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Hob waves at the guards cheerily when they show up but leaves the talking the Mitchel.
Some muddy footprints? What could they mean? Hob leans closer. Some big, one normal size... oh wait these are ours. I should look somewhere else.
"Thank you ladies and gentlemen. The streets of Waterdeep are a safe haven thanks to your perpetual vigil. I can assure you I will study these tenements you've lain forth, and strive to stay clear to their letter".
Mitchell give his best smile and warmly clasps the leaders hand.
"We've got it from here...again thanks for your service".
He then turns to Renear. "Is there an entrance to the sewers near hear that you might be aware of? Perhaps in this building, since here's where the trouble happened".
"I wouldn't mind taking a breather to give thanks and rest. If some of you decide to look around and find trouble just shout and I shall come running. Be careful, and if you find something... well just don't go too far".
Renaer answers Mitchell's query, "Xanathar's minions poured out from somewhere in the back." he says, pointing to the area to the left of the stairs and back room.
As the others fan out and look through the warehouse find that on the ground floor, the crates and boxes contain weapons, rations, boots, black uniforms and other miscellaneous gear.
Making their way upstairs to the balcony, they find all sorts of junk, motheaten bolts of cloth, bottles of spoiled olive oil and hundreds of pairs of wooden-soled sandals.
Ellena and Talliree and maybe even Tania remember these kind of shoes being very fashionable a summer or two ago.
Making thier way to the offices, they find them mostly little used, filled with cobwebs , dust and bare shelves and desks. A few rats skitter about.
As Tania walked by one of the desks, she notices a distinctive sheet of paper laying by itself upon one of the dusty desks. Blank, it nonetheless had a thin border of tiny runes . She's sure it's one of the paper birds that are used commonly in Waterdeep to send messages.
Wondrous item. uncommon
After you write a message of fifty words or fewer on this
magic sheet of parchment and speak a creature's name,
the parchment magically folds into a Tiny paper bird
and Hies to the recipient whose name you uttered. The
recipient must be on the same plane of existence as you,
otherwise the bird turns into ash as it takes flight.
Thinking they might be useful later, Talliree stuffs some of the black uniforms into her pack, trying to get ones that would fight the party. She looks over the rest of the gear while nibbling on some of the dried meats and cheeses among the pile of rations they'd found. Mr. Whiskers contentedly munches on some breadcrusts.
Once she's done with that, she follows the other up to the second floor and tries to keep her laughter quiet after finding the sandals. She remembered those sandals alright.
"So much for anyone not wearing them being out of date," she chuckles as she remembers the argument she'd had with Shiva Rune over having to wear the godsawful things for a job where she was posing at a barmaid.
Seeing Tania stop to look at something, Talli shuffles over and looks under the other woman's arm to see what she was looking at.
"Whuf faf," she asks around strip of dried beef, something of an extravagance for the former urchin, hanging out of her mouth. Her fingers pointed to the strange papers on the desk.
"Oh we should look for a crowbar, warehouses would have crowbars right? Decidedly useful." Hob continued pottering around.
She puts the paper bird in her pocket and says to Talli: "This is to send messages. It's nice to have when you need it. For example if we want to call the Watch sergeant..." and smiles.
Happy that people are finding useful things, she realizes that this would benefit others more than them.
She moves to the back, when Renaer pointed to see if she can find some passage, exit, or sewer entrance.
Once everyone is back downstairs and looking , finding the hidden entrance is quite easy, it's tucked in beside the back wall of the back room.
"Ah, good , we've found it!" Renaer says excitedly, reaching forward to pull the door open...
"Sorry," Talli mutters in apology. "It's hard to figure out what's good and bad sometimes. I also don't think sometimes. That just makes everything harder."
Talliree stops Renear from opening the door when she sees him reaching for it.
"Uh, are we sure this thing isn't trapped," she asks the others. "I still remember the jitterbug dust one from that one job."
After cleaning and dressing her wound, Ellena feels spry and active again. She twirls one of the wooden-soled sandals around her index, absent-mindedly. "Good thinking, Talli. Las thing we want is our charge getting stung by a poisoned blade. Hob, we'll need some light, can you get us some? I've a lamp otherwise."
"That as very itchy, lets have a look first Renear."
"May I?" asks Tania with a smile and approaches the door to look for hidden traps.
Mitchell prays and rests, but sits up when the door is found.
"Everyone be on their toes, no telling what we'll find down here".
He not for the first time wonders where his companions picked up their obviously ill-be-gotten skills, but this time he is thankful.
"Pardon me Tania. We're ready to proceed. Where are you going"?
"Just making sure the Xanatharian do not profit further from their larceny. Should be but a minute..." replies Tania.
Mitchell scratches his head at the cryptic answer, but then shrugs. "Well hurry along then if it can't wait".
Renaer jerks his hand back at Talliree's warning, again giving them a rueful smile, "Ah, the dangers of adventuring..." he then stands back to let Hob and Tania do their 'work'.
A thorough check reveal no obvious trap. The door swings quietly on oiled hinges, cleverly hidden in newer, stronger woodwork.
The space beyond is dark, lit right now only by Ellena's lamp. In one corner is two very sturdy, very new looking crates. In the other corner is a trap door, also of much newer construction than the rest of the warehouse.
It's a cold, early winter evening, so not many souls about. However , you know of a alley nearby, where a vent fitfully emits warm exhaust. Urchins often can be found there.
You're in luck, you see two little'uns rubbing their hands together in the warmer air, stamping their feet.
Talliree leads the way into the space, looking over the crates and trapdoor before doing anything else.
Tania moves to the middle of the group, happy to let Talli lead the way. She gives a wide smile at Mitchell: "Thanks for waiting."
Mitchell gives his best smile. "I hope your endeavor was successful".
He then joins Talliree and Renaer in entering the newfound passage.
"Come along now... do not tarry. It seems this has been used, and recently".
Ellena gladly passes her lamp to Mitchell, happy to be behind the larger man, and follows him a few steps behind.
"Now, these are more hidden, they may have valuables." she smiles at the sight of the crates, rapping with her fingers against one. "Or maybe contraband. Cups?"
"I mean they're hiding whatever is down here for some reason. Maybe it's a hidden sewer entrance?"
Tania closes the door behind them. She wouldn't want some urchin to barge in...
She whistles admiratively and says: "Jackpot? Let's have a closer look. If you don't mind, if they took the time to hide these, they might also have placed traps... I'll have a look first if you don't mind."
And she takes a moment to inspect the two crates for traps.
The children stare at you for a few moments, then scurry away in different directions...
Tania is 100 percent sure the crates are not trapped. Either using Tania's crowbar or the one Hob found out front, the crates are easily opened.
One contains 4 paintings , the subjects cities of the Sword Coast: Luskan, Neverwinter, Silverymoon and Baldur's Gate.
The other contains 10 black bars, which upon investigation, reveal them selves to be silver trade bars.
Now closer to the trap door, Tania notices that the ground coming from the trapdoor is a little wetter, as if a number of wet feet/boots had passed. Most of the water nearest the door had evaporated.
Talliree, not seeing any traps on the door down decides to open it once everyone had finished looking over the goods in the crates.
Opening the trapdoor reveals a shaft that descends into the earth. The wall of the shaft are brick at least as far as the lamp light illuminates.
Set into the nearest wall of the shaft are metal rungs.
Straining your ears, you hear the faint sound of running water and a whiff of the nauseating stench of raw sewage.
Talliree flinches back as the smell hits her nose.
"Ye gods! I forgot how bad these things smell," she says prayerfully before looking at Tania.
"Tania, you'll be right behind me, right," she asks as she gets read to climb down.
"Hello, shinies" whispers Ellena as the silver bars are revealed.
She patiently waits for her turn to go down the staircase, grimacing at the stench of sewage. Think of the gold dragons, Hearts. Think what you could do with them.
"That smell is quite potent isn't it?" Hob holds the cuff of his robe up to his face. "Those paintings look amazing though, I wonder where they got them."
"Let's keep the chatter down. No need to announce our arrival". Mitchell grins at the others, hopefully showing he's jesting.
"Does anybody else have a free hand to carry this lantern. I usually have a shield in one hand and a weapon in the other, or maybe a light spell that can be cast upon my shield".
Renaer watches the group's cautious examinationn of the room with interest, his nose wrinkling at the malodorous air that emanates from the opened trapdoor, "Ah, Floon....you'll owe me for this..." he mutters, looking down into the depths.
"Can he owe us too," Talliree asks as she starts to climb down. Once she's in the sewers proper, she looks around for any dangers that may be lurking nearby as she pulls the hood of her cloak up.
"Hmm... Are we leaving all this behind? I mean, this is likely worth a lot, no? Would be a shame..." asks Tania, looking around, trying to think of a way to keep their loot.
"I think we could take the bars for safekeeping," Talliree replies, "but how would we carry the paintings and keep them from being ruined in the sewer?"
Hitching his newly acquired sword to the back of his belt, Renaer suggests, "Perhaps, merely closing the door would suffice to protect your newly acquired riches? I dare say we'll be returning this way when we find Floon..."
"Right. Well, I'll do as Talli says. Keep a bar for me, and hope for the best." Tania says as she grabs a bar from the crate and packs it in her bag, secretly regretting having told the urchins about the place.
Then she follows everyone down the shaft, bringing the rear.
Talliree shrugs, figuring that Renear has a good point, and heads down the ladder If the treasure was gone when they got back, then so be it. They were still going to get paid.
"Yes. Let's just leave the stuff here for now, and close the door. Surely nobody will try to enter this place with all those dead bodies, and I'm sure the watch will send a crew to inventory the place, and make sure the proceeds are properly dispensed".
He then closes up after them. "As for this more valuable stuff we can see if the paintings are claimed, and then split up the silver... after it's properly cataloged".
Mitchell then descends with the others trying to pass the torch off to somebody else as they go.
Tania looks at Mitchell for a long time, then shrugs and looks away. Fate, it seemed once again, was playing its own game and cared little for her.
Eventually all descend....to a platform above the noisome stream of effluent slowly , sickeningly sliding past.
The smell is almost like a physical thing.
The platform is unremarkable, expect for a few buckets of clean water, one bucket that is empty, but for a small quantity of water , some stiff haired brushes and a series of hooks beaten into one of the walls. Hung upon them are a number of wide bandanas.
When Talliree first descended she looked up and down stream. Up stream she could see a yellow mark, a stylized ring with 10 eyes emerging, next to a tributary to the channel before you.
"Welp, looks like we're going thattaway," Talli says after tying a bandanna around her nose and mouth to try keeping the smell out. She points upstream to the mark and the side channel next to it.
"Eugh. That's another set of clothes ruined." grimaces Ellena, impregnating one of the cloth pieces with perfume before covering her nose. She considers a moment, then offers the vial to Renaer too.
"It's yellow, and it has a lot of eyes. I guess it's related to Xanathar somehow?"
Mitchell is quite resolved to show no weakness at the terrible smell, but eventually as he almost retches a few times, he breaks down and stoically follows his more experienced sewer crawlers, and wets a bandanna to apply to his nose and mouth.
"Let's get this over with".
Tania tries her best to stay out of the muck and keep her boots to within 'salvageable.' She nods as Talli points to the yellow sign: "Yup, that sounds like what the Kenkus described. Stay sharp."
She stays behind though, bringing up the rear.
"You say that as if I was otherwise," Talliree chuckles before leading the way. She can see fairly well in the dim light, but knowing Tania has her back has her feeling at ease even here. She pulls the hood of her cloak up and smiles as she begins stalking forward, not too worried about her boots.
She is worried about her footing, however, and pays more attention to it than her surroundings, but her keen sense still pick out more than most.
You find that the bandana's already are saturated with a very very cheap perfume. Ellena's perfume serves to mask both the cheap perfume and the sewage smell.
Luckily, the tributary to which the symbol leads the group seems mostly water...still smelly, but much less so.
Following Talliree's indistinct form, the group turns this way and that, always following the yellow symbols.
After an hour of following signs through the tunnels, you come to a three-way intersection where a ladder leads up into a stone shaft capped by a circular metal cover. One of the familiar chalk symbols is marked on a wall nearby, and floating near the symbol is a spherical, grapefruit-sized creature with a bulging central eye and four stumpy eyestalks. It bares its teeth at you.
Combat Order
Talliree
Creature
Ellena
Tania
Hob
Mitchell
Talliree grins under the mask, a dangerous gleam in her eyes as she unlimbers her sword and gives it a flourish.
"I'm guessing from yer grin ye ain't a friendly beastie, are ye," asks in a cheery voice that does little to hide the half-elf's anticipation. "Fine by me! I've been itching to have a good row!"
Never one for finesse when ferocity could do, she launches herself at the strange creature with a cackle of manic glee.
Unfortunately, her eagerness betrays her... again.
Hob's eyes go wide and he gives the creature a broad grin back. He then looks at Talliree "Oh- so it's not just smiling? I haven't seen one before."
The creature hisses as Talliree's strike swishes by, it's little tooth filled mouth twisting as it imitates Talliree "..ye ain't a friendly beastie..."
Gnashing it teeth, two beams strike out at Talliree from it's eye stalks, one hitting the half-elf in the head and winking out, the other her chest and staying active...
Combat Order
Talliree
Creature
Ellena
Tania
Hob
Mitchell
Bold's Turn