THEChanger's Curse of the Crimson Throne: Edge of Anarchy

[aberratio ictus]

Lady Selancourte

Her eyes lingering on the growing pile of harrow cards on the table, Lady Selancourte slowly took out her own, the tyrant. A cobalt blue dragon, tearing at a globe and drawing blood from it.

She gently turned it in her glove-covered fingers. The others were right, it had the same patterns on the back as the deck the fortune teller had shuffled in front of them and placed in the middle of the table.

"My apologies, Zellara -" She had no doubt the fortune teller was magically talented, considering that the back would change from message to map, but still, this was weird. That little trick probably wouldn't have protected the card from being ripped apart, if anybody had been so inclined. She restrained herself from trying. "These are not really part of your deck, are they?" she asked with a friendly smile, and almost no hint of suspicion in her eyes. "Cards from your family's time-honoured harrow deck do seem like a strange choice for invitations, when anything would do, wouldn't you agree?"

[THEChanger]

Zellara nods to each of you in turn as you give your assent, and smiles when Lady Selancourte asks about the cards. "No, Vestis, those cards are not a part of my deck." The message cards which have been brought out flicker, and turn translucent before fading from existence entirely. "I do possess some magical skill myself. Not power enough to hunt Lamm on my own, sadly. My magic is not the kind to be turned to battle, nor healing, much as I wish it were. I would die, if I tried to fight Lamm on my own. That is why I have sought you out."

The fortune teller pulls a map from a hidden drawer in the table, a map of the Midland district, with a particular warehouse marked on it. "Gaedren has moved into this warehouse, which has lain abandoned by the Arkona family for many, many years. It will be many more before someone thinks to check on it. His Little Lambs live there, as does Lamm and his three lieutenants. It is there, under cover of night, that you should strike. But, before you go, please."

Zellara pulls nine cards from her deck, and lays them on the table. "Allow me to perform a Harrowing for you. It will aid you against Lamm. First, is the Choosing. Each of you must pick one."

Spoiler: If You Were Holding Your Card

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Spoiler: Perception DC 20

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The card feels vaguely...slimey as it disappears?

Spoiler: Religion DC 20

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The card must have been constructed from ectoplasm-the physical material ghosts use to manifest in the Prime Material. Some practitioners of magic also utilize constructs of ectoplasm.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Dirkust turned his hand over a few times, trying to find the card. Eventually he reached over, grabbing 1 card, slidding it face down towards himself. Do.... do we look at them?

[Inspectre]

Gavin understood that the fortune teller was trying to aid them with this Harrowing, and so didn't protest the delay.
Silently, he reached out and picked a card from the spread, dragging it across the table to sit in front of him, and then waited for the others to pick theirs before flipping his own over to reveal it.

[DaedalusMkV]

Avrin's eyes narrow as his Harrow card disappears in his hand, briefly rubbing together the two fingers that were holding the card to feel a hint of slick moisture. Hmm... Magic then. Perhaps some sort of conjuration? Explains how it got in my room, if nothing else. At the mention of the Arkonas he stiffens slightly. Tangling with the Arkonas isn't exactly high on Avrin's task list at the moment, but if Lamm is squatting in one of their properties then perhaps he can use this opportunity to kill two birds with one stone... A favor from a powerful, well-connected noble house would certainly be worth something, if there's anything on Lamm's property he could use as leverage.

As Zellara deals her cards the young thief watches with interest, looking for any hint of trickery in her dealing, becoming a little disappointed when he notices nothing of the sort. With no information to make a correct pick he shrugs, simply choosing one of the cards at random and sliding it away from the rest. "I won't say no. Forewarned is forearmed, as they say."

[digiman619]

Ardino closes his eyes and grabs a card, trusting the card to determine his fate... or perhaps the other way around...

[aberratio ictus]

Lady Selancourte

Vestis? Well, that was a bit too much familiarity for her tastes, and she was internally debating whether she should protest, but the opportunity had come and gone when Zellara continued talking. An illusionist. Interesting.

She leaned in a bit closer when the fortune teller brought up the map, and froze when she mentioned the little lambs lived there. If Acele was still alive, and she couldn`t bring herself to thinking anything else, this was a breakthrough. Vestis felt a bit sick to the stomach. Tonight would be the night everything would be decided.

Dirkust, Gavin, Avrin and Ardino, one after the other, all took a card from the real deck. Lady Selancourte hesitated a moment, but finally took a card as well. She wasn`t sure about harrowing, but the least she could do was to humour Zellara after giving her the opportunity to directly strike at Lamm.

[Corlindale]

Mordin visibly clenches his fists at the revelation of Lamm’s new hideout. So this was the new location he had been dropping hints about! I’ve been looking for this place for months and somehow this woman just magically knows about it. Guess I still need some work on this detective-business…

Mordin looks hesitantly at the deck. He saw the others take their cards and he reaches out to do the same. His big hands are shaking slightly as he grabs at the card closest to him, leaving it at the table in front as he saw the others do. He carefully draws his hand away from the card, as if afraid something will jump out of it and bite him.

[The_Shaman]

The large half-elf shrugs and reaches for a card. She knows the name "Arcona," and not to mess with nobles unless necessary, but in Lamm's case, she can make an exception. If that means she has to take a long trip thereafter... Well, it would be worth it seeing Lamm trying to hold his own guts while hanging from a noose. Nothing ventured, nothing gained - still it would be good to have a better idea of what was going on.

"Would you know if Lamm actually is supported by the Arconas, Madam?" she asks in an almost nonchalant tone, as she picks a card. "As I said, I´m in - but it would be good to know if the tick can call for help while we are there."

[THEChanger]

"From what I understand, no. The Arkonas are not involved with Gaedren. It was merely their disinterest in actually using the property they held that allowed him to move in. In any case, even if they were aiding him, Gaedren is on his own now, aside from those men he directly employs."

Each PC selects one of the nine cards Zellara had set aside, and with a wave of her hand, the cards flip over.

Before Ardino sits a majestic bird, preening its feathers while sitting atop an iron gate, in the gate's lock a golden key. The eye-like pattern on the bird's tail identifies the animal. "The Peacock. The bird is constantly shedding its feathers, and is a sign of changing and inconstant loyalty. Not for you, but for one you thought you could trust. Beware old friends, my friendly fool."

In front of Dirkust is a gnarled tree, branches bare of leaves. Sitting in the tree's upper limbs are thirteen crows, whose eyes glint with a malevolent intellect, even from the painted card. One holds a golden key in its beak. "The Crows. Someone has taken something from you, something both valuable and small. You must reclaim that which is hidden to you, if you wish for your rebirth to be complete."

Gavin pulls from the deck the image of a man, cloaked in shadow, removing a set of keys from his pocket while crouching in front of a door. One key on the ring glistens gold in the light from the window. "The Locksmith. One man holds the keys to your future, Gavin, and you must take those keys back from him."

Vestis gingerly removes her card from the pile, and is surprised to find it upside down. It is the image of a woman, juggling many objects. Vestis sees a book, a golden key, a crown, a star...no, a starknife. The woman bears the translucent wings of a butterfly, and for a brief moment, the Chelish woman thinks she sees the image glare at her before returning to its previous jolly expression. "The Juggler. It represents the need to perform many different tasks at once, and the courage to have faith they will all stay in the air. It is also connect to She Who Walks Among The Stars, the great goddess Desna." Zellara raises an eyebrow. "Something tells me you do not exactly approve of Desna's teachings. Take care who you give your allegiance to, my lady."

Mordin receives the image of a mountaintop, two men racing away from an oncoming rush of snow. They fight over a golden key. "The Avalanche. A great calamity is coming, a time of great chaos and change. You must be willing to accept change, and work with the change, or you will be swept aside."

Arvin takes a card, and sees a painting of a decaying and miasma-filled swamp. Three colored orbs hover over a pit of quicksand. Reaching out of the pit is a hand, clutching a golden key. "The Demon's Lantern. It predicts deception, betrayal, and needless conflict with potential allies." The seer glares at you. "Do not fail me, Arvin, and do not fail this city."

Carla's card shows a beautiful Varisian woman, twirling and dancing among the stars. Upon closer inspection, the stars form a constellation - that of a key. "The Dance. Work in unison. Foster trust and comfort with your companions. Seek harmony, and you will find the peace so long denied you."

The seer pulls the cards back to her, and begins to shuffle again. "And now, to weave the Tapestry."

Nine new cards are laid on the table, in a three by three square. Zellara begins by flipping over the left column.

The top card depicts a man dressed in a fine silk suit, with the head of a tiger. He reads a book as he sits upon a human who is bowed in a position of prayer. The middle card shows a winged serpent whose scales shine with all the colors of the rainbow. It is circled around a brilliant star. The bottom card in the column shows a roguish looking man holding a book. From a secret compartment in the tome, he pulls a dagger dripping with poison.

"The left column shows us the past. The first is the Rakshasa, a domineering, possessive, tyrannical person. Someone who sees others not as people, but as tools to be used. The second is the Winged Serpent, who represents insight, understanding, and knowledge gained from outside oneself. The third is the Snakebite, which represents poisonous ideas, dangerous knowledge, and secretive plots. I feel the Rakshasa here is not Gaedren Lamm, but someone using him, providing him with knowledge, to further their own ends. An exchange which has already happened."

Zellara reveals the middle column. At the top is a robed man, sobbing before a gravestone. Laying in front of the stone is a crown, broken in two pieces. This card, like the Juggler Vestis drew, is reversed. The middle card shows a vast desert, a full moon hanging in the pitch black sky. A beast with the body of a lion, the head of a man, the wings of an eagle, and a tail which ends in a serpent's head stamps upon an ancient shield. The bottom card has the image of a man wrapped in the jacket used to restrain mad persons in an asylum. Smoke pours from his eyes, and in his mouth is a black and dying star. Zellara frowns.

"The middle column shows us the present, or events which will occur in the very near future. The Empty Throne reversed tells us of a great loss which brings ill fortune. The Desert tells of a difficult, long journey through unfamiliar territory. And the Lost...it predicts madness, chaos, and fear, threatening to consume all. I do not know what loss these cards could be foretelling, but I fear for us all."

Your new benefactor reveals the final column. The first is a dragon, circled around a sky blue globe. The dragon's claws dig into the globe, drawing crimson blood which drips to form the shape of a crown above the dragon's head. The second two cards are ones you have just seen - the Crows, and the Avalanche. Zellara grows visibly paler as she reveals each card, and by the time the Avalanche is shown, her hand is shaking. Her eyes roll back into her head, and her voice takes on a very different timbre.

"The Tyrant returns, determined to take what was stolen from him by the flock of Crows in ages past. Should his treasures be reunited, the world drowns in an Avalanche of thunder and darkness. You seven must not let this come to pass."

The nine cards glow with a purple light, and a bolt of energy strikes each of you in turn. You feel your entire body tingle, and then the light is gone. Zellara is slumped over the table, breathing heavily. She looks quite shocked. "That. That has never happened before."

[MesiDoomstalker]

Dirkust had embedded himself into the soft chair. He pawed at his chest where the energy struck but found no mark or mare on himself or his clothing. His eyes darted fervently around the room, automatically checking the other's well being. Is everyone ok? No one feeling of dizziness or anything? Zellara... do you know what that was? Your voice changed.

[digiman619]

Ardino steadied himself before speaking. "Well, that was unexpected. Is everyone okay?"

[DaedalusMkV]

Avrin flinches slightly as his card is Drawn and Zellara makes her prediction. "The city? I thought we were just talking about killing..."

His statement is cut off by the flare of power from the cards, words cut short by the purple bolt smashing into his chest. He blinks, as uncertain as everyone else, and his left hand grips tightly against the hilt of his sword for a moment before he relaxes and leans forwards in his chair, taking some of the water on the table for the first time and drinking deeply before returning his attention to the group. "Ugh. I didn't sign up for world-shaking calamities. Let's take things one step at a time, huh? First we kill Lamm, then we worry about whatever in the Hells this divination is talking about." He waves one of his hands dismissively, but quietly turns his attention slightly towards Selancourte, interested in her reaction to his casual mention of the Hells. Never hurts to know just how religious a Chelish noble happens to be. "If something big is going to go down soon, I'll feel more comfortable dealing with it with that particular piece of my past dead and buried."

[Corlindale]

"I...I am alright." Mordin replies to Dirkust's question, though he looks extremely shaken by the spectacle. The lights and the flashy display were intimidating enough, but there's one particular detail that seared its way into his mind:
The Avalanche... the card that portends doom...and my chosen card as well.

Those seated closest to him hear a whisper, as Mordin seems to be talking to himself: "Oh Jasper, you would have been so much better prepared for this than I am."

[aberratio ictus]

(OOC: colourless, since I'm at my mobile Phone currently)

Lady Selancourte

Naturally, she paid close attention to the readings the others got. While she wasn't too sure about the accuracy of a harrowing, Zellara's words could maybe tell her something about what the fortune teller thought about the others, and that could prove useful - Zellara certainly knew more about them than her, which, admittedly, wasn't hard, since she knew hardly anything at all.
In Avrin's case, Zellara's words were indeed very enlightening, and Lady Selancourte resolved to watch him more closely in the future.

When her own card glared at her, a befuddled Vestis blinked once, then a second time, but the card maintained its merry expression.

So, the juggler. Vestis did have some experience in juggling different responsibilities, well, right from the time she could walk and talk.
Most of the time, she hated it. Ah well.

She didn't show much of a reaction when the card's connection to Desna was brought up, apart from continued polite attention.
Desna... well, she liked art and travel, so there was some common ground to be found. Still, she and her followers, while certainly meaning well, were inefficient and misguided, and in the end, did more harm than good through their endeavours, if they achieved anything at all. By nature, Desna was destructive, a trait she shared with demons.

Did it mean anything that the card was upside down? Vestis did not know much about harrowing, but she was almost certain a card being upside down meant something. Was this the “something“ that told Zellara Vestis didn't approve, or was there something else the fortune teller had purpousfully left out?

Lady Selancoute nodded slowly when Zellara spoke her warning, and indeed, that had given her something to think about.

She followed the “weaving of the tapestry“ very closely as well.
It quickly became clear that the cards were speaking of bigger things than the killing of Lamm, and despite herself, even Vestis felt uncomfortable and tensed up a little, when the Lost, a card promising all-consuming madness, fear and chaos came up.

The next card, the reappearance of her familiar Tyrant card, was a relief, a sentiment that, much to her surprise, wasn't shared by Zellara, judging from her face growing paler and paler.

At first, Vestis had thought of the change in her voice as another fortune teller trick, but the purple bolt took her completely by surprise.

“I'm fine, thank you.“ she answered to both Dirkust's and Ardino's question, after quickly determining she was not injured.

When Avrin so casually invoked the hells, Vestis' eyes, of course, were instantly on him. Her head slightly inclined to the left, she gave him a subtle smile and playfully wagged her finger at him.
She knew when she was being prodded, especially when the person doing the prodding had previously been associated with “needless conflict with potential allies“. Well, it couldn't hurt to let him know she wasn't a fanatic who would seriously be bothered by such a thing.

Now, how to proceed? In the end, she wasn't completely convinced of the fortune tellers truthfulness, and she eyed Zellara suspiciously. She wasn't sure what her real intentions were, but she trusted they would find out soon enough. If there really was a truly world-shaking calamity approaching, it would be a lot wiser and vastly more likely to suceed to simply let the hell knights of Korvosa deal with preventing it, instead of herself and those six other people, which, admittedly, did seem competent... mostly, but not close to the league of world wound prevention, and a regiment of hell knights was a regiment of hell knights. Zellara was certainly trying to use them for her own ends, whatever they were.

“I agree with Avrin.“ She finally spoke up, in a clear, friendly voice. “This... prophecy... is worrying, no doubt about that, but we cannot allow it to distract us from the reason we all have come here today.“

[THEChanger]

"I am fine, Dirkust. Drained, but otherwise unhurt." Zellara still looks terribly pale, and slowly collects herself, shaking her head. "I am not sure what has happened. I believe someone has chosen to speak through me. It is not unheard of for the spirits or gods to hijack a harrowing, so to speak, though I have never experienced it before." The Harrower stands, shakily, balancing on the back of her chair. "But I agree with Arvin and Vestis. Lamm is the most important, and most immediate, threat. Whatever else this Harrowing portents, we will deal with it when it happens. Together, or apart. For now, I fear I must retire, unless any of you have further questions for me. You all are, of course, welcome to stay here for the evening if you wish."

[MesiDoomstalker]

Thank you for your Hospitality, Ms. Zellara. Dirkust stared blankly at the others before saying. Well... I suppose we should plan our avenue of offense against this warehouse? Is anyone familiar with the area?

[Inspectre]

Gavin had been leaning forward with interest during the first part of the Harrow reading. It took a minor act of willpower not to crush the Harrow card of the Locksmith in his hand when Zellara explained it.

Gaedren Lamm. I'm coming for you.

As the Choosing ended and the Tapestry phase of the reading began, Gavin's excitement quickly turned to confusion, and then dismay. This - this was too much. Becoming a generic hero known and beloved by the entire city was one thing, he had grown up on such stories. Stopping some ancient tyrant from destroying the world while it fell into madness was quite another. And after the exuberance of childhood had faded, Gavin realized he was no such hero. He would have been content just to be a well-liked and effective guardsman, but even that had been denied to him. No, those stories of larger-than-life heroes were just that – stories. There were no such heroes in the real world.

Perhaps this was another reason why Gavin had stayed away from Harrow readings this whole time. He had heard of some who provided completely fake Harrow readings, and while Gavin was confident Zellara was not one of them, this idea of being the one to face a grave threat to the entire world was a little much for Gavin to swallow. Whoever was responsible for this reading, they got it wrong if they thought Gavin was going to come riding in and save the day on his white horse. But there was one part of the prophecy he could help fulfill.

"I agree with Avrin. One issue at a time. Thank you for the reading Zellara - we'll return here when it's done."

Gavin said, handing the Locksmith card back to the fortune teller - even though she apparently had ways of conjuring them from other people's hands.

At Dirkust's request, Gavin thought back on his patrol routes. He may have walked through the area now and again, although it had been five years after all. He might actually be more familiar with the city from the underworld side of things now.

Spoiler: Knowledge Local

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Taking 10 for a total of 15 on Knowledge Local

(Based on information posted in OOC from the knowledge check)

Gavin nods as he remembers the rough area where the warehouse was located.

"I should be able to guide us to the warehouse. It's close to a section of the docks. I rather doubt our group could pass itself off as fishmongers, a common business in the area, but there might be a few less well-lit areas where we could observe the warehouse without being seen.

Gavin smirks as an idea suddenly comes to him.

"Of course, if we just want to take the direct approach, we could just march up to the front door, say that we were sent by the Arkonas to discuss rent, and demand to be let in to see Lamm. It's a ruse that could work long enough to get us inside the front door, at least. After that . . ."

Gavin shrugs.

[MesiDoomstalker]

I do not believe our group could pass as Arkonanian enforcers. At least, I could not. Dirkust tapped the table thrice, wiggling himself closer to the table. He felt too distant, so he pressed his breast against the edge of the table. It should be prudent we discuss our individual strengths and talents. Waggling his fingers, Dirkust seemed lost in thought. Hrmmm. I apologize, my abilities are... unconventional? Many find it difficult to understand.

He inhales before starting a non-stop stream of words. I can generate an enhanced metaphysical pyscho-psionic tethering between my own cerebral cortex and that of several other willing cerebral cortexi forming a psycho-psionic 'network' if you will. Through this tethering, I can manifest a number of psionic abilities that would typically be exclusive to my own person. Prime among them is the ability to rapidly accelerate the bodies natural healing rate to restore vitality. Additionally, if anyone within this receives magical succor typically bestowed upon deities faithful can be redirected and reapplied to anyone within this 'network'.

Catching his breath, Dirkust looks at the group with a small smile. Essentially, I can keep us healthy if this comes to a fight. Which it probably will. However, I have limits. My mental stamina can only sustain so much accelerated healing and I can only form tether's between four individuals, not including myself. Additionally, my talents are.... limited in their scope. I do not have the breadth of psionic talents of others with similar psionic endowment.

[Corlindale]

Mordin looks at Dirkust. At first he looks confused, but then he gives an appreciative nod.

"I honestly did not understand half of that, but I know how useful a healer is. I am sure you will be essential to this mission. As for me... well, I know how to use a sword and I have been in the front lines of many a fight... often on Lamm's side, I am sorry to say. I also have a...friend whom I plan to bring along on the mission, but it is hard for me to explain what he can do, as I do not fully understand that myself yet. I know that sounds crazy, but I feel that I am meant to bring him along. Especially given what we just saw in these cards."

Regarding the plan, I think a back door sounds like the most wise approach. However, staying quiet and unseen is not really my style, as you probably noticed when I came in." He blushes slightly and touches the bruise on his forehead from when he hit the doorframe.

[digiman619]

Ardino had a blank look on his face for most of his speech, but eventually said "Healer. Gotcha. As for my skills, I am trained in the disciplines of the Broken Blade and Fool's Errand; my body is my weapon. I'm also on board with the the sneaking plan, I think I can be of some help there."

[DaedalusMkV]

Avrin seems to drift off during Dirkust's explanation of his abilities. He might be versed in spellcraft, but the particulars of the art have always bored him. Once the others are finished speaking, he continues the conversation. "I think we should get a look at the warehouse before we make any decisions on a plan of attack. A back entrance or rooftop access might be better than trying to bluff our way in, though I think I could make that work given the need." He shrugs and lifts both arms in the air palms upwards. "I can handle myself in a fight. I'll happily go toe-to-toe with the usual hired thugs people like Lamm tend to employ, just don't expect me to go killing any Ogres or anything. Otherwise, I can pick locks if we need to, I'm pretty good at sneaking around when I want to and I've got some limited ability with healing magics. Don't expect too much, but I can probably deal with any light injuries we happen to take, or at least prevent anyone really hurt from dying." A truthful enough description, if one that leaves out a few of his handier divine blessings. Or, for that matter, that his abilities are divine in nature at all. No need to give away more information than strictly necessary, after all.

With his own explanation out of the way, Avrin looks crosswise at Mordin and says, "Wait, a friend? What kind of friend? Are you some kind of Druid, with an animal helper or something?"

[Corlindale]

"No, not an animal. It is really hard to explain, but I can tell you that he will probably stay unseen, to watch and to guide. He..." Mordin pauses mid-sentence, suddenly realizing that telling everyone else the details about the voice in his head might not be wise at this point. "Well, he is going to help us out and I know we can trust him, that is all I can really say at this point. I apologize if this is still vague, all of this" -he gestures around him- "is completely new to me."

[The_Shaman]

Carla blinks as the strange energy pours into her, before looking down at her hands and feet and back at the fortuneteller. She isn't quite sure what happened,but she can't really trust that mage yet... she knows just about enough about magic to know how subtle it can be,and that someone skilled and devious enough can disguise it. "If you are honest I thank you greatly and will give my all to see vengeance done. But... this better not be a trick, for both our sakes" she leans slightly and whispers to the Varisian as she returns the card. No dance can work without trust in your partners, so she can only hope the gods sent her some reliable ones. Though the knowledge that at least one of them used to work with the tick does not fill her with confidence, she is reasonably sure Lamm screwed plenty of his former partners.

Once outside, she walks in lockstep with the rest of the group. "A bunch of toughs would not be too out of the ordinary in this neighborhood, either alone or hired muscle for a lady who wants to do some slumming.Not sure about the "Arcona enforers," bit, though, if Lamm is as paranoid as I expect he'd have one of his dogs stall us for a bit while he makes a break for it. I'd say let's not give him the chance. Sneaking, or rushing the place after sundown would be my choices, and I'm probably better at the second"

She raises an eyebrow at Dirkust's description. Whatever talents he has, giving clear explanations is probably not one of them. "So you are some sort of a psychic healing mage, basically, he's some educated fighter, there are a few sneaky types... okay, fair enough.I'm mostly a brawler, though I've picked up some tricks from here and there. Speaking of which, I might need a few minutes to prepare a few surprises before we start the party. For Gaedren Lamm, I want to be at my best." she says, and the curve of her smile make it very clear that her "best" isn't going to be particularly nice.

Best, or worst. I'm probably not going to get another chance at this bastard, whatever the price may be.

[Inspectre]

Gavin shrugs at the objections to the "pretend to be Arkona thugs" option - they are reasonable objections.
He gives a confused look at Dirkust's explanation of his abilities, and gives Ardino a relieved look when he summarizes it as "healer". That Gavin understood.

"I'm good with this, though better with this. I don't tend to skulk around in the shadows though - I prefer to talk my way out of trouble."

Gavin explains, hooking a thumb at his crossbow and drawing his rapier part of the way out of its scabbard.

"We could always send a group of the less stealth-capable to the front door as a distraction while the rest sneak in this back door, assuming that there is one."

Gavin sighs.

"We should probably go have a look at this place before we make any other plans."

[aberratio ictus]

Lady Selancourte

Zellara's explanation - if she spoke the truth - wasn't very comforting, either. A highjacked harrowing. Who knew if who- or whatever had possessed her, had their or Korvosa's best interests in mind?
Carla, at the very least, obviously shared her concerns, which she voiced freely.

Keeping silent herself, the Chelish Lady listened to the following discussion amongst the others.
So Dirkust was what they called a Psion. She had heard of them; merely a different kind of magic, ultimately. She wasn't sure she liked the sound of how his powers worked, though. She wouldn't be a "willing cerebral cortex" any time soon, that much was certain.

Mordin had an imaginary friend - well, he looked like he could take a beating and deliver the same, so it wasn't that important whether he had some other tricks up his sleeve or not. Gavin, Ardino and Carla were warriors and Avrin was... a man of many talents, apparently.

"Indeed." she agreed to Gavin's words. It was useless to discuss tactics before they actually knew what the building looked like and what opportunities it offered, and if there were areas where the group could observe the warehouse without being seen like Gavin claimed, going there was a sensible next step. "We have strained our dear hostess' hospitality for too long already, I fear." she added, fixing her eyes on the very drained looking fortune teller. "Let us not delay our mission any longer, then. Lead us to this warehouse, Mr Dimir."

[Corlindale]

Mordin nods his assent.

"I will have to make a short stop before the warehouse, but I think I should be able to join you there quickly, going from Dimir's description of the area. I know my way around the city as well. Even though we are just going to scout, I want to bring my armor in case we accidentally draw attention to ourselves and things get ugly."

[THEChanger]

Midland
West Docks
Westpier 17
8:23 PM

With Gavin's help, the six of you find the place in short order, Mordin peeling away to go retrieve someone. Or something. He was somewhat unclear on that point. The remaining six of you scurry along towards Korvosa's West Docks, with Mordin promising to meet with you soon.. After roughly thirty minutes, Gavin holds up his hand. Right across the street is the building Zellara directed you to.

The old fishery is not quite decrepit, but a few years without repair has taken its toll. Several windows are either cracked with long, spidery veins or simply shattered completely. From an iron post, a splintered sign still proclaims the location as "Carl's Fine F-". What fine thing was sold at this location will, presumably, forever remain a mystery. A pair of double doors, the only obvious entrance to the building, are the only part of it that appear to have had attention paid to them, with a new paint job and new boards giving them a solid, uninviting appearance. Various dock workers and ship's hands still wander about the pier - at least one of the warehouses nearby has been converted into a combination tavern and flophouse, and there are still a few ships being unloaded by lamp light.

All the warehouses here are built on a very steep embankment along the Jeggare River, which flows around the city into the Conqueror's Bay, supported on tall wooden pylons. It looks like a climb from the river would be incredibly difficult, though most of the warehouses seem to have docks on the river below.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Dirkust had migrated to the back of their little pack. As they stopped, he peered around the other's taking in the sight. The dock worker's refuse to look at the place. They seem to fear it. He raised a finger pointing to the various lights inside. People are inside. Lights are on in the bottom floor. See, there? The bright light on the upper level? Gaedren is probably there. Or his office. He traced a finger from the window to the area below the warehouse. There seems to be a ramp leading down from the warehouse. Possibly to a wrecked ship. After a brief pause. I don't see any other entrance than the main one, however. Not unless we wish to climb from below or scale the outer walls.

[Inspectre]

Gavin nods as Dirkust relays what he says - he certainly had sharp eyes - and Gavin made his own observations about the warehouse.
He had participated in a guard raid on a warehouse a couple weeks prior to running afoul of Lamm.

Handful of squatters had found an empty warehouse to turn into a lair, and apparently the minor noble who owned the place had some pull with the guard because a squad of guardsman was put together to clear the place out a day after he lodged a complaint. Nobody was expecting a lot of trouble from what amounted to a handful of homeless people, and Gavin was brought along as a learning experience.
And indeed, the raid wasn't too dangerous - the most excitement came after one of the squatters leaned out a second story window and started tossing down bottles, bricks, and whatever else was close at hand while the lead guards were prying the front door open. After the barred front door was pried open the squatters quickly surrendered, and so the worst injuries were a couple broken noses from flying debris and rougher-than-strictly-necessary arrests. But it had been a sobering experience for Gavin, because if the squatters had been armed with anything more serious than random scraps and filth, someone could have been killed. He therefore took storming a defended building rather seriously, and he didn't like what he was learning about this particular warehouse.

"Okay. So it looks like the front door is really our only option. We could try to climb up to the second story, but unless someone here can fly that's going to be slow and very noisy. I'd rather not give any friends that Lamm has visiting the chance to lean out a window and start taking potshots at us with a crossbow. We could try to smash in some of the ground floor windows and climb in instead, but again - noisy and slow. It's night now, so that front door is probably locked if not barred. So we either need to convince someone inside to open that door up for us, or we're going to have to hope that we can bash it in and storm inside very quickly. Given that looks like a new door, we probably don't have the best odds of managing that but even in its sad condition I don't think smashing a hole in the wall would be easier. With the docks out back there might be a skiff or fishing boat waiting that Lamm could use to get away while we fight our way in from the front. But I don't see how we can get to that boat, if it exists, from here without walking past one of those brightly lit windows and drawing attention to ourselves. Anyone got any other ideas besides smashing down the front door while we wait for Mordin to get here?"