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Shadowleaf moves silently forward into the room, approaching the human in his slumber. The strike from the kukri comes quick, beneath the breast bone and into his lung and a hand covers his mouth to silence the death rattle before it could escape. The gnome seems to snort for a second and then rolls over and returns to sleep, while the half-orc slumbers deeply through the entire ordeal.
Shadowleaf hears his master lessons again, Hunt as a wolf, separate out from the herd and they are easy prey, then to himself 1 down 2 to go. With the human dead, he stealths over to the gnome and tries the same thing.
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As the elf moves through the room to the other two targets, he strikes at the gnome first, his eyes opening and glaring angrily just as your hand clamps over his mouth, muffling any sound as the kukri slips into his chest and silents him. The half-orc seems to just snore more noisily as if covering up the sound in his heavy haze.
He goes down much smoother next, not ever coming out of his dream as you put him to an eternal sleep.
A Quick scan of the room, with a small shudder of sympathy, to see what his handiwork has wrought. Oi, what a way to go. To be quickly repressed by the thought, they lived off the sweat of children, they deserved what they got, more to convince himself than anyone else. He will make the symbol of the starknife in the air to aid their souls on their journey, "May Desna have mercy."
Shadowleaf gives a quick scan for anything useful, search 16. After blowing out the candle and making sure to not step in any blood pools, he will join Fortune in the previous room. Nodding to indicate the job is done, he puts the kukri away and draws forth the throwing ax and pole arm. He indicates for the holy young man to choose their path.
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Searching through the contents of the room, there isn't much to be found. The only treasures of any sort are the ones that the group had equiped on themselves, likely due to not trusting the others. Having very light armors, all of them were sleeping in most of their gear, with pouches still tied to their belts and weapons(or in the case of the half-orc shields) resting close at hand in their beds.
Human
wand
acid (3)
tanglefoot
bag (2)
thunderstone
leather armor
dagger
light crossbow with 10 bolts
garnet amulet
key
Gnome
small studded leather armor
small kukri
disguise kit
key
Half-Orc
studded leather armor
light shield
flail
Posting for Shadowleaf;
He will grab the
keys
wand
acid (3)
tanglefoot bag (2)
thunderstone
as they might prove useful. He will give Fortune the
wand
acid (1)
tanglefoot bag (1).
Posting for myself;
Fortune doesn't think about where this stuff came from, concentrating on the task at hand and a question. Where were the kids? Choosing the door on the right, he lets Shadowleaf give it the once over and open any locks (if needed).
Fortune will then open the door as Shadowleaf readies himself.
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The door itself is not locked, but only opens a very short ways before it bumps against something and doesn't want to budge any further. Still, it is wide enough to give a good view of the room.
Diagonally across the way there is another door on the northern wall, beside which is a rickety cabinet. Peering within, what appears to have stopped the door from opening all the way is a large desk and chair, probably placed here to make this door inaccessible. The table is piled with chalkboards covered in rows of scribbles that somewhat resemble ledgers from here.
With the width of the opening into this room, it may be possible for you to fit through, but it will be a very tight fit.
Thinking quickly, Fortune will mumble in a deep gravelly voice (hoping to sound like a sleepy halforc), "#$&@, forgot", and closes the door. Then motions for Shadowleaf to listen at it.
I sure hope there isn't anybody there, I think his voice squeaked, yeah, a 5. lol
Shrugging at his choice, Fortune goes to the other door and opens it up for Shadowleaf. (With the same precautions as before.)
Letting SL lead the way. While SL does the usual (Listen, search once), Forune will cast a couple of light spells on some rocks (he has a small collection for the magic stone spell), being careful to minimize the light that gets to the door (casting it on the stones in the bag, facing away from the door). He will carefully give 1 to SL and keep 1 himself. Now if SL needs light, he can just pull it out.
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The door to the next room is locked, but shadowleaf makes quick work of the lock allowing you into the next room. A single candle sits on a small wooden table down below, giving very dim illumination to the surroundings below.
The floor here is slick with seawater, bits of seaweed, and fish blood—the air is thick with the accompanying scent. Wooden catwalks allow access to this part of the fishery, while the floor here is only five feet above the river below. An open bay to the east allows direct access to the sloppy, muddy water, while to the south stands an immense ten-foot-tall wooden vat, its sides caked and waterproofed with tar. Inside is a foul-looking mixture of chum, seawater, and who knows what else. To the north are stacked many barrels and crates, each marked in paint with a fish. Nearly two dozen small hammocks hang from under the catwalks, each with its own ratty blanket and pillow.
Soft quiet breathing comes from the hammocks beneath, though its overwhelmed by the splash of waves heard clearly through the hole in the floor. Peering over the edge of the catwalk, you can see that the hammocks are filled with small dirty children none of who are beyond their early teens. At least a couple of the hammocks have two children piled in them, you'd guess there are more then 25 kids sleeping in the room.
Fortune is wrenched back to his childhood, he can easily recall the cries of his fellow children, the stench of their fear and the taste of blood in his mouth from the beatings. Usually his memory is a blessing, but there are somethings he would like to forget. He can well imagine the hell these children live every day. And so many, Fortune is almost overwhelmed by it, almost.
But where is Lamm? Like a snake, he is probably hiding in the lower section, but still no obvious entrance. The children would know.
Walking quietly, Fortune moves toward the nearest hammock. Putting away his weapons and dabbing on some cologne. He whispers to SL, "Keep all the dogs back." He will kneel or sit so he is eye level with an older child, and then gently wake him or her. "Shh, we don't want to wake the rest just yet, after all they had a hard day, didn't they. My name is Fortune and I just want to talk a bit. What's your name?"
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The child's eyes open and quickly go wide. He breathes quickly and nervously and he looks up into Fortune's face from the dark, glancing back to try and see how many others are there, not sure just what is going on. Finally he swallows a bit, trying to breathe a bit slower. "Delbin, Sir... Who, who are you?"
Fortune will smile and wink, "Still a little sleepy, you can call me Fortune and I'm your friend. Delbin, that's a nice name. Would you like a drink?" Fortune pulls out an empty flask and quietly casts create water. Takes a drink and hands it to Delbin. While the kid is drinking (or staring), Fortune will bring out his starknife and slowly place it between them. "Delbin, I've been sent by the Goddess Desna to deliver a surprise to the big guy," and he touches the starknife, "but I can't find him. Where is he, how would I get there and does he have any friends or pets with him?" Slowly, he picks up the weapon and places it back on his belt. Placing both hands on the bed in a nonthreatening manner. Through out he keeps his voice quiet and level, keeping the rage he feels bottled up so as not to alarm the kid. "Can you help me?"
From Shadowleaf;
SL will stay by the door keeping an eye on the room and the dogs, particularly the new dog.
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The child starts to tremble noticeably when the starknife is drawn and he continues to stare at it even when it is placed on your belt again. He takes the flask from you, but just holds it loosely without taking a drink.
He swallows some at your questions. "The master is down below. He don't really come up though, just hides away down there. Giggles normally would lower any coin we took in along with some food and such through the hole over there at mid-day. The master brings over a little skiff to let things be lowered down to him. Don't know any better way down there though, if..." He pauses then, swallowing once more. "If one of us was bad we get lowered down there too. Don't come back up either. I hear that he feeds 'em to gobblegut, his croc."
That sounds like the evil bastard. Fortune will cast Prestidigitation to make the water taste/smell slightly tart. And while he talks he will use the spell to clean Delbin, his clothes and bedding. "There, thats better. I bet it feels good to be clean. So Delbin, who and what is Giggles and what other adults does the Master have helping him." He wants to see if they should be worried about anyone else.
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The boy sits and holds real still as you wash him up some, careful not to move as if he expects you will get angry if he does. He holds a hand a bit above his head as he starts to talk again. "Giggles is a half-orc. Big guy, looks like he had the pox. The others are Yargin, he runs the books..." He shudders some. "He scares me. Plays with acid, always trying to 'adjust' the slurry and then the rest have to get back to work and hope he didn't make it too strong. Only other really is hookshanks the gnome, he was in charge of us during the day. Mean, but I guess he wasn't as scary as Yargin or the Master. The Master don't trust too many folks, tough, so I haven't seen any other grown ups about unless they were just picking up some dock dumplings or something"
The mention of dock dumplings, makes Fortune shudder. He had eaten enough of them growing up. "So he has started making them, that's fitting." He decides not to get the children's hopes up just yet. They still had to survive Gaedren, and that bastard hadn't lived this long by being weak, and he had a croc, (sarcasm)great(sarcasm off). "Would you like to help me Delbin? I want you to keep anyone who wakes up quiet. But don't worry, Giggles and the rest won't hear us where they are." Inside he smiles grimly, in Hell. Keeping his voice quiet, but fairly sure the elf could hear, he says in elven, "Tie up the new dog, Rufus is good with kids, then come out when I call." Then to the kid, "Delbin, I am going to introduce you to a couple of friends of mine. You don't need to be afraid. Rufus is a dog, but he loves kids and won't hurt you." (I am assuming he will help)
Fortune will stand up and let Delbin get up (I am assuming he does). He will give him a supportive hand on the shoulder, "Rufus, come" and as the dog approaches Fortune will whisper "he will not hurt you. Hold out your hand and let him sniff it. Good... his name is Rufus." Fortune will scratch the dog behind the ears.
Next Fortune will introduce Shadowleaf. "This is my friend Shadowleaf and his dog friend, he is going to help me deliver our surprise package to you-know-who." Elven "Check out the hole". Back to common, "Can you handle this job, keeping the younger kids quiet? Do you need help?"
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The other dog looks thoroughly displeased at being tied up, but aside from a huff and refusing to look at shadowleaf it allows itself to be collared.
Delbin reaches out a trembling hand slowly and pats Rufus's head, looking from Fortune to the other children and back. "I can try and keep them quiet. Are you going to wake them up somehow? They won't be up for a few hours yet normally."
Down through the hold in the floor you see water directly below, a bit more then 5 feet down. A small rowboat is anchored to the rickety dock near the large ship about 8 feet to the side, a convenient way for whoever would be staying down here to get around or move to this opening. There is a single door into the lower building off the dock.
Shadowleaf will look around under the floor, trying to judge if it would be easier to climb down to the area from the boat or from the upper dock. He doesn't really want to go swimming at this time of night, particularly in an area with a croc. Besides, he has noticed the water in this town doesn't look very good, it's just too convenient to dump stuff into.
"No, just in case they wake up and ask questions. How many half-elves are there among you?" Fortune will let SL find them a way down, he seems good at that sort of stuff.
After a discussion with Pat;
After a look, Shadowleaf will say he can do it. While SL ties off 1 end of the rope securely, Fortune will quietly go outside and get Vallis the raven.
The plan is for SL to swing over onto the dock, using acrobatics, climb and a bit of luck from Fortune (and a harrow point if needed). Then he will untie the small boat and bring it under the hole for Fortune to climb down a knotted rope. We use the boat to get onto the lower dock. Meanwhile, Vallis will observe, with a vial of acid ready to use (on a bombing run), from the edge of the hole. The dogs will be set on guard duty, 1 at each door to the kids room. Guarding the kids from outsiders, not keeping them in (though that might be difficult for the kids to know).
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Climb and acrobatics for Shadowleaf (1d20+5=18, 1d20+7=16)
Enacting the plan, the rope is tied off to the edge of the upper dock and Shadowleaf clambers down it so he dangles just above the water. Getting his legs swinging to build some momentum, he jumps from the end of the rope at the height of a swing and lands firmly on the lower dock.
The wood beneath his feet creaks alarmingly, seeming even weaker then the wood above, but after a few test steps it proves to be solid underfoot.
Once down there, it is a simple matter to move around towards the small rowboat, however as the elf moves past the larger boat his keen eleven eyes catch a glimpse of something odd about a space on its side. Giving a momentary longer inspection, it looks like there is actually some sort of hidden door in the side of the boat that would allow you into its lower hold and likely make the ship rather un-seaworthy.
Assuming that with that knowledge you are going to continue the original plan, he is able to slip into the rowboat and untie it from the dock, rowing it beneath the hole so that Fortune could just lower himself down.
As he climbs down the rope Fortune tries not to think about all that water. While he intellectually knows how to swim. Being from Korvosa, he never learned how to swim. Going for a swim is suicide in these waters. Instead he concentrates on the task at hand, Hand over hand, the elf made it look so easy. Once in the boat they pull themselves back to the dock and get out, being sure to leave the rope as a backup plan.
Letting SL lead the way, Fortune will keep an eye on the windows while thinking about how they might deal with a crocodile. He will glance at the water, a couple of times. The water almost seemed solid enough to walk on, almost. He will have the tanglefoot bag in hand. Fortune whispers to SL, "would this be enough to hold a croc?"
"Maybe" is his laconic reply. He will lead the way, carefully, to the door into the building. "This is going too well" and resists the urge to knock on wood. He hears his masters voice say "Keep your focus young one, all else will take care of itself." Upon arriving at the door he will do his standard search/lock/listen routine. This prey is a canny and old, and they don't get that way by being sloppy. When he is satisfied, he will signal to Fortune he is ready to open the door.
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No obvious movement comes from the windows as you approach the doorway as silently as possible. Looking over the door, you don't detect any sort of obvious traps on it, however it is locked. Listening against the door for a moment you realize that there is a rythmic sloshing of waves from within as well, as if the room had a direct opening into the water below. After a few seconds of listening you hear a splash that seems out of sink from the rest of the water, as if something was moving on the surface.
In general, here is the plan;
Fortune will cast Bless and True Strike (to use with the tanglefoot bag)
Shadowleaf will have out his polearm and hammer
When we are ready, Vallis the raven will fly over to the far window and start flapping against it as a distraction while we burst in through the door. SL will try to get a sneak attack with his hammer while Fortune throws the tanglefoot bag at GL.
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Shadowleaf manages to pop the lock on the door to this room with little difficulty and a few seconds later you are both blessed. The truestrike is cast just as the raven batters against the boarded window and the elf pulls the door open.
The air in this large room is somewhat chilly and stinks of the river, no doubt thanks to a huge opening in the floor that drops away to the river shore five feet below. Several pilings emerge from the waters to support the roof above, with mossy ropes slung between them. In two places, rusty manacles hang from the ropes over the water. Two five-foot-wide walkways cross the hole’s edge to the other side of the chamber, where a collection of old cabinets, lockboxes, and piles of clutter are strewn about. Chipped porcelain plates, a cracked goblet, badly rusted silverware, an old wooden shield with a crossbow bolt embedded in it, the odd dinged helm, and other “treasures” litter the floor of this entire chamber. Three tables, their tops heaped with additional clutter, stand amid this mess, while just west of that a wooden door seems to provide access to a walled-off section.
There is a thick mesh net hanging down into the water around the opening in the floor, likely to keep out aquatic invaders as well as to keep in the crocodile floating in the pool, its head raised from the surface of the water to investigate the sound the bird has made.
I realize you guys expected Gaedren to be in here with your plan, however you have been ridiculously lucky on all the stealth vs perception checks I have made for you, so the crocodile is surprised by you and you can let me know how you want to adjust your surprise round actions to deal with the new situation.
Bless:(10 rnds)
+1 morale bonus on attack rolls and on saving throws against fear effects
Mentally Fortune is disappointed in Gaedrens abscence, but it is quickly displaced by the adrenaline rush of combat. He steps(5') into the doorway as SL steps inside and snaps off an acid dart at the animal.
1d20, 1d20+20, 1d6=[2], [12, 20], [4]
1d20=7
1d20+4, 1d20+7, 1d4+2, 1d6=[20, 4], [12, 7], [1, 2], [2]
Shadowleaf will step inside the door to give Fortune a chance to see into the room and throw his hammer at the animal.
Bless:(9 rnds)
+1 morale bonus on attack rolls and on saving throws against fear effects
Fortune thinks, wow, look at those teeth, and will start to cast a sleep spell (dc15 will).
Shadowleaf will move down to the far catwalk and then continue toward the animal on the catwalk, pulling out his throwing ax as he does so. Taking careful aim, he let's it fly at the child-eating beast.
1d20+7, 1d6+3, 1d6=[9, 7], [4, 3], [4]
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The second throwing axe strikes the crocodile directly, sticking into its flesh at the base of its thick neck. Fortune begins to ready his spell as the croc lets out a low noise that sounds almost like a roar.
The animal bursts up from the surface of the water, its powerful jaws catching hold of shadowleaf's arm and crunching down with a powerful grip. As it drops back down into the water its weight pulls him forward to tumble into the foul pool.
Shadowleaf, you take 9 damage.
Bless:(8 rnds)
+1 morale bonus on attack rolls and on saving throws against fear effects
Fortune feels horror when the croc whirls and grabs SL. He wants to scream, but his self control in casting spells makes him complete the spell. Not even an old man could fail to hear that he thinks.
Sleep=yes
Fortune will move to where they are and convert his last cleric spell into a clw (1d8+1) for SL.
Sleep=no
Fortune casts grease on SL's armor (+10 to escape a grapple), "Get out now", while he moves over to where they are.
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As Shadowleaf flounders in the water with the croc, waiting for aid to come from the half-elf, the door to the smaller room flings open and reveals a scowling old man holding a hand crossbow in one hand and a dagger in the other. He levels the crossbow at the elf for just a moment before his eyes catch sight of Fortune and it causes him to snarl. "You! How did you find me? No matter, it will be the last thing you ever do."
Catching the half-elf slightly off guard with his arrival, the shot from the small xbow strikes true into Fortune's shoulder, causing 7 points of damage and leaving the old man cackling. "Finish your meal, gobblegut. This one is mine."
Even as he calls to the croc Fortune's spell finishes not with a burst of sound but instead a diminished splashing of water as the croc slowly goes limp in the water, its jaws releasing Shadowleaf's arm.
Edit: Image of Gaedren
The pain of the bolt almost causes him to loose the spell, almost. Old plans evaporated and new plans formed in his mind as the croc goes limp. He's too far away, must draw him closer. He will throw the tanglefoot bag he has in hand at the bastard.
As he takes cover (full, if there is room) behind the door on the dock, he will say in a mocking tone, "What happened old man, getting sloppy in your old age. Found by one of your worthless kids." Then in a whisper, "Vallis, the vial". Vallis will fly up and grab the vial of acid.
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The tanglefoot bag flies through the air, but the distance of the shot makes it difficult to aim true, especially against a concealed target and the bag splatters against the wall.
"Ha! Damn fool, thinking you can kill me. You'll be in gobbleguts belly soon enough. You and your friend."
Shadowleaf
Gobblegut
Gaedren
Fortune
When the croc grabs him he resists the urge to start struggling. The young wizard was casting a spell maybe it would help. When the old man appear at the door and shoots he thinks, this is going downhill fast. So when the croc goes limp, Shadowleaf tries to dive down and swim forward underwater (where the murky water would hide him from view).
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The water in the pool isn't overly choppy, but it is not very calm either. The building takes much of the roughness of the waves, but there is enough undertow that the elf finds it difficult to get too far down and out of view.
Its hard to see through the murky water below the surface, but you can get some glimpses of movement on the other side of the net. Some sort of shark seems to be circling the water, drawn in closer by the scent of blood from both the elf and the crocodile, a nice reminder of how dangerous the waters around here can be. Fortunately the mesh seems to be keeping it clear.
The crocodile stays floating in the water, remaining still. Gaedren reaches his arm around the corner, firing towards Fortune though the small bolt sticks in the door frame beside him causing Gaedren to let out an angry expletive.
As he swims toward the edge (trying to get to the corner), Shadowleaf tries to think of some advice from his old Master that might cover this situation, between a sleeping croc, a circling shark and and an evil bastard.
1d20+5, 1d20+7=[9, 5], [20, 7]
Fortune loses sight of SL, but the croc is still not moving and there is no thrashing about. He must be swimming. But forward or back? He was looking for his son, so forward. He quietly orders his Raven to fly into the room and out of sight of the door(basically north of GL on the other side of the wall) and to attack with the vial on my signal.
After the initial burst of fear, an calmness comes over Fortune. He starts to cast a spell, to summon a celestial riding dog (using divine magic) as far forward as possible while maintaining cover.
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The raven makes its way across the room as Fortune begins to cast. Shadowleaf paddles over through the water, the sight of the other inhabitants of the water seeming to give him strength as he presses into the corner and hides himself out of sight.
The croc continues to sleep away in the water. Gaedren seems to time a shot for when Fortune peeks around the corner to line up his spell and fires, his bolt flying frighteningly true and sticking deep into the corner of the wood just in front of the half-elfs face.
Fortune
Shadowleaf
Gaedren
Gobblegut
Bless:(8 rnds)
+1 morale bonus on attack rolls and on saving throws against fear effects
I seem to recall in 3rd that the celestial template gives a minimum 3 int, which should allow for communication and some tactical ability on their part. Is this the same in PF?
The dog appears and Fortune starts moving at the same time, "Now Vallis... Old Man, it is time for YOUR punishment" (The raven will fly over and drop the acid vial on GL's head). Fortune puts his all into this move (burning a Harrow point for +10', which gets him to J41) and using the tricks he learned in his brief stay at the Academy, summons a celestial snake behind GL (E40) as a standard action. In celestial "Friends, attack that evil man together." This exertion is to much and Fortune's limbs feel like lead (fatigued).
The celestial dog should move into the room(F41 - GL has been shooting, so I am assuming he no longer has his dagger in hand?) and attack (using smite evil), while the snake moves to F39 (5' move) and also attack (using smite evil). This should give them flanking (and bless).
For save;
1d20+2=5