IC Area - Chapter Four - "High Seas Gambit"

[cupboardgnome]

Firdle
Thinking 'They won't need to hear us coming, they'll smell us.'
Whispers "Why did they run in here just to be trapped upstairs?"
Actions
Follows his friends, TTYF and sarcasm at the ready.

[nialldubh]

Klarrrrchur Deathaxe:

“Well either they are foolish, or they can escape by the rooftops Master Firdle. It difficult to tell?!”

[houndle]

Will Darness
Will troops up the stairs, weapons at the ready. Conscious that he's been lucky so far and willing to yield first place to Klarrrrchur now that the dwarf is back on firm footing.

[apn]

Taking the lead, Klarrrrchur tramps up the stairs with weapons ready.

Will follows and Firdle takes up the rear, new staff in hand.

The stairs lead onto a narrow landing with a door either side and one in front which is slightly ajar, having been opened in a rush. The Dwarf can see several people moving about and when closer, all the Delvers can hear...

"... you see that? They may be shyte covered but they can fight!"

"This ain't worth 50 gold! We bin conned!"

"Easy money they said. 'Ang about then pose as soldiers..."

"We'll get even wi' that fella. Need ta get away though before..."

"You 'ear that? Whistles? Bells ringin'? That means th' town is sealed up. No one in or out. We're stuffed!"

"Stick ta th' plan! This buildin' is higher an' we can get along th' rooftops while them soldiers are searchin' th' streets an' alleys. Just get a move on out that window!"

Pushing the door slightly ajar, Klarrrrchur sees that there is a short queue to climb a rope leading up onto the roof. There are five in here dressed in poor clothing, either soiled or not up to much in the way of quality. All are armed. There are discarded soldier uniforms on the floor.

They are nervously glancing about, swords in hand but ready to sheathe whilst they climb.

"Urry up!" hissed one. "That maniac wi' th' swords is just behind us!"

"Ees one man an' them others were barrel scrapins'. If anyone comes through that door, stick em!"

Klarrrrchur and Will stand either side of the door, Firdle to one side. It seemed these were just the hired help and the one with the plant might still be on the move. Still, they could offer information - if they are taken alive! However they are scrambling onto the rooftops above and soon to get away unless stopped!

[nialldubh]

Klarrrrchur Deathaxe:

Klarrrrchur puts Deathhacker away and pulls out his knotted club; Deathcrusher. He then boots in the door and cursing and spitting like an angry bull, he stomps into the room.

“Drop yer weaponry, ya scallywags and I'll let ya live!”

Actions:

Actions of Dwarf... Will use any damage as stun, to make unconscious. Any that get too frisky, and he may crack their skulls open, but most he tries to take prisoner whether stunned, or unconscious.

Nialldubh rolls 20d6+61 = 4 +4 +5 +5 +4 +5 +2 +2 +6 +3 +1 +2 +5 +3 +1 +1 +4 +2 +6 +5 + 61 = 131 (three 1s, two 6s).

Imploding: = 3.

Total: 128.

Swordsman (to enforce stun): Nialldubh rolls 2d6+66 = 3 +1 + 66 = 70.

[houndle]

Will Darness
Will backs up Klarrrrchur, similarly aiming to stun and possibly maim rather than kill.

 "Isn't this where we came in?"
Asuwil. No Vorpal effect - they're not worth it.

Aagh! What's happened to Rolz? It's all changed and the link I was using has stopped working. Posting this to save it temporarily while I try another route...

<edit>  Nope, still crackered and I can't see what I'm doing on this tiny box. Will try and sort it tomorrow. In the meantime, if someone wants to roll Will's dice it's 7d6 plus 6d6 plus 12 personal adds.

[apn]

OOC Maybe need to refresh the cookies or sign out/in or whatever, fine this end.

apn: Roll for Will

apn rolls 7d6 = 5 +3 +6 +1 +1 +5 +2=23

apn rolls 6d6 = 5 +5 +1 +6 +1 +3=21

less 2 implode apn rolls 2d6 = 6 +1=7

37 rolled +12=49 HPT for Will

Well, by 'fine' I mean dismal but no rolls out of the ordinary.

[cupboardgnome]

Firdle
Moves to get a clear shot
Action
Targets the highest thug on the rope with TTYF, hoping he falls off! 21 points.

[apn]

"Hurry up on the rope!" hollered one pirate/fake soldier.

"That guy with the swords might be... say, does anyone smell anything ba..."

BANG!

The door crashed open, one guy on the rope yelled out and started spinning in place whilst fumbling with feet for the ledge.

The other five in the room were already twitchy and turned with short swords bared as Klarrrrchur, Will and Firdle entered the room.

Firdle imagined the rune in his mind, formed it, uttered the words from a language mostly forgotten about and whispered "Take THAT you fiend!" followed by a FWOOOSH! Whizz! CRACK! BANG!

Klarrrrchur used his skill and experience to go in with blunt weapons to brain and concuss rather than crush and kill.

OOC The bad guys are pretty hopeless citizens for the most part but one is a warrior, though not of note. He gets 4D6 +3 adds, the rest get 3D6 apiece. I can't imagine this fight will last longer than a round or two.

apn rolls 16d6+3 = 3 +2 +1 +1 +1 +5 +6 +4 +5 +4 +6 +5 +5 +6 +1 +4 + 3=62 less 1 implode apn rolls 1d6 = 5 57HPT for the crappy pirates.

Firdle targets the guy on the rope, Will (49) and Klarrrrrchur (128, 4AP earned (86AP) and all damage dealt out is concussive) pound away with weapons. total 198

The 'warrior' has leather armour (6 points after 2x bonus). All pirates take 24 apiece. Guy on the rope takes all the Fiend! spell.

Firdle blasts the fellow on the rope... Unfortunately a TTYF! is not in any way concussive!

Klarrrrchur stepped in. Such poor opponents as these after facing off against mighty Dhesiri were training fodder. He ducked a clumsy sweep, cracked a noggin with the club and... the target went down.

Will clattered another on the head and the pirate dropped his sword, clutching his ringing bonce.

Klarrrrchur pounded two more heads and both went down as if poleaxed. Will finished the last one by using the flat of the blades repeatedly until the dazed Pirate curled up into a ball.

The one on the rope shouted "Missed!" except it came out "Gurgle" and he had time to glance at the foot wide hole in his chest before nerveless hands fell off the rope and he bounced and clattered thirty feet to the cobbled street below.

"ALIVE I SAID!" bellowed Klemitz from somewhere outside. "BUT IF THERE'S MORE OF 'EM, DON'T WORRY. THE WORLD AIN'T GONNA MISS THIS SCUMBAG."

OOC And like that, the fight is over. Delvers against scurvy barrel scrapins' o sea dogs an' no mistakin'.

190AP for Klarrrchur (276AP)
228AP for the humans with Will (314AP) and Firdle (415AP) earning the +20%

The Delvers stand over the dazed Pirates. It's a simple matter to sweep all their weapons into a corner, pluck any stray knives and the like from them and 'persuade' them onto their knees with hands behind their head.

OOC Anything you asking these goons or waiting till Klemitz gets here? Or... climbing the rope to give chase across the rooftops of Jepistra? Anyone feeling fast, lucky and Dextrous?

[nialldubh]

Klarrrrchur Deathaxe:

“Darn, hold them here Will, Firdle. I go after the others. I a sailor, trained to walk the rigging in the worst of weather and a mountaineer. This (I hope) is easy as a walk doun the road, but now I think of it, not in this Sh*thole!”

Actions:

Actions of Dwarf...

SPD: Nialldubh rolls 2d6+15 = 5 +3 + 15 = 23
Luck: Nialldubh rolls 2d6+18 = 5 +4 + 18 = 27
and
DEX: Nialldubh rolls 2d6+15 = 2 +5 + 15 = 22

Eh, Got Mountaineer for +3 bonus if needed...

[houndle]

Will Darness
Will holds them.

 "Just sit (lie) there quietly, or you'll get a nasty shock. So... who's your paymaster and how were you going to get paid?"

 ACTIONS
Clearly dealing with the lowest of the low, Will tries to identify the next link in the chain. Just in case Klarrrrchur loses his quarry or falls off the roof.

(If they've already been paid he will take the weight off their pockets.)

[apn]

OOC Mountaineer applies to all three rolls. L2SR passed on Spd and Dex, L3SR on Luck. 57AP earned (Klarrrrrchur 63AP total).

Leaving Will in charge of the dazed prisoners the Dwarf quickly hooks his weapons to his belt.

With everything else in the sack o holdin' he climbs onto the window ledge, leaps for the rope as its swinging about and quickly hefts himself onto the roof.

From the sloped tiles he can see the sprawl of Jepistra and where, over years, it had expanded outwards with attempts at walls to circle the growing settlement attempted and failed. By the time a stone wall had been built, the town had expanded more than once so the wall represented a waste of time.

The current outer wall was a Palisade of wood and no doubt that would be expanded given the building of dwellings right up to the wall with no killing ground should the place be attacked.

From here he could also see the dips and canyons in the rooftops and where streets came close to one another. This building had been singled out to rent by whomever set the Pirates up in this scheme because you could see the West gate AND the distant North Gate from here. The North led to Jepik via the trade road, the west led to the jungle where daily forays would go to chop wood for lumber and cut the jungle back, and where the Delvers had left and returned.

Easy to spot for someone with a sight glass... or who could be alerted with a wave from a town guard in the employ of someone with gold to supplement their income.

The Dwarf spun about. Narrowing his eyes against the rising sun of the early morning he could see Jepistra was waking up. Tradespeople trudging to their stands, dockworkers to the south unloading. The whistle and bells being rung had alerted the guards to seal off the town. No one in or out till the stand down was given.

Doubtless that was Franicks' work. Unlike previous Militia Captains he was a man of honour and determined to do the job right, despite the machinations of corrupt politicians who saw gain in the town being wrecked by attacks.

Klarrrrrchur also saw heads and bodies bobbing over rooftops and jumping over small gaps. He could give chase or... he glanced. The mountains had been an enjoyable challenge, even for his freakish strength. With an iron like grip he could cling to overhangs and scale sheer cliffs but rain slicked rooftops and steep slopes called for different skills, though he could still call on his training.

Setting a course he started to follow then veered off, sliding down a roof, using momentum to launch over a gap... onto another roof and scrambled up.

The chase was on!

=========

Will questioned the Pirates.

"We ain't tellin you nowt."

"Yeah Brunnick, you tell im! Nowt, you'll get nowt from us."

"You just told im Brunnicks name." remarked another, squinting through a swollen eye.

"Eh? No I didn't. Shut yer cakehole Brandeck, or I'll cuff ya round yer other eye!"

Clearly Will wasn't dealing with Brain Surgeons.

With Firdle stood by and clearly a mage, the group reconsidered thoughts of rushing the swordsman. No one wanted to be the two or three that 'took one for the team' especially seeing as they weren't really a team...

OOC You may need an IQ and Cha check to see what you can get out of them. Firdle might want a crack too. houndle if you're having bother with Dice I'll roll em but you might not be happy with the results! Just sayin...

=========

The Dwarf was gaining.

A healthy slice of luck, a keen eye, sure foot and pace where needed meant he would intersect with the Pirates almost at the edge of the town square. Therein lie a problem.

Even at this time it was bustling with activity and the three remaining Pirates would vanish into the hustle and bustle, possibly going separate ways if they were smart.

He would need to take another risk or two to catch all three, or could nab one at least with minimal effort...

OOC All three? Same checks as before. One? You'll catch him as he's waiting to drop down from the roof to someones' balcony then to a store awning before sliding to the cobbled square and vanishing into the traders and early morning shoppers.

=========

"Oy!" snarled a Pirate. "That's mine!" he said as Will reached for his money pouch inside his shirt.

Despite being coated in poop Will wrinkled at the smell of the Pirates. They'd made a rudimentary effort at a wash. Face, comb hair, trim beard, to look the part of soldiers.

A week in a bath wouldn't remove the sour stench of most of them. Will glanced about. They'd fight before they gave up their gold. The pouch he'd sighted didn't exactly swell either. If gold pieces, he figured there'd be about ten in there, so maybe down payment now, rest after. Which they wouldn't be getting.

The Pirate snarled with yellowed, broken teeth. "You leave a mans pouch alone, y'hear, stinkbag?" he hissed.

[cupboardgnome]

FIRDLE hums a ditty to get their attention and uses Its Elemental to call a flame into his hand, and then looks pointedly at the prisoners.

[apn]

"Ees a wizard." muttered one.

"Yeah? So what? You ever see a Wizard coated in tar an' dung? Parlour tricks. Pay em no mind." hissed another Pirate, trying to act bullish.

"Weren't no Parlour trick put 'ole in Budshars chest! Eee owed me coin an'all. Y'think is body is still down there?"

"Remember where Budshar said ee kept is stash?" added another.

The five Pirates each pulled a face, like they'd taken a swig of sour milk.

"Eyup." said one. "You let us go an' we'll make it worth ya while."

"Yeah! What's yer price?"

"Gal who 'ired us had plenty..."

"Of everything!" laughed another and they all joined in at the baudy jest.

"See, you let us go... an' we go on us way wi a promise ta leave town an' not come back. Good lads we are. Not done owt wrong save dress up an' act ard."

"Yeah, you ain't even militia!" hissed another.

THUD THUD THUD! Heavy footsteps pounded up the stairs of the house..

"Now yer in fer it!" laughed a Pirate, assuming help was at hand...

[houndle]

Will Darness
Will tries to think.

 "There was a woman in the square..." he mutters to himself. "It seems such a long time ago. If I didn't know better I could swear it's been five months since we were here last."

He turns to the pirates.

 "Whoever's on their way, don't think they will save you," he snarls. "Have you heard the saying, the truth will set you free? In your case it might just allow you to keep your heads on your shoulders. The truth and a substantial down payment might preserve the rest of you as well!"

OOC yes can you please carry on rolling my dice for now apn . A couple of other things I want to try, if they don't work I'll need to seek advice.