15 Growth 508

Lenoria, Diata, and Serenia have just taken out a guard. Uther and Rhain have jogged up to see what is going on. Two more guards are converging on their position. They can see another guard not approaching and staying up closer to the manor house.

While the others handle the two guards, Rhain moves forward quickly toward the guard at the house. Lenoria and Diata take on one guard while Serenia and Uther take on the other. Uther doesn’t seem to be having much luck while Serenia seems to be doing most of the work. Diata is having a bad day as well, though Lenoria is having equally bad luck. Still, they all manage to dispatch their guards. Serenia goes through and finishes them off with her rapier. They all join Rhain at the front door.

“Well, the element of surprise is out,” Diata grumbles. They decide to continue with the plan of getting in through the balcony and letting the others in through the front door. Diata and Rhain will climb up and go through the balcony in the new plan. Diata scampers up the wall without any trouble, while Rhain takes his time and eventually makes it up. Lenoria watches from down below.

At the balcony is a door leading inside. Diata cautiously approaches the door and heads inside—and is ambushed from inside by a guard! She backs up, leading the guard onto the balcony where Rhain can help. Rhain dispatches the guard. “Thanks!” Diata tells him. Rhain grins sheepishly.

Inside is a main room with four doors, one at each corner, and a spiral staircase heading down. Rhain motions for the staircase. Diata sneaks toward the staircase, while Rhain makes little effort to sneak. As they make their way down the spiral, Diata cries out as a “TWANG” is heard and she is hit with a crossbow bolt. Down below are three more armed men—one setting down a heavy crossbow.

Rhain leaps off of the open staircase toward the crossbowman. Diata is left with the two others who are heading up the stairs toward her. Rhain fights the man, who draws a scimitar and crows with triumph after each time he hits the barbarian. Rhain then breaks away from the man and throws open the front door.

Meanwhile, Serenia has heard the commotion in the room and both she and Lenoria have suggested that Uther try to break down the door. So when Rhain throws open door, Uther is standing right there. He quickly assesses the situation and goes in to the fray, followed by Serenia.

Meanwhile Diata is still fighting her brigand with another waiting at the foot of the stairs. While Uther and Serenia harry who Rhain assumes to be Kraven the Crow, he takes on the man at the stairs. Lenoria lends support with Spiritual Weapon from the doorway.

Once the guard at the foot of the stairs is dispatched, as is the one on the stairwell with Diata, Rhain charges, both hands on his axe, and attacks Diata.

“I fucking knew it! Help!” Diata cries.

“You knew nothing!” Rhain says.

Lenoria attacks Diata with her Spiritual Weapon. She falls. Lenoria herself attacks Serenia. Uther is too distracted with Kraven to help Diata. He fells Kraven.

Rhain attacks Uther, staggering him. Serenia looks around at the situation and drops her rapier and raises her hands in surrender.

Rhain then trips Uther, dropping him to the ground and making the half-orc drop his axe. He tells Serenia not to “get funny” or he’ll kill her. She assures him she’s very unfunny.

Rhain and Lenoria secure Kraven and Diata and tell Serenia that this is just business. They can have the seven other guys. She nods in understanding. Lenoria goes after their horses while Rhain waits outside the manor with his prizes. After a bit he hears a “ZAP” sound and smells ozone in the air. He goes back inside and sees Serenia with her hands up and smoke coming off an unconscious half-orc. “He got funny,” she says by way of explanation. Rhain narrows his eyes and asks if he’s dead. “No, I don’t think so,” Serenia says, unconcerned. Rhain goes back outside.

Soon Lenoria is back with the horses and they load up and head back into Crownport. Lenoria explains to the guards that they are taking the one unconscious body back as a bounty (Kraven) and the other is a companion they are taking for healing (Diata). The guards seem to buy and don’t give them much fuss. They do have to pay gate taxes on everyone, however.

Rhain heads to the city garrison to collect the bounty on Kraven. Lenoria goes to a back alley near the Sly Toad to wait for him. After some bureaucratic hoops and explanations, the Watch gives him his bounty of 100 platinum. He then heads to the Sly Toad and meets back up with Lenoria to tell her all went well. Then he goes inside the tavern to find Stavros. He spots the man and approaches.

“Ah, you’ve been successful then,” Stavros says.

“Yes,” Rhain says, obviously uncomfortable to be talking out in the open.

“You have the package?” Stavros prompts.

“Yes, the package,” Rhain says.

“Why don’t we meet at the store in an hour?” Stavros says. “I’ll make the arrangements with the boss.”

“Alright. An hour then,” Rhain says.

He goes back out and explains the arrangement with Lenoria. At this point, they take the time to loot Diata for weapons, armor, and gear—they weren’t part of the deal.

An hour later, they arrive at the abandoned storefront they met at the other night. They enter through the rear, just as they did before, finding the door unlocked. The boarded-up shop is lit with a lantern and inside they find Stavros and their mysterious employer.

“Ah, the promised package,” the employer says when presented with Diata.

Stavros hands them a pouch with the promised bounty inside. “My employer thanks you for your discretion and your competence.”

Lenoria and Rhain head out and return their rented horses to the livery stable and then return to their rooms at the Ebon Hound. It’s been a lucrative day, indeed.

16 Growth 508

Today, the pair go shopping with their newfound wealth.

They head to Ciothrio’s Arsenal, a broker in magical weapons, who buys the magical arrow they found in Diata’s gear off of them. It was apparently a sleep arrow. He was willing to work well with Lenoria as a fellow Sianaen.

They also do trade at Othogotho’s Oils and Elixirs, a shop run by a female half-orc who deals in potions and such. They then head to Berteph’s Scriptorium to cash in some scrolls. Berteph is a halfling.

After a lengthy discussion, they decide that they may need to add to their band. Maybe a rogue—one that’s not bound to his “fun-hating sister”. They decide to stick around Crownport for now, see what pops up.