Carbonus (IC)

[Wertible]

Wandering west for days in search of some place to explore or someone in need, you finally find yourself once again somewhere near civilization.

Your clothes practically sticking to you with sweat, you arrive at a trading post on the edge of Anauroch. It's just past midday, and the sun is hot as hell. There's only two buildings in town. The one to the left of the path seems to be a wooden structure of modest design. It has a single door on the front and a barely readable faded wood sign reading "Thorim Venture Capitalists." The one to the right looks a bit more upscale. A dark wooden door seperates out from in, and deep green glass windows set in wood stand on either side. The sign states, in freshly carved wood, "The East End."

[Whiplord]

Ptalem slogs into the small town, if it can even be called that. At least it's civilization. Ptalem is used to the desert. It's very power and ancestry runs through his veins, and he has spent years of his life in environments much like this one.

With that in mind though, hot is still hot. And Anauroch certainly qualifies as that. In fact, his visit here has been almost downright depressingly useless. Endless hot walks through wastes of sand, something which he normally enjoyed. But for all the time he had spent here, he had found absolutely nothing in his search for knowledge.

The one thing that might be considered a redeeming factor of the journey was his meeting of Simon, his rather erstwhile travelling companion. It had been a very long time since Ptalem had traveled any way but alone, but he had to admit it made a rather nice change. Even if the man had some rather aggravatingly upright morals.

Walking into the center of the "town," Ptalem looks between the two buildings, and raises an eyebrow, turning to Simon. "Well, with such staggering choices, I find myself entirely unsure which way to turn. I do believe the..." Ptalem peered closer at the sign on the nicer looking establishment, "The East End, looks more promising."

[Plasma Snake]

Simon nods his head in agreement, "Indeed. I also have an irrational dislike of capitalists, the East End it is" he says striding towards the inn.

[Whiplord]

"Well then." With a toss of his shoulders to resituate his cloak, Ptalem opens the door to the East End, and steps inside.

[Wertible]

The door opens into commons. Lit by a glow of green light coming through the thick windows, A spattering of three tables set with wooden utensils sit in the center of the establishment. Off to one side, you notice two doors at the far end of a wooden counter. A man cleaning a mug sits behind the counter, eying you with deep brown eyes as you come in. He is dressed in dusty work clothes, and his short blond hair blows in the brief wind that the open door produces.

"Gentlemen! Come in, come in, have a seat anywhere you'd like. I will retrieve lunch for two at once!"

With that, he makes for the nearer of the two doors on the far end of the bar.

[Plasma Snake]

The monk gives a curt nod to the bartender and sits down at the closest stool.

[Whiplord]

With a sigh of relief, Ptalem swings off his cloak and makes for the nearest table. "Lunch sounds perfect. Thank you."

[Wertible]

As you pass the couple minutes before the man returns, you notice why the lighting in the place is diminished to green light. It seems to filter out some of the heat of the sun's rays, leaving the inside of The East End somewhat cooler than the harsh desert outside. As you realize this, the man returns, carrying a large wooden platter to your seats. Setting thin, sizzling slices of meat onto your plates, he bows.

"Lunch is beef cutlets, pan fried and topped with my secret blend of spices. To accompany it..."

He rushes over to the bar quickly, retrieving two mugs.

"Would you prefer water this early in the day? Or would you like to indulge in some ale?"

[Plasma Snake]

"Water please" Simon grunts out before digging into the food. His ring may keep him from starving or dehydration but that doesn't stop the habitual craving for the taste of a warm meal.

[Whiplord]

Ptalem's mouth begins watering at the sight and smell of food. It had been quite awhile since he had had anything besides trail rations or the occasional stringy desert animal.

With more attention devoted to the food in front of him, Ptalem replies offhandledly, "Ale please," before taking a large bite of the meat. A pleased exhalation of breath. Without looking up, and in between bites, he addresses the innkeep. "Where did you get beef out here?"

[Wertible]

The meat is well cooked and juicy, a trait which is only complimented by the slight heat the spices on the crust bring to the flavor. The man seems to have some skill in cooking to go along with his ability as a host.

Filling each glass behind the counter, the man returns promptly and sets them in front of each of you. In response to Ptalem's question, he grins.

"They come from a village that hunts them in Cormanthor. They're slightly gamey, but it's the best I can do out here for good meat."

[Whiplord]

"You'll hear no complaints from me. Better than anything I've had in weeks." Finishing off the last of the meal, Ptalem takes a deep swig of the ale, before speaking again. "Tell me, do you have rooms that you let out? I have a mind to rest here for a bit if I can."

[Wertible]

Allowing you to finish your last bites, the man immediately leans over to take the dirty plate away. Carrying it to the counter, he answers your question.

"I have my lodgings, my kitchen, and one guest room. The guest room is, unfortunately, very simple. Just a bed and four walls. I can most certainly rent that out to you if you'd like."

[Whiplord]

Ptalem turns to look at Simon. "Yes. If that is agreeable with my companion...?" He trails off, waiting for a reply.

[Plasma Snake]

Downing his meal in record time then downing the water in a single gulp, Simon looks to Ptalem. "You can have the bed. I don't need much sleep."

[Whiplord]

"Very well, we'll take the guest room then." Ptalem reaches for the pouch at his waist. "How much do we owe you?"

[Wertible]

"Excellent, it's through the far door at the end of the bar, and through the left door past that. Feel free to use the lodgings as you wish when the time comes. But, after all, it's only the afternoon, you've got plenty of time until then. As for the price, if it's not too unreasonable, one gold for the food and housing for the night."

Scooping up Simon's plate and your drinks, he backs away again to the counter, placing the plate there. He refreshes your drinks and returns promptly, setting them before you.

"If you'll pardon my curiosity gentlemen, what exactly are you doing here in Anauroch anyway? Is there some sort of reason you're sweating it out in the desert?"

[Plasma Snake]

Simon eyes the barkeep suspiciously for a split second. It was probably honest curiosity but as his Shadowspeaker always said, even the brightest looking lights can cast long shadows. Shaking away his paranoia the monk responds,

"Your curiosity is forgiven. I am simply a humble wanderer who knows his way around, escorting my companion through the desert."

[Wertible]

The barkeep, noting that it was only an hour past midday when the guests arrived, briefly discussed with them the nature of the building across the road and its proprietor, Thorim. The two agreed to check on the old man and see if he had anything worth buying, but, to their surprise, it seemed that he was only truly interested in buying himself. The two left the old man with instruction to look for books on The Nine Hells and the history of Anauroch before taking themselves back to the bar to look at their room.

The room is a simple affair, as the barkeep had described. Only truly four wooden walls, a small end table, and a twin size bed. It appears to be comfortable enough though, stuffed with some sort of feather, and should serve its purposes. Simon heads quickly to sleep, enjoying a couple hours of rest while Ptalem watches over him. Shortly following, the two swap, and Ptalem slips into the bed.

About two hours after Ptalem heads to sleep, Simon hears sounds of disturbance in the bar accompanied by hushed whispers. Focusing his mind on the soft words, he is able to discern the conversation.

"There isn't a chance they'd be awake now. It's the damn middle of the night."

"Better safe than sorry though, we should check on them before we enter."

With that, Simon hears the opening of a door in the outside hall and the two sets of footsteps as they enter the antechamber.

[Plasma Snake]

Simon moves silently towards the door and hides right next to it, listening for the footsteps to come closer. When those buffoons open this door even a crack, he thinks, I'll put them to sleep like most people should be at this time of night.

Spoiler

Show

Moves silently to the door, listens for them to get close. Assumes child of shadow stance.
Readies action: flurry of blows (nonlethal) for when they open the door.

Move Silently - (1d20+20)[31]

[Wertible]

You hear what sounds like hushed spellcasting from one of the men you heard earlier, and, after that, silence.

[Plasma Snake]

Hearing the spellcasting, Simon knows he can't afford to wait. The the monk bursts out of the room ready to take on the intruders.

[Wertible]

Bursting through the door, Simon sees two men standing cloaked in the middle of the dark. The one on the left appears to be just under six feet tall, and wears a solid gray robe that obscures most of his features, while the one on the right stands about as tall as Simon, wearing a dark green robe with silver patterns webbed in the design.

Both the men seem taken aback by Simon's sudden entrance, he clearly has the benefit of surprise.

Spoiler

Show

Simon rolls init, Ptalem is woken up by the door slamming, but does not act for the surprise round. He can roll now if he wants.

[Whiplord]

Ptalem starts awake at the loud noise, and puts years of experience into making sure he can react as soon as he can. He knows he can't get on his armor in time, so for starters, he simply tries to get out of bed.

Spoiler

Show

Init - (1d20+10)[24]

[Plasma Snake]

On instinct, the monk grabs at the closest of the two. Using the suprise to his advantage, he initiates a Comet Throw to take out two birds with one stone, so to speak.

Spoiler

Show

Initiates comet throw. Make a touch attack, if succeed then a trip attempt+4 (as if I had improved trip). If I succeed at that I throw him up to ten feet and he falls prone, taking 4d6 damage. I can (and will) throw him at another target who can make a reflex save (DC=19) to halve the damage and remain standing

Throwing closest man at the other man.

Init - (1d20+5)[9]
Touch Attack - (1d20+19)[24]
Trip Attempt - (1d20+9)[17]
Damage - (4d6)[10]

[Wertible]

With expert grace, Simon quickly darts in and grabs the man dressed in gray. Picking him up (though he struggles), he tosses him heavily into the man in green. The green cloaked man braces himself before the impact but still falls to the floor, the gray cloaked man rolls past into the common room, landing in a sprawl.

Ptalem rushes to a start, clearing his head as he moves out of bed.

Spoiler

Show

Init is (for convenience):

Ptalem
Man 1
Man 2
Simon

[Whiplord]

Swinging his legs out of bed, Ptalem quickly assesses the situation. Two attackers, presumably surprised by Simon right outside the door. The other man seemed to be trying to employ non-fatal techniques. Ptalem supposed he should probably do the same, if only for the fact that most of his fatal spells would also be fatal to his surroundings. And he had no reason to destroy the Inn. Yet, of course.

He gave a grimace as all of this registered. He didn't have much in the way of non-destructive spells. It simply didn't fall within his natural sphere of talent. Well. Perhaps Simon could handle things on his own. He would step in if he was needed.

Spoiler

Show

Ready action to cast magic missile if it looks like fight is going against Simon. Three missiles at whoever is doing the most damage, two at the other.
Magic Missile 1 - (1d4+4)[8]
Magic Missile 2 - (1d4+4)[5]
Magic Missile 3 - (1d4+4)[6]
Magic Missile 4 - (1d4+4)[8]
Magic Missile 5 - (1d4+4)[5]

[Plasma Snake]

Before the men have a chance to rise, Simon pounces on the man in green and unleashes a flurry of blows to ensure that he stays down.

Spoiler

Show

flurry of blows non-lethal
Attack 1 - (1d20+19)[26]
Attack 2 - (1d20+19)[38]
Attack 3 - (1d20+19)[27]
Attack 4 - (1d20+14)[32]
Attack 5 - (1d20+9)[28]
Damage 1 - (2d10+7)[15]
Damage 2 - (2d10+7)[22]
Damage 3 - (2d10+7)[26]
Damage 4 - (2d10+7)[11]
Damage 5 - (2d10+7)[17]

[Wertible]

As Ptalem stands at the ready in the bedroom, able to somehow glean that there are two attackers that Simon has engaged from the small audio and visual cues he is given and that he should be wary of killing these two attackers unless it's absolutely necessary. He prepares himself to intervene at the very moment that Simon seems in danger.

Meanwhile, stumbling up, the man dressed in green tries to get his bearings, only to be smacked in the stomach by Simon's fist. Using that as a starting point, Simon strikes the side of the man's head, his temple, his groin, and his left arm in several quick strikes from his fists and follows it up with a knee to the already damaged gut, dragging the man from awareness to unconscious sleep as he hits the floor.

The gray man, who stood up outside of Simon's sight, notices the toll Simon has taken on his partner and casts some sort of spell before turning to run.

[Whiplord]

Looking through the wide open door at his clear view of the fight and its circumstances, Ptalem breathes a sigh of relief as it's clear no intervention will be necessary, as Simon had the fight well in hand.