This bastard murdered a child?
The kid's words hit Dragas like a sucker punch to the gut. An dark scowl clouded over the young man's features, making him a little fearsome to behold. On the inside, Dragas was fighting hard to keep his temper in check. Still, this man had killed a kid and to Dragas, that put the gnome on the evolutionary scale just ahead of a rat with syphilis.
Without a word, a harmonic SCHLING! is heard as a greatsword is drawn from its sheath. The sight of the tall man holding the gigantic weapon does nothing to make him appear less formidable.
Or less angry.
With a quick stride, Dragas moves to the gnome and thrusts the sword forward in a fluid motion, attempting to turn Hook into a deserved gnome-ka-bob.
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Blinded as he is by the blood running into his eyes, Hookshanks Gruller can't avoid Dragas' greatsword, and he drops to the floor in a pool of blood. Donkere's bolt silences the nasty gnome forever.
"Whoa!" Kester and the other kids creep up to the door and peek in at their dead tormenter. "You guys really killed him! Thank you, so much." Tears of relief leak down their cheeks.
Sora rushes over next to Korinne and the kids, a concerned look on her face. "Hey, it's okay." She whispers, ruffling one of the kids' hair in her hands.
"Don't worry! You're safe, trust us. We're here to help stop the bad guys. Mister Gruller can't hurt you anymore, and we're going to help stop that big mean Mister Lamm, as well. Can you help us, though? We need to know where he is. Maybe my colourful cards will help jog your memory." She takes out her Harrow cards, and allows the kids to have a look, hoping to distract them from the fresh corpse lying in the room.
Gerry stares down at the dead gnome, no trace of pity in his eyes.
You made your choices....now you get to answer for them.
While the others attempt to elicit more information from the kids, Gerry moves to watch the door listening to see if anyone is approaching from the other side.
Kradel keeps standing in the doorway, looking at the body of the Gnome. "Right. Yes..." He's clearly in a bit of shock and trying to get his brain back on track.
"Yes, we need to find Lamm. And Sophie. Have any of you seen a little Dwarven girl, her name is Sophie?" He steps away from the door to face the children.
Afterwards he heads inside the warehouse and looks around a bit, checking out the doors to hear/see what might be beyond.
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Viggo searches the corpse of Hookshanks Gruller and recovers the gnome's small-sized studded leather armor and masterwork kukri, a disguise kit, 7gp, and a key. The bard looks at the key and regards the tall cabinet in the southwest corner of the room.
With some help from Kradel, Korinne manages to calm the frightened children enough to ask them some questions. Lamm’s lambs are tough, made rough as leather by Gaedren’s quick hand and life on the street.
Kester shares what he knows. ”Lamm owns more’n a couple dozen of us kids. Only nine of us workin’ here in the daytime. Rest got street duty, beggin’ and cuttin’ purses. They lock up all of us in fishery floor at night.”
"Through there,” Kester points at the door in the south wall of the upper workroom, ”is the front room. Yargin’s dog Bloo spends the day sleepin’ under the desk.” Gerry's standing there listening, but he doesn't hear anything.
Still pointing south, he continues. ”Past the front room is the barracks and Yargin’s office. Yargin’s a sour-faced, mean man. He’s in charge when Lamm’s not around. He mixes the acid for the vats and uses it to punish us, sometimes.”
Lamm spends most of his time in the 'playground.' Don't know what's down there. Kids who get sent to the 'playground' never come back."[/b]
The three smaller children start to cry again.
When Kradel asks about Sophie, Kester scratches his nappy hair. "There's a little dwarf girl here.” He shakes his head. ”But I ain’t never heard a no one called Sophie."
”I know her.” Choking back a sob, the littlest boy looks up at Kradel and says, "Lamm and his goons call her Soapy when they beat her. On account of she's the dirtiest, ugliest kid here. They been kickin' her round lots more, since she been so sick, she cain't work no more."
When Kester realizes who he's talking about, his eyes light up. "Prolly right, must be her."
He points to the door next to the vat in the northeast corner of the upper workroom, the one next to Kradel. ”Giggles has her down on the fishery floor.”
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He tries to not get mad, but these children in this sort of situation... He loads up his musket as he begins to head toward the interior of the building, full well ready to shoot the owner of this hell hole in the head...
"I never thought I would do this, but now I am adding someone else to my list."
He was seething with rage, but knows that without his allies, that he would just be mince meat before multiple people.
Anger starts to well up in Kradel's face, he says nothing but nods towards the children. With a moment of reflection he puts away his warhammer and opens up the door where his Sophie must be, looking for her and this Giggles... "Someone should go in from the outside."
"Sophie?" Is all he can say or mutter. Any sort of plan he had went out the window as soon as he opened that door.
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"Uh-unh." The kids shake their head. "Never went to temple."
"If it's okay with you, we'll just wait here." Kester's shoulders droop, fatalistic. "If you don't come out alive, it's probably safer for us to return to Lamm and take our beating."
"Yeah, better than getting killed." The kids start to cry again.
Kester peeks inside the upper workroom again, wondering what Viggo is up to.
"It's okay, we won't be long," Sora reassures the children. She turns back into the fishery, only to notice Kradel and Korinne about to open the door above. "Alrighty! As my father always said, one good deed deserves another. Let's keep moving and liberate this fishery in the process, hmm?"
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Viggo turn dark. He picks up Hookshank's body and tosses it into the large container of fish and quickly covers it by shoveling several scoopfuls on top of it.
"He's pretty chum---my now!"
Turning back to the group he shoots Sora a smile.
"Let's go. Taking two paths makes sense unless we might different obstacles. Whatever we decide to do... let's do it now!"
Gerry creeps back towards the others here his face taut with anxiety. "I don't think we can sneak past that dog on the other side of that door," indicating the south doors, "I say we go the other way."
Dragas moves over to face Kradal. "If she's here, we will find her. Lamm's going to pay for this," he says, the man's name creating a foul taste in his own mouth.
The barbarian sheathes his greatsword without bothering to wipe the blood off of it. Let my enemies see that I'm not afraid to shed blood in order to deliver the punishment that they are due.
"We should make sure any other children who might be here are out of danger," he says. He looks over at the bin of fish where the gnome's body has been stashed. "If that little man lacked the conscience to be able to murder a child, then Lamm or anyone else won't hesitate to do the same to save their hides."
Dragas nods at Korinne. "There is safety in numbers," he concurs before turning back to Kradel. "If you're going through that door, let me go first. You have a little one to live for."
Dragas nods at Korinne. "There is safety in numbers," he concurs before turning back to Kradel. "If you're going through that door, let me go first. You have a little one to live for."
With that, Kradel opens the door and steps through, but happy to have Dragas close behind him.
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After hiding the vile gnomes body Viggo takes a moment to inspect the key before going to the cabinet and seeing if the key works. But, before doing so, he will quickly inspect the lock and cabinet for traps.
"Let's see if this key works... if so, there might be a couple of useful or valuable bits inside."
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Viggo dumps the dead gnome in the vat of fish slurry, then he looks toward the cabinet. The bard doesn't find any traps on it, and the lock opens with the key he found in Hookshanks' pocket, and inside are six small pouches, four of which contain 50cp each, and two of which contain 50sp each.
Having cleared the upper workroom, the team gets ready to continue their assault. Kradel comments that someone should attempt to enter the building from another door, but no one seems willing to split the party.
Kradel opens the door in the northeast corner of the upper workroom and crosses the threshold, Dragas right behind him.
The floor of the fishery floor is slick with river water, bits of seaweed, and fish blood, and the air is thick with the accompanying scents. Wooden catwalks to the north and south allow access between the western part of the fishery and the floor of the room, which is 10 feet lower. A wide opening in the floor to the south allows direct access to the sloppy, muddy water of the Jeggare River a further 3 feet down, while to the northwest stands an immense 8ft-tall wooden vat, its sides caked and waterproofed with tar. Inside is a foul-looking mixture of chum, river water, and who knows what else. To the east are stacked many barrels and crates, each with a fish painted on it. Over a dozen small hammocks hang from under the catwalks, each with its own ratty blanket and pillow.
A pair of Lamm’s Lambs use long oar-like stirring rods to keep the mixture churning, working from atop the two catwalks. Two more orphans are harvesting buckets of slurry and filling barrels for this evening’s shipment, while another kid is refill the vat with more water drawn up from the bay to the south. The grungy little dwarf girl, clad in nothing but filthy rags, calls out in a voice weak from sickness and abuse, "Please, guys, put some more fish into the bin, or Giggles will beat us."
"That's right, Soapy, you tell 'em!" Their unforgiving half-orc taskmaster whacks the fishery wall next to Sophie's head with his flail for emphasis, splinters flying. "Proud o' me scars, I am." The brute titters. "Work faster, or Giggles'll feed ye to the same devilfish, what took me eye!"
When the door opens, the half-orc looks up the staircase at the unexpected intrusion, and his jaw drops in surprise. "Who'n the hells are ye? Ye're not s'posed to be 'ere!"
Map & Images
Korinne
Donkere
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Giggles
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Dragas
Kradel
Viggo
Sora
Gerry
Seeing his precious niece, in such a state, immediately puts Kradel into a mode he's never felt before. He's no longer afraid, nervous, or timid. He calls out at Giggles "We're here to shut you down!"
He raises his holy symbol and blesses the party "May your aim be tight and your vengeance swift!"
Dragas hears the exchange between Kradel and the other voice in the room in front of him. He moves through the door and starts down the stairs. He quickly takes in the room and its surroundings and sees a half-orc looking up at Kradel as well as several children.
In the moment, it seems that instinct takes over for the barbarian before his mind has a chance to caution against recklessness. He blows past Kradel, but before he descends the last five feet of stairs, he springs into the air to leap over the railing.
Though he's not able to get a running start, Dragas leaps up, tucking his legs under him. As he clears the railing, he draws his greatsword mid-flight and hits the floor moving in front of the left side of the vat next to the stairs and quickly closes to the half-orc before his foe can do anything to endanger the children.
"Why are we here? Vengence," he says, his gaze boring a figurative hole right through his foe.
"Here to shut them down...?" Sora gasps as Kradel taunts whoever may be in the room. Wasting no time, she's a flash of muted red and brown as she sprints down the stairs, advancing just ahead of Kradel.
"Ah, yes, now I get what you meant. Another of Lamm's henchmen watching over another group of orphans. Or as I called them before, slaves." She insists.
"Say, henchman, why not give up while you still have the opportunity, and grab a drink with me?" She sarcastically flirts, tossing her Harrow deck from hand to hand.
Hearing the commotion up ahead doesn't draw Gerry's attention from the closed door behind him. Keeping his blade ready he steps behind the door and readies to strike.
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Kradel announces to everyone that the fishery is being shut down immediately, and the cleric bestow's Torag's blessing on his allies and the kids.
Dragas springs down the steps and over the railing and races across the slippery floor up to the intimidating half-orc Giggles, adding vengeance to the growing list of reasons the heroes are assaulting the old fishery.
Viggo heads down to the bottom of the stairs, claiming his fair share of the brute - in advance.
Back in the upper workroom, Gerry and Donkere assume the duties of rear guard, one by stealth and one prepared to make some noise.
Korinne
Donkere
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Giggles
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Dragas
Kradel
Viggo
Sora
Gerry
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Korrine steps through the door, pausing behind Kradel on the crowded staircase and calling on the half-orc thug to surrender.
Giggles comes to his senses and raises the alarm. "Boss, the fishery's under attack!"
Lamm's Lambs look stunned and scared, uncertain what to do.
Korinne
Donkere
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Giggles
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Dragas
Kradel
Viggo
Sora
Gerry
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Korrine squeezes the trigger of her crossbow and nails the old fishery's wall next to the half-orc.
Donkere remains where he was, doggedly determined to be ready to intimidate anyone who might attack the team from the rear.
Giggles hollers again, louder this time.
Then the brute swings his flail at Dragas.
Korinne
Donkere
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Giggles
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Dragas
Kradel
Viggo
Sora
Gerry
Gerry hears the sounds of battle erupt behind him and shakes his head.
I don't like this...we're too spread out...and that dog is still out there...
He again readies to strike at anything coming through the double doors in front of him.
Kradel hustles down the stairs as best he can, then skids as he hits the ground floor. He slowly shuffles his way towards his niece, a determined look on his face. I won't lose you again Sophie!
"Now, now, quit your yelling," Sora calls, "Best to just shut it, and drop your weapons. We're here to bring Lamm down, and we're not going to just turn around and leave. So..." She whips her head forward to throw her long hair in front of her face. "Shut it." Her hair parts in front of one eye, her eye now as glassy dark as obsidian and swirling with shades of red.
Dragas wastes no time on words. His bloodied sword swings downward in an vicious arc toward Giggles.
"Stay behind me," Dragas says to the dwarven child as he moves to interpose himself between Sophie and Giggles.
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Gerry remains in the upper workroom with Donkere, adjusting the grip on his rapier, ready to attack anyone who enters the room through the door from the front room.
Meanwhile down on the fishery floor, Viggo's attempt to daze doesn't faze the half-orc. Kradel heads down the steps and halfway across the slippery floor.
Sora takes a position at the bottom of the stairs, next to the exterior door, and gives Giggles the evil eye. Then Dragas delivers a powerful slashing cut to the half-orc brute.
Korinne
Donkere
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Giggles
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Dragas
Kradel
Viggo
Sora
Gerry
Kradel only has eyes for Sophie. He shuffles along the slick floor to get to her, all the while waving her over to him. "Come now Sophie, we're here to save you, you and all your friends. Quick now, don't be afraid, its Uncle Kradel."
As the end of the flail bounces off of Dragas's cranium, his head snaps to the side from the force of the blow. A look of disbelief appears on the barbarian's face but it is fleeting as it gives way to murderous rage. As this anger possesses Dragas, it seems as if he grows three to four inches taller and becomes more muscular and beefy.
With a primal roar, the Shoanti swings for the fences with his greatsword, looking to put an end to the half-orc.
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Thanks to Sora's disconcerting evil eye, Giggles zigs left, when he should have zagged right. Taking an arrow through his only remaining good eye, the thug drops like a heavy sack of fish guts, bleeding out on the fishery floor.
Kradel races on short, thick dwarf legs over the slippery floor to embrace his niece, Sophie. The little girl sobs, barely able to raise her arms, too weak to stand.
Drawn by the sound of Giggles' screams, the door at the southwest corner of the catwalk opens, and a sour-faced man with short blond hair in expensive clothing peers through, a wand in his hand.
Korinne
Donkere
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Giggles
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Dragas
Kradel
Viggo
Sora
Gerry
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Yargin Balko
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As Dragas anticipates where Giggles is going swing his flail, he prepares to avoid the movement as best he can on the slick floor. As the barbarian tenses up, he feels a rush of air go past the side of his head and suddenly he sees an arrow sticking out of the half orc's eye.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Dragas is about to speak when he hears a door open. He looks over his right shoulder to see another man looking into the room on the catwalk above and behind him. His warrior instincts taking over, he drops his greatsword, dimly aware of it clunking on the wooden planks of the slick fishery floor as he begins to spin toward the direction of the newest arrival. As he spins, he frees a javelin with his right hand, pulling it off his back and over his right shoulderas he faces the man with the wand. Before said wand can be used against the group, Dragas draws back with his right arm and hurls the javelin with all his strength.