CH. 12: Testing Grounds

[djhyland]

"I'm sorry about your family," Arulia says awkwardly. To cover the uncomfortable silence, she changes the subject. "I don't know if Kendra would work against the army. She's honest, and I'd guess that the money is too important to her since she took the job in the first place. And that's without the risk of being caught...I can't imagine that the army would be very merciful."

(OOC: Arulia may as well open the shop while she and Gobax are there. Of course, she'll stop talking about treasonous matters if someone else comes in for business.)

[TristenC]

Grubnick scratches idly at the scar on his face, Pity, as one of the Prefect's personal guard she is one of the few people in a position to effect a real change here in Haven... what if we could somehow get her family out of the city? Do you think she'd consider it then? Or if we could somehow make it seem like the church was involved>

[Haahque]

Note to self, stupid human methods of locomotion are stupid, should get into better shape or force them to build gnome methods of locomotion. Second option is optimal.

Well Haahqae has a few options here. The guards being behind the doors do make it more difficult for him to trick them with many of his tricks, but perhaps there's another staircase somewhere in this tower that goes directly to the tenth floor without having to pass through the locked ninth floor? That's one option. Another option is to try and wait for someone to come though the door who has authorization. His invisibility, if the books are correct, lasts a long time. He might start feeling hungry, but not for hours. Surely someone would come by in that amount of time. That's option number two.

Or there's option number three, try to trick them. This one has the most immediate results, so Haahqae tries this first.

First idea for option three is very simple. Haahqae walks up to the door and knocks on it.

(OoC: how does Haahqae see the guards on the other side? Is there a window in the door or is it a gate or does he just hear them and not see them?)

[Chris1234]

Shima follows the other pair around with his spear ready should anything unpleasant, especially with 8 legs, charge at him for lunch. (Set to receive...)

He thinks, "Well, this is a bit of a turn up. Last time it was me doing all the business. Way to go, guys!"
The dwarf actually smiles, although it may look like he's got a sour taste about something; (he hasn't.)

[JadedDM]

Haahqae (Old Fort, Tower Level 8)
The two guards share a look of confusion, before turning to face the door. "Did you hear that?" asks the first one.

"Did someone just knock? From the other side?" asks the second.

"Nobody's supposed to be in there. And why did it sound so low?"

They seem puzzled about this development. Finally, the first one pulls out the key and nods to the other one. The second one readies his spear to attack whoever might be on the other side. The first one unlocks the door and with another nod of acknowledgement from his companion, kicks it open. However, there seems to be nobody on the other side...just a staircase leading up.

(OOC: The guards aren't behind the door, the stairs are. I suppose I could have worded that better. No, the guards are in front of the door.)

Kendra Greylock (Prefect's Mansion)
"I have my people working on it," Tethys replies. "But having you confirm it personally will help speed up word of mouth further. Plus, it's good for you to mingle. It will boost morale among the citizens and you might be able to gather some intel that way on the rebels."

Arulia and Gobax (Thoron's Blacksmithy)
As the two talk, now and again a customer comes in asking for something and they are forced to go silent for a bit. Gobax's stomach rumbles, as well. He never had breakfast and it's now Seventh Watch, after lunch time.

Felran, Ne-Chanz and Shima (North Haven Sewers)
The three head up to the northeast corner and set flame to the webbing there. It quickly ignites and spreads. They then move to the southwest corner to do the same. The effect is similar. The webbing, it turns out, extends up to the ceiling and the whole room is soon aglow with light as a result. Hundreds of little spiders are consumed in the fire. But two very large ones are only singed. They drop from the ceiling to the north and east of the party. Both are around 12' in diameter or so.

The one to the north is completely black with a large red spot on its thorax that resembles an hourglass in shape. The one to the west has brown and black striped fur and its legs are covered in a thick chitinous material that is also smooth and sharp, making them resemble blades.

Neither looks particularly pleased at the intrusion, and especially at the burns.

==========

Spider 01 takes (1d6): 4 fire damage. It is now moderately wounded.
Spider 02 takes (1d6): 5 fire damage. It is now lightly wounded.

(OOC: Actions for Round 1?)

[HorizonsDream]

"As much as the people might view the army as a good thing right now, not many people are going to talk to a person in uniform," Kendra admitted. "If I'm not mingle, the uniform is going to have to come off. It will be easier for me to get the intel that you want that way."

[Haahque]

It worked! Chances are they'll decide it was nothing they heard, it's possible that they decide that it was really suspicious but either way it won't matter much if Haahqae successfully pulls off the heist. If he fails, then there are a while slew of problems that can happen, and two guards hearing a knock at a door that had no one on the other side is probably just a minor detail that will be forgotten.

So, for now Haahqae quietly slips through the door and takes a few moments to take in his surroundings. He wants to continue his journey upwards, but it would also be a good idea to have a couple minutes to sit down and recover his strength before taking the last leg of the journey. Good news! There's lots of stairs here, and stairs make excellent chairs as long as no one's using them.

(OoC: Score one for the bardic knock spell!)

[BishGada]

Tulbas puts his belonging in the chest, but keep his book with him. He goes near the window, looks at the forest and listens to the birds. 'Ahhhaa... Life seems so simple in here...' The view reminds him again of long gone years when he was a child. Images of his family and their decorated house in the village he grew in. Even that his father was a leader and consultant, they lived in a fairly small house. But even that it was small it has everything they needed and they were happy family. Both his parents kept the house neat and ordered. Painted images decorated with gems, metals and various of woods where placed in the rooms around the house. Most of the painting came in heritage from his father, describing ancestors, but other images where drawn by his mother hands, weaves with magic, and described the beauty of nature. Somehow the views lifted the viewers spirit and made them more honest and more brave in the immediate time after watching the pictures... 'Ahhaa... What lovely days I had back then...' He thinks to himself.
However, after few minutes of pleasure, step by step the recent events and memories crawls back to his mind. First, Raetmal murder. The shock of it freezes Tulbas blood in his veins. Then the lost of his parents, then his torture by the Belzorites and all the memories his unconsciousness brought back... His thoughts are getting darker and darker... 'How many students have lost their life in The Test? Why are they doing this test for? They claim no one should use magic without observation and control, but does The Test truly does it? How it prevents those who pass it to go wild with it afterwards? And this tower, and all the cowards that prefer ignoring what goes on in the real world... It is doomed already.'
With his dark thoughts Tulbas feels the urge to prepare again for The Test. He goes over the spells he has written in his book and reads all the side notes he wrote during tests and study of the arcane, first he sees conclusion he had from his lessons with Raetmal, and later what he learned with Magnus. It his hard to miss the change between the two... At first the conclusions were to be wary how the spells might affect the opponents. What if he miss judged the other persons and to always try to avoid harming them too much if possible, while recently it was to think how he can get himself out of trouble, even if it means sacrificing innocents. 'Yes.... Magnus view of the world does affect me. But I might need to adopt his ways in order to defeat him. Then I'll return to Raetmal's and Father's teachings.' He thinks to himself, trying to justify immoral deeds if such will be required.

[djhyland]

"But where would they go that's better?" asks Arulia. "If there was a safe place to go, don't you think that I'd have gone with my family a long time ago? Right now, the safest place is here, army and church or no. And with her working for the Prefect, Kendra's family is as secure as anyone can be here, I think." She shakes her head. "If there's something that'd make her betray the Prefect, I don't know what it is."

After a moment, Arulia ventures, "You mentioned the church, though. It seems to me that the church and the army don't really get along. If you're looking to change things in Haven, perhaps you could drive a wedge between the two of them."

[JadedDM]

Haahqae (Old Fort, Tower Level 9)
Haahqae slips through the door and up the stairs before the guards shrug it off and close and lock it again. When he reaches the top, he takes a moment to catch his breath. Looking around, he's clearly in the armory now. There are tons of weapon racks, armor stands, barrels full of pikes and chests full of arms. Everything is meticulously placed in order, making it easy to find things. There's enough arms and armor in here for...well, for an army, obviously.

Searching around a bit, he finds there is nobody in here. It's just him. He eventually finds a door that must lead up to the next--and last--floor. There are no guards, but it is locked. And what a lock. It's a masterwork lock the like that Haahqae has never seen. Even a master lockpicker would have great difficulty with this one.

(OOC: Attempting to pick the masterwork lock incurs a -40% penalty to the roll.)

Kendra Greylock (Prefect's Mansion)
Tethys shrugs. "If you like, but I don't see what difference it will make. Everyone in the city knows your face now. You're famous. Taking off your uniform won't change that, as far as I can see." He adds, "I'll leave it to your own judgment on how you think best to do the job. Just keep an eye out and be careful who you trust. It won't do to lose my best soldier to some assassin's blade or poison."

Tulbas Erogund (Tower of Wayreth, Guest Room)
While Tulbas studies and gets lost in his own dark thoughts, he is interrupted by voices. His keen elven ears pick up on sounds that humans likely wouldn't, and he realizes there is a slight crack in the tower wall between his room and the room to the right. People in that room are speaking to each other, and he can just barely hear them. He could swear that one of the voices sounds like Magnus. If he presses his ear to the crack, he might be able to actually make out some of the words...

[TristenC]

They can't have conquered the whole world yet. You must have looked for somewhere to go when things started to go badly, what areas are holding out still? Besides, her family is only safe from the Army, and only so long as the army wants to keep them safe. He listens carefully to the rest of her conversation, and nods at her last suggestion. I've been looking for a way to split them... this attack that happened in the market, maybe there is some potential there... Perhaps we could start some rumors that the church started it... a creature of pure fire like that, who else could have done it? Maybe they were responsible and wanted to use the incident as an excuse to hunt 'heretical clerics' more aggressively. And attacking the army would be a clever way for them to give the army a reason to go after rogue clerics more aggressively... I've been thinking about how to pit the army's different forces against each other als... Grubnick cuts himself off abruptly. Stupid little... what the hell was he telling her all of this for? Just because she spoke against the church a little bit? Because she fought beside him against the belzorites? It was stupid. It was a massive risk. It was... It's the only way your'e going to get anything done... you have to trust somebody...

[HorizonsDream]

"Best solider?" Kendra asks. "Aside from preparing for this parade, is there anything else you wish me to do today?"

[BishGada]

'Interesting...' Tulbas thinks to himself and gets closer to the wall. 'Meeting the masters of the orders was the first time I saw Magnus show respect to someone. This is opportunity to get some decent information from his knowledge.' he presses his ear againt the track and keeps silent.

[spyguy1503]

Ne-Chanz grins, terrifyingly. "Finally, a real fight!" He charges at #2 then attacks.

[djhyland]

Arulia looks at Gobax, and a shadow of alarm flits across her face. "Is he trying to bait me into telling my secrets?" she thinks. "Does he work for the church?"

Realizing that the goblin has paused, Arulia stammers, "I...I don't know...much about heretical clerics or...or anything about that fire monster. I don't...don't think I can help you with any of that." She shakes her head, trying to regain her composure. "I just don't like what the army is doing to my family, and I'm trying to keep us from being sent away. I don't want trouble with the church, too. Maybe we should just find Xyleena and Yvette..."