Toma: the City After the War [IC]

[Chineselegolas]

Kithzin

"Traps aren't my speciality, sneaking around is my forte, but as there is no magic, I'll give it a go", as he climbed back up the ladder, and looked carefully around for any traps, or possible opening mechanism.

Spoiler

Show

search - (1d20+6)[21]
disable device - (1d20+4)[18]
open lock - (1d20+12)[21]

[XenoGeno]

Urk

Urk heads off with the others, lifting his sword so as to be ready if someone or something is above the door.

[Solophoenix]

Varwann

Spoiler

Show

Varwann continues onward, following the man's directions. Assuming he finds a guard, he approaches and speaks.

"Excuse me, guard, I'm afraid I have to report a string of murders. Petty, the local tavern owner, and two others. There was a very dangerous mastiff at the scene, and whoever put it there is probably still around, maybe with more of them."

Diplomacy roll, if needed.
Diplomacy - (1d20+3)[12]

[RS14]

Tunnels:

Spoiler

Show

[I take it Mourdin is the one opening it?]

Kithzin finds no traps, nor any other mechanisms. The door seems to be simply a solid wood square which doesn't budge.

Mourdin climbs the ladder tries to lift the door open, but it seems fixed very solidly in place. He shoves with all his strength, but it doesn't even lift an inch, and the rung he stands on gives way with a snap. Kithzin grabs him and breaks his fall, but Mourdin nevertheless soaks the seat of his pants.

-=-=-=-=-=-

OOC:

The ladder isn't so broken as to be impossible to climb, but if you're going to continue forcing the door, you'd better find a different way to try exert force on it.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Varwann:

Spoiler

Show

The "dig" is a long, two-story building on the north of the road. The western end of it has crumpled to the ground - it's not clear if this is the result of the earthquake which damaged the city weeks ago, or from the excavation below. Regardless, the roof here has been peeled away in places and the rubble piled against nearby structures. The other half of the building has remained standing, despite ground-floor walls being torn down haphazardly, floorboards ripped up, and the cellar excavated. What remains of all staircases have been sealed off, as have many of the second-floor windows.

A gray-bearded Dwarf in a red officer's coat, forage hat, and epaulets is leaning on a combat spade beside the dig. He stops his conversation with the woman in the excavation entrance - a Dwarf with tightly knotted hair and several pounds of surveying equipment - and looks up laggardly to Varwann as he appears. He listens with a look of mild exasperation before speaking. "Son, I've no doubt that this is important, and I'd not hesitate to give aid on another day, but at the moment, my troops are down there fighting through a veritable thicket of half-starved half-mad deserters from the underdark. Now unless these murderers happen to be down in my tunnels, I've not got the slightest inclination to interrupt our mission here to chase after them." He pauses and removes three numbered tin tokens (1380, 1388, and 1397) on strings and passes them to Varwann. "Now I can also advise you to take these and tie them to the corpses - unless we run right into them, we don't have the time to retrieve them now, but these will help us later."

[Ryuuk]

Telma

Eyes still closed, Telma listens as Mourdin makes his way up. Every little creak seemed much more distinguishable in almost total darkness. Even the shoves seemed much louder then they truly were.

With the sudden crack, Telma opens her eyes and looks towards the source. Finding everything much like it was were them closed, she takes a step back and lights the sunrod. Now she squints for a few seconds, but as her vision becomes clear so does the source of the noise. Slightly more serene then before, she steps back towards the group. "Are you alright Mourdin?" While he answers Telma appraises the damp corridor around her as well as the broken ladder leading up.

Spot: (1d20+3)[4]

[Chineselegolas]

Kithzin

"That worked well", Kithzin said with a slight laugh, before saying "Shall I try and shatter it?"

[Snowfall]

Spoiler

Show

Actually, I thought the past posts seemed to be pretty clear that Kithzin was climbing the ladder to open the door... but oh well. Little bit of water never hurt anyone.

Mourdin

"Well, that was a mistake, no doubt about it. Never send a dwarf to do... that. Now that there's light, take a look at the symbol and let me know what you make of it. We need to be holding hands to open this door?"

[RS14]

Tunnels:

Spoiler

Show

As the sunrod burns brightly, Telma and Urk see the corridor as it is. The symbols on the door are legible; the lock, broken key, and two stick figures with wrists crossed.

Something glistens in the light on the walls to the east, just as the corridor twists out of sight to the north. It looks somewhat patchy and slimy, rather than a unbroken slick of water or a mineral vein.

[XenoGeno]

Urk

"I agree with th' monk. Just blow up the blastin' door!"

[Ryuuk]

Telma

A lock, a broken key and two figures with their wrists cuffed together. The drawings must have had some meaning, and although some of her own quick explanations made her uneasy, the fact that there hadn't been any magic knocked down the worst of them.

The gleam catches her attention, but she holds it off until after the door is dealt with. Even if there was no magic, the encounter with the mastiff left her feeling that it would be best to stick together when pocking around. She steps back from under the door and tries to find a way to place the sunrod on the walls, maybe even on her belt. Anything that would leave her hands free in case they would be needed elsewhere. "Give it a shot Kithzin"

[Solophoenix]

Varwann

Spoiler

Show

"Thanks for your time, anyway."

Dissapointed but understanding, Varwann takes the tags and begins making his way back to the tavern.

[RS14]

Tunnels:

Spoiler

Show

Conveniently enough, the wall is quite rough brick, and Telma manages to wedge the sunrod into a gap in the masonry.

Kithzin focuses on the door above and a harsh sound, rapidly oscillating in pitch, rings out, until a moment later, with a crack, the sound ceases and the splintered door falls inwards, accompanied in quick succession by five large bags of sand which land with a splash atop the wreckage.

The room above is dimly lit. There are more bags that can be seen around the lip of the trapdoor, and the ceiling consists of cracked plaster, with a small patch of dark mold just visible though the door.

Varwann:

Spoiler

Show

"Well, I'm here. I can't very well ignore you," says the officer. He tips his hat as Varwann departs, then returns to his previous conversation.

On the way back to the tavern, people seem to take notice of the tags in Varwann's hand. Hats are tipped, and some people stare. Nobody initiates conversation in the street, but just as Varwann reaches the tavern door, a man behind him interrupts him. "I'm sorry for your loss - were they family? No, that can't be it - you don't look like a local. Rather late too - or did you arrive to care for them?" He extends a hand. "Excuse me - Sondheim, undertaker, at your service. And you would be?"

[Solophoenix]

Varwann

Spoiler

Show

Varwann accepts the handshake.

"I'm afraid I didn't know the deceased. It was a murder, and myself and my comrades were first on the scene. I left to find a guard whilst they searched for the murderer."

[Chineselegolas]

Kithzin

Stepping back as the sandbags landed in the water, Kithzin lent over one of the bags and pulled it open, confirming the contents. "Should we check out whatever that is glistening over there, or leave it till the way back" Kithzin said, brushing his hands off.

[Snowfall]

Mourdin

Mourdin turns his head to listen up above and then tightens his hand on his axe. He whispers "Careful, someone's armed up there and they know we're coming. We don't know if they had anything to do with these murders either."

[Ryuuk]

Telma

Spoiler

Show

Telma nods at Mourdin's words, whispering back "So we're at a stalemate of sorts." She steps away from the dark opening, considering it a prudent action if her ears were right. She signals to the others to do the same, at least until they know how to go about this.

You know, this might be just the place for Varwann's talent... There's probably another exit up there, this could be our only chance... She takes a strange stone from her side pouch, as well as the dorje they'd used in the warehouse. "We could try to get up there quickly, do it fast enough and we might shock him."

(1 minute Skate to whoever wants it, if we choose to rush him she'll use one of her Power Stones for concealment as well as manifest Force Screen)

[RS14]

Varwann

Spoiler

Show

"Oh dear. That seems to be a trend lately. But you know how people are; no sanity; no honor. Most terrible."
He looks down at his feet for a moment. "Not to seem hasty, but we really must take the deceased elsewhere, shouldn't we? Rats are a menace, and, not to boast, but I can provide far superior lodgings for the deceased. You don't mind, do you?"

[Solophoenix]

Varwann

Spoiler

Show

"Follow me inside, then head upstairs, there's a man up there who knew one of the deceased well, I'll let him decide how they're handled. I shall rejoin my companions."

Varwann enters the tavern and heads for the trap door, climbs down and looks around for the others.

[RS14]

Varwann:

Spoiler

Show

Sondheim smiles. "That does sound preferable; it is, as always, my duty to give my respects to the bereaved."

Inside the tavern, the fog has mostly cleared. Sondheim glances into the kitchen as he enters, and gives a brief, two-finger-on-brow salute to the dead boy on the kitchen floor. He moves on without saying any more.

At the bottom of the ladder, Varwann can make out a faint glow in the east corridor. The tunnel drops off before going far, however, and his view down the tunnel is limited to the graffiti covered ceiling above this drop.

-=-=-=-=-=-

OOC:

Due to the timing of this (I basically glossed over the time it took to travel those few blocks), you'll need to wait a few days until the other players have resolved actions such that I know what to tell you Varwann encounters. I'm sorry about this.

Tunnel:

Spoiler

Show

The silence is broken by a shout from above in Orcish. The speaker seems bold, but stutters on the last words. Another speaker, this one weaker and raspier, follows these words; his end in the refrain "Gu ey wass madur. Gu ey wass madur."

[XenoGeno]

Urk

Spoiler

Show

Home... all that person wanted was to go home. Just like Urk wished he could do. Lifting his sword, Urk shouts back in Orcish.

Translation

Spoiler

Show

"Soldiers! Leave the hostage alone! If anything happens to him, I will paint the wall red with your blood!"

Urk turns to his companions, his words somber, a cold anger across his face. "If... if y'all see any orcs up there, don't fight'em unless they attack firs', okay? There shouldn't be more than one anyway. All he wants t'do is go home. Please, leave'im alone."

[Snowfall]

Mourdin

Spoiler

Show

Mourdin takes a long look at Urk, speaking softly "That's quite an accent you have there, Urk. You speak better Orcish than I do, better than one of the captors up there even..." The dwarf shrugs, before continuing on, "Ask them to show us the hostage, then we'll negotiate."

While he waits for Urk, Mourdin stares thoughtfully at the ceiling, running his hand along the wall.

[RS14]

The first speaker shouts back, still in Orcish. Something about Toma; the speaker seems somewhat more anxious now.

Spoiler

Show

"You lost! Go far from Toma. Tell your friend surrender."

Just after this, there is the sound of breaking glass upstairs. Someone, perhaps the first speaker, or perhaps another, calls out in Common "Help! Messenger! 5th reservists fighting off invaders on Auburn and Smitt! Messenger! Messenger! Don't let them take ground again!"

[Chineselegolas]

Kithzin

"Keep him talking" Kithzin whispered as he crept over to the ladder and began to climb up as quietly as he could raising his head so his eyes were just able to see over the next floor.

Spoiler

Show

move silently - (1d20+11)[21]
hide - (1d20+11)[30]

[Snowfall]

Mourdin

Spoiler

Show

Before Kithzin heads up the ladder, Mourdin asks Heironeous to grant his companion strength.

(Casting Bull Strength on Kithzin... he might need it. +4 Strength for 5 minutes)

[Ryuuk]

Telma

Spoiler

Show

The bantering in orcish was enough to make Telma tense. It takes her a while to get up to speed with what Urk and Mourdin were talking about, it finally comes together when the hostage speaks. "The orc getting hurt or not is going to depend on what happens to that messenger." She gestures to Kithzin as she finishes speaking.

She gets a bit closer to the ladder, ready to sprint up at the monks notice. At this point it would probably be best to let those that knew his tongue handle it.

[RS14]

Tunnels:

Spoiler

Show

Kithzin peers through a gap in the bags, and spots two Human soldiers and an Orc prisoner, all in dirty, sweat-stained uniforms against the south wall, only about 20ft from the trapdoor. They seem to have made a fortified emplacement out of the sandbags around them; a semicircle against the wall, about a foot high, but deeper on the inside. It comes up to the waist of the men standing inside it.

Both soldiers wear only the standard privates' uniforms: long-sleeved brown tunics under red-trimmed breastplate, and black trousers; neither wears the red sashes which are common on parade. The man towards the front of the emplacement grasps his longspear tightly and scans the room with his eyes sighting just over its tip, but although they sweep right across Kithzin, he does not seem to notice the silent Githzerai.

The other man is looking out a broken window onto the street; he carries a crossbow pointed at the ground. He calls out though it again "Do you hear us? We need reserves! Messengers!." He glances back into the room with his eyes twitching around the room in fear, but likewise fails to spot Kithzin behind the frayed bags.

The Orc can be seen sitting against the wall behind the Human with the spear. Only his head can be seen above the sandbags; his hair has been cut short, and he is gagged. His eyes are closed, and he doesn't move.

The building itself seems to be a fat L-shape. This room is 60ft wide and 80ft long, and with a high ceiling. The whole room is with filled sacks, presumably of sand, covering the entire floor to at least a foot in depth, while a staircase runs up into Both the north and south walls have glass windows, though one towards the south is now broken; there is also an open set of double doors leading into a similar room to the west, though it appears totally deserted. A staircase with a chopped and teetering balustrade passes above these doors, and ends on an enclosed landing before reaching the ceiling of this room, presumably to provide access to a second floor of the adjacent room.

[Chineselegolas]

Kithzin

Spoiler

Show

Lowering his head down, he released his hold with one hand, and held two fingers up then pointed at Telma, then pulled a stern face and mimed holding a spear, then put his hand to his mouth and attempting to indicate fangs, then put his hand up by the other and hung his head to the side as though unconscious. Nodding at the others hoping they understood the information, he pulled himself up into the room silently, keeping below the frayed bags and wriggling along the floor moving away from the trap door.

move silently - (1d20+11)[28]
hide - (1d20+11)[20]

[XenoGeno]

Urk


Urk looked at Kithzin, then back at the others, rage completely replaced with confusion. "Does anyone know what in the Nine Hells that gith is tryin' to say?"

[Ryuuk]

Telma

Spoiler

Show

Slowly nodding as Kithzin sends his message. Telma tries to bring it together, thinking in a whisper to the others when the Githzerai disappears. "Two... soldiers? Someone or something sleeping perhaps? But that doesn't... unless it was overpowered. We would have surely heard it though." She shrugs, she was at least close.

Figuring it would be odd for them not to hear back, she speaks out and goes to the base of the ladder. "Is anyone hurt up there? I'll be right up."

[RS14]

Tunnels:
Initiative:
Kithzin: ?
Soldier[Crossbow]: 19
Soldier[Hidden]: 19
Soldier[Spear]: 7

Those below watch Kithzin disappear over the top. Though he moves slowly, the soldiers must have seen him, as one shouts out "There's one!" A moment later, crossbows click, and four bolts fly through the air. Two come from another soldier, an older bearded man, who appears from behind the edge of the emplacement only long enough to aim and release. The bolts sink into sandbags with dull thuds, except for one, that is; one which happens to strike the bag lightly on an edge and tumble straight into Kithzin's arm. [4 pts lethal damage]

The soldier with the spear holds steady at his position.

-=-=-=-=-=-

If you'll be entering combat, roll initiative.

Map:

Spoiler

Show