"AH, BY THE GODS", Zarak shrieks as the acid begins to eat into him. Moving into the room, he aims his shot and launches a bolt in retaliation for the acid blob.
He drops the crossbow and raises a gauntleted hand. "Dunzeltoff are the children okay", he asks with a grimace of pain on his face.
Seemingly in slow motion, I watch Zarak's bolt sail across the room to where the blob of acid had shot out from. Thinking for the briefest moment, "Could we have handled this differently?", I snap back to action, eyeing the Cyclopean thug:
Dunzeltoff:
Zarak:
The distinctive odor of garbage and fish spills out from the crates and barrels that Dunzeltoff upends, layering the area with debris. The half-orc continues his cackling, swinging his flail at Dunzeltoff. Ready for his attack, Dunzeltoff swings at the half breed, landing a solid blow into his side. The half-orc's laughter is briefly interrupted by a grunt of pain, and the glaive's head is covered in fresh blood. A wide grin appears across the half-orc's face, wrinkling the shiny scars, as he swings the flail at you, but Shelyn's grace is with you. The flail harmlessly swings by you as the half-orc's foot twists on the slippery floor, causing him to misjudge his blow.
Zarak lands deftly into the room, managing to avoid the worst of the foulness that was in the crates, but steps right into the reach of the grinning half-orc. Once again, the flail swings harmlessly by as Zarak take aim at the wand-wielder on the walkway. Gurgling, the wand-wielder keels over back into the hallway, the bolt landing up to the feathers in the center of his chest.
The children watch the fight with fascination, a look of glee on their cherubic faces as they see the wand-wielder fall and the half-orc take the glaive blow.
Coyote:
Stepping back to gain space on the Half-Orc , I draw back the haft of Shelyn's Glaive,
and with a quiet calm as I meet the thug's gaze, drop the blade into him (18 to-hit, 10 damage)
I glance back at Zarak, indicating the presence of someone in the upper rooms
Making sure the children are quiet, I tell them:
"Don't worry, we're here to put an end to Lamm's crimes. ...Actually, Mightn't some o you fellas play a bit o make-believe,
and pipe up like one of you'd kicked over a crate onto the dog, and that's what caused all the ruckus...???"
"Looks like we have one left" Zarak peers at the unarmed stranger.
With an uncontrollable chortle of laughter, the half-orc drops to the ground, his shield-arm not quite fast enough to raise up and block the glaive. Bloody phlegm bubbles up from his lips and his pierced side.
One of the children, the eldest by appearance, though it's hard to judge under the grimy sweat on his brow, looks up. "You ain't got Hookshanks yet - I know he's gotta be watching." At the mention of the name, a brief flash of fear crosses over him, and the trio starts to back away towards the open window.
Zarak:
Coyote:
Zarak & Dunzeltoff:
Perception: 22
I suggest to Zarak and the kids that perhaps it's not the best idea to leave right away,
without us present to keep them safe, for all we know Lamm or his lackeys could come across them.
I tell them that we will take them somewhere safe where they will be able to play, study, & eat well
(the last part with a small frown on my face)
ALSO: CdGrace against the Half-Orc: Damage 17 (& Fort Save if not REALLY Dead now)
Raising the glaive, Dunzeltoff stabs the half-orc laying on the stinking offal-covered floor. A last wheezing burble and blood-flecked spittle dribbles out of the corner of his mouth and his head rolls to one side.
The eldest child looks at you suspiciously, then whispers back to his compatriots. They have a brief discussion amongst each other, then the leader turns to you. "You get rid of Hookshanks an' Lamm, 'kay? Then we come with you. Mosta what's upstairs is offices and cots, but not sure. We spend mosta our time down here in the fish," he says, pointing to to the large tub.
Another one of the children speaks up. "Giggles took somebody down to see Gobblegut. He looked pretty bad - looks like him n' Hookshanks did a number on 'im."
Zarak & Dunzeltoff:
Coyote:
"Had I known you'da brought friends, I'd have fed you to my pet FIRST!" he growls at you, kicking at you (and missing). Glacing down, he sees the gator in the water and he grins widely at you, revealing a row of broken and yellowed teeth. "Looks like I don't hafta wait after all." He hops back from the edge and moves in a jaunty step to the room he emerged out of earlier.
"Lets clear out the upper rooms. After that we're sure this place is clear we can contimue down." Casting a caring look at the kids.
"But what do we do with the kids while we're sweeping up?" He looks a to Dunzeltoff. "Do you kids have a place you can hide till we come back?"
The children look alarmed. "I don-wanna go nowhere until they're gone...They'd hunt us down worse than a rabid cinderhound."
Diplomacy = 19 Aid another if necessary?
I will suggest they stay at the base of the stairs while we go up, hiding amongst their blankets, or using the stairs for cover if possible.
Once it's safe, they can then follow us up, so they aren't too far out of sight/ out of our protection.
I say we both go thru the same door. (on the left side of map)
We can ask the kids if certain steps are squeaky/ one side is quieter than the other.
If you don't have a better melee weapon, you might want the Half-Orc's flail (if you are proficient?)
Stealth Check going up stairs (with all precautions taken) = 9 ...meh...
Perception (listening at top door if anything is near other side): 13 (Zarak?)
I will load my X-bow before going up the stair. If I don't hear/sense anything nearby the other side of the door, I'll arm myself with it, but holding the Glaive flush with it's stock, so I can drop the X-bow and switch back to the Glaive instantly, if necessary. If I *DO* hear something close to the door, I'll keep my Glaive armed, and the X-bow slung over my back, but loaded & ready for action.
Following dunzeltoff's lead, Brujo reloads his crossbow and follows close behind.
[ooc]Can't use the flail. Proficient with claw, heavy blades, and basic weapons.
Perception [http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1762263/ ]1d20+6=15[/url]; Stealth 1d20+3=9. We're as stealthy as to drunks fresh from the bar.[/url]
Coyote:
Dunzeltoff & Zarak:
"Awright, we'll hide here then..." the child replies, climbing back on top of the boxes and hiding themselves as best they can. Arming yourselves, you make your way up the staircase, the weathered wood creaking and groaning incessantly. Listening carefully at the top of the stairs, you hear nothing but the sounds of lapping water and a slight whistling of the breeze through the cracks in the walls.
A new idea popping to mind, I gesture to one of the children, peeking out and watching us from their hiding place, and mime to them that they should throw some object towards the other set of doors above the walkway, as an auditory diversion... As soon as they toss some rock up against the door, we'll enter thru this one. I'll go straight thru the door (5'), and allow Zarak to go thru diagonally...
My X-bow armed, but ready to drop it and switch to Glaive if necessary. Initiative Roll = 16
"Let's get this ove quick", Zarak follows in crossbow at the ready.
Coyote:
Hearing the commotion, the old man comes out of the room, holding a hand crossbow. "I see ol' Gobblegut found you," he says with a smile. Leveling the crossbow, he takes aim, squeezes the trigger, and the bolt lands solidly in the center of the crocodile's head. Screaming with what could only be anger, the crocodile thrashes its tail, causing the nearby wall to splinter under its force.
Dunzeltoff & Zarak:
Understanding what you're trying to do, the children toss empty buckets at the other doorway, gleefully aiming for the slumped figure in the doorway. As soon as the two of you step through the doorway, Dunzeltoff narrowly avoids a slashing blade as he moves past. A child-sized figure darts out of the large trough next to you, moving to the center of the room. Dunzeltoff takes a swing at the figure with his glaive, landing a glancing blow. Readied with his crossbow, Zarak takes deadly aim, toppling the figure over.
The stench in this room is incredible. Smelling of fish and sweat, a large wooden trough holding a hideous mound of half-rancid fish, seaweed and brine lies against the wall. Narrow chutes lead out of it through the narrow openings to the large tub in the main workroom that you just came out of. Against the opposite wall is a desk an chair in the corner, while a tall cabinet sits in the other.
Phew! Thank Shelyn for Shield of Faith!
Perception: 10 (Scent: 12... UGH!)
I meant to earlier, but I now direct my Detect Poison Orison towards the tanks, here and in the first room...???
"I'm tempted to search here first, to see what this Lamm is up to with this mess, but we probably shouldn't waste any time."
Dunzeltoff: You think your beard hairs are curling from the stench and rot. Your orisons reveal a glimmer of poisonous potential from the putresence, but the figure on the ground coughs as you enter in the room. Rolling slightly over, he reveals himself to be a gnome with long sideburns. He beckons you over, the floor creaking and groaning ominously as you do. With a wide grin and a insane glint in his eye, he gasps at you, "Watch yer step...."
With a loud screech, the rotting floorboards give way, wood splintering and flying everywhere.
"Ugh, what a reck" Zarak tries to wave the smell away.
"Oh, not good" Zarak tries to get move from the floorboards.
Unable to get a grasp on any handhold, Dunzeltoff and Zarak crash through, falling down on your faces without a modicum of grace. The gnome's body hits the edge of the floor and bounces off, splashing into the water. Staring at you with a surprised look on his face, is a hunched over human with a dirty knapsack tied over his chest.
Dunzeltoff:
Zarak:
On the other side of Lamm, both of you notice two things: the enormous crocodile, and the mostly naked human he's attacking. The human's wrists are bound with manacles, and he has a profusely bleeding wound on his leg.
Zarak briefly rubs his aching skull, when he notices the old man holding the unloaded crossbow. He quickly levels his crossbow, but notices the dangling man.
He fires a bolt at the old man's leg.
"Aaach!" I yell out as I hit the deck amid a cloud of rotting wood.
Looking up to see Lamm ahead of me, seemingly caught while taunting the bloodied human 'tween him and the 'gator,
I draw myself up to my feet:
"You recognize this face, Lamm? I know not if you follow the Harrow, but know that your hand is up!
And what have you gained of it all? At least the Abadarans know when to sit on their gold and gloat. Yet you wallow in filth!"
I nudge Zarak back, making it clear I need room for my Glaive.
"Hold on as best ye can, chap! Your 'bout to be free of this fiend Lamm, so don' sweat the Gator!"
Trusting that the arrival of the strangers will prove a suitable, if fleeting, distraction, Coyote will bolt forward and attempt to club Lamm in the head with his fists.