Barega took a quick look at at the gash in his leg by the arrow. The wound looked superficial, but the Ogo were likely to poison their arrows...well, time to worry about that later!
Barega raised an eyebrow at the gruesome display that the angry human had made of the lion. The man seemed to enjoy bathing in the beast's blood -- not as squeamish as most of the rest of his kind. This human had some potential as a hunter! Perhaps over-energetic, not as efficient as he could be, but he had seen that in some of the younger hunters that he had trained as well...
He cursed as the cowardly Ogo fled down the hall. Can't let them get away and raise the alarm... Barega chased them down the hall, hurling another spear in an attempt to bring one of them down.
Valsavis laughed as the hunters ran away in terror, but quickly realized one still remained below. With a yell, he dropped down to the dusty passageway...
...And landed easily on his feet. Using the momentum from his jump, he immediately folded into a roll to bypass the hunter...
...And managed to avoid the halfling's slashing attack. He came up to his knees and quickly spun to face the hunter's back. He slashed his father's blade across the fleshy mid-section...
+ 10 damage total
...And grinned as the attack struck home.
Gbaji jumped down, following Valsavis as he ran down the escaping halfling.
"Kasserath vos sathak!" Ala'a hissed as she launched herself over Barega, her long legs carrying her down the hallway to the east with strides that devoured the distance between the elf and the fleeing halflings.
Mindful of the narrow hallway, she stabbed downward at the unguarded back of the slowest runner, the sharp point of her bone blade piercing leather and flesh.
~~~~~0~~0~~~~~
"Kasserath vos sathak!" Ala'a hissed as she launched herself over Barega, her long legs carrying her down the hallway to the east with strides that devoured the distance between the elf and the fleeing halflings.
The halflings' unprotected backs before her, Ala'a called to the fire spirits and fanned her hands, filling the hallway in front of her with flames.
Turn 13 is up.
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
ROUND 2
HUNTER 2 AND 3 FLEE
GBAJI JUMPS DOWN, LITTLE ROOM TO STRIKE (-4) BUT HITS HUNTER 1
VALSAVIS KILLS HUNTER 1
BAREGA RUNS AND THROWS SPEAR AT HUNTER 2
ALA'A RUNS AND BURNING HANDS
, no
, yes
HUNTERS TRY TO FLEE BUT ARE CUT DOWN BY ELF AND BAREGA
Barega paused after Ala'a finished off the last hunter, listening. After a few moments he shrugged and gave the corpses a quick once-over, pocketing a few items, and then headed back toward the others. As he spoke, be drew a small obsidian blade from his belt and idly began to slice into the lion's midsection.
"Very tired. Would love to sleep for a while before attempting an escape, but I don't know. Soon, they will notice that the hunters did not return."
He swept an arm about at the enormous beast's corpse, and the gore that was spattered all around the hallway, directly below the safe room. "And this is hard to conceal. Gives away the location of secret room."
He quickly extracted a chunk of tenderloin, wrapped it in a few leaves from his pack, stowed it, and resumed his work. "I think we should leave soon, before they think to expect the Ogo to return. But, likely templar at both exits. What to do, what to do?" He stowed a few cuts of short loin in a similar fashion.
"Very bad situation."
He paused to lick some of the gore off his fingers and point into the bloody hole he had dug into the corpse, before beginning to extract another steak. "This part -- very tasty. Anyone else hungry?"
Gbaji watched as Barega butchered the lion. "Nah, I'm fine thanks," he replied as the halfling went about his bloody work. He wasn't bothered - he'd grown up on an oasis farm, and anyway worse happened in the arena - but his post-combat come-down usually left him a little queasy.
"I agree, though," he added, "This place isn't secret anymore. The hunters found us pretty easily so we can't just hole up here. Let's head out the other way - where's it go, slave quarters or something? - and see if we can get away from there. Maybe we can see about getting to Tyr in the morning. Shall I get Kornugard down from up there?"
Ala'a wrinkled her nose as the smell of blood and offal filled the hallway. What was it mother said? Never clean the kill over your bedroll?
She stooped to help Barega search the hunters for valuables but left off when the halfling started to butcher the lion. Her leg still burned where the cat had clawed her - killing it seemed enough revenge, she didn't need to it, as well.
"We can't stay here - others will come looking and there's too much blood to cover. Templars will be watching the square with the kiln, so our best option is to head west and look for a way to slip out unnoticed."
Ala'a waited for any sign of disagreement. Seeing none she nodded to Gbaji and helped the half-giant retrieve the unconscious preserver from the hidden loft. Using scraps of cloth torn from the halflings' uniforms she helped secure Korgunard to Gbaji's back, then headed down the west hall to scout ahead.
ooc: I'll wait to see if a conversation starts and/or Valsavis posts. The halflings have 2 MW knives, a MW short bow, a fruit of cure medium wounds. The lion has a jeweled collar with a medal with the likeness of ... wait for it... Hamanu. :)
It's bad enough to kill templars, soldiers, and hunters but to kill a lion in Urik is very bad luck indeed.
Game on!
After Barega is done searching the bodies, Valsavis speaks up, ”If you managed to find any of those healing fruits, I could use a couple.”
As the offer of meat, Valsavis gave him a stern look but said nothing. It would take much more than that to shake the desensitized slayer. He nodded along with the others line of thinking, ”Yes, I agree. West seems to be our best bet.”
His clothes already stained with blood, he wiped some of the gore from his blades onto his pant leg. Nothing to be done about it now, but that is something I will need to address once we escape Urik... Making himself useful, he helped Gbaji and the others bring down and secure Korgunard. As Ala’a started off, he followed closely behind, blades drawn, doing his best to remain unseen and unheard.
Done, you can always look at the 'loot table' at the bottom of the turn recaps to make sure I got it right. You'll see that most of it is 'unallocated'.
Turn 014 is up.
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
PS: Still no back and forth between players like some of you wanted. Am I recapping too quickly?
Valsavis spoke up, ”Maybe the mage hid his tracks with magic? Either way, this seems to be our only path forward, so let us be on with it.” He surveyed the area, ensuring that none of the blood from his clothes had left a trail, before climbing into the hidden chamber above. He silently hoped that one of the others would mask their footprints, much like the fleeing preserver seemed to have done.
Valsavis grunted as he recognized the dwarf, ”How long will these arrangements take? Hamanu’s men are still patrolling the halls below. As far as Korgunard is concerned… It’s not looking good.” For the first time you could recall, a bit of humanity shone through Valsavis’ churlish demeanor. He seemed genuinely concerned for the man who had brought them all here. He looked to the others to provide whatever information they had learned from examining the struggling man’s body.
"Perhaps," Ala'a said, responding to Valsavis's comment about the disappearing elf. "I wish the tracks had been cleared before - if he was taken by templars he could provide them with information that could betray us, no matter how he resists. Hamanu's torturers are said to be ... persuasive."
Still, the shaft above offered an escape route. Ala'a helped lift Korgunard's unconscious body into the new tunnel but took one more look around before climbing up herself.
~~~~~~0~~0~~~~~~
Ala'a listened carefully as Valsavis spoke with Abbin. The dwarf had helped them earlier - or seemed to - but there was at least one traitor in their midst, so she looked for any indication that the dwarf was not what he seemed.
"Abbin, has anyone else passed this way? There was an elf, one of the preservers involved below, who is unaccounted for."
Gbaji just concentrated on getting out. He kept his eyes open for any sign of pursuit, but didn't bother to engage in chit-chat. He tried his best not to jog Kornugard about to much as he carried him slung over his shoulder. The mage just flopped there like a ragdoll, unmoving. When Gbaji put him down to climb up and check the next tunnel, he bent over to listed and confirm the preserver was still breathing. He was - just about.
"No, everyone is not OK," whispered Gbaji back harshly, "Help us with Konugard, he's been hurt."
As Abbin talked about getting them out of the city, Gbaji's stomach tightened. He really wanted out of Urik - they must all be wanted byt the templars now. He hoped they could make it but he knew the whole venture now was life or death - his, and everyone else's in the group - and the pessimist in him didn't like the odds. The elf girls talk or turturers didn't help much, either. "So how are we going to get out of here?"
As Ala'a mentioned the elven wizard, Gbaji thought back. He'd been pretty fast on his feet, like maybe he'd known something like this was going to happen. "What do you know about this elf anyway? Can he be trusted? How did the templars know where we were?"
Ala'a spoke to the dwarf, "Abbin, has anyone else passed this way? There was an elf, one of the preservers involved below, who is unaccounted for."
He shook his head but it was hard to tell from twenty feet below; their subtle lights did not illuminate very well. "No, haven't seen him but he's very resourceful at vanishing." He stuck his head lower in the shaft, "You'll be happy to know that Eliantha made it out. She was pretty beat up but she'll be OK. She was the one who said that it's up to you to help Korgunard now. She'll try and catch up to you, wherever you're going, which I don't want to know, by the way."
Gbaji looked at Abbin, "So how are we going to get out of here?"
The dwarf sighed, "It's gonna be tough. Even at this late hour there are templars and hunters looking for you. I heard they even sent a lion sniffing after you."
He shrugged, "We have a few contacts here that can help out but, right now, it's best you remain put. It's better to slip under their noses come tomorrow morning. And it has to be fast."
He looked about again, "Listen, there are two main options we could help you with. One of them is that we know an independent trader who owes us. We can 'borrow' a cart, a couple of kanks, and some merchandise to set you up as traders. But you'll have to get by the guards at the gates and convince them of your legitimate enterprise."
He wiped sweat from his head, "The other is to make you a part of a slave detail. It will be easy to bypass the gates but you'll have to break free from your handlers once you're out of the city."
He paused, "Well, what do you think? You could try other means and I could maybe help but you'll have to decide..."
Shouldn't be a problem; I'll update the character sheet tomorrow when I recap.
"Korgunard will stick out like a sore thumb in a slave detail - even if he were conscious, he no longer looks entirely ... human," Ala'a said, voice echoing up the shaft as they carried on their conversation with Abbin.
"I'd feel better trying to pass ourselves off as traders. We can keep all of our gear within reach that way and keep Korgunard concealed. I'm a fast talker, and Lalali should be able to help with a little brain scrambling if it comes to that. Valsavis and Gbaji both look the part of caravan guards - Barega, I don't suppose you could change yourself into a lizard or something? It might be easier to explain."
"I'd feel better trying to pass ourselves off as traders. We can keep all of our gear within reach that way and keep Korgunard concealed. I'm a fast talker, and Lalali should be able to help with a little brain scrambling if it comes to that. Valsavis and Gbaji both look the part of caravan guards - Barega, I don't suppose you could change yourself into a lizard or something? It might be easier to explain."
Abbin whispered back, "Aye, good thinking. Just so you know, the slave detail would be part of a mason/carpenter crew that's going out to fix a crumbling wall outside the city in a noble's villa. As such, it would also carry a cart for materials and tools. That's where we thought you could hide Korgunard and your weapons. But the trader ruse can also be arranged so whatever you think would get you and Korgunard out of Urik alive."
He waited, breathed, "It's best we do it at dawn so we have a couple of hours till then."
"Yeah, what the elf girl says." Gbaji considered. "I don't look much like a trader. Maybe I can pretend to be a guard, maybe me and Valsavis?"
Barega passed the bundle of salvaged fruits around, and the others took a few items.
1.
Barega frowned at the tunnel's sudden end, and spent a few moments examining the wall and the nearby floor. Maybe one of the arcanists conjured this wall to seal the passage?
When Valsavis started checking the ceiling, Barega grinned at the man's cleverness and nodded to himself.
2.
What do you know about this elf anyway? Can he be trusted? How did the templars know where we were?
Barega nodded at Gbaji's questions. He had gotten this sense as well. Placing trust in arcanists was a dangerous game to play.
Barega, I don't suppose you could change yourself into a lizard or something? It might be easier to explain.
Barega nodded. "Yes, I think, better to be merchants than slaves. I can leave separately and meet you a couple of hours down the road, perhaps."
He looked around at the bloodied group, "better find change of clothes, at least. ha!"
Small tunnel, several footprints, difficult to figure it out (DC=too high)
You heard the templar party twice, coming from and going back to the ceremony room.
Correct.
It looks like the tunnel ended (excavation stopped)
"What do you know about this elf anyway? Can he be trusted? How did the templars know where we were?"
Valsavis nodded along as the half-giant voiced his thoughts. ”I too am wary about the others present during the ceremony. Eliantha and the arcanist who got away - what was his name? - can they be trusted? Can you, for that matter?"
"I guess we have no choice in that, but surely you can see that someone has lead Hamanu straight to us. Someone wanted Korgunard’s plan to fail.” Valsavis looked over at the struggling man, his face a hard mask. He wasn’t making any move to settle down for the few hours they had to rest until these concerns were addressed.
---
"I don't look much like a trader. Maybe I can pretend to be a guard, maybe me and Valsavis?"
"I am fine with playing the part of the caravan guard, if that is what the group decides. For now, let us rest in the few short hours we have before dawn."
He looked around at the bloodied group, "better find change of clothes, at least. ha!"
Valsavis looked up at Abbin once more, "Any chance of securing us a change of clothes - something a merchant might wear?"
Ok, good turn!
Turn 015 is up.
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
"Thank you, Abbin, these will do nicely," Ala'a said as she pulled clean clothes from the pile the dwarf carried.
Stripping off her blood-stained garments, she quickly washed the grime from her arms and legs and scrubbed the last traces of kohl from her face. Fingers moving quickly, she braided her long, black hair into several tight strands and wrapped them around the crown of her head before pulling on a tight leather cap.
Tearing strips from her ruined shirt, she bound her breasts tight to her chest, using some additional fabric to add bulk to her lower torso and downplay the hourglass shape of her hips. As she shrugged on her new shirt and pants, she hoped the final result suggested a young elven man, rather than the warrior-woman the templars sought.
"Call me Ulo'ok," she said, trying to deepen her voice without sounding comical. "I should be able to talk us past the gate guards. If they start questioning you, just act confused - most caravan guards are hired for brawn, not brains, so they won't be expecting much."
~~~~~0~~0~~~~~
Ala'a hissed when she saw the elven wizard and did her best to keep track of him in the crowd near the gate. What is he up to? she thought. And is he going to try to spoil our escape?
Ala'a stepped to the front as the templar approached, greeting him with an easy smile.
"We're running cargo for the free-trader Marek," she said, hoping her friend's name would ring a bell with the templar. "We're loaded with leather, kank nectar and tools bought from the market. All local work, but I didn't bother to get names - is that a new law? I do try to keep up on Lord Hamanu's edicts, and apologize if we erred. Is there a fine we need to pay?"
Ala'a fingered her belt pouch suggestively, figuring that it was worth a few ceramics if it got the templar moving on to the next wagon.
Valsavis silently donned the clothes, ensuring they covered the crimson stains marring his current garb. He cut out the pockets of the rough linen shirt, ensuring that the handles of his blades were within easy reach. He likewise tied his greasy hair up with a leather thong and stuffed it up under his helm. He left Xaynon's bow in the wagon, although he kept his quiver of arrows. He hooked the stone hand axe to his belt and slung the shortbow over his shoulder, although he had no intentions of using either.
Valsavis' eyes narrowed as he spotted the elven mage creeping through the crowd. He looked to the others, ensuring that they had spotted him as well. He did his best to track the elf as he disappeared into the seething mass of unwashed bodies.
Valsavis stared blankly at the head of the kid who he had threatened multiple times. Damn, they got the kid... That means they know everything. He was brought out of his dark thoughts as they arrived at the gate and the templar approached their wagon. He tensed, but tried to appear nonchalant. He kept his ears keenly attuned to their exchange, but let his eyes wander, trying his best to play the part of the bored and underpaid caravan guard. When the yellow cloak wasn't looking his way, he took the time to study the man, in case their ruse was unsuccessful and battle broke out.
Barega took advantage of the brief respite to examine Korgunard in more detail. He shook his head. "I have never seen its like. But I think, at least, he is not getting worse."
He proposed that he would sneak out of the city in the guise of a bird, and then meet them along the road once they were an hour or two outside of the city.
Then he proceeded to curl up in the corner and grab a half hour's sleep.
The quiet of night is first broken by the the chirping of awakening insects, then the pre-dawn chorus of birds who hope to make breakfast of the revelry of the insects, and by finally the bustle of men, oblivious to all the rest. As the birds were beginning their song, Barega awoke and looked about.
"Good luck to you. I will watch, and aid you if I can."
He raised his arms, and seemed to shrink slightly in the faint pre-dawn light. His arms became the wings of a bird, and then he was a small, ugly vulture. He rose awkwardly into the air, and was gone into the night.
ooc: I'll see if there are other input/RPing and roll some dice tonight.
Game on!
Gbaji donned a big set of baggy pantaloons and wrapped a long length of cloth about his head to make a turban. He then grabbed one of the clubs they had taken from the half-giants they had defeated to finish off his disguise. It wasn't much, but he was hoping that most people don't look to hard at half-giants and would do the same with him.
He looked across at Valsavis. Well, at least Gbaji looked more convincing than he did.
He helped the others stow Kornugard in the concealed compartment in the wagon. He seemed little different than from before, except that the bruising of his face was turning a very angry purple colour.
Gbaji just tried to look vacant as Ala'a talked to the templar, toying with the head of his axe and meeting no one's eye. He scanned the crowd to see if the elf wizard was up to any tricks but could't see him anywhere.
If things turned difficult, he was ready to unleash the Scary Face, but it seemed to be going OK so far.
Ala'a stepped to the front as the templar approached, greeting him with an easy smile.
"We're running cargo for the free-trader Marek," she said, hoping her friend's name would ring a bell with the templar. "We're loaded with leather, kank nectar and tools bought from the market. All local work, but I didn't bother to get names - is that a new law? I do try to keep up on Lord Hamanu's edicts, and apologize if we erred. Is there a fine we need to pay?"
Ala'a fingered her belt pouch suggestively, figuring that it was worth a few ceramics if it got the templar moving on to the next wagon.
Bluff: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (14) + 11 = 25
-----------
The templar snorted, "A fine? Yes, all you little shits have to pay a fine. I'm surprised King Hamanu even let's you live, let alone trade in our city. You're all a bunch of thieves. But we have bigger problems today so make me want to pass on by without even checking your filthy wagon."
He extended his hand and signaled towards the gate where other templars waited, "I need enough for the lot of us. Understand?"
A second templar with a trailing brute of a half-giant neared the wagon from the other side and looked over at both 'guards'. Noting their cuts and bruises and Valsavis shoddy work at a disguise, he chuckled, "Where did you get your cuts and bruises, boy? You know it's against the law to fight inside the city?"
The half-giant palmed his club and added, "Yeah, no fighting or I breaks yer head! Answer the master, boy!"
It came with 50 cps and you each have your own money.
Remember that 1 cp is the equivalent of a daily wage of 'doctor'.
--------
Should I make Valsavis roll a will save to resist the taunt?
Very tempting... :)
Game on!
You could almost hear the anger simmering behind Valsavis' eyes, but, no, this was not the time for violence. However blood-crazed he may be, he was not so far gone that he didn't realize fighting here almost certainly meant their deaths.
"Elves," he sneered, "About a week back, just south of here. Swiftwings or some such. She knew 'em." he thumbed a finger in Ala'a's direction. "They were viscous, we lost quite a few. Me and the boys tried to demand more money, but she's got a fire in her belly, that one." He attempted to portray a look of fear and respect as he considered Ala'a.
He realized his performance probably had Shrasa turning in her grave.
"You survived - should I pay you extra because you did your job?" Ala'a said, bristling at Valsavis's mock complaint.
She turned back to the templar with a shrug.
"I'd gladly let you take this pair to the obsidian quarries, but I need them for the trip to Altaruk. Now, does this cover those fines?" she said, counting out 20 ceramic pieces from the group stash.
Gbaji quietly hoped that the templar wouldn't notice that Valsavis called Ala'a "she" while she was disguised as an elf-man.
ooc: I'll just roll some dice and find out later today.
Game on!
You could almost hear the anger simmering behind Valsavis' eyes, but, no, this was not the time for violence. However blood-crazed he may be, he was not so far gone that he didn't realize fighting here almost certainly meant their deaths.
"Elves," he sneered, "About a week back, just south of here. Swiftwings or some such. She knew 'em." he thumbed a finger in Ala'a's direction. "They were viscous, we lost quite a few. Me and the boys tried to demand more money, but she's got a fire in her belly, that one." He attempted to portray a look of fear and respect as he considered Ala'a.
He realized his performance probably had Shrasa turning in her grave.
Distracted by all the work they had done, the templar did not see anything wrong with what Valsavis was saying. In fact, he felt a sort of kindred with the guard at the mention of elves. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. "I hope you killed an elf or two. Those vermin just seem to multiply."
The half-giant had gone over to harass other travelers and seeing that his partner was pocketing some ceramic pieces allowed him to move on. "Alright, get out of my city. Now, move along."
"You survived - should I pay you extra because you did your job?" Ala'a said, bristling at Valsavis's mock complaint.
She turned back to the templar with a shrug.
"I'd gladly let you take this pair to the obsidian quarries, but I need them for the trip to Altaruk. Now, does this cover those fines?" she said, counting out 20 ceramic pieces from the group stash.
Too busy to pay further attention, the templar pocketed the ceramic pieces and made of show of bravado for the crowd. "Fine. Yes, I'll make sure these go to our great King. Move along. Move along."
Good turn. You guys got some good rolls but things could have gone quite different.
Turn 016 is up.
Read the OOC; I've laid out rules for travel and water consumption. Let me know if anything doesn't seem right.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions.
Game on!
Valsavis breathed a sigh of relief as they made it through the gates unmolested, but his relief didn't last long as he spotted the preserver once again, this time sending off a few elven runners. "There goes our friend again. No way these kanks can keep up with those runners, eh?" He asked Ala'a. "And more hunters, too. Great. Is there any way we can signal to Barega?" He looked up to the sky, shielding his eyes from the blinding sun, "If he could track those elves, or even the hunters, we'd have a better chance of reaching Tyr alive."
"We could've used you a few hours ago. Did you see where those elves ran off to? They were carrying a message from the preserver. Also, we're probably being tracked by more of your kind."
I understood that Barega left first and would catch up to you later so there was no way that he would know to track the elven runners, which by the way clearly outdistanced you.
The halfling hunters, on the other hand, had not left when you left. They were going to be released later but you have not seen any sign of them. They are presumably behind you, if they ever left at all.
More questions?
The intent was to scout around for things that might be a threat to the group. I was thinking of pursuit, other caravans (e.g. heavily armed ones), patches of quicksand, blue dragons, arrakeen sandworms, etc. I guess if there were 100 caravans out along that road then he probably wouldn't spot pursuit, but if there are like 3 or 4 then I think he would probably notice them.
These are a pair of elves running, a pretty common sight in Athas so Barega would have ignored them unless he knew that they had just talked to the elven preserver, which he did not know because he just off with the morning birds.
No biggie, I'll have the elves show up again. :)
Game on!
Ala'a breathed a sigh of relief as the templars moved on and the group was able to pass beneath the obsidian lion at the gate. The elves and halflings presented new problems, but at least Urik was behind.
She was less sure about the road ahead. The sun was hot upon her skin, burning away some of the tension built up in Hamanu's city. But the others weren't used to the desert like she was, and lacked her elven resistance to the sun. She'd have to keep an eye on them, make sure they didn't over do it in the heat. Other than Gbaji, they also lacked her nightvision, which made traveling after dark too risky.
"I think we ought to stick to the trade road for now. Once Barega returns we reconsider if he's seen sign of a threat. But I'd like to put some distance between us and the city's walls before stopping," she said.
~~~~~0~~0~~~~~
Ala'a watched as the halfling seemed to unfold into his own form. She handed him a waterskin as he approached, gesturing to the shade of the cart.
"How soon can you transform again? It would be helpful to have eyes above - if those elves mean us harm, advance warning could be important. And I'd like to know if those halfling hunters are on our trail," she said. "I know we're all weary from lack of sleep, but I think our best course is to continue on the road until nightfall before stopping to rest. I can expend some more of the fire's blessing so we'll be in fighting shape if it comes to that."