Elina and the Darktip Cutlasses

Elina finds herself working with Felix to uncover a traitor in the midst of the Guild. 

You pull the curtain tight, separating you and 'Blackknuckle' from prying eyes. He begins fumbling with his belt buckle, an idiotic grin taking shape on his face. 

"I wouldn't get too comfortable," you whisper, with a dagger close to the jewels. He stammers pitiful excuses before you stick him, letting a small bit of blood coat the blade. "Who's the rat?"

• Trust his information
  
• Convince him to give up more.
  
• Make an example of him. 
  

"Give me a name and a location or that boot knife will be the only little prick you have left!" I say as I nod towards the 3" blade jutting from his discarded mud-caked boots.

All too eager to save his own skin Blackknuckle cracks revealing not just one but two names, "It's the Gregovich siblings! It's them I swears ma'am, I swears!"

The Gregovich family originally hailed from Whitecliff but had become new residents under the Duke's dark banner after he shanghaied them into swearing fealty on the coast many years ago, with the help of Felix of course.

"See? Was that so hard?" I whisper as I wipe the blood on my blade onto his trousers. "For cooperating I'm sure Felix will reward you. Make sure you come see us after this whole mess is taken care of."

You throw open the curtain and conceal your blade as you make your way to the Guild's exit. You leap over the false floor, and duck beneath the chest-height trip wire like you've done many times before. With three taps on the leftmost plank of the shoddy wooden door, you turn the handle and exit onto a busy street in the city's underbelly. 

The Gregovich family made their abode on near the quarry, a rough part of town. You gathered your wits and set out. 

• Approach the Gregovich home.
  
• Stakeout the Gregovich home. 
  

The quarry district is known for it's resident's...rocky exterior. However, only a fool would dare cross someone as deep with the Cutlasses as I am. Even so, I make my way to the Gregovich home drawing as little attention to myself as possible, darting and diving between alleyways and food stalls, slipping into the shadows around every corner. The less of their cronies saw me the better.

I arrive at an outcropping close by the quarry I think would be a perfect stakeout point. The large hewn stone would provide an excellent source of cover and if I'm lucky the acoustics rebounding from the walls would aid in my spying as well. I hunker down and get ready for a long watch.

Daylight passes and the moonlight shines bright off the hewn polished stones prepared for the marketplace. You sit silently for hours, stopping only to take small bites of a loaf of fresh bread purchased from the market. A high-pitched voice breaks the silence.

"Quickly!" The voice chirps. "I haven't got all night. Where is the bag?" 

"Right here," a sly voice replies. "What of the Darktips? Will they trouble our plans?" You rise from your hiding spot and peer through a small crack. A gnome, with a dark green cloak draped over his body and three twirls in his mustache reaches for an outstretched bag of gold held by slender man in fine clothing. 

"They don't suspect a thing! I've got a man on the inside," the gnome cackles. He grabs the bag of gold and begins inspecting a handful. 

• Surprise attack the pair.
  
• Don't move - wait for more.
  
• Something's not quite right... [Perception/Sense Motive]
  

[Perception 6, Sense Motive 1] "This is definitely suspicious, but I need something more conclusive!" This late in the night the position of the moon is purely detrimental to my vantage point. In an attempt to find a better viewpoint closer to the targets I start to make my way along the rocky outcropping using my Darktip sneak training to its fullest. [Stealth 16]

You sneak away from the rocks and climb the small outcropping. As you position yourself above your two targets, they suddenly break away: the gnome, with gold in hand, heads down an alleyway deeper into the city, the man rushes to the rocks where you previously occupied. As he disappears from sight, his voice rings out.

"What do you mean you LOST her!?" 
"You were to keep her there until my business concluded!"
"FIND HER!"

Several thugs come out from behind the rocks and you realize how close you came to being caught. You must act quickly. 

• Drop to the street below and follow the gnome.
  
• Sneak back to the rocks and follow the man.
  
• Attack the thugs.
  

"Well, that certainly was a close one." I look around and spot the weaselly gnome scampering off into the dark. I give chase and easily catch up to him near the masonry the quarry uses to process the marble.
"Wait, stop, play awhile!" I say as I grab a coil of rope and hurl it at his plodding feet. The rope sails right into his backside, sending him spiraling into the cobbled stone alleyway. In his panic he tries to free himself but the more he struggles the more entwined he becomes.
"Not very graceful for a gnome. You think you'd be a bit better at scrambling away." He reaches beneath his coat to draw something but before his hand even leaves his pocket I am upon him blade at his throat.
"I'm just looking for a little information, my friend. I'll let you live if you cooperate and you can even keep your previous employers payment! Now doesn't that sound like a fair deal?"

"Please Miss, I'm just a friendly traveler. If it's money you want, here. Take!" squeaks the mustachioed cretin. "I'm just a simple merchant, don't know nothing I swear!"

"I haven't got all night you miserable cur, tell me everything; the Darktip insider man, the Gregovich's involvement, and who that generous business associate you met with earlier is" Your words drain the pallor from his skin and his fumbling ceases. 

"He'll kill me!!" stammers the gnome. With a quick turn of your blade, his reluctance wanes. "Alright Alister Gregovich is my guy. I met him a few moons back and he tells me about new members, where to find 'em and what not. His brother Sama owes me a lot of money you see... and.."

• No one crosses the guild; find the Gregovich brothers.
  
• Press him for more.
  
• Attempt to turn him. [Roll Diplomacy 20+ Required, Failure = Unknown (Assume Success)]
  

[Diplomacy 25] "Come now, it would be in your best interest to spill everything here and now. Felix is very generous to those who aid him and I would love to tell him how cooperative you've been through all this." I ease off the knife at his throat and put it away. "Think of the reward you will receive as soon as he hears that not only did you tell me everything but you even setup an ambush for me to take out the brothers discreetly."
The gnome gets to his feet and brushes himself off and nervously squeaks out "Well now that you mention it, I may have some idea that could work." His mouth works its way into a greedy little grin and his eyes light up at the thought of the gold coming his way. I didn't have the heart to tell him that part of Blackknuckle's atonement would be to silence him at the end of this.

"Name's Waplob.. You are mighty fine miss," says the gnome slyly. "We'll set up a trap."

The gnome suggests a spot near the town square where he can meet with the man from earlier. With a quick nod you agree to the set up.  You travel to a dead drop where Waplob drops three coins into a cup. As he turns to bolt into the night, you grab hold of his collar.

"Not so fast," you whisper. "You're staying with me tonight." An hour of walking the back streets leads you to a small safe house where you forcibly stash an unwilling Waplob for the night. In the morning, you can get your answers.

• Go to the meet early.
  
• Go to the meet with Waplob.
  
• Go to the meet without Waplob. 
  

I can't help but believe Waplob would just be a burden to my plans. "Waplob, you seem nervous...Stressed even. Have a drink! Ease your tensions! We have a long night ahead of us and an early morning after." I spend the night coaxing the foolish gnome into guzzling one tankard of grog after the next, each empty mug driving him deeper into my trap.
"And then the dwarf says to the dragon *hic* he says...THAT'S NOT A BEHOLDER! THAT'S MY WIFE! *hic*" As his last joke is spat from his mouth the exhausted gnome falls into a deep slumber.
"If I ever have to hear another gnomish tale or dwarven limerick again...ugh...whatever...That should buy me an early morning without this fool." With Waplob out of commission I lay down for a few hours before leaving for the meeting without the smelly gnome and his dangerous habit of giving up too much information.
I arrive at the dirty alleyway and await my prey.

The alley is quiet. Cockroaches scuttle between the rotted foodstuffs that line the walls nearby. You can feel the tension in the air... another ambush.

You ready yourself before the inevitable flurry of attacks. Wheeling around to attack behind you, a small boy enters the alley, a clutch of parchment in his hand. As you lower your arms, he approaches you slowly, hand outstretched and scared. Reaching forward you try to calm the boy as he hands you the paper and breaks off at a sprint. You look around, searching for any wandering eyes before turning your attention to the scrap of parchment. 

"Bid farewell to Waplob for me." A symbol of two falcons clutching a torn bag of gold marks the signature. You tuck the paper away safely and leave the alleyway.

• Return to Felix to inform him of your findings.
  
• Return to the safehouse.
  

Feeling the gnome is of little importance anymore, I make my way back to the guild. Upon my arrival I catch Felix just as he is about to depart to gods know where.
"Felix!" I say as I approach him while he mounts a horse laden down with what appears to be several weeks worth of rations and survival equipment. "Going somewhere? I have something you might want to see." I hand him the parchment.
As he inspects the symbol his eyes glow with a rage that I have not seen since my employment began with the Cutlasses.

"I found the traitors" you begin, pulling a thin lace between your fingers as you talk. "The Gregovich brothers worked with a gnome named Waplob. Blackknuckle knew about them, but neglected to mention the treachery. Waplob met with a thin man in regal attire near the quarry, and..."

Felix holds up a hand to stop you. "And where is Waplob now?" You mention the safehouse near Baker's street, and Blackknuckle's upcoming atonement. Felix nods and bids you farewell before spurring his horse forward. Just then he stops, and turns. "I'm thinking of a new alias.. Black One-Paw has a nice ring to it." You nod dutifully as he rides off. 

• Complete your adventure.
  
• Continue your adventure.
  

I step back into the guild hall and call out to a serving maid for a drink. As I kick back and look around the room I spy Blackknuckle looking rather battered. I guess a couple of the boys put two and two together and decided to teach him a lesson. If only he knew what was coming next...I almost pity him.

The maid arrives with my drink and a couple of the rowdy regulars burst through the door followed by a large white hound. No one bats an eye at the sight of this beast, he too is a regular.

"Look at you, Ardin, you're well groomed today." The dog waits patiently for me to remove the scroll case tightly bound around his neck. Once removed he rests his massive head in my lap awaiting his reward. "It seems your master calls, Ardin. A maiden must never rest it seems." The serving maid comes back with a plate of bones for the dutiful dog as she has done many many times.
"You've done a good job, boy." I toss him a sturdy boar rib from the plate and he latches onto it with all the grace of a royal hunting dog. I lean back in my chair and finish the cheap ale, "It's good to be the Queen."