Seeing this foreboding situation, Nella grows wary of Damissar and his intentions.
She follows him into the room with her companions. She speaks into the mind of several of her companions in turn.
Does this seem suspicious and dangerous?
Nella, yes...something might be wrong here, you are sort of positioned in a vulnerable spot and the mysterious cloth isn't helping. What do you do?
Nella speaks into the minds of her companions one by one.
I find this strange. Prepare to defend yourselves.
She suggests to Bjorn and Dwalar in particular.
I would prefer if you two stayed very close to that man, should he prove treacherous.
As the group leaves the tavern Bhoors nods to Shal, "Yeah the Ytepka Society are kinda a local faction. Their symbol is a Triceratops. Ytepka means Triceratops I think. They are sort of a loosely sanctioned vigilante group that looks after Chult. They are famous for marking targets with a Triceratops statue or a . . . a coin." Bhoors looks nervous. "Maybe you know more Narissa . . . about the coins or ahh statues." They can't know I have the coin soo we are probably safe. I took it from their target . . . I assume. hmm. Maybe I should plant this thing on Narissa. Bhoors notes when they meet the mysterious stranger Narissa makes the hand sign. Or she works with them.
Bhoors begins to get more wary rather naturally meeting up with a stranger. The setting putting him moreso on edge. Those who have been with him the last few days note this not in his tense movements but he adopts a more carefree swagger a show to hide his readiness.
Bhoors smirks and nods toward Nella and indicates with a glance that Narissa might be as much a threat as the strangers.
"...yes, well...the true spirit of the Ytepka is more akin to freedom fighters. Revolutionaries. They are the ones who cast off the shackles of Amn and returned these lands to the people. These days, they have made the Zhentarim and other pirates their main quarries. I always suspected us Harpers were a distant ally but now I know it." she pats Damissar on the shoulder, who returns the gesture with a smirk. "Oh, and the coins? A mark of death, so I hear it...well, truth is more like a mark of trial. Those who find themselves in possession of one soon are drugged and stolen away to some kind of secret court...it means they have slighted the Ytepka in the worst way..."
Assuming they heed Nella's insights, Bjorn and Dwalar take the point and follow Damissar to the large clothed object. Nella again is the only one to see it: a distortion in the floorboards hinting at deception, an illusory section some 10 ft to a side. Damissar seems to be leading Bjorn and Dwalar right into it!
Nella barks aloud.
Bjorn! Dwalar! Stop! He's leading you into some sort of trap!
Nella readies an action to cast fog cloud on one of the catwalks should hostilities arise.
Bhoors looks around, This better not be about the coin. I can talk the others out of this is if that's the case. He looks at his allies some what forlornly, Probably.
Bhoors puts up his hands disarminly looking at Narissa and Damissar and begins a banter as much as to draw attention as to open communication. "What gives?" He motions ahead, "Forgive us this does look a it might just be a trap."
"Bloody stinking dino @#%!ing Harpers!" Shaldinari snarls after Nepal's warning. Seeing the others react in the same way, the elf woman let's her anger flow calling on her patrons dark side.
Instantly her eyes and hands glow with anger Eldritch power. She quickly searches the room for any signs of strong magic and then begins to prepare a blast of energy.
As soon as Nella screams, the 3 men launch into action. The brunt of the ambush has been avoided, but a rough encounter is still on your hands...Nerissa shrieks "What?! NO!" and raises arms against your foes.
Shal, you detect the aura of illusion on the ground just near the clothed cubical object where Nella pointed out.
Round 1:
Shal, Nella, Bhoors, Davin, Dwalar, Nerissa, Bjorn <--UP
Enemy
Davin quickly drops to one knee and fires 2 arrows at the cloaked figure on the walkway behind them.
Attack:
Crit Damage:
Attack:
Damage:
Davin masterfully translocates his obsidian tipped arrow from his bow arm to the catwalk ambusher's skull, pinning him to the warehouse wall...dead instantly. Before the first blood drop hit the floor he rips off another shaft in the opposite direction that bites deep into the stomach of the other catwalker, who cries out in pain.
Bhoors looks at Narissa who at least seems to be trying to keep the subterfuge going if she is in on it which means for the moment she is not a direct threat. He leaps at the cage and uses it to swing himself up onto the catwalk behind the attacker.
He dismounts the cage with a graceful leap drawing his rapier as he moves.
He yells over his shoulder, "Now is the hour of your rage Shaldinari. Strike with fury."
Nella roars and charges forward to the man who tried to entrap them. As she moves, she shifts her form into that of a hulking wolf and strikes at the fellow as soon as Dwalar comes close to threaten him as well.
Shaldinari shouts a warning to the others about the trap in the floor. Hearing Bhoors encouragement, she unleashes her power on their supposed guide Damissar as a blast of purple force lances toward the traitor.
Damissar is mauled by Nella-wolf before getting fey-blasted from Shaldinari's hyperdimensional energies, shoving him across the warehouse and against the wall.
Round 1:
Shal, Nella, Bhoors, Davin, Dwalar, Nerissa, Bjorn <--UP
Enemy
Nerissa moves with incredible speed, leaping across the illusory flooring and flowing into a flurry of unarmed strikes...
Wounded, Damissar disengages from the melee and moves to the cage, throwing down the cloth and releasing a poisonous snake! It immediately strikes forward, fast as a whipcrack at Dwalar...
...but the halfbeard shoves its head out of the way, avoiding its maw.
Meanwhile, the remaining catwalk fighter slashes at Bjorn with a well cared for scimitar...
Round 2:
Shal, Nella, Bhoors, Davin, Dwalar, Nerissa, Bjorn <--UP
Enemy
Taking aim, Davin fires at the giant snake.
Attack:
Damage:
Nella the wolf thinks into Dwalar's mind.
Give me room so that we may strike together.
If he does so, she moves forward and lashes out at the snake.
Bhoors attempts to run the villain in front of him through.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Nella wolf bites down just behind the snake's head, pinning it to the floor while she tears its body apart with slashing claws. It is a wild flurry of claw, scales, and misty blood with the end result of one dead snake.
B&B Asskicking Incorporated meanwhile take care of the other ambusher, with Bjorn finally letting the body slump down after a telling *snap*.
Round 2:
Shal, Nella, Bhoors, Davin, Dwalar, Nerissa, Bjorn <--UP
Enemy
With the focus of one truly out for vengence, Shaldinari sends another blast of channeled fury into Damissar.
Damissar -31
After Dwalar's authoritative strike and Shal's scarily accurate energy blast, Damissar seems to be absolutely on his last leg. He gurgles "The serpents will devour you all! Your souls are food for the beast!"
Nerissa kicks him across the face, sending him splatting on the ground. She quickly goes to pick up his unconscious head and raises a death punch in the air "Say the word and I'll shatter his bridge...this traitor is worthless."
"Umm I am not sure he deserves to keep breathing but I do think we should know what in the hells is going on. Why we were targeted and how close we need to watch our backs. After this."
Passive Perception 12:
When everyone shuts up to think for a moment from upstairs in the dark warehouse you hear some muffled sounds like an insane person raving or dreaming.
Davin moves towards the sound, his bow still at the ready.
Nella stands over the man, keeping guard. She thinks to the others
Some should go with Davin. I will stand guard here.
Nerissa kicks him across the face, sending him splatting on the ground. She quickly goes to pick up his unconscious head and raises a death punch in the air "Say the word and I'll shatter his bridge...this traitor is worthless."
Shaldinari, turns to Narissa, her hands still glowing with eldritch power. "You'd like to cover up your own stupidity wouldn't you...or is it treachery? Be tough to find out with him dead." She says her eyes burning with a cold, dark anger. "No...I think you'll step away from him and let us get what we can before you or that drunkard Wren can cause further trouble. And then we will decide what to do."
Her head snaps up at the sound from the other room and she nods to Nella. "I'll go." She says following Davin. "Might be worth tying that one up in case he comes to." She adds pointing to Damissar then waves toward Nerissa. "Her to, unless you think she can be trusted."
"If she's in it with 'em she just let us cut her allies to ribbons." He looks and points at Dwalar, "Half-beard Style." He looks back, "I thing your first choice is more to the point she walked into this trap."
Bhoors moves to tie up Damissar. He takes the time to go through they guy's pockets and other effects.
Bhoors binds the man with the manacles after he considers things with the rope for a minute.
Bhoors, a quick search turns up a potion and a dagger with a stylized snake on the hilt.
Nerissa frowns looking at Shal "I understand how it looks, feywarden. If only I could live a life free of foolish mistakes. Bind me if it will sate your mistrust." she puts her wrists in your face.
Meanwhile Davin investigates upstairs and as he gets closer to the source of the sounds, the smell of blood and rotting flesh gets stronger and stronger. Slowly creaking the storeroom door open, you see three extremely dirty cages: two of them occupied with an unconscious elf and a barely moving tabaxi. Both are covered with some kind of sickness, bearing dark thick veins and scaled patches all over their bodies...vaguely reminiscent of snake skin.
"My god...what did they do to those poor bastards?"
Davin recoils from the horror before him.
The tabaxi is weak but her eyes are very wide open, staring up into empty space...perhaps suffering the visions of the minds eye "...poisoned...by the snake people! Dark serpents...the world of men is dreaming, it has gone mad in its sleep, and a snake is strangling it, but it can't wake up! I will sleep and become the strangler!!" she raves, losing her mind.
Bhoors, a quick search turns up a potion and a dagger with a stylized snake on the hilt.
Nerissa frowns looking at Shal "I understand how it looks, feywarden. If only I could live a life free of foolish mistakes. Bind me if it will sate your mistrust." she puts her wrists in your face.
Bhoors stows the potion and tosses the dagger to Dwalar, "Lots of 'Snake' motif for a 'Triceratops" society."
When Nerissa puts her wrists up Bhoors nods to Shal and takes her hands. He binds her hands, "We appreciate your understanding."
Shaking his head and moving to the door at the back of this room, Davin replies to Bjorn.
"I think we should leave them where they are...for our own safety. They are far beyond any help we could offer, and they can become a danger to us. Let's just leave them for the time."