Shackled City

[OmnipotentBeing]

In general, life in Cauldron is good. The town guard deals with local troublemakers but leaves the bigger problems (like marauding monsters) to the lord mayor or one of the many churches in town. Both the lord mayor and the priests of Cauldron periodically hire adventurers to deal with such problems directly.

Townsfolk are generally pleased with the lord mayor, although a recent string of disappearances and robberies worries them. People have been taken from their homes during the night, and the town guard has been unable to identify the culprits or locate the vanished citizens. Moreover, the victims’ homes were stripped of portable valuables. It seems that no place is secure.

The recent disappearance of four children from the Lantern Street Orphanage has outraged many locals and prompted a distraught cleric of St. Cuthbert to use a holy relic in her church to cast a divination spell. The spell has revealed several important clues, which the cleric has been unable to piece together.

The guards are hard pressed to give answers about what they've found either. "People have been kidnapped from every district. The crimes aren't localized," one will say, while another says, "the victims are mostly low to middle class." The crimes are done exclusively at night, specifically when it's overcast or the moon is new. The perpetrators pick the locks of the victim's dwellingsOnce inside they what they can and then vacate as fast as they can. Of course this leads to everyone expecting the Last Laugh or the Alleybashers (local gangs) of the wrong doing, but no one can pin it on them. The kidnapped apparently do not struggle or scream for help. So far that's the only leads anyone has.

Which leads us to now. A wretched drizzle falls from the ash-gray sky. The crowded, rain-slicked buildings seem especially bleak and frightful this evening, hunched together beneath the gloomy skies. A few lights burn in their windows, but mostly their shutters have been closed for the night. The scent of chimney smoke fills the air, and the din of water trundles from the rooftops, splashing into dark alleys and turning street gutters into rivulets.

A sudden, plaintive cry for help from a nearby alley splits the evening air! If anyone draws close to the alleyway they are met by a lookout in face paint, half black half white with a stylized grin. "Stay back," he warns, "this ain't got nothin to do with you." In the alleyway you see two more painted individuals assaulting a third man in a robe. "Stay away from the orphanage, you got that that?!"

[argentyew]

Kolbi is walking down the street when he hears the communication. He looks at the man that just spoke to him.
"Three assailants upon on victim in a dark alley. Now this just isn't fair." Kolbi draws his sword
"Now as I see it we could fight and if we did that would cause quite a bit of noise and commotion. Which would bring the guard here very quickly."
Kolbi looks at the man giving his words a second to sink in to the painted man.
"Leave them alone and go and you will not have to worry about fighting me and the guard."

[Spoiler -intimate check]
(1d20+3)[5]
Intimidate check
[/spoiler]

[wkwkwkwk1]

Taking a walk through the Ash Avenue, Ferny sees a man talking to someone in an alley, with a drawn sword. Ferny pats Snarltooth in the back of the head and takes her sickle from her belk, keeping it hidden under her clothes.

"Mayhap you could tell me what in the nine hells is going on?" Ferny asks, mustering all her courage.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Oooops, forgot to make Snarltooth's (my wolf Animal Companion) character sheet
Anyway, here are the stats:
STR:13
DEX:15
CON:15
INT:2
WIS:12
CHA:6

Skills:
Hide: +2
Listen: +3
Move Silently: +3
Spot: +3
Survival: +1 (+4 when tracking by scent)

Feats:
Track
Weapon Focus (Bite)
Link
Share Spells

Animal Tricks:
Attack
Attack II
Come
Defend
Down
Heel
Work

[HappyMooCow]

A man with a white clay mask and in all black appears.

I say nothing as I approach. If the man tells me to stay back... I draw my halberd and attempt to trip him. Initiative?

Life or death, choices we make. Surrender.

[nolongerchaos]

Ryton notes the commotion while across the street, he comes to a halt to assess the situation before deciding to take action.

Spoiler

Show

Ryton notes the man's robes and attempts to identify, hoping for some clue as to who the victim is, spot check if necessary.
[roll0]
In any case, Ryton readies an action to cast Cause Fear on any of the men with painted faces should they approach him.

[argentyew]

Kolbi hears the voice behind him. While keeping his eyes upon the men he states.it seems that these interesting gentleman here have a certain interest with praying upon those that can not defend themselves and orphans. Kolbi says coldly.
I was just informing them that they should leave before trouble starts.

[HappyMooCow]

Initiative?

Hei glances at Kolbi while swinging his halberd at the man.

Edit: not sure how events unfolded... next chance I get to say something

I bathe in blood to return children to safety

~ Hei goes silent after this.

[HappyMooCow]

(d20)[5] +2

Initiative check

[HappyMooCow]

If drawing my halberd does not start combat. I attacked while saying what I said... so if I do get a trip off... here is that roll in case

(d20)[18] +2 touch for trip +1ba

(d20)[12] trip check if touch success +4 feat +2 str +1ba

Edit: forgot to add +1ba

[HappyMooCow]

If trip success... I will subdue... because the guy next to me seems like he will be hostile if I kill.

(d20)[14] +2str +1 ba -4 subdue +4 prone (this attack is if my trip was success, improved trip feat).

I think I can roll in advance right? Assuming it is just me and him?

[argentyew]

Kolbi sees the man swing his halberd and sighs.
I had hoped to avoid bloodshed but seems that it is unavailable now.
He looks at the men in front of him.

(1d20+2)[11] Initiative check

[Fearan]

Attracted by the fight, beginning to take shape, Almond poked his curious nose in the backalley - the fancy-clad blonde was holding a bag of groceries in his hand, not even bothering to draw his heavy cavalry saber. He hadn't a good fight for a while with his relatively peaceful job in Cauldron - and a man needs one of those just to keep rust away.
- Heya! Please, mind me, when you'll start removing witnesses - the city became boring lately

Spoiler: OOC:

Show

Attempting to identify the particular gang in question - and the mysterious masked man as well
Kn: Local (1d20+4)[6] - meh. Still, +1 for Kn.Devotion
Initiative (1d20+2)[12]

[nolongerchaos]

Ryton raises an eyebrow, taken aback by the immediate jump to violence within the city. He still takes no action beyond being prepared to cast Cause Fear.

Initiative: (1d20+2)[21]

[OmnipotentBeing]

The guard queisks an eyebbrow and sneers, putting a hand behind his back as Kolbi tries to be threatening. His attention is alerted to five more people and an animal approaching. He quickly draws a dagger as he sees the halberd swung! though its no help as he's felled to the ground. He lets out a warning shout to the other thugs in the alleyway. they notice the large group and draw their daggers defensively. "This ain't got nothin to do with you," one shouts.

As Ryton studies the beating in the alleyway he notices the man in the robe is wearing a necklace with a large unmistakable holy symbol of St Cuthbert on it.

Spoiler

Show

Ryton needs to make a Spot check as he actually studied the alleyway.

The alleyway is 10 foot wide and 60 foot long. thug 1 is tripped just outside of it, the robed individual is 15 feet in on the left side. thug 2 and 3 are 20 feet in, daggers drawn and defensive. the buildings surrounding the alley are 20 feet high.

If this turns into combat

Ryton 21
Almond 12
Kolbi 11
Three Thugs 10
Hei 5

HappyMooCow, can you keep posts like those to one? Thanks.

[argentyew]

Kolbi looks at the painted guard as his lifeless body hits the man before turning to the other men.
gentlemen come now you must know that assaulting a defenseless cleric is no fun. blood has already been spilt this night. Tell us why you are even threatening a poor man of the cloth anyway? It might save your life.

Kolbi looks around the alley as he is speaking trying to gain any information from the scene.

Spoiler

Show

(1d20+3)[17] diplomacy check to try and get some information from them
(1d20+1)[20] search check
(1d20)[2] spot check if needed

[DrK]

Igor wandered down the street, clad in armour shield on his back as he prepared for his shift on watch at Temple. Lost in thought as he considered the teachings of the day. The morality of when to extend ones life and when such behaviour offended his mistress was confusing.

The commotion and clash of steel and shouts distract him as he looks across the road. Seeing Ryton, a necromancer he has met in passing he takes little action save from drawing the morningstar star at his side and sling his shield Hail Ryton - what happens here this night? Shall I fetch the watch?

Spoiler: actions

Show

Imitative (1d20+1)[18]
Draw morning star
Draw shield

[nolongerchaos]

In response to recognizing the starburst of St. Cuthbert, Ryton will change the trigger of his delayed action to casting Cause Fear if any of the painted men attempt to harm or move the victim

Spoiler

Show

Not sure what happened to my earlier spot check, I think it was due to me replying from my phone, which has trouble parsing rolls.
Spot: (1d20)[12]

Well met, Igor.
There appeared to be an assault of some sort occurring in the alleyway, though now it appears the assailants are themselves being assailed. Perhaps the watch might indeed be able to straighten things out.

[HappyMooCow]

Seeing daggers drawn by the thugs and a small crowd surrounding him, Hei fights with extreme prejudice and attacks to deal lethal weapon damage.
hit
(d20)[16] +1+2 +4 prone.
if hit dmg
(1d10)[6] +3

~
Surrender or we go to the Abyss.

In Abyssal I say, Time to feed.

[wkwkwkwk1]

Ferny readies an action to cast Produce Flame on the thug closest to the cleric.

Spoiler: Initiative

Show

(1d20+2)[14]

[wkwkwkwk1]

... if they make any move other than for surrender or parley.

Spoiler: Initiative Roll correction

Show

Forgot to add the +4 from Improved Initiative, so that makes it an 18 for initiative.

[HappyMooCow]

....

I am going to assume everyone is passing on their turns. I continue to stabby mc stab

[HappyMooCow]

(1d20)[6] +? is he prone?
(1d10)[6]

The guy stand up yet? I get an AoP?

[HappyMooCow]

This game dead?