The door to the Horned Helm looks like a simple plank of wood covered in scratches, burns, and probably blood stains. There are no windows, any there might have once been long boarded over and sealed. You would not think it a door at all usually, until you saw it open and close. The building it is attached to is a run-down, dilapidated two-story affair, nestled among equally run-down buildings, all of which seem to be leaning slightly towards the nearest corner.
As you trepidatiously open the door, noise, heat and smoke pour out and rise with a staggering crescendo of laughter.
It does not get any better as you step inside. The place is hot. Stiflingly so. And most of the crowd are sweating excessively in their cold weather attire, which only adds to the rooms dank stench. The source of the heat seem to be two large metal furnaces, one on either end of the large common room. They seem to be burning coal, wood, and anything else flammable the drunken rabble seems to want to toss in them. There are many tables scattered haphazardly around in no apparent pattern, some stools, some benches, the occasional mismatched chair. A long heavy bar runs across part of the wall across the room, demarking where to get drinks. The place is full of scraggly ulfen men and women. All of whom seems to be well into their cups and in overly aggressive moods. You see no servers at all, apparently you have to get your drinks yourself.
As you enter the noise seems to trail off, as all eyes seem to turn your way. There is a brief pause as they assess what they're looking at, before some go back to whatever they were doing before, but most seem to turn their attentions to you.
Suddenly a litany commentary and cat-calls in Skald are flying across the room... some of which change to accented common when it becomes apparent their witty jabs are not being understood.
"Fresh meat!"
"I think they're lost!"
"A walking bird? Someone brought dinner!"
"I get the ugly one!"
Along with many more descriptive and lewd insults and comments directed at pretty much all of you (Though Masym and Jones seem to avoid most of the focus). Many of what is not yelled in Skald is incomprehensible, the shouters too drunk, accents too thick, or the noise levels to high to be properly understood.
The worst of the lot is the bartender, a huge bearded man behind the counter with only one arm. He seems to feed off the crowd, as every insult he sends is greeted by raucous laughter or them insulting his insults. Which only spurs him to up the ante.
Eventually, it dies down a little, the novelty wearing off for now. Though it never completely dies... the crowd seems hostile in general.
One man walks right up in Wei Tchak's face and demands something in Skald, waving a mug of ale around, much of which seems to spill.
A second ulfen stands up behind Wei Tchak, frowning. "He ask you what's in box." He says with a scowl.
He switches back to skald, and says something to the first man, who looks down at himelf then scowls too.
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Malusha tries to stride purposefully into the the loud, raucous room but it only takes a few seconds for him to wish he had not come in here. Slowly he regains his confidence. Then when he hears the crude insults being hurled at them indignation rises inside him. At one point one of the Ulfens points at Nella and says something in Skald. The laughter of his companions gives Malusha a hint as to what they were saying and he grows angry. Irrationally, he reaches for the hilt of his scimitar. As if reading his mind, Masym turns to him, and the others, and warns against drawing weapons.
"Ok. I can see that is probably a good idea." Malusha drops his hand from the scimitar and then his nerves catch up with his actions. His heart nearly stops when he realizes that he almost started something that was way bigger than he'd be able to handle.
He glances around the room. With a start he notices a red haired man sitting at the bar. And the scar! On his face! It is Fastaxe. "Nella!" he leans close to her and speaks so that only she can hear him. "Look!" he gestures with his eyes towards the bar. "It's Fastaxe! We should tell Masym."
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Though feeling more intimidated by the laughing and jeering Ulfen than she'd like to admit, Nella does her best to ignore them - for once thankful that she doesn't speak the local language. She watches the exchange between Tchak and one of the men nervously, at least until Malusha suddenly whispers in her ear and points out the man in the far corner.
"! You're right, it is him!" she whispers excitedly. Trying not to make too big of a scene, she nudges Masym and then nods in the direction of Fastaxe.
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"Found him." Masym says under his voice to the rest of the party who failed to spot him. Knowing he was obviously the hired muscle here he adds, again in an undertone, "Runa won't show her face out here I think. We need to get him out of here so we can put the screws to him."
He eyes the crowd carefully looking for any sign of the dark haired Chelaxian woman, knowing his reasoning may not be correct.
I hope Phoebee does not get too friendly with me here...she is gonna draw those drunks like flies to honey. Hope I can use that to my advantage.
The only woman Masym sees (other than those he entered with) are ulfen, and look just as ornery as the men in this place. No sign of anyone that fits Runa White's description.
You slowly wend your way through the throng, towards the man at the bar.
Unfortunately, Wei Tchak finds his path blocked by the two new ulfen 'friends' who seem hell bent on giving him a hard time. He and the box don't quite make it that far.
The second man looks puzzled for a moment and says something to the first, you catch the phrase 'nunya'. The second man also looks momentarily confused, before grinning and replying in skald. At which point the second ulfen grins back.
"My friend there say he lost his nuna." He says with a wicked little grin, not quite pronouncing it correctly. "Says thanks for returning it to him. You can go now." He puts one foot on the top of the chest, preventing the tengu from dragging it further. He comments in skald to the first, and both of them laugh.
Meanwhile, the others have reached the bar, though its a bit crowded and none of the locals seemed inclined to move as you approach, so it took a bit of weaving to get there, spreading you out into a thin line on the approach.
As Jones puts his hand on the red-headed man's shoulder, the ulfen man turns to face him. It is not what he expected at all. Yes, he has red hair and a red beard, but up close, Jones will immediately realize the scar on his cheek is fake. Some sort of cheap makeup. The man looks up at him, eyes wide, flinching slightly.
"Not in the face." He begs cringing like he expects Jones to punch him any second, his back to the bar like he's trying to back through it. "They made me!"
You hear a snarl behind you, and one of the patrons growls. "Coward! Let's show 'em how true ulfen's treat foreigners!"
A second ulfen, a woman this time, stands as well, shouting something at the top of her lungs in skald.
There is the briefest of pauses... then all hell breaks loose.
Suddenly, seemingly from everywhere, chairs begin to fly, mugs are smashed, punches are thrown and the room devolves into sweaty, blood-drenched chaos!
You see the mouthy one-armed bartender duck down behind the bar, and the faux-Hjort tries to scramble over the bar to join him and get away from the fray (or maybe just Jones)
Fight!
-- Round 1 -----------------
Jones, Masym, Phoebee <-- We are here
light blue, black (male), red, blue
Malusha, Nella
black (female), yellow, orange, purple, pink green
Wei Tchak
As the chaos breaks out around them, the two more battle-hardened members of the team react quickly.
Masym swings at one of the two men harassing Tchak. His blow lands solidly, the man's attention focused on the tengu.
Jones moves quickly as well, a fist fight right in his wheelhouse, but can't quite land a solid blow as all the people jostle about.
Phoebee, who's been in a tavern or two herself, also goes quickly, starting up her slippery song again. The entire far end of the bar, as well as the stools and floor in front of them are suddenly coated in a thick layer of magical grease.
, ,
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The Hjort look-alike, slides on the suddenly slipper surface, but manages to keep his footing, and despite the grease extending up and over the counter (or perhaps because of it) he manages to crawl over the barrier, to duck down behind, out of the way. Clearly not interested in a fight.
Two ulfen men in the corner, kick themselves away from their table and move in to attack Masym, their fists flying like they're old hands at this. Masym manages to dodge one blow, but the second connects solidly.
The other ulfen, ignores the punch he received from Masym, and starts in on Tchak with his friend. He manages to land a solid blow on the unprepared tengu.
Another man moves around towards Phoebee, calling out in skald as he goes to some of the others.
Elsewhere, other ulfens throw punches and chairs at other folks, though none that concern you at present.
-- Round 1 -----------------
Jones, Masym (-2), Phoebee
light blue, red, blue (-3 NL)
Malusha, Nella <-- We are here
black (male), black (female), yellow, orange, purple, pink green
Wei Tchak (-3)
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"Holy...!" Nella gapes as the room around her almost immediately devolves into chaos. For a moment she's unsure of whether or not to try going after the Hjort imposter or help her friends but once she realizes just how many of the patrons seem intent on ruining their day, she decides that her friends might need some assistance first.
Remembering Masym's warning about not pulling weapons, she instead does the next thing that comes to mind and attempts to flip the table in front of her onto one of the approaching Ulfen woman.
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"What is going on with these people!" Malusha shouts over the din. Chairs, tables, and who knows what fly through the air nearly crashing on him. He tries to find a spot where some ulfen isn't right in his face and he casts a quick spell. A shield of energy flashes around him for a split second.
A glance behind him shows an ulfen who seems to be eyeing him and Nella. He steps towards the man hoping to threaten him.
The two clerics, somewhat out of their elements, both react in different ways. Malusha says a quick prayer of protection and steps up beside Phoebee to cut off the ulfen moving around that side. Nella gets into the spirit of the moment, and tries to flip the nearby table onto the nearby ulfen woman. Unfortunately, it turns out that any remaining furniture in the Horned Helm still remains due to being a bit sturdier then any of its predecessors. She finds herself unable to tip it into the throng.
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In fact, the woman barely notices as she moves over towards Phoebee to flank with one of the others, then to everyone's suprise, both of them pull out hand axes, and try to cut the bard down. She manages to duck one axe, but the second connects with a thud, as blood starts to flow freely.
Another ulfen grabs a chair and hurls it across the table towards Phoebee and the two with the axes, though he gets jostled by two other men fighting beside him, and the furniture falls to the floor without hitting anyone.
On the far side, a second ulfen woman picks up a stool from the bar and starts to hurl it at Nella with practiced ease. However just as she's about to she hesitates, a faint smile on her face as she looks at the priestess, and suddenly forgets to throw it entirely.
The two men after Tchak's chest continue to hound him, as the second man moves to surround him with his friend, lashing out with one fist. The tengu easily ducks under the blow.
Jones finds himself beset on yet another side, as one of the drunken bar patrons moves into the scrum surrounding him, though he can barely focus much less hit anything.
-- Round 1 -----------------
Wei Tchak (-3) <-- We are here
-- Round 2 -----------------
Jones, Masym (-2), Phoebee (-7)
light blue, red, blue (-3 NL)
Malusha, Nella
black (male), black (female), yellow, orange, purple, green
As always: Bold can go!
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Wei Tchak finally has enough, and responds to his attackers by trying to peck their eyes out. The nearest foe gives a startled cry as the tengu beak slashes across his face. One fists flails out, connecting lightly, before he collapses to the floor, his face bleeding.
Ignoring the drunken brawlers beside him, Jones moves over to the one that pulled an axe on Phoebee and launches a mighty jab at the man, connecting solidly. The two he leaves behind take wild swings at him as he moves, one connecting lightly.
Masym, seeing Phoebee in trouble, throws himself across the nearby table (still standing despite Nella's efforts), using a stool as a launching pad. He does a quick shoulder roll, and comes up on the far side, next to the ulfen woman, mugs of cheap ale flying off the table in his wake. A hand axe of his own appears in his hand as he goes, and he swings it at the armed woman, but her armor just barely deflects it.
Phoebee too takes a swing her, but her sword blow glances off the woman's armor as well.
Across the bar, another one swings wildly at Masym, taking advantage of the woman with the axe on his far side, though it doesn't help his accuracy at all. The ulfen next to him, launches a booted kick at Wei Tchak, yelling what sound like insults at him in skald, but his kick is entirely ineffective.
-- Round 2 -----------------
Jones (-2 NL), Masym (-2), Phoebee (-7)
light blue, red
Malusha, Nella <-- We are here
black (male) (-5), black (female), yellow, orange, purple, green
Wei Tchak (-5)
Seeing Phoebee take a grievous wound, Nella quickly moves forward and heals the damage. As quickly as that, there is no trace of it other then the blood that soaked into her tunic.
Malusha decides to get serious, pulling his own blade to swing at the ulfen attacking Phoebee with an axe. Unfortunately, he is unable to get past the man's armor to cause any damage.
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The two ulfens armed with axes seem intent on more then just a bar fight. The male gives an angry snarl as Phoebee's wounds start to heal and calls out to the other in response as he takes another vicious cut at the bard, causing another wound where the previous one was just healed. . His companion moves over to try to stop Nella from helping her friends, raising her axe to hack at the priestess, for a moment, she almost hesitates, but growls angrily, and swings, causing a painful gash on Nella.
Three of the ulfen's who were sitting at the back corner table when this all started, decide to team up on Jones as they all try to wrestle him to the ground.
Together, they manage to overwhelm him, and one gets him in a headlock despite a wicked retaliatory punch from Jones. The others prepare to pummel him while their friend holds on.
The female brawler who thought to throw a stool at Nella earlier, finally throws off her lethargy, shaking her head angrily as she moves over to Nella and punches at her with a snarl.
And finally, as if all that chaos wasn't enough, the last of Wei Tchak's two friends gives an angry cry as his companion falls, and he lashes out at the tengu in retaliation.
-- Round 2 -----------------
Wei Tchak (-8) <-- We are here
-- Round 3 -----------------
Jones (grappled, -2 NL), Masym (-2, AoO pending), Phoebee (-4)
light blue, red
Malusha, Nella (-9)
black (male) (-5), black (female), yellow, orange, purple, pink, green (grappled, -3)
The brawl rages on! Bold can go.
Wei Tchak turns on the man who just hit him, and pecks at the man in turn, opening a wound on his face.
Jones, surrounded and getting dragged down by three of the bar patrons, with a mighty surge, throws them all off. All three go staggering back, everyone free for the moment.
Phoebee starts up an inspiring tune, though the words are a bit confusing. She then steps out of the hot zone between the two axe-wielding foes.
Masym, continues to swing his axe at the ulfan woman, but can't quite seem to get the hang of his newly acquired weapon, and all go well wide.
Another brawler tries to punch Masym in the back of the head as he is focused on the woman, but he trips over a stool that got knocked on the floor. The other ulfen next to him tries to kick Tchak with a large booted foot, but he gets knocked by the first as he catches his balance. Both attackers' blows end up nowhere near where they were aimed.
-- Round 3 -----------------
Jones (-2 NL), Masym (-2), Phoebee (-4)
light blue, red
Malusha, Nella (-9) <-- We are here
black (male) (-5), black (female), yellow, orange, purple, pink (-4), green (-3)
Wei Tchak (-8)
Group Buffs: Inspire Courage (+1 to hit and damage!)