[3.5] The Uprise (Alpha Team)

[Blinkbear]

For nearly your whole life, you have lived as a slave, a servant without power or right over his own life. Many are born into slavery, but in your case it was most likely different, and you were captured from your homelands when you were a child. After all, you are not normal, but a freak -- and freaks do not breed well in captivity. For the most of your life, you have stayed in the huge premises of your master, which are surrounded by high, dense hedges: The magnificient mansion with the big, cultivated front yard, the back yard, the store houses, the baracks, and the training halls. Maybe you once caught a glimpse of the world outside, but most likely you know of it only from stories, or the bad smell of the city which rises when the sun comes out again after a summer rain.

You are not happy to be a slave, and you most likely also experienced some kind of abuse during your childhood. Now you are in your late teens or early twenties, and you have adapted to your surroundings. You have made friends with other slaves, have learned who of the guards to trust. You have never had the honor to actually meet your master, but those who did do not speak well of him. You may have encountered some of the rest of the family; but most of them prefer not to actually deal with freaks like you. Instead, you were indirectly ruled through a hierarchy of guards, the lower being also slaves, the higher being actually payed employees.

Maybe you had already given up on ever finding a way out of this life, maybe you were still clinging to this last piece of hope, those last memories from your childhood which fade more and more every day. But then, amidst the night, just a few minutes ago, this crackling sound, louder than everything you ever heard, followed by the slight shaking of the earth, that poured small pieces of chalk and stone from the ceiling of the barracks. You immediately knew that something was going on outside, though the sound was likely coming from off-premises. You heard noises of running and screaming people, shouting loud words in the masters' language, that you were never taught. Soon, you also heard noises of battle happening outside the barracks.

Each of you is contained in a single cell, with three stone walls and closed by a door consisting mainly of metal bars. Two of you are on each side of a dim-lit hallway. As you all eventually get up and glance through the bars, you can exchange surprised glances with each other. Then between the noise of fighting, you all hear it, the clicking sound you were so familiar with: The locks of your sleeping cells just opened -- with no one in sight.

Each of you is currently restrained as described in the boxes below.

As usual when sent into your cell, you are restrained as follows: Your hands are in tight leather mittens, forced into a fist, so you can not cut them with your claws; a complex arrangement of leather straps prevents you from opening your mouth.

You wear a pair of manacles around your hands which are affixed to a heavy metal ball which you can barely lift.

Your wings are tightly fixed with straps against the rest of your body in a way that you cannot reach the buckles on your back, your hands are tight up strictly with rope. For whatever reason you could never cast or use your spell-like abilities while restrained like this.

Your hands are in metal manacles, and you are gagged with leather straps with buckles you cannot reach.


Please describe your actions, and use the opportunity to introduce your character in a few sentences. Your characters know each other, as you have spent a lot of time in the same cell block. Although you may not agree on everything, you have started to develop more than just friendly feelings for each other, indeed you feel more like brothers than friends. Usually they are more of you living in this cell block, but some of you had left a few days ago without returning. From the four of you, Bix was brought here first, later Krempla was brought here together with his now deceased siblings. Ker'anson and Arrashk arrived last, just half a year ago after having each served a different lord and then sold.

[Aldurin]

Bix hates his current state. His hands restricted and his wings bound to his back as if they weren't even there. The hands were to be expected, but the wings were always painful to keep in this state. Fragile fey wings don't get feather cushioning or a tough surface of leather and scales, and every time it feels like they're on the edge of tearing from pressure of the straps. He could never convince the guards to loosen up the straps, and no trick he could think of would make the situation more comfortable. The only thing he can do is wait in the cell and try to make conversation with the only other slave whose mouth isn't restricted.

Then the sound of fighting happens and the cell door opens on its own. Chaos has begun to impose itself on Bix's world of absolute order, and some unseen force is inviting him to partake in it. It's surprise and opportunity enough that Bix forgets to keep up the act of breathing, his intent to hide one of his few advantages taking a bench in favor of the current situation. He immediately stands up, only rising a few inches in stature with his size, and mouths over to the others. This is our chance. Let's get our restraints off and get out of here while we can. He reaches the cell door and attempts to slide it open in hopes it won't be too heavy for his small size.

[Sontali]

At 3'2", Arashk is a rather average looking Poison Dusk Lizardfolk, a humanoid reptilian with a wiry build, a crest that runs along the top of his head that rises when agitated. He also has scars on his wrists, ankles and neck from various restraints.

Arashk was staring at the ball intended to weigh him in hatred when it went down, he had devised many plans for that ball in the months he had been here. Though he was probably going to go with melt it down into slag, and bury the remains somewhere where no one would ever find it. But to make that a reality he would need to get out, which didn’t seem likely to happen anytime soon, he had explored most of the grounds in the brief moments he had slipped out of their notice, and while Arashk reasoned that he might be able to get out stealthily, the others certainly wouldn’t be able to. Then, as if on que the cracking sounds and the screaming and fighting had started, and Arashk moved to the door, dragging his hated companion with him.


This is our chance. Let's get our restraints off and get out of here while we can.

The response that Bix got was a prolonged guttural hissing which rose and fell in volume, a sound that the other slaves recognised as the noise Arashk’s laughter. “Arashk think cruel mean guard Pig Nose on watch guard this night.” Breaking into laughter again as the small lizard struggled to lift his metal friend and push open his gate with it.

[stanleyindraven]

Krempla struggled to try and open his jaw to snatch threads on his 'gloves' as he did most nights. He watched the cells opposite him as usual. The sound outside stopped his futile struggle. He stood and stared across the narrow hall. When the click came, he rushed to push the door open. The cell flung wide open as he barreled into it.

Looking down he remembered he was no closer to getting loose than he was before. Quickly he thought and darted over to open Arashk's cell. After some careful manuvering, he opened the door and knelt before Arashk, profering his bound hands with a look of panic in his eyes.

[Sontali]

Arashk saw the gesture and let loose another hissing laugh, waddling over to Krempla restraint in arms. “Arashk think mean cruel guards make mistake.” Giving a toothy grin before placing down his metal ball and using both his teeth and restricted claws severed through Krempla’s mittens. Then looking down at his own manacled hands. "Krempla can rip break Arashk's steel rope?"

[Asmodean_]

Slowly but surely, Ker'anson moved towards the exit of the chamber, stopping only to shake free a strand of his long, off-white hair that had gotten trapped between the chains of his manacles. Trying to make as little noise as possible to contribute as little to the commotion Arashk was making, he poked his head around the entrance to see if anyone was there, hiding in the darkness - presumably to punish any who had failed the test. His previous master had done this once before - pretended there was freedom and punishing those who tried to take it.

[stanleyindraven]

Krempla pulled at the manacles, though he was strong, it just wasn't working for him. As he glanced up at the torch on the wall, it dawned on him. He tore at the muzzle, snapping the buckles off and opened his mouth. He aimed for the link that held the manacles together and to the ball and spit out a line of fire.
[roll0]

[Blinkbear]

He reaches the cell door and attempts to slide it open in hopes it won't be too heavy for his small size.
Bix, you lean your body against the cold door, and it opens, squeaking. In this moment you feel as free as you did not feel for a long time. You are still restrained, but can walk.



...he poked his head around the entrance to see if anyone was there, hiding in the darkness - presumably to punish any who had failed the test. His previous master had done this once before - pretended there was freedom and punishing those who tried to take it.
Ker'anson, as it seems, you are in luck this time, and it does not seem to be a trap. At least you can see no one in the cell block, and you can still here people outside, rushing around speaking in the forbidden language of the master's, and the orders that are shouted outside do not seem familiar to you.

Arashk sinks his claws and teeth into the thick leather gloves that restraint Krempla. You can pull of a few strings, but not free him completely. However, together you manage to loosen the straps preventing him to open his mouth, and Krempla shows what the crowd loves most about him in the pits. A ray of fire leaves his mouth, putting the whole cellblock into ghostly light for a moment. The fire severes the ball from Arashk's manacles, and even cuts the manacles in two, so that Arashk can move them again independently from each other. At the same time, the fire burns the remainder of Krempla's right glove, freeing his hand.

Arashk, Krempla and Bix are on the hallway between the cells, Arashk can move freely but feels his dexterity still a bit restrained by the remaining parts of the manacles, Bix you are still mostly restrained but if the others help you it is just a matter of moments.

((Ker'anson have you still been inside the cell or already have come out of it? In the latter case, you may make a reflex save in order to also got your manacles cut in two; it's up to you.))

[stanleyindraven]

Krempla frees himself fully of his restraints and picks up the iron ball by the end of the length of chain. "This shall make a decent weapon for now," he grumbles out. "Let us be free."

[Asmodean_]

((Ker'anson was still in the cell))
"Well not yet," he attempted to say, before realising he could not, in fact, say, due to the gag around his mouth. He looked expectantly at the others.

[Aldurin]

"We need to get everyone's restraints off first." Bix says as he moves towards the others to have his restraints removed and help with the other's restraints. When the wing straps come off, he no longer appears as a pale blue air gnome with unusual lavender pigmentation in his eyes, but some sort of duct-taped mismatch between a pixie and a gnome. The wings do manage to look somewhat natural by using both the pale blue and lavender coloration in its pattern, but against the stature of a gnome it gives the impression of some sort of oversized butterfly larvae that grew its wings too early.

[Sontali]

Arashk looks thankfully at Krempla. And using his greater range of movement attempts to prise his wrists out of the separated manacles.

[Blinkbear]

Together, you remove Bix' restraints and Ker'anson's gag, but his hands are still in manacles held together by a short chain. Krempla tries to break these chains (rolls below), while Arashk struggles to get his hands out of them. However, even the improved mobility does not let him achieve his goal (see also rules below), they are simply too tight.

From the outside you hear as stout shout in slave language: "Freedom! Freedom! Kill theeem! Kill them a-" The shout turns into a scream of pain and then ebbs away. Obviously, there is combat going on outside the cell block in the court. The exit of the cell block is a door mainly consisting of metal bars, and is usually locked.


Bix, when they untied you, you felt that something dropped to the floor and touched your leg while doing so, it felt like a palm sized package wrapped in cloth.


I simply assume that Krempla tries it, and thus make a few rolls. Should neither of them meet the DC 24 (I assume that someone successfully helps you), you can decide to take 20, but it will take you two minutes then.
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]



If you have the remains of metal manacles around your arms, you have a -1 penalty on all skill checks as if it were an armor check penalty. However, you can attack normally, the hands count as free regarding spell casting, and the mobility is sufficient to make gestures for somatic components. You can try to remove them with a DC 30 Escape Artist check (each) by wriggling your hands out of them, if you come up with helping circumstances, you gain bonuses as usual. You can also get a +5 bonus on the check, if you accept to hurt yourself while doing it, each try deals 1d4 of damage. You can also remove them by dealing damage; however piercing damage is mostly ineffective, and bludgeoning damage deals half the damage as subdual damage to the owner of the hand. The best way to remove them is to have some fine tools; the built in locking mechanism does not require a specific key.


Edit:
Krempla succeeds at breaking the chain.

You can all now move freely inside the cell block; Ker'anson and Arashk still have the disadvantage due to the remainders of the manacles (see spoiler above).

[stanleyindraven]

Krempla moved up to the door to see what he could catch going on outside and motioned the others to join him. His copper scales glinted in the torchlight as his bulk blocked most of the doorway.

[Blinkbear]

Krempla moves to the door, undisturbed, and takes a look through the bars.

Krempla, it takes a moment for you to adjust to the surroundings: The court is shrouded into the darkness of night, but there are also several sources of illumination such as torches and lanterns. You make use of your supernatural darkvision, and can see that there are guards fighting slaves from other cell blocks, that one of the cell blocks is on fire, and that a group of guards is rushing into the direction of the back entrance of the mansion. Most of the shouts in the master's language must come from the other side of the mansion. You can see a faint red glow from the other side of the high walls surrounding the premises, which must come from the city.

[Sontali]

Arashk, in his haste to be free of the manacles almost tries to open the lock by trying to stick a claw in it. But decides against it at the last moment and starts looking for anything lying around that he might be able to use to jimmy open the locks, like a loose nail or such. "What does Krempla look see?"

Search: [roll0]

[stanleyindraven]

"Battle," Krempla says plainly as he casts his eyes upon the others. "Brothers, now is the time to escape."

[Asmodean_]

"I agree," Ker'anson agreed, his voice breaking slightly in excitement - he might be free if they manage to give the guards the slip. "We need to get out of here as soon as physically possible; we can worry about everything else later."

[Aldurin]

Bix nods in agreement and floats behind the group, glad to stretch his wings. He casts a defensive spell then unwraps the cloth package to examine its contents.

Casting Mage Armor at CL 2 on himself, +4 Armor to AC for 2 hours.

[Blinkbear]

Ker'anson sees roughly the same as Krempla, but something about the guard's tactics of rushing into the mansion instead of focusing on the slaves strikes him as odd. But soon something else picks his attention: Someone casts spells in the vicinity, not here in the backyard, probably on the other side of the mansion.

The moment Bix picks up the small package, he feels the same slight nausea that he felt when bound. Unwrapping the package shows a nigh palm-sized metal item, roughly the shape of a spearhead. The item emits a very faint greenish glow, feels cold to the touch, and seems to suppress the carrier to cast spells.

While the item is in the same square (or cube) as you are, you cannot cast spells or use spell-like abilities.

You all approach the barred door to exit the cell block, and find it unlocked just as your cell doors.

The majority of guards seems to have vanished inside the mansion, several of them still guarding the entry door, and shouting orders to those who still involve with the slaves in the backyard. Just now, one of the guards stands over an unarmored slave, his spear sunk into his victim's stomach. The guard doesn't seem to care about his comrades' shouts and instead twists the spear in the slave's twitching body. You can see another who seems to enjoy threatening slaves who try to flee the burning cell block with a large chunk of wood, hitting those over the head who try it anyway.

The following is a copy of the locations as listed in the recruitment thread.


The Cell Blocks. The game starts in one of those. There are more than one cell block on the premises of your master. If you have counted the buildings, you know there are four of them. Your cell block contains one dozen of single cells, but most of them are empty for almost all the time. The inhabitants of your cell blocks have always been more "exotic". Currently, the four of you are the only inhabitants. You are locked in those cells every night, and sometimes also for days. The accommodation is very simple, basically sufficient to provide shelter from bad weather; your bed consists of some straw, and the remainder of the furniture is a bucket for the obvious purpose. You are not allowed to bring anything other than basic clothing into the cell block, and are only provided water during your stay there. Only rarely, you also get food served into your cells, but this only happens if you have to stay in your cell for longer periods. As expected, the cell block reeks of excretions and bodily odors. You do not know about the inside or the capacity of the other cell blocks. If you talked to their inhabitants, you may have found out that the other three cell blocks are mostly assigned to slaves by their occupation. You have heard rumors that one cell block is more luxurious than the others, but that it is preserved for slaves expecting progeny. You have no overview over the number of slaves living on premise, but it must be at least fifty but likely more. The number is so hard to estimate, because there is a rather high fluctuation, and additionally, all those "normals" look the same to most of you anyway.

The Cantina. This is the place where you receive food. The quality of the dishes differs from day to day, but actually the diet is not too bad. At least it is efficient, in the sense that you are rarely hungry, and that most of your nutrient requirements are fully satisfied. The taste cannot always live up to those standards, and often enough it gets even worse, if some sadistic guard finds it funny to pollute the meals with whatever amuses him. You are always under strong observation while eating, and are required (and checked) to return all cutlery before you leave the cantina again. As for the cell blocks, you are not allowed to bring any objects other than basic clothing in here.

The Training Halls. There are a handful of buildings serving different training purposes. You have most likely only seen the one you were trained in. There is at least a sports hall with an attached stash for training weapons and armor, and different workshops for craft training.

The Sink. This is a big building that is known to stretch out into the underground, and is the place where you do not want to stay for longer than necessary. Indeed, it is the place where all the buckets are emptied into. Strangely enough, the smell seems to be mostly contained into the building, which doesn't help when one has latrine fatigue. There are stories that slaves tried to escape through the sink, hinting that there actually may be a drain in the sink leading deep into the underground. But this is mostly known as a legend, and everyone assumes that the people did not escape but drown in there.

The inventory. This building is under constant heavy guarding, and contains a lot of equipment for the daily routines of the slaves, and their training. Most goods are not accessible to you, and even if you allowed access to some piece of equipment, it is logged, and usually strongly limited. Of course, even if your granted some access, it all still belongs to the master. You have no property, you are property. The inventory also functions as the armory.

The Mansion. Depending on your training and purpose, you may have seen the outer layers of the master's mansion. It is a high privilege to be permitted to enter the house, and before you can actually enter it, you have to go through a specific entry, where you are cleansed and appropriately clothed.

[stanleyindraven]

"Our only hope to survive and be free is to head to the main gate. Have to get past the house. Do you think this to be a problem," Krempla addresses his companions. It is obvious, even through his brutish features, that he is concerned with the chaos.

[Aldurin]

Bix hands the stone over to Arashk. "If we encounter any guards like me, try to stab them with this." He begins to weigh his options. The main risk of the Sink is negated for Bix, being unable to drown, but it'd be more indoor spaces with an unknown destination. He could simply fly over the walls, but any sharpshooter on either side of the battle could spot him and make short work of him before he gets enough altitude. He wanted to be out of this compound now, but the only safe option was to support the other prisoners in their escape. "I can provide distractions and some healing to help overwhelm the guards we encounter. But I'm concerned about taking the main gate. If whoever is fighting on the other side doesn't care who we are, we may be treated just like the guards. For now we need to secure our way out of the cell blocks. If we rush and pin down each guard, we can kill them with minimal injuries."

[Sontali]

Arashk takes the spearhead and flips it over a few times, largely unfamiliar with glowing metals, before slipping it under his harness. "Arashk think chaos will be useful. Inventory still be under guard lock, but learn train halls probably be forgotten. Grab useful things?"

[Asmodean_]

"I guess we should get some supplies before leaving," Ker'anson conceded, "but I'm not sure how much I'll be able to do. I could distract him with a Ghost Sound, or knock him down with a Sleep spell. What do you think?"

[Blinkbear]

As you talk about getting some equipment from the inventory, you try your best to see whether there is still a guard outside the inventory. It's not easy to assess from this angle, but you can't see any of the guards in front of it anymore. It seems that most of the guards have run into back entrance of the mansion, and only a handful are still outside harassing and fighting slaves. You recognize those on the outside as some of the most sadistic ones. The one twisting the spear in his victim was just about to be attacked by an unarmed slave, but the slave got shot midway, likely by a crossbow from one of the guards at the mansion.

The mansion shields the backyard from an enormous flash of light that must have erupted in the front yard, and must have been of magical nature.

To keep it simple, we can conceive the whole site as a rectangle; the longer side going from east to west.
In the north you have the front yard with the nice garden, taking about one sixth of the distance from north to south.
Next to it to the south: the mansion, taking about one third of the distance from north to south. Not using the full width, on the west there is the supply road, on the east there is just some empty space between the mansion and the border.
Finally, the remaining space in the south is the back yard with the barracks, cell blocks, training halls, the sink, the inventory.
The premises are surrounded by high hedges and walls. The only entrance/exit you know of is the gate in the front yard.

So, there are essentially three ways to go from the back yard to the front yard:
1) Through the mansion.
2) On one of the sides of the mansion, there is a way that connects front yard and back yard, being wide enough for a big cart to pass; let's call this the supply road, because this is were many deliveries were brought through. Actually this is also the way that you left when you were driven to the pits in the closed couches.
3) Theoretically one can also pass the mansion on the other side, because the house is not actually connected with the hedges/walls. Normally, guards patrol this side of the yard to make sure no one passes.

[Sontali]

A moment of a cross between distaste and glee crossed Arashk's reptilian face. "Rest sleep seems better. No need to distract when we can take down. Leave spare nice guards."

[stanleyindraven]

"Then we push to inventory," Krempla declared as he pushed through the gate and began working his way to the building in the distance. He walked with a determination, dodging any errant blows that came near but were not meant for him. The ball swung back and forth as he strided.

[Sontali]

Arashk follows behind Krempla, but tries to move unseen under the cover of night, as to surprise any guards that see the others and make the mistake of forgetting about their sneaky friend.

Hide: [roll0]
Move Silently: [roll1]

[Aldurin]

"Ok, if any guards come at us in close range and aren't the psychotic bunch make sure you don't fight back immediately. It's easier for me to charm them before they start taking hits." Bix floats behind the group, trying his best not to stand out in the confusion.

Hide check [roll0]

[Asmodean_]

Ker'anson follows silently, ready to cast a spell at the first sight of any assailants.


Spot: WIS (+1), Racial Bonus (+2): [roll0]

[Blinkbear]

You make your way through the darkness to the inventory building. No one seams to notice you, or you are simply ignored. Those guards who are still here seem to enjoy themselves sadistically with other free slaves, in particular, they guard the burning cell block and don't let the pleading, weeping and coughing slaves get out the building. The remaining slaves outside are either fighting guards, or are dead. As you come closer, you see that it is indeed unguarded.

The door of the windowless building is closed, but no guard is in sight. However, a dim light shines from the inside into the night through the thin crack under the door, nigh invisible in the light emitted from the burning cell block.

((I assume that you would not attack/hex anyone if you stay unnoticed. If this is false, let me know.))

[stanleyindraven]

Krempla tries to open the door through normal means, trying not to draw extra attention to his group.

[Blinkbear]

Carefully, Krempla tries to open the door, but even though it moves a little bit, it appears to be locked. While doing so, one can observe additional light coming through door cracks. Apparently, there is a light source inside. The usual locking mechanism is a chain through iron rings with a padlock. However, chain and lock are missing.

[stanleyindraven]

"The door is barred," Krempla said. He stepped back and swung the flail into the door, attempting to render it into pieces.

[roll0]

[Blinkbear]

Krempla hits the door with his improvised flail, bursting through the wood, and thereby unlocking it. On the other side of the door, a single guard is standing, a crossbow targeted on the door, a lantern on the floor at his feet. Behind him one can see the shadows of a group of people who seem to press themselves against the walls of the inventory, obviously trying to hide.

Smashing the door also let one of the guards let go of torturing his victim (a slave on the ground), and instead he looks at the door. It is not clear what exactly he can see, as his eyes are those of a simple human. He is standing about 40ft away from the inventory and carries a morningstar.

It is surprise round. You each have a standard action. I would encourage you to post in the order of initiative. In any case, actions will of course happen in the order of initiative. You can choose to stand right next to the door, or up to 30 feet away in any direction. The initiative of the two guards will be rolled after the surprise round if necessary.

[Sontali]

Arashk is about 10 ft away from the door, in the direction of the guard who heard something. And will ready an action to swipe at him if he comes too close.

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Sneak Attack: [roll2]

[Aldurin]

Bix floats just behind Krempla, and when he sees the guard they passed take notice of the noise he tensely waits. If the guard approaches he'll will some magic that way and confidently say "Some of the slaves are performing blood sacrifices in the burning cell block, you have to stop them before they summon a demon!"

Should the sadist guard outside move towards them, Bix will use his Charm Person SLA as soon as they're within 30 feet of each other. Will DC 15 and 3 hour duration. Regardless of result he'll still try to send away the guard with a lie; Bluff check [roll0].

[Asmodean_]

Ker'anson readies himself - if the guard doesn't fall for Bix's tale, he'll drop a sleep spell on him.

IIRC it's a first level spell so DC 15 and 3 minute duration.

[stanleyindraven]

Krempla closed on the guard and swung the flail at the stunned guard.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Blinkbear]

Arashk 21 (readied to attack if outside guard comes into reach)
Bix 14 (readied to charm outside if outside guard comes into reach)
Guard Outside 13 (surprised)
Krempla 10 (attacks)
Ker'anson 8 (readied to cast sleep if outside guard comes into reach and does not fall for Bix' Hex)
Guard Inside 5 (makes ranged attack)


The guard outside is too surprised to act in this round. Krempla makes a step forward into the inventory building, and swings his improvised flail (10 ft range) at the guard inside, but although the guard is too slow to react, the hit is negated by the guard's leather armor. The guard inside, apparently horrified by the events, tries to fire his crossbow at Krempla; letting his guard down for a moment. Krempla uses his chance, trying to foil the guard's plans. However, luck apparently is not on his side right now, as he utterly fails to predict the trajectory of the ball, only smashing it into a wooden table on his right. Fortunately, the crossbow bolt gets stuck in the Half-Dragons thick skin, and does not cause any damage.

Next round begins. Those of you who readied an action: Should the trigger occur before your turn, you can have your action, and your initiative changes to this. If it does not occur until your initiative, you lose the action. This is the case for Arashk and Bix; they can simply act on their initiative.

Arashk and Bix, please specify your actions. Then, the guard outside will act.

[Sontali]

Arashl watches as the guard outside does nothing, perhaps momentarily confused in all of this chaos. But Arashk knows that movement could give him away, so he remains where he is, still ready to pounce should the guard decide to check out the noise his big companion is making.

Readied Action, same conditions.
Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Sneak Attack: [roll2]

[Aldurin]

Bix continues to wait for the outside guard's approach, but reconsiders a more practical lie to say if the guard approaches. "You should keep stabbing that slave back there, there's still some life left in him and the others have this battle under control."

Same readied charm person followed by bluff [roll0].

[Blinkbear]

The guard outside approaches the door, weapon drawn. When around 30ft away, Bix concentrates and tries to charm him. However, the guard does not seem to react at all. Quickly, Bix starts talking to him, trying to convince him to go back to his moaning victim. The guard outside slows down, but continues walking slowly to the source of the voice. In the dark you can see a sadistic and satisfied smile, just as if he actually wants to believe the lie, but is not fully convinced yet.

Technically, a bluff check is an action, and normally even at least a full round action. Thus, Bix cannot both cast the spell like ability, and completely convince him. He comes closer. If Arashk wants to, he can now try to stab the guard as prepared. However, it is kind of clear by the look on his face, that the guard is actually going to be easily convinced - as long as he does not get a reason to suddenly doubt it.

Krempla, if you want to close in and attack, do it, it is not like you actually realize what's happening outside.

[Blinkbear]

Still during the guard outside's turn:

The guard outside had continued his walk towards the door, but is suddenly stabbed in the dark by a lingering Arashk, who only waited to sink his claw into him. Petrified, and swearing in the master's language, the guard outside stumbles back, changes his direction, not knowing what exactly had hit him, blood leaving his body quickly -- the attack must have hit an artery.

The guard outside changes direction and leaves a field threatened by Arashk, who is granted an attack of opportunity.

[Sontali]

The lizard folk is momentarily surprised that the guard doesn't go down, but seeing the opportunity attempts to finish the job.

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
If not knowing what hit him means he's still SA vulnerable: [roll2]

[Blinkbear]

Without any chance of answering the threat, the guard outside is going down spitting blood, as Arashk delivers his second lucky punch in a row.


Bix 13 (readied to charm outside if outside guard comes into reach)
Guard Outside 13
Arashk 13 (readied to attack if outside guard comes into reach)

Krempla 10
Ker'anson 8
Guard Inside 5


We are now at Ini 10, and Krempla can act.

[stanleyindraven]

Krempla dropped the innefective flail and takes a step forward to rend the crossbow guard with his claws.

Claw 1 [roll0] [roll1]
Claw 2 [roll2] [roll3]
And if it can be full attack
Bite [roll4] [roll5]

[Blinkbear]

Krempla makes a step forward, closing in on the guard inside. He first sinks his right claw in his enemy's chest, and while the stumbling guard can dodge the second claw, the half-dragon manages to sink his fangs into his throat, and ending his life without mercy. The crossbow drops to the floor with a clonking sound, and is followed by its wielder, when Krempla releases it.

The people who were hiding in the rear of the room press their bodies against the walls, obviously frightened and not sure what to make of the situation: Around a dozen of people in raggy clothes -- fragile looking men and women, a few kids, most of them lowly weeping, all of them shaking in terror. Some of the adults press babies against their chest, desperately trying to keep them calm. Blood starts to fill the floor, and trickles from Krempla's mouth.

Next in initiative is Ker'anson. You cannot see any enemies threatening you. As you are standing next to the door, and Krempla is not blocking the entrance anymor, you can also see the people on the inside. You also see that there are several goods in the shelves in the inventory. If you look for something in particular, say so. The other guards do not seem to have realized (yet), what just happened.

[Asmodean_]

If there are any guards inside the Inventory, I cast a sleep spell on them. If there aren't, I start looking through the shelves for gold, weaponry and general supplies (in that order).

[Blinkbear]

Ker'anson steps into the inventory. In the front part of the building, between the rampaged entry and Kremplar, the racks seem to contain only food, mostly durable, like cured meat, stewed fruit, and the like. On the wall over the destroyed table are simple hooks in the wall with sacks, bags and baskets hanging from them.

Outside, no one seems to have taken notice of what happened. The tortured slave, now free from his tormenter is moaning lowly, likely dying soon. The dead guard lies on his back, the morningstar still in his presumably cooling hand. He wears a leather armor, everyday clothes and sturdy boots. The other guards are still doing what they enjoy. After all, not a minute has passed since Krempla destroyed the door.

The shoutings from the front yard become rarer, but are still audible.

((It is probably more reasonable to tell you that you may now act out of initiative again. I would still advise to stay more or less in sync with each other, that is, no one already running to the main yard when others have just decided to search a place, or wait for any resolution.))

[Sontali]

Arashk makes absolutely sure that the outside guard won't be getting back up, slitting the corpse's throat and wrists. And after that goes into the inventory looking for a tool he can get his manacles off with.

Search: [roll0]
Open Lock: [roll1]

[stanleyindraven]

Krempla hastily grabbed a sack and jammed several handfulls of miscellaneous food into it before grabbing the crossbow and bolts. He loaded a bolt, through the sack over his shoulder and saddled up next to the door, looking out.

[Aldurin]

Bix begins to search the inventory, looking for a light crossbow small enough to be used by a gnome, and ammo to carry in a sack. As he searches he also keeps an eye out for gnome-sized clothing, preferably for mages, that he can cut enough of the back out to fit his wings through. If he can't find any equipment that has been looked over, he will try to gather up about ten pounds of food to put in a sack and carry.

[roll0] Search check.

[Blinkbear]

Araschk overkills the guard, and is already on his way back to the inventory when he realizes that he had not searched the guard for keys. Swiftly and unseen he returns, and quickly retrieves the small mechanical tool for opening the remaining parts of his manacles. When Arashk searched the guard, he also found that the guard had a small sack with coins with him.

Krempla takes the crossbow and 16 remaining bolts. Thereby, he also notices a dagger and a sap at the guard's leather belt. Although the guard was not as tall as Kremplar, his armor looks adjustable enough to fit the half-dragon. At the door, he can see that Arashk has managed to get rid of his manacles, and that the burning cell block now stands fully in tall orange flames, and hears muffled screams from the inside that mix with the laughter of the guards on the outside.

Bix and Ker'anson go on searching the inventory. The people in the back, obviously still scared, and also obviously slaves, get out of your way as good as they can.
Bix notices that he had seen one of the people in the back bringing a bunch of weapons to the cart that drives gladiators to the pits: A boy, probably around 14 years old.
Ker'anson finds a reel with rope, a backpack, and some thin wooden sticks with a strange smelling, alchemically treated tip. He also remembers that the guards usually carry the universal keys for the manacles.


((I hope that it is fine that I somewhat changed your action, Sontali, and that I also repeated/expanded your action Asmodean_; stanleyindraven, if you want to, you can also have picked up any of the items of the guard. The armor is studded leather, armor and weapon are standard quality.))

[stanleyindraven]

After checking out the door and not noticing any guards immediately on thier way, Krempla stooped down to remove the guards armor. He hastily undonned the studded leather and started putting it on. He didn't know how much time he would have but he wanted the best chance he could get for being free. He put the guards dagger on as well. Once armored, Krempla took his place back at the door.

[Sontali]

Taking the coin pouch, having heard of the use such an item has here, Arashk moves into The Inventory, offering the keys to Ker'anson. Before ransacking the place for any fruit, taking a bite of the first piece he finds, humming pleasantly. Before noticing the slaves in the back and gesturing for them to dig in.

(All good, I would have done it if I had thought of it)

[Asmodean_]

"Thanks," Ker'anson says, as he unlocks the manacles. His hands now free, he grabs around a week's worth of rations and hastily shoves it into the backpack.
"Who would ever think universal keys were a good idea?" he mutters to himself. "One lost set and bang, everyone's gone."

Seeing that everything is (seemingly) clear, he looks furtively at the sticks he'd picked up.

[Aldurin]

When Bix recognizes the boy, he immediately turns around and begins exerting more magic upon each of the slaves before addressing the kid. "I'll help you gain freedom after you answer my questions. You moved weapons for the guards, when those weapons were needed for the fights. Where were they stored, where have they gone? I was trained to use a crossbow smaller than what normal people were given, do you know where it is?"

Charm Person on the boy (DC 15 Will), then progressively using Charm Person on each of the other "normal" slaves as he continues to speak. Diplomacy on the kid (in case the charm doesn't go through) [roll0]

Since Bix's only weapon proficiency is light crossbow, it would make sense for at least one small light crossbow to exist somewhere in the compound that was used for training him.

[Blinkbear]

While Krempla dons the armor, the rest of the bunch continues with their investigation.

Around half of the slaves hesitantly follow Arashk's invitation. When they start to eat eagerly, some of them begin to lighten up a bit, while others are still obviously in a state of fear. Especially the children seem to be able to forget the situation around them, sometimes looking at their parents, unsure if a certain fruit is indeed edible, and when they nod, you can see the joy on their little dirty faces, as they apparently eating a peach for the first time in their life.

Ker'anson looks at the sticks, still muttering, holding them into the light of the lantern to better discern the color. First, he perceives that the item looks rather alchemical than magical. Second, he can identify the smell as a substance that ignites when it strikes a rough surface.

Bix starts his maneuver on trying to charm some of the slaves, and while doing so to smooth-talk the boy who might know. Most of the others faces lighten up a bit when Bix looks at them, some of them even smiling at him, as though happy to finally having met a good friend again after a long absence. The boy who might know looks a bit defiant in the beginning, Bix' promise sounds a bit too good to be true. But as the half-fey continues talking to him, and he sees the others around him lighten up, he finally nods. "Under the carpet. A trap door. But I don't have the key. The key's always in the master's mansion. Only some special guards can get it. He couldn't." he nods at the dead guard on the floor. "He promised to protect us, y'know? Hope you last longer." There lies a certain bitterness in his voice.

((The boy has withstood the charming. Diplomacy usually takes a minute of talking, or a rushed with -10 as a full round action. Just so you know why he was not immediately helping))

[Aldurin]

Bix immediately lifts up the carpet to reveal the trap door. "Hey Krempla, we need you to break this open. Apparently all the goods are under here and the key is in the mansion itself." He floats back and looks the child in the eye, speaking coldly but loudly enough for the other slaves to hear. "I said I'll help you gain freedom, not to protect you. Everyone who wants to escape will be in danger, but once we're gone worse might be waiting for whatever slaves are left for the guards to take out their frustration on. Especially since if all the 'freaks' are gone, someone has to take their place receiving the worst treatment the guards can dish out." He gazes outside to the where the sounds of battle come from. "Order is the element of the master, but now chaos beckons to those who suffer at the hands of order. Participate in the chaos with us, so that by the time order reestablishes itself, we all will be long gone. Or choose the comfort of order, and feel freedom in the acceptance of your current pitiable state."

No diplomacy roll, since Bix does not care either way for what the other slaves choose.

[Asmodean_]

Ker'anson raises his eye at the boy's comment. "Well," he interrupts, preempting any attempts to break open the trapdoor, "there's no harm in seeing if this is one of those keys or not. Who knows? This might be that guard protecting you from beyond the grave." He figures if it is (one of) the right key(s), they've saved a lot of hammering through a trapdoor, and if it isn't, no harm done.
So saying, he bends down to try and open the trap door with the guard's key.

I'm assuming no rolls are needed - either the key works or it doesn't.

[Blinkbear]

As Bix has his speech, some of the slaves seem frightened or nervous, but some others seem inspired from his words, and finally some few actually poke their fists into the air in a "hell yeah"-fashion.

The carpet is removed and the trapdoor is revealed. Ker'anson tries the key, but is no good: The mechanism requires the insertion of a much bigger, and obviously also much more complex key; the trapdoor consists of thick wood, reinforced by metal bars. Arashk quickly realized that there is no way he could pick this locking mechanism; not even with good tools. In a joint effort, you identify a weak spot in the wood, and work a hole into the trapdoor, so you can at least reach into it, and grab some items from the upper level.

((I will post in the OOC soon, so we can together find out, what's in there.))

[Blinkbear]

Hastily, you take what you can find, and stow it into bags as quick as you can. Luckily, there is some survival gear and weapons between the reachable equipment. You are not sure why there are tents stored here, but this is not the time for questions. You can hear loud cracks from the outside: Apparently, the burning cell block is collapsing. A moment later, you see another white flash of light that comes from the front yard. You realize that those guards who are still in the backyard will lose their source of entertainment the moment that the cell block has collapsed and all the slaves inside are dead. You can see that there is light inside the mansion that creeps through the curtains that block the view. The walls of the mansion are made from hewn stone in the first level, then from bricks in the upper. The windows facing the backyard are barred. For a moment you consider to make your escape over the hedges and walls, but you remember the stories about those who tried: Some where shot by snipers, but others were trapped in what others described as a magical curtain surrounding the building -- the front gate being its only opening.

"I think, an explosion destroyed the gate." One of the elder slaves in the inventory has spoken up. "I picked up some of their language over the years. I think the masters are fleeing, and the guards remain and defend the mansion." You see that the old woman is not a hundred percent sure of what she's saying, but her intents are obviously good.

[stanleyindraven]

"Need to hurry. If she is right, this is the time to go," Krempla called out to his cell mates. He stuck his head out the door and looked around to see if the coast was clear.

[Blinkbear]

"Yeah! Let's do this!" Some of the other slaves are really pumped from Bix's speech, and agree to Krempla, filling sacks with food, and grabbing parts of the broken table as improvised weapons. From the way they hold their "weapons", you can see that they have no combat training at all. Others seem more doubtful and afraid, especially those with children. "What if they catch us? You know the punishment..." - "But what if they find us here, with the dead guard?" Some discuss, some stand there, torn apart by both sides. The kids that spent most of their time eating are slowly realizing that not all is good right now, and walk back to their parents.

[Sontali]

Arashk nods and fills the pouches he had attached to his harness with some longer lasting foods. "Arashk is ready."

[Asmodean_]

Making sure he's enough food (for himself) for a week away from civilization, Ker'anson nods and heads for the exit. "Let's be away from this place before something even worse happens."

[Blinkbear]

It is agreed, and together you move forward, letting the slaves decide their own fate. As you leave the inventory, you can hear nigh maniac laughter from some guards, who seem to have the time of their life, watching the cell block burn. Quickly, you go for the front yard. Although the narrow passage invites you with its deeper shadows, it would mean to cross the back yard again, and so you decide for the supply path. Just when you reach the corner of the mansion, a loud, cracking sound followed by a surprised, high pitched scream interrupts you in your step. Rashly, you turn and see that a supporting wooden beam of the cell block must have collapsed, bringing forward a cloud of ash and smoke. The scream however, came from the direction of the inventory. One of the slaves you just shared the room with storms to the ruined building, screaming, in a language that is neither the slave's nor the master's tongue, but you can make out the desperation in the unknown words fairly well. The guards, stopped in their routine of observing, react quickly; one of them draws a long spear and impales the running slave while in full run. The others now spread in the yard: A few of them going to the inventory, some others to your cell block that they must have believed to be locked.

Some of the slaves near the exist of the inventory fall back, desperately trying to shut the half-destroyed door after them; while others try to run in your general direction. You know better than to wait any further second, and run until you can finally see what is going on in the front yard. The big garden is eerily bright, illuminated from what must be a powerful ongoing spell. In the center of the front yard, a group of two dozens of guards standing side by side, encircling a group of people in pompous nightgowns, and other people in slightly less pompous nightgowns who carry big bags, who rush into... a beautiful front yard of a mansion in a mountain landscape, bathed in sunshine. It takes you a moment to understand that this must be some kind of magical portal, joining the two front yards together. Part of the illumination of this front yard comes from the sunshine in the other, and before you can react to this bizarre scene, the last of the richer looking has stepped through it. Now, you notice a bunch of elder people in long nightblue robes with white stars on it. They pass through the portal, hands joined, and with them, the portal vanishes in a short bang and a flash of light. Quickly, you take cover behind bushes and statues as the guards rush to the veranda of the mansion armed to the teeth, crossbows aimed in the direction of unseen foes, others having spears and swords drawn.

From the distance, you can see that the main gate lies in ruins; this big iron gate people kept talking about. Now, there is an opening in the protective barrier of the estate, theoretically wide enough for two big carriages to pass through it, but you can guess that the floor is littered by debris and rubble, so that wheels could most likely not pass it right now. You see a smaller carriage standing in the front yard. Apart from that, there are mostly the guards on the veranda, and the only light comes from a series of nice looking little columns with lanterns on top, spread through the garden.

[stanleyindraven]

"Unless one of you has magic to hide us or kill them, we are going to have to fight. On that note, anyone able to set the big house ablaze?" Krempla eyes the guards from behind cover.

[Sontali]

Arashk carefully notes the position of the guards, fairly confident still that he would be able to make it past them himself, but the others were not so quiet. "Arashk have flint steel. Go inside, burn to hate spite?"

[Aldurin]

Bix looks over the structure. "The stone on the outside won't burn, we'll have to go inside to look for wood structures. We can continue to ambush individual guards in the confusion, but it won't work on the group at the exit. If we can get up to the second floor, Krempla can throw burning furniture from the balcony at the cluster of guards to make things difficult for them."

[Blinkbear]

The promised map. (https://www.dropbox.com/s/w7mua7v7ewrrjqf/premises.png?dl=0)

The red square with the alpha is your position. The guards are retreating to the veranda. There are several little statues and ornamental columns in the front yard; the only light sources are lanterns on small columns. During your discussion you all remember that human's puny eyes are not adapted to the dark; none of them can see in pitch black, and even in star light their eyes are not that good. Those primitive guys usually need daylight to function well. The gate has been destroyed; by foot (or wings) it can be passed, though it will be difficult to drive a cart over it. There is a single cart (without horses/donkeys/...) standing in the front yard; you don't know why it's there, but you also don't know whether it's usually there.

[stanleyindraven]

"Follow me," Krempla said as he darted left toward the outter wall. He kept himself close to the structure to limit the light on him and chance of notice. He attempted to lead the group quickly to the unguarded exit.

[Blinkbear]

Swiftly, Krempla rushes moves forward towards the gate, taking cover behind small statues.

Anyone who wants to follow, please post hide/move silently.

[Blinkbear]

Arashk and Bix follow easily. Ker'anson slightly misjudges the ground, but can find safe cover realizing the sound he makes. When he goes for a second sprint to the gate, he again catches the guards' attention, provoking some crossbow bolts flying into his general direction, but they fail him miserably. A moment later, the group has fought through the rubble and stands in the streets.

The world immediately changes. In particular, one can suddenly hear and smell the city, the premises apparently being protected from such nuisances. The neighborhood seems mostly clean, several single family houses visible or hidden behind high hedges. None of the other estates seems as big as the one that has been your cage for so long. Although you have never been here, you have the feeling that it's too loud for a night where the most inhabitants should be asleep. You can hear dogs barking, and heavy boots and hooves thundering over what must be asphalted streets in the distance. In front of you is a broad, nicely maintained, deserted road that ends in the now destroyed gate. The road begins somewhere down a hill; lanterns on the sides supplying it with dim lights, and marking smaller, narrow streets forking from the main road. Further down the hill, you can see the main part of the city, huge, and likely bigger than any city you ever spotted or assumed existing. You cannot count the roofs lying in front of you, illuminated by an odd reddish glow.

[stanleyindraven]

Krempla will make his way down the street and to the closest side street, as quickly as possible.

[Asmodean_]

Ker'anson swiftly follows, looking out for any obviously deserted houses.

[Sontali]

Arashk pauses momentarily, stunned by the number of them that could be living in one place. And then goes back to following his ex-cellmates, keeping an eye out for any guards.

Spot: [roll0]
Listen: [roll1]

[Blinkbear]

At first glance, the whole area seems strangely deserted. You quickly follow the main road to the first forking, much smaller road with small estates on each of its sides. Each estate has a garden, a one family house, and is surrounded by hedges and or walls, but you can get the occasional glance through gaps or the metal-barred front gates to see inside. The gardens are well-maintained, but everything lies in the dark. It takes some time and careful observation, until you realize that the houses are actually inhabited: Faint light crawls through the shut windows, and you can imagine that there are people awake in there. Each front gate has a sign with something written in an alphabet you have seen before but were never taught. It must be the way the masters write characters in their language. There are no guards visible, and the noise comes from down the road, and must be emitted somewhere in the more crowded part of the city which is still lit in reddish light.

[Aldurin]

Bix flies up into the air, finally free of breathing room and exhilarated to have no ceiling to limit him. He quickly ascends to float above the top of the buildings so he can see over the town, taking particular interest in the commotion and glow coming from further into the city.

[Blinkbear]

Bix flies up into the air, finally free of breathing room and exhilarated to have no ceiling to limit him. He quickly ascends to float above the top of the buildings so he can see over the town, taking particular interest in the commotion and glow coming from further into the city.

The higher Bix goes, the fresher the air is, and the better it smells. His view is marvelous, and he can see from here, that there are many red dots quickly moving through downtown (presumably people with torches or lanterns), but the reddish glow comes from several fires (presumably burning houses). From his viewpoint, he can make out a low barricade that separates this district/neighbourhood from the rest of the town. At every street crossing the barricade, he can see a concentration of light sources, the biggest of such concentrations where the main road crosses it. The barricade is still a dozen of streets away.

[stanleyindraven]

Krempla will head down the side street looking for a way out of the city.

[Aldurin]

Bix descends back to the others and relays what he sees. "I assume whatever is going on at the glowing light will be violent, and I'd rather avoid it."

[stanleyindraven]

Krempla nods, "I agree, we should leave the city. We can get away from the humans and be free, free."

[Asmodean_]

"Agreed. We should leave and come back later. The city will still be here." Ker'anson quickly glanced at the chaos at the city centre. "Hopefully."

[Sontali]

Arashk taps his claws together in anticipation, freedom. "Arashk agree, leave and run wild free. Come back and hunt find cruel masters."

[Blinkbear]

Together, you move swiftly through the lonely streets, not encountering anyone for a long time. The people here seem to be hiding in their houses, you have the feeling that they are afraid of whatever is going on outside. Bix has taken the air recon role, and supplies you with regular instructions regarding good ways. After a walk over several minutes, and if Bix is not mistaken around half the way to the city wall, Arashk suddenly hears the sound of heavy boots walking on soft ground, such as the ground of the small road you are currently following. If Arashk is not mistaken, the sound comes from a crossroad you are currently approaching.

Assuming that Arashk communicates his knowledge, Bix could not see anyone in the area, but maybe whoever walks there is given cover by house walls. The destination to the crossroad is 80ft right now. On the corners ahead and behind you, there is each a streetlight giving bright illumination in a 30ft radius, and shadowy illumination in a 60ft radius.

[stanleyindraven]

Krempla will back track and take out the lamp behind them, after all, they didn't need light.

[Blinkbear]

Krempla goes backwards to the last corner and turns out the light there. Most of the street you are on now lies in darkness, though there is still the illumination of the one in front of you.

Anyone else want to act?

[Sontali]

After hearing the footfalls and warning the others of their approach, Arashk attempts to get out of sight by climbing over a wall to get off the street and hides in the darkness.


Climb: [roll0]
Hide: [roll1]

[Blinkbear]

Arashk tries to quickly climb the wall protecting an estate, but fails to get a hold with his hands. Instinctively, he presses against the wall.

If you want to, go again. What about Bix and Ker'anson? If I don't hear from you, I'll default you to hiding.

[stanleyindraven]

Krempla slowly crept back up the dark street.

[Aldurin]

Bix floats up on top of a roof outside the range of the remaining street lamp and remains still, waiting to see what happens.

Hide [roll0]

[Asmodean_]

Ker'anson retreats to the darkness and flattens himself to the wall, keeping a close eye on the crossroads.

[Blinkbear]

Everyone seeks cover and hides. It takes some time, then you can all see someone stepping into the light of the burning streetlamp: A hooded figure, about the size of a human, wrapped in a long, dark cloak. The movement is a bizarre mix of grace and clumsiness: The overall movement pattern is that of someone trying to move without being heard or seen, but the creature seems unable to thoroughly follow this pattern, staggering, swaying over the street. The person raises one hand as if it tries to shield itself from the light of the streetlamp, but loses balance promptly, nearly falling to all fours. You can hear the creature panting lowly, like someone who will not likely breath much longer. The creature remains at this position for a moment, as if trying to collect power, before moving on.

Please decide if you'd like to interact or not. I don't think we need initiative for that.

[stanleyindraven]

Krempla will watch, assuming they were attacked and may raise alarm if he intercedes.

[Asmodean_]

Ker'anson watches silently at the victim, disassociating himself from the situation as much as possible, not wanting to be seen as a guilty party to either the perpetrator of the attack to a friend of the victim or a friend of the victim to the perpetrator of the attack.

[Aldurin]

Bix continues to wait and watch from the rooftops. Interacting with anyone in the city is too risky at this point in their escape.

[Sontali]

Arashk considers stepping forward for a moment, but sees that none of his companions are and instead watches the figure continue, listening for the sounds of people following its not so stealthy stumbling.

Listen: [roll0]

[Blinkbear]

For a moment, the creature looks as if able to continue the passage, but then suddenly collapses mid-step, hits the floor with the head. A wet cough stings the silence of the lonely night, followed by a spit. For a second, the creature lies silent, then with great effort starts to scratch something with the right into the soft earthy ground, before emitting a last breath.

You cannot sense anyone in the proximity. Bix has perfect overview, and could only miss someone if s/he would press against one of the walls, standing still.

[stanleyindraven]

Krempla will advance and inspect the scrawled image. After looking at the image he will pull the man/creature into the darkness.

[Blinkbear]

Krempla notices four letters, written in the simple alphabet of the slave language: "R I S E". The creature also drew the following below the letters:

http://www.tauruszodiacsign.net/images/taurus.jpg (http://www.tauruszodiacsign.net/images/taurus.jpg)
Krempla manages to pull the corpse out of the radius of the street light.

Otherwise, nothing has changed. If anyone wants to search the body, announce it.

[Asmodean_]

"No point in letting this perfectly good corpse go to waste," Ker'anson whispers, before leaning down to search the victim's pockets, pondering the symbol.

Search: Racial Modifier (+2), INT (+2) - [roll0]
Knowledge (Arcana): Ranks (+6), INT (+2) - [roll1]

[Blinkbear]

Ker'anson unwraps the cape, exposing the body of a young human with pointy ears and almond eyes, similar to those of Ker'anson but not as distinct. His right cheek features two parallel scars, nearly reaching from eye to chin. His skin is rather pale, with a slightly greenish shade. He wears a fine studded leather shirt and soft leather trousers. Something is emitting a slightly pulsing light from under the shirt; removing the armor exposes a flat, palm-sized ruby-like jewel that seems to have affixed to the chest, near the heart. It emits a dim light, much less than that of candle, easy to conceal. His cloak turns out to have many pockets, containing different kinds of small tools for tasks that most likely Arashk would have a use for, and a hand full of daggers and darts. At his belt, the creature has a finely made sap, two strange looking, sheathed batons, around 9 inches long: One is made of white bone with ornamental carvings showing bats, rats and spiders crawling it. The other is of similar shape but of blueish color, half transparent, with green alga ornaments wrapping around it. Apart from that, the person wears a fine looking silvery ring in the shape of a feather wrapping around the finger. Finally, there is a coin pouch containing mostly pieces of copper and silver, although also one golden one, and in another pocket, you find another coin, though this looks different than the others, and has a hole in its center with a thin leather string going through.

Krempla and Arrashk remember the scars on his face as those of a warrior they had once seen in the pit. Krempla means to remember having seen him wielding dual daggers, Arrashk's not sure about this anymore.

Ker'anson's study of the symbol brings memories reveals that the symbol looks similar to the zodiac sign of the taurus, at least where he comes from.


The creature's a half-elf. I assume that your characters are not really familiar with specific magic items, but know stories about them existing. Maybe an enemy in the pits even had one once. Sap and armor are masterwork. The money is [roll0] copper, [roll1] silver, and one gold piece. The two batons are wands, obviously. If you want to try them out, you will find out the specifics. Otherwise, a spellcraft check might help. The ruby-like thingy can be easily removed, similarly convenient as those star trek communicators, and takes the amulet slot. The cloak seems also rather finely made.

[Asmodean_]

Ker'anson carefully removes each rod, squinting at the designs to determine what they might do, before picking up the crystal and handing it to Bix: "Never seen anything like this before. You got any idea what this is?"

Bone Rod: Spellcraft: Knowledge (Arcana) Synergy (+2), INT (+2): [roll0]
Blue Rod: Spellcraft: Knowledge (Arcana) Synergy (+2), INT (+2): [roll1]

[Aldurin]

Bix takes both wands, trying to focus on any energy he can feel while trying to let specific details of the appearance of the wands guide him. "I'll see what I can figure out, but if I can't then we should at least wait until we're outside of the city or in an emergency to actually use them."

Bone Rod Spellcraft [roll0]
Blue Rod Spellcraft [roll1]

[stanleyindraven]

"Take anything that might be useful or magic, we need to go." Krempla let out as he stood and crept near the corner.

[Sontali]

Arashk pokes his head up in interest seeing the tools and moves over and tucks them into his harness somewhere. "Arashk can try work figure rods out, picked up basics." Arashk looks over the rods and ponders on the meaning of the symbol.

Spellcraft: [roll0]
Remembering symbol[roll1]

[Blinkbear]

Quickly, the group gathers around the fallen freak, and see what of their equipment might be usable for them. Bix casts a cantrip in order to identify those of the items that are magic, and most of the items go through more than one pair of hands before one agrees on the use of the item and its new wielder.

The following items are magic:

Bone wand that Bix can identify as an eternal wand of summon swarm; 2 uses per day, caster level 3, arcane
Blue wand that Bix can identify as a wand of Kelpstrand; unknown whether also eternal or charges, caster level 3, assume wisdom in spell description as +2, arcane
Cloak that resizes if someone of different size touches it; examination reveals that some of the pockets seal seemingly and are actually small extra-dimensional spaces to efficiently hide small objects, such as thieves tools
Amulet, Necromancy aura; Krempla remembers to have heard of such items: the item is known to affix to the characters heart and helps him in situations were he would become unconscious
Ring, faint transmutation aura


Edit: The thieves tools are masterwork

[Blinkbear]

After (at least temporary) decision have been made, the group strolls further towards the city walls. There was no place to hide the corpse anyway, and what and whom would it help... ?

If you like to do anything else to this corpse, we'll retcon. For now, I'd like to think to get it going.

Finally, the city wall. Nearly 20ft high, built from big gray stone blocks with a nearly 5ft broad walkway, protected by crenelation. You can only imagine how much sweat and blood once had to be spilled for this. Bix cannot see any guards in the direct environment, only a few lights in regular intervals, but too far away from each other to illuminate the complete wall. Now that Bix is so near, the view over the wall is spectacular: The upper town turns out to be surrounded by water: The city is on a hill with a steep cliff, so high that the water can barely be seen in the night. Between the wall and the cliff is only a narrow, 5ft slip of natural rocky ground. If one assumes uptown to be in the north, the group is at the eastern part of uptown. The hill descends into the direction of downtown (south), and at its foot, the cliff coast proceeds to the east.


Because I suck at such descriptions, especially in foreign languages, here, have some schematic drawing (north is in the top, the view is from above, you cannot see everything to west and south, the black dot is your position). (https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0locohwEnHCcEItdmI1Nzd1QkU)

[Sontali]

Arashk ponders for a moment, there don't appear to be any guards, but. "Can we rise climb walls? Cruel mean guards might be at entrance gate, not here." The lizardfolk looks at his companions, Bix can fly and Krempla is strong but Ker'anson might have difficulty scaling the blocks. "Arashk and Krempla climb wall, grab pull Ker'anson up with rope?"

[stanleyindraven]

"Sounds like a plan to me, of course, if Ker'Anson can climb then follow." Krempla will proceed to dig claws in and climb the wall.

[roll0]

[Sontali]

Arashk nods and attempts to scurry up the wall.

C'mon dice gods...
Climb: [roll0]

[Blinkbear]

Krempla and Arashk try their best to climb the wall. Krempla's choice of positioning his left claw is a bit unlucky and instead of making progress, he sends a small cloud of dust onto his head. Arashk manages to climb the first 10ft.


Climb rules:


Check
With a successful Climb check, you can advance up, down, or across a slope, a wall, or some other steep incline (or even a ceiling with handholds) at one-quarter your normal speed. A slope is considered to be any incline at an angle measuring less than 60 degrees; a wall is any incline at an angle measuring 60 degrees or more.

A Climb check that fails by 4 or less means that you make no progress, and one that fails by 5 or more means that you fall from whatever height you have already attained.

I set the DC for climbing the wall to 20. Therefore, taking 10 brings neither of you up safely, and you have to continue making rolls (taking 20 is not an option if failure means falling). Every successful roll makes progress depending on the move speed: Krempla up to 7.5 ft, Arashk up to 10ft. So, Krempla needs at least 3 successes, Arashk at least two. Should your result be 15 or lower, you fall. Trying to catch yourself is a hopeless endeavor in your case because you would need to succeed on a DC 30 climb check. Similarly, catching the other person would also require a DC 30 climb check. So basically, you are on your own. If one of you (or Bix) is up, and starts any rope shenanigans, the DC goes lower (as long as you are good at using ropes for affixing it, or are good in strength for holding it).

If you want to, give me a sequence of, I don't know, 10 climb checks each, and I can then describe what happens. Or find another strategy. I will let the dice decide now who currently is in possession of the magic ring (as you have not decided that in the OOC). I assume that Ker'anson has the ruby heart, as he claimed it, and no one else took initiative. If someone else wants to have it, discuss it in the OOC please. The person who has the magic ring right now then has to decide whether he wears it; I don't know how careful/superstitious your character is. I will faciliate this with a DC 5 wisdom check; if failed, the ring is on the finger. Otherwise the character can choose. The characters do not know yet what the ring does.

1 = Krempla, 2 = Arashk, 3 = Bix, 4 = Ker'anson: [roll0]
DC 5 Wisdom check (Krempla +1, Arashk +1, Bix +0, Ker'anson +1): [roll1]

Edit: So, a bit ironically, Bix has the ring, and can decide freely whether it's on his finger or not. Luckily, it doesn't matter.

[Sontali]

Climb:
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]
[roll6]
[roll7]

[stanleyindraven]

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]
[roll6]
[roll7]
[roll8]
[roll9]

[Blinkbear]

A few seconds later, Arashk and Krempla are up one the wall. When Arashk stands in the walkway, he cannot really see a lot, but if he decides to stay on the wall itself, he can now also see the dark ocean beyond them. Krempla can stand in the walkway and see the same.

As every climber knows, getting down without falling is not actually easier than getting up. And while it looks will rush your adrenaline to its limits, even if you would fall, you would only fall down the cliff if you tried to do any stunts.

The space between the other side of the wall and the cliff is rather narrow. However, should one fall, we will assume that one simply drops into this space - unless one tries to do stuff like reducing damage by jumping or tumbling: in this case, you try to land in a specific way, and if you fail you might topple over and fall down the cliff.
From the SRD:

Falling Damage
The basic rule is simple: 1d6 points of damage per 10 feet fallen, to a maximum of 20d6.

If a character deliberately jumps instead of merely slipping or falling, the damage is the same but the first 1d6 is nonlethal damage. A DC 15 Jump check or DC 15 Tumble check allows the character to avoid any damage from the first 10 feet fallen and converts any damage from the second 10 feet to nonlethal damage. Thus, a character who slips from a ledge 30 feet up takes 3d6 damage. If the same character deliberately jumped, he takes 1d6 points of nonlethal damage and 2d6 points of lethal damage. And if the character leaps down with a successful Jump or Tumble check, he takes only 1d6 points of nonlethal damage and 1d6 points of lethal damage from the plunge.


Options of getting down without further utilities:
1) Climbing down. If you fail to get DC 16, you fall. Now, you have the choice between 1a) and 1b)
1a) You simply drop to the ground, landing bruised but safe. If it's within the first 10ft, it's 2d6 of damage. If it's within the second 10ft, it's 1d6 of damage.
1b) You try to slow your fall by a jump or tumble DC 15 check. If you succeed, and you're within the first 10ft, it's only 1d6 of damage. if you succeed and it's the second part of the trip, it's no damage. Should you fail by 4 or less (this is a houserule), you take the damage as if you did not try it. If you fail by 5 or more, you instead fall down the cliff, inflicting a lot of falling damage, that I will calculate only if required.
2) Jumping down, deliberately.
2a) You choose to basically hop down, and ignoring the fact that your ankles will hurt badly. You land safely, taking 1d6 non-lethal and 1d6 lethal damage.
2b) You choose to hop down, and try to slow your fall by a DC 15 tumble or jump. In contrast to 1b, you can take 10 here. If you succeed, you take 1d6 non-lethal damage. If you fail by 4 or less (this is again a houserule), you simply take 1d6 of non-lethal and 1d6 of lethal damage. If you fail by 5 or more, you instead fall down the cliff, inflicting a lot of falling damage, that I will calculate only if required.


Edit: Ninja'd by stanleyindraven, but worked it in now.

[Blinkbear]

Once on the wall, Krempla lets down the long rope you found in the inventory, and pulls Ker'anson up as well. Quickly, the half-dragon lets down Ker'anson and Arashk safely down on the other side again. When both have cleared the space and the rope is down with them, Krempla climbs down. At first, it looks like he would get down safely, but then he loses his hold and falls. Well-knowing that any stunts could send him straight into the abyss, he lets himself fall down on the ground, feet first. Pain flows through his body, but he can keep his mouth shut and only emits a low growl. The fall was painful but does not leave him staggered.


Where do you head next? If you would like to try to get as far away from the city as possible, the obvious way would be to follow the city coast: First near at the wall so that you are difficult to spot from above, later near the cliff. If you would like to do this, simply roll each 10 hide and 10 move silently checks in the OOC. If you manage to get by the few guards that are on the wall, then you get to level up and stay in the wilderness before we go on with the next chapter. If you'd like to do something else, let me know.

[Blinkbear]

Trying not to make any noise, the group heads towards the south, staying close to the wall until the land between coast and wall broadens. From this point on, the group stays instead near to the cliff. Along the way, the group can hear and sometimes even see guards on the wall, but most of them are talking. They speak the master's tongue, but even without understanding the words, one can hear that they are worried about something and are trying to reassure each other. The group can see that at some point in the distance, there is a lighthouse at the coast, emitting a bright signal to whoever sails the ocean in regular intervals. The land side is shielded from the light, and thus the way can still be passed without trouble. Now, that the land has broadened, one can also see small doors in the wall sometimes, but there is apparently no gate on this side. The land in the east seems to become rockier and higher, offering protection from civilization, but likely offering its own danger of survival int he wild.

[stanleyindraven]

Krempla, seeing that they were getting away, looks relieved. His determination doubles as they head into the rocky hills ahead. "We are free, now, we must stay that way."

[Sontali]

"Arashk agree, though not know where Arashk is." Keeping an ear out to ensure that they weren't being followed, he continued away from the wall with the party.

Listen: [roll0]

[Blinkbear]

In this night, the enthusiasm for being finally free is still conflicted with the fear of being followed and getting caught again. While the group only had half a night of sleeping, no one feels like stopping to walk, the darkness of the night feeling like a dark, comforting mantle of relative safety from the oppressors. When dawn finally comes, city wall and coast are only to be seen from afar as the group has advanced in the rocky environment that seems to provide the best protection in the general area. Finally, Ker'anson decides that a small group of trees is the best place to rest, and the group settles down.


***

Another day and another night pass without the group encountering any intelligent life. The barren lands do not seem dangerous per se, but they also do not promise a lot of protection; as it seems, there are no left farms or the like in the general area, as the ground is not very fertile and mostly grows simple grass and brambles. Finally, on the third day, the group finds a small house, well hidden between some trees, around a one day march from the city walls.* The house has only the ground level which is not further divided into different rooms, but with its old, worn furniture and the stable hearth, it feels incredibly cozy in comparison to everything experienced since like forever. There is even a privy/outhouse a few meters from the backdoor, and a small well which unfortunately is not directly usable as it is clogged by leaves and dirt. As it seems, whoever the last resident of this house may be, has not been here in a long time. Hence, the group decides to stay here for now, enjoying the luxury of living in their own house. One of the most curious items to be found in the house is an issue of a poorly produced newspaper which proudly calls itself "The Dunghaven Gazette". Most of it appear to be job openings in some artisan businesses, some local news that do not make a lot of sense to outsiders, and some caricatures of people without names but, as you can imagine, are very funny if one knows the circumstances. What really makes the paper curious is that it is written in the slave tongue.


***

After a few days, freedom nearly begins to feel normal, the bad feeling and worries that someone could set out to hunt them down has stopped lurking into the minds every night. The group has developed a watch routine, and also repaired and fixed the well in order to get comparably fresh water from the ground. Just yesterday, Ker'anson had found the tracks of a boar family, and their roasted, tender meat tastes better than one could ever imagine.

It is one of Bix' scouting tours that he finally sees something disturbing, reminding him of the reality that they apparently could not leave behind yet: In safe distance, Bix can see a cart drawn by two mules, accompanied by two humanoid creatures. They stroll without any apparent hurry towards the general direction of the city, following no visible path, but seemingly knowing where they go. The cart is of simple nature and without a coach box. Actually, it is mostly a big, barred cage on four wheels with sufficient space for at least four people who would fit into it "comfortably". The two humanoids leading the carriage wear light to medium armor, one of them carries a long spear in his right, the other a bow on his back. From the current distance, it's impossible to make out if and how many individuals are in the cage, and if the humanoids have further weaponry. After some observation, Bix can see that there is actually a third person strolling behind the wagon, also humanoid and medium sized. From here, there is no reason to assume the creatures to be something else than humans.


Bix, you are about a 15 minutes flight (and 30 minutes walk) away from your "home base". Visibility is well enough that you believe to be able to find the carriage again should you decide to return to the others. The rest of you is involved in some activities around the house of your own choice.

* I assume that you did not walk further and further away from the city, but first tried to find a secure place in the general proximity.

[Aldurin]

After assessing the situation, Bix immediately bolts back to the house, staying just low enough over the trees so that they don't obstruct him while they still hide his coloration from the humans at the wagon. When he reaches the house he immediately finds the others. "Slave cart! I found a slave cart!" He giddily relays the details about what the security of the cart is equipped with. "We could do a fantastic ambush, free the slaves, and salvage the cart and equipment for ourselves!"

[Asmodean_]

Ker'anson put down his writing and quickly rose to his feet. "The guards might even have gold on them," he grins, eager at the prospect of earning coin - after all, you could do anything with it if you had enough of it. The possibilities for its use were endles--

Snapping back to reality, he shook his head. "You say they were fifteen minutes' fly away when you left?" He ponders this for a moment. "In that case, we've got about ten minutes minimum of time before they arrive. We need to sort out our battle plan."

[stanleyindraven]

"Get in front of them, lay down my weapon where they cannot see it, then wait for them to close. You all could hide off to the sides and surround them. Should be easy to take them after that. But we need to get going." Krempla lets out the stream of words as he gathers his crossbow and sword.

[Sontali]

"Arashk will take the back, cut off retreat." The lizard folk checks that all of his gear is secured and then will follow Bix to the site of the ambush to be.

[Asmodean_]

"I'll drop a Daze spell on the one with the bow. That'll give us a few extra seconds to get into a more advantageous position." Ker'anson pokes his head out the window and peers towards the horizon, trying to see where the cart might be and what route it might be taking.

Spot: Racial Bonus (+2), WIS (+2): [roll0]

[Blinkbear]

The place that Ker'anson found would fit its purpose, of that the group is sure. The carriage is only a few minutes away, but still the thrill of the hunt awakens in the former pit fighters. Swiftly, everyone takes position.

The map can be found here. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1CnRZxiZffmasdk9iBOAq7LSKkQ-pO_zh-xsTkfBsZ3w/edit?usp=sharing) Please choose and post a position for your characters. Should you have any questions or problems, let me know. We do not care about the actual "north" now, just for speaking, let as assume that the carriage comes from north, that is, from the top. The carriage is 10ftx10ft, so it can go through the "tunnel", but there are some places where the humanoids cannot go aside it. From their previous marching order, you can assume that the two in front just go in front of the mules, and the one in the back stays behind the carriage. Should you ask yourself why they go through the passage, just assume that to the west and east, difficult terrain is expanding a while so this would simply be the easiest way. You cannot hide in the "plain" terrain, so everyone who wants to hide should stand on a green field (or sit in a tree), or, if desired, can also stand in the difficult terrain (with all its conditions). If you would like to hide behind a tree, this obviously gives cover.

[Aldurin]

Bix is more nervous than the others, never actually sent to the fighting pits and glad to due to his continued awareness of his fragility. He prepares a defensive spell before their target gets close, then flies up to a branch in a tree off to the side of the path, waiting.

Positioning at P6, standing on a branch 10 feet off the ground. Casting Mage Armor for a three hour duration.

[Asmodean_]

Ker'anson slides behind two close trees on the other side of the path as Bix, and stares at where the caravan will surely go, ready to release his spell at the sign of their arrival.
Positioned at E7.

[Sontali]

Arashk hides in some underbrush, relying on his chameleonic skin to keep him hidden.

Hide: [roll0]

Arashk is in the undergrowth of C2.

[Blinkbear]

After a few minutes, the carriage and its company of three humans finally approaches the channel. Now, it is visible that there are five people cramped in the cage, bound by rattling shackles. A low whimpering comes from inside the barred cage. The human carrying the bow (B) suddenly seems to notice something, then says something to his pal (S) in an unknown language, who in turn looks in Krempla's direction, and nods confirmingly, taking his spear into a more ready position. B rises his hand and the mules decrease their speed, while S apparently wants to scout ahead. The man in the back R, switches between looking a bit worried at the cage, and looking backwards to see if they are followed.

Map: http://bit.ly/2aCq5Cr (http://bit.ly/2aCq5Cr)

As Asmodean_ wrote that Ker'anson would ready to throw his spell at the bowslinger at the first possible moment, I thought I'd start with the carriage appearing on the top of the map. And yes, I had to insert a row for that at the top, but your relative positions stayed the same. I am not sure when you want to start the ambush, but here's initiative, and as they do not understand what's happening, you have a surprise round (everyone's reduced to a standard action). Of course, you can also say that you'd like to wait until the enemy is in a certain position. Should they find out that this is an ambush between now and this position, surprise will be gone. So, this is possibly a trade off, although their chance of actually finding out about the ambush are low. The carriage is moving now with 20ft per round, but S would try a 60ft double move, which means that he can reach Krempla this round.




Ar [roll0]
Bi [roll1]
Ke [roll2]
Kr [roll3]

For later use:

B [roll4]
S [roll5]
R [roll6]

[Sontali]

Arashk watches through the undergrowth, prepared to throw his bolas if combat starts, but otherwise waits until the cart is in a more advantageous position.

Readied action to throw the bolas at R if Krempla comes under attack.

[stanleyindraven]

Krempla lays in wait for the approach. If one reaches him he will stand to ready in his surprise round, if they stop short he will still use the surprise round to get to his feet.

[Blinkbear]

The carriage slowly proceeds, while S has walked up to Krempla, standing 5ft away from him, obviously planning to poke him with the spear. He shouts something to the others, that you do not understand.

Next try for a suprise round, please act in initiative; you each have a partial action (standard action or partial charge). Krempla, as you are lying prone, you can either attack from prone (but he's not in your reach), or stand up (move action), or do something else from prone, like breathing fire or so.

Ar (1d20+9)[28]
Bi (1d20+4)[22]
Ke (1d20+3)[14]
Kr (1d20+3)[7]

For later use:

R (1d20+2)[20]
S (1d20+2)[14]
B (1d20+2)[5]

[Aldurin]

Seeing the chance, Bix exerts his innate magic to attempt to bring the person armed with a bow to unconsciousness.
Using sleep SLA on guard with bow. DC 16 will save, caster level 4.

[stanleyindraven]

OOC: Since I am going to AFK for a bit.

Krempla will stand, pulling his sword up with him as he does before the spear holder.

[Sontali]

Seeing combat has been initiated, Arashk throws the bolas at R.

To hit: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1] + [roll2]

[Asmodean_]

Ker'anson casts Daze, looking to stall whatever the spearman might do.
Daze: L0. Will Save DC: 15.

Spells remaining:
0 - 5/6
1 - 5/5
2 - 2/2

[Blinkbear]

Surprise round summary:


Arashk's bolas strike true, educing a sharp scream of surprise, pain and anger from its target, R. Bix' spell sends B into a dreamless sleep. Ker'anson plants a confusing thought into S' mind, but he seems to shake it off with ease. Krempla, much to the surprise of S stands up from prone.

Map: http://bit.ly/2aCq5Cr (http://bit.ly/2aCq5Cr)
Initiative Order:

Ar (1d20+9)[28]
Bi (1d20+4)[22]
R (1d20+2)[20]: 5 damage
Ke (1d20+3)[14]
S (1d20+2)[14]
Kr (1d20+3)[7]
B (1d20+2)[5]: Sleeps

Please post your actions; I will post the one of R, once Arashk and Bix are done. If you want to, post your action if you think that it is independent from what else is happening.

[Sontali]

Having struck true, Arashk capitalizes on the surprise and charges at R swiping at them with claw while hissing various insults in Draconic.

Since I don't believe I can charge being in difficult terrain, Arashk is simply moving up to R and attacking. Seeming as R hasn't had a turn yet I believe sneak attack still applies.
To hit: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1] + [roll2]

[Blinkbear]

Arashk walks up to its unsuspecting target, hissing and insulting, aiming at slashing R's hamstring, but instead his claw is blocked by the leathery leg bracer of his opponent.

Map: http://bit.ly/2aCq5Cr (http://bit.ly/2aCq5Cr)
Initiative Order:

Ar (1d20+9)[28]
Bi (1d20+4)[22]
R (1d20+2)[20]: 5 damage
Ke (1d20+3)[14]
S (1d20+2)[14]
Kr (1d20+3)[7]
B (1d20+2)[5]: Sleeps

[Aldurin]

Bix pops out from cover, firing a crossbow bolt at R before resuming position behind his tree.

Flyby attack to move up one square, attack then resume the original position.
[roll0]
[roll1]

[Blinkbear]

Bix comes out his cover, fires a crossbow bolt at the surprised R, making as much damage as a single crossbow bolt can make (unless hitting a critical spot), and takes cover again.

R throws an obvious, though not literally understood, insult at Arrashk, tumbles backwards, avoiding opening himself for an attack. While doing so, R draws a whip, lashes out, trying to bring Arashk to the ground, at which he succeeds. Without further warning, the whip comes down cracking on Arashk, but cannot harm his scaly hide.

Ker'anson fires a hex at the two mules; only one of them is affected but sinks down to the ground immediately, snoring peacefully.

S, shocked and surprised upon Krempla's resurrection, quickly moves backwards. Keeping the spear in one hand, he draws a small bag from his belt and throws it at Krempla. On impact on Krempla's thick skin, it cracks open and spills gooey alchemical substances on the half-dragon, quickly thickening and making him unable to move how he used to.



A whip cannot harm you other than tripping. If you want to fake being hurt by it, make a bluff check OOC. Otherwise, he will realize soon and change tactics.



I quote the SRD on tanglefoot bags:

An entangled creature takes a -2 penalty on attack rolls and a -4 penalty to Dexterity and must make a DC 15 Reflex save or be glued to the floor, unable to move. A creature that is glued to the floor can break free by making a DC 17 Strength check or by dealing 15 points of damage to the goo with a slashing weapon. A creature trying to scrape goo off itself, or another creature assisting, does not need to make an attack roll; hitting the goo is automatic, after which the creature that hit makes a damage roll to see how much of the goo was scraped off. Once free, the creature can move (including flying) at half speed. The goo becomes brittle and fragile after 2d4 rounds, cracking apart and losing its effectiveness. An application of universal solvent to a stuck creature dissolves the alchemical goo immediately.
Roll for the tanglefoot bag becoming brittle: [roll0]


It's Krempla's turn.

Map: http://bit.ly/2aCq5Cr (http://bit.ly/2aCq5Cr)
Initiative Order:

Ar (1d20+9)[28]: Prone
Bi (1d20+4)[22]
R (1d20+2)[20]: 11 damage
Ke (1d20+3)[14]
S (1d20+2)[14]
Kr (1d20+3)[7], entangled, glued to the ground
B (1d20+2)[5]: Sleeps

[stanleyindraven]

"Bad idea," Krempla lets out in the slave language.
He breaths in then lets out a line of fire directly at the spearman.

Damage [roll0]

[Blinkbear]

Krempla breathes fire at the obviously terrified S, who jumps out in the last moment, averting some of the damage. The immense heat still causes the smell of burnt hair and flesh, leaving S with a blistered face.

It's a new round.

Map: http://bit.ly/2aCq5Cr (http://bit.ly/2aCq5Cr)
Initiative Order:

Ar (1d20+9)[28]: Prone
Bi (1d20+4)[22]
R (1d20+2)[20]: 11 damage
Ke (1d20+3)[14]
S (1d20+2)[14]: 14 damage
Kr (1d20+3)[7], entangled, glued to the ground
B (1d20+2)[5]: Sleeps

[Aldurin]

Bix reloads the crosssbow and takes another shot, this time at the spearman.

Reload crossbow and fire at S.
[roll0]
[roll1]

[Sontali]

Arashk rushes to his feet, and runs past R, relying on the whips ineffectiveness to see him through.

Move Action to stand up, second move action to move to K6 with his 40 ft movement rate.

[Blinkbear]

Arashk quickly dashes past his opponent, not threatened by R's whip. R angrily draws a slightly curved saber from his belt, aiming to charge at Arashk. But the moment he tries to move towards the lizardfolk, a pair of hands stretches through the bars of the cage and wrap around his neck, trying to hold him at bay. R struggles for a moment, but manages to become free again.

Bix fires a crossbow bolt, hitting the shocked S into the back, causing him to rush around in pain, leaving him with no chance of realizing Ker'anson's magic attack before it is too late, and the flames send him to the ground with a suddenly stopping scream of terror.

Krempla, your turn.

Ar (1d20+9)[28]
Bi (1d20+4)[22]
R (1d20+2)[20]: 11 damage
Ke (1d20+3)[14]
Kr (1d20+3)[7], entangled, glued to the ground
B (1d20+2)[5]: Sleeps

Former Combatants:
S (1d20+2)[14]: presumably dead

[stanleyindraven]

Krempla, knowing his sword is useless, drops it to the ground. He then draws the crossbow from his back and loads a bolt and fires at R.

Attack [roll0]
Damage [roll1]

[Blinkbear]

Krempla quickly draws his crossbow and fires it at the unsuspecting R, hitting him right into the shoulder. Arashk can see that the person in the cage courageously tries to grab R again shouting "I'll try to hold him" (in slave tongue), but he misses.

New turn!

Map: http://bit.ly/2aCq5Cr (http://bit.ly/2aCq5Cr)


Ar (1d20+9)[28]
Bi (1d20+4)[22]
R (1d20+2)[20]: 18 damage
Person in the cage: [roll0]
Ke (1d20+3)[14]
Kr (1d20+3)[7], entangled, glued to the ground
B (1d20+2)[5]: Sleeps

[Aldurin]

Seeing that the remaining target has taken cover from him. Bix channels some magic and creates the illusion that a bigger, scarier version of Krempla is silently digging out of the ground close to R, behaving as if it's preparing to attack.

Cast Silent Image, starting the illusion on J4. Effective area of illusion is 10 10x10 cubes, starting from F8 to K3. DC 17 will save to disbelieve the illusion if it is interacted with.

[Sontali]

Arashk continues moving, having seen an opportunity. He continues to the slumbering form of B and goes for the undefended man's throat, hissing at R. Before looking at the caged slaves valiant efforts and yelling "Hold stay back, we will deal with cruel mean guard."

Arashk has moved to H10, and is performing a standard action Coup de grace on B, courtesy of the Death Blow feat.
Damage: [roll0] + [roll1]

[Blinkbear]

Arashk moves quickly to the sleeping body, quickly glances at it to find an optimal attack vector and then ends its life with a deathly slash, splattering blood all over the place.

Bix casts his spell, making R scream of terror and convincing him to withdraw at full speed. When he passes his dead companions he screams again in a mix of fear and anger.

The person in the cage also seems a bit worried, and shouts in slave language whether the beast is with you.



Map: http://bit.ly/2aCq5Cr (http://bit.ly/2aCq5Cr)


Ar (1d20+9)[28]
Bi (1d20+4)[22]
R (1d20+2)[20]: 18 damage
Person in the cage: [roll0]
Ke (1d20+3)[14]
Kr (1d20+3)[7], entangled, glued to the ground

[Asmodean_]

Ker'anson pursues the runaway and, upon gaining sufficient sight of his target, unleashes three magic missiles at him.
Move action to go to square I2.

Magic Missile: L1. CL5: 3 missiles. Damage done: [roll0]

Spells remaining:
0 - 5/6
1 - 3/5
2 - 1/2

[Blinkbear]

R tries to block the incoming missiles fired by Ker'anson, but in vain. Nigh comically, the missiles circuit his defending arms, and then hit him directly into the chest. He falls to the ground, dead.

You can act out of initiative again.

[stanleyindraven]

Krempla will attempt to break free.

Strength check [roll0]

[Aldurin]

Bix immediately moves to the cage, speaking to the prisoners. "Which one holds the key?"

[stanleyindraven]

Once free, Krempla will check the body of S for useful equipment then drag it off behind a tree.

[Blinkbear]

While Krempla is breaking free, Bix moves swiftly to the cage. Upon his question, one of the five individuals points to the remains of B. They look at you with a mix of fear, anxiety and not being sure whether should actually trust their luck. Then the biggest one of them, a human with some orcish element (half-orc or quarter-orc), says:

"The guy with the bow. Will you set us free?"

There is hope in his words but also pride. He seems to be the toughest of them, and was also the one trying to help Arashk. The scars in his face make you think that he went through a lot - whatever it was exactly. The other four are two humans (one male, one female), a halfling female, and a young man who looks like a mix of a human and a demon. Although he might have the strongest bloodline of them, he seems to be the youngest and most afraid. You see that he desperately tries to hide his spiked tail, though the horns on his head give it away anyway. All of them are unarmed and where very simple clothes.

Krempla searches S and finds some useful gear.


Krempla finds the following items:


a nice quality breastplate of a very durable looking metal (adamantine) [gives damage reduction 2/-, has a higher hardness and has otherwise the values of an adamantine breastplate]
Curiously cleanly looking padding to wear under the armor
[roll0] Tanglefoot Bags
Explorer's outfit
Masterwork Longspear
Flail
2 Daggers, 1 of them masterwork
a bag of coins [roll1] GP, [roll2] SP, [roll3] CP
A simple golden necklace

[stanleyindraven]

After Krempla takes the man over by a tree he strips him of all his gear and leaves him in a bloody, disgraced pile. "Take what you can, we'll take the cage and mules back. You lot are welcome to join." Krempla calls out as he shoves the equipment into a sack.

[Aldurin]

Noticing the fear of some of the slaves, Bix retrieves the key and unlocks the cage. "We're outcasts, like you. The the world of humans and other "normal" creatures will reject us until we build our own. We will not stop you if you wish to go your separate ways, but I must warn you that the city might not be safe. There were riots there during a recent night, and whoever won the conflict could still want an outlet for their violence." After he finishes, he goes and tries to salvage the crossbow bolts he fired during the fight.

Diplomacy [roll0]

[Sontali]

As if to confirm Bix's words, Arashk flicks off the blood from his claws and displays the scars that manacles had left on his wrists over the years. "Aside from scar memories, you are free."

[Asmodean_]

"I don't see why not. More hands means more power." So saying, Ker'anson goes to check on the other fallen bodies for anything useful.

[Blinkbear]

One by one, the captives unlock their chains and leave the cage. During that time, you search the remains for useful items.

R

Masterwork Whip
Masterwork Scimitar
Masterwork Chain Shirt
2 Daggers
Masterwork Shortbow with STR-rating +2
Masterwork Flute
Sap
Explorer's Outfit


B

Masterwork Longbow STR-rating +2
Masterword Heavy Flail
1 Masterwork Dagger
Explorer's Outfit


The mules also carry some bags containing:

Feed for the mules for 2 days each
8 trail rations
4 Javelins
3*50ft silk ropes
Basic Survival Gear x3 (Bedrolls, Winter Blankets, Bags, Flint and Steel, Waterskin)



In total, you also find:
Different Coins in a total value of [roll0] GP
Gemstones in a total value of [roll1] GP

Also, 2 mules.

Once you are done with looting and everyone is free, they look at you full of expectation. Again, the tall orc-blooded is the one talking:
"My name is Riktar, those are Linka (female halfling), Sarah (female human), her brother-in-law Pavlas (male human), and Hjellbes (male tiefling). They found us all somewhere in the Badlands. You said something about riots in the city. I assume you mean in Meltropa? Can you tell us more about it?" He points to the city.

[Aldurin]

Bix looks over the pile of loot with augmented senses as he replies to Riktar. "We do not know much. Each of us were slaves in a secured manor until the day of the riot, when we broke out via some mysterious aid. We avoided the areas of conflict because we didn't want to press our luck, and have been trying to get our bearings in the safety of the wilderness." Bix draws in the ground the symbol that the stranger in the city wrote with his dying breath. "This was written by a dying man on our path out, using his own blood. Does it hold any significance to you?"

Looking over the loot with Detect Magic.

[Blinkbear]

Bix casts his spell and can see three magic auras: The undergarment of S' armor, one of the water skins and two overlapping ones coming from the rugs that Linka is wearing (or rather from something hidden under it).


Undergarment: Unknown
Waterskin: Faint Conjuration
Hidden Object: Moderate Evocation + Conjuration


As Bix draws the symbol, everyone looks at it curiously. Riktar nods: "Saw't in Dunghaven a few times, think it's a parole of some sort." He shrugs. "A few weeks ago there were people talkin' about rebellion. Didn't think 't was a good idea to stay and risk my hide and left. You see how far I've got..." He curses and spits to the ground.
Sarah remembers: "We were not there for long but I saw it once painted on a wall. Thought it would be grafitti though. And we... we have to go. I mean Pavlas and me... We... have something to take care of." One can hear some sense of foreboding in her voice, as if she was expecting to be too late already. Pavlas agrees with a nod. "Yes, she is right. Again, we thank you for your help. I fear we cannot compensate you, and to make it worse, I even have a request." His words apparently make Sarah even more worried, but this seems important to him. "Please, would you let us have a weapon of some sort? We might need to defend ourselves on our way. And maybe one of the javelins for hunting?"

For now, Linka and Hjellbes stay quiet.

[Aldurin]

Bix looks to the others in the party to answer the request. "I'll leave the matter of weapons to them, though it looks like we should be able to spare some. Could you draw out where Dunghaven is relative to Meltropa? We don't know much about the surrounding area and need to learn as much as we can." He picks up the magical waterskin and checks to see if there's any fluid inside of it, floating over to Krempla at the same time. "That armor padding is magical, not sure to what effect, though. Probably isn't bad if the slaver was wearing it." After a moment he notices the silence from the other two. "And what plans do you two have? You don't seem to have the same urgency as Sarah and Pavlas."

[stanleyindraven]

"Anyone object to them taking a few javelins, survival gear and that scimitar?" Krempla questions his companions. He seems unaffected by Bix's magical comment.

[Sontali]

Arashk looks up from where he is looking through the belongings of the dead guards. "Arashk does not."

[Blinkbear]

Riktar nods to Bix' request, and starts putting together some small map by means of sticks and stones. The two humans, Sarah and Pavlas quickly arrange to get going, taking whatever you decide to give them. Before they leave, Pavlas approaches Krempla directly, after the following short dialogue:
Sarah (worried): "What if it makes him angry?"
Pavlas (defiant): "You know that it's the last thing I-"
Sarah: "I know. Of course I know. Just as you know I -"
Pavlas: "He won't bite my head off for asking."
Then, Pavlas to Krempla: "When you were inspecting the corpse of the guy with the spear... Did you happen to find a simple golden necklace? It belonged to my brother once. It is not of high material value. I- it's the last memory I have of him."

Parallel to that scene, Linka answers first to Bix' question: "You have saved my life -- " she bows politely "I would be glad to spend my time trying to return this favor. The White Flame does not forget!" The way she says "White Flame" makes you feel that it is written with capital letters, and would refer to an organisation, ideal or deity. Hjellbes shrugs in a truly teenager fashion, while looking to the floor. "I... I don't know. I thought... Well... Maybe..." He shrugs again, obviously feeling awkward about the situation, then he gulps and looks up. "Honestly, I have no idea." It sounds a bit defiant, but not angry, rather unconfident.

[stanleyindraven]

Krempla roots around in the sack until he finds the small golden item and pulls it out. "This?" Krempla says with his hand open and proffered. "I have no need of it."

[Blinkbear]

Krempla:
You see tears in the man's eyes as he carefully retrieves the item. "Thanks, man! May... May Elluna's light shine upon your way wherever it leads you." You see that he wants to go in for a hug, but Sarah is starting to drag him away.

All:
The two humans take whatever gear you allow them to take and bid their farewell. Then, they leave, backtracking the traces of the carriage.

[Asmodean_]

"So should we follow them, or just go back to the house?" Ker'anson prompts.

[Blinkbear]

Ker'anson

Hjellbes looks at you, a bit shocked. He starts speaking when he suddenly seems to realize something: "They- wha? You have a house? A real house?

[Asmodean_]

"Well, we found it yesterday and nobody seems to be using it," Ker'anson explained matter-of-factly.

[stanleyindraven]

"Yes, it was a great boon." Krempla replies as he prepairs the cart to manuver around and turn about.

[Blinkbear]

Riktar has finished his "drawings", and explains you a bit about the environment.

Map: http://bit.ly/2bC4hVf (http://bit.ly/2bC4hVf)

The big grayish blob is the city Meltropa. The vast lands that get hillier the more you go to the right, is the area called Badlands by Riktar. The smaller grayish blob south-east of Meltropa is Dunghaven:

"Yeah, Dunghaven... You know, the sewers need to end somewhere, right? All of it, all the trash, all the cloaka, it all leaves Meltropa through a river of stink and disgust through a barred gate on the south west of the city. From there, it all flows downhill into a place that proudly calls itself Dunghaven. Sanctuary for all those who try to leave everything behind and seek protection from the authorities, as none of the guards ever comes there. Guess it's the stench." Riktar shrugs.

[Aldurin]

"Thank you, this will help. Does Dunghaven have anyone who will trade supplies and equipment? And if so what do they prefer we pay with?" Bix asks as he pulls out a piece of chalk and resketches the map onto the side of the wagon.

[Asmodean_]

Ker'anson moves towards the map and takes out some parchment and an inkpen from his satchel, then sits down and begins copying the map, marking their current position (roughly) with a date.

[Blinkbear]

Riktar nods. "Yes, yes, they will. So, there are some people who actually come there and have easy access to the city, and thus coins are a valid way of paying. You may also find people who directly trade goods for goods, or goods for services." Riktar also explains you the different kinds of coins there are, and gives you some basic understanding for what you could buy from that in general. In Dunghaven, the prices vary a lot, from product to product (or service to service), because the availability of products of any kind also changes over time.

Are you leading the NPCs and the wagon back to your house? Or are you taking a different approach?

[Blinkbear]

Together, you return to your house in the woods. Linka proposes to choose a route that leads you over hardy ground to reduce the tracks you leave. Riktar adds that it might be a good idea to let the cart be parked a bit away from the house, and only take the mules with you. Although this is a slight diversion, you still reach the house before nightfall, whatever you decision you take regarding the cart.

Riktar and Linka seem to be genuinely surprised about the existence of the house and your generosity, but they keep mostly quiet and ask if there is something they could do to further improve the situation. In contrast to that, Hjellbes seems simply mind-blown by the fact that people like you and him can actually live freely in a house.

You arrange a hunting party (Ker'anson and Riktar?), and further divide the tasks to make sure that the night will be comfortable, your stomachs are filled, and the mules have a place to graze. Linka seems to know a good deal about spices and actually discovers that there is an overgrown herb garden behind the house.



***

After a good meal and the exchange of friendly words, it is Riktar who asks: "So, what is your plan now?" You see that Linka is happy that this question has been posed -- possibly because she had sworn to further accompany and support you to repay her debts.

[stanleyindraven]

"What skills do you have? We will need a great many with different types of skills if we are to bring down the people who would enslave us." Krempla asks as he leans forward.

[Blinkbear]

Linka: "I worship the purifying flame of life. As such, I know some divine magic, and have acquired a certain set of skills in my strive for the purification of those who do not rest. They may have taken me away from home, but fire is everywhere, as is life, and the need for purification." She speaks modest but sure.

Riktar: "Before they took me, I was a carpenter's apprentice." He shrugs and sounds sad. "My captors did not have much interest in my artistic or artisanal skills, though. Or they just thought I'd bring a better price as a pit fighter. Thus they tried to turn me into an animal, instead. Sometimes I fear they have succeeded."

Hjellbes stays silent, maybe hoping to be overseen in the discussion.

[Aldurin]

Bix looks over at Hjellbes. "We do need to know what you can do, if you wish to stay here. Everyone needs to be able to contribute to our survival in some form, even if its with simple tasks."

[Blinkbear]

Hjellbes does not look up but stares at his hands. His answer bares a mix of anger, defiance and despair: "That's the thing! I can't really do anything. I mean, sometimes I see things afar. Sometimes I hear what other people think. But I have no idea how. It just happens. Most of the time, I don't even know if it's real... Or... Lies... Or messages from beyond the veil. They... They said I'm tainted."
Anyone with basic empathy sees that the teen is near tears, and likely contemplates to leave the room slamming the door. Too bad, there is only one room in the house.

[Aldurin]

Bix furrows his brow with thought as he floats over to be only a few inches from Hjellbes. "They say you're tainted because they're simplistic and afraid. Look at me." Bix backs up so that tiefling can get a good look at him. "What do you think they said about me? The gnomes of my home village didn't protect me. I was too young to remember if they simply didn't resist when the slavers came, or if they happily accepted a pouch of coin in exchange for me. Confined to a mansion for years, I had to take the initiative, manipulate my tutors so I could learn magic, but never in a way that would send me to fight. I don't know the nature of your abilities just yet, but if you work with Ker'anson and myself then you should be able to learn more about it, most importantly how to make it answer to your command." Bix beckons Ker'anson over. "Try focusing on something. Think of a place far from here that you'd like to see, or one of us whose thoughts you're curious about. Don't focus too specifically, just try to ease your way into making the effects happen again." Bix casts a cantrip and urges Ker'anson to do the same as he waits for the results.

Bix will be maintaining Detect Magic while focusing on Hjellbes.

[Sontali]

Arashk keeps an eye on Hjellbes and if he looks like he about to cast something, the lizardfolk subtlety moves behind cover.

[Asmodean_]

Ker'anson pulls up a chair and sits down, muttering as he goes. "Tainted with what? Tactical advantages?"

Detect Magic0, and a couple of checks if needed.
Spellcraft: INT (+2), Knowledge (Arcana) Synergy (+2): [roll0]
Knowledge (Arcana): INT (+2), Ranks (+7): [roll1]

[Blinkbear]

Hjellbes blushes but does as commanded and concentrates. His eyes turn to a reddish glow and an audible humming is emitted from his body, becoming louder. Then, it suddenly stops and his torso falls a bit over, as if he was tripped, but he still sits in his chair. The tiefling looks to the ground ashamed. "It... It didn't work."


You could see some aura, similar to that of your magic, but also completely different. It emanated from his head, and was growing larger until the humming stopped and the aura burst like a bubble. Ker'anson, you now could also see the two magical auras under Linka's shirt. And no, it is not what you think :smallyuk:

[Asmodean_]

Ker'anson ponders this for a second. "When you could hear people's thoughts, are they close by? Or does distance not matter?"

[Blinkbear]

Hjellbes seems still very insecure. "I.. I don't know, I never tried to, this one time, this room, with my mum, she..." Suddenly, his eyes turn red again, stronger this time, flames dancing in the darkness. The hum arises faster this time, and then dies instantly. This time however, he stares into the distance. Tears find their way down the Tiefling's eyes, and his face is torn in shock. His voice sounds dry as he talks. "I am there. In the room. The room they... The room my mother died in."

While doing so, you can see that the aura around him is somehow very similar to that of a divination aura, but it is somehow totally different. He did not cast a spell in the classical sense (and also did not use a spell-like ability). He did not manipulate the Arcane Weave, and he also did not channel divine energy; for a moment it seemed as if his mind itself was reaching out.

[Aldurin]

Bix examines the aura and speaks a few moments after Hjellbes finishes. "I don't recognize the power, but I do believe it can be controlled. You should try to practice in small steps, see what you can do with our limited guidance. It's possible we can find an expert who can help you later on. As for now, your best contribution would be to helping us with cooking, gardening and security when you're not practicing. Does that sound fine?"

[Blinkbear]

Hjellbes nods and tries to wipe away the tears that ran down his cheeks, smearing dust and dirt through his face, and managing to look even worse afterwards.

[Aldurin]

Bix backs up so he's looking at everyone in the room. "Good. I now think we have two major courses of action to take now. The easiest of them is probably making contact with Dunghaven, establishing connections that get us access to more equipment and information. A shopping trip is in order, and we should at least see what our gems and currency will get us. I would rather we keep the cage here instead of selling it as scrap metal, because of our second goal. I'm annoyed it didn't occur to me earlier, but we need to capture one of the slavers alive in order to squeeze language lessons out of them. The language barrier puts us at constant risk for interacting with anyone who isn't a current or former slave, and will be a major component to infiltrating slaver-controlled cities. I have some ideas for what to do to capture someone for this purpose, which I'll suggest next time we spot an opportunity."

[Blinkbear]

Riktar nods. "I could lead you there, and I still know a handful of people there, I guess. Maybe you even find someone there who could teach you. If you have the right amount of valuables, that is." He shrugs. "I could also try to get some tools to fix the things around the house. Should we have guards overnight?" He stretches, yawning.

[Asmodean_]

"I could take either half of the night," Ker'anson volunteers, gathering up a few of his belongings and shoving them unceremoniously into his bag. "Any other takers?"

[Blinkbear]

Riktar: "I can also take a shift, my eyes see well in the dark, though not that far as those of a gnome."
Linka lowers her had in slight shame: "As long as it's dark outside, I am blind as a bat, but I could take over one of the later shifts after dawn."
Hjellbes does not seem overly eager, but also adds: "I can also see in the dark..."

[Sontali]

Arashk barks out a short laugh at the imagery and volunteers for a watch, "Capture chain the chainers. Arashk will watch guard at night."

[Asmodean_]

Ker'anson turns towards Linka. "While using Detect Magic, I noticed you had some enchanted items of some sort hidden on your person. Mind telling us what they are?"

[Blinkbear]

Linka looks anxious for a moment upon Ker'anson's question but then shakes her head.

"No, you deserve to know. I had it on me, hidden, when they caught me. It is something that I hold very dear. My Baneblade. I carry it sheathed below fake bandages. I was asleep when they came, and it would not have helped us when we were in chains. I shall show it to you now if you insist."

[Asmodean_]

"Yes. We should all know what tactical advantages we can use if we end up in the midst of battle."

[Blinkbear]

Linka nods. "So be it." She then starts with removing the simple, rugged shirt she is wearing. Below that, you can see that her torso is wrapped in bandages, partially soaked in what could be dried blood. She continues with removing the bandages. Hjellbes blushes and seems to be conflicted between looking and not looking. Linka does not seem to be overly concerned with the whole situation. Below a few layers of bandages, right below her breasts, a small leather sheath appears, around the size of a dagger (for a small humanoid). She stops with further unwrapping at puts the sheathed blade down on the table. She then starts to wrap the bandages again. "This weapon was my graduation gift. She slowly draws the weapon: A long-bladed, slightly curved dagger of a slightly silvery, beautifully engraved metal. With a flick of her wrist, small white flames start to dance over the blade in complex patterns. "It carries the essence of the White Flame and as such is the bane of aberrations and undead." She flicks her wrist again and the flames disappear, then she sheathes the weapon again.

[Blinkbear]

Dunghaven --- jewel of... well, maybe all places that have been around the drain output of a city. Before one can actually see it, one can smell it. The stench goes worse and worse. At some point, the demonic teenager you are traveling with has to stop to hurl into the plains leading to the slum settlement in front of the city. You are happy to not have taken the carriage with you, as the visibility here is quite good, and traveling on foot you are more difficult to spot. Instead, you have hidden the cart not far from the house. Luckily, Krempla had offered to guard or at least watch the house.

When you can finally see details of Dunghaven, you spot badly built houses, making the impression of having been built in the hurry, and afterwards turned from temporary into permanent housing. Nothing here seems to fit to each other. You can see and hear people rushing to the "streets", which might as well be described as the open space between houses, carts and heaps of trash. Some of the heaps are burning, but the smell is not sensible under the heavy stench of the thick brown river.

As you approach the settlement, a group of thugs comes into your direction. One of them is a hobgoblin, sharing some of his visual traits with Krempla.


"What brings you into our splendid town on this sunny afternoon?" his voice is mocking and a tall lizardfolk between the thugs laughs in a high pitched voice. You can see that the other thugs are human but likely with some other blood partially flowing through their veins.

[Aldurin]

"Commerce, mainly." Bix replies. "As you can probably tell it's a bit too difficult for us to shop in the cities."

[Blinkbear]

"Oh, commerce you say..." Again this mocking in his voice. "Well then, I guess a small toll would be in order. Two gold pieces per person is the standard price, but as you have so pretty wings, I'll make it one for each." The guys are grinning. You can see that most of them have simple weaponry and armors.


Surprise: It seems as if they simply want to make some money. Beside their strong arms and simple weapons at their belts, they have no authority here.