Noticing Min's intention, Evalina drew another arrow and quickly sent it flying towards Mr. Blackwell. This time she was sure it would hit him and probably knock him down since he was already pretty injured.
"I'm becoming quite famous for my tracking ability, miss Hamza... I'd advise you against fleeing."
The half-orc breathed a little easier as Nsizi provided healing. Zeljka then growled at Hamsa, "The temple holds lizardfolk bent on destroying Pridon's Hearth with these unnatural storms. Are you so blinded by greed that you assume everyone's motivations are the same as yours?"
tag Hamsa
Nsizi was feeling not at all comfortable with his companions continuing to attack a man who was asking for parlay. Whispering to the spirits, he said, "Guide my words."
Putting his morningstar back on his neswambi, he held up his hands and said, "Please, let us all stop for a moment. There has been no honest talk among us yet, but this can now change."
Turning to their two remaining opponents, he continued, "It is as my companions say. We have no knowledge of or interest in your artifacts. We are trying to stop the storm. A storm that we believe your ex-guide has a hand in. We were told that the mjusi, the Lizardfolk who he is working with, are holed up at an old temple." He couldn't help glancing around quickly, wondering where they're new friend was.
Still holding his hands up in peace, he said, "If you are willing, we can work together. You are not prepared to take on an entire tribe of Lizardfolk. If you help us defeat their Swamp Speaker and dispel the storm, we will not interfere with you raiding the temple. Though I will not speak for the natives."
Zeljka's eyes narrowed. "You and Blackwell help us defeat the Swamp Speaker at the Temple to stop the storms affecting Pridon's Hearth and then you both leave Pridon's Hearth, never to return to the area. Those are my terms, I can't speak for the others."
"You for sure can't trust I won't hit you with another arrow... actually, call me by that word once more, and you might not even finish the phrase!" To emphasize that, Evalina drew another arrow and made aim at Mr. Blackwell.
To Nsizi and Zeljka, she continued. "I think you are being too soft... this is not a negotiation, this is a surrendering. There are only two of them and four of us... five if we consider Achahut. With me, Zeljka and Achahut, there is no possibility for them to flee from us, and fighting us would only result in their death."
"They are Consortium members... bandits in everything but in name, so I'm sorry but there is no way for me to align with them, even if I'm not against taking them as prisoners."
She then turns once more to Hamza and Mr. Blackwell. "Well, here are some more reasonable assessment of the situation and terms: You two are outnumbered, surrounded, and wounded. There is only one thing we need from you, which is the temple location that I'm not even sure you know..." She motions her head to Hamza. "... and you, Mr. Blackwell, actually has nothing to offer or bargain. Nothing."
"If you wish to surrender, we'll take your weapons, yours potions and poisons... everything but your clothes so we are a bit more sure about your behavior. Then you'll let us bind you. If you manage to bring us to the temple and we can save this town, we'll bring you back to Pridon's Hearth and not arrest you for good, which you should be glad, since you are currently being charged for treason for lying to the count and fomenting a conflict with the Song'o, assassination attempt against a cleric of Gozreh, aggression against those employed by the local government, and probably theft."
Meanwhile, Evalina remembered about the blue creature from before. Not wishing to let their enemies know that she knew about it, Evalina tried to think about it... perhaps contacting the creature since she had actually saved it. Hello? Blue friend? I have helped you as you asked... now I think we need your help. Can you hear me?
Hamsa put a hand on Mr. Blackwell's shoulder as he was about to burst out.
"We are not bandits but business people. You forget that you will never find the temple in time without my guidance. Sure you know its whereabouts but good luck in finding it before the g#+-d@$n storm swallows the colony."
She turned to Zelkja, "I like your terms but would add an even split of whatever valuables are found in te temple with us getting first pick."
Hamsa looked at Evalina, "You're not a murderer, are you?"
----------
I intend to recap later today.
Questions?
Game on!
Zeljka replied to Evalina, "If you have another way of finding the Temple and we don't need them then that's a different story. If they can help defeat the Swamp Speaker then I don't care who they are. If they double-cross us then they guarantee their deaths."
The half-orc glared at Hamsa. "I said I don't speak for the others. I also never mentioned you being able to take anything from the Temple. I said that you help us in exchange for your freedom, that's all. Or you can take your artifacts and be arrested by the sheriff and have to explain yourself to the Count."
Hamsa shook her, "I heard your terms and I did not agree to them which is why I added the 'artifact clause'."
She continued, "You need me to find the temple in time. I can also help you defeat the lizardmen but I need something for my troubles..."
Hamsa finished, "Which means that I like your last option, which is to take my artifacts and then deal with the colony residents."
She smiled, "Gee, I wonder how grateful they will be once they find out that we helped them defeat the lizardmen and save their colony from that b+@!* storm that's brewing."
Her grip on her sword led them to believe that she would sell her life dearly if it came to blows, like a the good business woman that she was.
"I undertook to return Ms. Gadd to Count Narsus," Min put in, "and won't agree with any plan that doesn't involve her returning to the colony to explain herself to him. Also I agree with Evalina in not trusting the pair of them to remain armed and fight alongside us. I've not heard of anyone making bargains with the Aspis Consortium that worked out well for them, and Ms. Gadd has done nothing but lie since she came to the colony. Why should we take her at her word now?"
The elemental approached Mr. Blackwell once more, swinging its fists, before collapsing back into inert soil.
"Oops," Min smiled. "Also, I like our odds more if we've only one prisoner to keep an eye on. If Ms. Gadd knows where the temple is, Mr. Blackwell's presence is unnecessary."
Hamsa looked at Evalina, "You're not a murderer, are you?"
Without moving her pointed arrow, she answered. "No, that would be you... unless you forgot you've sent a couple assassins after the cleric? Instead as someone who came from a military town, I believe that criminals and liars are not to be trusted... and you are as a business people as I'm a flamingo."
"Also, I'd rather fight the lizardmen alone than to trust you two with your weapons. Neither of you need them to guide us to the temple if we reach some terms."
The her companions, she continued. "Also, I believe I have an alternative... when I was following them, I've been contacted by a blue creature who talked directly to my mind. Hamza ordered the others to grab the creature, since it would 'help them to get to the temple'... If we could convince, and find such creature, perhaps we don't need to risk our lives with these scum."
Evalina smiled at Minercuria's comment. "I completely agree with you, Min. It is ridiculous for them to make such outrageous demands. Bandits and criminals should be treated accordingly."
OOC: so it looks like you don't want to deal with Hamsa/Blackwell and take your chances at finding the temple without their help. That's fine.
I'll let Nsizi chime in and then move this along.
Questions?
Game on!
Nsizi was very torn. He didn't trust either of their opponents, but neither did he want to murder them in cold blood.
Curious about this creature Evalina was talking about, he looked around the camp, hoping that it might provide a clue or answer.
Action 1 - Readied Action
Evalina did not waste a single second, and as soon as Hamza provoked her, she knew her intentions too well. Finally releasing her shot, she aimed at Mr. Blackwell chest. She could have hit Hamza, but Min would probably not be happy about it.
Yes, to continue with it is a free action. If you stop it and then start again then it's a standard action to activate.
Questions?
Game on!
Nsizi summoned the spirits to hide him from sight again, and hurried over behind Hamsa. He was horrified, but not surprised, when Evalina shot Blackwell. As the man staggered, he grabbed Hamsa, trying to grapple her into the mud.
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
, hit
, hit
Zeljka sprang into action as Blackwell and Hamas ganged up on Evalina. She may not have started this second round of fighting but she would finish it. Going after Blackwell who was closest, she brought her falchion down across his back.
Min quickly stepped back, clasping the magic pearl that will enable her to recall her magic missile spell. "Evalina, he's favoring his left side; hit him there!"
You can't have readied actions when combat is not engaged. If that were the case, then the opponents also had readied actions.
What I did was rolled initiatives and allowed Evalina to 'win' disregarding your actual roll.
Nsizi wasn't quite sure what had happened. He had been about to make a grab for Hamsa so they could bring her to the sheriff, and then they were fighting again. Evalina seemed to be somewhat unstable around these two, and from the looks of it, it was about to get her killed.
Running straight for Hamsa, Nsizi sprang at her, hoping to knock her down and out of the fight, at least temporarily.
The Bas'o raced across the muddy clearing, aiming for the smaller woman. At the last moment, a leaf swirled up from the ground and stuck to the side of his face, partially blinding him. Instead of crashing into Hamsa, he slid partially past her, barely knocking her off balance. At least the woman was now flanked by him and Evalina.
"You asked for it!" Evalina exclaimed as she drew another of her arrows while stepping aside, putting her in a position none of her opponents would be able to take advantage of her lack of protection while shooting.
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
Merry Christmas everyone!
"Evalina! Enough!" He moved to stand in front of Hamsa, so that he shielded the woman with his body.
Nsizi took Hamsa's hands and said, "Allow me to tie your hands. I'll speak for my companions good behaviour." He threw a look over his shoulder at the others, warning them against further violence.
Unwinding one of the straps from his neswambi, he firmly tied the woman's hands together.
"Now, do we take her back to the sheriff and the count? Or do we use her to guide us to the temple?" Personally, he wanted to bring her back to town and be rid of the responsibility of her. But they would lose several days doing that; days that the colony might not have.
"Of course... she had surrendered..." Evalina answered, a little intrigued about Nsizi's tone and implications. In her mind, she did nothing wrong. What is he talking about? If it wasn't for me and Min think about the situation, we would be walking towards a trap at this right moment!
Still with her hand on her longbow, Evalina grabbed one of her healing potions from her bandolier and uncorked it with some difficulty. After she drank it and felt the numbness if the healing potion wash over her, she continued.
"What we want from you?" Evalina smiled as Nsizi was tying Hamza up. "First, we want to know what happened with your first expedition... the real story this time. Then we want you to tell us everything you know about this lost temple and how to find it." Meanwhile, Evalina started to disarm the woman and remove all of her equipment, taking care to look for any hidden pouch.
"Nsizi, if you can, make sure Mr. Blackwell survives... there is no need for him to lose his life. I assure you I'll not attack Hamza if that is what you are fearing. Oh, but you don't need to heal him, just stop his bleeding." She then turned to Zeljka. "Zeljka, if you could, please take a look in Hamza's bindings, for I believe you are more experienced with knots."
Trying to once more reach the strange creature's mind, Evalina talked to it. It is truly safe now, you can come out. Those interested in harming you have finally been dealt with. We wish you no harm, just to talk.
---
"I believe we should try to deal with the temple first and then bring Hamza back to the count. Of our two missions, bringing her back has no time component, while stopping the crazed shaman and saving the town has a pretty clear one."
Nsizi nodded and moved to the dying man. With a touch of his hands he stabilized him, causing the worst of his bleeding to stop.
Action 1:
Zeljka nodded at Evalina and trussed Hamsa's upper body further so that only her legs were able to move. The half-orc didn't want to carry the woman but she also didn't want her to have use of her arms.
"Yeah, we figured that part..." Answered Evalina with little patience. "What I want to know is how it happened... what happened to the cleric that was seen following the lizardfolk?"
With the creature in plain sight of the others, Evalina tried to talk to the creature, hoping that the answer could be sent to all of them. "Thank you for trusting us... do you have a name? As I've said, we wish you no harm, just to talk."
She then pointed to Hamza and to the unconscious and dead man on the clearing before continuing. "These people tried to harm you, mentioning that you could help them to reach a temple nearby... is that true? Do you know how to reach it? We need to find the temple as well, even if with noble purposes." She made sure also say this with her mind, in case the creature wasn't able to understand spoken language.
---
"Why did you blame the Song'o for the ambush?" Min asked Hamsa curiously. "What had you to lose by impugning the colony's true enemy?"
As to their next step, Min pursed her lips doubtfully. "Our mission was to return Ms. Gadd to the Count. Bringing her with us while we search for the temple is hardly conducive to our own success and may put her in unnecessary danger as well. Then again, if we don't take this opportunity to locate the temple, we may not have another such chance to find it."
Nsizi stared at the blue creature with interest. "Hello, my friend," he tried in polyglot, as that was the language of the area, "I am Nsizi, of the Bas'o."
tag blue dude.
Action 1:
Zeljka looked at Hamsa disgustedly. "You endangered the Song'O with your lies because of greed? So how much is a whole tribe of Song'O worth these days?"
tag Hamsa
Action 2:
Zeljka would have just left Blackwell to succumb to his injuries but now they had to decide what to do with him. "We can't take him with us. Hamsa will be burden enough. We also can't leave him here. She's right. It would be better to kill him quickly." Even though Zeljka didn't like the idea, she saw it as their only option. It's not like he hadn't earned his fate. "I can do it. It will be fast."
tag everyone
Action 3:
Zeljka studied the creature, searching her memory for any pertinent information.
The half-orc was surprised when the voice suddenly sounded inside her head. "So Magdi is a prisoner of the lizardfolk? Are you a friend of his?"
tag blue salamander
Action 4:
Zeljka grunted her disagreement to Min's initial statement. "If we waste the time to take Hamsa back, there will be no Pridon's Hearth because it won't survive this storm. Stopping the Swamp Speaker from destroying the colony is my only objective. We'll just have to take her with us and secure her when we get to the Temple so she can't interfere."
tag everyone
Action 2
Nsizi offered an alternate option. "We could bring them to the Song'o. The halflings could watch them for us while we finish our task." He then looked around the rainy clearing, a little uncertain. "I believe we are not too far from them?"
tag
The half-orc had her doubts. The Song'o hadn't really wanted to get involved before. "If you think they're willing to get their hands dirty and guard these two then I'm all for it but are you prepared for the alternative if they aren't?"
You are somewhere SE of the Song'O hex, approx 4-6 hours to get to the village.
Questions?
Game on!
"The Song'o are a good idea, even if time consuming... if I'm correct, we are around 4 or 6 hours from them, and this means half a day until we get there and return here. There is also another option: we could ask Achahut to watch him, or even tie him on the higher branches of a big tree... not that I'm completely against Zeljka killing him, but I'd prefer him locked in a jail for his crimes... killing him is too easy." From her time in Ilsurian, Evalina came to believe that every action prompted a reaction according to the deed you've made... make good deeds and you'll be rewarded, make bad things and you'll get locked. Killing the man was like cheating his punishment.
Adding to Zeljka's questions, Evalina once more talked to the strange creature. "We are here to help, so if Magdi was taken prisoner, we'll help him as well. Can you lead us to the temple?" With this, she looked to Hamza, imagining that she might not needed anymore...
"I'm actually more concerned with timing... if I could be sure that we'd have enough time to return to Pridon's Hearth before all Hells break loose, I'd for sure go for it, since I'd prefer this snake locked than behind us..."
Nsizi said, "I believe the Song'o would be willing to help. Especially as doing so will help clear their name with the colony. If our new friend can lead us to the temple, then we would be safer leaving these two behind."
"Hm," Min sniffed. "Well, you should know that was the first thing that made us suspect you. If you'd simply blamed the lizardfolk, we might never have caught on to your hidden agenda."
"You know Magdi," Min replied to the telepathic creature. "Do you know Kanjo?"
"As far as that goes," she turns back to Hamsa, "what do you know of this lizard-thing? Why did you think it could help you find the temple?"
"We could bring them to the Song'o. The halflings could watch them for us while we finish our task." He then looked around the rainy clearing, a little uncertain. "I believe we are not too far from them?"
"I am loath to put the Song'o in any danger from these two," Min worried. "They've proven themselves to be untrustworthy. But I suppose we have little choice."
Nsizi shook his head, unworried. "The whole tribe, versus these two? I do not believe that there will be trouble. Bound and devoid of weapons, they will pose little threat to an angry tribe of warriors."