Ebril shakes his head, looking slightly pained at many of Findal's words.  Quickly he focuses in on Emel's comment. "Whoa! Are you saying Finn and I are pretty? That's so sweet of you.  Anyway, I think the lady is right that there's no point listening to me squawk and as Finn said, we should get moving! What's the plan?" 

Quote from DragonHunters >>

"Agreed. I assume you called us here because you have a plan? Or are we just gonna sit here and listen to more of pretty boys singing?" She glances at Sibi. "No offense."

Annoura nods, "Yes, let us begin excising the infection."

"Good," says Rummus. "Everyone's said their piece. You see now that you all have lost something, or someone. We all have. That's why we fight the Empire, so that there will be no more loss for their benefit. Alright, to business.

You know that we are nearing the end of the Month of Truth," he spits after saying that last word with disgust. "What come next is the Month of Liberation. The games, the executions. Estellon gets to clear out his prisons, and the crowd gets a show. Well, not this year. Sibi, the image please." 

Sibi steps up to the table. He begins playing his lute, without words this time. The tune is structured, repetitive, but with occasional discordances built in. On the table an image appears of an amphitheatre. Anyone who has been in Quesada for any length of time will recognise it, but Rummus spells it out for you. "This is The Maw, where the Liberation Games will take place."

He looks at you all, making sure you understand what is in front of you. "We're going to bring it down."

[I'll have more time for posting after the weekend, sorry.]

Annoura starts.  "And how will we do that?"

"Hold your horses, I'm getting to it," frowns Rummus. "People see the grandeur of the Maw, and are mighty impressed. But most don't know how it works behind the scenes. The storage rooms. The dirty, cramped cells where they keep the prisoners. People don't like to think about it. They'd rather think the folk who die for their entertainment just appear, like magic. But everyone sentenced during the Month of Truth has been moved to the cells beneath the Maw. And beneath them... is us."

He nods to Sibi. The tune of the lute, which has been present in the background while Rummus talks, changes subtly. Layers of the image peel away - floors, seating, rooms, cells - until the image is of earth, with something like the wobbly spokes of a wheel leading into an oval hub.

"We have spent months tunnelling to precise points under the Maw, into its very foundations. In those foundations we have been placing barrels of blasting powder. When they go up, the Maw comes down. The most potent icon of the Estellon Empire in Quesada, second only to the Tower of the Black Hand, reduced to rubble. It will be a huge blow to them! Huge!" Rummus slams his fist on the table in exuberancy. 

Azra steps forward with a calming hand to Rummus, but speaks to the group. "What we don't want is innocent people killed. There are hundreds of prisoners being held under the Maw, most of whom are simply victims of the Emperor's paranoia and savagery. What we need you to do is get into the Maw, free the prisoners, and get them all out. Sibi, the tunnel please."

Again a shift in the tune. The image zooms into one of the spokes, now clearly tunnels. "This one tunnel includes an exit out into the Maw from beneath. Including any more exits would have increased the risk of someone discovering the tunnels. The tunnel in question leads from a fishery warehouse in South Griev District, where you will enter in two days time, the night of Banesday, 30th of the month. The night before the games begin, and the day dedicated to Bane, it will have the most impact. Up a level please Sibi."

A layer grows over the tunnels, showing a tightly packed oval of small rooms and corridors. A small square patch glows over the entrance from your tunnel. "Ideally this would be done entirely unnoticed, until the blast. However, there will be a guard presence around the cells. Thankfully not too many - they're more concerned with prisoners trying to break out, and they are in no shape to put up a serious fight. You will need to remove at least one set of keys from a guard, you shouldn't find them too difficult to handle. The important thing is that no alarm is raised. If anyone is able to call for reinforcements, they will take that seriously, and I promise you will not be able to handle what comes next. As you free the prisoners, direct them back down the tunnel. Once you've got them all, follow on, and use this to let us know you're clear." She holds out a smooth stone, crudely etched with the image of face, mouth open in speech. "Then we'll send the signal for the blast."

She steps back from the table. Rummus steps forward again to ask "Any questions?"

Ebril studies the illusory pictures for some time, trying to let the information sink in.  Finally, he speaks up. "We are going to get all of the prisoners out of there? All of the people slated to participate in the so-called games?"  He looks around at the others. "Just the four of us though?"  

At first, that seems to be his only question.  But after a pause he adds another. "Just what are we going to do for two days? Why not just tell us when it's time to move on this?"  The young man looks anxious to go, though he tries to remain seated calmly in his chair. 

After conversing with her drake for a moment, Emel speaks up as well "And how sure are we the tunnels haven't been discovered? If they did, this plan could very quickly be turned into a trap if they wait for us to get in and cave in the tunnels. Mep and I refuse to get stuck underground again, so we need you to be certain they've been kept secret."

Annoura nods at that, having wondered the same. Though she suspects the arrogance of the empire will play a factor in the answer, she's not sure how much she trusts that.  Arrogant it surely was, but an empire did not endure for hundreds of years by being stupid.  Also,

"The Empire is not known for it's kind treatment of the condemned.  Many of the prisoners will be unable to move well.  How long have you allowed for their escape?  Have you made arrangements for us to have healing potions to help the worst move quickly enough?"

Rummus answers Emel first.

"They've been kept secret. Your way in is the only tunnel with an exit into the Maw. We've had people on all the entrances since tunneling started, and someone at your way in. So we'd know if they'd been found."

Turning towards Ebril now, "The four of you will have to be enough. We can't risk more. The Empire has a thousand times the man power we do, and not all of them are of this world. So as much as sending in our own army sounds lovely, we're no match for them in a straight up fight. So, this needs to be done quietly. Besides, our intel says despite their numbers, the actual guard count on the prison floor is low. They've never had trouble from those poor broken souls before, so they don't expect it now."

Azra steps forward. "And for the next two days, you are going to be staying at the warehouse. It's real, but it's ours -you won't be bothered or discovered there. You'll be training and getting to know each other. Figuring out your strengths and weaknesses, learning where you will need to support each other, and when to take a step back."

Quote from LorrdWolf >>

Annoura nods at that, having wondered the same. Though she suspects the arrogance of the empire will play a factor in the answer, she's not sure how much she trusts that.  Arrogant it surely was, but an empire did not endure for hundreds of years by being stupid.  Also,

"The Empire is not known for it's kind treatment of the condemned.  Many of the prisoners will be unable to move well.  How long have you allowed for their escape?  Have you made arrangements for us to have healing potions to help the worst move quickly enough?"

 "They'll be well enough to walk," answers Rummus. "You're not wrong about how they'll have been treated, but don't you wonder why people can take years to reappear for the Trials, and the Games? It's for healing. The Empire wants them just healthy enough to think they could put up a fight, or at least for the audience to think so. That's the whole gimmick - fight and die, you died with honour, you might get mercy from Bane; fight and win, you're liberated from your 'sins', you get another go at life. Except you don't. Either way, heads on blocks just isn't enough entertainment for them." He spits on the ground.

"Nevertheless, we'll have a few potions and herbal kits ready for the worst off."

Findal watched in silence as the more fundamental questions were made and answered. He was grateful for the Zone of Truth. The spell now served him and his three companions far more than Rummus and company. The barbarian left his seat while studying the silent image in the room, unsure of how reliably it could be used. It is better than nothing, he said with the voice of his mind, before turning to the other dwarf.

“I got more specific questions.” His eyes stayed focused on the illusion. “How will we open the cells? Do we know the number of entrances to the area? Is there any room the guards use to rest or eat while there?” Ironborn asked methodically, as if the questions were part of a list. “How many guards should we expect to be there? Do we have any info on their positioning? What method they use as alarm and how much time would it take for external reinforcements to reach the dungeon after an alarm? Any specially dangerous individuals guarding the area that we should be particularly aware of?”

Finn did not want to talk about his past then and there, but he knew what the questions told about it. A keener observer would notice something akin to habit on them. How they denounced that he was used to the preparations for this kind of… Tactical operation. Will they think I’m thief or someone used to rescuing others? In the end the dwarf decided it didn’t matter.

Annoura felt a sense of relief at the astute nature of all the questions. It was good to know her new companions had brains to go along with their hoped-for brawn.

Ebril tries to suppress a frown when hearing there will be two days of training. But the issue of wounded prisoners he can comment on.  "Depending on the severity of injuries, I have some healing ability." 

His attention then turns to Rummus, who seems to be the one fielding questions. "I presume we'll all be sequestered somewhere until the big day?"

Rummus rumbles. "I'm hearing some good questions, as well as some you've already had an answer to. As Azra said, you'll be staying at the warehouse. She also said that you'll have to take keys from a guard. 

Now for some fresh answers, but you're probably not going to like them." He glances around the room at the network of spell lines, and sighs. "A lot of this, we don't know for sure. We haven't exactly been for a wander through the cells taking notes. And there aren't many on the inside willing to help, even if at heart they don't agree with what they're doing. They're afraid for their lives, their family's lives. So what I can say is... There's probably a break room, or something similar. We think there's two patrolling guards per quarter of the cells, but that's a minimum. For alarm, they probably have a rattle, like the soldiers around town. I don't doubt there's some horror lurking in there ready to be called in if they can't cope, or someone with more power than the usual guards, but where they might be, how quickly they'll react to an alarm? I can't say. We haven't exactly done a test run."

He looks around the room at the four of you. "I wish I had more intel for you. But this is the best we have. Here's some truth though - those people need you. If they aren't broken out the Empire'll spend the next month killing them. I know at least one of you has a very personal reason for not wanting that to happen." 

If anyone wants to roll Insight (DC 15) or have a passive insight over 15:

ooc: Annoura Insight 18

Annoura looks around the room. "Does anyone have the ability to cast Silence?"

He wasn’t entirely surprised by Rummus answers, although he quite obviously preferred to work with some more information. The barbarian noticed the eyes of the other dwarf resisting on the blonde and decide that there was reason to trust the human after all. Knowing that the alarm was a rattle was good. They would know if the guards caught wind of someone else.

“If you know the identity of as much as a single guard of the holding area we could capture him and extract the information instead of just waiting on the warehouse.” He said with a rather detached voice. It was not like he wanted to torture an imperial, but rather saw use on the possibility. Can’t be the only one. A fact that made Findal believe that the rebels didn’t have even that much information. Picking guards one after the another until finding one useful would be far too risky for the operation. “Otherwise, the wait starts and I can’t cast any spell.” He answered Annoura before looking at the rest of the group. It would certainly help if someone could neutralize the rattling. “On the exit matter, we only know of the one we are going to use?”

Finn expected as much, but he needed to be sure. Each exit was also an entrance, a place by which enemies could arrive, a direction they needed to pay attention to.

Notes: Perception check rolled on the campaign log, 21 total.

(Aww that's a nat 1)

Emel is listening, but is distracted by Mep at the moment, the drake seeming increasingly uncomfortable being underground.

Annoura shook her head, "I won't condone torture, though I've no objection to using magic to extract the information. Though I think it's a bit late to get that information, if you can do so in the next two days, by all means.  I would like to know the source of the rather scant information you do have, though. I understand the need for security, so, no names but what can you reveal about your source?

Ebril seems a bit discomforted by Rummus' last comment, but quickly speaks. "By 'sequestered' I was more concerned about our freedom of movement than accommodations. You say 'staying at the warehouse' like it's a fancy resort. Are we allowed to leave and go where we want?" 

"The question of spells is good though.  I am familiar with Silence and can have it ready. Finn - no spells. I'm guessing by the question Annoura cannot cast Silence at least.  What about you Emel?" Ebril looks to the woman and her drake.