Adventure Log, Session 12 The Heist at Kraite Manor, Part 1
General Summary
The Pig’s In His Cups tavern was the public house portion of the Inn on Drefeg’s Street. It was a building of stone and timber, with a reddish tile roof, much like many of the other buildings in Port Karn. Inside it was dim, the late afternoon light coming in through the two windows on the western side, supplemented by oil chandeliers hanging from the tall, vaulted ceiling. Thick beams crossed from one side of the room to the other, and Eykit eyed them speculatively as he sipped his ale. The decor, if such an elegant term could be used for a base a place as this, was hewn tables and benches, worn smooth by the asses and elbows of thousands of patrons over the years. The remains of supper—a chicken stew in a bread trencher—sat on wooden plates on the table. At least the drink ware was tin.
Elitheris, as usual, was looking a bit uncomfortable in the crowded, noisy, boisterous room. She still wasn’t used to crowds of people, and every once in a while she would flinch at some loud noise.
Taid, for his part, sat leaning back against the wall, his booted feet up on the table, his mug of ale resting comfortably on his belly. He would sip, and lick the froth off of his mustache, then sip again. He watched the crowd, not really expecting any danger, but alert enough to react to it if it happened.
In the corner, on a stool, was a Hobbit musician, playing a hurdy-gurdy, singing bawdy songs (and the occasional romantic ballad to change things up). Many patrons joined in the singing, when it was a popular, known song.
The trio were relaxing there, enjoying some downtime. Taid and Elitheris knew that Eykit had been approached by his thieves’ guild colleagues, and, to be honest, weren’t quite sure what to think about that. Apparently, Eykit wasn’t to leave town, as they needed him for some reason.
Then there was a young man standing at the table. He had somehow arrived without anyone noticing. He was nondescript, wearing common, utilitarian clothing in a not very memorable color. He had mousey brown hair, and a bland expression on his youthful face. “Eykit, Elend has sent for you.”
Eykit’s level of alertness increased as he started paying attention to the young man. “Meet him in the marketplace, by the park. You know the one.” With that, the man turned, and disappeared into the crowd. Eykit and Elitheris both tried to keep track of him, but he might as well have been invisible. Eykit downed his ale, wiped the foam off his lips with his sleeve, and said, “I’ll be back.”
The other two nodded. Eykit left the tavern to meet with his superior.
“He’s a thief,” Taid stated, “I don’t think I like him breaking the law as his profession.”
“He seems nice enough, and decent in a fight, but I don’t know why we ally ourselves with him.”
“For a thief, he is rather likable. I have to admit that he has kind of grown on me.”
Elitheris frowned, her mouth in a moue. “And he does know the city. I would be a bit lost without him.”
“Oh, you’d figure it out soon enough. Probably after getting mugged a few times by the local ruffians.”
“There do seem to be quite a few ruffians here, aren’t there?” Elitheris admitted.
“The local thieves’ guilds seem to be almost like the local community governments. To me, that makes it seem like the nobles aren’t doing their jobs. Or the business guilds. If things were run properly, the business guilds would be taking care of things, not hoodlums.”
“But at least in this area at least, we have some assurance that we won’t be assaulted in a dark alley.”
“True, Eykit’s ‘friends’ have been leaving us alone.”
“I guess we can keep him. I wonder what his bosses are going to have him do?”
Eykit practiced his quiet walk on the way to the marketplace. The streets in the late afternoon were busy, with wagons and carts clattering over the cobblestones, their iron-shod wheels striking the occasional spark. But most people were on foot, the occasional mounted traveler was barely able to go much faster than the crowd, no matter how much they shouted for people to get out of the way. Port Karn was a busy town, and a trading hub, so goods flowed through the city constantly. Street merchants sold fruit, and small animals, meat and vegetables, cooked, and uncooked. An ajahn of the Church of the Awakening preached on the corner of the Street of Farmers and Third Street, saying something about how the inner eye can see so much more or some other drivel.
The Goblin moved on, past the preaching, robed man, debated trying to filch something out of his donations cup, but he didn’t want to take the time. Besides, if this guy had an “inner eye”, or whatever, it might see him. At the very least, he couldn’t afford the delay of being chased around the city would cause. Besides, he realized, there was a city guardsman in the doorway of a cobbler’s shop. Best not to tempt fate, although it had been a while since he had stolen anything, and his fingers were itchy. He shook his head slightly, and moved on.
He saw Elend emerge from behind a tree trunk. “Hello, Eykit,” he said in greeting. “I hope you have been well, and are well-rested. Because that will change, I can assure you.”
Elend Rabbitsfoot, Thievery Crew Chief
“Figured that was the case. What is the news? You wanted me, I’m here.”
“The Guildmaster got word—no, don’t ask me how, it’s not my job—that the Flower Street Harrowers are likely going to be stepping up their efforts to take our territory. You have been assigned to do a job that might stave that off.”
“Oh? What could I do?”
“Steal something, of course. A painting, in this case.”
“Okay, from whom?”
“The guild master of the Harrowers.”
Eykit was silent. This was big. If successful, he could be famous…in the right circles. If not, well, best not to think on that.
Elend went on. “The picture is a portrait. Of his daughter. And you are only to steal the portrait, not anything else. And no killing, or injuring. Get in, get it, get out. Best if you aren’t seen or heard. Also best if they don’t realize it’s gone until you are long gone yourself.”
“So we want to send them a message?”
“That’s the plan, yes. That we are tough enough and skilled enough that trying to go to war with us would be very bad for them.” Elend paused. His voice seemed a bit more serious, if that were possible. “You have three days to pull it off. After that, it might not make a difference.”
“I see.”
“We will have a cart and horses waiting, so you can dump the portrait. We will be outside the Jonat Brothers tailoring shop, the one on Caraliza Street. It’s a couple of blocks from Kraite Manor.”
“Kraite Manor. As in Baron Kraite? He’s the Harrower’s guild master?”
“Yeah. You didn’t know?”
“Well, I never really thought about it. I figured it was a member of the clan, but not the Baron himself.”
“Well, here is a list of the household servants and the family. We are pretty sure that is all who live or work there. We may have missed one or two, but I don’t think so. Oh, and the Baron has been seen with bodyguards lately. Likely because he’s planning on a war with us. Let us know when you will be ready to do the job. We might be able to be of assistance on our end.”
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Kraite Manor Personnel
Baron Lenin Kraite, Guildmaster of the Flower Street Harrowers
Baroness Gayle Kraite
Larraine Kraite, daughter of Lenin and Gayle, heir
Kristof Kraite, son of Lenin and Gayle
Flora Indorill, Head Butler and Steward of Krait Manor
Miriam Kendrick, Maid
Karikki Laputi, Maid
Darshak Puggrok, Cook
Aspen Gregor, Cook
Lughnar One-Ear, Valet to Baron Krait
Stefani Abayomi, Valet to Baroness Krait
Melsimonë, Valet and Tutor to Larraine Krait
Flynt Blackstone, Valet to Kristof Krait, known member of the Flower Street Harrowers
Flogh Drackhill, Gardener
Arkus Mennon, Coachman, known member of the Flower Street Harrowers
Pachekki “Patchman” Drimani, Coachman, known member of the Flower Street Harrowers
Penn Florentine, Guard, known member of the Flower Street Harrowers
Jack No-Name, Guard, known member of the Flower Street Harrowers
Ashela Mancrusher, Personal Bodyguard of Baron Krait, known member of the Flower Street Harrowers
Yabbi Gaaldibi, Stable boy
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“It will take a day or two while I get familiar with the manor and grounds.”
“Of course. Just let us know. Oh, and Eykit? I know you have those new friends of yours, and they seem all right, but I would advise against them getting too involved. And I seriously doubt that either one of them would be able to sneak around inside the house. Use them if you like, just be careful how. We don’t want this to be obvious, if at all possible. We’d like to keep the Harrowers guessing for as long as possible.”
Eykit nodded. He had to figure out not only how to tell his new companions, whom he’d actually started to like, but also how they could be useful.
“Farewell, and good luck.” Elend disappeared into the increasingly darkening shadows.
It was fully dark by the time Eykit got back to the Pig. Elitheris and Taid were still there, clapping and singing along with the bard, who was playing a jig called “Vanya’s Petticoats All A-Flutter”, a fun and popular song that many locals knew the lyrics to. It was loud, with all of the singing patrons, but the entertaining distraction let Eykit palm a nice eating dagger right from under its distracted and singing owner’s nose.
He sat down at the table, and Elitheris and Taid turned to him, their attention on him, rather than on the musician. They looked at him, the unasked question of his whereabouts plainly written on their faces.
“So I’ve been told I need to get a painting out of a house. A manor house. A baron’s manor house.”
Taid and Elitheris looked a bit surprised. Taid piped up, “You can’t steal! It’s wrong. I’ll have no part of this!”
“Not to mention the attention from the authorities,” Elitheris stated.
Eykit did not look abashed. “Well, it is what I do for a living. If it makes you feel better, there is a difference between a thief and a brigand. Thieves don’t usually hurt anyone.”
“Stealing is still wrong,” Taid stated adamantly.
“Well, would it make a difference if I mentioned that this baron happens to be the guildmaster of the Flower Street Harrowers? And that they are trying to start a turf war, and that by stealing this painting it might cause them to rethink their expansionist plans?”
“Wait,” said Elitheris, “the person you are robbing from is a thief himself?”
“The guild master of thieves, yes,” replied Eykit.
Taid shook his head, his hands raised. “I still can’t condone this.”
“Can you watch something and tell me what you see? Would that go against your monastery’s code?”
Taid thought about it for a long moment. “Uh, no. There are no rules about simply watching something.”
“Good. Then I have a job for you.” He turned to Elitheris. “Your Elf-eyes are pretty sharp, and your hunter’s instincts should let you find a good hunter’s blind. Think you can help me case—watch—the house from various places to figure out who likes to be where?”
Elitheris tilted her head to one side, thinking. She didn’t seem to have any moral qualms about the request, so she said, “Yes. I can do that.”
“Great! Cas—uh, watching the place won’t take as long as I feared. If I had to do it myself, it’s likely it would have taken a couple days. This way, we will only have to spend a single day! So, the manor is located on….” He detailed where it was located, and what he needed Taid and Elitheris to do and look for.
Eykit knew that the painting was near or in the dining room of the manor. The manor was a large building, at least two floors, and likely a third. He was planning on entering the house at night, so night was when he would have to watch the house, to try to assess room locations, ingress and egress points, potential hiding places, and to get some idea of who tended to go where.
He had Taid take Wilbur out for a walk, in the neighborhood of the manor. This would give him a sense of the traffic patterns around the estate, and an idea of who came or left the grounds. Most importantly, it gave him information that might influence his escape route. It wouldn’t do to try to run through a crowded area if he could avoid it.
He would need to view the house from at least six locations, just due to the size and layout of the premises. He was planning on splitting that with Elitheris. As their target was a guild master and baron, and likely to not take kindly to trespassers, Eykit told Elitheris that it would likely be safer if she used locations on neighboring properties. Elitheris, for her part, had independently come to the same conclusion, and simply nodded. Her skills stealth and camouflage were very good, and she had good reason to think that she wouldn’t be seen.
Eykit was confident enough in his abilities to find locations on the grounds themselves.
It was a warm, midsummer’s night, clear and without a hint of wind. The humid air, thick with the scents of salt from the ocean, fish from the wharves, effluvia from the river, and the fragrant flowers of the gardens, sat over the city like an oppressive weight. Elitheris much preferred the cleaner, purer scents of the jungles and forests she was used to. She had been assigned observation locations on the left side of the house; Eykit was going to tackle the right side, mainly because that was where the doors were, and he expected more traffic there.
Elitheris’ initial location was in the neighbor’s yard, in a tree just on the other side of the shared stone wall between the properties. The whole neighborhood, in the New Water area of the city, was made up of the town homes of the rich and powerful. They were, in terms of the city, large estates, but often much smaller than their country residences. Still big, in absolute terms, however. They were all behind 12’ stone walls, topped with wrought iron spikes for the most part. Some didn’t bother with spikes, and some used broken glass cemented to the top course of stonework.
Here, it was iron spikes, but Elitheris was a good climber, and the stone blocks had mortar joints that provided for some decent footholds. She got to the top of the wall, and carefully climbed over the spikes, dropping into the shadow of the other side. The house on this property was over fifty yards distant, across an area of flowering bushes, trees, and a well-manicured lawn. She kept to the shadows, her Elven vision cutting through most of that darkness and letting her navigate through the undergrowth without difficulty. She found a tree, that looked like it could be used to gain a good vantage point, with what appeared to be an almost comfortable branch to sit on. Up she went, into the tree.
But when she got up there, she realized it wasn’t suitable at all. She couldn’t see it from the ground from behind the wall, but there was a tree on the other side of the wall blocking the view of Kraite Manor. But there was another tree not too far from the one she was in, that would work for her purposes. She walked along the branch, leaped to a branch on the neighboring tree, and situated herself as comfortably as she could, with a good view of the manor. She then wove an illusion of branches and leaves around her, giving her some camouflage. She was very well-hidden, and she knew how to be silent when she needed to be. She was confident that she wouldn’t be discovered. She settled in to wait and watch.
Taid had the stable boy at the inn saddle Wilbur, the horse they had found when returning to the city from the Orc temple. Several days of good food and good care had made his ribs much less visible, and he was starting to get his strength back. The Dwarf walked the palfrey out of the stables, then mounted, settling himself comfortably in the saddle. Taid wasn’t the best rider, but he had been up on a horse once or twice before, and as long as he didn’t need to do anything complicated or fast while up there, he would be okay.
“C’mon, Wilbur. Gi’up,” Taid ordered, with a soft tap of his heels. Wilbur walked forward, heading north on Third Street, into the older sections of town through the Third Street Gate. Third Street was mostly shops and storefronts, with the occasional apartment building. It was also one of the more busy streets in the city. Even at night, there were crowds of people going from place to place. Mostly Orcs and Goblins, as they were the ones primarily on the night shifts. Orcs because they were photosensitive and didn’t much like sunlight, and while Goblins were at home in both daylight and night, they tended to prefer the dark. But, even at night, there were still some Humans, Hobbits, and the occasional Dwarf or Elf.
Taid guided his horse around the main clots of humanoids, trying to avoid running into anyone and spooking the horse. If it got startled and reared, he knew he wouldn’t be staying in the saddle. He made his way north and east, heading to the section of town called New Water, passing through Merchant’s Heath, and passing by the Port Karn Agricultural Commission Offices, a campus of buildings that took up an entire block. It was also pretty much the only place to get enchanted items. Mages were a rare breed, and enchanters rarer still. It took year to learn even a small amount of magic, and the vast amount of magic required to be an enchanter took even longer. As a result, the city of Port Karn had a whole two enchanters, and both worked for the PKAC.
But that wasn’t important at the moment. At the moment, getting into position was. Kraite Manor was on Gryphon Street, which was a dead end street with a dozen or more estates off of it. Taid’s plan was to ride up and down the street, watching for traffic patterns, and, when he could see through the wrought iron gate, the front yard of Kraite Manor. It was also useful to find out which neighbors were nosy, which paid attention to goings on, and which were private and secluded.
He turned up Gryphon Street. Like the other streets in this borough, and unlike most of the rest of the city, this street was flanked on both sides by rows of tall trees, which provided shade during the hot days. Behind the rows of trees were the stone walls of the denizens, eight to twelve feet high, and topped with spikes or other items designed to discourage the casual intruder. They wouldn’t stop someone determined to get over them, but then few things would. They did help keep out the common riffraff, though.
The traffic on this street was much less crowded; in fact, while there were a few wagons making deliveries or people on foot going to one manor or another, for the most part, it was pretty empty. Good, Taid thought, easier to remember who went where, and when they did it. He sped up a bit; it would look odd for him to be loitering around. He had to look like he had purpose to avoid anyone noticing him. Heh, too bad I don’t have a City Guard uniform! That would make me invisible here. He shook his head, knowing that the only way to get one would have been to either steal one, or mug a city guardsman and take it. Both non-starters for the law-abiding warrior monk of Aheru-Mazda.
Early in the evening, Taid noticed that a glass coach, with the baron and an armed woman inside and driven by a Goblin coachman, exited the property, going down the street into the city. What they were doing, Taid didn’t know, and couldn’t follow anyway. He was to watch the property, not the baron.
Baron Lenin Kraite
Ashela Mancrusher
Pachekki "Patchman" Dramani
Eykit crouched in the shadows by the front gate, looking into the yard of the estate, figuring out a way to get in without being seen. Climbing the wall would be easy enough; he just had to wait until the gardener moved around to another side of the house. The gardener was some guy named Flogh Drackhill, and under other circumstances, Eykit knew he was quiet enough to get over that wall without trouble. But Flogh was an Orc, and they could see the heat that bodies shed. At night, even through foliage, the Goblin would stand out like a glowing lighthouse if Flogh glanced in his direction.
After several minutes, Eykit fighting his impatience the whole time, the gardener finished whatever he was doing in the flower bed he’d been crouched in, stood up with tools in hand, and walked around the corner of the manor house. Quickly and quietly, Eykit was up and over the spiked wall, dropping into the undergrowth. The ground was still warm from the heat of the day, which might help him if Flogh were to glance in his direction.
He crept along the base of the wall, looking for vantage points to spy from. The higher up, the better, but that also increased the risk of being seen. Trees don’t really put out much heat, and if Eykit wasn’t careful, he would stick out like a black eye on a tavern maid.
The manor was built on a slope, and the view was tremendous. Eykit could see the river past the roofs of the intervening buildings, and, past that, the moon Kynett was reflecting off of the Sea of the Rising Sun. But as nice as that view was, that wasn’t why he was here. He made his way downslope, working towards a spot where he could observe the right rear of the house. He passed the stable, and the Grand Ballroom, and found a tree that he could use. He climbed into it without trouble, and settled in to watch.
They watched for a few hours, then moved to new locations. Elitheris was able to move from point to point without trouble. Taid wandered up and down the street at uneven intervals. It wouldn’t do to have someone notice a pattern. They might get suspicious, and while he could very easily say that he was a mercenary, hired by one of the denizens of the street, he’d rather not be questioned at all.
Eykit wasn’t so lucky. As he climbed a tree to get into his second position (so he could watch the right side of the house, with the informal entrance, stables, and grand ballroom), the branch he grabbed broke off in his hand, and he fell to the ground with a rustle of leaves and branches. He flattened himself immediately.
Flogh Drackhill
Flogh looked up at the sound, scanning around trying to see what made it. All he saw were a couple of squirrels, bounding from tree branch to tree branch. He shrugged, and went back to his plants, which were some late blooming annuals to replace the ones that had finished flowering. The Mistress of the Manor liked to have color in the garden all year round, so there was a lot of digging up old plants and putting in new ones.
Eykit tried the tree again, once the gardener had moved around to the front left side of the house. This time, he didn’t have a problem. A few minutes later, and an armed and armored Human walked around the corner of the house. It was Penn Florentine, one of the guards. He stopped to talk to Flogh, said a few words, and both started laughing. Penn clapped Flogh on the shoulder, then moved on, disappearing around the stables.
Penn Florentine
An hour later, Kristof Kraite, and his Dwarven valet came out to the courtyard, after spending some time sparring in the training room above the carriage room. They were chatting amiably, and greeted Yabbi, the stableboy, when he came out of the stables. “What do you need, lord?” he asked.
“Saddle our horses, Yabbi,” Kristof ordered. He seemed quite comfortable ordering him around. He was obviously born to wealth and power. “We are going out.” Flynt Blackstone, the Dwarf valet, and, as Eykit now saw, likely a bodyguard, based upon the weaponry worn by the squat man, was quiet, and waited patiently as Yabbi saddled their horses. When he was done, the two men, Human and Dwarf, mounted and rode up the drive and out the gates.
Kristof Kraite
Flynt Blackstone
Eykit and Elitheris watched, noting what people went into which rooms, and how often. They were able to figure out most of the layout of the large, sprawling building. They knew which rooms belonged to whom, where the kitchen was, living room, study, and dining room were. And Eykit saw the painting he was after, hanging on the wall of the dining room.
Kristof and Flynt came back a few hours after they left. Judging from his gait, Kristof had had a bit to drink. He and Flynt were laughing as they handed the horses over to Yabbi, then went inside. A couple of hours after that, the baron came back in the carriage, which, after Baron Kraite and Alesha Mancrusher exited and went into the manor, Pachekki Dramani and Yabbi Gaaldibi backed the carriage into the carriage house, unhitched the horses, and stabled them. Pachekki and Yabbi seemed to get along rather well.
Also during the night, there was a delivery of several crates from a box wagon. There were vegetables painted on the side of the wagon. They were met at the informal entrance by Flora Indorill, the head butler, and Darshak Puggrok, the cook. The several crates of fresh vegetables were unloaded and moved into the house quickly and efficiently.
Taid also saw a messenger wearing a leather vest with a rose on the back of it jog up to the gates, open them, and go down the driveway towards the courtyard, where he presumably entered the house. He wasn’t there long; he came back out, jogging up the sloped, dry laid paver drive, and out the gate.
All three returned to the inn without mishap, and, as far as they knew, without anyone in the manor being suspicious that anything was going on. They shared their intel, and it gave Eykit some idea of what was going on in the house.
Baroness Gayle Kraite
He was able to get an idea of where the various employees hang out, at least to a certain extent. Flora, the head butler, was all over, as she should be. He knew where the baron spent most of his time—either in the master bedroom or his study. Baroness Gayle was also all over the house. He knew where Kristof’s room was, as well as Larraine’s room, and where they liked to spend time. He found out that there was a single external guard, a guard always near the baron, and another guard who likely roamed around the house. One of the maids, Miriam, primarily cleaned the main floor; the other one, Karikki, handled the upper floor. The gardener spent a lot of time tending the garden, and the stable boy slept in the hayloft. He saw two carriages in the carriage house, each pulled by four horses, and that there was enough room in the stable for at least eight horses, possibly more.
Flora Indorill, Head Butler
He also was able to get some idea about the layout of the house, by being able to see the rooms through the windows. Possible hiding spots on the roof were discovered. He also actually saw the painting, hanging in the dining room. It was bigger than he was. He is going to have an interesting time getting it.
Now it was time to come up with a plan of attack. He knew he was going to be sneaking into the manor house. What he didn’t know what how best to utilize Elitheris and Taid.
All he had so far was an idea of somehow getting the Goblin coachman’s jacket, which was apparently their uniform. It was in the house colors. What he didn’t know, yet, was what to do with it, and where to go from there. But he had a little time to think about it….
The trio were relaxing there, enjoying some downtime. Taid and Elitheris knew that Eykit had been approached by his thieves’ guild colleagues, and, to be honest, weren’t quite sure what to think about that. Apparently, Eykit wasn’t to leave town, as they needed him for some reason.
Then there was a young man standing at the table. He had somehow arrived without anyone noticing. He was nondescript, wearing common, utilitarian clothing in a not very memorable color. He had mousey brown hair, and a bland expression on his youthful face. “Eykit, Elend has sent for you.”
Eykit’s level of alertness increased as he started paying attention to the young man. “Meet him in the marketplace, by the park. You know the one.” With that, the man turned, and disappeared into the crowd. Eykit and Elitheris both tried to keep track of him, but he might as well have been invisible. Eykit downed his ale, wiped the foam off his lips with his sleeve, and said, “I’ll be back.”
The other two nodded. Eykit left the tavern to meet with his superior.
“He’s a thief,” Taid stated, “I don’t think I like him breaking the law as his profession.”
“He seems nice enough, and decent in a fight, but I don’t know why we ally ourselves with him.”
“For a thief, he is rather likable. I have to admit that he has kind of grown on me.”
Elitheris frowned, her mouth in a moue. “And he does know the city. I would be a bit lost without him.”
“Oh, you’d figure it out soon enough. Probably after getting mugged a few times by the local ruffians.”
“There do seem to be quite a few ruffians here, aren’t there?” Elitheris admitted.
“The local thieves’ guilds seem to be almost like the local community governments. To me, that makes it seem like the nobles aren’t doing their jobs. Or the business guilds. If things were run properly, the business guilds would be taking care of things, not hoodlums.”
“But at least in this area at least, we have some assurance that we won’t be assaulted in a dark alley.”
“True, Eykit’s ‘friends’ have been leaving us alone.”
“I guess we can keep him. I wonder what his bosses are going to have him do?”
Eykit practiced his quiet walk on the way to the marketplace. The streets in the late afternoon were busy, with wagons and carts clattering over the cobblestones, their iron-shod wheels striking the occasional spark. But most people were on foot, the occasional mounted traveler was barely able to go much faster than the crowd, no matter how much they shouted for people to get out of the way. Port Karn was a busy town, and a trading hub, so goods flowed through the city constantly. Street merchants sold fruit, and small animals, meat and vegetables, cooked, and uncooked. An ajahn of the Church of the Awakening preached on the corner of the Street of Farmers and Third Street, saying something about how the inner eye can see so much more or some other drivel.
He saw Elend emerge from behind a tree trunk. “Hello, Eykit,” he said in greeting. “I hope you have been well, and are well-rested. Because that will change, I can assure you.”
“Figured that was the case. What is the news? You wanted me, I’m here.”
“The Guildmaster got word—no, don’t ask me how, it’s not my job—that the Flower Street Harrowers are likely going to be stepping up their efforts to take our territory. You have been assigned to do a job that might stave that off.”
“Oh? What could I do?”
“Steal something, of course. A painting, in this case.”
“Okay, from whom?”
“The guild master of the Harrowers.”
Eykit was silent. This was big. If successful, he could be famous…in the right circles. If not, well, best not to think on that.
Elend went on. “The picture is a portrait. Of his daughter. And you are only to steal the portrait, not anything else. And no killing, or injuring. Get in, get it, get out. Best if you aren’t seen or heard. Also best if they don’t realize it’s gone until you are long gone yourself.”
“So we want to send them a message?”
“That’s the plan, yes. That we are tough enough and skilled enough that trying to go to war with us would be very bad for them.” Elend paused. His voice seemed a bit more serious, if that were possible. “You have three days to pull it off. After that, it might not make a difference.”
“I see.”
“We will have a cart and horses waiting, so you can dump the portrait. We will be outside the Jonat Brothers tailoring shop, the one on Caraliza Street. It’s a couple of blocks from Kraite Manor.”
“Kraite Manor. As in Baron Kraite? He’s the Harrower’s guild master?”
“Yeah. You didn’t know?”
“Well, I never really thought about it. I figured it was a member of the clan, but not the Baron himself.”
“Well, here is a list of the household servants and the family. We are pretty sure that is all who live or work there. We may have missed one or two, but I don’t think so. Oh, and the Baron has been seen with bodyguards lately. Likely because he’s planning on a war with us. Let us know when you will be ready to do the job. We might be able to be of assistance on our end.”
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Kraite Manor Personnel
Baron Lenin Kraite, Guildmaster of the Flower Street Harrowers
Baroness Gayle Kraite
Larraine Kraite, daughter of Lenin and Gayle, heir
Kristof Kraite, son of Lenin and Gayle
Flora Indorill, Head Butler and Steward of Krait Manor
Miriam Kendrick, Maid
Karikki Laputi, Maid
Darshak Puggrok, Cook
Aspen Gregor, Cook
Lughnar One-Ear, Valet to Baron Krait
Stefani Abayomi, Valet to Baroness Krait
Melsimonë, Valet and Tutor to Larraine Krait
Flynt Blackstone, Valet to Kristof Krait, known member of the Flower Street Harrowers
Flogh Drackhill, Gardener
Arkus Mennon, Coachman, known member of the Flower Street Harrowers
Pachekki “Patchman” Drimani, Coachman, known member of the Flower Street Harrowers
Penn Florentine, Guard, known member of the Flower Street Harrowers
Jack No-Name, Guard, known member of the Flower Street Harrowers
Ashela Mancrusher, Personal Bodyguard of Baron Krait, known member of the Flower Street Harrowers
Yabbi Gaaldibi, Stable boy
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“It will take a day or two while I get familiar with the manor and grounds.”
“Of course. Just let us know. Oh, and Eykit? I know you have those new friends of yours, and they seem all right, but I would advise against them getting too involved. And I seriously doubt that either one of them would be able to sneak around inside the house. Use them if you like, just be careful how. We don’t want this to be obvious, if at all possible. We’d like to keep the Harrowers guessing for as long as possible.”
Eykit nodded. He had to figure out not only how to tell his new companions, whom he’d actually started to like, but also how they could be useful.
“Farewell, and good luck.” Elend disappeared into the increasingly darkening shadows.
It was fully dark by the time Eykit got back to the Pig. Elitheris and Taid were still there, clapping and singing along with the bard, who was playing a jig called “Vanya’s Petticoats All A-Flutter”, a fun and popular song that many locals knew the lyrics to. It was loud, with all of the singing patrons, but the entertaining distraction let Eykit palm a nice eating dagger right from under its distracted and singing owner’s nose.
He sat down at the table, and Elitheris and Taid turned to him, their attention on him, rather than on the musician. They looked at him, the unasked question of his whereabouts plainly written on their faces.
“So I’ve been told I need to get a painting out of a house. A manor house. A baron’s manor house.”
Taid and Elitheris looked a bit surprised. Taid piped up, “You can’t steal! It’s wrong. I’ll have no part of this!”
“Not to mention the attention from the authorities,” Elitheris stated.
Eykit did not look abashed. “Well, it is what I do for a living. If it makes you feel better, there is a difference between a thief and a brigand. Thieves don’t usually hurt anyone.”
“Stealing is still wrong,” Taid stated adamantly.
“Well, would it make a difference if I mentioned that this baron happens to be the guildmaster of the Flower Street Harrowers? And that they are trying to start a turf war, and that by stealing this painting it might cause them to rethink their expansionist plans?”
“Wait,” said Elitheris, “the person you are robbing from is a thief himself?”
“The guild master of thieves, yes,” replied Eykit.
Taid shook his head, his hands raised. “I still can’t condone this.”
“Can you watch something and tell me what you see? Would that go against your monastery’s code?”
Taid thought about it for a long moment. “Uh, no. There are no rules about simply watching something.”
“Good. Then I have a job for you.” He turned to Elitheris. “Your Elf-eyes are pretty sharp, and your hunter’s instincts should let you find a good hunter’s blind. Think you can help me case—watch—the house from various places to figure out who likes to be where?”
Elitheris tilted her head to one side, thinking. She didn’t seem to have any moral qualms about the request, so she said, “Yes. I can do that.”
“Great! Cas—uh, watching the place won’t take as long as I feared. If I had to do it myself, it’s likely it would have taken a couple days. This way, we will only have to spend a single day! So, the manor is located on….” He detailed where it was located, and what he needed Taid and Elitheris to do and look for.
Eykit knew that the painting was near or in the dining room of the manor. The manor was a large building, at least two floors, and likely a third. He was planning on entering the house at night, so night was when he would have to watch the house, to try to assess room locations, ingress and egress points, potential hiding places, and to get some idea of who tended to go where.
He had Taid take Wilbur out for a walk, in the neighborhood of the manor. This would give him a sense of the traffic patterns around the estate, and an idea of who came or left the grounds. Most importantly, it gave him information that might influence his escape route. It wouldn’t do to try to run through a crowded area if he could avoid it.
He would need to view the house from at least six locations, just due to the size and layout of the premises. He was planning on splitting that with Elitheris. As their target was a guild master and baron, and likely to not take kindly to trespassers, Eykit told Elitheris that it would likely be safer if she used locations on neighboring properties. Elitheris, for her part, had independently come to the same conclusion, and simply nodded. Her skills stealth and camouflage were very good, and she had good reason to think that she wouldn’t be seen.
It was a warm, midsummer’s night, clear and without a hint of wind. The humid air, thick with the scents of salt from the ocean, fish from the wharves, effluvia from the river, and the fragrant flowers of the gardens, sat over the city like an oppressive weight. Elitheris much preferred the cleaner, purer scents of the jungles and forests she was used to. She had been assigned observation locations on the left side of the house; Eykit was going to tackle the right side, mainly because that was where the doors were, and he expected more traffic there.
Elitheris’ initial location was in the neighbor’s yard, in a tree just on the other side of the shared stone wall between the properties. The whole neighborhood, in the New Water area of the city, was made up of the town homes of the rich and powerful. They were, in terms of the city, large estates, but often much smaller than their country residences. Still big, in absolute terms, however. They were all behind 12’ stone walls, topped with wrought iron spikes for the most part. Some didn’t bother with spikes, and some used broken glass cemented to the top course of stonework.
Here, it was iron spikes, but Elitheris was a good climber, and the stone blocks had mortar joints that provided for some decent footholds. She got to the top of the wall, and carefully climbed over the spikes, dropping into the shadow of the other side. The house on this property was over fifty yards distant, across an area of flowering bushes, trees, and a well-manicured lawn. She kept to the shadows, her Elven vision cutting through most of that darkness and letting her navigate through the undergrowth without difficulty. She found a tree, that looked like it could be used to gain a good vantage point, with what appeared to be an almost comfortable branch to sit on. Up she went, into the tree.
“C’mon, Wilbur. Gi’up,” Taid ordered, with a soft tap of his heels. Wilbur walked forward, heading north on Third Street, into the older sections of town through the Third Street Gate. Third Street was mostly shops and storefronts, with the occasional apartment building. It was also one of the more busy streets in the city. Even at night, there were crowds of people going from place to place. Mostly Orcs and Goblins, as they were the ones primarily on the night shifts. Orcs because they were photosensitive and didn’t much like sunlight, and while Goblins were at home in both daylight and night, they tended to prefer the dark. But, even at night, there were still some Humans, Hobbits, and the occasional Dwarf or Elf.
Taid guided his horse around the main clots of humanoids, trying to avoid running into anyone and spooking the horse. If it got startled and reared, he knew he wouldn’t be staying in the saddle. He made his way north and east, heading to the section of town called New Water, passing through Merchant’s Heath, and passing by the Port Karn Agricultural Commission Offices, a campus of buildings that took up an entire block. It was also pretty much the only place to get enchanted items. Mages were a rare breed, and enchanters rarer still. It took year to learn even a small amount of magic, and the vast amount of magic required to be an enchanter took even longer. As a result, the city of Port Karn had a whole two enchanters, and both worked for the PKAC.
But that wasn’t important at the moment. At the moment, getting into position was. Kraite Manor was on Gryphon Street, which was a dead end street with a dozen or more estates off of it. Taid’s plan was to ride up and down the street, watching for traffic patterns, and, when he could see through the wrought iron gate, the front yard of Kraite Manor. It was also useful to find out which neighbors were nosy, which paid attention to goings on, and which were private and secluded.
He turned up Gryphon Street. Like the other streets in this borough, and unlike most of the rest of the city, this street was flanked on both sides by rows of tall trees, which provided shade during the hot days. Behind the rows of trees were the stone walls of the denizens, eight to twelve feet high, and topped with spikes or other items designed to discourage the casual intruder. They wouldn’t stop someone determined to get over them, but then few things would. They did help keep out the common riffraff, though.
The traffic on this street was much less crowded; in fact, while there were a few wagons making deliveries or people on foot going to one manor or another, for the most part, it was pretty empty. Good, Taid thought, easier to remember who went where, and when they did it. He sped up a bit; it would look odd for him to be loitering around. He had to look like he had purpose to avoid anyone noticing him. Heh, too bad I don’t have a City Guard uniform! That would make me invisible here. He shook his head, knowing that the only way to get one would have been to either steal one, or mug a city guardsman and take it. Both non-starters for the law-abiding warrior monk of Aheru-Mazda.
Early in the evening, Taid noticed that a glass coach, with the baron and an armed woman inside and driven by a Goblin coachman, exited the property, going down the street into the city. What they were doing, Taid didn’t know, and couldn’t follow anyway. He was to watch the property, not the baron.
Eykit crouched in the shadows by the front gate, looking into the yard of the estate, figuring out a way to get in without being seen. Climbing the wall would be easy enough; he just had to wait until the gardener moved around to another side of the house. The gardener was some guy named Flogh Drackhill, and under other circumstances, Eykit knew he was quiet enough to get over that wall without trouble. But Flogh was an Orc, and they could see the heat that bodies shed. At night, even through foliage, the Goblin would stand out like a glowing lighthouse if Flogh glanced in his direction.
He crept along the base of the wall, looking for vantage points to spy from. The higher up, the better, but that also increased the risk of being seen. Trees don’t really put out much heat, and if Eykit wasn’t careful, he would stick out like a black eye on a tavern maid.
The manor was built on a slope, and the view was tremendous. Eykit could see the river past the roofs of the intervening buildings, and, past that, the moon Kynett was reflecting off of the Sea of the Rising Sun. But as nice as that view was, that wasn’t why he was here. He made his way downslope, working towards a spot where he could observe the right rear of the house. He passed the stable, and the Grand Ballroom, and found a tree that he could use. He climbed into it without trouble, and settled in to watch.
They watched for a few hours, then moved to new locations. Elitheris was able to move from point to point without trouble. Taid wandered up and down the street at uneven intervals. It wouldn’t do to have someone notice a pattern. They might get suspicious, and while he could very easily say that he was a mercenary, hired by one of the denizens of the street, he’d rather not be questioned at all.
Eykit wasn’t so lucky. As he climbed a tree to get into his second position (so he could watch the right side of the house, with the informal entrance, stables, and grand ballroom), the branch he grabbed broke off in his hand, and he fell to the ground with a rustle of leaves and branches. He flattened himself immediately.
Flogh looked up at the sound, scanning around trying to see what made it. All he saw were a couple of squirrels, bounding from tree branch to tree branch. He shrugged, and went back to his plants, which were some late blooming annuals to replace the ones that had finished flowering. The Mistress of the Manor liked to have color in the garden all year round, so there was a lot of digging up old plants and putting in new ones.
Eykit tried the tree again, once the gardener had moved around to the front left side of the house. This time, he didn’t have a problem. A few minutes later, and an armed and armored Human walked around the corner of the house. It was Penn Florentine, one of the guards. He stopped to talk to Flogh, said a few words, and both started laughing. Penn clapped Flogh on the shoulder, then moved on, disappearing around the stables.
An hour later, Kristof Kraite, and his Dwarven valet came out to the courtyard, after spending some time sparring in the training room above the carriage room. They were chatting amiably, and greeted Yabbi, the stableboy, when he came out of the stables. “What do you need, lord?” he asked.
“Saddle our horses, Yabbi,” Kristof ordered. He seemed quite comfortable ordering him around. He was obviously born to wealth and power. “We are going out.” Flynt Blackstone, the Dwarf valet, and, as Eykit now saw, likely a bodyguard, based upon the weaponry worn by the squat man, was quiet, and waited patiently as Yabbi saddled their horses. When he was done, the two men, Human and Dwarf, mounted and rode up the drive and out the gates.
Eykit and Elitheris watched, noting what people went into which rooms, and how often. They were able to figure out most of the layout of the large, sprawling building. They knew which rooms belonged to whom, where the kitchen was, living room, study, and dining room were. And Eykit saw the painting he was after, hanging on the wall of the dining room.
Also during the night, there was a delivery of several crates from a box wagon. There were vegetables painted on the side of the wagon. They were met at the informal entrance by Flora Indorill, the head butler, and Darshak Puggrok, the cook. The several crates of fresh vegetables were unloaded and moved into the house quickly and efficiently.
Taid also saw a messenger wearing a leather vest with a rose on the back of it jog up to the gates, open them, and go down the driveway towards the courtyard, where he presumably entered the house. He wasn’t there long; he came back out, jogging up the sloped, dry laid paver drive, and out the gate.
All three returned to the inn without mishap, and, as far as they knew, without anyone in the manor being suspicious that anything was going on. They shared their intel, and it gave Eykit some idea of what was going on in the house.
He was able to get an idea of where the various employees hang out, at least to a certain extent. Flora, the head butler, was all over, as she should be. He knew where the baron spent most of his time—either in the master bedroom or his study. Baroness Gayle was also all over the house. He knew where Kristof’s room was, as well as Larraine’s room, and where they liked to spend time. He found out that there was a single external guard, a guard always near the baron, and another guard who likely roamed around the house. One of the maids, Miriam, primarily cleaned the main floor; the other one, Karikki, handled the upper floor. The gardener spent a lot of time tending the garden, and the stable boy slept in the hayloft. He saw two carriages in the carriage house, each pulled by four horses, and that there was enough room in the stable for at least eight horses, possibly more.
He also was able to get some idea about the layout of the house, by being able to see the rooms through the windows. Possible hiding spots on the roof were discovered. He also actually saw the painting, hanging in the dining room. It was bigger than he was. He is going to have an interesting time getting it.
Now it was time to come up with a plan of attack. He knew he was going to be sneaking into the manor house. What he didn’t know what how best to utilize Elitheris and Taid.
All he had so far was an idea of somehow getting the Goblin coachman’s jacket, which was apparently their uniform. It was in the house colors. What he didn’t know, yet, was what to do with it, and where to go from there. But he had a little time to think about it….
Rewards Granted
Nothing much, except information that will make the actual heist possible.
Missions/Quests Completed
They successfully cased the manor, getting information on the people, the place, and some of their potential patterns.
Character(s) interacted with
Elend Rabbitsfoot
Report Date
27 Mar 2022
Primary Location
Secondary Location
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