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This wasn't good. Apparently Merlin didn't know that the last thing you do to a hostage taker is rile them up.
"Look mate, we're not interested in you - you let the kids go, we let you go this time. Start hurting them though and that deal's off the table."
Iomenna looks concerned as Kelly suggests her plan. "You sure you can get the kids away quick enough? I'm worried that he'll hurt them if we make too much noise. Maybe Merlin could come around and help us open the shutters more quietly?"
Merlin trudges off to one of the semi-accessible windows to take a look at it.
Guidance, please.
He then takes some loose wire (found) to attempt to unlock it.
Guidance, please.
Luciana initiates a dialog with the hostage-taker.
"Why do you think this would be a 'let me go' situation in here?" shouts the annoying nasal voice. "I got friends too! You come in here it's gonna be bad for you and bad for the kids."
While whoever it is doesn't seem very receptive, Luci does establish one very important thing: He's now paying attention to talking to her. She's buying time.
This gives Merlin the opportunity to head to one of the shutters and, using a twisted piece of wire, he lifts the latch so that the window can be opened. With a boost, Kelly could fit right through.
Inside is a large room that looks like a multi-purpose room. Tables are pushed against the walls. A rickety armchair is in the center, and piled in front of it are several blankets, with a variety of toys atop them.
A good half-score of children (10) are tied with rope around their necks that leads to a metal loop that's been secured to the floor. The rope only gives them about 15' of slack. Most of them are crying and look dirty and hungry, and all of them save one are young children - one is a teen girl who is stubbornly trying to be brave for the others, but clearly at her limit.
There is, however, no sign of whoever's been doing the talking - just a disembodied voice.
Kelly slips down into the room as quietly as she can, trying to keep behind furniture. She makes her way to the door, ready to draw her knife and run at the first sign of being spotted.
Merlin attempts to keep Kelly in sight, after she enters through the window.
Guidance, please
Darya listens silently allowing Luci to keep the man's attention as she readies to try her might against the door should it become necessary.
"So where are these friends of yours? They're clearly not here, but if they show up then they're gonna force our hand. And for the sake of the kids you have in there, I don't want to do that if I don't have to."
She was considering asking for proof of life, but if Kelly was inside and had found the kids, that would just lead the guy right to her.
Kelly squeezes through the window while Luci continues to keep the voice distracted.
As Luci continues talking, Kelly sees one of the ropes around one of the children go taut, pulling the child and causing him to gasp for air.
"You may not see me - or my friends - but you can hear me! You wanna test me? We could play a game of 'how many children can die before the paladins break down the door'!"
Darya strains to listen at the door and she hears at least two other whispered voices, just barely. (Kelly hears them too, but they're hard to pinpoint - must be invisible.)
Kelly looks around quickly for something she can throw to reveal the invisible demon. Sand, flour, dust of some kind. Maybe a blanket?
"Kelly's outnumbered, there's at least two more of them in there with the children." Darya whispers urgently.
Luci inwardly cursed at what he was saying. Invisibility was a pain to deal with even if you had a handy way of exposing them - a bag of flour's only good if you know which way to throw it. And with no way to get in there to help Kelly and the children...
This is getting bad, I'll just have to keep stalling and hope Kelly can do something on her end. Although...
"Alright, but I need to know what condition the kids are in. I'll leave my weapons outside, you let me in to assess the hostages and maybe we can work something out."
Sario is just fuming at the conversation that Luci is having this the invisible bad man. She is pacing up and down the stairs, mumbling to herself and waving her spear around at no one.
"Hmmm... tell you what! Get rid of your weapons and armor and you can come in. TRY ANYTHING AND THE KIDS GET IT!" says the angry, high-pitched voice.
You hear two other creatures snickering as well.
Kelly remains concealed in the shadows just below the window, doing her best to avoid drawing attention to herself.
Kelly does her best to try and suss out where the invisibles are.
She was hoping he wouldn't say that. "Fine, but if I see any injuries on those kids, the deal's off," she replied, starting to undo her armour as she gestured to one of the others to come over to her. She whispered to whoever came up to her.
"I'll buy you guys whatever time I can, but I don't know how long that'll be. You'll need to figure something out. I just hope Kelly can slip back out to let you guys know what the situation is in there."
"Okay, if things go south fast just shout and we're breaching the door." Darya says helping Luci remove her armor. Some distant, calm part of her mind couldn't help thinking the circumstances couldn't possibly be more different from the last time she'd done so.
"I'll keep your sword on me. BE careful." she whispers
Sario will move up and hold on to Luci's armor, holding the spear in her main hand.
Merlin appears ready to smash the window open more, if Kelly yells...
After a few minutes Luci's armor is removed and carefully held while the tiefling woman pushes on the door and steps inside. A quick look around shows her what Kelly has already seen: This is some kind of multi-purpose room that has been emptied of furniture or props, aside from a ring in the floor with ropes passing through it that are tied around the childrens' necks, and a small pile of battered toys next to the rope-and-ring assembly at the foot of a lone chair.
It almost seems like the invisible voice has decided to give itself a throne, make the children its terrified subjects, and force them to give up their toys as tribute.
"All right! Hold it there, do-gooder!" screeches the invisible voice. Luci thinks she hears something moving nearby but she can't see anything.
"Hmf. You're just another one of those crusaders! You turned your back on your Hellish heritage to fight against our legions! Now what should I do with you... KIDS! We're going to make an example today! This will be educational!"
Luci gets an uncomfortable crawling sensation in the pit of her stomach...
Sario holds Luci's armor with respect, "we need to get in there now."
Alright, this has gone far enough, Iomenna thinks in a panic as she begins to clamber up the side of the building and in through the window.
I bet he's on his little throne. Now or never I guess! Kelly charges out of the shadows, shouting to Luciana "OPEN THE DOOR!", then body tackles the chair in the center of the room.
Hearing the commotion from inside the building and unable to find an alternate entrance, Iomenna begins to run around the building back toward the front entrance. "Come on, Merlin," she calls, "Sounds like things are coming undone. We'd better get inside and help as we're able."
"Hmf. You're just another one of those crusaders! You turned your back on your Hellish heritage to fight against our legions! Now what should I do with you... KIDS! We're going to make an example today! This will be educational!"
There were some times when Luci's vows got in the way; she'd said she'd enter unarmed, which meant she couldn't even sneak her kerambit in. Which would have been useful for cutting the kids ropes.
She'd been about to make a defiant remark about her heritage not defining her, but then Kelly did something incredibly reckless (which Luci really should've seen coming) and tackled the chair. Fortunately, she could adapt. As soon as Kelly called out, Luci was yanking the door open for the others.
Darya charges through the door, halo blazing with golden light as she deftly tosses Luci her sword with one hand, drawing her own blade in mid stride with the other. With Luci unarmored and Kelly in action, she hoped to make herself the primary target for anyone looking to defend the place, and at the same time, visibly give the children hope.
"We'll see who makes an example of whom demon!"
Once the door is open Sario will centre a mist on herself allowing it to flow out of the arms of her shirt.
"Little man you will pay for this."
Merlin begins casting a spell by beseeching the presence that has been guiding him.
Please help me get through this door!
The young warrior begins to grow in size to match that of a giant.
Sario will step back still holding on to Luci's armor
Catching her sword, Luci shifted back to Sario after seeing she was carrying her armour and started pulling it on with the druid's help. It wasn't going to sit properly, but it offered better protection than the doublet she wore under it.
Azura says, "I'll take care of Luci - save those kids!" to Sario, and steps in to help with the armor.
Kelly launches herself from surprise at the chair. The chair slams over as the halfling hits it, but the ropes around the childrens' necks rise up into the air. The children start crying and wailing, but whatever is pulling on the ropes can't or doesn't choose to pull hard enough to actually lift hard enough to choke them; the ropes' ends are all knotted up suspended in the air.
Darya and Iomenna bust inside of the building as Merlin starts to grow!
You hear one of the scratchy voices shout, "Cheese it! The paladins are here!" Then there is a sudden wave of horrific necrotic energy, and the children start screaming and wailing.
A pair of flying tiny demons waver into view, screeching horribly and emanating a wave of fear.
Sario enters the room and sees the two little demons flying around, she cocks her fist and it covers in stone. Sario then thrusts her fist at the demon.
No no no not again! Kelly starts to panic for a moment, before remembering the breathing exercises taught to her by a priest of Chaldira Zuzaristan. Think of the life of Chaldira. She cared not for her own safety, but sped to the defense of her friends! Fortified, she looks up to the demons defiantly. "NOT ANYMORE!" she screams, and grabs for the nearest rope, draws her big knife, and starts cutting.
Controlled rage: +2 Dex, +2 Str
World Serpent Totem: +1 AC vs outsiders and abberations
Shaken:-2 attack, saves, skills/ability checks.
Darya feels the grip of fear, truly she does, but it is not in her nature to give in to it. The worst of the terror swallowed up by righteous anger as she wades into battle her blade slicing through the air at one of the demons.
Kelly leaps up and slashes through one of the narrow ropes, which lets the child tied to that rope fall back to the ground, coughing and weeping.
A grating, invisible voice shouts, "HEY! You'll ruin our fun if you keep doing that!"
Darya slashes one of the little flying demons and her blade intersects with it - and harmlessly slides through its hide.
"HAHA!" the small demon shouts at her. "You ain't got the STONES!"
Sario launches a chunk of rock at one of the flying demons, but the nimble little beast lurches out of the way at the last minute.
Azura kneels down and kisses Luci's thigh as she buckles on a greave. "Usually doing this the other way 'round," she murmurs.
"AHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
Iomenna, overcome by the wave of fear, rushes back out of the building.
The small flying demon by Darya suddenly and unexpectedly lunges at her! Well, maybe not so unexpected, since her weapon had no effect.
(no crit)
It lands all of its blows on the warrior woman!
(min. 1)
The other one lands on the shoulder of the restrained child next to it and runs its claw across the child's arm.
"Back it up or the kid dies a painful, shivering, fitful death," sneers the little demon.
Kelly whips around and jumps on the demon threatening the child.
2 rounds raged
Controlled rage: +2 Dex, +2 Str
World Serpent Totem: +1 AC vs outsiders and aberrations while raging
AC18 (T16 FF13) CMD17 | F+6 R+6 W+2(+2 vs Fear)
"Hey, not now." she told Azura, flinching slightly at the surprise kiss.
"Guys, cut the ropes, get the kids out of here!"
Merlin continues toward the front door to assist his friends.
The youth calls upon the mysterious power that has been guiding him.
Your strength for this conflict, I beseech you!
School evocation; Level cleric/oracle 1, inquisitor 1, paladin 1; Domain nobility 1; Subdomain archon (good, law) 1
CASTING
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, DF
EFFECT
Range personal
Target you
Duration 1 minute
DESCRIPTION
Calling upon the strength and wisdom of a deity, you gain a +1 luck bonus on attack and weapon damage rolls for every three caster levels you have (at least +1, maximum +3). The bonus doesn’t apply to spell damage.
The budding oracle arrives at the door entrance. His large frame filling the space; scimitar and shield at the ready.
Eyes and halo flaring with righteous fury, Darya unleashes her divinely fueled wrath on her enemy. We'll see how funny you find it when I carve yours from your pathetic little body!"