Serry hesitates just for a moment, thinking of her family, its bakeshop no doubt in the middle of the flames now devouring the dock areas. What if they've been trapped, or killed? But there's nothing I could do now. I'm sure the other shop owners are helping save each other. The waves have brought me here, there's a reason for it. "I'll come, your Highness."
She racks her brains, trying to think if there's some good way to slip through to the Palace.
Lionel speaks, "Elric, Todor, though I see the reason of having the Princess speak to the crowds to try and calm the rioters, please understand that if the crowds have taken to attacking the Guard and the Sable Marines, it means the situation is way out of control. And instead of calming the rioters, it could unite them to harm or even kill the Princess, if she exposed herself. It's too risky a plan and I can't put the Princess in such danger. I think the best would be to find the quickest way to the Palace."
They both make good points. People make no sense. Buildings. Buildings make sense.
"I'm glad to hear the palace is safe. Perhaps she could address the crowds from there. She could call for peace and a proper wake to celebrate the life of her father. She could offer them some cake for the wake."
Tristain resists the urge to cry. *His* city, *his* home, *his* Korvosa is burning. The blow of seeing his city treated like this hurts him, inside...where his connection to the city exists on a different level.
Tristain nods and agrees to help get the Princess to safety, but his thoughts remain with his burning city.
Why? STOP! STOP NOW!
"Right...Let get the princess safely to the palace. We'll see what else can be done once we get there."
The ship makes its way into the harbor and around Old Korvosa and North Point, before heading toward the docks. The plumes of smoke become more prevalent, as you can pinpoint the sections of the city that are burning and the smell of fire and ash is overwhelming. The naval soldiers stand ready with crossbows in their hands. Before you, the devastation of the city appears surreal, as if you were watching a play. You hear the frantic clang of alarm bells sing out along with a cacophony of screams, the clash of steel on steel, moans of pain, and even the periodic detonation of arcane power. A wing of Sable Company griffon riders swoops overhead in the middle of the city, obviously engaged in arrow fire with the crowd, and then angling toward Castle Korvosa at a breakneck pace. One of the griffons is badly wounded from arrow fire from below and it rains blood down on the street before it succumbs and crashes headlong into a tower with bone-crunching efficiency and takes its rider down to his demise. Magical explosions and screams are heard everywhere!
As the ship pulls into the docks, a herald on a horse passes by in a gallop, screaming "The king is dead! Long live the queen!", only to be shouted down by the ragged cries of a nearby crowd, "Hang the queen! The usurper whore must die!"
Captain Bridgewater himself is shocked by the devastation. "Princess, I can still offer you the security of my vessel if you have changed your mind." The Princess nods no, tears in her eyes, and pulls the cloak over her head. Then she and Lionel disembark the vessel, waiting for the party. You hear the Captain say "Godspeed to you all", as the ship prepares to head back to the harbor.
I'm back, Korvosa. I know things aren't good right now, but give me time and lend me your strength.
Tristain will take a moment to find 3 Korvosan stones (about 1/2 hand in size) and pick them up. He will cast Magic Stone upon them.
"Alright, peeps. Let's get to the Palace."
Knowledge: Local
Perception
Survival
C'mon brain, don't fail me now.
Assuming Lionel will stand on one side of the Princess, Tristain will take the other, shield equipped, other hand with stone.
AC 17, touch 13, flat-footed 12 (+2 armor, +3 Dex, +2 shield)
HP = 9
Weapon = Stone
Effects = none, 3 magic stones
Status = worried for his muse and benefactor, Korvosa
Hero Points = 1
Come on, I have to know something useful about how to get to the palace. There must be a back way up from the docks.
Penance, unable to do any meaningful leading chooses to follow from the back, bow in hand.
AC 20, touch 12, flat-footed 18 (+6 chainmail, +2 shield, +2 Dex)
hp 12/12
Fort +5, Ref +2, Will +6
Agile Feet (7/7) (Su) Free action. For 1r, you ignore difficult terrain.
Channel Positive Energy 1d6 (7/7) (DC 12) (Su)
Command (7/7) (Su) As per command spell.
Spells Left:
1st: Shield of Faith, Bless, Longstrider (Domain)
0: light, guidance and detect magic
Spells Used: (none)
Todor will stand in front of the princess with shield and hammer in hand. However, he will be listening to Tristain, Serry, or Lionel for advice on directions. Except when the palace is directly in view, he has little idea how to find his way in this chaos. His holy symbol will be visible unless someone in the party says otherwise. It doesn't appear the church is being targeted.
Elric takes point, in his new breastplate, Lucerne hammer out and ready.
Elric takes point
Todor happily lets Elric lead and moves to the side of the princess.
Elric knows the general direction with some assistance from Serry and you proceed to lead the princess and Lionel west through the streets of Korvosa en route to the palace. You soon see the remains of battle, as fresh bloody corpses of Korvosan citizens line the streets, the remnants of a recent battle. About a block and a half north of you, you see a squad of five knights dressed in breastplates emblazoned with a fiendish face, their helms bearing forward-facing horns, clearly marking them as Hellknights. They carry a banner depicting thick nails forming a sunburst. They are facing off against a mob and you hear, "Citizens, please return to your homes. Martial law has been declared and all rioters are subject to arrest and detention!" This only angers the mob more, as bottles fly and hit the knights. The knights engaged and soon, the screams of the rioters is clear, as the initial wave is cut to pieces, blood spraying everywhere. You take advantage of the distraction and continue moving quickly west, leaving the docks behind.
A few blocks later, you see a unit of three Korvosan guards armed with spears in their hands, marching in the streets, urging the citizens to return to their homes. You can tell they have seen battle, as they are bloodied and wounded. As some city folk flee from the soldiers, suddenly, a rumble issues from below. Everyone looks around in shock at the noise, before the ground bursts upward, casting chunks of rock into the air and raining bricks on the surrounding area. Emerging from the fissure with a great roar is a ten-foot tall three-legged freak, that is mostly mouth covered in very sharp teeth and surrounded by 3 tentacles, two of them barbed. Screams are everywhere, as is the smell of raw sewage! Picture this scene!
Elric:
Lionel:
Penance:
Princess:
Todor:
Tristain:
Serry:
Townfolk:
Korvosan Guards:
Creature:
Penance doesn't hesitate he simply eliminates the threat.
Full Attack
Penance's two arrows fly, the first bouncing off the beast's thick skin, while the second catches it on the side of its "head", causing it to bellow out in pain, as green blood spews out of the wound.
The beast moves awkwardly on its three legs closer to the party and then unleashes its two barbed tentacles, one toward a screaming woman, and other toward Elric! It grabs the woman and cuts her with its tentacles. She screams for help, but then the beast constricts her and blood flows out of her eyes, as the beast pulls her in and throws her limp body into its toothy maw and chomps! The other tentacle savagely rips the marine, spraying his blood across the sidewalk, but he still stands, barely! More screams follow!
Serry curses unintelligibly in Aquan as the creature bursts through the ground and swallows the poor Korvosan.
Serry moves up behind Elric and casts Cure Light Wounds on him.
Serry takes the full round to cast Summon Monster I, summoning a riding dog (who will then attack the creature on the next round, and disappear on the next).
People are in the way!
"Run! Run away! You people, get away!"
Almost without thinking, Tristain will move forward while trying to avoid the tentacles of the beast trying to get between the beast and *his* townspeople.
Stnd action: Tristain will throw a magic stone defensively at the beast (I think I get an AoO).
to hit; (firing into combat, fighting defensively)
damage.
Move action: go to J10, shouting at the people to "Get back!"
Grunting with pain from the hit, Elric steps forward and swings the long hammer with all his might.
The druid screams to the crowd, and as Tristain raises his hand to throw the rock, the creature's barbed tentacle snakes out and slashes him. He then feels the tentacle envelop him and constrict, causing the barbs to rip through his skin. He screams in pain, till his body goes limp and he passes out, the magical rock falling from his hand.
The crowd is in sheer terror now and they flee for their lives, leaving the party and the guards to deal with the monstrosity!
Grunting with pain from the hit, Elric steps forward and swings the long hammer with all his might.
Elric thrusts his hammer forward, but it is not sufficient to penetrate the beast's thick hide!
The guards, though scared, recognize their duty to protect their city. The first and closest guard, a young man, blonde, of about 20 summers, launches his spear, striking the creature in the maw. The other two guards, of tanned complexion and brown hair, also throw their spears, one of them connecting and drawing more blood. The closest soldier then screams out, "We can kill it, men! Move in, before its tentacles can rip us apart! For Korvosa!" Bravely, the soldiers move adjacent to the creature, drawing their longswords in the process.
Round 1
Todor resists the urge to rush forward and smash the creature. "Abadar heal those who would protect your city." He then puts himself between Tristain and the creature (at H12), hoping to prevent the creature from trapping them in the alley. He hopes to smash the creature next turn and is enjoying this more than he probably should.
Channel (excluding creature) -
As Tristain bleeds through his crushed ribs, he drools thoughts of knowing he might have saved the life of a townguard and/or a townsperson by his actions.
None of this will bring life back to his limbs, of course.
Edit: I guess that Todor's channeling will, however, actually bring life back to Tristain's limbs. Yay.
Elric's hammer rips a huge wound in the side of the creature, as it is off-balance holding Tristain in its tentacle! The guards cheer the party on!
Unmoved by the sight of the creature crushing and devouring people left and right Penance continues his assault.
5ft shift up one square.
Damage
Damage
Status: 13 HP
AC:14
Arrows Remaining:10
The rancid creature, severely wounded, yearns for the safety of the sewer and releases Tristain and makes a mad dash for the rift in the ground from whence it came, provoking attacks of opportunity from Elric, Todor, and the 3 guards!
The guards swing, with the blonde one again striking it, but the wound is not enough to kill it.
AoO
Todor is both happy and disappointed to see the creature flee. He swings wildly as it flees.
When the monster has fled (or is dead...c'mon Elric!), Tristain will pick up the stone he never threw and stand up, gripping his sore ribs.
He will stumble over to the downed villager and see if they still live (not sure if Todor's burst caught them).
Heal Check
What the hell was that thing and why did it decide to attack now?!
"Thanks, Todor, I assume it was you who healed me with your divine spark."
"Thanks, Todor, I assume it was you who healed me with your divine spark."
"No. It was Abadar that healed you. I merely asked."
Todor holds his shield before him and peers into the hole where the creature went. He looks around for any clue as to what occurred.
Elric swings at the fleeing creature, taking careful aim at the expense of force.
The otyugh takes a few steps before Elric's hammer rips through it and it falls dead to the floor. The soldiers congratulate themselves and the party and the blonde one comes up and says, "Gunther Soldado be I, these are my mates, Hans and Heinrich. Good job there, marine, and the rest of you folk. I always heard the city used some disgusting creatures to keep the sewers clean, guess these must be it. Thanks for the help. We'll stay here, make sure no bystanders come along and head into the sewer."
Some of the townsfolk who fled come back, most out of morbid curiosity, to see the creature's corpse. Some shed tears for the lost woman and then head home, after the harrowing experience.
"Thank you Gunther Soldado. You fight well. We would be sorely pressed against this beast without your help. I am grateful for your courage."
Even while he is speaking, Tristain feels sad that a townsfolk died in the attack.
Pouting and still injured, Tristain will look to be sure no one else is injured before gathering himself to move on.
If no others need help, Tristain will ready himself to continue on to the Palace, hoping for no further carnage or battle.
AC 20, touch 12, flat-footed 18 (+6 chainmail, +2 shield, +2 Dex)
hp 12/12
Fort +5, Ref +2, Will +6
Agile Feet (7/7) (Su) Free action. For 1r, you ignore difficult terrain.
Channel Positive Energy 1d6 (7/7) (DC 12) (Su)
Command (7/7) (Su) As per command spell.
Spells Left:
1st: Shield of Faith, Longstrider (Domain)
0: light, guidance and detect magic
Spells Used: Bless(CLW)
Once away from the crowd, Todor will stop to heal Tristain again. I'm unsure if we will encounter anything else on the way to the palace, but I'd hate to have to heal you in the middle of battle again."
"Lord Abadar, heal the wounds of one your City's protectors."
"It is good to see that the soldiers of this city still know how to wield their swords. You did well, Gunther."
He turns to his companions.
"We should be off. Best not to linger in the streets longer than we have to."
Out of some morbid curiosity himself penance creeps torwards the edge of the pit and stares down into the hole.
After taking a moment to let the roar of the waves subside, Serry will move to the princess and ask quietly, "Are you all right?"
After taking a moment to let the roar of the waves subside, Serry will move to the princess and ask quietly, "Are you all right?"
"Yes, dear, how sweet of you. As fine as I can be. I still can't believe my father died. He was a noble man. And now, look at his city? I must be strong, for the people and his memory. Please, let us hurry to the Palace."
After introducing yourselves to Gunther and his men, you continue on your way. A few minutes later, you see the Bank of Abadar in the distance, its gilded gates closed and a contingent of the Coin's Faithful stands at ready with halberd and crossbow to repel would-be looters. You pass by many homes and stores, doors locked and secured. You witness one scene, where a crowd of 10 citizens fights over some sacks of flour. It is a definitely a sad day for Korvosa.
..reroll
..reroll
Five blocks away from the Palace, as you leave the alleyway, you see a band of six laborers, most likely ship-workers by their apparel, surrounding a beardless young nobleman, about 20 feet from you. They are unarmored but wield shovels, chair-legs, and lengths of iron pipe as weapons. Their apparent leader, a fat bald man with a rotund face and apparently no neck, addresses the young man in a booming voice, "Bet'cha never worked an honest day's wage in your life, eh, Queen's boy? M'brother had his arm crushed by a barrel on the docks when he was younger than you. Wanna know how it feels like?" The crowd of six workers start to brandish their weapons and close in on the young noble, while he screams, "HELP! No, please, don't hurt me!", as he covers up in the fetal position.
Todor stands by waiting for others to act. With no knowledge of nobility he likely does not recognize the young noble. Without a personal connection, he's not seeing the reason to stop for this mob any more than the dozens of others that are surely rampaging across the city. However, he will support the rest of the party in whatever course is chosen.
"Bet'cha never worked an honest day's wage in your life, eh, Queen's boy?"
Tristain yells at the laborers.
"Ha! Get him, boys! And when you're done, I saw a hole in the ground that lead to a tunnel back that seemed to lead right under the Church of Abadar. Of course, others were about to get in there first..."
Tristain points back to the hole that the Otyugh made.
"Seems to me there was almost free gold for the taking in that hole a block back. Too bad you need to want to beat that poor guy when you could get so much more!"
Bluff
Sense motive
The church isn't nearby What in the world is he doing?! People. Can't live with them, can't build without them.
Queen's boy? What does that mean? Serry wonders.
Penance keeps his eyes on his charge and on any potential threats to her. Penance seems completely at ease here undaunted by the sights of carnage, death, and desperation he seems almost at peace despite his haunted eyes.