Flinching at the blood dripping form his companions but Saul has a shot at the only exit he knows up. Growling and moving to hopefully block a chance Saul to get away and continue to plague them.
Glaring at Saul once he as rounded the corner, "You have so many sins you need to pay for."
The Octohedron - Round 2 - concluded
19 Silvio (7hp dmg)
17 Orendel (10hp dmg)
15 Pigsaw
15 Dougal
8 Meghan
9 Cherry (8hp dmg)
6 Saul Vancaskerkin
Determining that nothing stands between Saul and his way out, Dougal turns and, while he not much in a fight, at least he creates a semblance of a barricade that the diminutive trickster has to pass through.
Saul's eyes grow wide as Cherry downs his bodyguard in basically one stab. "Hey now," he says, palms out in a placating way. "Youse guys know dis was all a big midunderstandin', right? I always knowed I's gunna need youse guys at t'end o' t'line. I was jus' testin' yeh's all. Yeah, testin'. Makin' sure you was tough enough. An' well, heh, heh, looks like youse pretty tough after all. So how's 'bout we work some'pin out? What's it gonna be, pals? What can yer ol' pal Saulie do ya for ta make this all a-ok?" He slowly walks away from Dougal as he says this, clearly wanting no part of fight. Once he gets aroudn the corner, he scrambles as fast as his aging feet can take him.
End of Round 2
The Octohedron - Round 3
19 Silvio (7hp dmg)
17 Orendel (10hp dmg)
15 Pigsaw (8hp dmg)
15 Dougal
8 Meghan
9 Cherry (8hp dmg)
6 Saul Vancaskerkin
"The game's up, Saul. Drop you weapon and surrender!"
Silvio risks taking a gore from the boar to move forward after Saul, fearful that he might have some scheme to get away. He holds up his holy book calling forth a command. A powerful screech is heard, only by Saul.
Shaking his head, "Not gonna work." Groaning again when Saul runs off. Giving chase and when he rounds the corner he lifts his hand, "Halt!"
Orendel shifts over and stabs at the boar to finish it off. He didn't want any more distractions, and a mad animal without its master needed to be put down.
The Octohedron - Round 3 - continued
As he hears Saul making a break for it, Silvio decides to intervene. Rushing past the razor-sharp tusks of the boar, Silvio is glad for his new armor which protects him from harm. Ending up near Saul, the inquisitor stops and casts a silent spell that only the target can hear, and that at painfully loud levels. Silvio grins as Saul stops short, slapping his hands to his ears in agony.
Focusing on the wild pig, Orendel scores another hit with his halberd, but the pig-hide proves resistant to his steel, leaving only a small hurt.
Pigsaw swings his over-sized tusks at Cherry once again. This time the boar really gets into her, ripping a large chunk from her flesh, and leaving her barely upright. The pig sidles over her way, hoping to take her down on his next turn.
Meghan winces when she sees Cherry gored horribly. To keep the tiefling in the fight, the Calistrian bard hooks around and casts a healing spell on her.
"Fall back if you must," she tells the rogue.
Trailing behind Saul and lifting his hand to jab at Saul, "Think of this as a test before you meet the Lady of Graves."
The Octohedron - Round 3 - continued
Dougal rounds the corner after Saul. Catching the short fellow, the priest is angry enough to stab him, even though the wound is quite superficial.
Moving behind the action, Meghan is able to cast a curative spell and deliver it to Cherry, healing some of the wounds she has taken from the man-eating pig.
Cherry says, "It's him or me! I'm not running from this!"
She lashes out again with her rapier at the horrid pig-beast.
Just as Saul begins to recover his wits, Silvio swings his heavy, iron-bound tome at Saul's head.
;
"Don't make me hurt you more!" says Silvio with urgency. He almost felt guilty for beating the old man. Almost.
The Octohedron - Round 3 - concluded
With some healing recovering her woudns, Cherry stands her ground stabbing at the big boar. Her frustration mounts as Pigsaw's thick hide stops her rapier thrust another time. As she stands in the middle of the room, Cherry notices something strange about the floor. While the rest of the room is covered with sand, there seems to be something hard on floor in the center, just under the surface layer of sand.
Saul stands dazed by the sonic attack from Silvio and cannot move or act, even as heroes close off his opportunities to escape.
End of Round 3
The Octohedron - Round 4
19 Silvio (7hp dmg)
17 Orendel (10hp dmg)
15 Pigsaw (11hp dmg)
15 Dougal
8 Meghan
9 Cherry (12hp dmg)
6 Saul Vancaskerkin (4hp dmg)
Stepping up to where Saul still stands, Silvio bangs him upside the head with his book of laws.
Orendel continues helping Cherry deal with the pig.
The Octohedron - Round 4 - continued
Stepping over to it, Orendel slashes at the wild pig, ripping a large gash in its flank, that immediately wells with bright red blood. The damaged boar squeals loudly now, stumbling a bit, but not quite going down all the way.
Lowering its fearsome head once again, Pigsaw leaps once more at Cherry, continuing to pick on the tiefling for some reason. This time the tusks tears a whole in Cherry's side, the combined effect of her wounds starting to take a toll.
"I won't... go down... for bacon!" says Cherry through gritted teeth.
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"Please--let us handle it!" Meghan begs Cherry. "I can heal you up again after the fight's over."Knowing she's a horrible swordswoman, Meghan nonetheless steps up and tries to stick the giant pig.
mwk longsword: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11 for slashing damage: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9
The Octohedron - Round 4 - concluded
Dougal continues driving his rapier into Saul. Even though the priest of Cayden typically abhors violence, his anger at the cheating, lying crimelord is great enough that he doesn't think twice. The point of the rapier is deflected just enough to prevent Saulie from harm. It seems his skin is toughened somewhat, like the bark of a tree...
Meghan's plea to Cherry to step back go unheeded, and the bard's attack vs the large boar misses.
Blood streaming from her several wounds, Cherry grits her teeth through the pain and determines to stand and fight till the boar is down for good. Her stab is on point, hitting a sensitive porcine area, and the pg staggers, almost dropping to the ground, but staying upright by sheer force of meanness.
Waking from his daze only to be bashed in the head by Silvio, and seeing the fight is turning against him, Saul does the only thing left to a survivor. He drops his rapier, and drops to his knees. "Ok, ok, you'se guys bested me. I git it. Saulie's t'bad guy, Saulie's a liar, a cheata, a thief. Yeah, it's all true, all of it. Whatchagonnado, huh?" He shrugs comically, giving you a big grin, turning on the charm you've all seen before. "So what now, eh? You'se gonna let Saulie walk outta 'ere? Tha's what I'd do, it's the smart play. You'se 'r smart guys, sure yeh are. Tell yeh what, I'll give you'se t'keys t' de Goblin, all t'coin and what not, I'll sign over t'deed t'youse. You'se fellas run de place, an' ol' Saulie walks outta 'ere in one piece, right? Leave Riddleport, never come back, all o'dat. Whatdayasay? Square deal, amiright?"
End of Round 4
The Octohedron - Round 5
19 Silvio (7hp dmg)
17 Orendel (10hp dmg)
15 Pigsaw (-12hp, ferocity, disabled)
15 Dougal
8 Meghan
9 Cherry (19hp dmg)
6 Saul Vancaskerkin (4hp dmg, 5 NL, shaken 5 rounds)
"Don't let him off the hook before I've had a chance to say my piece! I want answers!" Orendel calls as he stabs at Pigsaw again, hoping to finish the animal off once and for all.
Silvio kicks away Saul's rapier. "You were always the charmer, getting us to be your partners, convincing us that you were so torn apart by Larur's death when we started suspecting something, leading us to an ambush. NO MORE LIES! I want the TRUTH!"
The Octohedron - Round 5 - continued
Silvio kicks Saul's rapier away from him, down the sandy corridor. Saul blinks and says in reply, "If you'se want de troot, den Saulie'll tell youse de troot, but I thinks youse only want t'hear SOMMA de troot, an' dere's some dat youse just doan wanna know, knowwatImean? But, yeah, if youse let Saulie walk from 'ere, I'll tell youse whatcha wanna know. No problemo."
Meanwhile, there is still the matter of bacon. Orendel tries to stab the wounded beast, but cannot hit this time.
With a snarl and a squeal, the boar turns on the fighter, ripping at him with the sharp tusks that are now coated with Cherry's blood. Pigsaw's attacks are noticeable slowed now however, and Orendel is able to avoid any danger.
Watching the blade clatter to the ground and kicking it further before backing up. Holding his hand up with the tankard symbol dangling from his wrist, "At least give me this."
Channel: 2d6 ⇒ (5, 6) = 11
Channeling but I am excluding Saul and future bacon. And that hits everyone.
Touching his holy symbol, Dougal channels divine positive energy. His allies sense the smell of freshly poured ale, and get a hint of the taste of cold beer hitting the back of the throat after a day full of work in the summer sun. And they are refreshed.
Meghan takes a second wild slash at the battle-wearied boar...a bit more accurate than her last hack.
for
The Octohedron - Round 5 - concluded
Meghan may not be great shakes with a weapon, but this time, against the nearly-spent Pigsaw, she makes the most of her opportunity. With a great cry of effort, she slashes the flank of the pig open, and watches with a mixture of horror and wonder as the beast stumbles. First its forelegs give out, then with a keening cry it topples over sideways, its torn flanks hitting the sandy floor of the arena, which absorbs copious amounts of blood from dying porker. Finally after more feeble efforts to right itself, the fearsome pig just lies there and dies, ending the fight.
End of Combat
As she stands in the middle of the room, Cherry notices something strange about the floor. While the rest of the room is covered with sand, there seems to be something hard on floor in the center, just under the surface layer of sand.
As Saul continues to try and deal, Silvio slams his iron-bound book into the wall above his head. "Listen, Saul, you try one more deal on me and I swear by Abadar's name that I won't miss the next swing. Now TALK!"
It would seem that Silvio has become a little unhinged at the moment. Which may not be a bad thing.
Seeing Meghan has the pig situation under control, Orendel moves over to join Silvio and the others in confronting Saul. He leans his polearm over his shoulder and uses his free hand to clasp Silvio's shoulder.
"You won't be able to talk your way out of this one with offers or bargains, Saul. I said to you once to treat this like a war, to be our general, but it's looking more and more like if this was a war, it was a one-man war of you against everyone around you, something even you should have realized you wouldn't win. It's time to stop lying and bantering and be honest with us, for once in your life! Who knows? Maybe it WON'T be the end of that life, but you're the only one who can decide that."
His expression is a stern glare that doesn't leave Saul's eyes, his voice clear and measured. The anger was there, but now burning steady instead of a barbarian's explosive rage.
Cherry's rapier dips and she backs up slightly, nostrils flared as she breathes hard from the exertion and the injuries. Her boots scuff along the floor and she reaches the middle of the chamber and kicks away some of the sand.
"Start at the beginning. What's going on? What did you mean when you said the Tournament robbery was staged?"
Silvio feels so frustrated with Saul. It's fortunate Orendel is around to prompt the old man to speak. Silvio just glares at Saul with contempt.
Saul laughs, a chuckle at first that leads into a full-on belly laugh. "Tha's right," he finally says. "Dose patsies I hired'r 'posed ta steal all da loot an' den return it t' me. I'd get de coins dem fat cats dropped durin' de tournament, and keep t' original stake too. Foolproof, 'xecpt nobuddy counted on youse hero types showin' up an' scarin' de robbers so bad de jus' ran. Well, after dat, I jus', yeh know, improvised-like, an' kept youse all on as 'ired muscle; it worked out pretty good too, until yer noses kepp pokin' in where dey ain't 'posed to poke, kapich? Den I t'augt, 'Saulie, youse gotta do somet'in 'bout them partners o'yers'. Never nuttin' personal, strictly bidness, see?"
Cherry starts kicking aside the sand covering the floor at the center of the arena. There is a something hard under they she can tell. It takes a bit to excavate enough to keep the sand from just running back down.
"Someone give me a hand with this," says Cherry. "Maybe a trapdoor."
Shaking his head but leaving the discussion with Saul for the law man and the solider. All he wants to do is gut the man and leave him for the rats. Might still do that.
Moving over to Cherry and offering a hand in what might be a trapdoor. Crouching down and shoving dirt out of the way, "Am I wrong for wanting that man dead?"
"No, you're not," Meghan comments bitterly, having overheard Dougal's whisper to Cherry. Figuring the pair has the trapdoor covered, Meg stalks over to where Saul is cornered and being interrogated. She glares at her former employer, standing close enough that he'll be able to see her new Calistrian colors.
Saul laughs, a chuckle at first that leads into a full-on belly laugh. "Tha's right," he finally says. "Dose patsies I hired'r 'posed ta steal all da loot an' den return it t' me. I'd get de coins dem fat cats dropped durin' de tournament, and keep t' original stake too. Foolproof, 'xecpt nobuddy counted on youse hero types showin' up an' scarin' de robbers so bad de jus' ran. Well, after dat, I jus', yeh know, improvised-like, an' kept youse all on as 'ired muscle; it worked out pretty good too, until yer noses kepp pokin' in where dey ain't 'posed to poke, kapich? Den I t'augt, 'Saulie, youse gotta do somet'in 'bout them partners o'yers'. Never nuttin' personal, strictly bidness, see?"
Cherry starts kicking aside the sand covering the floor at the center of the arena. There is a something hard under they she can tell. It takes a bit to excavate enough to keep the sand from just running back down.
Orendel rolls his eyes.
"How were we interfering in affairs we weren't supposed to by trying to keep the Goblin successful? By trying to find who did Larur in, so we could keep the Goblin from further trouble? If you'd wanted your business to go under from the start, you could have just not hired us. What possible benefit could you have gotten from running your last chance, as you said the Goblin was, into the ground? Did you WANT Zincher to smash your head in with a pickaxe?"
Saul makes a lowering motion with his one good hand, "Settle down dere, sport! Youse guys 'r always jumpin' off ta conclusions an' what not. O'course youse was useful, an' yeah, yeh kept Saulie's head from gettin' smashed like a melon, but really, Zincher wasn't dat big a t'ret ta me. Ol Saulie had it under control, knowwhatImean? It's da Larur mess what started youse turnin' against me. An'dat's when I knew," he touches his key-hand to his temple. "Dat's when I knew I was gunna 'ave t'git rid o' youse. Too goodie-two-shoes to be in dis bidness. An' lookie 'ere, I was right. Saulie's a smart cookie, sport. WhatcanIsay?"
"Now," he says with a sigh, "how's'bout lettin' me walk now? I tole youse what youse wanna 'ear, no youse do yer part. Let poor Saulie go, eh? Never see 'im again. Poof!"
Orendel glowers
"Two things: first, we never agreed to let you walk, and two, we're not done yet. Why did you have Larur killed? And what interest would elves have with your connections?"
Clearing the sand away finally, Cherry and Dougal find a flat concrete surface underneath. A small keyhole is drilled in the center with no other handle or means of opening visible. It seems there is some kind of trapdoor down there after all.
"Elves?" says Saul with surprise. "What in de name a'Besamara's blessed boots 'r yeh talkin' 'bout, boy? Saulie ain't got no deailin's wit' elves, 'xcept de rare uns what shows up at t'Goblin for a good time."
He grow wistfully, and looks a bit stricken. "As fer Larur, well, I might like t'do over 'gin given 'nother chance. He were a good fella, alriht, but when I found out he was given secrets to t'nother boss, well I just couldn't have dat. Youse unnerstand dat at least, dontchaa?"
Cherry squints at the keyhole in the trapdoor, then up at Saul's prosthetic keyhand.
"You may not have dealings with them, but they're watching you. They've told us as much. Now what would you be doing that could get elves watching you?"
The keyhole and the key-hand are of similar size. Can't really tell if they are a match or not without trying it.
"No idea," says Saul. "My dealin's may be on t'shady side of t'ings, but I ain't never done no elf no wrong. Not dat ol Saulie knows of anyway. Might jus'be wanna t'other bosses usin' youse like a tool. Wouldn't put it past Tammerhawk t'be up t' somethin' like that. He's a wizard an' prolly knows all types. That must be what's what." He gives you a wink and a point with his good finger, clicking his tongue as if he's figured something out for you.
Meghan tries to discern if there are any small truths in Saul's litany of lies.
"Uh huh. We're supposed to believe you when you blame others for your misdeeds. So what about the part where you started working with troglodytes? Or did you just forget about that on your way to telling us everything that you've been up to?"
Glancing up at Megan but offering no further reply. That man infringed on peoples freedom and killed those he wanted. He will not leave alive.
Following Cherry's gaze, "Well that seems either brilliant or really dumb."
Staying crouched but leaning back on the balls of his feet, "Wanna let them keep talking and then we can get him to open this up?"
Not bothering to move unless promoted but watching, from a distance, Saul's interrogation.
Cherry glances sideways at Dougal and says, "Yeah... if need be I'll just saunter on over and take the article in question."
Palming my dagger.
Probably Saul is about to have a sudden, violent end.
"B'leave what youse want, bucko!" Saul says, a hint of anger rising in his face for the first time since you cornered him. "Trog-la-what's?" he looks surprised. "Youse musta scrambled yer brains. I ain't workin' with no troglawhatists."
When Cherry starts sauntering over, Saul gives a leering little grin. "Finally, a li'l sugar. Come t'papa, sweet thing. Get me away from dese goodies, an' let's get outta 'ere together, whatdayasay?"
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"Saul, this is a tough town, and it's pretty amazing that you made it this far," says Cherry as she approaches the portly gambler. "I gotta say that I figured the heist on the first night was a blow off, but I wasn't sure. You did a really good job of isolating the different groups so they didn't know what was going on. Quality masterminding."
She nods to the key-hand and says, "That's the real article too, isn't it? It looks so conspicuous so that it looks silly, because that means nobody questions it. Same with your veneer - the blowhard and blustery businessman, or maybe petty criminal put upon by more powerful members of the criminal underworld, or maybe the scrappy underdog trying to go straight after a series of misadventures but dragged back in by old enemies. It's a pretty amazing ability to change your identity at a moment's notice."
Cherry pauses close to Saul, her tail swishing back and forth quickly. "I gotta say, it's impressive, it really is just bad luck that we crossed paths before you actually got rich. The Golden Goblin was just illegitimate enough to make it plausible that you might try to make cash by being a little crooked, so everyone would miss the real take. Hell, you would've pulled one over on Zincher, who mistakenly thought the gambling hall was your attempt to make a little money, and completely missed that it was just there to make him angry enough to not spot the real biz: cashing in on dismantling or riding on other criminals' operations. I guess in retrospect it's obvious, since the blow off is your specialty. Even if Zincher sabotaged business at the Goblin, it would just make him miss you getting the score down here - he'd never know that you had a totally separate business partner who was keeping you afloat while the pittance on the books was no real loss to you. Ultimately the Goblin didn't matter at all, except as a distraction."
"Get your cash, get out, leave everyone thinking that you're gone because they beat you, when you actually got what you want," she concludes with a nod. "It's a good gambit if you can pull it off."
She turns and pats Saul on the back and he staggers from the swat.
I dunno if this counts as a coup de grace. He is probably really on his guard.
... is that a knife in her hand?