Perception
Before the warning:
"Cheap? Tonight maybe but I bet you thrice their fee that you'd be in a healer's shop within the week paying 10 times what tonight cost you to stop the burning whenever you relieve yourself. I've seen enough of my shipmates make their mistakes to learn that when whores get too cheap they can be rather more expensive than their asking price."
After hearing the warning:
Nicholas reaches in his quote and grips his pistol. He leans over to Gisele and whispers, "I haven't spotted them yet. Which ones are they? I could put a few to sleep but casting may reveal more than we'd like. If the odds are against us, however, it may be safer to neutralize a few before the guns start going off."
Becacine feels nervous all of a sudden -- not used to being caught unawares, and her eyes not adjusting well to the hazy darkness making her all the more vulnerable.
The short man in the ragged top hat winds his way through the crowd to the bar. As he approaches you get a better look at the man. He wears a dirty grey stained coat, loose trousers. A frayed cravaut wraps around his neck. A pair of spectacles hangs on his nose and there is a wild look in his eyes and a mad grin on his unshaven face.
"A gin if you please my kind monsieur!" he calls out to the stony-faced barkeep as he saunters by Arnaud and Yvon. The barkeep mutely turns to grab a bottle. The wild-eyed man addresses the two toughs, "Evening gentlemen, so good to see you this fine night. I sense you are not usual customers here. Yes, there is some class, some distinction I dare say about your bearing."
He eyes Arnaud's brace of weapons, a nervous tittering expression crossing his face. His voice quietens, "I suggest you find another place to quench your thirst, lest something regrettable happen. My friends are not as civilized as I..."
Sense Motive DC 13
Perception DC 11
Arnaud smiles coldly at the man and locks his gaze, then speaks to him in a flat tone.
"Friend, I don't want to give off the impression that I wish you harm, nor your three friends, or the man by the door. I am here for information, and that information can be shared in one of two ways. I'd certainly prefer we share peacefully, and in a mutually beneficial manner, but if that is not your wish, you will share it all the same."
He raises his glass to the wild-eyed man, still watching his eyes, then takes a sip.
"I would certainly also prefer the bartender stop rooting around back there for his weapon, so that he too remains unharmed and free to keep serving me this gin. Now let me buy you that drink and let us talk. Like men."
He smiles, cold and heartless, at his new friend.
Giselle gets up from her seat and slowly moves towards the door where she knows the other shooter is located.
Arnaud smiles coldly at the man and locks his gaze, then speaks to him in a flat tone.
"Friend, I don't want to give off the impression that I wish you harm, nor your three friends, or the man by the door. I am here for information, and that information can be shared in one of two ways. I'd certainly prefer we share peacefully, and in a mutually beneficial manner, but if that is not your wish, you will share it all the same."
1d20+6
He raises his glass to the wild-eyed man, still watching his eyes, then takes a sip.
"I would certainly also prefer the bartender stop rooting around back there for his weapon, so that he too remains unharmed and free to keep serving me this gin. Now let me buy you that drink and let us talk. Like men."
He smiles, cold and heartless, at his new friend.
Sense motive
Perception"As my accomplice here is saying, we don't want any trouble." As Giselle stands up, Yvon sets a meaty hand on the hilt of his saber and slips his other hand under his coat, resting on the butt of his pistol.
Intimidate
Following Gisele's tip, Becacine, still standing a short distance from the bar, looks at Yvon, Arnaud, and the man in the top hat out of the corner of her eye... and maintains her readiness to act on short notice, while trying to keep her interest in the unfolding scene from becoming too obvious.
The wild-eyed man in the top hat eyes Yvon and Arnaud's readied weapons and his gaze falters under Arnaud's withering and intimidating stare. Abruptly, he lets out a high-pitched nervous peal of laughter. He recovers after a moment and replies, "I see your point. You are clearly men of mettle. Let me introduce myself." He doffs his hat and with an exaggerated flourish and bow proclaims, "I am Eugene de Rastignac, man of letters, a scribbler, a poet, writer and dreamer." In a low voice Rastignac adds, "And quite unarmed save for my wits."
"As you say you wish to have no trouble but your presence is unsettling to my associates. Let me invite you to a private room yonder. We can talk in there in an atmosphere of ... " He searches for the word, "trust." A toothy grin spreads across his face as he regards Yvon and Arnaud with a wide-eyed look.
"Arnaud, friend. Please, lead the way, and remember how I am not unarmed, yes?" Arnaud picks up his glass and salutes Rastignac's associates before following the man to the private room.
The jittery form of Rastignac walks with a bouncy step, pressing through the throng of the Blood of the Vine. He beckons your company to follow him as he leaves the crowd behind and leads you into the narrow pressing hallways beyond the barroom. A variety of private rooms line the side hallway. There is only the dim glow of lanterns illuminating the hallway as he leads you further back. Shortly, he gestures you towards a storage room piled with musty crates. A table and a lit candle stands in the middle. The room at first seems empty but as you enter a man emerges from the shadows of the back room.
The man has a coif of curly hair, with an aquiline face and piercing blue eyes. He is dressed in an elegant coat, green cloak with a ruffled cravaut about his neck. A cane is gripped in his right hand.
Rastignac stops in his tracks, his voice rising with anxiety, "Ah good sir, I did not expect your presence. I am taking care of our guests..."
A rasping hollow voice sounds from the man. It is an unnatural sound that emanates from the stranger's mouth. "I wished to see them for myself." The man strides closer, his cane tapping on the bare flagstones. "You are of the DuSuis family? I suggest you answer truthfully, your lives depend on it."
A rasping hollow voice sounds from the man. It is an unnatural sound that emanates from the stranger's mouth. "I wished to see them for myself." The man strides closer, his cane tapping on the bare flagstones. "You are of the DuSuis family? I suggest you answer truthfully, your lives depend on it."
Yvon follows Arnaud into the room, eyeing the new man with the rasping, hollow voice. His hand never wavers from the hilt of his saber.
"We have ties to the DeSuis family, yes. We are here on their business, as well as some of our own. You know why we're here, I assume?"
Bécacine notices with some concern Yvon and Arnaud being led into a hallway beyond the bar. Without looking like she knows them, she tries to determine what Gisele and Nicolas will do next... should they follow their companions, or wait and see?
Arnaud says nothing, just stands slightly behind Yvon, letting the actual DeSuis speak for the family.
He stares at the hollow-voiced man intently, watching his eyes, ready to draw his weapons if it should come to it; and something about the man makes him truly hope it does not come to it.
The stranger nods in response to Yvon's statement. His penetrating eyes scan the group for a moment and then as if prompted he opens his mouth in reply. Once again the unnatural tones of his voice strike your ears with an unnerving discordance. You doubt that any human could produce such a quality of sound.
"Yes, I had thought we might have ferreted out such a response. I see that Helene has found some resourceful assistance. Very well but it is not permissible for your clan to rejoin the Game. You were removed from the board. You should leave Port-a-Lucine."
DC Perception 22
DC Knowledge (local) 15
Fearing what the men might be getting themselves into, Gisele tries to get Becacine's notice. She brushes past her and whspers, "out back, by the stables .. a rear door...I will be there."
With that, she wanders out the front of the building and quickly, by quietly, slips back to the rear of the building to enter the backdoor once again.
Nicholas finishes his drink and slowly follows after Arnaud and Yvon. On hearing the strange man's statements he says, "we're not here to play any games. I'm here to get on with my life, whether I choose to do so in Port-a-Lucine should be none of your business. Whatever game it is you're playing, you seem to be making a mistake by choosing to make enemies of those that would prefer to remain bystanders."
knowledge local:
knowledge: local[/ooc]
"Aye, I don't know a DeSuis likely to respond well to threats, either verbal or carried out by hired thugs. I assure you, this course of action will not end well for you."
As you respond to the Stranger's veiled threats, you notice Rastignac is growing increasingly nervous as his eyes dart back and forth. Through grating teeth and in rasping breath, "I wouldn't talk to him like that if I were you..."
The Stranger calmly nods in reply to Nicholas and Arnaud. "It seems I will not be able to persuade you from your folly. A pity. I had no wish to further harm you but it seems there to be little choice."
The Stranger reaches into his coat hidden beneath his cloak.
From the room beyond the storage area you hear the sound of shuffling feet. Perhaps 4 or more men.
Init
Arnaud 18
Stranger 17
Bordelon 15
Gisele 13
Goons 11
Yvon 10
Nicholas 8
Rastignac 5
Bécacine meanders through the tavern for a few seconds, feigning that she is looking for someone who is not there.
She then walks out the front door, then nonchalantly walks along the side of the building and then quickens her stride as she tries to catch up with Gisele. As she approaches the back door, she whispers an arcane word, and her crimson gown instantaneously transforms into something that looks like black banded mail.
Arnaud snarls wordlessly as the man reaches beneath his coat, drawing his pistol quickly and firing point blank at the stranger.
The silence is broken by Arnaud's gunshot. The echo reverberates in the darkened room. The Stranger grunts in pain as the shot strikes him on the side. With determination the man makes a quick movement and his palm reaches out in a dizzying spray of colour.
As the spell is unleashed with a quick stamp on the ground the Stranger seemingly drops into a darkened pit below.
Moving in behind the group through the back way, Gisele silently moves up behind the goons, and strikes one from the back.
Will save:
Sweet, unconscious stunned and blind...
Arnaud curses at the burst of magic, and manages to shrug it off.
As four toughs armed with crowbars and short swords come charging from the back rooms Gisele deftly steps from the shadows to strike the last one but he deflects the blow and stands against her. The three other pay no heed and move against the Arnaud, Nicholas and the stricken Yvon.
Nich up. Rastignac seems to be vibrating with fear but seems to be pulling something from his dirty coat possibly a blade of some kind.
Will save:
Nicholas collapses, temporarily stunned.
The wild-eyed Rastignac brandishes a long sharp razor and hesitantly steps forward. He regards the imposing figure of Arnaud and then as if thinking better shouts over to the club wielding toughs, "The glory is all yours!" He turns shrieking to run back towards the tavern.
Arnaud 18
Stranger 17* fleeing
Bordelon 15
Gisele 13
Goons 11
Yvon 10
Nicholas 8
Rastignac 5* fleeing
Disregarding the approaching toughts, Arnaud will move to the corner, drawing his sword. Looking where the stranger stood, he searches for the means of his escape.
The last thug’s crowbar falls from his hand and clatters loudly onto the floor. You recover your breath standing over the subdued mooks. The sound of the tavern-goers is muted but listening intently you do not hear anyone else approaching. Your eyes are drawn to the yawning black hole that your quarry disappeared into. Stepping closer a fetid stench greets your nostrils. You hear the sound of dripping water and faintly splashing echoes reverberating in the cramped sewer tunnels but they are fading away. It would seem the Stranger has a head start…
I had a bad feeling about wearing my good suit tonight. Guess we have no choice but to follow, do we?
Arnaud curses and sheathes his sword, he moves back to the hole in the floor while reloading his pistol.
"He is wounded, he cannot get far." Arnaud follows his quarry down the hole.
Arnaud clambers down the narrow trap door into the dank darkness of the sewers below. It is a five foot drop as Arnaud finds himself knee deep into the muck below. Arnaud finds himself standing in a four way junction. Beyond the wan light cast from above, the rest of the fetid sewers remain shrouded in inky blackness. Verite's splashing footsteps echo and seem almost to come from every direction.
Perception DC 10
Perception DC 14
Perception DC 16
Yvon watches Arnaud drop into the hole after Verite. He then looks about for a lantern or torch or something before following the gunslinger. He keeps his sword in hand, sheathing only if he needs to (such as to clamber down a ladder).
Bécacine wrinkles her nose in disgust. "That is no place for a lady... Gisele, shall we leave the men to their business? Perhaps we should return to the casino and enjoy a few glasses of wine and have them meet us there when they are done playing in the sewers?"
Grabs a torch or lantern, then sighs, "my best suit." Then clambers down the ladder.
Perception:
"North." Arnaud states quietly, pointing that way, then louder: "He is running to the south! After him!"
And with that he beckons his companions, and is off to the north, pistol out, moving quickly after the retreating noise.
If you go north
You follow the echoing sounds searching in the inky darkness. It is almost as if the magician's footsteps come from every which direction.
Will DC 15
You locate the source of the noise and discover a disembodied sound that continues to repeat itself. You realize you've been tricked by an illusion and lost precious time in your pursuit.
If you go south
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 slips and falls taking 1d6 non-lethal damage. A character who falls must spend another full-round action becoming unmired and effectively loses his next turn in the chase.
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. Verite has 50% concealment unless you are on the same card. A character can only choose to make melee attacks against targets that are on the same card.
If Verite gets to the finish line he's gone.
Start
Card #1
Perception DC 18 Hidden short-cut
Acrobatics DC 10 Crumbled stonemasonry
Card #2
Climb DC 10 Greasy wet Ladder
Acrobatics 15 Skillfull jump to higher platform
Card #3
Escape Artist DC 12 traversable gap in the bars
Swim DC 14 cut across moving water
Card #4
Perception DC 12 Aha I saw you!
Acrobatics DC 16 Charging jump
Card #5
Stealth DC 10 Close in for the kill
Climb 15 Haul up on to the platform cutting him off
Finish Line
The magician is on Card #3
Yvon follows Arnaud's lead, chasing the fleeing villain north.
.
Acrobatics
The crumbling wall proves to be a major obstacle for the thick-set man, especially encumbered by his armor.
initiative:
Perception check:
Acrobatics:
Arnaud spots a side passage and darts down it, determined to catch Verite. He barely gets past the crumbling walls.
climb:
acrobatics:
A sure grip, helps him with the slick ladder, but the he slips on the jump, and stalls.
Breathing hard Arnaud rushes through the tunnels and with determination and a measure of luck closes in on the fugitive. The magician snarls in annoyance throwing a dagger at the gunslinger as he turns heel. He throws himself through a small gap in the bars of a tunnel grate.
Dagger atk
Escape Artist
Nicholas follows the lead of the other two, better to be safe than to be caught out alone.
On seeing the obstacles blocking the way, Nicholas curses and mutters, "hopefully I can at least keep the powder dry."
He attempts to clamber over the fallen masonry:
Managing to get over, but only with much cursing, splashing, and wasted time. Beginning to resemble a soaked, unhappy, growling feline, Nicholas figures his next move will be either a spell or a bullet. Enough of chasing after this ruffian like a common guardsman.
Gisele curses under her breath as she joins the others in the fetid tunnels. She moves with startling speed in the low-light cast by the others torch.
Init
Perception
Climb