Nethen listens as Zellera describes her interpretation of the Harrow she has laid out, wondering how his role as the Courtesan in the tableau might influence their undertaking, if at all. Unsure if he believes what he's heard, but intrigued by it nonetheless, Nethen decides that nothing will stop him from hunting down and confronting Lamm.
"So do I," he says in reply to Vedika. "Thank you for your guidance madam," he adds, nodding respectfully at Zellera, "I think it's time we got on with tracking down Lamm." He looks around at the others for their agreement.
Ariadne turns the card over a few times in her hand, staring at Zelarra for a bit before putting the card away. "Same here. Going up against a bastard like Lamm, we do stand a better chance working together...he'll damn well have the streets working for him. And she's not wrong about...people in power either." she says, her tone indicating personal experience.
"I don't--can't--know if your prophecy is real, of if so, how it might play out. If for nothing else, I thank you for bringing us together." He looks to the others with a glint in his eye. "Shall we begin our hunt?"
Zellera has given you the address, it is an old fishery at Westpier 17.
Currently it is the late afternoon. Do you want to go straight there, or wait until night?
"Let's go and have a look around," Nethen suggests, keen to see what sort of place Lamm operates from.
Wide-eyed, Vazhimort looks around at the others.
"Woooow! Can you believe that anyone can be given vague little visions of the future like this? I sure hope Gaedren Lamm doesn't have a Harrow deck! He might know that trouble's coming!"
Vazhimort is fully and enthusiastically on board with Nethen's suggestion to go and check things out.
"I can't see in the dark, so either we go right now and see what we can spot before the sun sets, or we go tomorrow," says Vedika.
"Now would be best. Lamm's operations tend to ramp up at night, so we're less likely to run into trouble now," Ariadne says, rising from the table. "Thank you." she says to Zellara.
You know that during the day Lamm sends his 'Lambs' out to pickpocket and steal. At night they will all be back and huddled together trying to sleep.
The old fishery is a creaking, decrepit building, yet it remains solid—it will be a few years yet before its floors start to give way and its roof begins to crumble.
All external windows are boarded shut but have ample slits between the planks to allow those within to peer out. The wooden doors are mottled with mold and grit, but remain solid.
The fishery is perched atop a steep embankment, with most of the structure extending out over the Jeggare River on wooden pilings. The embankment drops 13 feet into the river below; the sides are slippery but can be
scaled with a successful DC10 climb check. The fishery’s external walls extend almost all the way down to the river, leaving only a few feet of space between the floor and the water.
A1 Front Door
The reek of brine and the stink of week-dead fish hang thickly in the air here. The old double doors in the side of this weathered building are tightly closed, with a drooping signpost hanging above. The sign it once displayed is long gone, leaving behind only a single short length of rusted chain.
Use the Old Fishery map up top. You are still in daylight while looking over the building.
"The downside of doing this is daylight is that anyone inside can easily see us coming. Does anyone have the skill or magic to approach unseen?" Ariadne asks quietly.
"Looks like the sort of craphole I'd expect scum like Lamm to lurk in," Nethen says as they approach the old fishery. "I don't," he replies to Ariadne, "but I'm sure we can make it look like we're not staring too hard while we wander past." He tries to surreptitiously scan the area for any sign that they're being watched.
"I wouldn't say I'm 'magic' but I might be able to sneak around the back there," says Vedika. "Perhaps there's another door or window for surreptitious entry."
"With the right approach, we could get in by day. It looks like we could swim underneath from the water for sure. I'm also in favor of someone checking some doors. I'm happy to keep watch out here. I can look like I belong."
"Seems as good a plan as any," Nethen says, agreeing with Ghil's suggestion. "Let's have a wander round and see how we might get in. Shall I come with you Vedika, just in case someone asks us any questions we don't want to answer?" he suggests, resting his hand on his morningstar to make his intentions towards the questioners clear.
Strolling casually past you can see the double doors on the west of the fishery are ajar, with sounds of activity within.
Those of you who were unfortunate enough to work for Lamm recall the
fishery is a place where desperate anglers can sell off their less fetching catches (fish caught 3 days dead in the nets, or freakish specimens unfit for sale, for example) and where fishmongers dump their old sun-tainted wares that reek with the first hints of decay.
Gaedren’s little workforce of enslaved orphans toil among the guts and slime, creating a foul-smelling slurry that can then be resold as bait,
fertilizer, or the main ingredient for what are known as “dock-dumplings,” a local favorite among poorer dock workers who can’t afford fresh fish.
A small fishing boat is moored by the fishery, but to reach it takes going through the building to reach the under pier.
What are you doing?
"I wouldn't say I'm 'magic' but I might be able to sneak around the back there," says Vedika. "Perhaps there's another door or window for surreptitious entry."
"I think that's a good idea. I'll stay out here--in the shadows, but where I can see you. Give me a wave if it's safe to enter and I should join you."
If Vazhimort spots any rats or cats nearby, he'll cast speak with animals and ask if it can give them any information about the fishery, such as types of creatures, how many, and anything particularly dangerous. He'll offer one day's worth of trail rations in exchange, or two days' worth if the creature needs to go exploring before it can give that information.
"Yeah. All right. You want me to scout and return, or have some kind of signal... ?"
"If you scream we'll come running. If not, we'll see you in a bit," Nethen says. "I'll wait out here, and keep an eye out for anyone that might be looking our way," he suggests, knowing he doesn't have the talent for concealment that the others seem to.
"I'll hang back as well." Ariadne chimes in. "I'm not really what you would call subtle by any stretch of the imagination." she says with a shrug.
Ghil makes his way to a nice concealed spot from which he can keep an eye on the Old Fishery.
Vedika draws up the hood of her cloak and slips away to the side of the fishery, looking for a place where she can circumnavigate the building.
Vazhimort hangs back with Ariadne. After he doesn't find any animals nearby that he can try to speak to , he swivels his head around and stares at the warrior for a moment before reaching out and giving one of the sturdy scales on her armor a few gentle raps with his knuckles.
"I think, when we finally go in there, I'm going to keep you between me and anyone with a violent need to defend their hideout. Because then they'd hit you instead of me -- and I know that sounds selfish, but hear me out! -- and that way I won't get hit. I'd offer to do the same for you, but I'm so... not-very-scaly that even if I were to protect you with my anatomy that I just wouldn't offer that much protection for you.
"Plus, it would really hurt me."
He nods at her and watches the fishery in awkward silence for a moment before speaking again.
"You knooowww, I have this trick I know where I can sort of create an illusion. Almost like a mirror image of someone. But I need to set it up ahead of time so that it's ready to spring up when it could provide the best distraction. Maybe I could set it up in you!"
Ariadne looks down at the Vazhimort as he taps at her armor, at first suppressing a smile of amusement, before eventually nodding as he explains his reasoning and plan. Perhaps surprisingly, she immediately catches on to the concept of what he's proposing.
"That could definitely work! And don't worry, it's how I prefer to fight, making myself the primary target. If you can make me harder to hit on top of that, by all means, I'd appreciate it."
Vazhimort pumps his fist in the air as he jumps in triumph.
"GREAT!
"Kneel down!" The enthusiastic gnome waves Ariadne down until she's knelt enough for him to reach one of her temples with his fingertips. He looks deep into her eyes for a moment before removing his fingertips and breathing a deep sigh of relief.
"Whooh! I've never done that before! I'm glad your brain is okay!"
"Uhm...okay. So am I!" Ariadne replies, slightly puzzled as she stands back up. She'd have to reconsider letting anyone use magic on her that they'd never tried before.
Shaking her head she keeps an eye on the building's entrance while Vedika completes her scouting.
Vedika stealthily circles the decrepit building.
A1 the door is locked.
A2 the door is ajar with sounds of activity from inside the room.
A3 Back Alley
A slippery boardwalk clings to the side of the fishery, held together by barnacle-encrusted pilings that have had half of their thickness worn away below the waterline twelve feet below.
The door here on the east side of the building is also locked.
This boardwalk is about 13 feet above the water as it winds along the building’s south wall, but slopes downward as it approaches the ship to the east, where it stands about 10 feet above the river. The dock is slippery— as long as someone navigating it moves no more than her speed per round, there’s no chance of disaster. In addition, the old wood can’t support much weight beyond a typical Medium creature.
A11 & A12 are underneath the main building.
A12 Underpier
A narrow space exists under the fishery, with about three feet of room between the floor of the eastern side of the building and the languid, foamy river water below. Wooden pilings support the building, and thick mats of moss and cobwebs hang from ropes and rusted chains between them. A wooden walkway floats on the river’s surface, winding along the inner wall of pilings that supports the building’s frame above. The walkway leads from the sodden ship to the east all the way
west to a small two-and-a-half-foot-square door that leads into an understructure below the fishery’s land-bound half. The pilings below this understructure are densely arrayed, leaving only narrow gaps into the water below that area.
You have found 4 doors 3 locked. Only A2 is open at the moment.
What are you doing now?
Vedika circles back around to the team and describes what she's found.
"I might be able to unlock one of the doors. Whole place is slippery and decrepit, though, we should move cautiously and not put too much weight on any boards."
"Let's go!"
"Any idea how many people are inside?" Nethen asks as he pulls his whip from his belt. He grips the handle firmly in his gloved hand, the rest of the whip coiled up alongside and ready to be released at the first sign of trouble.
"No, but I definitely heard activity. Place is not empty."
"Do you want me to keep watch out here, or should I join you going in?"
"You want revenge on Gaedren Lamm, right? Just like all of us! It will be more satisfying if you're with us, maybe!"
Vazhimort waves his hand at Iorghil indicating he should join in.
"Look, I can just try unlock the front door, which I think is a terrible plan, or I can unlock the back door or the door by the lower pier, or we can just walk into the already-open door on the left side where I heard people moving around, which also seems like a bad idea. I recommend that I try to open the back alley door and we try to sneak in that way. Any thoughts?" says Vedika.
"If there's noise from inside then we shouldn't send anyone in alone," Nethen says, aware of how dangerous Lamm and his thugs can be. "If you think the alley door is the best bet Vedika, then let's do that. If we can take whoever is in there down before they get a chance to react then all the better."
"I think that sounds like a plan." Ghil stands up from his post and gets ready to join the others in a quiet scamper around the building.
Drawing her sword, Ariadne nods. "Lead the way."
"Stay quiet. Just because I didn't hear anyone beyond the door doesn't mean there's nobody there. Also the wood is old, don't bunch up, it can't support a lot of weight," warns Vedika.
She moves quickly and quietly to the back alley door (A3) and tries the lock.
"Hmm. I don't think I can open this. I can try the one down below, but that's even sketchier."
Vedika struggles with the lock, finding it of a far better make than such an old rotting building should have?
Unfortunately she hears a shout of alarm from the other side of the door.
What are you doing now?
Vedika makes a sort of "sst!" sound as she waves with her hand for folks to back off, and she does her best to crouch down in the shadows of the alley while she slides a kukri out from... somewhere.
Hearing the shout of alarm, Ariadne sets herself into a combat stance in front of the door, quickly uttering an arcane phrase and sweeping her free arm in an intricate pass before her, a shimmering shield, comprised of pure energy materializing in front of her arm.
"S$+!," Nethen mutters as he hears the shout from inside. He moves carefully next to Ariadne, watching his feet on the grotty old wood. "Ready when you are," he whispers, his whip held loosely and ready to strike.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |