Adventurers' Guild Team Adder IC

[Lord_Asmodeus]

{In Common} yes well, its a good plan, and I think we can take care of ourselves, I'm ready whenever the rest of you are. Ioth stands up straight, prepared to leave.

[Zyks]

Vlax stands up, checks his axe and armour is secure and says: "Right then, lets get going, Matthew or Fin should lead the way, you two seem to know your way around here."

[DavidByron]

Well I'm sure Fin knows the way better, but I guess it's just dumb luck; I think I might have been to this very house three or four years ago.

Back then I was in Bridgeport and I was doing a bit of "wage mage" stuff. You know -- hiring out for specific spell casting. Usualy it's the "Mending" spell. You can pick up a decent living that way. Anyway the clients were pretty wealthy of course so sometimes they'd pay extra for you to do a house call. I always love snooping round homes of the wealthy like that! Mostly it would be people living up on the hill in "new" Bridgeport but this one time I was called out to West Bridgeport.

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file under "more detail than you needed"?
Matthew can go over most of this story as they walk along so this can be after anything Fin or Matthias might want to say before we leave. -- This is just background fluff fleshing out the DM comment on the last page

Now at the time I had thought West Bridgeport was pretty much nothing but halfling peat cutters and fishermen but there's a part of it that used to be the center of that side of town before they built the bridge. I guess going back a long time before the two sides were one city it would have been the town center where all the most wealthy halflings lived. It's based around a hill so it's out of the marsh area and some of the smell. Some of the buildings looked pretty old and the streets are wider -- not like the rabbit warren or roads in the rest of West Bridgeport.

The house I went to belonged to someone high up in the Yondalla church which is really big among the halflings. The owners were moving out and I suppose the decorative mirror I was there to fix must have got broken as part of that. I didn't get to see the inside of the house but I did hear some talk that it was some sort of ancestral home and what a shame it was for the new owners to be "out of the family" -- though nobody seemed to know who the new owners were exactly which was pretty odd for such a tight community as they have over there. Especially as most halflings are terrible gossips!

But that was years ago and it could have changed hands again since....

[Bonecrusher Doc]

Bruce
"Very well, I hope you have your torches with you tonight; there aren't as many streetlamps out there on the far west side."

[Bribri]

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Slow responses from me again. *laughs* no real excuses lets just keep this going!

Fin takes a glance towards Bruce as he suggested the torches, of course Fin was more then used to walking some of these streets in the dark by now, but torches they had, so torches they'd use! He nodded in agreement with most of whats said but added "Say our best bet is to leave the kid behind. Made some mistakes, but don't think there's much reason to take him into something that might get ugly just cause he made a few mistakes. Will be fine on our own."

Looking in the direction of part of town they'd be heading Fin thought aloud a bit "... Hm... well, 'think' I know which house this is, heh maybe remember a few Halfings chatting about it... but...never stepped foot in it for sure, and I could be thinking another. Maybe just strolled on by it while heading some place else. Figure you'll be best showing us the way Matthew if yer more familiar with it."

[hyperfreak497]

"I say we bring the child," Matthias says, standing up and stretching. "He's the only one who's seen her before."

[DavidByron]

If it's the place I'm thinking of you can't miss it.

Matthias has a good point about Quinn being the only one who can positively say we have the right old lady. Don't want to start a fight and then not be able to prove we were in the right. He's our proof. He can always run off if things get ugly.

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EDITED: realised Ioth already signed off on the Vlax plan more or less so removed asking for his opinion.

Matthew realises Fin might need persuading on his own terms.

Look Fin, this isn't about punishing the kid, and of course we'll be fine. We'll be the scariest things walking the streets tonight I bet. But if we get to this place and we find, yes, there's an old lady living there. What do we do? Break in to make sure of it? And if our would be assassin fed Quinn a false lead we end up scaring some innocent old lady needlessly. You wouldn't want that to happen would you?

[Zyks]

"All right, enough talking, time to get something done"

Vlax strides across the room and takes Quinn by the shoulder. {to Merill}"Hope you don't mind if we take him sir" and then steers him firmly but not harshly out of the door and into the street.

[Bribri]

Fin didn't look like he loved the idea, but shrugged "If we gotta bring him" was his simple response. He brushed his hair aside as he watched Vlax oh so politely escort the kid outside, shaking his head. Hopefully this'll be simple, and the kid will stay out of trouble... taking the first few steps of following after them.

[Bonecrusher Doc]

The adventurers and Quinn walk quickly across The Great Bridge and through West Bridgeport for half an hour before they finally arrive at the northwest corner of Bridgeport City. In a neighborhood of steep rocky hills with patches of spring grass, they can see one house standing out on the highest hill: Highburrow Hall. As the road goes over a hill near Highburrow, you can look across and barely make out a short, one-story stone house, with halfling-sized doors and shuttered windows, three large chimneys, and a low wooden fence around the perimeter of the roof. These features are barely decipherable in the dark, even with Matthew pointing them out, because the only light on the hill comes from two peat lamps atop the gate pillars. A path winds up the hill to a stone wall that surrounds the house, six feet in height, with an intricately constructed metal gate which Matthew says must have replaced the old wooden gate that was here the last time he saw the house. The smell of peat smoke fills West Bridgeport on this chilly night.

[DavidByron]

Try to see if the metal gate is locked or just latched and closed.

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[roll0]
Dang preview messed up my was never-going-to-work anyway because I'm-not-a-rogue search for traps

In a low voice.
I don't see a light on, but this is the place. I suppose we have a couple of different options. I prefer the direct approach; go up there and knock. We're on guild business and openly wearing our badges. We're investigating an attempted murder on guild property.

Hm, so why am I almost whispering here?

[hyperfreak497]

Matthias leans against the fence, playing with his shortsword absentmindedly. "I second that. We have no reason to sneak in."

[Zyks]

Vlax tries the gate.

{Assuming it isn't locked}

he walks up to the house and knocks hard on the door.

[Bribri]

Fin has zero objections to that approach, and nods "Only get ourselves in trouble if we try something shifty over it." following the others to the door, just standing to the side as the dwarf gives it a knock, taking a few glances around to the sides, and windows of the building as they do. Fellahs here might not like to see us, and decide to run off rather the answer...

[DavidByron]

Matthew fiddles nervously with some multi-coloured sand in his left hand.

Speaking to himself:
Hey, "Highburrow" wasn't that.... Father Eldon's last name...??
Coincidence?!

Matthew shakes his head -- it's a popular enough name. He tries to concentrate on what Vlax and Fin are doing.

[Lord_Asmodeus]

Ioth sits quietly, he nods his agreement to the plan, but he is unsure whether they noticed the gesture in the dark. He assumes they will go ahead if no one voices a complaint about the idea, and he would agree if asked, so he continued to stand quietly, Ioth was using his Darkvision now, since it was to dark to use his regular vision effectively, and takes a look around

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I'm unsure whether I should be doing spot or search so I'll just roll for both (1d20+3)[5] search (1d20+2)[22] spot

[Bonecrusher Doc]

The gate being unlatched, the party walks into the front yard of the house. They yard is lit, but the house is dark, with no light escaping from shuttered windows or the wooden door.

As the adventurers and Quinn approach the door of the house, Ioth's uses his keen night vision and spots some people up on the roof, crouched behind the low wall. He notices at least two silhouettes, perhaps three.

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Feel free to edit your posts now that you have this information.

[Lord_Asmodeus]

As Ioth spots the three people crouched on the roof, he nudges Vlax a little and whispers {In Common}hey, you see those guys on the roof? he makes sure not to point, not wanting to draw too much attention, and repeats the comment to anyone reasonably within earshot.

[Zyks]

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holy crap! ninjas! I hope not.

Vlax doesn't straight away reach for his weapon when he is told theres figures on the roof, but he looks tenser, and more alert. I don't think it would be wise to let them know we've seen them just yet, but if they're here to fight...

[DavidByron]

Matthew glances around checking to see what other cover there is in the front of the house for ambushers to hide in or to take cover from archers on the roof. He gauges the distance to the house; would it be safer to rush in or dive for cover if they start shooting?

whispering, head turned from house:
We'd lose some of our advantage in a shooting fight... perhaps Matthias or Fin should circle around back?

louder voice, facing towards the house:
Are you sure this is the right place Quinn? It doesn't look like anyone is home. This better not be another wild goose chase young man.

[Bribri]

Fin of course takes note of Ioths warning, and agrees with Vlax with a nod. Best Not let them know we know so soon. His eye glances around the yard casually, much like Matthew trying to make note of any cover they can manage in the case the people up there are armed. Though.. they 'could' just be working on the roof. But in the middle of the night? Right. Fin already was regretting taking the boy along, might find himself with an arrow in his chest....

Fin did say in a hushed tone to the others "well.. if they're on the roof best spot we can get is as near as to the house as we can. Hard as Hell to shoot a guy pressed up against it, no way they can aim right without jumping down or showing themselves"

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And.. I spent most of yesterday in bed with the flu Nothing fun for me, and to make matters worst work in about 40 minutes. Ah well!

[hyperfreak497]

Matthias pulls out and loads his crossbow, then turns to his companions. "I'm want to try to talk to them. Any objections?"

[Zyks]

{whispered to Matthias}"Actually if you can get onto the roof somehow and do it quietly, it would put us at a much greater advantage.

[Bonecrusher Doc]

The door opens and a tall human woman, wearing a cloak over her head and shoulders, stands there. She looks at the adventurers (some closer to the door than others), throws a few coins at Quinn, and says imperiously,

Tall Woman

"Get out of here, boy! The rest of you, please come in. We have certain matters to discuss."

With a flip of her cloak, the woman whirls and walks back into the house, leaving the door open behind her, faint firelight shining out the doorway.

[Zyks]

Vlax is surprised at the womans reaction to them. It was as if she had expected them and called them here. {whispered to quinn}"Is that the woman?

[Zyks]

Vlax is surprised at the womans reaction to them. It was as if she had expected them and called them here. {whispered to quinn}"Is that the woman?

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sorry for double post, internet was acting up

[Bonecrusher Doc]

Quinn scrambles for the coins, then starts backing away from the house...

Quinn
"I...I don't know...she could be, but the woman I saw was all bent over and old!"

[DavidByron]

Go on Quinn, get out of here.

Such arrogance. Does she really expect us all to meekly walk behind??

Loudly towards the house.
Thank you for your offer of hospitality. However wizards' spells tend to work best in close quarters when the enemy is all nicely bunched up together so I believe I'll stay out here. Why don't you ask your friends hiding up on the roof to come down and join us for this parley. Perhaps you could start by introducing yourself (since you know who we are) and explaining your choice of calling card?

Smells like roses Quinn said. Could that be... that reminds me of something.

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Matthew being overly suspicious again?
Spellcraft check for material component of roses - (1d20+6)[22]

Matthew hafts his crossbow.

[Bribri]

At this point Fin was hoping those above didn't fill Matthew full of holes for hefting a weapon, possibly with the intent of shooting their matron. He quickly whispered to Quinn, not really feeling the kid was in anyway safe here anymore "Ya can go ahead, and take off now, we'll be handling this. Suggest giving them coins to Ann for scene she had to deal with this morning" (Something his allies may disagree with, but Fin isn't for leaving a 'youngin' in a place that might break into a fight soon)

He took a few steps forward so he was ahead of Matthews, hopefully ruining the aim of those on the roofs aim just a tad (but not so much that he was blatiently blocking him) adding his two sense "Sorry if we'd all be on the suspicious side here mam, but ya haven't given us much reason for trusting yet, with the fellahs hiding up on the roof, talk about the other stuff we dealt with today... " he spread his arms wide, clearly showing he was at least, unarmed (not that it's true) "If ya got something to say to us, tell it to us out here."

Diplomacy check! If it's needed. Hopefully she's willing to chat out here without it...

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(1d20+5)[20]

[Zyks]

Vlax just stands ready while the others do the talking. He hasn't drawn his weapon yet, but knows that if the situation can't be sorted through words, he'll be ready to solve it through violence.