"The Church will aid you as we can, but as you know we are a small church. I can offer you Sarenrae's blessing, but little else."
"I can't think of anything more valuable than healing us afterwards," Arimar says jovially, his tone belying the danger of the task before them, "Especially after last time. I lasted no longer than a few seconds in that fight."
The paladin takes a seat and sinks his teeth into a fresh peach. Oh, sweet Sarenrae, of all the delights my mouth can now taste and feel, this is the greatest of them. "Benaiah, you raise a good point," pulp and juice run down his chin and spray his companions a little, "Let us not bankrupt ourselves. I think having Hepec's men distract them thinking we're coming up one side of the house is a great move. If I were the defenders, I would fling open the windows and fire crossbows at them, though... so they should be prepared to retreat if necessary.
"Let's grab a darklight lantern for Gwen to use, and I say a few smoke bombs would make them think that the house is being set alight and distract them further. I think Hepec's men should hopefully be able to set one or two off indoors and create quite a stir without actually damaging the house."
Thinking, Arimar adds at last, "Have we thought about what to do if the front doors are locked? I'm assuming we have a key, and they won't have found the time to change the lock barrel yet. If they have, though, or the doors are locked and barred... we'll need a way to gain quick ingress while the distraction is still in our favor."
Malgrim thinks a momment. "If needed, I could accomplish most of what you sought using consumables, gaining access to the upper floor. However, I am doubt that splitting the group would be the best course. A distraction accompanied by a sudden night assault might catch them unprepared."
"I will acquire some magics beforehand to allow me to see in the dark," the halfling adds in looking from one companion to the other. "I will gladly carry this lantern, and help keep control of the situation. So long as I can see what is happening, I will have all of your backs."
Gwendolyn pauses for a moment and has a brief flash of remembrance, thinking of her actions in the last fight that led everyone to be completely deafened on top of being blinded. "I'll also try to not let this struggle devolve as poorly as the last..."
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"Tonight then." Benaiah says resolutely, the matter apparently settled. He nods to Hepec, "Have your crew ready by midnight. They will surround the house and cover all windows or other egress points with crossbows. Keep the crooks inside, with the only way out through the front door, which is through us. Once we enter the house, have a team guard the front door in case anyone makes it past us. Don't have them get to close to the house until we give you the word. I don't want the damn Versades getting tipped off somehow and ready for us, we need to keep as much of the surprise as possible."
"Once we give you the word through the message spell, we will begin the assault. For now though, I think we need to get rested for this evening."
"Excellent plan, Benaiah," Arimar claps him on the shoulder, "Some rest would be most welcome at this point. It will be hard to sleep knowing the task that lies ahead of us, but it will be worth attempting to do so at least."
"Tonight then." Benaiah says resolutely, the matter apparently settled. He nods to Hepec, "Have your crew ready by midnight. They will surround the house and cover all windows or other egress points with crossbows. Keep the crooks inside, with the only way out through the front door, which is through us. Once we enter the house, have a team guard the front door in case anyone makes it past us. Don't have them get to close to the house until we give you the word. I don't want the damn Versades getting tipped off somehow and ready for us, we need to keep as much of the surprise as possible."
"Once we give you the word through the message spell, we will begin the assault. For now though, I think we need to get rested for this evening."
Hepec nods enthusiastically, his eyes lighting up as he grips the table so tightly that his knuckles turn white. "Yes. Yes. It shall be done Master Benaiah. We shall meet you in the Grove of Dreams after nightfall. Can you spare some coin for some additional crossbows and some additional equipment?"
Khania wipes her brow. "I will help in any small way that I can, but the church cannot be seen to favor you too much. We need to serve all of Magnimar, the good and bad alike. We shall be ready for you after, should you need us. For the time being, feel free to use our apartments for your respite."
The Sarenrite leads the group to sparse accommodations, more akin to a contemplative monk than the luxurious accommodation Gwen would be accustomed to. With thanks and hugs, the group settles down to rest while Hepec heads off to gather needed supplies, and gather his group of loyal retainers.
Waking all to quickly, the Companions stretch loose muscles, tighten belt, check sword blades, and begin their preparations for the nighttime manor raid.
Arriving at the Grove of Dreams a bit tardy, they see Hepec surrounded by close to fifteen men-at-arms. The Companions recognize many familiar faces from their time at Mistress Lanvi's manor and other establishments. Many nod, a few give less formal greetings, mostly to Benaiah who has visited the establishments more frequently than the others.
"Masters." Hepec bows to the Companions. "We stand ready."
As the Companions make their way towards the gate of Mistress Lanvi's manor house, they reflect on their journey since departing from the Pathfinder Society. Unshackled by the whims of the Decemvirate, they found themselves quickly employed by Mistress Lanvi. Despite their ups and downs, a genuine respect has grown between them, and now tasked with taking back her manor, their manor, has steeled their resolve.
As they approach the gate, they find it barred with two men in House Versade livery positioned behind it. Talking distractedly, both men grip polearms in a lazy fashion. Nighttime guards duty was always left to the undesirables.
Malgrim approaches the guards in the shadows, blending into the night ahead of his companions to provide an initial reconnaissance. Circling around to the side, he readies a nearby rock to provide a bit of noise for distraction, preparing to spring forward with a stone punch sure to knock out the unaware guard.
These men do not belong here, but they may just be doing their jobs. It would be best not to kill them, if possible.
"Gwen, think you could charm those guards away from their post?" asks Arimar, "They might be up for some kind of distraction... if you can get them to follow you out of earshot, we can jump them from a hidden spot."
The paladin turns to Hepec, "Otherwise, perhaps we can begin your distraction... if you attack from the rear, we can take them out as soon as that noise makes it unlikely that anyone will notice us neutralizing the guards in front."
The halfing looks to the armored paladin, and nods in agreement. "Let me see if I can get them away from the gate..." she says, interlacing her fingers and cracking her knuckles before her chest. "Just be ready to knock them out once they are away..."
Moving quietly through the night, approaching under the cover of darkness, Gwendolyn mutters a few words of latent magical power from a distance away. The spell focuses on one of the House Versade men stationed at the front gate. As the spell forms, almost shimmering in the air around the man, the halfling cannot help but hold her breath while waiting to see if he will fall under her control.
"Come with me, now," she adds. "Please..."
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Benaiah's grin is hidden by the shadows as Gwen's charming voice gets the bored guards hooked in, almost effortlessly. Her choice of words, playing into exactly something they might expect and desire, he notes, is rather brilliant.
In her typical, slightly sheepish manner, she leads the men down the dimly lit path, past some bushes and through an old stone archway marking some old, long forgotten district border. Benaiah winks at Malgrim on the other side, hidden in the shadows as soon as he hears them coming.
Perfectly to plan, Benaiah waits for all three figures to make it through the arch, then leaps from his perch about ten feet in the air. His feet hit the ground with a thud and his arm swings in a wide arc across his body at the defenseless halfling messenger. The shock of the sudden sight of his twisted, mutated form and snarling maw, not to mention his giant-like size is enough to startle the guards and quite effectively sell the ruse that Gwen had been ambushed along with them.
In his mutated form, Benaiah's skin has turned a disturbing shade of red and purple. His muscles bulge under his skin, showing every sinewy cord, as if the chemical enhancement is urging them to break free from the thin layer keeping it all together. Standing up to his full, magically enlarged height, he snaps his head around to stare hard at the two guards. His eyes are a wicked shade of bloodshot red, and his mouth and nose protrude slightly from his face, giving a canine bent to his almost demonic appearance.
"Pray to your false gods. Hurry, you don't have much time left." He says with a snarl, resisting the urge to let out a primal scream and accidentally tip off the rest of the illegal inhabitants of their new home.
Whether out of fear or courage, neither of the men drop their weapons, but neither do they do anything but stare at the monstrosity in front of them and the apparently bloodied, motionless body of the halfling woman at his feet. Neither of the poor souls see Arimar or Malgrim coming.
Arimar strides up behind the men and smashes 'his one' over the head with the pommel of his massive falchion. As the man crumples to the ground and Malgrim deals with the other, he notes, "I was almost going to suggest that Gwen could convince them to drink enough to pass out... but this is more efficient, I guess. May Sarenrae heal the lumps on their heads. Quickly, let's get them undressed and trussed up."
The paladin works quickly, removing their cloaks and outer garments. The fat man's, he puts over himself. The sleeves aren't quite long enough, but at least it fits over his plate mail. For Gwen, he carefully pins and tucks the garment up. As well as shortening the clothing, it also pads it out to make her look less feminine.
"Let's just hope they don't remember that one of the guards was shorter... and the other wasn't a halfling!" he chuckles, "These uniforms should pass a casual inspection in the dark from afar, but I wouldn't expect to be able to get into a detailed conversation with another guard." Once more, he is forced to apologize to Sarenrae for the deception, but at least this can be justified simply as a choice in clothing provided he isn't also forced to lie outright.
This skill I practiced while attempting to keep my worship of Urgathoa hidden... but it seems I am using it more often now that I have been embraced by the Dawnflower than ever before.
"So, Gwen and I can resume 'our' guard duty if Benaiah, you can become invisible, while Malgrim blends in to the surrounding stonework," Arimar suggests, "When Hepec makes his distraction, we'll come through the front door to 'help'. If Malgrim and Benaiah can slip in after us when we 'accidentally' leave the door open then we should be able to get past a good number of outer defenses and make significant progress to Lanvi's private quarters - and the handmaiden's likely location - before we are detected."
The entrance to Mistress Lanvi's manor looks the same as it ever had. Beautiful double doors carved with bees buzzing around half-dressed humanoids barres the Companions entrance to what they consider the only place they have really called home here in Magnimar.
There are a handful of guards again dressed in House Verasde livery milling around, paying very little attention to their surroundings. Yawing and complaining about the lateness of the hour, their pole arms are resting in a pile not too far away while they throw painted knuckle bones in an apparent game of chance. They periodically look up to scan the surroundings half-heartedly.
From the windows above, the Companions can spy a crossbow man in each of the four windows facing the courtyard.
Arimar sidles up to the guards on duty, and waves them a sullen salute. "Punishment duty also?" he shrugs and sits down, "Just finishing our shift. Tell ya what, I'm not too bad at knucklebones, but they don't pay me enough to gamble away my wages. Hell, haven't bee paid yet. You fellows? Anyway, I digress... I'm through with this night duty. How about a game of head-to-head? I win, you do the next day shift for my friend here and me. If you win, we'll take over your shift right here and now. Most of a night shift to a full day shift, sounds fair, yeah?"
Arimar picks up the knucklebones. His old gambling instinct kicks in. His days swindling his customers in Riddleport were long behind him, but some things stay with you. He knew how to look competent but still lose. The key this time would be to not win when the stakes got high. He needed to get rid of his entire stack if he was going to 'win' the privilege for he and Gwen to guard the front door.
"Think you can keep an eye out for both of us while I play a little?" Arimar asks his halfling companion, "Keep one eye on the courtyard, and the alert eye out for any supervisors! Not that they are likely to be out instead of snug in bed like we will be soon enough... sleeping in instead of doing our morning shift... if I can just get the saddle on the griffin... NINE HELLS!" Arimar curses as the ball slips from his grasp, and clatters to the base before he can pick up a single jack.
Malgrim sneaks along the outside in the dark, scaling the stonework with a crawl, his earthen skin blending into the wall. With a thrown rock here and an earthen punch there, he moves from guard to guard, allowing the rest of the group to move forward.
Noting the crossbowmen, he moves along the wall to try and disrupt the ranged opponents and their superior position.
We need to be quick and quiet, otherwise this could deteriorate quickly.
The guards, tried and disinterested, take up Arimar's offer. As Arimar throws the ball down the guards grin mischievously.
"Sounds good, bud. Careful not to let the fey in. Hear she has quite the stinger!" he ends in a poor joke at Mistress Lavi's expense.
Dreaming of a warm blanket, and a day spent watching beautiful people come in and out of his masters' new manor sound wonderful to the quartet of guards that turn towards the doorway.
They rap twice on the door, and then three times rapidly. Everyone can hear a bar slide behind the double door.
Opening like the maw of a great beast, the guards push past the sleepy servant who opened the door for them and move into the inside of the manor.
"There's your opening, Benaiah," Arimar whispers over the message, "Looks like we can get in any time we like, but best if you can spend a little bit of time invisible and scouting it out first. Just don't get caught! May take us a while to break down the door."
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"On my way." Benaiah's heart begins to race a little bit. He is invisible, but his massive, giant size is enough to make him worry about causing strange disturbances in the room that might tip off a casual observer that something isn't quite right.
His fears are unfounded though, as he slides in through the door without disturbing anything or bumping into anyone. Mentally he goes through the calculations from his powdered extracts, making sure there is plenty of time left and they don't waste it all sneaking into the front door. He watches where the guards head off to closely, wringing his hands for their flippant comments about his business partner.
I'll wring their necks soon enough...
First order of business once he is inside, Benaiah visually marks the path he will use to lead the team up towards Mistress Lanvi's office, and what resistance might be there.
As the Companions position themselves around the manor, an invisible Benaiah makes his way into the manor while Arimar and Gwen take up guard positions and Malgrim sneaks his way around the side incapacitating House Versade guards when possible
Suddenly an impassioned message rings in their ears from Hepec: Masters, tarry not, we are all in position and I cannot wait to cleanse our house of these vermin!
As Benaiah, fully armored and huge, but invisible, moves through the familiar hallways of the manor, he sees no servants, guards, or others out of bed in the late hour.
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Without waiting any longer, Benaiah strides invisibly over to the door and lifts the locking bar out of its position. He opens the door and whispers over the message spell, knowing the others can't see him wave his invisible arms, inviting them in.
"Hurry, let's move. Once we are inside, we can give Hepec the word. When the assault on the walls and windows begins, we can easily slip upstairs without hardly anyone noticing or bothering to ask questions. I'll close the door behind us."
Arimar quickly says a prayer to Sarenrae, activating his divine bond with his weapon. He briefly considers making it sharper and more deadly, but instead opts to spare the lives of those in the Versades' employ, making it merciful instead. Quickly, he sheathes it again before heading inside with Benaiah. "We're heading in, Malgrim," he whispers, pressing the copper wire closer to his ear as he does so, "Hepec, it won't be long now... just hold a few moments more."
Quickly, Arimar heads in behind Benaiah, hoping Gwen has been paying attention and follows close behind. As subtly as possible, they make for the stairs, ready to make the call to Hepec at any moment... hoping they can get to the Haindmaiden's room without interruption. Arimar fingers the collection of keys in his pocket. Which one opened Lanvi's bedchamber again?
Turning on her heels, the halfling spins and looks about their guarded position, only to realize that Arimar is not beside her. Looking back across the courtyard she peers through the darkness, and confident of no looming threats slips in through the open door behind the paladin.
"Benaiah, come to me for a moment," she whispers activating the message spell. As she speaks, she also pulls free her violin from its hidden perch amidst the folds of her oversized outfit. "You too, Arimar."
"This will only take a second..." Gwendolyn scrunches up her face, just inside the threshold and places a hand upon Arimar. Muttering a few words of arcane power, her spell takes form and falls upon the paladin. Next the halfling again recites the same words, then holds a hand out awkwardly into the open space before her. She is searching for the invisible form of Benaiah, but is mostly relying on the enormous man to help by taking her hand in his. Once her invisible companion has taken hold of her outstretched hand, she casts her second spell.
Then the halfing takes her position behind Arimar with her violin at the ready to release an inspiring melody into the air should the need arise.
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Hanging from the open window, Malgrim holds in position, his fingers beginning to cramp a bit from use but his muscles primed for action, ready for a sound of alert or instructions from the rest of the party. Strangely, the fact that this time he was breaking into someplace he technically had rights to didn't do much to improve the rush of adrenaline that came from an armed intrusion into a house.
Arimar checks his pockets for a key to Lanvi's bed chamber. "Dammit," he whispers over the message, "It seems I don't have the keys. Benaiah, you're the strongest of us, care to break it down? I'll help."
Arimar waits for Benaiah to tap in or otherwise communicate that he's ready to go, and then Arimar helps his friend put a foot through the door.
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Benaiah, for the briefest of moments, envisions a brand new, shiney, ornate door in place of the existing door in front of him. What would it look like? How should it lock? What types of magical enchantments could be placed on it?
The moment quickly passes as he finishes whispering, "Hepec, go go go! Arimar, one...two...three!"
The battering ram in his hands, also held by the visible Arimar across from him swings backwards, the two of them in perfect sync. With a deep breath, traces of pesh under the crevices of his nose are sucked into his nostril, quickly entering his bloodstream. His mind feels the rush of adrenaline, and his muscles seem to bulge at the sudden increased oxygen capacity.
His strength surges, strength enough to make a Storm Giant take pause. The resulting force that the battering ram hits the door with is explosive and resonates through the hall just as the outside of the building explodes with activity from their allies.
The Companions, finding little resistance inside the manor, easily make it to the second floor, and Mistress Lanvi's chambers. This seems the most likely of choices for the Handmaiden to reside.
Malgrim takes up a position to the north of her doors, while Gwen takes up a position south of the doors.
Arimar removes a portable ram from his haversack, while Benaiah grins like a madman. With their first swing they are able to crack whatever latch secured the door. Bursting inwards, the Companions see the Handmaiden rise from behind the desk. Dropping his weapon, Arimar unsheathes his falchion.
Before they have a chance to charge her, a door is thrust open to the north. Two men, richly dressed, pull their rapiers from their scabbards in perfect synchronicity.
"Boys, lay down your weapons. I would hate to sully the carpet more so than it already is." comes the knave on the left.
"No need to make a mess. We shall treat you as gently as a two-copper whore." adds in the knave on the right.
The two knaves move quickly down the hallway and gang up on the defenseless hobgoblin.
The red knave pierces the hobgoblin in the shoulder, while the other misses wide.
With a desk between them, Arimar is unable to reach the handmaiden in time. "Benaiah, get her!" he cries to the artificially giant-sized man with the alchemically extended arms, knowing that even if she escapes through the window that Hepec and his mean stood ready to grab her.
Rather than rushing in to the room in the hopes of getting to the handmaiden, Arimar instead stalks up the corridor, and with both hands whips the falchion around for all he is worth. At the very last minute, the blade loses its sharp edge, turning it into a mystically rubbery object - no less effective, but far less deadly.
The green knave sees the massive Paladin bearing down upon him. He crouches down with his rapier extended above his head, parallel to the ground. As the paladin swings his falchion, the rapier darts out to hit the blade and knock it to the side.
Unfortunately the falchion swing is just too powerful for the lithe blade and the green knave crumples to the ground.
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Eyes wide in fright, the Handmaiden finds herself alone with the man that gives her terrors.
"Benaiah, get her!"
Benaiah's abnormally long arms hang down at his sides, his shoulders heaving ever so slightly from the effort of blasting through the double doors into Mistress Lanvi's office. His giant frame fills up the doorway, allowing scant vision of the hall and foyer beyond. A grin spreads across his face as he takes in the sight of the handmaiden.
"You betrayed your blood, your own mother. We have come to make you answer for your sins."
Explosions rock the wall and window to the office room as Hepec's men let loose another volley, causing the window to spiderweb, but not break. Either through the volley of bolts and bombs, or through the demon-giant in the doorway, there is no way out of these walls.
"You cannot escape! Surrender now and this will be easy. Fight back, and you will never be rid of the nightmares that will come when we have forced you to yield!"
The Handmaiden see Arimar holding one side of a battering ram through the smashed doors.
"Arimar and Benaiah. Though I cannot see the latter, I know he is never more than a hands breath away.
"Come for me. See what you can do.
"The bridegroom’s doors are opened wide,
And I am next of kin;
The guests are met, the feast is set:
Mayst hear the merry din."
The words of the Handmaiden reach the lone knave, inspiring him in his current predicament.
Grabbing ahold of a stone beam on the wall, Malgrim leaves off subtlety to emerge from the shadows and swing a heavy kick at the remaining guard. Rocks from the floor gathering around his foot as it leaves the ground channeling forward with explosive earthen force.
As he lands he adopts a wide stance and the stone floor returns to a solid plane. Glancing around shouts out, "Surrender! You have no right to these halls and we will retake them, no matter the cost."
The rapier knocks the hobgoblin's foot aside and strikes again at him.
The blade strikes deep, causing a second wound to blossom red on Malgrim's chest.