"What's on the other side of the wall? Could someone have been trying to get in from the other side?"
"Do you remember hearing any strange sounds?"
Maggie and Treep, while feeling better, are still clearly less-than-ideal. They loopily respond to Jisara’s translated question and Korva translates. ”They didn’t hear anything; it just happened.”
"Is it possible for someone to come and go through the waterway?"
Korva puts her hands on her hips. ”I think we would’ve noticed that; we haven’t left the Wasp’s Nest.” Just in case, though, she talks with her sisters, and they all corroborate that statement—they haven’t noticed anyone coming in from the waterway.
"And what about the three followers we picked up from the park? Have they been around? How well can we trust them? Perhaps that's the culprits goal; not to kill but to sow doubt amongst us?"
Laria actually answers this before Chance finishes translating. ”They’ve been around the coffeeshop every now and then, but I wouldn’t let anyone down in the Wasp’s Nest without telling you guys first.”
*
The PCs spend what remains of the rest of the day searching through the Wasp’s Nest trying to figure out what on earth happened. Unfortunately, their efforts are for naught as they hit several dead ends.
Ill at ease over the mystery of the collapsing wall, Jisara tries to refocus her mind to more productive lines of thought.
"One of the rumors we picked up on was that they were imprisoning people at the Salt Works for the purpose of hard labor. I think we ought to investigate it. Or rather, you lot ought to, while I spend the day on transferring the magic from this whip to a more suitable weapon."
"I'm okay scouting out the place from a distance. But if we are going to engage in a fight, I'd want you, Jisara, and my glaive by my side. But it's not a bad idea to observe the place before rushing in. We could do that and report back."
"Maybe while we're out, Vendalfek could keep the Fushi's company. He can keep an eye out for trouble. If he stays quiet and invisible, maybe an intruder won't notice him."
And he'll be out of my hair. He thinks to himself.
"And if you get bored, there a proclamation about slaying pests. You could keep our temporary home vermin free and the dottari give you coin for a meal." He shrugs with non-concomitance.
Chance nods in agreement with Jisara's suggestion and Vitalis's caveat. "Yes, I think we should check it out and not get into a big fight without Jisara, although I think we ought to wait until morning, and maybe Rigel ought to bring his 'change of clothes' just in case. But don't you think Vendalfek would be more helpful coming along with us? That invisibility trick could be very useful."
The men’s stakeout didn’t go so well, but Stargazer manages to figure out that the Sallix Salt Works only has four guards.
"But don't you think Vendalfek would be more helpful coming along with us? That invisibility trick could be very useful."
"Oh yes. Excellent idea."
Yay! He thinks sarcastically.
Assuming, Clenchjaw will allow Vitalis to, he will return to Clenchjaw's to try to make amends. He'll help with any repairs and just be cordial towards him to befriend him. He'll tell him about the fey dragon and that it won't be returning to bother him anymore as well. When the opportunity arises, he'll use his harp and perform on the stage for some coin.
After the day spent to Scout Location, Chance spends a day doing his fortune-teller schtick in the square again to earn a little more income.
When Vitalis announces he is going out to recruit more supporters of the Silver Ravens, the gnome paces around the Wasp's Nest, anxiously trying to decide what would be the most useful thing to do. After muttering to himself for several minutes, he snaps his fingers and grins. "I think I'm going to try recruiting somebody myself."
Chance heads out to the neighborhood of the Salt Works to try to meet and gain the trust of someone who works there - one of the guards, a janitor, etc. - and can tell them more about the operation.
The next morning, after a breakfast of an enormous mug of coffee and a pastry, Chance is again at loose ends. He heads down to the Wasp's Nest and sits on top of one of the dead smuggler's abandoned crates, and starts chuckling to himself almost immediately. He pries open one of the crates and begins to rummage through it, looking for materials for disguises.
"Guard uniforms, right?", he asks nobody in particular. "If we're going to get in, we probably need to be guards or prisoners, and I don't want to be a prisoner. Or maybe we should be inspectors? What would we be inspecting? The torture chamber, to make sure it's a safe working environment? The kitchen, to check whether the prisoners are getting too much food? So many options..."
On the fourth day, Jisara emerges from her [s]lair[/i] workspace in the Wasp's Nest, brandishing Vitalis's newly empowered glaive. When she eventually catches on to Chance's idea of disguises, her eyes light up with an idea. "Yes, excellent! You know what goes with guards? Prisoners! Vitalis and Rigel pretend they're transferring you and me to the Salt Works. Four guards show up unannounced with no warning, they'll notice that, maybe get suspicious. Two humans escorting a tiefling and a gnome to prison, most normal thing in the world to them."
Secure Disguise: 1
With his magically enhanced glaive in hand, Vitalis is ready to venture forth to the Saltworks the next day.
In response to Jisara, "Your plan has merit and I'm willing to attempt it, but only if you are sure, Jisara. You'll be putting your life in considerable risk if the situation become complicated. If Chance would prefer not to be a prisoner, perhaps he could hide nearby and utilize the element of surprise."
"Those uniforms you scrounged up will be useful as well, Chance. Good job."
Chance mutters, "Of course the gnome has to be one of the prisoners! I knew I should have suggested we pretend to be something else, like pastry chefs delivering samples or something."
In response to Jisara, "Your plan has merit and I'm willing to attempt it, but only if you are sure, Jisara. You'll be putting your life in considerable risk if the situation become complicated. If Chance would prefer not to be a prisoner, perhaps he could hide nearby and utilize the element of surprise."
"Those uniforms you scrounged up will be useful as well, Chance. Good job."
"Thanks. No, Jisara's right - it makes sense for us to be the prisoners in this scenario. Besides, I'm a better actor" -- he draws himself up to his full height of 3'1" and swirls his cloak around himself -- "than I am a sneak."
It seems that the prisoners set to work at the Salt Works are largely convicted of petty “crimes”: eating a mint candy (they didn’t realize that Proclamation the Seventh had prohibited that), having a cup of peppermint tea during a night with an upset stomach, not having a portrait of the Queen handing in their place of business less than 24 hours after Proclamation the Second went into effect, and so on. The only person at the Salt Works who could be conceived as a proper criminal is one fast-talking scoundrel by the name of Forvian Crowe. But even then, Laria says that she has worked with Crowe on previous occasions related to the Bellflower Network and that his heart is generally in the right place even if his methods aren’t.
*
The Sallix Salt Works is located on the far west side of Old Kintargo. The building itself, which currently houses several prisoners, is manned by some members of the Chelish Citizens’ Group.
Vitalis and Rigel walk confidently up to the Saltworks, prodding the two loosely bound prisoners, Jisara and Chance, ahead with a blade to their back.
At the gate, he calls out to the nearest guard. "Hail! Two new prisoners for the Works. They're not for you though. Call the boss out. My business is with him. From your face, I can tell it ain't you."
If someone else comes out, he'll address him.
"These orders come down from Thrune himself. You ain't gonna like them, but too bad. Thrune doesn't care and neither do I. Your last lot has outlived its usefulness. I'm to relieve you of them and they're to be made an example of in the plaza. Unfortunately, he don't trust you to deliver them. That's why he sent me. And no, I ain't got no papers. There's to be no trail of this transaction. Luckily for you though, I brought you two new playthings." Vitalis kicks Jisara and Chance in the back of knee, forcing them to the ground. He turns his head to the side and spits in the dirt. "Completely worthless, the both of them. They're not my problem anymore though. Now have one of your men go fetch my package and quickly; I'm not in a patient mood."
Four CCG men sit around a table playing cards. When Vitalis calls out for the boss, the men look very confused, but one of them gets up and goes to the back.
From the back returns the CCG member and a fully-armored dwarf whose shield and armor bear the regalia of Asmodeus.
"Kossrani. What the hell do ya need?"
"These orders come down from Thrune himself. You ain't gonna like them, but too bad. Thrune doesn't care and neither do I. Your last lot has outlived its usefulness. I'm to relieve you of them and they're to be made an example of in the plaza. Unfortunately, he don't trust you to deliver them. That's why he sent me. And no, I ain't got no papers. There's to be no trail of this transaction. Luckily for you though, I brought you two new playthings."
Kossrani squints at the paladin. "Ain't no excruciation scheduled in the next week; the hell are you flappin' about?"
"Ow!" Chance falls to the ground with Vitalis's kick. "You don't need to push me - I'm delighted to be here! I'll take whatever goes on here in heartbeat over what's in store for the poor saps who are leaving with you, you goon!"
Kossrani squints at the paladin. "Ain't no excruciation scheduled in the next week; the hell are you flappin' about?"
The gnome smirks at Kossrani. "Yeah, that's right. Don't listen to him - he doesn't even have any paperwork. You should roust your weasel of a boss and check this fink's story. Better yet, just toss him out in the street - or lock him into a cell himself. That's the way to handle it."
Jisara, caught off guard by Vitalis's boot to the knee, nearly forgets herself and starts to climb back to her feet. Instead she casts her eyes down at the ground, trying to appear as meek as possible. She does her best to size up the guards using her peripheral vision.
"Look, I don't get what's so hard to understand about this. You either get the other prisoners out here so we can take them to be made an example of and take these ones here, or you take it up with Thrune. And from what I hear, he's not exactly a patient guy." Rigel says, his voice and mannerisms becoming an almost uncanny imitation of the stereotypical thugs that the guard employs.
Vendalfek slips past the distracted guards without a hitch.
Kossrani raises an eyebrow at the group’s questioning, then just shrugs. ”Whatever. If it’s from the Inquisitor then I’m not one to argue.”
The PCs make their way to the salt mine, which is directly adjacent to the entrance of the Salt Works. The prisoners heard the entire conversation, and are less-than-willing to go along with this!
*
Vendalfek pokes his head out from the piles of salt. ”Don’t worry, we’re busting you out!”
Rigel enters the salt mine with the same facade as he kept up in front of Kossrani, but drops it as soon as he sees the prisoners. He gives them a wink with a starry twinkle in his eye. "Just play along, you'll be out of here in no time! Considering that we got in with such a flimsy lie, they're probably not paying too much attention." he whispers to them.
”Like hell! You’re trying to kill us!” The prisoner spits in Rigel’s face.
”Oh, this again?!” Kossrani enters the salt mine. He moves over to the prisoner who spit at Rigel and punches him in the jaw! ”Crowe’s a rowdy one, but soon he’ll be—“
Kossrani stops himself and does a double-take. He stares inquisitively at Vitalis as he scratches his beard. ”Know that I got a good look at ya, ya look familiar. Wait...your not Count Geoff’s kid, are ya?”
"Now that I got a good look at ya, ya look familiar. Wait...your not Count Geoff’s kid, are ya?"
"What? Of course not..."
"Well, shit, so I am him after all. And so what if I am? If you recognize me, you likely know the Tanessens are Thrune supporters. It wouldn't be odd for me to be doing some work for the new Lord-Mayor. A little butt kissing will ensure my family retains its noble position in the days to come. You saw what happened to the Victocoras. And if you lay a hand on me or think to use this tidbit of information for extortion, you should know that my father will bury you so fast, you'll regret ever crossing us. So squelch that idea right now!"
Vitalis starts roughly yanking the remaining prisoners off the grounds and shoving them towards the exit. "Up! All of you! Or do I need to break another jaw?"
With Kossrani distracted, Jisara leans in to speak quietly with the prisoners. "He's telling the truth. We're here to bust you out. Just play the part and you'll be home free soon."
We don't have time for this nonsense! The dwarf is too sharp for us to keep this going for long.
Chance leers up at the nearest of the prisoners. "Hey, bub. I think you've made a mistake: you're in my spot. Better move quickly." Suddenly, his nasty smile disappears. He inhales deeply, his face flushing dark scarlet, and bellows,
"Well, s$%#, so I am him after all. And so what if I am? If you recognize me, you likely know the Tanessens are Thrune supporters. It wouldn't be odd for me to be doing some work for the new Lord-Mayor. A little butt kissing will ensure my family retains its noble position in the days to come. You saw what happened to the Victocoras. And if you lay a hand on me or think to use this tidbit of information for extortion, you should know that my father will bury you so fast, you'll regret ever crossing us. So squelch that idea right now!"
”Damn, no need to be like that. I just thought you were…nevermind. Tell your old man Kossrani says hey.”
Kossrani turns to leave, but lingers at the entrance, turns back, and hands Vitalis a ring of keys. ”I’ll need those back when you’re done.” He then departs.
The prisoners eventually catch on to the PCs efforts.
*
Vitalis starts unlocking the shackles. With Kossrani in the other room, he whispers to the prisoners, "Don't worry. It's as my friends say. We're here to free you. I'm not going to hurt anyone."
He also whispers to his allies. "If the dwarf knows who I am, that's going to be a problem now. Even if we pull this off, we can't let him keep Jisara and Chance. When he finds out they're gone, he'll know who swindled him. Any suggestions?"
"Also, what IS the plan to get Jisara and Chance back out? If we need a plan, I suggest we put the shackles on the two of them but leave them unlocked. Once the other prisoners are successfully out of the Saltworks, Vendalfek can put the guard by the door to sleep, or if that fails, create a distraction for Jisara and Chance to make their escape."
Rigel mostly stays quite during the confrontation with Kossrani, and then starts working on picking the locks on the shackles. "Sorry about kinda getting you punched in the jaw!" he whispers as he works.
"We could try and hide them amongst the crowd of prisoners, although I doubt that would work for long. Your plan makes sense, although I would be worried about splitting up. We should try and make sure they escape before we get too far."
Jisara's solution to Kossrani is blunt. "Kill him, then."
While Rigel and Vitalis work to free the prisoners, she ponders their options. "Give me some time with my disguise kit and I could turn Chance and I into a pair of handsome corpses for you to drag out. What do you say?"
"Kill him, then."
"No. We can't do that. Not unless I'm forced to act in self-defense. I won't kill someone unprovoked. If we can all get out of here without spilling blood, we should attempt to do so."
"Give me some time with my disguise kit and I could turn Chance and I into a pair of handsome corpses for you to drag out. What do you say?"
"I'm not ruling it out but why would you be corpses? Who is going to kill you?"
The PCs manage to get all of the prisoners unlocked.
*
Vendalfek casts invisibility to trivialize his escape.
Chance points to the opposite end of the Salt Works from the party's planned exit and shouts, "Look, over there! I think someone's trying to escape!"
He sneaks into the center of the gaggle of prisoners, hiding among the longshanks as they shamble out of the prison.
"Well, you could say we tried making a break for it and had to be put down. Figured they wouldn't raise too many questions. On the other hand, maybe they're not really paying much attention to who is actually going in and out."
Jisara goes back and forth between the various other prisoners, adding random bits of clothing to disguise her appearance and mask her fiendish features. She then does her very best to draw no attention whatsoever.
Seeing that his allies are attempting to sneak out, he does his best to cover for them. Using whatever materials he can find in the cell, he creates a tiefling and gnome sized lump on the ground and covers them with blankets.
Once everyone is out of the room, he closes and locks the cell door. Then he removes the door key from the key ring and pockets it. He finds Kossrani and returns the key ring to him. "Alright, the transfer is complete. Your two new slaves had a defiant look in their eye, so I made them sleep for awhile. They're safely locked up and should be ready to work once they wake. I appreciate your cooperation with this. And I apologize for my earlier rudeness. These jobs just put me in a sour mood sometimes. I'm sure you can relate. I'll put in a good word for you with Count Geoff and with the Lord-Mayor once I get this trash to the drop off site. Keep up the good work."
Vitalis shakes Kossrani's hand and then with a dismissive wave, he makes his way to the exit. He makes sure all the prisoners exit first, obscuring them from viewers from behind with his body as best he can.
Kossrani eyes the group suspiciously, but doesn’t do anything to stop the group. ”Alright. See ya.”
*
Despite the odds, the PCs manage to liberate the prisoners at the Sallix Salt Works! Forvian Crowe joins the Silver Ravens, and word quickly spreads of the Ravens’ hand in liberating falsely-imprisoned loved ones, and several people start to join the cause.
Kossrani enters the salt mines once more, entering alone. He moves over to the sleeping lumps of his newly-received prisoners ”Alright punks, hope you liked your naps; I need fifty pounds of salt for a buyer who wants it off the books, so you better get to mining!”
When the prisoners do not move or respond, Kossrani’s face turns red. ”Did I stutter?! Get moving!” He turns over the unconscious prisoners only to find two large lumps of blankets! The dwarf looks all over the place in pure bewilderment, when suddenly something clicks in his mind. He punches the nearest wall and screams ”I KNEW A SHELYNITE WOULDN’T BE IN THE DOTTARI!!!!”
*
The next day, Vitalis is going out to do his usual downtime stuff, he is stopped by a somber-looking human boy who looks like he lives on the streets. The street urchin hands the paladin a massive bouquet of vibrant red and white roses.
Stuck in the bouquet of flowers is a folded piece of parchment, upon which is a letter.
You are not alone in your fears for the nest we share, but for now, my flock and I must remain quiet and hidden. The time will soon come when we must meet, but until then, keep building your contacts and resources. Do not rush into opposition against our common enemy. The time to retake Kintargo will come, but to strike too soon will be to lose the war before it even begins. Recruit. Prepare. Remain strong in your patience. We shall speak soon.
—The Rose of Kintargo
*
Riding high on the party's incredible ruse that led to a bloodless prison escape, Jisara spends the next couple days working on some simple but low profit gigs in support of The Cause.
Chance spends the next two days telling fortunes in the square to earn some coin.
He earns less than he had hoped.
"Oh, well," he says to the others back at the Wasp's Nest at the end of the second evening. "It's probably my own fault for coming up with really unpleasant fortunes for any customer who looked like they were an aristocrat or one of the dottari or a CCG goon. For some reason, people don't pay as well when they're convinced they're soon going to become infected with a virulent fungal infection which manifests suddenly with malodorous and unsightly secretions from every orifice, then leads madness, then death."
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Vitalis is pleased at the mission's success especially since they were able to do so without killing. However, he has mixed feelings because of the deception that was required. As a Shelynite, he has practiced the arts of acting and portraying the role of jailor was easy enough but when Kossrani correctly identified him, he felt a sudden surge of guilt. Even though freeing the falsely-imprisoned was the right thing to do, if his name was associated with a crime, he'd bring shame to his paladin-hood and his family.
On the first day of downtime, Vitalis visits High Priest Zachrin Vhast at Songbird Hall to discuss his internal conflict and to offer up prayers at the church in atonement.
On his way back, he is quite surprised by the massive bouquet of roses that the street urchin hands him. He glances at the attached letter and decides the rest of the group should see this. He quickly strides back to the Long Roads Coffee House.
Upon entering the coffee house, he plops the bundle of roses down upon the countertop and calls over Laria and whoever else of his party members that are present. "Would you take a look at this? I received a mysterious gift along my travels today. Have any of you heard of the Rose of Kintargo? It seems our rebellion is gaining some attention." He shares the letter with anyone who wants to look at it.
On the second day, Vitalis spends the day hanging around the coffee house getting to know Forvian Crowe and the rest of the newly recruited members. He would prefer to know each member personally rather than them be faceless masses. He also does another sweep of the Wasp's Nest. He still has concerns about their hideout's security after the incident with the wall.
Vitalis is pleased at the mission's success especially since they were able to do so without killing. However, he has mixed feelings because of the deception that was required. As a Shelynite, he has practiced the arts of acting and portraying the role of jailor was easy enough but when Kossrani correctly identified him, he felt a sudden surge of guilt. Even though freeing the falsely-imprisoned was the right thing to do, if his name was associated with a crime, he'd bring shame to his paladin-hood and his family.
On the first day of downtime, Vitalis visits High Priest Zachrin Vhast at Songbird Hall to discuss his internal conflict and to offer up prayers at the church in atonement.
On his way back, he is quite surprised by the massive bouquet of roses that the street urchin hands him. He glances at the attached letter and decides the rest of the group should see this. He quickly strides back to the Long Roads Coffee House.
Upon entering the coffee house, he plops the bundle of roses down upon the countertop and calls over Laria and whoever else of his party members that are present. "Would you take a look at this? I received a mysterious gift along my travels today. Have any of you heard of the Rose of Kintargo? It seems our rebellion is gaining some attention." He shares the letter with anyone who wants to look at it.
On the second day, Vitalis spends the day hanging around the coffee house getting to know Forvian Crowe and the rest of the newly recruited members. He would prefer to know each member personally rather than them be faceless masses. He also does another sweep of the Wasp's Nest. He still has concerns about their hideout's security after the incident with the wall.
Laria looks over Vitalis’s letter. ”Well, the Rose of Kintargo is supposedly an underground sect of the church of Milani within the city. But this is the first anyone has heard from the Rose in some time; they’ve been unusually quiet…”
Also, out of curiosity, how in-depth does Vitalis go with regards to his internal conflict?
”Well, the Rose of Kintargo is supposedly an underground sect of the church of Milani within the city. But this is the first anyone has heard from the Rose in some time; they’ve been unusually quiet…”
"Well from the note, is sounds like this Rose of Kintargo wants to remain underground for now. It seems like this person has the means to find us when they want to contact us again."
"It seems like this person has the means to find us when they want to contact us again."
"Can't say I like the sound of that," Jisara murmurs. "I much prefer to be the one setting the time and place of a meeting."
Chance nods in agreement. "It sounds like they want us to take all the risks." He leans in to smell the roses, then lets out an explosive sneeze. "Pretty flowers, though."
Rigel spends a couple of days finding various mismatched outfits and accessories that could come in handy in the event they need alternate identities.
"I can respect their wanting more secrecy. And to be fair, they're likely a lot more experienced than us, so I wouldn't doubt they want to make sure we can handle ourselves before risking meeting with us."
*
Near the end of the week, Rexus approaches the PCs.
”Update on the documents: I’ve gotten a bit more decoded. Apparently, the Silver Ravens defended Kintargo from being conquered no fewer than a dozen times during the Civil War: five times from power-hungry noble families, four times from agents of Thrune, once from an invasion of skum from the sea, once from a cabal of Nidalese vampires, and once from a blue dragon named Rivozair. Still quite a bit of deciphering to go, however…”
*
*
That Sunday, as business at the coffeehouse is winding down, there is a knock at the front door. Laria answers the door, and is subsequently greeted by a trio of dottari!
”May we come in?” The dottari do not wait for an answer before practically shoving the halfling out of the way to enter the Long Roads Coffeehouse. Two of the guards start searching the main room of the coffeehouse while the third stands next to Laria, towering over her. ”Have you noticed any strange activity occurring here within the past seven days?”
Laria is absolutely flabbergasted at the gall of the dottari! ”What?! I—! No! What is the meaning of this?!”
“Anonymous tip ma’am.” The dottari questioning Laria pulls out a folded piece of parchment and hands it to Laria. ”This shop is suspected of housing suspicious activity and unsavory practices.”
Laria reads through the note and hands it back to the dottari. She becomes slightly more cordial—but still clearly frustrated. ”Fine. Fair warning, though, ”
“Ma’am, there is no need to yell; I am standing right next to you.”
“Sorry, it’s just that those have been because I just Yellowjackets, you know?”
“Indeed.”
Chance bites down hard on his tongue, then pipes up. "She ithn't exaggerating, offithers!" He speaks with a severe lisp, as though his tongue was terribly swollen. "Jutht yethterday, I wath stung by one right in my mouf! It yanded on mah pathtry and took offenthe at being eaten! Mah tongue ith thtill bleeding and thwollen - wanna thee?"
The gnome opens his mouth wide, and allows a long line of bloody spittle to dribble out and run down his chin.
The dottari questioning Laria just folds his arms as the gnome approaches. ”A wasp stung you in the mouth? In the mouth? How did a wasp make it into your mouth long enough for it to sting you without you noticing?” The condescension on the man's face screaming "Do I seriously have to have this conversation?"
"Oh, I notithed!" The gnome looks up at the dottari earnestly.
"I took a big bite fwom mah honey bun and I could tell that there wath thomething moving! It mutht have gotten thtuck in the honey and mah mouf wath full of the chewy honey bun so I couldn't thpit it out fatht enough! The nektht thing I knew, I felt the motht horrible pain in mah mouf that I ever felt, and mah tongue thwelled up to twithe ith normal thithe!"
Vitalis slowly stands and tries to inconspicuously move to the back room. He checks to make sure the secret door is closed, then lifts, (not drags, to avoid a loud noise) the heaviest crate or barrel in the vicinity and puts it on top of the trap door. He then sits on the ground, leans up against it, and feigns falling asleep in case anyone comes back here.