Determined to not let his quarry escape, Daynadrian races lightly towards the closed door as well.
Tendal and Daynadrian converge at the closed door behind which the remaining Hellknights have retreated.
Larur Felden tries to communicate something to the half-orcs across the press at the doors. Gord puts a hand to his ear, and the exasperated dwarf repeats himself; then the half-orc grins and turns to mutter something to his comrade. "We were hired to guard the doors," he calls back good-naturedly to Larur. "You want us to handle something other than doors, it costs extra!"
At this moment, Saul Vankaskerkin pushes through the swinging door from the kitchen, followed by his bodyguard. He is panting and out of breath; coming to a skidding stop, he quickly scans the room, trying to take in the situation. Bojasc, a younger man than his employer, shows less evidence of exertion but has his axe in hand as he looks for threats.
"Malditos, emakumea. The dressing room! They're headed to Thulvia's dressing room!" Malkith shouts to Daynadrian and anyone else attempting to assist.
He continues to try and extract himself, but the performer has managed to entangle herself in several of the Varisian's scarves.
The crowd continues to spill out the front doors, and the stragglers vacate the remains of the ghoulette table, leaving Liry still searching the floor -- and Dungo, his nose smashed in at a new and alarming angle from his tumble, angrily snapping at their heels. Liry looks around for help, calling "Does anyone have a sack or something?"
Braddon steps over the fallen Hellknight.
"Somebody might want to clean that up."
He strides over to Thuvalia's door, kicks it and takes a step back, sword at the ready.
Phillip holds steady, allowing those that wish to leave to do so and watching the last of the conflict within the room.
The door shudders and strains against Braddon's kick but doesn't give way.
Thuvalia continues to tug on Malkith's scarves, leading him gently but doggedly toward the bar.
Meanwhile, the puddle of blood soaking into the carpet beneath the felled Hellknight gets a little larger.
Tendal raises an eyebrow at Braddon's vigorous assault on the door and jiggles the latch to see if he can simply open the door.
Rushing in through the open door, Dayn`s keen Elven eyes catch a glimpse of the enemy`s weapon. Not hesitating for an instant, Dyan continues to move and snaps of a shot at one of the foes. As his arrow flies wide he yells to his fellow guards "There's one of the bastards there!"
Perception:
Bow Attack >30': (minus for cover not included)
Damage:
Tendal steps forward and turns the handle on the door. It opens without protest to reveal ... an empty room. The long, narrow window at the far end has been smashed open to the dark alley beyond, although there are still some jagged points of glass protruding from the frame that look somewhat dangerous to anyone who might try to egress that way.
The room appears empty, but Daynadrian's keen elven sight picks up something Tendal's eyes missed as he moves into the room. Crossing quickly to the window, he raises his bow and fires an arrow between the hanging shards of broken glass. There is a grunt of pain from the night outside as the arrow finds its mark.
On the casino floor, Larur Felden spies his business partner on the other side of the room and hustles toward him. Saul meets him halfway, Bojasc in silent tow. "What's going on?" Saul asks, looking at the Hellknight bleeding out on the carpet. "Is this the only casualty? Where are the rest of them?"
"Would someone nhận được điều này harpy off of tôi?" he calls out in frustration.
As Malkith continues to wrestle with the Chelaxian singer, he tries another tactic. He attempts to wrench an arm free as he makes a gesture in the air above him, "Hãy để tay Fate hướng dẫn của riêng tôi."
As Malkith continues to struggle with Thuvalia, Covey Smith glances down the back hallway toward the kitchen exit, then graps a wine crate and hops over the bar. "How about a crate, Liry?" he offers, starting to bring her the straw-filled wooden box as a temporary ghoul-head receptacle.
The crowd continues to stream out of the Gold Goblin. A few stragglers who had been cowering in the private rooms make a break across the floor for the doors.
As the crowd thins and the floor becomes clearer, Phillip takes in the lay of the casino. Chips were lying about, but the lack of intervening bodies now meant there was more a chance of being caught. His already hard won chip weighed heavy within his pocket and prevented any larcenous thoughts from taking root. However across the room he noticed one of the others from the morning struggling with female companionship.
A strange thought came over Phillip and despite himself he put his legs to motion and swept across the room.
Phillip abandons his hiding place and begins to move across the room, under the somewhat surprised nose of Liry standing over an angrily-snapping Dungo.
Braddon rushes into the room after Daynadrian, leaps out the window and charges off in the direction Daynadrian fired his arrow.
"Stop! Or I'll stop you. And you really don't want that."
Braddon rushes into the room, shoves past the elf, and leaps through the window. It's not until he is in mid-leap that he realizes how much jagged glass is still protruding from the open frame; he tries to contort his body in mid-air to avoid the danger, but a long shard still rips open an angry gash on his right arm.
The next thing he notices, just before his feet hit the ground, is that the alley outside the window is thick with the glass broken out of the window. Landing hard, he feels a long sliver of glass pierce the sole of his boot and spike deeply into his foot.
The last thing he notices that he didn't expect is that the Hellknight at whom Daynadrian was shooting is directly outside the window, just waiting for someone to chase him through. He stabs viciously at Braddon with his dagger, aiming for his unprotected chest, but the half-elf is just able to weave away in time to avoid the attack.
Behind him, Braddon hears the sound of retreating footsteps and turns to see another of the bandits limping across the alley, heading for the safety of a long abandoned building that marks the edge of the River District. From the man's painful gait, Braddon guesses that he stepped in the same bed of glass on his way out the window.
The Hellknight who took Thuvalia hostage is a few feet away. Still clutching at the deep wound in his gut, he attempts to follow his compatriot. Although not limping, he is staggering with the effort of staying conscious and on his feet.
Inside the Gold Goblin, the former hostage wraps her arms more tightly around Malkith as she drags him toward the bar. "I just need to sit down," she coos as she presses against him, "and have a little drink. My heart is still pounding with fear; don't you feel it?"
The carpet beneath the fallen bandit continues to soak up his blood.
Determined to down this foe before going on to the next, Dayn takes a deep breath, hold it, sights his target, and looses a perfect shot,
Bow Attack:
Crit Confirm:
Damage:
After his shot he then takes a close look at the glass and tries to slip through into the alleyway without cutting himself.
Escape Artist:
Despite the intervening window frame and his half-elven ally standing in his way, Dayn knows when the arrow leaves his string that the shot is something special. Unfortunately, Braddon just blocks the perfect angle into the Hellknight's heart, but the arrow penetrates the nearest thing to it. The man gasps and staggers but somehow manages to grit his teeth and keep a fighting stance.
Without even waiting to see if the man falls, Dayn turns his attention to the jagged glass in the window. He just manages to maneuver his way safely through it and pick through the shattered glass on the ground, taking up a position over Braddon's shoulder from which he can see all three bandits.
"'The only casualty?'" Larur remonstrates with Saul in an agitated rasp. "What about our business? My life's savings? The customers are all gone; they're gone!"
"Calm down, Larur, calm down," Saul says reassuringly, patting the air with his hand as his eyes dart around the room.
The kitchen door edges open slightly, and Samaritha peeks cautiously out. "Is everyone all right?" she asks. "What's going on out here?"
"Samaritha?" Malkith questions aloud as he hears the familiar voice, "Samaritha, đến đây và cung cấp cho tôi một tay với khỉ này một chân."
"Yes, Covey, that will work," Liry replies brightly, keeping a close watch on Dungo at her feet. "Bring it over here." He delivers the crate, grimacing with distaste at the undead knob on the floor. "Just set it on the ground there and step back," she advises him. "This can get a bit tricky."
The peg-legged bartender obliges as Liry dons what look to be an old pair of falconers' gloves and prepares to snatch up her partner, avoiding his gnashing teeth.
The rest of the crowd hurries out of the casino; as soon as the last heel has cleared the doorway, Saul gestures to the half-orcs. "Quick! Shut the door and bar it!" The half-orcs obligingly set their muscles to pushing the heavy double doors closed again, as Saul crosses to the fallen Hellknight, Bojasc following protectively, and prods the helmet off the man's head with the toe of his boot.
"Ow. I am so not paying for this useless armour."
Braddon steps around the thug in front of him and swings his bastard sword in a wide arc. At the last minute he twists the blade to strike with the flat.
"Take limpy over there," he tells Daynadrian nodding at the fleeing man. "This guy is about to surrender unless he wants to be gutted."
Ignoring Covey and Dungo for the moment, Phil continues on his vector towards the Varisian that he remembered from this morning. Coming up alongside he and the lass that he's struggling with Phil pipes up "Having some trouble mate? Is the lass after a dalliance that you want no part of?"
Phillip moves toward the bar to offer Malkith assistance.
Out back in the alley, Braddon's opponent looks at the size of the knife in his hand compared to the size of the blade the half-elf is wielding. Already perforated by two arrows and perhaps wise enough to realize that he can't fence the stolen jewelry in his pockets if he's dead, he backs cautiously away, slowly at first with his dagger at the ready, then more quickly as he gets out of range of Braddon's weapon. He just makes it to the corner of the long, dilapidated building across the street.
"Target practise," Braddon says to Daynadrian as he nods toward the withdrawing Hellknight.
"I'll take limpy." He hobbles after the limping thug, mirroring his gait and watching the leader.
The other two bandits continue to move north, away from Braddon, in a bizarre low-speed chase. "Dezagun bereizi! Ibai hartzen dute duzu!" the injured hostage-taker calls ahead to his companion.
Inside, Thuvalia maintains her vise grip on Malkith. Completely ignoring the halfling's intervention, she pulls the Harrower with her toward the bar and then uses his shoulders to pull herself up onto the nearest stool. Once she is seated, Malkith finally feels the relief of something other than himself supporting her. "There," she sighs with an air of long-suffering. "That is better. Now where has that bartender gone? Go and find him, will you, and tell him La Barabbio needs a drink."
The fallen Hellknight's head flops loosely to the side as Saul's boot removes his helmet; he continues to bleed.
Exacerbated at the fact that Thuvalia literally dragged him to the bar as the faux Hellknights escaped in the opposite direction, Malkith takes an angry step away from the woman. Noticing Phillip's attempt at aid, he looks to the halfling, "Đừng để cô ấy đi bất cứ nơi nà".
Realizing Phillip isn't comprehending the words, he tries again, aided by a few sharp gestures. "Đừng để cô ấy đi bất cứ nơi nào," he repeats, pointing at Thuvalia and then the stool upon which she is sitting.
He gives the halfling an emphatic look before hurrying back to the casino proper.
Jogging into better position, and still determined not to let his foe get away, Dayn once again lines up his shot and looses his projectile
Bow attack:
Damage:
scoring a solid hit nearly dead center in the hellknight's back. Watching to see if his shot downs the man or not, he also begins to gauge the distance to his next target.
Daynadrian moves southward far enough that he can glimpse about half of the fleeing Hellknight around the corner of the abandoned building. It's not a textbook shot, but it doesn't need to be; his aim is true, and the arrow pitches the man forward onto his face in the narrow alley, where he lies still and unmoving.
Inside, Larur follows Saul over to the fallen bandit, seemingly annoyed that his partner isn't joining him in panic and despair.
"Samaritha?" Malkith questions aloud as he hears the familiar voice, "Samaritha, đến đây và cung cấp cho tôi một tay với khỉ này một chân."
"Malkith?" Samaritha starts to follow the sound of the Varisian's voice around the corner toward the bar but frowns in consternation at the strange language he is speaking. "Malkith, what are you --?" She stops short as she turns the corner and sees the Harrower standing over Thuvalia, very near her, disentangling his scarves from her jewelry. "Oh! I--"
Malkith delivers his cryptic sentence to Phil and rushes past Samaritha with a look which he hopes expresses that there's a perfectly innocent explanation if only he had time to make it.
Properly begauntleted, Liry bends down and, with a quick motion, snatches up the severed head and drops it into the straw-filled box where it gnashes its sharp teeth wildly, howling in frustration. "There!" she says cheerfully. "That ought to keep him out of trouble until I can get his cage fixed." Covey looks on dubiously.
Having shut the doors, Gord and his fellow half-orc take up the heavy bar that secures the front entry and drop it into place.
"Hm. Varisian," Saul remarks, ignoring Larur's remonstrations as he looks down at the slack face of the man on the floor. "Could be Sczarni. Is there a healer in the house?" he asks, raising his voice and looking around at the people left in the building. "We can't ask who put them up to this if he's dead."
Braddon keeps staggering after the footsore thug while drawing a dagger from his belt, which he idly tosses at the wounded leader.
"You should have stopped when I asked."
"I have another dagger..." Braddon shouts after 'Limpy'.
Phillip rocks back a bit as the gent jibbers at him in a language that he cannot easily ken. Looking a little closer at the diva who was dragging him away with a fair degree of suspicion, Phil tries to get a read on just what is going down...
Sense Motive:
The leader of the false Hellknights flinches as Braddon's dagger flies through the night air toward him, but the distance between the two robs the projectile of its power. The blade clinks harmlessly off of one of the metal studs in the borrowed armor and then clatters to the ground.
Ahead, the gimpy Hellknight sneers back at the half-elf. "If you can't throw it any better than that, why should I tremble?" he calls back through a heavy Varisian accent before limping westward toward the river and disappearing behind a boarded-up house.
The closer Hellknight, still clutching the wound caused by Braddon's massive sword, doesn't spare the breath to taunt him, staggering in the other direction, back toward the north wall of the Gold Goblin.
Inside, Thuvalia leans back heavily against the bar, a hand at her throat, as she gasps for breath, still trembling. "You!" she addresses Samaritha rather imperiously despite her fragile state. "You are one of the kitchen wenches, are you not? The bartender appears to have abandoned his post. Could you fetch me a glass of water, just a swallow? I feel faint."
At the feet of the proprietors of the Gold Goblin (and Bojasc), the Varisian continues to bleed.
Seeing Daynadrian follow the halfling in a mad dash out through the window, Tendal sighs inwardly.
My best clothes...
As he makes his way to the window, Tendal grabs an old clay jug that had been sitting on a shelf.
This will do nicely. Now to clean out the rest of the glass. he thinks, weighing the jug in his hand. After a second of inspection, Tendal quickly apprises the window, then with the clay jug, proceeds to bash the remaining shards of glass out of the bottom of the frame so he can safely pass through.
That accomplished, Tendal carefully exits the casino through the window, his booted feet making small crunching noises in the glass shards.
So where did those bandits go?
"Hey, elf! Where did the thieves get to?" he shouts as he spies Dayandrian.
Tendal deliberately breaks out the pointiest shards of glass from the edges of the window frame with his jug, then carefully climbs through and steps to the side out of the hazardous terrain. Unlike Braddon and Daynadrian, Tendal has merely human eyesight, and although the night is clear and starry, the figures to the north are difficult to discern through the gloom. He can make out two men in horned helmets but has no idea if either is Braddon or both are enemies or where the other two Hellknights might be. Daynadrian being nearer and easier to distinguish from the bad guys, he appeals to the elf for guidance.
"What does it matter who sent them?" Larur demands agitatedly, with a glare at the unconscious Varisian that suggests his bleeding to death on the casino's carpet might provide the dour dwarf the only bright spot of the evening. "What matters is, we're out of business!"
Samaritha opens her mouth as if she's about to refuse flatly but swallows her angry words as she remembers that, for tonight at least, she is a kitchen wench and glad for the job. Unsure what it might mean for her pay if she were to anger the talent, she grumbles, "Fine," throws a frown at Phillip and another at Malkith across the room for good measure, and stomps back through the swinging door to the kitchen.
"You. Little one," Thuvalia appears to notice Phil's presence at last as she straightens her hair. "Is that the bartender over there? See if you can get his attention, hm? I need a drink."
Not deigning to respond to such a silly question, Daynadrian rushes forward past Tendal, assuming that even the dandy is capable of following an arrow's flight. Drawing back his bow string and releasing the shot, the elf watches the projectile skim through the night air between him and his target, hitting precisely in the middle of his back. The arrow punctures the leather armor and sinks deeply into the man's torso. Without a word, the faux Hellknight collapses onto the packed dirt path, almost on the very back porch of the Gold Goblin.
Malkith continues to move toward the door through which the Hellknights escaped but slows as he passes the knot of men standing over the dying bandit. While he bears the thieves no warmer feelings than the least their shared heritage can warrant, the man is undoubtedly worth more alive than dead, if only so that he can be questioned about where to find the others if they have gotten away. Kneeling down next to the man, he uses one of the scarves in which Thuvalia has so recently been entangled to stuff into the wound in the man's belly and stanch the bleeding. "Nó được thực hiện," he informs his employers. "Anh ta sẽ không giảm hơn nữa."
Dungo safely crated, Liry and Covey begin to right the fallen ghoulette table and assess the damage.
Saul's eyebrows raise at Malkith's unintelligible speech. "Don't know what you're saying, lad," he remarks, "but that's a nice bit of bandaging there. Larur, keep an eye on him. Boys," he gestures to the half-orcs at the door, "thank you for your services. Come on over to the cashier to settle up, and you're free to go." He strolls casually over to the queueing area, followed dutifully by Bojasc, and raps on the door that leads back toward the vault. "Hans? Franz? Everyone all right in there? Tell the ladies to get back to their windows. The excitement's over out here."
After a few seconds, the cashiers return to their positions, sour expressions intact; one tucks a pipe into her skirt pocket before taking a seat behind the bars. Gord and his friend amble over to collect their pay.
"I don't want you to tremble," responds Braddon gingerly heading towards the corner of the building.
"Surrender now or get hacked down later. You can't escape."
As Braddon moves northward, the last standing Hellknight comes into view attempting to remove the splinter of glass sunk deep into the sole of his boot as he leans against the wall. When the half-elf enters his field of vision, however, he gives up on the shard and limps quickly around the next corner into a narrow alleyway between buildings, once again disappearing from Braddon's view.
In an area of dim light, a character can see somewhat. Creatures within this area have concealment (20% miss chance in combat) from those without darkvision or the ability to see in darkness. A creature within an area of dim light can make a Stealth check to conceal itself. Areas of dim light include outside at night with a moon in the sky, bright starlight, and the area between 20 and 40 feet from a torch.
"Well, there were two brigands who fled this way, and since I see only one body, I am assuming that you missed the other one." Tendal says, as he moves past Daynadrian and down the alleyway.
Tendal continues up the alleyway toward the back door of the casino, edging carefully around the shattered glass outside the broken window so as not to damage his best boots.
"You. Little one," Thuvalia appears to notice Phil's presence at last as she straightens her hair. "Is that the bartender over there? See if you can get his attention, hm? I need a drink."
Still somewhat confused by proceedings, Phillip recovers sufficiently to take a degree of umbrage at Thuvalia's order. Bowing a little disingenuously he responds in a clipped tone "My apologies, but it seems that you have mistaken me for a servant... I am not." before circling the lady to place himself to one side and adding in a warmer voice "But if you wish I could seek to engage the service of one who might entertain your request..." raising an eyebrow and awaiting an affirmation.
"Hm?" she asks, barely glancing at the halfling. "Oh, yes, my apologies. In Cheliax... but we are not in Cheliax now. I have been through such an ordeal, I hardly know where I am. Whatever aid you might be willing to render, as a courtesy to a lady...."
Unable to see a target, Daynadrian nods to Braddon, gesturing to the half-elf to continue around the north side of the small building while he heads for the narrow alley south of it, hoping to catch the limping thief between them or at least have a second angle from which to catch sight of him.
"'Keep an eye...,'" Larur repeats, staring down at the motionless and bloodstained body at his feet for a moment. With a renewed frown, he shakes his head angrily and storms off after his partner toward the cashiers.
"I don't want you to tremble," responds Braddon gingerly heading towards the corner of the building.
"Surrender now or get hacked down later. You can't escape."
"Braddon?" Samaritha's voice calls from what must be the back door of the Gold Goblin. "What's going on? Is everyone all right?" Her voice gets closer as she is speaking; she has undoubtedly emerged from the building, although the stack of firewood for the stoves still blocks her from view.
Braddon looks uncertainly at the fallen leader as Daynadrian rushes forward, then he hears Samaritha's voice.
"Samaritha? This guy's almost dead. Can you help him while I catch his lackey?"
Not waiting for an answer Braddon hobbles after his quarry leading with his drawn bastard sword.
"Hm?" she asks, barely glancing at the halfling. "Oh, yes, my apologies. In Cheliax... but we are not in Cheliax now. I have been through such an ordeal, I hardly know where I am. Whatever aid you might be willing to render, as a courtesy to a lady...."
Hardly missing the inbred reaction and assumption that all of his kin are slaves and servants Phillip does not do immediately as requested and instead extends the conversation "No apology necessary milady... though I must admit that I myself were mistaken. Why when I saw you manhandling the Varisian across the floor I could not fathom that she who had a vice-like grip would be the same to render herself helpless at the feet of a little person such as myself." letting the phrase hang in the air for a few moments to gauge the Chelaxian's reaction.
Realizing that he was still speaking in tongues, Malkith took a step back and closed his eyes. He inhaled slowly and held the air for a moment. As his mind began to clear, he exhaled and looked once again at his employer.
"This du côn will get no worse. When we are ready, I can revive him further." the Varisian looked towards the bar, "I would suggest you make some very serious inquires about giải trí của bạn as well. I have a strong suspicion that the Lady Barabbio is directly connected to this heist."
Covey Smith picks up the broken ghoulette wheel and leans it against the wall while Liry crosses the floor toward Saul. "Here now! I've got repairs that are going to have to be made before Cromarcky's casinos open tonight, and rush jobs are pricey. I expect to be compensated for the damage inflicted on my equipment in your riot."