Halsanna smiled at hearing Noro and Freia make their decisions. It took her a few seconds of thought, but in reality, she had likely lived through enough adventure to last her a lifetime. The size of the grin on her face was large, but fond, vindicated, even— and she lifted her head proudly. "I am honored by your offer." Much of the accent she had acquired through her years slipped away as much as it could, and her accent was definitely Taldan. A very long way from home. "I must decline as well, my apologies for having to do so. There are family responsibilities that must be met, and I would like to consider my service here as penance for shirking them as I did." Turning her head, she looked at the group with a wry smile. "These companions, however... Penance, they are not. Friends, perhaps— Associates, certainly. The House of Firdraes owes you a debt."
She swept a small curtsey to the Elders— something a bit out-of-place, given her attire— and waited for the next of her group to make their decision.
Sorry, looks like my post got eaten.
Not in dire straits yet, but wanting to avoid getting there, Halsanna took a step that let her get from between the two men that were threatening her well-being to place herself opposite Aboki as best she could without receiving more harm. As Zayid and Aboki were about to engage one man, her intent was aimed at the other. With the fire and her attentions with the dagger from her hip, he should be a non-issue soon.
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Alchemist's fire:1d6 ⇒ 5 Dagger:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8
Despite the dire situation, Halsanna offered a grin to Zayid when she saw him nearby. "Some men won't take 'no' for an answer, even when a lady insists", she quipped, taking a step to the side so she was not-quite in the position of having a man on either side of her. One hand went to the bandolier, smoothly pulling a container of something that was flicked at the first offending individual. Upon hitting and breaking, the substance caught fire, sticking to him and burning.
Coldly, she dismissed him. "You had your chance." Unable to retrieve her bow, she wondered what the next man would do.
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Attack:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17, Damage:1d6 ⇒ 1 I have never been so happy to have a bandolier. Out of alchemist's fire now, but I'm happy to take the second point of damage from the splash. HP: 25
Having little choice about what was going on, Halsanna did her best to try to fight being grabbed and held, and the arrival of his compatriot did not bode well at all.
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Grapple check:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7
The regret is clear on Halsanna's face along with a firm resolve to see this through. There would be nightmares later, and they all would be rightly earned, but this had to be seen through for the rest of her group. "You should have run", she said softly, her hands going to the quiver of arrows as she danced back out of his reach to fire one shot, his last warning despite having drawn blood.
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Arrows fired (8/40 regular, 6/20 silver) Moving 5ft back towards Zayid, and targeting her attacker's CMD.Trick Shot(Disarm):1d20 + 5 - 4 ⇒ (15) + 5 - 4 = 16
Not willing to waste the opportunity that was given, Halsanna's hand went to the bandolier of equipment that she carried, and— with some misgivings— drew the bottle of Alchemists Fire, smashing it onto the man that had fallen prone.
Horrible thing to do, but this wasn't a spar.
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Arrows fired (7/40 regular, 6/20 silver) Attack:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13-4 AC to him for being prone?, Damage:1d6 ⇒ 2It would splash, Halsanna takes 1 point of fire damage?
There were not that many options that Halsanna had available to her, and in this case, she had to remain out of melee combat as long as she could if she was going to be of any help. While she still had space, she had keep as many arrows up as she could, so she fired two arrows at the men that kept coming, before jumping off of her perch and hoping for a safe landing. She could not do much to help Zayid and Aboki right now, though the ballista was about to be an immediate problem.
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Arrows fired (7/40 regular, 6/20 silver) Attack:1d20 + 10 - 2 ⇒ (10) + 10 - 2 = 18, Damage:2d6 + 4 ⇒ (6, 1) + 4 = 11 Attack:1d20 + 10 - 2 ⇒ (19) + 10 - 2 = 27, Damage:2d6 + 4 ⇒ (1, 5) + 4 = 10 Acrobatics to land safe(er):1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16
Priorities... The bolt was dropped as she wondered about how this would play out, not inclined to take anymore risks, since things were getting very rough. She could take another hit from a ballista if she had to, but she needed those disabled, and thankfully, it looked like only one was coming back up. That had to be corrected, but the two approaching her had to be dealt with before that.
AC 18, HP 15
Now, with two people threatening her position, Halsanna was hoping that the ballista would have been unable to fire, otherwise, her position was going to be very dangerous. She had already taken one chance and she was hesitant to take another, but she did retreat to the edge of the crates on her end. Painfully, she pulled one potion from her bandolier, and drank it, yanking the bolt from her chest as she swallowed it.
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Retreating to the left end of the box, and drinking a CMW potion CMW:2d8 + 2 ⇒ (6, 7) + 2 = 15
A wry smile passed over Halsanna's face as she had a stray thought in the midst of this fighting that was going on, 'Like putting out fires-- at least a fire hasn't started yet'. Shaking her head, she looked over the fight and got a vague sense of how things were going, though she knew it was not going to be too long before she was not going to be able to provide support, since someone had to have seen her by now.
Still, she was giving assistance where she could, and these two shots were fired at the ones attacking Aboki, two more regular arrows at the one closest to her, at the one that was trying to flank him.
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Attack:1d20 + 10 - 2 ⇒ (9) + 10 - 2 = 17, Damage:2d6 + 4 ⇒ (2, 3) + 4 = 9 Attack:1d20 + 10 - 2 ⇒ (3) + 10 - 2 = 11
Freia falling changed her priorities. With the hopes that Lou could provide some distraction in the interim, Halsanna shifted her targets. The group was given a brief scan before she set her sights on the individual that was attacking Freia. Two silver arrows were drawn and sent, adding another thing to keep track of as she tried to remain aware.
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Arrows fired (5/40 regular, 2/20 silver) Attack+Rapid:1d20 + 10 - 2 ⇒ (13) + 10 - 2 = 21, Damage:2d6 + 4 ⇒ (6, 5) + 4 = 15 1d20 + 10 - 2 ⇒ (19) + 10 - 2 = 27, Damage:2d6 + 4 ⇒ (4, 1) + 4 = 9
Judging the fight as it goes on, Halsanna decided to split her attention, her practiced rapid fire sending one arrow out to hit the man she had fired on before, and a second arrow at the one that Lou had engaged.
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Ballista Operator:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26, 2d6 + 4 ⇒ (5, 5) + 4 = 14 Lou's Opponent:1d20 + 8 - 1 ⇒ (17) + 8 - 1 = 24, 2d6 + 4 ⇒ (1, 1) + 4 = 6
Priorities. It was always priorities. Halsanna had to trust that the rest of them would be able to stay on their feet long enough so that she could deal with the larger threat, which were the Ballistae that could certainly harm whatever they were aimed at. There were two men on each, so first, she had to change that. The first arrow flew from her bow as she completed that thought, the habit of firing an arrow at her target having slipped below the level of conscious thought.
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Just got back in town, sorry for the delay.
One shot, targeting the first ballista operator in her LOS. If it takes two people to operate, then she will be looking to remove one from each.
Attack:1d20 + 10 ⇒ (12) + 10 = 22, Damage:2d6 + 4 ⇒ (6, 5) + 4 = 15
'Looks like it took longer to kick in the front door than I'd thought.'
While the situation was something that she had somewhat expected, the amount of things that they were facing were something that she had not. The number of moving things that caught her eye were not good, but there was a decision to make: Did she trust the group to handle their own for a couple of seconds, or jump right in? It was a difficult choice, and though she had not yet decided, what she did do was call to the magic that she felt when she was firing her bow.
Waiting was a gamble, but she figured that they could beat the odds.
It came like she had not been expecting, like a gust of wind that carried the crisp, cold of winter in the deep forest. While the weight of the magic settled in her bow, the forest carried into her-- the mountaintop, the vast sense of life-- protecting her briefly, even as she got ready to protect others.
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Gravity Bow cast, AC 19 for 1d4 ⇒ 4 rounds. Arrows now deal 2d6 damage for 1min.
Unsure about the actions of the others, Halsanna left the perch after one last check to make sure that her arrows were not needed, making haste to attempt to climb a stack of boxes that would give her a very good vantage point.
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Climb:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17
While she still did not have a good vantage point inside, Halsanna would remain on her perch until Zayid made it to the warehouse, looking for a better vantage point all the while.
Sighing, Halsanna glanced over their cover briefly and noticed the men heading towards the entrance. In the space of a half a second, she had raised herself, bow coming up as two arrows left her hand, streaking towards her target. Unlucky for them, but it got the message across, hopefully.
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Rapid shot at closest to reaching the door:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23, Damage:1d8 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28, Confirm:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25Damage:2d8 + 8 ⇒ (2, 1) + 8 = 11
With a snort, Halsanna began methodically fitting arrows at the ones fitting on the position that she and Zayid held. If needed, she would does up her pace, but for now, each arrow got her full attention. She did not say anything to Zayid, since he knew the plan, and her mind was busy feeling out the angles and distances so she would hit how she wanted, where she wanted.
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Firing on nearest to furthest, until they break, or stop firing. Attack:1d20 + 10 ⇒ (2) + 10 = 12, Damage:1d8 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9
Drawing an arrow and taking aim, Halsanna spoke before she fired. "Not that great for knowing what is going on inside, but I'll injure everyone I can see if something happens."
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If the men working on the docks start to move towards the doorway like they mean to assist, Halsanna is going to fire on them. If not, then she'll continue to aim.
Looking in the direction that the cats had looked, Halsanna tried to detect what was going on, but was rather uncertain that she could see what the cats did. She would probably guess that whatever time that she had to get into position was up, though.
Not wanting to say anything aloud, she sent an inquisitive look to Zane, wondering if he could make anything out.
With the luck that they had, it was not a certain thing that a fight would not start before they could even get inside, but Halsanna had to have some faith in their ability to get into place. Granted, she really did not think that it would last longer than that, so she had to hasten her steps somewhat. She needed a good vantage point that was not as easily accessible, and could cover the most likely paths into and out of the warehouse.
Doing that unnoticed was something she was going to have to hold her breath on, and hope.
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Stealth:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17
Halsanna couldn't bluff her way out of a paper bag, and is not nearly as effective without her bow. She would definitely remain out. She could be of far more use opening a hole or covering the exit.
Cautiously, but quickly, Halsanna looked at Noro. "Is that 'have to', as in 'before she enters the warehouse'?" Her left hand was resting on the quiver at her hip, while her right was pulling an arrow from the quiver on her back. She probably had enough arrows to start and finish this fight, but there went their subtlety, if they did.
"Thank'y, gents", Halsanna smiled scooping up the medallions, tossing a sap to Freia, and stowing one on her belt. The staff was replaced back into the quiver, as she scooped up their effects with a jingle of coins, turning her eyes and a grin to the man they had intended to rob. "Care f'r the spoils?", she offered.
It was nice to have not killed anyone yet. For all she knew, some of the individuals that her arrows had found had lived, but she was certain that some of them did not, and that guilt was there. Not enough to bother her yet, but it was there. Once their intended victim was clear, she tossed each one a silver. "For the entertainment", she said with a laugh.
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Aaaand we've medallions! Feel free to insert or retcon anything in there, I'm just having some fun, and acquiring a nonlethal option seems like a good idea.
"Your medallions, your valuables, and you remain intact." Halsanna had an idea, and it was likely to give them a bit of an advantage in what they had to do. "I'll take your sap, personally", she added with a wink to the sap wielder.
There were really no hard feelings about what just happened, so she was not that put off. Nodding to Noro, whether or not they complied, Halsanna smiled gracefully. "Hmm.. these brigands seem to not be complying fast enough. Would you please start rendering them unconscious one-by-one until they do?"
If this took any longer, they were going to draw unwanted attention. Halsanna advanced with the staff and swung at the closest robber, keeping an eye on the others.
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Attack:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24, Crit?:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15 Damage:2d6 + 2 ⇒ (6, 1) + 2 = 9
Still acting as if she were bored by this, Halsanna sighed and took a step back, her hand stowing the bow into the quiver and drawing a staff from it. Not bothering with words, she engaged the sap-wielder.
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No feat, so that accounts for her actions
"I guess it's too late to ask that you divest yourself of your possessions, isn't it?" Killing someone was becoming too easy to justify now... Halsanna hesitated on drawing her bow briefly as she stepped into the alleyway, trying to think if there was another way to go about this, but drew and fired in the end. She sent the arrow at the furthest person in the alley that was not the person being assaulted. "If you're lucky, none of you will die tonight"
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Attack:1d20 + 10 ⇒ (5) + 10 = 15, Damage:1d8 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8
At Halsanna's nod, they left their desks and went to stand by the door, Gimbal's hand on Halsanna's leg tapping a countdown as the guard started searching. Glancing between the two of them, they seemed intent on something- undoubtedly mischief- and when the sound of a stack of papers falling startled the guard into accidentally bumping a lantern on their desk, along with Locke's shout of "Whoa!", that covered the brief utterance that Halsanna's cantrip required.
All it took was a little oil, and the spark started a flame, which in that room, with all its parchment and paper, was a great concern. While their organization was precise, that did not mean that it was neat, and the look of horror on her face did not have to be feigned as the papers that she was to sort through caught fire.
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Ghost Sound from Gimbal, Prestidigitation from Locke, and Spark from Halsanna should result in a shifting of priority enough to draw the focus off of the two of them for a while, hopefully.
"Just don't ask me to sneak, please. I'd rather not ruin our chances before we can start." Halsanna had a confident smile on her face, but she really was worried that she would have to sneak. "Anyone have any caltrops?"
Halsanna sighed with feigned annoyance, shaking her head from side to side, as if dismayed by the interruption of work, but did not want to try to lie again. "Search away, we'll go stand by the door, if that is far enough out of your way?" Rising from her desk, she waited until she was past the guard before raising an eyebrow at the two of them. "Considering that we were in here the whole time, are you sure you haven't fallen victim to an illusion?"
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Bluff:1d20 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 1 = 20 Is the records room lit by lanterns and oil? If so, and the guard bumps one, a Spark cantrip could cause a lot of confusion in there, much to her dismay.
Halsanna felt better once she laid her hands on her bow and daggers, noticing that one of them was silver for now. The silver arrows were also noted (and appreciated), as was the pair of tanglefoot bags and oil. It was not quite awkward walking with two quivers, but she was sure the quiver of silver arrows would come in handy. If those did not work, she had an extra trick or two, but this was going to take some coordination and luck for them to pull this off if she had to be sneaky.
Calmly eyeing the guard, Halsanna shrugged. "We've had work since we came in here, would you like us to stand by the door while you search?"
Bluff:1d20 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5 Welp, that roll just utterly ruined the rest of what she was going to say or do.
Halsanna looked up from the dull reading and sorting that she had been doing, almost startled but knowing those two, she probably could not have stopped them. When the guard bursts in, she fixed him with her best clerical stare, and gave him a raised eyebrow. "Assuming that your question is not some some rhetorical, self-aggrandizing statement to boost your ego, I will have to ask why you would think someone would come in here.." Halsanna gestured with her hand to their desks, papers and books sorted in a manner that they could understand, but for anyone else, would likely be a very daunting image.
"If anything, I suspect we would like to get out of here, for all the tedium we are enduring. You are pursuing someone, I take it?"
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Librarian intimidation stare!:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11
They look a little uneasy. Locke admits, We were sentenced and assigned here three years ago. Ten years without early release. Kinda unfair, but we aren't exactly innocent, unlike most of the chaps in here. We were smugglers, see. Transported all kinds of stuff. One day we just got unlucky.
Gimbal nods solemly. There was more to that story.
What about you? Gimbal asks.
Halsanna grinned. "Aspis. Won the marker in a card game, figured anywhere else was better than where I was, and got caught in some magical goings-on in the sewers. We stopped what it was, but I woke up in custody." A half shrug followed. "One trumped-up trial later, I'm in here, guilty for being Aspis."
Halsanna - Locke and Gimbal look at each other and smile. They launch into their recently developed back and forth way of speaking. "There is something - someone- who could help us. - A mage who has been offering a certain scroll - secreted down here for a buyer - a past tense buyer, poor sod - of Sifting that - with a little work - could reveal these patterns you seek - and deprive him of his role as merchant - especially if he were to - say - be mugged - which would open the door for - yours trulies- to become some of the better traders in all Below."
Grinning, Halsanna nodded at the two of them. "Do it. I've been thinking... How long are you two going to be in here? Where do you want to go once you get out?"
In the records office:
Smiling with relief, Halsanna greeted the pair with a fond hug and a kiss for each. "I didn't get time to message, sorry I worried the both of you." She looked around before moving to a slightly less obvious section and giving them the rundown. "...so there's several ways we can go about it. There's patterns in the paperwork, but there's also more organizing Below. Almost any delay that can be managed is good, but only without drawing attention to yourselves. Is there anything that you need that I can manage?"
Working in the records office was going to take all of her time now that she was trying to build a picture of what was going on, and it was likely that she was going to have a headache putting all of this together. Regardless, this was going to take some time, and the sooner that it could be managed, the better it looked for both efforts.
Yawning, Halsanna looked up blearily before noting the urgency in Freia's voice and shaking the sleep out of her eyes after a fast glance around to make sure that they were not being attacked. Another yawn came before she really "woke up", and she slowly processed what she had heard. "Who was it?", Halsanna asked, still looking a bit sleepy, but not too worried about the new information.
Quick to caution Absentia, Halsanna shook her head. "Silence is something I am not good at. I suspect that I do not bump into things only because I can see them. Noro and I would ruin the infiltration." Thoughtful, she spread her hands. "We could help cover their escape, however."
Halsanna grunted, conceding the logic inherent in that response, and the lack of.. caution.. in her suggestion. A yawn slipped free before she could stop it, and she stretched. "Point." Sighing, she kicked her brain into gear at the behest of her Handler, straightening up and remembering the strategy lessons that she had been tutored in. "Given that they have cornered the market, then they do not have to wait if they control it all. I take it that their... 'infection'... is common knowledge?", her bearing and tone had changed, propriety and grace in her posture and accent, much unlike the rowdy, gambling Halsanna that saw the light of day.
Flexing her hands, her eyes narrowed slightly at the paper cuts, but she tried to look at the situation from viewpoint of a bookkeeper. "Can we tamper with their ledgers? A shorted payment here, a larger-than-average deposit there, and we could foment some infighting. Even the release of higher placed members whose philosophy is counter to their current path.." Her stomach growled, protesting it's neglect of the night before, and she blushed slightly. "..Apologies."
Halsanna was used to getting up with a little provocation, so when the lights came on, a moment of searching for that focus she had discovered within herself and bringing it forth resulted in her rising from her cot as if she had been cleansed in the finest baths and been attended to with the finest soaps. That courtesy was extended to each of her teammates and their companions, leaving an impression reminiscent of the scent of pine trees. She had judged the benefits of its application to outweigh any protests they might make against proper hygiene.
"We remove the barrel?", Halsanna offered, thinking of the situation literally before delving into the strategy of it.
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Prestidigitation: Magically Clean!™
9.) There is a bit of an underground movement that Halsanna is aware of, and in communication with, that is working intermittently to disrupt the (potentially hazardous) organization that seems to be happening Below.
Despite the fatigue, and the pain, and the stress from constantly being on edge, Halsanna had figured out some of what could be said down there, though more words would come with time if they did not get hurt first. She was lamenting the state of her hands, though none of this would truly hamper her archery. Honestly, she was nearly out of ideas about how to proceed if she was to remain Below for any span of time. There was an angle from which they could gain, but she was going to have to think long and hard about how it could be managed.. She did get the feeling that there was most likely less time than she thought, though.
Halsanna had not-quite-flopped onto her cot and let her limbs lie where they had strayed, without even bothering to remove her shoes. Hunger would drive her up and towards the mess soon, but for now, she rested. Her voice was a bit muffled, but she did manage to say to no one in particular, "Hey, was the cat always that big? I never really paid that much attention."
A bit of a rueful smile was on Halsanna's face as she sheepishly looked around, though she had no idea how to spot the things she had been warned about. "A reliable source told me that someone had figured out how to trap words down here. These words are the necessary words to do the job. If I say nothing, then I likely won't trigger anything." Still, she kept her voice pitched low, just in case.
Feeling the mounting pressure of having to explain something to someone without saying anything, Halsanna put one finger over her lips, and mimed her hand talking, then drew a finger across her throat.
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Bluff-Meticulous:1d20 - 1 ⇒ (20) - 1 = 19
Shaking her head, Halsanna gave a bit of a hand waggle, and gave the sign for "danger". Pointing at the three, she mimed working, but made a point to reinforce the zipped mouth gesture.
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[ooc]Bluff(Meticulous):1d20 - 1 ⇒ (16) - 1 = 15
@10 on Profession: 14
Halsanna sighed at what looked like her luck running out, and managed a smile before she pantomimed at her throat, opening her mouth and saying nothing. So, instead, she defaulted to the hand signs that were used in the field, pointing at the two individuals and gesturing for them to stand before her. Hoping that she was going to be able to manage this, she sent a prayer up to the Lucky Drunk, pointing at the two newcomers, and then pointing to herself, nodding confidently to Eve.
Pointing to the two of them, she mimed zipping her mouth, looking pointedly at them, literally wanting no talk-back whatsoever. Giving her best glare, she waited to see if they got it.
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For the hand commands- Profession(Soldier):1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23
To shut them up and keep them quiet- Intimidate:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8
Defaulting to Charisma for Bluff to convey the message when the Profession doesn't cut it- Bluff-Meticulous:1d20 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (19) + 1 - 2 = 18
Halsanna was silent for a while, contemplating how to go about the work that was supposed to be done without saying anything, and she shook her head, and shrugged. "Guess I'll be mute while I'm down here then." She gave them her best encouraging look, and kisses on the cheek "Good luck." Now, she had to figure out how to tell Noro in a way that she would not have to bluff through.
Eyeing Lou, Halsanna shook her head at the goings-on. "You know, I've fought with all of you, but I'm really wondering what I landed myself in from time to time." Warily, Halsanna looked up at Noro. "Do you speak cat as well?" Even though she was tired, she was going to have to get up to maintain her weapons and equipment. While sleeping would have been a nice thing, attaining it was something else entirely, and not possible for a number of reasons.
