Larenti abandons the prone form of his most recent enemy and turns his sights to the dottari approaching Bardigan. He sloshes into and through the fountain, but the uncertain footing and spray off water kicked up by his own movements cause his swing to be too far from its mark.
The dottari respond in kind, to the threats they perceive around them. The one of them, attacking the dog, continues his assault against the extraplanar creature. Lucky for dog, the swing is wide, and misses the dog with the heavy weapon. The second dottari, coming for Bardigan, fails to even notice Larenti as a threat due to the poor manner in which he presented himself as one. As such, the guard swings his heavy mace at Bardigan, bashing him hard and without mercy in the upper thigh. The blow shakes Bardigan through, and causes his leg to crumple beneath him.
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"Alright," huffs Jinx. "That's how that's gonna be."
As Bardigan falls, she lunges for him and gets her shoulder under his torso. "Vir, I don't know about you but I'm getting out of here." she says, "And you, half-orc. You should come along. These dottari will crush you."
With that, she lifts Bardigan into the air and tries to run as far away as she can.
Ganner smiles at Jinx and nods. "Right behind you. Sorry to have troubled you, gentlemen!" Ganner moves away, double moving if he can avoid any AoOs or withdrawing if he needs to!
Jinx gets a firm grip on her unconscious family member and quickly moves away with him through the crowd. Ganner, following in a like manner, moves away from the dottari he approached and around the fountain to begin his own extraction.
The dottari let them go, and the one remaining thug looks somewhat frustrated, but also relieved enough to not follow.
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Larenti regains his footing in the fountain and, seeing the young Bardigan being hauled away to safety, sloshes out to help. He glowers back at the dottari briefly, but does his best to help get away from the battle.
Bardigan remains limp as his dear aunt hauls him away to, hopefully, safety.
HP: 2/10 // 7 nonlethal
AC: 16 (12 T / 14 FF)
CMD: 15
F/R/W: +4/+2/+3
Hellfire strikes used: 0/3
Eldritch Pool used: 1/5
Lvl 1 Spell Slots used: 1/2
Ongoing Effects
unconcious
Despite some concerns, the dottari do not bother to follow any offenders running from the scene. They keep position, and the crowds continue to scurry away from the scene in small groups. The majority of the protesting crowd remains behind by the time the small group of you to where Aria Park is no longer in sight. You are probably at a safe enough distance to catch your breath.
Larenti wiped his wet hair out of his eyes and tried to get his bearings. It wouldn't do to drag the man through the streets. Better to find someplace close that would give them a chance to bring Bardigan back to conciousness.
Perhaps we can throw some water on his face, he thought wryly.
Ganner finally stops to breathe and relax his shoulders. "Miss Fabre. Is your nephew alive?"
Jinx lays Bardigan on the ground, heaving with breaths. "Whew." she says with a little whoosh. "He is not as light as he used to be." She eyes her nephew. "I think he's alright. I don't have any healing magic to help him get better, but let me check."
She feels his pulse and checks his wounds from the battle to see how Bard is doing.
Jinx can tell that the young man is merely knocked out, but there is no telling how long he may need to rest before coming to. Larenti knows a couple spots to catch a breather, but you'll need one where they won't look twice hauling in an unconscious man. He remembers a bar not too far from the area, called The Devil's Due, that might not say anything as long as the unconscious man is 'paying for drinks' as well. It isn't real close, maybe a half mile.
"Let's take him to the 'Devil's Due'. We can get him revived in there and then get him home. We'll have to buy a few drinks, but that might not be such a bad thing"
Ganner frowns at the name of the pub. "Ill choice of names. Alright, I can help you prop him up if you need it."
"I'd certainly like the help carrying him." says Jinx, pulling her arms around his armpits again and lifting Bardigan up. "He's...much heavier than he used to be."
Larenti had a quick vision of the tiefling holding a swaddled human infant. It was incongruous, but also touching.
He helped shoulder the grown man.
Bardigan remains silent as his aunt and Larenti haul his unconscious body off to a bar for Nethys knows what.
The din of the events going on in the park still ring through the streets, and periodically some rioter runs past you away from the whole scene. Dragging Bardigan, you start making your way toward the hole Larenti suggested.
Larenti whispered to Ganner and Jinx, "More of those Chelish Citizen thugs! They're about to kill someone!"
Ganner sighs deeply. "I cannot allow them to murder without stopping them." He stands, nods and steps outside. "Oy! You lot! He's already down. Are you such cowards that you can't be happy simply beating him?"
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Jinx lays Bardigan down when Ganner steps forward. She draws her sword and moves up next to Ganner. "Uh, yeah. Why don't you fight someone your own orientation?"
She looks between her allies and the CC thugs awkwardly before finishing, "...You know, because we're vertical and he's horizontal."
Larenti questions his bravery, or sanity, as the group of thugs turn at Ganner's call. Despite the four of them on the ground, five of the thugs remain. At Ganner's words, one of the thugs starts, and dashes off, not having the backbone to stand up to three after four of their own were laid low by a single man.
The coward's actions have no effect on the other four. One of them waves his mace threateningly, and replies "You'd best forget what you saw, and leave now. If you know what's good for you." His words are accompanied by the nods and scowls of his three remaining companions.
Jinx frowns, draws her sword, and takes a step forward. "What's good for me in helping that man." she says, pointing to the prone and unconscious fellow. "That is to say, in the metaphysical sense. And if you know what's good for you, you'll leave now, go back to your homes and re-think your life choices."
Ganner shrugs. "I've always been bad at forgetting. How about you get lost and we who aren't laying on the ground don't put you there?"
Larenti felt his courage return as his companions stepped up to face the attackers. He flexed his arms and bared his fangs, and gave a deep, rumbling growl.
Clearly, the thugs consider the time for talk to be over. With a, "You don't listen too good, do ya?" the four remaining men prepare to fight. You don't enough time to really put up an imposing display before combat begins. Despite their eagerness to fight, the four men are not as prepared as the three of you are, as you spring into action.
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Ganner sets himself and readies an attack against the first thug to get in range. for damage.
Bardigan remains silent in his unconsciousness and does not cheer his comrades on for standing up against the thugs.
Jinx sighs. She calls to the heavens, a plea for aid - "Please, Inheritor." she prays softly. "Send us aid, a creature from the heavens which will strike and lay low the foes that lay before us."
As she prays, she slowly walks up beside Larenti, and as she prays a creature takes shape - a bright line of coiling Heavenstuff roils behind the unconscious man before taking shape as a celestial snake.
The snake opens its mouth, and flashes with a light before striking out suddenly at the thug adjacent to it.
Larenti steps up slightly to have room, pulls a dagger and flings it a the nearest thug.
His wounded, wet and weakened limbs make a poor showing, and the dagger flies wide of the mark.
Jinx once again uses her connection to the planes to request the aid of a coiled serpent. The hooded viper, bearing iridescent scales, strikes the nearby thug in the calf. The man cries out in pain, and jumps at the sudden appearance of the snake. Lucky for him, the stiff leather of his boot prevented the snake from injecting its venom.
Ganner stands ready for the inevitable fight to come to him, patiently holding tensed punch. As expected, the thugs all move toward the group, except for the one in the back who jumped back away from the sudden viper.
The brash one at the fore doesn't take kindly to Larenti's thrown knife, and moves up to smack him with his light mace. It's a solid body shot, but not quite enough to put the half-orc down.
The second one moves up to also hit Larenti, but as soon as he gets close, Ganner hauls off and wallops him hard. The thug instead turns his attention to hitting the man back, and succeeds. He manages to bring his weapon around before Ganner can recover from his swing.
Jinx is lucky enough that her armor was able to absorb the blow, while her new companion nimbly avoided the last one's clumsy swing.
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Jinx, her mouth a hard line of determination, shifts around the thugs such that fewer of them threaten her and to make it easier for her to shift into flanking with Larenti.
Assuming that he makes it through the next few seconds.
Her positioning shifted, Jinx lashes out at the thug with her longsword.
Unfortunately her swing is off, distraction from the dire situation they're in throwing her off.
Meanwhile, her summoned snake goes in for another snakebite strike.
Larenti let out a whoosh as the blow brought motes of light to his eyes.
Try to stay focused. You're about to die, so this is important. What an odd thing to think.
He stepped over to distract the one attacking Jinx, but then swung back at the one menacing Ganner.
But his arms were too weak, too unresponsive.
HP 6/12 Ganner spits bloody spit onto the ground and scowls. "Touche, ruffian."
He steps closer to his comrade eastward, and flurries, the first strike a non-lethal blow and the second one against the eastern opponent, non-lethal, yet adding a stunning fist to the affair!
for damage!
for damage!
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Jinx sidles left and misses her opponent thoroughly, her focus more on survival and less on destruction at this point. Her summoned viper continues to try and harry its prey, but the defensive thrashing of the thug smacks the snake and causes it to vanish back to its plane in a puff of golden motes.
Larenti shifts over to try and help Jinx in flanking her maneuver, but uses it as a feint before turning back on his original target. The swing is weak, as his life energy ebbs from the wounds he has taken.
The gentleman victim lying on the ground can bee seen to slowly be moving, barely able to reach over into his pocket. He is still alive, and barely conscious.
The first thug, buoyed by his success, maintains his focus on taking down the half-orc. Larenti's feint works well enough that the man strikes where he thought the half-orc would be instead.
Ganner follows up his initial first strike with the old one-two, smacking the same man again, but missing the second one with a pressure point shot intended to incapacitate him.
In return for his efforts, the twice struck man brings his light mace around in an upward swing right into Ganner's extended arm. The strike sends a loud crack that may have broken the man's arm. The one Jinx tries to circle sidesteps with her, working just as hard not to be surrounded. Once again her armor proves useful in deflecting the blow aside. The last man, finally rid of the serpent, rushes up toward the woman trying to get away. In working to get around her, he tries to carefully pass the wounded half-orc, and almost doesn't make it.
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Jinx takes a step over - "Larenti - surround him with me!" she calls. "It'll be easier!"
Then, she strikes at one of the thugs.
vs DC 10! Ganner drops, but the flow of blood stops, constricted perhaps by the bones of his arm, which seem to have been misplaced...
Larenti hears Jinx's call and steps over to attack one from behind.
Jinx, continuing to try and maintain a tactical advantage, steps over slightly and switches targets. Her swing just glances of the man's studded leathers. She calls out again for Larenti to change position.
Following the request, the half-orc manages a last ditch attempt to take someone down with them at least. He steps past his current opposition, and with a twist manages to skewer the man between him and Jinx in the lower back. The rapier pokes out the man's stomach briefly before he crumples. The wound is the kind that could see him bleed out if not treated.
The man on the ground, brings the item he grabbed to his mouth, and drinks. He is still fairly worse for wear, but looks able to function, as exhibited by standing up roughly.
The lead thug stays focused on Larenti, even with the shift in position he is able to bring his weapon around into his left shoulder. It's not a hard hit, but it's enough to put the half-orc down with all his sustained injuries.
The second man, seeing the half-orc drop, notices the recovered victim. With an, "Oh no you don't!" he moves over to the man in an attempt to put him back on the ground. He stumbles on the cobblestones, and almost topples himself, but recovers, just barely.
Despite the nature of the wound, the man just dropped by Larenti seems to cease his profuse bleeding. That allows the last of them to keep his focus on trying to bring down Jinx. He swings hard into the woman, smacking her hard enough that she felt it rattle her bones through the armor, leaving her barely fit to fight much longer.
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Jinx grits her teeth and steels herself for what she's sure will be her last attack. She grips her sword tightly, takes a step back and angles its point towards the remaining thug - then, she pushes the blade towards him with all of her might.
Her strike is clumsy, and ill-timed, and the thug is easily able to dance out of the way. She staggers over towards one side, trying to make it more difficult to be flanked.
Jinx's last ditch effort goes unrewarded, as her blade thrust falls weakly aside off the man's armor. Surely this must be her last stand. Then the former victim begins brazenly casting a spell. As he does so, the thug beside him swings nervously and misses. There is a flash of light and color encompassing the two men aligned in the alleyway as a rainbow of color pours out and washes over the two men. You hear the lead thug manage to say, "Oh, fuhhh..." before passing out on the ground.
Seeing the rainbow of color knock out more of his allies, the sole remaining thug decides he's had enough and rushes away from the fight.
The one time victim moves up amid the unconscious many, and holds out a vial toward Jinx, "Here, make haste. Administer this to one of your wounded. Those men will not stay unconscious for long, and I wish to exit this place before they waken." Drawing a second vial from his belt, he looks at Jinx and asks, "To whom would you have me apply my other potion?"
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Jinx moves to Bardigan to administer the first potion - she answers the man with haste. "To Larenti - the half-orc over there. He's not looking so good. I can carry Ganner."
She pours the potion into Bardigan's mouth, hoping to rouse her nephew.
"Thank you for what you did. I thought to help you, but it seems we were outmatched."
Wasting no time, the man force feeds his potion to Larenti, and as the half-orc comes to, the man replies to Jinx. "Yes, I thank you greatly for your assistance. I too was well outmatched. Had you not come along when you did, it surely would have been the end of me." He eyes the unconscious thugs warily, "I've actually had my eye on you, but the streets aren't safe." he looks down the street both ways anxiously. "Let us not tarry further. If you will, you may follow me to a safe place I know. It is a bookstore not far from here called Crissali's Fine Tomes. They offer a generous and discreet back-room policy." He beckons for all of you to follow, those that can at least.
Blackness like a boulder was lifted from Larenti in an instant. He took in a huge gulp of air, his face alight with surprised gratitude.
What!? Where?!
He was too excited to say anything else, and instead listened to the instructions from the others. Seeing Jinx's disappointment, she went to help with Bardigan.
Let's get these two to the book store!
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The path to the bookstore is somewhat back in the direction of Aria Park, but turns away before it becomes any cause for alarm. As you arrive at the bookstore, he quickens his pace to coordinate a room where you can speak undisturbed, and he ushers you hastily past the owner with the unconscious forms of your allies. Once everyone has been settled in the room, Bardigan begins to stir.
With the chaos of the riots in the street less of an immediate concern, the man speaks at length. “Thank you again for that timely rescue. Truth is, our meeting was no coincidence. I followed you from the protest earlier today in an attempt to help you, but in the panic that erupted I lost track of your group. You proved yourselves to be people of uncommon skill, and I am a man of uncommon needs." he offers somewhat boldly.
Holding out a hand in greeting, he continues, “My name is Rexus Victocora, and until last week’s Night of Ashes, I was one of this city’s nobles. My parents’ estate burned to the ground that night. I escaped simply because I was studying at the Alabaster Academy during the fire. There were other fires that night, as you know, fires that many believe were started by Barzillai Thrune or his agents in an attempt to squash any spirit of rebellion Kintargo might have." He grows determined in his mien, strong emotions fueling him further.
“Now more than ever we need that spirit of rebellion to stay strong, but Thrune’s actions have driven into hiding those who would stay strong and resist. Those who could once rally the city to a cause, such as Lord-Mayor Jilia Bainilus and my parents, are missing at best, and are more likely dead. I cannot do this on my own, but with the aid of talented citizens such as yourselves, I have hope that we can. Will you aid Kintargo? Will you save the city from the devil?” Despite his bluster, this last comes out almost pleadingly.
Jinx crosses her arms and scoffs. "Uncommon skill?" she says derisively. "Please. I was barely able to protect my own against those... those thugs. It was only your timely magical aid that prevented all of our deaths."
Rexus raises a finger and tuts at Jinx, "Uncommon in that you were willing to stand up against greater numbers in order to do what was right and good. That is a talent needed here in Kintargo more than any predilection with a blade."