Skrate leads the scouting party to the first shack. One of the windows hasn't been shuttered, so the group can take a subtle peek. While being cautious, Janis can spy what are probably beds lined against each wall, forming essentially a barracks for people to sleep. This isn't uncommon in large scale businesses to have on-site 'housing'. Skrate can see better in this darkness, and identifies trunks at each bed for belongings. Each bed is neatly made, and the room is very clean. Skrate can also easily see that there aren't any people in the room at this time.
Janis motions for them to move deeper into the mill facilities and starts moving.
With Skrate in the lead, the scouts move towards the mill itself. The boardwalk is made of worn planks, but all three of the scouts are able to navigate the boards without making any noticeable noise. The river flows beneath their feet at a steady rate, an the disabled water wheel lulls gently, making very little sound. The three scouts hear voices coming from the mill above.
Soot: "... with each death shall change the future into the image He has forseen. I have heard His whispers, it is time to seek the next sacrifices. With one hand I give thee. Brothers Admiral and Deathblossom, here is your mark..."
A male and female voice each responds in unison "Thank you, Father. I will not fail you."
Soot: "Brothers Mumbles and Crossbow, here is your mark."
A male and female voice each responds in unison "Thank you, Father. I will not fail you."
Soot: "Nogabera, my divine daughter, The Father has whispered our next most important mark. Do not act upon it until our work in the Osprey is finished."
There is no answer
The boardwalk splits early on. To the immediate left is a staircase to the lowest level of the mill, where the wheels should be located. Further ahead and wrapped around the building is the front door, which leads directly into the ground level of the mill.
Whispering what do we do? Retreat and try to apprehend one of the groups as they leave the mill or go forward and try to identify who this Father is? Wabbit asks Janis and Skrate
Skrate inform the others. They can arrest them while we continue.
Skrate dutifully returns to Andreste and explains the situation to her. He manages to remember the important parts of the dialogue upstairs, including names.
Wabbit and Janis continue moving in looking for a way to get a line of sight to identify the "Father"
Wabbit figures that if they stand on top of one of the buildings, such as the barracks they scouted earlier, they would probably be able to get a view through the window.
The two of them head over the the building and scratch their heads as they try to figure out a way to get up there. Janis has a great idea. By throwing one end of the rope over to the other side, he anchors himself while Wabbit climbs up. Once Skrate returns and both men are uptop, they try to get a good look of what is happening.
Though each of them struggles to get a good look, only Janis can make out a few details. He can only see a small portion of the room, which is lit by something like a lantern in the center. Robed figures stand in a circle around the light. Only one of them has their hood down, which is an elf with very long ears and short, black hair. The light shines off the elf's many earrings of both gold hoops and precious stone studs. From this distance, he doesn't know what they're saying.
Skrate bares his teeth, letting out a hiss. He could try to fly down for a closer look, but, as usual, instructions got in the way of curiosity. He waited impatiently for the others to make their next decision.
Andreste sensed Skrate's impatience and sent a pulse of what was at once soothing and reprimanding emotion along their empathic connection.
Skrate's curiosity had been the cause of more than one dangerous misadventure in the past.
We should find a place to hide near the doors, see who comes out. Janis whispers to his companion.
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I'm not sure. We may have seen enough. We're going to need to ask Saila. But if we identify the elf with all the earring as Ironbriar would that be enough to question him? It looks like he's "Father", the leader.
We've met Crossbow so we can identify him as well and have him taken in for questioning. Between Ironbrair and Crossbow I think we have enough for tonight
we could just knock on the door and identify you as being with the guards. When they try to kill us it will be self defense.
we could just knock on the door and identify you as being with the guards. When they try to kill us it will be self defense.
not in love with that idea. Any better ideas or should we sneak back to the group and discuss what we've seen?
The scouting party returns to tell everyone what they've seen. There's some sort of cult meeting going on, people are getting marks (some members known, most are unknown), there's a 'Father' who may or may not be Ironbriar himself as Janis saw an elf wearing a ton of earrings.
The group has a search warrant signed by a Justice, so they have permission to search the mill and everything else in its territory. They do not have the ability to storm the cult, legally.
Saila is somewhere in the community over, doing simple patrols. She's waiting for some sort of sign if trouble starts.
"I could cast a spell of flying on two people, who could then get close to the window while the rest of us knock and announce the warrant. I believe the two near the window would have the authority to burst in if they started destroying evidence. Of course, if they begin fighting, being separated could be problematic. Skrate and myself can fly on our own, so that would be four flyers if we just want to burst into the room their in and announce the warrant." Andreste offers as a few suggestuions.
[ooc]Ah just from a different perspective[/dice]
That sounds reasonable, but since the cult seems to not be moving yet we should bring Saila and her men closer first, keep them close for when the fight starts.
That sounds like a good choice, Janis.
.
Yeah lets bring Saila. Maybe her guardsmen will be able to encourage some of these cultists to surrender rather than drawing steel Wabbit doubts it, but still worth trying
"So Saila and some of us issue the warrant from the front while. Andreste, Skrate... um... Wabbit and Janis? fly to the top to keep an eye out and stop them if they try to flee out another way."
Sounds good to me Wabbit can barely contain his excitement and it's readily apparent to Cleo, but maybe not the others. He's going to
Someone from the team goes to the neighboring community to find Saila, which isn't hard. She's accompanied by two guards, and she begins walking towards the group the moment she sees them.
"Got the warrant signed?" She asks
The two men are introduced as Corporals Pictus and Gallus. Pictus is a tall and lanky man, while Gallus looks more like a Dwarf with an extra foot of height. Both are wearing chainmail, longspears, longswords, and saps. Saila already has her mage armour swirling around her.
When the group explains their plans, she replies "Yeah, getting uptop before they can hide stuff would be great. Just be aware that if we get into a fight, we're going to be divided on their turf. I can lead at the entrance if you'd like."
The mill is somewhere around 4-5 stories tall. The top story or two doesn't have any windows, save one at the very top.
ROOFTOP!
Andreste weaves her hands into intricate signs, pinching bits of various substance out of a small pouch she carries and intoning words of power. The tattoes on her skin glow softly as she works her magic, touching Furnok "My spell will strengthen your limbs for a time." Wabbit "Speed, grace, and the power of flight for you, my friend." Team Rooftop alternate "Flight for you as well."
Finally, just before the team is ready to ascend "A little spell to increase our overall speed should we need to gather together quickly. It won't last more than a minute, but that should be enough to know if we need it."
"Hi, Pictus and Gallus." Cleo waves "I'm Cleo Gingerberry and this is Aggah Gingerberry." to Saila "Janis got it, the signature." she being blissfully unaware it is a fake.
"I have a couple more I want to hold on to in case we need them for whoever starts taking a beating." the small cleric says after a healthy dose of praying.
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Janis, Wabbit, Andreste, and Skrate take to the skies. Skrate manages to hover overtop of Andreste while she's an air elemental in order to gain height. They sail up several stories when they have to make a choice. A small window lies on the very most top floor, otherwise they will have to settle for the windows three stories up.
Meanwhile, Saila walks up with the rest of the group to the front entrance. Pictus pulls on the rope while Saila raps on the door. There's no answer.
"HONOUR GUARD! OPEN UP!"
Janis...check the top window for traps. Let's see if we can get inside
Janis nods and runs his fingers around the stone looking for anything that would give away a trap, when done he takes a goo look at the frame, then the glass itself.
Janis doesn't spy any traps, and furthermore the window is unlocked. It doesn't have any glass, but is instead a shutter that can be opened or closed from the inside. Janis can easily pull it open from here, it doesn't require any significant strength. The only difficult piece is the size of the window. While it's pretty easy for a halfling to slip through, it will take a bit more effort for a human.
Inside is a small room only really designed for one person to stand in. It contains several cages in the wall of which most are empty. There is one however that contains a single pigeon. There is also a little writing surface built into the wall that has several quills, a few leafs of parchment, and some ink. There is a closed door on the other side of the room.
-------------------
A mad scrambling is heard within the mill, but no one is coming for the door.
Saila mutters "I shouldn't have even bothered. Hey Furnok, Gallus, break it down will you?"
Cleo stands back and gives the two big guys a nod.
Janis slides through the window as though he had much practice with such an action and moves across the room to look at the parchment.
Yarg! Furnok bashes with his hammer.
Wabbit moves into the room and the quickly, quietly opens the door and peers outside.
Furnok charges at the door and swings his mighty lucerne hammer, but doesn't quite break it down in a single hit. Luckily, Gallus charges in after him and bolstered by Cleo's spell runs straight into the door and bashes them open. He cries out "HONOUR GUARD! PLEASE GET YOUR BUTTS ON THE GROUND!"
From above, a smooth and calm man's voice says "Kill them."
D2
The entirety of the ground floor consists of a loading area. An opening in the ceiling into the floor above is filled with a tangle of ropes and slings for lowering timber. Nearby, stairs ascend to the next floor. Two sturdy wagons sit to the south, next to a bank of machinery accessed by four low doors; the grinding and creaking of the machinery filled the room.
Janis doesn't see anything apart from empty sheets of parchment.
Wabbit opens the trapdoor gently, and discovers a tiny room. The walls bear macabre decorations - human faces stretched flat over wooden frames by strips of leather or black twine, some of the frames are empty and waiting for a new face to be placed within them. Each face grimaces in a slightly different expression of pain, looking down on a cramped room that contains a desk, a large footlocker, a high-backed rocking chair, and a low-slung cot heaped with scratchy-looking blankets. A ladder in the southeast of the room leads down from the trap door.
Andreste drops down through the trapdoor and throws the door(s) open so Janis and Wabbit can get through the small room unobstructed. Skrate stays in touch best he can.
Parchment, feathers, and sawdust burst from their dormancy as Andreste rushes through the rookery and swoops down into the macabre study. She throws open the doors, revealing a large room with workbenches all moved against the wall. Andreste can't see what's happening, but she hears from the north side that same smooth voice, now racing and harsh. "They're on the top floor! Defend yourselves!"
"Divine Daughter, I bestow upon you my secrets. Seek sanctuary within the homeland, and raise the faith with your own words and deeds."
Then all that can be heard is a rush of magical power.
Wabbit leads the charge towards the sound of the voices...(down the stairs?)