As Swift inserts the key into the lock of the cashbox, a slender needle lances out from a small hole just above the keyhole.
"Oooh spikey thing! I may need to keep this chest" She chirps as she attempts to reclaim her overly enthusiastic hand.
Swift, with cat-like reflexes manages to dodge the needle. Upon a moments reflection she sees a small hidden button disguised as a rivet in the metal banding. Depressing this turns the needle off. Swift opens the cashbox and sees a large collection of copper, silver, gold and platinum nestled inside, along with a lovely star sapphire cabochon gem that looks as if it was once in a piece of jewelry, but removed.
"Oooh.." Swift coos over the gem, carefully picking it out of the chest and examining it from all angles, tilting it so it'll catch the light well (not entirely necessary for the appraising of it, it just makes her smile)
girds loins
"Ffethpaar, be ready. This could be bad." -greep-
opens hatch slightly to look out
The cabochon star sapphire winks in the dim phosphorescent green light of the bar's glow mold colonies as Swift holds it up. It is a truly lovely gem, although whoever removed it from its mount was a butcher. there are nicks and scratches to the gem's polished finish along its sides. Swift imagines the right buyer would pay close to 500 GP for the gem, but disposing of it could lead to questions, as it was obviously stolen from somehwere. A 'no questions' deal would probably net half the 500 GP price. Pawn brokers are such mercenary boors.
The hatch squeals up and Greep ducks under to look. A shaft 4 feet wide and tall inclines at a 45 degree angle up. The shaft is stone, well worn by objects traversing its length. There are handholds chipped into the sides of the shaft, obviously to aid someone climbing it. The shaft is now silent, but Greep can see a slight winking of light farther up, as if a little light was entering from a cracked open doorway.
creeps up angled shaft to top, peaks thru crack
Being tiny (and scared) seems to have helped.
Greep silently inches his way up the shaft, using his dexterity and the plentiful handholds to pull himself up. At the top of the shaft is another hatch like the one below. This one has bolts from within, probably why it was so easy to climb up. The bolts are open and the hatch is slightly askew. Light comes in from a crack, and Greep can hear street noises from beyond, including some discussion in Goblin. Greep is able to make some of it out as he presses his ear to the hatch:
Goblin
slides back down, happy to be back to his normal, perfect, size
to Ffethpaar: "I heard voices, but its clear to the next hatch up."
-greep-
moves to bar/kitchen door
"I heard talk from the exterior hatch at the back of the kitchen."
translates to common
"We need to get the -GREEP- outa here, cutters!"
Just as Greep makes his pronouncement to the tavern area, there comes a muted swell of noise at the bolted door in back. A flurry of blows shakes its stout oaken frame and the muted screeching of enraged goblins fills the air.
"Time to haul ass and take names- and I already forgot my name!"
"Leave the -greepin- front door open as a decoy and lets head out the kitchen hatch."
Swift quickly grabs her pretty shiny things and leaps up and over the bar at the sounds at the front door. "Why do the mobs always turn up mid-looting?" She questions in mild irritation, a tiny pout on her face. "Anyone want to help me carry the coinnage? It's all heavy!" She looks around at the group in general with her best 'damsel in distress' face before realising it#s really not going to be all that effective on this grouping.
Ffethpaar looks the front door and then at the dorr which the sounds are coming from
"If they are coming in there, I suggest we go this way" indicating the front door.
Zigel has finished scooping up the items that had glowed and other trinkets into his various containers. Eir assists him, but there is still the question of Duuvarg's plate armor. It will take time to unhook it from the corpse, and time seems to be running out.
Eir tosses the inert form of Nurkrak over her shoulder, the small goblin sitting on her shoulder like a collection of kindling wrapped in leather.
Greep stands at the swinging kithchen doors, one eye worriedly cocked to the far door. Ffethpaar stands next to him, assesing the situation.
Swift attempts to haul the large cashbox up, but finds it weighs in excess of 150 lbs with all the various coins in it and its stout construction. She will need assistance to haul it entirely The star sapphire finds a spot next to the bartender's trinkets in her pouch.
Karrin assists in rounding up the loot. She fingers her new axe, shivering just a bit as a cold finger of air caresses her cheek.
Kratos has discovered the severed head of one of the goblin lieutenants, and is happily playing with it under one of the smaller tables. He rips one large ear off and wolfs it down, grunting happily.
Swift gives a small whimper that almost sounds like a pained 'mew' as she realises she really can't shift all of the lovely loot she found behind the bar all on her lonesome. "Guys? Money... and a cool box to keep it in... pleeease help!" The teenage tibbit calls out hopefully as she secures the other nice things she found about her person.
Karrin does strip the armor off of the dead goblin, spoils of battle and all, but she at first seems a little hesitant to rob the place (after all most of these people were just in the wrong place at the wrong time) . . . then she remembers that she's in the roll of Marra: tough as nails mercenary. Karrin pulls off her backpack and tosses it over to swift.
"filler up luv," she laughs, "lets see if we can send some more of these bastard goblins ta hell on da way out."
Karrin's backpack sails over to Swift, landing and sliding just short of the tibbit. Karrin bends to the bloody corpse of her former foe, unbuckling the pieces of his armor and cursing as she struggles with some of the fastenings.
As Karrin begins her work, the tone at the far door changes, the pounding has graduated to a heavy thumping. Someone is hitting something against the other side quite hard. The door shivers even more, and cracks begin to form in the darkened wood.
Ffethpaar looks at Swift, at the box, at the money... at the door.
"I think that the box is of more use than the money," . "If you empty it out, I will help you carry it."
Without waiting for an answer from Swift, he goes to the front door and looks out to see if there is any immediate threat from that side, ready to duck back in again if anything vaguely missle shaped approaches him at any speed.
"time to go bloods...take the bloody goblin karin strip his later,Kratos come,swift take the gold to the abyss with the rest!"
with that zigels head towards the way out with the others
Ffethpaar looks at Swift, at the box, at the money... at the door.
"I think that the box is of more use than the money," . "If you empty it out, I will help you carry it."
Without waiting for an answer from Swift, he goes to the front door and looks out to see if there is any immediate threat from that side, ready to duck back in again if anything vaguely missle shaped approaches him at any speed.
Ffethpaar glances out the tavern's front door quickly, looking up the stairway. All seems to be calm upside, and the light of Before Peak washes the upper landing in shades of dingy grey.
Once it is clear that the others are going to be leaving, Ffethpaar exits to the street above. Still keeping a lookout for any possible trouble. Assuming no trouble he waits at the top of the stairs for concensus on which way to go. His preference is for a place with people where a 6'6" lizardfolk can just blend in with the crowd. But he is aware that one of their number is carrying an almost-dead goblin which may have a bearing on where to go next.
Ffethpaar climbs the damp steps to the landing above. The narrow alleyway the tavern is off of is quiet, but he can hear the traffic coming and going all along Ironshot Road.
Zigel follows Ffethpaar to the street carrying what he can in his sack.Kratos is close on his masters heels keeping himself on guard for more attackers
Everyone else seems to be keeping their cool. She follows along.
Everyone else seems to be keeping their cool. She follows along.
draws wand of 'expeditious retreat'
"Speed boost anyone?"
-greep-
"time to go bloods...take the bloody goblin karin strip his later,Kratos come,swift take the gold to the abyss with the rest!"
"Ya, I'm going to drag a goblin copse into the street still dripping blood and gore," Karrin says as she quickly dumps the corpse out of the armor (cutting straps if necessary), "that'll make a clean escape for sure . . . and I told ya before berk da names Marra, confuse me fer yer sweety one more time and I'll make ya kiss yer own butt!"
"What happened to bowling with gobbo heads?"
The far door is splintering, and several wicked-looking axes appear and disappear from widening fissures inside it. There may not be too much time before the holes are wide enough to shoot ranged weapons through. The goblin screeching is reaching a high pitch as the green-skinned humanoids smell blood.
Swift scoops as many coins as she can into the backpack before starting her dragging of the box towards the door. There was no way she was leaving her new toy behind, besides Ffeth said he'd help carry it.
The backpack fills up with loot rapidy, the various-sized coins from across the Great Wheel tumbling into the battered leather sack with a musical jingle. There is really no way to sort out the gold from the rest without time, so Swift improvises and just starts scooping them all in. The majority of the chest's weight (about 100 lbs) are in coins, the rest (50 lbs) in the solid cashbox. It is 2x2x3 feet in dimension (2'high, 2' deep, and 3' wide)
Swift's hands flash in a blur as she transfers piles of loose coins from chest to backpack. A few stray coins slip out of her hands and go rolling off into dark corners, but for the whole she manages to scoop up the majority without incident.
stands at door with wand casting on each as they leave- which should be soon
I think we're leaving by the front door, I'm not sure all of us are going to be able to squeeze up a delivery shaft (not quickly anyways), and the quicker we can get lost in the press of the crowd the better.
Realising that Swift is trying to drag the box up the steps, he goes back to help her, taking care that the trap mechanism will not be sprung accidentally.
If the perception roll means he percieves something, he may hesitate a bit before going to help.
Swift finishes putting the jingling mass of coins in the groaning backpack
Ffethpaar runs to the top, realizes that he was going to help Swift, and hurries back down again. The size of the box is most of the problem, and there are no convenient straps to grab, so the two take a side each and begin to ascend the stairs.
Zigel at the top of the stairs only notices normal street noises eminating from Ironshot Road, but Kratos' hackles begin to rise, and he growls deep in his throat. Something is pricking his senses. Sigil's day is still just beginning, although it seems like a month since they entered the bar, very little time has actually elapsed. The first hour of Before Peak has yet to be put in the dead book.
Karrin works the armor straps of the fallen goblin leader. The work is tough, the straps are actually well-wrought metal links, and hard to unstrap easily, especially slicked in gore as they are. She has about half the segments off now.
The far door will not hold out much longer, there are massive fissures, but no arrows have come through. The three left in the tavern have spotted a green head or two peeking in through the cracks. Greep hears a muttered cry in Goblin:
Goblin:
Everyone in the tavern hears a weird wolf howl coming from beyond the far doorway. Eir, with the bony Nurkrak balanced on her shoulder, is torn between dropping her bundle and helping Karrin and just heading for the stairs. Greep too sits undecided, his wand of expiditious retreat at the ready, casting on everyone who ascends the stairs in turn .
Ffethpaar looks at Swift over the box
"If the box interferes with our retreat, we must drop it. I hope it does not come to that. I say we go to Ironshot Street as fast as possible. We must try to look as if we are carrying the box for some bad master. You should do the complaining if needed for I am not good at pretense."
If everybody has decided, he will retreat (expeditiously?) to Ironshot Street (or the other way if outvoted).
"Marra hurry the f~$% up."
I doubt it's going to speed anything up much if I start unbuckling stuff with Karrin. What the hell is she doing, anyway?
"This stupid goblin is in my new armor!" Karrin curses, even though she knows full well that the armor won't fit her, "I just know it's not gonna be here when we get back with all these thieving goblins around!"
Karrin Curses out loud but her face gets all red and embarrassed doing so, for although the ruthless mercenary Marra curses all the time, the relatively polite sword(/axe) for hire Karrin doesn't, and she's somewhat surprised at the filth coming out of her mouth. Karrin Grabs the armor she's stripped and one of the goblin's legs and runs to the door. The rest of the carcass flops and bangs about loudly as it drags behind her.
"Guess I'll have to finish this outside."
LMAO
Greep too sits undecided, his wand of expiditious retreat at the ready, casting on everyone who ascends the stairs in turn right?.
Updated actions all?
Greep is indeed casting on each as they pass out the front door.
"Are you people crazy? Drop the -GREEPIN- box and body. We're a long way from home and allies."
loudly in goblin
Greep is poised to be the last one out after he has cast on each of the others. He starts using the wand now. First Eir, then Zigel and Kratos, then Swift and Ffethpaar. Finally Karrin and himself.
"Duration's started," -greep- "Clock is ticking." does the tick-tick-ticking stomp
Karrin manages to finally wrench the last piece of plate off the bloody corpse of the goblin leader Duuvarg and stuffs it in her bag. She jumps up and runs to the door, getting a wand charge from Greep in the process. Eir is half a step ahead of her, carrying the inert caster Nurkrak like a bunch of kindling. The goblin is almost unrecognizible wrapped in his cloak, looking more like a parcel than a being, except perhaps the random blood splotches staining the cloak he is wrapped in a bilious green.
The far door is about to go, the screeches of the goblins are mixed with wolfish howls. They will be in any second now.
Thanks to Greep's wanding, everyone has an extra burst of speed. You all collect in the narrow confines of Rat Twitch Alley. Ironshot Road lies a few meters away, with a comforting swirl of cutters bound for the New Market.