Korvosa Unchained - CotCT playtesting new rules (Inactive)

Game Master Darkness Rising

Inside The Eel's end
Lorick takes the events of the 'interview' with a stony expression and a tightly closed mouth. The only way to deal with Lamm and not get fed to his pet was either as an enthusiastic bootlick or with silent subservience. When the fencer goes way off both scripts with a speech he raises an eyebrow but holds his demeanor. He had enough of his own problems without getting involved in this unexpected drama.

Outside The Eel's end

Lorick crouches down onto the balls of his feet to consider the shivering woman.

Now, either your mouth gets you into trouble on a regular basis or you're doing a damn fine job of getting yourself in as a trustworthy seeming mole in a new crew he says in a conversational manner. Don't suppose it makes much of a difference fer now. he offers her a (large) hand up. Name's Lorick

Getting up he looks at the rest. Not used to working in any sort of group. But I figure we're moving up in the world and getting jobs that can't be done by just one. Seems like we should know what the hell the others can do if we're going to have any hope of not being dead by the end of the night. Me. I'm good at taking a punch and hitting back. What about the rest of you lot?

"Weeell," the half-elven rogue remarks with a smile, "I do not know about moving up in the world, but this is the first time our esteemed boss has teamed me up with someone else. And as far as I can tell, the same goes for most of you."

"My name is Vaenathis," he introduces himself, giving his elven name first, "but more than a few call me Vaen. Shorter and easier to remember, I suppose."

He gives Lorick's next question some thought before answering. "I, on the other hand, prefer to avoid being hit frankly. Agility, stealth, getting into and out of places where I do not belong, that is my area of expertise, so to speak." He then adds, as if remembering it at the last minute, "Oh, and I suppose I am not too shabby with a sword?"

"Huh, going up?" Gehenna remarks with an uneasy grin at the idea of associations with Lamm leading anywhere "upwards." "I just hope this isn't some elaborate scheme to get rid of us."

As for introductions, "Gehenna," she mumbles. "My name. I know it isn't very pretty, but I wasn't the one who picked it."

Lamm did she thinks bitterly, but she wasn't about to tell anyone that.

"I can work magic... a bit," she says following up on Lorick's second question. "I wasn't sure what to expect, so I prepared a bit of healing and defense. I don't like being hit but, I'm not too bad at 'restraining' folks when they need to be. Also, my head isn't too bad with a lot of... uh, stuffier knowledge. Natural things too."

Having said her piece she clams up and idly looks out over the river, the gourmand bobbing quietly in the water just beneath the dock.

The sun, suddenly blocked out by a large shape with a large head, can only be the Jaw. "trustworthy seeming mole in a new crew" - he's no friend of Lamm's then! Taking his hand, Juliet marvels at just how big a paw the guy has - it completely envelopes hers - and then she's up on her feet, more hoisted through the air than standing on her own volition.

The singer's stomach lurches, and inspiration strikes her again - hopefully this time, with better results. She staggers into the Jaw - Lorick - and grabs his arm for support, while using her other hand to pull the hood of her cloak around her face. "Just got a mouth on me, I'm afraid. Help me away from my breakfast, please."

Time to put my card on the table. Leaning into Lorick, confident that the hood of her cloak will muffle her words from any onlookers, Juliet whispers, "I think you got a Harrow card recently, turned up in strange place. I did too."

---------

Juliet nods to the half-elf. She was right about Lorick and Vaen, but the women were harder to peg. The older one was a wizard of some sort, apparently, and that suited Juliet just fine - better to have those types on your side than not. Smiling at the tall, gaunt girl - Gehenna, gods, what a name - Juliet speaks softly. "Juliet isn't my given name. I just chose it one day. You can take a different name too."

"Me, my value to Lamm is that I can go places he can't - and never will be able to, because of birth. I can talk a bit," - a visible shudder overcomes Juliet at this point - "Well, it usually goes better than it did in there."

Pausing for a second, Juliet draws back her cloak, revealing her blade, Spite. "And when it doesn't, I'm handy in a fight."

"Juliet isn't my given name. I just chose it one day. You can take a different name too."

Gehenna laughs at this, one of her quiet husky laughs that had a way of putting others at unease. She'd always heard that laughing was a healthy thing, but maybe not.

Still, Take a different name? she thinks. May as well declare rebellion at that point. Throw myself in the pit, too.

"New friends, huh?" she says as her soft laughter trails off. Thinking of the card, something else occurs to Gehenna. Absentmindedly, she comments aloud,

"I wonder if it's just the competition that Lamm's after. He didn't mention any jewels..."

Juliet's about to ask Gehenna why she's laughing when the woman, obviously touched the poor thing, mentions competition and jewels. Her too? Could it be that everyone Lamm picked for this job got a card? If so, Lamm's got a powerful enemy - one that can keep tabs on each of us, and pull strings - even Lamm's - to put us together.

Looking around, Juliet sighs and wrapping her cloak around herself, reaches down her pants. Eh, cards on the table. Pulling the card from her leggings, Juliet moves towards everyone else, holding the Harrow card at waste level, easy for the group to see, but hopefully hidden from any bystanders. "Evelyn had one below decks. I'm pretty sure at this point everyone else does too. I got mine this morning."

Puppetmasters. F~@@ me.

Lorick snorts. Let's talk more later. Meet in front of the new cook's place half hour before it opens? Let's see what we can find out before then

Before the meeting time

Lorick makes his way home with a rumbling stomach. Lunch time. Perfect timing. On his way home he takes a small detour to a small and sad crumbling little temple close to the dock and studies it a while before flipping a copper into the collection plate. A daily habit. Most of the time he dug out a tarnished piece but every once in a while the plate got lucky enough to receive a shiny and bright new one. Then he made his way to a tiny little hovel that served a plain and adequate fish stew. Lorick was a creature of habit.

Of course the shiny copper piece had another purpose. It signalled to his Captain contact that he wanted to meet while he enjoyed his stew.

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JULIET
__________________

Your apartment is empty when you return - empty of Tybalt, and empty of what little food remained in your cupboards. Your elf brother also failed to lock the door when he left, although it doesn't appear that anyone has taken advantage of this lapse. A note - the paper torn from one of your few books - is visible on the breakfast table, held in place with a knife: Thanks Jules - remember: high/laid. SOON. Also, basement.

__________________
LORICK
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As you enjoy your meal, someone slides into the chair opposite you. You don't recognise him, but he has the copper piece you left at the temple. The man is Varisian, clean shaven, with a mop of brown hair that resists his efforts to keep it tidy. He is dressed in nondescript clothing, but he flashes his badge of the Korvosan Guard, surreptitiously. "Captain Somelen can't make it, sends apologies. I'm his Sergeant. Grau Soldado. Good to meet you. What news have you got?" His words are crisp, clear, even when whispered; his gaze is sharp. It's entirely believable that he is who is says he is.

__________________
EVERYONE
__________________

As planned, you arrive half an hour before the appointed time, taking up residence discreetly in one of the neighbouring abandoned warehouses. The street is more or less empty, apart from the occasional wandering vagrant or pack of dockworkers hurrying to and from who-knows-where.

As 7 o clock approaches, however, the nature of the passersby changes; a small group begins to loiter surreptitiously in front of your target building, waiting. They don't converse with one another: their gaze is fixed on the front doors.

Map of the outside of the fishery

That's not the deal and both of you should know it Lorick mumbles through his stew Luckily I'm doing you lot a favor. Some flash new cook from Absalom is muscling into Lamm's territory and a nasty war is brewing. They ain't exactly fighting over the fish stew supply yeah? You help me with whatever info you got on this new player and I can make sure things gets resolved quietly. Tell me everything you know of the 'shop' in Midland off of Warehouse Way.

__________________
LORICK
__________________

Sergeant Soldado shrugs easily; "Like I said, Captain sends apologies. Lot going on right now."

He listens carefully. "Anyone starting a war with Lamm is on the losing side already. Pays his vice taxes, we got nothing on his drug activities, nobody says anything." He shakes his head. "Got to give the man his due, he does it well, keeps things clean."

He thinks carefully. "Don't know much about the new guy, alchemist from Absalom, we think. Calls himself "the Principal" apparently, no one knows why. Left a trail of bodies back in his old city when they forced him out - very good with a bomb, very good with alchemist's fire. Hasn't been here long, though, hasn't been clever with making friends. Far as we know, he's paying protection to a Sczarni gang, with a couple of half-orcs as extra muscle plus whatever of his crew came with him from Absalom. We're pretty sure the half-orcs are the Bonekrak Brothers - their trail went cold soon as he turned up."

Sergeant Soldado looks at you closely. "Did Lamm order a hit on this guy? That's a criminal offence - we could definitely act on that. Vice taxes or not. Captain would love to have something that solid to take to the magistrate. Care to turn King's Evidence?"

Lorick finishes his meal wordlessly and stands up giving Soldado a withering stare and a shake of his head before striding home through the rain to take a short nap. Waking up in plenty of time he goes through some breathing exercises and makes sure his little room is clean and orderly before heading to the meeting point.

One of Miyoto's sayings flash though his head.

Life is a river. Endless water. Strong current. Only a fool would try to fight a river. But with enough strength and wisdom perhaps you can learn to use the current to go where you need to go.

Soldado was right. A lot was going on right now. Maybe... Just maybe...Lorick could use the changing times to finally stop drowning and start swimming.

At the meeting point Lorick turns to the others. Anybody find out anything about what's in there?

Evelyn shakes her head. "The entrances on the ground are all fitted with thick doors and fancy locks. We could try and force our way through but it would be slow going. Perhaps someone could climb through a window or something on the second story and unlock a door from the inside?"

TOILDAY, 13 GOZRAN 4715 A.R.

Evening

At the stroke of 7 o clock (or near enough), the front doors open. The small crowd that had gathered rushes forward, to be met by two swarthy individuals sporting typically Sczarni garb (although the exact gang colours are unfamiliar, which suggests they're a small crew). The two Sczarni (one man, one woman) take a place either side of the front door; they're visibly armed, but their hands are free.

They check each individual briefly, before allowing them inside.

Around 6:30

Word is the fool we're after in there calls himself 'The Principal'. Alchemist. Bomb Thrower. Protection is mostly some local Sczarni gang and a set o twin half-orc bruisers named the Bonekrak Brothers. Maybe some others from Absalom. Now I figure you lot don't know about the Bonekraks. They're low rent thugs just smart enough to know when to run away. If they get it through their thick skulls that the guy they're protecting is going up against Lamm the King of Spiders then they should scarper, maybe even turn on head teach.

Lorick relays all the information he has on their target to the rest.

They look at me and they may recognize me as coming from Lamm. Maybe the rest of you can just walk up to the two up there posing as junkies and then take care of them quietly and we just walk in. Quiet enough and the folks inside might not even know anything's wrong. Lorick smirks at Juliet May not be much of an act for some, yeah?

APARTMENT

Juliet removes the knife from the table and puzzles over the note. The food being gone, the book - The Duty of a Citizen, by the great Andoran Geoff Worthington, a book she's always intended to read - used as scratch paper, none of that much phased Juliet when it came to Tybalt. Hells, she'd half expected to come home to smoldering ruins where the tenement stood. But why'd her brother always have to so damned cryptic?

Basement? Does this building even have a basement? A question she never needed to ask, let alone know the answer to, and now thanks to Ty, one she'd have to answer.

But first, a quick change of clothes. Brown top on black pants, both a little worn. She is going into a drug den, after all. No point in looking fancy. As an almost afterthought, Juliet grabs a purple sash, and using a small hand mirror and the knife Ty left in the table, cuts two eyeholes in the sash. Then she wraps the sash around her waist, using it as a makeshift belt.

FISHERY

Juliet watches the suckers lined up in front of the fishery, keeping an eye out for her brother. She could do without the Jaw's snear, but the legbreaker has a point. "Its easy enough to pull of, looking like a junkie. Smear some s+$+ and dirt on ourselves. Walk unsteady. We'll get close enough to put them in Pharasma's Book. You can even get close, Lorick - take my cloak, use the hood to cover your face. The fact that it will be comically undersized will only add to the effect - junkies wear what's available. I'll walk with you, my blade hidden behind your ridiculously large back."

"I could wrap my cloak around me, concealing both my clothes and armor, and pull the hood up, which would serve to hide most of my face," Vaen remarks as plans are discussed. "Walking a little hunched over, maybe adding a bit of a limp, and I am thinking there will be no need for... ahem, dirt and such. After all, all we need to do is to just get close enough to... deal with them."

Seeing Juliet and Lorick eye his sword, he smiles. "I would leave it here, with one of the others, of course. I do not necessarily need it for those two, at least if I am not alone."

"Or I could simply wait here with Gehenna and Evelyn and rush them if you seem to need the help to finish them quickly," he says with a shrug. It appears that it makes little to no difference to him.

"Oh," he then adds with a wink, almost as an afterthought, "and we should at some point talk about that game of cards Lorick seemed so interested in. Between us all, we may find ourselves with enough to play."

Loricks nods at Juliet. Don't need a weapon so won't have a problem with the body search. Not exactly an actor though.

To Vaenathis We get out of this alive then we can talk more about that

"Indeed," Vaenathis agrees before proceeding to remove his sword and scabbard and leave it with the other two women for safekeeping.

Then, doing as he said, he pulls his hood up over his head and part of his face, covering his silver hair and violet eyes, and wraps himself in his cloak, making it seem is if he is feeling cold, even shivering for that matter. After he is satisfied with the charade, he starts making his way towards the two guards, walking a little hunched over, making it even more difficult to discern his features, and adding a bit of a limp for good measure.

It seems to work well enough, as he does manage to approach them. Getting ready for them to search him, he does not give them the time or the opportunity to do so. There is a flick of his right wrist and a dagger appears in his hand, a dagger which almost immediately is moving towards the stomach of one of the two Sczarni blade first.

Juliet hands her cloak to Lorick and then reaches down and grabs a handful of mud from the street, and wipes it on her pants, especially taking care to smear a large bit of it on her backside, giving the appearance that she is covered in her own filth. Ruffling her hair, the singer takes off her sash-belt and uses it as a headband, holding her hair back and out of her eyes. Wiping a bit of dirt under her eyes and down her face, Juliet approaches with the others, leaning into Lorick, Spite held behind the Jaw's back, speaking absently and slurred about nothing of consequence, the meanderings of an addict.

"T'were a blue griffon I tells ya, belched smoke as it turned circles in tha air, were the most beautiful thing I ever seen..."

Once they're close to the guards, Juliet swings her rapier out from behind Lorick and towards the guard that Vaen swung at, aiming with a thrust for the man's throat...

Cloak tight over his head Lorick feels a bit uncomfortable with Juliet leaning into him. His fists flash at the man's face, but they seem off balance.

Surprise Round

Evelyn rolls her eyes. She would have preferred a stealthier entrance, avoiding the guards altogether, but she would have to settle for an ambush.

While Lorick and Juliet approach the doors Evelyn hangs back. Once weapons start to fly she casually adds her own arts into the scuffle, weaving an arcane sigil over one of the unfortunate guards.

Gehenna moves forward cautiously once violence ensues. Anxious, but just a little bit curious about her associate's abilities, she does her best to peek around their bodies to get a better look at what is befalling the guards.

However, Gehenna herself does not make an attack. The escalation towards violence was quick, quicker than she expected. But these are Lamm's sort of people she thinks. Not yet wanting to place blood on her hands, she hesitates.

Sorry guys, still no map, so we're using theatre of the mind until I get to my desktop this evening...

Surprise Round

Juliet, Lorick and Vaenathis approach the two Sczarni standing guard outside the warehouse; they watch unsuspecting, until Vaenathis stabs one of them, while Juliet's rapier takes her in the throat; she goes down without a sound, slowly bleeding out.

Evelyn's spell coats the remaining guard in glue; he looks on in disbelief, until Lorick's fist connects with his skull, convincing him that yes, this is really happening...

Lorick's fist flash twice at the flabbergasted guard. The first misses but the second lands clean. Pushing his momentum Lorick bring his large forehead down on the unfortunate man in a vicious headbutt that breaks his nose.

The unfortunate guard collapses like a puppet whose strings have been cut, landing unconscious in a heap by Lorick's feet.

You have managed to dispose of both guards without the alarm being raised.

Lorick grabs a hold of both the unconscious man and the dead woman and drags them easily underneath the raised slats of the fishery and hides them. Hopefully long enough for them to be done with their business inside. After quickly patting them down to see if there is anything useful on them he comes back to the front. Well, let's see what we've got inside

"That went smoothly," Vaenathis notes as he wipes his dagger clean of blood on the dead guard's clothes before returning it to his wrist sheath. There is the faint sound of gears moving and springing into place as he does so.

Signaling to Gehenna and Evelyn to join them, he retrieves his curved sword from them and returns it to its place across his back. "Thank you," he says politely enough. "Now, as the good man just said, shall we?"

Juliet stands, wordless, staring down at the woman at her feet. One quick motion, a flick of the wrist really, and the blade went exactly where Juliet had wanted it to go. The woman never made a sound at all - just collapsed to the ground, her life bleeding out the puncture in her neck. Perhaps she would have surrendered, had you offered?

All the bluster, all the fights, the duels, even when they were bloody - Juliet had never taken a life before, and now that she had, in service of Gaedren F*!@ing Lamm, the nausea came on again, roiling, threatening to make Juliet collapse next to her victim.

Taking her cloak back from Lorick, Juliet watches as the Jaw drags the woman away, blood slick and pooled on the ground. Pulling the sash down from her head, Juliet aligns the eyeholes and turns it from a headband to a mask, and then flips the hood of her cloak up around her.

"I'm somewhat a public persona..." she says, almost absently, to no one in particular.

Stop it! Get yourself together! the singer thinks. Better her than you! Still, she can't quite bring herself to believe it this time...

MAP LINK

With the two guards disposed of, the double doors directly in front of you are easily opened. Alternatively, there is another set of double doors to the left (with another door beyond that, down a flight of stairs), or a door to your right. These are locked.

Evelyn dismisses her spell so that Lorick can move the two guards unhindered. She is unfazed by the sudden display of violence. This was by far the worst thing she had yet to experience under Lamm's yoke.

At Vaenathis' signal she moves towards the entrance. As she passes Juliet she makes note of the barely contained guilt emanating from the woman. "I take it you haven't been doing this long?" she says calmly. A cruel jab, to be sure, but thick skin was necessary if they were to survive. A lesson she had already learned the hard way.

Without waiting for a response she takes the final few steps to the front entrance. With Lorick and Vaenathis already there Evelyn was surprised that the two men had not already gone inside. "Surely you know that it is impolite to keep a lady waiting?" she chides "Unless you two brutes mean to make me open it myself."

As she speaks she begins to draw strange components out of a pouch on her belt, preparing a ritual of some kind. "No matter. I can busy myself until my family arrives."

Lamm has a way of turning people into killers Lorick says with a frown Or into dead people of course his hands and are caked with mud from washing the blood off in the dirty water under the raised platform the drug den was built on. He wipes it on his vest Looking more like a shivhead every second. I say we act like the guards let us in and keep the act up as long as we can. Then he turns to look at Evelyn Family? he asks.

Evelyn pauses her work for a moment to consider the question. "Well, extended family I suppose. Did I not mention them before? It must have slipped my mind..." she returns to drawing a small circle on the cobblestone with chalk. "They'll be popping in at some point depending on how things go inside. Right now I'm calling someone very special so, please, be mindful of your words. Most have an...affliction of sorts. It's best not to dwell on it, they are well aware." a faint symbol begins to glow on her forehead as the ritual proceeds.

Juliet snaps back to it when Evelyn passes. "I, no. No I haven't been doing this long." Then the kid's muttering something about family, drawing circles on the ground, and in general being all kinds of creepy, glowing forehead and all. Gods, kid, you're terrifying.

"Uh, yeah, good idea Lorick. Something tells me our ruse will be up when the kid's family shows up. Let's get in there and see what we're looking at." Pulling her makeshift mask up around her forehead again, Juliet casts a backwards glance at Evelyn and opens the front door, Spite hidden under her cloak.

A bit like boiling pitch, if it were made out of thousands of fly-like motes of utter blackness. It spills out from the neck-wound on the woman's corpse and ebbs steadily outward for a few feet before dissipating entirely. The sight of it, animate despite its seeming viscosity, repulses Gehenna; but it also causes great waves of melancholy to come over her. The visual representation of a concept -loss- as processed by her maligned eyes. That wasn't all, either. If Gehenna stared too long, it seemed as if some of those black motes would lance out at her suddenly in an attempt to burrow into her eyes and rob the light from them.

Well, it stings at the very least she thinks, one eye wincing in response to the aforementioned phenomenon.

Thankfully, Lorick quickly removes the bodies from sight so that the evening's activities can resume. It was a terrible thing to get that kind of death on you, but she supposed she wouldn't have much choice going forward. It stained for a time, but would eventually come out. Mostly.

Blinking away the memory, Gehenna listens in on the discussion and watches with curiosity as Evelyn begins a summoning ritual. Typically she kept her eyes off of Evelyn (that one was stained, through and through), but her scholarly interest is peeked by the the flow of power that the girl has established.

"It looks... a little bit different than a typical ritual of this sort," she says a respectful distance away from the caster.

She watches a few moments before overhearing Juliet's intention to enter the fishery.

"Going in?" she asks with some reluctance. "I... I can join you. I don't really need a disguise. Most people don't question why someone like me might be looking for... distraction. For whatever reason."

Gehenna fidgets a bit as she speaks and one eye seems to be twitching, as if agitated.

"It may very well be that the time for disguises has passed," Vaen counters with a pointed look towards Evelyn and her ritual, "especially considering whatever it is she is about to invite to our little party." He shrugs, adjusting his sword so as to have it hidden by his cloak as much as possible. "But we could give it a try, I suppose. Only this time I think I will be keeping my weapon. I have a feeling I will be needing it, and probably sooner rather than later."

As he talks, he looks from one of his new companions -perhaps even friends, if the card and the voice were any indication- to the next. 'What a colorful group of people,' he thinks. 'Unsure, creeepy, solid, fresh. Oh, and me. Well, at least this should make for some interesting, if not fun, times.' His lips form half a smile then. 'At least provided we live long enough.'

At the very least the rest of us can get into some sort of position before we scare all the 'customers' away and start acting like bulls in a china shop. Lorick stands near the door and gets ready to enter. I'll go in first. All of you with weapons you want to hide can follow close behind Lorick smears some mud on his face, especially on his scar.

Taking a deep breath he prepares to open the door and walk inside.

As Evelyn starts her long ritual, Lorick and the others carefully open the door and walk inside.

MAP LINK

The interior of the shack has undergone major reconstruction/demolition: the interior walls have been more or less pulled down (except for a few structural pillars), giving a view of the entire room. Holes in the floor give access to the filthy water below.

In the far corner, a group of humans, an elf and a gnome appear to be sleeping off the effects of whatever it is they've taken; the elf and humans are lying on mattresses; the gnome is sitting - or slumping - cross-legged, with his/her back to you.

In the other corner, two identical half-orcs are playing dice. They look up briefly as you enter and then go back to their game.

The open-plan nature of the room means that the stairs up and the walkway form a natural parapet, giving a commanding view. Two Sczarni armed with crossbows are leaning against the bannister, but they look up alertly when you enter.

Of more immediate interest is the table directly in front of you, where two Sczarni (one well-dressed and slightly flabby, the other lean and spare-looking) are playing cards. The well-dressed one looks alarmed and jumps to his feet as you enter, calling out in Varisian.

He looks at you, eyes narrowed, and draws twin short swords from their sheaths. His companion draws two daggers. Violence looks imminent.

Lorick grits his teeth. It had started so well but something had gone wrong. Things had devolved back to the familiar cacophony of blood and pain. The man with the ridiculous mustache is right next to him and Lorick does what came naturally and lashes out with a flurry roaring as he does.

YOU FOOLS. DID YOU REALLY THINK YOU COULD GO AGAINST LAMM, THE KING OF SPIDERS AND LIVE? RUN IF YOU DON'T WANT TO DIE TODAY

The man winces as Lorick's first hit strikes him, but the others miss. "Lamm?! Ha - if you're the best he's got, he should stay on that rotting ship of his! I am going to cut you up so bad your mother wouldn't recognise you..."

With their attempt at deception coming to an end as soon as they enter, Vaenathis quickly draws his curved sword and moves over the table and into what he considers to be a more advantageous position to both engage the enemy and allow the others to enter the fight as well. Unfortunately, his first swing hits nothing but air, a fact that slightly frustrates him but hardly serves to deter or discourage him.

Juliet gets caught standing as Lorick unloads on the man in front of him, all sound and fury, as Vaen slides across the table and behind the mustache. Quick. They're quick.

Springing into action, Juliet steps up and aims for mustache's temple, and then swings her blade left, trying to draw it across Guant's face.

The words come out unbidden, in her mother tongue. "Numele prietenilor dvs. har cartea Pharasma lui. Du-te acasă, sărut nevestele voastre. Trăi!"

Oh my Gehenna thinks taking in the number of hostiles. This was going to get quite a bit more busy than the encounters she was used to (Lamm typically made it personal. For her and the victim).

She reaches into her spell component pouch and easily finds the small strip of leather she'd placed there this morning. Running her fingers over it, as if exploring its texture thoroughly, she says a single word under her breath, "Imploratus..."

Very little appears to happen in the aftermath, except that the strip of leather burns away in a small burst of blueish flame, and then the air around Gehenna shimmers slightly before returning to normal.

Letting her hands fall to her side, Gehenna musters her courage and then moves with surprising quickness, flaking around Juliet and the non-mustachioed thug to circle around behind him and stand next to Vaenathis. As she does so, the color seems to drain out of her hair, bleaching to a stark white. Strands of nearly imperceptible silver flash against torchlight in the space surrounding the witch. Hoping for the best, Gehenna focuses her attention on the thug.

Willing it through an act of mental dexterity and precision, strands of her ghostly, and far-too-long, hair coalesce and lance out at the thug. Jittery, her concentration falters, but Gehenna hopes that it will be enough. If the strike lands, the strands of hair will react in accordance to her will and envelop the man, restraining his actions. Making him easier prey.

Both of Juliet's attacks hit, but it is her words that cause the most pain. The leader cries out at her, the tone of rage and anguish needing no translation.

He lashes out in blind fury at Juliet with his twin short swords, but his emotions get the better of him and his accuracy is lacking.

Gehenna's hair fails to bind properly to the other guard; he looks nervous and steps away, stabbing at both her and Vaenathis. His nerves betray him, however, and he misses with all his attacks.

The two half-orc twins in the corner tut slightly, shake their heads, and return to their dice game.

The two crossbow-armed Sczarni on the walkway open fire with their crossbows, targeting you indiscriminately, but their aim is hindered by the melee they are firing into. Only Gehenna and Lorick are struck by bolts.

No time for guilt or sadness or joy. Just reflexes, like she's drilled and fought and drilled for, years in the making. The sword's blade headed towards Juliet's heart. Her blade up, Juliet knocks the man's attack aside and brings Spite back towards his head, but the parry throws Juliet off balance and her attack goes harmlessly by the man's ear.

Balls!

Barely noticing the crossbow sticking from his shoulder Lorick continues swinging at the man in front of him. Only one blow landing.

Miyoto would have a fit if he saw this

Lorick's fist is enough to send the leader crashing to the ground; one less for the rest of you to worry about.

"You do seem to have a way with words, Juliet," Vaen teases as he attacks the guard in front of him once, twice, thrice. Still, despite the speed of his slashes, his accuracy leaves something to be desired.

"Tsk... And I should focus more on the fight rather than the banter, it appears." Despite his witty remarks, the half-elf begins to feel more than a little annoyed at his lack of either skill or luck.

Dimly, Gehenna feels piercing pain from her side, but she ignores it. Lamm had made sure that she was inured somewhat to physical pain.

Instead, strands of hair form into a silvery spike and strike out at the guard once more.

As if the pain were a focus, this time Gehenna's strike lands true and the hair-spike slams into the guard and then immediately erupts into a myriad of strands which entangle the guard. Thoroughly restrained, multiple hair-forged blades materialize from the mass of lazily floating strands and stab viciously at the immobile guard.

Mustache's sword bites into Juliet's stomach, causing the singer to scream, pain briefly pushing through the adrenaline. Vaen's saying something from the other side of the thug when Lorick's fist lands flat into Mustache's face crumpling him to the floor, and then the Jaw's off, towards the stairs.

Turning to the other thug, Juliet intends to stab him when - gods damn - he's covered in hair, white, crawling, grasping hair, the poor Chel yelling in pain and fear.

Looking to the steps - Jaw's at the steps. No go. Up.

Casting a quick glance at Vaen, Juliet yells, her voice high with adrenaline, "Up! I'm chinnying up!" and then she's off, over Mustache's unconscious body, sprinting past the hair-covered guard, through the wall studs and then hopping onto the nearest table, Juliet steps onto the back of the chair and as the chair tips over Juliet uses her momentum to launch herself at the catwalk above her, her free hand just clutching onto the lip. Juliet's body swings forward and then back, and the singer swings the basket hilt of her blade up to the catwalk and tries to use her momentum to carry her over the edge and up next to the guard...

It takes all of Gehenna's attention, but the guard dies, terrified and gasping for breath.

Lorick moves over toward the stairs at the back of the room

Juliet sprints and leaps athletically, landing herself on the balcony with grace and aplomb. The two half-orcs briefly break off from their dice game to applaud her antics appreciatively.

The crossbowman next to her steps back, and fires at her, then reloads; his companion also fires at her. Only one of the bolts hits, partially grazing her scalp.

Round 4 is GO! Everyone is up

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