"Father Padrick," says Sevegny with a deep bow, "I am so very sorry for disturbing your blessed house. My associates have a, how to put it, very dedicated approach to their work."
When the out-of-place young man shows his face, Sevegny already begins casting a spell.
"Approach!" she intones.
I cast Command. Save vs will negates
The man's face goes blank as he moves out of the doorway and approaches Sevegny. Once he stands before her, his expression changes to one of intense anger as he reaches for the dagger at his side. "That was not very, wise, witch!" he snarls at her.
An elderly priest shuffles his way towards you from the back of the chapel, carefully feeling his way along the wall, as if he is blind. When he gets closer you can see that his pupils are a milky white and stare blankly at you.
The young acolyte at the front door quickly closes it and rushes over to help the old man walk.
"This is Father Padrick, he runs St. Caspierans," the young man interjects. "Please treat him with respect, he has given up much to tend to the poorest here." The acolyte still looks at the half-orc nervously.
Behind the two clerics, double doors momentarily open, revealing a cautious face peeking out. The man hidden there seems to not be one of the vagrants cared for here, but also does not have the look of a priest about him. He quickly sizes you up and just as quickly closes the door again.
The bolt is quickly drawn aside and the door opened, revealing a poorly-dressed man in acolyte's robes in the doorway. He is holding up his hands defensively, "No, need to shout, sirs, I mean no harm. Please take a look around for your friend, if you like. But please, don't harm these people. They have nothing you could take, and there is certainly nothing here worth taking."
The room you are looking into seems to be a foyer of some kind. A few beggars can be seen walking around or sitting in corners. A few tables have been set up and a large-framed woman is serving some kind of thin cabbage soup to the people gathered there. The stench of mud and sweat mingles with the odor of vinegar and the soup to pervade this entire room. In the corner stagnates an old font with a dented tin cup tied to it by a frayed length of twine.
Directly ahead, the room opens up into the main part of a chapel lined with rickety pews. It is here that most of the beggars seem to be. There may be other exits to the room, but they cannot be discerned from your vantage point in the street.
The young man stammers quite a bit, obviously not-at-all prepared or used to the attentions of a woman like the priestess. "Um, pardon me, who? Is he a beggar?"
A younger voice speaks up from inside and the old man moves aside to let him speak. "I'm sorry, but we are full for the day and have no more room." He looks your group over and remarks, "You also don't look like you need our services. We are a flophouse and kitchen for the poorest, most indigent of Riddleport. Those who have nowhere else to go. You look quite well, if you don't mind me saying. Are you lost?"
The youth eyes you suspiciously through the doorway, "Yeah, he's here. Hold on ... let me get him." He closes the viewport in the door and can be heard walking off. A few seconds later you hear the shuffling of feet and the door opens a hair, revealing a very old man in the dirty white vestments of a priest of Iomedae.
"Yes, my children, can I help you? What is it you seek?"
A small slide opens in the front door, revealing the eyes of a young man, probably still in his teens. He looks at all of you suspiciously, "What do you want? We are full and aren't accepting anyone else today, come back tomorrow!"
When you first approached the building you noticed some movement from a greasy window above the main entrance. A few moments later the mission bell begins to ring, its tinny gonging echoing out across the alleyways.
Ebenadar moves north around the building, finding plenty of boarded-up or dirty, opaque windows but no door. Coming around the north-eastern corner of the house, he notices that the mission has two stories. The back (western part) of the building looks like it holds a chapel, with a balcony on its roof. The balcony seems to lead to the second floor. There are a set of boarded-up double doors which lead to the chapel, but they look quite well secured. On the other hand, there is an old oak tree which overhangs the roof of the chapel, and which looks like it wouldn't be too difficult to climb; for an experienced climber that is. The oak stands in a small, stone-walled courtyard, overgrown with years of weeds. A path leads through a rusted iron gate and up to a pair of boarded doors.
Back at the front of the building, there is the sound of shuffling feet coming from the inside. A young man's voice calls out from the inside, "Yeah, what do you want?"
Somewhat at odds with how exactly to approach this situation, you make your way to St. Caspierian's Mission. Squatting halfway down this muck-smeared alley, sandwiched between a derelict wainwright's shop and a bakery, stands a dilapidated tenement. A crooked belltower rises from teh building's rear, and a half-dozen grease-smeared, cracked, and boarded-over windows gaze out from walls that might have once been white. A small sign hangs over the building's battered oak front doors: "St. Caspieran's Salvation -- All Welcome."
Mel recollects that she has heard of this Beltias Kreun. He is rumored to spend most of his time around St. Caspierian's Mission, a dilapidated house in the poorest section of Riddleport (and that's saying something). Mel knows where this is, and can easily lead everyone there. Mel also knows that Beltias has a gang known as the Pauper's Hands. They're pretty much small-time and restrict themselves to pickpocketing and other such crimes. The St. Caspierian's Mission is a benevolent organization run by a Father Padrick, who tries to help the city's poorest with anything at his meager disposal.
The dwarf shrugs, "I don't know much about the lad or his people. I know he has no part in any of the major town organizations, but that doesn't mean he's without friends. We were so busy setting everything up for the opening night tournament that this matter simply fell off the table, so to speak. See what you can find out first. No sense getting into a situation you can't get out of.
"Normally I'd be able to spare one or two guards, but both Hans and Beyar are busy training the new hires, so you're on your own."
Saul shrugs his shoulders, "Well, now that all the excitement is over, it's just noses to the grindstone! I'll be in my office if anyone needs me." With a nod to everyone and a hand kiss for the priestess of Calistria, he turns and heads back upstairs, his bodyguard in tow.
After he leaves, Larur Feldin makes his way over to you. "There is one thing that needs doing," the dwarf comments. "It's not a rush, but it should be done before the end of the week. A few days ago the guards caught a man trying to cheat at bounders. He's a two-bit thug named Beltias Kreun, and as far as I know he is not associated with any of the criminal organizations here in town."
Clearing his throat he continues, "Erm, chem, yes, well the guards apprehended the man but he gave them the slip before they could give him the solid thrashing he deserves.
"If you wouldn't mind, make your way sometime soon down to his den in Splithog Alley and try to get back the more than 100 gold in chips he manage to swindle from us. Also, make it ... erm ... clear to him that he is no longer welcome at the Goblin.
As the rowdy crowd leaves the Goblin, and Saul makes his proclamations about the status of the "new" and "improved" Goblin, Kappasc puts his book away and goes to Saul's side.
"Aye, might be best to remove all armaments to prevent any further hostilities..."
Vancaskerkin turns to the elf, "You mean right now? Hrmmmm, well, yes, I guess I did say immediately. Can you take charge of this, Master Kappasc?"
Mel's comments seem to mollify them at bit and Sevegny's entreaties calm then down, but it isn't until Thumparr subtly threatens them that they truly back down.
"Er, yes," their leader mumbles, "perhaps we better go home then. We didn't actually loose all that much. Come on, lads, back to the ship." A few of the others shoot the dwarf a dirty look as they are leaving, but eventually they all make their way back out the door and down the street, heading towards the docks.
Whilst you are checking to make sure they have truly left, Saul comes out from behind the bar where he has been watching all of this. He climbs onto the short podium that held the treasure chest last night and clears his throat. He then proclaims, "As you can see, ladies and gentlemen, the Gold Goblin in under new management." He points to your group, beaming proudly: "And my new business partners will tolerate no more criminal lawlessness like those dockside ruffians."
His demeanor grows a fraction darker and he continues, "I challenge any of you who might be working for my competitors to go back and tell your bosses that any further acts of hostility will be met by serious opposition. And starting immediately, the Gold Goblin will enforce a strict no-weapons policy."
This final pronouncement is greeted by some grumbling and a light round of applause.
Saul climbs down from the podium and walks over to you. "That was very well done, and not a drop of blood spilled! Much less mess that way and they certainly seemed to get the message."
Lowering his voice, he calls you over to the bar and orders a round. "As of tomorrow, I want all weapons removed at the door. We have a room off the side, we can store everyone's weapons there. We'll give them old chits and they can pick them up when they leave. Sound good?"
After working through most of the afternoon, Saul Vancaskerkin returns with his bodyguard and almost applauds when he sees all of you at work. "Wonderful! Wonderful! I am glad to see you're not above rolling up the old sleeves and getting your hands dirty. We'll have this place looking up to speed in no time.
"On a related note, you'll be happy to know that after some asking around I found a new group of waitresses and dealers who'll be hopefully showing up tonight. So let us toast to the reopening of the new Gold Goblin under modified management!"
He waddles over to the bard and breaks out a bottle of decent red Chelish wine with a few glasses. Most of them have a few spots on them, but that is not unusual for a place like this.
-----------------------------
Later that evening the Green Goblin opens again to a decidedly sluggish crowd. After last night's upheavals, it seems that most patrons are staying away. Those that do come in are surprised that the Goblin is open at all.
The new wait- and dealer-staff show up (well, most of them at least), with the waitresses dressed somewhat less provocatively then they were for the special event last night. After a few hours all seems to be going smoothly. The dice are rolling at the bounder table, Lixy Parmenter is once again present with her Ghoulette table, the severed head of Dungo the Savage yelling insults at the patrons, and the halfling Wheezar is running his regular Skiffs table.
You're about to settle into this new job of yours, when there is some noise at the front doors. Some drunken louts have pushed their way past the guard at the door and are yelling for the manager.
"Hey, who's in charge in this dump! We want our money back! We got cheated out of our earnings last night and want a full refund. Yeah, a refund!"
The group appears to be lightly armed sailors or dock workers, six in number. They carry short swords and wear studded leather armor, although none of them have drawn their weapons.
Since nobody is attacking I am not starting combat or initiative.
Feldin looks back at the half-orc, shaking his head a bit. "Yes, yes, I am aware of your skills Master Gornak, but right now, if the place looks like this when its time to open this evening, the only dancing you'll be able to do is out on the street for coppers." He's not saying that as a threat, merely commenting on the need to reopen the Gold Goblin.
The next afternoon everyone drags themselves out of bed and back onto the main floor of the Gold Goblin. The place is still a wreck and only a handful of the Goblin's employees can be seen wandering about, cleaning and making repairs.
Supervising the activity is Vancaskerkin's floor manager, the brown-bearded dwarf Larur Feldin. Upon seeing you he makes his way over and nods with approval.
"Glad to see you're up. There's much to be done! Mr. Vancaskerkin went out to hire more people, since most of our staff walked out last night. All that's left are two bouncers, Hans and Beyar, and the beast wrangler Bojask." He points out two men sweeping the floors. "The one on the left is Hans, the one on the right Bojask. Bayar is out with with Mr. Vancaskerkin.
"Until we hire some cooks I'm afraid the kitchen is closed. I just hope Saul can find some good people this afternoon, otherwise we might not even be able to open this evening."
Feldin gestures all around him, "Take your pick with the cleaning. The main problem areas are the main floor, the bar and the kitchen. They're the worst ones off."
He waits for a moment in case some of you have questions.
Also, my Charming trait gives me a +1 to my Diplomacy with 'sexually attractable' characters. So if most of the patrons are (straight) men, I hope I make the 15 DC.
You can be pretty sure that about 90% will be, so I'll give you that bonus for the weekly roll.
Before continuing IC, I'd like everyone to please post what you are planning on doing in the coming weeks in order to make the Gold Goblin profitable again. Here are the following options:
Bluff (DC 15), Craft (DC 15), Diplomacy (DC 15 or 20), Intimidate (DC 15 or 20), Perform (DC 15), Profession (gambler) (DC 15) or Perception (DC 15) checks. You get one check a week and if you succeed, you grant Saul cumulative +1 bonuses on his weekly Profession checks. If you fail the check by 5 you give Saul a -1 to his check, however. You can only make one of these checks a week, as the rest of your time will be spent "adventuring", and you are not required to make one. If you do decide to help Saul by making these checks, please describe IC what your check is doing to help.
I've been going through your character sheets and noticing that quite a few of them have not been converted (or are only partially converted). Here are some things I've uncovered:
HPs are back to just HD + Con modifier, no bonus HP at 1st level.
Ebendadar: HP should be 9, 8 if you take the favored class bonus as an extra skill point.
Melissa: HP should be 8
Beriadan: HP should be 12. Also the description for the Perception skill still is the Beta version. You now get a flat +2 to all Perception checks.
Ngozi: HP should be 11. Also your poisons have changed. Black adder poison now lasts for up to 6 rounds with a DC 11 Fort save needed or the target takes 1d2 Con damage and requires 1 save to stop taking damage. Small centipede poison lasts for up to 4 rounds with a DC 11 Fort save or the victim takes 1 pt of Dex damage with 1 save needed to stop.
Gornak: HP should be 10. Bardic Performance has now changed. Remember if you want to keep "Specialized Training" from the Campaign Setting book you loose your Bardic Knowledge ability which allows you to use ALL Knowledge skills untrained and gives you a bonus dependent on your level. Let me know if you want to keep it.
Sevegny: HP should be 10. Your "Bit of Luck" domain ability now works 5/day as it's based on Wis instead of Cha. You should also have a bonus 1st level spell due to your high Wis. Also Bluff, Disguise and Stealth are now class skills for you (you automatically get the +3 class skill bonus) because of the Trickery domain.
Kappasc: You should have 7 HP. Hand of the Apprentice has changed. You still get your Int bonus to attack but the weapon uses your Str mod as damage bonus. It can only be used 8/day. Let me know if you want to stay a Universalist Wizard or would like to switch to a specialty. I'm willing to let you change now since we're redoing these characters in the conversion.
Thumparr: Your age should be 40 + 5d6 if you want to determine it randomly. Your current listed age would barely put you out of dwarven diapers :) HP should be 12. Speed is now 20 ft. CMB should be +4. You also seem to have some skills missing. Remember you get one bonus rank for taking a level in your favored class (if you want fighter to be your favored class, that is), and you get 1 free rank in your Profession skill.
How do you want to handle your disguise? Do you want to keep it up? I'll let you make daily Disguise checks on which you can "take 20" if you like, although I will rule that this will take about 6 hours to perform (each attempt takes an average of 20 minutes). Remember that even when taking 20, you take a -2 modifier for disguising yourself as another gender. Let me know if you do, as I will be making the Disguise checks in secret and not revealing the result (unless you take 20, of course).
If you do continue your disguise I will secretly roll daily Perception checks for each of the other characters.
I am also happy to forgo all skill checks and resolve this sub-plot via RPing; it's your choice.
Gathered by the dockside of Riddleport, and doing your best to keep quiet and to the shadows, your group keeps a close watch on the goings on. Over the course of what's left of the night there are a number of young men fitting the Bearded Man's general description who pass by, but they are either on their way somewhere specific, or when questioned have absolutely no idea what you are talking about.
Morning arrives in a gray fog off the bay, cold and smelling of yesterday's fish. The Blot hangs in the early morning sky, its position unchanged.
You stamp the cold out of tired feet and wonder if it may be time to head back.
Saul sputters a bit, "What? I didn't hear him say that. Well, if that's the case you better be off. We can certainly work out the details of our arrangements tomorrow morning. LATE tomorrow morning, please. It's already late and I know I won't be getting to sleep anytime soon."
Thumparr says, beginning to help straighten up the place. And then asks, "Should we still head down to the docks, er, Saul? Say, what do ye prefer we call ye, now that we're working fer ye?"
The older man gives the dwarf a toothy grin, "Just Saul is fine. I don't stand much on ceremony, and we're in this all together."
"I got two - do we live here or elsewhere and what be our first job?"
If you do not have a place to stay in town you are welcome to stay here free of charge. There is a private apartment upstairs with enough bunkbeds for everyone here. If you care for your own private individual rooms, I'm afraid that those I can't give away for free as they are normally rented out to guests. I can rent them to you for half price, however. Those are on the main floor, and I can rent them to you for either 2 sp, 5 sp, or 15 sp a night, depending on the quality of the room. I will be happy to give you a tour of the Gold Goblin tomorrow once we have cleaned up from tonight's events.
"As for your first job, I am glad to see you eager to get to work. As you can see," and here is gestures around the main gambling hall, "there is plenty of cleanup to be done this evening. I'll be lucky if I have half-a-dozen staff members left after what went on. Tomorrow we'll need to get the place cleaned and ready to accept customers for tomorrow evening."
Sevegny smiles. "As a priestess of Calistria, I would be honored to serve in your house. And your patrons would see it as an indication of your establishment's honesty."
Vancaskerkin's head turns toward Sevegny, "A priestess of the Unquenchable Fire?" He begins to stammer a bit, "I am afraid we are not set up for your ... devotions here, lady, but I am sure something could be arranged. We could arrange for you to have a private prayer room. As long as it wouldn't bother High Priestess Pamodae, of course."
Saul nods, "Good, good, I am glad you are in accords. I am sure each of you will find a way to be of great use to the Goblin, to be sure. Now, do any of you have any questions?"
With a dry tone, he agrees to Saul's proposition, "I'm not sure where the efforts of a magic user such as myself will be best used, but regardless, I am more than willing to lend my knowledge for a price."
Saul turns to the elf and remarks without seeming to have heard Kappasc's tone, "Well, for one you could use your keen elven sight to spot anyone trying to cheat. Customers will think twice before pulling a fast one with a son of the Celwynvian in the house."
Any knowledge skill is trained only, so you'd need at least one rank in it to use it. Clegg Zincher is well-known enough, however, that basic knowledge of him requires no skill check He's one of Riddleport's ruling crimelords and runs "Zincher's Arena". He's a pretty tough customer.
Saul makes sure that everyone who wants wine is served and carries on some short chit-chat.
He eventually clears his throat and takes a long pull on his wine glass before launching into his offer. "Ladies and gentlemen, as some of you may know I wasn't always a gambling hall owner. Like many other people in this town I have a dark past, darker than some. Years ago I was the leader of a not-insignificant gang here in Riddleport. This life was far from easy and it eventually cost me my health, my fortune, my family and my left hand."
He holds up the stump of his left arm, the one with the key-shaped attachment and regards it momentarily as if trying to recollect something. He soon continues.
"After a particularly bad incident I was left with my wife dead, my sons exiled and much of my fortune gone. I lay low for a while, collecting old debts and gathering what little I had left. With the little I was able to scrape together I was able to put a down-payment on this establishment, a once-famous gambling hall that had fallen on hard times like me.
"I am too old now to return to the criminal life, and I have tried my best to turn the Gold Goblin into a profitable legitimate business. I had been moderately successful at this ... until tonight of course."
He lets out a long sigh, "I have to confess that it seems that my past has caught up with me. Although I no longer consider myself a part of Riddleport's criminal scene it seems that I still have enemies who would like to see me ruined. There are those who would still seek retribution.
"The bearded man who led the group that attacked tonight is known to me. At least I have seen him before. He is the leader of a group of street toughs that has come around the casino from time to time, he and that one-eyed woman. I know this gang has contracted themselves out to a number of the criminal gangs in the city, mainly for protection rackets and strong-arm jobs, but they have never tried anything this ambitious before. I am afeared that this attack will not be the last that will be launched against me.
"I am loathe to throw myself at the mercy of Clegg Zincher or one of the other crime bosses of Riddleport for protection. I am done with that life and want nothing more to do with them or their kind.
"This is where I am wondering if you might be interested in a business partnership. I need your help to avoid backsliding into my previous life. I am impressed with your abilities in defeating these thugs and I believe perhaps that we can turn around each other fortunes.
"I would like to offer all of you a job here at the Gold Goblin, that of a specialist and junior partner in this business. You would work directly for me and assist in the day-to-day running of this establishment. You could serve as dealers, bouncers, croupiers, or greeters, whatever you feel would best suit your talents. That job, however, would only be a cover for your true professions, namely that of bodyguards, messengers and ... consultants on certain specialty assignments.
"Each of you would be paid a regular weekly salary of 10 gp a week. In addition you would receive a cut of the gambling hall's profits. The higher the Gold Goblin's revenues rise, the wealthier you would become.
"Well," he says stretching back in his chair and taking another sip of wine, "what say you? I am sure you have questions for me.
Saul looks at the group skeptically, "Pay you? With what? Everything I have is sunk into this tournament."
He stops for a moment and looks off into the distance for a second and smiles. Turning back to you he says, "I may have another proposition for you, though. Why don't we have a seat and we'll open a nice bottle of red and have a little talk, hmm?"
He orders two good bottles of red wine from one of the few remaining servers who are moving slowly about the place cleaning, and starts making his way over to one of the large tables. The brown-haired dwarf in his employ follows behind.
When he gets to the table he turns and introduces the other man, "This here is Master Larur Feldin. He is my floor manager and right hand man. Larur, would you be so kind as to cash these fine folks out for me, please? Give them 150%."
Feldin nods and looks to you to see if anyone has any chips.
Vancaskerkin straightes a few chairs and has a seat. "So, will you join me?" he asks, opening the first bottle of wine.
The gendarmes quickly, and with little delicateness, grab the Bearded Man and the unconscious woman. They check the body of the dead thug and reluctantly grab it as well. Two gendarmes jump out and go through their pockets. When they find nothing then turn to their captain and shake their heads.
"Well, it seems you've already gotten your reward. We'll take this lot then," the captain intones and heads for the door.
"Really?" Thumparr replies, not removing the knife from the man's throat. "What did this feller look like? Hair? Scars? Human?"
Thumparr looks up at Beriador and Mel and the others and says, "We may be heading down to the docks tonight."
He then looks back down at the Chelixian. "Yer gonna keep that meetin' and we'll be watchin' ye to make sure ye do. What say ye fellers?"
The Bearded Man shrugs, "Donno, he was a local is all I know. I'd never seen him before. He was a youngish human with dark brown hair and a scar across his neck."
The front doors to the Gold Goblin Gambling Hall open again as six armed Gendarmes enter the room. They are dressed in the traditional conical hats of their trade and carry truncheons and short swords on their belts. The obvious leader (a middle-aged man with a graying mustache and a bright red vest takes a look around the gaming hall. He pays particular attention to the trussed up bodies of the Bearded Man and the woman he referred to as Thuvalia.
"So what's all this then, hmm?" he asks. "This lot tried to rob the place, I hear," he says pointing at the prone bodies.
Gornak pokes one of the unconscious thugs, anyways.
Touching the unconscious body of the thug with the lit wand causes it to convulse violently for a few seconds before releasing a death rattle. The area around where Gornak touched it is now burnt black and the entire room starts to smell like burnt meat.
The Bearded Man grows a bit paler and looks down at the ground. "We were hired, okay? Thuvalia and I both were hired by a man who refused to identify himself last month. We met him down on the wharves and he paid us to knock this place over. We are supposed to meet him later tonight on the docks again."
The Chelish man glares at Thumparr, not bothering to disguise his pure hatred, "You will pay for what you have done to her tonight, dwarf, I promise you that."
The Bearded Man's ears eventually stop ringing and he glares at all of you. "I see now who the true thieves are," he mutters as his possessions are carted away.
Kappasc casts "Detect Magic" and begins searching through the pile of gear and seperating the magical items from the non-magical.
Kappasc then takes the magical items, one at a time, and holds them intently studying them...
Kappasc then proceedes to closely examine any item whose value is not immediately apparent.
Hmm...lets see if I can figure out what this...um...stuff is. Dont know how many appraise checks you need, but here are a couple...Please note that the +2 for magical items is NOT accounted for in these rolls
1d20+9 → [9,9] = (18)
1d20+9 → [15,9] = (24)
1d20+9 → [1,9] = (10)
1d20+9 → [10,9] = (19)
1d20+9 → [10,9] = (19)
The wand the bard is holding is obviously magical, but you need to actually be holding it in order to appraise it. Both potions detect as being magical and are both Potions of Cure Light Wounds (using the 18 and 24 Appraise checks to identify). The bracers the Bearded Man was wearing are also magical, but you are unable to identify them today (10+2=12 Appraise check). The spellbook is obviously magical and you don't need an Appraise check to tell you that.
The wand springs to life in the dancer's hand as a white-blue corona envelops the end of it. None of you saw the wand in action, although judging by how the Bearded Man held it, he certainly saw it as a weapon.
Saul's ears perk up at the Half-orc's comment, "Hire you, eh? Well, it's something worth considering, to be sure. After all, you have certainly proven your worth to me and shown you know how to take care of yourselves."
He walks over to the still prone body of the One-eyed Woman. Bending over, he takes the thumbnail-sized chest and puts it in his pocket. He then comes back over to the group.
"Hmm, well, yes you might have something there. Why don't you come back tomorrow morning and we can all talk about this in a civilized manner? My few remaining staff members and I will surely be spending the rest of the night cleaning up after this mess."
He lets out a deep sigh and throws up his hands, "I'll admit, this will set me back a bit, but I've gotten myself out of worse situations." Absentmindedly he scratches the stump of his left hand.
The same dark-bearded dwarf you saw earlier approaches Vancaskerkin and whispers a few words in his ear. Saul nods and looks back at the group.
"Master Feldin here reminds me that as a token of my appreciation, you should feel free to help yourself to anything these two miscreants had on them. You certainly deserve it. The gendarmes will be here in a few minutes and once they arrive I am sure that will be the first thing THEY do."
With this he excuses himself, "If you'll pardon me ladies and gents, I have to go secure my prize money now before someone else decides they want it." He bows deeply to all of you. "Thank you again. Hans, with me," he commands one of the few remaining bouncers.
Together they walk into the cashier's room and out of sight.
Your comments to Saul are quickly drowned out by a growing roar coming from the gambling hall patrons. Enraged they demand their chips be cashed in. The arguments become louder and start to take on a more aggressive tone until Vancaskerkin intervenes. He jumps up on a chair and then onto the podium that once held his treasure chest.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he shouts, "can I have your attention! I apologize profusely for the interruption of your game." At this more people begin yelling at him, demanding their money back.
Saul looks despairingly as a number of his guards decide that they're not being paid enough for this, and start stripping off their outlandish attire and heading for the door. The owner's options are starting to quickly dwindle.
"Please, please, folks, try to remain calm," he pleads with the crowd. As a token of my goodwill, please be assured that your chips can be turned in for 110% of their value. Please see the cashier, and he will happily cash you out."
This seems to take the crowd by surprise and quiets them a bit. They quickly decide that this is probably a better deal than they would have gotten in the tournament, and head for the cashier's room.
Having seemingly avoided a near riot, Vancaskerkin approaches your group. "Well," he mumbles, "that was quite something you did. I am in your debt."
What are you doing with the One-eyed Woman and the Bearded Man? The former is unconscious while the latter is still being held by Ebenadar. Sevegny is eventually able to stabilize the dying thug, saving his life.
The cleric tries her best to stop the bleeding of the One-eyed Woman and the thug near her, but is unable to do so. If healing magic or a successful Heal check is not applied very soon, they will both bleed out.
One by one the sight of the patrons and staff of the Gold Goblin returns. Almost to the man everyone starts heading for the front doors, not even caring to cash in chips.
The door to the cashier's opens, and Saul Vancaskerin comes back in flanked by two bodyguards. Surveying the chaos and mess around him he blurts out, "What in the seven hells happened here? What's going on?"
With the one-eyed woman down, Ngozi switches his attention to the thug nearest to her. He advances across the room to stand just behind Thumparr, aiming and firing past the dwarf with his crossbow. The quarrel takes the thug right in the neck. Blood spurts a bright crimson from the arterial wound as he descends to the casino floor. (Move to H15. Shoot Thug in C15. 1d20+9=17, hit! Damage 1d10+4=8; thug is dying)
Mel sees the woman go down and the bearded man has the halfling choking him...moving in on his wounded target but away from the larger group of thugs he calls on him to surrender. "Give up man you have no chance of escape. Drop your weapon and surrender and you will live..otherwise you will end up like her bleeding your life out on the floor". He ranges himself alongside the spear wielding woman. (move is F6-G7-G9; Bluff 1d20+7=24)
As the One-eyed Woman falls and he hears the halfling's words, the Bearded Man's face contorts with anguish and rage. For a moment it looks as if he is going to explode. A second later all the blood seems to drain out of his visage and he goes limp in the halfling's arms. "I surrender," he calls out much too loudly, unable to successfully modulate his voice due to his lack of hearing, "everyone grab what you can and get out of here!" He drops the wand in his hand and looks down in defeat.
The thugs who are still standing know when to follow orders and head towards to the bar to the north. It seems they know of another way out of the casino. The only aggressors left in the room are the disabled (Bearded Man) and dying (One-eyed Woman and one thug).
Combat is effectively over unless you want to chase the fleeing thugs.
As Sevegny finishes intoning her spell, the One-eyed Woman turns around and faces the priestess. (She fails her DC 13 Will save and will move toward Sevegny when it's her turn.)
