"Nothing else really lively went down but I did meet some interesting people - this is Ember; Ember, this is Camellia, and that is Horgus Gwerm. How do you do, Mr. Gwerm, I hope the ladder was to your satisfaction."

"Yes, quite excellent. Not only did it serve to bring me right out of the caves, but into one of the safest parts of the city."

He pulls out a bag of gold coins.

"I won't be offended if you count them, of course, but they're all there. Horgus Gwerm was actually hoping to track you down to hire you for another task, but I hear you're busy?"

"A little, but I have the time to hear you out!"

"I happen to own a mansion in the south of Kenabres where I keep my valuables, including some of tremendous sentimental value, and it's far enough away from any of the patrol routes the eagle's watch have set up that I'm not sure they'll be able to dissuade any looters or cultists who have a go at it. I wouldn't dare ask that our paladins choose to defend my valuables over the lives of our fair citizens, but perhaps you would be amenable to escorting me there so I could retrieve them and ensure nothing untoward happens to them."

He pauses, slightly embarrased.

"Of course, I had planned to offer you the same sum as before, plus a bonus if we ended up seeing combat or for heroism in defense of my property, but part of the problem is that if we don't arrive in time to rescue my safe I can't guarentee I'll have the money on hand there to pay you instantly. I've asked Rathimus if I can withdraw from my accounts with the bank of Abadar, but he says he won't be able to get any actual gold to you before communications are reestablished with Absalom or Osirion, so in the worst case you might have to settle for a promissory note or a delayed payment. O-o-of course, if this eventuality were to occur I would certainly pay you extra for the inconvenience, and in absalom pounds instead of crowns to boot!"

His voice picks up a slightly blustering tone at the end. He seems more than a little nervous about the thought of someone getting their hands on these items of his.

"I think I have time to see you to the mansion, and I'm not specifically suffering for lack of liquid funds right now and will not weep over it if I must accept a promissory note."

"Capital! Horgus Gwerm thanks you for your help. Is there anything you need to do first, or shall we go?"

"I don't think there's anything wrong with it if it makes people happy, but I think I'd rather be helping people. If you're headed there now, I'll be looking for people who need healing."

"That's fine, Ember, but I'll see you at the temple tomorrow, yes?"

"Yes. I don't usually like to go to temples, but I know where they are."

"No need to go inside. It's just the meeting point. Will you be joining us too, Camellia?"

"I wouldn't miss it."

"Mr. Gwerm, are you ready to be on our way now?"

"Of course!"

There aren't any demons in the streets this far south, or at least none that prefer to go after someone being escorted by two adventurers, but some of the buildings are burnt to the ground and there plenty of signs of more human malfeasance; bodies killed by weapons, smashed down doors leading to ransacked interiors, and hastily carved holy symbols to Deskari and Baphomet. Horgus Gwerm's mansion is hardly looking better; several of the front windows are smashed in and the front door is wide open. It's unclear if whoever did it stuck around or is still there, but at least the place isn't on fire.

"Don't be too discouraged about it, Horgus; instead of property destruction, think of it as an excellent excuse to finally replace that entryway carpet with something more modern."

"If you've got a library I can likely fix up damaged books to some extent but I doubt I'll be much help with the rest of the decor."

There's a sound of clattering from one of the back storage areas; upon investigation, some cambions seem to be more focused on getting into Horgus Gwerm's food storage and alcohol than wherever his safe is, but they're armed and there's no telling if any of the other back rooms have people in them without going past.

Time to stab some cambions!

Cambions seem to lack whatever trait most other demons have that makes them resistant to her paper, so they go down gratifyingly quickly. Upon hearing the commotion, one of the other doors bursts open and some of their compatriots come out; in addition to their swords, they seem to be carrying a rather excessive amount of what looks like torture equipment.

They can all be IMPALED WITH PAPER LANCES.

One of them will successfully manage to deflect this with a conjured shield of force, only to then be immediately stabbed by a pissed off Camellia, her rapier glowing slightly with magic of her own.

She'll throw open all the other doors too, just to make sure there's nobody else hiding in them that didn't come out in that commotion, but they appear empty.

"I think that's everyone on the first floor."

"Up the stairs with us, then."

The second floor is clear of demons and cultists; there's some signs that people rifled through the rooms looking for jewelry and other valuables, but most of the clothing is untouched and they didn't make a serious search. When Horgus Gwerm pulls open the secret catch for his safe-room, he pronounces it untampered with.

"Excellent, we're in time. Thank you for your exceptional work, Kybele the Curator; Horgus Gwerm appreciates it. If you would wait out here while I finish, I will be out to reward you shortly."

"Don't you think you ought to tell her at this point? It's not like she's not going to wonder if something is up when she smells smoke coming out of here - she might even come in to help you, which would be a delicious irony."

"Do you really think that's wise?"

Horgus Gwerm looks notably more nervous as the conversation shifts.