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Finding the prisoners is a relief, but the locked door is a problem. Adonara is fairly sure that she could get past it, given time, but she knows she’s a bit of a dilettante. Fortunately…
She signals to Rutilus, her free hand gesturing in what she hopes is a fairly ubiquitous cant sign for a lock. To be safe, she adds in a whisper, “Lock. Found them, though.”
Rutilus follows Adonara to the door. He takes a quick glance towards the front where Pellius and Kira are doing a wonderful job keeping the guards occupied. He then slips his tools into the lock, timing his movements to when the guards are the noisiest.
And with a small click the door opens. "Ok lets get these guys out the back quick. Hopefully we can all be gone before anyone is the wiser.
After each mistake the guards make to his commands, Pellius glowers at both the guard and then the captain. "Is this the best you can do? Is this the best we can find to guard our prisoners? Asmodeus take it all..."
When the guards start learning and moving more "smartly" to his commands, the noble grunts. "Better, but still sloppy. You had best be grateful that this isn't my regiment, maggots... I would have you on all fours doing exercises until I carved proper order and discipline into your thick skulls!" Facing the dwarf captain he shakes his head and pulls him aside while Kira addresses the final guard with questions.
"Look, I understand. Having fresh recruits is a pain, and the circumstances haven't allowed for much time for training. But the carelessness of their movements and their lack of attention to detail regarding their gear and its care is a symptom of a larger problem. One that, left unchecked, will cause problems down the line. The populace at large is, at best, following orders on fear alone. Fear only lasts until the anger that generates it supplants it... and when it does, your men will have targets on their backs. Being drunk, not having discipline... these things will get them killed later. Spare not the rod, lest your spoiled children be your downfall." As the questions are finished, Pellius turns back to the man and orders him, as with the others, back into the formation.
"Parade... rest." Seeing the quizzical looks, he rolls his eyes and demonstrates it for them. Calling it out again, and seeing them imitate the maneuver in passable (or close enough) fashion, he turns to Kira.
"My lady, any words of inspiration you wish to pass to the men would probably be beneath you. Still, perhaps even these swine could learn from such pearls so cast."
It’s actually worked. They’re getting out. Just a few more minutes of distraction and they should be over the fence.
Kira smiles at the guards, the first smile that’s been on her face since they opened the door. ”Well done. With just a few minutes of instruction and effort you’ve made a great deal of progress. Imagine what you could do if you continue to work hard?
There’s been a lot of upheaval and unrest in this city. You are the ones who stepped forward to defend the will of our Lord-Mayor. Guarding a small prison may not seem glorious, but without your efforts this city would fall into chaos. Be proud of the work you’re doing.”
She turns to Kossrani. ”Of course, this all applies to you as well.” She nods at his shield. ”Your devotion to our Lord has not gone unnoticed. Rest assured, that devotion will be rewarded.”
"I'm not sure that telling the enemy how to improve is a good thing
Good they are on their way. Give them a moment or two more, then we should do the same.
Listening to Kira, he keeps his face a mask, neither giving approval nor disapproval. As she finishes her remarks, Pel leans in.
"M'lady, I hate to interrupt, but I would be remiss if I did not remind you that we have two other inspections to perform today. Perhaps now would be a good time to finalize your notes and get the commander's signature?"
Kira spends a couple minutes jotting down some basic notes.
>Facility: Adequate. Room for up to fifty more prisoners if boiler room was converted.
>Guards: Undisciplined. Responded well to basic instruction. Further training may be required.
>Manager: Promises to increase discipline. Willing to put in the work necessary to ensure the continued stability of this city under our Lord-Mayor.
She takes the notes over to Kossrani. "I'll finalize the report later, but for now please sign and date this sheet as proof that we have inspected this facility."
Once he does so, she looks over the guards. "Thank you all for your assistance. This concludes today's inspection." She'll start heading out the front door at a steady pace, trusting Pellius and Lodoro to follow.
Pellius bows. As she heads to leave, he points to the two best composed of the guards, as well as the captain.
"You two shall provide us an escort. Captain, you may come with us as well if you have any final questions you wish to ask. If not, I trust that you will ensure that... proper discipline... will be swiftly administered."
As he follows Kira, one pace behind her, he shakes his head.
"If more of this is what we can be expecting at the other sites then I dread to think what will happen if this place truly becomes unruly."
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It occurs to Adonara, as Rutilus works the lock, that they hadn’t decided what to do with anyone they rescued, where to send them to avoid getting caught with a gang of fugitives in the streets.
She thinks quickly, and when the lock gives way to Rutilus’ picks and he starts shushing the prisoners quickly out the door and through the back yard, Adonara glances over her shoulder to give them all an encouraging smile, having thought of something. Picking out someone who looks at least vaguely leader-like, she whispers quickly, “We’d appreciate it if you head to Crissali’s, the bookstore. You’re there ‘For the staged reading of The Writing on the Paper Wall, and sorry for the ado.’”
She deliberately mispronounces the last word, turning it into the first part of her name and an additional signature to go with the literary reference. Adonara and the bookseller disagree considerably on the merits of the more avant-garde of Elven poetry and drama, and sending a bunch of mercenaries to occupy Crissali’s back room is a brazen imposition even by Adonara’s standards. She’s going to hold this over me like no one’s business. Well, it’s not like I wasn’t planning on throwing a considerable bit of gold her way for some scrolls and magic books anyway.
She does her best to guard the tail end of the stream of escapees, ready to lash out if any of the guards comes back to discover the security disaster in the making.
Lodoro exits with the other 2, bringing up the rear. Like any good bodyguard, he speaks only when absolutely necessary :-)
As they get to the entrance of the facility, Pellius turns to their escort. Giving them a grudging nod, he barks, "Good job. Don't forget to lock the door after we go through it."
Holding the door for Kira, he passes through followed closely by Lodoro. He keeps in character until they are out of eyesight and earshot.
"Whew. That went... surprisingly well, actually. What do you think, Lodi? One of our better performances, was is it not?" Turning to Kira, he adds, "And a wonderful performance by you as well. I hope you don't mind my changing things on the fly like that... I just got the sense that he would be more off balance by you being in charge than me or Lodi."
Kira frowns and looks around to be sure there's no one close enough to overhear. "To be honest, I do mind. I know it's an inconvenience and I'm really sorry for it, but please remember that when I get overly stressed I can't speak Common. We're lucky that didn't happen tonight."
"We're also lucky that Kossrani apparently knows nothing about gnomes. We don't really have nobility. We tend to be obsessed with certain topics and follow wherever those lead; not conducive to settling down long enough for titles."
She sighs. "Don't get me wrong, it did work, and your performance was great. Just...please try not to spring something like that on me if it can be avoided."
Pellius bites back a retort and takes a breath. Remember... we aren't in the theater anymore and these aren't aspiring actors.
He smiles apologetically to Kira. "You are right, of course, though given you speak Infernal when stressed it probably would have worked more in our favor than not. I would have reinvented myself as your translator or some such... might have made that dwarf squirm even more, truthfully."
His smile fades a bit. "Though I suppose he and his men will all be squirming soon enough. I doubt that the Dottari will take kindly to having six prisoners disappear from the drunken eyes of his watchmen."
Taking more of a support role during the breakout, Boalo is quiet and surprisingly stealthy to all but Rutilus, who had seen the man surprise rowdy tavern patrons before tossing them on their rears in the past. Once back at the book store however, a friendly smile spreads on his face as he assess the prisoners for injuries.
"Well, that was well done all. If all have the stomach for it, I say this calls for a toast to our first success in this little endeavor." With that Baolo raises his mug.
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Once everyone’s over the fence of the salt works, Adonara can hardly blame the recent prisoners for going off like a sheaf of launched arrows, with the hounds of Hell after them. Before heading off herself to offer her apologies to her favourite local bookseller, though, she needs to check in with the others. Trailing behind Pellius, Kira, and Lodoro for a bit, the roguish elf detaches herself from the shadows to explain quickly.
“I knew there was a detail I was forgetting! I think we got everyone out, and we sent them to Crissali’s – Long Roads is probably just a bit too much of a risk before we can give these adventurers the once-over to see if they’d care to join us.”
“Crissali’s going to kill me,” a shadow of exaggerated fear crosses Adonara’s face, belied by the smile that soon replaces it. “But that was great work! And great fun. See you in a bit? I should probably make my excuses sooner rather than later.”
She quickens her pace down the street again, and then, in another few moments, disappears in a swirl of her cloak and city distance.
* * *
Though Adonara hurries, she’s unsurprisingly not the first to arrive, and as Baolo looks over the sprung prisoners while waiting for everyone to reconvene, Adonara resumes a somewhat more serious manner as she turns her charm to mollifying Crissali. She promises not to do it again (at least, not without more warning) and reassures her that she wouldn’t dream of actually inflicting something like The Writing on her (at least, not without a likelier troupe of performers).
She gladly accepts Baolo’s toast, adding a quiet Calistrian blessing in Elven herself. While waiting for everyone to gather – and she is very curious about who they’ve just saved – she does spare a thought as to how to hold such interviews more smoothly in future. It might take a bit more time to avoid drawing unnecessary attention to the place, but there are worse fates than spending more time at Laria’s coffeehouse, particularly since Adonara spends quite a bit of time in Villegre and the Greens anyway for work.
As Pellius arrives at the book shop, he takes a small bow upon entry.
"Glad to see that our performance was not just for our own amusement. Good work in getting these folks out." Seeing the looks of shock as some of the prisoners begin to recognize him from said performance, he raises a hand. "No need to fret. We aren't really with the current regime. We were just making sure the guards were busy so that the others could get you out. The name is Pellius, formerly of the opera house. Perhaps you have heard of me?" Gesturing to Kira and Lordoro, he allows them to make their own introductions before adding, "Lodi is a fellow performer like myself, and Kira has enough talent that she should consider joining us on stage... assuming we can ever wrest it from the hands of that infernal tyrant."
Joining everyone at the bookstore, Rutilus joins in with the celebration "I must say I am surprised that worked without a hitch, and without a single casualty... at least yet. I'm sure those guards will be punished most severely for losing the prisoners. I do wonder if anyone will let those that were sleeping out of the barracks. Now Baolo, about that toast..." he finishes with a grin.
Kira shakes her head when Rutilus mentions the guards. "I imagine they'll all be fired for incompetence, at the very least. Possibly imprisoned themselves." She smiles at the prisoners. "I'm very glad we were able to get you all out."
Back at the Long Roads Coffeehouse, she considers their next move. "Shall we go check out the Silver Star next? With the prisoners rescued searching for clues is probably the best thing we can do right now."
Pellius speaks up at that. "Investigation is not exactly my strong suit. Perhaps I should stay back and work on translating the journal we found?" Shrugging, he adds, "Though if you really think I would be of use I will be happy to oblige."
"I think that we should all stay together. Even you, Pel. The Silver Star seems fine to me"
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Pellius speaks up at that. "Investigation is not exactly my strong suit. Perhaps I should stay back and work on translating the journal we found?" Shrugging, he adds, "Though if you really think I would be of use I will be happy to oblige."
“Fiddle-faddle, sir! We couldn’t have done it without you, today!” Adonara protests, assuming more genteel airs in the bustling coffeehouse. “Though I’d hardly insist, if you’d rather not press on this afternoon.”
She gives the others a look, checking to see how they feel after reporting in to Laria. She continues, lowering her voice so that passers-by can’t easily overhear, “I don’t mind spending some time assisting Pellius, if we decide to wait a bit. Would it be entirely reckless if I took some of what we might learn out to, hmm, confabulate, entertain, and … edify? Together with some of our benefactors’ largesse, a judicious bit of gossip about today’s exploits might pair well with stories about the old Silver Ravens to win hearts for new.”
"With respect, old bean," Pellius replies to Lodoro, "what good is getting more information when we haven't even fully understood the intelligence we risked life and limb for already? Now with the prisoners I could understand the necessity for haste... no telling if they would be moved or executed, or if security would have been tightened if we dallied around translating tomes. But I am sure that whatever we can learn at the Star will still be there in a day. Hells, we might even be better equipped to find what we are looking for there after we know what the journal contains."
"It has been a long day already, so I have no objection to working on the journals right now. Completely translating them could take weeks or even months though. Maybe we could check out the Silver Star tomorrow? That gives us a chance to relax after a stressful day, without waiting too long just in case any clues are still available."
Looking at Adonara, she adds, "A little bit of gossip might be a good idea. We need to get more people on our side if this rebellion is to last. Maybe I could help you with that?"
"I don't want it to feel like we keep pushing off investigation of the music store however it is dark and most of us cannot see well without light. Perhaps the ladies have the right idea. We should relax this night and see what thought we can spark in the minds of others. We can then investigate the fires fresh in the morning."
"I think we should try to recruit some people who can keep their ear to the ground and find us rumors of where we can strike next. I might know some people"
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“That would be lovely,” Adonara says, acknowledging Kira and Rutilus with a smile.
“Many of my people only really start getting about a bit later in the evening,” she muses, gauging the time. “And while I have studied a bit of Kintargo’s history prior to my … arrival, who knows? Perhaps we’ll even be able to decipher an amusing anecdote before too long, depending on what, exactly, is in that journal. In the meantime, we can work with what we know, the delicious news of the embarrassment of Thrune’s creatures in Old Kintargo, and the curiosity of the coffeehouse set.”
She assumes her shifting roles with casual grace, her light tone and easy demeanor easily making up for and disguising any hint of intent that glimmers out of her glance around the open space of Long Roads.
Baolo spends the evening writing in a book of recipes that he had pulled form his pack while those more interested in the translations hovered over the journal they had found. Indeed, the past few days stirred many ideas he had been having for some time. What if the beer his family made in secret could be imbued with some of the divine magic granted by the Drunken Hero? Then it could be levied to help the city in a way that would make his patron proud. He would need to set up a space to test some of these new recipes...but if it worked, then it could help their cause immensely. His thoughts interrupted with a rather loud "Of Course!" from the translators, he turned his attention to what they had to say.
Listening to their translation, Baolo then mutters, "Hmm, well at least we have a better idea of the start of this group we are on the verge of mimicking." Indeed, the thought excited the novice brewer, having grown up steeped in Kintargo's rebellious spirit as he was. "As tempting as it is though...I caution against taking action on this intel...as the supposed headquarters is likely heavily watched at the moment...and would be pretty much impossible to sneak into." As he finishes verbalizing his thought, his mind wanders to this Jackdaw figure to see if their is any history he could recall from the stories his mother told him of the city's own history related to Jackdaw that might not have been in the journal.
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Adonara’s got a reasonably good head for languages, but not much of an inclination: growing up in one of the few families in her part of the world speaking a particular dead language took some of the joy out of it. Still, she sets to with a good will, and if she floats to and from the table a bit more freely than the other linguists, greeting acquaintances passing through the coffeehouse, or making them when the group’s voices lift in excitement as a passage here or there comes together, she does her bit.
One of the passages that comes together provokes another of the courtesan’s ready smiles. “If this is right … well, shall we say that history is repeating itself? If reviving the Ravens needs a new lady elf corvid, I’d be delighted to oblige. I wonder who else is hiding in these pages?”
Still, given the devilry of the code and the sheer mass of it, the rest of what emerges in the evening's work is less heartening, and Adonara is forced to agree with Baolo's assessment, if the new despot is squatting over the Ravens' original headquarters.
All the same, as the evening wears on, it is most definitely not a loss. Despite the caution required as the work goes on, hidden in plain sight, and despite the fact that what the group is only beginning to build on is rumours that have survived a hundred years of the pace of human society, a handful of coins to buy the right few drinks and a discreet intervention at the right moments do wonders.
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Setting her cap, Adonara is able to catch a few curious glances that she makes it a point of pride and principle to turn into blushes, and often, when that doesn’t work, she is able to make introductions when Pellius takes a break for another spot of tea between the young opera star and his devoted public. Even with a hastily-assembled pretext for the group’s topic of conversation for the night, it becomes clear that people want to hear more about the Silver Ravens, and hope.
By the time – late in the night – the adventurers begin to drift their separate ways for the night, Adonara is sure that Rutilus will be able to pick up from the mood of the evening as he tests the waters for his people.
Pellius looks pleased with the knowledge he and the others are able to glean from the recovered journal. "So they also had the idea of using my theater," the way he says 'my theater' comes off as more the way one would describe one's home, owned or not, than an actual statement of ownership, "to be a head quarters. I wonder if our dear dictator knows about that." Yawning, the singer retires to bed and does not get up until they are about ready to head out for the Star.
"A shame about the burning of that one... I used to love heading in there to peruse their selections of sheet music, as well as ogle the craftsmanship of the instruments for sale. Such a tragedy, even on the off chance it was nothing more than the governor making a statement."
Kira starts sifting through some of the rubble. "It is a real shame. I hope no one was inside when it burned."
Pellius shakes his head. "Indeed. It was owned by Shensen, one of the greatest singers at the opera and noted Sarenite. It was a not secret secret that she had a shrine to her goddess under the store... I wonder if anything remains of it." Pellius' face turns reflective for a moment. I have always wondered how someone so gifted by Shelyn could worship Sarenrae, but I suppose the goddess of beauty and art does not have ownership over everything artistically beautiful.
Shaking his head, he continues. "You know, the Thrashing Badger was also burned to cinders the same night. Rumor had it that Milani followers frequented the place... perhaps that was part of the point of the fires. Weed out competing gods and their followers to pave the way for the thrice-damned queen's chosen god of choice."
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Adonara puts in her appearance the following morning only slightly the worse for wear after a busy evening. One might be forgiven for suspecting that she’s just smudged enough to encourage onlookers to look twice – and perhaps to speculate a moment as to how she might have got that way. That it makes her look all the softer under Laria’s gentle remonstrance is just more icing on the cake, though Adonara takes the good-hearted smuggler’s point. She makes a mental note to explore the tunnels leading to the Wasp Nest for a more discreet venue for rebellious assignations.
Certainly, after a dark, fortifying libation, by the time the new Ravens are pecking through the rubble of the Silver Star, any illusion of frivolity has evaporated. She peers all the more intently into the wreckage for signs of a way down after Pellius’ story, some of which strikes a chord with what Adonara knows as a proscribed cultist herself.
The ruins are a mess, and the cleric turns to the singer with a sympathetic look. “A tragedy, truly.”
She gestures jerkily, unsure how to capture the emotion in movement. “I’ve not been in Kintargo long, but from all I’ve heard about the place, and what I can imagine – even as a strictly filling-out-the-choir sort of voice – the whole Star must have been a sort of temple to music. Like some libraries are to other arts.”
“We’ll find a way to take them all back,” she adds softly, her glance flickering over the spires of the city’s skyline, lingering particularly over the House of Satin Veils .
Pellius turns wistful for a moment at Adonara's comments. He kicks a rock down into the wreckage, watching as it bounces down into the pit.
"I am not sure there really is a 'taking this back.' The structure can be rebuilt, sure... it might even be rebuilt to be somewhat close to the original design. But some of the music and instruments she had for offer were one of a kind masterpieces. Made by singular, once-in-a-generation craftsmen. To say that finding their like again would be challenging would be the understatement of the age. And that isn't even beginning to consider whether, as Kira wondered, anyone was trapped inside during the blaze."
He shakes his head. "Still, we are not here to give eulogies and bemoan the current state of things. Shall we commence with the investigating?"
"Praise Shelyn. It is a crime that a place dedicated to spreading art and beauty was destroyed."
With that he kneels and silently prays for a minute or so. He then gets to his feet
"Well, it seems almost hopeless but should we check around and maybe find a way into the underground area. There just conceivably could be something down there"
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The ruins are clearly an uncomfortable place for everyone, but Pellius’ morbidity is too much for moods that run as quick and deep as elves’. Adonara has long since stopped being surprised by the sentimentality of Shelyn, or that it trickles down to her minions, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less annoying. How dare this … mayfly presume to lecture anyone on the nature of loss? Paper and patches!
A particular singer stolen beforetime, ten years already of songs that could have been, and who knows how many more to come, barb Adonara’s thoughts, though fortunately only the faintest shadow of them is visible on her features.
“We are permitted to hope that nothing need be lost forever. Every ending can be a change. The Fire that burns Unquenchable also preserves.” The elf woman’s cryptic words, though clearly meant to be of some comfort, whether to her or to anyone else, fall into the cadence of a litany that it would be reckless to challenge. Images of writing in fire fill Adonara’s head, but it doesn’t help matters that she knows the person she has in mind would be much better able to explain than she could herself. People often forget that Calistria is also a preeminent keeper of knowledge.
Adonara concentrates on playing nice. She’s new in town, and her interests tend to run literally shadier than most Sarenites’, but… She casts her mind back over a chaos of contacts, clients, and conversations and latches onto something that might be of use.
“Speaking of that shrine,” she says, changing the subject abruptly, forcing cheerfulness into her voice and trying to be kind, “from what I’ve gathered from a friend, they were careful enough with some treasures. It’s cold comfort, but it’s possible that some of that music survived.”
Pellius raises an eyebrow at the elf as she begins her decent. "Of everyone here I would think that one of your linage would understand just how frail some things can be. Still, you are right to an extent. It might not be the same, but that does not mean that it cannot be beautiful."
As she finally reaches the bottom, he calls down. "How stable is it down there? Should we follow you or should we be worried about having to pull you out quickly?"