Airlon will lend his unimpressive physique to the effort.
Dieterich nods, and takes hold of the blanket, calling for the woman to jump down with his booming voice.
Strength Check (17+3=20)
A few of the bystanders, heartened by your efforts and Ellantera's persuasion, grab the blanket to help and finally the woman takes heart and jumps. With an elegant motion you manage to catch her, and then leave her wrapped in the quilt with the old woman fussing about her, while you continue on your way.
As you near the gate that separates you from the next district, it is packed with too many people trying to squeeze through too narrow a passage. Suddenly fear rolls over you all like a blast of cold wind.
Make a Will save against 21, please.
Will save: 1d20+2=22
Will save
Those of you who fail are overcome by irrational fear and panic. Unfortunately most of the crowd panic at the same time, screaming and tearing at each other. You need to make a Reflex save vs. 15 to avoid taking 6 points of nonlethal damage from being crushed in the crowd.
For those who manage to keep a clear head:
Perception 10 (5 if you have low-light vision):
After a minute the panice subsides and you can regroup.
Those of you who fail are overcome by irrational fear and panic. Unfortunately most of the crowd panic at the same time, screaming and tearing at each other. You need to make a Reflex save vs. 15 to avoid taking 6 points of nonlethal damage from being crushed in the crowd.
Audric barely manages to avoid getting crushed in the crowd, but can't see the mystery object.
Perception Roll: 1d20=3
Airlon, trying to avoid the panicking crowd while helping his comrades also avoid getting hurt yells, "What in the nine hells is going on!"
Reflex save
Naria despite the felling of fear she is experiencing nimbly avoids the stampeding crowd.
Undeterred, you make your way toward the Depository tower, where Torrent was due to meet her contact Rivereye. Only a few blocks away you run into a man dressed in fine clothes and behaving erratically. He seems to be frantically searching for someone named Kiki. As he sees you, a glimmer of hope dawns in his face.
He seems to be frantically searching for someone named Kiki. As he sees you, a glimmer of hope dawns in his face.
"Sir, who is this Kiki you seek?"
The man brightens visibly. "Oh, Kiki is my pet, my precious little jewel. The poor dear was startled by the bombardments and ran away and now I can't find her. Could you possibly help me?"
Torrent rolls her eyes and sighs. "We don't have time for this."
What do the rest of you say?
The man brightens visibly. "Oh, Kiki is my pet, my precious little jewel. The poor dear was startled by the bombardments and ran away and now I can't find her. Could you possibly help me?"
Torrent rolls her eyes and sighs. "We don't have time for this."
What do the rest of you say?
To the rest of the party, not trying to be heard by the man:
"If we fail to do right in small tasks, how can we hope to prevail with the larger? Perhaps you should go ahead and I will catch up, but I think I should at least attempt to find this Kiki."
To the man:
"Good sir, we are trying to get somewhere in a hurry, but I will take a few minutes to try to assist you. My name is Ellantera, how should I address you?"
"Ellentera, please hurry and keep safe. We will move on, before all is lost."
"Great! Well, I suppose this is no time to be splitting up, but blast it all, hurry! I will not be captured, tortured, or inquisitioned in any way on the account of some pet! So, what does this Kiki look like and which direction did it sensibly run off in?"
The man looks distraught. "I don't know where she ran off to. She was spooked and is running the streets, the poor dear. She's a dire weasel, only that sounds so harsh... she's a big softie, really. My name is Severin, by the way, and I'm much obliged to you."
Torrent rolls her eyes.
If the preference is to continue on:
Diplomacy 1d20+6=11
"Severin, we are rather pressed with all this excitement, but will keep an eye out for Kiki. We're going that way, but can let you know if we see her. What's the best way to locate you?"
"Good sir, how would you propose we find a spooked weasel in all this chaos. It has probably done the sensible thing and scampered away to a safe hiding hole. Given the situation, you too should seek shelter. I am sure your weasel will turn up once things calm down."
Severin looks a little disappointed, but then he shrugs. "I guess you're right. Kiki is a big girl. She can fend for herself and will come back eventually. I'll take shelter at the temple of Shelyn. It's not far from here, and you can find me there should you happen to find Kiki." He bids you goodbye and you continue toward the Depository Tower.
The Depository Tower is a place where people store valuable items, and there is only one entrance to the compound, through a sturdy gatehouse guarded even now to four veteran guards. The guards on the nightshift are all dwarfs and half-orcs. One is even an orc.
As Torrent has an account you are allowed in. The guards offer you lanterns, since the interior is dark. They explain that there are guards inside, so that you would do well to make sure that you don't 'accidentally' open anyone else's locker. The orc adds that one ugly gnome already came inside, so you shouldn't be startled if you see him.
Here is a map of the tower.
The first floor of the tower is one huge room, and though the far side is hidden in shadows, it looks to be about sixty feet in diameter. A broad stone ramp circles clockwise upward to the left of the door, while the interior of the room is filled with aisles of metal lockers, each slightly larger than a coffin propped upright. The ceiling is twenty feet high, suppored by squat round columns.
You hear a shuffling sound, and soon a mpug-faced, ugly little gnome with blue robes and a runny nose descends the stairs, coughing. "Do excuse me", he snivels, "I caught a cold on my trip here from Ragos."
In the awkward silence, Torrent addresses the gnome. "Hullo, Rivereye. You came at a bad time, didn't you? Do you have the case?" "Yes, Peppin", he promptly answers and beckons you to come upstairs. "Come with me."
Naria follows at a slight distance.
Presuming that Torrent follows, Ellantera will follow her. If Torrent doesn't Ellantera will wait to see what she's doing first.
Audric follows warily.
Airlon:
For DM and Deitrich:
For DM:
Cautiously you follow Rivereye up the stairs. He stops before one of the lockers and turns to Torrent. "You just need to say the password, and it will open." Torrent is nonplussed. "What password?"
At this point Airlon collapses, clutching his side and wincing in pain. He is obviously in need of clerical attention.
Ellantera, Naria:
Naria heads over right away trying to help Airlon stand upon hearing the revelation she almost drops him on his rear again in suprise.
Ellantera rushes to Airlon's side and kneels on the floor to minister to him. Her back is to the rest of the party (with the likely exception of Naria). As she leans in to listen to his breathing, he whispers something to her, causing her to sit back on her heels for a moment, "No, my friend, you are not dying. I think all this excitement has triggered your asthma -- you didn't inhale a lungful of smoke, did you?"
She leans back in to listen to his breathing again and whispers:
Airlon & Naria:
"Naria, could you position yourself next to the fake? I want to call Torrent over here under guise of discussing Airlon's "ailment," so you need to remain in distress."
Sitting back up, she looks at Torrent and says, "Milady, could I have a word with you? I'm not certain what has affected our friend so, perhaps you could have a look?"
Torrent saunters over to take a look at the ailing Airlon. Rivereye looks slightly annoyed at the interruption, but he waits patiently.
"Torrent, I'm afraid I misrepresented the truth. What's really bothering our arcane friend here is he believes that is not Rivereye."
Whispering: "That gnome is not Rivereye. The Resistance was compromised before we contacted you. We need to move fast! I can try casting Daze while the rest grapple and gag this traitor gnome, unless you have a better idea. We need answers and we need to get the hell out of town fast!"
Suddenly a fist-sized globe of light disengages itself from somewhere inside the gnome's clothing. You all seem to hear a voice speaking somehow in your native language. "Run! I'll cover you." At the same time, Rivereye turns tail and runs.
Time to roll for initiative, I think. Also a Will save vs 12 is in order.
Init
Will save
Initiative:
Will Save: