The Puddlejumpers see Ivan notice them and draw his weapons and they leap into action.
"Get 'em!" says one of the halflings up top.
They move toward the crowd and end up right next to the party, short swords gleaming wickedly. The two up top fire their short bows at Ivan and Graff. An arrow whistles past Ivan, but the one targeting Graff aims better and nicks the half-orc's shoulder.
Bold may act.
Active party buffs:
Environmental effects: Difficult Terrain, Crowd (all across the pier)
Surprise Round
Travail
Ahmandé
Red Ivan
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Puddlejumpers (Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, Orange)
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Ironshanks Magee
Graff Leogil (-1)
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Ahmande is grateful to find himself surrounded, as he's going to be casting for a while if he's going to eliminate the halfling archers.
He reaches into his pouch and removes a couple of rose petals, which he begins rubbing between his fingers as he starts chanting some arcane words.
A sleep spell causes a magical slumber to come upon 4 HD of creatures. Creatures with the fewest HD are affected first. Among creatures with equal HD, those who are closest to the spell's point of origin are affected first. HD that are not sufficient to affect a creature are wasted. Sleeping creatures are helpless. Slapping or wounding awakens an affected creature, but normal noise does not. Awakening a creature is a standard action (an application of the aid another action). Sleep does not target unconscious creatures, constructs, or undead creatures.
The crowds on the pier start to flee, knocking you every which way. Travail produces a rapier and attacks, but misses. Ahmande begins casting a spell. Red Ivan dispatches one of the halflings.
The remaining halflings jump into action, the ones up top firing their bows. One arrow sticks into Graff's arm. Another sails past Ivan's head.
Bold may act.
Active party buffs:
Environmental effects: Difficult Terrain, Crowd (all across the pier)
Round 1 / 2
Travail (-1)
Ahmandé
Red Ivan
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Puddlejumpers (Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, Orange)
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Ironshanks Magee (-1)
Graff Leogil (-4)
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Ahmandé finishes casting his spell, blowing the rose petals into the wind, where they drift up towards the halflings overlooking the street.
A sleep spell causes a magical slumber to come upon 4 HD of creatures. Creatures with the fewest HD are affected first. Among creatures with equal HD, those who are closest to the spell's point of origin are affected first. HD that are not sufficient to affect a creature are wasted. Sleeping creatures are helpless. Slapping or wounding awakens an affected creature, but normal noise does not. Awakening a creature is a standard action (an application of the aid another action). Sleep does not target unconscious creatures, constructs, or undead creatures.
He then turns his attention to what is happening on the ground. He begins to speak of the ills of slavery, and the valiant peoples around Golarion who have opposed it.
A 1st-level bard can use his performance to inspire courage in his allies (including himself), bolstering them against fear and improving their combat abilities. To be affected, an ally must be able to perceive the bard's performance. An affected ally receives a +1 morale bonus on saving throws against charm and fear effects and a +1 competence bonus on attack and weapon damage rolls. At 5th level, and every six bard levels thereafter, this bonus increases by +1, to a maximum of +4 at 17th level. Inspire courage is a mind-affecting ability. Inspire courage can use audible or visual components. The bard must choose which component to use when starting his performance.
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Ironshanks is caught completely off guard by the sudden attack "What the... HALFLINGS? We're under attack by these little circus folk? HA!" He draws out his war axe and tries to cut the yellow halfer's weapon in two with a mighty two handed swing.
"I'm sorry, did I hurt your little pocket knife? Buzz off kid!" He snorts.
As the combat heats up, you hear hoots and hollers from the skeleton crew aboard the No Return. They seem quite interested in your demise...
Meanwhile, Ironshanks cuts his enemy's short sword in half, ruining it. Graff tries to deliver a strike of his own but fails to connect, the crowd bumping it him at the most inopportune moment. Travail skirts around the battlefield and delivers a deadly blow to the halfling. Ahmande finishes casting his spell and the halflings on the rooftop fall asleep. Red Ivan attempts to take out the halfling without a weapon but misses.
The halfling with the orange bandanna is too injured to continue the fight, and so throws down his sword. The yellow bandanna halfling, seeing the odds multiply against him, surrenders as well.
Out of Combat!
"All right, ya got us. Don't kill us, eh?!" the yellow bandanna halfling says.
The Puddlejumpers, as these halflings are known, work exclusively for Pildapush. They normally prowl the Coins, doing his bidding.
"We were hired to, that's why!"
"Sorry, can't tell ya that much. They's a good sort, and ya we did get paid real good!"
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"Listen, it doesn't have to go this way. We spared your lives. You know that Red Ivan here could have ended you all in short order. If you're connected to the slaves on that ship... well, you don't want to be. At least one, probably more, was obtained illegally. Slavery's legal here, but kidnapping's not. Tell us what we want to know, and we'll let you go. Free and clear; we won't say a word about your involvement."
The halfling throws up his hands. "Whoa whoa! All right, we're not that loyal the Vudrani. We just work fer him! We didn't know he sellin' nobles or anything like that. That Emprey guy knew, though. Knew when he told Fredrick to pick her up I reckon. Probably works fer that spit of taint, Taldor!"
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Ironshanks watches the half pint closely as the others dredge him for information. I don't remember any of these people... cept that Fredrick fella, where'd we leave him anyhow?
The old Dwarf stands his ground, keeping the sharp part of his axe close enough to shave the kid if he could grow whiskers.
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Travail loses himself in the crowd, keeping an eye on the crew from the No Return, who seemed far too interested in the outcome of the fight...
The halfling says, "Look, I don't know! I swear. I only saw him once in Pardu's office, heard them talking after the deed was done. My boys and me, we're just the help. Can we be on our way?"
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Ironshanks gives the Halfer a shove once he's finished providing them what he could. "Git outta here kid before we change our mind." He kicks the broken blade at his feet into the harbor.
"We better not waste any time and get on that ship, friggin' ships." He starts to lead the way to the hopeful gangplank on board.
The halfling says, "You got it, pal! No more slave runners fer us. Might look to go work fer that Torchy Grandmeister or whatever in the Puddles. Later!"
The Puddlejumpers take their wounded, dead, and sleeping and run off down the pier.
Ahead, capped by a bloody-mouthed dragon ram and carrying a 15-foot fighting tower around her mast, the lateen rigged Katapeshi slave galley, No Return, floats dockside, tethered by four mooring lines. She’s 130 feet long and 20 feet wide, her deck nearly level with the dock, with crew access across three gangplanks: a wide plank mid-deck, and two narrow planks fore and aft. Steep stairs in two narrow hatches, fore and aft, lead to the hold.
The two sailors on board grip their weapons tightly, ready for combat as the Pathfinders step onto the gangplank, and most of you can see the shadow of...something behind the fighting mast. The shadows move as it steps out from its place of hiding, a large gnoll with a bloody hand axe and whip.
In Combat!
Bold may act.
Active party buffs:
Environmental effects:
Round 1
Travail (-1)
Ahmandé
Red Ivan
Graff Leogil (-4)
Ironshanks Magee (-1)
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Sailors (Red, Blue)
Snarl
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"I'm thinkin' you fellas and yer mutt know what this be about. Make 'er easy on yerselfs and give up now!" Says the old grizzled Dwarf as he marches across the gangplank, strapping his shield to his forearm as he goes. Once he gets to the red sailor he swings his axe one handed with all his might at the man's weapon, trying to help convince him.
The sound of metal on metal rings out as his axe strikes hard "Sorry kid, hope I didn't hurt it too bad!"
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Ahmande begins relating a tale he heard of some good-hearted pirates in the Shackles that began raiding vessels that supported the Chelish slave trade. He begins with the story of an ambush and boarding at the docks of Drenchport, and choices that led to the successful taking of that vessel.
A 1st-level bard can use his performance to inspire courage in his allies (including himself), bolstering them against fear and improving their combat abilities. To be affected, an ally must be able to perceive the bard's performance. An affected ally receives a +1 morale bonus on saving throws against charm and fear effects and a +1 competence bonus on attack and weapon damage rolls. At 5th level, and every six bard levels thereafter, this bonus increases by +1, to a maximum of +4 at 17th level. Inspire courage is a mind-affecting ability. Inspire courage can use audible or visual components. The bard must choose which component to use when starting his performance.
Travail puts the blue sailor down with two well placed arrows. Ahmande begins to inspire his fellows and Red Ivan charges the gnoll but cannot score a hit against the wily opponent. Graff calls on his god to aid him and Ironshanks cuts the last sailor's hammer in half, the pieces scattering onto the planks.
"Hey!" the sailor with the red bandanna shouts. "Stupid dwarf that was me father's!"
Retaliating, Snarl the gnoll drops his whip, draws out his handaxe and attacks Red Ivan for his insolence! The sailor looks nervously toward the gnoll and then draws out a javelin and attempts to skewer Ironshanks with it, but fails to do so. Snarl, on the other hand, scores a devastating hit, cutting down Red Ivan's chest.
Bold may act.
Active party buffs: inspire courage +1
Environmental effects:
Round 2
Travail (-1)
Ahmandé
Red Ivan (-9)
Graff Leogil (-4)
Ironshanks Magee (-1)
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Sailors (Red, Blue)
Snarl
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Ironshanks scoffs at the Red Sailor "If yer father saw you slavin' I bet he'd tan yer sissy hide, no get outta my way!" The old cuss of a Dwarf takes a step between Red to get a swing at the dog up on two feet.
"Nice Axe, too bad mine be bigger eh?" And with that he makes another mighty swing aimed at the wooden half of the handaxe.
Travail moves in to the fray. Ahmande continues to perform, inspiring his colleagues, and fires his bow into the melee, but finds his aim off due to the melee and Red Ivan being in the way. Red Ivan takes one swing and knocks the sailor to the ground with a cracked skull. Graff delivers a large gash to the gnoll's leg. Ironshanks attempts to sunder the gnoll's axe but cannot get a good hit on the weapon.
"A battle?" Snarl shouts. "You have it little half-orc!"
He lashes out with his handaxe at Graff, but can't get in a good hit either.
Bold may act.
Active party buffs: inspire courage +1
Environmental effects:
Round 3
Travail (-1)
Ahmandé
Red Ivan (-9)
Graff Leogil (-4)
Ironshanks Magee (-1)
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Snarl (-7)
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"Ignorin' yer elders eh? I'll teach you a thing er two ya mangy mutt!" Ironshanks spits on his axe head and rears back again trying to split the dog's axe like a piece of kindlin.
SNAP! Goes the axe handle and a full bellied laugh rolls out from somewhere under that beard "HA! Told ya, I told ya. Now tell us where the Lady is bafore yer too dead ta talk."