Gornak's eyes perk up. "You owe Gornak? O.K., then Saul can give Gornak a job. Gornak dances good."
Saul's ears perk up at the Half-orc's comment, "Hire you, eh? Well, it's something worth considering, to be sure. After all, you have certainly proven your worth to me and shown you know how to take care of yourselves."
He walks over to the still prone body of the One-eyed Woman. Bending over, he takes the thumbnail-sized chest and puts it in his pocket. He then comes back over to the group.
"Hmm, well, yes you might have something there. Why don't you come back tomorrow morning and we can all talk about this in a civilized manner? My few remaining staff members and I will surely be spending the rest of the night cleaning up after this mess."
He lets out a deep sigh and throws up his hands, "I'll admit, this will set me back a bit, but I've gotten myself out of worse situations." Absentmindedly he scratches the stump of his left hand.
The same dark-bearded dwarf you saw earlier approaches Vancaskerkin and whispers a few words in his ear. Saul nods and looks back at the group.
"Master Feldin here reminds me that as a token of my appreciation, you should feel free to help yourself to anything these two miscreants had on them. You certainly deserve it. The gendarmes will be here in a few minutes and once they arrive I am sure that will be the first thing THEY do."
With this he excuses himself, "If you'll pardon me ladies and gents, I have to go secure my prize money now before someone else decides they want it." He bows deeply to all of you. "Thank you again. Hans, with me," he commands one of the few remaining bouncers.
Together they walk into the cashier's room and out of sight.
As if suddenly remembering something, Ebenadar eyes glance around the room searching for the halfling serving girl. Aww, shucks. Wonder if she got to see my heroics before runnin' off.
"We'll see ye in the morning then," Thumparr says as Saul and Hans depart. Then, thinking of Saul's comment, he looks down at the woman and then up at his companions.
"Well, I ain't one fer rifling through a woman's drawers be she asleep or dead! I'll leave that fer less savory folk. Gornak! Come over here and see if this wench has anything worth havin' on her!"
Ngozi will look up almost sheepishly, his hands already busy hunting through the woman's belongings for anything valuable and depositing it into a little pile on the floor. "Maybe Gornak search the guy, yeh? I'll be done here in a sec. Maybe we just make a big pile. Then we sort it over some drinks, yeh?"
"So it would not offend you if I searched her, sir dwarf?"
Sevegny proceeds to pat down the bandit leader for weapons and valuables.
The contents of Bearded Man's pack:
A wand
A sickle
Arm bracers
A spellbook
Pouch with 60 gp in chips
A potion vial
One-eyed Woman's pack:
Rapier
light crossbow
10 bolts
MW leather armor
Belt pouch wtih 35 gp in chips
A potion vial
The priestess is quick to remove the rapier, crossbow and bolts from the woman's reach. She sets aside the potion and tosses the pouch of chips to Thumparr. Finally, she tugs the woman's armor off and tosses it in a pile.
"Can anyone tell what is in this vial?"
Mel stands back and scratches his head...well this is a turn up for the books
"That had to be the most inept heist in the history of...well history" he comments to no one in particular.
he spends a few moments tidying things up and working his jaw which is sporting a fast growing bruise.
"Oww..bugger near knocked half me teef owt..no matter I'd ken his neb anywhere. Next time we meet it won't be my teeth that are loose."
He looks at the prisoners..
"So do we cut their throats now or after they tell us who hired them?"
The priestess is quick to remove the rapier, crossbow and bolts from the woman's reach. She sets aside the potion and tosses the pouch of chips to Thumparr. Finally, she tugs the woman's armor off and tosses it in a pile.
"Can anyone tell what is in this vial?"
Thumparr catches the pouch and tucks it in his belt. "Thank ye - first round of drinks be on the one-eyed wench! Nope, gots no magicky ways fer that vial. Gornak might know or one of them elf fellers."
Gornak grabs the wand and waves it in front of him, pointing it at the wall.
"Hey -- YOU WORK NOW!" he orders it.
Kappasc casts "Detect Magic" and begins searching through the pile of gear and seperating the magical items from the non-magical.
Kappasc then takes the magical items, one at a time, and holds them intently studying them...
Kappasc then proceedes to closely examine any item whose value is not immediately apparent.
Hmm...lets see if I can figure out what this...um...stuff is.
He looks at the prisoners..
"So do we cut their throats now or after they tell us who hired them?"
"Hey - no need for throat-slittin' - we'll leave that up to th' constable ta decide. B'sides, makes a mighty mess ta clean up after.
"Ah but then they will just be a burden on the state don't they..lestways till they are dancing their lives out on the end of a rope. Nah kill them quick and clean I say..down to the docks a quick slash to each throat and in they go"
Mel whispers under his breath to Ebendar.."Just trying to scare them friend..just trying to scare them"
He walks over to the bearded man...
"So ...pilgrim..wanna tell us who hired you..maybe we'll be nice and let yez' go if yez' do"
He can see by the mans eyes that he hasn't succeeded
"That one ain't gonna be able to hear ye fer awhile, lad." Thumparr says to Mel. "But I'm all fer slittin' throats and feedin' 'em to the sharks, the whole damn lot of 'em! Can't stand a buggerin' thief!"
And then he notices Gornak and the wand...and carefully moves away from the big bard and near a table...just in case he needs to duck.
Beriadan stands watch over the entire proceedings as Kap goes about identifying the items. As the dwarf makes his comment abotu slitting throats, the elven ranger says "Now, now, no need for any more killing today. As it was, the worst they did to us was a few bruises. We got them tied up, I say lets see what they know. Hey Kap! Might be better to do as Saul suggests and take that stuff into one of the back rooms before the Constable's Men come in to have a look."
Hmmm, good Beriadan...it seems the vileness of this town is only exceeded by its greed Kappasc says as he bundles up gear and takes it to a side room. Before he leaves, his attention turns to the group's prisoners. Although I do not know what their intent was, no one was killed, or really in danger of being killed, from this...encounter...they now lie defenseless...I can't condone their execution at our hands. I say we get what we can out of them, and leave them for either the law of the streets of Riddleport to deal with.
Gornak grabs the wand and waves it in front of him, pointing it at the wall.
"Hey -- YOU WORK NOW!" he orders it.
The wand springs to life in the dancer's hand as a white-blue corona envelops the end of it. None of you saw the wand in action, although judging by how the Bearded Man held it, he certainly saw it as a weapon.
Kappasc casts "Detect Magic" and begins searching through the pile of gear and seperating the magical items from the non-magical.
Kappasc then takes the magical items, one at a time, and holds them intently studying them...
Kappasc then proceedes to closely examine any item whose value is not immediately apparent.
Hmm...lets see if I can figure out what this...um...stuff is.
The Bearded Man's ears eventually stop ringing and he glares at all of you. "I see now who the true thieves are," he mutters as his possessions are carted away.
The Bearded Man's ears eventually stop ringing and he glares at all of you. "I see now who the true thieves are," he mutters as his possessions are carted away.
"That's the pot callin' the kettle black, ain't it?" Thumparr growls at the man and kicks him in the shoulder. "The way the owner of the Goblin figures is since ye came in here to rob him and his patrons, then ye forfeit all yer stuff. Yer damn lucky we didn't slide a knife in yer ribs and let ye bleed out real slow like. Yer lover here got kissed by me axe! She seemed to like it; mayhap ye would like it too, eh?"
Thumparr pats the throwing axe at this belt and stares at the Chelixian.
Gornak touches one of the dead bodies with the wand, hoping for a huge "kaboom".
The Chelish man glares at Thumparr, not bothering to disguise his pure hatred, "You will pay for what you have done to her tonight, dwarf, I promise you that."
Gornak touches one of the dead bodies with the wand, hoping for a huge "kaboom".
"Your threats are merely idle ones. Seeing as we have you trussed up and without your gear, I would be cautious when it comes to what you say. I am an elf of my word when I say that I will do you no more harm as long as you behave, but I can't guarantee the same from my dwarven friend here. Now why don't you tell us what you know?" With that, Beriadan simply stands over the bound wizard as they try to get some information from him and his accomplices.
The Chelaxian smiles at Beriadan, "I like money, what can I say, Longears?"
The Chelish man glares at Thumparr, not bothering to disguise his pure hatred, "You will pay for what you have done to her tonight, dwarf, I promise you that."
Thumparr kneels down beside the man and draws his knife. "Ye might want to pay attention to what me elven friend be saying," he murmurs as he cleans his fingernails with the knife. "In the mines, we used to get smart asses like ye all the time. Come down to inspect the ore, thinkin' they be better than the rest of us just 'cause they don't have to work a pick no more."
He runs the knife alongside the man's cheek and up under his chin. "Ye'd be surprised...what's buried in them mines. Being a mine inspector," he pauses to spit next to the Chelexian's head, "is a short, hard life. Especially fer those who don't know no better than to remember who's really in charge."He presses the knife against the man's throat and leans in close. "Now, me friend asked ye a question."
Mel is quite happy to sit back and let the dwarf try with brute force where he failed with deception.
He saunters to the empty bar leans over the counter and picks up a jar of mead bringing it back to the table with some goblets.
"I think we all deserve a little refreshment don't you lady and gent's"
The Bearded Man grows a bit paler and looks down at the ground. "We were hired, okay? Thuvalia and I both were hired by a man who refused to identify himself last month. We met him down on the wharves and he paid us to knock this place over. We are supposed to meet him later tonight on the docks again."
He looks up again, "That is all I know. Really"
"Really?" Thumparr replies, not removing the knife from the man's throat. "What did this feller look like? Hair? Scars? Human?"
Thumparr looks up at Beriador and Mel and the others and says, "We may be heading down to the docks tonight."
He then looks back down at the Chelixian. "Yer gonna keep that meetin' and we'll be watchin' ye to make sure ye do. What say ye fellers?"
Gornak pokes one of the unconscious thugs, anyways.
Thumparr looks up at Beriador and Mel and the others and says, "We may be heading down to the docks tonight."
He then looks back down at the Chelixian. "Yer gonna keep that meetin' and we'll be watchin' ye to make sure ye do. What say ye fellers?"
Ebe's eyes light up a bit, "I wasn't feelin' ready fer ma bed yet anyways - sounds like fun!"
"I too would like to have a word with this villain. We of the Calistrian faith hold gambling as a form of worship. It was wrong of him to ruin this night for everyone."
Gornak pokes one of the unconscious thugs, anyways.
Touching the unconscious body of the thug with the lit wand causes it to convulse violently for a few seconds before releasing a death rattle. The area around where Gornak touched it is now burnt black and the entire room starts to smell like burnt meat.
"Really?" Thumparr replies, not removing the knife from the man's throat. "What did this feller look like? Hair? Scars? Human?"
Thumparr looks up at Beriador and Mel and the others and says, "We may be heading down to the docks tonight."
He then looks back down at the Chelixian. "Yer gonna keep that meetin' and we'll be watchin' ye to make sure ye do. What say ye fellers?"
The Bearded Man shrugs, "Donno, he was a local is all I know. I'd never seen him before. He was a youngish human with dark brown hair and a scar across his neck."
The front doors to the Gold Goblin Gambling Hall open again as six armed Gendarmes enter the room. They are dressed in the traditional conical hats of their trade and carry truncheons and short swords on their belts. The obvious leader (a middle-aged man with a graying mustache and a bright red vest takes a look around the gaming hall. He pays particular attention to the trussed up bodies of the Bearded Man and the woman he referred to as Thuvalia.
"So what's all this then, hmm?" he asks. "This lot tried to rob the place, I hear," he says pointing at the prone bodies.
Mel does a very good job of fading into the woodwork when the gendarmes enter
The front doors to the Gold Goblin Gambling Hall open again as six armed Gendarmes enter the room. They are dressed in the traditional conical hats of their trade and carry truncheons and short swords on their belts. The obvious leader (a middle-aged man with a graying mustache and a bright red vest takes a look around the gaming hall. He pays particular attention to the trussed up bodies of the Bearded Man and the woman he referred to as Thuvalia.
"So what's all this then, hmm?" he asks. "This lot tried to rob the place, I hear," he says pointing at the prone bodies.
"We bagged 'em fer ye," Thumparr says, removing the knife from the throat of the Chelixian and returning it to his belt before standing and turning to face the Gendarmes.
"What's the reward fer catching thieves these days?"
"Yeah, reward sounds good. Gornak deserves reward." The half-orc nods approvingly at the astute dwarf.
Mel wrinkles his nose at the stench of burnt pork that is pervading the room.He perks up though at the mention of reward though he doubts the gendarmes will be forthcoming with one
The gendarmes quickly, and with little delicateness, grab the Bearded Man and the unconscious woman. They check the body of the dead thug and reluctantly grab it as well. Two gendarmes jump out and go through their pockets. When they find nothing then turn to their captain and shake their heads.
"Well, it seems you've already gotten your reward. We'll take this lot then," the captain intones and heads for the door.
With the room suddenly empty of officials and people trying to kill them, Ebenadar finally takes a moment to size up his companions. He was about to compliment the half-orc on his dance until he experimented with the wand on the unconscious thug. Uhh...never mind.
Finally he speaks to nobody in particular, "Well, th' bait's gone, but some fella's s'posed ta meet 'em still at th' docks. Ya think it's worth goin' now?"
"Sound's as good an idea as any " the youth pipes up.."Which part of the docks though"
"With as corrupt as this town his, I'm sure one of the Gendarme has already advised the thugs' employer on the situation..." Kappasc says with a slightly disgusted scowl creeping across his face...
"Though,uh... it wouldn't hurt for us to scout out the docks tonight on the off chance we still hold some small element of surprise..."
"Saul... I know you've made a good deal of enemies here," Kap addresses Saul rather bluntly, "but do you have any clue who specifically we should be on the look out for at the docks?"
The Bearded Man shrugs, "Donno, he was a local is all I know. I'd never seen him before. He was a youngish human with dark brown hair and a scar across his neck."
"According to the Chelixian, he said they were to meet a young feller with dark brown hair and a scar on his neck. First hired 'em down by the wharves; gonna meet 'em on the docks tonight. Prolly to go through the take they were to get from the Goblin. I say we head on down to the docks and see what comes of it. Give Gornak a chance to use his new toy on someone breathing."
"Sounds O.K. Saul, you pay us money to meet these guys, right?"
Gornak tucks the wand in his belt as he waits for Saul to bestow bags of gold upon the valiant defenders.
Ngozi waddles up next to Gornak, and nods in his direction while addressing Saul.
"I agree with Gornak. You pay us, yeh, and we go settle this for you. Good deal, yeh?"
Saul looks at the group skeptically, "Pay you? With what? Everything I have is sunk into this tournament."
He stops for a moment and looks off into the distance for a second and smiles. Turning back to you he says, "I may have another proposition for you, though. Why don't we have a seat and we'll open a nice bottle of red and have a little talk, hmm?"
He orders two good bottles of red wine from one of the few remaining servers who are moving slowly about the place cleaning, and starts making his way over to one of the large tables. The brown-haired dwarf in his employ follows behind.
When he gets to the table he turns and introduces the other man, "This here is Master Larur Feldin. He is my floor manager and right hand man. Larur, would you be so kind as to cash these fine folks out for me, please? Give them 150%."
Feldin nods and looks to you to see if anyone has any chips.
Vancaskerkin straightes a few chairs and has a seat. "So, will you join me?" he asks, opening the first bottle of wine.
Gornak is stonefaced as he replies: "Okay, Gornak drink some rotten grape juice with Saul."
Mel turns over the 5 gold chips he purchased on entering and the 1 that he made on the table..pocketing 9 gold..."thank you Squire"
Having been following along, Beriadan simply nods to Saul's request as he takes a seat at the table and takes a glass of the red wine. Though he is one of the forest, he isn't one to deny his elven nature a touch of wine, even if it IS inferior human stock.