Marigold yelps with pain as the bard's sword opens a nasty wound down her arm and hand, but she manages to keep her grip on the healing wand. She stumbles backward, hand digging into her pouch for something that might just help...and as she feels her hand close around the tanglefoot bag, she manages a weak smile.
Without a word, she draws her arm back and flings the bag at the bard before he can do her or someone else even more damage.
Unfortunately the wound to her throwing arm renders her throw weaker than normal and the bag falls short of its target.
Upon finally seeing fear in the bard's eyes as he falls back, Marigold feels a bit of hope well up inside her. Rather than try to give chase, she moves to the dwarf's side and further bolsters him with healing power.
Shaking his head groggily, Ryan looks around taking in JJ's prone form, unsure whether sleeping as he was or injured and Kikinnin bleeding arm, he stands up raising his shield and speaking boldly "Abadar's grace upon those who fight evil in this day."
JJ's gaze looks down from the clouds.
He feels light, flying almost. But nearby there is a storm. He looks left as lighting flashes behind him, but it is far away. Still, the growl of thunder is a little unnerving.
He swoops over the dense forest. There below he spies the Lucky Monkey. It is night, but he can see perfectly and somehow that too is right. Riding up the road from the inn towards Cauldron is the lovely Celeste. He hovers, high above, looking down at her, a slow smile playing over his face.
"Zzzzzzzzzzzzz"
Marigold's bag falls close to the bard who smiles relieved while he keeps singing.
Meanwhile Kikinnin awakens Ryan whom immediately calls for Abadar's power to be channeled all over the group, selecting out the bard. The fallen two enemies stop bleeding by the mercy of the good god.
Finally, Marigold touches Kikinnin with her caring hand closing even more of his wounds.
The half-orc reloads the heavy crossbow with a simple move of the lever, then shots again at Kikinnin in a frantic madness "Why!? Fall! Fall!" not understanding the gods seemingly protect the group.
But the aim is bad and the bolt flies all over to the sky.
He then steps back and mounts on the sorceress horse.
The singer at the same time casts another spell at the dwarf too, just before retreating towards the horses.
Seeing the half orc moving to escape Ryan charges forward.
Hoping to unseat the half orc. "Don't run off now like a coward.
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AC = 18, for charging
HP = 18/25
Weapon Equipped = MW Greataxe
Condition(s) = Blessed
With his health substantially improved, Kikinnin smiles down on Marigold, grateful to her arts as he is to Abadar Himself for sustaining him through the battle at hand. In the same instance, he feels something cloy at his mind, attempting to unseat him in his focus. He shrugs it off, looking to Juraan and Maxim to his right, waiting until the last moment to stay clear of the singer until they've had their say with him.
Then he charges. A pulled smile crosses his face, before he can shake it off, which throws off his attack by the time he arrives.
As the singer survives his pistol blast, the gun-mage scowls...
"Well I'll be..."
A scowl that deepens as their foe bids a hasty retreat.
"Hel damned cur! Lucky I'm low on ammunition..."
Maxim holsters his pistol , spits and makes after the coward...
... Pity for you I ain't low on patience an' perseverance to see you and yours hang!"
... drawing his knife as he does;
Continuing to hustle, the grim-set dwur gets parallel to the fell singer who Kikinnin barrels toward.
With a quick movement, Maxim throws his blade toward the target of his fellow dwur's ire;
:
:
Juraan advances again and aims an Acid Ray at the bard , before she can get back on her horse.
Ryan charges all over the field over the half-orc, mace at hand, it drops the weapon over the crossbowman right leg. The bones crack and the half-orc yells in pain.
He holds the mount with a strong grip and maintains at the saddle.
The attack is then followed by Kikinnin's and Maxim charge towards the singer. Axe and knife both are dodged by the man.
Juraan's cast a ray that goes close to the singer but also fails to reach him.
Marigold sees the poor JJ still sleeping at the field and closes by and shakes him up. JJ wakes up.
The half-orc attempts to rear the mount, but it protests not willing to obey him under the combat pressure of Ryan.
The bard keeps singing but he definitely attempts to run away, retreating from the dwarf with a worried expression in his face.
AC = 21, Channel AC
HP = 18/25
Weapon Equipped = MW Greataxe
Condition(s) = Blessed, Channel AC
Kikinnin barks at the singer as he tears off between the horses to get away from them. He looks at Maxim, unsure about pursuing the man off on foot, then shakes his head. "He's got no horse, and we've got plenty. We'll get to him shortly. Let's try and bring down the orc."
He moves in quickly enough next to Ryan and swings up at the crossbowing annoyance. He swears as what must be Hardhead's brother knocks into him as he passes by the front horse, and loses what would have been one hells of a swing to horrible, horrible luck.
"જેજે જાગે! અમે તેમને રન પર મળી છે!" Marigold exclaims as JJ finally begins to stir. Although the battle technically isn't won yet, she knows that the tide has finally turned in their favor. She taps her friend with the healing wand before taking him by the arm and attempting to pull him along towards the others.
"JJ w-wake up! We've g-got them on the r-run!"
"Wahhh..what.. I was having a great..."
JJ looks around in astonishment as the sensation of flying leaves, and is replaced by the sensation of his wounds.
From the smell of gunsmoke in the air, he at least is aware of why he was dreaming of thunder.
Grabbing his swords, he bounces to his feet and heads off towards the battle as quickly as he can.
"I'm on my way.."
which language are we using for Abyssal again?
Seeing Perico trying to reign the horse in and leave Ryan swings once more. "You should have come quietly"
Marigold ends up waking up JJ with a healing touch of the wand. The boy feels much better at that point and quickly stands up and attempts to join his companions still confused.
Kikinnin moves to the half-orc but fails to connect with his axe as he is up to high in the horse. Ryan though waves his mace with decision, and guided with his god's favor it strikes true on Perico's right leg.
The half-orc seems terribly wounded "You might take me, but I will take you with me and the Scarlet Brotherhood will take all your friends afterwards!"
He let's the crossbow fall, then draws a falchion and attacks Ryan with it swinging it with both hands.
Despite the swing is powerful, the half-orc is terribly wounded and he loses focus. Ryan dodges the blade.
The singer stops singing and starts running for his life placing 120 feet between himself and you before he reaches to the jungle.
JJ hurries up and stabs the sword of his forefathers at the evil assassin.
"The only thing they will do is bleed scarlet blood. Just Like You
"Take that, assassin!"
As Marigold continues to approach the melee, she spots the form of Barbara lying still on the ground nearby. Although she knows they would've likely killed them at all if the battle had gone differently she can't help but feel a pang of regret. She'd hoped it wouldn't come to fighting, even though deep down a part of her knew that Maxim had had the right of it all along.
But maybe they didn't have to kill all of them?
I hope this is worth it. Maxim will have a fit...
The halfling focuses her energies on their bleeding foe and wills the woman's wounds to clot.
JJ jumps over the half-orc stabbing his shortsword close to one main vein, the humanoid yelling in terrible pain. He seems to faint, but still, Perico maintains himself alive by just brutal raw strength.
Marigold says a simple divine word and all of a sudden Barbara ceases to bleed and stabilizes.
Bereft of decent magicks or ranged weaponry, Maxim inwardly curses as the singer makes for the jungle.
The dwur reaches for his arcane bag and produces forth a flask of acid and lobs it at the retreating falsetto;
"Here goes nothin!"
:
Seeing flask and foe both evaporate, Maxim spits in frustration and trudges back to retrieve his knife;
"Someone put down that half-breed eurozspawn basterd!"
Seeing the orc about to fall from the saddle, Ryan calls over his shoulder "All yours Kikinnin, seems he liked putting holes in you. Got his fair-haired cousin to catch! JJ!"
Running flat out Ryan takes off after him trying to follow him as he enters the undergrowth.
The half-orc revolves trying to fall making as much damage as possible "Aaaaah!"
The falchion cuts JJ at his front, the attack is brutal, and both JJ and Perico stab deep each other with their blades. Both finally fall down to the ground exhausted by the wounds and unconscious.
heavy repeating crossbow (400gp)
repeating cartridge x2
falchion (75gp)
+1 hide armor (1165gp)
mwk studded leather (175 gp)
mwk dagger (302gp)
dagger x5
potion of invisibility (300 gp)
scale mail (50 gp)
mwk shortsword (310 gp)
light wooden shield
sling with 10 stones
wand of cure light wounds (34 charges left)
scroll of protection from good (25 gp)
holy symbol of Norgorber
wand of mage armor (22 charges left)
scroll flaming sphere (150 gp)
scroll invisibility (150 gp)
scroll silent image (25 gp)
potion of cure light wounds x4
coins 54 gp, 6 sp
map to the Major's mansion
handwritten note requesting the job to kill the Major of Cauldron and appointing a meeting at the Lucky Monkey
Ryan darts to the jungle following the missing bard, he loses track of him at first, but then seems to overhear the desperate man running through the vegetation.
JJ bleeds slowly over the road.
Kikinnin gets ready to raise his axe another time, when JJ slumps to the ground for his effort to unhorse the half-orc. He drops his axe, and tries to stop the bleeding as much as he can. He only manages to get his hands well and truly bloody.
"Marigold! I can't stop it! Your art's much needed here!" He holds a meaty hand on the boy's chest, until their true healer arrives. He fails to notice Ryan's pursuit of the singer.
As the last of the assassins drop Marigold feels the familiar tightness in her throat leave her, allowing her to regain her normal speech at last. "I g-got him!" she gasps, hurrying over to her fallen friend. "R-Ryan t-took off after the s-singer, into the w-woods! He m-might need h-help," she urges as she uses her magic to staunch JJ's bleeding.
With the bleeding stopped, she quickly sets about to patching him up with the healing wand - which is quickly running dry.
JJ gets groggily to his feet.
"Thanks Marigold. I thought I had him... but... he just wouldn't go down. Like a mad boar he was - dead but just too thick to realise it. Cause that could have got me dead too.."
He puts a sombre expression on his face.
"It's in their blood, JJ. Good to learn it now. Like trying to choke an alligator by grabbing its tongue. You might want to keep your distance next time." Kikinnin pats the boy's shoulder, letting his hand drag across the fabric a little to wipe the blood off his palm.
The black-beard spends time waiting for Ryan's return by searching the bodies of the fallen assassins for any written words of their assignment, or details of planning that can be drawn to their foiled mission.
"How long do we wait, for Ryan to come back? We need someone to saddle up and find him?"
He gets back to ransacking saddle bags and backpacks, as well as looking the cleric over for prayer items.
"Ryan's gone? Why didn't I notice? We need to go after him..."
JJ winces slightly as he gets to his feet.
"The man leaves tracks like a bull in a potteryshop, he can't be hard to follow."
"See, over there? He really does need to replace those boots, see how the toe is almost worn out in that track?"
JJ easily follows the broken vegetation and soon catches up with Ryan whom is still trying to decide what route to follow next.
You overhear a commotion of animal shrieks in the trail direction.
"You still want to follow the man? Come on.. he went that way!" says JJ, pointing at a broken branch.
<- forgot favored enemy bonus
"Dammit the jungle take you!" Ryan exclaims as he stops to turn back. He'd lost him a couple times and realized with this was getting way beyond his skills; [i]besides, in the jungle there's lot worse to worry about. Especially if you run off without any supplies. Taking his time to work his way back out of the Jungle not being a tracker like JJ he made his way out catch up with friends.
As JJ quickly cuts down the space between him and the singer, the sounds of baboons rise up more and more. You soon start to hear shouts of horror and pain.
Moving a last branch you oversee below the trunk of a palm tree a mass of baboons shrieking and festing over the remains of what had been before a humanoid. The crazy monkeys are tearing skin and muscle, eating parts of it. The man still has convulsions.
The baboons seem under a crazy and frantic ire. Approaching right now might probably mean being attacked unless you have means to magically calm them down.
At the road, Kikinnin scavenges the assassins finding all their loot, including a map to the Major's mansion, and a handwritten note appointing the mission. He also picks up the fleeing bard's shortbow that he dropped before.
JJ slowly backs away from the barboons.
"We can come back in an hour or so and maybe recover his body - what remains of it anyway. Give it a burial." he suggests to Ryan.
One hour later when JJ comes back to the baboon attack spot, there is few left of the bard. Smears of blood and skin here and there, his ragged clothes and all his equipment scattered around.
The baboons have made a good use of the rest.
mwk chain shirt (250 gp)
mwk longsword (308 gp)
1x potion of cure light wounds
1x scroll of comprehend languages (25 gp)
1x scroll of silence (150 gp)
1x scroll of mirror image (150 gp)
leather pouch (13 gp, 15 sp)
pre-payment bag (gems worth 1000 gp)
• Hit Points: 17 HP (+5)
• FCB: +1 level 0 spell
• Bloodline Power: Dragon Resistance (5 Acid, +1 natural AC)
• Bloodline Spell: Mage Armour
• Spells: Prestidigitation (level 0), Burning Hands (level 1)
• Background Skills (1 each into the following): Craft (alchemy) +6 (from +5), Profession (herbalist) +6 (from +5)
• Skills (1 each into the following): Bluff +7 (up from +3), Intimidate +7 (up from +3), Spellcraft +7 (up from +6), Use Magic Device (+9 up from +8)
• Feat: Enlarge Spell (metamagic)
Marigold blanches with horror when JJ returns and informs them of the fate of the fleeing bard. "Th-that...th-that's..." she shudders, unable to finish her sentence. "L-let's g-get this lot s-sorted out s-so we c-can go home..."
While the others go about stripping the remaining assassins and taking inventory of the gear, Marigold does triage and uses what's left of the wand to patch up everyone's wounds.
As Maxim and Juraan work to identify gear the assassins were carrying Marigold's face brightens a little at the sight of another healing wand. "G-good timing...this one here's a-almost empty..."
After a moment, she coughs. "Um...s-so I g-guess we t-take them all b-back alive as p-prisoners? They all sh-should still b-be b-breathing...except for the s-singer, I m-mean..."
"I think that is a the best idea. I'd not feel right just slitting their throats, no matter than is what they would have done to us. " says JJ.
"Though I'm sure they'll try and turn the situation on us, and do we really want to involve the law courts?"
He thinks things through a bit more.
"What say we take their equipment - they can't do their mission without it, and leave them here. If they survive - fine. If they don't - well, they were assassins. Didn't lord V want this done a bit on the quiet?"
"We should turn them over to the authorities in Cauldron."
"I'm sure we'll be rewarded for that."
"I doubt that lot will appreciate clemency anyway."
"W-we also have p-proof of wh-what they were hired to d-do," Marigold points out, nodding at the map and the note. "S-surely that's enough t-to keep them in p-prison if we b-bring them in?"
JJ looks less than convinced.
"Let's have a look at the document? Where does it say that they are the ones who are to do it. They could just lie and say they found this and were coming to Cauldron to warn the Mayor. We heard them admit to scarlet brotherhood affiliation. But there is no proof, or for that matter, proof that the scarlet brotherhood is a bad organisation."
He shakes his head.
"Unless one of you knows about secret tattoos or other ways they can identify each other?"
Given there is time, JJ looks over the various unconscious captives to see if they do have any such marks.
The only real mark is the scar at the half-orc's face.
"Maybe he is a wanted criminal?" says JJ hopefully.
"If we do take them back, I suggest we just them close and let lord V know where to find them. He can worry about courts and getting them through the Cauldron gates."
Kikinnin listens to the discussion regarding the felled would-be assassins. "So, JJ would have us believe the worst of our judicial system? That these folks can deceive well enough to avoid incarceration? Perhaps. I'm alright with that. I'll not be an executioner out here in the wilderness. We're not done here, remember? We're to find out more information, regarding the contractor, if we can. Dead tongues don't wag." Kikinnin looks at Maxim, curious as to his take on it.
"We've got their horses, and we have time to question them ourselves. They've been searched properly, so they won't try and poison themselves rather than answer to us, or to Cauldron's Law. The singer made our work easier, now that we outnumber them six to four. I say we bind them tight, throw them over their own horses, then decide where we're off to. Suppose the Lucky Monkey's out of the question. Might be able to ride hard back to Cauldron, with them in tow. Dunno."
"I...I th-think Kikinnin h-has the right idea," Marigold agrees timidly. "We sh-should s-start heading b-back towards C-Cauldron, at l-least for a ways until we c-can find a g-good p-place to s-stop. Th-then we c-can s-see what they have to s-say."
Maxim grimaces, then shrugs his shoulder's at the talk of justice;
"Up to me - we hang 'em here. Let them dance the gallows jig where no-one cares nor will find 'em."
The dwur gestures toward their prisoners;
"Stick em in jail an' their Scarlet Brethren will come a calling. Either to silence tongues or let them free. Either way our names'll be on their list... An' frankly I ain't for looking o'er my shoulder every time I take a leak, nor turn a corner... Hang em and bury em deep I say."
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Kikinnin mirrors Maxim's grimace, a subtle frustration working across his brow as both boy and brov manage to argue for vigilantism. "I don't know about this Scarlet Brotherhood. Would you explain it to me? A group of assassins, I'm figuring, built for secrecy, eh? That one was quick to blurt out the organization's name, so they much have had a big enough chip on their shoulders that they didn't care that we knew about them before they killed us." The black-beard reaches down to turn the half-orc's face side-to-side, a slow debate turning screws behind his eyes.
"What we done in Malachite is one thing. We weren't given orders to follow, so we had to decide how to deal with hobs and gobs, which is an easy enough question to answer for me. And yet, here lies an orc-half, and he still draws breath, at my feet. Under different circumstances, I'd not argue with you, brodir. Vhalentru instructed us to neutralize the threat, and to learn who ordered the hit. Isn't it a kind of discouragement to the Scarlet boys, if their strike team got locked up, all public-like? If they end up dead, there's no message being sent to the contractor. If these folks end up on trial, it might discourage the next group from accepting the job."
Kikinnin can't help but picture his axe coming down on the head of the half-orc, for all the pain he's been made to experience at the receiving end of the repeating crossbow.
"Ryan. Juraan. I'd hear what you have to say about these hooligans' fates."
"I think we should give them over to the authorities in Cauldron."
"There is the bounty, for one thing."
"Besides, dealing with the prisoners will be their problem. Not ours"
Maxim arches an eyebrow at Juraan's words, then nods with a wry smile.
He answers the sorcerer in a strange gravelly language;
"קיינמאָל גענומען איר פֿאַר די דזשודישאַס טיפּ דראַגאָן-בלוט. כאָטש איר האָבן אַ פונט וועגן די מילדקייַט ... אבער ווי מיר דוואָרווז זענען אָפֿט געפֿונען צו זאָגן - מאַטבייע איז מאַטבייע איז מאַטבייע."
Never took you for the judicious type Dragon-blood. Though you have a point about the bounty... but as we dwarves are oft fond to say - Coin is coin is coin.
The gun-mage then looks to his fellow dwarf;
"Reckon it might be a deterrent of sorts. Just don't think a slight like this goes unpunished... Ain't keen on the likely notion this Scarlet Brotherhood won't take too kindly to such a mission being stymied... an as such will seek retribution of a fashion."
« Tak … jeg tror »
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Ryan has quietly been listening to the debate going on between his companions, having added little to it as of yet. He read over the contract once more. I know this writing! I have seen it many times before; but can't remember who it is. Arghh!
Hearing Kikinnin call Juraan and his self out, Ryan steps forward into the conversation. Looking first to Kikinnin and Maxim...
"To kill in the heat of battle, where not to is sure death, that is one thing. To become judge, jury, and executioner afterwards is another. However, Abadar's teachings state that what we do is to be done for the good of the city, this is where I become torn in both conscience and soul. The baboons did us a favor in removing the decision, where it concerned the bard. The others pose a less savory decision."
"Lord Vhalantru contracted us to find the assassins and 'nuetralize' them permanently. So my understanding of that, would be they do not want the scarlet brotherhood members brought back into Cauldron. Besides, I believe we have already seen instances of the guard working with the local thieves guild so putting them in jail is no guarantee of justice. During my time in the Church, I have heard of Abadar granting his clerics a special dispensation to judge the guilt or innocence of the suspect they may have."
"I propose we move towards Cauldron but do not enter, camping outside for the night. Allowing me a chance to petition Abadar for a spell under which they would not be able to lie, in the morning we would question them. Their guilt or innocence to be determined at that time. If he will not grant me the spell then we turn them over to the locals in Cauldron."
"I have seen the writing on the contract before, sadly I cannot place it at this moment in time. Taking the assassins into town will do nothing but tip off whomever that they have been thwarted, that and as Maxim intimated, make us a target of the Scarlet Brotherhood. They would likely not attack us straight up in public but pick us off one by one from the shadows."
While he start out a little hesitant, as he spoke Ryan's voice becomes more determined and authoritative, until he tells of the writing, he is frustrated on that point that he can't remember.
"Do you mean the handwriting on the letter looks familiar?"
"Someone from Cauldron? A prominent citizen, perhaps?"