Briar pads behind Dandiwaif, his bow still at the ready.
Stealth
Briar keeps his eyes open.
Perception
Nikolay follows and checks out the stacked barrels and crates, sword still in hand.
"Oh, it's you," Dandi announces unnecessarily as the others come into view. "Did you find Lamm?"
"Bondo, The gods that favor me are a mystery. To be truthful, this is all a bit new to me. Do you have a preference? If not, than let's give this a try. <ahem> <whispering> To the gods of Stealth and Guile, please lead us into temptation that we may find what we seek."
The party moves into the large room, but encounters nothing other than themselves. The smell of fish and chum are strong in this room, but you've become a little acclimated to it so it doesn't bother you as much as it did on first impact.
Briar's keen eye does spot a rope ladder hanging from the opening to the east (the oblong bit of water at H/I-11). It descends into the darkness below.
Nikolay, the barrels and crates are empty, and some of them have even been cleaned a little. You guess that they would have been used to transport fish, and the fish slurry, to various large scale buyers. Some of the barrels are in horrible shape though and likely wouldn't hold much before leaking it all out.
Barael, you're startled when you turn around to see if anyone else is coming your way. Charlie is standing just a few feet from you, moving silently and quickly. You very nearly drop your torch!
Briar speaks up and points out what he sees.
"Rope ladder over here. Dark down there...anyone have another torch?"
Nikolay casts light on himself and proceeds to the rope ladder.
"Enough of these games. We'll flush them out. It's not like they don't know we're here."
Nikolay you're able to climb down easily enough (DC 5), but the rope hangs in mid air over the water. There's a 5' jump to the nearest dock. You do see a useful skiff that could be used to make the process easy, but it's 20' away tied up at the end of the dock.
The space is quite cramped with only about 5' of space between the floor of the building above and the languid foamy river water below. Wooden pilings support the building while moss and cobwebs hang thick from ropes and rusted chains between them.
A wooden walkway floats on the river surface winding along the inner wall of pilings that supports the building's frame above, leading from the sodden ship all the way to a wooden door that leads to an understructure below the fishery's landbound half.
You can try either an Acrobatics to swing and jump over to the dock, or a climb check to maneuver across the ceiling and drop down to the dock. They both look about as difficult, and taking 10 won't do the job (but neither do you fall in the process).
Briar will try to provide cover with his bow to the man as he climbs down.
"Ayep. They know we're here...I wonder of they care?"
These folk tramp around like pregnant bullettes.
"Looks like they didn't come this way. There's a skiff tied up down there still and I didn't see anyone. Let's try one of these other doors."
Nikolay sees no movement, just the door in the wall on the lower level.
With a few minor exceptions (like where the party is standing), this is the latest map
"Whelp, we're already here, let's try this door." Briar points to the door at K13.
Fondo peaks his head down into he darkness and, realizing it's too dark, asks to borrow some light. Assuming someone lends it to him, he gauges the distance to the docks.
"Yes, maybe the door next to you, evening star," he says to Dandilion. He joins her by the door.
Nikolay will keep his lighted head poked down below to see if anyone comes out of the other door while the others check on the next door.
Dandi nods enthusiastically, trying the door to see if they can get in.
Dandilion opens the door to reveal a large, but mostly empty, office. A wooden desk sits in one corner of this room, its side preventing the southern door from opening all the way. The table is heaped with dozens of slate boards covered with chalk scrawls, while to the north a cabinet slouches against the wall. To the east a few moldy boards have been nailed over the outside door.
A quick search of the cabinet and desk reveal more detailed notes about the ongoing business. The slates on the table are covered with transaction records, addresses of customers, and other accounting notes. It looks like these notes are converted with some regularity to scrolls which are then stored in the cabinet. A glance at the oldest of these scrolls reveal that the fishery has been operating like this for about 8 months.
Fondo lights a torch in his off hand and moves through the hallway to the door that's been unexplored. He listens for a moment and then tries to open it if he doesn't hear anything.
Briar will give the room a once over.
Perception
The creaky door opens to reveal a pair of dirty bunk beds sit against the far wall of this room to either side of a boarded over window. The room is otherwise empty.
The upper level has been checked to varying degrees. It's only been about 5 minutes since you first set foot in the Fishery. Those you've beaten lie in the first room, sleeping off their injuries. It's 1:15am.
Nikolay continues to keep an eye on the door reached via the rope ladder.
Barael returns to the main room, gropes Yargin, looking for the keys to the front door.
If he finds them, he secures the west doors (main entrance), and while he's at it, he makes sure that Giggles and Yargin were searched over while being tied up. Don't need no extra kukris popping up and unbinding binded hands.
"I'm ready to try and swing down to the dock. There's no rock that's left unturned this night." Barael throws the door key(s) to Nikolay, and heads down to make an attempt. He takes off his armor. "Swing this down to me if I'm not drowning like a rat."
He looks back up, huffing a bit, and extends his arms out, waiting to catch his lamellar armor. Waiting for his armor, he secures the rope ladder to the dock.
Nikolay will toss down the armor and climb down the secured rope ladder
Fondo returns to the trap door with the others, and offers Barael a length of rope as he's descending. It takes him a bit longer than usual to rifle through his pack for it. "My feet might find the walkway easily enough, if you'd prefer a leap to a crawl."
Barael de Gare climbs down and across to the dock where he's able to tie off the rope ladder for others to follow (DC 7 climb check to get down the rope ladder to I-31).
However as he finishes tying up the ladder - and before he dons his armor - laughter echoes and a hand crossbow twangs as Barael is hit for 1hp damage. He and Nikolay both see Gaedren's ugly mug around the edge of the door as he shoots Barael.
"Hee heee!"
Barael
Briar
Charlie
Dandilion
Fondo
Nikolay
Gaedren Lamm
Round 1 Initiative 23+
Gaedren cackles and shoots again before slamming the door.
Barael is shocked to see the last crossbow bolt miss him ever so slightly even though he is unarmored. However, please make a DC 12 Fortitude save (poison) vs the first bolt which did connect.
Round 1, Init 23
Fondo climbs down and along the rope ladder to the dock. He's already either doused his torch or handed off to anyone who wishes to hold it.
Fondo can't quite seem to get the rope ladder to cooperate. As his second move action, he tries to jump the distance.
Alas, his jump does not quite clear the eight feet between him and the dock, and his feet splash into the water as he catches himself on the edge of the dock.
Round 1, Init 21
"There he is! It's Lamm!"
Nikolay will keep his action of climbing down.
It's only a 5' climb. Well, might be more like 10' as there is some horizontal - but I'm going to say that a 30' move doing a 1/4 speed climb can do it in one move action. So Nikolay you have a move or standard left.
Fondo is at the edge of the dock. No need to swim, move to climb out next round.
Nikolay draws his sword.
Round 1, Init 21
"There he is! It's Lamm!"
Nikolay will keep his action of climbing down.
"Where?" Dandi tries to see where Lamm is, moving in that direction with her usual caution and foresight.
That bolt, painful, but I'm feeling something else...
Barael loses point of dexterity from the poison.
Round 1, Init 8
Briar stows his bow (move) then shimmies down the rope.
Climb
Briar will end up away from the door, but not in the water.
Round1, Init 18 {J9 ->J31}
AC 12 (10 +2 leather)
CMD 10
HP = 9
Orisons DC:14 (Create Water, Mending, Purify Food and Drink, Stabilize, Mage Hand, Ghost Sound)
First Level: DC:15 (3/4 per day) (Bless, Shield of Faith, Cure Light)
Weapon equipped = Biting wit
Shield equipped =OMG please don't hurt me
Charlie move net to Barael and does some administering to the wound. [ooc]
Barael steps up to the door, checks his step, and checks for resistance to his trying to open the door. If resistance is met, he attempts to break the door down.
"Not feeling too good. That bolt hit me with more than just wood."
Charlie, you can try again with your second move. You don't fall in, but you make no headway either on your first attempt.
Fondo climbs a little ways down the ladder then leaps into the water as he doesn't quite make the dock. Nikolay climbs down and draws his sword while Charlie fumbles with the ladder but eventually makes it down. Barael moves to the door and before battering it down with his body, finds it unlocked and opens it revealing a disturbing room beyond. Dandilion climbs the rope ladder and onto the dock, while Briar makes his way down the does the same.
The air in this large room is somewhat chilly and stinks of the river no doubt thanks to a huge opening in the floor that drops away to the river shore five feet below. Several pilings emerge from the waters to support the roof above, with mossy ropes slung between them. In two places rusty manacles hang from the ropes over the water - and a child is strapped in one.
Two five foot walkways cross the hole's edge to the other side of the chamber, where a collection of old cabinets, lockboxes, and piles of clutter are strewn about. Chipped porcelain plates, a cracked goblet, badly rusted silverware, an old wooden shield, the odd dinged helm, an old holy symbol to Nethys, and other 'treasures' litter the floor of this entire chamber.
Three tables, their tops heaped with additional clutter, stand amid this mess, while just west of that a wooden door seems to provide access to another room. Gaedren Lamm makes his way to the edge of that room (5' step) and grabs a chain stretched to the ceiling and down to the child's manacles hanging over the water. A large alligator thrashes in the water below the child, 'jumping' up into the air trying to reach her.
He turns back to Barael in the doorway. "Come no closer! If you do, I'll lower the child all the way!" To punctuate his point, he lowers the little girl just a bit and the alligator lunges, taking a big bite out of her foot. Gaedren pulls the chain taught and you hear the child's screams of pain.
Gaedren shouts over her pain, "Take me to the guard and she lives. That is the deal. Attack me and I shall lose my grip and she will surely die before you can reach her. On your honor!" Gaedren grins evilly.
Next up - everyone!
Round 2, Init 23
Fondo drags himself out of the water, and his face takes on a look of concern as he pleads, "Please, don't hurt her. She's... Oh my goodness, it's her. Please, Lamm. I'll escort you to them myself. On my honor. Just don't hurt my little dear."
Sense Motive
He's a smooth liar.
Briar readies his bow and waits the end to this standoff.
Briar can't see the girl, but she screams like a human. Not that you'd have any experience with that. Er. I'll just be quiet now.
Dandi tugs on Briar's sleeve as she tries to see what's going on around all of the people in front of her,
"What? Oh no! Someone's skinning Barael! We've got to save him!" Bracing on Briar's shoulder, the young girl tries to jump up so that she can see who's skinning her new friend alive.
Round 2, Init 17
HP= 11/12 Poisoned, 1 point Dex loss and counting
AC= 14 (Lamellar Armor removed, 5 rounds to hastily don it)
CMD= 16/13Fl
Weapon Equipped= Rapier
"You hold my honor, Gaedren Lamm, like you hold that chain. I would gladly escort you to the Guard, for you to return my honor to me." Barael steadies himself, his hand on the doorframe. "Show me your honor, and hand me the chain. It'd be like a symbol to me if you would." Barael sheathes his rapier.
How can he think this will go well for him? We'd be witness to a murder right here and now. This must be the horror of old age.
Round 2, Init 21 I-31-->L-30
Nikolay moves into the room, sword still in hand.
To the guard. Yes. That would be right. But...
Nikolay looks to the crocidile and the girl and to Lamm.
He readies to jump for the girl if needed.
"OK then, we have an agreement." He grins widely as he hooks the chain up to the wall near him and locks it in place. He walks up next to Nikolay and holds out his hands.
"I'm all yours, heheheh. Take me to the guard!" He grins widely at some private joke and waits for the party to move.
Nikolay finds something with which to bind Lamm.
"You will answer for you crimes, monster."
"Well received, Char."
Barael, seeing Nikolay walk into the room, pulls his short bow, and takes aim at the crocodile. "Nothing personal, Gaedren, but we can't have a creature like this left to live. It has a taste for human flesh, it seems."
Round 3, Init 23 {>Q25}
Fondo moves into the room. He looks at the little raggamuffin and Lamm, then back at the raggamuffin. "Oh my dear little butterfly, he's kept his word. Let me get you down from there."
He moves around the walkway, acting as though he's looking for a way to get the girl down.
Briar lowers his bow.
Human child, human decisions. Let them handle their kind.
Briar moves in to check out the alligator. Briar is impressed by the beast, having not seen anything so exotic in a while.
"It's skin? How thick is it? It must be very tough..."
Briar looks at the alligator before remembering why he came here...
My brother.
"Lamm! Have you seen my brother? Was he working for you?! His name was Thorne. A mage, he claimed to be. Green eyes. Where is he?"
Round 3, Init 11, G31>M31
"What's going on? Is that Lamm? "I am *so* not taking him to the Guard.
Dandi moves forward (M31) to be able to see better.