Time passes in the caves and basement under the library. Our heroes have their immediate physical needs seen to, and receive thanks from both the Paladins and the Ferrantino library staff. Johann's testimony, along with the obvious corpses of the boar men, confirms that this is a chaos-related activity, and by Emrikolian law all the pirate's goods (whose original owners cannot be immediately identified, being clearly loot stolen from citizens with no connection to these events) are given over to the town's newest noblemen (and women). While all were aware of this law, the degree to which it might profit them was unguessed by Cybele and Hiram. Martin promises Cybele that he will have some library staff organize it for them and deliver it to their residence (and if his eyes seemed to linger in long gazes with those of his most comely rescuer, again, we might find our way clear to excusing him).
Dietrich, meanwhile, spoke briefly with Johann and, after ascertaining that the gnome was bereft of other commitments or employment within the city, give the fellow his card and offered him the opportunity to apply for a position as the Von Eisenwald manor chef. The gnome was most humbly grateful at the opportunity and left with all speed to investigate the kitchen that might someday be his and to procure what comestibles would be required to produce a repast that would earn him the job.
During this, Hiram couldn't help overhearing the discussions between Honesto and Portia D'Ferrantino concerning the captured pirate. Honesto, well aware that the evidence found this way would not be admissible in the man's trial without a previous order from the magistrate, nonetheless convinced Portia to perform a divination to read the luckless buccaneer's thoughts - his arguments aided in no small part by Portia's own son being a target of the pirate leader's plot. Eventually, the Loremistress is able to provide the paladin with sufficient landmarks that he feels confident in his identification of the pirate's base of operations within Scornbul.
As they were leaving, Honesto asked his new friends if they might consider one further task for the republic (and, as goes unspoken, the spirit of the emperor). The city guard is capable enough to secure the caves and capture any pirates that return there, but Honesto has concerns that word might slip back to the pirates in the city. Therefore, speed was of the essence. He plans for himself, one of his fellow paladins named Theodoro, a handful of guards, and, by their leave our three noble companions, to raid the pirate's base and round up the whole of the gang - including, one hopes, this mysterious Reme. As one would expect, his inquiry is met with uniform agreement.
The small band worked its way through the interconnected maze of Sconrbul's ill planned but vibrant streets, eventually locating the building in a row of double storefronts - seaward is a netmaker's shop, shoreward is the pawnshop that serves as the pirate's cover and fence. The buildings are separated by alleys only tall and wide enough for a dwarf or smaller citizen, the upper stories having grown together through profligate woodworking, so there are only 3 means egress - the storefront, the connected netmakers and access to the roof. Honesto's plan is to set the guards as a bulwark at the netmaker's and for the noblemen and paladins to enter through the pawnshop. The only concern is the roof. Cybele volunteers for that duty and, apparently drawing upon the climbing skills of her serpentine soul, all but slithers up the face of one of the adjoining buildings [Honor points at work, to look good for the paladins] where she took position over the building’s roof entrance.
With that assurance Hiram and Deitrich entered, with the Paladins directly behind. The room is full of oddments and treasures large and small, though few of much value. The men behind the counter go from bickering amongst themselves to trying to shoo away the unwanted interruption to full panic at the sight of the Paladins in the space of a few seconds, with one drawing a weapon and the other two fleeing - two upstairs, one out back.
Hiram's dart did its work again, disabling the armed pirate with the flick of his wrist, but the other managed to momentarily confound pursuit by overturning a dressmaker's dummy into the young actor's path. Dietrich leapt across the room, drawing and skewering the calf of the rearmost man on the stairs to send him crashing down, but the other made the second floor and raised an alarm. The battle was on!
The door behind the counter led to a storeroom filled with piles of boxes, crates, barrels and additional pirates. Hiram abandoned the ground, clambering into the boxes to regain sight of his quarry as Honesto closed in behind him, his great sword out but sheathed. The flat of that expertly wielded blade sent one of the pirates reeling, and the counterstroke doubled another one over. Hiram located another one fleeing through the maze and brought him down with a flying tackle, slamming the buccaneer's head to the floor and rendering the fellow insensate. Wasting no time, he regained his feet and laid chase to other escaping felons, only to pause in his tracks as the foremost of the pirates wrenched out one of the chocks holding the stacks of barrels against the wall in his flight. That stack fell immediately, and only Hiram's sharp reflexes saved him. Seeing the other stacks falling in two waves - one towards him, the other towards the other pirates and the exit, the actor dared all and dove forward, outrunning the further wave and gaining on the shocked pirates!
With the smell of sardines and salt pork filling the room as some barrels shattered and spilled their contents Hiram fairly flew into the back of one of the fleeing pirates, who had already been abandoned by his comrades by slamming the upper half of a split door on them to slow the apparently mad youth's pursuit. In a pratfall worthy of the great Ricardo, Hiram showed the presence of mind to pull the collapsing pirate over him, maneuvering himself through the open half of the door and leaving the other to take the bunt of five stone of salt pork. Recovering his footing in the back room of the netmaker's shop the lord Desaud heard an affirmation of Honesto's strategy in the sounds of the guardsmen taking the wind out of the fleeing pirates' sails. He then heard a polite request for help and moved to assist the aforementioned worthy Paladin, who had been holding an unbalanced stack of crates to prevent it from killing both himself and his unconscious captives.
On the floor above Dietrich and Theo encountered a baker's dozen of pirates attempting flight from the authorities. Deitrich fairly flew up the stairs, catching the pirate he had first set his sights on with a shove that sent the man tumbling into the mass of pennyhangs that festooned the room. Sensing more than seeing a movement behind him he spun, then checked himself as a disheveled young lady rose with a look of panic in her eyes. Recognizing her as being more likely an unfortunate employee of the pirates rather than a miscreant herself he offered a quick bow before returning to the conflict at hand. (Tom: But I'm not doing anything like _trusting_ her!). Theo, a pugilist born, was laying into the pirates with considerable skill, focusing on those who were trying to pry open a passage into the next building over to avoid the crush at the rope ladder to the roof. Quickly getting his feet onto one of the pennyhangs the master of Von Eisnewald manor leapt across the room, clearing the pirates’ heads and, with a slash, severing the rope ladder on which so many had hung their hopes. At this some of the pirates surrendered, other tried doubling back, but Dietrich, who had fair rebounded off the wall like a child's toy, was ahead of them - with a tumble he dropped down the stairs, landing in front of the tangle of freebooters with a slight grin. Escape made impossible, the remainder dropped their weapons and raised their hands in surrender.
Standing solitary but never alone, Cybele felt her serpentine soul securing her footing and sharpening her senses. When the first of the pirates was all but thrown by his fellows out of the trap door onto the roof the sorceress was calmly waiting, her saber leaving a wicked slash across the man's chest and sending him into a roll down the roof to get trapped in the narrow wedge of space between this building's roof and the one further inland. She spared a moment's glance at the figure to confirm that as uncomfortable as he was, he was still among the living, and this moment of seeming inattention allowed one of the pirates to burst free of the trapdoor and begin his scramble across the roof seaward. Another's face appeared in the trap, only to be met by the lady Floriane's boot, sending him sprawling back into the fierce melee below. Cybele is briefly startled to see her companion Dietrich fly the open trap, but not so startled that her familiar Renee lost track of the remaining pirate.
"Halt where you stand!" she yelled, but instead the man turned and made a rude gesture before attempting his leap across to the slightly wider gap separating the netmaker's shop from its seaward neighbor. His leap is arrested by a dual blast of eldritch fire, snaking the distance between Cybele's casually held hand and the felon's chest. His flight made more of a fall the figure fell with a sickening thud to the street twenty-five feet below. Chagrined by this, as Honesto had asked for the pirates to be captured alive if at all possible, the lady Floriane again touched her more serpentine aspects and slithered down the roof to pull up the other wounded pirate, before applying what aid she could to prevent the man from passing beyond the reach of justice.
As the winter's waxing sun slid into the west and the already sunlight starved streets of Scornbul succumbed to twilight, our heroes engaged in some clean up from the last battle of their very busy day They confirmed that the presumed leady of the evening was what she appeared and arranged her an escort back to her home to be questioned later. They also confirmed that Reme, the pirate's leader, was not present, though he had been expected. Honesto and Theo also found in the captive's testimony that they, much like the surviving pirate from the caves, was unaware of their leader's connection to chaos and none save Johann had heard of his master plan concerning the ruination of Sebastian d'Ferrantino, Cardinal of the East. Much fatigued and seeing nothing more they could do, our heroes excused themselves from the matters of police work and began the trek back to the Von Eisenwald estate, where they hoped to find both their comrade at arms Melas and a dinner made by the talented Johann.
They were only half disappointed.
Upon their return home they found that Johann had indeed been busy: he later apologized for making his way through an opening window around the back of the house, selecting wine from the cellar and taking the liberty of establishing a line of credit for Lord Von Eisenwald at three of the local grocers, but he felt he was operating within the mandates of Dietrich's original request. With this, Dietrich concurred, and once they had taken the opportunity to wash up, they convened in the dining hall to try out the repast the gnomish chef had prepared. (Brian: and remember, when thinking of gnomish cooking, the operative word is 'Spices' Bec" Hallelujah! Brian: this differs from halfling cooking, where the operative word is ‘Sausage’!)
The first course was a spicy tomato soup that perfectly captures the robust nature of the hearty Emrikolian breeds of that fruit, cultivated to ripen year-round. This first proved to be a little on the spicy side for the lady Florane, who, for all of her desire to appear cosmopolitan and experienced, had been raised on more delicate elvish fare. (Bec missed her fortitude save. Tom: so, the advantage of being a fighter means I can eat spicy food?) The flames in her mouth were quelled by the plentiful rice served with the chicken, but she wisely peeled away the brilliant red crisped skin of the foul, enjoying the spices that had infused through that coating into the delicately cooked flesh. Her companions did not have such problems and found the multi-layers taste of the chicken much to their liking. Then, in gnomish tradition, followed the cool mixed greens to offset the physical and flavorful heat of the main course, and then, the pallet cleansed, the berries and thick whipped cream. All told, a most satisfactory meal, and the group voted with one voice to keep Johann with them for the months ahead. Dietrich directed the diminutive chef to claim the live-in servants' quarters and jotted an appointment to speak to his solicitor concerning the good fellow's payroll and expenses.
After that, the company fell into a pleasant reminiscence of the day's events - aided by the remains of the wine from dinner - and making plans for the future. Specifically, what to do with the goods they acquired today, in addition to all of those they had previously claimed. With Johann safely to bed (it having been an act of titanic will for the gnome to cook such a meal the very day he was freed from his imprisonment) the trio divided up the items that were within the house - much of it, for Martin had been true to his word and Johann had signed for the shipment of what could be easily moved from the library - and jotted down notes as to the disposition of the rest.
Deschu's paintings found homes on the walls, with Cybele requesting the swampscape for her own chamber, something about it being appealing to her artistic and serpentine soul. Likewise, she claimed the dresses, with the plan to have them fitted the next day and so expand and enhance her wardrobe. Hiram mentioned his brief acquaintance with a gnomish swordsmith and speculated that such a man might take the beast-men's weapons cache for a fair enough value. Left unclaimed were the serpent-entwined bracelet, the men's clothing and the crystal decanter and glasses - Hiram set its value at high indeed - and for the moment it was pressed into service in the household. For the rest - the green dragon blood, the cockatrice feather and the enchanted pearl - those would have to wait until they either contact 'Aslan Nightshade' or found someone else who might more fully benefit from them.
Heading for bed they voiced their wonderment at Melas' continued absence. Surely, however, with their days near constant motion and battles, their companion must have had a more restful day. "Likely he found himself some rich window with whom to while away the day" Hiram jokes.
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