8-05: Ungrounded but Unbroken by GM Chadius, Table 2 (Inactive)

Game Master chadius

"General you say eh? Fine piece of info." Ironshanks holds out his hand to introduce himself to Boss. "Ironshanks Magee at yer service Sir. I'mma gonna keep an eye at the door, no one messes with a Dwarven bouncer! That an I got a KEEN eye." He raises his salt n pepper eyebrows and scratches his beard.

"I'll station myself near the VIP lounge. I can keep an eye out for her there, and if something happens closer up front, I've got the leg speed to get up there to help out."

"Sounds good, then I will keep a look out in the main gaming room."

"Yeah, you can keep the drawing. Honestly we've got stacks of Inysha's portraits in the back. She's... quite popular." The Boss frowns.

He shakes Ironshanks's hand - feels like lifting a shiny smooth rock- and turns to face Darven. "Our security is relatively light, unfortunately. We had an issue with our last security force where they tried to shakedown our patrons once they left the casino. As a result we hire lots of groups and put them on rotation."

"What I'm saying is, it's just you guys for tonight. My staff will handle the minor stuff and can smooth over any guests you may upset diplomatically. But it's best you take care of them before my staff gets involved, eh?"

Feel free to ask anymore questions, but for now I'll move us ahead.

---

The casino has been open for an hour. Patrons travel back and forth, ordering drinks, tipping the bartenders by putting gems in their mouths. The bartenders eat the gems, chomping down on them happily. Cestranell looks down at the audience, occasionally preening his crystal scales or counting his profits.

A well toned earth-skinned woman steps off the elevator. She matches Captain Othis’s description of Inysha. She starts walking up to the foyer.

Does anyone at the Foyer want to stop or greet her?

Barcher will take a seat at them members lounge and keep an eye on the main stage area.

Ironshanks will head up to General Inysha and greet her "Good evening General. Is this business or pleasure? Name be Ironshanks, Ironshanks Magee!" He offers up a solid handshake before taking a step back to not block her path.

"We'll be keepin' a close eye on security here t'night, so if ya have any problems just say the word." He gives her a quick look over just be sure no details are missed. Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14

Thordir keeps watch outside of the members lounge, playing the part of the bouncer. He watches the crowd carefully for any sign of Inysha.

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14

Oops. Those are two different people, luckily Ironshanks just said General.. not Inysha!

"Hmm? Ah, good to see you, Ironshanks. I'm actually off duty today." The woman responds and gives a handshake in response. She has quite a grip, it feels like a mountain wrapped around your arm as an earthquake hit it.

"So, pleasure. I know this kind of guard duty doesn't seem impressive, but it goes a long way towards refining your discipline." She takes a look at your clothing. "Ah, Ungrounded. I see now. Who is your commanding officer?"

Ironshanks nods "Captain Othis has been puttin' us through the paces all week. She's been pullin' out all the stops on us, no stone left unturned as they say."

As she starts to head off he starts back up into a bit of a story, seemingly oblivious of her desire to get inside "Some of the other trainees thing she goes a bit hard of us, but back in my day things were way rougher! We trained day n night we did! Gotta learn how best ta dodge them giant clubs. Gotta learn to recognize goblin tracks and put out yer beard when it caught fire! You know, the important stuff growin' up Dwarf."

He chuckles for a second before going right back into it "Not like today when I guess ya need ta learn to see tricks n traps in an obstacle trail er fight through poisoned blades n all! Kid stuff compared ta the old days!"

After another few minutes of yapping he finally realizes she wants to get on and he steps aside. "You have yerself a great evenin' General, you can count on us!"

”Ah, Captain Marlene Othis. She used to slack off when she was a cadet. I saw her superior officer order her to clean the hall with nothing but a shirt. It was covered in so much, the troops began to call her 'Muddy Marlene'.” She smiles. "She's a hard worker. She will teach you the meaning of discipline because it was forced into her every bone. I would talk more, but I don't get many opportunities to relax." With that, she bids you a goodbye and enters the casino.

The night continues as you continue your lookout for the real Inysha.

Do any of you want to switch which room to patrol?
Once you move, please make Perception checks.

Thordir crosses the Main Stage room and enters the Gaming Room, catching sight of Wraith and Darven to signal the all clear to them before looking around the room for anything out of place.

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (1) + 9 = 10

Darven circles the gaming room, weaving around the tables and ending back by the bar.

perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14+2 vs human

Wraith moves around the gaming room before returning to her post.
Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19

If no one comes to swap with him, or relieve him, Ironshanks stays put. He's far too concerned with doing a good job to leave his post as door guard. He wanders around his room, checking for anything suspicious as he does so. Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (11) + 9 = 20

While watching various patrons, Ironshanks notices one woman covered in cloth from head to toe. This person is clearly concealing herself. As you approach her and begin asking questions, she almost bursts into tears.

”I am so sorry! My name is Ladahlia. As a young girl, an Efreeti general ordered his troops to burn my village to the ground. I was caught in the blaze and it burned me so badly! Oh! The memories are so strong!”

”I wear this so I do not offend people with my disfigurements. I just wanted to come to the casino to have some fun and forget the pain, even if it’s for a day.”

There is no dress code, and nothing illegal about concealing your identity. You've seen plenty of patrons today like this. But this one... maybe...

Ironshanks and Durgan: Make a Sense Motive check.

Durgan carefully scrutinizes each patron who enters the establishment.

[dice=Perception]1d20+7[/dice]

He tries to get a read on the woman.

[dice=Sense Motive]1d20+7[/dice]

He shrugs and looks at Ironshanks.

Ironshanks nods his head silently as he listens to the story, his mind harking back to a previous mission and something he learned...

Sense Motive, Boon: 1d20 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 + 2 = 23

"You don't say Miss Ladahlia. That sounds like a real tear jerker of a story. What'dya think I fell off ye turnip truck yesterday? If ya got real burnt up ya'd be walkin' funny. Why don't ya unwrap a bit and show us yer face eh? I've got a strong stomach I do." He reaches for her head wrap to see what's really going on.

CMB: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20

Ironshanks quickly reaches to grab her. The burn victim gets a sudden burst of agility as she takes a defensive pose, but she's much too slow. He quickly reveals the woman to match the physical description the Boss gave- it must be Inysha!

"Wow, do you grab everyone like that or just the pretty ones?" She gives Ironshanks a wink. "I guess I'm the entertainment for tonight!" She turns towards the elevator and quickly draws a dagger.

The patrons look up and begin cheering, yelling ”FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!” Some of them collect their money from the bookie. Some of the patrons are a bit rowdy about losing their bet and interfere with your arrest.

All of the squares with tables are difficult terrain. For Inysha, they are not. She can also use the squares for flanking opportunities. She’s used to escaping from these situations.

Round 1
Wraith
Ironshanks
Thordir
Inysha, Legendary Thief Extraordinaire!
Darven
Durgan
Barcher

Wraith and Thordir react quickly as the patrons turn towards the commotion. Ironshanks is also quite ready.

Hearing the commotion from the foyer, Thordir takes off at a full run to catch up and help secure Inysha. ”Come on Wraith! Darven! Let’s move!”

I believe I counted it out correctly, but at a full run (4x movement), that should get me there. I placed a star on my starting location though, if I’m forgetting something.
I also will provoke an AoO if Inysha has Clmbat Reflexes or a similar ability.

Ironshanks raises an eyebrow, clearly not impressed. He draws out his war axe wit a smooth, practiced motion "You call that a knife? This is a knife... er Axe, its an axe. I've just always wanted to use that line." He then swings it two handed at the sad little blade in the woman's hand, but it merely deflects off the metal. Damned it all ta hell!

Sunder: MW Waraxe, Power Attack: 1d20 + 10 - 1 ⇒ (14) + 10 - 1 = 231d10 + 4 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 4 + 3 = 8

Regardless, Ironshanks stands ready to strike if she moves away.

Ironshanks doesn't have his shield at the ready so AC is 21 at present.

Wraith hears her companions and sprints toward the action.

Unfortunately, you can only 'run (x4)' in a straight line.

Drat! That’s the rule I was forgetting there.
Position after double move is now updated. Note - Thordir is armed at the moment with his spiked gauntlet.

Ironshanks clangs his waraxe against Inysha's, but his swing is too weak to leave a lasting mark.

Minimum Sunder damage isn't enough to overcome its hardness.

Wraith and Thordir push and shove their way towards the entryway. Patrons are rather uncooperative, many have bet on Inysha's victory.

"Well short, shiny and scruffy. I'd love to stay and chat, but it's time I go." With that, she weaves away from Ironshanks as he retaliates and runs to the elevator. She kicks one of the corners and the elevator begins to rapidly descend.

Inysha is escaping- but she's leaving the casino. It will take about a minute for the elevator to return. Do you want to continue to chase her?

Boss gave us two jobs here: 1) Don’t let Inysha in; and 2) If she gets in, make sure she doesn’t come back. I’d say we get job 1 done pretty well, but we didn’t really have a chance to make number 2 happen. Anyone think we should pursue further?

IMO if we can't make it into the elevator with her, we should just hang out and make sure she doesn't come back on our watch.

Darven can not make it there in time, so I suggest just let her go. We prevented her from getting in, so that is a success to me.

Darven moves to the towards the entrance, but remains in the gaming room as to not leave the back of the house too exposed.

Unless there is a delay in that elevator moving I can't imagine how we'd be able to follow so guess I'll be content to have kept her out.

"You bet I'm short, shiny, n scruffy! But at least I ain't no THIEF!" He spits on the ground and stomps his ironshod boots in anger. He then turns to the rest of the crowd and hollers "What are you buncha gawkers lookin' at!" Intimidate: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (14) - 2 = 12

Having heard the noise, Barcher will come see what the commotion is but by the time he gets there it would have settled down. he will return to his spot in the members lounge and keep an eye on the stage and crowd.

Would there be no chance to grab her from the elevator? Just about elevator I have ever been on has taken more than a round to get on and 'close'. That said, I don't want to chase her down as we are the only security for the casino.

"She hit the emergency drop!" One of the attendants exclaims. Several of the workers begin the process of resetting the elevator. "How did she know about that?" The patrons throw their hastily scribbled tickets in disgust- she managed to escape.

At least she won't bother this casino again. The rest of the night is relatively uneventful.

Had she gotten past the front guard you would have had a chance to detain her. There is an emergency catch on the elevator that causes it fall immediately.

”Good job keeping her out of here!” Boss hands you a sack of gems. ”Cestranell said he enjoyed the entertainment. Thanks for a job well done. I'll pass along the good word to your superiors.”

You earned a success for keeping Inysha away from entering the casino grounds.

Is there anything you want to do before the next day? If not I'll fast forward.

Ironshanks quickly steps forward to accept the gifted sack of gems "A reward you say? Yes, we'll be happy to accept!" Did he say GEMS? A SACK of GEMS? He clamps his gauntlets around the bag like a kid with a sack of Halloween candy.

"Maybe we should umm, take a few minutes after our shift ends... play a game or two eh?" He jostles the sack, still not yet having the mental strength to peer inside.

Seeing Ironshanks snatch up the team's reward and get little gems in his eyes, Thordir nudges Barcher with his elbow and mutters, "Ha! Dwarves, am I right?"

When the team returns to the Ungrounded's compound, Thordir tracks down Dell and asks for a moment to talk. "Look, after what happened the other day during our 'sparring match', I got to thinking maybe the general isn't doing this on her own. Have you seen anyone else unfamiliar around the compound, talking to the general or going in her office?"

Dell, physically, seems to be doing a bit better. He's clearly gotten more sleep. "Honestly, I've been keeping clear of the Captain since then. She either doesn't know what I told you, or she's decided to stop focusing on me." He laughs. "I'm fine with it either way."

"As for visitors to the Captain's Office, I haven't seen anything unusual. Sometimes people show up to hire us for a job and she has to accept the contract, but that's pretty normal." He shrugs.

Darven smiles as the dwarf reacts to the gems. Thanks boss, it was a pleasure working for you. Please keep us in mind for future security needs.

"Alright, Dell. Well if you see anybody shady around here, let us know. Take care of yourself. And be careful. I got a bad feeling." Thordir pats the oread on the shoulder then rejoins his companions.

You return the barracks from the casino and get a full night’s rest. The next day, Captain Othis summons you to her office.

“You’re still here?” Captain Othis growls, without looking up from the pile of missives on her desk. “I thought you’d find a path out of here by now. Well, maggots, it’s your lucky day. I have another easy job for you to screw up.” Othis rifles through her stack of papers and holds up a scroll bearing a bronze seal.

“Zuhair Issawa needs someone to babysit a shipment of gems. Our real troops have more important things to do, so I’m sending you. All you have to do is get the caravan to his estate a few miles outside the city. Any questions?”

”This is just a formality, anyway. The route is well-known and well-used. It’s safe, it’s boring, it’s perfect for you. Now get out of my sight.”

"another job to screw up??? excuse me captain but could I get a record of any failed missions we have completed?" Barcher blurts out defiantly,"Just make sure we don't get raided by some bandits with cheap black goo on their blades eh?"

Darven just nods along.

"Overconfident, rude, and can't take a joke. If it weren't for the special treatment I'm supposed to give you I'd have you severely reprimanded." Captain Othis leans back in her chair. "Just move along."

It isn’t hard to find the caravan. Four rock beetles carry the heaviest goods. A 25-foot-long bronze-ringed serpent with horns, silvery skin, and deadly fangs carries the bulky material. A male and female dwarf lead the caravan.

The male dwarf steps waves down. ”Captain Othis summoned you, right? I’m Def and my partner here is Annie. We need to get a move on. But the beetles are a little tired. They are a bit on the slow side.”

”This is Agatha, our Agrawgh.” Annie pets the serpent who seems to hiss gently. ”She’s pretty gentle as long as she doesn’t try to lick you. We had to teach her that not everyone can resist corrosive acid like the oreads can.”

After 4 hours of stop-and-go travel through a forest of stalactites and stalagmites, the caravan reaches a narrow bridge made of magically-shaped quartz spanning the vast geode walls surrounding the Opaline Vault. A waterfall tumbles from the ceiling nearby, an influence from the Plane of Water that fills the air with a perpetual mist that limits vision to about 200 feet out.

Please place yourselves on the map on slide 1. You are traveling from West to East.

handle animal, trained: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

Darven attempts to calm the beast, but is not familiar with them and manages to upset them further.

Giving up on them, Darven takes lead and maintains a vigilant eye.

Thordir travels near the head of the caravan, the sharp eyes given to him by his elven heritage helping him watch for the threats he is almost certain will come. He holds his glaive in hand, ready to move into action at the first sign of danger.

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24

Wraith slides along Thordir's side.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18 +1 for traps.

Durgan takes up a position in the rear of the group.

Several creatures made of earth fall from the ceiling, right onto Aggie’s head. The creature roars in pain, spitting acid everywhere.

Two Small Earth Elementals put up their fists. You can hear them echo something in Terran.

Round 1
Barcher (Can reposition yourself before the ambush)
Darven
Thordir
Ironshanks
Elementals
Durgan
Agatha
Wraith

All of you expected something to happen, given Captain Othis's history. Barcher, Darven, Thordir and Ironshanks are ready to act before the bandits do.

"Curse this sudden but inevitable betrayal," Thordir shouts as he wheels around to face the attacker. Rising up to his full height and with rage coursing through him, he thrusts his glaive past his ally's shoulder and slashes at the oread.

Entering rage!
While in rage, a barbarian gains a +4 morale bonus to her Strength and Constitution, as well as a +2 morale bonus on Will saves. In addition, she takes a –2 penalty to Armor Class.

Glaive, rage, power attack: 1d20 + 6 + 2 - 1 ⇒ (6) + 6 + 2 - 1 = 13 Damage: 1d10 + 4 + 2 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 4 + 2 + 3 = 12

Darven begins to manuever around the elemental and draws a sword. He then takes a swing at it.

power attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26 would be a crit threat, but, if that is an elemental, they are immune
damage: 1d8 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15

Barcher, having expected this to happen at some point, has had his bow in hand the entire journey and is ready to shoot,”Ha! We shoulda took bets on when this was gonna happen!” he says as He begins the lyrics to a fast ditty about a pirate ship called Revenge

bardic performance, +1 attack and damage

Round 1 - Inspire Courage
Barcher
Darven
Thordir
Ironshanks
Elementals
Durgan
Agatha
Wraith

Barcher inspires everyone to excellence. Darven does not disappoint, shattering one of the elementals before it even enters a fighting stance.

Ironshanks's player went camping this weekend, os I'm sure he'll post an action, soon.