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Calcedon smiled as they moved toward the docks. He'd never have guessed what would have happened this day when it started, although he was definitely surprised. Perhaps this could be the start of something much different. And if Zellara was right about this being something he was completely unaware of, it should prove to be quite the informative evening. He hoped it was good news, but he had a sinking feeling in his middle that made him not quite believe that.
As the people went to work, Cal watched their skills of stealth and knew that he was among people who had been trained. Although it was likely Lamm that trained them, so he would not be taken by these kinds of tricks. They might be able to fool some goons though. As it went, Cal just let them do their jobs well, music rushing through his head as he thought of the drama and bravery that was present there.
Garvid takes a deep breath, taking in the fetid docks air, a sight of disgust on his face. Tightening his gauntlet, he stretches, swings his halberd with the blade down, and pretends to be looking down at the street as he attempts to quickly follow the Shoanti woman. He stares down at his feet, throwing a cursory glance over the pier. I wonder if someone would actually confuse a halberd hilt for a broom. Still better than brandishing the Guard's symbol, though...
Popping his collar up, he quickly covers the cobblestone street with spectacular subtlety for a man wearing steel-toed boots and dashes quickly on the stairs. Laying low, he stands next to the door. "Ready to show the young ones how it's done?", he whispers with a smile, hand starting to reach for the handle.
EDIT:
As Li is returning to the others, she looks down the other side of the building and sees another door to the south. She decides to move to it and jam it as well.
Li materializes out of the shadows next to the others. She gives them a thumbs up and unslings her crossbow.
At Li's signal, Mouse gives her a thumbs-up in return and begins to creep around to each of the windows in turn, peering in - and not especially subtly. She does her best to make her footfalls heavy, practically pressing her nose to the glass at each of the windows, trying to draw attention and make it look like she's snooping. While she's at it, she starts actually snooping, trying to find out as much as she can about the building's interior as well.
As Garvid approaches the northern door, both he and Yazi you can make out some of the argument that seems to be taking place within the structure. Li, too, picks up bits and pieces as she approaches the western and southern doors. "Gods above! And comin' back 'ere wiv less van yaaahr quota, fnkin' yer entitled ter a bleedin' meal!, innit?" A muffled cry, as though someone being struck. A third voice, rising in cruel laughter: "Fink that hurt? Wai' til Papa Lamm gets ahold ov ye'!".
Garvid's heavy boot causes the rotten wood beneath him to groan ever so slightly. They freeze, holding their breath, expecting the door to be yanked open. But it isn't. The dock remains calm.
As Mouse peers into the windows, she picks up the stink of the place. A mixture of fish and sweat, it’s enough to make the eyes water. To the east, a large wooden trough holds a hideous mound of what looks to be half-rancid fish and seaweed. Filthy seawater and fish blood stain the floor around this trough. A pair of wooden chutes lead from this trough through holes in the eastern wall. Not far from the window, his back to Mouse, stands an enormous half-orc. He holds a sinister-looking flail, threatening one of Lamm’s Lambs before him. The child has a bloodied lip and glares at the half-orc with a mixture of fear and loathing. Next to her, two others crouch low against the trough, while another, overweight human man in ostentatious clothing stands in the southern doorway, arms crossed over his chest.
Mouse only has a moment to register the scene, for an immense dog leaps toward her window, slobbering and snapping between snarls. Immediately, the two men inside snap their heads toward the window. ”What the…” begins the overweight human, while the half-orc breaks into an obscene giggle. ”We got comp’ny!” he roars.
Avg = 11.0
Avg = 13.3
.
"Ready to show the young ones how it's done?", he whispers with a smile, hand starting to reach for the handle.
Yaziyah shakes her head, motioning Garvid to wait. She would like to have the others in place before they kick the hornets' nest. The sudden commotion inside means the game is up though, no time to waste. Signaling the guardsman to advance - how strange that she would remember the pseudo-military signals that her little band of anarchists used so long ago! - she pushes down on the handle, puts her shoulder against the door and attempts to open the door, her crossbow ready to sweep the space beyond the doors.
At the cry, Mouse immediately ducks back toward the others. Two big'uns, three Lambs 'n a dog! she calls out softly to warn her companions as she rushes back to join in the fray, vaulting over the low wall surrounding the platform.
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Garvid nods. Taking a step into the doorframe, he points towards the half-orc, halberd in hand. He pats it on his hand. "Alright, dumbasses, you got two options, run away or make my day."
Jamros practically skipped as he followed Garvid to the northern entrance, before remembering he was supposed to be silent. He dropped into a crouch near the rickety stairs as he reached for his hooked hammer. Mustn’t be too anxious now, even if I'm so close to the one who….caused the unpleasantness.
Jamros could almost see the plan fly out the window. “Guess there's nothing wrong with a bit of a struggle.” he whispered before vaulting one handed over the short wall, then tucking into a roll that brought him next to Mouse. “Good evening milady. I pray I'm not late for the festivities.” he quietly said, brandishing Glenda’s hooked end.
Calcedon steps forward a little onto the stair. He matches eyes with the half-orc and begins singing a note that was pure, clear and ethereal. Magical motes of light like fireflies or stars circled around his head in hopes to distract the tough orcish brute.
Li moves up a little past Calcedon in order to draw a bead on the half-orc. He had been threatening one of the children and she knew exactly how that felt. Making him pay before she could get to Lamm would be the next best thing.
Having readied her crossbow before the door was opened, Li targets a vulnerable part of the half-orc and releases the bolt.
Very exciting! I'll push ahead later tonight! *wicked laughter*
Yazi pushes open the door. It’s creak is long and painful, but you barely notice over the tumult raging inside. ”Hoooook!” bellows the fat, over-dressed man, ”Get yer bloomin’ arse up ‘ere.” He glares icily at Yazi before disappearing behind the doorframe to the west.
Mouse and Jamros deftly vault onto the platform, while Calcedon and Li ready their magic and weapons, respectively. As Garvid steps into the room, all hell breaks loose. The half-orc snarls and utters a command to the large canine, who springs forward, jaws snapping. Garvid's swing is strong and true. As his halberd connects solidly with the dog's head, an audible *thunk* echoes off the walls, and the animal falls limp to the floor.
”What do you think you’re DOING?!” roars the half-orc to the little Lambs. ”Get in there and fight, before I feed you to Bloo!” He kicks a chair over toward the corner where one of the Lambs (Lamb 1) huddles. He yelps in fright, jumping to his feet and scrambling desparately for…a weapon? The Lamb beside him (Lamb 3) looks petrified, but reaches into the slurry pit beside him to retrieve one of the pitchforks used to stir the sickly concoction, it’s points dripping putrid slime. Looking uncertain beyond belief, he takes aim at Garvid’s shins, attempting half-heartedly to trip him but succeeding only in bouncing the pitchfork off the slick wooden floor. . The third Lamb, the one who was just struck, just glares at the half-orc then spits at his feet. She turns and flees toward the stairs to the east. She freezes at the top, however, as a loud commotion is heard from the chamber below.
The half-orc, meanwhile, begins to swing his flail over his head, half-screaming, half-cackling in an attempt to intimidate Garvid. ”Ye’ picked da wrong nest ter rob, yew filthy weasel! Prepare ter be beaten wivin an inch ov yaaahr life. An inch too far!”
Suddenly, you hear a string of expletives coming from the next room as the fat man has apparently encountered Li’s doorjam. Really, even the saltiest of sailors would blush.
____________________
void
void
fail
success.
success
hit
As the dog drops in front of her, Mouse takes advantage of the opening, darting over the dog's still body and kicking over the chair to come in behind the half orc. She swings a sturdy fist at the half-orc, aiming straight for the nose and not making much effort to soften the blow. You ain't gonna torture these kids no more...
The bard cautiously approaches, continuing his note. He was a little miffed that his range was off. Normally he used this spell to get away from muggers and overly aggressive types who thought he was an easy mark. It worked a fair amount as well. The note also worked better than a scream, because it was loud, confident, and in a city where people were more used to not paying attention to screams, the sound he made instantly brought attention. Cal was not without his share of friends in the slums as well, and it often was enough to deter all but the most determined of foes.
But here, this was different. First he wasn't right in front of him, and he should have known the magic wasn't good from that much of a distance. And there was a lot more happening at the moment, including punches and weapons, and even people in the way. Hopefully it would still work, and would give his allies a chance to get their work done.
Li gives a grim smile as the dog goes down. She didn't like dogs at all. They were too unpredictable for someone in her line of work. Tha dog be a new addition since I was with Lamm. The string of expletives coming from the other room widens Li's grin. She moves further into the room towards the other room.
Addressing the kids she says, "We don't want ta hurt ya, Lamm's done that enough. Ya stay out of our way and yer good."
Li easily maneuvers around Garvid and finds a slick part on the floor which she uses it to her advantage by sliding across the floor to increase her movement and gets herself into flanking position on the half-orc.
Garvid raises the halberd in the air, staring down at the kid, shaking his head. He raises his hand to slap the child.
As the meaty hand misses the child, Garvid simply ignores him and takes a step towards the half orc, stepping on the unconcious dog's paw, leading to a whimper. "You know, scaring a guard with a harsh beating is like scaring a dog with a bone.", he grins, swinging the weighted haft towards the half-orc's jaw.
"If you toss the flail away and give me your keys, I promise I'll play nice. And not let the actual weasel eat your eyes out for a treat." He chuckles as he notices both la... girls surrounding the half-orc. "Numbers aren't on your side, handsome."
This tittering fop is beginning to get on my nerves. Jamros thought as he stepped into the doorway and pointed towards the half-orc, the pentagram on his arm flaring orange. “Kindly still your tongue, or I will be forced to remove it.” he said, but his words were not his own, rather they seemed to belong to something great and terrible.
Yaziyah tsks at Garvid as the man raises his hand to strike the kid. "Haven't they had enough of that?" Addressing the Lambs, she puts on her kind grandmother voice as she urges them to stand down. "This is your chance to get away. We're not here for you."
"Well, well, that nobleman is not quite useless in a scrap, is he now... Casting spells, my, my. Dazing one of them would be quite useful now, smart."
It is clear that the half-orc and the man with a face made for punching "If we bring that one down, I *will* let Slinky eat his damned eyes" are not their only opponents, so the Shoanti woman takes a very careful step inside, taking aim at the stairs to the east and motioning the kid to move aside. "I got your back, old man", she says to Garvid over her shoulder as she takes position.
Mouse darts deftly over the dog’s body and the adjacent chair, taking great care to maintain her balance as she all but flies through the air, determined to get close to the brutish half-orc. So focused is she on her graceful leap, however, that she drops her guard for just an instant. Before she has time to react, the half-orc shrieks in glee, hefting his flail with both hands and swinging it around to meet her in mid-air, slamming it squarely into her chest. The blow is devastating. As quickly as she is moving, the force of the swing halts her momentum, sending her sagging to the ground.
Calcedon steps forth gallantly, determined to stop the beast in his tracks. He sings a perfect C-sharp, its clarity and beauty in sharp contrast to the filthy dockhouse. The half-orc blinks, clearly distracted, but gives his head a quick jerk, returning to the task at hand.
Not to be outdone, Li somersaults into the room, gracefully bypassing the little Lamb and his pitchfork and landing on the far side of him, crossbow at the ready. She quickly takes aim at the half-orc and fires. The Lamb takes the opportunity to make a jab at her, but Li easily shifts to the side and avoids the attack. Unfortunately, this also causes her bolt to fly to the left, and it slams into the wall above Mouse’s unconscious body.
Garvid saunters up into the half-orc’s personal space. Not a moment later the business end his halberd swings toward the ugly green head. The half-orc ducks low, moving surprisingly quickly for a man his size, and comes up with an insane grin on his face. He begins to giggle uncontrollably, clutching his flail so tight that his fingers begin to pale.
At that moment Jamros’s voice, colored with an other-worldly echo, cuts through the air. The half-orc begins to snort with laughter. ”Cu’ out yohr tongue? Now you’re jus’ givin’ me idears!” . He jerks his arms up with incredible force. The ball of his flail begins to rise. Garvid moves as if to dodge the blow but, in a terrifying moment, the weapon connects solidly with his chin. His head jerks back at an impossible angle with a nauseating crunch. The force of the blow physically lifts him off of the ground before sending him falling limp to the floor, a pool of blood oozing from his broken jaw. His insane eyes shift toward Li. ”Didn’ yeh know i’s rude ter shoot indoors?! Yeh migh’ loose an eye!” He shrieks with laughter, his psychotic face now bathed in blood.
As if things couldn’t get any worse, the hulking figure of the fat man reappears in the southern doorway. He now wields a small sack in his hand, cocked to throw. He glares at Li with disgust. ”Well well, looky ‘ere! Someone’s come back to the playground, ‘as she? Let’s...”
He isn’t given time to finish his sentence, however, for the rising commotion that has been building in the eastern room comes to head, and four more Lambs come flooding into the chamber. These ones wield long handled wooden push brooms, their bristles filthy beyond reason. Yet instead of instantly turning on the party, they freeze, their eyes scanning the broken bodies of Garvid, Mouse, and the dog.
”Bloody ‘ells!” yells the fat man toward the children. ”Put yer useless arses to work and deal wif ‘em!” He points toward those of you who remain standing. But the young girl, the girl with the bloody lip who spat at the orc, pipes up. ”Don’t listen to ‘em, mates! Now’s our chance to break ou’ of here!” She yanks the pitchfork away from the scared little boy near her and jabs at the orc. He roars in outrage, but the other Lambs join in with their brooms. Even the smallest one crouched near Li gives an encouraging shout, though he remains far too timid to actually take action against his oppressors. As the half-orc hops to avoid the sharp spikes and dirty brooms, he loses his balance, teetering to the side before slipping on the wet floor and crashing down, his flail landing heavily beside him.
___________________________
hit, possible crit
confirmed
success
miss
miss (penalty for firing into melee)
success
hit, possible crit
confirmed
Jamros merely clicked his tongue at the thug, spinning Glenda about himself as he forced his way forward. “You really should be more careful you know” he said, before swinging the Glenda’s blunt end down on the prone orc.
But the gibbering orc rolled out of the way at the last moment, causing the hammer to smash a small hole into the ground.
Mouse remains motionless on the slimy planks.
"Death's breath!" curses Yaziyah as the entire situation goes skull-shaped in the time it takes to blink twice. "I hope you're not dead, old man" she mutters to Garvid's prone, bleeding form. Her fingers are itching to help the fallen, but the immediate threats must be removed first. Taking a page out of the nobleman's book, she points the crossbow at the floor, still holding it with one hand, ("Don't disappoint me, kids...") and with the other hand she makes a complicated, hypnotic gesture aimed at the half-orc. "Tameke amehlo enu!" she mutters as the magic surges through her.
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Seeing Garvid and Mouse go down so quickly, Calcedon wondered whether or not they'd actually made a good decision. Giggles was either really skilled or unusually lucky, but the latter seemed the case as the kids were able to knock him over. Taking advantage of the break in Giggles' attacks, Cal went inside the room cautiously and hummed his healing tune.
"It's too early to go to sleep,
There is still work to be done.
You've got promises yet to keep.
This day has barely begun."
Li's eyes narrow into a glare when Yargin appears. Trusting the others to take care of the half-orc, Li turns her attention to the fat man. Loading her crossbow, Li gets off a shot at Yargin. Warning the others she says, "Tha fat one likes ta use acid. Usually on children but be warn'd."
Glenda crushes the water-damaged wood beneath her head into splinters, but misses the half-orcs head by an inch. The half-orc stops laughing, suddenly missing the joke. He reaches for his flail, no doubt set to return the favor to Jamros, but at Yaziyah’s command his head jerks toward her, his eyes transfixed on her exotic gestures. He freezes, his hand extended in mid-air toward his weapon.
Calcedon reaches Garvid lying on the floor. The glow of his magic briefly permeates Garvid’s broken form as the latter’s broken jaw begins to knit itself back together. Garvid opens his eyes. . Mouse, though, still lies motionless on the slimy planks, her broken ribs rising and falling gently as she continues to labor for breath.
Li takes aim at the fat man with her crossbow, but her left boot slides in the muck and her bolt embeds itself in the doorframe, instead.
A couple of the Lambs take Yaziyah’s words to heart and scramble toward the door, just as another wave of ragamuffins burst through the eastern door, some of them wielding brooms or broken pieces of wood.
Amid the chaos, the fat man snickers at Li. ”’Ere, girl. ‘Ave a taste!” He flings the bag toward her, though his aim is as wide as his waistline, and the bag bursts on the floor at the feet of the tiny boy beside her, causing a mess of sticky tar to coat the floor. The man curses again and leaps behind the doorway, an impressive maneuver considering his bulk.
___________________________
miss
lands in SE corner
Mouse remains motionless on the floor, but her ragged breathing seems to have calmed, and the stain spreading across the floor seems to slow its march.
Since Yargin disappears back inside the room, Li chooses to reload her crossbow and take a shot at the prone half-orc. Hopefully freeing up someone else to help Mouse. Standing tall, Li shoots her crossbow bolt at the dazed and confused half-orc. To the Lamb in the way, Li orders, "Move!
Jamros smirked, raising Glenda for another swing. “Do stay still, me and Glenda aren't finished with you yet.” he said making another attempt to brain the orc.
Things were getting crowded. And confused. Sighting carefully, Yaziyah takes aim at the fat man, but her shot goes wide.
Calcedon took his sword out of it's sheath as Giggles started coming round. Not wanting to see him get back up, Calcedon did his best to finish the bestial flail-wielder.
Garvid shuffles, seeing the half-orc getting swarmed. He nods his battered head at Calcedon. So the fop isn't just a fop..., as he staggers up, ears still ringing. He takes a look around at the Lambs, waiting for them to pounce at any moment.
Mouse’s eyes flutter, though she remains unconscious on the floor next to the half-orc. Yaziyah attempts to aid Li against the fat man by taking a shot at him, but his hulking figure recedes behind the wall and she only hits the wooden paneling. Li, relieved to have avoided the fat man’s alchemical tar, takes aim at the half-orc. Her aim is true and the the bolt buries itself deep in his thigh, just above the knee. He howls in pain, reaching for his leg. ”Now what’d ya go an’ do dat, fohr?! I’ll...” Glenda interrupts his questioning, however, crashing square into his temple. His head reels to the right, a dazed expression on his face that quickly contorts in pain. Before he is able to comment on this injury, however, Calcedon hops forward, longsword drawn, and stabs him deeply in the abdomen. The half-orc gasps, blood spraying from his mouth as he groans in agony. Desperate, he blindly gropes for his flail. His meaty hand secures its handle, and he twists around, aiming for Mouse, trying to send the broken girl to the boneyard. The ball of the flail lands heavily with a solid thud but misses her head by a narrow margin . The half-orc’s eyes narrow and he spits at Calcedon. He is no fool, and knows what will happen next.
The Lambs delight in this victory. Most of them drop their broom handles, rotted boards, or whatever flotsam they could scrounge on short notice and, seeking to avoid the fat man, flee out the northern door in a wave of emaciated bodies. The girl who incited her fellows to ambush the half-orc pauses and grasps Yaziyah by the arm. Her green eyes flash in excitement. ”Fank you, ma’am. We won’t be forgettin’ dis anytime soonish!” With that, she flees with the others into the night.
Garvid comes to, and slowly drags himself to his feet, leaning on Calcedon for support
Meanwhile the fat man takes the opportunity to try and catch Li unawares again. He spills out from behind his refuge and sends a shiny flask sailing towards her. Unfortunately for him, it sails right over her head and lands harmlessly in the vat of slurry, still in tact. Cursing, he draws an identical flask from beneath his extravagant vest and gives the rest of you a venomous glare.
Jamros suddenly gasps in pain as he is shivved from behind. . Whirling ‘round reflexively, he stands face to face with a Lamb. No, not a Lamb...a gnome, and an ugly one at that. He is dressed as a Lamb, his ragged vest matching his torn britches, except that under these rags he sports a leathern armor. He wears a sneer upon his face and wields a small kukri in his right hand. Behind Jamros, the half-orc peels with laughter, delighted that reinforcements have arrived.
___________________________
hit
hit
hit
miss (v. flat-footed AC)
hit
hit
Li reloads her crossbow and turns her attention to Yargin since the cowardly fat man remains within sight. She barely has the bolt in place before she's firing it at the man who tormented the children for Lamm.
Cool blood flowed freely from the knife in Jamros’ side. He knew he should apply pressure to it, but suddenly he had more pressing concerns. “A word of advice rat.” he said looking over his shoulder. “If you're going to stab someone in the back you should make sure to try for the heart. Otherwise you're liable to make that someone angry.”
At the orc’s renewed laughter Jamros spun about and swung a third time with Glenda.