THEChanger's Curse of the Crimson Throne: Edge of Anarchy

[DaedalusMkV]

Avrin considers Gavin's suggestion for a moment before shaking his head. "No. Tempting as that is, moving around the city is only going to get harder, not easier, as the night goes on. We move now we might be able to avoid the worst of it. Wait for Yargin to wake up, things will be in full swing out there. And I really don't want to waste any healing magic on that clown." He shrugs. "Lamm probably doesn't even know we're here. If the ledger's any indication he knew this whole thing was going to happen and split to lead his little rebellion, not to get away from us. I'll tell you all about it once we're somewhere a bit safer."

[aberratio ictus]

Lady Selancourte

There was a moment of silence as Vestis considered whether Gavin was truly serious or not. That had to be the most idiotic suggestion she had heard all evening. Waiting here for an unknown number of assailants of unknown skill and equipment in this ramshackle warehouse during riots who knew exactly where they were and calling it a trap? A highly flammable trap, at that? Bloodthirsty fool.

Avrin spoke first, and would surely.... tempting? Well, now she had good reason to call his judgement into question as well. At least he wasn't fully in favour.

"We hide him in Sir Mordin's travelling cloak. They don't know he is still alive, so they won't be looking for him." she simply said, not dignifying Gavin's suggestion with a full answer.

[Inspectre]

Gavin sighs and gestures at the front door. He was tired of arguing with these stubborn people.

"Lead on then Avrin. Let's see if Zellara's is still standing."

[THEChanger]

The seven of you leave the warehouse, ill gotten gains in tow. Looking around, it is easy to tell the city is descending into chaos. Smoke wafts through the sky in thick, black strands. You can see the glow, bright enough that it seems like sunrise. You can hear shouting, screams of pain, and the crackling of small fires in the distance. One person's screams are louder, very close by. The Sable Company ranger flails in the river, desperately shouting for help.

In regards to getting back to Zellara's, there are three choices. The first route, and the longest, would take you along the docks. It looks like the fires are closer to the center of the city, and so the docks would probably keep you safest. You could try to go through the winding city streets, the way you came. That would be faster than following the river, but it would also take you closer to where the riots seem to mostly be happening. The fastest would be to move through the Shingles, the upper portion of Korvosa where the discarded and destitute make their home. However, many of those destitute would be more than happy to take advantage of the chaos and jump the unwary seeking safety from the rioters below, to say nothing of the more unusual creatures making the rooftops and scaffolding their home. The Shingles are also notoriously difficult to navigate - Avrin is pretty sure he could do it, as is Ardino, but neither is one hundred percent certain.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Dirkust zeroed into the drowning man. We have to save him. Does anyone have some rope?

[digiman619]

"I do." Ardino says, turning his backpack towards Dirkust. "Bottom loop, see it?"

[Inspectre]

Gavin's head snaps around towards the water upon hearing the cries for help.
Now that Dirkust had pointed it out, Gavin could hear them too.
Was that the Sable Company marine? Had he survived that lightning bolt after all!?

All other concerns are forgotten in that instant - if the marine was out in those shark-infested waters, then said marine was in serious trouble.

Gavin immediately begins moving towards the docks while hastily pulling his buckler off of his arm, yanking at the straps with his teeth and tossing the small shield into his pack. He takes a quick scan of anything that might be useful for rescuing a drowning man inside - nothing. He'd have to swim out to the man and drag him ashore then.

"Does anyone have some rope!?"

Gavin asks hurriedly, mimicking Dirkust's question for a moment ago, seemingly unaware it had already been asked.
Hearing Ardino's answer, Gavin runs back and rips the length of rope off of his pack, fumbling with one end as he tries to loop one end around his waist and knot it.

"Hang on! Help is coming!"

Gavin shouts, continuing to move relentlessly closer to the water, still looking and listening for where, exactly, the marine was out there. Sadly, he doesn't seem to immediately see the marine in the dark water - just darkness and reflected moonlight (Rolled Perception of 4).

[digiman619]

Ardino drops the thug once again and grabs the opposite end of the rope. If Gavin was able to get the drowning man, he'd need to be pulled in as soon as possible.

[aberratio ictus]

Lady Selancourte

She knew when she saw a scene that couldn't be stopped. While she could see some merit in a Sable Company ranger owing one his life, she had a feeling her companions would have stopped to save a... well, less useful individual as well. If they did so to everybody in peril on their way to Zellara's... this could prove to be a very long trip indeed. There was a riot going on, after all.

She turned to face Carla, Avrin and Sir Mordin, who hadn't yet sprung into action. "What do you think, we're at the docks... should we go look for a rowboat to rescue that Sable company gentleman and whoever goes in to save him?"

[Corlindale]

Mordin looks towards the figure in the water, once again thankful that the visor mostly obscures his face as he recognizes the man's uniform.

Sable Company... why did it have to be someone from the Sable Company?. If he recognizes the armor... well, at least we won't need to worry about petty criminals when the entire brigade tries to hunt us down instead.

Mordin shakes his head, as if waking from a daze. He responds to his comrades hastily:

"I have some rope as well, you can tie it to the others if that might help."

He tosses it on the ground and then turns to Lady Vestis. He is not particularly convinced they can find a boat in this area, but it would be a nice excuse to stay out of sight as the others swim out to rescue the man, as they seem determined to do.

"Looking for a boat sounds like a wise plan, I'm certainly not going swimming like this. Let's try that way!"

He points, quite randomly, to the left.

Spoiler: OOC

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Two perception checks at once, to save time.

The first is the same the others made, to notice how far out the man is. Mordin will share this information if he makes it:
(1d20+4)[17]

The second is to look for a boat:
(1d20+4)[23]

[The_Shaman]

Carla looks momentarily annoyed by the situation that demands their attentio, but then nods, looking around for a boat. If one is found, she will help the others get the man to safety. She instructs Eslivar to keep a watch on the captive.

Spoiler: Rolls

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Perception
(1d20+6)[10]
Survival if necesary(1d20+6)[24]

[Inspectre]

Seeing that no one else appears to be joining them, Gavin finishes tying the rope about his waist and shucks off his backpack.
He removes his weapons as well, but draws his dagger.

"When I get to the guy I'll shout out and tug on the rope. That's the signal to pull me in. If it looks like I'm starting to drown . . . you should probably reel me back in too."

Gavin instructs, trusting Ardino will be able to pull both him and the marine back to shore.

Then, he tucks the dagger's blade in between his teeth, biting down to keep it firmly in place should he need to retrieve it.
And without further preamble, he then jumps into the water and starts trying to swim out to the sable marine.

Spoiler: Swim Checks

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Going to do 10 checks to represent the first minute. 4 Less than the DC Gavin goes nowhere, 5 less and he sinks, but can hold his breath for a number of rounds.
If he's in danger of drowning due to multiple failed checks in a round (resulting in him being under the surface for several rounds), he may use Panache to boost his next Swim check to get back above the water.
Swim: (1d20)[12]
Swim: (1d20)[14]
Swim: (1d20)[19]
Swim: (1d20)[4]
Swim: (1d20)[20]
Swim: (1d20)[18]
Swim: (1d20)[2]
Swim: (1d20)[16]
Swim: (1d20)[13]
Swim: (1d20)[4]

[THEChanger]

Gavin dives into the water, and begins to swim out to the marine. It takes about a minute, and several times the former guardsman finds himself knocked underwater by a particularly strong wave. But he does reach his target, just as another wave puts them both under the water again.

At just that moment in time, Mordin stumbles upon a rather sturdy rowboat. Quite literally stumbles - the thing had been hidden under a tarp, and distracted by his guilt Mordin hadn't seen it before tripping over it. But it comes with two oars, and to the best of Mordin and Carla's knowledge looks watertight.

Spoiler: OoC

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Gavin and the Sable Company Marine are currently underwater. A DC 15 Swim check by Gavin will get them both back up - the Marine is currently unconscious. The Rowboat moves 30 ft with a DC 10 Strength check, and looks like it can safely carry two people.

[digiman619]

Seeing the water claim Gavin and his target, Ardino wrenches on the rope to pull them to safety as fast as possible.

[Corlindale]

Mordin curses as he trips and almost falls over when walking into the boat. He is about to call out to the others when he notices Ardino trying to reel Gavin in. He throws the tarp back over the boat, remembering its location, before running back to the others to assist in pulling the rope.

[Inspectre]

Gavin is pushed forward the last little bit of distance by a wave, colliding with the marine before the wave pushes them under.
He wraps his arms around the marine's waist, locking his hands together as best he can to hold the marine fast in a bear hug.
Together the two of them tumble around underwater until Gavin manages to right himself.
Gritting his teeth down on the dagger between them hard enough that his jaw starts to ache, Gavin puts everything he has into his legs, trying to push them both back above the surface of the water and start going back towards shore.

Spoiler: Swim

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Gavin will use his Panache to boost his first three Swim checks (should he need them to hit that DC 15 to reach the surface again)
Another minute's worth of checks
(1d20)[14] plus (1d6)[2] (Panache 1)
(1d20)[18] plus (1d6)[4] (Panache 2)
(1d20)[6] plus (1d6)[6] (Panache 3)
(1d20)[5]
(1d20)[6]
(1d20)[16]
(1d20)[1]
(1d20)[14]
(1d20)[17]
(1d20)[2]

Spoiler: If Panache roll is 6

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Bonus Roll to Total
(1d6)[4] -If 6 Roll Again-
(1d6)[3] -If 6 Roll Again-
(1d6)[4] -If 6 Roll Again-
(1d6)[3] - Max Dex Reached-

[THEChanger]

Gavin manages, with a quick flick of the feet, to push himself and the Marine back above the surface. With Ardino pulling as well, the two begin to make slow progress back to shore. Mordin comes springing back, and with his help, the swimming pair are almost brought back to shore.

Mordin, Ardino, Carla, Dirkust, and Avrin can spy two large fins breaking the water, swimming towards Gavin and the Marine.

[digiman619]

Seeing the oncoming shark, Ardino doubles his efforts in pulling them in.

[Corlindale]

Mordin stands at Ardino's side, straining with the effort of trying to get them in as quickly as possible. A darker part of him secretly hopes that Gavin will be forced to sacrifice the Marine to get to safety - much less complicated that way - but in recognizing this thought more of the old guilt come rushing back. Furthermore, he senses that Jasper really wants him to rescue this man - maybe some company loyalty still left in his spirit.

Spoiler: OOC

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Another Strength check, if required: (1d20+5)[23].

[Inspectre]

Unaware of the danger, Gavin continues to kick his way in towards shore.

(Using 18 on Swim check previously rolled).

[aberratio ictus]

Lady Selancourte

"Excellent." Vestis spoke, more to herself, when she saw Sir Mordin stumble over the rowboat. Of course, there had to be a boat nearby. As she closed in, she saw Mordin simply putting the tarp back over the boat and running back to where the fool held the rope.
"But, Sir Mor..." Quickly, she exchanged glances with Carla and Avrin, then turned on her heel as well, following Sir Mordin.
So it seemed Gavin had successfully reached the man and they were in the process of hauling him back in. Of course, the whole operation had been a lot safer and easier if they had just used the boat, but alas!

Looking out at the river, Lady Selancourte did not spot the shark's dark fins against the water's equally dark surface. The others did seem alarmed, but she assumed that to be related to the fact that Gavin was almost drowning out there.

[DaedalusMkV]

Avrin spends the first part of the encounter with the drowning Sable Company soldier keeping watch for any sign that the rioters (or the authorities) are closing in on the group, not particularly worried about the soldier's fate. At the mention of sharks, however, he turns his attention to Gavin's plight. With a sigh, he grabs his crossbow from its position slung at his back, shoulders it and fires a bolt at the leading shark, more in the hopes that it will be distracted or frightened off by the impact than in any hope of killing the creature. "This is why I try to avoid swimming the shark-infested river..." He mutters to himself, trying his best to keep aware of both the situation with the sharks and the surrounding streets, just in case anyone does show up to cause trouble during the distraction.

Spoiler: OOC

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Taking a potshot at whichever shark is closest to Gavin and the Marine.
Attack: (1d20+4)[23]
Damage: (1d8)[1]

Goodbye, crossbow bolt. Your time came too soon...

[THEChanger]

Gavin keeps kicking as hard as his legs will move, and Mordin and Ardino give their all pulling the rope. A shark is almost upon the pair, and finds itself distracted by a crossbow bolt lodged in its nose, courtesy of a very quick Avrin. With one last tug, the pair are brought ashore. The Marine is unconscious, but breathing, his body scorched and armor twisted by the electricity that had coursed through his body a few minutes before. His breathing is shallow, and his skin very pale.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Dirkust had watched the whole rescue, paralyzed. He wasn't sure what to do, or if he could even help. He wasn't a particularly strong swimmer nor was he confident he'd be able to keep the marine and himself afloat. Certainly, the sharks bearing down on him would have feasted upon them both. Dirkust sucked in a breath he didn't realize he needed as Gavin brought the Marine ashore. Roughly, Dirkust pushed Gavin aside, as he fished out a small vial. He knelt next to the marine, popping off the cork of the vial, releasing the pungent odor of smelling salts. Setting the vial down, Dirkust tilted the man's head back, forcing his airways open. Pinching the man's nose, he pressed his mouth to the man's form a seal. Breathing in from his nose, Dirkust exhaled into the man's mouth.

Spoiler

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Forgive me, I don't know how actual CPR is done. HEAL! (1d20+10)[24] The smellsalts is a 'use' of my heal kit.

[Inspectre]

Gavin lies where he had fallen after Dirkust pushed him off of the marine.
With a grimace and a bit of effort he manages to coax open his mouth, allowing the dagger to clatter onto the dock.
Blood drips from one corner of his mouth where the knife's edge had nicked it - a superficial wound but one Gavin would likely notice for the next few days whenever he tried to eat.
For now, Gavin is too preoccupied with alternatively sucking in great gasps of air and coughing up what river water had gotten into his airways from the repeated dunking below the surface.
As he lay there, too exhausted to move save for the occasional shiver as the cold of his soaked clothes started to sink in, Gavin reflected on his life choices.

I nearly drowned just now. What the Hells was I thinking, jumping into the river like that after him!?

But despite his rebellious thoughts, he forced himself to wheeze out to Dirkust.

"Is . . . is h-he . . . going . . . going to . . . make it?"

[MesiDoomstalker]

Dirkust came up as the man coughed up a bit of water. His breathing normalized. Ya. Dirkust touched a finger to the man's forehead. Don't be alarmed if I fall unconscious. I am not in any danger. A dab of ectoplasm formed at the point of contact. Discharges of pale blue electricity arced upwards from the marine, into Dirkust's body. Welts formed where the electricity contacted him. The man's wounds lessened, while mirror'd wounds appeared on Dirkust's body.

Spoiler

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Transfer Wounds! If I roll a 5, I'm staggard, if I roll 6 I am unconscious. Either way, Marine heals (1d6)[5]

Dirkust's breathing became labored as the transfer ceased. Do not be alarmed. I'm fine. Just a moment. A fine layer of dew covers Dirkust as a small bell chimed somewhere off in the distance. Dirkust breathed easier, as the minor bruises on his body eased. As the Marine stirred, Dirkust put on a pleasant, caretaker's smile. Welcome back, Marine. You've had a nasty fall into the water. Don't worry, you are safe now.

Spoiler

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Natural Healing, heals 3

[THEChanger]

The marine begins to cough, violently, even as Dirkust begins to waver in and out of consciousness for a moment. But after a little exertion, both men are conscious, the marine slowly trying to prop himself up. He is obviously still quite injured, and likely quite tired, but thanks to his rescuers he will live. He looks around, still mostly horizontal, eyes somewhat blurry. "Thank...thank you. What...where...where am I?"

[digiman619]

Ardino kneels beside the waterlogged marine. "Well, the good news is that you're out of the shark-infested water. The bad news is that you're in Korvosa. The worse news is that there's a major riot and the King is dead." He then gives an awkward smile, "But at least you're not dead, so that's something, eh?"

[Corlindale]

Mordin is breathing heavily after the effort of pulling in the rope. He is not as winded as he would normally have been after such exertions, however, despite wearing heavy armor this time. He feels...stronger somehow.

He looks at Dirkust's display of power with some curiousity. Having been distracted by combat in the warehouse, this is the first time he really has the chance to see it in action and he has never seen anything like this. As soon as the man starts to wake up, Mordin takes a couple of steps backwards to stand on the periphery of the assembled group, hopefully unnoticed. Being a head taller than most, this is probably less efficient than he would have liked.

[aberratio ictus]

Lady Selancourte

She took a few short steps towards Gavin and the Marine. Despite being somewhat relieved that he had made it out alive, she took great comfort in seeing Gavin coughing up water, shivering and gasping, and resolved to not confront him with the nearby boat which would have made everything so much easier, for now. This decision was, however, subject to change if he decided to sell his imprudence as heroism.

Lady Selancourte stood before the Marine, looking down at him, and spoke to him in a pleasant voice.
"What is your name, Marine? Can you walk?"