Temperance and Leo head off to the kitchen to see who's hiding. How are you approaching?
Sure, why not?
You try and quietly open the door, listening carefully as you try to pinpoint whoever is hiding in the kitchen. As you slow your breathing and turn your head, putting your ear up to the opening, you think you hear breathing from under the tables.
What do you do?
Ive been mia for a few days
If its okay by u im tailing Temperance since she was looking for a big beefy guy like myself to watch her back.
next action is to flip the table over and grab whatever is hiding from us
Gridlock bursts into the kitchen, slamming the door open suddenly. pounds his fist down on the table as two humans jump out from hiding under the table, one big fat cook with hamhocks and tawny blonde hair, one a small mousy human girl, barely past her teens if you had to guess, with ginger-brown locks. She squeels in terror as you flip over the heavy wooden table, sending knives and a cleaver skittering across the floor.
The girl full on screams as one knife slides past her hand.
The guy yells, stop! don't hurt us! we're just cooks!
Gridlock breathes through his tusks, sword in hand, chain armor clinking as he turns to Temperance.
Leo...trying to move quietly, grabbing whatever armor will fit, and take the sword from Grumble. Following Temperance and FlickMoon.
Moving behind FlickMoon to grab the portly cook.
The portly cook makes a step to protect the mousy cook, but makes no attempt to stop being grabbed. Leo steps up and grabs the cook by the wrist and bends it backwards, forcing the fat chef to his knees.
please don't hurt us. Let us go. Take me if you want but leave Irena alone.
I take a good look at Irena, making sure to memorize her features.
Let's lock them upstairs with the rest. If one of you burly gents wants to interrogate them, maybe they know something useful. Or maybe it will just be fun for you. If they're helpful, I see no reason for us to kill them.
Oh, and let me strip the waif down, her clothes look more comfortable and less conspicuous than mine.
Assuming the boys can restrain the big guy and the little one doesn't resist too much, I'm taking her clothing. Once they're upstairs and can no longer see me, I'll shapeshift to look like Irena and change into her clothes. Then I can impersonate her or be a "hostage" or something if things go badly. Although it seems the guards don't value the cooks' lives much if they just abandoned them to us.
with intimidating looks from Gridlock and Leo, neither stops you as you strip down Irena and take her clothes, they're a reasonably good fit. Gridlock and Leo then haul Gregor and Irena upstairs and fasten them in irons.
Once they're gone, you give a twirl, and you're the spitting image of Irena
To the guys and girls that have stayed downstairs, in my normal voice:
Hey, don't freak, it's still me Temperance. But here's a little trick I picked up.
In my best impersonation of Irena's voice:
Now I look like little Irena and I can make a decent "hostage" if things go badly. Or at least sow a little confusion. Have you finished that lock yet, Ash?
The door opens. Inside is an unlit room. Its a sparsely filled room with some boxes and stuff. some sort of prison supply room. Barrels are stacked over in one corner, items in another. taking a minute to look around, there's probably a few hundred torches prepared, ten lanterns, two 10 gallon kegs of lantern oil, six spare guard uniforms ( the clothes , not the armor.), perhaps a dozen signal horns, twenty coils of 50' hemp rope, and two barrels labelled "emergency rations"
looking in the ration barrels as your stomachs growl from a distinct lack of actual edible food in the last few days catches up with you in a moment, you find maggoty old iron rations that've gotten wet, moldered and not been replaced.
On a special rack, there's also several brands with the runic "F" symbol and a specially made brazier for heating them. The same brands that were used to mark each of you.
The room looks like it could hold a lot more than it has.
You try the four keys in 12, none of them work. You fiddle with the locked footlockers though, and find matching locks for the four keys.
first chest that opens: you find Ink, a quill, and a personal journal that reveals this week's password is, "Hesterfield" - the Warden's home town - and the details of Blackerly's illicit gambling sessions and that the next game is scheduled for tonight.
the second chest pops open, you find a bottle of fine whiskey ( smoky, peaty with just a hint of sweetness) without a label.
thirdly, you find a whetstone, cleaning supplies for a chain shirt, extra bowstring, and a small book of military regulations
lastly, you find a collection of cheap, tawdry, crudely printed books ( the so-called "penny dreadfuls" ) about dashing heroes, daring do and amply bosomed damsels prone to fainting and outdoor bathing.
#1: fail
#2: A traveller's outfit, a finely made pipe, with a good supply of high quality shag tobacco.
#3: a set of peasant's clothes and a short sword.
#4: A small coin pouch with 3 gp in miscellaneous coinage.
#5: fail
#6: fail
#7: A small bottle with a hand written note "In case of trouble - Love, Mom!"
#8: fail
four chests remain. Another few checks and you'll get them.
#9: A masterwork lute
#10: A large collection of letters from home.
#11: A small supply of absolutely delicoius cookies carefully wrapped in wax paper labeled "from Lil'.
#12: A map of the nearby town of Varyston, including the Old Moor road.
After a few minutes and finishing off the cookies, you pop the lock. Inside looks like their Armory. Six spare sets of gear for guards, a rack of leatherbound clubs, and more weapons.
6x
chain shirt
heavy steel sheild
longsword
longbow
12x
leather wrapped clubs
12x
Quivers of 20 arrows (full)
Except for the clubs and arrows, they bear the mark of Talingarde somewhere on them.
A jumble of unmarked, and neglected looking weapons also sits in one barrel:
A shiv made from a woman's metal comb
a heavy mace
a spear
a quarterstaff
a battle axe
a rapier
a greatsword
a trident
and a glaive
You're free to pick and choose your gear from what you've found. The whole compound except for the locked iron chest under Blackerly's bed has been searched. Ash share's the "passphrase" from the journal. Even without the chain shirt on, Ash feels the lock is too good a quality for him to unlock it.
|
I found a shortsword and some peasant's clothes too. Can't really use them, but I figure I'll hang on to them unless any of you want them. I would like the heavy mace though, that looks like its got some nice heft to it. I can carry a few extra weapons , roll up some sheets and make a backpack and sheaths, so we can get out with some weapons to sell for some money outside.
I just wanted to give a summary here too, for inventory.
Ash
1 dagger from the veil, guard uniform, an outfit from the clothing sack, mwk thieve's tools, short sword, heavy mace, longsword, longbow, leather bound club, quiver, chain shirt, heavy steel shield.
Gridlock
tight guard uniform, longsword, longbow, heavy steel shield, leather bound club, quiver
Temperance
sack of useful spell components, clothing bag, dagger pulled from the veil, Irena's clothes
Forsythe
guard's uniform, chain shirt, heavy steel shield, silver unholy symbol of asmodeous
Loran
guard's uniform, chain shirt
Leo
longsword, loincloth
Not that you can really carry all of this, but here's what you've found:
Your collective gear pulled from the veil:
2 daggers pulled from the veil, mwk thieve's tools, sack of spell components under 1gp and common clothes in your sizes, potion of cure light wounds (used), silver unholy symbol of asmodeus
still in the Veil:
bullseye lantern (full, lit and shuttered ),
100 gold pieces, 50 ft hemp rope,
and a Window. ( 2ft. x 4 ft. you'd hazard a guess that putting it on a wall thicker than 2 ft would not work as planned. )
10x guard uniforms ( 5 claimed? )
10x chain shirt, heavy steel shield, longsword, longbow ( 4 chain shirts/shields claimed? )
16x leather club ( 2-3 claimed? )
16x quiver of 20 arrows ( 2 claimed? )
Misc weapons: a battleaxe, glaive, greatsword, heavy mace, lady's comb shiv (dagger), quarterstaff, rapier, spear, and a trident.
flask of herbal alcohol
bottle of unknown liquid ( Perception DC 21, Spellcraft + Detect Magic DC 16 )
map of Varyston
the storeroom holds 20x 50' rope, 200x torches, 20 gallons of lantern oil, 10x lanterns, 12x signal horns, and 200 days worth of rotten iron rations
I think that's everything, dunno if I missed anything.
|
|
I say we either commit to getting the hell out of here, or to killing every thrice damned guard and looting this place for all that it's worth. Adequately armed and with knowledge of the terrain, we stand a good chance of either I feel.
Also, Gridlock, why don't you just smash that chest under Blackerly's bed? Better risking damaging what's inside than leaving it here of no use to us. Or we can all help the Ogre with an attempt to break it open. (ooc: sunder or break attempts)
On the way to fasten Gregor and Irena in irons....
No one loves the cook, they make love the food, but never the cook. I was a cook. No one knew I even existed. You are invisible to the filth that runs this place. You must come and go without anyone paying any attention to you...isn't that true cook?
I bet you can walk us right out of this place without anyone even lifting a nose in our direction...isn't that true cook?
I could walk out, they know me, I know the passphrase, its Hesterfield. They just look at the guard uniform, as long as you say the passphrase you're golden. But they all know me, I could get out, even though I'm not in uniform. he blathers.
Grumblejack can carry chest, easier to carry before breaking. But if you want Grumblejack break chest, me break chest. You want?
Me no think this going to work... Me just carry it.
Potion of Cure Light Wounds!
Dank'u
I take a bit of rope, cut off two foot longish pieces and wrap each loosely around my wrists with my hands behind my back, making it look like they're tied from a distance, but not interfering with my ability to cast if I need to. That should be convincing enough that I'm a hostage.
I pocket any small valuables, particularly the:
-flask of herbal alcohol
-map of Varyston
-lady's comb shiv (dagger)
-a bottle of fine whiskey (smoky, peaty with just a hint of sweetness) without a label
-the veil
Murder sounds good, we could probably sneak through with the passphrase, but I'd rather see Blackerly's head removed from his body. Hopefully they'll hesitate to attack with the wench in the mix and it will give us a chance to slaughter them. I'll stand in the middle so I look good and hostage-y.
Grab what gear you can, I particularly recommend the bows and arrows, they're lightweight, dangerous and worth a lot for how easy they are to carry.
Let's go!
|
|
Well, I cannot use any of these weapons effectively. I will take a longbow and quiver, but about the only useful thing I can do is this...
Cast: Purify Food and Drink a bunch of times on the rotten iron rations.
Let's eat, pack some of these rations, and get to killing. What do we have left? The Gate House at the front (OOC: bldng 3), the guard post (OOC: bldng 1), and the Warden's Tower.
I propose we take out the guards in the Gate House so they cannot assist the Warden during our assault, and we can confront the Warden with a full understanding of what else we have left to deal with afterwards.
Let's. Kill. These. Bastards.
I vote for the Gate House first. Then we also have the option to just run like hell if things get hairy.
So, I can't continue until someone nut's up and does something =)
voting and talking it over is great for a few minutes at the gaming table. here on the boards... so much slower.
Come on! Let's go people! Grumblejack, freedom awaits you, break down those doors and charge for the gatehouse!
giving orders is fine, waiting for consensus just takes forever.
For the Horde!
You incite Grumblejack to break down the doors and charge the gatehouse. He barrels down the hallway like a boulder, fiercely set on the double doors at the end of the hall.
Grumblejack crashes through into the afternoon light of the prison grounds in a spray of dust and wood. The courtyard has a small fountain, centered on a statue of the Mitran pantheon's patron saint of law and order -- St. Dothan the Just. His sword outstretched towards the Great Hall, seems to point right at Grumblejack like a stoic stone giant.
Across the courtyard stands the Gate House. Three stories tall, and once a key defense of the old Castle Branding. The wide stout double doors stand shut. To the west of the main doors sits a smaller door. To the east stands an empty kennel.
If you get closer to the double doors you'll be able to see more of the courtyard.
[20: Gridlock], [17: Forsythe], [16: Temperance (disguised)], [13: Leo], [10: Loran], [7+: Ash], [7: Grumblejack]
Your side's initiatives are posted. Gridlock is first to act once Grumblejack busts down the door, making a huge amount of noise.
The courtyard map is also clickable at the top of each of the forum pages. Just FYI.