The bald shopkeep offers for you all to come inside and he tells Captain Trone to search his store and that he has nothing to hide. The captain look at you Rubin,
Help me search this owners place of business real quick, then we can be on our way.
A preliminary search of the shop yields nothing, until you guys get to the back room. There is a latch on the floor under a rug. The shopkeep tells you that it's a ladder that goes down to his mini-warehouse of medical supplies. And that you all are welcome to check it out and search it to satisfy yourselves.
Who goes down?
Kraull narrows his eyes at the hidden space under the rug, and climbs down to investigate without further prompting.
Ah..I think going all down ourselves is kinda risky considering the owner is still up and about. Perhaps he should come with us?
Don't worry guys, I'll stay on guard up here and watch your back.
Rubin will reluctantly climb down if his captain orders it.
Chef will head down, keepign a wary eye out.
"Yo, town guard guy! We're looking for criminal stuff down here, you should be here when we find it so they can't blame us for planting it or however it works." Kraull calls up when Rubin appears hesitant to come down the ladder.
|
The four of you, plus the shopkeep head down the ladder. The shopkeep looks at you as he leads you down a short hallway into a processing room.
This is where I make and store my supply of medicine. My medicine help people of this fair city. Please take a closer look if you like, you won't find anything illegal, I assure you.
Before you is a simple distilling station. It has a variety of liquids passing through its pipes, as you can hear the flow of it. It is encased as to protect it however. You see a couple work benches, and other basic tools for the craft.
Perception checks for Kraull, Rubin and Chef please. If you want to aid, please say so.
Hmmmm. Chef rubs his chin.
Kraull takes a long look around, but all the distilling equipment confuses his relatively simple brain, "Why you keep this place hidden, huh?"
Chef arches an eyebrow.
Chef, you get a funny feeling Taidus is hiding something. His hands are out in the open, he does appear to be hesitant as you walk the distillery room.
Uh-huh. Let us just let the fine officers examine the room, I am sure they will find all that is needed.
"Whaa? People leave their business stuff out all the time! You got locks dontcha?" Kraull snarls back, looking like he was just one more insult away from drawing his greatclub.
Rubin stays in the background. He wishes his captain would just take over and clean up this whole mess and leave him to serenade the wenches at the Blue Salamander. He half-heartedly pokes around the perimeter while he focuses his attention on the tense conversation going on around him.
Rubin, you walk around the distillery. You notice there is a thin layer of dust covering the various tools and equipment. The conversation going on around you starts to fade out and become less pronounced. You turn around and look at the eastern wall across from the distillery equipment.
You turn around and look at the eastern wall, and you notice a line on the ground of dust. What is odd, is that the line of dust is perfectly straight, as if it has been recently made.
Taidus looks at you Rubin, as you are focused on something.
You okay boy?! Inhale too many fumes?
The Captain then looks at you, Hey, you okay Rubin? Do you need to sit down?
Initiative Tracker: surprise round
-------
Chef: go
Kraull: go
-----
Taidus:
-----
Rubin:
Captain:
This equipment hasn't been used lately judging by the dust. And this line here is awfully suspicious. This shopkeeper character seems sketchier by the minute.
To Taidus: Please back away sir, and let us do our job. Thank you.
To the Captain: No sir, I'm fine. Come take a look at this, though. What do you think of this line here?
Chef hooks his fingers into his belt, waiting tensely.
Kraull stands back with his arms crossed, fighting the urge to throttle the shopkeeper.
Rubin, you and the Captain check out the suspicious line on the ground on the eastern wall. You examine it for a handful of seconds, when it suddenly raises and opens to reveal a hallway leading to another room. You don't get to look long as you also see two thugs with short swords bearing ill will towards you.
Before anyone can react though, Taidus moves behind the Captain and swings at him with a dagger that was concealed. If it weren't for the armor the man was wearing, the dagger would have been plunged into the Captain's kidney.
Init tracker: surprise round
Taidus: attacked Cptn
-----
Captain: go
Rubin: go
-----
Thugs:
----------
Tracker: round 1
Chef: go
Kraull: go
-----
Taidus:
-----
Captain:
Rubin:
-----
Thugs:
"See, I told you!" Kraull says more triumphantly than the situation probably warrants.
Watch out!!! Rubin cries out uselessly. He is nearly overcome with adrenaline but manages to draw his dagger and think lucidly for a second or two before being drawn into the heat of the battle. No use trying to wrestle this a**hole down while these goons are bearing down on us. It's slashing time!
Attacking Taidus:
Kraull charges the shopkeeper and swings his greatclub at him. "You guys should have let me do this ten minutes ago!"
The Captain doesn't see the blade coming, but his armor protects him from the blade. He than swings his own shirt sword at one if the thugs.
The blade cuts deep, as the thugs drops to the well placed blow. Rubin then attacks the shopkeep Taidus and lands a solid blow. His adrenaline gets the best of him as it is just s glancing blow.
The remaining thug retaliates against the Captain and takes a swing of his own. The blade catches the Captain above the brow, leaving a deep gash. It could have been worse though if the cut were inches to the right.
Kraull, then furious at the events taking place rushes forward, and brings his club down hard over Taidus. He connects, and Taidus looks at Kraull and smiles.
Hmmph, big mistake ugly!
---------------
Init tracker: surprise round
Taidus: attacked Cptn miss
-----
Captain: attack thug, disable
Rubin: attack Taidus, 1 damage dealt
-----
Thugs: attack Cptn, 4 damage dealt
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Tracker: round 1
Chef: go
Kraull: Kraull charges, hit, 8 damage total
-----
Taidus:
-----
Captain:
Rubin:
-----
Thugs:
Chef charges, weaving around the table so he can get behind the nasty drug lord.(done)
Tracker: round 1
Chef: moved near Taidus
Kraull: Kraull charges Taidus, hit, deals 7 damage
-----
Taidus: crit Kraull for 7 damage, 27 damage total dealt
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Captain: crit Taidus for 19 damage
Rubin: go
-----
Thugs:
Chef, moves near Taidus, who simply dismisses the man as a nuisance. He instead focuses on the ugly green guy that just walloped him hard. Taidus digs the blade, deep into Kraull's kidney and slips it back out just as quick and easy as it went in.
The Captain, seeing the damage done to Kraull, retaliates against Taidus. He gets a good grip and swings as hard as he can. He digs his own shortsword deep in Taidus' side. Puncturing his spleen as he gets all his power behind it. The man doesn't look so good.
Give up Taidus, you will not get out of this one! Think of your life!
Taidus, spits up blood as the Captain's blade comes back out. He then spits towards the Captain, out of frustration and anger.
You would like like, wouldn't you Pat?! Go to Hell!
Pat looks at the man, sadness in his eyes, Fine, have it your way then
After having been beat over the head already with a sap, Kraull slumps over into unconsciousness from the dagger wound.
Rubin nearly goes into shock as he is sprayed with blood from the mortal wound that his captain rends in the shopkeeper. He recovers instantly however, steels himself, and turns to face the remaining thug, lashing out with his dagger before his opponent can attack.
Versus the lower thug:
So much blood! It reminds me of the great cattle massacre three years ago! Oh! If only Bessy hadn't cheated on Proudhorn.
Rubin, attacks the remaining thug nearest him. And despite a glancing blow, there is enough power behind it that the thug drops.
Tracker: round 2
Chef: go
Kraull: go
-----
Taidus: crit Kraull for 7 damage, 27 damage total dealt
-----
Captain:
Rubin:
Chef draws his dagger(move) Five steps Towards Taidus and stabs!
"...." Kraull remains unconscious.
A nice Chianti!
There's no time to think. Rubin follows everyone else's lead and attempts to stab the shopkeeper, to bring him down once and for all.
Dagger versus Taidus:
Tracker: round 2
Chef: attack Taidus, hit for 1 damage
Kraull: unconscious
-----
Taidus: attack Capn
-----
Captain:
Rubin:
-------------------
Taidus, after the glancing blow by Chef, retaliates against the Captain, but the dagger clangs off the armor.
for
The Captain, then retaliates with a strike of his own. He doesn't try to kill him, but only take him down. The blow hits home, but isn't enough to take the man down. The distraction is enough to allow Rubin to drop the man from the sheer amount of punishment he has taken.
for
-----------------------
Once Taidus falls, and the Captain slaps a pair of manacles on him, he looks around the room. He sees the big green guy is on the floor in a heap. Blood trickles from him. Pat checks over Kraull and his wounds, and sees that he is very much alive, but just took a beating. He pours a vial down his throat.
After Kraull regains himself and gets up. He looks to each of you and gives you a hearty handshake.
Great job you guys. If you weren't here, it very well may have gone differently than what it did. I will file a report with my boss, and be expecting a summons in the near future to wrap this matter up.
After a pause, he looks to you Rubin, Equally great job kid. You were smart not to tackle this by yourself, for if Taidus went against you, even with the big green guy, you very well may have been killed to keep this deplorable act under the radar. You too will be summoned to wrap things up/
Chef looks aroudn rather nervously. So all of this is a drug dealer's plac? He looks rather shaken at all the blood and twiddle shis finger snervously.
Rubin is distraught. I've never killed anyone before. I've only been in fistfights. Maybe it's not too late. He stoops to the wounded thug and inexpertly attempts to stop the bleeding from the gash in his side.
"Whuu...oh wow, not dead. Good." Kraull says with surprise as he stands up after the healing. "So, what was this loon brewing anyway? You with the chef's hat, can you tell what that stuff was?"
I'm afraid I don't know, I don't know anything about drugs.
"It's all cooking right? What are you doing here, anyway?" The half-orc asks with a slight bit of suspicion.
Your group makes it topside, and much to Chef's surprise, Marcus is still there. Granted he is huddled in a corner, in the fettle position, but he is still alive and no worse for wear.
There are a dozen more guards that have showed up since you were last topside. They all begin to close in on you, as you are prime suspects. They than see Captain Trone, and hesitate. The Captain vouches for all of you that you were aiding him, and they gather the two unconscious thugs, as well as the apparent drug leader Taidus.
Those gathered around, as on-lookers are in shock as Taidus is taken into custody. He has been a pillar of the community, helping people with aches and pains of daily life.
You are told to go home and rest.
Rubin, you head back to your barracks, and pass the hell out.
Chef, you return to Chef Vincent, who has been informed about the current affairs. He tells you to sleep it off, and report back to him in the morning.
Kraull, you are told by Bash to take the night off, with pay. Find him in the morning to get back to work.
--------------------------
The night goes by uneventful, and you all awaken refreshed and ready for whatever like may throw at you this day. Something has changed though, over the night. The recent events have hardened your body and soul. You feel you can take more on.
Chef suggests Marcus be taken to the temple, was was clearly suffering from something and needed care.
Rubin sleeps like the dead, and wakes up refreshed and energetic. He feels as though he has matured from the events of recent days. He has become more canny and resourceful.
I better get to Mr. Leafly's place now, and see if life has gotten back to normal. But first, I should file a report, and I'm anxious to know what other details have emerged about this drug dealer.
Rubin writes a short report detailing his involvement in last night's events. He also leaves a note for his captain:
"Sir: I have filed a report. Let me know if any point needs additional elaboration. For my own sake, I respectfully request to be informed of additional details about this crime as they are known, and how it ties in to the murder of Mr. Fletcher. At your discretion, of course. Also, who were the other people who showed up last night? I would like to thank them personally for their assistance."
Rubin heads out to Leafly's place, composing a new song in his head to memorialize this exciting episode.
Kraull doesn't exactly wake up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, as his dagger wound still throbs something fierce. Nevertheless, he gets up and reports down at the bar, to whoever is around, "Yo, ready for action. I mean, I should probably get some healing after getting shanked last night, but other than that I'm good. Be nice to me, I'm the hero of the town."
Chef wakes up feeling rather refreshed after the chaos of last night. He had a spring in his step and believed his skills had been honed by his trials.
Holding out his arm, Pluck hops onto his shoulder and they both head out.
Around 8 in the morning, before any of you can get too far into your daily duties, or apprenticeship at the local smithy, a messanger each delivers you a note.
Please report to the head office of the Town Guard, immediately. It is signed Captain Pat Trone.
You each take leave to the head office. You wait for a minute or so, then are escorted into the office. Captain Pat Trone awaits for you, he than instructs the door be shut and awaits for everything to settle.
Thank you all for coming on such short notice. I apologize if I woke you or took you away from any pressing matters, but something has to be addressed
He turns around, staring out the window, then turns back to you three.
First, thank you all again for assisting myself and Rubin in the discovery and apprehension of Taidus and his secret drug lab. Second, as a sign of my gratitude, you will each be receiving 25 gold pieces in your part in the job you did as he points to three small brown pouches on his desk.Third, our humble, and growing city of Jasper is under attack. And this I refuse to let happen. I have a lead, in regards to Taidus' operation. The only problem is, everyone in the town is fairly well known, so getting anyone on the inside will be damn nigh impossible. This is where you guys come in. I need you three, yes you too Rubin, to go in undercover and gather as much information as you can. If you don't wish to risk yourselves. speak now, and I will not hold it against you. If you take this job, upon completion you will each receive 300 gold pieces and the long term admiration and respect of our justice system.
He sits down, and gives you all a few minutes to let everything sink in. To think for a few.
I hate t be blunt, but time is of the essence, and I need a decision right now. Remember, syaing no is an option, and neither I or the other Captain will hold you in an unfavorable light.
