"Yep, same as always."
Davina grunts in pain. "How dare you! I was just defending myself. I will NOT surrender to you." She stabs at the Hellknight and steps out of the way.
With the Dottari right in her face, Arani draws her short sword, stabbing at the enemy they have surrounded while holding her bow on the other hand.
VERITAS PLAZA (15 Gozran)
T'chazzar manages a slight hit on the excruciator Davina scratched previously, but the fellow seems hardier than the dottari patrolmen the group has encountered previously. Davina's dagger stab is easily turned aside by the Hellknight's full plate armor.
The surrounded excruciator strikes out with his halberd at T'chazzar, missing the nimble drow. The other one nearby shrugs away Falina (apparently buying that she's not involved in the disruption) and steps up and strikes Arani, drawing a good amount of blood . A third steps out from the edge of T'chazzar's magical darkness, points his halberd at Davina, and demands that she stand down immediately or she'll find herself in a doghouse next (Davina--see spoiler below). The last excruciator emerges from the darkness to the west, looking rather confused.
The crowd scatters, making the battlefield clear, but they don't retreat far. From positions of relative safety, many jeer the excruciators as glorified torturers and yell for the Hellknights to "Go home!" They seem excited and hopeful that maybe someone will finally stand up to the new lord-mayor's barbaric rule. "Tell them to set the prisoner free!" one raised voice in the crowd suggests.
Yikes! Things are going badly and you can't help but be a little scared that you might indeed be doghoused (or worse) if you persist in this attack. (Game Rules: The excruciator used the Intimidate skill to demoralize your PC; Davina's shaken for 2 rounds.)
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Seeing that she was, thus far, believed to be an innocent Falina played the part and took off quickly heading away from the rebels and skirmish. She got close enough to be heard of the fighting and called to the nearest hellknight, "Please, help them stop those rebels! they need you!"
Arani stifles a hiss of pain as the blade bites into her, instead, glaring into her opponent's eyes. She takes a step back, assessing the escalating situation.
"Look around! You think it's just us? Why do you think I set off that sound? Look at the crowd. You are all seconds away from being overrun. Ever see what happens to 'enforcers' in a riot? I have! Is one prisoner really worth it to you? Stand down now and you'll live to see tomorrow!" she calls out her voice ringing through the area, her arrow drawing a bead on the closes opponent.
"Yeah, just let the prisoner go and we'll all back off!" Leora tries to sound as fierce as Arani and show that there are lots of people in the crowd who will fight back, but her obvious concern for her injured friends spoils the effect.
VERITAS PLAZA (15 Gozran)
Falina's plea for aid falls upon deaf ears; the Hellknight she addresses shows discipline (or perhaps disdain for the troubles of the dottari and/or upstart rebels) and stays in place, longsword drawn and at the ready, as does his comrade to the west. The two Hellknights near the south end of the platform press the attack, however. One steps uncertainly from the sphere of darkness before striding with purpose toward the rebels, ending his move next to T'chazzar.
The Hellknight near Davina again lashes out at the aasimar, this time much less accurately.
There's a slight pause in the dottari when Arani and Leora try to stir the crowd, but seeing at least two of the Hellknights pressing the attack emboldens their leader.
"You aren't the law in this city: WE are!" It appears the fight is still very much on....
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Davina looks worried and gives the other Ravens a glance. She goes defensive to see what the others do.
T'chazzar presses his attack, nicking his foe once more.
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"Your funeral!" Arani says coldly as she fires. Her first shot is rushed, so much so, that the arrow misfires into the ground, bringing a smile to the Excruciator's lips for a second or two. In fact, the smile is still there when blood seeps out of his mouth, his eyes looking down at the black hafted, red-feathered arrow buried deep in his chest.
"Leora! Get behind me and do whatever you can to keep us alive."
VERITAS PLAZA (15 Gozran)
While Davina tries to stay alive long enough to see what transpires next, T'chazzar and Arani keep fighting. The drow deals a second, more substantial wound to the dottari excruciator he was battling. Arani, however, puts an arrow through the man's chest and likely his heart; the black-clad fellow crumples to the ground and doesn't look like he'll be getting back up...ever. The crowd lets loose a collective gasp, though a few brave souls cheer the dottari's fall with cries of "Down with Thrune!" The remaining excruciators stare at their fallen comrade in shock (though it's not yet certain how they'll react to the falling of one of their own).
Speaking of reactions...the Hellknight battling Davina turns his head when Arani mentions Leora by name.
"Leora?" a male voice echoes from inside the knight's frightful helm.
A wolf, glowing with a gold aura, appears next to Davina. It tries to bite and trip her Hellknight foe. Leora hopes it can knock over a few Hellknights in case the Ravens need to make a quick getaway.
She winces as the Hellknight repeats her name, but doesn't have time to think about what it means. Instead, she casts a healing spell and steps backwards towards Arani.
VERITAS PLAZA (15 Gozran)
Leora's summoned wolf fails to harm the Hellknight, but at least it adds to the Silver Ravens' firepower and brings a bit more chaos to the scene.
When Arani drops one of the excruciators, one of the others cries out, "She's killed Harren! Oh no--it's the Black Thorn!" A third calls for a retreat. The two farthest west retreat, one switching out his halberd for a longbow and covering the others from the corner of a building. The excruciator nearest the Ravens, however, has a dangerous course to execute his escape , leaving himself open to opportunity attacks from Davina, T'chazzar, and the summoned wolf.
The celestial wolf tries to stop the retreating guard.
Davina is very upset, and stabs at one of the fleeing dottari.
VERITAS PLAZA (15 Gozran)
Falina uses her innate ability to shatter the prisoner's chain; with all the noise in the plaza from the ongoing battle, it's likely that only she and the prisoner are aware of this fact.
A couple of the Hellknights of the Order of the Rack yell at the fleeing dottari, calling them cowards and telling them to return and fulfill their duties, but the excruciators don't seem to be listening. One Hellknight shifts to a position near the middle of the excruciation platform while another climbs down and clanks loudly toward Davina. The aasimar's decision to go full defense pays off, as she's able to parry an incoming slash from the Hellknight she's already engaged with. T'chazzar's not so lucky, as a swift sword strike barely beats his defenses and draws some blood .
The prisoner makes his move, hoping the dogs are distracted by the food they've just claimed and the general mayhem taking place in the plaza. As the man slips out of the doghouse and stands, however, the easternmost mastiff notices him. Somehow the prisoner manages to dodge the dog's jaws as he makes his way to the edge of the stage.
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Seeing Davina outnumbered, The Black Thorn, turns her baleful attention to her opponents, sending a pair of shots streaking toward the Hellknight on Davina's left.
T'chazzar shrugs off the blow and returns with two of his own.
Clearly, the dark elf's luck has turned; he lands a pair of blows against his foe, pressing with some actual skill as if he knows how to fight - a big difference from prior engagements.
While his hits are precise, they are weak, even the one that manages to slide unexpected past his opponent's defenses and land in a perfect spot.
Leora commands the wolf to continue attacking the same enemy that Arani just shot.
Seeing that her friends are okay for the moment, she attempts to disguise her spell of blessing as an alchemical potion.
VERITAS PLAZA (15 Gozran)
Arani's two arrows put some serious pain on the Hellknight who closed from the north; T'chazzar manages to slightly wound his heavily-armored foe . Davina casts Cayden's blessing on the good guys, including the man they're attempting to rescue. The dottari, meanwhile, continue to flee to the southwest.
Falina moved when she saw the prisoner realize his change of status, getting further from the fight nearby and sent a of foul energy out at the hellknight still on the platform sapping his strength. She hoped it would draw his attention long enough for the prisoner to get off of the stage. She gestured for the prisoner to come with her and prepared to take off to the east.
Davina steps back and attacks the Hellknight next to T'chazzar. She switches from the dagger to the rapier.
VERITAS PLAZA (15 Gozran)
Falina's ray strikes the targeted Hellknight square. His helmed head turns her way but then shifts to the escaping prisoner. He strikes at the escaping man with his longsword, scoring a hit but not one powerful enough to stop the prisoner from hopping off the stage moments later and moving toward Falina.
Meanwhile, the other Hellknights confront the rebels to the south. Longswords flash and blood flies as Arani , T'chazzar , and Davina all take wounds. Davina's successful stab against the drow's foe doesn't seem to faze the knight much.
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Falina began running and leading the prisoner away from the fighting. She just hoped her allies would see what was happening and withdraw themselves. She knew she could easily outrun the pursuing hellknight but she wasn't so sure about the man she was freeing so she began to look for a good place to lose their pursuer.
T'chazzar puts in some more useless swings (really, why does the rebellion even put up with a guy who says he can fight but is clearly lying?) before glancing over his shoulder and planning his exit.
With a grunt of pain, Arani steps back, firing two more shots into her opponent. Looking past, she sees Falina escaping with the prisoner.
'Ungh...just a little longer and they'll be in the clear.'
The wolf continues assisting Davina with her enemy.
Leora winces in sympathy as her friends receive some nasty wounds from the Hellknights. She steps back from the Hellknight in front of her, and fakes drinking a potion that will help her run away once Falina and the prisoner are clear. She hopes her friends are okay for a moment longer.
Davina takes step to get into a flank with T'chazzar, and stabs with her rapier.
While the other Silver Ravens fail to damage their Hellknight foes, Arani punches two more arrows through her opponent's heavy armor, causing the man to grunt in pain and sway momentarily on his feet.
The Hellknight still on the platform has seen the writing on the wall. "Fall back to the keep!" he shouts to the others. "This isn't worth dying over! We'll lay the blame for the prisoner's escape at the feet of the cowardly dottari where it belongs! Cover Larkin so that he may heal!" The speaker then descends from the platform and starts clanking north.
Larkin's apparently the Hellknight looking like a giant pincushion with Arani's arrows sticking out of his armor; he moves north and then a bit east before fumbling in his belt pouch and removing what's likely a potion. The Hellknight who said Leora's name seems to stare at the cleric a bit before taking a quick step that puts him between the summoned wolf and Larkin. He takes an angry, frustrated hack at the wolf, as does the final Hellknight, who first marches north from between the flank set up by Davina and T'chazzar. Between the two strikes, the summoned wolf is felled and vanishes.
There are plenty of dark alleys to the northeast where you might hide.
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Davina is still feeling petty, but they are falling back. It's not their fault Thrune is an idiot so she lets him go.
Falina saw exactly what she needed and directed the former prisoner to follow her with a gesture. She ducked down a dark alley nearby and found something to hide behind. Once she was in place she reached out to grab for the hallknight they'd freed and pull him into hiding with her. She was careful to say nothing but did shift the scarves she wore to warp around them both in an effort to make their presence less obvious, and to give a reason they were lurking if caught.
Seeing that Falina and the prisoner made it away, Leora holds her ground for now. Fleeing at this point would only make the hellknights wonder why the Ravens suddenly decided to run.
And she takes moment to study the hellknight who noted her name. She wonders if she'd met him at the Thrashing Badger before or something.
Switching her focus to the Hellknight that had reacted to Leora's name, Arani opts to add one last bit of confusion and chaos, selecting a smoke arrow and firing it at him.
VERITAS PLAZA (15 Gozran)
Davina finds it in the depths of her heart not to attack the Hellknight as he moves north; not so T'chazzar, though the drow's stab doesn't come close to penetrating the knight's full plate armor. While Falina slips away to the northeast with the prisoner, Leora steps forward to heal some of Davina's wounds , thinking that the Hellknight's voice sounded vaguely familiar. The mask hides the man's face, however...and then a smoke arrow from Arani hides the fellow completely within a thick gray cloud.
VERITAS PLAZA (15 Gozran)
Davina and T'chazzar retreat, heading southeast with the plan of hooking north as soon as possible to meet up with Falina and the rescued prisoner (rather than heading directly after the sorceress and risking having the Order of the Rack Hellknights think the Silver Ravens are pressing the attack). Indeed, the retreating Hellknights move so slowly in their heavy armor that your group could easily keep up with them if you so desired. Whereas Falina and the prisoner headed northeast, the lead Hellknight clanks due north, not giving chase.
Arani takes a moment to turn to the crowd of bystanders amid the chaos, climbing atop a toppled cart. Smiling beneath her mask, the Black Thorn victoriously throws a fist up into the air shouting a single word before racing off after the other Silver Ravens.
VERITAS PLAZA (15 Gozran)
A few citizens echo Arani's parting cry as the Silver Ravens head east and then north to try to reunite with Falina and the rescued Hellknight armiger. They find the pair huddled in an alley near the foot of the Shadowsquare, the semi-pyramidal temple dedicated to the dark god, Zon-Kuthon. There's an open courtyard beneath the raised temple, providing a zone of eternal shade day and night. From the deeper darkness there, you can almost sense a brooding malice. A cry of pain seems to dance lightly upon the breeze...or perhaps it's just the wind.
The Hellknight is a sandy-haired man in his early 20s. "My thanks for the timely rescue," he says, taking a closer look at his other rescuers; his eyes widen briefly when he beholds that T'chazzar is a drow. "My name is Aldan, and I am...or perhaps was...an armiger in the Hellknight Order of the Torrent. Who are you people? Do you know what happened to the lictor of my order, Octavio Setrona?"
"Any enemy of Thrune is a friend of ours," Leora tells Aldan quietly as they walk. "We're actually looking for Octavio too, and we have an idea of where he might be." She looks around to make sure they aren't being followed or observed. The creepy atmosphere of Shadowsquare is putting her on edge.
She also takes a look at Aldan to see if he's injured from his stay in the doghouse.
"We're friends of Kintargo, and we're looking for some missing people. Does your order have any leads on where some of the folks who went missing on the Night of Ashes got to?"
"Do you know if anything in particular made Thrune suddenly shut down the Order of the Torrent?"
"Did you and your order work much with Thrune or the Dottari?"
VERITAS PLAZA (15 Gozran)
Aldan has a few lingering injuries from his doghousing experience, and he sincerely thanks Leora when she heals him.
"I was born in and spent most of my life in Westcrown, so I don't know too much about your city, its people, or those who've gone missing since Thrune arrived. The lictor, however, seemed dubious that the previous lord-mayor Bainilus just up and left for Arcadia: The only folks who claim to have seen her near the harbor the night she vanished are notorious Thrune loyalists."
"Maybe Paracount Thrune somehow got wind of the lictor's doubts and that's why he shut us down. Or maybe he just preferred to seize our headquarters to house the Order of the Rack Hellknights he's called in to support his authority. I've never worked with Barzillai Thrune before, but our order has generally had a good relationship with the dottari throughout the empire. The leader here--Duxotas Vannases Trex--was brought in when Thrune arrived and has made the town watch wholly loyal to the new lord-mayor; since then, they haven't been very gracious nor helpful to our order."
ABOVE & BELOW THE STREETS OF KINTARGO (15 Gozran)
The sounds of whistles begin to sound; apparently the dottari are becoming more efficient. When one sounds in reply from a couple streets over, Davina takes charge, ordering everyone into the city sewers so you'll be able to move unseen wherever it is you plan to go with the Hellknight you've rescued. The aasimar suggests returning to the Tooth and Nail to speak further with Setrona and perhaps formulate more plans.
THE SEWERS (15 Gozran)
As your group makes its way toward its destination, you see a few signs of the passage of other humanoids fairly recently: boot prints in the slime on the walkways and a mostly-destroyed giant spider web that once blocked the way. As your group comes to an intersection where your passageway crosses over a channel of sewage, only T'chazzar notices the pair of halfling-sized, winged humanoid creatures apparently bathing in the nasty water and filth. Unfortunately, the things apparently heard you coming and are just a bit quicker on the draw than the drow....
The closest of the two creatures belches a cone of acidic slime that catches both T'chazzar and Arani; the second conjures a cloud of greenish fog that envelopes everyone except the rescued Hellknight and Leora, making stomachs queasy and limiting sight.
Failed Save: 1 point of acid damage and sickened for 3 rounds.
Successful Save: 1 point of acid damage (no sickened condition).
Failed Save: You are immediately nauseated and will remain so for a number of rounds TBD.
Successful Save: You're not nauseated yet but will have to make another saving throw if you're still in the cloud at the end of your turn or re-enter it.
NOTE: The fog obscures all sight, including darkvision, beyond 5 feet. A creature within 5 feet has concealment (attacks have a 20% miss chance). Creatures farther away have total concealment (50% miss chance, and the attacker can’t use sight to locate the target).
T'chazzar is, of course, wrecked and unable to do anything.
THE SEWERS (15 Gozran)
T'chazzar is nimble enough to dodge most of the incoming spray, but the green fog churns his stomach, leaving him nauseated . As the drow suffers, the quick little things chatter amongst themselves. One chirps something* in a gurgling language. The other demands in Common, "Go back! Topsiders not pass!" The other voice then chimes in with: "Unless, maybe...you pay for passage, yes?"
"More intruders! These not devil-bloods, though...."
Although these creatures appear humanoid in shape, they are actually water-based outsiders called ooze mephits. While not usually evil, they're not generally friendly either.
Magic or magic weapons are required to fully damage a mephit. Also, the things heal quickly when in muck or water.
These mephits have two acid-based attacks: a breath weapon and acid arrow spell-like ability. They can also conjure a stinking cloud once a day. Otherwise, they rely on their small but sharp claws in combat.
Davina coughs and hacks at the stink of the cloud. "That's horrible. You don't belong here either. You are from the planes. They are ooze mephits. If you attack them, use magic weapons to fully damage them.
" Davina tries to move out of the cloud.