Despite the dilapidated conditions of the salt works, the manacles are of high quality and Sera cannot get them open initially.
Korva already has two free with the keys though, on of the men looks to you Sera, "Out the back?"
Sholti slashes at the dwarf, but incredibly, misses.
"We need to wrap this up ladies." Zeldana pointed out. "So for you," She reached out and touched Kadwyn. "a bit of fortune." Zeldana said.
Night Assault on the Salt Works – Dottari Team – Stricia, Zel, Sholti, & Kadwyn
Sholti once more cannot connect with the dwarf.
Zel aids Kadwyn with a hex.
The guards have yet to re-emerge from their barracks.
Stricia grimaces Out in the open.. too much attention! as she realizes that they might be attracting the real Dottari.
Night Assault on the Salt Works – Dottari Team – Stricia, Zel, Sholti, & Kadwyn
Stricia misses the dwarf once again as his armor wards her blows away.
The guard near Kadwyn attacks her, his blows coming with greater force than before. Still, his strike misses!
Kadywn thrusts her longsword at the dwarf, but is unsure if her blade actually connects with her target.
Swift Action | Arcane Strike
Standard Actions | Attack
Night Assault on the Salt Works – Dottari Team – Stricia, Zel, Sholti, & Kadwyn
Kadwyn cannot find the dwarven flesh beneath his armor, he spins this time attacking Kadwyn, "Ya should lay down yer weapons, once my me're out here you'll all be in chains! Then we'll sort out what's takin' place here!"
HA ONLY: Show
Kadwyn's armor easily deflects the blow.Initiative Round 5 -
Sholti & Zeldana - GO!
New Guards (4)
Sholti continues to dance around the dwarf, remaining in a flanking position as she strikes at him.
Zeldana took a step to the side behind Stricia. "We're taking too long." She commented before she snapped her fingers and before the Dwarf's eyes lights flashed.
Night Assault on the Salt Works – Dottari Team – Stricia, Zel, Sholti, & Kadwyn
Sholti connects with the dwarf but he is able to shift away form the worst of the strike.
Chelish Thug 2B - HP = 10/10
Chelish Thug 1B - HP = 10/10 - Short Sword Attack Sholti - Non-Lethal - Damage
Chelish Thug 2B - HP = 10/10 - Short Sword Attack Sholti Flank - Non-Lethal - Damage
Chelish Thug 3B - HP = 10/10 - Short Sword Attack Stricia - Non-Lethal - Damage
Chelish Thug 4B - HP = 10/10 - Short Sword Attack Kadwyn - Non-Lethal - Damage
The dwarf shakes off Zel's effect just as reinforcements arrive. None have their armor quite fully on but there are four of them all armed with short swords and now the numbers are no longer on your side...
Their numbers do not equate to skill though the first does manage to catch Sholti on the leg with a jab.
Sholti tries catching the passing guard with the flat of her blade just as other strikes her leg.
Stricia grits her teeth and focuses on bringing down the dwarf as fast as she can. Her movements are more precise than before at least one of her flurry of strikes gets through!
Night Assault on the Salt Works – Dottari Team – Stricia, Zel, Sholti, & Kadwyn
Sholti's swing at the rushing guard brings him skidding along the cobblestones unconscious!
Meanwhile Stricia lands a sound blow against the dwarf's head but the stubborn mercenary still refuses to go down.
Kadwyn's foe stabs at her once more with lethal intent but her armor blocks the strike.
Chelish Thug 2B - HP = 10/10 - Short Sword Attack Sholti - Lethal Damage
Chelish Thug 1B - HP = 10/10 -
Chelish Thug 2B - HP = 10/10 -
Chelish Thug 3B - HP = 0/10 - Unconscious
Chelish Thug 4B - HP = 10/10 -
Kadwyn steps back and recites a short incantation, coating the dwarf's weapon in a thin layer of slick grease.
Night Assault on the Salt Works – Dottari Team – Stricia, Zel, Sholti, & Kadwyn
Kadwyn casts her spell and the foe near her just misses with a short jab as she steps away the dwarven Captain does not drop such much as the axe goes fumbling out of his hands, [b]"bastard magic!"[/b[ he roars and charges at Kadwyn to tackle her.
CMB
Stricia lashes out with a hard kick as the dwarf goes after Kadwyn.
Afraid she may be cut off and surrounded, Sholti spins away from the guard on the edge of the fight and closer to Stricia. As she does she lashes out at the guard closer to the dwarf with the flat of her blade.
Night Assault on the Salt Works – Dottari Team – Stricia, Zel, Sholti, & Kadwyn
Stricia's spinning kick brings the dwarf down to the concrete, unconscious.
Sholti steps towards a second charging guard bringing him low as well!
The final two guards seeing your Dottari uniforms and their Captain now unconscious drop their weapons and look down at the ground.
Dropping all pretense Stricia orders the two guards Drag your fellows back inside.
She herself grabs the dwarf and starts to drag him back.
Sera finally manages to with the aid of Korva free all of the mercenaries. They mill about near the door filthy and hopeful but clearly apprehensive about what happens next.
Forvian Crowe looks to you and Korva, "Can your boats hold us all? Are we sure that the guards are all down?"
Sholti helps herd the guards into the back of the saltworks toward the holding cell, keeping them covered with her weapon.
Kadwyn assists Sholti and Stricia as they round up the guards.
Zeldana followed the rest of the group and helped as she could. Though pulling dead weight slowed her down greatly. "Can we leave now?" Zeldana quietly asked her friends. "That fight might have gone a bit too long..."
Sera gestures dismissively at the boats. "Yes yes, the boats should hold for you all, we were prepared enough for the rescue. Unable to confirm as to whether all the guards are down, but every guard in our way was handled, you can trust us."
Night Assault on the Salt Works – Dottari Team – Stricia, Zel, Sholti, & Kadwyn
The conscious and unconscious guards are rounded up and shoved into the barracks though there is no way to lock the door from the outside and the door swings in but it appears intimidation for a time will keep them in line. The front gate is also closed, by some miracle, no actual Dottari patrol wandered by.
---
Forvian Crowe grins, "A woman after my own heart. Hot for me one minute and cold the next!"
---
- All Together Now!
Before Sera can respond, Stricia, Zel, Sholti, & Kadwyn round the corner. The four woman see that Sera, Korva and the faerie dragon left none of the thugs alive to tell any tales.
Forvian's eyes bug out of his head as he sees three Dottari approach but Korva places a hand on his arm, "Worry not, they are with us".
As Sholti and the others get to the back room she says "All here now, time to go!" slightly out of breath.
"By some miracle they still think we're dottari, but they'll not stay put long I think."
Sholti worries the militia guards might have seen them too well, but she keeps it to herself.
If we wish to keep our identities secret then the surviving guards will need to be made prisoners Stricia notes. As well the guard captain is not dead and will wish to avenge this humiliation when he wakes up. Do we have enough space for them as well on the boats?
Night Assault on the Salt Works
Korva shakes her head, "No, there is room for perhaps one but no more".
Forvian Crowe speaks up, "Those Bastards were going to work us to death. Ruthless thugs who would kill, or worse, any of you without a second thought. If I had my weapons I'd go back and run them all through myself. Give me a blade and I'll see they don't reveal your identities to anyone".
"We can't start running secret prisons for anyone who's seen us. We can't start killing people in cold blood because of it either. We'll just have to be careful to avoid Thrune lackeys in the future. We need to go. We're not in the clear yet."
Sholti is beginning to sound desperate to make for the boat.
Sera looks at Forvian Crowe with a both amused and confused expression. "I was hot for you?" she asks, before spotting the others arriving. Feeling that the developing situation is an ethical one. She would throw in her point of view, but decides to hold er tongue - it didn't really apply to her, and it wouldn't be her worrying about the consequences.
Stricia nods. She wasn't in charge and would respect the hierarchy of the more senior members of the party. Truth be told she was relieved that they wouldn't be executing prisoners.
Kadwyn scoffs at Forvian's words. "If we kill them, the Dottari will double down on the people of Kintargo. If we leave them alive, we allow the Dottari to second guess its own men. Someone managed to impersonate them and free prisoners. For all they know, this could be a deeper plot within their own number. We'll do far more damage in the long run this way."
From what I have seen these Dottari seem to be unforgiving of failure. Perhaps we impress it on them that it is in their best interest now to disappear? Leave Kintargo?
"Sholti I'm a shopkeep, avoiding Thrune's guard is far more difficult for me. Though at least they don't have my duel hair color down or my duel eye color. Thought ahead and keep one eye closed the whole time." Zeldana said rather proud of herself. "But I'm rather noticeable no? I don't have an answer for this, both things can end poorly for us but... I don't know. If we kill them we're as wrong as they are but if we let them live... we're likely to lose everything we've been working form. Our families, friends, all might be lost." Zeldana agree with the others as she rubbed the back of her head.
Kadwyn sighs, "I understand your concern, Zeldana. I won't stop you from killing them, but I also won't help. I agree that killing them makes us no better than the people we're fighting against. All I can hope for is that the gods will smile upon our acts of mercy."
Night Assault on the Salt Works
Crowe shakes his head, "They ain't Dottari these guards. They're thugs, the lowest kind of thugs as even the Dottari won't take 'em.
You've seen how ruthless the Thrune is but you all need to do what you think is best. I am the one being rescued here so if you want 'em to live, that's on you. I've already got a target on me, I'll have a bigger one now".
Korva's feathers bristle, "It's looking more like going and granting mercy than the reverse yes? If yes then we should go".
Crowe grins at Sera, "I mean hot fer gettin' me an my men out, no disrespect meant there ma'am".
Sera nods her head in agreement. "No offence taken, I'm seeking a little clarification, that was all."
Well then, if the Dottari do not think well of them and they think we are Dottari then I suggest we scare the thugs into running away and take the dwarf prisoner.
"I'm not sure if we have a place to keep this dwarf." Kadwyn shrugs and she begins making her way to the boat.
"We have no place to keep captives. What would we do with one? When would there ever be a time when the captives could be freed? We can't murder people or make them disappear because they might be able to recognize us."
"We chose a plan that put in in close, prolonged contact with the guards. This was entirely foreseeable, and that's one of the reasons it wasn't my first choice for how to do this. But I agreed as well, and I have to live with the consequences."
Looking at Zeldana Sholti adds "I am Qadiran and elven, I don't exactly fade into the background either."
"None of these things justify murdering fellow Kintargans. How does this set any kind of example for a better Kintargo? Everyone was all for showing the people a better way. Redemption. But now, as soon as it's the more expedient thing to do, it's throat-slitting and kidnapping. If you actually ever meant for us to be any kind of better example, this is going to have to be dealt with in other ways."
"What matters now is that we get on the boat and go. We still have a long way to go before we're safe."