When the Champion of Shadows returned to Rephidim, he was briefed by Arch-Inquisitrix Esther's agents on the situation: it seems that corrupt elements within the Temple have, for quite some time, been in association with the darkest elements of organized crime. A number of "holes in security" in the Temple have existed because of arrangement between these powerful traitors of Rephidim and the associates of Faraon the Friend … but, it seems, the sword cuts both ways, and Esther has been able to take advantage of these flaws in the Temple's workings to do an end-run around those conspiring against the Captain Astromancer … in an attempt to rescue him.

It would seem that after Tahir's blanket declaration of the ending of slavery in Rephidim, the puppets of Faraon decided to act, lest this new, young ruler go any further in a crusade to "clean up" Rephidim. Tahir's discovery of Rhys' associations with Faraon was turned on its head … as it was Tahir that was sent off to a prison cell on Tarsus, and Rhys that stayed behind to act as the new Captain-Astromancer.

The whole affair was kept quiet, purportedly out of "Tahir's" desire not to unduly shame his "brother" and bring scandal on the Temple … and Rhys was surrounded by co-conspirators, sparing him the need of having to go to any real effort to pass himself off as Tahir. All he needed to do was to make the occasional public appearance, half-buried in ceremonial garb, and at a distance, without any need to interact with the general public … or those not in on the scheme.

Still, Esther found out about this scheme, apparently at a time when Rhys was led to believe that his "usefulness" to Faraon was coming to an end, and that Faraon had been too confident in his power to bother with such trivialities as keeping his puppets happy and content.

Now, Esther seeks to purge Rephidim of this threat – and she has started off by putting forth a bounty on Faraon's head, and by issuing false directives from the Office of the Captain-Astromancer, gathering Rephidim's forces in an assault on Faraon's Dome.

In the time since the distribution of word of this bounty through channels meant to reach bounty hunters and mercenaries, there has been no word from Faraon of protest, no sign of any military build-up at the Dome – just the usual traffic in and out, and the usual activity.

So, Shadows has gathered with him his two fellow members of Shadow Lance – Shade and Vague – and has enlisted the help of the Champion of Diamonds (sole member of Diamond Lance), the Champion of Ashes and a force of a dozen Black Lancers to back him up.

Shade so far has been keeping busy by counteracting spells of Shadow Magic set up to conceal alarms and traps along the way – alarms and traps meant to deal with intruders from Darkside, not another Shadow Mage. It would seem that, true to the rumors, Shadow Magic is the Sphere of choice for those dark mages serving organized crime. Diamonds has been focusing on the task of keeping an eye on Shade whenever she's vulnerable, working her magic.

The actual traps have been fairly simple to deal with: many of them simply designed as deterrents and snares for whatever creatures that might wander in from the sewers, or just as a sign of warning to curious Darksiders that danger lies ahead.

Now, the traps seem to be getting more serious. There was a large crater in the wall with scorch marks that told of some sort of explosive being set off, and the charred fragments of bone lying on the nearby walkways suggested that this was something set off in recent weeks.

According to the information Shadows was able to piece together from old Temple records and more recent findings (supplemented by his own adventures down here), the elevated walkway off to the left should lead to an access shaft that in turn should lead into the caverns below … and, with any luck, ultimately into the heart of Faraon's domain.

"Careful," the Champion of Shadows signs to his companions, not wishing to alert anyone with his voice. "We may be in final stretch, but that might be most dangerous part. We go slow." He motions for the group to follow him and starts to hesitantly move down the walkway.

It takes some careful maneuvering, thanks to the slick floors and broken tiles, as several cracks reveal themselves as the warriors pass the signs of the crater, and a few flakes of broken stone fall into the sludge and quickly vanish. At last, the Champion can see down the left corridor, which breaks away from the waste channel – some sort of access corridor, though it is even more roughly hewn than the one the group is currently in, and shows signs of construction that was never completed … at least, perhaps not by the original engineers. It would seem that later – much later – generations made use of this passage way and continued it to their own ends. Down this way should be a steep shaft that should be the group's ticket into the lower caverns … and that in turn should lead them into the Dome.

The floor is rough and covered with a thick layer of crust and patches of still-moist mold and mildew and puddles of worse, suggesting that this area occasionally floods.

Shadow turns to look back at the Champion of Ashes and his Lancers. "Can you climb down or should Vague and I fly you down shaft? Need to manage as quickly and quietly as we can." He eyes the floor and walls for signs of triggers to traps as he continues towards the shaft.

The Champion pushes his cloak aside with his sword-arm, revealing a collapsed grappling hook and a loop of cable attached to his belt.

The armored Vartan nods approvingly. "Shade, Diamond… start looking for a place to secure yourselves. We will probably be in vital need of Shade's wards once we descend the shaft."

It looks as if the way is clear – relatively speaking – but just that moment, Vague suddenly bodily slams himself into Shadows from the side!

Instinctively, the Vartan tries to grab the lancer and wrench himself in the direction he's being pushed – hoping to pull both of them clear of whatever the danger is.

Vague's own effort was probably more symbolic than anything – like trying to push a mountain – but Shadows and Vague go off to the side, while the others stagger back to keep clear while the two warriors regain their footing. Vague dips his head in silent apology, then points at the place on the floor that Shadows was about to step on … It takes a moment, really, to register anything special about it … but Shadows' keen eyesight and his woodsman skills, given a second chance, alert him to the fact that the patch of moss there is discolored … dead, perhaps, and a little displaced from the surrounding material.

In other words, it looks like a patch of moss that may have been torn up and replaced … or perhaps placed there from somewhere else and cleverly blended in with the murky surroundings.

Shadow presses his armored beak against Vague's forehead and squeezes his shoulders in thanks. He nods and pulls himself back up, gesturing to the spot to the other Lancers and making a slashing motion across his throat with a finger.

Vague carefully scouts a way around the suspicious patch, his own prints making a distinct path in the murk that will probably be washed away after the next flood tide (probably in a couple of hours). Word gets passed silently down the line as the potential pitfall is pointed out.

The Vartan Knight follows quietly behind his lancer, cautiously watching the walls and the floor for more traps that Vague's eyes might miss. He idly wonders if Faraon might be able to fit through this shaft if he were looking for a quiet means of escape… or if he may have escaped already.

This particular corridor would seem like a terribly tight fit for someone or something of Faraon's girth, especially with the threat of traps stuck along the floor and walls. The remainder of the trip down the corridor is without event, as no further traps are discovered. The corridor ends at a closed door with a turn-wheel latch – sealed tight against the flooding filth, no doubt.

Shadow makes another "caution" sign and moves towards the latch, gingerly grasping it and testing to see how tight or loose it is before he starts opening it completely.

The turnwheel is heavily laden with crusty build-up, but it has flaked away at the base, a tell-tale sign that the door has seen use sometime in recent history. A quick test reveals that it would require considerable strength for a single person to twist the wheel. Quite probably, two strong men would be required to open the wheel. For Shadow, however … it's hardly a problem.

The Vartan looks over his shoulder at his companion and nods, then starts to turn the wheel and pull the door open.

*CRACK* *SKREEEEEEEEEETCH!* The wheel shrieks loudly, the sound echoing down the corridor loudly enough that a couple of the Black Lancers cringe visibly, reflexively reaching halfway toward their sensitive ears.

Shadow winces as well, pausing in his work. "Anyone have oil? Might be able to quiet wheel and hinges and not alert people on other side as easily."

Shade digs around through her pouches of components … and produces a flask that she hands to Shadow.

The Vartan carefully dribbles the oil on the hinges of the great door and around the wheel. He rubs the last droplets around the edges in an attempt to silence any loud scraping it might cause by opening as well. Nodding at his work he hands the empty flask back to Shade, wipes his hands off on his cloak and begins top work on opening the door again.

This time, the door makes significantly less protest. A bit of work, and it is wrenched open.

Shadow draws his sword out and carefully steps through the open portal. The noise might have alerted a guard or two and he braces himself for a fight, motioning for the two Champions the lancers to do the same.

Beyond, the dim, shuttered lanterns of the party illuminate a wider chamber with a pit in its center. A squeaky voice emanates from a shadowy corner of the chamber. "Hey there! Who goes there? No trespassing allowed, see?"

The Vartan Knight gestures to Diamond and points his hand in the direction of the voice, forming his fingers into the shape of a gun that he jerks upwards as though he fired a shot. He kneels down and quietly mumbles, "Sorry sir… we got lost. My friend didn't make it… something… something blew him up further back. Can you help us?"

The bat frowns. "Oh, those traps can be pretty nasty … but – URK!" The silhouette of the bat soon changes shape as a crossbow bolt protrudes from his face, and he topples over … and a second bolt knocks him back, so he doesn't go tumbling down the shaft. The frail creature flops onto the floor and twitches a bit, then stills with a squeaky death rattle.

The Champion of Shadows carefully moves into the chamber the rest of the way, looking about just to make sure the bat doesn't have any other friends here before he starts to search the bat's body.

No, it looks like there was a lone sentry, and it doesn't look like he was well equipped to deal with intruders. He was probably meant to shoot down the shaft and warn others of intruders … but it would seem that Faraon doesn't exactly have top-of-the-line professionals in his employ throughout his operation.

A quick search of the bat's body reveals a handful of shekels, a pouch of some "weeds", a pouch of bugs, and a sharp chitin dagger. By the condition of the "weeds" and the smell in the room, it would seem that the bat was partaking of his stash shortly before the arrival of Shadows' party.

The Champion of Ashes anchors his grappling hook into the rocky floor. The other Black Lancers do the same as they file into the chamber with the rest of the party.

"Vague, you're the stealthiest. Can you scout the bottom of the shaft and let us know if its safe for the rest of us to descend?" Shadow signs to his lancer.

Vague nods in answer … then dives down the wide shaft, disappearing into the darkness below.

The Black Champion kneels against the lip of the shaft and quietly awaits Vague's return.

There's a quiet pause for some time … and then Vague wings his way back up the shaft. In the shuttered lantern light, once he lands, he signs, "No guards. One booby-trap, obviously marked, easily bypassed. But beware. Explosives."

"Explosives?" Shadow signs questioningly.

Vague just responds to this by nodding vigorously.

"Help guide the Black Lance down. The rest of us will follow you." The Champion of Shadows kneels down to help Ashes with his grapple.

It takes a bit of careful work, and a few stumbles on the way, but no real setbacks, as the group rappels or flies down the shaft. They at last make their way down into the cavern system – in an irregular tunnel with veins of faintly glowing crystal providing faint illumination … enough that the Black Lancers extinguish their lanterns for now, so as not to give any undue warning to defenders.

The Vartan Knight gives his equipment a quick check and then slowly starts to proceed down the caverns, warily keeping an eye open for more traps or guards in the cavern.

Down the corridor a distance can be seen what Vague was referring to … a tripwire running across the tunnel. Just past the tripwire, the corridor widens into a chamber … and around the corners are several kegs of what is presumably gunpowder, with the tripwire rigged to some sort of sparker arrangement on each barrel. It's easily enough stepped over … or disabled by snipping the tripwire, if one so chooses.

"Disarm it. If one of Faraon's men tries to use the tunnel, they probably know about this trap enough to avoid it, and I don't want an innocent accidentally exploding themselves or collapsing the tunnel by mistake," Shadow signs, gesturing to the tripwire.

Vague nods … then deftly slices the tripwire. While the others file through, Vague busies himself with more cleanly removing the remainder of the tripwire, so that nobody snares it by accident.

Nodding at the progress, Shadow waits until Vague is finished up and then continues down the corridor again.

The winding tunnels lead downward and downward quite some distance. There are more traps along the way … and a few close calls … and even one case where a trap was "triggered" but simply failed to go off, the powder perhaps getting too damp here in the caverns beneath the sewers.

At last, the group reaches what at first appears to be a dead end … save for a thin line of light limning a "secret" door set in the rock, which would surely not be visible if the group were using lanterns of their own.

"Shade, start preparing your wards. Diamond, you stay here and protect Shade and deal with people who try to exit through here. If they're friend, then tell them to go to the shaft and wait; if they look like Faraon's men, then kill them unless they surrender." Shadow hesitantly walks up to the door and places a hand against it, pushing it slightly.

Shade immediately begins setting up a magic circle on the irregular ground, while Diamond finds herself a defensive position, and the Black Lancers arrange themselves on each side of the door. The door cracks open, revealing a corridor beyond … one that runs perpendicular to the secret passage the Champion of Shadows looks out from – it goes right and left, and is lit by torch sconces set in the walls.

The faint sounds of music can be heard wafting down the corridor, and the smell of fruits and cooked meats.

The Black Knight draws out his crossbow and peers down either side of the corridor, checking for guards. His ears perk at the noise further down.

There's no sign of any guard down this particular corridor. A few droplets of spilled liquid – wine, perhaps – can be seen on the floor down a distance, and not completely dried, suggesting that it has been spilled sometime recently.

The music seems to be stronger toward the right, while the clatter of kitchenware can be heard somewhere far to the left.

"Banquet hall. If they expecting attack, they sure no acting like it," Shadow hastily signs. He pulls the door closed save for a fraction to listen through and gestures to one of the Black Lancers. "You better ears than me. Listen and sign what you hear. Listen for footsteps coming and I close door."

The closest armored wolf nods, and perks his ears, listening.

About an hour later, Shade has finished her wards. The best that can be picked up from the sounds is that some sort of banquet is going on, with music … There is some loud laughter, but nothing loud enough to be heard clearly such a distance away through the secret door and beyond the general clamor. It does sound, however, like quite a few individuals carousing and partaking of wine and meat. The group takes the time to prepare their weapons and double-check and triple-check every last thing.

There's no hint of the sounds of rushing water, nor the familiar scents of the gardens or orchards. The corridor must not open directly out into the main central grand hall.

Down to the left, there can be heard a lot of chattering and giggling. It sounds like a procession of servants is coming this way!

"This may sound cowardly, but it may be best if we secure the kitchen first. Hopefully we can do it quickly and quietly and from there see if any of the servants know where Faraon is. If we storm the banquet hall, we will probably only alert the whole dome to our presence and spoil what little element of surprise we have." At the sound of the footsteps, Shadow pushes the door closed again and waits.

"… I love parties! I hope we get to eat the leftovers! … " "… Do you think they'll serve a xocholatl statue of Faraon like they did last time? … " The servants chatter amongst themselves, carrying platters laden with food and drink down the narrow corridor in double file.

"Wait until they file back into the kitchen, and then we go. We need to be swift and hard. Hopefully the music will drown out most of the noise but we still need to be careful. Everyone ready… " The armored Vartan places a hand against the door and waits.

It ends up taking quite some time, actually. The servants make their way back and forth several times, and there are a few lulls … but then another group of servants comes through. All in all, perhaps a half hour has passed before it's certain that – for now – there aren't any servants making use of the corridor, and the sounds from the banquet hall seem to be more raucous than before.

One of the wolves nods. "Hallway empty," he signs.

"Go," Shadow signs and pushes the door open. He motions for the others to follow him and swiftly makes his way to the kitchen.

The warriors file down the corridor, leaving Shade and Diamonds to provide magical support … and after making their way down the long stretch of corridor, they enter into a considerably larger kitchen, with rounded walls and a ceiling, with windows looking out of part of the great stalactite that the Jade Palace is built into. Maids and cooks yell and shriek, and pots clatter to the floor at the sight of the armed warriors barging into the room – conspicuously ready for battle and most certainly not on the guest list.

Shadow quickly grabs one of the serving maids and slaps a hand over her mouth. "Everyone be quiet and you will live. If you alert the guards we will be forced to make a stand here and you will most assuredly find yourselves in the middle of our shots. We don't wish to harm you." He motions for the other lancers to move in and silence the rest.

The warriors file in. Vague gestures toward a large meat locker. None of the servants puts up a fight – it's obviously futile, and the only means of escape is blocked by the Lancers. (Faraon's Dome does not, after all, follow Rephidim Temple fire regulations.)

"Where is Faraon?" The Black armored Vartan asks one of the chefs.

The poodle chef's fake mustache (must be a fad) quivers, as the puffy hat on his head falls off. "Mon Kapitan … ze Faraon ze Friend … he ees comeeng! He should be here any meenute!"

"Coming to the banquet?" The Vartan tilts his head to the side. "What is the occasion of this feast? Don't you know that Rephidim is going to attack in two hours with every ship they can muster together?"

The chef's eyebrows rise up. "A – attack?! Mon Kapitan, my command of Repheedeem Standard ees not … complete. What do you mean?"

Shadow pushes the chef towards the meat locker and motions for Vague to close it up. "Faraon is either completely unaware or overconfident." After letting the chef go, he drops back to handsign. "Take position by the doors. If anyone walks in, we quietly put them with the others… We wait for Faraon." He motions for Vague to go to one of the windows to watch while he does the same.

Several minutes later – perhaps ten? Hard to tell – a loudly-shouting Kavi comes stumbling down the corridor. "HEY! Where's my wine? I been shriekin' for a refill the past … the past … FOREVER!"

Shadow flattens himself against a wall. He waves to one of the Black Lancers guarding the side of the entrance, points towards the corridor, wiggles his fingers like a pair of walking legs, and then curls his hand into a fist and smashes it downwards.

The Lancer nods, and disappears for a moment. There's a brief sound of "Hey!" and then a THUD. The Lancer returns, carrying a limp Kavi, and – giving Vague a moment to open up the meat locker for him – tosses the Kavi in.

The Vartan gives the Lancer a quick thumbs-up and then resumes waiting. ( I suppose Faraon is trying to be fashionably late? Or maybe he just told people he was coming here… )

More time passes. Through the window, a lone airship can be seen dipping under the edge of the sky island, and descending toward the Jade Palace. Other ships can be seen drifting by. It's still dark outside, but it looks like it's nearing dawn.

Shadow curiously leans against the glass, trying to judge who the ships might belong to or where they hail from by their make.

It looks like a Temple vessel … a yacht at most. Probably a patrol boat, definitely short-range and fast.

A few other shapes can be seen at the rim of the sky island, as morning traffic picks up at the docks.

"HEY!" comes a shout down the corridor, joined by a chorus of others. "HEY DOWN THERE! I … " The voices get quiet very quickly.

"We may be making our move very soon. Weapons at the ready." Shadow draws out his sword and flicks his wingblades into place. He motions for the other knights to follow him and starts to slowly move towards the banquet hall.

A quick glance into the gothic-peaked banquet hall reveals several tables in the process of being heaved over, and it looks like several warriors taking defensive positions. The flickering torch sconces make the shadows dance across the room. It looks like there may be twenty or so warriors, but they've most probably imbibed quite a bit of alcohol before this little interruption in their festivities.

"We attack now while they are still surprised and before they get settled in. Everyone go!" The Champion of Shadows points his sword down the corridor and charges forward.

The warriors swarm into the room, and battle is quickly engaged! While the attacking Lancers are quiet and stealthy in their assault, the defenders are far from silent, shouting, howling, barking and shrieking as they let loose with gunfire, crossbow fire and swinging blades at their attackers. Fortunately, the Lancers are far better armored, and they quickly close into melee range with the defenders.

A big white Vartan in chitin chainmail, with a scar running down one side of his face, swings a mighty sword, knocking one of the Black Lancers back. He turns, and a cruel smirk forms on his face as he regards the Champion of Shadows. "Heh. Think you're so hot, eh?" He flexes his muscles, and grabs his sword in both hands, charging at the armored Vartan with an eagle's battlecry!

Shadow's wingblades flick out to protect his back. He holds his sword out defensively but then tries to sidestep the charge, ducking down and sweeping his sword out in the white Vartan's path.

The white Vartan's initial blow cleaves the air where Shadow was previously standing, but he recovers quickly enough to not only counter Shadow's reposte … but to make such a fierce twist that the Champion's gunblade goes flying! For what it's worth, the gunblade imbeds itself into the back of a Kavi, so at least it wasn't for naught.

The champion whirls around and makes a grab for the Vartan's sword arm, slashing his bladed wings forwards as he attacks.

It's a practiced maneuver … but this fellow is either smiled on by the dark gods, or else he's actually seen some real combat experience. He avoids the lethal sweep of the blade-wings and counters with a swing of his own … but his luck runs out as Shadows is more than able to evade the swing of the heavy weapon, and his armor probably could have taken the sloppy blow as well.

Shadow decides to meet the Vartan strength for strength this time and boldly charges his opponent, this time trying to crush him against a wall before he gets a chance to swing his weapon again.

The white Vartan at first seems confident he can take the charge … but as the knight hits him, he slips in a pool of blood shed by the cleft Kavi … and smashes his head against a stone gargoyle jutting out from the wall. His eyes roll back into his head … and he falls to the floor, his sword falling out of his hand.

More shouts and roars can be heard through the archway leading into the banquet hall … as several more warriors can be seen charging in. While the drunken defenders don't stand a chance against the invaders … it would seem that reinforcements are arriving.

The black armored Vartan quickly moves to recover his sword and for the next attack, pausing a moment to make sure that the white Vartan doesn't get up again. At the sound of the shouts, he whirls around to face the approaching warriors, stabs his wingblades into the floor to brace himself and fires a shot down the tunnel before the reinforcements get too close.

The blast knocks the Vartan knight firmly back against his braces, but they succeed in holding him firmly in place. The explosive shell arcs over the heads of the nearest warriors, who have hardly a moment to react before … it EXPLODES!

"YAAAAAAAAA!" Shrapnel flies, and rock falls from the ceiling, clobbering those in the corridor who weren't hit by the burst of the grenade. A couple of the warriors stagger through the smoke … but only fall to the floor, bloodied by the shrapnel.

Vague slowly staggers back up, peering into the smoke-filled corridor.

Shadow wrenches his wings from the floor and stands. "We need to keep moving. Is everyone ready?"

The smoke clears … revealing a corridor blocked off by fallen rubble, with a few twitching limbs sticking out from the debris.

"Well, that will keep them from following us at least." Shadow spins around and moves back towards the kitchen. "Ashes, get your grapple ready. We may be climbing again."

One of the Black Lancers hisses … and several of the wolves move forward, and start moving boulders. Ashes, meanwhile, turns to face the Champion, and nods.

Shadow walks back into the kitchen and opens the meat locker again. "Do any of you know where Faraon is right now? Or where he was supposed to be before he would have come to the feast? In return for your help, we will make sure you escape here with your lives intact."

Outside, several of the airships from the docks can be seen descending … no … they're Temple vessels. Something is going on outside. It would seem that the operation must be beginning.

One of the cooks stammers, "He's in Gallis! He … he's being wined and dined down there, doing business … he's coming up today to show them his riches … and to throw a grand breakfast banquet!"

"Where in Gallis? Who is hosting him?" The Champion scrawks.

The cook stammers, "T-the-the … the Marquis? I am not certain! He is such a hit with the nobility. I think it's because they think he's made out of gold!"

Shadow shakes his head and looks to the rest of the servants. "What about the rest of you, do any of you know who Faraon's guest was to be today or does the dragon keep his servants in the dark as to whom they are supposed to serve?"

The servants look to be largely confused, though one of them offers, "I think he was going to have the Burgermeister over!" "Stark the Stiletto, I believe."

Outside, there are several explosions, and a burning airship hurtles past the window.

The Black Champion walks to one of the windows and kicks it. "Ashes, go get Diamond. You and your lancers and Shade escort these prisoners back to the topside. We'd best inform the armada that Faraon isn't here."

The window, amazingly, holds.

"Is there another exit through here? A servant's entrance perhaps, or a means of delivering things to the kitchen without having to bring them through the banquet hall and disturbing the guests?" The Vartan scrapes his foot against the floor.

Vague pokes his head into a compartment. "Looks like a dumb waiter here, Champion."

The dumb waiter looks large enough for a warrior to fit in … two, if they don't happen to be the size of the Champion of Shadows.

"Good eyes, Vague." Shadow looks back to the chef. "What is above and below this place?"

The chef says, "Zat goes up and down to ze quarteers of Faraon's guests, and down to ze graund hall."

The Champion nods. "And who is a guests right now? Are there any prisoners or hostages here currently?"

"Preesonars? HOSTAGES?" The chef seems aghast. "Most certainly not!"

The chef says, "What do we look like, terrohrists? Thees ees ze Jade Palace, ze most EXCLUSIVE vacation resort een ze WORLD! We have no PREESONARS!"

Outside, another burning airship plummets past, this one smashing against the large outer window … but the window holds, and the flimsy yacht breaks apart, the flaming pieces scattering.

"Then you're a blind fool that Faraon left here to die. He is guilty of innumerable crimes against Rephidim and Sinai at large." The Champion shakes his head. "I am not here to argue and I am not here to add to the slaughter if I can help it. Ashes, there's been a change in plans. We're going to try to evacuate whom we can… the guests here are probably rich nobles with important families who may look upon this attack as an act of war against their countries by Rephidim. We need to start getting them out. Can you and your men handle that while I try to get word to the airships?"

Ashes nods. He gestures to his Lancers, points to the dumb waiter, then pounds his fist against an imaginary second fist. The Black Lancers set to dismantling and tearing out the dumb waiter, making an open shaft.

"Which floor has access to the outside?" the armored Vartan scrawks to the chef.

The chef stammers for a bit, then says, "Ze bottom! From the great hall, you just go … " He wiggles his hand in an upward motion. "Zoop! Up ze central shaft! Or zere is ze emergency escape down, but zat is a straight drop out ze bottom … and Faraon closed that after a black Khatta fell out ze bottom!"

"Closed with what… wood?" The Vartan mulls things over in his head. It might be easier to smash through some wooden planks and meet up with the fleet that way instead of popping out in the middle of the battle and catching himself in the middle of artillery fire.

The chef shakes his head. "No, Kapitan, a secure trap-door … only to be opened from ze eenside! Faraon was afraid someone might fly in from outside!"

Meanwhile, the Black Lancers start climbing up and down the "dumb waiter" shaft.

"All right." Shadow motions to Vague. "Get these people to the central shaft area and you and Silhouette start flying them up, the same with the people that Ashes brings in. I'm going to go get word to the fleet." And with that he waits for an opening and starts to climb down the shaft as well.

It takes some time climbing down the shaft, sharing the space with several rappelling wolves, who head out onto separate floors. There are a few shouts and shrieks, but no sounds of combat in the rooms. But by the time the Champion gets down to the great hall … it looks like something is definitely going on down here.

There are a number of dead bodies lying around – some being Faraon's thugs, some mere servants, some … well, it's hard to tell one armed fellow from another, but not all of the dead warriors could be Faraon's men. Some of them have patchy excuses for uniforms. The mercenaries, perhaps?

Of in the distance, it looks like there are some Temple Guards engaged in battle with a motley assortment of armed warriors.

Shadow decides to climb out of the shaft and investigate, he pulls himself from the shaft and closes the door behind him before drawing out his sword and rushing to assist the other Templars.

As the black Vartan rushes up, it looks like the fighting has stopped for a moment … a few Temple Guards – most of them wounded – are hunkered down behind some broken statuary, and there appear to be a few mercenaries behind some bushes.

A rat chitters out, "All right, I surrender, I surrender! But if this is some sort of trick … Dagh help me, I'll come back from the grave and haunt you, I swear!"

"Where is the commander of this mission? Faraon isn't here." The armored Vartan rests his sword against his shoulder.

A white Jupani Guard – her left arm roughly bandaged up, looks up to the armored Vartan. "Sergeant Sesko, at your service, sir!" she says with a salute, then gestures to the poodle next to her. "I am assisting Sky Captain de Bellefeuille. There has been treachery in the ranks."

"DAGH RIGHT there's been treachery!" the rat shrieks. "Blasted Temple … " He devolves into a stream of curses … "firing upon us, when we're working for you!"

"I am glad you see things my way," calls out Elise before she stands up from behind her cover. "Once your weapons are d- … " The officer pauses and turns towards the Champion of Shadows, "Sir! I am leading this group, and it seems we have been duped." She gestures towards the mercenaries and shakes her head sadly. "It was a plot, to tarnish the honor of Rephidim."

A couple of Guards back down behind more cover work on bandaging up a wounded black Khatta lady – She wears a dress and jewelry of distinctly Chronotopian design, and shows no signs of being armed or a combatant, though that evidently hasn't spared her from harm.

"I refuse for Rephidim and my men to be the victims of another attempt to slander us. Captain Bellefeuille, if you have a ship to spare, we need to go to Gallis right away and apprehend Faraon. You also need to get word to the other ships and call off this attack." The Champion jerks a thumb towards the shaft behind him. "If you have men to spare, then you need to aid in securing the guests."

A black-armored Sphynx flaps over to land near the Champion of Shadows. "Champion! The Black Lancers arrived just in time! There were several Kavi 'mercenaries' seeking to attack the guests! The scoundrels were dispatched, and the civilians spared."

The Sphynx pants, then says, "They seemed to know exactly which rooms there were guests staying in … "

The Champion's tone lightens as soon as the Sphynx arrives. "Good. Apparently Faraon didn't trust us to deal with the guests ourselves and sent some men to manage it instead."

Sesko makes a pained smile. "I can move … but I believe we've sent back all our unwounded as messengers."

The rat can be heard sputtering a long stream of curses, with several synonyms for "dragon" scattered in here and there.

Elise snaps a salute. "Yes, Champion." She then turns towards Sergeant Sesko and nods to her before turning back towards the Champion of Shadows. "My ship is set off the dock above the shaft above us. If you can get me to it, I can handle everything from there."

The Vartan kneels and holds out a hand to the poodle. "I can carry you. Vague, we may need cover so be prepared. Did any of the attacking mercenaries live… surely somebody here knows where Faraon is hiding."

Vague nods and keeps a wary eye out for any potential attackers. It looks like, for the most part, the combat has died down, so-called "mercenaries" included.

"We brought in two Kavis that were found over the body of a fallen Khatta female. They may be the false mercenaries you seek, Champion. Otherwise the group we were fighting may hold some false mercenaries within, as the Lancer has stated," notes Elise.

The poodle officer glances off towards Sergeant Sesko. "See that the arriving assault parties are made aware of this situation, and are told to find any remaining civilians. I will accompany the Champion of Shadows back to the ship and signal command. You will take charge here while I am away," Elise tells the Jupani.

"Yes, Ma'am," barks the white Jupani, saluting the poodle.

"We'll begin rounding up the prisoners here and questioning them as soon as we know the dome is secure. It should not be too difficult distinguishing the nobility here as guests from those in Faraon's employ. If you are ready, Sky Captain?" The Champion gestures up the shaft.

Sky Captain Elise holsters her pistol and nods. "I am ready, Champion."

Shadow gingerly picks up Elise and snaps his wings open, shooting up the shaft and towards the anchored airship.