Atticus is able to guide the group into the Midlands version of The Shingles, and by avoiding the main streets, he successfully steers them to 42 Moon Street, which is in the heart of the densely packed overgrowth of the slum above. The building is an old tenement three stories high with perhaps 2 dozen small flats inside. A young man with a cheesy moustache and goatee stands outside the front door smoking and eyeing your approach warily.
"Can I help you, man?" he asks in a slow, irritated voice.
Seeing Nobody else step up and knowing they have limited time Mirela tries the direct approach.
Sir, we have little time, so let me be clear.
We know who lives 'ere, and while normally we wouldn't react to rumors, there is a life at stake this time.
We just passed a full company of 'ellkinghts in full battle array fighting a mob randomly destroying homes of innocents in their rage looking for someone to blame for the King's death. We only have minutes until at least one of the groups makes it 'ere. When that 'appens, there will be no talking, no fair trial, just a dead girl, a burned down building and all you have destoyed.
We are your best 'ope to stop this and save the lives of everyone in there.
Let us by and show us where Trina is and I swear on my holy Oaths to Lord Erastil that we will do all in our power to protect 'er from the mob, Hellknights as well as from any that plan a show trial. Plus you can honestly tell whoever comes that we took her away so they pass your building by.
Devan stepped up beside the redhead, expression earnest as he alternated between looking at her and the irritable man lazing at the door. After Mirela finished imploring the man to assist the group's efforts, the musician nodded in agreement, adding, "Please, sir. We don't want trouble for the girl or you, we just want her safe until this whole mess can get sorted out. We'll see that justice is served fairly, don't you doubt." The bard flashed a friendly smile at the man, then cast a glance down the street towards the distant ruckus to get the point across that time was of the essence.
"Ok then, the direct approach"
Twilight puts on her most earnest face and implores the man "Please sir, there are treacherous forces arrayed against her that are set on seeing her take the blame for the king's death. We need to get her to safety."
The man looks at you listening to your earnest pleading. He seems on the verge of telling you something, but then takes a last drag of his smoke, and throws the butt down at your feet. "Ain't no one named Trinia living here, man. There isn't no justice in Korvosa, man. There's just the Queen's rule -- if she wants someone dead, then they're dead. No matter how pretty a face you put on it. Wake up, man!" he says, before turning on his boot heel and walking off down the road.
So what do we do? One whole team to catch her Inside the appartments? or should we first check any escape road she could use? I guess your hunting skills might be helpful there, Mirela. If she's innocent, the threat of an Arrow should be enough to stop her. We could set up an ambush, and try to push her right in front of you, I don't know what the hunting words would be for that.
"I don't think that would work Nargun. If you were convinced that your pursuers were going to put you to death, would you stop at the point of an arrow and guarantee your demise, or keep running and pray that they miss?
If we can't convince her of our intentions, we might have to get a little physical." Twilight reaches into her pack and pulls out a squishy, lumpy bag. "Does anyone else have a tanglefoot bag?"
Devan listened to the man’s morose view on the situation in Korvosa and couldn’t help but sympathize with him. Yes, his companions would make sure Trinia were treated appropriately, should they find her, but he could guarantee nothing beyond that when they turned her over to the Guard. He trusted Kroft, though, if not the Queen, and knew the Field Marshal would do her best to honor her word.
As the group started to plan as the man walked away, Devan was overwhelmed with the urge to do something. This part of the City, at least, was on the verge of tearing itself apart, undoing all the gains of the last several days. ”Herding..., he said absently to Nargun, brow furrowed in thought. Maybe that was a good plan, but they had several apartments to cover and not much time. He shook his head at Twilight’s question, though the item she drew out would probably come in handy to bring Trinia down without too much damage should they find her.
”I’m going in and knocking on doors. Surely we’ll find someone more receptive to not having their home destroyed. Maybe covering the exits is a good idea, but in this area there are tons of ways out.” He gave his companions a grave look, then went to step quickly inside the building, knocking loudly on each door he encountered until someone answered one of them.
Unlike today's construction, the tenement building seems to have only one way in or out, the main door in front of which you stand. There are no true fire escapes or back doors, but the roof of the building is covered in the mass of gangplanks, catwalks, ropes, and over-building that is the Shingles. There could be a way out that way, but hard to tell from down here.
A woman with a baby on one hip, and a load of dirty laundry in a wicker basket walks out the door of the building, leading another child a toddler, and an older boy -- perhaps 5 or 6 years old --who has a doll with a black mask over the face.
"Oh! Dawnflower save us!" the woman cries in alarm as she sees an armed band outside her door. She takes a step as if to go back inside. To your surprise, the older boy steps in front of his mother and sister protectively. "Back with you, evil-doers!" he cries holding his doll out like a weapon.
You won't have any problem with us, kid.
says a crazy looking dwarf holding one of the largest axe you'll ever see
Looking at Twilight's bag Mirela says:
I don't 'ave a tanglefoot bag, but I might be able to stop 'er if she tries to run with some of my magic.
Then as soon as Devan starts knocking on doors, Mirela Bows her head and prays to Erastil for Guidance before placing her hand on his shoulder.
As such she is close enough to the door to see what happens.
All of us 'ere is not 'elping to make things easier, maybe the Dwarf and I should set an ambush like 'e suggested.
Dwarf, step back with me, let them talk...
Devan waited a moment for Mirela to pray to her god, the bard not being very religious himself but understanding the importance of such things to her. He smiled at the redhead as she gently touched his shoulder, feeling...something...imbuing him as a sliver of energy transferred between them. A brief nod, and then it was time for business.
As the woman and her children come out and react negatively to the sight of five armed people on their doorstep, Devan stifled a smile as the young boy stepped forward to defend his family. Instead, the musician lifted his hands up to display they were empty, talking to the young child as he might an adult, though his words for his mother as much as him. "We want no trouble, young man. We're here to keep trouble from your door, actually. We're trying to find Trinia, before the mob does. We are trying to protect her, so that she can have a chance to explain herself. Please help us, if you can."
Atticus looks at the young boy and suddenly squats down.
"I yield!"
"It's Blackjack!" says the boy, showing you the doll with the black half-mask. "He'll protect us from the evil queen's men. Trinie told me that story. She tells lots of stories."
"Hamish, hush now!" calls the mom in a warning tone. "We don't want no trouble, sirs and ladies." says the mom, bowing as much as she can with her load in hand. "I's just going to the washtub. We'll go back inside now, if it please you." she starts to shut the door and step back inside her flat.
"Mom! The nice man wants to see Trinie. I can show him where she lives upstairs. Ok, mom?" says Hamish in the way of all small children whose filters are not quite in place.
Being with young boys for many years now Atticus had a knack with them.
"Oh, mighty Blackjack, you do a great job."
Standing up he nods to the woman.
"You do not cause any trouble. We have never seen you! Oh and I think you dropped something."
Knowing just to well that the life here can be rough he hands over 1 gold coin for the mother.
"If you do that, I am sure I have a silver griffin for you!"
Wizard 0: Mage hand, prestidigitation, open/close. 1:Mage armour, Magic weapon, Ray of enfeeblement(S) Colour spray. | Subtle misdirection 6/6. Bonded item 1/1.
Twilight’s eyes suddenly lit up as the young boy gave her an idea. She quickly glanced at the woman’s laundry to see if she had any black, or at least very dark clothes.
With the dark material in hand, Twilight takes her dagger and quickly cuts some eye holes in the cloth. ”Devan, Atticus? Either of you ever wanted to be Blackjack? Trinia might respond better to a legend, or it might help quell the crowds if they think their hero has come out of retirement to bring this lady to justice. It might even help calm them down overall if they think Blackjack is back to put things right.”
Devan grinned as Atticus spoke to the young child, both reassuring the mother that her assistance would be forgotten and speaking to the young boy as an equal to befriend him and enlist his aid. Maybe there was hope for the Professor yet! The bard turned his dark eyes to the mother, not adding anything else, amusement curling his lips into a smile as he regarded her with an arched brow. The beans were spilled, so to speak, and time was of the essence.
As Twilight tried (and possibly succeeded) purchasing some of the woman's attire and then started painting and altering it into a crude mask, Devan cast the half-elf an unsure glance as she asked about his or Atticus' desire to be Blackjack. While he doubted Trinia would be foolish enough to fall for such a ruse in her likely panicked state, she did make a valid point regarding the populace at large. He nodded, holding out his hand for the slip of fabric, putting it on and adjusting it if Twilight let him have it.
He chuckled, almost drawing and brandishing his rapier before remembering the skittish mother and her children still being present. He looked back at the others, grinning from ear to ear. "Now that the mighty Blackjack has joined our cause, let us go gather Trinia up before the mob overtakes us!" The musician then looked back at the mother and her son expectantly, eyes cutting to the door leading inside before settling back on them, friendly smile in place.
As Atticus passes the mother a gold sail, she softens a bit. When Twilight offers to buy one of her garments, she says, "I have this old thing," she indicates a worn tunic that has almost faded to grey with the use. "But I'll want 2 gold sails for it, missus."
Her eyes don't quite meet yours, and her face colors red as she dares to ask for more from a group of brigands come to kidnap one of the neighbors, but this is her big chance to cash in, and the welfare of her children makes her bold. Provided Twilight matches the coin wiht another, the tunic is quickly folded and tied into a makeshift mask, some eyeholes strategically cut and then placed on Devan's head. With his rapier slashing the air, he does make a dashing heroic figure!
Hamish claps excitedly. "I want a Blackjack mask too! Can I have one? And a sword? A real one, like that!" There is enough cloth left to fashion a smaller version of the mask and so attired, Hamish is ready to show you to Trinia's flat. "Trinie lives at the top of the stairs," the boy tells you breathlessly. "Her door has a big stain on the floor in front. I'll show you!" He takes off up the stairs at a run, shouting. TRINIE! Blackjack is here! Come see TRINIE!"
Nargun silently gives an handful of coins to the mother as he passes her by,staying outside the building with Mirela
So, do you have a plan, huntress?
I like your idea of setting a trap for Trine in case she runs. Plus those inside will need warning if anyone do be closing in on the building. Maybe we 'ead up to the roof and watch from up there?
Assuming Nargun agrees: Mirela heads up to the roof to see what she can see up there.
Lead the way. I'll follow. I'm not really at ease being so high from the ground: I lived in the mountains, but INside the mountain.
Devan's face fell a bit as a smaller mask was made for the young boy, the musician suddenly feeling less heroic and more like a child playing a hero. Eh, they were what Korvosa had, at the moment, he supposed. The bard waved to Mirela and Nargun, then gestured for Atticus and Twilight to move into the building. He chuckled, following Hamish up the stairs at a run, the sudden decrease in his vision from the mask making him a bit more hesitant than he would otherwise be. How Blackjack, if he existed, had ever managed anything wearing one of these things was beyond the young man. Besides, people in masks could not be trusted...everyone knew that.
The musician slowed as they reached the door Hamish had indicated held Trinia's apartment, Devan hoping the young woman was still inside but not counting on it. He looked back to his companions to be sure they were ready, then looked at the young boy. "When was the last time you saw Trinie, Hamish?"
There is no easy roof access for this building. The stairs go up to the third floor, but they end there. The stairwell is interior and there are no exterior windows visible.
As the group sets foot up the stairs, the tinkling of a small bell is heard in one of the flats on the ground floor. Then another, and another, until it seems the whole building is ringing a bell, a primitive but effective warning system...
Hamish's mom takes the coins offered by Nargun with a small curtsy. "Keep me boy safe," and she closes the door. When Devan gets to the third floor, he sees the door with teh stain on the floor -- it looks suspiciously like a bloodstain -- and prepares to knock. Hamish answers his query with a child's shrug, "I don't know. She sometimes watches me when my mom has work to do, but mom didn't take me there today. Maybe 2 or 3 days ago?"
Once the infernal bells stop ringing, there is no sound audible from inside the indicated flat.
We might as well knock, she's knows we are coming if those bells are what I think they are.
Knocking on the door receives no answer. The doors in this building are not equipped with locks, so there is no barrier to just pushing the door open, other than custom.
Devan waited a polite few moments after the group had knocked before just turning the knob and pushing the door open. He makes sure to keep his rapier sheathed, for now, not wanting to alarm the woman in the unlikely event that she is present. The musician held up his hand to ward off Hamish, then entered the small apartment, looking about for signs of their quarry.
Mirela follows Devan in aiding him in looking for Trinie or a second way out of the apartment.
Twilght's thoughts wander to the opportunities that could be that having "Blackjack" around could open up. The sound of the bells brings her mind back to the present "She has no way of knowing our intentions, only that the alarm has sounded. We need to move quickly before she bolts if she hasn't already" she whispers.
The door, which has a few chairs stacked in front of it, causes some difficulty for Devan to open, and he gives way to Nargun who bangs it open after a few rounds struggling with it, to reveal a tiny 15 x 15' flat. The one-room apartment combines all the amenities of a bedroom, kitchen, and a painter's studio, leaving little space for much else. A stack of cheese and bread sits on eh counter next to several full waterskins, while the easel in the opposite corner holds a half-completed painting of an imp and a house drake fighting atop a church steeple. A single window looks out over the tangled rooftops of the city; just under it sits a low bed.
In the bed sound asleep is a blond girl matching the description you seek.
Mirela runs to the window and throws it open.
As soon as the window opens Mirela grabs her symbol of Erastil, and points at the sneaking girl with her other hand.
Hold! she announces in a loud voice.
Mirela dives out the window and starts to chase the girl while shouting.
Wait, you don't understand, we are 'ere to protect you!
"What is up Mirela?"
Atticus seems confused as their target is straight ahead.
As Devan's eyes fell on the sleeping figure, the musician felt a surge of energy flow through him, casting aside the morning lethargy as his eyes narrowed. This situation did not seem right...how could the woman sleep through that? Maybe she had already been taken out...
Motion from the window caught his eye, the fleeing figure also matching the description the group had been given. Right behind the priestess as she started to pursue the girl (presumably Trinia), Devan called back to Atticus and the others. "Come on! We have to catch her before the crowd does!"
Mirela casts a restraining spell on the fleeing girl but it seems to have no effect as she shrugs it off. Opening the window, the group of heroes has little choice but to give chase to the alleged regicide through the tangle and morass of the The Shingles.
Shingles Chase - Round 1
19 Nargun
17 Trinia
13 Twilight
8 Mirela
5 Devan
2 Atticus
In some instances, such as a chase between two sailing ships racing to reach a distant island, or a long overland journey through a desert that separates a bounty hunter from his quarry, you'll want to adjust the timing of a chase. Doing so alters the distance of each card, and also gives the participants multiple options each turn to do things like cast spells. You can still use these chase rules, though—simply decide on how long each round of the chase takes and adjust the distance of each card as appropriate.
At the start of a chase, each participant makes an Initiative check to determine the order in which he moves. (If a participant triggers the chase with an initial action, such as a prisoner suddenly making a mad dash for freedom, that participant gets to go first in a surprise round if he successfully surprises the other creatures.)
While a character's actual speed doesn't directly affect how often he moves between cards, it does affect how quickly he navigates obstacles. For each 10 feet slower than the chase's baseline speed a character moves, he suffers a cumulative –2 penalty on any check made to navigate obstacles. Likewise, for every 10 feet faster than the baseline speed he moves, he gains a cumulative +2 bonus on these checks. Significant mobility advantages over the baseline speed type (such as flight) grant an additional +10 bonus on checks made to avoid obstacles, simulating the character's use of enhanced movement to bypass obstacles entirely. Used properly, extremely powerful effects (such as teleportation) allow a character to instantly move forward a number of cards (use each card's distance to determine ranges).
Using the base assumption of 30-foot cards, it takes a move action to move through a single card. When a character exits from a card, he must choose one of that card's two obstacles to face as a standard action before moving to the next card. Success means the character moves to the next card, while failure means the character must face the obstacle again on the next round. Instead of exiting a card, a character can choose to take another action not directly related to navigating the chase's course, such as casting a spell or drawing a weapon.
A character who wants to attempt to move three cards during his turn can do so by taking a full-round action. That character must overcome both obstacles on the card he is leaving. In this case, if a character fails either obstacle check by 5 or less, he only moves one card forward and his turn ends. If a character fails either obstacle check by more than 5, he cannot move at all that turn. A character unfortunate enough to fail two obstacle checks in a turn becomes mired in his current square (he might have fallen from a ledge, gotten a foot stuck amid roots, or got caught in a crowd, for example). A character who is mired must spend another full-round action becoming unmired and effectively loses his next turn in the chase. In some cases, becoming mired might impart additional penalties (such as falling damage).
A character can also choose to make a ranged attack or cast a spell during his turn in a chase. If the action is a full-round action, he can't move at all. Use the number of cards and their established distances to determine ranges as necessary. The terrain where the chase takes place might provide the target partial or even full cover or concealment, as you wish. A character can only choose to make melee attacks against targets that are on the same card.
Nargun follows their prey, showing remarkable athleticism and speed, fearless of falling.
Shingles Chase - Round 1
Quickest out the window, Nargun rushes across the nearest rooftop which is cluttered with trash and other detritus from folks living in the slum above. Surprising even himself, Nargun avoids the pitfalls and readies for what's next.
Trinia gets to the edge of the rooftop she is on, and a big chunk falls away, crashing on the street below. The lithe girl leaps and is able to grab a standpipe and shimmy up it to keep moving. Looking over her shoulder from her perch above, Trinia uses a wand in her off hand to cast a spell on the pursuing Nargun. The spell seems to have no effect on the hardy dwarf.
Thinking about using his unique skill set to befriend the woman, but knowing he had to get much closer to try, Devan slipped out the window after Nargun, watching with impressed eyes as the sturdy dwarf maintained his footing and gained ground on the fleeing blonde woman.
The musician tried to keep up, but his feet kept slipping and he found himself frequently having to scrabble for purchase. Finally, the young man just started jumping from clear space to clear space, managing to make some headway, though trailing behind the dwarf.
Mirela feels the forces of fate pushing her along and tries to keep up with the Dwarf.
Mirella tumbles out the window and climbs up to join Nargun
Atticus quickly jumps through the window. With a bit of inspiration he lands well.
and rolls to his feet.
Using a good handhold he quickly climbs after the young woman.
Wizard 0: Mage hand, prestidigitation, open/close, acid splash. 1:Mage armour, Magic weapon, Ray of enfeeblement (S) Colour spray. | Subtle misdirection 6/6. Bonded item 1/1.
Twilight glances around for a moment "What about the woman in the bed?" she asks. Watching everyone chase after the figure outside, Twilight figures that she should probably follow.
She clambers out onto the rooftop and pauses for a moment as doubt fills her "By Callistria's heaving bosom, what am I thinking?". A strange confidence fills her as she watches the others hop across the roof tops "Well, it doesn't look that hard."
She easily skirts across the cluttered rooftop, avoiding the worst of the tangles, but when she reaches a fence that someone erected up here she wasn't quite able to vault over as the others had done and struggled with the obstacle alongside Devan.
Nargun had just managed to avoid the worst of the snares, but the way he charged the wall Twilight thought he was going to burst through it, instead he leapt up and effortlessly swung himself over. Atticus just barely managed the snares as well and while he wasn't as graceful over the fence he did make it. Watching Mirella however Twilight says to Devan "Look at Mirella go, its almost like she was in her element chasing down her prey in a tangled urban forest, wouldn't you say?" as she looks around for an alternate path forward with the bard.
Shingle Chase - Round 1 - concluded
Using his keen powers of observation, Atticus finds the right spot to tumble through the cluttered rooftop surprising even himself. He then pops up and clambers over a pile of debris to stay even with Mirela and Nargun.
Twilight hesitates at the form of the sleeping girl in the bed wondering about that, but as everyone else leaps from the window, she says a quick prayer and follows suit. She avoids most of the hazards on the cluttered roof, but cannot get over the last barrier, held there with Devan.
End of Round 1
Shingles Chase - Round 2
19 Nargun
17 Trinia
13 Twilight
8 Mirela
5 Devan
2 Atticus
Rolling for Atticus.
Yelling at the stirges Atticus easely manages to drive them off, but alas the
But he fails to find a good point
Nargun's luck run out, having an appointment elsewhere and being late...
Wizard 0: Mage hand, prestidigitation, open/close, acid splash. 1:Mage armour, Magic weapon, Ray of enfeeblement (S) Colour spray. | Subtle misdirection 6/6. Bonded item 1/1.
Twilght ducked under a line hung with laundry and hopped over a small planter someone had set as a little herb garden. Rounding the corner of a makeshift shack she could see a large orange cat sitting on an old, weatherbeaten chair. Even at this distance the cat started howling and spitting, its back arched and its fur on end. the rest of the rooftop was filled with a clutter of old shacks and more laundry lines, she couldn't see what was beyond them, the only clear path forward was straight ahead. She tried to guess how much room she needed to give the cat to avoid it lunging at her. While the cat wasn't a threat, it could slow her down.
Taking a guess at the animal's 'comfort zone', Twilight tried to quickly skirt around it, always keeping an eye on it's behaviour so that if she had guessed wrong and it lunged at her she would have some warning.
Having completely misjudged how close she could get to the cat she also had no idea how to read the animal's intentions and was caught off guard as it lunged at her. Trying to fend off the beast she made little progress. "To the Hells with you accursed beast!" she yelled as she kicked at the cat.
Watching the progress of the three who had jumped ahead with dismay (at his own clumsiness, not their success), Devan listened to the Calistrian's words, his dark eyes swinging back to their companions. Atticus and Nargun bulled their way forward through the obstacles, but Mirela's lithe figure seemed to bound as though she had an intuitive sense of where to step and jump. As he watched her, his mind drifted back to the previous evening, and what the taut muscles beneath the clothing she wore might look like right now.
Face flushing, he smirked at Twilight, thinking there was a deeper meaning beneath her statement. He had no time to ponder much further, however, as they moved around the shack and encountered the hissing tomcat. Feeling a bit guilty about it, the musician used the feline's lunge at the half-elf as an opportunity to dart past, narrowly avoiding getting tangled with the fierce creature as it batted at him before continuing forward.
Shingle Chase - Round 2 - continued
Nargun, startled by the burst of stirges from around the corner from him, shouts to scare the blood-suckers away, but instead they flutter around his head, confusing him. The swarm of stirges keeps him from seeing the low parapet wall, which he trips over, and falls all the way to the ground, catching himself on an awning on the way down to avoid serious damage.
Trinia grimaces as the burly dwarf falls, knowing the pursuit is still closing in. Having avoid the worst of a set of jagged nails, she again turns and blasts with her wand, targeting Atticus. The mental giant succumbs to the wand's effect, and is held dazed for the rest of the round.
Twilight is slowed by the extra-large tomcat who fiercely defends her territory, pushing her back. When she thinks the cat will go left, instead it lunges at her from the right, and the priestess loses her balance, falling to the streets below.
After the tomcat attacks Twilight, Devan uses that move to his advantage, getting past the hissing guardian but just by the skin of his teeth.
Mirela decides to play this challenge safe as she hears Twilight fall behind her:
Focusing Mirela dives through the gap she sees when the swarm focuses on the dwarf.
As she crests the low wall she sees Devan joining her looking rather red from all the running.
If you are that red from just this little chase, I think you may need some some more exercise. She teases the musician as he catches up to her.