Herald

FORGOTTEN REALMS - Gambit of Scoundrels

Leon had always hated loud noises. It was the opposite of the silence that he had been trained in for so many years. Rooms so quiet that if you stressed yourself out you could hear your own heartbeat hammering in your ears and had to train yourself to move silently through such spaces. The piercing shriek of the stone hit him like a knife in his ear and he almost called upon Mask's power just to destroy it. He knew it was too late though. It was now time to escape with their loot and their lives.

Willory and Firoz both ran to the window, crashing through the frame and glass and landing hard on the balcony below. Iliskra needed no further prompting, Leon hot on her heels and he tucked his sword and shield away and put his mask on, an illusory red robe covering his clothes now. If the guards saw anything, maybe they might blame the theft on the Red Wizards or some wannabe imitator. He muttered a prayer to his god as he vaulted onto the balcony below, his hand slapping against the remaining frame of the window and causing Mask's shadows to thickly envelop the entire space. The orb of darkness stuck out nearly ten feet past the window, so even if the guards managed to find it in the dark, they still would not be able to see the thieves slipping away in the night.

The run was still stressful, Leon expecting at almost any moment to feel the strike of a crossbow bolt or hells forbid... a magical spell on the shield on his back. He tried to stay close to Iliskra in case he needed to shield his compatriot but she was swifter by far and they both knew there would be no blame if she escaped on her own.

Mask it seemed still had games for his priest to play though, as all four of them dropped down to the cobblestone pathways and disappeared into the remaining mists without incident. They remained together for a few blocks, then split up as both pairs went to their seperate destinations.

FORGOTTEN REALMS - Gambit of Scoundrels

Lord of Shadows save my poor heart from the mistakes of others, Leon thought to himself as he winced at the sound of a lock hitting the floor. His ear strained, listening outside of the room as he tried his best to ignore the three as they whispered back and forth. He was almost grateful when Iliskra handed him the letters and bade him return to the other room. They could discuss at length what they found later he assumed, he just hoped this was worth all this effort.

Returning the items was the easy part and fortunately Mask saw fit to bless his servants with the power to repair damage to object of a nonmagical nature, restoring them to their previous condition. It wasn't a particularly favorite spell since his agents typically preferred to break things instead of repairing them, but it was far too useful to ignore when it came to covering one's tracks. A few minor surges of divine power and the desk looked like it had never been touched. He paused to do the same to the door to Jadarl's bedroom before carefully closing the door.

Before returning to the laboratory, Leon paused outside to listen carefully. Jadarl's seeming lack of presence made everything about him, his guards, and his servants a virtual unknown and he hated unknowns. If Jadarl had been alerted of trouble, sure he would be able to hear something by now of that trouble coming.

FORGOTTEN REALMS - Gambit of Scoundrels

Maskarran training on the various brews and potions of the world was a bit more thorough than most, after all sometimes one had to hide their clerical powers. Potions could replicate many arcane and divine blessing, usually centered around improving the self in some way. Of course, every Maskarran was also trained well in the identification and appropriate deployment of various poisons. He didn't like abandoning his spot as the lookout, but who knows how much time they really had. And on the off chance Iliskra was right...

Alchemists were intelligent crafters, well versed in chemical and arcane combinations to simulate magic. An incorrect ingredient could have disastrous repercussions if used at the wrong time or in the wrong amounts. Even masters labeled their vials and jars although sometimes with alchemical symbols only understood by others of their ilk. When two ruby red potions looked and smelled the exact same one needed additional assistance determining which was the healing draught and which the fire breath.

Fortunately healing draughts were common enough to be easily picked out even with alchemical symbols. Leon carefully picked five of them and placed with into a pouch he had modified to carry such things without them getting knocked about. If one thought drinking the wrong potion was bad, try having a half dozen mix together on your skin. His fingers drifted across the remaining brews, he had room for perhaps four more potions and had to rely mostly on the luck of Mask to pick out the rest. He grabbed another handful of shadowy swirling potions that looked different from each other and figured they would have time to identify their effects later.

In his mind it was pointless to try and misdirect the robbery. Jadarl would know he had been broken into and he would know exactly who if they stayed long enough to get caught. True if they slipped away there was a chance he might misdirect the blame, but he considered there to be better odds betting on the moon to fall from the sky. Still he obeyed the order, replacing the stone before returning to the doorway of the lab.

FORGOTTEN REALMS - Gambit of Scoundrels

No Jadarl.

Not in his room. Not in his lab. Could they have managed to break in on a night when he wasn't here at all. Unlikely...

Leon felt like something was off here. The lab had been warded, but from what he could tell there was nothing critical going on here. He remained holding the door open as the team made their way in. In any case he was the least experienced thief in the room so it was best to leave that work to the professionals so to speak. He would watch the door and the stairs for trouble. With the ward gone any passing person was likely to notice the change anyways, so he left the door open and instead placed himself in a position to close it or prevent it from closing at a moment's notice.

The hair on the back of his neck was standing up. If this was a trap, this is when he would spring it. When the enemy thought they had their objective in their grasp and were in a room that was already hardened with defenses. He tried to think of how he would ambush them here, perhaps some kind of alarm tied to the ward they had missed? If so, he would soon hear the boot steps of guards heading up the stairs he supposed. A wizard always made things more complicated though, especially a wizard who's powers were largely unknown. If the man was capable of teleporting a group of guards... or igniting the room with fire... they could be in real trouble, very quickly indeed.

"Target's not here," he threw his voice into the room, not really caring who responded, "don't suppose he left the keys to that lovely looking safe hanging from the desk?"

FORGOTTEN REALMS - Gambit of Scoundrels

Leon's brow creased as the visions washed over him. Moreso than many of the Gods, Mask enjoyed his riddles and hidden meanings found within greater images. These visions required thought and focus he could not spare for the time being as Iliskra's voice sounded behind him.

Shit, how long was I caught in the visions..., Leon thought to himself, glancing around the room. Nothing had changed and Iliskra did not sound overly concerned so it could not have been long.

"A few things, yeah," Leon said, keeping his voice low as he reached for the letters and scanned them himself, then handed them off to Iliskra to read. He briefly considered keeping the ring a secret, but there was little value in disrupting the trust between one of the only other people in town he was supposed to keep ties with under all circumstances. "A ring too," he said, fishing it out of his pocket and displaying it for her to see. "And something else. Mask has shown me something of value here," he said, reaching for the drawer and breaking it open if necessary to retrieve the stone.

"If I am interpreting things correctly, I believe it is tied to the warded door at the end of the hallway," he said, keeping the rest of his visions to himself. None of them seemed related to his immediate situation, and would likely only confuse Iliskra as much as they confused him.

The image of the master wizard danced in the back of his head. Could it have been Jadarl? And with those robes... is it possible Jadarl was associated with the Red Wizards of Thay? But then... why would they be at war over the docks...

He shook his head.

"I think Jadarl might be associated, or perhaps formerly associated with the Red Wizards... the vision wasn't clear and I can't confirm it even was Jadarl, but Mask for all his games does not waste the time of his followers of frivolous exercises," Leon said, rolling his shoulders and readying himself for trouble as he moved back towards the door and looked towards the warded door.

"There is one way to find out. We keep going," he muttered, moving to the door with the stone in hand.

FORGOTTEN REALMS - Gambit of Scoundrels

Leon glanced over the contents of the room, taking in the information and weighing it against his current situation. If this mission had been pure infiltration and information gathering, he would have taken the time to copy the letters and done his best to make the room look like he had never set foot in it. Given that a conflict with Jadarl was all but certain he felt the pressure of time greater than the need for remaining undetected.

The food and drink were of little consequence. He could poison them, but Jadarl was likely done with them and it was more likely Leon would just be poisoning rats or a hungry servant. The wines deserved a glance, but Leon was not skilled in determining whether anything was worthwhile save for how old it looked or impressive it's label. Leon stepped over to the desk instead.

He skimmed each of the letters, if necessary reaching out for Mask's blessing to translate the languages and make their literal translations clear to him. It was a limited spell, but a useful one when dealing with non-common languages. He muttered a curse under his breath that he lacked the magic to make quick copies of the letters. Since his theft was all but certain to be discovered he pocketed the ring as well thinking it likely either magical or perhaps some symbol of the organization Jadarl was tied to.

He checked the usual places a man might hide valuables in his room, briefly lifting the mattress and sweeping his sword under the bed to see if it caught on anything that wasn't supposed to be there. When his search was done, that left only the desk's locked drawers. He eyed them briefly wondering what the odds were that Jadarl kept a spellbook inside. He wasn't sure he had the time to pry open the desk but it felt foolish to leave what could be a critical discovery behind. He did the math in his head, it would probably taken him about two or three minutes to pry off the back of the desk and give him basic access to the drawers.

Feeling his connection to his diety starting to strain, he reached once more for the power of Mask. He took off his mask, setting it on the ground and pulling out a small handful of blessed dice with strange markings that only a Maskarran could interpret. Muttering a prayer to Mask, he asked the Lord of Shadows to give him a hint of the future to come. A glimpse of whether raiding this desk would benefit him and his companions... or lead to death. The dice were thrown.

FORGOTTEN REALMS - Gambit of Scoundrels

Leon advanced carefully, unlooping the dagger from his belt and holding it in front of him inside of the sheath to check for wires without cutting them. He doubted the hallway would be trapped, but without a guard up here patrolling it paid to be cautious. His eyes scanned the floor for subtle scars of pressure plates as he made his way slowly to the door on the right.

Well, probably J's bedroom from the look of it, he thought to himself, considering calling upon Mask to silence the noise in the area so he could breach the door and see who was on the other side. He glanced over at the warded door uneasily. He could breach the ward as well, but if Jadarl was within the room he would likely be very awake and alerted to his ward suddenly failing. Breaching the bedroom would be safer since it only required a silence spell and perhaps he would find something interesting for his trouble. Maybe even a nice, cuddly sleeping Jadarl with a convenient sleeping potion next to him. Hells, he'd settle for a key or similar object that might bypass the ward without him having to test his skill at disrupting magical energy against the wizard.

No point in second guessing himself, he supposed.

A muttered prayer to Mask and the air around Leon seemed to thicken and darken with an ominous feeling. It was always a strange feeling to stand in the middle of a truly soundless space, where he could feel his heart beating but no longer hear it. He drew his longsword and held it in his off hand, retrieving Firoz's window opener. It might have been designed for doors, but the concept it similar enough and would be better than him trying to break the lock with a dagger.

He examined the door once more, looking for signs of traps or a magical alarm spell on the door. If none were found, he would proceed with his breach and search the room.

FORGOTTEN REALMS - Gambit of Scoundrels

"I'll remember that when I'm thinking about my next choice of profession," Leon's voice rumbled from between the illusion's lips as they moved into the hallway. The guard had yet to notice them, but conversation was sure to alert even the laziest of men eventually. He scanned the area, shrugging in a way that didn't quiet line up with the illusion.

He shrugged again as Iliskra asked about Elthel, eyes shifting slightly to look at her as the opportunity for him to sneak by the guard and make his way upstairs was closing, as was hers to begin searching these rooms. "Providing overwatch? Assaulting from a third point of entrance? Selling us all out to Jadarl to secure the end of the Talons? Unless you want to leave now, our objective remains clear. There is always the option of killing them all anyways," Leon muttered, watching the guard carefully.

"For now, we deal with what we know is a problem. I'll send a bird or something if I find something interesting. Have some faith," Leon chuckled, "in me if not in the gods." He stepped away before she could give him a retort, his steps quiet and the movements looking a bit blurred as the illusion struggled to keep pace with his real legs. He trusted Iliskra to handle her own stealth as he stayed just out of the guard's peripheral vision, slowly backing up to the stairs and then making his way up to the third floor. The possibility they were walking into a trap was not a very likely one from what he could feel about their situation, but even if it was all a trap they could hardly extricate themselves now without likely triggering a conflict with the Talons anyways.

If Elthel or the Talons were willing to sacrifice them in exchange for some kind of deal with Jadarl, then there were still only two choices left to him and Iliskra: Surrender and likely die, or fight and possibly kill them all.

Nocturnal Memoirs: An Urban-Fantasy Mafia Epic

Added. My beach bastard turncoat is available to anyone for interaction(or Leon if you want to approach the grill). Spreading the word that the grill is open free of charge.

FORGOTTEN REALMS - Gambit of Scoundrels

"I can, but the weakness of such companions is that they can only tell me what they have found if they come back and can exist for only a few minutes. Wonderful for combat or general scouting, limited for true spying," Leon muttered, though the idea still had some merit. It was rare for even wizards to think of every precautionary defense, especially in their own homes. "that being said, I can call on a hound if we can find something that we can confirm Jadarl has had on his person recently. The scent should be enough for a dog to track. I don't believe we'll be so fortunate as to find him snoozing in bed. Perhaps in a study or alchemical room..."

He was talking too much, at least in his opinion. Tactical and magical strategy was important, but unless it was directly helpful he should keep his mouth shut when performing break ins of other people's homes. He quietly palmed a dagger, tucking it into a throwing grip and moved for the door, listening carefully to the other side.

"Unless you care to change your clothes," Leon nodded towards the servants garb and raised an eyebrow quizzically. If she made no move to do so, he unclipped the golden mask from his belt and brought it up to his face, securing it into position and speaking a command word. Light bent and shimmered around Leon, overlaying his taller, sturdier frame with a lighter, thinner one that hade a far more feminine tilt to the shape. His weapons and armor were gone, though his other hand remained in the same position as though holding something that was now invisible. In moments he looked like a serving girl, the garb matching the clothing in the armoire. There were flaws to the illusion, especially with as close as Iliskra was to him, and it would do nothing to alter his voice, but it might cause hesitation if they accidentally stepped into the hallway and found themselves facing a servant or guard... or perhaps even Jadarl himself. Only his blue eyes remained the same, something the illusion could cover if he chose but more often he chose not to.

His training kicked in as he felt the illusion around him. His shoulders slouched a bit and his face became downcast, his eyes averted towards the floor as though he was now one of the most tired, beat down servants in the world simply looking to finish her chores for the day and return to a wonderfully mediocre bed.

He listened at the door again, then took a breath and muttered a small prayer to Mask. As long as he heard no other noise from outside the door he would carefully open it and slip into the hallway. Hopefully they would find something to go off of before he had to speak or interact closely with any person in the house.