The cat closes and flanks the downed commander.
Round 5 actions:
Braydon: misses
Kayosin: flanks & grapples
Volorog: lays there
HK C: slips in the grease
Ajer:
Goldilocks: misses
Sumisu:
Straehan:
HK A1: down
HK A2: down
Vak:
Fibek:
Ajer, Sumisu, Straehan, Vak, Fibek; roll call and need actions.
Round 5:
Ikshvaku advances carefully on the downed captain, trying to avoid the grease. A near slip robs his blow of any accuracy at all.
Straehan delivers more punches.
MODS: Sorcerous Strike, FOB, Flank w/ Goldilocks
HIT #1: MISS
HIT #2: HIT?
DAM:
Flare (1):
Prestidigitation (1):
Dancing Lights (1):
Elemental Ray (7): xx
Elemental Fist (1):
Produce Flame (1): x
1st Spells (4):
Spell Effects: None
The rat dashes in and strikes the downed leader, or at least tries to.
Attack (HK c):
Damage: <--Magic, Slash
..and begins to twirl out of control, spinning rapidly on the greased floor.
The commander, seeing the rest of her troop downed says "I will not fall to the likes of you!"
She pulls a small, oddly engraved dagger and...stabs her own throat!
"What is this, a suicide squad?"
Gold standard for suicide squads.
"Warden Proudstump, do you perhaps have any idea why three Hellknights would come this far north after you?"
Walthus looks both horrified and relieved. He swallows nervously before replying.
"It was about 7 years ago...you do know that Cheliax keeps halfling slaves, right? Most of them have been raised in such conditions for generations and see it as the natural order. But not all. We were being sent to Nisroth when a storm swept up and the ship sank. I...I'm not evil or cruel, I rescued as many folks as I could. After, in the confusion, a few of us...ran. We had a lot of fun in a short and, in my opinion, excessively dangerous adventuring career. Finally, I took my share and came north. I've been here about 5 years now."
He points at the symbol on the Hell Knight's armor. "That's the Order of the Chain. Their duty is to recover escaped slaves and return them for punishment. I guess I'm not safe here anymore. If any of them report back..."
He pauses, as a possible meaning of what he just said sinks in. "I guess I have to run some more."
The rat, skittering on 4 greasy paws, continues spinning out of control before mercifully caroming into a wall with a soft, dejected "Squirrrr.."
The smoking armor vanishes along with the tail blade, as it shakes itself off while making for the nearest door.
The commander, seeing the rest of her troop downed says "I will not fall to the likes of you!"
She pulls a small, oddly engraved dagger and...stabs her own throat!
Kayosin wipes blood from his face where the woman's arterial blood had sprayed. "I think you just did," he mutters as he stands up.
He listens to the halflings frantic thoughts and nods, "That's probably a good plan if you want to stay free. I don't know how many of these guys they'll send, but you may not always have someone like us to help you out. Though there may always be people willing to help you, if you know where to look."
Still trying to wipe blood from his face, clothes, and hands, Kayosin goes to inspect the other knights.
He watches the strange rat-man scurry out the door without comment.
Each of the lesser knights carried/wore: masterwork half-plate, heavy steel shield, heavy crossbow with 10 bolts, masterwork longsword, masterwork manacles, and three potions.
The commander has: +1 half-plate, +1 flail, mw crossbow & 20 bolts, cloak of resistance +1, masterwork manacles, and six potions.
"They were well-prepared, yes? Perhaps you should consider moving further north, Master Walthus." Ikshvaku examines the dagger the commander used.
A few minutes later, Braydon trots up to the door, still tying the sash on his shirt.
"That was..that was quite a fight. I just wish..I could have helped a little more. Is..is anyone injured?"
Strae looks outraged, "Hurt? Hell, yes! Did you see what that lumbering brute did to my best pan?!" He holds up an iron pan and shows the dent in the side of it.
"I'm..better with people than pans. Maybe a Mending spell?"
Braydon surveys the battlefield the halfling's house has become..
"What should we do with these..knights? I've never..I mean, we won, but their bodies and things..do we return them or what?"
Walthus comments "There's probably a reward for returning the equipment, maybe even the bodies. I don't know if they'd revive them, but they might want to use speak with dead to find out what happened to them."
"Returning the bodies and equipment where? To Sandpoint?"
"I have four rules..." Straehan ticks them off on his fingers as he shares them, "First, I never date drummers. Second, I don't assist anyone who dents my cooking stuff. Third, I never return to life anyone who tried to kill me - especially Chelaxian slavers."
That seems to end the debate for the pint-sized sorcerer. "Those boys and girls are worm-food and their stuff is now our stuff. Let's put it to better use than they did."
"I agree with Straehan." Kayosin responds as he guages everyone's response. "They came after us without really caring if we lived or died. They lost the gamble."
He considers, "My guess is that these guys, while doing something dreadful, were doing it 'legally'... at least for what Cheliax laws, anyway. Meaning this may not be the end of it. I say we strip the bodies and go feed them to those huge blood-suckers there. I'm not sure where we can pawn their gear, but we'll wnat to do it sooner than later, if possible. Actually, Sandru may have some ideas about that. He can probably get it sold off without raising too many eyebrows."
he looks around, "Unless someone else has some other ideas."
"I agree with Kayosin. Good is served with their end."
A small white hand comes out of the small white cloak and taps Straehan on the shoulder to gain his attention. "What's the fourth rule?" the small tenor voice intoned.
"Their actions were legal in Cheliax, true. But this is not Cheliax. Their belongings are spoils of war."
Kayosin smirks at the small man's question to Straehan, shaking his head in anticipation for whatever oddity the strange gnome had cooked up.
"Their actions were legal in Cheliax, true. But this is not Cheliax. Their belongings are spoils of war."
Vak's comments pull Kayosin's eyes back to the dead Hellknights. "I don't know about 'spoils of war', but I generally agree with you. But that wasn't really my point. What they did was, for their nation, completely legal. They even have the contract to prove it. A contract, I might add, that will be upheld as close to here as Magnimar. I think it's complete garbage, and they lost their lives – and their gear – carrying it out. But my point is, we need to hide what has happened here." He glances over at Proudstump, "For his sake. These Hellknights took the job, found him, and almost succeeded in taking him. Putting myself in thier shoes, I probably would have sent word that I was closing in… so we need to assume these three aren't the only ones who know about our little friend and his house. That's why I think we need to fire the house, destroy the bodies, and get this gear off our hands as soon as we can."
"I..can see the trouble turning..in the bodies..would cause. They'd come after..us. Us, and Proudstump. Not that they weren't after him already, just..more so."
Braydon looks at the fallen knights for a little while..
"You'll have to forgive me, but if time allows, I'd like to bury them properly. I have no fight with them in death. As for the gear, I'm..not very good with money, though I have no doubt there would be folk in Sandpoint who would..happily buy their things just because they were Cheliaxian. Kind of a..'glad they're dead, here's a tip' thing. How can we lug it back, though? Should we head back now and get rid of it right now? It seems kind of awkward to lug it through the swamp if we continue onwards."
"We could leave the armor and weapons here at the house while we go on. Then we can pick it up when we come back, yes? I should also like to perhaps plan where it is we are going on *to*. On the shopkeeper's map, the ruin is close by. Anywhere else of interest would call for leaving the swamp and going partway around it. That is, if we do not wish to swim or wade through mud." The Vudrani smiles slightly.
A small white hand comes out of the small white cloak and taps Straehan on the shoulder to gain his attention. "What's the fourth rule?" the small tenor voice intoned.
The gnome glances at the other small man and gains a wistful look at the question, "Well, the rule itself wouldn't make any sense to you but it has to do with dart-boards, home-brewed booze, and effeminate, cross-dressing, incubi... Buy me a drink and I'll tell you the whole story some time."
"Well, I guess the ruins would be a good next stop..if there are people missing, it would be best to find them."
Braydon stops and stares at Straehan, fairly certain the story's a concoction, but the very outside possibility it's real gives him pause..and a reason to 'buy a drink' in town some time.
Walthus says "The old ruins are about here."
He marks the map.
" Megus' shack is here. She doesn't much like visitors, though." He looks over at Braydon. "She likes rats, so show her that pet of yours. This is the Licktoad village."
He marks a few other spots with the help of Figit, after a debate joined in by the other goblin, Fenfen.
She says "Not sure why shoot off so many fire things. I leave when chief say I marry Ploog. Hah! Take firestick, go make own tribe. Some come look, fire things go off, many-legs catch. Still not go back!
"I, too, am curious about the ruins."
The small cloaked man pulled forth a scroll and made a note of it. "Let us go to the ruins, I'm curious about what they believe I am."
Braydon looks aside at Sumisu after his comment.
"Believe you are? I can see some confusion about what I am, but you seem rather..straightforward. To me anyhow. Or.."
His voice trails off, afraid of further insulting the little robed one.
Kayosin raises an eyebrow at Braydon's comment on Sumisu, but doesn't comment.
"The ruins it is. And yah, hiding the armor is a good idea, Vak. I certainly don't want to lug that stuff around."
The small figure seemed to look up at the were rat, with just a bit of awkward silence. He seemed a bit more lonely without Tanooki on his head. But despite that, the little man placed a white hand on Braydon's arm to assure him that he was not upset like before. "If everyone went by smell, I would be rather straightforward. I've mostly had problems with those who trust their eyes."
Sumisu takes a minute to address the Goblins in their native toungue
At the sounds of them preparing to leave, Tanooki flys in and finds his normal perch, glad to be part of the action again, bobbing his head at everyone. When asked, Sumisu waves off the potions, but does quaff one of his own. The small head lists to the side as the cloaked figure speaks out again. "The plan is sound, and it would be good to have one less threat to people around here."
"These potions are..useful for us. I can cast cures, so it would be best to..spread the healing potions around a bit. So everyone can treat someone..in a crisis."
"*sigh* My..fighting style, Yogen-sha no ken..doesn't work right..yet. But it's not really based on..strength. So, the potions of strength don't help me. As much, anyhow."
You dispose of the bodies as best you can. Yes, Braydon, you can conduct a small ceremony if you wish. Walthus and Ajer agree to watch the stuff and Ajer says he'll stay with Walthus and the others while the rest of you explore the swamp and ruins.
As you approach the area described on the map, you see a dome of worked stone rising from the marshy ground. Part of it has collapsed, forming an entry into the dome.
"An interesting place, yes? And only a few miles from Sandpoint; I am not surprised it is such a popular place to go."
Kayosin takes a spin around the first room, looking for any dangers.
"Yep," Kayosin mutters as he moves forward, blade in-hand, "just don't go bumping around in these places alone."
He takes a few steps forward, peering into the darkness, "I'll scout. Anyone dumb enough to come with me? Let's stay on our toes. And keep any lights back. I don't need it, and it'll only draw attention I'd like to avoid."
The gnome winks and follows along, enjoying the thrill of scouting... until he kicks a rock.
Kayosin frowns back at the cook, "Hells! I thought you small-folk were supposed to be quiet."
The gnome looks appropriately sheepish then blusters his way through with a whisper, "That rock came outta nowhere. Pretty sure it is enchanted."