[RoS] Soldiers of Fortune (IC)

[Lacco]

Gerric

The man once again opened his eyes, and Gerric could see the flames of rage and maddness inside.

"Village? You fool, I have killed... hundreds. More than you could... he coughed more blood, his life fading quickly... "could imagine. Merchants, caravans. He sent... I harvested. They sold, for money, for jewels, steel. But for me... their screams...fear... all mine... pain... mine." He closed eyes, mumbling words that would haunt even Gerric's dreams.

An abbyss opened in front of Gerric. The man's mad rambling... and then came the worst part.

He opened his eyes again, his eyes focused on Gerric. A whisper, strong enough for Gerric to hear. Fear and awe mixed in the man's mad look.

"Dark Ones. They feasted. On. Their. Souls. Dark..."

The man's eyes stayed open, but he was gone with the last word.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

HT roll: (6d10)[7][4][3][3][9][9](35) TN 13 (first 3 valid, latter for reroll) = 0 successes. He's dead.

---

Kate

Kate's voice was clear and the urgency with which she spoke seemed to wake the boy from his thoughts. He looked at her, and then looked back at the half-orc doing the last service for the old man. A small smile flashed through his lips, and then he raised the staff in front of him and threw it down, as obvious gesture for surrender.

Boy's voice was shaking as he replied.
"I am Richan of Varadinn, son of Arawan. I will talk to you if you promise you will set me free. I want nothing but to leave this place - but not the way you set free old Timon." he gestured towards the old man on the floor. So if you let me go, I swear to not attack any of you.

Kate knew the duchy of Varadinn, she passed through it on her way to Zhendar. While she liked the town, she disliked the citizens - while they spoke about being the most honest people, valuing their promises and swears over anything, she often heard that the Varadinni could betray you as easily as the other person. She thought about his reply in detail, looking for possible loops he could use.

On the other hand, he seemed to be glad for them to stop fighting and did not mind the deaths of his companions.

From above she still heard sounds of fighting and a deep man's voice shouting. "Fight! Die like a man!"

---

Urukubarr

Upon hearing Kate's voice, so clear and calm, and the urgency with which she spoke, he looked up from the old man's body. Her words seemed to wake the boy from his thoughts. He looked at her, and then looked back at Urukubarr praying for the old man. A strange small smile flashed through his lips, and then he raised the staff in front of him and threw it down, as obvious gesture for surrender.

The room seemed a bit lighter, as if the one act of surrender cleared the atmosphere a bit.

Boy's voice was shaking as he replied to Kate.
"I am Richan of Varadinn, son of Arawan. I will talk to you if you promise you will set me free. I want nothing but to leave this place - but not the way you set free old Timon." he gestured towards the old man on the floor. So if you let me go, I swear to not attack any of you. He seemed to be glad for them to stop fighting and did not mind the deaths of his companions.

Urukubarr felt as if a large boulder fell from his heart. He could breathe again, freely - the man wasn't his father. He quickly finished his prayer and looked at the old man. His life took a hard toll on him - he was wrinkled, his body beaten and scarred. However, his face had a strangely peaceful look - as if he found peace in death and could move away from this world.

Urukubarr felt he needed some time to meditate on this, to find the meaning - he was still not completely calm. But this was not the time - he realized he still heard the sounds of fighting from above and also a deep man's voice shouting. "Fight! Die like a man!"
He suddenly remembered why he acted with such haste, why he rushed so much. His friend was in danger. The flames of rage flared once again in his heart.

---

Ruark

The large man with sledgehammer was alone in the kitchen, his companion must have jumped down the hole. For a moment he seemed lost, as if he longed for someone to tell him what to do. The boy, Richan, wouldn't Ruark could hear him surrender - and the man heard it too.

His face red with rage, he shouted "Fight! Die like a man!" towards the hole in the ground. He stopped backing up from Ruark - he already had his back to a wall, but the surrendering of his companion seemed to give him the decision he needed. He raised his hammer, ready to strike.

As Ruark leapt forward to end the fight, so did his opponent - swinging the hammer in wide half-circle, from above his head. Ruark's blade struck first, burying itself deep, right under the collarbone. He heard cracking, and saw the man's look of utter horror as the pain surged through his body. "Aaargh, you swine..." he reeled back, propping himself against the wall, blood gushing from the horribly-looking wound.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

RED die! Vertical swing for 9 dice.
Ruark's cut (10d10)[6][3][1][10][2][3][7][4][10][6](52) TN 6 = 5 successes
Giant's swing (9d10)[7][7][3][6][10][7][2][5][8](55) TN 8 = 2 successes

Ruark's damage: 6 for weapon, 5 for successes:
Giant's resistance: TO 7
Level 4 wound on chest

Giant's damage: 7 for weapon, 2 for successes
Ruark's resistance: TO 5, no helmet
Level 4 wound on head

Who will hit first?
Ruark's REF/ATN (6d10)[9][1][8][5][4][1](28) TN6 = 2 successes
Giant's REF/ATN (3d10)[1][8][3](12) TN8 = 1 success

Ruark hit first.

Second exchange - Ruark has initiative! Your attack?

OOC advice - for these cases I would suggest giving only the initiative, or instructions for cases he throws red also (e.g. simultaneous block & strike to be sure you don't get hit... if you were, he could have smashed your skull in).

Nazir

Nazir nocked the arrow with one smooth motion, but noticed that there were suddenly no targets in his field of vision. The boy on the ladder jumped down and the brawny one moved away from the door, deeper into the kitchen, disappearing from his sight. He caught Ruark entering the kitchen, so he knew which way they moved.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Round 3, Exchange 1
Now to draw and you can shoot. Do you want to follow them into the kitchen?

[Anyr]

The pressure in Kate's mind became considerably lighter. No, she hadn't just orphaned an innocent boy. From the sounds of it, innocence didn't dwell within these walls. She more or less ignored the boy's Richan's promises. Words as empty as the wind. When next she spoke, her voice was colder than before.

"You're in no position to be dictating terms. Surrendering has bought you your life; Nothing more. Your freedom is in our hands. So for your sake, I'd advise-"

She was interrupted by the shout from above. Kate could waste no more time here.

"Gerric, make sure this boy doesn't escape! We're going on ahead!"

So saying, she ran off to support her other comrades.

[Mathis]

Ruark's eyes widened when he saw the hammer fly towards his own fragile skull. He also couldn't shake the feeling that he had let the brute goad him into a foolish attack. Now he was overjoyed that his own blow had stopped the brutes attack in its tracks. He simply pulled back from the exchange, seemingly content to let the brute bleed out, oblivious to everything else going on in the house.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Initiative: I defend this exchange, pacing a little back and forth waiting for the brute to either counter-attack me or do something else. If he does attack I'll defend with a simple block for all of my 4 remaining dice.

[Lacco]

Ruark

The man dropped the sledgehammer on the ground, trying to stop the blood with one hand. He looked around, as if he searched for different weapon - clearly, he would not give up, but at least he wouldn't use the hammer.

Ruark welcomed the break in fight, since it gave him several seconds to breathe - he paced around, weapon in hand, he breathed deep, realizing the tension in his muscles, the fatigue from the excitement he felt during combat, his heartbeat and sweat.

His enemy did not make a move to attack him, but his eyes wander around him, searching for a possible weapon. At last it stopped - on a large meat cleaver, stuck in the board next to him.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Round 2, exchange 2: No attack, he's trying to gain strength (= offset the shock).

HT roll for bleeding: (4d10)[10][10][6][6](32) TN9 = 2 successes; bleeds but does not lose HT. Still alive.

New round, new initiative.

BTW, think about the SA you have - if you are sure about the vengeance being the way you want to go, it would make a good Drive.

---

Nazir

Nazir heard a painful scream, so he stepped to the side, going around the bar to gain better vantage point. Through the door he saw Ruark, pacing around, weapons ready - not harmed, at least from what he saw. Opposite him there stood the brawny man, sledgehammer at his feet, holding with one hand a wound on his chest, near collar bone - but it was visible he was bleeding a lot.

His eyes were wandering around the room, either to find an escape route or a weapon - Nazir did not know which one. But then his eyes stopped - on a large meat cleaver, stuck in a board next to him...

Nazir drew the bowstring, and as it touched his cheek, he was already breathing slowly and deeply, ready to release the flying death...

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Round 2, exchange 2, hope you don't mind the moving - no risk will come out of it, but you can shoot on next exchange if you want.

New round, new dice.
Round 3: exchange 1 - you gain Proficiency in dice to your missile pool.
Question is: white die (aiming) or red die (shoot)?

BTW, consider SA you have - specifically Oath could be applicable.

---

Gerric

"Gerric, make sure this boy doesn't escape! We're going on ahead!"

He heard the words, as if through a veil. He shook the feeling off and looked around the room.

At first he noticed the boy - Kate ran around him, but gave him a good push. The boy stumbled a bit, but he gained his footing.

But the look on his face when he followed Kate with his eyes was one of pure hatred. The look disappeared in a moment, but Gerric was sure this was not going to end with a friendly goodbyes.

He looked around, trying to examine it quickly - and mainly its contents. Most of the barrels were already open - and he assumed empty, but he was sure not all of them were. In the middle of the room stood the barrel with chairs around - and on the barrel, a pack of cards - a game was underway. There were some coins, a small stone and a sausage in the bank.

Behind the barrel was a small sack, the contents unknown - it was closed.

A satchel was hung upon a hook near the door with the ladder.

The boy turned to him, now with a apologetic smile on his face. He tried to ignore Urukubarr and stay out of his way as much as possible.

"Gerric, eh? The girl's in command around here? Or just likes to order people around...?

---

Kate

Kate ran forward, to the ladder. The boy Richan stood in her way, but she did not mind pushing him away a bit - just to let him know that he was still considered an enemy. It wasn't a strong push, just a reminder and warning.

The room was mostly empty save for the ladder, but she noticed a small well near the farther corner on the left, shelves on the wall with mostly empty bottles and few stacks of wood for the fireplace.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Can't really say if you reach the ladder first or second - Urukubarr is faster than you and I will wait for XIII's reply to estimate that. Or - if you want to go any other way, just let me know.

You get 1 SA point - choose either Drive or Conscience - for defusing the situation with Richan. Let me know which one you want to increase.

[Mathis]

Ruark turned out to be a patient man, he continued to pace back and forth watching the man in front of him bleed out. He held his sword low now, almost casually and perpendicular to the ground. He looked like a cat playing with a mouse. He knew that eventually the brute would have to attack or give up or he would bleed out and die. Ruark also knew that he had allies, whatever was going on in the basement had quieted down and he hadn't heard Urrukubarr roar in a death rattle so that would indicate he was still alive. Whoever had survived downstairs and upstairs would come to his aid eventually and this fight would be over.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Ruark will defend until the brute attacks or he is dead because Nazir has released his arrow. When the brute does attack, Ruark defends with Block Open and Strike, 13 dice.

[XIII]

The somber atmosphere diffused quickly when he remembered his purpose, adrenaline flooded his veins again! Urukubarr moves as quickly as he could manage, shoving the boy if need be and moving up the ladder. Going up a ladder into a fight was probably one of the best ways to literally lose your head, but Ruark was up there and the situation was unclear all around. He would do his best to keep his head, so to speak, but there was no other choice here. He prepared to step into a fight.

[Cavir]

Nazir follows Ruark into the kitchen. Bow drawn, he aims at Ruark's foe, ready to release. "Don't move or I'll shoot. Surrender and I can bandage that wound."

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Sorry, had company this week. Tomorrow I'll be back to normal.

Not sure I can ready a shot like that in this game. If he makes a move to attack or get the weapon. I'll shoot, right into the chest. Using Passion (team member under threat) for +2. I don't have any points in the Oath yet but if I do shoot it will be for the quick kill.

[Dienekes]

"Just hundreds? I have you beat then," Gerric said as the man died. I've burned cities. Shouldn't be usin' that as a point in my preference though. And shouldn't be advertisin' that around, not like I've told my companions all that I've done.

Kate gave her order then ran past. So he was just going to stay babysitting while his allies are off killing? That didn't seem right, more like a waste of what little talent he has.

As they ran off the boy spoke.

"Just likes orderin' folk about. Some bastards are born that way, I think, always gotta feel like folk are scramblin' around for their benefit. If they're not idiots some times you just go with what they say." Euric's face swam before his eyes. Now there's a comparison Gerric didn't want to make.

He walked up to the boy and leaned against the wall. After everyone had left he pointed his axe at the boy. "But don't worry about her, none. If I hear too much commotion for that orc to handle, I'm just goin' to cut off your leg and go killin'." He looked around the room once more, seeing if he would get a better look at what's in the barrels. "Don't worry though, I've met a fair few folk who lived long full lives with missin' legs, missin' arms, an' so on. They just usually don't make trouble for awhile after losin' it. And if you die, I'll just tell the girl ya struggled." He shrugged, "Hopefully it won't come to that though. I haven't gone cuttin' into a boy for a few years. Be a shame to start up again."

[Anyr]

Kate advanced to the next room as cautiously as she could without slowing down. She didn't have the luxury of moving slowly.

[Lacco]

Ruark

Ruark more sensed than heard Nazir move into the room. He heard his voice, with the strange soft accent.

"Don't move or I'll shoot. Surrender and I can bandage that wound."

He sounded calm, but there was certain tension in his voice. The brute eyed Ruark for few moments - and when just as he Ruark was turning around, showing his back to his opponent to show him that he is not afraid of his attack, he finally decided - and went for the cleaver.

He was pitifully slow - so Ruark was ready for his attack, his shield ready to receive. He also heard the menacing sound of arrow flying through the air - he hoped Nazir was aiming well.

Nazir aimed well. He hit the brute right above the collarbone - and the arrow stuck into man's meat. A splash of hot blood hit Ruark's shield together with the cleaver, but Ruark was ready - and he struck the weapon with his shield, getting it completely out of line, gaining enough power to strike at the enemy.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Brute's attack: (1d10)[2](2) TN 6 = 0 successes.
Ruark's block open & strike (13d10)[2][10][8][10][6][7][2][6][2][1][5][1][6](66) TN 6 = 7 successes
7 net successes for Ruark.
He gains initiative and has a free attack for 2nd exchange for 7 dice... your attack?

---

Nazir

When Nazir entered the kitchen, he saw that Ruark was in no direct danger - but he seemed to play with the brute, to invite his attack. Each turn he did was longer than the previous one, slower, more open. He seemed to toy with the man, to provoke him.

After he stated his challenge, the man looked at him. To Nazir it seemed that he gained some decisiveness again - he eyed Ruark for few moments - and when just as he Ruark was turning around, taking his sweet time just to show him he could kill him at any time, he finally decided - and went for the cleaver.

It was more a matter of reflex. He was ready for the movement, his aim aligned with his breathing and suddenly the arrow has been released, flying towards his target. He hit him just above the collarbone, at the point where throat meets shoulders - the arrow went deep, and stuck in the tissue. The man wanted to shout, but he had no air left in him and no strength to draw a breath.

At the same moment Ruark smashed his shield against brute's cleaver, pushing it aside, and his sword hand turned into a blur...

And then Nazir noticed a Urukubarr's head emerge from the cellar.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

No problem - I'm glad you're back .

Technically, you should state at the beginning of a round - together with the others - your initiative. Archers are the only ones who throw initiative every exchange .
However, due to him being wounded and slowing down, I would assume you can shoot before he attacks.

Nazir's shot: (6d10)[3][5][4][1][10][10](33) TN7 = 2 successes
Hit zone (if applicable) (2d6)[1][1](2) = head
Hit location (1d6)[2](2) = throat
Damage: 7 + 2
Damage resistance: TO 7
Level 2 wound: BL 6, S 7, P 6-WP

---

Urukubarr

Urukubarr ran as his long legs allowed him - he overtook Kate just after she cautiously entered the next room - he knew he risked an attack, but he did not think clearly.

On the ladder he took two steps at a time - hurrying himself to get up. Just as he was emerging, he heard the ominious sound of arrow flying through the air and a sound of iron on wood. Combat seemed to continue - and he decided to just go for it.

As he emerged from the hole he saw, that he had nothing to rush for - the combat was practically over. The man had an arrow stuck in his neck, near the collarbone and Ruark was readying to finish him...

---

Kate

Kate held her shield ready for attack, but no attack came. The room was empty - save for her and Urukubarr. Urukubarr wasn't as cautious as she - he leapt on the ladder and climbed it so fast she for a moment worried if the ladder will survive.

While the sounds from above - a zipping of arrow, sound of iron striking wood - told her it was not really over, but as soon as Urukubarr climbed up to have clear look of the kitchen, the tension from his body was gone.

It was over. She felt a drop of sweat rolling down her back, her hand gripping the sword too strong, already feeling a cramp coming over. The stress washed down from her and for first time since she entered the inn she felt relief and breathed freely.

---

Gerric

His thoughts dark, he looked at the boy again. For a moment he had a feeling that the boy was almost happy with his responses.

"So, why let her order you around - you have the look of a killer. You should order people - not the other way around, 'amirite?" Boy's smirk wasn't very nice and it brought the worst from Gerric's buried feelings to the surface of his mind.

As he walked up, the boy gulped - but he seemed to attempt not to move away or show his feelings. But what he told him must have shaken him - he was pale when Gerric finished. Pale and silent. And he watched Gerric's axe.

Obviously he valued his legs.

Gerric's eyes however jumped from one barrel to the others. The four barrels were neither opened, nor cracked - three of these were kegs - one of them smaller, most probably for wine, while the two others looked like they could be used for beer.

The fourth one was larger then each of those and stood separately. He had no idea what could be inside.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

You have a moment alone with the boy until Kate returns. He seems to be holding back.
And - do you think the fact that Gerric did not kill him was an act of conscience?

[Mathis]

Ruark felt goosebumps raise on his neck when he heard Nazir's bowstring send its arrow flying. Everything seemed to happen very fast now and after pushing the cleaver out of the way he swung his sword horizontally, from left to right attempting to cut open the Brute's throat in one clean cut. It was a shame that this man had not surrendered, hopefully there other people alive who could talk about what was going on here.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

I'll cut horizontally at his head and invest my remaining 1 die and the 7 extra for a total of 8. I tried to roll in the rolling thread for fun but I am not sure what to roll for hit location, I know it's a D6 but I can't find how to determine what the results would be. Anyway here are the roll results: (8d10)[10][3][1][9][5][1][7][2](38) TN 6. Three successes.

[Anyr]

Kate finally allowed herself to relax. For the moment at least, there were apparently no more enemies to vanquish. Hopefully the other half of the team were as unscathed as Gerric, Urukubarr and herself. Kate's voice called out to them from below.

"Is everyone all right? Any injuries? Any prisoners?"

[Cavir]

Nazir was a bit unhappy with having the man refusing to surrender, and surprised the arrow to the throat area didn't finish him. Ruark completed the task. He heard Kate from below so the fight must be over down there. Nazir was already drawing another arrow from his quiver even with the 2 arrows in his bow hand as he spoke quickly. "The horses bolted and Kafar went after them. Need to go help him." He turned and made for the front door, nocking an arrow as he went.

[XIII]

This fight was over. Urukubarr relaxed, letting the tension leave his body. He nodded to and pat Ruark on the shoulder with his heavy hand, relieved to see his comrade alive and well. He didn't doubt Ruark could fight his way through almost anything while slinging creative insults, it's just that they've already lost so much... Ruark was the only family he had left.

The moment was short lived, they still had pressing matters to attend to. "The boy holds answers, maybe more questions. I check upstairs for more." Urukubarr, greatsword in hand, started to move up the stairs carefully. He didn't wish to have to fall any more today, nor be caught by surprise. The half-orc searched his mind for a cleansing ritual to remove the taint from this place. It stunk of blood, hate, fear, and worse; it would attract bad spirits left unchecked.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Urukubarr would have left any belongings on the carriage. If he needs material components for any ritual, he will have to wait or find them here. Do I need a roll? Ritual Magic/Druidic Knowledge for such a ritual?

[Lacco]

Ruark

Ruark's sword caught the man's temple. A loud cracking sound was heard, and the man collapsed to the ground - a fresh batch of blood painted the wall behind him as he fell.

While he breathed and remained awake, it was clear that he will die soon from all the blood loss. Ruark watched him, to be sure that he would harm no-one.

He heard Nazir respond to Kate's question. After a moment, Urukubarr came out of the hole in the ground, patted him on his shoulder. "The boy holds answers, maybe more questions. I check upstairs for more." He then walked outside the kitchen.

Beside him, the candles flickered as he felt a strong draft - someone must have opened the main door.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

For damage location you use the damage tables at the back of the book (appendice I).
Usually it's 1d6, compared to the table for specific zone you attack. It's sometimes quite interesting to pinpoint the zone (I was thinking about expanding the damage tables, but have no time or willpower to do so).

I rolled 6 for damage location - that's upper head in zone IV (diagonal, which gives 4 as "neck") or arms in zone III (horizontal).
Since you wanted to cut his throat, zone IV is better candidate.

3 net successes:
Damage: 6 from weapon + 3 successes (+1 for power attack)
Damage resistance: 7 TO
Level 3 wound to head: BL 4, S 10, P 12-WP
KO roll: (6d10)[5][10][10][1][7][2](35) TN 8

---

Kate

From above came Nazir's response.

"The horses bolted and Kafar went after them. Need to go help him."

She heard him take off for the main door - now that the sounds of combat were gone, she could hear the movements from above quite well.

And while he did not answer her question directly, the indirect answer was enough - Ruark and Nazir were fine, but Kafar was missing. And no prisoners. She wondered if that was a good sign or not.

But she knew they had at least one. As she turned around, she felt a strong draft - someone, most probably Nazir - must have opened the door.

---

Nazir

Nazir ran to the main door, but as soon as he left the kitchen, alight with candles, he saw that the main room has gotten quite dark. The sun was setting fast and the clouds and rain didn't help - it was getting dark outside. And pretty fast.

He slowed down to walk, to ensure that he did not stumble while nocking the arrow. As he opened the door, the blast of wind from the outside nearly made him step back. The storm was raging outside - and while his half-elven sight helped him pierce through the veil of rain and wind, he barely could see past the barn.

He noticed that the door of the barn were opened - from the inside, and while the tracks of the wagon were visible even from where he stood, he was unsure if it was wise to follow them until the storm calms down.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

I will wait for Venom to post/return. The thing with horses running away was done mainly to ensure that if Venom returns with Kafar, he will be able to continue without needing to track back - he will just return with the horses and continue. So no need to track him down - but if you want, feel free.

---

Urukubarr

Urukubarr walked out of the kitchen. It was already dark here - he saw Nazir slow down in front of him - even his half-elven sight did not do much, since the night was falling and it was falling fast.

He carefully walked around the hole in the ground - the one which started this. He could hear Gerric downstairs.

As he stood at the base of the stairs, he was quite sure that he needed some light - he couldn't see the second floor and it was getting darker and darker...

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Since you took the prisoner's package, I would say that he has some coloured sand (maybe a handful), few sticks of incense, a handful of dried healing leaves and half of candle in his backpack.
For the ritual: MA (you try to remember) against Ritual Magic would be most appropriate at this moment. Based on the result of the roll, I will give you hints what you need to find (more successes = better hints). Do you agree?

Sorry to not including this in the original answer - you must have posted it together with me.

[Dienekes]

"Heh, I remember bein' young, thinkin' I could talk or fight my way outta anythin'." Gerric said, showing off his missing teeth and crooked jaw in a wide smile. "Thinkin' all adults were fools. Now, I don't blame you for trying to sow discord in your enemy, but you're bein' far too obvious 'bout it for it to work. And you're actually startin' to annoy me." Absently, he started tapping his axe on the side of his leg, just so the boy would remember what's at stake.

"But, I'm goin' to take this as a time for you to learn, and maybe as an opportunity to save your own neck. You have to be realistic 'bout life, and there's only two ways this is going to go for you. Either my friends'll win, then if I say you've been downright cooperative we won't feed you to the orc, or my friends'll lose. If that happens I'm killin' you the instant someone I don't like comes down that ladder."

"So, in the hope you'll be cooperatin', open that barrel there, the big one. And tell me 'bout this Dark One and why your kin think it's right to go feedin' souls to it."

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Just not killing him, probably not. But not killing him after the boy's obviously trying to make him do something against his interest, maybe. I'm not sure how fast you're supposed to get points in this game.

[Anyr]

Kate left Nazir to his own devices. From the sounds of it, everyone was doing just fine up there. They had their business, and she had hers. The young Knight descended once more into the room containing their prisoner. She nodded to Gerric as she entered.

"It's over. As far as we know, they're all dead."

Those words were as much for Richan's benefit as Gerric's. She wanted him to know just how deep a hole he was in. Cruel? She didn't think so. This boy was a willing ally of murderers and thieves. Nothing she'd seen of him so far had done anything to dispel that assumption. All her doubts about him were gone now. When her eyes looked into his this time, they were steady and calm.

"So, Mr Richan, I suppose we have time for a proper talk now. Why don't you start from the beginning?"

[XIII]

Urukubarr grunted, he was going to need light. Normally, he'd think twice about it but if anyone was coming to attack them, it is because they already know they were there. He searched the main floor for everything he would need: wood, kindling, and something to create the spark. At worst, he could fashion a crude wood slide. During his search, he ponders on the ritual and the materials he needs.

When he passes by Ruark or any other, he states his purpose of "Making fire, need light, stay dry."

Spoiler: Rolls

Show

Perception [6] for searching?
(6d10)[8][6][2][2][7][9](34)

Ritual Magic [10]
(10d10)[5][7][1][8][7][3][1][2][4][4](42)

[Mathis]

"Wait Nazir! Hold on everyone, there's something you should know. When I was putting away the horses and the wagon, I had a good look at what we're actually delivering. It's stones. Barrels and barrels of stones and lies. Seems our benefactor had us work a wagon full of nothing here for some purpose, led us to an ambush most likely. Does that fit with what you found downstairs?" He didn't wait for a reply before he approached the brute, kicked his cleaver out of his reach and started rifling through his pockets. When he finished he joined Urrukubarr in trying to light a fire. Using pieces of broken furniture and old rags as kindling it shouldn't be too difficult to get the fireplace roaring. "I'm glad everyone's ok Urrukubarr, if it weren't for the rain and our hurry there's a good chance these people could have caught us by surprise and cut us down before we knew what was going on."

[XIII]

"More betrayal?" Urukubarr snorted, "Then we take vengeance, First Father demands justice." Urukubarr referenced the old tradition to Ruark. The Ahvori, while promoting peace, were a hard people. Betrayal of any kind was punished by being bound to a post and ritually stabbed to death by the betrayed. More than one person being betrayed meant more knives stabbing in unison. "Why betray us? This confuses me."

Spoiler: Speech

Show

I've never said it clearly, but italic speech for me will be in orcish. So there may be times the speech is mixed for words and such that don't translate properly. Or when he just doesn't know a word.

[Cavir]

Nazir is buffeted by the storm at the door. He heard Ruark's message. "I'll secure the barn then come back." More aware of the storm's strength, he hugs the outside wall of the building all the way to the corner closest to the barn. Stopping there, he looks all around for signs of anything alive. If the coast is clear, he hurries over to the barn door in a gait typical of an archer with an arrow still nocked. At the barn door he peers inside.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

If I see something pertinent from the corner of the bldg I'll edit the last part of the above. If nothing is around there nor in the barn (besides horses), I'll quickly grab what personal gear and food I can carry, close the barn door, then head back.

Perception (7d10)[4][1][3][9][8][7][9](41)
Sneak (AG) (8d10)[5][3][8][10][6][9][7][2](50)
Perception (7d10)[5][2][4][10][7][7][7](42)

[Lacco]

Gerric

Gerric watched as the boy got even paler - he has seen dead bodies with more colour. He at first obeyed - moving to the barrel, mechanically as if his thoughts were elsewhere. "The dark ones, eh? Never met 'm. I was the second to last to get to this band - the old one, he nodded towards the body of the old man with hatchet lying on the floor, was last. But even the mad dog - the leader of this group - fears them. But they pay well for meat. But it has to be...fresh. The old one didn't like that, no, he didn't. I think he wanted to kill the mad dog, but didn't get his chance... he rambles on.

As he opened the barrel, Gerric catched a smell of smoked fish. The boy continued, talking about his life story, but Gerric did not listen. He studied the boy - while he acted friendly, from the looks he shot at Gerric when he thought he wasn't looking, it was obvious that he did not like that Gerric was able to read him so easily - and so seems even glad that the woman in armour returns.

Gerric smiled to himself as he saw Kate return - she nodded to him - he expected the boy to attempt to save his life again... when the first attempt failed, he counted on his charm getting him out of this mess.

But seeing Kate's cold eyes and hearing her voice say "It's over. As far as we know, they're all dead.", he knew he could only cooperate.

At first Gerric felt a bit disappointed and torn - on one hand, he wanted to stop killing - on the other, it was one of the things he did well and he found pleasure in victories on the battlefield. But then he remembered that the bald one mentioned "Mad dog". He seemed to remember hearing stories about a man with that name. Barrain? Brahan? He did not remember the name, but what he knew was - the man was known as a slaver, smuggler and relentless killer. A worthy opponent, unlike this boy.

He turned so he could watch the boy closely. He still did not trust him. Kate started sharply. "So, Mr Richan, I suppose we have time for a proper talk now. Why don't you start from the beginning?"[/QUOTE]

The boy turned to her, with the most pitiful face he could muster. Gerric almost chuckled.

Fair enough, lady knight. But first - how should I address you? I'm just a town boy, not used to meeting royalty - and you must be a royal, a lady in high standing... and where should I start? With how these terrible people found me and made me work for them?

For Gerric it was almost like theatre. The boy tried so hard it was almost pathetic. He was no peasant boy - not with the way he talked. And he is also hiding something about the dark ones... the way he declined any knowledge of them... it was too fast.

He then heard Ruark from above: "Wait Nazir! Hold on everyone, there's something you should know. When I was putting away the horses and the wagon, I had a good look at what we're actually delivering. It's stones. Barrels and barrels of stones and lies. Seems our benefactor had us work a wagon full of nothing here for some purpose, led us to an ambush most likely. Does that fit with what you found downstairs?"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

No roll necessary for the seduction (it's aimed at Kate).
PER/sincerity for additional facts (3d10)[6][9][3](18) TN 6 = 3 successes. Edited in with italics

It depends - I have had a player who got around 12 points per one game. He just arranged the SAs well and played the character to a hilt. But 2-3 points per session (in our case this counts as a session) is not bad.
I will also start giving "drama" points. Something like luck, but weaker, and can be used for character improvement.

Since the "no kill" policy is new to Gerric, I will give you the point - you gave him the advice and chance to keep his life. For next one it won't be so easy

---

Kate

Kate heard part of the boy's speech before she entered. "The dark ones, eh? Never met 'm. I was the second to last to get to this band - the old one, he nodded towards the body of the old man with hatchet lying on the floor, was last. But even the mad dog - the leader of this group - fears them. But they pay well for meat. But it has to be...fresh. The old one didn't like that, no, he didn't. I think he wanted to kill the mad dog, but didn't get his chance... he continued to ramble on as she entered. She knew that he lied - he knew something about the dark ones. And he knew something about the meat - the way he paused before saying it had to be fresh...made her shiver.

The smell of smoked fish assaulted her nostrils when she entered. As she spoke, the boy turned to her, with the most pitiful face he could muster. Behind him, Gerric almost chuckled.

"Fair enough, lady knight. But first - how should I address you? I'm just a peasant boy, not used to meeting royalty - and you must be a royal, a lady in high standing... and where should I start? With how these terrible people found me and made me work for them?"

She prepared to answer, umoved by his attempts at flattery - she heard better in her days at court. And she was also sure he lied - they didn't make him work for them. But Ruark's voice sounded first.
"Wait Nazir! Hold on everyone, there's something you should know. When I was putting away the horses and the wagon, I had a good look at what we're actually delivering. It's stones. Barrels and barrels of stones and lies. Seems our benefactor had us work a wagon full of nothing here for some purpose, led us to an ambush most likely. Does that fit with what you found downstairs?"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

He's attempting to soften the "target".
Richan's attempt to "seduce" - (4d10)[9][3][4][3](19) TN8 = 1 success
Kate's attempt to see through his lies: (3d10)[6][5][2](13) TN 6 (will provide additional information, edited in with italics) = 1 success
Kate's Willpower - resistance to compliments: (4d10)[4][10][6][9](29) TN6 (may change her perception of him) = 3 successes. She was not moved by his attempts.

---

Urukubarr

There was enough wood around. Smashed table, chair legs, cracked basket under the stairs - it was easy to collect these. And he also remembered there was dry firewood stacked in the basement, in the room with the ladder. But he has already collected enough wood for a small fire.

He also found a pack of cards on the fireplace, few pieces of pottery behind the bar and noticed, that the third and fifth stair were rotten - these would break under his weight if he went on them.

He thought about Ruark's words. If they were betrayed... but why? He also tried to remember the ancient verse about cleansing ritual.

A holy number of lights around,
a symbol of sun painted on ground,
the smell of clean, the smell of wine,
a piece of luck placed in the brine,
and the evil spirit goes away.

Or was it smell of wine, luck placed in brine? He was not sure about that part.

Since he knew that at least one of his companions has a tinderbox, or a flint with steel, fire was only a matter of time. Ruark joined him as he was preparing the hearth and soon they enjoyed the warmth and light of a fire.

He stood up. Why wasn't important. Who was. And he would have his answers - and revenge. The decision burned within him and made him feel warmer than the fire.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

The roll would be MA (3) with TN equal to arcane theory (9).
(3d10)[4][8][9](21) = 1 success

It's a silly rhyme, but here are hints:
- decide what is the holy number for Ahvori,
- paint a symbol of sun (roll AGI with TN equal to symbol drawing skill),
- "the smell of clean" = you need something clean, ideally cleaned by yourself.
The others I leave to you to find out.

Is this fine for you?

I like the idea with italics. If you want, you can also use "orcish" words for flavour. I also like discovering the orcish traditions from your ideas .

---

Ruark

Ruark quickly searched the dying man. He acknowledged Nazir's shout only with a nod. The man was still breathing, but not for long. The brute had a large tatoo of some spider on his left arm, and his pouch contained only flint and steel, five copper coins with image of horse, one silver with image of fist and 3 copper bits. When he rummaged through it, he found also a small stone with a hole in it - it was smooth, gray with green lines in it.

He immediately recognized it as luck stone - it was said to bring luck to anyone who receives it as a gift. He once received one from a certain girl, but he lost it... and he lost the girl too. For a moment he stood there, lost in memories. And then he returned to present and left the man to die alone.

He joined Urukubarr as he was preparing the fire in fireplace. Using the flint & steel found in brute's pouch, he helped him start a fire. Urukubarr seemed surprised - "More betrayal?" he snorted, "Then we take vengeance, First Father demands justice. Why betray us? This confuses me." he stated after a brief pause.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

I rolled folk lore in the roll thread. Added information in italics.

---

Nazir

The surrounding area was abandoned. Nazir looked around, searching for auras of living things, but even the birds and animals found safe places to hide from the raging nature. He felt that he needed to move as fast as possible - otherwise his bow might get wet and he still had no time to make a new one.

He peered inside the barn - and he saw that the horses must have - attacked by the fear of the storm - torn the rotten central column off. There was a large hole in the roof, producing a sort of waterfall with rainwater pouring down from the roof.

The barn floor was covered in straw and there was a large puddle of water in the middle. There were few columns with hooks to bind horses, mangers with water, and few hay bales. In the middle, a chopping block, with a hatchet stuck in it. Near it he noticed a single horseshoe.

Their wagon stood there, without horses. Luckily, Ruark unhinged these and Nazir saw all their backpacks at the back of the wagon. At least their belongings, however lacking in luxury, were safe.

[Dienekes]

Gerric doesn't even try to hold in his laughter. "Pick your role, if your gonna try bein' a charmer at least make sure the one you tried to convince to betray her is out of earshot." Shaking his head he walked to the barrel of fish and sniffed it to make sure nothing was wrong with it. Unlikely and ridiculous that anyone would poison an entire barrel of fish in their own cellar. But Gerric was getting a little edgy around the concept of soul devouring monsters. Though tempting he decided against grabbing one. Maybe when he had time to cook it a bit.

"Here, Kate," he said when Ruark started calling. "You deal with little Richan here, I'll sort the details with the others. But keep a knife on him, he's just fool enough to try somethin' when his piss poor attempts at bein' clever all fail."

Spoiler

Show

Alright thank you, lacco

But I do want to point out Gerric doesn't have a no-kill code, exactly. It's just earlier he was a downright murderer, willing to slaughter innocents for little reason. He's going to try to stick with killing other warriors or in self defense.

[Mathis]

Ruark was satisfied when the fire starting spreading some light and warmth through out the room. He brought the luck stone out of his pocket to examine it again, using it as a spyglass to examine the room for his own amusement. He intended to make it a gift for someone, it wouldn't work for himself after all since he had taken it by force when he killed the brute. "This is a luck stone Urrukubarr, remember those? Either this a broken one or the brute had stolen it, cause it certainly didn't work for him."

[Anyr]

Unlike Gerric, Kate wasn't amused by the clumsy attempt to manipulate her. Just how low was this youth's opinion of his captors? She nodded to her comrade as he passed: Leaving her and Richan with only each other's company. The unwavering sword, ready to gut this boy at a moment's notice, made Kate's opinion of him crystal clear.

"For the record, the correct title for a 'lady knight' is 'dame'. Not that you care in the slightest. I'm sure the nobles you slaughtered received no more courtesy than the commoners. Everyone who passes through here is just more...meat to you. So please, stop pretending to be some poor abused innocent. You're a worthless criminal, alone in a den of angry enemies. For the sake of your future, I suggest that you start proving yourself useful."

[XIII]

Building the fire with less still would have been easy, no worries here. Urukubarr worked towards fashioning a torch, he thought surely there was some suitable oil in the kitchen. But then again, the state of this place would argue otherwise. Trying hard to remember the rhyme;

A holy number of lights around,
a symbol of sun painted on ground,
the smell of clean, the smell of wine,
a piece of luck placed in the brine,
and the evil spirit goes away.

Or was it smell of wine, luck placed in brine? The lessons were so long ago, not to mention he hasn't been using these often. Urukubarr internally scolded himself for his forgetfulness. Ruark rumaged through the dead man's pockets and came away with something of interest, "This is a luck stone Urrukubarr, remember those? Either this a broken one or the brute had stolen it, cause it certainly didn't work for him." "Probably stolen, bad luck unless gift. For us, very lucky! Need for cleansing ritual, you know this?"Urukubarr went on to explain and recite the ritual as he remembered it and that he needed 16 candles, red wine, a pot of rain water, a lot of salt, and charred wood. Some of these were easy, Urukubarr worried about finding that many candles, but it was an inn, after all.

Spoiler: Lore

Show

-16 candles to represent First Father and his children
-Powerful rituals call for blood, but for the basics, wine will suffice
-Rainwater was the purest gift of Gaia to all of her children
-The luck stone dropped into a mixture of rainwater and salt, making it a brine; Normally, seawater would be used
-Charred wood for drawing the symbol of the sun

[Mathis]

Ruark hovered in the background as Urrukubarr began his ritual, "Well I've seen it a few times but I couldn't replicate it on my own."

When Gerric joined the rest of them upstairs he asked, "Did you hear what I said earlier? Wagon, stones, betrayal" he said to give a quick recap. "Did you find anything downstairs to shed some light on why we might have been led here?"

[Cavir]

Nazir saw the pile of the party's gear. He put his bow away to keep it from being ruined and to better deal with the load he was about to carry. Turning back to the barn door he closed it most of the way, leaving room for him to get back out. He grabbed the horseshoe, hatchet, and food they brought and put them in the packs. It was probably going to be a heavy load but he threw as many packs as he could over his shoulder. He left the barn, finished closing the barn door, then headed back to the main building. With the mud and the load he was not mostly as swiftly as normal.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Nazir himself didn't have a pack and some others came poor so combined with ST 5 I can probably grab it all in one trip unless Kate should have had her own wagon for gear. This foray took a few minutes so I'm probably ahead of the group at this point.

[Dienekes]

"I heard, would like to see for myself," Gerric grumbled as he climbed up the ladder. "Nothing below but a kid that's likely to force Kate to gut him, and some salted fish. But there could be more besides, I just didn't see."

"Kid said some interestin' gibberish, 'bout Old Ones and sacrificing folk to whatever an Old One is. If we're lucky it'll be just some cult o' moon-yellers outside their minds. If we're unlucky it's some sort of black magic. What about you, find anythin' and what the hell is Uruk rummagin' around for?"

[Lacco]

Nazir, Gerric, Urukubarr, Ruark

The fireplace turned the inn into more pleasant place - the warmth and light provided by the hearth did not chase away all the shadows, but after two days of slogging through rain and mud they felt glad for it.

Urukubarr walked into the store for a moment and came back with the flask of oil and few rags. He started to produce a torch of some kind, mumbling something about candles. Ruark and Gerric stood near the bar. Ruark's stomach made a rumbling noise. He and Gerric looked at each other at the moment, realizing it's been few hours since they ate...and this was first occassion where they had fire and some time on their hands. Maybe there were some supplies in the inn...

The inn door opened, producing again a draft of cold wind. Nazir walked inside, breathing heavily under the weight of their backpacks, muttering something in elven language.

Spoiler: OOC for all

Show

Please state what are your plans - e.g. if you want to search any room or gather some resources. You will need a source of light if you want to go searching - but your backpacks should help a bit in that. In spoilers below you have additional information - for some of you as well as for rooms you already encountered.
I don't know if I'll have time for more IC posts today. Expect update to the map tomorrow.

Spoiler: Kitchen

Show

Whoever goes to the kitchen, he sees a big cutting block, a table, a smaller hearth with a spit and cauldron, as well as a poker nearby, the trapdoor on the floor. There are some shelves on the wall with door leading to the bar - containing some boxes. There is a candleholder with three lit candles on the table. It also contains a puddle of blood and body of the brute.

Spoiler: Storage room

Show

Shelves, crates and the smell of conservation - storage room. Right in front of entry door stands a shelf with several small trinkets - empty bottles, few jugs and a piece of rope. On the right crates stacked on each other, forming a small pyramid. One of those is open and empty. The rest of the room contains a set of shelves, a broom, small pile of wood chips, small pile of nails on one shelf and several pieces of pottery (dishes, jugs).

Spoiler: Cellar near the ladder

Show

A small well near the corner. Pile of firewood. Shelves on the wall with mostly empty bottles.

Spoiler: Cellar where Kate is standing

Show

It's a larger room, smells of urine and decaying grapes, and the light is sparse - provided by two candleholders on the walls, with the candles lit. The room is cluttered - the walls are lined with barrels, shelves, and in the middle of the room there is a barrel and some chairs around. On the barrel, a pack of cards, some coins, a small stone and a sausage in the bank. Behind the barrel is a small sack, the contents unknown - it is closed. A satchel is hung upon a hook near the door with the ladder.Most of the barrels were already open - and assumed empty, one contains smoked fish and three other are still closed.
There is one closed door - below a arched column, just next to a old and large wardrobe.
And of course - the boy and Kate.

Spoiler: Gerric

Show

Perception: (3d10)[5][10][1](16) The fish smelled fine. He was sure these were still edible and no harm would come out of consuming them...except if you ate too much. And he felt his stomach rumble too - and just then he realized he was hungry and felt tired.

As for the no-kill code - yes, that was an overstatement on my part . I still consider it an act of conscience - not killing him when he surrendered.

Spoiler: Ruark

Show

Ruark's arms ached - in the good way. It was few days since he last swung his sword and he felt it. The travel wasn't really comfortable and as he stood near the fireplace, he felt the pleasure of warm fire, and realized the emptiness in his stomach.

Spoiler: Urukubarr

Show

The large half-orc went around for his business. He knew he couldn't really rest here with all the blood and pain. But he felt himself slowing down - he was getting tired. And hungry...

Luck stone dilemma: if you keep it as a gift, it will provide you with 1 point of luck. If you use it in the ritual, it will not give you the point of luck. But maybe you'll find something else to use in the ritual... your decision?

As for the torch - you have some rags, there is some oil in the storage room. Roll AGI/Scrounging (dice = AGI, TN = scrounging), one success gives you makeshift torch that will burn for half hour, each additional adds 30 minutes.

Since you don't have the candles, no use starting the ritual yet.

Spoiler: Nazir

Show

Wet, huffing and tired from all the running around and from the travel, he welcomed the sight of fire. If he were alone, he would have thrown all the backpacks to the ground and lounge in front of the fire for a moment. But a soldier once...
Nevertheless, he felt his whole body aching from the travel and felt that he could use some rest. And food. Definitely. Maybe even warm food... porridge? As he thought of meat porridge, he felt a shiver down his spine as he remembered the meat hanging on the hooks. Yet he couldn't help - he was hungry and his stomach protested against the emptiness it felt.

---

Kate

"Very well, 'dame', so how can I be of use?" he barely even masked the hatred in his voice now.