Trouble at Mount Cerena IC

[Cespenar]

Daen

"You misunderstood. I meant that it wouldn't be a fair match for me," Daen retorts swiftly.

[esorscher]

Thanos

Thanos nodded. He was a bit too drunk to say much of anything else. But when the topic of archery contest was brought up, he began speaking at length.

"Archery contest? I've been in a few of those already. I suppose I could handle myself, even in my current state. In fact, I'd wager that if Nevan and I were to compete tomorrow, before we leave on the train--that would be the best time."

Thanos isn't sure how much of what he said make sense. He too was getting hungry.

[Tormsskull]

OOC

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Nothing odd about the map. It looks pretty straight forward, and looks to be free of damage. It is in good condition.

I'm going to shift the scene now, as it seems like you guys have gone through what you want to.

The rest of night went by quickly, each of the members of the group talking a bit here and there, and at other times silence. Eventually someone mentions that it probably is a good idea for everyone to get a good night sleep before tomorrows journey.

The hobgoblin stayed only a bit more, speaking with the innkeeper shortly and paying off the balance of the night's activities before saying his good byes and leaving the Golden Stag Inn.

The innkeeper mentions that the councilor has even left coin for each to spend the night, and no one turns down a free night. Each of the group went up to find a clean room, stuffed with an abundance of blankets, and small fires in each room's hearth.

The night went by uneventfully.

Morning came sooner than most would have liked, a previous long night does that even to the best. Each member of the group came down and took a provided breakfast before putting their belongings together and heading towards the storad train.

...

The group stands at the station, the mildly unpleasant scent of storad hanging in the air. The station is two miles outside of the capital, enough space that if one of the massive lizards got out of hand it wouldn't be able to cause too much chaos.

A man who is dressed in a uniform of sorts notices the group standing on the on ramp, looking about. He approaches them with a smile.

"Greetings travelers. I've been informed of your destination, and I have the crew prepping the storad now. She's one of the best storads at this station, we've named her beauty."

The train conductor smiles at the group. The ground begins to vibrate in rhytm. Boom. Boom. Boom.

"Here she comes now."

The conductor looks to the south, and a massive lizard can be seen. It plods forward, dragging a dozen or so wagon on wheels behind it. Four men come over to the track, large yellow flags in their hands. As the storad approaches, they wave the flags, and the storad comes to a stop.

"All aboard!"

[OrigamiSamurai]

Noftur

The morning had passed relatively uneventfully. Noftur disappeared for a while and came back leading a large warhorse. A few people on the street looked away in disgust at the sight of Helga nuzzling his broken face outside the Golden Stag.

----

As the man says 'beauty,' Noftur chuckles. As the storad comes to a stop, he looks back to the man and asks him 'None of those are cattle wagons, are they? Helga here's a lot more fond of walking on her own.'

Noftur looks like he already knows the answer to this, but waits patiently for him to reply.

[Toliudar]

Gana

In the morning, Gana emerges from her room looking a little less dusty, but no prettier. She is solemn-faced at the platform.

As the Storad comes to rest, Gana moves towards the wagons, then pauses. She turns and bows towards the conductor.

"Which wagon for orcs, please?"

[HempRope]

Nevan

Nevan is up comparatively early for his breakfast, going out for a stroll around the neighborhood to get some fresh air after he finishes his porridge. He has returned by the time the others are finishing their breakfasts, and quickly retrieves his full pack and weapons.

The woodsman watches Beauty arrive with some mix of skepticism and admiration on his face.

"She's gorgeous," he remarks without inflection to the conductor. He also waits for direction from the man, but doesn't pose any questions.

[Rettu Skcollob]

Adtasi looks upon 'Beauty' with an expressionless face, but although he probably wouldn't admit it even at knife point, the thought of traveling alongside the massive beast scares the living Hell out of him. He'd dressed and eaten quickly, and had resigned himself to the fact that he couldn't put off travel by Storad any longer.

[esorscher]

Thanos

Thanos, his head pounding, manages to focus long enough to hear the conductor. The storad may be called "beauty," but it's still one ugly creation in Thanos's eyes. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and Thanos would rather not behold her.

Speaking of which, while Thanos is unsurprised by Gana's hesitancy to board, he doesn't make any attempts to stop her questions. Social decorum has its place, and while it may not always be good for the individual, it does support the common good.

He rubs his eyes, tired from the drunken slumber, and moves toward a wagon. He doesn't care which one it is; it looks like it holds passengers, and Thanos just wants to sit down.

He does so, inside the wagon. It is a passenger wagon. He shuts his eyes, trying to shake the hangover from his head, and hopes that the train starts soon. A passing cart is stopped, and Thanos speaks quietly, almost mumbling, to the woman behind it.

"Coffee, please."

OOC:

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Let's all sit in the same wagon.

[Cespenar]

Daen

Still retaining his militaristic habits, Daen wakes up with the dawn and spends a fair amount of time walking around the town, tending to his equipment and having breakfast.

He stands in the station, looking serious like always, but doesn't try to hide a snort-like chuckle when hearing the name of the lizard. He's seen storads before, so he's hardly shocked, but rather content that they are making progress at last.

He is shocked however, when he hears Gana's words.

"What?" He turns at her and glances at the conductor. "You are a contracted servant of the Councilor now, and may sit in wherever all the other people sit." While his voice has hints of annoyance, his expression is resolved and absolute.

OOC:

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Okay, what does the customs or culture say about this? As well as other general racial relations, history, etc.

[Toliudar]

Gana

Gana hefts an eyebrow at the polite human man, Dael. There are a lot of questions in that look, but none get past her lips. She smiles, a bit warily, and turns to the conductor for confirmation.

[Tormsskull]

The conductor nods furiously at Daen and Gana, trying to make certain that he would never attempt to segregate the orcish woman. He glances at the heavy arms the group is holding and gulps.

The party is ushered into a passenger wagon, and the conductor says quickly to Noftur. "I'm sorry. We'll have to put your horse into one of the wagons." He motions for some of his assistants to take the horse towards the rear.

OOC note

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I missed an earlier question. All former slaves are much more united in Rhedon than in other places. Some individuals have regressed towards racist thoughts/actions, but for the most part Rhedon is a very accepting place, as long as you're not a kalasti

Adtasi, Noftur, and Thanos only

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The three of you all catch a muffled sound, coming during a moment of relative quiet. It seems to be coming for a wagon behind you.

[Toliudar]

Gana

Nodding gratefully to Daen and the conductor, Gana slips into the front wagon, ducking her head carefully as she goes.

[Rettu Skcollob]

Adtasi gives a short smile to his companions, standing up and preparing to leave the wagon. "Excuse me for a moment, I shall be back before the wagons leave." There was a chance that whoever had made the sound had had an accident or some such. He makes his way to the wagon behind, softly. Once there, he attempts to listen out once again before he decides to return or investigate.

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Move Silently
(1d20+9)[28]

[Tormsskull]

Adtasi only

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Adtasi's feet seem to glide across the ground, disturbing neither stick nor rock, he moves in absolute silence. Getting closer to the wagon that he believes the sound came from, he distinctly hears some quiet voices from inside.

"10 to 1 this guy's a noble. Regular chums don't wear those kind of clothes. How much you think we can ransom him for? 1,000? 2?" Definitely the voice of a goblin, squeaky and slightly guttural.

"Zero if you don't shut up. Look at Giz and Kash over there. Sitting. Quiet. Do the same or I'll make the ransom a three way split."

OOC (everyone can read this)

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Just so everyone knows, these wagons are connected to one another by thick rope, and several thick ropes wrap all of the wagons to the storad. The wagon carts themselves are very large, about fifteen feet long and ten feet wide. Each wagon cart has a door that opens and closes on either side. When the doors are closed, there's no openings to see into the carts. All of the carts have locks on them than can be locked from the inside.

[Rettu Skcollob]

Adtasi is silent, assessing the situation. Abruptly he returns to his companion's wagon, trying to remain silent while near the wagon containing the Goblins. Once he reaches his companions, he opens the door and talks rapidly in a low voice. "The wagon behind us contains some sort of bandits or highwaymen. Goblins. There are four of them. They appear to have taken some kind of Noble hostage. I am going to aid him before they cause him any harm."

I guess now I'll see which ones are mercenaries and which ones are heroes. He thinks silently, as he unstraps and loads his crossbow, and makes sure his rapier is loose in its sheath.

[HempRope]

Dammit, I almost took Goblins as my favorite enemy! And Goblin as a language. :(

Nevan

Nevan looks at Adtasi incredulously. The look passes through simple surprise to interest, then to concern, and finally to worry, when Ad states so simplistically that he is "going to aid" the noble.

"How do you know?" he asks bluntly, instinctively reaching for his weapons as the young man readies his.

[Toliudar]

Gana

The big orc woman rises immediately, her broad face furrowing hugely in confusion. Her voice softens.

How could they get away with such a thing, in the middle of the capital.

She slowly pulls her thick recurved bow off her back and tests its string.

[OrigamiSamurai]

Noftur

A sudden change whips over Noftur. His posture and the look in his good eye are those of a dwarf who is accustomed to giving orders and having them obeyed.

In hushed tones Noftur incredulously asks, 'That's what that noise was?' as he realizes his crossbow is lashed to Helga in the other wagon. He begins a quick appraisal of the lock on the near door of the wagon car while pulling out tools from a hidden compartment in his leather bracers. He spits out, 'I'll get the lock. Nevan, Thanos, be ready with bows. You two,' he says, whipping his head up to Gana and Daen, 'be ready to charge in and break the door down if I can't get it open quickly.' Turning to Adtasi he demands, 'Can you take the other side?'

[Rettu Skcollob]

Adtasi raises an eyebrow as his crossbow 'clicks' into the loaded position. "I know, because they were discussing how much they were going to ransom him for." He watches impassively as the Dwarf belts out orders, but shrugs when he realises they were good orders at least. He fishes in his pack for a small, dark brown stick, and fishes out a box of tindertwigs. He throws the stick and box to the Dwarf. "Here. Light this when you've opened the door, if you want to unlock it. It'll give us some cover, and let one of us get the Noble out of there in case he's harmed in the crossfire."

[esorscher]

Thanos

Thanos draws an arrow from his quiver and notches it in his bow. His heart began beating faster, pumping fresh, pure blood through his system and shaking away any hangover or residual effects from the night before.

The waitress brings him his coffee. "Not now, please," he says quietly, "My hands are a bit full at the moment."

He points the arrow at the door, ready to fire once he sees goblin. "Are we negotiating, or just getting straight to business?" he asks Noftur.

[Cespenar]

Daen

As if waiting for something like this to happen, Daen silently (that is, not without sound, but without speaking) unsheathes his blade and unstraps a large shield from his back. Considering the dwarf's orders for a moment, Daen nods like a good soldier and takes his place across the other door. His silent and reassuring posture almost radiates an aura of confidence around him.

OOC:

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Okay, the last sentence was there to inform you that everyone in 30' radius around Daen gets a +1 to saving throws, while those directly adjacent to him gain a further +1 to AC.

[OrigamiSamurai]

Noftur

After checking the lock on the wagon car they are in to see if he can learn anything about the mechanism that might be helpful in disabling the lock on the other, Noftur takes the smokestick between his teeth. As he does so, he mumbles something to Thanos that sounds like 'dunt in go shih ate wid high wuh men.'

Open Lock Check:

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Open Lock for Competence Bonus(1d20+12)[29] (-1,, open locks modifier +11, not +12)

He checks to make sure everyone is ready and that there are no apparent objections, waits for Adtasi to get into position and then attempts to pick the lock and alert Adtasi if he succeeds.

Move Silently & Open Lock Check:

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Open Lock vs. Wagon Door Lock(1d20+12)[17] (-1,, open locks modifier +11, not +12)
Move Silently(1d20+1)[6]

[Rettu Skcollob]

Adtasi follows Noftur to the door, crouching to the side of the door as he works on the lock, crossbow in one hand. He whispers to the Dwarf. "I'm the quietest one here... I'll get the guy once you've lobbed the smokestick."

[Rettu Skcollob]

[My bad]

Move Silently

(1d20+9)[20]

[OrigamiSamurai]

Noftur

Realization dawns on Noftur's face as he realizes that the plan is not to rush in and kill every goblin face that pokes its head up while rushing in to protect the ambassador, but rather throw in the smokestick, let Adtasi sneak in, and then rush in behind him subduing the goblins.

'Got it. You coming from other side?' He gestures at Adtasi and then toward the back of the hostage wagon, then gestures at the near door to the hostage wagon with a quizzical look.

[Rettu Skcollob]

Adtasi nods. "Other side. Shout something when you noisy folks charge in to draw them to this side. I'll wait till then to grab the guy. Good luck." With that, Adtasi moves around the side of the wagon, laying his crossbow on the floor and taking out his lockpicking tools once there in preparation to enter, assuming the door will be locked.

[Toliudar]

Gana

Spoiler

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Move silently: (1d20+2)[19]. She will be making her own listen check (1d20+5)[18] for further noise from within the wagon.

Gana follows back to the wagon with the goblins. She slides her bow back across her shoulder, and grips her guisarme instead.

"Okay. I'm here to get this door open, if you need it."

She takes position next to Daen.

[HempRope]

Nevan

"Wait," says Nevan as the group swings into action around him. "We don't have to attack if we can just get them out of the wagon..."

Nevan trails off as the others mill about, slearly paying much more attention to Noftur's barking than his attempt to think things through first. But Nevan is entirely unused to working with a group, so just follows the rest out.

"I'll go with you," he whispers to Adtasi.

Creeping around the cart, Nevan stands behind the rogue, notches an arrows to his bow, and angles it up toward the door.

Move Silently - (1d20+8)[9]

[esorscher]

Thanos

"What?" he whispered in response to Noftur's disjointed warning. Don't in go, she ate with high women? What is that supposed to mean? It didn't seem too important, however, as there was much movement and the plan apparently changed.

Thanos moves closer, so that when the door opens, he'll be less than 25 feet away from the goblins. As he stands over the dwarf's back, he realizes what Noftur had said: Don't negotiate with highwaymen. Boy, that was a doozy. Mentally, he readies himself to let loose the notched arrow and then quickly fire a second at the same target, just in case the first one doesn't fell the goblin, as soon as a goblin is in sight.

"Ready when you are," Thanos whispers to Noftur.

[I'm readying an action to use Rapid Shot and Point Blank, once the doors are opened, on the nearest goblin.]

---

* post roll count doesn't match database

[OrigamiSamurai]

Noftur

Noftur nods and proceeds with picking the lock.

OOC:

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I've already done the rolls, so he tries to pick the lock and throw in the smokestick unless someone stops him