5 Within Phandalin

Tatiana nods. "Indeed," she says, and lifts her cup of tea delicately off the table in response. She takes a sip and returns to business. "Trakomak, this is yours," she continues, placing 10 gold coins on the table and sliding them towards the half-orc. "Your assistance at the goblin cave and escorting us to Phandalin is truly appreciated."

Returning to her small notebook and pen, Tatiana says, "If you are interested in helping Phandalin prosper, perhaps you can join us in our next venture. We were just discussing some ideas in dealing with the Redbrand threat."

Alex continued eating the rather tasty stew. Whatever few governors he had on his speech further reduced due to the effects of the alcohol, he couldn't control himself but said what came to mind without much concern about its effects.

Trakomak, my good soul, no one here could ever doubt your puissance at arms or the redoubtableness of your courage. However, prithee lend one of your battle-scarred ears to me for a moment. Not everyone's soul is made of the same stuff; nor do their minds follow the same trains of thought. That is one of the many wonders of the multiverse, is it not? For if all the beings approached the vicissitudes of life in lock-step, the thrill of adventure would be forever lost. A million billion simulacra make for the most monotonous of existence. Rejoice in the variations of body, mind, and soul that create the rich tapestry of existence as we find it.

Take this Harben, for instance. A stout warrior? Clearly not. A fearsome gladiator of martial prowess? Faugh! But apparently wise in the ways of Mother Chauntea, Waukeen, and perhaps even Gond, according to our host. The skills and knowledge embodied therein may be more valuable to the success and prosperity of a town than that of Tempus or Tyr. Not all will be as brave as you; that doth not make him a coward. Moreover, this affords you the opportunity to display your battle skills, and perhaps even be rewarded. For if Harben were like you, would he have need of us?

Raven tried to follow what Alex was saying to Trakomak but got lost pretty quickly. He liked Alex, but the man certainly could use ten words where three would do.

Raven smiled at Stripes "Kind of you to say. I'm Raven. Nice to meet you." he handed him another piece of meat from his stew.

He glanced up, but Alex seemed to still be going.

Tatiana scribbles more chicken-scratch into her book. "That is the intention," she says without looking up, "but we must be careful and devise an appropriate plan." She writes a few more notes, in what might appear to be a wizard's shorthand that only she can decipher, or she just has terrible penmanship.

She finally looks at those around the table. "I think the nature of how the Redbrands are emboldened to act brazenly in town is because of their leadership. We must find out who is in charge, and what resources they have. Do they have money? Enforcers? Magic? Maybe a bit of all three?

"Whatever the strength of this leader, if they are able to keep the lower ranks of Redbrands in line, perhaps we can use that to our advantage. If we could capture some of them, we should be able to glean some answers through interrogation with our own display of force. We can find out who their leader is and where they reside. Their removal should throw the rest of the organization into disarray."

"That's a good way to get villagers killed," Decklan remarks. "If they're willing to "act brazenly" as you put it, they may just start killing people until they get their people back. Dead villagers make a good example what resistance brings, and the villagers would blame us."

Tatiana writes in her book. "The fact that the Townmaster appears hesitant to do anything about them lends credibility to your observation, Decklan," she says, acknowledging his comment with approval. "If we choose your method of infiltration, how would we coordinate the passage of information? I, for one, will not deign to join their ranks, thus we would be separated for the time being."

She glances at the others. "Would you go alone, or with another of us?" she asks Decklan. Tatiana considers the flamboyant Alex, the reserved Raven, and the non-subtle Trakomak. She glances up to the ceiling as though finding her somewhat-naive brother upstairs, then looks back at Decklan with an expression that resignedly seems to answer her own question.

"Alone would probably be easiest. The rest of you could work on coordinating with the villagers here. Look, even once we find out where to hit 'em, some of them may push back around here. The people will need to know where to fall back to, for safety. I don't think we do this with no collateral damage... but houses can be rebuilt. Dead is a little harder to fix," Decklan replies, an eye twitching ever so faintly as he mentions fixing death.

"We limit communication. If you see me around town, ignore me. Hell, run. If I need to talk with you, I'll cause a scene. Probably shake one of you down for coin to get close, or chase you to get somewhere private. I have to convince them I'm with them. It may get worse before we make it better. The question is if you trust me."

Tatiana nods. "It would give the rest of us time to address Master Rockseeker's condition," she says, tapping the nub of her pen against the page. "That is, if Sister Garaele isn't able to cure him outright."

She places her pen down and closes her book. There is no further need for notes with the next part of the discussion. Tatiana asks, "What do the rest of you think?"

Having finished his meal, and belching quietly, Alex perks up at the mention of "infiltration". You know, lady enchantress, having trod the boards to keep me in wine, women, and song, I do have some facility at appearing other than the incredibly handsome and debonair rapscallion of which all of you know and love so dearly." Alex turns to his overstuffed pack and rummages through it, muttering to himself. "Oh dear, I do need more cologne, but this is not it. No, not the whetstone, although I am overdue." Aha! he cried, pulling out a small-ish wooden box. In here I have the tools to make me, or perhaps another, look different from what they truly are. Well, different enough, perhaps, to allay suspicion. I also can tone down my natural charm and exuberance as necessity requires.

Tatiana gives a studious glare upon Alex's face. "I see," she begins, perhaps wondering if the current façade before her is the rogue's true self, or perhaps an extravagant persona carefully maintained since the beginning. "Can your little box maintain such a difference through the worst weather, or survive the night on a bunkhouse cot?"

The idea of having more than one spy in the Redbrand ranks intrigues her, of course. Tatiana's lips curl in a pleasant smile as she considers the notion that perhaps even the rowdiest of ruffians still have need of a jester.

Raven listened to the others speaking as he finished his meal. He was not sure he had much to offer, not having dealt with many bandits before.

"You know on the farm when you are dealing with a nest - it works best to wait for everything to return to one spot before you burn it out. That way you do not have to worry about what's left. You don't have to join the rats to find the nest, just follow one home. Maybe we just have to follow one of those red guys to where ever they are hiding."

Raven shrugged, not convinced his suggestion had any merit. He glanced at the cat, "I'm sure there are no rats around here with you on guard."

"That idea certainly has merit," says Tatiana. She opens her book and scribbles a long, sharp-edged line across the page.

Finally, Tatiana looks at Trakomak, her eyes inquisitive as to what the warrior might want to add.

"Not th' worst idea I've heard, but people do things rats don't. Like have more than one... nest... as you put it," Decklan replies with a shrug. "I'd hate to follow them back, murder the lot of them, and kick my feet up... only to find out we took an outpost, not th' base proper. Then we're right back to retaliation against th' villagers."

Decklan leans back and puts his feet on the table, seeming to consider something before adding, "'Now, t'be honest, we don' know if they're big enough or smart enough for that type o' set-up. Problem is, we don' know if they're big enough or smart enough for that type o' set-up. Y'all can decide if we roll the dice."

Tatiana raises an eyebrow at the secrecy, but leaves Trakomak to his own.

"Unfortunately, Decklan is right in that the townsfolk will suffer if we engage in open conflict," she says, as she idly brushes off bits of earth from the table that were deposited by the scarred man's boots. "Given what we do know, I suggest we pursue a bit of both ideas: Raven's to track a Redbrand to their actual hideout, and Decklan's to infiltrate and identify their leaders."

Decklan nods. "Nothing wrong with working two angles. Although, it makes me wonder... kid," he says, turning slightly in his seat to moredirectly face Raven, "Do animals understand us? I know you seem to understand them, but if I tell a cat something like 'half a day west,' and you asked it what I told it, would it be able to tell you what I actually said?"

Alex considers Tatiana's question studiously. After a bit of thought, he responds "Well, it depends on a lot of factors, m'lady. First, what kind of disguise is being donned. It is easier to maintain a facade which is meant to be different than my own than it is to maintain the veneer of being something in particular. Second, how much preparation time I am afforded is key. The weather is more a factor when using greasepaint of makeup; less so when using cheek inserts, gum adhesives, clothing, shoe inserts, etc. Overnight is similar to weather. In summation, it depends", Alex finishes with a smile.


He continues, "As to the lad's plan about stalking the beasts to their lair, 'tis a good idea. Just remember that stealthily tracking a sentient foe in an urban environment is a very different skill than that of tracking beasts in the wilderness. Most often, those good at the latter are rubbish at the former, and vice versa."

Trakomak with your passive perception of 12 you will have noticed that the dog the boys were with is laying on the owners side of the bar, just outside the door to the kitchen, eyes locked on something or someone inside.