As her last watch starts, Chana searches around the generally spotless apartment until she finds a beetle. She picks it up and chitters to it for a moment before releasing it on its way.
~'Go find the Dignified Repository lit'le guy!'~
After her shift guarding, Chana sits cross-legged in a darkened back room and chitters quietly with Snips and the other tiny vermin that manage to sneak their way into Photine's house to talk to her. If anyone interrupts her during this process, they find her her a trio of cockroaches sitting on her knee and wiggling their antennae. Once an hour is over, the insects head back out through the tiny cracks and crawlspaces they entered through.
'Photine's house sure is clean, ain't even one rat in 'ere. Jus you an me Snips.'
---
When the rapping comes at the door, Chana follows after Photine, ready to defend the older woman if this turns out to be more assassins.
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Olivia sleeps in one of the guest rooms and was on guard for a short time in the night. She's naturally an early riser, so gets to business watching halflings and maintaining her new equipment. Olivia is about to get ready for breakfast, so she's at the top of the basement stairs when the rapping on the door is heard.
Photinè peers out the window and finds, at first, that the visitor's face is obscured by a wide-brimmed hat. However, she surreptitiously tilts the hat up to reveal her identity to you. It is Lady Gloriana Morilla who stands at the door, eager to be let in and off the street.
From your scout, you also learn of a hidden passage that leads to a secret set of rooms beneath the warehouse.
Photinè hurriedly unlocks the door and waves Lady Gloriana inside. For a moment she looks like she wants to embrace the woman, but settles for clasping her hand in a friendly and polite gesture. "Madame Morilla! I can scarcely express how glad I am to see you. I'm sure I can guess what brings you to my door this morning."
She glances over her shoulder at Chiara and Olivia. "Shall we wake the others?
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"Absolutely." Replies Olivia. She stands up straight and proceeds to stomp around the house while very loudly singing the "Wake Up" song from her military background. She knocks on doors, stomps on the floor boards, and even raps on a hanging pot with a wooden spoon.
Beautiful voice, very obnoxious.
"Looks like Oliv's go' it." Chana grins behind her red face-mask, then steps up towards the door to take a long look at the Pathfinder Society... what was it, Captain? The lessons Chammy had given her about the more esoteric members of Court were already fading away.
"You want ta let 'er in, Photine?"
Lady Morilla accepts Photinè's invitation as quick as the wind, likewise accepting a brief clasping of hands. The tall noblewoman is hurried not by discomfort but by worry.
"You are correct, Miss Michèle. There is only one topic of discussion in Oppara today," she says with a hint of fatalism. "After the attack on the Senate, I tried and failed to contact Lady Lotheed. I'd hoped you could provide some illumination. For the sake of honesty and trust, I learned your address through my contacts in the Pathfinder Society. I hope you don't mind."
She winces, at first, hearing Olivia's impromptu reveille, but this soon evolves into a genuine chuckle.
Chana runs a knobbly hand through her tangle of black hair. "I know this is the paht where we're suppos'd ta chat a bit, but I don' fink we can this time Miz Morilla." She straightens, getting right to the point in blunt fashion. "We ain't seen Martella either, but we got an idea where she might be. Ye see, last night we fought some 'alfling assassins and we found out Martella's gotten 'erself captured by their pals. Silent Broverhood, wasn' it?" She looks at the rest of the group, giving them a chance to confirm her words and continue the explanation of the situation.
Amandine found an out of the way place on the floor to sleep. She's not used to nice beds so with a pillow and blanket it's fine for her. With a middle of the night watch, it seems to her like she's barely gotten back to sleep when Olivia arrive making, yes, obnoxious amounts of noise.
Sadist
She comes down to see what's happening at the door still looking a little tousled.
After listening to the exchange she adds a couple of things.
"Lady Morilla the assassin's are more than just hirelings. They are cultists extremely devoted to Thamir Gixx, each carries his symbol. The one who talked claimed their leader to be the "Child Blade", and their ultimate target is Princess Eutropia. Lady Lotheed is a stepping stone to finding the Princess."
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"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty!" Olivia shouts when passing by Amandine's corner. She pauses for a minute to look at the secluded half-elf, but decides to get back on with the show and wake the rest of the sleepers up.
As most go to meet with Lady Morilla, Olivia goes back downstairs to take a watch on the halflings while the rest sort things out.
The news of Martella's kidnapping and the Silent Brotherhood's designs on Princess Eutropia strikes Lady Morilla keenly. She sets her face sternly, already considering courses of action in her mind.
"Do you know where they're holding Martella?" she asks. "Most of my Pathfinder contacts are fleeing Taldor, if they haven't already. They don't want to wait for the paranoid authorities or rumor-frightened citizens to round them up for torture and execution. However, I still have enough agents at my command that we could stage a preliminary raid upon these cultists, hopefully weakening them whilst also providing enough of a distraction for you to infiltrate their hideout and find Martella."
"Here in the city at her former safehouse — the Dignified Repository," Photinè answers, sweeping into the room with the tray of coffee and toast she'd been preparing before Gloriana arrived. She places the tray on a coffee table and reclines on the couch next to it, a serious look on her face as she weighs their options.
Chana stuffs a piece of toast in her face... before remembering her manners and taking smaller bites that don't result in crumbs going everywhere. She swallows "I sent a lit'le friend of mine to take a look while we were sleepin'. I fink I might be able to find us a secret way in." She waves the toast in the air as she explains. "Not gonna say no ta a distraction though."
"I know of the place," Lady Morilla says, thoughtfully rubbing her chin.
"I'll tell my agents to prepare at once. We can launch the raid within two hours."
"Hope Martella can 'old out 'til then. Thanks Miz Morilla, this'll 'elp us a lot." Chana nods to the noblewoman and then quickly gathers up her few meager possessions before gesturing to the rest of the team with her head "Wot you lot thinkin'? We hit this place at the same time, from another side?"
"Right." Amandine rapidly gathers her things and readies to go.
"I'll take a slight head start and meet you there. I have a side errand that may be helpful. By the time I'm done I'll know the location so don't worry, I'll make it."
And with that she's out the door.
Greenly falls disgracefully onto the floor with Olivia's rousing reveille. Rubbing her head, she glares at Olivia and murmurs something about needing a smoke or a drink or anything really.
The sudden arrival of Lady Morilla gravely concerns her, and in no time at all, she's grabbed her sword and clutched it tightly. "Who're you."
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Olivia spends her time interrogating Yogga for additional information.
Goal: Get more information about the Child Blade and his current forces. (Weapons/skills, magic capabilities, numbers)
Subgoal: Discover how the cult of assassins got their job from Stavian. Who was the liaison?
Tactics: Start by gagging Gulbend, but letting Yogga talk. Ask open ended questions like 'how did you join the cult', 'how high ranking are you and how long did it take you to get to that position', and 'do you have any friends in the cult, why or why not?' Then start guiding the conversation towards the goal or subgoal. Keep an aura of helpfulness and kindness. When Yogga stops offering information, ungag Gulbend and ask for what he thinks of Yogga's story.
Rewards: For any useful information he divulges, offer food or drink. Satisfying the goal and/or subgoal may result in a clean and painless death with proper burial rites, all the way up to possible freedom. It really depends on how forthcoming Yogga is.
Limits: Olivia is not against a little roughing up, but she refuses to draw blood, remove body parts, or inflict lasting wounds for information. Torture is off the table. Whenever offering food and Yogga refuses to divulge information, Olivia eats it (she will not drink enough to get drunk).
Last ditch effort: Ask what he wants. Negotiate that want with him for information.
Skill bonuses: Bluff +2, Diplomacy +7, Intimidate +2, Sense Motive +7.
Photinè places a reassuring hand on Greenly's shoulder. "Lady Morilla is a friend; she has bravely offered to aid us in rescuing Martella."
While the rest of the ladies make final preparations, Photinè takes a bit of time to look over the various items collected from under the Senate, ascertaining if any of them would be useful to this rescue. She takes particular interested in the ring taken from Dagio, searching for signs of magic.
Greenly's tumble brings a genuine, albeit fleeting smile to Lady Morilla's face before the seriousness of the situation reasserts itself within her mind. Once it becomes clear that the wary mercenary will not lunge for her, Lady Morilla finalizes the plan of attack upon the compromised safehouse. She then excuses herself to contact her Pathfinder agents, failing to hide the excitement she feels at the prospect of getting to take direct action for a change.
Gulbend has gotten one of his arms free and has skidded his chair beside Yogga, attempting to throttle his treacherous comrade.
A family crest adorns the front, but you cannot identify it and reach the conclusion that it is an old noble house that died out many generations ago. However, the motifs of the crest - depicting olive branches encircling a pair of crowns - suggests that the old house dedicated itself to diplomacy and ambassadorship.
The ring is, indeed, enchanted, and befitting its long-lost owners, it conveys boon to those who would speak well and seek accord.
A little concerned when she sees Olivia stalking off alone to the place where they left the halflings, Chana heads after her. While she doesn't interfere with the interrogation, she keeps close enough to help in case any of the halflings get free.
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In the basement, Olivia and Chana foil Gulbend's attempt to murder Yogga for betraying their Silent Brotherhood. Replacing Gulbend' gag is a blessing, for it spoils the hissing tirade he launches, alternating targets between his former comrade and the women holding him captive. Of course, it is not a feat without danger, for the little bugger gnashes his teeth like an animal as you try to gag him again.
Despite their cult's dedication to death, Yogga seems greatly relieved to be spared such a fate. Despite the ends he may have dealt to others, he himself is not ready to die. This, coupled with Olivia's air of kindness - offering food and water in return for honesty - pries much more information loose from Yogga.
"My family fled Cheliax when I was a babe," he explains. "I heard the Bellflowers who helped us escape were flayed alive in public to send a message. Things weren't much better as we moved east. Famine and Slow Fever took most of my family, and Mathira took me in when I was an urchin prowling the streets for scraps. He showed me how to survive, and how to punish the big folks who torture and enslave our people."
Yogga has no real rank in the Silent Brotherhood, and as he talks, you get the sense that while he felt some loyalty to his comrades, his sense of kinship to them was found wanting.
"Mathira was the only one like a true brother to me. I was so angry when I heard the Child Blade killed him and took his position, but I feared her too much to speak up."
Yogga reveals that this cell of the Silent Brotherhood, currently squatting at the Dignified Repository, consists of 16 initiates, 6 full cultists, and their leader, the Child Blade herself.
"They're all big folk who worship Norgorber. I don't know if any of my kin have stuck around, or if the Child Blade sent them away already. There's two others who joined the cell, intrigued by the prospect of slaughtering so many nobles and even the royal family: there's that sharp-nosed wayang, Fair-Minded Efarni, and then there's Mr. Smiles."
Chana gnashes her sharp teeth at the story. "I'm from the Narrows myself, grown an' raised there. An' I've seen plenty 'a wot you're talkin' about. 'Alflings 'ave it bad out there." She squats down to Yogga's level "But you ain't goin' ta get anythin' good done by killin' the nobles. Not like this. Killin' some'll just make the rules they fink up worse for all us 'ittle folk, 'alflings included."
"An now your Child Blade's tryin' to find and kill Eutropia, the only one of the whole rottin lot tryin' to make fings betta. Ain't you on the wrong side?"
"Now I 'preciate you tellin' the truth, anythin' else you want ta share?"
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Greenly is sated with Photiné's answer and sets off for the kitchen, where she tries her hand at waffles.
On her way back to the parlor, the open door to the wine cellar catches her off guard and she pokes her head on in.
"Ey, Chiara, Livy, strange tied up man," she glances nervously at Gulbend but does not acknowledge him.
"I made breakfast," she smiles and offers a waffle to the girls and Yogga.
Greenly's pleasant offer catches the bound halfling by surprise. Although the simple kindness seeps into his jangled nerves, he also remembers how the tall woman cleaved his other comrade in half. This dissonance leaves Yogga shaken, yet it also coaxes additional information from him.
"There is one other thing, a creature," he begins, hesitantly at first. "We dedicated the mass assassination plot to Thamir Gixx, and our shadowy lord showed his favor by sending one of his own servants to aid us. It is called a Fantionette, and it is a creature of deception. It waits within the safe house, bu I don't know what form it takes."
"Alright, weird creature ta look out fer. Got it." Chana involuntarily flashes back to all the bizarre creatures in the Senate underbelly, from the wall that came to life to the creepy gremlin. As she returns to the present, she looks questioningly at Olivia and Greenly. "Knock 'em out and 'ow 'bout we get goin'?"
Some spare pillowcases are retrieved from a linen closet. Gulbend sputters formless curses against the gag in his mouth as his head is shrouded. Yogga remains silent, but he shudders nervously when his head is covered.
Their aura disguises them as an adult halfling or a human child. However, behind this glamer, their true form appears as some horrible amalgam of a chipped porcelain doll and a black spider.
If not under the control of a patron who serves Thamir Gixx, a fantionette will slip away to blend in with the crowds of a city. It will begin to stalk humans and halflings alike, spreading death and fear. Although they seem to especially thrive upon the fear of children, they never actually harm them. It is unclear whether they are forbidden from directly attacking children or if they choose not to.
When thinking of places to dump Yogga, your mind also jumps to the Grandbridge Vagabond Camp. Often seen as the city's unofficial sixteenth district, this sprawling tent town under the northern span of the Grand Bridge of the Empire is home to uncounted criminals, refugees, deserters, and other vagabonds. Of course, you doubt this is what Lady Olivia had in mind.
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Olivia walks with Chana out of the basement, so they can talk about the Halflings.
"I know what he means by a Fantinoette. It's a strange creature that is part doll, part spider. It serves Thamir Gixx directly, and uses illusion magic to appear as a halfling or child. It has to die or it will go on a killing spree."
She sighs deeply in an attempt to ward off the stress. "Regarding our captives, I want to give Yogga a chance to redeem himself. If Iomedae could convince the Black Prince to fall upon his own blade to redeem himself, then I can convince a halfling to break his holy symbol and travel to the temple of Sarenrae. I expect nothing of Gulbend."
"I'm not gonna say no ta killin' some weird murderin' doll, Oliv." Chana claps the paladin on the back.
"'Ow 'bout we take Yogga off ta the 'ouse of Dawn's Redemption an get to savin' Martella 'fore its too late?"
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"Thank you, Chiara. Yes, let's make haste. Could you get Lady Michele, please, while I explain the situation to Yogga and Gulbend? I think bloodshed will come regarding Gulbend, maybe Yogga, and I want to know what our Lady would want to take place within her house."
Then Olivia returns to the Halflings, who hopefully haven't caused too much trouble. She speaks to Yogga, but doesn't remove any pillowcases. "Alright Yogga. You've been very helpful and honest with us. I can see that Thamir Gixx hasn't taken complete control over you, and I wish to offer you a new life. It will not be an easy life, but you won't have to face Pharasma's judgement anytime soon. There is an order in this city who would accept you and protect you from the cult. I won't ask that you suddenly start praising a new Goddess, but I do ask of you to leave your old God behind. I will place the symbol of Thamir Gixx upon the floor, and if you want to survive, you must openly renounce your worship to him while smashing the symbol apart with a hammer. What say you?"
Contrary to her expectations, Amandine is the first of them to get to the Dignified Repository. She had expected the others to be out the door not far behind her, but apparently not.
She finds a place in the shadows of a building where she has a decent view of the place and watches, both for any signs of the Child Blade's people and Lady Morilla's agents. While she's waiting she might as well glean what she can of movements, entrances and security.
Amandine hopes the extra trouble she's taken will be useful. There is only one person she knows of who could possibly be of help in this situation, and she hadn't been anxious to deal with him. She only knows him casually from here and there and has never liked him. She thinks of him as a slimy lout actually. The help she'd arranged for at the Gala had been based on goodwill, trust, and past favors exchanged. With nothing of that sort present this time, she'd had to agree to an immediate, on the spot exchange. After she'd left, Amandine had made a quick stop for a small, bitter cup of coffee to wash away the unpleasantness of it all.
She settles in to wait, and see what she can see in the meantime.
The pillowcase obscures his face, but you see Yogga's head tilt down ever so slightly.
"I don't know," he murmurs. "It would mean giving up everything I have...the only thing that's given me purpose."
Even spared Gulbend's glare and reproach, Yogga seems very reluctant to pursue the path you offer.
The warehouse stands 40 feet tall, with windows lining the building only near the roof. Although this likely serves to light the interior, it makes observing the inner workings from street level impossible. A pair of large, metal exhaust pipes jut out from the top of the roof.
A wide wagon-path passes along lines of shrubs, leading up to a pair of broad receiving doors. Another five service entrances line the outer walls of the warehouse.
During your observation, you notice four humans - three men and one woman - regularly patrolling the grounds around the Repository. They are dressed in drab, dark leathers but do not carry any readily apparent weapons.
Chana nudges Olivia "Ya sure we don' jus' kill 'em? Lettin' these guys go is like tryin'a raise a rabid dog as an 'ouse pet, yea? 'An truss me, I tried that. Aunt go' bitten real bad." Despite her suggestion, Chana is fine bringing the halflings to the temple of Sarenrae if necessary before heading to the safe house.
----
Chana approaches the safe house and takes a seat on the cobblestones next to Amandine. "How's it look so far?"
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Olivia gives a bit of a stern glance to Chiara, which still gives her a bit of an unsettling feeling. "I'm not a fan of arbitrating justice like this. In an ideal world, I would prefer to hand them over to the authorities and make them face trial. Now because of these circumstances I am the judge, jury, and executioner. I have to have faith that I will make the right call, and I truly believe that Yogga has the potential to make a new life. To find new purpose."
She takes a step forward and draws ringing steel.
"Alright, Yogga. This is your last chance. Renounce your God and make a new life for yourself under the care of the Sarenites, or die by my blade!"
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Olivia arrives late to the warehouse, burdened by her thoughts...
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Greenly crouches beside Yogga, ignoring Gulbend, and Chana, and and and, Olivia.
"Hey little guy. You know, life's got more than like, one purpose. It really is what you make of it. Like, my mom wants me to learn to be a good noble so I can, like, replace our standing in the family or whatever and my cousins all want me to stay out of the way or do chores but I think I'm supposed to join the Ulfen Guard. My mom was a part of it, and so was my grandpa! She got disgracefully discharged tho, on a lie or a series of lies, I don't remember. Point is, I'm gonna kill the man that did that to her, restore her honor, and fight to my last breath to die to protect the royal family. And no one chose that for me, you know? Like, I did that. So you don't need a god to tell you who needs murdering, little dude. The answer was always," she pokes a finger over his heart and pushes enough to rock the chair back, "right here."
Noting the lack of apparent weapons, Amandine studies them closely. She's looking for irregularities in their gait that might suggest concealed weapons or hand wrappings that might suggest they don't need them. She also counts off how long it takes the patrolling group to pass a particular point and come back to it as they make their rounds and whether they are walking clockwise or counterclockwise. Finally, she tries to gauge the amount of cover the foliage along the building's side would provide.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
When Chana arrives Amandine steps back toward her rather than talk with her in the patrol's possible line of sight.
"It doesn't look great. Only doors anywhere near the ground, so very limited points of access. Obviously the small doors are better for not attracting attention than the big double doors. Our entry will be a gamble, there's no way for us to know what's on the other side before we open it."
"There's a group of four patrolling outside. My best guess is we should approach the building on the side with the double doors. The irregular walls shorten line of sight and the bushes might help us stay concealed."
"I've seen nothing of Lady Morilla's people. Either they've already done what they're going to do and made off, or they're not coming at this point I'd suppose."
Hidden by the pillowcase, Yogga's thoughts remain indiscernible.
"Okay," he finally croaks. "Okay, I'll do it. I'll go."
Standing in the heart of the Grandbridge district, the House of Dawn's Redemption is a soaring monument to Sarenrae's faith. Built in the Qadiran style and topped with gleaming rose-gold domes, this church is a center for healing and forgiveness, as well as a celebration of the Dawnflower's century-long presence in Taldor.
The cathedral actually stands on the site of the original Sarenite temple in Oppara, the land having been returned by the city as reparation for the slaughter and exile of priests and worshipers under Stavian I. The modern cathedral also hosts a number of relics that have been returned after being scattered by the Great Purge.
Despite standing as proof that faith cannot be extinguished easily, old prejudices die hard. Some Taldans still consider the Sarenites untrustworthy due to the church's strong connections with the rival nation of Qadira, as well as their willingness to accept reformed criminals and fugitives among their numbers.
You also spot four people, dressed quite differently, lurking behind ledges on the warehouse roof. A few others also idle, half-hidden, atop neighboring roofs. You take these to be Lady Morilla's Pathfinder agents, waiting for some signal.
.....
"You're not supposed to see her people," whispers a hobbling ragpicker who shambles over to where the rest of the party meets with Amandine across from the Repository. "That's the point.
"To survive, they've got to remain as secretive as those cultists over yonder," he says, pointing a crooked walking stick towards the patrolling men. A surprisingly bright smile peeks out from beneath his ratty cowl. "They were just waiting for you."
The ragpicker stamps his walking stick on the ground three times. A whistling cuts through the air, and you see two of the patrolling men fall to the ground, clutching arrows now sticking out of their bodies.
Four more agents pop up from hiding atop the Repository's roof. With practiced agility, they hang from the eaves and balance on the narrow window ledges high on the walls. They unleash a volley of crossbow fire upon unseen targets within. Already secured ropes are tossed down the sides of the warehouse and they slide down, quickly vanishing among shrubs and alleys.
The brief strike is so distracting that you scarcely notice the ragpicker already making his cackling escape.
His parting words may have been, "The rest is up to you," but you can't be sure.
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Olivia knows about the House of Dawn's Redemption and the teachings of Sarenrae. She carries no prejudice against the order and values their aid. Criminals seeking redemption must have a safe place to support them, and the cult of Iomedae is not specialized to this effort.
Photinè arrives alongside the rest of the girls, dressed in dark colors to avoid both unwanted attention and unsightly stains from the bloodshed she expects to occur inside the Repository. As Lady Morilla's people appear out of nowhere and begin their coordinated attack, she quickly gestures to the side door. "I believe that's our cue."
Chana shushes Olivia and whispers "We jus' got our openin'! Hey, Morilla's crew's awful good, don't you fink?" She stares at how none of the people hit by arrows are getting back up. "Us'ally in the Narrows, the arrows go in, y'know, the non-essential bits. People fight fer a long time..."
She eyes the outsides of the building, doing her best to recall where her little cockroach pal found the secret entrance.
"We need to go right now" Amandine says urgently. On every round that patrol stops and checks with someone inside through that door." She points it out to the others.
"When they miss their check this time, their contact inside will know something's amiss and they will be alerted to us. We need to be inside before that happens."
A twenty-foot wide driveway leads through several bushes to a large pair of receiving doors in the forty-foot tall, L-shaped warehouse. Aside from the receiving doors, there are also five service entrances along the sides of the building. Although they should ostensibly provide access within, you discover that they are locked.
Two of the wounded members of the Silent Brotherhood remain on the ground, either dead or unconscious from shock. You hope that this is a sign of how the Pathfinder agents have thinned out the resistance you can expect to encounter while infiltrating - or storming - the warehouse.
Amandine approaches the door moving quietly and in a low crouch. When she reaches it, she takes out a key. She places it in the door's lock and turns it.
The ruffle of Amandine's skirts below her armor rouses some suspicion from the surviving cultists, who take the movement for something other than a rabbit or dog. One calls to the other, drawing his dagger, and suggests investigating.
Lady Morilla's agents have sabotaged the lock, but Amandine cannot quite get it open on her own.
Chana shakes her head at the key that Amandine tried on the door. She whispers "I'll bet you they change locks right 'bout erry day, no surprise if this one's outa date. 'ow bout we deal wiv this trouble first?" She lowers herself to not be too obvious in profile and then approaches the corner of the building directly westward. She takes her scimitar out and readies for an ambush.
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When the key doesn't open the door, Amandine looks shocked, then horrified and almost panicked. She waggles the key back and forth in the lock some more. "No, no no, no, it has to work...
Amandine is completely thrown, and a little panicked. In part because of the approaching sentries, but mostly because did that pathetic piece of crap actually cheat me?!