Sobok swings at the Hellknights head!
With no one attacking her at the moment, MWG moves over to near the edge of the cliff (lying down if needed to safely see over the edge), and throws a shuriken at the Hellknight :
= 4
And does :
Eoin stumbles back, trying to clear his head.
He fires a bolt of energy at one of the Dottari attacking him.
"Bless you, Sanchia."
Dom turns his attention back to the Hellknight and gives him another full burst from the heavy weapon...
'Plink!' goes Sobok's warhammer, against the Hellknight's armour. MWG's magical shuriken gouges a deep scratch along the Hellknight's helm.
Several bolts strike the wounded Hellknight, but none penetrate its heavy armour.
The Hellknight lurches to his feet and turns from Sobok, stomping along the beach towards the wrecked wagon - and Dominic.
Arael lies on the bank of the river, dazed and shaking after prolonged exposure to the Hellknight's fearful aura.
The three remaining Dottari have taken cover among the rocks along the foot of the cliff (-2 to hit with ranged attacks) and continue to lay supressing fire on Dominic, as the Hellknight stalks toward him.
The first shot misses. The second shot grazes Dominic's temple, and he is Shaken (again).
Sobok swings at the man so foolish as to turn his back on him in a fight!
Sobok scales lose some of their robustness and so he calls upon his powers once more!
Once his scales regain their thicker nature Sobok moves to follow the hellknight.
The Hellknight is staggered by Sobok's attack.
Realizing thectenacious lizardman is not going to leave him alone, the Hellknight sweeps his flail at Sobok's head.
Miss.
The Dottari contine firing on Dominic.
The Dottari could not hit a barn door, apparently.
While visibly flinching from the distant fire Dom can't waste this opportunity.. He lets fly at the Hellknight again.
But first he tries to unshake...
And fails apparently..
01 strikes at another of the guards on the cliff.
Since no one comes toward her to attack her, MWG lies down again and throws a shuriken at the Hellknight :
No range penalty as per Discussion on Zones...
And does :
(AP 4)
(AP 4)
= 15
She'll stand up again in case anyone comes towards her.
Dom shakes his head forcefully and aims once again for the Hellknight's back as it turns to face Sobok...
One of the two guards engaged with 01 is Shaken.
Leaving a trail of blood in the sand behind him, the injured Hellknight reaches the wrecked wagon and clambers up onto the roof. Blazing, bloodshot eyes glare at Dominic from behind the knight's dented visor. The Hellknight extends a hand to grab the barrel of the mounted bolt-thrower. Dominic's first shot pierces the Hellknight's palm. The fell warrior staggers back a pace and the next two bolts punch through his helmet and into his skull. The Hellknight falls backward, landing on the shingle with a soggy crunch.
Seeing that the Hellknight has fallen, the remaining Dottari attempt to flee.
MWG will help Eoin kill the remaining Dottari on the cliff.
Sobok ignores the fleeing men and turns to free Arael as fast as possible so they can get away quickly.
Dom uses the heavy weapon to finish off any of the enemies near him, then helps collect Arael and runs off with the group...
"Well, that went betta' than I figured it would at least..."
Arael's wrists are manacled. Fortunately, the Dottari officer lies dying amid the rocky scree at the foot of the cliff, a heavy crossbolt through his chest. His wide, scared eyes seek yours as you remove the ring of keys from his belt. His mouth moves, as though to say something, but only blood emerges from between his lips. Before you can respond, you realise the man is dead.
There are three keys on the officer's ring. The first unlocks Arael's chains. The second most likely opened the door of the armoured carriage. You have no idea what the final key is for.
Arael gingerly rubs his wrists, where the cruel shackles have rubbed his skin raw and bloody. Now that the Hellknight has been defeated, Arael quickly recovers from the effect of its fearful aura and addresses you all directly;
"You have my gratitude, strangers. That foul creature was no true knight, but a demon summoned from Hell and bound in a metal suit to serve the will of House Thrune. To overcome such an enemy is no small thing. Tell me, please; what grievance drove you to attack such a dangerous foe?"
"We have dedicated ourselves to your group's goal of making the town a better place to live in, each for our own reasons. Where would you like us to take you?"
"Yes, we came to rescue you. Do you need to do something before returning to the base?" Sobbok asks.
"Well, a friend O yers sent us!"
He smiles, then goes to check out the carriage, just to make sure there isn't anything interesting in it before they leave.
He also bemusedly wonders if that bolt thrower could be snuck into town... probably not.
"Dominic, my old friend!" Arael cries, grinning widely and slapping the older man across the shoulders, "I almost didn't recognise you under all that blood! Still keeping the edge of that axe sharp, I see. Good man!
"As for the rest of you.... Well, if Dominic vouches for you, then that's good enough for me. You have my gratitude. Without your intervention, I'd be on my way to a guest suite at the inhospitable Casa Rivad. I shudder to think what the room service would have been like.
"There's nothing further I need to do before we return to headquarters, and we shouldn't linger here any longer than absoloutely necessary. I'm ready to go whenever you are."
Inside the wagon, you find a sheath of papers pertaining to the alleged 'crimes' of the rebel leader calling himself Arael. It mostly consists of the distribution of anti-Thrune literature and reverence to an outlawed deity (Iomadae). The documents have been stamped with the wax seal of High Warden Duxotar Mhartis, and would likely have been handed over to the Hellknights of Citadel Rivad when the prisoner was delivered into their custody.
Dom smiles, "Well, we couldn't just leave ya here. You've saved my neck a few times..."
After he checks the wagon, giving the giant crossbow a wistful look before shaking his head, "Nah, we'd never get it snuck in..", he returns to the group.
"Looky who signed your death warrant. Shall we show these back at HQ or just burn them now?"
Arael glances over the documents Dominic recovered from the wrecked wagon.
"The High Warden of Westcrown himself," he says, whistling softly, "I can't say I'm surprised. By all accounts, he's a drunken lout, but good old Uncle Aberian pulled some strings at the Korradath to land him the job. The Lord Mayor says jump, Commander Mhartis asks how high.
"What I want to know, is how the Dottari know so much about our activities and were able to capture me? I have an idea, but we can discuss this further once we return to headquarters."
You cross the Dhaenflow and slip back into Westcrown unobserved. The Dottari have not yet realised the prison convoy did not reach Citadel Rivad, but it's only a matter of time before word reaches the High Warden. Within the week, wanted posters depicting your likenesses begin to circulate the city. Arael suggests you all lie low for a while, until things quieten down. Janiven thanks you for rescuing her friend and mentor, and promises that she will contact you all soon. This was just the first step on the road to a free Westcrown, but the people - long oppressed under the cruel governance of House Thrune - are just now starting to see light at the end of a long tunnel.
Sadly, Eoin Andor and Sanchia Emengar decide that they have drawn too much attention from the Dottari and go into hiding. Maybe they will return to aid the glorious revolution at some point in the future, but for now you will have to continue on without their aid.
"Dominic, we've known each other a long time and I feel I can speak candidly. I mentioned earlier that I had some notion of how the Dottari knew to ambush me in the Rego Pena. I suppose Jarvis Alebrecht could have sold me out, but I doubt it. He's connected to the Council of Thieves, and if they even suspected he'd been squealing to the Dottari... well, it would go very badly for him. No, I suspect that we have a rat in our own granary. Someone here, someone we trust, is selling us out - and I need you to find out who it is.
"I don't know how you're going to do it. Maybe you could use those papers you found to forge documents getting you inside Keep Dottar? If you could somehow get into the High Warden's office, I'm sure you'll find the identity of the traitor. I will let you decide how to proceed.
"The new recruits who came in with Janiven can probably be trusted. They didn't even know my name before I was taken, but use your discretion about who you bring in on this. The more people who know, the more likely that we spook our rat before the trap is sprung."
Sobok goes to find out about the missing ring!
Sobok goes to find the others and says, "A gang stole a dangerous ring recently. I have tracked them down to an abandoned temple of Erastil in Ragar Cadar. I would appreciate it if you would come with me to retrieve the ring."
Dom eyes Arael and frowns.
”OK, I get that we have a spy an’ I get what that’s bad and we need ta do sumpin' about it. However, heading into Keep Dottar with this very recognizable face and wit’ the other very recognizable faces while there may be wanted posters o’ these faces on the walls does not sound like a pleasant way ta die.”
He steps closer, pokes a finger into Area;’s chest.
”Hells, ya bought us a round o’ drinks and that ain’t like ya. Who’s ta say ya didn’t turn yourself in for the reward money?”
He raises one eyebrow, waits a second and smiles.
”Ah, will talk ta the group, see if we kin come up with a plan that has at least a small chance o’ success.”
When Sobok gets the gang together again Dom nods. "Oh aye, that sounds important. I kin help ya. However, I got another.." He pauses and emphesises the next word heavily. "..Little... problem I'll also need help wit."
"If you shaved off that ridiculous beard, not even your own mother would recognise you!"
"All levity aside, do whatever you need to do to solve our rodent problem. I trust your judgement, and your discretion."
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It shouldn't be this easy to find a secret hideout is the frist thought that runs through Fliss' mind. To be fair, not everone has the advantages she's got. And not everyone would call communing with devils an advantage, but you do what you can with what you have. And seeing as how Fliss started with *nohtning*, what she has now is pretty damned good.
She tries to focus more on the "good" part of that phrase, and less on the "damned" as she detaches herself from the patch of shadow she's been hiding in for the last hour or so, and swaggers in like she's 10 foot tall instead of barely 2 and a half. "Wotcher. Who's in charge of yer, then?"
Fliss had been toying with the idea of saying 'taek me to your leader' but decides against it. She'd prefer them to take her seriously.
Sobok nods at Dominic and says, "We should definitely look into that problem as soon as we get back. But we need to move on this group before they try to fence or use the ring."
Sobok hears a voice ring out behind him and turns to see a female halfling behind him. He cocks his head to the side as he looks at her and says, "Our leader is around. May I ask who you are and why you are looking for them?"
Fliss smirks a bit as she stares Sobok up and down from behind the curatain of copper-red hair that hides part of her face. Not a tieflineg, she's spent too much time around fiends to make that mistake. Not a koboled, either - too tall. Lizardfolk, would be her guess based on what she's read (Fliss is highly educated but takes care not to let on). Either way she doesn't blink. She's seen stranger and worse than him/her. She givess a one-shoulder shrug in reply to the question. "I want whoeve'r in charge cos it pays to talk to the organ grinder, not the monkey, you know? As for me, call me Fliss. Yer boss asked me to get two of his own out the city, which I done." Another smirk. "Easy as touching my toes. So now I'm here to talk payment. Nothing for nothing, right?"
It's very clear she is NOT talking about money. The Network has wanted to get into Mayor Aberian's mansion for a loooong time, and part of the deal with Arael was to let Fliss tag along with the "Children of Westcrown" (or the kiddie-pool, as Fliss thinks of them) to see if that could be made to work.
Dom raises an eyebrow at the newcomer. Then he gives her a smile.
"So, yer tha one that got Sancha out, right? Good. She's a good lass and I wish her well. Let me take ya to Arael, he'll know what ta tell ya to do."
He takes a step back, gestures with a flourish.
"If'n you'll follow me."
As he walks off he'll look back, "I think Sobok's right about our priorities. I should be back soon.."
Dominic leads Fliss and the others inside, where Arael and Janiven are poring over a map of Westcrown. Morosino and the rest of the rebels watch the new arrival with interest.
"Fliss, it's good to see you!" Janiven cries, dropping to her knees to envelop the halfling woman in an awkward, but enthusiastic hug, "Thankyou for getting Eoin and Sanchia out of the city. Arael, everyone; this is Fliss. She's with the Bellflower Network, and she's an old friend, we can trust her."
Arael looks up from the map, appraising the small, redheaded woman before him, then nods.
"Welcome, Fliss. My name is Arael and these are the Children of Westcrown. It's a privilege to be working with you. Your organisation does good work. You're just in time for the briefing. Janiven, if you wouldn't mind bringing everyone up to speed...?"
Janiven nods; clearing her throat before addressing the room.
"In order to liberate Westcrown, we must first gain the trust of her people, and show them that there is a viable alternative to the current regime. Without their support, we're nothing but another band of starry-eyed insurgents, dreaming of a better tomorrow. We've been making baby steps towards that goal, but to truly win the hearts of the people, we must show them real change for the better. We must reclaim the night!
"Too long have we been made to cower in our homes after curfew. Too long have the shadow beasts ruled the night. Before he left, Eoin Andor revealed to me a secret; the secret that bought him to Westcrown in the first place. Both Eoin and his brother Duncan are members of the Pathfinder Society. Out of necessity, he kept that from you, as House Thrune have outlawed the Pathfinders from operating openly in Cheliax.
"Eoin told me that eight years ago, his brother led an expedition to the Mwangi Expanse, in search of the lost city of Jaytirian. Shortly after entering the jungle, all contact with the expedion was lost. Eoin - and the other Pathfinders - assumed Duncan and his team were dead - but three years later, Duncan Andor returned, the only survivor of his doomed expedition. Duncan was deranged, driven mad by whatever he had seen, but he bought with him an artifact, apparently recovered from the lost city. This artifact consisted of two interlocking stones; a golden bird's head and an obsidian bat's head. Apparently, Duncan called it the aohl, but that's about all they could get out of him. Shortly after Duncan's return to the Delvehaven lodge here in Westcrown, something... bad happened. Bad enough that the former Mayor ordered the lodge sealed with magic. It was around this time that the shadow beasts were first spotted. Eoin told me this was no coincidence; that this relic and his brother are somehow linked to the plight of our city. Eoin believes his brother was among those inside Delvehaven when the lodge was sealed.
"If Eoin is right, then the secret to reclaiming our nights is locked away inside Delvehaven. We just need to get in there. The problem is, the lodge was magically sealed by Mayor Aberian's predecessor, the late Lord Mayor Dargentu Vheed. If we mean to unseal Delvehaven, we need to establish how Vheed sealed it in the first place, and the only place we're likely to find that information is the mayoral estate in the Rego Sacero."
There is a collective intake of breath from among the Children of Westcrown.
"B-b-but that's suicide!" Morosino blurts out.
"It's certainly not... ideal," Arael agrees solemnly, "But we have a plan. In two weeks time, the Nightshade Theatre in the Rego Corna is premiering a new murderplay; The Trials of Lazarod. Mayor Aberian is obsessed with the thearer mortrescci and is certain to attend. As I see it, we have two options;
Either we take the opportunity to infiltrate the mayoral residence while Aberian and his retinue are at the theater. This provides us with a limited window - several hours at the most - to find what we need and get out, or;
We abduct Mayor Aberian from the theater, during the performance. He's bound to have a bodyguard with him, but he won't want his Dottari goons stomping around during the show, they'll most likely be stationed outside the theater. If we can take the Mayor, he will almost certainly be able to narrow our search and tell us where to find his predecessor's records.
"This is a big step up from what we've been doing until now, and I won't tell you that it's not going to be dangerous, maybe even deadly. If we want to save our city, we're going to have to take chances and put our very lives on the line. I wouldn't ask anyone here to do anything I wouldn't do myself, so if you want to back out, now's the time. Once we commit to this course, there's going to be no turning back."
Arael pauses, giving anyone in the room a chance to speak.
Dom raises an eyebrow at the newcomer. Then he gives her a smile.
"So, yer tha one that got Sancha out, right? Good. She's a good lass and I wish her well. Let me take ya to Arael, he'll know what ta tell ya to do."He takes a step back, gestures with a flourish.
"If'n you'll follow me."
Fliss gieves a bow. "Awlays nice to be appreciated. But like I said, it was dead easy." She offers the old man her hand. "Watchu say yer name was?"
"Fliss, it's good to see you!" Janiven cries, dropping to her knees to envelop the halfling woman in an awkward, but enthusiastic hug
Fiss insn't big on hugging - she prefers to keep peolple where she can stab them with her rapier - but Janiven is a friedn. "Alright, girlie. Good to see yer still alive." She gives Arael a smirk as he talks - and talks. "Goin' after the mayor now, are yer? Taht's one hell of a step up. Count me in, you're gonna need me. But any crew that's gonna do that sort of job needs to be a team, needs to know everone else, have their measure. You do't go into that sort of thing cold, or cold and on a slab is what you'll be."
"I agree. We don't know what each other's strengths and weaknesses are yet. Of our options, finding Sobok's ring sounds the least complicated. Any other thoughts?"
Dom hently takes the offered hand.
"Mah name's Dominic, friends call me Dom."
After the quick meet and greet, "Well, we are only asked ta do the impossible once a week round' here... What'dya think? Looking should be easier, comparatively.. grabbin tha mayor... dangerous. We kin think about it. This other business.." He nods to Sobok, "That seem ta be time critical as well. Wait When IS this performance?"
"In two weeks."
"We should be able to move on this gang immediately. We know where they are, and its not a place that will draw much attention from the Dottari." Sobok says, "So we should be able to get this in and then prepare for whatever is next."
Dom nods at Sobok. "We can work on planning as well, decide what we're ta be doing and what else we might' be needing."
FLiss grins. "Taht works for me! Lead the way and you can explain what it is we're doing as we walk."
Sobok will start leading the way to the failed temple that now houses a gang.
The Rego Cader (ruined district) occupies the northernmost quarter of the city, separated from the neighbouring districts by a tall stone wall. Following the fall of Aroden in the year 4606AR, the district was engulfed in the violent civil warfare that spanned the entire city. The horsemen Plague and Pestilence followed in the wake of their brother War, and the Rego Cader was abandoned, and left to fall to ruin. The Dottari patrol the foot of this wall, and anyone caught trying to scale the edifice can expect either a hefty fine or a savage beating (maybe both). The one remaining gatehouse has not been unsealed in living history, but there are other ways into the district.
Nowadays, the Rego Cader is occupied by rival gangs, endlessly brawling over their own tiny fiefdoms. Groups of goblins and lizardfolk have staked their own claims on parts of the dead sector, and other - less convivial - monsters have made of the ruins their hunting ground.
You emerge from the sewers, into an empty street in the shadow of the stone wall encompassing the ruined district. Rubble from the facade of a partially collapsed building has spilled into the road, creating a shallow ramp into the belly of the gutted structure.
The scene is quiet - almost peaceful, were it not for the prickling sense that your trespass has been noticed, and you are already being watched. The air smells of brickdust, with an underlying scent of decay, as though a body was crushed under falling stone and left to rot beneath its makeshift cairn.