The leader's unexpected success catches her off-guard, but the other three quickly move in after throwing their firebombs.
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"Eep!" Thinking quickly...
Thinking the opposite of quickly, Jym draws forth Banjo, his fiddle, and plays a frenetic, repetitive tune that doesn't repeat in odd places, in the hopes that it will draw the carnies' attention.
"Before you kill us,
At least before you try,
Hold your attack to tell me why!
Take this time to gloat,
And if I may pry,
Tell me who it is who wants us to die!"
Surprise round over.
Round 1:
21 Stilt-walkers
17 Uro
9 Stilt-walker leader
9 Elebrin
7 Jym
While Jym is pulling his banjo, the stilt-walker who attempted to firebomb him stilt-walks up and swings one of the stilts, which has a blade at the bottom:
Uro's and Elebrin's do likewise:
Uro's attacker doesn't even come close, but Elebrin takes a deep cut and faints to the ground, joining Ixotl.
Jym is still rarin' to go.
All three of the followers point at the couatl-feathered leader and say, "Ask her! We don't know the details; we just collect the coin!" and other equally unhelpful things. Luckily, their talking will occupy their actions during Round 2.
The leader is unfazed, assuming she's still alive after Uro's turn during round 1.
Jym is even more rarin' to go than I thought!
Uro nods at the hapless hirelings and goes after the leader. He'll try to angle his axe to take out the stilts instead of the wearer.
Uro steps forward smartly, leaving his assailant struggling to recover, and swings his axe in an upward arc at the leader, hard. One would think that, for someone balancing on stilts, the blow would be inexorable, but somehow the splendidly-plumed acrobat sways out of the way, causing the blow to whistle through empty air.
The leader counter-attacks with some vigor:
.
Elebren up.
21 - Luckily, all three stilt-walker followers are too busy babbling in response to Jym's spell to actually accomplish anything this round.
17 - Uro up.
Seeing the thin line of blood from the stilt blade, Uro quickly tires of playing nice. "Grrrrr FINE THEN!!" The orc lunges forward and swings wildly at the man, hit location be damned.
In his fury, Uro nearly swings himself in a circle. All the blow accomplishes is to leave him slightly off-guard, although he recovers in time to receive the leader's attack:
Jym up, and Ix and Eleb can check to stabilize again (the former's breathing is shallow and irregular; he'll die if it fails).
Jym pulls out one of his potions of cure light wounds as he steps over to dying elf. The elf that started dying first. The really aggressive one. He hurriedly pours the potion into Ixotl's mouth.
"What's that? I can't hear you guys over these screaming people!" he hollers at the stilt-followers as he works.
Inspiration (Su): You are trained to use music (for minstrels) or poetry/oratory (Linguistics skill, for skalds) to magically inspire those around you, including yourself if desired. You can use this ability for a number of rounds per day equal to 4 + your Charisma modifier (for minstrels) or Intelligence modifier (for skalds). For each class level after the 1st you can use bardic inspiration for 2 additional rounds per day.
To conduct a bardic inspiration, choose any bard spell you know (of maximum level equal to your college bonus) that affects one or more creatures. You can use Heighten Spell or other metamagic on a lower-level spell, as long as the final spell level is less than or equal to your college bonus. When you use the inspiration, the effects of that spell occur as a supernatural ability, with a save DC equal to 10 + half your class level + your Charisma modifier, and lasting as long as you pay the cost to maintain the inspiration. This does not use up any spell slots.
Inspirations affecting an area always use your square as their point of origin. If the effects are beneficial and apply to multiple targets (or an area), your enemies are excluded from the effects; if the effects are harmful and apply to multiple targets (or an area), you and your allies are excluded. If the spell normally affects only a single target, you can affect multiple creatures by multiplying the inspiration cost in rounds by the total number of targets. Spells with a range of “personal” cannot be modified to affect multiple creatures. Instantaneous effects are applied each round at the end of your turn.
Starting an inspiration requires a standard action at 1st level, but becomes quicker as the bard gains levels (see below). Once started, bardic inspiration can be maintained each round using the bardic performance ability (see above) as a swift action. Changing an inspiration from one effect to another requires you to stop the previous effect and start a new one. A bardic inspiration cannot be disrupted except by another bard using the countersong ability (Chapter 4, under “Perform”). It ends immediately if you are killed, paralyzed, stunned, knocked unconscious, or otherwise prevented from taking a bardic performance action to maintain it each round.
Suggestion: Command (2nd level) + Variable Spell (choose command at time of casting; +1 level) + Delay Spell (+1 level) + Language-Dependent Spell (-1 level) = 3rd level; victim compelled to perform some action for 1 rd., chosen at the time of casting; you can cause a time delay or set an activating condition.
Uro grows increasingly annoyed at the stilt guys masterful foot/stilt work and swings for the fences again.
The stilt leader gal, overconfident at her success, fails to slip that blow and the axe bites deeply.
Somehow she manages to stay up on the stilts, although her blood is now trickling down one of them in a rivulet, dripping on the street.
As Jym tends to the wood elf, she focuses on Uro, somewhat unsteadily. Having almost lost her footing, she opts for a quick rabbit punch as he recovers from his mighty blow:
21 Stilt-walkers
17 Uro
9 Stilt-walker leader
9 Elebrin
7 Jym
-4
"What? Sorry, I'm a little distracted!" Jym hollers at the stilt followers.
Jym, uncharacteristically competently, uses one hand to uncoil the whip he keeps hooked on a loop on his belt and whips it around one of the stilt leader's stilts.
Whether or not Jym's whip wrapped around a stilt actually impedes the stilt-walker, Jym is waiting for Uro to swing again. The minstrel will yank the whip with all of his diminutive might to try and unbalance Uro's target.
Uro swings his axe up high hoping to help Jym's leverage.
Jym's whippery wouldn't normally be quite adept enough to snare such a highly-trained acrobat, but in this case her injuries (and Uro's help) prevent her from dodging the lash. Already reeling from that last blow and now tangled in Jym's whip as well, the stilt-walker leader is an easy target for the big orc's axe, and it splits her like a piñata.
The three followers, gibbering aimlessly in response to Jym's magic, stare agog at the carnage. They unfasten their baldrics and drop them to the ground, along with everything they're holding, and raise their hands high above their heads while they continue to babble.
Jym picks up his hat before the giant stone doorway slams down on it and places it on his head before ending his inspiration.
"If you don't know why you attacked us, then tell us what you know of her. Quickly." Jym calmly re-coils his rope as he talks, but glares at the surrendered men.
Then he'll pour a potion into Elebrin's mouth.
Pulling off the leader's feathered mask, Jym immediately recognizes her as Diamondback, once a celebrated acrobat, fired for beating several co-workers comatose after an altercation, and blackballed when rumors of criminal activities surfaced.
The three other stilt-walkers eagerly explain that they are failed performers who now do part-time thug work for Diamondback. According to them, she received a message by carrier pigeon and immediately rounded them up to stake out Vanderboren Manor, saying there was money in it for them.
"Where is the pigeon, now?"
"She usually lets them go with a note saying she'll take the job -- I guess they fly back to their coop somewhere."
Jym asks Elebrin to gather anything interesting from the stilt leader's belongings, and he and Uro pick up the stilt surrenderers' kits and weapons. After the authorities arrive, which works out exactly as Jym is assuming it will, Uro picks up Ixotl, and they head to the mansion.
Elebrin will stumble around in a bit of a haze and comply with Jym's request.
Followers (Each): Padded armor, 4 daggers, 1 flask alchemist's fire.
Leader: Jade serpent earrings worth 500 gp, note from carrier pigeon including brief description of Jym, Uro, Elebren, and Gwl, and instructions, written in a shaky hand:
Stake out Vanderboren Manor, kill those listed and any companions if approach (300 gp each). If spot Vanthus V., capture him alive (1000 gp). Drev. will relieve you soon. --HJ.
"Do you fellows know who Drev or HJ are?"
Elebrin: "Wasn't crazy pirate captain lady's name Harley Javelin or something like that? And who was the guy she sent to kill Lady V?"
Uro: "Harliss Javell. And she mentioned a bo'sun named Drevoraz."
Jym: "I don't know where you people are getting all these names from. But I liked her boots!"
Jym's lack of memory is understandable; he realizes he's not thinking 100% clearly, and in horror he looks at his roadrunner wounds, which don't seem to be healed over as nicely as he would have liked.
"If we wait for the authorities, they might detain us. Who knows how long they will keep us in a cell. Maybe we just go and get to Lady V. She's clearly in danger."
Jym sees the wisdom in Uro's words, so they gather the earrings, the note, and the four bottles of alchemist's fire and head to Lady V's mansion.
Jym asks Elebrin if the earrings are magical.