The docker walks up the gangplank and steps on the deck, wolf in tow.
Upon getting within 10 feet of Zorahas, the wolf emits a low roar and bares his teeth. The goon looks equally surprised - clearly his eyes have mostly been resting at Veres before. He points his crossbow on the druid.
Hey, what is that lizardman you got there? We don't allow any kobolds to run rampant around these parts! Such is Razmir's will!
Upon seeing the bribe he lowers the crossbow but still looks at you with distrust. "A mighty strange crew you lot are. One thing I can tell you, you start swinging the gold in Daggermark like that and your heads will roll that same evening, lizard first. Hells, you better watch yourselves if you decide to disembark in Xer too. Razmir watches everyone and he doesn't fool around."
The enforcer looks around the ship with suspicion but sees nothing out of place. He pockets the money and turns around to share the bribe with his mates - but at this moment all of you distinctly hear a loud sneeze coming from below the deck!
All three enforcers instantly train their crossbows on you.
"Well that does it! Who else are you carrying down there, a werehedgehog? Everyone comes ashore while we search the ship! NOW!"
The enforcers watch you intensely over their crossbows, ready for anything.
"You reported five crew members and I see all five right here on the deck!" "I haven't heard about sneezing rats before, unless it's a wererat! And we don't allow those in Razmiran either!"
One of the other enforcers adds: "Don't listen to them Pete! They must be smuggling spices or tobacco in the hold! If we let such a cargo get away again we won't keep our jobs this time!"
- "Yeah, get off the boat now or I'm letting Hotspur on you! Last warning before it gets ugly!" The wolf doesn't respond well to Zorahas' gestures and is almost dragging its handler in the effort to jump at him.
The third enforcer speaks up: "You've paid the transit toll, but if you're found smuggling anything or anyone the illegals get imprisoned, the goods confiscated for Razmir's benefit, and each of you will be sentenced to a fine of a hundred gold pieces. You can pay up now and we'll just forget we saw you - and that we ever had this damned job. This is your final chance."
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"Veres, did you forget to include the crew below decks in your count?
She is terrible with math, you understand?
If you would like to see the other crew members we can bring them out. We can even pay the additional fee for the forgotten crew members.
However, we are not leaving the ship. Your attitude and words have shown us that Xer is not a safe port to disembark .
You have been paid, and paid well. Take time to consider how much your lives might be worth before you take any additional actions."
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Carrick sees things going downhill fast, their half-truths have caused them trouble. Silence was the wrong choice, he should have just told the dockmen the truth and left it to them to decide what was fair, now they were making ridiculous demands. Hoping Jacques honeyed tongue will yield results, he fears a fight may be coming and places his hand on the hilt of his longsword, ready to defend his allies if combat begins. Before suddenly blurting out.
There is no need for hostilities, we do have three other passengers below, they wish to remain anonymous. That is all that is going on, no smuggled goods or anything for you to worry about. I'll double the gold we provided, another 10 gold, it's more than fair. And you have my word about what's below decks.
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"Shrewd men such as you must see the benefit of my companion's offer. We wish no quarrel with you, as that puts no coin in your pocket and costs everyone." Veres says holding her arms wide and free of weapons as she steps behind the center mast.
She prepares an inspiring song should the men on the dock decide to fight. She also catches sight of another man on the far northern dock and wonders if he is part of this contingent or merely a passerby.
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The two closest thugs exchange glances. "None shall remain anonymous before Razmir's all-seeing eyes! Get them, Hotspur!" One thug drops the leash at the same time as the others discharge their crossbows.
One bolt hits Zorahas and he grits his teeth trying to focus on the magical energies.
Not letting pain distract him from the flow of the magic in his hands (or claws?), Zorahas lets a firebolt fly, hitting the thug on the far pier, who cries out in terror looking at a horrible burn in his stomach.
The closest thug curses and shoots Carrick:
But his bolt ends up in the mast instead.
Jacques' arrow hits the wolf in the side, hurting it but also angering the beast, which leaps straight ahead at Criscius, half-blinded by rage.
The beast's jaws tear at the warrior's shoulder, nearly missing an artery.
The distant thug scrambles for a potion in his pocket and drinks it, mostly healing his burn.
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Realizing that the far thug is a danger to bring additional guards, Jacques takes aim at him, hoping that Criscius and Carrick can deal with the wolf.
To the captain, he says, "Captain, I think it is time to get out of here. Begin preparations for departure. Let us know when you want the mooring line to be cut."
Zorahas' second fire blast misses the target, raising a cloud of steam from below the boardwalk.
Veres is more lucky and her arrow wounds the thug. He remains determined to run to the neighbouring dock, until the second arrow released by Jacques hits him straight in the face and he drops dead.
Criscius takes his revenge on the wolf, his powerful strike is enough to bring the already weakened animal down.
The captain responds to Jacques: "I'm not going to risk my life with the bolts flying, once the deck is safe my men can undo the knot, but you'd have to do it yourself if you want us to depart under fire"
Elemenar's ray hits the thug, whose frostbitten hand prevents him from successfully deflecting Carrick's blow and he goes down, alive but bleeding and unconscious from the pain.
The final thug lets his bolt fly at Carrick point-blank:
But his hands are already shaking with fear and the projectile misses. He drops the crossbow and retreats, crying for help.
The captain of the Abacus gives an order to one of the sailors who begins unfixing the rope from the mooring post.
The missile burns a hole in the thug's lower back, who screams in pain but continues to limp along for safety.
The combat seems to have finally drawn attention of the guards in the main port, some of whom are now running towards you, though still being a few hundred feet away they are not an immediate threat yet.
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Carrick shakes his head as he hears the additional guards. He quickly jumps back on board.
Well that couldn't have gone much worse. Captain best get us underway as soon as possible.
He looks to the others. Sometimes folks just don't think through there actions, and I'm talking about them not us. Keep on your guard now as I'm sure we will receive additional attention further down stream.
He cleans off his longsword and returns it to his sheath, as he keeps an eye on the docks behind him.
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"I warned the fools to take the money and the extra bonus of their lives.
Hopefully that last guard really believes that we are headed for Galt and sends pursuit in a different direction."
If he can do so before the ship shoves off, Jacques will jump onto the dock, grab the purse we handed over to the guard and jump back onboard.
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"I really wish that would have worked and we could have avoided bloodshed. If not for that ill timed noise from below deck..." Veres says with a sigh.
"Let me heal those wounds my friends. Hand me that wand one of you mentioned earlier." she says aloud while thinking privately, I only have limited spells so I best keep them at the ready and use a wand for healing when possible.
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Jacques hastily grabs the money purse and also notices that the thug had a potion strapped to his belt. He jumps back onto the boat just in time as The Abacus begins drifting away from the dock. As the Razmiri reach their fallen comrades, some congregate around the bodies, others begin shooting their bows and crossbows at The Abacus, and a few most desperate ones run up to a nearby barge and begin preparing it for pursuit.
A few bolts and arrows launched by the guards from the shore land in the water near you, and you decide it would be prudent to remain below the deck for a while until the port is out of sight, while the captain and the crew work tirelessly on gaining speed as fast as possible.
Belowdecks you find a red-faced Metella seething with rage, frowning but silent Amauhak, and Temel Passad who has a hard time trying to not look embarrassed.
"This is exactly what I feared will happen!" Metella hisses angrily at Passad. "For all your infamous Kalistocratic restraint you can't even wait a few minutes before taking a touch of your snuff!"
"I already told you I am sorry for what happened, Metella. I was simply nervous about the success of the execution of my plan. I am allowed very little in terms of earthly pleasures, so please forgive whatever small weakness I can have."
They both turn to you - "Is everybody... Oh goodness, I see you are hurt!"
After the wounds have been healed and the scars and bruises treated, you venture above to talk with the captain, who informs you that you've had enough of a headstart to outrun any pursuit. Temel praises the captain's skill, but directs the conversation further ahead.
"I think we need to come up with a new ruse now. Surely Razmirans will be passing along a message to detain the travelers headed to Galt. We can't risk our mission failing so quickly. We must think of a way to gain access inside the Gray Revelation inn without arousing unwanted suspicion."
Metella interferes. "I think we had enough of your plans for today, Passad. Maybe listen to some dwarven wisdom this time. I recommend that the Pathfinders pose as religious pilgrims seeking answers to spiritual questions that require privacy and freedom of movement. No one is going to refuse lodging to the humble seekers of enlightenment."
Passad snorts before he can help himself. "Look, I realize I may have discredited myself, but this is just utterly transparent nonsense! Religious pilgrims are not welcome in Razmiran, the only thing that makes them amenable to foreigners is coin. So you should pose as merchants seeking a way station for a regular trade caravan, as such a cover would require unfettered access to the property in order to assess its amenities."
Amauhak chimes in before the fuming Metella can launch into another tirade. "I think the Pathfinders should be clever enough to come up with a sufficiently good cover by themselves. In any case, we must insist on staying at the inn overnight, and perform the exploration under the cover of darkness."
Metella and Passad concur on this point in a rare moment of agreement.
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Jacques hands the potion to Criscius.
"I'd assume this is a healing potion based on the one thug who drank one. Looks like you could use it, friend."
Addressing himself to the dwarves and Passad, "Who ever heard of a guard who couldn't be bought? Our good friend Carrick even offered to double the bribe, and they decided to attack anyways.
Just because they heard a passenger below decks? Inconceivable.
I am not sure that we can fully anticipate how these maniacs will react to any given situation.
However, once we arrive at the Gray Revelation, we are going to need an excuse to inspect the more secure areas of the inn where your friends might have been held.
Metella, while I respect that your wisdom would have saved us combat back at Xer, I don't think that we can expect the proprietor to allow us to explore the entire inn.
Passad's idea has some merit, merchants would have a reason to be inspecting the inn. As long as we were spending money freely, we might gain access.
The only other idea I can come up with off the top of my head would be to pose as bounty hunters. Perhaps we could be searching for former nobles from Galt. Offering to share the bounty with the proprietor might also gain access and would play into the mindset of these lunatics."
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If the missing dwarves are being held at the Grey Revelation, then it's likely the proprietor is in on the captivity. Any cover story we use will likely be viewed skeptically.
Perhaps just travelers, weary from the water travel. Merchant's could work, but where are our goods, I understand the idea is we are scouting for a way station, but still. Pilgrims, only if we seem interest in the Razmarian faith will that have a chance.
Carrick scratches the hairs on his chin, Bounty Hunters, looking for rogue dwarves? Nay that may put them in premature danger.
He let's the different ideas hang in the air, hoping for more potential options from the others.
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"I agree that we should not delay anymore than we must. That said, there is no greater delay than if we are caught on the way to rescue our charges. If we can find a good place to disembark and travel quickly overland, I am in favor of that approach. Perhaps just a few hours march away would be enough to give us an advantage." Veres says, favoring Elemenar's idea.
"Once we get in the town, I think it is time we went with Metella's idea. She is pragmatic and I respect that. If we were to pose as those interested in the Razmiran faith, that would offer us a solid excuse to be there and to be inspecting the area, to see if it meets our interest. Of course the other ideas are sound as well, but I just like her idea the most."