Realizing that she wasn't going to make it to the top of the building Kiri quickly reached out and tried to grab hold of a nearby window sill to keep herself up in the air and out of reach of that wicked ball and chain.
Having successfully grabbed hold of the ledge Kiri held tightly as she began to gather up air to send down into their attackers. She managed to bolster herself with the currents and this enabled her to send a blast slamming down at the dwarf who nearly crushed her feet as she yelled out, "Big mistake shorty! I'm gonna shave your beard off once you're unconscious and leave you shunned Dirt Eater!"
Kiri's great leap leaves the dwarves equal parts amazed and dismayed; it seems the strix is now safely out of range both of the nets and the leader's ball-and-chain weapon. There's confusion in the dwarven ranks when Kiri reveals her form when zooming skyward and then taunts the bearded folk from her perch after her air blast kicks up the dirt around the leader's boots.
"You sure that's the strix fella we're huntin'?" one dwarf asks his boss, while a second comments, "Strix--yeah. Fella--not so much."
Two of the dwarves, already under attack, show no hesitation in taking the fight to their opponents. The one battling the cloaked figure swings a warhammer in retaliation (missing badly), while the fellow being flanked by Davina and Leora takes a 5-foot step to the side and hurls his net rather inexpertly at Leora, still coming fairly close to ensnaring her.
The redhaired dwarf hesitates a moment in uncertainty before Kiri's taunts decide the matter for him. "Nab its friends! Then maybe this chicken will come down offa her perch!"
The dwarves to the east drawn nearer, yet none throws its net at Davina or Leora for some reason. This angers the leader, who snaps his chained weapon in Leora's direction, clipping her knee .
The dwarves seem to be mainly after the strix (a hated race in a mostly-human city like Kintargo) and seem very hesitant to attack two human women in broad daylight. Still, they seem to answer to Redbeard, so this might change.
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Leora briefly considers reasoning with this dwarf and his buddies, until she hears what Kiri has to say and knows that her strix friend won't back down. Instead of playing nice, she turns her attention to the dwarf leader, daring to get inside the reach of his chain weapon. She ignores her aching knee for the moment.
"Seriously? You ambush the wrong people in the street, but want to spill our blood anyway?" Feeling a small fraction of the anger Kiri must be feeling, Leora swings her rapier at the dwarf leader.
Kiri tried to hold on to the ledge but felt her grip slipping and knew that she couldn't manage it. Rather than waste her efforts she let her wings, broken though they were, spread to the best of her ability as she pushed off from the edge and began to glide down to the ground taking a path that would leave her clear of the worst of the fighting. Reaching a safe distance she landed and turned to face their attackers sending a blast of wind at the nearest dwarf.
Davina noticed that the thugs decided not to capture them. She takes a chance that the thug won't take the opportunity to attack her as she moves by, and moves next to Leora to attack the leader. She prepares to parry if he attacks her.
Use of 1 Panache Point
Free attack if I manage to Parry Immediate attack
The hooded man stabs again at the dwarf that he's already scratched.
No luck pressing the attack, though.
The common folk out on the streets distance themselves from the scrum, deciding they've got better things to do elsewhere . While the cloaked stranger continues his duel with the leader's bodyguard , Kiri takes flight, soaring a good distance to the west before landing and again just missing a dwarf with her air blast.
"Get her...IT!" the leader snarls to the three dwarves still bearing nets. They scoot by to the north of their net-less brethren as he draws a warhammer and slides into flanking position behind Leora. He doesn't go for a lethal blow, however, instead swinging at the woman's already-wounded knee. The pulled shot fails to connect, however.
Davina and Leora take the fight to the head dwarf, each scoring a hit; Leora's rapier nicks the dwarf's forearm but Davina's thrust penetrates their foe's chain shirt, digging into his ribcage. Although the stout fellow grunts in pain, he doesn't give up the fight.
The leader begins reeling in his ball-and-chain, revealing one of its neat features: by holding the chain about halfway down its length, it can be used to strike at adjacent foes. With a quick and sneaky flick of the wrist, the redhead sends the steel ball crashing into Leora's midsection, nearly knocking the wind out of her .
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The hooded stranger edges to one side a bit, cautiously, while continuing to keep his foe occupied.
Aggravated at yet another miss Kiri moved closer and gathered another burst of wind. This time she found her mark as the sudden burst of gale strength wind slammed into the dwarf in a focused area the size of a fist square in the middle of his chest.
Leora moans in pain as the weighted ball leaves a nasty dent in her armor - and her side. Through the haze of pain, she realizes she really has only one option. Although she saw Davina and the stranger get whacked too, they seem to be doing better than she is.
Gritting her teeth, she steps behind Davina and grabs the flask from her belt. "A shot of whiskey will make me right as rain," she says, taking a quick swallow.
While Leora takes an opportunity to heal herself, Kiri and the cloaked stranger both deliver true strikes that, while not dropping their targets, certainly seem to give those dwarves pause. They look to their leader who shows no sign of relenting in this unprovoked attack.
Davina attacks the thug leader again with her rapier. "You ok back there? she asks Leora.
While Davina courageously presses the attack against the dwarves' leader, the bearded fellow wounded by the cloaked stranger has a change of heart. "This be madness, Falbrand!" he grunts to the leader before withdrawing from combat and heading for the relative safety of one of the alleys to the north. The dwarf Kiri badly injured with her air blast follows suit.
The three remaining dwarf underlings, while not looking pleased with the way this fight's been going, press their attack. The two remaining net-bearers close on Kiri and the stranger before trying to ensnare them. It obvious the stout folk have no training with the nets, however, as they come closer to entangling themselves than they do to actually hitting their targets. The other one again swings at Leora with his warhammer, also missing the mark.
The leader (Falbrand, apparently) watches as his minions start to flee the battle and prove woefully inadequate at throwing nets. Rather than recognize a lost cause, his anger and frustration grow. "My brother's murder'll not go unavenged!" he roars before targeting Davina with his next swing. The woman's quick riposte--while not accurate enough to hit the dwarf--still causes the timing of his attack to be off, and his ball-and-chain connects with nothing but cobblestone.
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Davina takes a step to her left. "Your brother? Who was your brother?" She attacks again with her rapier.
Davina's thin blade again beats the red-haired dwarf's defenses, causing him to grunt and take a stumbling step. "Kossrani!" he snarls in answer to her question. He shows no sign of ceasing his aggression even now, perhaps angered that his foe is engaging him in idle chatter even as she bests him in combat.
Though it's been a while in real time and you may have forgotten, Kossrani was the redhaired dwarf in charge of the Sallix Salt Works where you rescued Kiri's dad Mallus, Forvian Crowe, and the other prisoner/slaves.
Taking aim at her nearest assailant Kiri sent another blast of air flying out at the dwarf that was almost in her face. The gale reached out and slammed into him, though it seemed that he was braced for it this time and didn't get hurt as badly as he could have been.
Her knee aching less after the healing spell, Leora rejoins Davina in fighting Kossrani. She takes another slash with her rapier, trying to imitate her friend's accurate strikes.
Davina looks thoughtful as his name is mentioned. "I seem to remember hearing some one took care of him and his band of thugs. I assumed he had crossed our esteemed ruler Thrune." She carefully moves around T'chazzar and the now netless thug to get into a flank with Leora.
The stranger steps to a flanking position (if possible) and stabs again.
Leora and the cloaked swordsman keep the two remaining dwarven 'regulars' busy but inflict no further damage upon them. The leader shifts out of the flank executed by Davina and Leora, swinging his weapon at the former from range. He grins at the woman as the heavy ball seems destined to strike her midsection, but with a graceful parry with her thin blade and a quick sidestep, she avoids being struck.
The last two warhammer-wielders still in the fight take cautious steps forward to engage Leora and the stranger. The cleric's foe again manages to clip her, this time on the forearm .
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The fact their attackers are starting to flee brought new courage back to Kiri and she shook of the effects of the dwarf's intimidation of her. With no thug she can easily hit Kiri moved up and got closer to the leader of these dwarves. With a vicious grin and a hard thrust of her mind, air swirled down and around her before racing out to slam into the leader of the dwarves with the fury of a hurricane focused in one small sot. The sound of cracking ribs was delightful as she said, "Dirt Eater! Can't handle the winds can ya!"
Kiri's perfectly placed air blast not only breaks the dwarf's ribs, it knocks him over backward. Already unconscious, the fellow makes no effort at breaking his fall and the back of his skull smashes into the cobblestones, shattering and spraying blood near the point of impact.
The two remaining dwarves seem stunned by the savagery of Kiri's attack and the suddenness of their leader's fall.
Leora takes a gamble, hoping that she can convince these two remaining dwarves to leave before they shed more of her blood. "Listen you morons! You made a big mistake attacking us." She looks meaningfully at their fallen leader. "Now get out of here while we're feeling generous!"
Although Leora is furious at the stupid dwarves who attacked the wrong people for no reason, she's uncertain of how threatening she really is. She's still limping from the hit to her knee and the blood oozing from her arm.
"Go on get out of here. You really don't want to mess with us anymore. It's just making us mad." Davina yells at the remaining dwarves. Her delicate features are twisted in anger and disgust at being ambushed.
The stranger waves his backsword at the opposing dwarf, then takes a moment to flip his hood back and reveal his dark gray skin and white hair. "I've killed prouder members of your kind," he says with a sneer, and waits to see if they flee.
The dwarves are not very intimidated by the women, but seem respectful of the whooping they can dish out. The stranger's revelation of his drow heritage causes a gasp from one and muttered curses from the second.
"Let us stabilize Falbrand," one growls, "an' we promise to leave you in peace. Like you said, this seems to be a big misunderstandin'." The dwarf's attempt at Diplomacy comes off about as well as the ladies' try at Intimidation, probably because he and his pal are still gripping their warhammers in a threatening manner. The do not attack, however.
"You go your way, we go ours. You know what happens if we see you again," says the drow in a firm voice.
He carefully disengages to move closer to Leora. "Let's get you out of here before the enforcers show up," he says as he sheathes his backsword.
"Yes let's go." she begins to back away from the dwarves in the direction the group was headed in the first place. Her rapier is out and ready in case they change their minds.
The two remaining dwarves put away their warhammers and rush over to check on their leader. As you move east along the street, you hear something that might affect what you do next: One of the dwarves wails, "Torag's beard! He's already gone!"
The dark elf says, "Quick, around the alley. We'll lose them and then you can get back to whatever it was you were going to do."
A globe of unnatural darkness appears behind the group, breaking line of sight between them and the dwarves.
"Thanks," Leora nods after T'chazzar casts the aura of darkness and they are safely around the corner in the alley. "And, well, thanks for taking a stab at those dwarves. I don't think the three of us would have made it out of there without you around."
"Anyway, my name's Leora and before those dwarves ambushed us, we were looking for some missing friends." She leaves it for Kiri and Davina to introduce themselves, in case they want to use fake names as they sometimes do. If this stranger was willing to put his life on the line, Leora figured she could at least share her name with him.
"A young actress, an alchemist's apprentice, a young baker, a brother and sister who work at their parents' business, and a tavern worker." Leora describes the missing people Lydia mentioned in more detail in case the stranger knows them. "You haven't happened to hear or see anything like that, have you?"
"I overheard them talking about their plans," says the dark elf. "I don't have a lot of patience for slavers. I'm sorry for the sudden shock of my appearance..." - he pulls his hood back up - "... but, as should be obvious, I am estranged from the culture of my kin."
He reaches his hand toward Leora's shoulder, but pauses a few inches away. "With your consent?" he says.
"I'm afraid I am not knowledgeable about the people you seek," he continues. "I know only that those dwarves were planning to target you and I felt obliged to step in."
The dark elf's globe of darkness does wonders for preventing any pursuit from the dwarves or any other witness to the attack. For having just had one of their group killed, the dwarves aren't raising much of a hue and cry about it; perhaps they realize their leader got his just desserts or maybe they, like so many others in Kintargo these dark days, just don't want to have anything to do with the Thrune-serving dottari.
Davina hurries into the alley with the group. Thank you. Your help was well timed. My name is Davina. I wish you had heard something about the young people. Should we wait a few more minutes and then continue to Infamous Footwear?" She looks with interest at the spell the dark elf cast. "Nice spell" I wonder if I can learn that one.
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"They're not shouting for the guard," says the dark elf. "That means they were up to something illegal and they would get hauled in if they're caught. My guess is that they'll lick their wounds and scurry back off under whatever rock they call a home. It should be safe to circle around to the place you're looking at in a few minutes - assuming the dottari don't show up to look into the magical darkness. I'd recommend that someone get eyes on the store from down the street and wait to make sure that it's safe, then come back and let the rest of your team know."
"My name is T'chazzar," says the drow to Davina. "Based on your ready acceptance of my offer of help, I'm going to guess that you are in fairly difficult straits right now."
The sign above the door to this cobbler’s shop is indeed eye-catching: Black letters spell out most of 'Infamous Footwear,' but the name’s three O’s are instead rendered as red pentagram circles. While the display case inside the window left of the entrance shows simple yet sturdy and practical work shoes and boots, the one to the right of the door features much more fashionable and outlandish designs, most in polished leather of red or black.
"Thank you, " Leora finds herself saying again after T'chazzar heals her wounds.
"Yep, we're in a pretty tough spot right now. One of the missing folks is a really close friend of ours. And she's definitely not friends with Thrune's Guard who have been patrolling the streets. So we're trying to find her first.
Having reached the dubious safety of the alley and listened with pleasure as they wailed about their leader being dead already. "Serves the dirt eating bastard right." She examined their rescuer cautiously as he was questioned by the others, she didn't know if she trusted him and had certainly never seen something like him before. This all made her incredibly wary and as he "suggested" that someone get eyes on the place Kiri said, "Fine Stormcloud, helped us and thinks he can start giving instructions." She continued muttering but made her way to where she could get a good vantage and propelled her way carefully up the side of a building to get a good vantage point.
Kiri goes vertical to get the lay of the land. The dwarves have apparently left their leader where he fell, and now a dottari patrol is surveying the scene and questioning potential witnesses. You should have no trouble hooking around behind the shoe shop and entering if you so choose; exiting may be a bit more problematic, but you might be able to peer through the windows to make sure the coast will be clear.
"Was your missing friend one of the ones who hit that Queensman patrol in Redroof a few days ago?" asks T'chazzar in a low tone while keeping his eyes open. "Clean bit of work. With all these people going missing, though, I worry about the dottari perhaps stepping up their use of divination magic."
Moving back to where her companions were talking Kiri jumped from the roof, her bent wings slowing her fall as she used them to cup the air and slow her decent. Reaching the street again she said, "We can get to the shop by taking alleys and going around it to the far side. It will keep us from being spotted as we enter. Leaving might be harder but we can probably keep watch from inside and wait them out."
"Let's go. We need to get off the street as soon as possible. I don't want anyone pointing us out to the dottari." she heads toward the door of the shop. "What an interesting sign. I wonder if they are avid followers of Thrune or just trying to take advantage of the situation.". She enters the shop, and quickly looks around from just inside the door.
The woman who greets you inside the establishment is middle-aged but still pretty, though her face shows signs of weariness and perhaps worry. After greeting you all, her gaze instinctively drops as she takes in what you are currently wearing on your feet. To Kiri she smiles and says, ”I do custom work. I’ll bet you don’t buy your footwear right off the shelf! Now what can I do for you all?”
There doesn't seem to be anything too out-of-the-ordinary inside the shoe shop. Your trained eye notes that the woman before you seems to be on the edge of a nervous breakdown.
Recalling how Davina's compliments to the bakers earlier in the day went over well, Leora tries a similar tactic here with the cobbler of Infamous Footwear.
"Good morning. A friend of ours, a young bard, came to Redroof yesterday, and we haven't heard from her since. Given the performing and stuff she does, we thought she might have stopped here for some new footwear on her way to wherever she is now. She's mentioned before that she's been dying to come check this place out for some show-stopping shoes." Leora repeats her description of Jessi for the umpteenth time that day. "Have you seen her?"
The dark elf keeps his hood up and loiters in a corner from which he can keep a view of the door. He remains surreptitiously out of the way, deliberately avoiding drawing attention while the group does its questioning.
Although Leora tries to be friendly in her questioning of the woman, news of yet another young person disappearing in the neighborhood alarms the proprietor.
"Oh dear! Another one missing! No, no...I get some performers in here and folks from the Opera House Society, but no one resembling the girl you describe...not in the last day or so at least. The dottari say they're keeping an eye out for them all, but...oh, I'm afraid they're more interested in enforcing the new Lord-Mayor's proclamations and keeping the curfew than they are in the problems of the common folk of Kintargo."
The woman hesitates before speaking further. "I assume you came here asking about your friend because...well, because my two children are missing as well. Honestly, I don't think the disappearances are related--my children never mentioned hanging around with an actress before."
Davina moves up to the woman, and gently pats her on the shoulder. "I have a daughter myself. I can't imagine the worry I would be under if she wasn't where she's supposed to be. You must be almost out of your mind with worry. Can we help you find them? Please tell us what you know. There are several young people missing so they may all be together."
Davina's words bring a tear and brief sob from the woman, who then opens up to your group.
”My boy, Pavel, worships the ground that Gavin walks on,” Mrs. Kintner confesses, wringing her hands in anguish. ”They all do—all the young men and women in their little circle of friends looks up to Gavin. He’s their leader. My Pavel, he really likes Gavin, if you get my meaning. He’s in love with him. My husband doesn’t understand or condone that sort of attraction—he’s flat-out said that Gavin’s not good enough for our son. I’m afraid that…well, maybe all of them snuck off and left Kintargo to live life on their own terms elsewhere.”
”I reported my children missing to the dottari, of course, but the only word I’ve heard back is that they haven’t been incarcerated. Oh, I overheard one of them mention that a two-man Queensman patrol vanished overnight in the area about a week back.”
"I hope you find your lost friend. If you learn anything about my missing son and daughter, please let me know as soon as you're able."