"How soon can we move on the Goblin? My preference is a night's sleep and then an immediate move. Saul must pay for what he has done."
"Well, that all depends on if we can get yer mother ta get better on not, no? I ain't no expert when it comes ta whatever it things that whiskers can give a person, so I have no idea when we really need ta start worrying about yer mother. If there ain't no worries now, then I say we show Saul what's what."
[b]"She won't get better without some powerful divine magic. In Riddleport, that means Lady Pamodae...and that means a strong infusion of gold."
"Saul has tried to kill me when I've done naught but be honest with him, and he dragged my mother into his scheme to do it. He's killed his floor managers, and then offered me the job. I must assume that he objected to my concerns over what we were doing for him, and decided to kill two birds with one stone."
"I intend to exact justice from him, and use the proceeds to save mother from the harm he has inflicted upon her."
Also not one for healing, Bron starts to muse on events. However, his life tailored him to be one of action, not one of thought. As such, he simply scratched his head as he attempted to put his own perspective on the situation. Saul had been nothing but good to Bron thus far. The man hired him and gave him a place to crash when he needed it. The big man had a hard time grasping why Saul would do something like that. "I don't know. What you say makes sense. But Saul has been good ta me, i don't know if I want ta be facin' him without bein' sure it was him who did it. Maybe we can track down whoever it was that wrote tha note, try ta get the words from his own rathole."
You think those wererats probably worked for the quietest of the crimelords in Riddleport. Ziphras.
He is alleged to have several dozen wererats under his absolute control.
Knowledge local
Zane frowns thoughtfully shaking his head. "I know I've heard of were ratsworking for someone in the city but the details escape me. I agree that after a night's rest we should move on the Goblin. Better to strike before Saul has any idea that we aren't all dead."
Liry Parmenter offers to take Maelorn's mother and the other girls to the House of the Silken Veil for sanctuary.
CLICK for the Overview of the Casino.
This is what you see when you scout the place. There is a "CLOSED FOR RENOVATION" sign on the outer door, and you can see thugish types lurking in the shadows of the exterior pillars.
On the ground floor, there is only the main entrance in front and the kitchen back door. The windows are opaque, and the broken ones in front have been replaced by tinted glassteel. There are probably more entrances on the upper floor, but you've seldom had to go up there and aren't sure which windows are openable.
"He has the front well guarded...I'd say he knows we escaped. Let's check the back, and see if the kitchens are a less heavily manned."
It's very dark in back, not even the usual everburning torch lamp that usually lights up the back kitchen door.
As the group approached The Golden Goblin, Zane utters a rhythmic chant, a shimmer spreading over him as he warped realiity to his will, armor of pure force surrounding him before fading into invisibility.
The moment it completed he followed with a more intricate chant,syllables almost sounding like the reverse of the ones immediately before them as he scribed a silvery mirroring sigil into the palm of his glove, donning it and keeping the hand closed around his cane to conceal the effect.
Moving with the group as they made their way to the back of the Gold Goblin, Bron held his weapon in a way to minimize sound as he kept alert for signs of activity. However, it didn't seem that there was anyone around, and Bron showed this by relaxing a bit, though he still kept a muffling grip on his heavy flail.
Perception:
Reaching the darkened back door, you don't see or hear any reaction from the inside.
Then again... you just catch the barest whisper, the creek of leather harness, and was that the smell of an oiled blade?
Slowly working the latch, it moves freely, but the door doesn't open. It feels like it's been barred from the inside.
Perception
As the group drew close to the Goblin and came to the back door, Bron's time surviving on Riddleport's street made him think to himself, This is too easy. Going on the alert as they drew up to the door and finding it barred, Bron turned to Maelorn, waiting for he wiser man to tell him a plan of action.
Perception:
Maelorn gathered everyone around, whispering, "They're waiting for us in there, be ready."
Maelorn places his hand upon the top hinge, weakening it until it is nearly destroyed, then does the same to the bottom hinge , then puts his finger to the door where he remembers the bar to be, boring into it until his finger touches the wood of the bar .
quietly..."Bron, when I remove my finger, charge through, taking the door into them. The bar will be gone...everyone else make ready"...Maelorn waits for any preparations the others may make.
Raising his eyes to distant (and unseen) mountains, Maelorn quietly prays, "I try to Make as much as possible, Great Maker. Today I must Make an entrance."
Maelorn casts Wood Shape on the bar that he is touching, transforming into a wooden sphere, and then he steps back to J4(removing his finger from the hole).
HINGES:
BEHIND BAR:
It is indeed a Good Wooden Door.
You would also know that, since you helped to repair the roof just after you were employed here, there are ways to get in on the second floor and roof if you can get up there.
After a few tense seconds of Maelorn whispering a prayer to Torag, he feels the bar on the inside turn into a sphere, then fall to the floor with a klonk. Resistance in the door gives way.
You hear a soft scrape of a window opening overhead, on the second floor.
Nodding in agreement to Maelorn's plan, Bron readies himself, gripping the haft of his flail in his left hand as he prepared to rush the door and smash it open. However, after stepping back a few paces, Bron notices something, looking up to the second floor to see what the noise was, his hand moves toward the throwing hammer that hung from a loop on his belt while he whispers "I think we got company".
Perception:
"Then it begins"
Maelorn casts Bless
CLICK for the tactical overview.
You see a couple of dark clad guys at the windows twenty feet above you about to drop onto your allies in the yellow target squares.
This is a surprise round, so you get one standard action.
Go! (In any order.)
Reacting quickly, Bron gives Maelorn a mighty shove, pushing the cleric away from the door.
Maelorn, Reflex save DC14 to stay on your feet after being shoved by Bron.
Maelorn hits the ground hard.
A couple of screaming figures drop seemingly from out of nowhere, striking at Maelorn and Bron with shortswords. But since Bron shoved Maelorn out of the way, he is uninjured.
But the other figure struck at Bron's unprotected back, and Bron takes 10 points damage from a critical strike, as well as 1 point of Dex damage (broken ribs hurt when he moves).
Round 1--
Your move.
Zane barks out the arcane trigger word, the symbol on his cane flaring with a silvery sheen. Immediately each of the group was matched by an illusory double shifting in and out makingint almost impossible to determine which was which.
Quickly he swung at the attacker, providing a distraction at the least.
Maelorn stands.
A string of curses tumbling from his lips, Bron trys to ignore the pain as he lets the chain fall, gripping the oak haft of his flail in both hands as he spins the head around to attack the man who struck him.
Power Attack:
Damage:
As Maelorn scrambles to his feet [move action], Zane casts his spell (duplicating his allies); timing it so as to distract the fellow from making an attack of opportunity.
Bron swings at Red-16, but misses.
Nakoda attacks and hits! Dealing piercing damage.
Red-17, distracted by Nakoda’s hit, strikes back with his shortsword.
Miss!
Red-16 attacks Bron again, astonished he didn’t go down already.
Hit!
Miss chance (high to hit image): Hit on Bron for piercing damage.
You hear approaching footsteps from inside, and shouted orders from far inside: "You all get around the north side and catch 'em! Not you two, you stay at the gate entrance."
You think you can probably use this early discovery; a lot of the guards are going to be pulled to the ruckus at the kitchen door. This would leave you able to go in another, less defended way. Such as run around the south side and in through the less well defended frond door, or if you can climb, the open windows on the second floor. (It's a relatively easy DC12 climb check.) Especially if you can block or wedge the kitchen door.
CLICK for the tactical overview.
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Next round, Round 2...
You're up!
Hearing one of the attackers grunt in pain, Bron focuses his attention on him, swinging at the swordsword wielding man threatening Nakoda and Maelorn. These two had to go down fast before they could raise an alarm.
Power Attack:
Damage:
Perception:
Since he didn't get whacked by an AoO standing up, Maelorn will case Bull's Strength on himself.
"They are re-arranging their forces to cover this entrance, at the expense of the others. Zane, what do you have in the way of area of effect spells?"
Maelorn figures that Protection from Evil will work against these guys...so he'll cast it.
Bron swings with all his might and crushes Red-17 to the ground.
Maelorn had already cast Bulls Strength on himself, now casts Protection From Evil as well.
Nakoda lunges at Red-16 but misses.
[npc]Zane lunges at Red-16 as well, but misses wildly, almost hitting Nakoda.
Red-16 slashes at Bron again, but he misses wildly as well.
The door is jerked open, revealing two of the same thugs for hire you've seen before.
===========================================
Next up, Round 3!
Maelorn casts Shield of Faith on Bron
Zane looked at the two bursting through the door and quickly pointed at one of them, arcane syllables sputtering like flames while he ran a pinch of saltpeter through his fingers.
Abruptly flames erupted around the man, lighting up the night.
Dodging the man's attack, Bron spins, bringing his flail around to strike at his attacker.
Power Attack:
Damage: