Gustav eyes Amanda and smiles, "That would be a neat trick." With that, he disappears from sight!
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Gustav smiles. "We will know if you complete the deal. Guess you're all a little deaf. If you're successful, there will be a boat at Pier 2 at midnight tomorrow ready to take you away. If not, no boat and good luck! Any other questions or may I take my leave of your charming company?"
Damien: You know where Danilo lives, specifically in the High District, and that he is a very cautious man and travels with a retinue of guards (former soldiers), at least 5, at all times. He is a fan of a well-known bard's singing, Tovaris, who is scheduled to sing at the Opera House tonight at 7:00 pm. And more importantly, you know what he looks like! You can give the party an accurate description. Pic of Danilo
Gustav smiles at the halfling. "Ah, my precocious Mysty. Here is where you have the advantage. Everyone in the city assumes you are on the run, holed up somewhere, and trying to flee the city. Only natural of course. The last place they would look for you would be in the center of the city, unless you brought attention to yourself, of course."
Gustav chuckles at the "tragedy" comment. "In his home, I know the Council is picking up the expenses for his safety, so there are 10-15 guards. On the move in town, I would suspect less. Perhaps, some surveillance on your part would be wise. You look like you may blend in, little one."
Gustav smiles, showing off his pearly white teeth in the moonlight. "He's prominent and his residence in the High District is guarded like a fortress. There have been threats on his life or so the rumors say. If I was a betting man, which I am, I would venture and say the Opera House tonight might be a good place to find him. Anything else?"
Razul: Through your knowledge of local nobility, you do know that Danilo is a member of a minor noble house, who is a very successful businessman in Matharyn, focused on shipping interests. It is said he is a patron of music and the arts. He is also involved in a heated election for Head of the Merchant's Council.
Amanda knows this man's angle. She was perfectly sure that no one except the wealthy could afford such a fee and that this was more of an act extortion than an actually legitimate exchange of money for services. She says to him, "The fee seems to be far beyond most normal folk could ever hope to afford. The average skilled laborer alone earns on average one royal in a day of work before expenses and you want us to pay you 2500 royals to be smuggled aboard a boat?" Gustav snickers, "Yes, but you and your lot are more than just "normal folk" as you say. Especially, if the rumors are true about what you are all accused of doing. But, I will admit there is some truth in what you say. You five are...what is the phrase?...not afraid to get your hands dirty, if you get my meaning." Gustav smiles at Amanda.
The name on the paper reads "Danilo Hammels".
As you are conversing, suddenly, a crossbow bolt hits the crate that Mysty is standing on! Before you can reach for weapons or spells, you hear laughter and a voice from the roof of the fishery. As you look up, you see a human figure shrouded in shadow, that clearly wasn't there before, although Damien and Atisael see him clearly in black and white vision, a light crossbow in his right hand. A male voice speaks, "Isn't that nice that you're getting to know each other..Amanda and Mysty and Atisael...and Damien and Razul." The human male purposefully tilts his head to the two who have not mentioned their names. "No need to be secretive here, you're all in the deep end of the outhouse sh*t hole, from what I hear." The male chuckles at his own remark. "Oh, where are my manners? I am Gustav, emissary of the Night Masks, so please put those silly weapons away." The figure does a mock bow and leaves the shadows coming near the edge of the rooftop, coming into the moonlight, staying on the roof, however. The man appears in his mid-20's with an angular face, black hair and eyes, and a tattoo under his right eye. Pic of Gustav "Now, I've been told you need to get out of town...like yesterday, right? Well, there's a price for smuggling such a prolific lot of you out from under Mitran eyes." Gustav glances over to the Church on fire in the distance. "The fee is 2500 royals (i.e. gold coins) per head." He pauses for effect, as he interprets your silence. "Ah, right, I was informed, the coinage may be an issue for you. Well, the Masks don't work for free. So then a favor for a favor. Attached to my bolt is a scroll with a person's name, an enemy of the Masks' interests, shall we say. We need him dead and then we will smuggle you out of Matharyn free of charge. A ship will be waiting for you tomorrow night at midnight at Pier 2 to take you away from here. Fail and we leave you to your own devices. You have 24 hours to comply. Any questions?"
he cold air whips past you, as you wrap your cloak tighter around your neck, the pale moonlight glistening off the sea. As you look around, you wish you had time to admire the beauty of the scene…but you don’t! The smell of fish reminds you that you stand in front of the Dunham Fishery warehouse on the North docks, fast approaching midnight. It will be soon now or at least that’s what the message said. Your eyes scan your surroundings, especially the three other strangers not further than 30 feet from you, all waiting for the same thing you imagine. Your hand does not stray from the grip of your weapon or spell, watching out for the agents of Mitra or evidence of a set-up, though the docks are abandoned at this time of night, except for you and the three strangers. Perfect meeting place then for what you need...more like, desperately need! The law is after you and closing in quick. By the gods, how did your crime go so wrong? You were supposed to be miles away by the time they discovered your crime. How did you miscalculate so badly? It doesn’t matter now. The roads out of the city are cut off, the Knights of Alerion dispatching patrols desperately looking for you, not to mention the numerous bounty hunters looking to make some coin off your capture. Your residence has been ransacked and your so called friends/acquaintances have forsaken you, seeking to save their neck at your expense. This is really your last resort, being smuggled out of the city by ship by the Night Masks, the only underground thieves’ guild in Talingarde. But as you palm your coin purse, you can tell it’s quite light. How will you ever negotiate passage with such few coins for what must be a costly trip? It does not matter, you managed to arrange a meeting and you can only hope for the best. Screw Mitra! You are a survivor and you will find a way! A cornered animal is at its most dangerous. Asmodeus will see you through! And for this reason, you still do not take your eyes off the strangers near you….
Looks like thread is dead. Oh, well. Fun while it lasted.
"No reason to, sweets. I owe that bastard no loyalty. And you guys kicked my ass but good. But if you don't want me, that's fine. I'll just rot in jail."
"Yes, they're still there, afraid to even leave for fear of reprisals. I can take you there, if you'd like."
Ameon spits out blood after Bors' backhand to the face and his hardened mood softens. "Hey old boy, no need to get physical or descriptive as to all the torture you're going to inflict on me. I'm willing to spill the beans. My employer ain't the nicest of people and if I return, I'm as good as dead for my failure here today, so I own him no loyalty." He adjusts his seating on the chair. "Baron Drelev is behind the attack. He's made some alliance with the Tiger Lord barbarians in the west and he thought an attack on this newly found kingdom would win him some favor with the powers in Pitax. Never knew it would be so well-defended!" Ameon smiles a little. "There's no second wave of attacks planned, to the best of my knowlege. We were just sent to stoke the fires of an invasion, nothing more. As for the Baron, he's tossed the former baron in the dungeons and taken his daughter as prisoner too. Like I said, not the nicest of guys." Kissandra screams: "You bastard, that's my father and sister you're talking about!" She moves up and kicks Ameon in the balls and he doubles over in pain. "Sorry, didn't know", says Ameon, through pained teeth. "He's holed up in Fort Drelev to the west. He's got a cadre of hill giants as guards. Please stop hitting me."
Ameon snickers at Zalana's comments and offers no resistance to his arrest. He is led to the townhall, while the villagers and soldiers tend to the clean up of the dead warriors on the battlefield. Captain Lowry congratulates you all on your efforts in saving the village and leaves the questioning of the prisoner in your capable hands.
Nikolai and Zalana's swings fell the remaining trolls! With his blindness gone and his allies dead and three of his enemies flying, Ameon looks around, drops his swords, and intertwines his fingers behind his head, as he drops to his knees in surrender. The villagers go wild, as Tatzlford has been saved!
Both trolls still stand!
Troll 3 on Nikolai does a full-attack, but both of its claws and bite miss the flying mage:
Troll 5 does a full-attack on Zalana:
Troll 4 moves down and attacks Zalana:
On the first punch, the troll takes no fire damage, but the second and subsequent punches use up his fire protection and the smell of burnt flesh is heavy in the air, as all of Zalana's attacks hit and kill the troll on the last blow!
DM rolls:
Ameon:
Troll 4: The held human is now held and blind. Troll 4 is not blind and still alive.
Noting that Nikolai's Fireball affected the Trolls, Hrafen's eyes fill with a feral gleam, and he throws down another Fireball, attempting to roast the remaining trolls! DM rolls:
Troll 2:
Troll 4: Troll 5: Troll 6: Troll 2 dies in the explosion. Troll 4 is badly burned. Trolls 5 and 6 are unharmed.
DM rolls:
AoO: The troll lashes out with its claws at Zalana, as she approaches, but she evades his swing by a mile and strikes him clear in the chest with her fist, angering the large monster! He does not appear to be burned by the fist's fire.
DM rolls:
Will save: Ameon's smile disappears, as Elisen's spell freezes him place!
DM rolls:
Troll 2:
Troll 3: Troll 4: Ameon: Nikolai's ball of fire erupts, turning Troll #1 into ash and severely injuring Troll #2 as half his face and 3/4 of his body are burned. Troll #4 failed to move out of the way and got hit with the full blast but stands unharmed. Ameon looks at Nikolai with anger, as he also stands unharmed, leaping out of the way and rolling away from the fire as it exploded.
Troll #1 falls, as the missiles rip through his flesh!
The blonde haired human smiles and looks up at the 2 flying wizards and the air-walking cleric, "I see, this tiny village has its defenders. No matter, I am Ameon Trask, and I am nothing if not prepared!" With great speed, he grabs one of the three javelins off his back and throws it at Hrafen. However, as soon as the javelin leaves Ameon's hand, it turns into a bolt of lightning that streaks toward the wizard and hits him square in the chest! He then pulls out a gem and directs his trolls to unleash their javelins!
The two trolls (#1+#2) hit by the flamestrike move up 15', pulling out their javelins and launch them at Nikolai, but their throws are poor and they miss him by a mile!
The troll (#3) hit by the magic missiles moves up and throws his javelin at Elisen, but she nimbly dodges it.
Troll #4 throws his javelin at Nikolai as well.
Troll 5 double moves through the terrain. Troll 6 moves up 15' and throws his javelin at Zalana, but the monk nimbly dodges it.
What is the cause of the difficult terrain?
DM rolls:
Elisen's holy flame strikes the two clumsy trolls, who again fail to evade the column. This time, however, the two trolls are scorched by the fire and they growl in pain.
DM rolls:
The two furthest trolls react too slowly and get hit full blast with Hrafen's fireball explosion. The third one manages to avoid some of the blast. However, after the flash of the fire disappears, all three trolls stand there, unharmed. The blonde human leader smiles.
As you approach the enemy, you see they are led by a blond-haired human dressed in chain mail (not studded leather armor). He has 2 short swords at his side. The trolls look much stronger and bigger than usual. They carry no weapons, but you do see 3 javelins are strapped on each of their backs. The villagers watch in fear, as they pray for your survival!
With preparations made for war, the young soldiers take their positions, be it behind barricades or on top of sniper’s perches, ready to defend the village. Likewise, 5-6 villagers grab a club, crowbar, hammer, or whatever is available and stand in the doorways of their structures, ready to spill their blood over their homes. The party members, likewise, take their positions and await the enemy. First wave:
The invaders are totally unprepared for the party's defenses and the first wave of attackers is either burned to a crisp, ripped apart by the animals, or perforated by arrows. Amazingly, no village soldier loses his life. Second wave:
Despite their determination and grit, the party's area effect spells devastate the warriors. The loss of life is heavy on both sides. 5 village soldiers and all of the forest animals die in the battle. Despite this, Captain Lowry rallies his men to continue holding their positions, as the mass of the army's bodies pile up. Third wave:
The wounded soldiers/barbarians try to flee and 3-4 manage to get away. The village has been saved! The survivors rejoice but mourn their losses. Before the party can decide to pursue the fleeing combatants, six immense trolls crash through the forest from the North, with a human garbed in black studded leather in between them. He looks very angry, as he sees the piles of bodies of his army's men!
Latricia looks up and in anger says, ”You’re leaving us? Please don’t take offense, Ambassador, but is it more important to you to seek glory in vanquishing over 50 warriors and a few trolls or to defend our village? What were your orders exactly?” Captain Lowry steps in, ”Calm down, Latricia, they’re just trying to help. “ The Captain stands at attention, ” If that be your plan, our village will continue its defense, sirs, should any of the rascals get past ye! “ The Captain grabs his men and a map of the village. ”Men, let’s go over the plans, I want you archers here and here.” The mayor clears his throat. ”Yes, well, let’s not dismiss that little point if the enemy gets past you. It’s a big forest and I doubt they will be marching in a straight line toward us. And what if, the gods forbid, they split up their ranks, to attack, say from the north and the west. Remember, they know this little honey here, Kissandra, got away to warn us. My interest is in the safety and preservation of this village. I agree with your wise elf here, let them arrive and you all can roast ‘em! Just try not to hit too many of our wooden buildings, but if you have to...” The mayor smiles, waiting for a consensus.
Kissandra responds: "None that I could see. Just warriors with swords and bows and the barbarians, of course. They're a mean scary bunch!"
"Oh and they also travel with trolls, some enormous trolls, bigger than I have ever seen or heard of. Four of them I believe." You can hear the gulps in the room at the mention of the "trolls". Captain Lowry clears his throat, "Bors and friends, I am sure you know the capacity of men is being tested to the limit here, but there is no way they can handle trolls, enormous or any other kind. They'll piss their pants if they see them! I hope it is not too much of an assumption on my part that the five of you will handle the trolls." A nervous smile covers the Captain's voice.
Between sips of her tea, the female looks up and says and with some clear signs of good upbringing, ”I am Kissandra Numesti. I come from the Drelev manor, west of here on the far side of Hooktongue Slough – it was established by Baron Hannis Drelev of Brevoy. My father is Lord Terrion Numesti, a knight who once served the baron but then went against him and was thrown into the dungeon as punishment. It is Baron Drelev’s troops, along with a group of Tiger Lord barbarians, who marches against Tatzlford. I joined their ranks under cover of disguise to learn of their true intent and when I did, I tried to slip away and warn you, but my ruse was discovered and I had to flee. I’ve been running all night. I nearly passed out from exhaustion upon arriving here. The troops will be here in less than 4 hours!” She stops to take another sip of tea and the look of fatigue in her face and eyes is clear. You see worried looks on the faces of those present, as the threat to the village has been confirmed.
In the darkness, you really can't tell which are the ripe spots for ambush, moving 20-30' at a time. Bors and Zalana scout one more hour before returning back to Tatzlford. Captain Lowry is disappointed that you did not gather more intel but he commends you for trying. His men work in shifts through the night on the barricades and pits. Dawn comes and thankfully no attack came during the night. You are awakened by shouting from the guards. Elisen, who is up completing her daily prayers is the first to the scene, with the rest sure to follow. You see two village guards carrying a semi-conscious woman, dressed in warrior's gear, and filthy with dirt, grime, and sweat. She has green eyes and dark black hair, braided in the back. As you approach the guards, they tell you "We found her on the western edge of the village, nearly passed out. She says she has information on the pending attack. We're taking her to Captain Lowry's." By the time, the rest of the party is dressed and armored, there is a congregation of town leaders, including Captain Lowry, the mayor, and Latricia. The woman is sitting at a chair, sipping some warm tea and eating some hot rolls. When you come in, the Captain says "Thank you for joining us, we were just about to begin. In honor of your positions as representatives of the King, why don't you take the lead here?"
Llwellyn leads Bors and Zellana out into the dark forest. You make chit-chat conversation with the guide telling you he has lived his whole life (19 years) in Tatzlford and that the village gets its name from the stuffed Tatzlwyrm in the tavern. He also tells you he used to go hunting in these woods with his father when he was young, before he died of pneumonia. He sent his mother to Grayhame to be safe with his 10 year-old sister but he stayed to fight for his home. He also hopes that your arrival will save the village. You quickly notice that Llwellyn chats a lot to calm his nerves and not give away how scared he is about the whole situation.
”I can definitely give you a guide, but he can’t see in the dark, if that’s what you said. With your accent, it’s a little hard to understand. He can guide you if you bring the light source, such as some lanterns or torches. He knows the forest well and I’m sure with your company, his spirits and courage will be raised. Llwellyn, come, your services are needed!” The guard appears and under orders from his Captain, he guides Bors and Zallana into the dark forest.
Captain Lowry’s face lights up at your ideas. ”Yes, yes, all of this sounds good. All I heard was the forces would be coming from the west and that this was confirmed by magical means. Archers on the roof, I myself had thought of that. Especially, as the forces cross the bridge in 2x2 formation. That should be a good killing zone. Excellent idea, Miss, as to the animals. Latricia, you have any magic that could sway the animals in the village and forest to our side?” The priestess of Erastil responds, ”Yes, I have some magics that will aid us. Erastil’s servants will gladly join our cause.” ”Excellent!” is the Captain’s response. “We’ll get men to start clearing the area around the lodge. It would certainly help to know when exactly these forces planned on getting here. But for now, there’s a lot of work to be done. Anything else before I run to join my men? Oh and I will give instructions that my men are at your service, feel free to post them as you see. I will defer to your experience in these matters.”
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