2. The First Delve

"Psst - hey, everyone..." Gabbro calls into the shrine softly, then realizes that the noise of the waterfall echoing in the canyon will drown out the people/creatures from hearing him, so he continues in a normal voice. "We've got a line of people carrying lights down that path I was concerned about earlier. Looks like four torches...I hope they're not worshippers coming here for a twilight service..."

Ricard begins to don his armor in preparation for a fight...

"Looks like some nighttime activity. Can't say that was good."

You can count 4 torches being carried.

Fallen Shrine of St. Ras

As the group with the torches descend to the canyon floor, you lose sight of them.

Time passes. All seems quiet.

Then, a harsh, commanding voice: "You - in the ruins - show yourselves." It sounds like it’s coming from the woods to the southwest although, in the darkness, you cannot see anyone. Presumably, they have extinguished their torches.

---
Day 1, 8:20 pm (night-time)
Fenwick, Elf 1: 5/5
Gabbro, Elf 1: 7/7
Orelia, Cleric 1: 3/3
Ricard, Fighter 1: 7/7
Swan, Fighter 1: 5/6
Tess, Thief 1: 3/3

Link to Gabbro's mega-maps ...

Whispers to others and making sure they are awake, "We have company."

She calls so the unseen ones, "We have campfire here. Why don't you come in peace and chat."

Gabbro, already outside the shrine on watch, attempts to see any movement or shapes within the trees as he inches further away from the entrance to the shrine and the bright light within. He also keeps his eyes moving, looking around to see whether there are any figures flitting between buildings looking to surround us. Content to let Swan pull attention to the doorway, he tightens his grip on his shield and feels the comforting weight of the sling in his other hand.

To make more time, "I don't bite too hard. Usually does bleed long. Come on in." Swan doesn't make any effort to hide.

"What the blazes are you doing creeping around in the night?" Ricard shouts from inside the temple.

Fallen Shrine of St. Ras

"I think we’ll stay here in the trees, if it’s all the same to you," responds the voice, declining Swan’s invitation. "Whatya doing out here anyhow? You adventurers? Thinking of going into the dungeon? You’re aware of the Stonehell Tax, right?"

It’s a cloudy night, with little light from the moon. The steep sides of the canyon add to the darkness. It’s about 100’ from the shrine to the trees, so the elves won’t pick up anything with their infravision unless they attempt to get closer (infravision range is 60’). However, if Gabbro and Fenwick move out of the light of the fire, there’s a reasonable chance they won’t be spotted.

Scanning around, Gabbro doesn’t see any movement. Nothing suggests to him that there is an attempt to surround the party.

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Day 1, 8:20 pm (night-time)
Fenwick, Elf 1: 5/5
Gabbro, Elf 1: 7/7
Orelia, Cleric 1: 3/3
Ricard, Fighter 1: 7/7
Swan, Fighter 1: 5/6


Link to Gabbro's mega-maps ...

Swan calls over to the mystery trees, "Well we be a bit of stand as I have no plans to leave the heat of this fire. Best you consider that. Be here or be gone that up to you."

"They're too far for me to see anything from here," Fenwick whispers to Swan. "Sounding like a standard shakedown for some protection money, though. Maybe former prisoners? Still, there are a lot of us, they must be pretty confident if they think they can force us to pay?" She'll retreat back behind Swan to defend the entrance of the shrine.

Ricard considers the options and shrugs.

"Bandit tax, common enough. Sure we could fight them and half of us would die, but I didn't come here to fight bandits nor to die fighting them. Could offer them a cut of what we find, or a flat fee on exiting..."

Swan bluntly says, "I don't deal with voices." to nearby Ricard and retreating away Elf Fenwick as she is leaving Swan's sight. As she warms herself at the fire side with NPC Orelia. Elf Gabbro is somewhere out of her sight.

Here's my intentions. I don't know how many of them can be accomplished; it all depends on whether they notice Gabbro and how long the others can keep these bandits talking.

If he isn't already there, Gabbro sliding west along the southern wall of the shrine away from the firelight coming out from the interior. If he can catch Fenwick's eye before they're too far apart for infravision to see, he'll gesture to her to circle around the other way.

Then he'll continue past the southwest corner of the shrine and sidle back northward along the outside of the shrine's west wall.

Once he arrives at the point closest to the tree by the waterfall (near "2" on the left map), he's going to try to scurry across to the cover of that tree.

If he manages to get behind the cover of that lone tree, he's going to sling a stone as far as he can past them, hoping to crack it off of the southern wall of the canyon.

Fallen Shrine of St. Ras

"The Ghost Beggars aren’t greedy. We’re just providing a service for which we, quite reasonably, expect payment. 10% of your haul from the dungeon seems a fair price for securing your safe passage through the canyon. We’ll be watching and waiting. In the meantime, we bid you goodnight and good luck."

It seems that, from their side, the conversation is over.

It’s easy enough for Gabbro to make it to the tree by the waterfall without (apparently) being spotted. Similarly, hitting the southern canyon wall with a sling shot should be straightforward enough (outdoor weapon ranges are 3x those of indoor, so you’re effectively at medium range and it’s a large enough target). What is Gabbro hoping to achieve by doing so?

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Day 1, 8:20 pm (night-time)
Fenwick, Elf 1: 5/5
Gabbro, Elf 1: 7/7
Orelia, Cleric 1: 3/3
Ricard, Fighter 1: 7/7
Swan, Fighter 1: 5/6

Link to Gabbro's mega-maps ...

Gabbro watches intently to see if he can see any sign of torches in the trees, both to confirm that they are moving away and to see if he can count them.

"How exactly does one define a haul?" asks Fenwick from the chapel doorway, trying to keep the man talking. "What you propose sounds potentially workable if tax is only assayed only on monetary items. But, for example, let's say I find a mystical sword of ogre-slaying or a scroll of ancient wisdom. How do you take 10% of that? It doesn't seem like 10% would be of much use to you anyways. Can I infer from this that only currency is taxed?"

She pauses for a moment, then adds. "And if you're offering us safe passage throughout the canyon, can you provide us guidance on the best entrances into the depths? The more we earn the more you earn, it almost seems in your best interest."

"Huh," grunts Ricard,

"That's actually a better cut than I thought they would ask."