Zomeraand keeps pulling, doing what he can to keep the wagon from sliding.
Zomeraand keeps pulling, doing what he can to keep the wagon from sliding.
The Magician Zomeraand pulls with all his strength (or lack thereof) and feels something giving up... in his shoulder. Pain curses throughout his body while he drops to the ground.
"Boss!"
Lucky Pete seems very worried for The Magician but keeps pushing for the both of them.
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"Keep at it," Zomeraand says, wincing and grabbing at his shoulder. "I'm useless for this sort of thing."
Seeing the wagon continuing to slip off the precipice, Anton, rushes to the back of the wagon, yelling "Get out of the wagon!" and grabbing the young woman.
"Keep at it," Zomeraand says, wincing and grabbing at his shoulder. "I'm useless for this sort of thing."
Lucky Pete's eyes gain resolve, and he nods.
"Yes boss, I won't let go!"
Str Check aid another=12
Anton pulls and helps prevent the wagon from falling.
Seeing the wagon continuing to slip off the precipice, Anton, rushes to the back of the wagon, yelling "Get out of the wagon!" and grabbing the young woman.
Lief keeps the standing horse, which seems more tired at every second, pulling to prevent the wagon from falling.
Between Lief pushing the standing horse, Anton Ionescu's and Lucky Pete's efforts, drag the wagon ever so slightly, against all odds, away from the border of the gorge.
All the onlookers gasp at their incredible efforts to save the wagon passengers!
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Getting back onto his feet, Zomeraand tries to assess if there are any weak spots in the rigging of the wagon that would allow the horses, and therefore their weight, to be quickly released (a strap, a lynch-pin) or something of the sort. He also looks for fraying or weakness in any of the ropes or straps holding the horses to the wagon that might be easily severed.
The wagon is in a good state, if not being the best of them (later when he knows who the person in the wagon is, and who her father is, he will wonder why she didn't had a better wagon). As a good wagon, it is designed to prevent the horses from getting untied to the wagon easily. It won't be easy to lose or sever the horses free. At least not in a couple rounds.
With a heroic effort by Lief Stoutspear handling the standing wagon horse, Anton Ionescu and Lucky Pete, motivated by the now hurt The Magician Zomeraand prevent the wagon from falling into the gorge... but for how long?
Anton Chauvelle tells the young woman in the wagon to get out, but she, panicking, doesn't move. The old woman on the other side is unable to get out either.
Delin Chiri makes Ruperto Zingari go with her to see Esmeralda Bâlan. A nice discussion is about to happen.
===============================
Both the women in the wagon keep panicking, and screams for somebody to help them!
The wagon keeps sliding. Heroically you have prevented it from falling, but for how long can you keep it up?
Ruperto Zingari smiles at Delin Chiri.
"So you are going to tell on me with bunică Bâlan? About what? I didn't do anything! You are Varisian too! Why are you defending those chelaxians?"
He keeps his hands up and keeps going to the Bâlans wagons.
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With no one helping her to pull on her rope, M'ara jumps up on the wagon and climbs in to confront the women inside, "Hi there, " she says with a dead calm voice, "If you don't get out of this wagon right now...you'll die...your choice."
Her piece said, she hops back off of the wagon and waits for the women to save themselves. Shivi lands on her shoulder and begins to preen.
With no one helping her to pull on her rope, M'ara jumps up on the wagon and climbs in to confront the women inside, "Hi there, " she says with a dead calm voice, "If you don't get out of this wagon right now...you'll die...your choice."
Her piece said, she hops back off of the wagon and waits for the women to save themselves. Shivi lands on her shoulder and begins to preen.
Before M'ara can jump out of the wagon the young woman puts her hand on the Shoanti Woman's arm.
"Please help us! I am scared!"
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"Those people did nothing to you." Delin reminds Ruperto. She stops her march, looking back to the women screaming in the wagon. Her chest tightens, and she deeply regretted her choice in spells for the day. Then the handle on her dagger tightens.
"If you had a sister and elderly mother on a caravan, what would you call a man who schemes for them to plummet off a cliff?" she asks pointedly. Her features were normally neutral, perhaps a touch stern if not contemplating, but now she looked her "prisoner" in the eye and she was angry.
She points back to the wagon, directing his gaze. "Are you heartless?" she asks.
She points back to the wagon, directing his gaze. "Are you heartless?" she asks.
Ruperto looks at the wagon, and the women in there. His smile fades, and his confident demeanor disappears.
"We didn't know there were people in there... We tried to ask, you know? If I would have known, it wouldn't have happened...."
"The idiot is sorry for what he's done, though I do think some punishment should be done.
I think the victims should decide his punishment."
Before M'ara can jump out of the wagon the young woman puts her hand on the Shoanti Woman's arm.
"Please help us! I am scared!"
On her way out of the precariously perched wagon, M'ara looks back at the scared young woman, "You are smart to be scared. The wagon you are in is about to fall off of a cliff. It is your choice, to live...or to die." as she says this she looks from young woman to old woman, "Come, I will help you step out..." she says, holding out her hand.
Up above, Shivi shrieks, concerned with M'ara's well-being.
”Please get out of the wagon,” Zomeraand says with a tone of irritation. ”We’re breaking our backs trying to hold it, and if you don’t get out now, the folks trying to save you will have no choice but to let go, and allow you plummet to your death.”
"The idiot is sorry for what he's done, though I do think some punishment should be done.
I think the victims should decide his punishment."
Ruperto raises his hands.
"Hey, lady, I didn't do anything!"
Stella doesn't quite follow M'ara, but after The Magician Zomeraand asks her (sewhat irritated) to get out, she grabs M'ara's hand and jump out with her.
Just in time!
The wagon drops down the gorge, rolling on its way down, dragging the second heroic horse with it.
After some time picking up the pieces, the result of the "accident" is:
- The old woman that accompanied Stella Scarnetti has her hip broken, is in pain, and will need attention, and rest.
- The wagon drivers are hurt, and they won't be able to walk to Sandpoint.
- Both the wagon horses had to be sacrificed. Lief sheds a tear for the one he handled.
- The wagon got destroyed. The Szcarni took advantage of the situation not just to help the old woman (they helped her up) but to check the wagon contents. To their disappointment, there are no "riches", just a couple of Stella's dresses and some personal items.
Stella Scarnetti, now that you can talk to her, has 14 years old. She is very scared and impressed with everyone and everything.
The Bâlans accept to put the hurt people in their wagons, so they can finish the voyage while resting. The bad part is that there is no more room for you, or for Stella, to go on them. You will need to walk.
The other bad news is that you won't be able to reach Sandpoint today.
==================
Delin Chiri and Etna Venus Van Ash take Ruperto Zingari to Esmeralda Bâlan...
"Ruperto, you are an embarasment to all of us Varisians..."
"Dear bunică, why do you accuse me? You know me! I am no killer! I am a good Varisian!"
Zomeraand stands up and mutters something under his breath while making a small gesture with his hand. A ripple of invisible energy flows over him, dislodging the dirt and dust from his clothes. [ooc](Casting prestidigitation)[ooc]
He walks over a pats Lucky Pete on the shoulder. ”It’s a good thing you were here, the wagon would have fallen for certain without your strength. If we were near a tavern, I’d buy your drinks for the evening. Thanks for stepping in like that.”
He says this just loud enough that the young noble woman hears him.
Lief dismounts and approaches the well-dressed young lady. ”I’m sorry, miss, that I couldn’t protect your carriage,” he says sadly, ”but you still have one good horse...”
Turning to look at the sczarni, he half says and half shouts, ”I won’t travel any further with those murderous sczarni scum! Not unless they’re tied up in the back of a wagon!
Looking back to the young woman, and returning to a normal speaking voice, he continues, ”do you have family in Sandpoint, miss? The caravan won’t have time to reach the city tonight staying together, but we can reach it on the horse by not waiting for them... it might be a little safer to stay with the caravan, but only if those murderers are gone.”
Looking around at the other members of the caravan he calls out to them, ”What does the rest of the caravan say?!? Do we keep traveling with those murderers until they try to kill another one of you to steal from your corpses? Do we chase them off and risk having them attack us in the night? I say that if we’re not willing tie up every one of them to deliver to the watch in Sandpoint for judgment, then every person with a horse should ride hard for the city right now! I, for one, am sure as sh!t not going to spend another night out here with them!”
Delin visibly flinches at Lief's shouting. However, his repeated use of the word murderer agitates her. "They are not murderers." she corrects as she marches up to him, "They may be fools but no one died because of it." Realizing her dagger was still out and she had been punctuating her words she turns a few shades redder and quickly pauses to sheath the blade, though she was hardly intimidating.
"Do as you will, but do so when you are correct." she quickly adds in a quieter voice. Then she abruptly turns and sets to work. The injured needed their wounds healed and slinged if they were to have any peace on the remaining trip. Returning to Ruperto and Esmeralda she removed her pack and pushes it into his arms. "You carry for me while I heal." she orders, "A good Varisian would do that much." She nods to her elder and gets to work.
(OOC- I am reading that a 5, 2, and 9 on the rolls. Oof, sorry for the typo.)
”They are attempted murderers at the least!” Lief hollers back. ”They killed two horses, which is definitely illegal, and if the carriage had barreled over the cliff, like they planned, then that old woman and this young lady would be dead too. Those are the kind of people you want to defend?!?”
Both The Magician Zomeraand and Lief Stoutspear notices the young girl is shaking, still in shock.
At Lief comment, she simply breaks out to cry.
"Thank you very much! I would have died without you. I don't know how to thank you! I will ask my brother to give you a reward... or something... Thank you so much."
She sobs, standing alone in the middle of all of you.
[dice=sense]1d20+1
Seems not :S
And she is talking about making a Sense Motive for Stella Scarnetti.
”They are attempted murderers at the least!” Lief hollers back. ”They killed two horses, which is definitely illegal, and if the carriage had barreled over the cliff, like they planned, then that old woman and this young lady would be dead too. Those are the kind of people you want to defend?!?”
Ruperto Zingari goes to face Lief Stoutspear, and inch from his face.
"I haven't killed anyone..." - he smiles fiercely - "... yet. I didn't cause the horses to bolt, and I didn't kill no horse. But yes, we Varisians are assumed guilty, without a chance to defend ourselves, even by other varisians. Or presumed varisians, as some of us have already been bought by the chelaxians. You don't wanna travel with us? Fine, we don't wanna travel with you."He turns towads his small group.
"Let's go. These fine people have decided we are not enough to travel in their company."
He turns towards Lief again.
"Unless you want to execute me right now..."
They grab their stuff and start walking towards Sandpoint.
"Do as you will, but do so when you are correct." she quickly adds in a quieter voice. Then she abruptly turns and sets to work. The injured needed their wounds healed and slinged if they were to have any peace on the remaining trip. Returning to Ruperto and Esmeralda she removed her pack and pushes it into his arms. "You carry for me while I heal." she orders, "A good Varisian would do that much." She nods to her elder and gets to work.
The old woman and the drivers thank you for your help, while the Bâlan woman helps you with your efforts.
Olga, the young Bâlan girl, looks at you at awe."You truly are blessed, as you can do this miracles."
He walks over a pats Lucky Pete on the shoulder. ”It’s a good thing you were here, the wagon would have fallen for certain without your strength. If we were near a tavern, I’d buy your drinks for the evening. Thanks for stepping in like that.”
He says this just loud enough that the young noble woman hears him.
Lucky Pete smiles shyly.
"Thanks boss! 'was nothing."
Once the wagon goes on it's way down the cliff, M'ara turns to the girl, an admonishment on her lips. But something stops her, as she looks at the girl closely, then shakes her head , Ah , you're a fool , M'ara she thinks to herself.
The argument between Lief and Delin flows around her as she watches the girl, now knowing she was right...the girl is an innocent, sheltered from the world, thrust into its uncaring, cruelty.
At the girls last pronouncement of a reward, she steps forward and puts her arm around the girl's heaving shoulders, "Now, now....enough of that. You've been through a lot. Let's get up up on this wagon and comfortable..." she says gently, slow moving the girl towards the Bâlan's wagon, calling out to Esmerelda for help.
”You can lie all you want but your own actions betray you, sczarni,” Lief answers not backing away from the man at all, ”you might not personally be the one who made the horse bolt, but you were in on the plan because you all had your ropes ready to go! I had barely even slowed the wagon and you already had ropes dropping- do you really think we’re all dumb enough to think you just happened to have ropes ready to go right when that happened?!? You all had this planned out. And then when you had ropes at the ready instead of using them to help you used them to climb down so you could steal from the dead!”
”Hey, don’t let them go first, they’ll just set another ambush for us!”