Standing Nesswen moves around and places her hand on top of Kalvek's, not in it. "I may not be joining this group for the same reasons as what Janiven wants. But I'll do it for the adventure, experience, and whats good for the population."
Hoping everyone else follows suit and pledges in a similar manner.
With people gathering, Prevara stands and attempts to initiate a group hug with everyone. "My father once said, 'Those who wish to secure the good of others, has already secured their own.' So when do we start?"
Janiven shakes the half-orc's hand with a small smile. "I can only expect that anyone who helps will have their own reasons for doing so. But your help is appreciated no matter the reasons for it." She turns then to look towards the others expectantly.
But before anyone else even has a chance to voice their support the meeting is interupted by a loud
BANG BANG BANG BANG
on the door. A sound made all the louder by the subdued volume of the conversation. Hakkar comes immediatly to his feet growling softly while Janiven turns quickly, her hand going to the hilt of her sword.
Savidus reaches out towards the sword he had leaned against the wall, his eyes focusing on the door before flitting about the room looking for any other exits.
"Jan, please tell me you've got some drunken regulars who are expecting you to be open." Nesswen spins around to face the door, hand on the hilt of her longsword. Quickly looking about the place for a defensive position to hold up in. "If not, Jan, please tell me you don't have a backdoor they can come in from..."
Mid-hug Prevara whips around to see what is going on, "Were we expecting more people? If so, they are rather late. Kind of rude if you ask me. But the more the merrier." More friends. Yippee!
|
Kalvek grabs his scythe very quickly for someone his size, and whips it into a readied position. Whispering something in Orcish, he nods toward the opposite side of the door, and Hakkar slinks over to the indicated spot quickly and silently. Looking around the room nervously, his eyes settle on Janiven. "Is this, what is the word, a trap? And if so, are we the bait or are you?"
Janiven holds up a finger to Kalvek as she moves softly to the window. Peering through while keeping herself concealed, even as the pounding continues, she takes a quick look then gives a deep and obviously relieved breath. Quickly, she unlocks and opens the door letting in a gasping for breath lad of no more than 14.
"They've got Arael!" he calls out before Janiven has even finished closing and locking the door. He immediatly doubles over, his chest heaving interspersed by coughing as he tries desperately to catch his breath.
Janiven's face grows grim as she clicks the lock to the door shut and turns to confront the boy. "What do you mean?" she asks, though it looks like she already fears the answer.
"The dottari nabbed Arael, and the Hellknights of the Rack are trying to get custody of him! There's a bunch of Hellknights on their way here now! I only just made it in here; they've already surrounded us!"
Even as the boy says it, a keen ear can catch the sound of clanking armor from outside
He said Hellknights. Defintely Hellknights. Prevara puts her goggles back on and tightens the hood of her cloak. "Perhaps we should go. If we slip out unnoticed we could go rescue this Arael. They will never see it coming."
Nesswen's face goes as pale as marble limestone as soon as the kid mentions Hellknights. Her hand begins to quiver, rattling her longsword inside its sheath. Looking down at the floor she begins to mutter in very soft and quiet words. "I'm not going back. I'm not going back." Continuously repeating this phrase she calms down a little, looking back up at Jan she asks in a very serious tone.
"Jan, the boy mentioned the house is surrounded. Is there access to the roof, where we can escape by crossing from rooftop to rooftop? Stepping out a backdoor, will only put us in their hands."
Dispite the news Janiven remains calm, setting her jaw in determination. "I am sorry to have involved all of you in this." she says as she walks towards the back of the room, just as a mailed fist begins hammering on the door and booming voices demand entrance and surrender. "No, but there is another way out," she says to Nesswen.
Swiftly, she and the young boy move behind the tavern's decrepit bar and into the kitchen where they lift up a heavy trap door in the floor of a cupboard. As the pounding on the door increases she looks to the faces around her. "This drops down into the sewers. There is a route that we explored earlier to a safe house. The way is marked with signs but you will have to be careful and watch for them. It will be very easy to get lost if you miss one." She motions for the boy to go, and then Nesswen as she seems the most eager to be gone yesterday. "Morosino knows the way. I will delay them as best I can but I will be right behind you. I do not intend to be captured and tortured today." Without waiting to see if anyone else goes down into the tunnel she moves to close the kitchen door.
(OOC: I made the assumption that everyone followed her, but I figured it was a safe one.)
Savidus rises, snatching his sword and throwing the strap over one shoulder as he walks first to the window to risk a quick glimpse outside, and then hurridly after Janiven. He seems no more eager to risk capture than anyone else, but makes no move to head into the tunnel first. "I will help Janiven to cover the escape," he says in a hoarse whisper. He then turns to Nesswen, "You should go."
Prevara flinches slightly as the fist comes smashing through the door. She hurriedly follows Janiven and once the boy and Nesswen are in the tunnel she climbs down herself. When her feet are planted firmly she reaches underneath her cloak and pulls a chain-like weapon out. It clinks softly, swaying with the shaking of her hand.
|
Yuki sighs after hearing Janiven mention the sewers. She takes her slippers off and stuffs them in the front of her obi, along with her teacup. Then she quickly rolls her sleeves up, makes her hair loop back into the bun, and bunches up her kimono to her side held with her left hand, her right hand on the quarterstaff. Finally, she goes into hole that leads straight into the sewers.
As Janiven lifts the trap door and the boy climbs down, Nesswen looks over at her, then up to Savidus. Something about him makes me nervous, and yet... he's kinda cute... Nesswen blushes and looks back at the trap door.
"Jan..." She pauses a quick moment, "Thank you and stay safe." With seemingly little effort she descends into the darkness nearly on the boys heels. Moving away from the base to allow the rest to come down.
|
|
Kalvek holds the trapdoor open, and motions for Nesswen, Prevara and Yuki to go first. He barks to Hakkar in Orcish (the only language the wolf understands). Hakkar runs and jumps at Kalvek and he catches the wolf and puts him over his broad shoulders. After the three are down, the half-orc takes one last look at Janiven and Savidus. Good luck, and don't wait too long. I will look after them." As he jumps down, Hakkar barks at the pair as well, as if he were wishing them luck too.
The secret tunnel under Vizio’s Tavern is very dark, rough-hewn, and leads down along a 20-foot-long, 5-foot-wide hallway to a simple wooden door. As each person comes to the door they find it already open, Morosino on the other side beckoning each through the doorway. Janiven is not idle as her guests flee. The crashing of shelves being knocked over echoes down the passageway along with shouting and curses. It is hard to tell but it seems that the Hellknights must have broken into the main room and are now trying to make it into the kitchen.
The space on the other side of the door at the end of the tunnel is not large and gets smaller as all seven people eventually file in. The space is even more reduced by the barely five foot ceiling, causing most everyone to stoop at least a little. The smell is not as bad as one would think from a sewer, but is there none the less. Running water can be heard near at hand though at least this stoop seems dry.
Savidus is all buisness as he hurries the women through the tunnel. As Kalvek pauses, the man meets the half-orc's eyes and gives a short nod before muttering something either to himself or just Kalvek. He then turns and assits Janiven as best he can.
As the delaying tactics complete he trundles into the passage as well, Janiven right behind.
Nesswen nearly right on the heels of the young man leading the group as they run down the tunnels. The sudden burst of light from behind them is both a welcome sight and trouble. Hoping that they will be either around many more turns in the sewers so that the light won't attract unwanted attention, Nesswen mutters a small prayer to Calistra.
As Janiven comes in behind she closes the final wooden door, dropping a bar across it. "Our destination is not far. We should be able to make it within an hour if all goes well. But the Hellknights will not let these small barriers stop them. We must assume that they will follow." She hurries over to a rock propped near the entrance to the small foyer and pushes it aside, sighing with relief at what she finds.
"Good, they're still here." Reach into the small hole she pulls out a handful of softly glowing blue potions, handing them to the nearest person. "There will be no time to rest with the Hellknights pursuing us. These will help should we be forced to fight."
(OOC: She passes out enough Cure Light Wounds potions for each of you to have 3.)
That done, she walks out into the sewer tunnel that crosses left to right just on the other side of the small side tunnel every has huddled in. The sewer tunnel is no taller than the side tunnel, and ten feet wide with half of that width taken up by a three foot deep trench for the water. The construction is solid, with walls and ceiling giving no hint of collapse, but the cramped quarters and smell more than make up the difference.
Janiven points to a symbol drawn on the wall, a sword pointing to the left. "These will point the way that you should go. If we get separated, look for these." She then starts off down the tunnel with Morosino in front. "Keep close together.." she whispers
(OOC: I'll need a marching order. It's single file unless someone wants to walk through the sewer water. You can discuss and decide in the OOC thread if you like.)
Prevara drapes the chain around her neck before slowly moving toward the front. She squeezes Morosino's shoulder as she passes, her eyes scanning the dimness for signs of the symbol.
The seven of you move quickly down the tunnel. It isn't long before you can here the door into the sewers that Janiven had barred behind her being pounded through.
After about forty feet you come to a side passage that leads off to the right. Prevara stops as she quickly tries to find the marker and as she's looking everyone else crowds up behind. The sound of pounding against the door echoes down the dark passage, reminding everyone of the urgency required. Then Yuki spots the sword, pointing down the right hand passage and it is with great relief that everyone hurries down that passage, hiding the light from pursuers. And none too soon as the obvious sound of the door giving way can be heard behind them.
The moments pass by in a blind rush of shadowy worked rock, murky water, and unpleasant smells. The echo of pursuit remains close behind but with the twisting that the tunnel takes and a few other intersections passed where the mark is more obvious, the exact direction of pursuit becomes hard to discern.
After what seems about fifteen minutes of hunched running the passage opens up into a four way intersection with a larger area off to one side. Wooden planks form crude bridges over the murky water but the sight that draws everyone's eyes is the grate in the ceiling with iron rungs imbedded into the stone to form a ladder up to it. Soft starlight filters through the bars of the grate, teasing everyone with the idea of escape.
"That's not our exit," Janiven is quick to explain. "And as much as we might like to use it, all the entrances to the sewer are locked from above. They're next to impossible to open from below." She pauses a bit to listen then leans against a wall, painting softly. "We should take a second to rest. But not long." The boy especially looks in bad shape. He was tired before he even got down here and this hunched running has been hard even on those used to such exertion.
"I knew a man once who could just blink us right up there. Poof! Just like that," Prevara whispers. She kneels and stretches out her back, twisting and turning to try and relieve some of the tension. "That would be funny. Let the Hellknights try and chase us then. Maybe they'll get lost down here. Just wandering. Lost. Forever. Do you think their armor would rust? They'd get stuck, unable to move. I'd like that. Then we could come back down and knock on their helmets. Knock, knock."
While everyone is enjoying the moment of rest they also know that it cannot last long. Just because the sounds of pursuit can no longer be heard, doesn't mean that the pursuit is gone.
At Kalvek's question Morosino straightens up, determined not to let himself look weak.
It is as everyone is just getting their breath back and ready to head off again that Nesswen feels a sharp pain in her leg, then another in her foot, and another in her other leg.
Disgusting slimy jelly things the size of rats seem to infest this area and four have slid their way unnoticed up to Nesswen intent on attacking her. A grunt of surprise from Savidus reveals four having slid up out of the water to attack him, though they seem to be having a harder time with his armor.
Nesswen - 6 damage
Init order - Pavara, Yuki, Kalvek, Icky baddies, Nesswen, Savidus, Janiven, Morosino
Eek! A frightened squeal escapes Prevara's lips and she grabs at the chain around her neck. She pulls it down, swinging it toward the icky, slimy creature. "Go away!" She hisses.
ooc: hit -
confirm -
damage - /
|
|
Yuki flinches from surprise when her eye catches these slimy things on Nesswen. In a panic and not knowing what else to do, she tries to quickly scrape these things off her legs with her quarterstaff.
OOC: Haha, you said Icky baddies; it sounds funny. How do I roll to scrape? Is it the same way? lol
Pavara's chain smacks one of the icky things off of Nesswen, cleanly shaving it off her leg and making a green smear of it on the floor as it is destroyed completely.
Yuki's hurried and freaked out attack is dodged by the surprisingly agile little bugger and it turns to look at her with an eyeless gaze as though thinking she might be a better target.
(ooc: Your staff only does 1d6 damage unless you wield it as a dual weapon which you do not have the feats for. After you have a level of Monk you can use it in a Flurry of Blows.)
Kalvek's scythe deftly picks off yet another of the disgusting creatures assaulting Nesswen, slicing it cleanly in half.
Of the remaining two still in Nesswen's area, one continues to attack her, though it doesn't seem able to quite connect, while the other lunges after Yuki. who is able to bring her staff down just in time to hit it as it comes for her. While the blow does impact and knock the creature off course a bit, it still pushes on and is just about to bite down on her leg when Prevara's chain snaps across it, knocking it down and crushing it into a smear on the stone floor.
Savidus meanwhile is still holding out against the four attack him, the spiked steel plates of his armor proving difficult for them to find a crease in.
(ooc: Sorry, I-net's been down)
Nesswen jumps as she locates what had been biting her. The disgusting little creatures caught her off guard. Grabbing one of the potions she had been handed earlier, she quickly uncorks it and drinks the liquid inside. The cool blue liquid, as it enters her body seems to wash away her pain almost instantly. Preparing to strike at the one remaining near her, or any of the others over visiting Savidus, if they come near her.
(ooc: She's prepared to strike with her off-hand Punching dagger. It's at like a -5 because of not having the feats, yet. Until her next turn, when she can draw her longsword.)
Savidus growls at the pests and takes a step back, into the tunnel that they had come out of, sweeping his longsword out of it's sheath at his waist. With a grim smile he brings it down, pinning one of the vermin to the stone floor and puncturing it's bloated belly.
Janiven leaps to a ready state as she sees every begin swinging weapons and quickly takes stock of the situation. Seeing the creatures about Nesswen being quickly dispatched she turns to help Savidus, swinging her blade low to dispatch yet another.
Morosino, meanwhile, moves to take cover behind Pavara, whom he had been crouched next to. He has no weapon and the sight of such a sudden flurry of blades just makes him think it might be best if he stayed out of the way.
The chain comes back around to whip at the last Torble attacking Nesswen.
HIT:
DMG:
And the last icky baddie attacking Nesswen is splatered. All that remain are the two going after Savidus.
The quarterstaff smacks the torble but and it falls to the ground for a moment before shaking itself and renewing it's attack, this time facing Yuki.
The ickie thing is a splatter on the floor before it can even move. The last one makes a lunge for Savidus but the warrior flashes his sword down, cutting it in half easily before it can close the distance once again.
The last of the creatures cut down, the group has a chance to catch there breath from the fifteen seconds of activity. But noise from down one of the halls reminds them that there are more dangerous things hunting them.