Sundown for Ethan

The entire Freelancers Tavern was abuzz with the news of Julian and his escort teleporting into the practice yard the day before with Daystar cultist prisoners.  One of them had been a bard of some skill, albeit no match for Julian.

Dryali, Terrance, and Quelenna were sitting at a table discussing it, while Kaikoa and Manu were at their own table recollecting how they'd first encountered these "hippies," as Kaikoa contemptuously called them.  Julian was at a table with Yan and Wolf, his armour still fashionable but not ostentatious, talking to them quietly.  None of the Freelancers who'd served as his escort were in the tavern.

Arnari swept in, all business, drawing everyone's attention.  She scanned the Freelancers in the tavern with a practiced eye.  "You," she said, indicating Dryali's table, "and you two," she said to Kaikoa and Manu, "come to my office."  Her gaze swept the tavern once more, then she went back upstairs.

"Well then, we better get going!" Manu said, and they rose with varying levels of alacrity and made their way up to Arnari's office.  She looked like she had just sat down.  Unusually, on her desk was only one piece of paper, filled with tiny writing.

"The time has come to capture Ethan of the Daystar cult and question him," she informed them.  "The Church of Storms has been keeping watch since his location was found, with a couple of their… sneakier acolytes."

Dryali:  How many people are there with him?
Arnari:  Four others, which go in and out.  Ethan appears to stay.
Kaikoa:  Any schedule to it?
Arnari <glancing at the paper>:  Three of them appear to have day jobs.

The door opened, and Fine Branch strolled in, wearing a cloak that was a size & a half too large.  One of his tails waved lazily, moving the cloak in a disturbing way.  He sat down on a chair in the back, then shifted in exaggerated discomfort.

Arnari:  They see no more than five inside, but have observed five different people coming & going, none of which are Ethan.  So we're assuming one is Ethan in disguise.
Manu:  What are all the entrances?
Arnari:  Two; there's a door in front, with stairs inside, and stairs outside leading up to a back door.
Dryali:  What is downstairs?
Arnari:  a shop.
Terrance:  What does it sell?
Arnari:  food… <glances at paper again> It's a bodega.
Kaikoa:  how much pay is it, if we only apprehend part of him, like his head?
Dryali:  how much, anyhow?
Arnari:  200gp each for capture, 150gp each if Church of Storms has to do a resurrection.  I'm not sure they'll pay you anything if you just... murder him.
Kaikoa <smiling>: "murder" is a... hard word!  We're just talking, over enthusiastic.
Dryali: remember what happened to Mansel!
Arnari: it is more expensive, the harder it is to revive.

She paused, and Fine Branch shifted uncomfortably again.  Arnari said, "You've heard the talk about what happened yesterday with Julian.  Let me fill you in," and recounted what happened with Petersen and the Bardic Competition in Three Rivers.  Fine Branch filled in/corrected details in places, but it was mostly Arnari talking.  Fine Branch revealed the extra large cloak was a defense against heat metal afflicting his breastplate.

The entire room was mystified by the strange mass stun Petersen had effected at the competition.  Kaikoa asked, "Ever figure out Mansel's bullshit?"  Dryali replied, "Only that it is similar to an ancient patron boon," but nobody recollected a radiant elemental patron boon.  Fine Branch snarked, "Well, I know Ethan has a patron, and it's the Daystar."

But enough bitterness, it was time to "plan".

Terrance: Will they pay more for henchmen capture?
Arnari:  probably.
Quelenna:  I will buy rope!
Dryali: Manacles and ball gag!
Kaikoa, Manu <simultaneously>: will buy rope!

They spent a few moments trying to deduce who, other than Ethan, used magic.

Arnari: It seems Ethan is the only one using disguise self.  <pause>  What is the plan?
Kaikoa:  There are six of us and five of them.  Let's kill 'em!
Dryali:  We should wait 'til some are gone!
Quelenna:  Let's talk to the acolytes.
Terrance:  Let's figure out a good time.
Manu: I am buying 3000 ball bearings.

They all got up and trooped out, presumably to visit the quartermaster, who was actually unlikely to have a ball gag.

Quelenna knew where to go in Guildstrom, so she led the other Freelancers to where the Church of Storms acolytes were keeping watch.  The initial order of business was to discover what the acolytes were willing to do, once the Freelancers engaged.  The acolytes hesitated, then said they were willing to tail any runaways, and stabilize as needed; they would also clear out non-combatants as needed but were not willing to run into an actual fight.  The Freelancers were disappointed.

Dryali: what are the hours of the shop?
Kaikoa: ooOOoo, can we collapse the floor?
Acolyte: we'd prefer it if you don't destroy –
Fine Branch: if you aren't willing to join us, you don't get to tell us "no property damage."
Manu: ball bearings in doors, and then set fire! 🔥
Acolyte <alarmed>: ...
Fine Branch: I'd be concerned about if people are already gone, come home, see the fire, turn around.
Manu: So.  You are concerned we won't catch Ethan?
Fine Branch: Yes. Well.  Not run away, just disguise self, and walk away.
Manu:  Who are we seeing?
Acolyte: Ethan seems to be disguising as a frumpy businessman.
Manu: do they go in 2-3?
Acolyte: Three have day jobs.  Ethan seems to go out with one other, to herbalism shops.
Dryali:  Then, they are resistant to fire.
Terrance:  No, it's very flammable!
Kaikoa:  Yeah.
Dryali:  Oh.
Fine Branch: So, we know when Ethan is likely to be there?

Terrance and Kaikoa stopped the others.  "Let us tell you the last time we tried to capture Ethan," they said, and proceeded to explain how Ethan set their party (and the warehouse they were in) on fire with flaming sphere, and them bamf'd away with Mansel, leaving everything to burn.  Fine Branch's ears partially flattened.  Any thought the acolytes had of joining the fight evaporated.

Manu:  walk in with disguise self, start fire.  They flee, ball bearings!
Fine Branch: if Ethan is a warlock, he can fly.
Manu: magic missile is going to mess with fly!

The group descended into an argument over the various permutations of the plan proposed by Manu.  One of the increasingly horrified Church of Storms acolytes held his head in dismay.  They got to a rough plan of using invisibility, then set fires, with emplaced ball bearings, and web.

Dryali:  do we want to capture Ethan, or maximum henchmen, and when is what?
Acolyte: all, when sleeping.  Sometimes one, two, or zero there in the day.
Kaikoa: do not want to see them "worshipping."
Fine Branch: yes we do, because of the lotion's effects.
Dryali: then, they are resistant.
Fine Branch: they are outside; we can time that.
Acolyte: they "worship" at different times – including Ethan – around noon.
Fine Branch: let's time it.
Quelenna:  is this Ethan's "day"?

The acolyte who'd been mostly quiet ran off, around the residence.  After a few minutes she returned and told them, "Tomorrow."  They decided then, they would emplace their plan tomorrow.  This evening, Terrance and Dryali would get any information they could from Julian, while the others worked out a watch schedule with the acolytes.

At this, Terrance and Kaikoa sauntered off, checking out what the bodega had to offer.

Terrance and Dryali stopped and picked up a couple ball gags for 1gp each on their way back to Freelancers Tavern.  They bore the aggressively neutral "not judging you" looks from the vendor with good cheer.

Julian had been entertaining the Freelancers in the tavern that evening with recounting the Bardic Competition shenanigans in a light hearted way.  He certainly had his imitation of Cathance's horrified "Blasphemers!" down pat.  But he was happy to be drawn aside to talk to Terrance and Dryali about it in a more serious way, when they told him Arnari wanted Ethan captured.  Julian confirmed that he also thought Ethan was some sort of warlock, based on what Petersen had said to him under interrogation.  He was not familiar with the type of warlock, though, which itself was disturbing.

Back at the bodega in Guildstrom, Kaikoa, Fine Branch, Manu, and Quelenna kept a 4-hour watch each on the residence from across the small neighbouring park.  They confirmed the acolytes' information that there were five people inside, and Quelenna saw Ethan through the curtains.  She also caught a glimpse of him as the frumpy businessman, as he left on his "day".

The Freelancers gathered to finalize their plan.

Kaikoa:  you people with the ball bearings seem to have some idea of what to do.
Dryali:  I don't see what [about this] can't be solved by shatter
Fine Branch: why don't we walk in stealthily?
Everyone:  Dryali!  <everyone dis' on Dryali's inability to be sneaky>
Dryali:  I got boots of elvenkind, now!
Fine Branch:  I have an immovable rod, would that work better than ball bearings?
Manu: no, because the ball bearings can go on all the steps!  They cannot catch themselves!
Terrance:  I am worried about those windows facing the park.

Ethan returned, and time passed, as the Freelancers waited out the beneficial effects of the Daystar lotion, which only lasted two hours.  Then, it was "go" time.

Fine Branch cast pass without trace on everyone.  Manu then snuck up the back stairs, and put ball bearings on the landings and every step downward.  He returned to the others.

Manu:  it is done!  I was silent like a horrible fart
Dryali:  do you want to have me outside, to cast web?
Manu:  no, no!  Everyone in!
Dryali:  which eldritch cannon?
Kaikoa:  cannon of fuck you up!

Dryali made a force ballista, and then the Freelancers walked into the front door as if they belonged there, then snuck up the front stairs.  Terrance picked the lock, and they were in.

The room looked like a mixed living/dining room space.  They saw no living creatures, and quite a few closed doors led off from the room.  An open door led to the front of the flat, and Dryali checked that room.  Obviously Ethan had been in there often, but it too was empty of life.  Dryali saw on display, the original cheap yellow long leather vests from when he'd first encountered the Daystar people.  A closed door led off to his right.

Kaikoa listened at one of the closed doors, and heard nothing.  He opened the door; it was an empty bedroom.  Fine Branch opened a closed door next to it; also a bedroom.  It was Ethan's bedroom, actually, and had a door into the room Dryali was in.

Dryali moved next to Terrance, and whispered, "We need detect magic."  Her eyes widened and she nodded.  Quelenna listened at the door on the other side of Kaikoa.

Terrance cast detect magic, and got pings from what was obviously a lotion-making table in the back of the house, on the other side of the one door they did not yet check.  Also, someone had magic, and was moving about in that room.  She moved to the door and listened.  Two people, also a mortar and pestle.

Quelenna opened the door she had been listening at.  Another empty bedroom, but the decor was extremely gaudy.

Terrance signed to the others:  2 people in room.  Manu got an idea, and they huddled while he quickly explained:  thaumaturgy the door open; hold person bother people; manacle and gag them both; lead them out.  Everyone agreed, and positioned themselves accordingly.  Then for good measure, Manu cast invisibility on Kaikoa, and Terrance cast invisibility on herself.

Manu threw open the door with thaumaturgy.  Ethan and one other person were at the lotion benches.  Before they could react, Fine Branch cast an uplevel'd hold person on both of them, but Ethan shrugged it off.

Quelenna ran in and started tying up the held person.

• Terrance got behind Ethan and got the ball gag in his mouth, but then was no longer invisible.
• Kaikoa ran in and grappled Ethan.
• Dryali pulled out his arcane firearm, ready to firebolt Ethan if he broke free / took a hostile action.

Quelenna decided tying up a paralyzed person was not as important as silencing a combatant who might set people on fire, and left the held person partially tied up to finish securing the ball gag on Ethan.

• Fine Branch started manacling the held person.  He cast spiritual weapon in the form of a bottle of Daystar lotion, but did not attack anyone with it.
• Terrance started manacling Ethan.
• Manu prepared to cast chill touch if Ethan took a hostile action.
• Kaikoa held on to Ethan.
• Dryali handed Quelenna a sack, but kept ready with a firebolt.
• Ethan tried to talk around the ball gag.  What exactly was impossible to make out, but it could have been "Daystar blessing."  Whatever it was… he burst into golden flames.
  • Manu's chill touch missed.
  • Dryali's firebolt landed, burning Ethan.

Quelenna put a sack over Ethan's head!  But not before she was burned by the radiance of Ethan's golden flames, which she did not enjoy.

• Fine Branch had the spiritual weapon whack the besack'd Ethan.  It made a squelching sound like an almost empty bladder.  He tried dispel magic on Ethan's golden flames, but crit failed.
• Terrance was unable to avoid the radiance of Ethan's golden flames, but she did finish manacling him.  Since she also did not enjoy them, she disengaged and ran to the far corner of the room.
• Manu concluded the cultists were well in hand, and went into Ethan's room.  He started searching for interesting or incriminating items.  In a chest, he found a pack, and started looking through it.  The pack had Daystar lotion, a disguise kit, and three more of those yellow vests.  One of them even had sequins.  He concluded it was a "go" bag.
• Kaikoa was also burned by the radiance of Ethan's golden flames, and hit Ethan in the head with the pommel of his longsword.  Then he crit Ethan in the head, and added unwavering mark for good measure.
• The held person was also burned, because Ethan's golden flames were brutal.  However such burnination triggered Kaikoa's unwavering mark.
• The force ballista crit Ethan, knocking him over the lotion table, which was probably good for Ethan as Dryali's firebolt shot over him, through where he'd been standing.
• Ethan got his hands out of the manacles, but really couldn't do anything else.

Quelenna finished manacling the held person.  She was no longer in Ethan's golden flames, because of the force ballista knocking him onto the table, and she shifted to be further away from him.

• Fine Branch's spiritual weapon missed Ethan, and toll the dead did nothing.
• Terrance pulled out her scimitar, and attacked Ethan with it.  She knocked him out, but his golden flames burned her again, before they faded out with his consciousness.

Fine Branch trussed Ethan up with the rope.

Kaikoa investigated the bedrooms, but did not really find a lot.  Dryali investigated the front room more thoroughly, but also found nothing of interest.  Fine Branch meanwhile looked around the back room for the lotion recipe.  He did not find it, but noted the potion ingredients were such that held magic well.

Fine Branch went over Ethan's unconscious self.  He was wearing very nice clothing, and had a potion in a belt pouch.  His scimitar had a sunburst on the pommel as well as etched on the blade.  He was wearing topaz earrings, and a fist-sized sunstone orb was on a chain around his neck.

Fine Branch took the sunstone orb.

Terrance took the earrings, then pulled out another sack, and put Ethan's legs in it.

Manu brought Ethan's go bag.  He suggested that they take another bag (at this, Terrance went searching until she found one), and clean up after themselves.  Then when the others came back, it would take a while before they would conclude something was amiss, because they would assume these two had fled or left on their own volition.

Suiting actions to his words, Manu started applying mending and prestidigitation cantrips as needed to clean up the place.  He also cleaned up the ball bearings from the back steps.

They exited, and put the bound and knocked-out prisoners on Nighthawk and Mordant.  Then they headed for Church of Storms.  Thus laden, the hippogryphs could barely fly as fast as the other Freelancers could walk.

At Church of Storms, Adrian Bryant greeted the Freelancers at the door, flanked by two Wind sagani Storm Guards.  The acolytes had warned him of the raid.  Seeing an extra captive, he signaled for two acolytes to come as well, and the two Daystar cultists were whisked away to cells.

Adrian thanked the Freelancers and paid them 225gp each.  The 25gp was extra, he explained, and the Freelancers' Cut should only be 20gp from the total.  He entirely forestalled any curiosity on the part of the Freelancers as to Ethan's disposition.

They took their leave and headed back to the Tavern.  Fine Branch kept Ethan's scimitar, which turned out to be magic, and Terrance kept Ethan's earrings.  Manu said he would put the Daystar robes to bards, for assisting in telling the tales that would arise from these events.

• Manu → lvl4!