A broad deck fenced in by rickety stiles badly in need of paint overlooks the surrounding city. Atop the deck stands a small shack-like structure caged with wooden slats an stained with white splotches of bird droppings. The sound of pigeons comes from the shack. A large shade tree leans over this deck allowing access to the ground floor for someone daring enough to climb down.
Standing in the doorway of the shack is an elderly man, with milky white film over his eyes. It is obvious the cataracts have stolen his vision as he looks slightly askew at the sound of your entrance.
"Wha's tha? Who's there makin' all tha' racket? 'S that ye, Balston? Got 'nother message fer me lovelies do ye?"
"...Zis is Beltias?"
Reva's death glare fades from her faces as guilt washes over her. She lets out a miserable sigh.
"Does somebody pleasant want to speak to this guy?"
The man frowns as he hears the name escape the dwarf's lips. "Aye, ye seek the Split'g Pauper, eh? Well he ain't up here wit' me pigeons I can tell ye that. But p'haps his eyes are, they see much an' far ye ken? He's taken o'er this place an' trouble done follow."
He scatters a handful of bird seed from his apron pocket to his pets.
Saphren listens to the blind old man wondering if he is what he seems.
"Vhere can we find him, old man? We vould heff vords with him." the dwarf says, voice softening. He lowers his hammer and bows his head in reverential respect.
Reva steps back as Magnus speaks, leaning over to Saphren and pointing a few things out about the old man's behaviour.
"Wènhòu, zūnjìng zhǎngbèi. Duōjiǔ nǐ qīngxiàng yú nǐ de niǎo?" Blossom asks, kneeling before the aged man & smiling into his eyes.
There are no reasons to suspect this man is lying or misrepresenting. You see no tells or behaviors that give him away. Just an old guy who likes birds.
The blind old man feels Blossom's hair with his hand, and hears her words, even if he doesn't understand them. "Thankee, lass. S'a might kind o' ye to bend a knee to an old fool like meself. Don't get much comp'ny up here no more. Jest them damn Pauper's men."
To Magnus' question about Beltias Kreun: "I ain't seen wit' my own two eyes since he took o'er, but Balston's his man what runs things. The Pauper's more hands off, if ye take me meanin'. I ken he's got a room 'round here somewheres but I ain't seen nor heard o' 'im. Mebbe ask Black Jack if you kin fin' him downstair."
As you watch the man begins tending to his birds, stroking them softly, trilling along with them while he cleans out the cages and changes the water.
"What ye goin' do abou' the Pauper? Run him off? Ain't change nothin' down here; next Pauper jes come 'long an' take it over."
What if you was in charge? Saphren asks. If we got you some loyal muscle that might work out. You could run things the right way. Take care of folks.
"Aye, I reckon. I'd not be the best choice, not by a punch. Mebbe you oughta talk ta Father Padrik, he's the leader o' this parish. Ev'n if he's a bit grey in a'beard."
-Posted with Wayfinder
Company. Saphren says quietly, indicating the hall. He moves to the side of the door and readies his falchion.
Reva cocks her head to the side to listen before grimacing. "It looks like the gang knows we're here and are coming fast. Everyone get ready for a fight. This is more cramped than I like but if there's a lot of them it may work as a bottleneck. We need to decide now if we fight here or move out into the hall. The next room is too narrow. Trig and Magnus up front. Trig, blast them and then Saphren or me can move in."
She looks over to the blind bird man. "Old man, there's going to be some violence. Stay in the corner and we will do our best to keep you safe."
Reva grasps her holy symbol and begins chanting. "Blans ollog logaeth babalon!" The air around her shimmers briefly.
Sure enough, as you listen in, the enemy yells out. "They're on the porch with the Geezer. Get back there an' take 'em down!" The shuffling and clanking of weapons gets louder. Soon there is a knock on the door to the porch.
"Surrender, maties, an' they'll be no trouble. We'll turn ya back out into the street's all, and carry on wit' our business. Fight us, and they'll be no quarter. What say ya?"
Trig readies an action to trip the person closest to the door when Saphren or Reva opens it.
The Big Fight - Round 1
With no response to their challenge, the bad guys crash in the door to the pigeon's porch and advance with murderous intent in their eyes.
25 Knuckles
18 Trig
18 Gars
16 Rasper
14 Reva
12 Saphren
11 Balston
9 Badeye
8 Magnus
3 Blossom
Trig causes the ground around the doorway to shake as first bad guy charges inside, tripping, slipping and falling to the floor.
From another upstairs window, a crossbow bolt fires at the group assembled on the deck. The bolt slices through the air, striking Blossom in the back shoulder for 3hp.
The slightly built man with the bandanna on his head, fires his crossbow through the crowd at the door, the bolt somehow finding it's way through to hit Reva, but her magical warding causes it to fall harmlessly to the floor.
The door bangs open in front of Reva as she tries to think of something clever to say. Her eyes widen as a crossbow bolt flies at her head before the magical protection deflects it. Muttering a prayer, she moves to the side as the thug in front collapses to the ground.
"Move up, Magnus! You're no good back there. I'll try to get that crossbowman."
Dancing in, Reva swings down hard with her sap at the prone thug before she withdraws to pull out her shortbow.
This is no longer a brawl Reva. They are fighting to kill, so we kill the bastards. With that Saphren strikes the prone man with murderous intent.
The Big Fight - Round 1 - continued
Reva bashes the fallen man on the head then steps back trying to out shoot the hidden archer.
Saphren also targets the prone man, but does so with murderous intent and action, severing his head from the body right in the doorway.
Balston, the bandit leader, sees one of his henchmen decapitated and hesitates about entering the room, ordering the huge half-orc in first instead. Bad-Eye steps over the twitching body of the dead man, and attacks Saphren with a cruel looking dagger, since his morningstar is missing. But the little knife is tiny in his hand and makes an unwieldy weapon.
Balston then throws his dagger at Trig but it sails harmlessly over her head.
You stupid or something? Saphren asks the half orc. We done beat you once an let you live. This Balston worth dying for? You're not getting another break bub.
"Bring it, fool!" the half-orc grunts back at you in Orcish. Twisting to try to get inside your defense with the falchion and him with just the little dagger."We'll see who is stupid when yer guts are spread on the floor."
The Dwarf lets out a bellow of rage at the sound of the orcish tongue."Have it your vay, filth." the dwarf grunts, raising his shield and charging into the crush of people. "On me! Let us be sending these curs to ze slag heap!"
The Big Fight - round 1 - continued
Without needing Reva's encouragement, Magnus shoves his way into the front rank, taking a shot from the dagger-wielding half-orc in the process, which the dwarf easily shrugs off his shield. Swinging defensively, he returns the blow. Unable to thwart the warhammer with his measly dagger, Badeye takes a jolting blow, but only roars in pain and anger in response.
The Big Fight - round 1 - concluded
The creepy white hair of Blossom begins winding its way around the large half-orc enemy, trying to bind him, but the large half-orc rips himself free, and avoids being pinned.
End of First Round
Trig begins casting a long spell, ducking down behind the railing to try to get cover from the crossbowman.
-Posted with Wayfinder
The Big Fight - Round 2
18 Trig
18 Gars
16 Rasper
14 Reva
12 Saphren
11 Balston
9 Badeye
8 Magnus
3 Blossom
The action continues with Trig taking as much cover as possible as she chants and intones a long spell.
The sniper at the window fires another bolt into the porch, this time targeting Magnus. The bolt strikes the dwarf in his undefended side, driving deep for 7hp damage.
From the front, Rasper reloads and fires his crossbow at the dwarf also, then steps to the door, making ready to flee should the need arise. The snap shot flies high and hits the wall behind Trig
Saphren focuses on the half orc in front of him, feeling sort of bad for the fellow but tries to cut him down anyway. Too many stupid people in the world. Best to remove a few. He says, mostly to himself.
Reva winces as Magnus is hit, but decides the tough dwarf can keep going. She snaps off an arrow at the crossbowman on the balcony.
The Big Fight - Round 2 - continued
Counter-firing at the window where the bolts are coming from, Reva's arrow has divine guidance, and strikes the hidden archer who responds with an audible groan.
That groan is drowned out by the shriek of the half-orc villan as Saphren's falchion cuts him deeply. The man staggers and reels, weapon at his side, as blood pours from his wounds.
Seeing his two best fighters cut down, Balston makes a break for the door, leaving the critically wounded Badeye to fend for himself. The half-orc staggers towards the door of the porch, trying to close it between him and the heroes.
The crossbow bolt drives the air from his lungs, but the dwarf hardly winces. Breathlessly, he manages a yellowtoothed grin at Reva before locking onto Balston with a steely glare. With a shout, he charges headlong at the half-orc, intent on charging through him.
"Atsind bisl meydl!!" the dwarf spits, through gritted teeth and a mouthful of beard. "Vot are you vaiting for?"
Now, little one/little girl!
The Big Fight - Round 2 - concluded
Magnus lowers his head and rushes past the stumbling half-orc, not even receiving a feeble blow from the beast as he saunters by and gets into position to threaten Rasper.
Blossom sends tendrils of her hair snapping and twisting round the head and neck of the wounded orc intending to finsh him off as a combatant. The hair pulls and twists the staggered target who falls slowly to his knees, then collapses in a heap, destroyed.
End of round 2
The Big Fight - Round 3
18 Trig
18 Gars
16 Rasper
14 Reva
12 Saphren
11 Balston (fleeing)
8 Magnus
3 Blossom
Trig finishes her arcane chant and a burst of light shines from the window where the crossbowman was firing. A shining, crystalline eagle appears behind the man who was firing, and with a screech, tears into him with its beak and talons.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Standing straight, Blossom points imperiously at the remaining thug.
The Big Fight - round 3 - continued
The screeching eagle rips at the archer, and gouges his face and neck killing him.
At the doorway, Rasper sees the handwriting on the wall, and throws down his crossbow, falls to his knees, and cries for mercy.
Testing the sincerity of the man's surrender Saphren says Impede my movement and imperil your life With that he moves through him and after Baltson.
As he catches up with the man he says You know we have shown mercy to your men already. Surrender or I shall surely cut you down. and readies an action to slice the man with his falchion should he fight or flee.
Dropping her bow, Reva shouts a prayer to her goddess. Her feet begin to blur as she rushes down the hallway, pulling out her sword. She moves past Saphren, and then tries to dive through Balstion to end up on the other side of the thief.
The Big Fight - Round 3
Seeing the only other threat remaining in the room, Reva bolts after the escaping Balston. She races out the door, and tries to skirt around the rogue, cutting off his escape, but he blocks her movement deftly and then counterattacks with his rapier, but to no avail.
Since Reva was blocked from going around, she now stands in the way of Saphren's closing to melee round. He moves 20' to be out in the hall, but can't find an accurate way across his mate yet.
Baltson takes on a defensive position withdrawing insted of fighting, but moving to the stairs in the upstairs foyer.
Holding his weapon close to his body Saphren deftly moves through Reva's space and then acting like he is about to bull rush Baltson he, at the last moment bounces himself off the wall and Baltson did not dodge to and roll to the clear spot beside him.
Weapon at the ready the 200 pound half orc breaths Not so fast. We have business with you.
Seeing Reva cut off and attacked by the withdrawing Balston, Saphren rushes past him acrobatically, and then stops behind, threatening and flanking the man.
"Alright, I yield." cries the man, dropping his weapon and falling to his knees. "This is a house of the gods, be merciful."
End of Combat Rounds