"Kill each other. Then we fight injured people, or make them let us go." Raun observes practically.
Raun glances after the rest who have already preceded her and hopefully found the water. She turns to one of the casks of wine, and after sampling a little of it, she will start dumping the contents over in a corner so as not to make a mess of the items she prepared. If the liquid doesn't seem to be draining away however then she might have to reconsider.
Gorkhan puts his hand to the other locked door and concentrates until a click is heard from the lock.
Opening the door he announces "and we have food," and begins filling the sacks with the foods that would least be affected by the mold on the sacks.
He stands up and addresses the conversation at hand. "I'm all for letting them battle it out, but we shouldn't wait here. This is where the raiders are coming after all. The fight won't be done until they get what they can from here. Shall we make our escape? Do we have what we need?
"Let the Grey claim them. Could we steal one of the Mekilott's? I don't think walking would be in our best interest." Safia speaks while gathering things. She claims what she needs but simply can't resist the softness of the silk and takes as much as she can carry.
Gorkhan looks through the other rooms, grabbing a few things from one of them, before returning to the group and taking any remaining pieces of clothing for him to don.
Nnn'tkklik'l's inventory so far is this:
2 full waterskins
2 spears
2 daggers
crossbow and 19 bolts
psionic focus crystal
1 mug
He will try to fill some more mugs (3 per hand for his 2 free hands) and give it to the others who arent at the water room so they at least have their water for today. If time permits, he will refill them and do his best to carry it along with him as the party makes their escape (probably will spill some/all, but who knows)
Returning to the cargo hold, you snatch a glance outside through the exit hatch viewing slit. Dozens of elves are advancing on the wagon, some carrying torches and others aiming flaming arrows at the top deck.
"Lay down your arms and you’ll be spared," one of the elves cries. "Leave the wagon now or we’ll burn you out!”
In response, you hear chanting from the floor above. A man cries out: ”In the Lion’s name, let these vermin feel the wrath of mighty Hamanu!”. There is a clap of thunder followed by the sound of booted feet approaching the trapdoor at the top of the stairs.
Nnn'tkklik'l thought he heard something, but between the huge mass of water and the sounds of struggle outside, he was distracted.
At the end of the 6th round the mul is in the room with the water still. He has repaired the skin and filled it, or maybe still filling it.
Round 7 is spent drinking his fill of water. He did not hear the threat approaching so he is in the water room.
Zok bellows out toward the voice. "Us slaves have taken the hold. We have no quarrel with you, and burning all these nice things would not enrich anyone. You can have the cargo if you let us take some meager supplies out to the wastes. It's either that or you get to find out why they locked us up in the first place."
He takes his previous spot at the bottom of the stairs, but keeping the other doors in mind for escape if need be.
"That's not elves, more slavers coming, want to try and hide." Raun observes, setting her sled aside and taking up position in her former cage besides the door, having seen the others successfully fight through it's holes.
Gorkahn curses and shoves the purloined clothing he had picked up through the straps of the harness he was carrying with the blankets. "There was a door back there, we could always open it..." he says moving to the back.
Nnn'tkklik'l hands a mug of water to any PC nearby who will take one. "Drink now, we save other water for later..."
Gorkhan grabs a mug on the way by and nods his thanks before downing it and moving into the other room.
The trap door leading into the hold is thrown open and three men rush down the stairs. In the lead is a sandy-haired half-elf wearing the sulphur-colored robe of a Urikite templar, a tembo sword in his hand.
Behind him is a bearded man with hair the color of steel. A long scar creases his left cheek and a leather brace wraps one knee, but the old wounds appear to do little to slow him down. Like the templar, he wears an inix-scale cuirass and carries a bone kukri and and a scimitar carved from the chitinous claw of a dune reaper.
Bringing up the rear is a slope-browed tarek. As large as a mul with more primitive features, the creature carries a double-bladed axe carved from a lizard’s jawbones and a triple-bladed handfork of sharpened horn.
Seeing Zok and the others gathered in the hold, the bearded man scowls and points his blade:
”Slaves, stealing my property! You are my property!”
The templar has rushed down the stairs toward Zok, followed by the bearded man. The tarek is behind them at the top of the stairs.
Zok: At the base of the stairs between the cages at A and B, waving his knife
Gorkhal: In the north hallway, near the larder and moving toward the barracks room.
Safia: Among the goods in the center of the cargo hold, her hands full of silks.
Raun: In the eastern cage, in position to attack the stairs - due to her size, I'm going to rule that bars of the cage grant partial cover (+2 AC) to Raun and her opponents.
Grit: In the water storage room.
Nnn'tkklik'l: In the cargo hold, his hands full of weapons and water mugs
Raun brings her morningstar down upon the head of the Templar as he hurries down the stairs to supposed safety. It is only after the blow is made that she considers that action; survival was definitely what mattered now, but it was still odd to be fighting a templar.
When the bearded man bellows at them she turns to him, narrowing her eyes.
"Raun not your property. Raun belong to herself now!" she bellows back at him, before taking a swipe at his head.
{Not fast enough! Turn and act now!} a thought slides through Gorkhan's head. Gorkhan growls softly at the voice but still spins around and moves back into the hold with the others, his Tembo sword out. Sliding to a stop beside Zok, he swings the blade at the nearby elf.
Raun catches the templar with a glancing blow, but his armor saves him from serious injury as he hurtles down the stairs toward Zok.
Her bellowing clearly startles the bearded man , who recoils from her cage, narrowly avoiding the blow that shatters her weapon and leaves shards of obsidian embedded in the narrow stairs.
Appearing out of nowhere, Gorkhan darts in with a strike that bloodies the templar's yellow robe.
Hearing the approaching slavers Safia puts down the silk she was holding, after which the spirits that haunt her cause it to move even further away from her. She draws the spear she got earlier and stands ready for battle.
When the men come down the stairs she laughs, "The Grey has marked you Elf. The spirits are waiting for you, ready to tear you asunder." She laughs maniacally and as she does moves for cover.
Zok readies his weapon, and waxes philosophical to anger the templar. "How big are your hands, might you grasp a river?" He waves his small knife in front of him menacingly, but it seems that since he has food already, he isn't as hungry for blood as before.
The templar steps away, more unnerved by Safia's threats than the half-hearted attack from the blood-covered halfling. He grasps a ceramic amulet hanging from his neck.
"Protect me against these law-breakers, Mighty King," he says, then offers up a prayer: "Grant your servants the strength to carry out your punishment."
Behind him, the bearded man drops into a defensive stance before tentatively lashing out at Raun with his scimitar:
Dancing past the bars of the cage, the blade bites deep into the half-giant's shoulder.
The tarek, meanwhile, darts across the top of the western cage and drops down to the left of Gorkhan, slashing with his bone carrikal.
As Gorkhan ducks, the twin-bladed axe shatters against the mekillot bone bars of the cage.
Map
The templar is at the base of the stairs in front of Zok. The bearded captain is on the stairs, facing off with Raun. The tarek is in the cargo hold, west of Gorkhan.
Zok: At the base of the stairs between the cages at A and B, waving his knife
Gorkhal: Just to the west of Zok.
Safia: In cover among the goods in the center of the cargo hold.
Raun: In the eastern cage, in position to attack the stairs - due to her size, I'm going to rule that bars of the cage grant partial cover (+2 AC) to Raun and her opponents.
Grit: In the water storage room.
Nnn'tkklik'l: In the cargo hold, his hands full of weapons and water mugs[/ooc]
Gorkhan sees the tarek spider it's way across the top of the cage and flicks his tembo sword out as it lands beside him while ducking it's wild swing.
Grit, his enchantment on his staff still active (lasts for 3 minutes), thinks he hears the combat, , turns to leave the water room and sees the tarek in the hall.
He moves to attack with his quarterstaff.
The blow opens an inch-wide gash on the tarek's thigh, but it hardly seems to notice.
Zok takes another swing at the Templar, but the large dagger is hard to handle and he is unable to connect.
Nnn'tkklik'l takes a 5ft step back, drops a spear and the sound of scales dragging over rock can be heard as the cracks on the kreen's shell blush burgundy for a second. Raun's wounds close up somewhat as she feels the kreen's mind emerge in her consciousness for a second (or perhaps not, by virtue of rage).
Manifesting Natural Healing, Augmented to 2 PP.
vs DC 17 concentration to avoid AoOs.
Rushing back to the cargo hold, Grit brings his magically-imbued staff down on the tarek's head with a resounding crack. Dazed and bleeding from his head and thigh, the tarek drops his broken carrikal and prepares to attack with his remaining weapon.
Nnn'tkklik'l backs away from the brawl with a look of deep concentration. Zok lunges at the templar again, but the half-elf catches the halfling's blade with his own and snaps it in half.
The templar is at the base of the stairs in front of Zok. The bearded captain is on the stairs, facing off with Raun. The tarek is in the cargo hold, between Gorkhan and Grit.
Zok: At the base of the stairs between the cages at A and B, waving his knife
Gorkhal: Just to the west of Zok.
Safia: In cover among the goods in the center of the cargo hold.
Raun: In the eastern cage, in position to attack the stairs - due to her size, I'm going to rule that bars of the cage grant partial cover (+2 AC) to Raun and her opponents.
Grit: In the NW corner of the cargo hold, flanking the tarek.
Nnn'tkklik'l: In the cargo hold, just south of the tarek[/ooc]
Gorkhan takes another swing at the large tarek.
Raun roars as the bearded man's blade bites into her shoulder, though it doesn't seem to slow her down at all. She doesn't even notice as the flesh begins to knit itself back together, simply tossing aside her broken morningstar, and grabbing her bone club once again, swinging it awkwardly through the bars at her opponent.
Relishing the effect her comment had on the templar Safia continued to grin and laugh as the spirits enforced their hold over her. Suddenly it all fades and she leers at the bearded man before it grin reappears.
Gorkhan's blade again bites into the tarek's flesh, but the burly creature shows no sign of slowing down - you've heard that tarek's often fight on even after suffering fatal wounds. Baring its fangs, the tarek launches itself at Gorkhan, its handfork aimed at his chest,
but the smaller man easily dodges to the side.
Leaving the templar for the time being, Safia switches her focus to the still-shaken bearded man, who succumbs to her dark whispers . Distracted, the bearded man walks right into the blow from Raun's club, which slams into his ribs with a thump.
Dazed, he stands on the stairs and babbles incoherently.
In front of him, the templar summons his courage and slashes at Zok with his tembo sword , scoring a hit against the halfing.
The templar is at the base of the stairs in front of Zok. The bearded captain is on the stairs, facing off with Raun. The tarek is in the cargo hold, west of Gorkhan.
Zok: At the base of the stairs between the cages at A and B, waving his knife
Gorkhal: Just to the west of Zok.
Safia: In cover among the goods in the center of the cargo hold.
Raun: In the eastern cage, in position to attack the stairs - due to her size, I'm going to rule that bars of the cage grant partial cover (+2 AC) to Raun and her opponents.
Grit: In the NW corner of the cargo hold, flanking the tarek.
Nnn'tkklik'l: In the SW part of the cargo hold, out of reach of the tarek.[/ooc]
Nnn'tkklik'l tries to force his way into the bearded captain's mind
Taking advantage of the flank Grit swings his quarter staff at the Tarek.
But the creature's thick skull is too hard and the staff bounces off harmlessly.
Still grinning at the successful attack by the Grey on the bearded man who claimed to be their owner Safia drew her spear while moving into the cage in order to stab the templar from there.
Nnn'tkklik'l easily forces his way into outskirts of the captain's mind, bringing him into the collective.
Grit's blow fails to affect the burly tarek. With the western cage blocked, Safia dashes into the eastern cage with Raun. Her spear darts toward the templar's throat but is deflected at the last instant by a flash of golden light from the half-elf's medallion.
The templar is at the base of the stairs in front of Zok. The bearded captain is on the stairs, babbling. The tarek is in the cargo hold, west of Gorkhan.
Zok: At the base of the stairs between the cages at A and B, waving his knife
Gorkhan: Just to the west of Zok.
Safia: In the eastern cage.
Raun: In the eastern cage, in position to attack the stairs - due to her size, I'm going to rule that bars of the cage grant partial cover (+2 AC) to Raun and her opponents.
Grit: In the NW corner of the cargo hold, flanking the tarek.
Nnn'tkklik'l: In the SW part of the cargo hold, out of reach of the tarek.[/ooc]
Zok curses the failing weapon. He longed for the metal scimitar he had so long fought with. It was an exceptional weapon of high quality, and now it was likely sitting in some kings treasure hoard, not biting and bleeding like it should be.
When he was unarmed, it was easy for the templar to damage him, although the would was not terribly deep, it might slow him down when it was important not to do such a thing. He drew his backup blade and made a stab with it, hoping it would hold together.
Gorkhan looks at the tarek in exasperation before swinging his tembo sword at the creature once again.
Zok's attack on the templar is blocked by the same golden flash that saved the half-elf from Safia's spear.
Gorkhan hacks into the tarek's muscular neck. Blood spurts and the beast's eyes begin to dim, but it continues jabbing with its handfork almost by reflex. One of the attacks strikes home, leaving a trio of deep puncture wounds in Gorkhan's hip.
Ignoring Safia, the templar lashes out again at Zok. His obsidian blade leaves a long gash across Zok's chest, coating the halfling's body with a fresh layer of blood.
Behind him, on the stairs, the bearded man seems to regain his wits. Abandoning his earlier caution, the man rains blows on Raun with his scimitar and his kukri . Only the scimitar connects, leaving a bleeding wound across the half-giant's brawny forearm.
The templar is at the base of the stairs in front of Zok. The bearded captain is on the stairs, babbling. The tarek is in the cargo hold, west of Gorkhan.
Zok: At the base of the stairs between the cages at A and B, waving his knife
Gorkhan: Just to the west of Zok.
Safia: In the eastern cage.
Raun: In the eastern cage, in position to attack the stairs - due to her size, I'm going to rule that bars of the cage grant partial cover (+2 AC) to Raun and her opponents.
Grit: In the NW corner of the cargo hold, flanking the tarek.
Nnn'tkklik'l: In the SW part of the cargo hold, out of reach of the tarek.[/ooc]
Nnn'tkklik'l will mend the wounds of the halfling this time
Raun continues to lash out at their supposed owner despite the wounds he inflicts, the enraged woman bringing her shield up in time to deflect the kukri after she feels the bite of the scimitar. She glares pure menace at the man as she swipes at his head.