After quickly gathering the items, Trinity casts a spell and then begins concentrating in their general direction.
Of all the items only the wand radiates magic.
Wand of Acid Splash CL:0 32 charges
Trinity quickly collects up what items she can and then dumps them into her pack. "We can sort out this stuff latter." She states as she prepares for the group to continue on.
Gerinel nods at Trinity's assessment. Then he accepts Yelena's rope and begins helping tie Yargin up.
"Choosing mercy isn't always easy, especially for a s***-bag like this...but it seems Desna smiles on him tonight. I hope he accepts the second chance she...and we...have given him," he says somberly.
Yelena nods her thanks at Gerinel as he ties Yargin up. Since that gives her a few seconds to spare, she glances over at the items Trinity is shoving in her bag. "May I see the wand? I think I know which spell he used, but just want to double check." A quick casting of Detect Magic later and she has her answer. "Acid Splash. Quite a few charges left too. I can't really use it, but maybe one of you can?"
She throws a worried glance towards the door near Tawni and Hei-wa. "We've taken long enough here that I'm worried about an ambush. Do we want to shove the desk in front of that door and go through the other door instead? They might not be expecting that."
"If anyone can use any of these items, please have at it. I was simply packing things up for the group to assess latter, when we have more time."
"Thank you, Trinity," Gerinel says as he stands up. "Presumably we'll have to use these keys shortly."
He jerks his head towards the door.
"Ready for the next round?"
Trinity nods in response to Gerinel's question.
"Let's not keep them waiting, then!" Gerinel replies, giving Hei-wa a nod.
Hei-wa crouches to one side of the door, a pair of shurikens in one hand, and tries to open the door...
Hei-wa opens the door only to have it, blocked by the desk, stop short of fully opening.
Looking through the open door he can see that a single desk sits in the middle of this room, a moldy chair pushed up against it. A small pile of ratty furs and straw is heaped underneath the desk. Off to his left he can see a set of bunk beds through an open doorway.
As he takes this all in he hears the twang of a bow string being released as an arrow buries itself in the door frame next to his head. Across the room a half orc laughs insanely "So close, so now I have to smash your face with my mace. It's a facemace, get it?" as he drops a bow on the desk and takes a step around it drawing his mace as he moves. Anyone who has recently escaped Gaedren's clutches recognize him as Giggles, the maniacal half orc enforcer of Lamm's punishments against his Lambs.
[u]Initiative:[/u]
;
"For your sake, I hope your smashing arm is stronger than your jokes!" Gerinel barks back.
Hei-wa glances at his allies and shares a couple thoughts, "I wish we had a smokestick... This is likely a poor idea." Then he tries to squeeze through the gap, anticipating a knife in the ribs.
As Hei-wa passes through the doorway he feels a blade cut across his back as a small child, no a gnome, steps out of the shadows with a blade dripping blood.
Recent escapees from Lamm recognize the Gnome as Hookshanks Gruller, a sadistic bully who takes great delight in tormenting the children in the gang as they are the only ones smaller than he is.
[u]Initiative[/u]
Giggles
Hei-wa
Hookshanks
Tawni <<<
Yelena
Trinity
Gerinel
Tawni squeezes through the door and past Hei-wa to confront the half orc. as he passes by the gnome the rogue slashes at him with his kukri, scoring a hit.
Tawni lunges at the orc with his rapier but the blade skitters harmlessly off the others chainmail.
[u]Initiative[/u]
Giggles
Hei-wa
Hookshanks
Tawni
Yelena<<<
Trinity
Gerinel
Yelena moves closer to the door for a better view but, (learning from the people who had gone before her), does not try to go through. For a second one of her more powerful spells is on her lips. The gnome and the half-orc are close enough to each other...but she can't hit them without hitting Hei-wa and Tawni too. Grimacing, she changes plans and focuses on stopping the rogue. "Stop it! Stop everything!"
Hookshanks eyes lose focus as he seems confused on what to do next.
After seeing Hei-wa take a solid hit, Trinity moves through the door and then off to the side. Without delay she begins casting a spell to help keep the monk on his feet.
Seeing the doorway getting crowded, Gerinel mutters a quick prayer to Desna before giving Hei-wa a reassuring clap on the back.
"May Desna smile on your strikes," he says with a wink.
Yelena's spell takes hold on the gnome, causing him to stand in confusion as Trinity moves past him into the room.
Trinity moves in to the room, passing by the stunned Hookshanks, to take up position behind Hei-wa. Using her magic she heals the Monk of some of the damage from the rogue's wicked slice.
Gerinel moves up to the doorway and, invoking Desna's blessing, infuses Hei-wa with a portion of the goddess' luck.
[u]Round #2[/u]
Giggles
Hei-wa
Hookshanks
Tawni
Yelena
Trinity
Gerinel
Giggles swings his mace at Tawni and, despite the Swahsbuckler's attempt to block the attack, the half-orc scores a mighty blow, dropping Tawni to the floor, unconscious.
F&&*. They're in a bad situation. Yelena's stopped the rogue for now but it won't last long. They can't afford to split their attention between the two enemies. She bites her lip and calls to her party, "Trinity, get Tawni up! Everyone else, do not move closer to Giggles until my spell is complete!"
With this warning she sends the most powerful spell she knows towards the half-orc. If it lands, they have a chance. If it doesn't...
"Lady Luck, I could really use some of your help right now."
Tawni's pale face becomes flush again as there seems to be no internal bleeding.
Round 2
With a grunt of pain, Hei-wa clamps a hand on the gaping wound in the small of his back, trying to staunch the bleeding. Almost immediately, the pain eases as Trinity’s spell stitches closed the slash along his spine.
Yelena’s warning and Gerinel’s wink give him a curious confidence which he parlays into a set of snap kicks aimed at the gnome’s head.
Stunning Fist (1):
Effects:
x = none
Hei-wa's kicks land in quick succession, bloodying the gnome's face. Yelena begins casting a spell as she shouts for the others to follow her lead.
Trinity's eyes open wide as Tawni drops. Not missing a beat, she quickly reaches down and summons another healing spell to offset the swashbuckler's injuries.
"'Scuse me," Gerinel says as he squeezes past Hei-wa and into the room, before hacking at Giggles with his blade.
Trinity cast a spell on Tawni as his wounds knit shut and his eyes flutter open "I must have died and gone to heaven" he mutters as his eyes focus on Trinity.
Gerinel moves past Hei-wa to attack Giggles but as he does he draws an attack from Hookshanks who manages to shake off the effects of Yelena spell just as he passes by, but the gnome still woozy misses with his swing.
Gerinel confronts Giggles and swings his longsword at the half orc only to misjudge his swing and miss his chortling foe "Missed me, missed me, now you got to kiss me" Giggles laughs.
Round #3
"But you can kiss this instead." Giggles laughs as he swings his mace at Gerinel's head but the Warpriest manages to duck out of the way as the mace passes over his head.
Round 3
Unsure if Yelena's spell has taken effect yet, Hei-wa holds his ground and launches a knife-edged punch followed by an elbow strike at the gnome. The elbow definitely connects.
Stunning Fist (1):
Effects:
x = none
"Desna smiles and laughs it seems, you immature prat," Gerinel shoots back. "But I sure-as-the-stars am not!"
Hookshanks takes advantage of Gerinel turning his back towards him as he confronts Giggles, trying to place his blade in some delicate, vital spot but reeling form Hei-wa's blow he can't quite seem to find any.
Tawni gives Trinity a wink as he begins to pick himself up from the floor only to draw Giggles attention as he does so. "Nighty, night. Sleep tight" the half orc says as his mace bashes Tawni in the head sending him to the floor, unconscious...again.
Giggles celebration is short lived as Yelena finishes casting her spell. The half orc's eyelids begin to droop and close as he, ironically, crashes to the ground next to Tawni, asleep and snoring loudly.
"Starsong be praised." Despite Tawni taking another heavy blow Yelena is feeling more optimistic now that Giggles is sleeping. She slides her fingers across her grandmother's Harrow deck, (without which none of this would have been possible), and smiles. Bună, thank you too. You've always looked out for me.
The smile fades as she realizes what she needs to do. With a deep breath she moves into the room, trying her best to avoid the flashing knives. Or at least minimize the damage.
AC: 13 (T: 12, FF: 11)
Saves: F:+1, R:+2, W:+2 (+1 vs enchantment, -5 vs emotion)
Spells Prepared:
Cantrips: Dancing Lights, Daze, Detect Magic.
1st: Cure Light Wounds,
Trinity unspools her scorpion whip and sends it forward over the shoulder of Hei-wa. The whip snaps loudly as she reverses its momentum.
Gerinel's satisfaction at Giggles falling asleep to Yelena's spell is short lived as he too drops to the floor next to him.
Yelena moves through the room to awaken Gerinel, as she does so she draws an attack from Hookshanks as she passes by. The gnome grins in wicked satisfaction as his kukri slices the Witch's arm.
Yelena shakes Gerinel awake saying "Unfortunately you don't have time to take a nap. Giggles will wake up in a minute.". The Warpriest blinks in confusion as "What happened?' he asks as comprehension dawns on him "So that's what you meant"
Trinity flicks her whip over Hei-wa's shoulder causing Hookshanks to flinch in response.
Gerinel draws a glare from the gnome as he stands up and turns to confront Hookshanks. He swings his sword at the diminutive gnome, cutting him across the chest.
Round #4
Round 4
Hei-wa slides over to block another door and continues throwing punches at the gnome.
Stunning Fist (1):
Effects:
x = none
Hei-wa lands another good punch on the gnome, whose face takes on a look of despair, like a rat trapped, as he sees Giggles fall and being surrounded by everyone. As he searches for an avenue of escape the look of despair is replaced by one of hope as Hei-wa moves away from the door to Yargin's office.
Desperation fueling his feet, Hookshanks makes a break for the door. In his haste to escape the Rogue leaves himself vulnerable to Hei-wa and Gerinel's attacks but manages to nimbly avoid any damage. He runs through the broken outer door and onto the boardwalk outside. in his headlong rush for freedom his feet slide on the slick boards underneath, but he manages to keep his balance on the slippery surface.
Yelena is less concerned with the fleeing gnome than with her dying friend. Kneeling down next to Tawni she expends her last spell to close the worst of his wounds. "Do we let him go?" As soon as the spell finishes she moves into the office to check which direction Hookshanks is going. "He's heading away from the fishery. He could be circling around but I think he's just running for his life."
HP: 5/7
AC: 13 (T: 12, FF: 11)
Saves: F:+1, R:+2, W:+2 (+1 vs enchantment, -5 vs emotion)
Spells Prepared:
Cantrips: Dancing Lights, Daze, Detect Magic.
1st:
Trinity follows Yelena to the building's back door and glances around its bend. In a last-ditch effort to stop the fleeing gnome, she cast a dazing spell.
"Pity, I was about to have a nice dream too," Gerinel says as he stands from Yelena waking him. As Hookshanks attempts to flee, he goes after him, hoping that his own grace and Desna's will see him through.
Hei-wa debates briefly before chasing after Trinity and the gnome. He dives through the door gap trying to close the distance to the gnome. He shoots past Trinity and out onto the dock. Despite sliding on the deck, he avoids a dunking into the foul water. He races up the dock, hot on the gnome’s heels. As he tumbles past the gnome, he hopes that Trinity’s spell incapacitates the wretched thief or the monk can expect yet another blade in his back. He regains his feet and turns to block Hookshanks' path.
Yelena casts a healing spell on Tawni whose eyes flutter open. "Another angel?" he asks aloud as he gets unsteadily to his feet. He wobbles a bit but manages to stand up. Yelena gives him a look of concern before dashing into the office to see where the gnome had gone.
Trinity follows Yelena's lead and heads for the side door of the fishery where she catches a glimpse of the fleeing rogue. She casts a spell at him but Hookshanks, in his headlong flight, manages to shake it off.
Hei-wa rushes through the room and out on to the boardwalk. Despite the slippery planks he manages to catch up to Hookshanks.
As he tumbles past the gnome his efforts on not falling into the water below leaves him vulnerable and the rogue takes advantage of his concentration to attack him as he goes by. Unfortunately for him he is unable to land a blow and Hei-wa, blocking his path to freedom, turns to confront him.
Gerinel takes off after Hookshanks as well. Turning the corner out onto the walkway he loses his balance but manages to avoid a tumble into the drink. He places Hookshanks between himself and Hei-wa, blocking his retreat back into the building.
Recognizing his predicament, Hookshanks drops his kukri to the ground and, quite sheepishly, asks "Parley?"
Left alone in the main room Tawni wonders what to do as he eyes Giggles mace laying on the ground next to him. Not letting temptation get he better of him he kicks the mace away from the sleeping half orc and draws some rope from his pack and begins tying the unconscious man up.
"Typical," Gerinel growls as he finds his footing again. "Ready to bully when you've got bigger men backing you up, but playing the defenseless little guy the moment you're out alone. You haven't changed a bit, Hookshanks."
Positioned somewhat between the two adversaries, Trinity moves back and forth from one door to the other, keeping an eye on both situations.
"Tawni, Giggles will wake up in a minute. If you need help getting him tied up before then let us know." Trusting in Tawni's knot-work Yelena moves carefully just outside the door. Close enough that she'll be able to run back in if necessary. Far enough that she can see Hookshanks' diminutive form.
"Two questions. Where are the children, and where's Lamm?" She doesn't even try to sound intimidating; the two men flanking him will do more in that direction than she ever could. She does however narrow her eyes and twist some of Desna's luck away from the gnome. If he tries to run again she wants to make it as difficult as possible.
Hookshanks peers at the man behind him "Geri? Geri, is that you? My how you have grown in the past few years. Always knew Lamm should have beaten you to death. Too bad, really, it's come to bite him in the ass."
"You don't scare me, Witch." Hookshanks shoots back at Yelena, although the timbre of his voice just might indicate otherwise.
Hei-wa clenches a fist at the gnome’s words and he considers snapping the thief’s neck. Instead, he tucks the gnome’s kukri in his belt and scruffs the gnome by the back of his neck then starts walking Hookshanks back into the building. He says quietly, ”If you resist, no one here will stop me from sending your soul to Hell.” It isn’t a threat, it sounds more like he is reciting a boring fact.
Hookshanks offers no resistance as you walk him back inside.