Juliet grasps Spite's hilt, and steels herself for what is to come. She'd never actually killed anyone, besides the bravado she'd shown in various duels in the past. A frown briefly crosses over Juliet's face, a quick moment of doubt reflecting in her countenance. Find your stones, girl! No turning back now!
Tensing, Juliet prepares to be the first through the door.
Riren bashes her way into the alleyway loading dock, splintering the double doors. As you bash into the room, the first thing that hits you is the smell of fish and sweat. It's enough to make your eyes water. There is a trough of rancid fish to your left with seaweed and brine. Filthy river water, blood, and what appears to be blood soaks the floor. A pair of chutes leads through a hole in the wall to another room.
To your right (towards the street and one of the windows), there is a desk. Four pallets lie on the ground with startled children, with another sitting up from behind the desk. A door is opposite the room you are in or to your left (near the chutes).
Everyone please give me a perception check and an initiative roll (I will use the highest PC roll, then the group may go in any order).
Tawni moves to the side door with the others, cringing as Riren kicks the door in without even trying to open it quietly. As the way opens up, though, he moves in, blade out and ready, looking for the old man and hoping not to find guards instead.
With the door broken open there is a fleeting thought of well that was likely louder than I should have shot for
Looking in the room and seeing the children. A quick finger to the lips in a quieting motion their direction then focusing on the doors.
Maria is unconcerned by the noise of the door shattering. Gaedren should know they are here for him, and hopefully the sudden entrance will help throw his men into a panic.
She follows the others into the room, hands held ready to cast.
(I am assuming we are not in bright light)
Rapier in hand, Dennvyn follows the warpriest into the room, his eyes darting, looking for Lamm, or the inevitable bodyguards... And taking in a breath add he sees the children. Did I look like that, once? It seemed so normal at the time... Amazing how being treated like a child and not a resource to be exploited can change your perspective.
.
A flick of the wrist and Spite is in Juliette's hand. With a quick appraisal of the room, Juliette frowns. Children.
Glancing about, Juliette looks for the room's entries and exits, hoping to find a clue of where Lamm is lurking.
Ernhild, you may react, as the "child" behind the desk begins shouting "Intruders! Capture them for Giggles and no no work tomorrow!"
The "little boy" is recognizable as Hookshanks Gruller, a gnome minion of Lamm's. He flings a dagger at Dennvyn, but misses horribly in the dark light.
Round one begins.
"How perceptive. I should've added more poison to that dose, lass."
Hookshanks smiles as he brandishes a kukri in his primary hand, showing why he missed with the dagger
Growling a little at the gnome "Hookshanks... you side with evil. You try to control these kids. They should be free from the clutches of Lamm and you!"
Riren moves forward and swings his blade at the gnome
The sailor races Riren for the gnome, working around to the far side of the desk, if he can, before attempting to skewer the little abuser.
"Run, children! This is your chance to get away from Lamm! FLEE!"
The children seem unconvinced by either Tawni or Riren (Tawni go ahead and make a check).
Riren's swing goes high over the gnome's head, allowing Tawni to strike true. Hookshanks' wild glare somewhere between bloodlust and insanity turns towards Tawni.
"Silence Gnome." Maria spits, her voice full of contempt. " Point us towards Gaedrin and you may yet live. Keep shouting and you die"
To emphasise her point she flings her hand towards him and throws acid in his face
Maria's acid splash most definitely hits and he screams as the acid hits him, or is it a laugh. You're not quite sure, and that will give you all nightmares for a while.
The children still stand in disbelief that anyone would come into the Fishery and attack Hookshanks'. They stand, unsure of what to do.
Dennvyn says to the kids, "You know those days when you did something wrong, or Lamm's mad at you for something you didn't do and you think that he doesn't care and he's a bad man? That's the truth. Get away while you can."
.
He concentrates for a moment, feeling the pool of magic within him and pushing it through him, down into the blade in his hand, then closes with the gnome in support of the Swashbuckler, trying to help overwhelm the poisoner's defenses.
Juliet snarled. She remembers now, the gnome was around at times when Juliette would show at one of Lamm's flophouses, a cruel little creature, Sprinting towards Hookshanks, Juliet looked for a dancing partner as her father called them - someone on the opposite side of the gnome to distract him - and lashed out with Spite, smiling as the blade bit deep.
Pulling her blade back, she gave it a theatrical twirl and yelled, "Beat feet, Lambs! Ain't no place for children!
Juliet's acrobatics dance around the confused Lambs, ending with a flourishing blow against the mad Gnome. The blow strikes true, and is directly through the chest, spraying blood all over the outside wall of the Fishery.
This sends the lambs cowering into the corner, paralyzed with fear. From the next room, you hear shouting, telling more lambs to get up and get moving.
"Seems we need to keep moving. Let's get through this next door!"
"Agreed. We've woken them now, let's not lose momentum. "
Maria moves up behind Tawni, ready to follow the fighters into the next room.
You hear the shouting coming from the Riverside door, with a hissing sound coming from the south side door, which door would you like?
The children sit quietly, cowering in fear. The room being so eerily quiet, other than the soft whimpering of the children and the hissing of the south door leaves everything much more unsettling.
Maria spares an uneasy glance for the South side door before concentrating on the riverside one.
"We need to silence whoever that is shouting through there. They have pushed lambs around for long enough. "
"Agreed. Noise like that can cause more problem. Though this whole place needs to be cleared"
Riren moves to the Riverside door. Scimitar in hand!
|
Before leaving the room, Ernhild attempts to comfort the poor Lambs:
"Children," she says in what she hopes is a soft, reassuring voice. "You see that my friends and I are leaving. No one in this place will hurt you but Gaedren. You've been with him a long time, you know that he and his men are cruel. Go to the nearest temple, or to the orphanage. Say that Gaedren hold you against your will, and you will be safe."
She then gets up, and strides to catch up with the group at the riverside door, ready to cover the fighters with her spells.
The southside doorhandle clunks to the floor, melted by some method, it creaks open, revealing five lambs, each armed with a pitchfork, and a taller man behind them, wielding a wand.
He sees Ernhild first, as she begins striding across to the Riverside door.
"Ha! Heroes," He says snidely. "Get them, my minions. And you won't be burnt for a week." He smiles.
He aims the wand and fires wide, with the glob of acid hitting the northside wall and burning it as you see the Lambs have been burned by the acid, as well.
At the same time, the Southsside door opens outward, and it's a sight. At the bottom of the stairs stands a half-orc wielding longbow, with a flail at his side. But all along the stairs, and climbing up the scaffold of the stairs, are lambs. Each one along the stairs is holding a pitchfork, but those climbing are holding daggers in their mouths. The next thing that hits you is the stench of fish and an acrid smell. Something tells you that Yargin has something to do with it.
"If'n any of you get 'em, none of yous'll ever be fed to Gobblegut!" The Half-Orc shouts. He sees Tawni and Riren at the door, firing at Tawni, but missing horrifically, hitting the wall near the door before cackling madly.
DM Roll:
Looking at all the Lambs, "Children, you know this man is bad, he does bad things, and makes you all do bad things as well. We are here to stop them! We do not wish to harm you in any way. Please step away and let this be a fair fight between this man" pointing at the half-orc, "And us. I was in your place once, trust me, being free is what you desire!"
In an attempt to show the children the power they have, Riren pulls out his small holy symbol, waves his blade in a smooth arch and brings light out of the darkness for a split second, it settling on his body.
Stepping forward, guard up slightly, To see what the Lambs will do, but maintaining eye contact with the half orc. Lining up a dash, if possible, next round.
"Looks like the decision has been made for us" Maria comments, raising her hands and muttering arcane words
A swirling ball of energy forms in her hands and she throws it underarm like a rugby ball towards the half orc. It twists and transforms midair into an eagle which screeches and dives on the half orc, clawing and biting at him.
As the eagle dives to attack she steps towards the riverside wall near the door, putting herself out of sight of the half orc
Dennvyn says, "If you get out of our way, kids, then we'll stop them from feeding any of you to Gobblegut... or burning any of you."
The halfling steps to the side slightly, grumbling, "Only a coward hides behind children... But they offer poor cover when you're tall.", drawing his dagger and throwing it with a flick of the wrist.
for
As the eagle swoops Maria staggers slightly and reaches to steady herself on the wall, gulping in huge gasps of air. Summoning the eagle has clearly taken its toll on her.
Biggest threat was always the one with magic. Juliet waded into the lambs, using Spite to turn aside their jabs. They were children, unfocused, scared, and untrained. A flat of the blade here, a well-timed foot there, and the duelist slowly made her way through the children, slipping their attacks to the side, until she could lunge at the man with the wand, the one that cowers behind terrified kids.
Recognizing the risk, but seeing no way around it, Tawni stretches to his full height as he looks down at the archer. "None of you ever need fear Gobblegut or any of these again, if you let us save you. The archer, on the other hand, he has need of fear right now." The sailor then takes a few steps forward and then begins descending the stairs, moving through the threat of the children, but focused on nothing more than getting down to, or possibly behind the archer . . ..
Dennvyn's dagger strikes home, wounding the madman with the wand. You'll pay for that, slip! the man shouts as Juliette dances into the room and nearly stabs him in his chest.
The man steps back from Juliette, using his wand again,
He sputters and curses as he misses Juliette at such close range.
On the Stairs, Riren's words calm the children into lowering their pitchforks, much to the Half-orc's chagrin, allowing Tawni to dance to the bottom of the stairs, nearly to the Half-orc's. As Tawni dances, the small shape flies by and an eagle begins clawing at the Half-orc's face, forcing him to drop his bow. There is most certainly a bit of blood on the floor, as the half or. Reaching for his flail, he attacks the eagle.
Sadly, the attempt to strike with the flail also misses. This is not his day.
The summoned eagle continues to claw at the half orc.
Maria ignores it however and focuses on the Spellcaster in the room opposite, pushing off the wall and summoning more acid into her hand.
Instead of simply flinging it like she did at hookshanks she lets it pool in her hand, then calmly turns her Palm face down and points at the Spellcaster. Rather than spill to the floor, the avoid forms itself into a sleek dart and launches in the direction she is pointing.
Riren charges forward toward the half orc, hoping to take him out.
Juliet sneers as the glob of acid shoots by her left ear. "You're in the wrong line of work, bub." Using her words as a distraction, Juliet hopes the mage won't notice her shifting into a more advantageous place, flanking one of her allies. Lashing out with Spite, Juliet finishes her thought.
"Not for too much longer though!"
The young blade continues his attempt to work past the half-orc, to clear a path for his companion if nothing else, and to set up a flank with him if he can.
Once in place, Tawni attempts the most basic of all swordplay: putting the pointy end into the opponent.
Dennvyn carefully advances, keeping a wary eye on the children as he does, trying to get close enough to support Juliet in her battle with the wand wielder. Wish I'd memorized acid splash this morning, to see how the monster likes a taste of his own medicine...
"Kids, I was one of you, once," he says gently, tapping his free hand against his tattoo and the scar it covers, "and if you let me pass and we'll stop these monsters from hurting you ever again."
His piece said, Dennvyn takes a breath and steps forward, hoping, trusting, that the kids don't try to stop him.
Maria's eagle successfully bites and claws at the half orc, leaving his eyepatched face much more bloody than it started. The gore begins flying, and Tawni's blow finally turns the Giggling half-orc into a rasping, unconscious monster.
The touch attack slams into the spellcaster, burning his chest, and he begins sputtering and cursing loudly as the acid burns through his finely wrought jacket.
He begins to withdraw from combat trying to get to one of the two riverside doors!.
The danger is real, and the children are both frightened and confused at the amount of gore that they are seeing, especially from those that have abused them for so long. So far, you know there are 24 chilren among all the children the party can see total.
"Children! Follow us back upstairs. After we finish dealing with these, we'll be able to take you . . . Lessilyn. Yes. She'll be able to help you."
The swordsman races back up the stairs, looking to help control the spellcaster that he doesn't yet know is fleeing . . ..
Riren, seeing the half-orc drop, looks around and tries to make his way toward the other target.
A duel was all about taking advantage of little openings as they presented themselves. This melee was no different. The mage stepped back, and Juliet lashed out with Spite...