“Since I am only claiming you are my agents, should be able to wear your normal equipment. Just hide your wayfinders and anything else that would be immediately objectionable in Cheliax.”
“Think I will just stress the part about being my agents more strongly, so it is clear you are not regular guards.”
Zarta Dralneen says “I can hold it for you, darling.”
“Only entrance I know of is the front gate. They have storage and archives in the southwestern corner and the staff lounge and barracks are in the southeast corner.”
“I don't know any details, but the guards will, so ask nicely. My hunch is you'll see traps, locks, and anything else that doesn't require steady pay.”
“Do what you have to do, but if the interrogator returns to a charnel house, he'll mobilize the guards faster than you can wipe the blood off your swords.”
“If that happens, better hope you can beat feet to the docks faster than all of Ostenso's law enforcement on high alert.”
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Nala looks at the human shying away from her, ”Really? I clarify the rules of engagement and you back away, worried about me? This group tends to murder everything first, then ask questions. Do you remember the leshy fight? I’d prefer to do everything non-lethally every time. Frankly I think I’m still the only one with a sap.
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"Too many assumptions by far there, Nala" Korgaar chides as he waves a sap in front of his face.
"Now I'm not one for wanton slaughter, but I'm no monk either. Way I see it, being a Pathfinder means going places we don't have permission to be. Mayhap a wilderness ruin claimed by monsters, mayhap a Chelish prison. If I have to fight to get the job done, then fight I will."
“I do have some supplies that should help with this task.”
He pulls out a bag and lays out the contents. Inside are two doses of oil of taggit, two elixirs of hiding, an elixir of love, a scroll of silence, and a potion of Eagle’s Splendor. The items are color coded and there is a sheet of paper telling you what each of the items is.
He also gets out a thin silver headband with engravings on it. “Whichever of you is going to do the most talking will want this. I expect to get it back!”
It is on the chronicle sheet and can be upgraded later to the full circlet of persuasion. It is a very nice item.
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Nala looks at the human shying away from her, ”Really? I clarify the rules of engagement and you back away, worried about me? This group tends to murder everything first, then ask questions. Do you remember the leshy fight?"
"And that's why I moved away. I was beginning to think it was contagious."
"Frankly I think I’m still the only one with a sap."
"Um.... I showed up with Theron." Colleen points out, although she's had the other sort of sap on her since before day one.
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Nala looks over the pile of items and the color coded sheet of paper, "Well, the oil here has to be ingested, so it isn't the kind of thing you put on your weapon. Someone will have to slip it into a guard's drink. Or convince someone to slam it back through charm or coercion. None of those things am I good at. I can sometimes competently sneak around, so I would be fine taking the elixir of hiding and then whoever else took it could go with me as we sneak around scouting for the group. The elixir of love and potion of eagle's splendor are not for me. I have no intention of making myself magically prettier or attracting anyone to me on this mission. I also can't use magical scrolls yet."
“Might work. They likely will be bored and wishing they were at the festivities.”
“If you have trouble getting rid of your supervisor, you could try dropping a hint to Krima. She is a Bellflower plant at the Nail, so if you tip her off and get her to switch jobs with your supervisor, you’ll have free run of the joint.”
“Trick him, charm him, drug him, knock him on the head — whatever works.”
“Also you will want to be able to adapt to the situation as you go. Having more than one plan makes that a lot easier.”
“Sorry, pass phrases really haven’t worked for us. You will need to use innuendo to get your point across. It needs to sound like part of the conversation.”
“Also, you aren’t Bellflower agents. You are Pathfinders pretending to be Aspis in order to rescue someone. We have just agreed to work with you on this one rescue.”
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Nala adds, "It's okay, I think Colleen is good at it. Or at least she tries a lot, though we mostly miss her hints. We will get the job done and hopefully not have to resort to plan D, excessive violence."
The half-elf hands her elixir of hiding to the Red Reverend, "I think we will try to stick together, so the clankiest of us should take these. And all those spikes are a bit loud grinding against each other, sorry."
She collects the rest of the stuff, walks over to Des, opens her pack and dumps them in, "Des, you can use this stuff way more than we can. Please take it all. We will rely a lot on you talking our way out of trouble. Remember, if you can't talk our way out, people might get hurt bad, us included."
She looks over her allies, "Alright, plan A is to get the guard or guards watching us drunk and knocked out with poison, right? And the dwarf is in charge of that for obvious racial stereotype reasons. Plan B would be something along the lines of simply convincing them to leave us be or using our possible ally there to help. Anything after that probably involves physical force, which is preferably non-lethal. Any fighting we do should probably involve a very quick exit strategy though, but just remember the scroll might be usable to prevent an alarm from being raised. Any questions?"
“It will knock them unconscious for several hours. It is possible without any help for some people to resist the poison.”
He will answer any other questions you might have about the details of the poison.
“Might want to reposition the bodies after they are unconscious. Someone unconscious in a chair or on a couch is less suspicious than someone unconscious in the middle of the floor.”
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Colleen flips her knife idly waiting for everyone else.
“It will knock them unconscious for several hours. It is possible without any help for some people to resist the poison.”
He will answer any other questions you might have about the details of the poison.
“Might want to reposition the bodies after they are unconscious. Someone unconscious in a chair or on a couch is less suspicious than someone unconscious in the middle of the floor.”
"Unless they are bear-shaped." she says noting the rug with her dagger.
After the meeting adjourns Tamrin asks to speak with Colleen.
“See what you can do.”
Soon after that the Hornet’s Nest meets up with Queen Gale and Tamrin has you all transfer over to the merchant vessel with him. He gives you each a bronze Aspis Consortium badge as part of your cover.
The Queen Gale smuggles your group into Ostenso Harbor the next day, where Tamrin hastily leads you through Dockside's winding streets. Dozens of guards oversee the construction of stages, the hanging of banners, and the steering of extravagantly decorated floats in preparation for the upcoming Loyalty Day events.
You make a couple of very quick stops so that people can buy the saps, antitoxin, ale and such. Tamrin is plainly impatient with the delay. As soon as the purchases are done, Tamrin wastes no time bringing your grouo to a rectangular stone building capped with an octagonal pyramid. Each side of the pyramid bears the painted image of a red nail, though rain has made the paint run, so rivulets of red stain the roof and make the image appear to be bleeding.
As is common with many state buildings, Asmodean symbols are common here. There is another symbol decorating the building before you.
Tamrin instructs your group to wait outside, then disappears into the building.
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When the group draws near to the jail, Korgaar pours the taggit oil into a couple of bottles of ale.
"I'll scratch the necks of the poisoned bottles with my mason's tools, in case any of you need to find them or differentiate them from the safe stuff" Korgaar informs the others.
"Red, take this wand in addition to my scrolls. Healing magic. Go ahead and use it if I fall, or to bring the others 'round."
You are kept waiting about a half hour outside the building.
When Tamrin comes out, he is accompanied by a retinue of soldiers led by a lanky interrogator with manacles at his belt. Tamrin gestures to the your group, prompting the interrogator to size you up. The interrogator beckons to one of his guards and then asserts that your group to help watch the facility while he tends to Tamrin's emergency, and that Galvar—the guard he summoned—is in charge during his absence.
Looking at your group, the interrogator declares “You are to go nowhere and do nothing without Galvar’s express permission and supervision!” He gestures to the guard he just selected.
Tamrin flashes you a subtle wink before leading the interrogator and his soldiers into the city.
Once the interrogator is out of sight, Galvar visibly relaxes and welcomes your group inside.
“I’ve got to play baby-sitter for you lot. Doubt you’re any happier about having to play security guard on a holiday than I am playing chaperone. Don’t make trouble, keep your heads down and hopefully we can go enjoy the festivities in town once this shift is over!”
Four statues of snarling hounds stand in the corners of the Nail's entrance hall. A red rug covers much of the floor, although stone peeks through the holes worn in the severely trodden carpet.
Galvar nods at the single male guard, “Stevens! These are the fellows from the Aspis Consortium that are supposed to help us.”
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Nala just practices her glares and stern guard poses while they wait outside. It goes... ok.
The half-elf heads inside and grunts out a response, "Just here to do our jobs. We get a tour or anything or just stay out here?" She moves up next to Red, hoping to at least get a lay of the land before being assigned somewhere.
With a shrug, Galvar says “Sure, no reason not to.”
He takes you through the door into a hallway.
Iron bars separate the Nail's southern hallways from the northern ones. Basic lanterns hang from the ceiling in each corner surrounding the central prison, lighting the halls.
There are four guards on duty in the southern hallway. They give you a curious look but don’t do anything since Galvar is right there with you.
He turns left and goes in the door there.
This cozy chamber features wooden chairs arranged casually around two tables. Two blazing fireplaces warm the room—a western one facing in toward an open door and a southern one furnished with kitchen utensils and cook pots. Playing cards, dice, and other diversions litter the tables. A gamey smell wafts through the room.
There are five guards in this room, two at each of the two tables and one stirring a pot on the stove. These guys seem a little more talkative. One of them calls out “Galvar, who you got with you?”
“Aspis Agents to fill in for the men that went with Interrogator Vasenti.”
Looking towards the one at the stove, he then asks “How long before lunch is ready, Thrick?”
“I would say about fifteen more minutes.”