WFRP: The First Ember

[Unbeknownst]

You awake in you rooms at the Turnpike Tavern, a small tavern/inn at the border of Middenland and Nordland. It is around a week of walking west from Middenheim, and happens to be the only Tavern on the way to the small town of Deinste, or Bokel if you're coming the other way. Each about a days walk from the Inn. The rooms are quite nice, and moderately furnished, most with two or three beds. There's even a bathroom at the far north of the Inn, upstairs with the rooms of course.

Now, as to why you have woken, you are not quite sure yet. At first, you might think it was the smell of the smoke, perhaps even the song of flames cackling madly and dancing through your ears.

But through all that you realize what is was that has woken you: The screams of the dying.

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OOC: You smell smoke, hear something burning, and can hear people screaming in agony. Otherwise, not a clue.
Rooms set up as such:
[Bathhouse]
[Kasper (Thragka)] | [Silma (Aneurin)]
[Durak (LCP);Rudiger (RossN)] | []
[] | [Karl (Drk); Felix (drum-n-bass)]
[] | []
[Stairs Down]

It's basic, but I figure you get the picture. Bathhouse at the North, then it goes to the room [], the hallway |, and the next room []. If you're in a [], you're in that room and sharing it if there is more that one of you in there.

I took liberty and figured the Roadwardens would be on good terms, and that Durak and Rudiger are armsmen for Kasper, hired to keep him safe on his Tax Path. The rest you can figure out in OOC, I just wanted to get this baby up.

[DrK]

Ulrics frozen balls Karl curses as he slides out of bed, the leather jack and trous the only thing on him. Grabbing his pistol and sword he looks at his fellow road warden. come on. Let's head down

[RossN]

Rudi awakens with a start, still feeling the aftermath of a lot of Bretonnian wine the night before. Muttering an impressive oath learned from a fair featured and foul tempered Kislevite barmaid he'd known the former marine reaches for trousers and shirt. He moves quicker and grabs for sword and bow as the sound of screaming reaches him.

"Durak! The inn is on fire!"

[Thragka]

Kaspar honestly thinks it's a nightmare - for a feverish few seconds, he simply curls up in the bed, hoping that the foetal position will dispel the terrors of the siege. It's not the first time he has dreamed of Middenheim - the smoke, the fire, the screaming. This one too shall pass.

Memory trickles back, though, of a hurried leave-taking, a week on the road and the evening before, when he stopped at the tavern and decided to spend the night with the assortment of travelers within. Which meant that this was no dream.

"No," he murmurs, panicking as true wakefulness floods his mind and body. "The siege is over," he protests weakly, but such complaints sound as pathetic as they truly are. If the gods are listening, they will not care for such pitiful mewling.

Kaspar forces himself out of bed, grabbing his pack and hurtling out into the corridor. He begins knocking frantically on the nearby doors.

"We've got to get out!"

[LCP]

Durak sat bolt upright in his straw pallet, eyes blinking open. Swinging his legs over the side, the dwarf dropped a couple of inches to the floorboards. He seemed utterly unconcerned.

"Best we find the fop," he said, pulling his mail coat over his head. The armour dropped into place with a jingle of chain links. "Don't want our meal ticket burnin' to death."

Grabbing his axe from where it lay by the bedside, he slung his shield over one shoulder and stomped over to the door. It seemed he had gone to sleep with his boots still on. He opened the door with a forceful kick.

"SCHWARZ!" he bellowed. "STILL BREATHING?"

[drum-n-bass]

Felix awoke to the screams of the dying. He rubbed at his eyes and looked around to see Karl suiting up. Felix sleeps in most of his gear, as not to lose it like his ol' dad said, so he throws on his armor and pack and tells Karl Let's go see what the ruckus is about then. and heads downstairs.

[Aneurin]

Silma

She's back in Karak Norn. Yes.

She's in the forge. Yes.

The blacksmith is hitting her head with a hammer. Oh, Grimnir, yes.

That fifteenth ale was a mistake. Oh, yes, yes, yes.


Silma opens her eyes blearily. It takes a moment to adjust to the fact that the screams are not hers. She slowly pushes herself in to a sitting position and takes stock of the room. A fairly standard tavern, a locker with her things. Her boots somewhere by the door, and she's still wearing her clothes. Great.

Something prods at her conscious mind. Oh, the screaming. Right. Ought to do something about that. Stumbling out of bed, she grabs her boots and her blunderbuss. A quick glance at the pan reveals it's still loaded. She briefly wonders how long it's been like that - ah well.

She winces as the other patrons start shouting outside her door as she pulls her boots on. Her finger twitches on the trigger guard for a moment; but blowing away the door would probably get her thrown out. Instead she contents herself with slamming open the shutters to see what's going on, wincing once more at the sound.

Gods-cursed hangovers.

[Thragka]

"SCHWARZ!" he bellowed. "STILL BREATHING?"

"For now!" Kaspar yelled back - the attempt at humour came off as something like panic. He couldn't remember - were there other people in the inn? He paused at the door nearest the stairs, gave the knob a quick yank to see if it would open, and then followed Karl down the stairs, nearly tripping over his own ankles in his hurry.

[LCP]

"Aye well, keep it up, lad," said Durak, holding his position for the moment. Looking left and right down the corridor, he tried to figure out where the sounds of the fire were coming from.

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Perception check, if necessary: (1d100)[30]

It sounded like people were in trouble. Glancing back over his shoulder at Rudiger so that the human caught the look, Durak unslung his shield and headed in the direction of the screams.

[RossN]

Rudi didn't need to be told twice and slung his bow over his back to bring his scimitar and shield into play. Looking at the exciseman the marine stated: "I'd keep back if I were you boss - there might be trouble. Well, more trouble."

The meal ticket appropriately warned Rudi followed Durak, ready for attack.

[Unbeknownst]

Felix, Karl (Assuming he follows Felix), Thragka, Durak, Rudi:

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As Felix opens the door to the stairs, the door that helps keep the tavern sounds at bay, an axe thumps into the ground, somehow finding a crack and sticking there. Before you is a Beastman, one even more vile looking than the rest, for he is more beast than man. His Ratlike visage frowns as he tries to pull the axe out of the ground, growling in frustration. He has yet to even notice that there are people, if of course those people can get over their shock. (Willpower tests for Fear from Felix, Karl, Thragka and Durak please. Rudi can't quite see what's going on yet.)

Silma:

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It seems that the Inn or in your case, Tavern with a bed, is on fire, from the south if the flickering light is any indication. From where you are, you can see the outline of the Stable, but not much else, perhaps a darting figure here and there? But other than the roof right below your window, nothing else.

[Aneurin]

Silma

Seeing the flames licking at the sides of the building, her eyes widen in horror. Drawing a deep breath she bellows at the top of her lungs.

"FIRE! FIRE!"

Then, in deference to the fact that the inn is on fire, the fact that the inn is full of barrels of spirits and the fact that spirits are highly flamable, she snatches up her pack, lowers her head and charges out of her door, down the stairs and in to the common room, ignoring such trivialities as other people who may be getting in her way.

As she realises that she's toting around a pack of highly volatile gunpowder inside a burning building, she finds extra reserves of speed as she barrels across the common room, knocking tables, chairs and patrons out of her way.

[DrK]

"Beasts! Run!" Karl shouts as he reaches the top of the stairs and sees the scio of chaos below him. Ducking back behind the doorframe at the top of the stairs he cowers behind the wooden frame offering a prayer to sigmar that he lives through this day.

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On my shot test again against fear (1d100)[1]

[RossN]

Impatiently Rudi tries to get into position to see what is going on, though Karl's panicked cry gives him pause. "Keep your wits comrades! Be the foe man or beast well aimed steel solves most problems!"

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Assuming Karl has left enough space Rudi tries to push foward to see better.

[Thragka]

"Ah ... indeed it does, 'comrade'," said Kaspar, pressing himself against the stairwell wall and waving the more heavily-armed folk past. "Why don't you go and give it a taste of cold steel. Or hot lead. Whichever you gentlemen prefer."

[drum-n-bass]

Oh damn. Well this day just keeps getting better and better. Felix says as he tries to quietly close the door and back up carefully to not draw attention to himself. Where do we go from here now men?

[DrK]

As the sounds of battle and screaming from below Karl looks up at the others, the fear receeding from his eyes. "We go up and hide in the loft or we go down and fight. THat is our choice."

While waiting for the others to decide what to do....

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If we are going up and hiding he'll pop into his room and pick up his bag
If we are going down and fighting he'll spend his second half action drawing his pistol

[Thragka]

Kaspar breathed a momentary sigh of relief when Felix swung the door shut, but his gut wrenched at the mention of hiding. He'd already had enough of cowering in burning buildings, waiting for the children of the forest to leave his people be.

"No," he said aloud, surprising himself. "I hid and waited while Middenheim burned. I can't go through that again." He drew his shortsword, holding it at arm's length as if a little worried it would evolve a will of its own and turn on him. He flailed his free hand at the doorknob - grasping it, he yanked it open once more.

"For the White Wolf, and the Empire!" Kaspar was nearly panicking now, his mouth operating independently of common sense and self-preservation. Eyes almost bulging out of his sockets, he started down the stairs.

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If he's got a half action left at this point, he'll move downstairs, but avoid actually closing with the beastman if possible. Otherwise I guess he's just grandstanding.

[Unbeknownst]

Silma:

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Silma runs smack dab into Rudigar, unfortunatly, she did quite have the umph needed to push her way through, smacking into the man then bouncing off.

Rudi:

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Something slams into your back sending you staggering forward a step.

Felix, Karl, Thragka, Durak:

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Felix, realising that closing the door would be near impossible with a beastman trying to pull it's axe out if the floor instead axes it a question, leaving a long gash along the beastman's back. Unfortunately, it is now quite aware it is being attacked.

(1d100)[10](10) v61
(1d10)[3](3)

Karl is still hiding behind the doorframe.

It's Kasper then Durak. Sorry Kaspar, there's still a beast in the doorway.

[RossN]

Rudi stumbles, nearly falling over his own feet. As he manages to keep his balance he turns sword in hand ready to gut whatever hit him.

[LCP]

Durak & friends

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Face darkening like the sky before a storm, Durak lifted his axe and threw himself forwards.

"Khazukan kazakit-ha!"

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Aim, Standard Attack.

ToHit - (1d100)[86] vs. effective WS of 60 - ah, grobi balls
Damage - (1d10+4)[10]

[Unbeknownst]

The Four Fighting:

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The Beastman, eyes blazing with anger gives his axe a hefty tug, trying to pull it free of the wooden floor. (1d100)[74](74) He fails miserably.

As the beastman tugs on his embedded blade, Karl snaps out of the brief scare the beastman's features gave him.

Rudi:

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A Dwarf woman has just rammed you from behind, possibly trying to escape the building. You hear shouts and growling from behind you. Sounds like a pretty one sided fight.

[Aneurin]

Silma

She grunts as she slams in to Rudiger.

"For the love of- Watch where you're going, why don't you?" She says, as she tries to push past him without really looking. At least, until she notices the sounds of fighting from behind him.

"What's going on?" She asks, trying to peer around him.

[DrK]

Karl looks at the assive creature and finds strength in his prayers to sigmar. Levelling the pistol at the beast a scant few metres away he takes careful aim before firing...

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Aim and fire (1d100)[6] TN 50
Damage (1d10+4)[13]

[LCP]

The Four Fighting

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Grunting a curse in the Khazalid tongue when his previous blow failed to connect, Durak pressed forwards, shield raised. His axe hacked out in short, sharp blows, aimed straight at the twisted creature's vitals.

OOC:

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Rolls already in the OOC thread. Just posting this in case you were waiting on it.

[Thragka]

The Four Fighting

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As Durak moved in, Kaspar drew back, thankful for a moment to breathe. The tip of his sword quivered for a moment as the gravity of the situation nearly penetrated the haze of adrenaline. He slashed sideways, trying to keep the blade between himself and the beast.

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Parrying stance and standard attack.
WS 35 (1d100)[48]
Damage (1d10+3)[12]