"The dungeons are straight in and down the stairs to the right," Khuno told the others. "There are also stairs up to the upper levels. We don't know where they are keeping your comrades, but at this hour of the night, we're more apt to encounter people on the upper levels."

"I suggest we try the dungeon first. A caution, though: we could easily be trapped down there, so we should have someone cover our retreat just in case."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:15, Sat 16 Dec 2017.

"I take it thats my cue to stay above, I can manage that" he said whilst stroking a granade.

"I don't think that's what she meant," Jheridan responded. "She means inside... watching the top of the stairs so that our retreat isn't cut off."

"Not that your aerial presence might not be needed as we run down that long ramp," he said as he gestured to the ramp leading up to the cliff-top fortress. "I suppose it depends on how quickly you can get airborne once we leave the fortress."

"Ah, this is acceptable." At which point, the flier reaches down, takes one of the cloaks from a guard and puts it on over the wings. "Now I look more like something to be wary of rather than a flammable thing and attract less attention should we be seen"

He had been braver this last 2 or 3 days than he had been all his life, well, unless you listened to the monk who helped him control his urge to blast things.

Danyka had watched the entire situation with the detaining of the guards with a sort of detached bemusement.  She was obviously concerned for the well-being of her companions, but it seemed that the fickle hand of Fate was at play.  As much as she trusted in Morrow and his blessed light, the young Rynnish gun mage always had this niggling feeling in the back of her mind.  Like when her home in a rush.  There was always a price to be paid; Dany was always anticipating the drop of the other shoe - it just seemed inevitable.  Her burgundy lips were pulled thin for a brief moment as a momentary wave of old regret washed over her.

The questions and banter of the others started to pull her back to the present, snapping her personal reverie with the mundane tasks of retrieval and survival.  Her downcast eyes shot upwards to the cliff face and then her companions as their words registered and she processed them.

She nodded quietly to Khuno assessment and then Jheridan's clarification.  Dany gestured for them to continue forward.  With the guards down and out of the way, they needed to move quickly; it was only a matter of time before someone noticed something amiss and all the stealth in the world wouldn't help them then.

With the corner of her mouth, the raven-haired Rynnish gun mage blew an errant lock of hair that had mischieviously fallen there in all of the activity.  Glancing about furtivelybehind them before trailing along after the others, Danyka adjusted her grip on her weapons - the cunningly-curved elvish blade in her right hand and the elegantly-filigreed magelock pistol in her left hand.

Khuno leads the way as she seems to know where she's going.

The unconscious guards are all dragged inside and trussed up, as well as gagged. Don't want them shouting for help if they wake up before the group leaves.

There's a wide hallway leading from the doors, going on around 100 feet before ending in a wall. There are doors in either of the side walls, 2 each. A quick listen and then opening them reveals that they are empty of people but there are bunks and weapons.

At the end, stairs are found that go up on the left and down on the right.

Listening again, nothing is heard from either direction.

Khuno begins going down the stairs on the right, being as stealthy as she can, which is nearly silent.

The stairs only go downward about 40 feet before coming to a landing. Across the landing is an iron-bar door. Beyond it are another flight of stairs going down.

Khuno pulls out a small vial and does something with it to the hinges on the door. She turns then and gives the quiet gesture of finger to lips. Then she swings open the door. Somewhat surprisingly, the door does not seem to have been locked. It also does not squeak.

She gestures to indicate Jheridan should guard this door.

She descends the stairs. Upon reaching the bottom, there is another door made of iron bars. Beyond is a room. There is a table in it with 3 chairs around it. There appears to be single guard sitting at the table, but sleeping with head on the table top.

Tealon, not being the quiet type and knowing it, hangs back at least 8 steps around the corner as he moves forward.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:12, Wed 31 May 2017.

In reply to Tealon Holdron (msg # 301):

Ioelenna knowing she is Nigh as quiet as she able to find the right shadows to hide in does her best to remember all her combat stealth techniques.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:32, Tue 20 June 2017.

In reply to Ioelenna Winterspire (msg # 302):

Tealon felt after this nights work, that he was glad Ioelenna was close by. They had worked well together earlier.

Having reloaded the repeating crossbow earlier, wings hidden under guard cloak, Tealon kept sweeping his gaze front and back, just in case.

Jheridan takes up his assigned station, fully aware that if they all went down the stairs, the door could be shut and locked behind them. It did not seem likely that there was another way out of the dungeon, so they would be effectively trapped. They could then just be starved out or to death.

He had not bothered taking any of the uniforms from the guards to disguise himself. It was clear at a glance that he was not one of these people, and he did not think any northerners would be in the employ of this local lord.

Still, it was a vulnerable position. Nowhere to hide, no way to take shelter. He would have to rely on his pistol and spells, limited as they were, to hold the 'low ground'. And that was another issue: he suspected that this fortress held more men than he had ammunition left.

All he could do is wait patiently, and keep an eye on Tealon at the top for any sign of threat.

Khuno smiled a bit as she surveyed the room with the sleeping guard. No doubt the guard was used to spending a lot of nights here, as his sonorous breathing indicated he was in deep sleep. He had no expectation of being visited by superiors at this hour, so he was unconcerned about being caught sleeping 'on the job'.

That made it easy for her to slip into the room and whack him on the back of the head... to make sure he remained unconscious. She wasn't bloodthirsty, so she saw no reason to kill him.

She was quite surprised, though, to find only one guard on duty. It probably meant there weren't too many prisoners at the moment, which was a good thing.

Making sure the guard really was unconscious, she pulled the ring of keys off of his belt, and led the way through the door at the opposite side of the room.

As expected, it led to a corridor... hallway? ...with several doors in each wall. Each of the dozen doors had a small window set in it for viewing, perhaps also for ventilation.

She could see that all but two of the doors were open, indicating that they were most likely empty.

She advanced to the first closed on the left. She didn't see any point in listening at the door, as there wasn't likely to be any conversation going on within. Upon reaching the door, she saw that there was a sliding panel across the small barred window by which the view to the inside (or the outside) could be blocked. This one was open, though.

Beyond was the expected small cell. Khuno had never been in one of these cells, although she had been a 'guest' of the master of the keep on more than one occasion. So, she was surprised to see that a 'bench' or 'bed' had been carved out of the stone at the back of the cell.

A single person was asleep on it.

She waved the 1st Mate forward, who, upon looking in, nodded and whispered 'That's the captain!'

Satisfied, she moved on to the next closed door. Same situation: small cell, single occupant. She doubted this was the other person they were looking for, since he was clearly of local stock. Though dirty and disheveled, the man's clothes were rather richly appointed.

She turned to the 1st Mate and Danyka, shook her head and just shrugged her shoulders.

However, she quickly went down the hall and looked in each of the other ten rooms. As expected, they were all empty.

When she came back, she saw no reason to remain silent.

"Only your captain is here. The other prisoner is local, but seems important. I'll let out the captain first, and you can explain to him what is going on," she said.

She took the ring of keys that she had, and examined the keys before selecting one, inserting it into the lock and turning it. There was a barely audible click, and then she pushed the door open.

The 1st Mate and Danyka entered the cell to rouse the captain while Khuno went to the next cell.

After repeating the previous procedure, as she swung the door inward, the prisoner was standing up and watching her. He looked vaguely familiar...

"Who are you? And why are here in this cell?" she asked bluntly. They didn't have time for niceties.

"I am Prince Abukar," he stated in a crackly voice. "And you are Khuno Manco. I must now ask you: why are you here?"

She was more than a little surprised that he knew her name, but she now knew why he'd looked familiar. She'd seen him before, but they had never met. She also understood why he was a prisoner--he disagreed with the Promaxim on nearly every issue. Still, it was unprecedented for the Promaxim to kidnap and imprison his opposition. It did explain, however, why there were no other prisoners. Verlo would not want anyone to know that Prince Akubar was here. It also explained the lack of guards. The fewer guards there were, the less chance of one of them saying something he shouldn't.

"We are rescuing the Northerners. We found only the captain, though. Do you know where the Master Trader is? Does he still live?"

"I believe he does. He has struck a deal with Verlo... for better treatment. I overheard him speak with the captain on several occasions. The captain still expected to be rescued--I see that he was correct and that his faith was not misplaced. But, the Trader. He did not like languishing in the dungeon. And, of course, he spoke the local language, however barbarically."

"That is something for his kinsmen to discuss. For now, let's get you out of here."

She led him out of the cell, and, for good measure, closed and locked the two cell doors as they left, even going so far as returning the ring of keys to the guard's belt. Maybe the disappearance of the prisoners would be attributed to the Foreigner's magic!

She briefly explained the situation to the others as the returned, noting that Jheridan was relieved to see them come back safely, as was Tealon.

They went into one of the guard rooms near the entrance to discuss matters.

"What do you wish to do?" Khuno asked. "I will still help you find him, if you wish, but I should see that Prince Akubar is safely away from this fortress. And you must still free your ship before the dawn."

In reply to Jheridan (msg # 304):

The disguised winged Mechanik watched and listened, he was glad they had found the captain and a Prince no less.  Under his breath, he called on Angellia & Corben to help guide the fellow Iron Fist and quickly find the rest of the lost crew. It was now, after the fact, that he was glad he'd given Danyka the translation amulet, not that he didn't trust their guide but that he trusted his leader more, it was going to be needed should Khuno understandably escort the Prince away.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:26, Wed 21 June 2017.

Her thin fingers traced the lines on the translation amulet for a brief moment, before Danyka slipped it on and tucked it under the layers of her buffcoat and blouse beneath.

Danyka glanced briefly up the stairs wondering why it took two keep watch, but there were more than enough to do the job at hand.  So, the buddy system was probably good.  The raven-haired Rynnish gun mage had tried to keep Del close; the first mate was the only one among them that knew that Captain for easy recognition and vice versa.  Despite their clothes and the clandestine approach which should be dead giveaways, Dany knew that confusion reigned in such situations.  And it would not due to have any of her crew or the other ship's captain injured from any miscommunication.

She stalked right behind Khuno trying to (inexpertly) keep to the shadows, but ending up relying more on her natural dexterity to keep her relatively hidden.  Her eyes darted warily to an fro, as she kept any eye on the others in the line as well as what was before them; she seemed slightly surprised to find so few guard - and those present to be sleeping.  Though in retrospect, perhaps it was just par for the course.  Obviously, the enemy hadn't known they were coming.

When they found the two prisoners, Danyka glanced at Del to see which, if either was the captain.  And which (if either was Murchins).  The sleeping prisoner seemed to fit the bill for the Captain and Zarian confirmed it.  Once the cell door was opened by Khuno, the thin Llaelese expatriate slipped into the room and knelt near the prone figure. "Captain..." she urged quietly, touching them man on the shoulder gently to see if she could awaken him without too much of a shock, "We need to get you out of here, sir.  I've got Mr. Zarian and your crew here to help retake the Seacutter..."  She motioned for Del to move closer.  Hopefully, a familiar face would help their cause.

Once regrouped with the others, Danyka greeted the Prince and then nodded to Khuno assessment and leave-taking.  "Thank you for your help, Khuno Manco." she acknowledged readily, the young woman's immeasurable aid to the group, "We are in your debt."  The shimmering black locks bobbed slightly as she inclined her head in a gesture of gratitude.

Then Dany quirked her head to the side for a moment.  "How far is the Prince's residence?  Might it be faster for us to take him there by sea, instead?" the Llaelese gun mage posited aloud, "Once the Seacutter is retaken, of course..."
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 00:00, Thu 22 June 2017.

With what had occurred in the town and the now escaped prisoners, the tactician from the middle of nowhere, was now somewhere, such a somewhere that it could, had they not been so skilled and lucky, he thanks Corben, that they would have never been able to get inside so getting out would take speed and even more luck.

If we tarry for long, this fortress will be rousing before we start to leave and if it is noticed that the guards on the walls are missing, getting back out will mean we will be hard pressed all the way back to the ships.  We need to retake the Seacutter, how much crew is known to still be in captivity?  Me for one would like to get this trader and take him back for trial, other than saving his own hide, he may have ulterior motives like getting on the good side of the people running this place so an escape can be arranged; unlikely but without questioning!

He left it hanging there ready for others to take it up.  As before, he said his piece then was quite.

"No one gets left behind," the Thurian Gun Mage said then, not forcefully, but definitely determinedly.

"The captain does not appear to have been mistreated or tortured, so, for all we know, that is Koss Murchins' doing. Be not so quick to judge another until you learn all the facts."

"If he is not exactly a prisoner, perhaps he will not be guarded. After all, he'd have to get past the guards at the gate, and even then, where would he go?"

"I will go after Murchins alone if no one else will join me."

In reply to Nicollo Baldino (msg # 309):

Looking expectantly at Danyka for orders. I'd go with you Nicollo, as lookout if for no other reason

He handled the explosivws he had with him and hoped that he'd get to use them again soon, he was getting itchy fingers. All this skulking about was necesaary but blowing a hole through a wall to get out would be fun and probably cause confusion, then it hit him.

Captain, did you have explosives and ammunition on your ship? The weight of that thought should hit people right about......Now, he thought.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:55, Thu 22 June 2017.

"I do not need a ship to reach my estate," the Prince replies to Danyka. "It is only on the north edge of town."

"However, I might be interested in taking a trip on your ship, if that is possible. Let's just say, that a sea voyage would be good for my health about now."


The captain then responds to Tealon's question.

"No explosives, but of course we have... well, maybe had... ammunition."

So they now have gunpowder that they didn't have before. If we can locate it and use to destroy any other technology we brought, the power struggle won't be enhanced by us. We can take what we can.

It's not my decision though.

"I shall accompany Nicollo as well," Khuno said.

"If the Prince wishes to sail with you, then perhaps he is safe there."

"But you must hurry to free the captain's ship before the sun rises!"

If we are to split in two, I shall go where it is decided I'm more useful.

I can show you how to set a grenade to cause an explosion and fire. We certainly do need to hurry. Danyka

He noticed that his were not the only eyes to turn to their assumed leader for confirmation.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:02, Wed 05 July 2017.

In reply to Tealon Holdron (msg # 314):

Whilst waiting, Tealon pulls out a grenade and explains, without activating it, to anyone willing to learn, how to use it.

Khuno seemed particularly interested in the grenade that Tealon showed her, and paid rapt attention to his explanation on how to deploy it.

"So I pull this ring and throw it? How far must I throw it to not be affected by the... explosion? How damaging is it? Will it remove a door? How many men will it kill?"

"Finding your trader should be easy--getting him out, perhaps not so easy. This may be the key to doing so."

"You should help free the ship, Tealon. You understand the ship far better than I do, just as I understand this fortress better than you."

"And the two of us, Nicollo and I, we will be able to move faster on our own."

In reply to Khuno Manco (msg # 316):

How is it you know this fortress so well?

I will give a fire grenade and an exploding grenade to Nicollo as I've know him more than 4 hours if you don't mind Khuno. There has been too many things so far happen.

The fishermen were already awake when we set off for here, we'll be lucky if it isn't light by the time we get to the Ship.

Looking at the rest of the Iron Fist, Tealon hopes someone, anyone picks up on him concerns. 'Blaster' shows the visible differences between the two grenades so the don't get mixed up.

When you or Nicollo find the gunpowder, use the fire grenade. As soon as you use either, there will be a mighty noise. You can set them for 5 or 10 seconds or impact by removing the cap.

Khuno looks surprised at Tealon's comment about the 'gunpowder' being in the fortress.

"I had not thought of that," she says. "It does makes sense that it would have been moved here. As I understand it, it has others uses than just aboard the ship."

"It would have taken them months to learn how to operate the ship themselves, and that would have been with the cooperation of the crew. Without it..."

She and Nicollo vanish up the stairs.

In reply to Khuno Manco (msg # 318):

Seeing the weight of his words hit home in Khuno's face, the threat it imposed! It was no wonder that Khuno and Nicollo went so fast up the stairs.

Danyka, we need to get the Prince and the Crew to the ship now.  If not, it will be too late. Are you ready Jheridan and Ioelenna?

With that, even though his leader had not spoke, he headed to the exit.  Times like this is what he lived for, when action and just 'doing it' are called for.  It's why the Monk took him under his wing.