Echo shrugged, "Not necessarily human trafficking, perhaps simply a delivery for a wizard's menagerie. Now that you mention it though, the cargo may very well be slaves. Tell me Dwarf, how would you feel if the cargo we've been sent after is in fact slaves?"

"If the cargo we need to secure is indeed a group of slaves, then I think perhaps we might fail in keeping them under control once we freed them."

It was about all the implication he needed to give, he reasoned. Echario seemed like a sharp enough mind to understand the true meaning behind his words.

"Don't you think so?"

"I agree, but need I remind you we are under contract to retrieve this cargo, we forfeit any claim to a successful job if we do "fail to control" the situation." Of course he knew the dwarf's meaning, he also knew what that meant for their standings within the guild too. Where does one draw the line between guild loyalty and what is right and wrong?

"Slaves, not slaves, who cares. Right now we don't know jack. Lets wait until we have our hands on the cargo to see what we have."

Daleel was near the door they needed to go in readying his lockpick set. Things felt off. The area was too open. Something was bound to go wrong. He thought back to the window vents. Earlier he wasn't able to get in them for fear of making too much noise and getting caught. But now he had helpers who could give him a boost.

"There may be another way in. If I can get a boost onto the office roof and then up to a window I can get inside. Then I can make my way down and unlock the door so the rest of you may enter."

He didn't completely like the idea, especially not knowing what was inside the warehouse, but it was better than having the guard alerted.

"I'll try to be quick about getting to the door and getting it unlocked. Now who cares to give me a boost?"

As the party leaves the office section of the warehouse, another sound penetrates the door, this one the sound of a man yelling and cursing. When the outside door shuts, all is silent from within.

Having earned precious little information, but more than they began the day with, the party spent a few minutes trying to determine their next move. After a brief conversation the party decides to attempt another way in. The second small door was the most likely entrance, but it was in full view of the street. If the party were seen trying to forcibly enter that door, they risked the interference of the city guard. The windows high above also presented another possibility.

Thinking about the possibilities, Daleel thought the high road would be less likely to get them caught. He offered the suggestion, but with no response forthcoming was forced to take their fate into his own hands. The little man leapt up onto Thiferl's broad shoulders, and from there leaping up to grab the lip of the office roof. In moments he was on top, and scurrying through one of the propped open windows above.

Long moments pass with no sign of the halfling...

Pacing along the side of the building as they waited for the halfling Echo couldn't help but get impatient and wonder what was taking so long. "Where is he, he better not have gotten himself captured, hurt, or worse. We really shouldn't have let the little man run off by himself."

Daleel unlocked the door and slowly opened it. As the door opened and he appeared to the rest of the group, he had one finger pressed to his lips to indicate silence. In a very low whisper he brought the others up to speed.
"Three guards, one just got up and is moving across the warehouse, may see us very soon. Crates line perimeter. Did not see what we came for, but didn't look very well. Far right corner there is a cellar door. Sorry I took so long, didn't want to be seen."

After he finished speaking, he moved out of the way so the others could make their way into the warehouse. He also drew his sword for the up coming fight.

Argent assessed their possibilities quickly when Daleel took a long time to give any sign of life. He didn't want to use blunt force to make their way into the building, but they had to get in.

Fortunately, the rogue emerged in one piece, and as it seems he had not yet been discovered.

Argent pressed past him and whispered: "We should use the advantage of surprise to spring the guards rather than let them have the initiative of raising back-up."

In any case, he positioned himself in as much a concealed position as he could find. Doing his best to remain silent and unseen he tried to evaluate their chances.

The dirt floor of the warehouse's main level is relatviely bare. The interior of the structure stands approximately 40 feet across, with numerous crates lining the sides along the walls.

You see only the one guard pacing angrily in the opposite corner of the building, though you hear the sounds of more (atleast 2) guards to your right, beyond the stack of crates that is currently hiding your entry from sight of the guards.

The second floor of the warehouse is more of a catwalk around the outer walls, leaving the center wide open for the crane-like contraption that hangs from the ceiling rails. Stacks of crates line that floor as well, making it easy to imagine the halfling slipping silently between crates. There are only two ladders to the second level, one on either side of the large (20' tall) sliding door to your left that serves as the main entrance for carts and such to the building.

As of yet your entry has not been noticed.

Anxiously, Argent waited for the closest guard to come within reach. Hiding as best as he could behind the crates, he sought a good position for an unexpected strike. With a little bit of luck, they could silence the guard before he could raise an alarm.

(OOC: waiting for the guard to come close, then use Stunning Fist).

A myriad of emotions had been flooding through Thiferls brain in the last few minutes. Apparently removing the power of speech, which for one so talkative, was indeed impressive.
But now he was back to his former self.
Hiding in the crates with the others he looked around. He was not only trying to see the crates with the symbol that they were sent for, but also what could have made the screaming sound earlier.
(Assuming he doesn't see anything obvious)
"They must be in the cellar," Thiferl whispered to his accomplices. Leaving it vague if he meant they as in the crates, or they as in the screamer.
"If we're going to take out the guards, we should do all of them at the same time or one might sound an alarm." Pointing at the halfling, "Can you sneak behind or above the crates and take out the guard farthest away that we can't see? Take someone with you who can climb." Pointing at the archer, "You and I will take out the guard across the way, I just need to be 30 ft away to hit him. Argent you will take out the guard walking towards us now. Argent will give the signal as soon as he comes around the corner. It'll have to be quick." Then with a thought, "The man in the office doesn't seem to concerned about screaming, but let's try to do this as quietly as we can."
He looked into the eyes of each of the men gathered around him to make sure they understood their assignments, he hoped he wasn't being too bossy, but they were mere moments away from being discovered, he'd have to apologize for his abruptness later.
Then with a final look into his brother's eyes, as he reached inside himself and prepared his icicle domain spell, he nodded that he was ready.
(Assuming Echo and Skit start making their way behind and above crates, and Ivellios is still around with his bow. If there are only four of us there, then perhaps Echo and Daleel take out their guard they will help Argent and I with ours. Sorry, kinda hard to tell how many of us are still there)

After the entire group was in the door Daleel moved up behind them. He knew this onslaught wouldn't be easy but they had to get it done quickly.

He listened as the dwarf handed out orders. Of course they wouldn't work. There was no way to get between the wall and the crates currently blocking them from sight, and they were stacked too high to climb over them. This would have to be a full frontal assault.

Daleel edged toward the end of the crates. His stealth was good, but not out in the open. He peeked to make sure the guard across the warehouse had his back turned and started moving around the crates. He was hoping that the other two had their backs turned as he came around the corner into the area they were in. If so he might at least get one of them and Argent and Echo could take out the other quickly. Then it would be luck that the archer and other dwarf could take out the one final one across the warehouse quickly.

(OOC: As Daleel comes around the corner he is using stealth and trying to be as sneaky as he can in an open area...if the two guards there have their backs turned he will sneak attack one and leave the other one to his two companions. If they are facing him and he is caught, he'll rush in to attack one of the guards.)

Knowing very well that he was no sneak like the halfling Echo crept forward ever slowly, keeping enough distance between himself and the halfling so that perhaps he would not draw attention before attention need be drawn. Should the need arise, Echo was prepared to cast Magic Missle against any guard that needed to be incapacitated in a timely manner. ((Preferably a target not engaged if at all possible, but that is entirely up to who is within range of the spell when the need arises to cast it))

Daleel crept silently around the crates nearest the card playing guards. He pressed himself closely to the wooden crates, hiding in the shadows cast by the interior torchlight. At one point the guard in the opposite side of the warehouse turned to face him. He stopped cold in his tracks, a silent prayer on his lips. But the guardmumbled something unintelligible and began storming back to the table.

The halfling was only a few feet from the table when the approaching guard noticed him, but not before an arrow found its way into his lungs.

The archer fired, his aim was true. The arrow pierced the man's lungs preventing himfrom crying out and wounding him greatly (critical hit, 15 points of damage). The guard stumbled and went down in a heap.

"Eryk!" One of the guards yelled as they both lept to their feet. Daleel saw his opportunity, stabbing out with his short sword, and piercing the leg of the guard nearest him (9 points of damage from the sneak attack).

The guards began to recover from the shock. Each one drew their swords, now ready to defend themselves. The one closest to the halfling swung at him with a vicious downward chop. Daleel jump back, but was not fast enough to avoid all injury. The blade sliced across his chest, cutting a fine slice in his armor. (hit for 6 points of damage)

The second guard leapt atop the table, seeking high ground and yelled as loud as he could, likely hoping to enlist some sort of aid. He received a streaking bolt of magical energy in the chest for his trouble. It was a minor wound, but it silenced him long enough for the dwarven monk to leap up and jab a fist at his vital regions. Luckily for the guard, he managed to parry the monk's arm with the flat of his blade.

Meanwhile the other half of the dwarven brothers ran up, and without the echoing battle cry so typical of his kind, planted his mace (and the man's head beneath it) firmly in the second guard's chest. (Hit for 9 damage)

OOC: At the end of the first round, one guard remains standing on the table. The other two are down. He is yelling for help once again, but thus far there doesn't seem to be any response to his calls. Echo and the archer are on the opposite side of the crates that were blocking your view of the card players, but about 10' further into the open so as to have a clear line of sight to their targets. The others are all clustered on or around the last guard and the table he stands on.

Knowing the importance of keeping a few tricks up his sleeve Echo readies and loads his crossbow, creeping ever closer to the man raising the alarm, all the while keeping his pointed ears open to the sounds of further trouble.

((Not a great post, I know, but how does one make the loading of a crossbow interesting anyway?))