Hell's Rebels IC

[DarkOne-Rob]

"The Hellknight is right - we will need more details from you, Miss Laria. That said, I see no reason not to help," Aaron says, nodding at Hitori's questions. "Can you draw us a quick map, describing the layout of the Wasp Nest? What kind of opposition are we likely to find? It sounds like we should plan on subduing any threats and not killing them if at all possible...what happens if we have no choice? Do we have a way to dispose of the remains without drawing undue attention to ourselves?"

[zimmerwald1915]

At Laria's request, Cynissa drops the other topics. She takes the rest of her coffee in one big swig, thinking it'll help her focus, and massages her temples when it turns out to be too much. "Wait a minute, what exactly is the problem?" she says. "The Nest is supposed to be a smuggling depot, and it's being used like a smuggling depot. I guess we could ask Nan and his friends to leave, but the way things are, that'd be like handing them over to the dottari. We don't need the space that badly. And even if we did, we could share. Anyone who needs to be smuggled under the regime's nose isn't going to rat on us."

[Morbis Meh]

Eva's eyes narrow at the mention of 'human cargo' and addresses the other halfling "Laria if someone is moving enslaved people we have to do something about, even if these people won't do anything I will go on alone if I have to. We cannot let such an action be it goes against what we stand for and I will not allow anyone to be made into a slave so tomorrow at first light show me where to go and I will resolve this matter with or without help."

[3SecondCultist]

Laria frowns at the other halfling when she mentions slavery.

"I think you're misunderstanding me. First of all, whoever Nan was transporting out of the city is no longer a slave. He's a smuggler, he helps people escape that fate. Usually the destination is Varisia, but there are other destination ports throughout the Inner Sea region."

"As for Nan," she says while looking at Cynissa, "usually when he goes down there, he's back up within a few hours. I don't know why, but I'm concerned that he hasn't reported back in. Maybe whoever he was helping turned on him for their trouble. The truth is, I simply don't know what's gone on down there."

[NeoSeraphi]

"Betrayal? Sounds standard for this city. Honestly, I don't know why you lot expect anything different. It's like you think that just because all of you are so damn noble and generous that the rest of the population is going to magically stop being thieving malconvoking backstabbing wretches," Hitori points out, shaking his head. This is Cheliax, after all, not Varisia. This place is just as cutthroat as the Inner Sea, was he the only person who actually lived here?

"Moving on to the dilemma then. You have a slave, who belongs to someone in the city. That person is being unlawfully stolen and brought out of the city by this man, and he fought back, likely because he either does not trust a man who says he'll give freedom to someone who has no idea what freedom even is, or because he realizes that his escape attempt is folly anyway and he wishes to return to his master. Either way, he's a halfling, correct? Shouldn't be much trouble for Sir Tanessen and I to bring him in. We won't hurt him unless he makes us. Just show us the entrance."

[Morbis Meh]

Eva moves away from the knight, hatred in her eyes "Over my dead body, a person is not property no matter what your corrupt laws state because they are written by tyrants who think they should rule over others because they believe they are superior. IF you even think of putting those people back into chains you and I will have a problem that will end in one of us no longer being on the mortal coil."

[3SecondCultist]

At the threat of violence in her inn, Laria is quick to rise. From out of nowhere, a sheathed dagger appears in her hand, and you get the sense that she knows how to use it. But she has yet to draw the blade. "Before you start attacking each other, we don't know if Nan was moving ex-slaves. But I can tell you that there's more than one down there. I told you, I've heard laughter and voices - that means there's at least two people in the Nest. And they don't sound like halflings."

[NeoSeraphi]

Hitori frowns and turns to Eva. "Perhaps you misunderstood my intentions. I stated that the slave might have reconsidered and that was the reason for his rebelling, I never said I had any intention of returning him, by force or otherwise, did I? I merely suggested that the slave might have resisted Nan's aid due to second thoughts. There was no action behind my words, only consideration. When I said we could bring him in, I meant merely what this woman is requesting, that we clear the Wasp's Nest of any stragglers. Where he goes after I get him out is up to him."

There is sincerity in the knight's voice, and it seems that this was really just an honest misinterpretation of his words by Eva.

Continuing, he turns back to the woman. "You are aware that he uses the Nest, you are aware that he was smuggling living cargo by the voices, but it never occurred to you to ask him who he was moving? In the interest of the group's safety, I would argue that we wait until Laria has contacted Nan to get more details about our marks before we charge in blindly."

[zimmerwald1915]

"It sounds," says Cynissa slowly, trying to draw the threads of the conversation together, "like Laria hasn't seen Nan in some time, certainly not since she began hearing voices. He was not available to answer questions, but there was no pressing reason to investigate the matter. If the Nest is supposed to be a hideout, it's probably stocked so that people can survive for a good long time if they need to. Now, however, there is at least a somewhat pressing need—ours. So we can poke around and see what's been keeping them.

"Bear in mind, we know nothing about what that might be. There might be no quarrel between Nan and his passengers at all. Some creature from below might have cornered them. Or they might have lapsed into an opiate haze for the past few days." She pushes herself up from her chair, her body heavy and weary from the day, but ready for one last push. She looks back to Laria.

"We should also consider the possibility that Nan was smuggling people into Cheliax. It's not unheard of. I'd probably have gone to someone like Nan if I couldn't come by scroll. But they wouldn't be slaves, so maybe that's why he didn't tell you."

[NeoSeraphi]

Hitori turns his gaze to the tiefling. "It would be a shame for our group to fall here because we weren't willing to wait long enough for Laria to contact her associate. If we are to accomplish anything we will have to take some risk, but we should be cautious and only take risks that we deem necessary. Does taking possession of this Nest a few days earlier really justify the risk we would be taking by going in blind?"

[zimmerwald1915]

Cynissa's attention veers from Hitori to Laria as she talks. "Not when Laria would be just as blind as us. True, she knows the layout of the place, and Nan's temperament, but you can brief us on those things easily enough, right? Everything else is equally a mystery to everyone."

She taps a finger to her lips, a contemplative look on her face. "But how about this? Laria pokes her head in tonight and sees if Nan turns up when she calls. If he doesn't, we meet up in the morning, she can tell us if we're still needed and what we need to know, and we go down then. Putting it off for an evening will let you get back to your place before the curfew, and I'll be able to refresh my magic." Cynissa catches herself looking at Lilly and Aaron too, and quickly flicks her gaze away. It's terribly rude to imply anything about a fellow spellcaster's reserves.

[3SecondCultist]

Laria follows the tiefling's gaze, catching sight of Lillisandra and Aaron alike. She must have been distracted by one of them - it's unclear if it was one, or both - because she takes a moment to register Cynissa's plan.

"Yes... Yes! That sounds good to me. As I said, any of you are welcome to bunk here for the night. I can set about drawing a map of the Nest for you, in case tomorrow morning proves that I do need your help. I promise I won't go too far, just enough to get a better idea of what's going on. If Nan is down there, it will be his last chance before we go in tomorrow."

[NeoSeraphi]

Hitori stands up. "Then we have an accord. I will return in the morning to provide any assistance you might need. Good evening."

He gives Rexus a nod and leaves the coffee house, beginning the trek back to his home.

[Farmerbink]

If you clear the Wasp Nest for me, I will let you use it as a headquarters. It's got everything you're looking for in a base: easy access to Kintargo's underbelly, a sense of anonymity, and proximity to an established business as a cover."

Lillisandra grins with child-like glee, her eyes twinkling in the lamplight. "You forgot to mention 'wonderful name'."

She listens with no concern to most of the prattling, and raises an eyebrow when Cynissa alludes to Lillisandra's abilities. "If you fear for the lives of those kept below, dear Laria, allow me to assure you that I have something of a specialty for incapacitating people without hurting them. I think we will all be happier, this time tomorrow. That map, if you please, dear."

Lillisandra politely declines the offer of lodging for the night, preferring to touch base- at least briefly- with Jessica before the next day's activity.

[3SecondCultist]

Rexus has remained largely silent throughout your meeting with Laria - it's her house, after all - but he smiles earnestly and steps in after Lillisandra brings up maps again.

"I think what Laria is trying to say is that it will take her some time to make the map, and in the case that we're needed, she will have it by tomorrow. Is that a good proximation." The halfling nods graciously. It's obvious after a moment that Laria wasn't sure how to go about correcting the drow politely.

She addresses everyone standing, calling out at Hitori so he will hear. "Regardless of what happens, meet me back here at around 8 o'clock! I'll have one of my assistants open the door for you."

[NeoSeraphi]

Hitori walks home in silence. When he arrives he locks the door, shuts off the light, and walks past the shattered mirror in his parlor to the bedroom. He enters the room and begins carefully removing his armor, piece by piece. He sets each piece on a stand designed specifically for the type of plate he wears, finishing with his helmet.

The long scar that runs down his torso and abdomen twinges in a bit of phantom pain, but the knight ignores it. He has long since grown used to the sensation of being outside his armor. He does not speak, not wanting to hear the unfamiliar sound of his own voice without the slight echo that comes from speaking through a helmet.

Returning to the living room, passing bare walls with nary a frame or plant in sight, the man sits down on his couch. It is too late for him to start lifting weights now, so instead he simply rests one hand gingerly on his injured knee and wonders to himself what became of the fierce armored woman at the protest.

[DarkOne-Rob]

Aaron listens to the arguments with obvious fatigue, his own efforts to cut off such infighting apparently making no impact on the others. As their hostess withdraws her own weapon he watches closely, his expression respectful of her newly displayed prowess. When Laria later confirms that she can provide the map he nods and smiles gratefully.

"I will take a small room here, Miss Laria. Thank you for your hospitality," Aaron says as several of his fellows get ready to leave. Watching Hitori and Lillisandra leave, he remains seated for several long moments. Only when Rexus and Laria get ready to leave does he excuse himself to the common room. Once there he respectfully asks for his room and makes his way there to remove his armor and weapons. "How much would it cost to purchase a hot bath tonight? Or should I make use of a local bath-house instead?" he asks the attendant who helps direct him to his quarters for the night. "It has been a long day, and I am loath to offend anyone with either my appearance or aroma..."

[zimmerwald1915]

Cynissa does some quick figuring in her head. "Eight o'clock? That leaves about two and a half hours to get all the writing I need to do done. Excuse me." Assuming everyone else who's staying will retire to their beds, Cynissa pulls out her parchment, inks, and quills, and gets to work. First the note to Leon. It takes a little longer than Cynissa likes to remember all the Bellflower jargon, and longer to condense what she wants to say into a short enough message, but soon her silver raven is winging its way north with the miniature rolled-up scroll, scribed in their usual invisible ink, fixed to its leg.

Spoiler: Halfling, Letter to Leon

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In Kintargo with new Silver Ravens. Situation difficult, but promising. Met tiller comrade. Shipping crop to Korvosa on Incubus. Find silos. Any news? Joining soon?

The draft program takes longer, even though, anticipating that the others will offer revisions, Cynissa doesn't polish it. There's just so much to say.

Spoiler: Silver Ravens Draft Program

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The wealth of Cheliax, land and works, tools and machinery, is becoming concentrated in a few private hands. Peasants and artisans are being ruined in growing numbers, forced to sell what they own and then finally themselves, in whole or piecemeal. As slaves and workers, they become dependent on their masters even as they provide, by their ruin and by their labor, all their wealth.

Technical progress and economic crisis expose the toiling masses to ever-intensifying exploitation. Insecurity and humiliation become their lot in life. Poverty and destitution exist side by side with glut and waste. The growth of wealth proceeds side by side with the growth of want; the gap between the owners and the workers is growing.

This contradiction finds its solution in the number and solidarity, the discontent and indignation, of the toiling masses. Their struggle against misery, and only this struggle, leads to their emancipation. All other classes of society, clerks and clerics, soldiers and lawyers, traders and manufacturers and gentry, support their continued exploitation. Emancipation will take the form of social revolution, the transformation of private wealth into common wealth, and the abolition of social and political equality based on class division.

To effect social revolution, the masses, conscious of the antagonism between themselves and their masters and organized to combat them, must win political power. Not just in Ravounel, but across Cheliax and in all countries. The Silver Ravens exist to foster this consciousness and bolster this organization so that ultimately the masses may wield political power.

The Chelaxian situation presents the special challenge of autocracy, established by counter-revolution and maintained by keeping the entire people in a state of ignorance, terror, and subjection. House Thrune presents the most formidable bulwark of barbarism in Avistan. It is the bitterest and most dangerous enemy of the emancipation movement.

For this reason, the Silver Ravens declare their immediate task to be the overthrow of the diabolist autocracy and its replacement by a republic to ensure:

1. Common rule; replacement of courts and estates by municipal, provincial and imperial assemblies; annual election of delegates to assemblies by universal, equal, and direct suffrage of all adults; recall of delegates.
2. Common wealth; confiscation of Thrune and paracountcy wealth and income; progressive taxation and redistribution of income and wealth; return of the large manors to the serfs as a commons; common management of banks, mines, works, and transport, together with all large enterprises of industry and commerce, for common need.
3. Legal equality; abolition of all differences in rank; abolition of serfdom and slavery; abolition of national, race, and sex distinctions.
4. Personal liberty; freedom of thought, speech, the press, and assembly; disestablishment of the Church of Asmodeus; freedom of movement; inviolability of person and home; abolition of torture; the right to organize guilds, works councils, and trade unions.
5. National autonomy; extensive local self-government; education in the vernacular as well as in Common.
6. Cultural development; universal, free, and compulsory education of children; public provision of food, clothing, and books for needy children.
7. Popular power; abolition of the standing army; responsibility of Hellknight orders to local assemblies; general arming and training of the people.

To protect the toiling masses from the travails of life, and to empower them in their struggles against material ruin and for the republic, the Silver Ravens demand:

1. A ten-hour working day; prohibition of overtime work; prohibition of night work where at all possible.
2. Sunday and Moonday as universal and legally-mandated days of rest.
3. Abolition of child labor.
4. Abolition of sex-based pay distinctions.
5. Provision of public pension for aged or disabled workers.
6. Immunity of workers from prosecution for slowdowns, stoppages, sabotage, or other workplace action.
7. Prohibition of punitive wage deductions and corporeal punishment.
8. Liability of masters and employers for injuries sustained by their workers in the course of their work.
9. A comprehensive, fully-staffed system to supervise working conditions wherever work is performed; liability of masters and employers for unsafe working conditions.

The Silver Ravens stand in solidarity with every revolutionary movement directed against the existing social and political order in Cheliax and beyond, but stress that political and social change in Cheliax can be achieved only by the revolutionary overthrow of the autocracy.

Finally, Cynissa is inspired to puzzle out the spell Rexus had used in the alley, working back from the effect to the principles behind it. It is exhausting work, but fruitful, yielding an entirely different formula as well. In the end, she falls asleep in her chair, her face mere inches away from the drying ink.

[Morbis Meh]

Eva lets the others go their own ways before approaching Laria, who at this moment was scrawling away at a piece of parchment, head lowered she quietly begins to speak "Sorry for disturbing you I know you are busy giving us a map but I wanted to apologize for my outburst earlier. It has been a long day and such topics are very sensitive to me, that knight has been a symbol for our people's oppression and Sarenrae forgive me but I cannot help myself. It was wrong of me to suggest violence in your establishment, so forgive me and thank you for allowing a place to stay for the night for it has been too long since I have had a bed to myself."

---------

Wandering through the halls, the halfling finds a quiet spot to pray and reflect over today's events which had been nothing short of bewildering and even border lining on unbelievable. She prayed for forgiveness for her transgressions and for the safety of her people but finished with a prayer that her apartment would be remotely intact after leaving Butch alone for an entire evening without leaving out food. Once completed, she rose up and noticed the dull glow of candlelight in another room only to discovered a sleeping Cynissa with ink on her hands and the candle slowly dying away. Eva briefly looked at the bits of parchment that were not covered by the tiefling's face and merely shrugged at it before draping a blanket over the scholar and blowing out the candle light. Finding a bed of her own she crawled in and closed her eyes before succumbing to a dreamless slumber.

[3SecondCultist]

The morning that greets you is cool, clear, and utterly antithetical to yesterday's climate. Although Kintargo still seems unnaturally quiet for this time in the season, you find yourselves renewed and ready to start the day off right. Something about you has changed. Perhaps it is a new sense of purpose, a gap where once there was listlessness. Perhaps it is the thrill of the unknown, chartering a course beyond your expectations. And perhaps it is the promise of ground coffee beans wafting up from the floorboards. Either way, as you prepare to meet Laria, it is likely that you do so with the knowledge that today will be a good day.

The coffeehouse itself is completely empty. By the looks of things, Laria has closed it for the morning, likely in order to give you the time to complete your task and settle in downstairs. When all of you arrive in Laria's office once more, the halfling greets you with what look suspiciously like muffins. Rexus stands beside her - almost familiarly so - but takes a step back once you enter the room. The nobleman is the first to move towards the table near the wall, where Longroad has drawn up a map of the Wasp's Nest, complete with labels of the various chambers. She continues talking to Rexus as the five of you file in.

"... I thought you were a scholar, though?"

"Not so much, I'm afraid. It was more my parents' hobby than it ever was mine. The arcane arts are also a passion of mine, but they're innate as opposed to academic."

"Huh. Funny, that you call them that."

"Call them what?"

"Hobbies." The halfling's eyes gleam in dark amusement. Nothing else is said, until Hitori and Lillisandra arrive and she nods to get things started.

"So, I checked out the cellar downstairs last night. I knocked on the secret door to the rest of the Wasp Nest - my four-knock pattern, Nan was one of my regular basement tenants so he would have known it - but there was no response. I was down there several hours, and I definitely heard whispering echoes. Not to mention, I think they've been eating my food. Nan wouldn't do that, he typically carried around rations on his person." She looks to Rexus, who takes over at this point.

"Laria has told me the trick to opening the door from the cellar and into the tunnels. I'll show it to you when we go. She can't keep her shop closed all day - it would look a bit suspicious - so once everything is secure, I'll head back up here so she can open her doors again. Afterwards, if anybody asks, you heard that Laria came down with something last night and needed to take the morning off. It's an easy enough fabrication. Is everybody ready to head down?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Hitori enters the establishment silently. There was probably still some bad blood between him and the halfling girl, the look in her eyes when he suggested the slave may want to return to his master was pure hatred.


It was almost funny. There were plenty of real traits about Hitori that the woman could easily legitimately hate, but she was furious with him over a misunderstanding.

The knight's gaze falls silently on the tiefling woman as he enters. They linger for a moment before returning to the host. "I am the void. I am the steel. I am the sword. I shall take this task head on and reduce any foes to ashes. Let's go." He draws his sword.

[Farmerbink]

Lillisandra greets the dawn with an unusual excitement. All this time, paying such heed to the bells, and this odd nobleman appears out of nowhere to shake things up. She smiles to herself, before participating in her early-morning rituals. As she feels the approval of Calistria- a tangible sensation of purpose and direction, she relaxes in the comfortable knowledge that her steps are guided- her patroness will not abandon a loyal servant. She faces the day with purpose, confident that she can face whatever lies before her.

The Drow walks into Laria's tavern and listens politely to the awkward pair elucidating their morning goals. She inspects the map, and tries to set the basic feel of the place to memory. "It seems we need to get started. One way or another, these cellars won't clear themselves, and if we need to have this place open in the next few hours...."

She turns to Laria. "Would you show us to the cellar?"

[zimmerwald1915]

Cynissa wakens in Laria's office to find a blanket draped over her back and a corn muffin filling her field of vision. Neither had been there the night before. She smiles, and pulls the blanket tighter around her shoulders. It feels good to be taken care of.

It can't last, though. The office has no windows—which of course makes it a good place for a private chat like the one last night—but from the stirring street noises Cynissa knows it can't be much earlier than eight o'clock. And last night's work is not sufficient, not by a long shot. It was preparation for today. So today shall begin.

Cynissa sloughs off the blanket, and rolls her head slowly from side to side to banish cricks and stiffness. This isn't the first time Cynissa has fallen asleep at a desk, and she's somewhat used to the consequences, but they never stop happening. She stands up, and finds her leg's stiff too, so she paces the length of the office, back and forth, with her cane, then without it, until she's satisfied. She tidies up, folding the blanket and putting it on one of the filing cabinets, and organizing her papers. She finds she barely remembers the arcane formulae she'd fallen asleep working on, so she brushes up on them while picking at the muffin.

By the time the other Silver Ravens start to arrive, Cynissa has a good handle on what she wants to have prepared for the day. Laria gives her a look, and she sweeps the muffin crumbs up sheepishly with a handy cantrip. Cynissa listens intently to Laria's and Rexus's talk, but it comes to an awkward halt before Rexus can talk any more about his studies or his sorcery—two subjects that intrigue Cynissa.

Tori and Lilly arrive, and suddenly the two are all business. Cynissa looks briefly at Laria's map before passing it on. The exact layout doesn't matter much to her. The Nest is hardly bigger than the Livery's underground, and the watercourse will make orienting easy. "Yes, please do," she says, following Lilly's lead. She stands up, pulling a piece of parchment from her folio and handing it to Rexus. "While we're down there, though, would you two mind having a look at this? I know you said we didn't need a program yesterday, but I wrote one anyway, and would like your thoughts when we're done with the Nest," she says, stressing "when we're done" ever so slightly. Lilly's right, they have only a few hours to investigate Nan's disappearance before Laria can't justify keeping customers away any longer, but they'll have all the time in the world to talk. She looks around at the others. "And everyone else's too."

[3SecondCultist]

"Of course." Rexus takes the sheet and nods encouragingly at the tiefling wizard. He doesn't read the paper though, and he shoots Cynissa a knowing look as he folds it up and puts it away into his coat pocket. The nobleman seems to understand Cynissa's desire to deal with this once they've cleared the Nest, and not before. If his smile is any indication, though, he probably has a pretty good guess about some of the things written on there.

Once everyone has had their fill of refreshments, taken a look at the map, and is ready to go, Laria leads you all to the next room: the pantry. It's a mite smaller than Laria's office, forcing a few of you to squeeze in closer than you might like, or otherwise wait outside while the halfling tampers with the floor. Finding a pair of hidden hinges, the proprietor throws open a trapdoor, revealing a sturdy looking ladder that extends at least twenty feet beneath the building. "Down there, you'll find the cellar. The secret door should be on your right - look for a slightly discolored panel of stone at my eye height. Rexus knows how to open it. The cellar itself should be free of enemies. It's the rest of the Nest that I'm concerned about." She turns to Rexus one more time. "When you're done down there, come up here and give it a good knock. I should be able to hear it from the main room, so I can come and open the trapdoor. Good luck!" Giving you room to descend one at a time, the halfling closes the portal behind you, leaving you in darkness.

Rexus is the first to light a torch, revealing the cellar's features to those of you who can't already see in the dark. This cellar contains numerous crates of cooking ingredients, sacks of coffee beans, and other supplies needed to maintain a thriving business. By the looks of it, this was the Coffeehouse's original basement, before Laria made expansions. Those of you with sharp eyes can tell just by looking at the food stores that many of them have been opened and seem to be missing small portions, as if someone - based on the portions and the allotted time, make that more than one someone - has been skimming from the top of the food in a futile attempt to keep the pilfering from being noticed.

[NeoSeraphi]

As the group heads down into the cellar, the knight steps wordlessly towards the edge of the light, looking around for any signs of activity. He is aware that he cannot help open the secret door, so he tries to help any other way he can.

Spoiler

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Perception to examine the area: (1d20+4)[20]

[Morbis Meh]

Eva awakens from an exhausted sleep, groggy and slightly confused at her surroundings before her memory finally catches up with her. She takes a moment to bask in the relatively comfy accommodations before rising out of bed to say her morning prayer to the Dawnflower. The smell of baked goods and coffee tempt her stomach mercilessly, beckoning her to shorten her routine in favor of breakfast but her mind steels itself against her mutinous organ. Once her ritual was complete the halfling was practically drooling and she set upon her meal with a fervor that was akin to the dog she was taking care of. After she was sated she daintily wiped her mouth and magically cleaned up after herself before winding to the agreed upon location, though she was still groggy because Sarenrae forgive her she was not a morning person. Being a musician meant late night work and she generally dreaded the morning, only waking up long enough to pray before going back to sleep.

She acknowledges the others merely with a grunt, satisfied to remain silent for as long as possible and when she notices the knight draw his blade she sighs before doing the same. The mention of the 'program' causes her to groan inwardly, yesterday was exhausting and caused her to get far too worked up which would more than likely happen once this paper was seen by everyone. She was thankful it wasn't read aloud before the entered the cellar and least they could be guaranteed some measure of inter party piece before having to act as exterminators.

[Farmerbink]

"Rexus knows how to open it."

Lillisandra turns to Rexus, pleasantly surprised. "You'll be joining us again, then? Huh. Glad to have you." She smiles at the man, and mumbles something along the lines of "must have misjudged..." as their patron leads the way into the darkness.

She alights easily on the balls of her feet, ready for trouble despite Laria's reassurance. She frowns as she takes in the relatively cramped quarters, and seems to visibly argue with herself between the rapier and crossbow.

After a few moments, she settles on the blade, and draws it. She readies a solid wooden shield, and looks not a bit like the neapolitan seductress the rest of the party met the day before. "What?" she answers the occasional odd look. "I'd rather keep all my vitals right where they are, thank you."

She peruses the stores, and casually wanders to the western wall, looking around her own waist-level for an oddly-colored stone.

Spoiler: OOC

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(1d20+10)[14] pereception

[NeoSeraphi]

The knight glances at the woman pensively for a moment, before lifting his heavy steel shield up and presenting it to her. "If you seek to keep yourself unharmed, a wooden shield won't do much. You can borrow this, if you like. I'll take the wooden one, with this armor a shield is mostly an afterthought."

He blinks as he realizes he is smiling pleasantly at the woman. What a stupid thing to do when she cannot even see his face. His expression returns to steel again.

[Farmerbink]

Lillisandra smiles and shakes her head to the negative. "I appreciate your concern, Hitori, but the shield is still a secondary means of defense. I fully intend to stand behind you, and let your steel provide the first layer.

Also, I... I struggle to use this thing effectively as it is," she raises the shield just a bit, to demonstrate. "I don't think I could handle it made out of metal..."

[NeoSeraphi]

Her handling of the shield makes the knight cringe and he steps behind her, lifting her arm up and bending it at the elbow. "The trick is to put the majority of the strain on your knees. Bend your knees just a little, and keep the shield raised like this, you won't block a single arrow if you aren't using the shield actively. Think of it not as armor, but as a second weapon, and when you see an arrow coming for you, swing your arm forward as if you mean to strike it out of the sky."

He steps back and examines her form approvingly. "Much better. Just keep the weight off your shoulders and you'll do fine, Your Grace."