To Jimmer "Aye, tell me summat I don't know... least the bugger did his bit fer us." before stowing the obsidian blades for now.
the Groom gives the Motley Man a kick, "Was it something I said?" He takes a moment to examine the corpse's construction to get any idea of what his game was.
Standing back up, he looks to the chest and the statues. "There must have been a payment. Likely what the statues are waiting for. With no payment and the Granite Brothers will take a dim view of us moving that chest....Dibs, if you didn't find it on him, bets on that our bird friend lifted it when grabbing the mask."
To the Groom "Aye, but we didnae see it so ye've a choice of we kill the bird wi' no proof... or we admit that we're feckin outclassed mind wise by bloody any feckin thing we meet an jus accept our piss poor lot in life." shrugging "Sides - mebbe Kauly's axe could put a dent in em iffin we gave him a coupla free swings like."
"I have an idea. Hey! Grackle! Get back here a minute, I want to borrow that mask of yours. Don't worry, I won't spit in it or anything."
The distant voice of the birdman comes from somewhere in the dark jungle, "Sure thing, mate! Be there in a jiff! Just draining my pecker. Khar, Khar!"
Jim steps around the strange black sculpture. The unsettling feel of it tells him that it's made of the strange black rock. It has somehow been sculpted into a long slender shape. Near as big as a man, three lobes center five sculpted tubes. It must be some sort of modern art kinda thing.
Sense Motive:
Dibbets finds himself pondering exactly what equipment tengu might have. Gulls never seemed to make no mind of how they relieve themselves. And was that a mocking note in the birdman's laugh?
the Groom using the dead stranger to clean off his boots reassures Kaul enough to approach.
Hearing the Grackle's mocking tinted laugh Dibbs sighs "Fecked over again lads... birdman's got what he wants and we're chewed up an' spat out beside." taking out a flask and drinking deep of cheap liquor. He swirls the rum around his mouth before sitting down with a thump on the ground beside the charnel house raft.
"Dibbets, mate, I could use a spot of Gozreh's indifference. Though your spelling kept me in the fight right proper, it did, that raft still left me well battered. And I'd like to be in tip-top shape if my little idea doesn't work and we end up having to fight the statues."
Coming up on Jim's survey of the sculpture, "Gutted enough of them back in the day...That's a squid heart..done all large, that is."
Dibbs hands Jim his flask for a slug of cheap gin, sowing a seed of healing as their fingers touch. "There ye go Jimmer, right as rain. Hey Groom, ye reckon thassa heart the one-eye were afters?" And sowing a second seed when he receives his flask back.
"Aye...the black rock heart...the way the Seer talked in riddle, I kinda didn't expect it to be so literal...although I expect this damned limb-monger's heart is blacker."
Kaul slowly creeps from the foliage and attempts a swagger as he approaches the group.
His beady eyes don't meet theirs initially...
"...Hurumm... Lads... Wasn't meself back there... All better now... Hurummm..."
The thug absorbs himself in rubbing his calloused thumb across the keen edge of his boarding axe.
Dibbs hauls himself to his feet and gives Kaul a slap on the side "Yer alright now lad... now Jimmer, wot was yer idea like - or does Kauly needs tae get sculptin?"
The crew eyes the situation warily. It seems unlikely that the statues were built out here on the beach since the last time you visited Aegis Cove. Those post-holed footsteps leading from the jungle to the heavy marble figures gets you thinking that this stonework might be a little more mobile than average.
All in all though, a pretty successful raid even if your rook appears to have taken a powder. You've still got a chest with a likely sizable payment and the black squid heart that the Eyes were asking about. So far, not so bad, you think as your eyes drift back to the suspicious statues...
"Huh. Wonder if they were going to put it into a squid body and fill it with magic, like the raft. Not our lookout. Here, help me prop up Motley like he's still standing on his own, and turn him so he's facing the statues."
Once the patchwork body has been wrestled into something like an upright stance, Jim will crouch behind the multilimbed corpse and say in Polyglot, "That looks good. There's the payment. Take the chest back to the Siren. Thanks."
Kaul watches the macabre scene with interest, before whispering an aside to Dibbs
"So when do I hack the statues..?"
Dibbs shrugs before scratching his head "Oi Jimmer... yer not lettin em wander off wi' tha loot are ye?" wondering if the Siren had already got in and gelded their Taldan stallion.
"See, right now as far as the Siren knows the deal went smoothly, so if my guess is right and we walk out of here with just the sculpture she won't go looking for anyone 'til Motley's friends come asking what happened. And that won't be 'til we're well shut of this place. I don't fancy seeing a troop of beaky statues coming after us, even if we beat the pair of them here and survive the backstabbing bird's best beatdown.
"'Course, a little misdirection here might get the Siren's eye pointed at Motley as the culprit, and there's another little pot sweetener out there. Iffin' you know what I mean."
"Well guess we see what happens, but maybes we can empty the chest and throw in some rocks or a dolphin head. They ain't the thinking type. They are here to get a chest with the payment. Do they know what a 'payment' is? Better we make it look like, Motley and his Master squirreled the deal. Like Dibs says...hate to see some loot go missing."
With the black sculpture claimed, the statues crouch and lift the heavy trunk. The chest groans from the weight of the loot within and there is the shifting tinkle of coins. Sharing the load between them, the marble warriors turn and sinking deeply into the sand stride back to the jungle path in the black night.
Dibbets just stands there mouth agape as the statue's begin to make off with the loot. He gives Jim a pleading look, with tears beginning to form that suggests Dear god Jim... why?
Kaul looks equally agog;
"Hur... so we... what... follow em to the source?"
His scowl is a mixture of confusion and concern that a chest full o' coin is walking off into the jungle...
Jim shrugs. "In for a penny...Kaul, mate, now that their hands are full, let's at them."
Keelhaul Kaul-
Madman Jim-
The Groom-
Dingus-
parrot heads
The parrotheaded stone men make their way slowly to the top of the beach taking notice of nothing other than their given task.
"Let's hope these stone guys balance isn't too good".
Dingus makes liberal use of another "Grease" spell.
Already encumbered by the heavy chest, both statues go down on the slick sand with a crash that smashes the chest open covering the sand with a carpet of gold, platinum and jewels that gleam dimly with the tangle of marble limbs in the glow provided by Dingus and Dibbs' sticks.
"Well done, mate! Now, do we let them pick up the broken chest and take what fell out after they leave?"
"whoops. " the Groom motions with his hand and a small wave rises from the sand to give the chest a good shove to ensure it all empties out. but he does not push it away from the bird-brains. he then backs uP ensuring that he does not appear a threat.
Kaul lumbers forward still wearing a mask of confusion;
"Hur... meant let em do the 'eavy lifting and chop em all, statues and Sir... Ahhh feck its Chopperin' Time!"
The thug will aim a hefty chop at a downed Statue;
:
:
Dibbs holds out a hand to restrain Kaul "Waita second Kauly... the boys might be ontae summat" wanting to see if the longshank's cunning plan bore fruit...
Dibbets cautions Kaul who has readied his axe. The crew waits and watches as the statues rise back to their feet. However, instead of going about their business, the marble men draw their weapons and turn on the nearest threat- the Greaser and Kaul.
The statue with the axe ponderously moves toward the half-orc who feed it an adamantine axe. A portion of beak snaps off under the heavy blow and the scarred pressganger dodges the returned strike.
Dingus is not so lucky. The defenseless Tian youth moves to step back, but is not fast enough as a very sharp metal trident is plunged into his side.
Round 2:
"Well was worth a shot like" and he humps through the sand in a circuitous route to give Kaul a flankshalfling.
"Now I wish I hadn't emptied the chest. I say we make Kaul pick it all up...if we survive this."
"Come on rocks-for-brains. Who knocked your chest over?....yeah, that was me. whatcha gonna do about it?"
Seeing Dibbs pull the old flankeroo Kaul wades in with gusto against his stone sparring partner;
Round 2
:
:
Dingus moves out of the way, and tries to stay away from the statues.
Round 1:
Jim eyes the offensive obdurate obelisks, then considers his sword (with particular attention to the unlikelihood of a narrow length of steel doing much good against stone). Though it's wielding steel itself, so its weapon isn't part of it. "Let's see if I can't give you another shot at it, Kaul." He steps up and executes a disarm on the statue facing the half-orc.
Dingus withdraws to safety as the Groom intercepts the marbled man. Dibbets circles round careful of Dingus slick spot and Kaul takes advantage of the distraction to wreck the statue further with his heavy axe. Jim steps up and with a smart flick of his wrist sends the statue's weapon spinning overhead and into the sand.
Unfortunately an instant later, the weapon reappears in its original marble form and position. The statue draws and continues its assault matching Kaul blow for blow.
the Groom bobs and weaves, but the statue must take after the master gladiator it was modeled on as it easily thrusts trident into the soggy old fisherman.
Round 3
Round 3
Kaul continues to hack away at the slab o’ statue before him;
”Break ye bastich!”
:
:
Round 3:
Well, that's scarcely sporting. Not that I should complain, as I can do that too. At any rate, Kaul has his well in hand; best I keep the other one busy until he can use that axe of his on it. Now, my blade did cut those coral things, so maybe.... Jim slides over to attack the other one and easily manages a touch.
Round 3:
Dibbets looks at his faithful toothpick and wagers that it's unlikely to be of any real help against his foe... but it doesn't hurt to try. He lashes out with the wee stick to give the bugger a rap on it's kneecap...
Q-Staff: for
Dingus, his magic rendered mostly ineffective, watches, cheers, and stays out of the way.
Dingus frets as the statues have proved immune to his spells. Those with less arcane means bring their weapons to bear. the Groom strikes with his cutlass to no effect on the unyielding stone. Dibbets beats the beach instead. Jim manages to chip the rock though his blade makes a painful grating sound as it scratches over the rock. THe tridetn darts forth, but misses
Kaul's Big Axe Blade strikes hard though and the statue before his crumbles leaving the statues weapon canted on the pile of rubble.
Round 4
"You're next big guy!" the Groom keeps up his distraction poking the statue with his cutlass, and shifting to help Kaul sneak up on the rockhead .
fail
Round 4:
Jim frowns at the noise. "Didn't care overmuch for the sound of that." He shifts around the statue to leave an opening for Kaul , and when Kaul brings his demolition road show over he'll lend a hand.