"Asmodeus will have your soul shortly, Kossrani," says the inquisitor, "If you haven't forfeit it already."
Round 3, Init 23
Circling around his foe, Ignati takes another stab, hoping to feel his rapier point sink deep into the flesh of his foe.
23: Ignati attacks, dealing 4 points of damage to the man in front of him.
21: Voreni skewers Kossrani between the plates of his armor, dealing 4 points of damage. Feeling his own wounds beginning to take hold, Voreni then unleashes the electrical charge of his shield spell, shocking himself in the process and sending tendrils of eletrical energy all around.
Valleria moved into position after the spell went off, and doesn't have to save.
The electricity shocks friend and foe alike, dealing 5 points of damage to Corian, Kossrani, and two of Kossrani's nearby thugs.
16: Wilhelm's spear slides under the thug's guard, just barely missing the man's flank. The thug smiles and readies his counter-attack.
13: Valleria moves in on Kossrani and swings her shield in a wide arc, catching the dwarf off-guard and dealing 6 points of damage.
10: Morrigan blasts her attacker with a chilling ray of magic, turning his flesh brittle withered momentarily, and dealing 3 points of damage.
09: Corian follows up on Valleria's attack with his own mace swing, but Kossrani raises his shield and bats away his swing.
08: Kossrani turns his attention from the weakened Voreni back to his original foe, and strikes to cleave Corian's head from his shoulders.
Instead, his mace simply bounces off of Corian's armor with a heavy, metallic sound.
05: Seeing that his expected adversary was drawn elsewhere, the wary thug pursues Valleria and moves in to flank her with Kossrani. Without even sparing a glance, she raises her shield against his strike and catches it.
Another thug, having avoided Wilhelm's spear, now moves into range for a counter-attack. Sadly, he is not equal to the task.
Scorched with lightning, a thug snarls at Voreni, but looking at the poor man barely standing, he wises up and moves in to flank Corian with Kossrani. His mace smashes into Corian with a loud, sickening crack, dealing 7 points of damage to the priest.
Lastly, the other scorched thug circles around Ignati to avoid being flanked, and presses his own attack. The bloody, scorching wounds he has received from Ignati and Voreni seem to only fuel the hatred of his strike. He drives his mace into Ignati's arm for 5 points of damage.
Round 4, Initiative Count 16
Wilhelm, maintaining the inspiration, slide-steps closer to the pit and tries again with the spear against the target up and to the left, closest to the doors to the back room.
- 10' Reach
- Combat Reflexes
- Cavalier's Banner
- Inspire Courage +1
- feather step
Round 4: Initiative 10
Morrigan takes advantage of the flanking with Corian and sneaks a dagger into the thug sandwiched between them.
Round 4, Initiative 13
"I TOLD you to keep down!" Valleria yells at the thug behind her, sending her shield in his face. "...now you stay down for good..." She then attacks Kossrani with her sword but misses him completely.
The injured man, still holding his wounds and leaned up against a stack of boxes, protests his innocence. "It wasn't me! It was..." his eyes go wide as Valleria's shield slams into the face of her would-be attacker, breaking his neck and killing him instantly.
"...well, it *was* him." he says with a gulp.
The thug battling Wilhelm sneers at the man. "You stinking coward! I'll gut you myself you worthless--"
Wilhelm's spear cuts the rest of his threat short, skewering the man through the chest.
Meanwhile, Morrigan slips a knife into the man who attacked Corian, drawing Kossrani's attention.
"Just you wait your turn, girl. I'll be with you soon enough."
Voreni mutters a weak apology to Corian, "Did...did not...sorry..." He manages to barely stay on his feet. If he had not been so badly banged up, he might realize that feigning unconsciousness would be the safe move. Instead he assumes a shaky defensive stance.
Corian slips behind Valleria and pulls out a vial. "Voreni, don't worry about it. Kossrani, I'm certain your turn is coming. The only question is how many pieces you wish to be cut into."
Seeing most of the other foes drop, Ignati tries to keep pressing his advantage, but he's distracted by concern for Voreni who seems to be at the edge of consciousness.
23: Ignati's rapier finds its mark and pierces the throat of his opponent. The man gurgles and staggers back, falling into the salt drying pit.
21: Voreni takes a defensive posture, bravely holding his ground despite his wounds.
16: Wilhelm swiftly dispatches the man who attacked Morrigan
13: Valleria strikes her opponent with her shield hard enough to break his neck, killing him.
10: Morrigan slides a knife into the ribs of another man attacking Corian
09: Corian moves behind Valleria and draws a potion of some sort.
08: Kossrani sidesteps and pursues Corian, swinging his heavy mace overhead with maddening glee. "We'll see who stands taller in Hell, priest!"
Milani's blessing is truly upon Corian, as Kossrani misses again.
05: The last remaining mercenary, seeing Kossrani facing off against three attackers, moves in to back up his boss.
Surprisingly, the man succeeds where his commander failed, and deals 5 points of damage to Corian.
Round 5: Initiative 10
Morrigan casts cause fear on Kossrani. Darkness enshrouds Kossrani's mind and Morrigan speaks in a booming voice. "Peer into the darkest shadows. You will see Hell sooner than you think."
Round 5, Initiative Count 16
The overwhelming numbers against them have dwindled considerably, and Wilhelm starts to feel less desperate. He continues inspiring his allies and slide-steps into position to flank Kossrani with Valleria.
- 10' Reach
- Combat Reflexes
- Cavalier's Banner
- Inspire Courage +1
- feather step
Voreni maintains his stance, trying desperately to remain standing despite his blood loss.
Round 5, Init 13
Taking advantage of Wilhelm's position, Valleria attacks Kozrani once more with her shield and sword.
Round 5, Init 23
Ignati smiles as his foe drops, then, circling around Wilhem, he moves into a flanking position with Valleria and tries a stab at the hardy dwarf.
23: Ignati slips into position and attempts to skewer Kossrani's partner, but the man sidesteps his thrust.
21: Voreni continues to defend himself.
16: Wilhelm slides into flanking position behind Kossrani, but the dwarf's shield deflects his spear.
13: Valleria's shield clashes against Kossrani's, throwing him off balance enough for her short sword to slide behind his defenses and cut him for 3 points of damage.
10: Morrigan unleashes the cold terror of the shadows upon Kossrani. The dwarf grits his teeth and stands his ground, but he is clearly shaken.
09: Corian falls to the ground, bleeding heavily from his wounds.
08: Kossrani steps over Corian's fallen body and swings wildly at Valleria
05: The thug backing up Kossrani swings at Valleria, then falls back to avoid her counter-attack (5 foot step)
Round 6, Init 13
Valleria mentally cursed as Corian felt on the ground but right now thinking about him was not the best thing to do. "Your movements betray your lack of sense dwarf... in your eagerness to attack our friend you cornered yourself... surrender now!"
Despite her words, Valleria doesn't slows her impetus in attacking the dwarf.
Round 6: Initiative 10
Morrigan stays back and Intimidates Kossrani.
"You've lost!"
Round 6, Initiative Count 16
Wilhelm continues to inspire, though he's running out of things to say at this point with combat lasting so long. He moves into a position where he can still reach Kossrani with his spear, but is finding the drawrf a much tougher nut to crack than he expected.
- 10' Reach
- Combat Reflexes
- Cavalier's Banner
- Inspire Courage +1 (final round)
- feather step
Ignati attacks the foe infront of him, looking around nervously as his friends are in rough condition.
Corian stops dying!
Voreni worries about Corian, but knows he won't be able to help if he also goes down and keeps focusing his wounded body into taking the defense.
23: Ignati cuts down the man protecting Kossrani's flank with a dignified swish of his rapier.
21: Voreni remains unsteady on his feet, carefully watching for any sudden attacks.
16: Wilhelm's attack on Kossrani does not succeed, but with so many incoming attacks, surely the dwarf cannot defend against them all...
13: Valleria slips behind Kossrani's defenses and slams her shield into his face, sending a spray of blood into the air. He staggers back, leaving himself open for the finishing blow, and Valleria delivers, thrusting her short sword into his neck and sending him to the ground in a bloodied heap.
10: Morrigan thoroughly intimidates the dying dwarf.
09: Corian groans, but manages to bind his wounds temporarily.
08: Kossrani is dead, baby. Kossrani's dead
The man who surrendered to Valleria remains seated on the ground, leaning against a table and holding his wounds. "You...you said you'd spare me. Please, can I go?" he asks.
Combat has ended, unless someone wants to attack the white square, who surrendered a few rounds ago.
"You can go when we are done with you. Where are the ones you are holding captive?"
The man points to the double doors at the back of the room.
"Through those doors, second door on the right. There might still be a couple of guys in the back barracks sleeping, or on their way back here for the next shift. It's just a job; tell them Kossrani is dead and there shouldn't be any need for more bloodshed."
Now that the immediate danger has passed, he steps up to the wounded Corian and provides a little first aid to get him back on his feet.
"You still have the wand, right?" he asks the faux Asmodean as he comes around. "I'm completely spent, but it looks you could use some more help, and Voreni and some of the others as well. We should probably tend to our wounds while we have a minute just in case they don't give up as easily as this guy suggests."
He starts checking Kossrani for keys. "I assume the room they're in is locked," he says, directed at the one who surrendered. "But are they bound with more locks as well, or just ropes?"
Wilhelm lightly pats down Kossrani's cooling corpse, and finds a small ring of keys attached to his belt.
"We've got them in manacles, if that's what you're asking." the man replies.
"Yes, that obviously the question." Ignati snarls at the thug as Wilhelm finds the keys. "Are you all so disloyal that you would just run once the dwarf is dead? I'm glad to have made better friends or poor Corian would be a prisoner here now as well."
The noble waits for any healing needed to be given before nodding toward the double doors. "I'm keeping my sword out in case these sleeping guards are not as craven as suggested, but it's probably best we free the ones we came for and be off before any more attention is called to us."
"What kind of idiot would die for a pile of salt and a closet full of sellswords? You can have your honor, lordling. We'll see how much comfort it gives when it's *you* on the ground holding your guts in place." he says, wincing as he slowly rises to his feet and edges towards the door.
"Risking your neck for a few gold pieces is foolish enough; doing it for some god or king or whatever you're here for is lunacy. Good luck, you maniacs..." he says, dragging himself towards the door, leaving a trail of blood behind him.
"Well, that was very exciting," says Corian. He busies himself with healing.
"Kossrani was so painfully obvious about hiding prisoners. I wonder why the Thrunes are so clumsy. He was chosen for his killing ability, I suppose...certainly nearly worked on me. Well, let's liberate some people, shall we?" Corian looks at his robes, wondering if they'll ever be clean again.
Valleria accepts the first wave of healing energy but pushes the want before the second charge is spent. "One is enough for me... my body needs to remember about some bruises, otherwise I'd become too soft!"
With her shield and sword readied, she moves towards the double doors. "Let's keep moving then..."
Wilhelm takes the moments while everyone else is being healed to use prestidigitation to clean off his spear and his banner. When everyone is ready to move, he'll take the lead with the keys handy, following the directions to the back where the thug said the prisoners were. He stays quiet, not having much to say. The reminder that this is still a functioning business has him feeling rather weird, and he's concerned for the effect that their sudden barging in and liberating might have on the innocent folks who were just trying to scrape out a living in this hell. He hopes that whoever takes over the business next, if anyone even does, will be better. Unfortunately, these days in Kintargo things don't seem to be getting better for anybody.
After getting healed, Morrigan moves towards the rear door. "We should hurry. We don't know what kind of condition the prisoners are in."
"Thank you, Corian," Voreni says in response to the magical healing. He frowns at the tears in his clothing and scuffed armor, but is otherwise glad for his black attire. His mentor often told him that blood would not show on black fabric the way it would with other colors. Not to mention how easy it is to blend into shadows.
"Beyond their condition, others may have heard the conflict and went to fetch the dottari. We need to move quickly and try and cover our tracks as much as possible."
Valleria notices a small lockbox in the front office area, before she reaches the door. It is easily opened using one of the keys on Kossrani's keychain, and contains 67gp and 423sp.
Moving into the back area, you find yourselves in a storage area littered with barrels of salt. There are two doors immediately to your right; the first is uncomfortably warm to the touch, while the second is not. Following the directions of the surviving mercenary, you open the second door to find six men shackled in a room that looks like it was originally someone's office. All six appear dehydrated, and the room itself is dry and quite warm, presumably due to whatever is in the room next door.
Wilhelm immediately moves forward and starts trying to unlock the manacles on the prisoners with the keys he took from Kossrani.
"Hang in there, we're here to get you out," he assures them.
While Wilhelm works on the manacles, Valleria moves back to the double doors to keep watch, sword and shield readied. "Is there any backdoor? I'm counting that we'll be able to leave from where we came but it is never a bad idea to have a plan B." She orders to no one in particular
"My name is Corian," the false priest says to the nearest and most lucid prisoner of the bunch. "Do you know what they were planning to do to you?"
"I agree, Valleria, I don't think we're out of danger yet, and we have wounded noncombatants to attend to." Corian turns to look at the readied former Gray Maiden.
The healthiest man in the bunch looks to be in his late 20's; his features are clearly Chelaxian, and he has a bushy moustache that has grown is growing into a rough, scraggly beard.
"I'm glad to say that we won't have to find out." he replies to Corian with a weak smile. "My name is Forvian Crowe, and you have my gratitude. I will tell everyone I know of what you've done for us."
Elsewhere, a brief exploration of the area reveals a back door that leads to a work yard enclosed by a gated fence, and a small building.
"You don't even know who we are yet!" Says Ignati smiling. "In any case, we can save the introductions for later, are you well enough to walk on your own?" He looks over each of the prisoners. "We really shouldn't linger longer than we must, it won't be long until someone comes to investigate the sounds of battle."
"Aye, get them out, come back later...or never...or burn this place down. Say, that's not a bad one. Forvian and the rest would be assumed to be dead. And that salty mine thing did seem to be rather hot..."
Wilhelm assists in getting them all to their feet after he unlocks them.
"I'm... not fully in support of burning the place down," he says, hesitantly. "I understand the reasoning, mind, and if this place were nothing but Thrune loyalist thugs I don't think I'd have a problem with it. I just worry for the folks whose living we'd be destroying. It's just one salt works, sure, but they all add up and it would be preferable to still have a functioning city to liberate when we're through." He blows out some air having gotten that off his chest. "I'm not going to make any ultimatums about it, though, and if everyone agrees that's the best course of action I'll go along with it. I just wanted to have my objection on record, as it were. I think our mission is accomplished here, either way."
"I also disagree with that notion." Ignati says, nodding to Wilhelm. "Salt is one of Kintargo's major exports and the Salt Works are one of the oldest in the business. The conditions here are poor, but I do not think the people would react kindly to destroying the building."
"Let's just get out of here. Should we take the mercenaries to an inn or somewhere to talk with them? I don't think we should bring them to our hideout without knowing more about them."