Jan takes on the face and form of one of the guards she had been following (assuming at least one of them is down below), and follows Ava as far as she can.

Does Jan have a weapon drawn? Look like she's chasing after Avaria?

((That's what she's going for, in case it's other guards, but no weapons drawn, she'd be going more for the 'Excuse me miss, the bathroom is THIS way', than further inciting any guards to attack on sight. But if Ava was dashing, Jan used her action for disguise self, so is lagging behind having only movement to catch up with.))

Marrin shakes her head at Mard and waves a hand over her face, going to her usual look.

"Not exactly. Where'd you go? Why aren't you just telling the guards to stand down?"

Mayor Klein’s Council House – Front Reception Hall and Office:

Avaria charges out into the front entry hall, still seeing nothing but does notice the door’s ajar and when she looks through it, she sees two groups of armed men at the front gate. Three look like the guards from below, and five wear hooded cloaks.

Jan makes it through the office doorway and sees Avaria looking outside and then no sign of anyone else.

She does hear  “Where’s Ethel and Jan?” from a very familiar voice. “That guard. Are they keeping Ethel prisoner.”

The jingle of chainmail can be heard but Jan and Ava can’t quite get a bead on from where.

Mayor Klein’s Council House – Dungeon:

Ethel’s up.

Mayor Klein’s Compound – Outside:

Mard watches Marrin’s transformation, his eyes going wide then nodding.

“The mayor has loyalists plus his own home guard here,” Mard says. “They’re not going to listen and I don’t want to battle them either.”

He looks to the gate where Marrin can see an uneasy standoff. The guards from inside aren’t attacking Mard’s crew, but they’re not letting them in either.

“Your friends need to get out of there right now. And then you all need to get out of town. The mayor has – “ Mard pauses for a moment, watching the other guards. “The mayor’s not only loyal to this town.”

------------------------------------------------------

Marrin’s up and Perception from Marrin as well please.

Marrin nods along and says,

"I was working on that. Ula is inside, hopefully making that happen."

Marrin looks towards the Mayor's mansion and asks,

"Who else is he loyal to, if I may ask? And why didn't you let Jan know it wasn't safe here?"

Perception: 9

Mard starts back towards the gate.

”I expected you would collect your coin and move on,” Mard says. He stops and looks back at Marrin. “I don’t know exactly but I’m pretty sure he’s wrapped up in a cult of some sort. I want to say dragon related but I haven’t found real proof yet. But regardless, he has power and you lot are better off out of town.”

As he joins the others, Marrin notices their armour and weapons don’t look like the standard issue she’d seen on guards in the barracks or around town; the armour looks inky black - even blacker than the Lintoll Brigade armour.

———————————

Jan and Avaria can post too and we’ll just try and work Ethel in as this moves along.

Jan will move to catch up with Ava, looking around for the familiar voice as well as for the Mayor to reappear.

Ethel looks at the lock - or lack of a lock - with exasperation.  

She looks at the door, then down at the sleeping guardsmen.  Less than a minute now before some start waking.  

She considers her options... and then abandons further efforts to hold these guards.  She steps out the door, shuts it behind her, then begins to run back upstairs.

 "Well, maybe if the Lintoll hadn't been here and this hadn't been Ula's gods' damned home. A hint would have gone a long way."

She responds tartly.

"Dragons? Is he half kobold or something."

She says dismissively before squinting at the black kitted guards.

"Those your special forces or something?"

Turning to Jan as she catches up to her, she looks at her a bit startled at her new appearance but now knowing her trick she continues her train of thought, "I hear Ula, find her and you'll probably find Marrin as well.  I don't know what is going on at the gates, but there are a lot more people there then when we first arrived.  I don't feel good leaving Ethel down on her own when we don't know where the Mayor disappeared to.  I'll go get her and meet you near the gates."

And she runs back into the Mayor's house and heads towards the dungeon.  Keeping her eyes and ears open for sounds of the mayor...

Mayor Klein’s Council House – Front Reception Hall and Office

Once Avaria speaks to Jan, you both hear an “Oh, is that Jan? Phew, I almost clubbed you with my hammer” in Ula’s voice. “I’m right here.”

Jan then feels a hand take hers.

“Marrin turned me invisible.”

Avaria hears footsteps running up the stairs from the dungeon below and Ethel hears footsteps approaching the top of the stairs. The two reach each other about the same time, at the top of the stairs.

There’s no sign of the mayor anywhere in this reception hall, the office, or the front entry area and Ethel didn't pass anyone on the stairs.

Mayor Klein’s Compound – Outside

Mard doesn’t seem too bothered by Marrin’s anger about not getting warned.

“I don’t owe you anything,” he says as he rejoins his men. And in response to the question about whether these are his special forces or something he adds “They’re loyal. That’s all you need to know.”

The mayor’s three guards seem a little hesitant once Mard joins the other five guards. But one of them does start to try and close the gate on Mard and the other five.

Suddenly Mard’s crew are pushing back on the gates and swords are drawn.

“You might over power us,” one of the guards says to Mard. “But you know better than to try and come in here like this. You can’t win.”

Mard draws himself up “Just let this one’s friends go and we’ll leave.”

To Marrin it looks like fighting will break out any second.

"If you don't owe us anything, why show up now? You could have saved yourself all this. Ounce of prevention, pound of cure and all that garbage."

Marrin doesn't actually care who the black suited guards are and just walks around the side of the fence again and waves at the guards.

"I guess if you want to save face you could lay down and say I used some sort of fel magic on you. Better than getting the tar beat out of you."

Marrin suggests helpfully.

"Oh, yeah, I'm glad you didn't bash my skull in, Ula. The Mayor can vanish and reappear, he's gotta be around here somewhere... Ava, you able to...", Jan gives a couple exaggerated sniffs.

"Ethel, you okay? Lost track of the Mayor, Ula and Marrin are here."

Jan moves over to the Mayor's desk, and starts ransacking it, looking for anything relating to Hargroves, dragons, secret dealings and anything that seems of value.

Ethel holds up the key she took from guards.  "I've got something, though I'm not sure there is time to use it.  Those guards below will start waking up in 30 seconds or less."

She frowns upon learning the Mayor has escaped.  "I didn't take him for an accomplished mage.  This was far more dangerous an endeavor than I had anticipated.  I think it is best that we extricate ourselves from Spandeliyon and set sail again, posthaste."

Mayor Klein’s Compound – Outside:

The three mayor's guard start backing up a little when it becomes apparent they're facing seven opponents now and aren't going to be able to force the gates closed.

Mard urges his five cloaked underlings forward. 

"Just stay to the side and there won't be any problems." he says to the mayor's guard. 

In response to Marrin's comments about why help them now, Mard doesn't answer, but she can see mixed feelings of some sort crossing his features. She gets the impression that he'd be a terrible poker player.

As the group moves further into the compound, and on to the parade ground, closing about half the distance to the mayor's council hall/home, another group of mayor's guards, five in total, come around the side from the direction of the stables. The heavily injured one, that Marrin and Ula had almost killed but who escaped points in Marrin's direction. A lean, fit looking guard looks to be the leader of the group shouts across the parade ground.

"This isn't your fight Mard. Get your goons and get out of here." the leader calls.

The other three guards stop their retreat at the sight of reinforcements.

Mard looks at Marrin "This is going to get ugly. Grab your friends and get out of here. We can hold them off for a little while."

Mayor Klein’s Council House – Front Reception Hall and Office

The desk in the office with the filing cabinets doesn't reveal much of interest to Jan, nor do the cabinets. She quickly realizes that this isn't the mayor's office but that of administrative underlings. She's found little more than stacks of fishing license applications, a renewal application for some barbershop, some numbers that she's sure don't add up about crop yields, and a rather pathetic looking petition to make the Lintoll fair set up further outside of town so they don't steal so much business from local shops.

The mayor's office must be somewhere else in the building.

Jan slams a palm down on the desk in frustration. "I'd rather put an end to this, doubt he's likely to forgive me putting a dagger in him."

She reaches out to K'oshash if they're nearby, letting them know that the Mayor has buggered off with magic, and to let her know if they spot him. 

((Assuming the ruckus outside is audible to her?))

((Marrin wasn't trying to kill anyone! Club unconscious, yes, but nothing lethal.))

"Mard, I would love to scarper, truly, but I haven't the foggiest where they're at presently. I guess I can yell? Everyone else seems to know we're here now."

If Mard doesn't object,

"JAN? AVA? ETHEL? ULA? YOU HEAR ME? YELL BACK IF YOU HEAR ME!"

Talking with Ethel, she isn't sure what to say about the key but then hears Marrin yell (I'm assuming she hears it?) "Let's get out of here!" and she heads back towards the entrance of the mayor's house and hopefully to the outside?  Grabbing Jan on the way if she sees her.

((Yes, the doors open and everyone can hear the yelling on the parade ground and then clearly hear Marrin calling - Mard nodded towards the council hall/house when Marrin said she had no idea where the others were - did she move that way? And K'oshash sees no one resembling the mayor))