DAY FIVE SPYING ON THE TEMPLE
By this point the group is getting restless and trying to come up with a way to learn more without turning into a bloodbath and later that day they get a response to Ariel's message to Reginar earlier in the week. Shel is performing in the square outside the temple - directly within sight of the gate as the group is loading goods for the day.
But while the group struggles to come up with an excuse to slip out to speak to her she put away her instrument with a few flourishes and then whispers magically across the square into their ears. "Can you guys hear me? Nod if you can. Great! Today is the day that the church usually hands out bread to the poor near the docks. Reginar thinks it is a cover for shipments or something but he also set something for the same time to lure out a bunch of the cult. Said there was something Encarthis had been trying to get into for months and Reginar convinced his friend in city hall to drop their objections and pressure the organizers to invite Encarhis and his top disciples out to give a demonstration of their temples martial disciplines. This should give you a chance to investigate the apartments.."
At this point a couple "guardsmen" interrupt Shel by asking for her performer's licence saying "That elvin license ain't good in this part of town"
Karsa recognizes them as the same guardmen that took his purse when he interfered with church lynching of a halfelf on the first day he visited the square. "Those aren't guardsmen" he growls, "They are just priests from here wearing guard uniforms. I bet my beard on it"
Moments later the guards try to drag Shel over to the inn which the party now knows must conceal some kind of tunnel to the temple. Qimae decides to give Shel a hand manifesting outside the compound. Her sudden appearance terrifyies a poor hawker into dropping his wares. Not everyday a heavily armored medieval Samurai coalesces literally in front of you.
"Excuse me" Qimae says as she pushes her way to the guards. By this point Shel is actively resisting. But the two men just drag Shel kicking and screaming towards the inn. Qimae calls out to the guard. "Excuse me" I said excuse me you pathetic excuses for guardsmen! Can you not hear me over your pathetic attempts to grope that minstel? Turn and look at me when I talk to you"
The guard snarls and spits in Qimae's direction. "Bugger off. We are busy" He then cracks Shel on the noggin with a billy club while his partner drags her stunned form through the doorway to the inn where they will be no witnesses.
Qimae moves into the door preventing the second guard from entering the building. But instead of intimidating him he just looks at her and leers to his buddy "guess we got us two bird Karl. You take the looker over while I grab the one dressed like she just came off the stage of on of those shitty Thule plays." He then attempts to grab Qimae but she easily brushes him off.
His partner is now struggling with Shel who is recovering her wits and without his partner helping teh fellow is having trouble keeping Shel under control. "Come on Frank, get the bitch out of the fucking door!" Frank tries to push Qimae through the door with no luck. Meanwhile Shel twists away from Karl giving Qimae a chance to toss a mindblade at him which gets both guards attention.
"Oh you just got yerself a world of trouble you stinking whore." says one guard as both draw weapons. But Qimae re-manifests her sword a moment later and then blood begins to fly. Shel finally free from a grapple magically sleeps the wounded guard and the innkeeper while Qimae butchers the guard outside. This draws attention from the guards up on the temple walls and arrows start to fill the air. Qimae ducking for cover and yells to Shel, "any more to your message? Or shall we flee" Shel shakes her head and first casts a spell to pull her instrument from the square into her hands and then turns to Qimae, "lets run for the alley"
The two make a break for it Qimae deliberately drawing more fire before she stops and says "Keep running. There is something I always wanted to do which might slow them down." Qimae then runs back, grabs the bloody cape of one guard and then waves it in front of her to block vision while she demanifests.
Across the plaza Arcas turns to Seldion and says "At times like these I sometimes think my grandma is the coolest person I know" Seldion just nods once and then the party pretends to go back to work awaiting their chance.
The disappearance does cause confusion in the church and everything is raise to high alert. The party is sent to the quarters and the building is put on lock-down while the ninja may be on the loose. In Arcas's head Qimae laughs and asks "don't those fools know the difference between a samurai and an ninja? A Ninja can't mow down a guard unless he does it be surprize... idiots"
But eventually the alarm is called off and Ariel even uses the alarm to flirt with a few acolytes who have guard duties learning the pass phrase to get up to the armory after she hits that she just wants to get some alone time with the acolyte during the next lockdown. She then relays this information quietly to the rest of the group along with the info that each post has a different password.
A bit later after things cool down a large group prepares to head out for the docks. And around then a Thule messenger arrives causing a flurry of activity and a hastily called gathering where Encarthis crows that the temple has an opportunity to show those Thule up. He says that the invite is obvious a lure since the attack today revealed that the Thule are opponents of the church brazen enough to attack within sight of its walls. But the opportunity will be turned on the opportunists. They obviously hoped to get just him or a few heralds to come instead he will take a full contingent of priests and everyone so if they try anything teh church can show them the might of Razmir.
He calls out most of the remaining priests, all but one herald and Krantz to accompany him for the demonstration. All regular duties are called off for the in-term and the temple will remain locked down until he returns. Forces are stripped thin enough that Karsa is promoted and put in charge of a bunch of acolytes in the main hall.
Encarthis assigns one herald to stay behind with only a handful of priests. Acolytes are sworn into guard duty for most locations except the entrance to the second floor of the main hall which is still manned by priests. The party deliberately passes on a opportunity to investigate the "pleasure vaults" and on a chance to jump the herald until they feel that everyone has relaxed a bit and they have the best chances. First they knock out all the acolytes still stationed in the barracks as reserves. It is pretty easy since those not put into duty are mostly sleeping or drinking heavily at not getting any new duties during the lockdown.
Hallway fight
Amorous in Armory
Guards for drunken investigation
Ariel was attacked
Main hall
What karsa was doing
Passing info
Clearing the stairs
Karsa preventing anyone form climbing the stairs
Priests at top
Seldion poison
Qimae cut alarm rope
Ariel smites priest at top of stairs
Seldion disarms Trap
Stepping into the lavish inner sanctum where gold encrusted masks lay piled on the podium a disembodied voice asks "Who are the real gods?" When the part blurts out "Um the people, err Razmir, uh mommy?" The trap goes of and a mask swarm attacks. The church bell starts tolling and the herald is woken from his drug induced stupor and begins prepping in a nearby room.
Party fights mask Golumn
Herald emerges from room
Ariel casts Aid/Prayer
Seldion summons fog making sneak attack impossible.
Party downs golumn
Party then downs herald
Investigating the room
Nory illusion appears when Ariel tries to enter his room.
"Ariel you are still here? Did you not pay attention? Go on, ask one of your friends to explain. At least they seem smart. Maybe one of them listened." then the illusion disappeared leaving behind a room that looks like it has not been used in months.
In Encarthis's room they find a very old sword. Qimae is stunned it is a master sword one of very few sword-master weapons carried over from Burgandry during the invasion. It is the most valuable thing in the building by far and should have never been in non-Thule hands to begin with.
Party loots Iramine's room. Find lots of records. Guardsmen bought off. Schedules of payments, plans for the journey to the lost isles of Tar Baphon. Seldion also bags a set of encyclopedia with almost childish glee. The party then returns to the grand doors out of the lavish quarters to find them stuck. Bashing them down they find it was stuck due to the solid wall of frozen cultists on the other side. When they tried to get in the trap Seldion had disarmed went off and it was a doozy. Free of cultists for a moment the party take teh great mask of Razmir off its pedestal atop the stair and throw it through the great stained glass window out onto the square. As one they then jump out and at the last moment Arcas featherfall's the group making it look like teh group stuck a landing from 50 feet up. They then slip into the crowds and disperse like the winds while cultists come streaming into the square from all corners of the city.