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Rowan knew it was dangerous to tangle with a cornered animal but she had to press her attack. Vandomir was barely on his feet and she couldn't let him go down like Eirik. Moving towards the kyton, she swung her morningstar once again.
Rowan misjudged her attack as she had to step around Eirik and it came up short, just glancing off one of the kyton's chains.
Rowan saw Eirik go down but knew there was nothing she could do until the kyton had been dealt with. She hoped he'd be able to stabilize himself until she could get to him. When Vandomir moved, Rowan made sure she was in flanking position with the him. Taking advantage of the kyton being distracted, Rowan struck out once again with her morningstar.
The warpriest caught the kyton's exposed back and delivered the maximum amount of damage she was capable of.
Seeing Vandomir fall gave Rowan no choice but to step up and take his place. "Milani, guide your servant's hand." As she spoke, she brought her blessed and sacred morningstar down on the kyton.
It appeared that the kyton was going to dodge away from Rowan's attack but at the last moment, the morningstar jerked in the warpriest's hand giving the extra momentum needed to make contact. The creature screeched in anger as the good-infused weapon burned its soul. Rowan re-positioned herself for her next attack saying, Praise Milani!"
Now that Vandomir's weapon was blessed, Rowan knew that he would need her help as well. Calling on Milani's blessing to imbue Rowan's morningstar with the essence of good, the warpriest prepared to defend Hortense against any further torture.
Hearing Tillia's explanation of who the visitor was caused Rowan to move quickly and catch Vandomir before he attacked. She murmured a quick prayer to ask Milani to bless his sword with goodness and the sword glowed softly as he attacked. It was then that the condition of the woman being tortured caught the warpriest's eye. She tried to determine if she was still alive or was already dead. She looked to be in rough shape but Rowan couldn't tell for sure from this distance. As Vandomir engaged the kyton, Rowan moved towards Hortense.
Rowan took a step or two towards the door that Vandomir just opened in case the visitor didn't take kindly to being interrupted. She placed her hand on her weapon and readied herself.
Sabo's gaze intensified, "Good, good." She paused as if running through scenarios in her mind. "Some of my drills require a certain degree of dexterity. How flexible are you?" Rowan felt like time had stopped and that she was indeed trapped in some horrible web. "I'm stronger than I am flexible but I'm sure with plenty of training that I would be able to accomplish whatever was asked of me." Sabo smiled and slowly circled around behind Rowan. "And what do you consider your best ass-et?" Rowan swallowed hard and mentally prepared herself in case the woman touched her as she had her other guard. "Probably my ability to follow orders."
Rowan resisted the urge to fidget under Sabo's gaze. Even Tiberius had never looked at her like that and if he had, it wouldn't have been in a room full of people. "I, uh, guess that, my best position is the one my commanding officer chooses for me. I trust their experience and being young, I want to learn all that I can." Sabo's leering smile widened at Rowan's response. "Eager to learn makes you a doable choice for a subordinate because I run my people through many drills. It takes stamina but it looks like you're in good shape. You think you could go the distance?" Rowan nodded her head and ignored the overwhelming desire to take a bath. "I would do whatever it takes."
Rowan smiled at Ruba. "It is true that we're currently strangers and it will take a leap of faith on both our parts to make this happen. But I also see this as the start of a friendship which could be mutually beneficial. The way I see it, if things continue the way they are in Kintargo then we will all need all the friends that we can get. If you can generate the necessary documents then it will help us to make even more friends. My name is Rowan, by the way."
Rowan smiled, "I guess it's a good thing finding out about Sabo. We wouldn't have gotten very far in our ruse if we had acted like the Holding House was run by a man." Then her smile melted and her gaze hardened. "Her being Asmodean makes her just as bad as Thrune in my eyes."
Action 1: Rowan did not consider herself well equipped to help charm information out of anyone, especially next to Tillia. However, Tillia shouldn't go alone and Vandomir was right in that any male presence would deter chatting up the guards. "I don't know what help I could be and I definitely don't clean up as nicely as Tillia, but I can come with you. Safety in numbers, right? Unless I'd be a hindrance, then I can stay at a distance with Vandomir and Eirik." tag Tillia
Action 2: Rowan was surprised that Rexus hadn't already told Ruba what they needed or maybe he had and she just needed to hear them say it. "We need some documents written up that are delicate in nature. It could be risky but I assume that Rexus has told you that much." tag Ruba
Tillia's expression became thoughtful as she considered the issue of names. She sat with her legs crossed at the knee and tapping a finger against her lips before she said, "I can send Salina with a note to the Lichtor to try and find out the names, it's a small order as I recall so he should know the names. I'll get on that and send Salina tonight when she won't be easily seen. As for information on who's in charge of the place and who might be able to issue those orders we simply need to find out. So we want to send one of our teams or should should we handle this ourselves?" Rowan appreciated Tillia offering to send Salina to the shrine. "If it's too dangerous for Salina to go, we can always send one of the silver raven figurines." When the Holding House was brought up Rowan said, "Guards often need to blow off steam. Do we know where the guards frequent, either tavern or brothel? Maybe a couple of our teams can handle getting us this information based on where they fit in best."
Rowan considered Laria's words. It was true that stealth may get them into the prison but it would be highly unlikely that they wouldn't have to fight their way out. "The Holding House was reopened as an interim prison for those not warranting full imprisonment, correct? If that's the case, would it be possible to forge documents stating that Thrune has determined the prisoners to be transferred to prison? We could handle the transfer and the prisoners disappear in transit. I find it hard to believe that all the guards in the city are familiar with each other. We'd just need to obtain some proper attire." tag everyone
Action 1: Rowan graciously accepted the sword on behalf of the group. "We'll do as you say. We'll also send word once we have freed your men." Action 2: The warpriest was relieved to see Forvian when they returned. She clasped his forearm and said, "You've shown great wisdom in keeping to scouting out the place instead of attempting a rescue. Obviously force is out of the question if that's what they're counting on. We must turn our planning to either sneaking in or trickery to gain access. If we had a map of the structure, it would be of great help." Rowan turned to Vandomir. "You're knowledgeable in architecture. Do you know where such plans may exist?" tag Vandomir with his awesome role :)
"Your cousin suggested we try to help you and ask for your aid, to prove this she sent an item to show you." Rowan nodded and retrieved the signet ring. "She gave us this to show you our serious intent." He conceded the point, "Yes... to some extent. I need to know that you are not just the next lunatics that are in charge of Kintargo. I need to know that you respect the law enough to try and work within its structure. I must be convinced that I won't be aiding mere thugs." Rowan shook her head, "I can assure you that we are not thugs. We fight for the citizens of Kintargo to be freed from oppression. I serve Milani in this task and always seek wisdom from her. We do not fight for the sake of fighting." When they finally came to an arrangement, Rowan asked, "Out of curiosity, we did Thrune come after you and your order now?" tag Octavio
Action 2: Rowan focused on her footing on the way down the ladder to make sure she didn't fall. She had her doubts about the rusty rungs but knew she had to proceed. When she stepped off the ladder and got a good look at the room, she was impressed. Someone had gone through a lot of trouble to honor the spirit of Saint Senex. "This shrine is definitely bigger on the inside," Rowan commented as she studied the statue. Someone had gone to a lot of effort to carve driftwood but the warpriest was unable to determine if there was anything special about it. She assumed that it may be Saint Senex holding the sailor but couldn't say for sure.
Eirik moved forward towards the statue and Rowan shrugged. "That seems like a logical conclusion."
Rowan stepped forward. "As Senex ventured to return belongings to the families of drowned sailors, we have something to return to the shepherd.". She held out Setrona's signet ring to Brother Jenbai. "We were tasked to return it to show we mean no harm."
Action 1: Rowan kept to the path. She didn't like her odds if she had to venture into the bog. She had no idea how deep the waters ran and she had a feeling there would be a lot of spongy vegetation under the surface of the water in which to get ensnared. As they approached, the warpriest really hoped that Setrona's ring would be sufficient to gain access. Rowan really didn't like the idea of having to fight in such terrain. Action 2: Rowan waited for Caleb and Tillia to verbally engage the guardians of the shrine. The couple may be dressed in tattered cloth but the warpriest knew not to take anything for granted.
Action 3: It was good that Laria mentioned the potential roadblocks if they were to move through the city of Kintargo. "Can we not use the water feeding the Wasp's Nest to escape Kintargo unseen? I believe that the tengus came into Kintargo that way so we should be able to get out that way. We just need to acquire a boat that is large enough for six of us but not too big as to garner attention."
Action 1: Rowan listened to Forvian state his case over breakfast. "It would be a good test of what you've learned to rescue those taken. However, no member of the Silver Ravens is expendable. The Talons of the Night is as important as any one of us. Maybe you wait to attempt a rescue until we can offer you back-up, just in case. In the meantime, we should go and see how the doghousing spectacle has changed since our rescue of Tillia's friend." Action 2: Rowan agreed with the others. The guards would be expecting an attempted rescue ever since they had been successful the first time. "It would not be wise to get involved and I don't have the stomach to watch. If I stay, I know I'll feel extremely conflicted."
Shortly after the others had gone inside, a man with close cropped blonde hair exited the Tooth and Nail. He saw the warpriest outside and he held the door while motioning her and Eirik inside. Believing that he would take up their post, Rowan joined the others inside.
Action 2: when Eirik appeared to be staying outside to keep an eye on things, Rowan decided to stay with him. "Four eyes are better than two, I guess." She figured that she wasn't very eloquent anyways and since she hadn't thought it to be a trap, maybe she wasn't the wisest person to be discussing tactics.
Action 1: Rowan kept quiet and her head down as Vandomir interacted with the Hellknights. She was both disgusted and saddened that the people of Kintargo continued to be oppressed in every way imaginable. Once they were clear of the toll, she said, "This goes to show that we need to continue to fight for the citizens. Even though people often stick to their own neighborhoods, these tolls are going to make sure that the people have no choice but to stay in their deemed areas." Action 2:
Action 2: Rowan hadn't considered the possibility of a trap set for them. She found it hard to believe they had even registered on Thrune's radar but maybe that was being naive. "The trap makes sense. I didn't really want to have anything to do with any Hellknights anyways. I was just thinking that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Maybe we can have the tengus gather some info about it but put it on the back burner unless something forces our hand."
Action 1:
Action 2: Rowan was surprised that another edict had been handed down, especially against an order of the Hellknights. "Maybe this will work in our favor? They may be upset with Thrune for disbanding them and then willing to help us fight against him. It may be worth putting out some feelers to find out." Action 3: Rexus added, “I know her. She’s actually the owner of the Tooth and Nail, a tavern in Old Kintargo.” "What do you know about her, Rexus? Is she to be trusted? Do you know why she'd be reaching out to us now?" tag Rexus
Rowan considered Caleb's question before answering. "I didn't necessarily mean that we start assassinating people. Even though that is an option, I think it would be fairly difficult to do. I was thinking more of disrupting Thrune's networks that provide his funds or supplies - we make his life difficult or uncomfortable, how ever that looks. That may mean that recruiting merchants would be more desirable than focusing on fighters."
As the leaders of the Ravens gathered once again Tillia decided to broach the subject this time. She looked at the gathering and said, "It seems we've become a successful thorn in Thrune's side now, or at least we're starting to. I think it might be a good idea to start looking at a larger base of operations, preferably one where we don't endanger innocents as much if we are found out." She looked at Laria and said, "Your hospitality has been great in letting us work from here, and I expect it may take us a while to find someplace new, but I want to thank you for your generosity." Rowan listened and agreed with Tillia that they couldn't keep endangering the Coffeehouse. "Did you have a property in mind? It's not like we have a lot of funds to purchase a safe house." tag everyone
"If we are able to recruit more people and get another team or two together, we may be able to take the fight to Thrune. However, we need more information about where he is most vulnerable. Also, if we can recruit some merchants to our cause then it may help with our cash flow." tag everyone
Rowan spent time tracking down the family crests and the master's mark on the items she had found. She sought out the homes and workplaces and returned the rapier, the ring, and the instruments. In each case, she made sure that her armor was covered when out in public by her cloak and took precautions while walking around. She had no idea whether the people she was about to meet were sympathetic to Thrune or not but she decided beforehand to trust herself into the hands of Milani as always. When she reached each of her destinations she gave the same greeting, "The Silver Ravens have dealt with the community plague that is the Red Jills. In the process, we have found something that needs to be returned into your possession. Milani has guided me to your home to give you back what was taken from you."
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