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The Warrens
While riddled with windows and doorways at every height, carefully carved for the convenience of the residents over the course of millennia, Kaer Maga is a ring of unbroken stone, its sides seemingly invulnerable to weather, siege, or time—except here.
On the city’s northwestern side, some unknown calamity appears to have blown an enormous hole in the city’s ring, completely obliterating any stonework down to the bare earth and leaving only scattered chunks of broken rock, most of which have long since been scavenged by other districts for new construction. Within this breach, generations of Kaer Maga’s poorest residents have made their homes in the most literal sense, building shack on top of shanty in a hodgepodge of scaffolding and scrap lumber that now towers almost as high and wide as the rest of the ring, its interior a maze known only to its inhabitants. This is the Warren. The Warren’s lack of walls makes it the natural main entrance for locals and visitors alike, but it has no gates or guards to keep out the unwanted, merely seven stories of hungry opportunists.
Meatgate
With little to no land inside Kaer Maga’s walls devoted to agriculture, the city is dependent on the farmers and herders who eke a living out of the surrounding soil to supplement expensive shipments of grain and other foodstuffs from the lowlands. Yet even these are barely enough, and anyone who can provide comestibles at reasonable rates is welcome in the city. It was to this end that Meatgate was established. While many of the established farmers and shepherds have regular business partners within the city’s central markets, those with lower quantities often find it in their interest to sell in the open air meat market which rests at the edge of the Warren’s borders.
Here hunters and trappers from the surrounding area can sell their goods quickly and efficiently, by the pelt or the haunch, without sharing their take with a middleman. While the place tends to be a riot of shouts, blood, and unwashed hermits with good reasons for avoiding the city, the system works, and many of the city’s poorer residents can acquire fresh food here at surprisingly reasonable rates.
***-***
Kishara shows the symbol of the kneeling man to a few of the merchants, they confer for a moment and then confirm they know it all too well. ”Yeah we recognize the symbol—we’ve seen it a bunch of times on an abandoned prison in the Bottoms called the ‘Temple’. No one goes to prison in Kaer Maga—those caught committing crimes are either slain by vigilantes or executed by the Ardocs, the Commerce League, or the Duskwardens—the prison was just a trash heap the last time anyone checked”. for a few moments the men try change the subjects to whether you would now like to patronise their stores as you have the information you seek, then one looks shocked ”What’s that?!” – Kishara now realises the accuracy of her earlier warning... there are shouts of panic and screams in the market and the odd flash of steel, seems that the Shadow Lodgers have come to silence the inquirers.
Perception:
Tik
Yhen
Initiatives:
Kish
Tik
Yhen
M
BE
MT
TM
Sense Motive – Kishara
*** For the first 3 rounds of combat, all movement is considered to be rough terrain as the market empties of citizens***
Enemy party:
Half Elf female, chain shirt, quarterstaff.
Half Orc female, splintmail, shield and scimitar.
Gnome male, chain shirt, wielding a bow.
Human male, no armour, holding a wand and a dagger.
R1
Kishara
MT
BE
M
Tikrit
TM
Yhen
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Grimaldus leads the others to the Duskwardens, asking about the goblin incursions in and around the city, including when, where, what the target was, and if they had any links or patterns. Grim will share their belief that the goblins are connected to the Shadow Lodge and if the Duskwardens have any information or intelligence gathered about the Lodgge.
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"They close on us from all sides. We must take cover! Do not let them box us in." Kishara's nimble fingers pull forth a Smokestick and a Tindertwig. She strikes the flame and lights the smokestick and tosses it between Tikrit and Yhen, hoping the smoke will conceal them from flying arrows and spells. She then draws her rapier and prepares to meet their attacker's advance.
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The Gnome is vexed by the pop of smoke, making Yhen a harder target than he was wishing for. He instead swaps and shoots at Tikrit striking for . He then draws his sword.
The Half Orc woman advances on Kihara, beating her way through the crowd. Too far through the smoke, Yhen can only hear the arrival.
The other woman follows the half orc...
R1
Tikrit
TM
Yhen
R2
Kishara
MT
BE
M
Tikrit
TM
Yhen
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Knowing Yhen cannot see the battlefield, Kishara whispers to her, "The way is clear south between the buildings directly in front of you. Two warriors approach my direction and an archer and a magic user close on Tikrit's side. Running for it might be the safest course..."
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Suggestion: Grease on the right to slow the warriors, and Yhen take out the Gnome with a spell or Hex. Then we go after the Mage first.
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Following Grimaldus' plan turns out to be a mixed bag; the Duskwardens a little lost on connecting the dots because as far as they could tell some Goblins died in an alleyway, but given half of them were dragged off by bodysellers, it was hard to work out what was going on...
Whilst the two sides try and juggle information, you spy a previous informant, Fasch, the female human cutpurse sitting in a cell, her mousy frame being fortunate in such a small cage.
"Look, I think I came across some of those fellas you've been fighting hanging aroun The Bottoms, but I can't be certain... worth a look there. Market traders are the ones to ask"
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Kisharas blade neatly cuts into the advancing Half-Orc who grimaces in pain, but continues her attack.
The Gnome falls in with some of the fleeing foot traffic and disappears around a corner (on map as ?).
The Half-Orc swings her blade back at Kish but to no avail. Behind her, the other woman steps in and bathes the area in a nimbus of healing... - but the energy (curiously) doesn't wash over Yhen or Tik.
The crowd is still stampeding, adding to the confusion.
R2
Tikrit
TM
Yhen
R3
Kishara
MT
BE
M
Tikrit
TM
Yhen
"Nice to see you too big guy, but yeah its hard to think or remember when you are stuck in a cell, especially over such a small misunderstanding, savvy?"
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Kishara chuckles lightly as she says low to Tikrit at her side "Uh oh... They've riled the Lady Yhen now..."
Then she raises her voice and speaks loudly for their attackers to hear.
"If you've any hope of regaining the Society's favor, lay down your arms and surrender!"
Unless they submit, she'll attack with her rapier again on the half-orc.
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The other caster has full cover from you due to the smoke... in order to target anyone, you'd have to move out of the smoke back towards the downed caster and hook around - which would take a move action, especially as no 5' steps due to the crowd running around still, until end round 3 :(
So whatchawannado? You can leave the smoke and take a shot, but the enemy are running around behind you guys and in front :)
***
Kishara tries talking, but the enemy seem to believe they have the upper hand and so it goes to the blade. The hlf orc easily checks the shot with her shield.
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Kaneko continues to ask around about the rogue Shadow Lodge or 'Dodgy' Pathfinders as she works through Magnamar.
Again she uses her Touch of Glory and Guidence Cantrips as she pays a visit to an information broker (and pays 10gp) for a lead.
I wonder how the others are doing..., she wonders.
We really ought not split the group - could be dangerous.
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"Fasch...should have known we'd find you here. C'mon, you have ears on the ground here. What's up with this 'Shadow Lodge'? What are they after? What else can you tell us?" Grimaldus asks the cutpurse.
Diplomacy: 1d20 ⇒ 5The slip of a girl replies; [b]"Nice to see you too big guy, but yeah its hard to think or remember when you are stuck in a cell, especially over such a small misunderstanding, savvy?"
Kaneko quickly reads the situation and smooths over the various parties - Duskwarden and pickpocket alike.
"I'm sure of it, saw one of the Shadow Lodger men down in Meatgate, was clearly not a local and was down shopping for a lot of meat and supplies. He may have dropped a few coins while I was following him, that's how I knew what he was doing as I followed him around, trying to return them to him of course"
Sure, you just hadn't confirmed if it was healing or alchy fire you were going to pull :p
Waiting on Yhen :)
And yes, the crowd has now dispersed, the area is no longer difficult terrain.
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The oil flies through the smoke and strikes the half orc and splashes the woman behind her.
The Gnome reappears, flitting across the alleyway - he pauses to take aim at Yhen, loosing an arrow that strikes her squarely .
The Half-Orc advances into the smoke but the blade still misses Kishara - the cleric advances in as well, but appears to be waiting for something...
The downed caster is awake but still prone.
R4
Tikrit
TM
Yhen
R5
Kishara
MT
BE
M
Tikrit
TM
Yhen
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"Sure, bit grizzled, not as big as you" she motions towards Grim "but fit and strong looking. Had a rapier slung by his side and was wearing a chain shirt, all real nice quality, stood out in the Meatgate markets straight away, he wasn't hiding it or nothin! Stood well though, reckon he's seen a bit of trouble in his time."