The Unfinished Duet, part 14

Log Info

• Title: The Unfinished Duet, part 14
• Emitter: Delilah
• Characters: Elyanna, Ashes, Donna, Boshter, Merek
• Place: A room in the Explorer's Club
• Time: Monday, February 01, 2021, 8:51 PM
• Summary: Delilah's defense team meets in the Explorer's guild to plan her rescue. They receive an offer of help from an unexpected quarter. The regular patroller guards, a group of them, are convinced of Delilah's innocence and unwilling to let her be executed. They'll assist however they can, and want to know, 'how can they help'. Several options are discussed. Boshter appears out of nowhere. Merek scrys and finds Alvin in a room with no useful features to help locate him. Teleportation, the defenses of the jail, the route, the usefulness of the sewers, are discussed. Some suggestions are given, but more thought is needed.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=  Appearing  =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Ashes        5'11"    177 Lb     Hobgoblin         Female    A somber arvec in grey clothes with a skull face
Boshter      6'0"     240 Lb     Hobgoblin         Male      An arvek nar in robes. Oh no!
Delilah      5'4"     106 Lb     Human             Female    A golden haired human girl in white robes.
Donna        5'4"     106 Lb     Human             Female    A black-haired human girl in black robes.
Elyanna      5'11"    153 Lb     Half-Orc          Female    A grim, Arvek-blooded woman in raven feathers.
Merek        5'10"    215 Lb     Human             Male      A black-haired, dusky male with golden eyes.
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=

It's been a long two days -- or else a really short two days, depending on your perspective on what's to come in the morning.

Late afternoon finds a reconvening of sorts, for most parties at least, back at the Adventurer's Guild. The room that had been used before is open once again; and but for a restocking of alcohol and food, it's just as it was left. It seems the guild supports those looking out for its own in ways subtle as well as obvious.

But, word was sent out; someone would like to speak with those seeking to save Delilah from losing her head on the morrow, and there is a sense of urgency about it, naturally. Still; they're not here yet.

Ashes is still processing her experiences at the Black Diamond. There was a lot of flesh on display, and it did not match traditional beauty standards. Traditional standards being goblin ones, which trend towards lots of warts and rolls of fat. It's hard to accept that she might not actually be hideously ugly as she's always believed. She had hoped to avoid confronting this entirely, aging gracelessly into a crone and abandonning all concerns about her appearance. Now, she has to wonder.

In the meantime, the half-glass of alcohol has mostly faded. Vallia's admonishions, advice and information has been absorbed and filed. She looks at the red-skinned hobgoblin beside her, her voice a consistent monotone. "How much longer?"

Merek says, "Alright, I don't know what they want, I don't trust anything at this point."

Elyanna, for her part, is halfway into a higher concentration cup of mood control, frustration and annoyance bordering on outrage simmering under the skin. She downs another swig of the acrid smelling concoction and shakes her head, "Not much more, it's been too damned long, already." she growls in Goblin, the knuckles of her off hand popping here and there for the tension in her limbs.

The circles under Donna's eyes say that she hasn't spent the intervening few days idle, but the brawler looks marginally more at ease, now, than she has at any other point since this whole mess caught fire. Her head no longer on a swivel, she is currently picking apart a half-loaf of bread, nursing a pint of beer as she waits for whoever had requested this meeting to make their appearance at it; she has suspicions, herself.

"Unno," she grunts in answer to Ashes' question. "But shouldn't be long."

She pauses, and turns a jaundiced eye at Merek. "There's bein' careful an' there's bein' a fool, buddy. If anyone was gonna start somethin', they ain't gonna start it in a Guild meeting room with like ten doors between us an' out."

Indeed, the wait isn't much longer; there's a knock at the door, which is promptly opened by a member of the Guild staff, from outside. "Just go in," suggests a voice, "You don't have much time left, afterall."

And indeed there isn't; just over half a day in time is all that remains, really.

Entering into the room is a young man in a Guard's uniform; a man that Donna might recognize, herself having met him twice already. He doesn't enter with the usual confidence and swagger that guards exhibit, arriving with the weight of Law backing their very tread. No, instead, he looks about furtively, wringing his hands as the door is pulled shut behind him.

"Err... good afternoon," he mutters awkwardly. "You're..." He glances at Donna, "These are the people helping you, right?"

The ashen Arvec stares at the guard, attempting to match his face. Hers is much easier, having a Skull tattoo, several silver piercings, dark grey hair that hangs like a hood and occasionally has a large bug or centipede in it. Not easily forgotten. The question is simple, the answer is also, "I am."

"That's them," Donna drawls, waving at an open chair. "The ones from the Guild anyway. Have a sit an' a drink, Karlin. Everyone, Karlin here's good folk. Seems as there's Guard who don't believe an innocent deserves an ax to the neck either, an' he's one."

Merek doesn't offer a lot in word, while he takes a moment and looks to the man presented to all of them. There's a nod while he begins to adjust his potion belt, listening while nodding along to Donna, Ashlee, and Elyanna.

"That only does so much for our favor." Elyanna replies to Donna's remark. sighs, then, "We should-"

Then the door opens, and the hobkin's head, shoulders, even footing eventually follow suit as she swivels her attention in that direction with the slow transom of a Bludgunni warship turret locking onto a target. Her eyes flicker to Donna, by far the one who most should be on edge, and takes the appraisal at some value, remembering there are lesser guardsmen she's dealt with who were worthwhile. She nods mute assent, and takes another swig of her... whatever it is.

Karlin takes the offer, picking a seat and a drink -- the latter it would seem is as much for steadying his own nerves as anything else. "Thanks," he mumbles. He just nurses the drink for a moment, then looks back up. "Guardsman Karlin," he states, tapping one finger to his chest. "And... yeah. Miss Valethor's got it right. Look, I know it feels like the trial was rigged, and... and I don't know about that end of things, right? I'm just a guard."

"But I do know that Delilah Valethor is innocent and you convinced four others who're with me." He gulps down the rest of the drink, and puts the glass down so hurriedly that it falls over. "And none of us became guards to see an innocent woman get beheaded, much less help 'em do it, so... I'm here, and I'll tell the others what you want 'em to do." He nods towards Donna, "I already mentioned we've got a way in, but... that's all we've got, honestly."

"...Frankly if I thought y'all could swing it," Donna says, "I'd say you an' the lot suddenly come down with a bad case o' the scoots or somethin' once the grate's unlocked. Have an excuse to just not be around, cos I don't want good folk gettin' hurt. But," she says, loosing a long, slow sigh, "unno if you can swing it. So... All's I can think of is keep the crowd back, they oughta just be chuckin rotten veg, an' there oughtn't be an excuse to make it a worse day than it's gonna be."

Calmly, the brawler rights Karlin's glass. "What about the rest o' you?"

Merek looks between everyone, "Well, considering the fact that Ella's child might be murdered if we protect Delilah, the situation is a lot more difficulot," he then mentions.

"Thank you." Ashlee says. Her monotone words don't convey any sense of gratitude, but it is there. The Mourner is happy for the external confirmation, she expresses this by staring silently at him. Her expressions generally don't change too much.

"I have some spells. Merek has more. We have some options..."

She pauses, "Merek, don't add problems to the problem we're attempting to solve. That is a separate issue he can't help with."

The Mourner continues, "We can try some sort of disguise and substitution to make the execution happen, we can get in and get out, like with a teleport, or Donna's plan, a rescue and crowd distraction at the execution."

She looks at the Boxer and the Keeper, "Are there others?"

Who's to say how long Boshter has been here? He has, in fact, been here a while. He's actually really good at remaining unboserved and quiet when he wants to. Which is what he's been doing. This entire time.

The red woman weighs the guardsman with her eyes, hard and hued as steel as the conversation proceeds. She expects this one, if his motives are as they appear, will either have a short, uncomfortable time in the Guard, or be forced to languish for a duration well beyond his desires. Merek's remark draws her gaze, prompting the hobkin to upend her tankard, then set it aside before her arms fold under her cloak. There isn't anything said on that point. Not yet. Instead, she listens as the more dedicated casters appraise Donna and their guests of their options.

"Look..." Karlin holds his hands up. "Norrington doesn't tell me what's what, I'm on the lowest pay grade. But they're planning on executing a guild member tomorrow and, well, Norrington's not the sort to take chances with that. There's going to be a lot of guards, and I don't know what kind of magical precautions they're planning on taking, so I've no idea... Look, I'm not a wizard, I don't know nothin' about that."

He pauses, and shrugs, "What I can tell you is the same as what I told Donna. They always hold executions in the same sorts of places -- public, good view, defensible, and right over a sewer entrance. ...Easier to clean up the blood. They'll lock it, but I've got someone who'll unlock it... if you want to use that to get there. I--"

Karlin stops short, and turns his head on a swivel to lock on to Merek. "...Wait, pardon? Ella has a kid? ...What did you say about him?"

Merek's casual statement cuts off whatever Donna was going to say, and for a long moment she just *stares* at the priest. "...Well you got my attention, buddy," she growls. "How's about you explain." Her eyes move from him to Ashes to Elyanna. "...Y'all know this, too?"

"It is important to mention, if they plan to try and free her," Merek simply comments, "People should know all the facts before making decisions." The man nods a bit to the two hobgoblins, "They know the details more."

"So, no Veil, no projected image, no shadow image. No magic." Ashlee nods, taking her familiar off her neck and stroking him. The centipede sits on her palm, hard to tell if a large bug is happy. "You're off the hook, Chippen."

The large bug is happy.

"Ella's son Alvin was kidnapped the night before Ella slept with your sister. He's being held to compell her testimony. He'll be released after the execution, when a retraction won't help."

The Mourner takes a sip of water, "Mistress Vallia is going to try and find Alvin. She warned us from approaching Ella, might accept help finding him. Won't help with Delilah. Alvin is her priority."

"This is why I suggested some method of faking the execution."

"I was not going to share in front of our guest." Elyanna replies calmly, though there is a little twitch in her eyelid. She glances at her tankard, closes her eyes and steps away from it entirely before reopening them, swinging them back toward the Guard and her brow arches. Is that a nerve she hears tingling? Taking a page from her friend's book, she stares.

Karlin, for the moment, looks properly stupified. Ella has a kid. The kid is in danger. The kid's life may depend on the end of Delilah's.

That is, it might seem, just a bit too much for his brain at just this moment.

"I... look, I'm not saying magic won't work," he states, holding out his hands, palms up. "Just, that I don't know. It *might* work, it *might* not, and... I just don't think you should stake everything on a plan that hinges on magic, that's all. Look, there's me and the others, and none of us want to scoot when the noise starts. We signed up to be guards to protect the innocent and that's what we're gonna do."

"Donna seems to trust him, and we don't have the time to keep being private about everything. We've already had another Adventurer back out on us," Merek then mentions, while he takes a moment to nod along to Karlin. The man looks to Donna, "If we want everyone to come from this safe, no matter what we do for Delilah, there's another thing we must do first."

"...I agree. One should not chance everything on a spell working. There is little more trustworthy than my hands! My hands, specifically, I mean." Boshter nods.

This is the first thing he's said here, though. "I will do what is asked of me," he adds.

"Well y'got twelve hours to do it in," Donna says, voice low and furious as she sinks her head into her hands. "And maybe someone's gonna hate me for this -- besides me -- but that don't change what I'm doin' tomorrow. Maybe I'm a monster, but... I can't trade my sister's life. I *can't.*"

She raises her head, and fixes a poisonous look at the Elunan. "An' *fuck you* for makin' me know that now, of *all the times to learn it.*"

Which is of course when Boshter speaks up, and the brawler jumps a few feet out of her chair. "Who wait the was what fuck?!"

Elyanna turns at that, "We do not have time to waste -here-, either, and yet we are here!" Elyanna returns. Then comes another voice entirely, one not expected and she whirls, falchion screeching from the scabbard, "Who are you?" she demands along the spine of the weapon.

"Four guards in on an illusion would make it more convincing." Ashlee suggests, her voice remaining monotone. She's looking at Karlin as she speaks, then Merek, and a much longer gaze at Donna as she jumps up. The Mourner doesn't flinch. Her ears flick, and Chippen runs into a sleeve to hide. Slowly, she turns to look at Bosther, squirms and adjusts herself on her seat. Right. He was at the trial.

"Vallia didn't think Scrying would work. We'd need something of Alvin's, from Ella's house, which she said was watched. I can't Scry. Seldan's results didn't help."

It looks like she might say more, but doesn't. Instead the Mourner simply stops, her hands placed on the table in front of her. Inhale, exhale, words finally emerge. "A few more interruptions will solve everything."

"I am Boshter. I was asked to be here," says Boshter, firmly, to Elyanna.

"I will assist in whatever way I can to assure Delilah is freed! She is quite nice and innocent. Also, I do not much like what's happening."

He gives Donna a look. A cheerful wave at Ashes. They've possibly seen each other at the Temple of Vardama.

"Look..." Karlin doesn't jump up at Bosther's appearance; this is the Advnturer's Guild Hall, afterall, it's no surprise that it has adventurers in it, and they can be a weird lot by any standards. Though he does lean back in his seat at everyone else's reactions.

"So, look," he tries once more. "Look... Miss Valethor is right, you've got twelve hours. Maybe a bit less if Norrington decides to hustle things, it's not like anyone's going to be overly upset with him if he executes someone ten minutes early or something. So... you all need to make a plan. You've got me and four others. One'f us will make sure the sewer entrance beneath the scaffold is unlocked. The rest of us can be anywhere you want. We could jam one of the gates out of the city to keep it open for you if you like, or try to misdirect people at the guard house, or... Whatever you need. Just... please. Make use of us."

Merek looks to people yelling and also drawing weapons. The man doesn't offer a lot of his attetnion to it all, he nods a bit to Ashlee. "You are right, we don't have the time. Anyway, we will make use of the guards, what do you think would be best?" he asks. The man takes a moment to check on his magical equipment, "I will assure that Alvin will be free." The man looks to Boshter, waiting to see if he will add anything.

Elyanna returns the weapon to it's sheath and bites back a curse. Words continue, and Norrington's reach is laid more into focus and she looks over her shoulder to the Guardsman, soaking in his meaning. She turns then to regard Donna, and her companions over the course of this enterprise, then, at last she regards Boshter anew, and waits.

Ashlee is not a sewer witch. She is also not a swamp witch, which she eventually managed to convince the Temple of. A success which decreased the frequency of being sent there. She's been in the sewers. A lot. Still not a sewer witch. "Unlock the Sewer grate. That's good."

Her lips press against each other, tightening as she thinks. "The Northern Gates, she could come up there."

"Obscuring mist. Disguise self, she drops, I run into the crowd. Something to scatter the crowd."

Her head turns, skull face towards Boshter, "Do you have ideas?"

So, I understand we have a magical-blocking jail and more. Norrington is a very smart man, and he know Delilah has friends. Powerful friends. Ideally, we could bypass the magical-blocking nature of the jail, but that seems ... unlikely and difficult at best, lined with anti-magic wards and nethercite. It seems they're very invested in Delilah's death! Which is stupid, but well, that is stupid for you." He nods, thoughtfully.

"I believe that the only opportunity you will truly get is not at the execution site itself, though it may come to that, but en route. It is the only time they will be unable to fully prepare. It is why I believe we might be able to use illusory magic to disguise ourselves as an additional regiment of guards, a Veil spell, and create some confusion that we might be able to to nab Delilah out of. They will likely have thier own wizards on standby, perhaps even a True-Sight spell, but they will have already have made preparations at the site so its best she not reach it. I have a cloak that would allow on to lay a hand on her and teleport her away, presuming she isn't wearing manacles that would block it, or there isn't a mobile teleportation ward which would need to be identified and disabiled. We can do those things if we're able to get close enough in disguise. Perhaps I am wrong," he continues, "but I think that's where the efforts ought to be focused!"

"Alright, you all take care of that, I am going to scry Alvin," Merek mentions, while he nods a bit to the party. The man finds a place, while he begins to settle in and focus upon the magic which he wishes, while lighting a few candles.

Karlin, for his part, just sits back and gestures towards Boshter. "Well... that's a plan," he acknowledges. "Wether or not it'll work, I... I don't know, I can't really tell you the odds. I'm just a guard." He rubs at his face, "But, I can tell you if we get it wrong, Delilah'll be the one who pays the price, and..." He sighs, looking at Donna.

"I can tell you they made Delilah drink something with Essence of Blackshade," he offers. "It... burns out magic use, usually just temporary. So don't count on her for any spells."

"....She'll be glad to hear that if it works," Donna says, slumping back into her chair. "'S a good plan," she says to Boshter. "Be willin' to loan me that cloak just in case she makes it to the spot, though? Figure if she ends up on the block, well... they won't be expectin' someone to pop out a drain what's supposed to be locked. 'S like I heard one o' the soldiers in the hospital say, once; strategic surprise is almost as good as tactical surprise."

Merek stands up from the work and nods a bit, while he picks up each piece. Then he makes a way along to the main area, and nods along to the party. "Alright, I was able to locate Alvin. He's within a small wooden room next to a lake or ocean," the man notes, while he thinks about it. "I think I might be able to teleport in. It would take a little bit of work."

"Of course," says Boshter to Donna, giving her a nod. He slings off his cloak and holds it out to her, apparently thinking this works just fine. She can use it to rescue Delilah if they can get close enbough, after all.

Her experiences with scrying were usually... peripheral. More an assignment to sweep a certain patch of Bludgun for potential chattel handed down by one of Higher witches than an actual look into the shiny focus. Elyanna is still keeping her own council as the rest discuss the alternative outlets for the ends they desire.

"I'm sorry. What?" says Boshter to Merek.

"I would not even try that. For one, you do not know wher you're going, and for two, it seems less important than what we're doing here."

Ashlee sits back in her chair. She was mistaken, something of Alvin's wasn't needed. The scrying spell was able to locate Alvin on name alone. She didn't realize it, or Merek, was that powerful. None of Vallia's information helped at all, well, aside from the warning away from Ella's house. This all could have been done right after the trial. Perhaps Seldan has, and seen little of use; if he had, Alvin would have been already rescued.

So, his teleportation spell may solve this aspect. Or not. The Mourner exhales, feeling some sympathy for Karlin. She's overwhelmed and she has some talents, it must be crushing to have none.

Ashlee looks at Boshter, "I like your plan." Donna next, "You'll be in the sewers?" Finally Karlin, "Is the route from the jail to the spot obvious? I'd like to look for good hiding places, or ones where spells might be cast."

She reaches over and squeezes Elyanna's wrist, "I have some spells, but they're situational. Should I write on the wall?"

"There are only so many ways out of the jail," says Boshter to Ashlee, thoughtfully, "unless they transfer her somewhere else first. We will need to watch and be ready!"

Then he turns towards Donna, nodding to her.

"Let me fetch us a map, yes...?"

Merek takes a look to Boshter, "There's a kid which needs protecting. I want both him to be safe as well as Delilah, if I can find a way to take care of that in a way, with what little time we have, it might mean that he will be safe when your own plans go through. I don't think we have time to locate him any other way unless we want to do it after everything, and that's when it will be the worst for the boy."

"Actually," Karlin sits up, "That I can help with." He looks considerably more... if not happy, than at least confident. "Because Delilah is an adventurer, they are skipping most of the higher profile locations, but you might've noticed that it hasn't been announced yet. The Town Criers won't be giving details on where she'll be executed until two hours before it's slated to happen tomorrow. But, it's going to be in a square, not far from the jail."

He sighs softly, and settles back in his seat. "I'll be up front; Norrington expects people to try something. You especially," he adds, glancing at Donna. "He's said as much, and he's doing his best to make sure that Delilah gets beheaded as planned. So they've picked the nearest spot to the jail they could find. It's just under half a mile away, if it wasn't around a corner from the jail you'd be able to see it. They'll be setting up the scaffold overnight."

"Then I'll hafta sleep in the sewers," Donna mutters, looking up at Boshter as he asks for a map. "I've got a map of the sewers, but Iunno how much good that's gonna do. You could ask one of the message-runners, half of em use the rooftops to keep outta traffic. Which if it's in a square, like as not there'll be hiding spots aplenty on the edges," she says, looking to Ashlee.

Ashlee walks over to a chalkboard and draws a map. There isn't a lot of detail, so it's incredibly cartoonish. A jail, a street, an intersection, the scaffolding, buildings on either side of the street. Actually, that's too generous. A box, a line that bends, another box. One labled 'jail', the other 'scaff', and quickly drawn box-ish shapes, occasionally a trapezoid or triangle, as buildings on either side of the street. She points at the corner.

"Alter self? Look like Delilah, run around before they really get there? Fake an escape, confuse half the guards?"

She looks at Boshter, "Either way, how does Delilah get to the sewers from the street or scaffold?"

"I understand," says Boshter to Merek, "but I must point out that we're here to rescue Delilah. Teleporting off to help a child who has thus far been fine is probably not necessary or practical use of your skills." He looks towards Karlin, squinting. A nod follows. "That makes sense, so we're going to need to be flexible." A nod towards Ashlee. "yes! My original idea was to replace Delilah with one of us in disguise, who could teleport away, leaving them very confused!"

"You will not be using the sewers to get out," Karlin points out. "Not if you want to succeed. Norrington's people will not be watching the sewers overly closely to begin with, because they're expecting them to be locked under the scaffold. Which, they won't be," he shrugs, "So that's fine, but if you try to use them to escape then you're going to find the guards DO know the ways out and will be waiting for you, and they'll probably just drop Delilah with crossbows the first chance they get." He leans back, and shrugs. "Horses, maybe? I mean... I dunno. I've really never thought about how to get someone out of jail before, except legally."

"Ahahahhaa," says Boshter.

"A jailbreak is a very hard thing to do indeed! They will b watching the sewers, yes, but that is fine! She does not nmeed to come out of the sewers by the gates, and they are very large and fast. We shall pay the otyughs to tell the guards which way Delilah went. They will be glad to do so in exchange for our ... food."

The less said about what they eat the better. "In fact," he muses, "why don't I ask one of them to come up from the sewers near the site and talk of 'adventurers in the sewers waiting to spring her'? It would draw some attention away."

The planning continues...