Guarded secrets…

[Tannas]

After getting word of the fall of Meadowmere, Tannas enlisted the help of Musky, the youngest of the Consortium lot. Musky is a changing thief of sorts. Chances are that if you left something unattended, it ended up in Musky’s pouch. She also has the unique ability to open gateways between places she can see, and/or places she’s been to in the past. If you ask me, she choose the obvious profession.

With a flick of her wrist, a darkened tear forms in front of her, and a damp mist rolls into the room. The wet smell of mildew fills Tannas’ nose as he is reminded of this place. The hidden passage to the “priest hole”. Tannas looked to Musky, “What were you doing in here?” Musky shrugged it off. No comment.

Tannas moved through the gateway. With his sword at the ready, he peered through a crack in the door, then looked back at the gateway. “I’ll be right back.”

He didn’t have a great worry about someone being in the Consortium hall. His current worry was them finding the hidden passage to the cashe of magic items and potions. Hidden? Yes. Impenetrable? Not at all. Few people knew about it and it’s better to keep it that way. After the last break-in into the hall, he had to move the loot chest down there. It’s not like the Consortium is rolling in the loot, but money earned is money protected.

Everything was in place and the door wasn’t tampered with. With a sigh of relief, he turned around to see Musky behind him eye balling a chest of potions. Tannas said, “Don’t get any ideas.” His eyebrow raised in mild concern. Now that she’s been in here, he may need to find a new room to store things. “Wait… is the gate still open?” Musky rolled her eyes and said, “Well, actually, no.” She held up a single finger. “But it can be.” (A new gateway opened before them.) Tannas could see through the gate, it was where they walked through earlier. He just shook his head still amazed by her talents, and thankful she doesn’t work for coin.

Tannas knew that Kelora and Marcus were detained. They would be next. Tannas looked to Musky, “OK. Next stop, the jail.” Musky looked at Tannas and asked, “Where’s that?” A look of puzzled bewilderment struck hi.. “You’ve never been in lock up?” Musky shook her head. “What kind of thief would I be if I did?” She made her point. And valid as it may be, he still needed to check on them. They walked through the gateway back from where they came. Drandor just got sat down with a plate of food, a half chicken leg hung from his mouth.

Tannas looked to him, “Hey. Watch this will you?” and slide the medium sized chest under Drandor’s boots as an ottoman. Musky opened another gateway to a dark, dead-end alley in Meadowmere. The smell of refuse and torch smoke wafted through the air of the small room as Tannas poked his head through. He then said to Musky, “Close it behind me. When Drandor finishes his second plate, open it back up.” Drandor piped up, “How do you know it’s my first plate? Tannas grinned, “There’s no food on your shirt yet.” The three chuckled and Tannas walked through.

Tannas stayed in the darken ally for a few mins, getting used to the familiar environment. A set of guards on patrol had walked past without notice of him. It felt unusual for a foreign occupation in a place so known to him, but he understood. The closer he got to the jail, the more troops he found. It became almost impassable to continue.

Thankfully he overheard 4 soldiers, paused in patrol, chatting about “watching two prisoners doesn’t feel like work” and “one guard keeps getting thier fortune told”. It warmed his heart to hear the prisoners were fed better than those watching them. A horse drawn cart pulled up toward his position. (A little too close to his liking.) So began his decent back into the darkness.

The trip back was harder to navigate. It felt like there were more guards. More guards, meant more traffic. During this time in Meadowmere, Tannas had recalled patrols in the area from the ally to where he stopped. More traffic, meant more chances to be spotted.

Everything was still intact. No piles of burning property, no looting. Tannas was surprised. There was a hint of lilac in the air. Just a few more blocks to the ally. He had thought about causing trouble. He had thought about getting revenge. Those things would have to wait. He was only one in a field of many enemies.

Some time later, he made it to the ally. Twice, a pair guards had passed by, without care. Complacency. They had gotten comfortable. Then a gateway opened up, and he stepped through. The gateway closed as Musky left the room. She must have found something else to do. Drandor walked in after her, a book in his hand. Tannas looked at Drandor, “You can read?” Then he smirked.

Drandor laughed in his jovial way. “Ha. Ha. Ha.” Tannas left to find Simon.

[Author]

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