With a plan in motion, Dramm leaves to prepare for the night. Before he goes, you see him carry a small empty crate up to one of the roofs.
Dramm spends a couple of hours collecting on Merchant Master Dreen's offer. He gathers scrap metal, lanterns, blankets, spare bits and parts, a small metal tub, and the net. When he's done, he returns to the group in preparation for the ambush. He places a scrapmetal bear trap into the marked crate, and with some careful work sets the money pouch on it's plate. Covering the edges with bits of hay, enough to make them easily missed in the darkness of night, he then closes the box. Before he heads up to the roof, he thrusts TaBog a lantern.
"For light when you step into the alley. Remember, don't rush in until the trap is set. You'll spook the game otherwise." He doesn't wait for an answer. He's already heading into the darkness upstairs with his pack and equipment. Dramm settles in for the stake out, seating himself behind the rim of the building's edge. The lantern is lit and then covered with a crate and blanket. He begins checking the knots and weight of the net as he waits. He hums gently to himself as he does.
Imedren listened to everyone's chatter. He was tapping his foot impatiently. He glances back and forth before voicing his concern.
"The Old Fishery has a lot of ways to look into the alley. Who's to say the Rude Boys won't have their thugs having paid for a room, or even several, and they're watching?
There's also no telling when they'll come by the drop point to pick it up. We'll also need to watch the far side of the alley too."
Tabog watches Dramm work, he manages to be somewhat impressed and frustrated at the same time at how meticulous his actions are. As Dramm hands him the lantern he puts his hand out in rejection.
"I won't need that, thank you though. Imedren, I do agree with you but I think our plan will keep us from getting killed even if it fails. I have no doubt in my ability to escape aside from the very worst case scenarios and the rest of you being upstairs should give you time to escape as well. Is someone going to cover the other end or?..."
Bog raises his eyebrows and looks around quickly, his face full of realization.
"You should grab a plank! To span the roofs, if danger corners you up there or if there are Rude Boys on the other side you can use it to get across the gap!"
He smiles in triumph, happy with his addition. Tabog walks to the wall just around the corner of the alley and with a barrel he grabbed earlier he takes a casual seat. He changes up the way his hair sits and does other mundane things to make it a little more difficult to identify who he was by someone not acquainted with him.
You take up your positions and lie in wait. At midnight, Dreen delivers the satchel of coins as instructed, with Dramm's trap concealed within. A few minutes after he leaves, a single battered, human-shaped clockwork steps into the alley from the far side.
The clockwork completely fails to notice you hiding nearby. It makes its way to the marked crate and opens the satchel, reaching inside to confirm that the coins are there.
It quickly recoils, pulling its hand back to reveal the trap clamped onto it! It regards the hand with a sort of detached curiosity, unaware that you are about to spring your ambush!
A Clockwork! I should have thought of that! He can't be interrogated! He can't he threatened! We'll have to follow it back to the base. At least it doesn't know we are here!
Anophth looks to his fellows on the ground, and shakes his head no. He stays hidden himself, hoping that's enough to send the message without talking.
Dramm hears the snap and looks over the edge. His eyes widen when he sees the metal man. This was not what he expected. He quickly scans the alley, seeing no other targets to drop the net. He sits himself back down. He had not predicted this. It seems he soaked these sheets in oil for nothing. You can't burn a metal man, after all.
Tabog doesn't recognize the clockwork.
The clockwork counts the coins to make sure all of them are there, then it slings the satchel over its shoulder and starts to walk away, trap still affixed to its hand.
Crouched beside Anophth, Phineas bristles. It looks like the young man is eager to rush to attack the clockwork, but a stern glare from the goblin causes him to relent for now.
Anophth quickly takes the chase, trying to keep to the shadows as much as possible.
Tabog crouches behind some barrels and boxes. A moment later a cat walks into view and briskly walks until it catches sight of the construct. It keeps a moderate distance, acting as if its paying attention elsewhere, sniffing this, hissing at that, finding a bug or rodent to chase for a moment before it continues on its sporadic path.
By the time Dramm reaches the ground floor, the clock man is gone and his party is nowhere to be seen. He settles in for a wait for the two stealthier members to return with their information.
You remain in the alley as Anophth and Tabog move in pursuit of the clockwork. Phineas shifts uncomfortably. "We're just going to wait around? I want to do something!" he complains.
You catch a glimpse of movement in the direction that your friends and the clockwork went. Several figures in dark robes emerge from another alley and follow in their wake...
***
You quietly follow the clockwork as it heads down to the docks. It clanks and whirs as it traverses the waterfront, eventually walking out onto a long pier. Two men wait at the far end--one is older and surly, while the second is a red-haired, freckled youth. Anophth is unable to get too close, as there's no cover from the moonlight that might trigger his curse, but Tabog the cat approaches with none of them being the wiser.
"Any problems, Gears?" the older man asks the clockwork.
"A minor trap inside the satchel. Damage minimal," the clockwork reports in a hollow voice. "Do you have the stuff?"
The man nods and produces a sealed canister. Gears's hand twitches as it eagerly reaches for it, but the man pulls it back. "The money first."
Gears hands over the satchel, and after the man quickly counts the coins, he gives the clockwork the canister. The clockwork cradles it close to its body and turns to leave.
The older man turns to his young companion. "Come on, then, back to the island. The other Boys will be pleased." They move towards one of the boats tied to the pier.
Dramm sees the cloaked figures and perks up. "Careful what you wish for, Phineas. Get your weapon. Stay quiet. Don't attack until we say."
Dramm taps Immedren, pointing in the direction that the figures moved. He stalks after them as quietly as he can. His three fingered hand pulls out the his carved knife.
Phineas looks hesitant, but he draws his sickle and quietly follows Dramm.
Imedren watched from the alley as the clockwork left.
He then wandered up next to Phineas as the young man complained and saw the others leave. His eyes narrowed as he caught movement and others left a nearby place.
"You'll get your chance soon enough, Phineas. Now let's go!"
As they tail the figures, Dramm quietly utters a few words. The tip of the dagger tip glows gently as he quickly carves a symbol into the air. As the spell completes, strands of energy become invisible plates of protection covering Dramm's chest and limbs.
Dramm, Imedren and Phineas all prove to be stealthy enough to avoid attracting attention as they follow the hooded figures. There are five in all. The figures seem to be trailing the clockwork as well, following its trail at a good distance.
Soon enough, the figures arrive at the dock where the exchange is taking place, lurking in a nearby alley. They seem to be watching the transaction intently, unaware of their own tails.
As the man at the end of the doc counts the ransom money, Tabog takes time to look at the their method of escape. He inspects the way the boat is anchored, smaller boats typically have a pre-tied loop that is thrown over a piling or cleat. Bog attempts to push and nudge or chew, if necessary, the rope free of its post; allowing the boat to quietly drift away. He keeps an ear out for the counting and any indication of being seen.
Anophth keeps to the shadows for now, keeping an eye out for anything else that seems out of place.
Glancing behind him, Anophth can see several shadowy figures lurking in an alley across from the docks. With his shadowsight, he sees they are five men in hooded robes. Further back, he glimpses Dramm, Imedren, and Phineas.
F$%~! Anophth curses to himself.
Well. At least the clockwork is out of the way. And we know the base is on an island.
Anophth looks up to the skies.
Do I run after the boat knowing I may lose control? Or do I yell out to stop them while I take on the guys in the back?
A few dozen islands dot the lake. The skies are clear.
F@#$ it. Anophth thinks.
He runs after the hooded folks following him while yelling to Dramm, D-d-drammmm! D-d-donnnnt lllet themmmm on thththhhhe bbboat!
Imedren had been tailing behind Phineas, annoyed that the young man kept getting too eager and close to the robed figures and had to pull him back twice from getting noticed.
He had no way of knowing who these people were but once they had arrived at the docks, he'd been planning to wait and see what they were going to do. Only Anophth moved first, coming back their way.
"Oh that little-!" he said, shocked but also admiring his foolhardy bravery.
"Let's go!" he said to the others. Running up and preparing to strike from behind.
As he got close however, preparing to strike, something overtook him. The strange anger and heat he'd been feeling all over his body caught him seemed to be drawn straight to his hands which began to almost burn. Stopping short, he let out blast of heat over the group of cloaked figures.
Dramm quickly moves forward when Anophth shouts his name. His knife is already tracing a new symbol in the air. As he completes it, he dashes the knife through the shining traces. Dramm jerks slightly to the left as the spell takes it's toll, then hurtles towards one of the Rude Boys.
Will challenge roll with 3 banes. One boon for Trickery. One boon for party level 1. Total 1 Bane.
Anophth rushes to the men and swings his cane to crack one in the knee.
But the upcoming pain from the curse causes him to miss, as his body starts to deform.
A few of the hooded figures turn as Imedren charges towards them, but then roaring flames engulf the group. Screams of pain fill the air, and as the fire dies down, four of the five people lie on the ground, cloaks smoldering, the stench of charred flesh filling the air. Only one survived, and they seem to be badly wounded! "Holy s&+!!" Phineas shouts, eyes wide.
Dramm runs out of the alley to target the distant Rude Boys. He blasts the older one with destructive magic, and though he grunts in pain, he resists its debilitating effects.
Anophth rushes up to the surviving cloaked man and swings his staff, but fails to hit. His impetuous actions leave him bathed in the light of the full moon, and his body starts to twist and change!
Overcoming his shock, Phineas runs in with a cry, slicing the burned man with his sickle. The man staggers, badly wounded, but still on his feet!
As the fight begins Bog waits for the right timing and... As Dramm blasts the Rude Boy, Tabog uses the distraction and takes his human form and launches a stone at the wounded man.
Tabog's stone smashes the man on the head, leaving him dazed and bloodied.
"Argh! Go, go!" he shouts to his companion as he rushes to the boat, leaping inside and throwing the rope off of the dock. Still surprised, the red-haired youth can only stare with wide eyes at Dramm and Tabog.
The hooded man slips a sickle out of his robes and stares at Phineas for a moment, then turns towards the shifting Anophth. He cries out as he slashes at the goblin, but his wild swing ends up bringing the point of the blade across his own side, drawing a thin line of blood.
Anophth-turned-crazed-rat creature lashes out at the thing that tried to attack him, lunging forward with his incisors trying to bite his leg off.
The one-eyed rat succeeds at biting the man's leg off! His dying screams echo through the alley as blood gushes from the fatal injury!
The twisting and warping of Anophth's body chills Dramm's blood. As the next spell is carved, there's a moment where he hesitates as if deciding which target it should be directed to. When he reaches the edge of the dock, his focus locks on the escaping man in the boat. The knife is driven into the symbol and a bruise appears in the side of Dramm's face.
Blood spreads across the man's chest as the spell begins to rip his flesh.
"We only need one of you alive for information. Stop rowing, and we may work out a deal for your life. Keep rowing, and I'll split your body into butchered meat at the bottom of that boat. He calls flatly to the fleeing man.
The man in the boat cries out in pain as the magic wrecks his body, leaving him fatigued! He still seems focused on escaping, but his companion has no such illusions. The youth raises his arms in surrender. "Don't kill me!" he pleads.
"Bloody coward!" shouts the man in the boat.
Imedren watched with a sensation of disbelief but elation that his anger had brought such a devastating effect. He glanced over to the survivor as the man was brutally attacked by Anophth.
He edged around the scene and then ran over to the edge of the docks next to Dramm.
"Smart," he said to the young man. "But you, we don't really need you, he said holding out a hand toward the man."
Tabog, if he can, take note of the transformation that his Goblin friend underwent but turns his attention back ti the Rude Boys. If they don't seem to comply he will launch a shot the rower's head, hopefully causing him to fall prone.
Tabog's shot cracks the Rude Boy in the head, and he falls over! As Imedren moves up to the dock, the man gets back up and starts to row away. That's when Imedren casts his spell, and the boat explodes into a thousand splinters, plunging the wounded man into the water! He cries out and flounders as he struggles to remain afloat. "Arrgh! Okay, you win! I give up, just help me!"
Phineas runs up to the dock, eyeing the giant rat fearfully. "Uh, what do we do about that?!?"
Anophth the rat snarls as he feasts upon the severed leg.
Imedren eyed the man in the water before looking over at Dramm. "Hey, get the kid to help you pull the other man out of the water. If he tries anything, warn us."
He turned back to the scene of carnage. Great, what are we going to do about this? he thought to himself.
He looked back and forth before walking forward toward Anophth, taking his cloak off and holding it out in front of him like a net as he cautiously moved toward the leg gnawing goblin rat.
"It's alright, Anophth. Just, don't struggle too much." he whispered, moving steadily toward him.
Imedren grabs the transformed Anophth. The rat screeches and thrashes in his grasp, attempting to escape!
Scrrrreeeee!!
Anophth-rat skitters away.
Dramm motions for TaBog to keep his sling ready and for Phineas to come over.
"You two, pull him from the water." he says to Phineas and the young man. "Get him out. Tie them both. Keep in mind that my remaining spells are more deadly than the ones I've wasted on you so far. Don't want to expend them on underlings. It'll make a mess."
Dramm stands back a little, pulling out his long knife. He keeps a careful eye on the two men.
Phineas and the young man pull the other onto the dock. He sits there sullenly, nursing his wounds.
Anophth the rat looks like he is trying to escape!
"He's hungry. Use bait." Dramm says flatly to Imedren. His eyes never leave the two in front of him as Phineas ties their hands.
"Not sure I have time but alright." He hurriedly reached into his bag and pulled out some bread.
"Come on little guy, don't run!"
Lured by the food (who wouldn't want a side of bread with a dinner of raw human meat?), Anophth stays still long enough for Imedren to bag him up! The rat thrashes and squeaks, but he seems to be contained for the time being.
Dramm nods appreciatively at Imedren as he cinches the bag closed.
"I've had a long night. I'm tired. Who's going to tell me where the rude boys are waiting to receive this silver? And who is the metal man? A Rude Boy?" Dramm seems unusually agitated. "Mind you, whoever doesn't is going to have that bag strapped to their chest until the rat eats his way out of them."
His eyes look dead serious.
"It's the fourth island to the northeast!" the red-haired youth blurts out. "Our camp is inland, by some old faerie ruins!"
The older man glares at him before fixing Dramm with a withering stare. "The clockwork is named Gears. He ain't with us. Just a courier we hire sometimes when we's fearing treachery."
Imedren struggled with Anophth before bringing him close to the others. "That's right, just stay in there!"
But he stopped to look down at the cloaked men he had burned to unconsciousness, if not death.
"Hey, who were these men? Friends of yours?"
"No clue," the elder Rude Boy says. "Guess they weren't friends of yours, neither."
Flames continue to smolder on the dead men--and they are all in fact quite dead.