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Ayo shakes her head. ”Regardless of whether we think it will be successful, we cannot allow such dishonorable conduct to continue. We may find evidence of other crimes that would bother her higher ups more.”
Ayo closes her eyes as she deliberates. ”Someone should distract her or otherwise engage her as a distraction, I think. That will buy us time to look.”
The Pathfinders continue planning their next course of action in the armory, hopefully safe from prying eyes and eavesdropping ears.
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"Maybe see if there is some way to send the Captain on a wild goose chase?" Ebonfeather suggested and then paused for a moment. "I might be able to make a fake letter" he said as he gathered up some writing materials as he tried to remember the orders that he has seen while in training. "The hard part is getting it delivered without tying it to us. Anyone have a way to disguise themselves?"
Ebonfeather recalls that almost all the missives and communications he has seen here have been carved into paper-thin sheets of stone rather than with ink on parchment. He does his best with the lower half of an invoice from yesterday morning's food delivery, chiseling the stark Terran runes into the rock with care.
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Taariik looks confused.
”Ehhh ... so we’re writing the Captain? Maybe you can mention that the food quality has really gone down since we arrived. Yes! And the potato task was not so bad as I loved the Pommes Frites!! Oh and I can make myself small, too. But what is the goal after all?!?“ he says as if he really didn’t get what this is all about.
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"The goal is to get the Captain out of the office so we can snoop around, the longer the better. We could say that he is to conduct a surprise inspection of a small unit at the far end of the camp as there are concerns that the training is not being done correctly. Inform the officer they are there to see how quickly they can respond to an alert and inspect the gear to make sure they are properly equipped. A unit with a bad reputation might be the key target." Ebonfeather suggested.
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Taariik thinks.
“Well, of course I can talk to the captain!! We have lots of joint interests! Like she likes to kill Ifrits... ehh no ... ehh ... she likes to shout ... eh me no ... well ... we will find something to talk about! And I really saw some areas of improvement in the training area!! Everything breaks so easily here!“ he says touching his flaming hair in thoughts.
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"I like Ebonfeather's idea. That it needs to be a surprise inspection means a discrete letter makes more sense. As for timing, we give it to her right before dinner with instructions to do the inspection after she has dinner and retires for the evening. That should maximize our time. Also, do we have the ability to unlock the door on our own without the key?"
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Damhán only shakes his head, as everyone starts coming up with complicated distraction plans.
The more interactions they force, the better chance they are uncovered. Going at night, when she wouldn't be there normally seemed a better idea... but apparently not a popular one.
In the end, he just shrugs, and lets them do their thing.
His missive finished, Ebonfeather hands the stone sheet to Ayo for delivery after dinner. The Pathfinders finish cleaning their equipment, hanging the borrowed weapons back on the racks and retrieving their own. Roasted pork and mashed potatoes are served in the cantina, which is more empty than usual. A few Ungrounded come by to congratulate the Pathfinders on their success in the training grounds, but none stick around for more than a few words before returning to their own tables.
After dinner, Ayo knocks softly on the door to the captain's quarters. "Enter!" a familiar voice barks from the other side. The knight opens to door to reveal Captain Othis seated at her desk, much like the first time the two saw each other. Seeing the stone in Ayo's hand, the captain sighs. "Give it here," she orders.
As Othis reads through Ebonfeather's forgery, her eyes widen at first, then narrow. "The Boulders..." she hisses with displeasure. "I swear, those blockheads are almost as stubborn as you." She glares at Ayo, then rises to her feet. "Very well. Come, recruit. Let us see the barest minimum of professionalism you team has yet to attain." Othis closes the door behind herself and locks it before marching with purpose towards the far end of the barracks. "Let's move, recruit!"
Turn 1! Bold may act!
Alrik
Ayo (Accompanying Captain Othis)
Conig
Damhán
Ebonfeather
Taariik
Ebonfeather doesn't spot anything dangerous as he fidgets with the door, and after several breathless seconds the door pops open. Hopefully nobody heard the tengu swearing under his breath when he stubbed his foot earlier.
Turn 1! Bold may act!
Alrik
Ayo (Accompanying Captain Othis)
Conig
Damhán
Ebonfeather
Taariik
Captain Othis's office is much the same as it was the first time the Pathfinders saw it - cramped and full of harsh, straight lines. A desk made of walnut dominates the center of the room, covered in neat stacks of stone pages. A high-backed chair sits between the desk and a bookshelf behind it, and two framed portraits of serious-looking shaitans hang from walls on opposite sides of the room.
Turn 1! Bold may act!
Alrik
Ayo (Accompanying Captain Othis)
Conig
Damhán
Ebonfeather
Taariik
Alrik notices a stone sheet carved not with straight Terran runes, but words sloppily written in Common sitting underneath a stack of "pages" as if filed away. Taariik looks at the bookshelf, trying to make sense of it all.
Turn 1! Bold may act!
Alrik
Ayo (Accompanying Captain Othis)
Conig
Damhán
Ebonfeather
Taariik
Turn 2! Bold may act!
Alrik
Ayo (Accompanying Captain Othis)
Conig
Damhán
Ebonfeather
Taariik
Shifting his attention from the bookcase, Taariik helps Ebonfeather in lifting the left painting off the wall and setting it carefully on the ground. Behind it, the tengu spots his prize - a small cavity in the rock wall! Inside is a small vial of dark purple powder, potent enough to give Ebonfeather flashbacks to his abrupt departure from consciousness earlier in the day.
Turn 2! Bold may act!
Alrik
Ayo (Accompanying Captain Othis)
Conig
Damhán
Ebonfeather
Taariik
"And there you have it." Captain Othis slams the barracks door shut behind her and begins walking down the hallway. "Shall we see how well your own team can compare?" She waits for a response for a few seconds, then stops and turns to face Ayo. "Permission to speak, soldier." The corner of her mouth twitches.
Conig and Alrik don't notice anything of interest in the office while Damhán keeps watch outside for the captain's return. There's no sign of her yet, but their distraction can't keep her occupied for much longer.
Turn 3! Bold may act!
Alrik
Ayo (Accompanying Captain Othis)
Conig
Damhán
Ebonfeather
Taariik
Taariik and Ebonfeather don't see anything else out of the ordinary in the office.
Turn 3! Bold may act!
Alrik
Ayo (Accompanying Captain Othis)
Conig
Damhán
Ebonfeather
Taariik
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Ayo is thankful that she has always been a thoughtful and slow talker. "This worthless one thanks you for the permission to speak, Honored Captain. This so-and-so that stands before you cannot speak ill of her compatriots or judge them when her own performance has been so abysmal in the preceding events. The Honored Captain Othis knows of our company's skills better than this worthless one. Should the Honored Captain Othis desire this poor fool's assistance with any other duties, she would serve to the best of her meagre ability. This nobody has no desire but to serve."
One book catches Alrik's eye - Tactical Engagement, a popular study of field tactics. The pages of the book have been hollowed out, concealing a bronze badge emblazoned with the serpentine symbol of the Aspis Consortium and a folded note.
Ebonfeather directs his companions to erase all signs of their investigation before shutting the door and carefully re-locking it. The Pathfinders scatter as the harsh sounds of the captain's boots echo down the stone hallways, each eventually making their way back to their barracks to share their discoveries.
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"I would say that he meets the criteria and answers why we have been on the receiving end of his attention. Now, I am not well versed in poisons but it was real tempting to leave a pin coated with the stuff in the bottle sticking in his chair. Talk about getting pinned to your desk." Ebonfeather said, looking towards the Captains office, with an evil grin on his face.
The following morning, the Pathfinders are summoned mid-breakfast to the captain's office. Captain Othis sets down a stone sheet as they enter, but remains seated.
"Well," she says, crossing her arms. "After your performance yesterday, I think it's time we promote you to some practical training - as it seems that's the only way some of you might learn anything." She pushes the stone page to the edge of her desk. "The Ungrounded's primary source of income is, of course, the perennial contract with the Peerless Empire. However, this revenue is supplemented by providing hired security for the various businesses and guilds of the Opaline Vault. One such occasion is tonight, at the Glitterfang Halls." She jerks a thumb over her shoulder in an upward direction. "It's posh, it's pretty, it's owned and operated by a crystal dragon, and he wants extra security for tonight's grand opening of some new suite. He's concerned about a notorious cheater known as Inysha, a master of disguise who's been kicked out of other casinos in the past." Captain Othis pauses to tap the page. "This is the crude sketch we were given, as well as a written physical description of the con artist. Report to the facility at least a few hours before the 19:00 opening, and try not to disappoint me this time. Dismissed."
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An impressive structure even among the many wondrous sights in the Opaline Vault, the Glitterfang Halls is built into an excavated series of stalactites suspended 400 feet above the city’s sprawling Inner District. Deposits of multi-colored crystals peek out from the stalactite’s black-and-cream marble exterior. Most of the city’s native inhabitants can easily access the casino using earth glide, but a towering stone shaft houses a glass elevator to assist extraplanar visitors. The elevator ascends lazily to a marble platform connected to the group of stalactites, its glacial pace allowing for a breathtaking view of the city below.
The doors of a decorative silver cage swing open as the elevator stops moving, revealing a room carved from the natural marble in a perfect circle. A few glowing crystals hang in the air, suspended by magic to provide low ambient lighting. On the western wall, a 20-ft-high archway flanked by platinum and gold pillars lead into the casino's foyer. Inside, an oread bedecked in gems growing out of her flesh stands at a desk constructed of the same precious metals as the pillars outside. As the Pathfinders enter, she looks up and smiles.
"Hello, welcome to the Glittering Halls!" she says with a practiced smile. "We're not open quite yet, so I'll have to ask you to come back in a few hours... Wait..." Her voice trails off, losing its rote recitative quality as she studies the group more closely. "You don't look like guests... Ah, you must be the extra security. Right this way please!" Her customer face back on, she leads the group through the archway on the other side of the room.
Brilliantly colored formations of natural crystal grow from the floors, walls, and ceiling of the next room. Teardrop-shaped lights hang from the ceiling 100 feet above, shimmering and reflecting from a majestic statue of a crystal dragon emerging from a pool of melted gemstones. Jewel-encrusted metal chairs and sofas strewn with velvet cushions surround the pool at a safe distance, providing cozy seating for the casino’s patrons. The Pathfinders don't have time to stop and stare though as their escort hurries them along. "That's the lounge," she explains quickly, "and this..."
"...is the gaming hall." A pillar of amethyst crystals juts from floor to ceiling in the expansive room beyond, flanked by bars carved from the black-and-cream marble found throughout the casino. Enormous sheets of polished crystal cover the walls, dancing with refracted, moving images of creatures and scenery. Pleasant music played upon unfamiliar instruments fills the chamber, though no musicians can be seen. Rectangular slabs of marble rise from the floor to provide surfaces for gambling, each table supporting a small crystalline structure in its center.
The oread continues onward to a cavernous room, the ceiling undulating from a mere 50 ft overhead to a massive 300 ft. Stalactites and stalagmites flattened and ground to a smooth surface serve as dining tables. A stone platform is built into the southeastern wall, decorated as a stage for performing. "This is the main stage," the escort continues. She points at a ledge high up on the northern wall. "That's where Mr. Cestranell spends most of his time. If you don't have a very good reason to bother him, don't. He doesn't have a great opinion of the hired help after... well, after the last batch. And that..." she points at a smaller stone booth at the top of a flight of marble stairs and blocked off by red velvet ropes. "That's the Member's Lounge. Don't worry, you'll have access - just try not to bother the guests there too much."
Finally, the escort knocks on a door to the southwest and opens it to reveal a remarkably un-glamorous room containing only a desk, bookcases, and wooden cabinets - as well as a hassled-looking oread man . He looks up as the group enters, then shifts his gaze to the other oread.
"Boss, these are the extra security," the escort says quickly as she leaves the room and closes the door behind her. "Can't stay, gotta keep an eye on the front desk, so sorry, bye."
"Boss" looks the Pathfinders up and down. "Right. Security." His voice is as strained as his face, and he looks like he is making a conscious effort not to run his hands through his hair. "So. I hired professionals, yes? Yes. Here, you'll need to wear these while on duty." He hands out sashes made of brilliant silver and gold weave, then looks at the group expectantly.
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"Since we know that the Captain is attempting to undermine us, I think it is safe to say that the description she has given us is of someone that we should not bother with. Whoever matches that description should be given a pass while we look for the actual culprit."
Ayo investigates the building thoroughly, looking in particular for any hidden entrances or hidden caches that a thief might use.
"If I might make a suggestion? A few of us not wearing the sash might be able to blend in better and spot the con artist. I could serve in the casino."
"Nope," the boss answers before the tengu can finish even a single trick, "not after last time." He refuses to say more on the subject besides "...and unless you want to get thrown out by the regular security, you'll wear the sashes - they got too much other stuff to keep track of tonight."
The Pathfinders settle themselves in for the evening, donning their sashes and each finding a place to stand watch. Slowly, guests start to trickle in until the establishment is full of the lively sound of laughter and happy voices.
After about an hour or so, a woman matching the captain's description of Inysha enters through the foyer. She walks slowly through the gaming room before finding a quiet spot to sit and ordering a drink from one of the three-armed xorn waitstaff. As they bring back her drink, she tosses a few gems into the xorn's open mouth and looks slowly around the room.