"So, where should we head first? I'd like to save the Jail for last, if you don't mind," said Cimri, not relishing the encounter with her aunt.
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Cimri breathes an audible sigh of relief when Amatsu arrives without any undead in tow.
"Maybe I shoulda left her there," Cimri mutters. Though it was closed and locked when the group climbed the stairs an hour ago to clear the hallway, Razelago's door is open now, the purple light from within spilling out into the delapidated corridor. The strange, earless cat is still there, curled up but keeping one watchful eye on visitors.
Cimri's jaw just drops. "I... uh..." she glances around at the others, who are alternately taking this in stride and being just as freaked out as she is. "Razelago sent me to fetch you all... Some kind of response to the Sword Knight's sermon." She edges backwards, keeping her eyes on Amatsu's creature. "He should be ready for us," she said before leaving, relieved to be away from the specter.
Footsteps on the creaking stairs announce Cimri's arrival. "You lot still up here?" she calls out, coming down the now-cleared hallway. "Did you find out who was taking that bath up here, Arru-" Her words were cut off when she rounded the corner and saw Amatsu and her undead horror. She scrambled to grab her knife from her belt. "The hell's that thing?!" she exclaimed.
Cimri jerks asleep and looks blearily at Karas. "Huh? Tub? What tub?" She rubs her eyes. "No tub up there that I've seen." She closes her eyes again and is quickly back asleep. --- Arruk makes his way up the stairs without more than a soft creak, nearly inaudible in the manor. Like Justimar he notices the library door is locked. The sound of the splashing comes from the collapsed, ruined section of the manor - through an intact section of wall.
Emboldened by Arruk's gesture, Cimri snaps back. "Yeah, is it suddenly a crime to be patriotic, Aunt Rhona?" The Sheriff smiles, putting up her hands. "No thanks. Just curious. Sometimes the Archbaron's not the most popular figure around here, and I was surprised to see his family's crest on a few of you." A rise in the volume of chatter near the church catches her attention, and she turns to depart. "Stay out of trouble, Cimri. Enjoy the sermon." she says to the others, heading off to chat up some of the other locals.
Cimri scowls before forcing an insincere smile. "I was just dandy, Aunt Rhona." The Sheriff glances at the nearby Arruk, with the crimson sash matching Cimri's. "Some shady folks you've been hanging around with lately. Want to introduce me to your friends?" she asks. Cimri glowers. "Not particularly," comes the rogue's snarky reply.
Vance doesn't pick up on it right away, but to anyone else in earshot, it quickly becomes evident the Sheriff is asking her niece Cimri some leading questions. Whatever she's here for, she's got something on her mind as she grills her reluctant family member - and seems to know just how to get under her skin.
"So, you're here for Sword Knight Allamar's sermon? I didn't think you were the religious sort, Cimri." "Did you hear about what happened at the tannery last night? You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" "So... what's the story with the sashes? Is the archbaron or someone paying you to wear those?"
The sun is already visible in the morning sky when Vance and Justimar swagger (and stagger) back to The Last Stand, so the noble has little time to do more than wash and groom himself when he awakens shortly before noon with a splitting headache. Fresh water, fetched by Vivendi, takes the edge off, but there is still a dull, throbbing ache in his skull when a loud rapping comes at his door. When Vivendi opens it, a familiar smirk-faced rogue is waiting. "Hey. Our mutual 'friend' wants to meet. Pronto." Without another word, Cimri turns on her heel and announces much the same in front of Vance's door when the Varisian answers. Arruk and Amatsu likewise get a visit from Cimri and are informed Razelago wants to meet back at the Ash House at noon.
"Alright, let's try this thing out!" Cimri throws the wavy-bladed knife at the portrait, and frowns as the dagger clatters off the frame. "Bugger! Balance isn't like what I'm used to." She smirks. "You get to keep your share, Arruk!" After a few more tosses, the young woman yawns. "Well, that was fun but I'm gonna turn in. Stick around town - I'll come and find ya when Razelago decides he needs something again." She plops down onto the straw mattress by the fireplace - evidently, she's been squatting in the Ash House of late. She glances around. "You're welcome to hole up here if you need a place to lie low. There's enough surviving furniture to salvage a bed if ya need."
Cimri's case contains 200 gold coins and a wavy-bladed dagger with a green tint to the metal. She grins with delight, twirling the knife through the air with a flourish before grabbing a wine bottle and jimmying out the cork with the blade. After a long gulp (directly from the bottle, as she ignores the goblets included in the trunk), she asks, "So, who thinks they can beat me in knife-throwing?" She gestures toward the mantelpiece above the fireplace, where an old painting, badly damaged by fire, seems to serve as an improvised dartboard, judging by the numerous knife-marks marring its surface.
Cimri quickly replies. "Yep. Got it right here." Collecting the chest from Arruk, she places it on the table on her side of the paper divider. "In and out in a flash. You were right about these four. They're experts at what they do." She begins an account of the tannery raid, only slightly embellishing the others' accomplishments. "Amatsu took out one of the guard dogs, silent as could be, and summoned some kinda... spider monster that straight up devoured the other one. Vance kicked Louslik's door down and scared the pants off of him, tellin' him we were collecting taxes, and disarmed the bastard like it was nothing. Justimar conjured some hounds of his own, did some scouting - and I'm pretty sure got the Sheriff off our tail in town. And Arruk near about twisted Louslik into a pretzel and put the fear of Asmodeus in 'im." She grinned. "I knifed one of the hounds too." Dusting off her hands, she concluded, "Couldn't have gone better."
Knowledge (History or Local) DC 15:
Before the Chelish Civil War, the Ash House was Moragatalli Manor, home to one of old Cheliax’s lesser noble families. In the decades following the rise of House Thrune, numerous supporters of the old order lost their lands, their titles, and—in many cases—their lives.
The Moragatallis tried to remain neutral during the revolution and, upon surviving it, congratulated themselves on their quiet canniness. But House Thrune proved equally quiet and patient with their accountings of their allies, enemies, and milksop bystanders, and decades later, Thrune gave the Moragatalli lands to House Fex, which had risen in Thrune’s esteem. The Moragatallis would have complained, of course, had most members of the family not died in their manor’s violent, midnight conflagration. No one doubted what had happened, but the town children’s explanations—blaming witches and ghosts—proved far less frightening than the truth. In the 60 years since, Moragatalli Manor has been known as the Ash House. What remains of this manor looks like it could collapse at any moment. Bearing the scars of a decades-old fire, the house is blackened and sags under the weight of its collapsed third floor. Shattered windows pose no barrier to the riot of ivy scaling each gable and invading every cavity. Bent pillars and a cracked granite porch lead to a warped door bearing a rusty doorknocker shaped like a boar’s head. Cimri waits outside the Ash House with mild impatience until the entire gang has assembled. While they wait for Justimar, she takes the opportunity to count the treasure Arruk carries. The tanner had a knack for organization, and each bag's contents are clearly labeled. It only takes her a few minutes to verify that nearly 800 gold pieces worth of withheld taxes lies within. Once Justimar arrives, Cimri leads the group to the broken windows to the side of the house. "Door's no good. This way's much easier." She hops over the sill with ease, clearly accustomed to the method of entry, moving inside the darkened room with the familiarity of someone in their own home. In the chamber beyond, pieces of battered furniture lie amid the choking scent of dust and ashes. Beneath a mantle crowded with empty whiskey bottles, a fireplace shows evidence of recent use. The scorched, broken visages of curious cherubs leer from atop archways leading deeper into the house. A straw mattress, recently used, lies in front of the fireplace. "Upstairs," Cimri urges. "He's waiting." The grand stair creaks alarmingly as Cimri climbs, but it seems in no danger of collapse, despite the damage to the house. Cimri leads the group to an open door to the left of the stairs, from which emanates a soft, violet light.
Cimri's stats are available for your perusal in her character profile.
"Scoot, you big oaf," Cimri says as she plants a boot on Arruk's backside and squeezes him the last few inches through the gap before following herself. She grins as she offers him a hand back to his feet as the pair dashes off into the darkness. From the far side of the fort, a faint shout of "Huh? Who goes there?" can be heard in the direction of Amatsu's decoy lanterns. A warm spring breeze whips up as the tannery fades into the distance behind the successful robbers. "Head to the Ash House," Cimri reminds the others once they're well clear of earshot. "Let's get this dropped off - and get you lot introduced to Razelago." She turns to Justimar. "Bold move, giving your name like that - but I think Ol' Louslik's in no position to make waves. He was holding out on his taxes, and that's a heck of a crime. If he's smart, he'll keep his mouth glued shut."
I contemplated having Cimri refer to Arruk as "Orc," but realized she wasn't clever enough to think of avoiding his name. Mostly though, she seems confident in her mysterious employer's ability to get you all out of any trouble - as long as you can deliver Louslik's gold to him. As for getting a receipt, it would be unusual to draw one up for any small purchase, like a few drinks. Buying a slave (for example) certainly comes with accompanying paperwork, but it might raise eyebrows to request one for smaller expenditures.
Vance:
Cimri kneels down next to the lockbox as Vance inspects the papers. Before the tanner can answer Amatsu, Crimri snaps her fingers at him. "Keys, Louslik." Not waiting for an answer, she steps forward, rifling through his pockets. His startled gesture is stopped quickly at a gentle squeeze from Arruk's massive hands, and the rogue produces a small keyring a moment later. "Now we see who's lying," she says with a smirk. Sliding a key into the lock, Cimri lifts the lid of the lockbox. Its contents are divided into numerous small leather purses (each branded prominently with the initials "L. T."), which Cimri quickly checks, spilling a heaping handful of gleaming silver coins into her palm. "Jackpot," she says, her face lighting up at the sight of Louslik's sizable holdings. It's at that moment that a loud, piercing eagle's screech can be heard from outside, and all eyes snap towards the window. The rumble of a cart plodding down a dirt road can be heard in the momentary silence that follows. "Arruk, can you carry this?" Cimri says, tossing the coins back into the box and shutting the lid.
Stepping over the dog is effortless for the muscular brawler, and he makes it inside the small office no worse for the wear. Even if Louslik could have attacked, the pain from Amatsu's spell is too much, and he can barely stand. Cimri creeps closer, drawing a long, curved knife in an underhand grip. The dog spots her coming, but it's too late. The blade buries itself in the dog's skull and the animal drops to the ground, overcome by the spider and the knife-wielding rogue.
Despite the spell and the threats, Louslik clings to his crossbow like a lifeline, futilely struggling to aim it at the intruders.
Cimri stealthily creeps forward around the small office, and peeks into the window. "Louslik. Crossbow," she mouths silently, as Arruk glances back at her. She peers down toward the floor through the window. "Bulldog," she mouths as well.
Cimri followed Amatsu without a word, sap drawn. She flattened herself against the outer wall as the others filed in behind her.
For rogue stuff, there's always Cimri. She's a first level rogue, first level warrior, if I remember correctly. She'll be along for the ride for at least the first few levels, and I plan on having her keep pace with you in experience, for the most part.
"So," Cimri interjected, "What's the plan then? I was thinkin' we just pop the gate open, knock out anybody we see, and grab whatever coin he's got holed up in there. A gap in the fence seems easier though - an' quieter. We doin' this?" Cimri gently slapped a leather sap into the palm of her hand. She seemed willing to defer to the others' judgment, not having much of a plan of her own. "Whatever we decide - it's go time."
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