To Catch A Spy (Player Post - Aethulian Quel'alin)

Aethulian shifted in his vantage from outside the Miner's Exchange and winced. Even with his slender Elven physique and peak physical condition, crouching for hour on this rooftop truss was taking it's toll. He had come here to watch for Halia Thornton, the owner and proprietor of the Miner's Exchange. Whispers in the dark corners of this fledgling town spoke to him. There were always whispers to be found for those who were willing to listen - or rather those who were willing to pay. The name Halia Thornton was circulating within these circles. A pariah, an unknown; and, concerning the Redbrands, someone not to be trifled with. The former gang which had extorted the small town for the better part of a year seemed to avoid the proprietor of the Miner's Exchange like a beaten dog avoiding a brutal kennel master. There was more than just self-preservation there; there was fear. It didn't matter anymore, the corruption of the Redbrands had been burned out of the town with a clinical efficiency that impressed even Aethulian but his curiosity for Halia continued to nag at him. It made no sense to Aethulian. The Miner's Exchange would be one of the more profitable locations; ripe with gems and minerals and an easy mark for even a common cutpurse or thief. Yet even the most base of criminals within Phandalin avoided Halia's enterprise like a pox-ridden beggar.

At the surface she seemed like a normal woman, hardier than some of the dames he'd seen in Neverwinter, but still insubstantial. Humans were fragile creatures, Aethulian found their woman in particular to be quite unimpressive. Any maiden of the Or-tel-quessir could run through dozens of the women without even batting an eye but perhaps this woman could pose a mediocre challenge. The caution still made no sense. After a few nights of fruitless inquiries and some more assertive discussions with a drunken ruffian in the stables behind the Stonehill Inn Aethulian had reluctantly decided to take a more direct approach. He needed better intelligence to sate his own curiosity. It was sometimes easy to forget that good intelligence consisted of nothing more than luck and speculation. Sometimes you just had to roll the dice.

And so here sat Aethulian, on the exposed trusses of a roof, staring at the Miner's Exchange. The windows had been dark for the past few hours and the building looks empty. It was too early for her to have turned in for the night. He had paid for a few tails in the past few days and his own surreptitious pursuits the night before revealed that she was early to rise and late to rest. The windows were dark and the two story-building seemed sullen in the dimming evening light. It was of sound construction. It's foundation hadn't yet fallen to the hands of dilapidation yet, a testament to the wealth locked inside. Sighing, Aethulian shifted again, his joints howling in protest. He couldn't stay here - he didn't want to stay here.
"Let's do it the orc way then," he muttered to himself and spared a wry smile at his own joke. He slinked down gracefully between the buildings and landed soundlessly in a low crouch. With a blur of movement, he dashed across the street and along the side of the Miner's Exchange. He had studied the layout of the building meticulously and knew there was a large back door which provided larger mining caravans the ability to offload bulky loads directly into a bay in the bay of the building. The massive barn doors were chained shut but a smaller door beside them was afforded a more pliable lock. The alleyway behind the building was as empty and bathed in darkness. The sunken light of the dimming sun washed over the buildings and caused a glowing halo around the nearby buildings. He moved quickly to the door, hands flicking up a slender lock pick into his hand. With a grace granted by years of practice and skill, he casually slid the lock pick into the keyhole and rested his other hand on the lever of the door handle. His eyes widened as when he applied a small degree of pressure intending to test the burden of the lock the lock clicked and the door swung slowly open. Aethulian sat crouched, his arms still held up as if he was lock picking an invisible lock. He poked his head in the door and peered around. The interior of the room was dark and empty. It seemed to be more of an open work space with the bulk of the gems, minerals, and ores locked in vaults in the cellar or on display in the storefront. There was a row of tables long the far side of the room positioned as some sort of a counter. Miners could carry in their hauls and present them to Halia or her prospectors for valuation; the actual exchange all happened behind closed doors. Aethulian closed the door quickly behind him and scanned the floor quickly for any sort of trap of tripwire - nothing.
"Easy," he said with a smirk. There was a noise from behind him and he froze as his blood ran cold.
"Almost too easy?" a woman's voice said. Aethulian rose slowly and carefully moved his hand onto the hilt of his daggers.
"Careful Elf," the voice said. "Turn around slowly and get your hands off that those blades or I'll punch a hole in your chest so big that kitten that travels with you could crawl through it". The voice said. There was an edge to her voice, a dangerous tone. He had to be careful.

Aethulian turned slowly and he saw a woman sitting in the darkness of the corner of the room. She had been sitting casually on a chair and a heavy crossbow rested on her lap, the shallow point of its barbed bolt pointed directly at his chest. He frowned as his elvish eyes adjusted to the darkness around her. Tendrils of blackness seemed to be receding from around her as she slowly phased into sight. Wood Elves in particular were known for their dark vision and he had scanned the corner when he had gained entry. It had been empty.  She stood up slowly and fixed the crossbow firmly into her hip. She was a tall and slender woman; platinum blonde hair framed dark and dangerous eyes. Her features were smooth but her jaw was set with a look of bitter determination. She smiled and raised an eyebrow, realizing the cause of his disbelief.
"This," she said motioning to the darkness and casually toying with one of the tendrils as it wrapped playfully around her finger. "Just a parlor trick. I was wondering when you were going to get off that roof. It must have been awfully uncomfortable," she said.
"Halia," Aethulian said and tipped his head in greeting.
"What do you want?" she asked and motioned with the crossbow. "Be quick about it. I'm tired from sitting here for the past hour and waiting for you to stumble in."