With a quick movement of her hands, and a guttural arcane word, Danni directs a bit of magical energy at the half-orc.
you can not possible be this stupid. Are you listening to the words coming out of my mouth. I was looking for my kids...but since you have threaten us...I now am feeling the need to use deadly force. Anyone that stands with you, will face the same charges
Alistair charges towards the halforc.
Human 23 The human swings at Nicoleta with his and misses. "These kids don't even look like you!" the man says snarling as his dagger swings past Nicoleta
Lamb 3 19 Stumbles behind Nicoleta to flank her
Alistair 18 Charges and wounds the half-orc.
Nicoleta 16 Wounds the human with first hit
Danni 17 Casts a spell on the half-orc and the half-orc is Dazed
Garran 13
Half Orc 13
Lamb 1 13
Lamb 2 11
Lamb 4 9
Garran charges at Sammy Sands. He feels a slight twinge of guilt at killing him - after all, they had been in a gang together. Still, Sammy worked for Gaedren now - and that meant he had to die. A proper revenge couldn't happen without making sure Lamm's crew could never rise again.
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"Of course they don't look like me! That's how I knew he was cheating on me," Nicoleta says with a laugh.
"You shouldn't be hanging around with boot scum like these guys," she says as she slaps at the young man moving past her.
Half Orc 13 Dazed
"Dammit! They're going to rat on us," Nicoleta snarls as she watches the three young boys racing towards the fishery. Realizing that there's no way for her to catch all three, she turns her frustration on the dazed half-orc in the form of a high kick followed up by low knee.
A dark-haired Varisian woman with a head scarf turns from a fishmonger's stand and spots the children running by. She brushes a hand over a bright sunburst medallion around her neck and says, "Now, boys, where are you going in such a hurry? You know as well as I that the guard are no friend of this part of town. Perhaps it would be best to melt away into the shadows or wait to see how things play out?" She gives a knowing glance to the rickety fish-warehouse from which they emerged.
*End of combat
Overcome with confusion and emotion the boys throw down the makeshift weapons and cry to Alika. "Please priestess! Have mercy! They beat and starved us!"
"Boys, boys, I know exactly what you have gone through," she says, kneeling down by them. "But today is a day for mercy. You will suffer under their lash no longer." She runs a hand through the sash at her waist and comes up with three silver coins between her fingers. "Today we will start something new and better. First, these are for you, to do with as you please. And then we will see to finding someone new to take you in and give you the happy lives that you should have."
Garran whispers back so that only Sammy can hear,
"Gaedren destroyed us and sold me to the Watch. Anyone would have been better than him."
He pulls his sword out of Sammy, letting him fall to the ground, before turning his attention to the others. "Let's move. The rest of Gaedren's men will be waiting."
When Nicoleta sees the priestess she smiles.
"Hello Alika," she says. "Couldn't stay away from me anymore, hmmm?" She wags her finger. "You're too late, I've got a boyfriend now," she continues with a gesture towards Garran."You'll have to wait around for the inevitable break-up," she adds in a stage-whisper.
"In the mean-time, we're going in there to bring some justice to Lamm; Care to join us?"
Alika glances up as she is handing out the coins to the children. She apparently recognizes Nicoleta at once.
"Hello, Nicoleta," she says in return. "Still chasing scrapes and bruises, I see. These unfortunate children will need some care. I presume you're following a lead and time is of the essence, but we can't just leave these boys."
The priestess looks over her shoulder at the way that she came, then back to Nicoleta. "I'd like to help but we need to get these boys to the temple of Sarenrae with someone who can vouch for them and get them a chance for a new, better life."
"Sarenrae... are you a priestess? Can you help with this child?" she asks, indicating the passed out young girl. "I have something that might help her." She pulls a small vial out of her bandolier.
Alika stands and looks down at the boys and asks, "Do any of you boys know this little girl?" She carefully takes the unconscious girl from Danni and starts checking her over for illness or injury.
Nicoleta looks over the boys Alika is tending.
"I'm sure these boys are street smart," she says with a knowing grin. "If you gave them a pass then I have no doubt that they could get to the temple safe and sound."
She looks over at the fishery and then at the young woman.
"We could use a good healer. I doubt that there are any ghosts or demons here for you to force into submission, but you never know, we could get lucky."
She winks at the priestess.
"I might let you force me into submission later - if you're good and don't tell my boyfriend."
Garran looks over at Danni and Nicoleta speaking to a priestess of...was that Sarenrae? He didn't really know the difference - most deities were the same to him. Pray to whichever one was most relevant to your current situation, and hope they weren't offended.
Walking over, he says, "We should get into the Fishery - if anyone saw us kill Lamm's goons, they'll have alerted him, and he'll try to run away. We'll have a devil of a time finding him again if he does."
Alika says to Nicoleta, "Still as naughty as ever, I see, Nicoleta." She nods to Garran as he approaches. "Does any one of you have a stylus or quill and some ink?"
"You keep saying that, Alika," Nicoleta says with a smile. "But you never take me up on my offer to show you how naughty I can really be." She shrugs. "Oh well, some day maybe."
"No, sorry, I don't have anything to write with."
She looks again at the fishery.
"Just send them over and tell them to wait on the steps. This shouldn't take more then an hour or so. Then you can go and introduce them yourself."
Alika purses her lips, then she taps each coin and it starts to glow with a warm, bright light.
"These will glow for ten minutes. Boys, go wait at the temple of Sarenrae. You know the one - it has the same symbol as this sunburst necklace I'm wearing. If any of the priests ask what you're doing, show them the coin and tell them that Alika sent you and you have been liberated from a crime lord. I'll come along as soon as I can to straighten everything out."
She turns her attention back to Nicoleta and says, "So you decided to take the dead woman's vengeance. All right, he's been keeping orphans as captives, we'd best finish this before any more people are hurt." She adjusts her baldric so that her scimitar is in an easy position to draw. "What have you discovered thus far?"
"All I know is that my mother is dead. Granted, that wasn't a surprise coming," Nicoleta begins, her smile fading. "But that doesn't mean I don't feel the urge for an explanation and some payback. Lamm knows something about it and I plan to find out what he knows about it."
She looks again at the fishery.
"They just all want him dead for various reasons," she concludes with a gesture towards the others.
Alistair walks towards the children as they talk with the priestess.
He turns to make sure the children from the spiders were ok. He sees Danni caring for the children and feels an odd sensation at seeing the children safe these kids are lucky. Alicia you should be here for them...not me.
Priestess, I thank you for the aid, if you are able to get them to safety...that would help us out greatly.
He listens as she gives coins to the children.
that just might do the trick.
He also listens to the witty banter between the two females.
no offense but another time ladies...we have a task at hand.
His voice is calm with a hint of humor behind his smile.
Garran is correct, we need to move quickly.
Nicoleta turns and sticks her tongue out at Alistair.
"You're no fun," she says. "I'm not saying you're wrong, though."
"Another one?" says Alika as Alistair makes his presence known. "I am Alika. As you can guess, I know Nicoleta here."
"I've been watching what you did after that shade called everyone here with her cards. I am wary of the dead... but seeing the state of these children, I cannot allow this situation to stand," she says resolutely.
"If you would have my aid, I would give it." She straightens and puts one hand on the hilt of her scimitar and the other on the golden holy symbol about her neck.
The lambs take the coins eagerly and listen to the instructions. "I know where it is. I can take Niculai and his sister there. "
Danni's antidote does the trick and color comes back to the young girl. "Thank you, I was having a horrible nightmare."
After the combat you notice the fishmongers and other casual on lookers moving on. They know when trouble is brewing.
An aged man approached the group. "Best you folk move on. Them were Gaedren's men. All the guards are at the heights. Something's going on at the castle. "
If more of Gaedren's men noticed the commotion outside, you see no indication of it at the moment. But when these men fail to report in you know that will change soon. From your current position you can see a side entrance on the north end of the fishery that is connected to a makeshift alleyway between it and another abandoned building that looks like it was some sort of dry dock.
Nicoleta turns and sticks her tongue out at Alistair.
"You're no fun," she says.
so I have been told...
His face shows not a hint of emotion.He turns to Garran...
which way in?
Garran studies the fishery, then says, "We'll take the side entry - they'll be less likely to notice us. We'll see if we can impersonate those two to get them to open the door. Can anyone impersonate the human well? His name is Samson."
As the group moves closer to the fishery, Nicoleta leans close to Alika. "You keep talking about Esmeranda as if she's ... dead," she says quietly. "We were at her house. She seemed pretty alive to us. Did something happen after we left?"
~~~~
"I don't think anyone here is impersonating anyone anytime soon," Nicoleta says with a smirk. "I think we'll just have to convince them to open the door with our winning personalities."
Nicoleta looks thoughtful for a moment.
"I bet I can get them to open the door," she says after a moment. "You said his name was Samson, right? I got this."
She strides with intent to the side door and begins banging on it with her fist.
"Open this door you lying, two-timing piece of d&~*&~+!!" She bangs on it some more. "I know you're in there, Samson! You can't hide from me! Get out here and face me like the man you're not! You limp-dick, sniveling, snot-wipe!" She kicks the door a few times.
"Get out here, Samson! You can't hide in there forever!"
Alika whispers back to Nicoleta, "She's a ghost. She just looks like she's alive... for a little while, long enough to find someone to avenge her. But it's one of the things I was trained to notice."
As Nicoleta begins her charade, Alika draws her scimitar and waits at the wall next to the door.
Alistair shrugs and places himself in a position to rush through the door when the time comes. He whispers to nicoleta with a slight smile.
subtle, real subtle...
Not the approach Danni would have picked, but you can't argue with results, and this was likely to get them, one way or another.
Her hawk alights on her arm as she stands by the side of the door in case of trouble.
"Sorry, if you're looking for someone subtle ... " Nicoleta trails off and shrugs, leaving the rest unsaid.
She gives the door another pounding.
"I found your little s^%#, Samson! Now get your whimpy ass out here and I'll do to you what I did to her! You f+#~ing coward, I know you're in there! Get out here!"
She then leans back and then steps foward, giving the door a kick right where a latch should be.
A giggling voice with an orkish accent replies heh heee heeee heh"Samson isn't here you wench, find some other buccaneer to spread your legs for.hehe hee heee "
As you approach the fishery you can see eyes occasionally looking out between the aged planks of wood that keep this decrepit building together. Likely these are lambs on the lookout or just bored and curious between doing their daily toils.
Garran looks at Nicoleta as the ruse fails, then gestures that she should try to kick the door down.
Nicolate glares at Garran, her expression clearing saying, "What do you think I'm trying to do?"
She steps back and gives it another kick.
"Open ... !"
Bang!
"This ... !"
Bam!
"F$!*ing ... !"
Bang!
"Door ... !"
Crack!
Her frustration and anger is clearly beginning to become much more than just a ploy.
"Open up you giggling t%!&! I'm going to rip off your head and shove it UP YOUR A&#!" she rages.
The old door bursts into splinters and leaves a gaping hole in its spot. A half-orc with an eye patch stands up from behind a desk. There is a large dog and four more of lamm's lambs in the 15'x30' room which the door is in the center off.
Round 1
Nicoleta 23
Alika 21
Alistair 20+
Garran 20-
Lamm's Lamb 3 19
Dog 18
Giggles 16
Lamms lamb 4 14
Danni 10
Lamms Lamb 1 11
Lamm Lamb 2 9
Garran wastes no time in moving into the room. Evaluating threats, he decides that the half-orc is the biggest threat and moves to take him down quickly, swinging his bastard sword in a two-handed horizontal arc.
Nicoleta is so surprised when the door collapses, that she stands staring for just a moment. Long enough, in fact, for Garran to move past her into the room.
She doesn't stay gawking for long, however, as the crest of rage she rides requires a focus and the the giggling half-orc is a perfect target.
The Varisian woman moves through the room keeping him in front of her. She punches hard to his solar plexus.
Alistair follows in after the others and sees the children...
what the f@%~ is wrong with these people. They take advantage of these kids like it is a normal thing...
He sees he new companions surround the half orc as he engages the dog.
I remember you. I do not like this but it can not be helped.
"Children! Out! Now is your chance for escape!" shouts Alika from the doorway. She steps into the room and then presses herself against the wall, gesturing to the now permanently-open door. "Go!"
Round 1
Danni gets an action then its Round 2.
Garran swings at the half-orc as he tries to dive beneath the desk.
Nicoleta growls and, grabbing the edge of the desk, kicks at the half-orc.
"Quickly, children! This way!" she says, trying to encourage the children to move.
At hearing the cry for help, Alistair keeps his eyes open for guest to arrive to help the giggling man. He looks at the kids every now and then.
Seeing Danni's words have a little effect on the children, Alistair's words are calm and direct. He lets his best fatherly voice come out.
Now I know how father felt when I was getting in the way at the stables.
You children need to get out of here and stay away from this place. We can not remove this evil with you under our feet. Now is your chance to better your lives. Get out side...MOVE!!!
Nicoleta continues to kick at the cowering half-orc.
"Come out from under there, you cowering pile of d$@@$%%!"
Giggles is unconscious under the desk and the boys decide to heed Alistair's and Danni's warning after seeing their cruel taskmaster put down so easily.
From upstairs you can hear a human yell. "What the blazes is going on down there giggles!? Hookshanks round up the men and see what it is."
There is a door to your left, the one the boys went out, that leads to a lobby of sorts and the front door. Another doorway to your right leads to a large area with a vat full of chum and stairs up.
Garran whispers to the others, "Let's head upstairs - that's probably where they'll come from."
Garran suits action to words and strides up the stairs, hoping the others follow him.
The fact that the half-orc is unconscious doesn't seem to lessen Nicoleta's anger as she continues to yell at the prone thug, punctuating each word with another kick.
"Stupid!. Piece of!. S~@~!. Open the! F+%*ing door! Next time!"
Pausing to take a breath, she notices the others looking at her. She looks down at her clinched fists still shaking with rage.
"Sorry, sorry," she manages to struggle out before stepping to the opening where the outside door used to stand. "Give me a moment."
She closes her eyes and focuses on her breathing. Attempting to slow it and cool the fire.