Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC - Page 4

TheFallenOne · 02-10-2012, 02:55 PM

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Originally Posted by Jeff the Green

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The halfling complies - sort of. Instead of facing the wall, he cowers in the corner, wimpering. The remaining resistance is quickly crushed as Mirielle sinks her poker right in the eye of one sailor and then rips it out again sideways, splitting the man's skull in half. The other one loses his balance as the ground under him buckles, though not breaks, and dropping to his knees from the unexpected bending floor he has no chance of evading Magnus's hammer. Only the halfling is left breathing, and after the sound of fighting and dieing ceased his pleading, though unintelligible, seems to become more desperate.

Sallera · 02-10-2012, 03:06 PM

"Nice swing, Mirielle." Hanging the crossbow from her belt, Aya checks the other side of the stairs for any reusable bolts, then joins the others at the top.

"S'pose with all the noise, someone else might have heard, even with the storm. That little guy looks a bit... useless, so how about you break the berserker's chains here while I take a look in the door he wasn't going for?"

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TheFallenOne · 02-10-2012, 03:25 PM

After the rather simply lock is removed, the right door reveals what must be the ship's storeroom. The shelves and barrels filled with assorted foodstuff are right now rather hard to reach for a quite joyous reason - the little piece of usually empty floor is taken up by five bundles that reveal the equipment taken from you, neatly sorted and rolled inside a thick piece of cloth each.

Jeff the Green · 02-10-2012, 04:24 PM

Mirielle retches as she drops the brain-spatterred poker on the ground next to her victim. The only thing keeping her from vomiting is her empty stomach. Once she recovers, she walks over to the halfling and crouches down to look him in the eye.

"Listen, we're not going to hurt you. If they'd surrendered we wouldn't have had to hurt your friends either." Mirielle sighs. "Can I look at your wounds?"

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Frog Dragon · 02-10-2012, 04:57 PM

"Name's Jorran, not 'Berserker'." The fight was over and he was quick to get himself back under control. He glanced at the deck. He dropped the woodcutter's axe, feeling progressively calmer. He could think clearly again. He'd have to find that Asam fella, if only to figure out why this happened. This group probably thought the same. They might be a useful means to an end. He was painfully aware that had he been alone, these people could probably have detained him for quite a while. He hated this Asam already, but he was clearly not to be trifled with.

Maybe the priestess would have to wait.

Cardea · 02-10-2012, 04:57 PM

Keeva walks up to join Aya and the others. Keeping mental notes, she had one more 'charge' left in her, and it'd have to be saved for later. She shudders at the gruesome sight, as she joins Aya over at the doorway, and freezes when she sees the bundles on the floor. She squeels when she realizes what they are. She shoves herself past Aya into the storeroom, picking up her bundle. She takes her crossbow out, hugging the tiny ballista to her chest, checking for the wand inside. "Oh, c'mere you. Been missin' you, I have."

Sallera · 02-10-2012, 05:02 PM

"Ahaha! There it is!" Immediately snatching her own equipment, Aya carries it out into the hallway and unrolls the bundle, carefully running her hands over every inch of the bowstave. "Good, it's unharmed. Their spines are safe... for now." Giggling, Aya kicks off the makeshift sandals and slips on her boots, donning armour and cloak and restringing the bow while Mirielle attempts to deal with the halfling.

"Ah, I'm feeling a lot more magnanimous now that I'm fully dressed. Bit late for those five, though." Dropping to one knee next to Mirielle, she inspects the cleric and the halfling. "I guess we want to get Asam's hidey-hole out of him so we can have a chat, eh? Don't want the armoursmith to actually have to run the ship aground."

"You know, you're kinda squeamish for a priestess of Kelemvor. Don't you see dead people all the time?"

candycorn · 02-10-2012, 05:03 PM

Even as Magnus hammers open Jorran's bindings, he glances at Mirielle, and scoffs. "Speak for yourself. I fully intend to hurt this one. I only promised to spare the halfling's LIFE, not spare the wretch pain. It's not safe to leave someone who just tried to kill us at our backs. I have no wish to kill anyone who lays down arms, but I am no fool to accept a false surrender and later regret it. Unconsciousness and binding was good enough for us, so it's good enough for this one... Unless, that is, he can demonstrate his cooperation with our rightful attempt to release ourselves from this clumsy shanghai attempt. What information can you provide us, little one?"

After freeing Jorran, he peruses his gear. "Excellent. Would someone assist me getting into my armor? Something tells me this isn't our last encounter with hostile pirates here, and I'd rather face the rest a bit more prepared."

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Frog Dragon · 02-10-2012, 05:23 PM

"Yes." Jorran nods, swinging his finally freed arms around by the shoulder a few times. "Tell us everything you know about your employer, where he is and what he's after." He walks over to his cloth roll of equipment while continuing to speak. "I know what your boss may 'ave told you. I know his kind." He picks up the chain shirt, armoring himself while he speaks. "And he has nothing on us." He spits out. "You'll tell us everything you know, because we're in control now." He approaches the halfling, half-dressed in his chain mail. "Best make yourself damn useful, or you'll have more in common with your friends than you'd like." He adjusts the padding in his chain shirt, turning back to the storeroom.

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Jeff the Green · 02-10-2012, 05:23 PM

Mirielle stands up and says to Aya "Yes, but I'm not used to... producing them. At least not with so much inside on the outside." I may have to rethink my plan with Cybrarvain. I suppose I could pay the berserker or the armorsmith to do it for me.

When Magnus and Jorran try--incompetently--to threaten the halfling, Mirielle snaps at them "Gods damn it! You're not helping. Back off and let me talk to him." She turns back to the halfling. "Hey, what's your name?" she asks gently.

Cardea · 02-10-2012, 05:58 PM

"For Oghma's sake, lighten up on the man. He can't do much against us anymore, and threatening him any further is only gonna make him soil himself." Keeva says, her annoyance plain on her face. She finishes packing her things, as she begins to put on her armor. "Listen, hon, things can go a lot easier if you just cooperate with us, irie?"

candycorn · 02-10-2012, 11:54 PM

Magnus shrugs, and replies, "If you can make him cooperate, so be it. Unless he takes up arms again, he shall live to our destination. I cannot promise his comfort or his freedom, but his life can be guaranteed with his non-violence. Should he choose to earn comfort or freedom, he knows what we seek."

With that, he gestures at Jorran, and asks, "While these two try to reason with people who were doing their level best to turn your vitals into vittles, would you mind helping me with these straps and buckles on my armor? I have never been a fan of the two hand straps under the armpits, but it beats letting the backplates fall off whenever I jump."

Sallera · 02-11-2012, 01:08 AM

"Yeah, I guess heads are kind of nasty. Stick something in a guy's eye, better to leave it there," Aya replies sagely, apparently oblivious to any effect her words might have on the hysterical halfling. Pulling a flask from her cloak, she takes a sip, nods, and hands it to Mirielle. "Here, have some tea. I'm going to take a quick look down the other end of the ship."

Aya pads down the shifting hall, her booted footsteps still oddly quiet, and listens closely at the small doors before easing each one open for a swift glance inside. That done, she unhooks the cumbersome old crossbow and leans it carefully against the wall; she had a good idea of who to trade it to once this was done, but it was bothersome to carry around quietly. Pulling her hood up to hide her hair, she creeps halfway up the stairs, listening closely for any signs the battle was overheard, although it seemed unlikely given the storm outside.

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TheFallenOne · 02-11-2012, 03:01 AM

The halfling seems unhurt, at least physically, and fails to reactto any questions directed at him until Magnus hammers on Jorran's restraints, a sound that makes him flinch, and he bursts out "STOP! ... Please. The keys are with... the guy you ripped apart with the poker."
After breaking his silence, he finally seems able to answer, though he speaks slowly and you have to strain to understand him with the noise of the storm outside drowning out his quiet words. "Asam and everyone else are on deck, braving the storm. We were told to keep an eye on you until we arrive at the Bluff. Miron said we should have left a guard below instead of all playing dice together, if only we'd listened to him..."
Aya's forray seems to confirm those words; all the rooms down the corridor prove empty, and when she listens to the doors leading up deck she can clearly make out the sounds of the raging storm, interspersed with lightning and a lot of shouting.

Jeff the Green · 02-11-2012, 03:28 AM

While she waits for the halfling to respond, Mirielle grabs her gear and quickly dons her armor and buckler.

"Alright," she says to the halfling once he falls silent again, "this is how it's going to work. I really don't want to hurt you. I didn't want to hurt your friends. But I think you can understand why I had to. And I think you understand that unless you answer our questions those two over there" she points at Jorran and Magnus "will want to hurt you, and I don't think I can stop them. But if you do, I'll make sure you make it out of here alright."

Mirielle pauses a moment to let the halfling absorb what she said. "I want you to tell us everything you know about the rest of the crew. How many there are, how are they in a fight, what kind of weapons do they have. Can you do that for me?"

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candycorn · 02-11-2012, 03:51 AM

Magnus looks a bit distastefully at Mirielle as she speaks, and sighs. I don't want to hurt the guy any more than I have to, but we're likely about to have a fight on our hands, and I'm not gonna risk this one coming up to aid them, or shouting a warning. Still, she seems to be dangling a carrot well enough. She can use me as the stick, I suppose. We do have some working manacles, and stripping the little guy of his possessions, tying him up, and putting some heavy boxes in front of the cage door. That way, I could protect the sensibilities of our resident bleeding hearts, and still keep this guy secure, or at least delayed long enough to deal with whatever may be outside. Best to wait until after our priest here gets what she can out of him.

Magnus then drops his hammer onto the deck with a thud, and continues working on strapping into his armor.

TheFallenOne · 02-11-2012, 05:33 AM

"We are... were... a crew of 25. Most are competent enough with a blade to help fending off pirates, but as we've seen that wasn't enough against the likes of you. Tirosh is the only one who might be able to stand up to you. He's..." He looks up at Magnus, measuring the strange eyes and bracers fused to his body. "He's like that guy."

Jeff the Green · 02-11-2012, 05:47 AM

Mirielle whirls around to look at the halfling. "What do you mean, 'like that guy'?" she says, alarmed. "Strong and prone to violence, or able to create a warhammer out of thin air?"

candycorn · 02-11-2012, 06:12 AM

Magnus clears his throat and speaks out, "Prone to violence? If I recall, I was the first to ask for these fools to surrender, and I did it while most of them were still breathing. Don't blame me if they weren't partial to the idea."

TheFallenOne · 02-11-2012, 06:15 AM

"I mean he has the same eyes, where the usual white is blue instead. And sometimes when he expects a fight he has similar strange things fused to his body. Not exactly the same ones, but I guess it's the same kind of thing:"

candycorn · 02-11-2012, 06:23 AM

Magnus speaks thoughtfully, and with a softened tone, "That... is surprisingly useful to know. Your fate is looking better and better by the minute, little one. Would you happen to know what weapons he wields, when he fights?"

TheFallenOne · 02-11-2012, 06:33 AM

"He has a twohanded, curved blade, black as night. It looks like it is carved from a single piece of bone. And he uses it well. Once, while in harbor, a group of thieves tried to sneak on board from a small lifeboat. They didn't last long against his measured cuts."

candycorn · 02-11-2012, 06:48 AM

Magnus begins to smile, faintly. "Even better! He looks to his newfound companions and inquires, "I wonder.... Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Jeff the Green · 02-11-2012, 08:14 AM

"Setting the trap right this time?" Mirielle suggests. "Unless you know how to disrupt his... whatever you call those things."

candycorn · 02-11-2012, 09:53 AM

"No, not particularly. No, I was thinking of giving our halfling friend here a chance to earn our trust. Judging by the storm out there, I'd imagine most of the sailors are needed up top. If a problem were to develop down here, they couldn't spare many to deal with it. So they'd send a couple, and it would be their best.

It's obvious the halfling respects this Tirosh fellow's ability. Likely the others do too. If we take him down, I imagine the others won't give us any trouble. It's also obvious that we shouldn't be fighting out there. We've got the odds against us enough as is, without dealing with wind, waves, and the possibility of taking an involuntary swimming lesson. So, if possible, we lure Tirosh in here, and take him out. Once he's down, the rest of these sailors will likely not want to tangle with anyone who could fell their best.

Last time, we made a mistake. The guard saw the disarray, and knew we'd escaped. We don't have that problem this time. If my idea goes as planned, Tirosh will EXPECT that we've escaped. He just won't quite realize what he's walked into until it's too late.

Here's the thought. We drag the bodies below, into the hold we woke up in. We take up position in some of these side rooms, and send the halfling out, to tell them that the prisoners woke up and broke down the door. He tells Tirosh that we're fighting down there, and are contained, but he doesn't know how long the guards can hold out. Tirosh will think he's going to reinforce his men. He won't know that he's walking all alone into us.

He enters, hears the racket that one of us is making below, and as he runs in to assist, we blindside him, shove him into one of these rooms, get his weapon out of his hand, and work him over. Once we have him trapped in here, anyone who can shoot can stand at the doorway and chip in, while Jorran and I keep him occupied up close.

He's the key to this ship's fighting spirit. Take him out, and the rest of the crew won't dare try to take us on openly."

With that, Magnus looks over at the halfling, and says, "how about it? All you have to do is tell him we've broken free, and we're fighting the guard. If you do that, and we succeed, you're a free man, when we reach port. If we fail, you just need to convince Tirosh that we must have overwhelmed the guards while you were going for aid, and he never even knows of your involvement in this. No matter what happens, you're safe. Sound good?"

Sallera · 02-11-2012, 02:54 PM

Aya grins as she returns, grabbing the mentioned keys and removing the remains of the manacles from her wrists. "I was just going to suggest we not go out there and get in the way of their efforts to keep us from sinking. Sounds pretty nasty outside. I dunno if they'll fall for it, but it beats going down with the ship, and it'll probably get us the information we want, in the end."

Taking her tea back, she watches the halfling as she takes another drink, then tucks the flask away. "Say, what's on the other side of that door you were trying to get into? That way lead topside as well?"

TheFallenOne · 02-11-2012, 07:07 PM

"No, it's just the kitchen.
So... you want me to go upstairs and lure Tirosh down here?"

candycorn · 02-11-2012, 07:31 PM

"That would be our hope, yes. If you do, we can overlook your involvement in the ship's handling of us. I mean, it's quite possible you just got caught up in all this, and were too afraid of Tirosh to object. You wouldn't have exactly had much choice in the matter, right? Here's your chance to have a choice of your own, and show us what kind of person you are."

Jeff the Green · 02-11-2012, 07:33 PM

"It's a decent idea," Mirielle muses. "Should limit casualties on both sides and get us safely to shore."

She pulls a small stone out of her rucksack and looks at it before putting it back.

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Frog Dragon · 02-12-2012, 08:10 AM

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"Sure." Jorran starts helping Magnus with the straps that he can't properly reach, listening to the plan the others are cooking. Finally, he straps the crossbow to his belt and puts his cloak on, though he does not sheath the greatsword, expecting more battle soon.

"I wouldn't rely on the others just giving up if we took down this Tirosh, though taking out their best fighter will still help. But we shouldn't underestimate the weight of numbers. If they think they have more to fear from us than the storm..." Jorran let the thought dangle."Still, a solid plan."