The courtyard was ringed by a high wall. The ground was muddy from pouring rain and bits of trash, broken bottles and cast-off crates stood in the shadowy corners of the yard. A well worn path ran between the warehouse's double-doors and another flight of stairs leading back up to the common quarters. A black swirling fog could still be seen clinging to the remnants of the ancient charnel tower situated behind the warehouse. A single small window overlooked the courtyard from a loft built over the warehouse.
The party moved across the courtyard cautiously. Aletha spotted a watcher in the small window above. The sound of a bar being drawn back from the warehouse doors alerted the party to the approach of more enemies. The doors flew open as an angry mob of beggars armed with daggers and short swords screamed and charged into the courtyard. The watcher from above broke out the window panes and fired a crossbow upon the party.
Despite the ferocity of the attacking hobos, the party was easily able to mow them down. One last beggar attempted to run away but was shot in the back with Regnor's new dragonhorn bow. Once the riffraff were slain the party moved into the warehouse for cover from the rain and the bolts of the crossbowman.
Scattered piles of moldy hay littered the warehouse floor. The walls and ceiling were charred black with soot from some past fire. Streams of water dripped from holes in the ceiling, pooling in cold puddles on the muddy floor. A ladder stood in one corner of the warehouse, rising to a closed loft door.
The party searched the goods in the warehouse and found more weak beer and wine in barrels. Aletha pilfered some of the wine to mix with her magical powder and make healing potions. Vismund exclaimed with joy when he discovered his stolen arms and armor hidden under a filthy tarp. Aletha was sceptical of Vismund's claimed ownership, even after he showed her is "personal mark" on each of the items. Vismund offered to split the profits from the items with the party if they all worked together to kill the Beggar-King.
Once again the party elected to send Mina up the ladder and through the loft door first, in the hopes she would set off any nasty surprises. At the top of the ladder was a chamber bedecked in moldering splendor. Stained tapestries, lit by flaming tapers and bronze braziers, glistened with mold and rainwater. Pillows and blankets, black with mildew, covered the floor. Cracked mirrors and tarnished copper shields hung from a fishing net strung along the exposed rafters of the roof. The air was thick with incense, but no amount of scent or perfume could conceal the oppressive reek of sweat and spilled wine.
Past a low table strewn half-empty jugs of wine and nibbled sweetmeats, Mina spotted an ancient divan hung with furs at the far end of the chamber. Apparently asleep in a drunken stupor atop the divan was a bald and portly figure in an embroidered robe. A glittering crown, topped with gems, sat nearby on a small gold coffer. A trio of hooded guards, dressed in the formless gray cloaks of executioners, stood watch over the sleeping form. Mina could see the window looking out over the courtyard, but there was no sign of the crossbowman.
Regnor was next into the room, and seeing that the guards hadn't noticed him yet, drew a bead on one of them with his bow. The shot struck one of the guards in the chest with a wooden sounding "thunk" and the guard went crashing to the floor. The other guards didn't make a move. Jym fired a shot at another one of the guards, which when struck collapsed to the ground in a lifeless heap. Aletha wasted no time, on entering the chamber, and immediately cursed and struck the sleeping figure with an eldritch blast. The scream of a young girl escaped the body before it died.
Seeing that the party was distracted by the decoys, the crossbowman, known to the other beggars as Black Shet, attacked from his hiding place in the rafters. Mina returned fire and winged him. Wounded, he retreated to the far corner of the room. Vismund charged across the room, but a portion of the floor under him gave way. He fell for a while and then struck the metal floor of a hanging cage. Regnor also attempted to charge across the room at Black Shet, but stepped into another pit trap, landing hard next to Vismund in the cage. A spring loaded lid, triggered by their combined weight, slammed into place above them, and locking them in.
Having learned from their companions' mistakes, Jym, Mina, and Aletha carefully edged around the sides of the chamber to get at the assailant, taking shots at him as they went. Jym closed in and attempted to dislodge him from the rafters. Black Shet ignored Jym and found Aletha to be an easy target, hitting her with a well placed shot. Aletha cursed the marksmen and then burned him with eldritch fire, causing him to scream in pain and fall dead to the floor.
The trio quickly searched the room before attempting to locate their missing party members. Black Shet was wielding a magical duelist's dagger +1, etched with the name "Felis" on the blade. The guards were simply mannequins dressed in robes and hung with weapons. The dead figure on the divan turned out to be that of a young girl with a shaved head and wearing a padded robe in order to better play the part of the missing Beggar-King. The tapestries, furs, crown, and coffer turned out to be a fakes, but the jingle of coins could be heard from within the coffer. Mina attempted to pick the lock on the coffer and triggered a fusillade of darts to fire on the party, stinging all three of them. After they picked darts out of their skin they opened the coffer to find it filled with worthless tin coins.
At that moment a metallic rumbling came from below, causing the floorboards to rattle. Time was running out for their companions. Finding nothing of worth in the room they began searching around for a way below.
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