Grr. Stupid back button. Angry GM smash computer for human mistake.
Anyway, you find nothing in or on the desk, hidden or otherwise. The cabinet yields to Io's skeleton key, and you find six small pouches sitting inside. As Io moves towards the door and opens it, she notices an wolfman with green fur, wearing a breastplate, carrying a flail, and an eyepatch over its right eye. It stands looking menacingly at over two dozen children of varying races (a mix of races, nothing apparently exotic), ages, and genders. The children huddle together in a set of hammocks designed for one dozen, some times two or three to one, obviously pretending to be asleep. Io's keen senses also notice what appears to be a smaller wolfman wearing leather armor carrying a kukri, hiding in the boxes to the north of the room.
The wolfman turns towards the door and says "We're made, Hookshanks!
Init
Green wolfman
Small wolfman
Everyone else, please roll your init.
ID results
1. Potion of Resistance
2. Scroll of Mirror Image
3. Scroll of Protection from Law
4. Oil of Purify Food and Drink
5 and 6 Potion of Lesser Restoration,
7 and 8 Potion of protection from good
9 Potion of Corruption Resistance
10 Potion of Resist Acid
11 Scroll of Forbid Action
The Black Merlin cocks an ear hearing the wolfman shout in the other room.
'Hells'
"Where did Gaedren get all these beasts?"
While Io and Yanis explore the next room, Machaera spends a few minutes systematically assessing the potions and scrolls the group has recovered. Contrary to her expectations, they provide an embarrassment of riches, none of them as utilitarian as she expected, though that poses its own problems at the moment.
She arranges the flasks and vials according to an inscrutable system that would only make sense to a mage, with the exception of two potions that she keeps far away from the others, fixing the pair with a look of evident distaste.
Before Machaera can begin to enumerate her findings, her reflexes take over at the first word of an unfamiliar voice from beyond where the Albatross is keeping watch, and she whirls from the table, raising her sword into a careful guard position. To Yanis' question a heartbeat or so later, she calls out, "Looks like we'll just have to ask!"
Headsman stomps into the room, still holding the greataxe in his hand. Seeing the kids in the hammocks, he calls out to the lot:
"Keep your eyes closed, kids. We're here to set you free, but this isn't going to be pretty."
Headsman gives the axe a broad whirl, and hurls it at the green-furred wolfman.
Io pockets the pouches, and, when she sees the wolfmen, steps out into the large room.
Not missing a beat, she springs down the stairs, landing in a defensive as she gathers her strength to increase her combat prowess.
Rounds remaining of MF: 10
Stamina Points: 5
-Posted with Wayfinder
[dice=Crit dmg]1d12+5
-Posted with Wayfinder
Great axe is times 3, btw.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Yup it's still double after I looked, though ironically the rules don't call out throwing a weapon improvised as per the rules for an "improvised weapon." They still function the same for crit range and multiplier though. Something to note if you take a feat or get an equivalent ability to Throw Anything.
Io pockets the pouches, and, when she sees the wolfmen, steps out into the large room.
[dice=Initiative]1d20+7
Not missing a beat, she springs down the stairs, landing in a defensive as she gathers her strength to increase her combat prowess.
Rounds remaining of MF: 10
Stamina Points: 5GM, could we get the wolves up on the map?[/ooc]
Yup in a sec
Hearing Io rush into the room the Albatross has been observing through another door, Machaera races through the hallway where the masked man has taken up his position. Bursting onto a wooden catwalk, she steps aside just in time to slow down and come up short against the handrail.
A second or two after she finds her own position, Headsman appears beside her and, to Machaera’s disbelief, hurls a greataxe at the wolf below with a blinding whirl that lifts her hair with its wake.
Yuelral save us! she prays, even as the weapon flies through the air with surprising accuracy. Despite the unexpected good fortune, the entire situation seems to be getting out of hand, and all she can think is, Barbarians. I am surrounded by adolescent human barbarians.
Working on pawns. Will be up in a second.
[dice=Init]1d20+3
Headsman stomps into the room, still holding the greataxe in his hand. Seeing the kids in the hammocks, he calls out to the lot:
"Keep your eyes closed, kids. We're here to set you free, but this isn't going to be pretty."
Headsman gives the axe a broad whirl, and hurls it at the green-furred wolfman.
[dice=Thrown Weapon (Improvised)]1d20+5-4
[dice=Crit Confirm]1d20+1
[dice=Damage]1d12+5
Neither Duke nor Princess are here. Working on combat results
Headsman's axe and Machaera's telekinetic falcon punch impact on the larger half-orc, but the axe blow doesn't connect fully.
Green wolfman-18
The smaller wolfman, seeing that the jig is up, breaks out of hiding and tries to blind Io by throwing fish slurry into her eyes. Roll for an attack of opportunity, Io.
And the fish slurry goes all over Io's shield and the floor, but doesn't impede her vision.
Io, taking the slurry on her shield, slaps the disgusting mix aside, opening her shield pose just long enough for her fist to slam directly at the smaller wolf's head.
She quickly scans the room, looking for familiar faces.
MF Rounds: 10
Stamina: 5
Yanis moves up behind Corvus touching the man, and adding him to his protection circle.
"I will make sure you stay alive, we need to save the children."
"Thanks, but it looks like the others can use our help below first. This way - there's two below," nods the Albatross' mask in the direction past the hallway.
@Io and Headsman, and indeed the entire group recognizes both of these two as some of the nastier (in attitude, not necessarily threat level)thugs in Gaedren's employ, though they weren't furry back then. The shorter one appears to be the gnome rogue Hookshanks, who had a penchant for bossing around Lambs of all sizes and ages, and the taller one is probably Giggles, the half-orc taskmaster who would regularly use his flail to whip Lambs around and when needed, inflict permanent scars when Gaedren need to teach a Lamb an object lesson.
Working on next set of combat maneuvers.
Giggles steps up and swings at Headsman.
The flail solidly connects with Headsman's chest, dragging spikes through his chain shirt.
Giggles -18
Hookshanks -6
Black Merlin you're up.
Headsman laughs as his surprise attack lands a successful blow, but is taken off guard when the enemy closes the distance faster than expected. The blow strikes through, and the barbarian collapses against a barrel of fish.
Yanis move up to the top of the stairs just in time to watch the flail drag across huntsman. Looking down at the man, Yanis draws upon his inner reserves and allows healing energy to Huntsman.
The Black Merlin begins to make his way through the fishery. Pausing briefly at the first door and seeing the mass of allies between him and the room housing enemies, he groans and begins to double-time for the far entrance. He skids to a stop at the top of the stairs and drops to a crouch. Using the banister as cover he zeroes in his ornate pistol on Hookshanks.
'Can anyone get to the children?' The Merlin asks.
@all don't forget about your harrow points
Io, in a flurry of brawler awesomeness, lashes out in a flurry of powerful kicks, each one a hammer blow.
She lands deftly, a few feet away from where she started.
MF: 9 rounds
Stamina: 5 points
Headsman recovers thanks to Yanis, and his eyes shoot open, full of fury. "That was a cheap shot. I'm not letting you have another one."
Headsman focuses on his defense and attempts to stand up.
Seeing Headsman in trouble below, Machaera quickly measures distances before grabbing one of the handrail’s posts with her free hand and vaulting from the catwalk down into the room below.
She lands effortlessly on her feet, catlike, her sword already moving up to a defensive position, but it’s her other hand that is more dangerous at the moment. Gesture and incantation combine with a handful of sand that’s appeared from somewhere and erupts into a rainbow fan of colours.
The Albatross takes a running leap and takes flight off the wooden platform and attempts a reverse thrust at the flanked wolf when he lands.
Yanis seeing Machaera light up the room with a rainbow pattern will take that chance to double move down the stairs, not trusting his ankles quite like the others did.
Aren't we all fancy smancy acrobatics, other then Yanis moving carefully or Headsman falling down and getting up on the job.
Albatross 28
Io 27
Machaera 24
Headsman 23
Small wolfman 22
Wolfman and Yanis 19
The Black Merlin 13
Tokens repositioned.
Hookshanks takes the Albatross' blow, but deftly evades the follow up attack.
Rolling Will save for Giggles
And Giggles fails spectacularly, as he is blinded by the light. The light then overwhelms his brain's ability to process sensory information, and falls down unconscious and stunned for the next 42 seconds. Hookshanks falls from the combined blows of Io and Yanis. The kids cheer as their tormentors fall in a flurry of blows, backed up by a light show that raises their spirits.
Before the children can all clamber out of their hammocks, seeing what Giggles was able to do to Headsman, Machaera takes advantage of the breathing room her spell’s bought to secure a permanent solution. Sheathing her own sword, she swoops in and picks up the greataxe Headsman launched at the beast. Taking a heartbeat to line up her blow, her face dispassionate, Machaera brings the axe down with all the strength she can put in her two arms.
Her gory task complete, she turns to Headsman, and returns the axe. “I believe you…”
Well, no, he didn’t drop it, now, did he?
“…threw this,” she says. Both her tone of voice and her facial expression are emotionless, and it’s difficult to decide whether or not that makes her pragmatism all the more horrific.
Machaera steps discreetly forward in an attempt to screen the body from view as best she can, and waits. She’s very far from the best with small children. Maybe Io or Headsman will recognize some of them?
"Nice hit there," Headsman laughs. I owed him one, but I'll count that for it. "We can pack that one with the rest of the loot. I dragged it here for that throw, mine's better."
Headsman then turns to the assembled children. Far from the harsh uncaring tone the party has begun knowing out of him, Headsman addresses the children much in the way an older brother would address his younger siblings: More authoritary than a friend, but more complicitous than a father.
"Alright, kids, here's the deal. You're free to go. If you've got a place to go home to or parents looking for you, you should head out to them, I'm sure they miss you a lot. If you need help finding your way back, hide outside the fishery and wait for us. I'll make sure you get home safely once this is done."
"Of course, I know how Lamm is. For those of you who don't have a place to go to, I have an offer for you. Down in the Shackles, there's a lot of us street punks looking out for each other. It ain't much, but it's better than the street."
He coughs a little bit of blood as he finishes, and wipes it off with the back of his sleeve. "... don't try this kind of rescue 'til you're older."
Leaving the lambs to their own devices for now, he turns to Yanis.
"Oof. He did a number of me. Got any more of that... whatever it is you do?"
Yanis will move over to Headsman, laying a hand on the man, he then closes his eyes looking throw the body of the large man and moving the wounds to himself.
The wounds appear on Yanis the way they did on Headsman, "Are you feeling any better?
"... to be honest, only kinda. That doesn't look too pleasant for you, either."
"My duty as a doctor is to help with the pain of others, My pain will subside in time. Now to tend to the children."
Yanis stands up and removes his mask, attaching it to his belt.
He then walks over to the children, looking them over carefully each, after looking over a child he will hand them a candy.
After checking the Children over again, Yanis comes back to Headsman again looking him over.
Opening his jacket Yanis reveals 2 potions that he has hidden in there, quaffing one quickly Headsman feels the effects.
After drinking the potion, Yanis has a gagged look on his face.
"That must have been an expired potion, never have I tasted anything of the like. Never trust a Rat folk to brew you a potion. It was cheaper and now I see why."
"Well. That was.... Anti-climactic." Io looks almost sad that the battle is already over.
Io quickly searches the fallen wolf-men, looking for anything of value.
Once the wolves are stripped of anything of value, Io looks around the room as well.
Once that's done, she turns to the kids, "Hey guys. You're safe now. However, do any of you know what happened to Hookshanks and Giggles? Also, do any of you know of any secret areas, or hidden stashes of gold?"
Io tries to be nice, but it's not her strongest tactic.
Once she has everything collected, she nimbly makes her way up the stairs to the landing, carefully opening the second door up there and looking around the new room.
After a minute, it seems like Io just processed what Headsman told the Lamms.
"Wait- what? The Shackles? Isn't that in Garund? How on Golarion are they supposed to get there?"
"... the Shingles. Man, that was a hard hit."