Eli to G5
nonlethal
Action Point if that doesn't drop him.
nonlethal
The monks attack cleanly lops the Paladin's head from his shoulders and the large man falls to the ground dead as a stump.
As Alrik's body falls to the ground, Eli can be heard to mutter a quiet "G*# d&!nit," as he unslings the still-sheathed Nodachi and rushes towards the group, again to stop someone from doing anything foolish. The monk's attack had one silver lining in that it left him open to Eli's attack. Eli's first strike was against the side of the monk's neck. A move designed for open hand combat, Eli had to pull his strike so as not to outright kill the monk - Alrik was an ally, even if only for a short time, we need to know why this character wouldn't give up. Doing so had the intended effect of disorienting the monk, allowing Eli a spare second to line up one final blow against the last standing enemy. With a resounding CRACK, the blunt strike of the sheathed nodachi shatters the man's knee, forcing him to the ground and ending the fight.
Quetzalcoatl jumps up as the Paladin's body falls limply to the ground. A silence falls over the tavern, confusion manifest in the realization that this bar fight had just become something more sinister. He draws his bow only to see the monk fall by Eli's nodachi.
"I should not have taken this so lightly," he says, clearly guilt stricken. "and now a good man lies dead."
Raziel stares mouth agape as the man collapses in a heap, severely wounded, and most likely dead.
"We seem to find ourself in a lawless place" - he comments - "Where it seems one may simply get jumped and murdered while sitting to have a drink - I don't think we will make the same mistake twice. Though this price is too high" - he adds staring at the prone form of Alrik.
Methodically, the Tiefling collects the holy symbol, vials and scrolls, placing them on a table, neatly arranged. Afterwards, he proceeds in thoroughly searching the remaining corpses, retrieving every valuable, and adding it to the table, dragging the corpses outside.
Last, but not least, he searches the defeated, but still standing remaining villains, also relieving them of any valuables, and tying them up in a corner, making sure the knots are well secured.
After all the possibly valuable items have been gathered, he comments to Tallie - "Is there some sort of guard, to whom these curs can be delivered?" - he nods to the captives in the corner, though his attention is fully focused on the loot ahead of him.
With a few practiced gestures, he conjures minor arcane forces, increasing his senses to Detect Magic, and carefully examines all the items on the table.
Hound looks on in amazement and disgust. Ridley, I think it is best to leave this place once we are done with he guard's questioning. If groups like those. He gestures at the noble and monk. Can just wander in and start swinging with lethal intent, then this is no place to stay.
As the monk falls to the ground, Eli stands up and re-loops the sheath sling over his body, taking a death breath to calm himself and reduce the effects of the adrenaline coursing through his body. Eli perked up at Raziel's mention of the guards, and dragged the monk, still writhing in pain, over to the group of bound pages, intent on finding answers. As a final measure before he started on the group, Eli slaps Renard, bring him back to consciousness. Eli begins with a preemptive, "Shut up, Renard. The only thing I want to hear from any of you, is who this is. I don't give a s%!$ at the moment about any of you, pompous ass that you may be." Eli turned towards the monk, pulling him into a sitting position, the murderous glint in his own eye belying his generosity in allowing the man to still draw breath. "I want to know what was so G%~ D@~N IMPORTANT, that you had to kill a man over it. First one to start talking gets less pain." To accentuate his point, he kicks the monk in the chest, hard enough that even he wondered if the sound that followed was the wooden floor, or the monk's skull, cracking.
Quetzalcoatl stands near Eli, quietly augmenting everything he says with a stern gaze and puffed out chest. "Pompous ass..." he says with Eli, and as the man asks what's "so g** d@!n important" he adds, "I know you didn't do this over a cave."
"Agreed. I'm not quite willing to condemn the whole place on account of this band of floppy poofs, but I don't exactly want to set down roots here either." Ridley replies to Hound. Seeing the exchange between her new companions and their recent enemies she makes her way over.
"You're a Hecatoite, or Hecite, or some such nonsense, right?" This to the injured monk. She covertly presses in between the man and Eli. Too many kicks to the ribs likely isn't going to do anyone any good.
"I don't know much about your cult, but I understand you've a high priestess stuck in Rappan Athuk?"
That is correct Renard! You tried robbing us of our equipment over some petty information and drew steel on us in this bar. I was all set to go with fists when your dog drew on us. This could have been a night in the cell but instead it is a hanging offense.
As he goes through the well thought steps in dealing with the corpses, captives and recovered gear, he listens to the heated interrogation, and half expects that this Renard character will be executed on the spot.
After he is done, he rejoins the others with a somber look, addressing their captured foe - "You best be straightforward with your answers fool - or this will be over before the guard gets here, and they will find only one more corpse"
"A man died for your lies!" Quetzalcoatl bellows, drawing his arrow and holding its tip right in Renard's face, "Tell me why you should not join him in the next dimension!"
He pulls back on his bowstring,, holding it tight in his hand.
Eli places a hand on Q's arm, gently nudging the arrow away from Renard's face. "Because if he dies, they'll never get around to actually answering our questions." The look on his face as he stared at Renard made it clear that such a possibility would not be the worst of outcomes. "And when we were not impressed with you, you thought it would be wise to draw on us instead? We now have a priest of Hecate and a paladin of Muir dead because of your actions."
Renard's mention of Symon causing Eli to recall something seen from the corner of his eye: Alrik killing the monk's own bodyguard. "Was Ridley there correct? Do you have a priestess trapped inside of Rappan Athuk? You know what, doesn't matter. If you hadn't jumped in when this fool and his cohorts set upon us," Eli kicks Renard's foot as an unnecessary indication of who he was talking about, "neither man would have died. If he had surrendered when asked, neither man would have died. I am assuming that you killed Alrik as compensation for the priest's life, yes? He should have surrendered when asked to, and then requested to join us as we obviously had a better chance of helping you to fullfil your goals. That doesn't mean we would have helped, but it would have been better than dying."
As the guards move in, Raziel calmly recovers his drink, throwing the recovered loot in a pile at a corner, sitting down on a table next to it and calmly drinking as if this had nothing to do with him.
Ogrim growls, "You're damned right, you'd have received no help from me.You murdered a man right in front of me and for that'll hang. Your words are poison and I've no interest in what you have to say. If you're lucky you'll be able to join your lover in hell in time for supper."
With that, Ogrim turns his attention to the fallen paladin and begins to perform last rites over his body.
"The body of our friend is still warm and you're asking for favors? What information could you possibly have to keep us from handing you over?"
"Raz, you that interested in the stuff?"
Looking up from his drink, Raziel shrugs - "Would be nice to know what they are, but I'll get around to it sooner or later - nothing that is worth hiding him for" - then looks directly at their interloper, his tail whipping - "You are out of luck as far as I am concerned - that information is not worth your life to me - you have gambled, and lost"
"Muir" - Raziel pipes in from his table without skipping a beat - "The boy followed Muir, for all the good it did" - he takes another drink - "Here's to him, unlucky enough to cross paths with a bunch of villains, intent only on murder and robbery - wretches only, worms and nothing more"
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To misfortune.
Hey all. Dotting to get on the campaign tab. Thanks for the invite. May I introduce Ghaelja Waldhaar - Druid(Treesinger). Not quite complete yet. Should be done in a while.
Quetzalcoatl watches the goings ons intently, listening to the others talk and the monk try to negotiate his way out of his bind. Upon hearing Tallie's question he responds,"Old Russ apparently has a problem with law enforcement. I don't blame him. The guards here are a bit too loose for my tastes."
Eli watches passively as the Crying Maidens are led to their fates before turning to the group. "I think I've pieced together all of that crowd's reasons both for being here and for fighting us: Renard, forced down here by the Hecatite priest, was trying to play the part of the big hero and didn't know when he was outclassed. The priest was here for a possible missing priestess and likely jumped into the fray because he was already tied in with Renard. The monk got involved because Alrik killed said priest. Stupidity all around, but that's an unfortunate part of life, I supposed."
Eli seemed to debate within himself to say the next bit, but it was his whole reason for speaking up in the first place, so he pushed through. "We all have our reasons for being here and they may clash with each other, but we fought well together. With a little bit of work, we could be a solid team. If y'all are up for it, I'd be amenable to working towards all of our specific goals as best as possible as a group. What do you say?"
Hound looks over to Ridley to see what she wants to do.
"I'm willing to show this town what a group of big damn heroes really looks like. Do we have any leads on where this Mouth of doom is? I've heard some rumors about a well myself..."
Walking toward the case slowly and with hands clearly visible, Ridley calls to the elderly man, "Anyone able to sleep through a barbrawl but bolt awake at mention of the guard is likely a person I should drink with. Would you mind sharing any more wisdom you have on the subject of youth racing toward their death friend? I'm buying."