"Let's play some Skiffs, " the Shoanti suggests, moving to the closest gaming table.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Bofur follows Tahbet and the others over to the skiff table and watches the action to see how it's played.
The group make their way over to the skiffs table only to see an angry half-orc roar, and throw the table, and the halfling sitting on it across the room. There's a roar of laughter as bouncers swarm over the half-orc and drag him out to the back alley for what is likely the beating of a lifetime. The group then look to the tables for the golem game poker, but it looks like a 15 minute wait at least. With skiffs gone, the group are suddenly called out by an shapely dwarven woman.
"Hey boyos! Take a spin at ghoulette why don'tcha?"
She steps to the side to showcase a severed ghoul's head in the centre of a roulette wheel with a variety of words written around it.
"Easy enough, and good odds if ya like number. Pick an insult and put some coin down! If yours comes up, you get the next coin up in return! So put down 15 coppers and get 15 silvers. Put down 15 silvers you get 15 gold. Best part is, ol' Dungo here'll give ya a piece of his mind! Only one that's off limits is 'something nice', if we get that, you all get a consolation prize."
The ghoul's head suddenly becomes animate, snapping around wildly at the air. She spins the wheel around to show it is really just a head.
"Go ahead! He don't bite! ... Well he does, so keep your distance."
- Your brains
- Your class
- Your bloodline
- Your hygine
- Your stuff
- Your race
- Something Nice
- Your face
- Your presence
- Your skill
- Your body
- Your courage
[ooc]Pick one of the insults above except for 'something nice', place a marker and bet however much you want. If you win, you get 10x your stake.
The sight of the half-orc launching a gambling table across the hall and subsequently being dragged out gives Fiona a bit of a chill. She gives her silver chips a dubious look. That is what gambling can do to people?
She clears her throat and approaches the ghoulette table. At least this one has a novel idea behind it. "2 silver teeth on 'My Stuff', then. This ought to be good for a laugh, if nothing else."
The elf rubs the ugly scar across his neck and jaw, and says, "Well, let's see if I can make something of this."
He puts three silvers on "Your body".
"That one's got a temper, " Tahbet laughs as the half-orc is escorted out. He then places 2 silver on your bloodline .
-Posted with Wayfinder
"Aye. D'ye think it was the insult or losin' his money?" Bofur scans the Ghoulette options. "Three args on your face, mate!" he proclaims, laying down his silver.
"What do they expect? They take away your money and demand you stay calm. " Tahbet answers. "They should give you the opportunity to take on one of their bodyguards in a fistfight to win back your money. You blow off steam and they can still earn money. Everyone wins and there are no broken tables. "
-Posted with Wayfinder
"'Cept the bodyguard," quips the dwarf before she gives the wheel a spin!
The wheel spins around and around until it settles on 'Your Body'. The ghoul's head twists and stares at Variel.
"Gorum's balls, you're ugly! It looks like your face caught fire and somebody tried to put it out with a fork!" it shrieks before cackling wildly. The dwarf tips the wheel and all the money falls into a bucket before she counts out three gold eyes and passes them to Variel.
"We have a winner!" she cries happily. "That's pure profit for you elf-boy."
Variel chuckles as he takes his winnings. "Ah, a smile from the goddesses at last!"
He looks to the others. "Another spin?"
Fiona shrugs and puts another two silver chips in. "2 silvers on 'Your Class'."
Bofur grumbles and sets down his last silver chip. "Let's see wha' that ghoul's got to say about yer face."
Variel puts another two silvers down, this time on "your stuff". "I'm curious as to its opinion of my gear."
With six silver already gone, Tahbet knows he has to keep the money together a bit. He puts down just one silver on your bloodline again.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Bofur looks up at the elf and blinks twice, a look of confusion on his face. "Ah... yeh."
The wheel spins around and finally settles on 'Something Nice'. The ghoul groans audibly and turns to stare at its dwarven master.
"Do I have to?"
"Yes! Say something nice!" she snaps.
The ghoul stares at Fiona for a moment. "It takes a lot of courage to go outside with that haircut. Good for you."
The dwarf dumps out the fees and gives everybody their consolation prize.
"There ya go! Not a total loss, more money to put right back into the game!"
You see a woman to the south with several goonish types around her awkwardly drop her chips. They all suddenly tense up, closing their eyes. They look like they're bracing for something.
Fiona gives the ghoul head an odd look while running a hand through her hair. "You know, even when your head is bound to say something nice, it still sounds like--"
At this point, while she's cashing out her winnings, that she notices the woman drop her chips next to her four minders. When they close her eyes, she realizes something's up!
"--those people over there are up to something." She warns the others, interrupting her original train of thought. She points them out, and promptly shuts her eyes...
Bofur is looking at the scene but notices nothing unusual about it except the woman's clumsiness.
"Just cause she's got the grace of a wildcat in heat, don't mean she's got ulterior motives..."
Variel notices the group at the same time as Fiona. He closes his eyes and loosens the whip on his belt.
As he does so, he says quietly, "Don't look now, Bofur, but I think there's more to her than meets the eyes.
-Posted with Wayfinder
While not knowing what's exactly going on, Tahbet gets the secret message and looks down, closing his eyes. He grips his weapon tight, ready to go at the others' command.
-Posted with Wayfinder
For a split second Bofur thinks the elf has made another comment suggesting he sees the world a different way, but then the underlying meaning hits home and he closes his eyes while bending his knees to shade his diminished stature behind the ghoulette table. "Well, Besmara's drippy droopers!"
eeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
From the north end of the casino one of the torches suddenly explodes, sending spectacular fireworks all over the casino! The patrons around you scream as they are blinded by the spell!
Angvar
Thulavia
Thugs
Bouncers
---
Fiona
Variel
Bofur
Tahbet
Suddenly the people at the southeast table spread out rapidly, charging for the different bounces while the man who appears to have read a scroll starts making a beeline for the centre of the room.
Fiona manages to shut her eyes in time as the torch explodes!
When she opens her eyes again, she sees one of the thugs racing up to her in the midst of all the screaming and confusion. She smirks.
"Really? You think I'm as easily cowed as the tshamek here? Clearly, you've never fought a Shoanti before!" She levels her earthbreaker at the man and swings it to prove her point!
As the light from the explosion fades, Variel blinks his eyes and takes in the scene. He moves around the tables, closing on the one who used the scroll.
"In Calistria's name, I pass Judgment on you for attacking this place!"
Bofur barely manages to get his eyes shielded before the burst of light sends the room into a panic. With so many idiots running in every direction, charging the troublemakers is out of the question. He moves 20ft toward the bar, drawing his crossbow.
Outraged, Fiona stomps towards the thief and swings her mighty earthbreaker, sending him flying backwards and probably breaking several ribs! He manages to get back up though and groans, pulling out a rapier and lunging out at her, missing wildly. The other thugs use saps, trying to beat the blinded bouncers into insensibility.
The wizard gasps as he sees Variel stand up to meet him, and he looks around wildly before he steps back and fires off a magic missile at Variel!
The one eyed woman raises her voice. "All right folks, drop to the ground and don't try anything stupid! We MIGHT let you live!"
All around you, patrons drop to the floor, confused and blinded - the normally resilient Riddleport folk absolutely out of their element with the magical explosion.
Angvar
Thulavia
Green Thug
Red Thug
Yellow Thug (11 dmg)
Orange Thug
---
Fiona
Variel
Bofur
Tahbet
Bouncer 1
Bouncer 2
Bouncer 3
Bouncer 4
Bouncer 5
Bouncer 6
Hans
Beyar
The wizard gasps as he sees Variel stand up to meet him, and he looks around wildly before he steps back and fires off a magic missile at Variel!
Variel cracks his barbed whip at the wizard, then turns to address the leader. "I suggest you and your people drop to the ground, and WE might let YOU live."
He then turns his back on the mage and strides up to the woman, twirling the whip as he goes.
Tahbet stands there in confusion. Before he can react, all sorts of things happen around him. People shouting, others dropping to the ground and the beginning of a fight. He readies his weapon and tries to make sense of the situation.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Atop the dais, Bofur loads his crossbow and takes a shot at the mage who fired the magic missile (assuming Variel hasn't dropped him; if so he goes for the woman).
"Now, I thank ye' for puttin a stop to ma losin streak, but this is goin too far!"
Variel's whip wraps around the mage's neck and a hard yank forces him into the path of a crossbow bolt which slams into his chest! The mage collapses to the ground.
"ANGVAR! NO!" shrieks the one-eyed woman.
Fiona eyes the thug as he struggles back to his feet and lunges at her with a rapier. She twists away from the blade and brings her earthbreaker to bear again!
She doesn't wait to see if the thug survived her follow-up swing before taking off toward the one-eyed lady--presumably, she's the leader of this raid.
"You have made a grave mistake, tshamek. We are not soft-hearted city folk that you can bully and rob!" She boasts, giving Variel & Bofur looks of admiration as they team up to bring the mage low.
As Tahbet sees the first enemies fall, he laughs with a roaring loud voice. With increasing speed he moves over to the nearest thug, his earth breaker in hand. For the last few steps he is shouting a war cry from the top of his lungs. The battle is calling to him and he is answering.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Fiona swings her earthbreaker up and there is a satisfying crack as it nails a thug on the tip of his jaw. He flies backwards and lands in a heap. Tahbet charges in with his own earthbreaker and solidly slams it into the back of one of the thugs fighting a bouncer, although the thug remains upright.
The one-eyed woman looks around wildly, tears streaming down her face.
"NO NO NO this is all wrong!" she looks helplessly at the prone form of the mage.
"Curse you bastards!" she turns and flees, calling to the thugs fighting the bouncers to withdraw. The thugs turn and run, drawing attacks from the bouncers, one of which manages to hammer a thug brutally in the back. Still, they mostly manage to flee.
The thug flanked by Tahbet and a bouncer simply collapses to the ground, hands on the back of his head.
Angvar (dying)
Thulavia
Green Thug
Red Thug (11 dmg)
Yellow Thug (dead)
Orange Thug
---
Fiona
Variel
Bofur
Tahbet
Bouncer 1
Bouncer 2
Bouncer 3
Bouncer 4
Bouncer 5
Bouncer 6
Hans
Beyar
Variel looks around the room. Those hammers are quite effective ... and the dwarf is a crack shot.
A quick glance shows him one of the attackers has stopped moving, but another groans as he continues to bleed. He approaches that one and calls out to his goddess, "Εκδίκηση είναι δική σας, αλλά ας το θάνατο καθυστέρηση μέχρι να μάθουμε αυτό είναι σκόπιμο."
As he speaks the words, the dying man's wounds stop bleeding.
"Let em run! This one here'll lead us to the lass. Well done, Variel. That's a useful talent." Bofur has hopped down from the dais and stands over the heavily injured mage, admiring his handiwork. The entry angle of the bolt suggests that he has a fairly good idea of human anatomy.
Fiona watches the thugs and the woman turn tail and flee. She rests her earthbreaker's head on the floor.
"Indeed. There doesn't need to be any more bloodshed today--we've won. Decisively so." She lifts her earthbreaker until it rests across her shoulders and walks over to where Variel & Bofur are crowding around the unconscious mage.
Tahbet rushes to the door, his anger slowly ebbing away. Instead a feeling of grandeur, mixed with a slight bit of exhaustion settles in. Seeing the thugs run, he shouts out into the evening night:
"Tahbet Earth Shaker! Remember the name thieving scum! And never return! "
He then looks around to see if anyone might need help getting up or even is wounded.
-Posted with Wayfinder
The thugs all flee screaming and the people around the bar slowly stand up with a 'what the hell just happened' expression on their collective faces. Immediately everybody starts complaining and bickering about their ruined tournament. People surge southwards, calling for refunds and waving their chips around. One of the bouncers has taken a nasty hit, but aside from that there are astonishingly few wounded.
Vancaskerkin quickly emerges from the vault area and moves through the crowd before taking the central podium, stepping over one of the bodies. He looks terrified but clears his throat, speaking up.
"People! People! Look... we've got ruined tables, chips are everywhere. The tournament is a bust."
A roar of outrage comes from the crowd.
"But! BUT! Wait, this has to be worth your while. I'll let everyone cash in their chips at one hundred and ten percent! Everyone makes some money tonight!"
There's some confusion as people do the math, but soon folks form somewhat orderly lines, muttering about how they're probably coming out ahead anyways.
Saul hops down from the podium and looks over the four of you with a gleam in his eye. Despite his apparent near-ruin, he looks fairly pleased.
"Nice job you lot. Stay after the tournament for a drink. Loot that fella before the gendarmes do, eh?" He waves his key-hand at the party and makes his way away from the casino floor.
Fiona gives Saul a short glare before turning to the fallen mage.
"Hmph. Does anyone wish to interrogate this man?" She folds her arms.
Can't say that I'm not in the mood for a good drink or two once things settle down here.
The man lies in a crumpled heap on the floor, a large crossbow hole in his shoulder and a whip scar around his neck. Without magical healing he won't be doing much for a while.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Fiona kneels down and rests a hand on the man's crossbow wound. She sings a soft melody, letting the power of her music heal it.
The surrendered thug is grabbed by one of the bouncers who was working near the cash cage. He slaps a huge paw on Tahbet's back and nods at the group.
"Y'saved our bacon there. Good on ya. Get some questions in 'fore the gendarmes show up. Names Hans by the way."
He jerks a thumb to another massive bouncer standing nearby, looking at the group silently.
"This here's Beyar. You do a favour fer Saulie, he'll do a favour fer you. Trust us on that."
The two prisoners look up miserably at the group. With the hole in the mage's chest closing up thanks to Fiona's magic, he finally speaks up.
"The one-eyed woman, is she okay?!"
When the mage awakens, Fiona gets to her feet and leans back. "The one-eyed woman? If she was the leader of your little caper, you don't have to worry--she took the rest of your party and fled into the city."
"Now, why did you pick this place, of all things, to attack? And in front of so many witnesses, no less? It's audacious of you, certainly, but as we've just proven, it has the most potential to go utterly wrong." She asks, her tone even.
Variel coils his whip, but keeps it in hand as he approaches the captured bandits. He pats it against his open hand as he says, "Well, then. I'll start by asking you a question. Do you know what an 'inquisitor' is?"
He mutters a word in Elvish and touches his whip, which begins to glow. With another word he touches his head, then continues.
"My job is to find out the truth, and enable wronged parties to get appropriate revenge. The thing is, when a leader leaves her people behind, and the wronged party cannot find the leader, then the revenge must be exacted on someone. So I suggest you tell us who all of you are, including your departed one-eye, how to find her, and what exactly you were doing here. Then we will ask the proprietor what he wishes done."
Bofur looks suitably gruff and short-tempered, hoping that will hasten replies from their captors. While doing so, he wipes the blood off the metal tip of his crossbow bolt.