^^ For DM

"Sounds reasonable to me... if we're all in this together, we should all get a cut..."

For all:

((yay! the more Starwars gifs, the better! LOL))

Ess says to Ash "A shed, you say?"

To Ben: "Hey, didn't you say you saw the same well in the back yard too?"

Ess would start walk around the house on the west side, and then stop and turn around and say to Ash "wait... did you say... Cat Lord?"

I have updated the map!

For Korrik:

Ben claps his hands together,

"Well, I'm pleased that is settled."

He looks over to Korrik and gives a nod before saying to Ess,

"Hold up a moment Ess. I think you should have your weapon ready before you start wandering off. Come back and wait for us, you know how things go."

Ben takes a few big steps back, puts Korrik between himself and Ash.

"So, Ash? In the next few minutes I want you to remember your oath. Okay?"

He ends the spell.

"Hello Ash, I'm Ben. Welcome to the team! Please stay calm."

Korrik stands where Ben wants him to, staff held casually at his side.

Ess turns around and puts his hand on his longsword "Oh yeah, you're right bro! Hey, do yo....." and then with wide eyes as he sees and hears what Ben is doing (releasing the spell).

oh shite he mutters as he stops what he was saying and sees what happens next, with his hand definitely on the sword now. 

Ash starts to follow Ess as he asks about the Cat Lord. “The Cat Lord?.. Oh! Ha, yes!.. A ‘lesser’ deity, they say. Indifferent to the goings-on of almost everything! Everyone!.. Except for the lives of feline-kind-d..... and-d...  ....”.

She looks down, shakes her head... She looks back up at Ess, confused, “What have you done??!.....”. She points at Ess. A razor-sharp claw (easily over an inch long), clearly stands out on each finger, “You!!...”.

She whips around, points at Korrik, then Ben...

”You!!....”. She moves like a blur (double-speed, due to Feline Agility trait) over to Ben ((heedless of anyone or anything in the way, or opportunity attacks that may or may not come))...

She grabs the front of his clothes in both her hands, and growls up at him.. “gggrrrrr-r-r-r-agh!!!.... What did you do to me? You’re tricking me?? What trick is this??!... GRRAGH!!”. She throws herself off him, back into the centre of them all, pointing at each of them “You fed me? You’re helping me?... you’re Law?... You’re with the law??!!..... .”.

She looks back at Ben pleading... “What is this?”.

Ben raises his hands defensively,

"Remember the oath! Remember the oath!"

Once she backs off,

"Okay, okay! I used a simple spell to defuse a bad situation, bad you and for us. I was tricking you a little, that you knew me. No one made you say or do anything beyond that."

He clears his throat before continuing,

"We don't know each other, we met today. We did feed you and help you, and can keep helping you. We are definitely not the law. We are here to take everything there is to take. We even got an invitation to do it. I would argue that means we practically own the place."

He looks over to Ess and then down at Korrik,

"Great job defending me there gentlemen."

After giving Ash some time to breath and process,

"The offer to join us stands, given you keep your oath."

Ash looks to everyone in turn... “I don’t.. know you?.... but. How... and you were kind to me.... ...”. She trying to work out some difficult feelings.

”You’re NOT the law?..... and you were kind to me...”.

She grabs Ben’s clothes again but this time her claws are put away, “You’ll help me?... I’ve been running for days.... I need new clothes, tools, if we clear this place out....we’ll be rich!.. I can start again”.

Then remembering the oath, “Yes, you agreed! ..We have a pact...... ‘we agree to act in good faith... even split’.. that’s what we said..... We’ll work together... Even split“.

Korrik yawns.

"You've got it handled."

In all of this, Ess would've indeed drawn his longsword from its sheath on his belt, albeit with a very shaky hand. "GOD DAMN!! FORK!" and then as the situation seems to diffuse, he would've said to Ben "Um dude... I had your back. I was going to....." he looks at Ash, and her inch long claws (!!), and back at Ben "nevermind... yeah... anyways... I had your back, bro."

Ess does not put away his sword as he now listens to what Ben has said earlier about arming himself before moving forward. "Ok... so now that's out of the way, are we going around the house, boys? Er, I mean, guys? Er.... ah hell, nevermind. Are we going this way around the house, or not?!"

Ess starts to walk the same way he was going. To circle the house and perhaps check the back deck, well, and outhouse (was that the plan?) longsword in hand. He will follow whatever everyone else wants to do, though. Almost like a lost puppy. But a happy one. 

"Ash, we are definitely NOT the law. Ess and I at least have dabbled in the Varied Trades, though kind of looking for a fresh start. I'm curious, how did you hear about this place? Did you find a pamphlet advertising riches?"

"I doubt any possible ghosts will take any more kindly to us knocking on the front door as they would to us slipping in a window somewhere, but maybe we should circle the place and get a good feel for it first?"

Korrik will join Ess in circling around the building.

Ess would've told Ash "Yeah.... hell, I was even part of the dead rat gang... well, not by my own desires, but nevertheless I was still one of 'em for a bit and so I guess we have a few things in common, right?" he looks at her with hopeful eyes. 

He then continues to walk with Korrik.

"Dudes.... and dudettes, are there even ghosts here?! I mean... look at this place. It seems like a dumpy run down house."

Ess is getting braver now that the issue with Ash has settled and walks confidently to the back yard. Maybe he's even trying to show off a bit.

"There's the back door. I say we go!"

Ess will move forward, on that deck, and try to kick open that back door where he is on the map (updated) unless any of you tell him to wait and/or do something else. He will obey.

Korrik shrugs. 

"Never met a ghost, probably just local stories, kids sneaking up here to make out and throw rocks at windows and the like. Looks abandoned to me, just don't kick out a load bearing door and bring the wall down on your head!"

((OOC: would Ash know about the dead rat gang? Was it based in Neverwinter, where she has spent some time? If not she may not know that one specifically)).

Ash will turn to Korrik as he mentions The Varied Trades, and even relax a little as he talks of dabbling in the trade. She thinks for a second and then says, “Mmmm.... I never saw a pamphlet about this place, no!.....  In fact, most ‘intelligence’ I saw, that linked to this place, never even referred to a location directly. Fidd and I had to piece that together from fragments of clues”. 

“There are countless safe-houses and drop-points that get lost over the years. Caches... stashes... places people never get back to... Most are well hidden, and for good reason”.

”This was the best lead I had in the region, to get me back on my feet. But the one I know least about..... ‘Untold riches’: maybe it’s a pirate’s horde, or a wizard’s shack, or.... There are conflicting stories... ...but that’s all they are, I think, stories!..... But they all talk of the riches....”.

”That’s all I know....”. She looks at the halfling as if still trying to work the puzzle out, but determined that it’s worth the trouble to check it out.

"Hmmm... what do you make of this?"

He pulls out the scroll and hands it over to Ash.

"The wording came to mind when you mentioned 'untold riches' before."

From nearer or farther or even beyond,
If it's wealth you desire, just cross the pond.
The waters and weather might well be a romp,
but riches and wonders you'll find in Marshswamp.

You also see an intricate detailed drawing of a very large, dilapidated house standing on the side of a large cliff on some costal terrain. There is also a large hand drawn in a welcoming manner towards this house.

Ash eyes Korrik suspiciously as she takes the note. She eyes him for a few seconds longer still, her pupils closing to slits, before she lets her gaze drop to the page in her hands.

Her eyes scan the page while her lips mutter the words. She sniffs the page and even touches it with the tip of her tongue. Then she squints at it and pouts a bit before saying, “Hmmmm... this makes me think we’re at the right place more than ever.... We never had anything so intact as this. And this is the first thing I’ve seen mentioning Marshswamp by name”

”We had ‘riches galore’ rhymed with ‘shore’, and ‘untold riches’ and various other mentions like that... We had ‘romp’. That stands out. But that never rhymed and was tied to the phrase ‘where those worth their salt march’.... ... But we could never make that clue fit at all.... ...”.

She hands it back, having memorised it, “I think we’re on to something here for sure...”.

Ben snaps out of his momentary daze and jogs after Ess and the rest,

"Are you sure it is wise to kick in doors? Hold on. First you check if it is locked, then you check if someone can make it unlocked,"

He points at Korrik,

"Then if that doesn't work you try a window or the other door!"

As he is shaking his head at Ess not even trying the door first he comments,

"Unlike these two, no one has ever proven that I ever did anything."

He winks at Ash.

"I did a few laps of the place already. I'd recommend we stay clear of the well, something is eating animals near it. Other than that, I'm fine with Ess opening a door, preferably not by kicking."

He stands to be able to see in when the door is opened.

Korrik stifles a yawn as Ash gives him the side-eye.

"Yeah, I can see if it's locked."

Korrik will jiggle the door to see if it's locked before Ess bashes it down.