"Of course, the Marinaiox family are renowned sailors after all. Well that is after the hereditary admiralty stuff, but Grandfather always insisted that we know our knots & sailor our skiffs." Dee says preparing the trap and getting ready to throw it in the water.
"Let me give it a try Dee, I have some tools that might help. They're not really for making traps, but better than nothing."
Bertom comes over to take a look at the mismatched items they've collected to make this trap.
He looks at the thing he just put together "Well... I'm actually not sure if I'm all that good at this... You think it can hold an alligator?"
"I'm sure that you're fine at it, how hard could it be to snare a silly old alligator?" says Valexia, practicing her finger wiggling to make her part of the trap work while singing something to herself.
Make a trap that won't come loose,
Catch this gator with a noose.
Use a broom and tie a rag,
We have got this in the bag!
Take some magic, make a splash,
Make a knot so we can lash,
Catch and trap and make a lock,
To rock the socks off this mad croc!
Ensis shrugs, "Generally, I just stab things and look rakish while doing so. Trapping isn't the sort of thing great-aunt Duruna would have approved of... Unless maybe minks were involved."
Dee replies to the swashbuckler, dryly; "And you do it so well, Ensis."
Then she moves over to the youthful fan, leaning against his shoulder as she helps fix the noose; "Here, Bertom. Just make sure there's some give in the rope and the loop - so when I pull it taught it'll catch." Bunching up some of her clothes over her shoulder, she wraps the end of the rope around it, like the anchor in a tug-of-war.
"If you would rip up the end of the ham hock, then it'll float easier. But first we cast the noose into the water." She kicks off her shoes and takes a wide stance on the ground (or pier).
"Well. I know a bit about how traps work. I've disassembled enough of them that figuring out how to make one shouldn't be too difficult." Ben chimes in. Leaning over to observe the contraption,...
,... He points out the obvious in an attempt to help make it better. Whether or not he's pointing out the CORRECT flaws are another question entirely,...
Returning from the quick visit upstairs with as many useful items as she could hurriedly find, Dee prepares to take the strain against an alligators pull. "Yes Ben, but most of that disassembling was accidental. Also you always had a spring & a loose screw left over when you reassembled it." She adds laconically.
"Spare parts. Absolutely unnecessary." Ben retorts a little too quickly.
"Wait. You WERE talking about the traps, weren't you?"
"Are you going to be able to tug of war that thing, Dee? Perhaps Ben and Ensis can help pull, while Bertie and I operate the trap," says Valexia helpfully, still wiggling her fingers in preparation.
Ensis perks up with a smile, "Well, far be it from me to deny a lovely lady a display of strength and skill," heading toward the rope to grab on.
"Well I guess now's as good a time as ever, I doubt any more tinkering is going to improve our trap. I'll get it into position." He heads over to set up the trap near the shore.
"If everyone's ready Ms. Aulamaxa you can try to agitate the creature with your magic." Bertom stands by ready for any trap operating that might be required.
As Bertom sets up the snare in the water, floating the noose buoyed by a makeshift arrangement of broom parts out a little way in the water, Rexus helps rig the scent bait in a better position, using magic to keep it in the optimal place so it doesn't drift off when Valexia starts her own magic.
Bertom gently shoves the strange snare so it floats out into the pond, anchored by Dee and Ensis. Valexia ruffles the surface of the water near Ben's contribution of a stink bait rag, while Rexus uses the same spell to be sure the scent lure stays squarely in the middle of the noose.
After a few moments, a pale form drifts slowly towards the disturbance, barely seeming to move yet never wavering from its relentless course.
Suddenly, the rag disappears in a geyser of teeth and water!
The snout of the alligator erupts right into the noose, and Dee and Ensis see their chance. They haul on the rope to draw the noose tight around the beast's jaws. But the creature reacts to the feeling of the rope with feral alacrity.
With the rope draped over her shoulders & wrapped around her waist like a toga, she tries to keep ahold of the rope as it's yanked away.
The noose pulls tight just a second too late to trap the big reptile, but, infuriated by the teasing and dimly seeing potential prey at the edge of the pool, the pale alligator shoots towards the edge of the pool.
Dee gasps as the noose just misses the mark.
Combat is joined! Up now:
Bertom
Ensis
Ben
Dee
Valexia
Albino Alligator
Rexus
"Oh no! I really thought that would work!" whines Valexia, drawing her bow and firing at the alligator.
The creature thrashes as the arrow sinks into its armored side, hissing its annoyance with jaws agape. Large as it is, it moves quickly and seems quite powerful.
"Uh oh, we missed, and now it's mad." Bertom hurries over to join the fray getting himself into a good position to attempt to get a good strike in on the alligator.
Bertom's slim rapier slides between the armor plates and deep into the creature's vitals.
b]"Well. We DID manage to get it's attention at least! Although 'Be careful what you wish for' DOES spring to mind now,..."[/b]
Ben says dryly as he quickly snaps his own crossbow into position and fires at the scaly beast!
Ben's bolt skips across the mailed snout of the great beast, the ricochet nearly parting Ensis' and Bertom's hair.
Realising that it's gone a trifle awry, the soft rope slides from around her shoulders and waist allowing more freedom of movement (such as the reptile enjoys). Diving to the left and ducking in case Val launches another arrow, the noble lady manoeuvres herself quickly with her customary lack of caution.
In a few steps she runs in an arc, hoping that she can strike at the creature from the dock. The timbers creak with age as she runs upon tham and tries to give the alligator a boot onto the shore.
As Dee leaps upon the dock, a rotted board gives way under the force of her landing and martial maneuvers. She keeps her balance with some fancy footwork, but looks more like a drunken high-kick dancer at a bawdy house than the lithe, dangerous fighter she truly is.
Ensis drops the rope and draws his blade with a flourish, spinning as he does, using the momentum to speed his blade as he strikes the albino beast.
The swordsman's blade strikes true, but its force is somewhat dampened by the thick scales that protect the beast from snout to tail.
Automatically lashing back at the last person to strike, it snaps at Ensis with great jaws, scraps of meat still stuck between its huge teeth, before swinging around to lash its tail at Bertom.
Alligator has hit Ensis for 5 hp and grabbed, starting a grapple as a free action with no AoO. It cannot move because attempting to move a grappled enemy is a standard action, so it's out of actions this turn.
The rogue dodges the whipping tail, but the noble swashbuckler is less fortunate, as the jaws snap tight onto his leg and do not release.
”Hey! Ugly! Over here!” Having little hope of hitting or damaging the huge reptile with his cane sword, Rexus sets up a hue and cry, poking and slapping at the beast to try to distract it from its prey.
Round 2:
Bertom
Ensis
Ben
Dee
Valexia
Albino Alligator
Rexus
"Get out of there Ensis, we're trying to find the smuggler. But not from inside the creature." Dee says with some clarity, making sure her voice is heard. "And ensure that everything is safe down here." she adds with a couple of punctuating kicks at creature.
;
;
Ensis chuckles, keeping his voice light, "It's not my fault that things find me so irresistible. Truly, 'tis a curse." He then tries quickly to pull his leg free, then sighs, Dumb! Never underestimate your foe, even when it looks huge and clumsy.... Still, I may not be able to move, but...
He finishes the thought aloud, filling his voice with its usual bravado, "It's nice of the beast to leave its head right here conveniently in stabbing range...", as he brings the longsword down in an uncharacteristically heavy blow.
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"Stay strong, Ensis! Be careful not to let the crocogator pull you into the water, as they roll around to tear their prey apart! 'Apart' would not be a good look on you..." says Valexia, letting another arrow fly from her shortbow.
'Too close for a bomb. For Ensis anyway,...' Ben thinks quickly, trying to figure out a way to do the most damage to the beast with the least likely chance of adding more injuries to Ensis or the others,
[/ooc]
Some doubtless vital bones crunch beneath Dee's bare feet, another of Valexia's darts sticks into the alligator's snout, and Ensis brings his sword down on the creature's head like the wrath of the heavens. The pale alligator thrashes for a moment before all the parts of its body realize it is dead, never having had the chance to drag its prey into the pool and drown it. Ensis' leg slips free from the now-slack jaws, decorated with his own blood.
There's a moment of silence as the creature falls still, then a hideous screech rings out from the direction of the bunkhouse. A heavy, feathered form steps forth and croaks, "Ou ill fren!"
All its feathers stand on end as it opens its beak in another shrill scream that rings through the cavern.
Ensis 21
Bertom 17
Dee 16
Rexus 14
Ben 8
Shrieking crow-thing 8
Valexia 6
"Whoa, what was that?" Bertom asks quickly looking around to find the source for the shrieking. Spotting the creature that has shown up behind Val he quickly moves to put himself between her and it.
"Watch out Ms. Aulamaxa, that doesn't look friendly." He gets himself ready to defend in case the thing comes to attack
"'Ou ill Fren'..."that's my friend"? Well she knew what we were upto, I did tell her. Oh well, now to try my foreign." Dee thinks as the bird-lady bursts into the room.
"HELLO. WE... HERE... TO... HELP! WHO... ARE... YOU? I... AM... DEE." She says slowly and deliberately in Cheliaxian, the only language she knows, trying to be friendly despite the group fighting the alligator.
Rexus, of a more practical and less diplomatic bent than Dee, steps forward and raises his free hand. "Avaunt, noisy denizen of the dark." A coruscating rainbow, difficult to look at, radiates from his hand at the bird-creature.
It remains standing after the rainbow fades, shaking its head, then looks straight at Rexus, opens its beak, and emits a long hiss.
Rexus's eyes go wide. "Wuh-oh." He brings his cane-sword up and swallows hard. "Hey, that would have just knocked you out. You're kind of scary, and I didn't want the rest of these guys to kill you. Really."
Ensis springs forward, "Think Bertom's got the right of it, especially after that hiss...". He raises his blade and steps in front of Rexus, "Stay where you are and I won't have to stab you."
Ben looks at the bird-person, then his crossbow, then shakes his head and pulls a clay flask from his pouch.
"Uh-uh! Stay RIGHT there! Or we're having flash-fried chicken for dinner! I've had QUITE enough of things trying to eat me! It's MY turn!" Ben says determinedly, fueled by anger, or slight panic, or perhaps a bit of both.
:)
The creature looks at the bright blades and chooses the "easy" target, springing at Ben, who holds his clay flask.
With a tremendous spring, the muscular creature launches itself through the air at Ben, beak open and both claws extended. It swipes at him with both claws.
Ben, being on edge in this dark, dank cavern, and adrenaline still running hot from the close encounter with a giant lizard, hastily decides that the creature's tensing and glaring at HIM constitutes 'aggression', and hurls his bomb as the creature crouches to leap!
Ensis brings the longsword around in a spin as the bird-watcher moves, dancing forward and striking, trying to use its momentum against it.
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