Capture Gillian of the Daystar worshippers

It was a fine morning in Cliffshadow and Terrance and Dryali were regaling their table with a not-terribly embellished account of the capture of Jamie.  Inspired by this tale, they decided it was late enough that Arnari would be in her office and they could, as a group, have a similarly successful and profitable escapade.

Arnari's door was closed.  Well, this was different.  Voices murmured from within.

After the 6 Freelancers shared a look, Kaikoa knocked.  "One moment!" Arnari called out, then they heard her say something, and a deeper voice murmured, "Yah, mm-hmm, yah."  They were about to share another look when she opened the door and waved them in, and they realized she was describing the Mayor of Cliffshadow and noting how young he was to hold the position.

Next to Arnari's desk, in a fairly comfortable chair, was a blond-haired, blue-eyed male human, his long legs extended out in front of him.  He seemed very fit but not muscle-bound, and was wearing serviceable travelers clothes.  He cast an amused look at the Freelancers settling into chairs with wary faces.

"This is Tomtom, newly arrived from Bizarre.  He's been assigned to Duquesne Freelancers from the Bizarre Freelancers; he'll serve as my deputy," Arnari said by way of introduction.  It was obvious that they were not strangers to each other.

Dryali and Kaikoa leaned back speculatively, having picked up on "assigned."  The others burst into questions; they had not heard of Bizarre, the aggressively neutral trading post skylith.  Tomtom leaned back, crossed his arms and said nothing as Arnari explained the Freelancers have a big presence there; the Confederation both manages high-level missions and serve as peacekeepers, since Bizarre allows anyone to trade, even orcs and pteroti.

Someone asked, "Does it have a large port?" and Kaikoa made a bit of a face.  "Kind of," Arnari said, "It's not bulk trading."

Kaikoa asked shrewdly, "Is it the first Freelancers?"  Arnari and Tomtom shared a look; he shrugged, and said "Probably?" His voice was resonant, like it would carry in a battlefield.  "Tell us about pteroti!" someone else said, and Dryali made a bit of a face.  "Okay…" Arnari explained to them about pteroti, and (perhaps it was her bard training) managed to keep herself from exclaiming this is not story time, folks and satisfy everyone in the room.

Arnari paused and sipped her morning tea.  "I have a couple of missions," she began.

Dryali (lounging in chair, in a sing-song): Find eggs, and kill spiders
Arnari (rolling her eyes):  Whatever about eggs for House Aldous, and Lakeview probably fixed their spiders; they have now sent that their dam is leaking!
Arnari (more calmly):  Mayor Kaiea would like an escort for Lizzie Brannan to go there and inspect.  The Kowiri Music & Tavern would like bar bouncers for opening night.  They need us to help keep order in line, and prevent mishaps & fights.

Kaikoa tilted his head.

Kaikoa: We're not allowed to provoke fights.  (His tone implied that his preferred pastime in such venues was to cause trouble, not stop it.)
Arnari:  No!

Manu shrugged.

Manu (earnestly): Sometimes, things happen.

Kaelani nodded solemnly.

Kaelani: Mosh pits.
Arnari: Waiola Vaina is ready for Gillian to be apprehended.

Dryali stopped lounging and sat up in the sudden silence.

Kaikoa (pleasantly):  All of Gillian, or just her head?
Arnari: Waiola wants to question her.  She [Gillian] doesn't have to be… that alive.  You can deliver her the way Jamie was delivered.

Dryali and Terrance shared a glance, perhaps; hard to tell with Dryali wearing the goggles.

Kaikoa: Does she know where Gillian is?
Arnari: Yes?  You tracked her down?
Dryali (frowning slightly): That was a while ago!

Arnari looked surprised.  "Was it?"  She started looking through some papers, and found what she was looking for.  Glancing at Tomtom, she said, "Oh, hm, hopefully she is..." and started reading the papers.

Dryali, Kaikoa, and Manu started reviewing out loud what was known about Gillian, with an occasional correction from Arnari from her papers.  Terrance looked increasingly confused, so Kaelani explained about the Daystar worshippers, their cult, their "lotion", etc to her.  Terrance's confusion slowly evolved into social horror.

Arnari put her papers down.

Dryali:  Has Church of Storms tracked their location?
Arnari:  They've deputized acolytes to watch.
Kaikoa: Reward?
Arnari:  150gp each plus the eternal gratefulness of the local Church of Storms.
Kaikoa: Let's do this!

Terrance's face fell.

Terrance:  I want to dance at the club!
Kaikoa:  What's the fun in going to a bar where you can't drink and start fighting?
Dryali:  We should be backup, so we can dance!
Hikawera:  Make the actual bouncers earn their pay!

Arnari, hearing these declarations, facepalmed.

Arnari (to Tomtom):  Were we like this?

Tomtom smiled at Arnari, and hooked his thumbs in his belt.

Kaikoa: Are we in agreement?
Manu:  We should make it safe to walk around, without fear of buttholes!!!
Hikawera:  What are we likely to encounter?

Kaikoa, Manu, and Dryali described Hinulei, the jewelry shop in Parkside where they'd tracked down Mansel.  Arnari had a rather detailed map of the area and spread it out on her desk as they crowded around to consider it.

Dryali:  Are we trying to just nab Gillian, or what?
Kaikoa:  We should make sure there are no escape routes, like tunnels.
Dryali:   oooOOooo
Terrance:  Where are they?
Manu:  Second floor
Terrance:  What kind of building is it…?
Kaikoa:  We can easily get to the rooftop.
Hikawera:  I can go to the shop in disguise.
Kaikoa (unsatisfied):  Urchin people, are there tunnels?
Terrance (annoyed):  I'm from the forest!
Manu:  Yes, there are sewer & catacombs; but they are not generally connected to individual houses.
Kaikoa:  Can we just set it on fire?
Dryali:  Then they would run out!
Arnari (slightly alarmed):  Please don't!

Hikawera cast produce flame and just held it in his hand silently.

Manu:  I make Terrance invisible and [she] push her [Gillian] out, we capture her and go away!
Dryali:  We pretend to be medics and take her away!
Manu:  To Temple!  For Healing!   …and, questioning.
Terrance:  Not ok to do this by myself.
Kaikoa:  Make the hippogryph invisible!
Manu:  I can do that.
Kaikoa:   Then can cause a ruckus
Manu:  Then we can learn about "gryphon in jewelry shop"!

Arnari and Tomtom were looking increasingly appalled at this conversation.

Kaikoa:  ...we should take a day to case it.
Terrance:  While that [Mordant wrecking the jewelry shop] is going on, sneak upstairs.
Dryali:  To do what?
Manu:  Push her out?
Terrance:  Cover escape routes.
Hikawera:  Pincer!
Dryali:  To recap:  Hippogryph in front, Terrance on top, Fire in back.
Arnari:  Fire is not in the plan!
Dryali:  If the lotion burns...

Dryali fell over laughing, at the thought of the magic in the lotion dissipating around as smoke.  Arnari understood the unspoken source of his laughter.

Arnari:  ...not sure of the side effects.
Hikawera:  I'm not thinking fire is a good idea.

In the end, they decided to case the building.

Hinulei, the jewelry shop, was on a well-appointed street of shops in Parkside, southwest of the Park.  The buildings were all adjacent with no space in between, with roofs just peaked enough to prevent the rain from pooling.  Across the street from it was a lovely ice cream shoppe.

Terrance was happy to climb the building, but the Freelancers checked in with the Church of Storms acolytes first.  The acolytes told the Freelancers there were 6-8 people in the building, and they sold the lotion out of the back door, in the alley.

Acolyte:  Every 2-3 days, a delivery of lotion in bulk goes out the back door, by cart.
Hikawera:  Know where they were going?
Acolyte:  Not enough people watching to spare one to follow.
Dryali:  This is a job for Mordant!
Hikawera: was also what I was about to say!
Kaikoa [leans back]:  I can do that.
Terrance:  How is this relevant?
Dryali:  We're suppose to learn about the org!
Kaelani:  Yes
Manu:  Have we considered just having Mordant crash through the window and grab her
Kaikoa:  That has the virtue of simplicity, but what window?
Manu:  Terrance?
Dryali:  Terrance can climb up and thumbs up!

But, this was Recon Day!  So the Freelancers arrayed themselves for reconnaissance.

• Hikawera cast disguise self as a human, in nicer servant's clothes, in order to buy a lotion.
• Manu cast disguise self as a Rain sagani, to window-shop in the front.
• Kaikoa flew up on Mordant, to keep an eye out for this cart.
• Kaelani positioned himself across the street, in the ice cream shoppe patio, with a tasty treat and a good view of the front of Hinulei.
• Dryali climbed up on the rooftops across the alley from the back of Hinulei.
• Terrance prepped to climb the rooftop adjacent to Hinulei.

Kaelani was entirely unsubtle, and the dwarf-like Rock sagani in the ice cream shoppe patio got quite a few hairy eyeballs from passersby.

Dryali managed to stay hidden <narrator voice:  miraculously, Shari rolled a 17 on stealth>, and got a good look in the three upper-storey windows in the back of the store.  He took careful note of the rooms, inner walls and doors.  A stairway down was on his left.

Manu did his best to look like he was window shopping.  He saw a couple of people and a shopkeeper in the store, but having little experience with fine things, the jewelry caught his attention.  While real and not terribly expensive, he was fascinated by the bling <narrator voice:  Matt Boyce rolled a 1 on perception>

Hikawera, before going to the back door, checked with the watching acolyte if there was anything he should know about the transaction beforehand.  There was not, so he went to the door and knocked.  Across the alley, Dryali recognized the person who answered.

Mansel:  Hey.  What's up.
Hikawera:  How much for 3 bottles.
Mansel:  15gp

Hikawera counted out the coin slowly, and Mansel handed him 3 bottles of lotion.  He looked in past Mansel to see 2 people in the room behind, doing stuff.   A table was there with lotion-making shit, and crates & bottles were piled up.

Hikawera used message after to tell everyone, "Hey!  This is where they are making the stuff."  Dryali replied, "Don't use the lotion."  Kaikoa replied, "Do not put the lotion on the skin!"

Hikawera went around the block to the front of the building and joined Kaelani at the ice cream shoppe, and smacked him upside the head for being obvious.

Terrance was on the roof of the neighbouring building to the west.  She peered in the back windows, and [as they found out later when comparing notes] saw into different windows than Dryali.  A room mid-building was a sitting room.  But she saw no people, and moved to the front of the building to look in, taking care to stay out of sight from the passerby below.

The front of the building had two windows in the upper floor, which were from bedrooms.  Terrance saw people in both!  In the master bedroom, the woman could only be Gillian, from the others' description of her.  She was with another person, and they were working on a magical, or Daystar, something.  In the other bedroom, a very tan person was reading.

Terrance made her way to the back of the building, still on the rooftops.  That is how she and Dryali heard and saw a 1-mule cart pull up to the back door.  Mansel and 2 others loaded the cart, then intoned, "Daystar watch over you," at the driver, who headed out.

This interaction did not escape Kaikoa's notice, circling above on Mordant; he tracked the cart moving east through Cliffshadow into one of the tunnels.  Soaring to the dockside of the cliffs, he found it emerging from the tunnel, and tracked it to a mechanical airship.  They loaded it up, and exchanged packing slips, like normal cargo.

After the cart trundled off, Kaikoa landed a ways away, and left Mordant to "stroll" up to the docks, for some manner of "stroll" that encompasses how a fighter with ruined knees walks.  He asked one of the dockworkers where the airship was going, and they told him it was prepping for waypoint resupply.  He nodded sagely, and wandered back to Mordant.

Noontime had arrived, and the Freelancers met up a ways away [probably, where the Church of Storms acolytes were based] to exchange what they'd discovered.  

The location of Gillian's room was by far the most interesting bit.

Terrance:  I couldn't get a good view!
Kaikoa [considering]: I can send Mordant through the window.
Dryali:  I could shoot it out first, they would not know because no bolt.
Kaikoa [dismissively]:  Artificer shenanigans!
Terrance:  I should watch the back.  What if they react quickly?
Kaikoa:  How do we not get arrested?
Manu:  Maybe, Mordant drop on the street.
Kaikoa:  I like that.

An alternative plan was proposed:  something wrong with that shipment, get them to come to the airship docks.

Dryali:  That would get Mansel, not Gillian.
Kaikoa:  Take care of him first!   [pauses]  ooooo, do it while.

Dryali and Hikawera would do it, since they have disguise self.  The problem they'd present would be a ship delay.  They did it, and went to the back door.  Hikawera knocked.

Mansel:  Hello?
Hikawera:  There's been a problem, the ship is delayed, and we wanted to let you know.  If you needed to change, you'd have to come to the docks and sign papers.
Mansel:  Oh, that's okay; just as long as it gets there.  ...Would you like to come in and have a drink?

Dryali and Hikawera went in, to the horror of the watching Freelancers.  Mansel brought them into a center room they hadn't seen from outside, full of supplies and tools for both jewelry and lotion making.  There were extra crates of lotion laying about too.  It turned out that the tanning lotion was alcohol based and the Daystar worshippers drank the alcohol.

Mansel poured Hikawera and Dryali a drink.  He was pretty chill with them.  "Our last report sent back to Ethan, he was really pleased," Mansel told them.   "Always nice to know business is doing well," Hikawera replied.  He raised his glass.  "Good for you!"

They exchanged some small talk, and extricated themselves.

Back at the meetup site, Hikawera relayed the conversation to the others.  "I think I know who Ethan is," Dryali speculated.  He pulled out a piece of parchment, and used magical tinkering to show an image of a very blond, tan, male human from above: the person he and Tahu had seen when they'd located the first lotion-making facility, down the street from Freelancers Tavern.

Terrance thought the plan, as stated, was too dangerous.

Kaikoa:  Can we smash and grab her?
Dryali:  Drive her out!
Kaikoa:  Can we do fire?  Can we do smoke?

Hikawera pulled out the lotion he'd acquired.  Using produce flame, he tried to burn it, but shook his head sadly.

Hikawera:  It's not particularly flammable.
Manu:  There are many flaws to this idea, but… I do have sleep...

Everyone enthusiastically embraced Manu's idea, and came up with the following plan.

1. Manu sleep everyone from a roof across the alley behind.
2. Rent a cart (with a mule).  Bring it to the front of the shop.
3. Terrance open the window to the master bedroom.
4. Mordant and Kaikoa fly in through the open window.
5. Kaikoa toss Gillian onto the cart.
6. Kaelani drives the cart away.

Hours later, in the middle of the night, Manu climbed up to the roof across the alley from Hinulei, roughly where Dryali had been that morning.  Terrance hid near the front of the shop.  Kaikoa circled lazily above on Mordant.  Kaelani sat in a cart on the west end of the street, loosely holding the reins of the mule.  Dryali sat beside him, and Hikawera was in the back of the cart.

Then, it was time <narrator voice: for Matt Boyce to roll lots and lots of dice>.  Manu cast sleep 3 times, trying to get the entire building's inhabitants.  Then he used message to tell Terrance to go.  Terrance swarmed up the front of the building, quiet as a mouse, and opened the bedroom window as soon as the cart was in position below.

Kaikoa flew into the window on Mordant, also super quietly.  Gillian remained asleep, as did the other person in a bed on the other side of the room.  Kaikoa dismounted, grabbed Gillian, and threw her out the window.   Since it looked like he was about to hurtle her into the building front across the street, Terrance hastily intervened and sent the throw towards the car.  <narrator voice:  Vasily rolled a 2, and Sarah was like omg I'm helping!!! So he actually got a 13…  which wasn't nearly good enough.>

You know those dreams you have where you’re falling, and you suddenly jerk awake? Well, Gillian came awake at the apex of the throw, and woke up with a scream as she really was falling. She landed half on the cart and continued screaming, but in a slightly different pitch.  She somehow managed not to break her back, so the appalled Kaelani and Hikawera both struck her with their weapons, trying to knock her out.

Gillian's screams split the night.

Hikawera immediately tried to grab her and hold her still, but Gillian wiggled out of it, unencumbered by anything resembling armour.  Having not expected to be defenestrated in the middle of the night from her nice bedroom in Parkside District, she was clad in a cheerful sunny yellow nightgown.

Meanwhile in the house, Gillian's screams roused some of the others.  One of the cultists burst into the bedroom, and slashed Kaikoa with his scimitar.  The other inhabitant in the bedroom, awakening to a hippogryph in his face, struck Mordant twice with a dagger, hurting her.

Gillian lit up with a shimmering glow, and Dryali and Hikawera looked up to see another devotee of the Daystar staring at them out the other bedroom window.  Seeing Hikawera closest to her, he called out "Daystar BURN you!" as he invoked sacred flame.  Hikawera shrugged it off <narrator voice:  Lore rolled a nat 20 on his save>.

Gillian stood up, and declared, "Daystar's blessing be upon me!"  She burst into golden flames, which were actually pretty bright, lighting up herself and the area around her, which included Kaelani, who was clearly burned by this!  Kaelani called down the blessings of Ua on himself, Dryali, and Hikawera.

Back in the bedroom, Kaikoa killed the cultist who'd slashed him with the scimitar and immediately attacked the devotee who had slashed Mordant.  He was disappointed that a critical hit did not dispatch the fellow, but he marked his opponent, compelling his attention.  Not wanting to be disturbed by any other scimitar-wielding cultists, Kaikoa locked the door.

Meanwhile, from his perch, Manu had heard Gillian's screams, and saw some of the inhabitants in the back of the house wake up.  He thoughtfully re-cast sleep, knocking them back out.  He climbed down from the roof, invoking Tides of Chaos to avoid falling.

Dryali was frustrated.  Gillian was right in front of him, impossibly glowing with the Daystar's light.  But the mission would not be successful if anyone succumbed to the cultists.  Instead of attacking, he created a protector eldritch cannon, and had it pulse out its protection to Mordant, Hikawera, Kaelani, and himself.

Terrance climbed down to the street, 10' away from the glowing Gillian.  Then she tried to pierce whatever protection Gillian had cast upon her.  The rapier easily pierced Gillian's shield of faith, and Gillian herself, who shrieked.  Terrance did her best to avoid Gillian's golden flames, but still got singed by them.

With Terrance gone, Mordant had more room to maneuver, and had not enjoyed being stuck with a dagger a couple times.  Her beak & claws mangled the devotee with the dagger, who remained in the fight despite bleeding profusely.

<narrator voice: and that, my friends, was round 1.>

Hikawera hastily drew his short sword… perhaps too hastily, or perhaps forgetting he was in a cart; he lost his balance and fell out of the cart.  <narrator voice:  Lore rolled a 1>  He got up on the other side of Gillian, so she was between him and Kaelani.

Inside the shop, a cultist dashed out of the stairwell towards the front door.  Upstairs, the devotee who was bleeding out from Mordant reached out to grab Kaikoa by the arm.  "The Daystar frowns upon you!" he declared, and Kaikoa was grievously burned by… Daylight?  "Ow!"

The devotee in the other bedroom window, frowning, intoned, "Daystar SMITE you!"  A sun scimitar spiritual weapon appeared before Dryali, missing him.  Perhaps the devotee thought Dryali was taller.  He climbed out the window to descend to the street, but landed on his face.  Shaking it off, he stood back up.

Gillian reached out to touch Hikawera… and then teleported.  Everyone saw she'd gone into the shop; the golden flames kind of gave it away.  Kaelani dropped the reins and broke the window into the shop, placing himself next to the cultist who'd emerged from the stairwell.

There was still no sign of Mansel.  Perhaps he was snoozing.

Kaikoa killed the devotee with his longsword, then glanced around the room looking for the magic thing Terrance had been talking about.  He saw nothing but a couple of chests, which had clothing on them.  He mounted Mordant.

Manu hit the back door so hard, he broke it off its hinges, oops!  He found the door to the room with the supplies and opened it.

Dryali moved the protector to cover the Freelancers in front, so it could pulse out its protection on them.  He shot the devotee with the sun scimitar with his hand crossbow.

Terrance tried the door of the shop, but it was locked.  Not wanting to waste time unlocking it, she hopped through the broken window and attacked Gillian, trying to knock her out… and succeeded!  Gillian went out like a light, the golden flames extinguished.  The shield of faith was still shimmering, though.  Terrance picked her up and carried her towards the cart.

Mordant flew down from the window and attacked the devotee that Dryali had just shot.  After he was mangled by Mordant's beak & claws, the shield of faith fell off of Gillian.  Hikawera attacked him with his short sword; he was left bleeding from many blows.

Meanwhile, the cultist in the front of the shop sliced Kaelani with her scimitar.

The devotee attacked the hippogryph with his scimitar, but Kaikoa interposed his shield, preventing the weapon from touching Mordant.  The devotee turned his attention to Terrance, with Gillian in her arms, and the sun scimitar sliced her.

Kaelani scored a critical strike on the cultist who'd sliced him, knocking her out.  He picked her up and headed toward the cart.  Kaikoa scored a critical strike on the devotee causing so much trouble, leaving him to bleed out on the sidewalk.

Manu, however, was in the room with all the jewelry and lotion supplies.  This was entirely distracting, and he started ransacking the room, looking for shiny gems and raw metal.  What he found was weird herbs used as part of the lotion, and a drawer with 9 gems worth 10gp each.  He pocketed those.

Dryali spared Kaikoa a strange look, and grabbed the devotee Kaikoa had just killed, dragging the fellow back to the cart, leaving a trail of blood.  He got out his healer's kit and, working swiftly, stabilized him.

Terrance was about to get in the cart, but realized Manu wasn't with them.  She ran back in the shop, looking for him, to find him in the central room.

Terrance:  Hey Manu, let's go!
Manu [startled]:  Huh?   Huh?
Terrance:  Is there anything worth ransacking?
Manu:  Jewelry in the other room

Terrance went into the central room, looking for papers, or jewelry, and found neither, but she did pick up 6 10gp gems.

The Freelancers then prepared to depart.  Mordant flew up and resumed circling, to watch for anyone following the group as they left with their captured unconscious persons.  Hikawera tied the three of them up.  Kaelani picked up the reins, used speak with animals to tell the mule to hurry up, and the mule took off.

Kaikoa noticed people were starting to peer out their windows at the street, and called down to the others to hurry up!  At that, Manu dashed out of the shop.  But he remembered what he'd see whilst window shopping earlier, and grabbed a small gold bracelet, worth 50gp, and a gold ring with a nice pearl in it, worth 150gp.

Dryali sat there ready to shoot any Daystar cultists with his hand crossbow, and Terrance ran to catch up with the cart as it headed with all due haste towards the Church of Storms, with Mordant flying overhead.

The Church of Storms was waiting for their arrival, and a squad of Temple Guards took charge of the cultists, putting them in manacles and returning Hikawera's rope to him.

The Typhoon was also there, and Waiola was waiting to hear about the raid.   Kaelani told her, in a wondering and offended tone, how he saw himself they were casting divine spells that seem to be granted by the Daystar.  Hikawera told her about how they appear to be under direction of someone named Ethan.  Dryali and Kaikoa explained to her about the lotion distribution in bulk off-skylith.

Waiola was unpleased at the entirety of this report, and noted to the Freelancers they would likely have another mission.  Manu and Terrance told her to allay suspicions, they made the event look like a jewelry theft.  The Typhoon snapped back to the present, and told them she would deploy Church of Storms acolytes to cleanup, and also paladins to deal with the City Guard.

Hikawera told her, "They were manufacturing the lotion there."  At that, the Typhoon changed her mind about who she was sending to the place; there would be a tempest cleric along, too.

Then she dispensed their fee, 15plat each, and reminded everyone to make sure to pay Arnari the Freelancers' Cut.  The say she said it again made Dryali wonder about the familiarity between the two of them, but he said nothing.

• Hikawera → lvl3!