The Tannery
As Robert calls out, the man calls back though his voice is shaking abit, "What Church is it that would invade my business in the middle of the night!"
"Open up! I come from the only Church that matters! Quickly now!" Robert shouts. Then in Celestial, Robert repeats an Iomedean greeting he's read somewhere, "The Sword of Valor ushers the light!"
As Robert speaks, Pelleas pries some vial of unknown origin from his belt. Popping the cork from it with one flick of his thumb, he downs the concoction as soon as he clears the now open gates. The tiefling's eyes go wild as he races towards the man and his dog, cackling like a madman the entire time. "Open up, open up!" Pelleas says, mimicking Robert in a high, grating voice. He careens towards the two, now loping along on all fours, before skidding to a stop and drawing his rapier. "I might've opened the gates, but you lot best get to the rest of it, or there'll be trouble!" Pelleas seems almost more like an animal than a man as he wavers in place, the sword held menacingly in the direction of the man with the crossbow.
Vadim laughs. "Your time as come!" He lifts his scythe over his head and brings it down on the helpless puppy in front of him.
Castiel steps backward from the dog, drawing his bow. Hold on a bit long, Alic, we'll fix you up. This is nowhere near as bad as what Sir Agelmore did next... Castiel continues his story, detailing a series of events so farcical it could only be true of a paladin. And then, Sir Agelmore ended up in bed. With his horse!. He lets loose his arrow. Unfortunately, he's so busy telling his tale that it throws off his aim
The Tannery - Round 3
Vadim's weapon slices down at the dog and severely injures it but it is not down for the count yet!
Argog charges at the dog and swings down with his Fauchard.
Melee Attack .
Damage .
The deadly arc of the polearm finishes off the poor pooch!
Darkin and Alexander both move in but stay out of the line of sight of the man within the building. Alexander calls out, "Surrender and we will let you live. Fail to and you will consider your dog's fates lucky indeed!"
Bluff
Alexander's lie is simply not believable.
The man yells out in rage, "Foul devil worshippers! I'll not go down alone!"
He fires his crossbow at Argog
but the shot slams into the inside of the building his hands are shaking so badly.
"He didn't go for it! Vadim declares, sounding far too happy that their plan failed. "Fantastic! I always feel lazy when I leave survivors!" He marches in to the entrance to the building, his towering black armored form now between the man and his only escape.
Alexander looks a bit sheepish after that outburst. Can't do that again. I'm terrible at lying.
He sighs and looks towards the man. "Fine. You won't listen? Then fear us!" He intoned a dark spell over the crossbow wielding man, an air of dread settles upon him.
Castiel, seeing that the others appear to have the human well in hand, slips Alic one of his curative potions.
Alic CLW Potion .
The man cowers away from Vadim dropping his crossbow as a bolt of magical energy catches him in the chest.
Alic gasps as the potion brings him sputtering back to life, and the divine power surging through him serves to further close up his wounds, skin lacing itself together over the bloody bite. "Ah, how wonderful a feeling," he sighs, pushing himself to his feet. For now he brings his chain up and takes a defensive posture, casting his gaze toward the man but not moving to attack just yet.
"Right." Alexander looks around the yard before shifting his focus to the room the man went into. "We need to start searching the place. Someone good with looking around should check that office!" He walks along to the window of the building and looks inside.
"Good with looking around?" Pelleas says, his rapier still out after his foe has dropped. "We've got a man who knows the place inside and out!" With another crazed chuckle, Pelleas moves over to the man and hoists him to his feet with his off-hand, a mouth full of wicked teeth meeting the man's gaze. "Now, you'll tell us where everything in that office is... won't you? You wouldn't want to get hurt any worse; those dogs of yours might not bleed out if you're alive to patch 'em up, eh?"
The man drops his bow, it is clear to him just how hopeless the situation is though you still see defiance in his eyes Pelleas. Once you mention that his dogs are not dead, his tone softens, "You lot heal my dogs and I'll give you what you are looking for..."
Pelleas, shrugging at the look on the man's face, drops to his knees beside the two beasts. He makes an effort to staunch the bleeding on them both. After only a few seconds he manages to staunch the bleeding on one of them, and with a cluck of his tongue takes some spare cloth and ties it around the animal's wounds. "That one.... yes, he'll live. Perhaps a nasty scar, a memento from Alic, hmm?" He chuckles again, barely stifling the maddening laughter, before moving to the other animal. This one seems to take him longer, a sour look on his face as blood pours between his fingers. "Bad dog!" he remarks, seemingly being serious. "Stop bleeding!" He presses his hands against the wound again, and finally manages to stop the bleeding of the other animal as well. Pelleas then stands up, blood dripping from his gloved hands.
"There, they'll live; might be a bit sore, though." He extends one bloody finger towards the man, a wild grin on his face. "Now, you'll take us to the office. And more importantly... if you tell anyone about is, I'll lock you in the tanning rooms and set them aflame, and let your dogs bark and whine over your burnt carcass." The words certainly seem genuine, but Pelleas seems to have a hard time being menacing, even with his hands dripping blood and the poor man kneeling at his feet.
Alexander smirks while assessing the situation. "Heh, things are going well for you now. Just listen to us and maybe we won't inform your employer..." With light clearly upon the man's face, he recognized him. It's JABRAL LOUSLIK! S$%+. Well, while I did try to talk with him, he wasn't able to meet with me. I should be fine... But just in case.... The dark haired Chelaxian man clicks his tongue.
He growls somewhat when he speaks. "Oh.... I know you, Jabral Louslik. You didn't pay your taxes. And we knew, because you bragged about it. And now we're here. You bragged about not handing over gold that the government rightly deserved. Which would have protected you." He raised a hand with two fingers pointed skyward. "Your first folly. If you paid your taxes, there wouldn't ve anything for us to take. Secondly, with your taxes paid, guards would be happy to assist you in your need." He clenched his hand into a fist. "And since you wanted to rebel, this is what you deserve! He points to Jabral as if he has sentenced the man to a dark fate.
Upon hearing that the dogs' lives will ensure the man's cooperation, Alic moves quickly to them alongside Pelleas. While the tiefling works on one, Alic quickly staunches the bloodflow of the other, and if it looks like the other is bleeding out before Pelleas can finish, Alic steps in and closes the wounds with a trained hand. "There are two kinds of pain: useful pain that you feel, that makes you stronger, and senseless pain that does nothing. The first is the greatest gift the Midnight Lord gives us, and the purest joy in this world. The second is an affront to all for which he stands, and should be kept to a minimum."
Alic wraps up on the dogs and looks up to stare Louslik in the eyes. "I should think you might ponder on that, child. How far can your body go before the pain turns to heresy?"
"Do you know where the term 'outlaw' comes from?" Vadim asks the cowering man. "It refers to how someone who spits in the eye of the law no longer has the luxury of being protected by those laws. So if you'd rather continue to not pay your taxes, I'd be happy to show you how we deal with outlaws in my homeland. Since you've been stealing from the government, I think the thief's punishment would be best. Tell me, which of your hands are you least attached to?"
"Oh, I know!" Alic grins. "The one you cut off!"
Castiel leans back, watching the others work with some amusement. He lightly plucks a tune on his harm. It has the air of something light and lilting, like a child's rhyming song.
Once Pelleas and Alicarus finish their work, Jabral steps outside to check on them. He scratches each behind the ear, "Good boys, good boys". He whispers.
His head down, he does not look any of you in the eyes or respond directly to threats or comments. He instead steps back into the building and reaches under the desk. He drags out a lockbox.
He brings it to the doorway, "This is I suppose what you came for. The little that I have is yours take it. I shall not make trouble again. I trust this will keep such nocturnal visits at bay?" He asks as he still looks towards the ground.
I have no quarrel with you. I see no reason that we should meet again.
"No, no reason for us to come by again... unless you make some more bad decisions!" Pelleas cackles, doubling over in a fit of insane laughter. "We'll be taking that, then." Pelleas heaves the lock-box up to his chest and turns towards the door. "I think what we've gotten what we came for, eh?" The tiefling chuckles again at a joke apparently only he notices, before calling over his shoulder. "You best get some sleep, now! Don't want to work on a poor night's sleep!" He then nearly sprints out of the building, not waiting for the others. When the rest catch up, he is paused outside running his fingers through the hair of the recently patched up animals now breathing peacefully in the grass.
"I used to have a hunting dog, when I was young... when my father took me hunting." The comment doesn't seem melancholic or even upset, merely an unrelated observation.
"I suppose that's all then." Vadim doesn't exactly sound upset, but he seems a little... disappointed. "Well, let's go turn in the good man's back taxes then."
Castiel shrugs, continuing to play his harp, softly in the background.
Argog growls at the man and then turns to head out of the Tannery complex.
Robert proceeds to the others. "Where is this person who would deny the One True Church?"
As Robert begins to move towards the Tanner, Cimri Staelish enters the building. "We're not here for that Robert. Come gentlemen, it's time to go". She stares hard at the Tanner, "I assume we'll hear no more of your name except as an excellent craftsman yes?" The man nods as he glances around at the fearsome array of foes before him.
She begins to lead you all out of the complex and back towards the rendezvous point, the Ash House.
What remains of this manor looks like it could collapse at any moment. Bearing the scars of a decades-old fire, the house is blackened and sags under the weight of its collapsed third floor. Shattered windows pose no barrier to the riot of ivy scaling each gable and invading every cavity. Bent pillars and a cracked granite porch lead to a warped door bearing a rusty doorknocker shaped like a boar’s head.
Argog turns to Cimri, "I'll take my cut now. I've another place to be at the present time..."
Bewildered Cimri motions for him to open the lock box. He pulls out 50 gold and moves along on his way.
Robert tries his best to contain his anger. He looks at the Tanner, "I trust no mention of this matter will reach the ears of the authorities. Who knows it may be we who will come to respond."
A final misdirection.
Robert casts change self to change his appearance into one of the town deputies, "Understand?"
The man nos to Robert and says nothing further, he seems smart enough to know when to keep his mouth shut.
Castiel bows his head to Argog as the soldier leaves. Please, be sure to look me up the next time you are in Westcrown. It shall be, most interesting.
Vadim laughs heartily as the group departs the tannery. "Now this was a fine night! I thank all of you for this excellent and interesting little adventure. But alas, I cannot remain very long. Just as the wind does not stop simply because it blows down a tree, I cannot remain simply because there is more mischief to do. And there are far more lands that require a bit of dastardly evil. So I will bid all of you ado. Perhaps fate will smile on us one day and we shall have the pleasure of meeting again."
Robert nods at Vadim, "Perhaps another night will bring you again to these parts."
Castiel plucks out a marching song on his harp. Farewell, Vladim. If you are ever need of employment, seek me out. I am always in need of a skilled blade.
With his mutagen finally having worn off, Pelleas straightens his coat and coughs a few times, before seemingly returning to his normal self. He watches silently as two of their companions break rank and leave, before giving Cimri a pointed look. "If I were being smart, I'd take my leave like the rest of them, head back to Egorian... but I have a feeling my father wouldn't be particularly pleased. What's happening next, then? I have a feeling your plan goes beyond robbing a tannery."
With his mutagen finally having worn off, Pelleas straightens his coat and coughs a few times, before seemingly returning to his normal self. He watches silently as two of their companions break rank and leave, before giving Cimri a pointed look. "If I were being smart, I'd take my leave like the rest of them, head back to Egorian... but I have a feeling my father wouldn't be particularly pleased. What's happening next, then? I have a feeling your plan goes beyond robbing a tannery."
Castie chuckles. Where is the fun in being smart? . We can save that for the next century
When the group arrives at the Ash House, Alexander can't help but to smirk. "Ah, see! This is exactly what happens when you don't side with the winning side." He gestures to the old manor. "You get burned. I wonder if there's a old hidden vault of some sort."
His focus changes when he heard the lock box opened. "Ah, at least we're being compensated for this. And... Hm?" And he notes that both the muscle-bound monstrosity and the antipaladin accept their payments and leave. He lets out a slight tsk. Now who will stand between me and the enemy? Damn. He sighs. "Well." He turns to Cimri. "What's next?"
Cimri grins at the questions that come at her, "Now, we get paid".
She heads around the back of the ruined building via the wraparound porch. When she reaches a back window, she pushes it up and steps inside gesturing for all of you to follow.
Pieces of battered furniture lie here amid the choking scent of dust and ashes. Beneath a mantle crowded with empty whiskey bottles, the fireplace shows evidence of recent use. The scorched, broken visages of curious cherubs leer from atop archways leading deeper into the house.
There are two doorways one to the east and one to the north. On the table is a chest which looks out of place.
Robert hangs back and watches for any surprises, making sure that he has an out should this be a trap.
That.. is a very odd chest. Castiel regards the chest with bland interest. But, such odd things are usually unwise to mess with. Perhaps in the next century.
Alexander's eyes narrow at the sight of having to enter the ruined manor through a random window. Bah. Having to enter this place as if it still had items of note in it, even after it was burnt. He lets out a slight 'tsk', before climbing through the window to follow Cimri.
Looking around the room, its clear where Miss Cimri must have been spending her days. Raising an eyebrow when he views the chest, he turns to Cimri. "As slight as Castiel's curiosity is, mine is somewhat a bit more so, so I have to ask, what is in the odd chest over there?"
Alicarus slips through the window with grace and ease, not hesitating to follow the woman inside. Once he glances around with the others, though, he does pause. He eyes the chest, and there's a glimmer of curiosity and amusement in his gaze. "Yes, Cimri, let's not be coy. Is this some test, or did you just want to show off your... ehm... chest?" He grins widely and shifts his chain slightly.
Alexander looks at Alicarus after he made his remark. What us so amusing about Cimri and... her... chest. Oh. Ha ha. A play on words. Realizing by what the kuthite said, Alexander groans and puts his hand upon his face. "While you may have history in such subjects, can we please keep this professional?"