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Chelk's sword is turned aside by the leathery hide of the giant hippypolymouse.
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Uzziah's mood takes a 180 as his frustration is replaced with a wicked smile. As he rights himself he begins a slow walk toward the entrance to the tunnel. His eyes, now pure purple, seem to radiate with palpable psychic might. After a few step he turns his head toward the humanoid enemy in combat with his allies. Uzziah lifts his un-gloved hand in the enemy's direction and makes a crushing motion. At the same time, he channels his psychic might to pummel the mind of the enemy.
"I have what I need. You are of no use to me."
Casting
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components S
Effect
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target one creature
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw Will half; Spell Resistance yes
Description
You divine the most vulnerable portions of your opponent’s mind and overload it with a glut of psychic information. This attack deals 1d6 points of damage per caster level (maximum 5d6). The target receives a Will save for half damage. This attack has no effect on creatures without an Intelligence score.
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Mercutio clumsily tumbles through the entrance to the caves but scores a fatal blow to the surrounded smuggler, dropping him on the sand. Segray dithers within the cave.
The samurai's blindness resolves, his vision coming back in bleary swaths.
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Casting
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Effect
Range medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Target one living creature
Duration 1 round/level (D)
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes
Description
You cause the subject to believe it is being attacked by a creature out of its nightmares. Each round, the subject makes a full-attack action against the creature. A flying creature can still attempt a Fly check to hover. Each round on its turn after making a full attack against the imaginary creature, the subject can attempt a new saving throw to end the effect. The subject is fatigued for 1 minute after the spell ends.
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Blinking the last of the tears out of his eyes, Kita looks up to see that the dirty fighting pirate is down, the remaining pirate is firing into the water, and the only threat appears to be a savage animal.
He moves into position
Once in position, he will take a two-handed slice at the hippopotamus.
His spirits also lash out at the hippo
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Kita and his spectral dancing partner move to attack the roaring hippo, scoring two telling blows. The archer on the boat cries out, "NO! We yield! Call off your girallon! We yield!" She raises her bow in submission.
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Uzziah waves a hand in a single shooing motion , and the semi-radiance of purple leaves his eyes. "Chelk! Stand down!" He then begins walking toward the last sailor on the ship. "Speak quickly and tell the truth. I say this not as a threat, but as an appeal to your reasonability. For, I will get the information regardless," Uzziah pauses to let that sink in before continuing, "What is your connection with Vernisant?"
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The archer seems relieved for a moment as Uzziah begins addressing her, but then fixes the elf with a quizzical look. "Earl Vernisant? The ruler of this town? None. Where are my men? Is Robin ok?" she glances concernedly towards the hippo, and then the crumpled sailor bleeding out on the beach.
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Remmy stretches as he stands.
Oof... that hurt... Anybody got a s-spot of healing? It'd be ap-ppreciated... I'm feeling kinda w-woozy...
He looks at the bleeding hippo and the downed sailor and sighs.
And p-p-perhaps something for the p-p-prisoners? It's not a g-g-good look to l-let them die after we w-w-win.
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"Because the Iron Gar dismissed us from the navy, right? It's a revenge thing, not something I'd expect you to understand, but that's it, isn't it? We got ourselves - well, had ourselves - a nameless fence, dropped off the goods on a fortnightly basis here at these tunnels, and get paid good and proper, not like in the navy where it's pittance for being spat upon by the likes of Zespire. Now let me tend to my man if you're not going to help him."
The archer keeps her bow in hand as she eyes the skeleton in front of her warily, but marches around it towards the crumpled and bleeding sailor.
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Remmy straightens a bit as he's healed.
Ooooh... that's the s-s-spot. Thank you S-s-segray... I'll make you some c-c-c-cinnamon s-s-scones as thank you later for s-s-saving my b-bloody hide, t-twice!
He waves holds up a hand to the skeleton who holds his position and doesn't pursue the archer.
T-Tell me... why did the I-iron Gar dismiss you? You s-s-seem competent s-s-soldiers.
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Kita sighs as he allows the rage to leave his body.
Looking uncertainly at the hippo, he moves back to the tunnel, where he will confiscate the weapons from the sleeping pirates, then move to take the pirate woman's bow.
While the others are questioning the woman, he will board the barge and begin examining the contents.
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The archer pushes her way past the skeleton and responds to no further questions until she reaches the side of her crew-mate. She kneels beside him, closing her eyes briefly.
She lets Kita take her bow from her with a scowl as she sees the samurai come from within the tunnel with weapons in hand. "Are my men in there? Do I need to save them from death's door as well, since your team obviously doesn't operate via rules of engagement for honourably defeated foes?"
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Kita will respond to the woman peacefully as he proceeds to search the barge. "Since we have been directed to kill you outright by the authorities, I think you'll find my restraint most exceptional.
I think that you may want to consider that when thinking about what you know about this fence of yours. Some information on how you are directed on which ships to hit, how you get paid, something of that matter. If you can't flip on someone higher on the food chain, executions can follow."
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"Hypatria!" the archer makes a whooshing noise with her mouth and the hippo yowls plaintively, its hind quarters thumping down to the ground in obedience.
The fierce woman turns to Kita. "The fence's identity was never known to me, nor did I ask. He arranged for these tunnels to be used as a drop spot, and we have not heard from him directly in months, though payments are made regularly here. We've even been given bits of armour and weapons in addition to gold."
"Some of my men have their own theories about who's really paying us, but I frankly don't care. If you'd like their stories, then heal them and ask them yourselves."
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The archer takes off her helmet and drops it to the ground at the feet of Kita as he searches the barge. The samurai finds multiple casks of salted pork within the crates on the barge.
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Kita points out one of the casks to the other teammates. "This one still has most of the maker's mark visible. It appears to be a scaly gar. Zespire's sigil, if I am not mistaken."
"Along with her statements, I think that is full proof of piracy. If none of the men has more information about their fence, I'm not sure that their possession of artifacts stolen from the museum is enough to tie them to the Earl.
The law is clear."
Kita draws his katana and stands ready as the others question the men.
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"Kita, we will not be killing these men. They are still of some use yet. Once their usefulness runs out however..." Uzziah trails the sentence off leaving the rest left unsaid as he inspects the casks and then the helmet.
"Yes, their usefulness has not run out." Uzziah concludes as he hands the helmet back to the archer, "Your helmet, Gayleigh Knar was it?" He pauses for but a moment before continuing, "Go ahead and wake your crew up, I suspect it will go smoother if it is you that does. There is a chance your group's cooperation might save you from the sword, it would be a good thing for you all to remember."
After the others are gathered, "Come now gentlemen and ladies, we have a magistrate to wake. Would somebody kindly grab the more obvious cask? It will be useful as well."
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Gayleigh looks shocked as Uzziah addresses her by name, but takes her helmet back and moves to wake up the slumbering smugglers within the tunnel. Upon returning, the two other smugglers look darkly at the elf as he mentions waking the magistrate. The one named Carlo pipes up.
"Here, what if I told you what I know about who's really paying us? Does that get our neck out of the noose, what?"
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“You tell us eveything you know... everything, mind... and we’ll be sure to mention to the magistrate your willingnes to co-operate and turn Kings Evidence.” promises Chelk. “She, in turn, may well conclude that what youhave been involved in amounts to smuggling, which entails a few years servitude, rather than piracy, which entails a quick jig at the end of a rope.”
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Uzziah looks to Carlo and his crew with a wicked smile, "If you cooperate fully, you have my word that I will speak to the magistrate personally on your behalf." He then raises an eyebrow suggestively, "That is of course under the assumption that you are just lackeys and didn't make any decisions to pirate yourselves..."
"Well shall we?"
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Carlo looks at the other smugglers and then Gayleigh, who gives him a short sharp nod in return. "Well ya see, we never were nothing more than just lackeys for thems that would exploit us, yeah?" he explains grandly. "An' see, I've got it like this, right? We've never seen the bugger's face an' all, but I've got this cousin, see, who has done right by her name an' is in training to be a senator's aide in Oppara, right? An' she says, that all the poli-textuals aside, that Vernisant the Earl, he and Count Zespire are more than just rivals, but they hate each other proper, an' so I says to Gayleigh, I do, I says I bet I know who would just love to give Zespire the Count a bit of the twist, an' that would be none other than the Earl."
Carlo nods his head in satisfaction, confident with his message.
"An' that's me right cooperating with the law," he finishes.
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Kita listens pacidly to Carlo. As the man talks, Kita becomes more and more agitated. When he is finished he can no longer contain his displeasure.
"THIS?!? This regurgitation of the elements we conveyed to you is what you have to barter with?!?!
If you have no proof, then you have no currency. Chelk, put him on his knees, it is time to end this farce!"