Barty's "Tyranny In Phlan" (DDEX1-10)

((Short rest taken))

Carl snorts away as the hat is passed around, he has up to 93 gold pieces to donate to the cause, but he would hold at least 5 back.  “Don’t reckon we’ll get interest, right?”  He wants to help so that this is accomplished and they can move on, get these people out of here.  He goes over to stand by Auriel, trying to calm his friend down, he can obviously see that he is distressed.  

Hildigrim’s jaw tightens as Linsa finishes. For a moment, it seems he might argue further ... but doesn’t. Instead, he exhales slowly through his nose, his mind already recalibrating.

“Very well,” he says, voice even. He reaches into his pack, fingers brushing past parchment and Spernik's head, and retrieves his purse. “Two gold per head,” he repeats. “For safe passage through the sewers.”

He looks up. “We will pay it.” The purse does not leave his hand yet. His brown eyes settle on Linsa — not angry, not pleading, but measuring.

“But understand this,” he continues quietly. “You are not being paid for the route.” A small pause. “You are being paid for time.”

He gestures slightly toward the door — toward the chaos beyond.

“Every moment we spend negotiating is another moment the dragon tightens its grip on this city. Another moment those people out there lose their chance to leave alive.”

His gaze flicks briefly to Glevith, then back.

“You know that. As do I.” Another beat. “When this is over — if this city still stands — there will be those who remember who helped ... and who charged for the privilege.”

There's no threat in his voice. Just fact.

He finally extends his hand. His purse contains 68 gold, 5 silver, and 5 copper.

OOC: Making an assumption that the remaining gold will come from Hex's inventory since she's been away. An hour has not yet passed in-game, so Carl has not yet gained the benefits of a short rest. I'll let you know when that occurs, in case something were to happen in between.

Linsa's only reply is an infuriating smirk. She takes the coinage, collecting it in her own pouch and handing the empties back to the party. She looks to Glevith and nods. Glevith's gaze turns to Trunkey, who is already giving him a thumbs up. He claps his hands. "Alright, let's get to work. Blockjaw, take three and make sure the way is still clear. Linsa, they paid us, don't make them regret it," he says, already moving to finish preparations.

Linsa brushes past Auriel, too close to be accidental, then enters the plaza. "Alright people, listen up! We're gonna be..." her voice fades as the door swings shut. 

The Lord Regent kneels down next to Cassyt and the body of Aleyd, speaking with her for a moment before following the large Turmish man and speaking with him. Cassyt stands up, and shuffles over to you.

"Thank you," she says, "For bringing Aleyd's body. I knew her well. We spent a lot of her off-duty time together, sitting in the graveyard, just listening to stories of her youth. I don't know much of her family aside from a brother in Mulmaster, but returning her body to them is the right thing to do. I'm glad she wasn't left in the streets where she fell."

Hildigrim watches the exchange in silence as the plan finally begins to move forward. The tension in his jaw eases only slightly — not from relief, but acceptance. Now they must make it count.

As Glevith issues his orders, the halfling steps forward without hesitation. “I’ll go with Blockjaw,” he says, voice steady. He adjusts his spectacles, already shifting into a different mode of thinking. “If something has changed in the tunnels, I would rather we learn that now than with a crowd of refugees at our backs.”

His gaze flicks briefly toward the door, where Linsa’s voice had carried just moments before.

“And I intend to see this route for myself.” He pauses, only peripherally hearing Cassyt's voice outside. “So that if anything happens to your people ...” he says, looking at Glevith, “... the rest of us are not left blind beneath the city.”

Auriel has to summon all his inner strength not to shoot Linsa a deadly look as she brushes past him. The fires of Summer stir within him for the briefest moment, but the cold of Winter ends up reining them in. Still, he notices it ... the seasons are beginning to shift again.

Cassyt's words bring him back to the present.

"I wish her and her men's sacrifice hadn't been necessary," the Eladrin says quietly. "But there were so many enemies. We would never have brought the Lord Regent back without them. Bringing Aleyd's body here was the least we could do to repay her."

The thought that Aleyd Burral might yet be returned to the living kindles a small spark of hope in Auriel, who for now withdraws to a quiet corner and settles into a brief meditation. It may be the last chance for stillness before they step into danger once more.

“I’ll go with Blockjaw,” he says, voice steady. He adjusts his spectacles, already shifting into a different mode of thinking. “If something has changed in the tunnels, I would rather we learn that now than with a crowd of refugees at our backs.”

"Not going in tunnels," Blockjaw says in his thick Turmish accent. "Going to tunnels. We make sure path is clear. We don't go into tunnels until ready. Too risky." He cinches his belt shut and hefts a pack over his broad shoulders. "But come. I will take you there." The Lord Regent has exited the conversation by the time that Hildigrim arrives - having apparently been directed by Blockjaw to the right person, who is now showing him a selection of weaponry that other Welcomers are also outfitting themselves with. He hefts a few different options, before settling on a pair of swords, one significantly longer than the other, and a heavy crossbow that he slings onto his back.

Cassyt's eyes glisten as she listens to Auriel. "That was Aleyd. Sacrificing herself for duty." she says. "I hope Lord Ector Brahms is right, that he can find someone to resurrect her. Doomguide Glandon was the only person of sufficient power that I was aware of among the faithful of Valhingen Graveyard. I hope he is still alive, but the graveyard was the first place the dragon struck. I watched it breathe across it while I was in town purchasing gardening supplies. It's the only reason I yet live."

Hildigrim follows Blockjaw.

Auriel gives Cassyt an understanding nod. The news she brings about Doomguide Glandon is grim, but despite that, he finds it in himself to remain hopeful.

"Let's not lose hope yet. Doomguide Glandon might still be alive. No one thought Lord Ector Brahms would be, and yet he is."

The paladin tilts his head slightly toward the Lord Regent, who is currently arming himself for what awaits them, then gives Cassyt a faint hopeful smile.

Blockjaw doesn't say a word as he and Hildigrim exit the back of the Cracked Crown, silently exploring the surrounding streets. He leads the way out of a narrow back passage cleverly hidden from view by a stack of crates, narrow enough that the large man has to turn sideways to sidle through it. The Turmish man's bald head moves constantly, his dark eyes scanning doorways, rooftops, and the mouth of alleyways. He stops at a corner, holding up a meaty fist. Waiting and listening, Hildigrim can hear the rolling wheels of a cart grow louder, then fade without appearing.

He points with two fingers toward a recessed iron grate set flush into the cobblestones ahead. "Is clear. There is door," he mutters quietly.

Back at the Cracked Crown, Cassyt nods resolutely to Auriel. "I will find that out shortly. I won't be accompanying you through the sewers. I've volunteered to grab what supplies I can from Valhingen Graveyard. So...I will soon learn what happened to the Doomguide and the rest of my order at the onset of the attack," she says.

Over the next hour, Glevith, Trunkey, Dark Linsa, and several other Welcomers work like clockwork to file the refugees through the Cracked Crown and into the safety of alleyways, providing detailed instruction on who to follow, how close to walk, and how quiet to be. Hildigrim returns with Blockjaw, giving the signal that the path to the sewers is clear.

"We are ready," Glevith eventually states, walking up to you. "My colleagues have begun to scout ahead. We have one chance at this. Once the Tears of Virulence learn that we have used the sewers, they will certainly close this route."