The miscreants make quick work of the remaining Iomedaeans as Cimri rushes over to Wolfgang and makes sure he isn't dead.
Zelicia walks over to Wolfgang's body and heals him with a wand of Cure Light.
Then sicaria
Then marcianus
Then herself
8 charges of the wand used.
While the healing is going on, Cimri explains the situation:
Cimri continues to breathe heavily as she waits for Wolfgang to sit up. Once he does, Cimri adds, "That looks pretty bad! I'd hate to be you right now."
"I also hate to be me right now. Know how I was looking into my Aunt? Well, I found out that she planned to take a stand against Razelago. How she knew about him is beyond me. But, that's where the trail went cold. Until 5 minutes ago. Because, well, you see, uhh,
"and as I checked it out, the old deputies were out front."
Cimri quickly turns and begins running out of the cathedral, yelling, "I'm going to see if I can stop her! Catch up when you're ready."
By the time the miscreants try to say anything back, Cimri has already jumped off one of the balconies and is sprinting to the Ash House, already out of earshot.
As the miscreants finish up and follow, a thickening plume of Black Smoke rises into the air. And as the miscreants approach the house itself, they can tell it will take a coordinated effort of more people than are around to save the Ash House with how much fire and smoke fills the area.
Before leaving, Marcianus casts Detect Magic and scans the corpses.
"Razelago won't take it well if we dally here to make a more thorough search, but we may as well check their pockets while I look for magic items, then we should run after Cimri."
As the party heads out, Marcianus stops Wolfgang. "I'm out of any useful spell power and I didn't like being on the front lines. I need you to stay standing. Do you need to use my Mage Armor wand?"
"That's...a terrible way to make a stand against a devil."
Cimri continues to breathe heavily as she waits for Wolfgang to sit up. Once he does, Cimri adds, "That looks pretty bad! I'd hate to be you right now."
"Yes, well, I can tell you from personal experience that it is at least slightly better than being turned to stone and bathed in lizard blood," Wolfgang mutters.
As the party heads out, Marcianus stops Wolfgang. "I'm out of any useful spell power and I didn't like being on the front lines. I need you to stay standing. Do you need to use my Mage Armor wand?"
"I did not particularly enjoy it either," Wolfgang admits. "Thank you for the offer, but it would do no good. I cast mage armor on our way over here, and it remains in effect. The rebels just got lucky."
"That's...a terrible way to make a stand against a devil."
"Agreed. It is even dumber than taking on four people with a single weapon that requires nearly half a minute to reload after every shot."
Marcianus can't help but laugh at the banter between Wolfgang and Sicaria as he completes his magical detection of the corpses.
"You are both right. The people of this town are both idiotic and ineffective, yet they continue to blame that lack on us. I don't suppose Razelago will care though. The principle of losing his base will likely outweigh any amusement he derives.
So, we should hurry to witness the revolting citizens setting fire to an already burned down house."
Items to gather: 6 mwk Longswords. 6 Heavy steel shields. Breastplate. Sling with 10 bullets. 1st level Pearl of Power. Silver holy symbol of Iomedae. Spell component pouch.
Also on Tileavia's body was a key. It opened up a chest in the back of the church. The chest contained:
3 bandages of rapid recovery, an elixir of truth, a potion of cure moderate wounds, and six sets of cleric's vestments.
Looking through the area, you also find a set of antique silver candlesticks worth 400gp.
Sicaria stares down at Tileavia, unsure if the woman is unconscious or actually dead. Regardless, Sicaria pulls out a dagger and kneels down next to her, glancing over at what remains of Caggan’s ghastly corpse. ”Let death be final, for we are not the keepers of graves.” Sicaria finds a prominent vein on the Iomedaean’s arm and cuts her dagger along the length of the vein.
The woman wipes her bloody dagger on the priestess’s raiments and sheaths it as she goes for the Ash House.
Wolfgang checks to see if any of the other Iomedans are alive but unconscious.
All but one of the Iomedeans are alive.
Not only is the Ash House ablaze, but there appear to be guard outside and the sounds of combat from within.
But before the miscreants can discover what's happening within the Ash house, they must first deal with a pair of guards with their bows drawn. The men look suspiciously familiar, almost like they may have been the exact former deputies that were within the Longacre Jail when Rhona was relieved of duty...
"Looks like the rest arrived!" shouts one of the guards to inside the house. The sounds of combat continue for a few seconds before the guards give each other a worried look. There was no response. Just the sounds of a creature barking viciously and metal colliding with metal.
With nothing better to do, the two deputies knock arrows on their bows and aim at the miscreants.
Initiative - the BOLD may act!
Active effects:
-----------------------------------------------
Wolfgang
???-2
???-1
Sicaria
Deputies
Zelicia
???-3
Marcianus
”Alright, asshats, let’s make this quick!”
Sicaria shoots forth, drawing her sabres as she slices at one of the deputies.
Zeke has switched to the glaive on his way to the ash house, preferring reach weapons, when possible.
Wolfgang jogs forward, drawing his rapier from the scabbard of honing, hesitating a bit after his experience at the cathedral but unwilling to appear too frightened by the experience.
Sicaria catches red off guard and slices deep!
Wolfgang does so as well, but to yellow.
Yellow and red both step back and fire their bows at the flat-footed miscreants.
Red first, to avoid cover.
Then yellow.
And the unaware witch finds an arrow through her gut.
"Don't aim for the bearded one," yellow says to red. "There's enough magical wards on that one that he'd blind a newbie wizard."
Initiative - the BOLD may act!
Active effects: Round 2
-----------------------------------------------
Wolfgang
???-2
???-1
Sicaria
Deputies (Red: -7; Yellow: -7)
Zelicia (-11)
???-3
Marcianus
Stepping closer to pin the bowman in, Zeke brings the glaive down on Yellow.
Laughing, he boasts. "By all means. Ignore me. See how that works out."
Sticking close, Marcianus casts Daze on Red.
Zeke executes yellow, killing the man where he stands.
Red resists Marc's spell.
Initiative - the BOLD may act!
Active effects: Round 2
-----------------------------------------------
Wolfgang
???-2
???-1
Sicaria
Deputies (Red: -7;)
Zelicia (-11)
???-3
Marcianus
Sicaria cracks her neck and steps up to the other deputy!
Assuming that Sicaria has the remaining guard well in hand, Wolfgang steps over to the front door and tries to open it unnoticed, just a crack so he can see what’s happening inside
Zelicia glances down at the wound in her gut and casts Healing Hex on herself. She smirks at Yellow's corpse then spins around and turns invisible.
Sicaria tears into the guard in front of her, and the guard drops from the off-hand.
Wolfgang sneaks to the door
Zelicia heals.
"Your little reclamation is getting completely out of hand!" shrieks the familiar voice of Cimri, rising to just audible above the flames.
Inside the Ash House, a battle rages across the first floor. In the parlor, Rhona Staelish, former Sheriff of Longacre, fights defensively against Cimri.
In the entryway to the east of the parlor, two of Staelish's deputies attempt to keep Razelago's Krenshar at bay. Around them, the fire swiftly grows. Anybody further than 10 feet from you has concealment.
Initiative - the BOLD may act!
Active effects: Round 3; Anything beyond 10 feet has concealment
-----------------------------------------------
Wolfgang
Guarig
Cimri
Sicaria
Zelicia (-2)
Deputies
Rhona
Marcianus
Marcianus moves to the door and throws it open, while Zeke readies to jump inside.
Zeke heads straight for Rhona, slashing at her legs, but only managing to break a few floorboards.
"It's getting smoky in here. Those of you who burn easily should take care."
"I'm going around the other side!" Wolfgang takes off around the burning building.
The strange creature that was known for guarding Razelago fights from the stairs.
And it completely misses.
Meanwhile, Cimri continues her assault on her aunt.
But Rhona quickly dodges out of the way.
Initiative - the BOLD may act!
Active effects: Round 3; Anything beyond 10 feet has concealment
-----------------------------------------------
Wolfgang
Guarig
Cimri
Sicaria
Zelicia (-2)
Deputies
Rhona
Marcianus
”Oh for the love of…”
Sicaria rushes into the building and says a prayer to Achaekek to fight these interlopers!
Zelicia runs into the house invisibly.
The deputies continue to attempt to deal with the Krenshar.
The strange wolf-beast dodges from side to side, avoiding the swords.
"You lot! Of course." shouts Rhona. "Watch for invisible ones." she shouts to her comrades. "They've got 2 that like that trick."
She takes a step towards Zeke and tries to dig her handaxes into his chest.
"Figures." she scoffs as her handaxes are quickly deflected.
Initiative - the BOLD may act!
Active effects: Round 3; Anything beyond 10 feet has concealment
-----------------------------------------------
Wolfgang
Guarig
Cimri
Sicaria
Zelicia (-2)
Deputies
Rhona
Marcianus
Marcianus moves in and casts Daze at Rhona.
"I wish I was surprised to see you here. I would think a former law enforcement officer would have better respect for the law. Theft? Arson? Sedition? Are there no depths to which you will not stop?"
Zeke grumbles as he finds himself unable to gain enough room to swing. "Damn these tiny living spaces"
Dropping the glaive, he pulls out the Greatsword and steps behind Rhona into a flanking position.
Wolfgang hurries up to the window and clambers through, drawing his bow. He grins at Rhona. "Stop, please. In the name of the law."
Without waiting for an answer, he shoots at her.
"Ask your beloved Cimri who started this fire, then." she replies to the Arson charge. "And sedition and theft are warranted against the corruption, but I don't expect you'd understand."
Zeke strikes Rhona, cleaving a long gash through her armor.
Wolfgang, however, fails to knock his arrow properly and drops the arrow before firing it.
The strange beast on the stairs swipes its claws a few times at Rhona's accomplices, but doesn't find a way through their armor.
Cimri follows up on Zeke's opening and digs her kukri into her aunt's skin. "STOP THIS OR I'LL KILL YOU."
"NOT UNTIL YOU COME TO FORT ESTAZANO WITH..." Rhona quickly covers her mouth. "S*!*!"
Initiative - the BOLD may act!
Active effects: Round 3; Anything beyond 10 feet has concealment
-----------------------------------------------
Wolfgang
Guarig
Cimri
Sicaria
Zelicia (-2)
Deputies
Rhona (-21)
Marcianus
Fort Estazano. Noted.
Sped up by the power of Achaekek, Sicaria rushes forward—sure that Zeke and Cimri can handle Rhona themselves—and swings her sword at one of the deputies!
Zelicia hopes that further into the house is safer than the first room. She casts Guidance on Marcianus behind her then continues to move forward, cautious of jumping straight into the next room after Sicaria runs in.
Sicaria moves forward and lands a glancing blow on blue.
Zelicia moves further in, throwing a bit of buffing magic to Marcianus.
The deputies disengage from the krenshar and look to the newly arrived assassin.
Sicaria ducks out of the way of the first swing and deflects the second.
Meanwhile, Rhona simply grunts in pain as she steps towards Marc. "Call him off!" she shouts before swinging both of her handaxes.
Her first handaxe digs straight into Marc's thigh as her second is deflected away from his chest by mage armor.
Initiative - the BOLD may act!
Active effects: Round 3; Anything beyond 10 feet has concealment
-----------------------------------------------
Wolfgang
Guarig
Cimri
Sicaria
Zelicia (-2)
Deputies (Blue: -4)
Rhona (-21)
Marcianus (-8)
Wolfgang snarls and drops his bow in annoyance. Between the smoke and the combat, I can’t hit anyone in here except by accident. He stalks forward through the smoke, drawing his rapier, and stabs out at the green deputy.
“Zeke, would you please finish off Cimri’s irritating relative? Unless you would like to say a little more about Fort Estanzo, Rhona?”
"Call him off? Why would I do that? Surrender. Now, that will give me a reason."
Marcianus withdraws from the fighter, moving to a more advantageous position.
Zeke pursues, slashing at Rhona's back. "No, don't surrender. I want to watch the cat feed on your heart."
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Zeke's attack cleaves straight through Rhona's armor before blood spills to the floor. "You...devils..." she ways, struggling for consciousness. Her eyes roll back into her head as she falls unconscious.
Soon after, the deputies surrender, knowing they definitely can't hold their own in this situation. But, the ash house is still a lost cause. All the miscreants and their newly arrested can do is watch the already charred-house burn to the ground and ensure the embers don't cause any more damage.
And the day comes to a close with no more issues.
While they watch the fire, Wolfgang checks Rhona’s body for valuables. As he does, he asks Cimri, "Does she have any family heirlooms that I ought to watch out for?"
The ex-sheriffs collectively had the following:
Mwk Studded Leather
Composite Longbow (+2 Str)
20 Arrows
2x Mwk Handaxes
brooch of shielding
4x potion of cure light wounds
4x mwk longbow with 20 arrows
4x mwk short sword
4x sap
4x manacles
72gp
"That abandoned fort in the Whisperwood?" questions Razelago. "That Fort Estazano?"
"I know of no other Estazano; do you Razelago?" adds Archbaron Fex, sipping on a freshly brewed cup of tea before turning his attention back to the miscreants. "And the ex-Sheriff? You do plan to execute her for high-treason, yes?"
Before the miscreants can reply, Razelago cuts in, "We've got bigger fish to fry, so to say. These fine people just crushed two large-scale attempts at revolution! The Glorious Reclamation can't get much weaker, but they can definitely get stronger."
"Fair point," rebuttals the Archbaron before pulling 4 small bags from his pockets. "Here is your payment for the last week." Fex hands over 150gp each in platinum. "I assume you know what's next?"
Fort Estazano was constructed as a staging post for Chelish bandit-hunters launching forays into the Whisperwood. It didn't last long. Only 3 years after its completion, the brigand Diravae the Gold Drinker set off an explosion in the fort's armory that crumbled its tower and set fire to most of its interior. The Chelish army abandoned the fort soon after.
In the decades after, Fort Estazano has become the setting of numerous ghost stories, a campsite for weary travellers, and a short-lived base for various groups of brigands and adventurers.
"I assume you know what's next?"
Sicaria places one of her hands on the handle of her sabre, though not with the intent of drawing it here. "Infiltrate the big top and kill the ringmaster to end this stupid circus."
Before the meeting with the Archbaron, Marcianus did his best to talk to some of the less belligerent locals, finding out what he could about this Fort.
"Fort Estanzo is apparently the subject of many of the local urban legends. Hauntings and that sort of thing.
The legends have made it a popular place for brigand groups to use."
Heh. Diravae the Gold Drinker. "Yes, the place has been a ruin for decades. I suppose it might be intact enough for a group of rebels to hide out there, at least for a little while, but it wouldn't be comfortable. Has there been any other sign of them in the Whisperwood?"
"No. They're as sneaky as they are treasonous, and we don't currently have the resources for magical divinations and the like. Which is why I hired you to keep the peace, and you have done admirably. Now, to the Whisperwood. Squash these rebellious rats, and make the rest run back into whatever holes they crawled out of."
“Thank you, Your Lordship, we won’t let you down.” Wolfgang bows to Archbaron Fex, trying to remember what he saw Marcianus do last time they appeared before the town’s ruler. Turning to Razelago, he gives the baby-faced zebub a more casual salute and a nod. “Got it, boss.”
Wolfgang checks over his new gear before the Miscreants head for the Whisperwood, then nods to himself in satisfaction. “We could pick up some horses before we go, if speed is more important than stealth. What do you all think?”
Only the open wooden gates and a few narrow windows suggest that the heap of rocks ahead was once something more. A small gatehouse to one side still stands intact, though it seems in danger of collapse beneath the light covering of moss on its stones.
The fort hunkers atop a small, flat hill, tall enough to give a fine view of the surrounding countryside from the gatehouse that peers over the sparse tree-cover. The open gate is the only entrance into the fort, but the crumbling walls are easy to climb, requiring only a successful DC 14 Climb check to scale.