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Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
"Ah, yes, Ravens Bluff... A wonderful city for all kinds of trade and assorted other businesses, isn't it?" Dar Al Asam raised his glass to you with a wide grin beneath his flamboyant red mustache, narrowly avoiding to spill his wine when another wave rocked the boat back and forth. The journey on his 'Arianna' down the Dragon Reach has been rough, the early autumn storms stronger than usual, but you were past the dangerous waters, due to reach your destination before sunrise. So the Calishite captain invited you to celebrate before you part ways with a feast and choice wine - a generosity he could easily afford since you had to pay double, most other ships staying in the harbors instead of braving the wild waters.
"But I guess it is your first visit? I understand you coming here - plenty of opportunity to find work, but also easy to get into trouble by taking a wrong step - ever since the end of the war the city has been different."
He paused a moment, pondering these words. "Well, not that I'm complaining, ever since mayor Charles O'Kane's power became mostly representative, the Merchant Assembly has been on the rise, and by now their only rival to control of the city is the Noble Council. That powershift has been good for trade, and what's good for trade is good for me.
By the way, did you know that Embro Ambrath, head of one of the big merchant houses, recently bought himself the title of a lord? No? Guess how much he paid. Two million. Two million gold. I tell you, the nobles aren't happy about a glorified tailor having a seat on their Council - best don't say it that way though... well, anywhere. Even the walls have ears, and news travels fast in this city.
But well, enough politics. You want my advice - never get into that power struggle. Easy to make enemies, hard to make friends who won't sell you out in a heartbeat for minimal gain.
Know where some money is to make? Not easy money, mind you, otherwise it would long been gone. Sarbreen, capital of some Dwarven kingdom that was overthrown by orcs hundreds of years ago. They built Ravens Bluff right on top of it - pre-made sewers, economic choice! There's still lots of treasure down there. The first level has been stripped clean long ago I hear, but in the lower parts there's still a lot to find if you can brave decrepit corridors and whatever ugly things roam there. I'll make you a good price on any artifacts you find." His advice seemed more mercantile than altruistic; earlier he boasted that such items had the highest profit margins of everything he ships. Maybe he was just looking for some fools who risk their lifes so he can make easy money...
As you slowly reflect on this thought, you feel your eyelids getting heavy, and his voice now barely reaches your ears, seeming to come from far far away. "... So really, look into it...
Ah, I see it is finally working. Sorry, nothing personal, just business. I told you not to get into the cities politics, pity no one gave you this warning before it was too late..."
What was he talking about? As you slowly drift to sleep, you're left wondering how you seem to have unkowingly run afoul some influential enemy without even being in the city yet...
__________________________________________________ _____
Your sense for movement and noise returns slowly, and you notice you're lying on a hard wooden floor, unable to move. The ship's swaying from side to side can't be called gentle by any stretch of the word; it seems the storm outside has gotten stronger and the sounds of heavy rain, howling wind and crashing waves interspersed with occasional thunder reaching you seem to confirm that suspision.
When you finally manage to force your eyes open, you see you are below deck in a small compartment at the back, separated from the rest of the cargo hold by a wooden grill with a simple door. On the other side, a toppled over simple wooden chair slides back and forth occasionally when the ship leans sideways. Two seemingly magical torches illuminate the deck, though they are too far away to give your improvised prison more than twilight, with the shadows dancing wildly every time the ship was rocked by another wave.
You don't know how long you've been unconscious, but your captors evidently had enough time to strip you of weapons and armor. Iron manacles, some of them rusty from disuse, bind your hands and ropes around your feet prevent you from moving about freely. Once you had time to recover, you notice that Magnus shows no signs of awakening. And though for some reason he was placed several meters away from the rest of you, leaning with his back against an oaken barrel, you can clearly see the signs of physical punishment covering his body.
A sudden burst of laughter from perhaps half a dozen men rips you out of your contempation; the noise came from upstairs and now you concentrate on it, the laughter and bits of unintelligible conversation persist in volume and location.
All
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everything registering as magical was taken from you in addition to weapons and armor
Candycorn
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Whenever they manage to wake you up, you distinctly remember falling asleep during the feast without any physical confrontation
OOC I
OOC II
OOC III(current)
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
After a moment of futilely straining at her restraints, Mirielle lays back. "Gods dammit," she sighs. "'Never trust a Calimite sailor,' they said. 'Stop being racist,' I said. 'I'm not going to be drugged, tied up, and kept for gods know what reason,' I said. Dammit."
Mirielle looks around as best she can and calls softly "Is anyone else awake?"
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
Aya's eyes flicker open quickly as soon as she regains consciousness, and she wastes no time taking stock of the situation - or at least, beginning to, before being interrupted by a most unpleasant realization. The bastards took my bow! Thoughts of dire retribution echo through her mind for a while, at least until the ship shifts again and she rolls into a wall. Right, still out on the water. Probably still have a chance to get it back. Maneuvering herself into a sitting position with a few muttered imprecations, she resumes looking around the room. She was actually cold, something she hadn't felt in a long time; looking down at the thin socks covering her feet, she sighs forlornly. My boots? Really? Wriggling her toes to make sure they still work, she begins idly testing the bonds around her ankles for any signs of poor work while she feels around behind her, running her fingers along the hem of her shirt.
Should be right about... here! A grin flashes across her face as she slips one of the stitches loose and withdraws a pair of small lockpicks. They wouldn't likely be much use on her own manacles; the angle was difficult. But she wasn't the only one imprisoned here, either... as the silver woman's words conveniently demonstrated. An odd colour, now that she noticed it, although perhaps not as strange as her own. Sticking her tongue out with a mischievous grin, she bends forward, displaying the lockpicks, and rolls across the floor to the other woman.
"Awake and somewhat annoyed, yep. Name's Aya, by the way. You have some reason for being down here, or are you as confused as I am?" she replies softly, then tilts her head up and turns to face the other way. "You want to roll over so I can try that lock?"
Spoiler
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Hopefully we have a couple minutes; assuming Mirielle cooperates, Aya will take 20 on the manacles for 25.
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
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nice touch with the boots :smallbiggrin:
Mirielle was the first to wake up, and her silent calls went unanswered for some painfully long minutes, vainly struggling as her expertly tied bonds - no surprise, given the occupation of your captors -refused to give a single inch.
With some fiddling, Aya retrieves her hidden lockpicks, and she manages to roll over to Mirielle without painfully bumping her nose more than once. The bonds and rocking boat make handling the fine tools somewhat difficult, but after some tries the lock finally opens with a click certainly not soft, given the rusty condition, but with the surrounding noise level the difference is moot.
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
"Ahaha! Got it!" Rolling over again, Aya twists her hands awkwardly backward and starts poking at her own manacles; it was far from easy, but the others still seemed to be unconscious, so there was no reason not to give it a try.
"Think you can get those ropes off?" she suggests to the other woman. "Being ambulatory would be a definite improvement for both of us."
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Taking 20 again on her own manacles, if only to pass the time.
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
Mirielle flexes her stiff wrists before going to work on the ropes binding the green woman. "Thanks for that," she says. "I'm Mirielle. And as confused as you are."
She's quiet for a moment.
"Seems like a lot of work for five people. Any noblemen you've annoyed lately?"
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Use rope (or escape artist; they're the same) to undo the bindings: [roll0]
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
Spoiler
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no success on your own manacles
Untying the ropes works well enough on another person while your hands aren't restricted, though it's still quite tedious
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
"I hope not; that would make this little trip a lot more inconvenient. Still, who knows? Nothing comes to mind, but they're a touchy bunch." After a couple minutes of fiddling with the manacles, she sighs. "Can't get the last tumbler from this position. I hope I'm not the only one down here who knows locks."
Aya relaxes as Mirielle picks at the knots; hands bound or not, she'd feel a lot better once she could walk. And the floor was dry, at least. "So, I didn't see you around the ship much on the way here. What were you heading to the city for?"
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
"Arg." Jorran mumbled as he stirred. "Going to kill him somehow..." It seems his sword, gauntlets, armor and pouches had been taken... along with everything in said pouches. Jorran was facing the wall, so he rolled over. Two of the others were already awake. "Morning." Jorran spoke in what was obviously an annoyed tone. As if he knew what time it was, given his apparently extended nap.
He flexed to sit up. Surprisingly hard while tied up. "Anyone know what's going on?"
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
Good, Mirielle thinks. Don't think about what our captors want. Be productive. Even if "productive" is supposed to involve more books and fewer pirates.
She crawls over to the sour young man as quietly as she can and begins fumbling with his bindings. "Poison, if my memory can be trusted. Of course, if it was anything else, it probably couldn't be, so I don't know." She turns to Aya and says "You think you can get him undone? Those manacles look old; between the two of us we might be able to get you free."
Mirielle keeps talking as they work to free Jorran. "I'm here on church business," she says to Aya. "Kelemvor's church, specifically. I'm up north trying to find someone and heard he might be in Ravens Bluff." No need to let on who, or why, or what she plans to do with him. "What about you two?"
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
Keeva rolled over, groaning as she awoke. When she found that her hands didn't spread apart in her attempt to stretch, her eyes opened quickly, and she shuffled away from the voices in the room. She smiles and them, and holds up a finger in pause, as if gathering thoughts. She looks over at the woman unlocking the cuffs on the man. "Could I get you to do the same for me, hon?"
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
Sallera
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assuming you go about unlocking the others
Keeva and later Magnus prove easy enough. The lock on Jorran's restraints however is past your abilities. Whether that was a deliberate decision or they just randomly placed their one quality lock is beyond you.
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
"Trying to find someone as well." Jorran responds to Mirielle behind him as she tries to open his bindings, being just as vague as she was with her explanation.
Jorran sighs as it becomes apparent that the lock in his manacles is beyond their abilities. At least the ropes were off. "Someone here's got to have the keys. Lets just break out." Jorran glanced at the door. It didn't look too tough. "Is he going to wake up anytime soon? Jorran looks at Magnus as he says that.
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
"I don't know. Give me a minute to look at him." Mirielle gets up and dusts herself off. "Why don't you wrench the legs off of that chair to give us some weapons." She takes a moment to look at the man bent over the barrel, opening his eyes, running her hands over his wounds, and listening for a heartbeat.
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Take 10 (total 13) for a general impression of Magnus's condition (is this something that can be fixed with a cure spell?); it it doesn't work, take 20 (23).
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
"I'm on my way over to look into a few things for a friend of mine," Aya replies as she picks at the manacles. "And I figure the Shooting Stars'll have some work for me while I'm there. Damnit, this one's not going anywhere," she adds from behind Jorran. "Doesn't feel like a normal lock."
Moving over to stand behind Keeva, she sets to work, having a much easier time of it. "This one, on the other hand... there we go. I can probably get the twice-tied victim there, as well, if someone wants to roll him over and hold his arms up. They'd not have done that if they had a second good lock. I don't suppose any of you know enough of locks to get mine off? The angle's not right to do it myself."
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
With combined effort, you soon remove all the bindings holding you, except for the manacles on Aya and Jorran. Mirielle, experienced in the ways of healing, quickly notices that Magnus must have been brutalized while he was either unconscious or otherwise unable to move, though it seems they took care to just knock him out for a bit longer instead of doing lasting damage.
While you are occupied like this, a loud "YAHTZEE!" bellows from above, followed by barks of laughter. Appearantly your captors are quite enjoying themselves.
All
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Frog Dragon, for the future, if a spoiler is adressed to someone only that player is supposed to read it
Magnus has a mix of lethal and nonlethal damage. Some healing magic should wake him up, though certainly with a headache.
The chair is on the other side of the grate, which has a currently locked door.
Candycorn
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currently 12 lethal, 23 nonlethal damage. Wake up when appropriate
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
Mirielle turns over her shoulder to look at Aya. "Not me, sorry," she says. "But give me a moment and I'll see if I can help you break them off. They look old enough."
Returning her attention to the injured man, she rolls up her sleeves and touches him on the forehead. With a few muttered nonsense syllables she feels the pulse of energy as it flows out of her fingertips. It feels good, and she shivers as it knits together the man's broken bones.
She steps back and asks "Can you hear me?"
Spoiler
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Sacrifice augury to cast cure moderate wounds, which restores [roll0] HP.
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
@DM:Spoiler
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Healing augmented by 4 points (level 2 spell, 1 essentia in the mantle) puts me to 0 lethal, 10 nonlethal
The healing seems to work wonders, but still Magnus grunts in pain as he tries to sit up. Then his foggy brain recalls the dinner, and the drugging, and he snaps into focus. Not terribly injured, but moreso than these fellows around me. There's quite a bit of blood matted in my beard, my injuries must have been much worse. Two of these folk are restrained, the rest are not. I still have my cloak and my bracers; I've been out less than a day. Nobody was killed, we were all restrained.
He winces as the person standing over him speaks, then replies in a slightly cracked voice, "Yes, I can hear you. Whichever of you healed me, you have my thanks. Does anyone need assistance with anything, before I go to discuss our refund with the ship's captain? I imagine he's less able to fight, if he resorted to tainting our wine. I also imagine that he and his crew need us alive for some reason, that or they have little stomach for killing. Either way, it works in our favor, when we head up there to question them."
Magnus stands, as a heavy hammer flies to his grasp. "Have I mentioned that I hate ships? All this rocking about isn't natural."
He walks to the other two cuffed individuals, somewhat unsteadily, before inspecting their bindings. "Provided these two aren't bound for a reason, it should be a simple matter to crack open the manacles, assuming you can remain still while I work."
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
"Aha, a weapon! That'll make this easier. Yeah, we're only stuck like this 'cause I can't reach my own lock properly, and he's got a tricky one. Just a minute...." Slipping the picks back into their hiding spot, Aya turns around and lays the manacles across the top of the barrel, keeping her hands as far apart as they'll go.
"Guess it'll be a bit noisy, but please do. If I've got my hands free, I can get the door open without any further smashing."
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
"Hey hey, woah, wait just a moment. C'mere, let me see if I can work somethin' on them that doesn't involve injury." Keeva says, reaching out and grasping hold of the chains between Aya's manacles. She squeezes, and whispers: "Inflixir danos luz."
Spoiler
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Inflict Light Damage on Aya's Manacles.
Damage: [roll0]
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
Magnus looks a bit perturbed, and replies, "It may interest you to know that I am an accomplished armorer by trade. My hammer goes where I will it. When you are finished attempting to talk the chains off of her, I'll be more than happy to remove them."
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
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I'll say Inflict Damage works on items of metal or stone, ignoring first 10 points of hardness. It's not enough to get through the chain completely, but seems to weaken it enough for Aya to burst them(strength DC 22)
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
"Hmm... handy trick," Aya says, craning her neck to glance at the cracks and growing rust on the manacles. "I might be able to..." She yanks them apart with a brief clank. "...ow... get them off..." Another few attempts follow. "...eventually..." The chain finally snaps with a small jingle of links, and she brings her hands around to the front to inspect them. "There we go. Not entirely pleasant, but quieter than armoursmithery." The seven silver stars on her glove catch her eye, and she frowns. This mess doesn't have anything to do with you, does it?
Shaking her head, she retrieves her lockpicks again and sets to work on the door. "Maybe I should take a quick look around for keys before we go about smashing his. Or can you do that again?"
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
Reaching through the gaps to access the lock puts you in an awkward position, but thankfully opening the lock proves within your capabilities, and you now have access to the rest of the hold, filled with barrels, crates, large clay jars and other stowed trade goods, leaving a small corridor in the middle to walk. The stairs, facing you, are some 40 feet away from your compartment.
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
Tucking the lockpicks away, Aya carefully opens the door, darting out into the hold after a quick look around. "Be back in a minute." Grabbing the chains to silence them, she pads forward, scanning the hold for their gear - not that she expected their captors to be that incompetent - and making her way over to the stairs. Passing them by at first, she checks behind them before gliding up the stairs to listen at the door.
Spoiler
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Taking 10 on Hide and MS for 20 each.
A cursory Search: [roll0]
And Listen: [roll1]
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
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no equipment visible.
The stairs are 10 feet wide and lead to the next deck. There is no door.
Imagine the stairs are north of you; then the voices originate from south of the stairs, so they can't look down to your deck
edit: regarding Listen: right now they are just enjoying a game of dice, though if you keep listening for longer something useful might be heard
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
Sticking to the shadows of the staircase, Aya cautiously lifts her head up just far enough to scan the next deck, conscious of the contrast of her hair against the wooden decks. I hate sneaking around without a cloak. How many of you are we going to have to take out with one decent weapon among us?
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Same Hide/MS as above, then, just trying to get a quick look around.
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
Magnus grows impatient, and whispers, "gather the torches, then follow behind me. I'll take point. If fighting erupts, we'll arm ourselves with whatever our captors above have."
He then walks to the doorway, taking up a position at the bottom of the stairs, blocking the doorway.
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
Risking a quick glance up the deck, Aya sees five humans and a halfling sitting around a wide wooden table, playing a game of dice and holding onto their drinks; they likely wouldn't stay long if set down on the table. All of them are armored, though except one wearing splint mail rather lightly. From what she can tell, most if not all have some kind of weapon on their belts.
North of the stairs are two doors, though the stairs to the no doubt windswept deck is at the heck of the ship, directly above the compartment you were held in in fact.
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
Dropping down again, Aya lands next to Magnus, shaking her head. "Six of 'em, armed and armoured. What I wouldn't give for my bow..." she mutters, glancing at the crates around her. "Hold up a minute before you go charging in, alright? I'm not one for punching people to death." Poking around the various sundries in the hold, she searches for something worth taking.
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Ideally, she'd want something small and hard or sharp she can throw, but she'd settle for a decent beating-stick. Not going to spend much time looking, just a minute or so.
Search: [roll0]
Also, is it shadowy enough up above that Aya could potentially reach those other doors north of the stairwell without being seen?
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
Magnus whispers back, "Only six? That's heartening. I'll wait here; do not tarry long. This hold is dark, and wet, and does not sit well with me. I would find what these cowards had planned for us, and standing next to hard tack and cargo nets doesn't answer any questions."
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
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no, no chance of that
A quick inspection shows that the crates Aya checked carried no weapons, with one exception: a finely crafted repeating crossbow, carved of ebony with golden inlays and two filled clips. Judging from the other items in the same crate, it must be some kind of antiquary, but it seems in good enough repair for combat.
Some fireplace pokers from another crate filled with household items might have some limited use in combat if push comes to shove too.
Lastly, another container reveals quite fancy women's clothing. Nothing useful for you now, though a pair of halfway practical looking sandals does look slightly tempting to the shoeless elf.
Spoiler
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pokers are improvised light picks
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
"Someone break these. This'll probably end in a brawl anyway." Jorran flexes against the manacles again, despite the futility of such an action. Jorran walked out of the improvised prison compartment and stopped to listen. How long until someone came to check on them? They better have their act together at that point.
He looks around for something he could use in two hands, a spare plank or something similarly large.
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
"Hey, shoes!" Aya murmurs. Slipping her feet into the sandals, she grimaces. "But not really made for feet my size. Bother. Beats getting a splinter, I guess." Tying the sandals to her feet with a spare length of black ribbon, she hangs one of of the fireplace pokers from her belt, leaving the crate open for the others to loot, and pries open a few more until she spies the crossbow.
"Oooh... wonder how old this is..." Lifting it from the crate admiringly, she checks the loading mechanism, then stuffs it into the box of clothing to muffle the sound and winds the crank. "Right then. This one's mine until they give me my bow back." And now that I'm holding this old thing, I want it back even more. I swear, if they've damaged it, I'm going to do the same to their spines.
Looking from Magnus to Jorran, she tilts her head in consideration. "Now, what's worth more, having you unbound, or keeping the element of surprise so I can stick a few bolts in them before they come down here?"
Spoiler
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Heavy or light crossbow?
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
Magnus whispers back, "It may be better to have him free. I have an idea. One or two will likely come to investigate the noise. We let them in, and you four knock them out and arm yourselves. I'll block the stairwell after they enter the room, to prevent any more from getting in until you can prepare yourselves properly. That will let you surprise the first ones, get your bolts in them, and keep too many entering the fray to overwhelm us in open space. Sound good?"
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
Aya nods, cradling the crossbow. "Fair enough. I'll just be over here, then." Concealing herself in the space next to the stairs, Aya checks the crossbow's mechanisms once more, then settles into a sitting position with her back against the wall. With one leg dangling off a crate, she hardly makes for a dignified image, but her natural stillness and undistracted readiness bespeak a certain familiarity with lying in wait.
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Taking 10 on Hide.
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
Magnus steps away from the door, and beckons Jorran over. He positions the manacles over a beam, and gives a swift blow to the locking mechanism.
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wielding warhammer 2 handed, as I don't have my shield. Full round to line up the shot (auto hit).
Damage: [roll0]
If needed, a second blow: [roll1]
DM:Spoiler
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In advance, starting maneuvers for the upcoming fight, just in case:
[roll2] - Crusader Strike
[roll3] - Vanguard Strike
[roll4] - Leading the Attack
Currently in Martial Spirit stance.
Maneuvers are selected, counting from the top, from the list on my sheet, skipping maneuvers that are already granted.
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
Spoiler
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Listen checks for those close to the stairs
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
Briefly setting the crossbow down on her knee, Aya points toward the voices and holds up one finger, then mimes catching something before taking up the weapon and aiming at the top of the staircase.
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Readying an action to shoot the incoming sailor if he looks like he's about to say anything. Is the crossbow heavy or light? (Also, masterwork or just fancy?)
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
Magnus pays attention to the door from a short distance to the side of it, listening as best he can, and preparing to move in behind anyone who enters.
Mechanics:Spoiler
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Up to 15 feet from the stairs, if possible, favoring the side farthest from the torch, provided it has a clear path to move.
If I'm allowed to ready at this point, ready action to move to block the stairs after I see someone enter the room, travel at least 5 feet from the entry, with nobody visible behind them.
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
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I assume the manacles were successfully sundered?
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
As Magnus swings at the manacles, Mirielle dashes into the passage. She grabs one of the pokers that Aya turned up and hefts it a few times to get a feel for it, and then ducks behind Jorran. "When they come in," she whispers. "I'm going to touch you on the arm and cast a spell to give you some better protection. I'd do it now, but they might see it. Don't get jumpy on me."
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Readying an action to cast shield of faith on Jorran.
Hide: [roll0]
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
Seeing Jorran take up position by the doorway, Magnus curses under his breath, and advances to the other side of the door, glaring at him, and hissing, "You were supposed to wait until they came in to get close! That way, they're stuck in the room. Now we'll have to drop this guy quickly, and I'll have to stand fast on the stairs while you get a proper weapon!"
Mechanics:Spoiler
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Hide: [roll0]
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
Keeva looks into the crate and pulls out a poker, grimacing at not having 'mobile ballista'. She sets it back in as she looks around in the other containers, grabbing the clothing and claiming it for herself. She tucks it into a ball under her left arm, and makes her way over to Aya. She grasps the crossbow, and whispers under her breath: "Arma maxica." She moves back into the cell, making sure that it looks like she's still locked up.
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Casting Magic Weapon on Aya's Repeating Crossbow. Its a +1 Repeating Crossbow now.
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
Nodding her thanks to Keeva as she feels the crossbow lighten and stabilize itself, Aya nonetheless rolls her eyes at the disorganization in the rest of the group. It's a good thing we've got surprise on our side, but we won't much longer at this rate.
Waving a hand to catch their attention, she jabs a finger at the upper deck again, then holds it to her lips for silence. With a brief glare, she waves them away from the bottom of the stairs, hoping the rest will get the idea in the few seconds before the approaching sailor comes into view.
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
You hear a chair slide back, though immediately after the instructions from the seeming leader an argument seems to break out; the volume of their voices makes it somewhat easier to understand. Appearantly they are in disagreement about notifying others on the ship about the unusual noise below because they'd get in trouble for not leaving a guard there as instructed.
Aya's warning comes too late, and the sailor, only halfway down the stairs, stops dead in his tracks and calls out "They've broken out!"
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hiding now wouldn't have made a difference anymore, he'd have noticed the crates you left open after plundering them
He's at C6. Initiative is
Aya
Keeva
sailor
Jorran
Magnus
Mirielle
actions from Aya and Keeva please
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
Grimacing at the sailor's yell, Aya releases a shot into his back, slipping off the crate as she flicks the reloading lever and ducking down against the side of the staircase. Should have let me snipe them. Hope this bunch knows their way around a fight, 'cause now we need to take down five or six before that bodyguard gets here.
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Hrm, so even though she knows he's coming and has a weapon ready, there's no way to shoot him before he says anything? Inconvenient.
Well, if it's all we can do, we'll just try to deal with him quickly, I guess.
Single shot with the crossbow, sniping attempt. 5ft step to E6.
Attack: [roll0] (not including any hiding bonus)
Damage: [roll1]
Hide: [roll2]
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
Keeva stands out from the cell, and raises a hand and a finger at the man, smiling as Aya's bolt flies forward.
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
The crossbow bolt pierces through the man's arm and his warning turns into a scream of pain. He staggers backward out of sight, and you hear multiple chairs being pushed back or toppled over.
"Damn, now we really need to alert the others."
"Are you crazy? Asam will throw us out if he learns how we screwed up here!"
"Guys, settle down. They're unarmed, we can still fix this on our own."
"Unarmed? What do you call this then?" You recogize the voice of the man who came down the stairs, and though you can't see him anymore, you have the distinct impression he's pointing at the quarrel sticking out of his flesh as he says this.
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They spend their turn standing up, maybe drawing weapons, and bickering. Entire party can act
DM only
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if party doesn't ger aggressive themselves they will
1 call for help and hold position
2 go on the offensive
[roll0]
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
Aya shrugs, hopping back up onto the crate and leveling the crossbow at the staircase. You want to solve this alone? Come on, then, and welcome. Save me the trouble of hunting you.
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Move to F7 (Jump to hop up, if required: [roll0]). Ready action to shoot the first sailor down the stairs.
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
Magnus
Magnus's action, when appropriate (any can read):Spoiler
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On his turn Magnus will drop his warhammer, move to the top of the stairs, and ready an action to use maneuver: (Leading the Attack) on the first armed foe to enter his reach.
Prior to readying an action, he'll chuckle, and say: "I don't need a weapon to put you miserable curs on the ground. Which of you is to be first?"
Magnus's Turn at a glance:Spoiler
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Began at: B8
Moved to: C6 (on stairs)
Current HP: 31/31 (10 nonlethal damage)
Current DR: 6/magic (astral vambraces, 2 essentia)
Current Stance: Martial Spirit
Melds Shaped: Incarnate Weapon (1 essentia), Astral Vambraces (Expanded, 2 essentia), Therapeutic Mantle (1 essentia)
Armed with: Fists
Readied action: Use Maneuver: Leading the Attack: First foe in reach
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
Mirielle swears at having been caught. She spends several seconds swearing, actually, and manages to invoke the names of at least seven dead gods.
As she curses, she draws divine energy into her body. Just as she feels about to burst, she touches Jorran on the shoulder and the two of them explode in a dazzling light. When it recedes, Jorran is covered in an undulating field of light and Mirielle wears a shimmering suit of armor.
She then hustles to stand next to Magnus and echoes his challenge to the sailors. "Aye. If you'd left me my mace you'd be standing before the Judge of the Damned as soon as you could breathe. Now you get two breaths." She tries to look fearsome, something she's had little practice at. Her armor, she decides, helps on that front, but her disheveled hair and spectacles most certainly do not.
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DMM Quickened shield of faith on Jorran (+2 deflection AC), luminous armor on self (+5 armor AC, -4 to opponents' melee attacks, light as daylight), move from D9 to D5.
Knowledge (Local) for Knowledge Devotion: [roll0]
+2 to attacks and damage
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
"Give your boss a welcome in hell, willya?" Jorran yells after the guard. Then he hustled over to pick up the woodaxe. It was quite awkward to wield, especially when handcuffed, but it was still a weapon. Then he got up the stairs, accepting Mirielle's spell.
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I don't know the location of the woodaxe, and I'm not sure where I would've started the turn, but I doubt it much matters, given my 40ft speed. End at D6 anyway. Start at 9B or something? Also, if someone or something tries to attack Jorran during the next round, he will activate Ferocity before it hits (Immediate action). If not, I'm activating it anyway on my next turn.
AC (after Ferocity): 15
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
Keeva, with no suitable weapon at hand and a fight in sight, decides to don one of the thick coats to at least have some measure of protection before joining the melee.
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Party Status:
Aya F7
Jorran C6(acted first so I give him the spot both wanted)
Keeva C10
Magnus D6
Mirielle D5
When Jorran and Magnus took the stairs, one of the sailors charged at the latter with a shortsword, only to be reprimanded by their leader before his blade even connected. "You fool, Tirosh said small blades don't work on that one!"
The halfling, ignoring the small throwing knife in his hand, instead drew an alchemist fire and tossed it at Magnus, showering enemy and ally with flaming liquid.
Their heavily armored leader jumped down to the lower half of the stairs and tried to bring Magnus off his feet by wrapping the chain of his twohanded flail around his leg and then pulling back.
The last two, one of which was a halfelf on closer inspection, went to the left of the stairs to attack Jorran with cutlass and a pair of punching daggers. The halfblood went through an exposed position to strike Jorran from a spot he couldn't well defend against.
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Sailor 1: move to E4(top), attack Magnus
[roll0] [roll1]
Sailor 2: move to C5(top), attack Magnus
[roll2] [roll3] 2 splash to Jorran and sailor 1 if hit
Sailor 3: move to D7(bottom), Improved Trip on Magnus
[roll4] [roll5]
[roll6] [roll7] PA for 2
Sailor 4: move to B3(top), attack Jorran
[roll8] [roll9]
Sailor 5: move to C2. Tumble DC 25 or eat AoO from Jorran [roll10]
[roll11] [roll12] [roll13]
Party's turn
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
"Heh. Never lock your enemies in with your trade goods." Snapping a bolt into the leader's leg as he jumps down the stairs, Aya flicks the lever and repositions, sending another two quick shots at his body as he grapples with Magnus, although the weapon's unfamiliar recoil throws off her aim.
Grumbling, she adds "And if you don't tell me where you hid my bow, I'll not bother stopping you from bleeding to death after we fill you with holes."
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Readied shot at Sailor 3: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
On Aya's turn, 5ft step to F8 and Rapid Shot at the same one.
Attack 1: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]
Attack 2: [roll4]
Damage: [roll5]
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
"Or even worse," Mirielle says, dashing around the stairs, "she'll have me do it. And I have a lot more experience embalming bodies than treating injuries." That's scary, right? I think that was scary.
She awkwardly swings at the leader's legs with the poker. Her blow just bounces off his armor, but hopefully it at least distracts him so Magnus and Jorran can take care of him.
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Move to E7, attack Sailor 3.
Attack (including non-proficiency penalty): [roll0]
Damage (wielding two-handed): [roll1]
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
Jorran snarled. It was Luskan all over again. He was poorly armed and unarmored. They were armed professionals.
They were all going to die.
The flask broke next to him, spraying him with flaming chemicals. He was past caring. He evaded the sailor's attack in his frenzy, swinging wildly at the other sailor trying to move past him, instinctively recognizing the opening. Then, without even pausing to see if the sailor was hurt, he hacked at him a second time.
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Both attacks directed at Jorran miss. Take one point from the alchemist fire. Jorran activates ferocity when sailor 4 tries to attack him.
AoO (at sailor 5): [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Then he attacks sailor 5 a second time on his own turn.
Attack: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]
Attack bonus sucks right now. Aren't handcuffs and improvised weapons great?
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
Keeva, an idea sparking, moves fast, hauling herself around the fight at the stairs, so she's behind it all.
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Double move action to move to C2.
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Re: Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC
Magnus feels the sting of the alchemist's fire, and looks, shocked, at the sailor. "Your life depends on the WOODEN ship you stand upon, and you start lighting fires!? Are you daft!? After all the effort to take to keep us alive, you try to kill us all?"
Magnus feels the goes down to the trip attack, grunting. No sooner does he hit the deck, however, than his warhammer skitters across the deck, flying to Magnus's waiting hand. Magnus smiles a predatory grin, standing up, and swings at the heavily armored tripper, after gripping his hammer firmly in two hands.
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Crusader Strike
Attack: [roll0] (+1 essentia, +1 furious counterstrike, +1 higher ground, -1 Stone power)
Damage: [roll1]
If hit:
Healing: [roll2] At Jorran
End of round, I have my last maneuver granted me. Alchemist's fire damage absorbed into 2 Temp HP from Stone Power.