Professor Rokannon targets the two rear cover Hellknights.
Ranindolf, you find that the Hellknights are laughing their heads off at you! This doesn't stop both of them taking a swing with their longswords, though...
Hellknight #1: 1d20+2, close but not close enough!
Hellknight #2: 1d20+2, pay attention, boy: concentrate on your fighting and stop laughing!!
Wha... Whats so funny?! It's the tru- Whoa! Hey now you've done it!!
Ranin draws his warhammer and goes for the the man whom attacked him first!
Melee: Warhammer | Damage
Round 5?
**THWAP!!** - Ranindolf lays one of the Hellknights out cold. Nice one :)
T'other says something his formation adviser would not approve of, and swings his longsword again 1d20+2, roll for crit 1d20 (bottoms!), normal damage 1d8+1
Ow! OK now You've really done it! No more mister nice guy!...
Melee(TWF): Warhammer |Damage
Melee(TWF): Spiked light shield |Damage}Double Slice, Improved Shield Bash
After seeing one the Hellknights near Ranindolf attack him, it is clear to Gorvio that they are not going to get out of this situation without blood shed. Gorvio continues to sing, "For the love of one's country is a terrible thing."If Ranindolf does not drop the one closest to him, then Gorvio shoots that Hellknight with his shortbow.
Attack: , Damage:
If Ranindolf does drop the one he is fighting, then Gorvio takes a shot at one of the two Hellknights on the far side from Ranindolf that are not asleep.
Moves to close range and casts the cantrip Open on the wagon door.
Seeing that combat is unreasonable, Sir Winston rushes to join the fray.
"Stand down". "You need not sacrifice your lives for this"!
As the Hellknights have not yet had the common courtesy to be dispatched, Gorvio continues the song, "It banishes fear with the speed of a blade." Gorvio takes aim at one of the two awake Hellknights that is not engaged with Ranindolf, and looses an arrow from his shortbow.
Attack: , Damage:
Seeing that combat is unreasonable, Sir Winston rushes to join the fray.
"Stand down". "You need not sacrifice your lives for this"!
Seeing the Knight stagger Ranin will try one more attempt at peace:
Ranin points his blade at the knights neck! If you want to live, drop your sword! Where is the key to the... umm... to that door!? Ranin yells, insure what to call the strange carriage.
...
Ranin jumps into the cart and gets to the door. He takes a quick look around to see if he can find a key hanging somewhere...
Perception
...If he sees one he tries to use it, otherwise he grabs his crowbar and...
Strength to force open door
If unopposed, Professor Rokannon will approach the wagon door and examine the lock for flaws.
Knowledge (Engineering):
No key in obvious sight, Ranindolf... but your eye catches a glint at the carriage-driver's belt where he sits snoozing on top. Do you want to climb up and take a closer look or take the brute force route with your crowbar?
Assuming he sees a key, he will check the belt, if it looks like a key, he will try to get it. Unless there is a more obvious way to take the key, Ranin sides with caution... and takes the drivers entire belt off...
Climb
Perception to see if it is a key or if anyone else has a key up there.
Stealth to not wake the driver or any others.
Not sure what type of check taking a belt off would be if any...
"Your friends have fallen, no need for you to join them", Sir Winston screams as he closes the distance. "This is you last warning to cease and desist, or you shall pay dearly". "Drop your weapon"!
If he must attack before accomplishing the above.
Glaive Attack
Glaive Damage
After the disarming Sir Winston would try to save any lives he could before placing all the knights in the wagon and locking it up.
As there are two Hellknights still awake, Gorvio continues his song, "And makes us all part of the Patriot Game." If the Hellknight that Gorvio shot last round does not surrender to Sir Winston, then he looses another arrow from his shortbow at his foe.
Attack:, Damage:
If the one that Gorvio shot last round surrenders to Sir Winston, then readies his bow and shoots any Hellknight that acts hostile.
Unless there is a more obvious way to take the key, Ranin sides with caution... and takes the drivers entire belt off...
Ranin continues with this action unless the key obviously and easily comes off, ignoring what he assumes is some holy symbol of some god he doesn't know, or cannot remember.
No problem... come on now... He says as he nearly pulls the man out of the carriage. If the key fits the manacles he unlocks them otherwise he mumbles about worrying about it later. He helps the man down to where the professor is and then with an empty tone asks, ...Now what?
"Know that your honor is noted by the Children of Westcrown". "Now quickly all of you in the wagon". "Guys disarm the sleeping, and carefully place them inside first, then send off their horses".
Then turning to the speaker, "We shall get word back to your superiors where to find you, so you will not be kept here long".
Sir Winston also uses his "Lay on hands" ability to stabilize any injured knights, or players
The key does not fit the manacles.
All snoozing Hellknights plus the driver, and those who remain awake, are disarmed and loaded inside the carriage. It's quite a tight fit!
Are you taking ALL the horses (the ones pulling the carriage as well as four mounts)?
"Ahem. I assert that if we can't find the key, we should wait to pick them later."
Once out of sight of possible observers, Professor Rokannon will call a halt and use Prestidigitation to change the hair color on the prisoner (for 1 hour).
"Yes, good. No official should recognize him on casual viewing. Now Sir Winston, if anyone challenges why this man has shackles, you cought a bandit and are taking him in. That should serve us until we can get to a safe house or a lockpicker. Let us continue now."
Well, Umm, maybe we should... leave? He says looking at one of the horses, trying to decided if he should ride it or lead it...
"Gentlemen, it appears that our task is finished. Grab the horses! Anyone that has ever ridden, ride one." Gorvio walks up to one of the lead warhorses. He bows to the beast to show it proper respect. Gorvio then produces his flute and begins to play for the horse. Selecting a soothing melody that he has used many times in his uncle's stables, Gorvio plays to the horses to soothe them and make them friendlier to their new riders.
Handle Animal:
Gorvio removes the saddle from the horse, as well as any thing else that would identify it as a Hellknight warhorse, but makes sure to keep the bit and bridle. He thinks to himself that he will have to make sure to get a saddle for his new friend in the future, but bareback will be fine for now.
Seeing Ranindolf contemplating whether to ride a horse or not, "Don't worry, Ranindolf. A trained horse is easy to ride, so long as you don't attempt to do any strange tricks or fight on top of it." Gorvio then mounts the horse and says to his compatriots, Bring all of the horses. I have a plan for what we can do with any horse that we are unable to use. Gorvio winks to the party, and pats his horse on the neck before starting back at a slow canter.
Sir Winston sept in front of the performer's horse.
"Pardon me, but we are not here to steal the belongings of the Hellknights, we are here to release an innocent man, and we have done so". The Hellknights are not our enemy they are only doing their jobs".
"Releasing and sending off the horses with their belongings on board is one thing". "Taking possession of what is not ours is quite another". "The charter of the CofW is to improve things in Westcrown, and taking that which does not belong to us is only shifting the abuse of power from one group to another".
Professor Rokannon turns from where he was contemplating the problem of learning how to mount and ride a horse quickly; he nods vigourously.
"Yes, well said Sir Winston! We really should be going now..."
Ranin mounts the horse. Wow...That was easy! He thinks as he pets the horse, pulling away as it tries to chomp a finger off. He then snaps and tugs on the reins, which is returned by an indignant grunt from the horse, as Sir Winston confronts Gorvio. He tries to lean forward to get a bit closer to converse.
Sir Winston, I think you misunderstand! I highly doubt that Gorvio is planing on stealing the horses, I'm sure it's just a tactic to... umm... get away faster? Right, Gorvio? ...Why did you take the seat off, aren't you supposed to sit in it? Hey go forward you... He whispers to the apparently hard of hearing horse.
"And now ladies and gentlemen, we must make our getaway."
Professor Rokannon will kick, shove and lever everyone into motion.
Along the way he will muse aloud.
"Hmm. In retrospect, we might have been wiser to wear masks of some sort..." He lights his pipe thoughtfully. "Something intimidating that will conceal our identities."
Sir Winston...angry at his band of ruffians for the theft. Steadfastly refuses to ride a stolen mount...so begins his long walk back towards Westcrown, the same way he came...muttering under his breath at his companions lack of scruples.
Sir Winston, get on a horse! We can let them go after we get away from here. I doesn't make right sense if only some of us ride... Gorvio... How do you get them to... move? Mine seems a bit...umm... well, I think its ignoring me...
Unless something changes with the horse, Ranin dismounts and meets the horse face to face giving it a stern look, which it responds with a nosebutt to Ranin's forehead. Ghaow! ...You know what... I have decided to keep you company Sir Winston. I don't like horses much...
As Gorvio leads his horse back toward town, he turns to the group and says "We had best get our released friend back to Janiven's safe house quickly. Does anyone of us have any skill at breaking locks, or are we going to have to free Arael through the brute force method? Either way, we need to get him out of sight quickly. If we are planning to use the lie that we are transporting the prisoner, as Professor Rokannon suggested, then I think that Sir Winston should be Arael's captor. The rest of us can be mercenaries that he hired to help him." Gorvio slightly quickens his horse's pace in the direction of the safe house at the thought of being caught out in the open with the srung prisoner, whistling to himself along the way to calm his nerves
Does anyone of us have any skill at breaking locks...
Well, there was a few times I...
...or are we going to have to free Arael through the brute force method?
...Wait... Is there a difference? Ranindolf says in a confused tone.
H-how... how do you break locks without brute force? Oh, maybe we could use one of those ladder spike things to break it, you know, the ones that you can pound on walls with a hammer and then climb? I saw one for sale a while back but the guy selling it was a crook. It went for... umm, well it was alot, like 50 gold or something. Anyway, its a huge amount of money, we'd be better off just buying a ladder... what were we talking about again?
Professor Rokannon puffs on his pipe.
"Let's just get him into our safe house first. We'll conceal his cuffs by having him carry a saddle or blanket or some such. If challenged, hes a bandit caught by Sir Winston. We can then deal with his shackles at our leisure."
I agree with the professor...
Sir Winston keeps walking his gaze straight ahead, trying to look like he has nothing to do with the ruffians on the stolen horses.
Are we all going back to town, then?