Chapter 12, “Robbery Aftermath”, July 4, 1019, 3:30 P.M.
The two chests containing the magic are quickly unloaded from the wagons, with the cabinet and metal chest being removed from them. Several party members arrive from the main building, with Cassie telling her wyvern to be on guard for intruders. Cassie and Fiona begin alternating Detect Invisibility and Detect Magic spells. The Wizard Locks are then dispelled from the containers, which are opened to confirm the jewelry and gems are still inside. The containers are immediately shut. Mojo and Furynick carry the metal chest to the main building, with Mark and Narg taking the cabinet. They are brought immediately upstairs and to the door to the inter-dimensional castle, which Narg opens.
The stealth team had been told to guard that section of wall, but never told why, and look in awe at the doorway into the feasting hall. “What the heck?” asks Dennismore, as the fighters drag the cabinet and chest into the room. Narg orders all five members of the stealth team into the castle, telling them “Make yourself at home in here, and protect the items.” Once the members of this team have entered the fighters exit, and the doorway is closed and made invisible again.
Serita says she is going back to the warehouse where the ambush took place. Aradyn, Kharole, Mark and Mojo decide to accompany her, and get into a Bag of Holding. With her Boots of Speed she is able to quickly run back to the warehouse, emptying the others out of the bag.
About a dozen laborers are in the building, having made a bucket brigade to put out the fire that had started. There are also two burnt bodies. Serita questions the laborers, who explain that they were working in the warehouse next door when they saw smoke. Mojo is very suspicious, commenting “They sure got over here awfully fast to involve themselves in something that doesn’t concern them.” Kharole states “Not really. They were only next door, and if this building burned down the one that they worked in probably would have caught too. They were just looking out for their own livelihood.” The fire is now out, and the laborers leave.
The rangers Aradyn and Mark check the building for tracks. The other three stand around waiting. Mojo comments “This is weird. It’s the Fourth of July, and I’m hanging out in a warehouse instead of being at a cookout.” Kharole points to the burnt out area with the bodies and says “Doesn’t that count?” The players then get into an unrelated side discussion about a cake made out of Spam.
The rangers identify ten different sets of recent footprints, two human-sized made by armored boots, seven human-sized made by leather boots, and one smaller-than man-sized set made by leather boots. Several of the human-sized tracks head out a side door of the building, and end in the alley near tracks made by a wagon and horses. “Damn, they got away,” Serita states. “Not all of them,” Kharole comments, gesturing to the bodies. Serita puts the bodies in the Bag of Holding. The others opt to walk back rather than sharing the bag with the burnt corpses.
Meanwhile, back at the auction site the ten construction workers are busy carrying the furniture from the wagons from the barn and into the main building. Cassie has picked up the Greyhawk Lantern, which makes visible and ethereal creatures, and is shining it around the room. When flashing it at the doors where the furniture is being brought in it suddenly illuminates an older male gnome dressed in robes
(illustration at the following link
Cassie calls out, and the gnome hurries to get out of the door and back outside. Several members of the party follow. He is not in the barn, having apparently crawled under the fence between the barn and building. The soldiers around the building are informed of this, and told to guard the doors and not let anybody in. Narg suggests that the best way to solve this is that every gnome in the city should be put to death. The others point out that he is overreacting. “Fine, then just arrest them all,” Narg replies. “Great, he’s now the Minister of Homeland Security,” Furynick comments.
Serita arrives back at the auction house, and the soldiers say they are under orders and she can’t go in. She slugs the man in the face and tries to walk past him and into the building. The other guards grab her, and a fight ensues. Narg hears the commotion, and heads outside and breaks it up. “What the hell is going on!” she yells. He answers “The illusionist tried to get in, so we increased security. All you had to do was prove who you were, which you still need to do,” he states. She unsnaps part of her leader armor, enough for him to see the jeweled dress still beneath, and he says “Good enough. Get in here, and get that thing to safety!” She enters, changes, and brings the dress upstairs to the castle.
By now the other four have returned. They wait for the guards to go get Narg, the guard now with a black eye explaining what happened with Serita. Once inside Mojo tells the druid “Gee, we had no trouble getting inside. Maybe you should try a little tact and diplomacy.”
The bodies are removed from the bags and Timothy and Cassie prepare to cast Speak with Dead spells. Timothy begins, the first of his three questions being “Who hired you?”, the reply being “A fighter named Porter.” “As opposed to a porter named Fighter,” Mojo quips. Timothy’s next question is “Who was the gnome working for.” The body replies “I don’t know.” Timothy’s final question is “What was your mission?”, the reply being “To steal the money from the wagon.”
Cassie can ask up to five questions, and she decides to talk to the other body. Her first question is “What was the gnome’s name?”, the answer being “I have no idea.” Next she asks “Where is your base?”, the answer being “I live at the Grumpy Priest Alehouse.” Narg interjects “We don’t need his home to get the statue back, we need to know where they were going to meet.” She asks “Where were you going to split up the treasure?”, the answer being “Right there at the warehouse.” “What were you trying to steal?” is her next question. He replies “A trunk filled with gold carried by wealthy furniture merchants.” “Furniture merchants?” comments Furynick. “Well, we did have five wagons full of furniture,” Lannon comments.
Narg says “This is getting us nowhere. We have to know where they are now!” Cassie’s final question is “Where did you meet when you were hired for the robbery?” The answer is “The Lusty Harlot Inn.” “I’ll check that one out,” Furynick interjects. “I’d better go with him,” Mojo states, and the then asks Narg “Are you joining us?” Narg replies “Are you kidding? I’m married to an archer. If I went into a place like that she’d put an arrow through my head!” Lannon comments “Nah, I doubt that is where she’d aim.” Mojo and Furynick leave. “I wonder if they’ll ever come back?” Lannon speculates.
Narg suggests to Lannon “Why don’t we go check out where he lived, something about a grumpy priest.” Fiona suggests “You should bring Timothy with you, he’s the closest thing we have to a grumpy priest.” The body of the one Cassie questioned is put back in the Bag of Holding, and the trio depart. Cassie decides to draw a picture of the gnome she saw while it is still fresh on her mind. Serita says that she will go meet with Melito once the picture is completed.