Quick and Spark's page

Kick some bandit ass!

Hey guys, sorry for disappearing on you all. There have been a number of things that have popped up recently to provide me with enough reason to leave PBPs altogether. That's the last thing I want to do. I'm so happy with our little group here. I don't want to abandon it. Instead I'll just apologize for being distant, and make more of an effort to be around.

Happy to see the were-rat flee, Quick's attention turns to Juliare's screams at the other end of the tunnel. Curling her lip, she sends a blast of electricity at the one closest to her, hoping to discourage it from biting her companion any further. "I'm right here, you over-grown rat!", she yells at the thing. "Why not pick on something your own size!?" Ironically enough, the cliché is appropriate.

New Map Here. Thanks for making do without a map until now. I've expanded it a little bit. I'm certainly learning lots about photoshop in the process. For Thrakhir to get to the dire rat, he'd need to make a double move, but he gets there.

Quick hops down into the sewer to run toward Brock, chanting as she moves. She places a hand on him and heals some of his wounds. For 8hp.

"Thank ya, Spark. Ya bought us some important time. Don't give 'em an inch! Wake up, big guy!"

Swapped out Comprehend Languages. New Map Here. How is everyone doing for HP?

Don't forget the +1 from Bless, everyone. Question: Clark is in G2, and the rats are not (according to your post's co-ordinates). As a swarm, do they not have to enter his square to do damage?

Quick recoils from the bites of the nasty creatures as infection spreads through her wounds. She takes a step out of the way, and blasts at the swarm with her lightning.

Spark has been dealt a brutal wound, but he doesn't de-materialize yet. He still wildly gnashes out at the rat-man, meeting only fur and steel.

New Map Here.

Fort save 15. Just made it, phew.

"I know you're all hurtin'. I'll attend to that in a jiffy." Quick hurls a ball of electricity to the space in front of the bracelet-wearing were-rat, and summons Spark as a wolf, hoping to distract the were rat, and buy her some time. "Keep 'em busy, Spark."

Spark snaps his jaw angrily at the wererat, but is unable to find purchase against it's thick hide.

Quick's got a 1/day Obscuring Mist that she can drop if we need to run. Just say the word. New Insane Map here. I also kinda just arbitrarily moved Kirwen and Clark, if you need me to change that, I certainly will.

Juliare was in G3 because that's where he said he moved to. BT's next post has odd co-ordinates for the ratman (as he wouldn't be able to charge to the other side of Juliare if the placement was accurate), so I put him in front of Juliare.

Quick grabs Kirwen by his shirt, healing him for 5 points, and drags his limp body back out of the swarm.

"There's too many! Back up, or cut them down!"

New Map Here.

"More rats coming in! Watch for their snappers!" Quick shouts as she trudges through the fetid water to get to Kirwen and Thrakhir. She casts a spell on the way, and her right hand glows with a flickering blue light.

"Get Kirwen over to me, I'll stitch him back together."

Most insane map yet. Please forgive the madness. I put the Dire rats at L1 and N1, but you can barely tell. Quick is going to 'hold the charge' on a CLW, to heal Kirwen for 5 points as Thrakhir drags him a few feet towards her.

Quick moves into a position that would let her magic affect all her allies, calling on Spark to Bless the group.

New Map Here. Bless should affect everyone, so don't forget the +1 to your attack rolls. We're gonna need it.

Initiative 8. Also, I updated the map and made it a little bigger, again approximating positions.

Quick is amiable to that plan, though she will be straining her halfling ears to listen for a muffled squeak from Thrakhir. Dwarves squeak when frightened, right?

It's crude, but this might help some of you decide your placements. Quick is where she is, and I assumed Clark and Raven would stay near the back. The rest is approximation.

"It depends on how big the Vampire is. Any bigger than me, we run." Quick jokes.

"Alright Thrakhir, you want to risk your beard, be my guest. Open the door, and get ready to run if you need to."

Quick will cast Light on a small stone or piece of detritus, and keep it concealed in the palm of her hand, letting no light out. She'll pass it to Clark and ask him to do the same. "When we get in there, and you hear a hootin' and a hollerin', then throw that light in there so we can all see. I'd rather not get stabbed in the back, if I can help it."

Quick will toss the gold piece to the half-orc. "You best not be cheatin' us. I'll remember that face, at any rate.", she adds.

When the beggar leaves, she'll approach Raven. "That was pretty sharp of you, kid. Those lights'r gonna be a great help to us down here, but you gotta realize that whatever lives down here don't need 'em. Just be mindful that you're lightin' yourself up like that. Don't lose that sharpness, we're probably going into the thick of it here."

"Well then?", Quick whispers, "to tha nest?"

"For that kinda coin, I'd need to hear something up front.", Quick says as she repeatedly flips a gold coin in the air, catching it again. "I'm not going to waste my time with the forgetful. We'll find what we're looking for down here, one way or another. It'd be a shame if you were ta come out a gold coin poorer at the end of it all."

"But we cannot see in the dark. There are few others who can. Perhaps you know of them. They scurry around here, with twitchy noses. Tough critters. You seen any?"

Perhaps a Diplomacy check will help? With the silver piece in mind?

"You ask for coppers?", Quick snaps reflexively, her left hand crackling with electricity. "You'll find a great deal more than that if you're lookin' fer..." On edge, and forgetting herself in all this searching for were-rats, she acts too defensively toward this beggar.

"I'm sorry, I lost myself.", she apologizes, tossing the man a silver coin, using it as an opportunity to scrutinize the man as he catches it. "But why are you begging down here? I doubt you see very many charitable souls. Why aren't you up there?" she points toward the surface.

Ooh, I forgot Quick had Sense Motive; now's a good time to use it. I guess Quick'll be NW. Here's a little diagram, if you're a visual learner like me. Quick also is wearing a bandana in front of her mouth and nose, to block the stench. It seems to work.

The order seems fine. Brock is quick enough that he can move around pretty easily. Quick is pretty agile too, and having her in the middle certainly helps for her channeling and spells.

Quick will periodically Light their way, leaving a glowing handprint on the wall to guide their progress. Once they no longer need the Light from behind them, she'll end that spell, so as not to leave a glowing trace of their path.

Quick's going.

She heads carefully and cautiously down into the sewers, helping Clark and Raven ease their way in. "Alright you two. Stay near the back. If it gets dangerous, don't rush in unless you think you can take it. And do try to be shushin' yerselves. We want a little surprise on our side."

Quick will also at the edge of the light source, trying her best to not be heard.

"Well, I really hate bein' told what to do. Especially when it's 'get outta town'. The way I figure it, the sewers are not technically in town so much as below it. Runnin' around in the damp dark isn't my first choice, but it'll work for me. We'll be close enough that if we need to head back to Beamus, we won't have to travel far. I can't say I like the idea of headin' out to the wilderness while there's so much heat in the city." Quick pulls a handkerchief from her pocket and attaches it around her nose and mouth. "Either way, we gotta be prepared. It's gonna stink down there."

Quick will keep 20gp of her share, and give the rest to Beamus and the beggars.

Pricing for silver weapons are as follows;
Ammunition +2 gp
Light weapon +20 gp
One-handed weapon, or one head of a double weapon +90 gp
Two-handed weapon, or both heads of a double weapon +180 gp

And the staff being magical means that it only bypasses DR that is X/Magic. Wererats and lycanthropes have DR X/Silver. That's why you need a silver weapon. It's an old 3.0 rule that Magic weapons of increasing enhancement bonuses bypass DR as other materials.

"I ain't gettin' into an argument either. I'm just saying that last night you smelled funny and today you look funny." She says with a sheepish grin. She's all play. "And you know, where I come from, when we wanna call someone green, we call 'em a 'shave tail'. I'll let that one sit with ya."

Quick's willing to let anyone overhear what she has to say above, but would rather speak about Raven and Clark without them around.

"And I'm not tryin' ta force the point about these two. The last thing I wanna do is tell people where to go and what to do, but don't forget that Raven here saved Kirwen's hide last night too, draggin' him away from that metal monster. I think they may be more resourceful than you give 'em credit for. But the decision's not up to me!"

Just for reference, in case I didn't mention it before, Quick sometimes uses strange phrases in her speech, mostly borrowed from this site and others. Historically, people would shave the tails of mules and work-animals to show which ones have not been properly trained yet. Perhaps Thrakhir would like to see that Barber after all...And I'm not trying to force the hand of any of you guys. I'm just as cool with leaving them behind as I am with bringing them along. I kinda had plans to come back as one of them if Quick died, anyway...

"As I'm the one that dragged your stinkin' body out of the flames, after being scorched myself, I might add, I'd like to point out that a little compassion goes a long way. Not only that, but I helped close some of those wounds of yours. At any rate, I'll count what you said as a 'thank ya'. Not that I really wanted to get all that close to you, anyway. Do you know how bad burning hair smells? Worse than a sack full of beans that's gone up the spout!"

That at the end of the day this job is ugly and deadly.

And also in the middle of the day. And often before breakfast!

I guess I misunderstand this whole ordeal. What exactly is Pool's offer? He said: "They were mostly beggars anyway, so we’ll simply keep Kanto’s promise and ship them off to a better life somewhere else. We’ll speak to Beamus and I’m sure he’ll see the wisdom of our position." which is about as fishy as it gets. Quick (and I) are already convinced that he was in on the slave trade from the get-go, so the idea of letting him cart them off to some undisclosed location doesn't work. Besides, all of these beggars were rounded up by Kanto under the promise of 'a better life somewhere else'. That's the exact same promise that Pool is giving, one that turned them into slaves. It's been not even 24 hours since they've been liberated from that life; why would any of the beggars agree to that?

Seeing Clark and Raven's eagerness fills Quick with pride and passion, though she has some reservations about them jumping headlong into danger with the rest of the group. "Aye, listen to Kirwen, and listen to your hearts. You have ta decide for yourself whether or not you wanna get on that horse. You've seen firsthand what kind of danger follows us. And, by the sounds of it, we're making enemies faster than friends in this town. I don't mean to sound like an old croaker, but it's reality. If y'all wanna see the elephant, I'll make sure to protect ya as best I can, but don't let that get to your head. First, I'm gonna teach you how to protect yourselves!"

Quick spends the rest of the day running Clark, Raven, and any of the other beggars who want to learn through some basic combat drills. Hopefully she can enlist the help of Brock, Juliare, Thrakhir and/or Kirwen in this regard. She'll summon Spark as a wolf, and let them use her shield to run some basic defensive drills. She'll show them how to use whatever equipment they still have from the temple guards, and hopefully push them through some basic attacks, parries, and feints. She'll be the first admit she doesn't have a whole lot of skill fighting up close and personal, but with help from the others, she can certainly begin teaching them more than they know now.

On the matter of taking these two along: I'd like to confirm with the rest of the group first. Quick is certainly into the idea, as it helps legitimize her actions in the temple; this way she really is giving them a chance at a better life. Every success they have in their freedom is one more refutation against Kanto and her ruination of potential. However, in game terms, I imagine their presence will divide up the XP even more among the group, so everyone has to be cool with that. If you would rather leave them behind, then Quick will be happy to teach them what she can, and leave them to make something of themselves. Black Tom, what equipment do they still have? And which one will be going into Adept/Warrior?

Well, we've rested (at the temple of Asclepius) since we've been given enough experience to. How do you handle levelling up, as a DM?

Getting into trouble is more or less possible at any given moment with this crew...

"You don't have ta be a part of it Brock. You can wait outside, even. I'll go in and explain everything to Bondhome. I'll take full responsibility myself, even, and say that the rest of you are A-OK with the Governor's plan. A'course, if ya see me being hauled away to the jail, feel free to help me out." Quick says, with a wink. "It's something I gotta do, and I'm resolved to do it alone if need be. But I gotta hurry! They could be cartin' away those beggars as we speak."

Back, Before Bondhome

"Brock, didn't ya hear what that slime said? With a smirk, even. We have to get out of town before 24 hours is up. Without telling anyone that he's lying about Kanto, or that he's going to blame the murder on innocent people, or that he's going to ship the beggars off anyway! You know why? 'cause he's scared. Scared that we know the truth. He's trying to push us off. Saying that our safety is in danger if we tell anyone. That's the definition of a bully, as far as I can tell. And I'm not going to stand for it, big guy. I reckon we better tell Bondhome in case anything does happen. If we strike out against the Governor or any of his cronies, we're going to look bad. Real bad. Even if it's in self-defense, unless we make it clear to the law from the get-go that we're being threatened by the man. Remember when Kanto sent those thugs at us in the warehouse, to try and keep us quiet? Well I've got a funny feeling we're gonna see more bullying. I hope you understand, Brock."

Quick takes a moment to let the big man process everything she's saying.

"The Governor's not being straight-up. He's playing dirty. That's exactly why we have to do the opposite. He doesn't want us to tell anyone about his dirty plan, which is exactly why we have to! If he eliminates us, we'll just be written off as bandits, or worse, instead of the heroes we really are! You saved the lives of those slaves, champ. Now someone else wants to take away the freedom of those people again. If we let him walk all over them again, everything we fought for will be undone. I hope you know that's why I have ta talk to the dwarf!"

I have a running total of EXP in quick's profile, if that helps you!

Quick's intention is to stop by the garrison or guardhouse on the way, and fill Bondhome in on the new details, including fully spilling the beans about what the Governor (What's his name?) intends to do. She trusts his Dwarven qualities, and his position within law and order, to know and 'do the right thing'. She reveals her current fear of threats against her and her friends, not to mention the fear that the homeless are once again going to be carted off to who knows where. She explains all of this as quickly as she can, because she worries that the Governor could move against the poor at any moment.

"I'm headed down to the Temple of Asclepius now. I'm gonna make a stand there, alone if I have ta. We fought and bled to protect these people from one tyrant, so I ain't gonna sit by and watch another one swoop in and cart 'em off."

Unless Bondhome has more to add (assuming he's even to be found), she'll head to see Beamus as quickly as possible and fill him in likewise.

And Quick's axe gets bigger and bigger...She can't help but feel like the gauntlet they just ran through to save these innocent people is being put back in place by the hands of slimeball politicians.

She's determined not to let them fall through the cracks, and certainly not to let them get treated like human cattle, being freely moved around as serves the whims of the powerful. She'll resist that until her dying breath. In the meantime, she fully intends to teach them to make something of themselves.

Quick would have freely gone to eliminate the bandits, but now she's not so sure. In fact, a group of resistance fighters attacking the wealthy and aristocratic sounds right up her alley...

"Now hold on a minute there, Juliare. I'm not so sure I want to be indebted to this man, or anyone else for that matter. First of all, bully for you for such a boss mansion. You must've worked real hard to afford it. You're flush because you're smart. And I thought I was too. But...if I didn't know better, I'd say you were threatening us. What's all that about trying to intimidate us into leavin' town? So people don't see the real picture? That you're gonna use this as some kinda political manoeuvre ta start a war with someone I ain't never heard of? And you're gonna ship these desperate folk off somewhere anyway? That sounds like Kanto's plan from the start."

Quick spits, not caring that her chewing tobacco will probably stain whatever it lands on.

"It sure makes a girl wonder a little less how ya can afford such a place as this. You don't give a sh*t about those people, so long as you save your political hide. Stuff you, and stuff your horsesh*t religion. I can't believe you'd be willing to stand behind Kanto after this debacle, much less blame it on innocents."

I don't expect Quick will be allowed to leave on her own merit after such a display, but she's headed back to Beamus. (What's his temple called anyway?)

How many other guards did we see on the way in here? Is it just the Governor and Spink in here?

So that's a definite 'yes' from Juliare, Kirwen, and Quick, with a possibly from Thrakhir and Brock?

"Naw, you got me all wrong Brock. I'm just sayin' we should keep our wits about us, is all. Our senses sharp, y'know? Like your axe. And Juliare's wit."

Quick's not really the one to Appraise those items, but she will have cast Read Magic on the scrolls. I imagine they're divine, and in that case, I'm sure you all won't mind if I take them!

How are we summoned? A messenger? A note left at Beamus' temple? It's easier to evade a note than an escort. Does this summons involve Thrakhir and Kirwen?

Quick is uneasy about the whole idea, but is bolstered by the fact that there are no guards accompanying the summons, and empowered by the right and true knowledge that what they did was for the best. Either way, she'll want to come to a consensus with the others.

"Don't get spooked, y'all. It's right worryin' I agree, but we ain't done nothin' to warrant a trip to the calaboose. I think that if we do decide to go, we should copper a bet and play it safe." Quick spits, clearing her mouth of some chew. "Whaddya think?"

Insofar as Bragger Bondhome is looking for a place to contact us, perhaps we could leave Father Beamus' temple as a drop-point for contact and information? We can check in every few days to see if there is a message? It seems like the only place we have with a trustworthy messenger. Also, updated the Plot Hooks we have, in Quick's Profile.

Before retiring to sleep, Quick will sit down with Juliare and Brock. "Boys. Today was a tough day, but it was the right thing to do. We sent a lot of people to their deaths, but we have to realize that they were not innocent deaths. If no one else had stopped Kanto, who knows how long her slaving business would continue. Let's not think of the grim details, but who knows where she could have been sending them. For all we know, they were destined for the gut of some stinkin' beast. I feel stronger for this whole affair, y'know? Like, now we've seen the elephant. Despite the close call, I've got a taste for more action. Do ya wanna have a go at those bandits sometime soon? Brock the Rock, you must have some fight left in ya!"

"That seems like a safe space to meet. We'll see you then."

That sounds good to me. Quick doesn't want any of the 'loot'. She'd rather give her share (or more) to Beamus to help feed and clothe these unwashed masses we are nonchalantly dropping on his doorstep.

Quick makes sure that everyone can hear what she has to say. "We have enough of Kanto's records to show she was engaged in illegal activity. I would have liked more names, too, I agree, but we can't go charging after that thing without a better plan. We have to bitterly understand that whatever that thing is protecting is safe for the time being. If it tore us to shreds, any other fool that goes wandering in there is likely to have the same problems. We'll get what we need, just not right now."

When Quick can pull Kirwen and Raven aside, she'll add; "That was real brave what you did in there. That was a mighty trick. I'm glad to see you both up and walking again. We'll get our revenge, but we'll be needin' to beat the devil around the stump for now."

"I hope that was enough! Get out here you two! Let's just get the others and get back to Beamus. We're finished here for now. We gave it a lick and a promise, but it ain't good enough yet. I say we come back with a plan. Then we'll have a real hog killin' time, but that time ain't now."

Well, that's enough to put Quick at Level 2. A well-placed Obscuring Mist would have really helped there...I say we get the rest of the slaves to Beamus, carrying pretty much anything of value (food stores, clothing, utilities, anything really) back to help lighten the burden of their presence on the poor priest.

Quick screams at the top of her lungs: "Kanto! Stop that thing! Get Kirwen out of there! Make it listen to you!"

She will otherwise delay her action until Kirwen is safe (or dead), and try to use her last healing blast, maximized thanks to spending some Hero Points, to include all the fallen people. Then, we need to get the hell out of here. New map here.

"Alas, I think I can only send out a healing blast one more time today. I may have to use it to help Kirwen, if he doesn't take that thing down."

I believe the construct is up, then Kirwen.

Quick moves to D5, and channels energy, stabilizing both Thrakhir and Brock, but not bringing them to consciousness.

"Get him out of there, Juliare! Keep your distance! Watch that spear! Be careful, big guy! Raven! Can you squeeze past and get out safely?"

Quick's tone is frantic and distracted, and though she tries to use Spark to heal her friends, it is clear she lacks focus.

Ok, in the interest of keeping things flowing, I'll try to tidy up things a little here. The initiative is a little skewed as neither Juliare nor Brock rolled for initiative. Brock's already acted however, after Kirwen and Quick, so let's place him at 10, and Juliare delayed until after Brock went, so let's place him at 9. We know the Construct went before anyone, thanks to that gout of flame, so let's place it at 14. Thrakhir is unconscious, so that would bring us currently to Clark, Raven, and then back to the Construct. Correct? Additionally, here's a slightly updated map.

A possible Initiative order;
Construct 14
Kirwen 13
Quick 11
Juliare 10
Brock 9
Thrakhir 5
Clark ?
Raven?

It's completely up to you. Flanking with Kirwen is beneficial to both of you, so combined with the charge, you'll have a nice bonus to attack. I don't know if you can rage any more today, but the thing probably has DR, so you'll need to give it heck to even make a scratch in it. Quick will send a healing burst next round, and try to blast it herself in the next round.

"Give 'em hell if you're gonna do it, just stay clear of those flames!"

Sorry to everyone for my absence! The Paizo website has been timing-out on me for the past couple days, but obviously not for the rest of you! Argh!

Quite singed, she throws the cape from off of her, and does her best to tumble away from the creature, pulling Thrakhir along with her.

"Blast! The flames come from that ruby, I know it!"

New map here, do I have the positions correct?

This map should help. Initiative;11

"Dangit! I knew this wasn't going to work. Let's blast the thing and be done with it! Watch out for that ruby!"