Ismaire moves up and pulls out her bow and stops waiting to see if the party is able to knock them out. Cormag follows her and stands still at her command.
Bedu moves up quietly until he is twenty five feet from the furthest one. And then prepares a daze spell to hit him when the plan goes awol.
He winces as Eric and Tessa unload on the unsuspecting Lotus Dragon.
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Tessa approaches the thug from behind, their companion on the other side of the table just notice her in time to make a surprised face and prompt the target to turn and barely dodge her strike. The same couldn't be said for Erik fist that goes right on the nose, probably breaking it.
the room fills with your allies before they even have the time to realize what exactly is going on.
Cormag watches the room erupt quickly into a fight and with a quick command from Ismaire, he run across the room at the man at the other side of the table. He lashes out with one of his talons at him. But misses completely.
Tessa throws up a brief smile and adds, "Hi, time to take a nap." and slams the hilt home once more.
...and the hilt home once more.
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The thug eats another hilt flavored knuckle tat sends a couple of teeth flying and his mouth a bloody mess. he is obviously hurt but he throws at Tessa a blood smeared smile.
"Girl, you are bringing fists into a swordfight" he says as the three thugs unsheathe their rapiers in a chorus of metal sounds.
the bloodied thug lunges at Tessa
the one besides you take a stab at Gavin
The instrument of Cayden Cailean deflects the lunge but not enough, all he obtains is to divert the blade aiming for his hart to merely pierce his sides, way less lethal but still painful.
The one on the other side seems vaguely less confident. he looks at the dinosaur and with a little tremble in his voice he says [b]"Whose beast is this?" as he timidly tries to fight off the beast
Erick reaches out past the rapier, and backhands the man he's facing, the one they are trying to take alive. "No son, you brought a toothpick to a dinosaur feeding..." He nods his head toward the dinosaur. "You I'm taking alive to feed to it later, it likes fresh meat..."
"Hnngh!" Gavin grits his teeth, a grunt of pain escaping anyway. Stepping to the side, the Chel brings his flail up and around at the thug, gasping as the pain from his new wound causes him stagger and lose the momentum of his attack.
BTW: How are they attacking with perception checks? :)
Tessa grunts, "We're still taking these fools alive, right? She reaches out and attempts to thwack the thug on the side of the head.
"Just need one, the other two can be fed to the raptor..."
Ismaire takes a shot at the one Gavin tried to hit with her longbow.
She then whistles to Cormag to get him to continue in his advance on the thug that tried to hit him.
The short round Bedu murmurs a quick incantation as battle is joined, and his spell impacts the thug attacking Gavin.
"Truly you have chosen a bad day to upset our hungry raptor. He is called the Last Scream by some unfortunates. May I say goodbye now?"
"Goodbye!"
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The thug fighting Gavin attempts another lunge at him and he seems to find his mark again.
The puncture is more precise now, still not lethal but the blade pierces the chest this time, just inches away from the heart.
The other one on the other side of the table seems to be touched by Bedu's spell for an instant but manages to shake off his mental influence. He tries to harm the dinosaur in front of him.
but the beast instinct allows Cormag to evade the blow at the last moment.
Erick steps over the body of the man who was knocked out, drawing his heavy ring sword as he does. "Well, there's the dino food for later, let's butcher the rest of Cormag's meal..."
Unfortunately, he stumbles over the unconscious man, slipping in urine no doubt, and the sword stroke goes wide.
"Hah, looks like the pig get's a reprieve."
Boxed in, Gavin knows he needs to end this - soon. Stepping across from Erick, the tavernkeeper's son swings his flail with every ounce of strength, but it is still not enough - the thug shifts easily out of the way.
Unsure whether Gavin's attack will take care to end this she launches into her own assault. She comments slyly as she attacks, "Shoulda dropped to your knees I'm afraid!"
Bedu calls on his magic again, aiming for the same thug again, calling for its mind to be confused.
Ismaire takes another shot with her bow against the Thug that tried to attack Cormag. "I wouldn't anger him if I were you."
Cormag continues his attacks against the Thugs, but he misses all of his attacks.
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Ismaire Takes aim and shots her arrow, the arrow lodges itself right above the collarbone. the thug has just the time to gaze at Ismaire with a look of mixed anger and fear before he falls down.
the remaining thug is trying to defend himself against all odds, he dodges Erick and Gavin strikes while Tessa strike connects piercing him with several inches of steel.
He seems about to strike back but he hesitates and lose his sense of time, somehow his mind is clouded and confused when is the opportune time to strike and misses his occasion.
"Well, let's try this again..."
The dazed man stumbles and the sword whistles over his head.
This time, Gavins flail hits the mark, with a satisfying crunch, right into the thug's face.
Bedu whistles as the red juice sprays out of the man's face, "and there I thought my friends had lost their touch. So sorry for doubting you all. Also the gods have smiled on us with Ismaire and his companion. Dangerous and makes them think twice."
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Retribution, at least, comes for the instrument of Cayden, after suffering through the stabs of the thug a moment of clarity comes to him as he spots distinctly a gap in his defenses and he smashes his flail into the face of the thug who flies over the table and at the feet of the Kobold who just entered the room from the south, and that is an odd sight.
The blue skinned Kobold wears a cook attire complete with a chef hat and stepped happily outside her room which, for what you can see through the now open door, seems to be a kitchen, in her hands a large pot filled with what seems to be a stew.
She looks at the thug at her feet, kinda puzzled, then raises her look at the party and looks at you for a few moments, lost in thoughts ...eyes bulging, her jaw opening little by little and the grip on her pot loosening progressively until it falls to the ground splattering it's content around the floor.
all she say is...
"you no hurt Churtle please..."
Erick tilts his head. "Depends, Churtle planning on attacking us? If not, I see no reason to hurt Churtle." He says softly, while bending down to pick up the unconscious thug. He lays him on the table, and begins to get some rope out of his pack. "Are you a hireling of the thugs?" He asks, wondering if the Kobold is much like the demon dog they met earlier, forced to work for the group. "Too bad about the stew, it smells good."
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"I'm no hireling... I'm slave!!!" she say with an hint of misguided pride and probably not understanding the implications.
"I Cook Food, and Poison, and almost never confuse the two of them!" she says enthusiastically.
She looks around her and her enthusiasm dies quickly.
"I.. I need to clean up this or the lotus Lady will get angry and punish me!" she says as she starts to scoop the stew on the floor back into the pot.
"You're not a slave anymore. We officially just freed you. So don't worry about cleaning it up. Who's this 'Lotus Lady'?" Erick asks, and looks at the others. "I think we could find a job for someone who can cook... or make poisons. Not all poison is lethal, and sometimes it comes in handy."
Ismaire calls Cormag over as Erick talks to the kobold. She scratches his head and she watches Erick and Churtle talk.
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"The lotus lady is the boss of lotus dragon. I think she's name is Rowyn, I just call her boss. She should be in her chambers"
She says pointing roughly to the east.
The name, paired with the knowledge that the Lotus dragon seems to be tied to at least a noble family would point at the identity of the Lotus Lady as Rowyn Kellani. The Kellani Family is a noble house in azure district rumored to have a past of Piracy
Gavin sheaths his flail as the thug in front of him just drops. Touching his wounds with one hand and his copper cup with the other, d'Bourgemont offers a quick prayer to Cayden while Erick talks with the kobold.
"Rowyn... Rowyn... Could be Rowyn Kellani. Her family, ah, has been rumored to have a past in piracy, and there are the rumors that the Dragons are tied to a noble family. If so, I owe her for my family's tavern."
Scowling, Gavin looks the kobold over. "I'd not trust it in my kitchen, but if someone wants to take it on, I'll not stand in the way of it."
Bedu steps up and helps the kobold refill his pot, smacking his lips as he cleans his fingers afterwards, "Oh, my dear Churtle. I am Bedu and you are a treasure that I am sure we can find a good home for. I know a friendly halfling called Kora, she can help you with that I think. Now this Boss lady? Is she magical? Or a warrior? Or what is her best guards like? Dogs or worse?"
Bedu opens his mouth to add further questions but the befuddled look on the draconic tells him, it is time to listen.
Ismaire stops patting Cormag and speaks towards Gavin. "Would she be here or would she be in her own home? If she isn't here, it will be quite a bit harder to deal with her."
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Churtle tries her best to give an answer to the Halfling questions.
"She uses a thin sword so I think she is a warrior, but I also think I saw her use some magic so she is also magical.
And she has a dog but more like a big lizard, not Churtle lizard but more Lizard-Lizard. Or maybe is a tiny dragon, but ... it has no wings."
She then seems to catch the conversation between Ismaire and Gavin and interject.
"The lady is here... I mean not here here, here in her chambers..."
Gavin steps towards the door to the east. "It would be best to visit the lady while we're here. It would be a shame to travel all this way and miss the chance to pay our respects. Thank you, er, Churtle. As Erick said, you're free to go."
Gavin stops outside a door and places his ear to it, listening intently for signs of anything moving beyond it.
Tessa follows the 'interrogation' quietly. When Churtle mentions a 'thing sword' Tessa's smirk becomes obvious. "Well if she's here, let us go say hi, no?"
She steps inline behind Gavin heading to the door, blade at the ready.
Bedu tells the kobold to wait for him at the nearest inn outside the Taxidermists Hall. If he is there then he can go to Kora at the Vanderboren's home.
Afterwards he follows the pair with a faint whistle and skip in his little steps, taking a moment to hitch up his tight belt.
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Gavin cautiously approaches the door, puts a hand on the handle and suddenly opens while brandishing his flail, ready to confront anything that stands behind the door. But all he is confronted with are barrels and brooms.
While Gavin is still puzzled and asks himself if the Kobold was lying and leading them astray, Tessa approaches the door to the south and opens just a little bit to give a look inside, she look back at her companions and with a gesture invites them to come her way.
The other Door leads to what is clearly a training room. Several Training dummies are positioned in the room while to the west, overseeing the training, you can see a wooden throne, slightly elevated on a platform.
To the East here is another door leading deeper into the lair.
Erick nods at Gavin. "Good idea, kid. Perfect place to stash our prisoner." He hefts the unconscious and trussed up prisoner and dumps him on top of the barrels and closes the door.
Then he follows Tessa to the throne room, cautiously, checking for traps.
Gavin stands, puzzled, as Erick shoves the unconscious thug into the broom closet. "I, uh, yeah. It is perfect."
Pausing for a moment to cast a quick cure on himself, Gavin runs his fingers absently through his hair, before making his way into the training room. "Bedu... maybe use your keen eyes here, see if the lady has anything trapped..."
Bedu smiles as the kobold leaves, then watches the facile Erick cover for Gavin who's face is like an open book. He gives a gentle clap at the request from his companion and then heads forwards to listen for any clues, entering the training room very quietly.
"My friend this place is as quiet as a gr-..sleeping thief. I do not see any traps either." hopes Bedu as he searches the tunnel ahead.
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you search around the room but you don't seem to find any trap.
on the other hand though the room presents an oddity for this complex as the door leading to the east is not left slightly open as the others, on the contrary this door is closed and locked. The slight increase in security and privacy is possibly a sign that you are indeed on the right track towards the mistress of the Lotus Dragon.
Erick eyes the locked door, a first.
Erick sighs as he looks over the door. "Always on the wrong side. Well, unless someone learned to pick locks since our time on the island, I think we are at the end of our ability to move forward quietly." He pulls the powder horn off his belt, and eyes the lock. "I believe I can fill it with powder, and the shoot the lock, that should blow it apart and leave the door unlockable. Unfortunately, that will be very loud. Unless someone has an alternate idea. We should be ready for combat before we do so."
Ismaire nods her head. "Okay. Me and Cormag are ready when you all are."