Corbyn will rush forward and then throw an alchemist fire at the closest beast.
ranged touch
damage
Thrak tears forward, suddenly becoming a swirl of tooth and claw. When he finishes, the tentacled thing is dead! Corbyn moves and throws a vial of fire, which splashes the remaining thing with flames. Pai, calling out information, burns the last one as well with magic power.
Round 2:
23 Laori and Slumper
18 Ruperta
11 Creatures
10 Paxs
9 Corbyn and Pai
Otyugh DEAD
Otyugh 31/39
DEAD Otyugh
Laori 81/86
Laori laughs with glee as her spiked chain lashes out! for damage! With a crash, the otyugh dies, joining its fellows in a heap at the bottom of the sink hole. Laori smiles at Slumper and the others and re-slings her chain. "Well! That was exhilarating! There's nothing like combat to get the juices flowing, eh!" She gives Ruperta and Pai a special smile that looks almost inviting... "Well, shall we go?"
Pai takes a deep breath and looks at Ruperta out of the corner of her eyes. Was that look what I think it was? She shakes her head, clearing her thoughts, and snaps back to herself. "Yes, let's keep following the trail. We are here to find Scream."
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From behind her visor, while following the mad worshipper of the pain God, noone can see Ruperta sticking her tongue our towards her.
Following Laori's lead, you head deeper into the Old Dock neighborhood. Here the buildings are older, more decrepit and you see a lot of people lounging about, wearing torn clothes that look like mockeries of nobles' clothing. Catcalls and whistles follow you and you see grubby children following you, making cutting motions across their throats.
Before Laori can pronounce you at the final destination, a small mob of six men and one obvious leader, a man in mock finery, stops you by stepping to block your path.
"Well, well, what do we have 'ere? Are you pretty birds lookin' for a place ta wet yer beaks? Maybe a friend fer the night?" He leers at Laori, Pai and Ruperta.
"Back up, our business doesn't concern you. We aren't looking for any trouble," Pai warns, looking crossways at Laori, hoping at least that they weren't looking for trouble.
Ruperta, being a Varisian herself, and knowing how to deal with this kind of fellow, tries to be diplomatic (speaking Varisian if the mob seems to have mostly Varisians in their number). She takes out her helm, showing her beautiful Varisian features.
"Salutations, brother, and may Desna keep your dreams. We are a group trying to undo the damage the villain in Korvosa's throne is doing to the city, and we are looking for Vencarlo Orsini or Salvator Scream. Have you seen them. We are worried for their safety as some killers in insect-like armor torched their Academy and home, and are looking to kill him. Any help and guidance you can provide us will be welcomed, and rewarded. "
Slumper steps up beside Ruperta and gives the group of men a meaingful smile while showing off his scarred visage.
The mob leader smiles at Pai, cringes a bit from Slumper and smiles charmingly at Ruperta. "Scream, eh? Ah, ye'll be wantin' his Lordship, the Emperor then! Well miss, follow us and we'll be takin' ye to his Lordship!" The mob falls in around you and from the shadows, several others slink out to fall behind. The leader walks ahead, smiling broadly and shouting "Courtiers for his worship, the Emperor! Make way for the Emperor's business ye louts!"
You are led to a series of houses leaning that seem to be connected by rope bridges from the second stories. You are lead up and across several of these bridges into a larger building. As you do, the leader continues to announce you and other join the procession until finally you're taken to a balcony.
This open-air balcony is shielded from rain and sun by a brightly colored canvas roof that extends up over the area like a dome, held in place by a wooden framework. The inside of the canvas has been decorated in scenes of gruesome debauchery: battlefields, executions, torture chambers, and man-eating monsters all vie for space. The balcony itself contains two major features of note. The first is a high-backed throne that looks like a poor man’s version of the Crimson Throne itself, a thing of blood-red cushions and silks and spikes. Directly west of the throne stands an intimidating device, a tall guillotine of carved wood and bone, its base depicting grasping demonic feet and the housing that holds its glittering blade a leering demonic face.
Seated upon the throne is a man. He's dressed in a shabby royal outfit, his face pocked by acne and scars from Blood Veil. He holds a scepter that appears to be a theater prop but he carries himself almost regally. The mob leader stops, bows to the man, and cries out "Hear ye, hear ye! I present His Lordship, Emperor Swastell the First, Emperor of Old Korvosa!" The "Emperor" smiles benignly and waves you forward.
"Let them approach Our Royal Person and state their need!"
Aside from the mob and the Emperor, you notice a gnome standing by the guillotine, dressed in crimson executioner's outfit. He holds a greataxe and hovers near the throne protectively.
Pai steps forward and clears her throat. She bows slightly, not sure of the expected decorum here. "We are looking for an artist, Mr. Scream. We have business with him, and were told that you or your subjects might know something about his whereabouts."
Diplomacy
Ruperta gives a quick kiss in the check to the mob leader, and whispers to him.
"Thanks, I am in your debt."
Then she moves towards the "emperor", standing next to Pai, bows, and speaks in clear voice.
"Hello, my name is Ruperta of Hetzau and my friends and me are looking for Vencarlo Orsini or Salvator Scream. Foreign assassins in insect-like armor are trying to kill Master Orsini, and we need to talk and protect him. I hope your grace can help us, to the benefit of Korvosa, as we all are enemies of the evil now sitting on the Crimson Throne."
The 'Emperor' considers this for a moment. "We have no knowledge of the whereabouts of Orsini, but Salvator has the honor of being Our Royal Artist in Residence. He is quite safe, I assure you."
"We need to speak with him. How can that be arranged?"
The Emperor consider this. "In return for such a boon, we must insist upon entertainment! Let the field be set up for a game of BLOOD PIG!" The assembled mob bursts into cheers as the Emperor waves.
The mob leader you came in with pulls Ruperta aside and whispers to her. The rest of you can easily overhear.
Goal: The goal of blood pig is to be the first team to reach five points.
Scoring Points: A player scores a point by throwing, kicking, dropping, or otherwise placing a pig in his team’s pit. The PCs’ pit is area C4f, while the Shinglesnipe’s pit is area C4b. Each of these pits contains a starving wolverine. The pig’s fate once thrown into a pit is a violent and swift death—all part of the entertainment for the Emperor. When a point is scored, a fresh pig is loaded into the cage on the opposite side of the playing field at the end of the next round.
Starting Points: Every member of a team must start the game within one of the 20-foot squares in the middle of the field. The PCs must start in area C4d, while the Emperor’s team starts in area C4c. Exact positioning in these areas is left to the game players to decide. No more than eight players can play on a team; if the PCs don’t have enough players to round out their team, the Emperor shrugs and says, “At least you won’t be as crowded when the game begins.”
Limitations: No weapons are allowed in a game of blood pig. Casting spells before or during a match is also not allowed. Each time one of these rules is broken, the other team gets a point. The use of fists and other unarmed attacks does not count as the use of weapons— players are allowed (and expected) to throw punches during the game.
The Game Begins: Once all the players are in position, the Emperor flips a coin. If the result is heads, a trap door opens in area C5a and a frightened pig is raised up into the cage from a room below. If the result is tails, the pig is raised up through the trap door in area C5e. The game begins one round later as the Emperor cries out, “GO GET YOUR PIG!” At this point, each PC and each of the Shinglesnipes makes an Initiative check to determine when they act.
The Pig: Movement and fistfights between players is handled normally. The pig itself has an AC of 15 (+2 size, +3 Dex) and 4 hp. Retrieving, carrying, and throwing the pig is treated as follows.
• Picking Up the Pig: Retrieving the pig from a cage is a standard action that provokes an attack of opportunity. Picking up a live pig that has been dropped on the field requires a character to also make a successful touch attack against AC 15. If a member of the Emperor’s team retrieves a pig from a cage and has the time, he spends the next round delivering a coup de grace attack against the pig.
• Carrying a Pig: A pig weighs 20 pounds. Each round that a character carries a live pig, roll 1d6 and consult the Squirming Pig sidebar to see how the pig reacts to being carried.
• Dropping a Pig: A character that takes damage while carrying a live pig must make a Reflex save (DC 10 + 1 per point of damage taken) to avoid dropping the squirming pig. (Damage taken does not incur a chance of dropping a dead pig.)
• Passing a Pig: A character can pass a pig to a teammate as a standard action if he is within reach of a teammate.
• Throwing a Pig: A pig is an improvised thrown weapon, and thus imparts a –4 penalty on attack rolls. It has a range increment of 10 feet. Catching a thrown pig requires a DC 12 Reflex check.
• Into a Pit: In order to throw a pig into a pit, the thrower must hit AC 6 with the thrown pig. Dropping a pig into an adjacent pit is a free action and is automatically successful.
• Dropped Pig: A pig that is dropped runs in a straight line away from the closest person on Initiative count 0 each round, moving at a speed of 20 feet.
• Interceptions: A character can attempt to intercept a thrown pig by successfully hitting it if it passes through a square he threatens.
• Stealing a Pig: A character can grab a pig out of another person’s hands by making a successful disarm attempt. Roll 1d6 on the squirming pig table to determine how the pig reacts to the second person trying to snatch it away.
The Pits: Each pit contains a particularly hungry and aggressive wolverine. The pits are little more than holes that drop into a ten-foot-square room below; there are no walls to climb up to escape a pit, forcing those who fall into the pit to fly or make a standing 10-foot-high Acrobatics check to escape (for a Medium creature, this is a DC 16 Acrobatics check to leap up and grab the edge above; for a Small creature, it’s a DC 48 Acrobatics check). Bull-rushing an opponent into a pit is a time-honored tactic to weaken the enemy team’s resources. A character who kills one of the two wolverines automatically forfeits the game for his team, in which case the other team is declared the winner. The wolverines in these pits are free to attempt their DC 16 Acrobatics checks to leap up and attack anyone standing at the edge of a pit.
"This is a terrible game. What did the little pigs do to deserve this fate?"
The Emperor frowns, leaning forward. "You will show our royal person more respect, miss or perhaps you would like to make the acquaintance of the Tall Knife?" He gestures to the guillotine, which closes with a SNIKT!
Slumper steps up next to Pai and puts a hand on her shoulder while eyeing the Emperor's scars.
"Considering we stopped the blood veil maybe it is you who should show some respect. Our elf friend here warms up her pain sessions with stuff like your Tall Knife"
"We do not like the tone of your voice, sirrah. You will speak with respect due your Emperor or you will be executed as befits a common criminal." The Emperor leans forward and the mob seems to shift, becoming more tense. "We do not tolerate such words from our lessers. Either you will play or you will die. Choose."
Pai gathers the others in a tight circle, and whispers, "Are we really going to do this? I hate the very thought of killing these animals for no good reason, but I really don't know if we can fight off all these morons all around us."
"Cut the head off the snake... I'm quite positive we can end the Emperor and his little pet executionar if we desire. On the other hand we can always cheat... Paxz can summon elementals and we lose a point or you could potentially dazzle everyone and we win quickly. I'm more worried about losing you down a big hole than a few pigs."
"Don't forget, I can Fly for a few minutes, big guy!"
"I could also slow their reflexes potentially seven of them for a point. I just do not think we are built for this game."
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Ruperta has heard the rules and their friends complaints with clenched fists. Her face shows her contempt for the "emperor" and the disgust at his "sport".
She looks at them, and all of them see what they have learnt to fear most this last days... more than diseases, dead gods, or deadly enemies.
She is going to speak her mind.
"We didn't come here to play, or to entertain anyone. And we sure didn't come here to kill innocent animals cruelly for fun. You can help us defeat the machinations of the Crimson Throne, or you can stand in our way. I beg you to choose wisely. We don't want to hurt you, but if you insist on this I will personally drop you in the wolverine pit, "emperor", and destroy your guillotine. The real enemy is in the Castle in Korvosa, sitting on the throne. We should not fight among ourselves."
You all she Ruperta smile fiercely, as you have never seen her, without taking her eyes off the "emperor".
"New rules, people, the one that drops the emperor in the Wolverine pit wins the game.
Initiatives!
Corbyn
Paxs
Pai
Ruperta
Slumper
Laori
Emperor
Jabbyr
Thugs
Round 1:
26 Laori
23 Ruperta
19 Jabbyr and Thugs
14 Pai
12 Slumper
10 Corbyn
9 Paxs
7 Emperor
Laori unslings her chain with a high laugh of pleasure, then casts something into the chain.
"Get rid of al tyrants, coming from the outside or from within!"
She casts Hold Person over the Emperor, DC 15, and moves to protect Pai and Paxs from the enemies (sorry, can't see the map).
The Emperor momentarily freezes, but shakes off Ruperta's spell. Jabbyr screams a wordless cry and moves to attack Slumper! for points of damage! The thugs swarm, all save the one that escorted you in. He pulls back, looking confused and conflicted!
for damage!
for damage!
for damage!
for damage!
for damage!
for damage!
for damage!
for damage!
The remaining five throw axes from the back!
for damage!
for damage!
for damage!
for damage!
for damage!
Pai quickly finds herself surrounded. That wasn't part of the plan, she thought as she tried to figure out what to do. She steels herself against another attack while trying to cast one of her defensive spells.
Corbyn will attack the thug in front of him with both short swords.
Attack 1
Damage
Attack 2
Damage
Slumper lays into Jabbyr. "You will regret this day, but luckily not much longer."
rapier
rapier
shield
shield
Ruperta flies above the emperor, and begins to call for peace! Pai suddenly appears to be a swarm of Pais, while Corbyn viciously slices into the thug in front of him! Slumper stabs and beats Jabbyr, but the gnome is tough as nails and seems to absorb the punishment!
The 'Emperor' begins to speak in a loud and commanding voice, extorting his subjects to fight against the vile oppressors who have stormed their way into his royal presence! He begins to wave his royal scepter about, as it begins to glow with a strange multicolored light!
Round 2:
26 Laori
23 Ruperta
19 Jabbyr and Thugs
14 Pai
12 Slumper
10 Corbyn
9 Paxs
7 Emperor
Laori cries out briefly "DESNAN, MOVE!", delaying her casting until Ruperta can move from above the Emperor. Suddenly a column of fire explodes from above, blasting downward toward the Emperor and his thugs!
No one is able to move in time, taking damage!
Ruperta moves away from the emperor, certain that her presence won't stop the mad follower of Xon-Kuthon from casting her spell.
After seeing the devastation of the Spell on the thugs, she can only scream to them.
"Please, go away! You should not die here, think in your families!"
She also casts Blessing of Fervor on her friends, and even, not without much dismal, on Laori.
"Desna, night butterfly, let us use your glory to defeat those who oppress the humble!"
As Ruperta cries out to the thugs, a few who have not engaged in melee slink away, disappearing across the rope bridge, close enough to come back if it should seem the Emperor were winning.
Jabbyr cries out in anger as the flame strike lashes down, and cuts again at Slumper! for damage and for damage!
The thugs, save those who have slunk away, fight!
for damage!
for damage!
for damage!
for damage!
for damage!
for damage!
for damage!
for damage!
Four in the back throw axes at Ruperta, trying to knock her from the sky!
for damage!
for damage!
for damage!
for damage!
Pai Color Sprays the three opponents closest to her with her spell.
Corbyn continues his attacks on the mook in front of him.
Attack 1
Damage
Attack 2
Damage
Attack 3
Damage
Paxs is going to bide his time and wait to cast anything to see what is needed while Thrak attacks.
Reeling but not out from the wee one's assault Slumper redoubles his efforts.
rapier
rapier
shield
shield
On her turn Ruperta will spontaneously cast Cure Serious Wounds on Slumper, while flying over him.
"Be brave my love!"
hit points
Round 2:
26 Laori
23 Ruperta
19 Jabbyr and Thugs
14 Pai
12 Slumper
10 Corbyn
9 Paxs
7 Emperor
The mob of Pais explodes with colors, striking three thugs! , and ! Two of the thugs reel, becoming stunned by the blast!
Slumper's blows land on Jabbyr, but only half are effective. Still the small man seems to shrug them off, ignoring wounds as he presses his wild attacks!
Corbyn slices back at the same foe, cutting him mercilessly!
Thrak tears into the two closest to him, cutting them down where they stand!
The Emperor levels his wand at Ruperta and presses a jeweled button on it! A small bead of flame explodes from the rod, striking Ruperta and bursting into a huge explosion of fire! The fireball explodes across the room, dealing fire damage to everyone!
The Emperor cackles as the flame explodes, calling out "What's the matter, vermin? Is it too hot for you?"
Round 3:
26 Laori
23 Ruperta
19 Jabbyr and Thugs
14 Pai
12 Slumper
10 Corbyn
9 Paxs
7 Emperor
Laori curses at the Emperor's apparent insanity. She lashes out at the thug in front of her! and , dealing !
Ruperta heals Slumper!
Jabbyr presses his attack on Slumper, seemingly renewed by the Emperor's fireball! for damage and for damage!
The remaining thugs attack!
for damage!
for damage!
for damage!
for damage!
One steps forward and attacks Pai, standing over his dead comrade!
for damage!
Two more fling their last axe at Ruperta!
for damage!
for damage!
Reflex
Pai realizes that she could not take another blast from the Emporer's staff, so she decides to gamble and to try to end the fight as quickly as possible, if only she could get the spell cast without being struck. She points at the Emporer and targets him with one of her strongest spells.
Concentration check to cast spell
Thrak continues to try and clear the room around him.
Slumper not understanding how the gnome is still going continues to batter at his defenses
rapier
rapier
shield
shield