In the cellar of the Pearl's Rest Inn

Those down below can hear a great ruckus from above as Amber and Aria are likely giving a good accounting of whatever mongrels are trying to make it past the blocked door.  Urle comes down the stairs a few seconds later, saying that the two women were going to buy them enough time to escape.

With a trap door established as viable escape route, Helena can climb back down and Davor up.  With a heave, the trap door flops open, revealing it to be wood with an outer covering of cemented stone to make it look like the cobblestone streets outside.  However, in Davor's haste, one of the small kegs kicks loose and tumbles down the stack.  It bangs on the floor and rolls to the base of the kitchen stairs, but mercifully doesn't burst.  There is a snuffling sound at the top of the stairs, though, as if someone, or something, has become curious...

---

Just outside the Pearl's Rest Inn

Zenna had been wary when coming into Pearl Fort.  Her friend Amber had beaten her here by several days, but as Zenna had made her way, she had spied a few mongrels on the paths.  Armed with that information, she had been ready to warn the others and get the heir into hiding.  Except when she entered the gates, there was a huge ruckus going on at the Pearl's Fort Inn, with smoke pouring out of the front doors and screams echoing through the streets!

---

The back alley of the Pearl's Rest Inn

Teana had been making her own way to the town of Pearl Fort, her mission, and the need to locate the mysterious heir, at the top of her mind.  It had been unfortunate that her employers had not known precisely what the heir looked like, but prophecy was not known for its pinpoint accuracy and ease of employment.

It seemed, however, that Fate had chosen to throw the dice in her favor.  The sounds of a small riot from the Pearl's Rest Inn had attracted her attention, and as she turned the corner to its back alley, she saw a trap door near the back wall suddenly flop open!

Teana was not used to walking long distances (much of her life, she'd preferred to jump from point to point instead), but she did realize that flying through the city would attract even more attention than she otherwise would. And while she rather liked attracting attention, she did know that she didn't want to shine too much of a light until she knew where the Heir of Prophecy was.

But when she saw the trap door, her instincts didn't fail her. She launched up into the air in her trademark hop-up jump, carrying her effortlessly to a roof overlooking the alley where the trap door had just opened. Looked like trouble was either starting or ending, so she crouched where she was, trying to be inconspicuous to anyone just coming out of the ground.

Unless otherwise stated, Teana has Air Cushion and Wings of Air on at all times, and can take to the air at a moment's notice.

Zenna chasted herself when she knew that she was going to be late. She had missed Amber, and the chances of finding the heir was greatly reduced because she was late. However when she saw all the ruckus at the Pearl's Fort Inn, she wondered if Amber was at the center of the ruckus.

She ducked to a store front wall so not to be spotted by the Mongrels. But she needed to get closer in order to get a better understanding of what was happening.

Get closer
This message was last edited by the player at 01:03, Wed 03 Apr 2019.

Seeing the keg by the stairs Helena panicked. "Let's get out of here before someone comes" She rushed back up again looking to leave the cellar soon and hopefully get somewhere safe.

Before climbing the pile of barrels, Davor released the giant ethereal sword in his hand. Before the blade struck the ground, it dissolved into green mist which quickly wafted away. It was then a matter of moments before the half-orc was atop the pile of barrels and putting his shoulder against the trap door. The action was rendered awkward by the falchion strapped to his back and he knocked one of the barrels loose while adjusting the blade to allow himself to push the door open.

As the keg crashed down, Davor wasted no time pulling himself up through the opening, quickly scanning the street for more mongrels and then laying down at the opening to reach back in and help the next climber out of the hole. "That will get someone's attention. I don't see any trouble out here. Quick."

Suiting words to his charge's action, Davor can look around and sees no immediate enemies.  He reaches down to pull up Helena, then Jerec and Urle can climb up on their own.  The noises below start to get a little louder, as it seems something is coming down the stairs to investigate the noise...

---



Out of the trap door emerged a substantial half-orc with elaborate tattoos and thick dredlocks with many beads and bones.  He looks around the area carefully, then reaches back down to help a young woman emerge.  She's wearing simple clothes and carrying no weapons, her hair looking a bit disheveled, as if she's been rushing about.  She looks a bit bewildered.  Two others emerge, a bearded man in robes with a crystal-topped staff, and a sturdily-build blond man with a beard, wearing chainmail and carrying a trident and warhammer.  They look like they're scanning the area for foes.

---



Getting closer to the Inn, Zenna can see the the tail-end of a group of cloaked figures going in through the exterior kitchen door, while the well-dressed typical patrons of the Inn seem to be pushing through the main door, trying to get out.  A few are sporting wounds obviously inflicted by violence, slashes from blades or bashes from clubs and maces, rather than the kinds of scrapes and bumps from jostling in a panicked crowd.  The inn's main room seems to be filled with hazy smoke, making seeing detail very difficult, but there's a lot of growling and battle cries inside!

Well the mongrels were focused on a target inside the building. They practically ignored the well-dressed patrons. They must have a specific target. She needed more information. She hustled forward and grabbed one of the fleeing patrons.

"Shhh! Don't shout!" Zenna hissed. "How many mongrels did you see? Obviously they are not after you. But you must have seen something! Who are they after? And what other exits does the building have?"

Helena hurried to close the hatch and turned her attention around. "They could find it at any time. We need to move and find a place to hide."

Climbing up behind the others Jerec turned and quickly lifted the heavy trapdoor with a hand, grunting as he put his back into it, and slammed it back shut. Then standing back he gripped his staff with both hands and pointed it at the portal, staring intently at the closed portal and whispering some unintelligible into his beard.

Nothing outwardly apparent happened, but then Jerec lowered his staff and glanced at the others saying, "That should hold it, now lets get somewhere safe where we can figure out what's going on and why those creatures were after Helena; I suggest leaving the town altogether for now."

It would mean abandoning the two who were still fighting inside, but Jerec felt that Helena's protection was more important. Not to mention with her out of there, the creatures would likely abandon the fight, as their priority had seemed to be killing the girl.

After helping Helena out of the trap door, Davor turned his attention to checking for threats outside again while the others climbed up. None of the mongrels appeared to be waiting for them out here at street level. At Jerec's suggestion, Davor turned and eyed the others critically. "Most of you hardly seem ready to go traveling through the wilderness. I know the wilds well enough, but that will only take us so far..."

He paused, seeming to consider. "Normally, I would suggest that we consult the spirits about our next move, but that needs somewhere safe. If we can get off the street for long enough to catch our breath we can decide what to do."

Davor Spiritwalker rolled 21 using 1d20+4. Knowledge: Local. Somewhere to hide.

Outside the Pearl's Rest Inn



The person you stopped, a stout older woman wearing a buff-and-wine linen and velvet gown, gapes at you for a moment in shock.  It takes a little shake of her arm to get her talking, but she finally manages it.

"Oh gods, it was horrible!  There were dozens of those awful beasts, just running in from the kitchen and towards that back room, and then a huge explosion of fire went off and scared me out of a year of my life!  I ran as soon as I could!" she says, more than slightly hysterical.

--

In the alley behind the Pearl's Rest Inn

Being elsewhere seems like an excellent thing to be right now, and Urle, Jerec, Davor, and Helena all know it.  Davor takes a moment to ponder where might be a good place to hide.


As the others keep a lookout, they see no mongrels coming to the alley... yet.  There's a lot of noise towards the front of the building, and the kitchen side, but the back alley has only echoes and the faint smell of garbage.  A couple of children come running down the alley, squealing and shrieking in excitement, but pause when they see you, and dart back the way they came.

Teana decided that these four probably were likely to know what was going on. However, for the moment, she simply wanted to shadow them. Right now was not the time to make contact.

Outside the Pearl's Rest Inn
The stout older woman pulled herself free and fled. Zenna didn't give chase because she learned what she needed. The mongrels were focused on the backroom. She needed to move to the rear of the Pearl's Rest Inn. She decided it was worthwhile to run since others were already fleeing the scene. However her pathway took her to the back of the Inn.

Davor began to lead the way down the alley away from the front of the inn. As he did, he laid out the options that came to mind. "There are places to hide outside of town if you all think you can handle roughing it. There are caves in the hills to the northeast, maybe a day's travel or sea caves just past the docks which are closer. Personally, I think we should just find a place in town to catch our breath. There are plenty of warehouses. If we can find one that isn't being trafficked right now, that might be best. Otherwise, if we can manage to look inconspicuous enough, one of the cheaper taverns might work. Seedier places, you know?"

As Davor, Urle, Jerec, and Helena are starting to walk down the alley, two things happen.  One, Jerec and Urle spot a woman crouching on the roof looking down at them.  Two, another woman appears at the end of the alley behind you, this one armed with a scimitar and longbow!

Zenna, as you head to the back of the Inn, you see a well-build armed blond man with a neat beard, an older human man in robes with a staff, a dredlocked and tattooed half-orc, and a somewhat bewildered-looking human woman wearing the simple clothing of a typical citizen.  All four are together and headed away from you.

Jerec was considering Davor's words as they moved, though he wanted Helena to make the choice and offer counsel when possible. Before they got much further though, the mage spotted movement upon the rooftops, as well as the opposite end of the alley.

Though his first instinct was to blast them with spells or confound them with illusions, the fact that they were not unnatural creatures caused Jerec to stay his hand. He was still wary though.

"Ho there strangers, be ye friend or foe?" Jerec called out loudly, pointing his staff at the woman crouching on the rooftop with his staff, while turning to stare also at the woman at the end of the alleyway. "It is not nice to follow without announcing yourselves; speak quick lest I turn you into chimpanzees or something far more unsavory."
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:29, Thu 11 Apr 2019.

Davor had not noticed either woman until Jerec called out with his threat. The half-orc tensed and turned, his hand clutching as though at the hilt of a weapon that wasn't there but no sword materialized in his hand. Instead he focused intently for a moment on the two figures.

Using Detect Evil to focus on Zenna then Teana. I assume there's nothing.

Teana smiled and lifted her hands to show that they were empty, before expertly hopping from the roof to the ground. "Save your spells. I'm on the job, and we're probably friends." Unless brawls in this town usually spilled out through the cellar, anyway. "I'm Teana the Windstorm, from down south, and more questions can wait until we're away from here."

Zenna waited looking for a familiar face. When she was called out, "Mongrels are at the front door of the Inn. I'm looking for a friend... a woman, she uses two weapons." She didn't move from her position since it gave her an excellent vantage point to see multiple angles.


She basically described Amber

Davor relaxed after a moment. "The spirits whisper that these two are not with the monsters, just more souls drawn into whatever tempest of fate it is that blows today. I agree that now is a good time to be leaving. A woman like that is currently holding back the tide of creatures inside."

Zenna eyes widened after she understood that Amber was inside the Inn. That was typical of her, but foolish. "I've got to help her. She was protecting someone!" She cried out as she rushed towards the group that exited the Inn. She pulled her bow and nocked an arrow with the full intent of entering the Inn.

"Just you wait" As Urle started to put himself between this mystery woman and the door "Who is she protecting?" He was starting to piece things together, but there was still too many moving parts in the last few moments for his liking "and if it's who I think, how do you two know about it?"

"Stop," said Teana - a word directed at just about everyone at once. "If she's staying in there, we shouldn't waste the chance she's giving us. Let's get somewhere safe where we can all swap stories." Hopefully, that would be enough to get the crew moving in some kind of direction.

In reply to Urle (msg # 87):

"Stranger. It's best for you to leave since you're already out." Zenna switched her tactic as she drew the scimitar seeing that the bow wouldn't be effective indoors. "The person that you described is a friend of mine. We came to this town to protect a woman." She tore her attention from the backdoor of the Inn to look over the assembled group outside the Inn. "Have you spoken with her? Her name is Amber. Was she with you?"

OOC: rolled 16 using 1d20+13.  Perception to spot a woman in the PC group.
Is there more than one?

Helena kept her head low and cowered behind Urle through the whole exchange. She still didn't know what to think and what to do. She was dying to apologize to this new woman, and yet, despite all of the guilt, she felt dread and fear.