"Maybe we can take the wine out with us when we are ready to leave. It wouldn't do to break it during our exploration."
He crouches by the steel bins. "These have some straw in them, so they may be good to pack the wine in. Did you notice the crusting on these? It looks like salt. It looks like they were pulled out of the sea some time ago."
Argyri says, |"Hey, I like a nice wine as much as the next girl, but beside-grub-ridden-corpse isn't really my jam when it comes to decor to kick back in.
"Everyone ready to head down? I don't know if there is a real ghost here...but if there is, I don't think it's what left these footprints, or sleeps down there.
"Shall we?"
Badger nods "Let's keep movin'."
”Found expensive armor and lots of booze. No matter what, this trip was worth it.” Tarn said. ”So aye! Let’s move on. Lead on, Badger!”
Tarn is at 0 hit points.
So when you're finally ready to leave the loot, Tarn leads the troop beyond the secret door into the larger cellar. He is instantly greeted with a hail of arrows and bolts. The dwarven captain takes two shafts to the fletchings and drops unconscious right inside the room. Blood starts pooling around him. A third shaft ricochets off the wall and would have hit Tarn if had not dropped.
The cellar dwellers had been waiting to shoot the first person through that secret door. They had a long time to prepare after being scared when Tarn started to descend into their lunch. While they heard all of you discussing the plate armor, wine bottle, and metal bins, they readied their weapons. The longbowman held his draw to the limit of his stamina.
Drusilla looks for the archer and then utters more arcane syllables before releasing her magic upon them.
After that she will draw the sword and ready herself to take on any opponent that comes her way.
Tarn hit the ground line a sack of rocks. As it turned out, he had a glaring weakness: an arrow to the throat. It was clear that if he didn’t receive instant medical attention, then he was almost certainly going to die.
Argyri gasps as Tarn falls, and half of her wants to run right back up the stairs...But then, what would happen to Tarn? If he still lives, I'd be dooming him. No, what would Darwyn the Dashing do?
"Come on team, let's get them!" She shouts, rapier held high (trying to sound much more confident than she really is).
Argyri hustles toward the archers, but at a pace that lets her dodge and weave if needed.
Oh crap, oh crap. Tarn's bleeding out. You can do this, girl....I hope.
Years and years of travel on hostile roads has made Kwin no stranger to ambushes. As such, when the bolts start flying, Kwin reacts immediately. He steps up to the fallen Tarn and sets a foot on him, sending a spark of energy at the dwarf. His open hand swings in an arc, drips of water flinging from his fingertips as he mutters a prayer. Then he stands over the fallen dwarf, ready to defend him.
"Bless these travelers as they defend themselves!" he calls out.
Tarn groped at the arrow in his neck, and in a spray of blood, pulled it free. He immediately felt nothing but regret as his vision went hazy. He was moments from death when Kwin walked past him. The wound closed, causing Tarn to slump to the ground. He still felt weak, from losing so much blood. Even moving felt like a herculean effort. He managed to choke out "Thanks" before he remembered that he was still in the crosshairs of marksmen who had downed him in a single shot. It was best not to be seen as a target. The dwarf lay down and waited for the opportunity to crawl away to safety.
Badger rushes through the door and dives between the beds across from the door.
Drusilla moves into the room and sees the archers and then utters more arcane syllables before releasing her magic upon them. And then steps back out to avoid becoming an archery butt.
Argyri enters the cellar dodging and weaving pausing near the table for cover.
Tarn hits the ground line a sack of rocks. As it turned out, he had a glaring weakness: an arrow to the throat. It was clear that if he didn’t receive instant medical attention, then he was almost certainly going to die.
And Fharlanghn answers via Kwin's hand to stabilize Tarn from almost certain death. Kwin stays out of line of sight in the wine cellar.
Badger rushes through the door and dives between the beds across from the door.
The archers breathe a sigh of relief that they are not rushed. All three wear leather armor and are also armed with either shortsword or scimitar. Behind the cover of overturned beds, they only have two targets the half-elf and gnome. Two bolts fly at Argyri and a longbow shaft flies toward the gnome.
The two bolts wildly miss Argyri. The longbow shaft sinks into bed right in front of Badger just touching the gnome without drawing blood.
Badger hops up scrambles over two beds and down between them. Before taking cover again he sends an arrow at the foes.
He drops down to cover.
Drusilla will step out target the Archer again and utter her arcane words of powerMind Sliver
Then she'll duck back around so she has cover
Kwin watches as Blacklock rages down the room towards the gathered enemies and mutters to the unconscious Tarn "Whatever you're paying him, give him a raise. Fharlanghn bless the bold."
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Argyri runs up beside Blacklock and attempts to skewer one of the thugs.
"This is for Tarn!"
Kwin blesses his companions with Fharlanghn's divine guidance.
Badger sinks an arrow into the nearest archer.
Drusilla's magic penetrates the mental fortress of the nearest archer
Blacklock runs up into melee with the remaining two archers
Argyri moves up and skewers one of the last crossbowman.
The longbowman watches as his two companions are skewered and drop. He faces two to one odds with another archer behind him. He drops his bow and surrenders, "mercy."
Badger pops up with his bow honed on the man. "Any other weapons toss them. A fast death and hell's warm welcome if ya twitch strange I garuntee."
"Git your tongue waggin' kid asked the first of many questions. Who else is here?"
Drusilla will search the bodies of the fallen ones.
Argyri breathes a sigh of relief. Seeing that Blacklock and Badger have the captive under control, she runs back to check on Tarn.
"Tarn! Are you OK??"
Blacklock wrestles the longbowman to the ground and puts him a headlock. "Uh uh. Hey, hey, hey. I surrendered." The bowman replies.
The two other crossbowman are dead with fatal puncture wounds. Besides the holey leather armor and clothes that the three are wearing, there are two shortswords, two light crossbows, 20 bolts in two quivers, one scimitar, one longbow, and 20 arrows in a quiver.
Tarn is unconscious and stable.
The longbowman squeaks a bit and starts to answer Badger, "you broke into our home... We were told to defend here from you guys, but it's not worth dying for."
Then, he starts telling you what's going on. A human mage Sanbalet runs this smuggling crew. There are two hobgoblins and five other humans. They are all in the caverns behind the secret door that he was defending. The caverns open up to the sea below where they port and unload ships.
When sees that Badger is starting to question the last archer, Kwin pulls Tarn over to one of the bedrolls and sees to the dwarf's wounds.
"He'll live, thank the Traveler. Is it safe enough to rest here?"
"A rest would be welcome,but might not be viable." Drusilla says as she picks up the items and places them on the bed. She looks at the others.
She'll grab the longbow, Arrows and the scimitar, and a short sword unless someone objects.
"I think ya finally loosened his tongue kid." The gnome congratulated the streetfighter. As Blacklock looked back to the prisoner the Gnome looked to his allies rolling his eyes as it was clear the prisoner was talking before the beating.
The gnome pulls out his rope. "Put your hands behind your head. We've no interest in killing ya but we ain't gonna have you running loose when we meet yer friends neither." He slips a loop around one of the writs of the man and figure 8s the rope around the hands a couple of times and knots the rope. He drapes the rope around the side of the man's neck and runs it between the man's lets and up his back looping it up around the man's wrists again. A bit of a pull tightens the rope pulling the man's wrists against the nape of his neck and haunches him forward. The leverage also tugs up at the man's groin. "If'n ya behave you'll not feel the hemp cut to deep."
"So Sanbalet, 2 hobs and 5 more."
The gnome rubs a free hand through his hair. "We be needin to git where we can take a minute to collect ourselves and get Tarn with his legs under 'em."
"Place this big covering for smugglin." The gnome hands Blacklock the rope. "Any traps or tricks we need to worry after."
Without examining the wall, the secret door is not obvious to anyone except Drusilla, who points it out if asked.
The smuggler grunts at the rough treatment of Badger. "Look, just let me go, and I'll give you some tactical advice. I just want to put my back to this place as quick as possible."
Badger adjusts the rope a little because he sees the man's discomfort. Knowing his efforts where meant for control not torture."Yeah yeah. Tit fer tat."
He looks to the others. "Not sure this is where we want to linger while we have wounded and a prisoner."
Coming over, after checking on Tarn, Argyri nods. "Tactical advice in exchange for your freedom? I'd consider that...but what will you do, if we grant you a second chance?"
Once the secret door is pointed out, Argyri also takes a look at the trap door. "I wonder if we can lock them in, for now, or even just wedge the door shut?"
The smuggler examines Argyri and replies, "Truthfully, go far away from here. With my advice, you're going to close down this business. So, I'll probably head up to Seaton and see what work I can get."
The secret door opens into the cavern, so you cannot bar the door. It's flush with the wall, so it would be nigh impossible to jam it. You could try to break the mechanism, but it might fix the door always open or always closed.
"What about the ghost" Drusilla says as she looks over at the man.
Tarn, still unconscious, twitched, before falling still once more.
"Ghost? Oh. That's Sanbalet's magic. He wants to keep the locals thinking this house is haunted to keep them away."
"Looks like it didn't work." The smuggler replies.
"Oh I want that spell. We need to find this Sand Lot so I can get his spellbook!" Drusilla says as she smiled eagerly to get her hands on some new spells.
Insight
When Tarn is resting comfortably, Kwin joins the others at the prisoner. "I believe him when he says he wants to quit this place and this gang. I say we hear him out and set him on his way. Perhaps we can make an informed decision on recovery with his insight."
Badger nods to the others that he will go along with whatever they decide.
Seeing Kwin, Badger, and Blacklock looking agreeable, Argyri says, "Alright, you've got a deal! Give us your advice, and promise to make a better start of things in Seaton, and you're free to go."
. . .
After hearing whatever the captive shares, Argyri takes up a position just inside the door, and suggests that Blacklock, Drusilla, and Badger do the same, ready to ambush anyone coming in while Kwin watches over Tarn.
The smuggler insists on being untied before starting his advice. He points to Blacklock who will tackle him if he doesn't keep his word. After being untied, he starts, "first, if you want to rest, the door over there is to Sanbalet's bedroom. It's cushier than our ranks out here and only has one door that I'm aware of."
"Don't go into that barred room unless you want to fight some skeletons. We didn't, so we barred it."
"This secret door is the only way into the caverns from the house. The caverns open up to the sea where we load ships. You can pile furniture in front of it. It won't stop them if they want to get out, but it'll make enough noise." He walks over to one of the ten lockers that sit at the end of each bed. After fiddling with the lock for a few seconds, it opens. He pulls out a backpack and stows some clothes, a pouch, and other personal items. Then, he heads over to the kitchen and starts wrapping up some food for the road. "You want to know anything else?"
"And, would you mind giving me his shortsword and light crossbow? The roads are dangerous, and you took my scimitar and longbow." The smuggler indicates Drusilla.
"So aside from scaring locals, what are you guarding?" Drusilla says as she gathers his gear up but doesn't handle it over to him.
"Look I have no issue with you, but I want more then just the simple tactical advantage I want to know the racket? I want to know what exactly is going on here. I believe you have some answers." She says as she keeps her eyes locked on him.
"What's Sanbalet up to? Is this just a base to rest?" Kwin will actually help him wrap some food for travel.
When he's answered everyone's questions, Kwin will see him off. "Be safe. I hope Fharlanghn gives you a path that leads to prosperity, kindness and a way of life that doesn't prey on others. Good luck to you, traveler."
Taking his former colleague's shortsword, light crossbow, and quiver of bolts without complaint, the smuggler replies to Drusilla, "we're smugglers. We're a port for cargo between the Sea Princes and whoever to avoid taxes and oversight. Sanbalet handles the business."
"The mage is something else. Likes to describe himself to us. Smart, odd one. He wants to build a smuggling empire." Without further questions, the smuggler will head out the wine cellar for the surface.
Tarn opened his eyes and groaned. An arrow to the throat was not what he had been expecting for the day. Clutching his ring, he continued to lie there, focusing what magic he had within him towards the task of healing his near-mortal wound.
Badger listens to the story nodding. ”So Sanbalet is a wizard of some kind? Or one of the others is the Wizard?”
Then, he starts telling you what's going on. A human mage Sanbalet runs this smuggling crew. There are two hobgoblins and five other humans. They are all in the caverns behind the secret door that he was defending. The caverns open up to the sea below where they port and unload ships.
"Are there different kinds of wizards?" The smuggler rhetorically asks not really understanding the different flavors of magic-users.
"Yes Wizards are various. Many focus on a specific school, others combine spells with combat, the study of war, and a variety of other things. Magic and its study are as varied as the fish in the sea or the flowers that bloom!" Drusilla says lost in the joy of talking about magic and simple wonders.