Korunar waits with pleasant anticipation for the thieve. When he realises that the man is running away from him, he climbs through the window and tries to catch up to him. On his way he grabs the battleaxe with both hands and shouts in the direction of the thieves "Come back you incapable vermin!"
As i'm back in distance, Daniel moves towards the door, then shoots at the upper guard.
You all watch as the following scene plays out. Bently struggles against the man who grabbed him, but fails to escape from his grasp. The man is about to flee up the stairs with Bently, but stops as an arrow tears through his chest.
He gasps, his eyes clear and focused as he lets go of bently and stares from the arrow in his chest, the woman who shot him, and the small gnome who he had believed to be his friend. Why did he believe that? He didn't know this small one.
The fighter turns, barely breathing and finds two daggers sunken into his chest. His breathing has completely stopped now, and he looks at the face of man who stabbed him. It would be the last face he would ever see as he closed his eyes, and fell to floor.
Daniel remains steadfast, his weaon raised and ready should anyone descend the stairs.
"Come back you incapable vermin!" you hear the familiar voice of Korunar yell.
Before you, you see one man and two women. The man is dressed in robes and holds a staff, one woman is lightly armored and brandishes two knives at your sudden presence, and the last woman is clad in rough hides and draws a Hammer as large as your axe.
The rouge is positioned aboe the staircase, ready to ambush any foolish who run upstairs, The wizard has his hands aloft, though no power is conjured yet, and the barbarian you just bellowed at turns to you, her eyes aglow with rage and moves to attack you.
The Barbarian, who was ready to head downstairs, instead turns to you, her weapon drawn.
The rouge pulls a dagger deftly from her side and sends it flying through the air at you. It finds a gap in your armor and sinks in dealing 3 points of damage.
New Initiative, no need to re-roll: Rouge, Bently, Korunar, Emerich, Daniel, Barbarian, Wizard.
You take you axe and swing it through the air until it lands squarely in the female Barbarian's shoulder.Her face contorts in pain, but you seemed to have lit the fury in her and she holds her ground.
Bently looks down at the dead body laying on the floor next to him. He pulls his arm out from the grip of the now limp hand.
Why are you killing everyone? We don't know who these people are or where they are from.
Bently will look at the two fallen men and see if there is anything he can do to keep either of them from dying...
Trini lets out an exasperated huff as she lowers her bow.
"What, no, 'Thanks, Trini, you saved my life, Trini'? He had you held hostage!"
Nevertheless, she stomps over to the fallen body, slaps a hand on him, and casts Stabilize. Maybe he'll have something interesting to say for himself, if he comes to.
Korunar didn't even realize there were other people in the room.. until a dagger enters the right side of his chest. He grunts and takes a quick look where the dagger came from. He backs off away from the thieves.
"I could need a little help here!" he shouts towards the stairs. Then he loosens the shield on his back, grabs it and straps it to his left arm.
"Hey guys, i think our half orc friend is calling for assistance upstairs."
Bently, they were hurting the smith.
He points at the smith.
You okay?
He helps him up.
To your question Emerich, the smith simply nods. He looks a bit worse for wear, his face streaked with the soot on the floor and sweat from his brow, but doesn't look to be in any distress other than being tied up.
Despite Trini and Bently's efforts, both men lay on the floor as dead as one can be. It seems almost eerie how quickly their lives disappeared (in a moral sense, not spooky).
Korunar, the woman who's shoulder your wedged you axe into gets a red glint in her eyes as she begins to rage. She brushes off your axe and swings her Hammer towards your face.
She laughs maniacally as, though you try to block with your shield, the force of her hammer's blow flows through you and you feel as if the bones in your body splinter. The light begins to fade from your eyes, but you feel something primal in you, something dangerous and through sheer tenacity bring yourself back from the brink
The wizard seems almost flabbergasted at your appearance. Even more so when the barbarian's blow does not fell you. He takes a few steps back and casts Mage amor on himself. You see panels of light form around him as he looks at you with a panicked expression.
The rogue readies both her weapons and looses another dagger, hoping to put down this savage beast.
But it just clangs off Korunas armor.
Trini rushes up the stairs towards Korunar's call and sees him in rough shape. She expects to have to sacrifice her last highest-level spell to heal him with, although the enemy in the way may prove to be a problem.
Korunar screams with a bestial voice as the hammer hits him. His vision blacks out for a second but he stays conscious. As his vision clears, the expression on his face darkens. He stares at the woman and anger rises in him.
"Vicavorausan.. or deaavh!" he yells as he hauls off and sends his axe down on the barbarian with all his remaining strength. As his weapon makes contact with the woman, his wounded body fails and he collapses to the ground.
Hearing the battlecries above, Daniel follows Trini's hasty pace.
"He's not going to kick the bucket just yet."
Bently looks down at the closer of the two dead bodies and quietly says...
I am so sorry...
Bently double moves towards the combat upstairs.
Emerich double moves up as well.
The party, excluding Korunar, rushes to the staircase and try to get to their ally's aid.
Korunar, on the brink of collapse, summons all the power within in his body and sends the side of his axe into the barbarian's side. Her look of triumph instantly fades as her face grows white and she slumps onto the floor, unconscious and bleeding. Shortly after, maybe even with a look of satisfaction, Korunar falls unconscious next to her.
"There's more downstairs!" the rogue yells out,
She rushes towards the staircase, grasps the railing with one hand and leaps over as she throws another dagger down the stairs at the closest person. Fortunatly, Bently manages to lift his foot before the dagger embeds itself in it.
"R-Really!?" the wizard stutters..
He seems to franticallhy run through tht elist of speels he prepared for the day. ONly finding one that might help forom his safer angle, he mutters a few words, and flourishes his hands. Suddenly, a horse appears on the staircase, effectively blocking it.
Trini continues to rush towards Korunar and lays a hand on him to heal him.
Trini takes aim at the wizard and shoots. "What are you trying to accomplish?" she yells at him.
(+1 bless)
how do you move a horse? Lead it to water... Then really scare it...
Bently moves down the stairs 5 ft and makes it sound like there is a snarling mean wolf coming to eat the Horse from down the stairs... (Dc 15 Will vs Illusion to disbelieve the sounds)
(ooc) heres to hoping the horse is scared of wolves... and is uncomfortable enough inside to not want to try to fight one on the stairs[/ooc]
"That's a creative way to use horses..."
Daniel waits for the reaction of the horse, for it buys Bently's trick, he could move further.
The horse's eyes widen and it begins to panic as it hears the sound of one of its worst predators. Its hooves scrape against the stairs steps, but it manages to keep its balance and flee upwards and into the 2nd floor room.
Emerich runs to Korunar, his daggers in hand.
After the horse has withdrawn a bit, Daniel double moves up to the 2nd floor.
Everyone rushes to Korunar's aid after Bently ingeniously creates a way to scare the horse out of the way. Trini is able to cast a cure spell and Korunar blinks as the world comes back into focus, though it hurts just as much as he remembers it.
The wizard, his fretting expression even more frantic, retreats behind his summoned steed and prepares a spell. Before he casts it, his companion, the female rouge yells out.
"Wait!"
She holds up her hands, a dagger in both, but balanced on her thumbs as she shows the flat of her hands palm out. She gives you all a weary look, you can see her straggly brown hairs dripping with seat as she has clearly exerted herself in this short confrontation.
"Why don't we talk this out, before things get a bit more out of hand? What do you say?"
You get the feeling that she is open for discussion, but the moment any of you show aggression, she and her magical comrade will resume violence.
Quite Mr. Wolf. Wait here. No reason to scare the horsey more.
Bently double moves up the stairs trying to get as close as he can to the horse. The whole time he's talking he will be looking at the horse and speaking in soothing tones.
Trini pleas stabilize their friend... if she's not dead...You strangers... My companions really seem to be good at making people dead... So... answering questions may diffuse tensions... So... Are you from Terrace?
Is this a trick?
We're open to peace. If you are trying to trick us though, that option will be off the table. First, though; were you with the people downstairs?
Korunar shakes his head and groans as he gets conscious. "What.. happened?" he says without looking at anyone particular.
He slowly stands up. His whole body aches but he tries his best not to show it. Then he notices the rogue talking and tries to sense if he wants to delude them.
The rogue brushes the hair of her eyes, and returns her hands into the air. She glances over to her last standing ally, who looks at her expectantly. The female barbarian seems to be getting worse by the second.
"Of course we're from the Terrace," she answers Bently. "And yes the Simon and Jeremy downstairs our part of our team. I take it you've dispatched them in some form?"
She pauses to read the expressions on your faces.
"The deal is simple. You let us collect what teammates you haven't dispatched to an early grave, and in return we withdraw from Abyss. And as a bonus, we give you all the information we've collected. Sound fair?"
Korunar makes a step towards the rogue with a dark look on his face, ignoring the pain in his limbs.
"One addition to that deal: You will leave your weapons and all the things you have collected from the Abyss here. Otherwise...", he points to the dying barbarian with a threatening smile, "..you can join your friend on the ground."
After a little pause he further explains "I don't want to be surprised by a dagger in my back and the villagers surely want their stuff back." He says that to the rogue but he hopes to remind Bently that this are not friendly people to chat with.
Hi mr. Horsie... Sorry you got pulled into this... What a poor way to treat such a pretty animal... I will name you Agamemnon... We'll call you Aggie for short... Here have a piece of jerky.
Bently tries to offer the horse a piece of his trail rations but quickly pulls his hands back when the horse tries to nip at him.
Bently listens to Korunar and is taken aback by his demands but can't find fault in the reasons he gives for them. As such he pipes in with his support, hoping this is the quickest way to a peaceful resolution.
You know... It's a good sign "Mr. Bloodaxe" is "choosing" to let you live... I would take him up on it...
The rogue shakes her head.
"You misunderstand me. We aren't surrendering. We're just not fighting right now. And you can take me at my word that even with just me and Elric over there, we still have a few tricks up our sleeves."
She seems a bit shaken by your words, but her look is still fierce and full of fight.
"If you want to be making threats, I'd recommend you not look like you 'll fall over if we smacked you. I'll repeat, we'll withdraw and give you information that we were going to sell to the Delvers. Or...we can resume the unpleasantness."
The wizard peeks over the back of his summoned mount, looking between the rogue and Korunar, wondering what's going to happen.
'Negotiations' go quickly between his team and the others, but Daniel pitches in regardless.
He puts his repeater back, holding his hands shortly open as a gesture of good faith.
"Easy guys. Now neither of us is in the mood for more of a fuss.
You two want to give us info and save your comrade's life, that is fine, and we can relate to saving a friend, right guys?", he looks sideways at them, his dwarven face spells 'do please play along'.
"Now, i for one am not for needless killing here.
So go ahead, please tell us what is of interest."
Teeth-gnashingly Korunar looks at Daniel.
"Who are we to bargain with thieves? No need for killing but we should knock some sense into them."
The rogue hesitates, unsure if there was an agreement actually struck, or if this motley group that waltzes in and cut up her group was trustworthy.
"If you wouldn't mind stepping to the side, or downstairs. I'd like to administer a bit of first aid to my dying companion over there. Do that, and we have a deal. And as bonus for being so polite, we'll disarm all the traps we've set before we leave."
Daniel faintly shrugs, with a rogue-ish smile as he looks at Korunar.
"Who? Just another group of hired hands, technically.
It seems we've already knocked some sense in the ones downstairs.
Back in Janderhoff, i've seen rivals come to social understandings and cooperation, why not make some aquaintances who could be of help in the future here?"
"Most kind of you."
Trini listens to the others negotiate, arms folded and eyes narrowed. She wouldn't trust their foes as far as she could throw them. Nevertheless, the deal they offer is intriguing.
"We would be happy to escort you back to Terrace," she says sweetly. She does step aside, though, giving a wide berth to the slumped-over body on the floor so aid can be administered. She wouldn't want to be within range as the woman awakes, but she's sure her party can take them, even injured. "I like Korunar's idea."
Trini... Can't you just stabilize the one on the Ground so she doesn't bleed out?
Trini lets out a tiny, beleaguered sigh. "Yes..."
Still reluctant to get too close, she pokes a toe lightly into the woman's side and hopes it's enough for Gozreh.
Bargaining with thieves? Only if you stop harassing innocents.
Emerich gestures downstairs.
Like the smith.
Though if you don't.... Korunar's idea would suddenly sound very good.
Korunar takes a deep breath through nose and smiles slyly as he stares at the rogue.
"Ahh.. Sweet smell of fear.."
Then he turns to Daniel with a grave look. "I don't like the idea of cooperating with this scum. Trini is right. We can bring them back to Terrace and make sure they are leaving the Abyss."
He walks a few steps towards the rogue and plants himself threatingly in front of her, his axe loose in his hand."What do you think?" he asks her with a provoking undertone. "You can keep your weapons and we bring you out of the Abyss. You can share your information on the way. But for the stuff you have stolen.. I don't see myself helping you to plunder these poor villagers.."
Trini scowls at the other group, trying to join Korunar in looking as intimidating as she can.
Daniel exchanges the look with Korunar.
"I merely spoke some words, it doesn't mean they reflect my opinions per se. I don't much like thieves either, it's no honest work."