Shu — Roleplayer Guild

“I as well, but all will be revealed soon. All that the gods see fit to show us.” Ibdur’s simple response was all the dwarf would say during the short trek to Gunalar’s abode, keeping his eyes forward and hands resting against his axes.

“This is where that half-orc fancied as his home?”

These words were spoken by Willory Copperbridge, one of the two that had met with Elthel, Iliskra, Leon, and Ibdur on the way to Gunalar’s place. Willory and Firoz - a scruffy halfling and a tall, thin Turmish man - had been sent out by Elthel before she had come up from Yanoriim’s basement to speak with the three newcomers. Elthel explained that the pair had used an underground system of secret passages that was intertwined with the sewers to go on ahead. Iliskra had raised her brow at this willing revelation to which Elthel had smirked and stated that it was common knowledge that thieves, assassins, fences, and other “shadowy sorts” used the sewers. “The trick is to know where the passages are and which tunnels are safe to go skulking through.” Elthel explained.

After leaving Yanoriim’s shop Elthel and her three companions went east down the street and then cut through a small cluster of houses perched upon a park area. They came out on the south end of the park, holding back for another armored patrol to pass, and then headed southeast down another short street where they had met Willory and Firoz. The halfling and his Turmish partner seemed quite impressed with Elthel’s tagalongs but quickly composed themselves and followed in tow. After rounding one final corner the six came to another group of houses that sat upon a small hill encircling a fenced-in grove of oak trees. Elthel with a point of her finger singled out Gunalar’s house. It was the most dilapidated, hideous excuse for a lair that Iliskra had seen in some time.

“Gunalar was not one for class,” Elthel remarked, “the inside looks even worse, you will see.”

The six were crouched low in an alley across the street from the “compound” which was basically a charred, falling down, two story estate surrounded by a crookedly placed palisade of stakes. The walls of the mansion were cracked and crumbling, most of the windows were shattered out, and the moss-covered shingles and gutters hung by splinters. There was a single entrance through the palisade which was guarded by two men in ragged clothing and common make leather armor. A crude, rickety “tower” was hugged against the front of the structure right next to the front door, a particularly lazy-looking guard with a crossbow stood atop it with his back against the front wall. Iliskra had seen amateurish defenses before and this was just a pitiful display. Would they even need six in number?

“How many men would you say are inside?” Firoz whispered next to Elthel.

“Gunalar never had much more than a dozen men,” Elthel said grimly, rubbing at her chin,”we killed two during our escape earlier, and there are three rotting in the alley with their boss now. Counting those three out front I would say maybe there are… between four and six inside.”

“If we do this quick and do it right we can kill them all without them spotting us.” Willory said energetically. “Once we cut down those three we can sneak inside, split up, and slit every throat we see.”

Firoz seemed to concur, nocking a glistening arrow into a short bow he had slipped from his shoulder and looking to Elthel waiting for her to make a call.

“You’re quite the mouthy one, aren’t you?” Yanoriim remarked behind a simpering Elthel.

Iliskra sighed shortly under her breath, raising her right hand in motion with her speech in a “diplomatic” showing, “Leon is merely making the obvious point that killing - assassinating - the remnants of Gunalar’s men in his abode is an apparent and direct action against this Shagarm. And while none of the three of us are the sort to turn down coin, even coin stained with blood, we must be sure of our own safety before we agree to help you against someone that you yourselves say is moving to take over this city.”

“The surest way to guarantee you remain unknown to Shagarm is that we make sure we kill everyone in Gunalar’s compound,” Elthel replied as she adjusted her shoulder pads and armor harness, “I doubt that any of Shagarm’s own number have taken to the likes of that falling down house that Gunalar and his buffoons took for themselves. We use the shadows to our advantage and make this quick and quiet. Unless Gunalar’s body is found it will be days before Shagarm knows about this.”

Elthel stepped past the three and made for the door, stopping just short of it and looking over her shoulder, “As for a place to stay, we still have a number of safehouses and hidden dens that Zilaster might offer you. And if he or you three either is not inclined there are taverns and boarding houses that Shagarm’s men leave in peace so long as they pay their ‘taxes’.”

As she said, so long as we leave no witnesses we can move about freely - somewhat anyway. Iliskra thought. Helping Elthel and these others could not only see more coin falling into their laps - as well as whatever the late Gunalar may have hoarded away in his hideout - but also grant them a solid footing in the underworld of the city as the three looked to carry out their assignments by Breck. Most of what Iliskra and her two companions had seen so far in this part of the city had been rabble, even if some had been well-armed rabble, and she, Leon, and Ibdur were more than capable of making an impression with their skills. This was an opportunity through and through.

“Well then,” Iliskra said, “no witnesses and payment upon the finishing of this job. With the promise of perhaps more work to come.”

Elthel nodded as she pulled open the front door with a creak, lingering to wait for the three.

“I’m not much for skulking,” Ibdur grumbled, “but… what else have we?”

“You will be fine, good dwarf. Let us be off.” Iliskra smiled.

“Let’s hurry, it will be dark in a few hours.” Elthel said.

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