As Cyrene wrestled with Diego, her knife flashed out biting deeply into his flesh yet despite the pain it took a huge mental effort for him to stop laughing.
<--- PASS
Environment: Normal brightness
Buffs and Debuffs:
Diego Grappled
Pelligrina Shield (17 rounds)
Lope
Julia
Triphylla
Valeria Shield (96 rounds)
Rat Swarm red
Rat Swarm green
Rat Swarm blue
Cyrene
Diego Grappled
Pelligrina Shield (16 rounds)
Lope
Julia
Triphylla
Valeria Shield (95 rounds)
Rat Swarm red
Rat Swarm green
Rat Swarm blue
Cyrene
Damage Log:Round: 2
Lope was hit by Green for 4 (total damage taken 4)
Green was hit by Pelligrina for 8 (total damage taken 8)
Blue was hit by Pelligrina for 4 (total damage taken 4)
Green was hit by Lope for 3 (total damage taken 11)
Blue was hit by Lope for 5 (total damage taken 9)
Green was hit by Julia for 3 (total damage taken 14)
Lope was hit by Blue for 2 (total damage taken 6)Round: 3
Diego was hit by Cyrene for 7 (total damage taken 7)Totals:
Lope: 6 damage
Green: 14 damage
Blue: 9 damage
Diego: 7 damage
COMBAT ORDER:
Diego <----- WE ARE HERE
Pelligrina
Lope
Julia
Triphylla
Valeria
Rat Swarm red
Rat Swarm green
Rat Swarm blue
Cyrene
Pelligrina, Lope, Julia, Triphylla and Valeria are up.
Lope loses his nerves as the rats start to climb and runs away putting as much distance as he can from the tiny creatures and the fire that is burning around "Ah, they are really nasty those things!"
With Lope now clear, Pelligrina takes one step forward and throws the acid flask she's been holding at the rats. Then she prepares to run like crazy.
"Alluring and clever!" remarks Triphylla as she admires Cyrene's skill at grappling the nimble rat king.
The halfling steps quickly to gain flanking and maximize her own strengths. 5' step.
With the ferocity of a wild beast exuding from her minature frame, she lashes at the giant rat in terms it will surely understand.
Damage total: 21 + 13 = 34 (If sneak attack allowed, else 21)
Hoping that maybe she could help end this if she got around to the other side of the room Valeria hitched up her skirt and quickly made her way around the room.
Knowing now from first-hand experience now that her bladework would do little good against the swarms, Julia tries to back away from the closest one to her and head towards the big rat itself.
Pelligrina throws a vial of acid into the middle of one of the swarms resulting in a horrible keening screech from dozens of dying rats!
Being covered by a carpet of filthy scratching biting things was momentarily too much for Lope.
Deciding that a rapier was a poor weapon for killing many small rats, Julia rushed after the bigger one only to witness Triphylla tearing him apart in a shocking display of savagery that left blood dripping from her mouth as she spat out large chunks of rat!
The gaggle of nobles attracted by the sounds of fighting had come to watch and collectively they cried "Ooof Dayum!"
Valaria ran to the other side of the room, only to find a growing pool of blood and one very feral looking halfling.
With no other target nearby two swarms descended on poor Pelligrina! Scratching, and biting, they got everywhere, up her legs, under her smalls, up her back and into her hair. In seconds both she and the swarms where covered by blood and she screamed horribly, the cheering from the nobles turned instantly to a shocked horrified silence.
<--- PASS
<--- FAIL
The other swarm chased Julia, overtaking her savaging her ankles!
<--- PASS
Grimacing, Malphene rushed to Julia's aid wielding what looked like a table leg. This slammed into the rats with a loud thump but to her annoyance none of them got squished.
<--- MISS
Environment: Normal brightness
Buffs and Debuffs:
Pelligrina Shield (16 rounds), Nauseated (1 round)
Lope
Julia
Triphylla
Valeria Shield (95 rounds)
Rat Swarm red
Rat Swarm green
Rat Swarm blue
Cyrene
Pelligrina Shield (15 rounds)
Lope
Julia
Triphylla
Valeria Shield (94 rounds)
Rat Swarm red
Rat Swarm green
Rat Swarm blue
Cyrene
Damage Log:Round: 2
Lope was hit by Green for 4 (total damage taken 4)
Green was hit by Pelligrina for 8 (total damage taken 8)
Blue was hit by Pelligrina for 4 (total damage taken 4)
Green was hit by Lope for 3 (total damage taken 11)
Blue was hit by Lope for 5 (total damage taken 9)
Green was hit by Julia for 3 (total damage taken 14)
Lope was hit by Blue for 2 (total damage taken 6)Round: 3
Diego was hit by Cyrene for 7 (total damage taken 7)Round: 4
Blue was hit by Pelligrina for 4 (total damage taken 13)
Red was hit by Pelligrina for 1 (total damage taken 1)
Diego was hit by Triphylla for 34 (total damage taken 41)Round: 5
Pelligrina was hit by Green for 5 (total damage taken 5)
Pelligrina was hit by Blue for 6 (total damage taken 11)
Julia was hit by Red for 2 (total damage taken 2)Totals:
Lope: 6 damage
Green: 14 damage
Blue: 13 damage
Diego: 41 damage
Red: 1 damage
Pelligrina: 11 damage
Julia: 2 damage
COMBAT ORDER:
Pelligrina Nauseated <----- WE ARE HERE
Lope
Julia
Triphylla
Valeria
Rat Swarm red
Rat Swarm green
Rat Swarm blue
Cyrene
Party is up.
Lope is too distracted by the rats and does not notice the halfling savagery, instead running back to where the swarms are and fencing back as he gets as close as he can this round "Oh, darling, you will need to leave those rats away if you want to play with them the way they do diserve..."
Cyrene is sharp of eye, even in combat, and the bloody evisceration of her prey is not enough for her to miss the sudden interest Imistos shows in Triphylla.
Now isn't the time to say, or do, anything but she notes it none-the-less.
It seemed that while Julia may have wanted to abscond from the rat swarms, the vermin themselves were rather intent on attacking her. Fortunately their hellbent assault gives her the chance to try and cut a few of the rats again though she doubted it would thin their ranks consierable.
Unfortunately, that pivot against the swarm made it all the easier for the foul rats to nip at her ankles, sending a spike of pain through the bards feet. "Gods be good! I'm really starting to get annoyed by these things."
Malphene must have shared her low opinion of rats as the debutante shockingly waded into her battle to come to her defense. [b]"Well aren't we a surprising duo, eh," she manages to get out despite her fear that any moment a rat could try to crawl its way into her mouth if she wasn't careful.
Still wanting to create some space between her and the rat swarm, Julia backs away from the rat swarm that just attacked her ankles and promptly tells Malphene to do the same. "Watch out I think I have a way of keeping them locked in place."
With her warning given, Julia started to focus on her lyrical magics on the swarm, materializing a 10 ft. coat of grease on the floor that would hopefully send them slipping and falling.
Her thirst for gore slaked, Triphylla spares a moment to look down at the giant rat. She feels a sharp pang of remorse that it could not be reasoned with; the mind that produced such beautiful madness would surely have been capable of-- no, she would not dwell on it. What's done is done.
Wiping her mouth on her sleeve and wringing her hands of bloody fur, she charges down in the direction of the rat swarms to assist however she can.
2x move.
In terrible pain having had the majority of her skin scratched or bitten off, Pelligrina rushes south past Lope in a panic, ending up near to Triphylla. As she goes she leaves a trail of splattered blood.
Lope steels himself incase one of the swarms turned on him.
Julia managed to skewer another rat before backing away and casting a spell which covered the ground in front of her in a layer of magical grease.
Triphylla rushes into the room to further assist with rat extermination.
Valeria continues to run away from the rats, and is granted with a vision of hell as witnesses Pelligrina and Triphylla both soaked head to toe with blood, albeit for very different reasons.
One of the rat swarms turns on Lope, he swept his sword through the boiling mass of rodents, killing some. This swarm had lost enough members through attrition that the remained lost heart and quickly vanished into the woodwork. This left the other similarly denuded swarm to attack Malphene, but she was ready and she squished several with her table leg. This was enough to dissipate the swarm leaving only one left.
Suddenly the room fell silent all but for the low keening noise coming from the walking ruin of Pelligrina's body.
<--- FAIL
<--- PASS
Cyrene is no expert in medicine - in a fight she goes for the priority target and takes them down by whatever means necessary, rather than getting stuck fighting the minions. Reasoning that the rat must have had a nest of some sort, especially since it seems to have magical gear, she proceeds to strip said gear and then look around for a nest or other hiding hole.
Since the rat climbed rather well she makes a point of checking the higher reaches of the room. If she always has Imistos in her eye-line, well that must just be coincidence, surely?
Cyrene's efforts are rewarded when she finds a tangle of old ripped and soiled cloth un a small cubby inside a crack in the roof. She brings down a bundle containing a large book emblazoned with dozens of circles, six nice looking rubies each the size of a human thumb.
1. Comprehend languages, Ears of the City, Egorian Diplomacy, Heightened Awareness, Magic missile, Shield, Chill Touch, Shocking Grasp
2. Acid arrow, Invisibility, Tears to Wine
When Valeria saw the bloody mess that was Pelligrina running from the rats in the opposite direction from her she knew she had a choice to make. Either she was going to brave those rats or she was going to let Pelligrina die, and she was not willing to do either. Fortunately the dilema became moot as the rats swarms frinally were dealt with and she rushed over to Pelligrina with healing magic already on her hands and ready to go.
Unfortunately she was more thana little hesitant to touch her because of the rats having been on her and most of the spell was wasted. She quickly cast it once more and reached out to Pelligrina again with golden light.
The effects of the mutagen eventually wear off, leaving Triphylla lightheaded and spitting the vile taste of dirty matted fir, flesh, and blood. Her parents were relatively well-off; she had never been forced to eat rats as many of the lower class citizens were accustomed to. She hoped it would be her last such experience.
Still, the new discovery had instilled in her small body tremendous power, and she was fascinated by the ferocity with which she could now wield her bare hands. Had her father ever gained such animal form in the arena? She made a note to ask her mother some day.
With Pelligrina's condition improved, the group turns its attention to the spoils. The halfling casts a keen eye over the rubies.
"Fine stones, worth a hundred gold a piece."
Then to the items emanating magic she adds, "I cannot identify the ring, but that is a wand of shocking grasp."
Lastly she holds out her hand. "These were in the nest as well. A pearl and what looks to be a family ring, but in that realm I have no knowledge."
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Cyrene steps up beside Trip and speaks very softly in her ear.
"Imistos was watching you as you killed the rat and it wasn't a good look. I've seen plenty of men eying women and he wanted you badly. Be careful around him, the hunger was plain on his face."
Then she steps away to Malphene and tangles a hand in the noblewoman's hair to tug her head back.
"Damn you look gorgeous when you're all riled up like that." She murmurs in the young woman's ear, enjoying the shiver her voice and words send down Malphene's spine.
Lope looks at Pellegrina while Valeria does the healing, but seems just satisfied the woman's wounds disappear "So, this Rat Master mathematician made this place his lair? It's brain looked impaired by some kind of believe on the power of numbers and geometry. Another reason not to stay here trapped more than needed"
When the Aldori turns to attend what Triphylla is saying about some magical items, he is halted in surprise to see how the halfling transformation completes "Woo, are you ok Triphylla?"
Anyway, he picks the ring and after some seconds states "It is a protection ring. Useful if you are to fight in the front line"
If no one else wants it, Lope will keep it.
The man also gives a look at the pearl and the ring "Hmmm... interesting, perhaps we can look for a history collector or expert to know what are these things"
Malphene shudders pleasantly at Cyrenes touch and murmurs something into her ear.
You examine the door to the east, finding it unlocked. It opens with a slight squeak revealing a small rectangular room filled with once fine dust-covered leather couches. Three doors exit this room, one to the east you just came through, another to the west, and the final to the south which curiously enough ends in a secret door.
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The young halfing nods to Cyrene, warning received.
Triphylla takes another look at the the pearl and it dawns on her what it truly is, not some bauble or minor stone, but a pearl of power!
She walks to Valeria and places it into the palm of her hand. "If you don't want it, pass it on."
More eager than ever to get out of this puzzle lock and find something to eat, Triphylla heads straight for the door to the east, which she hopes will reveal a staircase to the open sky. But she discovers a trap! Carefully producing her thieves toolset, she expertly disarms it, and opens the door!
Valeria accepted the pearl that Triphylla gave her and looked at it curiously. After a moment of looking at the pretty pearl Valeria looked back to Triphylla and asked, "Thank you Triphylla but, um, what does it do?"
Once she knew how to use it Valeria activated the pearl and regained some of the magic potential she had used up today. With that done she began to head in the same direction that Triphylla had staying well back as she saw the halfling started working on the door.
"Wait!" The demon says, holding up a hand sharply as Triphylla reaches for the door. She crouched on the floor, staring at something.
"Two people have been through here, walking very carefully. And it's recent too. What were you doing with the door?" She asks and then frowns when Trip explains.
"Why would a door down here be trapped? Despite people coming through here? Someone set it. Weapons out everyone." She proposes. "Let's not get caught by surprise again."
Speech given she fades to the back of the group, both because she wants to keep an eye on Malphene and because she wants everyone in front of her.
"Humm, a trap?" Lope is quick to ready his sword reaching over to join the frontline with Triphylla "Can you do something about it?"
With a quick gesture he renews the dancing lights to ensure there is light for the group.
At mention of another trap, Julia groaned even as she raised her rapier back into guard position. "The number of traps and creatures rotting down here is starting to beg disbelief, no," she said mostly in jest.
Edit: Seems I forgot to upload the map changes revealing this room, that's sorted now.
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Edit: Seems I forgot to upload the map changes revealing this room, that's sorted now.
Triphylla found the trap and disabled it already (unless it's really difficult) about six posts up.
Lope nods and follows once Triphylla states the passage is clear and opens the door.
"Well, it smells we are close to getting out of this maze, but let's be ready for anything" following Cyrene's advise, the Aldori sets his free hand ready to cast a shield spell, should the group meet Diego associates or other kind of danger.
With the trap ably disabled and the door is opened to reveal another door. Beyond which is a square-ish room which must one have been a security checkpoint. The northern and southern walls are lined with lockers most of which are opened and containing various rusted swords and odd bits of decaying armour. A trio of halfling servants cower in a corner in front of the norther door.
One of them, a girl points the northern door out to you, "It's locked! We're trapped can you help?" Her male fellows grumble about food, "It's been been over a day since we've eaten! We've missed breakfast, elevenses, lunchon, second lunch, afternoon tea, and now now dinner!"
The nobles follow you at what they deemed to be a safe distance, and when a fight doesn't immediately break out curiosity overcomes caution they peer through the door. Sir Gryphus Plastion points towards them saying, "Lady Urbaen, come look its that clumsy serving girl who spilled that red wine over your dress!"
Frowning Lady Urbaen demands, "Oh yes! I never forget a face, what's she doing here?"
The female halfing replied, "Sorry about your dress m-lady, the floor was wet... We uh don't know what happened, a fight started and we found ourselves trapped here."
While she was saying that Imistos pushed forwards to whisper something to Triphylla.
Lope relaxes his arm not letting go the final snap for his shielding magic, instead smiles under his mustache "Seems we found your careful walkers, Cyrene. Happy they are no more of those talking rats"
"It is fine, we are also vouching for a good grilled steak, but we will have to sort out about how to get out first" the Aldori tries to make the halflings calm and points to the door "What have you find out about the lock? Any particular key might work? Or perhaps we should just force it?"
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Triphylla is immediately confused by the presence of halflings within the antechamber between the doors. "How did you come to be here? If you cannot proceed because the door ahead is locked, yet the door through which we just arrived was locked and trapped from the other side. It's impossible for any of you to be in this space unless someone locked you in. Who locked you in?"
She grits her teeth as the nobles exchange accusations toward her folk, but the presence of the halflings troubles her in an unnatural way. Imistos chooses this inopportune moment to propose some kind of - what? Murder spree? Did he not just witness how the rest of her companions - all human save one - ably defeated the swarms of rats? Is he insane?
She replies to him in a hushed but firm admonishment.
She turns on Sir Gryphus Plastion and Lady Urbaen: "Most of your fellow nobles were hacked to death only yesterday and you still find it in your empty heads to abuse this poor girl over a spot of wine! Be quiet!" Her stomach grumbles loudly; hunger is causing her to lose it.
"Now you halflings, I'm not sure if you actually exist, but if you do, please stand aside and allow me access to the next door."
Her lock picks still in hand, she approaches the door and sets to work again.
While Valeria's magical treatments heal Pelligrina completely, barred the odd scratch here or there, they do nothing to assist with her mental state. The horror of the rats remains, leaving her dazed and barely responsive to others. She finds a safe looking place to curl up and sit silently at first, then she takes out her mirror and rearms herself with a new spell. She remains where she's at until she is forced to move as the rest of the group moves onward.
Cyrene stays in the shadows at the back of the group - she's certain that this is a trap, and seeing Imistos whispering to Trip makes her more than a little sure that he's in on it.
She isn't particularly well up on the rival gods of assassination, but this definitely feels like the work of fellow professionals.
When Valeria started to move after Triphylla she hesitated and saw how Pelligrina was huddled, and unresponsive Valeria went over to sit with her. She reached out to put an arm around her shoulders and just sat quietly until the other woman began to move. She knew trauma all too well and could empathize with what Pelligrina was going through.
Once they all began to move along Valeria rose and offered Pelligrina her hand to help her up. Once the group was on its way she stayed near after Pelligrina, just in case.
Julia makes a sigh of relief as the group runs into some very unfortunate looking halflings. "I might not look where your standing, but maybe you three got lucky being trapped in this section of this place. Gods knows we've had to deal with all sorts of unpleasantness running about this place."
While trying to put on a brave face for the obviously scared halflings, Julia does still stand vigilant for anything coming out of the shadows to ironically showcase her point.
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"It was my favourite dress!" retorted Lady Urbaen, although she did have the sense to back off into the room behind.
After Triphylla had said her piece, Imistos sighed in disappointment as he turned away from Triphylla, shaking his head.
The halflings let her past and she set about the door which was indeed locked. The female one who had spilled the drink glanced at the others and suggested, "Maybe we should try and make it up to her somehow? Perhaps I could explain that I'm very sorry and we could dance for her? The nobles find that amusing don't they?"
Leading the way, the group of halflings moved to brush past the party towards the nobles in the other room.
"It would be a good start " Lope encourages the halflings and steps away so they can pass.
"Please don't. It will do nothing to improve their opinions of us. And anyway, the forces loyal to the Emperor ard likely to round them up and execute them in the town square. Bring your rotten tomatoes and you'll have a chance to ruin her dress again before their heads come off "
Triphylla continues to work on the lock.
Pelligrina is still too stunned to notice much of anything.
There is no way this ends well so Cyrene makes up her mind to act. As the first halfling reaches her position her dagger goes whizzing before their face.
"Now, now children. Step back." She commands, grinning in prospect of all hell breaking loose.
Valeria was relieved that they had found the halflings before anything could happen to them and listened as Triphylla spoke with them. Their offer to dance as an apology was nice of them and she wondered what they would perform. She let them past and watched as they headed towards the nobles.
Lope, who truly believed the good intentions of the halflings, is startled by Cyrene's sudden attack and pulls the woman towards him "What the hell!? Have you gone mad Cyrene?!"
The Aldori tries to grasp her with his free hand and stop her from killing the halfling for no apparent reason.
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Cyrene moved to stop the halflings, but they proved remarkably nimble and her blade went wide. Lope grabbed her to prevent an escalation and there was a tense moment as Cyrene's eyes flared with anger at his touch. Yet it seemed nobody else had noticed, for all eyes were drawn to the capering halflings who were dancing a merry jig which seemed to amuse the nobles.
One of them produced some spoons from nowhere and stared juggling them while the female halfling sang traditional catchy Taldan songs. The crowd started clapping in time and the hijinx got more and more energetic as they stared cartwheeling and doing various showy acrobatics.
Nobody realised at the time, but it later turned out that Imistos had a potion that turned him invisible which nobody had noticed him taking. He used the distraction to thoroughly empty the nobles purses, going as far as stealing Lady Urbean's earings while she laughed at the the other's capers.
After a few minutes fighting several recalcitrant lock pins, Triphylla's efforts were rewarded by a click and the door opened to reveal a dusty basement that time had forgotten. The door at the top of the stairs from this new room seemed suck fast at first but after a while the group realised it had simple been plastered over. Still it took the combined strength of Lope and Sir Gryphus Plastion to smash it open revealing part of the modern senate building.
There was a breif ragged which was was stifled by the stench of blood and voided bowls. Taldor's senate had been turned into a charnel house with the mutilated bodies of civilians, Lion Blades, military personnel, and even Ulfen Guards lying where they were cut down.
A few combat-fatigued soldiers wander the halls taking records of the dead, they noticed you at once and you where politely but firmly escorted outside. None of the soldiers seemed to have the faintest clue as to what was going on but the decision had been taken to lock the senate down for the time being due to "political turmoil".
The streets outside the senate where in chaos. Crazy rumours of all sorts abounded, some claim this calamity had been the work of foreign agents (either Quadria or Cheliax depending on who you spoke to). Others claimed the infamous Pathfinder Society attempted a coup. Others still claimed that the grand prince himself attempted to murder the entire senate.
Even before leaving the senate building, the halflings had gone one way and Martella's agents and the nobles another. In the relative safety of the streets outside the nobles thanked you. Lady Urbean had this to say, "I really can't thank you enough for today. I know you work for Martella, let her know that if there's ever anything I can do I'm in her and your debt."
When the topic of monetary compensation was inevitably brought up they readily agreed to pay, however to her great consternation Lady Urbean cried "My purse is gone! Damnitall!" One by one they they realised they'd been robbed. It was clear that none of you had stolen the money but it took some time to put two and two together to realise the troops of halflings had been responsible.
Still the nobles promised to make good on their word once they'd been able to secure funds before. They then setting off to their various town houses to take stock. Malphene whispered something in Cyrene's ear that gave her pause for thought before she too departed for now.
As you where discussing what to do next, one of the waitresses from the party, a Vudran girl that Cyrene recognised as 'an operator' staggered over to you. She was clearly wounded but had a determined look in her eye. She addressed you saying, "Good! You made it out alive. My name is Kathann Zalar, I'm a friend of Martella. She's been kidnapped!"
Having no realization of the deftness with which Imistos emptied the pocket of the nobles, Triphylla did not observe the commotion between Cyrene and Lope. Instead her focus was on the lock, and her duty to open pathways to exit this infernal catacomb. She had seen more of the Imperial Senate than most ever would, and the knowledge did not improve her mood.
Only a day earlier she and her companions were nearly executed at the hands of Stavian's guard, and while they must absolutely leave this place and be done with it, the world outside was bound to be even more dangerous.
The heaps of corpses made her gag, but her stomach was completely empty so nothing came up. Her eyes flooded with tears and she gasped into her sleeve until she was clear of the stench. By good fortune the soldiers did not interrogate the group; perhaps the nobles with which they still mingled provided some legitimacy to their escape, and in that sense, at least, they had provided a service equal to the protection provided by the group. A fair exchange, more or less.
"I won't hold you to it," says Triphylla in response to the nobles' promises of payment. "Perhaps I'll need a favor one day. In that case, I hope you will not look upon me as your inferior. Good day sirs and madames."
Her senses restored by exposure to daylight, Triphylla hones in on various rumours about. "It seems the Princess' whereabouts are unknown," she says to the group. "I hope her entourage has sequestered her somewhere safe. I'm concerned that Martella has not attempted to contact us through these devices; perhaps she cannot. We should try to find her. But first, I could use a meal and a bath." It's not lost on the halfling that she still wears the blood of the rat king.
It's at that point that the group is accosted by Kathann Zalar. No rest for the weary.
Julia takes a great gasp of fresh air as the group finally manages to escape the underground... unfortunately that sense of relief would quickly gave way to horror as she saw the mess of bodies littering the Senate halls. "Shelyn be good... this is a massacre," she says solemnly and making a quite prayer to Shelyn for the fallen.
The sight of some much death subconsciously made Julia remember her own recent brush with death. So much so that simply... paused for a moment, trapped in her own thoughts. It would only be when Triphylla starts talking about the missing princess that she gets out of it. "Maybe Eutropia was able to get out and is keeping low? With so much chaos going on it would make sense that she'd would keep communications to a minimum, no? At least until they got a good understanding of what's going on... and whether the High Strategos is involved."
When Kathann Zalar comes about talking about Martella's kidnapping, Julia is quick to respond with caution and quite a few questions. "Kidnapped? By whom? To where?"
Lope receives the news with commotion, also feels ashamed by the way the nobles were emptied of their pockets without him realizing "Is this what you noticed Cyrene?"
"The situation is very unstable, both Grand Prince Stavian III and Princess Eutropia are missing it seems..." Lope updates the others with what he can figure out quickly asking around the Senate "We can only be happy we are not one of the slaughtered ones..."
The disappearance of Martella only worries him even more "Are we sure she is not among the dead ones?" but they had been receiving updates upon to one point "Perhaps she went missing along with the princess. Does anyone remember what Martella last told us?"
Valeria watched the halflings do their performance and completely missed anything else they did. She wasn't quite sure why Cyrene attacked like she did but Lope had her under control so she didn't let it worry her. When they finally made it out of the dreary place and to the streets she almost wished they had stayed where they were so they wouldn't have to see the bloodbath the streets had become. It was awful and the fact that both Eutropia and and the Grand Prince were missing made it even worse.
When the injured Vudrani girl Valeria listened intently as the Vudrani girl told them about Martella.
Valeria approached the woman and asked, "Do you need your wounds treated?"
Lope receives the news with commotion, also feels ashamed by the way the nobles were emptied of their pockets without him realizing "Is this what you noticed Cyrene?"
"They had steel." Cyrene says flatly. "You're lucky that all they did was steal some pouches." The tiefling slips away almost immediately and reappears some time later in a drab servant's dress, looking utterly unremarkable but still cross.
Malphene's words make her smile though and the grin that spreads across her face is almost feral and all Cyrene.
Cyrene fades into the background once more as her fellow operator makes an appearance. The news is unwelcome but not surprising, if it's true. Still, her companions are asking reasonable questions, so she can afford to wait on their responses.
"Kidnapped? By whom? To where?"
Kathann shrugged and winced, putting her hand to her side which came away stained red with blood. Grimacing she told you, "I didn't recognise any them, but I know their sort, cultists, killers. Somebody must have hired them. We that is Martella and I where ambushed shortly after leaving the senate grounds. They left me for dead but I guess I fooled them, or maybe they where in a hurry. Either way I was able to follow at a distance, they dragged her to The Dignified Repository. I fear for her life, this will be about Eutropia..."
Looking suddenly hopeful she said, "Could you please help her? I don't think I can do any more today, I'm feeling light headed..."
"Do you need your wounds treated?"
Kathann smiled and putting a brave face on it replied, "Yes, but I can make it to the church of Iomadae, it's not far. Please save your spells, if you try to rescue Martella you may need them!"
The pieces of the conversation between the nobles, Lope, and Cyrene come together in Triphylla's head. She had thought nothing of it when they claimed to have been robbed, but Imistos' unseemly proposal rings in her ears. Did the halflings intend to kill them? Was that real? She had replied to him that if he had instead proposed to pick their pockets she would have created the distraction herself! She feels fortunate to have been preoccupied with the lock and not witnessed Cyrene's response, but she'll know next time to trust the tiefling's instincts.
"I know that building," Triphylla explains. "It's only a short walk from my mother's house in the Crownsgate. The Deristov family from Porthmos prefecture own it. We'll do well to watch our step, though. The Brotherhood will be in a state of heightened vigilance given the events of the day. They are likely to be aware of the comings and goings of outsiders in the District, and the warehouse offers no safe approach, save for the cover of darkness or the sewers, perhaps."