Rokugan Mantis Isles/Curses of Cauldron(IC thread)

[Togath]

IC thread is now up;
link to OOC (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=13793873#post13793873)
Link to the main Rokugan wiki I've found so far (http://l5r.wikia.com/wiki/Rokugan)
Link to recruiting thread, in case I need to reference something on it. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=253641)

Character/player list;
Player|Character
Archpaladin Zousha |Tayago (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=438383)
Elbeyon|Reiko Ueshima (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=438028)
Loko|Yuan Taotu (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=437939)
Mari01|Daigo Hida (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=438253)
Morbis Meh|Taicho Monsuga (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=437951)
Rhyvurg|Kirnan (http://plothook.net/RPG/profiler/view.php?id=11259)
Thefallenson|warblade 1


Character text colour list;
Current IC text colours;
GM/narrator;
Gray/Dark Red
Tayago;
Sea Green
Yuan Taotu;
Blue
Daigo Hida;
Med-Turquoise
Reiko Ueshima
Red
Taicho Monsuga;
Indigo.

Current XP gained:
180xp each


And now we'll begin:smallsmile:

A downpour falls from the light-grey sky. the sky lights up with flashes of lightning occasionally, and the nearby slate-roofed buildings seem somewhat bleak and frightful on this night. A few lights can be seen glowing from behind windows, but not many are out at this time of night and in this weather, which is strong enough to turn gutters into small rivers. Suddenly, a loud grunt of pain sounds from a nearby alley.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Tayago winces as he hears that grunt, but tries to look forward.

"Keep walkin', don't get involved," he mutters under his breath.

[Elbeyon]

Tayago winces as he hears that grunt, but tries to look forward.

"Keep walkin', don't get involved," he mutters under his breath.

As Reiko continued her search a flash of lightening revealed a small figured up ahead. She gave a loud elongated, "ōi, you!" as she ran up to him. All the way mud splashing every which way. As she caught up to the little man, she was surprised to find out that he was an adult given his stature.

Looking down she continued onward without introducing herself, "Hey, I'm looking for someone. He's about this tall." She put her flat hand near her chin, still well above your head. "Black hair, looks kinda scrawny. Have you seen him?"

[loko]

Yuan
As lightning cuts through the sky a shadow in the shape of a huge man is visible. Making a straight line for an inn so that he can spend the night he stops only when he hears the sound of someone in pain.
Following the sound as silently as possible soon the giant is in front of a dirty alley. Moving closer to the alley he sees two smaller figures in front of it, and noticing they didnt seem to be the source or the cause for the sound he ignores them and moves to the alley without a pause.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

As Reiko continued her search a flash of lightening revealed a small figured up ahead. She gave a loud elongated, "ōi, you!" as she ran up to him. All the way mud splashing every which way. As she caught up to the little man, she was surprised to find out that he was an adult given his stature.

Looking down she continued onward without introducing herself, "Hey, I'm looking for someone. He's about this tall." She put her flat hand near her chin, still well above your head. "Black hair, looks kinda scrawny. Have you seen him?"
Tayago blanches as the woman calls after him, and even more so when he gets a good look at her. She reminded him of an unusually pretty oni that had somehow joined the Crab Clan.

"That depends on why you're looking for this fellow, madam. If you're here to settle on some debt, I'll tell you, that Jinjin's a drunk fool without two coins to his name."

Jinjin was an alias Tayago'd used in the past...when he'd worn stilts under his clothes that brought him up to about the height she'd described. He silently hoped she wasn't looking for him.

Then his eyes nearly popped out of his skull when he saw the massive man march past them into the alleyway.

[Mari01]

What a horrible night to be out. Seems even the weather is against you these days. Upon hearing the grunt of pain, Daigo smiles and draws his weapon. Pain, a dark alley, and a horrible storm? Sounds like the perfect opportunity for someone to get robbed. Even more importantly, the perfect opportunity to save a helpless victim. Rounding the corner and darting forward, the large figure gives him pause.You there! Are you hurt?!

[Elbeyon]

"Wait what... no he's not a drunk. He enjoys his sake but he's definitely not a drunk." Disappointed her query turned up empty, she got lost in thought planning her next move.

The little mans reaction to the ongoing scene snapped her out of it and she turned to find out what was happening. Seeing several people heading towards the ally she broke off after them, hoping greater numbers would lead to success. Once again she gave a loud elongated, "ōi, you" as she chased after the giant.

[Mari01]

More figures approaching. Not good. You there! State your business!

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Tayago jumps.

"Who, me?"

[Mari01]

All of you! What would you folk be doing out and about in such dreary conditions?

[Archpaladin Zousha]

"I was just walking by. Don't know what all these freaks are interested in."

He jerks his thumb at the others in the alley before attempting to continue on.

[Rhyvurg]

Kirnan walks down the street, cloak pulled tight against the rain. But the length of dark red beard visible under his hood marks him as an obvious outsider, not to mention the unusual sword strapped to his back. Not watching where he's going, he nearly bumps into the tall woman.

[Togath]

You hear a small scuttling on the rooftops nearby, and another grunt, though from a different voice, which is followed by hurried footsteps.
From around the corner stumbles a rather battered, and blooded young man in robes carrying a wakizashi with a small amount of blood on it's blade.
"Thank the fortunes someone's here!"
"I was ambushed.....kidnappers.....black.....oni"
he stumbles over the last words as he falls over towards Tayago passes out from blood loss

From within the alley you hear another, voice, this time deep and gruff:
"Ya half-wit, what if he dies, then we'll have tha guard on us"
"but ya said someone was coming!"
says another voice, slightly agitated at the other.
"ya, but now tha guard will suspect us of tha kidnapping!"
"Hey, Boss, I think the priest man got away"
says a third voice, higher pitched then the last two.
"afta him, we can't let him die where he'll be found, and if he's found or dies then Suka will have our ead's on a stick"
((ooc: the voices from the alley do actually pronounce things in that odd manner, also, keep in mind that it isn't quite combat yet, there are ways to not end up in a battle here))

[Mari01]

Walking past the oddly helpful stranger to stand over the fallen man, Daigo looks down the alley and shouts, Suka will have to be dissapointed my friends. This man comes with me.

[Togath]

the voices can be heard, again, slightly nervous sounding
"Run while we can, they might be able to keep him alive long enough"
"Hasn't this gotten a bit messy, Boss?"
"Aye, but it'll get messier if ya don't shut yer trap, if we skedaddle now we can get away scot-free, if we hurry Suka might even 'ave a bit o' mercy"
after that you hear the sounds of receding footsteps going down the alley.
(+100xp from the encounter, though you could try chasing the voices down if you still want to)

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Tayago sees the man fall in front of him and looks around very ill. He couldn't just leave that guy lying in front of him, but it looked to the passerby that he was very suspicious. Deciding to do the right thing, Tayago kneels down and murmurs a prayer to the Fortunes he remembered from childhood, pure and clean energy surging into the man, and his wounds begin cleaning and closing.

Tayago casts cure light wounds on the man.

[roll0]

[Togath]

"What...what happened?"says the man
"I remember being ambushed by some large men in black, horned, masks"
"after that all I can remember is them shouting something towards me, and then me running down the alley, trying to escape"

[Elbeyon]

"Freak!?! Who are you calling a freak tiny man!", the women barks back obviously flustered. Before she can continue an injured man wonders out from the alley.

As the man finishes perhaps his last words, she pulls a small flask out of her belt pocket and swigs it. She rounds the corner for she can get the full view of whats going on.

Just a reminder, she has both darkvision and scent.
Also using an extract of shield. (it has no obvious effects).
She doesn't have any weapons drawn.

[Rhyvurg]

"Crime on my islands? I think not!" The gaijin grabs his sword and charges into the alley.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Tayago facepalms.

"Great. A gaijin Mantis noble, a giant, a near-murder victim and an oversensitive cow of a woman and other assorted do-gooders. Just what I need now," he mutters.

[Togath]

Near the back of the alley you can see three large burly figures wearing crudely made horned wooden masks, two are carrying sword like weapons with wooden spines and obsidian blade(macuahuitl), while the largest is carrying a metal gaijin style sword about 3 feet long, as you approach the shortest of the three turns towards you and shouts "bugger off this aint none o' yer business", before throwing a rock at Kirnan
[roll0]
[roll1]
The rock missess and skitters to the ground near Kirnan's feet

[Rhyvurg]

Kirnan looks at the rock, then at the criminals. "Really? Come, let me show you how to use that sword." He charges, bringing his sword down in a vicious diagonal slash

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Togath]

You hit the shortest of the three with a powerful blow, but he is still standing, albeit rather unsteadily, The largest of the trio has escaped the alley, but the medium one is still within range(about 20ft. away).
The shortest one shouts "traitors!, how dare you leave me here!" as his boss exits and alley and his ally starts to flee.
((next up would be taicho[not currently present at the moment] or daigo, followed by tayago or reiko))

[Elbeyon]

With the nobleman rushing ahead of her and nearly killing the little man outright the situation had already escalated well out of hand. Surely the masked man would die horribly if the fight continued. Hoping to save his life, she attempts to knock him out with a less lethal attack before the nobleman can cut him down.


Charge attacking with spiked gauntlets.
She should be able to ignore the concealment effects of night thanks to dark vision.
Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[Togath]

The strike connects an succeeds in knocking out he masked man, as he falls to the ground the third man begins to slip out of the alley.

[Mari01]

I'll be damned if you steal my spotlight!

Swift Action: Punishing Stance
Full Round: Charge
Damage: [roll]1d10+1d6+6

[Archpaladin Zousha]

"What...what happened?"says the man
"I remember being ambushed by some large men in black, horned, masks"
"after that all I can remember is them shouting something towards me, and then me running down the alley, trying to escape"
"Well, you're safe now, thanks to those would-be heroes that just rushed into the alley you rushed out of, and you're gonna live thanks to some quickly administered good fortune, courtesy of me. You're welcome, by the way."

[Togath]

(for Daigo's action)Your attack hits(matched his ac in this case) and knocks him down in one powerful blow, leaving him bleeding on the ground.(do you want to stabilize him, finish him off, or let him bleed for now?)
[edit forgot to add a small xp bonus since you managed to exceed the base challenge: +80xp for catching two of the thugs]{80 xp each}

"Thank you for healing me, I had thought I was done for when they short one tried to finish me with his sword" says the man,
"I've got to head back to Bishamon's shrine as check to see if everyone there is ok, I'm sure the high priestess would also be willing to reward you with an a few elixirs for having saved me, why don't you guys come along with me once we deal with these two thugs"

[Mari01]

Hey! You! Think you can keep this one from biting it? Pointing and yelling at the victim and his would-be savior.

[Elbeyon]

Reiko kicks the grunts weapon away from his unconscious hand then kneels down on the mud. Looking over his bludgeoning wound, she steadies her hand above his mouth checking for any sign of breath. A warmth moistens her hand shortly after, "Looks like he'll be alright," she announces to the others.


Taking 10 to diagnose his livingness (If it's even necessary)
Rolling heal if he's not stable.
[roll0]

[Rhyvurg]

"Good, he can answer questions then. I did not catch your name, miss."

[Togath]

forum was buggey and hid my last post;

As you take a look ay the fallen masked man you((and everyone else, since you all managed to beat the dc for this knowledge check)) recognize the mask as being a type of mask worn by the "black-oni" thieve's guild, though the ones these men were wearing are very crudely made versions, You also recognize him, and the other fallen one, as being orcs, a type of strong, but very stupid, green-skinned, humanoid.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Hey! You! Think you can keep this one from biting it? Pointing and yelling at the victim and his would-be savior.

"Dammit, I'm not a doctor!" Tayago cries before seeing that great bear of a woman tending to the fallen thug.

At the offer from the shugenja, Tayago nods.

"I'm never one to turn down free stuff."

[Elbeyon]

"I did not catch your name, miss."

Reiko stands up and tries to wipe off as much of the mud as she can. She tries to be as formal as possible given that the man in front of her might be a noble, but her formal speech is at a child's level at best."Nice to meet you, the names Ueshima." Waiting a short while for a response before continuing.

She leans over and picks up the unconscious orc with a large grunt and slings him over her shoulder. Then slowly starts making her way over towards the orc that is bleeding out.

[Mari01]

Just a bunch of hired muscle. What a drag.

[Rhyvurg]

"Kirnan." He walks next to her.

[Elbeyon]

Just a bunch of hired muscle. What a drag.

Great what have I gotten myself into, Reiko thinks to herself. Looking down at the orc that is bleeding then out towards the little guy. Whats taking so long. She yells out towards Tayago, trying to beat out the noise of the storm, "Tiny man! This guy is bleeding out!"

[Togath]

actually he's stable i think(at least if I understand how stabilizing works, never been 100% how it does)

[Rhyvurg]

"No, he will be healed after he does some talking. So, criminal, why are you trying to murder people on my island?"

[Togath]

"Suka sent us, said we could lower our debt to 'er if we did a job for tha silver-foxes" ((known thieve's guild, thought to be bigger, and better funded than the black-oni thieve's guild))
"Said to tell Katsura and 'er disciples ta stay away from tanuki street"
"I've told ya all I know, please, don' kill me, Boss, we woulda stayed away, but ya can't refuse a job from tha foxes" he looks rather nervous, and a bit dizzy from his blood loss

((notes to help that bit make sense;
Katsura is the temporary high preistess of the fortune Bishamon while the normal high preist is in Inazuma. She has also been trying to investigate the chain of kidnappings that has happened in the last few months))

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Tayago, intimidated by Ueshima, hustles over to where the thug is talking.

"This Suka sounds like a moron. Your little shanking stunt more likely would have had Katsura and her friends crashing down on Tanuki Street in force, with maybe some Mantis bushi and local guardsmen for good measure."

He looks at Ueshima and Kirnan.

"I've only got a little bit of good fortune left to share. You really want me to waste it on this brute who'll probably be executed later anyway?"

[Mari01]

I'm not killing him without him being able to defend himself. That's just straight murder. Just let the guards sort it all out.

[loko]

Yuan
As the fight quickly happens the oread tryes to give chase to the other assaulters, but is unable to prevent their escape.
Moving back to where the other are he nods his approval of the effectiveness of the group.
"I am Yuan, and indeed we should deliver these orcs to the guard, and the wounded to the temple."

[Elbeyon]

"I've only got a little bit of good fortune left to share. You really want me to waste it on this brute who'll probably be executed later anyway?"

Had she been wrong? With all the blood around the wound must of looked much worse then it actually was. Slightly embarrassed with the mistake she had trouble finding words to say, "Um, no.. it looks like he's fine..." She shifted the small orc on her shoulder, "Did the victim survive?"

Crap, her thoughts raced. Not only did I get mixed up with the black-oni, but now the silver-foxes too! Hopefully they don't seek retribution for this little skirmish.

I'll just roll with him being stable though P: makes things simpler.
Rules for stabilizing (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/combat#TOC-Stable-Characters-and-Recovery).

[Mari01]

Yea, he's fine. Mumbled something right before he collapsed. Couldnt really hear it though.

[loko]

Putting his cestus back is an inside cloack pocket Yuan offers:
"If it is needed i can put some bandages on him."

[Elbeyon]

"Sure, sounds like a good idea. Can't have him bleeding everywhere." Shifting the small orc to one side, she nudges her head towards a pocket on her left, "There should be a leather strap in that pouch, you should bind his hands while your at it."

The leather strap is a sling, not very good for binding but should better than nothing.

[loko]

Yuan
The big man's hands star working quickly grasping the orc's hands together and binding them.
[roll0]

Then he proceeds to ripping the guys clothes at his legs and arms, to make improvised bandages, and applying them to the wounds. He works carefully and and focused, but glances around himself from time to time.
[roll1]

[Rhyvurg]

"Very good. Now, tell me about Suka."

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Yea, he's fine. Mumbled something right before he collapsed. Couldnt really hear it though.
"Through good fortune, he's okay. Givin' me...and the rest of you people if you want some...free elixirs from the Shrine of Bishamon as a reward for saving his life. He was just saying all he remembers is being ambushed by these morons. Looks to me like this was an attempt at a set-up. Shank a shugenja while wearing the opposite team's colors to get the law after 'em and soften up the competition. Gang wars. Never a good thing."

[Togath]

(( an ooc thing i feel would be important to note: tanuki street is very small, and mostly has city guards and an orphanage on it, but has been the sight of several kidnappings.))

(from the concious orc to Kirnan):
"I dont know anythin' 'bout Suka, she only met wit' tha boss"

[Mari01]

Then I guess we need to have a talk to the boss. And I'm always a big fan of free things. Free is a price I can always meet!

[Elbeyon]

"Elixirs from the Bishamon Shrine? Nice! maybe this whole ordeal was worth it after all. Can't wait to take a look at them." She continued to ignore the topic of gangs and murders. She'd take her reward and slip out the back door before she got dragged farther into this mess.

Almost as if she's distracted she looks to the unconscious man on her right shoulder and stares for a bit. Turning her head back to the group inhales heavily and lets out a large breath. Her behavior returned to normal till a few seconds after her breath, her head sharply turned to face Yuan. She tried her best to correct her obvious look and quickly turns to face the tiny man. She kept her eyes on the tiny man for the most part though once in a while she would stare up at the tall man with a gleam in her eyes.

[Rhyvurg]

(( an ooc thing i feel would be important to note: tanuki street is very small, and mostly has city guards and an orphanage on it, but has been the sight of several kidnappings.))

(from the concious orc to Kirnan):
"I dont know anythin' 'bout Suka, she only met wit' tha boss"

"Tell me about your boss then. Where is he? What is his name? If you're forthcoming, I might put in a good word with my family and you might not go to jail."

[Togath]

"Tha boss 's tha one who ran off outa tha alley back there""i's name's 's Bobb"
you can tell he's being an truthful as he can be for his low intellect(he has a low enough bluff modifier there isn't really a risk of him succeeding in lying)

((also an edit to the private message I sent in response to something elbeyon asked, that now that I've posted the orc's response changes slightly))
{the scent of vinegar and a group of humans is coming from the same direction from the large thug fled out of the alley}

[Elbeyon]

"Tell me about your boss then. Where is he? What is his name? If you're forthcoming, I might put in a good word with my family and you might not go to jail."

Great thugs might be approaching and the noble is in the middle of his integration. Would he kamikaze on a band of thugs? Reiko spits out her sentences without slowing down to figure out how to say it formally, "Looks like he's going to be forthcoming, Kirnan. How about we take up the priests offer and go to the Bishamon Shrine. You could get out of the storm and question him there with a roof over your head. " Hoping she's said enough but unsure, she tries to think of something that would get him moving. "Lets grab him and go!"

[Togath]

"I can lead the way to the shrine, once you finish restraining those thugs" says the shugenja you rescued

[loko]

"I have some rope with me, I ll tie them up and we go."
Yuan proceeds to tie the last orc with a bit of him own rope and after finished picks the prisioner up.
"Should we go to the temple first or to the guard? I dont know much about procedure in this situations..."

[Archpaladin Zousha]

"I think the priests will wanna do some interrogation of their own."

[loko]

"So we should make haste, no need to stay in the rain."

[Elbeyon]

"I think the priests will wanna do some interrogation of their own."

Reiko flops the orc back onto the top of her shoulder before she starts moving away from the alley, "I agree with tiny, the temple seems like the better destination." She talks while moving away from the alley hoping the others will follower her. "Yes, Yes lets make haste. Try to keep up, Yuan."

Reiko is already carrying a large load, can't really pick up more stuff without slowing down to a crawl.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

"I have a name, you know. Or would you have any objections to me calling you Great Cow?"

[loko]

Seeing the antics between the two Yuan makes a short laught:
"Hehehehe"
He bends down and grabs the final orc.
He will place the creature on his own shoulder if it cant walk, or just take him by the neck and 'encourage' him to walk if he cando that.

[Elbeyon]

Reiko's rage almost over boils at the suggestion but she pushes it down. Now isn't the time. "Fine. Call me by my name and I'll call you by yours. ALSO, never call me a freak again or I'll make you regret it. The names Ueshima, whats yours?"

Aw I guess tiny isn't going to stick :smallfrown:. Archpaladin Zousha. I hope you don't mind the playfulness between the two, just tell me if it's bugging you. Not everyone enjoys it.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

"Well, you know it's not Jinjin. My mother decided to call me Tayago. I suppose that will do. So who's this friend you were looking for? I've been all over the Emerald Empire, met many people. I could have run into your man."

[Elbeyon]

Her pace slows as you mention her friend, "Right.." She had completely forgotten about him, all the excitement got in the way. As you mention 'her man' she lets out a hardy laugh, "He's defiantly not my man. He's a worthless nobody who deserves whats coming to him. He's always causing trouble, can't do anything right. Don't worry I'll find him. I know where he lives."

As her comments settled, her mood improved. Well at least you think it might of, her words lack that sharpness they did moments before. That laugh was the first good thing that happened to her tonight since she went into this horrible storm.

[Mari01]

I can't believe none of you asked for my name. What kind of treatment is that for your saviour?

[Rhyvurg]

"I have a name, you know. Or would you have any objections to me calling you Great Cow?"

"Do not speak to a lady like that in my presence, or I may forget courtly manners and show a little Gaijin barbarism." He grabs the orc firmly by the back of his shirt. "Let's get our friend here patched up, see if he remembers anything, then hand him over to the law. Come along little man, he may need more of your healing magic."

[Elbeyon]

I can't believe none of you asked for my name. What kind of treatment is that for your saviour?

Reiko glances back towards Daigo, "Hah, your not bad with a sword but don't get too full of yourself." With a sarcastic tone, "So whats your name o saviour?"


"Do not speak to a lady like that in my presence, or I may forget courtly manners and show a little Gaijin barbarism."

Seems Tayago can't catch a break, he had just saved a mans life and cheered her up some but was still getting harassed. Then again he did deserve it for calling her a freak. She gives the noble's shoulder a hard pat, "No need to forget your manners, we've come to an agreement. We'll work it out the hard way if it's broken." Eh that was good enough. Wait are you allowed to touch nobles?

[Rhyvurg]

"Then let's get this vermin out of the weather before he melts."

[Togath]

edit: you're heading to shrine next correct?, just now realised i wasn't 100% whether or not you wanted to head there.

As you approach the shrine you hear sounds of people moving about and can smell the scents of burnt hair and oddly, bacon.
As you enter the square you can see a woman(probably Katsura) standing near two city guards who are investigating a charred, burly humanoid form(the source of the burnt hair and bacon smell) wearing a burnt wooden mask, and laying next to some partly melted pieces of obsidian that are laying in a pile of ashes.

As you enter the square one of the guards--a burly orc--shouts; "'Alt, this area's closed until further notice, or at least 'til the capt' tell's us ta move this 'eavy bugger"
"Lay off on the hostility, Gweedle, Alroan's with them, and they appear to have some friends of this fellow, they might be able to shed light on this incident if you question them" says Katsura


Upon seeing this, the thugs you captured
(if they can't speak):
one of the thugs looks alarmed and makes a loud mumphing nois and trys to get free of your grip and flee.
(or, if they can):
one of the thugs shouts "Boss!, Wot's done 'appened ta ya?" towards the charred body

[Mari01]

Name's Daigo. Upon seeing the burnt body he exclaims I thought you guards were supposed to keep the peace, not torch them.

[loko]

one of the thugs shouts "Boss!, Wot's done 'appened ta ya?" towards the charred body

Yuan raises an eyebrow at the obvious confession and mutters:
"You creeps are far too easy to interogate"

He looks at the guard:
"Can you rid us of these?" And gestures to the orcs.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

"Do not speak to a lady like that in my presence, or I may forget courtly manners and show a little Gaijin barbarism." He grabs the orc firmly by the back of his shirt. "Let's get our friend here patched up, see if he remembers anything, then hand him over to the law. Come along little man, he may need more of your healing magic."
"It's not MY magic, your honor. The kami just decided it'd be pretty funny to let their sacred power flow through a scumbag like myself. That's a joke even I don't get, and comedy's something I excel in. How's a gaijin even manage to get into the Mantis anyway? I thought the nobles generally thought your kind were unclean or something."

[Elbeyon]

Reiko shifted under the weight of the heavy orc. Waiting for the guards to come take the prisoners or ready to take them to were ever they needed to be put. Either way she just wanted to dump them, wipe her hands of this problem, sample their unique wears and go home.

Alroan, so that's the priests name. Looks like Gweedle is going to be asking the questions. Hopefully he'll ask the others, Tayago seems to be in the know. Only if he wasn't in the middle of a argument with Kirnan.

[Mari01]

Say... you've been throwing around "your family" quite a bit. You wouldn't happen to be ACTUAL nobility would ya?

[Rhyvurg]

"The Moshi family adopted me three years ago."

[Archpaladin Zousha]

"That's...uncharacteristically generous...for nobles," Tayago replies, a look of genuine surprise on his face.

[Rhyvurg]

"Well they said it was because some of the family is trying to find a way to break the curse they are under to have mostly daughters if a 'gaijin' marries one of them."

[Mari01]

So they're just giving daughters away to anyone who steps up?

[Rhyvurg]

"...I doubt it."

[Elbeyon]

"Well they said it was because some of the family is trying to find a way to break the curse they are under to have mostly daughters if a 'gaijin' marries one of them."

A wry smile crosses Reiko's face, "Wait a curse were they only have daughters?" Her face contorts as she holds back a bout of laughter, "I.. Might..... Know a So-Lution" Her strange face continues even after she finishes, and for some time after but eventually it returns back to that wry smile, "We can talk about it later, as private maters don't need to be discussed in the streets amongst strangers."

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Tayago scratches his head, the expression on his face saying "I'm surrounded by weirdos."

[Elbeyon]

"Hey! No funny looks Ti.. erm Tayago"

[Rhyvurg]

A wry smile crosses Reiko's face, "Wait a curse were they only have daughters?" Her face contorts as she holds back a bout of laughter, "I.. Might..... Know a So-Lution" Her strange face continues even after she finishes, and for some time after but eventually it returns back to that wry smile, "We can talk about it later, as private maters don't need to be discussed in the streets amongst strangers."

"Indeed. Now, let's see to the man we rescued, perhaps he can shed some light on this."

[Mari01]

So uh you guards. Do you always do nothing when people walk past with others tied up, or is that a new thing you're trying out?

[Togath]

((sorry for the late response, I've had a flu the last few days and have been sleeping a lot))

"sorry lad, we got a bit distracted for a moment, so what's these buggers 'ere fer?"
"the shugenja said something about an ambush by men dressed like this stiff 'ere"
"there masks look a bit like the black-oni, any idea what they wanted from 'im?"
"all we know so far is what the priestess told us, that she found this fellow steaming outside of 'er shrine after she had 'eard a bit o' thunder that oddly close to tha ground 'ere"
"she also said there was a smell of ozone and vinegar in this area fer a few minutes after she found 'im"

[Archpaladin Zousha]

"The Black Oni masks are a ruse. These men claimed they were hired by the Silver Foxes to try and intimidate the priests at Bishamon's shrine to stay away from Tanuki Street. Classic tactic, dress your goons up in the other team's colors to pin the blame on them."

[Togath]

"why the blazes would they want us ta stay away from Tanuki street?"
"all what's there is an orphanage, a guard house, and the nimble trout(note)"
"It's our darn job ta be there, the lousy buggers, we wont let 'em scare us off from there"
"we'll take these louses to tha captain, see if 'e can get anymore outa them."
"...and tha stiff too, can't be forgetting 'im, do any o' ya wan't to take a look at 'im before we 'ead off?"
((note: the nimble trout is a decently sized, very high quality tavern, located near the lake near Tanuki Street)

[Rhyvurg]

"Yeah, let's have another look at him, maybe we missed something."

[Togath]

as you search him a bit you find that he's pretty badly charred, and still fairly hot, though it feels like his core is cold, also, under the strong scent of burnt hair and bacon, you can smell a rotten stench and an earthy scent, as though he's been dead longer then just a few minutes.
You also notice that he seems to have not been carrying a satchel like the other two thugs were when he was burned.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Tayago sniffs at the corpse, licks his finger and sticks it into the air to check the wind and thinks. He'd seen a spell or two on his travels and he was guessing this guy'd been killed by magic. The question was...was he killed by some maho-tsukai...or a shugenja?

Spellcraft check: [roll0]

[Togath]

The ozone and fire seems to have come from a source other then a spell.

[Elbeyon]

Reiko's curiosity gets the best of her and she joins in on the prodding. Her main focus is to find out where the blasted vinegar smell keeps coming from. The guards said it was gone but maybe her nose can pick something up.

She walks over and searches his burnt cloths, looking for any containers which might hold the odor. After he initial search for the vinegar she moves onto a general search to see what oddities the body presents.


(Just going to roll everything since I don't know whats up out of character)
Heal [roll0]
Knowledge (Arcane) [roll1]
Knowledge (Nature) [roll2]
Spellcraft [roll3]
Perception [roll4]

[Togath]

This orc has been dead for at least two weeks, was buried in about 18-24 inches of soil, the fire and ozone was from an attack like that of some enchanted weapons, or that some types of creature, such as elementals, some oni, efreeti, or sulis can use.
In addition, you can identify the vinegar smell as having been from pickle brine, and it appears that the guard that hasn't spoken yet got his clothes drenched in it, he also appears to have tied on a fake mustache made from a strap of furred leather, he is also wearing a name tag labeled "Bobb" with the last two letters crossed out recently.
You can also smell the scent that was on the rooftops(the fox/human combo one), nearby.

((you did really well on the checks you needed to do well on))

[Elbeyon]

After her initial investigation, she double checks to make sure what seemed implausible was true.

Reiko grabs one of the man's burnt arms and turns it back and forth examining it. "This is strange", She brings the arm closer to her face underneath her noise. Mumbling as she goes, but loud enough for those near her to hear, "..Been dead for at least two weeks." Picking at some dirt that is engrained in his cloths, "He might of been buried before, if he was it was a pretty shallow grave.

She moves farther down the body towards some of the charred injuries. Her mumbling stops and her typical volume returns, "His wounds look like it was caused by a weapon. A very hot weapon, most likely magical or perhaps from a very flamey creature.."

Her words trail off and she stands up and steps over the small orc, and starts walking away. As she moves she looks around vigilantly as if shes looking for something.

(Trying to follow the fox/human smell)
Using scent to get a direction and then perception to try to find the source

(Just in case)Taking a 10 on scent based tracking.
Perception[roll0]

(Question)
"In addition, you can identify the vinegar smell as having been from pickle brine, and it appears that the guard that hasn't spoken yet got his clothes drenched in it, he also appears to have tied on a fake mustache made from a strap of furred leather, he is also wearing a name tag labeled "Bobb" with the last two letters crossed out recently."

Is this all about the guard? or is some of it about the body?

[loko]

Observing the exchanges the ranger notices that something is not right. He stays stoically still, completelly covered by cloack and hood except for one thick arm that still holds the orc firmly in place.
Slowly the giant scans the place for possible threats and escape routes.
perception:[roll0]

[Togath]

((Results of Elbeyon's attempt to detect something with scent)):
You can detect that the fox/human smell is coming from either the roofs near the shrine, the grounds of the shrines, or the bushes near it.((answer to Elbeyon's question)):
the pickle smell is coming from his cloths, like he managed to dump a barrel of pickles on himself, you were also able to find out those details due to having been standing next to him

((to Loko)):
the street to the right, or the one you came from look like they could make good escape routes, as does the shrine.

[Elbeyon]

Reiko continues on her slow walking pace away from the group. Turning at seemingly random points.


Still using scent to move towards the smell
Perception to spot whatever is giving off the smell [roll0].

If I don't see anything I'll keep using scent till I walk up on it or till following it would take me out of view from the shrine.

[Rhyvurg]

"Undead perhaps? Or some kind of ruse or scam?"

[Archpaladin Zousha]

"Undead perhaps? Or some kind of ruse or scam?"
"Do criminal organizations here normally employ maho like that? My understanding was that was too low even for them. Breaking the laws of man is one thing, but the laws of the kami are generally not wise to defy. That tends to hurt. A lot."

[loko]

"Undead perhaps? Or some kind of ruse or scam?"

"If he was some sort of undead I may be of more help. And if there is more I ll gladly help bring them down."

The big cloacked ranger turns to Kirnan and gestures to the prisioner:
"You take care of him for now"

Then he moves silently to the corpse and starts looking for taletelling signs to see if it had been some undead abomination or not.

Rolling to determine investigation of the corpse. Since he is trying to see if the orc was undead or not I will add the favored enemy bonus, ok?
[roll0]
If the sill used is Knowledge (Dungeoneering or nature) I get another +5
Wooooooooot critical failure!!!!! lol

[Togath]

((to Elbeyon)):
you can track the scent to somewhere near the entrance to the shrine, but too many people have passed through it recently to track it further, unless the scent is one of the nearby priests standing near the entrance.
((to Loko)):
you can tell that this body is an orc

[Elbeyon]

Reiko makes her way towards the pickle guard, "oi, do you know where I can find some pickles?." She continues on up towards him to get a better look.

Great I must look mightily silly. Talking to myself, walking around in circles, randomly asking for pickles. Subterfuge is not my strong point.

Still confused whether the guard or the dead body was wearing a fake mustache and name tag.

[Togath]

"I fell o'er a pickle barrel on tha way 'ere"
"was o'er there if a remember right"
says the pickle guard, pointing towards a road near where you came form.
((also it was the guard that had the mustache, he also does have some facial hair, a beard and sideburns, and his badge is labeled Bobb))

[Elbeyon]

"Oh I see. That would explain it. The sound of thunder coming from the area near the shrine, the shrine could be under attack. You were in a pretty big hurry to get here and could of tripped over them. The priestess said that the corpse smelled like pickles. Maybe it happened when you were chasing after man" Reiko points towards the burnt corpse "That could explain why. Of course being a shrine guard you would chase after anyone you thought was a suspect."


Reiko's got more to say but want to see his response first. P: got some follow up question. *puts on cop hat*

[Togath]

"'A came 'ere right after the stiff was burned, when 'eedle told me ta 'urry up and git over 'ere"
"And I work for 'Enk, na this little shrine"

[Elbeyon]

Reiko is genuinely confused. Trying her best to mimic his words, "Who is 'eedle and 'Enk?" Did she say the names right? This guys accent is thick as a bush.

[Togath]

"'eedle's the guard o'er there"
he says, pointing towards Gweedle
"And 'Enk's ma boss"
((he pronounces it like "Lenk", but with a very soft, near silent L this time))

[Elbeyon]

Reikos words quite down as her suspicions started to calm, "Oh.. That makes sense. You might not of seen the guy die..." Shes at a lost for words till the other piece of info enters her mind, practically shouting, "But what about that badge! That's the second time I've seen that name! That thug over there says his boss is called Bobb and you have the exact same name. And and the pickles it's the exact same smell as the alley! Not to mention your wearing a fake mustache!" The young alchemist turns to the group, "That's suspicious right!?" Speaking to them as if she wants a conformation.

((If she can Reiko will rip off the man's mustache for dramatic effect.))

((Here's hoping i understood everything, and didn't post something that isn't true.))

[Togath]

"Wots you done that fer?" says Bobb as you pull off his fake mustache to reveal his real mustache.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Tayago scratches his head again.

"Not sure I follow, Reiko."

[Elbeyon]

Reiko puts a couple fingers to her forehead and rubs as if she was kneading dough, "Alright alright I'll start from the beginning. In the alley at some point or another there was a strong smell of vinegar, the crispy body here had a strong smell of vinegar, and this guard here does. Number two. Earlier today at tanuki street the boss of the two thugs that got away had the name Bobb. The guy in front of me has the exact same name. Third. "Reiko shakes the man's mustache around in her hand, "he's wearing a horrible.. um disguise."

"All of that is pretty suspicious if you ask me. He smells like a thug, he has the name of a thug." Reiko flattens her hand with the mustache in it for everyone can see. "AND THIS is suspicious no matter how you look at it."

[Togath]

Bobb trys to grab Gweedle in what appears to be an attempt to take him hostage, while shouting;
"step away, before I 'urt this 'ere 'eedle!, I 'ave a logical explanation!, Suka hired us ta threaten the shrine!, I never planned to kill anyone myself til ma underling tried ta"
as he says this he looks somewhat nervous about having been found out.
((I decided that with a charisma of 5 and no ranks in social skills he probably would just give up on trying to bluff))

[Archpaladin Zousha]

"Don't insult us by trying to lie, Bobb. You're not good enough at it. We both know you're not man enough to off your buddy. Why don't you just come clean with everything you know about this Suka, apart from the fact that he's a moron for having hired dimwits like you in the first place?"

Not sure what kind of check this would be. Bluff? Intimidate? Diplomacy? I don't get Versatile Performance until next level, so I can't use Perform (comedy or oratory).

[Togath]

"Suka di'na hire us, 'Enk told us ta do this, said 'e was 'ired by 'er"
he then pulls out a small dagger while trying to keep hold of guard Gweedle with his other hand.
Initiative(rolling in this psot since it makes things quicker to just roll it all at once)
Kirnan: [roll0]
Taicho: [roll1]
Daigo: [roll2]
Yuan: [roll3]
Reiko: [roll4]
Tayago: [roll5]

NPCs:
Bobb: [roll6]
Katsura: [roll7]
Gweedle: [roll8]


so(using a vague grouping method):
1st: Taicho &/or Reiko
2nd: Kirnan &/or Daigo
3rd: Bobb & Gweedle
4th: Yuan, &/or Tayago, &/or Katsura

[Elbeyon]

(:smallredface: woops I was waiting on Taicho.)

Reiko starts to unsling her great axe, "Come on bobb, you don't want to do this. You don't want to hurt the guard and we don't want to hurt you. So let the guard go before you force us to hurt you. Your outnumbered if you hurt him you won't make it out of this." At this point her weapons at the ready.

Ah good old death threats.
Rolling the intimidates
[roll0]

edit: forgot to color. I think I'll just bold for now on.

[loko]

Yuan curses under his breath as he examinies the body and notices that all his exitement was in vain... he should be more carefull in believing things so fast in the future, but this one seemed to promissing to resits.

When the orc manages to get a hostage and starts to make threats he begins picking his cestus and places it on his right hand, then he moves to block off the exit to the other street, that he had noticed before. Now the orc only way to escape would be into the shirine...

Actions:
Draw cestus and move to block the other road, from which we didnt come.

also, i hope that there is no problem in posting our actions out of order... or should I wait till it is my turn to post?

[Togath]

((it's fine to post your actiosn out of order))
Also:
Taicho has managed to frighten Bobb somewhat, and he looks even more panicked and looks like he's about to try fleeing.
"I can't be caught 'ere, Suka would'na allow such a thing." he stutters, as he glances towards the shrine for a moment

[Mari01]

You know. There's an easier way out of this than that. Just let him go and discuss this rationally. I'd really hate for there to be an accident.

[Togath]

"I'b be willin' ta surrender if ya can guarantee mine, an' ma lackey's safety from Suka"
after saying that, Bobb loosens his grip slightly

[Rhyvurg]

"If we take Suka down who's to come after you then?"

[Archpaladin Zousha]

"Take down a crime-lord? I'm all for crusading for justice and the will of the kami, but isn't that a bit...overambitious? I'm new here in town, I don't wanna start making enemies on day one, especially enemies who are more willing to shank me in an alley than follow due process of law."

[Elbeyon]

(Looks like its mine turn again)
I don't know about taken down suka, but we'll protect you from em. Just let the guard go and we can work out the details." Reiko lowers her weapon slight as he loosens his grip.

[loko]

As the others do the talking Yuan tryes to be as nonthreatening as possible, while still blocking the passage.
He stays still, like a statue covered in dark tissue with only one metal hand reaching out.

[Togath]

"Defeat 'Suka?, There.....There is no way, she's too strong, she'll just make me suffer more fer leadin' ya to 'er, even tha big boss is affraid of 'er, she's a monster. Worse then an oni she is."
With that, Bobb drops Gweedle and starts to run away(he's about 20 feet away from the closest party member now, but you still have some time to react if you want)

[Elbeyon]

(I'll be the first to attempt to stop him if people don't mind. P: I think my person was the closest.)

"Oh no you don't!" Reiko shouts at him as he makes off. She drops her great axe in the mud and starts running after him. Before either of them get too far she attempts to subdue him.

(Grapple attempt. I'll provoke for this. Come on dice gods!)

[roll0]

[Togath]

you manage to grab hold of Bobb, as you do so he lunges at you with his dagger;
[roll0]
damage if successful; [roll1]
it hits for 8(max damage on a nat 20 crit amazingly) damage total, gouging a deep wound into your arm,
but you have managed to maintain your hold on him, though he is struggling.
He then shouts "I wont go down that easily!"
(HP remaining for Reiko; 3)

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Tayago sighs.

"You're such an idiot! Now you won't get ANY leniency."

He unfurls a whip from his obi and cracks it on the street before lashing out at the thug's feet.

Initiative: [roll0]

Should I make the trip attack now or wait until initiative's been completely rolled?

[Togath]

you may make an attack, I had done a group initiative thing, since the encounter began suddenly, though your initiative on it was only two points higher then this roll(it would be your turn now however, going with either roll)

[Elbeyon]

(Oh I was still using the initiatives from last time we rolled. My bad.)

(Generally you have to confirm crits P:. I don't mind though it could of been much worse.)

Edit 1: (I think the standard practice on the forums is. If people misses a roll they move their rolling to ooc. or they just edit it into their post? I've never done it but maybe it's possible.)

Test roll 1d20

edite 2: Unless I mistyped seems you can't edit in rolls.

[Togath]

((no problem, and I really hadn't expected to crit, and wasn't sure if it was ok to double post to add a comfirmation roll))

[loko]

Yuan watches as Reiko throws herself over the orc and grabs him, only to be stabed deeply and begin bleeding imediately. He was happy to let other handle the situation so far, but now he is prompted into action.

He moves fast and silently towards Reiko and the orc a look of utter seriousness on his shoed face. He kneels down and grabs the knife and trow it at Tayago's feet.
"Make sure nobody uses it again for now."

The big man removes his hood then, revealing brownish skin, it looks like he is covered with mud... what is impossible in this rain, and begins tying the orc. He gives the prisioner no words and no looks, trusting Reiko to keep her hold while he works the knots to bind the smaller enemy.

After he is finished he looks straight into her eyes:
"Lets find some one to have a look at this cut you have got."

[Togath]

Bobb continues to struggle with his bindings, shouting; "No, No, No, I can not be caught" though he is not managing to make much progress in escaping from his bindings.

[Elbeyon]

Reiko pushes the orc into the mud as she attempts to keep the orc restrained. Rain, sweat, and blood dripping down on the captured orc. She glances at her arm and counts her blessings. Good thing the orc only got her arm, it could of been much worse.

She moves about while the oread ties the orc, pushing the struggling orc farther down in the mud whenever she has to move out of yuans way. As the whole affair comes to a close she can't help but staring up at the defiantly not human creature.


After he is finished he looks straight into her eyes:
"Lets find some one to have a look at this cut you have got."

She lets out a wide grin, "Yeah let's do that."

[Rhyvurg]

"Well, this all went crazy fast."

[loko]

"Well, this all went crazy fast."
"With the idea of taking on a crime lord things will not get much saner, I think..."

[Archpaladin Zousha]

"Well, this all went crazy fast."

"With all due respect, milord, it was crazy right from the start."

[Rhyvurg]

"Well, shall we get to it then? Crime lords are disinclined to turn themselves in."

[Elbeyon]

Reiko gets up with the orc, "How about we get our reward for saving Alroan first and go from there."

[Togath]

"I can handle Bobb from 'ere. Now that he's bound I should be able to handle 'im" says Gweedle as he starts to lift up Bobb and begins to carry him off to the main guard station.

[Mari01]

......taking down a crime lord whispers Daigo to himself. Now THAT would be something people would have to remember...

[Rhyvurg]

"Doesn't matter if people talk about it tomorrow or ten years from now. We are in a position to keep an evil man from hurting innocent people, how can we not try to stop them?"

[loko]

Yuan looks doubtfull at the lords statement and imediatelly asks: "Are we in a position to do that really?"

[Archpaladin Zousha]

"Doesn't matter if people talk about it tomorrow or ten years from now. We are in a position to keep an evil man from hurting innocent people, how can we not try to stop them?"

"How? By acknowledging the fact that some of the innocent people that may be hurt are we ourselves. There's a reason you don't throw rocks at a nest of oo-suzumebachi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_giant_hornet). Those things can tear an entire hive of bees apart in minutes, chase you for miles, they have a stinger that feels like a hot nail being driven into your leg and venom that can kill faster than any serpent. Some mountain-dwellers say they taste good when fried, but I'm not brave enough to try that..."

He rambles a bit more about these terrifying hornets.

[Togath]

Katsura walks towards the group and says; "how about we head inside while one of the acolytes and Gweedle take care of this?, I would imagine you're a bit chilled after standing in this weather for so long"

[Elbeyon]

"Now that's a good plan, been out in this rain for what seems like hours.", Rekio replies to the shrine keeper and tries to brush the larger clumps of mud off her cloths. Then turns to the group that seems intent on talking in the rain, "You guys want to head inside yet or do you have more stuff to discuss in the rain?"

[loko]

Yuan nods to both Reiko and Katsura and heads inside.
"Is there a fireplace for us to warm up?"

[Elbeyon]

Rekio follows Yuan and addressees him as she does so, "Whats your story?"

[Rhyvurg]

Kirnan reluctantly goes inside.

[Togath]

"There's a small fire pit over here you can dry off by" says Katsura as she leads you inside.
Once you're all seated; "So Alroan mentioned some elixirs as a repayment for saving him, no problem, though I would ask for a small donation, just a copper coin or two each would do, though they aren't necessary".
Katsura hands over six potions of cure light wounds, one to each of you, pausing for a moment in case you want to donate a coin.

[Rhyvurg]

Kirnan tosses in a silver.

[Mari01]

5 gold pieces. But only if you spread the word around.

[Elbeyon]

After taking a seat next to the fire Reiko takes her reward and places it in her pouch, she'd have to take a closer look at it later. Of course she hoped it was one of the rare potions that the shrine kept, she was always looking for a chance to see anothers work. At the mention of coin she added a silver coin to the women's palm.

After she payed a mere fraction of the cost of whatever was in the vail she pulled a wet yellow root out of her pouch and began to methodical chew it, seemingly lost in thought.

[loko]

Yuan takes the elixir and hands a silver coin in exchange. He then eyes Katsura and asks:
"So, is this the first time bandits give you this kind of trouble?"

[Togath]

"I thought Alroan said they were a local thieves guild, but yes, this is the first time we've had trouble from them, from talking to him, while you were handling Bobb, it sounds like they wanted us to stay away from tanuki street?, Do you suppose they have something to do with the most recent victims of the disappearances? I have started looking into the string of disappearances recently, so they could be related"

[Archpaladin Zousha]

"More than likely. This reeks of conspiracy to me. Kidnap people, try to pin the blame on your rivals, silence people looking into it, all it needs is some ninja to come out of nowhere and attack the shrine in the dead of night."

[Elbeyon]

Reiko takes a small vial out of another one of her pouches and spits the now mushy yellow paste into it. As the conversation continues she adds various spices, herbs, and wait was that a hair?

[Togath]

"Do you happen to have any skills that could be of aid to us and the guards in investigating these occurrences?, You've already prove yourselves to be able to defend yourself decently against black oni's thugs."

[Archpaladin Zousha]

"They're SILVER FOX thugs, milady. They were instructed to wear Black Oni colors by their employer, likely to deal with two opponents at once, getting you folk off their back and diverting their rival's attention, or even eliminating them. As for my particular skills...I know how people think, how they'll act. And all I have to do is say the right words to get them to act how I want. An invaluable skill in an investigation, no? And if all else fails, I'm a crack shot with this whip, pun completely intended. I am loath to become involved, though. I am no lawman, and while I have nothing but the utmost sympathy for your cause, I came to Cauldron to get away from fighting."

[Mari01]

What a dull life you must lead my friend. Fighting is the best thing to do when you're happy or sad. I came here looking for a good brawl or ten and to make my name known across the whole city. If taking down some crime lords is gonna let people know I'm tough, just line me up and I'll start knocking them down.

[Togath]

"If you would like I could compile a list of the people who have disappeared, and some basic information about them, though that will take a while, in the meantime, if you wanted to you could o talk to some of the guards near the most recent cases, though Gweedle is the captain for that segment of the guard, and is probably busy processing Bobb currently. The matron at the orphanage is probably free to talk at the moment though, and she or one of the workers there may have heard or seen something that could help track down the silver foxes."