Simn nods, "Give us a few minutes to get inside and get into position before you kick things off," he says, "I doubt we'll run into anybody right away."
With that, Simn quietly leads the way back to the lower door. Producing a set of lockpicks from a pocket in his armour, he sets to work on the lock.
Initiative Rolls: (1d20+2=22, 1d20+2=5, 1d20+2=20, 1d20+2=16, 1d20+2=21)
"Ok.. with that in mind, I am going to do something about that boat."
Avalon pads over to the boat, looses it from its moorings and gives it a gentle push so that it floats away from the docks.
Coming back to the double doors, he murmurs "That ought to give someone trying to sneak out that way a nasty shock."
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"Ok.. with that in mind, I am going to do something about that boat."
Avalon pads over to the boat, looses it from its moorings and gives it a gentle push so that it floats away from the docks.
Coming back to the double doors, he murmurs "That ought to give someone trying to sneak out that way a nasty shock."
The boat can not be reached (and can barely be seen) from the loading dock side -- does Avalon go all the way around on the boardwalk?
Simn, standing in front of the smaller door, is rewarded within a few seconds by a snick. He opens the door to a large room.
The floor here is slick with seawater, bits of seaweed, and fish blood —the air is thick with the accompanying scent. Wooden catwalks to the north and south allow access to the western part of the fishery, while the floor here is only five feet above the river below. An open bay to the south allows direct access to the sloppy, muddy water, while to the northwest stands an immense ten-foot-tall wooden vat, its sides caked and waterproofed with tar. To the east are stacked many barrels and crates, each marked in paint with a fish. About two dozen small children are sleeping in hammocks hanging from under the catwalks, under ratty blankets.
If the boat is not easily reachable from the dock, then there is no need for me to interfere with it. I will simply take a quick peek around the corner in case there are any more doors that need to be taken care of.
Initiative (1d20=16, 1d20=20, 1d20=17, 1d20=15, 1d20=11)
Cole will follow Simn into the room, doing his best to remain quiet despite his armour, with his longsword drawn and at the ready.
Frasides follows the other two in, longbow drawn for now. He tries to follow as quietly as he can. (Move Silently (1d20+2-1=16))
He glances up at the catwalk to see if there are any observers. When he sees the children under the catwalk, he whsipers quietly to himself, "Eva."
Simn regards the sleeping forms with cautious optimism. Freeing the children just got a whole lot easier. Assuming, of course, they don't scream on being awakened by people with weapons. It occurs to him they don't actually have a plan for where to send them that's safe and out of the way, though.
"Keep it quiet," he murmurs, "I'm going to check to see if we can expect company, then we can start getting them awake and out of here."
So saying, Simn stealthily makes his way up onto one of the catwalks and over to check out the first door.
Before going to the trouble of jamming the lock, Simn checks the construction of the door. There's little point in going to that sort of trouble if somebody can simply kick it in with minimal effort. Then again, anything that slows the enemy down is worth doing anyway.
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Before going to the trouble of jamming the lock, Simn checks the construction of the door. There's little point in going to that sort of trouble if somebody can simply kick it in with minimal effort. Then again, anything that slows the enemy down is worth doing anyway.
It's a simple interior door, probably about an inch thick. Simn is confident it will have to be broken down now, but it would not stand up to a determined assault.
Fraz keeps his eyes as focused as he can - bow at the ready. He is watching and listening for any noise that might indicate guards afoot.
He's also listening to see if he hears the sound of combat from the others - he's guessing it would come from whatever door is the more northwestern from their position...i.e. parallel to their entry location.
“It appears that they have gained access,” Leliestraat hisses quietly, adjusting his grip on the longsword.
“How do we intend to enter ourselves?” the elf asks of Gawain and Avalon. “If you two can break the doors down, I can support you with firepower,” he offers, considering his arcane options and the shortbow across his shoulder.
“I would like to draw blood from Lamm with this blade however,” he muses, taking a position by the double doors to await their entrance.
Simn's eyes widen as something occurs to him, "Oh, heck," he says, "We'd better let the others know to hold off on the assault." He didn't want them charging in unsupported, after all.
"Simn, check that door carefully" he whispers and points (at the door @J12 on Pat's diagram). "That should be the one that brings us closest to their entry, I guess."
"Are you able to open this lock? if not it might be an idea to break down the door. But we dont know what is actually in there."
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Status check:
Cole, Frasides, and Simn are in the room with the sleeping children. Simn has just said he wants to notify the outside team not to break in. Fraz and Cole have not responded.
Leliestratt, Avalon, and Gawain are outside the double doors, discussing whether and how to break in.
Nobody seems to have detected y'all's presence.
"Let's wait a minute longer before breaking down the door," Gawain suggests. "We want to let our comrades get to a good position inside first."
Cole's concerned with keeping an eye out for potential threats, he continues to scan the area for anything that might looks out of place. He'll watch as Simn goes to warn the others to wait before proceeding with any further investigations.
Seeing that he's the one on the spot, Simn nips back outside and over to rejoin the others.
"Change of plans, guys," he says quietly, "We've found the kids, and figure we should get them out safely before we start tearing the place apart."
Avalon looks relieved at the news... "Gods thats good news. lets get in there then shall we?"
Simn simply nods and leads the way back inside.
Leliestraat nods silently at Simn’s prompt and Avalon’s agreement and turns away from the sealed doorway. Grimacing at the hastily cast enchantment glittering on the longsword, the elf rationalizes the effort and considers the potential for mayhem yet to transpire.
“These children,” he whispers, “Are they ... safe?”
“I mean, were they bound or ...,” he trails off, uncertain of the method in which to frame their circumstances.
“Any sign of resistance otherwise?” he asks, changing his tone.
While Simn gathers the others, Fraz continues to keep an ear open for any unusual noises or movement. He continues to be a little nervous...considering the children nearby and wondering if their group's movements have raised any alarms.
"Aside from the locked doors," Simn murmurs, "No sign of coercion that I can see. That said, I'm sure Lamm has some way of convincing them not to run away when he sets them to work for the day."
He decides to ask the question now, "Does anyone know somewhere safe we can take them? We can't just turn them loose to fend for themselves."
"We can worry about that after we've got them away from Lamm," Gawain responds. "For now, I'm more worried by the possibility that some of them may be cooperating actively with Lamm, and will raise an alarm when they see us."
Cole will be standing with Fraz waiting for the gnome's return and keeping his eyes and ears open for any threats. He is begining to get anxious and hopes that the rest of their companions hurry up.
Stepping carefully into the room, Avalon winces slightly at the sheer number of children in the room before going to join the others.
"Frasides?" Simn murmurs, "Maybe if you find your sister and wake her to start with? She'll probably react better to you than any of the rest of us." He's very much aware of the possibility that the children could sound the alarm - out of fear of all these random strangers, if nothing else.
If Simn can see his face in the half-light, he would note that Fraz's look is one of relief and eagerness. Carefully, he decides to resheath his bow and move cautiously towards the children. All the while he is looking for a tell-tale sign or face that would allow him to spot his sister.
As he does so, he tries to raise his voice just enough to be heard by the children (he hopes) as he comes closer to them. He does with palms open, so as to minimize his threat, and hopes the familiar voice with rouse his sister.
"Eva, can you hear me? Eva Francol, it's me. It's Fraz"
Move Silently (1d20+2-1=19)
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If Simn can see his face in the half-light, he would note that Fraz's look is one of relief and eagerness. Carefully, he decides to resheath his bow and move cautiously towards the children. All the while he is looking for a tell-tale sign or face that would allow him to spot his sister.
As he does so, he tries to raise his voice just enough to be heard by the children (he hopes) as he comes closer to them. He does with palms open, so as to minimize his threat, and hopes the familiar voice with rouse his sister.
"Eva, can you hear me? Eva Francol, it's me. It's Fraz"
Fraz does not see Eva on his first look around. As he approaches, a few of the children wake up groggily, but no one cries out.
On hearing his question, one boy, maybe nine years old with curly black hair, says quietly, "Eva's gone, mister. Giggles took her last month."
On hearing his question, one boy, maybe nine years old with curly black hair, says quietly, "Eva's gone, mister. Giggles took her last month."
Fraz tries to contain his anticipation at wanting to know more...instead he waves his hand to try and coax the child over.
"Thanks lad, we're here to get you all out of here and away from Lamm," he says in quiet tones. "Wake your friends quietly, and make your way to the door...we'll be dealing with the thugs so they don't bother you anymore."
Then, clenching his jaw, he asks very quietly and seriously: "Tell me, lad, who is Giggles and where did he take Eva?" There is a look of concern in his eyes as awaits an answer.
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Then, clenching his jaw, he asks very quietly and seriously: "Tell me, lad, who is Giggles and where did he take Eva?" There is a look of concern in his eyes as awaits an answer.
The boy, now out of his hammock, silently points to the open bay in the floor.
Other children are starting to stir, and some are getting out of bed, but still none has cried out.
The boy, now out of his hammock, silently points to the open bay in the floor.
Other children are starting to stir, and some are getting out of bed, but still none has cried out.
Somewhat puzzled, but also concerned by the child's tenative gesture, Frasides nods. "A bit more time, lad. Is Lamm down there somewhere; or in the rooms above? Anyone else you can tell me about."
Once he has the answers, he nods, "Thanks be to you. Now, gather your friends and get moving quietly out the door. We want to get you safe from here."
Lastly, if he can manage to get everyone near the exit or just outside - "With these children out of the way, I think we can make our assault. Does anyone have any ideas as to what to do with them? Do we leave someone to keep an eye on them..."
A mixture of anger and frustration is visible in his eyes. "I'm ready to bloody these bastards, but...I am somewhat hesitant to leave these children to mercy of the streets right now."
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Somewhat puzzled, but also concerned by the child's tenative gesture, Frasides nods. "A bit more time, lad. Is Lamm down there somewhere; or in the rooms above? Anyone else you can tell me about."
The boy, now out of his hammock, silently points to the open bay in the floor.
Other children are starting to stir, and some are getting out of bed, but still none has cried out.
The boy nods. "Giggles puts the bad kids down there. That's where Mr. Gaedren stays."
"Good lad. Lets make sure that none of these bastards get away. Now you kids when you go outside, I want you to find as many good size stones for throwing as you can get your hands on. If we fail to take Gaedren down, chances are he is going to be very hurt and very angry, but if you kids gang up on him, I very seriously doubt he will be able to use any of you kids ever again."
Standing up and reaching into his tunic for a silvery butterfly holy symbol dangling on a chain around his neck, kisses it and returns it to its place. He can be heard to mumble, "May Desna guide our steps."
"Children, I know of a safe place for you. I was once where you are now, please travel to the Pantheon of the Many , you know where that is, don't you? Tell them Cole sent you, can you remember that?" Cole whispers to the boy. "I need you to be strong and keep everyone quiet, we can't let Giggles or Mr. Gaedren hear us"
If 'never trust anyone named Giggles' isn't a gnomish proverb, it should be. Simn resolves to bring it up at the next meeting. Avalon receives an incredulous stare. Does he really think these kids have it in them to bludgeon a man to death with rocks? Would he really want them to go through that experience in any case?
Cole, on the other hand, has a far more sensible idea and Simn nods firmly in support of him, saying, "The cathedral's definitely the best option." It is not the kids' responsibility to clean up after their mistakes, and Simn would much prefer to know they were safe if it does all go horribly wrong.
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Most of the children are standing around, staring and whispering to each other, but seem ready to go to safety (or perhaps still dazed and groggy). The one boy and three other children, two boys and a girl, want to stay. "We want to help," he says determinedly.
Frasides is now certain Eva is not among them.
No alarm seems to have been raised.