Eremoz relaxes his posture, seemingly accepting their explanation. “I don’t know what to think of you yet, or anything else going on around here for that matter. I’m not one for all the political maneuvering that seems to be behind everything. And as far as not attacking right away, only fools or rabid animals would attack on sight.”

”Go ahead.” Eremoz nods to Drexon.

With Emeroz giving him the nod, and no-one else objecting, Drexon continues what he was about to say.

"From what we have found out, the ones responsible for the raid on the warehouse were apprentices from the Verdant Masons", he says, finishing his sentence.

Maya slowly pales. The others around her deflate as if the air has been taken out of the cave. There is a grimness and a sense of doom around them as soon as the Verdant Masons' was mentioned. 

"This... presents a problem," Maya says. "The wall... The Verdant Masons built it. The Lady commissioned it herself. She is good friends with the leader -- what's his name? -- House something? If what you say is true -- let's say it is true, then what's to say they wouldn't have the means to breach the wall? Pair that with the people who resent the wall's construction in the first place, we would have a very loud distraction on our hands."

Drexon listens to Maya's concern and then responds.

"Surely it is not a simple task to breach the wall, even for the masons. And the fact you know where they will be coming from, means you can keep watch on their movements. I do not think it is all doom and gloom. Forewarned is forearmed, as they say".

He looks to his compatriots, "We've got to be able to use this information, right?".

"That's true," Maya nods. "Yes, we can increase patrol, but we don't think we can prevent them from breaching the wall if that's their plan. This is their turf. They know things about masonry that we don't. It's not impossible for them to leave a weak point on purpose. Worst come to worst, at the very least we can delay them from doing anything destructive or dangerous to give you enough time to evacuate the people within the estate. Very well, I assume you can do your best to protect the family from the inside while we try to keep the peace outside when the party start."

{{If everyone is good, we can go back up and take a long rest before the party tomorrow. Do you want to do anything else?}}

“It seems they have the motive, means, and opportunity to make their attack. We would have to set up a significant roadblock to stop them. My first thought is placing an anonymous, credible threat towards the Verdant Masons and hope they are required to stay back. But they’ve already been framing you folks, so that would likely come back on you even if we don’t want it to.” Eremoz stops for a second and shrugs.

{{I’m good to go.}}

"Yeah, we're not going anywhere near the Verdant Masons," Maya says, shaking her head. "Direct confrontation with them will only hinder us in the future. Despite their... questionable dealings, they are still close to the mayor. One word from them and we will have to get out of the city. The only thing that keeps us safe is the Clarent's name backing the Barony. If that is to disappear, we will have to leave and find a new place to live. We will remain in the background running interference, but confronting them will fall to your hands if they try anything at tomorrow's party. Just make sure to keep at least the young lady safe. If you find yourself surrounded, fall back to the family catacomb. I heard it actively hinder anyone that is not a Clarent or permitted by them to do harm there."

"That crypt is unpleasant," Cob adds. "No one will follow them there."

He mulls over what he's head so far then makes a suggestion.

"Why don't we go start something with the masons tonight? Prevent them from even coming tomorrow?" Cob says. "We can play security all we want, but that's not really what we are. If there's really going to be a mob out there maybe we stop it from forming in the first place by messing with the masons now."

Drexon listens to Cob and does see his point of view.

"What did you have in mind, Cob? It is late, and I am pretty spent, but that is not to say I am against the idea. I would also advise caution though, anything that may result in our incarceration would affect our other plans as well as our ability to protect the Lady at the party", he says inflecting the words other plans hoping the others would decode that to mean their greater purpose here.

“With some time, we could probably put something together. Unfortunately, we are short on time and resources. I say we just stay vigilant tomorrow and do what we can to protect the Lady. Besides, Drex is correct. We can’t linger here much longer.”

Cob shrugs a little. He hadn't thought that far ahead. A thought does come to his mind, but he decides against mentioning it in front of Maya and her red brigade.

"They might not be as secure as they think they are," Cob allows out loud.

"Perhaps we head back to Lord David to fill him in on all this and get some rest. Perhaps there is then something we can do in the morning", Drexon suggests. As they are about to leave, he has an idea.

"Hold on", he says, and then channels his magic through his bloodwell vial and moves his hand as if painting a picture. And a picture is exactly what appears. One that shows a number of people.

"These are the images of the apprentices we know are involved", he explains to Maya. "If you keep a close lookout for these people, trouble will be following".

Maya and the rest of the Barony scrutinize the image carefully, looking from one person to another and committing their features to their mind. One even pulls a pen and paper to make a clearer drawing. Maya nods appreciatively at you after a few moments. 

After a brief goodbye, you make your way through the lake. Maya offered to take you the long way, but perhaps it was not to be; the trip would take the better part of an hour to the edge of the city and then another hour back to the estate. 

"You took a while," David says when you surface back. "You must have found air pockets or something. Did you find the access point that the robbers made?"

Drexon exits the lake once again and stands in front Lord David dripping wet.

"We were indeed successful in finding a route to a cave system that can take you all the way to the edge of the city. Or so we were told by Maya and her Scarlet Barony, who happened to be in the chamber that the crevasse leads to", he explains. "It was fairly interesting all in all, but your former associates seem to have known about the route to the lake for some time. They are also concerned about certain parties trying to use the party tomorrow as a distraction to gain access to your estate".

There is a look on David's face that disappears as quickly as it appears. It is of regret and shame. You can visibly taste David's want to speak about the Barony further but he stays his tongue. Instead, he looks at you and nods appreciatively. 

"Then that is one avenue of entry we do not have to worry about," David says about the crevasse. From his words alone, you can tell that he has a history and trusts them a great deal. "The Barony will keep an eye on it. The party, on the other hand, will be a bit difficult. The Lady has promised a celebration to the neighbourhood. All we can do is keep an eye out. The new watchtower will definitely help. Other than that, the perimeter guards will hold them off if something were to happen, enough so we can evacuate the important people. I trust the Barony will also have an eye on the situation."

"Will you be leaving for the night? As per our agreement, we are obligated to offer accommodation. I can send one of the staff to your current inn or hotel to pay your bill while you can enjoy a warm bed in the staff quarter tonight."

"Well, we are all dripping wet and need a change of clothes. Might as well bed down here, if that is ok", Drexon replies, giving his answer.

He picks up his things and starts to make his way back to the house.

Cob shakes out some of the water from his hair when they get back to the surface.

"Perhaps tomorrow we park ourselves outside and quiet down any instigators before they can spark a riot."

David leads you to the staff quarter, a separate building from the mansion. A warm bath has been prepared with a fresh change of clothes. The standing staff takes your wet clothes away to be washed and dried for the morning. 

You have a restful sleep. The bed is soft and warm, the room feels safe, and even the air seems merry with the anticipation of a young lady's rise to adulthood. When morning comes, it is accompanied by a rush of the staff's footsteps preparing the last touch for the party. One of the staff comes to one of your rooms to get the details of your previous accommodation to settle the tab while another brings you a light breakfast after you prepare yourself for the day.

You have no time to do anything else before you get swept with the festivities. You do a last-minute check on things. The walls around the estate are still standing, albeit you can spy a few people milling around the streets outside looking a bit suspicious, but that can be a case of you haven't really woken up yet. You can also see a few teenagers wearing red cloaks on the roofs, keeping an eye on the people milling around the estate. The watch tower has been completed overnight. It looks sturdier than you expect, seemingly capable of having two people at once up there without buckling. The staff have been briefed and you can see all of them wearing a brass pin in the shape of a sun on their lapel, even the guards. But, you notice that one or two of them and the guards you've seen with Lady Leillana have no pin on them. 

When the clock strikes seven in the morning, you see the patriarch of the Clarent House for the second time. He is having tea in the dining room when David ushers you in to meet with him before the party starts at eight. He is smartly dressed even this early in the morning. Despite appearing a little bit naive, you notice a glint in his eyes that says otherwise. His red and gold suit is a little ostentatious, but some of you notice that it is just a tiny bit frayed around the edges, showing that the suit has been worn for years and not a new one. 

"Is this the people you hired, brother?" Lord Daven asks. He turns to you and nods in greeting. "I apologize for not meeting with you last night. The attack on the warehouse district had a lot of people running around like headless chickens. The Mayor has been inviting every important people in the city for a meeting to discuss and make some plans. I saw the addition to the estate and I think it will be good not just for this event but also for the security of the estate. I assume David had briefed you on what we can offer and what you have to do? Just to warn you, a lot of city officials will be here. The Mayor, the Head of Commerce, the Heads of the Industrial Guild, the Guard Captain, the First Ranger, and a few others. They will bring their own security, two per person, all wearing their official dress uniforms. Be wary of them, especially the ones from the Commerce Guild as they are headed by enemies of House Pedrov, and House Clarent by association. David says you also found the source of the invasion years ago and dealt with it. That's one avenue we don't have to worry about."

“Don’t worry about meeting with us yesterday. You had business to attend to and we were busy here ourselves.” Eremoz turns to David. “That reminds me, David, were you able to get the lapel pins? We should distribute them to the staff. If we see anyone without one that is dressed like staff, we know they are suspect.”

Drexon inclines his head in respect to Lord Daven, listening to the information about who will be in attendance and which of those are enemies of House Clarent.

"We had a fruitful day yesterday it is true. Hopefully everything we have done will ensure things go as smoothly as possible. If I might be so bold, Lord Daven. Did you find out who was behind the attack at the warehouse district? It may be relevant to us if it is part of a wider effort to cause chaos, or indeed even if it is more targeted"

When Emeroz asks Lord David about the lapel pins, he adds, "We see you have started distributing them, but there are still staff without one. Is that intentional?".