"Huh? Oh yeah. We can definitely disguise another person. For sure."
|----|----|----|----|
The morning comes and goes and the refugees are restless. At 3:00 o' clock on the dot, a knock comes from the Rockfish's door. Guardswoman Garrla is there, in civilian clothing and carrying a large rucksack. She closes the door behind her. She raises a skeptical eyebrow when she sees the other refugees, sighs and says "Let's get this over with" before handing you the rucksack. Inside you find her Emerald Guard kit: full plate and longsword along with a bag of 20 gold coins.
With Themolin in a crate, Yuleg stuffs it with towels and linens from the Rockfish in. "Going to be uncomfortable in there. Sorry about this." Previously, Themolin had provided Marta with the papers regarding the artwork and Yuleg signed off a note of sale of towels and linens to you in case anyone asked. Flitch is in disguise as well as Garrla, although her disguise is only a change of clothes. Flitch, Vurna and Yuleg anxiously keep checking their forged travel papers.
Leading the two horses, you set off with your smugglees towards the docks. It's a long and tense 2-hour journey. It goes without incident, with just a few quick checkpoints where you were hand waved along. Reaching the docks; however, things change. You find lines of people waiting to proceed through the checkpoint and board nearby ships.
Two Emerald Guards are stationed here. Garrla leans in and whispers. "The older one is Ellvard."
As the line advances, the younger guard approaches to check the state of the queue. Just as he's near the wagon, Themolin's voice calls out loudly from the crate.
"Are we there yet?"
On hearing the disembodied voice, the guard stops near your cart and looks at the group of you strangely.
The guard eyes Vurna. She is very pale and sweaty. He grunts and continues his work, no longer paying attention to you. As the guard turns away, she gives a nervous smile, then leans over and whispers as the line continues moving forward towards the guard. "I-I really don't feel so good. I feel really sick!", she pleads at you, her eyes on the brink of tears as she begins retching.
Yuleg throws his daughter a worried look and takes her hand as Aloysius tells her to take deep breaths.
The rest of the people in the queue look on with curiosity before turning back to their own conversations and complaints on why it's taking so long to clear customs.
"Th-thank y-you. I... I guess I'm not used to this.", Vurna says a little bit steadier to Aloysius.
"Are you all right, Vurna?", Flitch leans in and asks worried while fidgeting with his fake beard.
Yuleg glares at the young thief, but Vurna only has eyes for Flitch and doesn't notice him getting even more nervous under the glare of her father and nervously twirls his mustache. "I'm fine, Fl— Florient", she catches herself at the last moment. "I guess the food didn't sit well with me."
|----|----|----|----|
After another twenty minutes, your turn is up. The Merry Mayfly's gangplank is lowered and you can see sailors preparing to cast off. As Ellvard and his fellow guardsmen finish verifying the papers of the people in front of you, Flitch turns to smile at you and give you a hidden thumbs up sign. It's only then that you notice that in his nervousness, his mustache is askew.
Garlla groans as Themolin goes wide-eyed and touches his own upper lip to let Flitch know. Flitch hand slowly reaches up to touch his upper lip and to his horror the mustache comes off!
"NEXT!", yells Ellvard pointing at the group.
Flitch pales and Yuleg looks about to throttle the young man.
As Marta reaches down to keep hold of her papers, a northerly sea wind comes in fiercely attempting to blow away your travel papers! Flitch, Garrla, Themolin and Vurna hold on to theirs tightly, but Flitch is freaking, his back to the guard who is yelling to him above the wind:
"Hey, you! Your papers, now!"
|
Aloysius is finishing with Vurna when the scene unfolds. He shuffles quickly up to the guards "I'm sorry, but two of my companions have come down with some sort of illness. It's not serious, but rather contagious. You might want to speed up our departure so these other folks, well, and yourselves are not unduly exposed."
Thanks to everyone's quick thinking, Flitch is able to quickly fix his mustache and appear to be a passable tradesman. Almost everyone got their papers and move forward in the queue.
The sailors on the Merry Mayfly glance from time to time towards the group while pretending to be focused on their jobs.
Iqu snatches the paper up before the sea breeze takes it. Aloysius grasps his with his fingers...
...and watches them fly off into the ocean.
The guard has already waved by Vurna, Yuleg and Flitch. He turns to travel paperless Aloysius and stifles a yawn. "Papers.", he says holding out his hand.
|
|
"NOOOO...." Aloysius hisses as the pieces of paper fly away, off to sea.
When he gets to the guard, he fumbles with his belt pouch, trying to find coin or something to bribe him with. Suddenly, a fresh set of papers are thrust into his hand. Startled for an instant, he gains his composure and makes like he's retrieving the papers from his pouch. He hands them over to the guard.
"Ah, they're right here...here!"
The younger guard takes Aloysius papers, gives them a cursory look and waves him onward towards the Merry Mayfly. As you pass the final checkpoint, Ellvard gives Themolin and Garrla a look.
"Fancy seeing you both here, Astrid", he tells Garrla. "Never seen you in civilian clothes before. Going somewhere with these foreigners? Or are you and Themolin planning on eloping without inviting your dear friend, Ellvard. Tsk. After all we've shared together. I'm sure we could all spend some time together.", he says as he gives the ten of you a fake smile.
Ellvard bristles, a scowl draws itself on his face. "Were they now? I heard it was quite a cutthroat practice, with people betraying each other at a whim. That's why it's important to have friends. People who've got your back. Are you my friends, foreigners? Because I sure as hell know these two aren't!", he says pointing an accusing finger at Themolin and Garrla.
The other guard places his hand on his sword hilt.
Ellvard looks thoughtful. "They have something of mine. If I can have it back before they depart, well, I guess I'd have no objection to that."
Themolin whispers urgently to Marta, "The affidavit is at the Ministry!"
"Hmph. Get lost. All of you."
Once past the guards at the docks, you and the remaining refugees are able to slip out of Xin-Edasseril without further aggravation. Aboard the Merry Mayfly, you sail, unmolested to Magnimar. Once there, you meet up with Sheila Heidmarch and Valais Durant at Heidmarch Manor to be debriefed on your mission and receive expressions of warm gratitude from the Yuleg, Themolin, Daffrid and the rest of the refugees, including Seddothrum. All ten of them are eager to exchange stories of their adventures, with Daffrid giving account of Iqu's and Seddothrum's bravery in facing off the reefclaws underwater. The refugees are all grateful to the Pathfinder Society for their freedom and most pledge their services and good will for the benefit of the Society in the years to come.
For his part, Guaril is appreciative of what you've accomplished, but is eager to recover his portion of payment and frowns at any necessary expenses you incurred that came from payments. "That's coming from your part", he says annoyed.
"...thus ends this chapter of the Pathfinder Chronicles, regarding the extraction of refugees from Xin-Edasseril. Recorded on 12 Desnus 4720 at the Grand Lodge, Absolom."