Eberron: The Corruption

[DiscipleofBob]

Sindra smiles wider and shakes his head. "Unfortunately, sir Azgrim, you are incorrect, as the train itself has not been organized in any fashion beneficial to this mission. The train itself normally runs under the same condition it is now, sans myself and your honorable selves. This fourth car was merely selected by House Deneith and the conductor as the best place to carry out the initial transfer. Anyone else care to have a gander at this riddle?" Sindra's smile shows quite clearly that he is testing the heroes, but to what ends is unclear.

[Dustyme]

Gander looks very shocked that the Dwarf not only comprehended but accepted at face value what he said. After a few seconds he puts his hand out to Azgrim to shake.

"Very well sir dwarf, truce and a fresh start. As for your horse human it is a fine animal but not worth disemboweling my spleen, so yes I will help you protect it if possible but I am just as ready to abandon the beast if it becomes necessary"

He then listens to what the creepy human has to say.

"Pfft, damn old people. Rather than just giving us the information outright he waits and riddles. Hey old man it's you they want to kill, not me. If they get through our defenses because you withheld something and get killed I might walk away from this with a bad reputation but at least I might get to walk away."

"Tell us or don't, I'm going to keep looking around. Who’s keeping watch by the way? Someone should watch both the land and the sky."

Gander then continues looking through crates and boxes moving up car by car as he finishes the previous inspection.

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Search Car 4(1d20+8)[16]
Search Car 3(1d20+8)[25]
Search Car 2(1d20+8)[16]
Search Car 1(1d20+8)[9]
Do you want me to roll more checks?

[Darkantra]

Surge

Sindra's comment about House Deneith not modifying the cars in any way sparked an interesting thought, something that lay entirely outside of any tactical considerations. Though he wanted to inspect the rest of the train with the halfling he just couldn't let a riddle like this go. Facing Sindra he begins his long-winded argument.

"The second car may well serve as a decoy in any case, the attackers may assume that we would keep you in an enclosed space for maximized protection and that being close to the conductor would allow us to unhitch the the other cars should they utilize the third car for infiltration. The boards upon the windows further enhances the idea by giving the illusion that the cabin is fortified."

"This car is effectively a bottleneck, enemies cannot come in force through the third car and I cannot think of how they could effectively use the cargo entrance to attack us. So making this our center of operations is also a wise tactical consideration, unless our enemies unhitch the car. Whomever the last car belongs too may well be too forbidding for anyone to enter from there or it might be protected against such things."

"Tactical considerations aside there is another possibility," Surge points at the small glowing orb of light at the end of the man's staff, "You may not enjoy bright lighting or natural sunlight, and the latter may even be harmful to you. The first car is unusable due to the control mechanisms taking up the space, the second is too bright and has windows that even boarded up may let in light, the third is completely exposed to sunlight and the last is locked. The only distinguishing feature of this compartment is the lack of lighting, you thereby can control it's only source. We also arrived well past the closing time for the station, and while I can agree that leaving at night might throw our enemies off the track, so to speak, it might have been much easier to slip you out on a train during the day when the bustle of commerce and travel would obscure us."

Surge holds up an apologetic hand.

"This may not be the case, but in a country whose citizens have an affinity to undead the likelihood of you either disliking light or being an undead yourself is at the very least a possibility, and my master was very careful to teach me to consider all possibilities."

[WillWolf]

Gawair:

Carpenter's thoughts were beyond his ability to discern.

In regard to the warforged's questions in regards to the horse and the rail, he just sort of glared at him with rather cold eyes, as if re-engaging how smart the living-machine/creature/whatever was. He didn't even say anything, this was just one of those moments where saying something would win him no allies, so he just continued to glare. There was absolutly no chance that the horse would be leaving this cart, unless it was an emergency. He didn't really like having the horse with him, truthfully, he found it nerve-wracking, but he couldn't just leave him here either. If the car fell over or something they would all be squished, and he had no desire to be squished by his own horse.

As for the riddle of the old-man, well, he guessed one thing: living men did not regularly smell of decay. He could tell that it was disquiting to his fellow members, but truthfully he didn't care if the man was undead or not and even if he could, there wasn't anything he could do about it anyways without giving up his own secrets. Let the old man have his riddles and secrets as long as the route went according to plan, he was ok.

The horse would probably be best darn member in fight. You don't want to mess with a cornered animal, and really, she was a warhorse. She probably saw more combat than most of the people on this rail.

He nodded politely and bowed his head in response. He didn't trust his own toungue still. There was actually a look of anger toward him, something he could see in his eye. How dare he be polite to him, but the truth was much deeper than just that thought. His signet ring stood out against his black glove.

Wordlessly he followed the halfling. He liked the halfling the most of them all actually, at least he could depend on him to not depend on him and to state that he would not depend on him. It was refreshing really. He had his own suspision on what was occuring. He followed the halfling, but he wasn't looking, he was smelling. He took deep breaths through his nose and smelled each of the four carts.

If there were any surprises he would not say anything in regard. Before the mission, before the safety of his friends, and even before his horse came his secret, and he was in no mood to to mess with his secret. He kept a close hand to his sword.

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Smelling for people that were not supposed to be on the train. He can't disern where they are without the track ability, but he should be able to find odd smells in each of the cars.

[DiscipleofBob]

The Crates

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Gawair smells nothing resembling any living thing on the train besides the conductor, yourselves, and Sindra. In the fourth car, Sindra's old-man-stench is nearly overpowering. The crates contain only mundane supplies, foodstuffs, some medicine. The only thing of real interest is that some of the crates contain oil or wine barrels which could catch on fire, though probably do no real damage to the train or to the other supplies. The search, however, will take a couple hours though. In the second car, when you inspect the few crates that are there (finding only mundane magic items, like sunrods and tindertwigs,) the door to the cabin opens and the conductor steps out, looking only slightly irritated. "Can I help you?" He stands by the cabin door and watches you rifle through the crates, letting you do so, but especially watching the halfling to make sure nothing is stolen.

The old man laughs with a raspy cackle. "You are at least partially correct, sir Warforged, with regards to this car. There are only two entrances to this car from which the enemy can attack, from the front or behind. Besides those, we have all these crates to provide cover and a tactical advantage. And since the secrecy of this mission was tantamount to its success, the seclusion of this car makes the train inconspicuous and a good place to hide, at least in theory. I have no doubt that my pursuers will attack this night.

"You are, however, incorrect to guess the nature of the second car, and I can easily assure you, while I may not seem long for the grave, my heart still beats. You are nontheless clever to consider the possibility of me being already passed away. Perhaps there is hope for the lot of you yet. Soon we shall see if your axe is as sharp as your intellect."

Events on the Train

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A couple hours have passed by now. With the exception of the first and second car, everything is pitch-black. The light from Sindra's staff does not even extend to either doorway, so unless you have low-light or darkvision, those in the fourth car cannot see to either door. Current locations are as follows: Gawair and Gander are searching the cars, and by this point are in the second car with Belaean d'Orien. Darren is just outside the fourth car, effectively guarding the door and keeping a lookout, though right now due to lack of illumination there's little he can see. Assumable there's some sort of conversation there that if you particularly like we can go into a bit more detail, but for the sake of the story, I'm going to go ahead and move ahead right now unless there are any immediate preparations the remaining party members in the fourth car, Azgrim, Surge, and Alokor, can think of. If there are, I can let you do one or two things real quick.

Azgrim and Alokor can hear some sort of scuffling commotion coming from the back of the car, presumably in the "forbidden" fifth car. At this moment, it's unclear exactly what the noise is, these cars are pretty well insulated, after all. Sindra appears unaware of the noise. Gawair, Gander, and Darren are currently oblivious to this.

[Lycar]

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I should point out that Darren was outside to catch some fresh air. People who went inspecting the other cars would find him sitting outside with his maks taken off. He still looks kinda unassuming. No hidden scars or deformities.

As much as Darren enjoyed the clean air, the cold was getting to him. Also, he had some preparations to make.

Returning into the fourth car, Darren sought out a place where he would have at least suffivient ligthing and spread out his bedroll, which he pulled from his Haversack. He then went on and produced a toolkit too.

Sitting down cross-legged on the bedroll and preparing a few tools, a rag and a can of oil from the toolbox, he pulled two somethings out from under his cloak and put them down in front of him.

The things looked a lot like hand crossbows, except they lacked the steel bow and sinew assembly one would expect from a crossbow.

Things became a bit clearer when he unscrewed a part at the back of each of the 'crossbows' and pulled out a spring. Which he then proceeded to meticulously clean and oil. He did the same with the rest of his odd little devices before reassembling them again.

Finally he pulled a lever on each of them, which seemed to **** the springs (maybe one could even hear a faint 'click') and then pshed a hand crossbow bolt in the front of each of them.

After putting his now fully loaded weapons back under his cloak, he restowed his tools and bedroll in his backpack and got up again.

He turned to head out to the open car again but paused a moment beside the magebred horse. Such a magnificent animal... he tentativly reached out with his hand and gave the animal a slight pat on the flank.

"So we won't have to worry about your safety then after all, hmm ? Good to know."

Lycar

[GimliFett]

Azgrim d'Kundarak

"Shh!" The knight hisses as he tilts his head to one side. After a moment he moves back through the car to the final car and looks at the others. "I heard something. Possibly from the final car," he readies his shield and then opens the door that leads to the final car and steps out.

[DiscipleofBob]

The horse seems to be impassive towards Darren's touch, supposedly as long as all there is is a pat on the flank.

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I went ahead and rolled those checks for you Darren.

Azgrim fumbles with the door at the back of the fourth car, but it's locked tight.

[GimliFett]

Azgrim d'Kundarak

With a snort, Azgrim mutters, "Seems they wanted to remove all temptation of messing with the last car." He faces the others again. "Did anyone else hear anything a moment ago?"

[Dustyme]

Gander looks a bit confused when Gawair starts following behind throughout the search. When the grumpy human starts breathing heavily the first time Gander looks at him weirdly and takes a step away from him waiting to see if the man is going to attack him. After a few instances he figures maybe it’s just all the dust kicked up by moving the crates and boxes.

"Are you ok human? You don't sound so healthy. Are you sick or something?"

At that thought Gander pulls out a black hankie (handkerchief) with a red rose embroidered on one half and a silver orb embroidered on the other half. Gander ties the hankie around his head bandit style with only his eyes visible above the cloth. Visible over his mouth lay the red rose.

By the time they reach the conductor Gander is satisfied that nothing will unceremoniously explode without the proper evens and is unsurprised when the conductor seems rather suspicious.

“To answer your stated question in a word, No. To answer your suspicious mind the answer is also, No. I didn’t take anything and do not plan to. Why would I want to be banned from using your houses fine transportation? These trains are absolutely amazing and I consider them to be quite sacrosanct.”

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Bluff (1d20+8)[23]

Gander then smiles innocently and begins wandering towards the last car to prepare in it a fortified position to shoot from. He also wants to suggest to the others about moving some crates to block one of the entryways into the rear car. Also even though he has no plans to acquire extra gear and spread it among the people in need (yet) he wouldn’t mind setting up a box or two of dry goods tumbling onto attackers.

Gander says to Gawair as he points at some sacks and crates:

“I’ll bet a big bag or crate like that falling on a man would split his head wide open.”

[Kevka Palazzo]

After hearing the noise, Alokor made put a hand on his dagger. The rail was annoyingly small, and he didn't want to risk his greatsword harming anyone yet. He wouldn't draw the marked blade if he didn't have to, though.

After Azgrim tried the last door, he tensed up a bit more.

"By Vol's blood...", he mutters. "I heard it too, dwarf."

Regardless of his initial fears of drawing the weapon, he places his other hand on his greatsword, getting it ready should he need to draw it.

[DiscipleofBob]

Locations as I see them right now

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Azgrim: In the fourth car, next to the back door, aware of scuffling noises from the fifth car.
Alokor: Same as above.
Surge: In the fourth car, but unaware of noise except through Azgrim and Alokor.
Gander: In the second car headed back towards the fourth car.
Gawair: With Gander.
Darren: On the third car, just outside the fourth car.

The scuffling noise continues in the fourth car, but exactly what the nature of the sound is is unclear to Azgrim and Alokor, who can only barely hear it.

Despite Gander's attempts to "console" the conductor, Belaean remains suspicious, and only when Gander steps away from the crates and heads back towards the fourth car does he step back inside the cabin, closing the door behind him.

[Darkantra]

Surge

Surge could only stare blankly at Gawair as the man gave him an incredibly cold look. When Gawair left the car without a word he left a confused Warforged behind him.

Hmm, I ask a question about a situation that might arise and he looks at me as if I told him to throw the horse underneath the train.

Looking at the horse and Darren, who was hesitantly patting it, Surge shook his head.

The kinds of attachments that fleshed creatures can have with animals, I just cannot fathom. Hmm... I should ask if I have given a slight Gawair did seem to value it highly.

"Well master Sindra, I am almost at a loss in guessing the purpose of the second car. The only guess I can hazard is that the cabin is to be used in an emergency. What that emergency might be or the purpose of the locked cabin is, I do not know. Perhaps a communications or escape magic is there, but that is all that I can guess."

Not liking how dark it was in the car Surge reaches into his pack and draws out a sunrod, twisting it to illuminate the area. Though he notices Azgrim and Alokor inspecting the door to the last car he puts it off as them inspecting the area, and is too interested in his conversations with Sindra anyways.

[GimliFett]

Azgrim d'Kundarak

"BAH! Locked!" the knight grumbles as he turns from the locked door and faces the others. "Sindra. Enough riddles. You apparently know far more about this whole setup than us. Share. NOW! What lies within the final car? And from whom are you fleeing?"

[WillWolf]

Gawair:

“I’ll bet a big bag or crate like that falling on a man would split his head wide open.”

"Probably." He said, only half thinking. "I don't want to get on the head either." His mind was closer to the whole buisness of figuring out what was happening with this man. This felt very, very odd to him and he wasn't really interested in being so far away from the rest of the party. He was almost sure that there were people hiding in crates here, but whatever. He would continue on. The nose knows when things are wrong and nothing was wrong and that made it very, very wrong.

"I'm heading back." There wasn't anything he could do here and so he hurried on back to the fourth car.

[DiscipleofBob]

Sindra ignores Surge, his face quickly switching from a wicked smile to a wide-eyed panic, and begins to cower in the corner. Azgrim's forceful interrogation does nothing to help this matter. "I flee from my own house and other enemies I don't even know about! I know nothing about the enemy or their plans, and I certainly don't know what's in there!" The old man now cowers, now a pathetic lump between the crates as the sound now becomes apparent from the back car.

Gander and Gawair get about halfway across the car when suddenly, a flash of steel whirls around from behind a corner, barely cutting into the halfling's flesh.

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(1d20+9)[16]
Damage: 7

Just before the attack, Gawair's nose goes wild. Something is here that wasn't before, and that same scent is now both in front, behind, and above him.

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Above attack part of the surprise round, to which Gander can react in. Only Gawair and Gander can act for this combat, though Darren can probably hear the commotion in a bit.

[Kevka Palazzo]

Alokor looks at the cowering man with a bit of distaste, quickly replaced by cold indifference. They had a job to do. He would complete it.

"Azgrim, no need to be so harsh. Throwing him into a panic won't help matters." He briefly pauses to think, then turns to the warforged. "Surge, Azgrim and I heard a noise from the fourth car. Be vigilant."

[WillWolf]

He smelled them and shouted, more like a roar, as loud as he possibly could to distract them: "TAKE COVER!" But he was too late. There were three of them and only two of us and he didn't like it one bit. He growled, literally growled, at the man who stole blood from the halfling. The halfling said he was no good in a fight: he hoped that he was mistaken.

He slashed his sword with both hands continuing his growl. "DIE!" He was trying to attract attention to himself and to create as much noise as possible.

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Bastard sword, two hands: (d20+8)[2](10)
(1d10+5)[5](10)

[WillWolf]

Action point for attack roll: (1d6)[4](4)

[Dustyme]

---Gander---

Upon getting cut Gander almost freezes in suprise for a split second then reacts as Gawair charges past him.

At the same time he tumbles towards the end of the car ((Staying out of melee range)), Gander draws a slim wand with his left hand. He ends up slightly to the left side of the corridor between the boxes and stacks. As he comes up from the tumble he enters fighting stance with Gawair between himself and the assailants he yells "Ambush!!" and throws out a black, red and silver mass of energy (Eldritch Blast) from his right hand. The mass flies between Gawairs legs and strikes at his nearest opponents kneecap.

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Tumble (If needed)(1d20+9)[14]
Ranged Touch Attack (1d20+8)[24]
Eldritch Blast Damage (1d6+1)[2]
(I assume we're within 30' otherwise subtact -1 Att / -1 Dmg)

[Darkantra]

Surge

Surge nods to the warning and hurries towards the third car.

"Alright, if you two can keep an eye on that door, I'll get the others. Do not worry master Sindra, they haven't killed you yet and they shall not now that we're here."

Surge gets to the doors between the two cars and draws his axe, taking a moment to listen for any strange noises before exiting the car.

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Listen - (1d20)[2] Listen check to see if Surge hears the shouting and fighting before he exits the fourth car.

[Lycar]

Darren meanwhile still sits in a spot on the open car that allows him to keep an eye on the doorway to the fourth car. He has huddled up in his cloak to protect from the cold.

While this makes him a bit harder to spot in the darkness surrounding the various crates, it also seems to make it harder to hear noises from behind.

Lycar

[DiscipleofBob]

Gawair swings and slashes at air just as the offender comes up from behind and swings his axe at Gawair, missing by just a hair. Gander tries to move out of harm's way, but in the darkness in the close quarters between the cars, this is nearly impossible. Luckily, his offender ((which unless I am mistaken, Gander cannot see due to lack of any light source or low-light/darkvision)) misses by a long swing and the sound of sharp metal rending through one of the crates as its contents spill over the unlucky assassin. Gander's luck runs out there though, as when he tumbles towards the edge of the car, another attacker hiding behind the corner clips Gander, causing him 4 damage. Gander's blast lights up the the third car for a split second before colliding into the halfway buried dwarf.

Initiative

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Gandar: 21
Gawair: 13
Darren: 22 (Made listen check to hear commotion and warnings)
Surge: (Did not hear anything in the third car yet. Can act outside of initiative order until then.)
Enemy: 6
???: 26 (Don't worry about this one, I'll post this one's action when it matters.)
((I have all enemies of the same "type" go on the same initiative to save trouble.))

Mechanics-Wise

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Gawair's attack misses the only person he could reach who was coming up behind him, who attacks as well and misses. Gander, going at the top of the round barely fails the tumble check and provokes an attack of opportunity from the immediate offender, and from another one around the corner. The 1st enemy rolls a 1 and breaks a crate, causing supplies to fall on him. The 2nd enemy makes it and does 4 damage to Gander. Does Eldritch Blast require a concentration check or anything like that if someone gets an attack of opportunity on you, Dustyme? Your attack will be resolved after I figure that out. Darren and Gawair can take their actions now.

[Darkantra]

Surge

Not hearing anything and suspecting that he still might have some time before the enemy closes in on this side of the fourth car Surge will open the door and step out into the open third car, taking care to close and block the doorway while he has a look for one of the others.

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He still has a sunrod in one hand and is holding his greataxe in another. That should give 30 ft of bright illumination and 60 ft. of shadowy illumination.

[WillWolf]

Gawair:

"Get out of here Gander!" The halfling was doing more harm than good, and although his blast had lit the area (making it easier to see). He could smell all three of them and he didn't think that the halfling knew it. "There's too many."

He snarled again as he attacked the man again. His sword slashing against the same opponent as before.

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Bastard Sword: (1d20+7)[2](9)

[WillWolf]

I am cursed with low rolls.

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Action point number 2: (1d6)[2](2)
Sword damage: (1d10+5)[2](7)

[GimliFett]

Azgrim d'Kundarak

The knight nods in acknowledgement of the warforged's words, then places himself just beyond the area where the door would open into, allowing him to strike at anyone who might enter through the door before they are aware of his presence. "I didn't mean to put the fright into him, Alokor. Something else is at play, I think," Azgrim says to the Karrn.

[Lycar]

Darren notices the opening door and emerging shine of light just in time to raise his arm and avoid looking into the warforged's sunrod directly, thus ending up blinded.

(Great, there goes my nightvision...)

"Coming to relieve my watch ?" he askes Surge, oblivious to the deadly struggle taking place just a couple dozen feet away from him.

Lycar

[Darkantra]

Surge

Seeing Darren whole and hale made Surge feel a bit better, perhaps they really did have time after all. Wedging the sunrod into his belt so that he could have a hand free for casting he settles down a bit and explains the situation slowly, but as usual he doesn't even notice the fleshy's discomfort.

"Not quite, and I don't know how much time we have left. Alokor and Azgrim heard a noise coming from the last car and are guarding the door as we speak. I thought that it would be best to get everyone else back here, we could get picked off pretty easily if we're seperate, despite one of my earlier plans. Can you watch the door while I go up to the second car?"

[Lycar]

"Sure. But what if it's only a distraction ? Hrm.. yes, better go and fetch the others."

Darren gets up, a bit stiff from the cold and goes on to get back into the fourth car past Surge.

Lycar