Fantasy Setting Summer Dawn

[Goonfire]

Crow simply nodded along with the conversation at hand, until his words were thrown back humorously. “I didn’t mean... Nevermind, we have our assignments. I’ll see if I can find the keys before anything else,” he clarified, restraining a chuckle so that only a mild wheeze jolted from his mouth. With that, he leapt from the docks and grabbed a rope to climb up the stern of the ship, making sure to produce as little noise as possible.

It didn’t take a ridiculous amount of time to emerge on the deck. The usual features were all there: steering wheel, navigation tools, rope—plenty of rope. The inquisitor crept down the stairs and made a sharp turn to enter the ship’s cabin in search of a key ring. His first objective was to gain access to the brig.

LazyDaze Zazz

 

[mothspit]

((*Edit addition to the last post))

The trundling of a cart could be heard from around a corner and an unassuming man appeared with an innocuous wagon filled with bags of sweets. The wagon looked deep and it was obvious to those looking for it that this was one of the kidnappers, returning to the mill after a day's work. They would need to distract the man enough that the infiltrators could slip into the cart's false side without detection. Perhaps, they needed someone loud and eye-catching.

Trileon examined the cart closely. After careful consideration, she remembered offering herself up to be captured. Maybe this would be the right opportunity. She wasn't much of an actor, but here goes nothing..

Approaching the cart, she quickly thrust her hand down into it's contents, pulling out one of the loose bags at the top. Without warning, she bends her head down and firmly sticks the bag to the tip of one of her horns. She whips her head around to the vendor with an exaggerated flair, two balled fists planted comically on her hips, "How much for this whole cart, sweetsman?"

SilverFlight

 

[Flutterby]

Ora hefted the candlestick once, then again, as Crow explained it's intention to her. Her unenthusiastic expression relaxed slightly, and she gave a small motion of her hand. "We will make it work." There was a pause, and then she looked up and met his eyes evenly. "Thank you, Crow." Her gratitude was sincere, but the next instant she was turning to go. She needed a few wardrobe modifications if she wanted to be truly unnoticeable.
Goonfire

The dwarf had swapped her shirt and cloak for something duller- the brown cloak she wore as she left Gideon almost blended into her skin, making her appear all one shade of mud. She had also borrowed a more appropriate pack from one of the servants. With the 'cleric's candlestick' on top, she looked like she may have been picking up the silver from a repair, or some other mundane task.

Ora was still watching the cart, and the man pushing it, when Trileon hopped up and away. What Ora really had to do was fit herself inside the cart, which would really be no problem.
Ora approached as if she were a normal person, but as Trileon shoved her hand toward a bag and then stabbed it onto her horn, Ora crouched near the side, out of sight of the vendor. She supposed, if he questioned her, she could say she dropped something, but somehow Ora thought that wouldn't be a problem. The dwarf ran her hands along the cart, searching for some way to open the false compartment she knew was there.
mothspit SilverFlight

 

[SilverFlight]

The two arguing on deck were so busy with their conversation that they did not notice Crow slip aboard. Now however they seemed to have settled their dispute with Horace sullenly slinking back to the edge of the stern. If anyone tried to enter the way Crow had done, they would be seen.

The first deck of the ship was plain and unadorned save for a large door set into the stern. This was hand-carved mahogany and decorated with scenes of mermaids and little fish. The captain's quarters. Further to the bow of the ship there was a trap door leading down to the lower decks. By the door, in a hastily-tied hammock a man slept. He was portly and smelled of cheap rum. A key ring was attached loosely to a fraying rope looping his belt. It held a large iron key that seemed to fit the trap door, as well as several smaller keys. likely for the cells in the hold.
Goonfire Zazz LazyDaze

The false vendour looked astonished at the strange blue woman, before anger set into his face.
"Here! I'm closed, put that back! He went to try and remove the bag from her horn, turning his attention away from the cart entirely. There was a small latch on the side of the cart that looked fairly easy to open. There was no lock of any kind.
mothspit Flutterby The_Omega_Effect

Desrick watched the goings on with anticipation.
"They'll be fine." Pyrrhus assured him.
"I know."
"Hmm, then why are your fingers in your mouth?"
"They're not." Desrick put his hand down quickly.
Pyrrhus looked into the sky and smiled.

 

[mothspit]

Trileon daintily skipped out of the vendors reach, plucking a small candy from the bags torn opening and popping it into her mouth. ..Eugh, too sweet. Sumennans ate these? She spit it back out at him, casually guiding him away from his cart and Ora. The candy hits him right between the eyes, and Trileon crosses her arms over her chest with a 'Hmph.'

"You can't expect me to pay for this kind of quality," She said, removing the bag from her horn and holding it up for him to observe, "See? This bag's got a hole in it!"

SilverFlight
mention: Flutterby

 

[Goonfire]

Crow had eased into the captain’s quarters by accident. This was... unexpected, to say the least. With this change of plans, he began searching through the shelves and the desk, stopping before he pulled out the top drawer of the latter. A peculiar lock was on this particular drawer, which could slide open in spite of it; it was a booby-trap. He had seen these before; an unassuming thief pries the drawer open without unlocking it, and then a mechanical device spits acid, burns the contents, or fires a poison dart. How lovely...

Luckily, Azaria seemed to have come well-equipped for stealth operations and Iolas didn’t appear to be an unobservant slouch, either. With any luck, he would see her again on his way toward the bow. In case he didn’t, though, he swiped a scrap of parchment and a quill pen. He had to mark that trapped drawer somehow, so he simply wrote ‘trap’ on the note and scrawled the silhouette of a crow beneath it.

With that done, he stuck the warning note on the drawer’s handle and searches for a discreet way out. His solo luck had run out; barely peeking outside, he noticed the guards were back at their posts and didn’t dare to cross the deck to the trapdoor. He stayed in the captain’s quarters and searched for a more effective weapon than his finger-breaker. The best thing there was a beautiful Elven cutlass, which he plucked from its spot on the display board.

Mentioned: Zazz LazyDaze

 

[Flutterby]

Ora took a small peak around the edge of the cart, watching as Trileon led the vendor even further away. The Cyndaran was.. very good at being a distraction. The dwarf found herself watching just because it was oddly entertaining, but quickly brought herself back to the cart. After another few seconds, she found the latch, and a door slid open silently. With a quick breath, Ora pushed herself inside.

It was more cramped than she had imagined. All she could see were more bags. If there was other people in there, they must have been drugged, or scared stiff. She just had to make sure that she kept her pack, with its odd assortment of weapons within reach.
The door clicked shut behind her, and then it was dark.
"Is anyone awake in here?" Ora whispered, and shoved her arms around. Her hand closed around what felt like a foot, and she pulled herself toward the warm body, even though it didn't seem to be aware of her.

 

[SilverFlight]

The vendour went red with fury. Wiping the sticky sweet off his face he moved around the cart and drew a blade.
"You best get out of here if you know what's good for you."
"Ran! What in darkness are you doing?!"
There was a guard at the door now coming out to see what was wrong. "We have a shipment going out in less than an hour!"
"This wretch thinks she's being funny, go on! Get!"
"I'll handle this, you get your cart inside." The guard advanced, drawing a cutlass and looking grim.
mothspit

The cart was dark inside. The young girl who'd been unlucky enough to be caught was sleeping peacefully, oblivious to all around her. Suddenly the cart gave a jerk and it was moving again. Ora was taken inside, through a small doorway and then down a shallow ramp. The cell where the prisoners were huddled was large, and barred with a wood cage. The door looked sturdy, but its hinges had seen a lot of wear and were rusted badly. The prisoners were awake and aware but stayed at the edge as far away from the door was they could. The kidnapper went around to the hidden door to unload his cargo, because the prisoners were long fast fighting, he'd not bothered to close the door.
Flutterby

Among all the finery in the captain's room there was only one thing that was plain, and because of this it stood out: A simple wooden box sat on a chair by the bed, unsubscribed, but locked with both an iron padlock and a magic rune seal. Whatever was in it was obviously something the captain guarded closely.
The guard in the hammock by the trap door snored on, oblivious to Crow's explorations. The keys still dangled from his belt.
Goonfire

 

[mothspit]

The vendour went red with fury. Wiping the sticky sweet off his face he moved around the cart and drew a blade.
"You best get out of here if you know what's good for you."
"Ran! What in darkness are you doing?!"
There was a guard at the door now coming out to see what was wrong. "We have a shipment going out in less than an hour!"
"This wretch thinks she's being funny, go on! Get!"
"I'll handle this, you get your cart inside." The guard advanced, drawing a cutlass and looking grim.

Trileon threw her hands up, "Come now, there's no need for all that!"

Seeing the cart roll away with Ora tucked inside, Trileon wracked her brain for a way to go with her. When the guard advanced, she quickly ducked low, making a move to slip between his legs. Once behind him, her eyes began to sparkle their golden hue; The tell-tale sign of her magic. Suddenly, she had sprouted a long tail, and used it to playfully smack the guard on the behind.

"You've really never had an ounce of fun in your life, have you? You should keep folks like me around more-- Maybe it will draw you out of that shell."

 

[Zazz]

Azaria followed a bit after Crow, watching him get into the cabin. Meanwhile, the half-dwarf and the half-beastwoman tackled the cart driver. She left Desrick and Pyrrhus once it seemed they were figuring out, Iolas in tow. "I don't see why we can't just kill them," she muttered to the elf as they approached the ship. "Especially if we're going to set fire to the boat, anyway. Easy cover up."

The halfling grew silent as they came near, assessing the guard situation. Her footsteps were less than a whisper, like a trained panther stalking its prey. To Iolas, she whispered, "If we get caught, we could say I am escorting you on Everreach business. I have a reputation, and you look the part. Though I would rather not, if possible."

The halfling elf waited for a moment, and deftly climbed aboard the ship. She hid behind the cabin, ushering Iolas forward while the guards were not looking. Once he was up, she pulled him flat against the wooden wall. She held up three fingers and counted down, then slipped into the cabin.

Only to find Crow.

She afforded him a raised eyebrow, but remained silent in order to keep the guard asleep. Azaria rolled her eyes at her lack of permission to kill, and set to work on removing the key(s) from the man's chest. She took an object she guessed was about the same weight and carefully replaced her prize with it. She handed it off to Crow, then took a sweeping look about the room. Immediately, her gaze set upon the plain, out-of-place box. She pointed to Iolas, then the box, then set to work on pickint the lock on the trap drawer. Crow was clever, she'd give him that.

 

[Zazz]

Meanwhile, back at Gideon's estate, Lohrithe sat cross-legged on his comfy chair. One could see the stark difference between the skin on his chest and the skin on his arms and face. He was no longer dying of the heat, but his skin still hurt to touch, and was beginning to peel. In spite of his condition, however, he was very focused on the piece of dark wood he had begun to carve back in Cyndara. It was gradually forming the wide curve of Ora's horns. He hoped to finish it by the time she and the others returned from their mission to save the Sumennans.

 

[LazyDaze]

Iolas shrugged his shoulders in response to Azaria's complaints and offered a simple, "blood is messy", in response. He did think burning the ship would pose a problem, but then shook his head again. "We'll cross that ship when we come to it....oh my." He willfully let Azaria take the lead. He was amazed by her skill in comparison to his own brutish methods. Iolas was not overly raucous, and could sneak around if need be, but he could never hope to be the natural that Azaria was. This mission seemed to be...her home whereas Iolas's resided on the battlefield. Iolas nodded at her suggestion although it left a bad taste in his mouth being told he looked like the dregs of Everreach. "Or I can say I was being dragged across the world by a she devil," Iolas countered playfully. The entire time with Azaria was like a thrill ride down a raging river, dangerously entertaining. He simply let her be in control, he skill so great that she almost made Iolas look like a shadow...her shadow to be precise. When they slipped into the cabin, Iolas gave a friendly wave to Crow before looking around the room. (He does not waste much time.)

When Azaria pointed toward the box Iolas had a light switch go off on his head. It was obvious the longer you gazed upon it that it didn't belong. In fact, it was bordering comical. Moreover, placing a lock on something was just as good as saying there's something here we need you to check. Now that they were at the point of no return Iolas bore a more serious expression as he made his way to the box. He placed his hand on it feeling the weight and a bit of surging power. He knew this feeling well back when he worked for Everreach. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence for him to guard and transport important items. Most were locked with magical seals. There was definitely something important here. Even if they weren't the documents, you didn't waste magic on empty boxes. He then turned to Azaria and Crow as he shifted his eyes in search of the key. Once he saw that Azaria handed it to crow he pointed the key and held up two fingers to signify that there were two locks. Iolas was sure they should be intelligent enough to know that the second one must have been a magical seal since only one lock was visible. Moreover, Iolas reasoned that the Captain must have a method to undo the seal, after all, there would be no purpose of having the first key if the box would remained seal after opening the first lock. Perhaps there was another key, or perhaps they would have to wake the Captain himself to undo the seal.

Zazz Goonfire

 

[Goonfire]

Crow gave an appreciative nod as the other two slipped into the cabin, with Azaria retrieving the key for him. He hooked his index fingers to pry open the thin, wiry steel ring, so he could separate the keys. He decided to take another moment to offer his advice on the peculiar, plain box’s magic rune. It was a circular pattern with a series of tiny symbols, plus one bold symbol in the center of the circle. “That could be many things,” he whispered faintly before carefully examining it. “I’ve seen these before. The center one tells the consequence, while the ones around them are the lock pattern. A very precise light spell can mimic the lock pattern. May I?” He glanced to the others to see if they wanted him to leave it to them. Truth be known, he had no clue what the middle glyph meant. Failure was not an option, but they had to undo that seal before inserting the physical key.

Zazz LazyDaze

 

[Flutterby]

As the cart jerked along, Ora shifted her and her new friend around in the bottom. The real captive was a young girl, definitely younger than herself, and she seemed to be human. In the darkness, Ora scowled and gently moved the real captive toward the door, and hide herself behind her and the extra bags.
They went down a dip, and then eventually shuddered to a stop. Ora shrunk backwards, into the dark recesses of the cart as the vendor opened the door. She let him pull the young woman out, reaching into her bag and wrapping her hand around the shaft of the cleric's candlestick. She crawled toward the opening. Through it, she could see the other prisoners. They looked.. broken.
Ora felt a flash of intense, horrible uncertainty. She had volunteered for this because she had seen herself rallying these prisoners with a speech, a repeat of her performance around the campfire of the orcs. But the orcs had still had a spark. These people looked like the walking dead.

But the next instant, movement at the corner of the door announced the return of the vendor, and Ora didn't have any longer to think about it. The dwarf launched herself forward. Her arms and head flew out of the opening first, followed by one leg. Her free foot planted on the ground, and the end of her tail caught the edge of the doorway to balance her.
She was already swinging the clerics candlestick as she came out of the tiny door, aiming for the vendor's head and hoping for a somewhat quiet take-down.
SilverFlight

 

[Zazz]

Azaria was only half-listening to their whispered blabbering; her focus, instead, was on this stupid lock. She really needed to practice lockpicking. All in the tumblers, all in the tumblers... The assassin figured she would leave the magic mumbo jumbo to the other two and deal with the more physical task of looking for useful things and information.

At last, the lock clicked and she pulled her pick free, checking to make sure the guard was still asleep. Quiet as possible, the drawer slid open. Inside, a key sat among various trinkets. Azaria tossed the key to the boys and pocketed what there was, then handed the papers that had been locked away to Iolas. She didn't have time to figure out what it was, she had to secure anything and everything of value before the guard woke up, or the shifts changed. Once the drawer was empty, she shut it and searched whatever else she could.

 

[LazyDaze]

Iolas focused most of his attention on Crow as he explained the workings of the lock. However, his eyes followed Azaria, much like the eyes of a mother who realizes their child is about to get into trouble. She seemed to be in her own little world and that was enough reason to monitor her. He then turned back to Crow, hesitantly, and nodded once he reached the conclusion of his theory. "I leave it to you, but bring me the contents of the box as soon as it is opened." By the time he turned around, an air born key was already a few inches from his face at which point he reflexively snatched it out the air and sighed at her recklessness. His brief frustration was quelled when he was handed a variety of papers that were among the contents of the drawer. "...Ah let us see, these must hold some value if he went through the trouble of locking it." The first was a map with various marks, and routes on it. It was a simple, but effective method to maintain organization and tracking. After a few seconds, he could identify which markings symbolized completed missions, and which were future targets. He continued to flip through the documents, he reached another peculiar set of letters. Some appeared to be outgoing while some were received, not too long ago in fact.

Dear Bernice,

As I navigate across the sea my only wish is to hold you....

"...Well that should be an interesting read later," Iolas whispered to himself as he pocketed the map and the assortment of letters. Without a doubt, there was probably useful information hidden within the personal ramblings, however, he did not have time to examine them all right then and there. The last document remaining was a large list of names. Most likely prisoners, and soon to be prisoners. Looking at the list, it was a good thing the city had someone like Gideon looking out for them. Everreach was going to become an even bigger problem than they already were. Folding the final paper and putting it away, Iolas looked around. "...I believe we have played the harmless shadows long enough," Iolas said with a smile. He silently moved toward the sleeping guard and listened to him snore. He simply gazed at him, and slightly moved to the rhythm of his breath, as he himself projected none of his intent. It was as if he was a ghost, just swaying with time. Timing it perfectly he grabbed his throat without warning and covered his eyes with the other hand just as the guard had released his breath and just before he was ready to inhale. Iolas had done this many times and it was just another routine murder, except, he was not going for the kill. He could have crushed his throat, but his only desire was to incapacitate him. The guard silently struggled, unable to put any strength into his desperation, or voice, due to a lack of oxygen until he became lifeless. Iolas checked his pulse, he was still alive, he would just be out for awhile. With any luck it would have all been a dream.

"The imprisoned are our first priority, yes? We must tread carefully, but quickly. I believe it is time to make our move while they are unaware." Iolas stated calmly as if he didn't just suffocate a man. It was important that they didn't forget what they came here to do. Moreover, he was certain that they wouldn't find anything more important than what was locked away in a magically sealed box. He looked toward the others to see if they had anything to add.

Zazz Goonfire

 

[Goonfire]

Crow took a deep breath and steadied himself. This was going to be a challenge for the inexperienced fellow, but with no lockstone in sight to undo the seal, he had to resort to breaking it himself. He removed his gloves—taking care to cover the back of his hand with his sleeve—and began chanting as his fingertips started to glow with a faint white light. “Start... at the top... and work clockwise,” he recited under his breath. With each exhale, his fingers traced a segment of the graceful characters. This was already proving daunting, but every inquisitor knows one cannot stop once this process starts.

With the utmost care, Crow picked his finger up from the first traced symbol, which shifted in color from white to light blue. From there, he worked on the second symbol, of six. The process was quite a long one, as he felt his energy draining with each symbol he traced.

Eventually, he reached the sixth and final glyph on the seal. His fingers were shaking slightly, but he made every effort to steady himself for the home stretch. This was the most elaborate of the six, and one wrong move would trigger the counter-spell. How tricky... a loop in the symbol seemingly intersected a straighter portion, but it actually broke before the two segments crossed. Realizing this at the last second, Crow quickly lifted up and then placed his fingertip back down, completing the sequence with the final stroke. With the sixth character finished, the circular border flashed at the top, illuminating itself in a clockwise motion until it completed a full cycle. The center rune faded away, then the other six followed suit. After almost four minutes of tedious work, the seal was lifted without negative repercussions.

Crow sat back, panting as he leaned against the wall. Despite the exhaustion setting in, he was proud to have been able to secure the crate; it would reflect positively upon him in the future, as it would have to be included in his final report to High Inquisitor Stenmann. Still, the largest problem remained: the team of three needed to secure the prisoners next. He unconsciously wisked a bead of sweat from his brow, the end of his sleeve falling away to reveal the faint violet scrollwork on his hand.

Zazz LazyDaze

 

[Zazz]

Azaria glanced back to see Iolas strangle the guard; she barely showed any signs of a reaction, besides glancing over the elf's features and turning back to her task. When Crow slumped to th le floor, lock opened, she paused mid-rummage. She caught sight of the markings on his hand, but knew not what they were. It was not the time to ask, either. By her mental clock, they had roughly two minutes until the guards shifted, which meant someone would walk in. She glanced at the door, then made a decision.

From one of her pockets she procured a purple, translucent stone. "Here," she whispered, crouching in front of Crow. "You can use this to replenish your magic. I have no use for it."

 

[mothspit]

The journey from the Summer Plains to the city of Brynson was long, but very far from arduous-- Perhaps a little more than a handful of marks, if Nova had bothered to keep count. Too much was on her mind as she swiftly traveled by horseback, pushing the poor stallion to it's limits with a fierce cry and a pump of her fist. This was the chance she had been waiting for, to finally show her father she could handle her own. The feeling overtook her in a wave of pure euphoria! She told none of her Band members of her ambitions, save for her father, leaving but a simple note in his tent while he slept soundly-- Farewell, father. I will return, blessed by His light. You'll see.

She finally reached the mighty gates of Brynson, almost immediately being stopped by a set of guards in front of one of many entrances into the city. She carried with her little equipment, merely her weapons and armour, as well as a large leather sack on the back of the horse, and after passing a believable lie as to her reason for coming into this side of Summenna-- "I'm just here to replenish some of my groups supplies; I'll be good, I promise," -- She entered, lowing her hood to take in the beautiful sights. Nova had been here a few times in the past with her father, typically after a contract had been fulfilled, for nights of drinking and laughter. Still, though, it always managed to take her breath away. The castle looming over the city.. Simply beautiful.

It took her practically another two marks to discover the merchants quarters. Whoever this Gideon was, he could have at least provided ample instructions to his home.. She went door to door, asking around to those that passed by if they recognized the name, and where to find him. Eventually, she was pointed in the right direction, and no sooner was she giving a hard pound on the man's front door. After a small pause, she pounded again, only to be met with a servant swinging the door open with a huff.

"Nu'ovis Mortaire of The Silver Band," She said curtly, leaning against the frame of the open door, "I'm here to respond to a posting by a man named Gideon. Could you fetch him for me?"

SilverFlight

 

[Goonfire]

As the stone was being presented, Crow donned his gloves again and accepted it. He recognized it, since the academy had similar restorative items stockpiled as a resource for trainees. “Oh, thank you,” he murmured as he took the expendable gift. Immediately, it was firmly placed against his forehead so he could absorb its power. The energy coursed through Crow’s body from head to toe as the crystal lost its luster. With said energy came an invigorating sensation, as though he had enjoyed a short rest in the span of roughly ten seconds. He wasn’t in fantastic shape, but Az’s stone renewed enough of his strength to finish the mission without a burden.

“You just gave me an idea, by the way,” Crow calmly boasted, holding up the spent stone. “Collect the crate’s contents, and I’ll watch for the guards to look away and pitch this into the water. They will likely go investigate the noise well before the actual source, and we’ll be gone before they check over here. What do you think?”

 

[LazyDaze]

It would seem Crow was successful; however, he was pretty much drained. Lucky for him, Azaria quickly remedied the situation, after all, they couldn't drag him along and successfully complete the mission. It was a bit reckless, but he had seen worse. Iolas looked at the door, his mental clock was also ticking, yet he wasn't in a particular rush. Once he heard Crow's plan Iolas could not help but show a bit of agitation as he shrugged his shoulders. "I would rather just take them out while we know where they are, but if we must..." Iolas stated a bit begrudgingly. He understood the plan, after all, they were to disguise this as a prison break although he was confident Everreach would get to the bottom of this sooner, rather than later. Powerful, shrewd, cunning, and resourceful, that is the type of enemy they would be facing. Iolas placed a bottle of what look to be some sort of an adult beverage in the guards hands after emptying its contents into another half empty bottle. Hopefully, this would be enough to make him appear drunk. "Well I tidied up my part of the room," Iolas said after dusting his hands. "...There are four guards left on the ship if our intel is correct. Once they change shifts we will not know their whereabouts and we still have prisoners to move." Iolas just wanted to remind them of the current situation before they acted. Hasty judgements could lead to problems in the future.

Zazz Goonfire

 

[Goonfire]

Crow nodded in understanding. He figured the two were frustrated with their being barred from killing unless absolutely necessary. While Iolas worked on feigning the unconscious man’s drunkenness, the inquisitor swiped the key to the box and unlocked it. A small abundance of letters—likely correspondence with someone whose identity is worth protecting—rested at the bottom in an unkempt pile, though the stamped red wax seals of Everreach were unmistakable. However, the clock was ticking down to roughly a minute, so he handed off the notes to whomever wished to take them first; hopefully, this action further established senses of mutual trust.

“We will have to find cover once inside; the guards replacing these two will probably notice us if we barge in and try to go for the hold in the middle of a shift change,” Captain Obvious contributed, applying various teachings from his academy years. Peeking back outside, he could see the pacing guards maintaining an orderly visual search pattern. One seemed to pass his eyes from side to side every three seconds, while the other did so every four. Overall, it took about twelve seconds for both of them to look completely away from the fancy door to the cabin. There was no more time, so Crow acted in this miniscule opening and whipped the used restoration stone overboard. The falling object landed in the calm waters with a loud ‘splash!’, causing the guards’ necks to crank around so they could stare in the direction of the noise.

“What the hell was that?” the farther of the two whispered loudly, raising his crossbow as he slowly approached. “Probably a fish,” the other one retorted, peering over the edge. They weren’t exactly in the most opportune spot for the three infiltrators, but maybe—just maybe—they could pull off some trick during this ruse’s brief duration. Perhaps they could jump overboard and hang onto the side of the ship, then shimmy over and get into position to slip behind both groups of guards during the shift change. Regardless of what he thought was best, Crow opted to follow these more dexterous and seasoned people of his group.

Zazz LazyDaze

 

[LazyDaze]

Iolas watched as Crow went through his plan step by step. You could almost tell what he was thinking by how methodical he was. Iolas has one hand lazily on the hilt of his blade just in case the guards weren't as dumb as they thought they were....nevermind...they are indeed dumb. Iolas then looked down at Crow who seemed to be content with the plan; however, it would seem he hadn't thought of their next move. Luckly Iolas rarely panicked, or made frantic decisions so he surveyed the area for as much as a half second would allow. "Stay quiet, and follow me. Azaria watch our backs," Iolas didn't really have time to explain the plan, or shift positions since there were guards in the vicinity that could turn around at anytime; in truth, he wanted Azaria to take point sense this kind of thing was more up her ally; however, he displayed total confidence in her ability by asking her to guard their most vulnerable positions. Iolas made sure his steps were light, and swift. This was not Cyndara where darkness could become your ally, so you had to make use of sound, rather, the lack thereof. Sure enough, he jumped overboard and clung to the side of the rail. He would beginning to move along so that he would slip behind them making sure to glance back at his crime partners.

He was not exactly sure where the prisoners were, but he had an idea. This ship was not so different from the ones made 50 years ago although they did have some added features. By the layout and design he could pretty much guess where they would create a hold. He glanced back one more time. He was sure Azaria wouldn't have a problem but he wasn't too sure about Crow, especially after he had just regained his stamina.

Goonfire Zazz

 

[Goonfire]

The sabre Crow originally wanted to take would prove detrimental to his efforts, so he left it behind in an inconspicuous spot and immediately bolted after Iolas. With the already brief window of opportunity closing, he copied the maneuver and glided over the railing. Due to his lack of physical strength, he was jolted by the force of his own body being halted by his hands grasping the railing. Crow managed to force his breath to hitch, his cheeks puffing momentarily; if he hadn’t, he would’ve at least grunted from the shock. Nothing was strained or dislocated, but he wasn’t used to such maneuvers. He glanced over to his Iolas and faintly nodded to confirm he was able to continue, then peeked to check if Azaria was following.

LazyDaze Zazz

 

[Zazz]

Azaria nodded to Iolas and kept watch. She cringed as Crow threw himself overboard after the elf, expexting a thud of boots, but luckily it never came. She released her breath in relief. The halfling elf took note of where the guards were. With a hand, she gestured for the boys to go on ahead, while she quite literally walked across the ship deck, Crow's prized blade in tow. By some miracle, her feet soundlessly evaded any creaky boards. She was briefly reminded of her training, when she had done more or less the same thing, and had her foot sliced from below.

The assassin made it behind the waist-high ledge on the raised part of the ship and ducked down. Using Crow's brilliant idea, she grabbed the first thing she could find and hurled it right over the cabin and into the water. It hit the edge of the boat on the way, and loudly. Once the guards went over to check out the noise, Azaria quickly went over to pull up her comrades and lead them to the trap door.