
Triss enters the narrow passage, the guard letting her in as she pushes through the door. The passage seems much the same as before, 15 feet from door to door with the cell door in the far end of the right-hand wall. The passage is 5 feet wide, and there is a lantern hung halfway along the right hand wall.
Besides the man who opened the door for you, the far door is open and another man stands there. Spearman Geoff, from the group of guards during your first day of chores rebricking the road. A young man with sandy blonde hair tied back, he's wearing a soaked cloak and seems rather worn.
Spearman Geoff looks at the disguised Triss for a moment before muttering tiredly to the other. "Well, I need to get back out there."
Beyond Geoff you know there is a 10x10 foot room that feeds into the infirmary, and had two more doors, one marked "Storage" and the other "Barracks".
Looking at the stone bridge once again, it is a breathtaking sight, even poorly lit by Selune's radiance at night.
The Stone Bridge is a two mile long, single arch bridge of hard granite that almost avoids touching the water of the Dessarin entirely. Only each end of the bridge arcs low enough for the waters to flow against it. Despite it's unusual length, the dwarvern structure is fairly narrow, and without any railings or barriers, humans find it to be an unsettling walk 400 feet above the wide river.
The bridge is also a holy site, a temple to Moradin. Years past, there was a great fight in these parts, and the bridge itself acted as a platform for Moradin's avatar to be summoned, and enter the battle Himself against the orcs.
The bridge stretches high above you, a dark shadow against the pale glow of Selune and her Tears.
Cavell holds his breath as Triss goes in, shooting a worried glance to Ozz.
Triss waves casually to Geoff then turns to the other gentlemen.
"So how have things been going in here? Have you lost your mind staring at the stonework yet?"
She says trying to bide time till Geoff leaves.
"The Sharks and Tease seem to be fine off in the cells, probably the safest damn place to be at this point." she snorts, looking back out the door she came in from.
Ozz will creep closer to the door, in case something were to occur.