Little moved about in the heat that suffused the city, even at night. There were few honest folk awake to remark upon the adventurers' return to the Azure District, worse for wear but far richer than when they'd left. Talib took his leave of them at the Islaran compound, having felt guilty about leaving his brother to weather his new duties alone - but he promised to send a warning to the Watch about the massacred patrols in the morning.
            The gates to the Vanderboren estate were locked when they arrived, and rather than break in and explain to Lavinia why, the rest of them retired to their accomodations for the night.
            Feeling refreshed in the morning, they returned to the Vanderboren estate, where Kora hobbled out to greet them warmly and take them through the tree-shaded inner courtyard to the private dining hall where they could speak in private. There Kora brought them a sealed missive from Talib, which told them that it would be a good idea to lay low for a few days, due to Loupin having told the Watch that he was trapped under Parrot Island - and the watch patrols from Shadowshore that had been sent to investigate were found slaughtered, some of them hanging in the jungle, while Talib was obviously not trapped underground. The island and the Shadowshore docks were now crawling with the Watch, heavily armed, and Loupin was a figure of interest in the murders despite Talib's explanations, in which he'd downplayed Lavinia's involvement. It was probably just as well that Loupin had opted to vanish.
            Lavinia soon joined them - with an absolutely gigantic insect in tow! The thing was wearing armor, and turned questing antennae and multifaceted eyes in their direction.
            "Don't be alarmed at Tal'chkit! Its appearance may be unusual, but it means us no harm," Lavinia rushed to tell Syd and Baba Gbele. Jabari and Parant were already passingly familiar with the thri-kreen that Lavinia had once rescued.
            "Tal'chkit has just returned from a task, much as Jabari and Parant did. I thought perhaps it could help you to find my brother." Catching some hint of something off about their expressions when she mentioned Vanthus, she looked at them with concern. "What's wrong? And what happened? You're wounded! Kora, please fetch some refreshments for them." The old halfling nodded and shuffled out again.
            Jabari and Parant hadn't worked with the thri-kreen before, but they at least knew of it. The young druid nodded at the giant insect. "I'm glad to see you've returned in good health, Tal'chkit."
            Syd gave the thri-kreen a glance, but didn't give it more mind than that. His cosmopolitan upbringing prepared him for unusual friends. He waved Lavinia's concerns about their wounds... at least his own, "Just a flesh wound," he commented.
            But then his expression became dark as he considered what they learned. "Lady," he began professionally, "We tracked your brother's movements to Parrot Island and the old smuggler tunnels beneath. We... encountered a host of undead down there, led by an old Huecuva. We did not find your brother. He was long gone."
            Syd then nodded to Parant to pass over the note they found. "Though we did not leave empty-handed. It seems Vanthus has come into the presence of a thieves guild called the Lotus Dragons. They're up and coming, and I believe one of the more stable groups. They seem to be taking up the power void left by the gang war a few years back."
            He paused to let Lavinia look over the note, continuing when she looked up from it. "It is troubling news that I have no doubt will weigh heavily on your Ladyship. We would like some guidance as to how you would like us to proceed. At this juncture I am doubtful that he will break his new ties willingly."
            "Vanthus... are you sure...?" Lavinia read the note, then read it again, slowly collapsing onto a chair.
            Jabari would have preferred they didn't show the dead man's cursed note, but he'd been outvoted. "We know where he is now, at least. No more chasing shadows. We'll bring him home, Lavinia."
            Parant hadn't done much more than nod at the Thri-Kreen. Even here in Lavinia's home, he never stopped scanning the room for threats. He didn't look particularly alert, but like a cat, his relaxed pose merely gave him the flexibility to react to a larger variety of threats. Insectoid or otherwise.
            Tal'chkit stared at the others, making no movements that signified greetings, its antennae and mandibles the only parts of it that twitched enough to make it clear that the insect wasn't just a statue. Finally, it spoke, saying only: "We are pleased by your return", before waiting for Lavinia to continue her briefing.
            The holy man had been staring at the giant insect from the moment he first laid eyes on it. He was a bit self-conscious about his reaction, since he usually prided himself on his measured response in all situations, no matter how surprising to him. The creature actually speaking in understandable human language nudged him from his slack-jawed silence; after all, courtesy, devoid of emotion though it may be, deserved courtesy in return.
            He put his right hand on his chest and addressed the intelligent bug. "I am Baba Gbele. It is my pleasure to meet you." It did not seem to be a creature of frivolous pleasantries, and neither was the Baba, so he left it at that.
            "Thank you, Jabari," Lavinia said, tearing her gaze from the rotting-flesh-smeared note. She dropped it as though it were a snake. "Thank all of you. Surely there must be some good left in Vanthus. It can't be too late." She turned pleading eyes on them, the prayer that they could save her brother from his own decisions in them. "Even though he must face justice for what he's done, surely he can salvage his soul? I beg you, capture him alive. But if he makes it impossible..." She trailed off, despair flickering over her face. "Then please... be merciful."
            Turning to the insect warrior beside her, she instructed, "Tal'chkit. These are the adventurers I've hired to save my brother. Give them whatever aid you can." They could almost see her swallow the "please;" thri-kreen were not ones to appreciate such niceties.
            "This one will help locate the missing clutchmate." It said. While it offered no empathy or sympathy for her sorrow, there was a certain kind of comfort in both its stoic stature and confidence. It was easy to see why Lavinia felt like she could rely on it. The thri-kreen stood as a mountain, unmoving but impervious and reliable.
            Looking back at the others, Lavinia added, "Please, be careful. If this thieves' guild has pushed my brother to murder, they likely won't balk at killing all of you, too."

            As they departed the Vanderboren estate, they noticed people shying away from them - apparently, not everyone shared Syd's blasé acceptance of the giant insect in their midst. Still, the streets were crowded, and there was the usual press to keep abreast of as they headed out.
            Then Syd, who had reached into his pocket for a coin, realized there was a scrap of parchment in there.
            The meeting didn't surprise Syd in the least. It was about what he expected from an optimistic noble. She had illusions of redemption for her brother. Having lived that life, Syd knew that would be a very hard sell indeed. It was possible - Syd himself was evident of that - but in the moment, when you have allies, wealth, and power...
            He frowned deeply at the note that appeared in his pocket. That was unsettling. Not that he didn't notice it's appearance, but the fact that they have been followed. Probably since Parrot Island. There wasn't much point in finding a safehouse now; the Dragon Lotus was keeping an eye on them.
            "We have a tail," he said to the others, producing the note for all to read. "Or maybe Kora is in league with them," he shook his head at the unlikely scenario. Still, someone had slipped it to him between the island and now. They had, after all, come directly to Livinia's.
            "We are marked," he continued, knowing how a guild with the power the Lotus Dragons had would operate. "We'll have eyes on us pretty much all the time now. No point in laying low, they'd come to us. And I don't think a subtle application for entry would get us in either. The note is supposed to scare us, but even if we play along they'll be skeptical."
            "This is a weak threat" Tal'chkit observed. "Misery is not an adequate deterrent." When it spoke to the others, it often did so without turning its head to face them, its eyes far enough to the sides of its large head that it didn't need to, and its antennae likely picking up more about their reactions than its eyes may have done anyway. "Tell us more about the Lotus Dragon clutch."
            Syd glanced sidelong to Tal'chkit. "I wouldn't discount the threat so easily. Lavinia was right, they won't hesitate to kill us if we keep poking around." He then explained what he knew, and suspected about the thieves guild, adding, "They are expanding their power base. They will not be easily taken down."
            The Holy Man had been working through their situation in his head, a thoughtful frown on his face. His thoughtful frown was only slightly different from his general frown of displeasure, though it was a simple matter to distinguish between the two once you established some familiarity with them. "An enemy that threatens violence is an enemy that thinks," the Baba opined. "Either the Lotus Dragons are not confident that they can defeat us with the violence that they threaten, or they are confident but would prefer to not draw the attention to themselves that a confrontation would create."
            "If they fear exposure, one course of action we might consider is to threaten that we will reveal their location unless they release Vanthus to us, for forceable return to his sister. This request may, of course, result in the Lotus Dragons immediately attempting to kill us to ensure our silence. Other courses of action I have considered are to simply ask them to turn Vanthus over to us for a reward, or a hasty assault on their lair before they might establish an effective strategy against us."
            "The threat of death is more effective than that of pain," the thri-kreen admits. "But this one agrees with Baba, it is the act of threatening that is weak. It is the actions that leave a permanent impression." It clicks for a few seconds before adding. "We can tell a hatchling repeatedly not to touch fire, but it won't learn until it actually tries."
            "This one suspects that they did not take Vanthus for a ransom, especially if they want to keep a low profile." It narrows its large black eyes. "We must also believe we are being watched. They are scavengers, like hyenas. They will stalk and try to come at us unseen, with larger numbers. This is also weakness, if we can use it against them."
            Gbele thinks for another moment, then adds to their newest companion, "Tal'chkit, are you willing to murder our enemies in the pursuit of Lady Vanderboren's goals?"
            A burst of clicks emit rapidly. "Murder is a human idea, to a create a tenuous barrier of when taking life is or is not permitted. We are not bound by such things. Lavinia, and thus all of you, are clutchmates. This one would be dishonored if it did not do anything necessary for its clutchmates." Suddenly unsure if that was clear enough for the human brain, it adds simply, "This one will kill or die for you."
            Jabari snorted. "It's hardly murder if they're trying to kill us." The young nobleman had an unsurprisingly blase attitude about the city watch. He came from a world of money and influence and it showed. "In any case, I'll be happier to fight thieves in an alley than zombies in a cave. At least the thieves won't try to eat me."
            There was a small snort from Parant. "That depends on how good they are at thieving. If it's been a while since their last meal..." he shrugged.
            His face was hidden in the shadow of his hood, which allowed Parant's eyes to scan the crowds as they walked without directly revealing where he might have been looking. It cost him some peripheral vision, but with his companions along, Parant felt the flanks were appropriately covered - most of the time. Hearing Tal'chkit's pronouncement, Parant had nodded to himself. He didn't have enough experience with the thri-kreen to fully trust it yet, but he knew that it had served Lavinia well. So he allowed himself to feel a bit better, having that mindset along. Another competent set of appendages (or two) to help keep Jabari alive while solving this mystery would be welcome.
            Although, if they were being watched, having Tal'chkit with them did make the group significantly more noticeable. Tradeoffs. There were ways to use that to advantage, should it come to that.
            The Baba was not inclined to get into a philosophical conversation about what constituted murder. He was satisfied with their new companion's answer, so he simply nodded in agreement with the bug-man's willingness to kill. When Gbele killed an enemy of Ubtao, it was a sanctified act, and he could sleep the sleep of the just afterward. He didn't care how the rest of the group justified to themselves the things they were about to do.

            They formulated a plan. They would watch the Taxidermists' Hall for comings and goings, intending to catch Vanthus emerging and take out his entourage, then cart him back to his sister to sit him down and talk sense into him. Syd would keep watch for a while as bait, then leave, and Parant would watch with the eyes of a bird to see what happened when the coast appeared clear. Meanwhile, Tal'chkit and the Baba would head off to see what supplies could be bought for the group at the Harbor Market, in the Merchant District.
            The Taxidermists' Guildhall seemed innocuous enough - people came and went, and children played in the streets. The Guildhall was a relatively modest building with two entrances - one to the showroom in the front, opening onto Water street, and one in the back, a locked service entrance that opened onto the plaza known as Dead Dog Alley.
            But as Parant noticed from the sky, coming to relieve Syd and begin his shift of watching, some of the urchins broke off playing to follow Syd, talking to other children at certain points, who then took over trailing after him while playing games. One of the original street urchins went into the Guildhall for a few minutes, then emerged looking cocky.
            Lurking in an alley on cat's paws, he also noted that while people came and went through the Taxidermist's Hall (some with dead animals, pre- or post- being stuffed), those same people didn't necessarily return.
            Meanwhile, the Baba was finding it more difficult than usual to sell the things he had brought along, though vendors sold to him readily enough. People would stare openly at Tal'chkit - he had his own following of children, who seemed to be daring each other to run up and touch the insect, though none of them had quite enough nerve to actually do it.
            He ran into similar problems when inquiring about secure lodgings for his friends and himself. "No bugs," one landlord said shortly, before shutting the door on the two. Others were less rude, but no more accomodating.

            Syd settled in for the long shift, watching the rear entrance of the Jade Dragons. He crouched on an opposing rooftop, using a chimney to block himself from view of the urchins he knew played nearby. Remembering how they operated last time, he made sure to keep himself as hidden as possible. Of course, last time he was trying to be seen for that exact reason.
            Syd went over the plan in his head. This time, Tal'chkit would be the bait out front. Having the thri-kreen accompany Jabari and Gbele in their real estate search really wasn't that great of an idea in hindsight. So, they thought of another job the humanoid insect could do. With the guild's attention on the big bug out front, hopefully Syd and Parant would have better luck this time. Parant was... well, somewhere. He had his own plan. It was clear there was a third entrance to the guildhall somewhere, and Parant seemed to want to go find it. Syd was happy enough to let him go. The more intel the better.
            Focusing back on the task at hand, Syd watched a group of toughs amble down the alley behind the guildhall. He made note of their faces, but then promptly forgot them once they walked past the hall entirely without stopping. Not guild members. Probably. It still was possible the "secret entrance" was down that way, but that wasn't his job tonight. He shook his head to refocus and turned back to the rear entrance.
            What he found was that the back entrance was rarely used, and seemingly only for deliveries of animal carcasses for stuffing. It seemed disgustingly un-nefarious. He also had a view of the plaza known as Dead Dog Alley, where people milled through and drew water at the well in the center. Altogether not that exciting. Most of the buildings surrounding the plaza were boarded up, and appeared abandoned.
            In the front, Tal'chkit noted that the humans seemed to scurry about without clear purpose, neither reliably carrying anything into the nest, nor out of it. Many larval humans seemed to flit about in the streets, unprotected by any warrior caste. Its judgement: it would be easy to destroy this nest.
            Tal'chkit couldn't understand how the human creatures could leave their nest so poorly protected. It supposed that there were only two possibilities: That they believed that putting guards outside of it was too conspicuous, and it would be better to keep it hidden, or that it was somehow trapped, and meant to lure in stronger predators.
            In either case, it confirmed what Tal'chkit had already suspected, that this colony of humans were weak, and would be easily destroyed.
            Parant, flying high over the area as one of the myriad seagulls, noted that the people he'd spotted entering through the Taxidermists' Guildhall would sometimes appear around the piers that opened onto the large canals and lake north of the Guild, but careful watching couldn't catch them coming out of any of the buildings on that side of the Sunrise district. He resolved to observe the area for a while.
            Meanwhile, the Baba and Jabari found that the manager of the Lionsworth would be willing to put up a band of adventurers - on Jabari's word that they would cause no trouble. It was heavily implied that adventurers were known for causing trouble, and that the Damarthes' good name was the deciding factor in their petition. They also had a bit easier a time of it selling what they'd managed to loot, without anyone nervous at the presence of the thri-kreen - though Gbele had to ground Jabari's sometimes vague notions of what things were worth, a task made harder by his own unfamiliarity with merchandise. Still, they managed to get a fair enough price for the things they sold.
            When Gbele came to collect them, the insect relayed what it had learned, before following along on the errands. After multiple dismissals from lodging opportunities (which surely would have been considered discrimination), Tal'chkit turned to the Baba. "They are afraid of the attention, and do not see the value in having this one protect the hive. We don't have time to prove this one's worth to everyone we come across. Perhaps we should wait elsewhere."
            Things seemed to be progressing without opposition until the third night, when Syd was returning to his erstwhile home to rest. He felt a slight tug at his belt, and turned to see an urchin running off with his belt pouch! The pickpocket ducked into an alley. Syd thought he'd seen the kid before, but couldn't place her exactly. There were a lot of street kids in Tashluta.
            Parant, with still a few hours to lurk about before his vigil ended, spotted a strange sight in the night. A rowboat sliding along the canals, with muffled oars - perhaps not so unusual in itself, but in the boat with the rough-looking rowers was a man with a black bag over his head. The rowboat slid under one of the piers... and didn't come out again. Flapping down to land on the water, Parant watched as the wide wooden "wall" beneath the pier was lowered again behind the boat, becoming once more just a part of the pier.
            Baba Gbele found that the shifting mass of urchins was more difficult to keep track of than he'd first assumed - how many street children were there in Tashluta, anyway?!
            Jabari, in the meantime, had leveraged all the charm he could muster in learning more about the Lotus Dragons. He traversed Tashluta in search of every seedy bar he could visit, which would probably have set Parant's teeth on edge if he'd known. The first day, what rumors he could dig up suggested the Lotus Dragons were a new guild of thieves, and seemed to be a lot more organized than the other fly-by-night guilds that had been popping up over the past few years. But as he returned to some more promising watering holes, people seemed to relax around him, and finally a half-drunk sailor leaned forward to whisper to him over the ale Jabari had bought him, "I hear that they've got more than people working for them. They've got ties to animal smugglers, and keep the worst of the lot in their guildhall as guardians." The sailor leaned back again, satisfied that Jabari was taking him seriously, and belched, unaware that he was speaking to a Damarthe. When probed, though, he had to admit that he didn't know more than that.

            Syd chided himself on his ill attention. He should have kept a better eye on his surroundings. But he didn't waste any time on what-ifs, instead, he immediately turned on his heel and gave chase to the urchin on his long strides. It was likely a trap, and 14 gold wasn't a lot (compared to what they had stashed at the Lionsworth now), but it was the principle. He made a mental note of where in the city he was, and thought back to where he knew those urchins to congregate. Just in case that girl vanished on him.
            The girl had run down an alley that Syd knew ended in a building with very little space between the next buildings to flee further - unless you were a skinny little child. Still, Syd thought he had a good chance of catching her - he was faster than most! And indeed, he caught up to the pickpocket as she was trying to wriggle through the gap. She screamed and threw Syd's stolen pouch at his head, probably hoping that he'd take it and leave her to flee. Syd was just thinking about whether it was worth it to scale the building and drop in her path on the other side when Gbele and Tal'chkit caught up with him.
            Each of them realized they were being watched from above at the same time. Tal'chkit sensed human-sweat with its antennae, Syd heard the faint click of a crossbow being drawn back, and Gbele... Gbele was simply told by the spirits who guided him. Danger from above, they told him, protecting him at the will of Ubtao.
            As soon as Tal'chkit notices the humans watching from above, it hisses and leaps into action, moving for the side of the building and attempting to climb up to where those above are. The last thing it wanted was to be a sitting target.
            Unfortunately, there was little purchase on the walls, and he was unable to make headway, sliding back down to the alley.
            The thugs above lobbed sacks at the three - but Tal'chkit sensed the attack and jerked aside just in time, while Syd simply somersaulted away. But the spirits were slow to warn Gbele, and the sack exploded into a tarry mess around him, sticking him to the ground.
            Meanwhile, the little girl squeezed on through the narrow passage, making good her escape.
            Gbele cocked his head in confusion for just a moment. Ubtao had made the presence of their stalkers known to him, and his instinct was to slay them. Then he was splattered by the tanglefoot bag, and the urgent course of action obviously became getting unstuck. He had no skills as an escape artist, so he decided to power his way out of the clingy stuff.
            Try as he might, he couldn't break free of the sticky mass. Not willing to be unarmed in the face of these criminals, he drew a javelin from the quiver on his back.
            The urchin's throw was on point, but Syd's reflexes were also. He caught the pouch in a fluid motion and shoved it into a pocket on his jerkin. He then heard the click of a crossbow above him, and froze. "Don't mind us," he said, "just retrieving what was stolen."
            Then the tanglefoot bags fell. Syd dodged his easily, and was about to call a retreat until he saw Gbele get nailed. He swore softly and pulled his bow as he backed up to get a clear shot. Eyeing one of the rogues directly in front, he beaded the man in and fired an arrow at him.
            Syd backed out of the alley and fired, people on the street scattering with cries to fetch the Watch. His arrow caught one of the assailants full in the chest, and the thug yelled in pain, stumbling back on the flat rooftop.
            Tal'chkit stayed in the vicinity of Gbele, but appeared to take interest in the bleeding thug above. It wove its four arms in diminishing circles, and a triangular wedge took form between them, dropping into the thri-kreen's hand as it completed its summoning. Without hesitation, Tal'chkit hurled the triangle into the thug's chest as well, with a crackle of ribs that could be clearly heard by everyone. The man dropped, and the remaining two thugs ducked low, belatedly taking cover behind the low wall of the rooftop.
            One slipped out of sight, while the other fired a hand crossbow at Tal'chkit. The little bolt only clipped the insect - but Tal'chkit immediately began to feel unwell.
            The Baba was resigned to the one course of action he felt was available to him. He throws his javelin at any target of opportunity up on the roof, then continues to struggle to escape the tanglefoot bag.
            Entangled as he was, and with the thug now mostly-hidden on the rooftop, Gbele was unable to hit him with his javelin - and he found it impossible to break free.
            Syd didn't pay any mind to the crowd's din, nor their calls to the Watch. They'd be along in time anyway. He recalled how long it took them to react to disturbances in this district, and mentally made note of it. He then took aim at the thug who fired at Tal'chkit and let loose his own arrow. It would probably bounce off that low wall, but that wasn't really the point. It was suppressive fire. Keep them ducking low. If it actually hit home, all the better.
            Knowing they had a few minutes before the Watch arrived, Syd took his shot, but the thug ducked behind some crates on the rooftop, spoiling Syd's attack.
            Immediately after loosing his bow, Syd jogged back into the alley, grabbing hand holds on the building and pulling himself upwards... at least, trying to. He mis-judged the spacing and missed one of the handhilds he was trying to latch onto. Instead, he dropped to the ground again, rolling to his feet. "Well, that didn't work," he commented to nobody.
            Tal'chkit's antennae were twitching, this way and that. It curled around its abdomen, limbs curled tight.
            One of the thugs on the roof popped up and shot Syd, and the little hand-bolt stung fiercely... but Syd powered on, not letting it cloud his thoughts with pain. Another popped up a moment later, but his aim wasn't as good as the first rogue's, and his bolt zipped past Syd to break against the mud-brick wall of the alley.
            The Baba stopped struggling, took a deep breath, and assessed the situation with an analytical eye. He decided to draw the dagger from his belt sheath and started to slash at the goo gluing him to the ground, and scrape it away.
            The thick, tarry stuff clung to him, but he was able to free one foot with a few seconds of work.
            Syd cringed at the stinging wound, blinking his eyes and shaking his head to keep his vision clear. He had to focus if they were going to get out of this alive and/or not arrested. He gritted his teeth and tried again to mount the roof. From a better starting point, he could use the debris in the alley to aid his climb. His feet fell softly on the stacks of boxes and debris, lightly hopping from perch to perch, before he found himself on the roof proper. Aiming his bow, now without the roofline in the way, he targeted the thug who stung him and fired an arrow.
            The loose planks he landed on wobbled, and his arrow whiffed past the thug - but that didn't seem to matter. As soon as he got to the roof, the two turned tail and ran off over the twilit rooftops in the direction of Dead Dog Alley, abandoning their unconcious fellow thug to Syd's mercy.
            Syd was in favor of leaving the thug they'd been left to the inevitably approaching Watch, but Tal'chkit and the Baba both wanted to question him, so they maneuvered him down to the ground, threw a cloak over his wounds, and hefted him out into the streets as though he were a drunk sailor. It wouldn't fool the immediate witnesses, but once they'd crossed a few streets, it would buy them a bit more time to ask their questions.
            Syd didn't want to take the thug back to the Vanderboren estate, nor to their new digs, so they found another quiet alley and dropped their prisoner there.
            Syd didn't like the plan, and let it be known, even as he helped Gbele and Tal'chkit lug the fellow. He had been overruled, and he'd have to accept that. At least he'd make the best of it. After they dropped the thug, Syd took a length of rope and tied the man securely; wrapping his wrists together behind his back, and his left ankle behind his right. Ensuring the knots were tight, he glanced at his companions before taking his waterskin and squeezing the bladder to spray the poor rogue in the face. That done, he stepped back to let the others do the questioning. He leaned against the wall near the entrance to the alley, his arms crossed in front of his chest. From there he could keep an eye on the street, andon his companions.
            The badly wounded man sputtered back to wakefulness, blinking water from his eyes. When he realized his situation, the expression on his face clearly read "oh shit."
            The Baba seemed to be undisturbed by the likelihood that the watch was on their way and could arrive at any moment. He cast a spell at the thug, peering closely to observe the results.
            When the thug regains consciousness, the holy man has a question: "The fiends that you ally yourself with - do you revere them as if they were your gods, or simply serve them for the power that they promise you? What goals do they claim to seek?" Throughout the interaction, the Baba's stern gaze is unwavering. It can be a bit unsettling, even to his companions.
            The thug gaped at Gbele (and Tal'chkit). "Uh, look man, it wasn't personal, it was just orders. They say jump an' we say how high, right? Times is hard. Gotta get an edge if you can, y'know? Just business!" His eyes darted around for some escape, surreptitiously testing his bonds, but in vain.
            Syd didn't know this particular guy, but he knew his type - a guild man, loyal to them as long as it didn't cost him more than they would extract from him. A low-level goon who might be reluctant to roll on his guild as long as they could punish him for it... unless he was offered a good incentive.
            The Baba's concerns were of a decidedly different nature. He wasn't sure if the thug was under some spell, but after staring him in the eyes until the man was sweating, Gbele was reasonably sure the unfortunate thief wasn't a demon. At least he seemed unlikely to be lying. That was something.
            The holy man lost interest in the thug. "Ah. Then you will understand that the next time I see you, I will kill you. That is just my sacred business It would be best for you that I do not see you again. Returning to your leaders would be foolish on your part in any case. Their tactical decisions are unsound, and they do not value your life."

            Parant wasn't the type to think "Bingo!" in such circumstances, but if he had been, he would have. Since he was Parant, however, he simply did Parant-the-Pelican things for a while - including snapping at a fish that swam just a bit too close - before eventually flapping away. As any non-Parant pelican might do. A part of him very much wanted to stay and see whether anything or anyone else came out from the "wall" again, but a pelican was too easy to notice hanging about for what a bird would consider no good reason.
            Parant-the-Manta-Ray, on the other hand, might be able to discover something. But first, he needed to alert the others to what he'd found. So, Parant-the-Pelican flew lazy circles back into the sky, until he was sure that he'd managed to become just one of the many birds in the area, then continued to be one of those birds for another few minutes, just in case, before winging his way onto a rooftop that was hidden from the view of almost anyone not standing directly on it. Parant-the-Pelican never reappeared. Several minutes later, however, a majestic eagle dropped off of the opposite side of the roof, spread its wings, and soared away.
            Roughly an hour (and several shapes) later, Parant-the-Man was standing in the dining room of their suite at the Lionsworth, nibbling on figs, as he told the others of what he had discovered.
            "I could watch from under the water for it to open again," he finished, "see if I can sneak in when it does. The wall may not go completely to the seabed, and I could get in without waiting, if so. Wouldn't want to try to take the whole place by myself, of course, but an idea of what's in there could prove very helpful."
            Replaced by Jabari, Tal'chkit had returned to the Lionsworth. Now with Parant having returned, it listened to his report, while sniffing at figs, trying to identify whether they were actually food. "We could provide a distraction in front, allow you to sneak in. We would like very much to see how their nest would react to commotion. We still know very little about them."
            It took the Baba a while to sort through his thoughts. Finally, he said to Parant, "I thought that you were the scion of the ancient Great Cat Gods. I do not think that there are ancient Pelican Gods. Are your beast forms some kind of trickster magic? A witch's curse?"
            "Nature wears many faces. Open water, angry sky, hunting cat, flitting bird. Mother Nature may be a trickster sometimes, a god of destruction other times, and a soothing mother elsewise. All are one. I can introduce you to some friends if you'd like to learn more of our secrets, Baba." Jabari's tone was uncharacteristically serious, though he was wearing a smile on his face as he leaned back into the couch.
            Parant shook his head, then met the Baba's gaze frankly. "I do carry the blood of the divine in my veins," Parant said, "or so I am assured. Though I do not know which of the gods is the source of that blood, I know that my kindred have been called "lawbringers" in the past." Parant shrugged, as if the details were unimportant.
            "My forms," he said, and his tone indicated that these details were important, "are no magic trick. No curse. They are a part of who I am, and how Nature speaks through me. A divine gift, and one that I have earned through work, sacrifice, and devotion.
            Almost as an afterthought, Gbele adds to the group. "Parant could sneak in under the pier as a sea creature, and pull up the fake wall to allow us all entry, maybe?"
            Jabari looked over at Parant, concern clear on his face. "As long as you don't try to take them all on yourself, Your Honor. Just slip in and try to open the way for us. Keep yourself safe."
            As usual, Parant gave Jabari the slight quirk of the eyebrow at the use of the honorific. But that was a long-rehearsed part of their relationship.
            "The wall is beneath the pier," he said, "and I would likely need to shift forms once inside to lift it. I doubt that either action would go unnoticed, and how would you take advantage of the open door? Row through in a boat? That would make you a very easy target."
            Parant thought for a moment.
            "It is probably best if I scout behind the door alone once. Then, when I know what is in there, we can make a better plan. There are too many variables right now. How do they know to open the wall for visitors, for example? Is someone watching, or is it a signal? Who or what guards the inside? How far is it from there to the taxidermy shop, and what does the path between them consist of?"
            Parant shook his head. "It's likely that the best way in is through the wall. We just need to know what is on the other side of it, first. Is there a way to procure some magical aid? If you each also had the ability to swim - or even breathe - for longer than a minute or two under the water, that could be exceptionally useful."
            "Information is key," Syd said, languishing in one of the large chairs of the Lionsworth. It was far larger and poofier than he was used to. The size served to accentuate his exaggeratedly lanky frame. "I agree with Parant. He should scout the place first, see what's what behind that door. Then we can plan an assault." He looked to the shifter with a brow furrowed in thought. "How long can you remain in another form?" he asked, "because having knowledge of a full day's routine would be invaluable. We can move in when activity is lightest."
            "I cannot hold another form for an entire day," Parant said with a shake of his head. "Not yet. Though I know of some who can, I do not yet have that strength. Four, maybe five candlemarks is as long as I can shift my form in a single circuit of the sun.
            Syd considered Parant's other point. "Potions that help in that regard are pretty expensive. Though we might be able to procure a wand that does the same thing for less per use. The Baba will have to use it, as opposed to us each having our own potion. It'll eat up most of our funds, and we'll have to ensure we can actually get one at that price. But it'll give us a stealth advantage, especially while you are scouting ahead."
            Jabari gave Parant a look at his admission but didn't say anything, not wanting to bring attention to the former magistrate's surprising openness. He took a sip of tea and nodded. "I could talk to the rats and the mice, the little things that live in the building. They're not very smart but they usually know the best times to move around and look for food or the places with the most people or guard animals."
            Parant shrugged. "We need information, and we need to get in there. They are watching us, as that alley encounter demonstrated. I believe the back door is the best route to take, and I do not think they know we know it exists as of yet. If we have to use direct assault, then we should get a boat, and hit as hard and fast as we can, as I do not think we will get a second chance. If we can find a way to get in unnoticed, then that would be preferable. Failing that, getting information from someone who has been inside might be best. I could watch for someone else coming out of there, tail them, and we could have a "friendly conversation" with them about what they have seen. It is possible that the rodents will be able to give us a better time window for expected arrivals and departures."

Mirtul 17th

            With the plan agreed to, Parant went out in various forms to discuss the secret door and its comings and goings with local seabirds, fish, and others with regular opportunities to observe the secret door. While he did so, the plan was that Jabari would converse with the land rodents and other animals that might inhabit the structure itself.
            Wary of the reception the group had gotten before, Jabari spent extra effort to go out clad in appropriate looking attire and did his absolute best to avoid looking like he was interested in the dangerous building and its inhabitants. Luckily, he found a friendly rat who knew a rat who knew a rat who lived in the building and after a solid half day's work was able to come back with usable information.
            He spent almost as long in the bathtub as he had combing through alleys, and emerged looking refreshed, in freshly laundered clothes, and smelling fantastic, with sweet smelling oil anointing his gleaming, shaved head. The nobleman called for refreshments to be brought up, and waited until he was sipping a hot cup of aromatic tea and had a plate of biscuits to nibble on before discussing business.
            "Animals," Parant told the others, back in their rooms, "see the world very differently." He shook his head in remembered frustration. "It seems that the secret door does not have a regular schedule of visitors. That it is an infrequent occurrence, in fact. But when it happens, it is always at night." He shrugged. "That gives us a window to watch. But how long do we want to wait for a random happening? If we know it is a seldom-used exit, we could, perhaps, go in through there with less worry about it being guarded. Especially if we went during the day."
            Jabari nodded at Parant. "Most important thing first. Every boarded up building around there? Connected to our target. If we can get into one of them we can get into the main building. The rodents all said the building is quietest at high noon, which makes sense if they're a guild of thieves who work at night."

Mirtul 18th

            At highsun they casually approached Dead Dog Alley, Jabari "accidentally" dropping a fistful of coins that rolled into an alley. The urchins playing on the street were on them in a trice, digging through the trash to be sure they didn't miss any - while the party disappeared into the plaza.
            There were a smattering of people going about their business, but in this hottest hour, few enough. The party quickly spread out, going along the boarded-up buildings, looking for a way in. The boards they tried were actually boarded shut, however, and they were beginning to worry that the urchins would return and rat them out, when Jabari yanked on a board and it lifted away a whole section of planks, opening a door into the hot dark inside.
            From there, a bit of searching revealed a trapdoor in the floor, with a wooden ladder leading down.

            Syd, Parant, Jabari, and Baba Gbele found themselves in a circular brick-lined chamber, with two iron-reinforced wooden doors (not counting the trapdoor in the domed ceiling above) slightly ajar. There was nothing to be heard in the musty air; even the sounds of the plaza were muffled to nothing with the hidden door and trapdoor shut. Moisture dripped down the walls, collecting into a lead pipe set into the floor.
            The Baba looks at the door between him and Syd. He raises his eyebrows, saying nothing, but it's clear he's waiting for Syd to check it for traps before he opens it.
            Syd nodded once and got to work, examining both doors for traps. He took his time, but he was anxious to get this over with. After a few moments, he stood again, "No traps." He spoke confidently, having gone over the doors with a fine-tooth comb.
            Gbele pushed the creaky door fully open, revealing a long, somewhat narrow hallway with numerous wooden ceiling supports, and a door on the far left and the far end. Both were also slightly ajar. There was a faint sound of running water in the hall, but no more water to be seen than that dripping down the brick walls.
            The holy man checked that his shield was snug on his arm, and hefted his pick. He sets his shoulders and begins to walk carefully down the hall. He made very little noise padding toward the doors.
            The door on the left of the hall opened onto a very short hall, almost a room, with another door ajar across from the first. The sounds of lapping water came from beyond the door, but there was no light beyond what the Baba's circling glowstone provided.
            "Baba," Parant whispered quietly to Gbele as the other started down the hall, but the holy man had clearly made his mind up to take the point. Parant followed, as quietly as he was able, though he hurried a bit more than he probably should have.
            Syd followed the Baba and Parant into the hallway, keeping his eyes on the floor and walls. But then he heard his thieves tools jingling on his hip. He cringed with the noise, and fumbled with them to keep them quiet. Desperate to maintain stealth, he locked his eyes on the offending noise makers as he attempted to quiet them. Distracted thusly, he nearly ran into the Baba when the latter peeked into the side room.
            Jabari stayed at the back, trying to be quiet and keep out of the way while keeping his eyes and ears open. He made a face at the noise but didn't say anything- he was none too stealthy himself.
            When the Baba stopped at the first door, Parant waited for an appropriate moment, then tapped the holy man on the shoulder. Once he had the Baba's attention, Parant indicated the light the ioun stone was giving off, then pointed at his own eyes - rather cat-like, as Parant had tapped into his tiger aspect. Then Parant gestured to indicate that it might make sense if he took the lead going forward, as he did not need a light to see, and thus there would be no telltale glow as he moved.
            Though, Parant reflected, the Baba had been rather catlike in his movements. Parant hadn't heard a sound from the holy man as he'd moved. Baba Gbele was a very formidable man, indeed, Parant reminded himself.
            The holy man raised his eyebrows when he saw Parant's cat eyes. He mouthed the word "witchcraft", before gesturing with a sweeping arm motion to invite the man-beast to take point.
            Parant stepped into the short hallway, and pushed open the door at the end. The narrow room beyond overlooked a larger cave. A barely-perceptible haze hung in the air between this room and the cave, almost as if some sort of membrane was stretched over the opening. Five wooden chairs were arranged before this "window." To his right, a low table sat surrounded by more chairs, while to his left, a large valve wheel protruded from the wall.
            The circular cavern beyond the opening consisted of a large pool of brackish-looking water, its surface greasy with filth and rotting seaweed. Dripping lead pipes protruded from the walls of the twenty-foot-high cavern. Dim light shone down in a shaft from a five-foot hole in the ceiling, suggesting that it led up to the surface. Parant's sharp ears could catch the distant sound of everyday life in the plaza going on. On the far side of the cave, a narrow beach of grit and gravel covered the ground.
            There was no one present that Parant could see.
            Parant stepped back from the door, gesturing for the others to take a look if they wished. He caught the Baba's eye, pointed at the "window," and mouthed the question, "witchcraft?"
            Gbele intoned a prayer to Ubtao, and was gifted His sight, to view the living Weave of magic. He looked on the scene for only a moment before turning back to Parant.
            "Witchcraft," he confirmed, disapproving.
            Jabari stepped up and looked into the room, with a special focus on the brackish beach. He could see there were tracks there, but in the dim light, and at this distance, he couln't be sure who, or what, had made them.
            Syd frowned at the room and took a quick gander at the contents... especially noting if there were booby traps left behind. Noting none he could see, he stepped into the room a step. "Looks like some sort of observation room, for perhaps gladiatorial combat?" His attention was drawn to the large valve wheel, "It almost looks like observers up here have control over the water level down there. Or maybe it's for cages for the fighters." He shrugged and exited again.
            Looking at the door at the end of the hallway a little more closely, he was pretty confident it was safe. "No traps here. Who wants to do the honors?
            The holy man stood a little straighter than before, and mumbled a few unintelligible words as he focused on the maze tattoo inscribed on the back of his right hand. The black ink seemed to shift into a new configuration, or maybe it was a trick of the light. The Baba smiled. There was no humor in the expression, more like the satisfaction shown for a suspicion confirmed.
            Without prelude, he opened the door to which Syd had gestured and stood in the doorway to see what he could see.
            The door stuck a tiny bit, but as it was already ajar, it was no trouble to open it fully. Gbele's unafraid entrance was unfortunately lost on the lack of an audience - the chamber beyond the door was a mirror image to that which they'd entered the complex from, complete with a ladder leading up to a trapdoor in the center, and damp brick walls in a dome, with a door to his left, also a bit ajar. There was the slow drip of water, and no other sound. The stone orbiting the Baba's head made the shadows swing about the walls in a regular procession.
            "Hold on. There are tracks on the beach. Give me a second." Jabari took a few steps closer to the beach to examine the tracks.
            Parant held position in the small entryway while the Baba and Syd moved on to the next door, keeping an eye on Jabari.
            "I don't know that there's much more to see in here," he said to his friend, "unless you want to experiment with that wheel, or see if we can climb down from here."
            Jabari couldn't tell at this distance, and in the dim light, what had made the tracks, but he was reasonably sure that whatever it was wasn't human.
            The Baba hadn't invaded this lair to turn wheels or investigate beaches. He waited impatiently to ensure the group was together, then pushed open the door on his left.
            The door opened on yet another long hallway, this one without doors. It appeared to simply stop in a dead end some distance away.
            Syd slipped into the small room next to Gbele. "While we wait, let's take a look around," he said. Walking a slow, deliberate circuit around the room, he looked for anything out of place. Either due to a trap, or hidden passage.
            At first he found nothing, no sign of trap or hidden egress, but when Parant came to help him, they discovered that the hallway did not end in a dead end, but in a cleverly hidden doorway in the bricks.
            "Aha, I knew those cat-eyes of yours would come in handy," Syd remarked to Parant with a wry grin. He looked back down the hallway and motioned for Gbele and Jabari to follow. Considering what the door may lead to, he figured stealth was the best option.
            Quiet as the mice infesting the buildings above, Syd opened the hidden door, revealing a drop five feet down to a wet, sandy floor. Looking left, he could see the beach they had spotted from the room they had entered; looking right, the rough tunnel the door opened onto curved back the way they had come.
            The holy man had no preference for one direction over the other, and since he was illuminated he felt that taking point would be ill advised. So he simply stood silently, waiting for Syd to lead the way. No longer in front, he made the tactical decision to slide his pick into his belt and pull a javelin from the quiver on his back.
            Very softly, Parant spoke. "Perhaps. before we enter into what looks like a gladiatorial arena, we should backtrack and see whether the other passage also comes out into this same place?" The trained bodyguard felt very uncomfortable not knowing whether someone could come up behind them and seal off their only known exit.
            Jabari snorted. "I know I wouldn't walk onto the floor of a fighting arena if I didn't have to." He looked back down the hallway. "Let's check the other way."

            The opposite hallway led in the same direction, but bent toward, and opened onto, the small, fetid lake. From there, it continued to another of the domed chambers, in which Syd found another secret door hidden in the bricks. Opening it in favor of the more obvious iron door, he found a hallway that led to a T-junction, opening up at either end, with a doorway not far from where he had emerged.
            All was still quiet. They had found no guards. Yet, when Syd listened hard, he could swear he heard... snoring. It was coming from the hallway on his right.
            Syd motioned for the others to follow and eyed the corridor he found himself in. The question now was, right, or left. From what he could recall about what they had seen so far, he suspected the area to the west connected with the flooded arena. He didn't relish messing around in there, for who knew what the Jade Dragons kept in their menagerie. Instead, he turned East. That way had the best potential to reach their destination, he thought.
            He glanced over his shoulder and made a silent motion with a hand indicating his planned direction of travel. He crept along, heading towards the next T in the corridor.
            Syd continued on, quiet as a mouse, and eyes peeled for any kind of defense. But, there wasn't any. At the T, he turned north, ensuring the others continued to follow. Passing through another room and a winding corridor that snaked noth, Syd was becoming more confident that this was the direction to go. He found an empty meeting room, and some sort of waiting area. He avoided the door labeled "lavatory", and instead headed east towards yet another corridor that snaked north. Syd crept up to the corner, keeping an eye out for any danger that might present itself.
            It was almost hair-raising, that they'd met no opposition. As he opened the door from the waiting area, the sound of sloshing reached him from the corridor beyond; he followed it, his sharp eyes making the most of his ability to see in dim light, with the Baba's floating light-stone in the rear, back in the winding halls behind him.
            He quickly came to a sandy beach, in a large natural sea cave. A tide pool lapped the beach, both near him and across the cave's pool, where the sand seethed with brightly-colored crabs. The walls around him glistened with moisture. To his right, a short wooden pier protruded into the pool, and the cavern wound around the corner beyond.
            Syd glanced back meaningfully to Parant and motioned a hand towards the pier and pond. It was clear Syd thought this was the other side of that door-in-the-ocean the shifter had been interested in. Now, to find the way through. Syd continued to sneak into the room, keeping his eyes peeled for traps and/or enemies. They hadn't seen anyone yet, but that was soon to change, he knew.
            Parant looked where Syd had gestured, then nodded. He slipped quietly out onto the sand with Syd, cat-eyes scanning through the darkness.
            The holy man followed as well, peering slowly back and forth as he drifted toward the pier. His sandals made soft crunching noises in the sand as his orbiting light swept shadows across the cavern.
            When Gbele came in with his floating light, a passage was exposed around the bend of the cavern, though it was flooded. Jabari, with Syd and Gbele's help, was able to tell that the only tracks on the beach were appeared human, and led between the pier and the passage they had come from. There appeared to be a semi-sporadic use of the cavern.
            Parant saw no one guarding the cave, but he did notice some strange lumps in the sand under the water; wouldn't the tide have smoothed those out? He counted three of the small bumps.
            "Something strange under the water," Parant said to the others. He did not raise his voice, but spoke in a tone that carried far enough. "Three of them. Hidden under the sand. I do not know if they are creatures, or hidden treasures." He shrugged. "We could investigate. I doubt any of them are our quarry, but I do not know what they are. If we do not investigate now, and we need to flee this way later, we should be ready for some kind of attack."
            After a few moments of continued staring into the water, Parant nodded. Then he turned to walk back to his companions. "The shape of the sand makes me think they are rays. I do not know if they are somehow beholden to those who dwell here, but the fact that they are here, and not in the free ocean leads me to believe they would not be friendly to any who enter the waters."
            "It's a good thing, then, that we don't have any reason to go into the water. We leave them alone and they leave us alone." Jabari looked at Parant and the others. "Right? Because without a boat we're all just swimming and that's not exactly ideal."
            Syd nodded to Jabari's addition. "If I were here to swim, I would be dressed quite differently," he quipped. He pursed his lips and rocked back on a foot, regarding their new surroundings. "Where to next? For it appears any further exploration this way would require said swimming."

            Gbele indicated a desire to explore down the water-filled tunnel to their right, but in the end they made their way back through the hallways to the junction they'd originally come to. Syd, with Parant right behind him, pushed open the door there to find a room that felt a little more dry than the others in the complex; the air was slightly less musty, too. The room was furnished as a lounge, complete with a stuffed couch and a low table. There was another door, deeper in the room.
            Syd did a circuit of the room, but didn't find any secret doors. Instead, he quietly opened the other door. The room beyond contained two fairly comfortable-looking bunks. The sheets on them sported only a few spots of mildew.
            Syd quickly went over the room, looking for... anything out of place. What he found was a scrap of paper wedged between one bunk and the wall - with a map of the Vanderboren vault sketched on it, along with row upon row of failed combinations.
            "Well, that's interesting," Syd commented to himself. He brought the paper out to where the others were waiting. "Dead end, but I found this." He handed the paper to whoever would take it. "No matter what happens here, I'm sure Lavinia would like to know about this."
            He then moved on to the next door down the hall. It led to a short passage, and the door beyond opened on a room devoid of much other than a few rickety chairs. Pressing on, he opened the squealing door to a hallway that bent to the right at the end - but there was a wooden door to the left halfway down it, and he opened that. In the dim light he could make out a natural passageway with wooden ladder leading up to another trapdoor in the roof. Moisture dripped from the walls to pool on the rough floor, draining in tiny rivulets down the tunnel, which disappeared into the dark around a bend.
            Syd quietly closed the door and nodded, keeping the passage in mind for a potential emergency exit. He then moved on to the next corner in the hallway.
            Another damp brick hallway with a door to the left at the end, where it turned again, stretched ahead of him. He could hear muffled sounds of sparring and voices in that direction.
            Turning back, he went to confer with the others. The Baba suggested exploring the natural cave/tunnel further, and in the absence of other suggestions, they did that.
            The rough tunnel led to a cave with a large tide pool, the waters thick with seaweed and its bed clustered with a veritable carpet of red and black sea urchins. Two passages stretched to their left, full of water.