Session 7 - The Boiling Point
21st Day of Huren (Fall) 1611 (Continued) - Iron Spikes Attack the Amberdune Booksellers
During the early afternoon, Josef pretends to do holy things in the shanty town outside Blue Portage so that he can keep an eye on the Amberdune booksellers residence (an apparent former warehouse). He sees two members of the Iron Spike gang meet up and lurk in an alley across from the warehouse where they appear prepared to remain for some time. After seeing no other interesting activity he returns to the Swift Inn to regroup with his companions.
The companions decide they will "watch the watchers" an send Olivine down to the area to keep tabs on things until dusk. On his way down to the Aberdune warehouse, he sees a pair of the booksellers with their empty horse-drawn wagon, quickly heading "up-town" (likely to the market). Aware of their superior skills of detection, Olivine passes them by and arrives near the warehouse. He scouts the area and also spots the Iron Spike gang members at the location indicated (although one appears to be more adept and blending in than the other).
About 45 minutes later, Olivine hears the wagon return - and it sounds like it is being unloaded. Soon he sees the wagon pull away with one driver and no cargo. 15 minutes later the driver returns on foot and enters the warehouse. And then it goes quiet again.
Olivine decides to try and find where the wagon went. He eventually spots it in a stable yard. He waits for the right opportunity to enter the yard and see what he can learn. He meets a young boy named William who is reluctantly learning to be a stableman, and his father who has an unwavering vision of his son's future as a stableman. The man fails to sell a draft horse to a farmer and his wife and then turns to Olivine to try and make a sale. Olivine meets what is an apparent fine specimen of a Draft horse named Henry and uses the encounter to investigate the wagon (it is empty and ramshackle). The conversation turns to the horses that pulled the wagon - they are ill-cared for broken down nags. And this tugs at Olivine's heart and he leaves enough coin to feed the two horses well before departing the stable yard.
Soon dusk comes, and with it comes various members of the Iron Spike gang, who begin to take up positions around the Amberdune warehouse. The citizens in the area, close up shops or vacate the area. Ominous music plays and the rain begins to fall. Soon the remainder of the PCs join Olivine.
The stage is set for a show down and everybody is watching expectantly. The guards at the public gate to Blue Portage shout out a "last call" and the PCs hear the portcullis descend into place and the gates shut.
After dark, The Iron Spikes move as one and converge on the front door to the warehouse. Hammer picks the lock and steps back. With a motion the gang floods into the warehouse. From outside the windowless structure, the PCs hear sounds of intense combat. They too begin to close in with plans to mop up any survivors and secure the rare books held by the Amberdune tribe.
The PCs spot two injured gang members flee from the warehouse. Taraxacam, having learned how it is in the real world, knifes the first one in the back in a side alley. The seond is taken out by Lane? The party edges ever closer to the only entrance - what they can glean from the outside is a bloodbath on the inside, and soon begin their work to affect the battle with spells and ranged weapons. Inside the numbers are thinning and combat must be desperate as several witness a floor covering being used as a "net."
Outside, Olivine attemps to loop around the building to sneak up on the front entrance - he is stoped cold in his tracks from behind by the icy intimidating voice of Ayron. Sensing he is at knife-point, Olivine quickly twists and ducks with the coolest move of the day. Ayron's magic shortsword blade misses. Olivine makes a stab of his own, draws blood and retreats nearer to his allies. The enraged Half-orc pursues, runs the corner to find the PCs blocking the door and encased in a spell by Lane that gives them extra temp hp. Ayron is hit by an ax from Josef. Ayron shouts "Hammer?" (his alley) and gets no response from within the warehouse. Josef responds, "No that was an ax!"
As the PCs begin to enter the warehouse they find only three of seven booksellers standing, and all of the gang members down.
Korvala, the leader of the Amberdune asks for help and says she will give them what they have come for. Thurgood coldly responds to the deal with a mighty Thunderwave on two of them, the rug (and the envelped Hammer) - Korvala and one of the booksellers goes down. The floor covering chokes the last bit of life out of Hammer who is uncerimoniously dumped on the ground by the animated rug. Outside Ayron sucumbes to spell and missile fire.
As the roar of the Thunderwave fades, the dogs int he area begin their cacaphonic barking. And shouts are heard from the city gate. The PCs make an agreement with the only standing bookseller - he agrees to turn over the books if they will save their fallen - this happens. Aryon is dragged into the ware house. The guards, led by Captain Rhimes, eventually arrive and the situation is presented pretty much as it happened - "The gang attacked the booksellers, and we aided in their defense and obtained the books".
The good captain seems satisfied with the answers, they gather up evidence, leave the spoils to the PCs and they intend to throw Ayron into an oubliette adjacent to Mushika.
Spoils of war:
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