"They have the right of it, Fenster. All we are looking for is a bit of information on Natalya Vancaskerkin. Her whereabouts, if she is alive or dead, and/or anything else you may can tell us about her. Nothing more nothing less."
When questioned about Natalya he grows wary then brags that he knows where she is but won’t say more without a better payment.
What are you doing now?
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"This is ridiculous." Gul said, annoyance written all over her face. "You offer him the Eye of Koldukar and he still wants more! If he's so greedy that he even that isn't enough, then I say forget the girl. Take the gem back and let that collector buy it. Give him any more and we could just pay a wizard to scry for us. I know that we're on a time crunch, but it wouldn’t cost that much more." She wasn't exactly used to lying, but she had heard of such a gem before. Apparently it was one of the treasures taken by Belkzen himself. She figured that scaring him was out of the question, as the others wanted to do this the nice way, and she couldn't think of any way to be 'nice' besides for paying money. So she tried lying. Because the worst that would happen is that they paid him more money, or she got to cut off a few fingers. It was worth a shot before it came to either one of those.
Having been waiting Fenster blinks in shock, "Da Eye of Coldikar!" Snatching the gemstone and staring at it in awe. Awe that isn't lessened by not knowing what the Eye of Koldukar is!
He tries a friendly smile, "Whatcho wanna know 'bout Nattie?"
If convinced to reveal what he knows about Natalya, Fenster admits that he’s seen her lurking about in a nearby building—and that she’s no longer hanging out with the other Tower Girls. In fact, she seemed to be doing her best to stay unobserved—here Fenster proudly points out how “Nuthin’ in th’Shadow gits by me good peeper!” as he taps the sallow cheek under his non-clouded eye. He gives you directions when you ask.
Anything else you want to talk to him about?
"Are the Tower Girls or any other Sczarni gangs looking for Natalya?"
If asked about the Tower Girls, Fenster proudly claims to be their landlord. When you point out the Tower Girls aren’t around, he shrugs and claims, “They’ll be back... they always come back ta ol’ Fenster!” In fact, he has no idea where they’ve gone?
He doesn't know why Natalya vanished on the Tower girls either.
Anything else?
Realizing they'll be getting nothing else from the old geezer, "Thank you. We'll be leaving now." As soon as they are out of earshot of Fenster, "Well, I believe an investigation of said nearby building is in order, yes?"
Grom also thinks it's time to move. He keeps up with the con before leaving.
"Bah. You guys were too fast to give away the Eye of Koldukar for just some unreliable intel, but well... What's done is done. Off we go!"
Natalya’s new hideout has seen better days. Its clapboard sides are dark with mildew and marred by scorch marks. In places fire has gutted portions of the roof’s mosscovered tile shingles, but the building appears to be structurally intact. The building stands near the stark
wall of the Seacleft, and scree from several decades of minor rockfalls has piled up along its southern face.
What are you doing now?
"A Sczarni on the run is going to set up traps in her hideout," Axton muses. "Do any of you have any experience with traps?"
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"You mean, disarming them? Not me. They don't teach that at the temple of Shelyn. It's usually magic lessons, art, reading, and polearm-fighting. And giving people advice on their lovelives or attending weddings, too, but less often. " Elena replies. "Though I can probably spot traps pretty well! I did pay attention when Aram Zey trained the pathfinder magicians to do it back in Absalom."
"Wonder why the Master of Magic never bothered to instructs us divine magic users, though. Blatant favoritism if there ever was any!"
"That aside, what do we do now? Do we circle the building first? If we enter from any direction and she goes out the back way while someone picks the lock, we lose her. Could simply call out to her first or send her some message in a different way?"
"Disarming traps? Well, then I'm your girl." Gul said. "Father made sure that I learned how to disarm traps. Mother taught me how to deal with the magical variety." She added, with a hint of pride.
Gul hears sounds of movement in A1, there is only silence from A2.
What now?
"Right. In we go!" Gul said, Feeling confident that the door wasn't trapped she took a moment and concentrated. As she did so, her shadow rose up from the ground, standing beside her. Mimicking her movements, she and her shadow opened the door (to A1) and boldly stepped in.
Not trusting anything about this place, Zura straps on her shield and draws her blade. "In we go it is," she mutters, following right behind the half-orc.
A1. Guard Chamber
A small shack leans against the side of the building, probably a storage shed of some sort. Boarded windows look into an interior littered with fresh garbage and debris of recent habitation.
The two thugs standing there are rather surprised. Not expecting anyone to boldly walk straight in?
Gul & Elena have the drop on them and may act.
With a grin Gul moved in. With her pata unsheathed, she slashed at the man in front of her as she moved into the room. ”Here we go!” She shouted.
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Elena tries to attack the man in front of Gul, stabbing with her spear! Unfortunately, Gul was squarely in the way and she fumbles trying to find an angle...
'For the chronicle, why are we resorting to killing everyone here right away, again? They could be with Natalya for all we know?" she wonders.
Elena walks back and touches Grommush to give him a blessing of luck!
Gul wounds yellow, while Elena brutalizes the doorframe, the branches on her spear making it difficult to use in confined spaces.
Yellow curses foully and swings at Gul with his Morningstar, "Warn the boss!" He yells to Red.
Smashing the spiked weapon hard into her shoulder.
Umazura, Grommush & Axton may now act.
Noticing there is practically no room within, "Gul! A mere step to your left would allow us to aid you far more properly!" she informs, curious as to what the half-orc will do.
Wincing in empathy for the savage wound inflicted on Gul's shoulder, Axton does what he can to help out and cast's grease on the man's morningstar.
Axton casts his spell and the well lubricated morningstar is dropped with a curse of amazement.
Umazura moves in to help Gul, bringing her sword to bear and striking at the enemy.
Umazura moves in and ends Yellow with a wicked cut of her weapon.
Grom hustles in and finds the shacks confines hinder his weapon, hitting the ceiling instead of Red.
Red curses you all foully and hammers his morningstar against the wall connected to the house. Producing a loud series of thumps.
Gul & Elena may act now.
"Brave words for someone fighting a wall." Gul remarked, as she reached out with her left hand, grabbing the man by the shoulder and pulling him into her pata.
Shaking her head and with a look of concern etched upon her face, "I'm afraid it was not the wall he was fighting. Be ready, all! If my instincts are correct - and I hope they aren't - we are soon to have more company."
Both men are dealt with.
Loot:
Chainmail (2),
Light wooden shield (2),
Light crossbow (2) (20 bolts each),
Morningstar (2),
24gp.
You listen but no one is coming to see what the hammering was. It's quiet again.
What are you doing now?
As she waits for more unwanted company, she shakes her head. "Clever. Not a call for help but a warning. They'll be expecting us. If we walk in, we are most assuredly walking into a trap. Especially considering there is no way inside the building from here. We are obviously going to have to find another way in; another way in that they will be guarding."
.
"So, a good time to ask. Any of you able to patch this up?" Gul, and her shadow clone, both pointed to their bleeding shoulder. "Lucky cutter picked the right one."
"Much better!" Gul said with a smile. "Thank you. And yeah, it might well be a trap. But then again, they may be running away as we speak and taking the evidence and loot with them. So it probably makes sense for you and Grom to go around the back while I open the door from the front."
Grom nods, growling. "Any signal to start tearing the door down?"
He goes back out and to the ouotside door, waiting for the rest to begin.
The tracks to the north, and at A3 are unusable. They are underground .
The only entrance you can find is that at A2. It is still completely silent inside the decaying wreck of a building.
What now?
"Count of three. I throw the door open, you charge in." Gul said to Grom. "One. Two. Three!"
Grom enters the room the very second Gul opens the door.
As soon as the other two move in, Zura will follow in directly after.
A2. Entry
The entire floor of this chamber has collapsed into the pool of water five feet below. The earthen walls of this flooded subcellar ooze with foul rivulets, and the smell is abominable. Two oozing sewer pipes protrude through the east wall of this pit just above the level of the sewage. Part of the ceiling above the entrance has collapsed, revealing an attic crawlspace above; a rickety ladder leads up from the water into the crawlspace. A door stands in the far wall across the sludge pit. A wooden plank balanced between both doors makes a precarious bridge between the two doors.
What now?
"What the-"
Seeing Grom fall into the muck, Gul made a face that read oops! and not my fault!. Carefully she walked across on the plank, not wanting to end up like her kinsman who was now down and dirty.