Letitia sighs and brings up mage armor.
Sensing his witch's anxiety, Lazlo takes flight, circling around and looking for additional threats that might move in to assist the guards once a fight breaks out.
"oh boy, here we go Nadya mutters to Letitia.
"All right. we gave you a way out. if you're not going to take it me and the boys are gonna toss your limp body over the dock. boys! leave that man for a moment, we have some newcomers to the fishcamps. they need a proper welcome.
Appropriately, Samuel gets to act first! Samuel, Fishcamp 'guards', Ashling, Letitia, Alec, Callix, Nadya
Lazlo hoots a warning to Letitia who spots one more guard coming to see what the commotion is all about. there are now 4 thugs all wielding ogre hooks
Alec wasn't sure on which side he fell this time. On the one hand, he was a hunter, trained to be quiet, unseen, to not strike until the opportunity was ideal. On the other, seeing people treated so badly, it was almost more than he could stand. He was almost grateful that Samuel wasn't about to let this pass...almost.
Samuel smiles as he was already prepared to go first. The man steps forward and bull rushes the first goon by hitting him back with the but of his musket and trying to make it fall into the waters.
Samuel rushes the guard he had been trading insults with. the man is built more sturdily than Samuel expected and does not budge. he laughs, sweeping at Samuel's legs with hsi hook
Samuel hits the deck hard, as the man towers over him. a second guard from the dock moves up and attacks with his hook
even though Samuel is prone he is able to roll out of the way of the blow, taking no damage.
the third man from the dock advances on Ashling, trying to trip her up as well.
she is dropped to the muddy ground.
a fourth guard comes from the side, yelling Better quit while you're ahead! don't draw that wepon, son or you'll be next!
Alec hesitate just a bit seeing the number and size of the guards
Nadya rolls her eyes at the situation but happily joins in the combat. she pulls loose her bow and fires an arrow at the guard who initially tripped Samuel
The whole party is up!
Global Condition: none |Party Condition:
Callix HP: 28/31 - AC: 18/13/15 Status:
Letitia: HP: 26/26 - AC: 16/12/14 Status: mage armor
Alec HP: 12/30 - AC: 19/12/17 Status: shaken (2 rounds)
Samuel HP: 32/34 - AC: 19/15/14 Status: prone
Ashling HP: 16/29 - AC: 18/14/14 Status: proneNPCs:
Nadya HP: 13/24 - AC 15/12/13 Status:Red guard HP: -5 | AC: 17 |
Blue guard HP: ?? | AC: ?? |
Green guard HP: ?? | AC: ?? |
Yellow guard HP: ?? | AC: ?? |
Samuel grumbles as the man refuses to fall back, then he is surprised meeting the ground "Ouch!"
Not liking his bad current position, the Sentinel focuses on defending himself with the help of his musket and standing up on that defensive stance with a nimble acrobatic jump backwards.
Callix sighs, This isn't going well. Let's see if we can't at least slow down the thugs a bit... She recites a quick prayer and points to a spot behind the cluster of thugs, releasing a loud blast of sound - the sound of shattering tankards, mixed with the thunder of rolling kegs, magnified to a point of being unbearable.
Her spell cast, she draws her favourite axe and steps forward to defend her tripped companions, jumping over the railing.
Ashling gets a glare as she hits the ground, angrily she grips the black riders cloak and allows it's power to take hold. she flips herself up, ready to defend from attacks instead of attacking
Seeing the enemies bunched up like they were, it was too good of an opportunity to waste. Letitia casts a spell that sends a burst of glittery particles over red, orange and blue.
"Fair enough" Alec responded to the guard.
With that he hopped down the few steps, came around the corner and attempted to slam his shield into the man.
Nadya fires two arrows into the new arrival
the three men on the dock are hit by two spells in succession
all three manage to keep their balance after taking damage from the sound burst, but two of them then go blind! all three are covered in sparkly powder
Ashling damages one of the guards with her cold aura.
Alec misses with his swing but gets close to the fourth guard.
the two guards next to Samuel can't see him and let him get away
the blind guards swing their weapons anyways, aiming where Samuel was. he's no longer there or grounded, so they both miss.
the guard next to Ashling swings his hook at her but can't quite hit her
and the final one attacks Alec, though he is not looking like he can keep his feet much longer and his weak swing is easy to deflect
The party is up
Global Condition: none |Party Condition:
Callix HP: 28/31 - AC: 18/13/15 Status:
Letitia: HP: 26/26 - AC: 16/12/14 Status: mage armor
Alec HP: 22/30 - AC: 19/12/17 Status: shaken (1 round)
Samuel HP: 32/34 - AC: 19/15/14 Status:
Ashling HP: 26/29 - AC: 18/14/14 Status:NPCs:
Nadya HP: 13/24 - AC 15/12/13 Status:Red guard HP: -13 | AC: 17 | blind
Blue guard HP: -8 | AC: 17 |
Green guard HP: -14 | AC: 17 |
Yellow guard HP: -8 | AC: 17 | blind
"Ah! Well done L!" seeing both goons blind, and recalling not to use his musket, Samuel throws himself into the melee with the first one, trying to push him once more into the cold waters.
Again Alec tried to slam into the man with his shield.
When he failed to drop the man, he drew his falcata.
"We tried it your way. Now we try it mine" he said with a grin.
Callix says to the man standing before her, "Really should have just talked, friend,", as she spins the axe in her hand, then attacks him.
for
Letitia hexes one of the guards she blinded, taking away his ability to fight off the spell.
Ashling deflects and Counterattacks the Man wielding the Ogre hook
nadya fires twice at the red guard
she drops him.
Callix finishes off the guard in front of her, and Alec is also able to disable the man fighting him. hearing the sounds fo the men dying all around him, and blinded and hurt, the last man throws down his hook
"Easy! I surrender! you've won, surely we can work somethign out right?
Global Condition: none |Party Condition:
Callix HP: 28/31 - AC: 18/13/15 Status:
Letitia: HP: 26/26 - AC: 16/12/14 Status: mage armor
Alec HP: 22/30 - AC: 19/12/17 Status: shaken (1 round)
Samuel HP: 32/34 - AC: 19/15/14 Status:
Ashling HP: 26/29 - AC: 18/14/14 Status:NPCs:
Nadya HP: 13/24 - AC 15/12/13 Status:Red guard HP: -21 | AC: 17 | dead
Blue guard HP: -17 | AC: 17 | dead
Green guard HP: -21 | AC: 17 | dead
Yellow guard HP: -8 | AC: 17 | blind
Samuel takes the dropped hook "Yah! Sure! A bit too late... but we can stop this if you tell us what happened with Ringeirr and where can we find him now. Do not resist, we have further means to make you talk"
Letitia steps up to their prisoner. "Your blindness will end soon, but I can make it permanent. So don't tempt me. Answer the man," she tells him in soft but threatening tones.
Callix quickly looks about the men that have been felled, seeing if she can save the lives of any before they bleed out. She says, over her shoulder, "Can't think this is the only gang of this lot. Might be better to take our new friend with us for a more intimate chat."
"Yes, let's do that" Samuel tries take the man from his clothings and pull him to the nearby building out of sight, then he tries to push through with Letitia's rouse "Believe me, she well have the power to leave you permanently blind. And that is only a start. It is not worth to keep protecting whomever you are trying to protect with your silence"
"We should hurry. We haven't exactly blended in."
Ringeirr? what do you want with that man? he was arrested a few days ago. he was tyring to encourage all of the fishermen to revolt against us. trying to take advantage of the Jadiwga having their attention on something else lately. the boss has him under guard until everything cools down again.
Callix asks, "And where are they holding him?"
"The Jadiwga are having their attention on something else lately?" Samuel is puzzled by what that might mean but he tries to support Callix question "Yes, where can we find that boss of yours? No tricks or we will end the job with you"
You will tell us the answers we seek, and you will save you own hide. Our reason are our own and of no consequence to you if our plans go correctly you can disappear and not worry
Letitia stays quiet during the rest of the questioning, not wanting to stand out any more than she already has. If they decide to let this man live, she didn't want their descriptions to get back to the Jadwiga.
"Respond!" Samuel pushes the thug with his musket. He looks at the others, then around to make sure the group is not being observed by anyone else.
The man holds up his hands, trying to deflect a blow from the musket if Samuel decides to do more than just poke him with it.
The boss is just up the hill, third shack on the right. he points up a muddy lane. you can see the shack in question from here, it doesn't look much better than any of the other ramshakle things in this village.
at Samuel's question about the Jadwiga he shakes his head and laughs "where have you lot been? the queen has captured some hut with legs and is claiming that she has defeated Baba Yaga. there was supposed to be a change in power but the queen isn't ready to step down. nothin' like this has happened in as long as anyone can remember. it's causing chaos in the city
"She... has defeated Baba Yaga?" Samuel looks back at the others frowning "So the hut is at town now... Bah!" the Taldan releases the thug pushing him slightly back to make him loose balance "You better get a decent job before you get killed. Ok?"
Samuel looks at the shack the thug pointed out and resolved starts to stride towards there "We better rush before it is too late for Ringeirr. Let's make a quick recognizance of the building to find out where are the entrances and windows. Perhaps if we can see anyone moving inside, and if there are any chimney or other opening we might use in the cover" maintaining some distance from the shack he observes how the building can be quickly assaulted to rescue Nadya's uncle.
Letitia leans forward intently as the man mentions Baba Yaga's hut. "Chaos in the city? How so?" she has to ask, though she makes a start toward the shack the man pointed out.
"Maybe we should take their clothes? When you're hunting, it's best to try to blend into your surroundings."
Callix says, "Not the worst idea -- it worked well at the tower, after all."
Oh yes, plenty of chaos. us lowly fishcamp dwellers don't know much about the politics of the Jadwiga, but even we can tell that not all of them lords 'n ladies agree with what is going on. and the Heralds are reportedly striking more boldly during the, er, disagreement. me, i just try to keep my head down. you should do the same if you're smart
Samuel moves ahead to check out the shack. the windows of this large, ugly, unpainted building are boarded shut. its construction is rough and haphazard, as if it were once a much smaller shack that has had numerous unplanned additions. the word "guardhouse" along with a crude symbol of a shield crossed by a hook is painted on the only door in to the shack.
Samuel does not see any openings that he can look into the building with, for its ugliness it is pretty solidly closed off. there are no guards or anythign standing outside of the one big door. there is a small chimney on top, and smoke is lazily rising from it. the construction of the whole building is fairly weak and flimsy
"The chimney is alight. I don't think it is a good idea to try enter from there. Seeing the poor state of the structure and how in a rush we are to safe Ringeirr, I would just bash down the door and take them by surprise" Samuel leans his musket over the shoulder "But if you wish I can try to attempt reproduce the voice of that last thug we intimidated. If we are lucky we might be able to talk with someone. So who votes bashing the door and who wants to try ventriloquism?"
Letitia narrows her eyes as she studies the shack. "I believe bashing in the wall will be easier, and less likely to be expected."
Samuel nods "So two to bash"
The man has always been stout, but he has never showed a remarkable strength. He looks to Callix and Ashling, both great combatants, but more agile than strong. Finally his eyes land on Alec. His friend was the one that proposed disguising as the thugs, but he was the only one able to bash down the wall "Your call Alec. I doubt I can make the thug's voice. And if someone is able to bash the wall, that's you. Can you do it?"
Callix nods, "I agree that going through the wall is more likely to generate surprise."
you do not see an obvious peep-hole or view slit in the door, they would probably need to open it to see you
"I can give it a shot, but it might be just as easy to force the door."
"Great. Let's do it before they notice we are around. I think a couple of us can probably help Alec to bash down the wall. Let's all get ready" Samuel makes sure his musket is loaded, then he takes a run with Alec and pushes the wall with a hit of his leg.
Letitia readies her icicle wand for defense and just in case knocking down the wall ends up risking the entire shack collapsing -- an emergency ice spear could help shore up a ceiling in a pinch. She winces when Samuel's kick rebounds off the wall.
"Or, if we make enough racket, they'll come out to investigate," she mutters.
Not really used to attempting brute strength, she times her own kick along with Alec to assist.
After we deal with this... We need to capture the Hut She just watches the group attempt to bash down a door with a vaguely amused expression
Callix lines up with Alec and Samuel, ready to rush the wall and add her mass -- and muscle -- to the attempt.
"Here goes nothin'" Alec said, as he slammed into the shack's wall.
His cheeks reddened slightly as he rebounded off the wall.
He gritted his teeth, set his feet, and slammed into the wall again.
Samuel looks ashamed as the wall does not fall. Looking side by side to Alec, the man redoubles his intention going there for a second time with Alec, hoping the rapid succession will not have much time to ready to the thugs "Damn! Let's go again!"
When the first attempt doesn't work, Letitia steps over to the side of the shack to watch the entrance and readies a Slumber hex for the first person to step out.
the first attemp makes a large crack in the wood of the wall, not breaking through but definitely loud enough to draw some attention. the second attempt works much better, smashing through the weakened wood wall. a section collapses with a thump.
Inside, there are two large and mean-looking ogres who look like they were moving towards the wall to investigate the sound of the first thump. they are both brandishing big ogre hooks.
for being big brutes, they are obviously ready for trouble and are not caught unaware for long. Samuel is slightly faster, however and gets a chance to act first.
Samuel, ogres, Ashling, Alec, NAdya, Callix, Letitia