[IC][D&D3.5]Eberron Adventures: Part 1

[Fan67]

http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/3374/shardpanorama.jpg

Link to OOC Thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=14975318)

1. List of Characters
{table]Player|Character|Alignment |Race|Class

Scifinerd|Devon d'Orien (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=566446)|CG|Human|Sorcerer

Crinias|Nicholas Nithraen (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=535381) | CG|Human|Swordsage

Squirrel Dude | Mercury (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=537313) | NG | Warforged | Warblade

runehawk| Raik Ir'Ghallanda (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=569472)| NG | Halfling| Bard
[/table]

2. Possessions:
Nickolas:
-Bonal Geldem's Cannith Journal
Devon:
Mercury:
Raik:

3. Party Journal:
-At the skybridge between Dalannan Tower and Kelsa Spire you were attacked by Mercury's former warforged comrade Wright, who alledgedly killed professor Bonal Geldem (the provost of the School of Pre-Galifar Studies in Morgrave University), who was familiar to Raik (he attended some of the professor's lectures).
-Seargeant Dolom rewarded you with 10gp for helping the Watch.
-At the Broken Anvil Inn you met Lady Elaydren of House Cannith, who hired you to find ancient schema - part of the House Cannith pattern.
She provided the map, which should led to the ancient foundry, where the relic presubably resides.

[Fan67]

Rolls:
[roll0] - knowledge (local) for Mercury
[roll1] - knowledge (local) for Nick
[roll2] - knowledge (local) for Devon

Edit: Well, it seems you lack knowledge about Sharn apart from commonly known facts. The lowest DC for a specific intel was 16.


Here will be:
a) General City Maps - done.
b) General Continent maps - done.
c)General world information about Eberron, Khorvaire, Breland, Sharn and University - pending.
d)Specific world information based on your rolls - pending.

1. Continent Map:
Map of Knorvaire (5mb) (http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/9259/dd35eberronmapkhorvaire.jpg)
Map of Breland (1.5mb) (http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/7726/brelandmap.jpg)

2. General City Maps:
Sharn:
A.MAPS:
Sharn Plateaus (http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/8924/sharnplateaus.png)
Lower Wards (http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/4650/2316336199683568df0cb.jpg) (Lower Wards Marked) (http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/8569/lowerwardsmarked.gif)
Middle Wards (http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/7030/2316337419399d73322fb.jpg) (Middle Wards Marked) (http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/8656/middlewardsmarked.gif)
Upper Wards (http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/5293/231714302231896e5630b.jpg) (Upper Wards Marked) (http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/1927/upperwardsmarked.gif)
Skyway (http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/8743/23163363458a7fe58389.jpg)
Progress Marks:
1. Bloody Bridge
2. Jorasco Enclave
3. The Broken Anvil Inn
4. Ghallandra Hall
5. The Fountain of Dancing Light
B.Travel in Sharn:
Travel in Sharn can be unpredictable. Residents joke that it takes about an hour to get anywhere, whether it's just down three levels in the same tower or all the way across town. Of course skycoaches reduce the time dramatically compared to walking from place to place, and character who really know their way around (As well as characters who are willing to frequently ask for directions along the way) can get to their destinations more quickly than newcomers who refuse to display their ignorance.
Magic lifts move people vertically from the cogs to the upper-city. Mule drawn wagons carry loads across the suspended roads and skybridges that crisscross the city. Horses move among the towers either carrying riders or pulling carriages and many people walk whenever possible.

By Foot
Destination Travel Time
Destination in Same District 3d6 Minutes
Destination in Same Ward 6d6 Minutes
Destination in Adjacent Ward 3d6 X 5 Minutes
Destination farther than Adjacent Ward 6d6 X 5 Minutes

Skycoaches can be found at the Orien Lightning Rail station in Cogsgate (in Lower Tavick's Landing), ath the waterfront in Cliffside, and at the airship docks in Highest Towers (in Upper Central). Skycoaches can also be summoned from larger balconies on towers throughout the city.
Other ways to get around include soarsleds, and glidewings brought to the city by Talenta halflings living in Little Plains (in Middle Menthis). A few citizens ride more exotic flying mounts, ranging from griffons and hippogriffs to giant eagles and owls, but these are hard to stable in most areas of the city. (Skyway is the only ward with ample stable area for large flying mounts.)
Skycoach Fare is a standard rate of 1sp per mile throughout the city. Thus it is possible to get from Lower Tavick's Landing to Upper Dura, the most extreme distance, for 6 sp.

Flight
Destination in Same District 1d6 Minutes
Destination in Same Ward 2d6 Minutes
Destination in Adjacent Ward 1d6 X 5 Minutes
Destination farther than Adjacent Ward 2d6 X 5 Minutes

A party can reduce this time by one-half if one character makes a successful DC 15 Knowledge (Local) or Gather Information check.

3. General Word Information:
History:

Pre-History:

Before recorded history, before the "civilized" races strode the surface of the land, this world we know as Eberron was ruled by Dragons.
Today, sighting a Dragon away from their home on Argonnessen is a rare, and usually fatal, occurance. But once, they roamed the continents, flew the skies, and even swam the oceans. Their rule was absolute and no other creature dared to challenge them.

Not much is known of the Dragon Kingdoms. What little information we have comes from scrolls and histories found in the Giant ruins on Xen'drik. Giant scholars (see Ancient History for more on giants) apparently had a relationship with the Dragons of Argonnessen, before the Dragons became completely isolated from the outside world. Unfortunately, the continent of Xen'drik does not give up its secrets willingly.

What is known is that a great schizm occurred among the most powerful of the dragons. The Dragon Kingdoms were ruled at that time by three siblings: golden Siberys, black Khyber, and red Eberron. Khyber, hungry for power and wanting the throne for herself, first betrayed her brother Siberys and defeating him, tearing his body to pieces and throwing it into the heavens, where it can still be seen today as the Ring of Siberys.

But Eberron was not so easily fooled by her sister's treachery. In a terrible battle that laid waste to the landscape, the two Dragons and their combined forces clashed. It was said the gods themselves stopped to watch the spectacle. The tide of battle turned back and forth many times, with neither of the powerful creatures getting enough of an advantage to finish off the other.

Then Eberron toppled a mountain onto Kyhber, burying her deep in the earth. She knew her sister would not remain trapped for long, so to end the conflict she knew could lead to a civil war that would destroy the Dragons completely, Eberron sacrificed her own body to create a magical binding to keep Khyber in her prison of earth.

Age of Demons

-10,000,000 Khyber's fiendish offspring overrun the surface world, creating a hellish environment where rakshasas and night hangs rule supreme.
-1,500,000 Dragons leave Argonnessen to oppose their demonic overlords, allying with other draconic species, including the coutals.
-100,000 Couatls sacrifice most of their number to send the most powerful of the demon lords and the majority of fiends back to Khyber, where they are trapped for eternity. The Dragons return to Argonnessen.

Age of Giants

-80,000 The giants rise from the ruines of the Dragon-Fiend Wars to establish a vast and powerful civilization on the continent of Xen'drick. They enslave elves and drow, which has the inadvertent effect of pulling the first of the common races out of their primitive state.
-60,000 Dragons make contact with the giant kingdoms and begin to teach the giants how to use arcane magic. The elves watch and learn from their place at the giants' heels. The giants quickly master the arcane arts, creating wonders unequaled even in the modern day.
-40,000 The quori invade Xen'drik through a gate that connects Eberron to Dal Quor, the Plane of Dreams. After years of battle, the giants call upon the magic of the dragons to destroy the planar gate. This act results in a cataclysm that shakes Xen'drick to its core and plunges large chunks of the continent beneath the sea. The physical connection to Dal Quor is severed, perhaps forever.
-39,000 The remaining giant kingdoms never quite recover from the events of the quori invasion. Horrible curses and plagues sweep through the land, and the elves use this opportunity to rebel. In desperation, the giants again turn to the same magic they used to stop the quori. Before they can unleash such destruction a second time, the dragons attack. Giant civilization crumbles, the drow go into hiding in the Xen'drik countryside, and the elves flee to the continent of Aerenal.

Age of Monsters

-38,000 The giants revert to primitive monsters living in the ruins of their shattered civilizations as the dragons return to their secluded continent and the elves settle in Aerenal. Meanwhile, on Khorvaire, the first of the goblinoid kingdoms rises in the area that will one day become Breland and Darguun.
-30,000 Orc nations arise in western Khorvaire to compete with the goblinoid kingdoms.
-25,000 The Undying Court appears in Aerenal. First skirmish between the elves and the dragons, which sets a pattern of long periods of peace punctuated by short, devestating battles every few hundred years.
-16,000 The Dhakanni unite the goblinoid nations to create the greatest empire the goblins have ever known. The Gatekeepers appear among the orcs of western Khorvaire.
-12,000 The dwarves migrate from the Frostfell to the Ironroot Mountains.
-10,000 Aerenal elves establish a colony in what is now present-day Valenar. Peaceful coexistence doesn't last, and the elves come into conflict with the Dhakanni. The elves abandon the colony when another clash with the dragons threaten Aerenal.
-9,000 The Daelkyr War decimates the western reaches of Khorvaire.
-5,000 Weakened by the Daelkyr war, the Dhakanni Empire is shattered by infighting and civil strife, Eventually leading to the collapse of the goblinoid civilization.
-4,100 The greatpine Oalian is awakened.
-3,200 The Mark of Hospitality appears among halflings in the Talenta Plains. The Mark of Shadow and the Mark of Death appear among the elves of Aerenal.
-3,000 Lhazaar leads humans from Sarlona to the eastern shores of Khorvaire. The Mark of Healing appears among halflings of the Talenta Plains.
-2,800 The Mark of Scribing appears among the gnomes of Zilargo
-2,600 The Mark of Sentinel appears among humans of pre-Galifar Karrnath. House Vol, which carries the Mark of Death, is wiped out in Aerenal. Vol the lich is created. House Phiarlan leaves Aerenal to relocate among the humans of Khorvaire.
-2,500 The distict settlements that will become the Five Nations appear in central Khorvaire. The Mark of Making appears among humans of pre-Galifar Cyre. The Mark of Warding appears among the dwarves of the Mror Holds.
-2,000 Karrn the Conquerer establishes the nation of Karrnath, defeats the remaining goblinoid settlements, and unsuccessfully attempts to conquer the other four human nations. The Mark of Storm appears among half-elves of pre-Galifar Thrane.
-1,900 The Mark of Passage appears among humans of pre-Galifar Aundair.
-1,800 The Mark of Handling appears among humans in the Eldeen Reaches. Kalashtar reach Sarlona, fleeing Dal Quor and the presecution of the quori.
-1,500 Quori begin conquest of Sarlona. Second wave of humans reach Khorvaire's western shores. The Mark of Detection appears among half-elves of pre-Galifar Breland. The dragonmarked houses launch the War of the Mark to end threat of aberrant and mixed marks. The Twelve is established.
-1,043 Galifar I is born in Karrnath.
-1,022 Galifar assumes rulership of Karrnath.
-1,012 Galifar begins his campaign to unite the Five Nations.
-1,005 Galifar makes a deal with the dragonmarked houses, offering them neutral status in exchange for support in his campaign.
-1,000 The Mark of Finding appears among humans and half-orcs of the Shadow Marches.
1 YK (-998) Galifar I and his five heirs - Cyre, Karrn, Thrane, Aundair, and Brey - take control of the Five Nations and establish the Kingdom of Galifar.

Eberron History: Current History
1 YK (-998) Galifar I and his five heirs - Cyre, Karrn, Thrane, Aundair, and Brey - take control of the Five Nations and establish the Kingdom of Galifar.
15 YK Galifar I establishes the Arcane Congress.
28 YK Galifar-Lhazaar War, a decades-long conflict, begins.
32 YK The Five Nations of Galifar adopt the names of King Galifar's children as their own.
40 YK Galifar, now eighty-five years old, steps down and passes rulership of the kingdom to his oldest remaining heir, Cyre.
53 YK Galifar I dies.
106 YK House Kundarak is recognized by the established dragonmarked houses.
299 YK The Church of the Silver Flame is born.
347 YK House Lyrander takes possession of an island off the coast of Aundair to create Stormhome.
498 YK House Silvis discovers the Mark of Finding while exploring the Shadow Marches. House Tharashk is created shortly thereafter.
512 YK King Daroom orders the construction of the Starpeaks Observatory.
778 YK Medusas from Khyber take possession of Cazhaak Draal.
802 YK The Kingdom of Galifar, in cooperation with the dragonmarked houses, funds the upgrade of the trade city of Stormreach on the northern penninsula of Xen'drik.
811 YK First lightning rail connects Flamekeep and Fairhaven.
832 YK The inquisition to wipe out lycanthropes is launced by the Church of the Silver Flame. It lasts fity years and drives the species almost to extinction.
845 YK King Jarot begins a public works project to connect all of central Khorvaire via lightning rails. Within twenty years, lines connect the Five Nations, Zilargo, the Mror Holds, and the Talenta Plains.
878 YK House Deneith begins to provide clients with goblinoid mercenaries from the Darguun region.
894 YK King Jarot, the last ruler of Galifar, dies. Thalin of Thrane, Kaius of Karrnath, and Wroann of Breland reject the succession of Mishann of Cyre. Wrogan of Aundair backs Mishann's claim and the Last War begins.
896 YK Order of the Emerald Claw established.
910 YK Kaius II ascends the throne of Karrnath.
914 YK The Mror Holds declares its independence. Thalin of Thrane dies and the Church of the Silver Flame seizes control of the nation.
918 YK Unknown saboteurs destroy the Glass Tower of Sharn.
928 YK Ven ir'Kesslan leads settlers from the Five Nations to forge the nation of Q'barra.
956 YK Aerenal mercenaries annex southern Cyre and declare the sovereignty of the elf nation of Valenar.
958 YK The Eldeen Reaches declares itself an independent nation under the protection of the Wardens of the Wood and the guidence of the Great Druid Oalian.
961 YK Boranel becomes king of Breland.
962 YK Zilargo formally aligns with Breland
965 YK House Cannith perfects the modern-era warforged, living constructs designed to fight the Last War
969 YK Haruee leads the hobgoblin rebellion, and the nation of Darguun is born.
972 YK House Thuranni splits off from House Phiarlan.
976 YK Regent Moranna of Karrnath outlaws the Order of the Emerald Claw.
980 YK Queen Aurala's reign of Aundair begins.
986 YK A trio of hags known as the Daughters of Sora Kell arrive in Droaam with an army of trolls, ogres, and goblins.
987 YK King Boranel pulls settlers back and seals off the land west of the Graywall Mountains. The Daughters of Sora Kell delcare the sovereignty of the nation of Droaam.
990 YK The first elemental airships go into service for House Lyrandar.
991 YK Kaius III's rule of Karrnath begins.
993 YK Jaela Daran assumes power of the Keeper of the Silver Flame.
994 YK Cyre is destroyed; the Mournland is created.
996 YK The Treaty of Thronehold officially ends the Last War. The treaty officially recognizes the nations of Aundair, Breland, Thrane, Karrnath, the Talenta Plains, Zilargo, Q'barra, the Lhazaar Principalities, the Mror Holds, the Eldeen Reaches, Darguun, and Valenar. House Cannith is ordered to destroy all creation forges, the remaining warforged are granted the rights of sentient beings.
998 YK The start of the Campaign.

[Fan67]

Year: 998 YK (the 998th Year since the Kingdom of Galifar was founded)
Month: Nymm (Early summer)
Day: 21
Name of the Day: Sar (Seventh day of the week)
Continent: Knorvaire
Country: Breland
Location: City of Sharn, somewhere in the Upper Wards
Time: Late evening

It is your first day off.
The year was eventful, you became students in Morgrave, met a lot of
people, studied under well-known professors.
All of you chose different faculties, but still you managed to get along.
And after the celebration in the University, marking the end of your first academic year, you couldn't wait more and decided to ramble a bit on the upper levels of Sharn's towers and find a fine looking establishment to continue celebration on your own.

The weather was not welcoming.
Curtains of water fall from the sky as you traverse the labyrinthine
walkways of Sharn. The stone and wooden paths wind around and between the towers and spires high above the ground, forming a complex latticework that can be very confusing on evenings such as this.
The rain falls hard, running off higher walkways and balconies in drenching
waves, making it difficult to see much more that a few feet ahead of you.
The distant glow of everbright lanterns, barely visible in the soaking
gloom, does little to light the paths on this warm, wet evening.

The skybridge ahead spans the distance between platforms attached to the sides of two different towers - Dalannan Tower and the Kelsa Spire.
A body lies on the floor of the bridge, and you can see a mixture of rain and blood pooling around it. A leather satchel, still clutched tightly in the body's hand, lies in the expanding puddle of water and gore.


http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/818/eberronadventurespart1t.jpg
Positions:
A1 - square from where the party entered the level.
A2 - square from where the party spoted the body lying on the bridge.
B - the body.

Rolls:
[roll0] - spot for Mercury
[roll1] - spot for Nick
[roll2] - spot for Devon

[Crinias]

Nicholas takes in his surroundings calmly and does not appear to be surprised or disturbed.

A murder just took place, recently since no guards have appeared yet and the victim's body is still letting out blood and gore.

This begs the question, is the murderer still around? Maybe not. But it wouldn't be out of the question.

Crime of passion? Probably not, those tend to be more dramatic and with some obvious link to someone, this seems more like a crime of opportunity.Theft? Maybe not, whoever did it didn't take whatever that man is holding. Speaking of which...

Nick draws a dagger and says to his friends with a horribly calm expression:

"So... anyone up for examining a freshly dead body?"

[Squirrel_Dude]

The rain plunked off Mercury's silver body as he walked outside, with his friends Nicholas and Devon. He had met Nicholas when he was in the library studying the Sublime Way. Like Mercury, Nicholas had an interest in the Sublime way, though he had a different reason and focus for his studies. He had met Devon in one of the boistrous Ghash Duurkat's history classes.

Mercury was not shocked by the sight of the body. He had seen many during his service in the great war, often friends. Mercury moves, as a member of security would, to the clear area. Grabbing the knife from Nicholas' hand, he monotones, "It would be good to not be found over a bloody body and holding a knife. Go get a a member of the medical staff. I'm campus security. I will try to perform first aid and secure the area."

Mercury gently pushes Nicholas to the side and begins to work. "Devon. Tear some cloth and give it to me. If he is still alive, we will need it to stop the bleeding." If there was a chance, Mercury would try to stop this the end of this man's experiencing the world.


Mercury rolls a heal check to see if the person is alive and stop the bleeding if they are.

(1d20+2)[22] (+2 wisdom modifier)

[Dark_Stalion]

Devon, who had been grumbling good naturedly about the rain (which had dampened his previously jubilant mood at the end of exams) gasps at the sight.

"Put away that knife," he says, agreeing with the warforged.

He keeps pace with Mercury, glad for his comforting presence.

"Are you sure we should help? I mean, if we mess around with a dead body, the city watch won't like it so much. Besides, uh, I only have my clothes. Are you sure you want me to strip off? I think they frown on necrophilia here." he grins weakly, but a look from the serious warforged makes him sigh.

"Fine, fine," he says, "you're no fun sometimes." He rips off a strip of clothing from his robes. His shaking hands show how truly unsettled he is by the scene, despite his banter.

He looks back at Nicholas, and a wave of hysteria sweeps over him. "How can you be so calm?" he hisses.

aid Mercury with healing check +2 (not that he needs it)

[Crinias]

Nicholas blinks twice in quick succession and realizes the problem in his actions. He looks around for a moment, listens hard, and then puts away his dagger.

Spot check
[roll0] (+1 Wis)

Listen check
[roll1](+1 Wis)
Edit: I messed this up, my modifier is +3, +1 due to Wis and +2 due to ranks. The total should be 9

He proceeds to walk along with Devon.
"I apologize for not explaining my actions. I'm calm because it generally helps with everything. It's a philosophy sort of thing; Swordsages who practice the school of Diamond Mind act without thinking, it's the discipline of action without volition. I'm impulsive at times, so it appeals to me immensely."

Nick runs a hand through his grey hair.

"Now, you see, I'm not worried about the body, either he's alive and Mercury is doing the best he can or he's dead and can't hurt us...

Nicholas pauses, and corrects himself quickly.
"Unless it becomes an undead, but that seems a bit far-fetched-"

He catches himself from rambling and continues:
"The body is not the problem, whoever made it that way IS. I drew my dagger without thinking about it because I feared that the assailant might still be around."

[Fan67]

Mercury and Devon came closer to the body, Nick followed them, while Raik chose to keep his distance for a while or probably was little shocked.

The victim lied face down on the bridge, so Mercury tenderly turned
it face up. The body belonged to the elderly human person, unknown to
Mercury, Devon or Nickolas, but his dress had Morgrave University heraldics at the chest, right where some kind of bladed weapon ran through his heart. The wound was fresh, the man was stabbed less then a minute ago, but still he had already succumbed to wound before you reached him.

While Mercury tried to revive him, he found small pouch with 3 gold coins, and in the inner pocket of his dress were identification papers, but
unfortunately the blade damaged them as well. Damage, blood and water made these papers almost completely useless, the only thing you could read that he was affiliated with Morgrave University.
The satchel, obviously well made and stylish, is still holded by the dead man. Deadman's grasp is strong and you need slightly more effort if you would like to get it. Though you can feel some kind of book and papers inside, also probably a small glass vial and something big and round.

Meantime Nick looked around. Despite heavy rain he could see several windows opening at higher levels of other towers, and some people stared at the skybridge from above. But apart from these distant observers, Nick didn't see any other activity.

http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/818/eberronadventurespart1t.jpg
Positions:
M,D,N,R - the positions of the party members, guess who is who.
B - the body.

[Bnox]

Nausea

And it was not becasue of the rather fine beer he had earlier, no Raik was use to beer and stronger drinks. The reason was quite simple one of the first dead people Raik had ever seen, and it was surely not natural causes. the others seem to handle the situation allot better then he did, if only he did not feel so Nauseated.

slowly moving closer to the others but staying away from the bridge he moved his cloak from his head, letting the rain slowly fall into his hair. he looked as his friends and said with a low voice.

"S-should we not call the guards?"

Raik was not use to death, his family wealth had spared him the horrors of the last war, he had been raised in relative peace, at least as much peace you could doring a 100 year long war, the only dead people he had ever seen was family members dieing of old age, Raik looked around to see if any guards should be nearby.


[roll0] <-- spot check primarily looking for guards

[Fan67]

Nobody noticed the sounds of an approaching climber over the noise of the falling rain. The cloacked figure climbed over the nearest rails of the skybridge and jumped at the Mercury with an axe in it's hand. The athletic constitution of the attacker was obvious even cloaked. Something metal glistened from the uncovered parts of it's body, probably steel armor.


Listen Checks:
[roll0] - Devon
[roll1] - Nick
[roll2] - Mercury
[roll3] - Raik

Initiative Checks:
[roll4] - Devon
[roll5] - Nick
[roll6] - Mercury
[roll7] - Raik
[roll8] - Enemy

http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/818/eberronadventurespart1t.jpg
Positions:
M,D,N,R - the positions of the party members.
B - the body.
E - the enemy.

[Fan67]

Mercury was completely unprepared for the assault.
The enemy caught him off-guard and stroke from behind with his battleaxe.
The body of the warforged withstood the blow, the sound of the strike echoed from the nearby towers.

Surprise Round:
[roll0] - Enemy attacks Mercury

Round 1:
Post your actions. Mercury keep in mind that your actions will be executed after the attacker's.

[Crinias]

Nick acts fast, without hesitation or doubt. He draws the dagger he just sheathed and holds it by the blade, between his fingers.

As an initiate of the Sublime Way, it is shameful of me to do this, but my skill in using blades is currently better by throwing them than actually stabbing with them. Normally I wouldn't do this, but you just tried to hurt my friend. So, this is goodbye.


Nick then throws his dagger, which sails through the air.


Because this is clearly dramatic and because resources that you don't use are wasted resources, I'm also going to spend an Action Point for this attack!
The result of the roll is added to the attack, so in this post I'll roll the Action Point and in the next I'll roll the attack itself.

[roll0]

[Crinias]

Attack roll: Thrown dagger
[roll0] (+3 Dex, +2 due to Action Point)

Rolling damage as well in case it hits.
Damage:
[roll1] (+1 Str)

[Bnox]

the cloaked person swings up from under the bridge, Raik is still looking around to see if he can spot a guard, its only the noice the person make there attract his attentionen, only a half thought get a chance to pass before Raik realizes something is wrong.

Why would anyone hide under a bridge?

Right at that moment the stranger pulls out some sort of weapon and attack Mercury.
the sound of metal meeting metal is loud, its like it break the sound of the rain comepletly. and starts a shock of Adrenelin in Raik, the Nausea is completly gone, the only thing on his mind is the fact that someone just attacked his friend, had that attack hit Raik he would down for the count, it was pure luck the stranger attacked the only one in the party made out of pure metal, he was going to regreat that mistake.

Raik was no big fighter, but his house had trained him enough to be able to make a quick analyze of the situation. the stranger was focused on the other 3 around him, and had most likely not noticed the small halfling in the fading light. He graped his Spear and placed a thrust at the strangers leg. Normally Raik would had tried to talk the stranger down, but people coming up from under bridges attacking his friends on sigt, well let just say they was not the first to get the benifit of doubt in Raik's book.

[roll0] to hit, if he hit.
[roll1]

after the attack Raik knew the best thing to do was to get some distance so he step 5 feet away from the enemy awaiting what would happen

[Fan67]

The sound of the blow brought more spectators, and you heard people from the towers shouting:"Hey! Stop it!", "Call the Watch!", "Murder! They are murdering the man!".

Nick prepared himself for a throw, but the attacker used his moment of preparation as an opportunity to strike. The axe slashed from right shoulder to left loin right in the moment Nick threw the dagger. Deep cut cracked couple ribs. The adept of sublime way withstood the blow, but his shirt was rapidly turning red and trickles of blood ran to his feet.
Still his dagger stroke true. It pierced the target's head and with sharp metalic sound stuck inside.

The enemy groaned and reached his face with his right hand, trying to pull the dagger off, opening his underarm for Raik's spear. When another projectile wounded him, the cloaked warrior roared and almost rushed to charge Raik, but after just a moment, he looked back at the body and lunged to strike Mercury...


[roll0] - Enemy's Attack of opportunity at Nick
[roll1] - Damage

[Dark_Stalion]

Devon inhales sharply as the assailant sails over the side of the skyway. He steps back, fumbling for the crossbow that his family insisted he carry at all times in the city, all magical training forgotten. However, his innate ability takes over, and as he shouts, the magic unleashes itself upon the cloaked attacker.

"No, get away from Merc!"

Step back "north" 5 foot
Cast daze, DC 12 vs will

[Fan67]

Mercury had barely recovered from the first strike.
"You flesh loving traitor!" - shouted the enemy and the second blow was going to land heavy on the warforged left shoulder, but Devon's spell apparently did the trick to the assailant and, instead of inflicting grievous wound, his body stopped moving for a second and then he just stood idly, trying to shake off this sudden disorientation.

Oddly, the voice of the attacker seemed strangely familiar to the warforged, it is obviously the voice of the construct like the one he is himself.

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/818/eberronadventurespart1t.jpg
Positions:
M,D,N,R - the positions of the party members.
B - the body.
E - the enemy.

[roll0] - Enemy's Will save vs DC12 Daze spell.

[Squirrel_Dude]

Hit points: 11/11
Mercury's face contorts in a way that some might misconstrue as a smirk. We found the killer. Mercury takes a 5 foot step backwards that leaves him standing over the body, just make sure not to step on the bag. Mercury draws out his guisarme, and uses the extra reach it provides him to his advantage. He sweeps at the legs of his opponent in an attempt to trip him and knock him to the ground.

First we add 1d6 to the strength check with an action point
1d6

-.-

[Squirrel_Dude]

First we us an action point to add 1d6 to the strength check


Then we make the opposed strength check to trip him
[roll]1d20+5

-.-

[Squirrel_Dude]

And then we make a trip attempt and roll the opposed strength check.

[roll0] (+3 strength +2 action point bonus)

[Fan67]

Completely recovered from the blow, Mercury stepped back and with a mighty swing of his weapon tripped the dazzed attacker.
With thundering noise he crashed on the floor of the skybridge, right into the puddle of water and blood, spraying everything around.

The shouts from the near towers were becoming louder, and you could hear the distant sound of City Watch whistles.


[roll0] - Mercury's touch attack
[roll1] - Enemy's str check
[roll2] - Mercury's spot check
[roll3] - Enemy's disguise check

Enemy is now Prone.

All right, NEXT TURN!

[Crinias]

HP: 2/8

Although badly injured, Nick does not regret this action. If anything, he's ready to keep going.

However, he still acknowledges that he should defend himself. Therefore, he'll draw another dagger and not attack to improve his defenses.
Move action to draw a dagger, Standard action to use the Total Defense Action for a +4 dodge bonus to AC.

[Bnox]

Seeing the battle in front of him taken place Raik realize that the man infront of him is a 'Forged, much like Mercury. Raik's knowledge of combat is limited at best but for now there is no reason not to keep doing what it is was doing, at least he saw the attack connect with the 'forged, although he have no idea if a spear do any damage to a being made of metal, but he guess its like armor, if he just fight like there is no tomorrow they might make it out alive, and the attacker is on the ground, even with his limited knowledge about combat he can guess its now or never, if that attacker make it back up again they will be in serius danger, and one of his friends is hurt, badly. Fighting the urge to drop his weapon and go see to his friend Raik muster all will and battle spirit he is able to find in this situation and make a step forward getting just inside the range with his long spear and attack the stranger again, hopeing to use the advantage of the person being flat on his back.

1d20+1 <---- -1 for str +2 for flanking [add more bonus if there is one for attacking someone on the ground, I can only find -4 for him

If the attack connect [roll0]

[Bnox]

[roll0] same modifiers, -1 str +2 flanking

[Bnox]

sorry for posting the wrong place

[Fan67]

The whistles of the approaching City Watch became louder, soon they will be here. From both sides of the skybridge there were groups of people gathering, probably the inhabitants of the towers or just those who were passing by and saw the fight.

The rain almost ended and without its cover you realised, that almost every pair of eyes and ears within several hundred feet were directed towards you.

The attacker was still prone and idle, disoriented by Devon's magic, so it was easy for the halfling to poke him. The spear hit somewhere near neck, and long groan told you that the strike made significant damage.

[Dark_Stalion]

Devon managed to get his crossbow free and covers the prone form, ready to fire at it if it tries to attack.

ready action to fire in case of aggression by the enemy warforged

Attack (if required) [roll0]
Damage [roll1]

[Fan67]

The bolt hit the target, glancing hit caused another groan from the enemy, who tried to stand up.
"At least I take you with me, you meatbag!" - he shouted, and with a roar charged at Devon...


[roll0] - Attack at Devon
[roll1] - Damage (Correct damage is 8 due to disarm AOO from Mercury)

Devon's HP: -1 (dying)

[Fan67]

...Mercury tried to save Devon from the attack, and his crushing blow almost hit the attacker, but this time his opponent was prepared and with a move of his battleaxe he parried the guisarme... but the blow was not aimed at the attacker, but rather at his weapon! The battleaxe flew high into the sky and fell next to the ex-wielder.
The halfling also tried to help and even managed to hit the knee with his spear, but enraged opponent seemed not even notice.

The outsmarted warforged didn't changed his intentions and without any weapon in his hands just hurled himself into the mage.
With an empty crossbow in his hands, Devon could not protect himself.
The metall shoulder smashed into his chest, breaking the ribcage and tearing lungs, just a moment later the head of the warforged also collided with Devon's, whose skull cracked. The consciousness leaved Devon's body and he dropped on the skybridge. There was no visible bleeding, but with lunges torn by the broken bones he started to suffocate slowly...

Apparently people around had little clue of what was going on.
Some of them cheered the party to deal with the attacker, while another part accused the party of murdering a man and now shouted at them to stop attacking another one. Yet no one came closer than few dozen feet.

Now it is Mercury's turn to act.

[Fan67]

[roll0] AOO from Raik (+4 bonus for prone was not included in roll, but still was added to consider attack result).
[roll1] Damage from AOO

Added description of halfling's attack in previous post.

[Squirrel_Dude]

He saw the opportunity presented as the enemy rose form the ground. Mercury decided to strike at the weapon instead of the man, hoping to dissuade him from continuing the fight. As the warforged got up, Mercury prodded at the ground and dragged the battleaxe away from the attacker.

He had forgotten about the warforged's ability to simply use his arms as weapons. Mercury grimaced as the enemy struck down on Devon, knocking him to the ground as he began to bleed out.

AOO to disarm
[roll0] (+4 attack, +4 for using a two handed weapon)

I make this attack while he is standing up from Prone, so he should also take a -4 penalty on his attack roll.

[Fan67]

[roll0] - Opposite disarm check.
[roll1] - new damage roll if disarmed.

[Squirrel_Dude]

5ft. step north-west so that I still have reach on the warforged and I am now flanking with Nick.
Use last action point to gain an extra attack this round
Power Attack, -1 attack +2 to damage

Attack 1
[roll0] (+1 BAB +3 Str -1 Power attack +2 flanking)
[roll1] (+4 strength, +2 power attack)

Attack 2
[roll2] (+1 BAB +3 Str -1 Power attack +2 flanking)
[roll3] (+4 strength, +2 power attack)

[Squirrel_Dude]

HP 11/11
Mercury was tired of this foolishness. His enemy simply would not yield. "We can not allow you to surrender now. I can not let you kill my comrades." Taking the initiative in this dance, Mercury wasted no time in quickly repositioning himself with the enemy so that he and Nick had the advantage on him.

Then using all of his energy, Mercury swung down with his guisarme.

5ft. step north-west so that I still have reach on the warforged and I am now flanking with Nick.
Use last action point to gain +1d6 to the attack roll.
Power Attack, -1 attack +2 to damage



Action Point. Roll 1d6 to increase the attack modifier
(1d6)[2]



Attack 1
[roll0] (+1 BAB +3 Str -1 Power attack +2 flanking)
[roll1] (+4 strength, +2 power attack)

Attack 2
[roll2] (+1 BAB +3 Str -1 Power attack +2 flanking)
[roll3] (+4 strength, +2 power attack)

[Fan67]

While the attacker was trying to finish Devon, Mercury stepped back and made a wide swift swing with his guisarme decapitating the enemy.
The head fell on the floor, jumping several times before it stopped at the leg of the warforged.
Now he could realise why the voice seemed so familiar.
The face of his warforged comrade Wright was looking at him with a single eye left, nick's dagger still stuck in the second eye-socket.
Still attached to the head was the final messanger familiar to Mercury from his war experience. Just a second after Wright's death, it jumped from the socket, unfolded it's wings and quickly flew away somewhere upwards.

The rain finaly stopped, people standing around watched the scene with awe. The whistles of the City Watch sounded very close. They are probably one level below you, it will take no more than half a minute (at best) before they arrive. It seemes now that they will come from the western stairs.

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/818/eberronadventurespart1t.jpg
M,N,D,R - the party members
C - people watching the fight (which you can see, many more watch from greater distance and from windows above);
B - the body;
E - the corpse of the attacker;
a - battleaxe of the attacker (dropped after disarm);

Next Turn Started!
Party Members Conditions:
Devon: Dying (-1)
Mercury: Final Messanger Knowledge: Final Messenger (embedded component): This component
is an intricate assemblage of clockwork and filigree
wings, designed to serve as a communication device within
warforged units. A final messenger occupies space as an amulet,
drawing energy from its warforged host. While the messenger
is attached, the warforged may take a standard action to
implant a destination, a target individual, the image of what
the warforged is currently able to see, and a message of up
to 25 words into the messenger.
As a free action, the host can release the final messenger,
at which point it flies to its destination by as direct a route
as possible. Once it reaches this location, it seeks the target
creature (if one has been specified); otherwise it looks for
the nearest warforged. Any warforged who attaches the
messenger can review the message that it contains.
Should a warforged be destroyed while bearing a final
messenger, the messenger immediately flies to seek its target.
It retains its stored message, but replaces any stored image
with a view of the last thing seen by the slain warforged.

[Crinias]

Nick doesn't even spare a second glance at the winged messenger.

Breathing heavily, he drops his dagger, moves over to Devon and begins applying first aid despite having no training whatsoever, ripping off the sleeve of his shirt and using it as an impromptu bandage.
Free action: Drop dagger.
Move action: Move 5 ft. up.
Standard action: Heal check (First aid)
[roll0] (+1 Wis)

After he's finished, he'll look at Mercury, then Raik.
"I don't suppose you could tell someone to get a medic or something?"

[Squirrel_Dude]

Mercury quickly surveyed the situation. He would have to find out why Wright had attacked them later. There was no time, now. First was making sure their names were clear of any charges of murder. There wasn't much time. He immediately sheathed his guisarme on this back and began trying to reorganize the chaos.

He looks and sees that Nick has done a good job and stopped Devon's bleeding.

"You've stopped bleeding. Time will heal the rest. The guards are coming. We should get ready for them. As for the doctors you request...

Mercury looks at the crowd above them and yells, "If you had the time to watch the fight, then you have the time to find a healer or an undertaker! A man associated with House Orien needs medical aid, and there are two dead that will need buriel!" When he finished yelling at the crowd, Mercury turned back to Raik and Nick.

"Raik, look through the old man's satchel. Do not take anything from it. That would look bad.

"I will look through Wright's belongings for any reason that might have caused this."

Beginning Search Check on Wright's square
[roll0]

Total actions:
Free action: talking
Move action: stowing weapon
Start search check on wright's square, a full-round action.

[Fan67]

Nick couldn't find any obvious bleeding wounds, but his friend was suffocating and almost couldn't breathe.
He tenderly probed the damaged chest until he found the rib which broke inside into the lung. Unsure of what he should do, Nick tried to press on the protrusive part of the bone. With a slight crack the bone moved and Devon moaned, which meant he could breath again. He was still unconscious, but now could survive to wait for healing.

Raik, impressed by Mercury's feint, just followed orders silently.
He approached the body. The man was familiar to the halfling. It was professor Bonal Geldem from Morgrave University. His was the provost of the School of Pre-Galifar Studies, and Raik attended some of his lectures.
Inside the satchel he could find quills and inks, six blank sheets of fine Karrnathi paper, a wrapped apple and a journal. And Mercury already took a pouch with 3 gold pieces and had no time to put it back.
The small journal, measuring about 3 inches by 6 inches and 1 inch thick, has a cover of dark brown leather with strands of mithral thread woven in a strange pattern. It bears no title, just the mithral-thread icon on the front page. Inside, every page is blank, but the sheets have a strange feel, they don't seem to be paper or leather, but something not readily identifiable.

Meantime Mercury searched the body of Wraith.
Under the torn traveling cloak he found damaged mithral body, with no recognizable marks, and a backpack with a sling and 15 bullets inside.



XP Award:
75 points for each character
Conditions:
Devon: Stabilized (-1)


[roll0] - Raik's search (the body)

[Fan67]

After Mercury's cry for help several observers left somewhere, but whether they went for help of just gone is unknown. Other people just stood there, apparently waiting for the guards to come.


[roll0] Raik's Knowledge (Nobility and Roaylity) (+2 circumstance bonus from Knowledge (history))


NEXT TURN!

[Bnox]

Looking though the satchel Raik quickly inform his group about what is inside, but don't take anything out, he looks around for the guards, and quickly says.
"When the guards come, let me do the talking, I am trained by my house to handle situations where the right or wrong words can get you out of trouble or into a hell of a lot more."

Looking a bit nervous as Devon, he is not use to seeing his friends bleed, and Devon don't look so good, but Raik know nothing about first aid, and it looks like the rest of the group have a good hand on him

[Squirrel_Dude]

Mercury sighed, "nothing here." He slid down to floor, and picked up Wrights heads. He looked into it as a diviner would a crystal ball, Mercury's eyes moving across it's features. He knew better than to find his answers this way, but the event had left him a little shaken.

He just nodded and gave a confirming grunt at Raik's suggestion to let him talk to the guard. He barely manages to notice that it has gotten a little dark. "Does anyone want some more light?"

[Crinias]

Nick nods at his friends.
"Some light would be nice."

He then approaches Mercury slowly, with the intention of speaking privately.

He whispers to him: "From where did you know him? You called him by name."

[Squirrel_Dude]

Mercury did not look up at nick, staying focused on the head, but he kept his voice down. "He was my comrade. One who served with me in the war." Mercury wouldn't be lying if he wasn't confused by the ordeal. "I don't know when he gained such a strong hate for humans. It's not an unforeseeable event, but I do not remember seeing signs or hints of this hate towards, as he called you, fleshies."

His attitude suddenly changed towards are more businesslike one, "If you need light, you can take some torches in my backpack. I have the flint and steel in my belt pouch if you need it.

Ever inquisitive, Mercury could not stay talking for long without asking questions that diverge from the topic at hand. Yet, even as the tone of the conversation shifted, Mercuries eyes never left Wright's face. "Do you want to see if I can get your knife back?

Do you think we can sell his body for what the metal is worth? He's made of mithral, so I imagine that could make us some good money."

[Crinias]

Nick nods when Mercury tells him about the torches, and proceeds to take a pair out.

Full-Round Action: Take out torches from Mercury's backpack.
Next round he'll take the flint and steel (move action, presumably), and begin to light a torch the round after that . (Full-Round action)

"My dagger? Maybe you should leave it in until the guards come. For that matter, moving his head might constitute disturbing a crime scene," he says casually.

He then turns his attention to Wright's body.

"And Mercury? Some people, me not included, might find it disturbing that you are speaking of a corpse in terms of selling for gold. I mean, I understand that for you it's probably a matter of pragmatism, and that his body, made out of mithril, is probably valuable, but if you said the same regarding human bodies most people would be really pissed at you. For that matter, it's not like we own the body, right? It's not a matter of you kill it, you get its stuff..."

A sudden faraway look overcomes Nick's face.
"Actually, my parents told me they did that sort of thing all the time years ago. You see, they used to be adventurers. They told me and my brother lots of stories."

For once Nick seems a bit stressed, or perhaps jaded. He tries to recover his cool, though.
"But that didn't include selling bodies, you know what I mean."

[Fan67]

Nick was in the middle of lighting a torch (it became wet after the rain and didn't want to light up easily) when the City Watch arrived.

Two males and a female, wearing the green-and-black studded leather of Sharn's City Watch, emerge from the darkness of the stairs and quickly move d to the skybridge. The leader, a powerfully built bald dwarf with a close-cropped beard, steps forward, leveling his crossbow in your direction. The small ball of arcane light, hovering just above and behind his left shoulder, illuminates the area. To each side, a human male and female stand with halberds at the ready.

"Olladra's bloody nose!" - the Dwarf curses.-"By order of the Watch, drop your weapons and explain yourselves!"

[Squirrel_Dude]

Mercury chuckled. Of course. To sell our lifeless bodies for gold would be wrong. Mercury suddenly looked up at Nick. Our purpose was to kill each other for you people, not to make a profit from it.

His lifeless body is covered in a precious metal. If we do not sell it, the undertaker will. If he does not sell it, his body will be buried and it will be wasted, until grave robbers take it. I will not let another sell my comrade. Let his death do some good.

When the guard arrives, Mercury makes sure his weapons are stowed and looks up at them. He knew Raik could handle the situation, and didn't say anything to them.

[Bnox]

As the guard aproches raik places his spear on the ground, he have no intention on looking aggresive to the watch. He slowly takes a few steps forward making sure he is the man in front and takes his hood down, making sure his Mark of Hospitality is visible. It might not work, but for some the house bear some meaning, at least it counts as being "noble" in some circles. Raik never liked the idea of using his house power to get out of trouble, but he knows how bad it would look if he got arrested, it would shame the family.

as the guardsmen approces he can here the dwarf, most likely the leader say out loud

"Olladra's bloody nose!" "By order of the Watch, drop your weapons and explain yourselves!"

Raik is not visible armed as he steps out and make a short bow for the dwarf and says in a calm and clear voice.
"My good watchmen, its good you have come, we need your expertice and knowledge, me and my group of friends where just walking home from the graduation at the Morgrave Univercity and found this poor man on the ground, we rushed to help him as the 'forged on the ground swung up from under the bridge and attacked us. we have no idea why, but as it is lawed in breland, every man have the right to defend himself if needed, and a warforge attcking us with a big axe we deemed to be qualafing for that law, let me intruduce myself and my friends. My name is Raik Ir'Ghallanda of the house Ghallanda. my friends is Devon d'Orien of the house Orien. the injured man is Nicholas Nithraen, and if posible he could use some medical service, our last member is Mercury, a warforged of his own free will. we are so happy you came, I trust you don't need us to come with you, we would like to get our Injured friend to a Temple or House Jorasco as fast as possible, as you can see he is not well.
This is a diplomacy attement, I would like to spend a Fate point here.

1d6
[roll]1d20+9 [3 cha - 4 ranks - 2 least mark of hospitality]

[Bnox]

[roll0]
[roll1] (+ whatever the first roll gives me)

[Fan67]

The dwarf seemed to be slightly confused by halfling's long speech, and watched him with incredulity, but while Raik spoke, several witnesses from nearby shops and homes came forward to corroborate his story.
At the end the guard weighted his crossbow, pointed it down and said:

"Although you might have really wanted to help, I encourage you to leave such matters to the Watch... There is a house Jorasco healing enclave near our station, I can send one of the guards to show you the way, and you can take your unconscious friend and the wounded one there if they can afford ten gold each for their magical healing... If you didn't take anything from the dead, you can show me your identification papers and leave, we may contact you later if additional information is required. And try not to get into any more troubles."

After he studied your papers and had some words with his companions, he approached halfling and said:"You are free to go, I was probably wrong to accept the situation I saw at face value. For your help to the Watch I reward you with ten golds, this should be just enough to heal one of your wounded friends."

[Squirrel_Dude]

Mercury put Wright's head back on the ground and stood up. He looked back at Nick and apologized, "sorry for snapping at you earlier. We'll leave Wright's body. I can't see much of a way they let us take it now that it's probably evidence of some kind for them. If you or Raik have any ideas, let me know.

I'll grab Devon." Mercury went over and picked up Devon, and draped him across his arms.


*Adds Devon and his gear to Inventory as Quest Item :smalltongue:
- Encumbered with a Heavy Load

[Crinias]

"No, that's alright, given the circumstances I don't blame you. As for the body, I can't think of anything either. I'll help you with some of Devon's stuff, until he wakes up. Let's go."

Nick helps to carry anything inconvenient, such as Devon's light crossbow.

On the way to the House Jorasco enclave, more out of curiosity than anything else, Nick says to Raik:

"Say, Raik, I've been wondering this for a while but kept forgetting to ask you... why do you carry around that longspear? I mean, Mercury carries around his guisarme and me and Devon carry daggers, but Mercury's campus security, I'm a specialist in small weapons and Devon probably carries them more out of safety than anything else. Isn't it a bit inconvenient to carry it all the time? It's not exactly small or something you can carry without drawing attention."

[Bnox]

Raik bows to the guard and says with a smile
"Thank you my dear Watchmen, may I ask your name? so we know who to contact if we are called back for futhter questioning?"

one the way to the jorasco enclave Nick says:

"Say, Raik, I've been wondering this for a while but kept forgetting to ask you... why do you carry around that longspear? I mean, Mercury carries around his guisarme and me and Devon carry daggers, but Mercury's campus security, I'm a specialist in small weapons and Devon probably carries them more out of safety than anything else. Isn't it a bit inconvenient to carry it all the time? It's not exactly small or something you can carry without drawing attention.

Raik look at the spear which is mostly used as a walking stick for him, he shrugs and says

"Well in my colture hunting is a big part of life, ive always use my Boomerang, but it is expected that a halfling of my status knows how to use a spear or another form of hunting weapon, so its mainly as requirement from my house, like you said you guys have a speciality in fighting where mine is more in the interacting with other people, I am born into the house of Hospitality, so where you might have been fighting in the war or your families have, my family have been part of peace delegations, as you may know the last war was a war fought by the nations, not the houses, house members was a "No kill" on the battlefield, we did not fight but nor did we get killed, we helped, House Jorasco healed the wounded, on what ever side they where on, We in House Gallandar helped find terms for pease, House Lyrander and House Orien helped transporting medical supplies, House Cannith worked on the 'forged in the war, the only house directly in the battle was house Dennith, but they are paid mercinaries. So in short this spear is more a requirement then a need, if we ever leave the village and go out to see the world be sure I leave it behind.
But to come back to what I was saying, my speciality is to be a diplomat, or what ever I get hired to do, its wellknown my house have the best inn's around the world and... ive been talking to much again havent I?"

Raik smiles as he stop, he is known to keep talking until he get stopped, but his trying to learn to know when to stop, at least he stopped him self this time. He adds in short.

"anyways, i got no real use for the spear"

[Fan67]

The dwarf introduced himself as Sergeant Dolom.
The guard sent by the Sergeant escorted you from University district (Upper Wards) to Platinate Disctrict (Upper Wards). He left you at the entrance to the Jorasco healing house.

http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/7098/eberronjorascoenclave.png

As you entered, the gnome healer met you and showed you the bed where you could put Devon. And after financial questions were solved, he called another healer, halfling with the mark of healing, who spent some time fixing Devon's bones and stitching Nick's cut to avoid scars. After these preparations he used his magical powers to heal the wounds.


+10gp (Raik) - Reward from the City Watch.
-10gp (Raik) - Paid for Cure Light Wounds for Devon.
-10gp (Nick) - Paid for Cure Light Wounds for Nick.


[roll0] - Nick's HP Cured;
[roll1] - Devon's HP Cured.

[Fan67]

Apart from you there were no other visitors or patients in there so late.
After the healing process the halfling healer, who apparently was dragged out of his bed, yawned and walked way. Gnome waited until you dress yourself and then showed you the way to the exit. He also seemed very sleepy, and walked to return to his desk to continue napping.

So you are now all back in one piece, standing in the midnight somewhere at Platinate Disctrict. Another day started... It is two months before the next academic year. The calm desolate walkways of the Upper ward were lit by the everbright lanterns and such a pieceful environment somehow very much reminded about the extreme encounter you had just a few hours ago.
This and the slight drawing pain in Devon's neck.

[Crinias]

Nick is the first to say something after that ordeal, calm as ever but joking in his manner of speaking.

"We still haven't found that fine-looking establishment we were looking for, now that I think about it. Do you guys wanna go back to campus to rest or still look for it?"

[Squirrel_Dude]

Mercury shakes his head, perhaps sadly. Alcohol doesn't do anything for me. I'm not exactly ready to go back out on the town. It wouldn't be good to get drunk or party. Tonight's result wasn't completely positive.

That final messenger went to someone. If it went to who ordered the killing, they may come after us. I'd like to go home and practice my stances some more.

[Crinias]

Nick raises his hands in protest.

"I didn't say anything about getting drunk, just someplace to rest and relax. Actually, I have the same concerns as you. An awful lot of people saw us fighting, and considering all that's happened it would surprise me if no one on campus learned about it. They'll probably bother us about it. I was considering that we should get an inn or something."

Nick crosses his arms and closes his eyes, as though deep in thought.

"Whoever sent Wright will probably find out who we are by informants, gossip and hearsay. With any luck it'll take some time. As for the victim... since he worked at the university, maybe his work or studies brought him to that situation. I'm afraid that we'll get involved in this whether we want to or not."

To finish off he simply shrugs. He uncrosses his arms and opens his eyes.
"But maybe I'm thinking too much. We should go rest back to campus."

For the second time in a while Nick expresses some emotion and appears to be worried.
"Master Turiyeshor will be mad when she finds out I got into a serious fight and got injured. I can see it in my mind's eye: She'll probably smile warmly, grab a wooden sword, tell me to grit my teeth and if she's merciful she'll knock me unconscious with one blow for endangering my life recklessly."

"...I might die." He says this with a calm face and a worried voice, not befitting the irony of the situation.

[Dark_Stalion]

Devon grins.

"What, you're going to let a little thing like a life and death situation get in the way of a good time? Seriously, though, I doubt that we're unlucky enough to get attacked twice in one night. Besides," he says, making a face and rubbing his neck, "I need a drink to dull the pain. Doctor's orders. " Devon winks.

[Bnox]

Raik had been sitting with his back against the wall the hole time, he had been nodding off since he was told both of his friends would be alright, sleepy he got to his feet, and yawned.

"I don't care if we take a inn or the Univercity, I just want to find a nice comfy bed, and sleep until dinner next day, or maybe the day after"'

He looks at his friends, despite there age and the fact it was an ambush, they did well, at least all of them where alive, but he had been helpless in a fight.

at that point Raik decided he wanted to focus more on his knowledge and studies, focus on what he was strong at, so he could be the best help possible for his friends.

[Squirrel_Dude]

Mercury shrugged. "You've convinced me we should go, but I have a job I should be doing back on campus. It's part of the reason they let me go to school, so I don't have much of a choice here." Mercury turns and begins walking back to the University.

He suddenly stops, and looks as if he is thinking. He turns back around to his companions. "It might be good to go back to the University if we would like to know who the old man was. We'll at least have a better chance there than at a bar." Mercury then reverses course again, finally on his way to Morgrave.

[Crinias]

Nick nods in agreement, and he walks in Mercury's direction, speaking more seriously. "Let's go then, with no further delay. I want to know what that old man's secrets were. Also, if I recall correctly, you were the last thing Wright saw, Mercury, so it's most likely you they'll go after. There's no way we'd leave you alone in that case, is there?"

He catches up with Mercury and turns back to Devon and Raik.
"Since Raik is fine with either an inn or campus this means we've outvoted you, Devon." He says this last bit with humor and a light smile.

[Dark_Stalion]

Devon rolls his eyes and let's out an exaggerates sigh.

"Fine, spoil sports, but I'm going to fetch some mead and get you drunk on duty. Oh wait, that probably won't do anything. How about oil? Would you like me to oil you up while you're standing guard? Do warforged drink oil?" Devon, clearly invigorated by his healing, has an expression on his face, half amused, half far off with thought, which you have come to know as 'that look', the one he has when planning something amusing, stupid or dangerous.

[Squirrel_Dude]

Mercury turned around and faced Devon, while clearing his throat. Mercury leaned down and looked Devon in his eyes while imitating the motions of cracking one's knuckles. "I've never tried drinking alcohol or oil, but I have heard from some warforged that fleshie blood is a great tasting lubricant." Mercury finished his statement by licking the area around his mouth.

Mercury stood back up and then tilted his head when he didn't receive the kind of response he expected from his comrades. "Was that not a very good joke? I had read that darker humor had become more popular."

[Dark_Stalion]

"Joke? So you don't want me to contact the local vampires? They might have some to spare... " Devon makes as if to go off in another direction and then grins. " Not bad! We could make a real comedian out of you if you keep this up." Devon throws his arm around the warforged companionably.

[Bnox]

Raik is looking at his friends, they are getting on eachothers nerves, so to break the tension he says.

"His name is professor Bonal Geldem, I had some lecturs with him, he was quite experienced and a good teacher, I don't know him all that well, but he was highly regarded by the staff"

Raik walks towards the door, not waiting for the others, if experiences have told him anything, they would easily catch up


Sorry for the inactivity, ill be here now

[Squirrel_Dude]

Mercury looked at Raik with the approximation of a shocked look on his face. "That solves problem one. I wish you had told us sooner.

"Now we have three things we must do; inform the school, investigate his office for information, and inform next of kin. We can start with the office tonight."Mercury seemed to be counting on his fingers to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything to do. His eyes looked up, as if searching for answers.

"Raik, what was his field of expertise? What was he carrying on him?"

[Bnox]

Raik looks at mercury and raises a eye brow.

"ehm, we should let the watch handle this, they told to us to do so, but his field was Pre-Galifar History, as far as ive heard he have no next of kin, and he had a scrab book on him, some ink and blank paper, and some bread, if that matters. But as I said, should we not let the watch handle this, they do feel quite strongly about people bumping into there work, and personally have this event ruin a rather good night for me, I would prefere to go home at get some sleep"

Raik opens the door out to the hall where the gnome is napping at the desk, he bows for the gnome and thanks him for there service, its clear to everyone there looks that Raik is in a hurry to get out of the Enclave and get home, the little halflings engergy is completely drained

[Squirrel_Dude]

Mercury continued his walk towards Morgrave. "If you are tired, you are free to go home. I will need something to amuse myself, and that will be checking on the professor's office.

"The guard will probably not know who that the dead man is the professor for a while. His identification was ruined by Wright. It is at least our job to let the school know that one of their professors was killed."

[Fan67]

As the party traversed the walkways towards University District, you saw almost noone - few merchants pushed their carts presumably to deliver goods before dawn.
The rain, which seemed to slack off, started again, not as heavy, but distant thunder announced that drizzle was just a harbinger of another upcoming storm.

You just crossed the skybridge between the disctricts, one which was lighted by just a couple of everbright lanterns, giving almost no illumination, when the cloaked figure emerged from shadows in front of you. It is just three and a half feet high, its hood pulled tight to keep out the rain. Before you can react, the figure raised it's hands in conciliatory gesture, showing a signet ring with a symbol emblazoned on it.
Nobody of you recognized the meaning of the symbol - stylized hammer and anvil - but Raik noticed that it was vaguely resembled to the symbol on the cover of Geldem's journal.

The stranger probably thought you should be well aware of his affiliation by now and spoke facing to Mercury without verbal introduction:
"Excuse me, but for some time I had been following you and I heard what you were talking about... If you would like to know the truth of Bonal Geldem's murder, and why your friend Wright attacked you, please go to the Broken Anvil tavern immediately. It is in the Mason's Tower within the inn district Callestan at the Lower Wards." - after words were said, the stranger drank something and disappeared.


[roll0] - Spot check Devon
[roll1] - Spot check Nick (+1 = 9)
[roll2] - Spot check Mercury
[roll3] - Sport check Raik
[roll4] - Listen check Devon
[roll5] - Listen check Nick
[roll6] - Listen check Mercury
[roll7] - Listen check Raik

[Crinias]

As soon as he disappears, Nick comments:

"Well now, I'm surprised none of us saw or heard him coming. He's probably not associated with Wright, and perhaps he thought we would recognize his signet ring... I say we go there. If he or whoever he is associated with meant us harm, he could have taken this chance to assault us."

Then he turns back to the others.

"Well?"

[Squirrel_Dude]

Mercury shrugged at Nick's question. The decision has little impact on me. School is out so they could deal without me being at the school for the rest of the night. I just want answers, and either of the two options could provide those. Devon and Raik are the tired ones.

"It's your call, guys."

[Dark_Stalion]

Devon glances at the others.

"Well, that was creepy. Still, I think I'd like to find out why someone tried to kill me."

[Bnox]

Raik looks at his friends and says

"I think we should do it, we owe it to his friends to tell them why he was murdered so brutal, he was not my friend, but I knew him, I am going, I want to get this problem solved"

for the first time since the attack Raik got his old smile back on his face, he pulls up his hood and make sure he had everything on him, finally he had a goal again, something he could do.

[Fan67]

http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/8924/sharnplateaus.png

It was too late to get a skycoach or use one of the magical lifts which could be found throughout the city, so you had to make the trip on foot.
Almost two hours passed before you found your way through many stairs and bridges from Upper Ward of Menthis Plateau to Dura.

The Inn Disctrict is located in Lower Dura - one of the largest and oldest quarters of Sharn, it rises from the ruins of Shaarat and the Old Sharn that fell at the end of the War of the Mark. But as Sharn has grown over the centuries since that terrible conflict, Lower Dura has been left behind.
Today, many consider it a blight on the city, riddled as it is with poverty and crime. Dura is home to the majority of the lower classes of Sharn, and Lower Dura is generally considered to be little better than the Cogs.
Once the heart of Sharn, Lower Dura has slowly decayed as the rest of the city moved higher into the sky. Now it is dark and dangerous place. It is home to the miserable poor. The Sharn Watch rarely risks patrolling Lower Dura, and when they dare they stick to the warehouse districts. So street violence occurs on a regular basis and the Watch won't do much help.
Nonetheless, Dura is the gateway to the Dagger River, and cargo passes from Cliffside up through Dura, and most of the vast warehouse districts are located here. So during your trip you saw lots of carts moving somewhere, many business people and small caravans.
Here the everburning torches light most of the districts, as opposed to the everbright lanterns in better districts, and many torches have been shattered or stolen.
The ward shows its age, with cracked and worn streets, walls covered with mildew and graffiti, and other signs of neglect and wear and tear.

The inns and taverns in Callestan were dark and grimy. Vermin run like water through the streets on a stormy day like this one. Rats scurry into shadows and people who were hanging around this late were studying you with avaricious eyes, standing close to the buildings, which provided shelter from the rain. The rain felt much heavier down here. The water gathered at the higher levels and fell down here as mighty waterfalls, creating small rivers along the streets.

As you walked among the taverns you saw a signboard of a broken anvil, which apparently belonged to the Broken Anvil Inn. Another sign above the door indicated that the establishment belonged to House Ghallanda. The tavern itself was carved into a bend in the wall of a tower.
When you entered the inn, you saw that it was a small one with a handful of rooms. The main hall had several tables, chairs were put on the tables and two halflings were cleaning the floor and paid little attention to you.
A halfling matron came from the door to your left and approached you:"Good night, I have been warned, that you might come... Please follow me" - she went to the door she came from, leading you to the small hallway with seven doors. The halfling went to the third to your left and opened the door after a polite knock."My Lady, your guests have arrived"-said the halfling as you entered the room. It was a simple room with a bed, small table and wardrobe. The table had only two chairs and the matron rushed to bring more. At the table the human female woman already seated.
http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/6146/elaydren.png
She was dressed in the dark blue cloak and had delicate features, dark blue eyes, and sleek black hair bound with silver and turquoise ornaments. She wore a signet ring, same to the one shown to you by the mysterious messanger. She spoke in a soft but clear voice:
"Thank you for coming. My name is Lady Elaydren. We have important business to discuss that relates to the unfortunate death of Bonal Geldem. Please, sit down."
-the halfling matron and two hafling servants brought three more chairs to accomodate five people, but matron appraisingly looked at Mercury and after a moment of hesitation decided to be merciful to the chair and carried it away.


Map:
http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/6452/brokenanvil.png
A - where you entered
H - Elaydren's Room



[roll0]x5 minutes- Travel time from Platinate District to Callestan District

[Crinias]

Nick takes the initiative and bows, saying: "The pleasure of coming is ours, lady Elaydren." He then proceeds to sit down. He'll then wait until the others sit down.

He continues to speak after the others have sat, hoping they'll allow him to speak first. He's not the best with words, so when Raik and Devon speak up their opinions will be more notable in comparison.

"There is no right way for me to express this, but frankly we do not know anything about this whole business. To be honest, I don't even recognize your signet ring, such is my ignorance. We would be very grateful if you could explain just what is going on. We need to understand."
Nick says this last bit apologetically, but firmly, hoping that being humble but assertive will yield a good response.

[Squirrel_Dude]

Mercury walked in, bowing under the door frame. He meekly waved his hand, and moved over to the corner closest to the right of the door. "I'm Mercury. I'm glad someone will try to explain what happened to us. As you might expect, I'll be letting them do most of the talking."

A moment after he finished, Mercury spoke up again. "Oh, and nice to meet you."

[Fan67]

The matron entered the room again.
She brought five glasses and three pitchers-ale, wine, and water.
Again she could not decide whether to give the glass to Mercury or not and in the end decided to just place it on the table.
When the halfling left, Elaydren spoke again:
"My signet is the ancient version of House Cannith's. My house has been disjointed since the destruction of Cyre and I belong to the House Cannith family in Aundair. I have nothing against the Sharn-based family, but I am here to further the efforts of Baron Jorlanna d'Cannith of Aundair.
I have been working with Provost Geldem to recover a family heirloom. We were to meet earlier tonight, but as you know, he never made it. It is a great luck that Dolom is my friend, and from him I learned what had transpired, and he helped one of my men to track you down..."- she leaned closer-"Before I continue, may I ask if you have seen any... a final messanger, when you killed Geldem's murderer? It looks like a tiny mechanical bird..."


Sense Motive:
[roll0] - Devon
[roll1] - Nick
[roll2] - Mercury
[roll3] - Raik
Listen:
[roll4] - Devon
[roll5] - Nick
[roll6] - Mercury
[roll7] - Raik

[Crinias]

Nick nods. "I see, so it's that sort of political situation... we did see a bird of your description. But if you knew that much specifically, then surely you must know at least a bit more about Geldem's murderer, right?"

[Squirrel_Dude]

Mercury nodded in agreement with Nick, "That's correct. A final messenger did fly away when our attacker died."

[Fan67]

Elaydren looked very troubled, when she heard about the messanger:
"Then we have no time... I know about the murderer and his employer, they are aware of the situation and most probably on their way to fix it,"-she thought about something for a few moments and said:"The murderer was after this journal,"-she put the ancient journal Raik saw in Geldem's satchel on the table. Her signet ring and the mithral threads on the cover glow in unison as she takes hold of the small book. When she opens it, the blank pages immediately begin to fill with delicate script and line drawings. She turns a specific page, studies it for a moment:"Poor Bonal believed that this ancient House Cannith journal provides the location of the foundry that dates back to pre-Galifar Sharn. There we hoped to find the heirloom that was locked away for many centuries. I was going to fund an expedition to go to the site... but without Bonal and with his murderers after the journal, I just have no time... I am willing to provide all the information you want to know, but I want you to recover the heirloom and return it to me. If you do it for me, I will not only tell everything I know about Geldem's murderer, but also reward you with one thousand gold pieces. Will you help me?"

[Bnox]

As they enter the inn, Raik make a traditional House Gellandar salute to the innkeeper, and stays behind for a few moments to chat with a member of his house, as he enters the room he bows for the young women in front of him and says as he is trained to do.

"Greetings noble member of a house of 12, My name is Raik Ir'Gellander, of the house, my service is as of my house, and my resources are yours if needed, I hope you have find this establisment pleasing and living up to the standards of our house."

He sits down and listen to the story, and some story it is.
Raik dont sit down doring the story, he can't sit still at a time like this, he walks over to a table and get him self a glass of water, Beer and other drinks is not a option at this point, the adrenalin of battle kicked back the drunk feeling he had been working on all day, but right at this moment he was not drunk nor tired, he was feeling something he was not use to, sad, maybe even angry. without waiting for the others to answer he says out loud.

"To Kyber with the money!, I knew that man, he was a good man, I will do this for free, and if my friends should find this a wrong or even unjust course of action, I will not blame you, but I am going!"/COLOR]

A determenation not seen before manifest on the little halflings face, and even a small glow from his dragonmark is shown, Raik look deeply into the eyes of the human Cannith lady and says with a strong voice.

[COLOR="purple"]"My lady, please forgive my outburst, but the essence of the outburst still stands, I will see this though, all the way to the end, you got my word, a word given by one house member to another"

[Crinias]

Nick taps his fingers on the table, perhaps slightly concerned, but still appearing calm.

"Alright, milady, let's see if I've got this straight, so there are no questions remaining. You're looking for an old House Cannith heirloom. One of your associates in searching this item was Bonal Geldem.

But it seems other groups are also searching for this heirloom, which apparently is valuable enough to warrant Geldem's murder, and accidentally get us involved with this whole business. Since you seem to be unable to find anyone more capable on short notice, you want us to obtain this heirloom for you. A heirloom which other groups consider valuable enough to kill for. " Nick purses his lips, narrows his eyes and nods, mostly to himself.

"So you're basically asking us to stick our necks out for you, right after we got assaulted out of the blue. And, again, we're unrelated to this whole business, we're just some students. So you must be either truly desperate if that's the case. " He says this calmly, with no hint of malice or even resentment.

"You're offering us a considerable amount of money, at least for the standards of university students. That and the information about Geldem's murderer.

Now, I'm going to agree with Raik here and obtain this item, because the information and the money intrigue me and because not helping Raik here is tantamount to killing him." At this Nick simply shakes his head slightly, folds his arms and closes his eyes, thinking that his small friend is too good-natured for his own good.

"That's what I think, although I cannot speak for my friends. Now, can you tell us more about what this heirloom is, where it is located, and what we'll likely face in order to reach it?"

[Squirrel_Dude]

Mercury sips the alcohol in front of him, coughing it down "I remember why I don't drink this stuff. It's expensive and bad tasting water."

Mercury shrugged his shoulders at the other's comments. "I want answers to ease my mind, and I want money to further my experience. You offer both?

"School is out. I have nothing tying me here. Nick will need someone to practice his stone dragon stances with. I'll do it."

[Fan67]

Elaydren smiled when Raik made his emotional speech.
"It is very kind of you to offer gratuitous help, but it will be my pleasure to reward your efforts..."

Then she replied to Nick:
"As I said, I do not belong to Sharn's brench of my house, and orginizing expedition without Bonal will take days if not weeks. You survived the attack of the trained warforged assassin, this alone tells enough about your skills.
And forgive me being secretive about certain details. I am desperate and have to use any leverage I can...
Concerning the nature and location of the item..."-she unfolded the map on the table."The location of the lost foundry is deep within the Dorasharn Tower here in Lower Dura. Fifty-seven levels below the tower's present-day sewer system. This map shows the way to reach the sewers of the Dorasharn Tower. Somewhere beyond the E-213 Valve Cluster you will find a sealed door with the same mark as the one on Bonal's journal. Open the seal, and the tunnel beyond will take you to the long-forgotten level far below, where the foundry resides. The relic I seek is an adamantine plate in the shape of a seven-pointed star about the size of human's hand,"-Elaydren explains."It has no special power by itself, but is an ancient schema - a piece of a pattern used by the Cannith artificers of old to craft unusual items. Recover this piece of history for me, and House Cannith with be extremely grateful... And I don't know what you are going to face down there..."-she thinks for a second."Other than the agents of those who murdered Bonal, who knows what lurks in the hidden places beneath the city? Now that I think of it, Bonal did say that we would definitely need to bring fire on the expedition. I wonder what he meant? Anyway, I urge caution, but I am completely confident that you can handle anything you may encounter in your search..."

[Squirrel_Dude]

When Elaydren finishes her explanation, Mercury raises his hand to ask a question. "Maybe I didn't hear you when you said this, but why are you hiring us to do this? Surely there are more experienced people for the job?"

[Fan67]

"Because Sharn's House Cannith resources are unavailable for me, I have only one servant in Sharn - one you met earlier - and he is attending... some other business right now, and it would be careless to send a lone man for such a risky task... I asked Dolom to help me, but he can't just send few of his men to the sewers, so he proposed to hire you... You killed trained warforged warrior, so it gave you some credit... And I fear I have just hours before the... others find me and this journal and figure out how to find the foundry, if they hadn't already - I sent my man to the university to destroy Geldem's writings, but Bonal's room was set on fire by the time he arrived... And you are involved anyway, because of that final messanger. You can either kill all the assassins they will send after you, or you can help me and get more information and probably prevent further... inconveniences."

[Bnox]

Raik takes out a piece of paper and a pen and writes down a quick note in halfling, he looks at the door and says in between their talk.
"I'll be back in two minutes"

Rushing out of the door.

I'll PM our GM what is going on

[Fan67]

Forgot to make technical roll:
[roll0]

[Squirrel_Dude]

Mercury put his drink on the table and pushed it aside. His eyes did not stay focused on Elaydren as she spoke, instead darting around them room. He raised an eyebrow at Raik's movements and declarations, but decided to question him about it later.

His eyes focused by on Elaydren. He was surprised no one else had anything to say about their payment or terms of engagement. He pulled out his ink and a sheet of paper, and began to take notes as he spoke with her. "You have agreed to 1000 gold pieces, should we return with the adamantine star. This is mostly acceptable. However, I must also ask we receive some other aid.

"In our journey to this forge, you are entitled to the star. Anything else, we are allowed to do with or keep as we please. If you have any other requests, make them before we leave. I believe the appropriate phrase is 'finders keepers.'

"Also, I ask that we be given a small amount of medical supplies. We currently have no way to heal ourselves..." He looked at the others as he finished this statement. "...when we are laying on the floor and dying. Do not think I have any illusions to the kinds of dangers we will face, if warriors like Wright are reserved for killing old men.

"Those are my request. If you have any, write them down on this sheet of paper." He finished, dipping his pen in ink, and holding it out to her.

[Fan67]

Elaydren watched Raik leave with surprise, but her attention promptly switched to Mercury:"Of course you can keep anything else you find down there, this will at least partialy pay for your invaluable help. I do not have much of the healing supplies with me..." she searched for something in her cloak and put a single potion on the table. "This potion will heal light wounds...I would love to give you more, but I just didn't have time to get any more supplies... I believe this potion will be of little use for youself," she pointed at Mercury."But I think the matron of this establishment has some oil they use to mend broken furniture and equipment, it might be more useful for a... person like you, ask her on your way out, she will be glad to help."

She looked at the parchment Mercury got in front of him and smiled:"You are very practical man and I understand that any piece of information may help, but I really don't know what else to say... and would really appreciate if you hurry up. If others recovered any useful information from Bonal's office, they may outpace us."

potion of cure light wounds standing on the table - who grabs it?

[Squirrel_Dude]

Mercury gave his best imitation of a smile at her comments about the oil. "You can call me a warforged. It's what I am, and after performing many repairs on myself I know my... uh... physiology... is different than others.

"As for when we are leaving. We will go once all have made their decision, and the halfling recovers from this bit of wanderlust."

[Crinias]

Nick considers the potion in front of him, and then turns to Mercury.

"I'll carry it, Mercury. Raik and Devon are of us 4 the most fragile, so they can't carry it, it's too much of a risk if they get hit. If they get hit I can make them drink it while you fight off whatever we face. If I get hit, I'll simply drink it. If you - no, wait, it wouldn't do you any good if you were hit. Well, whatever." He then proceeds to put the potion in his backpack.

He then turns to lady Elaydren. "Well then, since time is apparently short, I ought to ask, do you think we will need anything else? You said the foundry was many dozens of levels below Dorasharn Tower, is it likely that we'll need climbing kits? Also, I think you mentioned something about fire? That's not a concern, Mercury always carries a lot of gear he doesn't use on a day-to-day basis. We won't have any lack of it."

[Fan67]

Elaydren took one of the glasses and poured some wine.
After a short sip she answered: "I do not have great knowledge of the underworld of this city, especially sewers, and Bonal mentioned only fire... I will also give you the journal, it is attuned to the foundry and might somehow help you to locate it, but I am not sure. " - she closed the journal and moved it closer to Nick.

[Crinias]

Nick respectfully grabs the journal, bowing his head an inch, then carefully puts it in his backpack.

[Squirrel_Dude]

"Might as well be productive while Devon makes up his mind, and Raik does whatever it is that he is doing. If you'll excuse me, I'll go get that furniture oil."Mercury left the room for a minute. What followed was screaming, a clatter and then soft laughter. When Mercury returned, it was with a small dent in his right shoulder and the oil in hand.

"Apparently I surprised her. She had a broom, and got some good swings in before she realized what had happened."

[Fan67]

When Mercury entered the hallway, he ran into the maid, who were surprised to see armed warforged in the inn... When the situation was settled and Mercury explained himself, the maid asked to follow her.
They both went into the main room, where Raik was speaking with the matron, holding the piece of paper.

The maid ask the matron something, and then went to the bar and brought back several tiny vials and gave them to Mercury. "They are small, but I hope this is enough to help you..." the maid smiled. "And sorry for the dent," she walked back to the hallway to continue cleaning the rooms.

You got 8 vials of "Repair Minor Damage Oil"

[Fan67]

Raik finished talking to the innkeeper and apparently was not satisfied. He moved back to Eldaydren's room along with Mercury.

Inside the room he asked:"Can we pass by house Ghallandra enclave? It is Middle Dura, Underlook district."

Devon, who was standing next to the door, was awaken from his slumber by the noise made by Mercury's battle with the maid.
"Sorry, the neck is killing me... can't think about anything but soft cosy bed right now..." he moved to the table and made himself a full glass of wine.

When Raik spoke about Ghallandara enclave, Devon smiled:"If you don't want me to desert you, don't bring me even close to that place anytime soon."

[Bnox]

Raik looks at Devon, and says
"I am sorry, but I need to get to there before I can go on this quest

He looks at the Cannith lady.

"As you must be aware, I am of house Ghallandra and since I am about to help another house, which I fully entend to do, I need, by house law, to inform them right away and get the action aproved, don't need to tell them anything, just need to say I am doing it. Ive wirtten a letter to explain it all, so we just need to drop by, I would appriciate it if we did it now"

Raik looks at his friends waiting for a go.

[Squirrel_Dude]

Mercury answered first, putting the vials into his belt pouches, and standing to leave. "Let's go. The sovereign host watch over us."

[Fan67]

Lady Elaydren looked blankly at the halfling for a moment, before looking at Nickolas with a questioning glance.

Devon was sipping his wine, apparently dreaming of a night in the luxury suit with a big bed, followed by good breakfast...

So you are going to the enclave?

[Crinias]

Nick stands up and nods.

"Let's go, with no delays."

[Fan67]

Year: 998 YK
Month: Nymm (Early summer)
Day: 22
Name of the Day: Sul (First day of the week)
Continent: Knorvaire
Country: Breland
Location: City of Sharn, Middle Wards, Underlook district
Time: Late night, around 4:00

Lady Elaydren wished you luck and you heard the sound of the door being locked when you left.
After the warmth of the Broken Anvil Inn, the chill of the streets was highly uncomforting. The storm that was coming officialy began.
The raindrops of this one were sharp and piercing. Cold water swiftly found its way to your nape and then down the spine. All three humanoids felt envy to the warforged, who was mostly unaffected by rain.

Slowed by the rain, it took you fourty five minutes to get to Middle Dura. But on the bright side - the rain seemed to wash away criminals from the streets (or maybe it was the look of the armed warforged), so you didn't met any dangers on your way.

The Underlook district has seen better days. Dingy inns and restaurants line the streets, but many old businesses have closed and been transformed into wretched tenements. Underlook was once the center for Sharn's nightlife. The districts was filled with fine restaurants, inns, and other forms of entertainment. But over the centuries the finest establishments have moved to other towers, leaving Underlook to decay in the shadows.

While many of the finest inns have left Underlook, one exceptional establishment remains. Ghallanda hall was the first outpost House Ghallanda established in Sharn, and while it is not as fancy as the enclave in Dragon Towers, it still makes for an imposing place.
It was long past the midnight, but the windows of the Hall were lit with warm, welcoming light.

The hall is divided into three sections, each catering to customers with different financial means—effectively, an upscale, average, and poor lodging combined into one. Some rooms have been specially prepared for members of different races, so halflings and gnomes can feel at home in a smaller environment. You entered the main entrance that led to the common hall of the average level that features a bar and a stage.

On the stage - the human musician played flute, performing sad but touching melody. The audience was scarce that late. A group of three halflings was sitting near the stage, with many empty ale mugs presented on the table. One of the halflings was sleeping, while two others were discussing something very important.
At the northern part of the hall (to your left) two humans occupied the table. They were wet, just from the streets, the waitress was standing nearby, probably taking orders.
At the bar there were four customers, two halflings, a human and a shifter.
They were drinking individually, attended by the halfling bartender.

Two halfling guards were watching over the place: one just next to the entrance and one standing near the stairs to the lower level.

The Map

http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/6269/ghallandahallmapturn1en.gif
Legend:
M,D,N,R - party
G - guards
M - musician
B - bartender
W - Waitress
C - Customers



Nick got:
Potion of Cure Light Wounds
Cannith Journal
Sewers Map
Mercury got:
Repair Minor Damage Oil x 8
Raik got:
Letter



[roll0]x5 - Travel time from Callestan District in Lower Wards to Underlook District in Middle Wards.
[roll1]% - Random Encounter roll
[roll2] - Type of Encounter

[Bnox]

Raik nods to the guards as they walk in, removes his hood and make sure his mark on his neck is visible as he walks over to the halfling runing this place, trying to spot a mark. He bows and says in halfling.
"May the sovereign host and the twelve watch over you and your family and your establisment" - I am sorry to be imposing this late at night, but I have a letter I need to deliver right away to a house member, preferabley a eldar, I know this might be a bad time, but time is of the essence, an answer would be needed right away"

He smiles to his friends and says in the common speech.

"Sit down my friends, this might take a minute or two, enjoy the music"

He then turns around looking at the house member

[Squirrel_Dude]

Mercury cleared the door, stepping to the left of it and leaning his back against the wall. He simply nodded at the security guard. "Just let me know when you're ready to go, Raik."

[Crinias]

Nick admires the establishment and looks satisfied.
Clearly a place that shows the worth of the house that bears the Mark of Hospitality, he thinks to himself.
He takes a position next to Mercury and nods at what he says.

[Jopustopin]

Devon was leaning against a support beam near the party when he suddenly sighed. "The night started with so much potential. We are going back to the dorms to sleep first right?" he asked the group.

[Fan67]

Raik approached the bartender. It was a middle-aged halfling, with a least mark of hospitality visible on his neck. He was busy cleaning the bar, but cheerfuly greeted Raik and offered something to drink.
The late time visitors were silently drinking, and paid little attention to the party.

After Raik's request, the bartender said (also in halfling):
"The lord of the Ghallanda Hall is Keslo d'Ghallanda, but he is... not here right now. I can take the letter in his stead and deliver it to him later. My name is Errim d'Ghallanda... By the way your name is...?"

While Raik was speaking with the bartender, Nick noticed that the shifter who was sitting at the bar was looking at him. When the shifter catched Nick's glance, he slowly stood up and went upstairs.

Every halfling working in the Ghalanda Hall is the member of House Ghallanda. The both halfling guards and the bartender are marked.
I assume Raik approached the bartender.


[roll0] - Spot Check Devon
[roll1] - Spot Check Mercury
[roll2] - Spot Check Nick

[Bnox]

Raik smiles and hands over the letter and make short respectful bow.

"My deepest apoligy for my rudeness, it has been a long night with murder and drama, a story I will come back and tell another day, my name is Raik Ir'Ghallanda, I thank you for the drink, but me and my friends have lots to do, I bid you a goodnight and a safe morning.

Raik bows again and turns around, walking over to the small party of freinds standing at the door. he looks at them and says.

"well I am done here, wanna get started or sleep on it first?"

[Crinias]

As much as we'd like to prepare ourselves, lady Elaydren said time was of the essence. Also...

Nick's voice drops so only his friends can hear him.

"That shifter sitting at the bar was looking this way. Maybe it's nothing, but it's possible that he is working for the one who sent Wright. I say we go now."

[Squirrel_Dude]

"Yes, let's go ahead and head out now."

[Jopustopin]

Devon seems surprised, "We're going now?" He seems to scratch his chin somewhat before looking at the halfling, his face breaks out with a mysterious, almost plotting look. You've seen this look on his face before. He's plotting something.

"As you must be aware, I am of House Orien and since I am about to help another house, which I fully intend to do, I need, by house law, to inform them right away and get the action approved. Unfortunately, my house is all asleep and do not own inns. I'll have to wait until, we'll say lunch time."

Devon's speech sounds particularly familiar. In fact his voice inflection changes to match the person who originally said it. He smiles wildly after he's done speaking. "Darn house rules, I was really looking forward to going now."

[Squirrel_Dude]

Mercury looks at Devon for a moment, and then speaks. "Fine, we don't have to go and return the star tonight, if you would need permission to do it. This story of a lost forge interests me, though, and I think I'll start looking for it immediately.

Completely unrelated to retrieving the artifact, of course."

[Jopustopin]

"It's not even tonight anymore. The sun will be rising in an hour. Mercury this is serious. I almost died tonight, okay? If that Shifter was watching us, you can't go wandering off into the lower parts of Sharn by yourself. You're easy to spot, you are the warforged carrying a ten foot pole out of your backpack. I could see you from atop the Skyway. I need to sleep, get prepared, recharge my casting abilities, and let my house know; and I can do all that from my parents house. If you want to go now then at least let me get some things from my room. We'll have to sleep down in a sewer... Something I've always wanted to do." Devon had been joking earlier but it was clear that his near death experience had jostled his normal demeanor. Mercury you realize that while you've trained for combat your entire life, Devon has had a much different experience than you. The idea of sleeping being so important is utterly foreign to you.

[Bnox]

Raik nods.

"the rules of the houses must be uphold, this is the reason we are here, I will however urge you to use the house Sivis mail system if we have to wait for the morning for your to get in contact, I would like to uphold my word to the lady of cannith, and we promised swift action, I can't see how we could wait until dawn, please understand this as rudeness, I know how important the house rules is to uphold for a member, but time is of the essence"

He looks as his friends waiting for them to make a choice, he can see the point of both sides, and it can be hard for none house members to understand one simple fact.

The house before everything else.

it sounds harsh, but its the truth, nations come and go, houses remains.

[Jopustopin]

"Okay, it's settled. Follow me. I'll go straight to where I need to go, leave a note and we'll go straight back." Devon says.


Assuming that the party doesn't object Devon leads them to Little Barrington in Middle Tavick's Landing to a pretty nice, nondescript house. He pulls out a key and enters telling the group to wait outside, in the rain.

After about eight minutes he exits the house locking the door. No longer is he wearing his school outfit but fashionable leather armor over leather breeches and a thick pragmatic shirt. He wears a thick, water resistant cloak over his armor. Strapped to his side is a longsword and it looks like he packed some more belongings in a large adventuring backpack. Strapped to the outside is a simple wooden buckler. Finally he wears thick soled boots, they look good for trudging through a sewer.

Flipping up his hood he looks to the group and flashes a smile "Let's do this."

[Crinias]

"As long as we all agree on going I don't mind waiting for you to get prepared."

After Devon has prepared himself:
"Let's go."

[Squirrel_Dude]

Mercury nods and follows them out, finally replying to Devon's earlier comments. "Did you almost die tonight, Devon? Tell me what that's like. I've never experienced something like that before." He paused again, and then finished his thought.

"Was my sarcasm clear? I haven't tried it much, yet."

[Jopustopin]

Devon laughs, "Sarcastic? No. It was somewhat condescending and maybe a little creepy. We'll work on your sarcasm."

After speaking you walked in silence for a couple of minutes before Devon spoke again, it was clear he had been thinking on your second question "I dunno the only thing I can compare it to was like falling asleep. Except it was nothing like that. When I wake up in the morning I just want to go back. When I woke up on the skybridge I'd never wanted to be alive more in my life."

[Fan67]

You left the Ghallandra Hall and moved to Devon's place.
The road to Little Barrington in Middle Tavick's Landing was simple and direct - just walk the main walkways of Middle Dura straight south - but the district situated all across the city, so The trip would take around an hour.

The night was dark and everburning torches provided little help as you walked along the indescript houses of Underlook. The first landmark you passed by after the Ghallandra Hall was the Fountain of the Dancing Lights. It was erected many decades ago, but functioned properly despite the degradation of the district. Along the waterflows of the fountain's jets and in the water of the basin moved the magical dancing lights. The multicolored spheres created hypnotizing illumination and changed colors and directions in an everchanging rhythm. The fountain itself provided enough light to the square, and only a handful of torches presented around.

While Raik's and Devon's attention was directed towards the fountain and Mercury was deep in thoughts, Nick noticed that something was wrong... The tree he had just passed... He looked behind and spoted someone coming from the tree. He was hiding, but when he stepped into the light of the torch Nick recognized the shifter from the Hall.

Nick wanted to warn his friends, but...


Spot:
[roll0] Devon
[roll1] Nick
[roll2] Mercury
[roll3] Raik
Listen:
[roll4] Devon
[roll5] Nick
[roll6] Mercury
[roll7] Raik

[Fan67]

...suddenly everyone heard the silent whispering sound, which lasted for a moment while the bolt made it's way to the target...

The shooter who stoke from the shadows knew where to aim, the bolt hit with deadly efficiency right between the plates of Mercury's armor, digging deep into the mechanisms.
After the shot you saw another shifter climbing over the railing of the northern walkway. You heard the voice of someone third:"You have the provost's journal," it was not a question. "Give the book to me and you will live to see another day. Refuse and we will make your deaths slow and painful."

The shifters stood ready for attack. Each had a sheathed dagger attached to the belt. They were in their bestial shape, bare claws ready to tear the flesh.


Surprise Round:
[roll0] - (correct bonus +6, result 21) ranged attack at Mercury vs AC14
[roll1] - Light Fortification
[roll2] - Damage
[roll3] - Bonus Damage
Initiative Rolls:
[roll4] - Devon
[roll5] - Nick
[roll6] - Mercury
[roll7] - Raik
[roll8] - Shifters (2)
[roll9] - Shooter

MAP:

http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/3561/imagemcfb.jpg
http://img805.imageshack.us/img805/3205/imageyml.jpg

[Fan67]

Nickolas was well prepared for the ambush.
Mercury was almost stunned by the blow and was slightly disoriented.


Round 1 begins, action sequence:
Nick
Shooter
Raik
Devon
Shifters (2)
Mercury



Nick, Mercury, Raik, Devon - -2 penalty to Spot and Listen for 5 turns
Nick, Raik, Devon - +2 bonus to attack rolls for 5 turns

[Crinias]

Nick takes in the situation in an instant, draws a dagger and begins screaming out orders in a calm but loud voice:
"I'll get the shooter. Raik, cover me and slow down the one near the fountain, I don't want to be flanked. Devon, the one behind us can't reach you right away, prepare yourself."

He does this as he moves in the direction that the bolt came from, guessing that the attacker is hiding behind the tree.

Unless that's a repeating crossbow there'll be a small lapse of time when he'll reload if he wants to fire again. Either way I can't let him use that again.

Move action: Draw a weapon.
Free action: Scream out orders.
Move action: Move 5 sq. to the left and then diagonally, move one step north-west.

[Fan67]

There was nothing near the tree. Nick was looking around trying to spot the shooter when he heard the sound of crossbow's lever pulled. He looked at the shadowy corner between two structures where the sound was coming from - there was no one. Than sudden burning pain bursted from his chest. Nick looked down to see a bolt... It struck just near the heart. One of the arteries was broken and the blood was leaving the body rapidly. Nick had just a few seconds before he would fall unconscious...


Spot:
[roll0] Devon
[roll1] Nick
[roll2] Mercury
[roll3] Raik
Listen:
[roll4] Devon
[roll5] Nick
[roll6] Mercury
[roll7] Raik
Edit: Nick and Mercury think that the sound comes from the corner 15ft lower from Nick's new position.
----------
[roll8] attack at Nick
[roll9] damage
[roll10] bonus damage

Possible location of the shooter:

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/1994/imagehxze.jpg

[Crinias]

Bleeding horribly, Nick collapses and begins bleeding out.

Nevertheless, he's still conscious, and he can still speak.
"Raik, he's in that corner, hurry, don't let him fire again...", he says, directing his friend, looking in the general direction of his attacker.

[Bnox]

Panik

Raik was not use to fighting, and two times the same day was more then the little halfling could handle, he jumped into cover (from where the first bolt came from).

He fumbled his crossbow out and started to load it, wile trying to figure out where the shooter was, making sure he was covered Raik took a deep breath and got ready to shoot.

move: running to cover, Standard: taking out the crossbow and loading it

[Jopustopin]

Devon steps forward boldly with his loaded crossbow pointed at the shifter, "Heeere doggie doggie doggie."

Devon's behavior seems uncharacteristically bold (bordering on stupid). It's as if he's provoking the shifter to charge him.

Combat

Not-an-Action: five foot step one square to the right.
Move: Pull out loaded crossbow
Standard: Ready an action to use his dragonmark ability to teleport ten feet away (down two squares, right one) if the Shifter attacks him.

[Fan67]

The shifter from the opposite side of the fountain made couple steps back, then rushed to the fountain, pushed from the border going to jump towards the Mercury. But the border was covered with water becoming slippery, and so the leap was not very spectacular nor succesful. Tripped shifter just fell in the water halfway from the warforged.

Meanwhile Devon prepared to trick the shifter from the inn. The shifter roared and charged at Devon, who teleported away just the moment before shifter should had slammed into him... But the feral opponent didn't slow down his movement and charged further at Mercury, apparently he expected some sort of the trick from Devon or just didn't care and was going to overrun him either way.


[roll0] Shifter New Jump
[roll1] Devon Bluff
[roll2] Shifter From Inn Sense Motive
...

[Fan67]

The shifter's claw fell hard on warforged head from behind, leaving four long and deep marks.
But the blow helped Mercury to get out of stupor and disorientation he suffered after the bolt hit, now he was ready to act.

Map:
http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/9627/imageqmfh.jpg


[roll0] Shifter's charge attack at Mercury
[roll1] Damage

Shifter in the fountain is Prone

[Squirrel_Dude]

2/11 HP Reeling from the damage inflicted on him, and looking at the situation of the people around him, Mercury, realized he only had one choice. Mercury stepped away from the shift who just attacked him, and then drew his Guisarme from his back. He knew this was the only way to save his friends lives.

Mercury dropped his guisarme to the ground. "We surrender, you can have the diary." Mercury hung his head in what he would later realize to be shame.

Sorry guys, I'm calling this fight as a loss, or at least a fight with a character death, and I won't be experiencing a character death before I get to level 1.

[Fan67]

Round 2 begins, action sequence:
Nick
Shooter
Raik
Shifter New
Devon
Shifter Inn
Mercury

Nick's time to act...

[Crinias]

Nick disbelieves his ears. Perhaps more than anything in the past day, this is the most surprising. Mercury surrendering might mean that their attackers will spare them, but it also means failure. In this moment Nick feels truly helpless, and for the first time in a long while, he hesitates.

Nick doesn't do anything this round, not even berate Mercury.

[Fan67]

Nick was losing blood. He applied pressure to the wound and slowed the flow, but with each heartbeat echoing in his head he could fill fractions of his consciousness leaking away.

The first second after Mercury spoke lasted for eternity.
Then the heartbeat marked the passage of time.
Another eon of silence with only white noise from the rain and the fountain.
Second heartbeat...

"Who of you is carring the book?" - the voice came from the same corner. Now when you had couple seconds to look there more thoroughly you noticed that the roof of the buildings protected adjusted area from the rain.
The metallic warforged voice sounded sharper this time.


Raik's turn.
Feel free to speak out of initiative

[Bnox]

Raik looked at Mercury, he did agree to everything they said. there was no reason to die for a diary, this was important, but life it self was more important, he took out the diary from his backpack and closed his eyes focusing his power into his dragon mark on his neck there slowly started to glow. out of the thin air a manifistation, unable to be seen or heard by anyone came out. Raik handed it the book and said with a low voice.

"Hand over this book to the shifter, and apply this bandage on Nick, Go now"

Raik said with a loud voice, making sure everyone could hear him.

"My servent will bring out the book, back away from our friend and let us leave in peace"

Daily use of Lest dragonmark of hospitality used on "Unseen Servant", it can take simple orderes, and use my skill checks, it will give support to nick in form of Heal, after it have handed over the book.

And its a good call to end the fight here, we are not build for combat yet, rather survive and fail a bit of the mission then fail and have to make a new group. all in all good call

[Fan67]

Raik handed the book to the servant and it floated towards the shifter, who grabbed it instantly. Right when he took the journal you heard the sound of breaking glass and the crossbow bolt hit the shifter at the shoulder. It came from the second floor of the abandonned bulding which used to be an inn.
In the darkness of the window you could see small cloaked figure.
"Agrh! It burns! The bastard poisoned me!" - cried the shifter trying to get rid of the bolt.
"You got the journal, run away now, you can whine latter!" - the invisible warforged shouted to shifters.


[roll0] Ranged Attack (shifter inn)
[roll1] Damage x 2 = 2
[roll2] Bonus Damage
[roll3] technical roll



Characters who delayed their actions can act in following sequence or delay further:
Nick
Mercury
Invisible shooter

Then the shifter in the fountain will act
Then Devon
Then another shifter

[Fan67]

MAP:
http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/5273/imagewpen.jpg

The toilet shaped thing marks the position of the cloaked shooter, it shot from the second floor window located right above the door and 15ft above the ground.

[roll0] critical confirmation

[Squirrel_Dude]

2/11 hp
Mercury had a moment to try and figure out what he wanted to do. He could either attack and go back on his decision to surrender. If there was a time to do it, it would be now.

He didn't hesitate. Mercury picked up his guisarme and swung down on the shifter standing on the ground, trying to put all his his might into the blow.


Attack
Attack Roll: [roll0] (+1 BAB +3 Strength -1 Power Attack)
Damage Roll: [roll1] (+4 strength +2 Power Attack)

If needed
Crit Confirm: [roll2]
Crit Damage: [roll3] (x3 Critical)

"Nick, put your quick mind to good use. Attack! It's our only chance for real success."

In the instance of an AOO
- If a shifter in the pool gets up and tries to move forward (Can't 5ft. step in difficult terrain?), I'll make a trip attempt against him instead of making a normal AOO.
- Otherwise, I'll make a normal AOO.

Trip Attempt:
Attack Roll: [roll4]
Strength Check: [roll5]

Normal Attack
Damage Roll: [roll6]
Crit Confirm: [roll7]
Crit Damage: [roll8]

[Crinias]

0/10 hp

Nick snaps out of a very brief and uncomfortable moment of shock and despair, which he would never like to repeat.

"Attack how?", he mutters to himself.

Hoping that the shooter's attention has been temporarily drawn away from him, Nick reaches for his backpack and retrieves the Cure Light Wounds potion he was given.

Move action: Retrieve stored potion
As I am disabled I can only take one such action this round.

[Fan67]

After receiving the command to run away shifter had a moment of hesitation, enough for Mercury to strike. The quick swing of the guisarme left a deep cut in shifter's belly. With a surprised look on his face he fell on the ground bleeding horribly.
"Get the journal and withdraw! I'll deal with them." - warforged shouted commands.


Spot:
[roll0] Devon
[roll1] Nick
[Roll]1d20+2)[6] Mercury
[Roll]1d20)[14] Raik
Listen:
[roll2] Devon
[roll3] Nick
[roll4] Mercury
[roll5] Raik
--------
[roll6] ranged attack (Mercury) - natural 1, lucky bastard!!!
[roll7] damage
[roll8] light fortification
[roll9] bonus damage

[Fan67]

The warforged made a shot. Nick and Devon heard the invisible warforged moving and loading the crossbow. The sound came from generally same direction, but they coulnd't tell where exactly it was coming from.
The hasty shot just hit the ground several feets from Mercury.

The shifter in the fountain stood up, trying to balance on the slippery bottom of the fountain. Mercury seized the moment and stroke rising enemy, slashing deep into his shoulder.
"Oh, ****!" the shifter cried in pain and glanced at the other shifter who collapsed and was bleeding near the warforged. "Screw that! That was not the deal!" he shouted and tried to ran away. The water slowed him down, so he just managed to get out of the fountain...
"Come back you dogsh|t scum!" the voice of invisible enemy sounded very enraged.


[roll0] Mercury spot
[roll1] Raik spot

[Fan67]

Devon stepped closer to the dying shifter:"Good dogie!"
Then looked at the running one, aimed with his crossbow and shot...
The bolt flew too high to hit. "Oh, whatever..." Devon shrugged.


[roll0] Devon shoots at runaway shifter
[roll1] damage

[Fan67]

MAP:
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/2248/imageabh.jpg

Round 3 begins, action sequence:
Raik
Cloaked Figure
Nick (disabled)
Mercury
Invisible Shooter
Shifter New (running away)
Devon
Shifter Inn (dying)

[Bnox]

Raik takes a deep breath and Raise From his sitting and yells

"Servant take the book and come back"

He then Aims at the Shifter with the book (or closest, have a hard time figureing out where people are, the mad dont help).

and shoots, making a small prayer that he hits his target


[roll0] (actions point spend)
[roll1] (+action point roll)
[roll2] (damage)

[Fan67]

The bolt launched by Raik hit the lying shifter who groaned.
The journal levitated and moved towards Raik's position, stopping right in front of him.

Cloaked person reloaded his hand crossbow without haste, aimed the same dying shifter Raik did and shot. The small bolt hit in the back.
The shifter was didn't made a sound so deeply unconscious he was.


[roll0] - ranged attack (shifter inn)
[roll1] - damage
[roll2]

Nick's turn.

[Fan67]

MAP (COMMENTED):
http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/5815/fountainmapcommentedtur.png

[Crinias]

Nick pulls out the stopper of the potion and quickly drinks the sweet, almond-flavored drink, suffering a bit from the exertion.

His wounds mostly heal themselves, particularly the crossbow bolt wound near his heart.
Standard action: Drink a potion
Cure Light Wounds: [roll0] +4 = 11
-1 damage from using a Standard action

Now at 8/8 hp

[Fan67]

The wave of positive energy of unexpected strength overloaded Nick's senses.
The potion was not similiar to the one he drank in Jorasco healing enclave.
This one was so strong that the bolt was pushed away by the regenerating force and the wound glowed while was closing. There were no marks or scars left on the skin and only torn shirt reminded of the grievous injury.

Seems like lady Elaydren kept only the best things for herself....

Potion healed 1d8+5 hit points for 11HP total.
Nick at 8/8HP

[Squirrel_Dude]

Health: 2/11
Mercury knew this was probably his last shot. He had some idea where the coward hiding was. He had his guisarme. He hoped that's all he needed. He charged at the space in the left corner, carrying his guisarme above his head, and then bringing it down heavily where he thought the enemy was.

Fullround action: Mercury charges to attack the spot 5 to the left, 3 down. The spot in the corner. He ends 10 ft. away from the space 2 right and 1 up.

Attack:[roll0] (+3 str +1 BAB +2 charge -1 power attack)
Damage: [roll1]
Miss Chance: [roll2] (must be above 50%)

Crit Confirm: [roll3]
Crit Damage: [roll4]

Mercury brought his guisarme down, only striking pavement.

[Fan67]

Spot:
[roll0] Mercury
[roll1] Nick
Listen:
[roll2] Devon
[roll3] Mercury
[roll4] Nick

[Fan67]

Mercury resignedly stared at the crack in the pavement where he hit, thinking about the unfairness of the fate. He didn't have a chance to dig deeper in this dark reflection as he saw the tiny puddles trembling marking the silent pass of the invisible stalker.
Mercury followed the footsteps with his gaze, unsure of what he saw.
When the invisible creature passed about ten feets it moved away from the building enough to get caught in rain. The water falling from the skies outlined a massive object that seemed amorphous, probably cloaked and hooded humanoid. The size seconded the fact it might be the warforged.
Mercury came to his senses and readied to strike...


[roll0] concealment
Rain outlined the form the shooter enough to allow AoO.
Mercury still is required to roll against total concealment to see if he hits.

MAP:
http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/8550/turn3doombolt.png

[Squirrel_Dude]

Mercury decided to not question fate. He had missed his first attempt, but now there was a second chance to hinder his foe. Mercury kept his Guisarme low and swept at the ground of the foe, hoping to trip him.

Mercury makes a trip attempt.

Touch Attack: [roll0]
Opposed Strength Check: [roll1]
Concealment: [roll2]

Mercury's sweeping guisarme only hit the falling rain.

[Fan67]

The enemy jumped to avoid being hit, shaking away the water in the process, rendering himself invisible once again.

"I will kill you later, traitor!" - the warforged shouted. His voice crackled and crepitated as if his voice mechanisms were damaged.
He shrugged any attempts to move silently and rushed towards the floating journal. Near the walls there were not enough water to track his movements, but he reached the position of the unseen servant and the journal disappeared...

Meanwhile the wounded shifter escaped into the darkness of the night.


http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/3993/turn3ifdoomboltsurvives.png

[Fan67]

"Where is the bag of flour when you need one... Raik?" Devon looked at the halfling.
He watched at his crossbow with a sigh. "Oh, well... I could try to detect his position with my magic tricks, but if he moves - it will be blown... If Merc would hit him at least once, I could try to finish him with my magic or my outstanding shooting skills... All of this leaves me only one choice..."
Devon dropped the empty crossbow, ran towards the building and shouted:
"It is huuuuug time, piece of crap!"


[roll0] - Melee touch attack (including temporary bonus)
[roll1] - Concealment

[Fan67]

With all the acceleration Devon smashed right into the wall and ricocheted back, almost falling prone.
Dazed a little, he stepped back farther, trying to gather himself.
It was not clear whether the warforged dodged Devon's mighty charge or if he was somewhere else.

MAP:

http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/3561/turn3devon.png

[roll0] - Shifter Edit: lucky bastard

ROUND 4 BEGINS. ACTION SEQUENCE:
Raik - your turn now
Cloaked Figure
Nick
Mercury
Invisible Shooter
Devon
Shifter Inn

[Fan67]

Things were happening too fast and way too close.
Raik was paralized by the visage of bleeding shifter, the idea that his bolt might have been fatal to the guy was stunning... taking someone's life is a terrible burden...

The shouts of Devon brought Raik back to the reality.
His friend was pointing somewhere nearby and cursing Raik for inactivity.
Through the great exertion of will Raik forced himself to step out of the safety of the alcove. He pointed his crossbow where Devon was showing and released the bolt... it reached the stone wall and ricocheted away leaving another small crack among many others.

"Bring me my spear!" Raik heard his voice ordering the unseen servant.
When the servant reached the spear the item levitated few feets from the ground marking the presence of the magical force.


[roll0] - Ranged Attack
[roll1] - Concealment

ACTION SEQUENCE:
Raik - DONE
Cloaked Figure - DELAYED
Nick - YOUR TURN
Mercury
Invisible Shooter
Devon
Shifter Inn

[Crinias]

Nick quickly stands up, having recovered his vitality. The dagger he drew earlier is still in his hand.

In the distance between where the shooter might have been and the journal, the one place Nick suspects the shooter might be is where Devon tried to attack.

So he quickly moves next to Devon and points his dagger where he suspects the shooter might be.

Move action: stand up from prone.
Move action: move 5 squares to the right and 1 down.
That's all he can do for now...

[Squirrel_Dude]

Mercury saw where Nick was pointed. "Eh, might as well give it a go," he said as he stepped forward and brought down his guisarme one more time, hoping to hit a foe he could still not see.


Mercury takes a 5 ft step into the square on his left.

Attack: [roll0] (+1 BAB, +3 Str -1 Power Attack)
Damage: [roll1] (+4 str, +2 Power Attack)
Concealment: [roll2]

In case of a critical hit
Attack: [roll3]
Damage: [roll4]


In the case of an AOO because the invisible figure, I'll make a trip attempt.

Mercury's Guisarme again only flew through the air. Are we sure he's there?

[Crinias]

"Unless he's very mobile, between going out of cover and picking the journal up, it's the most likely place he can be." Nick replies quickly.

[Fan67]

[roll0] jump check

[Fan67]

For a moment it seemed like the shooter was gone...
Then something fell on the ground, Raik felt gentle touch to his hair and then there was a sound of heavy landed metal. Mercury noticed splashes of water behind the halfling.
Before he could warn his friend an invisible blade punctured Raik at the back.
It pierced the leather armor from both front and rear, two circles of blood spreaded rapidly... Where the shooter stood before lied simple light crossbow.

MAP:
http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/7889/turn4devon.png

Spot:
[roll0] Devon
[roll1] Nick
[roll2] Mercury
[roll3] Raik
Listen:
[roll4] Devon
[roll5] Nick
[roll6] Mercury
[roll7] Raik
-------
[roll8] attack melee (Raik)
[roll9] damage
[roll10] bonus damage

[Scifinerd]

Devon watched with horror as Raik's chest was torn open. He stumbled back to stand just north of Nick and swelled with impotent rage.

Previous encounters with on campus security had taught him that the warforged would be immune to his sleep spell, so he cast the only other spell which came to mind. Devon took a deep breath and concentrated. He focused on the earth just behind Riak where he knew the invisible warforged would be and released his magic. A ball of thick mud splashed up out of the water to reek havoc on any clean linens it's unknown target may have been wearing. If Devon couldn't attack him, he could at least make him visible.

"Didn't your mom ever tell you not to play in the mud?"

Free: five foot step
Standard Action: Casts Prestidigitation to lift mud from the ground and soil the enemy.
Move Action: Ready Loaded Crossbow

[Fan67]

Raik was blinking shocked.
There was not much mud on the stone paved walkway, but rain washed enough dust and dirt for Devon to play with.
Simple magic slowly gathered and lifted the small amount of wet substance and then dropped it over the presumed position of the enemy...


[roll0] Concealment
If concealment check passed, let's say further concealment dropped to 20%

[Fan67]

Almost a pound of water mixed with dirt and dust dropped down and outlined some features of the cloaked enemy, who was clearly standing right there.
"Your tricks will not save you, you filthy rotting wormfood!" - the warforged voice sounded even more threatening with the accompaniment of Raik's moaning and the sound of the blade gnashing over broken bone on it's way out of the halfling's flesh.

Meanwhile Raik's spear, lifted by magic, approached his position.
"At least you won't hurt my friends, coward!" - bleeding halfling stepped back from the warforged, grabbed the spear and tried to throw it as hard as he could...


Shooter's Concealment is now 20%

[roll0] Raik thrown spear at warforged
[roll1] concealment
[roll2] damage

[Fan67]

The swing of the invisible blade deflected the projectile, followed by the sound of breaking glass - the cloaked figure jumped from the window and landed right next to the invisible warforged.
The hooded jumper was pretty small, a little higher than Raik, and holded a rapier. Your heard the slightly high-pitched voice commanded:"Flank him NOW!"



[roll0] technical roll

Nick's turn now

[Crinias]

Nick allows a brief moment to go past and wait for Mercury to attack before acting.

Nick Delays until right after Mercury acts.

[Squirrel_Dude]

Current HP 2/11

Mercury could now more clearly see the shooter, he would have out credit Devon with his ingenuity later. Now his job was to move to where he could hit the enemy.

Mercury moved past Devon and stepped over the dying shifter. He didn't quite flank the enemy, but he knew that he needed to hit as hard as he could. The opponent was clearly quite strong.



Move Action: Mercury moves 30 ft through the following squares. 2 NE, 4E. Ending up standing next
Standard Action: Attack figure.

Rolls:
Attack Roll: [roll0]
Damage Roll: [roll1]
Concealment: [roll2] (20% miss chance)

Crit. Confirm: [roll3]
Crit. Damage: [roll4]

Nick, you're up now.
The opponent was clearly quite strong and quite agile. Mercury's swing was again not accurate enough to hit the enemy he was facing. If Mercury put more thought into it, he might have found it emasculating at this point.

[Crinias]

Immediately after Mercury missed his attack Nick stepped in between the shooter and Raik, who was defenseless.

Raik was bleeding badly, but Devon could likely end in the same straits if the shooter decided to attack him, so he decided that he needed to draw its attention forcefully, in a way that would be unlike him in any other situation.

"It's incredible how much you've failed at this job, it must feel terrible to have this sort of thing happen to you, despite all the advantages you had, huh? Your companions have abandoned you or died, it must feel frustrating, doesn't it? Doesn't it? You couldn't even kill a single one of us, how pathetic."

Nick says this in a very calm but quick way, as though out of breath. He doesn't add that his companions and him were in the same situation just a few seconds ago.

Midway through saying this, or upon finishing it, he strikes forward with his dagger, hoping to hit something.


5-ft. step in between Raik and the shooter.

Concealment: [roll0] (20% miss chance)
Attack roll: [roll1] (including bonus from flanking)
Damage roll: [roll2]

Just in case
Crit Confirm:[roll3]
Crit Damage: [roll4]


Despite this, Nick's attack missed terribly.

[Fan67]

"You ignorant fool! If I really wanted..." Warforged didn't have time to finish the sentence. The cloaked person quickly aimed at the source of sound and lunged with the rapier. The already crippled voice of the invisible shooter turned into loud uproar followed by the sound of falling body.

"Thank you for the distraction..." the words were followed by the quick nod from the midget.

MAP:
http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/324/turn5shooter.jpg

[roll0] attack (shooter) (+2 for flanking = 25 result)
[roll1] concealment
[roll2] damage
[roll3] fortification
[roll4] bonus damage
[roll5] critical confirmation
[roll6] bonus damage
_______________________
Devon's turn!

[Scifinerd]

Devon takes a quick moment to survey the battlefield before acting. He looks for any remaining threats.



Spot Check: (1d20-1) 1d20-1

[Scifinerd]

Here is another attempt at rolling that dice


[roll0]

[Fan67]

The rain and the darkness of the night limited the area visible to Devon, and he saw nobody. This part of the district was mostly desolated, especialy that late. There were no visible signs of shooter's activity either.
In the dancing lights of the fountain the pool of blood under the wounded shifter was changing colors from red to blue, from blue to green and then to yellow... Devon saw that shifter was still alive yet unconscious. His face was
immersed into his own blood and he was convulsing from suffocation. He may have lost too much blood to awake and move a little bit.

[Scifinerd]

Devon regarded the shifter drowning in his own blood. The anger welled inside of him and he wanted nothing more than to put the pitiful dog down right there. Devon needed to be smart though. The shifter could have information that could help them. They might be able to learn about the attack and who was after them. Maybe the shifter would have a sense of honor and help them. Devon sighed, he knew to be smart he should save the shifter.

Devon stepped close to the shifter, bent over him, and unloaded his crossbow into the back of the shifter's skull. Being smart had never really been Devon's strong suit.

"I think this one may be dead"



5 foot step to the shifter

Coup de Grace is a full round action. I made a move action to spot check, so here is the crossbow damage if you would like to keep track.

Light Crossbow Damage: (1d8)[roll0]

[Fan67]

Raik moved to the nearest wall and sit next to it.
"I think I need some rest guys, just for a minute..." He said silently.

The cloaked figure had been staring where the shooter stood with its weapon ready. After Devon finished the shifter, only rain (will it ever stop?) and the fountain broke the silence.


Experience award 300 each, you are now only -125 from the first real level.

[Crinias]

Nick keeps staring in the same general spot as the cloaked figure does.

"I think I know who you are, correct me if I'm wrong. You're the Lady's agent, the one who contacted us after we got attacked."

Nick glances at his friends quickly, worried about Raik's condition but glad he's not so bad as Devon or himself were earlier. He then returns his attentions to the shooter, on the ground.

"Do you think he might be faking?"

[runehawk]

With the help of his unseen servant,

Raik tears strips of cloth of his blanket and fashions a crude compress and bandage over his chest.

He notes with dismay that his spear is broken and leans heavily on it as he limps closer to his companion.

Merc, you ok?" he croaks.

Hp 3/7. Will replace Spear with Whip he gets off dead shifter ;)

[Squirrel_Dude]

Mercury walked towards where the cloaked figure stood, and nodded his head. "Thanks. Let's talk in a little bit."

Mercury walked up to the square where the shooter had been standing, and began poking with his guisarme to try and find where the body lay. "Hopefully this guy was also carrying some furniture repair oils on him. I need some."

Finally, he looked to Raik. "See if the Shifter was carrying any potions that will help with your wound."

[Scifinerd]

Devon looks to his companions excitedly.

"Guys, you know what song was going through my head the entire time? Ragnar the Red!"

Devon stows his weapons and turns his collar up against the night breeze. He walks over to Raik to help him secure his bandages. He then adds in a more somber tone.

"We may be in over our heads on this one guys. What's the plan?"

[runehawk]

Raik looks at Devon incredulously before starting to laugh then grimacing.
He then glares at him and whines

"Don't make me laugh! This hurts.Ow!"

[Fan67]

Cloaked person didn't answered to anyone and was staying still, staring at the spot where the shooter presumably were.
Mercury poked the spot with his stick and found that there is something.
Right after that figure started to materialize, as if the misted glass was losing transparency due to warm breath. Bleak pale colors were becoming more bright until the large body, covered in brown leather robe with hood, appeared lying inertly on the ground.

The cloaked figure instantly stabbed the inert warforged in the hooded head.
Then he kneeled and ripped something off the body.
"Gotcha..." In the hand covered by black leather glove the midget was holding a broken final messanger bird. "I was afraid I would kill him before the dust wears off, and the messanger flies invisibly... Lucky day." The words were followed by the childish snicker.
"And yes, we both have the same employer, brilliant deduction..."



[roll0] attack (shooter)
[roll1] damage
[roll2] fortification
[roll3] bonus damage

[Squirrel_Dude]

Mercury ignored his comments, saying nothing other than, "Good thinking." He bent down to the body that was now visible and began searching the body for any useful materials.

"Would someone please do the same on the shifter. We shouldn't be here much longer."

Take a 10 on the Search Roll. Total is 12

[runehawk]

Raik directs his Invisible Servant to ruffle thru the Shifter's belongings as he hobbles over.

"I may need some Jorasco to look at me soon,guys."

Search=[roll0]

May be smarter to just take 20

[Crinias]

Nick goes over to the Shifter's body and searches it more slowly and efficiently.

Nick Takes 10 on his Search check as well, for a total of 11

"I get the feeling we'll all need Jorasco at this rate. At least nobody is unconscious, though."

[Scifinerd]

Devon, who does not see the invisible servant, responds to Mercury and moves towards the corpse of the second shifter. He quickly begins to search the corpse.

"Alright Dagger McJagger what's going on here? And why are you helping us? Did this guy steal your lunch from the break room or something?"


Search:(1d20+1)[roll0]

[Fan67]

Two people and one being examined shifter's body. It was still warm.
There were no special possessions found, apart from a small pouch with several gold pieces and an old dagger, who saw better times. The armor he was wearing was made of low quality leather and was severely damaged by Mercury's blow, although it is still usable.

Examination of the fallen warforged brought more peculiar results.
Under the hood Mercury found the damaged face. The neck had marks of previous damage, which probably distorted warforged speech, and the fresh signs of a rapier wound. One eye was missing for some time already and the skull was covered by old cracks and there was another fresh hole in back of the head, probably from the first rapier strike.
But even through all this damage Mercury reconized the face, it belonged to his another comrade Deadbolt.
Inside the backpack the warforged had one set of thieves' tools, one everburning torch, one flask with "Alchemist's fire" label attached to the bottleneck and another vial. He was dressed in fine traveling cloak, his body was damaged and covered with mithril. His rapier was still in his hand.

"I helped you only because you were going to die otherwise and my master ordered me to prevent your rapid demise. Didn't want to spoil your triumph, though... I do not know who is this guy, but being dead really makes him less of a nuisance for you." the cloaked guy was standing near Mercury, watching him searching the body.


Shifter: 5gp, dagger and he is dressed in crude leather armor
Warforged: Rapier, 4 crossbow bolts, thieves' tools, traveling cloak, backpack, Everburning torch, 1 flask labeled Alchemist’s fire, one vial with unlabeled substance.

[runehawk]

"Thanks. Any more surprises we can expect?...and do you have a name?" Raik says looking at their cloaked rescuer.

His friends can tell from the tone of his voice that although polite, Raik is very tense. More so then they've ever heard him be.

Given their long friendship with him in the university, they'd also note that the halfling is more inclined to soft living, bustling about in Ghallanda inns and burying his nose in history scrolls AND NOT bleeding out in dark alleys.

Raik will keep the alchemist fire if there are no objections. He gets bonus to throw and a unseen servant to deliver.

Someone with ranks in Spellcraft should ID the other vial. Sorry no bardic lore yet.

[Squirrel_Dude]

Mercury looked at the face of his fallen former comrade, and was deeply saddened. He had not attacked them directly, and probably had not intention of killing them.

"You didn't need to kill him, you know. He would have... been more useful to us alive."

Mercury tried to refocus himself, grabbing the vial off Deadbolt's corpse. "Can anyone here identify this? It may be helpful in our situation.

"I think I'm going to be applying some of this furniture polish to myself."

Mercury uses 5 of the repair minor damage oils on himself. He has 4 left. His health rises to 7/11

[Scifinerd]

"Sure, I can tell you what it is. Just drink it and tell me what it tastes like."

Devon walked to Mercury and accepted the vial and held it up to the light. He also took a moment to cast a quick divination spell. Devon had learned the hard way many years earlier that it was wise to know if you had a magic item in your possession. There is a neat hole in the side of a lightning rail car somewhere, where the learning took place.

"So, can we take this discussion somewhere else before someone decides to come fit us for some matching bracelets? Anyway Raik can use a cleric and I could use some pancakes."


Knowledge (arcana) to identify the substance: [roll0]
Detect Magic: to look through loot

[Crinias]

From the shifter's body, Nick takes the dagger and 5 gp and puts them in his backpack. He briefly feels sorry for the shifter.

He approaches the warforged's body and takes the crossbow bolts, the rapier and the everburning torch. He places the former two in his backpack, and holds up the last to illuminate the area a bit better.

Nick glances at the body and wonders: if things had been different, if someone had made a different choice, would Mercury and this body switched places? Clearly it was once Mercury's comrade, it would make sense considering their previous near-death encounter and current circumstance. But no, it's pointless to wonder that, in this world there is only what is, not what might have been.

"If any of you need what I just picked up let me know. Now, where is it..."

Nick looks over to the area where the first crossbow shot came from. They found crossbow bolts, but not an actual crossbow, so it stands to reason the shooter dropped it around there. He searches for it with the everburning torch.

[Fan67]

"My name... you can call me Rayen. And I agree with your friend, you need to move. You have the map, so go to the sewers. Without final messanger to warn other warforged you have an advantage for some time..." he ignored Mercury's reflections.

Nick quickly found the light crossbow from where the warforged jumped.
Devon's light crossbow was also lying near the shifter. The both crossbows were wet, but still functional.


Vial glows with faint conjuration for Devon, knowledge tells it might be any low level conjuration spell, but it doesn't look like oil.
No other loot gives any magical aura, except for Everburning torch.
Rayen has faint evocation aura.
Fountain has moderate evocation aura.
Everburning Torches have faint evocation aura, so Nick is now glowing this one.

[Scifinerd]

Devon slides the vial into his trouser pocket. He also retrieves both crossbows and is in the process of working the warforged out of his coat when the party begins to rally.

He can be heard muttering quietly to himself.
"... And the braggart named Ragnar was boastful no mooooree.. when his ugly red head rolled around on the floor!"

[Squirrel_Dude]

Mercury tries to ignore Devon's singing and begins walking away, only asking, "so what's in the vial?" Mercury pulled a sunrod out of his backpack to help provide light when they entered the sewers.

[runehawk]

Raik looks really unhappy.

"Where are all these warforged assassins coming from , Rayen? Why is this forge so important to them?"

"I don't want Professor Geldam to have died for nothing but I'm starting to think we're way over our heads here."

Diplomacy Check
[roll0]

[Crinias]

Nick picks up the crossbow which he momentarily forgot was right there in plain view. He cleans it a bit before taking out a bolt and loading it in. He puts it in his backpack.

"It might be reckless to immediately go to the sewers. I don't know where the closest Jorasco enclave may be, but Raik has a hole on his chest that needs fixing. However... that potion, Devon. May I look at it?"

In case Devon gives it to him, he'll compare it to the Cure Light Wounds potion he drank earlier. Does it look or maybe smell similarly?

[Scifinerd]

Devon pulls the potion from his pocket as the group walks. He tries once more to determine what is contained in the potion before handing it to Nick.


Spellcraft: [roll0]

[Fan67]

Second attempt to determine the purpose of the substance were as succesful as the first one for Devon. For Nickolas the smell of the potion was similiar to the two potions he drank recently, and when Nick tried to taste a drop from it it tasted much alike, although the potion from Lady Elaydren had much stronger flavor.

"I do not think my lady would appreciate if I share her knowledge with you, but I can assure you there are a lot more from where they come. And they do not appreciate your killing spree of their agents. So I would hurry up. The sooner you get what is required, the sooner you know everything you need about your... pursuers." The cloaked person tried to push warforged body with his leg. "And before you go, dump the bodies in the fountain. The rain will wash the blood and this will also give you some extra time before they know you killed another one..."


I forgot one thing: warforged also had the journal he grabbed from the unseen servant, so decide who picks it.

[Squirrel_Dude]

Mercury attempted to perform the equivalent of narrowing his eyes at Rayen. He says in his deep voice, and his mechanical syntax, "I don't care what she would want you to do. I'm not going any further unless I know why former comrades try to kill me and call me a traitor. We have no personal stake in this. I seem to have many friends on the other team. I could convince them to leave us alone.

"When you're done telling us, you're putting the bodies in fountain. We have a job to do."

[runehawk]

Raik's face breaks into a quick smile and he gives a fond glance to Mercury.

For a moment he seems his old easygoing, epicurean self.

Even with assassins coming out of the woodwork and with more to come, I can always count on Merc..

He fixes Rayen with an expectant look and a single raised eyebrow.

Raik is visibly more relaxed. If Nick offers him some of the potion, he will accept it.

[Crinias]

Nick considers the potion for a moment, wondering if a warforged would carry a potion which cures wounds if he couldn't use it himself. Then again, it may have been for his lackeys... It certainly isn't an oil though, so it probably isn't like the ones Mercury used to repair himself.

Well, worrying about it is unnecessary. Most of the current evidence points to it being a potion like the one he drank earlier. He approaches Raik with confidence.

"Here," he says.

He goes over to the warforged body and grabs the journal, carefully placing it in his backpack.

He also voices his opinion on the current matter.
"I agree with Mercury, it's really in your best interest to just go ahead and tell us. And you don't need to exaggerate, I wouldn't call self-defense a killing spree."

Journal added to Nick's character sheet.

[Fan67]

"You knew that guy? How do you tell them apart, they all look the same... And yeah, right, I can tell you everything or I can just walk away and you can hope next warforged you face will also be your buddy... You can also stay here and wait for the rain to wash away that giant bullseye on you. It is irrelevant what kind of personal involvement you have here, because people who want you dead do not care. If you seek motivational speech, here is some intel: there are not only warforged who are looking for you after that mess on the bridge. But cheer up, cause I did my best to lure them away to upper levels of Sharn, so sewers is not only the place where you need to go, but also the farthest place from the spooky guys." Rayen was still standing near the warforged corpse. Stepping with one leg on it's shoulder. He sheathed his rapier and looked up at the sky, probably calculating how much time left before dawn. The task must be hard, because from the lower Dura only small parts of the sky are not obscured by towers and bridges of higher levels.

[runehawk]

He takes the potion from Nicholas with a VERY grateful look and nods his thanks

Five Nations! He's hardheaded as a Hammertail!......
I wonder if he'd like to switch jobs.....I wouldn't mind him being the bait and us being the rescue for a change!

Raik winces in thought momentarily as he swirls the potion and takes a swig.
He rolls it around his mouth and swallows it before looking up at Rayen with a now warm, appreciative manner.

"I'm sorry Rayen I don't believe we all thanked you enough for saving us just now and now it seems for diverting even more danger away from us. We're professionals like you so we can respect what you're allowed to say and not.

We're definitely making away to the sewers after this "

Raik's face changes to a look of concern.

"... It's just that...regardless of how this turns out. Houses Ghallanda and Orien are going to know that, two of their scions have ...for the lack of a better word..been turned into bait for your enemies..buuuut...we were primarily hired to retrieve you-know-what from you-know-where. They might just consider that there wasn't a fair disclosure of risk and danger and that you're really hiring fresh graduates from Morgrave to actually distract these assassin.....as clearly if it was just a simple dungeon crawl and snatch and grab - someone as obviously professional as you could probably handle it yourself."

Looking more sympathetic and shrugging,

"C'mon Rayen, in our shoes would you really not want to know what you're getting in the middle of"

[Fan67]

Imbued with positive energy, Raik felt homself much better. The potion worked and his wounds closed, his head cleared and fatigue was gone.

"All right kids, if you are hesitant to go without your bedtime fairy tale, so be it...
After the war many warforged were freed from service. Many of them found their place among the people, but a lot more suffered from severe unemployment and are ill-treated across most of the Khorvaire. It is not that obvious from the city like Sharn, but go little away from the city and you see it even in Breland. In the rest four nations they are treated more like things or even enslaved.
So after the war that guy they are calling the Lord of Blades founded a cult of some sort, and propagated the idea that warforged must eradicate all other races and rule supreme over the continent. To avoid excessive attention they established headquarters somewhere in the Mournlands...
Some people believe that this fanatical prophet of the warforged is gathering an army there. Stories abound of his zealous attendants and his apocalyptic speeches, promising death to the fleshborn and the ultimate ascendancy of the warforged. Little is known about his whereabouts, his movements, and his actual plans. Some even doubt whether this construct bogeyman even exists.
But my lady believes that they seized one of the house cannith creation forges and despite the treaty of throneshold want to launch it. So they are after the pattern, which is the key to controling the forge..."



[roll0] Raik's Diplomacy (-2 circumstance bonus included)
[roll1] say vs Rayen's Sense Motive
[roll2] cure light wounds for Raik

[runehawk]

Raik's mouth drops open.

He looks up at Mercury.

"You're not a thing, Mercury. You're my friend but I'd understand if ...if...you didn't want to fight your family and friends"

Oh.. that's so much better. Doesn't hurt when I breathe any more

[Squirrel_Dude]

Upon hearing the story, Mercury went and dragged the shifter body into the fountain. "Someone help Rayen do something with the warforged body.

"He fulfilled his end of the deal and told us what we asked for. Let's move on."

[Crinias]

Nick nods along with what Rayen is saying.

"That explains it. Even though the Treaty of Throneshold has been in place for 2 years now, it would be unreasonable to expect people to obey it everywhere, so a natural result is resentment from many warforged to everyone else... It would make sense for many of them to unite under a figure like this Lord of Blades."

Nick grabs one of the warforged's body's arms and drags the body to the fountain, then pulls it up and begins pushing it all the way in.

"Thank you, Rayen, both for telling us and for helping us. I should have showed more gratitude earlier."

Once he finishes, he washes his hands on the fountain and looks back at his friends.

"Let's go."

[Fan67]

"Whatever..." Rayen with Nick did their best, but only with some help from Mercury managed to lift the warforged over the fountain's skirt.
The fountain's basin was only about three feet deep, but the colored lights and overall desolation of the district reduced the chances for bodies to be found too soon.

The bloody rain was not going to stop. Like they say, there are two kinds of weather in Sharn: warm and wet and the warmer and the wetter.

Rayen showed quick way to the Lower Dura, traversing obscure walkways and hidden side streets. It was more a morning than a night, but as you descended to the lower wards, it became darker.
Once again you walked throught Callestan district, then through labirinthine ways crossed the Gate of Gold. The great gate from which this district took its name was stripped of its gilt plating many centuries ago. Old mansions and towers that once belonged to wealthy lords and merchants have been converted into tenement housing for the poor.
Once home to many of the founding families of Sharn, Gate of Gold is now little more than a slum. But Rayen knew his way and you left that district behind without crossing any populated areas, and entered the Malleon's Gate disctrict.

http://img545.imageshack.us/img545/907/27785793.jpg

[Fan67]

Year: 998 YK
Month: Nymm (Early summer)
Day: 22
Name of the Day: Sul (First day of the week)
Continent: Knorvaire
Country: Breland
Location: City of Sharn, Lower Wards, Malleon's Gate district.
Time: Early morning, around 5:00

Chaos and noise. This district is run-down and filthy. Smoke filles the air and rats scurry in the shadows. Goblins are everywhere, squabbling, haggling and shouting at one another. You see bugbear is forcing his way through the crowd, flinging goblins aside. You see several trios of hobgoblin warriors patrolling the streets.
The local residents took most from their "advantageous" position. You see watermills attached to the towers here and there, fueled by the water falling from the upper levels of Sharn. They supply energy to some unknown mechanisms, respeponsible for the smoke. The channel, probably inflowed by the sewers' drainage, smells like the vomit, but still filled with many small boats, which are moving trading goods around.

Rayen stops in a relatively quite spot.
"Dorasharn tower is nearby. You have the map, follow it, and it should lead you to the sewers. There you will run into the large chamber, where you might find the rats' market, the traveling goblin merchants, ask for the guy named Skakan, but only if you are desperate to find directions, he is in charge there. Tell him I sent you, so he might help you a little cheaper than what he usualy asks. And you better look threatening, folks around here doesn't like people from the upper-shmupper wards."

[Crinias]

Nick takes out the sewers map and examines it. He tries to locate their current position in the map and link it to Dorasharn tower.

[runehawk]

Raik waits patiently for Nick.

Seeing the roughs and toughs moving through the neighbourhood. He holds his crossbow ready but pointed down.

He also scans the crowd.

Spot[roll0]
Listen[roll1]

[Scifinerd]

Devon turned up the collar of his new coat as they walked. When he caught his first glimpse of the Callestan district, a smile came across his face. Devon had some memories of that district, and a few unhappy acquaintances.

"Nick, do you think we could take some shore leave here? There is some fun to be had. Riak, how do you like Opera?"

Devon also takes a look to see if he can spot any potential dangers


Spot: [roll]1d20-1[\roll]
listen: [roll]1d20-1[\roll]

[Scifinerd]

Devon wiped his eyes and looked again.


spot:[roll0]
listen:[roll1]

[Crinias]

Nick doesn't even look up from the map.

"We're not sailors, Devon... Although finding somewhere to stay for a few hours might be a good idea, as long we keep our guard up. Honestly, this sort of place is way too troublesome on the whole, regardless of how entertaining it might be in the short run."

[runehawk]

"Opera!?", he looks at Devon.

"Finding a place to grab a bite and look at the journal might not hurt but we may want to stay ahead of the assassins"

He tries to think of a Ghandalla operated or associated establishment in the district. He gags slightly at the permeating stench.

I highly doubt anyplace here could win over the hostelers' guild...

[Squirrel_Dude]

Mercury nods at the sentiments of rest. "I would agree with resting somewhere. I could use that time to repair damage myself."

[runehawk]

Raik starts speaking to stall owners and passersby, asking for an inn and attempting to haggle for supplies and a darker cloak that doesn't overtly display Ghandalla insignia.

Gather Information[roll0]

Buy Trail Rations x 4 days (2gp)
Buy Waterskin (1gp)
Get a nondescript dark cloak

[Scifinerd]

It was quiet, too quiet. Devon began to feel a sense of unease.

[Crinias]

Nick looked up from the map. It felt as though they'd been standing around for several days without doing anything. Most curious.

"I feel strange. And I find it odd as well that no one is answering Raik's questions. We should probably hurry up."

Since we were already in general agreement to rest up, and Fan has not posted for a few days, who agrees we should skip ahead to the inn?

[Squirrel_Dude]

"Sounds fine to me. I'll just pull out my guisarme and try to look tough." Mercury pulled out his weapon, and started to walk hunched over, as if he was some human thug, or a monkey. His attempt to be intimidating ended up more as comedy, but he was unaware of this and followed his companions to the Inn.

Yes, I am okay with skipping ahead.