"And who should be visible and who invisible?" Brindle adds thoughtfully.

Ishpemo snorts as Tesseryn outlines the entirely mythical plan.  "Now that sounds more like Berkam-Shem - he's safe on the roof striking from afar while we're in the thick of it !"

"Strangely that makes me feel more confident," he grins.  "At least we're not relying on the wizard's heroics.  Getting the giants into the constabulary though ..." he shakes his head and then swears long and fervently.

"Same problem - they're too big to get into the constabulary from below ... and I forgot the passage up there," he points perfunctorily up the nearby stairs, angry with himself "is pretty narrow."  He considers further.  "They should be able to squeeze through."

"If we sneak in, the wizard won't know we're there - better we show everyone who the new boss is anyway."

"Once we get out of the Inn, I'll have the giants smash the gates open.  That should make a fine distraction.  Then they can go recruiting in the constabulary for us," he grins nastily.

"Can you make yourself and your kinsman invisible ?" he suggests to Brindle.  "As I understand it the spell ends once you start fighting, but it should let you stick a dagger in someone's back before that happens."

Brindle draws back in mock outrage at Ishpemo's suggestion.

"How dare you suggest that we might be the sort of folk who would stab someone in the back?" he demands, but immediately grins to show he is joking.

"Yes, I think I can manage that," he chuckles.

Fat Onoch, snorts in a porcine fashion at Brindle jest.

"We're not going to need the prisoners then," he notes in the aftermath of Tesseryn's plan.

"Sacrifice 'em now as an offerin' for the success of our endeavours, or keep them till later when we can slaughter 'em in thanks for the victory ?"

"Later!" Wrukaog insists. "I always enjoy a carking good feast after a fight and fighting on a full stomach makes me too damn sluggish."

"The direct approach at the mayor's gates then." Aurion confirms Ishpemo's reinterpretation of Tesseryn's plan. "I'll save the inquisitor act for later, if it should be needed."

Tesseryn nods his agreement with Ishpemo's plan, then again to Wrukaog's stay of execution for the prisoners he vowed to rescue.  "Berkam Shem's plan was to use the prisoners as props in the inquisitor ruse, but they'll just get in the way with this improved plan.  Delaying their sacrifice works better.  We need someone to guard them, but can't spare the giants."  He looks thoughtful and lets his gaze travel back down the passage towards the pool.  "Leisha can guard them.  No one gives her any trouble, not even that water monster.  Cogwitz, would you ask her to join us?"

Cogwitz grins happily, though he favours Tessryn with a stagey wink behind Ishpemo's back as he scampers down the passageway to convince Leisha to abandon her staring contest with the water-serpent in favour of a new career as the designated guardian of future sacrifices to a dark god.  What self-respecting young woman wouldn't jump at such a chance ?!!

Indeed, Ishpemo agrees wholeheartedly.  "I'd rather show Set my gratitude than beg for his favour," he admits.

"I see no reason to delay further then.  Once they're squared away, we'll be off ... before Berkam-Shem's courage fails him !"

"Once we're successful ... perhaps we might turn our mind to dealing with Haffrung. if you've no other plans ?  He's no love for Avvakris, but once we depose the mayor, he's bound to see me as a threat to his ambitions.  Old Helleyes has been down there for years - he must have amassed a lot of wealth in that time - I'm sure we can come to some arrangement as to how we might share that between us !"

With a quick wave to Brindle, Cogwitz heads off down the wide corridor to let Leisha know of the new plan.

"Hey, you're never going to believe this.."

Brindle's eyes light up at the suggestion of a share in a major treasure hoard.

"Now you're talking my language!" he agrees eagerly. "One step at a time, of course, but it always helps when you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. And a nice golden light is so much sweeter, I always think."

Tesseryn feigns greed.  "We've made no agreement with Helleyes, so I'm sure we can come to an arrangement, after Avvakris and Merth are dispatched."  He grins at Ishpemo then at his companions.

When Leisha arrives to take charge of the prisoners, Aurion will walk the last part of the way with her and Cogwitz, "... will be their last hour alive, but they don't need to know that, unless you want to see them squirm! We'll be back for them after the battle with the mayor, them Ishpemo will sacrifice them to the glory of Set in the ..."

Out of earshot of Ishpemo he adds a quiet message for her alone and slips a scrap of parchment into her hand ...

Reaching the giants, he calls out "Gogant, Gorm! Feeling hungry? Follow me, we've a date with the mayor and the sheriff."

Tesseryn ad libs loudly, aiming to distract Ishpemo's band while Aurion conspires with Leisha.  "Its an excellent stronghold of yours, this warren of caverns.  But the rats!  May Set send a plague of snakes upon them!  Coming down here we saw some of the constables battling with them.  Judging from that display, I don't think we'll have much trouble with them.  I'm sure you'll whip the survivors into shape once you're in charge!  Ha!"

Leisha frowns a little as Cogwitz tells her the story, sighing.  "Well.  It sounds like Tesseryn has taken to our brand of deceit remarkably well.  It does seem like a good plan, though," she agrees.  She hums a brief ditty and gives a wave of her hand, casting Prestidigitation, and then nods her readiness, following Cogwitz back. 

Pocketing the scrap, she waves her other hand broadly.  "Right, right, glory, Set, et cetera."  She pauses, grinning.  "Et Set-era?  See what I.. nevermind.  I got it.  I get to babysit the bloodbags while you boys have all the fun.  Whatever."

She looks the prisoners over lazily.  "But you lot better do what you're told, or I might decide there's fun to be had down here too."  As she smiles at them, her teeth seem particularly shiny, gleaming briefly in the torchlight.

"Just carking well hurry up! If I don't get to kill something soon I swear I'm going to change my mind about them carking prisoners," Wrukaog grumbles.

Tesseryn laughs in relief and amusement and jokes with Wrukaog, "If you don't eat them, Leisha will.  Yes, let's go."  He gestures for Ishpemo to proceed him up the stairs, leaving Aurion to manage the giants.

Leaving Leisha to bare her teeth at the prisoners, the rest of you, a merry band of cut-throats, ne'er-do-wells and varlots, take to the stairs.  Either your subterfuge is brilliant, or Ishpemo is blinded by the thoughts of the glory that will soon be his ... or perhaps Mitra himself smiles upon you this day, for the three men (charitably assuming that Mrdod qualifies) and two giants seem quite unwary.  Indeed the man who would be mayor, offers much encouragement, a veritable litany of the many ways in which he'd like to slay the current encumbent, and enthusiastic thumps on the shoulder for all (except Wrukaog, for he's not that careless of life).

Ishpemo holds up his copy of the wax seal to quell the undead that lurk in the room at the top of the stairs as Aurion encourages Goom and Gogant to squeeze down the narrow western passage, then you turn north, carefully stepping around the shards of broken mirror, passing through the temple of Set with the marble floor and awful tapestries, and up the central staircase.

"Locked !" Leading from the front, Ishpemo voices his disgust as he tries the door, affronted that his triumphant march to victory should be so thwarted.

"Anyone good with a pick ?"

---

Down below, the manacled prisoners eye Leisha with varying degrees of fear, trepidation and contempt.

"You may slay us, but so shall you reap what you sow," the female member of the quartet declares coldly.  "We shall find comfort in the arms of Ishtar while your soul one day will wander Set's dark domain, lost and alone !"

"Don't ask Wrukaog. He will probably just insist an axe is better than a pick, any day, and prove it!" Brugar says with a grin at the big orc. "Let me see what I can do. I might be a bit rusty, though."

Brindle reaches into his backpack and quickly retrieves a set of lockpicks, then sets to work on the lock. Before long he stands back and grins again.

"Open, says me," he chuckles.

OOC: Brindle rolled 30 using 1d20+11.  Open lock.

Leisha pouts, glancing around to make sure she is indeed alone with the prisoners.  "Oh, I hope not.  Listen, you're familiar with the concept of lying, I hope?  I'm not entirely sure how to convince you of this except that you really don't have any better options, but the thing of it is, my friends and I aren't especially fond of Set either.  Actually, if you'll just follow me to my dear friend Holomir, we could just nip into the White Tower and see if anyone has a good suggestion for faking all of your deaths to help my friends finish dismantling the hierarchy of those who are fond of the Old Serpent?" she proposes.  "Unless you were ready for the arms of Ishtar today, we'd really best be moving."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:11, Sat 07 Mar 2020.

Three of the four prisoners seem overjoyed at Leisha's explanation, more than keen to take her at her word in this unlooked for reprieval from the dark fate that awaited them.  However ...

"I must rescue my friend, Vastavaar !" claims one.

"I must find the mace ! " insists another, "it has inscribed upon it, in invisible runes, an urgent message for my superiors !"

"Ishtar is the goddess of love and war," the lone female smiles, ignoring the pair of them, her relief evident, "falsehoods ... are not unknown in either. I am Vashalla, priestess of Ishtar and would be much more inclined to trust if you remove my bonds," she lifts her hands to the clinking of the metal manacles.

"He, however," she nods her head at the last of the four prisoners, "regards any faith but our own as heresy and will not be inclined to gratitude."

The aforementioned last glares at Leisha, contemptuously.

Leisha shrugs.  "Gratitude isn't really why we're here, but," she smiles cheerfully into his glower, "I really don't have any faith at all, so I suppose no heresy?  It's very nice to meet all of you.  Especially you," she says freely, turning her smile to Vashalla.  "Might I suggest that rescues and reclamations will be a lot easier after the Black Tower has fallen?  Then you can just walk in and pick things up, or let anyone out," she points out, "with hardly any risk of getting everyone killed."

"Oh!  Bonds, that's a good thought."  She pats herself briefly.  "I don't suppose anyone has a key?  No, you wouldn't, would you?  Neither do I, I'm afraid.  Hm."  She pulls her pack around, rummaging in the pockets briefly, pulling out a crowbar.  "We could try this, I guess?  Or," she puts it back and brings out a flask of oil, "I could just grease up your wrists and see if you can pull out?  Or we could just go to the White Tower and hope someone there has a better method, maybe someone good with mechanisms?  I'm not stereotyping gnomes, it's just that there were a lot of them and it seems statistically likely."

Despite his modesty, Brindle is able to pick the lock with consumate ease, earning himself a nod of approval from Ishpemo.  Your erstwhile leader strides forward as the Halfling steps aside, opening the door to reveal the basement of the Inn, a generously sized thirty by twenty feet.

Stored therein are two large wine casks, a couple of sealed barrels, several sacks, a couple of which have large holes in the side from which such delicacies as onions and potatoes spill out, and a half side of what is probably beef from the size of the carcass that hangs from the ceiling.  Probably beef being a great delicacy in these parts.

There are also three of those giant spring-loaded rat traps, baited with rather pungent cheese, though your own tried-and-true approach of skewering rats with sharp steel was undoubtedly more effective than these.

A rather rickety looking staircase stands (to use the term loosely) against the far wall, leading up to a trap door in the ceiling.

"Overlord's Inn up there," Ishpemo informs you all.  "Watch out for Malicia ... and don't drink anything - they drug strangers round here.  I'll make sure Melkor minds his own business."

"If you have any preparations you want to make, now's the time !"

---

Down below, the prisoners seem much more inclined to trust Leisha now, though they are obviously disappointed that she doesn't have the key to release them from their chains.

"The gnomes of the White Tower ... their faith is not disimilar from my own," Valshalla nods, "yet bound as we are ... well, you are no warrior and I fear that the way there will be littered with perils."

The priestess shrugs, "even so, a clean death is better than what these scums offered us ... it is worth the risk !"

"Cogwitz, I think it is time for us to disappear. You will be invisible for three minutes after I cast the spell, unless you attack someone. That will at least take us out through the inn without attracting more attention," Brindle suggests. "Afterwards, when it wears off, I can do it again if that looks like helping us. Does anyone else want to be invisible too? Or stronger? I can give Bull's Strength for three minutes too, but perhaps that should wait until we are close enough to charge in and fight."

Tesseryn secretly slips on the Ring of Mitra that Sir Holomir gave him, giving Protection from Evil to himself and others within 10'r.  He wonders at the reception the aged knight will give Leisha and her charges but is unable to do more than hope.  His holy symbol of Dauros, the silver scales of justice, he keeps hidden in a pouch... the scales-shaped scar on his brow, soot smears on his cheeks and goblin faces on his belt are the only badges he wishes to show now.

"And Malicia is loyal to the mayor you said.  Tell me Ishpemo, would she be missed if something terrible happened to her?"  He feigns a malicious smirk.

He nods acknowledgement of Brindle's Bull Strength offer and moves closer to take it up just before they head upstairs.  He carries his greatsword, chained into his left gauntlet, and a dagger readied for throwing in his right hand.  He will follow Ishpemo up the stairs.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:31, Fri 27 Sept 2019.

With many preparations to make, Aurion wastes no time getting started. Firstly a swig of that good elvish wine from the World Serpent Inn for himself and a tankard of ale dipped for each for the giants, with the occasional 'sssh' to keep them quiet. Next he considers the trapdoor and the girth of the giants. Will they fit through? He organises the giants into a work party to make their egress possible: either shore up the stairs with barrels stacked on end beneath them, or to widen the trapdoor (ie. tear down part of the floor above) after everyone else has used the stairs. "However did they get down here in the first place?" he asks Ishpemo, burdening the would-be-ruler of the land with inventing a narrative for its creation (oh right, dungeon crawl, got it!!).

Before going upstairs just ahead of the giants, Aurion casts three spells on himself: Prestidigitation (as sorcerer, lasts 1 hour), See Invisibility (includes ethereal, lasts 30 min) and Shield (lasts 3 min). He has a Wand of Colour Spray ready.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:05, Fri 27 Sept 2019.