"Pardon me, madam halfling. Your concern for your friend is admirable, and I share it. Someone is framing her. The air out there is putrid with manipulation and hate. This isn't an attack. It is a rescue."
Korriban nods at the landlord. "Don't worry, sir. We don't think she did it." Seeing the halfling woman leave, he quickly makes his way over to her. He whispers, "My friend is right. We only wish to help."
"Abu thinks we should hurry. There may be others listening who may hinder or harm."
Adoros starts for the stairs after the halfling lady goes for them, trying to follow her if Teodor and Korriban's words didn't slow her down or be the first up the stairs in case she did stop.
You catch up with the young woman about halfway to the second floor. Adoros arrives first, and brings her to a stop with a hand on her shoulder, and she whirls to glare at him. Her demeanor softens, though, when Teodor and Korriban explain the group's motives. "You really won't do anything to hurt her?" she asks, her concern clear. "Trinia's always been a good neighbor--she helped a lot of us out when she came into all that gold from the king's commission..."
Although she still looks worried, she no longer stands on your way. Downstairs, things are returning to normal; the Garundi woman has pulled out a lute and is picking out a melody idly.
Korriban smiles at the young woman. "Don't worry. We're going to help. Promise." He then proceeds to move upstairs to Trinia's room. He thinks to Majenko. 'Have you seen her through any of the windows?'
"I see her, Korriban-friend," Majenko says in your heads. "She does things...looks nervous. A human perch is against the door."
When you get to the top of the stairs and find Trinia's door, you quickly discover that it's not opening; it doesn't have a lock, so there may be something blocking it.
"Trinia! I believe the so called queen has framed you. Your end should not come nearly so soon. You are a gifted creator. Holy to my faith. I come with capable warriors. Our aim is getting you to safety and uncovering the truth."
Korriban thinks to Majenko, "Thank you. Keep an eye on her if you can."
Korriban whispers to the others. "She seems to be jumpy. Be on your guard." He is about to speak when Teo begins. Slightly miffed, he shouts, "My friend is right, Madam! We want to help you! Please let us help you sort this out and clear your name!"
Teodor and Korriban's calls at the door go without answer. A few terse seconds pass in silence.
Then Majenko reports, "The human female is leaving the nesting place."
The deafening silence is enough for Adoros as he makes his way to the door, "Right then. The more direct approach. WARE THE DOOR!" His warning given, the young man leans back and raises his foot and with a sudden kick rams it into the door next to the knob.
Korriban's eyes widen at Majenko's report. "She's making a run for it!" After Adoros kicks in the door, The dueling rogue moves in.
A chair, clearly propped against the door, clatters to the ground, and you find yourself in a small studio apartment with a low ceiling. It's clearly an artist's flat; various canvases are strewn about, in various states of completion. The palettes tend toward the bright, with strong, clear lines, though the apartment is incredibly messy. On a small bed across the room, a young woman with close-cropped blond hair is curled up, apparently asleep. Her thin chest rises and falls almost in time to the rhythm of the white curtains blowing in the breeze above her.
There don't appear to be any doors other than the one you came through.
Gadriel heads to the open window, looking out to see if she can see the fleeing girl.
Korriban looks at the woman in her bed with a look of confusion. He walks over to the bed, looking down at her. His face turns slightly red. 'She's... very pretty.' 'Majenko? I thought you said that she was leaving the room. She's in her bed.' 'Unless...' He looks around the room and out the window.
'Not in her bed, Korriban-friend...' Majenko sounds confused. 'She did strange things to the nest, though. Do you not see?'
As Korriban and Gadriel look out the window, they see a woman--identical, as far as they can see, to the one in the bed--creeping across the rooftop, several dozen feet away. Looking back, and realizing she's been spotted, the girl--it can only be Trinia Sabor--gasps, and bolts over the rooftop!
The chase is on!
Teodor, Korriban, Gadriel (posting order)
Trinia
Adoros
If you fail any check on your turn by 5 or less, you move only one card forward. If you fail one by more than 5, you stay where you are and can't move that turn. If you fail TWO checks by more than 5 on one turn, you fall 1d4x10 feet from the rooftops, taking damage as normal. Watch your step. >:)
You can, of course, make ranged attacks and cast spells on your turn; for distance purposes, each card is 30' (so Trinia is currently 90' away). If you land on Trinia's card, you're allowed a single free attempt to grapple her.
Let me know if there are questions!
Hidden Shortcut Perception DC 15
Very Steep Roof Climb DC 15
Korriban raises his brow at Majenko's thoughts. He then looks at the bed more closely. Trinia vanishes, leaving behind pillows. He shouts, "D**n! It's an illusion!" Looking out the window, he sees her before she takes off! "Wait! Stop! We only want to talk!" He jumps out the window and begins the pursuit!
A couple of loose tiles fall to the ground as the Balros heir moves. Deciding to end this quickly, he looks around for way to catch up. That's when he spots a side passage between two buildings. Figuring that he could use it as a shortcut, he moves through it. Shortly after, he finds himself running towards the side of a building. One with a steep roof. Acting on instinct, he jumps and grabs onto the roof's edge. He quickly climbs up, finding himself much closer to Trinia.
"Stupid girl ... Lord above, stop her lest she take her doom from you."
Seeing Trinia's close enough, Korriban attempts to grab at her to stop her running. "By the Rose and the Sting! Just stop and let us talk!"
Gadriel Seems confused by the commotion, the small girl on the bed drawing her eyes. As her friends run out the window though, Gadriel smiles and runs out with them.
Seeing the fleeing girl, Abu yanks out a hair from Gadriels head and places it to his mouth. With a short puff of air, the hair flies towards the girl expanding to a sticky mess of grey strands carpeting the roof in front of her.
Gadriel follows after Korriban, though slowed by the complex motions Abu is making.
Adoros looks at the illusion girl on the bed as the others start for the window. Growling, the Chelish man steps carefully out on the roof and starts after the others.
The clutter that makes up the Shingles rooftops immediately confuse Adoros' eye as he looks around for their quarry, "Which way did she go?!"
Teodor, Korriban, and Gadriel leap from the sill onto the Shingles, with Korriban and Gadriel taking the lead. As Korriban slides down a steep roof in front of Trinia, she shrieks in fear, but then freezes as Teodor's words resound through the air, taking a firm hold on her. She is only able to stare, bug-eyed, as Gadriel's sticky web wraps around her body, dragging her almost to the ground. Her huge blue eyes stare up at Korriban (who nimbly dodges the flying web), but she's unable even to scream or plead with Teodor's spell still holding her. No matter how she tries to fight it off, there's nothing she can do...
Adoros, meanwhile, manages to make it onto the roof and stands there with Teodor, watching as Gadriel and Korriban hove in on Trinia.
Hidden Shortcut Perception DC 15
Very Steep Roof Climb DC 15
Crumbling Rooftop Acrobatics DC 20
Gap in a Wall Escape Artist DC 15
Korriban sighs in relief as Trinia stops moving. Walking carefully to her, he says, "Trinia. There's no need to run from us. We're here to help you. None of us believe you killed the King. But we need to get you to safety so we can clear all this up and so that there isn't a mob out to get you. Would be a shame if they damaged such beauty." He finishes with his trademark lady killer smile.
Seeing the girl frozen in place, Gadriel scampers over the next roof towards her. Abu's eyes dim, the glow fading to normal while the whispy strands fade back into the aether.
Adoros slowly starts walking after the others since it seems they have Trinia in hand. Armor isn't made to go flying across rooftops at breakneck speeds. It was lucky none of them had broken their heads attempting such a thing.
Gadriel nimbly darts over the roofs as Adoros and Teodor follow more slowly. Though Trinia is still held frozen in place by Teodor's spell, she seems entirely unaffected by Korriban's flirtations, her eyes bulging and twitching as she strains to get away...it looks like she'll bolt at the first opportunity, unless she's actually restrained.
Crumbling Rooftop Acrobatics DC 20
Gap in a Wall Escape Artist DC 15
Wall Climb DC 20
Tightrope Shortcut Acrobatics DC 20
Korriban tries to grapple Trinia.
"Korriban you imbecile! Now's not the time to try to get your dick wet! That woman is in danger, and she's compounding it ...and I sincerely doubt your awkward form of flirtation is really what she wants now! Bind her! We'll prove our niceness when she's out of danger!"
Korriban's brow twitches in irritation at Teodor's exclamations. 'Stay calm... stay calm... I hate to admit it, but he does have a point...'
Gadriel gets a quizzical look on her face, unsure of exactly what Teodor just said. She hops over the crumbling rooftop with ease, before attempting to aid Korriban in binding the girl. Abu hops onto Trinia's shoulder, and pats her reassuringly on the head.
Korriban, seeing that the girl is trying to run, clumsily tackles her to the rooftop, rolling over on top of Trinia and eliciting Teodor's lewd comments. Gadriel, arriving a moment later, helps to pin the girl down, gazing on with cool disinterest.
Just as Adoros and Teodor are arriving, Teodor's spell wears off, and Trinia bursts out, screaming and attempting (though failing) to fight off her captors.
"I've been set up!" she wails piteously. "It wasn't me, I had nothing to do with whatever happened to the King! I didn't kill him, I've been framed, and I don't want to die!!" She seems ready continue in the same vein for some time...
Korriban blushes as he realizes what position he's in. But he focuses on the job. With a gentle smile, he says, "It's okay. We believe you. We just want to get you to a safe place so we can clear up your good name. And, don't worry. You won't die. I'll defend you with my life. Will you come with us?"
"Oh--oh sweet Shelyn," Trinia breathes as she stares at Korriban and slowly realizes that he's telling the truth. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" As the rest of you arrive, she looks up at you. "You can let me up--I won't run now. Who are you? Who sent you? Where can I hide? There are Guards everywhere!"
As if to emphasize her point, you hear the distant squawk of a hippogriff, and the roar of a crowd. The Sable Company must be nearby.
Korriban, realizing once again that he's on top of her, awkwardly stands back up, his face a deep shade of red. He helps Trinia up and says, "Sorry about that."
He's about to answer her questions when he hears the hippogriff and the crowd. He turns to the painter. "Here's the short version. I'm Korriban Blaros." He then points to the others. "She's Gadriel and that's Abu. The guy with the manic look is Teodor. And the guy holding up the rear is Adoros. We were sent here by our own sense of chivalry and justice. We were also sent by someone who also wants to get to the truth. As for a safe haven, we got a few ideas in mind. We go to 3 Lancet. Not too far from here; just near Bailer's Retreat. Place has been abandoned; so we should be safe." He then smiles at her. "Need anything from your flat? Because I think we should get going before we're boxed in from all sides." He then gives a subtle little flirty wink in Trinia's direction.
He thinks to Majenko. "Thank you for all of your help, my friend. How close is the crowd and the griffon riders from our position?"
Teodor buries his face in his hands. "In the future could you not blurt out the address of your safehouse?"
Korriban looks at Teodor sheepishly. "Right. My bad. But it's okay. There's no one around here but us." He looks around.
Gadriel notices the sound of the riders, and nods at Abu. With a hop and a growl, Abu's eyes glow white for a brief second. Suddenly, a fog appears spreading out from the small girl. Thick and cool, it obscures the vision of everyone. "We should go now. Abu says the fog will stay here, so we can leave and maybe those in the air will spend time looking in the fog. The fog will not last though, so we should be gone long before."
No one is in sight in the Shingles but you...the riot must have scared them all under cover.
Trinia stands, shakily. "All--all right. Let's swing through my room quickly, then we can head to your safe house." Glancing fearfully at the sky, she heads for the tenement.
Majenko adds, "They are close, Korriban-friend, but not here yet. You have time to get under roofs!"
Korriban smiles at Gadriel. "Thanks for the cover, Gadriel. You as well, Abu. Our mutual friend says that we have time to get off the roofs. Let's go!" He then moves back towards Trinia's flat.
You all make it to Trinia's flat without incident. The young painter moves deftly and quickly through the room, throwing a few necessities into a bag and throwing it over her shoulder. Despite the heat, she pulls on a long cloak.
"Ready," she says breathlessly. "Lead on...and if anyone has any way to hide...this..." she gestures at her face, "I'd be greatly appreciative."
Gadriel tilts her head as Abu places his forhead on hers. With a small nod at the monkey, she turns to the rest. "Abu says Zellara could help. The magic that lets Zellara be seen could look, sound and act like another. We could summon the magic, letting the not-Triana run along the roofs away. Korriban could try to disguise Triana and while those in the sky chase the not-Triana, the rest could head for 3 Lancet. We would follow after, once enough time has distracted pursuit. We... know here well. We lived here, before 3 Lancet. Before friends." Abu, as always on her shoulder, nods his head is sagelike agreement.
Korriban smiles at Gadriel. "Good idea, you two. Talk to Zellara and see if she can help. Now as for a disguise..." Korriban takes off his bandana and wraps it around Trinia's head, covering her hair. He then goes through the flat, looking for anything that can help disguise the woman.
Korriban scratches his head. He then comes up with an idea. "Stay here. I'll be back." He then leaves the room, trying to find the blonde halfling woman. Once he finds her, he quietly explains the situation and asks if she can provide some means of disguise for Trinia.
There doesn't seem to be much in Trinia's flat of value, and when Korriban encounters the blonde halfling woman, in the staircase, she bites her lip. "I don't have much of anything on me at the moment...but I'm pretty sure that Trinia has makeup, and I worked with a group of traveling players four summers ago. I can probably help disguise her a bit!" On her way upstairs with you, she clasps your hand. "Thank you so much for giving Trinia your help...she really is the best of girls!"
Korriban smiles at the halfling. "It's no problem at all. It's what's right, after all. And any help you can give is appreciated. Would you know anyone else who can help with Trinia's disguise?"
The blonde halfling shakes her head. "'Fraid not. Not without the time to go get a professional anyway, which I don't think we've got." She grins. "Lucky you happened to come looking for me, honestly."
Korriban smiles back. "Yep. Seems to be that luck's on our side." He returns to the flat with the halfling in tow. He then aids her in Trinia's disguise, following her instructions and advice.
Gadriel nods, then pulls out the deck of cards. "We think Zellara is in agreement. Just tell us when to unleash the magic." Gadriel then walks over to Triana, getting a good look at the girl to make the illusion better before her disguise is up.
Teodor spits in his hands and wipes some of the grime off of his face and clothes, and spreads it on Trinia. He's very helpful.
For all her skill as a painter, Trinia doesn't seem to be much for makeup...you notice that she wasn't wearing any to begin with. But thanks to your new friend, Teodor's dirt, and Korriban's careful eye, she manages to get a disguise together that should just be enough to fool the crowds outside...
"All right," she says, taking a deep breath. She flips the hood of her cloak up to shield her face. "Let's go." The blonde halfling presses Trinia's hand. "Good luck, dear," she whispers. "Stay safe."