Preparing both his shield and flail, Thalin clicks his tongue. "Tck, tck, tck. No' gonna work so well fer ye, lads. We have need o' t'e shop 'n' keep. If ya leave wha' may be t'e t'ings we've come ta collec', ye can jes' walk off . . .."
"Well, limp off, anyway," Kyle smiles wickedly, moving up into attack range.
Queslin readies his bow and stands ready to support his companions.
The looters look back towards the party and draw their weapons.
One of the shouts,"well why don't you try to stop us?"
Ralafas
Thalin
Queslin
Kyle
Tessa
Thieves
The first thief runs up to Thain to attempt to stab him with his dagger.
The thief manages to stab his dagger into Thalin before he can ready his shield.
The thief strikes a nasty wound into Thalin.
The second thief makes his way to Kyle, but is unable to attack.
"Fools," Tessa says as she frees a stout length of oak from her belt. "Wrong choice." She lashes out with the bludgeon, striking at the man's head, aiming to knock him senseless.
I'll move up to the one on Kyle, and strike him with my club.
The thug, not Kyle.
Oh, and if I can get into flank, so much the better.
+2 if flank is achieved
Thalin looks in the eyes of the punk who just stabbed him. "Laddie, yer gonna regre' t'at ye dinnae drop me wit' t'at li'le stick ye go' t'ere."
The young dwarf calmly girds his Skyrt for combat, readying his tower shield and flail. Then he steps to the side, positioning himself between the punk and the two closest of his companions.
I call forth the power of magic to aid in smiting our foes.
Casts bless
Shortbow: pb shot, bless, fire into melee
to hit to hurt
Queslin fires at thief 1 before dropping his bow and stepping up (to E20) while drawing his sword.
Kyle plays knivesies with the man he and Tessa flank, popping a knife from its hidden sheath into the man's guts. He smiles as he twists the knife. "Should have dropped an ran, my friend."
Attack for damage.
Tessa's stout oak club hits the thief in the head causing him to reel, leaving his defenses open as kyle moves up and stabs him brutally in the stomach. The man falls to the ground dead.
The other thief seeing his partner killed rather easily. Drops is dagger and puts his arms up.
"Whoa, no need to get hasty, I surrender."
"This was supposed to be an easy score, I didn't realize this place had security."
Tessa looks down dispassionately at the man Kyle knifed in the gut. "Damn," she says, little concern in her voice. "Hope self-defense works."
"A lock shop without security. Heh." Kyle mutters, but his face belies the joke as he stares with some incredulity at the man he just stabbed. So much blood.... He begins to pale a bit at Tessa's thought. "He had a knife... and his partner stabbed Thalin..."
He cleans off his dagger and re-conceals it in its hidden sheath.
"Who told you to steal from this shop?"
A few moments later a large portly coppery skin man huffs around the corner, "What is all this, what has happened to my shop."
The thief to Queslin, "We wus told by a friend tha dis er shop wud be easy pickins', he didn' say it had guards. You killn Bobert Jo an all, bes pan hander dis side o the berg."
"Kyle Reyford, de facto leader of the Diamond Lake Delvers, at your service sir." Kyle gives a wide smile, shooting a wink Tessa's way as he bows with flourish. "We caught these men in the midst of an armed robbery of your shop. When we challenged them to depart and leave behind any stolen items, they attacked and we showed superior skill at arms. Allustan of Diamond Lake sent us to retrieve the key he ordered."
Looking to the apparent shopkeep. "We were sen' ta ge' some keys fer an Alllustan. As we came walkin' up ta see if t'ey 'e ready 'r no', t'ese two were breakin' inta t'e shop. No' wantin' ta see wha' we had come fer vanish, we told 'em ta pack up. T'ey attacked! T'ey paid t'e price fer t'at fair 'nough. No' fer tryin' ta steal from ye, t'ough."
"Your time is running short, thief. What was this friend's name? Who told you to steal from this shop?"
The thief looking a bit nervous, "Look me en Bobert er, had an friend, who said to us he did, after hes dun, wes culd hav secondsies on tis er place."
The portly man still gasps for air from his run down the street, "Well thank the gods, you arrived when you did." Let me check my shop and see if anything is missing."
As the man rummages around his shop, "Oh you are here for Allustan's keys then, why yes I do have them finished..."
The man stops mid sentence, as he looks at an open wood coffer on the counter,"The key is gone! We have recovered everything else on these two, the earlier robber must have taken it and used these two as a diversion."
Well he did say seconds. I imagine you were hit hours ago.
Intimidate
"Now you will tell us the names of all your friends or I invoke my right to enact Elven Justice upon you." Queslin trades his sword for his bow.
The thief wets himself at Queslin's threat, "Eys don wan no truble, just tryn' to make a livin is all. Tha guy yus lookin' fer hangs o round barge end, jus nord o the berg."
Theldrat seems to go into a panic, "Please recover my key...it is very important, it is the only thing missing."
Just then a squad of the Greyhawk Watch are just down the street heading towards the shop.
"Guards," Tessa says to Kyle, breaking her silence. "We should go. They'll have questions."
Kyle nods "Milord, if you'll turn this miscreant over to the authorities, we'll pursue your key." He bows again to the shopkeep and thinks about what he knows of the area the man is speaking of.
Knowledge local
The guards arrive on the scene a moment later, "Halt," one of them shouts.
"What the blazes is going on here?"
Theldrat to Kyle, "Oh yes please get my key back, it is a family heirloom."
"We stopped theses thieves.
The lead of the watch steps forward to Queslin, "I can see that or was this some vendetta? "
Theldrat speaks up to the guard, "Sir I do not know these people, but they attempted to apprehend these looters of my shop. The looters then attacked them. They were forced to defend themselves, one was slain the other wisely surrendered. He told us, another thief named Irontusk has taken a family heirloom from my shop and these good people want to help get it back."
"I believe they call themselves the "Diamond Lake Delvers," at least that is what the red haired one told me."
The guard then looks at the assembled party, "Is that so?"
"We still need to finalize the name, but yes, all of it is true."
"All of it," Tessa says. She's more concerned with the name that Theldrat mentioned - Irontusk. As the others deal with the guards, she turns her attention to the other thief. "So," she says, squatting down next to him on her haunches. "Irontusk. Talk." She twirls her cudgel in one hand as she stares at him evenly.
Smiles at the man. And remains quiet.
"Sounds like an elvish name." Kyle smirks, glancing at Queslin sidelong "Like 'Pointy'. But Barge End isn't exactly the Elven side of town, is it?" He looks up, placing himself between the officers and the robber/Tessa. "You gentlemen know anything about this Irontusk fellow? Sounds like someone you or other officers of the law might have encountered him a time or two."
Keep em distracted while Tessa makes him spill.
Looking about as everybody tries to establish some semblance of responsibility, guilt and innocence, Thalin sees a way that he might be able to help. Maybe.
"He stuck me! T'at bleedin' li'l bugger tried ta kill me!" Thalin starts kicking the corpse while pressing on his own wound with his weapon hand. He looks up at the watch. "Cin ye bring him back so Aye cin kill him meself?"
The captured thief continues to stammer, "'ll I know is Irontusk n a be found n Barge End, I thik he work o th boots. He lok lik an orc, es tusk cap n da iron medal."[b]
The leader of the guard patrol then asks everybody gathered, [b]"Does anybody here know anything about a robbery yesterday at the Greyhawk City Library, it also happened in the dawn of the morning."
"No. We just arrived today. We came directly here after coming through the Merchant's Gate (or whatever that gate is called)."
"Much better," Tessa says, flashing the cutter a quick toothy grin. She taps him on the shoulder lightly with her cudgel. "Stay put." She turns to the guards, and listens in on their conversation.
She frowns as the guards mention a robbery at the City Library. "Related?"
As he kicks the downed thief one last time, "Ya t'ink t'ese 'r' brigh' enuff ta wanna hi' a LIBRARY? Aye doub' t'ey cin read!"
The lead of the watch looks satisfied with he explanation.
"Yeah I doubt these two were smart enough to pull of the library robbery, plus witness saw a Priest of Boccob making off with the book."
"Well if you are going to try to locate Irontusk, keep the watch informed if you catch him, we would like a word as well."
With that the watch drags the thief up to his feet and start to drag him towards the city garrison dungeons.
Onward my good man!
After clearing up the battle on the streets with the city guard and assuring Theldrat that you will retrieve his key you head off to Barge End.
Barge End is a shanty hugging the banks of the Selintan River, barges are docked up and down the length of the ramshackle town. The place is abuzz with activity.
Queslin sees this as just another adventure and stays close to Kyle. He tries for the much talked about air of elven aloofness, but is too wide eyed to make that work for him. Only after Kyle twice returned the purse that a street kid had stolen and Ralafas explained that those aren't actually magic beans he just bought did the novelty wear off and he started to pay attention to his surroundings. He even tried to help find Irontusk.
Diplomacy
Queslin you succeed at working with the locals, and you happen to talk to an old dock worker who knows that Irontusk works down on a barge off pier 17.
"Pointy, you sly dog. You've been working the awkward angle so long, I didn't think you had any smooth in you. Good job. Now. The plan. If this guy sees a bunch of armed strangers approaching, he'll either fight or bolt. We'll need to limit his options for fleeing. Luckily, he's on a barge. Only two or three ways to get away... run down the pier, launch the barge, or jump in the drink. After our last water-bound adventure, let's hope he doesn't choose the last. If fewer of us confront him, he'll be less likely to run. Maybe those of you good with a bow or longer range spells should stage yourselves somewhere with a view while those of us that need to be a little more personal space get up close. I can appear unarmed and still have a good five or six blades on me." Kyle's face lacks his characteristic smile, but his eyes shine in a way you've never seen before.
You are at the pier 17 and indeed you do spot Irontusk working on one of the boats. He does not yet appear to notice that people are looking for him.
As suggested, Queslin will hang back with his bow next to him.
Kyle will attempt to approach nonchalantly.
Bluff
The dwarf looks about him, shrugs, and stats tromping up the pier. He puts no effort into looking like he's doing anything other than walking up the pier. A heavily armored dwarf with a tower shield walking along a pier is probably worth notice, but he isn't pulling a weapon or growling or charging or anything of the sort. It is possible that such dwarf actually just has business somewhere along the pier. Maybe unlikely, but possible, right?