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Audric wades his way through the debris on the floor to the other side of the room, taunting the thug in the door along the way. Finally, the thug's wounds get the better of him, and he collapses to the floor with a groan .
Seeing his opening, Thom turns and fires another bolt of magical energy at the scout on the stairs, but the missile blows a small hole in the wall, instead. Nevertheless, Thom tries to escape from the burning building, but the broken bits of ceiling all over the floor make for slow going, and he is just able to reach the door .
Seeing the thug fall under the onslaught, the scout throws his morningstar to the floor and his hands to the sky and screams, "I give up! Don't kill me!" as he stumbles down from the stairs.
Initiative:
Fist <==
Arrika (+3 to healing)
Horseman
Dogs
Torrent
Willy (delaying)
Audric (concealed, bloodied)
Thom
Scout 2 (bloodied, Fist's Preferred Enemy, marked by Fist)
Fist goes to slam the Scout with his Maul but pulls back.
"Ahh, Pelor's Shiney Arse!
"I really should thump you but it ain't no fit way for people to die roasting to death in a burning building."
Fist points to the Scout's companions with the butt end of his Maul.
"Help me lug them outside so they don't roast to death in here and you can go find yourself a healer to patch up that head of yours."
Fist will keep his Mark (re-applying as required) on the Scout in case he chooses to get 'upity' or run off.
Fist works to move the bodies of the minions, downed scout, and thug out of the burning building with the aid of the surrendered scout.
While he works, Fist mutters, 'My daddy used to say don't complain that the bull don't give milk.'
You all take a moment to catch your breath outside the burning building and realize fully that the attack is underway. It seems that Gate Pass has been bombed, presumably using some sort of flying monster as an aerial platform.
Torrent suggests you hurry and get to the meeting with Rivereye. "I am worried that the firebombing might make him flee, and I cannot risk losing him."
You take a moment to see what has happened to the rest of the city. The streets are filling with panicked people, and though it seems that the bombing ended within minutes, a battle has begun at the nearby west wall. Townsfolk rush about trying to put out fires or get to the shelter of temples, and soldiers hurry to their posts, slowed by the throng and chaos. All the while, bells ring urgent warnings up and down the mountain pass.
"Quickly," urges Torrent. "We have little time to waste."
"Well at least it should be easy to make our way there in the confusion."
Traveling quickly from the remains of the pub, you see that Gate Pass is in turmoil. Torrent moves ahead about twenty feet, making haste for the depository. As you round a corner, you nearly run over a man carrying a woman out of a doorway. Both are burned severely and he appears nearly spent. Three children, huddled in coats and whimpering, follow behind. “Help me,” the man croaks, his pain clearly visible.
"My daddy says 'There's always room on the mountain for one more.'"
Fist turns to the man.
"We're leaving the city and if you want to come with me my back is strong and wide enough to take a few more."
Fist says to the others,
"Keep going. I'll catch up as I would only frighten someone pint sized with my good looks."
"We can leave you and your family at a farm outside the city. I know most of the ranchers around here and get you a place to stay till the worst is over. I also know a few caves outside the city that the Rags won't likely check.
Torrent slows and acknowledges Fist's attempts to help the family. "We have time to do the right thing."
Bolstered by Arrika's encouraging words, the man lifts his wife lovingly and looks at Fist with a weary expression. "No one's leaving the city, friend. The Rags'a got us trapped. Besides, my life is here."
Torrent looks up the street and points out a temple to Pelor that is setting up a triage tent for wounded citizens. "There, Fist. Take the children."
As Fist gathers the little ones, carrying a 5-year-old girl on his shoulders, Torrent leads the man, who says his name is Rensar, to the temple, where the family is gathered up by Peloran priests and led to water and shelter. Seeing them cared for, Torrent turns back to pushing through the throng. She catches Fist's eye in passing and gives him a smile and a wink. "For a man named 'Fist,' you're awful soft."
EDIT:
Your group continues onward through darkness, and, as you pass a number of burning structures, you see people crossing the connecting skybridges to safety. From a building ahead, you hear screaming and see a cluster of bystanders staring and pointing upwards towards the fourth floor, just below the roof. A woman is looking out an open window to the people below, screaming for help. Smoke billows from the portal, and she looks back into the burning edifice and then screams even louder as she turns back to face the street. She claws up the frame and places a foot on the sash.
People in the street below scream up to her, "Maibel! Hold on!" but it's clear that no one will be able to reach her from within the building, as the flames grow more intense.
Fist looks at the situation and realizes that he chose well when he carried his climbing kit with him into the city.
"Normally, I don't carry my climbing kit with me in the city. Mostly, need it for getting goats down from cliff sides. I swear, goats are dumber then cats. Always climbing up some where and then bleating their fool heads off when they forget how to get back down.
"Just lucky I guess that I expected trouble with the Rags on our doorstep. I got a grapple and good bit of rope that will sure enough reach that window.
"I can toss it up there unless there is someone here with a better plan or a better aim when it comes to tossing grapples."
Fist will listen if anyone else has a plan or wants to make use of setting the grapple.
"I know you can't save every seed in the wood but Grandmother teaches that if you don't save a few then there won't be anything to plant next year."
Fist assists Thoms efforts.
"Besides, I ain't no use when it comes to talking to gnomes. Far as I'm concerned they're one step above gophers. Constantly digging holes under trees. Making a life out of poping out of places and going boo.
It ain't Orc and I don't go trust'n people that don't stand up and shake your hand."
Between the two of Fist and Thom (and the grappling hook), the rope is secured. Fist heaves himself up,
with Thom holding the bottom of the rope, and he reaches Maibel with little trouble. Before the long, the terrified woman is on the ground and being comforted by other townsfolk.
Torrent looks around. "Has anyone seen Willy?" She waits a moment and then shrugs. "I guess he'll have to catch up."
Fist looks around and notes the halfling is missing. It wasn't surprising to Fist, halflings were cousins of gnomes in his book. They were hardly what you would call a trust worthy race.
"Typical. When a house is on fire there are always some people that you can count on to be at the front door.
Gnomes and Halflings, plenty of talk but not much lifting."
Fist follows along where the others lead.
Only a block away looms the gate that leads to the next district, and your destination, the depository. The press of people is considerable as they flee eastward, and the passage is too narrow to allow easy exit from the western ward.
As you push on, screams begin to erupt from the north. At first, they are far away, but slowly, like a wave rolling onto the shore, the panic grows and moves southward. A soldier patrolling the gate wall suddenly jumps with a curdling scream into the crowd and disappears from your view.
You think you still hear his screams go on a moment and then stop, but you can’t be sure; his plight is quickly eclipsed when less than a dozen feet from you, men, women and children begin to wail.
You are each filled with an irrational panic, just as Torrent points to the sky and yells, "What in the name of Melora?" You each begin to flee without thought or plan through the crowd, which is flailing and tearing at each other in panic. You are battered and scratched , after which Thom and Arrika shake of the inexplicable terror. Audric and Fist are still subject to its grip and continue to fight through the crowd . Finally, these two also manage to rid themselves of the unnatural fright and regain their composure.
After regrouping, Torrent explains that she saw only a bat-winged shape the size of a house swooping over the crowd, but it was too dark to make out the creature clearly.
As you turn back to the gate between the two districts of Gate Pass, a shadow-cloaked figure steps out of an alley and approaches your group. It nods to Torrent and says, "I'm here."
"Ah, Gomi," she exhales. "I was hoping you'd find us. We missed you at the Pub. Bounty hunters ... Black Horse, I think. Introductions are for later; We're headed to the meet with Rivereye."
Finally passing through the gate, the depository is in sight. Eighty feet tall, it flickers with oranges and reds from the fires beneath. Long, garishly colored banners hang from the roof to the topmost balcony. They drift lazily in the thermal currents, displaying the latest merchant advertisements. To your left, you hear a well-dressed man calling out in a plaintive voice, “Kiki, please come out, it’s fine now! Please, Kiki!”
Fist rubs his bruised shoulders.
"Bah, dragons know better than to travel in these parts. Grandfather Eagle rules these heights. Great Uncle Wyrm tried to catch Grand father Eagle but he couldn't build his home high enough.
You do know the story don't you?"
Fist looks at the others expecting their understanding.
Fist casts around with his eyes and years but he knows this isn't his best skill.
He'd probably have been a better rancher if he could have kept track of the animals on his farm better.
Instead, he tended to lose track of the animals and it wasn't till they started bleating that he realized there was a problem.